June 8, 2006
We are doing great and all things seem to be almost normal in our lives. Bobby and I spent a week out and about last week. We had some vacation time scheduled so we just stuck around the hometown area and saw the sights, ate out, rested, mowed, visited the lake, fished a little bit, and tried to make the boat run correctly. We finally gave in and took it to a friend who is very good with boat engines. It is now on a waiting list to be looked at, estimated, and hopefully fixed soon. It is an older model deck boat with a 100 HP engine. It is a goodlooking boat.
Bradley has been camping out the last several weekends. He is sporting a great burn. His new truck is now well broken in and used to jumping puddles and swimming in the lake.
My nephew Jake is in El Paso taking further training in the military. Think about him in your prayers, please!
My Mom is doing well. We went through a week or so of concern for her lately. She had not been taking the meds the doctor prescribed properly. We took her to the doc and they scolded her for the blood pressure level and gave her a scrip for an antibiotic for Bronchitus and advised her to take all the meds as directed.
Bobby and I reached a milestone on May 28, we celebrated our 35th anniversary together. It seems impossible that that many years have come and gone.....Bobby and I are still young and sassy....too young and sassy to be married that amount of time!
I feel almost good. But my neck, spine, and hips are never going to operate as they did before the car wreck. I daily fight to be able to just walk, sit, and get around normally. It angers me and keeps my stress level high! I am fully ready to sue the people and insurance company for damages.
April 26, 2006
I wanted to give all of you a quick update on our life in general. We no longer have a tractor. It went away this morning. I have now learned not to do any other business on a handshake, ever again. TRUST NO ONE is now my motto. I will continue to trust the people I have always trusted but I have learned a valuable lesson. You can't buy anything without titles or papers in todays society. Oh well, enough of my rantings.
We are now offff.....and running to do other things!!!!!!!
Easter Sunday was a 102 degree day that tired all the kids and adults out. Bobby and I started the day with Sunrise Service at Church, visited for a couple of hours with everyone there, ate brunch, and went to Easter Service. Then we had a HOT Egg Hunt with family, shared dinner together ending a tired day and collapsed at our seperate houses. I will get Easter pics up in a day or two.
Bobby has been back to work for a couple of days following a very bad stomach virus late last week stretching into this week. He says he gets really tired. Gee, I wonder why? I also took him to the hospital a couple of weeks ago with the worse migraine he has had in 25 years. He had to have shots and go to bed for 24 hours to get over it . Both of our stess levels have been through the roof because of the headache involved with the tractor problems. My migraines have been frequent for the last month because of stress.
Brad is playing with his new silver and black truck in the evenings and on weekends. He has sold the silver car and is working toward finishing the (new) station wagon for his brother and sister-in-law. Plus he hasn't felt good for several weeks because of allergies and a couple of extended trips out of town.
My Mom along with my brother and sister-in-law took a whirlwind tour of Branson Area and also made a stop at the Spiro Mounds in Eastern Oklahoma last week. They had a blast and came home with fun stories to tell and share with all of us. I hope to get the pictures to share with all of you soon.
Bruce A. my younger brother just finished the Red River Shootout Chess Tournament between Oklahoma and Texas held each year at this time. This year Texas won. But Oklahoma will get 'em next year.
I finished figuring taxes on the 17th of April for this year. It was fun while I was doing it but I am always glad to see it end for the year. I love the people I volunteer with and miss them all the rest of the year. We have an exciting time when we all get together each year.
William Jayden Smith got to come home with his parents Cody and Jessica a couple of weeks ago. Continue praying for his growth and health. He is doing well but Jessica isn't sleeping well. Pray for their little family when you have time.
Jeremy and Patti are doing pretty great! Jeremy is now associate manager of a computer store in the city where they live. Patti is being considered for a managerial position also. Pray for guidance in their careers. I am very proud of both of them.
I would love to have you pray for my nephew Jake. He just graduated from Basic Training at Fort Sill and is taking further training in El Paso, Texas. We are proud of his accomplishment.
We I am off and running again to get where I have to be by 5:30.
We wish we could see all of you soon. Write us and let us know how life is treating you and yours.
Love Ya All,
March 21, 2006
Hello to all of you,
Please feel free to call and wish Jeremy a Happy Birthday this week. He is celebrating with his wife in the other part of the state where they live.
