Pam's World

What goes around comes around

2011-04-08T05:35:00.000-07:00

This may not be a popular post but I thought I'd take a minute to share some insights on my life to some of my young mom friends. I have been reading through some blogs of many women that I know and finding a certain concept very interesting....simplicity....getting back to basics. We all want to do that right? Life is soooo busy and minimizing the craziness is desired by all of us. I still look at things and try to figure out how I can do with out. But the point I wanted to make was from the days when I was a young mom. Actually before that...before I even married my first husband. Early to mid 1970's, a revolution of "getting back to the land", "back to basics", more simplicity, eating healthier, etc. Get my picture? I learned how to cook without sugars, more whole grains, more veggies and fruit. I learned how to sew and make my own clothes. I helped a group from my church to clear land and build a log cabin for retreats!! That was awesome! Fast forward to my marriage. We lived VERY simply. Heated with wood, no TV, BIG garden to grow and preserve our own food, chickens for eggs and meat. Now baby comes along! Cloth diapers, breast feeding, made almost all his baby food. Continued to make clothes, learned to weave to make fabric, geez, I even learned to spin wool to make yarn to knit and crochet. It was exhausting!

The difference in all this is that back then, I didn't have Jesus in my life. You might say, "but Pam, you went to church and helped build a retreat center!" But there was no Jesus. I was definitely living the way He would have wanted me to live, but didn't include Him. It took quite a few years of seeking and getting back to a more "civilized" (haha) lifestyle before I actually allowed the Lord to be part of my life. And I am so thankful I did! So as an older Christan woman, I can only say "Seek first the kingdom of God" THEN "all these things will be given unto you"! Does that make sense? Everything has a place and there is a place for everything....sorry to be so cliched! I find that things that were important are less important now. Baking bread was a must in the past. Now it is a joy and a treat. Growing my own food was a must so that we could eat. We didn't have much money so grocery shopping was minimal and there wasn't many people using coupons then or at least if they were, I had not clue of it.

So with all that being said, when you are middle-aged and heading for your senior years, you too will see young women doing what you are doing and you too will sit back and chuckle a bit. But what YOU have and I didn't was JESUS! You are blessed beyond your years.....hey, beyond MY years. And I have to say, I'm a bit envious that I couldn't give my husband and my son that gift too. But my son is now walking with the Lord, a Godly man, married to a woman of God and wow am I thrilled. Am I am now married to an amazing Godly man as well.

What goes around, comes around!

Thoughts on my life as I see it

2011-01-06T05:24:00.000-08:00

Well now, I believe it's time to catch up. It is now 2011 (that's the first time I have written the new year). This year I will turn 60 years old. I find that an impossible to wrap my brain around. Where have the past 59 years gone? In the Bible, James says that our lives are just a vapor and I am finding that to be so true. I'm not saying that to be melancholy but it's just true! I am reading a book called "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan. What I love about this book is that it is making me realize that the whole "point" of my 59 years should be to point to God. So as I look back, can I honestly say that my life points to God? Mostly, no. There may have been a few instances but otherwise, no. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23. Maybe it's because I am turning 60 and eternity is closer than it was yesterday, but having God be reflected in my life has become suddenly urgent to me. When in fact, it should be a natural part of my everyday life. And though I am not good at resolutions, that is one thing that I pray I can develop in my life....that reflection of God....that empowering of the Holy Spirit.

And in 2010, God did bless me and Mike over and over. The biggest blessing was our "anniversary" trip to Southern France. It is still hard to believe it actually happened (there goes that vapor again) but it did and knowing that my feet walked on the ground of Kings and Popes was pretty awe inspiring. Which causes me to be reminded that we walk on the ground that was created by God. See...I'm really wanting him to be part of every thought! The "Practicing the Presence of God" thing that I'm doing. So this trip was amazing and thankfully we took over 600 pictures to help us remember this experience.

The holidays were very difficult for me and they shouldn't be. Life is what it is and I am thankful for the choices my family have made. Especially my son. I am so proud of him that I almost burst with joy. I could not have been blessed with a better child. So though it is hard for me to have him so far away and our visits so few and far between, I need to be content. But that's where the holidays were made difficult...my "poor me" attitude. I was so selfish for wanting my "family" here that I overlooked the family that God has given me for this part of my life: my wonderful husband, my Aunt and Uncle, my church family and friends!

I think you can see the theme that's going on here. It's not about me, it's about Him.

2011 will hopefully be more about Him.

Praise be to God and Praise Him for my family and friends. Thanks for letting me rant a bit. Maybe I'll blog a little bit more and maybe I won't. It is freeing to be able to put one's thoughts down in print.

Is the point of your life pointing to HIM?

Embarrassed!

2010-08-05T05:31:00.000-07:00

Wow! I was just looking at my friend Lorrie's blog and saw that it had been well over 6mos since I had posted. Unbelievable how time flies when you're having fun....or not. This has been a really strange year for me for some reason. Good in many ways but just strange. Let's start with the good stuff:

~As I wrote in the previous post, Mike and I are going on this fabulous river cruise in the South of France in October. Since we planned it so early in the year, by this time it seemed unreal. But that has changed! We got our flight info the other day in the mail! We actually have flights now! So the reality has returned as well as the excitement.

~There have been a few trips this year. Went to San Antonio at the end of January (I think!) and as always it was great. Then went to Florida to spend time with Sis while her hubby had his knee replacement surgery. It was nice to be away from the incredible snow that we were having in WV. On a side note, as much as I hate winter, Mike brought home a pair of snow shoes for me to try out. I realize that I need to learn to like winter by participating in some form of outdoor activity. Since any form of skiing scares me to death, the snow shoes were a perfect fit. I really enjoyed them. So that will be my request for a Christmas present this year. Mike has taken his usual whitewater, hiking, camping trips which are a balm for his weary soul. (he works for the USPS...enough said! Anything to keep him from going "Postal"!)

We did take a trip together to TX this July when Mike's father passed away. Russ had been battling multiple myeloma for quite some time and while having a hospital procedure, he experienced cardiac arrest. He was revived and placed on a ventilator but those were not his wishes. He passed peacefully. Though it was a sad occasion to get together, it was quite a blessing to bring ALL the Swope kids together (with the exception of Linda Garvey who has passed away and the youngest, Michelle, who is estranged from the family) The "reunion/funeral" took place in Allen TX, just a little northeast of Dallas. My son lives in San Antonio, 4 hrs away. So don't you know, he was in Colorado visiting his wife at Young Life Camp during our stay there!

~Speaking of my daughter-in-law, Annie. I just have to mention how blessed I am that she came into my son's life and how amazed I am to see all the work she does to reach kids for Christ! Thanks You Annie!! I love you!

~I did find an awesome Bible study this year and have been so blessed by the women involved and all that I'm learning. I also reunited with an old friend from the early days at Chestnut Ridge Church...Daphne King AND started an accountability time with my friend and home group participant Chris Lentz. God is working wonders in the are of growth in His Word and friendships!

~Last summer I was all gung ho with training for the 5K. This year has been quite a challenge physically. Although I am basically very healthy, a few years ago I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, a disease that affects the nerves in all the connective tissue of the body. It causes all sorts of weird symptoms (too numerous to mention), but basically I had been affected by minimal symptoms until the winter hit. The cold weather brought on a plethora of symptoms that began to rage in my body. I have a lot of stiffness and pain, pain, pain. The BEST thing to do for this is to exercise. And that has been a challenge. And on top of that, I gained 30lbs of weight that doesn't seem to want to come off no matter what I do! One side effect of the medicine that I take is "weight gain" and although I started this med after I gained the weight, I think it is keeping me from losing it! So I plug along at work outs. I do walk 2 times a week with some friends and then try to do stuff with Mike or on my own the rest of the time. One day a week is taken up by mowing. Our almost acre of property takes a lot of attention and thank God I am able to do a lot of the yard work.

One joy from all my gardening efforts has been my flower gardens. After several years of TLC, I have enjoyed the fruit of my labor. I posted a lot of pictures on Facebook this year for the enjoyment of all!

~This coming weekend, Mike and I are traveling to Falls View WV for the Mays family reunion. This is the family of my ex-husband, Bob. Walt and Annie will be there. Although it may be strange to others that I would attend (and Mike!), I have managed to maintain a good relationship with them as well as with Bob, so am looking forward to this special time to catch up with them....Plus the fact that my son will be there is a good incentive.

Thanks for checking in with my ramblings. As I said, it's been a strange year, but as I look back through this post, I see a LOT of good things. I'll try to keep up!

My current memory verse is Psalm 27:13,14 "I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord! Be strong and let your heart take courage! Yes, wait on the Lord". That says a LOT about my year.

New Year, New Decade, Remembering!

2009-12-30T07:40:00.000-08:00

These days, I am more aware of the passing of time. Perhaps it's because I am moving into the last phase of my life. That's not a bad thing and I totally embrace it! I'll be 59 in 2010 and I plan to make the most of what time God will give me.

But I would like to first look back over 2009. This past year has turned out to be very eventful in many ways.

~I had my first cruise and spent time in the Cayman Islands and Cozumel. Awesome!

~I spent add'l time in Florida after the cruise due to my sister's diagnosis of Colon Cancer. Thankfully God has blessed her with healing.

~Walt and Annie celebrated their 1 year anniversary.

~In May, I decided I wanted to start running and thanks to the encouragement of many, especially Amanda, I signed up for a 5K to be held in August. Lot's of work to do before then but I'm finding that I really like it! The running that is.

~At the end of June, Mike and I took off for Florida to celebrate my sister and her hubby's 50th wedding anniversary. We traveled a lot of back roads. Specifically the Blue Ridge Parkway. We camped a couple nights, enjoyed a lot of sight-seeing and made it to FL in plenty of time to enjoy the family and the big party. Walt and Annie got to come as did all my nieces and nephews. It was a great time!

~In August I ran my race and achieved my time goal of under 45 min. Not bad for a beginner.

~Fall was relatively uneventful. We spent Thanksgiving with my Aunt Rosie and her family.

Christmas was spent at home with Mike's sis/hubby and some good friends.

Got re-acquainted with some old friends and ended relationships with others.

The past decade brought changes I could never imagine, both good, bad, wonderfully amazing and ugly!

At the beginning of 2000, I was working as a nurse.

* Mom gets diagnosed with Alzheimers just before 2000. In fact, this decade brought the worst of her disease. It was hard to see her failing but when she peacefully passed in July 2001, we were thankful she was no longer suffering.

*I bought my first home in many years and fully expected to stay there the rest of my life, but God had other plans when in 2003, I met Mike Swope and in 2005, we were married. After being a divorced, single parent for 20 years, God finally brought the man He chose for me into my life. We'll celebrate our 5th anniversary in 2010!

*In Jan. 2006, I lost my dad after his struggle with Parkinsons and dementia. He also passed peacefully. My sister and I were blessed to be with both parents when they passed.

*In the summer of 2007, my son went to TX for 5 weeks to run a Wyldlife Camp for Young Life and there he met the young woman who would become his wife. In my heart, I just knew....without a doubt....that he would meet his love there. What a blessing! They married in April 2008 in Fort Worth and they live in San Antonio where Walt is a Lead Creative for Apple and Annie works with Young Life as a leader, co-ordinating 3 high schools in the South Side of SA.

*In May 2008, I ended may nursing career after 25 years. Though I'm not old enough (yet) to get retirement income, I'm blessed that Mike and I live very well on his income from the US Postal Service. I have absolutely LOVED being a homemaker, being able to volunteer at our church library, being a Stampin'UP! demonstrator, being able to cultivate new and old friendships and grow in my love and knowledge of my Lord.

