I made it to Jefferson City and back home again on my own. It's been quite a while since I've actually traveled on my own (for more than just a day), so I must say I was quite proud of myself that I didn't get lost. I even ventured out on Tuesday evening to eat at an Applebee's that was more than 2 blocks away from my hotel. (our meeting place was only a block away, and there was a mall just down the road as well) We do have a GPS, however, it hasn't been updated in a while but it got me there and back.

We rented a car for me since we really weren't sure if the Jimmy would make it there and back, so I got this bright yellow Chevrolet Cobalt; complete with a spoiler on the trunk lid. (okay...we just wanted a small economy compact car...)



Pretty snazzy, huh? Well, it's a pretty cool car to say the least. We did notice that this particular one did not have cruise, but that's okay. It did have a audio connection for a MP3 player, but that didn't work either. Okay, no problem, I can use the radio (which WAS neat because it would show the name of the station on the display, and I found one station near Camdenton that also showed the song they were playing!!) So I come home early from work, finished packing, and was ready to head out by 4:30. Billy had to go to a meeting, so Chris helped me load the car. I get in and he notices a spider that is in one of the air vents over the radio. Now I don't like spiders (or snakes..just like the Jim Stafford song...) so I get out of the car and ask Chris to try and get it out for me so we can kill it! I go inside and grab a couple of paper towels, and found one of those 'skewers' like you put meat on to try and coax it out.

I go back out and Chris is trying to play 'freeze out' with the air conditioner thinking that will make it come out, and when it doesn't, he turns on the heat. Well....that didn't make him come out either, instead he crawls back down inside the vent. "Great"....I'm thinking this thing is still inside the dash somewhere. I didn't get a real good look at him, but Chris tells me it's 'fuzzy with a red butt'. GREAT.....well, I need to get on the road, so I tell him to close that vent off for me (thinking he'll just stay inside that vent 'tube') and away I go. I get about 2 miles east of town, look down at my speedometer, and there is a 'spot' right where the "60" is.


I'm trying to figure out what that 'spot' is...when it starts MOVING. Yep, by golly that freaky little spider is crawling across my speedometer. So I call Chris to let him know that he was still alive and now behind the dashboard glass. Then it crawls in the area just below the gas tank gauge....but by this time it looks like it's in FRONT of the glass!! EEEKKK!!!! So I tell Chris that I have to get off the phone so I can pull over and KILL this thing!!

So once I safely pull over, I notice that nope, it's still behind the glass. I then watch it crawl back up by the gas tank gauge, and disappear. I closed the other vent, but kept the ones by the door open. For the next 2 hrs I am watching the gauges, and the other open vents for sign of this little booger. I never saw him again. But I can say that's the first time I've seen a spider crawl across my speedometer.

My meeting went well, and now I have 2 weeks to come up with what I'm going to say about my section of our class for the clerk's college. So far we have about 60 people registered for this one class, which is in the afternoon on Thursday of the college. (there are other classes going on at the same time, so you 'choose' which ones you want to attend) There are 3 others from other counties teaching with me, and an employee of the State Courts Administrator's office will be there to help if needed. I found out today that this is their first time teaching at the college as well.

So it's been an eventful couple of days; I do like the car, but it's way beyond what we could afford to buy. Speaking of buying things....we are having our new air conditioner/heating unit installed in our house hopefully next week. I'm sure it will be messy around our place for a few days, but it will be worth it to not have to worry about getting carbon monoxide poisoning this winter. They are even installing a 'pigtail' that will enable us to plug it in directly to our generator in case of another ice storm.

Billy is taking a group of around 20 students to the "GetAWay" conference at Tan-Tar-A this weekend; I was able to go last year, but have an obligation at church on Sunday that prevents me from going this year. They always have a lot of fun and good fellowship with other BSU'ers around the State.

I guess that's about it for now.....it's feeling like Fall in the Ozarks!!

A different radio button...

