On October 23 Danny and I hit the road again after being home 4 days! This time we drove to Tyler, Texas to attend West Erwin church of Christ's 125 Anniversary and to visit with our dear friend, Linda.

We arrived around 4:30 and met Linda at Jones Elementary School where she is the librarian and media specialist. She wanted to give us a tour of their fabulous new school! This place is as nice as most universities! The library was equipped with an online catalog, a number of computers for research and a media room where computer classes are taught by Linda using a computer generated "Smart Board." They even have a conference room where Jones' students can have live interchanges with students from other countries. Wow! Things have changed since I was a part of Tyler ISD!!

We spent the evening with Linda and her mom who cooked us a delicious meal. I gave them some laughs as I tried to walk a tight rope while playing on Wii. I never have been called graceful, but this was pitiful! We so enjoyed catching up with each other and staying in her home overnight. Thanks, Linda, for your hospitality.

October 23 - In the late afternoon we met Carolyn and Les for supper at Jason's Deli! We enjoyed the meal in spite of tornado warnings for that very area. Fortunately, the tornado passes us by. We followed Les and Carolyn to Silver Leaf Villages (at least I think that's the name of the resort) and stayed with them on Saturday night in their timeshare condo. Good friends to put us up for the night, right? Thank you, Les and Carolyn for hosting us for the evening. Does this sound like we are "free loaders"?

October 24 - Here are some pictures of the 125th Anniversary of West Erwin.

Elmer is still greeting members and visitors alike at the door just as he did when we lived in Tyler. We were so encouraged to see so many of our beloved Christian friends and be blessed with a wonderful worship service of over 800. Jay Lockhart presented another uplifting lesson and the singing was beautiful. The fellowship meal following services was delicious (Brisket and Chicken with all the fix'ns) and gave us another opportunity to visit with our friends.

Love these folks! They mean so much to us!

Maggie, Jay Lockhart, and Cathy Scroggins

Ray and Carolyn Wommack

Julie Ables, Jane and Bob Clemmons!

Jay Lockhart was the minister at West Erwin for around 20 years... maybe longer.

As usual, we were some of the last to leave following lunch.... just so hard to leave those who have meant so much to us through the years.

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Abilene, Texas

As planned, we drove to Abilene and arrived on Sunday evening in time to pick up Jason at the University church of Christ building. He was just returning from a weekend youth retreat. Was he tired? You bet! Wouldn't you be after planning, orchestrating the logistics, and leading two retreats (Friday/Saturday for Junior High & Saturday/Sunday for High School) in one weekend? So proud of our son and glad he has chosen to serve our LORD as a youth minister.

Even though we love Jason and Karla so much, you wouldn't know it from the pictures that we took.... none of the two of them and lots of Kaila and Alexa. Go figure....

Any way, here are a few favorite pictures of us with the grands!

Look who went to sleep!

Kaila working on her chair! She's such a doll!

Alexa.... now is she beautiful? She's beginning to interact with you and is such a treasure!

Nana and the Grands, or maybe I should say the wiggle worms! Thought I was going to drop one of them before Papa could take the picture.

Papa and the Grands... Kaila had an ear ache and needed some TLC. Papa could sure help with that!

We had so much fun staying with them and relishing Karla's great cooking! Papa and I even babysat and gave Jason and Karla a chance to get out for lunch one day. On Wednesday morning we headed for home. It was hard to say goodbye knowing that we won't get to see them in person until Christmas. But talking to them on Face Time is wonderful and helps keep us in contact with our children! So glad that Jason & Karla and Courtney & Keith all have the ability to Face Time now! Make the distance so much more bearable....

Well, so long until I post the next blog...

Fall Foliage Adventure

There's just something deeply satisfying about a walk along a forest trail among golden falling leaves and hearing wind rustle through leaves!! That's exactly what Danny and I did this past weekend! We joined our good friends, Mike and Linda, for another RV trip in southeast Oklahoma.


