Happy "You and Me" Day

Today doesn't belong to family, or friends, or jobs, or anything that can't fit inside the circle of our arms around each other. Today belongs to us on our 22nd Anniversary! (pic = lovely flowers from Ed)

I remember how I felt the first time I saw you. There was something about you that I couldn't forget. Maybe it was your eyes, or your irresistible smile- all those thing that I have since come to know so well. But whatever it was, I remember that it drew me in and took hold of me in a way I couldn't ignore. Now when I look at you- I see someone who's become so incredibly important in my life. Yet there are still those moments when I feel the mystery , the charm, the same invisible power pulling me to you - just as it did when we fist met....Love Ed

An anniversary is a day for speaking from the heart, for saying romantic things and sharing private memories. SO it's only natural for me to tell you that I love you. You're a wonderful husband and a true partner in life. But there's something else I haven't said often enough. I feel so lucky that my husband is also my best friend. You know me in a way that no one else does. You can sense when I need a good laugh, a good cry, or a good listener. We have a friendship that has grown and changed through the years just as our marriage has, just as we have. Not every couple can say that. With you, I have found a once in a lifetime friendship. You're the friend I want, the husband I need, and the reason I have so much to celebrate today....Teresa

We had a wonderful dinner at the Bonefish Grill in Murfreesboro - and the manager gave us a box of chocolates as a gift for our anniversary. The big anniversary celebration will happen this weekend - stay tooned!

Looks who else is learning . . .

Yes, ED! He went and got a webcam so that we can talk "real-time" with the girls through a web program called SKYPE. I think that we are the only ones who has not heard about it. Christie got everything hooked up before she
left for college - and now we can talk online and see them on video the through the webcam. Who would have thought that a little gadget ($18 at your local Walmart) would mean so much! It is one thing to talk on the phone but it is WONDERFUL to see each other once in a while!

Pictures of an empty nest...

No cars under the carport, an empty kitchen table, no dishes in the sink, an empty refrigerator, quiet rec room, clean but bare bedrooms..... BUT THE PHONES STILL WORK !!!!!!! and I get to talk to the girls every night! :)

Mission Trip Update!

I have created a new website for our mission trip. Please go to www.freewebs.com/missionofhope for more information - or you can visit my link under "Favorite Links"

Here was our last planning meeting before Ate Glad and Uncle Prom left for the Philippines.

The Devil is in the Details

As Jillian would say, "I have created a monster!" Now that I have learned to play with this new blog site - oh my goodness!!!!!! Is this not fun or what? Of course I have to search for all the new gadgets - just wait till I learn how to load shutterfly on here - and all my 65 albums.

Something Really Different

There are books on getting married, having babies, but I don't think that I have seen any books that jump off the shelf telling a parent how to prepare for the "Empty Nest" as many call it. It was very difficult for me and my oldest daughter Jillian went off to college - even though it was only 5 hours away and still in Tennessee - but it was also very difficult and not any easier for me when we dropped off our youngest daughter Christie in Tampa Florida this weekend.

Yes, I am very excited that we have accomplished what other parents often have not - have two wonderfully smart young girls pursuing their careers and wanting to spread their wings - learning new things and pushing ahead in life. It has been a blessing watching Jillian grow! She even has her own apartment now and lives on a budget! YEAH!!!!!

I wish all the joy and blessings that a parent can bestow on her children as they start a new school year.

Yes, it is already an adjustment here at home. Simple things as going grocery shopping - and not getting a box of Christie's favorite cereal....realizing that going to the store no longer means getting a buggy full of groceries - but only two small bags for me to eat dinner alone. Yes, it is an adjustment driving into an empty carport. Yes, it is an adjustment not waiting for a phone call that "I'm on my way home" - so I can have dinner on the table. Yes, it is an adjustment not sitting on the coach watching our favorite tv shows. Yes, it is an adjustment not having all the "extended family" over at the house, grilling hamburgers, playing pool, listening to loud music, or turning the carport or rec room - into a party room. Yes, it is an adjustment!

I guess this time will allow me to learn new things. I now have a "Facebook" and now this Blog! Ed bought a webcam for us to use with SKYPE - I guess I will learn how to use it soon.

I am blessed to have the privilege of talking to my girls nightly on the phone - recapping the days events - a few minutes of the night that I truly can't wait to have!