Passion for Marketing

Jessie is taking Fashion Marketing this year, and I am loving the class.  I am also loving all of the projects (except for the pumpkin purse - that one stressed me out a little).  One Saturday we were out and about and Jess announced that she needed supplies for a shoebox window display.  Three stops (Target, Hobby Lobby and JoAnn Fabrics) and $36 later, we had all of the supplies for her to create this masterpiece.  I was grumbling about spending so much money and half my Saturday.  I told her that she needed to tell Mrs. Anderson that she is very lucky that I have such a passion for marketing.  Jess got a kick out of that.  I have a feeling that she probably went back and reported those exact words to Mrs. Anderson.

Geek Chic!

 Yes, I do work for an eyewear company.  And, yes, I will be purchasing her a pair of frames to wear as an accessory.  Fred thinks it is an unnecessary cost.  I think that I would rather use my employee discount and get her a real pair of glasses, so that she will stop popping the lenses out of the 3-D movie theater glasses.

Just Say Cheese Please!

Seriously, the older he gets, the less cooperative he gets.  He believes that getting his picture made is pure torture.

Mother of Mothers

I am finding that I absolutely love being a part of the Young Women's program.  I thought that Jessica and I would be stressed out having this time together, but we are both enjoying it. 

Today wouldn't have been complete without a Christmas lesson.   The YW leaders were each given a different section of Jeffrey R. Holland's talk from 1977 to read.  As a mother, I found myself very touched by his description of Mary.

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“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and [she] wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and [she] laid him in a manger.” (Luke 2:6–7; italics added.) Those brief pronouns trumpet in our ears that, second only to the child himself, Mary is the chiefest figure, the regal queen, mother of mothers—holding center stage in this grandest of all dramatic moments. And those same pronouns also trumpet that, save for her beloved husband, she was very much alone.

I have wondered if this young woman, something of a child herself, here bearing her first baby, might have wished her mother, or an aunt, or her sister, or a friend, to be near her through the labor. Surely the birth of such a son as this should command the aid and attention of every midwife in Judea! We all might wish that someone could have held her hand, cooled her brow, and when the ordeal was over, given her rest in crisp, cool linen.

But it was not to be so. With only Joseph’s inexperienced assistance, she herself brought forth her firstborn son, wrapped him in the little clothes she had knowingly brought on her journey, and perhaps laid him on a pillow of hay.
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As I think of Jesus this Christmas Season, I'm also thankful for the love and labor of Mary - the Mother of Mothers.  Thank you, Sister Zollinger for giving such a beautiful Christmas lesson today.

Here Comes Santa Claus

Christmas is coming... whether I'm ready for it or not.  I have a ton of shopping left to do.   My house is a mess.  My laundry is piled to the ceiling.  There have been church commitments every night.  Work has been exhausting every day.  The kids haven't assembled and decorated their gingerbread house yet.  My Christmas cards aren't getting mailed until Monday.  I thought they would go out today, but my address labels are  held hostage at work.  I didn't get a chance to print them before I left on Friday.  The worst part?  I had to delete my aunt's name and address out of the file.  I cried. 

I wish that we had an extra week before Christmas.  I wish that I was more organized this Christmas.  I wish that we had our Aunt Judy this Christmas.  However, regardless of what I wish,  I know that my family is blessed!  I know that I have a lot to be thankful for.  And, I know that Christmas is coming... whether I'm ready for it or not! 

The Fortenberry's wish you all a Merry Christmas!

I Like to Move It!

I saw this picture and immediately thought of that song... "I like to move it, move it"

That should be Jonathan's theme song!

Baking With The Beehives

I am trying to learn my way around my new calling.  Last week, we worked on our Personal Progress by baking and cooking treats.  We made cookies and caramel marshmallow treats that were so rich they would knock you on the floor!  I made these recipe cards for the girls to take home with them.  I really need to work on my crafting skills.  I think I will be calling upon them often!

