Trip to Charlotte and Jed Sites

Matt and I went to Charlotte today to meet one of our future JCA students and her family.... We had a great time getting to know them...Matt got to talk on the phone for 2 hours to them last night.... I have no idea what the conversation was because I went to sleep.. They drove about an hour and half to meet us.... I hope it was worth the trip....

We went to a place called the Cheese Cake Factory.It is located in South Park Mall... Mandie has been trying to get us to go there for months and Tippi managed to get us there with one question... The food was good, but my snicker cheesecake was even better.... Thanks a bunch to the Smith's for the treat..... We will see you in Cebu!!!!

On the way home I captured this picture of a tire flap with my name on it.... I googled the company Jed Express Ltd. when I got home.... I know I have no life....but it said my name.... Turn your head to the left to see it... Sorry if you get a cramp.... It was rotated correctly in iPhoto, but for some reason blogger kept turning it..... O well...


While I was googling I ran across some interesting sites with the name Jed

www.jed.com This is a site where all the Jed's of the world can communicate and tell there story..look for mine on there soon.....

www.jedfoundation.org This site is a nonprofit organization committed to decreasing the number of college age suicides...

www.jedsmaple.com This is a neat little syrup farm in Vermont...named after their son...Jed

www.timstvshowcase.com/beverlyh.html Saved the best for last.... If I've heard it once I have heard it a thousand times....."come and listen to a story bout a man named......" You know how it goes.... This is a neat website with lots of BH info.... It even has the premier episode where Jed found the black, gold, Texas tea, oil that is........

Sounds I'm Gonna Miss

Okay.... I am on the porch again..... The mosquitoes are enjoying a glorious feast on my legs....and some other kind of bug keeps flying into my screen.... It is 10 o'clock and have just now looked at my computer for the first time today....

The packing finally began today.... We have 3 of our 4 shipping boxes ready to go.. Hopefully they will be dropped off at the place in Greenville on Friday....It all depends on whether or not I can get them in the car... If any of you are interested in helping with the shipping please email me.....

As I sit here there are 2 sprinklers going in the neighbor's yard...They are the kind that go."ticktickticktickticktick shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...
ticktickticktickticktick shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

I love that sound... It is so peaceful as I sit here... It reminded me of sounds I am not gonna hear in the Philippines....

the sprinklers of course....

the sound of an old country lady calling someone to "housewaaaares" or "jewry" in Wal-mart

the sound of the bell to dismiss school

the sound of a woodpecker in my back yard

the sound of my car window getting stuck and unstuck because of the damaged it received from a crazy Windsor House Assisted Living employee 2 years ago in the Dollar General parking lot...I am not bitter...honest I'm not...

the sound of Eddie during praise band practice.....I'm not talking about his trombone......LOL



the sound of Lance..... (don't be jealous Julie) :0)

the sound of my storm door that Johny McDowell put up for me and its not closing just right so it latches about 30 seconds after you close the door.... click..... there it went... I'm inside now...the mosquito feast got the best of me.......

the sound of my neighbor's Mustang at 6 in the morning....NOT GONNA MISS IT!!!!

the sound of my great preacher speaking "Alabamese" from the pulpit.

the sound of my mom's messed up cell phone message... I get it every time because her phone is not the greatest..... She dropped it in the water and now she receives about every 5th call....the rest are diverted to voice mail.....

Hope you enjoyed the list.... Aren't sounds the greatest.... If you think of any good ones let me know......Hasta Manana!

Just a Swingin'

Remember that old song...... good song huh..... Anyway....Today is my first real day off for the summer....Most of the world woke up and went to work this morning and here I sit at home in my favorite spot...my porch swing...I could sit here for hours...I miss those early days of spring when it was not so hot out here....Guess I better be getting use to the humidity huh?.....

I think I like the swing because my grand mama and grand daddy had one when I was little...I used to love to go out there and sit with my head in grand mama's lap fall asleep....I am bout to fall asleep as I blog....The swing relaxes me.....

We (Matt and I) met with a screen printer this afternoon about making some prayer support cards to give out to all you so that you can have it to plaster on your fridge..... I can not think of a better image to see every time you go by the fridge than my handsome face..... Hopefully they will be done in about 2 weeks and we can start giving them out..... If you are a sponsor will automatically get one.... If you are not a sponsor and would like to commit to pray for us as we move to Cebu, please drop me an email your address and I will send you one....