Well, this past week has been a doozy I must say. We currently have 3 openings in our office, so we have been interviewing 6-7 people per day since this past Monday (except for Thursday). It always amazes me how people conduct themselves during interviews. I won't go into details, but let's just say we finally narrowed it down to 3 people as of Wednesday.

Speaking of Wednesday, I turned another year older. I am a big 45. And I noticed something about turning 45; you now are in a different 'radio button' category. Radio button? Yes, those little circles you click on to tell how old you are. I take a few online surveys, and I noticed that the radio button I had been clicking on for "your age" ended at "44". So I knew that in just a few short months, I would have to click on the next age button. So I guess that means I'm moving up in the world, huh?

Then on Thursday, it was my sister and dad's turn. Yep, me and my sister are 2 yrs and 1 day apart in age. Of course she's the YOUNGER one, but I think I still LOOK younger than her. And my dad...well...I won't reveal his age, only to say he looks pretty GOOD for his age!!

On a sad note, the lady who took care of Ashley from when she was 6 weeks old until she was around 3 passed away on Friday. She was Ashley's one and only babysitter until she went to preschool. She also helped to watch Chris for a little bit as well. One of her daughters and family attended First Baptist with us for quite a few years, and their youngest daughter actually named one of her girls after Ashley. She will be missed.

I get to travel to Jefferson City on Monday to be a part of a committee that helps to teach classes at the "Court Clerks College" that is held in October and May. I was asked to help with the Domestic Relations part of the college. This will be a first for me, so I'm a little nervous. I will be up there until Wednesday.

After reading story after story about the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, I still can't fully imagine what it would be like to go through something like that. Although we did feel the 'after-effects' of Ike early Sunday morning, it was some wind and rain; that's it. We didn't lose power, and although there was some flooding, it was NOTHING like they have experienced in Texas.

I try to compare going through the ice storm in 2007 to what they are going through in Texas, and it's just not the same. Sure, we lost electricity, but you could just put your food in a cooler, add the rest of the ice in your freezer and set it on your back porch. It was cold enough outside to keep it from spoiling. You could still drink the water, and if you were lucky enough to have a gas water heater, you could still take a hot shower.

Heat? Yeah, it was cold. So unless you had a generator hooked up to your furnace, or had some other heat source, it was cold Cook? Well...you could improvise and if you didn't mind the cold, heat up the grill outside and cook, or perhaps if you were lucky enough to have a gas stove, use that. (or like in our case, Billy actually started our fireplace and heated water in a teapot!)

However, we didn't have to wait in line for water, ice or even those 'ready-to-eat' meals. Generators were in short supply, but I believe most that needed them were able to get them. (or course there were some that chose to STEAL them from other houses, or railroad crossings!) We were lucky in that some areas of the city had power so you could usually find a restaurant or grocery store open. So, no; I can't even comprehend what it would be like to try and survive like they are having to.

Our pastor's family lives in the Houston area, and are apparently doing okay. Our pastor's wife has a sister that recently moved to the Houston area, and her family came up here to escape the storm. They have since found out that their house has been damaged by trees, but cannot get back down to see just how bad the damage is.

So it's hard for me to fathom just what it's like to live through a disaster like Ike...or ANY hurricane for that matter!! We just have to dodge the tornadoes here!!

Busy, busy, busy. It seems someone in our house has something going on every night. Well..maybe except me.

Oh.. the latest update on our friend Olivia has her possibly going home in the next few days!! Her progress has been incredible and she is ready to get out! We thank everybody for their prayers, but she will still need physical therapy so please continue to remember her.

Billy & I have began a bible study in our home on Sunday evenings; we are going through "The Truth Project". It is a DVD Bible study put out through Focus on the Family by Dr. Del Tackett and is a fantastic introduction to the fundamentals of Christianity. We had our first session last week, with 4 students attending. Although we have mainly opened it up to college students, anybody can attend. This is my first time going through this study (I think it is Billy's 3rd or 4th time) and already I can see it's going to be very informative.

Wednesday night is now "Wal-Mart" night for some of the international students, so that is where Billy is right now - taking students to and from Wal-Mart. He takes 2 trips and usually does not get done until around 10:30 or so.

