I'm still here......

Well, I'm sure the few people who did read my blog have long given up on me by now. But, blogging just takes so much time and I'm finding I much prefer Facebook for a quick update. Since my last post in September, lots has happened in the world and I have strong opinions on all of it.....but that would take waaaaay too long. Suffice it to say that I agree w/ George W. Bush when he says that it will be a "stirring sight" to see the first black man assume the presidency. Even though I disagree w/ Mr. Obama on just about everything, I will still respect him as my President. (I really resent those who say that just because I didn't vote for him that makes me a racist.......whatever) Anyway, Christmas was great. We have been very blessed this year. God has shown me that when I lean on Him, He is always there. He never fails. I hope that in 2009, things settle down a bit in our country and our economy, but if they don't, it does not matter, because I have learned that to put my faith and hope in anything or anyone other than the giver of faith and hope is seriously misguided, at best. If there is still anyone reading this blog, I wish you all of God's blessings in 2009.

Michael Moore is an idiot!

This post has been brewing for a few days. I usually try to stay away from politics, but I can't get this out of my head. I realize that politics has become very polarized in the last few years, on both sides. You can't just disagree w/ someone, you have to hate/destroy them. But what i saw a few days ago takes the prize for being the most disgusting. I was channel surfing and came across Michael Moore on Keith Olbermann's show, not sure what channel......CNBC or MSNBC, whatever. Normally I would keep surfing when I see his face, but for some reason, this time I paused, right as he was saying that with hurricane Gustav barrelling down on the coast at the same time as the Republican convention was about to start, that was proof to him that there is a God in heaven, as he laughed at the hilarity and cleverness of his remark! Even the despicable Keith Olbermann was at a loss for words. I mean, seriously, this guy was rubbing his hairy paws together with glee at the thought of a major destructive hurricane taking attention away from the Republicans! Never mind the fact that the last time it happened, hundreds of people lost their lives, not to mention the thousands upon thousands whose lives were ruined. But hey, what a small price to pay to get a dig on the Republicans, right!!! Give me a break, this guy makes me sick. OK.....I feel better now after getting that off my chest.

Go REBELS!!!

This is Barrett's 9th grade football pic. It kind of brought a tear to his old dad's eye to see him in the Rebel colors. Me?.....well, it brought tears to my eyes for different reasons, not the least of which is that some of those boys on his team easily weigh 200+ lbs! and Barrett weighs 135 dripping wet. Don't get me wrong, he's not a runt, in fact, he's about average size, not tiny at all. And, the way he eats, you would think he was a lineman. But still, he's already had one broken arm from football and.....I'm just sayin'. Oh, and don't be fooled by his low #. He's not a quarterback. On picture day, they just threw them any old jersey for the picture. He actually plays on defense, a position he calls "ghost".....never heard of it. Maybe its because he's really scary or something :-)
I know you can't tell in the picture, but his legs are really hairy. He's turned into a hairy-legged teenager!! When did that happen? One minute he was a precious little kid that wouldn't let me out of his sight, and now? a hairy-legged football player? I don't think so! (but he's still precious.....to his momma anyway.)

Summer reading list....

Well, my summer reading list was (is) quite long, but I am making headway. In June, I read the latest in the Teashop Mystery Series that I have been following for a couple of years. Though VERY light reading, I have enjoyed them because they are set in Charleston, SC and have alot of historical stuff in them, which I love. However, I decided after this last one, that they are a little too "light" (even for the pool :-) and it is getting hard to distinguish one from the other. So, that is crossed off my list. Next on the list, on my Mother's recommendation, was David Baldacci's "Wish You Well", an excellent uplifting story. Kind of a departure for Baldacci, who usually writes murder mysteries. I loved it. Then, a friend from church & I were discussing Eckhart Tolle's "New Earth", which I had heard some negative things about and she told me that she & her husband had really found it to be very helpful, and that I shouldn't judge it until I had read it. OK.....she had a point. So I read it and, honestly it was the hardest thing to get through. So much psycho-babble, new age crap. Somehow, my friend had gleaned from this book that this man is a Christ follower, which, I guess he is. But, he is also a Buddha follower, a Zen master follower, a Hindhu follower, all of which he puts on the same level as Jesus Christ. And never once does he claim the Deity of Christ, just that he was an enlightened teacher. The sad thing is that so many people are being misled into thinking this is truth. IT IS NOT!!! I hated this book, it disturbed me alot.
The last book I just finished, was just the opposite, I absolutely loved it. It was William Young's "The Shack". I can't quite put into words just yet how it affected me. Very overwhelming. There is so much to digest. I finished it a couple days ago, but it is still running through my mind. I know it is one that I will have to re-read a few times. My friend Arlene was right to advise me that it is not one to be checked out from the library, rather, I need to own this book, in order to be able to go back to it over & over.
So, that is the list so far. I have been meaning to read the "Twilight" series that my daughter loves so much. She owns all 3, has read all of them at least twice and is on the advance list for the next book in the series, which will be released August 2. I feel like a bad mom, because this kind of snuck up on me. By the time I realized she was so hooked on this series, she had already read 2 of the 3. Some moms @ church have said they are not allowing their girls to read them, and looked at me with raised eyebrows when I told them Gracen had read all 3 books (more than once actually). (Every one of my daughter's friends are reading them and it has become quite a phenomenon among that age set.) Basically, from what I gather, its a love story that involves vampires, slightly steamy, but not any overt sex. Definitely targeted for this age of audience. So, even though I'm not one to react to what others think (Gracen read and loved all the Harry Potter books) I still need to read these books, just to know what is going on.

