Tyler offered to do the dishes

Kennedy re: Papa...He makes you feel like you've said something awesome.

Nice Skype visit with Beth

Beth called to tell me something funny.

7 hours in the writing shack! How awesome will that be!

Anthony Lee. I never worked for a better man.

Zak. I save everything

16-12-24

Daddy said generous gift.
Kids liked the decoration... table runner.
"My notes say,"

John called to wish us Merry Christmas.

My girls kept talking about how cute i looked.

Annette, re Second Sunday Supper -- we love it.

Willo...are you excited about Christmas.  Because I'm very excited about Christmas.

Barry talking about the fun he had with Angela and the candy.

Kennedy dancing to Beatles music with Papa.

Andrew smilingat his ornament and showing it to Annette.

Barry. I do remember those shirts.

I had a lot of words to write.  He got me a card!

Had a lot of

Morgan said that now at work on Fridays they just know where she's going to go but she comes to have lunch with us

Morgan said that now on Fridays I just know where she's going to go

Brandon. Morgan. Christmas shopping.

John got a promotion!

He said breakfast was delicious.

Beth called.

Tyler. Christmas tree. No, I'm the tallest.

Dreamed I missed flight to DC because I followed GPS to airport at Brookley instead of the airport.

16-12-10

Bertice. Seriously, Bertice. It was funny what I thought as I got ready to go to her house to pick up my mugs --- whether I would be like a gushy fan girl, wanting her to like me, whether or not she would like me, be friendly. I settled myself down a bit. I resolved not to expect a visit. She made us tea and we laughed and talked for an hour. She told me about herself. We clicked, some of the conversations we've had in Facebook private messages setting the stage. She mentioned politics, and not really liking talking about it, but she had, and some of the hateful comments. I told her that I had been happy to see them, and I had. She is the first friend that I have chosen for myself where I know the politics are in general alignment. Well, there was Mary, but Mary changed, and Mary lives in Ohio. At any rate, a very good part of yesterday. 

Tyler and I talked a little bit about what motivates people to be their best, about the difference between doing it for outside recognition and inner satisfaction --- the knowledge that you have something the give and the world will miss out if you don't. He tried extra hard on the assignment he had last night, and he thanked me for going over it with him. 

I got to give Angela her graduation present yesterday and she was very happy and we got to have a little quiet minute and a hug. 

I got to see Kennedy for a little minute. 

16-12-14

I'm pretty excited about the present I have for Angela for graduation. It came to me while I was at C&K salon, and Amber was washing my hair --- the fairy that I'd seen earlier at Ashton Art Gallery. Except it isn't exactly a fairy. I still like it, and I think Angela will too. 

I think that just celebrating this year in its own way is making Christmas easier for me. (oops! wrong journal!)

Anyway. Had fun laughing with other women while I was at Ashland Art Gallery. 

Did I tell you that Shawn and Destiny came by? 

I got Tyler's phone reloaded. And paid him for his work. And he came to me this morning, voluntarily, for review on his math notes for his EQT today. That was fun. 

Heard back from Andrew about the Mardi Gras parade.

We have our ticket confirmation for the Black Jacket Concert. 

Beverly and I got to visit a little bit yesterday.

JA is off work ... or is at home at least...right now, which is good, since today is his birthday.

Got to see Evan for a little minute.

We're set to get Willo on Christmas Eve.

I took two walks yesterday. 

Wrote an email to the GSA.

I ironed her graduation gown.

16-12-12

I'm back in the writing shack today after what feels like a long hiatus. It might have been a long hiatus. I can't even really remember last week, schedule wise, but I smile when I think about it. Last week was mostly about Angela. She and Beverly and I went dress shopping one of those evenings, unless we went dress shopping the week before. All I know is that it was one of the first things we did. We met at Macaroni Grill and had some supper. They tried the bellini's and I had a sangria. We went to lots of shops. We laughed. We talked. We ended up at Dillards almost as the bell rang, but found three perfect dresses. Big hugs and thank you's and happiness. 

One day, Friday I guess, Beverly and I got together at 9 and went to Costco. Well, Costco and Petco. I wanted Bella to have something that fit for her pictures. We came away with an Alabama Jersey for Bentley that fit him perfectly and one for Bella that did not. Beverly and I had a good time together. And we had fun in Costco, getting the things for Angela's after-graduation party. 

Morgan and I got together at lunch time on Friday and made traffic jam fudge. It was the first just us visit we'd had in a while. She's been busy at work. She told one of work friends that she was going to her grannie's house, and the friend asked, "Are you coming back with cookies?" 

Zak and Vivian came over

Zak and Vivian and cookies

Barry spotted a wolf!

16-12-02

Art assignment - to do something with coils. She made dreads!

16-12-03

Barry, as Evan pulled in to the Waffle House parking lot: There's Evan. Maybe we'll get to see the baby.

