Food Fenway and Fun Part II

We had beautiful weather for our trip which was so nice because ...

I am a nervous flyer and my friend here fastens his seat belt and then does this!  He does hold my hand when I need him too.

In Atlanta Carl let Andrew have his seat and he sat a few seats behind us.  Andrew and I looked out the window- we saw NYC, we listened to my music and we visited.

Our first restaurant-

We got three different plates and shared the food.  The brisket was my favorite.

This is inside our motel.  It looked magical.                                                                                          

 

We ate Cannoli and Lobster Tail and Boston Cream Pie cupcakes- YUM

This restaurant is called Bogie's.  It is reservation only!  Ours was for 9:00 pm. There is room for about 12 folks in the place at one time.  It is in the back of another restaurant and they serve steak and sides.  It was one of the best steaks I've even eaten.  Andrew is not put off by what I consider shady places and this one looked shady to me and I was out of my comfort zone but the food was amazing. That was the end of our first day and I slept well that night!  Saturday we went to the Museum of Fine Art.  Pictures tomorrow !

Maroon 5 fun

A fun happy video!  You will be singing this song all day!

hat tip to my son Andrew who shared this with us

Miss Adorable, swinging really high and St Louis

This past weekend Carl and I were able to go to St Louis and meet our new granddaughter.  How precious to meet someone so new.

Here is Marisa with her daughter, the fabulous Miss Adorable.  Marisa is holding a print that Kaitlin gave her for Marisa's birthday which was May 17th.  The print is by Mindy Lacefield .  Kaitlin and Marisa both knew Mindy at UALR and now Kaitlin has the privilege of working with her.  Both love her work and this picture made Kaitlin think of Marisa.  Marisa was thrilled to have this print.

Here I am introducing myself to my granddaughter.  I told her that we will play paper dolls and have tea parties and play dressup.   She smiled!

On May 17, 1982 I was in St Louis at this hospital giving birth to Andrew.  John and Marisa live near here.  As we drove to the park to take Mr Wonderful we made a quick stop to get this photo on May 17 2014.  32 years- hard to believe.  I am so thankful for all the joy that God has given our family through Andrew.

How do I love Mr Wonderful,? Let me count the ways... I love his little voice and all his words.  I love seeing life through his wonder of it all- birds, dogs and the thrill of swinging.  Gpapa did get that swing too high for me and I did ask him, for my sake, to not push W so high.  There were several children that wanted Gpapa to push them but their mothers said NO.  He was too busy with W anyway!

 Since I can't stand and run like he and Gpapa can I would find a bench close by as they played.  Mr Wonderful always kept track of me and if he couldn't see me he would call out Bubbles?  Bubbles?  I would head his way so he could see me then he was okay.  Other children asked their mothers where the bubbles were, saying they heard someone say bubbles?  I just smiled!!!!

Below Mr Wonderful is watching Frozen.  He loves the movie except the part with the monster.  John doesn't miss a beat as he carries on a conversation and provide protection for his son at the same time.  so precious.

Miss Adorable was awake and looking all around!

Below is a moment I caught when Gpapa and W are sliding.  Check out the grins on both their faces.  I hope W always thinks that his Gpapa can do anything!  I just wish you could hear the laughter that these two shared!

  I did let Gpapa hold Miss A for a few minutes so she could meet her amazing Gpapa!  All she knows is love and being taken care of and isn't that a wonderful thing and how it should be.

So I am home now and planning our next trip and what I should take to St Louis.  Children are such a great blessing!

A Christmas Carol, The amazing Race and you

From the book of Genesis we know that we are made in the image of God.  Because of this 'imprint' that we have we see the redemptive story all around us- movies, books and TV shows to name a few.  One such movie is A Christmas Carol- I love all the different renditions. Why is that movie so popular? It is a picture of me and you.  I once was lost but now am found!

I've recently been watching one of Andrew's favorite TV shows and to me it is a picture- veiled and through a mirror dimly-of our Christian life.

The show is called The Amazing Race.  11 teams of two, race around the world in competition with the other teams.  The Teams travel to and within multiple countries in a variety of transportation modes.  Clues are provided in each leg that lead the teams to their next destination or direct them to perform a task.  These challenges are related in some manner to the country wherein they are located.  Contestants strive to arrive first at the end of each leg to win prizes but also the team that arrives last has the possibility of being eliminated..

