An Afternoon With the Ladybacks

Today I took the kids out to see the Ladybacks play Vanderbilt in a game up at the U of A campus. Kaitlyn was given 4 free tix from her school so since Jennifer was on call, I thought it'd be fun for the 3 of us to go see it.

It was Jake's first time in Bud Walton Arena and surprisingly, he was fairly familiar with how to call the Hogs. As you can see, he wasn't too impressed with how loud things got at times but I told him he could yell as loud as he wanted when he called the Hogs. He later obliged.


I knew that if I didn't get some pics of this great event for Grandma Tricia, she might disown us! LOL However, we made her proud today by not only calling the Hogs several times and dancing to the Hog Wild Band, but I even got a pic of the kids with Pork Chop, one of the Razorback mascots who partols the stands during the game.


Sadly though, Arkansas was on the losing end big time before we even left the game. I figured it'd be better to leave and beat the crowd out of the parking lot plus the kids were beginning to get a little restless. Still, considering the option of staying at home on a freezing Sunday afternoon with 2 kids who'd have been stir crazy and dancing on my last nerve, the Ladyback game was a great decision and hopefully the next time we go, the game itself will be more interesting.


GO HOGS GO!!!

Recap Of The Last Few Days

I don't know about the rest of you but it seems like this time of year especially, it's hard to be creative or find things to write about on these blogs. I enjoy finding various things in my life to share but when I actually sit down and get ready to write, the "juices" just seem to dry up. Maybe it's still too early in the morning...btw, it's 8:20am right now. Is that too early? LOL

*The Super Bowl is next weekend and I'm looking forward to it!! I'd really hoped the Chargers would've made it (they've been one of my 3 favorite teams since I was a boy) but hopefully "Marty-ball" will get them over that hump for next year. With them losing a few of their coaches, however, I'm not being overly optimistic. Still, the Bears (one of my other top 3 teams) are back in the big game and I'm pretty stoked about it! I love it when a fairly new head coach comes in, implements his system and it takes them into the post season. Head Coach Lovie Smith has only been the Bears' coach for a few years but this isn't his first stint in the coaching biz. He came up from being the offensive coordinator of the St. Louis Rams to coach the Bears and what a difference he's made! I really like Lovie and I really like Colts' head coach Tony Dungy. I like the fact that they are both devout Christian men. I like the fact that they lead by example. I like that you don't see them throwing outlandish temper-tantrums on the sideline. Their calm, cool demeanor is something refreshing to see and it's a good thing to see men like this rewarded for the way they live their lives.

Still, unfortunately for Colts and Peyton Manning fans, I'm gonna have to root for the Bears next weekend. If it were anyone else in the NFC other than the Bears, I'd be pulling for the Colts but since the Bears are in it, well, let's just say I've been youtubing it to find "the Super Bowl Shuffle" video from back in '85. LOL

*The wife & I are getting away in 2 weekends for a belated anniversary trip. REALLY looking forward to escaping with her to a private, secluded cabin about an hour or so from here. We were supposed to go away 2 weeks ago but the kids were sick and there were predictions of ugly winter weather hitting NW Arkansas. So we just rescheduled and believe me...we're BOTH anxious to get away. She can go get a 2 hour massage and I can (hopefully) go play some golf is the weather cooperates.

*The Razorback soap opera continues. Way too many details of what's going on but it's not pretty and with each new day come new allegations and bombshells coupled with all kinds of outrageous rumors and shilling from the "talking heads" that are paid by the University. If you've got about 2 hours to kill and want to really dig into it, go to http://www.hogville.net/ and start reading some of the threads in the Main Discussion area. It won't take long to catch up but a warning...it gets EXTREMELY taxing.

*Started working out yesterday and my arms are killing me. I guess I can't look like Ah-nold in one day but I tried. LOL My doctor and I agreed that I needed to get some regular exercise into my routine so I joined a club a few blocks from our home. I'm hoping to lose about 25-40 pounds which, if it's going to happen, means I'm going to have to adhere to a strict, life changing diet. Still trying to find one that's easy to follow and doesn't require me dissecting the pathagrian theorem to determine food portions!

