Kaleigh has decided to cut off her long hair after only having two major haircuts in her almost 7 years of life. Ryan and I finally gave in and decided to let her cut it off with the condition that she wait until she could donate it to Locks of Love. Thanks to a terrific stylist, April, Kaleigh has an awesome new hair cut and someone else will benefit from her beautiful hair.
It was a mistake...I knew it the minute I walked up to my parents door. It was an honest mistake though. Ryan and I stopped by my parents house to drop off a couple of things before our quick date night at Kitchen Pass. As I am knocking on the front door, these HUGE brown eyes peer out from under the lawn chair. Dad comes to the door and said that this ugly little puppy that was missing all the fur from his belly to middle of his back had followed him home from the park. It had been dumped and was starving. Needless to say that my parents had fallen in love with this mutt that has absolutely attached himself to their front porch. They don't need another dog to take care of and well we are without one. So.....the kids have begged to keep Sam, Scrappy, etc..whatever his name may be. Time will tell if I can resist this mutt's brown eyes or if we will be the proud new owners of a puppy! I will post pictures later.
The newest addition to the Burke family arrived on Saturday April 25th, 2009. After the loss of our family dog in early April, the kids were just feeling empty. Then came the all too early death of a 17 year old in our church. I guess the feelings of life being too short and unpredictable made Ryan and I give in to their requests. So that is how Sophie Marshmallow Sonya Burke came to our family. Sophie is a white and tan colored gerbil.
I can't imagine the pain of losing a child. Unfortunately, God called a young life to come back to him today. It is just unfathomable to me to think of kissing your child goodbye and sending them out the door in the morning and never have them return. A family in our church received this call today when their son, a high school senior, was killed in a motorcycle accident during the lunch hour. He was a good person with a sincere heart; attended church and believed in God; worked hard; and loved his family. I hope their faith will guide them through this pain and grief. My thought and prayers go out to them. God Bless!
I am here going down my checklist trying to make sure that I haven't forgotten anything important. Of course I have traveled enough to know that anything forgotten can pretty much be purchased at your local CVS, Walgreens, Wal-Mart, etc but sometimes the trip just goes a little smoother when when you have everything you need.
I am grateful the blizzard has started to melt away and hopefully the roads will be clear by the time Mom, Makenna, and I head out in the morning. Did I mention we're headed to Charleston and Myrtle Beach!!! I am so excited to see my friend Marla and wish her the best of luck as her and Jeremy are married next Saturday.
Back to packing...more adventure stories to follow soon!
Don't forget to do your part to support Breast Cancer Awareness whether it's learning more about the issue, getting your annual mammogram or reminding someone you love to, or giving to the cause. We can all do our part to help stop this deadly disease that affects so many people we care about. Kaleigh and Makenna are sporting their message with these great dresses made by Grandma Shields that have the pink ribbon and breast cancer awarenss information on the print.
In case you missed the 2 hour special tonight on ABC, Extreme Home Makeover was in Chapman, Kansas, which was nearly destroyed in a tornado last June. The family chosen for the new home was a solider who was wounded in Iraq and came back to his home destroyed. The Tutswiler family with their 5 children received a beautiful home and many other families received assistance finishing up their rebuilding efforts.
At church today, it was shared that the dollars we donate to United Methodist Committee on Relief or UMCOR went to help with the rebuilding efforts. Nice to know that locally as well as nationally efforts went to help those in need.
The time has come again for the Superbowl. While for many it means another Sunday football game, it's really just a terrific reason to gather with friends, eat good food, and laugh at all the stupid commericals for me. Ryan and I are hosting the party this year with many of our friends and their families so we've got out the "play book" and figured out how to squeeze 10-12 adults and another 10 kids in our house and still have a good time.
So what will the first commercial be? What will the best commerical of the night be? And lastly for those who actually watch the game, will it be the Arizona Cardinals or the Pittsburgh Steelers?
t work we've starting recycling plastic and aluminum at home. Time to expand and get serious about doing it right!
