Flashback Friday #8 - Prom memories

Share your prom memories. Did your school have a junior prom or just a senior prom? What did you wear? Was there a party after the prom? Did you go with a date or with friends, and if it was a date, was it a one-time date or a boyfriend/girlfriend scenario? Did you go to more than one prom (like, being someone's date at another school or year.) Where was your senior prom held? Any particular songs come to mind when you think of prom? As always, pictures are great!

Our proms were Junior/Senior proms. I attended my Junior Prom with a good friend who went to another High School. Gunne Sax dresses were extremely popular in the 70s and though this is not the dress I wore, it is very similar...

Mine was white. My date wore the typical tux of the times.......ruffled shirt and all, only his was baby blue.....

I can't even remember where our prom was held or much of the prom itself. But I do remember the after parties and breakfast and the fun we had there. I think we ended up getting home sometime the next morning because I remember the sun coming up!!!

Really, these memories are a LONG time ago and this almost 50 year old brain is having a hard time pulling them up!!!

I didn't attend my senior prom. I wasn't dating anyone (back then you didn't go unless you had a date) and neither were my best friends. So we loaded up the car and drove to Phoenix from Tucson for a girls weekend. I still can't believe that my parents let me do that. That would be like letting my kids drive to Memphis now and it's not something I would even consider without an adult along!!! What were they thinking? :)

Of course, prom really has not changed much. We just had my son's senior prom and though the dresses and hair have changed.....not much else has!!! It was so fun to see the prom from this side....and a lot less drama!!

Go over to Linda's and check out some other prom stories....better yet, post your own and link up!!!

Random Dozen

Hi, my name is Sara and I am a Lostie.

I am with Linda and am very sad LOST is coming to an end, but strangely happy as I hope to get answers to my questions!

Random Dozen has a LOST theme this week!!!! Here goes:


1. Have you ever been so lost that you were really afraid? I can not remember a time when I was so lost that I was really afraid. I have been lost before, but think I wasn't smart enough to be afraid! ha!

2. Have you ever been to an island? Yes, and if I had my way, I would live on an island! I have always said that I was meant to live on or near the water! I have dreamed of retiring to a caribbean island and having some kind of ministry to tourists. Maybe give sailing tours....then while you have them out on the beautiful ocean (and they can't get back) share the gospel! ha!

3. Are you more of a thinker or feeler? I am a feeler for sure!!

4. Do you tend to see issues or situations in life as black and white or shades of gray? I am a feeler, remember? There is no black and white!!! :) just kidding, sort of.

5. If you were stuck on an island, what book would you hope to have with you (Let's pretend the Bible is already there, so you can't say that.) I would hope to have either a journal that I could write in and record my adventure or if it has to be a book with writing in it then one I have not read yet that is really long!!!

6. What are you most afraid of? on the surface, I could say spiders...HATE them. But if I take a deeper look, my answer would be losing one of my children.

7. Would you rather lose all of your old memories or never be able to make new ones? Wow, this one is hard and I really don't know how to answer. I love my memories and would not want to lose them. However, I had a friend who lost all his memory in a motorcycle accident. He didn't know his wife at all. How wonderful (though hard) that he was able to make new memories and rebuild their life together. So I think I would have to say that I would rather lose my old memories...though it actually makes me anxious to write that!

8. Pretend I'm looking at a scrapbook page about you. There are three spaces for you to drop in individual pictures. What are those pictures of, and why did you select them? This is a great question, I love it! First, would be a picture of my family because I heart them and they are oh so important to me. Second, would be one of me cooking dinner for friends. I love to cook and I love my friends! Third, would be one of me praying. It would be the biggest picture because without my relationship with Christ, all the rest is meaningless. He is in the middle of it all.

9. If you were re-doing your wedding, what would you do differently? (If you're single, tell me one thing you would do if you were planning a wedding OR huge party.) I would make sure I had a better videographer. Videoing weddings was new when I got married (yes, 26 years ago) and some friends said they would do it for us. Video cameras were BIG then and the camera was on a tripod during the wedding. Well our wonderful videographers were not watching the camera as it slowly slipped downward and basically videoed the pew seat for most of the wedding!

