End Game, Watchnight

Our time together is coming quickly to an end and everyone is anticipating the travel to each respective home. Josh, Seth and I are going to San Antonio for the wedding and on to my parents afterward, returning to Amarillo on the third (23 hours). Cori, Nate and the kids are traveling tomorrow back to Milton, FL (18 hours). They will make it a two day trip going home since a late afternoon departure will not work on this side of the trip.


Seth arrived home last night after two weeks in West Virginia and will travel with us tomorrow to spend time with Joshua. Mama and the girls are staying in Amarillo since Mama hurt her back playing around with the grandkids and the girls are tired of traveling. Grandma Kline will be disappointed but we will make the best of it for everyone.

The weather is supposed to turn really cold tonight – lows in the single digits. But it will be dry for the duration of the cold snap. It will be a frigid New Year for the beginning of 2011. We will be with the church for the first part of the Watchnight service. None of us will be able to stay through the midnight hour because of the grandkids bdetimes and the travel required of us tomorrow, but we will get in as much as we can.

All of us living in Amarillo are due back at work on the fourth of January. I am the only one looking forward to it, the girls are not. l need to get things back to a sense of regular days and pinch back on the spending that we have been doing these last two weeks. I have a wedding to save up for – at least one.

Brittany and Joshua are leaving Amarillo on the fourth after Brittany gets back here late on the evening of the third. It ought to be a long trip (10 hrs) for them to get back to Hot Springs with both of them so thoroughly traveled during the Christmas break. They both knew what they were in for when they came for Christmas. I think they both have enjoyed it for the most part.

Charles and Becky are on their way home from Mississippi and Becky is supposed to be at her work at 5 p.m. tonight; no rest for her.

We are all excited about the coming year. We hope you are too.

Blake’s Birthday, Photo ops

Blake turned two years old yesterday and in true Grammy fashion we gave him a bithday party at Grandma’s house complete with birthday banners, presents, pizza and wings, and a shopping trip to complete his “Cowboy” theme.


He got a bunch of presents but his favorite was a group of three plastic animals – a pig, a cow and a horse. The animals were the perfect size for his hands. Each was about three inches tall and four to five inches long. He also liked a basketball hoop he got and some extra balls to go with it. The older kids – including his daddy and Joshua – had a lot of fun with that while he played with his farm animals.

The cake we got from Sam’s was great. It was covered with the pisture (in icing) of three horses running across the plains. When Grammy got the cake off of the shelf at Sam’s she showed it to Grant. He looked for a moment and said “I want that” in his deep two-year-old voice. He did not take his eyes off of it from then on. I think he more than a little concerned when we cut it to give him a piece.

Grandma and Grandpa really enjoyed having the opportunity to share in the event. They have only been in their house for a couple of weeks and have gotten to host several family events in that short time. Besides all that, Grandpa loves his detached garage. He has it cleaned and arranged very neatly Grandma constantly talks about how much time he spends out there. I think they are glad they are here.

Tomorrow we will go to a Watchnight service at church but we will all leaveteh service a little early so we can leave very early in the morning to drive to San Antonio to attend a wedding of one of Joshua’s friends. We found out be calling the young lady getting married that Joshua is actually in the wedding as a groomsman. Fortunately he can wear my black suit and we bought him a pair of black dress boots last night while we were outfitting the grandbabies with the boots Grammy was desperate to get them.

That shopping was a lot of fun. I was a little disappointed that the Western shirts she bought for Blake and Mykenzie were more expeensive than the boots we bought for each of them. But the idea was to get pictures taken of the kids in their Western wear, on site, here in Texas. I hope it works out well, but regardless, it will be fun to try and it will be a gift our daughter will be able to show off for some time to come. It will keep Grammy in their thoughts for mant months.

We are on our way to Palo Duro Canyon this morning to take the pictures. We may need your prayers.

Filght Delays, Time given

We took Brittany to the airport yesterday so she could fly out to Newark, NJ. Mama was tempted to just drop her off and let her do all the check in stuff while we got back to the grandkids, but we decided to go in and check the status of her flight and connections. Those of you traveling this week to any point on the East Coast north of the Carolina’s will understand.


We had been watching the weather pretty intently since the storm that burried the area in snow hit a couple days ago. The news made it pretty clear that several thousands of flights had been canceled leaving one hundred times that many stranded at airports for the last several days.

The person helping Brittany was a jewel. The attendent was worried that since her flight from Amarillo had been delayed by over an hour Brittany would miss her connecting flight in Houston. That didn’t sound too frightening until she explained that there was not a flight out of Houston to Newark for the next three days. Every other route proved difficult also, so Mama and Brittany decided to risk the route she was scheduled to take and hope to make the connection in Houston.

When we got home we prayed that God would take care of it knowing that if she missed her flight to Newark we have many friends in Houston who would have happily entertained her until we were there on Sunday. As it turned out, she did an “O J Simpson” through the airport and got on her scheduled connectin as they were getting ready to shut the door. So she made it to Newark in good shape while Andrew was delayed on his flights.

Maggie’s future in-laws also made it home to New Jersey and are now well exercised from clearing the snow on their driveway. That is proof that White Christmas’s are even better from a safe distance.

It is a pleasure having our grandkids with us. It is also a mess and fairly expensive, b ut those are very minor sacrifices compared to knowing that we are remembered by those we adore. Memories are so short in the minds of little ones that the best way to be remembered is to be in their hearts; that takes time.

I appreciate Cori and Nate giving us that time. Who knows when it will no longer be ours to give? Right now it is - and we will.

Holiday travel

Maggie comes home today. It is interesting that home is now Amarillo, TX rather that Hot Springs, AR or Somerset, NJ. My children have often teased me about how much they have had to move, and I suppose the moves have been an interruption in their lives, but those moves have paid for their lives as I supported them and those moves have shaped them in ways never possible had we stayed in one place.


Anyway, Maggie flies home today and Brittany flies out today. Maggie comes home engaged, longing for her beau while Brittany flies to Somerset looking to spend time with her beau. The two of them are meeting at what is Andrew Kim’s home city still. He and she will be chaperoned by the people of the church there in Somerset. All of those that know of the interest between the two seem delighted with the idea.

Brittany, Chase and Joshua seem set on the idea of returning to the Northeast to settle and work. I pray for wisdom and opportunity for each of them as they pursue those callings. It will give us even more reason to go back to visit. Since New Jersey is not listed in the top 100 or so spots in the United States to vacation, it generally requires a reason to spend your time off there, and we have plenty of reasons to go.

Nate, Cori and the grandchildren are on their way to us as of yesterday afternoon. It is meant to be a surprise for Grandma and Grandpa. Grandma has not gotten to see either Grant or Blake. She has not seen Mykenzie since her great granddaughter was very tiny. If it does not cause her to have a heart attack, it should be a very pleasant surprise.

Added to that itinerary, our travel and Brittany and Joshua going back to Hot Springs and we are all racking up a lot of road time. Somehow, being in the South makes it seem more easily accomplished. When we were traveling to see my family for Thanksgiving we set the Garmin to the address of my sister in Roger’s Texas and started south on State Highway 287. Usually the Garmin will show only a short stretch of miles before some “turn” is required – at each major intersection of the highway being traveled.

I was a little shocked when the Garmin advised us to travel 190 miles then keep right on the same highway. I told Mama. “Look! No major intersections for 190 miles. Ya gotta love this part of the South.” I had not seen that long a stretch of road for almost a decade. It seemed like an easy trip even though it was about nine hours.

Pray for us as we pray for you that all these travels would be safe and blessed.

Updates

Maggie made it home without any problems and Nate, Cori and the kids are safely in Amarillo as of about 10 a.m. Everyone is excited and slightly overwhelmed – especially those three years old and under. Grandma is expecting everyone in my household over for breakfast this morning. She has no clue that the great grandchildren are on the way also. Sadly I will not be able to join them for a couple more hours but there should still be some fun in the air when I am able to participate.


Grant’s birthday is tomorrow and preparations are underway to celebrate that in style – Cowboy style to be exact. Mama has planned a Cowboy theme for the party – more on that later.

The moving company reimbursed us almost $3000 for lost or damaged items. Now it is time for Papi to have Christmas.

Innocence, Imitation

Jake called on Christmas day to give Mama Kim an account of all the things Santa had brought to him, among which was a gift card that she had sent which was delivered in his stocking. He got several other gift cards, some cash and a check for $50. Needless to say, he was excited about what that amount of money represented to him. “Mama Kim”, he said, “I can, like, buy the whole world!” What a joy!


He also told us he got the complete serried of one of the oldest shows on television; The Muppet Show. Boy does that make me feel old. I thought he might say the Three Stooges or the Little Rascals, maybe even Red Skelton, but no. He was very happy about the whole thing and wanted to talk to everyone in the house; Mama Kim, Papa Tim, Joshua, Brittany, Chase and Victoria pretty much in that order. It took about an hour and ten minutes for him to talk himself out, but it was a great present for Mama.

He is still very confident about coming to Amarillo as soon as possible. His mother and Mama are starting to work out the details which are of no importance to him; he only knows that it will happen. Skype does not work for him. Before we left New Jersey, on the last day they would see each other in 2010, he told Mama Kim that he did not like Skype because he could not touch her on Skype. I thought Mama was going to fall apart. It was a difficult goodbye.

Mama could not contain the tears when she saw the Saravia kids on Skype – especially Victoria. After she composed herself we all had a good visit. It is still staggering to see how much children change when you are not there to see them every day. But the precious smile on our Baby Victoria’s face has not changes one little bit. We really do miss those little ones.

