How excited can one be about doing laundry?

I am waiting anxiously for my washer to drain...I just checked and my toilets are NOT overflowing!!! WooHoo!!
Since Saturday, my toilets had begun to gurgle and were slow when flushing. Well, everywhere TD Fay had dumped massive amounts of water and people all over were experiencing drainage problems. So I explained it away thinking all the while that when the rains were over and gone and the water abated and the land dried a litte, all would be well. So we took showers at GGMama's, and hopped in the truck first thing for the next couple of mornings so that we could all take care of our morning business at one time in the multiple bathrooms there. It was a bit inconvenient, but still I am thinking when the rain stops, it will be fine.
It wasn't.
So this morning I called the plumber, my cousin Johnny, and left a message kicking myself as I thought how long it will take him to get to me because he is so busy. But just 30 minutes later, my hero called! Johnny was on the way. I was dancing with excitement. The calvary was coming. At this point I begin to think how he was going to have to dig up my yard...ugh! Then there is the expense, but at this point I am so desperate I'd pay am arm and a leg for functioning plumbing. This being the fifth day with no working plumbing, I would have probably considered giving him one of my children should he ask for it as payment!
Much to my delight, when Johnny arrived, he had this wonderful roto-rooter like machine that he was able to snake up into the pipes and eat away all the clogs in both directions. No digging, no mess, it was great. It only took about an hour from start to finish and now...I can flush without fear! I can shower with not a second thought. I can run my dishwasher with no hesitation. And yes, I am more than excited to be able to do laundry without it taking two hours to go through a small load cycle while I wait for the backed up water to seep through my clogged drain pipes for fear that nasty sewer water will overflow into my floors. Best $100.00 I have spent in a long time.
Best of all, I can throw out my 44 ounce plastic cup and return GGMama's chamber pot(those were an adventure, I assure you) for I am certain there will be no more toilet emergencies at my home for a long while.
I have a new found appreciation for indoor plumbing and all the wonderful convenience it affords me and my family!!

He's Off and Running Again!

Michael got home this afternoon about 4:30 and we enjoyed some good quality family time. We were almost to the end of Water Horse when his phone begins to ring. It was Dale County and they had two of their three computers down, so off he goes into the dark and stormy night to slay yet another dragon. He left at 9:45 so he will not be home until the wee hours of the morning. Did I mention that I am a little uneasy about these storms? It doesn't help when I am left here alone, but at least these have been relatively minor storms and nothing of real significance has happened yet, at least not here. Three or four times the fire truck has passed my house tonight with lights and sirens flashing and blaring (and of course, each time we call my mama and daddy and say "Are ya'll alright up there?" They get such a kick out of it!) so someone has seen some action.

My migraines are kicking up quite well. I don't know if it is the stress or the barometric pressure or a combination of the two, but they are pretty persistent these last couple of days. So I am about to take a Xanax and see if I can relax enough to go to sleep.

I told Michael that I would leave the back door unlocked for him, because unlike Tom Bodett, with the power flickering off and on, I couldn't promise I'd leave the light on.

Am I a Sucker or What?

I found this blog through a friend of mine, called The Mercy Project. It is written anonomously by a woman who calls herself Mercy. She is charged with some sort of realty crimal activity. She has a husband, two children,(Lady Bug-4 her daughter and Wild Thing-2 her son) her parents are still living, (in fact, her family moved in with her parents when they sold all they had to make restitution for her crime)and she has been awaiting sentencing for her crime. It is such an unbelievable story and you think that it can't be true, but while reading it, you think how can someone make this up...all these emotions and feelings, thoughts that would only come when facing years away from your loved ones. Then my head says" There are actors out there who make a living doing this everyday!" But my heart tells me, she is authentic. She has such deep, wise, thoughts and yet is so down to earth, such an everyday person. It is most definately an interesting read.

But wait, her sentencing was supposed to happen at 3 pm on Thursday. She had three separate sentencing dates that had been postponed 10 days each time. That gave her one more month with her family Thursday just before her sentencing, she posted an entry which was entitled "Peace", that stated that she was certain that Jesus held her future no matter how uncertain it was. She said that she had learned so much of how God loved her by how much she loved her little ones. She stated that she would do anything for her babies and that God had already done everything for her. She spoke of how the night before while snuggling with Lady Bug she whispered "I love you" and Lady Bug giggled and said that she had a quiet burp. How her poignant moment, maybe the last snuggled goodnight with her baby girl didn't work out like she had planned because Lady Bug didn't understand what COULD be about to happen. That with the sentencing date, she has become Lady Bug and God is her parent.

Anyway, I check Thursday night for a post. No post. Hmmm... I check Friday, first thing, for a post. Still no post. I am beginning to get a little panicky. This woman has made restitution, she has shown remorse, she has learned a lesson, surely the judge has not sent her to jail?! I call the friend who got me hooked into this soap opera in the first place and say, "She hasn't blogged, yet! What do you think it means? Is somebody going to let us know if she has to go to jail?" etc....I kept checking all day until one comment on Mercy's last post reads that this person has news. Mercy has been sentenced to 4 years and 9 months in jail and taken into custody immediately. I was devastated. I have only been reading this blog for a couple of weeks but I am so caught up in this woman's life that I was in tears for her, her husband, her little children, her parents, and her blogger friends like me!