10. Tell me one thing you know/believe about forgiveness. I know that without forgiveness, I would be lost. I know that as a follower of Christ I am commanded to forgive as God forgave me. I also know and believe that forgiveness brings healing.

11. You're waiting in a doctor's office. What is your favorite way to pass that time? reading a book.

12. If there were a clone of you in a parallel universe what is one way you hope she/he would be the same as you and one way you hope she/he would be better? I hope that she would love people as much as I do and I would hope that she has way more discipline than I have!!

Happy Wednesday!!!

And so it begins.....

Graduation season

Ready or not.

May 1st starts the count down....

grad night at church....May 8
honors night......May 10
last day of school (for seniors) .....May 11
senior trip.....May 20
graduation....May 28

And so begins all the stuff I have to do to get ready for each thing.

I.will.be.busy

to say the least

and emotional

quite possibly fluctuating in both directions
(if you know what I mean)

So please pray for me!

Several of you commented on Jason's graduation announcements from P365 and how they had changed since you were in school...


Well, they haven't changed.
The schools still offer the traditional announcements,
but they have gotten quite expensive!!
You have to buy the announcement,
the name insert and then add a wallet sized photo....
..and it all adds up to a pretty sum.

So, I decided to create my own on shutterfly
they were much cheaper
and being the non-traditional girl I am...
...I like them MUCH better!!

So, keep that in mind for your future senior because there are way too many other expenses!!!

many, many other expenses.....ugh.

You do this too.....right?

You have friends come in from out of town to visit...

You feed them really good...

homemade biscuits and sausage gravy...

Then you put them to work....

on a project you have been wanting to do for over a year and had all the supplies to do but didn't know how to get it started....

it turns out exactly like you wanted and you thank them profusely...

.....and then show them the next project!

You do this too.....right?

Wanna come visit?

Project 365 - Week 17

Can you believe that we are in Week 17?!!!

Ya'll are doing so good and I am impressed with the number of people we have still involved....you will be so glad that you have persevered!!! Keep it up!

I also can't believe that I just came from my son's SENIOR prom. He has exactly 2 weeks left of his HS years.....where did the time go? What happen to the little boy that always kept me laughing with his antics? It goes so fast.....I am so thankful I have it documented in pictures!!!

Here's my week:

Sunday

My cousin found this willow tree angel in a small store we visited after the Butterfly Festival. She bought one for each of us.....it's perfect!!

Monday

Jason's graduation announcements came!
Can not believe it's almost here.

Tuesday

Today we celebrated the life of my good friend's father.

Wednesday

I always dread going to the dentist....
...but always love the feeling of clean teeth when I leave!!

Thursday

This is not a great picture because I had to take it on the sly...

the university that Jason will be attending in the fall had a dinner for incoming freshman in the area. It was great. They put all the kids at one table to get to know one another and then the parents and family sat at tables around the room. I was so impressed with this and happy to get the opportunity to meet some other parents with children going to JBU.

Friday

trying to lose weight before summer...
....and realizing these meals are not so bad!!!

Saturday

Senior Prom!

So what was your week like? Link up and let us see!

Life....sometimes it just gets in the way....

.....of blogging.

My life has been busy this week with:

Laundry
when you are gone for 4 days, it tends to back up a bit

Cleaning
it backs up too...
..funny how it doesn't get done when you are gone.
I am one that can let that go and walk over it, but we have a friend visiting this weekend and I don't want to gross him out!

Funeral
my good friend and neighbor's dad passed away last week

Fighting of allergies
the pollen count is higher than it's been in years here.
my sinuses are rebelling...big time.

Work
it took all my energy to smile and be pleasant with people with my pounding headache all week. Unfortunately for my family...I used up all my smiling ability at work.

Getting ready for prom
the prom my son was going to.....
..then not going to...
...and now as of Monday is going to again!

