Texas Bird Hunt Movie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjXt6CC4dNc

I've been learning how to use Picasa3 on my home computer, and this is the result of trying to create a movie in Picasa. As you can see, I probably have too much free time! This takes awhile to do, and it's lots of fun! The biggest problem was the music. The original music I had chosen was "Precious Memories" sung by Randy Travis. It was just right for this movie, but in order to share this with everyone on YouTube, I couldn't use that music. It wouldn't allow me to use it, even though we have purchased that CD. This is the part I don't really understand. I thought that if you bought the CD, then you could use the music, but I guess it's a YouTube thing. Probably because it is being shared publicly on the internet. Anyway, YouTube gave me some choices on music that was allowed and that's how I came up with this one.

I have used PhotoStory3 before to create movies and really I think I like it better, but just wanted to try out Picasa. I hope you will watch it and give me feedback. The ending is not what I really wanted, had some trouble with ending exactly with the music. Maybe I didn't complete the download exactly right because I became impatient! It took a very long time and I had to go to bed, and I was keeping Fletcher up too. Let's see if this works on the blog...

.:: OLIVINE ::.
I found this cute shop yesterday in Rice Village.
Love it!! The softest bedding I've ever touched, and
beautiful colors and textures!
Just wanted to share this!

September 2009

September has been a month of waiting.

Waiting for houses to sell. Waiting for the phone to ring. Waiting for big decisions to be made. Waiting for the mail to come. Waiting to see what's going to happen next. Ending our stay here, extending our stay here. Making plans, changing plans, plans are made and broken while we wait...
Meanwhile, life goes on. Amy's doing well in Atlanta, Jennifer is doing well in College Station, and Dan is doing well in Houston. We are so proud of our children and their accomplishments, and we are thankful that they are healthy and happy. Fletcher and I have been sticking to our diet and weight loss plan. We are eating healthier and getting some exercise. Apartment life has its ups and downs, but mostly its been okay. The cars are still running, our pantry and refrigerator are filled with good food, Tommy is still the best dog in the world. So, we can't really complain. God is still sovereign and He has promised that He will never leave us or forsake us. So we believe He is still with us, and we are continuing to trust in Him for everything we need. He has provided for us financially and spiritually.

Thank you God for the little unexpected things that that happen each day,

Like a dinner invitation from friends, or an unexpected phone call.

And thank you for the things we can count on each day,

like the morning and the evening, the sunshine and the rain.

Help us Lord to find something to celebrate in every moment,

and to find contentment in our lives no matter what the circumstances.

And we know Father that this will only happen when

we are seeking your will for our lives each day with all of our heart.

Amen.

August Birthday Celebrations

Daddy's 79th birthday celebration was also held

at my sister's home in Frisco this year.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Mother's 75th birthday celebration this year

was held at my sister's home

in Frisco, TX.

Happy Birthday Mother!

This year we celebrated Amy's 22nd birthday

when we visited her in Atlanta. We didn't have

much time, so the celebration was short and sweet!

She quickly opened her gifts at her new apartment

after we finished moving everthing in!

Then we went to dinner at On the Border.

Happy Birthday Amy!

Amy in Atlanta!

Memaw and Poppy at breakfast

Memaw and Poppy at our picnic on

the way to Atlanta.

Tommy enjoying his picnic on the way to Atlanta.

Memaw in the Lenox Square Mall poses with the

Juicy Couture girls in Bloomingdales!

Tommy is surprised to see Amy!

Where has she been?

The view from the balcony at Amy's apartment in Atlanta.

Amy

Memaw and Amy

Fletcher (Dad), Amy, Pam (Mom)

These are just a few of the

photos taken on our trip to Atlanta 2009.

We love you and we miss you Amy!

Our Roadtrip to Atlanta! 2009

Our roadtrip to Atlanta began on Thursday, August 13, with an unexpected trip to the auto repair shop in Tomball. First, we rented a U-Haul trailer and loaded it up with the boxes Amy had left here and her mattress and box springs. Once everything was loaded and ready to go, we headed out of Houston on Hwy. 249, with Fletcher driving the '97 Suburban and me driving the Ford Taurus that we were taking to Amy. We didn't get very far when the red "check engine" light came on in the Suburban. That's when Fletcher called his friends at Michel Auto Cares in Tomball. They agreed to take a look at it, so we made a u-turn and headed back to Tomball. About an hour and a half later, and with all new spark plugs and a prayer, we began our journey once again. We were driving to Ruston to spend the night before leaving for Atlanta the next day.

