May 16 - “MVP”

Final preparations have begun for liftoff. Chris has started creating our pile o’ stuff that we will need for the long haul on our journey. And on that pile are the little things that make me know that we are really heading on a road trip. Oh. What are said “Little Things”?  Tide and a roll of quarters for washing clothes at a hotel. Gatorade, waters, and some Pure Leaf sweet tea (Can’t leave home without it). Books to read during downtime and in the car (when I’m not asleep). And of course, hiking boots. You never know when you might need those. 

In the midst of packing we do have to stop on occasion for life. It keeps going on. Yesterday I had a haircut appointment (woohoo! Chris says she likes my curls, but, man, do they ever drive me nuts!). Sam had a dentist appointment. However, in a bit of drama, they scheduled her for the appointment today instead. She had to push that one to June, because today she has an appointment in Texas with her cancer doc, and we have home group tonight. Also in there you have your add clean the house and wash the clothes.  Phew!

Last night we went up to Texas City. Cailyn’s end of the year soccer banquet was being held at a hotsy totsy event venue there. The invitation even said, “Cocktail Attire Encouraged.”  Interesting. But since I’ve never seen a cocktail get dressed before, I didn’t know what to wear. I asked Nathan if “Santa Fe cocktail attire” meant my good jeans and clean cowboy hat. He said that’s what he was wearing. Chris, however, thought somewhat differently. We compromised. I wore my black pants and the Hawaiian shirt I usually wear to funerals. I even put on my dress socks (read here “black”). Phew! The things I do for my eldest female grandchild. 

The event center was beautiful to the extent of being gaudy. Well, unless you consider the massive chandelier. That put it over the top. 

The ceremony part felt interminably long. I won’t bore you with all the details. Introductions and recognitions and awards. All the typical sports banquet stuff. But then they finally got to the only really important award. They announced the Junior varsity Most Valuable Player award - the top award for the season. And it went to none other than a very cute young freshman midfielder named Cailyn Vaughan. Yep. Coulda told ‘em … 

John‬ ‭15‬:‭2‬ ‭ says, Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

Father, thank you that Cailyn received some recognition last night. She sure made us proud. Amen. 

May 15 - “The Search”

 

Chris took off on her own yesterday. No, no. Just on her walk. I stayed at home and nursed a sore back again. Nothing major. Just sore. 

I did get to walk in the afternoon, though. We did a run to the bank and then to … yeah … there. We needed to get Sam all situlated with grub for when we are gone next week. Where we going?  Well, Zak graduates from high school on Saturday, so we’re starting the journey in Waco. Then on Monday the plan is to leave there and head West. We are looking to roam about New Mexico, frequenting assorted national parks. 

Of course I have a personal goal that will make or break the trip for me. The Search, if you will. We are planning to go to Roswell and do some alien hunting. I’m pretty sure they are there, but I’ve heard they can camouflage themselves masterfully. You know, as frogs or fire hydrants (which causes difficulties for fire fighters, as you can imagine) or even their most despicable costume … McDonald’s employees. I’ll keep my eyes open. 

Speaking of Sam … and she loves it when I make mention of her exploits in this humble medium … she has attacked the present jigsaw puzzle with a vengeance. Chris has added her expertise as well. I threw in a few here and there, so that’s one shouldn’t take too much longer. 

Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭14‬ ‭ says, How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?

Father, help us get everything done for the trip. Amen. 

May 14 - “Boom!”

We got in our walk. It was brutal. The temperature wasn’t that high, but the humidity was so thick we had to slice it out of the way. Whew!

Then, when we got home, we made one more attack. This time it was on the yard. We were a little late, but we finally got around to spreading Weed n Feed. Chris followed behind me with the water hose. And then at lunch, what should come over our Alexa Alert?  Severe Thunderstorm Watch for Galveston. We didn’t hold our breath on that one. 

But maybe we could have. Around 3 those thunderstorms blew in with a vengeance. Dumped a good bit of rain in a short period of time. Lots of wind, too. In fact we even were under a flood advisory as well as the severe thunderstorm. Not to mention warnings for hail and 60 mph wind gusts. Hope that Weed n Feed enjoys the drink of water. 

