gilcrease gab

Thankful

2010-01-10T16:40:00.005-05:00

Usually we are thankful and express gratitude at Thanksgiving. For some reason, this past week, I have been reminded over and over again that I am thankful. What does thankful mean?
Thankful: adjective
feeling or expressing gratitude; appreciative

Here is a list (I am a bullet point list type of girl) of 10 things I am thankful for at this moment:
1. I am thankful for Skip. He is a Godly man that honors his family, serves his community and is an all around great person. He never draws attention to himself or wants to be recognized. He is my rock, he is my best friend, he is my number 1 supporter.
2. I am thankful for my 3 wonderful babies. They drive me nuts at times but that is how the parent/child thing can roll at times. They are wonderful individual creatures. I am thankful for the time we get to spend together as a family. I am thankful that they are respectful and happy children (most of the time). I am most thankful that they know Jesus. Grant's health is 100% better. What a miracle!
3. I am thankful that we have a home that we love. This is our 5th house and we have been here 10 years. Yes, I get the urge to move into a bigger or newer house the my kids remind us that they LOVE it here. This house is big, bigger than we actually need. Most importantly, our neighbors rock! My kids have 20 instant friends to play outside on any given day. My kids still love to play kick ball, hide and seek, tag, build forts, etc. with the neighborhood kids. My neighbors would help us in any way at any time. We could buy a 'nicer' house but we couldn't buy these neighbors. As they say, priceless.
4. I am thankful for my parents. They are wonderful. We are all very close. They are still my mom/dad but they are more of my friends, counselors, supporters, encourager's now. The roles are evolving as we age.
5. I am thankful that all my medical tests this year have been normal. We are ready to battle anything thrown our way but we have been given clean results so far.
6. I am thankful that my hubby and I still have good jobs. I work part-time from home for an incredible company. Skip has a flexible schedule that allows him to be a part of the kids lives more while still succeeding in his job.
7. I am thankful for our little dogs. I never really considered myself a dog person but I love these little creatures. They are my company while I am working during the day.
8. I am thankful for our church. Our church has been instrumental in changing the focus of our family.
9. I am thankful for the opportunities we have to be together as a family whether that is watching a movie by the fire, traveling for vacation, to visit family/friends, going to dinner or having family dinner at home. I am thankful that our lives allow time. Or shall I say that I am thankful that we all value time with each other so much that we make our schedules fit "our" time?
10. I am thankful I am forgiven. I am definitely not perfect, never have been, never will be. I have had moments in my life where I was 'better behaved' than others. I am thankful that I am forgiven and restored. I am thankful that God forgives us and loves us for us. He created us to be individuals. I finally get that! God created each of us individually, why do we want to be 'like' someone else? That is no who he created. At 42, I get it!

Psalm 107:1 (NIV)

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever."

2009 Oh what a year...

2010-01-02T21:43:00.005-05:00

2009 is a year I will remember for some blessings, some sadness and a bit of frustration. Yes, all 3 rolled into one year.

Frustration: For most of 2009, I have been battling some 'illness'. I basically consider myself a doctor so I have been frustrated with the profession and the time it is taking to find a diagnosis. I can say that my husband has been absolutely amazing. Skip allows me time to sleep when I need to sleep. He does most of the laundry and cooking. He even put the lights on the Christmas Tree and decorated the mantle this year. Waverly, Kendall and Grant has been very cooperative and understanding.

Blessings: Where to start? My dad and step mom, Martha, treated all of us to an incredible cruise to Alaska in June. It was more beautiful than I imagined. I recommend everyone go to Alaska at least once during their lifetime. It was great to spend time with our family.

A Fresh Hope has been such a blessing. We participated in quite a few outreach projects this year that kept us very busy. We did an Egg Hunt with Cedarcrest Church in April, Community Makeover at Compton Elementary in July, Back to School Celebration in August, Flood relief effort in September then October - December was geared towards the Hope for Christmas event.

Sadness: My step grandmother died this year, Mary Kaney. She was a dear sweet lady who loved her son, my mom, her husband, grandchildren and great grandchildren very much. She was my kids' step grandmother but loved just the same. My uncle Clayton died this fall. He was a man that supported me my whole life. I look back at all that I went through in my 42 years and he ALWAYS supported (maybe not agreed) but supported me. That means more than someone that just says what you want them to say. Uncle Clayton was a Godly man who loved the Lord and his family dearly. He is missed by many.

I also saw sadness with people that have lost jobs and suffered from the economy. I am a fixer and get obsessed with fixing things. I can't fix this issue and it is frustrating. I feel guilty because we are so blessed so I try to give to others as if it were Gods (and we know it is).

I was also sad because this illness has taken something from me. I used to be up and dressed by 6;00 AM every day. I never napped and was able to work 30 hours, be room mom, deal with doctor's appointments, drive car pools, etc. Now, I struggle getting what needs to be done accomplished.

So, what for 2010.. First and foremost, I am going to find out what is making me feel bad and tackle it head-on. I want to eliminate some things on my 'to-do' list and really be strategic in my day. I know i want to keep working with Liberty Mutual and am so blessed to have this opportunity for almost 19 years. I will keep volunteering with A Fresh Hope with more delegating. I will eliminate 'unnecessary' To-do's and learn to say NO. I use free time to rest, eat healthier and just be with my family. My incredible husband and family deserve my undivided time.

Odd post, especially after 6 months with no posting. Just a few things on my mind from this year and plans going forward.

Sappy story about Skip

2009-05-31T17:04:00.015-04:00

Skip and I celebrated our 14 year anniversary last Tuesday. When I say celebrated, I mean the day came and went as we drove 3 whiny children home from the beach. We usually choose to go to dinner or something nice for our anniversary but timing wasn't on our side this year. Anyway.. what has the last 14 years meant.. Everything!!! Yes, I would do it all over again.

Things I love about Skip:
* Whistling.. he always whistles.
* He ties is cough drop wrappers in a neat little knot.
* He can talk in almost any accent. It always makes me laugh.
* Skip juggles
* He makes yummy noises when he eats wasabi.
* He brings me a large sweet tea (1/2 and 1/2) from Mickey's D's most every day.
* He brings my coffee upstairs for me in the morning.
* He takes really long cold showers. How in the world can he take cold showers?
* He let us get a dog even though he didn't really want one.
* Skip is so darn incredibly smart. He reads history books all the time. I do make fun of him because I don't understand the need to know about the wars I have never heard of. But, I admire his desire to learn more and more. He has has photographic memory which is amazing! He graduated from college 1 month after turning 20 because he clept so many courses.
* Skip sings and plays drums in the car all the time. Caught a good rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody in from a 'butt' call one time.
* He loves British humor. Frankly, I can't understand what they are saying. Maybe it is my southern upbringing.
* He is handy around the house. He has built a sun room, installed hard wood floors, built shelving, you name it.. he can do it.
* Skip loves his children more than anything. He is an absolutely amazing father. He is more consistent with discipline and boundaries.
* He reads to the kids every night.
* He is 43 and his iPod is full of hard rock, alternative and classic rock.
* Skip will ride his bike with the kids to Publix. He will take a back pack for the groceries he buys.
* Skip's closet is insanely organized.. Collars, colors, you name it.. they are in order. I used to find humor in hanging things up backwards.
* Skip gets embarrassed when other people make mistakes. Example: He will blush if an ice skater falls in a competition.
* He loves chapstick. I mean he is addicted to the stuff. He calls it Chappy. He even keeps tube in his jammie pants pocket.
* Skip loves the Lord. He has a very clear and pointed relationship with Jesus. I am in awe.
* Skip is one sexy dude! That's all I will say about that~
* Skip takes care of me and the kids. He would do anything (anything!) to keep us safe and make us happy. We are always #1 to him.
* Skip calls me several times through the day to chat or check in.
The list could go on and on....... He is more than I deserve!
I love you Skip!

Catch up....

2009-05-07T20:17:00.018-04:00

My purpose in blogging was to document me our family activities for prosperity sakes. I am not a scrap booker. It is not that I have anything about scrap booking but I can't bear to cut photographs. I guess it is the photographer in me. As you can see, I have been rather slack in updating the blog. So.. here is an update of things going on in our crazy house in 2009.

February: It was a crazy month. We went to Disney for a long weekend. We only had 3 days of fun but it was a nice break. We went to Magic Kingdom, Epcot and then downtown Disney one day. We had a great time. I think it was the first time I have been to Disney without a stroller or bag of some sort. I just went with my purse. I have to admit that I missed having a stroller as a 'carry-all' for stuff.

My friends, Angela and Tandy, came over for a wonderful day of cooking.. We cooked weeks worth of food for all 3 families. It was so fun! We gathered recipes that are great to freeze. We all purchased items for the big cooking day. Not only did this save time, it saved money. PLUS.. the food was fabulous.

Waverly has been growing her hair long for quite some time. She decided she wanted to donate her hair to Locks of Love. So.. when her hair was long enough, we went to Tru at the Avenues and had her hair cut. They have to cut at least 10" to send to Locks of Love. This was a neat experience. Here is the before and after...

A Fresh Hope partnered with Cedarcrest Church to host an Easter Celebration in April. It was such a wonderful community outreach event. Skip even dressed up as the bunny.. Kendall was so embarrassed....

We had some friends over for an Easter Cookout and the bunny showed up again...

My sister-in-law, nieces, nephews and friends came for a visit. It is always wonderful to visit with the Doug/Steph Gilcrease family. If our kids grow up with 1/2 the manners and love of God as these kids, I will be one happy momma!

Genesis.... In the beginning...

2009-02-06T07:50:00.006-05:00

Waverly and Kendall are participating in a Tech Fair tomorrow. We were really sweating on what to do for this project. Waverly and Kendall then came up with the idea to do it on Genesis, the first 7 days. So, they put photos we took and some photos (without copyright) and made a slide show. They then put Amazing Grace music in the back ground. The girls then took turns reading Genesis. I don't know if we did the project correct but it turned out to be a sweet project anyway. There is something so sweet about a child reading scripture. Enjoy....

2 degree changes...

2009-02-02T21:16:00.015-05:00

The pastor at our church gave a message on making 2 degree changes. If you make small changes, then you are more likely to stick to your goal. Example, if you do not drink water but your goal is to drink 10 glasses a day, start with just 2 a day until you have accomplished that goal, add 2 more glasses, etc.

I want our kids to be goal oriented. I want them to think about their goals and ways to accomplish goals. Being reasonably goal oriented can help in your schooling, personal life, work life, family life, personal growth, walk in faith, etc. I gave everyone a piece of paper at dinner. The paper had the following:

2 Degree changes:
Home:
1.
2.
Health:
1.
2.
Heart:
1.
2.
What would you like to do in 2009?
What are 2 of your goals for the year?
1.
2.

I gave everyone 4 days to complete their sheet in privacy after much thought. We then all brought the papers back to the table and shared our goals, 2 degree changes and ways to accomplish our goals. It was interesting to see everyone's thoughts. I won't tell you Skip's goals or the kids' goals as that would invade their privacy. But.. I will tell you my goals to keep with my desire to be transparent on this blog. By the way, any suggestions on meeting the goals are welcome.

2 Degree changes:
Home:
1. Better bedtime routine- smoother, structured, nurturing
2. Plan meals ahead of time to cook more nutritious meals, more family meals, save money, healthier meals...
Health:
1. Cut back on Diet Coke- 2 or less a day
2. Lose 5 lbs.
Heart:
1. More dates with Skip
2. More prayerful family

What would you like to do in 2009?
Go to the Laser Show at Stone Mountain, Rent a boat on Allatoona (annual tradition)

What are 2 of your goals for the year?
1. ~Successfully make tuition payments~
2. Fix up the Laundry Room

So far... I am doing pretty good with my 2 degree changes except for the 5 lbs. change. I haven't put forth any effort on that change so it will remain. I am down to 2 or less Diet Cokes a day. We will bring out our sheets in a month or two for a goal check. For goals reached, we will replace it with a new 2 degree change. I'll post an update in a month or two on my goals. Wish us luck!

Waverly and Kendall were Grand Marshalls

2009-01-31T15:01:00.008-05:00

Friday was Mt. Paran Christian School's Homecoming Parade. Waverly and Kendall had the privilege of being the Student Grand Marshalls in the parade. A wonderful mom from Mt. Paran (and our church) won the position in an auction. She turned the opportunity over to Waverly and Kendall for their service with A Fresh Hope. It was so neat that Kendall was recognized. She does so much of the grunt work for A Fresh Hope but is very behind scenes. She stuffed back packs for hours and hours this summer. Waverly and Kendall got to ride on the back of a car and wave at everyone on the parade route. They seemed to be okay until they reached their own classes. They were then embarrassed a little but still smiling from ear to ear. It is neat to be in a school with graes K-12 where the younger students get to participate in the spirit type of activities. All high school grades created the neatest floats. Fun day!

be still....

