February 14 - “On Victories and Defeats …”

So … basketball. Yesterday was a day of victories and defeats, of course. For our teams it happened to be more victories than defeats. 

The Texas Wind Girls won their  first game. That one was the 8 am game. It put them into the winners’ bracket, so the worst case scenario would be a fourth place finish. Sadly, they lost their next one. That put them into the game playing for third place. Victory! Third place medals for the girls’ team. Proud of you, ladies. 

The boys varsity team (Caleb’s) also won their first game … handily. And almost immediately they garnered the reputation as the team to beat, even though they were ranked only number 2 in the North division. Well, they soon lived up to that reputation. They soundly defeated the top ranked team from the South division - the group from El Paso. And they did it with a lot of class. Both teams encouraged each other, smiled a lot, and chatted incessantly (well, Caleb and whoever he was guarding certainly did). 

The championship game is today at noon. We’ll be playing  the team that we split victories with at regionals. So … noon today. Go Seahawks! Always proud of you guys. 

We didn’t get to lunch until almost four. We went with Christi’s parents to the local Rudy’s Barbecue. I had ribs and Chris had chicken. Good stuff. 

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭16‬ says, But if anyone suffers as a “Christian,” he should not be ashamed but should glorify God in having that name.

Father, thanks for keeping the kids  saved this far. Please help Josh and the two guys on the team who are sick to heal quickly. Amen. 

February 13 - “Still a little early”

We had an early morning visitor yesterday. I heard a knock around 7.30 or so (I think). It was Janell coming to pick up Freddy for her sleepover at their house. She (Janell, not Freddy) even remembered to grab all the meds that little dog has to take. It’s great to have great neighbors and friends. 

We had one stop to make on our way. Chris’ charm bracelet was ready to be picked up. The James Avery crew did a good job hooking on the two new charms. We were in and out in no time, even with the inordinate amount of chatting going on. 

Next stop was Buc-ees, of course.   I decided to try something different from the barbecue. Instead I got chicken strips and fries. Well, ok. Some of the best fries I’ve had in a long time. Chicken wasn’t bad, either. That one just made the rotation, for sure. 

Right around the corner from there was a giant graveyard of concrete and plastic statues. By graveyard I don’t mean abandoned. These were hundreds of random statues of yard decorations for sale. And they didn’t come cheap. Big ol’ giant gorilla costs $10,000 plus, if you’re interested. They had statues giving a nod to the cultures of India and China and Japan and even Texas. How about a life-sized giraffe? Or Bigfoot? Or a bunch of aliens? All I wanted to do, though, was get a pic with the giant chicken. Mission accomplished. 

Since we were still early to check in at the hotel, we decided to check out the Navasota DQ. Apparently it’s the local hangout for senior citizens. Let’s just say … we weren’t alone. And the senior discount was nice on our Blizzards. 

It was still too early for the Hotel, so we drove over to the basketball venue. It was just 15 minutes away. Big place. Cool big electronic sign announcing our organization’s presence.  Can’t wait to see inside. 

We finally got checked in. Really nice place. Pretty sure it was still brand-new. Only negative so far? Our room is right across the hall from the elevator. Convenient, but a tad noisy. 

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭13‬ says, I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Father, please keep these youngsters safe on the court today and tomorrow. Amen. 

February 12 - “All those checks”

Guess what we did? No. Nothing that exotic … yet. We walked two miles. Now, we’ve been walking about that much every day on the ship. But that’s more cumulative. And it includes stairs. This was just plain walking on our neighborhood route. Hey. We have just a month to get ready for the transatlantic cruise to Spain. Oh, and Chris has a stress test next week. Let’s go!

It started raining after lunch. Not great for an afternoon full of errands. We persevered through the dampness, though. 

First up was the past office. Bought some stamps and mailed off our income tax stuff to the accountant. Check. 

Next we stopped at Randall’s. First order of business was to fill up with gas. Heading out of town again today, so that’s fairly important. Then we made our way inside. I had a prescription and some vitamins to pick up. Check. 

Then we hopped across the street. That’s where the H&R Block tax office was. They are the only ones around us who I could find to do estate taxes. Just a reconnaissance mission. Had to find out what they need from me to get the final taxes done for Sam’s estate. Well, at least I got the appointment set for next week. Hope Dodie knows her stuff. Check. 

Final stop? Yep. Walmart. The Valentine Bunny or Easter Frog (or is it Christmas Cuckoo?) had to collect some paraphernalia for umm … future disbursement. I also needed some deodorant. No explanation needed there. Check. 

And by the time we got home, the rain had stopped. Check. Now … on to College Station. 

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭9‬:‭8‬ says, And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work.

Father, thanks for the rain. And thanks for all those checks. Amen. 

February 11 - “adorable, lovable Valentine guy”

Chris had another doc  appointment yesterday. This one was up in Texas, though, so we made one of those infamous “while we are off the island” lists. 