On a slightly different subject, I went to see "Mamma Mia" last night with my mother and sister. LOVED IT!!! Of course, I have loved it ever since Lon & I saw it in Las Vegas several years ago. I was a big ABBA fan back in the day......I had "Dancing Queen" on a 45 and played it over and over, singing into my hairbrush microphone. I was in 7th grade. And of course, who could forget "Supa-pa, Troupa-pa"? I remember me & my friends singing along to that song on the bus going on the church ski trip to Angel Fire. That was probably my jr. year.......great memories>

CAKE!!!

As long as I'm on this "sugar" theme, I want to also mention my neice, Cara Packard. She makes and decorates the most gorgeous cakes.....well, some are gorgeous, some are cute & fun and some actually take your breath away!! (I wish I had a picture of the cake she did of the New York City skyline, it was unbelievable!!)The only down side is, she also lives in NYC....bummer for us, but great for her. She appears to be having a blast living there and has become very successful. We love her alot and are so proud of her for striking out on her own so far from home. But, if you are ever in NYC and find yourself in need of a special cake, well, Caras your girl. You can see her "stuff" @ http://caralinncakes.com/ She's a very talented girl. Way to go "Cawa", we LOVE you!!

COOKIES!!!

My friend Becky has started a "side business" of making & decorating the most beautiful cookies. She has always been very talented and creative, and now she is using those gifts to bless people with delicious cookies. You can see her "stuff" @ http://texascookiejar.blogspot.com, and if you need cookies for any occasion, I highly reccommend her. Way to go Bek!

Father's Day 2008

.....or should I say Father's Weekend. We celebrated both Saturday and Sunday, but Lon totally deserves it. He is the bestest Daddy around. Saturday, Lazy Boy delivered a new "Big Man's Recliner".....granted, I can never top last years gift--the Tiernan Son of Brisket smoker--I didn't even try. However, the huge recliner is definitely second. We had a BMR a few years ago, which he loved, but when it wore out, we cheaped out and replaced it w/ a "regular" recliner, and not a very good one. We always fought over who had to sit in it. It was sooo uncomfortable and cheaply made. So, this year, I spent the big bucks and got the good one. It is so comfy to take naps in, thats how big it is, I can just curl up in it. Love it!! Then on Sunday, we surprised Lon with a chiminea. He has been wanting one for the patio, when he is smoking (meat) and it is cold. So, he got 2 gifts, like I said, totally worth it. Another great Father's Day, but always a little bittersweet as I remember those who have lost their fathers in the last year and the fact that Lon's dad is no longer with us. We miss him alot, especially now that Barrett is playing baseball. It would be so cool to have Grandpa there in the stands watching #22. But, we had a great lunch with my parents....PeiWei, and we gave my Dad a gift card for gas. How sad is that? Anyway, it was a great weekend and I am so thankful to be blessed with a wonderful husband, who happens to also be the greatest Daddy, and also have my own father around for my kids to grow up with.

Proud moments

Both Barrett and Gracen had great years this year. Every year has been pretty good, but this one was exceptional. Both of them got commended on all their "dreaded" TAKS tests and both made the honor roll the entire year. Then, a few days before school was out, I got a call from the counselor @ deZavala telling me that both my kids were getting "big" awards this year, so I needed to be sure and attend the Awards Ceremony. Which I always do, but they usually don't get recognized that much except for attendance and honor roll, so I was expecting this year to be about the same. She wouldn't tell me what the awards were, just that they were major awards and that we both needed to be there. I was really glad Barrett would be getting an award this year. It seems like the last few years, he manages to get in trouble right at the very end of the year, so he doesn't get an award. (Not anything major, just enough not to get an award. For instance, last year, one of his friends was "sagging" and Barrett decided it would be funny to pull his pants down. Even though it was kind of funny, his principal didn't think so. So...no award for Barrett last year) Anyway, for 7th & 8th grade there are 2 major awards that are teacher nominated based on character, grades, participation etc, etc: 1)Way of the Wolf 2) Leader of the Pack (the wolf is our mascot, so everything has a wolf theme) Well, Gracen got Way of the Wolf for 7th grade! She was so surprised, the look on her face was priceless! and Barrett got Leader of the Pack for 8th grade and also was a nominee for the Lamar Lively award. It was so fun to watch them, because neither one of them knew they were getting anything. Lon & I were so proud, especially when the teachers told us that their selections were unanimous. The principal told us "We don't take these awards lightly, and for one family to receive the 2 biggest awards, well, that is a big deal." I hope it doesn't sound like I'm bragging too much, like I said, usually my kids don't get many awards. In athletics, they are both good, but not studs, so the athletic awards always go to others. In academics, they both make excellent grades, especially Gracen, so they usually get the honor roll awards, but that about it. And artistically, like singing or acting, well, not gonna happen. Not much musical talent in this family! So, it was a good night in the Packard family.

Freshman orientation?????

