Bluebonnets Are Coming!

Since I call this blog, "On The Bluebonnet Trail," I figured that I had better post some pictures since the season is upon us. These photos are just a few little patches of plants out behind the church building. There are huge fields of flowers in the area and I will get photos of them in the next week or so, but everyone tells me that the flowers are not at the peak yet so I'm going to wait a little longer. There will be more pictures coming soon.

I had a good trip to Arkansas over the weekend. We had an excellent Bible study group on Thursday evening. Our friend, Shirley, who was injured up in Philadelphia is supposed to be able to come back home this Thursday. I will be glad to see her next week. I'm sure she will be glad to be back home and I know for sure that her husband, Dick, is ready for her to return!

Merilyn, Sarah, and Blake are all doing well. Merilyn has had 2010-2011 student registration all last week and they have Benchmark testing all this week so it's been a pretty stressful time for her. It always is a tougher time of the year but after this week is over, it should be pretty smooth sailing for the rest of this school year. Sarah is looking into continuing her education with a Master's program in social work through the U of A. I hope everything will work out for her to do that. Blake has been in Kansas this weekend playing in a basketball tournament with some of his friends. He was a standout player in high school and even played some in college.

Adam is getting his ducks in a row as he prepares to enter his Secret Service training. He talked to his new boss in Oklahoma City and found out he can do his initial training in the Houston field office so he was really glad for that. If I understood him right, he will not report to Oklahoma City until about the first of February, 2011. Starting on June 7 (Sarah's birthday), he will be in training at several different locations until then.

I was able to get some yard and flower bed work done while at home this time. Unfortunately, there was a problem with the steering mechanism of the riding mower and I was not able to get it fixed before I left. Fortunately, one of our next door neighbors said he would help us keep the yard mowed until I can get back in two weeks to get it fixed. We have decided to list the house for sale with a new real estate agent. He comes highly recommended and we've been impressed in visiting with him. The problem is that the real estate market in northwest Arkansas is still in terrible shape and foreclosures continue to dump more and more properties on the market. But we're going to let him have a shot at it and just keep praying for God's guidance and blessing.

Enjoy the beautiful Spring season. Remember that God made it all. He is awesome!

Reason for delay this week

I usually try to write a new post on Monday morning each week but I did not do that this week because I was waiting for some news to share. Now I can go ahead and tell...our son, Adam, has been notified that he has been accepted into the U.S. Secret Service! Merilyn and I are extremely proud of him. He's worked hard to achieve this goal. I've never seen nor heard of such a process for screening applicants. It has taken 15 months and has included numerous face-to-face interviews, two grueling polygraph exams, writing pages and pages of answers to questions, an extensive background investigation, and a rigorous physical examination. Adam will report to the field office in Oklahoma City on June 7 for several days of orientation, then to Washington, D.C. headquarters for a few days, then to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, GA for several months, then to the Secret Service training facility in Maryland for several more months, and then back to Oklahoma City around the first of February, 2011 to begin work. He's excited and we are all overjoyed that the process is complete and he has achieved his goal!

This has kind of overshadowed everything else that has been going on in the past week or so, but we have received many excellent blessings from God in this time. Merilyn and Sarah came down from Arkansas and Adam came up from College Station this past weekend so we got to spend some time together and celebrate his news. We had an excellent worship service for Easter Sunday with nearly a 50% increase in our attendance.

Sarah and Blake are doing well. He is on day shift now with his police patrol and likes it better. He had his picture in the Springdale paper recently with his police car in a story about how Ford is going to quit making the Crown Victoria, which has been one of the more popular police cruisers of the past 40 years. I think Ford is going to start outfitting their Taurus for police work now. Sarah is enjoying her work at Decision Point and is looking into getting into a Master's degree program in social work through the University of Arkansas.

This is my week to go to Arkansas for a few days. I will leave tomorrow morning, have our Bible study group tomorrow night, and enjoy some time with Merilyn before returning to Ennis on Saturday afternoon. By the way, the bluebonnets are just starting to come out nicely so I will try to get out into the countryside and take some pictures to post next week. Have a great day! God bless!

The Month That Roars!

Which month is it that they say comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb? I'm not sure but there was some lion-like weather over the past several days in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. I got to make a trip back to Springdale last Thursday for my every two week visit. The driving was fine from Dallas to the Texas-Oklahoma border at the Red River. Pretty soon after crossing the river there was a strong thunderstorm with heavy rains. It let up in intensity after 10-15 minutes but then it was rain all the rest of the way. Fortunately it moved out and the rest of the weekend was sunny. We had a good Bible study group meeting on Thursday evening but one of our ladies has had a tough time. Shirley Pate was visiting relatives in the Philadelphia area and took a fall down some stairs. She broke two ribs and fractured several vertebrae in her back. She's been hospitalized in severe pain and is now in a rehab facility in Philadelphia until she is well enough to return to Arkansas. Please remember her in your prayers.

