A Fun Day at the Zoo!

Wednesday, we decided it was a good day to make a trip to Tyler to the zoo. We hadn't been there since last Fall, so we needed to get back there to make sure all of the animals are still doing OK.

I made one special purchase at Wal-Mart prior to our trip - a child harness/leash. Lane called and told me that he had seen a couple of little kids with them, and the mom said that they worked really well. I figured it was worth a shot, since it would give Dane a little bit more freedom to walk around without the risk of running away, as he is known to try to do. It worked out great and he looked so cute.

Dane loved walking around, and we stayed there for about two hours. He did start to get tired toward the end, so I just carried him around on my shoulders for a while then.

His favorite animals this trip were those red birds in the picture, the elephants, the penguins and the leopards. He also seemed to pick really weird, random animals to stop and stare at forever. Then, we would get to the really cool, big animals, and he acted like they were no big deal. He also liked seeing the red fox, since we have been watching the movie "The Fox and the Puppies" lately. At least that's what Dane calls it.

Anyway, we had lots of fun, and the trip helped pass the day by quickly, since we were both counting down the hours until Lane got home from Harding on Thursday. Oh, yeah, the pictures are horrible quality because I forgot my camera at home and had to buy a way overpriced outdoor-use only disposable camera at the zoo gift shop!

Happy Father's Day!

It has been a true blessing to have been surrounded by such wonderful Christian men throughout my life. Both of my grandfathers were tremendous men, who loved their families and exhibited so many characteristics that I admire.

When I think about my Grandpa Bowers, I think about the words kindness and patience. I don't recall a time that I was around him that he didn't tell me that he loved me. I see his quiet strength in my daddy and brother, as well.

When I think about my Granddaddy Ross, I think about laughter and smiles, a stratchy face when he kissed us, and the most beautiful tenor voice there ever was! He was a man that lived his life with joy and easily spread that to those around him. I can still remember how he would laugh so hard he could hardly breathe. He adored my Grandmama and also made her a better woman because of his love. He shared his love for music with my mother, who then shared it with me. He also shared his red hair with me, which I will cherish until it turns gray or yellow or whatever color I have to dye it to. I can't wait to sing with him in Heaven!

When I think about my Daddy, there isn't enough time to tell all the ways I appreciate and respect him. All my life, he has been a constant presence of love, security, encouragement and determination. Hands down, there is no harder worker than Joe Bowers. In James, when he talks about expressing our faith through our works, I see this principle being lived out so well by my father. He touches peoples' lives in his workplace, where he is respected for his character as well as his abilities on the job. He exhibits his faith to his church family, by being there for them and helping them however he can. He has an incredible skill in carpentry, which he uses for good to help those who need it. I love that he learned that skill from both of my grandfathers, who were both great carpenters, too. More than anything, though, I am so thankful for all that he does for Mama and us kids and his grandkids. Almost every holiday, before we eat together, he tells us, "If I had to pick three kids from all the people in the world, I would pick the three of you", and he now says the same thing about his sons-in-law and daughter-in-law. This always kinda makes me laugh, but I feel the same way about both my parents. I have always known that I can count on Daddy for anything. As I grew, he provided me with such a clear picture of what I should look for in a husband and a father for my own children. Happy Father's Day, Daddy, I love you!

Before I can talk about Lane, I have to say a word about another special man in our life - Paw Paw! That's Lane's dad, Skeetz. A lot of the qualities I admire in Lane, he gets from his dad. If you can't handle tricks being played on you, then you don't want to be around Skeetz! He makes our time spent together so much fun, and it hasn't taken very long for Dane to become attached to his Paw Paw. Both my mom and Lane's mom joke about how much Dane LOVES his Pa and Paw Paw. Skeetz has a great way of finding what he has in common with you and growing a relationship from that. He has already started that with Dane, with their shared love of fishing. It really is amazing that Dane still pretends to call his cousin, J.J., to tell him the fishing story about Paw Paw in the boat, at least two months later. Most importantly, Skeetz makes a concerted effort to make sure that his kids and grandkids know about Jesus. One of things I love most about Skeetz is the way he interacts with his grandkids when it comes to talking about Jesus. He will take the time to talk about anything they need to talk about. When ones of them have decided to give their life to Christ, he always writes the most beautiful thoughts and prayer for them to commemorate their milestone. I admire him so much for that, and I hope to share one of those moments with him with my children someday, too. Thank you, Skeetz, for being you and for helping to mold Lane into the man he is. You are so special to us, and we love you! Happy Father's Day!