2010? Who knows what it will bring!

I have a long weekend trip to San Antonio coming up in about 3 weeks. I cannot wait to get my hands on my kids!

Mike and I also have a BIG trip planned to celebrate our 5th year of marriage....we plan to take a River Cruise thru the South of France in October. Yes it's a long way off, but that gives us plenty of time to save some extra $$ for all the extra stuff we want to do while there!

We pray for our family and friends....for good health and continued job security. We thank all those who pray for us and keep us close as friends.

I know this is looooong post, but I just felt I wanted to share this with you.

Happy New Year and God Bless You!

Gifts, Gifts and more Gifts!

2009-12-08T15:21:00.001-08:00

Tis the season of Giving! My friend Leah (the Elf) is one of the most giving people I know. She sells Longaberger baskets and they are quite beautiful but expensive. Leah hosted a lovely party for her customers and friends and believe it or not, the table in front of her in the picture was full of presents that she gave away. Many were baskets, but each one was unique and special and we all came home with a treat. Thank you Leah!

The picture of wrapped boxes are the "white elephant" gifts that we shared today at my Bible Study Christmas Brunch hosted by my friend Andy. We had tons of food...yummy, carb loaded food! No diet food for us! We sang Christmas carols and just had a wonderful time. And we each came home with one of those lovely wrapped gifts!

The last picture is one of my favorite gifts....fellowship with friends. Usually the holidays cause me to be a bit blue since my son lives in Texas and my sister in Florida and it's rare we can get together on big holidays. But this year, God has blessed me with people! People to celebrate and share with! We had Thanksgiving with my Aunt and Uncle and their daughter and her family. It was such a blessing to be with family! And all the friends at Leah and Andy's parties. Oh what fun. And the best news of all? We won't be alone for Christmas. Mike's sister Pam and her hubby Ira are coming to celebrate with us as well as our friends: Chris and Wayne and Ann and Joe! Can you tell I'm excited? I honestly wasn't going to decorate this year but hey, now I have a reason.

And you know the best gift of all? It's the "reason for the season"....our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!

Have a wonderful holiday!

Answered Prayers

2009-10-27T07:10:00.001-07:00

God was so good to keep the tree colors glorious for my daughter-in-law to see. I prayed like crazy and He so answered. Annie was thrilled with the fall colors which she's never seen in Texas! She took so many pictures. It was great.

When I picked Walt and Annie up at the airport on Thurs, it was a beautiful day: 70's, sunny, clear. But as the evening moved on, some clouds began to roll in and Friday looked like rain.

After a big home cooked breakfast, we managed to get out on the road to Coopers Rock early and God held back the rain til our little hike to Rock City. Thank you Lord! The rest of the day was spent shopping (Gabes) and eating (Olive Garden), then a drive around town so Walt could catch up on all the building and changes in Morgantown as well as to show Annie his home town.

Evening consisted of dinner and a movie at home. It was a great day!

Saturday, Mike was able to get the day off so the plan was to get to Damon's by 11a to get a good seat for the game on BIG screen. It was too late to get decent, cheap tickets so Walt suggested this as plan B. Worked great. We ate tons of food, saw some old friends (Jeremy Myers and wife, the Stollar family and Jim Holehouse). And the game was fantastic! A great day to be a Mountaineer....Annie even liked it! She's learning about "Almost Heaven, WV". Hope she comes to love her visits here as much as we love it!

My favorite quote by Walt was when we walked into the Mountaineer Store in the Colliseum and he said "Mom, being here just makes me FEEL GOOD". I loved it!

Sunday was church, lunch, quick trip to Arboretum to get a few more pics and then back to the airport. Time flew by as I knew it would. If you're a fan of the "Office", the day Pam and Jim got married, she made a tradition of taking mental snapshots. I loved that idea to imprint special moments in my memory. So even though I took lots of iPhone and camera pics, I took numerous "mental" snaps, just so I could be in the moment and remember.

I love seeing my son and his wife together. They are so very happy and the love just exudes from them. I've never seen my son so happy and content as he is now. He says they are building a good life in San Antonio with their marriage, church, friends, jobs, etc. Sounds like they'll be there awhile.

Thank you God for the blessing of this weekend and answering my prayers for the trees. You're in all the details and I am so glad.

Falling into Fall

2009-09-10T13:55:00.000-07:00

Another summer has come and gone. This one seemed to go by particularly fast. I don't mind Fall. It's still warm but the humidity is gone and at night it is cool for sleeping. It's just that what comes after Fall is my least favorite time of the year and seems to be the longest. So I just won't think about that and look forward to what Fall is offering.

Today I went for a walk and ended up running more than walking. It felt really good and was actually fun.... not the work that I felt when I was preparing for the 5K. I've decided, no more races. I can check that off my yet to be made Bucket List. So after today, I'm looking forward to getting outside for some more walk/runs and enjoy the cooler weather.

I've also been preparing cards for next week's Stamp Camp. They are all Fall/Thanksgiving type designs and I find that I really enjoy making up my own designs for them. I do search other stamper's blogs for ideas, but try never to copy them 100%. And I've got a couple Workshops coming up in October so those will be fun to organize.

The best thing that's soon to be coming up is a visit from Walt and Annie! They are coming up the end of October from their home in hot San Antonio so they can enjoy the cooler weather and hopefully still see some color in the trees. Their last visit to WV was in Dec 2007, just before they got married in Spring '08. I keep thinking they are just too far away! Or maybe it's me that's far away?!

So I'll be enjoying every day that I can before the cold, blustery weather returns. Happy Fall!

Deviation from the Norm

2009-08-18T08:32:00.000-07:00

I'm going to go out on a limb and deviate from my normal chatty blog post to write a review of a site I discovered. The name of the site is Nat Med Talk. You can link to it at NatMedTalk I'm not really crazy about Forum designed sites but this one seemed interesting to me and the folks who started it up seem to want feedback about the site and suggestions for improvement. So here is my take on Natural Medicine Talk:
As I said in the intro, it's a form that is focused on healthcare, all aspects of health and illness. But there was an emphasis on natural or alternative healthcare. Registration is free and only takes a minute to join the group. At that point you can join in with the topics they have listed with your comments or questions. Some of the topics are: general discussion, nutrition, health insurance (big news right now!), dentistry, women's health, men's health and the list goes on. I found it interesting that they also have a section they call "off-topic" or unrelated to healthcare that includes humor, money saving tips, chitchat and such.
They currently have 1214 members to this site but as far as actual active members, they only listed 171. At the time I visited, there were 290 people on the site. I glanced through some of the topics and some of the questions/comments and they were interesting. I can't vouch for the accuracy of the content but typically, forums are just peoples personal opinions or their story about what worked for them.
There was a link on the site to a blog called "Health Fellow, Your Natural Health Critic", link at Healthy Fellow. Now to me, that was a lot more interesting than the forum. But if you like this type of site to get information, check it out!
Look for more of my reviews in the future. As if I don't have enough to do, I thought I might beef up my writing skills a little bit.
God Bless...Pam

Morning, Glory!

2009-07-13T07:16:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of a Morning Glory that I planted in my yard this year. I love waking up in the cool mornings and see them smiling at me. The last time I had planted them was when I lived on Morgan Dr... quite a few years ago (right Lorrie?) They were planted by my front door. I just had a very little patch of ground since it was an apartment complex. But to see them every day made me smile.
Now I have almost an acre of land and my little patch of "Glories" gives me joy every day.
This morning, as I took this photo, I looked around to see the other glories that have come to me from our God. The word 'glory' means the 'worth' of something. The glory of God is the worthiness of God- the presence of God in the fullness of his attributes in some place or everywhere (from NIV compact dictionary of the Bible) Wow! As I looked around, my eyes took in the Glory of God! Everywhere I looked was the master artistry of our Creator in nature. I don't thank Him enough for His Presence in my life.
So when you look at a favorite flower, tree, bug, bird.....remember who made it and give thanks!
Have a lovely day!

50 Years and Counting

2009-07-07T12:45:00.000-07:00

This is a photo of my sister and her husband and their 50th wedding anniversary party. It was quite a festive occasion. Mike and I left WV on 6/27 and had a leisurely "vacation" drive to Florida so we could attend the celebration. After driving the Blue Ridge Parkway and camping a couple nights and after being tourists in NC and GA, we arrived in Homosassa FL on 7/1. My sister's 2 son's, their wives and kids had already arrived. MY son and his wife were arriving on Thurs. That's a picture of them working on the pictures they took at the party.
We had an incredible time with family and friends. My husband, who isn't very comfortable around a lot of people handled the situation really well. He even danced with me.... fast and slow dances! We had a great time playing in the pool with all the kids and eating lots and lots of great food!
I'm really proud of my sister and her hubby. 50 years of staying together in good times and bad is quite an accomplishment. I was asked to give the blessing at the party before dinner and the one thing I wanted to point out is that they made a promise to love one another and in keeping that promise, they honored God. It was Awesome!!

Aero "Garden"... a gourmet delight!

2009-03-28T07:32:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I want to introduce you to my new method of gardening. Since the groundhog enjoys it when I plant outdoors, I decided to try something new so that I can actually enjoy the fruits of my labor. Before Christmas, Mike and I were at Big Lots and we saw reburbished Aerogarden kits for $79. Since they usually run much more, I told Mike that would be a great Christmas gift. Sure enough, on Christmas morn, I had one to open. The first one (being refurbished) had a malfunctioning motor but the customer service people were awesome and sent a new one. It worked perfectly.
So my first "garden" was herbs. I planted the pods for cilantro, parsley, 2 kinds of basil, dill, chives, and peppermint. It didn't take anytime for the little sprouts to pop up. And remember, there is not soil involved. It's all hydroponic and the water ripples over the "pods". They also provide nutrients for you to feed the little pods. As you can see by the picture, my herbs have now been transplanted to soil and are doing just fine. I love having fresh herbs to season with. As the season progresses, I will transplant them once again to the outdoor herb garden that I plan to start this year.
So this morning I opened the package that my "postman" husband brought home yesterday and I planted my new garden. It is a salad green mix. I absolutely cannot wait for this one to come to fruition!
I would highly recommend this option for planting and even starting plants for your outdoor garden.
By the way, Hans is home.... no cancer in the brain.... just a pretty major, treatable infection. Thanks for all the prayers!
Bon Apetit!

Another bump in the road

2009-03-13T06:41:00.000-07:00

This is a photo an me with a "friend". His name is Hans Rueffert. A few years back, he was one of the finalist on the Foodnetwork show called the Next Foodnetwork Star. He's from Jasper, GA were my son was living at the time so I became very interested in him and cheered for him. He didn't win the contest. And to make matters worse, during that time he developed stomach cancer.
I was blessed to get to meet him in person at a cooking class at the Whole Foods Market in Alpharetta GA on one of my visits to Walt.
Hans has been cancer free for quite a while now. I had gotten lax in reading his blogs. When I returned recently from a trip to Florida visiting with my sister who has a cancer scare, I decided to see what Hans was up to. Upon checking his blog I discovered that he was diagnosed with several brain lesions. This was found after he'd been suffering with headaches. So the problem is: is it cancer or is it infection. At this point Hans returned to MD Anderson Cancer Hospital in Houston. This is where he was treated for his stomach cancer. As of today, they know he has a "nasty infection" in his brain that could have been deadly. The biopsy results are not yet back so as for cancer, we don't know. He's been in excruciating pain from the biopsies. He was to go thru full brain radiation but that's on hold til the biopsy results.
I would like to put a shout out for prayer for this young man and his family (wife Amy and 2 kids, Ella and Finn) Amy is with Hans in TX. I would also like to make you aware that Hans recently published a cookbook called "Eat Like There's No Tomorrow". It's a compilation of recipes and stories about his cancer battle. You can go to Hanscooks.com for a link to purchase the cookbook. An autographed copy is $24.95. He still has bills and since he is not working, the sales of his cookbook could be a blessing. In the meantime. I'll try to keep you posted or you can keep up with his blog by googling his name for the link. I'll put it on my facebook page.
I just ordered my cookbook. I was going to order one anyway. But now that I know there is a good reason (to help with his finances) I bought it sooner than later.
Thanks for your Prayers.