He was born on an early, wet morning several years ago. As the rain fell this evening, I remembered the night he came into our lives. Bobby and I were young and naive. We believed that we had the world by the tail and could do anything. So we decided to marry young and start a family. We were both in college and thought it would be fun for all of us to grow up together.
Ten months after we made that decision Jeremy was born in a mid-sized hospital in the same small town where I was born. The doctor had informed Bobby and I a month earlier that I would not be able to have this baby. Of course, I was mortified. I weighed 50 pounds more than I had 8 months before... and was not sure how he planned for me to not have this baby since I was definantly pregnant...Duh!! Of course, He didn't say what he meant, most doctors don't!! He meant Jeremy would have to be born as a C-section baby. He told me it would be better for him and me. Ha Ha Ha!!! So in a few days later when I started to have labor pains we drove 30 miles to the doctor to have him tell me it was false labor to go home and come back when the pains were 5 minutes apart. So we went home! On the day before Jeremy was born I had pains intermittently all day...1 hour.. 2 hours... 30 minutes... 1 hour.. 20 minutes...15 minutes...1 hour but never getting any closer than the 15 minute mark. So we went garage sale..ing. Rode over the rail road tracks several times..went to town...tried to go to sleep that evening... still having pains. Bob finally insisted that it was time to go to the hospital. I told him that they would just tell me to go home like the time before. As we got into the baby blue Volkswagen, it was raining. By the time we drove from Mom and Dad's house to the hospital it was thundering, lightning, and blowing sheets of rain. They checked me into the hospital, believe it or not! Took me up to the pediatrics unit. Prepped me... Let me alone for an hour, checked me and I was no closer to having my baby than when I checked in. So they whisked me to surgery, gassed me and the baby boy up, and delivered him. For the first of many times since, I awoke during the surgery and asked the doctor if I had delivered 4 babies. He laughed and told me, "No, but You did have one great, big boy."
Jeremy Wayne weighed in a 8 pounds and 8 and a half ounces and was 21 and a half inches long. I spent 6 days in the hospital, fainted twice, had to be given blood, thought my insides were going to fall out when I got up the first time, saw my Love become a Dad, played rock, country, and blues on the radio for my baby boy, fought the nurses for feeding rights, and fell in love, for the second time in my life!
Jeremy is now a grown man! His Dad and I are very proud of him! So, if you get a chance call Jeremy this week and wish him a Happy Birthday!!!
My Mom celebrates her 76th birthday this month. She and a long time friend planned a three day trip away for over two months. They left in high spirits and got almost to mid Texas before the car they took started to have problems. They had filled up with gas at a interstate station and took off again. 32 miles down the road the car stopped. They waited a while and it started again so off they went. For another 32 miles. They decided that it would be a good idea to turn around and start home. They ate lunch on the road and then dinner. They arrived home 32 miles at a time, after dark and were disappointed that their trip was cut short. I hope they take another trip later to make up for the short adventure this month.
Bruce A. is back to work full-time at the plant where he fills and services food machines. He will play in a chess tournament in early April. It is held on a Sunday so he will be able to attend. He is fully recovered from his surgery and feeling great except for allergies.
Brad is having fun with his new toy pickup. It really isn't brown over brown. It is a silver over black Chevy truck. He is working full time and muddin' in his spare time. He spent a couple of nights out of town meeting new friends and visiting with old ones this month so far. He is still puzzling over what to do about the silver car for Jeremy and Patti.
Rubin and Cindy have been on the truck for about a month straight this trip. They are planning to come home for their son Jake's basic training graduation on the 31st. We all plan to celebrate with him on his special day. Way to go Jake!!!!!
We welcomed a new member to the family this month. William Jayden was born.. His Mom, Jessica and His Dad, Cody are very proud of the 4 pound 4 ounce Boy. He is still in the hospital learning how to suck properly! He weighs 4lbs 11 oz. now and will get to come home soon! Angie, Smitty, Mike & Stephanie are the proud Grandparents.
Bobby helped with the Men's Oyster Dinner this past month. That was quite a chore. He and the men of the church served between 186 and 250 dinners and survived the ordeal. They plan to have it at the church again next year. Call him for your tickets early. Bobby's 2005 wine experiment was a smashing success. The wine from our own grapes is smooth and full bodied. We have started Cherry Wine for the 2006 season. I am still preparing taxes at the library two days a week until April 17th. My injuries are not allowing me the freedom that I am used to. I hurt worse every day that I go to tax prep. I want to mow, garden, paint the house,play outside with the neices and nephew and can't do it for long enough to be useful. Please pray for my neck, shoulder, and back to be healed. I want to do what I used to be able to do before the accident. Not sit around as I have had to for the past year and a half and hurt.
