Janet and Johnny's Jive Spot

Site of Assassination

2009-10-21T20:12:00.000-07:00

This is the reviewing stand where Anwar Sadat, the President of Egypt, was sitting watching a parade in October of 1981 when he was assassinated. He is buried across the street from this place where there are two armed guards on duty 24/7.

Cairo, Egypt

2009-10-21T19:18:00.000-07:00

Yes...it is the Christian symbol right here in North Africa!

This is a Coptic Church that was carved into the mountain...never seen

anything like this before! There were two churches like this a few hundred yards from each

other and this is the smaller one!

All of this and more was carved into the side of the mountain! And we thought Stone

Mountain had some artwork! More carvings are still being done.

One view of the larger of the two churches. They have services every

Thursday night and thousands of people go every week.

Another view of the Coptic Church

"Garbage City"....all of the garbage in Cairo is sent to this place

recycle what they can with most of the work being done by women and children. The two Coptic Churches above are nearby the Garbage City and we were told that those workers in the are the people who did the work to build the churches and do the carvings in the mountain

DESERT!

A family living on the roof of a building. Notice the satellite. One person called it the 'national flower'. People may not have much, but they will have a satellite. That is why our investment in the Kingdom Sat is so worthy. I was speaking to a group of women who did not know me but they saw a picture of Johnny and said, "He is famous here! He is on our TV!"

The Nile River

Our first view of the pyramids from the city of Cairo!

Here we are! Giza Pyramids

You can even shop in the desert!

Another taping for the IMB

Right across the street from the Spinx was a KFC where we had lunch! You could take a

picture of the pyramids from the window of the KFC!

The pyramids are only a short distance from the city

Tunisia in North Africa

2009-10-21T18:49:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Tunisia

Beautiful green countryside

More tapings at an ancient baptismal site

American Cemetery

World War II Map in colored marble

American Cemetery - World War II

Streets of Tunis

Algeria

2009-10-21T14:15:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Algeria

Police escort through Algeria as we made our way to the border to enter Tunisia.

Sometimes Americans are targets for bandits and the likes.

Rural city life in Algeria

A resort area along the coast of Algeria

The seaport of Annaba

Where the New Testament was canonized by Augustine

An actual bone from the body of Augustine in cased behind the glass in the tube

The Cathedral of St. Augustine in Annaba, Algeria. Throughout our journey, Johnny did on the spot challenges to the Church in America to motivate and mobilize Christians toward the Middle East.

Jordan

2009-10-21T08:57:00.000-07:00

Incredible is not a good enough word to describe the things we have seen and heard during these last two weeks. Life changing is also not a good description of what our hearts have experienced. There is a great work going on in the Middle East and we are only a small part. More workers are need to join in the harvest. Long term, short term, even just a few weeks would help. Are you willing to go? I am going to post only a few pictures from each of the four countries we visited. These are not even highlights.....people and their testimonies are the highlights and this blog will not be sufficient for those issues. However, I will share some of the sights with you briefly.

Mount Nebo and the desert....A personal word from the Pastor was video taped

for the church on Sunday

Geocaching at its best! Found 2 in Amman, Jordan

An olive wood factory that was staff by workers with disabilities

Overlooking a city in Jordan

A Special Occasion

2009-10-21T08:49:00.000-07:00

It takes a special occasion for the Hunt clan to get together and it finally happened after many years. Norman celebrated his 20th year as pastor at Hopewell and it brought the brothers, sister and even some of the cousins together for the weekend. It was great fun!

Race at Kenly, NC

2009-09-29T22:19:00.000-07:00

We had a race last week, but I don't want to talk about it. (This was NOT a picture of it)

Happy Birthday, Maddie!

2009-09-29T22:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my sweet niece, Maddie!

She is so adorable (but she is stuck on Julio)!

To see more pictures of her modeling for the store she works for in Wrightsville Beach, NC, go to www.shophallelu.com

Gatlinburg, Tennessee! (oh boy!)

2009-09-29T21:49:00.000-07:00

Well....I didn't get any pictures of the Timothy+Barnabas conference in Gatlinburg, but I did get a picture of my wonderful assistant, Sarah, at her first geocache! During the free afternoon at T+B I couldn't find anything better to do than go find a cache and one was a block from our condo. I don't know that Sarah is 'hooked' on geocaching after just one hunt, but she definitely got a good taste of the 'thrill of the hunt'! Thanks, Gulfwind!

Can you believe so many senior adults in one building! This is only the first of two Jubilee Conferences for this week. The first conference sold out quickly with 6,000 registrants so they had to add a second one for the same week. Wow! Jake does such a great job planning and seeing that everyone is taken care of and having a good time. Best of all, I get to spend time with Katie and Carson. Watching them 'work at the conference' and being excited about the opportunity is a great thing. Last night they were walking back to their room from our room with Millie and Scott as their escorts and in just a minute they were banging at our door to get back in. A bear had crossed their path in the parking lot! They were all scared to death! We got in the car and went on a 'bear hunt' riding up and down the parking lot looking for the bear. We couldn't find it then, but later spotted it in the small woods down the hill from the condo. Tonight I heard a lot of banging and realized it may be the bear in our trash can outside and sure enough...there he was, right outside my door! I ran and got Johnny out of bed, sound asleep, to see the bear and by the time he got there, he was gone! Johnny went back to bed, not caring as much about the bear as I did, but caring about me waking him up from his sleep to see a bear that wasn't there! Well...I looked out the front into the parking lot and there he was....again!!! I had to call somebody, so I called Lindsey who is in the next building and finally, she saw the bear!!!! There really are bears in Gatlinburg! (at least one)

Fun Time!

2009-09-29T21:40:00.000-07:00

We had two great Timothy+Barnabas Conferences in Atlanta and Gatlinburg this year and I didn't get a single picture that was clear enough to post on my blog! So sad! In between the two conferences during the fall school break for Katie and Carson, I made a quick visit to Disney and Universal Studios with them. We had a great time and wonderful weather. (We managed to be away during all the flooding) While we were there we celebrated Lindsey's birthday. I finally found out that she is good at something....she won the hoola-hoop contest for the adults at the Hard Rock Hotel Pool! If you go to Universal, watch out for the Jimmy Neutron ride! It's a killer!

Congratulations!

2009-09-29T21:31:00.000-07:00

Congratulations, Sabrina and Christian! Our 'foster' daughter, Sabrina Williams Dubyak was recently married to a great guy, Christian Pinion. It was a beautiful wedding and of course, she was a beautiful bride. Johnny and I were the 'honorary parents' and it was a pleasure to be the stand in parents for a lovely couple. May God richly bless their marriage!

Home visit with Dr. Billy Graham

2009-09-29T21:12:00.000-07:00

We had the incredible privilege of spending time with Dr. Billy Graham at his home recently. It was certainly a day neither Johnny or I will ever forget. He is doing well and was in a great frame of mind, speaking very clearly and was soooo very gracious to us both. We are so very thankful to have been able to sit with such a godly man and certainly one of the greatest preachers of all time.

Hog Heaven!