Now, to my Lane, Happy Father's Day! As I said earlier, my daddy's character and qualities helped me to find the perfect match for me - believe it or not, that's Lane Brown! There is no one I would rather spend my life here on Earth with! Lane is the funniest, most joyful person I have ever known. I love to laugh, and coming up this June 28, I've been laughing at and with Lane for 11 years! We were blessed to have met and worked together at Camp Deer Run, where I was able to see firsthand very early on in our relationship, that he was very gifted in his ability to work with children. I knew then what kind of dad he would be. I was also able to witness his relationship with our Lord, Jesus. He encourages me in my walk with Christ by encouraging me and helping me with my struggles. A lot of people ask me if Lane is ever serious, which he is on occasion. Lane has such a great heart, and I would say he is one of the most loyal people I know. If you want a good friend, he's your man. This week, Lane is gone with some of our youth group up to Harding for Uplift camp. So, unfortunately, Dane and I aren't getting to spend Father's Day with him. Now, if you don't know, Dane does not handle being away from Lane very well at all. He is normally an amazing sleeper, but everything gets out of whack when his daddy's gone, which is what we're experiencing a little of this week. So, if that doesn't tell you how important fathers are, I don't know what will. Dane needs me, but boy, does he sure love his daddy! I love to see the two of them together. They look just alike, which I'm glad of, because Dane is his daddy's #1 fan! Dane and I have fun together, too, but as soon as Lane gets home from work everyday, that's when the big fun begins! So, just like he's been filling my life with joy for 11 years, he's been doing the same for Dane these past almost 20 months. Thank you, Lane, for being such a solid example of Christ through your life. We love you! Happy Father's Day!

Remember the Alamo!

This past weekend, Dane, my mom and I all went down to San Antonio to visit my brother and sister-in-law, Joe David and Stefany. We had so much fun, and it was great to get to be with them. To sum up the weekend quickly, we mainly ate very good food, very often! Dane loved playing the guitar (or "music", as he calls it) with his Uncle Joe David. Dane brought his own little ukelele with us because he had a feeling that Joe David would want to have a jam session with him. He fell in love with Joe David's big guitars, so much so, that we had to put them all away so he couldn't get to them.

Thankfully, there was not an NBA Finals game while we were down there. Joe David and Stefany are diehard Spurs fans, and I just don't think that I would have been up to watching a game. My heart is still so broken at the premature ending to our Mavs season, so we've kinda given up basketball until next season starts. Sorry Spurs fans, while I respect your team loyalty, I just can't find any reason to want to share in your excitement right now. In fact, I'd kinda like to see LeBron get a ring. Not so sure that's going to happen, though.

OK, back to the trip...and the yummy food!

Friday night, Stefany made a wonderful meal of Chicken Parmesan with bowtie pasta. It was wonderful. Then, we headed over to Marble Slab for a sweet treat, which we all enjoyed. Saturday, we shopped a while and thoroughly enjoyed Freebirds for lunch. Joe David and Stefany had their new living room furniture delivered after lunch, so it was lots of fun to get to be the first to get to sit on it with them!

Saturday night, we went to a good place called the Longhorn Cafe, where we enjoyed down home Texas fried food (Yummy!). Right after supper, Dane was getting a little antsy, so I walked him outside to look at a windmill in the parking lot. I set him down in some rocks, and he tripped and his hands fell on the top of a cactus plant in that flower bed. Needless to say, I felt terrible and so did he! He had those little fine bristles stuck in his hands, and we spent the next thirty minutes in the car on the way to the Alamo picking them out. He kept saying, "So sorry, so sorry - fingers hurts!" When he gets hurt, I always tell him, "I'm so sorry", and so now I think he thinks that "sorry" means he's hurt, so he says it, too! Anyway, I felt so bad for the little guy.

We were on our way for Dane's first trip to the Alamo, and he fell asleep in the car about 10 minutes before we got there, and he stayed sound asleep the whole time we were there. So, we had to take pictures, so that he would believe that he's actually been there!

We really enjoyed getting to go to church with Joe D. and Stefany Sunday morning, and Dane only had to be taken out once for about a minute! So exciting! We ended the wonderful trip with a little more wonderful food at La Madeleine.

It was a great weekend spent with such special people! Thanks, Joe David and Stefany, for a great time! We can't wait to see y'all again!

Life at our house

I thought I would catch everybody up with what is going on around our place lately. Lane's summer schedule with the youth group is about to kick into high gear this next week, and will be that way until the end of July. He has a work camp next week, Uplift camp at Harding and also VBS in June. Then, we have another camp in Missouri, a mission trip, and taking kids to day camp in July. We are so excited about the summer, and we are so thankful for our wonderful church family and great group of kids here in Kilgore. Also, Lane just started an online Masters program through Harding University. He will begin his main coursework this Fall, but he's got a little May-mester course he's about to finish up now. I started off my college career at Harding and ended at A&M, and he started his at A&M and will finish up at Harding!

Anyway, whether he realizes it or not, I am so proud of him. I love getting to see him do what he truly loves for a living, and I'm so glad Dane and I get to be along for the ride, too!

Dane is getting so big and so grown up. He is really big into any kind of ball and has even written a song called "Baseball". It's just the word "baseball" over and over again, and he sings it as he plays his little guitar. He also likes to lead singing and talk about the Bible. There is a song that they sing in his Cradle Roll class about patting the Bible, and when you sing it, Dane really gets into it. The only problem is that the pounding he does on the Bible really is a far stretch from patting. So, we will have to work on that one, I guess. I haven't been very good about taking good pictures lately, but here are a few from the last couple of weeks. Dane really likes to put Lane's belts and ties around his neck and to wear our shoes. In this picture, he got all of his get-up on and said, "Bye, see ya later!" except it wasn't quite that clear.

My sweetie!

Answering the phone up at the church after playing hard on the playground

This is a new look...Swim diaper, a funnel for a hat and shoes. A simple and classic style!

Anyway, it's time for National Bingo Night on ABC, so I've got to go. I still haven't even printed out my Bingo cards yet! How will I ever win?!