We arrived Friday afternoon and found that we had adjoining sites at Secluded Acres RV Park just north of Broken Bow, OK and across Highway 259 from Beaver Bend State Park. The sites were tree shaded and level..... always a great advantage when RVing! After setting up camp, the four of us drove through the state park to compare the RV sites and to see what fun activities were available for the weekend.


Linda prepared taco soup for dinner that evening, and then we sat around the camp fire catching up on news of our families.... We realized that the four of us have taken 5 vacations together... to Pensacola Beach, Washington D.C., a Caribbean Cruise, to Branson, and now to camp in Oklahoma. Hope there are lots more in store for us!


Saturday morning we drove to Talihina, OK, to begin our drive along the 54 mile long Talimena Trail, which ends in Mena, AR, thus the combined names to make up "Talimena". What beauty! There were 26 "Vistas" to see mountains and valleys! We stopped at most of them to take pictures and enjoy the views.

At one stop we took a 0.3 mile hike to find an outcropping that had gorgeous views (or so the brochure said)..... I was the one who insisted that we hike, so I was kidded quite a bit, when we never found the outcropping and lost the trail completely.... we looked pretty funny tromping though the woods! Glad we could hear traffic from the road.

Around 3:00 PM we came to Queen Wilhelmina State Park and Lodge. The view from this mountaintop lodge/restaurant was spectacular.

We ate at the restaurant and then hiked to Lover's Leap. Below is Danny showing his romantic side and his "Undying Love" for me by carving our initials (along with many other couple's carvings) in the platform's railing.

The second half of the mile long trail was pretty rugged, but we huffed and puffed until we got back to the lodge.

Linda and Mike climbing over the boulders.

Here's a shot of me that Danny snapped on the trail.

We discovered an old black and white police car once we reached the trail's end in Mena, AR.

Sunday morning we drove to De Queen, AR, to worship with fellow Christians. It was an uplifting service and the members were very friendly. After services we ate at a great Mexican food at a local restaurant before heading back to our fifth wheels.... about 30 miles away. We passed the restaurant below and Danny thought the name "Dairy De Queen" was hilarious.... what do you think?

Sunday afternoon was filled with state park activities. There was a great wood carving/timber museum that gave us insight into how people of that area made a living and lived. Here are a few pictures of us enjoying the museum together.

This sign made me really appreciate God's gift of the tree.

Here's Danny learning about the timber company's community and the work that was accomplished by the CCC back during the depression.

Here's a sample of wood carving and wood working that I found especially amazing.

This 100 year old log cabin showed the way a family lived back then. Pretty meager and there were lots of daylight showing through the cracks in the walls and floor. We are a blessed people who now live in America!! Don't we look like pioneers?

Mike and Linda rested on a rustic bench while Danny actually sharpened his pocket knife on a grinding wheel that was on display.

Following the museum tour, the four of us went on our third hike of the weekend. The trail wandered beside a stream and through the woods. The falling leaves, huge rocks, a hollow tree, a covered bridge were so pretty, and it was refreshing and soothing to our spirits.

One of many beautiful trees on the trail.

The hollow tree we found.

Although this canoe trip wasn't Danny's favorite activity, I found it absolutely wonderful!! The bluffs along the river went straight up and the water was soooo still! The bluffs and trees were reflected in the river as though it were a mirror.

I wasn't much help in guiding or paddling the canoe, and Danny was concerned that we would capsize. The water wasn't deep at all.... in fact there were lots of huge boulders just under the surface. We saw a few people fishing, but don't think they caught anything.

As Danny was taking his life jacket off, he accidentally knocked his sunglasses into the river. The water was so clear and shallow that he was able to reach them.... YAY!

We drove to the dam to take a look at Broken Bow Lake. Here'sa picture of the lake to show you how beautiful and peaceful this area is.

Broken Bow Lake

By this time, it was late afternoon, so we headed for the RV park. Danny grilled some great hamburgers and hot dogs for our supper. We ended the day talking around another camp fire and heard a coyote in the distance.

Great, Great weekend! What beautiful weather we had! Thank you, Linda and Mike, for planning this trip for us! Let's make it an annual event!

