U2 by UV Brings It Again!

Last year, I saw a picture in the paper that caught my eye.  I thought it was a picture of the band U2 but when I read the caption, it was a tribute band that was performing down the street at Freebirds.  My Sis, and Bro in law went with us to check it out and we were blown away by the band U2 by UV.  We have literally been counting down the months until they returned.  We had even talked about going on a road trip to see them in South Florida! 

Last Friday, was the big day! I invited every Facebook friend that I thought would be interested and talked to everyone else about this concert!  We were pumped and could hardly wait to dance and sing to our favorite U2 songs.  I was so happy that my childhood best friend Jennifer was coming!   She and I had gone to several U2 shows together back when we were teenagers!  On U2’s last tour, we went to Tampa to see them and Jenny hooked us up with rooms in a beautiful resort! 

The thing I was so bummed about was SOOO many things were happening the same night as this concert, weddings, graduations and one of the biggest events of the year, Never Quit. I had about 20 people who had conflicts that couldn’t make it.  The main one I was upset about was my nephew William who has become a HUGE U2 fan and as he puts it “I am pretty invested in the school of the Edge!” He has mastered Edge’s style of guitar playing which is an art in itself.  I was looking forward to him meeting “The Edge” and them having an in depth guitar conversation!  I have given William some of my U2 paraphernalia through the years and even rocks from the famed Red Rocks Amphitheater where U2 recorded, “Under a Blood Red Sky!”   I am so happy I have another U2 obsessed family member who appreciates such things!!! 

Marie, Tampa 2009

I was so pleasantly surprised to run into my college best friend Michell and her boyfriend who were also going to the concert!!  It was going to be a blast!  Michelle and I went on a few U2 concert road trips through the years and she may or may not have smuggled recording devices into shows for me to bootleg the concerts!  The only person that was missing was Marie.  I met Marie in Lakeland in 1992 when we were waiting behind the venue for U2 to come do their sound check.  When Larry Mullen, Jr. pulled up on his motorcycle, the bedlam that ensued was a sight to behold.  Marie and I instantly bonded in a freakish way and from then on, shared so many concert memories together and become linked together forever in our hearts.

Finally this much anticipated night was here!  We got to Freebirds, visited with everyone we knew and even got a few pictures before we heard the beginnings of "Even Better than the Real Thing!”  All my friends who were there were pleasantly surprised at how much this band sounded exactly like U2. They don’t mess around with the arrangements of the songs but keep them as close to the original as possible, which true fans appreciate!! The lead singer not only looks and sounds just like Bono but performs just like him too, interacting with the crowd with Bono-like Charisma!  One of my favorite things about the show was my husband who danced more enthusiastically than anyone there!  He actually sat down for half of the real U2 show so I was really shocked and impressed!!  My awesome brother in law, Brett danced like a maniac too but I failed to document it in pictures!

I also so appreciated the band doing some serious classics like One Tree Hill and 40. The song 40 is the actual straight scripture from Psalms 40 and has always meant so much to me!  I had an explosion of U2 memories going on in my head and a stream of friend’s faces that I have shared special concert memories with.  I may or may not have teared up at this point!  Life is like a blur to me since I “borrowed” my brothers U2 October and War cassettes 30 years ago.  Little did I know, I would become a dedicated, life-long fan of U2!  I want to thank the band U2 by UV for their dedication and commitment in honoring U2’s music with a spirit of excellence.  The lead singer said from the stage that it means the world to them for us to be singing our hearts out and enjoying the music so much.  He said if he wasn’t with us, he would be rocking out alone to U2 music and I believe him!  They have put some serious time into giving us a real U2 experience and this mother of 5, who never gets out, greatly appreciates the effort!  So for now, it’s back to U2 on the iPod until U2 by UV returns again!

Down By the Creek Bank 2013

I am completely overwhelmed, amazed and in awe of what God has done for me.  I have lived a life of always getting in over my head.  If God doesn’t show up and bail me out, I would be sunk.  He has showed up in miraculous ways over and over again through the years. I am not sure how people that don’t have a real personal relationship with God survive this life.  People ask me how I am able to manage my family and all the other stuff I get myself into and the answer is GOD!  He answers my prayers and does above and beyond what I could ever think or ask.

