Christmas 2012

Gil and I traveled to Bastrop to be with Mama and my sister Judy and my 3 nieces this Christmas. Rebecca, the youngest niece, was home from Beaumont for the holidays. We stayed at Katherine's new home and really had a wonderful time. Middle niece Mary introduced us to her finace Chantz and invited us back New Year's Eve for a wedding.  Judy and Katherine had a wonderful spread prepared for us to eat. We played games and enjoyed visiting for two days. It really was a wonderful family holiday.

Trip to Beijing, China, to visit Kitchens family

Gil and I had the trip of a lifetime going to Beijing, China, to visit our son Carl Kitchens, Jr. and his family end of August, 2012. We flew from Little Rock, AR, to Chicago, then took a 13 hr. flight with United Airlines to Beijing, arriving on Aug. 29th, our 37th wedding anniversary.

Ed (as I have called him most of his life), his wife Debora and the granddaughters, Suzanne and Destiny, were there to meet us at the airport in Beijing. It was wonderful to see them all again after 2 1/2 years of not being able to see them in person. Destiny (DJ) was only 5 mo. old when they moved to China for her father to teach English as second language at a private school there.  Suzanne was only 12 yrs. old at the time. DJ had turned 3 yrs. old the day before we arrived and we had a birthday party for her the next weekend.

We took the subway across town which was a very crowded ride for about 1 1/2 hours, then a taxi to their apartment in the very southern part of the city. What a culture shock this was! The Chinese people are very friendly and helpful but there are SO MANY of them in that city! We were very tired for a couple of days and the weather was very warm when we arrived. It rained on Sunday after we got there and then the weather cooled off and was very comfortable the entire month of September - shirt-sleeve weather comfortable for walking and enjoying our visit.

The area where they live is a gated community with 54 buildings inside a fenced area, each building being at least 15 stories, each floor having six apartments. Thus, this area alone housed more people than our town in south Arkansas of about 10,000 population. The city of Beijing is comprised of about 20 million people. I think half of them were on the subway that day we arrived.

We did not go out to see the things most visitors to the city see, but stayed at the apartment many days to visit with the granddaughters while their father taught school and their mother shopped for groceries or ran errands. We were content with that but did venture out a couple of days to attend church at the Beijing International Christian Fellowship or go to a restaurant. We did take a bus ride to the city center one day which was interesting, but very tiring.

Many days we took DJ down to the courtyard to play or shop. The shops near their apartment included several small grocery stores, a pharmacy, a beauty shop, a barber, cleaners and realtor offices. We also walked several days to the nearby open-air market where we purchased fresh fruit, vegetables and needed items for the family. The market was open 7 days a week from about 6:30 am until about 1 pm. Vendors set up their booths early each morning, displaying their wares or food products, and then took down the booths early each afternoon.

While there, we witnessed the country of China in a very heated dispute with Japan over some islands which both nations claimed. There were demonstrations throughout the country of China, one of which was very large outside the Japanese Embassy which happened to be across the street from the BICF (church) where we worshipped on two occasions. During the most heated demonstrations we were warned to not go near that area one Sunday. We were very glad when this international situation calmed down to the point that there were no longer demonstrations.

The Chinese food in Beijing is very different from the American/Chinese food we find in restaurants in this country. We did not find much to our liking in the restaurant we ate at one evening but did attempt to eat with chopsticks with some success.

Everywhere we went, DJ was the star of the situation. Everyone wanted to talk to her, play with her or touch her. The Chinese were fascinated by this little blond, blue-eyed American girl. The children and adults in restaurants, in the courtyard, in the subway and on the buses gathered around her and wanted to take her picture with their own children. The children all enjoyed playing with her and she with them. It would be so nice if all peoples of the world could get along this well - with no regard to color of skin or nationality.

Before we knew it, our 33 days in China were over. Suzanne had her 15th birthday on Sept. 30th and we had to leave on Oct. 1st which happened to be National Day (holiday similar to our 4th of July). This is the day each year the nation of China celebrates that they are no longer subject of an emperor. We were somewhat concerned about getting to the airport on such a holiday, especially with all our luggage. We felt like we did not want to take the subway again and the taxi cabs were all very small. Naturally our son and his family wanted to see us off at the airport so we hired a private car (through my son's friend at work) to take us. It took only 35 min. to get there and the ride was very comfortable for us all.