The appointment went pretty well. All was OK on the breast cancer front. However … she got referred to yet another kind of doctor. Seems breast cancer survivors are more likely to get ovarian cancer. And that’s what her mom had. Yep. Family history strikes again. So. That’s one more doc to keep up with. Glad Chris is a master at doing that. 

Next on our list was a quick stop at  Mardel’s Christian Store. I needed some more cards, and that’s the only place that has boxed cards with Bible verses in them. 

From there we went to James Avery Jewelry. She wanted to have her sloth charm put on her charm bracelet. Little did she know that she was also receiving an early Valentine’s Day

present as well. Her adorable, lovable Valentine guy got her a red heart charm that, for us, has a double meaning. One is, of course, that she is my Valentine. But the red heart - again, for us -  is also the symbol for combatting heart disease. 

We had to get back home in time for Chris’ next appointment. This one was a little less stressful. She went for a haircut. Looks fabulous. Of course she looked fabulous before the haircut …

Last night we went over to Ball High School. This time it was for a basketball game. Cailyn’s boyfriend Gavin (and his Santa Fe teammates) had a game against the local team. Ball High won this one, 66-53. But Santa Fe gave it a valiant fight. 

‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ says, And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope.

Father, thank you for the good report Chris had on her follow-up. Amen. 

February 10 - “Dismantling”

Chris had her exercise class yesterday, so I spent the morning working on that wonderful yearly opportunity … income tax. I think I got all the paperwork together and ready to send to the accountant. Not trusting my own manipulation of the data for the final send-off. 

I also began the process of compiling the paperwork from Sam’s estate to get that all ready to turn over to an accountant as well. That part kinda scares me, to be honest. Guess it’s because I’ve never done anything like that before. And I found out that my accountant does not do estate taxes. I may end up at H&R Block or something. 

We watched a Hallmark movie with our supper. Cute one set In Melbourne, Australia. Couldn’t finish it then, though. It was time to head over to Ball High’s soccer field. Cailyn was playing there in the varsity game. And our friends’ daughter Alexis was playing in the JV game. Two birds with one stone and all that. And two cute birds, at that! 

As it turned out, Alexis’ JV team lost 8-0 in the first game. Kind of mixed emotions there. She was playing for my Alma Mater, after all. But she was playing against the school Cailyn goes to (Santa Fe). Oh, well. I’m still proud of you, Lex. 

In the varsity game Cailyn’s team (SantaFe) pretty much continued the dismantling of my old hometown team. Ball High lost 6-0 in that one. Good job, Santa Fe! And I’m proud of you, Cailyn. 

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭94‬:‭19‬ says, When I am filled with cares, Your comfort brings me joy.

Father, thanks for taking care of those girls in what turned into a pretty physical game. Amen. 

February 9 - “Commercials”

We had a guest riding with us to church yesterday. Ezra jumped out of their car (with Leia) on their way. Leia stayed at the house and entertained Freddy while the rest of us headed out to Seaside. 

After church Christina and the kids came over. They used our oven to make a cake for their Supper Bowl party. In the meantime we watched the Texas Tech basketball game. 

The Supper Bowl Commercial Party seemed to be a pretty good success. All of our home group regulars were there. It was a lot of fun to give out door prizes to everybody. Ezra even won the Bingo game. Lots of good food and snacks all around. Nobody really cared about the football  game, so we could just concentrate on enjoying each other’s company. 

As far as the commercials go, the singing toilets was my favorite, with the renegade Coke Bear choosing Pepsi in a blind taste test a close second. Of course everybody liked the baby Clydesdale / baby Eagle one, too. 

‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ says, Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

Father, thanks for another fun time together. Be with Ed. Help him to keep on healing. Amen. 

February 8 - “Home again”

We slept in yesterday. I didn’t get out of bed until 5:45. Chris was … some later. And it was back on the road towards home. Well, after a stop for gas. 

It felt kinda weird to have such a huge gap with nothing but driving and Facebook and napping to fill in the time. Chris was back in her element with the driving. I handled the other two. It was the least I could do. 

We made our usual stop at Buc-ees for gas, bathroom and lunch. Chris got her usual turkey and cheese and pretzels cup. I switched up and got a crispy chicken wrap. Lots of cabbage in there. Just like eating Cole slaw. 

Traffic from there wasn’t bad until we got to Houston, of course. Saturday or not, traffic was bad. Actually, we have experienced worse. We made it through in pretty good time. We were back home a little after two. 

That gave us plenty of time to finish up the last little bit before our Super Bowl Commercial Party. Quick trip to Walmart. Quick stop at the computer. Slower stop to eat some supper. And we were done. Let’s go!

‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭8‬ says, for the training of the body has a limited benefit, but godliness is beneficial in every way, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

Father, thank you for the safe trip home. Be with our various churches today. Draw many to you. Amen.