2009-09-29T20:54:00.000-07:00

Atlanta Motor Speedway.....Yeah Baby! I was in hog heaven getting to meet all my favorite drivers at the Labor Day race after getting to meet Joe Gibbs who preached all three of our services on that Sunday morning before the race that evening. He did a fabulous job and is quite a communicator of the gospel. Joe Gibbs is definitely a man who is truly concerned about where people will spend eternity and how they live their life before eternity. It was such a pleasure to get to know this great guy. His new book "Game Plan for Life" is a great book to read. Great Race Day!

Finally Catching Up!

2009-09-29T20:20:00.000-07:00

Catching up on all that we have been doing lately is tough. There is always something exciting going on so I'll have to go back to August when we had our staff retreat. As usual, the girls had a great time being together, laughing, talking and just being girls. We usually try to do something different and fun so this year I insisted that we take part in my favorite hobby (other than racing) which you know is....geocaching! We had two teams and several caches to find. The first team to find all the caches and get back to the hotel first won! Of course, my team won and my fellow geocachers are pictured above. The other team, Millie, Kathy, Nancy and Linda did a great job finding the caches but were not quite fast enough.

Then there was Israel! We had a quick but wonderful trip to the Land of our Lord. Our dear friends, Mike and Ann White went with us and it was fast and furious! Much different from our previous trips as we had to move very quickly to see it all and still didn't quite make all the sites we would like to have seen. Of course, while there I just had to do it....I had to find a geocache. There was one at the airstrip at Massada so I dropped off a travel bug that I picked up in Argentina that was traveling the world. How fun!!

OCS

2009-08-13T18:29:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I forgot to tell you about our race last Saturday night at the Orange County Speedway in Rougemont, NC. We were about to win that thing when we had a restart (always double file) and the guy we were racing with who was running in 2nd jumped the start and took the lead with only 5 laps left and we couldn't catch him to pass. We finished 2nd.....Hickory Motor Speedway is next on August 29th. We won at that track the last time we were there and of course, I am expecting another win at HMS! Can't wait!

Please Pray!

2009-08-13T18:10:00.000-07:00

The first of many meetings of the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force met on Tuesday & Wednesday at a hotel here in Atlanta. It seems they got off to a very good start just beginning to lay some ground work and talking about their huge task before them with such a limited time frame in which to accomplish much for the better of our convention. However, this is not going to be easy and they desperately need the prayers of the people. If you have not already done so, please go to www.pray4gcr.com and become an official prayer warrior for this team. They need your prayers! (The photo was taken at the press conference at the end of the meeting on Wednesday)

Happy Birthday, #2!

2009-08-13T17:55:00.000-07:00

I know Katie's birthday has passed and was officially last month but we were away at the beach and she couldn't celebrate with her friends at PCB so we had a belated birthday party for her at the mall! Yes.....the mall! It was so very much fun and the girls loved it! They did a scavenger hunt. The girls divided up into three teams. We gave each of them a little purse with $7 in it and a list of 14 items they had to either purchase (all within a certain price range) or questions about the mall they had to answer all within an hour and it was a race to see which team finished first and which team came back with the most money left over after all their purchases. After the hunt, they were each given money to purchase the dinner of their choice in the food court. The little divas were so very cute and extremely well behaved. It was a great party....#2! Happy Birthday, again, Katie!

Final Days in PCB

2009-08-11T20:14:00.000-07:00

All good things must come to an end and so did my summer vacation. However, before leaving PCB we had to make our trip to Zooworld! Also, I had the chance to meet my cousin, Kathy Ellis, whom I had not seen in many, many, many years (don't really know when I last saw her!) for dinner along with her sweet family. She is living in Ft. Walton which is not far from Panama City Beach. We had a great time getting to know each other after so many years. We will certainly keep in touch this time.

First Day of School 2009

2009-08-11T19:30:00.000-07:00

Hope in 2008 going into First Grade and 2008 going into Second! Addie...Kindergarten here I come!!!

The proof is in the pictures! 2007, 2008 & 2009...growing way too fast....now in 5th & 6th grades!

Are You Squirrelly?

2009-08-11T18:14:00.000-07:00

Can you identify with these two squirrels? The prime of life squirrel and the retired PCB squirrel! Latter squirrel, here I come!

Putt-Putt-Putt-Putt....Putt.....

2009-08-01T21:27:00.000-07:00

One more night....and it was Putt-Putt! I took the kiddos (Katie, Carson & the Hite girls...Deanna's condo neighbors) to Coconut Creek for Putt-Putt. (It is against the law to go to the beach and not play at least one round and I have been there 5 weeks and this was my first game of the season) I think everybody in PCB goes to that one and I think they were all there that night! Do you know how long it can take to play 18 holes of putt-putt with 4 children? A very long time! However, the Hawaiian Shaved Ice, cotton candy flavor, was definitely a great reward for patience! (I had been wanting one of those for weeks)

Now, to bed to get up early and start H-O-M-E...I'm not happy....I LOVE the beach......why didn't the Lord give us Beach Resort Ministry as a vocation? I know....He didn't want to.... that's why!

Bye Bye Babies...

2009-08-01T21:14:00.000-07:00

Well....it has been fun but time for the babies to go bye bye!! We have had a great time and the girls were very good for me and Deanna but Mommy and Daddy are anxiously waiting to see their little angels! We took Hope and Addie to the airport at 7am on Wednesday morning to meet their plane ride back to ATL. I showed up at the airport with my running shoes and exercise clothes on just in case I had to run down the runway to catch the plane to put the girls on it! We wouldn't want the parents to be disappointed and not see them for another day, now would we??? Whew! We made it....on the plane safe and sound and back in the arms of their mom and dad who are all rested up and ready to see their little munchkins! I miss them already......

Grandchildren Grand Finale

2009-08-01T20:58:00.000-07:00

The Grandchildren Grand Finale before the end of our month long vacation took us to the Junior Museum in Panama City, Florida. The children really enjoy going to these museums in the different cities we visit and find that they are all so much fun and all are very different in each of the cities where we have been. And, of course, no fun time is complete without hunting for a geocache somewhere in the area....of course, they found it. These kids are becoming such experts that I waited in the car and they took the GPS and found the cache themselves! Carson had his friend, Mack Myers, with him for the day and it was his first geocaching experience.

Maryville, IL

2009-08-01T20:42:00.000-07:00

March 8, 2009 changed the lives of a family and church in Maryville, IL forever when a man went into the church and shot Pastor Fred Winters during the service. Johnny had the privilege of ministering to that congregation and pastor's family last weekend on the last Sunday of our vacation. Usually he doesn't preach during our 'vacation' time, but this was a special circumstance as you can well imagine and we felt the need to make an exception and I am so very glad we did. In the picture is Pastor Winters' widow, Cindy. She and her darling daughters had dinner with us on Saturday night. We enjoyed our time spent with the good folks in Maryville.

Happy Birthday Katie!

2009-08-01T20:32:00.001-07:00

My Katie Bug turned 11...Eleven...!!! I can't believe it has been eleven years since our beautiful granddaughter was birthed into this world and changed our lives forever! Being a grandparent is such a joy especially when you have children and grandchildren

as wonderful as ours. Her big day was on July 27 but I am just now posting after a whirlwind of a time being MiMommy to four beautiful grandchildren. Happy Birthday, Katie....Sorry this is late getting to the blog! You are a wonderful and sweet blessing to me and Papa. We love you!