I am better today, although I am thinking about Mercy and wondering how she is holding up. I may be the biggest sucker in the world, but her blog has taught me to value each day as the precious gift that it is, to hold tight to the ones you love and love them consistently and deeply, to fully embrace life and enjoy the little things that make life so special. To honor the people who make life worthwhile.

Most anyone of you who are reading this blog are one of those people in my life. You make my life worthwhile. You make my world special and I am so grateful that you let me be a part of your world and that you choose to be a part of mine. You are my special people and I love you and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for being my friend.

I Hate Hurricanes!

When I was five years old, a tornado literally jumped our house scaring the life out of me. I sat through it with my face buried in my Grandmother Heartsill's chest, terrified that we were all going to die. The tornado cut a path through the pasture in front of and behind our house so it just skipped over our house like God put a little ramp there to make it go airbourne and miss us. It destroyed our new swingset, it injured our Irish Setter so badly he died, and after it was all over, I was jumping on the beds and cracked open my chin on the sharp edge of a cabinet. So we were off to Dr. Griffin's office for five stitches and the entire time my mother is muttering, "If you weren't hurt so bad, I would just wear you out!"

All of this contributes to the title of my post. I hate hurricanes and the tornadoes they spawn! I try my best to trust God to take care of us, listen to the weather reports, be smart, etc...but this time of year throws me into a panicked tizzy now matter what I do. I guess I was traumatized just enough that I can't get past the irrational fear.

Kristi will relate as will anyone who knows Boomer, her Collie. The way Boomer reacts to storms is the way I feel, I just have enough self control to not let it show to that extent. I feel like slinking away into some dark hole and hiding there until it is over and I know I am safe.

Normally, I do OK with my panic, but to add to my hysteria, my dear husband has answered an emergency call in Bradford county Florida....yes! Florida!! The place where THE STORM IS and THE FLOODING IS and he will be in a truck, driving to his destination. Driving headlong into the storm. Now, I understand that Fay is only a TS, but they spawn the tornadoes and there is ALL THAT WATER!! This is the reason I am awake at this hour. I am awaiting his phone call to let me know he is safely tucked away in his hotel room for the duration of the night.

I just may have to call and make an appointment with my therapist. It feels like its going to be a long way to November this year.

Gulf Shores church building hallway

What a wonderful place to teach the children all about God's word! These murals line the walls of the hallway to the classrooms and they are more spectacular than the photos show. We want to try to emulate this at our church building...I am excited and ready to begin!

I hope we can do half as well as these volunteers did and create a stimulating learning environment for our students.

The Conway Clan

These are some more of the family members who made an impact on my life in a huge way.

People who have molded me and have been such an integral part of making me who I am today. These are just some of my wondeful, precious, family members.

Our Last Hooray!

We decided to take the children to Gulf Shores one last time before summer came to an end, so on Saturday we were off to the coast for some fun in the sun! Ha! It was cloudy and rained nearly the entire time we were there, but the hotel had an indoor pool and we took our little Pomeranian, Prissy with us and she helped to entertain.

We took the children to Lulu's for lunch on Sunday after church and saw the boats pushing the barges through the water. The food was good, but the atmosphere was great. We had diner one night at Lone Star and the best steaks ever! But the hit was Lambert's with the throwed rolls and the pass arounds! The food was good home cooked style and plenty of it. The waiters played jokes on the kids and adults alike. They brought around sides in addition to what you order and just gave you freebies to eat with your meal. Best of all, when you need a fresh hot roll, they throw it at you!! It was great fun. We topped off our daycation with Putt-putt golf and everybody loved it. We played 36 holes and if the weather had permitted, we would have played more!

The last night there we swam and enjoyed the hot tub and the dry sauna until about 10 pm. Then it was on to Greenville to register the children for school. If we had any money left after daycation, Fort Dale took it Tuesday afternoon. Tuition has gone up as have numerous fees and book costs. It is outrageous what it costs to give the children a proper education. Those of you who have a good public education system available to you need to count your blessings. Private school is very expensive. I joke that Fort Dale Academy is MY college preparatory school...it is preparing me to pay college tuition and all that goes along with that. LOL.

So, summer draws to a close. With just a few hours left until it is officially over for my children the gloom of the overcast sky seems somehow appropriate. Summer should not end for them until September. I could let it go with ease if I could do so two weeks from now. The time just doesn't seem right to me, but it is what it is and tomorrow it begins. I hate going to school in August.

The Great Escape! part two

Battling the surf to boogie board. The girls went back to the condo to nurse their jellyfish stings. Ouchie.

The indoor pool at the condo

Sunset and nightfall at the beach

Oops! I included this action shot twice!

Poolside and at play in the bay!