This year, I have seen God bring together an incredible team of teachers for the program that I run at school.  It has been a year of my dreams coming true! We put on an end of the year program showcasing all our students!  This team collaborated and worked together seamlessly with no friction or problems.  It was a beautiful thing to behold.  They planned a show where our choir would sing while the dancers dance and weaved the storyline in with our drama team and it was awesome!

Things were going so smoothly that I was in a constant state of shock.  The only little hiccup that we were experiencing is our soundtrack didn’t come in before our first rehearsal, which didn’t bother me because we had several days until the show. We paid extra for express delivery and I had complete faith and peace that we would have the music.  My dance teacher and I both prayed and asked God to bring it to us on angels wings!  I asked many people to be in agreement with us and to be praying.

The day of the show our music did not come in the mail.  We all went into to overdrive calling manufactures, distributors, postal workers, thinking of any possible way we could get the music.  We wanted our soloist to shine on their own, without the voices on the CD.  I ran into Teresa Rogers, a school teacher at BCS and she casually mentioned that her son had been in this same play 20 years ago at Neptune Baptist Church.  I thought that was cool but didn’t think much else about it.  My sister in law, as usual, swooped in and was racking her brain for a solution, working for hours trying to solve this problem.  

She asked me if there was any way possible that a local church had the music…..ding, ding, ding and I remembered Neptune Baptist!!!  I called my dear friend Nels Gyland, who works at Neptune Baptist, and he happily put me in touch with an “angel” named Lucy who went across the street, searched their library and found a cassette tape of the accompaniment music that we so desperately needed.  I was so very blessed that she helped us!  I rushed and got the tape and another “angel” Pastor Luis, spent 2 hours after work getting the music transferred on a CD and separated all the tracks for us! 

In the meantime, ANOTHER “angel” Mrs. Abraham at the Downtown post office found our lost package!  We talked Dan into driving to the post office meeting this sweet lady in the parking lot and rushing the music back to the church in case the one Luis was working on didn’t actually work. 

The music off the cassette was a little different but our Choir/Drama teacher jumped right in with the kids and helped them make the changes.  James McDonald calmly managed our sound even though we had never practiced with the music!  It was kind of a set up for a disaster on stage but it put us in a place of faith, trusting that God didn’t want these precious children embarrassed and that He truly wanted them all to shine!  The show started and except for a minor breakdown of one of our little singers, which actually added a little extra “drama”, the show was flawless!  It was a true miracle before our eyes.  Would it have been nice to have had the music ahead of time, been completely confident in our preparation, of course!  That would have been a show that we produced in our own strength. What we experienced is God showing up and showing off that He answered our prayers and truly delivered our music on several “angels” wings!!

I am moved to tears when I think about the efforts of so many people that sweetly, sacrificially worked tirelessly to help make our show so wonderful for our families!!  I want to personally thank Tiffany Hartman, Tiffani Casey, Lisa McLatchey, Jill Stanton, Jason Trent, James McDonald, Cara Bernreuter (who did the awesome program!), Luis Montiel, Carrie Wyatt, Lisa Burdette, BC Staff and the complete strangers that out of the goodness of their hearts, helped us make it a special, miraculous night for all!!!  The scripture in Psalms 133:1 that says, “how good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity” has become real to me in a whole new way and I will never forget this experience!

