A "Grand" weekend!

It truly was a "grand" weekend. I drove to Albany on Friday afternoon after work and met Jawan and family and brought Andrew (grandchild no. 4) home with me for the weekend. On Saturday, we went to the lake, fed the geese, looked for turtles, and played on the playground. Came home, ate lunch, watched a movie, and then went to the pet store to see the animals. After that, we went to Dairy Queen for ice cream and on out to Grannie's and surprised her with our visit. Came home, ate supper, watched "Water Horse", got baths and went to bed. Today, we went to church, and Andrew went to his own class and then to children's church. The last time he spent the weekend with me, he wanted to stay in my class and even sat on the piano bench while I played. I can see him growing up! After church, we went to What-a-Burger for lunch, came home and packed his suitcase, drove back to Albany where I had to give him back to his parents. It was such sweet time spent with him, and I hope to be able to do the same with Luke and Abigail eventually. So, my time this weekend was spent playing with and entertaining Andrew. Do you think the yard sales missed me? Nah. Hope all of you have a wonderful week. Until next time...Wanda.

Another "Found" Friend!!!

Gee, I'm so thrilled right now because I just got off the phone (a two hour conversation) with a childhood friend that I have not seen in probably 35 years. Her voice didn't sound the same, but mine probably didn't to her either. We really got caught up on children, grandchildren, siblings, parents, jobs, etc. etc. etc. I found her son on the Internet week before last, called him, told him who I was, got his mom's contact information and proceeded to try to reach her by phone. After three attempts, I finally gave up on that and just wrote her a letter. Well, when the phone rang tonight and I discovered it was her, I just knew she had gotten my letter and was calling because of it. But, no, she had not received my letter but had talked to her son! Now when she gets the letter it will be all "old" news. Oh well, a lot of facts will be in writing that she can refer back to if needed. Now I just need to talk to her sister, which should be happening in the next day or so. Friends are so precious, and I'm so glad to reconnect. This is twice this year that I've found someone from bygone days that meant so much to me. I must not let them get lost in the shuffle from now on as they still mean much to me.

I know I haven't posted in a while but have been busy with Vacation Bible School and other activities. Just haven't stopped or been motivated to sit down and write. I'm not even going to promise to try to do better as I never do. I'm still walking in the afternoons three times a week, yard sale-ing on Saturday mornings, attending church, planning Women's Ministry programs, working every day, finding "lost" friends (ha), reading, and whatever else comes along.

Happy Monday to everyone and have a wonderful week. Until next time...Wanda.

The Flowers of Life

I love flowers but just have to admire them from afar as I DO NOT have a green thumb to grow my own. But the flowers I treasure most are the family and friends that have been placed in my life -- some to bless me and some for me to bless. I've had a wonderful weekend doing just that. On Saturday morning, my friend Ramona and I went yard sale-ing as usual. Guess how much we spent!? $.0 How many women do you know that can go shopping and not spend a penny? We did go to breakfast afterwards but that didn't count in the shopping. I came home and did a couple of loads of laundry and then went to Mrs. Sons' (my mother-in-law) and sat with her from 1:00 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. It was a wonderful visit. We talked, played Scrabble, looked at scrapbooks, watched the golf tournament, ate, talked, etc. She seemed so pleased that I came and stayed with her, and I know I came home thanking God for my blessings. She is paralyzed from waist down since her back surgery a year ago, so she's dependent on someone else for all of her needs.

Today being Fathers' Day, I received a call from my oldest wishing me a Happy Father's Day since I'm the only parent she or Steve have left. ha. I've never gotten a Happy Father's Day wish before!! I hope my sons-in-law, Steve and Mitch, both had good days with their wives and children. Hopefully, one of these days Stuart will have a family as well.

Heidi, in case you read this (as you usually do), I am way behind on thanking you for all the comments you leave for me. You are precious and I appreciate your sweet words and thoughts. I am so anxious for Baby Girl Brasher to arrive, the house to get done, and you three really settle in. We'll just have to make a trip out to see all of your "new" things. ha. I love you and Brian, so be sure to give him a hug for me.

Lora Gail, you also read my posts, and I thank you for commenting as well. You are so good about calling me and I appreciate your following though when you think to do so. I'm ashamed of myself for not calling you. I love you and hope all is well with you.

Until next time...Wanda.