16-12-03

Me: What are you looking at?
Barry: Evan. He's got the grill loaded down, but under control.

Very proud of Andrew. Redo. Barry proud of Andrew.

Happy that I got to talk to north both of KY girls today. My girls.

16-12-01

Tyler thanking me for going over his homework with him.,,,So, it was really a kind of challenging evening. Strong evidence suggested to me that Tyler had not, in fact, been reading for 30 minutes every day even though he answered that question with a yes every time I asked it. I was calm. Told him I now needed to weigh whether I had been lazy, or misjudged whether he was ready to independently do his reading, without my requiring that he tell me about it, or what page he had finished. That I wanted to raise him to be man who did what he was supposed to do even when he wasn't being checked up on. That the point was to acquire reading skills so that he could finish high school and college. And then we went back to the rest of his homework, and when we were finished, he said, "Thank you for going over my homework with me." 

When we finished with his homework Tuesday night, he went to his room, saying that he wanted to get something to show me. It was a shell that he'd kept from the Panda restaurant. Seafood was served in it, and he said he thought, "Hey, that would be cool to take home," so he took it to the restroom and washed it out. 

I got to talk to Daddy yesterday. He and Jim Thompson and John Jewett went to lunch, and he said Jim's bad knee almost made it impossible to get up out of their booth. He said that he and John have hearing aids (or Jim, I've forgotten for sure which one) but Jim doesn't so they started talking louder. He said they were talking politics so he was sure some of the other diners weren't happy about that. I told him they'd get over it. We laughed a lot. 

I came back to the writing shack yesterday at 4:15 and stayed till 5:15. I spent the time reading articles I'd saved on Facebook, and making decisions about them. I enjoyed that time. 

My new ritual is to eat my little evening treat before I take my bath and to stop eating in the living room, and I did that last night, so I was happy about that. 

16-11-27

16-11-28

16-11-30

I wrote something in Goodtimes about Christmas and spending, and I am happy with it. It makes me feel good to have written it. I don't know whether or not it will change anything --- if the young adult grandbabies will do differently and feel differently about the days ahead, but I feel good that I tried. And the words are good. 

I don't think I told you about Thanksgiving. Short of the things that are worrying me, it was an ideal day. Beverly and her girls came over around nine and started cooking. Andrew and Annette came a little bit early. Everyone relaxed and visited and nobody hurried and nobody stressed. Neither Barry nor I cooked a single thing, and the kids even cleaned up after. Beth came for a few minutes, and Chris came after a little bit. 

JA had to work all through the Iron Bowl, but Beverly and her girls (and Josh and John) came over with snacks and watched the game with us. Barry grilled some chicken wings. 

Beverly and Angela and I spent some time together last night. Beverly and I met Angela at Macaroni Grill, and we had supper and talked and then went to see if we could find a dress for Angela to wear to graduation. It was fun to hear them laughing and talking as they picked things up, and as Angela tried things on. She was full of love and appreciation. 

"Thank you so much for my beautiful dresses. I had such a fun and happy night laughing and playing w you and Mom! I think you are the most amazing person and Grannie in this whole entire world. Thank you for always being there for me, from my first day of kindergarten to my last day of college;) I love you to the moon and back! 

Well really from my first day of life;) I just love you so much and I'm so happy to have you there for all of these fun moments."

16-11-28

We had Deck the Halls yesterday. Beth and Rodney left for Houston before we started, but they stopped by on their way out and visited with us for a little bit and Beverly and JA came over and got to see them for a few minutes. Beth called later in the evening to see how it went. She and Rodney got stuck in miles-long traffic jams, so got home about three hours later than they usually would have. I can't remember exactly where she was in Louisiana when she called but it wasn't nearly as far as she wanted to be. 

Beverly and Annette sat on the patio and visited. Beverly talking about Standing Rock. Morgan sitting on the swing, holding Jaden, which she did for most of the afternoon. 

Barry stayed in his rocking chair and watched a football game. Brandon sat in mine and they talked easily about the game, and bees. A little while later Zak joined them, sitting on the sofa. 

Andrew spent the afternoon in the front bedroom, rolling up the Saran wrap ball of presents The game is something he saw online and thought would be fun. He is especially looking forward to watching others play it. He's helped me find dice and the saran wrap --- it has been a fun thing for us to do together. 

JA had to work, but got home in time for supper and for birthday singing. 

John and Kim were in Huntsville, but lots of people asked where they were. 

Chris and his new girlfriend got here about 5:00. Afterwards, Tyler asked me what my first impression was. I asked him what he thought, how he felt around her. He said that she has a special freezer at Drew's that she doesn't let just anybody get into, but she lets him. 

Brittany was studying, Faith wasn't feeling well. Barry got the volleyball net up for me, and most of the younger kids played volleyball and ran around kind of like a Goodtimes. Willo and Vivian were sick, too. 