I Love My Church

Easter Miracle

Last night at YouthQuake Live, the theme was “I Love My Church” Bonnie was in the opening skit and did a great job.  Dan and I are amazed that at 14 years old she can stand up in front of thousands of people and perform!  Blake Bennet shared on the importance of faithfully attending church and what a difference it will make in your families life.  He shared about a time when he had been very hurt by church members and how he had to choose at 15 to not be bitter and to still follow God's call on his life. My kids are still young and I have many years left of parenting but my prayer is that all my kids will serve God! My brother and sister’s have raised outstanding Christian examples and leaders and I know it’s because of the favor of the Lord upon them from being raised to honor the Lord and to serve Him. My parents took us to church every week when I was growing up.  They began attending Beaches Chapel Church when it began in the 70’s. There have been ups and downs as a church but my parents kept us there through the good and the bad times and it kept us rooted in our Christian faith as a family. I truly believe that is the difference maker in our family. It gave my brother, sisters and I a firm foundation which helped us make good Godly choices and we have all kept that tradition of church attendance going. My parents have 15 grandchildren (19 with spouses and great grands!) who faithfully attend church and are all Christian leaders.  That is nothing short of a miracle!

Childish Church Skit at YQL

When I was a Youth Pastor, I used to get so frustrated with parents who never had their kid in church and then suddenly they seem surprised when they rebel and start getting into trouble.  God is merciful and I watched Him redeem and save whole families and do miracles!  What I would say to parents from a youth pastor perspective and from a church-attending parent perspective is, you get out, what you put in!  When you have a family, it’s not about you anymore. You need to set the example for your family and put God first.  It’s not about having a day off, or relaxing.  It’s about giving your children a firm foundation in God.  It’s about teaching them to serve and to trust God to help them in life.  You won’t always be with your child but God will!  When trouble comes, they won’t have to turn to drugs and alcohol for relief.  They will fall on their knees and cry out to God for help.  So my advice is to get up, get dressed and get your kids to church!   Whether you always like the worship songs, or the sermon, who cares?  Creating a habit for your chlld of going to church will seriously save their life and make them a stable adult.  It surrounds them with other Christian kids who will help keep them on track and out of trouble.  The world is set on destroying your child and it’s up to you to balance the world’s pull at them with spiritual input.  Going to church doesn’t necessarily stop kid’s from making mistakes but it does put the word deep inside them to draw from in times of trouble  Send them to Sunday School, Kid’s Church, Youth group, Young Life, YouthQuake Live, Youth camps, VBS….everything you can possibly do and do it quick.  Life is short and your kid’s will be grown tomorrow.

Bonnie's BFF since K5 both serving God in YQL!

God’s word tells us to be fruitful!  The way that happens, is to stay planted and allow your child to grow roots so that they can bear some spiritual fruit in their life.  Let your child build relationships and learn the word and don’t yank their spiritual roots out from under them because you get mad or offended.  Stay faithful and you will be blessed.  I have met many people who think church is a waste of time. Are their hypocrites and fakes at church, YES but that is because we are all sinful.  

It’s hard for me not to seriously “laugh out loud” when people tell me their excuses for not coming to church.  Is it convenient to faithfully to attend church? HECK NO! Come to my house on a Sunday morning and witness the chaos for yourself.  The enemy is very smart.  He makes it as difficult and stress-filled as possible.  All your kids will sleep in, they will loose their church shoes, they will fall down and get hurt, they will fight and bicker with each other.  Your hair dryer won’t work, you will spill coffee on your shirt, your dog will run away and you won’t be able to find your blasted keys……Yes this is my life on a Sunday! 

UNITY 

If I had one piece of parenting advice from what I observed, it would be to do everything in your power to be at church EVERY week.  That is how you and your children will grow spiritually and become blessed and prosperous. Our rule is we miss church only if we are sick or out of town.  It’s hard but we do it. Resist the enemy and push through and just come to church with mismatched shoes if necessary and ride your bike if you can’t find your keys.  Wouldn’t you like your children to avoid being hurt, making bad choices and having to spend years recovering?? Think about it, and make a fresh commitment to do what is right for your kids! I have seen the results in my own friends and family and it has worked!  I want to thank Blake, who spoke at YQL last night, for reminding all of us how important it is to love your church and to faithfully attend! 

 "And let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:25

A Weekend to Remember!