(A couple at our church found out on Christmas day that she is pregnant. Confirmation will come today as they go to see the doctor. They have been trying for several years to get pregnant. God is good even thought we are still a little guarded in our optimism.)

Mykenzie, like Jake, has always been a very attentive child. She focuses to an extreme on the actions of adults and almost immediately puts into practice what she has seen or heard. That in and of itself can be quite frustrating for her parents and we all have to be on guard and at our best behavior around her, but sometimes it’s just plain cute.

Cori said that at lunch one afternoon recently she asked Nate what he would like on his sandwich. He asked for turkey meat with a specific cheese, mayo and a little mustard. When she had made his sandwich she asked Mykenzie what she wanted. Out came some gibberish that almost approximated what her daddy had asked for – but not quite. Her mama asked her to say it again so she could understand better, but didn’t the second time either. “Never mind”, Mykenzie said, “I don’t know what I’m talking about.”

Christmas morning was good to the grandkids giving them a whole new range of toys to fight over. Mykenzie kept trying to fill Grant’s wagon with her things and Grant worked equally hard to empty it of all things belonging to his sister. Grand also got a tool set appropriate for his age which included a hammer and a tape measure among other things. The hammer is being held in reserve by mommy and daddy until they can supervise its use, but the tape measure was an instant hit with both of the older kids.

Mykenzie, in full Mary Poppins mode, began measuring every baby doll in her room. That took some time. Even though the ruler did not use the same indications as the one used by Mary Poppins, she found several were still “practically perfect in every way.” She then began to use the tape measure to weigh things; though that never has worked for me I suppose it worked out well for her. At the very least it kept her happy and busy for a time.

Christmas was delightful this year. Though we could not get all of our family together, we got more together than we did last year. We ate, played, laughed and generally had a good time being together. Later this week we will go to see my Mom and Dad. It will be a short visit after we attend a wedding in San Antonio of one of Joshua’s friends , but we are looking forward to it none-the-less. On the way back we will stop to see Fabian and Sarah for a very brief visit. By Tuesday the fourth of January, all will return to the schedule of work, school and life that we grind through throughout the year. It has been a fun time off.

Our Pastor read a list of questions in Sunday school yesterday. One of the questions to ponder; If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?

Christmas Day 2010

Presents are unwrapped and dinner is eaten and even cleared away. Desserts are set out and untouched. Conversations are winding down and it looks like naps are in order. All in all, this has been a good Christmas; not for the sake of what was given, rather what has been given to us.


It is a day to count our blessings in family, friends, church, etc. It is a day to remember that the “Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” That the Creator would set aside his Glory to become as human as His Creation is a mystery we will never be able to understand, but one in which we can forever rejoice.

If we accept current thought that the Christ child was born in late September, which has merit, it only means that the celebration of Christmas is relavent to his conception which would have resulted in his birth in late September; nine nonths later. That is a testimony of what God’s idea of life is and where it begins. Just a thought. The gifts I gave cost me money. The gift he gave cost his glory, and in the end, his life.

One of the presents Chase was given was a “Kinect”. It is an external that hooks up to the X-Box and captures a players movements, translating them to avatar movemnets on the screen. It came with one game which required us to rearrange the livingroom furniture in order for two players to have enough room to exercise the range of motion to complete the game. It was actually fun to watch.

Victoria was playing so hard in one of the games that she was seriously out of breath. She was not so warn down that she avoided Chase’s challenge to beat her score, but she was getting tired. It has never made sense to me; perhaps it never will. My family seems to enjoy the experience, Mama included, but I still will not participate; other than funding the exercise in entertainment.

I have a full agenda which I have waited until after the first of the year to start so my time of repose is coming to an end. I was talking with Mama the other day about the projects I need to begin in January and both of us are questioning how I will be able to get things done. I will have to give up any TV and most eveining running around for a couple of years, but the sacrifice will be worth it if I can focus and succeed. I will know by June or July of 2011.

This coming week I will finish reading through the Bible in Spanish. Next year I will read it in both languages – along with some real projects.

Merry Christmas to all!

Wrapping Presents, Putting plans into operation

Mama has always liked the fact that I like to wrap presents. Every Christmas she and I get together to wrap what always turns out to be a small mountain of gifts. Last year was an exception since we had no money to get presents for the kids other than the most simple of gifts, but that is not what Christmas is about anyway.


This year the Lord had blessed us with enough money to get some nice gifts for the kids and extended family. We might even have some money left over after Christmas to cash in on the reduced price items that flood the store shelves when December 25th has come and gone. One year all we gave our kids was an envelope with money and some stocking-stuffers so we could get things at 75 -85% off the day after Christmas. That was not much fun to wrap.

I hurt my back pretty badly while I was hanging lights so I am still very stiff and sore. In order for me to wrap presents I had to send the two that are home with us over to Grandma and Grandpa’s so I could use the dining table we have – it is counter height - for wrapping rather than our bed, which always gives me and Mama a sore back. I guess that wrapping presents is what it has taken to make it seem like Christmas to me; that and Mama baking our traditional cookies and cakes. (The house smells fantastic.)

Tomorrow, Christmas Day, we will open presents and throw away carefully chosen, cut, folded and taped paper. But it is a small care for the representation of our joy in the giving and presentation of gifts for those we love. Later that afternoon we will eat - a lot.

My second favorite thing about Christmas is preparing the feast and we have great plans made up for this weekend, where we will eat each meal, what the menu will be and how we are going to accommodate everyone for the dinners. It is the first time in more than fifteen years that we have lived within visiting distance of both sets of our parents. That’s the real treat of being here.

Victoria found a wall plaque that says, “My husband and I are doing a workshop. He works and I shop.” Is that great or what?

Matrimonial Maggie, Is it really Christmas?

Maggie arrived safely in Kansas City yesterday. She was picked up by Stacy Ledford’s sister who lives there. I remember the airport there. Mama and I flew out occasionally; we were pretty poor when we lived there so we drove almost everywhere. Our daughter Victoria was born in Kansas City, Missouri and she is definitely a “Show Me” individual. She was due in mid-January so after Christmas I drove over to Ripley, West Virginia to get Grandma so she could help Mama after the birth.


As you might imagine, the weather was not good but it was not particularly bad. There was some ice and snow and patches of the road required very slow and thoughtful navigation. I made the trip over in about eleven hours. I spent the night at Grandma and Grandpa’s and started back toward Mama in the wee hours of the next morning.

Grandma was worried about the roads, about me getting tired, about leaving Grandpa, etc. so she talked the entire trip. She was nervous and apologized several times for talking so much but she did succeed in keeping me awake. A little over twelve hours later I pulled into our driveway in Kansas City, hugged and kissed Mama and said, “You take her for a while.” I put in ear plugs and went to bed.

We are assuming Maggie is in Kansas City to formalize her future plans with Aaron Ledford. I can imagine my prospective son-in-law being a nervous wreck about the whole matter even though the two of them have had extended conversations about the issue. Honestly, I would rather have it that way as opposed to him being cavalier and overly confident about the question at hand.

Maggie asked me about Aaron many months ago and I gave her a similar answer to the one I gave her sister concerning the man she was looking over. “When looking at a young Christian man in his early to mid twenties you have to remember that you are not seeing the finished product; that will be many years and many life experiences in the future.

What you are looking for is the raw materials; a love for the Lord, a kind heart, a strong work ethic, someone who honors their mother and father, a young man who’s eyes search yours to see the depth of your question and answer it from an equal depth of the reserves of his own soul. A man like that is a man you will grow with in the Lord, in love, and in life.” I am pretty sure she has found such a man.

In this last working day before Christmas I have to ask, is it really Christmas already? I feel like I need to back up a couple weeks or maybe a couple months. So many things have pressed on us since we left New Jersey that I have missed the whole “getting into the Christmas spirit” thing. But when I really think about it, what I really miss this Christmas is the constant attention of little ones to remind me that it is their excitement about the season that inspires ours.

I miss that pure joy you see when Christmas is mentioned; the widened eyes, the impish smiles, the marked up store flyers, the unreserved exuberance when in the toy aisle at the store, the sense of expectation. Right now I am overwhelmed by the hemorrhaging bank account - what a “Bah, Humbug”

I still have three days to find that Christmas joy. With Mama Kim’s help, I can make it if I try.

Christmas crushes, Christmas cheer

I think one of the disappointments that I have with our over commercialized celebration of Christmas is the selfish sense of expectation we – even us adults – have with respect with what we want to receive as gifts. Many families we know go deeply in debt to meet those exuberant expectations in their children only to realize after the presents are opened that there is only a muted sense of gratitude for what was given – somehow everyone expected more; the children expected more presents, the parents more thankfulness for what they sacrificed to give.


I am temped to go the way of several families I know who forego the gift giving all together to celebrate the event and what it represents to believers in Christ. However, my better half would have a real problem with that. She loves buying gifts even though she too has wrestled with her sense of expectation.

Such is the case with Chase this year. He asked for a ticket to fly back to New Jersey to attend Winter Camp with Somerset Bible Baptist Church. Though the request is an admirable one, I cannot justify the $500 plus price tag associated with it. It is not that I cannot afford it. We have enough money. I cannot justify it and I have tried to make it very clear to him why I feel as I do. So no matter what I give Chase as a gift this year, it will be a crushing disappointment. That makes Christmas almost no fun and it should never be so.

For Chase this year, the reading of the Christmas story, the big dinner, the time of getting together with family, the special meetings at church will all seem hollow, dissatisfying, disappointing. Sadly, there is nothing I can do to change that. That change will have to originate from within his heart. This is one of those things that father’s do for which they ought to be thanked. That’s not going to happen.