One of Six

It gets harder and harder to think up titles for these posts, but hopefully you'll get the drift by the time I'm through. I was blessed this weekend to have one of my six grandchildren spend the night with me on Friday night and all day Saturday. Steve had a wedding to perform on Saturday night, so he brought Emily with him to hang out with me while he took care of business and visited with his siblings. On Friday night, we went to McDonalds and got her some dinner, grocery shopped, and came home and watched a movie. On Saturday morning, I took her yard sale shopping with Ramona and me and everything I bought was for Emily. ha. Imagine that! After shopping, we went to Waffle House and had breakfast; then took her down to Cherokee Lake and walked once around it and saw five turtles on a log, several squirrels, and about four families of geese; came home and took a walk around my street; came home and watched another movie; played outside until the heat got to us; played on the computer; went out to her Aunt Sherry's to see her house renovations; ate a late lunch/dinner; got her bath; washed her hair; and had her all ready for dad when he returned from the wedding. They had to drive back home, and Emily left in tears. It was a bitter sweet moment -- I'm so glad she loves to come to my house and loves me so much, but it breaks my heart for her to leave crying. I'm sure by the time they were at the end of my street she was fine, as dad had promised her they would stop for ice cream. I love the one-on-one time I get to spend with whichever grandchild we can work it out with. My next one will be Andrew (age 4) sometime in July (I think) and maybe we can talk Luke (age 2) into a weekend before long. Today being Sunday, I have thoroughly enjoyed being in God's house, having lunch with the gang, coming home and napping, and back to church tonight. And, I'm looking forward to a wonderful week at work. Hope all of you had a great weekend. Until next time...Wanda.

Drawing a Blank

You guessed it, I can't think of anything interesting to write about. I do know that God is good and has blessed in so many ways this week:

(1) Jawan and family had a safe and fun trip to Missouri for a week of vacation;

(2) Angela and family made it through another school year, Steve's trip to Chili, and all the activities she is involved in;

(3) Stuart's work is picking up and he got to attend a Braves game with a friend;

(4) I've had a wonderful week as well working, walking with my friend, attending church, etc.;

(5) History has been made this week in politics, and I have to remind myself that God is in control; and

(6) Tomorrow is Friday and the weekend is upon us (yard sales!!!!!). ha.

We have much to be thankful for, and I plan to express my thanks to HIM before retiring for the night. I hope you will count your blessings and offer your thanks as well. So, until next time...Wanda.

Summer is here!

It's been in the mid to high 90's here all week, which tells me that in another month or two it will probably be hotter. Wow, walking in the afternoon really is a lot harder but I guess sweating can take off a pound or two as well. I've noticed they are installing beautiful decorative light poles around the lake on the wooded side, so I'm assuming there will be a lot of night walkers when it is cooler.

My week has been good - just really busy. Two bosses will be out tomorrow and one the next day, so it should slow down a bit. However, keeping up with four attorneys has not been too bad so far, and I love the challenge. As long as I can do it, they'll let me, which means job security, right?

I had another birthday this past week, and I'm thankful for every one of them. I got lots of cards, hugs, and gifts, which made me feel very special. God is so good for blessing me with a wonderfully sweet family and a bunch of crazy loving friends. The phrase "age is just a number" is so true. We can't do anything about our age number wise, but we don't have to give in to it. I certainly don't feel my age - may look it but don't feel it. Guess that's why so many people stay 39 for so long. ha.

Time to go something else so, until next time...Wanda.

Home Again!

Wow, what a weekend in Nashville! My friend, Dianne, and I (top picture) left on Thursday afternoon after work and drove to Montgomery, AL and, since it was already dark, got us a motel room and spent the night. We drove on in to Nashville on Friday morning (actually it was Friday aftrernoon before we got there). The sessions started Friday night and ended on Sunday.

The second picture above is Christian comedian Ken Davis, me, and Janet Paschal. Dr. Charles Stanley was there also, but I was not able to get a picture of or with him. Ken is so funny yet so inspiring. He did his comedy on Saturday morning and then brought the Sunday morning sermon. He is awesome! Janet brought the house down as well. She's always on the Gaither videos and can really belt out a song. I knew she had been battling cancer, but she shared with us that she had just gone to the doctor last week and got a clean bill of health! Praise the Lord!

The bottom picture (the man in the middle with the dark coat and blue shirt) is Lt. Col. Oliver North (click on the picture and enlarge so you can see him better). I actually got to shake hands with him, and he signed his book for me. What a testimony he has! I have a deeper respect and admiration of him after hearing him speak.

The music was fantastic: The Pfeifers, Voices of Lee, Greater Vision, Janet Paschal, Dennis Wilson and, of course, Legacy Five. It was entertaining, inspirational, and VERY patriotic. Before every session, a salute to the armed forces scrolled by on the screens with the National Anthem and other moving songs being played in the background. The veterans in the audience of 2,000 were recognized and applauded for their service to our Country for our freedom.

