Maybe the Lord has another plan for me today...

 I have decided to stop going to Starbucks when I need to get some work done.  As I type this, I'm listening to a young guy serenade me with Josh Groban's 'Raise me up' with his guitar. 

 It's a long story.  See, when I have to get out of the house, I take my mobile office elsewhere.  The last couple of times I've ended up at Starbucks, for some reason, people approach me and want to talk.  One day, it was a guy who wanted to talk soccer.  Another time, it was a 80-something year-old lady that said I reminded her of her daughter (2 hours later I think we were best of friends).  

Well, today the weather is crummy, cold and rainy.  Vicki is cleaning the house, so I left to get out of her way.  I'm sitting in Starbucks, typing away on my computer making some real headway, and a guy walks in with his guitar.  The guy working in the comfy chair next to me seems obviously annoyed, packs up his stuff and leaves.   There are probably 8-10 other people in here, but guess where the guitar-toting fellow decides to sit?  Don't I LOOK busy?  HELLO!!!!    My inner voice told me to avoid eye-contact.  It didn't help.  he says, 'hey, do you like country music?'  'Sure' I said, not expecting what came next.  He pulled out his guitar and began playing and singing the latest  Brad Paisley song!!!  Can you say BOLD?  After my initial shock,  I asked him if he knew any Christian music - he played Casting Crowns and   y did some beautiful Vince Gill as well.  Ends up, he's 20 years old and works as a waiter at Culpepper's.   Yes, we're great friends now, too.  

Being approachable is good news/bad news.  The truth is, it gave me an opportunity to witness.  I'm not sure if he's a believer or not, but I'll err on the side of no.    I've invited him to our church - we'll see!

 

Now it's time to pick the kids up from school and I haven't accomplished much today - well, maybe I made a difference - it's worth it.  

Can you spell homonym?

Emily had the opportunity to represent her homeroom class in the school spelling bee yesterday.  There were 20 students competing, the winner to go on to the district bee. Emily is used to the TAPPS spelling bees, where she is in a closed room with a few other students and a couple of judges.  When I arrived, they had the library jam-packed with students, parents, and faculty.  She looked horrified!!! 

After the first couple of rounds, I could see her relaxing a bit.  Mr. White, the principal, had done a great job of explaining the rules.  He made it clear that in the event of a homonym, he would be sure and give a definition and the origin of the word so that the student would know which meaning he was referring to.  In the third round, Emily's word was 'profit'.  Mr. White gave her the word with no explanation, and she didn't ask.  She proceeded with confidence to spell the word -' PROFIT,  P-R-O-P-H-E-T, PROFIT'.   I thought, that's my Southern Baptist church-going girl!  Then it occurred to me that she may have not spelled the correct word!   Mr. White and one of the judges (Mrs. Bruning, who happens to attend our church) conferred and came to the conclusion that he should have given the definition since the word is a homonym.  They proceeded by giving her another word.  

Round after round, I held my breath as she was given some pretty tough words.  There were a couple that I wasn't so sure of myself!!  It was down to the final three.  Long story short, she missed a word and ended up in 2nd place and will attend the district bee as an alternate.  What ever you do, DON'T ask her what word she missed!

Now that our hair is fixed, we can play soccer!

Back home...

Well, they made it home.  It was a great tournament. Even though they lost the semifinal game in sudden death pk's, they played well and had a great time.  

This is a picture of Em and Lauren sleeping in the truck on the way home from the airport.  They were pooped!! Emily and Lauren have been friends since before they were two.  They have played soccer together since they were 4.  They have a special connection - you know the friend you can count on no matter what?  You may not see them all of the time, but you know they are there if you need them. That's the kind of friendship Lauren and Emily seem to have.  

Soccer, Soccer and more Soccer!!

Lonnie and Emily left Friday morning for Phoenix. She is playing in a soccer tournament over the holiday weekend (the kids are out of school until Wednesday).  So far, they won their first two games and tied their last game. They will be playing the semi-final game in about an hour.  She is so excited to be there.  

This weekend has been a blessing.  I decided to stay home with Gloria and spend some one on one time with her.  We invaded mom and dad over the weekend, staying the night both Friday and Saturday.  Jazzy even went along.  It has been nice for me to be able to focus on Glo and do some things with her alone.  We're going to the movies later today.