Write Us and Share your Lives with Us..We miss all of you and wish we could spend time with each and everyone of you soon.
Love to All of You from Us!
January 26, 2006
Happy New Year to all of you from All of Us!!
Well life never slows down here! I reported that Bobby was doing fine in the last update. On the day he went back to work from his vacation he came home with a massive allergy attack. The mixture of dust from lack of rain, smoke debris from the fires we had in our area, and cedar pollen made him really stuffed, draining and sick. He thought he had a cold but I knew from experience what was wrong! He said if it wasn't better by morning he would go to the doctor. Well two days later when we were able to get an appointment he had to take a large shot of allergy med and Zyrtec for several weeks. He finally has almost as much energy as usual. He was off work from the 3rd of January til the 9th per doctor's orders. Allergy attacks cannot be ignored!
As Bobby was recovering I contracted a bad kidney infection and was off my feet for a couple of days. More meds and more time that I didn't feel like doing what I wanted! During the time Bobby was sick I also took tax preparation classes. I am now recertified to do taxes for another year. Hip Hip Hooray!
Bradley came in this weekend with another vehicle. He traded his Toyota for a 1998 Chevy 4X4 black over silverextended cab. I haven't taken pictures of it for the website yet. Hope to see it in the daylight long enough to do so soon.
Bruce A. is back to work on light duty til the 2nd of February. He said he was about to go out of his mind just trying to sit around all time. He was really sore the first couple of days back. He had to miss a chess tournament he usually gets to participate in last weekend. He hates not playing chess.
My Mom and a friend are planning a trip on their shared birthday in March. She wants to travel and see some scenery. I suggested they might also enjoy seeing San Antonio. We have books coming from both places so they can plan their journey.
Write us and let us know what is happening in your life. Love to all of you.
December 26, 2005
Hello to all of you!!! Life continues to grow more and more exciting in the area where we live!!
Bruce, my youngest brother had gall bladder surgery done on the 23rd of December. He is beginning to move around better today. He was in lots of pain and taking pain meds from the 15th of December til the day of surgery. He is recovering well if we can convince my Mom that he has to be up doing things for himself. She thinks one way, the doctor of course says something different than she wants to do. My sister-in-law Cindy also had to have gall bladder surgery. Hers was a different story. She was driving the semi and trailer from Wichita Falls to Dallas when she was struck by a mass gall bladder attack on December 1, she lay in the hospital bed on good drugs until they could get a surgery suite open the next day. She is recovering well and is driving a car but can not lift over 10 pounds for at least 3 more weeks. So that keeps her from going back to work until the Doc releases her. Bobby, myself, Sonya, and Jake went down to Baylor and slept in the waiting rooms during the surgery and then drove back to Ardmore to take her home. December has been a busy month. I feel like I have started to live in a doctors office. Mom's visits to the doctor with her shoulder, Bruce's gall bladder problems, and my ear and sinus's have kept me jumping. Thursday I went to the doctor with a sinus infection and ear ache, and a fever. He says that I have a bad tooth in the back on the left side causing part of the problem. I have to call the dentist tomorrow. She probably won't be able to do anything until the infection is clear. Bobby is keeping up and feels healthy. We spent Christmas eve with my family at Mom's house. We gathered and ate food, gathered and opened lots of presents from lots of us. Christmas Eve late I read for part of the Christmas Eve service at the church. It was beautiful and quiet time for me. Christmas Morning Bobby and I took off for Atoka to try to see his sister, brother. We caught Betty and Shannon home. But Ozie was supposedly chasing a beaver at the pond. Brad called about an hour later and told us that Ozie was at our house..........lack of communication. We waited and waited while we visited with Betty. Ozie still didn't make it back. Finally we came home and ate dinner again at Mom's. Dustin and Ilea got to spent part of Christmas Day with us and then had to go back to Dallas for work this am. Bradley is still having problems with his knee and will probably need surgery on it later. He has purchased a burgundy 1998 Toyota 4x4 pickup this month and he is excited about it. He is working daily and keepin up. Jeremy and Patti are well and living in Tulsa. My Mom is doing well with her physical therapy and recovering from the break in her shoulder. Call us, write us, or email us and let us know how all of you and yours are doing.