On a different not Matt turns 27 next week on Sunday.....Send him a card.... He never gets mail and it would be a great surprise for him.... He doesn't read my blog all that much.... Maybe he won't see this... Email me for the address... mrdearybury@hotmail.com

"Plumb Tuckered Out"

Shew.... I'm tired... today has been a long day for me.... It all started with me going to walmart at 9:00 this morning to get stuff for a family cookout today..... I LOVE to host a party..... Its a lot of fun for me..... The family came over at about 12:30ish and we grilled out and and like pigs..... You can view the spread below along with a cute patriotic pic of my nieces...and one of me and mama....




After lunch, we made a trip to the neighborhood pool for Sophie's first dip in the pool.... Just because they are so cute I put a pic of me with each niece below... Taylor is first and the bottom is Sophie.



I don't know where the energy came from...but after swimming til about 4:30 I worked in the yard all evening.... I am "plumb tuckered out.".....

The title and that previous saying are dedicated to my great friend Teri in St. George, UT
She and I have been Long Distance friends since 1994.... Hope she enjoys her shout out!!!

Unemployed

Well..... I am officially jobless.... I will miss it.... Yesterday was the last day of my contract..... I wasn't as sad as I thought I might be, but I did have a moment........

After our luncheon I walked down to my classroom for the final time...... the lights were off, no one was around...so I walked in and sat on the counter...... All I could do when I sat down was cry.... not tears of sadness.... but tears of thankfulness...tears of joy....tears of humility...... all in response to the graciousness and of God in my life that had led me to that room... that had led me to be a part of something so amazing as being an influence in the lives of 4 years worth of children.... I will never forget my time there at L.O..... I loved every second....even when I was mad at the whole building I could not have thought of a better place to be..... It was an honor and a privilege to serve there...

Now... I get to look towards my new job in the Philippines.... What an honor and a privilege it will be to serve there as well..... I can not wait to see what God will do next!!!!!

A Night to Remember

As many of you know, my parents, Lynn and Johnny divorced when I was 2..... Long story don't have time for details.... anyway... after the divorce they both remarried and had children with their new spouse....... Giving me 2 sisters...... Looking at the pic the one to the right is Johnnie-Lynn.... Most of you know her.... She goes to Anderson Mill Road.... She and I share the same mom.... we grew up together... we are very close.... She was born when I was 5 and I have spent most of my life with her.....

The girl to the left is my dad's daughter, my other sister Jessica..... She was born when I was 12....I never lived with her, and then when her mom and my dad divorced I really didn't see her much.... I love her dearly because she is my sister but unfortunately our relationship is just different.... Unfortunately she and I are reaping the benefits of "sins" of the father so to speak... That's not to be judgemental....just factual......

The pic below is from Jessica's High School Graduation last night..It was the weirdest feeling to take this picture because technically speaking both of these girls are related to me in the same manner, but because of life and its unpredictable circumstances...our relationships are night and day....

As she walked across the stage I was SOOO proud of her.... She has been through so much in her 17 years...She will be 18 in June.... I hate that she and I don't have a closer relationship, but we both unfortunately are just light years apart in 2 different worlds....2 different moms.... 2 different perspectives on dads..... 2 different eras of life....etc....

I think we have both made some attempts to have a better relationship but its just hard because honestly we just don't know each other that well..... I could blame myself... blame her.... I could even blame daddy...but for what...... The important thing is that we love each other....and we are there when we need each other..... I was glad I was there last night.... She looked so pretty and now she is officially a graduate.... I hope she reads this and knows that I love her very much! Congratulations!!!!!

A Date with Dora

Yesterday I took Taylor, my niece, to see Dora the Explorer at Chic-Fil-A... I had been planning to take her for about 2 weeks now... I picked her up at daycare at around 4:45 and Dora was set to arrive at 5:30... Taylor was very excited to go... the daycare worker said she had talked all day about her BB coming to get her......

We had a great time... There must have been 400 people crowded in that tiny Chic-Fil-A..... Thanks to Grandmama Doris for taking the pic of us both...and thanks to her for getting us a seat.... She asked one of her fellow employees could we sit at the table with him... It was the only seat in the place...... I made a really cute video of Taylor while we were there... Click here to see...

After we left I took her home where I got some cute pics of her and Sophie.... I have neglected Sophie on the blog thus far and I apologize to her... and her mama.... I hope these cute pics make up for my neglect......

First Grade Funnies

Working with first graders over the past 4 years has allowed me to see and hear some pretty funny stuff..... As my last days of first grade are coming to a close I am feeling like I want to recapture some of those fond memories here on my blog so I can laugh at them years from now....

