Jacob Hawkins is the bomb!

I forgot to add this with my other post today, so you get 2 postings from me today!! A couple of weeks ago a young man that you may know, Jacob Hawkins, brought his new boss through Cartersville for a few hours to speak to the rotary club. He took Newt Gingrich to the Booth Western Art Museum in Cville and the Speaker was very impressed with our little town! So much so, that according to Jacob, they are going to try to plan another visit to see the Tellus Museum.

While they were through here, Jacob introduced me and I got a picture made with Mr Gingrich and got my book signed! It was a very cool day for me, and even more so for Jacob!

Congrats to Jacob! He is a very smart young man that I am proud to know!

And good luck Mr. Speaker at your debate tonight! Knock em dead!

C

In the fall routine

Temperatures are still summer-like, but we are into our fall routine now. School has been back in for a week! Bailey is learning how to study and finding that high school honors classes are going to be tough for an athlete! She made the JV softball team and their first games are next week.
Grif's "senior" year of elementary school has started well. I haven't had to referee a single disagreement between he and his math teacher, yet. Donna says he is doing well calling her Mrs. Guyton and such.
My workouts are back to normal now! Thank goodness! I gained too much weight over the summer, and am ready to get back down below 200! We'll see how long that takes. Work has been good for back to school and now I am hoping we stay steady for the rest of the fall!
Back to the grind....
C

"Summer" is almost over

There are MANY more HOT days left in Georgia before the gentle temps of football and hunting season roll in! But, for families that have teachers, summer is almost over. Donna and the kids start back to school next week! Obviously, we will steal a few moments in the sun to swim or tennis or something!
Last year we had an opportunity to sneak away with some friends for a trip at the real end of summer and I might just have to make that happen again!

Grif and I took my dad to a Rome Braves game for Father's Day and of course Grif got another ball!!

Donna and I walking on the beach hand in hand and below is in front of Boss Oyster!

This is everyone on vacation in our house at Sunset Beach on St George Island.

Fun times!

I'm in the middle of trying to get a part time position at Budweiser. I'm trying to decide whether or not to run for Euharlee City Council. I'm helping put together a marriage conference at church. (I put this list up, so if your prayer list isn't long enough you can choose one of those to pray for!)

C

Summer relaxation?

Yeah right! Summertime when I was a kid was sooooo relaxing. You literally wake up eat and leave the house to play until someone called you for dinner. Then you would go back out and play until the street lights came on. Go in, go to bed a wake up the next day to do it over again! I also got to work in the garden with my granddaddy in the mornings before he left for his 2nd shift job with G.E. (of course, the occasional playing hookie from the garden to wet a hook somewhere was mandatory!!) But, as an adult, summer is definitely NOT that relaxing!
After working all day, I find myself at a ball field, or church, or yard work calling, or or or or ..... There is something always calling my name. Not to mention with work VERY slow at the office, I find myself probably more stressed than I have ever been. Scary times in our economy today! Anyway, I am looking forward to a vacation with my family more than I can ever remember! Looking forward to a long 4th of July weekend. Looking forward to family time, with no ball field, or yard work, or office work, or even church work, just time with my family surveying the vastness and beauty that God created for us, that I rarely take enough time to breathe in!
Also, coming soon....I will be doing a book review on "Billy Graham in Quotes". A book by Franklin Graham, that I got for free from booksneeze.com. If you join booksneeze, they send you books in return for your review. Kind of interesting, so I am giving it a try.

Good reports and rest

The heart cath went well and the blockage I have is not from new plaque but rather from the stints the doctor put in 2 and a half years ago that are pinching a "small and insignificant" vessel. (Didn't know any of my blood supply lines were insignificant) Cardiologist recommended not doing anything as it has been there this whole time and has not (and should not) cause any problems, so that is the route we went. He said not to stop anything I have been doing and to forget about it. So, it is forgotten.
The rest afterward for a few days was most welcome! The whole weekend was beautiful. Pretty weather on Memorial Day weekend should be a law! It was gorgeous, so we got a little pool time, ball time, cookout time, outdoor neighborhood party time, etc. I would say almost perfect (except for Donna every two minutes telling me to be careful with my arm! Ha! I guess that is her job!)
Bailey's softball team came in 2nd in their Tourney on Saturday! I was so proud of all the girls!!
I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend!
Thank you for praying for me and this surgery! God answered!
C

Nervous, but not scared!

It's funny the things we remember from our childhood years. I was around 12 or 13 when my sister (who was 6 or 7....I don't know maybe 8 (she was young)) woke up on a school day with a stomach ache. Mom took me on to school and then took Janet to the doctor. A whirlwind few hours later they are at the hospital because my sister's appendix was very close to rupturing. Anyway, just before they wheel her back for surgery, my sister (who has always been mature) looked up at my mom and said, "mom, I'm nervous, but I'm not scared." ....from the mouth of babes, huh?
Well, that statement from a young 6ish year old pretty much describes where I am at, I guess. Certain surgeries are common place now. Simple stuff. BUT, come with inherit risks and dangers none-the-less. I'm pretty nervous, but I'm not scared. God is in control, therefore, I don't have to be. I've gone back and looked at a list of goals I made for myself after the heart attack 1/9/09, and there is still some meat left on that bone. So, I will renew my efforts to get all of those fulfilled after this heart surgery, and make it happen.
I recall one of the cardiologists I saw after the H.A. saying, you have a much higher chance to have a second heart attack than someone else has of having their first heart attack, and the MAIN reason is that people will eventually forget the pain and go back to the things they did before that caused the problems. Well, after looking at my goals, I can safely say (although sadly) that I would have to put myself in that category. I reckon I'm a slow learner. I will have to add some accountability measures with a friend or two along with my goals.
Anyway, pray for me tomorrow. Donna's facebook will probably tell you everything you need to know and then some. LOL.
Also, pray for Lisa Lovett who is in surgery to repair two ruptured vertabrae today.
She took Tuesday's surgery, I'm taking Wednesday's surgery, any of our friends want to volunteer for a Thursday surgery to keep the streak going? anyone? Bueller?
C

Cardiologists can kiss my

Great things going on for the home team!!
Bailey: test scores were GREAT, her softball is going GREAT, getting better at pitching every week, getting ready to go to high school (threw up in my mouth a little), chorus went AMAZING, etc....
Griffin: test scores were GREAT, baseball is going GREAT, getting ready to be a fifth grader!!, did very well at Science Olypiad, etc...
Donna: Her test scores were great and higher than she expected!!, end of the year is just days away, and tanning is just around the corner, etc...
All of these great things going on in the house and we should be dancing around and partying!! But, someone has to throw a damper on the fire, and I guess I drew the short straw!
During a routine follow-up stress test, the cardiologist found another blockage. Good news: We didn't find out through the intense pain and pressure of a heart attack this time!
Bad news: Next Wednesday the 25th they will be doing another heart cath on me. Should be routine and fairly quick. That is what I am praying for anyway!
I hope you will pray for me as well!
Donna and the kids are scared. I am frustrated and pissed. For 2 and 1/2 years I have been working out hard, eating better, etc. to make sure that this NEVER happened again, and I barely got passed the 2nd anniversary before we get to do it all over.
It is in God's hands now (where, of course it rested all along) and we trust that he has a plan for me and this situation.
C