Hebrews 12:1 Therefore since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witness, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

I Corinthians 9:24  Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.

We are in an Amazing Race!!  What is our goal?  To love the Lord thy God with all my heart, soul and mind and for me to love you as much as I love me!  The Catechism's first question is What is man's chief end?  Man's chief end is to Glorify God and enjoy Him forever.  One day we will see Jesus!  One day we will BE with Jesus!!  What a prize we have set before us!

Just like in the TV show as we travel through life we encounter Challenges, Road blocks, and Detours.

The teams we enjoy the most are those that take the time to realize that they are traveling in a place or doing an activity that they never would have done before and may never do it again.  A book that encourages us to do this in our lives is Ann Voskamp's 1000 Gifts . Her premise is to be thankful for the things that are right here right now.  She wants us to be very present with our gratitude. Life is hard but in the thankfulness of the moment I reset my eyes to the prize that is set before me and that helps me endure/ succeed/continue on with the tasks that are set before me.

I recently saw this on a blog/web site I follow.  Christy Jordan is The Southern Plate.  I feel like I know her.  I enjoy all that she writes because she is so encouraging.  This past summer as she was on her family vacation in of all places- Arkansas, she was thrown off a horse and broke both her legs.  Let me make sure you read that right- Broke BOTH her legs.  Oh my!!!  I wondered if she would still be her encouraging self during all of this.  I was not disappointed.  One day she wrote about all those things that we do for our children that we really shouldn't but it is just easier, well, she had to say to her children that mama can't help you today because I've got two broken legs!!!  Also at the beginning of school when the school is begging for volunteers she had to tell them that she couldn't help because she had two broken legs!!  She was able to find humor and thankfulness in a very hard situation.

The other characteristic that we enjoy seeing on the TV show is when the teams encourage their teammates.  They tell them that they can do it!  Keep your eyes on the prize!!

The apostle Paul gives us encouragement for keeping our eyes on the prize-

Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

II Cor 4:17  For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison   

Do you think that what you undergo is more than slight momentary affliction?  Listen from II Corinthians 11 what slight momentary affliction Paul went through- 5 times of 40 lashes less 1, 3 times beaten by rods, once stoned, 3 times shipwrecked, a night and day adrift at sea, frequent journeys in danger from rivers, robbers, his own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers, in toil and hardship through many sleepless nights, in hunger and in thirst often without food, in cold and exposure.  And apart from other things there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.  I would say that he knows a little about affliction!

How can we see this on our amazing race?  When we come along side of each other as we go through the challenges and tasks of life.

My friend, Linda, broke her hip a few months before her youngest child, a daughter, got married.  I took a meal to her and found her in the midst of flurry of activity as she sat in a chair and directed, as others did tasks that she physically couldn't do.  Her friends came along side her so that she could finish the challenge that was set before her and not get bogged down.  I was so encouraged by them.

My friend, Faith, delivered a son at 20 weeks.  His name was Alex.  I was on the phone with Faith as she was in the hospital getting ready for the delivery.  I was helping her get her other two children situated.  As we were nearing the end of our conversation, I was at a loss.  I could tell my friend that I loved her and that I was praying for her but I couldn't relate to the exact feelings she was feeling.  Before we hung up someone came into her room, it was a another friend from church, Renee.  I heard such relief in Faith's voice because Renee could offer the comfort I couldn't.  Renee has lost several children and could offer words and hugs that ministered greatly to Faith.  How that ministered to me also!!

Life is hard.  We are faced with tasks, challenges, road blocks and detours that can be overwhelming.  Failed marriages, wayward children, death of a loved one, loss of a friendship, car wreck and just the general busyness of life.

So today on your Amazing Race

1- Look around for those you can cheer on to completion, those you can encourage
2- Be thankful for your challenges and in them name things that you are thankful for
3- Realize that this is 'slight momentary affliction' and we are being prepared for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison!

Your task at hand is not the end, Seeing Jesus is!!!

A guest post from Andrew!!