It was hard to leave them that day, but we hope they will be able to come to Arkansas next summer for a visit. Suzanne is in her senior year of home schooling and plans to attend college here in the USA. She will be staying with us when the family comes next year. The flight back to Chicago was only 12 hours because of a tail wind and not quiet so tiring as the trip to Beijing but we were glad to get home. Now skype will be our only connection to them again!

July trip to Bastrop, Louisiana

In mid-July Gil and I took the motorhome to Chemin-A-Haut State park for a few days camping. This lovely park is only 12 miles north of Bastrop where my mother and sister live so it gave us a chance to visit them and also see my nieces Mary and Katherine.

The first afternoon in town I had a lovely visit also with my dear friend of many years and fellow highschool classmate Diane Smith Hawkins. Diane was about to embark on a mission trip to Brazil with some church friends where she attended church for many years in Tulsa, OK. It was so nice to have some time with her before she left the country. That evening I also had a chance to spend some one-on-one time with Mama and catch up with her. She showed me her garden and we spent some time just visiting and catching up on things.

The next day was a special day to spend lunch with a group of the Girls of 65, classmates from Bastrop High. We have so much fun every time we are able to get together. This is such a loving group of friends and sometimes a classmate gets to come whom we have not seen in a while (since we finished school together in 1965). Yes, you thought we named our group that because we all happen to go on medicare this year....LOL  Not so, it was just a coincidence! Really.

Anyway, we met at one of the ladies' homes in Bastrop and enjoyed the afternoon catching up on each other and our families. Gail's home is beautiful and she was the perfect hostess. We each took a salad for the luncheon along with a recipe card so that we can put the recipes in a cookbook which one of our ladies has so graciously offered to put together for us. We will all add other recipes to make this a great book. Maybe we can sell the cook books and then use the money for a special trip or get-to-gether for us Girls of 65.

Our last day in town was fun because Gil cooked out at the campground and my sister, her daughters and Mama came out to join us there. We had a mixed grill of beef, chicken and pork along with a lovely green salad, and fresh fruit for dessert. Everyone had a good time, along with Lucky and Sweetiepie. Our kitties really enjoy camping.

It was great to have this time with family and  friends. This is likely to be the last post prior to our trip to Beijing to visit our grandchildren and their parents. We leave Aug. 28th and will return Oct. lst. So looking forward to this time with my son and his family!  Watch for posts and pictures here.

Friendship Baptist Church Reunion

Gil and I had a wonderful trip to Memphis, TN, this past weekend to reunite with many of our dear friends from Friendship Baptist Church where we worshipped while stationed at RAF Bentwaters/Woodbridge, Suffolk, England, from 1984-1987. Bro. Stew Wine, our former pastor from FBC, now lives in Memphis with his daugher Patra Sue and her husband Chuck Mason.

We gathered with 45 of our dear friends from eight different states from Florida to Texas, including Arkansas, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina and Ohio. It was wonderful to see our friends from the past, some of their children and grand children and to meet some of those church members whom we did not know until this reunion who were members (some founding members) before we got there, or after we left. The sermon by Bro. Stew was as inspiring as ever and the song service was great. I look forward to another time of fellowship with these dear friends and hope to see some next time who were not able to attend this year's gathering.

While in Memphis, I also had the opportunity to visit a couple of hours with one of my BHS classmates whom I had not seen since we graduated high school in 1965. Pam David Harris has been a resident of Memphis for many years and she was kind enough to drop by the hotel to visit with me and catch up on those many years we have not seen each other. Pam is a dear sweet Christian lady and I am so glad we were able to reconnect at this time.   

Texarkana Library Book Event

The lastest book event was held in Texarkana at the local public library. This was set up by a fellow author friend I met on Facebook, Janice Glass. There were 15 authors in attendance with a variety of books available to the public who came to meet us that day. The books varied from children's books, to mystery novels, and history such as mine.

