Thursday, December 25, 2008

Merry Christmas!

In a few words... the day has been fantastic! For the first time in their Christmas history, Caroline and Reid didn't awake until 9:45 a.m. this morning! That was time for Cyndi and me to get breakfast made and in the oven before we began the opening of presents!

We were blessed to have our great friends and neighbors join us for our annual PJ Christmas breakfast/brunch. Johanna, Jeff and Jay also blessed us with their presence. After a grateful time together, the day was filled with much relaxation and a movie. ("Valkyrie" for four of us, and "Marley & Me" for two of us.)

How thankful I am to God for the blessings he bestows on us in allowing us to celebrate this day with family and friends, and even our dogs! Here are some glimpses into this day...

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Thankful Thursday

I don't know if this officially exists or not, but I have established today as "Thankful Thursday!"

I received a gift this evening from a friend which included a note of appreciation. I certainly did not feel worthy as I was reading it, however I am appreciative of her kind words in expressing how thankful she is of me. And then it hit me; I am so thankful to God for placing Joel, me and the children in this location and for giving me the friends I have here, in Alabama, and across this world! I am truly blessed by each person in my life!

So that's it; Thankful Thursday = my friends! I truly am blessed to have in my life the people that I do. Without God and without these influences, my life would be worthless.

Thank you, God, and thank you, friends! I love you all!

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

The View

The past two days I have enjoyed being a homemaker. In the past, I have heavily padded my schedule with this and that task, however I decided to take a year off from many of the school responsibilities which generally weigh me down. So since Monday, my planner has been empty of outside tasks.
Unfortunately I didn't feel well yesterday due to a headache, so I sat on the sofa most of the day, that was until I got a phone call from the chorus instructor asking me to chaperone the chorus event last night. Fortunately I didn't have to leave the house until 4pm, so I had most of the day to be thankful that I had a warm, comfortable environment in which to be and think of my blessings. Then after the children went off to school today, I resumed my position on the sofa and took in the view from yesterday - in more ways than one! (See photo!)
However, today I ventured into the kitchen to prepare dinners for my family and another who just lost the wife/mother due to cancer. I have also enjoyed that view (though not as festive), which included the food preparation and the television.
Sometime it's nice to just be - you know, just be who you really are. Ladies and gentleman, from this week's experiences, I encourage you to do the same. Be true to yourselves and present that to others. I think that's the best gift you can give to yourselves, others, but most of all to our Lord and Saviour! That's what He created us to be!
To God be the glory~!

Another Chorus "Concert"

This time it was Caroline's 8th grade chorus group that had a "concert", but this time it was for a television audience!

They were asked to perform at our local Publix, a school partner, for live coverage of the Marine Corps/Toys for Tots collection. The Fox station covered it, and for two hours, the chorus had the opportunity to be a part of the live broadcast during the coverage of the collection. I think there were 5 or 6 times that they were shown. I was fortunate to be there as a chaperone, so I would like to share with you some of the behind-the-scenes views and their singing.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Chorus Concert


Reid performed in his first middle school chorus concert last night. This was even a thought I had to convice my mind was the reason I was at the school last night. After sitting in this theater for so many of Caroline's performances over the last 3 years, my mind was ready to hear her again. However, the children I saw on the stage were not those in her grade, and it was after that realization that it came to mind that it was Reid that I was there to see. (The mind does funny things sometimes! HA!)
And via this technology, you, too, can see what we saw and heard last night: a fabulous chorus of voices along with a belting solo from Reid. Enjoy!


Sunday, December 7, 2008

Game Time

There aren't many more words to say of the game, however I would like to share a few images from the evening. They aren't quite the images I anticipated to "show off", but it was a great view and display presented by the Million Dollar Band.

Game Day

The title holds different meanings for me.

Yesterday was indeed a BIG game day! Alabama verses Florida in the SEC Championship Game. Alabama's record: 12-0! To be here was a totally unexpected gift for us Alabama fans who never expected to be at this point with a coach who was in his second term as our new head coach. So here we were, perched at the top, with an expected win endorsed by an elephant-head wearing Lee Corso.

Speaking of Lee Corso, the children and I had the privilege of attending the production of ESPN's Game Day on this big game day. We were the guests of Home Depot in this privilege. It was an exciting adventure that enabled us to tour the production trailer during the entirely live show. The traveling bright orange Home Depot "office" bus was also included on this tour. Not only was it a treat to be able to climb aboard, it was also a warm-welcomed relief from the cold temperatures outside. We were entertained by the lively Bobby, the lone bus driver of this vessel. He spoke of some lively tales of traveling the country for 15 weeks a season and shared how the "boys" use the bus before, during and after the show.