When I got home last night I started hanging Christmas lights we had borrowed from our neighbor. He told us he had enough lights to string on several houses. He told us the truth. What I put on the front and side of our small house did not noticeable effect the volume of lights in one of the three totes he gave us to use.

It was windy through the entire process – as it had been all day. The temperature was over seventy degrees so it was pleasant, almost a little cool. I was worried that the lights would not work once they were up, but those worries were unfounded. All the lights worked well and Mama declared it “good.” When we had put all the excess outside decorations away, Mama and the girls decorated the tree. It looks a little more like Christmas now at our house the Llano Estacado.

The down side was that this morning I woke up about 1:30 a.m. with so much pain in my back that I was barely able to move. Ya gotta love Christmas!

Conversations with children, Maggie’s travels

We were in Wendy’s a couple nights ago and were seated as far away from the doors as possible. It was, as it often gets here, windy and cold. There was almost no one in the dining area so it was a little unusual that a couple with two children sat down at the table right behind us.


Mama couldn’t resist picking up a conversation with the young mother who was quickly getting exasperated with her two year old daughter. The little girl had beautiful long, blond hair and petite features very like our granddaughter, Mykenzie. She was making a mess of her food and her mother was not pleased with her lack of cooperation in the matter.

I do not remember what Mama said to the mother but I think the conversation opened with a question confirming the age of the little one and an attempt to distract both of them from the pending conflict. Her brother turned around and announced that he was not two years old; he was, in fact, seven years old. So I turned and met his eyes and asked, “Well how did that happen so fast?” With wide eyes and a completely bewildered expression he answered, “I don’t now.” His parents thought it was very funny that I had caught him off guard; but not for long.

“Are you in the first or second grade?” I asked. “Oh, I’m in the first grade but I have a really bad crush on a fifth grader.” “Matthew!” His mother was thoroughly embarrassed. Mama and I laughed and explained that we work with kids so much that they often say things to us that catch their parents off guard so there was no need to worry over it. We were leaving by this time so I am not sure how the conversation progressed from there but it would have been fun to listen in on.

Maggie is flying out of Amarillo tomorrow to spend Christmas in Kansas City. I am not sure if that is in Kansas or Missouri, but it makes little difference geographically since the two are practically one city. She is in for a bit of a shock weather-wise since it is much colder there. It is the only place Mama and I lived that had as much wind to deal with as we do now in Amarillo.

When we lived there I was going to the Nazarene Theological Seminary, working for the Nazarene Publishing House on Troost Avenue. It was not in a particularly nice area of town but we lived in a house owned by the Publishing House just behind the Publishing House across Troost Avenue from the administration/ warehouse building. The rent was very affordable. While there those of us I the maintenance crew got so accustomed to the cold that we would walk across the street from one building to the other in sub-zero weather without our coats. I do not think I could do that now.

Anyway, Maggie is meeting up with the Ledford family to spend Christmas with them and their extended family there in Kansas City. It ought to be fun and I am sure there are big plans being made but mostly it is a chance for her to spend time with Aaron. I can’t imagine what the big deal is.

I do know she is excited and is repacking what has just been unpacked here in Amarillo to prepare for the trip. (They only arrived here on Thursday last week.) She was fussing at us to put things here on hold while she is gone. That is not going to happen so she is a little upset about having to miss all the things that are going on here while she is away with Aaron and family.

But only a little.

AA/MM, Seth on the move

As we were traveling around town today Maggie started talking about Aaron. Imagine that! She was a little nervous because there was snow blowing in the wind. It was not sticking to the roads but it was leaving them wet. She said she was never going to drive in the snow which I thought was a little extreme since Aaron has talked about moving to Alaska. (Should the two of them ever get together.) I am no expert but I think it snows there.


When I pointed that out, she laughed and said she would probably get fussed at for that. She said when he fusses at her for her attitude he often calls her, “Margaret Marie!” in scolding her. I thought that was funny, so I told her I would start calling her MM for short. Victoria piped up and said she has always referred to Aaron as AA when she is talking to Maggie concerning him – because of the spelling of his name.

So we decided that we would have to formalize the references a little and start referring to the two of them as AA/MM. But that presented a problem. It is really uncomfortable to say. So rearranging the letters a little we realized that they are either AMAM or MAMA. It was easily settled. Since we already had assigned the Mama title they would have to settle for AMAM, which, you have to admit, is a lot easier than Mama Kim and Papa Tim or Cori and Nate. It is even easier than Mom and Dad. They may be stuck with that one. – If they ever get together.

Seth set out today for West Virginia to be with family for Christmas. It was the first time he has flown alone and Mama was a little worried. She got him on the plane in Amarillo at a little after 5 a.m. and he called from Memphis about 8 .am. He was looking for his gate so Mama told him what to look for to track down the terminal and proper gate as he was walking through the airport.

He has already determined from the TV monitors that his flight would leave from Gate B16, but was not sure how to get to terminal B. With a little help, she got him there – from several miles away. He called several hours later to say had arrived in Columbus, Ohio (His final destination.) and was waiting for his parents to pick him up. It was a couple more hours before he texted simply, “They got me.”

We are assuming it is not a kidnapping but we will not be completely sure until we hear more from him since there is no phone reception in the area of West Virginia where his parents are now living.

Convoy from Arkansas, White Christmas

Grandma, Grandpa, Maggie and Victoria are traveling in a caravan, or convoy, from Hot Springs to Amarillo. Today they will cover the same area Mama and I covered in our travels Monday and Tuesday this week. Victoria just got back from her visit with Cori and Nate and the kids and Grandpa just got back from a trip to West Virginia to collect his tools from storage there. I think Maggie and Grandma were the only ones dreading the trip since Victoria and Grandpa had already put as many miles is as they all are going to cover in this trip.


Our house is ready for the girls and the house we have for Grandma and Grandpa is ready for them. I think Grandma and Grandpa are excited about the house Mama picked out here. I know it will suit them well. It has both an attached one-car garage and a separate, detached one-car garage and a spacious covered patio with a built in grill. The neighborhood is quiet but it is centrally located in Amarillo so getting around the town should be very easy.

I am a little worried about the parking at our house. We will find a way to fit all the cars in somewhere but it may look a little crowded until we get it all worked out. Moving from having to care for only the one car to looking out for three will be a welcome change. Sam’s, where Maggie and Victoria are transferring their jobs, is just over one mile from our house so they will be able to come home for lunch every day. Maybe someday I will have that luxury.

The convoy will be arriving just a day ahead of another blizzard forecast to hit the area tonight into Friday morning. I am taking the day off tomorrow as vacation. The original plan was to help unload the U-Haul but the added bonus is not having to drive to work in the blowing snow. Besides, I think I am getting to the point that I can use a couple late mornings.

Mama really needs my help too. With the schedule I have been keeping she has had to do a great majority of the prep work for Christmas on her own. She was worn out last night and stayed home from church, which is very unusual for her, but both of us are worn out from the trip to Decatur. I am not sure why it was so tiring other than the 5:00 a.m. mornings and the emotional strain of employee interviews and meeting a dozen new people, and the ten hours of driving to get there and back. Besides all that, Mama put in quite a few hours shopping in the local area while I was at work. The two days went by so fast that we were talking on the way home about what we could do differently to make it more pleasant next time we do this. – And I will have to do this every month or so for the next year. We’ll figure it out.

Winter is coming tomorrow but the snow will be gone by late afternoon which is a good thing because nothing is done here to clear or treat the roads for snow or ice. It could be a nice welcome for our new arrivals. I have not asked so I do not know if they are dreaming of a white Christmas.

Decatur, remembering to share

Mama and I got back from Decatur about 9 p.m. last night. We had a pretty good visit to the area but the whole trip turned out to be more hurried than I had hoped. We drove over on Monday and I worked half a day in the office, mostly visiting with the people that have been assigned to me. Maybe it is because I am new but it did not seem nearly as relaxed as the office in Borger.


After work on Monday Mama picked me up and we went to Costco. (She had spent the day shopping in Denton.) We were headed to Fort Worth to the Costco we had gone to before but my iPhone found a Costco supposedly closer. So we plugged it into the Garmin and followed it cross country to Lakeside, TX. We found the store after some searching and got all the things that were on Mama’s list and we still had some time left in the evening so we decided to go to the outlet malls in nearby Grapevine, TX. Going there had been one of my goals for the trip.

When we asked directions, the Garmin was not cooperating or did not recognize the address, all we got were sneering sort of “Good luck!” answers. Turns out, they were really close. Construction was miserable, it was after dark, and the roads were poorly marked. We were told to look for a particular exit which we never found and though I am sure were within two or three miles of the shops we never found them. Finally, after an hour or so, Mama punched our hotel address into the Garmin and we let it guide us back to Decatur – before I got too frustrated.

The next morning at the office I looked up the directions to the Outlet Mall and found out that the exit we were told to look for was not even on the highway we were on. It was the third on a list of three turns we would have needed to make to get to the mall. It never ceases to amaze me how poorly most people give directions. Even in Decatur, the ladies at the office knew only one was to get to the restaurant where they had suggested we have lunch. They insisted that I follow them rather than tell me how to get there. It was less than three minutes away,

Mama and I, when we first got to Decatur on Monday afternoon (five hours from Amarillo) ate lunch at Chili’s since it is very near the office. For some reason we each ordered the same burger and after the order was placed we thought we should probably have split the meal. When the burgers arrived we knew we should have split the meal. They were huge and neither of us was able to finish, but neither of us left enough to save for later. In other words, we both ate too much!