Sunny Day at the Beach

2009-07-21T09:59:00.000-07:00

It was a sunny day at the beach with my little Hopie! Hollie and Pete are in Cabo celebrating their 12th Anniversary and I am keeping Hope and Deanna is keeping Addie. Hopie loves her MiMommy!!! Addie LOVES her Aunt Deedee! Wonder why I am not keeping them both?? You are right! I am not physically able!!! Have fun Pete and Hollie....but rest up...you'll need it when you return!

Not a First Place Finish... This Time

2009-07-21T09:50:00.000-07:00

Not excited about posting this one. The 98 had a 6th place finish. It qualified #2 but as I mentioned, this series makes the top 10 qualifiers draw numbers for the starting position and the 98 started 9th. On the short tracks it is sometimes very difficult to pass a lot of cars with all of them being close to the same speed. Therefore, we had a 6th place finish. Not what you would call a great race night, but the good news is....we have a car all in one piece to race at Orange County Speedway on August 8th. Go 98!

GO 98!!!!

2009-07-18T15:48:00.000-07:00

Everywhere I look there is a 98! Today is race day and I am in....Panama City Beach, FL and NOT Newport, TN! However, I am having a lovely time with my sweet husband here at the beach spending some quality time together! Race reports from the track say that we have a good car for tonight's race and qualified a very strong 2nd place but drew a #9 starting position. Of course, I will post later tonight the results of the PASS South race. GO 98!!!

Happy Birthday Johnny!

2009-07-18T15:45:00.001-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SEXY HUSBAND!!

Another Trip to the Dentist!

2009-07-08T08:37:00.000-07:00

After what turned out to be a traumatic trip to the dentist a few weeks ago, she tries it again. This time with a 'kid friendly' office and what a difference that makes! This special little trooper who never cares what the medical doctors have next for her had a bad experience in the dental chair but obviously this time it was different. Hollie and I were with Hopie at the last appointment and the 'overly protective MiMommy' made the dentist stop in the middle of the procedure and said, "That is enough!" I don't know if Hollie had to take her somewhere else because of Hopie's traumatic experience or mine! Anyway....it worked!! She did great! And so did the dentist.

Beautiful Baby!

2009-07-07T09:27:00.000-07:00

Why can't I look like that when I wake up? After all, she IS my granddaugher and we ARE related! Addie is adorable! She is such a precious child....just like the other 3! Grandchildren are a great joy!

Congratulations Hollie and Buster!

2009-07-07T09:03:00.000-07:00

She did it!!! Hollie was able to run the entire Peachtree Road Race on July 4th! We are so proud of her for that accomplishment! She is definitely her Daddy's daughter! I would have NEVER attempted that! I am not even sure I would try to walk it! Congratulaltions, Hollie! And...Congratulations to Buster! He went to obedience school and learned some doggie manners! He did so good and is such a great dog! Hope and Addie really love that dog! Not to mention Hollie...can you tell?

Wow! What a Come Back!

2009-07-07T08:43:00.000-07:00

Now, that's my 98!! What a night! We did it!! Our first win of the season on Sunday, July 5! We can add another favorite track to our list...Hickory Motor Speedway in Hickory, NC. After a day of threatening skies the race was held and the 98 came through with another win! The team did an incredible job with the car after such a disappointing race just two nights before at Greenville-Pickens. They worked non-stop on the car and all their hard work and sleepless nights paid off with a great win. Congratulations to Jake, Justin, Jimmy & Jeremy (Jody didn't get to make the race) on a wonderful win, great fun and exciting end to a happy celebration for the Fourth of July! (I would have included Deanna in the lineup but her name didn't start with a J....it would have if I had gotten my way with Johnny and named her Jodi....!)

I am very grateful that my sweet hubby was able to join us for the race! A real treat for me to be able to share this win with him! I love my husband!! I really felt sorry for Lindsey and Taylor. They didn't get to go to Hickory because Taylor is a working man now and had to work. However, I was so extremely impressed with Lindsey, who has the racing fever as bad as I do, being a 'good wife' and staying home with her husband! I don't think I would have been that good! (I forgot to mention that we also won the pole but when the top 10 did their redraw, we started in 4th place...another example of the FORD (Fastest On Race Day)

Fourth of July, Flat tires and Racing!

2009-07-07T08:27:00.000-07:00

Our Fourth of July celebrations this year were a little different than our usual fabulous fireworks at the beach that we always look forward to even though we had a wonderful weekend. The celebration began when we were on our way to Greenville- Pickens Speedway for the Firecracker 125 anticipating a win at one of our favorite tracks where we have celebrated a past checkered flag. Our sweet friends, Mark and Derema Davis offered to drive us to the racetrack after Abi Apon's wedding so here we go with them and Greg and Stephanie Moss when all of a sudden.....a flat tire!! You will see here in the picture Derema and Stephanie(I am taking the picture) along with....who is that man? Johnny? Mark? Greg? No! The AAA Road Service guy! Where are the guys who were with us in the car?? Mark is at Wal-mart & Johnny and Greg are next door at Waffle House while the girls get the tire changed!!

(Okay...the rest of the story....on Mark's behalf....he is at Wal-Mart with the flat tire getting it repaired. Lindsey and Taylor happened to be close behind on their way to Greenville as well and picked him up and took him to the Wal-Mart about 10 miles away. But as for Johnny and Greg....well....they are preachers.....need I say more??? Mark is a Sunday School teacher!)

The rest of the rest of the story....The race night we were looking forward to didn't turn out quite like we had hoped! A DNF for Greenville (Did Not Finish for those of your who are not avid race fans). The engine blew during practice the night before and was replaced with the back up engine and just did not perform up to par.....at least not that night! (Another example of racing a FORD...Found On Road Dead!)

Happy Birthday to Carson! #10!

2009-07-07T08:15:00.000-07:00

Our adorable only grandson, Carson, had his 10th birthday last week! All the family were at PCB and we had a fun party for Carson at one of his favorite places, Shipwreck Island Water Park. I can't believe he is growing up so fast! I always love it when he has his birthday because for one month he and his sister, Katie, are the same age! They were born 11 months apart so they are both 10 until July 27th when she will turn 11. Katie thinks she will be going to the Middle School department at church soon but Papa and I are having second thoughts on whether or not we are going to let her grow up this soon after just coming into the world as our first grandchild! Then, our only grandson, Carson, is coming up right behind her growing way too fast as well! What happened to all the babies we once had? We LOVE our grandchildren! As I write this today, Katie and Carson are on their way to Children's Camp with FBCW and the best children's workers on the planet! They will have a fabulous time....and we will have an 'adult week' at the beach. A little sad, but when they return at the end of the week, they will have so much to tell us that they will make up for lost time!

The SBC

2009-06-26T10:53:00.000-07:00

It's finally over! I am so very proud of my little husband. He did such a marvelous job presiding over the convention. It was tough getting started since he had never been in that exact position before, but once he was accustomed to 'what he was doing', he relaxed and was not nearly as tensed as in the beginning. We thank everyone for their prayers because we know that is what has gotten us through this last week. Our friends have been faithful to pray for us just as they had promised and we truly thank you. I am posting some pictures from the week. I can't begin to tell you how long the days were and how exhausting it all was! You will notice that the blogging stopped once the convention got started because there was absolutely no time for anything.....not even much sleep! However, God is faithful and we made it through! Now....we know a little more of what we are doing.....look out Orlando.....here we come.....June 2010.....and then.....we're DONE!!

