Secret Shame #2

Secret Shame #1 was the confession of my admiration for David Hasselhoff (see previous entry). Secret Shame #2 is the confession that I adore Karaoke. Yes, that's right, Karaoke. I can't carry a tune in a bucket, but with Karaoke, that doesn't matter! Everyone sounds bad singing Karaoke (well with the exception of Matt Garner, Erin Forman, and my husband Rick). So, I unabashedly sing to my heart's content when I'm with my Karaoke machine. Yes, that's right, MY Karaoke machine. I have my own -- a birthday gift funded by Mom. The pictures you see here were taken at my 38th surprise birthday party in 2005 and a 2006 Sunday School class Christmas party. It's amazing what good friends are willing to do to humor me.

With Age Comes Wisdom

When you're in your forties, you've been around the block a few times and know the best way to do some things. Take for instance, "how to get a Harry Potter book for the best deal in the shortest line." Michele and I had that one beat from the "get-go." We forced our 40-year-old bodies to stay up until midnight (thanks to Jaye and Bob!) so that we could be in line at 12:01 to get the new Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. We didn't have to wait at all. In fact, we walked away with free posters, free bookmarks, and a free display for my school library! All because we chose to go to Kroger to buy a Harry Potter book at 40% discount. No lines, less cost, no overly anxious kids. Ah, the wisdom that comes with age.

New Arrival!

Our friends, Mike and Erin, just became the proud new foster parents of a nine-day-old baby girl! Everything happened so fast. We were with Erin when the phone call came. An hour later, Erin and Mike were welcoming the infant into their home. Rick and I took 184 photographs in about an hour's time! I only have room to post a couple of the pictures here. What an incredible day!

Mitcham's Peach Orchard

We missed the annual Ruston, Louisiana Peach Festival by a couple of weeks, but we did take a trip out to Mitcham's Peach Orchard to get my Mom a couple of boxes of peaches. Rick's Mom drove me out to the Orchard, and we only had to wait in line about 10 minutes. Sometimes the wait is an hour long! The pictures show the line we were waiting in, workers sorting peaches, and the boxes of delicious Ruston peaches that Mom will enjoy this summer.


Rick's Mom was the grand prize winner in the annual Peach Festival Cook-Off a few years ago. Her peach pie recipe is incredible. Rick and I don't usually eat peaches that much, but we love his Mom's prize-winning recipe!

Mom Prepares for Elianna's Arrival

Mom is very excited about becoming a grandma! She asked me when we arrived at her house last week if I was okay giving up my room (the room that was mine all through high school). When I hesitated, she continued to tell me her plans to get the room ready for Elianna. Now mind you, with current wait times for Chinese adoption, we will probably not bring Elianna home for almost two years. That hasn't dampened Mom's enthusiasm one bit. Here you will see pictures of Elianna's stroller and big girl bedspread (on MY bed!). Mom also already has a baby bed and a high chair ready to be used. I'm really glad Mom is so excited. I'm beyond excited, but it sure is hard waiting so long.

Spoiled Rotten, Part 2

Lest anyone ever think that my Mom is incapable of spoiling her future granddaughter, all they need to do is look at the way Mom dotes on her "grand-dog," Bessie. This is a picture of Bessie taking a nap on Mom's very expensive couch with her head resting ever so elegantly on Mom's specially-designed pillow. Notice the gold emboidered letter "B" on the pillow. At some point in the history of our family, that letter "B" was for Mom's last name. Bessie, of course, assumed the "B" was for HER name.

And you see who got the pillow . . .

Louisiana Trip: Rick, Clark (my brother), and Rick's Dad on Mom's back porch

On the Boardwalk

We're on our annual summer excursion to visit our families in north Louisiana. We spend half of our time at my Mom's house in Benton and the other half at Rick's family's house in Ruston. On our last full day with my Mom, we went to the Boardwalk on Red River in Bossier City, just across the river from Shreveport. Here's a picture of my brother, Clark, me, and my Mom enjoying a non-Louisiana-like cool walk on a July day. The other picture is me with a big catfish, my favorite Louisiana meal. Rick was there, too, of course. He took the pictures.

Blog Rating

Right to the Point Movie Reviews #2

We saw Evan Almighty three weeks before its opening at a special preview. We, and the rest of the audience, LOVED the movie. It got a round of applause at the end. Wholesome, clean, pro-family, overt Biblical references. A "must see!"

1408, starring one of my favorite actors, John Cusack, is an edge-of-your-seat suspense thriller. John Cusack pretty much IS 1408. The majority of the movie is a soliloquy. Cusack's character is trapped in Room 1408 which is supposedly haunted so badly that no one in the last 85 years or so has left the room alive. Is the room really haunted or is the whole thing in his mind? See this fabulous summer thriller and decide for yourself!

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is a kid-friendly, true to the comics movie. Personally I prefer super heroes who have secret identities, but I did enjoy some of the humor derived from how the main characters dealt with the paparazzi. The villian (Dr. Doom) is fantastically evil, and the super heroes (Human Torch, Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, and The Thing) are appropriately kind-hearted and wholesome.