Hopefully, next week I will have more time to blog...I have a lot to tell ya'll!!!

What filled your week?

Processing a beautiful weekend....

We had such a sweet weekend honoring my Aunt.

You saw some of the pictures in my P365 post, but I wanted to give you a little history of this place we went.

Some of you have wondered why I went all the way to the hill country of Texas to honor her.
When my mom and Aunt were in HS, they attending a boarding school in San Marcos, TX. On the weekends during the warm seasons, they would take day trips to Blue Hole in Wimberley, TX to swim and picnic. They both had very found memories of it.

Several years ago, when my mom was back visiting San Marcos for an alumni event, she met a man who told her about the EmilyAnn Theatre and gardens in Wimberley.

The EmilyAnn Theatre was founded on August 1, 1998 to celebrate the life of Emily Ann Rolling, a 16-year-old, who lost her life in a car accident in 1996. They had recently lost their offices to a fire and he was telling her about it. Something about the story, made my mom look into it and she ended up donating some money to rebuild the offices.....and the connection started.

You can go to the website and read up on this wonderful place.
But Emily Ann was a lover of theatre and especially Shakespeare. Her parents founded this in her honor. It is now a well known summer theatre camp and they put on amazing productions.

However, it is also a place for healing.
Ann, Emily's mother, has built this place to reflect God's love by welcoming those that have lost children or loved ones. She felt the butterfly was the perfect representation of new life in Christ and so started the releasing of butterflies in memory of those we love.

This year, they released over 2000 butterflies!
What is so wonderful is that the whole community takes part by helping raise the butterflies for release and it is a beautiful ceremony that I won't soon forget.

The festival is a statewide and city event. Children from all over Texas send in their butterfly art work in hopes of being awarded the honor of next year's T-shirt.


The Emilyann Theatre and Gardens recently acquired some acreage attached to their property and decided to cultivate it into a garden setting. Our garden was the first one built and will lovingly be called "Mary Nelle's Garden".

What a perfect memorial for her....
..she was the master gardener.
Her backyard could have easily graced the cover of Southern Living.
And she loved the hill country and the area of Wimberely.

I can't tell you how amazing it was to be on top of the hill, releasing a butterfly into the air in honor of my Aunt.



Those around me were in different stages of grief, but I am convinced that ALL took the next step toward healing.

I know I did.



While we were shopping later that day,
my cousin found this willow tree angel...

How perfect is she?

and I have the perfect place for her...


You're always in my heart Aunt Mary Nelle!

Mom, thanks for this perfect weekend, I love you!

Project 365 - Week 16

**Updated***
I am in the Dallas airport and just said goodbye to my mom :(
Here are my week's pictures:

once again, I am out of town..

I am currently in Tx where we have been dedicating a memorial garden for my Aunt.
It has been a sweet, sweet weekend.

However, we are in the middle of a big storm and internet is going in and out.

Sunday

Driving over Table Rock Lake on our way home!!
A perfect vacation and birthday!!

Monday

came home to my azalea bush in full bloom!!!

Tuesday

My first rose of the season!!
Spring is most definitely here!

Wednesday

no picture today.
I was busy getting ready to go to Texas for the dedication of a garden in memory of my Aunt.

Thursday

First glimpse of the garden created in my Aunt's memory
In Wimberley, TX
There is a beautiful fountain in the back.

The plaque at the entrance

Celebrating my mom's birthday (was Tuesday) at dinner!

Friday

Mom and I headed out to a great mall this morning
and I got to meet in person Linda from Mocha with Linda!!!!
I can't tell you how fun it is to meet blogging friends face to face!
I just wish we had had more time! It seems to go so fast!!

Boy do I miss these......bluebonnets!

The three of us around my Aunt's plaque.
tomorrow is the dedication....praying for no rain!

Saturday

At the Butterfly Festival
This was after the memorial ceremony in the pouring rain.
However, the rain did not dampen the meaning or the beauty of it!!

