Another year done: Goodbye 2016

As I sat here on this New Years Eve morning I can't help but contemplate the year that is almost over. In just a little less than 14 hours we will sweep 2016 out the door and welcome 2017 in with open arms.

Looking back over the last year I can say that there have been extreme highs like going to NYC for my 40th birthday and our 8 day/9 state road trip.

I have learned some new things and forgotten some unimportant ones. 

I have checked off many items on my bucket list, but not all of them. I need something to do in the years to come. 

I have lived the life I wanted and done the things I wanted to do. 

I have done things I never dreamed I would, some things good and some heartbreaking. 

But the one thing that gets me the most is the fact that I have said hello to some new friends and goodbye to my best friend. 

Yes, I had to say goodbye to my best friend, my Mama. I never imagined that I would learn the ins and outs of funeral planning this year.  I never imagined that I would see 2017 without her.

Yes, this year has had high moments and low moments. It has brought lots of laughter and lots of tears.  It has brought joy, sadness, anger, and fear into my daily life. It has made me question so many things about myself and that is actually a good thing. It would be really bad to go through an entire year and never learn anything new about yourself or grow into a better person.


I am looking forward to the new year.

 I know that there are some big changes coming for us next year that we know about and some things that we are still uncertain how they will work out. We are just praying and asking God for guidance and for wisdom in making the right decision. I am looking forward to more bucket list check offs, more time spent with my family and more growth for myself. I have no idea what tomorrow may hold, but I know who holds tomorrow and I am putting it all in the Lord's hands.

"That's my 'two-cents worth', what's yours?"

Precious Memories

Memories are an amazing things. They can bring about laughter, joy, and happiness. They can also bring about feelings of sadness, hurt and longing. Our memories often effect our days. I have to say that my good memories far outweigh the bad.  September 17th was the fifth anniversary of my grandfather's passing. There is not a day that goes by still that I don't think of him. Most of those times I smile, but sometimes I cry. I miss him so much. I decided to write this post just to share with you a few memories of my loved ones that I have. I cling to these good memories because they remind me how important being with family really is.

I can remember sitting on the porch with my Granny Sadie snapping beans and shucking corn.  I think I was maybe 6 or 7 years old. I can still see it in my mind. We would just work the day away while all her cats, she had about 5 or 6, would rub around your feet wanting to be petted. I remember going to see her everyday after school when she was sick and making sure she had taking her medicine. She passed away when I was 12 and I wished we could have had more time together.

My Pa Woody and Granny Sadie

Thinking about Granny makes me look back and think about my Pa Woody. He would sit on the porch while we worked the day away. He would play his banjo or tell tall tales to us kids.  I remember the year we got him his own liars license at the beach. He thought that was the best thing ever. He even framed it and hung it up on his bedroom wall. He was such a cracker jack.


I remember going to my Grandma Eva's everyday after school with my cousin Shane.  Both of our moms worked and she would babysit us every afternoon. She always fixed us fried bologna and cheese sandwiches and let us watch Inspector Gadget.  Whenever we had a stuffy nose or cough her go to cure was to rub Vick's Vapo Rub on our chest and under our noses. At first we fought it,but we soon learned Grandma was going to have her way. I remember that at night she would use Oil of Olay on her face and that I would sneak and put some on my face when she wasn't looking.

My Grandma Eva 

I think of my Aunt's Shirley and Gertie. They were always willing to help when we needed something and our family gatherings where so much fun with them around. One time a bird got in my grandmas house and was flying all around my Aunt Shirley and she just fell in the floor to get away from it. I remember my Aunt Gertie once singing Here comes Peter Cottontail, and the whole time she was hopping along. I got her on video doing that, it is hilarious to watch. I really wish I had the video on my computer to share with y'all, but it is on one of those old fashioned tapes.

My Aunt Shirley and my oldest Grace when they were both battling cancer. 

I remember my Uncle Lee playing his guitar and singing at our Christmas gatherings. He was so talented and had a true love for the Lord.  Unfortunately I was unable to locate my pictures of Uncle Lee. I put them away for safe keeping and now I can't find them.


My Uncle Harvey had this laugh that you could pick out of a crowd and no matter how old I was he still had trouble pronouncing my name. It was an inside joke for us.

