Dylan's Birthday Celebration

The Twins, Jude & Eli, arrive with Mom & Dad, Ash & Matt...
Let the Fun begin...

Britt & I get the 'bundles of Love & Joy'

Joshua...always smiling...and helpful...

Happy Birthday Sweet 5 yr. old Dylan

The boys are learning how to 'party'.....

Top Siders, Double....High Fashion 

  Pops and his Jude....or....Eli?

Finally we get a 'pose' picture....only because Matt demanded it for Grandma...Bless his sweet heart:)
 
TIME....TIME....TIME....
There should always be TIME for family!

Happy Birthday To Our 5yr. Old Dylan

We will celebrate with our Big Boy "TuTu" tonight ...

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Time

It is Time.
Time is running out.
It is about Time!
You're forgiven, this Time.
What Time is it?
Another Time, please.
Come over someTime.
Time is short.
They have been through some rough Times.
I had Time on my hands.
It is Time to get up.
Paid double-Time.
It is closing Time....
He knew his Time had come.
Time out.
Time is money.
All in good Time.
For ole' Times sake.
Time will tell.
Living on borrowed Time.
Have the Time of your life.
Once upon a Time.......

And the list goes on and on. 
This element called Time, is measured in clocks and calendars.
The past, present, and future is a continuous whole.
In physics, a quantity measuring duration, measured with reference to the rotation of the earth or from the vibrations of certain atoms.
Any way you look at it....TIME IS IMPORTANT!  TIME IS VITAL!
Psychologists assert that time seems to go faster with age, but the literature on this age-related perception of time remains controversial.
As an example, one day to an eleven-year-old person would be approximately 1/4,000 of their life, while one day to a 55-year-old would be approximately 1/20,000 of their life.
According to such an interpretation, a day would appear much longer to a young child than to an adult, even though the measure of time is the same.
In Ecclesiastes in the Bible it says this:

                        ~  THERE IS A TIME FOR EVERYTHING ~
There’s a season for everything
and a time for every matter
under the heavens:
a time for giving birth
and a time for dying,
a time for planting and a time for uprooting what was planted,
a time for killing and a time for healing,
a time for tearing down
and a time for building up,
a time for crying and a time for laughing,
a time for mourning
and a time for dancing,
a time for throwing stones
and a time for gathering stones,
a time for embracing
and a time for avoiding embraces,
a time for searching
and a time for losing,
a time for keeping
and a time for throwing away,
a time for tearing
and a time for repairing,
a time for keeping silent
and a time for speaking,
a time for loving and a time for hating,
a time for war and a time for peace.      
                                ~Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 CEB~
Knowing all of this makes me go back to the 'Author of Time' Himself.....
One who holds all time in His Hands and is the  One qualified to use the term.....ETERNITY!
Eternity is a.........TIMELESS EXISTENCE.
                                               TIME WITHOUT END!

Our Lil Kason starting Pre-Kindergarten

Mommy Carla is certainly having a
'Mommy let go' day today as well as Britt.
Kason, her 'only baby' is now starting on his
journey of  life process. 
Carla, Sweetheart, he is ready because your
love and care has prepared for this very moment
in time.....God Bless your little family of love....

Joshua & Dylan's First Day Back in School

Britt is having a 'Mommy letting go' day since she dropped her boys off at school.
Joshua, 5th grader and Dylan who will be 5 on Thursday and is starting his first day in Kindergarten, was excited and patient as Mom took pictures....

Dylan tells Big Bro, 'This is where you pick me up!'

 Yep, those boys are from our Gator Family for sure....
  Britt, you are absolutely living proof of the ole adage that says, "When a women becomes a Mother is when her 'heart walks outside of her body'.....
This you are living today!   God Bless You All, Dear Ones!

What A Treasure....Tampa Historical Center at Channelside...

Our son, Chad, has been wanting to go to the Tampa History Museum with me and finally yesterday we were able to do it. 

It 'blew me away' and was a special time of a 'A Land Remembered' as Patrick Smith so aptly describes it... 

A few of the pictures below is just a taste of this wonderful first~class adventure in history.

Kudos to the many people involved in bringing to life this awesome place of  our rich heritage as native Floridians....yep, I'm proud to be a 'Cracker'!!!! 

Having lunch at the Columbia Cafe that is adjacent to the Museum, enhanced the experience. 

 http://tampabayhistorycenter.org/columbia.html

 View from Tampa History Center and Columbia Cafe...

                                               FLORIDA LOTTERY
From:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolita
Bolita (Spanish for Little Ball), is a type of lottery which was popular in the latter 19th and early 20th centuries in Cuba and among Florida's working class Hispanic, Italian, and black population. In the basic bolita game, 100 small numbered balls are placed into a bag and mixed thoroughly, and bets are taken on which number will be drawn. Many variations on this theme were created. Bets were typically very small and sometimes sold well in advance, and the game could be rigged, by having extra balls of a given number or not including others at all. Other means of cheating included having certain balls filled with lead so they'd sink to the bottom of the bag, or putting certain balls in ice beforehand so they'd be cold and therefore easy for the selector to find by touch.
 