Since my mom started her blog, she has asked me to write periodically for her. I have written for her once, but between work, traveling, and general laziness, I have not written for her as often as I should. So therefore I am making 12 blog posts for BubblesandMoney one of my 2013 New Year’s resolutions. I am writing this as part of a blog because they say that if you tell someone about your resolutions, they will hold you accountable for them. So if you don’t see my post in a given month, let me know, and I will get to writing.

The topics of my blogs will be completely random. I will write about history, sports, travel, books, growing up, Savannah, and much more. If you have a topic you want me to cover, post it in a comment and I will do my best to put some thoughts together. Also, I would love to do a blog post in December made up entirely of questions, so please post your questions in comments throughout the year. Unless it is an urgent request, I will save them for an answer-all at the end of the year.

I am looking forward to sharing sometime with whoever reads these, thank you for taking your time. And now, on to January…

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For my January post I am writing this in honor of my friend, Chris Rushing. Chris and I met in the spring of 2002 when he started at Auburn, and we had been friends ever since. We shared many of the same passions, we argued like brothers, and will always be friends. There have been many fitting tributes to Chris since he passed on Christmas day, in both video and written form. I could attempt to write about what Chris meant to me and how he will be missed, but I think the best way to honor Chris is to share memories with you, because Chris and I loved sitting around and reminiscing. These are memories that have come to me since Chris’s passing, some immediate and some only in the quiet moments that I have something I wished I could text him. There are 11 of them; one for each year we were friends. I hope you will enjoy the memories as much as I have.

1.     THE WEEKEND: In 2008, after Taylor and I moved to Valdosta, Chris and I took a trip to Florida for Spring Training baseball. On Friday we spent the day at Universal Studios: Island of Adventure, on Saturday we went to Red Sox spring training in Fort Myers, FL, and on Sunday we went to Dodgers Spring Training in Vero Beach, FL. Of all the fun we had on the trip, we started watching “My Big Redneck Wedding” on Saturday afternoon and we could not stop. Our favorite episode included this line from the groom’s vows, “I wish I could put your love in a locket, ‘cause your hotter than a Hot Pocket”. For the next 4 years we texted quotes and pictures from Redneck Wedding to each other. If you catch it on CMT, you will not be disappointed.

2.     The Swimming Pool at the Days Inn: One April morning, before the swimming pools opened for Memorial Day, we decided that we wanted to go swimming. The only pool we could think of was at the Days Inn. We asked a very nice lady who was leaving her hotel room if she would cover for us while we swam and she agreed. To say the water was cold would be a massive understatement. Once we were all in the pool, we proceeded to convince Chris to get in the pool. After much teasing, begging, and bargaining, Chris jumped in the pool. What happened next became the stuff of lore amongst our group. After his toe hit the water, Chris walked across the water to the other side of the pool. We cannot explain how he did it, but everyone who was there will swear he walked on water.

3.     Auburn: Of the thousands of memories of Chris and me at Auburn, one I always enjoyed was studying for finals at the Auburn Grill on College Street. We would get up the morning of finals and spend our last few minutes eating eggs and bacon studying our various subjects. One time the service was so poor, I took our glasses and walked behind the counter to fill them up. Our waitress then began handing me other glasses to fill. We laughed about that all the time. The Grill closed after we left and became Auburn Art, but I always enjoyed eating there.

4.     Baseball: Chris and I loved baseball. One of the memories I will always have of Chris is listening to “Centerfield” by John Fogerty at the start of baseball season, he loved that song. One time on a trip to a Braves game, Chris made a mix CD (I know, pre-iPod) that contained nothing but “Centerfield”. Throughout college Chris and I would drive to Atlanta to see the Braves play or go to Plainsmen Park to watch Auburn play. Our two favorite memories were watching the Braves turn a triple play in a game against San Diego and seeing Javon Moran steal home against Alabama. Chris and I often talked of going to Omaha to see Auburn play. I will go next time they make it in his honor. So many good memories of Chris and I revolve around baseball games.