2009-01-20T20:46:00.007-05:00

As all momma's do, I love my kids. I love my kids more than I ever knew possible. I love their individuality, their spirits, their hearts, their little faces, their cute fingers and toes, and their presence. I don't always take the time to stop and be still. Time is flying by and we all need to be still and soak in the moment. Life is so busy and I find myself multi-tasking to get things done. I am undoing back packs, repacking back packs, signing agendas, checking homework, packing snacks, finding sports uniforms, and forget to stop, look in my child's eye and say "tell me about your day". I am working on stopping the multi-tasking and sit down to watch a movie with them, cook with them, shoot hockey goals, and pray with them.

I very clearly remember a moment in Grant's life. He was 6 weeks old and EXTREMELY critical. He was on a respirator and his stats were horrible. He was in the Cardiac ICU at Egleston after crashing and having a Code Blue called at Scottish Rite. I remember the surgeon walking in on Thursday night at 7:00 on 8/11/01 and say "if he is still here tomorrow, we will do surgery." At that very moment, my heart sank. I was incredibly nauseous and felt like I was having an outer body experience. I remember laying in bed that night. I cried harder than I have ever cried in my life. I prayed so hard and so long. I was trapped in a hotel room unable to sleep and panicing. I had to be still and be with God. I asked God to give me one more smile. I told him I would be okay with a trachetomy, trachea reconstruction, severe disabilities, medical issues but I just wanted my little boy to give me one more smile. I can honestly say that I felt God speak to me. God gave me a sense of peace that he would make it through the the night and through the heart surgery the next morning. That was good enough for me.. after that, God was faithful. Grant stayed on a vent for quite some time after the surgery as he was having a tough time. I remember walking into CICU 1 week later and seeing Skip leaning over the crib. I saw Grant look up at Skip and smile. I was warm all over. God had his hand on me. I have no doubt that God sent that smile to me. Grant was a medical miracle but more than that, he was God's miracle.

Why am I telling this story? I am telling this story because those very specific moments are so special to me. They were me and God. A moment that I was able to feel and understand because I was still. We need to be still. We need to be still in the moment with God and be still with our children. Time keeps ticking.. our children are growing up. Cherish the little things.

Gilcreases go Green

2009-01-20T12:44:00.006-05:00

The Gilcreases go green.. say that 4 times fast. Well, let's just say we are making 2degree changes in our lives to start living a more environmentally friendly way. Our trash company doesn't put much effort or availability on recycling so we took the easy way out. We are now recycling plastic and cans. We take them to a local school for drop off. We took our tree to Home Depot to be chopped into mulch. We took it one step further and had a truck full of the mulch dropped off here. We are going to have to put it through chipper one more time but it will be great mulch for the natural areas in our back yard.

My hubby is the most studied human that I have ever met. Come over to our house and you will find a library FULL of history and science books, a downstairs office full of books, bedroom bookshelves full of books and a stack from the library at any time. Skip reads several books at one time. None of them are at all appealing to me. His last book was 1300 pages of Lincoln and his cabinet. My point with this is that he is very educated, very! I go to him with questions all the time. My latest was concerning global warning. How in the world can people say Global Warning does not exist? That blows my mind. How do people think we are not effecting the environment? If you have ever flown into Atlanta on a hot humid day in the summer and have seen the thick yellowish/grayish layer of smog, you will see we do have an impact on our environment. You almost wonder if the plane will be yellow when we get through the blanket of yuck. Yes, the earth has warmed and cooled over time but NEVER as fast as it is now.

I think we need to teach our children to respect the environment. My children were actually proud of us for starting the recycling. I think they are taught recycling at school and it should be enforced at home. I am looking for ways to do better. If you have any ideas, please comment. I would love some 2% Green ideas... Thanks Jim for the ideas.. will change the light bulbs on the next trip to Home Depot.

Gilcrease Bow Tie Pasta Salad

2009-01-16T16:48:00.002-05:00

If you know me, you know I am not a cook. I cook because I need to feed my family. Other than that, I get very little enjoyment out of it. Due to my lack of enthusiasm, my end product is usually lacking. My most awesomest hubby is a fantastic cook and loves to cook. So, we make a great pair.

There is one thing that I can cook well. I guess it involves more cutting and mixing than cooking but I think it will fall into the category of cooking. I decided to add this recipe to my blog. My buddy, Crumbs in my butter, adds recipes and they are always yummy.

Gilcrease Bow Tie Pasta Salad

Salad:
8 ounce Bow Tie Pasta, cooked
½ green bell pepper, diced
½ red bell pepper, diced
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese (Hint: Use the basil sun dried tomatoes feta cheese)
1 celery rib thinly sliced, optional ( I do not add celery- personal preference)
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
Chopped olives, optional ( I do not add Olives- again preference)
¼ cup pasta salad dressing

Dressing:
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
¼ cup olive oil
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 green onion thinly sliced
1 garlic clove minced
1 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp dried basil
½ tsp dried tarragon
¼ tsp salt
Whisk together salad dressing ingredients

Make the night before. Add ½ of the dressing the night before and the remaining amount before serving.

Garnish with Fresh basil and Plum Tomato wedges right before serving.

I usually double the recipe since bow tie pasta comes in 16 ounce boxes at Publix.

Bon Apetite

BUUURRRRRR!

2009-01-16T07:24:00.003-05:00

Woah! It is cold here in the deep south. It was 10.9 degrees this AM with a wind chill of less. I am okay with cold weather but this is uncomfortably cold. I am sure Skip enjoyed letting the dog out at 5:00 AM while she ran and played enjoying the outdoors. We lived in New Hampshire for 4 years. Waverly and Kendall were born in New Hampshire. New Hampshire is part of the great white north and has a reputation for some pretty cold winters. But.. something is different there. I don't know if it is because it is less humid or you just get used to it but it doesn't feel as cold as it is now in Georgia. I remember walking the streets of Portland, ME one night window shopping and the temperature was -1 degrees. It wasn't this cold. I remember thinking.. "Boy, I am not cold right now. Odd?"

In the 4 years we lived in NH, we only had to plow our drive way a couple of times. We lived on a beautiful peninsula in a town called Dover, NH. The Great Bay surrounded our peninsula. Since we were close to water, we didn't get as much snowfall as they did inland. We had to cross a large bridge to get to our house. There would be tug boats (the old fashioned red and black ones) pulling large barges up and down the bay. Maine was on the other side of the bay. I can tell you that as beautiful as the view from that bridge was... it was also a terror on snow days. Me.. with my GA plates.. would drive about 5 mph over the bridge. I would be white knuckled on all 10. I am sure I aggravated the stew out of all the Yankees behind me.

So.. here we are in GA. Thankful we will not have to go out today. Sorry our kids had to get on a school bus... Freezing our little tails off... drinking hot coffee... praying for a snow day.. and complaining. But, it gives our Yankee Transplant friends something to talk about. And Yes, we will all buy bread and milk today even though there is no chance of snow. Just in case.. you never know.

Yea Kendall!!! You did it!!!!!!!!

2009-01-14T09:00:00.009-05:00

Hip hip hooray... We are jumping up and down in our house today. Kendall and Waverly got their report cards yesterday and both of them got straight A's. Waverly has gotten straight A's her whole life but this was a first for Kendall. We are proud of Waverly's grades but wanted this post to be a celebration for Kendall. Kendall is a very bright young lady with significant dyslexia. We have explained this to her as a gift, it makes her who she is. A lot of folks have contacted me about her dyslexia because they may be experiencing something similar with their child. From everything I have read, dyslexics have a larger right brain than left brain. PHonics and spelling are in the left brain which explains why it is so hard to grasp those skills. People with dyslexia tend to be very creative and think outside the box. The number of people with dyslexia that have changed the world is amazing: Eisenhower, Patton, CHurchhill, Picaso, Mozart, Beethoven, George H Bush, George Washington, Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, Louis Pasteur, Da Vinci, etc. I could go on and on... God will use Kendall's dyslexia one day.

Here's the story... Kendall had a difficult time learning to spell, read her sight words and other basic skills. She was on grade level so was not tested by the school system. We finally followed our instinct and got testing on our own. The path we took enabled her to get the proper testing and it was covered by health insurance. We explained the scenario to our pediatrician who then referred Kendall to a neurologist. The neurologist did some basic testing and referred Kendall to an educational psychologist. The testing was extensive and took several visits on her part. Skip and I also had an appointment. The teachers had to fill out paperwork. So.. we went in to meet with the psychologist to get the results of the testing.. turns out she is very very bright(gifted) but has a severe LD with spelling and written expression. She was given an IEP at school and put into an inclusion classroom. By the end of 3rd grade, she was miserable. By the time she got home from school, she was over it, done, finished, not going to do another thing. Her grades were suffering too. She came home day and and had left her books at school. She said to me, "I decided I will just take the X tomorrow." At that point, we realized that the environment was not for her. We cut back on whatever we could to finish the year. We did not ask her to take 1 single AR test the whole 9 weeks. Now, I am not against AR but it was another pressure item that was hanging over her head.

By the last week of 3rd grade, Skip and I just knew that something had to change. She is one of the happiest, bubbliest, outgoing kids on the block but all of that was going away. It is not worth it! We contacted Mt. Paran Christian School. Waverly was already at Mt. Paran but we had not enrolled Kendall out of fear that she would not get services she needed. We met with the principal and curriculum administrator (both have a dyslexic child). This was the place for Kendall. We found out that Kendall qualifies for the GA Education Scholarship. Any child with an active IEP that attends public school for 1 year can get a scholarship for private school. This is a huge blessing. If your child has an IEP, check out the GA Department of Education website for scholarship information.

So, Kendall started 4th grade this year at Mt. Paran. Her teacher, Mrs. Gross, goes to our church, West Ridge. I can't exactly describe why this year has made such a difference to Kendall. I don't know if it is the class size, structure, teaching styles, staff, environment. I think the whole package is just the right fit for Kendall. The work is harder than she was used to but it is reinforced in a way that she responds to. She had strep throat this week and missed 2 days of school. She cried each day because she missed school. WOW.. what a change. Kendall has worked hard for straight A's and really done some extra studying but she has proven she can do it. She still has difficulty with spelling and written expression but her confidence is back. She is happy again and her anxiety is down. She is no longer on medication and does not have trouble concentrating in the environment. She also matured so that makes a difference.

I am not knocking her prior public school or any public school for that matter. Her prior school was an incredible school with incredible teachers. We miss the school and teachers terribly. Grant is still in public school and having a great time. If I learned anything from this very emotional experience, it is each kid has individual needs and that moms need to follow their instinct. I think we try to give the same to all our kids which really doesn't make sense when you think about it. We are all unique and respond to situations individually. We all have different learning styles. What is right for one kid may not be right for the other.

2008 Wrap up....

2009-01-04T22:25:00.071-05:00

It has been a long time since I blogged. Sorry.. life just got crazy with the holidays, outreach and family activities so some things had to be put on the back burner. New Years has past and it is a great time to reflect on 2008. Here is what our family was up to in 2008:

January: January started with the kids going to my moms for a few days. Skip and I had a wonderful time lounging kidfree, watching movies, cooking dinner, etc. Grant came back a complete sports fan since he participated in the college bowl game picks with my mom. Skip's brother and his family came for a visit in January. They stayed the whole weekend. It turned out it was the weekend it snowed. They live in Tampa so they do not get a lot of snow. The kids spent the weekend playing football, sledding and building snow-men. The adults stayed inside near the fire and watched movies. It was just good ole' lazy family time.

February: We went on a cruise to Cozumel Mexico and Key West, FL. It was a great get away for our family. The kids had one room and we had an adjoining room. Kendall met a sweet friend from Indianapolis. She makes friends so easily. Grant learned to shuffleboard and became competitive at shuffleboard as he does any sport.

Skip takes the girls to a Father/Daughter dance each year. The girls love this time with their daddy:

March: Kendall, Waverly and I spent the night at the Chattanooga, TN aquarium with Girl Scouts. We slept in the tunnel under the sharks and big sea turtles. It was really one of the most peaceful nights. I remember looking up and seeing a large sea turtle, hammerhead shark and parrot fish swimming above me.

