An Old Hit...With A Spin On It.

Steve was sent this you tube clipping. A Sammy Davis, Jr hit....with a spin on it.

Needed Time Off

On Wednesday May 20th I flew out of Seattle on Southwest Airlines and headed to Chicago. I was able to spend six days with my sister. It was a lot of fun in many respects.

On Thursday I went to work with her and was introduced to all of the people she works with and I was given a tour of admin. Teri works with a lot of nice people and the school she is in, is huge! After introductions, Ter put me to work. Can you believe it? Ter was in charge of putting together a Staff Appreciation Luncheon and I was volunteered to assist her. I was happy to help. We had fun setting up the staff lounge, arranging the food tables and setting up the cookie trays and pop coolers. Teri went all out, with blue and silver table clothes, and stars for centerpieces (their school mascot is the North Stars).

Late Friday afternoon we packed up the TrailBlazer and off we went to Western Iowa. We had a small family reunion planned, but it didn't turn out exactly liked we had hoped for. My Uncle Terry had a heart attack on Wednesday and was flown to Creighton University of Omaha. He was scheduled for open heart surgery Friday morning.

Saturday morning we got up and visited with some family and then headed to the hospital, with my folks, to go visit my Uncle. He looked good and was doing as well as could be expected after having a double bypass. We didn't visit long, but it was good to see him. Later that afternoon we headed over to my other Uncle's house.

Uncle Frank and his wife built a house a few years back on some lake front property. The house was amazing and the view is to die for. To my surprise I was able to reunite with my step-cousins, who I had not seen in over 25 years.


On Sunday, we got up, had some breakfast, and then we all boarded Uncle Frank's pontoon boat. The boat was full and away we went. It was a blast. The lake is feed by the Middle Racoon River. The deepest part is only 23 feet deep, but in most places only 3 feet deep.

After the boat ride, we packed up our belongings, took some family pictures and headed back to Teri's.


Memorial Day was relaxing, Ter took me over to Borders so I could purchase a gift card for my niece's birthday, then we had lunch at Penora's which was yummy, and then we went grocery shopping. In the evening Teri and I played a couple games of Scrabble and then finished the night off by watching a movie with my nieces.

Tuesday was spent at the hospital because my sissy had to have a procedure done and then before I knew it, it was time for me to head back to the airport. The weather had turned bad, so my plane left the gate 50 minutes later than it was suppose to. PTL! though, the pilot was able to get us off the ground safely and even managed to get us into Seattle before the original arrival time.

Steve and Levi picked me up at the airport and we got home around 2am. Wednesday was spent cleaning out rooms and sprucing up the place. We wanted everything to be in order because we had a visiting missionary, from Samoa, and his family staying with us for the evening. But, by the end of the day, there were still so many things I still needed to do. So, I decided to stay home one more day.

Thursday was not spent indoors like I had planned, but instead I spent 7.5 hours outdoors mowing the lawn, racking and trimming shrubs. Steve had six piles of debris to pick up when he got home. Thankfully, Vicki came out later in the afternoon and took charge of a few shrubs and whipped them into shape. The grounds look a 150% better.

Well that is what I have been up to for the last week. Now it is back to the daily grind of things.

God's Grace is Sufficient

There have not been to many times I have been asked to give a devotion, so you can imagine my surprise when I was asked to bring a devotion at Amber's Bridal Shower. Immediately, I said, "oh my, uh, well let me pray about it". Well I prayed about this opportunity for a week and was led of the Lord to say "yes". I think I would of pretty much said yes to begin with, but the feelings and different thoughts that went through my mind and body, at that very moment, were fluently speaking "no".

I know that all I needed to do was be a willing vessel and then let the Lord do the rest; but just thinking about standing in front of the ladies (of whom I knew) caused me to have a shortness of breathe, a dry mouth, and swelling of the throat.

So on Saturday, May 16th by and through God's grace I stood before Amber, and the ladies attending, and gave a devotion that was God directed. The devotion was entitled "To Leave and To Cleave". I had three points: The Vows, The Unity Candle and The New Name". My text was Genesis 2:24, "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh."

I think the most amazing part of the whole devotion was the overall calmness I had after I prayed and began to speak. Sure, I was still nervous, but Sherri had to die to self to let the Lord use her. And, I believe that is exactly what he did. The devotion went well, it wasn't to long and it stirred the ladies hearts. Amen!

I had asked just a few ladies to pray for me and I must say, I felt their prayers! I know it was the prayer that was lifted up on my behalf that went before me that afternoon. Thank you!

Our American Idols

Memorial Day is much more than a three-day weekend that marks the beginning of summer. To many people, especially the nation's thousands of combat veterans, this day, which has a history stretching back all the way to the Civil War, is an important reminder of those who died in the service of their country (www.history.com)

Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day because it was a time set aside to honor the nation's Civil War dead by decorating their graves. It was first widely observed on May 30, 1868, to commemorate the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers, by proclamation of General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of former sailors and soldiers. On May 5, 1868, Logan declared in General Order No. 11 that:

The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land. In this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit (www.history.com)

So this Memorial Day, take a moment and remember those who have given their life for our country so that we may have "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Hapiness".

Cougar vs Bear

This is some amazing footage.

Tiny Bubbles

A new dog grooming place opened up in November of 2008 called Tiny Bubbles Pooch Parlor. Steve and I have been toying around with setting up an appointment for Levi.

Steve and I are pretty loyal and faithful customers especially, when it comes to our regular dog groomer. Last week Levi was scheduled for his 8 week grooming appointment, but when I got to the Groom-mobile, (this is a dog grooming facility on wheels) the vehicle wasn't there; Levi's groomer was no where around. Immediately, I thought that we must of had the day mixed up, since we usually set his appointments up on Friday's. But when we tried to call the business all we got was the message machine and a series of fast beeps. Hmmm. We tried for a few days with no success.

In the meantime, my little Levi was looking shabbier and shabbier. So, Steve and I decided to call Tiny Bubbles and set up an appointment for Levi to be groomed. Well today was the day and Levi was taken over to Tiny Bubbles.

This was not an easy step to take because Levi is my baby and I just don't trust him to anyone. Well as you can see from the picture, he survived. He is kind of snubbing me right now because I left him with a stranger, but he'll be get over it (+/- 24 hours).

The gal who groomed him did a good job. Levi's ears are a little shorter than I like, and a bit uneven, but Levi can get wiggly at times. So I can imagine trimming his ears is not an easy task.

In the meantime, until Steve and I can figure out what happened to Levi's normal groomer, we may have to keep bringing him back to Tiny Bubbles. At least it is right around the corner from my store.

Mom.....You're One of A Kind to Me.....

Nobody's Like You, Mom

Nobody's quite like you, Mom.

You're special in every way.

You cheer me up, you fill my cup

With tenderness, come what may.

Nobody loves me like you, Mom.

No matter what I do,Good or bad, happy or sad,

You support me; You always come through.

Nobody's equal to you, Mom.

With you in my life, I'm blessed.

I love you so, and I want you to know

I think you're the very best!

By Joanna Fuchs