SOMEBODY'S GETTIN' OLD

...and it ain't me!

Nineteen years ago today God blessed our family with a daughter, Taylor Grace. Where have the years gone?

Beginning on her first birthday, Taylie's dad has given her a dozen roses every year on her special day. Even though she is away at college this year, he wanted to continue the tradition. After a little consideration, I thought I would enlist the help of Kimmie, who is the Recruitment Manager and Head Volleyball Coach at Crown College where Taylie atttends. I called her to ask if she could give me the number of a local florist and some idea of when best to have the roses delivered.

Kimmie, bless her heart, enthusiastically offered to take care of purchasing and personally delivering the roses to Taylie as a surprise. She even went so far as to take a photo of Tay with the flowers and email it to us...as evidenced in the picture above. Taylie worked closely with Kimmie this year as the volleyball team manager and Kimmie shared with me how much she appreciated our daughter's help and her encouraging rapport with the team. I was very touched by her gracious words and help in carrying on this special tradition.

Happy blessed birthday to you today, "Gracie"....you have, indeed, been an undeserved gift to us from God.

GIFTS I NEVER ASKED FOR

This morning I was in town running errands and picked up an old Indian walking down the road. He also happens to be an old friend. I gave him a ride to his home and he invited me in for a cup of tea. A very delicious cup of tea...something from South Africa. When I asked where he'd gotten it he replied, "I'm a man of the world, you know." We sat on the back steps, sipping tea, catching up on each other's kids, and reminiscing. When I left, he gifted me with 3 bottles of this year's maple syrup and a new pair of moccasins.

As I drove home I thought of the unexpected gifts a day can bring. A visit with an old friend, precious pure maple syrup...new moccasins. I hadn't asked for any of those things, but they were bestowed upon me. In my opinion, these are the best kind of gifts.

My thoughts turned to how God knows what we need and He gives...whether we ask Him or not. Even whether we love Him or not. So many things we take for granted...the air we breathe...the power that enables us to move, function, work, and play. Many un-asked-for faculties...a brain that can reason; sensory perceptions with which to see, hear, smell, feel; and a heart that steadily moves my lifeblood throughout my body.

Most of the many gifts and blessings God has given me I never asked for...His Word so I might know Him, His Spirit which renews my mind and strengthens my heart to obey Him, His Son to take the penalty of my sin that I might have eternal life in Him, and free will to choose. I didn't ask for these things, yet He gave them to me. "Every good and perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no shadow of turning." James 1:17 NKJV

Thank you, Father God, for so much.

THE AFGHAN OPEN

"Specialist Ramsey Haynes is in the lead at three under par in the First Annual Afghan Open as he tees off on hole seven, a wicked 475 yard fairway with a monstrous sand trap."

Just thought I'd share this picture with you all...it made me smile. Until, that is, I talked to Ramsey on the phone this morning and he told me he was hitting the ball over the perimeter wall trying to set off land mines in a mine field on the other side. Sheesh.

CABIN FEVER

March can seem like the longest month of the year, can't it? Everyone can get a little testy, even our feathered friends at the feeder. We're ready to be done with winter and get on with spring weather activities, but this month delights in being fickle...sunshine and temps in the upper 40s to low 50s for three days and then it plummets back down into the 20s and 30s with freezing rain and snow. I saw on the news this morning that the areas of Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma and others are bracing themselves for one to two feet of snow in the next 24 hours! In my neck of the woods we'd take that with a begrudging sigh, but it's got to come as a rude shock to folks in those parts of the country.

Currently, I am on spring break with no plans to head south to a sunny beach somewhere. Instead my goal is to head deep into the dusty netherworld of my long neglected bedroom for a major makeover. First, a good old-fashioned pitch and toss, looking at everything with a critical eye and realistic expectation: "am I ever going to wear this or use this?", and organize what's left. Second, eliminate some of the furniture to free up some floor space, bring in the industrial-strength shop vac and banish all the dust bunnies, dust puppies, dust ponies, and dust rhinos.

Then the fun part begins: Down to the home supply store to purchase paint and back home to apply it. A trip to the fabric store to choose a coordinating fabric to sew curtains or perhaps just valances for the windows.

For the finishing touch: lay down the beautiful hooked wool rug and make up our bed with the wonderful new linens my girlfriends helped me pick out on our recent road trip to the Twin Cities. It's going to be quite a transformation. I will post an "after" picture but don't think for one minute you'll see the "before" shot!

BECAUSE THEY NEEDED THE BEST

...they sent the 951st Engineer Battalion Sapper Company

out of Rhinelander/Tomahawk, Wisconsin.