1. Cynthia and Landon were reading with me on the carpet when Cynthia passed gas... It was my first year and I was trying to be professional but I lost it....... TRUST ME IT WAS HYSTERICAL!!!

2. Briana trying to get her chap stick...... I hope she found it..... I won't tell you where it was....

3. Jonathan told me he thought he had Diarrhea... I asked him how he knew.... He said.... "It is in my seat"....

4. Lee whispering in my ear........."there is poop on the toilet"...

5. Maleeka telling me about some dog doo on the playground.... and I quote... "Mr. Dearberry...Daaays doookie over dare!"

6. Upon telling Jamie to draw a picture of me... He said... "Can I draw you skinny?" I laughed and said sure.... He then said... "Can I at least draw your nose hairs?"

7. I told Harumi to have fun, play and be merry at recess..... She said she didn't want a husband.....

8. Spencer.... after wetting the floor in the bathroom said "I couldn't help it... I bent over to lift the seat and it just went everywhere!"

9. Lucas wrote a letter to the tooth fairy and asked her if she had a lawyer... When I asked him why he said....."I figured if she was going in all those houses and sneaking in people's rooms without permission she might need one."

10. The last one was my own folly.... I was trying to ask my class the question.... Fact or Fiction... For some reason it came out "fart or fiction?" The class was lost for the rest of the day!!!

I hope you enjoyed reading these as much as I have the past 4 years in the first grade.... I LOVED EVERY SECOND OF IT!!!

Food + Family + Friends = Fun

Its Sunday night....and I am at the end of a very long, but fun weekend.....

Friday night, Matt and I spoke to a Sunday School class from church..... Jacob Wuenschel is their teacher, but I think Sande Campsen runs the show.... She was our host for the evening.... It just didn't work out for us to speak to them on a Sunday morning so they decided to have a class social/special speakers.... The food they had was GREAT..... My favorite was the potato casserole and chicken casserole...... We had a great time of sharing about what the Lord is doing in our lives... It was way better than speaking at church because we were able to be way more personal and not rushed to get to services....

On Saturday our old friends from FATZ decided to throw us a going away party... Here are some pics below.... We were so honored that they did this for us.... Most of them we don't see on a regular basis now, and it was so good to spend some time with them.... I always say that a good friend is someone you can go without seeing for a long time, but when you finally see them again it was like you saw them yesterday..... I hope all the FATZ guys read this.... I love all of yall.... Thanks so much for the cookout... I loved every crispy burger I ate!!!!






As if the cookout Saturday wasn't enough..... Our great friend Brenda Blackwell..... who by the way just started a blog... check it out in my blog list..... Anyway... Brenda cooked quite a feast for us today after church....... It was a true southern cooks dinner.... AWESOME..... The best part was that her daughter/one of my best friends ever, Christina came to eat with us..... Christina lives in Greenville now and I don't get to see her much.... She is like my sister...and I was sooooo happy to see her...... I miss her!!!! I hope you read that Neener!!!!

I wish I had some pics of that dinner.... what a time we had....

After we left Brenda's .... I had time for a quick nap and then on to spend some time with the family at Johnnie-Lynn's.... Lawrence grilled out and it was great....

Guess you could say with all this good eating that I am storing up fat for the Philippines..... Have you looked at the count down the right.... It's coming really quickly..... See ya later!!!!

Listen, and You Will Hear Him

This morning I was sitting here at the computer..... I really didn't know what to write about.... I wanted to post some pics of my brand spanking new Bach Strad. Trumpet that I got yesterday from Hames Music... but it was late when I got home and I didn't take the pics... maybe tomorrow......

Anyway, as I sat here thinking... all i could think about was PRAISE THE LORD!! I mean last night I was almost giddy at the Praise Band practice because of how He is just showing me, not with a big flashing neon sign, but with small reminders from everyday people.. that HE IS SO WONDERFUL..... remember that old song.... "To me....He's so wonderful......." I heard Vestal sing it one time.... Man did she SANG!!!!

Am I rambling today or what... get to the point.... As I was sitting here.... I just heard...read Psalm 98.... Now people, I know the Bible.. but I had no idea what Psalm 98 said.... So I pulled up Psalm 98 on biblegateway.com and this is what it said.....

Sing to the LORD a new song,

for he has done marvelous things;

his right hand and his holy arm

have worked salvation for him.