Love to One and All,
October 19, 2005
My Mom was getting the children off to school this morning and when they left she slipped going up the steps and fractured the ball in her upper arm joining the shoulder joint. She is recovering although she is a bit angry and apprehensive about the arm and the cast and the sling. Please keep her in your prayers. Next Wednesday she goes to the specialist to see if she if healing properly.
I have had the website up and running for over a year now. I would love to have more time to do some wild and crazy things with it.
I am a year out from my wreck and still not feeling normal for me. I would just like to wake up in the am and not hurt everyday of the world. Just ignore me it is pity talking!
Bobby is planning a Christian Men's Retreat and Workday for either November or December at Texhoma Christian Camp. More details on this at a later date.
Brad is going through his fall upper respiratory infection. He says he isn't sick but he continues to cough badly each night and feel down. I think he let his allergies go too long without taking his meds. He still has a 1996 Ford Diesel for sale to just the right person. He is looking for something he thinks he will like better. Call us if you are interested.
Rubin is up and moving around good. His neck is healing but he still has pain with it. He is hoping to go back to truck driving in a month or so. Cindy is working short runs right now so they can stay afloat. Pray for both of them.
Helen has updated her blog site. You should check it out.
Hope this finds all of you happy, healthy, and as fit as a fiddle. Hope to see all of you soon and Love you all lots.
September 20, 2005
Update:
My cousin, Helen is home from the Mayo Clinic. She was there for two weeks that stretched into three. She found out several good things and some bad ones. Please continue to pray for God to heal her.
Bobby and I are in the fermenting stage of the winemaking. We hope to strain and begin refermenting soon. It seems to be doing well.
Brad purchased and 1980's blue pickup the other day!! He just couldn't pass it up. He still has the 1996 Ford also. His knee seems better or maybe he is just living with the pain.
My friend Joy, lost her Dad to lymphoma last week and was on the road again to Arizona for his funeral. She is of course sad, but also happy that he is no longer in pain. Please pray for her family at this time of loss.
Bobby and Truman sang a special song for which Bobby wrote the words on Sunday at the RoundUp Dinner at church. They were asked to sing an encore. I was proud of them for their efforts. They did great!!!!
Please keep me in prayer. I am under the weather and covet your prayers for the next 10 days or so. I feel yucky and can't quite put my finger on all that is wrong. On the 24th, it will be a year since my wreck and his insurance has not paid any on my bills. Could possibly stress be to blame for how I am feeling? Don't know, I really try to stay upbeat and excited about life.
Rubin, my brother closest in age to me had a vertabra fusion surgery on the 8th of September. His wife, Bobby, Mom, and I went down to keep him company. He was in and out of surgery in one and a half hours. He stayed in the hospital overnight and came home sore and frightened the next day. He has progressed well. He must wear a brace for 3 to 4 months to give the neck fusion time to harden and join to his bone. He will have to be off work for some time to heal, Cindy will probably have to go back to work soon so they can continue to live in the style which they are accustomed, you know the story, living in a house, driving a car, eating food.
Bobby, Brad, Bruce and I did not enter anything in the County Fair this year. I did help my neice Dusti, get ready and enter eleven items in the fair. She did great!! She won 5 or 6 First Place ribbons, a couple of seconds, and several thirds. One of the First place ribbons was for a watercolor painting I taught her to do!!! I am proud of her achievements!!
Love you all and hope your life is going great!!
August 23, 2005
This is a quick update to ask you to pray earnestly for my cousin, Helen Lucius. She is going into Mayo Clinic on Thursday by a Life Flight copter. She has many major medical problems that must be addressed at Mayo. She is such a dear person and loves everyone she has come in contact with in her life. We have only met in the last year, but she has touched my heart and I ask that you pray for strength and healing in her life. Also include Joy & James Douthit in your prayers as they travel to Arizona to see Joys' Dad who has a mass in his stomach that is leaching all the calcium in his body. Doctors suspect that it may be a cancerous mass. He checked himself out of the hospital against the wishes of his doctors, his wife and his children. They are very concerned about him.