Thank you to Stephanie Aimone for these photos.

MAY I BRAG A LITTLE?

So I am going to use this forum to brag a little about my eldest son. Against my better judgment, I was online chatting with him on Facebook from 12:30 to 2:30 AM last night...or this morning...whatever.

Ramsey was sitting in a tent some place, not Afghanistan, waiting for the go-ahead to make the last leg of the flight to FOB Lagman, the base where he'll spend the next ten months. He sent me a photo attached to an email of him qualifying on the M4, a type of machine gun. It's kind of weird looking at a photo of your son in full battle gear intently firing a machine gun.

I asked him about the photo; what he was doing, who the other people in it were. He said it was taken on a shooting range at Camp Shelby, MS, where he was shooting targets while walking. Ramsey is the lead soldier on the right. The soldier directly behind him is an instructor. For those of you who have any experience shooting a firearm, it's difficult enough to hit a target when you are stationary, much less on the move. Ramsey qualified as an Expert on four weapons: the M4, M9, .50 caliber, and the M-240. Expert is the highest weapons qualification. It may come as a surprise to those of you who know Ramsey, and are aware of his reputation as a hunter, that this is the first time he has qualified as an Expert . Apparently, this is not an easy accomplishment.

Ramsey is a member of the 951st Combat Engineer Sapper Company, whose job it will be to provide route clearance...locating, disarming, and disposing of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), aka roadside bombs. In addition to his training to carry out this duty, Ramsey will also man the .50 caliber machine gun mounted on top of a vehicle, and perform emergency life saving medical tasks, like controlling bleeding and starting I.V.'s., as a trained Combat Lifesaver.

While it is very difficult to think about what our son may experience in the coming months in Afghanistan, I am very proud of him and his willingness to serve our country. I am proud of his accomplishments and abilities gained during his years of training in preparation for this assignment. I am thankful for the gifts God has given Ramsey and His Hand upon him shaping him into the young man he has become.

TESTING

Ok, so when I published my last post earlier today my blog spot was lost to me...all that was left was a big blue screen with about three lines of encrypted gobbledygook at the top. I tried finding it everywhich way with no luck. I called Cheri and she was able to view it from her computer. Hmmm. So I'm checking to see if it is restored after I publish another post. If not....I don't know what's up. Keeping my fingers crossed.

RED-EYE TO AFGHANISTAN

Yesterday Ramsey and the rest of the 951st Engineer Sapper Co. out of Rhinelander/Tomahawk, WI, boarded a plane at Camp Shelby, MS, for the first leg of their long journey to Afghanistan. Ramsey called us from somewhere in Maine after a 3 1/2 hour flight. Maine? I admit I know nothing about flight patterns, but doesn't flying from way down south 50 miles from the Gulf of Mexico all the way to the northernmost state of the Union seem a little out of the way? Is Afghanistan at the same latitude as Maine? Here's where my geography prowess fails me. Maybe it has to do with the fact that the next stop is Germany. Then Romania. (Romania? Do we have air bases in Romania?) And finally, Afghanistan.

All this to say, Ramsey is on his way to a dangerous part of the world to do a dangerous job. I don't know where he is right now, how long it takes to get there, or when he'll arrive at his final destination. All I do know is I have put him in God's hands and "I know whom I have believed and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day." 2 Timothy 1:12

POTATO PIZZA

A couple of you have expressed interest in Potato Pizza, a family favorite. I don't really have a recipe; it's one of those "as you would" kind of things. Anyway, here's how I do it:

Use two large pre-baked pizza crusts. I either make my homemade yeast pizza crust and bake till just starting to brown or, if I'm looking for something quicker, I buy Mama Mary brand pre-baked crusts. I know there are other brands, but haven't tried them.

Peel and boil six large potatoes. Cook one pound of bacon and break into about 1/2 to l inch pieces. Chop one meduim onion. Grate one pound of mozzarella cheese.

Spread crusts with sour cream, not too thick...about one half cup per crust.

Slice potatoes evenly on the crusts to cover all but very edge. This layer of potatoes will be more than one slice deep. Salt and pepper to taste.

Divide first the onion between the two pizzas, distributing evenly, then do the same with the bacon pieces, followed by the cheese.

Bake in preheated 400 degree oven until cheese is melting and beginning to brown, about 12 - 14 minutes. I bake one pizza at a time because they don't take long and that way the second one is still hot when served.