The LORD has made his salvation known

and revealed his righteousness to the nations.

He has remembered his love

and his faithfulness to the house of Israel;

all the ends of the earth have seen

the salvation of our God.

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth,

burst into jubilant song with music;

make music to the LORD with the harp,

with the harp and the sound of singing,
with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn

shout for joy before the LORD, the King.

Let the sea resound, and everything in it,

the world, and all who live in it.

Let the rivers clap their hands,

Let the mountains sing together for joy;

let them sing before the LORD,

for he comes to judge the earth.

He will judge the world in righteousness

and the peoples with equity.

That's exactly how I felt this morning.... Like I wanted to join with the mountains, rivers, and seas and sing my praise to him.... Shout to Him..... Thank Him....

It was amazing to me that He saw my thoughts and knew I could not find the words to express how I was feeling this morning...so He laid His word on my heart and what a passage I found....

Fantastic!

I have not blogged about it much because I didn't want to seem whiny.... but about 2 weeks ago my trumpet was stolen from the church along with 3 guitars and a bass amp. I was very attached to this particular trumpet because it was the one I used in marching band in high school.... Let me save you the time you will waste on the comments and say I know that you "can't go back" but it was sentimental to me.....but, I digress.....

Anyway.... I found out today that I will have a check ready at the church tomorrow to go get a new one.... I am going today at 4 to look at the selection at Hames Music in Gaffney.... A really nice guy named Byron helped me with the quote so I gave him my word I would buy there.....

We found out that they did catch the guy who stole it...but no trumpet or guitars.... They did recover the bass amp though..... Guess that's better than nothing!!!

I hope you all have had a great day..... Mine was as good as it could be with 16 first graders five days away from summer...... See you tomorrow!

The Lillies The Ravens, and Me!!!!!!!

I told you..... That's the words I have for you this morning..... I told you.... God was gonna do something yesterday and He did!!!!!!!!!! I posted the blog about some of our needs for the Philippines at 12:46 pm, and at 3:19 I got a call from someone who said she had been praying about how to help us more...... She said that she knew she could more than her monthly commitment but she didn't know what...... She said as soon as she read the blog she knew what to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My car insurance is taken care of!!!!!!!!

All I can say to that Is Halla stinking lujah (Can't wait to spell check that one)!!!!!!!!!!!!! AIN'T HE JUST GOOD!!!!!!! Just like His Word says

Then Jesus said to his disciples:

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.

Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!

And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

Luke 12:22-30

I don't know why I am so amazed.... His promises are so true.... He will take care of us and He is using all of you to do it..... I can not thank you enough!

Needs To Be Met!!!!

Okay...... here is a rare second post for the day in which the Lord is getting on me today about humbling myself and asking for help..... sometimes you just got to stick your neck out there and ask for things when you are in need.....The Bible is clear on the fact that we are NOT supposed to go at it alone.... WE NEED EACH OTHER...I know what you are saying....trust God.He will make a way... True!!! and YOU may be the way He chooses to make the way.. That said here are some needs we have in regards to our big move to the Philippines on JUNE 30th.I thought I would give some of you folks who are still deciding on how to help us some ideas as to what you could do........ Let me know if you are interested in helping.......

1. Shipping Supplies to the Philippines.... Each box is about 100 bucks to send... we have 4... This is not included in our money to live on while there.....

2. Car Insurance.... It is $35 a month to cover my car while I'm gone.... That way I don't have to turn in my tag and I can use it when I come home for Christmas..... You could give this each month or just get it over with and pay $420 at one time....

3. Food.... In an effort to save as much of our own money as we can Matt and I have been eating really well at other folks houses... Frank Starosto, Joye and Diane Hall, Brenda Blackwell, Eddie and Pam Davis, Pam Ray, Vickey Allen, Ginger Darwin....etc... Please forgive me if I left you off... This is not just about food either...We have had a great time hanging out with all of these folks one final time before we leave..... If you are interested in having us over...let me know...

4. Tickets to Return after Christmas.... Some of you may know that we are planning to come home for Christmas.... As of now we have the tickets, but we have not been able to purchase the tickets to return after Christmas....This depends on our supporters..... If we don't get it then we will not be home till Next May.... Email me for me details.... The estimated cost is $4,000

I realize that some of you will see this blog as a sad man using the Internet to beg for money.... DON'T!!!!!!!!!!! I am a happy man in the Lord who understands that the Lord's people want to help those in need and help spread the Gospel but can not do it unless they know what the needs are.....