The general public was low in attendance that day but we had a good time meeting the ones who did come, and had a good time meeting each other and getting acquainted. Some of the authors in attendance read from their books.  Two of them who had children's books read to the children in attendance. One young lady who is in high school presented her book she wrote about a local private investigator who was very involved in the civil rights agenda of the 60s.

All in all, we had a great day.

On June 9th I was privileged to be a part of the Author Faire at Shreve Memorial Library with eight other authors. This was in celebration of and in conjunction with their One-Book, One-Parish  program push to interest the area residents in reading. The author whose book was selected to be in the bag for readers this year was Shreveport native Marc Pittman. His book Raising Cole is his story of how he coped after losing his son in an automobile accident a number of years ago.  It was an honor to be a part of this program and to meet the other authors there whom I did not know. Mr. Pittman is a very devout Christian man and a very devoted father and husband.

Joining me at the library that morning were Texas residents and authors Patty Wiseman, Tammy Thompson, and Eddie Hancock as well as Louisiana native Sheila Jackson, Kim Thompson and Lynn Cawthorne. Each of us presented our books to the guests and had a time of questions and answers as well as time to sign and sell the books.  Our host, Debora Kavanaugh, was so gracious and well prepared for the program and did an excellent job as facilitator for the event. Thank you Shreve Memorial Library staff.

The afternoon found me at the Randle T. Moore Center on Fairfield Avenue speaking to the local Ark-La-Tex Genealogical Association. Jim Johnson, program director, allowed me to present Sharecropping in North Louisiana to the membership with a time of questions and answers from the audience as well as time to meet them one on one and sign and sell books. It was a great time had by all and everyone seemed to appreciate the stories told in the book about my mother's years growing up during the 20s, 30s and 40s.  I met one lady whose mother is from Caldwell Parish, and another lady who had attended a book event with me and Mama in March 2009 there in Shreveport at a Christian book store.

After the afternoon book event, Gil and I drove by the house where we had lived 38 years ago when we first married. The neighborhood had changed a lot since then, but the old house still looks very nice. We also drove by the State Bldg where I worked when we married. It was an absolutely lovely sunny day and a beautiful drive. We enjoyed seeing St. Mark's Catholic Church across the street for the Randle T. Moore Center. It reminds me of cathedrals we had seen in Europe.   

In mid-May 2012, Gil and I travelled in our motorhome to visit Dan, Gil's son, and his family who live in Muscatine, IA. It was a special occasion - not only because Dan was to receive his AA degree from Muscatine Community College, but because he would actually walk upon the stage to get that degree! He had been in a motorcycle accident in July 2010 which left him in a wheelchair for almost 18 months. The doctors told him he may never walk again. Dan is a very determined young man! During that time, he focused on his studies as well as his pysical therapy in order to finish his schooling and be able to go back to work to take care of his family. He accomplished both and we are very proud of him. He recently obtained a job with Shaw Electric as their Job Estimator. He received his diploma on May 16th and we were there to help Dan celebrate this wonderful event with family and friends.

We then drove to Kansas City to visit one of Gil's long-time former school buddies -  Larry Elliott and wife Karen.  The trip continued as we drove to Wichita, KS, where we visited Gil's daughter Pat Galimi and her husband James.  We also drove to Haysville, Ks,  where we met our new great-grandson Connor Jakob Matthews, and his parents Rachael and Nathan along with big sister Emma.  What a great tme we had in their home visiting and sharing meals. CJ, the baby, was so good and we all took turns holding him and spoiling him.

We were camping at McConnel AFB's Family Campground. While in Wichita, we attended church services with Pat and Emma at Immanuel Baptist Church were Gil and I were members back in the early 80s while stationed in Wichita at McConnell AFB. We also shared a meal with a former classmate of mine and child-hood friend, Willene Bennet and husband Jim.  All in all we had  a wonderful time in Wichita. We drove by the house in which we had lived on N. Erie St. as well as the area where we lived in a condo on S. 42nd St. The condo, along with its neighboirng condos, was torn down at some point to make room for a new housing development.