=
Waverly and Kendall started spring soccer. They have been on the Bulldogs for years. This was their last season with the Bulldogs. We will miss that great group of families. Grant went to ADay (Auburn) game with my dad. This was the beginning of transforming the little guy into an Auburn Tiger. Skip and I went through a renewal with our marriage this month. It was a challenging process but our marriage has never been stronger.

April: We went to Panama City Beach, Fl for spring break. My dad and step mom have a place in PCB that they frequently loan us throughout the year.
We spent time with Kim Wood and kids. We always enjoy our time in FL for spring break. We see the same folks there every year. Kendall is 100% a surfer girl. I have no doubt that she will end up living on the coast one day. Mt. Paran had Service Day which is an awesome event. It was my first experience with service day. The entire school and parents participate in a service project for a day. I went with some kids to the Warehouse of Hope in Hiram, GA. Skip turned 40 something this month. I surprised him by getting his mom to watch the kids. I got a hotel in Atlanta and sent him a text to meet me there. He was very surprised. It was a fun little vacation.

May: I went to the beach with some lady friends of mine. This was the 3rd year we have gone to the beach for a kid-free weekend. It was fun as always. Our beloved baby-sitter heaven went to be with Jesus in May. She died in a housefire trying to save her 2 year old son. Amber's son made it out of the fire but Amber did not. Amber was Grant's baby-sitter when he was young. She is missed. Our family went to Cozumel with my father. We stayed at a resort we have grown to love. My dad has stayed at this resort many many times. They know his name and know we are part of his family. It was kind of like a homecoming for us and the kids. The kids absolutely LOVE Cozumel. See posting about Cozumel. Grant became an Atlanta Braves addict. Skip and Grant went to the Braves game any chance they could get.

Cozumel:

June: June was the beginning of a very busy and crazy summer. It started out with Kendall and Waverly going to Girl Scout camp for a week. They loved the camp and had a great time.

Waverly attended a soccer camp at Mt. Paran. Waverly and Kendall then went to Tampa for "Cousins Camp". Aunt Stephanie has the kids at her house each summer for cousins camp. It is great fun. She is amazing! The following week was SURGE camp for West Ridge. I taught a photography course to 3rd- 5th graders. It was an incredible experience. Waverly took cooking, Grant took basketball and Kendall took scrapbooking. Skip worked with the parking guys. A good time was had by all. We headed back to the beach to recover from the crazy month. Grant turned 7 and had football birthday party. See post about Grant's birthday.
We spent time with friends during the summer. Here is a photo of one fun summer day at our neighbors, the Dennehy's, pool:

July: Kendall went to an English camp at Mt. Paran. Grant went to my mom's house for a visit. Kendall then went to Camp Glisson in Dahlonega. This is a great Christian Camp out in the woods. Skip went when he was a kid. It is not fancy at all but a great way for the kids to have a good ole' fashioned camp experience. Kendall turned 9 while at Camp Glisson. She was showered with attention and really enjoyed having her birthday at camp. I felt like a heel for planning the camp week with her birthday in the week. She had a spend the night party when she got home from camp. The last two weeks of July were spent working on a Community Makeover with Engage Atlanta. www.engageatlanta.com We got a group of friends together and did a make-over on a friend's home. We originally were going to put down flooring and ended up hard-wording and recarpeting the entire home, painting the home, adding furniture, landscape work, doing extreme repairs, cleaning, making drapes, decorating.. It was truly an effort by many that has changed the life of the family.

We also spent the summer getting ready for the Back to School Drive. Boy oh boy did that take a lot of time. It is quite an experience working for your 10 year old daughter. We had to give our sweet dog Judd away. See post on Judd. We still see Judd often and he is doing great.

August: The big event in August was the Back to School Drive 8-9-08. This was A Fresh Hope and West Ridge event. Over-all, 1100 new back packs and supplies were given to kids in the area. It was a true blessing for our family. It really brought service to the forefront of our family mission. Skip and I started the Dave Ramsey course. Although we did not graduate, we did learn a lot. Even 5 months later, we are putting his principles into practice. Kendall and Waverly started Mt. Paran and Grant started Picketts Mill. All 3 have had an incredible school year so far and LOVE their schools. Grant went to an Auburn game with my Dad. I think they went to 3 or 4 games this season. It has been a great way for them to bond.

September: Skip and I went to the mountains for a little R&R. My mom came and watched the kids for the weekend. My kids love when Gram and Joey come to watch them. Skip, Waverly and Kendall went to Father/Daughter Girl Scout camp one weekend. This was their 4th year to go to this camp. They bike, hike, cookout, etc. Skip takes several tents. They are not roughing it as Skip is usually working on his laptop after the girls fall asleep.

October: October was jammed packed with flag football, soccer, fall carnivals and events, etc. Our kids once again got their flu shots. They just love getting the flu shots, ha ha ha... it is a sight to see. Grant has to get his at the pulmonologist because of his egg allergy. This month was monopolized by junky election stuff. I hate elections and have over-posted on this fact to date so I will just drop it. I was diagnosed with mono so our life slowed down a bit. Skip was diagnosed several weeks after me. Thankfully, the kids never got it which is amazing!

November: Waverly turned 11. We went to Tuscaloosa for a weekend for my cousin, Lindsey's, wedding. It was beautiful. I could not believe Little Lindsey was getting married. We then headed to Tampa for a visit with the cousins. My kids LOVE the cousins house. They have 6 kids and live on several acres. There is more than enough for any child to do at any time. I enjoy spending time with my sister-in-law Stephanie and the gang. Skip, Grant and Waverly went to the Bucs game before we headed back home. Doug is the Chaplain for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers so we are big Bucs fans. Obama was elected President. It was a historical moment that our children will remember for a lifetime.

December: I am officially no longer 40 as I turned 41 this month. 40 is not nearly as bad as everyone makes it sound. In fact, I think it is better than 30. We spent the month preparing for the Outreach Party. The party was help on 12/21. A Fresh Hope partnered with 5 churches, CAYA and Toys For Tots. We had an incredible outreach event. Over 5000 in the community were served.. Amazing! see www.afreshhope.blogspot.com for more information. The kids had their annual Christmas party. They love doing this little party. It started 8 years ago as a cookie decorating party for a few kids. It is now 25+ kids with crafts, parents, and good eats. The boys typically play sports and the girls will do a craft.

Our Christmas was slimmed down this year but it was the best Christmas Ever!!! We spent more on giving than on our own gifts and felt very blessed in the end. Our kids "Got It" and that was the best part of all.
We adopted Lily Bleu in December. She was an 8 week old Goldendoodle when we adopted her:

This year ended in St. Louis celebration Grammy and Grandpa Gilcrease's 50th wedding anniversary. It was a great celebration of 50 wonderful years.

Thanksgiving doesn't get the credit it deserves....

2008-11-20T08:19:00.005-05:00

Thanksgiving doesn't get the credit it deserves... Don't you think that is true? I mean, the Christmas decorations come out when the Halloween stuff comes down (and even before in some stores). It blows my mind that Halloween gets more press than Thanksgiving. I am not a huge fan of Halloween. The kids dress up, we carve 3 pumpkins and Trick-or-Treat. That is the extent of my Halloween decorations and celebrations. But.. Thanksgiving.. Wow.. we can't take a little extra time and reflect on what all we have to be thankful for? I think it is especially important to reflect this year with so much craziness going on in the world. Regardless of our circumstances at this very second, we have a ton to be thankful for. I am writing this blog for my kids. As a parent, I want my kids to grow up with a feeling of gratitude, a heart of compassion, a desire to give and a LOVE of Christ. (of course happiness, manners, success, etc. is thrown in there too but that will all come if the others are in place).

We are getting ready for our Thanksgiving Travels. This week, we are headed to Tuscalosa, AL (home of the University of Alabama but we will hold our nose while we are there, hardee har har) for my cousin LIndsey's wedding. Lindsey and I have been close her whole life. She is getting her Masters at University of AL. I love her anyway but I do feel a bit of betrayal if I must be honest. I am an Auburn Grad and spent the better part of my life swaying her in that direction. Seriously.. this is a great moment and we wish her the most wonderful marriage. We then come back for school Monday and Tuesday then head to Tampa for the holidays. Skip's brother Doug and his wonderful family are in Tampa. They have 6 kids and my kids LOVE to go to "THE COUSINS'". I love spending time with family during Thanksgiving. I won't see my mom or dad this Thanksgiving and I miss that but we try to alternate.

Thankful.. what am I thankful for:
* my wonderful family. My incredible husband and 3 wonderful children. My husband loves me with all of his heart. He is the most giving man I have ever met. My husband is an incredible father. This could be a blog in itself and it could be juicy.. he never reads this blog. My children are a gift from God. They are the "apple of my eye". I was truly blessed in the family category.
* I am thankful that my kids have 6 very involved grandparents who think they hung the moon. They have 4 wonderful great grandparents. My parents and I are still very very close. Our extended familes are very close.
* I am thankful for our jobs. We both work at home (Skip goes in a couple days a week) and get to be more involved in our home life and kids' activities. Things are less hectic.
* I am thankful that Grant has not have pneumonia in 1 1/2 years. Grant has had pneumonia over 30 times with 25+ hospilizations so this 1 1/2 years is HUGE! I am thankful that he is a miracle! I am thankful that we are not going to the hospital, doctor's offices or for testing every week anymore. I am thankful that he is not in pain or not feeling well, his oxygen level is actually normal and he is thriving.
* I am thankful that we have an awesome neighborhood. We are very close to our neighbors. We feel very safe. Our neighbors help each other when we are down. Our kids have 20 instant friends on our street alone.
* I am thankful that our kids have great schools and teachers. Waverly and Kendall are at Mt. Paran. Grant is at Picketts Mill. This is a time to give extra thanks for Kendall's success this year. Kendall is dyslexic and has had a hard time in school until this year. She is now making great grades, her self confidence has increased, she LOVES school again.
* I am thankful for A Fresh Hope. Waverly started A Fresh Hope to help others. Wow.. what a blessing it has been to our family. It has made giving service a focus of the family.
* I am thankful for West Ridge Church. Wow.. what a great place. Check it out if you are looking for a church in the West Cobb, Paulding area.
* I am thankful for our nation and the freedoms we have. We live in a great country and complain way too much. We all want everything OUR way which is not possible and quite frankly, is rather self centered. I think we could all focus on the incredible things about our country rather than picking apart everything that is not specifically benefiting ourselves.
* I am thankful for our friends. We have a great network of friends, some new and some old.
* I am thankful for the lifestyle we lead. Our Pastors just got back from Africa. Wow.. boy do we take things for granted. We have food anytime we want it, clean water, a house, safe conditions, we don't battle starvation and disease. 4 out of every 10 children die before the age of 10 in the poor areas of Africa. Can you imagine the loss they feel? Can you imagine the desire to just survive much less to be happy and grow?
* I am thankful my children know and love God.
* I am thankful that we are not under huge financial stress at this time but also hurting for those that are. Now is a time to focus on giving to others.
* I am thankful, not as much as I should be, that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. I am thankful that we have grace and forgiveness through Jesus. I am thankful that we will have enternal life through our faith and trust in Jesus. Wow- if I can get a full grasp on that alone... everything else is just gravy.

We Failed Financial Peace University....

2008-11-14T20:17:00.002-05:00

It's official.. Skip and I failed Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. We were very "gung ho" when we signed up but then mono struck. I posted my anxiety about the whole FPU, spending only cash, don't have fun, eat rice type of living in the beginning. We missed the past 7 or so meetings (there are only 15). We really did have a fun small group and hate that we didn't get to spend more time with them.

We have specific words that we choose not to use in our house: stupid, hate, dumb, etc. You get the drift. They aren't necessarily cuss words but tend to be over-used once they are allowed. Well..... knowing we don't use these words, they are kind of like cuss words when my kids say them. All 3 of them at one time or another said, "I hate Dave Ramsey, he is stupid." I sensed they were tired of hearing, Dave Ramsey would not want us to go out to eat, Dave Ramsey would not want us to go to Disney this December, etc. But.. it did give them insight as to how much money we spend on them. Our children are less than deprived and they needed this budget stuff to bring them closer to reality.

All and all...our mini Dave Ramsey class was beneficial. If it did anything, it made us think about what we spend money on and start to formulate a budget. We have never lived on a budget so this is a big deal to us. For that reason, the class was worth it. So.. I apologize for my complaining and would recommend this course to anyone, just be ready to be miserable for a week or two until you adjust.