Thursday night is "The Life" which is a weekly worship time at the BSU. They have a different speaker each week, with some mighty good worship music as well!

We lost another employee at work last week...meaning they just walked out. She was one of 'mine' which makes me wonder what I did wrong. Ironically we had someone inquiry about a part-time job that same week, and at the time we didn't have one to offer....until Friday. So we already have a replacement for her. I guess it's true that 'everything happens for a reason'!!

Our granddaughters have been gone 2 weeks now, and we are really missing them. (well..okay...we are missing Ashley & Danny too...) We did get to talk on the phone with Sydney on Monday, which was really fun. Ashley started a job at Target this past Tuesday and Danny started at Starbucks on Wednesday! He is working 5:30 am to 1:00 pm and Ashley works 5:30 pm to 11:00 pm so one of them are always at home with the girls. At least it will get some money coming in for them. I know they are looking forward to getting their own place.

Chris is still working and "enjoying" schoolwork. If that's possible.

The weather here has been nice and 'fall-like', which helps when you don't have air-conditioning!! We have been able to open up the doors and windows in the evenings, so by the time we go to bed, it is nice and cool in the house!! Last night we turned on our attic fan as well to help, and by 10:30 it was down to 67 degrees! We have found a company to install a new unit for us; and it's only going to cost us $5,000!! What a bargain! Well, at least we will get a rebate from our utility company, so it's not all THAT bad.

I guess that's it for now....of course around our house, there is always something going on!!

Those of you in Ike's path....stay safe!!!

Latest Update on Olivia

Here is the latest update on Olivia:

"Olivia had an MRI done on her spine and neck and there is no damage whatsoever!!! They were able to take off the neck brace and the doctors are also toying with the idea of taking the ventilator out today instead of the 2-3 days that was originally planned!!! They have taken her off most of the sedation, so she is back to her fun self! Praise the Lord!"

I'm hoping to get up to see her today; I know that Billy was up to see her yesterday. Thank you to all who have been praying for her!

BSU prayer request...

Tuesday afternoon a young lady had a bad car accident just east of town. Her car ran off the road down a steep embankment, and thankfully a passerby saw it and called for help. She was not breathing when medical help arrived, but they were able to quickly revive her. She is a sweet young lady that is a student at MSU and Billy & I have had the privilege of getting to know her and her family.

According to her mother:

"Both of her lungs were punctured, and she has a tube through her side draining fluid from her right lung. She has broken ribs on the right; bruised ribs on the left. Her left thigh bone is broken and needed a titanium rod (tonight's surgery); while in surgery they discovered two more fractures (non-displaced, though): her left hip and her left ankle. She will require crutches for at least 6 weeks. She had a gash over her left eyebrow that required stitches - we are told there are likely 30 stitches."

As of this evening her Mom tells us, "Several people visited the hospital tonight and during the 9:00 visitation, got to see Olivia. She communicated well with her hand and by writing some and was pleased to "see" everyone who was there.
She is continuing to improve and her color and awareness were such a blessing.
She is listed as "guarded" and may continue to be at that status until her lungs improve and the breathing tube is removed. She continues to be in Neuro-Trauma ICU.
Tim, Rebecca and the whole family send their thanks for the many prayers that have been lifted heavenward for Olivia and the thanksgiving that she is alive and improving."

Her name is Olivia; would you please keep her in your prayers as she recovers from these injuries? It is truly a miracle that she survived this accident due to the fact the highway patrol trooper stated she was not wearing her seatbelt and that they had to cut her out of the car. We still do not have details on how the accident happened, and apparently Olivia does not remember a whole lot about it either. The roads were wet, so we can only estimate that might have been a factor.

Billy & I thank you and I will try to keep updates on here as they are posted.

The Long & Winding Road...Day 2

Here was the parking lot outside the hotel; it was full with mainly families from Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. And some even with their pets.