When we left Wichita, we drove east to Ft. Scott to visit with Gil's sisters, his brother and his step-mom. We enjoyed several meals with them and had a good time catching up on what they had been doing since our last visit as well as their kids and grandchildren.  Our trip home was a rather long and tiring one as we had some trouble with our motorhome and eventualy left it in Little Rock for some repairs to the electrical system. We loaded clothes and food into our car and headed home, getting in late in the afternoon. It is so good to be home! Lucky and Sweetiepie agree.

A recent trip to Bastrop was a double fun trip because I got to spend some time with my classmate and long-time friend Diane Smith Hawkins. We had lunch together at Johnny's Pizza, spent the afternoon catching up on each other and our kids and grandkids, then attended the local dinner theater put on by the Rose. It was a lovely meal, a funny play and a good time had by all.

We also ran into one of our favorite teachers from BHS there, Mrs. Bickley-Norwood and her daugher Kaye who also graduated with us from BHS. I spent the night with Diane in her home shared with her mother and then got up early the next day for my trip to Rayville with my own mother for our book event there at the Antique Trade Days.

It was a special weekend and a lot of fun.

Gil and I recently had a lovely get-away to Lake DeGray State Park, near Bismarck, AR. We camped near the lake and spent some time each day riding the trike around the camp ground and nearby roads and and highways. We met some lovely people through the time there, even a couple from our local church. It was nice getting to know this young couple from Grace Baptist as we sat around the campfire one evening. Weather and temperature was perfect!  

April 21st, 2012, Antique Trade Days, Rayville, Louisiana, was a special book event for me and Mama because we were joined by guest Tate author Kimberly Thompson from Baskin, La.  Kim had two books on the table for signing and selling, Gypsy Phoenix: A Birthright of Hope and Uncle Frank's Search for the Alligator King. It was wonderful spending time with Kim that day and getting to know her.  We had a great day selling books and meeting folks there in Rayville. 

Beautiful day at White Oak Lake State Park

My mother and sister came to visit us just prior to Easter this year and arrived on Good Friday about 10:00 a.m. I had planned a meal of baked chicken, roasted vegges, fruit salad and garlic bread with a summer berry pudding for dessert. We visited until lunchtime then each rested or took a nap while Gil rode out to White Oak Lake State Park to see what was going on there on Saturday. The schedule listed several re-enactments, candle making, weaving, tomahawk throwing, and an Easter egg hunt for the kids.

Friday afternoon we enjoyed the lovely weather, visited more and then had a light meal prior to our skype call to China to talk to Ed, Deb and the girls. We talked to them for over an hour, catching up on their recent move to Beijing and their new jobs and apartment there. Destiny showed us her new toy, a motorcycle which she loves pushing around their apartment. Suzanne spoke to us for a while after she cleaned up the kitchen from their breakfast meal. It was already Sat. morning there. Everyone had a good visit and Mama then went to bed early. Judy and I stayed up later talking and visiting. Gil watched a little TV then retired.

On Sat. morning we slept a little late then had breakfast before riding out to the state Park. It was such a lovely day we had a nice ride out there. Mama enjoyed seeing everything on the ride because she had not been out that way in a long time.
Even though the lake is drawn down and almost empty, there were many campers there enjoying this lovely spring weather.

We stopped by the pavilion where the re-enactors were camped and met them and enjoyed talking with them and hearing about their many camp sights around the country performing re-enactments from several periods of history. At this point they were dressed in pre-1840s costumes and were enjoying a breakfast that had been prepared over the campfire in castiron skillets and dutch ovens. Afterwards we then watched them during their tomahawk throwing contest. They invited the general audience to participate. Judy was first to step up and learn how to throw the tomahawk. She caught on very quickly and after a few practice throws with that left hand of hers landed the tomahawk on the target 3 out of five throws. Then Mama wanted to try her hand at it and after a couple of practice throws landed the tomahawk in the target on the 3rd attempt. To the dismay of several of the re-enactors, both ladies made better scores than they.

As it turned out, there were no candle makers or weavers at the park today but we had a great time meeting the re-enactors and visiting with them.