My Uncle Harvey and me when I was about 5

My Uncles Wayne and Billy were twins and both loved coffee. My Mama says that is where I get my coffee addiction gene from.  Uncle Wayne used to send me to the store when I was a little bitty girl to buy his Lucky Strike cigarettes. I still remember it like it was yesterday.

My Uncle Wayne is in the back with the blue shirt and Uncle Billy is beside him.
The next row is my Granny Sadie, Aunt Vera, Uncle Junior, and Aunt Mary.
My Daddy and Aunt Carolyn are in front.
(My Uncle Lee is not pictured)

I am so glad and thankful for all the memories I have of loved ones that have gone on. That I can look back at my life with them and find something to laugh and be happy about.  Loving and knowing someone gives you all those memories and times to look back on.  It is the ones that you never got to know and love, the ones you have no memories or only sad memories to look on that really hurt (I am thinking of my babies with this).  When I am feeling down or just have a lot on my mind I often think  about my childhood and all the happy times we had and in an instant I am feeling better. I am basking in the love that was shown toward me and all the good times we had.

People often comment on the vacations we take and how much they must cost us. Yes, they do cost quite a bit, but we save each year to pay for them and I don't regret a single one. As a matter of fact our oldest just informed us that she wants a trip to Scotland for graduation and I am doing all I can to make that happen. (Thankfully she is willing to take a Disney Cruise as a backup trip and I am perfectly ok with that too.)  We have made so many wonderful memories with our children. That is why I vacation, It is to spend time with them and make as many memories as possible. Our oldest is two years from college and I don't know how many family times we have left together, so I am making the most of the time we do have, creating precious memories for them to look back on and cherish for the rest of their lives.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSwQ4vkB5tI

"That's my 'two-cents worth', what's yours?"

What Happens Now?

Now that the election is over you would think things would be back to normal. On one hand there are no more political ads, phone calls or flyers in my mail box and I say, "Praise the Lord for that!". When I, a very political person, feels it is out of control then you know it is. I was hoping that life would go back to its normal state after it was all over, but I should have known better.

I have been thinking back to eight years ago and four years ago when Barack Obama became our President elect.  I remember the next day being sad and disappointed, but I got up and went about my normal everyday life. I never went out and attacked people. I never went out and burned my city to the ground. I never went out and destroyed other people's property. I just got up and continued on with my life. I continued to pray for the safety and well being of our country. I prayed for President as I have always done.  

I never needed a safe space, a therapy dog, group hugs, or crayons to express my feelings.  I didn't sign up for support groups or counseling. I didn't need to. You see, I am a grown up, mature woman. I am not a whiny little cry baby that throws a tantrum when she doesn't get her way.

When I see all these protesters, some who are paid and others who are just blind to the truth, displaying themselves in such a fashion it only confirms what I already knew. Somewhere out there are parents and college professors who are raising a generation of Feminazi women and emasculated men.  They want the women to be masculine and the men to be feminine.  News flash: I can get a lot more done by being a woman than I can by acting like a man. There is so much I can say on this matter, but I will save that for another post.

Back to what happens now. I believe a series of several things need to take place.

1. Our current President needs to go on the news and tell the protesters that the election is done, there is nothing they can do to change the matter and they need to cease and desist. He talked about a peaceful transition of power, but his words do not match his actions. He must condemn what is going on and demand an end to this violence.

2. The news media needs to stop showing these riots and giving these people attention. They also need to stop the race baiting.  They just keep talking about how white America voted for Trump. How this election was a white lashing. How men turned out to vote for Trump. They need to tell the truth that people of both genders and all races voted for him.

3. Hillary Clinton needs to do the same as the others. She needs to stand up, condemn what is going on and demand the violence to stop. 

4. And the rest of us need to be on our knees praying everyday, multiple times a day for the violence to end and for the success of our President Elect.  We need to grasp the fact that if Trump is successful then America is successful. We prayed during the election and now is not the time to stop. We must do as Paul the Apostle taught us, " We must pray without ceasing!" (1 Thessalonians 5:17) 

Do I honestly believe that things will settle down? Yes I do. I believe that in time, even if the things I suggested do not take place, things will settle down. I know people are hurt and disappointed. For some people this was their first time being able to vote and I understand the pain they feel.  It was the exact way we felt both times that Obama was elected.  This election was not about male America versus female America. This election was not about minority/immigrant America versus white America. This election was not even about Democrat America versus Republican America. This election was about hard working, patriotic America versus free loading/it's all about me America.


