Charleston

Misty and I are in Charleston, South Carolina. We had planned this trip for a while, and Seth was originally supposed to come with us. Football, once again, has taken over all his spare time. He had a big three way scrimmage at Midway tonight so he didn't come with us. We got here about 2 this afternoon and checked into the Courtyard by Marriott, on the Ashley River. We then ventured to historic downtown Charleston. We ate at A.W. Shucks and then walked through the Market. Alot of people were packing up and leaving, so we plan to go back earlier in the day. After that, we went down and walked by the water along the Battery. Tomorrow, we plan to go to Folly Beach and maybe take a Carriage Ride Tour of the historic district in the evening. Not sure what else we may do. Below are a few pictures that we took.

There are some very beautiful old houses here.

One of the horse & carriage tours. These houses are really close together. The front of one faces the back of another, with just enough room in between for a driveway wide enough for a single car. You can see that here. There are gates on the driveway that stretch from house to house, and the door by the gate leads up onto the front porch. The United States Custom House on Meeting Street. The Edmondston-Alston House, circa 1825, on East Battery Street. One of the statues in the park along the Battery. Looking out across the water towards Fort Sumter, from the Battery.

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There are so many interesting things to see and do in Charleston. I'm sure we won't be able to do as much as we'd like before we leave on Monday, but we plan to do our best. That is, providing Misty learns how to read a map!

Anyone There?

If there's anyone out there still checking my blog, and you know the power of prayer, I would ask you to please pray for my sister Debbie. She began radiation treatments on Monday and had her first chemo treatment on Wednesday. She was having really bad pain last night and had to go to the ER. It was so bad she agreed to go by ambulance. If you know my sister, you know it had to be bad for her to do that. Dad had called and told me and said he was going up there, so I went with him. That was about 10:30 and it's 3:45 and I just got home. They gave her something for the pain, but she said that it was just masking it. She could still feel it, but not as bad. But the shots were only lasting about an hour and a half. They gave her another before she left the hospital, but she said she could already feel it coming back. Please pray for her! She has another radiation treatment tomorrow. She has the radiation every day except Saturday and Sunday. The chemo she has every Wednesday. You can keep up with her journey here.

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Seth returned from Florida where he had a great time. He's heavy into football practice and scrimmages now. He plays running back, some quarter back, and safety. He was supposed to go with me and Misty to Charleston this weekend, but he has a big 3 way scrimmage Friday night, so he won't be going. I'm looking forward to the long weekend in Charleston. It will be nice to get away for a few days. It's hard to believe that summer is almost over. School starts August 8th and Seth will be a sophomore this year. My how time flies!

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Luke & Malachi came home for 1 day and then left again for Kansas. They will be working there for maybe two weeks. It was good to have them here, even if it was just a few hours.

Off Again

Well, Seth's off again. He left this morning to spend a week in Panama City with his friend Dillon and Dillon's grandparents. I'm grateful he's got to have such a fun summer. He's been all over, Colorado, Nebraska, Indiana ;) and Florida. When he comes back from Florida, we (me, Misty & Seth) are going to Charleston, SC. He may not ever get the chance to go so many places in one summer again, and I'm glad he's enjoying it.

I sure do miss him, though!!

Later 'Gator

Malachi and Luke are working in Louisiana. Sunday, they took a boat ride out into the swamp. They sent me these pictures yesterday. Gives new meaning to the phrase "later 'gator".

While they were making friends with the 'gators, we were sitting in the airport in Nashville waiting on Seth's plane to get in. It was almost 3 hours late. Before Seth got on the plane that morning, he had told Pamela that he had a really bad feeling about the flight. They had to change planes in Memphis because there was something wrong with their's, and then when they made it to Nashville, they were unable to land because of the storm. Seth said when they started the descent, there was a big flash of lightening near the plane. They were diverted to Evansville, Indiana, for more fuel. When they returned to Nashville, they spent time flying above the clouds until the storm passed and they could land. He was really glad to get off that plane! I sure was thrilled to see him walk off that plane!! I really missed him. I'm not sure who he was happier to see, me, his dad or Pamela. Anybody want to hazard a guess? ; )

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Tasha, Kylie & Wyatt will be flying back to Nebraska today. We are really going to miss them. And we are praying their flight is better than Seth's was!

Happy 4th & Happy Birthday, Rachel

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RACHEL!

Today is Rachel's birthday. She's 26. I won't tell you how old that makes me. When Rachel was little, we would tell her she had the best birthday ever. Everybody celebrated it with her. She's a smart kid, though, and caught on pretty fast. She wanted to know why they didn't all get her presents. We told her the fireworks were her present. She doesn't quite buy that anymore. We celebrated the day today with a cook out, complete with a birthday cake, and then going to Kingston to watch the fireworks. I think everybody had a good time, although I missed Aaron, Seth, Malachi & Luke. We had a pretty good crowd, though. There was me, Charlie, Misty, Mackeinzie, Rachel, Chris, Kyra, Elijah, Owen, Abby, Tasha, Kylie, Wyatt, Jason, Taylor, Jared, Britney, Rob and my Dad. I wanted to get a group picture of all my grandkids together. I don't get too many opportunities to have them all in one place. Everybody was prefectly happy,

till I said I wanted a picture.

Then, no body was too happy.

This is what I got:

That's Keinzie (9) on the top step holding Abby (3 months) and Owen (3), and on the bottom step is Kyra (7) Kylie (3 1/2) holding Wyatt (1) and then Elijah (5)

I think Tasha got some better ones. I will have to get them from her before she leaves on Tuesday.

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We enjoyed the fireworks show tonight. Even little Abby was taking it all in. You know, when you have two sons and a son in law that served or are serving in the military, it really changes your perspective on the 4th of July. I remember 4 years ago, we were in Kingston watching the fireworks when my cell phone rang. It was Jason, calling me from Iraq. Tonight, as we were walking back to our cars, I heard Kyra ask Rachel about the fourth of July and Rachel explaining to her about how America fought against England because of the unfair taxes. She told her that during the battle, they couldn't see the flag for the smoke and all the bombs bursting, and when the smoke cleared, they saw that their flag was still waving. I was blessed as I listened to her tell Kyra about how this great country came to be. I am so grateful for this country that we live in and call home. God has really blessed our nation. Even though she's not all that she should be right now, she is still the greatest country of all. In part, thanks to all those who have fought to preserve our freedoms. To them, I say

"THANK YOU!"

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MAY GOD SHED HIS GRACE ON AMERICA,

AND MEND THINE EVERY FLAW!