Here's a photo of Danny and Mike getting our fifth wheel unhooked and ready for the trip home. We took off around 10:00 AM on Monday morning and arrived home by mid-afternoon.

Until our next trip, God's blessings to you.

Maggie Lynn's Baby Shower

The weekend of October 10th, Danny and I traveled to Oakland by car to visit Courtney and Keith because Courtney was having a baby shower at their church on Sunday afternoon. Courtney is doing well other than suffering from a stress fracture in her foot. She's wearing a boot to help it heal. Lugging it around and being 34 weeks pregnant is tiring her quite bit, but she's in good spirits.

The shower was fabulous! The hostesses decorated the room so cute.... little baby girl dresses hanging on a clothes line, a diaper cake with a tutu, delicious cake, and a diaper wreath! Courtney began opening the mountain of gifts amid lots of oooo's and aaaaah! They were tremendously blessed with an outpouring of love from their family and friends! Amazing and humbling to be so loved!

While visiting with them, Danny and I took some time to tour several houses that we had found interesting online. Lots to think about, but we haven't sold our house where we live yet, so we can't really get too excited about any one particular house. If God wills that we sell and move, then it will happen. We're trusting that He holds the future for us safely in His care.

Here are a few pictures if the shower. Can hardly wait to meet Maggie Lynn and kiss her sweet cheeks!

Big Cedar Lodge

Today, Danny and I drove to Branson, Missouri, to stay at Big Cedar Lodge. Last July as we were shopping in the Bass Pro Shop in Springfield, Missouri, we were stopped by a lady wanting us to purchase an opportunity to visit Big Cedar Lodge in Branson for $99. We would immediately receive a $25 Bass Pro Shop gift card and we would get 2 nights at the Radisson Hotel in Branson. When we took the tour of Big Cedar Lodge we would receive 4 more $25 gift cards..... We looked at each other and thought.... we'd like to do this and actually won't be out any money in the long run.... so we signed up and made reservations for the 29th and 30th of September. Yesterday, I got a call from the resort people who said they had an open room at Big Cedar Lodge and we could actually stay at the resort (which is an upgrade) at no additional cost to us. Soooo, here we are in a wonderful room at Big Cedar Lodge and tomorrow we'll get the grand tour and sales pitch. Then we'll be able to enjoy the resort amenities as well as take in all that Branson has to offer. I'll try to post pictures tomorrow.

Well, this isn't "tomorrow," but several days later. Here are some pictures of Big Cedar Lodge... The first one is in the lobby of the registration center. The mammoth skeleton is real and was brought from Russia.

Our room was in Falls Lodge. To arrive at the lodge we had to drive across a spring that flowed over the road and down the hill in a series of small water falls. Everything was beautifully maintained and the flowers were gorgeous!

Our room was spacious and looked a lot like a Bass Pro Shop with all the animal heads, pictures of nature, and animal skins hanging on the walls. It didn't bother me as it continued the rustic lodge feel. We could tell that the decor was expensive & first class in detail and comfort!

The bath was unique because it had windows between it and the bedroom. There was a jetted tub, a separate shower and the sink was huge. The rustic theme continued here with a tree between the tub and shower.

We were staying for 2 nights, and Danny is shown here figuring out what a two night stay would cost us if we paid full price....$362 per night times 2 nights = $724.... out of our budget!

After checking in and enjoying a cup of coffee, we took off for Silver Dollar City to enjoy the GAC performance that follows the park closing. It was the same show that we saw back in June, but it was still very enjoyable!

Thursday morning, we ate half a bagel before going for our "Sales Tour" at 8:45..... at the end of 5 hours, we walked away with a "Sampler 24" which gives us 12,000 points each year for 2 years. The points cannot be used in June, July or August and must be used at limited resorts, but the ones available are places we would like to go.... Orlando, Myrtle Beach, Williamsburg, Charleston, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, and Branson to name a few. If we like this type of travel, then we may consider purchasing a timeshare at the end of the two years. I like the idea of having clean, nice condos to stay in when we travel as well as be able to give this opportunity to our kids once we're not able to travel. AND YES, we did get $100 in gift cards in addition to the $25 we already got on the day we signed up!