 In 1961 John F. Kennedy made his inaugural speech and the most famous line was, "ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."   I honestly believe that we have left that ideal behind and embraced the opposite, "ask not what you can do for your country, ask what your country can do for you?" and that my friends is a sad, heartbreaking state to be in. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLdA1ikkoEc

"That's my 'two-cents worth', what's yours?" 

The case AGAINST Hillary Clinton

I have two words to explain my case against Clinton: Supreme Court!

How could I willingly support or vote for her simply based on this fact? To much is at stake in our country's future for me to support her as my choice. I know we live in a free country where we are able to make the choice of who will be president (or at least they want us to believe that we do). I was already questioning our political process, but this year has made me look even closer at the out in the open bias that our media outlets show to the Clinton's. It is almost as if we are already living in a socialist nation where the powers that be are running everything.   Now back to the Supreme Court. First off I have to remind my readers that the justices are not elected but are appointed, meaning there are only two ways they leave the bench, retirement or death. With the passing of Justice Scalia this year that left an open conservative seat on the bench. I say Conservative because that is what Justice Scalia was. In the next four years the president will have the chance to appoint two maybe three new justices to the court, if Hillary is that president she will appoint liberal justices who will work to change the way our country is run.  I want to see Roe v. Wade overturned. I want to see a marriage amendment that supports traditional marriage. I want to know that our Second Amendment right is protected. I want to know that my First Amendment right of free speech is protected.  I see so much from the left that if you don't agree with them you are wrong and they want to remove our rights to say what we think if it is disagreeable to them.

The Supreme court is not the only issue. There is the fact that she is also a liar, a murderer, a thief and unfit to serve. She denied four Americans protection which resulted in their deaths, then lied about why they were killed and said, "What difference at this point does it make?"  She sent emails that were pertinent to our national security over a private server and then tried to cover it up. She is blaming everything that is not right with her campaign on Russia, which is the dumbest move ever. Apparently I was wrong when I assumed she was smart enough not to poke the bear.


Almost everyone I know is voting for and supporting Trump, but the few who are voting for Hillary have two reasons why.

 The first, she is a woman. To me that is not a justifiable reason to vote for someone. That is like saying I am going to eat four gallons of ice cream at one time. I know it is bad for me, will make me sick and most likely help make me fat, but I love ice cream so I am going to do it anyway. Both ice cream and Hillary are bad for you.

 Second, they want to keep and I quote, "getting their free stuff and getting even more free stuff."  We have raised a generation of entitled idiots! Yes, you read that right. I said IDIOTS! All they ever do is run around hollering about free insurance, free college, free phones, free everything. When will they realize that free isn't exactly free.  Just because they are getting it at no cost doesn't mean it didn't cost something. There are men and women out there who are working fifty and sixty hours a week just to make ends meet and provide for their families. Why you might ask do they have to work that much? Because their taxes are so high each week. Why are they paying such high taxes? Because someone has to provide this stupid, moronic generation with their "free" stuff.  See what I mean. Free is not really free.  What are they going to do when the majority of the nation is no longer working, so no longer paying taxes to provide all this "free" stuff.  Then we will be able to say welcome to the United Socialist States of America.

"That's my 'two-cents worth', what's yours?"

The Case FOR Donald Trump

I am here to present to you the reasons why I am voting for Donald Trump. This post will not be about any other candidate or national news source. It will only be to show the issues and the top five reasons why I am voting this way.

Reason 1. 

Closing our Borders:

This is a major issue for me as you can see with it being listed first.  I am all for allowing people to come here legally. I am thankful for my immigrant ancestors who came here looking for a better life. I am just so frustrated with people coming here illegally, not paying a dime of money into the economy and then sitting back and sucking it dry. How do they do this you might ask? Think about all the free healthcare, food stamps, schooling, etc all this people and their children get, when they don't pay a dime in taxes and send most of their money back to whatever country they came from.  On top of that we have radical islamic terrorist crossing over our southern border and those pretending to be refugees being invited in just so they can come here and destroy us from the inside. We need a President that will protect us as a country. 

Reason 2.

The Second Amendment: This is self explanatory. My founding fathers made that amendment so that the people of this country could protect themselves and their families from enemies, both foreign  and domestic.  It needs no other explanation. 