It was a blessing to have such a beautiful day on Friday and again on Saturday morning. I was able to get the front part of the yard mowed, edges trimmed, and then sprayed for weeds. Sarah or Merilyn may have to come along this week and get the rest of the mowing done after the back part of the yard dries out better. I also got the knockout roses, crepe myrtles, and butterfly bush pruned for the new Spring growth.

I left Springdale to return to Ennis just after noon on Saturday. While it was a beautiful, sunny day, the winds were ferocious! From northwest Arkansas all the way to Ennis they never let up. On the weather report Saturday evening it said there were gusts as high as 46 mph throughout the area. Even though I am in a smaller car now since I traded, I was able to zoom-zoom right through the wind and traffic with no problems. "zoom-zoom"---Mazda---get it? Ha!

I've got to take a minute to brag about my son, Adam. He, along with several other military veterans, is on the cover of the Texas Aggie magazine which is published by the Texas A & M Association of Former Students. Also, there is a full-page picture of him inside the magazine as the lead-in to the story about Aggies who have served in the military and the long tradition and history of the connection between Texas A & M and the U.S. military. As you may imagine, Merilyn and I are very proud of him.

It is a gorgeous Monday morning in north Texas with sunshine and blue sky. It's a little nippy but it's going to warm into the upper 60's today. The coming of Spring just seems to invigorate and make everyone happier. The challenges and struggles of life will always be with us, but when we are in Christ we have good reason to rejoice in the Lord always as Paul writes in Philippians 4:4. I hope everyone has an excellent day today and a great week to come!

Spring is here?

While the calendar says Spring, it surely has not felt like it for the past few days! This has been quite the freak blast of winter, hasn't it? Last Thursday and Friday here in north Texas the temperatures were in the mid-60's with sunshine. Then that cold front came through on Friday night and into Saturday. We even had snow on the ground Sunday morning when I went to church. It was only 1/2" or so, but areas just to the north of Dallas got as much as 6-8". Of course, that's nothing compared to what northwest Arkansas got. Merilyn told me there was at least a foot of snow on the ground. Last night I went to eat at Whattaburger with some folks from church and saw a report on a TV they had tuned to the Weather Channel. Lo and behold, they had a weather reporter from Fayetteville! He said they had 13.5" on the ground so it must have been close to that in Springdale. The good thing is that it is supposed to warm up pretty quickly so there should not be huge problems with this snowfall.
I got to go to College Station this past weekend and spend a couple of nights with Adam. It's always good to be together. He was off work for a day or two since the students were out of school for Spring Break. He cooked us out some steaks one night and we spent a lot of time watching the March Madness NCAA basketball games. Boy, some of them were madness! Lots of top seeds went down, including the #1 ranked team in the country, Kansas. That loss was particularly hard for my son-in-law and daughter. They are both rabid KU fans. The losses of highly ranked teams has completely blown up my bracket picks, but I've got lots of company.
Merilyn is going to central Arkansas this week to spend some time with her Dad as he is going to be having hip replacement surgery soon. I think she may be going to spend a night with Mom in Russellville, too. This is my week to go to Springdale so she is planning to be back home by Thursday. She's going to be doing a lot of traveling for Spring Break.
Everyone's doing well, staying healthy, and plugging along. We've got lots of blessings for which to be thankful. Hope everyone has a good week. God bless!

In and around Dallas and Arkansas

Looking back over this past week, it seems as if it was about a month long. On Monday morning I got into the office early to get some needed work done because I was going to Springdale in the afternoon. Usually I go on Thursday and Friday but I had been talking to some car dealers about trading for a smaller, more economical car. The best deal finally came from a Mazda dealer in Bentonville so now I am driving a Mazda 3. It's more of a sporty looking car and it has a sporty feel in driving. You know the Mazda motto: Zoom-zoom! It fits. Yesterday I filled up the first tank of combined city and highway miles and it came out to 33 mpg. When it's broken in well, I expect to get 26-27 in town and 35-37 on the road. That will definitely be a positive impact on the wallet.
While in Arkansas, Merilyn and I were able to meet with the Bible study group on Tuesday evening instead of Thursday. It's always a blessing to be with these Christian friends. I was also able to get quite a few chores and "honey-dos" done while I was there; that's always good. I'm proud of my wife! After I got back to Ennis, she called one morning to say she was getting ready for work and felt wetness at her feet. She looked under her bathroom sink and saw a water leak. She didn't panic. She just turned off the water valves at the supply lines, cleaned up the mess, and called to tell me about it. What a woman! It should be a fairly easy fix for me the next time I'm home.
I got up early Wednesday to come back to Ennis and was back in the office around 1 p.m. The rest of the week was non-stop busy but it was all good. On Saturday I ran an errand up to Farmers Branch in north Dallas. To get there I drove north up I-45 then hit I-635 west. Coming back I went a few miles further west on I-635 and got on I-35 south which goes around the western side of Dallas and then down to Waxahachie. At Waxahachie I then take Hwy 287 12-14 miles back over to Ennis. One sight I noticed as I went down I-35 is the old home of the Dallas Cowboys, Texas Stadium. On April 11, it is going to be imploded and demolished now that the Cowboys have their new home out in JerryWorld. So, if you want to get a last look, you'd better hurry!
It seems that Spring has arrived in this part of the world. We've been enjoying temperatures in the 60's and 70's. Merilyn tells me it's not gotten to northwest Arkansas yet but it should be there soon so all you cold and wet Arkies just be patient.
Hope every one has a good week. God bless!

