Wild Hogs

Here is the crew!

We spent five days traveling 1651 miles through Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and back to Florida. Wow! We had so much fun. It wasn't just a trip. It was a Ride with Purpose. We devoted the time to praying. We prayed for each other, our church, and the people in our church. It was an incredible journey.

We all can't wait to go on another Ride with Purpose.

I am tired though.

My Today,
Christy

Scavenger Hunt

Last night we had a great time! Since Gary has been doing youth this summer we have been having a blast.

Last night we took 47 to Downtown Disney for a scavenger hunt. There were six teams and 21 items to find. When the team found each object they took a picture on their phone and emailed it to me. I then marked of the items by times received. By the end of the night two teams had found all of the items. But, everyone had a blast.







My Today,
Christy

4th of July

Happy 4th of July!
Everyone had fun out on the boats at Lake Eustis!

I am so tired now!


It was such a good day!
My Today,
Christy

21 Years

I am amazed at how 21 years can go by so fast. At the same time there are so many memories from 21 years. It is amazing.

Now, I am looking at the future.

Our life will change a great deal in the next few years. Our children are getting older. Tyler will be leaving home in a couple of months and I know it is never the same after that. Judah will be driving in a couple of years. Charis is getting so big that I can't believe it.

I'm getting older... but that is ok... I like who I am.

I think I will be fine.

My Today,
Christy

Hot Days!

Could it get any hotter? I am amazed at how humid it is here in Florida.
A friend of mine owns a sauna and I told him yesterday they didn't need it... just go outside.

Stay cool!

My Today,
Christy

BEACH Trip

What a fun trip! We went to Cocoa Beach today! 38 of us! All in one bus.

We took the youth group and had so much fun!

We had a sand castle building contest. This is my turtle sand castle...

It was so much fun.

My Today,
Christy

Killing a Fly?

Come on already. I can't believe the president is given a hard time for killing a fly. Our country has bigger things to get upset about. This truly puts the state of our country into perspective.

My Today,
Christy

So much has happened...

Wow! Where does the time go?

So what all has happened since the last post?

Here goes...
Prom

Graduation Party - 80 or so friends at my mom's.



Graduation with Dedad and Grandma Judith

Nana and Pappaw

Ryan and Olivia

Now we get ready for college.

Oh yeah! I finally passed kindergarten. I am going to first grade. LOL.

My Today,
Christy

Good news for me!

My teaching buddy from school is coming back. I am glad. She took off the year to have her beautiful little girl and she will be back next year. I am sad for her that it didn't work out for her to stay home, but my true feeling is "YEAH!"
I don't know if that was mean, but I do know it was selfish. ;-)
My Today,
Christy

7 Superiors With Invitation to Nationals!

Wow! I am so proud of all of our youth! They all did amazing jobs! We had fun watching and cheering them on!

These received a superior with invitation to nationals...
Tyler - Male Vocal Solo, Band (Embark on the Day), Short Sermon
Austin - Band (Embark on the Day), Male Vocal Solo
Ryan - Band (Embark on the Day)
Bekah - Short Sermon
Paul - Short Sermon
Shayna - Female Vocal Solo
McKenzie - Female Vocal Solo

The 212 Praise Band played great!
Austin sang...
Shayna and McKenzie smiled for the camera...
While we waited they played the Chubby game... Gross!
It was a fun time!

My Today,
Christy

Fine Arts

Tomorrow is the big day! Fine Arts is always a highlight of the year. When our youth get to show their talents.

Keep them in your prayers. I am so proud!

My Today,
Christy

To Text or Not To Text

I am all about saving a couple of bucks. I canceled my texting plan and signed up for a free service. Now, I don't seem to be able to text at all. So, I guess I am now textless. Perhaps I need to ask an expert (one of my children) to figure out my phone.

My Today,
Christy

Girls Night Out

I am excited to say Girls Night Out is under way. We are now on the calendar... May 22nd! Our theme is Wok With Us! We will have a fun Chinese filled evening. I am in the process of finding some good Sumo Wrestlers. Now won't that be a sight to see! Any volunteers? Nominations?

My Today,
Christy

He Is In!!

"Congratulations! The music committee has approved your admission into the music department as a music major."