History
Bolita was brought to Tampa, Florida in the 1880s, and flourished in Ybor City's many Latin saloons. Though the game was illegal in Florida, thousands of dollars in bribes to politicians and law enforcement officials kept the game running out in the open.  The alleged king of Bolita in the 1920s was Tampa native, Charlie Wall. Later, Italian mafiosi Santo Trafficante, Sr. and Santo Trafficante, Jr. also figured prominently in the Florida bolita games.
Bolita was widely played in Miami in the middle of the 20th century.
Bolita has been illegal in Cuba since the Cuban Revolution, but a form of the game based on the results of the Florida Lottery is still played by many Cubans.
 
Cigar City chronicles Tampa's cigar industry and immigrant communities while featuring one of the most extensive cigar memorabilia collections in the world.

El Lector.... The Job of Reading to the Workers
A History of the Cigar Factory Reader

http://www.utexas.edu/utpress/excerpts/extinell.html

From the above site an article states:

 "People speak ill of the cigar workers because they do not understand the value of the job these workers do, nor are they capable of doing with their own hands any sort of work; nor can these people understand at all the value of a life that is both free and respectable."

 With his customary brilliance, Martí was aware of oral reading by the Lector in workshops and the enrichment it afforded the employees and thus adds:

"This woman or man, who defied death for years on end, who is well versed and discerning with regard to the classics of history and literature, who fearlessly speaks their mind in a living language that naturalness and honor tend to endow with literary beauty, earns their daily bread . . . in a  leather chair, before a leaf-stripping barrel."

 There is no doubt that reading aloud—especially in the context of the overwhelming monotony to be found at a leaf-stripping workshop—not only educates, but also enriches the spirit." 

  A Land Remembered, inspired by Patrick Smith’s novel by the same name, this area includes a replica pioneer cabin, original artifacts, and a hands-on Discovery Center.

 

What really makes a person a true Florida Cracker

(besides being born in the state)? Several things:

A love of  the land and nature, growing things in soil,

close family ties, and a deep sense of religion.

It also means cracklin' bread and grits and periwinkle soup and swamp cabbage

and  okra gumbo and ham hocks with collard greens and chicken fried in a

cast iron skillet and guava jelly and homemade blackberry cobbler... 

Reading the description of a 'Florida Cracker', I find the last item is part of my natural inheritance....."....it means la, la, la, and a love of homemade blackberry cobbler". Yum, Yum!

       (Early 1600s)

Silver from the New World

Spanish colonists sought wealth in the new world, mainly through the mining of precious metals.
This silver ingot came from Potosi, Peru, and was among the artifacts found with the Atocha shipwreck.
http://www.newworldtreasures.com/atochastory.htm

Cowmen & Crackers showcases Florida’s cattle ranching history,

 putting viewers in the middle of an actual cattle drive.

People often ask me after hearing my 'accent', "Are you from Tennesse, Georgia etc.?"

I always answer "Yes, I'm from the deep south, Florida, and proud of it!" 

En~veritably they will answer, "Florida is not Southern."

   " Come on Now, Gimme a break, You'll!"

Yes, you have had a 'History' lesson for today....

Florida History...about the 'deep south'!

To Our Dear Terry In Kenya, Africa.....We Love You!

Proud to be AMERICAN!

Yesterday as I went to the Military BX and Commissary,
I was struck anew, at the 'normalcy' of patriotic messages
on the vehicles in every parking lot.



                   My Favorite

 THIS is Patriotism in ACTION....in Afghanistan and PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN...
OUR HEROES!!!!

Digital Toys allow me to 'Share my Faith'....see test below....

Click on Play Arrow...

Our Precious 'Chuckie/Turk' going to 1st Grade!

Turk with Mom, Melissa Jo     Chuckie IV with Dad, Chuck III 

Authenticity

Sometimes I am asked why my blog does not have more of our 'daily problems' or situations where 'things go wrong' or 'somebody done somebody wrong kind of song' experiences.
Well, of course, this DOES happen and is normal in any life, family, relationship or church.
No culture or race is immune to such.
Actually you can watch TV or read the news for that kind of happening.
In my life and in the lives of the family, friends and people who come and go in our lives, there remains  one constant refrain. 
Our FAITH and experiences with God, our Father, Jesus His Son,our Restorer to our Father, and the Holy Spirit of Jesus who is in our heart and mind constantly and forever,
is the reason we live successfully and happily even when we fail from time to time....
This is the Good News for all of us.
Out of this we live and move and have our being....daily.
In addition, I'm reading this morning from one of my favorite books of the Bible, Philippians the Joy Book.....
This is the way I think, feel, write and live....
Phillipians 4:8 Living Bible gives me my 'heart therapy'......
....."Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right.
       Think about things that are pure and lovely, and DWELL on the
        fine, good things in others.
        Think about ALL you can praise God for and BE GLAD ABOUT!!!"

NOW THAT IS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!!!!!!

  

How BIG is Your God?????

The Tale of Jonah and the Whale seems kinda 'un~believeable' ......far~fetched.

Try explaining that one to a curious 5 yr. old!!!!

Yet, I learned this at a early age in Sunday School and just 'believed' without any thought

of whether it was true or not....