OK...the last day of school was pretty emotional for me, it being Barrett's last day of middle school. I literally just sat there and bawled. His first day of 1st grade @ Woodlands is tattooed on my memory. I remember us walking in together, his little hand in mine. This was his second new school in 2 years. He went to Kindergarten @ Paramount Terrace, then we built our house out here, so he started first grade @ Woodlands. Naturally, he was a little scared, but he was so brave, walking right in and making his first friend, Cooper Jones. I cried that day too. I freely admit to being an emotional wreck when it comes to my kid's "firsts" & "lasts". I know it is a cliche, but where did the time go? The other day when he got in the car on his last day @ dZ and he saw me crying, he laughed at me & said 'Oh Mama, don't cry, it'll be OK' as he patted me on the shoulder. We then went to Blue Sky and had a great lunch together to celebrate the last day of school. (Gracen had gone to a swimming party) Then a few days ago, I open the mail and there is a flyer for Freshman Orientation @ Tascosa! That about took me to my knees! Just seeing it in print, there's a certainty about it...it really is here. But I'm not the only one struggling. Lon is realizing that he is coaching his last baseball games this weekend. We formed the "Mudcats" 6yrs ago when the boys were just 8 and now that time is coming to a close and I think it is going to be harder for old Dad than he imagined. It will be so weird not to be the Mudcats anymore. Lots of memories.

So excited.....

I am sooo excited!! Tonight is the premiere of the new season of The Next Food Network Star. This is the 3rd season Gracen & I have watched it and we're hooked. Last season, we were so sad when Rory (from Vega) lost. She so deserved to win and the girl that did win, does not even have a show anymore, she decided TV was not for her. The winner from 2 seasons ago was Guy Fieri, we love him. He has such a fun personality. We never miss Diners, Drive-ins & Dives. Well, the shows coming on, gotta go watch.

OK, I'm not too impressed with this years "stars". The girl from Dallas is freaky looking, very Star Trekish. And Cory, the so-called comedian, was eliminated. She needed to be, she looked angry. I hope Star Trek is the next to go, she's really annoying. As a matter of fact, so is Suzy Fogelson, one of the judges, with her squinty eyes and fake sincerity, talking about "bringing your A-game".....Can we please lose that phrase????

Gracen & I like Shane, Nipa & Kevin. The judges thought Nipa was over confident, which she probably was, but it takes a lot of that to win. So, we'll see.

Sooner weekend!

We decided last week, on the spur of the moment, to go to the Big XII baseball championship in OKC! We have always wanted to go, but have never been able to, due to one extenuating circumstance or another. This year, our family and a couple of other families that are our baseball friends, decided to go, but plans fell through for both of them and it ended up being just us. We had a ball! (Even though the Sooners ended up losing to the Longhorns---daaang it)So, I took the kids out of school on Friday around noon, after I got off work and we headed out. The plan was, we would go to the hotel and check in and then head out for this barbeque joint that Lon saw on "Diners, Drive-ins & Dives" (Lon's favorite show on the Food Network!!) called Leo's. They smoke their own ribs, plus all the other meat they serve, and Lon, being a newbie smoker himself, wanted to try them. On TV they looked soooo good. Plus, they showed their signature dessert...a Strawberry Banana Cake that looked to die for. So, things were going along as planned. We arrived in OKC around 6ish (after fighting the wind the whole way there, we had to fill up in Weatherford....an hr from OKC, normally you can make it in one tank!! And of course, Weatherford had the highest gas prices of the whole trip, but we weren't in a position to go looking for cheaper deals, our range was down to 2 miles!! YIKES!) Anyway, got checked in (after fighting, this time, with the extremely rude front desk lady who tried to give us a regular room with only one bed, not the suite with 2 beds that I had reserved. What good does it do to make a reservation, if they are just going to give you whatever room they feel like giving when you get there?? Reminds me of a Seinfeld episode...)Anyway...., with our Yahoo directions in hand, we took off for Leo's with visions of those ribs in our heads. When we got there, there was a big "CLOSED" sign in the window, saying they had a roof cave-in and were closed for repairs. I'm tellin' ya, this place was a true dive. But, the sign gave directions to their new location, which happened to be about 5-6 blocks from our hotel! So, we turned around and started making our way to the "new" location but we were going to be cutting it close, because, they close @ 8:00pm and by this time it was around 7:30. We finally got there and this place is just as big a dive as the first one, kind of scary looking, tucked under the railroad tracks. When we went in, the waitress told us that they were out of ribs, all they had left was smoked baloney......was she kidding? Their ribs were the whole reason we came looking for this place. So we left, thinking we would try again tomorrow. But, to say Lon was disappointed would be the understatement of the century. This trip was not turning out the way we planned at ALL! So...what now? Plan B, we were going to eat at Crabtown on Saturday, so we decided to go there tonight and eat at Leo's on Saturday. The kids and I LOVE seafood, but Lon?? Well, not so much. He hates the smell more than anything. But, he will eat shrimp, though not his favorite. So, we walked in and the seafood smell hit you in the face. :-) Keep in mind, he was already pouting about not getting any ribs and now the seafood smell...needless to say, his mood did not improve. But, he & I ordered the Shrimp Boil, where they just dump the the whole thing on your table, shrimp, new potatoes, corn, sausage & onions. It was delicious!!! He even had to admit that it was really good. Then we went back to the hotel for the kids to swim for a while. The day ended on a good note.