Mom letting a butterfly go for Aunt Mary Nelle

The butterflies represent New life and are a beautiful representation of our life in Christ. As our bodies on this earth die, those in Christ receive a new and more glorious body in heaven.

This was a very special day....I can't even begin to explain.

I am not feeling well as I am flying home....hopefully I am just worn out from all the emotion. But I am hoping to post on this weekend Monday or Tuesday. It was a very healing weekend.

I hope to get to all your blogs soon!

Random Dozen

Joining Linda at 2nd cup again today for Random Dozen. After reading my answers, head over to her blog and join in!!

1. How do you feel about "Gladiator" sandals, also called "Roman" or "Jesus" sandals? A fashion yea or nay? This really is one fashion statement that should NOT have come back around! I have not seen one person it looks good on!!!

2. What is your favorite pizza? PIZZA is my favorite pizza....I have not found one I didn't like!!!

3. There are plans in the works to sell roughly 1,000 items from Star Trek: The Experience in Las Vegas. This means you could buy Picard's chair for your family room. If not a Star Trek item, what prop, background, set, etc. from what TV or movie would you buy if you could?[Ex: Hurley's "I Love my Shih tzu" shirt from LOST, the plantation home "Tara" from Gone With the Wind, or Tracy's tambourine from the Partridge Family.] I actually can't think of one thing!! I'm sure after I read all of ya'lls I will think of lots!

4. Name a local food or restaurant that your area is famous for. Our area is famous for fried catfish or BBQ........both of which I LOVE!

5. What is your current favorite snack? I have always enjoyed popcorn but lately it's been edamame..........yum!!

6. Hypothetical: You are required to be a reality show contestant. Which show would you choose based on your probability of success? (You cannot choose "none.")

A. Dancing with the Stars
B. Biggest LoserC. Survivor

It would NOT be dancing with stars.....my 2 left feet would keep me from any success! It would NOT be biggest loser.....my lack of discipline and dislike of exercise would certainly keep me from success! So it would have to be Survivor......and since last week I described myself in one word, adventurous, I think I might stand a chance there!!!

7. On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being uninhabitable and 10 being cleanliness that meets the standards of OCD, how clean is your vehicle's interior? hmmmm.......a 5. However, my husband might choose another number!

8. It doesn't feel like Spring until the azaleas start to bloom.

9. Something that made you laugh really hard recently is seeing my husband "ride" around Joe's Crab Shack on the stick horse they gave him while the whole place sang happy birthday to him! I really thought when I told them he was 50 that they would just give him a free dessert!!! He wasn't laughing........
10. Tell me about a goal you're working toward. I am not really a goal setter. I tend to be too spontaneous and easily distracted to ever finish......but I after completing my current Beth Moore study, I have a goal to be like Daniel......it is one I hope to get close to!

11. Share a thought-provoking or inspiring quote this week.

Try not to become a man of success but a man of value.
Albert Einstein

12. Name one thing that you do as a parent that you absolutely know will make your kids happy. If you're not a parent, feel free to substitute "friend" or nomenclature that works for you. There are quite a few I could think of but being the foodie that I am, my first thought was to fix their favorite meal!! Jason: grilled flank steak, mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. Jared: country style rigatoni or hamburger pie. Alyssa: chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and gravy!!

Happy Wednesday everyone!!!

Truth is a Person

This was taken from my devotion today, but it was so good that I wanted to share it with you!

And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was calm. but He said to the, "Where is your faith?"
Luke 8:24-25

Truth is a Person, not a concept. Jesus said He was the Truth. That means that you can never know the truth of your circumstances unless you have first heard from Jesus. The disciples thought they were perishing in the storm. They were fishermen who knew the sea and knew what their condition was. They had allowed their circumstances to convince them that the "truth" was their imminent death. But they were wrong. Truth was asleep in the back of their boat!

Since some of the disciples were fishermen, they trusted in their own expertise and wisdom rather than recognizing that only Jesus knew the truth of their situation. At times, our human knowledge in certain areas of life can blind us to our desperate need to hear a word from Truth.