Besides the blessings from the sessions, just staying in the Gaylord Opryland Hotel was amazing. This was our second time to experience this, but it was just as exciting as before. You can hardly imagine so much being under one roof. We didn't leave the hotel the whole weekend as everything we needed was there -- restaurants, shops, boat ride (yes, right there in the motel!), pool and spa, etc. etc.

This was the last "trip" planned for the year (until I think of another). I am so thankful God has allowed me to do all I've done so far this year and has protected me from harm. He is so good!! It has been a quiet Memorial Day for me just running errands, stopping by a friend's house to visit a few minutes, and hanging around the house. I now have to face my bedroom where suitcases are still in the floor and the bed covered with "stuff". Yuk! I hate unpacking. Oh well, it's gotta be done. So, until next time...Wanda.

Out for Weekend

Since I'm gonna be gone for three days, I knew I better put something on here or I'd get reprimanded. ha. I just realized that some of the people who remind me I haven't blogged in a while don't blog themselves! What's wrong with that picture? You know who you are. ha.

I am in the midst of packing for the weekend as Dianne and I leave tomorrow after work for Nashville. Of course, we won't reach Nashville tomorrow night but will get about half the distance behind us. Besides it being helpful to break it up, it's fun to get to spend time with a friend with no distractions. We live two houses apart and hardly ever see each other and never visit. Most of that has to do with our jobs but it's still a shame that we don't see each other more often. It takes a trip to get us out of town to do that.

Why is it when you plan a trip that you either overdo or under do the packing? I always fall into the overdo category "just in case." This only creates more stress as you have to remember shoes to go with outfits, jewelry, purses, etc. etc. etc. At least I have made progress in the last year -- I now wear sandals with the toes out and without hose/knee highs. I still don't have pretty feet, but, as my sweet sister told me, nobody cares about my feet so be comfortable. I have discovered that there are uglier feet out there than mine, so I'm going for it!!!!

Since I won't be home until late Sunday night, there won't be anything else on here until at least Monday. Just letting you know that I'm not procrastinating - just won't have access to a computer. Until next time...Wanda.

Conference

I just got back last night from the Women of Faith conference in Jacksonville with my five other buddies. We had a blast being with each other and were wonderfully blessed by the speakers. It seemed to be better this year than last or maybe I just needed to hear what was said this year more than last. Whatever the case, it was great. Three of my friends had never been and are just raving about how good it was, how blessed they were, and how they can't wait for next year. Yes, it's going to be in Jacksonville again next year, so I hope we will have a much bigger group to go. With speakers like Patsy Clairmont, Luci Swindoll, Marilyn Mehberg, Sandi Patti, Sheila Walsh, Nicole Johnson and Max Lucado, how could you NOT be blessed. Plus, the music of Nicole C. Mullen was awesome. Not my kind of music but awesome anyway. It was geared more to the young set - very upbeat and loud. ha. But when she sang "I Know That My Redeemer Lives," wow, I got chill bumps!! Of course, Sandi Patti and Sheila not only spoke but sang as well and I love both of them. I came home tired and went to bed about 10:15, which is very early for me. However, when I got to church this morning, the rest of the group said they were dragging. Not me! I was rested.

Okay, the weekend is almost over and I have to shift gears and go to work tomorrow. I don't mind and even look forward to it. It will be another short work week for me, as Dianne and I go to Nashville this coming weekend for the Legacy Five annual Memorial Day celebration at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. The hotel is a treat in itself - like a whole city under one roof! After that trip, I have no other travel plans. Gee, I'll have to think of somewhere else to go!

Hope all of you have a great week. Until next time...Wanda.

Packin'

Six of us leave tomorrow morning for Jacksonville for the Women of Faith conference, so I'm washing, drying, ironing, and packing my little bag for the overnight stay. Everyone is meeting here at my house at 7:30 a.m., we're loading in the van, going to Hardee's for breakfast together, and then head out. It's only about a 2-1/2 to 3 hour drive, so we should get there, find our hotel, check in, have lunch, and still have an hour or two before the session begins at 7:00 p.m. We are all excited and should come home knowing a lot more about each other. Three are going that have never been before, so I'm really excited for them. Hopefully, they will come home with so much spiritual food and fun memories that they will share with others who showed no interest in going and maybe some of it will rub off. We won't be back until late Saturday night, so this will be my last post until probably Sunday. Hope all of you have a wonderful weekend and are in church on Sunday. Until next time...Wanda.