They are the sweetest girls ever!  We used our the evening as an opportunity to develop new skills which allowed us to pass off one of our requirements under Knowledge in our Personal Progress book.  

We tried putting peanut butter cups down in our chocolate chip cookie dough.  A few of them fell apart.  I think they especially enjoyed eating the rejects! 

I am looking forward to getting to know these girls better!  They have such sweet and beautiful spirits!  They are fun and crazy, and will remind me to slow down and laugh more.  

New Beginnings

In our church, we have what we refer to as callings. A calling is an opportunity to perform a service within the church. It is your “job” in the church. You don’t choose your calling. It is given to you by the Bishop. I was explaining this to a friend at church, and he was really struggling with the concept. I was trying to explain that it isn’t taken lightly, and that everything is prayed upon. He wanted to know why I couldn’t pray to find out what my own calling should be. I’m not sure if this is true for everyone, but I don’t think that I would listen intensely as I should. For instance, I loved teaching the Sunbeams. Because I loved that calling so much, I would have taken that as a sign that I should stay there for the rest of my life. I wouldn’t have taken the opportunity to search and out and figure out where I should be next. Plus, everyone issuing their own callings would cause complete chaos within the church! 

I had been a Visiting Teaching Supervisor for well over a year, so I knew that I would be released soon. It was one of those dream callings. It was a behind-the-scenes kind of callings. No one saw me. I was not in front of a class giving a lesson. I compiled a report each month. That is all there was to it. Easy as pie. I loved my calling. It played to my strengths – organization and compilation of data. It also gave me the opportunity to share my testimony each month of the Visiting Teaching program. I believe so strongly in the Visiting Teaching program, and loved the opportunity to move the program along in some small way.

All good things must come to an end. So, now I move on to a new and exciting chapter in life. I have been called as the Young Women’s 2nd Counselor. I will be working with the sweet little Beehives (12 and 13 year olds). I was given this calling the day before my aunt died. I had so much on my mind that I was kind of numb when I accepted the calling. Had I been in my right mind, I would have spent a week with my stomach in a knot. Luckily, I had too much going on to spend very much time worrying about this new calling. This is one of those callings that I had always hoped would NOT be mine. I have always worried that I don’t possess the qualities that would make a good Young Women’s leader.

I have only been on the job for a week, so I still have a lot to learn. The calling isn’t as scary as I thought it would be. The girls are super sweet, and I am so lucky that the Beehives advisor is Susan Dunn. She is wonderful, and I know that I am going to learn a tremendous amount from her. This calling will definitely keep me busy. In addition to Sunday church and Wednesday night activities, there seem to be a plethora of meetings. However, I know that if I just try my hardest that it will all come together and our family will be blessed. Earlier this month, Fred was called as an eleven year old assistant scout leader. So, it seems, that you will not be able to reach the Fortenberry’s on Wednesday nights.

Why?

On Monday morning, Heavenly Father decided that it was time for my Aunt Judy to go back to her Heavenly home.

Why would He choose her? That one is easy. She was the most Christ-like person that I’ve ever met in my life. I don’t mean that she was always quoting scriptures or talking about Jesus. I mean that she was good and virtuous, and lived in a manner that was pleasing to Him. So, of course, Heavenly Father would choose her.

Why did He make her suffer? That is the harder question. I have given this one quite a bit of thought. When I see Him, I’ll probably ask Him about it. Until then, I can only guess. Judy had already lived a courageous life. I was learning lessons from her long before she ever got sick. I don’t think that she had a whole lot to learn from her cancer. I can only guess that the lessons were ours to learn. I think we all took away different lessons based on our experiences. For me, I have a deeper understanding of love, serving others, gratitude, spirituality, bravery, and humor in the face of adversity. This experience has made feel closer to my Mom, Auntie Jan and cousin Tammy. How can something like this not bring you closer?

Judy had a beautiful spirit and blessed the lives of all that knew her. She will be missed.

