This past weekend we had an adventure! Bill has long been following hikers on the Appalachian Trail, and loves backpacking. I have never been and while I like camping, my idea is to go in a camper to a place with hot showers and electricity!  Well, I went wilderness backpacking in Davy Crockett National Forest on the Four C Trail with Bill and Amy Foskett, an old friend from music school days. We had all the gear we needed because Bill and the boys had gone to Philmont Scout Ranch several times. Amy has been to Philmont once, but has been backpacking on shorter trips often of late. They both know how to lighten the load, although my backpack was still 30 lbs (parts of the tent, sleeping bag, pad for under the bag, clothes, food for 2.5 days, all our water, wet wipes, personal items, warm jacket, rain gear, first aid stuff, you get the idea…). Yes, I survived in the wilderness for 2.5 days without running water and cooked backpacking foods over a little stove (it is so cute!). Bill had fun putting out one fire when the fuel spilled on a picnic table and caught fire! Dirt and gravel work!!!

Here is a picture of the stove. Isn’t it cute?? It folds up into a tiny bag.

Anyway, we hiked about a total of 16 miles, all in the forest. There are actually really big, old trees here because it is protected land. Mostly pines, but a few pecan and other native Texas trees. We had a few spider webs to knock down, but no one bit us! I saw one little green snake, but I’m sure there were larger ones out there. We saw some deer families, heard lots of owls, frogs, night bugs, woodpeckers, and even a COW (yes, there was an area of private land in there where I guess they had some cows). In the middle of the night, you imagine all kinds of things that could be making that sound! We enjoyed our backpacking food, oatmeal eaten right out of the packets (we poured boiling water in them and let it sit. Didn’t want to use our drinking water to wash any dishes). We stayed nice and warm in our tents, and the weather was perfect the entire time!

I came home exhausted and stiff, but used my arnica gel and woke up just fine Monday. Today I have a cough, but hope it is short lived! It was fun playing house in the woods, and I know Bill enjoyed it. I plan on doing this type of trip again, but perhaps shortening the miles we do each day.

I will post pictures once I can find the cord to transfer them to the computer!

Here’s to sacrifices for our husbands!!!

Here is a picture of my kids’ first day of school 5 years ago! Goes with the Gimme 5 theme! They sure have changed… I’ll post a recent one soon.
Hey! Thought I’d add this little meme tonight. It was fun! Thanks, Joyce for the idea.

5 Back-to-School memories!

1. New school supplies in my new bookbag (didn’t have a backpack in the 60’s and 70’s).
2. New school clothes – usually bought at Penneys via the catalog. I was oldest, so didn’t have hand-me-downs (lucky me).
3. Walking to school the first day and seeing friends, new teachers, and starting new adventures.
4. Walking with my sister to school in Baton Rouge and eating blackberries off the bushes along the way. One house had a BIG bush!
5. Deciding which boy I would have a crush on that year..he usually became apparent to me during the first few days. He would never know I liked him, and the feeling usually wasn’t mutual, but it was fun dreaming!

Now, post yours!

K

I haven’t posted in months, but I am still alive and kicking. We moved the older 2 boys into an apartment together up in Fayetteville, AR this weekend. It’s hard to have them gone again! The girl is starting her last year in high school and the grandbaby is staying with his other grandmother most days and me 1-2 days during the week. He is starting to try to walk now and says things we can understand! All is getting into a routine again, which was sorely needed. This summer has been particularly difficult with two totaled vehicles (fortunately, only one minor injury) and one dented car door on a brand new vehicle, then quitting night shift L&D work (I miss the delivery part, but not working nights!), then losing my new nurse practitioner job and starting a different job teaching at a university within one week. Life hands us surprises on a daily basis! We did get to vacation in Destin, FL and loved it! Got to visit a very old friend in Baton Rouge and eat some good Louisiana cooking while there too. Celebrated our 26th anniversary this month…still happily married. Just thought an update was in order. I’ll write a proper post again soon with photos!

Here’s to new beginnings and fresh starts…

Kathy

Rosemary came home from the hospital Monday, so she is doing better. Still has the stents in her ureter and bile duct, and one drain. The kidney stones are still bothering her, but they were not able to remove them. She will need to pass them or they will need to move where they don’t hurt. She is regaining her strength slowly and taking care of Dylan as best as she can.

I recently went to my 30th high school reunion (I really missed you, Nancy!), and it was more fun than I anticipated. It seems they are better the older we get – everyone is basically friendly to everyone else. I missed a lot of choir and band friends, but it was fun seeing those who did come.I have posted a couple of pictures from the reunion and some new ones of Aiden.

