To Borrow a Title from an Alabama Song, "FEELS SO RIGHT"!

at 06/01/13 9:28PM *

Has anyone read "God, Can You Hear me Now?" Alicia got a copy of it today in the mail, from the author, Debbie Petrich Sikes, otherwise known as "Stephen's mother". She also got a FB message today from her today, asking how Alicia would feel if she and her husband were to show up in Nashville sometime while we were there! Alicia and I are both thrilled that this is a possibility! After all, they too live in Texas! That they would come that far to meet someone their son is interested in speaks volumes!

UPDATE:

All that happened yesterday (Saturday). Tonight I appreciate even more what a blessing the book and the loving question were. The rest of the day Alicia and I were busy in her basement. You all know, don't you, how much "fun" cleaning out a basement can be? Not much fun at all. Well, it wasn't until this evening that we realized that the third "anniversary" of my mother's death (which I had been so dreading) has come and gone. Mind you, we were thinking of her all day long. The dolls she had bought, a Christmas ornament she had picked out, even the Letter People Tshirt she used to sleep in. She was lovingly remembered - by living, not by dying.

I have not read that book but that is nice of them.

by kailua at 06/01/13 9:50PM
Oh, how exciting! How GOOD.

by tryphena at 06/01/13 10:12PM
:-) !

by ceoltoir at 06/01/13 10:42PM
Well, that's just grand!

by aleta at 06/01/13 11:29PM
I was just thinking about you and Alicia and I got a little thrill of vicarious excitement! I'm looking forward to seeing what you have to say when you get back home.

by ceoltoir at 06/02/13 2:48PM

Somewhere out there...

at 05/29/13 11:48PM *

I am currently trying to find a roommate or 2 for the Discovery Toys convention to make the room less expensive. There is a Facebook page set up for that purpose.The convention is at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, a place far beyond my wildest dreams. Please pray that there is someone out there "like me" because just this once it would be fun to pamper ourselves (my daughter and I)! Of course, if any of you would like to give Discovery Toys a try, that would be even better!

Update: One person has contacted me. (I requested roommates who do not smoke or drink. No one else had put qualifiers on their requests.)

I'm sure it will work out!

by tryphena at 05/30/13 8:58AM
I'm looking forward to hearing about this adventure. I'm so glad Alicia is with you.

by ceoltoir at 05/30/13 1:16PM
Hope your pampered dreams come true!

by kailua at 05/31/13 10:36PM
Wow! Have fun.

by truckerswife at 05/31/13 11:08PM
I haven't printed them out, since I'm working from my trip journal, but when all is said and done (if that day ever comes!), I may do that. I had notes all along of things to look up and check out when I got home and I have incorporated that information into these posts, so having a printed copy might be helpful (and might help anyone trying to read the original journal, since the handwriting is a little "bumpy" at times!).

by themother at 06/01/13 4:03PM

YAHOO!

at 05/18/13 8:56PM *

OK, all you Texans, for some strange reason Alicia and I have teamed up to print out a blank map of Texas and an overlay with the counties. If you wouldn't mind telling me what county you live in, I can "place" you.

UPDATE:

Thank you all for your responses. I am having fun with this and still getting new ones.

Not anymore, but I grew up in Dallas County...

My current "county" is 180 degrees away from Texas. You can spin a globe (in a lopsided way) by putting one finger on Texas and another on China!!!

by milly at 05/18/13 9:07PM
Liberty County

by joc at 05/18/13 10:32PM
Fort Bend County

by aleta at 05/18/13 11:17PM
Jo Williams...I see we share the name Jo

by joc at 05/18/13 11:27PM
You were not on my FB friend request list, so I made the request. Will be interesting to see if that goes through!

by milly at 05/19/13 3:27AM
I used to live in fort bend country Texas which is Katy texas

by moe at 05/19/13 8:43PM
I'm not a Texan. However, I spent my graduate school summer working at Ft. Hood, which is mostly in Bell County. And my husband and I lived in San Antonio (Bexar County) shortly after we married.