Giving Thanks

November, usually a month to focus on gratitude, was filled with heartache.  There were trials that seemed almost too big to overcome, and they seemed to be hitting us from all sides.  While my Aunt Judy's last days were coming to a close, our immediate family was hit with our own trial.   There have been many lessons learned these last two weeks.  I think we are all stronger, wiser and better people for what we've been through.  Judy's funeral was on Wednesday, and I couldn't bring myself to celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday.  Not to mention, I think we were all exhausted. 

We postponed Thanksgiving, and celebrated today.  We had Mom and Dad over for lunch.  Fred cooked most everything, and did a wonderful job.  I find that it is better for me to let him cook.  He spends the entire time critiquing the food.  I would rather him critique his own food.  It hurts my feelings when he critiques my food.  For instance, he asked me to make a mini-Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday.  He spent the entire time complaining about the sweet potatoes.

I am so glad that we celebrated Thanksgiving today.  I am very focused on gratitude today.  If we had done this two days ago, I wouldn't have been quite ready.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving from the Fortenberry's!

In Loving Memory

Julia Ann Bond’s courageous battle with cancer ended on November 22, 2010 in Greenville, Texas. Judy, as she was known to her loved ones, was born on July 21, 1943 in Bonham to H.E. (Jack) Bond and Christine Taylor Swanson.

Judy is preceded in death by her father, Jack Bond and her baby brother, Bobby Jack Bond. She is survived by her mother Christine Swanson, son Harold Self, daughter Tammy Prince and son-in-law Randy Prince. She also leaves behind her beloved grandchildren Christopher Self and Cheyanne Prince. She is also survived by her sisters Regina Bond Forthman and Janet Bond Kast along with her brother Jackie Bond. Judy also leaves behind her sister-in-law Sue Bond and two brothers-in-law, Don Forthman and Joseph Kast, both of whom she loved like brothers. In addition, she leaves her nieces and nephews along with her friends and neighbors at The Villas Apartments.

Judy truly loved life, and could give us all lessons on how to enjoy each moment. She adored her family, and especially enjoyed spending time spoiling her two grandchildren. One of her favorite pastimes was collecting Elvis memorabilia, and listening to her Elvis CDs. She liked participating in all of the activities with her neighbors at The Villas. Judy was a friend to all, and eager to lend a helping hand.

We would like to thank Judy’s VistaCare Hospice Team, and Dr. Stringer and his staff for the excellent care provided during her illness. Thanks also to those that offered their constant support in her last days. Judy left this earthly world knowing that she was loved.

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I have so much that I want to write.  For now, I am just posting her obituary.  I wrote this piece for the printed program at the funeral.  I am not a writer by trade, and I really struggled with wanting it to be perfect. 

Life Lessons

We learned last Friday that my Aunt Judy's earthly trials are nearing their end.  We were initially told that it would be about a week.  My family is very close (especially the women), so for my kids it will be more than losing a Great-Aunt. 

I called Miss Jessica out to the living room first.  She didn't take the news very well at all.  There have been lots of tears.  Lots of sadness.  We've enlisted some professional help, and I think (or at least hope) that we are fortified enough to weather the storm when it hits.  It is going to be very hard.  Jessica has a very big heart, and she certainly loves all of her aunts very much. 

Jonathan, on the other hand, was frustrated and put out that I had inconvenienced him.  He wanted to know why I had interrupted his game.   I thought that was an odd response (to say the very least).  The next day, I went shopping and bought him some new clothes for the funeral.  I mentioned to him that he would need to make sure that his shirt was tucked in at the funeral (he often lets his shirt go untucked at church).  He asked my why I kept saying that she was going to die, when she might not really die.  I explained that her body was shutting down.  He just couldn't accept that as an answer.  He reasoned that there could be a miracle, or that she could get well, or that they could find the cure in the next day or so.  The subject really frustrated him.  I tried bringing it up the next day, but he cut me off immediately letting me know that we were not going to talk about the subject unless I could be positive. 