5.     Wendy’s in Cincinnati: When I go on a road trip, I love eating at local restaurants. I do not want to travel to eat at Applebee’s (nothing against Applebee’s if it’s your favorite). Shortly after graduation, Chris and I took a road trip to Cincinnati. We spent the night in Louisville, went to the Louisville Slugger factory and then continued on to see the Reds and the Braves play two games. Throughout the trip, I made Chris eat at all manner of local Louisville and Cincinnati restaurants. Let me preface this by saying, Chris was not a very adventurous eater, AT ALL. He subsisted on Hamburgers, Steak, French Fries, and…that’s about it. On the last day, as we’re walking back to our hotel from the baseball game, we passed by a Wendy’s. Chris looked at me with a panic in his eyes and said, “You have to stop and let me get a Wendy’s hamburger”. So we sat in Wendy’s in downtown Cincinnati so Chris could have a hamburger.

6.     Auburn 2004 Football Season: In 2004, Auburn finished 13-0 in football. Robert, Chris, and I went to each game together with a group of friends. My absolute favorite trip was to Knoxville, TN. Auburn steamrolled Tennessee, and Chris and I got to sit together to witness the game. We tailgated before the game, Junior Rosegreen became the only color that mattered (another longer story), and we capped it off at Waffle House and then an all night drive back to Auburn. We pulled into town as the sun rose on Sunday morning. We had many best trips that year, but Tennessee may have been my favorite.

7.     Intramural Softball: One of our goals in college was to win an intramural softball championship. The closest we ever came was the semifinals of the playoffs, but that does not mean we did not have fun trying. There was the time Shawn injured Libby, his girlfriend at the time, twice in the same practice. Or when I almost got kicked out of the game because our shortstop, Andy Shores, yelled at the umpire (Chris talked the umpire out of kicking me off). Or the time I hit my only home run ever, Chris and Robert laughed that it was the fastest I have ever run. Although we did not win the championship, we had a fun time trying.

8.     2006 Football Trip: In 2006, Chris and I went to at least one football game in every SEC football stadium. The trip included 16 games in 14 weekends and an estimated 4500 miles driven. As with Auburn’s 2004 football season and Auburn, there are too many memories from the 2006 trip to recount them all, however, two of my favorites are the “Thrash Can” and Hot Brown. On our way to the Georgia vs. South Carolina game in Columbia, SC, we stopped outside of Atlanta for a bathroom and gas break. In the bathroom there was a piece of paper taped to the waste basket labeling it the “Thrash Can”. Given the state of the bathroom, “Thrash Can” became a moniker for anything nasty on the trip. I would still get “Thrash Can” texts from Chris whenever he passed that particular TEXACO. Hot Brown, on the other hand, is a dish in Kentucky that consists of Toast, Sawmill Gravy, Bacon, Turkey, Cheese Sauce and Tomato. When we travelled to Lexington for the football game, I wanted to try Hot Brown. Although it was not the most appetizing thing I have ever eaten, Chris and I always had a good time joking about Hot Brown.

9.     Flag Football at the SEC Championship Game: Every year at Fanfare for the SEC Championship Game, Regions Bank erects a 25-yard football field for games of flag football. In both 2004 and 2010, Chris and I attempted to win one of these games and were thwarted both times by sub-par teammates. Chris retired from SEC Championship Flag Football after our defeat in 2010, although I enjoy looking at the picture from 2004.

10.  The Big Bang Theory: Chris and I started watching How I Met Your Mother together when the show started. The writers for the show lost their way in the middle and I fell away from the show, but Chris and I always enjoyed the Big Bang Theory. We would text lines from episodes and share funny moments on phone calls.

11.  Spades with Robert and Jennifer: The only time I have ever seen Robert angry! Chris and I were partners in a game of spades against Robert and Jennifer. Chris and I table-talked our way to a fairly substantial lead in the game. In order to catch up, Robert decided to go Nil (intentionally taking no tricks in return for a large number of points). On the first play of the hand, Jennifer played the 2 of clubs. Chris and I quickly followed with the 3 and 4 of clubs, leaving Robert no choice but to play his King of clubs. On the next card, Jennifer played the Ace of clubs. Chris and I would still tell the story just to see the steam from Robert’s ears.