Tuesday Blessings

It's been another great day, although I'm pooped. I was in a dress and heels from 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. I had to play piano for Kerry's mom's funeral this morning, so I had to go dressed up to work. Then, tonight was my Women's Ministry meeting and I didn't come home after work but went straight to the church to decorate, etc. We had 13 ladies there, which disappoints me as we should have had 25 or more. However, my sister-in-law, Marge, did a demonstration of flower arranging using every day items (vegetable cans, weeds, pool noodles, cheese grater, etc.) and we all enjoyed that. We drew names to see who got to take home the arrangements and, believe it or not, I won one. I picked the top one one with the least amount of flowers as I am not good at keeping them alive. When the flowers in this one wilt, I'll replace them with artificial ones. ha. I think we all left inspired to do some on our own but, as I say, mine will be with artificial ones. It was fun and Marge did a great job. Until next time...Wanda.

Monday Praise!

I really feel that I don't have anything to write about that would be of interest to anyone, but I hate for you to click in and nothing be there. ha. I had a wonderful Monday and have had a very happy heart all day today just thinking about how blessed I am. It being Mother's Day weekend, I naturally thanked God for my children and the grandchildren they have blessed me with. I thank Him for life, for healing, for His presence, for His guidance, for extended family, for friends He has placed in my life, and a myriad of other things that make life so wonderful. However, at the moment, I know I am not pleasing Him very much as I should be in the other room having my Bible quiet time. It seems every time I head that way I think of something (see how Satan works?!) else to do and it keeps getting put off. I really prefer having the quiet time in the mornings before going to work, but I overslept this morning and didn't get it done. It makes such difference in getting the day started off right and on the right track all day. So, I must close this out and go do what I am being prompted to do - spend time with my Lord and Savior! Until next time...Wanda.

Here I Am Again!

I told you I'd get back to this soon, so here goes. This was Mother's Day weekend, and I've had a very good one. Stuart surprised me and came home for the weekend, and I've talked to both Angela and Jawan today. They are such sweet, wonderful children, and I am so blessed that God gave them to me. Last night Stuart and I watched some old home movies from 24 years ago, some made at Grandma and Grandpa Brasher's house in Mississippi and some made at Terry and Sharon's in Marietta, GA. Wow, how we have all changed! But it was so sweet to see on film my parents, brother and sister-in-law who are all in heaven now and reminensce about those special visits. It was fun to see the children who were then only 3, 6, 8, 9 and 15 years old who now have children of their own. Kinda made me feel old! ha. I'm sure there's a lot more that I could tell you here, but I'm gonna cut this short. I didn't get my Sunday afternoon snooze, so I'm feeling droopy. Just wanted you to know I'm still around. Until next time...Wanda.

A Day Early!

I said it would probably be Monday before I checked in again, but just had to do this while it was on my mind. I went to Angela's this weekend and had a wonderful time. The above is her family (minus Emily who hasn't joined them in singing yet) at the sing at their church Saturday night. I was privileged to sing with them as well but got no pictures of that. Today has been wonderful as usual. I drove back from Angela's early this morning so I could be in SS and church at my own. Had lunch with the usual bunch and then joined the friend who was supposed to have gone to church with me this morning and saw the TOSAC play. The friend's brother came into town unexpectedly, so she had to cancel out on church but has promised to go next Sunday. We thoroughly enjoyed the play and had a great visit catching up on mutual acquaintances. After church tonight, we surprised one of the youth who is graduating tomorrow from home school with a party in the fellowship hall. He is such a sweet, quiet, boy and was presented a really nice study Bible from the church. (He's the one who does my yards.)

I was so afraid I wouldn't wake up in time to drive home this morning that I hardly slept any at all last night. So, I'm about the drop. I'm cutting this short so I can head for bed. Hope all of you had a good weekend and are looking forward to the coming week. I am!! Until next time...Wanda.

AHA!

Bet you thought I had lapsed back into my old ways of procrastination, didn't you?! Just been busy at work, walking in the afternoon, and other things that had to be done (not to mention just resting). Keeping four attorneys happy at the office getting all their work out without any of them feeling like I'm showing preference to one of the others can get a little pressured sometimes. Needless to say, they keep me busy. One of them is about to be gone for two weeks, so I'll get a bit of a breather.

I'm excited about going to Angela's this weekend (leaving tomorrow from work). We will be singing at their church on Saturday night, and then I'll drive back here early Sunday morning in time to play piano for my church. It's been a while since I've gotten to sing with them and I'll probably be a bit rusty. But, Angela, Steve, Meredith and Ethan will probably do most of it anyway, which will be a real treat for me.

I have a friend/former co-worker who is going to church with me Sunday, and I'm excited about that. Her husband died several months ago, her only child lives in Atlanta, and she's alone. Hopefully, this will be the beginning of a renewal of our friendship. After church, we'll have lunch and then go to the T'ville On Stage theater production in the afternoon. I have forgotten the name of it but have heard raves about how good and funny it is. It will be a full day!