Wow! Those are the words Tyler has been waiting to hear!

He auditioned Saturday. He sang a theater song and then a classical song in a foreign language. He has been practicing and pushed himself in a whole new direction. Singing an opera sounding piece in Italian was a hugh challenge, but he did good!

I am so happy for him - not to mention proud!

My Today,
Christy

The Shoe

My Today,
Christy

A Great Pair of Shoes

There is nothing like finding the perfect pair of shoes. Ones that make you smile! The pair that you just can't walk out of the store without. Well, today was that day for me.

Hot Pink!

They are amazing! :-) I am happy!

My Today,
Christy

4 Little Ice Cubes

The nieces came over tonight. They had a great time swimming and playing together. The water was sooooooo cold! When they finally got out, they huddled together to try to get warm. Can ice cubes huddle together and warm each other up? They thought so! ;-)

My Today,
Christy

To Shade or Not To Shade

That is the question. We came to the conclusion that "Not To Shade" was our answer.

Don't get me wrong - I love the shade, but sometimes it comes with a price. Our shade cost us a pool pump, a drain field, and our drive way needs repair from the cracks created by the roots. Over the years we have talked about cutting them down. And we finally did it. Well, when I say we, I mean they...
As Steve says, "I don't go to your kindergarten class and teach your students. Let me do my job and you do yours." Sounds like good advice to me.

It has been a little over a week now and I can tell a difference. There isn't as much "stuff" in the pool. I like it!


I didn't realize how big those trees were until they were on the ground!


It was especially nice that so many people helped get them down. Thanks to all of ya!

My Today,
Christy

Another Teenager

Today I have another teenager in my house. Judah turns 13.

Friday the 13th - it is a lucky day.

My grandfather was liberated from a World War 2 prison camp on Friday the 13th. I tell my family it is a good day for us. Now Judah is turning 13. It is a good day. I am so thankful Judah is still with us - and doing GREAT!

My Today,
Christy

Spring Fever

A warm breeze blowing across my face is a welcomed thing. It makes me smile.

But, I am over my allergies, the cold weather and everyone being sick. The cold weather seems to be going away. I don't know how much longer allergy season will last. This year seems to be the worst. I now have a bottle of hand sanitizer with me at all times. I do not want to get sick too.

I am ready for a beautiful spring.

My Today,
Christy

Observations

Today was my annual observation. Teachers who have been teaching three years or more have the option of doing a professional growth plan or an observation. I have always picked the observation. Many teachers tell me I'm crazy and sometimes I think they are right. I like to have my administration see how I teach.

It went really well. We wrote a class story. We brainstorm together, vote on a topic, and they write the story. It went something like this...

Once upon a time there was a black limo. The limo had a flat tire. The princesses were very sad because they were going to be late to a party. Along came a magic unicorn. She came to fly the princesses to the party. Now they are happy.

One little girl said we made a Fairy Tale! Yeah! The last three weeks we have learned about what makes a story a Fairy Tale - they got it!!

My Today,
Christy Howell

I Q take you U...

"Love" (Eeewwww) was in the air, Friday for our Q and U wedding. The decorations were ready. The preacher was there. Our closest 150 friends gathered in the Citrus Cafe. Our class had a great time pretending to have a wedding.

The wedding singers sang...

The vows were said...
The quarters were exchanged...

Mr. and Mrs. Qu were pronounced and they high fived!!

There were wedding gifts. A quilt, sack of quarters, a gift certificate for a quiet, quaint night at Quality Inn in Quebec, a box of quiet, and a visit from our questionable relatives.

It was a lovely day!
My Today,
Christy

18 years old

Tyler turned 18 on Monday. Wow! It doesn't seem possible. My baby is 18.

We had a great night out with his friends. He said it was the best birthday ever.







We blinked and he grew up.

My Today,
Christy

Sammy Update

Gary says, "He is playing you."

Charis says, "There is something really wrong with that dog."

Judah says, "What is wrong with that dog?"

Tyler says, "We have a dog?" No, I'm kidding. He knows we have this one.
He says, "He is weird."

He still doesn't want his feet to touch the ground. He will jump up on boxes, furniture, or anyone around, just to keep his feet off the ground.