Angela asked where I wanted to put the Family Promise bags, and I told her the bed. She did that, but then came and asked if I'd like her to put them on a spot on the bedroom floor so that I wouldn't have to move them later on that night. 

Things have just shifted. There aren't as many little kids running noisily through the house, and all of the kids and older grandbabies not only can do more, but offer to do more. There's just a lot less stress and trying to get it all done for me. I showed them where the Family Promise things were, and they set up the process and got it all done. Beverly said, "Mom, it is really pretty great for you to do this." 

Tori and Josh had to leave for a little bit to go get Zoey from the vet. Annette told them she was proud of them for being prepared for the expense. 

Chelsea came with Jaden, and left him with us for a few minutes while she ran to the laundromat. She said she told Evan it felt weird to do that. I think it was the first time she left him anywhere. 

Some of bulbs are sprouting.

Jaden stayed alone with us first time.

Beth called.

Aunt b is a walking talking meme

Fire in fireplace . Barry working with me on the house.

Glad that Chris showed up for Tyler.
Glad that we didn't have a Ryan issue.
Happy to meet Brittany's boyfriend. He seemed nice. Glad that Annette helped with the dishes and that the girls jumped in to help clean up. Glad Barry didn't say how mad he is. This day, standing on its own, filed with relaxation and love.

I'm very happy today, thinking about the kids coming over tomorrow.

Beth happy that I brought her flowers.

16-11-18

My week has gone pretty good. Today, I am scrap-picking. A little bit of writing. A little bit of HH bookkeeping. A little bit of Wonderland. And hopefully, a little bit more writing time. 

Beth and I skyped for about twenty minutes, and that was fun. I told her to let me know on Saturday's when would be a good time to Skype each week, so we're going to try that. It made me happy to get to talk to her. 

Beverly and I rode over to Pensacola last night to see Kennedy's piece in the exhibition, and that was fun. 

Barry and I went and had lunch with Brittany, and that was fun, too. She has a new boyfriend. She is going straight into grad school. Her Coastal Engineering professor stopped her in the hall and told her that she wanted her to be her grad student. She talked about her friend who is a lesbian and how that friend wants her to be in her wedding, and how sad it made her when people gave her friend and partner looks at the fair when they would kiss each other on the cheek, etc. 

Angela's first day of volunteering at Mobile Baykeeper was yesterday and she was just all kinds of happy! 

I'm so excited about the possibility of getting month end done this morning and being off tomorrow!

Tyler thanking me for playing with him.

16-11-14

Saturday just evolved as one of the best days a person could ask for. The Alabama game started at 11, and Barry called to see if the Reeds wanted to come over. Tori and Josh came right about that time, and so Beverly, JA, Ange, Josh, Tori and I (and Bentley, Bella, and Zoe) gathered up to watch the game (or play Nine's at the dining room table while Barry and JA watched the game.) The weather was pretty, so we left the patio door open most of the time. Barry ordered pizza, Beverly and JA brought some snacks. After awhile Evan, Chelsa and Jaden came over. He got lots of hugs and attention and Angela got some great pictures. Beverly said, "That baby changed my day." 

There were only about half us here last night, but we got to see Kim, which doesn't happen very often, and Vivian. We were a little squisshy, maybe two seats short, but visited and had a good time. Beverly and Angela cleaned the kitchen up for me. 

Beth called in and we put on speaker to sing Happy Birthday. Rodney called and he and I had a nice visit. 

And I did the right thing. I've been smiling about it ever since. I'd been thinking on it. I thought maybe I should have some conversations first. Check with people. But then I didn't. Then I just did what I wanted to do and called Vivian aside, and told her about the money I donated to the scholarship fund when Tori and Morgan each graduated and that Angela is graduating, and that I thought that what I really wanted to do was help her, and that I didn't know if this amount of money would be any help, and her eyes filled up with tears, and she said that it would be half her tuition, and she just hugged me and hugged me and hugged me and thanked me and thanked me and thanked me. It was a very, very happy spot for me. 

Barry made the beans for dinner and just generally helped me. It made getting ready for dinner so much more fun, so much less exhausting. 

Chris and Tyler seemed to enjoy their time together, so I was happy about that. Chris has a job with a different glass company. 

Noah spent Friday with us, and that was fun. 

Barry had fun working with Kennedy and Angela in the pottery barn. They were using all kinds of tools and he brought out things they didn't even need because he was having so much fun watching them. 

16-11-09

Well, Amendment 2 passed. I'm happy about that. I worked for that. 

Barry called Chris today and he was on his way to work. Has a job at a glass company, and I'm happy about that. 

I've learned some important lessons about being quiet while craziness is on the loose.

I posted something on my Facebook page, and LaDonna shared it, with this intro, which naturally meant a lot to me. 