Thank Goodness the elections are over.. well kind of..

2008-11-09T19:05:00.006-05:00

Inhale.. exhale.. inhale... exhale.. inhale... exhale...

If you know me or have read any of my posts over the last few months, you have probably gotten the idea that I do not like elections. In fact, I can't stand elections. I think they bring out the worst in people and especially in Christians. I have never been so disappointed in some things in all my life. I don't care who votes for who but the it is the very opinionated "my way is the only right way" attitudes that drive me nuts. I have to remind myself... Would Jesus approve of the Christian's behavior during elections? I do not think so, not at all. Do non-believers see anything in Christians during elections that would draw them to Christ? I don't think so. I am generalizing but this election seemed particularly bad. Imagine how much Christians could do for the Kingdom if they put the same effort and emotion in the Kingdom as they do in elections?

A few tidbits about the elections:
*** Forum blogs will allow you to change your name each time you comment. I won't tell you how I know that but it does allow one to agree with a comment written by.. let's say... yourself under a different identity.
*** Obama got 10% of the votes at my daughters' private Christian school. Kendall told Skip Obama got 49 votes and thought that meant 49%. It turns out.. he actually got 49 votes out of 500. I had to explain to my children that we live in a Red state and that would not be that way in a Blue state. Hard to explain to a 7, 9 and 11 year old.
*** MOST (over 75% if I had to guess) e-mails sent to persuade other voters are false (Both Democrat and Republican). I have become very familiar with snopes.com and factcheck.org. It only takes 10 seconds to prove the e-mails wrong. I am amazed at how people can read e-mail SPAM and it turns into 'truth' (I use that term loosely).
*** Obama is not a Muslim. He has professed to be a Christian. Who are we to judge? I can't believe it when I hear that out of Christians' mouths.
*** The two folks in the GA Senator race have the meanest commercials around. They are not family friendly. I am so upset that we have a run-off: 2 phone calls and 4 commercials in 1/2 hour. I refuse to vote for either candidate. Where is Sam Nunn or Zell Miller when you need them?
*** A random guy named Robert Franz from Virginia sent me a long e-mail on my positions. He was apparently forwarded an e-mail from a friend to a friend.. and so on. I don't even know the guy and could care less about what he thought. I was amazed in the amount of time he spent on his e-mail. Wow.. get a life dude.
*** I stood in line for 2 hours to vote early. Skip voted on election day and stood in line for 25 minutes.
*** I didn't know who my husband was voting for until 3 days before the election and did not know who he voted for in other races until after. I like the fact that we make up our own minds. We have stressed this to our children.
*** John McCain's concession speech was incredible! I think he showed more grace in that speech than in the entire campaigning period.
*** I was glad to see Jessee Jackson and Oprah were not on stage with Obama. But.. why were they shown on TV over and over again.
*** I voted for Obama. I know.. some of my friends and families disagree but I don't care. It is my vote, my decision, my right. I have voted for both Republican and Democrat candidates. I have watched victory speeches before but never have I gotten chill bumps like I got this time. It was a very proud moment in the United States.
*** I honestly think some people thought the world would end on Nov. 5th. I found that very humorous but also felt sorry for the fear they must live under.
*** I am amazed at how much parents must say in front of their children. The things my kids heard at church, school and from friends would frighten anyone. Sad...
*** If you write in a candidate, they don't make the newspaper.
*** I honestly think Obama will pick a great cabinet and do a great job. I do not think he will carry a left agenda but will be a more middle of the road president. will he be perfect, No, absolutely not.
*** I wish politics didn't enter church.
*** The Voter stickers in GA can get you free food. Will remember that next year.
*** I am glad we will not do this again for 4 years. I will probably quietly research the candidates myself. I will ask my friends and family members on both sides to keep their spam and opinions to themselves. Remind me if I forget.

Happy Birthday Waverly!

2008-11-03T07:16:00.006-05:00

Waverly Julia Gilcrease was born at 1:08 AM on 11-3-97 in Dover, New Hampshire. She was 19" long and weight 6 lbs. 8 ounces. I can remember the moment as vividly now as it was then. It was the most amazing moment!!!! How can anyone look at a child being born and question our God? She was our first and everything that implies. We did not allow the TV to be on if Waverly was in the room and we played classical music. Most of you that know me probably are laughing hysterically by now. Waverly saw her first TV show, TELETUBBIES, when Kendall was born compliments of a gift from my dad. Funny side note.. we loosened up by the time Grant came along. In fact, Grant's favorite song by age 2 was Fat Bottomed Girls by Queen. Waverly only had organic baby-food. Grant, age 2, ate several week old sausage out of his car seat without me doing much more than shrugging my shoulders in defeat. So.. there is a little perspective on how parents change as the birth order progresses. After the first 13 weeks (colic-ugh), Waverly has been a really easy child. She is a pleaser and wants to make others happy. Waverly did not have much time to be an only child as Kendall was born 20 months later then Grant was born when she was only 3 1/2.

Waverly has grown up into such a compassionate young lady. She is still very innocent at heart but empathetic way beyond her years. She started a non-profit called A Fresh Hope (see www.afreshhope.com). Her non-profit does work Skip and I to death but it is such a blessing to our family and others. We have no doubt that Waverly will end up in a ministry of some sort. We only pray that she is not living in another continent (for very selfish reasons). Waverly has a very close relationship with God and puts all her faith in God. She sees things very Black and White. She does not know boundaries in helping others and wants to save the world. It is refreshing but sad when she realizes that she cannot change something.

Waverly wants to go to the Biltmore House for her birthday. We cannot find a free weekend until after New Years so we will head there for a weekend in January. We are off to Aspens for dinner tonight. This is the first year she is not having a party. It is a little hard as I have thrown pretty big parties in the past. Last year, she rented the FUR BUS for 20 or so of her pals. This year will be quiet but it was her choice.

My heart hurts when I think of the short time left with Waverly living at home. I selfishly wish I could stop time. We are so proud of you Waverly! We love you Waverly! Happy Birthday!

Pumpkin Patch...

2008-10-29T10:46:00.009-04:00

Isn't fall fun? Going to the pumpkin patches, picking out a pumpkin, hay rides, etc. I have been to Bert's Pumpkin Patch 7 times if you count each Pre-K field trip, each Kindergarten field trip and once as a family (we may have gone twice as a family). It is a great little place. I could probably give the speech on the hay ride if they needed a sub one day. This year.. we had every intention of going to a nice pumpkin patch, enjoying a fall day, drinking cider, going through a corn maze.

So.. off we go.. each kid had the joy of looking through all the pumpkins to pick the very special pumpkin for Halloween 2008. Skip helps find 'great' pumpkins as usual by placing each prospect gently on the ground. My kids have specific taste in Pumpkins. Kendall and I like the short fat pumpkins. Waverly and Skip usually go for the tall, thinner pumpkins. Grant is a wild card. You never know what he will pick.
Here are a few photos of our kids picking out their pumpkins.....

Our fall has been busy coupled with the fact that Skip and I have mono and not quite the energy needed to do a 'real' pumpkin patch. Our pumpkin patch this year involved a different flair (and I don't mean the Facebook flair). We didn't quite stroll through a corn maze. It was maze of stuff, isles of goods and carts of groceries but not necessarily a corn maze. We didn't ride on a hay ride or drink hot cider. But.. we have 3 pumpkins that have been hollowed out ready for the cutting tomorrow night.
Here is a photo of our pumpkin patch destination (wouldn't Dave Ramsey be thrilled- check out the price of those pumpkins):

Christmas Party

2008-10-28T15:44:00.001-04:00

Hey friends.. Skip and I have decided we are not going to have our annual Christmas Party this year. It has turned into a wonderful tradition and are sad about skipping it this year. Skip and I both have mono and have been warned by the MD that we need to take it easy this holiday season (yea right). We are going to AL and FL during Thanksgiving. Waverly's foundation, A Fresh Hope, is having a Christmas event on 12-21-08. Squeezing a Christmas party seemed like too much this year. We hope to see you all at our party in 2009.

Blogging limitations

2008-10-24T13:11:00.002-04:00

A read a lot of really funny and inspiring blogs. A lot of the blogs are written by moms of younger children. The stories are very funny and I can related to most of them. So.. here comes posting on my blog. You see, I have to be careful posting on my blog because my 2nd, 4th and 5th graders are frequent viewers of the blog. If I were to post an embarrassing story, it would not be a good day in the Gilcrease household. I wouldn't want to embarrass them but there are some stories I think are funny and sweet that would be a reason to move to Canada in their book. I would love to tell stories of funny things they say or do but I will just have to jot a little note down and save it for when they have kids.

Another limitation is my kids' friends also read this blog (Hello Brandon and Megan)... so even if my kids missed a funny story on this blog, their friends would be sure to tell them about it. I was almost most in hot water over the ear piercing story. So... for now.. we will have to stick to censored stories for curious minds.

RANDOM UPDATE: Skip now has mono. Wonder where he got it from?

Mono aka The Kissing Disease

2008-10-16T20:40:00.003-04:00

Well.. all through my tween and teenage years, I went through mono testing anytime I got overly tired. I swam for Swim Atlanta and swimming 25 hours a week on top of school can wear a gal out. I never got mono, ever. I knew a ton of teens that got mono, but never me. I think I secretly wanted it as a teen so I could take a break from school, swimming and get some rest. I have always been a big sleeper. I am the type that needs 8 hours to be worth anything the next day. You are risking it if you call me past 9:30 on a school night.

Well.. fast forward 25 years... About a month ago, I was beat. I was flat exhausted! After two weeks of feeling horrible, I went to the doctor. I had a throat culture and came home with a Z-pack. A week went by, still exhausted and feeling like a truck ran over me.. I went back in and had blood work done. On a side note.. the nurse at Dr. Loe's office rocks! I honestly did not even feel the needle that was sucking a few vials of blood out of my arm. So.. Dr. Loe called me this Monday morning and woke me up because I sleep a lot now.
Here is the conversation:
Dr. Loe: Hello Jennifer, this is Robin Loe. How are you feeling?
Me: Not so great. In fact, I was going to call you today.
Dr. Loe: you don't feel good because you have MONO. Your blood levels are through the roof.

We went through the details of mono, recovery, side effects, etc. You are not suppose to get mono once you round the corner of 40. Dr. Loe basically said I would be pretty tired for the remainder of 2008. My side hurts because my spleen is swollen. I will have off/on fevers. I need to be isolated for another week or two. My husband has questioned me on how I got the kissing disease. You don't have to kiss someone with mono, you only need to have a droplet of saliva. Can I tell you how gross that is to me? Somewhere, somehow, a droplet of saliva from some random person got into my mouth. YUCK!

Now, let's exam this a little closer. How in the world is a working mother of 3 suppose to clear her calendar in October, November and December? I think it is fair to say these are the busiest months of the year. There are fall activities, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. A Fresh Hope is doing a Christmas event 12/21. My mom has demanded a list of activities I plan on cutting out. I offered to let her come here and cook/clean but she declined that offer. I love you mom if you are reading this.. Our strong point is just not cooking. My mom called me Wednesday morning and woke me up to tell me to get some rest. Now mom.... does that make sense?

So.... I am looking a little worse for the wear right now. I have cut back washing my hair to every 3-4 days rather than every other day. Doesn't that count for my list of activities I am cutting back? I have high ups and downs. During the downs.. I am good for nothing except a little complaining and sleeping. During the ups.. I try to get as much done as possible. This just throws me into a down moment. It is a roller coaster ride.

Thank you to my kind friends that have sent notes, made me soup, and called. No one has offered to give me a hug and I can't understand why. I should be able to be in public more at the first of next week. I probably shouldn't swap spit with my hubby for a while (even though he said it doesn't matter because if he has it, he has it). By the way.. he is getting tested tomorrow.

Mighty to Save

2008-10-06T19:25:00.003-04:00

I have really enjoyed this song lately. I love the message!

Mighty to Save by Hillsong

Everyone needs compassion
A love that's never failing
Let mercy fall on me
Everyone needs forgiveness
A kindness of a Savior
The hope of nations

My Savior
He can move the mountains
My God is Mighty to save
He is Mighty to save
Forever
Author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave

So take me as You find me
All my fears and failures
Fill my life again
I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in
Now I surrender

Shine your light and let the whole world see
We're singing for the glory of the risen King...Jesus

What I love about the Fall..