Now today I'm reading my Bible and into the 2nd Chapter:verse 10, of Johan it says very clearly

this.....

".....And the Lord ORDERED the fish

to spit up Jonah on the beach,

AND HE DID!"

Takes a BIG God to 'give an order' and have it obeyed, immediately!

YET THAT IS EXACTLY THE KIND OF GOD WE SERVE AS THE ONE AND

ONLY  TRUE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE....

Going back to Genesis it began....

just read the very first chapter alone and it says,

Then God said,

"Let there be light."

And light appeared.

Eight times in the 1st chapter of Genesis it says....

"Then God said...."

This is throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelations....

"Then God spoke...and it happened..."

Why should the incident with Jonah be a surprise to us

when it is a 'natural', super~natural, event

for our God?

We serve a  prayer hearing, prayer answering,

Miracle Working God...

Says so in the Bible.

Really the question should not be about 'How BIG God is...'

but should be...

"How BIG is our Faith in God, Jesus and His Holy Spirit

to be GOD completely natural and normal in us?"

My Prayer Today

"Dear Lord, I pray for my areas of 'unbelief' and You alone,

know where I have 'lack of faith', limited faith, wishy~washy faith and 'doubting faith.'

I know that Your Word says that Jesus is the 'Author' and 'Finisher'

of our Faith, so I am depending on You, Jesus,

to complete that which is lacking in me...

I know simply that I  believe in You, Jesus,

so let's get on with the job at hand beginning where I am now, today.

I ask this, in faith, believing that You will finish

what has been started in me, on planet earth.

In Jesus Love, I expect Your usual, unusual

Miracle work in me...

Amen

My Promise

Luke 12:6-7Amplified Bible (AMP)

^{Jesus speaks.....6"}Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And yet not one of them is forgotten or uncared for in the presence of God.
⁷But  even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
 Do not be struck with fear or seized with alarm;
 you are of greater worth than many flocks of sparrows."

Fun Time with Joshua & Dylan aka: JJ & TuTu

Saturday, Charlie & I, had special time with JJ & TuTu, Brittney's two wonderful sons.
Britt was busy so they stayed with us in our home ALL day...
We had previously planned to 'take them here...and take them there' but instead decided to let them see what they wanted to do...
Joshua, the whiz kid, always has his mind on something....now Dylan, wild child, is another story.
I knew he had to be 'worn~out' or there would be too much energy flying around:)
So early morn, Dylan and I went out back by the pool and started a 'cleaning project' in a storage bench, and it all became a teaching lesson as well....we taught  each other.
A tiny baby frog had to be 're~located' to the outside jungle area.   Then a small baby lizard (they are everywhere here and eat bugs etc.) was fascinating to Dylan.
I told Dylan that if the tail of the lizard got broken off, that it would grow back!
Explaining that certain animals such as earthworms, lizards and starfish can grow new heads, tails, and other body parts when injured, opened up a whole day of 'questions'....
I should have known!!!!!
...."MaMa, if this little lizard is lost from his Mommy and Daddy, can he 'smell' where they are?
Or will his Mommy and Daddy 'smell' where their baby is?"
YOU try answering these profound questions that will give 'peace of mind' in truth to a very curious and lively 5 yr. old?????"
Needless to say, we stayed busy, working, talking then playing in and out of the pool with the water hose going wild at 'unlikely' times!
Course we stopped for snacks and ....more chatter.
Big Brother, 10 year old JJ,  was happy being left alone in peace.   Pops was doing 'car work' somewhere....
Finally the energy level  had dropped, mine not his so much, and we decided to come inside and I suggested to Joshua that we watch the family DVD that I had created showing his first 5 years birthday celebrations, back to back on one DVD.
.......He was fascinated at the 1st year Winnie~the~Pooh party, (see pic below on the TV set in background) of the messy little boy who sat in a high chair slinging birthday cake everywhere and hearing Uncle Chad say, "I'm glad this is not at my house!"
I told him that he was the 'center of attention' at all family events (and he saw this to be true) for many years....On his 5th birthday, with his Nena Lynn and Cindy and Pops and I, we took him to swim with the Manatee....oh, how he had grown in 5 years and looked much like he does today...
....He reminded me that we had also taken him recently for his 10th birthday to 'swim with the dolphins' in Cozumel.  JJ wanted to know what he would swim with on his 15th birthday...
Only time will tell.....
Meanwhile, Wild Child, wanted to know about every party, "Was I still in my Mommy's tummy"?

All in all, Joshua seemed to 'fall in love' with the cute little guy that was the 'life of the party' and dressed so cute, and talked crazy, ('Shut Up, Bear!' at Chuck~e~Cheese loud band ordeal. Then 'shut up' bad word!)

Moral of the Story (as they used to say).....Time stands still....FOR NO ONE!!!!
Enjoy the Moment and times with those we love....They are 'priceless'.....  (JJ watching himself)

 "Who is that 'messy' baby?"   ***Click on photo to enlarge

Brother Dylan had fun seeing his 'big' brother as a messy baby...

Dylan, The Question Box Kid!

Dylan says  'Hello to Mommy'..