video games

I have not played a video game in years. I know now.... I have not missed anything!
Last night while fixing supper I overheard Alayna raising her voice at the computer. I had to go see who and what she was talking to. It was an I Carly game. When you miss or get a low score it says.... What were you thinking!

What happen to encouragement???????????????????? Like, Try Again??????????????

She totally got her feelings her and in a broke up voice says..... it said, What were you thinking.
It got to the point that I had to make her cut the game off.

As if this world don't have enough discouragement but for a video game to cut you down is just plain ridiculous.

I am sure there are much worse games out there but my little girl is just sensitive.

Remembering Randall

Today has been such a sad day. The battle is over. Randall passed away this evening at his home with his family by his side. He had a glimpse of Heaven a few days ago and now he is there in his new body.

Yesterday we visited with Randall and Jenni. He had gotten worse overnight. He had a fever and his breathing was heavy. They knew it wouldn't be long. I was hanging on to a miracle for them. I didn't think it would be this soon. I didn't want it to end this way. I prayed so hard and at times I could almost see Randall healed but God had other plans.

I have never hurt this bad for a friend and their family. They are such dear friends to us. It is hard to believe this disease has taken over his body this fast. I have prayed so hard for a miracle. I know we are not suppose to question God but in times like this is just so hard to understand WHY!

This was Randall on Halloween at Lindsey's school party. He was such a fighter with a unbelievable spirit. Notice the smile on his face.

He was a picture of health 6 months ago. We have so many fond memories of Randall. He was a special man. He loved everyone, especially his family and his girls. He loved my girls. He would treat them as his own. I have been trying to remember all the times we got to spend with him and I came across a blog I wrote a couple of years ago. I took Aubree with me to vote and we went to the back room and sat down beside Randall. We were in there with all men. After a few minutes Aubree lets out a big poot on my leg and Randall said well, Holly. I know my face turned three shades of red.

He has always had a pick for Aubree. He loved the way she talked and her facial expressions. She could get him to saddle up a horse with just a sweet smile. She made him laugh. He loved making kids happy.

My girls still remember him pushing them on the big swing on the tree in his back yard. I remember in July at Lindsey's birthday party him pushing all the kids for a long time, when he didn't feel good. He apologized to me because Aubree was wanting to ride the horse and he just didn't feel like getting it out.

He felt so bad and apologized to us for not being able to help us with the garage. He always thought of other people before himself.

He loved motorcycles and I am not so fond of them but between him and Dwayne they talked me into going for a ride. Randall took me for a ride and for a minute there I understood the freedom people feel from riding a bike. Randall had a very loud bike. I could be in the house and hear him coming and think yep here comes Randall.

It just seems like yesterday that he would drive by in his truck and wave. If we were ever outside he would pull in for a chat. I AM GONNA MISS THAT!

I know Randall is OK! He is in glory with his Lord and Savior!

Now it's just figuring out how life goes on for Jenni and the girls. ONLY GOD CAN HEAL THEIR PAIN!

I can not even imagine what they are going through. The hard part is just beginning.

It was the hardest thing I had to do was to tell Alayna and Aubree that Randall died. Alayna's look was if she was waiting for me to tell her it was a joke. I immediately told them he went to heaven. Now, Aubree has been saying.... Randall is in heaven. My girls are going to miss him dearly. They really took up with him and Jenni.

My heart breaks for Jenni and the girls for what they are going through. They are a strong family and with lots of prayers they will make it through.

Pray for comfort and peace for them. Jenni has been sooo strong throughout this time. She amazes me how much she has laughed throughout this six months. I know and she knows it just by the grace of God.

I remember so well, one thing Jenni told me a few weeks ago. She said, enjoy life and don't worry about the little things. She said a year ago they were the normal family. Had a busy busy life with three girls and took everything for granted. Now it has all changed!
This really stuck with me...... She said, ya know I wish me and Randall would have GOT IT a long time ago. We have had IT for the past few years and it has just been so fun.

It means.... life itself, enjoying each other, loving each other, being thankful for what God has given you, respecting each other, laughing together, just really getting what life is all about.

When you get IT you will know.

Girls, be thankful for your husband. Be thankful for what you have and not what you don't have because what you have can be taken away!!!

To the Blacks... I am so thankful to have you as my neighbors. I love each one of you and will be praying for you all. We will get through this together.

To Jenni... I am so thankful for our friendship. You have taught me things about myself through this very hard time and God will make something good out of this. I look forward to many years of laughs and cries together. Love you!

I feel privileged to have known Randall. He was a genuine Godly man!
Found these videos of Randall thought you might enjoy. He had a love for horses. His gentle soft voice seem to sooth the horses.

