Jerry's Top Ten

Jerry's home for a three-week visit. As most know, he has been living in China for several years now. After settling him in last night and visiting for awhile, I asked him for fun to give me a list of some of the foods he has missed and is looking forward to during his stay. We always try to cook frequently while he is here. (By the way, Rick usually benefits greatly during his visits; he doesn't have to eat cereal for dinner every night!) You might be expecting steak, shrimp, and chicken fried steak on the list. Wrong!

Drum roll.......In no particular order, here is Jerry's most interesting "Top Ten Things to Eat" while he is here.

1. Mashed Potatoes
2. Cinnamon rolls
3. Chips and salsa
4. Pancakes
5. Cornbread
6. Hershey's Dark Chocolate
7. Chili
8. Tapioca pudding
9. Chocolate chip cookies
10. Long John Silver's

This should be easy!!

Bathing Beauties!

Another piece of "gold" from the treasures of old family pictures brings a smile to any female that might see this. These are two of my aunts, Gladys and Louise (not sure where Thelma was). They were having a great time here; seems as if the Scoggins family spent many hours in or near water for recreational times together.

Now, I just want it to be known if this style comes back, I just might not hesitate to hit the swimsuit department. But for now, I'll wait!

P.S. Louise really had a sister named Thelma!

Treasure!

This week a cousin on the Scoggins side mailed us a CD with probably 300 family pictures on it. We feel like we have just discovered buried treasure! Because Daddy was one of twelve children himself, when they took individual and groups shots, there were many! A large number of the photos we have never seen before. Instantly, two of these pictures became "gold" to me!

The first thing I did after viewing them myself was to immediately send an electronic copy to Justin, Jenna and Keelie. The primary reason as confirmed when you look at it is that you see the very strong resemblance between Justin and my dad--not new information by the way. The other reason lies with the second picture. Marilyn and I have known for years we were raised as twins. Documented!!! What "darlings" we were dressed alike and basically wearing the same wonderful haircut as well.

The Scoggins family took MANY pictures. Guess that was passed down to our generation as well; Marilyn and I both carry cameras in our purses. Will share more of the treasure in the future.

Joining the Ranks

Friends had been strongly suggesting I join TRTA—Texas Retired Teachers’ Association. They said I could really get some great price breaks on travel and other things as well. So, I finally got the application yesterday and completed it. I’m into that travel thing! Along with the application, I got a “Benefits for Members Only” sheet to inform me of all the great things I could take advantage of.

I was doing the speed reading thing through the handouts getting really excited about the discounts a member can receive for “Travel” and “Computers.” They even threw in a “Vision” plan. No problem. Then we got to the “not so feel good stuff” --- “Hearing Aid Plan,” “Stroke Scans,” and “Medical Alert” information. Wait a minute! This feel-so-good plan took a sudden detour down a road I really didn’t want to be on.

Breathe! I collected myself, mailed the silly thing, and just gave thanks. I am semi-retired, loving life, and blessed by God in so many ways. Just don’t want to need some of those benefits for a long time!

GO MAVS!

Jenna and I had the opportunity to see the Mavs again last night up close and personal. Always a treat! A win for them--another treat.

They played Don Nelson's Golden State Warriors. (He was really calm last night!) The final score was 128-106. Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry had 26 points through three quarters. For anyone that knows Jenna, her favorite player to watch is Jason Kidd. He was recognized during the pregame for his accomplishments representing the USA during the Olympics. It's always fun to be a part of the hype!

Keep it up, MAVS!

A Time to Bloom

Spring officially began just a couple of days ago. In the stillness and quietness this weekend, I took several moments to notice the outside beauty around the house--the pond, the green grass coming out, the onions growing in the garden, the wildflowers, and the budding trees all around. Ah yes, the trees are a favorite. That brought to mind a poem in which my 8th grade English teacher, Mrs. Short, made sure all of my class learned. It's simple, but profound. Enjoy it as I have!