Reason 3:

Abortion:I am 100% pro-life. I do not agree with abortion on any terms. Before you throw out the health of the mother, remember that only about 1% of abortions are performed due to the mothers health.  I can only imagine how horrible it must be to find yourself pregnant after a sexual attack or incest, but why not give that child up for adoption and let others who can't have children raise that baby. We say that life ends when your heart stops beating, so why not at least admit it starts when your heart starts beating, which is at 6 weeks gestation.  I believe life begins at conception and that baby has a life and it is not your choice to destroy it. 

Reason 4.

Jobs: We have a serious lack of jobs in this country.  Our products are being made overseas for a cheaper rate and then sent back in to us to pay huge amounts all while companies close and people lose their jobs. And before you start about Trump having business overseas ask yourself what drove him to do that? Taxes so high on his company that he was forced to.  Business here today have two choices, close shop, have products made overseas and get through the tax loop hole or stay here, lay people off, pay extreme EPA (environmental protection agency) fines and have to charge 3 times as much for their products just to make a profit. Which then forces the consumer to pay more when he already has less money thanks to higher tax brackets. 

Reason 5:

Non establishment:

I love the fact that Donald Trump is a non-establishment politician.  He is just a successful business man who sees his country spiraling down into destruction and wants to pull it back from the brink.The fact that all the other politicians hate him and are trying to destroy him (even his own party) is evidence he is right for the job.  

Again this is my blog and my opinion, which last time I checked was still my First Amendment right. I am also well aware that the FBI and all government entities know what I write and are keeping tabs on this right wing, conservative, evangelical, home schooling, stay at home mom. 

Hey, Mr. FBI man how about giving my regards to Mr. Obama.

"That's my 'two-cents worth', what's yours?"

My Open letter to the Libs

Let me start this by saying that I do not in any way condone the words that Donald Trump used about women.  I think that any disrespect to women by anyone is horrible and would not want someone talking about my daughters that way. That being said, we can now get to the real issues.

How is it that you can be so outraged and upset over words that he used 11 years ago? You encourage that type of free speech among the actors/actresses and musicians of today.  Our young men and women are bombarded everyday by movies and music where they hear the exact same thing.  I can hear so many of you are now saying I don't know what I am talking about it, but I do. Over the summer while school shopping with my 16 year old daughter we stopped for lunch at Chik-Fil-A.  As we were leaving, the parking lot was full of mothers with children out enjoying their day.  As we walked back to our van a young white man rode through the parking lot with his radio blaring and he was singing along. The man singing was saying over and over again what he was going to do to a young women and he was repeatedly using the F word.  Can you honestly say that the young man hearing this music and singing along has respect for women?  How about movies? They watch them everyday where men make lewd comments about women and even abuse them. How about 50 Shades of Grey?  That was 3 books and two movies so far have been made. The books sold 80 million copies mostly to women and were written by a woman, but no one is offended by what is in them.  It is everywhere the music, TV and music. As a mother I do not allow my children to watch or listen to anything like that.


I am not naive enough to think that men don't talk about these things. I know what it is like when men get together. I have been in their company a few times and they were not shy about what they wanted to say, even with me in their presence. In fact I have been with a bunch of women before and heard them using vulgar words and making lewd comments about men.

When I see Donald Trump I see a man who said some things years ago in the company of a bunch of men and who has apologized for those words. I see a man who loves his country and wants to do all he can to make us a world leader again. I see a man who wants to improve the lives of the American people by giving them a hand up, not a hand out.


When I see Hillary Clinton I see a woman who put our country and children's safety at risk with her use of classified documents. I see a woman who refused to help four Americans when they asked for it, resulting in their torture and deaths.  I see a woman who would allow babies to be killed just days before they were born. I see a woman who stood by and let her husband abuse and rape women, whom she then treated as the bad guys. I see a woman whose husband has convinced a whole generation of young people that  oral sex is not really sex, in fact they call it doing the Bill Clinton. I see a woman who uses the word global multiple times in every speech, but hardly ever uses the word American in the sense of our economy, safety or advancement. In her mind we can only do good if we depend on the world. Donald Trump sees that we can do good when we depend on other Americans.


 How can you explain your double standard?  How can you attack Donald Trump for words he has said when you allow others to use the same words and declare their freedom of speech?