We tried again around 3:30 this morning. Just on the off-chance that those elusive Northern Lights/ sun explosions might be this far south, we got up (we both woke up anyway, for some strange reason). We made our way up onto the deck, Freddy guarding us all the way. And … nothing. Well, not exactly nothing. We could a tally see the stars for the first time in almost a week. That’s always a beautiful sight. So … not a completely lost cause. 

Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭8‬ says, For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

Father, thanks for you for that awesome demonstration of your creative power in those thunderstorms (and thanks for the accompanying rain, too). Amen. 

May 13 - “Renewing old young acquaintances”

Nathan won the “first to call mom on Mother’s Day” sweepstakes this year. Well, if you don’t count Josh’s regular Friday call as an early one. And we did see Kel and all but one of his kiddos at church.   

We got to see some folks at church we haven’t seen in several years. Jack and Joy Anderson and their Dad Ryan were there. Mom Alexandra and their youngest had headed back to their Cypress home already. Ryan  played guitar and led worship at Seaside for a time. Those kids have really grown up, too. Joy looks a lot like her Mom and has discovered cross country. Jack has red hair- always a plus for me. Reminds me of my mom - and plays Little League baseball. Wow.

Kel and his family were going to come over for Mother’s Day, but Christina got sick. They headed home right after church to be with her. Rightly so. 

And Josh did call again around 4. They had church, then Caleb had a voice recital they went to. They sent us a video. He was amazing, of course. 

Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭45‬ ‭ says, And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.

Father, thanks for you for chances to renew old … young …acquaintances. Amen. 

May 12 - “Yella Critters”

Next on the trip planning list … yard work. We divvied that up pretty well. I did the mowing (under close supervision). Seems there are some weeds that have taken over a mighty chunk of the yard. But here’s the thing. They produce a really pretty yellow flower. I understand people actually pay good money to get these weeds. We didn’t even plant them. They just washed in with a hurricane sometime in the past. Anybody want some? Come get um.  

So I had to figure out how to mow around those yella critters, but still get the good grass cut (yep. Somewhere in that conglomeration of greenery out there is some good St. Augustine grass). 

So … back to the division of labor. I did the mowing and then some bush trimming (also under close supervision). Chris handled the weedeating. That still bothers my back. She also still insists that hand sweeping is better than the grass blower. Come on that’s literally what that power tool was created for. But she enjoys sweeping. Go for it. 

Last night we did what half the country was doing. We went up on our deck and looked at the sky. We were hoping to catch a glimpse of the weird aurora beaurealis (however you spell it) phenomenon. Sadly, my photos didn’t look anything like the ones we saw on the internet. We saw … clouds. I’m not sure we would have seen anything anyway. We were right in the trailing edge of the viewing possibilities window. Oh well. Maybe on our trip to Minnesota. 

Ruth‬ ‭1‬:‭16‬ says, But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.”

Father, thank you for the amazing “Ruth” (aka Chris) you gifted me with. Amen. 

May 11 - “Getting Trip-ready”

Wellllll … yesterday was car day. With a big road trip coming up, we wanted everything to be in tip-top shape. Dennis has checked out everything for us, so we took the next, dreaded step - Firestone. The car has been making a roaring sound when we get on the road. It also squeaks on occasion. We were hoping a simple tire balance would do the trick. 

Yep. Sure. Bad shocks have been causing uneven wear on back tires. Front tires are fine. That was the other thing we thought it would more likely be. 

The estimate kind of threw us a bit. Tires have literally doubled in price since we last bought them. Ouch.  New tires, that was back in 2021. Three years of inflation. Double ouch. At least we still get 6 months to pay with no interest. Put it on the list. 

After 2 and a half hours waiting I went outside so I could see what was happening with the car. I talked to the guy doing the actual work. Seems they didn’t order the shocks right away. He put some pressure on them because he knew I’d been waiting, and his bay was tied up, so he couldn’t work either. Wherever they finally ordered from told them the parts would be there around 12 or 12:30 (read here: 3 to 3 and a half hours after they drove it into the bay). He assured me that everything else was ready. It would take him about 10 minutes once they arrived. Hmmm. 