I am still processing the past weekend!  I am feeling extremely blessed and grateful for all God has done in my life!  It’s an awesome thing to be married for 18 years!  It still doesn’t compute that it has been that long.  I think we lost a few years in childbearing exhaustion!!  Dan and I have been blessed with a peaceful, fun, fruitful and very hectic life!  I am so thankful I get to do this life with Dan.  He is so very hard working, and self-sacrificing for our family!!  He spends every waking moment, doing something for our family, working at his job, coaching a team, doing the lawn, fixing something in the house and exercising our crazy dog. We try hard to squeeze in some dinner dates with just us two every so often to maintain sanity! He has loved me well, has made me feel loved and believes in my gifts and talents like no other!  I don’t take him for granted!  I know I chose wisely! :)

I got to do several fun things this weekend!  Friday night I got to see my oldest girl, Bonnie serve the Lord through YouthQuake Live!  I love to see God using my children in other people’s lives.  It’s truly what I live for!!  On Saturday, we dropped off Bonnie and Bubba to the 30-hour Famine that they signed up for themselves!  I don’t know if I would have volunteered to fast for 30 hours for missions when I was their age!  I was very proud!  Bubba also impressed me when I mentioned him playing the X-box.  He casually told me that he gave up playing the X-box for Lent.  I was like, WHAT??  Our church has never emphasized the Lent season like other churches do so I was pretty amazed!  Apparently they talked about it at Youth Group and Bubba was moved to participate!  I was stunned and maybe somewhat convicted that I should give up something as well!

It was also special to celebrate my Aunt Doris’s birthday with her whole family in town!  It’s really wild how fast time goes by and how time with your family is such a rare thing!  Dan and I also went to Taco Lu for a nice Anniversary lunch and then out with our friends the Wyatt’s for dinner!  Having the Wyatt’s as friends has been a wonderful blessing to us! They understand us and love us like few others!  We had a blast with them minus Duke’s win over Miami that we witnessed at the restaurant! (Only low part of the weekend!)  I am still ticked that the Wyatt’s bought our dinner though….

Today marked quite a historic day at Beaches Chapel Church.  I have attended that church since I was a baby.  I have only had one Pastor that I have had a relationship with and today we prayed Pastor Howard in as our new Senior Pastor.  It was a day filled with great joy and expectation!  My brother in law said it was  “just the beginning” and I truly believe that!  Pastor Howard and I started off in ministry together and were ordained together in 1993, 20 years ago in October.  We went on mission trips together and have seen the ups and downs of ministry life.  I am so happy that I am still at Beaches Chapel Church. There have been times that I wondered if it was time to go but I never felt released.  I truly believe that our best days are ahead!  I believe it is time for all of us to reach out to the lost and hopeless and to see a great harvest of souls!  I fully believe Howard is the man for the job!  He has a humble attitude, relies on God and prays for God’s direction!  He charged us as a church to Pray, Love and Serve and I think it has motivated us in the right direction!  

Today we had a church lunch and I got to see people from my childhood who have come back to the church and also see the future generation of leaders in our youth!  It was a mind-blowing, inspiring day to say the least.  I felt like I was on the verge of tears all day, tears of joy, of hope and of gratefulness that I am able to be a part of all God is doing!!  Beaches Chapel has the distinction of being a multigenerational church.  I saw so many grandparents with their grandbabies today!  What a gift and a rare thing in this fast pace, disjointed world that we live in!

I had a very moving thing happen to me! A friend I’ve known for 20 years slipped me a piece of paper during church.  I read it and was brought to tears.  She listed three people who were born on February 24 who meant a great deal to her, my Dad, Teresa Rogers and her son Isaiah.  She bought blocks for our new Impact Center in their honor!  What an incredible idea and a gift to me that someone is still thinking about my Dad.  This is what she said about him, “He was an Elder at Beaches Chapel, provided wisdom and encouragement to countless people. He was an inspiration to many and lived as a Godly man. His legacy is still so evident here, his beautiful wife Barbara, his children, their children and now even their children.  He was loved by so many and still missed in a very real and tangible way to all who knew him.”  It still makes me cry!