The hotel room we had for the night was exceptional! When we got to the hotel, prior to going to Costco, we were told they were out of rooms with king beds and we didn’t need two queen beds so the receptionist offered us a king suite for the price of a regular room. It was the nicest room we have had in many years. It was on the third floor with a view of the area that stretched out for twenty miles or more. The room was open and large, so much so that the king size bed look small by comparison. I told Mama it was a real shame we were only going to be there for one night.

It was a busy two days and the next two days are going to be busy here in Amarillo as we get ready for the girls and Grandma and Grandpa to move here.

Children’s Programs, missing little ones

Sunday was our “I love Jesus Sunday”. The children presented a simple play complete with staging and choir. It looked like, as simple as it was, that it took a lot of coordination and a good deal of costumes. The scenes were in church, in a mall, in a car, and in a hospital emergency room. The focus was on understanding Christmas and because of a car accident a teen boy was required to give his blood to save the life of critically injured twin sister. It was quite powerful.


Six visitors got saved that morning. Four were parents of children in the play and two were there because of flyers we had handed out inviting people to come. It was a great morning.

All in all, Mama and I love this church. She has already made many friends, but we miss being involved. We are required by church standards to wait three months after joining before we can participate and we are ready to get to work. It is different from Somerset Bible Baptist Church where we were put to work right away.

In our nine years there we developed a ministry with the younger children that we are both missing very much. It was a ministry that carried on outside of the church into our everyday lives so we were constantly taking care of little ones. We both miss that more than words can express and Mama really wrestled with it on Sunday.

When the Associate Pastor asked me to come up and pray at the dismissal of the evening service and I prayed for the children and families effected by the service that morning, it was too much for Mama and she hurried out of the church in tears. It is nearly that time of month.

Being isolated from little ones certainly makes me miss my grandkids more.

Christmas Party, Big, little moon

Saturday all our planned activities got thrown under the bus by scheduling conflicts so after Mama and I dropped Chase off at a game which was to finish up a basketball tournament we headed to the bank and to the stores. We had to meet a realtor about half-way through soul winning so I called the Pastor to let him know and to see if he was still able to meet with me for our one-on-one discipleship training. He was not free due to a death in his family so Mama and I were really free for the morning.


With the Christmas Party planned for the evening, we had a few hours to catch up on Christmas shopping and planning. We are both getting used to the new schedule I am on – Monday through Friday, 06:30 a.m. to 5:30 P.M. I no longer have free days during the week, nor do I have much time in the evenings, so things kind of stack up and wait for a couple free hours on Saturday. It has proved a difficult transition for both of us. But we will adapt. Rather, Mama will have to do a lot more things on her own, which neither of us particularly likes.

Mama and I went to the company Christmas Party Saturday night. It was the best office party experience we have ever had. My boss, a good Christian man, had me pray for the food and the evening and allowed me to stand for Christ in a way I have never had the freedom to do before. I have to thank him for allowing me to establish a Christian witness among so many with one public prayer.

A country singer named Don Edwards gave about an hour concert; just a cowboy with his guitar. It was very pleasant, very comfortable. Mama and I enjoyed it thoroughly. There was a cash bar – which means everyone had to but their own drinks – so drinking was limited and it seemed that only a small group of younger folks got involved in that activity. One man I know from Borger went to the most rowdy table and dressed them down for talking too loudly. That was as rowdy as it got.

We had a fun group at our table. There was a game we all participated in that was as twist on musical chairs. Each table sent one person to the front. Mama went for us. These persons were given items to collect as clues were presented; a pen, a sock, a rope (belt), some grease, etc. From the front they each had to go to their respective tables to collect the items then return to the front and beat out the other contestants for a chair as my boss removed one chair per clue. We made it down to three chairs remaining. But everyone at our table had a blast helping Mama. She really is a lot of fun. You all know I would not have done it and the lady at out table that was selected by default was not very interested, so when Mama volunteered, I knew everyone would enjoy the game more.

On the way home, Mama and I were watching the moon. It was a quarter moon resting like a section of an orange very low in the sky. It looked huge, much larger than normal. It was actually setting at 11 p.m. so the closer it got to the horizon, the larger it looked and the redder it became. It is not often that I have gotten to see a setting moon like that.

Accessorizing for Texas

Mama and I have a Christmas Party to go to this Saturday. It is being arranged by ConocoPhillips and though attendance is not mandatory, I feel almost duty bound to go since I am a part of the leadership team for this area. I am hoping it will not prove too awkward.


The theme of the party is “Western”. I am not sure what that means but something cowboy-ish is what pops into mind. So, in light of that, Mama and I went boot shopping last night. She and Seth had checked out a store here in Amarillo that someone at the church had told her about. As it turned out, it was a very good thing that she had about two hours shopping in already.

You know Mama and shoes, or should I say “footwear”? None of the three pairs of boots she had preselected were right last night. After all, five or six hours had passed since her last fitting. Honestly, in the evening, after a day on your feet, shoes, or boots in this case, tend to fit differently.

Mama being left-handed makes it even more of a challenge. Since most people are right-handed there is a tendency for them to try on the right boot only. This gives the right boot a slight stretching leaving the left boot untried, un-stretched and tighter fitting. Such was the case.

I found three pairs I liked and tried them on for Mama. We agreed that we liked one better than any of the others so I was prepared to buy. She kept trying to get me to try on a pair of square toed boots and I kept refusing. I do not like square toed anything for my feet. Something about the look on my feet just feels wrong.

It took almost an hour more for her to get to a pair of boots she really liked in both design and fit, but we got there. She was wearing the boots with her pajamas the last I saw. She told me it was to get them stretched out, but it reminded me too much of Mykenzie, my three-year-old granddaughter, with a new pair of shoes. I will not describe them to you because I would fail miserably, but I will try to get a picture posted tonight. It will save me one thousand words.

I have no idea how we are going to accessorize our boots, but our feet will look Western.

How little minds work, still house shopping, provoking your children

Victoria arrived in Milton without incident. She drove the car I took from New Jersey to Hot Springs about a year ago, a ’97 Plymouth Breeze. This is the second trip the car has made to Florida. It is holding up well considering the age of the vehicle and the repairs we have made on it. It got her there on a little over one tank of gas. I did miss that car when it was gone but it has served my kids well.


This morning Cori, Victoria and the grandkids got in my daughter Cori’s car to make a trip to Wal-Mart. As soon as they were buckled in Mykenzie asked, “Where are we going to eat?” Mommy and Victoria laughed and mommy explained, “This is Victoria, Baby, not Grammy.” That girl certainly knows her Grammy.

The ups and downs of looking for a house are beginning to take their toll on Mama. She has taken in upon herself to have a place waiting on Grandma and Grandpa. But without the two of them here to make the final decision it presents a challenge. Like us, when we first got here, what we wanted and what we got are two different things.

Fortunately, like me and Mama they are not looking for their dream home, just a place to live in relative safety and comfort. Grandpa says he will get a job once they get here but the rent price range they have to consider is pretty high for the income they now have. The place Mama was excited to look at yesterday turned out to be more of a dump than a rental dream; beautifully situated, poorly kept.

We now have a storage building sitting behind out house. It is 8’x12’ and looks to be very well made. It will take no time to fill it to capacity especially if the girls and Grandma and Grandpa have things that need to be stored. Finding a place with a garage has proved difficult given the price attached to the houses that offer one.

I told Chase last night that I was not going to buy him a ticket to fly to New Jersey for Winter Camp, saying specifically that “I do not reward rebellion.” He was a little confused but I think he will figure it out. For those of you who might feel sorry for him and want to clue him in, for over two years I have been politely reminding him of something he needs to be doing and it is still undone. Wilma Parish likes to say, “To delay is to disobey.” Disobedience is rebellion. Rebellion brings no reward.

Needless to say, he was upset last night. He will probably get up that way this morning. Hopefully he will recover long enough to play in the basketball game his JV team is playing in this morning.

Though most all actions in his life are good, this one point is a matter of determined refusal and it is time to get it right.

Some people like to say, “Someday you’ll thank me for this.” This, he will probably never thank me for.

Extreme behavior, extreme weather

Our daughter Victoria has been a challenge for us. She has never been a discipline challenge, far from that. The challenge has been to get her to participate in anything outside of the family. For several years soccer seemed to be a great avenue to get her out of the house and around people not her family, but some horrible experiences on a team in New Jersey sealed off that expressive channel.


College has not been a very good experience for her at either of the two she has attended and a semester in Guadalajara working at an orphanage did not help open her up. She knows what she wants, but sequestering herself in the comfort of our living room may not be the best avenue to attain those goals. We love her dearly and she knows that so she is content – mostly – to stay close to us.

All that being said, it surprised us when she announced that she was going to drive from Hot Springs to Milton, Florida to visit her sister Cori. This is a road trip of 550 miles; ten hours at best. I had to remark to Mama that the child we cannot get to cross the street to say “hello’” to someone, the child we cannot get to place her own order at a fast food restaurant, the child we cannot get to spend an extra fifteen minutes after church to visit with church friends is going to drive ten hours, by herself, to visit her sister?

Absolutely remarkable! I have no idea what it is going to take for a young man to capture her attention in this way but I am praying for that very thing.

I tried a different way home yesterday. There are only two major roads that lead to Borger from Amarillo and I have been taking the one I was used to from our time in the hotel when we first got here. I took the second of the two roads home to see if there was any appreciable difference. As it turns out, it is faster than the way I had been taking but the road stays on the high plains the entire time so the landscape does not vary much at all.

I left Borger on State Highway 207 heading to Panhandle, TX. I was guessing that I was able to see structures over ten miles away. (The distance turned out to be almost twenty miles.) It was drizzling slightly which is very unusual for the area. As I got closer to Panhandle the light rain turned to snow until I was in the middle of a pretty impressive snow shower.

