Wonderful Life....Yep, It Is A GOOD Life!

In the last couple of weeks , I've had family and friends who are going through real life crisis, pain and suffering of the heart and soul.
Prayers, what I call 911 prayers, real emergency prayers, have been a daily event during this difficult time.
Family members and my prayer partners have been 'on duty' as there appears another 'happening' day after day.
Busy is not the word!
We can not always be bodily present with each other but through electronic instant awareness we are agreeing in prayer at the same time and beseeching God's Miracle change in the life of those we bring before Him.
I am not talking about clogging our Inbox with Fwds: from strangers who need prayer and need 'you to forward this in 5 minutes or your dog will bite you' kind of e-mails.
I'm talking about the kind of immediate response that is sent in the wee hours of the morning when one just happens to be 'reading the Bible' and an e-mail comes in, or on the way to work doing some last minute things just before a much needed vacation, unexpected lost jobs, or in the middle of contract signing that needs additional information, or having two family member die in the same week. These are the kind of 'immediacy' that prayer through the airwaves and phone calls have produced.
Life and death situations that need immediate attention.
That is why I call it 911 HELP prayers!
Having others around us who stay, what I call, 'prayed up' is one of my most wonderful satisfactions of life!
I am truly a Blessed woman and yes, Life is Good.
For we are not in this thing called 'Life' alone.
The resource of people.... loving, caring, people of the faith, family and friends makes it truly a Wonder Life for me....
Yes, we most certainly are 'flawed human beings' who do the best we can on a daily basis BUT we have a 'secret weapon' and He has a name.....Jesus!
Jesus is the God of......Miracles!
Everyone involved in this prayer circle around my life have been witness's of Miracles again and again....so they know of what they ask!
To witness something means to see, to hear or to DIRECTLY EXPERIENCE IT!
In fact , David makes a reference to the 'wayward children of Israel' in
Psalm 78:32 Contemporary English Version (check it out to the right)
where he said...
"Yet even so the people kept on sinning and REFUSED to believe in Miracles!"
.....We prayer partners, people of faith, all bear witness that Miracles truly make it a....Wonderful Life
I recently read this devotion below titled just that....
Wonderful Life....
'Depending on my childhood experiences, I may have grown up feeling that in order to live a holy life, I would have to live a life of rules and restrictions.
I am grateful to be learning that a spiritual life is one of freedom and discovery.
As I continue on my path of spiritual unfoldment,
I find no limit to the joy and wonder of God's ways.
My path is strewn with delightful surprises, as well as challenges that expand my comfort zone and give me more room to grow.
Living a life of spiritual awareness, I find greater meaning in both the monumental events and the smallest details.
Fulfillment, joy, and a deeper understanding are the hallmarks of my wonderful life!"
Acts 2:28 says..."You have made known to me the ways of life;
You will make me full of gladness with Your presence."
Do you believe in MirAcles?

Big Trucks, Big Boys....Big Fun....and 'hard work'...ask Pipo

Jared, Kyle and Vinnie....running around St. Pete trying to get a motor repaired....
all these guys drive trucks that require....BIG GAS!
Kyle says it takes $90.00 to fill up his 150....

Vinnie's truck is a little cheaper to fill up
Our Vinnie is ....a charmer, a heart breaker, a clown ....
he does have a little trouble with....cell phones and 'women'!

Pipo....a very hard worker...getting up at 4:00 am to
do the job of 'fertilizer spreading' a Golf Course 100 miles
from his home is normal for Pipo....just like his Dad...
doing mechanical repairs on equipment is a 'known given'
for him (see welding pictures below of a week ago)
.....Marine Reserves will be loosing a 'good man' in August...
He served, honorably, for 6 years....
God Bless You, Pipo, and thank you for your service to the USA!

Some of Pipo's equipment....

Pipo.....serving in Iraq....God Bless ALL our troops ALL over the world!

Showers of Blessings!

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, BUT a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.
Proverbs 13:12 New Living Translation (NLT)

Why Dying Down South Is More Fun! by: Pat Conroy

Recently, for my birthday, my friend Susan, gave me a wonderful 'cookbook with a story' kind of cooking by Pat Conroy...
It is written in a southern kind of lingo ("Coach would say, "Sit down in your seat, Randy, you fool. And hush your mouth, boy."
Randy's Dad was 'school superintendent' but coach was 'the boss'..." )....
Pat's writing that accompanies his recipes is quite amusing....
Imagine a chapter on...Vidalia Onions.....
The story about Vadalia Onions is longer than the recipe pages.
But my favorite one is....
Why Dying Down South Is More Fun!
I believe that only a fellow southerner, who conjurs up familiar images of the scrumptious food served 'after the memorial service' can fully appreciate this kind of writing and his humorous approach to a very serious and sacred event.....
Pat Conray says this, and I quote:
"Southern grief at a funeral of a loved one often gets 'mollified' by the scrumptious feast that follows the ceremony. In the South, you often eat as well after the burial of a family member or friend as you do on Thanksgiving Day or Christmas.
It is the custom of the place for friends to bring a dish of delicious food to the home of the deceased-it is one of the binding social covenants that still survive in even the most estranged enclaves of the South."
Cooking food for a grieving family and friends is still one of the classiest ways to send a love note that I can think of.
I still get teary-eyed and grateful when I think of the sheer amount and quality of the food that the people of Beaufort and Fripp Island, South Carolina, sent to my house after the deaths of my mother and father. My family was overwhelmed by the kindness of the neighbors who had loved our parents. They cared for us, fed us wonderfully well, comforted us, and eased the grief of our parents' passing with astonishing grace.