It's time to update

2009-02-19T07:04:00.001-08:00

Though there isn't much going on, I'll try to update since last post.
After going to TX, Mike and I went to Columbus for Christmas. Had a great time with the Swope side of the family.
The new year brought in a long planned cruise with my sister. We went to Cayman Islands and Cozumel. Check out my flickr site for pictures.
Walt's house in Georgia finally got rented. That is a big, big praise!
I am still working out almost every day and maintaining a good weight.... although I'd love to lose a few more pounds, I'm content at where I am right now.
I continue to be a homemaker and don't miss nursing at all. I have been a bit sluggish on my Stampin Up business, but hope to start picking up on it soon.
My sister was recently diagnosed with colon cancer and has surgery scheduled for 2/24. My plan is to be there when she gets home so I can help out as much as I can. This is quite a shock and I think it has a lot to do with my 'sluggishness' of things. I hate it when mortality gets in your face.
I am trying hard to seek the Lord daily and stay in His word and think on what is True and meditate on that. It is very hard when there are so many lies in the world in which we live.
No pictures right now. I'm sick of looking at the snow so it's not even pretty to me anymore. I'm so ready for SPRING.
The love of my life...Mike and I just celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary. He is such a good man and a joy. I am blessed to be his wife and helpmate.
OK....I'll try to do better with blogging but have gotten out of the habit. Sorry it's so short and boring. But it is what it is.

San Antonio Christmas trip

2008-12-17T17:47:00.000-08:00

I got to spend 3 full days with my son and daughter-in-law this past weekend in San Antonio. It was a wonderful time and a great blessing. Since Walt is working in retail, he couldn't get enough time to come all the way to WV so I found a deal with AirTran and with the blessings of my dear hubby, flew to visit my kids! The weather was great. Sunday was in the 80's. We shopped for Christmas, ate out at some great restaurants, walked around the River Walk and saw all the beautiful Christmas decorations. We had our own Christmas celebration with some wonderful, thoughtful gifts. And on my last day of the trip, the weather turned cold (to prepare me for my return home) but there were many warm hearts and wishes. We were able to celebrate with Annie's Young Life kids at their annual Christmas party. I've included pics of the group. They had a great time, they love Annie as their leader and she is showing God's amazing love to them! I'm now back home and am happy to be with my husband and kitty. We're planning a trip next week to visit Mike's family for one day. We are so looking forward to seeing them. Happy Holidays to all our friends and family. God Bless you now and always. With love, Pam

Looking Better

2008-12-06T08:14:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to update on my fitness regime. It's going really well. I weighed myself today and was a little bummed that I haven't dropped pounds....BUT I measured myself (last measured 11/22) And found that I'd lost 2 more inches from my hips and 3-1/2 more from my waist. I've gone from a size 14 to a size 10 and believe it or not, my 10's are starting to get baggy. The key has been the exercise. I've been told that it can be addicting and I'm finding that to be so. I love working out! Mike and I took a walk about a week ago. Only went about 1-1/2 miles one way. But upon returning, I decided to run as much as I could back. I ran about 3/4 of the way back. That was awesome and felt really good. I do anywhere from 3-4 miles/day on the elliptical. I do realize that I need to do some toning and strengthening too and that's my next priority.

So needless to say, I'm pretty proud of myself. But I don't want to get too proud. God has been so good to help me stay motivated. I totally thank him for this opportunity!

Friday I take off for a long weekend with Walt and Annie in San Antonio. I am really looking forward to the trip and visit. It's going to be short but I'll take what I can get.

For Christmas, Mike and I will spend the 26th in Columbus with his family. It's been quite awhile since we've seen them and we're looking forward to it.

So happy holidays from the Swopes

Fit for Life

2008-10-30T08:38:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd take a minute today and jot off a blog entry. Some of you may know that I have been on a fitness regime for the past 3 months now. I've been working out daily and eating healthy. I've lost 12 lbs and am really getting my endurance for walking, hiking, biking built up. On my last walk on the rail trail, I actually RAN for 1/4 of a mile. So I set some goals which is actually what initiated this entire fitness kick. I am 57yrs old and in less than 3 years I will be 60. Almost every year of my adult life, I've said "this year" I would get fit. But never did. I'm in the "latter" stage of my life. Do I want to spend that time being a homebody, watching TV, fat and unhealthy? Or do I want to be in the best shape I've ever been in, looking younger than my 60 years, and Living Life to it's Fullest? Well I believe God liked the second part of that because He has so blessed me with the motivation and perseverance to begin and continue this task. I believe He has some amazing plans for me in my later years that will require me to be fit, healthy and raring to go. So I just wanted to give God the glory for what I've accomplished in the past 3 months and to pledge to continue working toward my goal and His....being fit of Life...God's Life!

Early Fall Walk

2008-10-04T13:45:00.000-07:00

I was hoping to get some pics of the early fall colors today. I went for a walk on the Decker's Creek Rail Trail and went about 2 miles out towards Masontown. It was beautiful! Unfortunately the colors are still too early but there was an occasional orange or red tree. A lot of leaves had fallen already onto the trail. I really love the odors of early fall...kind of musky, organicy (is that a word?) aroma of the decomposing leaves. And it was warm today too so that made it even nicer. So enjoy the pics!

Another day with Cooper

2008-10-04T13:36:00.000-07:00

I was blessed to be able to spend another day with my little buddy, Cooper. He is such a hoot! When he first arrived, he wanted to see the "MOOS" but the "moos" weren't in their usual place and I had to tell him they were "all gone"....and he put up his hands which is a "sign language" for "all gone". So we played "bashket"
which is basketball. I make the baskets and Cooper rolls the ball and we cheer "yeah!!" It was kind of chilly this particular day so we came inside and after changing a stinky diaper, Cooper just played with his onesie on. We got a few pics of us saying "Cheese"....and some cute poses on the stuffed sheep. Len came early for Cooper who was crashed out, sleeping on the floor so I didn't get to say goodbye to him. He's really brought some fun and playfulness back into my everyday life. Thanks Cooper! Come again anytime.

Hangin' with Mr. Cooper

2008-09-19T12:51:00.000-07:00

Yep, there used to be a TV show by that title, but today, I got to hang with this really cute little guy. His mom Nina, had to work so his daddy dropped him off at my house....first time. Don't you know that Cooper held his arms up to me and came right to me. We got all settled and dad left with not a tear from Coop. We had a most busy day...picking up apples for his mom and dad, playing basketball, watching cows and waving to them, getting the mail, picking up sticks in the yard and making a pile, putting little pieces of gravel into a box. And that was just the first hour...just kidding. We had lunch and I must say that Cooper is a very good eater. We went back outside after lunch but Cooper seemed to be getting a bit tired. We sat on the porch swing for a bit and his eyelids got heavy. I tried putting Cooper on my bed but he just wanted to play. He was so tired he was silly, giggly. Then we went to the couch where Cooper sacked out almost immediately while I pretended to read. After the naptime, we played outside again until his daddy came back for him. It was a great day...getting me all ready for the day when I have a grandbaby! I must say that Toby...my cat was really confused by this little person and was a bit jealous. Cooper wasn't too sure about Toby either. They stayed away from each other by mutual decision.
Thanks Nina and Len for letting me spend time with your boy. He's a blessing.

Apple Tree

2008-09-12T13:19:00.000-07:00

We have this old apple tree in our back yard. Last year the apples were the size of ping pong balls and very knobby....not worth doing anything with. I had suggested to Mike that we cut it down and plant some new fruit trees. We never go around to the cutting down or even the pruning so this year, when we saw all these little apples coming on the tree, we were surprised. We were even more surprised when they grew to the size of a softball! I picked a few one day and thought I'd make a dish of applesauce with them. They were delicious. I picked some more and made apple dumplings. Yummo! So now it's the picking and preserving part that's going on. I bought this handy peeler, corer, slicer gadget at TJ Maxx and it makes processing the apples a breeze. So since today was a rainy, dreary day, it was a good day for making a big pot of applesauce to freeze and that's exactly what I did. I've also sliced some for the freezer to make a pie or what have you. It'll taste great in the winter, eh?
There are still numerous apples in the tree waiting for their chance to be part of our diet and I look forward to using all that I can. That's being sustainable...I think!

TAGGED

2008-08-21T05:24:00.000-07:00

I never dreamed I'd get tagged but I did, thank you Lorrie!!

I have to post the rules:
1. Post the rules on your blog.
2. Write 6 random things about yourself
3. Tag 6 people at the end of the post.
4. If you're tagged, DO IT and pass on the tag.

Here's my random things:

1. I was a member of the "Patty Duke" fan club. Yes, you heard me right. When I was in grade school, Patty Duke was in her teens and had a TV show where she played a twin. A bunch of my friends and myself decided we wanted to be just like her. We wore our hair like her, wore the same dress (we had to make the dress ourselves). I was actually the treasurer and one day we decided we wanted to call Paul McCartney of the Beatles. So we used up all the money we had (just coins) at a payphone to call him. Never connected, but that was the end of our fan club.

2. I owned a business...called Expressions....it was (and still is) a crafty gift shop in Elkins. When we began the shop, it was in our home and we sold only handcrafted items from WV. It was an amazing experience but I wouldn't do it again.

3. I learned how to weave on a loom. I bought a huge floor loom and produced placemants and rugs which I sold. I even assisted the master weaver in her class to teach others. Another amazing experience.

4. I used to bake bread. Every week I'd bake bread for our consumption. I got really good at it too! It was called Pilgrims Bread and was full of whole grains and cornmeal but had a light texture. Yummy. Then I got too busy to make it and bought it from a guy who made bread for a living. Wonder whatever happened to Tom??

5. I used to be a Mary Kay consultant. What a joke!! I got sucked into the business by a super agressive consultant, ended up spending more money on the product inventory than I had and got into major debt. And the reason I went into it was to earn money for my son's college education. I had stars in my eyes and really blew it. God helped me out of it though. The more I trusted him, the more I didn't need Mary Kay.

6. I was an OB nurse right out of college. I did this for a few years and one night, when a patient needed to go to the bathroom and I let her and she delivered her baby in the toilet, I decided..."NO MORE BABIES"!! That was really scarey!

OK...I could go on forever but I think these are crazy enough. Now for my taggees:

1. Nina Hancock
2. Billy Williams ( I know Lorrie tagged him but he may need more encouragement)
3. Beth Chase
4. Hans Rueffert ( I doubt that Hans actually reads my blog, nor does he have time to do this, but he's a great guy and has lots of interesting stories to tell!)
5. Cole Bozic
6. Ashley McBride

OK guys...you're tagged...DO IT...and pass the tag on as ordered.