The shocks finally arrived at 12:50. Well, that’s close to 12 or 12:30, I guess. Not sure when he actually started working on it. Finally done. 1:30. 4 and a half hours on site waiting time. New record. Car sounds great though. Hmm. Let’s take a road trip to test it out. 

2 Thessalonians‬ ‭3‬:‭3‬ ‭says, But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.

Father, be with guys and gals who have to be the face of customer service. Can’t be an easy profession. Amen. 

May 10 - “Freddy … check”

Back to the two-miler again. Once again we got down below 18 minutes on our mile splits. I’ll take that. 

Yesterday was Freddy doctor day. Major check up time, plus flea and tick meds (cha-ching). She was given a pretty clean bill of health for an old, little dog. Only issue was her teeth, which have always been an issue with every dog we have ever had. The doc wasn’t sure we even needed to worry about it at this time. He said small dogs’ front teeth eventually fall out anyway, because they don’t use them to eat with. Sure enough, when we watched Freddy eat, she moved the bites to her back molars every time. Fascinating. But back to the present … 

The doc did get them to give us an estimate for teeth cleaning, though. Somewhere between $800 and $1400. Nope. Not right now. Oh, and he gave us a line on some different flea meds. She definitely needs that. And one last thing. I learned that Chris spells out pup’s name, Freddie. I guess that’s the official girl’s way of spelling it. I also guess I’m too lazy to add the extra letter. I’ll stick with Freddy. 

All in all? Successful trip. Freddie/ Freddy … check. 

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭13‬:‭8‬ ‭says, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Father, thank you for the good vet report. Always good to hear your pup is doing good. Amen. 

May 9 - “Doctor Electro”

We broke 18 minutes on our mile splits yesterday! I know. Doesn’t sound like much when people are regularly running 3.5 minute miles. But “for our age” we think it’s pretty grand. Woohoo!

Chris had another doc appointment yesterday. This one was with her electrical cardiologist, affectionately known (by me) as Doctor Electro. That meant she had to be wired up for an EKG. it’s been a while, but she has done it plenty of times over the last almost four years. The results? All good. She is to return in a year to talk about removing the device. Unless the battery dies sooner, a possibility. 

After lunch I worked on that giant, 2000 piece jigsaw puzzle. In fact, I completed my half. Sam then stepped up and finished that thing! Woohoo. 

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53‬:‭5‬ says, But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

Father, thanks for you for the good report from Doctor Electro. Amen. 

May 8 - “Surprise”

No walking yesterday. Well, no outdoor walking. Well, I guess there was some. Just not 6,000 steps worth at one time. 

We started the day with a device check for Chris’ heart monitor. Some parking lot walking. Briefly. All looks good for another six months. Unless the doc that ordered it wants to change something. We see him later today. 

From there we stopped at Walmart for some groceries and to pick up a prescription for Sam. There was our walking for the day. Slow and easy. And we didn’t even spend $100. Now THAT’S an accomplishment!

While we were roaming around Walmart, we were surprised by a text from the children’s minister at Josh’s church in Waco. She was inquiring as to whether we might be interested in going with them to Kids Camp this summer. It’s the group we have gone with before, and we have always had a good time. Hot, but good. Chris had to finagle some doctor appointments, but it looks like we will be able to swing it. We’ll see how it goes when we get the details from Michelle. 

And speaking of surprises … our lights started flickering on and off a few days ago. We finally checked in with our contractor friend, and he said to call the electricity provider. Centerpoint assured me they would be here as soon as possible. That was at 12:30. 

Around 7:30 the contractor called to see how things went. No one yet. He was … not impressed. He called them himself and found out the work order wasn’t even in the system. But it sure was after his call. 

Within minutes we got a computer call saying the repairs would be completed by 9:15. Well … at 9:10 the computer called back to tell us repairs were going to be later than expected. Great. 

We headed for bed around ten. But at 10:30 Freddy started barking her “something unusual is happening” bark. Sure enough, the repair crew had just pulled up. 

I don’t know the ins and outs of what they discovered. I stay as far away from electricity as possible. Something about a ground wire and copper to copper being connected with aluminum. The piece they replaced looked just like a car battery full of that white acid gunk. They were quite efficient, though. Took them all of ten minutes, start to finish. Guess they knew what they were doing. We’ll sleep a little easier tonight, too. 