From the bus, we went back outside to view the final moments of the show when Mr. Corso dons the mascot head to reveal his pick for the winning team of the game. Bama supporters were thrilled to learn of his choice of Alabama, however, it's most often theorized that Corso's pick is a curse. We Alabama fans would have to wait another 4 hours until the game began and then another 3 1/2 hours or so for the final score! It would prove to be an agonizing wait.

Well, the game is over, and Alabama did not come out as victorious. Was it the "curse" that caused the upset? I think not. The players on Alabama's team gave it their best effort, as far as I could tell. It was an exciting beginning to an amazing 3 quarters of playing for Alabama. However, the 4th quarter didn't historically hold up for Alabama, and in the end, the scoreboard revealed an eleven point loss.

The helmet won't reveal a record 13 number of championships for us, however, the coaches and team have set in place an opportunity to capture that title very soon. Our recruiting will have to be an exceptional success based on the current program now set up lead by Coach Nick Saban. We'll be losing some amazing senior players this year, but surely they have established a model to follow, and I am already anticipating next season's beginning! In the meantime, let's roll on to a victory in the New Orleans' Sugar Bowl! Roll Tide Roll!!!







Tuesday, December 2, 2008

A friendly visit

On our way home from Alabama, we made a call to some dear friends in Birmingham that we haven't seen in quite a while. Our timing worked out so well that we were able to meet the Bairds for lunch at a local Mexican eatery.


Joel met Winfield in college at the dive shop, and they quickly became close friends. From there Joel and I spent a lot of time with Winfield and his then girlfriend traveling to the coast for oysters, beer and diving! What a way to start some memories! Since that time, they have remained very close, talking weekly by phone. Over the years we have been able to remain close, though family obligations have lessened our get-togethers, so this chance-meeting was a real treat.


Winfield and Paula have 3 girls - Katie (2nd grade), Annie (kindergarten), and Emily (14 months old). I have not seen them since shortly after Annie was born. You can imagine my surprise to see grown-up young girls AND a third daughter!


I'm hoping that this brief meeting will be the start of a minimum of an annual visitation. The children enjoyed meeting each other, and it would be a tremendous blessing for them to get to know each other and have the opportunity to develop a relationship like their fathers'.


Monday, December 1, 2008

Home again

We have returned home from our extreme Thanksgiving travel adventure and have successfully conquered the first day of a "normal" routine. Now we're looking forward to Christmas! It's not that we have anything exciting planned after this holiday; we just anticipate some relaxation from the routine.

Below you will find some photographic highlights of our trip which began with the arrival of a friend from Phoenix, Whitney , and her daughter, Sofia, on Friday, November 21st. We picked up Caroline and Reid early from school and headed south for Orlando, where we met Joel (who would arrive after completing a mission for a friend). Whitney and Sofia went to the Magic Kingdom on Saturday while our family went to Sea World.
On Sunday, we all visited Universal's Islands of Adventure and had a fabulous day!

Monday found us back on the road and heading north and west to Orange Beach where we met up with Dad and Cyndi for Thanksgiving. We experienced beautifully sunny, but cool days at first, but that didn't stop the children from getting in the ocean.


Whitney and I found the first morning a bit too chilly for a bathing suit and H2O. Well, the bathing suits were on UNDER the sweats, and we were happy to ditch our clothing once we arrived at the indoor pool and/or hot tub. That was more our speed.



We also took some time for an informal photo shoot for Christmas card photos. You'll have to wait until your card arrives to see those!

On Friday, we left the beach heading north for Demopolis to visit with Mom and Granny. By this time, the Florida tropical warmth had finally shown up, however a few days too late. We drove in misty, drizzly rain all day and arrived to temps in the 70s. Our only concern was whether or not the rain would go away for Saturday's BIG Alabama-Auburn football game. Unfortunately, our tailgating plans were in jeopardy, and that wasn't a cheerful thought.

Upon awakening on Saturday, the misty rain was still in place, and the tailgating plans had been canceled. Things weren't looking up, however, we decided that we wouldn't let it dampen our spirits as well, so we headed north to Tuscaloosa. Within an hour and a few minutes, we were on campus and parking the car! Shortly thereafter, we were listening to Denny Chimes announce 1:00 p.m. and standing in it's shadow (well, if it was sunny) listening to the percussion members of the Million Dollar Band.




Amazing sounds!

The band then gathered all of its members onto the steps of the Gorgas Library for the fight song. Singing along with thousands of fans and alumni will fill your heart with pride for the team for whom you root so loudly!