This is not begging... it's me giving you a chance to get involved in the Lord's work by partnering with us... I am confident that some of you who read this have been praying about your involvement.... You may have even asked the Lord to give you a specific number...... I see 3 in this blog alone........ SHEW!!! Ain't He Just Good!!!!!!... I love you guys and look forward to hearing which one of you were talking to Him about this today....... He laid it on my heart write this just for you!!! WAHOO!!!!

A Funny and A Confession

Below is a funny story Shirley Lord sent me in an email.......since you all know of my obsession with kethcup I thought this might be a way some one refers to me in the future.....

"A woman was trying hard to get the ketchup out of the jar. During her struggle the phone rang so she asked her 4 year old daughter to answer the phone."Mommy can't come to the phone to talk to you right now. She's hitting the bottle."

Too funny huh???? Anyway.....on to my confession.... If you know me, you know I try to be transparent and real...there is no use being any different its just gonna all come out in the wash some day anyhow so you might as well come clean and be honest....... Well today I am being honest......

I was in a hurry this morning as I entered the school. I saw one of those wonderful people that LOVES to talk but has no respect of other people's time and can not just say a quick "howdy doo" and keep moving.... Fortunately she was in the car line and moving, but I knew if she saw me in the parking lot she was gonna stop..... So I whipped out my cell phone and called Matt..... I thought if I was on the phone she would keep driving and I could get inside.....

Well...Of course Matt did not answer his phone so there I stood pretending to be on the phone.... I held the phone to my ear until she passed by and then put it down.... Before I put it down though....DUMB ME said "ok Bye!!" Can you believe it, saying bye and no one was even there........ WHAT AND IDIOT I AM!!!!

After I put the phone down, I thought to myself..."and you think you're honest. You just stood in the middle of the parking lot and acted like you were on the phone." Wouldn't an honest person say to the lady....Listen I have to go I am kinda in a hurry...... O well..... I did it and its over....and thankfully I am not still standing in the parking lot having my ear talked off.....

Blog readers..please forgive me! :0)

Disconnected...... Huh??? What??? Are you there???

It's good to be back to the land of blogging... My last post was all the way back on Thursday... For an addicted blogger like myself that seems like eons ago....... for those of you who do not know an eon is a really long time......

Anyway, I was out of school on Friday for a Dr.'s appointment and then all weekend long the wireless Internet that one of my sweet neighbor's lets me borrow has been down, thus no blog or email........... BUMMER!!! I felt like i was so disconnected with the world.....

That word disconnected describes a lot of how I feel as I am getting ready to leave in just 47 days.... I gave up leading Wednesday night worship. I am not involved in any of the planning that is going on here at the Lone Oak for next year..... Yesterday at church I wasn't able to play my horn because we were speaking to Sunday School classes, and while I was listening to the band play I heard our awesome sax player belt out the lead part that I normally took.....

It's really happening I thought..... I am slowly disconnecting with my responsibilities here... so that I can gain new ones in Cebu.......

DON'T MISS READ THIS!!!! I am happily going and consider it an honor to go, but disconnected seemed to fit and it seems the only natural way I would feel..... That said I CAN NOT wait to get CONNECTED in the Philippines... I have a feeling I am in for an AWESOME ride!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Long Live the Dinos!!

The other day I was riding down I-26 after school towards Wal-Mart. Mandie and I had to get some pics developed for our Mother's Day projects we were making in first grade........... I was minding my business, listening to the radio, talking to Mandie, when all of a sudden these guys showed up!!! It scared me half to death....It's not everyday that you see an extinct creature riding on the back of a semi going 80 miles and hour....... It was too funny!!!

This is the view from behind the truck..... No need for cops to slow you down this scary thing makes you want to back off..... I don;t know where these guys were headed...in my mind they were headed to decorate the newest and best putt-putt at the beach..... Maybe I will see them again soon... Hope you enjoyed the pics!

Yesterday Was A Good Day!!

BEFORE YOU READ!!!! If you have agreed to make a monthly pledge to our Philippine fund...Please send in your donation this week!!!!... There are many up front costs that we will be facing very soon and we need to have the support in place to take care of our needs.....Thanks to all of you have agreed to help!!!! Now you may read on!!!

After all my "Spurrin On" in previous blogs, I guess it was my turn to be spurred on yesterday....

Our preacher DJ, asked Matt and I to join him at the Baptist Network office yesterday for a pastor's luncheon to share about our move to The Philippines and hopefully get a few speaking engagements out of it......