2008-10-04T15:18:00.008-04:00

Fall is my favorite season of the year. My totally random list of reasons I love fall:
** I love the cool crisp weather. I love feeling the change from being blistery hot to a nice chill in the area.
** Auburn Football
** Pumpkin Fraps!
** You can say Autumn to sound fancy
** Christmas Shopping starts- I love Christmas.
** It's fun to put on jeans again. It is a like a whole new wardrobe appears. With any luck.. I am able to wear this 'new' wardrobe again.
** We burn fires in the fireplace as it gets colder. I love the sound of wood popping and the smell of real wood burning.
** We finally get into the school grove. We kind of flap around aimlessly in August trying to get back into the routine.
** New Hampshire in the fall is breathtaking!!! We lived in NH for 4 years. Our backyard was so incredible. We actually had to close our blinds so our house was not glowing orange inside.
** I loves watching the leaves change colors.
** It is fun to see the pumpkins, hay bails, and scarecrow decorations.
** Fall Festivals
** Apple Cider- YUM
** Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving - Don't you secretly wish the Great Pumpkin showed up? Poor Linus.
** Our whole family gets flu shots to help protect Grant from getting the flu (and ourselves). Good times at the Gilcrease house on those days!
** Church always has great events in the fall. I love the Western Jamboree, Dinner in December, Children of the World, etc.
** I smile knowing the kids from the Back to School Drive are enjoying their new back packs.
** Pumpkin Spice Yankee Candles
** Picking out the Halloween Costumes.. Halloween is fun! The kids love dressing up!
** Sleeping with the windows open
** Shows start up again.. no more reruns
** Thanksgiving... we always visit family for Thanksgiving. I love it!
** We usually get to Tampa at least once in the fall to visit the Gilcreases.
** Fall Weddings.. They are so beautiful!
** Youth Fall Soccer- So much fun

Ear Piercing and life...

2008-10-01T19:22:00.007-04:00

I had to be 13 to get my ears pierced. I don't remember how old I was when I got my
2ND holes. I do know I was 16 when I got the 3rd hole in my left ear... through the cartilage.. Ouch! I remember that one vividly as I proudly wore the earring for 4 hours before my parents demanded it disappear. To be honest... I don't think they liked the 2ND holes anymore than the 3rd.

We had decided that our daughters (not son) had to be 13 to get their ears pierced too. You know.. the ole parenting style of "you can do it when I did it". Well, when Waverly was 9, all she wanted for Christmas was to have her ears pierced. THAT WAS ALL! After much thought.. I agreed. Skip, on the other hand, was very much against it. We finally convinced him that she was old enough to take care of her ears. It turns out, that was not the problem. He viewed ear piercing as a sign of growing up. I didn't see it that way to the same degree.

So.. on 12/26/06, the family loaded in to the van (RIP) and headed to the French boutique, Claire's. For those without tween girls.. Claire's is a money pit. Wish I had part ownership of that place. The very qualified young ladies at Claires (after they finished munching a snack) both got on either side of Waverly to proceed with the minor surgery. Now this is where it gets interesting.. Picture this.. Claire's is packed full of tweens eager to spend their Christmas money. Grant is bored stiff. Kendall is hiding in the furtherest corner because she didn't want to see Waverly get hurt. Skip has tears in his eyes (literally). Waverly is sitting in the chair crying. I am trying to convince the young employees that I am not making her get her ears pierced and that it was completely her decision. Here is a photo of the "HAPPY MOMENT".
Can you see the joy in this child's eyes?

Well, Kendall turned 9 this summer. She proudly announced that she is never getting her ears pierced. We were all a bit relieved. Well, about 2 weeks ago, she came home from school stating she was ready to take the plunge. Here we go again. We load up the car and drive to Claire's. This time, Grant was a bit more interested and watched. Skip was tearing up again. Waverly hid in the corner. Kendall sat in the chair squeezing a teddy bear crying. I was, again, trying to convince the nice employees that we are not making her get her ears pierced. Here is a photo of the happy girl:

Doesn't she look thrilled:

But.. the tears were gone in seconds. They are both now pierced. It should be the last piercing experience for the Gilcreases if all goes as planned. Skip is still a little sad but he is handling it much better. One of the fun memories we will treasure forever in an 'odd' way.

Our mini-vacation! AHHHHHH

2008-09-21T16:54:00.007-04:00

Skip and I try to get away together each year, ALONE. We started this in 2002 after Grant was born. Our first year with Grant was trying to be mild. That year, we went to Puerto Rico. The following year, we went on a cruise only to find out Grant got sick when we were gone. We went straight from the airport to pick Grant up at Grammy's house then straight Scottish Rite to have him admitted. After a week long cruise then a week at Scottish Rite, we needed a vacation. The next year, we headed to Atlantis in the Bahamas. Incredible resort! I highly recommend it. The next year, it was London for Skip's 40th birthday. Last year was Dominican Republic for my 40th birthday.

This year...... take a guess... Helen, GA. Yep, the north GA mountains. See, Dave Ramsey is starting to have an effect. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining. We had as much fun as any of the other 'more distant' destinations. We stayed in an incredible cabin with a wonderful view. We watched a lot of movies, basically chick flicks (P.S. I love you, 13 going on 30, Legally Blonde) Skip was very patient but I think he was thrilled to watch the Auburn v LSU game Saturday night. Great game.. wish Auburn would've pulled through.

Saturday, we went to Helen to eat. Well, while enjoying a nice Oktober Fest beverage and German meal, we met Squirrel and her family. Squirrel is a Harley Rider who was in Helen for a benefit ride. Great lady but boy can she talk. Here is a photo of me and squirrel.

Helen is a bit more colorful than I remembered from my younger days. We saw Hermann Munster riding in the back of a car:

As we were walking to our car, guess who we ran into,? Yep, it was squirrel riding off into the sunset.

It was a great weekend! Thanks Mom and Dad for keeping the kids.

Some photos just make you smile...

2008-09-18T18:24:00.004-04:00

After my less than 'warm' post yesterday... I thought I would post something a little light-hearted..

Doesn't this just make you smile:

You can hear Gary say "What cha talkin' 'bout Willis?"

Election Woes, II

2008-09-17T14:31:00.014-04:00

*****************************WARNING***********************************
Okay.... I am posting my true, honest feelings. I am not posting this to debate others. I am not posting this to change anyone's mind. I am posting this because my heart hurts. I am posting this because I always feel excluded in the Christian world during elections. I have a heart for God, a heart for serving others and a heart for giving. I am a Christian but I am not a Republican. I am not a Democrat. Here it goes...................
**************************************************************************

9-17-08: I am writing another election woes post today because I am really sad. I am really really sad at the impression Christians give during elections. Christians (I am speaking in general but you see it blog after blog after blog) portray an impression of intolerance and lack of interest in helping others during election time. If you don't believe me, pull up some blogs, read the comments at FoxNews.com. Read the blogs and comments as if you were unchurched. What opinions would you have? I see so many hypocrisies (on both sides) that it bothers me and I am a Christ Follower, again.. imagine how the unchurched view all of this.

Example: I have seen Christians make fun of the left for wanting to protect polar bears in Alaska. Aren't polar bears God's creation? I have seen Christians laugh at ObamaWaffles, pretty racist if you ask me. You can only imagine how the unchurched see Christians during elections, I am right and you are not.

The pastor at my church mentioned the elections in this past Sunday's service. He recommended that you vote for the candidate that lines up with the Bible. Okay.. I think that principle should be applied to elections and every day life for that matter. The worship center was full of chuckles and applause. I know they were chuckling because they assume you will vote Republican if you are a Christian.I felt pretty excluded because I am not 100% Republican. I imagine others that are not 100% Republican felt the same way. I don't exactly see how Republicans think they line up with the Bible and Democrats do not line up with the Bible? They do on some issues but certainly DO NOT on other issues.... Same with Democrats.

Republicans are Pro Life (again I am generalizing things) and I would agree that Pro-Life stance lines up with the Bible. But.. Doesn't Pro-Life include any person's life (even a capital murderer, an innocent child or citizen in Afghanistan, a soldier in Iraq?). That seems to be forgotten. On the Pro Life issue, why do people make that the center of elections? The Supreme Court currently has more conservative appointed judges than liberal appointed judges. Reagan had 8 years, George H had 4 and George W had 8. The decision has not been over-turned.

Another subject is taxes.. well I have to say, I pay more in taxes now than ever. George W. has been in office 8 years and I have seen my taxes go up. I know that is not all of George W's doing but how can Republicans claim to be a party that lowers taxes? George W even cut the Katie Beckett Waiver (a Reagan program) 3 years ago. Grant was eligible for this waiver to help with co-pays and out of pocket expenses. This costs us anywhere from $200-750/month. George H Bush and Clinton funded the waiver (again a Reagan program). To be very honest, I will pay my fair share of taxes to live in our country. We have so much to be thankful for that are covered by taxes: Fire Departments, CDC, Schools, Universities, Police, Highways, FDIC, Military, Court Systems, Medical coverage for those that would not have coverage otherwise, Boards that govern our medical personnel, FDA, FBI, just to name a few. You may not agree with every program covered by taxes or the way every program is handled. You may want very different programs than your neighbor who wants different programs than the next guy. But.. in a country with freedom, the programs are diverse as is the population. Call me crazy but I think we get a pretty good deal for the money we pay.

What about feeding the poor? Okay, Food stamps and welfare are not perfect systems. God has called on Christ followers to help our neighbors. The systems need work but they would not be needed if the churches in America were following the calling of Jesus. Republicans want to do away with the system. Then what, have our neighbors starve? What about helping AIDS victims? It is my understanding that churches donate 3% of all donations for AIDS relief. If churches did more, the government would not need to do so much.

I see elections as a negative force in the mission of Christians. Elections are a freedom and a right that should be exercised but the judgments, comments, intolerance do the Christian movement more harm than good. As a Christian, I pray that my children will learn about the election process but not to see Christians in a negative way. I love my Determined Democrat friends and I love my Rabid Republican friends all the same. "Can't we all get along".

Paul Richardson for President!!!!

2008-09-15T07:13:00.007-04:00

By George.. I've got it. Paul Richardson for Prez! This guys rocks! He is a little younger than the 35 year old age requirement and uses a Mac but we can get by both of those 'issues'. Oh yea.. there is the Cowboys issue. We could around that too.

This guy has a heart for people and a heart for God. He is a bit dry on the sarcasm so I think the media would be baffled by his jokes, but I'd get them. I don't think the Paul knew you could put lipstick on a pig until all the politicians starting rambling about it. He is a HUGE Disney and Star WARS (I put Trek but was corrected) fan. See, the guy can pay attention to detail. This guy is a multi-talented dude that would be great for this country. I don't know anyone that doesn't love this guy.

Speaking of Community Organizer.. this guy is it.. He organizes a Community Makeover or Home Makeover every summer. This years involved thousand of folks. It rocked! I don't think he took any earmarks or bribes from anyone to do it.

His wife would have the most gorgeous inaugural ball gown. The parties would be fantastic! Each world leader would have a wonderful gift basket in their GUEST SUITE at the White House. They would be a beautiful First Couple:

I think Tim Grandstaff would be a good VEEP for Paulie. I don't know if they will make a SNL skit of him.. If so, Justin Long with a little more hair gel would be perfect. He doesn't look as good in a skirt.

So.. the ticket is (drum roll)

Richardson/Grandstaff 2008

Too long to fit on any bumper stickers but it has a catchy sound, don't you think.

Elections Stink!!!!

2008-09-12T19:27:00.003-04:00

******Warning.. Do not read this if you read political stuff one-sided. This is not meant to make anyone mad.. just my views....******

I mentioned in a previous blog that I hate politics. Well, you can't get away from it these days. I am just thankful we have less than 2 months to put up with campaigning. I think elections bring out the worst in folks. People tend to put blinders on and only focus on 'their side', whatever that may be. I see friends divided, work places divided, conversations strained. I have a lot of friends that are strong Democrats or strong Republicans. Some people seem to carry the 'my side is right and you are an idiot if you don't believe me' vibe. I get such strong e-mails on both sides, I delete most of them before I read them.

This election is particularly sad to me. Our economy is hurting, unemployment is at the highest rate in recent history, foreclosures are through the roof, we are in a war with no end in sight, etc. Our country needs a strong candidate. I don't think we have a great choice this year. I vote Democrat and Republican. I have never, and will never, vote a straight ticket. I agree and disagree with different views on each side. For instance, I am for gun control, strict gun control. I hate guns! Another example, I wish public schools allowed more freedom to express faith. I don't want the war. I don't think the war is currently for the original purpose and innocent lives are being lost (not real Pro-Life if you ask me). I guess I am really described as a moderate with no real political home.