This is the part of life that you wish you could shield your kids from.  There is no easy way for them to learn the lesson of dying.  They both know that she will be going to a better place, but it doesn't ease the pain of losing someone. 

I am going to miss her sweet nature and beautiful spirit.  I'm going to miss her voice.  I hope I can always remember her cute little voice.  The way she said  "Thank Yee" or how she used to pronounce Jessie's name Jesk-ik-a.  I want to remember how I would visit Grandma, and she would grab my arm and we would walk next door to her apartment.  There was always something there she wanted to show me.  I love that I can go into her apartment and it looks like she has four grandkids instead of two.  She has pictures of my children all over her apartment. 

If we could all strive to be a little more like her, the world would be a beautiful place.

How Do You Solve A Problem Like Jonathan?

Jonathan was reading a book called Hitler Youth for his non-fiction book report last week. His class checked the books out on Monday and the book report was due on Friday. As you can imagine, he had to boogy and get it done. Quite frankly, the deadline was almost unfair. Jonathan had started the book Monday night. On Tuesday evening, I asked Jonathan if his teacher had given him any time to read the book in class. He replied that he had finished reading the entire book in class. He exact words were, “I read the whole book, I just forgot to move the book mark.” Upon examination, I noticed the book mark sat in the exact same location it had been on Monday night. We quizzed Jonathan on the nature of the book, and he could only tell us what happened in the first two chapters. Nice try, Buddy! I’m not sure how he thought he was going to complete his book report with only two chapters under his belt.

After getting to the bottom of the Hitler book, I began going through his notebook. He told me that he did all of his homework. I said, “Really?” His reply was, “Yes. Well, all of it except for my spelling and math.” Basically, he completed a reading passage and that was it. He spun the story, so that it sounded like he was almost done.

So, I finally got through the homework drama, and I opened up Jonathan’s behavior chart. For the first time in several weeks, I notice his chart was signed. Darn! He was on such a roll. What on earth could he have done? In red ink, I read the words, “Reading during math.” I decided that perhaps he really did read some of the Hitler book. So, asked him about it. Nope. He was reading his new Percy Jackson book. This is the second time in a week that one of his teachers has taken the book up from him in class. His punishment? We grounded him from taking the book to school. Have you ever heard of such punishment?

The entire night I found myself humming How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria from the Sound of Music.  The nuns had to send Maria off to the Von Trapp family.  What does that mean for Jonathan?

Remembering To Be Thankful

Yesterday was a long, hard day. Everything seemed like it was more work than it should have been. Last night, I stood in my kitchen having a hard time remembering anything good that had happened. I happened to be staring out into my living room where my meager little fall display caught my gaze. “Give Thanks” rang in my head, and I told myself that I needed to find something right that second to be thankful for.

Try as I might, I couldn’t think of one thing to be thankful for. How horrible is that? I have one million wonderful things in this world to be thankful for, but I couldn’t see past my rotten mood. Even more frustrated, I thought again, “Seriously, find something to be thankful for, right now!” You are totally thinking I’m crazy, aren’t you? Anyway, a little tiny voice in the back of my head came up with this one little solitary thought…

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. – John 3:16

And that, my friends, is what I found to be thankful for on Nov. 9, 2010.

Ranch Life

A couple of weeks ago, our 5th graders went to Sky Ranch for three days.  Initially, there was an over abundance of female volunteers and only 5 male volunteers.  Fred and I were on the fence, and weren't sure if we were going to send Jonathan to Sky Ranch.  We weren't sure if this was a setting that would allow him to be successful.  I took the lack of male volunteers as a sign.  If Fred went as a chaperone, we thought it might be possible for Jonathan to succeed.  Then, came the question of funding.  We ate a lot of mac and cheese, so that we could send them off to camp!  Our budget had already been hit hard with several unexpected expenses, and an extra $300 didn't help!  It was well worth the sacrifice.  Both Fred and Jonathan were blessed by the experience.  Plus, it allowed Jess and I to spend some time together. 