No need to answer, I already know.  You can only degrade, bash, abuse, and rape women if you are a democrat.   Nothing is beyond them, they can do and get by with whatever they want.

"That's my 'two-cents worth', and I don't really care to hear yours!" 

The Great Pretender

What is a pretender? I think we all know the answer to that question, but just to clarify. A pretender is a person who claims or aspires to a title or position.  I can see how that definition would apply. For me pretender means more. It is not just about who someone claims to be, but about how that person is perceived by others. Of course perception is based on what another person sees or notices, so I guess it all depends on how you present yourself. I know lots of pretenders. Those who act one way in front of certain people.  In fact, I am a pretender.  I hide my true self to all the people in my life. I don't want to let me secret out, but I will tell it here. I am really Wonder Woman! What? You have never seen me and Wonder Woman in the same room together have you?

Just so you know this is a difficult post to write about, so I thought a little joke would ease my nerves just a bit. 

To say that I am a great pretender would be saying I am good at hiding things, mostly what is on the inside.  I get up everyday, put my life is great face on and head out to meet my world.  My world consists of my husband, children, my church family, my extended family and one little girl who calls me Tink.  Everyday I have to put up a front that everything is peachy king.  If my marriage is struggling I hide it. If my kids are being rebellious I hide it.  If my heart is hurting I hide it.  Most days I do pretty good keeping the emotions in check and putting on my happy face. Then there are days that I can barely manage and by the end of the day I am flat out exhausted. Do you have any idea how tiring it is to go through an entire day with a broken heart, but you have to hold it all in? It is very tiring. So tiring in fact that you just want to go to bed and sleep until the next day. Of course with a family that is not an option. You just have to trudge on through and try to rest after the day is done. 

I am almost certain that the majority of people we come in contact with are pretenders. They are just trying to get through each and every day, hiding some problem or distress from the world. How many times do we ask someone, "How are you doing?" and they respond, "Fine". Are they really fine or do they say that because it is socially acceptable? Do they really want to talk about what is bothering them and feel they can't? I am guilty of giving the "Fine" answer, but really wanting to talk about it.  I tell friends, family, even my husband that I'm fine, when on the inside I am broken. 

How many times do we pass people on the street, they smile and say hello and look happy, but they are really broken on the inside. They have their mask in place hiding their true selves from the world. I think we should be careful of what we say or do to others, you never know who is fighting a battle and who feels like giving up.  I am reminded of a certain passage in the Bible,

  Matthew 12:36

"But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. 

I have not always been the best at watching what I say to others or even the tone I use, but Jesus is still working on me, to make me what I ought to be.  

The points I am really trying to make are these:1. Everybody struggles, we all have problems and we all face things. We all do a good job of hiding it. 2.  We should all watch our words, tone and body language when we deal with others. There should never be any bullying, pressuring or making us feel like our emotions/feeling are not valid.

Always ask Jesus for guidance and the right words, he will give them to you and help you to speak them.

Of course, I could never write about being a Great Pretender without a shout out to The Platters and the song that says it. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyM8NVl4yBY

"That's my 'two-cents worth', what's yours?"

Thanks a lot Jane

Some of you may know a girl named Jane. My Aunt Shirley's middle name was Jane and so was my great-grandmothers.  This is not about just any Jane, sorry all you Jane's that might be reading this post, but  this is about one particular Jane and how she ruined men for us all.
                                                  (This one is for you J.A.)

Many years ago I had this idea that romantic love between a man and a woman was something extraordinary (and it can be with the right one). Of course I was just a child and I thought as a child. I always dreamed of a meeting my Prince Charming, who would of course have either a British, Scottish or Irish accent. He would sweep me off my feet and carry me away across the pond and we would live like so many did in J.A.'s novels.  Well I learned right quick that love it not entirely like that.

Don't get me wrong, I love my husband dearly. He may not have a European accent, but he has a southern one and he really did sweep me off my feet.  Our courtship was short and sweet and here were are eleven years later still together and still making it work.  (Although some days are harder than others!).

But let's get back to Jane, in her novels she presented us with certain truths about relationships, but I will use my favorite of her novels, P&P,  to explain:

1. They are not easy to be in: Being in a relationship takes time, patience and willingness to work at it. Things just don't fall into place like some believe they will.