I am posting my friend Vickie's remarks from her Facebook page. I respect Vickie because she is well spoken and compassionate and she has a gift for being succinct. When Vickie "speaks" in her written "voice," I listen. Today, she wrote a piece about why and who she is supporting in the election. For her to do this is remarkable; because she is the one who is quiet and never calls attention to herself. She always supports other people. She lives her values, so I don't have to ask what they are. I can see and experience them. She is one of those people we used to refer to as "the salt of the earth"--the true friend who is there when chips are down, sideways, and scattered all over.
I would say this about Vickie regardless of how she identifies politically. In fact, I suspect she would always vote for the person who can and will do the job with the most class and least amount of pain inflicted on others.

So I thank her for her willingness to let me share with you what she wrote .

16-11-07

Beth called early this morning from her new landline phone. For some reason, it is in the closet. We had a fun visit and then she posted on Facebook, "The last time I stood in the closet to talk on the phone I was probably hiding from my mom, this time I was calling her :) Love you madre!"

Beverly made it safely to Standing Rock, and we got to talk for a little while last night. Morgan and Beth shared her Facebook posts, and said

• My fearless sister drove all the way to Standing Rock, ND to protest the pipeline and show her support. I could not be more proud. You are truly the "big sister" and I will forever look up to you. (but kinda down bc you're like 4 ft tall)

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• 

  Morgan Brown shared Beverly Reed's post.

  15 hrs · 

  My Aunt B being my hero as usual.

Tyler had his first school friend over to spend the night, Friday night, and they seemed to have a good time. Tarius Kennedy.

Beth asked what kind of easy care plants grow well on a balcony. Andrew recommended any of the plastic ones. ;-)

Barry removed the oleanders for me yesterday. I wanted them ever since I first moved to Mobile and saw that house with the big row of them. Ours grew big and tall and were beautiful, but the were crowded. Two of them were completely dead, probably from the freeze a couple of years ago, and another one nearly so. I went ahead and took the other two out because they were crowding the Grancy GreyBeard tree, and it looks like it might want to grow into a real tree. The camellias and things on the inside of the fence have gotten big, and the office isn't right across the driveway, so things look much better now.

Justin is finishing up the writing shack today, so that'll be good. It'll be the last of it, and I'm happy about that. 

16-11-03

Second morning in a row where I woke up feeling like I had a manageable amount of work to do. I could get used to this!

Last night, Tyler thanked me for going over his homework with him. The math was interesting. ;-) 

Skyler replied to my text. 

Angela sent me a Facebook email. She is interested in the Mobile Baykeeper things. 

Morgan said she's looking forward to our Friday lunch. Their bayhouse has steps now. 

Brittany won't be able to make it to Second Sunday Supper, so asked about having lunch one day. I think that will be fun. 

Heard from Kennedy. She said she'd had a good day. 

Barry bought me some more pistachios when he was at Rouse's yesterday. 

I got to have a writing day yesterday ... from 8:30 - 11:15, and from 12:00 - 5:00. It was glorious! 

The weather is nice and the temperature in my writing shack is staying comfortable. 

16-10-30

I think I fixed Noah's collar .... I can't really remember.... but then I kissed him. Tyler said, "Does my collar need fixing?"  I told him it didn't, but as he walked away I said, "But I'll kiss you." He turned around and walked back, dimples showing.  

16-10-31

Tyler and Noah, walking up to a house that had a bowl of candy on the front porch, but no people visible, "That's going to be a 'Please take one' house." 

16-11-02

Just a really happy day for me. When I left the office Monday, I left it clear of things that needed to be taken care of before Thursday. I did the HH Bookkeeping and Home Administrative duties yesterday, as scheduled. I kept at the laundry all day, so I can get by without worrying about it today. There are some things dry / drying that can be put away, but they can also wait till tomorrow, so my mind can really be cleared of that. I really can just spend the whole day writing without hurting anybody. That's a rare treat.

When I talked to Daddy yesterday, he told me that Andrew had written "Our phone conversations mean the world to me," on the card he'd sent. Daddy said that Andrew calls him from time to time, but he hadn't realized how much the conversations meant to him. He said that Andrew's saying so meant a lot to him. 

Annette sent a text yesterday to check on Beverly and Barry. 

Brittany helped me with Tyler's homework. :-) I posted a question in the Goodtimes group, and she answered it --- and then the next one, and gave me really good, easy to understand answers, too. 

Angela and I are counting down the days till her graduation, and got excited together yesterday that her graduation announcements had come in. 

Touched base with Beth a little. 

Did I tell you that Evan came over Sunday and visited with me for awhile? Chelsea came over yesterday with their weekly payment and I got to visit with her for a little bit and play with Jaden. 

Shawn called Tyler yesterday, and that made Tyler happy. 

Tyler said  he saw Theresa and asked her how it was not tutoring Shawn anymore. She told him it made her sad that Shawn wasn't there when he wanted to talk to him. Tyler said, "I thought that was really nice for her to say." 

16-10-31

I had a good weekend. 