Trees

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree. -Alfred Joyce Kilmer, 1913

A Time to Love

Today, we returned after nine days of vacationing in our grand state. I love going on vacation, but it's always special pulling back into the driveway. Quickly, we began to settle into, as Rick said, the "normal" stuff. We did the unpacking, starting the washing machine, going through the mail, petting the dog, and so on.

Then the really top priority stuff began --seeing the family. Marilyn and I caught up on everything as she helped me out with a new printer. Next, I was overtaken with joy when Jonah came into the house. He looked up at me with those big brown eyes, smiled and wrapped his arms around my neck giving me the grandest hug ever! We also got to visit with Justin, Keelie, Jenna and Glory as we had a great meal together that Keelie had cooked.

A perfect evening -- I simply love and cherish all the times we can be together!

Sand and Sculptors

Rick and I traveled to Inks Lake today. This is a site he had always heard was great. It didn't let us down. We both began planning a trip in our minds for our kids here someday. It's got something for everyone--waterfront sites, good beach areas, paddle boats, canoes, fishing, and great shade trees.

This afternoon we visited an outdoor sculpture ranch by The Benini Foundation. On the 140-acre ranch, sculptors from here and abroad have displayed outdoor works. Every piece was unique and interesting to say the least.


Click to see more.

P.S. Thank you, Keelie, for the great surprise!

Make a Smilebox photobook

A Day in History

Today was rich in history and photography. We traveled outside the city 15 miles to the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park. The tour first began inside the "State" Park. Within this area, we did a walking tour of the Sauer-Beckmann Living History Farm. It seems these people were neighbors to LBJ's family out there. In fact, one of the children of this family was the midwife at LBJ's birth. The farm is complete with people who really work the farm as it would have been done from 1915-1918. People are hired to be on site everyday in costume and doing the work.The farmhouse, stables, and storage areas are completely stocked with authentic equipment, living animals, and furniture true to the day. Work includes growing their food, canning and processing food, raising animals, cooking, cleaning, and just going through the day as it was done during that era. Keep in mind they had no running water or electricity.

When I finally consented to leave here, we entered the LBJ "National" Park adjacent to the State area. The National area is the massive ranch that President and Mrs. Johnson donated to the National Park Service in 1972. LBJ stipulated that it would always remain a working ranch and not a "sterile relic of the past." Points of interest included a one-room schoolhouse, his birthplace house, and the family cemetery. Then we got to see the Texas White House--home to President and Lady Bird for many years. So many pictures and stories of our 36th President of the United States of America who just happened to be a Texan!

"Head for the Hills"

This morning after breakfast we decided to take a ride. Actually more than a ride. We packed up fairly quickly and got on the road. We decided we wanted to go to the Hill Country next. A few hours and several gas stops later, we pulled into the Fredericksburg/Johnson City area. I can already tell we have more pictures coming. There is so much to see and do I think we both know we will return soon. Hopefully, next time we will have the family with us. I think we could all have a great time here; there's something for everyone!

P.S. I also see a girls' trip in the horizon!

Majestic Mountains

This morning we had a quick breakfast and got on the road. In a little less than two hours, we actually wondered if we were still in Texas. Big Bend National Park is something like we had never thought Texas could look like. You see the vastness. You feel the remoteness. We marveled over the dark shadows of the Chisos Mountains. Rick has become very intuitive through the years to know when he needs to pull over for a picture when we are out on a day trip. In this case, every turn could have definitely warranted another photo stop. But with 800,000 acres in the park, you just can't do that!

At noon, we had one of our famous picnics that we love so much. There's something about sandwiches, chips, soft drinks, and cookies on the tailgate of "BIG RED" in the mountains!

Sabbath in the South

This morning we worshipped with the locals of Fort Davis here at First Baptist Church. They made us feel right at home. After the service, it was off to the downtown cafe for lunch. I think they knew Rick was coming; his chicken fried steak was ready and waiting for him. This was a combination cafe and old-time soda fountain. Just great!