In closing, I leave you with two thoughts; one for me and one for Chris. The movie “Shawshank Redemption” is one of my favorite movies, I highly recommend the TBS version of the movie (the rented version has some rough parts). The movie follows Andy Duframe as he is falsely convicted of murder, sentenced to life in prison, negotiates the prison environment in Shawshank, and finally escapes to Mexico. My favorite scene of the movie occurs at the end, after Andy has escaped, as his best friend Red reminiscences. During the scene, Red says…

Those of us who knew him best talk about him often. I swear, the stuff he pulled... Sometimes it makes me sad, though, Andy being gone. I have to remind myself that some birds aren't meant to be caged. Their feathers are just too bright and when they fly away, the part of you that knows it was a sin to lock them up does rejoice, but still, the place you live in is that much more drab and empty that they're gone. I guess I just miss my friend.

That is how I feel, I just miss my friend.

Finally, this quote comes from the funeral oratory of Dr. Andrew Gifford, delivered by Rev. John Ryland, however, it stands true for Chris.

Farewell, thou dear old man! We leave thee in possession of death till the resurrection day: but we will bear witness against thee, oh king of terrors, at the mouth of this dungeon; thou shalt not always have possession of this dead body; it shall be demanded of thee by the great Conqueror, and at that moment thou shalt resign thy prisoner. Oh ye ministers of Christ, ye people of God, ye surrounding spectators, prepare, prepare to meet this old servant of Christ, at that day, at that hour, when this whole place shall be all nothing, but life and death shall be swallowed up in victory.

Behold the Lamb of God tour- Ryman

 As I have said before, my son, Andrew, introduced us to the music of Andrew Peterson and we have evermore been blessed by it in many ways.  Andrew Peterson is a story teller and his songs really speak to me.  He wrote songs for a Christmas album called Behold the Lamb of God.  Stop right now and buy it.  You won't be sorry for a minute.  We have seen Andrew Peterson in concert when he came to LR but have always wanted to see the Behold the Lamb of God tour.  We've toyed with seeing if we can bring it to LR.  With Kaitlin's encouragement to see the tour at the Ryman in Nashville, Carl got us tickets.  We planned to head out on Saturday and come home on Sunday.  Our weekend got squeezed into one day-well 19 hours.  We left about 9am Sunday and got home about 4am on Monday.  I would do it all again!!

We met my dear, dear, friend, KathyB for supper and then she went to the concert with us.

 Our seats were on the ground floor of the Ryman.  Here is Andrew Peterson.  The concert is broken into two parts.  The first part every musician that is with the tour gets introduced and plays two songs. The second part is the Behold the Lamb music.  Sally Lloyd-Jones introduced the second part of the concert by reading from one of her books.  That was so cool!!

 Here is Jill Phillips.  She sings one of my favorite songs on Behold the Lamb about Mary.

 One of the reason to see TBTLOG concert in Nashville is the lights and special effects and several artists join in the concert that may not be on the tour.  This year Steven Curtis Chapman sang with the group along with his son.  His individual songs that he sang in the first part of the concert made me cry because he talked about the Connecticut shootings and making it through the loss of a child.  He shared how the Gospel that is shared in Christmas story is the healing power of God and that is how you make it.

During the concert The audience was encouraged to sing.  We sang Christmas songs and It Is Well With My Soul.  Can you say very moving??  I am ready to go next year.  I want to take lots of you with me.  You should plan to go too!  You won't be disappointed.

AR Civil War 150- Gaze and Graze- last one!!!

Saturday morning we got up and headed down the road to where we used to live.  We lived near Pine Bluff for 10 years.  Andrew wanted to see our old house, the baseball field and the library.  I didn't put up a picture of our house because I don't know who lives there.  He was surprised how short the road to our house was.








Our library has a new front!!

We then went to the Pine Bluff Museum.  We had been there before but neither one of us remembered much that was there.  The building is an old railroad depot.

We remember seeing her swing when she up on a billboard.

I loved this super sized poster and wish I had one! 

 Since we had already been to one Depot we decided to take a picture inside by the poster that I wanted.

 A wonderful Confederate cemetery near Sulfur Springs.  Their tomb to the unknown soldier was very moving.  My pictures don't do it justice.  Look how well kept the grave markers are.  Uncle John- look where this guy died!