He is still chasing his tail and freaks out for no apparent reason. But he is eating and drinking better.

My Today,
Christy

The Vet Said...

Well, I don't think it is as simple as the vet's office said.

"Give him an aspirin. He doesn't feel good."

He is doing some better, but not normal. If he doesn't get better by Monday, I am taking him to a different vet.

Gary comes back today - I will set him up a therapy session.

My Today,
Christy

Freaky Weird Dog

I am worried about my dog. Sunday afternoon Sam got his rabies shot and has not been the same since. Monday he was terrible for the groomer and his behavior has been freaky weird! He has been chasing his tail, running frantic through the house, he doesn't want to go outside (it is like he is scared of the grass), he keeps licking his back, and he wants me to hold him all the time. I've been worried.

So, I went online to try to find some answers and have been shocked at what I found.

I had never heard that the rabies vaccine can be dangerous for dogs. It listed many side effects, some of which are...

Aggression or destructive behavior
Separation anxiety
Obsessive compulsive behaviors (like chasing tails or licking paws)
And in some cases have caused death.

I trust it won't get any worse.
Charis and I prayed for him tonight. I think he needs therapy.

My husband has his masters in mental health counseling. Do you think he will take on a new client?
I don't really see that happening.

My Today,
Christy

That Sam I Am

That Sam I Am, that Sam I Am,
I do not like that Sam I Am...

Last night there was a man saying those words about my sweet little dog.
Sam went to the "beauty parlor" and totally showed out. Sam protested as loudly as he could. Yelping and howling! Making everyone think he was being killed. The store manager tried to calm him down, with no luck. If you picture a cartoon dog that was attacked by a set of wild clippers - you might have an idea of what he looked like when we picked him up. The man apologized for not being able to finish. He basically said, "Don't come back." Sam said, "Good, I don't like you anyway."

He seems to be full of attitude this week.
I guess I have attitude when I have a really bad hair day too.

My Today,
Christy

Normal

I once read the book Normal is Only a Setting on Your Dryer.
It is so true. I used to think I was normal and that my family was normal, until I got older and realized we may be a couple fries short of a Happy Meal. My family is wonderfully weird. My parents, aunts, uncles, cousins... we are wonderfully weird.

We love each other and drive each other crazy. It is great!
We laugh, cry, and pray together.
We have fun together.

We are not perfect. We know we're not. I'm so thankful for God's mercy. The more I seek Him, the more I find Him, and the more I realize I need Him!

I am glad I'm not part of a normal family.
What fun would that be?

My Today,
Christy

Come back to Jamaica

The missions team will spend a week in Jamaica building a driveway and working at the orphanage. This is Judah's first missions trip. He was so excited when he left! I know they will have a great week.

My Today,
Christy

I'm So Cold!

Can anyone remind me why I live in Florida?

Let me think...

Warm, even hot, sunny days,
Walking in the surf at the beach,
Riding in the car with the top down,
Getting a tan,
Wearing a sundress,
Swimming,

Where is my Florida?

It would be worth it all if it would snow a little!

At least I get to use my fireplace.
Stay warm everyone!
Snuggle close to your honey!

My Today,
Christy

Home Sweet Home

It is great to be back home!

We had a great time even if we didn't have internet. That is not totally true. If I stood on the balcony like I did when I was a kid trying to get a TV channel to come in and you got in that awkward position - you know - on one foot with your hand stretched out above you and everyone yelled "Perfect - Don't move", I could get a signal. The only bad thing was it was cold outside and I could only take just so much of that.

We were very creative on this vacation. We had our own version of Iron Chef America.

The kids competed against each other. Gary and I were the judges. The prizes were iTune gift cards. They had to shop for their meals, appetizer, entree, and desert. We ate good!

Everyone worked hard!

We had a shopping scavenger hunt. We gave each team $20 the topic was "beach" and they had one hour to buy as much stuff as they could with the hopes of buying items I had written on the secret list. 23 items to be exact. It was a very close race. 10 points for an item on the list and 5 points for an item beach related, but not on the list. The boys won!

Gary and Charis built a sandcastle - in the dark.


Charis flew her kite.


We froze while shooting off fireworks.



And the HOT sign was on at Krispey Kream!



I am glad to be home!
My Today,
Christy