We ended our anniversary weekend with a fabulous dinner by Dan!  I was upstairs and all 5 kids came running up and said, “Dad wants you to come downstairs now!”  I went down and he was frying some crab cakes!  I was so excited!  I ran upstairs while he finished cooking to wash Eddie up real fast.”  Bonnie and Bubba stopped me on the stairs and said, “Go back down!  We got this!”  They bathed Eddie and put him to bed for me!  That was a gift!!  I also enjoyed a perfectly cooked steak, potatoes and Alaskan King Crab legs!  I went to bed very full in my stomach and full in my heart, very grateful for all God has done for me and expectant about the next 18 years!!

Walmart, Where Shopping is NOT a Pleasure!

The tag line for Walmart is definitely NOT, “Where shopping is a pleasure!”  The only pleasure you get is in your bank account.  Actually, there is quite a lot of pain and suffering when you shop at Walmart.  To be honest, some days I just can’t bring myself to go there.  It is just so dang cheap compared to Publix and with trying to feed five Wogs, we honestly just don’t have a choice anymore!  There actual tag line is, “Save Money, Live Better”  I think they should add, "Save Money, Live Better after you complete an Anger Management Class after shopping here!” or “Save Money, Live Better, Learn Patience!”  You know what?  Some days you just don’t want a lesson in patience!

I always try to sucker my mom into going with me to grocery shopping at Walmart.  For some bizarre reason, my mom loves to grocery shop and really doesn’t understand my personal loathing of it.  Because I was pregnant or nursing for most of my married life, Dan has done the bulk of the grocery shopping praise the Lord!  Only since Eddie has started school, have I returned to this awful chore.  My mom is so positive about it, I am secretly hoping it rubs off on me one day and I wake up without a sense of dread.

I am not even sure about my mother’s zeal for shopping after our last trip.  I really did not shop for two weeks.  Dan and I had both stopped to pick up things along the way like the 5 gallons of milk we drink a week, so I had a ton of stuff to buy!  My mom and I separated and I went through my long list methodically and got a bunch of random stuff.  The worst thing about Walmart is it’s so big. If you need shampoo, you have to walk a mile to get it.  Of course I forgot something that way and had to trek all the way over there AGAIN!  I always tell myself, that this will be my exercise for the day.

I had an overflowing cart, my mom even had some of my stuff in her basket.  We started looking for a line to get in.  They had 4 lines out of the 30 open. We were fourth in line.  I was in a time crunch too because I needed to get back to the beach to pick up the kids from school.  The longer it took, the more I started stressing.  I finally went up to the customer service to ask if they could send more cashiers out to move all of us along.  The girl looked me up and down with an attitude and said, “Nope, we ain’t got nobody else!”  Awesome customer service….

It started getting really bad when a non-English speaking customer in front of me started checking out.  She had all these WICA certificates in her hand.  We waited 30 minutes while she ran back to get the correct item with her government coupon.  It was pretty unbelievable. We had a spunky lady and her sister pull up behind us and go off the whole time.  She politically ranted and raved.  More people came behind them and it backed up all the way into the clothing area.  I thought we were going to have an angry mob incident.  Several more people went to customer service with no results. People were calling for a boycott and for all of us to walk away from our baskets.  I looked at my hour worth of collected items in my basket and decided I may want to persevere so that the 5 Wogs could have food for dinner but being an activist in my heart, I sure was tempted. The poor cashier was taking the brunt of it but I blame the management who understaffed this massive store and caused the customers to regret ever walking in the door.  I may have to send a copy of my blog to Arkansas (I learned from the spunky lady that you could call and complain there and that she has done it before and will most definitely do it again after our horrific experience!!) 

 

My mother and I hustled to the car at top speed, tossed the two baskets of endless flimsy bags in my truck and drove as fast as we could home to unload the completely defrosted groceries at my house.  I am pretty sure I was still sweating and panting when the kids got in the car.  It was definitely not a pleasure shopping there and I am not sure the discount was worth the trauma and frustration of it all!  I am not sure how long it will take me to recover from this most troubling experience but I certainly hope I can sucker my mother into the next trip to our Walmart adventure! I am too scared to go alone!