Keep praying for Rosemary’s health and strength.Below you will find some pictures of her and Dylan just after birth.

Stay cool!

Aiden starting to blow a kiss...

Rosemary and Dylan

Me with Will Hayden, an old "boyfriend/friend"

Class picture - WTW Class of 1979! Who are these old geezers???

Kathy

My sister, Rosemary, had her first baby after 9 years of trying about 1 month ago. She had a c-section because she wouldn’t dilate at all. One week later, she had a bad gallbladder attack and had to have it removed (hospital visit #2). Less than one week after that, she had fluid overload, difficulty breathing and a massive bladder infection (hospital visit #3 – just to the ER then home after drugs). Last week she spiked a temp of 103+ and went back to the ER (hospital visit #4!!!). This time, they diagnosed her with an abscess on her liver (from the gallbladder removal). She had to have it drained (size of a baseball) and has a drain that is still producing a lot of fluid after 3 days. She is still in the hospital in Plano tonight. This morning she was doing better (temp down to 99), but tonight it went back up to 102. There are multiple specialists working to solve the problem, but it seems to keep eluding them. Pray that they will find the problem and be able to cure Rosemary without additional surgery. It is possible that they will do an exploratory laparotomy to see if there is more infection in her intestines or elsewhere. I feel so bad for her because she has not been able to really bond with her baby very long or take care of him since she has been so sick and hospitalized so much. Dylan (her son) can’t come to the area of the hospital where she is because it is too easy for him to catch something there. Pray that she will get well and that there would be no further complications so she can go home and enjoy her baby! It is a blessing that he is growing and healthy, and seems to be a happy baby. I can’t imagine how hard it is for Rosemary though! Thanks for your prayers.

Here are some new pictures from Easter and Aiden’s dedication. Thought you might like to see them and how he has grown. He is such a joy.

I found a really nice header source! It is called Free Page Headers, and the URL is http://www.freewebpageheaders.com

Happy blogging!

Here is my Daybook entry for today, March 9, 2009 ~

Outside my Window…a cloudy sky, warm air, and the possibility of rain

I am thinking…about menus that my 20 year old can make for our dinners. He wants to start cooking for the family!

I am thankful for…the gift of family – a glimpse of heaven on earth

From the kitchen…probably chicken kiev, rice and a big salad for dinner

I am wearing…pink embroidered top and jeans

I am reading…various ob-gyn books to get ready for the certification exam

I am hoping…that Jen and I find some wonderful piano duet music to play for church – we are shopping today.

I am hearing…squirrels running on the roof, birds singing

I am creating…just trying to get the mending done!

Around the house…Brandon sleeping, total quiet!

One of my favorite things…sleeping late!

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...playing for a recital at UTA, lots of precepting at various clinics, writing a paper.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you…

To read more Daybook entries, please visit Peggy at The Simple Woman to find the list of this week’s participants in The Simple Woman’s Daybook.

Our small group is in the middle of a study on prayer, and we had a meeting tonight. After watching the DVD and having an excellent discussion about Jesus’ prayer at Gethsemane, I came up with a thought using alliteration. It pertains to having faith in asking for God’s will to be done, and trusting Him to do what’s best in our lives. Here goes:

“Be willing to give up comfort, convenience and complacence in exchange for courage, contentment and confidence in God.”

When we realize that we are out of control, we get scared and panic. Sometimes we do destructive things like overeat, drink, spend too much money, etc., or call all our friends in a tizzy instead of going straight to the Father and praying! The reality is that we are never in control of everything, only our own actions and reactions and choices we make. If we pray to the Lord regularly and go to Him, we will be rewarded with maturity, Christ-likeness and fruitfulness. Remember, if you are on the vine, you will be cultivated and will be fruitful!

Abraham Lincoln said “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had absolutely no other place to go”. Let’s remember to go to the Father first and trust Him to take care of everything!

Why don’t you start right now???
Because He lives,
Kathy

I recently joined a group called Southern Stitches via Facebook. This link is to their tutorial page for stitching:

http://www.southern-stitches.com/tutorials.html

I love to do handwork and machine sewing in my “spare time”, and have plans to get to it again after graduation in May. There is nothing like relaxing in a comfy chair and creating beautiful handmade things!

This site is fun to look through and get instructions from, especially for smocking. They also make small gowns for premature babies and those who don’t survive for the parents to have as a keepsake. The main page is

http://www.southern-stitches.com

Another helpful site is:

www.needlework-tips-and-techniques.com

Have fun browsing and creating!

Kathy