By the time we finished the tour, I was past being hungry.... I became "OLE GROUCHY!" I admire Danny for putting up with me when I'm like that!

Before going into Branson, we drove around the resort to see what was available for us to do when come back and use our Sampler 24. There are horses to ride, miniature golf, carriage rides, evening chuck wagon rides with a stop for s'mores, swimming pools and hot tubs, a man made lazy river to float on in inner tubes, canoes, paddle boats, and several restaurants. Here are some pictures.

I thought stuffed crows sitting on the phone lines in our hallway was a "Hoot!"

Table Rock Lake in the background, and a view of Falls Lodge from the lower part of the resort is below.

Finally we drove into town and ate lunch/dinner at 5:00 at what we thought was Outback Steakhouse, but it wasn't... this was Outback Steak and Oyster Bar which has been in Branson longer than Outback Steakhouse has been around. I'm glad we had a coupon for bucks off! It wasn't our favorite meal, but I ate like it was since I was so hungry!

After dinner, we enjoyed the Baldnobber's Show..... corny but very funny. It felt like we were in Mountain View, Arkansas, at one of their shows.

Friday morning, we ate an early breakfast buffet in town so that I wouln't get famished and become Ole Grouch again. Then we walked through one of the numerous antique/flea markets in town before heading to Silver Dollar City. The Arts and Crafts Festival is being held at SDC this month so we enjoyed watching experts create their crafts.... one lady was turning flax into linen and dying it with color from a root. Very interesting. There were sculptors, painters, cane syrup makers, basket weavers and lots of other artist. We also went to the Opera House and saw an excellent show called "Westward Ho". All the performers were excellent, but one man sang "Maria" and it was wonderful! They received a standing ovation at the end of the show!

We headed for home and are busy planning our next trip to Memphis to attend Courtney and Keith's baby shower at their church on October 10th. Just 2 more months until little Maggie Lynn will arrive. Can hardly wait!! Until till then, bye!

Courtney and Keith's Baby Name

Last Friday while we were at Jason and Karla's, Danny and I received a package from Courtney and Keith. We knew it was coming, and Courtney had requested that we call her when we opened the package!
I thought the package had something to do with new baby Alexa,but I was totally surprised when we found 2 pink t-shirts inside the box with "Maggie Lynn loves Papa and Nana" written on the front of each shirt! Courtney and Keith are naming their precious baby after their moms! Can't get any better than that! Thank you, Keith, for coming up with the name Margaret Lynn Reasons! What an honor for Lynn and for me! Love you!

We made a video of us opening the package, but I can't seem to get it uploaded to my blog. Need some techological help!!

Story Time

Today is a beautiful Thursday in Abilene! Kaila, Papa and Nana drove to the Abilene Public Library for Story Time! On the way Kaila watched Veggie Tales on Papa's truck DVD player.

Here's a picture of Papa and Kaila entering the Story Time Room! Papa's first story time! The room is covered with wonderful murals depicting all sorts of children's stories. It is very cheerful and inviting.

Nana asked a young mother if she would take our picture and of course, she said yes. The room was filled with Moms, toddlers and babies. Pandemonium at times when some of the babies began crying. We couldn't help but laugh as we thought back to our own kids and our attempts to get them to enjoy activities that they weren't so sure of.

Since Karla wasn't able to go with Kaila today, Kaila seemed a little uncomfortable, but she warmed up and began participating in the songs and stories with the other children. Papa and Nana learned some new songs and had fun watching our sweet Kaila having a good time. What a wonderful blessing and gift from God she is to all of us!

At the end of Story Time, the librarian gave each child a stamp on their hand. Here's Kaila getting her Star Stamp. The librarian was so enthusiastic and related so well with the children. Quite a joyful experience for the two of us!

Following Story Time, the three of us spent a while putting puzzles together. As you can see, Papa is doing a great job of helping Kaila. Great day and such a privilege for us!

Jason brought Karla and Alexa home from the hospital yesterday. They are doing well and we're all adjusting to an delightful expanded family.