He is such a handsome President!

Much more at ease with the Press Conference than last year

The overwhelming vote in favor of the Great Commission Resurgence and the authority for the President to appoint a task force to report at the 2010 Convention gathering in Orlando

Those screens were BIG!

Tie his hands and he can't talk! Ummmm, I haven't tried that...but I won't...will I?

The great FBCW choir and orchestra was so very supportive and kind to travel to Louisville.

In cooperation with Larry Jones and Feed the Children hundred of families were given food, cosmetics and personal items. Next year, the goal is to send 50 tractor trailer loads to Orlando for distribution by Southern Baptists.

Husband was re-elected for another term as President of the SBC

He's such a fired-up little preacher!

A sermon a day.......sometimes two!

Singin' to Jesus!

Newsong....are they great or what???? We just love those guys!

Good Morning!

2009-06-22T05:38:00.000-07:00

Early morning breakfast in our suite for a meeting of the minds with the attorneys, parliamentarians, etc. preparing for tomorrow's session of the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention

Greetings!

2009-06-22T05:35:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the SBC President to the meetings of the Hispanic and Native Americans preparing for the SBC.

It's Sunday in Louisville, KY

2009-06-21T19:07:00.000-07:00

It's Sunday and we're off! First stop was Johnny preaching at the COSBE conference (Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists). Then it was greeting the worship service for the delegation from First Baptist Church, North Mobile, AL. After that worship service, Johnny and I hosted a President's Luncheon for all the heads of the different SBC Committees. It has been quite a day already and it is only 3:00pm! I can't wait to see what is next!

I Just Couldn't Help It!

2009-06-21T18:25:00.000-07:00

With the few minutes I had that you could consider 'free time', I could not help but go make a quick geocache find! There is was....right on the front porch of the Cracker Barrell. I knew it was a micro....the hint was LCJ....after waiting 20 minutes for the muggles to be seated, I was able to go over to the newspaper stand for the Louisville Courier Journal and under the newspaper box was a magnetic key holder with the log to sign! It made my day!! I was able to take a two mile walk finally getting out of the confines of the building, take in some humid, hot fresh air and feed my geocache addiction! It was great! Now back to the convention.........

Go 98!

2009-06-20T18:56:00.000-07:00

Well....I am in Louisville being the supportive wife of the President and had to miss the race tonight! I hear that all of Woodstock was in Senoia, Ga. for the PASS South Race watching the 98 speed to victory! Well, maybe not a winning victory, but at least it was 4th place. My really good friend, Derema, granddaughter, Katie and darling daughter, Deanna texted me throughout the race giving me a play by play of each move of the car. My other darling daughter, Hollie and precious niece, Lindsey, texted me rubbing it in that they were there and I wasn't! That was cruel! Speaking of cruel.....this larger than life cut-out of me and Johnny is supposed to be used at the convention this week and we look like giants! However, you'll notice we are giant 98 fans even in Louisville, KY! Next race is at our all time favorite track....Greenville, SC on July 3. Now back to the convention!

More!

2009-06-20T18:54:00.000-07:00

More interviews, block parties and outreach events in Louisville! What a day!

LoveLoud & Feed the Children

2009-06-20T08:29:00.000-07:00

Our day began early this morning doing press interviews and attending a great Crossover Event partnering with Feed the Children. Around 400 boxes of food were given at just this one location and several more were taking place at the same time around Louisville. Larry Jones from the Feed the Children Organization was on hand and the picture below is him interviewing Johnny about the SBC LoveLoud Project.

The SBC Annual Convention

2009-06-19T13:20:00.000-07:00

Getting Ready for the SBC....Louisville, Kentucky

Watch it live online at www.sbc.net. Johnny preaches the closing message of the Pastor's Conference on Sunday night at 7:45pm. The Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention begins at 8:00am on Tuesday, June 23. Dr. Johnny Hunt, President of the Southern Baptist Convention, Presiding.

Got Gas?

2009-06-19T13:17:00.000-07:00

Can you guess what is happening here? Of course, she said it was Taylor's fault!

June Family Day!

2009-06-15T05:31:00.000-07:00

Skeletal remains of a dolphin!

Boating Beauties!

Yes...the Hunts, Carswells and Hixsons are as usual a very busy families, but not too busy to take a day out with the family! Our family outing this month was while we were at Panama City Beach for the youth camps. Johnny and Pete were there to speak at some of the sessions and Jake and Deanna were there for.......the summer. Our friends in PCB have a great boat and they took all of us out for a day of fun to an island that has absolutely nothing on it and nobody! It was fabulous to be there on that deserted island with not a care in the world.....not even the SBC!! At least for a day....now back to real life. I trust you are praying for us this week as we prepare for the annual meeting of the SBC. Pray especially for my husband as he leads the convention meeting next week. The Convention begins on Tuesday morning. Ready or not, Louisville Here We Come!

Highlights from PCB

2009-06-14T18:35:00.000-07:00

I think they would be male and female feet?

Beach Bunnies!

On Saturday morning I took Katie and Carson to a Fishing Clinic for Kids in PCB. It was very educational and lots of fun! At the end of the clinic, they gave each child a fishing pole, tackle box, books about fishing and fish identification, fed us all lunch and it was totally free! We didn't catch any fish but it sure was fun and a great memory maker.

A day of boating at Crooked Island was the highlight of our week in PCB.

What a cute little family having fun at the beach!

It's a True F-O-R-D!

2009-06-14T18:23:00.000-07:00

The 98 was truly a F-O-R-D! Fastest On Race Day!! We WERE the fastest car in the field and won the pole, HOWEVER, as racing goes....we didn't win the race!! The PASS South series does a redraw for the top 10 qualifiers and they draw for their final position in the race and we drew the number 8 which means we started the race in the 8th spot. It was difficult getting to the front and at one time on a restart we even ended up in 11th place! However, when all was said and done at the end of the race we had managed to work up to 3rd place! We would have loved to win that one, but we were happy with the 3rd place finish considering all things during the race. But guess what....there is always another race and another possible win!

We didn't win the race, but, of course, we went geocaching and found it! They really are EVERYWHERE!!!

Of Course, I Did!

2009-05-29T11:57:00.000-07:00

Of course, I went geocaching in Argentina! However, I was wondering if it was really going to work out and yeah!!!! I went to the most interesting place yet geocaching! It was the Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires. They say it is one of the most visited sites in the world. I have never been any place like this before. It was a very very old cemetery where lots of famous people from around the world are buried....or not really buried....they are in coffins right there where you can see most of them (not the people, but the coffins!) Lots of statues and a great place for photography but of course, I didn't have my good camera trying to travel light!! We saw where Evita Peron is laid to rest. In the first picture, the cache was located at the end of the aisle of tombs....the second picture shows me trying to climb on Millie's leg to reach the cache...and the third one shows us holding the treasure! Inside the cache was a travel bug that originated in Germany and traveled to Argentina via Peru. I took it with me so it could travel to the US. Its goal is to travel around the world and back to Germany. We had a wonderful time in Argentina, but now back to life in America..... tomorrow.....ON TO THE RACES IN JACKSONVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA! GO 98!!!!!!!!!! However, I'll see you at church on Sunday!

