Betty

My (favorite) sister-in-law Betty came to SA for a visit!! The day she arrived it was rather dreary and damp and she'd been driving for about 10 hours, so we just visited and went to Alamo Cafe for dinner. I was so excited she was here, I couldn't sleep :)

Sunday morning we went to Church where she got to meet lots of "brothers and sisters" who've been praying for Betty's daughter Danielle, and her whole family. Sunday was a beautiful Texas day, so we decided to spend a few hours at the ball park where the SA Missions took on the Tulsa Drillers and whupped 'em!




















Monday we spent the afternoon at Market Square and the Riverwalk shopping, shopping, shopping. Oh yeah, and eating at the Iron Cactus, a restaurant Rebecca, Bill's niece, introduced us to. They have the best guacamole I've ever tasted!!

Tuesday we had a lazy morning and then spent the rest of the day in San Marcos at the outlet malls. We barely scratched the surface since that mall is sooo big, but we shopped hard and long arriving home just as Bill was going to bed, with our packages secretly hidden in the back of my car....shh ;)

Wednesday afternoon we headed downtown to the Alamo for the TEA party. Glenn Beck spoke and aired his live television show from the Alamo. Ted Nugent was on hand playing our National Anthem. What a crowd of people!!! There were signs everywhere, people of all ages and a lot of energy in the air!! My favorite sign said "I AM NOT YOUR ATM!" However, I failed to get a picture of it. Here are a couple..
























I took these with my phone; quality isn't great and lots of them didn't come out. Of course that's just a little glimpse of the crowd.

Betty walked through the crowd more than I did and saw people in costumes, more signs and really got the feel of all the positive energy. It was a very exciting place to be. BTW...look at the size of that cactus...cool huh!?!

After the TEA party, we met Bill at the church building for dinner and then went to Bible Class where we are watching the Mark Gungor DVD presentation "Laugh Yourself to a Better Marriage". And laugh we did...that guy is hilarious. Then we headed home. It was April 15, so I had to finish our taxes and get them sent off before the midnight deadline. Why would anyone who has to pay send the money even a day early?

Thursday was a rather gloomy day weatherwise as if even the weather was sad that Betty was leaving me. Before she did though, we along with others from church, set up lunch for the Dental School students and listened to Dr. Branch talk about his experience with mission work which started 50+ years ago.

As sad as I was to see Betty go, I understand how ready she was to be with her husband and children again...also those great-nephews she cares for every week. We were blessed with gorgeous weather and even though I had therapy for 2 hours every day that kept us from doing a lot of other things we wanted to do, it is that therapy that made it possible for me to get out without pain; so that also is a blessing!

Can't wait until your next visit my sweet sister Betty!!

Tired of cooking the same old foods...

Bill and I have become quite adventurous lately with trying new foods. Eating foods we've never tasted before at a restaurant, where they know what they're doing, is one thing. I decided to give a few things a try on my own. We have wonderful markets here in SA!! I don't have to shop at Wally-world ALL THE TIME!! There are other grocery stores!!

So, the other day I went to Whole Foods and picked up a few yummy ingredients...purple potatoes (yes, they are dark purple all the way through), ruby sweet potatoes (deeper, richer color than regular sweets or yams), heirloom tomatoes, fresh asparagus, halibut, cod, bison and lamb.

Saturday evening after Bill got home from the men's retreat, I served him a dinner of halibut seared then gently cooked in chipolte butter, crispy pan fried purple potato quarters and coleslaw (made from a "real" head of cabbage, none of that bagged stuff for my man!) Mmmmmm yummy!

Tonight, I mixed up some spicy lamb meatballs, a skillet combination of onions, ruby sweet potatoes, purple potatoes and mushrooms, and more coleslaw. Hey, the coleslaw was a big hit Saturday and I needed backup just in case the lamb-balls didn't turn out so well! But whadda ya know...another home run!! It was all very yummy!!

Also, both meals were actually very light. We didn't have that "ugh" feeling after the meal. I was afraid the potatoes might be too much...we almost never eat potatoes because of the carbs. So, tomorrow night we will dine on cod and asparagus. Thursday will be "bison night". I'll come up with some side dishes I'm sure. For now, I just need to sleep on it.

This might be boring to all of you, but I love experimenting with food!!

William Clifford King IV

William is my first grandchild. His daddy is William Clifford King III, named in honor of his daddy and granddaddy.

Camden Ryder King

Camden's daddy and mommy are Carl and Crystal....isn't he the cutest thing?!

Gavin Sawyer Carson-King

Carrigan's big brother is Gavin...what a cutie-pie he is. They are both the children of Levi and Laura Carson-King. We are thankful we get to see them as often as we do, but wish it were much more!!

Carrigan Bailee Carson-King

Y'all have got to see how absolutely gorgeous my sweet baby granddaughter is! The pictures speak for themselves:

Happy Birthday Baby Zeke!!

Our youngest son turns 20 today!! So hard to believe that so many years have passed since we first held him in our arms and fell in love.

One thing I've not gotten used to is not being with my children on their birthdays. I now recognize some of the mist in my mother's eyes when one of my siblings who had left home either for the military, marriage, or just moved away, had a birthday that she didn't get to share in person.

I begin the day before their actual birthday remembering the moment I realized I was in labor and that within a few hours I would have another little bundle of love in my arms. Then in the morning, before my feet touch the floor, the flood of feelings and thoughts rushes into my head and heart that I experienced the day of his birth. The sound of his cry when air first reaches his lungs, the first glimpse of his sweet face, the weight of him in my arms, choosing and saying his name over and over and telling him that I'm his mommy, knowing God has entrusted me with this miracle to raise and give back to Him.

Then come all of the years that are filled with laughter, tears, boo-boos, accomplishments, huge steps forward and a few back... Years that can only be explained as some of the happiest in my life!! Watching them form bonds with their brothers and all of the antics that come with 5 brothers growing up in the same house!! One of them was always thinking of something to do to make sure it was never boring.

Pictures of my "baby" Zeke:

"Oh my aching back!"

When my dad used to say that, it usually meant someone was in big trouble!! This phrase would sometimes follow some big elaborate explanation one of my siblings would give for why they did something...well...dangerous, mean, destructive or just plain stupid. Still makes me smile since it was almost never said to me O;)

Alas, the saga with my back pain continues, but has taken a positive step towards relief. I went to a new clinic where they took a bunch of x-rays and made the diagnosis of spondolythesis which mean one vertebrae has slipped forward in relation to the others..in my case L4. This can cause great pain in the lower back, hips, down the legs, around the knees and down and around the ankles. Also numbness in the legs and weakness in the knees. I have been having all of these symptoms for several months. (Sometimes when I sneeze, I have to hold on to something, or I will fall on the floor because of intense pain in my lower back and "giving-way" in my knees. My course of treatment is spinal decompression, 4 treatments per week for 5 weeks, laser, sonar and physical therapy and wearing a back brace for several weeks.

After just 4 treatments, I have already had some very good results and reduction in pain. I am so excited about the improvement and can hardly believe it! I'm also able to sleep through the night pain-free!! Please pray for continued good results throughout the rest of the treatments and therapies.

I'm looking forward to being able to go back to every day activities, and most of all to be able to enjoy holding, snuggling and carrying my grandbabies without pain!! God is good!!