Specifics: I don't think I can vote for Obama/Biden. Obama's relationship with Rev. Wright worries me. I don't like the church being used to preach hate and question how he did not know about Rev. Wright's views. Biden is old school Washington. I know I cannot vote for McCain/Palin. I was actually going to vote for McCain until he selected Palin. I cannot understand why Republicans are backing her??? She has owned a passport less time than my 7 year old son. That scares me. Her radical views such as banning books then firing the librarian because she would not ban the books is also scary. My biggest issue with Palin is that I feel she choose power over her family. If my daughter was pregnant and going through this tough experience, I would not have selected a nomination that would have thrown my daughter in the national spotlight. I would have declined for my families sake. I think her family values ploy is a crock. I also know that a child with special medical issues or disabilities needs a lot of care the first few years. Downs' babies are 50% more likely to have heart problems. Grant has cardiac surgery twice in his first 4 years. I know how demanding that can be. Why would she choose power over the care of her son? There is no way for the mom to give him the best care on the road campaigning or as VP. And there is McCain voting with Bush 90% of the time. That is not what we need going into the next 4 years.

According to Gilcrease Research Institute: MSNBC is bias to the left and Fox News is bias to the right. I did my own little test. I added comments to articles/blogs on both sites. I can say that MSNBC printed both the positive and negative comments towards the Democrat. Fox only seems to print the positive towards Republicans. They seem to miss the negative comments towards Republicans. I think you have to read both news channels, filter the extremes, and form your own opinion.

I am on the hunt for a write-in candidate. I do not want to vote but feel it is our obligation as a citizen to cast a ballot. People fought to give us this liberty and we must exercise this privilege... Now.. who do I vote for? I am thinking that I may vote for Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life dude. I think he is a man that truly has a heart for God. I think he would run this country based on Biblical principles. Any other ideas.. Send me your ideas.

CHRISTMAS PARTY 2008

2008-09-09T11:41:00.002-04:00

SAVE THE DATE.............
Our Christmas Party will be on Saturday, December 13th at 7:00 (one day after my b'day- hint hint). Reserve your baby-sitters now. The focus of the party will to benefit A Fresh Hope. We will be collecting optional donations of Back Packs/School Supplies and/or items for the Chritmas Outreach event planned for 12-20-08. Invitations will come in November. If you are reading this and have never come to our party...come on. The more the merrier.

WAR EAGLE!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-09-06T19:07:00.005-04:00

College football has started. I can't wait to get to Auburn for a game. My dad and Grant went to the game last week. I think we will go to the Auburn v TN game and the Auburn v. UGA game. Grant is all into the games. He had to wear his Brad Lester jersey today and we had to get the shakers out. I almost watched most of the UGA game with him. For those that know me, that was a HUGE task on my part. I am trying to be more supportive for my dear husband's sake (he is a UGA grad). I can't say I actively cheered but I did not critize once... not even once. That is like a Italian Catholic from Boston sitting through a Mississippi Southern Baptist sermon without one snicker, snub, doubt or comment(or vice versa). I was very proud of myself. Actually, it is about time I grew up a little. I told my husband a few months ago that I would be more supportive of UGA. I can't say that I would be okay with one of my kids going there because that is probably more than I can swallow.... I mean ever! My Mom would probably have a fit. But I can watch a game on a Saturday. I promise to never bark (not real lady-like if you ask me)! I promise that I will not sing Auburn songs over the UGA band even though they ARE Auburn songs. I promise to not cheer when the other team scores.

A few tidbits about me.....

2008-09-04T20:02:00.008-04:00

Why did I start blogging? Honestly, it looked like fun. I do kind of enjoy blogging and I love to read other peoples' blogs. I think blogging can help make us transparent. I can use a little help in that area. One about blogging is that it requires upkeep. I didn't need another thing on my list at all but here I have it... keep up blog.

My friend did a blog where she made a list of interesting things about her. It was a neat way to learn more about her. So.. in my effort to keep my blog up, be more transparent, AND have fun.. I am going to list some things about me (I hope I do not offend anyone).

* My middle name is Waverly. Jennifer Waverly Strickland Gilcrease . I was named after my grandfather, Waverly, who died before I was born.
* I have a problem... I laugh when people fall. I don't mean a smile then say "Are you okay". I mean a fall on the floor, bust a gut, snot on yourself sort of laugh. I know it is wrong but I can't help it. I laugh at myself when I fall too if that makes you feel any better.
* I hate guns. I do not want anyone but the police and soldiers to own guns. I know.. a very liberal view being so close to Kennesaw but I see very little good come from gun ownership.
* I love to sleep. I am one of those people that need 8-10 hours a night. Watch out if you call me past 9:20 on a school night.
* I love Auburn University.. not just for the football, in fact that is a small part of it. It is part of me.. part of my family. My 96 year old grandmother went there when she was 16. My mom graduated from Auburn. I have been going to Auburn my whole life.
* My buddies Paige and Sheila have been my buddies for over 20 years. We don't talk every week but when we do, it is like sisters. I love them.. they love me.. We love each other unconditionally.
* I love spaghetti, Diet Coke with Lime, sweet tea, tomatoes, chocolate, and watermelon.
* I have worked for Liberty Mutual for 17 years. It is an unbelievable company to work for. They provide health coverage for Grant and that is my driving force. That kid is uninsurable otherwise.
* I can't stand Styrofoam. It gives me the creeps.
* I cannot touch a cotton ball. Again.. the creeps. I once had a headache for hours until Skip could get home and get the cotton ball out of the bottle.
* I have space issues.. If you know me.. I know you just said DUH to yourself. I don't know why but I am working on hugging. My kids all kiss me right on the lips when they leave for school or at night. I think that is their way of making my personal space shrink.
* Skip and I have been married for 13 1/2 years. We met at Liberty Mutual. Our cubicles were next to each other..say ahhh.
* I chew on things.. straws, end of pens.
* I open containers with my mouth.
* Butter over margarine any day.
* I am ADHD, self diagnosed but got the doctor to agree so I could try meds. They work.. I can now read a book and stay on task.
* I twirl my hair. I even put my hair in my mouth at times. Gross.. I know but I have done it my whole life. My parents even gave me a Dorothy Hamil to make me stop, it did not work.
* I wrecked my family's MGB into my family's station wagon in the drive way when I was 15. Not a smart move..
* Anytime I have a nightmare.. it involves a large wave. I love the ocean but can't handle large waves. I can't watch surfing on TV.
* I swam for Swim Atlanta growing up. You would think the wave thing would not be such an issue.
* I am a horrible cook. My husband does the cooking in the house.
* My closet is a mess.
* I like to fix problems. If someone tells me a problem.. my mind starts working immediately on how I can fix it. I don't have a lot of patience when it comes to fixing problems either.
* I am not a great communicator. Ask my husband.. I am working on it but it is painful for me. "Fine" is one of my more frequent words.
* Okay.. this is a kicker. I hate politics. I could write a whole blog about this. I am tired of the left vs. the right. Here is my point of view..If Jesus were supporting a party.. it would not be either party. He agrees in feeding the poor (D), He is pro life (R), Against War (D), Healthcare for everyone (D), Prayer in school (R)... I never vote a straight ticket. I do not have enough faith in either party to click one button. I vote for the person, not the party. Who am I for this year? I thought I knew until the VP was selected.... now I am undecided again. Enough of this. I will just hold my breath until November. I really hate the commercials, the debating, the lies.. who knows what to believe? I think the candidates are all power hungry folks with less than adequate integrity.
* Technology has made society's issues front and center. I at a point where I will have to explain to my YOUNG daughters what things in the limelight mean. I have banned channels on TV, the news and now will have to ban the election. I did not have to face so much of this junk growing up, partly because we did not have media everywhere but I think society expected more. This saddens me... I wrote this Thursday night. The first words out of Kendall's (9) mouth this AM is "Do you have to be in love and married to have a baby?" So sad... I resent that this is thrown in America's face.
* I love photography.
* Quality Time is My Love Language
* I bought my car off ebay.
* I love New England in the fall. Skip and I lived in New Hampshire for 4 years. The fall is breathtaking. Spring in NH stinks..
* I love the show HOUSE. I think I am a doctor and love the diagnosis part.
* I love my house. It is not the Governor's Mansion but it is perfect for us. It is our HOME. My street is wonderful too. I have incredible neighbors.
* I am a homebody. I like to travel but if I am not traveling... I like to be home. Come visit anytime but I am not great at visiting others.
* I took 3 scuba classes for PE at Auburn. I enjoy scuba diving but we don't get to go much anymore.
* I turned 40 this year. It was over-rated.
* I talk to my parents every day or every other day. They are the most incredible parents.
* I can't keep any plants alive; inside or out.
* Chicken drumsticks make me sick to my stomach.. Too many parts.
* I hate the dentist. I would rather give birth than have a filling.
* Speaking of giving birth.. I have quick labors. All 3 kids wree born in 3 hours or less. I didn't have an epidural with 2 of my kids and then the last one I got an epidural for 5 minutes, ouch.
* I am a horrible singer but I love to sing.
* Ebay rocks!
* I love my church. West Ridge Church.. That can be it's own blog one day.
* I wish we didn't see Rebel flags anymore. That must really make some folks feel excluded.
* I am scared of heights. I cried like a baby on the Eifel Tower in high school
* My family is my world. I love my husband. I love my 3 children. They are God's greatest blessing.

Dave Ramsey is my enemy!!!!!!!!!!

2008-08-28T17:48:00.005-04:00

Okay.. Skip and I signed up for FPU which actually stands for Financial Peace University. I won't tell you what I think it stands for.. Perhaps Freakin' Poor now University. Now, I know the program has some good ideas. It wants to help couples get on a budget, get out of debt, invest properly and save for retirement. On the surface, what could be wrong with that??? Well, I will tell you what is wrong with that.. You can't live for the time period you are doing the 'baby steps'.

Onto Baby Steps.. that's a joke too. Baby Step 1 was to save $1k. It should be set up as an emergency fund. That was fine and the idea is fine. We just did not have it separated which is a DR must. Baby Step 2, get out of debt. We haven't gotten to that part of the course but I read ahead out of anxiety. When he means debt, he doesn't mean your Target card (which I actually don't have, proud to say), Visa or even Car loan. He means it all. I think you can graduate from Baby Step 2 when you only have your mortgage left, that means no car loan, no debt whatsoever. In order to get to Baby Step 2, you are to do what it takes. He has a saying on eating just rice and beans. Now, I am a starchy sort of eater. If he said bean burritos from Taco Bell, rice with thick butter, pasta and mashed potatoes, we would be in business. He also says no vacations. If anyone out there knows me.. I like to vacation. In fact, I proudly call vacationing my hobby. That ain't gonna happen Dave! Baby Step #3 is to save for 3-6 months of your salary for emergencies. Sounds reasonable if you survive Baby Step #2. I haven't read #4 or on because I am a nervous wreck over the first 3.

I am a shopper, a spender, a bargain hunter, a go out and have fun, have a party, book a flight sort of gal. In fact, I can't think of a hobby of mine that is strictly free. Maybe I should taken up hiking? But don't you need fancy shoes for that? Maybe I should take up Bird Watching, oh yea, I saw THE BIRDS in 3rd grade when I had a fever and never really liked the feathery creatures since then. Maybe I should take up sewing, nope.. gotta buy stuff for that. So.. Here I am.... looking for a new hobby, missing my last hobby, planning a trip to Alaska in June (shhhhh), and eating starches.

Here is the ironic thing about Mr. Ramsey... As Waverly put it "He wants to help people save money but you have to spend $110 for his book?". Yep, that dude is making millions off us po' folks. But I tricked ole' Dave.. I bought the kit on ebay for $50. So what if it is 3 years old and doesn't EXACTLY follow the course. Check out his website header:

Does anyone else see anything wrong with that. I even found the Dave Ramsey store on ebay. I didn't notice much of a deal there.

So.. don't be surprised if you see more posts about me ranting/raving about Mr. Ramsey. I will admit that his program is sound, it just doesn't seem to fit my personality. Stay tuned.. we will see if I mature through this torture or if I just get sneakier.

PLAY BALL....................