Timothy+Barnabas Argentina 2009

2009-05-29T11:39:00.001-07:00

The trip to Argentina was a great event to say the least. We held a Timothy+Barnabas Conference at the Word of Life facility and it was well attended and the pastors and wives were so kind and really seemed to enjoy everything. As we arrived in Argentina, we had to all wear a mask because of the flu epidemic around the country. That was a sight to behold with all of us wearing those masks! At the conference was a famous soccer player that scored the win for a well known game between Argentina and Brazil...I can't tell you what his name is but anyone from Argentina or Brazil certainly can! He gave a great testimony of how he came to Christ and the mission work he is now doing around the world. Also pictured is me with my good friends, Vickie Flockhart, Sylvia and Mirta whose husbands are the directors of the Word of Life Argentina. The last picture......well, I don't know who they are, but aren't they cute??

FOREVER PLAID, "The Heavenly Hit Musical"

2009-05-29T11:34:00.000-07:00

That was great fun! Last week we went to see the musical, "Forever Plaid" at the Cumming Playhouse and it was so fantastic! Our friends, Gary Modlish, David Wise and Shane Cole were all in it and I can't say enough good about it. You need to go and see it for yourself. Great entertainment and great musical talent. It will be playing there until June 28th.

Kidz Place

2009-05-29T11:26:00.000-07:00

Katie and Carson were able to perform last week at the Kidz Place program at church last week and they were sooo absolutely adorable! Carson did a great job on his solo and just loves to sing, dance and act. He is quite the little entertainer. Denise Kissee and her team do such a wonderful job with the Kidz Place Ministry and I really believe that I enjoy it more than the children do! (I am just glad I don't have to take part. Definitely a 'spectator' event for me!)

Addie's Kindergarten Graduation!

2009-05-14T21:01:00.000-07:00

Happy Graduation Day to Our Precious Little Addie!! She is now going to Kindergarten!! Oh My...They Grow So Fast!! I would love to be in her classroom next year to hear what earful she will give her teacher....Lucky Lady!

So Busy..................

2009-05-12T07:16:00.000-07:00

So busy he can't see straight! That is how busy my Mr. President is lately! We are at the beach trying to rest up for 'what is to come' and the weather man found out I am here! We have been lots of places where it should have been great beach weather and I haven't found it yet! Yesterday I was able to spend the entire day on the beach and it was glorious!!! Then the cat must have gotten out of the bag and told someone that I was at the beach and the weather turned bad AGAIN!!! Well....we came here to rest and rest we shall!! But it will not be in the sun, apparently!

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-12T07:05:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day was so much fun! We went to the Georgian Club with all the family for the buffet and ate entirely too much but it was great! I am so grateful for a happy, loving family! Thank you children and husband for a nice Mother's Day.

A Good Dog...but Large!

2009-05-12T06:56:00.000-07:00

We couldn't end the day on Saturday without stopping by and saying hello to the Granddog, Buster (the Mini Golden Doodle). He is growing at a rapid speed and gets cuter and cuter all the time. It is amazing how much Hope and Addie just love this dog and he certainly loves them too....even though they can be as rough as him! As for the other Granddog, Belle (the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel), I stopped by to see her on Saturday and she was prissing around the house taking care of things while Jake and Deanna were away and very happy that she could finally go outside and ......................

Happy Birthday, Hope!

2009-05-12T06:47:00.000-07:00

Saturday continues.......and then Hopie was EIGHT YEARS OLD! I can't believe that precious little one is already 8! And growing up to be a little lady! It really seems like a couple of years ago we were finally bringing her home from the hospital, at last! We had her birthday party at Stars and Strikes (bowling and activities center in Dallas, Ga.) and it was definitely a hit for the kids and loud for the adults!! BUT...what Hopie wants...Hopie gets....thanks to Papa! We decided when the grandchildren came along that we would not buy birthday presents for the grandchildren but we would pay for their birthday parties. So whatever they decide to do for their celebration is what we give them as our gift. Happy Birthday Hope! We love you with all our hearts!

And then it was Saturday!

2009-05-12T06:41:00.001-07:00

After the race, we drove through the night to get Katie back for her annual dance recital. She was so cute, and quite a dancer, I must say! It is always entertaining to see these cute little girls do their dances they have worked on so hard during the year and the music is always great. The leaders do a great job of organizing so many girls and making it an event that truly does glorify the Lord in the dance. Congratulations on a job well done!

Wild Race Night!

2009-05-12T06:32:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a wild race night it was! We finally had a Friday night race so Johnny was able to go with us. After leaving Myrtle Beach it was on to the Raleigh, NC area to the Wake County Speedway. Lucas, from Argentina, Johnny's new mentee, went with us for his first experience with the "family obsession" of racing! He really liked it, believe it or not! And, oh my! It was a crazy race! We qualified 2nd but drew the starting position of #6. We finally took the lead with 20 laps to go after a long battle and many cautions and double file restarts. However, a car issue enabled us from keeping the lead and we finished 3rd. It wasn't the finish we wanted (we wanted to win!) however, it had to be one of the best races we have ever had (other than our wins, of course!) The competition was stiff, the driving on Justin's part was excellent and the race was HOT!! Jacksonville, NC is the next racing town.

Not just geocaching....

2009-05-12T06:26:00.000-07:00

We really do something other than go geocaching! We have fun doing other things as well. For example, we went to the Children's Museum in Myrtle Beach and the children had such a good time, they didn't want to leave. We'll have to start a tour of children's museums in all our travels as well. Carson really liked the bubble maker...especially when we discovered you could get inside of it and put yourself in the bubble! How fun!

While in Myrtle Beach....

2009-05-04T21:38:00.000-07:00

This time it is Pete and Hollie who are on a cruise and Deanna and I (along with Katie) are keeping Addie. We are all in Myrtle Beach this week for the Jubilee Conference. While Jake, Deanna and Johnny are busy with the conference, we are busy with.....you got it...Geocaching!!!! However, at the end of this week we'll be doing the other best thing in all the world!!! RACING!! Wake County here we come, but first, Myrtle Beach and more geocaching!

While in Wilmington.....

2009-05-04T21:05:00.000-07:00

My brother, Greg, and my sister-in-law, Julie, went on a cruise this past week and Maddie, Lindsey and I shared responsibility of their three children, Blaise, Dalton & Maranda in Wilmington. It was an extremely fun time and you know what we did for extra entertainment while there??? You are right!! Geocaching!! My favorite new past-time....other than RACING which nothing can take the place of! I am still a loyal race fan and I'll catch you up on that saga later. Earlier in the week, I kept Katie and Carson while Deanna, Jake and Johnny went to Branson for the Jubilee conference. Those little monkeys were so busy with school, dance, guitar, Kids Place practice and homework that we never did get to do any geocaching at the first of the week so it was great to finally get out and hunt in Wilmington. I manage to find some 'newbies' for the sport everywhere I go. Have you tried it yet? Next stop...Myrtle Beach!