Pam

San Antonio

2008-08-14T07:18:00.000-07:00

I left on Aug 7 and returned on Aug 13...just not enough time to see and do all there is in the beautiful city of San Antonio. Of course my main purpose for the visit was to spend time with my son Walt and his new wife Annie. As an added surprise, Annie's mom Becka also joined us for a couple of days. We did a few of the touristy things: saw the Alamo (as seen above), went to the River Walk for dinner, ate lots of Mexican food (fantastic) as well as my first time with Thai food. Visited "el Mercado" the Mexican market downtown and feasted our eyes on a "little" corner of Mexico. They were having a dance show and these beautiful little girs dressed in native costume were performing. What a treat! But the best part of the entire trip was to just see Walt and how happy he is. His getting married and moving and changing jobs was so fast....almost too fast for me to process, even though I knew it was all the right thing to do. He and Annie are so cute together and are doing a great job settling in as newly weds. Their apartment is adorable and huge! They have a great place with close proximitry to everything SA has to offer, yet it's in a nice, pretty neighborhood. Walt's job is a blessing...surely from God. He loves it, works hard at it. Seeing the store and all they do and have to offer was a real eyeopener to me. Huge store, lots of staff at any one time to help the 50+ customers that are there almost all the time. (not the same customers...just that volume of them). Annie's terrific at her Young Life job and it's evident that she loves it and loves the kids. It's neat to hear her talk about them and their accomplishments. So my heart is happy and at peace seeing my son settled into his new life. God has bless him and his wonderful wife and for that I am so thankful.
Thanks to my dear hubby for letting me take off for this visit too. I was good to come home to such a good man.
Now, lots to do! Enjoy the pics!..Pam

One thing leads to another

2008-08-01T14:21:00.000-07:00

I started my dig with the plan to "thin out" my Iris bed which also had a lot of daylillies too. I completely emptied the bed to find a LOT of bulbs. I replanted the irises in the same bed I started in, attempting to eliminate the daylillies from this bed. No luck...there were too many tubers in the ground to fully remove the lillies. Therefore.....I moved onto the next project. If you'll look at the photo with all the dead grass that totally fronts our property, you'll see an ongoing project...kill the weeds, plant ground cover or something that'll take over so Mike won't have to weed eat. Well we have a small plot on the right side of our mailbox which was started last year. As I weede that plot, I also planted some of the irises that I thinned out (the rest go to Marsha!) Then I studied the left side of the mailbox...hmmmm perfect for day lillies. They take over, get thick and pretty and you don't have to weed eat. But first I had to remove the dead grass. I found that if you raked it, the tops easily came loose. Almost like hay. But then I had to get a had "fork" and a digger to get the roots up and out. THEN, I took a bulb digger and made holes in my now cleared area to plant the daylillies. I'm very pleased with the results and I'm hoping Mike will be too. Wish I had someone who could have taken a photo of me when I finished. I was indeed a dirty mess! But I got done before the mid afternoon sun hit the spot and am now basking in my cool air conditioned home. So if you are asking what I do now that I am not working? Well.....there you go! This time next week (God willing) I'll be in San Antonio visiting Walt and Annie:)

Flowers, Corn and other bits of nature

2008-07-28T11:55:00.001-07:00

Well today is Monday...almost the end of July. So hard to believe. Monday's are Mike's "saturday" since he works most Saturdays. We've been working outside since it's gotten overcast and not as hot as earlier today. We decided to paint the cement blocks of our foundation. Man, it's amazing what a coat of paint will do. The blocks looked really nasty and now it looks almost like a new house (LOL).
After I finished my part of the job, I decided to take a few pics of what's going on in the yard. Of course there's Mike under the steps, finishing the front of the foundation. You can see some marigolds that I planted last year and they loved it so much they decided to come up on their own this year. And then you can see a small butterfly enjoying the blossoms of our big butterfly bush. As for food, I noticed that my corn is beginning to put out some ears....not many but you can see a baby one with the silky tassle. Did you know that there is one strand of cornsilk for every kernal of corn on the ear? I just read that somewhere! And last but not least there is my patio tomatos....though the vine is starting to wither, the tomatos are ripening fast! Yum-O!
Hopefully I'll have some wonderful pics of our Big Bear Camp in the next week or so. And stay posted for pics from San Antonio...I leave 8/7 and return 8/13. It's my first visit with Walt and Annie since the wedding and I'm really looking forward to it!

Something to talk about

2008-07-22T17:46:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile! There's been much going on. As of yesterday, Mike and I are proud owners of a camp at Big Bear Lake here in WV. We're thrilled. And I have been stamping a lot...had my first Stamp Camps last week. They were a blast.
But the thing I wanted to mention was that at the bottom of my blog, you'll notice a widget or link and it's to Amazon.com
I was listening to Christian radio yesterday to a program that mentioned these "programs" where companies advertise on websites and if someone links to them thru said website and buys something, the owner of that website gets a referral check...yes, a percentage of the sale is sent to "moi".
The reason I chose Amazon to do this with is because I shop with them often and I have sold books thru them. They are a good company and have always treated me fairly. Also, from time to time, I may mention a book or CD or dvd that I have and most likely purchased from Amazon. Did I mention they have used books too? That's like recycling books folks! It's not cutting down more trees!
Anyway, check it out and by all means, if you buy from Amazon, buy thru my site...LOL

Surpise!!

2008-06-21T07:53:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Ann wanted to honor her hubby of 43 years. We decided to tell him that we were going out to dinner...just the 2 of them and Mike and me. But what Joe didn't know, was that it would be a surprise gathering of special friends at our house. We gathered approx 16 friends to be here early to shout "Surprise" to the happy couple. In the meantime, we put together a buffet meal that was ready to go when they arrived. As Joe and Ann pulled up and Joe saw all the friends clapping and shouting....the smile on his face was priceless. And the smile on Ann's told me that we "pulled it off".
After our meal, we met in our living room so Ann could pay tribute to her wonderful husband. It was touching, humorous, and honored God completely. We had a wonderful time felllowshiping with friends we see often and those we don't see enough of...the Harrimans!! I just want to praise God for setting the plan in motion, making provisions for the right food, the right guests and most of all a perfect evening to eat outside. Happy Anniversay Ann and Joe Rheney!! We love you both dearly.

Father's Day Honors

2008-06-15T07:57:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling a little blue today that I don't have my dad around to honor. He never made much of holidays, especially Father's Day, but he did enjoy getting a special card from me. I got to know my dad pretty well, after mom passed, and I spent a lot of my time with him. I do know that he loved his family with a fierce, passionate love and would do anything for us.
I caught a picture of that recently at my son's wedding. His dad, Bob, and I had some time to chat. He commented that Walt was "my greatest accomplishment". And I know for a fact that Bob has been the very best Dad from day one. He spent so much time with Walt....teaching him, playing with him, giving him "time" which is so important to a kid. They travelled a LOT. And Bob gave Walt so many opportunities to see and do things that I could never have given him. Bob has that fierce, passionate love too. It's pretty amazing to witness.
I'm honored to have known and loved both of these men. Their lives were/are not perfect, but when it comes to their children, their love was/is unconditional, powerful.
I imagine that's just an inkling of how God loves us so it's great to see God's example thru 2 men who have been key in my life and the life of my son Walt.
I now see the best of both of them in Walt's life and am also blessed to see God is working there too. Walt's not a dad yet, but I suspect he'll be a pretty phenomonal dad. That's something I'm looking forward too.
Happy Dad's Day.....daddy, Bob. It's an honor to honor you both.

Top Five

2008-06-05T13:35:00.000-07:00

This has been going around for awhile and as I was reading a friend's list today, she noted at the end that she would like to read my top 5. Wow! Well, here goes:

1. 5 things under $5 I can't live without
-a Starbuck's (or Gloria Jean's) coffee drink
-Crest Pro-Health toothpaste
-Ezekial 4:9 Organic cinnamon raison bread
-The Sunday Dominion Post (with all the great coupons/Michael's ads)
-chapstick or any brand w/SPF15

2. 5 favorite movies
-Sabrina (the one with Harrison Ford)
-Under the Tuscan Sun
-Zoolander
-4 Weddings and a funeral
-White Christmas

3. 5 Favorite baby names
-Walt (lol)
-Corinne
-Colin
-Chloe
-David

4. 5 Favorite Songs
-God of Wonder (Third Day)
-Because of You (Kelly Clarkson)
-Amazing Grace (Chris Tomlin version)
-Because you loved me (Celine Dionne)
-Sexy Back (Justin Timberlake)

5. 5 most influential people
-My husband
-my son, Walt
-Ann Rheney
-my sister
-Tim Haring

6. 5 things I keep in my purse
-Wallet
-calendar
-extra pair of undies
-Tylenol
-a pen or pencil

7. 5 moments that changed my life forever
-my son's birth
-my divorce
-my salvation
-my marriage to Mike
-my son's wedding

8. 5 obsessions
-ice cream
-American Idol (when in season)
-coffee
-Vera Bradley bags
-keeping any stray facial hair tweezed (lol)

9. 5 places I'd like to go
-San Antonio (my son's new home)
-New England
-Ireland/Scotland
-Caribbean
-Russia

10. 5 appliances I can't live without
-microwave
-coffee maker
-coffee grinder
-hair dryer/flat iron
-crockpot

11. 5 people whose top 5 list I'd like to see
-Ann Rheney's
-My sister's
-my daughter in law's
-and the rest I've already seen!

Busy, Busy, Busy

2008-06-05T13:08:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been about 2 weeks since I resigned from my nursing job. God just worked it out so that it was do-able and it's been a real blessing so far. Can't say that I miss it! I seem to have something going on every day. I'm really focusing on my Stampin' UP business. I had my very first workshop this past Saturday and the hostess was quite pleased! We had 8 guests and everyone really enjoyed learning about card making with stamps and all got to take home 4 projects each. I've also been working on my presentation for a local hair salon who wants to use my stamping skills in her promo material. That's really exciting. I found a stamp maker in Michigan who made the logo for me in stamp form and am now creating materials that I hope will be used in the salon.
We've also been gardening and landscaping our yard and front bank. It's a grueling task since our dirt is FULL of rocks. But we're actually trying to utilize the rocks in the landscape so we'll see how it turns out.
I'm still reading the "taming the tongue" book....I have about 8 more days to go. It's been a great book for conversations with my friends and it's helped us all stop and think about what and how we speak. I'm also reading "the Power of a Praying Wife" by Stormie Omartian. What a wonderful way to help your husband in areas of need! I feel really blessed to be able to pray for my husband...especially with his crazy job situation! I have been praying particularly for his "purpose" there.
I got some really great news from my Dr today! My cholesterol is 185!! Drastically improved now that I'm on a "statin" drug. And even better, my liver enzymes were normal. This is a big praise!!
That's the updat at the Swopes homestead. God Bless and I'll keep in touch.

Memorable Memorial Weekend

2008-05-27T07:49:00.000-07:00

We just had a great weekend. Just one of those with perfect weather and perfect things to do and that total satisfying feeling that God's in His Heaven and all's right in the world.
Mike had Saturday off, so we headed to Parson's WV. There's a railtrail there that goes from Parsons to Elkins (where I used to live) We found a perfect (free) campsite in the Mon National Forest, set up our site and headed off for a bike ride. It was my first ride of the season so my legs were a bit rusty. Mike went a bit farther than I did but all in all it was a good workout. We got icecream drinks at Sheetz's and headed back for the evening. Mike was able to get another, tougher ride in before dinner. So I had time to get a fire started, relaxed and read, before he got back. We were camped right by a creek (we aim for that every time). The gurgling sound is so soothing, especially when you sleep. We had a quite, uneventful night except for the sighting of suspected bear poo near the creek.
Sunday, we took our time coming back and did some exploring around Teter Creek Lake which is a place we've considered buying a campsite. Monday we decided on another bike ride, a trip to Lowes and the grocery, but before that, we decided to invite a few friends over for an impromptu cookout. Surprisingly, all we invited could actually come so after our errands, we had a great meal of burgers, beans, potato salad, chips, etc....all the typical picnic food. And some really good conversation and fellowship time. Thanks Friends for coming!!
Just a couple side notes. Yesterday 5/26 was Walt and Annie's one month anniversay!! Happy Anniversay kids!
Also, my friend Lorrie has been doing a 30 day fast on unwholesome speech. I just wanted to share the name of a book I discovered that goes along with this...it's called "30 days to Taming your Tongue" by Deborah Smith Pegues. It's quite good and each day it shows us a different form of speech that is sinful in the eyes of God. Opened my eyes too!!
God bless all....Pam

And now, Mr and Mrs....