We came home for a nice lunch of ham, baked beans, broccoli casserole and upside-down cake. Mama and Judy left shortly after lunch so Gil and I took the trike back out to the lake to enjoy the beautiful spring weather. We had a great time today. It has been a lovely Holy Week and we look forward to Easter Sunday at which time we will celebrate our Lord's resurrection at Grace Baptist Church.

March RV trip to Caney Lake near Chatham, La

Linda's former highschool classmates, known as 'Girls of 65,' planned a retreat at the lake house owned by Nettie Echols Cartwright's son. We planned to gather there Friday night for a meal and again on Saturday and leave on Sunday after lunch. There were beds at the lake house for about a dozen to sleep. Gil decided to take the RV and camp at the Jimmie Davis State Park, just down the road from the lake house. Our friends, Reba and Eddie Beard, also planned to camp at the park. Gil and I arrived at the campground Thursday afternoon and once set up at the campsite joined Reba and Eddie for the evening meal at their campsite. Reba had made chicken and spaghetti, green salad and a cake for super.

We had a lovely visit with them, getting to know them better and hear about their children and precious grandchildren (2 children, 9 grands). On Friday afternoon Reba and I drove to the lake house where we began to prepare the evening meal for the Girls. I made 'gumbolaya' - my version of gumbo which many say is more like jambalaya because I cook the rice in the same pot. The version I made for the Girls was my smoked sausage recipe. Everyone seemed to really enjoy it. Reba had wonderful garlic bread and someone else brought a big green salad. We also had several desserts including crepes made by my dear highschool friend and classmate Charlene Whitaker Bailey. About a dozen of the girls spent the night at the lake house.

On Saturday we gathered once again after breakfast and another 12 of our 'Girls' from highschool drove in for the day. Several live in Bastrop, several more in the Monroe/West Monroe area and a number had driven in from Texas for the weekend retreat. We had so much fun visiting and laughing and just 'hanging out.' The house was right on the water and had a nice dock for fishing. Then in the afternoon we all had the opportunity to go on a boat ride with James (owner of the lake house). It was a fast boat and he really showed us a good time as he took us around the beautiful lake so we could see the lovely homes there. Naturally, he took out only 5or 6 at a time. It really was a lot of fun.

On Sunday morning Gil and I decided to drive into East Texas to see the wildflowers since they were at their peak. Texas had had a lot of rain the previous week and some of the ladies who drove to the retreat told us that the bluebonnets and Indian paintbrushes were lovely. We ended up having some repairs made on the motorhome in Lufkin and again in Marshall, TX. BUT all in all it was a great trip. The Girls are planning to make this an annual retreat at Lake Caney and I really look forward to it again next year. There were 25 of us Girls there on Saturday. Hope more can come next year. Our name 'Girls of 65' comes from the fact that we graduated from highschool in May 1965, BUT this year is significant in that most of us turn 65 and go on Medicare. I think we are a bunch of beautiful ladies! We sure know how to have fun!

19th Annual Daffodil Festival, Camden, AR

The Daffodil Festival this year turned out to be so nice because of the weather, but the daffodils were at the very end of their life because the very mild winter and warm temperatures in February this year made them bloom early. There were a few late bloomers in my yard this year and the daffodil committee did come to our yard and the little field Mama planted next door to cut flowers for the downtown stores and businesses.

I had a book signing at the Farmer's Bank on Friday during the morning hours of the festival. This was a lot of fun and I sold several books.

Gil helped CMA Charity Ridrs park bikes for the Bike Show on Saturday. The car show was also a big success. The town streets were blocked off as usual for the many craft and food vendors who set up for the enjoyment of all the people who attended the annual festival. The newspaper stated the next day that the steak cookoff was also a big success and tickets were sold out early in the day. The rain held off so the cemetery walks and historic home tours were held as planned. All and all, it was a very good daffodil festival for everyone.

Spring trips March 2012

GARVAN GARDENS, near Hot Springs:

Gil and I drove to Garvan Gardens to see the tulips on Tuesday this week. The sun was out, the temperature was perfect and the tulips were at their peak. We walked arond the paths looking at the lovely flowers and enjoyed the spring day. There were other people in the garden, but it was not crowded. We had a hard time deciding which tulips were the pretiest.