Next day, Saturday, the Sooners were playing the Longhorns @ 9am. This was the main game Lon wanted to see, because, even though the Sooners are ranked next to last in the Big 12, they had won both of their games earlier in the week, even beating the 1 seed, Texas A&M. So, whoever won the game between the Sooners & the Longhorns would be in the Chamionship game. The game was really fun. The Sooners got down by about 6 or 7 runs, but in the 7th inning came back to tie and go ahead. The crowd was really into it, yelling 'Boomer Sooner!' and 'Texas sucks!', it was so much fun and exciting to watch. But, the dern Sooners ended up getting beat by one run. Oh well, it was still a good game. After that, Gracen & I had had enough baseball, so we left and took a ride on the canal boat.....did you know that OKC has a little river downtown and you can take canal boat rides?? Anyway, that was a blast. Then we hit the mall and shopped for the afternoon. But Gracen is not the best shopper, unless of course, you are shopping for her. Which we were, for the most part, but she wanted it to be ALL her. :-) Around 4:30 or so, we went back to the Stadium to pick up Lon & Barrett and go to Leo's. (We didn't want to take a chance of them running out of ribs again!) Well, Leo's did not disappoint! The ribs and brisket were mouthwatering, they bring them to your table right out of the smoker, smokin' hot! After we were done eating, and waiting on dessert, the owner, Charles (Leo's son) came out and talked to us. He was the one we saw on "Diners, Drive-ins & Dives". We told him we had come all the way from Amarillo to taste his ribs after seeing them on the show. He was so nice and could not have been more appreciative. We told him about coming the night before and them being out of ribs and how we were so sad. He told us that the show had caused his business to skyrocket like he never dreamed and that he runs out of food almost everyday now. I am glad his business is being blessed, he was such a kind and sincere man. Anyway, after he heard that we came in from Amarillo, he said 'I tell you what I'm gonna do....I'm gonna decorate that cake right in front of you, just like I did on the show. It don't get no better that that!' He was absolutely right! He brought that cake out, straight from the oven, piping hot. He put glaze and fresh bananas between the layers and on top put bananas and fresh strawberries and drizzled glaze over the whole thing. Since Gracen was snapping pictures, (I'll try to figure out how to post some) he told her she got the first slice. You should've seen her eyes! I think it was the most delicious thing I have ever eaten. Needless to say, we were happy we came in on Saturday instead of Friday. It was the most fun experience and if you ever are in OKC, you have GOT to try Leo's ribs and his strawberry/banana cake. But, don't wait until almost closing time because they probably won't have any left!! I'm sorry this post is soooo long, Gracen told me that my posts are way too long and that no one will read them. Oh well, I don't think too many people read them anyway.

Mother's Day 2008

Mother's Day 2008 was the best one yet!! (I say that every year, and every year it's true) I am blessed to not only still have my mom around, but also she & my dad live right here in Ama. So..."I got that goin for me" :-) After church, we went to Cattle Call (mainly because they could accomodate our large party with no waiting) with Cristi & Shan and their 3 kids and Mother & Daddy. Cristi & I got Mother the "Thornbirds" on dvd. That is her absolute favorite show EVER. She has always loved Richard Chamberlain. Lon & the kids got me (after a little hinting) a Pandora's Box bracelet. I love it!! The first charm is a little Bible with a gold cross on it. Did I mention i LOVE it??!!!! Lon was also pumped because he said that was presents for the next 10 years! I think it will be an expensive habit though, since the charms run from $35 to over $300 for the gold. My sister, Cristi was not impressed. She's not a bracelet person. I am soooo a bracelet person. I wear one every day just about, except to work, kind of hard to wear gloves and wash your hands 50x a day with a bracelet on. A few years ago, possibly for my 40th birthday? can't remember, my sis-in-law, Luain, gave me a Brighton bracelet with crosses all the way around. It is still one of my favorite things to wear, I love it. And then there's my James Avery charm bracelet...love that one too. Anyway...(I didn't intend for this to be a post about bracelets) Mother's Day was wonderful. Lon, Barrett & Gracen always spoil me and make the day special. Lon won't let the kids fight, so for one day at least, there is peace. Or at least they do it while I am taking my nap so I don't hear it. So nice. And, as always, we end the day with a trip to the cemetery to visit Grandma (and Grandpa and Aunt Jean). Gracen & I went to the dollar store to get some flowers for the graves. Gracen kept picking out the tacky fake looking ones and I was trying to steer her toward the more natural, real looking ones. But then I realized that Grandma would be thrilled with the ones Gracen had picked out, so I let her choose whatever ones she wanted to give Grandma and they were perfect. I'm sure Grandma thought so too. We still miss her so much. So, even though bittersweet, it was still a perfect Mother's Day. I am very blessed to be "Momma" to the best 2 kids anyone could have.

Annual Session, the Riverwalk & Margaritas!