Spring is coming!

This past week saw some pretty wild swings in the weather in north Texas. At the first of the week it was more like late Winter and by the end of the week it was more like Spring. Friday was a beautiful day. I got to wear shorts and a t-shirt to go out for exercising for the first time in quite a while. There are already some buttercups blooming and a few of the early blooming shrubs are starting to show some blooms, too. According to the news reporters, this should be an outstanding year for the bluebonnets because of all the rain. When they come out, I'll take some pictures and post them here.
Everything is going well with the church here in Ennis. We lost one of our leading men to cancer last week. He put up a valiant fight but it finally got to the point that the doctors at M.D. Anderson in Houston said there was nothing more they could do. Two days later he passed away. It seems to me that if there is no hope for getting better, then it is a blessing to pass on quickly. On a brighter note, we have been in the process of selecting new deacons for the church and have identified four good men who have agreed to serve. They will be appointed on March 21.
It looks like I will be heading to Arkansas today instead of Thursday. I've been talking to a couple of car dealers about trading so I can get into a vehicle with lower payments and better gas mileage. We haven't come to a final agreement yet but it looks like I will be trading for a Mazda 3. Since I will be up there, we've been able to arrange our Bible study group for Tuesday evening instead of Thursday. I always look forward to being back with these friends and discussing the Scriptures together. If any of you want to join us, you would be welcome.
There's lots to do before I can get away this afternoon so that's all for now. God bless!

Monday morning

It's one of those Monday mornings for me today...I'm tired, didn't sleep that well last night, and the weather is cloudy, cold, and raining off and on. It's one of those mornings when you think it would be nice to turn off the alarm clock and stay in your warm bed. It's just hard to get your motor going and running on all cylinders. I've had my morning hot green tea, but I may have to get a cup of hot chocolate with a pinch of instant coffee to help me get going good.
It was a very good weekend. I enjoyed a trip back to Springdale and had a busy, productive time there. We had an excellent Bible study group meeting on Thursday evening. Afterward, Merilyn and I helped Blake and Sarah in their move to a new, nicer apartment. They had short notice and were really scrambling so we pitched in to help Thursday and Friday evenings as much as we could. It's going to be a much better situation for them. I spent the day Friday running errands and got to see several folks. In between, I was able to go to the chiropractor, do my laundry (with Merilyn's help), work on our income tax information for the accountant, go through the past two weeks worth of mail and bills, and work on the vacuum cleaner which I hope I got fixed so we won't have to go buy a new one.
The drive back to Ennis Saturday afternoon was pleasant with beautiful sunshine and blue skies. The sunset was especially pretty Saturday evening. We had a good day in worship and Bible study on Sunday. Our youth minister and teens were gone to Houston for a youth event, but we still had a good crowd on Sunday morning with several visitors. Although my cold has subsided considerably, when I was singing and then started preaching I guess the vibrations in my head got my sinus drainage working and my throat irritated so I started coughing about halfway through the sermon. One of the good brothers went out to get me a cup of water and that helped a bunch. We announced the selection of four new men to serve as deacons for the church. I believe everyone is encouraged with the quality of these men who have agreed to serve with the three men we currently have as deacons.
The 2010 Winter Olympics did not interest me too much as they got started, but I got more interested as the USA teams began to do so well. I especially enjoyed the speed skating, downhill skiing, bobsled and hockey competitions. I was glad to see the Canadian girl skater win a medal after her mother passed away. I was rooting for the US hockey team to win the gold, but I was also kind of pulling for the Canada team to win since hockey is such a big deal for their country.
I think I'm going to cook some water and make that cup of hot chocolate/coffee mix to see if I can kick-start the day a little better. I hope all of you have an excellent day today and the first week of March. Spring is coming! God bless!