There were benches along the paths so we stopped often enjoying the view and watching other people who were out doing the same thing. There is a miniature village with a small train running through the buildings. We also enjoyed the short walk to the Chapel made of steel and glass. The bells chiming out on the hour and half hour made the walk so pleasant. That reminded us of the beautiful church bells we often heard in Europe in the various places we lived and visited.

HISTORIC WASHINGTON, AR: Then on Thursday we went with the seniors from our church to Old Washington to tour several of the historic buildings there. The church van was comfortable for the 20 plus people who went. Washington was the Confederate Capital of Arkansas form 1863 to 1865 when the Civil War ended.

We toured several homes built there in the mid 1800s. The town at one time had 14 physicians and 17 attorneys and was on the only road that crossed the State of Arkansas at that time. Three Arkasnas governors came from that little town over the years.

We saw a demonstrtion of weaving testiles in one home, and saw cotton and wollen being carded in another building. "Miss Carrie" greeted us at one home and showed us the kitchen were she prepared meals for the family she served (as a slave in mid 1800s). We visited the local blacksmith shop and then had lunch at the park's tavern/restaurant.

The meal was delicious and very reasonably priced. The small building is capable of serving about 72 people and is open only at lunch each day. The manager says they are closed only 2 days each year, Christmas and New Years Day. The lovely restaurant had original beams in the ceilings, original floors and fireplaces from 1832. The entire tour was very informative and pleasant. Our tour guide, Vickie, told us a lot about the town and its history.

It really was a lovely day for such an outing.

Waskom, TX Book Event

Several authors from the East Texas area invited me to join them at the Waskom Library for a book signing on Feb. 13th 2012. I was delighted to do so and Gil and I drove over for the event which took place at 6-8 pm. We first checked into the B & B just outside of Jefferson owned by one of the authors, Lynn Hobbs. It was a lovely three-room cottage with a deck on the banks of the Big Cypress Creek next door to Lynn's home. Then we drove into Waskom to join the other authors, Patty Wiseman and Ann Everett at the library. The librarians there had a room set up for us with some lovely snacks and drinks.

We were joined by about a dozen of the towns people who listened to each of us tell about our books, something about ourselves and how we came to get a book published. The visiting was very interesting and the dicussions lively. We sold books for a while, then had a drawing to give away one each of our books. Gil won a book in the drawing - the very one he was most interested in reading, Laid Out and Candle Lit by Ann Everett, a murder mystery in a small Texas town.

With the book event over we drove back to the B & B where we made a cup of coffee and hot chocolate and settled into comfortable chairs to read before retiring for the night. I started reading a book written by our hostess, Lynn Hobbs, entitled 'Sins, Secrets and Salvation.' The rooms were very cozy and comfortable on a very cold winter's night. We could hear the distant train whistle just as we dozed off to sleep. The drive home was pleasant as we came home a different route than we had taken the day before and the rains were gone. It was a very nice get-away and a very successful book event. Thank you Lynn for your hospitality and thanks to the other authors who invited us to come. A big thank you also to Willa Bose and our hostesses at the Waskom library.

Trip to Marshall, Texas

It was a beautiful sunny and warm January day when Loretta and I drove to Marshall, TX, to visit the Marshall Pottery and attend a book signing for a new author friend, Patty Wiseman. Loretta and I left Camden at 8 am and headed south to Ruston where we took the I-20 West through Shreveport and into Texas. It was a little longer route than going through Hope and south on I-30 to Texarkana, then to Marshall, but because it was foggy when we left town, we thought the southern route was best.

It had been a long time since I have been to Shreveport but we drove through with no problems. It was fun to see how the city had grown and changed since Gil and I lived there in 1975-1978 when we moved from there to Italy. There is a new interstate highway now going south (I-59) and a lot of new businesses along I-20, East and West of the city. It was not a long drive after we crossed into Texas that we came to Marshall and took the exit that led us to the pottery in just a half a mile. I had been wanting to go to the pottery for many years, but just had not had the chance before now. Loretta had never been there either.