2008-08-15T09:39:00.010-04:00

Our precious nephew's, Levi Gilcrease, little league team made it to the World Series. Levi probably doesn't want me calling him precious but he is such a great kid. My brother-in-law, Doug, is one of the coaches. The Doug Gilcreases are very athletic. Mom- Stephanie- had a full ride tennis scholarship at Michigan. Dad-Doug- had a full ride at Auburn for baseball and then went to the Kansas City Royals. He now is the chaplain for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Levi's team, Southeast, plays today at 2:00 on ESPN.
Here is a link to the schedule:
http://www.littleleague.org/series/2008divisions/llbb/series.htm

Here is Levi (see isn't he precious):

Doug looks a lot like Skip, doens't he?

Cheer for the boys!!!!!! GO LEVI!

Game 1, Southeast 10 Midwest 0
Southeast plays again on Sunday. Here is a photo from ESPN of Levi.

Southeast lost Sunday to Hawaii. They won last night against the Northeast 8-2.
They play again Thursday night, 8:00 ESPN.

Great pitching Levi!

Check out this awesome photo from the Tampa newspaper of Levi catching a potential homer.

Summer 2008

2008-08-11T09:56:00.003-04:00

School started this morning... Great time to reflect on the summer... This summer was filled with fun, excitement and hard work. Our family was dedicated to A Fresh Hope and the Back to School drive this summer. I thought I would write some thoughts about this summer:
* My church is an incredible church with a heart for Outreach
* Kendall is more compassionate than I gave her credit. She has really jumped on board with A Fresh Hope. She even feels bad if we walk into a store and don't buy anything.
* My parents are fantastic grandparents. They are 100% on board with A Fresh Hope and Waverly's dreams.
* People like to support kids
* Cardboard boxes are hard to crush
* We need fundraising ideas
* Peoples lives were changed this summer
* Follow-thru is important.. we need to connect with the back pack kids at Christmas
* An SUV holds approximately 100- 104 back packs
* Pencil boxes are $.77 at Target, $.57 at Wal-mart. Filler paper is $.50 at both places. Reinforcement labels are $.99 at Target and $1.69 at Wal-Mart
* It is hard to get money from large corporations for local outreach projects. Waverly delivered letters to many large stores and grocery stores. She received less than $100 total from all her deliveries and follow-up calls. That was disappointing.
* I wish we had more coupons in the goodie bags for the Back to School Drive. We will work on that for next year.
* My biceps are more defined than they were in May.. Still nothing to write home about but a little improvement from toting back packs.
* After looking at thousands of back packs, none were quite what my son was looking for. We eventually gave him $20 to use the same back pack for the 3rd year in a row. It is all about negotiating.
* Friends rally behind your children. Hillary Clinton may not be a hero to a lot but it does take a village to raise a child. Our village was incredible and I thank God for our friends and family.
* We you have a cart loaded with school supplies, people ask you how many kids you have or if you are a teacher. Happened more times than I can count.
* We went to Rockmart to look at coats and winter clothes for our next project. Rockmart is beautiful. Love the mountains.
* I worried about the Back to School Drive too much. I should have let God do His thing.
* I did not talk to my friends as much as I would have liked this summer. I will make up for it this fall.
* We need mobile back pack delivery next year. See the Fresh Hope blog for an incredible story.
* Little kids love back packs with characters on them.
* MY HUSBAND ROCKS!!!! He has been there every step of the way. He has carried more heavy stuff than I care to imagine.
* We did a community make-over project at a friend's home. It blessed us more than you will ever know. See Crumbs in my Butter blog for photos.
* Waverly is still 10. As much as she appears older at times.. I would go downstairs to see how the back packs were going and she would have a Barbie house set up. It is hard to step back and let her be a kid but it is necessary so her heart will not burn out. We want her compassion for others to stay strong.
* You cry a lot when serving others.
* You cry a lot when you get very little sleep.
* You cry a lot when you give a beloved dog away. See prior post.
* I cried a lot this summer.
* Waverly and Kendall's friends were so supportive. A friend from church even had a lemonade stand to help A Fresh Hope.
* KIDS CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
* As adults, we need to follow our hearts blindly as kids do.
* Jamie Sizemore is a wonderful woman who has a heart for others.
* My neighbors are incredible... You know who you are!
* Kids love to get school supplies. They love to open a back pack and see goodies inside.
* More people in the community need help. There are more hurting people in a 15 mile radius from our house than I ever dreamed. It comes with a feeling of guilt.
* Stacy Brown is a great woman who is taking A Fresh Hope to a new level and starting a ministry for teenagers. We need prom dresses. More to come....
* We met some great folks this summer.. Tytus and Kim at Bargain Station in Rockmart.
* Grant stuffed 2 back packs this summer. Yep, 2, not a typo. It is not his time.
* Jane Swanson was so awesome with the signs.
* The Haights are the best folks... They will do anything for anyone.
* It is hard to be on a radio show.
* From Waverly "Coats will be more fun to shop for than back packs". From the mouth of a girl.
* I read THE SHACK. Unbelievable. It cleared up a lot of questions for me.
* Pastor Paul Richardson is such a Godly man. He has the purest heart for people. All people. He is a mentor to us all.
* Pastor Brian was so wonderful allowing A Fresh Hope to partner with West Ridge.
* If you don't go to church, try West Ridge one Sunday. I'll help you get there and get your kids in the right place. I'll even pick you up. It will change your life.
* Panama City is too crowded on July 4th. Too many crazies with fire works. Watch out..
* We did our annual boat ride. Always a great time!
* A Fresh Hope is now established. Watch out for more.

Deer v. Jennifer

2008-07-31T18:15:00.004-04:00

Deer 1
Jennifer 0

We had a great Community Makeover this past weekend. It was with 8 churches where we were all sent out on Community projects. We did a mini-home makeover on our friends home, the Mucinos. More about that later. Well, this wonderfully crazy weekend ended Sunday night with a Celebration Service. Over 6000 people were in attendance. It was awesome: Great music, Great Message, Great energy, Great friends.... see www.engageatlanta.com

I had to go to the bathroom so badly during the service (TMI-probably). Waverly and I decided to go through Taco Bell Drive-thru, knowing I really had to go.. We were in the drive thru 27 minutes. I was really put off by this point, hungry, tired, and urgently needed a rest room. We pulled out of Taco Bell and then 1 mile later.. Boom... A huge buck jumped out in front of me.. Bam.. Me and the deer collided. My car immediately started smoking. Thankfully, we were not hurt. The deer ran off. I tried to find it. Skip asked me if I was going to give it Mouth to Mouth.. I probably would've tried. I was very concerned about the deer. Our delay at Taco Bell may have made this scenario just a property damage inconvenience. Any other type of impact could have been tragic.

So here is the picture.. 11:00 pm, Sunday night, Hwy 92, Waverly in a smoking car, me on the side of the road looking for a dead or hurt deer and Scott Roma comes walking down the street. Yep, I was crying.. My daughter did not cry but I blubbered.. that seems to be a common theme in the most recent posts. My buddy, Angela called to reassure me the deer was probably in a coma.

The damage to my car was over $5k. Here is a photo:

Here is the evidence:

Good-bye Judd

2008-07-31T16:54:00.005-04:00

After years of our kids begging.. we finally caved in to the dog request. We adopted Judd (I use the term adopted casually as they charged us $400 for the creature) in June 0f 2006. He has been a wonderful dog. We have taken him on vacations. My family adores Judd. I didn't think I would really care about Judd but I found him to be my companion during the day when Skip was at work and the kids were at school. If he could only talk, I would have a lot of apologizing to do to a lot of people. Just kidding but it is nice to have a great listener that loves you unconditionally.

Our house is always full of kids. I am not complaining because it is wonderful to hear kids laughing. I am the type that would rather have my kids here with friends over than my kids other places.. call me crazy... Well.. over the last few months, Judd has gotten hurt a few times and has become more and more aggressive towards other children. He is great with our children but he has been snipping at other children.

So... we had to give Judd away today. Fortunately, my step-sister, Beth, has agreed to take him on a trial basis. This is the best solution because my kids can still see him regularly. It was a sad moment when Judd left today. He did not seem bothered at all. Grant cried for a few hours. We thought Grant didn't care at all about the dog since Judd ate an integral LEGO piece (of his new Star Wars X Wing Fighter) his first week as a Gilcrease. Kendall adores animals. She seemed to actually understand why we had to allow Judd to be in an environment more fitting. Waverly was upset but she went to my dad's house so that will provide a good distraction. I cried and cried.. In fact, I will cry if I think about it. Must be turning 40 that did this to me.

Judd is visiting Beth on a trial basis. We would not be terribly surprised if we don't find a basket on our front door with a cute dog wrapped inside a blanket. Aunt Beth.. thank you for providing a home for Judd.

Junebug is 9!!!!

2008-07-30T11:39:00.001-04:00

Kendall turned 9 this week. She actually turned 9 while at Camp Glisson for 5 night. yes, I am the mother that forgets your child's birthday is during a week and schedules them for camp. I felt better seeing a photo of her in a sash and crown given to her by the camp counselor. I am sure this will come up at age 17 when we are in a spat about something.

Kendall wanted a spend the night party for her birthday. I agreed because Waverly had a sleepover when she turned 9. I must have had a amnesia. I forgot how loud and caotic it can truly be to gather a group of sugared up, tired, 9 year old little girls together. But.. I have to say, they were all in bed by 11:00. We had very little issues.

Skip and Grant went to the Braves game to escape the fiesta.

Sweet Kendall..

Pool Party

2008-07-24T08:05:00.002-04:00

Our wonderful friends and neighbors.. the Dennehys have a pool in their back yard. They will have us over to swim. I am sure it has nothing to do with the fact my children sit in our yard looking pitiful and hot. Donna will make incredible munchies and sweet tea.

Most moms sit under the cabana sipping iced tea (not your regular sweet tea- I know I mentioned sweet tea earlier but it is so good- it deserves several highlights), chatting, and watching the kids swim. Not my pal Angela.... she gets into the pool and organizes cannon ball contests, belly flop contests, etc. The kids love it!!!

Here are a few photos from a recent pool party.. How fun!!!!!

July 4th- Panana City Beach

2008-07-16T17:16:00.009-04:00

We spent this July 4th week at my dad and step mom's condo in Panama City. We go to the condo at least 4-5 times a year. So often.. my kids feel like they should be included in decorating changes, pool policy changes or anything related to Panama City in general. My dad has this place set up perfectly for us.. all with a twin and double beds in one room, kids videos, craft supplies, candy, etc. You name it.. he does it for them. It even has wireless- great for Skip and I.

This year was particularly crowded at the beach. We did go see WALL-E. My kids loved it.. I thought it was on the same scale as Curious George. Skip and I argued over who would take the kid to the bathroom. There is very little adult humor which we have grown accustomed to in Pixar movies.

I did put my kids through misery by making them dress up and go to St. Andrews park for photos. They were cooperative until they realized that they could not just run around in the water (which did not stop Grant).

My kids found a part of the ocean with a shallow end. They thought this was great fun and 'how come' we don't go there more. Hello.. we have a beach right outside the condo!
By looking at this photo.. you would never know the directions it took to do this..
Don't want like a soldier, walk normal, stop running, no look that way, Grant.. quit swinging your hands, Slow down. They just look like sweet angels.

Birthday photos

2008-07-16T17:11:00.000-04:00

Grant turns 7!

2008-07-16T16:30:00.004-04:00

Wow... I can't believe my baby is 7. It's times like that make you realize how fast time flies. It was only yesterday that the hospital folks did not believe I was in labor only to deliver 2 hours later... It was only yesterday that we were told they would do surgery in the morning if Grant was still with us.. It was only yesterday when he was taken to the hospital by ambulance in his little car seat... it was only yesterday that he was admitted at age 2 1/2 on Christmas Eve with resistant pneumonia.

Grant's life has been a whirlwind of adventures. He had endured over 20 hospitalizations, 2 cardiac surgeries, countless evasive medical tests and too many illnesses to count. Even with all that he has been through, he is not defined by his illness.. He is defined by the miracle his life is and the rough and tough way in which he leads it. Grant should not have survived if you reviewed his medical stats. He should have brain damage or organ failure based on these stats. Grant was given life. I have always thought that he will do something great one day.. that he will change someones (or some thousands) life in a remarkable way. God kept him on earth for a reason. I just hope I am here to see it all.

Grant is a rough little boy. We have learned to not live in fear or we would be in a constant state of shock. Grant's aorta was sewn in a sling to his rib cage at age 4 to prevent it from closing his trachea. With this tidbit of information.. you can see why any frontal contact would make me nervous. Our neighbors have said they close their blinds when his wobbly scooter goes down the hill. Grant plays football with the older boys. They are a little soft on him because of his size and age but I would not want to take tackle like he does. It is still rough.

