Head of the House

We all use to believe that the husband/father was the head of the house, however it appears we have another. Troy is so attached to this little dog. I guess this really means HE'S getting older:)

She thinks the laundry warm out of the dryer is hers and does not want to give it up to be folded

Candy thinks she can drive.

She thinks Troy needs her help to study for his Sunday School lessons

Always has to approve of his work.

Brody goes to Portsmouth

Adam sent me some pictures of his family's trip to Portsmouth. Brody really looks like he is growing fast. I can't wait to see him!

Adam and Brody

In case you are wondering about his shirt it says,

"I only cry when ugly people hold me".

He is going to have a personality just like his dad's.

Justine and Brody

Brody trying to tell us about his outing

Enough for one day.

Rednecks Ahoy!

For all those who believed that rednecks were restricted to the south, here are a few pics we took while visiting Vermont. The woods were full of rednecks. Note the "For Sale" sign in the window. I wonder how much they were asking for this estate?

Fern Hunting

We all know I am not the outdoor's type. However, I have started to really enjoy my house plants. I ask Troy about going out and getting me some fern so I tagged along on this trip. We went Sunday afternoon. It wasn't too hot so that was a good thing. Troy knew just where to find it (imagine that!!).


This is the road we went through (if you want to call it a road). It looked just as intimidating looking back (pictured above) as it did looking forward (pictured below). But we made it through just fine in Troy's truck.

The results of our fern hunting mission. It will be interesting to see if they do okay in the house (or maybe I should say if I don't kill them).

Other Wildlife

I never knew sumac trees had red cone shape flowers.

Even thistle can be pretty and interesting

I found a butterfly on these thistles.

Mushroom exploration

Sunday when we got home from church Troy noticed the mushrooms growing accross the driveway. Of course we had to take a closer look which meant I had to grab the camera.

Troy checking out the mushroom

Candy had to get her nose into it too. I don't think she liked it.

Memory Lane

I have been going through some of my old pictures and I can definitely see the similarities in my niece and her girls. She was such a joy as a girl growing up and she still is. Take a look and see if you see the similarities.

Amber with her new bike.

Aniston on a balance board.

Amber "the pose."

Aniston "the pose."

Jewelry Party Time

Tabitha gave a jewelry party last night. We all had a good time and enjoyed playing with the jewelry, not to mention the fruit pizza. Afterwards we even got a chance to play with her rock band video game. I Stink!, but we had fun!!

Our beautiful hostess

Tabitha receiving her hostess gift.

Jenny and Annette

Tabitha and Amie checking out the jewelry

Tabitha preparing food. YUM!

Love the Lighthouses

I never really had much of an opinion regarding lighthouses until we spent some time in New England/Canada and had the opportunity to visit some. It definitely gave me a new appreciation and love for them. Even when I moved home I carried that love with me. My entire den is covered in lighthouses, lighthouses of all kinds. At first I think it was because it made me feel a little closer to Troy. We moved home a year before he did and I really missed him. It made me feel like I still had part of New England with me and he wasn't so far away. Now he has been home for a couple of years, but the lighthouses will always be a part of my wonderful memories of being in New England. However, I am glad to be back home in Arkansas near most of the rest of my family.

Last Family Vacation

4 years ago this week we spent some time in Canada. We went from New Hampshire up through Maine to New Brunswick and then over to Prince Edward Island, took a fairy accross to Nova Scotia coming back through New Brunswick. It was a special vacation for Troy and I -- not that we don't love both our son-in-law and daughter-in-law very much -- but, we knew it would be our last vacation together as a family before the kids went off to begin their own lives as adults. As time has a way of doing it has changed all of our lives. I returned from our vacation and decided to create a comipilation of memories for us. Even though they are a first effort with my slide show program I go back and watch them frequently. Adam married and has moved to New Hampshire and started a family of his own. Tabitha married and has moved to Haskel, her and Sean are on their way to beginning their family together so I decided to post some of the memories we had from our time together in New England/Canada.

Thank God.

Well, it has been a year this week since my stroke and thanks be to God that I have no residual effects today (other than the handful of medication I now take each night). At 45 years old, I can tell you that a stroke was the last thing I was worried about at the time. It was a very scary situation for me; the experience of having half your body refusing to take orders was sobering to say the least. Here are just a few stats that you might find interesting (I did):

Every 53 seconds someone in the U.S. has a stroke.
160,000 people under the age of 65 have a stroke each year.
Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability and third leading cause of death
There are 4.5 million stroke survivors alive today

I am tackling one obstacle at a time. I have been tobacco free for a year now, which has been extremely hard given 25+ years of using it. However, my cravings are few and far between now. The stress (I think) is being better managed, although there are times I could do a better job at chilling out. Next comes the weight issue, which has been exasperated by quitting tobacco. It will be my greatest challenge of all. It will take me a year to get back to where I was before the stroke, but Debbie is a great encourager and can be a great help in this area. But I know ultimately, all things are in God's hands and in that knowledge I am comfortable.