In the distance I could see the clouds toughing the horizon (indication rain in that area) and beyond that the sky was bright blue. There was one car about two miles in front of me so I was able to enjoy the extreme weather change while it lasted. By the time I headed south on Highway 60 towards Amarillo the dark skies were behind me. I am not sure how long it continued to snow on the plains I had just crossed but that is the kind of snow I like – no real danger, no accumulation, just a light dusting to remind me that it is winter.

It is beautiful now; sunny and sixty degrees and it will be that way for the remainder of the work week. Saturday however, is forecast to be twenty five degrees with a 60 mph wind – to remind us that it is winter. Mama’s yard sale will probably be postponed.

I really prefer my brief snow shower as a reminder.

Instant trees, the will to win

Mama asked me last night if I would put up the Christmas tree we had with us. I said yesterday that it is an artificial tree. What I did not say is that it is a small one. It is 6’ tall but it is pretty narrow. It is more of a column than Christmas tree shaped. Mama, to her credit, did not say much. In the house we are renting, it is about all that will fit the available space.


Our neighbor is going to loan us some lights for the outside of the house so I do not have to rush to replace any of lights we left behind at 6 Gifford and I think Mama had some extra things I will have to put up this week. All in all, the house will look Christmas-y. It will make Mama a little happier.

Presents are being bought and a budget has been set. Honestly, as we added it up yesterday – how much Mama was planning to spend in all – Mama was a little shocked at the total. I am used to it, but I am hoping at some point we get away from spending so much for gifts every year. However, at this point in our lives, I see no end in sight.

Cori called me to ask about discipline problems in our past. Specifically, was there a child we could not get through to no matter how severe the punishment? The answer is “Yes”, at times. I have to explain that discipline is teaching your child to do right. Punishment is what comes when the child resists the training toward discipline.

Many parents lose the battle here because they have divided attentions – other children in the home, life’s daily demands, work, etc. - while the child has a singular focus, resisting the will of the parent. They do not know why they feel the way they do, but having adopted a defiant posture, they are unwilling to relent. It takes a lot of time, focus and emotional energy to win these battles, but the effort will pay great rewards.

As we encountered these moments we learned to enforce the discipline with some form of punishment but each of our seven children required a different form of punishment. It took some time to realize what worked with each child, but we eventually did. It also took some time and prayer to understand if there was a particular reason for their acting out. Most times it was purely a matter of their stubborn, selfish will but we prayed about it each time we struggled through one of those moments.

These encounters are not a matter of punishing the child into submission but rather of making the consequences of disobedience unpleasant enough that the child will choose right for the sake of avoiding punishment until they are able to choose right for the sake of doing right.

This takes tremendous discipline on the part of the parent and sometimes it does not seem worth it. But remember, your children really are a gift from the Lord and you will enjoy them more as they learn to respect your authority – if only for the sake of avoiding punishment now.

Don’t be afraid to be the boss in your home. Most everyone will come to love you and your children for it – teachers, employers, the police.

Having rule over our own home is one of the most difficult assignments God has given us as moms and dads. He has equipped us to win. He expects us to win.

Bam-Bam Christmas, Now-or-Later assembly

Putting up Christmas trees has never been one of my favorite tasks. There are so many little issues upon which you can fail: the looks of the tree, the functionality of the tree stand, the placement of what always turns out to be a decoration much larger than expected, and the proper installation of lights, ornaments, garland, tinsel, popcorn strings, etc. With so much room for error the entire process can be frustrating. Once it is done there are maintenance issues of a “real” tree. I do not call it “live” because any tree cut from its trunk cannot qualify as a live tree.


Last year Mama and I got an artificial tree – a fake tree. I insisted so she relented under protest. I am very happy with the tree, her not so much. So now that Thanksgiving is over, the pleading has begun again for a real tree even though we do not have any room for one and would have to outfit the entire arrangement. I no longer have a tree stand. They are so difficult to store I threw the last one away to make room for Beanie Babies.

My girls, however, still buy a tree every year. Cori is no exception. She and Nate got a tree last week and have been slowly outfitting it, complete with a train that runs around the middle part of the tree; flashing lights, billowing smoke and a train whistle to impress the children. I am not sure how much effort my son-in-law took to get it set up right – straight, branches out just so, bare spots to the back, etc., but I can imagine since it is my daughter he is married to.

Shortly after the tree was in place and before any decorations had been added my grandson, Grant, decided that there was something amiss. At the mature age of two, he probably could not have vocalized his concern, but he saw a way to make the adjustments himself. He went to his bedroom and got his baseball bat and proceeded to fix what was wrong – until his mother stopped him. I am not sure if he finished his alterations, but he knew pretty certainly that he would have to live with what was there for the remainder of the season.

Later on, as they were making cookies, my daughter set out some candies to put on top of the cookies – M&M’s, sprinkles, etc. I think she set out fifteen or so items per child and when the cookies were done the assembly was set in order.

Mykenzie did pretty well. She likes decorating. Grant did not do so well. He likes eating. Adorning what is to be eaten is pretty low on his priorities. In the end my granddaughter’s cookies looked very nice while my grandson’s cookies were pretty plain. He had eaten most of the toppings during the decorating phase.

Later, he ate his cookies, but he really wanted hers.

Pie Charts, Double Connected

In order to improve my Excel skills I started a table to track our expenses. Don’t be impressed, it is a very simple table, but it produced a very impressive graph. Mama and Chase could see the effect of individual areas of our finances on the whole. Here is the graph:

The bigger areas are giving and household expenses. One of the areas that bothered Chase was an area I listed as “communication” which includes cell phone contracts, internet service and television/cable service; the dark blue area.The other area that he could easily see was the costs of his school here; teh black area. I was impressed by the outcome of the simple exercise. A picture really is worth one thousand words.

Speaking of communication costs, I am having a difficult time giving up my iPhone. I have been given a Blackberry cell phone for work so there is no need to keep the iPhone or the expensive contract that goes along with it, but I have gotten so attached to it that it is a real conflict. Who would have thought that I would have trouble giving up any electronic device?

The issue is not the ability to receive or make calls. I rarely do either of those. The real value of the phone to me is the information I can get instantly; stock quotes, weather, maps, etc. One of the more important things I have grown accustomed to is doing my Bible reading using my iPhone. It has been a great help to me in the past when I had to do much of my reading early in the shift I was working any particular day or night.

Now I have been able to get up early enough to do my devotional reading before I leave for work. Even though I have an hour commute from Amarillo to Borger, I have set 6:30 a.m. for the time to get to the office - getting up at 4:30 leaves me time to do about thirty minutes of Bible reading after I get ready. It is a schedule I am still getting used to but it seems to be working to my benefit.

I no longer need the iPhone so it will go, but I am prolonging the moment as long as possible.

Cold feet, Off Campus

As the move from Hot Springs to Amarillo gets closer our own little home body (Victoria) is starting to get cold feet. I realize there is a lot on her but she does not realize how she excels in these moments. It almost always appears easier to quit when obstacles seem large, but the consequences of quitting in a moment of difficulty always prove that it was not the easier path.


Only two months ago Mama and I were going through the same thing; leaving friends, leaving the familiar, leaving the “comfort” of the life we had to venture into the unknown. In many ways I am very glad we followed through. It is a lot of work. It is a good deal of loss, but very quickly I can see the gains overwhelming any of the loss. Besides, Victoria has to remember that we have her Direct TV contract here and we are not giving it back.

Chase really likes the school he is attending. The kids seem to be very willing to include him. On his first morning being dropped off, several girls moved to sit with him, introduce themselves and welcome him to the school. He expressed an interest in basketball and was immediately invited to practice. (I do not think he will make the Varsity but he will definitely play JV and he is okay with that.) Classes seem to be on par with where he is in his studies and he has done well on all but one quiz – Chemistry. He is not worried about anything except basketball.

Yesterday one of the Varsity players took him off campus to eat at Chicken Express. I think he enjoyed the food more for the freedom to go than for the actual quality of the meal. He did say it was very good food so Mama and I will have to check it out. There is a Chicken Express right next to the Starbucks, Pizza Hut and Braums just outside our back door, which is not as bad as it may sound.

Our neighborhood is quiet but very near everything we need, which in Amarillo is not a big brag. Mama was anticipating the service call form Direct TV the day before yesterday (or last yesterday as Alex Saravia calls it) and asked me if she should still go do her errands. I told her to relax. No matter where she might go in Amarillo, she is only ten, or at the most fifteen, minutes away from home.

I think my kids are going to like it – at least for the time we will be here.

Good news from NJ, Mama gots TV

I had Mama call Korman communities in Somerset yesterday to see if there has been any activity on the apartment we vacated in late October. I have called every two weeks only to hear that we still had responsibility for the lease. Which is disappointing since the cost per month is $2250. She was told yesterday that there is a couple who will be signing to take over the lease as of today.


Our check for the rent for December will be returned as soon as ink is put to paper on the new lease agreement. Praise the Lord! We do miss our many friends still there, but the apartment rent was not a tie that I wanted to bind us to New Jersey for any longer than absolutely necessary. The NJ license plates are gone. Our NJ driver’s licenses are gone. The EZpass tags have been cancelled and returned and now the apartment issue is settled. We are not done with New Jersey but our accounts are finally settled.

Speaking of settled accounts, Victoria transferred her Direct TV account over to us so we could help her use up her time in the contract – counting down on two years. I was not thriller with the prospect of holes being drilled in the walls and wires being run through the house, but Mama was pretty set on the idea.