You can tweak any and all of the ingredients to your preference...more or less sour cream or bacon, leave off the onions...whatever. Obviously, this is a high calorie and fat pizza but I have taken to using fat free or low fat cheese and sour cream and it's just as good. We have added other toppings at times...some were good, some not. Whatever you would like on a baked potato is best. Remember, it's not a tomato sauce pizza so nix the mushrooms and oregano. I would love to hear from any of you who come up with your own variations. Enjoy!

PS - this pizza is great left over

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

Just when I've made my re-entry into blogging I am forced to retire temporarily (only a matter of days this time; not years) as my computer has to go to the doctor for routine maintainence.

Think of everything I'll get done around the house without the computer luring me away!

SO SOON, WRITERS' BLOCK

You'll have to bear with me; there's a lot swirling around in my head these days but little of it alights long enough to be formulated into anything remotely blog-worthy.

I could bore you with the mundane details of my week:

Sunday: Sang on the worship team during the morning's worship service, celebrated Tessa's 16th birthday with my folks, played cards at friends while the kids had Sr. High Bible Study.

Monday: Went to visit and provide care for friend, Florence, in her home; made potato pizza and a strawberry-rhubarb pie for Tessa's birthday dinner while enjoying the company of future daughter-in-love, Mandy, and future official grandson, Damon. Celebrated Tess's birthday again, then went to church for Bible Study.

Tuesday: Mandy called at 8:30 and asked if we wanted to go swimming. Swimming! It's 8:30 AM and -35 degrees out. At the local pool, silly. Sure...why not. In the afternoon, did aforementioned favor for Ramsey and delivered roses to Mandy at work.

Wednesday: Pretty much just did school with Tess and Wy and housework. Woohoo. Mandy and Damon came over.

Thursday: Are you bored yet? I am. School, laundry, zzzzzzzzz ........

Friday: Back to visit and care for Florence. Cards and pizza at the home of Pastor Joe and Sue.

Saturday: Family Council meeting at local nursing home where my grandmother is a resident, worship team practice, errands in town, home to knit...hopefully.

There you have it. They say sometimes you just have to put your time in to get past writers' block. I've done my time...hopefully I'm rehabilitated.

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS

People ask us if we ever hear from Ramsey who is currently stationed at Camp Shelby, MS. My reply is, "Not often and usually when he needs a favor."

"Hi Mom, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure, what's that?"

"Can you go to Griders and buy a dozen red roses for Mandy and take them to her at work?"

"...Sure..." (why not?) "What do you want the card to say?"

"Just because I love you."

That's how I found myself driving into town, buying red roses, driving to the next town, delivering said roses to my future daughter-in-love, and driving back home...on a day when I had no plans to leave the house.

Funny what we do for love.

OK, SO WHERE WAS I...

...Oh, yeah! Now I remember. April 8th, 2006. Mark and Ramsey were heading to Tennessee to hunt turkeys. That was almost three years ago. I feel like Rip Van Winkle. Quite a lot has happened since then:

We've all gotten older. Big surprise to ya'll, I know.

I enrolled in college for the first time. Part time associate degree RN program at the area technical college. This spring semester I will complete the required courses to be licensed as a Practical Nurse. How practical is that?

Ramsey is deployed with the 951st Engineer Battalion out of Rhinelander/Tomahawk. He is currently at Camp Shelby, MS, and will leave for Afghanistan later this month. More on that later.

Taylie began her freshman year of college at Crown College in Minnesota. She is pursuing a BS in Elementary Education. She looks forward to spending Spring Break on a mission trip with the Crown women's volleyball team in the Dominican Republic.

Tessa turns 16 (!!) TODAY. She has grown into a lovely young woman with many gifts and a tender servant's heart. She loves to cook, bake, make jewelry, and watch movies. She spoils me with her willingness to help in the kitchen and around the house in general.

Wylie has shot up, relatively speaking, to be the tallest in our family at a whopping 5'8" and he'll turn 15 next month. A man of varied interests, he loves to duck hunt, turkey hunt, ice fish, read, draw realistic pictures of semi trucks, and avoid doing schoolwork. Wylie also has the opportunity to go on a short-term mission trip next month to Budapest, Hungary, with a group from church.

Mark left Viking Builders in April of 2007 to go on his own doing carpentry and guiding. It has been an interesting time with the economic downturn, but God has provided in amazing ways and we are growing in our walk with Him.

Well, that's it in a nutshell...I s'pose I can expound on some of this in future posts. For anyone who might happen to have been left hanging three years ago, wondering about the results of the Tennessee turkey hunt: Mark and Ramsey each bagged a bird.