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

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...

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

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

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!

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

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

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!!!!

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!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SEXY HUSBAND!!

Another Trip to the Dentist!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!