Last week, my bosses took our entire office to San Antonio for the Texas Dental Association's Annual Session. One of my bosses, Ty Pendergrass, was Annual Sessions Council Chair for this year, which means he spearheaded the whole thing. Kind of a big deal since it was attended by about 30,000 Tx dentists and their staff. He has been working on it for about 4 yrs now. On his nametag, there was a yellow ribbon that said "Big Cheese"!! We teased my other boss that that must make him the "little cheese"....he wasn't amused. Anyway....it was so nice to... a)get a free trip to San Antonio, b)knock out all my CE reqs for this year and next year, c) have some "girl time" with my co-workers, d) have the absolute BEST margarita I have EVER had, it was a mango-swirl w/ fresh mango puree----heavenly!, e) absolutely BEST of all, was getting to see my old boss, Dr Jim Hollifield. A few years ago, he retired and moved to California, where his wife is a Methodist minister. It was so much fun to see him and reminisce about the "old days", he is a precious man whom I love dearly. I didn't realize how much I missed him until I saw him and busted down bawling like a big baby!
It has been years since I have been to San Antonio and I forgot how beautiful it is in May, not too hot yet. And the Riverwalk is a really cool place and did I mention where I got the most delicious margarita EVER!!! It was such a fun trip, I wish my family had been there. Gracen was so mad when she heard I was going, she wanted to go so bad. This year, in Tx history, they studied the Alamo and actually watched the "Alamo" movie and she is doing a report on Davy Crockett. When I told her i was going to SA, she said "Well, I'm going too!" and i told her that she couldnt because I would be in meetings all day and where would she go. To which she replied "I'll just hang out at the Alamo!" Ummmm, probably not. But, I think this has caused us to change our summer vacation plans from Galveston to San Antonio. Gracen says that absolutely everyone has been to Sea World except her. Well, we certainly can't let that embarrassment go on any longer!! What kind of parents would we be??

Praise the Lord, hallelujah, go to church.....

Track is OVER!!! Barrett qualified to go the Amarillo Relays in the 2400 (mile & a half) and the 1600 (mile). They tried to have the meet about a week ago, when it was in the 40's and raining/sleeting, but ended up having to cancel it. But unfortunately for Barrett, they cancelled it AFTER he ran the mile & a half in that miserable weather. I have never felt so sorry for a kid (all of them actually) by the end of it he was dripping wet & shivering. He said he couldn't even hold his head up when he was running against the north wind and the sleet. Miserable. But, on the day they finished it up, last Tuesday, the weather was gorgeous, thank God! He ran the mile in 6 min. flat, which I thought was really fast, but he probably got about 10th or 11th place, I'm not sure. But i do know he didn't get last, there were 4 or 5 kids after him. The winner (from Bowie) ran a 5.18. There are some speedy kids in Amarillo. But I was so proud of him, especially considering he didn't get any genes for long distance running from either his mom or dad! :-) He told me on the way home he was so happy because that was the last track meet he would ever have to run in......AMEN brother!
The last couple of weekends we have been "kidless" and it has been kind of weird. Weekend before last, both of them went on a youth trip w/ the church. So, being on our own, Lon & I started out the weekend by sleeping in (well actually only I got to sleep in, Lon had to take the kids to the church by 7am!) anyway, we went to lunch at one of our favorite spots....Basil Doc's. Their pizza is to die for, not to mention the basil bread w/ olive tapenade. We decided to try one of their "white pizzas" that is drizzled w/ olive oil instead of tomato sauce. I never dreamed Lon would go for something like that, but he informed me he is becoming a "man of the world" and trying new things......:-) OK--whatever. Anyway, the pizza was delicious! We got the Pinnarello, which had fresh basil, sun-dried tomato, mushrooms and cheese. (Notice, not any meat...again, very unusual for Lon....maybe he IS becoming a man of the world :-) Then we went to what has become one of our favorite activities-----a Tascosa baseball game. We absolutely love watching them play, and the son of a friend of ours plays 2nd base. Plus, they are pretty good this year, even beating Amarillo High once. Tascosa easily has the nicest, most beautifully groomed field in this area, no one else even comes close. They mow the grass in a pattern, just like the big leagues. It is something the Tascosa dads take alot of pride in, as they should, it is gorgeous. Baseball is such a fun game to watch at the high school/college level. Lon's love of the game has rubbed off on me, he has taught me so much about it. It is sooo much more complicated than I thought, which makes it so fun to watch. Finally, we rounded out the day with more Italian food at Carino's, which included drinks and dessert! It was so nice to just leisurely enjoy the day together, we even managed to get a nap in!!
This past weekend, we ended having a few hours to ourselves when Barrett went golfing w/ his buddies and Gracen went to Brush w/ Art with a friend. It was a miracle that they didn't have games, but barrett's baseball team was off this weekend and gracen finished up w/ volleyball a couple weeks ago. So..... I was able to talk Lon into going to the mall w/ me, you know, being a man of the world and everything, he ought to enjoy the mall. Well, he was patient for a little while, but I knew I was pushing my luck, so we didn't stay too long. But, it dawned on us that we are not that far away from the kids totally doing their own thing on the weekends, which is bittersweet. On one hand, it will give us more time to spend together, which we look forward to. But, on the other hand, it means they are growing up and it won't be too long before they are gone from home, which makes me sad. Just last thursday night, it was Wonderland Night for our school, and for the first time ever, they both went w/ friends and Lon & I didn't go at all. Which was GREAT, don't get me wrong, just different. The last few years, they totally hang w/ their friends and only talk to us if they need money :-), but at least we were there. Not this year, they were totally on their own.....well, for the most part, they still needed a ride home! That night as they were getting ready to head out, barrett said "Momma, remember when we would go to Wonderland, just me, you, daddy & gracen and we would stay together and not go with our friends?" Yeah, I do remember it, for me it seems like it was only a couple years ago. In fact, our very first "Wonderland Night", when barrett was in kindergarten @ Paramount Terrace, I got talked into riding the Rattle Snake River Ride (I have a personal rule not to ever ride water rides....gross!) and sure enough one of those water cannons exploded right when i was in front of it, soaking me from head to toe! Everyone in the family thought that was just the most hilarious thing. Not me. Needless to say, Wonderland Night ground to an ugly and screeching halt after that! And to this day, you will never, EVER, catch me on the Rattlesnake River Ride. I just smile & wave as those morons go splashing by. Even considering that, it is still a precious memory that seems like happened only yesterday......Now, kind of like track, we only have one year left of "Wonderland Night" then we'll be done for good. High school kids don't have Wonderland Night....*sigh*

A reminder.....

