Waffle House

I grew up in Alabama and Georgia, home of the Waffle House. They are few and far between here in Texas. However, there is one near the Austin Airport. It has become a tradition for the kids and me to stop and eat there whenever we have to take Patrick to the airport.

He left today to go to London... well, Surrey to be exact. He was acting all mopey about it, but I don't feel too bad for him. He's staying at Pennyhill Park Hotel, which is a 5-star property offering such unique activities as shooting clays and archery. Also, in the directions for how to get there, they list coordinates for those arriving by helicopter. Yeah, I'm pretty sure he's going to be just fine!!

So, we said good-bye...

I think Pat was giving Brough the "you're the man of the house while I'm gone, so take care of Mom and Becca" speech.

Bye, honey!! Love you!

And... off to the Waffle House.

I don't know what to tell you, the place just makes me happy. From the way it's laid out so you can watch all of the food being prepared, to the signs on the wall, to the yummy, yummy waffles... It's just a good place to be.

It wasn't very busy in there this afternoon. I guess 5:30 is not prime time at the Waffle House. The kids wanted to sit at the counter and watch all the food being prepared. Plus, it's just good fun to swivel in those tall stools.

The cook and the waitress were so nice to the kids. The cook would talk to the kids as she was fixing everything. The kids decided to order 2 different things, and share with each other. The cook overheard them, and went ahead and made up their plates with the food already divided up. Awesome!!

Then, my waffle arrived. Let me tell ya, if you've never been to a Waffle House, you cannot comprehend the bliss that is sitting on this plate...

Yes, that is butter pooled up in all the little waffle squares, and, yeah... I ate the whole thing!!

After she finished eating, Becca went over and checked out the juke box.

And, it just wouldn't be a family outing without one of the kids being weird. So, here is a picture of Becca... who figured out how to use her dress as a cup holder. What can I say? She's creative.

It's All Good For Me Too!!!

My two blogging/Emmaus buddies, Jen and Catherine both have really cute signs that say, "It's All Good" in their yards (both signs have made appearances in each blog). I think maybe they bought them together. Or one of them bought one for the other. I can't remember the story now.

Well, my friend Barbara gave me a dish the other day that says, you guessed it....

And guess what? It came filled with chocolate!! I had to eat it all so you could see what was written in the bottom of the dish, dontchyaknow!!!

Woo Hoo!!

Too Hard

I've not been writing for awhile. My grandfather died a couple of weeks ago, and I want to write something special for him. But I just haven't been able to do it yet. And it felt weird to do silly, frivolous blog posts before I wrote that one.

However, I have decided it's OK to post some other stuff. I will post something about him soon. It's OK to take a little extra time, that way I'll do it right. And maybe by writing other stuff, it will make it a little easier to write his.

Mother's Day

I'm behind, but I wanted to share a little bit about our Mother's Day...

The plan was for me to sleep in, which is always appreciated. From my sleepy state, I heard Patrick and the kids up and watching a movie. But to my surprise, the movie was put on for a fake out for old Mom! While the movie was playing, Pat and the kids were cleaning the kids' rooms, and Pat gave Brough a haircut. Wow!

But after I got up, the magic wore off. Bummer.

I can't remember why, but both kids got a case of the grumpies. I thought I'd share the pictures.

9:02 am Grumpy Boy sits outside the back door.

And at 9:10 am, Princess Pouts A Lot makes a return appearance...

But everyone was happy again before too long. Becca was still running a fever, so we decided to just hang at home. It was a lovely, lazy day!

Sick Girl

Just thought I'd share a photo of Becca when she was sick. When I took this picture, her temperature was 103.8!

Yes, I'd been on the phone with the nurse. We were doing Advil 'round the clock. Becca was in remarkably good spirits. In the picture, she is enjoying a cold wash cloth to the forehead and a Pedialyte Freezer Pop. I keep those in my freezer at all times. They are wonderful. I even munch on them when I have a stomach virus.

She's much better now!! Yay!

Turn, Turn, Turn

Ecclesiastes 3:1,2,4, 9-13

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,

"What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God."

We lost a good friend yesterday. Paul was one of those people that you felt like you'd known him your whole life as soon as you met him. A good guy, through and through. He was a dedicated and wonderful teacher - a middle school teacher, at that. He had such a gentle spirit and a wonderful laugh. And he had cancer.

Paul was married to Wanda, my Mother in-Law's best friend. They were the kind of couple we all hope to be. They loved each other. Cherished each other. Went fishing together. Had adventures together. Loved each other's kids and grandkids. They took care of each other, in more ways than they ever expected to when they started their journey together. They just fit.

Paul battled cancer off and on for years. He fought the good fight. And early yesterday morning, that fight ended. We will miss him so much.



And despite our sadness over his loss, life moves forward...


Even as we're so sad, we are rejoicing as well. Just yesterday our family suffered a loss (for there is no question that Paul was part of our family), today our family has grown.

Today, Pat's brother became a Dad! Today, we welcome this sweet baby girl to this world.

Isn't she beautiful?

And so we are thanking God for the gift of life. We thank Him for the gift of Paul's life and the mark Paul has left on each of our hearts. And we thank God for the gift of this precious new life - so full of promise. We pray that we might be fortunate enough to leave a mark on her heart as she grows. That she may know goodness and joy, laughter and adventure, and that she may live life to the fullest. Just as Paul did.

Surprise!!

I love surprises. Love, love, love them. Good surprises, that is. Not a huge fan of someone jumping out if front of me and yelling, "Boooo!!" That is a bad surprise, and I do not love these. My husband learned this early in our marriage when he jumped out at me from between two cars on a dark street one night.

Right now, I'm involved in some way in several surprises that will be unfolding over the next few months. It's very exciting, but it's very hard too!

I'm constantly worrying about something slipping out when I'm talking with one of the "surprise-ees". Anyone who knows me can tell you that I wear my emotions on my sleeve. I'm very easy to read. (Except those times when I'm intending to be funny, and am coming across snarky and mean. I'm working on that.) I'm just so afraid something's going to slip!!

Can't wait for the first one to unfold... Hmmm... When will it be? Who will it be for? Stay tuned...