Heading North for Christmas

The car is packed, Bill is taking a nap, and I can hardly contain myself until we get on the road to Arkansas!

Our first stop will be in Searcy where Bill and I will be proudly witnessing our son Levi receive his Master's Degree from Harding Graduate School. He has worked so incredibly hard and continued to be an involved husband, daddy and businessman while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. Way to go Levi!! Zeke, Cliff and William are already in Searcy helping them move and attending graduation.

Then Monday we will head a little further north to Bentonville to see the rest of our family. I'm counting on lots of hugs, laughing, stories and probably some tears.

Many of you have been praying for my niece Danielle who was in a very serious accident earlier this week and broke her neck in 3 places. She was released from the hospital today and got to go home!! Praise to God and thank you for your prayers.

Here's my sweet gorgeous niece in the brace she will be wearing for about 3 months:

I'm not posting pictures of the truck she was in...they make everyone cry. We are so thankful she is alive. Again, praise to God!

I'm so excited about being with my children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces and their families AND my Dad and Judy! They will be celebrating their wedding anniversary before I get back home.

Mr. & Mrs. Carl Lamp
Merry Christmas to all, and to all lots of love, good health and safe travels!!

Thanksgiving memories 2008

Driving home from Searcy, AR after a fabulous visit Bill and I talked about our visit and I wrote several posts in my head that I couldn't hardly wait to actually put on our blog. The closer we got to home, the more I convinced myself that I wasn't really all that tired...I would get on the computer right away and before the weekend was officially over, our account of the holiday with our family and and brand new granddaughter would be out here for everyone to read!!!

Then my tummy started feeling sort of grumbly...and I thought maybe I was hungry...lunch had been several hours earlier after all. So we ran through Wendy's and grabbed a bite that we could eat on the road as the trip was getting longer and longer. My tummy didn't really like that chicken sandwich too much and instead of grumbling, started making funny noises and sort of jabbing me kind of hard. By the time we drove up in front of the house a couple of hours later, it was twisting like an iron pretzel and I was beginning to perspire. Let's just say I'm probably never going to eat a Wendy's chicken sandwich anytime in the near future...or beef noodle soup from Cracker Barrel (lunch) or a Chili's big mouth burger bites (dinner the night before)....because none of them are good the second time around!

I haven't mentioned yet that Bill was sick pretty much the entire time we were in Searcy, and I finally got him to a doctor on Saturday who loaded him up with medication for upper respiratory and sinus infection. The same day I was able to keep down sips of water, my head and chest started filling up with the same gunky stuff that Bill had...he's such a generous man! Both of us are doing well now though and just have some remnants of the same stuff everyone has with this crazy weather pattern we're having...83 degrees in the afternoon and 4 hours later 39 degrees and sleeting!

On to the good stuff though....here are pictures from Thanksgiving 2008 at Vi Carson's house (Laura's mom). She has graciously opened her home to us for the past couple of years and you couldn't ask for a better hostess or one who makes you feel more like family!

Vi Carson, Levi, Laura, Bill, Laura, Alicia (Laura's sister), Madi (Alicia's daughter)
sorry you can't see Andy
========
Our beautiful, beautiful granddaughter Carrigan!
With her Grandpa
Her Uncle Andy
Grandma with both of her grandbabies


There was lots of football in the backyard with Gavin, Grandpa, Uncle Andy and Daddy

Grandma had a great time getting to know her grandson Gavin a little better!

I loved it
when he
warmed up
to me enough
to take my
hand for
a little walk!!