I posted about a year ago that track blows goats. Well, I was reminded yesterday that it still does, even more so than I originally thought! If you don't live in Amarillo, allow me to set the scene......45 degrees, overcast, wind/rain blowing about 15 to 20 mph. I just knew they would cancel the whole thing......WRONG!! I got my hopes up when Gracen called me to say all field events had been cancelled (she throws shot & discus) YEA!!! But the track events were going ahead as scheduled.....bummer. So, I took my blanket and headed out to Dick Bivins Stadium. Barrett was running the 2400 (mileand a half--gross) and the 1600 (mile--also gross), but even worse was the 2400 was the very first event, at around 3:30 and the 1600 was almost last at 7:30......for those of you keeping count thats FOUR hours sitting freezing my rear off. But at least I had a blanket, I felt so sorry for those kids, they looked miserable! Oh, and did I mention that the misty rain that was falling caused the hairspray in my hair to cement into a lovely brown football helmet!! (ie--Steel Magnolias) Yeah, I was lookin pretty good when I left there. You know, if my kids enjoyed it, I would sit out there all day and not make a peep. But they both hate it. Last year, Barrett kind of liked it and was pretty successful at it, he really liked those long distances. But, this year he is about 5in taller and probably weighs 20-25 lbs more. He has really gone through a growth spurt in the last year and has filled out alot. Consequently, he's not as aerodynamic as he used to be :-) Still, he finished 5th place in the 2400 out of about 20 kids, not bad. Like I said, Gracen does the shot and discus and shes actually not too bad at it, she just doesn't like it. Totally don't blame her. But, since they go to the smallest middle school in Ama, they really need everyone to participate in track & field. Thank goodness it's almost over and then we'll only have one more year of track. (Which I'm sure will continue to blow goats next year as well!!)

Refining....

A few years ago, the preacher @ our church, who had been there for many years, led a kind of revolt and basically extorted our church for alot of money, saying if we didn't give him what he wanted, he would leave and take a large portion of our congregation w/ him. I was so proud of the leadership at the time because they refused to be manipulated and told him (in as loving a way as possible) to go right ahead. He made good on his threat, leaving and taking a good number of our members with him. The resulting split was devastating to our church and did untold damage to lots of families. I wondered at the time if we could ever recover, it seemed we were wounded beyond repair. But nothing, I found out, is ever wounded beyond repair for God. In fact, in retrospect, I see how God was working in that situation. The old preacher had to be removed as well as some of the members he took w/ him, in order for God's plan to begin to unfold for our church and its mission in downtown amarillo. To actually take the gospel to the hurting people that were literally w/in yards of our church. We were so fortunate that God chose a special man to be the pulpit minister for this new season in our church history. Dan Bouchelle has been our preacher ever since "the split" and God laid on his heart thru the Holy Spirit, the new mission He had planned for our church. I have never EVER heard a preacher like Dan, the HS works thru him in ways I have never experienced before. His sermons cut me to the heart, which is a good thing. If you try to compliment him, though, he totally deflects any praise from himself and gives it to God. Which is as it should be. I thank God for what He is doing thru this man. Dan is so transparent about his struggles and failures, it makes me realize that "Hey, he struggles w/ the same things I do. " So, I try to give all the glory to God and not elevate Dan to an exalted position that he could never possibly live up to. He is a man, that God is speaking thru to reach a hurting world. My point in saying all this is to say you have GOT to listen to his sermon from Sunday, April 6th. It can be found at amarillocentral.org. Well, I don't guess you've GOT to, but it would be well worth your time. It concerns the politics that seem to consume the airwaves these days. It seems like alot of Christians are putting faith in the political system to change our world/country, when the ONLY one who can do that is God Himself, thru Christ Jesus. Don't get me wrong, I firmly believe that we, as Christians don't have the luxury of sitting out the political process. I believe it is my duty to vote, and I do. Too many brave patriots have given their very lives for that right. I don't take it for granted. I also have my opinions about who is the best candidate, which I won't go into here. I also believe it is my duty to pray for our leaders, whatever political party they happen to be. I believe our leaders, especially the President, deserve respect, whether I agree with them politically or not. They deserve not to be ridiculed and called names, i.e.liar, stupid, etc, etc. But, I think that our greatest calling as Christians is to change the world by "being Jesus" to the people we come into contact with every day. Basically, changing the world from the "bottom up", not the other way around. Which is what Dan said yesterday, only much more eloquently. Actually, it's what Jesus said too, only not in those exact words. So...... check it out.
On another note, the book I am reading, Isaac's Storm, is going pretty slow, laying the groundwork for how weather is forecast, kind of dull stuff. But now, about half way through, it is finally getting around to why the Galveston storm in 1900 was a such a surprise with so much loss of life (estimates of 6,000-10,000 lives lost). It addresses the hubris that existed at the turn of the last century concerning man's mastery of weather. Basically the "Titanic Mindset", very interesting. I'll keep you posted.

Great book!!