*Just finished up 24 - Season 3 the other night. At times that show is way cool and at others, it's pure maddening in their major plot holes & absurdities. Still, we're hooked and after a few days of decompressing from watching the first 3 seasons in succession so rapidly, we'll either delve into King of Queens Season 7 or get right back into 24 Season 4. I'm hoping for some King of Queens...we'll see how influencial I am. LOL

Have a great weekend wherever you are...

Enough

I apologize if this entry is a bit terse or even shorter than normal, but frankly I am fed up with the soap opera going on at the University of Arkansas in regards to the football program. For those of you unaware, there is an almost civil war being fought in the media, on message boards and in the newspaper between two camps...those who want the ouster of head coach Houston Nutt and athletic director Frank Broyles and those who continue to support them.

What was supposed to be a year of celebration, new beginnings and excitement has crumbled down into a cesspool of insults and arguments resembling a bunch of 6th grade girls fighting at recess.

Here is a brief list of the issues that seem to have people ready to take up arms:

Former Springdale High School coach Gus Malzahn was hired to rejuvenate a stagnant, run-happy Razorback offense and bring with him 5 highly touted recruits, one of which included last year's Gatorade Player of the Year, Quarterback Mitch Mustain. One of Mitch's best buds, wide receiver Damian Williams, was talked out of going to Florida at the last minute and come play for the Hogs instead.

Yes, THAT Florida...the ones who won a collegiate National Championship this year.

Early on, reports started filtering out of other coaches "hazing" Gus and his players (a common tag given to all the Springdale guys) and conflicts in "philosophies" on how to implement Gus' offense. Note: Gus wrote a widely acclaimed book about his "hurry up no huddle" offense, an offense used by many successful college teams including those current national champs, the Florida Gators.

From all accounts, AD Frank Broyles did not like what he saw offensively (pun intended) against USC (even though when Mitch came in during the fourth quarter and scored in 2 minutes using Gus' offense) and told Houston to reign Gus in and begin to take away some of his playcalling duties.

Fortunately for us, we have an incredible tandem of running backs...Darren McFadden, who finished 2nd in this year's Heisman Trophy campaign and Felix Jones, who by all rights could be in New York with D-Mac next year. Thankfully, our offensive line improved immensely in the off-season and created all kinds of holes & lanes for our guys to run through. In fact, after a gut wrenching loss at home to start the season, Arkansas ran through the remainder of the season and put up an 10 game win streak.

The press loved us, the local media loved us and the fans were loving it...except we kept hearing about tension behind the scenes with Gus, Houston and Broyles.

Flash to the end of the season and Arkansas goes on a 3 game losing streak, losing games we should have won against LSU, Florida (for the SEC Championship) and our bowl game against Wisconsin. Within all these losses came more controversy that Mustain, who'd just gone 8-0 as a starter was suddenly banished to the bench and was not heard from, in essence, the remainder of the season.

Speculation arose as a book chronicling the Springdale players' stellar senior year in 2005 when they not only went undefeated in high school play but also won the state championship. During that time, Mustain was being recruited by big names like Arkansas, Notre Dame and a few others. At first, it seemed as if we were going to get him without issue. Then, he decommitted and was leaning toward ND. Finally, he re-committed back to the Hogs (due in large part to the hiring of his high school coach Gus Malzahn) and all seemed right in Razorback land. During that senior year, though, the author of this book (Year of the Dog) was following Mitch around and collecting a 17 year old kid talking and acting like a 17 year old kid.

In one tragic instance, after seeing an exhuberant Houston Nutt celebrating after an exciting Arkansas win, Mustain jokingly called him (Nutt) a "dork" for carrying on the way he was. This comment was relayed back to Nutt and apparently he held onto it all year long, resulting in what the vast majority feel was a large reason Mustain was benched for the Hogs' last games this year.

So, here we are today, in 2007. We're supposed to be celebrating a 10-4 season but instead, we've got chaos on the Hill. Gus has resigned and gone on to be the offensive coordinator at Tulsa University, Damian Williams has transferred to USC and Mustain is off the team but finishing up his freshman year here at the U of A.

I've spared you a lot (and I mean a LOT) of other junk that's been going on for basically a year. It's out there on Razorback message boards if you feel like wading in muck & mire for a while.