Bus Ride:  Fred said that it was the longest ride ever.  He said that the bus had one speed - SLOW!

It looks like so much fun.  Jonathan and Fred spent a good hour recounting to me everything they learned.

 Jonathan is listening very intently.  He was quite nervous about riding a horse for the first time!

Jonathan riding a horse for the very first time.  Through clinched teeth he said, "Get me off of here, now!"  Once he got over his initial fear, he was okay.  He reported that his horse must have been new, because he didn't know what to do.

Jonathan enjoys archery.  We've done archery at Twilight Camp with the Cub Scouts.

Zip lining was Jonathan's favorite activity.  He had a blast on the zip line

I am so thankful that we changed our mind and sent Jonathan to camp.  Fred and Jonathan had the opportunity to make memories that they will carry with them forever.

Flight of the Bumble Bee

As I mentioned before, Jessica didn't spend Halloween with us.  In fact, we later learned that she didn't even change into her costume!  Friday was costume day at school, so she did wear it then.  Of course, I was running out the door in a hurry, and didn't take any pictures.  I thought there would be plenty of time on Sunday.  I'm learning that teenagers are very UNPREDICTABLE!  I did manage to obtain this blurry self-portrait that she took in the school bathroom.  I am the mom that used to stand in line at The Picture People for three hours to get my kids' pictures taken in their Halloween costumes.  You can't imagine how disappointed I am!

Excuse Me, But Halloween Just Threw Up in Your Yard

This post is for Fred.  These are pictures of his favorite Halloween house. Every year, the girls take the kids out to trick or treat, while the guys hand out candy.  When we get back from our excursion, the guys head out and visit this house.  The man that lives here takes Halloween very seriously.  Fred, Dave and Abie got the 411 on how it all happens.  I guess the guys met his parents last year, and asked a lot of questions. A week before Halloween, he takes everything down from the attic and starts testing it.  His parents said that they come in a couple of days beforehand, and they work together for an entire day or so getting his yard decorated.  So, here is the end result.  It is quite impressive!

 Okay, so this part looks a little bit like Halloween threw up in their yard!

 I like Justin Pieces.

Doesn't everyone need a pumpkin head hanging from their tree?

Oh, and don't forget the freaky clown!

You gottta love it when lawnmower man's legs move.

Originally I posted:  I have no idea what this has to do with Halloween, but it is super cool!

Since my original post, Fred has informed me that this is a tunnel to hell.  I guess I don't watch enough horror movies.

The End of a Halloween Era

We have come to the end of an era.  I told the kids that this would be our last Halloween.  We had a good run, but the kids are getting older.  And, let's not forget that it will be a long, long time before Halloween falls on a weekend again.

For the last several years, we have been celebrating Halloween in Allen with the Garstka/Turner family.  Debi's family dropped out this year, because they had to have the girls back in Waco that evening.  That left Jessie without any teenagers to hang with.  We ended up dropping her off at a friend's house.  I didn't even get a picture of her.  She was a bumble bee.  Let me tell you.  It was quite the task getting her a costume.  She had to have a store bought costume.  No homemade costume would do for my girl.  The teen costumes were so inappropriate.  We had to buy leggings to wear under the bottoms, and a jacket to wear over the top.  By the time we were done, I have no idea how much we spent on that little bumble bee costume!

In order to fortify our bodies for the long night of trick or treating, we started off with a delicious bowl of chili.  I was quite the talk of the night, it seems they had never seen anyone eat around the beans!

Those tattoo sleeves look hot on Joanie!  I think she should consider making that look permanent!

After dinner, Susan and Joanie decided to get into the Halloween spirit.  Well, I'm not sure if they decided to get into the Halloween spirit or if Angela and Gina forced them to get into the Halloween spirit. 