August 15, 2005
Today is Sunday and it is raining outside and has rained intermittently all day and part of last night. I sing on a praise team on Sunday morning and count the people at church and this morning I served at the podium. Bobby, Joy, and I sang together this morning.
Brad is recovering from his injuries on his knee. He has a new Truck. He purchased a 1996 FORD Diesel pickup~He is excited about it!!! Please pray for his knee to heal quickly. He is sore all the time, grouchy, and he is still limping from the wreck.
Bobby and I are trying an experiment. We grew grapes on our land this year and last. We gathered many pounds of grapes this year and are attempting to make wine from them. I haven't made wine since high school chem class. Bobby used to help his Dad make wine as a younger person. We have set up the experiment on top of the freezer and will know in about February 14, 2006 if we will be successful. We hope to bottle it then. Pray for our experiment. We do lead varied lives don't we? I will take pictures of our experiment and the equipment to make wine and post them at a later time and also new pictures of Brad's truck. Bruce and I hope to sing in a karaoke contest at the county fair. Love to all of you and hope to see you soon.
August 1, 2005
Today is Monday, and it has really been a long day for some reason. I started out pretty good with sleeping late. But then I had to run all the rest of the day to catch up with myself! If you haven't heard yet Bradley had a wreck Wednesday in his new 1999 Black Toyota. He injured his knee, also his shoulder and chest are sore from the airbag and seatbelt. You can find the pictures of him and the truck on the photo page. To say the least Wednesday was not a good day, but all is working out well. The insurance has been filed and they are paying out on the Truck. Pray for Brad as he looks for another truck and heals from his injuries.
I included some pictures of Jessica and Cody Smith's wedding day. They are Jeremy and Bradley's cousins, Cody is my cousin Angie's son. They were so cute I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share their joy with you. Hope your day is great, We love all of you.
July 12, 2005
Check back often to see what is new with us. Have a Great Day!!
I am so excited to tell you about our month this month. I am finally close to feeling better from my wreck. Not out of pain but better! Bobby has just this week been introduced as the New President of the Mens Fellowship at our church! He is excited to start this now. He sees much growth possible in this group of men.
We were able to fix the Dodge pickup and trade it in on a 'new' 2004 Chevy Pickup extended cab. Of course it is RED!! Pictures upcoming later this week.
Bradley keeps on keeping on at his job at Billingsley. He also bought a newer car. He purchased a 1997 Plymouth Neon two door. It is Deep Purple. He looks cute driving it!!! He would love to sell his 4X4 if you are interested, call us.
Update on the trip to Nashville....We didn't win, :(, but the high side is Robert got lots of good advice that he is trying to implement at this time. A lady from Ardmore did win the contest. She wrote and sang her song. It was country and really cute. I will post her name when it check on it later tonight.
Bobby and I have started a new business. We will send information when You would like to hear about it. This is a groundfloor opportunity. We haven't seen one of those in years. Please contact us soon about it. Love all of you and hope to see you soon!!!!
June 20, 2005
Great things always seem to be happening to us! We were priviledged to have as our guest at Church Sunday, Tonya, one of the friends that we met in Nashville. She sang and played for us in our morning service. We were able to have lunch together and visit with her for a while that afternoon before she took off for Guthrie to her latest concert date. We found out that we had several votes more than her in the contest, but we may have to face stiffer competition as the year progresses. We still have hopes of winning our competition. She gave Robert some advice on what to do to boost his singing talent and step out on faith.
My Mom, Imogene, made a five day jaunt with Rubin and Cindy on their truck. She saw several miles of interstate and several states on her trip. She came back sore all over and with a painful place in her chest. She had a ball but is now paying with a painful attack of arthritis in her chest. Please pray for her as she recovers.
Bradley has joined the ranks of the small car owners! He bought a Plymouth Neon, A cute little purple car that he feels will be better on gas. He is working full time at Billingsley Ford in Ardmore. He plans to sell his 4X4!!!
Bobby won ticket to Scarborough Fair at the end of April and we took a short trip down to Waxahachie to view the Fair. It was interesting and I wished I had the money to spend on all the great things we saw. Fashions out of the 15th and 16th century, cutlery, crafts, items of great interest. The storyteller was great and the sights were fun and sometimes a little embarrassing....Not for us... but should have been for the people who were halfway dressed!