Brief Visit to California!

2009-05-04T17:29:00.000-07:00

The Mission Inn in Riverside, CA is a fabulous place to stay even though it was only for 1 night! However, while I was there, my sweet sweet friend, Pam Agee and her husband, Bill provided transportation for me and Johnny and Pam and I were able to go out on a 'geocaching trip'!! Are you surprised? The surprising part is that Pam actually went with me and could not believe the lengths I would go to in order to locate this cache! I did find something that I had never found before....the belongings of a seemingly homeless person! That was so sad...however, she must have found a home because the items, according to some of the logs I read on the site, had been there since January and seemed untouched! The next morning after our hunt in the bushes of a very strange place, the local headlines of the newspaper read: "Beware, Snake Season in California!!" Thank you, Jesus!!! We saw none!!!

Mega Metro Conference in Colorado

2009-04-22T16:27:00.000-07:00

We have had a great few days here at the beautiful Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs for our annual Mega Metro Conference for Pastors and Wives. It is wonderful to get together with good friends and discuss ministry issues and helpful ideas to take back with us to our places of service. The weather has been outstanding and the fellowship even better. You know you have really good friends when they consent to go "geocaching" with you in the Colorado mountains in their heels dressed for a luncheon at the Glen Eyrie Castle! We walked and walked...went across a stream (after taking off my shoes and socks and rolling up my pants legs) but when I got to the next stream it was much deeper than the rolled up pants were allowed to take on and we were still .1 of a mile from the cache so we turned around and went to the luncheon without locating the cache!! What a bummer!! However, through the ordeal I was able to hook two more newbies to geocaching...Jena Floyd and Leigh Lowery. They are such great troopers and great friends. BUT!!! The next day, we were able to go out again and located two caches! This time, Leigh, Lilliana Lewis and Bobbi Jackson went with me. They are pictured with our find, "The Wise Guy". It was an owl in a tree with the cache underneath. A great find and a great time on the hunt. If you haven't tried it yet, you're missing a great fun time.! We leave for California tomorrow morning. More later......

Easter....He is not here..HE IS RISEN!

2009-04-16T08:49:00.001-07:00

A picture from the Empty Tomb! He is ALIVE!

Happy Easter to everyone!

Hickory, NC

2009-04-16T08:37:00.000-07:00

The Pass South race in Hickory, NC didn't turn out so well for us this past weekend (our first and hopefully last DNF in quite a while) because of strange car problems but we did get to find two geocaches in Newton, NC very near the Hickory Motor Speedway. Yes! They really ARE everywhere! We carried a travel bug from FL to GA then to NC who is trying to visit all 50 states. We were able to contribute 2 states to the growing list of places he had been. That travel bug already had the two hardest behind him, Alaska and Hawaii! We trained another 'rookie', Derema. Lookout Mark....she's hooked now!

Spring Break 2009

2009-04-16T07:57:00.000-07:00

Spring Break or Spring Cleaning?? Well, it has to be done regardless of when we choose to do it! Yes!! That is my handyman/preacher doing the windows! And you thought he didn't have it in him! You will notice at in the last picture that he made us for all his hard work on the windows later that day on the beach with his new book which BTW is great! His new book on leadership is fabulous....of course...just look at him! Even though the weather was not hot like we like it, we still had a very good time. Quite a few friends were there for the week. We even got a little geocaching done while we were in PCB.

My Favorite Animals!

2009-04-16T07:47:00.000-07:00

My Granddogs, Belle and Buster are the sweetest little animals! Yes...I said little, but of course there is nothing little about Buster, he is just young but a very good dog. Belle is always so good that we question whether or not she is really a 'dog'! Belle is a Cavalier King Charles and Buster is a Mini Golden Doodle. This picture was taken last month at our March family night when Jake cooked out steaks for us on the grill. Yummy! Jake is a great cook. The monkey is my newest animal friend, Somba. She lives across the street from our condo at "The Monkey Shack", of course! She is just a baby but I hope when she grows up she thinks I am her best friend! Did you know I love monkeys?

Go 98!

2009-03-22T13:36:00.000-07:00

Second Place! Not bad for the first race of the season...but if the guy who came in first had not come from Maine to race, we would have won! I guess we just have something to look forward to ...a win, hopefully very soon....like maybe the next race?? The race car was HOT!!! Fun racing!

Finally! It Has Arrived!!!

2009-03-21T07:15:00.000-07:00

Any of you who know me very well know exactly what I am talking about....RACE SEASON!!!! YEAH!!! It has been a long winter and time to get back to the 'other life' of fun and challenge....racing! In the picture, Addie and I are listening to Race Talk Radio and the interview with Jake concerning the upcoming race season as a car owner. Who says that grandmothers cannot influence grandchildren without candy and toys!! Addie is a true race fan and this is proof! She HAD to listen to the broadcast with me! Even when she was a baby she would sit with us at Dixie and intensely watch the cars go around the track. She inherited the love for racing and I am so delighted! Deanna, Jake, Katie, Carson, Lindsey, Taylor and ADDIE left Thursday for the race this weekend......I am leaving....in just a minute!!! DILLION MOTOR SPEEDWAY...HERE WE COME!! (A few tidbits about Dillion, SC....1. That is the town where Johnny and I married 38 years ago! 2. We had a win there last year. 3. With this information, Dillon is definitely a winning town...it was a winner for me. If you pray for cats and dogs, you can pray for our race car to have a great finish tonight! GO 98!)

Visitors from Vietnam....

2009-03-21T07:07:00.000-07:00

A delegation of official government visitors from Vietnam came to First Woodstock this past Sunday and we were afforded a delightful lunch with them. They were extremely cordial and seemed to have had an enjoyable experience while visiting the U.S. Their trip included visits to Nashville to meet with denominational officials to explore the Christian Church in America since some of the churches in Vietnam are now able to meet with permission from the government. Our Timothy+Barnabas Ministry was able to send some gifts home to their family. In conversation with them, I asked what type of items they had purchased for their wives to take back to them and found the answers very interesting.....shampoo to computers! We hope to see them again,

I can't help it!

2009-02-24T21:36:00.000-08:00

I can't help it! I just love monkeys! This is Dr. Irvin, the monkey who visits the physically & mentally challenged....I guess that is why he is visiting me and I love him! It goes back to my childhood when I had a pet monkey in my early teen years. I am not sure what I have in common with primates, but they love me, too! (Don't bother posting your comments about that one!)

The Birth of New Geocachers!

2009-02-24T21:28:00.000-08:00

Oh my! Even the grandchildren have been bitten by the geocache bug! I can't keep those kids out of the woods! This was their first find along with Katie's friend from church, Elizabeth. We have been twice since this photo and we are having a blast climbing steep hills, going across creeks and dodging the thorn bushes! They are the little Carswell98ers!

Geocaching!

2009-02-10T22:16:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been Geocaching? Now, that is great fun and adventure! If you haven't heard of Geocaching, you should go to the website and check it out....www.geocaching.com. Today Hollie, Katie & I went on our first Geocache adventure with our expert Geocachers, Brenda and Terry. We had such a great time on our treasure hunt and I can't wait to go again! My own personal handheld GPS is in the mail!! (No, Katie is NOT blind...the stick was just too handy when walking and poking around in the leaves!) Thank you Brenda and Terry for the fun, fellowship and starter instructions for the beginning of a new hobby I can do here, there and everywhere!