When we got there Matt and I knew several of the preachers there...One specifically, Daniel Godfrey from North Greenville. It was great to see an old friend......

After a time of lunch and hanging out there was a little agenda of speakers to talk... DJ introduced Matt and I during that time and I spoke on behalf of us......

After I spoke a special guest, Ken Freeman, who is an evangelist doing a youth revival on the eastside of Spartanburg...... When he spoke he encouraged Matt and I so much..... He encouraged us to continue to follow the Lord and use the gifts God has given us to serve Him in whatever way possible. Even it if didnt fit the "normal" way of being a missionary as viewed by some....He encouraged the pastors to use us as a resource and to support us.....

The best part about Ken was that he was wearing shorts, a t-shirt, and flip flops!!!! Can you believe it... FLIP FLOPS!!!!He is my new hero in the faith.....

He spoke boldly and unashamedly..... He was real.... and he encouraged the fool out of us... I doubt he will ever read this, but man it was so good to hear!!!

Check out his link above... He is a pretty neat guy!

Another neat thing that happened yesterday was at the Bank of America.. Matt and I went to open an account to put all of the Philippine money in, and we had the neatest conversation with the worker.... Her name is Tricia... She is going to Peru on a mission trip in July.... She is a native of Colombia, South America.... We had a great time and she was so encouraging to us as well....

After seeing how my kids have acted today I know now why I needed all the encouragement yesterday!!! PRAY FOR TEACHERS EVERYWHERE!!!!! By the way it is Teacher Appreciation Week...I will accept gifts into next week for those of you who are running behind!!!

Thanks to all who responded yesterday.... A record 12 comments were posted...even if it was from my"regulars" It was enough to end the boycott!!!!

Ketchup!!!

So...it's Monday...I had morning duty after a long weekend of service to the Lord, one day of which I found out my trumpet was stolen from the church along with 3 guitars and an amp.......I am a bit tired, so I thought I would take a random idea....run with it....and see what it gets me....

The title of today's blog is "Ketchup" (Check out the link for an interesting history lesson) I LOVE Ketchup!!!! I eat it on lots of things....and I usually use a lot of it.... The funny thing is that sometimes people are almost offended by my amount of ketchup consumption..... My question to those people is.....Who in the world cares about my ketchup consumption.... especially that lady at the ketchup pump in the fast food restaurant who thinks I am ridiculous for getting 6 little cups full.... Honestly I could get way more... I think I am being courteous by limiting myself to 6...but, I digress.....

Anyway.... I thought I would list some of the foods that I like ketchup on that you may not like since my good friend Matt talked about my love of the blessed condiment of our Lord on his blog today...

1. Salmon Patties, my mom's are the best!!!

2. Mash Potatoes

3. Pinto Beans, Crowder Peas, Black-eyed peas, etc

4. Bread, yes just plain 'ol loaf bread dipped in ketchup is good to me

5. Cheese, block cheese cut into cubes....mmmmmmmm!!!!

6. Cheez-it Crackers

7. Weenies heated in the microwave

8. Kraft Mac and Cheese.... I tried this when I was starving in the desert in Senegal, West Africa, and fell in love with it!!!!

9. Zwan- a meat kinda like Spam from the Netherlands, also another Africa delicacy..If you look on the link..the kind we had was on the bottom right of the picture!!! Gosh I miss it!!!

10. Pancakes.................just kidding, just wanted to get you so say "OOO GROSSS!!!!"

Please send me your thoughts...let me know what you like ketchup on, especially if it is weird or different...I may like it because I am weird and different!!!....and I am dying to know....Heinz or Hunt's??? I won't tell you my favorite 'til I have at least 10 responses, as matter of fact I here by announce a blog boycott 'til I have 10 faithful friends who will respond..... RESPOND NOW!!! O, One more thing....comments from the following people are expected and do not count towards the 10...... Matt, Julie, Mandie, Joye, and KJA so really there should be 15 responses...get busy!

You may be asking why a blog boycott....I am trying to get you all to learn how to respond so when I move to the Philippines, I will know you are there...For some of you it will be our only communication for year..... go ahead and give it a try!!! I love you guys.... Have a great and random Monday!!!

Introducing "Thank You Blogs"

In an effort to answer my own questions and concerns about the wastefulness of thank you notes, I hear by officially announce the creation of a "Thank You Blog!!!" From now on if you do something nice, amazing, touching, moving, generous, thoughtful, etc. for me, you will no longer receive a thank you note...