Bobby and I spent a week at home on vacation last week. We spent alot of our time mowing and getting caught up on tasks needed around our place. We hoped to take off toward the end of the week but the Dodge just wouldn't do it! It started making a fiendish scraping noise and just wasn't shifting right at all. We took it to a mechanic and he said that we would need a new rearend, drive train, and transmission. But the high note was.....the damage was caused by the wreck in September. We called the insurance for the guy who wrecked my truck and they are covering the cost of the repairs. Otherwise we would be in really bad shape! We Thank God for his protection over us! Write or call us and let us know how all of you are doing.
May 5, 2005
Sending out HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY Wishes to all of you!!!! Hope to see all of you soon!
UPDATE !!!
April 18, 2005
You can view the video of our performance in Nashville at www.wcin.ac We are in the finals on the video section. You can then call the 900 number and vote for us!!!!! We are with performer #123 Robert Swinea!!! Votes are $1.99 each and you can vote up to three times from each phone number. You can cast your vote for us from today,April 18 until May 17, 2005. The number is 1-900-446-2323 and we were performer number 123. Thank you for supporting us in our efforts.
April 2005
We are back from Nashville!!!!!! We had a great time and lots of adventures that we will remember for years. Robert, Joy, and I sang for a large audience of people and actually auditioned in Nashville. We were critiqued by record producers and told what to do to help promote Robert's music and his talent.
We had adventures from the beginning of our trip. We arrived in OKC where we were interviewed by one of the Christian Radio Stations. We then took off down I-40 for Nashville and points in between.... Bobby, James, Joy, Elizabeth, Robert and I in a huge 13 passsenger van. We took snacks and drinks so that we would not have to pay lots for food on the road. We made good time and arrived in Little Rock around dark...against the wind...with the rain still ahead of us...we arrived in Memphis well into the evening and Bobby took over driving from James....just the other side of Memphis we caught up with the rain and Bobby drove for the rest of the trip in rain and fog ....and purely drippy, nasty weather......When we left it was t-shirt weather and when we arrived in Nashville it was about 37degrees. There we were greeted at the Hotel by interesting news, instead of renting us three rooms for one night, we had been rented one room for three nights....not good news at 3:00am. We were finally given keys to three rooms all on different floors in different parts of the hotel. Bobby and I went to our room opened the door and hot air whoosed out at us. As I turned on the light Bobby noticed high heels on the shelf above the closet and I noticed a person in the bed across the room.....NOT a good finish for the evening . We quickly closed the door and went back to the night clerk for keys to another room. Well, there were no other rooms. We called Joy and James and they asked us to room with them for the night. By this time the night was close to being over anyway so we agreed. We were asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow.
At 7:00 am we all arose and met to eat down stairs, it was a very uneventful breakfast time. We then went upstairs to register and find out when we would be performing. We were told to meet at 10am for the rules and announcements. We complied and arrived and listened to the rules and some of the people who already were part of the "business". We were to be 23 on the agenda and should be able to sing in about 2 and a half hours. So off we went to get ready for the day, to shower, dress, and cruise for what we though would be a short wait. We checked in each hour and found that the crew was experiencing technical difficulties. So we chose up sides and went swimming in the indoor pool and some went to eat at Shoney's. By 1:00 we decided to check in again and see how the auditions were going. They had gotten to number 7 on the agenda. So we went away and took naps, and explored a little around the hotel, and did some practicing. We checked again in a hour, then again in another hour, and again in another hour. It seemed that our time would never arrive. Joy and I went for coffee sometime early afternoon and met a lady named Tonya who was afraid that she would not be able to sing because of an asthma and allergy attack. As we were talking she told us about a dream that she thought she had the night before. She dreamed that she heard someone open her hotel door and say "Bobby I think someone is in this room." Of course she wasn't dreaming. I told her that it was me and we all got to know each other and found out that she was originally from Lindsey. We will be contacting her again.
We were told that we would be singing around 7pm. We had hoped to be on the road and we were delayed. We did a sound check around 7:30 and finally sang at about 8pm. We did well but we faced some stiff competitors. By this time we decided that it was too late to start back because we had not spoken to the record producers yet. We went to dinner at El Chico's with some friends of Joy and James. The food was superb! Ardmore's El Chico could take lessons from them. When we got back to the hotel we went directly upstairs to the record producers interview and waited until 1:30 for Robert's interview. In the time we spent waiting we talked and visited with several of the other performers and went to Tonya's room to hear some of her music. She is quite talented.