Bubba's 12th Birthday Miami Surprise

When I had Bubba on Valentine’s Day, we joked that he was the best gift I would ever get!  That is the truth!  I didn’t really understand boys when I had Bubba and wasn’t particularly excited about having one to be honest.  I was happy for Dan so he could have a sports buddy but I had no idea how much a mom could love a son.  Bubba is very kind to me.  He seems to understand how hard I work and also how much we sacrifice for the kids. Bubba has always made me feel very loved and appreciated since he was a baby.

In the fall, Dan and I were watching a Miami Basketball game.  It was a huge victory for them and we had the brilliant idea to take Bubba to a game for his birthday.  We checked the schedule and were so happy there was a game on a Saturday, the week of his birthday.  Bubba never really asks to do anything major on his birthday like a big party, so this was an easy solution that he would love.  Dan and Bubba have attended a Miami football game for the last several years but this year Bubba’s football season ran extra long and they didn’t make it to a football game.  Bubba was very sad about that.  I knew this would be such an awesome surprise because he has never been to see Miami play basketball.  They have never been very good before but this year they beat the number one team and have made history at Miami.  The other cool thing was that the arena is on campus so it had that college spirit with all the students in attendance!

What I failed to remember in our zeal to purchase the tickets was it was in the middle of our Flag Football season that Dan and I are in charge of.  I felt physically ill when I finally realized it and was so sad that we would probably not be able to go.  Thanks to my dear sweet friends John and Carrie Wyatt and Teresa Rogers, and many others who stepped in to help, we were able to bless Bubba!  They handled all the many details of the game, which is way more than anyone realizes. 

After a ridiculous amount of preparation to leave for one night, the day was finally here.  I had packed for Bubba and tried to be calm so he wouldn’t find out about his birthday surprise.  I was a nervous wreck keeping this big secret from not just Bubba but all the kids who were making all these plans for the weekend.  Finally the day was here!  I barely slept having nightmares about a manner of things and was relieved when the morning came.  We woke Bubba up at 7 AM, brought him downstairs and had him open a present.  The tickets were on top and his face was priceless.  He jumped up and hugged his Dad and hugged me and kept saying, thank you, thank you, thank you!  Under the tickets was a Miami basketball jersey from my mom that he has been begging for.  He was in heaven.  I told him to put the jersey on and get in the car!  He was speechless!  It was worth all the trauma and preparation for that moment!  Bubba is still at the age when he loves hanging out with his parents.  I hope it last forever but it may not, so these times are priceless to me.

Everything was going along nicely until we got close to Miami.  We were scheduled to arrive at least an hour before the game.  We got in terrible slow traffic and Bubba and I were freaked out.  Dan kept telling us to calm down, that we would make it.  Finally we parked and got inside.  The first thing we saw was beautiful Miami dancers and of course I let everyone know it was Bubba’s birthday and got a special picture for him!!

 

The game started and was incredible.  The student section was out of control! Sebastian the Miami mascot was firing everyone up to shout out C A N E S….Canes!!!!  It was bedlam and I was loving every minute of it and feeling a little sorry for UNC!  I leaned over to Bubba and asked him if the football games were like this and his response cracked me up.  He said, “No basketball games are a much more hostile environment!” and he was right!!  They booed and jeered and mocked the UNC team relentlessly. 

It was one of those games where whatever Miami tossed up, swished in.  Whatever UNC tossed up, swirled around and popped out of the basket!  Miami was on fire and took a commanding lead and kept it the whole time, which is my kind of game!  I just got to take in the whole experience and enjoy with no stress about the score.  We heard a little ruckus and couldn’t believe it!  Lebron James and Dwayne Wade walked into the game!  I was so amazed.  We had tried to get Heat tickets for Bubba the night before but the prices were outrageous so we passed.  God gave Bubba such a nice birthday gift and brought the Heat to him at the Miami Hurricanes game!  It was so exciting!! 