You will be the proud recipient of a THANK YOU BLOG! This will save me money, time, and it will significantly cut down on global warming as I will no longer be actively participating in the over use of tree products....(that was for my liberal readers...I m all inclusive :0) It will keep you from having to throw it away, and it will automatically be stored for you for free in cyber space and you can read it whenever you want....What a good idea huh??? Yea I tooted my own horn...so what... if you don't toot it your self who will????

It will also allow the world to see how thankful I am for what you did as well as give you some "props" for what you did!!! (For you older folks "props" is a word we used in high school when we wanted to recognize someone who did something well...we gave them props!!!!

I am working on giving the "Thank You Blog" a catchy name that can be coined by all of blog world and used in the new Webster's dictionary....If you have any good ideas send 'em my way and I will announce the new word and give you the credit.....

That said.... on with my first one..... Tonight Matt, Sherry and Steve Vaughn, and I were invited to dinner by Tim and Ginger Darwin....... IT WAS AWESOME!!!!! Ginger fixed salad and spaghetti....Now I know what you are thinking...spaghetti is such a typical dinner for company.... NOT THIS SPAGHETTI...... IT WAS THE BEST..... Ginger did a great job on it..... It was her own homemade sauce... She shared with me how to do it, but I know I will never get it that good.....

After dinner the family wanted to hear all about our first trip to The Philippines and see the pictures.....After the pictures we got a tour of the house by their awesome little kids, Jake and Caroline......We had a great time!!!!

Tim, Ginger, Jake, and Caroline...Thanks for having us over....I can't wait 'til we do it again... Next time we come I hope for no rain so we can play baseball with Jake.....Darwin family you have officially been Thanked!!!!!

Hard Work Pays Off!

I don't want to brag, but I am proud of hard work paying off...... I just found out that I am one of 5 teachers that were selected in the state of South Carolina as a Donors Choose Educator Innovator...Check out the site to find out more about what Donors Choose is. I wrote different proposals and received over 5,000 dollars in classroom materials to enhance my instruction. Below is a copy of the press release that was sent to local newspapers and television stations... Let me know if you see it in the paper...

Congratulations 2006/2007 DonorsChoose South Carolina A+ Educator Recipients!

We at DonorsChoose South Carolina are so proud of the relationships we’ve formed with phenomenal educators statewide since the program launched in 2005. As such, we couldn't let this school year end or Teacher Appreciation Week pass by without recognizing a few of the teachers and principals who’ve demonstrated an unparalleled commitment to ensuring that their students have the resources they need to learn.

There were two types of awards given this year – the DonorsChoose South Carolina Innovator Award and the DonorsChoose South Carolina Ambassador Award. There are eight total recipients this year – five Innovators and three Ambassadors.

DonorsChoose South Carolina Innovators
These five teachers represent the early adaptors in South Carolina K-12 public education. Not only were these teachers among the first to embrace DonorsChoose when in launched in 2005 as a means of providing more materials and greater opportunities for their students, these teachers have also continued to raise the bar over the past two years – each one securing eight or more separate grants for his or her classroom.

2006/2007 DonorsChoose South Carolina Innovators include:

Tracey Coley
Ft Dorchester Elementary School - Dorchester County School District 2

Jed Dearybury
Lone Oak Elementary School - Spartanburg School District 6

Kelly Holden
Crestview Elementary School - Greenville County School District

Rhonda Hollingsworth
Monarch Elementary School - Union County School District

Jen Thompson
Congaree Elementary School - Lexington County School District 2

Weather Man Jed

For those of you who really know me, you know that I am freak about the weather.... I love learning about it, watching it, experiencing it, seeing movies about it..... I am so bad I frequently visit this website to look at cool weather related pics and videos. I do not discriminate either....I like to see heavy rain, snow, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, lightning, and anything else you can think of... I am fascinated by every single thing that I have seen in regards to weather.

Matt bought me this book a few weeks ago at Barnes and Noble called "Extreme Weather" If you are a weather nut like me, I highly recommend it. Buy it on Amazon.com though, it will save you about 10 bucks!!

When I first got it, I could hardly put it down. Every page was full of amazing weather stuff. Over the next few weeks I am gonna share some stuff in there with you.... It really is amazing, don't laugh!!!

I don't know where this obsession with weather comes from.. I think from my grandma Maudie... She loved the weather.... She would stand at the window and watch and it was just neat to her so I guess it became neat to me.... She never had cable though which meant no Weather Channel, man would she have loved it...... I am so thankful for the Internet so I can still enjoy it while I am in the Philippines.... According to my friends there, they can have some pretty cool weather to experience from time to time.....