WE WILL MISS YOU RANDALL BUT WILL SEE YOU AGAIN SOMEDAY!

Road Trip part II

Notice anything about these pictures?????????????????????

THERE IS NOOOOOOOOOOO CAR!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have been car shopping for a couple of weeks for Dwayne a car. The black/green bullet has almost had it. (well at least for us) After, a few things going wrong we got serious about looking for him a car.

We looked all over the Internet, checked on wrecked cars and used cars. We found one on the Internet and did all the background checks on it and it seemed to be a good deal. We jewed them down to what we thought was a really good price. THE ONLY THING WAS IT WAS 400 MILES AWAY. We talked about it and decided to go and try to get it. We rented a car so we could ride back together.

So, Tuesday at 2 in the morning off we go to Dillon, SC to buy a car. We get there around lunch and immediately Dwayne is getting a bad feeling about this car. Well, he was right. It pulls up and looks great from about 15 feet away. I am wishing the whole time that this will turn out to be a good car.

Dwayne immediately finds flaws in the paint (that was not noted on the Internet), the hood had an inch gap on one side, one headlight was all scratched up and the rubber piece around it was coming off. I open the back door to look in the back and Dwayne notices that the seat is crooked. He lifted up and the whole seat came up off the frame. IT WAS NOT EVEN LOCKED IN. (They knew we were coming all the way from Alabama to look at this car, ya think they would at least have the seats bolted down) After all that, we still drove it. It drove good but there was an annoying sound coming from the dash like something was loose in there. The power mirrors did not work, the passenger door would not unlock. We raised the hood and there was a piece dangling. (don't know what that was) By this point we are thinking they should pay us to take this car but we kept our cool and told them we would go eat lunch and talk it over.

We go to the local pizza hut down the road and have absolutely no appetite at this point. We talk it over and I am trying to justify the car as much as I can and it just ain't working.

There was this nice man working there so I tell Dwayne to ask him if he knows anything about this place (where the car is at). He does and comes back and says well, he said he hears nothing good about them. ( now, i just want to crawl under the table and die) So, one man's opinion was not enough...... two nice men sit down right beside us and we ask them. They laugh....... yes they laugh. The one man looks just like Dave Ramsey! ( we are asking Dave Ramsey look alike for finacial advice and I am married to Dave himself. LOL) We proceed to tell them our story.... We are from Alabama and we saw this car on the Internet, we have been up driving since two in the morning, we get here and the car is not what we thought. They felt so sorry for us and I felt sooooooooo stupid.

Ends up one man works for the city and he said he don't know much about that place but he would not buy a car from them. The other guy spoke up and said what yall need to do is drive on down to the beach (myrtle beach) and enjoy the beach and look for a car somewhere else. They could not believe we had drove that far for a car. ( we couldn't either) The man that worked for the city came over to me as he was leaving and said.... mam, I am sorry you have drove this far but go enjoy the beach and I paid for you lunch. I almost cried. I don't know if I teared up because of how nice that man was or how embarrassed I was that he felt that bad for us to do that. LOL LOL

So, what did we do? We went and told them we were not taking the car and drove 70 miles to Myrtle Beach, stayed 30 minutes and started back home.

WE ARE SUCH IDIOTS!!!!!!!!!!!

We drove back towards home and finally stopped in Madison, Ga because we couldn't hold our eyes open anymore.

The next morning we are refreshed but still disgusted that we drove all that way for nothing.

I can see it in Dwayne's eyes and he can see it in mine what we are thinking........ Dagummitt, we are buying a car.

We know of a place in Alpharetta that has some nice cars so we stop in and test drive a Maxima. That was the roughest ride I have ever felt. The steering wheel shook, my legs shook and the whole front end shook. we are sooo not buying this car!

We have given up at this point. It is so bad that Dwayne says he is gonna fix the black bullet and drive it until it dies completely.

Yall are gonna love this!!!!!!!!!!!!

We get home and I tell Dwayne to call Pop that buys and sells Altima's. He did. He had one and we are buying it.

It took us a trip to South Carolina to find a car in Ider. LOL LOL LOL

This is not the end of our bad luck.

I dropped my cell phone in the toliet and flushed it, it died and there is another 50 bucks we are out! Crap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pissssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!! ( I know you are wondering what was in the toilet, Piss!)

It's not over yet!!!!!!!!

We have been told by our yard man a.k.a. Paw Paw Gerald that we have a bulldog of some kind living in our garage. (ya know, the one with no doors) He mowed while we were gone and it scared him to death. It growled very mean like and he was scared. So, when we get back home we pull up and shine our lights in the garage and there he is laying there asleep. Man did he look mean. I get out and walk towards him calling here puppy puppy. (He ain't no puppy) I just thought he might like that better. He raised up and looked at us and went back to sleep. He was not going anywhere. He found him a nice big dog house and was not giving it up.