Turns out the guys doing the installation were very conscientious of providing a neat looking connection and they did a very presentable job of it. I was impressed. Of course, we only installed one receiver since we do not have a TV in our bedroom - the movers are still looking for it – but at some point we plan on replacing it. We only need two so Mama can watch HGTV while the rest of us watch real TV.

Chase was secretly hoping Victoria was right in the middle of an exciting movie when the service was disconnected in Hot Springs just for the “gotcha” bragging moment. He was almost right, Grandpa was right in the middle of a good movie when the TV went blue. Chase almost felt bad.

Mama was really excited to get to watch NCIS for the first time in almost a month. We searched for the channels, couldn’t find the right one, called the provider to have the local channels switched over to Amarillo from Hot Springs, only to discover that NCIS and NCIS Los Angeles had been preempted by Christmas programs.

So for her first night with TV, what did Mama watch? How the Grinch stole Christmas

Back on a schedule, Exercise problems

After over a month out of school, Chase is finally back in his studies. Mama said he really loves the school, but I have not had time to talk to him about it. I did see him briefly at basketball practice last night but I was not able to hang on late enough to spend any time with him.


Mama and I both had a very rough night Sunday night. It was one of those nights when you never really get to sleep; like you have spent the entire night napping. I did not know she was having the same problem until we talked Monday morning. We both felt like we were up for a few minutes every hour, then every half hour, then finally sleeping well when we needed to get up. It made for a long day for both of us.

So, back to Chase, it was only 9 p.m. when his practice ended but we had gone to the school to pick him up at 8 p.m. thinking that was when practice ended only to be told that he was practicing until 9 p.m. I was dragging when we got there early. I did not want to try for another hour. So I will catch up to him tonight.

He is going to San Jacinto Christian Academy. It is set up very much like a public High School in that there are different classrooms he has to go to for different classed, teachers giving lectures, chalkboard activities, cafeteria, study hall, etc. It will keep him busy for the remainder of the school year. The problem is that is we have to move this coming summer; this semester will be his only time in this school. That’s a little bit of a bummer.

I submitted a long list of missing items to our shippers yesterday. They were a little embarrassed by the loss of our things and promised to track them down. We will have to wait to see how that turns out. In the mean time I am not feeling the loss too badly except for the loss of all of my hammers. Mama wants me to hang pictures so I will have to replace at least one hammer even to do that simple chore.

Cori was telling Mama yesterday about an expression our granddaughter used to describe a situation she had corrected for her mommy. Cori had put Blake (now five months old) in a bouncer so he could have some time out of the arms of any adult or child wanting to hold him. Since Nate’s family had just left it seemed appropriate to let the child have some free time.

Mykenzie came to her mommy and explained that Blake had been “squishing out” of the bouncer, but not to worry, she had “squished him back in.” Cori had not heard any crying so she knew things were alright so she had her three-year-old show her what she was talking about.

Blake had been sliding down in the bouncer and ended up slipping to one side. He does not yet have the best posture. His sister, worried by his uneven pose in the cloth seat of the bouncer, had simply straightened him up by “squishing” him back in properly.

Thank God babies are resilient.

Smaller is better?

We are still reeling with fitting into the size of this house but I think in the long run it will be better for us. Mama and I have agreed that we do not need the size of house we have been used to owning but it is proving a difficult idea to lay aside. We are getting rid of a lot of extra baggage we have been able to store in past abodes, but we are having trouble in this one.


As we went through the boxes yesterday Mama found out how many boxes we have that are things we are still holding for our kids. I think I counted ten big boxes and several smaller ones. I hope we will be able to get rid of some of the things in them – since I have no idea what is actually in them.

Mama had actually gone through some of the other containers and allowed us to put some things in the dumpster. It was the first time I remember her volunteering to throw stuff away; really important stuff like grade school papers of Joshua’s, and kindergarten crafts for Cori. I still had to hang onto Children’s Church craft items that it may be a year or more before we have the chance to use them – if we remember we have them and can find them when we remember we have them.

All in all we are getting the idea of scaling down and it is a good thing. Now if we can get the kids used to the idea.

Home, Trash, Parking

Coming home from a visit like we enjoyed over Thanksgiving is, at the very least, anti-climactic. To spice up the eight hours of travel home we stopped to eat at Pancho’s and later we stopped at a mall in Wichita Falls for Chase to check out one of the name brand stores he likes to advertize for. We did pick up a few things which I was assured were priced really great.


We rolled into Amarillo about 7 p.m. and parked in front of the house because the one open spot in the driveway, which is in the back of the house, was where we had Seth park his car while we were away. It is not a bad location but the person or company that installed the fence was not very forward thinking. The houses are fenced solid across the front of all the houses so there is no communication from front to back.

After we had moved in I asked the builder about the plan for mowing the yard. If the mower is stored in the garage – which is in back of the house – what plan was there to get the mower around to the front of the house? As it stands right now it has to be walked from the garage, down the alley to the corner and along the sidewalk to the front of the house. I asked Mama if I could push it through the house when I needed to mow the front yard. That suggestion was not well received.

The boys farmed out the forty or so trash bags full of packing paper to the many dumpsters that are placed in the alley behind the houses. This alley parallels the street for several blocks and there are at least fifteen dumpsters along the way. I did not want to overload any one so we partially loaded all of them. I still have over fifty boxes broken down and ready to recycle if I can find a place to take them. Otherwise, we will follow suit with them.

As we opened every box still stacked in the garage today I tried to keep an eye open for the possibility of moving all the stored items to the sides of the garage in hopes of parking at least one car in the garage. Fortunately most of the cabinetry and shelving for my tools are on wheels or some sort of mobile platform so I can consolidate when needed. After we put some large totes – full of Beanies – in the very limited attic space, I was able to make room.

And after twenty-eight years of marriage, Mama and I have a two car garage with enough space to park one car inside it. That may not seem like much of an accomplishment for others, but I was happy with some little progress.

Thanksgiving, Behind the scenes

We broke out thefour wheelers early this morning and Seth led the pack in both speed and stunts.Sarah and Fabian made the mistake of offering the ATV’s as a distraction. Fabian said that they have not had very much run time in the past few months so it was a win-win situation. The boys ran both of them out of gas over a five to six hour period. That was an easy fix. Other minor mechanical issues plagued them through the afternoon and evening but nothing slowed them down much.


I had to shut Seth and my nephew Brian down about 5 p.m. because they were starting to get bored with ¼ mile wheelees at forty miles an hour and three feet of air ramping over the driveway at Sarah and Fabian’s property. I thought if I did not put a stop to the”fun” we all might have serious regrets. It was time. It was getting dark and very cold.

About 10 a.m. the South wind died and abruply shifted north. The temperature dropped over thrty degrees in less than four hours. We are seeing temperatures of 15 degrees F predicted in Amarillo. Here it will stay above freezing but the winds are still howling at 35-40mph. When I called it a night, the boys were frozen but were too macho to admit it. I figured four-wheeling was done for the weekend.

Now the dishes are washed and put away and the left overs – which are few with the crowd we had here – are repackaged for the night. I can say honestly it was really fun. We have enjoyed the company of family and I think my mom and dad enjoyed it thoroughly also. Mom was in some pain but she hung in for most of the day and left only when she could no longer sit comfortably.

Of my family, my two younger brothers, Tony and Danny were here and my three younger sisters Janet, Martha and of course, Sarah, were here also. Tony’s wife, Barbara, and his three kids Chris, Stephanie and Brian were here. Janet and her husband Tim and their two girls, Hannah and Esther were here. Our Mom and Dad were here. Martha and her daughter Trish were here. So with our four and Sarah and Fabian and their two kids, we filled out the house.

Conversations were many, varied and loud and Mama remarked that she had not seen me talk as much as she had this day in most of our married life. When we both realized that we have not seen some of my sibling in as much as ten years, there was a great deal of catching up to do – on both parts. And it was entertaining to for the most part.

Tony’s first reamark to me after a six or seven year absence was “Wow. Do you ever look just like Dad!” Fortunately, we both consider that a compliment.

On the road again, Family

After only a week in our house we packed our overnight bags and traveled south to visit family. It was a pleasant trip of about 450 miles to my sister’s house in Rogers, TX. It was interesting how much the landscape changed as we traveled south east, but what we impressed me more was how much the temperature changed. When we left Amarillo the temperature was 41 degrees. When we got to Temple, TX it was 83 degrees.


My sister Sarah and her husband and children live in a beautiful house that is placed on the edge of a large, open expanse of gently rolling fields. It gives you the sense of true Texas living; unencumbered, uncrowded, and uncluttered. Not many people can have what they have and they are aware of the richness of their surroundings…Truly delightful people whose open hearts are reflected in the land around them.

We are here for Thanksgiving. Some of the family we have not seen for five years, other’s we may not have seen for over a decade. It is hard for me to remember and as sure as Mama seems to be on the time line, I am not convinced she remembers either. It’s not important. We are here. We will be together and we can start again from here. At least we are in Texas now and travel will be far less than the thirty hours we had from New Jersey to here.

Preparations are underway for the dinner tomorrow and Mama and I are enjoying working together with Sarah and Fabian on the menu. It reminds me of the cooking competitions we have watched on TV only without the crybaby element – at least the crowding and dodging each other as we work in her kitchen reminds me of the TV shows. It is fun and that is right up our alley.

Tonight and tomorrow should be interesting.

Baptism, Reclaiming Texas

Mama and I were baptized as Independent Fundamental Baptists on Sunday morning. It was an easy thing to do and I am trusting it was necessary but I will have to do far more study and praying to confirm it in my own mind. I do not really have to know as long as I am willing to obey. I got wet in the right frame of mind, the right attitude of heart and the right water. Once and done. I will leave the rest to God.