But I've reached my limit on all of it and am sick of hearing any more of "Houston did this" and "Gus didn't do that" and "Mitch said this." What's absolutely tragic with this war of egoes and politics is that all 3 of these guys go to my church. At what point do we all not only start acting like adults but treating each other like Christians? I've been severly disappointed in the way Houston Nutt has handled 95% of all of this stuff all year long. Gus, on the other hand, has remained silent yet dignified and kept his opinions to himself.

Same goes for Mitch, which, when you think about it, is admirable and noteworthy. Here's a 19 year old kid showing so much more maturity, poise and judgment than his Razorback head coach does and I find myself wondering who's the supposed adult here?

I'm done with Hog football for a while. A long while. The children can continue to mess in their own sandbox and try to build their empire without my support. I'm sick of the hatemongers who want Nutt gone (even though I may be considered anti-Nutt, which I haven't fully decided yet) and the naive talk-show hosts who continue to act as if the Emporer is not really naked.

There are huge problems within the Razorback football program right now and it's apparent to me NO ONE is showing any signs of leadership nor vision to try and restore any semblance of order.

That is sad and extremely disappointing. Oh yeah...it's also embarrassing and shameful.

Who knows though? Perhaps I can look to find a seat on the Arkansas State, Texas, Missouri or USC bandwagon(s). I hear there are great things expected for the Trojans next year out in sunny Los Angeles, right Aubrey? LOL

Another Bad Night

Not a very long post today...

The boy got sick again when we got home last night. I knew he was coming back down with something just by the way his face looked pale & ruddy when I picked him up. He had these 2 big chapped spots on his cheeks, indicating he'd been wiping his nose all day long and he had this semi-glazed look to him. He started feeling hot around 6 so I gave him some Motrin & decongestant to help, which it did...

until about 3 am when he stumbled into our room, whiny, crying and hot with fever again.

I knew this was not going to be pretty. I made my way back up to the guest room with him to lay with him and keep him still. He started coughing and choking off & on for the next couple of hours and finally...well...I won't get descriptive.

Needless to say, I've been up since about 2:45am and am starting to feel it. Yet, he's finally started to doze off with Mommy upstairs in the recliner but I can't go back to sleep 'cause Kate's gotta get up for school in less than an hour. So, it'll be time to put on another pot of coffee, get her to school, come back home and get him ready for a trip up to see Dr. Kim.

Oh yeah...I guess this means Jennifer & my trip away for the weekend is postponed. However, it wouldn't have been very relaxing knowing one of the kids was home sick.

Pray for healing, rest and restoration for us please. I hate seeing my little man sick like this.

Straight A's Except...

This morning, our daughter eagerly told us that she was getting her report card later today at school. We were all very excited to see what she'd done, especially since last quarter she missed getting straight A's by only 4 percentage points. This is no small feat regardless of what grade you are in but as with any parent, we were extremely proud of her past efforts and encouraged her to try a little harder for "the almighty A" as Grandpa Fred used to say.

I had lunch with Jennifer today, went to Tyson foods to help them voiceover a commercial and then made my way to pick up Kate after school. I was supposed to pick up Jake on the way so I figured the line to pick up the kids at Kate's school was going to be long so why not get him first.

I peered through the tiny window that looks into the "big room" at his school where all the kids play on cold and/or wet days. Sure enough, from all the way across the floor, he spotted me and a huge grin came across his face. As I popped through the door, his little feet churned butter (as I used to say when they were little) and he leapt into my arms at about 85mph. I was fortunate to absorb most of his weight but not before toppling over a bit.

We got our shoes & coats on and made our way to the door to pick up Kate. Sure enough, as I expected, the line for parents driving their kids home from school was long. To make matters worse, some parents are extremely slow when dropping their kids off or picking them up. I could feel my hair turning gray as the seconds became minutes...the one song on Radio Disney became four. Finally, by the time Hilary Duff was beginning to croon over the airwaves, I made it up to where Kaitlyn was standing.

There she was, with that same big grin her brother had had on his face 20 minutes earlier.

I knew we were in for a good report.

She climbed into the Sequoia and said, triumphantly...