The pottery had lots of things on which people can spend their money like home decor, candles, furniture - even jewelry. Some of those things are rather expensive, and some are rather cheap - like the plastic pots made in Taiwan and China. My interest was strictly the original signature Marshall pottery made right there. I found many beautiful pieces but specifically wanted a spigget for the large beverage urn that I had found a few months ago in a ditch in Camden. The urn undoubtedly fell off someone's truck when moving and was left in the ditch unharmed or unmarred in any way. Also found in the ditch was a lovely bowl and pitcher without a scratch! So I found the spigget needed, and a lid for the urn and also bought a small milk pitcher to match the other pieces.

After we left the pottery, we had lunch in a Chinese restaurant. It was a good lunch and we lingered over it talking and havng a good visit. Then we headed to the Marshall Mall to find the book event. I had met Patty Wiseman on one of the author fadebook sites and she had graciously produced a trailer for my own book. We hope to attend some book events together in the future, either in Texas or Louisiana. Patty and several other area authors were having their event in the mall that day outside a nice book store. Loretta and I met some very nice people that day and learned about their books, several of which are e-books to be found on the Kindle or Nook. We drove home and got in about 7 pm. It was a good day.

Reconnecting with Classmates from BHS

Reconnecting with many of my dear classmates from Bastrop High has been one of the highlights of 2011! We "Girls of 65" graduated together in May 1965, and get together as often as possible to catch up on what has happened with us since then. It has been a lot of fun and I look forward to seeing them again in the new year.

Goodbye to 2011 and Hello to 2012

It is hard to believe that 2011 is gone and the new year is here. Gil and I received many blessings in the past year and are prepared to go forward to receive more in 2012 as we strive to improve our health, and follow God's will in 2012.

In 2011 we were able to add a beautiful addition to our home which we enjoy very much each day. The family room added almost 500 sf to the home which gives us a great place for watching TV, working on the computer, playing games and entertaining. The new entrance to the nice laundry room that was completely remodeled is wonderful. It also gives us lots of storage in the house.

The new year will bring a visit from our children and grandchildren who live in China. They too will face new challenges this year as they move to a new province in February. Both Ed and Deb will teach classes in a highschool in Quzhou, a town of 2 1/2 million people. This will be a much warmer climate for them, less work for Ed, more money for the family and more time to venture out into the Chinese provinces to explore and see the area. It also means Suzanne will be staying with us once they visit this summer. She will continue high school studies with us (on line) and begin some college courses asap. She plans to take Vet Tech courses so she can work in a Veterinary clinic because she loves animals and hopes to make that a career. She has grown to be a lovely young lady and we are very proud of her.

Destiny is growing up so fast, talking and learning some Chinese words. It will be so great for her to actually see us in person and learn more about us when the family stays with us for a while. We have not held her since she was five mo. old and she is now 2 1/2 years old and will be almost 3 years old when she visits. We have watched her via skype as she learned to roll over, sit up, walk, run and talk; but actually seeing her in person, holding her, hugging her and walking and talking with her will be wonderful.

Gil and I are so thankful for the healing of our son Dan's legs as he is now able to walk without aid of braces or crutches. He has come a long way from that wheelchair that confined him after the accident in the summer of 2010. His own hard work and God's healing hand was what has brought him and his family through the dark times and now they see a brighter future. Praise God.

2012 will bring us a new great-grandchild in the spring as Rachael and Nate will have a baby in March or April. Emma is now 7 years old and will enjoy having a little brother or sister in the home. I know she will be very helpful to her mom. We wish them every happiness and good health for them all in the new year. Pat and James visited at Thanksgiving and brought Emma with them. It was great to see them. We pray blessing for them in the new year and hope to see Mitch this coming year.

So, as I reflect on the past year and the coming year, I will repost a quote from today's newspaper: Yesterday is in the past and tomorrow is in the future, but today is a gift - that is why it is called the 'present.' So we will go forth now and enjoy the gift of today, not looking back on yesterday's mistakes or concerned with what tomorrow brings, but trusting God to help us live in the present and in His will.