When Jesus spoke, the disciples saw the real truth of their situation. There was absolute calm. The disciples had seen Jesus perform other miracles, but they had not yet witnessed His power over nature in such a dimension. Often we are like the disciples. God may have recently demonstrated His power to us in a mighty way' we may have experienced may spiritual victories in the past. Yet, when a new and frightening situation comes upon us we, too, panic and say, "Lord save me. I'm perishing!" God will remind us of His provision, saying, "I can handle this situation, too , and you will know more of Me because of it."

Have you become fearful instead of faithful? if you have, prepare for the rebuke, for it will come.

From Experiencing God day by day.

My bible study was also on fear today.
I saw in Exodus how the Israelites allowed their fear to keep them at a distance from God as they told Moses to speak for them.

I do not want to live in fear!!
I want to live out on the edge with Christ and find that life that is most alive and most abundant!!!

What role does fear play in your life?

**UPDATED** Kidnapped! and Project 365, Week 15

***Well I am home and below I've updated this post with my weeks pictures!!! Enjoy!!!***

That got your attention, didn't it!

Well, I kidnapped my husband for his 50th birthday.

When he got up on Thursday, I handed him is suitcase and told him to get it packed. Later that morning we headed out to Branson, MO for the weekend.
No, not because he is now "old".....
..but because we have never been there and it is not far from home.

We are having a BLAST.
We have not taken a trip, just the 2 of us, in a long time.....
...empty nest is lookin' really good.......just sayin'!!

Anyway, I am not home to post for Project 365

Week 15:

Sunday

My daughter turned 21 today!!!

Why are you looking for the living among the dead?
He is Risen!!!

Monday
I was telling my friend, Dena, that Steve and I went out to try Sushi the other night. However, we got to the restaurant and had no idea what to order.

So, she took me and 2 other friends out to "teach" us how to order sushi!!
I was surprised at how much I LOVED it!!

It was very fun sitting up at the sushi bar and watching him make it all.

I even loved the raw fish.......it was delicious!!!
I am hooked!!!

Tuesday

Steve bought me some Cali Lilies for Easter.
I love how when I water them, the water is drawn up into the plant and comes out the tip of the flower in a drop!!

THIS is spring time in Arkansas.......ugh!
That, my friends, is pollen.
It is EVERYWHERE.....cars that are left out side, look yellow!!
Imagine what that does to your sinuses.....bad, very bad.

Wednesday

had to get out of the house for youth tonight...
...so we decided to hang out at Starbucks and harass our son!!!
..not really, but it was fun to see him mopping the floor!

Thursday
Happy 50th Birthday to my husband!!!

I kidnapped him this morning and took him away for the weekend to Branson, MO.
We had his birthday dinner at Joe's crab shack!!!
See all that lobster......GONE!

We had a little surprise when we checked in to our condo....

I think we got the honeymoon package by mistake.... :)

Friday

What a great day!
We spent the morning lounging around and then sat through a sales presentation on time shares.....we were given 2 tickets to a show at the end and they were dismayed by our strength to say NO to the time share!! I'll sit through just about anything for free tickets! ha!
We toured Stonehill winery in the afternoon, this was taken while tasting wine at the end of the tour! yum! And then we spent the evening at the Dixie Stampede!

Saturday

What are vacations for than for relaxing and napping?

We saw the 12 tenors in the morning. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed them...that is until one of them grabbed me from the audience to dance...ugh! Maybe it was because I was the youngest lady in the room! ha!

Then in the evening we went to see Six....

These guys were AWESOME!!!!
they are brothers and all their music and instruments were made only with their voices..very cool! they were also a lot of fun. I think this was my favorite show!

Enjoy each other's weeks and I will post mine when I get home.....

..see you then!!

**thanks for linking up even though I wasn't here!!! you guys are fantastic! Can you believe we passed day 100 this week? Keep it up!**