2. Often Pride gets in the way: There may be that perfect person out there for you, but you fail to see it because he/she doesn't "fit" the ideal you have of your perfect mate.  We let our pride and prejudice get in the way of seeing people for who they really are.

3. Your family can ruin something perfectly right for you: How many times has this happened to people. You have met the one, your soul mate, your perfect match and then they meet your family. I have no personal experience with this point, but I heard of those who have. Trust me, there are mothers out there who will sabotage their children's relationships just to keep them at home. It sounds crazy, but believe me it is true.

4. People are not always what they seem: This kind of goes along with my second point, but in a little bit of a different way. I have to say that sometimes what we see is in fact what they truly are, we ignore that to be with someone and get hurt in the process. Listen to me if the warning signs are there, if you see any red flags at all, get away from them.  You will end up with a broken heart and quite possibly physically/emotionally broken.

5. Relationships are not always necessary: Why do we always feel the necessity to be in a relationship?  Y'all do know that it is perfectly acceptable to be by yourself. I understand that we long for and need companionship, but we need "me" time as well. I know women who will jump from one relationship to another without a moments hesitation and they never seem to work out.  Why not just take a break and look after yourself first.

6. We have to look for our own happiness: I know that sounds cliche but it's true.  How can we ever expect to be truly happy if we look for that happiness in other human beings.  I have always been a happy, go-lucky person, but the last few years have taking a toll on my personality.  I am not the woman that I used to be and I may not seem happy to others, but I am my version of happy.  I found true happiness when I let Jesus into my heart and honestly that is the only way to be truly happy.

I actually began writing this post about one month ago, I often start with an idea, leave it and then come back to finish it.  It was so funny that about a week after starting this I read an interesting article in a magazine that talked about the exact same thing. In fact, it felt as if she had taking my thoughts and put them down on paper. Weird right? It gets better.  About a week after that I was shopping at our local good will when I found the book, "Me and Mr. Darcy".  Of course I had to buy it, the price was only seventy-five cents.  It was a fairly good read, minus the many unnecessary words the author chose to use.  In the book she discovers some truths about Mr. Darcy and how he might not really be what every woman dreams of.

I am guessing y'all might have figured out who J.A. is, but just in case you haven't, it's Jane Austen. So hats off to Miss Jane for not only being an amazing author, but who in truth, actually did show us how love really works and what the perfect man really is. He is the one that is perfect for you.
Lizzie fell for Mr. Darcy from the beginning, but a lot of things got in the way.  It worked out that he was the perfect one for her and as the story goes they lived happily ever after.

Wow, these relationships sure can be a  tricky business!

"That's my 'two-cents worth', what's yours?"

When Inspiration Strikes

Often times the inspiration to write hits me in the strangest of places. Sometimes it is a simple topic idea for my blog that I can jot down real quick and then think on later.  At other times it will be a whole entire post that will come to me out of nowhere, which seems to happen hours or even days after a topic comes to me. I can be sitting at home or even driving down the road when it hits.  Those times when I am driving and on a time crunch are the worst. I can't write and drive and I don't have time to pull over and write. It aggravates me when that happens, because I often forget that thought I had and it may take days to get it back, or it may never return.

 All that being said this past Friday night while sitting in a tent revival meeting I had an idea.  I didn't write it down, but it came back to me Sunday morning during our church service so I jotted down the topic.  I must have been thinking it over all day, because that night the words hit and I had to write. They hit during the singing part of our Sunday night service.  I got out a paper and started to write.  It didn't want to lose it.

This is what came to me:

 "I sit here every week and  listen to the young people  in our church sing about God, his goodness, and their faith. Recently the realization came to me that for the most part all they know is the good times. They have never sat by the bed side of a sick child not knowing if they will live or die. They have never been to the doctor only to be told their baby had no heartbeat. They have never had to bury a child or build a memorial for a baby that could not be buried.  They have never known the feeling of a marriage falling apart. They have never known the feeling of having a spouse that didn't support or love them.  They have not watched a love one age, forget them and pass away.  They have never felt that faith that is so strong slip away. They have never felt the joy in their soul fade. They have never questioned their beliefs or God.  I am glad that is the case for them and I hope they never do, but I know that they all will experience at least one or all of these things. I just pray that the faith they claim and cling to so strongly now will still be strong enough to get them through the difficult times in life."