52 Years and Counting!

2009-02-03T20:23:00.000-08:00

We had the pleasure of celebrating with our sweet friends, Bernadine and Wes Cantrell as they celebrated their 52nd Wedding Anniversary Monday night! They are a wonderful couple and it is clear that they are still very much in love with each other! We so very much enjoyed celebrating with them and spending the evening together. Happy Anniversary, Bernadine and Wes!

Another President?

2009-02-03T20:11:00.000-08:00

Are all of our friends the President of something? It looks that way! This is Ed Litton, President of the Pastor's Conference of the SBC for the 2009 Annual Meeting. Ed is also Pastor of the FBC of North Mobile, AL. His sweet wife, Tammy, was a good friend of mine and was killed in an automobile accident in August 2007. We really miss her. Ed preached at our church this past Sunday night and did an incredible job! We love Ed Litton!

Joy is Back!

2009-02-03T20:01:00.000-08:00

I am so glad that Joy is finally back in town!!! I have really missed her! Joy Goodwin Wilson's husband, Brad, has graduated and they are currently in Canton, at least for now. She is such a great photographer, as she trained under one of the best I have ever known, being Faith Sims! Johnny needed some new photos made and Joy was kind enough to meet us after church on Sunday (since Johnny was dressed in his Sunday best) and took some great shots of him! Who knows, you may see him one day on the Wall of Presidents in Nashville! If you need any type of photography done, Joy is WONDERFUL...and I am sure she could use the work!! Joywilsonphotography.com

A Wonderful & Fun Family!

2009-02-03T19:51:00.000-08:00

We are long time friends of Ricky and Dr. Cathy Morris going back to our Wilmington days. It was great to share a dinner with them on Saturday night. They are a wonderful family! It has always amazed me how Ricky enjoys being at home with the children and even home schools them while Cathy has a practice in Internal Medicine and is a fantastic doctor. Also, Ricky is a g-r-e-a-t cook! Definitely a 'jack of all trades!' Thanks for the wonderful meal and great fellowship!

Happy Birthday, Judy!

2009-02-03T19:39:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday! While Johnny was at the Men's Conference......I was celebrating with my friend, Judy Thomas! Happy Birthday, Judy!

6,000 Men?

2009-02-03T19:31:00.000-08:00

I have never seen so many men in one building in all my life!! That was a sight to behold! And of course, Johnny wasn't even nervous about it all! I was scared for him though. My husband is the greatest guy in all the world. The men at the Temptation Island Men's Conference were so fortunate to sit under such a Godly man as he. He is truly a 'man after God's own heart!' Another conference this weekend with another packed house! I love my husband!

Thank Heaven for Little Girls and Donna C. and Katie D.!

2009-02-03T09:39:00.000-08:00

Thank Heaven for Little Girls....and Talented Friends without Grandchildren! Donna Cheek and Katie Deese are a God-send!! Little Addie wanted to have a tea party for her birthday and Donna and Katie volunteered to do everything! They did such a fabulous job! Right down to the personalized tea cup/cup cake with cookie saucer with each child's name on the saucer! It was the cutest thing I have ever seen! These picture do not do justice to the beauty of it all! Donna even had the girls spellbound with a story about a little girl having tea with the Queen....and of course, the queen was her grandmother!!! I knew it!! The girls all had such a great time and I believe that Katie and Donna did too (even though they worked tirelessly on the project!) THANK YOU KATIE AND DONNA not only for a great party, but for loving little Addie and little Hope like you do! (You too, Mr. Cheek!) A little hint: I think they would consider doing this again....for you and even at their house in their ballroom! Just ask! Of course, there may be a small fee...but well worth it!

2009-01-30T12:16:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday, Addie!

Five years old today

She loves her papa...such a brown-noser!

Two....of the Many Presidents!

2009-01-22T23:26:00.000-08:00

It was our pleasure to attend a conference this week with a group of missions pastors from some of our SBC churches from all over the country in Ft. Myers, Florida. We had a great time with them and it was also nice to be with Dr. Jerry Rankin, President of the International Mission Board. Another President, Dr. John Cross, President of the Florida Baptist State Convention, came and visited with us as well. It is always good to see John....excuse me, Dr. Cross! who is STILL single!

Back to Work!

2009-01-22T23:14:00.000-08:00

Now that all the celebrating is over, it is time to get back to work. We saw our first snow this winter as we made our first trip to Louisville, Kentucky to make plans for the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in June. However, we didn't see the snow in Louisville, it was in Cincinnati, Ohio the same day, after we had our meeting at the convention center. We flew from there for a VIP visit to the Creation Museum for lunch and a tour of that fabulous facility. It is well worth taking time to go through if you are ever in the area.

And Then It Was Christmas!

2009-01-22T22:53:00.000-08:00

And then it was Christmas.....Wes Cantrell dressed like a little girl and sang "Happy Birthday, Jesus", had Christmas parties, took a 'girl trip' to New York, had more Christmas parties, Hope broke her ankle, Hope didn't break her ankle after all, celebrated Christmas with the family as my brother, sister-in-law and their 4 of their 5 children and son-in-law (I won't tell you who the son-in-law is!) spent Christmas with us and we had a GREAT time! Gave birth to another Granddog....a large Granddog! But cute Granddog! And then went to Gatlinburg, again! And recuperated!

Senior Staff Christmas Retreat!

2009-01-22T22:46:00.000-08:00

We have too much fun! That is how you describe our Staff Parties! Our Christmas party was held 'retreat style' as we went to the Ranch for an overnight Christmas celebration thanks to our dear friends, Ann and Mike White, who so graciously hosted us. We rode all- terrain vehicles, played ladderball, of course, ate, ate, ate, made fun of Jim, played Dirty Santa with gag gifts, experienced some of the most beautiful scenery in Georgia/Tennessee/Alabama, watched a dog pull a stump out of the lake all by himself and had a blast!

Thanksgiving 2008

2009-01-22T22:31:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was the best yet! Lazy days on the beach, Katie and Carson taking salsa lessons (the cutest thing I have ever seen!), literally spending hours watching turtles hatch and being with my family for the entire week made a fabulous Thanksgiving!

Okay! Okay! I'll Try!!