"Look at my report card...STRAIGHT A'S!!!"

I cheered her on as I looked everything over. Sure enough, every box had either an "A" in it or "E" for excellent.

All but one...it had an "S" for satisfactory.

"Controls Talking."

An "S" this quarter and an "S" last quarter. Apparently, we still need to do a little work on knowing when to talk and when to listen.

Yep, she's definitely her mother's daughter.

The Storm

This past weekend, we dealt with all kinds of storms in our lives. First off, Jake went to bed Thursday night with a fever well over 100 and was a hot potato until sometime Sunday morning. It's never a fun thing as a parent to watch your child suffer with nausea, fever, sweating and congestion. You'd do anything you could to take it away from them but the only real cure is time. Thank God for Childrens' Motrin because that really did a great job of lowering his fever & cooling him off. However, usually after the 8 hour duration, Jake got hot again and began to get pale and listless. I spent most of those nights laying next to him, trying to keep him as comfortable as I could.

Oh yeah...he grinds his teeth too. LOL

Thankfully, the fever broke yesterday morning and although he's still a bit stuffy, he's getting back to his normal self of beating the tar outta me...Power Rangers style.

Then, all of NW Arkansas and Oklahoma and SW Missouri dealt with this horrible ice & sleet storm. Our home was fortunate to not suffer any kind of significant ice accumulation or power outages. Our neighbors to the north and west of us (in Benton County and extreme eastern OK) went without power and were forced to relocate to either a Salvation Army shelter or a local hotel. Local news outlets reported last night that some may be without power until Tuesday sometime. Be sure to join us in keeping these people in our prayers.

I'd made a few runs to Wal-Mart to stock up on all kinds of things just in case we got iced in but, thankfully, it looks as if it was all for naught...at least here in Fayetteville. However, I think I've got about 50 gallons of de-icer in the garage that I'll never get rid of now. HA!

Finally, this morning, I hear around 8am that the offensive coordiantor of the Arkansas Razorbacks, Gus Malzahn, is leaving the university after only one year to become the OC at the University of Tulsa. This past year was one of extreme highs & lows for the Razorback football team, ending with a 3 game losing skid, much of that leveled at head coach Houston Nutt. Nutt's been called out for limiting what Gus could and could not do with the offense (read this as suffering from envy and refusing to allow people to do the jobs they were hired to do) as well as benching last year's Gatorade High School Player of the Year Mitch Mustain (from Springdale AR...only 10 min up the road) for "political reasons".

Apparently what we're hearing now is that people behind the scenes were intimidated with Gus' offensive schemes & success and couldn't deal with that in an adult way. Looking at the way our coaching staff and administration has handled a lot of things this year, calling them "adults" may be a stretch. Anyway, word we're hearing is that Athletic Director Frank Broyles, once a staunch Gus supporter, told Houston in mid-season to fire Gus. It didn't happen so word came down at the end of the season to "encourage Gus" to look for a job elsewhere because his time (albeit a brief one) was over at the University of Arkansas.

I am an alum of the University and hearing, seeing and going through this soap opera absolutely disgusts me. What disappoints me even further is not only is Gus a devout, strong Christian who goes to our church (in fact, Gus led Shiloh Christian High School to a state championship a few years ago and just last year did the same for Springdale High) and a man who is the empitome of the word "integrity", Arkansas HC Houston Nutt also goes to our church. It's an absolute shame that what could've been an incredible building block for future years in Razorback football is now being mired down in controversy, hearsay, allegations and dirty politics.

Here's hoping these "storms" will be over soon.

Husky Do

I don't know how we got on the topic but yesterday, my sister Angela and I were discussing childhood memories and me in my ever-so-observant way (some would call it slightly demented) turned it into a searing, painful journey into my younger days.

Somehow, my statement of me taking some running pants (yeah...imagine that...ME, actually running in running pants!!) back to Target because they didn't fit quite right turned into my recollections of my K-3rd days where I was subjected to my first encounter(s) with name brands.

And to this day, this "name brand" has been seared into my psyche so much so that once I say it, all you guys out there will recoil in either pain or hysteria because you know from whence I cometh.

Toughskins. Sears Toughskins.