2008-05-03T11:48:00.000-07:00

Lot's of preparation! Lot's of excitement! Lot's of anxiety and nervousness! But in the end, God sealed the covenant of marriage between Walt Mays and Anne Elbert to make them "one" in His eyes and the eyes of all the witnesses. What an amazing journey! Many prayers, tears of joy, smiles.
God has blessed me beyond my imagination. And God has blessed my son with the love of his life. Thank you Lord...you are sooooo good.

The Bird

2008-05-03T11:39:00.001-07:00

The Elbert's (my son's in-laws) are known for picking up strays and nurturing them until they're ready to go out on their own. When I arrived at there home on 4/21, they had a tiny little bird in a shoe box. It had fallen out of the nest. No feathers, eyes not open, couldn't hold it's head up. Had to be fed with a syringe. Now on 5/2 the bird is covered with feathers, sits on a hand, eats with little help...just not ready to fly yet.
God is amazing how fast some of his creatures grow and mature. After 28 years, I saw my son mature and take a lovely young lady for his bride. He is now the man of the house. He has spread his wings and is flying all on his own. He has a mate to be at his side. A helper in the long run. Walt didn't grow up as fast as the bird has, but when I look back, the time was just a blink, a snap....as fast to me as the growth of the bird has been.
Thank you Lord for your tender love and mercies. You take care of each one of us and grow us in your time. Enjoy each second.

My Birthday

2008-05-02T19:02:00.000-07:00

I was born on May 1, 1951....Yikes!! 57 years ago!! On Tues, we were visiting Mike's sister Linda, her hubby Ron, their son Chip, and my father-in-law Russ. We all went out to lunch at a place called Babe's. Guess it's a pretty popular place according to my daughter-in-law. So you sit down at the table, order your meat dish and they provide big bowls of side dishes like okra, corn, green beans, green tomato relish, and of course mashed potatos and gravy. It's just good old southern comfort food. Mike and I had catfish, others had smoked chicken, roast beef, and chicken friend steak. And they had the most delious bisquits with honey or molasses...light and flakey. Yumm-o! Toward the end of the meal the waitresses gathered behind me and placed this goofy chicken hat on my head and proceed to sing happy birthday. My sis-in-law pulled that one on me! It was a hoot. And to commemorate the occasion, I bought a Babe's T-shirt. Sweeeeet!

Reunion

2008-05-01T14:55:00.000-07:00

On 4/26/08, my son Walt and Annie Elbert got married. I'll share much more about the wedding in another post. But in addition to a wedding, we had a mini family reunion of cousins from my dad's side of the family...the Wilson's. Of course I was there! But also my sister and her hubby from Florida, my cousin George and wife Joyce from Virginia, my cousin Jerry and wife Barbara also from Virginia, my cousin Oshia and hubby Brian from Cedar Hill TX and last but not least, my cousin Kenny and wife Sue from Houston. We all so seldom get together because of distance, we take advantage of any opportunity to meet. We had a great time at the wedding reception just talking, taking photos and catching up. Ken and Sue had to leave but the rest of of including my hubby Mike and friends from England, Tony and Tracy went out for the evening to famous Fort Worth Stampede. We saw a lot of cowboys! Had a fantastic steak dinner which was served with a side dish of "calf fries" and dip. If you don't know what they are, ask me! Believe me, we didn't order them...they just serve them! It was a wonderful evening for all of us. Some even went to Billy Bob's and watched Travis Tritt perform....unfortunately, not me and Mike...too pooped.
My thanks to all my family who travelled many miles to share in the wonderful event of my son's wedding. It was a special gift to me and especially special to Walt and Annie. Family is precious! Keep in touch with them!

Famous in Ft. Worth

2008-05-01T14:41:00.000-07:00

I don't know what order these pics are in but last week (4/21 to be exact), I flew to Ft Worth Texas to meet my son's future in-laws and help with wedding preparations. It was an easy trip down and after picking up my rental car at DFW, I zipped on down to Ft. Worth to meet the Elberts. Annie's mom, Becka and I became instant friends and we spent a LOT of time together prior to the wedding to prepare for the festivities. On one of our trips out to pick up mini-pinatas for the rehearsal dinner tables, we ran into a lady just inside the Garden Rich store who was needing directions for Home Depot. Becka assisted her and as we walked away, I said to Becka "Doesn't that lady look like Ruth Buzzi?" If you all are old like me, you'll remember a show called "Laugh In" in the late 60's. Ruth was the lady who sat on the park bench and the "dirty old man" Artie Johnson would mumble something to her and she'd hit him with her purse. Of course she did other things but that was most memorable to me. Well Becka agreed but we didn't think it could be her! Once we got in line to check out, the same lady was in the line next to us. We whispered and pointed and wondered and finally I got enough courage to ask...."did anyone ever tell you that you look like a certain actress?" She smiled and nodded. "are you her?" and again she smiled and nodded. "Ruth Buzzi??" More nodding. Becka screams! Ms. Buzzi shushes us because people are looking. She was kind enough to let us get photos. It was really, really cool.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained

2008-04-19T11:10:00.000-07:00

In one of my past posts, I talked about my desire to quit my job. The long and the short of it was the fact that I have a great job, only working 2 days/week and if I were to cut back more, it would be God's will, not mine. So, the past few weeks I've been getting called off on one of my 2 days and this week I was actually called off both days! In talking with my supervisor, it seems that right now, staffing is high and they just don't need the contract nurses as much (my friend Nina has been called off also, which is not good, but another story). So now I'm down to 1 day/wk, not of my own hands but of Gods. Thank you Lord! With much more time on my hands, I've been considering what to do with that. Over the past year, I've gotten interested in making cards and gifts using rubber stamping techniques. The company I've purchased my supplies from is called Stampin' UP! and the woman who has taught me about it is my friend Sue. In March, Stampin' Up! had a promo for new demonstrators. I can't tell you how many of my friends encouraged me to go for it. I was very hesitant because I'd previously been a consultant for Mary Kay Products and managed to get myself into a lot a debt as a result. But the good thing about Stampin up is that I'd already been purchasing the products over the past year and had accumulated quite a bit and also, you don't have to have a supply of the product in stock to sell. In fact, a lot of what is encouraged about stamping is the fellowship, the fun of getting together and being creative....the product clearly sells itself. The photos are samples of what I've been doing. After I get back from Walt's wedding, I plan to start being a bit more productive and proactive in getting the product out there. The owner of the salon where I get my hair done is interested in using the products to complement her business. I made all the favors for Walt and Annie's wedding so I could do that again for others. But my desire is to get a core group of ladies who would like to just hang out once a month, learn something new and create some cool cards and gifts. Let me know if you're interested!

Time to catch up; dress rehearsal

2008-04-19T10:54:00.000-07:00

I was told by several people today at the Beckwith/Zink wedding that I have been remiss in keepin up with my blog. And they are so right. I've been a slug. I've been self absorbed. I have just preferred to wallow in my own self pity. You see, next week is my son's wedding. My only child is getting married. And boy have I been having a pitty party. I decided to use today as a trial run, so to speak. I got all dressed up...even wore the high heels I've been dreading to wear. They weren't so bad. I wore them for 5 hours straight without falling....though I did have a couple near miss slides at the reception.
So I paid close attention to the groom's mom. She seemed very composed and relaxed. I notice she had a tissue in her hand during the vows, but I never saw her shed a tear! I was amazed!! What's wrong with this woman? She listened intently as the pastors spoke and as the ceremony progressed. At the reception, she bustled about. During this time of observation, my friend Debbie Christie came over to chat about this and that, especially the upcoming wedding. She reminded me that God's hand was visible in Walt and Annie's upcoming nuptials. And also in my own marriage to Mike! We talked about how selfish we can be when it comes to praising God! How little credit we give Him. Boy did it ever become clear to me....It's Not About ME!!!! My daily walk is about God; all I do is about God; my son's wedding is about God and how He brought those 2 kids together. It's time for me to give God some praise for this joyous occasion that is coming up in exactly one week. What a lifting of a great burden! I think I can actually enjoy myself instead of feeling sorry for myself. I think I can thank God that I'm not losing a son but am gaining the daughter I always wanted. I am now going to look forward to this with excitement instead of anxiety. My husband will be so happy now that I've realized all this! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Amy and Corey.....may God bless you both on this new journey!

Monday and an awesome hubby, a new friend, and God answers

2008-03-10T13:47:00.000-07:00

Monday's are always like a Saturday in our house. Mike works on Saturday, but has Monday off. Today was a fairly nice day after our blizzard on the real Saturday. That was the day I watched 3 movies and worked feverishly on the wedding favors for Walt and Annie's wedding which is just around the corner. I'm happy to say that they are completely finished! I think they turned out real nice. Very simple but sophisticated.
I've been struggling lately with the idea of quiting my job and being "retired" even though I can't collect my retirement income yet. I don't really know the reason why I wanted to quit but I just did. I'm thankful that I have a husband who doesn't get excited when I get these hairbrained ideas. He just listens, gives his opinion and let's me consider the situation. I'm thankful too that my husband has taught me not to be impulsive which in the past I've been known to be. I truthfully have the best job in the world. It's hard work. It's dealing with cancer, death, sadness....very little joy. I work with wonderful coworkers who are very encouraging, funny, loving, and caring. I have superiors who are always available to listen...their doors are always open. And even after I bounced the idea off my family and friends, I was still left with indecision. It wasn't until I met a new lady...Nancy....who is an old friend of my friend Cathy, that I got the answer. Nancy said to me..."the grass isn't always greener. You have a job, I don't. You should keep your job". Wow! Simple statements but they had a big impact on my decision. I like how this woman thinks! I'm keeping my job....!!! Besides, the $$ is good and I don't have to work that hard for it. And when I'm ready to really retire, hopefully all this $$ of mine that I'm putting aside will help Mike and I live a good life. Bottom line: I love how God uses people and circumstances to talk to us. I prayed to Him, I needed an answer, He gave it to me.
Oh! I am now going to be a demonstrator for Stampin' UP! I so enjoy the craft of rubber stamping and it's been a real release for my creative energy so why not share my skills and the fun and delight of making a handmade card or gift for someone special? I'll keep y'all updated on how that goes.
We now have daylight savings time and as always it takes me a few days to adjust. In view of the fact that I've had insomnia anyway, this isn't good. Keep me in your prayers for good, restful sleep. Happy Spring!