Until next time (which will probably be Monday)...Wanda.

Friends

I was blessed today to hear from another friend in Mississippi that I haven't talked to in a long time. What a joy! I have three friends from Mississippi who are truly that -- it doesn't matter how long we've been apart or how long its been since we talked, we just pick up where we left off. That is a real blessing.

When someone pops into our minds and we think of them several times during the day, that probably means we should call and chat. Friends are too few and far between to let slip through our fingers, and it only takes a few minutes to reconnect. I'm talking mostly to myself, because a lot of times I'll intend to send a card, visit someone, or call and just keep putting it off. The result? I've cheated both of us out of a blessing. So, I'm going to do better!!!!

My local friend and I walked our three miles around the lake this afternoon, so I'm tired. I still have a couple of projects to work on before bedtime and better close this out. Until next time...Wanda.

Chatter

For lack of a better title, as I have nothing in particular to report on tonight; just didn't want to break my chain of blogging. Today being Sunday and my favorite day of the week (besides those ending in "y"), it was a good one! Church this morning was very good, lunch with the church bunch was enjoyable as usual, and my afternoon was spent putting pictues in my Women's Ministry scrapbook. I really should have walked but the pictures were calling me, so I gave in. Tonight was another good service at church, and I came home and ate too much and am miserable. Guess that means I'll really have to walk lots this next week. Hope all of you had a wonderful day and look forward to a great week. I love my job, I love Mondays (and each day thereafter), and look forward to being busy. I have some folks I want to send cards to, calls to make, plans to be made, housework to be done, activites to participate in, etc. What else is new?! Until next time...Wanda.

Women of Influence

That's the name of the ladies' function I attended today with Debbie and Ramona at Angela's church. I came home inspired and encouraged to be more conscious of my influence on others. We all are, you know, whether for good or not so good, so it's very important that we remember that we are God's children and let others see Jesus in us through our words, actions, body language, attitude, integrity, dependability, punctuality, thoughts, etc. etc. Get the point?

The only part of the day that I wish would have been different is to have been able to spend more time with my daughter and family. Emily had a softball game and I only got to be with her about 10 minutes. Ethan, of course, couldn't attend the ladies' thing and I only got to be with him for about the same amount of time. However, Meredith and Angela thrilled my heart - Angela is such a wonderful pastor's wife, mother and daughter that I'm always brought to tears when I'm with her. Meredith sang a solo ("Come to Jesus") and that really brought my tears. I love her so much and am so proud of her testimony. I'm going back down there next weekend (Friday after work and stay until early Sunday morning and then drive home in time to be at my church service) as they are having a sing and we are the program. ha. It's been a while since I've sung with them, but I can hardly wait.

Ok, I have things to do - like pop some corn and watch "Water Horse" that I bought at the Christian bookstore this afternoon. Until next time...Wanda.

So Excited!

These are my buddies - Debbie and Ramona (always has her eyes closed in pictures - ha). They are going with me tomorrow to Angela's.

As I mentioned in my last post, a long-lost friend was found today. We talked for 30 minutes on the phone and would have talked longer but I had to get back to work. It was as though the years just melted away and we picked up right where we left off. Now that's a friend! She now lives in Texas, so I can't pop over and see her anytime soon. However, she's coming over this way sometime in the next few months, so we will work it out somehow to get together for a few minutes or a day or two of visiting. In the meantime, we'll keep the phone lines hot. She still talks 90 miles an hour, so there's never a lull in the conversation. That's one of the things I love about her - never at a loss for words. ha.

Hope all of you have a great Saturday! Until next time...Wanda.

It's a habit!

(Can you tell I'm still reminiscing about my California trip? Mickey let me try out his car!)

Well, it didn't take three weeks of doing this for it to become a habit. It seems that I'm drawn to this computer every night to write something! However, I really don't have anything to share tonight except that as I walked my three miles this afternoon, I counted my blessings and thanked God for his work in my life.

There is one thing I've very excited about. A dear friend that I had lost contact with over the years is about to be found!!!! Her daughter and my oldest were best friends when they were little, and the mom and I were as well. The daughter saw one of my children's picture/name on My Space and contacted them. So, tomorrow I plan to make contact with the mom and do some "catching up." These computers are wonderful!

I'm planning to go to Angela's on Saturday for a tea/brunch with her church ladies and am looking forward to that as well as seeing the three grandchildren I haven't seen in a while. Hope all of you have a wonderful weekend and honor God with the way you live! Until next time...Wanda.