Happy November!

Wish I'd Done That: Make sure your kiddos get outside every day. You don't want a bunch of pasty-faced kids living in your house. Of course, this may necessitate you leaving the friendly confines (forgive me, World Series hangover....) of your homestead. Get out there with them; play a gave of tag, or just ride the bikes around the block. Come on, it'll be fun!This is our sugar maple last week before we left. While we were gone, it turned a gorgeous red and the next day, all the leaves flew off in the Oklahoma wind. We missed it all, but the gold was really great, too.
I know you all know that TU lost to Arkansas Saturday, and are just too nice to bother me about it. (sniff) We didn't play well, but....We saw Double A, dropped off lots of home cooking, and headed off to Branson for some fun at Big Cedar.
My friend, Dr. Ruth, recommended this place, so that was good enough for me. I didn't know it was "Bass Pro" does resorts, but that's what it was.
It was gorgeous there.

One day, we went in to Branson, and took a spin on the Lake Queen, a boat on Lake Taneycomo. A nice 1 1/2 hour trip, and they let me drive!

Here's Ace on the terrace at Devil's Pool, a restaurant on the property. Notice Table Rock Lake in the background.

Outside our room, a waterfall was a popular spot for photos by everyone on the place. We heard the water at night, and it was really great.

The view from our patio...

Looking up towards our lodge...We sat up there most nights and watched the sun go down over Table Rock. So relaxing.....I recommend it.

God is in control. Let's see how He manifests Himself in our country's politics.

Queen's Visit

Been There, Wish I'd Done That: When shopping for staples, buy two of everything: toilet paper packs, paper towels, toothpaste, etc. If you have the storage space, it will save you lots of time. You won't be making an emergency run to the store. I got this idea from Robyn, whose mom had given her this advice early in her marriage. It helped me a bunch.


For our 25th wedding anniversary, Ace & I went to London to visit the Queen. Our daughter was doing a semester study abroad, and she agreed to be our tour guide.



Here we are in the London Eye. While in it, you have a great panoramic view of the city. In the beginning of our ride, I was mostly intent with not being trapped with some pushy tourists. We managed to avoid them and had only one other couple in the pod with us.

Here we are at 221b Baker Street. The fictitious address of the great Sherlock Holmes. Can you believe 3 educated people actually put this stuff on and posed for a picture? No wonder some parts of the world don't understand Americans.

This is a window from Canterbury Cathedral, but my favorite church was Westminster. It contains a knave (or something!) with many literary greats. As an English major, I could not believe so many great authors were surrounding me. (Too bad they were long dead!) Anyway..

God has blessed us with a marriage that has thrived for many years. Why has ours survived while others have not? I'm not sure, but I know we love each other, are committed to God and family, and we are just really stubborn. We laugh a lot, and do many things together.

If you are in a rough spot, pray and seek His will. His Will is never, to split a family. In tough times, seek help from your pastor, or a friend you trust.

Remember: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phil. 4:13