Lonnie has really enjoyed being with Emily - he really gets into the whole soccer thing.  He is quite competitive, so it's fun for him to be there with her. If they win the semifinal, they will play the championship game at 1 pm Phoenix time.   They will come back late tonight, landing at DFW around midnight.  Stay tuned for an update!!

A New Puppy for Christmas

Yes, we got a new puppy for Christmas.  Santa actually brought her two weeks before Christmas, as he was anxious for her to be in her new home.  Santa adopted her for us from DFW Cocker Spaniel Rescue.  After several heated discussions, the girls finally agreed to name her Jasmine, or 'Jazzy' for short.  She is quite special. She is about 2 years old and seems to be somewhat trained. She loves playing with her toys and mutilates them within a few days.  Her goal is to tear out the 'squeaker'.  She isn't satisfied until most of the stuffing is removed from her toys, then they are suitable for carrying around and playing tug of war.  She can fetch, sit and comes most of the time when we call her.  She has a love/hate relationship with Penny, our grumpy fat cat.  His world has been turned upside down, as he is no longer 'king of the house'.  He'll get over it.  

Gloria's wish was to have a dog that would sleep with her, play with her and wait by the door when she gets home.  Yes, Jazzy does all of those things, and more.  He will follow her around and when Gloria goes to school or leaves, Jazzy will cry at the door.  

What a blessing she is to our family.  On a side note, I can't imagine buying a dog from a breeder or pet store. There are so many dogs out there that are fabulous pets that have just been discarded for some reason or another.  It's so sad to know that many don't come close to having a real home.  

Arsenal Indoor Soccer Champs

Gloria's indoor soccer team wins their bracket - January 12, 2008

Do things really start to fall apart when you turn 40?

I hit the big 4-0 last week.  My birthday has always been a bit anti-climactic, as it falls just 9 days after Christmas.  Everyone (including me) is just about partied out from the holidays when January 3rd rolls around.  That's not to say that my family hasn't always done a great job of making it memorable, but it's not like having a birthday in July (like my darling husband).  

Anyway, this year I was more than happy to let it slide right on by without any recognition.  I even forewarned Lonnie and my parents against any 'surprise' festivities.  My mother seemed a bit hurt, but I think Lonnie was quite relieved.  

The most memorable birthday occurrence this year happened at the DMV in Rockwall.  I went to renew my drivers license (yes, I waited until the last possible moment).  I actually failed the vision test and they would not allow me to renew my license until I saw the eye doctor!  Well, I now have a restriction on my license and cannot 'legally' drive without my glasses.  Boy, was I bummed!  

Several days later, it's not so bad.  I've actually gotten used to them.  Gloria told me I look 'smart' and one of the students at church said my new glasses are 'hot'.  I'll take that. 

And the winner is....

If we were voting, the Polsak Family (Frank - holding Colton, Chris, Micholee and Peggy) would have won the tacky Christmas outfit contest!

Are you going out in that?!?

Brandon and Brett - cousins from Tulsa

More Fun!

Uncle Frank and Cher

An interesting pair!

The Myers Family Christmas wouldn't be the same with out a visit from Santa - this year, he had an interesting helper.  'Cher' joined the party.

Now this is cheesy!!

A guitar to go with the outfit...  my cousin, Brett Myers.

Do I have to wear this?

Amy and Lonnie 

A new generation begins

Colton wants Bailey's hat!

Myers Family Christmas

For nearly 40 years, my Mom and Dad made sure we were in Kansas for the Myers Family Christmas.  It was always a great time full of food, family, friends and memories.  People were always coming and going.  It was always fun and loud.  When my grandmother Nellie Jo passed away 4 years ago, my mother and her three siblings vowed to keep the Myers Family Christmas tradition alive.  This year the Texas crew hosted the party.  And it was quite an event.  Four great -grand babies were born this year, Bailey Rickel, Colton Doll (in the photos) and Cade and Connor Polsak (twins born in September - they couldn't make it this year).  As if that weren't enough  excitement, Cher and Santa Claus both crashed the party.  And no, we don't normally dress this classy...   we were all in our best 'tacky' Christmas attire.