Speaking of pets....no....this isn't dog poo....do you remember the bowl that Billy was holding? Well, this is what was LEFT in that bowl over 12hrs later!!

Yeah, I know...GROSS!! It originally had a chocolate layered dessert in it made by one of our sister-in-laws. So he added 'other things' that were there like ham, baked beans, etc. And yes, he ATE most of it in the car. We had a cooler in the van, so we put the bowl in there overnight. By the next morning, it was time to get it out of there, hence the pile in the grass.

We decided to head back to the house to say "bye" one more time....Annabella was awake when we got there, but I got to put her to sleep!!






Around noon we headed back on the road to Springfield. Here was one last shot of downtown Memphis from a bridge:
We passed several lines of power utility company trucks heading south on I-55, here is a video I 'accidentally' took...I thought I was just taking a picture, but had the camera on 'video'. Sorry for the bad radio:





We also passed some in Arkansas as well:


We made it back to town around 5:30, so all in all it wasn't a bad little trip. Now we just have to decide how soon we can go back and visit. We miss them already. On a positive note though, Ashley told us that she already has a job at a Target store just down the street, so that is definitely good news!! But she also said Danny wasn't feeling well, so hopefully he will be able to get to the doctor and get some good medicine!!

The Long & Winding Road...Day 1

Well, we had originally planned on being on the road by 9:30 or 10:00 Sunday morning, but Ashley & Danny's apartment wasn't quite ready for 'inspection' and so it was more like 2:30 before we were ready. BUT...first.....we had to stop at the annual Labor Day Freeman Family Reunion (Billy's Mom's family....) Billy & I had not remembered missing ANY since we have bee married...so we were glad that we at least were able to stop by:


They always have lots of good food....I think the count last year was over 100 family members attending, so yeah...LOTS of good food! Of course by the time we got there it was pretty much gone.

Here are the kids with their great-great-grandma & grandpa Freeman.



And here is Annabella with her Great Grandma and Grandpa Meadows.

Okay....remember this bowl that Billy is holding...I will talk more about it in 'Day 2'.



FINALLY on the road!!!!

"...Billy...are you awake???".....

Sydney's not!! She fell asleep before we even got out of the city limits...of course Dramimine will do that to you. She slept for over 2 hours, and luckily through most of the hilly parts of Arkansas.



Mr. Monkey just enjoying the ride....
We stopped in Jonesboro for a quick bite to eat and diaper change....which made Annabella very happy!!!

We finally rolled into Collierville around 9:30 or so. Unloaded the car and van and was trying to decide what to do....we had originally planned on spending the night and heading back on Monday, but discovered that a lot of the evacuees from Hurricane Gustav had headed north and had most of the hotels full! But we decided to go ahead and try to find one anyway, and just down the road from Danny's Mom's house there was a Hampton Inn. Billy went in and discovered they had ONE room open....because someone had cancelled just minutes before we got there! What a blessing! So we stayed the night there and then.....see the next blog for Day 2!!!

Life IS A Highway..and some times it leads you out of town...

This past weekend, Billy & I helped our daughter and family 'move' to Memphis, TN. Although they are currently staying with Danny's mom and husband, they hope to find their own place soon. Here are some pics of the girls staying with us while they finished packing up their apt:

Our first visit was with Great Grandpa Beisiegel:



Then on Saturday we went to Jordan Valley Park and Sydney got to get her feet wet; she didn't want to leave, but after 1/2 hour, we were just too hot!!!

Here they are just 'chillin' at our house...well...actually we weren't chillin' too much...our air conditioning wasn't working too well!!



The night before we left, we went over to see Great Grandma Beisiegel:


It's awfully quiet around here......oh but wait...we still have Chris here at home...never mind!!

BSU Cookout

It was a hot evening for a cookout, but we still had a good turnout:







Several churches set up tables with information about their services, bible studies etc. The food was good, and later that evening everybody headed inside for worship. (where it was much cooler!)

BSU Activities

Pictures from the BSU Game Night last week:






A fun time was had by all, whether you played X-Box, Risk, or Rock Band!!