Much to do about nothing....excuse me Shakespeare

2008-02-29T06:44:00.000-08:00

It's been almost 2 months since I've left a post and for anyone who actually reads my ramblings, I apologize. It's a cold, snow covered Friday morning, in fact it's 2/29...the extra day we're given this year. An extra 24 hours that we don't normally get. So what do I do with it? I have had so much going on in my head lately, sometimes I just don't know what to do first and I end up doing nothing! Pathetic huh? I only work 2 days/week. On Weds mornings I volunteer at the church library. On Sundays, we go to church. That leaves me with LOTS of time to so something. Here are the things I have wanted/needed to do: make 300 favors for my son's wedding in April. Organize my house (I even bought a book to tell me how). Attempt to be more environmentally responsible (read an awesome book about this). Create weekly menus, purchase groceries to use for these menus using coupons that I've clipped to save money for these menus. Keep up with the laundry and cleaning of the house. Cook said menus. Watch "American Idol" and of course place my votes.
Pay monthly bills. Keep up with email. Play games on the computer. Read my latest James Patterson murder mystery. Take a nap. Get my hair cut and colored. Pet the cat. And as you can see....it all goes downhill from here. Where's my time with God? When do I exercise? Could that be why I'm starting to develop hypertension (yesterday at work, my blood pressure was 150/92...very high for me).
Seriously, I feel I need to get my priorities back in line but for the life of me, I'm not sure how. So until I figure it out, or God smacks me up the side of the head, I will continue doing much...much of nothing. Oh...did I ask you to say a prayer for me?? Thanks.

"Whopper" Lady

2008-01-10T14:21:00.000-08:00

The MRBCC has the best patients in the world. And their families are pretty awesome too! Take Mr H who brings his wife in for treatment. He must buy bags and bags of assorted candy because he always gives all the nurses a couple of Tootsie Rolls, Mints, whatever he has on hand. One day, he gave us girls in the front IV area a little baggie with assorted candies and much to my surprise, there were a couple of "Whoppers". Well I love malted chocolate candies and I squeeled with delight! From that time on, Mr H always made sure there were a couple of my favorite in the bag he leaves for us. I was off approximately 3 weeks around the holidays and when I returned on Tuesday, one of the first people I see is...guess who? Mr H!! He says "Hey! Aren't you the "whopper" lady??" And I said "yes I am!" "Well" he says, "I reached into the bag for the candy and all I pulled out was "whoppers"...."reached in again and got the same"....."so here's a big baggy full of "whoppers" just for you". Awwwwww how sweet is that?
So from now on, I expect him to call me the "Whopper Lady".

Snowy 2008

2008-01-02T09:41:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year day 2 of 2008. Mike is back to work and I go back tomorrow. Yesterday we had a spitting of snow and awoke to quite a lot of accumulation. It's really pretty and I'm thankful I don't have to go out into it today. You can see the "spot" in one of the photos where the tree previously stood. The park people just came to take it away. It's good to know that it will be planted in one of our county parks and will be good for the environment. You can see too that I hung up the awesome photo of Walt and Annie that they gave us for a Christmas present. Annie said she especially liked this photo because Walt looks "hot" in it. I have to agree! Also is a photo of a metal cross that was handcrafted in San Antonio. I'm hanging it indoors for now, but it may find a home in my garden this spring.
I've got a lot of goals on my heart and mind for this year. I always make some goals each year and it's fun to see what was actually accomplished. I think my biggest goal is to "put on Jesus" each day, to be more like Him, to exude more of Him to others. I'm still learning how to do that and I'm far from having it down, but it does seem to be something that God is impressing on me. Another goal is to spend more time in prayer....not just the quick, thankyou prayers, but to actually be specific about things and pray without ceasing for them because they are important. That's hard too and I am praying that God will teach me how to do this.
Friends, I appreciate all you take the time to check into my little blog of ramblings and I want you to know that I'm praying for you. I also want to spend more time with you, so if I haven't called you to meet for lunch, tea, or coffee, CALL ME!! It's important!
God Bless......

Christmas 2007

2007-12-24T10:36:00.000-08:00

Well, we had our open house for Annie and Walt. It was so fun. As you can see from the table photo, we had tons to eat and we still have tons of sweets left over in spite of giving it away to anyone who'll take it! Many friends came out to meet Annie and encourage them in their future marriage. It was a blessing to me to see everyone and reconnect with many old friends.
Since Annie had to fly out early this morning (12/24) to have Christmas with her family in Ft Worth, we had our Christmas last night. Both kids got some WV shirts to be able to keep the Mountaineer spirit going even in Texas. It was so fun to open our presents and everyone got something they really wanted: Walt got his iPhone, I got my Sony camera, Mike got his noise cancelling/FM ear phones, and Annie got a new Bible with her name on it....Annie Mays! That made us all cry.
Merry Christmas friends and we'll see y'all next year.

Traditions Old and Older

2007-12-15T10:30:00.000-08:00

Right now, Bing Crosby is on the radio singing "White Christmas". When I was a very little girl, I went to the theater to actually see the original movie! My mom, my grandma, my sister and me. That really ages me doesn't it?
I don't know what order the photos are in so I'll start with the Christmas tree. We bought a live tree this year...one with a root ball. There is a program that allows you to buy a tree from Mt Zion Nursery, have that tree delivered by either the Mon or Marion County parks association, and after Christmas they will pick it back up and plant it in a local park. Cool huh?
Growing up, my mom had a couple of things that she made almost every Christmas. One of those things was nut rolls and the other was pizelles. I found a nut roll recipe and decided to try my hand at them this year. They turned out really good but not as good as mom's. I don't have her recipe...Sis, do you?
I have mom's pizelle maker...looks like a waffle maker....where you put in the batter and squeeze it together for a few seconds making a decorated waffle like cookie. The batter is flavored with anise...a mild licorice flavor. I believe it is a traditional Italian cookie because our neighbor, Margaret Howes, who is Italian, made them every year too. So half of my pizelles are anise flavored and half are almond. Then you top them with a sprinkle of powdered sugar. Yummy.
So this has been a very melancholy day. Thinking about mom and wishing she were here to help me and since she can't be, it would be nice for my sister to be here instead.
But the really cool thing is that Walt and Annie will be home in just a few days and then the festivities will really begin.
God bless you all and may you're Christmas be filled with sweet memories, sweet treats, and the sweet fragrance of the Holy Child who is Christ our Lord.

Bronchitis

2007-12-10T14:58:00.000-08:00

It started on a Thurs evening with a tickle in the back of my throat. As usual, I grabbed my Zicam to ward off the first symptoms of my cold. Usually 3 days of Zicam and the symptoms are gone. Friday, I felt a little less energetic than usual but Cathy and I had a day of shopping so I wasn't going to let that pass! Saturday I felt a little worse and by Sunday, I was coughing. Yet it wasn't that awful. Monday required a day of rest and a couple hot toddy's for my raspy voice. I had already called off work for Tues. My patients easily get sick because of the drop in their immunity from the chemo. By Weds, the cough was significant and productive (in other words...I was coughing up yucky stuff). I had a hair appointment and couldn't miss that but by the time I was done with it, I felt horrible....My boss said "we love you, but keep it at home". So from Thurs til Sunday I stayed in and rested. On Saturday, I did break down and admit that my viral bug probably wasn't viral, but bacterial. The Urgent Care Doc agreed...I needed antibiotics...5 days worth. I was feeling a good deal better by Sunday afternoon so Mike and I went out to do some errands and get some food. Today is Monday and once again I feel drained and have been coughing like crazy. My boss said 48hr on antibiotic....check....and no color to the sputum....can't check that off yet....Another day of no work. This is driving me crazy!! I realize I am such a whimp and pray that I would never get a chronic disease....I just couldn't handle being sick all the time. My husband said he'd like to have some of my boredom. But when you feel bad, you don't want to do anything and not doing anything is BORING!!
So I am praying that after tomorrow and Weds of no work, I'll be ready to get back on Thurs. Then guess what? I'm off the next 2 weeks!! Got company coming for Christmas and a big party to prepare for.
What can I say? I needed to whine a bit and it's not cool to whine to your husband.
Thanks for listening.

2007 Christmas letter

2007-12-03T05:42:00.000-08:00

Hi friends....It’s Mike and Pam with Highlights of 2007.
It’s been a relatively quiet year but we did manage to achieve some goals, get in a few trips and have an exiting piece of news.
Pam began working at the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center of WVU Hospital at the first of the year and it’s her dream job! Working only 2 days per/wk, Pam is able to work with some great people, minister to some really sick patients, and see God at work in her life thru her job. Mike, on the other hand, continues to struggle with his job at the US Postal Service. There are few workers, unfair practices, and poor management of which he has no control over. A lot of extra work is dumped on Mike and it becomes very stressful at times....especially during the holiday season.
This third year of marriage has been really good. Pam has the time to make a peaceful refuge of our home so that Mike can get some escape from the chaos of work. Mike is a strong leader of our marriage and his love and support is essential to Pam. We’ve managed to get some work done around the house: new siding, new patio, vegetable garden, landscaping. Seems like a lot, but there is always more to do. Pam’s taken up the hobby of making cards with rubber stamps. It’s been a fun and interesting way for her to use her creative energy!
We got a couple trips to some WV State Parks in this year. One to Watoga State Park in the spring and one to Blackwater Falls/Canaan Valley area in the fall. The camping, hiking, biking and quiet time was wonderful! Pam took a week to visit her sister in Florida and another long weekend to visit her son in Georgia. Mike was able to get some trips on the water...guiding on the Gauley river a couple times, one trip on the Cheat and a very cold trip on the New River in mid November with his buddy Dave.
We’ve been involved in a wonderful Home Group thru our church. It consists of 5 couples studying about encouraging each other. It’s been amazing. In addition, we’ve had some wonderful teachings by our pastor Tim Haring of Chestnut Ridge Church and our friend Joe Rheney who has been doing extensive studies on 1st John and 1st Peter in our Sunday school class. Last but not least, we are delighted to share that Pam’s son Walt met his future wife this summer while working in Texas. Her name is Annie Elbert and the wedding is set for April 26 in Ft Worth, Texas. We are thrilled and excited for the happy couple. After the wedding they will be residing in San Antonio where Annie has a 2 yr commitment with Young Life and where Walt will be venturing out into the job market to do something new and exciting.
Thanks to all our friends and family for all your love and support. May 2008 be a blessed year for all.

Oh the weather outside...

2007-12-03T05:37:00.000-08:00

It's finally here....Winter, that is. It is blustery, with snow flurries and really cold...in the 30's. We are toasty warm in our little house, though. Got the coal stove up and running and so far, keep your fingers crossed, it's actually burning just as it should. It's 75 degrees in the house, thanks to the great heat of the coal. We like that we're saving electricity too.
That's all for this blog...short and sweet.
Stay warm friends.!

The Day after Thanks

2007-11-23T07:09:00.000-08:00

Now that Thanksgiving is over, I can take the time to reflect on what a great and "thankful" day it was. The day before was filled with cooking and cleaning. I love it when I have the time to cook and pretend to be Martha Stewart. It was a busy day....from 6am til bedtime. In the middle of the day, I got a package from FedEx. It was 2 dozen beautiful roses from my sweet sister Carolee. Each rose was just perfect and even though my sissy couldn't be here, her presence was felt because of those incredible flowers. Now that our parents have gone to be with the Lord, I hold my sister dear to my heart. Thanks Sis!
And on the big day, I was so thankful for the presence of my Aunt Rosie and my Cousin Carmel along with their spouses and son! Rosie is the only remaining sibling of my dad's family so she has pretty much become my surrogate mom! And my cousin is surely my hero....having gone through breast cancer...she is a nurse practitioner in a cancer center in Virginia. She's one tough cookie and I love her more and more. My Uncle Harold went through a pretty serious brain surgery this summer and after a long and difficult recovery, he's doing so much better! Ken and Colin, my cousin's hubby and son, are an awesome pair...it's been fun getting to know them a little better and I hope our relationship continues to grow strong!
We had a ton of food.....that which I prepared and the additions that my Aunt and Cousin brought. What a blessing to sit in a warm house, with plenty to eat, surrounded by loved ones. Thank you God!
My son called in the afternoon from the Atlanta airport, waiting for his flight to see his dad. It's been a year since they've been together and I know that Bob is thoroughly excited to be seeing his son after all that time. I'm thankful for the good relationship they have. Walt and his dad are celebrating Thanksgiving today (Friday) and I know they will have a blessed time. I get to see Walt and Annie (his fiance) for Christmas so I'm thankful and excited for that.
Last but not least, I'm thankful for my dear hubby Mike. He works so hard at his job with the postal service and they give their employees nothing but grief. I pray daily that he would be in a position where he would be appreciated for his hard work. I can't imagine being in a job where no one thanks you! Well sweetie, I thank you! You're the best. And when it comes to entertaining, we make a great team. I do all the cooking and cleaning BEFORE.....and he cleans up AFTER! What a guy!
If you're reading my post...I thank you and want you to know how much I appreciate your interest. God bless you and be with you!