So, we call the police to see if they know a pound or anything that would come get him. They couldn't get one to come out but they did send the local cop on duty. He came and we all just stared at the dog. Nobody wanted to get close to it. Finally, after some talking they decided get close and spray it with mace if needed. I take the girls inside in case bullets go flyin!

They ended up spraying the dog until they were out of mace and finally the dog got up and walked off.

We have not seen it since and I hope we never do.

Finally our adventure is over!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Road Trip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Has anyone ever bought a car on the Internet??????????? 400 miles away???????????

I know, it sounds really stupid and very risky but if it turns out to be everything it is suppose to be it is a good deal. It is for Dwayne to drive to work but a family car too!

Remember the movie Newlyweds? That will be us!! We have rented the smallest,cheapest, compact car to drive up there.
I will post a pic later of the new car if everything goes well.

Pray for Randall,Jenni,Alicia,Allison,& Lindsey Black

This family is so dear to me! Most of you probably have heard their story by now and have been praying for them. I ask you to please continue to pray for this precious family as their days are getting harder and harder seeing their daddy/husband getting worse week by week. For those who may not know.... Randall has been diagnosed with a rare brain disease that is incurable. For more on this rare disease go to http://www.cjdfoundation.org/ to read more about it.

Alayna and Lindsey are best friends and through that our family and theirs have became close.

We have been neighbors with them for almost eight years but have really been close to them for several years. I still am in shock that this is happening. Randall, only 39 years old was a picture of health 5 months ago and now their world has turned upside down. If I remember right, Jenny said in May he was playing full court basketball, in June he was feeling a little dizzy and tired, in July he went on a business trip with his brother out west and visited the Grand Canyon, in August he was using a cane, in Sept. he was using a cane and a wheel chair, this month they took a family trip to Disney world and he is in a wheel chair all the time. He is wearing glasses and is seeing double. This is how fast this disease is taking his life. They have not really had time to take this all in and really prepare because of how fast this disease is.

Randall has said from the very first of all this that he is OK and if it is God's will for this to take his life then he is OK but he still believes God can heal him and that is what we all are still praying for. I ask that you pray that too. God is still in the miracle making business if we just have faith and believe.

Please remember Jenni as she has so much on her right now. Pray that God will give her the strength in the everyday chores to just make it to the next day and to also give her the words to tell her kids that will give them comfort in knowing that their Dad is going to be OK and that they will be OK.

I feel like a horrible friend to Jenni. When she looks at me and says... Holly, what am I going to do! I wish I had the right thing to say but I don't. I know I just look at her with a blank look on my face while shrugging my shoulders.

It just breaks my heart to see this family go through this! I just think.... why them? if them it could easily be me!

They are a Godly family and Randall is a Godly man and that is the only reason they have not completely fell apart. I know through this storm there is going to be sunshine!

PRAYERS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT THING BUT IF YOU EVER HAVE SOMETHING LAYED ON YOUR HEART TO DO FOR THIS FAMILY PLEASE ACT ON IT. (IT IS GOD)

Life

Sorry, Life has taken over and left no room for blogging. I have lots to blog about if I can remember all of it now.LOL Now, that school is back in maybe I can rejoin the blog world.
Gotta go for now. A certain 3 year old is begging for my attention. :))

Summer

SUMMERTIME, SUMMERTIME, EVEN THOUGH IT FEELS LIKE FALL. (WEIRD, HUH)

There is no time for blogging these days. Getting up doing the normal mommy duties and then basically outside until dark. My Aunt P and Uncle J gave the girls a little 4 wheeler and oh my gosh do they love it. It don't go fast at all but it is just fast enough for them. Alayna drives all over the yard and thinks she is so big. (she is such a good little driver) I think the wreck she had at 4 years old did her some good. lol

Aubree can even drive it... with mom right behind holding the pull string that cuts it off if she goes too fast. ( and she does) I am really getting tired of cranking and running after that little four wheeler BUT to see my little girls and the whole community have fun it makes me do it over and over again.

We have even grown our own watermelons this year (by accident). We picked our first watermelon grown on a concrete patio. Well, to say the least... looks are deceiving. It was white inside. (don't know what happened, it was huge and looked ready to pick to me)

Dwayne is building us a garage, BY HIMSELF, and with the help of any good friend that would be so kind to help. lol (hopefully with a little knowledge in carpentry work)

So far so good but still a lot to be done.
If we are not out in the yard we are probably swimming. This year I can actually sit back and watch them have fun and not be so hands on. Alayna has finally gotten over her fear and goes down the slide and off the diving board. SHE LOVES IT. Aubree goes all over with floats.