I just finished a book called---same kind of different as me (ron hall & denver moore) I can't recommend it highly enough. Although, one caveat, bring your kleenex. Don't let that put you off though. It is a fairly short book and a quick read. It is a true story about a Christian couple trying to make a difference in the lives of the homeless in downtown Ft. Worth. It was really meaningful to me, considering Lon's mom spent the last 30 yrs of her life, serving those very people at Faith City Mission in Amarillo. It dispenses with alot of fears and stereotypes people have about homeless people ( probably confirms some too) and (for me at least) made me take a second look at my own biases. Check it out, you won't be sorry. The book I'm about to start now is called Isaac's Storm. It is the story of Isaac Cline, who was one of the early meteorologists with the NWS at the turn of the 20th century in Galveston. It chronicles the 1900 Galveston Hurricane, still the deadliest natural disaster in our nations history. Needless to say, I have very eclectic reading tastes.

What happened?

Someone asked me the other day...."Hey, what happened to your blog?" Well, I have gone on kind of a "blog-diet". It seemed like I was spending WAY too much time reading blogs and checking my own blog. Time that, quite honestly, I don't have to spare. (Who does, right?) And I was getting kind of wound up about stuff, like the Oprah thing. Don't get me wrong, I meant every word I wrote about Oprah, and I continue to pray for those that I think are being misled. But I just kind of needed to take a step back. I do, however, continue to pray for the "T-18 families" that I found thru blogging. I honestly believe I was led to these blogs by the Spirit so that I could be in prayer for these families. Their faith is an inspiration to me. But, from now on, my own blog will probably be confined to the more mundane details of my life.

That being said, we have been up to our eyeballs in "club volleyball" since the first weekend in January. Gracen has gotten so much better, just from playing against all the other club teams around here, and there are LOTS! It can be a VERY expensive endeavor, but we were able to get her on a team with an excellent coach for a fraction of what most parents are paying to be in club ball. So, for the most part it has been a positive experience. Notice, I said ...."for the most part" because the conduct of "some" parents has been shocking. And I don't consider myself naive about these things since Barrett played club baseball for several years. But, volleyball parents seem to be in a class by themselves!!

Another mundane detail... I am a Children's Leader in BSF, I teach a class of 13!! two year olds on Thursdays from 9-11:30. Last week, one of them bit me and another one took a swing at me, so......needless to say, I have been struggling with whether this is where God really wants me to serve. I have never been a "kid person", but when they asked me to do this, I felt it was what I was supposed to do. That was 2 years ago. Last year I taught the older class and we only had 4 kids on our role and usually only 2 of them showed up. But this year I was assigned the youngest class--2yr olds, and though our role has fluctuated, it has always been at least 11 children. Usually, it is mass chaos, as there are a few that are having a very hard time with our very structured routine. But, last Thusday was the worst day yet. I am finding myself dreading it more and more every week, and I keep praying for guidance and confirmation that this is still where He wants me to serve. Lon has said that it is obvious that I don't have joy in doing it. Which is not completely true, because there quite a few of those children that I absolutely love, and can't wait to see each week, it's just a few that I have a problem with. I just keep asking "Is it not getting any easier because I am being rebellious and keep dwelling on the fact that I wish I wasn't there, or.....maybe it's not getting easier because God is leading me to serve elsewhere?" I will certainly complete this year, but am seriously considering giving my resignation after that. But, I know that will put BSF in a big bind as far as having enough teachers for next year and possibly they wouldn't be able to open all the classes. Which would mean, some ladies might not be able to come to Bible study because they wouldn't have childcare for their children. Guilt....guilt.....guilt!! I pray that this decision will become clear in the next few weeks.

Happy Birthday Barrett!!

Barrett turned 14 this morning @ 6:27. In some ways, it seems like I blinked my eyes and here we are 14yrs later. And in other ways that seems like a lifetime ago. Approx. 6 wks before Barrett was born, Lon's dad, Loren passed away in the hospice after a battle with cancer. So, for the most part, when I remember my pregnancy, I remember being sad. Lon & I had prayed so fervently that Loren would live long enough to see his 16th grandchild, but it was not to be. Loren passed away in November 1993. Also, in October 1993, one of our dear friend's father committed suicide. She was pregnant, too. Her son was born a couple of months after Barrett. Then, in December 93, a friend I had grown up with, who had been my best friend in gradeschool, passed away from an unknown illness. She was buried in early Jan. 94, a few days before Barrett was born. She was only 29. It just seemed like the main thing I used my maternity clothes for was to attend funerals. There were some happy times, too. The day after Loren's funeral, on December 1st, 1993, my nephew Corbin, was born. To this day, he is Barrett's best friend, they are more like brothers than cousins. And, also on that day, we closed on our first home. It was so exciting to be in our own home right before our first child was born. We had many happy times in that house. I still miss it sometimes and drive by often. Anyway, the day of Barrett's birth didn't go exactly as planned. (Do they ever?) His heart beat starting going down with every contraction, so they decided to deliver him by C-section, and at 6:27 am, Barrett McKee was born with the cord wrapped around his neck and looking like the bluest little smurf you ever saw. Thank goodness we did the C-section when we did, but he recovered within minutes and was fine. It was a happy day in the Packard family for once. Lon's mother, Donna, was there. She was absolutely crazy about babies. She called them her "itty bitties". And this particular "itty bitty" was her baby's baby. (Lon is the youngest of 7!!!) Sadly, she passed away, also from cancer, when Barrett was 2. So, as I'm thumbing thru the scrapbook, those pics of her at the hospital, after his birth, are extra special. It's so funny, everybody looks so young in these pictures, especially Lon!! Also, my sister-in-law--Luain looked so young (not that she looks old now, not at all, she still looks great!) but we all just looked so young. Luain was one of the first ones to see Barrett, because she worked at the hospital. Anyway, there was lots of family there and it was a memorable time. And now, here we are 14 yrs later. Even though I miss those sweet baby times, I have enjoyed every stage with my kids. It is so much fun now to relate to them on a more adult level. Their sense of humor and personalities are so much fun. Just when you think you have them figured out, they develop a new "wrinkle" in their personality. Well, God has been good to us in the last 14 yrs. We are blessed. Happy Birthday, Barrett. We love you so much.