Beth came over Friday night. She brought the fixings to make spaghetti, so we had supper and then watched "Bad Moms" together. We laughed a lot. And she spent the night, so we got up the next morning and went to Waffle House for breakfast. 

~Noah, something about girl gossip. The hike. 

Tyler and I went Saturday and got his hair cut and we did our grocery shopping for the week. Saturday night we went to the fair with John and Noah. 

~ John, as we sat on a bench talking and watching the boys as they waited  in line for a ride, re: Tyler, "and a kid that I love." 

Noah spent Saturday night with us and we got up Sunday and went to Graham Creek preserve and Beth went with us. We had a picnic and took the two mile hike. It was fun, but I wouldn't drag the whole family over there. The hiking trail is more like a farmer's roads around the edge of his fields. Beth said it was like we'd run out of gas and were walking to the gas station. ;-) But, we did see some pitcher plants. 

I did a lot of just hanging loose this weekend. Just messing around on Facebook, and not really doing much of anything. 

Annette and Brittany finished their race in Texas. 

Beverly got to have a massage at JeJung spa and she enjoyed hers as much as I enjoyed mine. 

Daddy called just as we were starting our hike Sunday, so Tyler, Noah and Beth all got to talk to him.

Beth said she thinks we ought to go cook Thanksgiving dinner for them. 

Just standing back and watching Noah and Tyler walk the hike, talk at the fair...

16-10-27

Barry and Beverly,  setting out for the AT.

16-10-25

Beverly,  ready for a practice hike.

16-10-27

We got to have a birthday dinner with Angela. 

We're having pretty sunrises. I'm not sure why they are prettier lately than usual. Maybe we're just out there at a different time. Or sun is rising more closely to the time we're out there, what with the move towards winter. Anyway, pretty. 

We ordered Angela's graduation announcements, etc. last night. 

I'm having a quiet morning. 

16-10-25

Valerie called me last night even though she was tired.

Angela sent me a Facebook message.

Brittany texted me back.

Lindsey stopped by for a visit. 

Daddy called. He liked the little book I sent him. He is able to drive short distances again, and is going to have lunch with a car friend of his. 

Beverly came over early this morning, all dressed out in her gear, to go for a practice hike. They decided to wait and do that this evening, but she sure looked cute. When I said that, she said, "Everybody needs (gets, has?) a mommy." 

When Tyler called from school today, he said, "I know it is late notice, but I was wondering if I could stay after school today to try out for honor band." I  thought it was sweet that he started with, "I know it is late notice..." 

It took me from about 8:15 to 11:00 to download AmEx, etc., and reconcile the checking account. So ... about 2 hours and 45 minutes? I also culled the Outlook emails, and I also had trouble with Quicken. Without the random problems, it would have been more like 2 hours and 15 minutes, and if I'd had the office clean and ready to go at 7:35, I would have been in pretty good shape. As it was, I got the household bookkeeping back in great shape by lunchtime, which is great. No exercise, but I may still pull that out of the bag. Rearranged the laundry and did the delicates and needs to be hung up, so that's good. It was my objective and I feel good about that. 

16-10-24

Second time this morning that my phone has crashed. "Can't find your SIMS card." I'm really just going to have to go to the AT&T store. 

The temperature in the writing shack seems to be going down instead of up, and I can't find the instructions. I need to finish setting things up. I feel reasonably certain that it is here somewhere. 

We had Goodtimes, and Beth was here, so I was happy about that. Zak and Vivian came, they played a couple of hands of Stewardess with Beth and I. Lots of laughter. 

Michael and Faith made brownies. They've really got that down pat, now. 

Morgan, Angela, Kennedy, Tori, Josh, Beth and Beverly gathered in yard, along with all of their puppies. It was like a new generation of Goodtimes, only with puppies. 

Zak turned on the football game, and Barry and Brandon talked about one of the games. 

Michael, Faith, Noah and I played a round of Stewardess at the start of Goodtimes, and with the exception of Daniel, at that time, we were the only ones here. Noah said, "Some of my cousins are late." 

Chris stayed and got the go-cart running, and they had a lot of fun riding on it. Faith and Skyler talk to each other a lot about Goodtimes. 

Autumn brought Willo, and she had a lot of fun. 

Evan calling about their anniversary.

16-10-19

Angela made a 100 on her first speech.

16-10-20

Evan made the president's list

16-10-21

I honestly think the election has me in a crank mood. I really just don't know how much more of Donald Trump I can stand. They really just can't get him off the stage soon enough for me. I wonder if other people are cranky about the election. I wonder how the Republican party will reorganize after this election.

Skyler's birthday is today. 

Beverly and Barry left at 7:15 this morning to take a 5 mile hike, in preparing for their AT hike. 

Tyler has been going out in the yard and spending time with Chris while Chris works. 

Kim said, "Glad you are enjoying the pumpkin bread and glad we did lunch too. We might have to make that happen a little more often since SSS always falls on my weekend to work. Love you, too!" 