It was a small exercise of faith to be a part of the church we are now yoked up with. It is the most prayerful body of believers I have ever seen. And they are really fun to be around. For Seth this has been one of the missing elements of his spiritual walk. The pastor has taken a real liking to Seth and has helped him more in two weeks than years spent with his former pastor. Since we had him with us in New Jersey and he was pulled away far too early, he has been looking for a man of God to look up to. It is an answer to our prayers.

Mama and I were up early today wanting to get an early start on registering the van here in Texas. We have been hearing horror stories about the time involved in the process so we were prepared to spend all day on the task. In Texas to register a new vehicle you first get insurance, then you need a state inspection. After these are done you have to go and register the vehicle at the county courthouse. That takes a great deal of paperwork all of which I had tried to guard for that purpose alone.

To that point the effort was pretty painless even though it took over forty minutes for the insurance, thirty minutes for the inspection and another forty minutes at the courthouse. All those papers in hand we went to the licensing bureau, the Department of Public Safety of the State of Texas.

I let Mama out to get in line and as I entered the building I was wished “Good Luck!” by two people who were leaving the building. Mama was already in line with three people behind her but there were only about twenty people total in line. As we were beginning our painfully slow movement forward a woman at the help desk came and began to talk to us. It turns out she was impressed by the handful of papers I had with me. She took our applications when we explained that we had Texas licenses less than ten years ago.

She brought the applications back in a few minutes and told us we would get the same license numbers we had years ago. It only took an hour from that time to wait through the five people in line ahead of us to get our chance to submit our impressive paperwork. All the paperwork took about twenty minutes for each of us. It took almost that long for the woman helping us to warm up to us – but Mama finally won her over. So in just short of three hours and we were competely done.

Not much of a horror story for us but we won’t correct any expectations of those who have their own stories to tell.

Still Unpacking, Neighbors

Saying we are still unpacking is like saying we are still breathing. We spent the entire day opening boxes, shuffling the contents and setting aside those things we are going to leave packed up. I am especially annoyed by the boxes and totes of Beanies. This is the fourth move I have carried them through and tried to make space for them as many things more important to me have been let go or kept outside to accommodate these useless space wasters.


This is the third move in which I have been promised that they will find a new home. As it has turned out the last three times the new home was one we moved into. I have told Mama enough is enough. Her Beanies are finally back in Texas and here they will stay. Of course, our next move is probably going to be in Texas, but I hope it is not an idle threat.

Help arrived today and Mama had a great time with two ladies from the church as they unpacked things mostly dealing with the kitchen. As they unloaded the third box containing nothing but boxes of cereal they really began to tease Mama. The final count was over thirty boxes of cereal – but it was all bought on sale. When they unloaded a box containing nothing but spices – over sixty containers – they began to talk about intervention. God bless them!!

One neighbor in particular caught our attention. I met her on Friday as she stopped to ask if we were having a garage sale. She is a frazzled, lonely older woman, a recent divorcee – it is pretty obvious why when you see her – and a non-stop talker. She would not go away and I could not run her off. I suggested that the ladies witness to her because it is obvious she needs help, but they all thought it was more entertaining watching me deal with her. Awkward!

When Mama finally shared a tract with her she began to tell me about a time of desperate loneliness (my words) in her life when she begged God to send someone to comfort her. As she prayed her dog moved from the far end of the couch and took up residence on her lap. It was the next day, she told me, before she realized how her prayer had been answered. After all, she explained, dog spelled backwards is God.

I did not offer any other thoughts. I just begged God to send Mama back out to rescue me.

Unpacking, Too much stuff, Dumpster diving, Brian Regan

I went to work this morning but after getting there I felt bad about the mess in the house and the garage and left for home at about 8 keep a.m. I found Mama at breakfast and surprised her. After we got the hotel room emptied we left for the house.


I had to fight the urge to keep from getting overwhelmed as I opened the garage door and began working through the enormous collection of boxes. Mama had arranged for help to come on Saturday so I had to get far enough ahead to give them something to work with. I realized that we would have to handle the boxes several times to get things where we would finally need them and I came to the conclusion that we would have to rent a POD to give us the storage space and also limit our repeat handling of the boxes we were not going to unpack.

I did start to unpack and began to throw away some items. I found out pretty quickly that I could not let Mama see any of the things we were dumping because she removed several things from boxes we had set aside to throw away. From that point on I had the boys put things straight in the dumpsters that are stationed in the alley behind the house. The dumpsters closest to the house were soon very full and I began to worry since I don’t know the schedule for emptying them.

It turns out I did not have to worry because early in the afternoon a couple women came by and got nearly everything out that we had put in that morning. They even stopped to see if I had anything else ready to throw away. I guess it would have saved them the trouble of getting it back out of the trash.

I finally had to quit about 5p.m. I was out of energy and we had to get ready to go see Brian Regan at the Convention C enter in downtown Amarillo. It turned out to be about ten minutes away. Now I can get into that!

Mama said after the performance that her face hurt form laughing so much. I felt terrible as we were driving home because I could not really remember very many of the joke he or the guy who opened before his told – except one.

The guy before told of a time when, because of a spill he took into a backyard fish pond he had to run to the basement and take off all his clothing to get out of the wet, smelly cloths. As he raced through the house naked, he saw his wife talking on the phone and wondered how that conversation was going, but nothing was said in the moments when he returned fully clothed, except, “Would you like a sandwich?

“Sure. A sandwich would be great.” As they ate, he asked, “Did you see me run through the house naked?” “Yeah” “Any questions about that?” “No” He explained that that is one of the fundamental differences between men and women because if a man saw his wife run through the house naked as he was talking on the phone, he would immediately hand up and go find out what was up.

Funny that I should remember that one.

Late Movers, From Empty to overwhelmed

We were assured that the movers would be at the house between nine and ten in the morning so Mama and I got up early to get things prepared and to make sure the boys were up and ready. By 10:45 I was calling because we were still sitting on the floor of our empty house waiting. We were told that the trailer our things were loaded on had a flat tire and was being repaired.


By the time they had arrived I had decided that we should get the truck behind the house and use the garage and patio entrances to move things into the house since there were too many vehicles parked in the front of our house. A neighbor told us they had been there for several months so I tried to talk the neighbor on the other side without any success.

Wednesday after church I stopped at the house of the people I had been told were the owners of the two cars and a trailer abandoned at our space on the curb and it did not go well. An older Latino man drew back a corner of the blinds in the front window – the one that opens to the porch – and he was not happy I was there. It was late and I apologized and explained that we would have a big moving van to unload in the morning. Could he please move and of the idle vehicles that belonged to him so we could have more room?

HE said they were not his and he did not know who owned them, but the next morning one of the cars was parked behind his house. The others were stationary, but I had already talked myself into unloading through the garage.

The movers showed up after lunch and got right to work. I knew we might be in trouble when I saw that our stuff took over twenty five feet of space on the truck – wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling. By the time we were four hours into it the garage was overflowing. I had filled the garage in four rows of boxes and other items stacked to the ceiling with little open pathways so we could work our way through the boxes later.

By the time I had given up hope of getting anything else into the house or the garage even Mama was saying, “This is ridiculous. I’m going to start throwing stuff out!” With my full blessing. Praise the Lord!!

Meeting the Pastor

Our Pastor and his wife met us at the hotel last night. I had asked him last week to meet with us concerning joining the church. They are both delightful people and we are impressed with the church and all the people we have met so far, so there is no question that we will join Central Baptist Church, but that all things be done properly I knew it was important that the pastor interview us for his peace of mind if nothing else.


We talked for over an hour – almost two in fact. Then he startled us just a bit by advising us to be re-baptized in the church since neither Mama nor I was baptized in an Independent Fundamental Baptist Church. I was baptized in the Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) and Mama in a small Methodist Community Church.

At first I was taken aback. I made sure he had no problem with our profession of faith. He did not. His concern was the authority under which we were baptized. His concern was that all things be done to maintain a consistency and a purity in the application of doctrinal truth as it relates to the Independent Fundamental Baptist beliefs. I have no problem getting re-baptized in order to ease his mind and maintain a set order. At the worst we will get wet. At the best we will get blessed. I was surprised that it had never been brought up before since we have moved our membership through three such churches previously. And I have to admit that it took me some time to get to sleep last night as I reasoned through the idea. So I finally settled on this thought. God sent us here to this church, to this man of God. If this is an important element for him it costs me nothing to submit but it would cost me dearly to resist. And the issue will forever be settled. If there is something more to know about it, God will let me know it only as I am obedient.

Mama and I thought back through the years and realized that all of our children have been baptized in an Independent Fundamental Baptist Church, so there is no issue for them if they seek to join with us here. So this Sunday we will set the record straight. Unusual, but not difficult.

Chase is taking his placement testing for San Jacinto Christian School in Amarillo this morning. I have tried to get him to refresh his memory by review of some of the materials he has with him, but I am pretty sure in the month he has been between schools he has not put in more that six hours total. I know he is incredibly bright, but our memories can only retain so much and when tested it can be very disappointing to find out how little that “so much” really is.

I tried to warn him. Today we will see how it turns out.

A continual beeping, New hires

The boys have been sleeping in their assigned bedroom at the new house for the past several nights and I think Seth is about to go crazy. There is no furniture in any of the rooms, no curtains on the windows, no movement or stirrings of others in the house; nothing to dampen any noise inside those empty walls. There is only a continuous beeping from a broken fire alarm. It sounds every thirty seconds with that shrill, piercing, uncomfortable chirp that can make your blood curdle.