I did have a melancholy moment and my eyes filled with tears as I thought of my Dad.  My Dad attended the University of Miami and loved his Canes so much and was such a devoted fan!  I have no doubt that is where Bubba’s gets his passion for Miami from even though he never knew my Dad.  I looked at Bubba’s face during the game and wished with my whole heart that my Dad could be there enjoying his grandson and cheering on the Hurricanes.  I had to quickly push my sadness away and focus on this incredible time with my son.  I felt like I was filling in for my Dad.  What many people didn’t know about him was that he was a champion basketball player and could still swish a ball from anywhere up until the day he died.  What has been incredible to watch is how Bubba plays similar to my Dad according to my mom.  This year Bubba almost became an expert at driving for a basket and drawing a foul.  One game he made 12 points from free throws.  My mom said Dad would do the exact same thing!  DNA is a powerful thing!

After the game, I just knew Bubba would have some great opportunity!  Dan saw the Hall of Fame baseball player, Barry Larkin sitting close to our seats.  Larkin’s son is the point guard on the Miami team and is an excellent player and rarely misses his 3 point shots!  We walked up to them and they all loved Bubba’s new jersey, which had Larkin’s number!  Barry Larkin was doing an interview with a reporter so they told us to go into the tunnel where the players come out of and wait for an autograph.  Bubba got to go down on the court and through the tunnel. He was so pumped!   


A few security guards tried to move us along but Momma wasn’t moving.  Bubba was a little nervous but I told him to not be moved by these security guards with a false sense of power!  I acted like I belonged and ended up having a great chat with Barry Larkin about his son and got an autograph for Bubba!  I love God and how he always does abundantly more than we could ask!  He loves my boy too and looks for ways to bless him!  We strolled through the beautiful campus and let Bubba spend his birthday money in the bookstore.  He was so pumped about getting Miami tube socks!  He looked like a walking billboard for Miami from head to toe!!  LOL! 

Dan had his own surprise for Bubba and for me too!  On the Miracle Mile is a historic hotel called the Colonnade.  Dan used his travel points and got us a phenomenal room with a view!  It was such a huge treat for us!  I loved the beautiful marble floors and woodwork!  The coolest thing was our room had an upstairs with a spiral staircase!  Bubba loved hanging on them!  We took Bubba to California Pizza for Dinner and to his first Denny’s experience for breakfast!  That kid ate a ridiculous amount of food with his Lumberjack Slam!

I am so glad Bubba was surprised, so thankful to God for blessing us and helping us and was glad to come home to my other babies that my mom graciously took care of to make this possible for Bubba!  What I know is that time with your children goes on fast forward and you can’t turn it off.  Even though the trip was a ton of work and at an inconvenient time, I have learned to push through to create a lifelong memory.  I dread the day I take Bubba to Miami and leave him behind for college.  As I walked through the tropical campus my mind kept going there.  I kept telling myself, I have 6 more years and plan on enjoying every moment with my best Valentine gift ever!!!!  Happy 12th Birthday Bubba!!

No Meat for You!

Well, what a day!  I was kind of proud of myself for thinking ahead and planning what I was going to make for dinner.  I defrosted a pound of ground sirloin before the kids were out of school and planned on making meat pies and yellow rice!  Bonnie and Maggie asked if they could fry the meat, which they love to do.  I ran upstairs to do a quick chore and they called up and said the meat was done and I told them to make sure to turn off the burner, which they did.  I came down a few minutes later ready to whip out some meat pies and the frying pan was empty on the stove.  I thought to myself that they must have moved it into a bowl somewhere.  After looking around and seeing as how there was no residue in the frying pan whatsoever, I figured out that our dog, KC must have helped herself to a pound of meat.  My only hope is that she burned herself eating the hot meat.  I was so mad at her.  

  

I had to leave to take Annie to swimming and when I got back my girls had improvised and had a nice dinner spread out on the counter of fruit salad they cut up, leftover KFC, carrots and ranch and spaghetti O’s!  I was really touched that they were trying to make a bad situation better for me.  This was a day that I had dinner food for one more night until grocery day tomorrow so I was really impressed at what they scrounged up!  I was very proud of them and blessed!  Later after we got Eddie to bed, I was printing pictures for Maggie’s report and Maggie gave me a wild makeover!  All and all, KC did save me some work making dinner so I guess I can’t be too mad at her!!