16-10-20

Well, let's see. I woke up on time. A little bit early, 5:00, but not 4:00, and I didn't oversleep, so that's good. 

I think I have sent Daddy the book I wanted to, and I did get his other little book in the mail. 

We're having a pretty day, weather-wise.

16-10-19

Coming to the writing shack this afternoon, even though it was out of schedule.

Kim invited me to lunch today, and so we met at Panera and she brought me a loaf of her pumpkin bread, and she treated me to lunch. We had a relaxed visit. 

Angela made a 100% on her first speech! I need to get in my FB message from Ange for the teacher's exact words.

16-10-17

I sailed in to this weekend from a week that had gone much closer to plan than any week prior to that. Writing and Community both had their days. I didn't do any HH bookkeeping, and I hadn't done much exercise, so I included them in the weekend as a way to give this week its best chance. It made me feel good to get the mail open and the bills paid, and I enjoyed the few hours I spent in the yard. Also, I liked the way things looked when I finished. So I just feel pretty good about my life right now, at least with respect to my pulling together pieces that matter to me at this point. 

Morgan had a luncheon Saturday to formally ask her bridesmaids to be in her wedding. Buffy Covington and I got to visit with each other a little bit. She, Beth, Dana and I all sat at the same end of the table and just had a good, friendly visit. 

I have some pictures and Morgan's words in the Facebook Joy Journal. 

Amber was there, so I got to see her and visit with her a little bit. 

Chelsea came over last night and so we got to play with Jaden for a little bit. 

Tori came over and visited with us for a little while and she set Barry's new fitbit up for him. We played a game of nine's and she beat me. 

We got to go to Noah's archery tournament Friday night. Chris and Tyler went with us. I have some pictures. 

Noah tap tap taps us when he hugs and Barry told Tyler he needed to take lessons from Noah. So then Tyler came back to tap-tap-tap. I told him that wasn't necessary, they were all unique. 

Brittany asked Morgan if she was doing anything Saturday night, and Britt said he sounded kind of like she needed to do something. I loved that Britt asked, and that Morgan understood. 

I talked to Johnny and Kim, Saturday I think, as they were driving back to Vero. 

Noah is just getting so tall and had that whole grown-up thing going on with him. Not elementary school anymore. 

October 14, 2016

I don't have any laundry to roll today! I have laundry to put away, but none to roll! 

Yesterday was a good day, part of a week that has been good overall. Instead of trying to devote the whole week to writing, I decided to try to make this week go the way I've been trying to get each week to go. So, I spent most of Tuesday writing and most of Wednesday on Child Advocacy Center type things. Yesterday morning I went to "Stories in the Sand," at Dauphin Island. I don't think they'll be the kinds of events that I've been wanting to take Kennedy to, but the weather was nice, and there was a nice  little crowd, and the it was interesting to hear the history of the island. Mostly, at first, I was happy with myself for going. For not talking myself out of it. 

As relates to the event, the best part came after. 

There was no charge for the event, but donations were welcome and would be used to fund future events. I went into the gallery and looked for the a place to leave a donation, finding it on a back table. A woman thanked me as she saw me drop it in and then said, "You drive the Mini-Cooper, don't you?" So then I knew she drew the little brown Mini-Cooper that I'd seen in the parking lot. I don't know how to explain the friendly kinship, but it was fun. 

At about that same time, another woman walked up and said, "Didn't I see you just the other day?" Suzanne, from the Child Advocacy Serve it Up committee meeting, just Wednesday. And so we ended up looking at her art work, and somehow about Vero Beach, as her uncle lived in Wabasso. It was just a fun, friendly visit, and maybe fun to have someone reach out for me. 

As relates to the morning, the best part was in the middle. Kathi called and I talked to her for ten or fifteen minutes, and then Daddy and I talked. We talked about how he's doing, and some about the kids, and some about what he's doing, and he wished me happy birthday. He said that I am a good daughter, that I make a difference (referring to the grandchildren) in their little lives, "and you make a difference in my life.) His voice is different. I don't think I've ever doubted the sincerity of the loving things he's said to me, but there was something different --- maybe a measure of "I want her to remember this." I told him that he was going to make me cry. That he was a perfect daddy. 

Morgan came over during her lunch break to look for some pictures and it was fun to see her.

Beverly came over after lunch with a beautiful cake. (I took pictures.) She'd decorated the cake cover, and gave me an invitation to my birthday party --- just beautiful. I'll take pictures of it, too. And she wrote me a letter, and I'll have to type it up and save it, because it really touched my heart. 

Andrew and John and Beth all called. Beth had planned on coming to the dinner, but she got stuck in New Orleans. Annette called. Kim sent an email and invited me to lunch. Brittany came to dinner. Skyler wished me a happy birthday when Annette called. Noah got on the phone when John called. Zak sent me a text. Tyler wished me a happy birthday, first thing, as did Barry, and Chris got on the phone when Barry called from the marina. Angela sent me an email Tori called. Kennedy sent me a text. Chelsea and Evan sent a text. Johnny tried all day to call and Mark sent me a text. Valerie sent a text from her and Nick. 