Bobby called and told us when we were finished that he, James and Elizabeth had made our beds ready and that they were going to bed since James and Bobby had to drive back the next day.
When we awoke Sunday morning we ate a good breakfast at the hotel, packed the van and headed off down the road again. We traveled all day and into the night again! We stopped along the way and rested and ate in Conway, AR, stopped and bought a few souvenirs and took some great pictures that I will be putting up for review soon. Tonya called and Joy, Robert and I talked to her on the way home. She had been praying for our safe trip home since she left on her flight for Colorado Springs. Friday we will be celebrating the Bean and Potato dinner at the church and we will be drawing for the two raffles on the Guided Fishing Tour and the 4 Hour Pontoon Boat Rental. If you would like to attend contact me at ya_guys@yahoo.com for details.
Voting begins on April 18, 2005 and ends on May 18, 2005. You can vote at www.wcin.ac. Each vote will cost . We would love to have your support. Robert's contestant number is 123.
February-March 2005
How do I begin?!!!.......Dad passed away in early February, we thought Bobby had a bad disease, Cindy had a breast surgery and we thought she had cancer and we are all trying to put our lives back into perspective.
On Bobby's birthday, a young friend of ours asked me to help sing backup at an audition that he was attending. He composed and sang a song named "CALL ON HIM". Another lady and I sang backup for him. He asked when he won if we would go to Nashville with him. We laughingly agreed! We knew that he was talented but had no idea how talented. To say the least HE WON! We leave for Nashville on April 1. We are really excited and have done lots of things to raise money for the trip. We are selling raffle tickets for A 4Hour Pontoon Boat Rental, A One Day Guided Fishing Tour on Lake Murray in Oklahoma, and A Bean Supper and Silent Auction. We are only half way to our goal. If any of you can help us raise the money or have any ideas on how to do it, please write me as soon as possible.
January 2005
The weather is strange..... for this time of year....warmer than usual. Watched the Weather Channel....They forecast storms later this week. My Dad had a mild heart attack last Thursday and is recovering in the hospital. I am finally recovering from the wreck. I had another birthday the other day...so much for that...my mind is not any older than when I turned 18. Bobby celebrates a birthday at the end of the month. He is looking and feeling great.
Brad has been asked to attend NISSAN Factory School fully paid by the car dealer where he works. He is so excited! It means more education, but much better pay, and a title to go with the pay, and the ability to move up in the business world.
Email me about the newest cousins in the Wells Family. As a clue they are grownups.
UPDATE!!!!!!
Imogene fell from the passenger compartment of Rubin's truck to the ground on her back. She is recovering at home and in much pain. Please pray for her quick recovery!!
Update Februcary 13, 2005 my dad Bruce left this world for the next. He was 76 years young!
December 2004
I want to wish all of you a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and much love for the season! I believe Jesus IS the real reason.
I want to spend time with all the family and friends, have parties, and talk to old and dear friends and new friends all of whom are far away. I cherish the cards and letters we have already received. Call me, write me, email me, I love any kind of card or letter. I have tried several times to sit down and compose a Christmas letter but for some reason I can't say what I feel this year. It has been a year of transition for Bobby, Bradley and I. Brad turned 21!.....I can hardly imagine him being that age. I turned a little older, but a friend made me feel good today by saying I look much younger than I am. Flattery is a grand emotion. The wreck has caused me to examine my lack of immortality a little closer.
This time of year always brings out something in me.....I call it the bah humbug.....I hate the way I feel this time of year. Why do I stress?! I get blue easy.....All of our schedules grow busier and busier daily. Hopefully we will get to fulfill some of our wishes to see family and friends before Christmas. Again we love all of you and wish you the MOST FULFILLING CHRISTMAS EVER!
CHECK OUT THE PICTURE AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE!!!
ALSO CHECK OUT THE NEW FAMILY ON THE PHOTO PAGE!!! Erma this is a cousin of yours!
November 2004
Today is a cloudy, raw, cold day, my hand and shoulder are still hurting but much better than before. Bobby worked both Saturday and Sunday this week to make an little extra. Brad's face looks much better but his wrist is still sore and weak. I have been able to get out and walk for exercise so I feel stronger. I have added new paintings to the Watercolor page.
Love to all of You from all of Us!!!!!!!!!