When we arrived in Ruston, Mother had dinner waiting for us. We spent the night, and then we got up early to spend the day traveling to Atlanta, which is about a 10 hour trip from Ruston, LA. Mother and Daddy were going with us, and Tommy (our dog) was also going with us. Now, when you travel in August with a pet, you cannot leave him in the car or else he would die of a heat stroke in about 10 minutes, so we planned to have a picnic on the way for lunch. Our picnic happened at the Alabama state line rest stop as we were entering Alabama. And in keeping with tradition, the picnic included ants. Tommy had a great time on the picnic, which of course was all about him.

The drive to Atlanta was pleasant due to the nice weather. It was a beautiful summer day, the roads weren't too busy, the scenery through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia was peaceful and serene. We arrived in Atlanta around 6:00pm eastern time (crossed into the eastern time zone as we entered Georgia on I-20). We located our hotel in Sandy Springs, which was a Residence Inn (once again we had to find a "dog-friendly" place) unloaded the car, then set out to find a place for dinner. We ended up eating at Ruby Tuesdays which is just across the street from Lenox Square Mall, so after dinner with about an hour left to shop, we headed over to the mall. Oh, I forgot to tell you, Fletcher and I had left our "hanging clothes" in Houston, so we needed a couple of shirts to wear on the trip. At first I was pretty upset about this, but once I realize what a good excuse this would be for shopping, then it kind of worked out in a good way.

The Lenox Square Mall is a wonderful place to shop! It's very nice, more of a "high end" mall with some different stores than we usually go to here, so we made plans to return there tomorrow morning before Amy's plane arrived. After a quick shopping spree, we returned to our hotel which was very nice and spacious for 4 people and one small dog, then we went to bed.

The next day, August 15 was the day for Amy to return from her training in Jersey City, New Jersey to begin her new job in Atlanta, and move in to her new apartment! Fletcher went to pick her up at the airport, while mother and I finished our shopping at the Lenox Square Mall. Daddy stayed at the hotel with Tommy. Once Fletcher had picked up Amy at the airport, they went together to her new apartment where she signed her lease, got the keys, and took a quick look at the apartment before we started unloading the U-Haul. They picked us up at the mall, and then we picked up some lunch on the way back to the hotel. After lunch we all went over to the apartment and helped unload the U-Haul. We set up Amy's bed and helped put sheets and a blanket on it.

Once everything was unloaded we celebrated Amy's birthday together at her apartment. Then we went to Sam's Club where Amy bought her first flat screen TV. We brought it back to her apartment, and then we went out to dinner together at On the Border Mexican Restaurant. By the time we finished eating it was around 8pm, so we all went back over to the hotel visited there for a little while, then Amy went to her apartment to spend her first night in her new home, and we slept at the hotel.

The next morning, Amy came over to have the "American" breakfast with us at the Residence Inn in Sandy Springs and when we finished we packed up, gave Amy hugs and kisses and we headed back to Ruston and Amy went to her apartment. It was hard for us to leave her there, but we know this is what she has been working toward and she was ready to get started with her new life in Atlanta.

We still miss her, but we talk to her every once in a while, and everything seems to be going well for her. Maybe we can make another trip to Atlanta to see her again soon. On that Sunday, August 16, we drove back to Ruston, spent the night, then headed back to Houston the next day, August 17, with our youngest daughter now a grown-up adult living and working in Atlanta, GA.

Sunday Supper in Livingston

This Sunday afternoon Christopher and Laurie Anne called and invited us to their home in Livingston for dinner. Christopher is Fletcher's younger brother, and he owns a State Farm Agency in Livingston. We enjoyed seeing them and their youngest daughter Mary Katherine, and being able to "catch up" on what's going on with their family. Their oldest daughter, Emily, has already graduated from Texas A&M and is beginning her second year of law school at Mississippi College in Jackson, MS. Their second daughter, Melanie, was an honor graduate from Livingston High School this year and is getting ready to start college this fall at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, LA, and the youngest daughter, Mary Katherine, will be in the eighth grade this year in Livingston where she is a talented piano player, head cheerleader, and plays sports. Laurie Anne, is getting ready to start a new school year as a third grade Language Arts teacher in the Livingston ISD, and she is a wonderful cook! We had the most delicious dinner prepared by Laurie Anne! She cooked us a delicious dinner of smothered steak with rice and gravy, squash, purple hull peas, and her special cornbread! It was all good! Then to top it off, Laurie Anne baked the most beautiful apple pie! It smelled so good, and tasted delicious! It was so pretty I had to take a picture of it! Laurie Anne said this menu was chosen because it is one of Christopher's favorite! And it was one of our favorite too!

Today, Aug. 11 is their 25th wedding anniversary! Wow! It's hard to believe that many years have passed since their wedding day! Congratulations Christopher and Laurie Anne on 25 years of marriage! And, thanks for the wonderful time we had on Sunday at your house!

Here is a link to Christopher's Agency: http://christopherscottagency.com/