Backyard visitors

Every trip to the backyard is exciting. There are always new visitors and all kinds of activities. I love plants and the insects you find among them. I think people are just in too big of a hurry today or have been so numbed to life by all the action movies and video games to appreciate the simple things that are going on around them everyday.

Going for the nectar! Yum!

In the process getting covered in pollen. Ah-chew!

Ready to exit and take the pollen to another plant.

Uh Oh! A male Southern black widow (Lactrodectus mactans). Where is his wife hiding?

Go Pats!!!

Because of the recent phenomenal success of the New England Patriots, a lot of folks tried to accuse me of just jumping on the bandwagon. Not true! Those who really know me will tell you I have been a life-long fan of the Patriots. I suffered many, many years with this team before they ever won a Superbowl. In addition, growing up in the South did not make it any easier to be a Pats fan. It was really lonely. I had to contend with Dallas Cowboy fans around every corner and my own brother, who is a die hard Miami fan.

So you can imagine my joy when the Pats won their first Superbowl the year we move to New England. I could not believe it. I got several calls from my friends in Arkansas congratulating me on the Pats victory. Well, needless to say I had to take off the day the Pats came to Concord, NH with the Superbowl XXXVI trophy so I could get a glimpse of it. Unfortunately, the Pats have not won a superbowl since I moved back to Arkansas in 2006, but this is a new year. Go Pats!!!

Crowd gathered on the statehouse lawn in Concord, NH

Bob Kraft, Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, and the Superbowl XXXVI trophy.

Richard Seymour (big guy) and the Superbowl trophy.

Antowain Smith and the Superbowl trophy

David Patten (little guy) and the Superbowl trophy.

A Good Week

I just completed a week of revival services at Centerview MBC and enjoyed every minute of it. As usual meals were prepared and waiting on us every night before services. I don't know how these women do it, especially since many of them work, and the food just got better and better each night. I was privileged to pastor this church back in the 1980's. This is the church where I pastored when all three of my children were born. Tabitha caught the school bus for the first time out in front of the church house. Debbie and I have many close friends at this church and lots of good memories. I am thankful we had the opportunity to spend the week catching up with everyone.

Summer in Maine

Here are a few pics of Maine where we spent a few summers. I never could acclimate to the water temperature enough to get in over my knees, but the kids took the full plunge.

Lots of seaweed stuck to these rocks, which made them very slippery when I went collecting samples. One slip and you were in the frigid ocean being tossed around by the waves.

Tabitha and Adam brave the icy summer waters of the gulf of Maine.
The lighthouses of Maine were spectacular. Here is the Nubble lighthouse near the entrance of the York River.

T is for Talent

Yesterday I went with Tabitha to visit my mother in Texarkana. Mom has agreed to take Sean's Street Luge T-shirts and make a quilt for their spare bedroom. This I would never attempt myself. Not only would I be scared to death to try quilting, but with T-shirt material it would be a nightmare. My mother has more talent in her little finger than I will ever have my entire life. If it can be done she can do it. She made a quilt for her bed out of T-shirts she collected through her travels and vacations. When Tabitha saw it she thought it would be a good thing for Sean's T-shirts. Tabitha is wanting to learn how to quilt so we decided mom could tackle the T-shirt quilt and Tabitha would start with something easier so she is working on a baby quilt. I enjoyed the time we spent together and it even managed to get me a little motivated. Maybe I will pick up sewing again soon. We took some before pictures of the T-shirts layed out on the bed. Watch for the future "after" picture. Thanks mom for your help!

Jamaican Memories

In 1999 I had the opportunity to take a tropical marine biology class in Jamaica. I guess this is where I picked up my interest in marine botany. However, I did my Ph.D. work in the much colder waters of the North Atlantic. The class was very difficult as we spent all day collecting specimens and all night identifying what we had collected.

I did not do any scuba diving; it was all snorkeling. I guess I dove no more than 12'-15' collecting specimens. Here is a pic my professor took of me at work collecting specimens. Notice the gloves. I had never swam with gloves on before or since, but the coral was sharp.

Here is part of the gang that comprised the class. The only time I got seasick is when the boat was not moving. So I was always the first to get into the water and the last to get out of the water each dive trip.

We kept all our live specimens in this tank until the course ended. On the last day of class these specimens were all laid out for us to identify and then returned to the ocean.

We did get one day off to explore the island and go play in a place called Dunn's River Falls. The water was cold, but refreshing.

28 years together

Today we have been married 28 years. We had what I called a "storybook" romance. He was a football player, I was a cheerleader, we were in the same class, and Mr. & Ms. BHS. Our friends were amazed because we never fought like other teenage couples. We graduated High School in 1980 and got marriaged the following August. He is extremely intellegent and funny, He is my best friend. I can not imagine a day of life without him. I have a chronic illness and he babies me constantly. We have been through many obstacles together while raising 3 children. We are now entering the phase of our life where we get to be grandparents. "YAH!". I look forward to the Lord's return, but until then I pray I have each and every day with my wonderful husband. I love you Troy.

Debbie