Our plans for the afternoon included the "Scenic Loop Drive." It was 75 miles of scenery with a big buck crossing the road thrown in for excitement. And, of course, more pictures on the camera!

God Bless Texas!

Yesterday we had a great "touristee" day. The first of our two excursions was the McDonald Observatory. It is located in the heart of the Davis Mountains. Supposedly, they are one of the major astronomical research facilities in the world in conjunction with The University of Texas in Austin. The Solar Viewing program included interactive telescope views of sunspots, flares, and more. Then we had a 90-minute guided tour featuring one of the Observatory's largest research telescopes. Wow! For anyone to see this and deny God's existence is simply ludicrous.

The second excursion yesterday was the Fort Davis National Historic Site. It has to be one of the best remaining examples of a restored frontier fort. The visitor's center is located in what was originally an enlisted men's barracks complete with a museum and an auditorium. You are then free to walk the grounds to see replicas of other enlisted men's barracks as well as the commissary, the post hospital, the officers' kitchen and servants' quarters, and the commanding officer's quarters.

This is all documented, of course, digitally. I would be so excited to share just a few of these pictures with you right now. However, I forgot the card reader. But get ready-- I will bore you later!

A Time to Vacation

Spring Break is here! Actually, Rick and I began ours two days early. Because T.I. has officially closed the Sherman plant for three weeks, we decided to tack on a couple of extra days to our planned trip. We arrived at Fort Davis today at noon. We had a pleasant and uneventful trip; in other words, no flat tires or blowouts. Thank you, God!

After having some New York style pizza at lunch, we set up camp. The camping at our RV park is going to be pretty tough. Rick has everything working and our satellite dish, wi-fi internet, and cell phone service all seem to be working great! And now this evening, he is currently washing the dishes; I cooked the meal. That works great also.

"A Time to Die" Yet Live

This week I attended two funerals. One was for a mom of our cousin (by marriage). The other one was for Mrs. Kerfoot here in Gunter. Both funerals were a great reminder of how such times as these can be sad and happy at the same time. Both of these ladies were in their 90's and had lived very long, productive lives. The best news is that both were God’s “children” and had lived as such for all these years. Their families reflected during the services of what a difference they had each made in the lives of so many people. What a great testimony to us! Live life for God, family, and others so that a true, meaningful legacy can be treasured by those who are left here to finish their own work.

Rick and I have been married for 31 years and have two grown children. We are blessed to have two grandchildren. We love to travel and see the country--especially the mountains, lakes, and rivers. Our faith, family, and friends are what give meaning to our lives.

Rick is a "piddler." He loves the outdoors, his vette, and a good chicken fried steak.  

I am a "dabbler" (interests in many things). I love my home, girl trips, and a good Diet Coke.

A Day in History - March 5, 2009

This day marks the beginning of something new in my life. In the past, I have never been one to journal on a regular basis. The good Lord knows I should have. He has given me a wealth of experiences in my life to have written several books. I am confident some would have been best sellers. For instance, "The Tales of a Middle School Principal" would have made that list. I have seen and done it all in my profession! Another book which I would have entitled "The Luckiest Mom in the World" would have made the list as well. Now don't get me wrong; I have albums and albums of pictures to document our lives. In addition, both Justin and Jenna have three fully completed scrapbooks that take them from kindergarten through their senior years. I have saved box after box of special memorabilia for them. However, through the years, I did not record any events in true written journal form -- those have only been penned in my heart.

But "there is a time for everything." And now is the time to begin blogging. I predict it will not be a written record hundreds will be interested in. And that's ok. I am doing this primarily for those of you who know and love me! My challenge is to intentially record at least some of my thoughts and to gift you with a written record of those thoughts. Your challenge is to act interested.

So.....wish me luck as I begin "To Everything A Season."