Thanksgiving Break

Debbie and I had a great Thanksgiving Break with our parents in Broken Arrow. Dad and I played golf on Wednesday at Emerald Falls a beautiful new course in East Broken Arrow. We had a delicious Thanksgiving Dinner on Thursday and hit Bass Pro Shop Thursday evening. We headed back on Friday.

Bubble Creek Canyon

Great video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svp3X68ZQ7M

Education is Important

I shared this with my staff in the November Newsletter:

Mrs. Merv Grazinski of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, purchased a brand new 32-foot Winnebago motor home. On her first trip home, (from an OU football game), having driven onto the freeway, she set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the driver's' seat to go into the back and make herself a sandwich. Not surprisingly, the RV left the freeway, crashed and overturned. Mrs. Grazinski sued Winnebago for not advising her in the owner's' manual that she couldn't actually do this. The jury awarded her $1,750,000 plus a new motor home. The company actually changed their manuals on the basis of this suit (Being from Oklahoma I believe this story 100%).As we educate our students in the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic we teach other basic skills as well. We teach problem solving skills on a daily basis. It might of helped Mrs. Grazinski.

Enjoy the Thanksgiving break coming up, and please, if you do drive south into Oklahoma please watch out for recreational vehicles, you never know who might be driving.

Thanksgiving

I still like this story.....................

I hope your Thanksgiving is better than this individuals Thanksgiving nightmare………………

My in-laws were in town 2 years ago and in addition my parents were coming over. It was the first time in our marriage that everybody came to OUR house for the holiday. That morning as my wife was making early preparation, our septic tank overflowed all over our basement. The smell was anything but festive and the mess was even worse. A $50 shop-vac and a $500 holiday septic service special helped clean up a little but nonetheless, it was not something I ever care to relive. We laugh about it now, but then…UGH!

May your blessings overflow this Thanksgiving!

P.S. I love this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYB9bC13ODw

Branson

We had a great time in Branson. Silver Dollar City was beautiful. The Christmas lights were unbelievable. The coasters were great at night. The food was fantastic (of course we had to stop at Lamberts in Ozark).

Christmas in Branson

We took a quick trip to Branson on Saturday and Sunday with Brian and Allison to see the Christmas lights and visit Silver Dollar City. We had a great time. We will travel back to SDC on December 26 when Craig comes home for the holidays.

Blood

Craig was the PR guy for the blood drive at FIT. I enjoyed his posters.

My Retreat in NE Kansas

I really enjoy living in Southeast Kansas, but I miss a special place where I could go to get away. My fishing spot at Lake Pomona. Now I'm not an expert fisherman, but I have learned alot about the sport in the past 5 years.

I needed to find a hobby other than golf so my boys decided I needed to give fishing a try. I decided on catfish because that's the only fish that I like eating and Pomona is one of the best L

lakes for catching channel and flathead. I have enjoyed it tremendously, especially our 4th of July Carriger Fish Fry's.

I need to find a new place where I can escape for a few hours...........................

It's In the Valleys I Grow

Sometimes life seems hard to bear,
Full of sorrow, trouble and woe
It's then I have to remember
That it's in the valleys I grow.
If I always stayed on the mountain top
And never experienced pain,
I would never appreciate God's love
And would be living in vain.
I have so much to learn
And my growth is very slow,
Sometimes I need the mountain tops,
But it's in the valleys I grow.
I do not always understand
Why things happen as they do,
But I am very sure of one thing.
My Lord will see me through.
My little valleys are nothing
When I picture Christ on the cross
He went through the valley of death;
His victory was Satan's loss.
Forgive me Lord, for complaining
When I'm feeling so very low.
Just give me a gentle reminder
That it's in the valleys I grow.
Continue to strengthen me, Lord
And use my life each day
To share your love with others
And help them find their way.
Thank you for valleys, Lord
For this one thing I know
The mountain tops are glorious
But it's in the valleys I grow!

Weekend Visit

Herb and Alberta Kelly from Topeka visited us this weekend. A great surprise visit from two dear friends.

Thought for the Day

I Cannot Do This Alone

O God, early in the morning
I cry to you.
Help me to pray
And to concentrate my thoughts on you:
I cannot do this alone.
In me there is darkness,
But with you there is light;
I am lonely,
but you do not leave me;
I am feeble in heart,
but with you there is help;
I am restless,
but with you there is peace.
In me there is bitterness,
but with you there is patience;
I do not understand your ways,
But you know the way for me…
Restore me to liberty,
And enable me to live now
That I may answer before you and before me.
Lord, whatever this day may bring,
Your name be praised.
Amen.

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

New York City Trip Day 4

We ended our NYC trip saying goodbye to our new friends and a quick cab ride to LGA for our flight home.

Craig, we had a great time visiting you. You were a great host and look forward havng you home for Christmas.

Football Season Ends

The Columbus Titans ended the 2009 football season on Saturday night at Louisburg. The Titans lost 26-0 but played a great defensive game. They ended the season 8-3.

New York City Trip Day 3 Continued

A Sunday afternoon walk down Park Ave window shopping.  We heard a beautiful choir sing in one of the oldest churches in NYC.  We ended the day with a trip to the Empire State Building.  A great way to end our last night in NYC.

Columbus Wins Bi-District Championship

The Columbus Titans won the Bi-District Football Championship last night defeating Coffeyville.  The Titans (8-2) travel to Louisburg (9-1) for a Saturday night showdown.

Congratulations to the Osage City Indians as well.  They host Galena on Saturday afternoon.

New York City Trip Day 3

We had a great Sunday in New York City.  a beautiful sunny day.  We started the day off with a subway ride to the Upper West Side for church.  After church we went to the classic Shake Shack for hamburgers and fries.  The shack sauce was unbelievable.

After the burger we walked down the street to visit where Craig works.  Ugg Australia.  we enjoyed visiting his co-workers.  Deb really enjoyed Ugg.  I bought her a pair of boots.

We spent the day walking around NYC and visiting the World Trade Center site.  We also went to South Street Seaport where we had a great view of the Brooklyn Bridge.

We then headed to Greenwich Village for dessert at Magnolia Bakery.  All I can say is unbelievable!  I had Coconut cake.