Ally, Madison and Jonathan

The three cutest kids in the entire world

Chef Dave

Fred decided to try out Jonathan's mask

While the rest of us walked, Jeremy decided to ride an ostrich. 

Little Rylie kept asking "Daddy, why you ridin' a duck?"

I took this picture with the flash on, so you can clearly tell that it is Jonathan.  However, in the dark you couldn't really tell what was sitting in the chair.  We would direct the kids to go over to Jonathan and take two pieces of candy.  With his hairy hands and mask, they couldn't tell if he was real or not.  Just as the kids would get ready to take their two pieces of candy, Ally would pump fog at them.  Jonathan and Ally had quite the ghoulish set up going!

As always, thank you to the Garstka and Turner families for always making us feel welcome.  We love you all!  We had a blast!  I wish that Halloween could always be on a Saturday night, so that we could keep doing this every year. 

Mad Skillz?

I am a thinker.  I am always thinking.  It drives Fred crazy. 

A couple of weeks ago, we had the missionaries in our home.   They looked at Fred and asked him about his interests.  Of course, fishing was top on his list.  Then, he followed it up with several other interests.  I sat there hoping they wouldn't ask me.  Sure enough, they turned and asked me next.  Darn!  I stuttered and stammered.  Outside my family, my career and my church calling, I really wasn't sure that I had any interests.

After they left, I started thinking about it.  See!  What did I tell you?  I'm a thinker.

Photography?  Could that be an interest?  I did buy a nicer point and shoot camera last year.  I'm finally venturing off of the automatic setting and heading on over to the manual setting.  But, is it really an interest?  It is getting harder and harder to get my subjects to cooperate.  I find myself taking fewer and fewer pictures.

Cycling?  I bought a book on cycling.  I even researched street bikes.  I found the one that I would like to buy should the funds become available for Christmas.  However, let's face it. I only have two days available to ride.  I am not a serious rider.  I am like the 8 year old that gets to go out and ride her bike on the weekend.  Nothing more.

I don't bake or sew.  I'm not artistic.  I'm not sporty.  I seriously don't have any interests. 

Well, there is one secret interest. 

Do I even dare mention it?  It is kind of embarassing to admit.  I would like to learn how to write.  I have always admired writers.  One of my favorites is Kristin Carlson - she used to work for Nouveau.  I used to marvel at her work.  Long before I started this little blog, I wished I could write like her.  Never did I dream that I would start a blog and actually enjoy writing.  I looked into a class at Collin County Community College, but it involved sharing your stories with the class. Ummm.... I don't think so! 

For now, I won't be learning any new mad writing skills. 

But, at least I realized that I really do have an interest.

**I think this should be my official "before" picture. This is before I lost 12 pounds.  Check out my hips in this shot!

My Girlies

This is one of my favorite pictures. It is my screensaver at work.  I have pictures of my kids wallpapering my entire cubicle, but these girlies get the honored spot of screensaver.  I like to remember that I can always count on them.  I can count on them to make me smile, laugh and to let me cry, if needed.

Everyone needs girlies like Tanya, Heather, Angela and Gracie.  They each bring something different to my life.

Tanya:  We can sit and talk about our kids for hours.  We both have kids that have additional needs.  Those needs tend to consume us.  It is nice to talk to someone who really understands.  We also talk religion.  Tanya is one of the smartest people I know.  She asks very insightful questions about the Latter-day Saint religion.  I love that she asks the questions, because she is curious and that she is interested in learning about the differences in other religions.   Never once has she turned the questions into a debate.  So many times, I feel that people want to know more about my religion, so that they can judge me.  Not Tanya.  She is simply interested in learning more. 

Heather:  I am probably the most uptight person in the group.  You just can't be uptight when you are around Heather.  She is funny and silly, and I find myself laughing so hard when I'm around her.  The kind of laughing where you feel like you've done about 150 stomach crunches.  I definitely let my hair down when I'm around Heather.   I should definitely try to be more like her!