Galatians‬ ‭6‬:‭9‬ says, And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

Father, be with all the youngsters getting ready to experience camp. That would include Noa. And Luke. And now us. Oh. And bless those night crew repair guys. Amen. 

May 7 - “5 or 10 Thousand”

It’s getting a little warm out there. We were a bit late getting started on our walk yesterday, so we were shooting for 8:30. We had to get the car to Dennis first, but we didn’t want to wake him up too early. It needed an oil change and inspection and check of a noise we are hearing that could mean we need new tires. Had to get that critter all fixed up and greased up for our next road trip. 

Dennis didn’t take long to get everything done. He called a few hours later and reassured us that our tires were still OK for another 5 or 10 thousand miles. That’ll get us through this next trip anyway. Woohoo. I think the next thing to check on those tires will be the balance. That means a trip to Firestone. 

In the afternoon we headed into Texas (Alvin, to be exact. Home of Nolan Ryan).  The homeschool co-op that the LaMarque Vaughan’s are a part of were having an end of the year celebration thingie. Noa had invited us to come, because she was performing. How can you say no to that?

Ezra’s group recited in unison a story they had learned about a caterpillar. Very cute. 

Noa’s group was much larger, obviously older, and as such more was expected of them. They put together a rap of the history of the world, including costumes, fake beards, and huge poster boards with key dates on them. The kids did some chanting together, and select kids had rap solos. Guess who was the best? Noa, of course. 

Micah’s government class made a video about our system of government, taxes, and potential abuses of power. Very well-done. 

You know what? We got some good grandkids. Just wanted you to know that. 

‭‭1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭11‬ ‭ says, Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Father, thank you for the folks who volunteered so many hours to put that co-op and that final presentation together. Bless them for that. Amen. 

May 6 - “Reconnecting”

We got our Sunday started by tuning in to services at Columbus Avenue Baptist Church in Waco (that’s Josh’s church, of course). Didn’t get to hear quite all of the sermon, though, since we pulled up at Seaside. Yep. Double whammy on the sermon front. Two Vaughan’s. Pow. 

After church I was able to chat for a while with a few folks who don’t live in Galveston, but have come to Seaside off and on for many years. Great to see Dr. Bruce as well as Debbie and Dale. Ain’t church grand?

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭5‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ says, Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Father, thank you for all the great believers we have connected with over the years. Amen. 

May 5 - “Excursed”

Back at it. I decided to give the old back a try at working through the tightness and pain. Gotta say … it did pretty well. We even did one of our miles at a pace under 18 minutes. Big deal for me. Piece of cake for Chris. 

We did get to watch a very brief splotch of a Star Wars movie. It was the one with Old Leia and Huckleberry Finn and Rey and Han Jr. and Zombie Luke. May the force be with you, and all that jazz. 

We “excursed” on a brief excursion in the afternoon. Yesterday was official Voting Day. All we had to choose were the mayor and the City Council representative from our district. There was nobody there to vote when we arrived. We wheeled Sam right in. She got her voting code with no problem, as did Chris and I. In and out in less than five minutes. And that included picking up our “I voted” stickers. Done and done. 

Psalm‬ ‭139‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭says, If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

Father, please be with the victors in the election. Walk with them as they serve the city. Amen. 

May 4 - “Pies de resistance?”

No exercise of any kind in the house yesterday. Total day off. My back was ecstatic. 

We spent a lot of time researching our upcoming travels. Waco and possibly points westward here in a few weeks. Michigan and points northward come September and October. 

Then next year begins our really big 50th anniversary everything year. Eastern Caribbean cruise. Astros spring training trip to Florida. And the “pies de resistance,” a possibly maybe Mediterranean cruise. Never have figured out how pies could provide resistance. Or why. Isn’t their purpose in this world to break down willpower resistance?  

We did spend a lot of time planning out the first one. I stared at a map of New Mexico until my eyes crossed. There were numerous National Parks we haven’t been to yet, starting with one that’s actually in Texas. That trip should be fun. Hope we can make it work. 

2 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭9‬ ‭ says, But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Father, thanks for possibilities. They make life interesting. Amen.