This is one of my favorite songs on Faith,

http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=Y7WDW7NX


In the end I know the lady singing was watching me, but the urge was so strong, I just had to write.  If it had been during preaching I would have let the idea fade, but I thought during the singing it was alright. Apparently I was mistaken and I was judged for it.  I guess us writers are really misunderstood.

"That's my 'two-cents worth', what's yours?" 

Our Big Apple Adventure

July 2016 was big for me, I joined the 40 something club and my hubby gave me a trip to NYC for my birthday.  I had always wanted to go just to see the Statue of Liberty so he made that dream come true.

This is that adventure story.......

Tuesday August 9, 2016 7:45 pm

We meet up with some of the other folks that would be riding the bus with us and headed off for one more stop to pick up more people. We drove all night long stopping once in Virginia for a quick bathroom break, again in Harrisburg Pennsylvania to change bus drivers and then right on the New Jersey state line for breakfast.

Wednesday August 10, 2016

We arrived at the Ellis Island Ferry about 8:40, went through security and then headed off for our tour of the Statue of Liberty. For me this was the highlight of the trip. Ever since I was a little girl about 5 or 6 years old I have always wanted to see Lady Liberty. I was so overcome when I saw her that I cried.  I was not able to go up into her crown, but I did climb to the top of the pedestal. It was an amazing and emotional journey for me. To be able to make one of my childhood dreams a reality was something I will never forget.

 After leaving Lady Liberty we took the ferry to Battery Park where I had my first hot dog off a street vendor. Since I couldn't get it the way I like, with chili, slaw, mustard and onions, I just got it plain. It was an ok dog.

We meet up with our group and headed to the 911 museum and memorial. I have to tell you that walking around that memorial and museum was heart wrenching.  I could remember every detail of that day and relived the fear and heartbreak that it brought to our family. I had the opportunity to record my story, where I was and how I felt that day,  to be played in a special section of the museum. I hope it is seen by many.

We went out and had NY style pizza for supper, took in a few sights as we walked with  the girls to the American Girl store. It was three stories high and cool as everything.  They each had money of their own to spend and both decided to buy a new AG doll for their collections.

Our home for the night was the Hotel Edison right in the thick of Times Square. It was originally built around the 1920's and still had that retro feel to it. We loved it!

Thursday August 11, 2016

After a quick breakfast at McDonalds we walked down to the Empire State Building. While in route we saw two celebrity news anchors, three heavily armed police officers and one fight between a man and a security guard. We were totally getting the NYC experience.  The Empire State Building was not crowded and we went all the way up to the 104th floor.  I have to be honest I was thinking about King Kong a lot of the time.  We meet a really nice couple from Brisbane, Australia. They were so friendly and told us all about where they were from. It was nice to pass the time with such friendly people. They were actually heading to North Carolina and I suggested they give Biltmore Estate a try. I hope if they did they enjoyed it. After leaving we walked up to the NYC Public Library and my oldest daughter got a temporary library card. I think it was her favorite souvenir.  The weather was very humid so we stopped at Barnes and Noble on 5th Avenue for a quick shopping trip and then headed up  to Trump Tower. We went up to the fourth floor and rested on the outside public garden.
Then we headed to Central Park and spent a couple of hours seeing the Bethesda fountain, the Turtle Pond, the Bow Bridge, Literary Mall and the Balto statue. I missed seeing Belvedere Castle and the Alice in Wonderland statue, but my Mama was give out from the high humidity.  We started the 2 mile walk back to the hotel, but my Mama decided to hail a cab.  It was another part of the NYC experience that we are glad we took part in.  After resting for a about an hour we went to supper at Bubba Gump's Shrimp. The spicy Mahi-Mahi was fantabulous!!! We did a little more shopping in Times Square, in the Disney store and M and M World. My oldest daughter and I went out after dark so we could see Times Square at night, it was like daylight and the pictures just don't do it justice.

Friday August 12, 2016

We said goodbye to the Big Apple today and headed back home.  It was a long 11 hour ride and I was so happy to see the North Carolina state line. Overall we had a wonderful trip. I have decided that I want to go back some day and see a Broadway show and my oldest is going with me, but my mama and my youngest say they are never going back again. Everyone says that my husband has spoiled me and I have to agree, but being spoiled it a great thing!

"That's my 'two-cents worth, what's yours?"