by ceoltoir at 05/19/13 11:31PM
I live in Chambers County :-)

by AlanL at 05/20/13 10:38AM
Tarrant county (fort worth)
~Ellen :-)

by ekholl at 05/20/13 10:48AM
I was a 21-year-old single graduate student among hundreds of men who had been in the field for weeks. I worked on a government project but it was NOT the focus for me. ;-)

I rented a room from a Christian family who lived on a farm about 30 miles from the post. I don't remember the name of the town or the name of the church but both were very small. I commuted and worked 6 looooong days every week so I spent very little time with the family. My strongest memories are that they always had a bucket of fresh cantaloupes in the kitchen and told me to eat my fill all summer and they had scorpions in their house.

by ceoltoir at 05/20/13 12:26PM
Not that I know of but what church dose she go to?

by moe at 05/20/13 7:48PM
Ellis county.
Nice to meet you.

by sjean at 05/20/13 9:50PM
Thanks. The avatar was my daughter's idea.

by sjean at 05/20/13 9:52PM
Oh ok

by moe at 05/21/13 5:51PM
Kerr--it's in the middle close to Bexar. Cool idea!!!!

by bandmom at 05/22/13 2:54PM
Collin County

by canardmom23 at 05/23/13 11:05AM
I, too ^ am from Collin County.

by frances at 05/24/13 11:32PM

Pleonast, Sweet Pleonast

at 05/18/13 11:43AM

Ah, I'm home. I feel so comfortable here. You guys appreciate me. I feel loved here.

You *are* loved here!

by tryphena at 05/18/13 12:19PM
Share the love :-)

by kailua at 05/18/13 2:04PM
I do appreciate you and you are loved. ♥

by ceoltoir at 05/18/13 5:27PM
Welcome home.

by aleta at 05/18/13 6:08PM
:) Glad to have you for a friend!

by joc at 05/18/13 8:30PM
You are!

by lovescats at 05/18/13 8:56PM
Yes, you ARE loved here!

by bandmom at 05/22/13 2:55PM

I have been thinking and thinking...

at 05/15/13 11:25PM *

...and still can't come up with anything to talk about besides Discovery Toys and my daughter's long distance romance. I miss having the little ones here offering a steady supply of material. That does remind me though.... both of my daughters seemed anxious for me to get my Mother's Day mail and I finally got to see what they had been sharing behind my back, so to speak... Tristan had each of the kids sign cards, the first one was for their other grandmother. But, instead of her name, Abby wrote "cat", being very proud that she can "spell" now. Next was a great grandmother..."But don't write "cat" this time." Finally my card was put before her. "NOW can I write "cat"?" Yes, she was allowed to show off her skills for this very proud Grandma!

Okay, now that I have reread my last post, I am going to update you. My uneasiness didn't last too long. I have talked on Facebook to both of Stephen's parents, as well as Stephen. Alicia and Stephen talk almost every available minute and still no red flags. I have definitely relaxed, not sure that our friends have. Doesn't matter how old she is, there are many who are very protective and Texas is quite far away.

I will keep you posted. ;)

Those grandchildren are so special! What part of Texas are you referring to?

by joc at 05/15/13 11:56PM
Sweet kids! I got a homemade mother's day card from my niece, who made the day really special. Love the sweet little innocent hearts!

by tryphena at 05/16/13 7:36AM
Even here to us Texans, everything is far away. Lol! But we ain't so bad!
Sounds like a nice guy, and time will reveal anything otherwise.

by aleta at 05/16/13 9:18AM
That is a neat teether. I'll mention it to my granddaughter. Yes, I live in Texas...about halfway between Houston and Beaumont....180 miles from Kilgore. I love East Texas, even
more than here, because it reminds me of MS, where I was born and raised until we moved here in the early 50's.

by joc at 05/16/13 12:26PM
We are in Texas too! Glad your uneasiness is subsiding a bit, as that is always a relief :)

by ekholl at 05/16/13 2:28PM
Oh, I was in Bowling Green for years. We moved away 3 years ago and I have yet to update anything on here :) We are in Fort Worth now.

by ekholl at 05/16/13 5:42PM
Sometimes we just have to go with the flow and enjoy the ride.

by kailua at 05/16/13 7:16PM
Toys and romance...those are good subjects to write about. Keep it up. :-)

by ceoltoir at 05/16/13 7:31PM