If ever the devil were to create his own brand of denim jeans, it would have to be Toughskins. Those things were so stiff when you bought them, Boeing could've used them for some prototype versions of the 747. I think it wasn't until the 40th time I tried to wear them they actually began to even show the slightest inclination of "give". Oh, and let's not forget when Toughskins thought it'd be a great fashion idea to take various shades and colors of denim and turn a pair of jeans into a walking patchwork quilt. can you blame the ladies for running away from me?

Couple those jeans with my ideal t-shirt...the one that used to have a big cartoon pic of Fonzie saying "AAAAAAYYYYY!" and I was ready to knock 'em dead.

Not only were these things so uncomfortable, they were designed to fit boys of my age and my...ahem...build.

I was what you used to call (as did all the people around me at that age) "husky". I believe this term was a polite way for clothing marketeers to call boys "fat", "chubby" and "porky" without really doing so in a direct manner. In fact, it worked so well that I thought "husky" was kind of a cool term to describe me as more of a "man brute in training".

Needless to say, in my later years, I began to realize that the hot girls didn't really go for the "husky" boys. They usually liked the star quarterbacks, the slender guys who were not only cute but quick on their feet. The ones who had perfect feathered hair parted down the middle.

Me? My body was sad enough in it's portly state but I thought it'd be a great idea to try and enhance things with my hair.

First, it was the ever popular and still widely used "bowl cut". Now I never had a bowl put over my head but looking back at older pics, I can see how one would think I did.

Then, I tried the aforementioned hairstyle of parting it down the middle and then flipping the sides back in a feathered layout.

Think Shaun Cassidy without all the foof.

Unfortunately, my hair has no life and lays as it will...which is usually straight around my gourd. Then, being influenced by not only 80's hairstyles but Van Halen's bass player, I came up with the bright idea of putting a body wave in my hair.

Hey...if it works for Van Halen (and that guy is kind of short & stocky like me...dare I say, he was "husky"?) why can't this hairstyle work on me too?

I knew when I saw the pupils in my mom's eyes dialate as I walked out of the barbershop something was up...and it wasn't just my hair. My fears were only affirmed when we walked in the house and my dad called me "Cindy".

Like I said, somehow my sis and I got on this topic and you can see how quickly it dissolved into a free-for-all nosedive that resembled that of a wounded goose falling limply to the ground. Sure, we laughed and laughed about it on the phone but deep down, tucked way down in the darkest recesses of my soul...

the Fonz is shedding a tear.

Aaaaayyyyy.

Preparing To Win

Anytime you get out of your normal routine, it's always hard to get "plugged" back in. In fact, for me, I find myself becoming more disconnected the longer the break is and such has been the case with me having a meaningful daily quiet time with the Lord. I've still been able to find a little time here and there since Kaitlyn's been out on Christmas break but it's not been the same. I've been interrupted by the kids or distractions of the day because, and it's my own fault, I've tried having this quiet time when things are happening around the house.

It used to be I could get up at 6am and have a good quiet hour alone with God but with my daily routine being disrupted, that quiet time has become more of trying to hear a whisper on a playground.

So yesterday morning, as I was getting ready for church, I commented to my wife how disconnected I'd been feeling lately...about my quiet time, about feeling like I wasn't growing any deeper with Him and how generally unmotivated I'd become about a lot of things. The problem I was seeing, I confessed, was that not only was I beginning to feel sorry for myself but also started to see things with a bit more skepticism and negativity. I was expecting everyone around me BUT me to live up to God's standards and I wasn't happy with that internal feeling within.

However, I knew I needed to get plugged back in to hearing God's voice, following His plan for my life and being consistent in this new year to read the Bible and discover new truths.

I don't believe in pure coincidence. What I do believe in, however, is God's timely intervention in our lives and yesterday's message from Pastor Floyd was just that. In fact, I wouldn't just call it a timely intervention but the good, swift kick I needed in my backside to shake off the duldrums of indifference and self-pity I'd been going through.

We all need those now and again, right? LOL

Pastor's message was called "3 Steps To Prepare Yourself For What God Wants To Do In Your Life This Year." Don't let the long title scare you away though...it's 3 extremely simple principles not only make complete sense but they're very basic in understanding. Yet it's sometimes the most basic of ideals that we struggle with the most.