All Grant wanted to do for his birthday was to play football in the front yard. So.. My sweet husband built a field goal out of PVC pipes. We just knew the Home Owner's Association would be all over this. Surprisingly, we did not get a letter. I just think it was down by the time they came to deliver the letter. So.. the guys played football in the front yard. Skip wore a ref skirt, blew the whistle and threw down the yellow flag. He argued with players over calls and kept the time clock. It rained so the grass was really slippery. Did I mention our hill has about a 20 degree slope? The boys loved it!!! Grant said it was his best party ever.. So much for spending money at an expensive place. This ROCKED!!! (in 7 year old language).

A Fresh Hope - Now I get it

2008-06-30T08:01:00.003-04:00

As most of you know, Waverly started an organization called A Fresh Hope. (see prior post for more information). To be honest with you, until this past week, this organization was 'hers' and we were there to just support her. Well, this past week changed that! I had a mother come up to me and ask how to create the website and how to get started. Her daughter wants to feed hungry people in our area. Go Victoria! We will support you in any way possible. I had another father say her daughter wants to start an organization to raise money to send Bibles to other countries. Go Haley! Kendall has now started to talk about ways she wants to help others. She wants to do something different and hasn't come up with her passion yet but the seed has been planted. So.. it hit me, it is contagious. Waverly has, in her own way, inspired other children and let them know they can make a difference. This was one of her main goals.

Another "Ah, this is what this is about moment" was yesterday. West Ridge Church has taken the biggest leap of faith and partnered with A Fresh Hope for a Back to School Drive. They did an interview which was video taped. Pastor Paul is a man my whole family has the up most admiration for. Waverly thinks he just hung the moon. He was giving a message on service and getting out into the community to share Jesus and serve others. He showed the video of Waverly's interview then brought Waverly on stage with him. The church (which seats over 2000) gave her a standing ovation in one service. There were tears all over the worship center. My tears were flowing for several reasons: 1. my church is supporting my daughter 2. My daughter has reached people 3. Pastor Paul was incredibly complimentary of her 4. She was just a baby- I saw her grow up at that moment and it brings me to tears as I write this. But I think the reason I cried most was that Jesus is in her heart. She is the light of Jesus! I think God knew I needed a visual and sent her to me. As a mother, I was very proud of her. She was reaching people and she his only 10. As a Christian, I was disappointed that I had been missing the whole point. While my job is to support Waverly, it is also to support the mission.

After the worship services, she has booths set up outside worship center. She received so many donations for A Fresh Hope. The Back to School Drive is going to work. Yes, I had doubts but she never did.

PLAY BALL!!!!!!!!

2008-06-22T16:22:00.002-04:00

Atlanta Braves

2008-06-22T16:05:00.003-04:00

A good friend gave us tickets to the Braves Game. Kendall and Waverly were in Tampa this week visiting their cousins so we took Grant to the game. Grant is a huge sports fan.... he can watch hours of fast pitch softball on ESPN. He loves anything sports. This sports thing started when he visited my mom over Christmas and she had to do her football picks for the Warrenton, GA news paper. No, my mom is not a gambler but she is somewhat of a local celebrity by winning the picks for the 2007/2008 football season. That was it.. Grant was hooked when he returned.

We got to the game early which was so much fun.....We are usually the ones squeezing in our seats during the bottom of the 2nd. We never knew you could actually park in walking distance and that there are activities before the game. We went up to the Coke bottle and the new Chick-Fil-A cow (very cute but why did they have to go to Italy to get it?). We went through the museum, watched the teams at batting practice and shopped a little all in plenty of time to get to our seats within 1 hour of game time.

The Braves lost 10 - 1 which was a bit of a disappointment but we had a blast. Chipper Jones is Grant's favorite. Our seats were on the 3rd base side right near Chipper. Baseball, Diet Coke, hot dogs, summer weather and a pysched little sports fan. Perfect!

Father's Day

2008-06-21T08:59:00.012-04:00

As you know, Father's Day was last Sunday. I struggle with Father's Day each year because there is nothing I can do or say to show my Dad what a great dad he is or show Skip what a great dad he is. I want them to know how special they are but I can never seem to do it in one day.

For my dad.. .Grant and I met him at Varsity and then at AJ's Cajun place in East Cobb. His present is in the works so I can't mention it here. This man is hard to shop for so nothing ordinary will do. I didn't see my dad on Father's Day but I thought about him all day. Wow! He has always been such a huge part of my life and still is to this day. I am over 37 (that's close enough) and still talk to my dad every day or every other day. I still go to him for advice. I still value his word and look forward to spending time with him. God blessed me with wonderful parents!

Gifts.. what do you get Skip? Well, Amazon will always have a couple of history books that look totally boring. He loves history books. Our house looks like a WW2/History book store. This year, I went out of the box- literally. I got him a Sling Box. This a cool device that you hook to your TV. It allows you to watch anything that is on your TV (you can even change channels and watch PVR) from your laptop. Skip can watch his TV from anywhere his air card reaches. How cool is that?

This year, we went to Church and then headed to Six Flags. Yep, Six Flags.. it was Skip's idea and the kids were happy to go along with his request.

Grant spent his day trying to play every game that would allow him to win a basketball or sports 'something'. He eventually won a basketball so he was happy.

Kendall wanted a Tweety Bird camp which she finally won on a game that you shoot water in the hole and the first 'thing' to the top wins. Well.. in today's day... you pay $5.00 and everyone wins a cape. So, we purchased a $.50 cape for $5.00. She was happy so it was worth it.

Waverly's excitement came from riding the Scream machine for the first time. Skip said was bouncier than he remembered. Waverly looked like she was in shock when she got off.

So.. after spending a car payment at Six Flags.. it was a great day for Skip and the kids. Skip loves nothing more than to spend time with his family. Time... that is his most valued for Father's Day.

Club Med (aka Girl Scout Camp)

2008-06-05T17:30:00.002-04:00

Well... I went to Girl Scout camp when I was little. No... I did not get my toe nails painted and cucumbers gently placed on my eyes while I laid back in relaxation. I had to sleep in a tent with bugs (a platform tent to be exact). I thought that was a fancy type of tent before I showed up to camp. Platform simply means a tent that is a foot high. Big deal... bugs can crawl and air conditioning didn't exist.

Kendall and Waverly left Sunday to go to Girl Scout camp at Camp Meriwether about 1 1/2 hours south. They will come home tomorrow. It is only a 5 day camp but I have missed them terribly. They are staying in a new air conditioned cabin with adequate storage for each camper. They each had a friend or two going to camp with them so loneliness should not be a problem. We are able to e-mail them each day. I have sent them both about 5 e-mails a day. Addict...
They are not able to e-mail us back but can send snail mail. I guess it would be hard to get an e-mail such as this:
Dear Mom...... I hate camp. They are so mean here. I have to scrub all the toilets this morning. They are only feeding us bread and water. Please come get me. Hope to survive this prison camp. I love you and promise to never complain at home again if you will only come get me. Love, desperate camper

We are able to see photos that are posted throughout the day. I have snagged some of them for a slide show. It is hard not to see the photos and judge the manner in which your daughter is grooming and dressing... I carefully packaged shorts and shirts in a ziploc to help with matching clothes. I can tell you that my children did not seem to care about the careful clothes placement one single bit. I think Kendall wore 4 outfits her first 24 hours if the photos on the web are an accurate indicator. I guess the important thing is that they are having fun, growing up a little, making friends, blah blah blah.. . Not that they are not brushing their hair, wearing mismatched clothes and have only written one short note since they have been gone. We will the girls up tomorrow. We miss them terribly (even Grant after day 2). We are bracing for the tired grumpiness tomorrow on the way home and will try to keep the 'it's wonderful to see you' feeling through that adjustment period.

Girl Scout camp

2008-06-05T14:28:00.001-04:00

Serve others wholeheartedly...

2008-06-04T12:33:00.006-04:00

If there is anything I have learned from going to West Ridge Church the last 5+ years is to 1st: Love God and 2nd: Serve others. West Ridge has a fundamental belief that you are to serve others unselfishly.

As some of you know.. our daughter Waverly, has started a foundation: A Fresh Hope. Her foundation is now non-profit. Boy is that complicated...... But, she is now officially non-profit. She wants to serve others by providing back packs, school supplies, shoes, toiletries items and clothes to less fortunate children in Cobb and Paulding County. Waverly received the Janet Street Grant from the Jr. League of Cobb County. They are graciously making a donation to A Fresh Hope. She attended a banquet. It was awesome as a parent to watch other adults validate your child's dream. The Jr. League has been so supportive. West Ridge church has been very supportive too, thank you Pastor Paul and Pastor Rodney! Thanks to Waverly's grandparents.. they do more than you could imagine. Also thanks to Jim and Pam Duryea for their very generous support. Mt. Paran Christian School did a school supplies drive in May and donated a ton of goodies.... Thank you all!

Waverly has the gift of compassion which is a struggle at times. She read a book on AIDS in Africa (without our knowledge) and cannot get it out of her mind. We hosted 2 girls from Uganda last September and she cried for 2 weeks when they left. She still carries their picture in her backpack. We know this gift will be her driving force through life and we selfishly hope she stays close and we are not visiting her in the jungles of Africa one day for the holidays.

Coming soon:
A Fresh Hope is partnering with West Ridge Church for a Back to School event on August 9, 2008. It will be great.. The goal is to hand out 1000 back packs, school supplies, new underwear and new socks to children from Paulding and Cobb County. She is collecting money and goods now and boy does she needs the goods to meet the 1000 back pack goal. Please visit her website if you would like to make a donation: http://www.afreshhope.com/

Also, if you are a business owner and would like to put coupons of any sort in the backpacks, please contact Waverly: waverly@afreshhope.com

Love and Marriage, Love and Marriage...

2008-06-03T22:20:00.000-04:00

Skip and I attended a marriage seminar at West Ridge a month or two ago. One idea we took from the seminar is a Because I love you card... This card is designed to show your spouse that you do things for them simply because you love them. It also serves to make you think of nice things to do for your spouse (I needed help in this category). You are suppose to pass the card back and forth. It is a little bit of a game and challenge. It causes a little bit of sneakiness which I am very good at. Skip is not and gets caught all the time.

Skip and I have been passing it back and forth.
I will leave it with a tube of chapstick... Skip is addicted to chapstick.. he calls it 'chappy'. He will get my car detailed... I will leave the card on a carton of ice cream.. He will give me an iTunes gift card.. I will leave the card on a package of Cheese Its White Cheddar.. He will run a bath, candles, music and put the kids to bed.

Are you seeing a pattern here? I really think I need to pick it up a notch. I welcome any ideas.....Keep them G rated if you comment here.

This card has been very fun for us ( I should probably speak for myself as noted by the pattern above). You can find more about the Because I love you card at www.intimatemarriages.org

Donde' Esta? Cozumel....

2008-06-03T22:02:00.001-04:00

Hola Amigos... we just returned from Cozumel. Our family went with my dad (aka trooper) to Cozumel for a week. We have been to Cozumel numerous times and even stayed at the same hotel over 5 times. It is not fancy and would not be considered luxurious by most standards.. but... it is our home in Cozumel. The doorman, Rudy, knows our names. It has been 3 years since our last stay and he remembered us.. I know what you may be thinking.. of course he remembers you.. you guys were too rowdy...

My dad went with us this year and stayed in the same suite. He took the room with 2 double beds and kids included. Skip and I had the master. He watched the kids, helped with the kids, etc. It was great to spend time with him. My dad has been to Cozumel over 30 times so this trip was definitely a homecoming for him.

Kendall and Waverly learned to snorkel. Grant tried but the adult size snorkel and mask combined with his inability to swim independently very far did not provide a very successful attempt. We had to rent the snorkel and mask for Grant and adult sizes are a bit large for a 6 year old. He pouted quite a bit when this didn't work out.

I don't know when we will be back to Cozumel. I hope we are able to go back again one day. Our kids just seem to have a special place in their heart for the little island.

Here is a photo of our family with my sweet dad. We ate at a restaurant called Casa Misson. It is a large mansion with a porch around the outside. The restaurant is on the porch. The grounds are beautiful with fountains, birds, etc. There used to be a lion and monkeys but they were MIA.

Testing

2008-06-03T18:15:00.001-04:00

Testing this blog.. Can't stand the pressure of being a non-blogger anymore... gettin' in the game.