2009-01-22T22:18:00.000-08:00

Okay! Okay! I'll Try! But I can't promise you anything! Updating after this long is not easy, but I'll give it a shot! The last post was on my birthday and a lot has happened since then, but too much to write about so I'll just give you a briefing of what has happened since I turned 55!! The next milestone event for me was the celebration of our 38th wedding anniversary. Johnny and I celebrated in Mexico the week before our annual family vacation at Thanksgiving. We had a great time together with friends in Punta Mita, Mexico. I am sure you know this by now, but I have the greatest husband in the universe!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-11-05T12:19:00.000-08:00

I had such a great birthday yesterday! The best thing about it was that I was given the opportunity to do anything I wanted on this day, WITH MY SWEET HUSBAND!!! It began with a visit to Jivan's Wellness Spa! I have told you about it before. The greatest place earth for a massage, facial, etc. I had a 2 hour massage! Have you ever heard of such? Then it was off to a great lunch at Atlantic Seafood Restaurant. After that, we went shopping! Yes, shopping.....of course, I made Johnny stay in the car (I am sure he talked on his phone) while I went in a few stores and purchased some 'necessaries'! It was like having my own personal chauffeur while I shopped! We then picked Katie up from dance lessons and went to Deanna's for a yummy, yummy steak dinner by chef Jake on the grill and then roasted marshmallows, of which I was not very good at! The family all presented me with great gifts (the best thing about a birthday) that I just loved! Here was the most interesting gift of the night.....Jake knows that I am in the market for another car so the gift from him and Deanna....a new broom!! No joke! It was such a fun night with the family! I have now reached another double digit milestone! However, the bling helped to ease the pain!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T09:05:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! We have escaped the ghosts and goblins and have found 'sweet serenity' at PCB! The weather is here. Wish you were beautiful! Happy Trick or Treating!

October Family Night!

2008-10-30T21:20:00.000-07:00

Our October Family Night was great..again!! Papa Johnny was so good to us and treated us to the perfect October treat of going to see "Wicked" at the Fox Theater. It was fantastic! Before the show, Mary Mac's Tea Room was the hot spot for the family dinner. I don't have pictures of us because I thought the battery had died in my camera, but actually, the battery was in the camera the wrong way! Oh well, Hollie had her 'new' camera so maybe she'll post some of us 'in the act'! It was Deanna's month to choose the place for the party and she did good! Next month we get to have a Family Week rather than a Family Night and it will be held in Mexico!!!! I can't wait!! We'll be celebrating our 38th anniversary and Deanna's 30+ birthday!

What will she say next?

2008-10-28T19:49:00.000-07:00

This child never stops making us wonder where she came from! You never know what she is going to say next! Last week Hollie had her hearing checked. The doctor said that she needed to have one of her ears checked further by the ENT doctor which is not totally abnormal for a child her age. Addie was asked if she had a hard time hearing just some of the time or all the time and she replied, "I can't hear on Wednesdays and Fridays"! She also said that she is not smart during the week but she is smart on the weekends!

MiMommy Time!

2008-10-22T15:10:00.000-07:00

I finally got to be MiMommy again! Hollie and Pete went to Gatlinburg for their Church Staff Retreat and I was able to keep Hope and Addie while they were away. They were very good! They are getting older which is good and bad! They are easier to handle but growing too fast! It was certainly different for me having to get up at 6 am while it is still dark! I was outside seeing my precious Hope onto the school bus in my bathrobe every morning and I still can't believe it did that, but, it is so dark that time of morning that all I had to do was not turn on the porch light and the bus driver would never know it is not Hollie! Then, the challenge of little Addie getting ready for school and deciding if I am going to let her wear what she chooses or not! Of course, I let her wear what she wants, after all, I am leaving on Wednesday and I AM the MiMommy and can get away with things like that. I don't believe it ever really hurt a child to wear clothes that don't exactly look good together anyway. Hollie can deal with her when she gets back! We have had a great time this week doing all the fun things like getting Halloween costumes and going to Chuck E. Cheese. Yes. I do find those things fun. After all, I AM the MiMommy!

We are definitely spoiled!

2008-10-22T14:53:00.000-07:00

What a way to travel. This has definitely spoiled us! It is just like the Lord to provide just what we need but only when we need it. In all of our years of ministry, we have never had people offer such generous resources as we have had in the last few months! The "Presidency" hasn't changed our schedule tremendously because you can't be away but so many days in a week anyway, but travel in planes such as this certainly makes dealing with the travel so much easier and less tiresome. BUT, there IS a consequence of taking advantage of such gifts.....you get very, very spoiled!!! I dread to think what life will be like later! But in the meanwhile, we will just thank Jesus for His generous followers! Last week Johnny spoke at Thomas Road, Liberty University, Noonday Association, Southern Seminary, Southeastern Seminary and a ministry banquet! A bench was purchased at Southeastern Seminary in our honor last year. We now have a Chair, Bench and Furnished Room at SEBTS! We love that place, especially our sweet friends, Danny and Charlotte Akin who it was great seeing last week.

And you thought I had passed away!

2008-10-22T14:24:00.000-07:00

No! Just VERY busy! We have been soooo busy that we just HAD to get in some 'alone time' for just me and the husband! We were scheduled to go to a foreign land, but our visas were denied which left us with a week that there was nothing on the schedule and it was a GOOD thing because the schedule had just about done us in! Therefore, we spent a few days in Grand Cayman at the Ritz! It was just as fabulous as it sounds! We did nothing but rest and rest and rest! Never went into a store (or church!), except for the gift shop at the resort and didn't spend a dime! It is bad when you purchase something at the airport gift shop so that you don't have to put $0 on the Customs Form entering back into the US because you didn't purchase anything, so I spent $15! (The $0 always looks suspicious when Grand Cayman supposedly has such great stores for shopping, but who needed to shop?.....we needed rest!) The "bed of roses" was a gift from a friend who is an Executive with the Ritz Carlton. She knew about our upcoming anniversary so that was a special touch! (We were at the Ritz Carlton downtown the night before our flight so we had two nights of roses! I need to give her the keys to my house!)

Jubilee-Gatlinburg '08

2008-09-30T20:28:00.000-07:00

Jubilee in Gatlinburg is about to come to a close! This conference is such a blessing to so many senior adults. It is so funny to watch as the doors open 1 hour before the start of the session and see the 'runners' for each group take off as fast as they can to save seats for their group as the rest, some with walkers that actually break into a run, come along behind them as quickly as possible to get a seat close to the front! They are evidently not the 'back row baptists' but the 'front pew fundamentalists!' Jake does such a marvelous job putting together this conference for around 6,000 adults in Gatlinburg. Our next trip to Gatlinburg will be for his Xtreme conference for the teenagers which will include about 20,000 of them right after Christmas. (He is sure a brave human being!)

Johnny with Ricky Skaggs

What I think about the Fair.....

2008-09-30T20:16:00.000-07:00

The fair is NOT for people who are on a diet, do not want to be turned upside down or tossed around until you want to throw up! However, I really enjoyed being with the kids and seeing friends at the fair. The three girls were the highlight of my night! Carson is not pictured because he was too busy being turned upside down and tossed around too fast for the camera to take his picture! I actually was able to get in two years of the fair in just one night! We arrived early and stayed until they closed....I mean closed as in the lights were out!!! Next year I'll be able to stay home, probably with Johnny!

Halloween already?

2008-09-30T20:11:00.000-07:00

Indiana Jones and the Candy Corn Princess! How cute!!

I can't believe my eyes! It's Barney & Betty with Fred and Wilma! (Disney World must do strange things to your mind for Jake Carswell to do that!)

Baptist Press

2008-09-23T20:26:00.000-07:00

The SBC President's Address: You can listen to it at www.bpnews.net

Happy Birthday, Lindsey!

2008-09-23T20:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Belated Birthday to Lindsey!!!

Tonight at Disney's 'Not-So-Scary Halloween Party'...Taylor has hair, again!