2008

Well, the hurry & rush of Christmas is over and the new year is here. I know it is such cliche, but, where does the time go? This time of year always makes me a little wistful (along with the end of the school year and the end of summer.) This year is no different. I always wish for a time machine to go back and snuggle my babies when they were actually babies for just a little while. I don't think I appreciated that time near enough. But, at the same time, I want to fully appreciate now and not waste it being wistful about the past. Still.....a time machine would be great, for maybe an hour or two.
This year has been a blessed one for our family, for the most part, everyone is healthy. Lon's business has stayed strong, despite the downturn in the real estate market. My father, who Lon works for, was diagnosed with Parkinson's dx, but, despite a small tremor, he continues to be able to work, and we are thankful for that. Barrett had a small surgery in November to "re-route" some blood vessels and that went well, thanks for the many prayers for him. He has hit his growth spurt and is now taller than Gracen for the first time in a couple of years, for which he is very thankful. He played football again this year and his team (8th gr. de Zavala Wolves) went undefeated until the championship game, where they lost their first game in 2 yrs. It was probably good for them to lose, they were starting to take winning for granted. But, his main sport continues to be baseball. This spring will be Lon's last year to coach his team, which will be bittersweet for them both. Barrett will be a 9th grader at Tascosa next year....I'm not ready for that, to say the least! Gracen is playing volleyball and loves it quite a bit, however, her true love is for animals, particularly, horses. Last year, a friend of ours, who is a member of Range Riders, gave her lessons on riding and general "horse knowledge" until his horse, Gus, got hurt roping. We hope to continue those when Gus is feeling better. I can't even tell you how much that girl loves animals! This year her gerbil, Pepper died, after a long life. Saying she was devastated would be an understatement. So, for Christmas, all she wanted was a pair of guinea pigs to take Pepper's place. I told her unequivocally "NO!!!", but for weeks, she kept begging, leaving me notes all over the house saying "Please get your one and only daughter a guinea pig for Christmas!!" or she would walk by me and quickly whisper in my ear as she went by "guinea pig!!" I stood my ground and said NO, but her daddy succumbed to her charms and told me..."She's a good kid who never asks for much....if she wants a guinea pig, she's getting a guinea pig." So, off to Petsmart we went, the Friday before Christmas, to get the "pigs". She raced past me in the parking lot and by the time I caught up to her at the guinea pig cage, she had already decided which ones she wanted! Soon, we had "Jasper" & "Eddie" and all their accoutrement and were on our way home. She was ecstatic!! So.....fast forward to the next Friday, Dec. 28th. We were going out to Lon's brothers house to see some of the Packard cousins who live out of town. Lon stayed home because he wasn 't feeling well, so I gave him some Nyquil and the kids & I headed out. We were there for several hours. When we got home, Gracen went to her room and started shrieking and crying. The door to Jasper & Eddie's cage was open and they were no where to be found. Lon came staggering in from his Nyquil-induced coma. We told her to calm down, they had to be there somewhere. So we started searching her room, all the while trying to figure out what happened. It became apparent that Maizie, our weenie dog, had gotten the cage open, somehow. I found Jaspers body in the laundry room, he was dead, but not mangled. Gracen was hysterical. We kept searching for Eddie, I was hoping maybe he was alive, somewhere, having run for his life. We searched until well past midnite, no Eddie. Finally, Gracen cried herself to sleep. We got up the next am and cont the search. First, her closet, no luck. Then the hall closet, again, no luck. So, I got down on my knees and said a prayer, asking God to please lead us to find him. The next place I looked was Barrett's closet and sure enough, there he was buried under all the clothes in the corner, but unfortunately, he also was dead, though not mangled. I was so mad at Maizie, I couldn't even see straight. I was screaming at her and telling how bad she was. But, my sweet daughter.....she was crying and begging me not to be mean to Maizie. She said "Momma, she was only doing what is her instinct." and she hugged and loved on Maizie and told her it was OK. At that point God was showing me that my children are much better people than me, with much kinder, more forgiving hearts. I was amazed at how Gracen was able to forgive so easily after Maizie had done such a horrible thing. She said "Momma, Jasper & Eddie look just like Maizie's toy hedge hog and she was probably just wanting to play with them." Even though she was immersed in grief, she still was able to immediately forgive. What a Christ-like attitude. I need to work on that for myself. I'm not one to make resolutions, but I am going to try to emulate the sweet spirit of my daughter this year. I am thankful to God for the blessings as well as the trials that 2007 brought, I feel like I am closer to Him now than when I started the year and this time next year, I hope to be even closer to Him still. He showed me that He cares about every detail, even about missing guinea pigs. And I know that whatever 2008 brings, He will grant me the grace to handle it as He is ever transforming me into His image. I pray His blessings on your and yours this year. Love, Susan