My party was mostly girls --- Beverly, Brittany, Angela, Kennedy, and John W. Beverly treated us all, and we had a fun visit. It made me feel good that they went to all that trouble for me, and took time out on a week night, of all things. Then all of us except for Brittany came out to the house and had the cake that Beverly had brought over, and played a game of nines. Lindsey sent me a Facebook email. 

Before I got ready for bed, I showed Barry my hand, with the opal ring he gave me on my 60th birthday, and said, "I just wanted you to see which ring I chose to wear tonight." You should have seen him smile.

He and Beverly had a lot of fun talking about their hike. 

He said that I make a difference in his life.

Kinda fun to walk into the writing shack and just be able to start on the computers.

16-10-11

Barry and I took a walk last night --- 3 or 4 laps around the yard. He said we could do that every night, and I'm pretty happy about that. That's been on my wish list for a long time. 

Got to visit with John and Noah a little bit when they brought Tyler home. 

Kathi responded to my text. They have their power back on. 

My little climate control thingie seems to be working jsut fine. It wasn't cold when I came out this morning. 

Barry and I did the kitchen together last night. 

I'm getting to have a writing day. :-) By that I mean that most of the day is devoted to writing. It isn't quite like being in Iowa, as I have to work around some things, but I'm in pretty good shape work wise and HH admin wise. My writing and my civic duties may kind of overlap. Spent part of my writing time writing Jeff Sessions, who has indicated that he doesn't really know what Trump meant when he said that he kissed women without even asking them, etc. 

Annette said she got Skyler registered and setup at Theodore, and that Skyler seemed really happy. 

Angela sent me a message yesterday and so did Brittany. 

Jaden weight ten pounds, ten ounces. Chelsea posted a picture yesterday of him propped up in the corner of the sofa and not falling over. 

Andrews all about being honest and owning your shit and having the you know what to admit when you've done something wrong. If you don't do that,  then he's got a problem with you.

16-10-10

Angela and I get to order her graduation things today! She and I got to have a little visit Saturday. (She drove up as I was walking back from my little storage shed.) Her professor is going to get with her today on some volunteer opportunities that may gave her an idea of what she would like to do as a career, for focus on graduate studies, since her professor would really like her to do that. Angela said several times that she wants to do something that helps people. 

Brittany had a lot to do yesterday, but she came to Second Sunday Supper. 

Andrew playing with Daniel. 

Skyler made cupcakes and brought them for one of our desserts. 

Annette brought corn and got the silver ware out. 

Beverly brought some lima beans and she and Beth got the table ready. 

JA walked out a little bit after dinner started and Beverly was so happy to see him Beth thought that Rodney had shown up for her as a surprise. 

Angela liked her birthday present. (wind chimes I bought in Florida at the Fort Pierce farmer's market) and I found out that Brittany likes wind chimes. 

Kennedy made green bean casserole and spinach / artichoke dip. 

Morgan took care of the rolls. 

Annette said she got first dibs on Jaden because she didn't get to hold him last time. 

Evan, Chelsea and Jaden were here for just a few minutes. He said he felt nauseous; Chelsea needed to get some sleep before her shift, too. 

Noah gave me hugs. 

Barry got all of the towels washed, dried, folded and put away. That kinda gives me a shot at having all of the laundry done by writing day. :-) 

Chris got up and helped with the Saturday night dishes. 

Andrew carved the turkey. 

Daddy said he wanted to talk to me.

Three pillows

16-10-07

Tyler asking if he could go on my walk with me. He went bike riding with Papa, too. He'd done well on his homework, and his Language Arts teacher was satisfied with our substitute motivator. He made a 98 on his math EQT and he was the first one in his class to see the pattern in the bell ringer. His teacher was impressed. 

Barry is talking excitedly about his hike. His backpack came in and he started packing it last night. It is giving him something fun to talk about and think about. 

Daddy and Kathi made it through Hurricane Matthew last night. The eye came close to the coastline as it moved north, but did not come in. Mark was with them, and they do not seem to have lost power. 

Andrew sent me a text to check on them and see if it was all right to call, and John called me to check on them. 

Annette is healing up from her surgery. 

I think JA is getting more time off with his new job.

Angela sent me a message, and so did Morgan. Morgan and Beth are meeting with the photographer today, and Fairhope has their application, so the date is set! 

Went to Panama Jacks

Press journal. ..they need you back.

October 6, 2016

Tyler got up and off to school on time. He listens closely when I talk to him....maybe, now that I think about it, listening to me the same way that I told him I try to listen to him. We did the kitchen together last night. 

The temperature has dropped just a little, just enough to let you know that we are headed into fall, just enough to let me know it is time to take Tyler and get some long pants. 