"Comfy" time of the year

2007-11-10T06:11:00.000-08:00

Well I've pretty much been a slug about posts haven't I? And here I was checking in with my blog buddy Hans for not posting....sorry friend!
Now that the weather has actually turned cooler and the time change is in effect, don't ya'll think it's time to get comfy? You know the feeling: turn up the heat, hot cups of tea, chili bubbling on the stove, sweatshirts, wooly throws to cover your legs while you curl up and read a good book. As much as I love Springtime, I think Fall is my second favorite time of the year. So in preparation for the holidays, Mike and I invested in the most cozy, comfy sofa I think I've ever rested my butt on! We had a standard to match up with in our search....our friends Cathy and Roger have an awesome leather "nap" couch in their cabin in the woods and Mike always said that the next sofa we buy had to be as comfy as theirs. So in our search we met and fell in love with this "Catnapper" brand sofa. It pretty much takes over our living room but it had a recliner, a sleeper sofa and a chaise and the leather is so soft it feels like sitting on a cloud. Team that up with big fluffy pillows and we indeed have our very own "nap" couch.
Hope you have that in your home...a place to be comfy. It makes your home a safe refuge. It's your retreat from the world. Can you believe that it can get better than this? I do...my Father told me so.
Have a great weekend friends! Be comfy!

Water power....not

2007-10-04T09:09:00.000-07:00

We also use a lot of water to run our power here in WV. These photos are for my son.....we've been to Blackwater Falls many times but I don't think I've ever seen them this low. We had a dry winter this year and a much drier summer. I was shocked at the Cheat River too.....looked like you could walk across it!
By the way, if you double click on any of my photos you'll get a larger and more detailed look.

Wind power

2007-10-04T09:03:00.000-07:00

I just had to share these photos of the windmills along Rt 219 in Tucker Co. I guess I'd seen photos of them, but actually didn't realize they were in WV. When you see them spinning along the mountain tops above the trees, it's like something from another planet. Mike told me there was controversy about putting them in the mountains.....to me, this power company is doing something right by harnessing the wind that we have a lot of in WV and using it, instead of nuclear or fossil fuel to create what we need....electricity! Hope you enjoy the pix!

Vacation Part 3

2007-10-04T08:36:00.000-07:00

It is fall in WV and we decided to spend a couple vacation days in the mountains of Tucker County....we camped in the wilds of Canaan Valley (a popular ski resort area)
Supposedly in the fall, our trees turn beautiful colors, yet here we are in October and very few have turned. Here's one at Cathedral Park were we took a short hike.

As we got up into the mountains near Blackwater Falls and Canaan, we noticed a little more color.

And the temperatures are incredible....in the upper 70's-80's during the day and in the night (in the mountains!) it only got down to the 50's. Very balmy for this time of year!
We visited the smallest church in the US, the smallest post office, and I even shared an icecream cone with a bear and her baby!
_

It was quite a full 2 days and God totally answered our prayers for good weather and a good time.

Blink of an Eye

2007-10-01T07:11:00.000-07:00

I got an email the other day from my ex husband Bob. Actually it was an email of photos that had been taken when Walt, our son, was just a baby. I think this came as a result of my anxiety over Walt falling in love and his plans to propose to his young lady this weekend. I was lamenting at how quickly time passes and grieved that I don't have that little boy anymore. Silly, I know but it's so true!! Time goes by in a blink. The scriptures say it's a "vapor".
But as much as I'd like to hold on, kicking and screaming, time marches on and I am pleased to announce that on Sept 30, my dear son proposed to his love, Annie. I am thrilled because I know that God had this planned from before they were born. I have prayed for years for the young lady that God was preparing for Walt and finally I get to see her and talk with her. She told me yesterday, "but you don't even know me!" Yet I told her, "but Walt does" and that's enough for me.....knowing in my heart that God brought her into our lives.
This photo is the only one I have of the two of them so far. I think it shows that they are going to have a fun and exciting life. Knowing that they are both working for the Lord and love Him first and foremost is a blessing beyond what a mother could hope for.
All I can say is thank you Lord for answering my prayer and thank you that I can hold all those memories, that have passed like a vapor, in my heart to cherish forever.

Vacation Part 2

2007-09-18T16:41:00.000-07:00

Well, my trip to Jasper was great! My flight got to Atlanta safely and my boy was waiting for me in the baggage claim. I couldn't hug him enough! We had a really relaxed, yet busy, time together. After watching the WVU Game and getting a good night sleep, we went out for breakfast and lunch on Friday. Walt got a haircut, we shopped a bit, and then decided to do some "projects" at his house. Off to Home Depot for primer, paint and cyprus trees. We stripped wallpaper border in his bathroom, primed and painted it. Looks great. Planted 5 cyprus trees to separate his house from his neighbors...a nice natural privacy fence. On Sunday after church, we went up to Sharp Top...the YL camp, and Walt drove me around in the golf cart/4-wheeler vehicle. We had a blast...or at least I did! It was fun going thru the woods on a bike trail at over 25mi/hr.
I hated coming home, but my flight back to Pgh was safe and swift.
It's tough for a parent to see their child grow up and move on. But I can tell you that it is a blessing from God to see that same child grow with Christ as his main focus in life and how he seeks God and trusts Him to provide. The peace I see in my son's eyes is a peace that can only come from the Lord. It's an awesome feeling. But even more, my son is my friend and that too is really really cool.
May all you moms and dads out there experience that kind of relationship with your own children.
My dear husband had a good few days while I was off with Walt. Mike did some white-water guiding on the New River and got to visit with some of his old friends.
Today we were both back to work and I think that is always tough after a great vacation.
Love ya friends.....Pam

Part 1 of vacation

2007-09-13T06:06:00.001-07:00

After my "sick" week with shingles (I still am having the after effects....nerve pain!) I started my vacation with a Garden tour of 9 amazing gardens in Morgantown. My friend Karen and I are standing in front of some beautiful sunflowers at one of the gardens. We got majorly motivated to beautify our gardens as well, but for me....that hasn't happened yet.
Mike and I had planned to go to one of the state parks to camp out, but with the humidity and my shingles, I just couldn't imagine doing that....but we did go to our friends cabin along the Cacapon River and had a couple glorious days of rest and relaxation. Along the way, we stopped at Paw Paw and picked up the C&O Canal trail. I actually road my bike about 10 miles and what a workout as well as a beautiful ride along to Potomac River. The next morning we took a short walk along the "loop" where the cabin is....it was so humid that my clothing was soaked by the time we returned. But we were able to watch a couple movies, read some books that we've wanted to read, enjoy just being together in the woods. All in all it was a great time.
Today, Mike and I are heading on our own mini vacations. Me, I'm flying to Atlanta to see my son! I am really excited to see him. And Mike is heading to southern WV to spend some time boating/whitewatering on the New River and the Gauley River. He'll get to visit with some of his friends from when he lived in that area.
So time to get packed and ready to go. God willing, I'll provide you Part 2 soon.
Lift up some prayers for Mike and I as we travel.
Love to all....Pam

Shingles...not the roofing kind

2007-09-05T14:47:00.000-07:00

When I was a young girl, I had a common childhood disease call Chicken Pox. You get these itchy bumps all over you, they eventually scab over and then you're all better. If you pick the scabs off, you sometimes get a scar and I have a couple of those to prove it.
Tuesday morning I woke up with a weird rash on my back that was prickly-itchy and then there were a few of the same "bumps" under my right arm but these hurt! Being a nurse, I had a bit of a suspicion that this was a condition called shingles. It's the same virus and anyone who has ever had chicken pox can get shingles. I went to work that morning, but working with cancer patients who are mostly immunocompromised, I didn't think it was a good idea just to ignore the condition. I asked Kim, one of the nurse practitioners to take a look and sure enough...it was a case of shingles. I was told to leave work so I wouldn't infect any of the patients. I stopped by my Doctors office and his nurse practioner confirmed Kim's diagnosis and got me on Zovirax, an anti-viral med that helps shorten the outbreak and hopefully prevent post-herpatic neuralgia....or nerve pain that the virus attacks.
Thankfully, I got started on the med within 72hrs of the outbreak and so far the pain has been minimal and even the itching isn't too bad.
Why is it that when something unexpected happens to us, we tend to ask God "why me"?
I did. I just couldn't understand this glitch in my weekly schedule, this bump in the road of my plans. Did God know something I didn't? Did I need to slow down, take a break from work, rest and relax? In Jeremiah, God tells us that he "knows the plans" he has for us. So not working the rest of the week is a chance for me to abide in the Lord and his rest....to spend a little extra time in his word....to pray that prayer I promised I'd lift up for a special need.
So thanks be to God for this little interruption in my daily life. And thanks to my friends who are praying for my swift healing.

Goals

2007-09-03T06:49:00.000-07:00

When Mike and I moved into our house over a year ago, we set goals for upgrades on the house. I am blessed to say that we crossed one more off the list...the siding. I'll post a completed photo soon. So in this short time, we reroofed the house, paved the drive, built a retaining wall and new patio, painted the garages, added another storage building, put in a garden site, completed some small landscaping projects and of course sided the house. Wow! makes me tired just reading the list.
I've kept lists of goals all my life. At the beginning of each year (for about 3yrs now), my friend Cathy and I make a list of 10 goals for the year. The first year I did this, one of my goals was to let go of "looking for" a spouse. After being divorced for almost 20 years and longing for someone to spend my life with, I realized that God was all I needed. It was great to have that pressure taken off of my shoulders and handed over to the one who knows all....and by the fall of that year, Mike came into my life. Praise God.
But if you go to your Bible and read the section of Philippians (to be exact Phil 3) you will find the only goal you need for life....Jesus. We will never achieve all the goals we set down for ourselves and even Paul says "not that I have already attained it (being conformed to Christ)".....but "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
So don't give up setting goals for youself! But don't overlook the one goal that is MOST important for us....Jesus.
Have a safe and fun Labor Day friends.

Flowers

2007-08-17T10:10:00.000-07:00

This is the little flower bed that I have in our front yard. It's exceptionally pretty this year with the yellows and purples. I added a feeder for finches and we've been treated with their presence daily...I think you can actually see one on the feeder. My big surprise though was the little sunflower that popped up out of nowhere, since I didn't plant it. I believe a bird must have added it for a special touch. We also have mourning doves and tons of butterflies that enjoy this flower bed as much as we do.

House: before and after

2007-08-17T10:06:00.000-07:00

Thought some of my friends might enjoy seeing the progress that's being made on our house. We currently have 3 sides done and the front is about 1/3 done. We're really pleased with the outcome.
Enjoy!