 Our last stop!  Here we are getting our last stamp.  She had never seen one completed and asked about our journey.  She was tickled to be a part of it.

These are the remains of a WWII plane that went down near here.

Lots of fun animals here.  An otter for Kaitlin!

 One of the many great thing about doing this trip the way we did it is the things we saw in one place were repeated or more info was added in another.  The above picture is the only place we saw the one star confederate flag that we saw the words for the song for in Prescott, that Andrew told me was the only song that was not allowed to be played after the war.


This is the battle site for this stamp.

Here is our completed passport!

Our last picture!!!!

What a trip of a life time!  Andrew, I am ready for our next trip!

AR Civil War 150 trip- Gaze and Graze 50!

 I realized when I started doing this post that Andrew and I covered some ground on Friday the 19th!  We woke up at our cabin on Lake Chicot.  We didn't take our picture til that morning.  Notice the jackets we had to don because the temps dropped and it was chilly.

We saw many downed trees as we drove that day.

There are 23 sites to be seen and stamps to get in the passport we did, but there are also 39 others sites near those 23 that we did many of.  One that is near Lake Village is the fighting that took place near the Ditch Bayou- who thinks of these names???
In this battle the Union soldiers had had enough of the Confederate troops sniping their ships as they came around the bends in the river at Lake Village.  The Confederate troops would fire at ships from one bend in the river then as the ship went further down the river they were waiting there too.  The Union sent in several thousand troops to stop this problem.  The Confederate forces set up just past a bayou that was hidden in the tall grass.  Many of the Union troops ended up in the bayou.  They lost many that day.



Our first stop of the day was the Japanese American Relocation camp site.  Very well done. You truly get a picture of how it was set up.

cemetery for those who died here

Besides the cemetery the only other thing left from the camp is a tower.  It is located between the break in the trees in the picture above.  It was on the other side of the camp.

a faux guard tower-very well done.

We came to Arkansas Post many times with all the children.  Andrew has very fond memories of what all he learned here.  They have a very informative movie and lots of open spaces.

I love Hudson Bay Blankets.  I have one that was my daddy's and Carl bought me one a few years ago.  It was fun to some here.

Andrew took about 5 shots of us at every stop.  We got into saluting.  I love the smiles on our faces.  Notice the jackets, the wind was whipping off the water.

This next stop was where the deadliest single shot of the entire Civil War took place.  We are in St. Charles, AR.  The museum was well done.  I loved the above diorama so we could see how the river played a part in the town and the war.  We had a very informative lady stamp our passports. She even told us where a Confederate cannon was that had be brought up out of the river.

  The monument above in at the spot where the deadliest shot was fired.  A confederate cannon fired a shot that hit the boiler of a Union tin clad that was sailing down the river.  It blew up and killed the 149 men on board.  The placement of the monument was funny to me because it is in the middle of the road!  Below is the Confederate canon.

Here is a spot that Andrew found to eat. It is on highway 49 in Barton.  It was yummy!!!  Highly recommend.

Andrew and I then went to Helena/ West Helena.  There were two stamping sites here.  The first we visited was the Delta Cultural Center.  Lots of stuff on Jazz and very cleverly displayed.  They have very nice restrooms too!

Andrew and I took a picture on the front porch that is set up inside for musicians to gather and play.

Next we went to the Philips County Museum.  Again another diorama telling of the importance of the water.  This was a very important area for both sides in the Civil War.  Below, Andrew and I are standing in a replica of a fort that stood in the city.  The fort stood, during the Civil War, on the land that the Baptist Church is currently on.

Andrew is getting our passports stamps by the cutest stamper ever.  She told us all about the museum.

After the museum, we drove all around the city looking at other sites.  We then went to the Confederate cemetery.  It was beautiful.  Several of the generals pictured above are buried here.

On our way home, Andrew and I stopped at the Louisiana Purchase State Park.  We were here about 20 years ago and much has been done to improve it.  I didn't know that baseline road in Little Rock was just that, a baseline for the Louisiana Purchase.

Whew!  Andrew and I had a busy Friday and we are just two stamps away from a full passport!  We spent the night at home and slept well!  Last day tomorrow!