Angela:  I consider her family.  She has been including us in her family celebrations for years.  It is a long story that I won't belabor you with, but we've been one big happy family for a while now.  I once thanked her Dad for always letting us hang out with his family.  He kissed me on the cheek, and said "Oh no, you ARE a part of our family."   It never hurts to have an extra family!  Angela is the mastermind behind our group.  She comes up with the great ideas like Ziplining.  And, the not-so-great ideas like Bootie Charades.  We love her!

Gracie:  I think that Gracie has the sweetest heart.  She is just so kind and thoughtful.  We should all strive to be more like her.  She and I have been sharing diet and exercise tips for years now.  Emailing back and forth our Weight Watchers tips.  We even shared a Weight Watchers log in, since I was already paying for it.  That is friendship right there.  When you let your friends see your weight history!  I don't know why, but that always seems to be what we're working on.  Why us?   I think we are also the ones that seem to be the most concerned about juggling personal and professional life. 

Each of these sweet ladies complete me in some way.   I couldn't imagine life without them.  Thank you for your influence in my life.  I love each of you!

Homecoming

How is my daughter old enough to attend a homecoming dance?  I just don't know.  Wouldn't you know it?  Homecoming fell on the weekend that I was out of town. 

She and I went shopping and picked the dress that offered up the least amount of cleavage possible.  I smiled to myself as she and I stood in the Macy's dressing room, because we were completely reenacting an episode of The Cosby Show.  I was Cliff when he made Vanessa jump, hop and dance in every direction to make sure that her boobs didn't fall out of her dress.  Thankfully, Jess went along with her crazy mother.  Usually, Jessica is not a "go with the flow" kind of child. 

Fred was the perfect Dad.  I gave him strict instructions on making sure that the kids were dropped off and picked up at the school.  He entertained them with DQ blizzards and chaperoned them while watching movies.  He also took plenty of pictures.  I just wish he would have pulled Jessie's hair out of her eyes!

The report back was that the dance wasn't nearly as fun as they thought it would be.  They didn't stay the entire time.  Fred received a call to pick them up early.

I wish I could have been there to see and hear it all firsthand!

How Great Thou Art

I have been blessed to grow up with wonderful female role models. When I was growing up, I always loved family get-togethers at my Grandma’s house. There was always lots of laughter and lots of love. My mom has sisters and I think it must be great to have sisters. Those sisters love me (and my children) unconditionally.

As I have mentioned before, my Aunt Judy’s battle with cancer is coming to a close. I’ve also mentioned her deep love for Elvis. I think you also know that I’m a sensitive soul that is known to cry at a moment’s notice. So, now you have all that you need to follow this little story.

I was with my girlfriends at a crafty-type store, and I wondered into a nice little room. It was filled with stuff that I knew that I would really like. There were plaques with inspirational quotes, angel figurines, and Jim Shore collectibles. My mom collects Jim Shore’s stuff, so I thought I would look for a birthday gift. My little ears quickly tuned into the CD player. Darned if it wasn’t playing Elvis’ rendition of Amazing Grace. I felt like I had been kicked in the gut. I moved out of that room as fast as I could.

Seriously? Of all the religious music in the world, why would they play Elvis? I hung out in the next area of the shop until that song was over. I moved back in, so that I could do some shopping. Oh, no. It couldn’t be that easy. The next song on the CD was Elvis’ How Great Thou Art. For real? I got so upset that I knocked over an entire stack of metal crosses. I had to exit the shop, and sit on the porch with my sunglasses on. The moment passed, but I don’t think that I will be listening to How Great Thou Art for a while.

I am so thankful to have grown up with these wonderful influences in my life. Although, it sure does hurt when you know that it is almost time to send one back to Heaven. I hope Elvis is preparing for the eventual arrival of his #1 fan!