Oatmeal Cake

2007-08-17T09:53:00.000-07:00

I'm not the best food photographer but this is a photo of a cake I recently made for a Dessert Party. It was well received and I had requests for the recipe. It comes from the "More With Less" cookbook that I've had for >25years.
So for all who would like to try it....
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine and let stand for 20 minutes: 1 cup quick oatmeat and 1-1/4 cup boiling water.
Cream together until fluffy:
1/2 cup shortening, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup white sugar, 2 eggs, and 1 tsp. vanilla.
Add oatmeal mixture. Beat well.
Sift together:
1-1/2 cup flour, 1 tsp soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1 tsp cinnamon.
Add to creamed mixture and beat well. Pour into greased and floured 9x13" cake pan.
Bake 35 minutes or until tests done.
Coconut topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup margarine, 1/4 cup cream or milk, 1/2 cup chopped nuts, and 1 cup coconut. (note: I also added about 1/2 cup golden raisins too). Spread over hot cake and broil 2-4 min until browned. Watch closely.
Now Enjoy!!

Money and being "real"

2007-08-09T13:45:00.000-07:00

Pastor Tim spoke this past Sunday about our need to be "real"...with ourselves, with God and with others. I have a favorite Psalm that I often use as a prayer when I feel I need to get "real"/honest with God. It's in Psalm 139 and says in vs 23-24 "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." I have been anxious recently about money. Don't get me wrong, we've got plenty and are doing just fine! My anxiety has been about retirement and would we have enough each month to continue living in the style we've grown accustomed to. I just felt in my gut that there was something not right about our finances. Recently, at work, all the RNs got a 4% raise. I didn't get it because I'm considered a "contract" nurse and they chose not to give us the raise. I don't normally do this, but I questioned "why" and really just wanted to know their rationale and when we could perhaps expect one. Well, I was told they would review this in 6months. So I forgot about it. I'm telling you this because it fits into God's plan for me in a way I didn't expect.
So I prayed my psalm prayer, hoping that God would reveal to me what was causing my anxiety. I started reading some books by Larry Burkett (who is now deceased) but was an amazing Christian financial counselor. The books in particular had to do with either retirement or finances in the second half of life. I realized that I really had no idea where our money went! Oh, of course I new the essentials: mortgage, food, utilities, savings, tithes/gifts, and of course the miscellaneous.
And that's what caught my attention and brought me to the feet of our God to ask for forgiveness. As I wrote down the odd amounts of money I spent for craft supplies, lunches with friends, hair and cosmetics, books, and games (yes, games on the computer!) I was aghast with grief at the monthly totals. What was worse...I discovered that we were spending 25-50% more than we were bringing in each month.
I was ashamed at being such a poor steward of our money. My husband trusted me each month to take care of our finances and I hadn't had a clue how badly I had done. I compiled 7 months worth of poor management. I asked God to forgive me and I know he did, but I still had to face my husband and ask for his forgiveness.
When we sat down to eat, I told Mike that I needed to confess something important to him and then proceeded to tell him what I had done. I was humbled when my dear husband graciously forgave me and even admitted that he had been a bit loose with some of his spending as well (not as much as me though!)
I still have a LOT of work to do on getting things right with our finances and knowing exactly how much we can spend without dipping into savings but what a relief to have that off my guilty mind.
Soooooo, today at work my boss said "have you checked your email yet? I sent you something you need to look at". They way she said it made my heart sink because it didn't sound good. Did I get in trouble? Did I get fired? As I opened the email from Kathleen, I saw the most amazing thing....after a recent review of per diem salaries, they decided to give us the 4% raise as well, effective the end of this month! Wow!! I couldn't believe it. And then it dawned on me...this was a major blessing from God for doing the right thing, confessing my sin, asking for forgiveness. He says "ask and you will receive and your joy will be complete"!
Never doubt that our God doesn't listen when we cry out to him. Never be afraid to ask for something that you know is fair and just. And trust the Lord with all your heart.
Oh the other good news is that I am finally going to receive a statement form MGH (my former employers) who I have been trying to get this from for over 6 months! They are mailing it to me today. So now I can get a good start in not only working on my current finances but also planning for our retirement.
Our God is an awesome God!

One week later

2007-07-28T06:33:00.000-07:00

I don't have a new photo, but my hubby is healing up nicely. His eye has been the troublesome area due to an infection and some sutures scratching his cornea. He goes back to see the eye doc on Monday and hopefully will get to go back to work on Tues...although he has been just fine being off from the USPS and their craziness. His nose is a purple color but Dr John has assured us that will resolve.
Some of you who know me, know that I tend to be a bit of a crusader at times. I abhor unfairness and ran across that recently when my employer (WVUH) gave RN's a bit of a raise. Yes, I'm an RN, but I am considered a "contract" nurse of which there are many of us at the hospital. It turned out that "contract" nurses were not included in the raise. Believe me when I say, this is not a money issue for me. It's a "being fair" issue. An RN is an RN and if you work in the same place, ALL RN's should be given the same treatment. I only work 3 days per week, but there are other contract nurses who work 5! We all do the same job...we care for sick people. So you get the idea?? So I took my crusade to HR and they couldn't give me an answer as to why there was a distinction. All I wanted to know was how was this decision reached and why was there a difference. At first the HR person got defensive and said that if I wanted more money, I should take a full time position.....she totally missed my point! She finally agreed to "look into it". I emailed my great boss Kathleen, who originally thought I was included in the raise and she too agreed to look into it. Soooooo to make a long story short, HR called yesterday and said that the powers that be are reconsidering the situation and possibly include the contract nurses. Of course nothing is resolved but I do believe completely in the Golden Rule and am thankful that the Lord allows me to crusade for what is right and just. I'll keep you posted on the outcome.
Walt is back in Jasper after his 5weeks in Texas running a Wyldlife camp. He's got some great photos (check www.waltmays.com, click enter and then photos) I think he learned a LOT during this time. And I had an answer to prayer....he met a young lady there too. Yippee!
Have a great week. Seek the Lord!
Pam

My Poor Baby

2007-07-20T16:11:00.000-07:00

Here's the patient and his boo-boos. As you can see, his eye is very bloodshot, swollen and bruised. His nose has the "bolster" sutured to it to keep the skin graft in place. As my sis-in-law Mary Ann says....he looks like "Mike Tyson gave him a right hook"....(I hope I'm quoting you correctly, Mary)
It's going to be tough keeping him down though. The docs don't want him doing much that might cause the graft to not set or the sutures to come out. Thanks to all for prayers and encouragement. We've got an amazing support system and appreciate all of you.
This entire ordeal has given me a greater appreciation of people who have serious illnesses that require them to spend a lot of time at the doctors or in the hospital. I know my patients at the cancer center often spend the entire day there getting their chemo treatments. When I think that Mike and I got so frustrated having to wait around for this and that, and then when I think of all that others go thru, I feel ashamed of my frustration. (Hans, you've been there friend and you are my hero!) Mike and I agree that we are so blessed with good health and should never take it for granted. He's telling everyone to put sunscreen on their noses!! Now if I could just get him to quit smoking too!!
Thanks friends. Enjoy good health! We plan to.
Pam

Florida vacation

2007-07-16T11:22:00.001-07:00

Well I had a simply lovely week with my sister and her hubby in Florida. It was hot and humid but I had a pool to jump into and cool off. See my waving to ya'll? We did so many fun things I don't know where to begin! The foot picture is the day we got pedicures. My toes are on the right....I got the French polish. La di da. We played cards one evening with the neighborhood girls. Now that was a hoot. Lots of chocolate thanks to June and lots of giggles. We shopped, we talked, we ate, we played games, we completed plans for my sis' upcoming trip to the British Isles, we read and we relaxed! What more could you ask for? The Lord has blessed me with a great sister and brother-in-law. They are generous and loving people and they welcomed me with arms opened wide. I especially enjoyed meeting their British neighbors (more on them in another post;)
So thanks to you sis and Mike for a great week!
We need to do this more often!!
I love you guys.
Pam

The Library....old and new

2007-07-08T17:46:00.000-07:00

I love to read! I have a passion for books that goes way back to my childhood. I can remember Miss Frances on "Ding Dong School" reading a book that I actually had in my little hands and I was thrilled that I could follow along. In the summertime, my school library would be open and I could check out Nancy Drew and other girlie books. In high school, I discovered Mary Stewart who wrote books like "The Moonspinners" which Disney made into a movie with Haley Mills. Oh how I wanted to visit the Greek Island of Crete after reading that book and seeing the movie. Above are pictures of our church library which I am proud to say I've been a part of since the beginning. The pic on the left is actually the second home of the books....it started out with just 3 or 4 shelves in one of the pastor's office. Then we got this room which was also the room where new mom's could nurse their babies while still listening to the pastor teach. When we moved into our new building we now have a space that is 3x the size of our old one.

The library was a dream of my dear friend Heidi Gibbons. Heidi was an English major in college and when she and her hubby Ron moved to Motown and started attending CRC (our church), she asked me to help her with her dream. When she asked, Heidi was in end stage breast cancer and even though her dream was realized later on, she never got to see it. Then Marsha and Mel moved to Motown from Arizona and Marsha had a vision for the library and I jumped on the bandwagon. It's a major blessing to have all these amazing books available.

This entire entry started with my trying to decide what books to take with me on vacation. I'm flying to Tampa tomorrow to spend a week with my one and only big sister. So I'm taking my bible of course, "Searching for God Knows What" by Don Miller, a Jodie Piccoult book (my new fav author) and some book about bees...."The Secret Life of Bees" and I've had 2 friends tell me this is the best book ever....we'll see.

Go check out your library (no pun intended....LOL)

Hopefully I'll be posting some Florida pictures soon.

New Garden

2007-06-25T07:13:00.000-07:00

Well we now have an area past our patio that has been created with nature in mind. The butterflies and bees are loving it and so are we. Our landscaper,Tim, did a great job preparing the space and brainstorming with me on the types of plants to put in it. In addition to this space, we have the veggie garden that has been providing us with onions, lettuce and snap peas. Our green beans are coming on the bushes and we have baby tomatoes and peppers too.
It would be such fun to spend my days just tending my gardens. For some reason lately, I have felt that time is just slipping away from me. I will take today and think of all the things I must do during the week and begin to stress about it. Before I know it...today is gone! Do you have trouble living in the moment? I know God wants us to abide in him each moment and to me, all this is overwhelming. I see my cancer patients and think that they are surely living in the moment and seeking God for comfort, but find that most are doing the same thing I am, except they are seeking the magic bullet cure and putting their life on hold til they no longer have cancer. And for many, that just isn't going to happen. I don't know the answer. I do know that I've had many sleepless nights lately trying to figure it out. I know too that I must keep seeking the One who has given me this time and be ever thankful for his goodness.
Until next time, stop and smell the flowers or whatever you do to realize that each moment is a precious gift.

Out in the Woods

2007-06-04T10:10:00.000-07:00

Last month Mike and I took a trip to Watoga State Park. It's the largest park in the state of WV. We rented a cabin there and spent some time hiking, biking and just relaxing.

You will notice that I have changed my blog and email address. Call it boredom but I felt the need to upgrade. Hopefully everyone who has visited the old blog will now enjoy this one. It still needs some tweeking but it will soon be the place where I'll keep everyone updated on what's going on.

We are currently enjoying some cooler weather. We've had some unusually hot temps for May and early June, but today is in the 70's and after some rain yesterday, our garden looks a lot happier. I was just outside pulling some weeds...they love the rain too.

That's all for now. Just wanted to let everyone know we're still here, since I haven't posted in awhile.

Check back regularly.......Pam and Mike