All this said about weather.....isn't the weather a perfect reflection of life.....Take our weather here in SC today for example.... Yesterday it was 85 degrees and beautiful....we had a huge storm which knocked out power at the Beacon last night, and voila....its 55 and a chilly north wind this morning..... Fine one minute and crazy the next........ Just like life huh???

The cool part about it is that God is still the same no matter what the weather... the weather may change, and our lives may have ups and downs, but His Love endures forever.....on this Friday say it with me..."Ain't He Just Good"

Thank You Notes???

Many times I have received thank you notes...... I got one a couple of weeks ago from my friend Dennis and Amy after their baby shower.... Sherry Vaughn always sends me one after I cook for them.... I send them myself after someone invites me to dinner or gives a donation to the cause.... As a matter of fact I even got one this morning from my friend Jennifer Bowling thanking me for her wedding gift....... I hate to admit this but I have yet to send out thank you notes for my high school graduation presents that I received 11 years ago.....

My point in writing all this today is to ask all of you "What in the heck are you supposed to do with them once you get them?" Do you keep them, store them, throw them away????......

I will tell you I have no idea what the etiquette is......... I Googled it and it believe it or not their are instructions on how to write a thank you note for every instance under the sun.... How ridiculous...teaching you how to say thanks.... that's a whole other blog............

I will confess and be honest with you this morning......Every thank you note I have received ended up in the trash..... NO OFFENSE TO ANYONE!!! I was appreciative for your thanks...... but after you read the card what are you supposed to do with it.... I am sure some of you will have an answer.......

That said.... if it goes in the trash, then is it really necessary??? I personally feel if you thanked me in person it is more than enough......if I expect anything more than that I question my motive for giving the gift.... Think about how much money you spend on them...then if you mail it.....Stamps are about to 41 cents... YIKES!!!!

I hope all you lady readers who are refined and know the ins and outs of how to do will let me know.... why are thank you notes so important........ and what in the heck do I do with them after I get them??? I look forward to you responses.....

If you dont have an account you can still respond.... Just hit the annonymous button and then sign your name on your comment....

Family Dinner Video!

Finally the Google video people accepted my video.... Its a little fuzzy... But this will give all of my Filipino readers and those of you who don't know me too well a glimpse into my family dinners at mama's...... We had a great time last night.... Cube Steak, Rice and Gravy, Green Beans, and Green Peas... I LOVE GREEN PEAS....Leasuer's Early Peas only though..... Enjoy the video!!! Please over look my hick accent....Wait a minute...I am fearfully and wonderfully made....I LIKE MY ACCENT!!!!!

Google Your Name!

The other day I googled my own name to see if the blog would come up.... Of course it did amongst other things that have my name on the website..... Apparently I am a member of the GOP...who knew???... my school website.....postings on other blogs.....AMRBC website.....

One site I did run across that had me on there was the Junior League of Spartanburg.... Ironically its a female club, but as a teacher I and my first grade team won one of their mini grants for teachers..... Also on the site was a group pic of all the team grant winners.... Check out the pic.... There I sit in the middle of all those women and I am still single...What in the heck is the problem????? I'm just kidding..I like my singleness....... It's still a funny pic though!! Happy Hump Day! OH, one more thing.....I would like to say Happy 100th blog to myself... I have been a bloggin fool!!!! Also...Yesterday I promised vieo from the family dinner...it;s coming, but its taking a while for me to upload it to the google video.....maybe tonight!

Where did it go???

Have you ever had those moment where you get to the end of a day and you wonder.... "Where in the heck has it gone?" (I know you have) Man has today been that way..... I feel like 20 minutes ago I walked into the classroom and started going and now all of a sudden it is 10 after 3........ Holy cow!!! School has been out for 40 minutes already and I am still running.......

There I blogged like I said I would, that makes me a person who does what I say...As a teacher it is important to say what you mean and mean what you say!!!!!..... Aint the Veggietales picture cute!!! I love my nieces.... We are having a family meal tonight.... Mama is cooking.. Maybe I will get a video of all of them so you can know how GREAT they are..... See ya tomorrow!!!!

Taylor, BB, Bob, and Larry

As promised, here is the pic of me and Taylor at the Kid's Fun Day at Christian Supply... I will blog more later..... Have a great Tuesday!!!!