America's favorite storyteller is back--this time with a cookbook that is also a memoir of good food and good company, from his beloved South to France, Rome, and beyond.
One hundred recipes are featured, from Breakfast Shrimp Grits to Mocha Macaroons.

Author Bio:Pat Conroy
Conroy is the son of a career army man and a Southern woman with a passion for poisonous snakes. Several novels include .....The Prince of Tides, Beach Music, The Water Is Wide, My Losing Season.

Pat Conroy is a master storyteller and passionate cook, Conroy believes that "a recipe is a story that ends with a good meal."

Tips charged on Credit Cards...Where they go!

In today's newspaper there is an article called...

Here's a good tip: Don't nickel and dime servers....

....It goes on to say this:Every last cent of our tip is meant to go to the person who waits on us.

Period.

And we deserve to know if management has decided otherwise...

...What servers won't tell you unless you ask, is whether they get to keep the full amount of tips left on credit cards...

Below is an article that explains the 'credit card fee' deducted from employees tips....

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_7_42/ai_n24321216

Also, I went online to the Labor Dept. web site ...

U.S. Department of Labor, Employment Standards Admin., Wage & Hour Division, Washington, D.C. 20210

......It says this...

"Where tips are charged on a credit card, it is the position of the Wage and Hour Division that the tips due the employee must be paid to the employee and not later than the next pay day and may not be held by the employer while the employee is waiting to be reimbursed by the credit card company.

Furthermore, the Wage & Hour Division does not question the practice whereby the employer reduces the amount of credit card tips paid to the employee by an amount no greater than the amount charged to the employer by the credit card company for processing..."

I applaud Outback for, voluntarily, NOT deducting this fee from their employees paychecks even though the U.S. Labor Dept. allows that process...

And as the article says....

Here's a good tip: Don't nickel and dime servers....

Happy 7th Birthday, Joshua... We Love you!

Joshua & friend Max, ready to celebrate....

See Joshua's party pictures in the album below...

http://picasaweb.google.com/iwgfaith/JoshuaS7thBDayPartyJuly202008

Tampa Launches Flutag Flights....Hot and Crowded

Yep, that is what it was...hot and crowded...
The boats were the best place to be....but Charlie and I did find a little bit of shade and Gatorade got us through it...
Ash, Matt, Chad & Brian called it quits earlier and sought out air-conditioning and TV to view the finals...Matt's friend, Crawdad, provided a good view for them as well...
It was....FUN!

This is the newspaper report from yesterday....

By: BOBBIE O'BRIEN
TAMPA (2008-07-18)

A worldwide sporting event will launch Saturday at the Tampa Bay Convention Center.

The Flutag, which means flying day in German, is a competition for human-powered craft.

It's been held in Rome, San Francisco and now Tampa.

There have been more than 40 Flutags worldwide since 1991, but Tampa's is the first ever to have two Cuban sandwich flying craft competing and three shoes.

In all, 35 teams were selected from more than 300 submissions.

The rules are simple.

Crafts must be human powered, hand-built and weigh no more than 450 pounds with pilot.

The flying contraptions will launch off a 30-foot ramp built over the water.

Uniqueness, flight distance and showmanship will determine the winner......

.....This one, Bay Watch, below actually flew quite a ways....100 ft.

the rest just plunged into the water at the end of the 30 ft' ramp....

Sorry no Red Bull for me...Gatorade was my 'drink of choice'....

USF had an entry....these guys have written 'totally lame' on their backs...

The crazy....and the sacred...all was out in full force...

This one was entered by the USPS called 'Junk Mail'....went straight in the water...

Prayer Girls Celebrate....Again!

Yesterday, Abby and Nancy showered me with gifts and love...a belated Birthday celebration.
Viewing Abby's 'new condo' was a joy to see as this girl certainly has an 'eye for beauty'.
She did let husband, Al, do his part on the patio overlooking the golf course ....
the patio is 'truly tropical' which I love so much...Good job, Al!
Nancy was beaming after seeing her husband, Stan, who had to return from Kuwait on a short emergency leave.....it seems that tears and laughter go together....with family...
A scripture caught my eye as I was writing this...
It is from the Message Bible Psalm 101: and is we, prayer girls, speaking to God...
"I'm doing the very best I can,
and I'm doing it at home, where it counts."
And God knows this is the truth.....for these 'girls of prayer'....
Thank you girls, for a wonderful, blessed day....of fun....and faith.