He began his sermon by talking about how everyone wants to finish their lives victoriously and finish it well. The key to winning and being victorious begins with preparation. Regardless of the task that lies before you, we can only succeed if we've prepared completely for it. Facing the challenges of life is no different.

The scripture he used initially is from Proverbs 21:30-31. It says:

"There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord. The horse is made ready for the day of battle but victory rests with the Lord." (NIV)

Victory ultimately comes from the Lord but that doesn't mean you don't prepare for the battles in your life. Psalm 20:7 says it quite well:

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." (NIV)

The 3 steps he mentioned on how to prepare yourself to succeed with God are:
-humility (characterized by a teachable spirit)
-availability (characterized by a willing heart)
-opportunity (characterized by a fruitful life)

In the first example, we need to humble ourselves before God...get rid of our stuff and ideals that we know it all because frankly, we don't. Most of the troubles we get ourselves into is due in large part to our "intellect". So, let's get past our own way of thinking, lower ourselves before the Father and become humble before Him. By doing so, we then become...

available to what He has in store for us. If we have that willing heart to do as He asks us, to follow His plan for our lives, He can then use us better and bring us better results in life. Ask yourself...what does God want me to do? Once you make yourself willing, He'll show you where you need to go. Once He shows you where He wants you to be, be looking for that...

opportunity. Be ready (or prepared) for that special "God moment" in which He has prepared you for. Allow Him to not only prepare you but also work through you, reaching others and showing them all He is doing in your life. As such, your life will begin to produce that "spiritual fruit" the Bible talks about in Galatians.

He left us with this thought: When preparation meets opportunity, therein is a divine appointment.

I sat there and really soaked in what he was preaching yesterday and realized the disconnect had come from me. God had never unplugged Himself from me or abandoned me. I was the one who allowed the outside distractions to pull me away from Him, from humbling myself before Him and thus, was not being prepared for those opportunities He has in store for me.

It solidified, however, a feeling I've had for a while and am excited to pursue. This Wednesday night begins a new class at our church called "Sharing Jesus Without Fear." This has been a cry from my heart for a while now and I've been really looking for something like this to equip me for those special "God moments". I've decided that with the class being offered the same time I'd be going to choir practice that I'm going to put choir aside for a while and really focus on what I can do to better prepare myself in sharing the Word with others.

As much as I've loved singing in the choir for the past 3 years, things have begun stirring within my heart that have pointed me toward taking a class like this. I may rejoin choir once the classes are done but I really feel like I need to become better prepared for something that's much bigger than I know at the present. I've often felt that God has been creating something within me for a while now and this class may just be that spark to ignite the fire within.

I'm very excited to think about what God is going to show me, teach me and prepare me for. I only pray that His name would be glorified through the words I say and that my life will become that beacon of drawing the lost toward Him. I cannot save anyone...only God can save.

But I can allow Him to use me to reach others.

That is how I want to finish the race...

being used by Him to have an impact on those around me for the furtherance of HIS kingdom.

Remembering Gladys

Yesterday, January 5th, marked the 8th anniversary of the death of my wife's mother Gladys. She died from a long bout with breast cancer and sadly, only 6 months after the birth of our daughter Kaitlyn. Gladys had fought this horrible disease courageously for a number of years, focusing on the quality of life instead of the quantity of it. While many encouraged her to try more conventional ways to battle this cancer, Gladys wanted to enjoy as much of her life as normally as she could and therefore elected not to undergo the traditional chemo therapies and radiation techniques.

For a point of comparison, my step dad did go through the chemos and radiations in his final stages of fighting his cancer and we saw him weaken from those efforts until he became a frail, fragile man. I believe Gladys knew of this and wanted to not have to endure these very painful, debilitating conditions although she knew deep down the end result would eventually be the same.

One thing I can remember of Gladys was her zeal and spirit for life!! The Bible talks about having life more abundantly and living it as such. This is exactly how Glad lived her's...full of fun, adventure and making the absolute most of each opportunity. I think back to the times when she'd come visit Jennifer and me in Little Rock for a weekend that always included several trips to the mall, the movies and some great restaurants.