Daddy's voice sounded strong yesterday. 

Some of the berries on the holly bush by the pool have changed color. It is striking even from a distance, even from the kitchen window. 

Beverly and JA played cards with Tyler and took him on a bicycle ride while we were gone. 

Chelsea came over yesterday and brought Jaden for a little visit. 

Angela sent me a Facebook message yesterday, and Monday. She got a reminder to order her graduation announcements, and that was fun. 

Tori said she and Josh are going to Arkansas to go camping, and she's excited about going to a new place. There's a river for Zoey to play in, so that should be fun. 

Kennedy came over a visit last night and we had a good time. She helped Papa set Cirrus XM up on his phone, which took her at least 30 minutes. He had to get logged in to his Facebook account, which was really quite a feat. When she was done she said, "Just don't ever, ever log out." 

In Brittany's internship she has been working on a project with Daphne Utilities. It went into it's test phase yesterday. Her name is on the sign and everything. See FB Joy Journal for details. 

Evan came over to check on Granddad. "How's the man?" he said, in case we hadn't told Tyler yet. 

Chelsea brought Jaden over.

Daddy showing me the chocolate.

Chicken pot pie lunch.

Known all along how fortunate I was. .. chicken pot pie with Daddy.

16-09-28

I did the HH bookkeeping yesterday. That's significant because it marks the third week in a row, because although it took me three hours instead of two, it also took me three hours instead of three days. It is current, and that makes me happy. I tended to some of the Family Administrative duties. I thought I got them all, and then headed to the office to do what I really want to do on Tuesday afternoons. I didn't get them all--- forgot about calling the dentist, among other things, but I did get to spend about an hour on CAC and an hour on MCEI. I felt so good when I had accomplished those things. 

As it turned out, I made up the lost time when I got back from the PTA meeting. There were only about four parents there, so we all ended up as an officer of some sort. I am secretary. 

Did I tell you that Tyler had a good day Friday? He said it was best day in school ever. At the end of the sex ed class, they gave out three backpacks, by random drawing. He didn't get one, but one of the leaders said, "Give him one, too, for best participation." 

Beth called me yesterday, or was it Monday? and we had a nice chat. 

We talked this morning and she said Zak sent her a picture of Sam looking very, very sad. She's in Houston visiting Rodney. 

Beverly and I got to have a nice visit yesterday afternoon. I was asking her to be my backup for Tyler, and she said, "I noticed that Chelsea and JA's phone numbers are written real big on the calendar," and grabbing the sharpie, "Let's just put mine there, too." 

When Papa and I were discussing our plans for the day, I asked Tyler about his and he said, "To be good so that I can go outside today." Talking about a thing they have going on at school. 

The air conditioner in the shop is working! I think we're going to enjoy or evenings more, and spend less time around the t.v. 

Heard from Angela, Brittany, Tori and Morgan. 

September 27, 2016

So ... not joy journal. But I am used to a moment of writing before I start bookkeeping. I've just never tried this schedule before --- so no blog for the HH bookkeeping. Thus: this.

Not 7:35 --- 8:05. But, here, and getting started. On track for keeping things current, and I am happy about that. 

16-09-26

So, we had Goodtimes yesterday, and four of the Big Girl Cousins showed up. They were a little later than the little kids, and settled in at the dining room table, playing cards, although Morgan spent most of the time sitting there and holding Jaden. 

Willo accidentally popped Tyler's ballon, and was crying because of it. When he came in to the room, he noticed the popped pieces on the desk. Willo got up from my lap and went and told him that she had popped his balloon on an accident. He hugged her and then picked up. 

She said that she is learning a lot in school. I asked her if she could spell my name, and she said that she couldn't but that she could spell her name. 

Brittany, as she was leaving, "I needed my big girl cousins today." 

Skyler walked in with a plate of dessert that she had found on Pintrest and made herself! 

Britt ... I needed my girl cousins today

Willo got them home

16-08-14

we close on the construction loan tomorrow and will f i n a l l y begin the building process of our beautiful home! This property means so much to Brandon and I am so excited to get to start our lives together at a place that's so close to his heart! 💓

Evan Rockstar

Beth excited about the big sky. In the dome

Morgan talking amir about Brandon and the runs things he can fix.

16-09-22

Beverly and I went to the island and walked on the beach for a couple of hours. It didn't seem like that long. It was right after lunch, so we didn't see a lot of birds, but we did see some. We also didn't see a lot of people, and that was nice. 

I got a sweet Facebook message from Angela. "I was wondering what was going on but I know how busy the days get. I had messaged you about hummingbird and goodtimes and school and I was used to talking to you even it is just a little bit everyday. Then I started to suspect our phones were sabotaging us." 

Tyler took care of my tea kettle for me, even going ahead and moving it off the burner before it whistled. 

Mary's friend liked my letter to Lily, and said that I was incredible.