Family Legacy

Father & Son....Chuck & Terry came from Texas on a quick 'home' trip
from their missionary deputation around the USA.
Chuck had just returned from preaching at a dear friends memorial, Mrs. Peggy,
when we arrived for a quick visit.
Charlie is Sr. (I)....Chuck is Jr. (II)

Chuck the III needed some 'welding help' from his Dad, the II,
and even in his suit pants and white shirt he lends a hand...

Vinnie and girlfriend, Samantha , (Sam)....meet us for lunch.

Chuck Jr. (II) is learning to play the banjo after being in Texas
and hearing that BlueGrass Gospel on Banjo...
Kenya will never be the same after this Southern, banjo picking, preacher
comes to live with them...

Florida water boy, Lil Chuck , will tell you quickly "I' m the 4th"

and he is....Carlos Manuel IV.....

CraZy Spontaneity.....

Saturday morning, I was just minding my own business, taking an early morning swim in our pool....and the phone rings with friends(?) and family saying, "Come down to Okeechobee, NOW, and let's have some fUn....."
Brother Dockie and wife Annie P. had made plans with Susan & Bill to come to their 'Okee property' for the week-end...since Sally & Sam live 'right around the river corner' it was sooooo convenient to boatside a party...or two....
The spontaneity of the party was better than some of our planning....see below...

The 'poor Milagro' is almost naked....she has her canvas down and is in a prepared mode for the Florida hurricane season..

...Dockie's 'Eagle's Nest', in background, is in her 'home port' and ready for anything...
The beauty of the natural environment on the Kissimmee River is breathtaking....
What a blessing to enjoy 'untouched nature' and leave it......untouched by human hands....

The guys on the flybridge of Sally & Sam's , 45 ft. Gemini,

BoZo Bill, with Cpt. Sam, CraZy Charlie and 'Get R Done Dockie,

enjoying their 'exalted positions'......

as Captains aboard another Cpt.'s vessel....

Our Tree........over 200 years old and still presenting itself as a majestic beauty which is thrilling to the heart

Susan and I are....YES, TREE Huggers.....

This is the only way I could be 'out on a limb' isn't it Bill?

Our beautiful tree stands guard over the river as it flows merrily by, year after year...

The 'old south' look is still around....even if one must go by boat in order to find it...

Bill and his, "I got what I want" first-mate, Susan....

Custard Apples....along the way....the Indians were the 'discoverer' of this fruit sometimes referred to as 'bulls heart'....

The Wikipedia says this about the custard-apple.....

....The fruits are tasty and nutritious but all parts of this tree can be useful.
Food
The fruit is good to eat as is but also makes a sweet drink and can be used as a milk substitute
Medicinal
The unripe fruit has been used to assist against diarrhea and dysentery.

The tree bark is used for skin and mucosae medicines and the seed bark contains useful tannins and astringents.

The leaves are believed to have healing properties and have been used against tumors and cancers . The bark has been used on gums to relieve toothaches....

****Note***Yep, it tastes like medicine when eaten green...I KNOW!

Okeechobee Cheer Leaders.....

Bill complains that his shirt is 'too hot'....so Sam, the 'fix-it' man, gets out his scissors...

Wife, Susan, is 'highly amused'......

And as all wives everywhere....must put on the 'finishing touch'.....

A 'acting crazy' video clip...the music can not be heard here but the two Cpt's. are dancin' fools....

Click on arrow to start....

A picture tells a thousand words....

Rebekah for Heisman! Go Gators!

My cousin, Betty Sheppard, sent me this picture along with this note...

....."A young couple from our church are missionaries in India.

They went to Pakistani to a conference and Tim Tebo was there as a speaker.

Their little baby, Rebekah, was born last 9/11. ..."

Joshua Shane IS S P E C I A L.....

To Our Joshua who will be 7 on Sunday!
Vann greets Joshua and allows him to be the official 'key boy' for three days...

Joshua gets the 'royal' treatment at Grand Cypress...
AND he deserves it....

Hanging out with Janelle & Alex....was fun...

Joshua 'hates' good-bye's but Vann, the Man, helps him through it...

Happy 7th Birthday our Dear Joshua!

Celebrating Birthdays...and The Good Life at Grand Cypress

Link below has more pictures on Picasa Web Album...
Too many to post here...view below pictures then click on this link
and be sure to click on 'slideshow' for better viewing on the album..
http://picasaweb.google.com/iwgfaith/GrandCypressJuly42008


Edible Flower Arrangment sent to me by Chuck & Terry Family...
Thank you soooooo much, dear one....we ate for 2 days on this...

.....Enjoying....The....Good....Life....
Thank you Grand Cypress for treating us like 'Royalty'...
Love you, Van!