The front bedroom, it will be reserved for the girls when they come, acts like an amplifier for the noxious noise. And even Mama who is there today to oversee the delivery of our new refrigerator has had enough. She has only been there for a couple hours. The boys have been spending the whole night. That is just under one thousand beeps. I wondered Sunday night why they were in no hurry to leave.

I have not been able to fix it because I cannot reach it. It is attached to the ceiling and I cannot reach it without a ladder, a chair or some other artificial elevation device. Even though we managed to remove the battery it continues to chirp because it is wired into the house electrical system. I know I can disconnect it but it will have to wait until our things get there on Thursday. Besides, I can’t hear it in my motel room.

Chase was excited the other day when the desk clerk at the neighboring hotel suggested he take an application. Chase and Seth have been going over regularly to use the weight room and the pool since the facilities at our hotel are being renovated. The same guy has helped them on multiple occasions and has come to have the card key ready for the two of them as soon as he sees them enter the lobby.

They were told that the owner would be in on Tuesday by 11am and Chase actually got up early to make the appointment. I told him Sunday night to dress the same as he had for church for the interview. He called me about an hour ago to tell me he had been offered a job working Friday and Saturday nights from 3pm to 11pm. He sounded pretty thrilled; even for Chase.

Seth is still looking for a job so he and Mama are going to the UPS warehouse today to pick up a package the delivery person would not leave at the house since it looked vacant, and while they are there he will fill out an application with them as he waits to hear back from Walmart. The good thing about Walmart is that it is only a block from the house. Sam’s, for the girl’s work, is less than two miles away by the longer route. And the airport is a whopping fifteen minutes away.

Life will be hard here, but we’ll manage

The lull before the storm, Temporary?

Mama is not feeling well right now, but that does not stop her from getting the running done that still needs to be done. Fortunately today and tomorrow are less scheduled than she has had to deal with in the past week or so. Chase has his placement testing tomorrow but it should not take too long. If he does well, and I expect he will, he will get one day in before the Thanksgiving break.


He talked about not going for one day but I told him it would be better to get an orientation for one day than to walk in cold for his first week. After all, he has been out of school since we left New Jersey on the 25th of October and he has been lazy in doing any ongoing study even though we have carried his books through a dozen or more states. It will catch up to him in a real big hurry in a week or so.

Thursday while the movers are getting started putting our house together (What a joy!) Mama and I will have to go to the school for an interview with the principal – part of the enrollment process. I have no worries for Chase fitting in. I am a little concerned as to whether or not the principal will like us. But then, I have the advantage, I will be the one paying for his schooling. Maybe that will give me a leg up.

We are very happy with the church we are attending. I told Mama I think one of the reasons the Lord brought us here is to teach us to pray. This is a praying church and the pastor’s wife said of him one evening as she was talking to us, “You have a prayer warrior in my husband.” What a testimony for a woman to give of her husband.

She said this in reference to a statement we had made about the very real potential of relocating mid next year. Nothing is definite but there is a push against my boss to relocate the office more centrally to the area of production growth here in northern Texas. That are is the Barnett Basin which encompasses a very large geographic region through northern Texas, eastern New Mexico, most of Oklahoma and central, southern Kansas. God knows. Our responsibility is to be ready but not worried.

I suppose we can consider ourselves temporary residents in light of the expected move. But in essence, we have always seemed to be temporary residents. The only place I stayed longer than I had planned was New Jersey. All the other locations we have called home were always stepping stones along Mama’s and my wandering path as we sough to give the best to each other and to our children.

God blessed in different ways through each move and we have no real regrets. But I think right now, we are ready to alight.

Too full, the little things

Seth and Chase are enjoying their new sense of independence – for the moment. It all ends soon. Chase will start school this Friday and Seth is looking for a job near the house. We will be in the house by Friday but there will be considerable rearranging to do in expectation of the arrival of the girls and Grandma and Grandpa.


I suppose it is inescapable that we will have to share the house until they can find a place to live but having been essentially living out of a suitcase for almost a month I am not looking forward to the house being that filled with people. No matter how much we love each other we all still need our space. And I have made no attempt to find a place for anyone but my wife and our children, so the hunt is not yet over. (Mama is quietly looking but has not said too much to me about it.)

That alone is one of the reasons it was very difficult for me to walk away from the house with the acreage. That much room was hard to resist and there may be some lingering regrets after we get crowded together, but if Mama and I pursue our financial directives first we will reap more long-term benefits. Besides, we know this is only temporary. I am just a little nervous about being held responsible for too much outside of my own immediate family needs.

We are wrestling with internet and cable vs. Direct TV. For me it is not a matter of the cost but rather the mess of installing Direct TV so Mama is investigating the packages and costs of each while running the necessary errands for the boys and herself as we close accounts and open others, rearrange mail service, set up for shipments on hold to now be released to our new address, and move bits of the stuff we have stuffed in the hotel room to closets and shelves in the house.

Remembering how quickly the garage filled up as we moved into the apartment in Somerset, I am curious to see how much space will be swallowed up as we expand slightly into our house. Of course, remembering that we have the contents of another house coming to us in a few weeks.

For the first time in a dozen years Mama and I will get to attend a company Christmas party and yes, they call it a Christmas party here. I will also be free to attend the annual church dinner at our new church –for the first time in over twenty-five years. Having every weekend off has not sunk into my psyche yet, but I think the idea is gaining ground among my forward thinking faculties.

This ought to be an interesting holiday season.

Sleep overs, The “Pablo”

Since we have had to live in a one bedroon suite for the past ten days it was a real blessing for the boys that we got the keys to the house this weekend. They spent the night last night (The houses first sleep over.) after Mama determined that we had cleaned sufficiently to make it habitable. My thought was that it was for two teenage boys so it did not have to be too clean.


As they got up to take showers this morning they discovered that the shower enclosure in the master bath had a poorly installed faucet and they could not get any hot water to run through it. It was the only shower available since the hall bath did not have a shower curtain. The outside temperature was about 25 degrees so the water was pretty cold. I was told it was very stimulating. They made it to the hotel on time to eat breakfast before Sunday School and they looked presentable. What more can I ask?

Mama had to yeild to someone moving in before her and anyome using the shower before her was frustrating her more than a little – until she found out the problem the boys discovered for her. So it all worked out pretty well. At least they did not use “her” towels.

We get our refrigerator delivered on Tuesday so there will be something to eat and cold milk for a bowl of cereal. All of our shipped stuff gets delivered on Thursday so we will see how quickly this little house fills up. Mama and I are planning to vacate the hotel as of Thursday and live for one whole weekend in the house before we travel to Chappell Hill to spend Thanksgiving with Mom and Dad.

Our reator’s name is Pablo. He is a Spanish heritage man who just turned 50 years old. He has a full head of hair which is mostly white, peppered with black. He keeps it trimmed about 1 ½ inches long, in a stiffly spiked style. Both Chase and Seth loved it. They liked him as well. He is a lot of fun.

As we were following him to get the key to the rental property he called to tell us we were passing the barber shop he uses and Chase and Seth began to tease about going in to get their hair styled the same as him. Chase said, “I’m guessing they know him well enough to ask for a cut like his?” I told him to go in and ask for “The Pablo”.

It will be interesting to see how that turns out.

Appliance Shopping, Palo Duro Canyon

Having the day off on Friday gave me some time to spend with Mama appliance shopping after the weather cleared. We had pretty well settled on buying in the scratch and dent section of Sears when we went to bed on Friday night. I was a little disappointed at the prices because I had a lower budget price in mind for a washer and dryer.
Saturday turned out to be a busy day because we got the paperwork for the house we are renting signed and the realtor we are working with arranged for us to get a key for the house that afternoon. So we got to move a few things out of the back of the car and into the garage of the house. We did not take too many things in because it was incredibly dusty after a year of sitting vacant – brand new but vacant.
Anyway we needed extra keys so we went to Home Depot to get some keys made and as we walked in the door we saw a brand new Maytag dryer with a price banner offering the dryer for $250. Neither of us had considered Home Depot for appliances but we ended up find a matching washer for $250 also. The price I had wanted to budget for the pair was $500. So we bought the pair and loaded the dryer into the little van. The washer is on order.
That in itself was kind of unique because I had decided on a whim – I thought – to take both of the back seats out of the little van as I was unloading the boxes that had been in there since we left Hot Springs when we had repacked the van for our trip to Amarillo. God knew what He was doing. I’m just glad I followed directions for once. Because of leaving the seats in our garage, the dryer easily fit in the van.
We unloaded the dryer this morning and cleaned some on the house then we left for Palo Duro Canyon. Turns out is only about forty minutes south of us. It was impressive! I asked to buy a year long pass for the Texas Parks system as we entered the park but the ranger on duty said the computer s were down and he would not be able to process the pass for us. Instead he let us into the park for free. He told us, “It’s not your fault the computers are down.”
It is impossible to describe how big this canyon is but according to the map legends we were reading one ridge of the canyon we were seeing in the distance was over three miles away. The scenery was spectacular; washed out limestone gullies filled with juniper trees, cactus and Texas scrub bushes. In the distance the yellowing cottonwood trees announced the presence of water in a creek or the beginning of a river.
The formations were varied in color, shape, and height. They were made of clay, sandstone and limestone and as we drove down into the canyon we had to cross five low-water crossings slightly overflowing with continued runoff from the earlier days of rain and snow.
One thirty minute hike from the road to a precipice through a rough gully to another precipice for another view of the massive formation wore Mama our so badly that she talked about it for the next several hours.
It was the firmament showing His handiwork. It was great.