But to be honest with you, as I sit and reflect on this, I wish she could be here for her grandkids and especially her beautiful daughters.

I'd give anything to be able to have her pull up in our driveway in her maroon Honda Accord, bound up the sidewalk and flash us that grin and laugh as she hugged and kissed Jennifer, me and the grandchildren she never got to see grow up. I'd give anything to know that these kids had another grandmother who'd spoil them, love them, nurture them and come visit them.

Kaitlyn especially. Last weekend, Jennifer and Kate went out on a "girls' shopping date" as Mommy & daughter and Jen mentioned to me how Grandma Gladys would've loved to have been along, helping them shop & buy a bunch of things. Glad was definitely a great shopper and those genes have been passed along to Jennifer and Kaitlyn.

She was an incredibly special, vibrant woman. She had a career at one point as a stewardess for American Airlines and later became an author and creator of a child's character, Allie the Dragon. Allie came about during a time in Jennifer's life when she was extremely ill and Gladys came up with stories to help keep Jennifer's mind off things. Allie was a good dream dragon who brought about good dreams and wishes to children in the world who were sick and hurting.

In fact, as I looked over some of the early variants of Allie, it looked as if I were looking at the pre-cursor to what would eventually become Barney. I've no doubt that if Gladys would've tried to implement Allie's image, ideas and stories to toy companies back in the early 80's, she'd have beaten Barney out of the gate as far as the level of popularity he achieved.

In later years, Gladys took the idea of Allie and incorporated parts of his life with a story of when Jennifer was sick in real life. Glad's book was called "For The Love of Jenny" and although it did fairly well there in the Mountain Home area, it never achieved a large nationwide distribution. That didn't stop Gladys from traveling the country with a large 6 ft stuffed dragon and enlightening people about a horrible condition called Crohn's Disease. She was able to share her message on statewide television, in the Little Rock capital offices, to then governor Bill Clinton and even made it to Washington DC to join national lobbyists all fighting to bring awareness to this debilitating disease.

Actually, we now have that stuffed dragon in our attic and several green Allie dragon prototypes running around our home. We even have a few pink girl dragons but I'm not sure what her name is.

Gladys was always good for encouragement too. When I was beginning my career in radio, she would often come over and take us out to eat. She had ideas on how I could better myself and each time she always told me that I could do anything if I just put my mind to it. Jennifer and I still to this day laugh about how she'd say something like "you really should think about doing that...I'm serious." Not because of what she said but because she meant it whole-heartedly and she said it quite often to keep reminding us.

Now, through the blessings of God above and His direction in our lives, we see that she was right in encouraging us to follow our dreams.

After all, Jennifer and I still have each other and that has been an amazing dream come true for me.

I know my wife is still mourning the loss of both her parents, especially her mom. It's this pain that I, as her husband, would do anything I could to take it away from her. I know that one day we'll see Gladys again in heaven, along with many of our loved ones and what a reunion time that will be.

Yet, as we all look forward to that day when we can not only see loved ones who've passed away but we can also gaze upon the face of our Lord & Savior, we do what we can each day to get through without having our moms, dads, grandparents and loved ones here on earth with us.

This picture of Gladys shows her on the beach in Florida. That was always one of her favorite places and it's one of our family's as well. You can see the smile on her face but you can also see it in her eyes, her posture and her spirit. You see the carefree way in which she walked through life. You see the way she looked at things through positive, encouraging eyes. You can see how happy she is and I imagine her today on the beaches of the crystal sea, smiling brightly at the Father and walking along with a song in her heart.

Gladys, yesterday may have been an anniversary of your passing but today is a day we remember you and your life with love and respect. You showed us how to face the giants in our lives and beat them with a smile. You told us time and time again that we can do anything we set our minds to. You taught us how a parent loves her child at any price, at any cost and through any season of life.

We miss you tremendously and see you in our kids each and every day. Our love for you continues to grow stronger, regardless of if you are alive or in heaven...that is one thing that will never change. Thank the Lord that you are now in a better place, free of pain and disease yet full of joy, peace and love.

Thank you for remaining as a shining light in our lives.

We love you...