There were hundreds of fans under tents and enjoying a now rain-free afternoon. It was amazing, and we were very envious of their setups. We were sure that our originally planned "Roll Tide Christmas" theme would have been the hit of the party, ugh, tailgating experience! I'm also sorry to report that I don't have the previously expected photograph of our family in Crimson, White and Houndstooth with our "dear Santa" sign.....

It's our only wish, and it would be most cost effective for our family and the university! :-)

We did, however, have the great pleasure of meeting up with Big Al on the Quad, and he graciously allowed a moment with us.

Now wouldn't this make an awesome Christmas card?!

We also spotted some cheerleaders, and they were thrilled to stop for a photo with our adorable Sofia. And Whitney and Sofia stopped for a shot outside Bryant-Denny Stadium just prior to kickoff.


Our walk continued among the joyous tailgaters, and began our quest to acquire a minimum of two tickets into the stadium. Pre-game prices were too much to fathom, so we decided to continue our trek across campus, stopping to visit with some friends and munching on some BBQ nachos! Joel has now acquired another BBQ taste. I don't think Dreamland will soon be serving these up, but the concoction was one that he enjoyed. I, too, loved it with lots of jalapenos!

There were many "scalpers" with tickets in hand, but still 20 minutes before kickoff, the tickets were still priced extremely high. Surely the price would go down after kickoff. However, that wasn't the case. There were many hopeful fans on the NE corner of the stadium. Tickets were still going for $175 to $250 EACH! Hopes were dashed, and our party found our way back to the car, where we were fortunate to be able to depart our parking space. We tuned the radio to the game and proceeded to listen to the first half of the game and arrived back in Demopolis in time to view the second half on the TV. Bella was even dressed for the occasion!



What more can I say? I think for all of us Bama fans, we only need to hear this, and if you were very fortunate enough to have witnessed this firsthand, enjoy it again and again right here:


In conclusion I would have to say, "..... and a good time was had by all!" It was an amazing week, and as always, it's hard to come to the end and say goodbye to a good friend for another year or so.

Thanks for joining me in this recap, and stay tuned to another Jenkins' jaunt - physical, virtual, or mental! Love to all!

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Run, Bella, Run!

There are many jaunts to report from this past week's excursions across the South, however, I am only going to report from one tonight.

Late this afternoon the family and I went down to the beach to have some photos taken for the possible use in our Christmas cards. Since we had Bella with us, we decided to take her down with us for inclusion in the photograph. Afterward, we let her run on the beach for a short while, as it is posted "no pets" on the beach. However, we wanted to see her reaction to the sand and water, so I took some video of her enjoyment!

It was a treat, and I only wish she could have had more fun!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Making progress

While I'm bragging on my sweet, precious nephew, let me share vidoes of him crawling. Within a week he went from this...

...to this...

Now it's time for the breakables to be removed from the tables!

B&B Memories


I recently went back to "Sweet Home Alabama" to visit a friend and celebrate another friend's milestone of a birthday. The road to Decatur has been less-traveled for me lately, so I was quite excited and eager for this "jaunt." Not only would I have the pleasure of pulling off a surprise birthday party, but for the first time, I would be the first guest in Lucinda's first-time guest bedroom! This was an honor for me and an exciting time for her, as inconsequential as it may seem to others. (She has recently moved into a new home and has space for a guest bed!)


The room was exactly as I imagined it to be - vintage Lucinda! Antiquities, silk pillows - monogrammed and not, magazines, sleeping mask, towels, toiletries, blanket, bedside table with alarm clock, lava rock-like potpourri and lamp, soft bedding and a comfortable mattress! And I must also mention that this room also serves as her art room, so it was filled with finished and unfinished strokes on canvases. At times I would find myself flipping through her work, most often amazed at her talent. During the twenty years of our friendship (WOW!), she has never impressed me more than she does now with her creativity on canvas! Her most recent (to my knowledge) focus is implementing tissue paper on the canvas and creating a flowing dress on a mannequin. Gorgeous! (I'll have to get her to send a photo of this so I can share it's beauty with you.) I digress from the room, but I want to also add that I am fortunate to have two original pieces of her artwork hanging in my home!





So, back to my B&B stay... I slept very comfortably and enjoyed my breakfasts of yogurt and Uncle Sam cereal and fruit. I'll leave out the cooking and plumbing issues we incurred while I was there, as some things are just better left in secret. Lu and I decided we were just creating memories, and that we did, indeed! For what in life is sweeter than to spend time with a dear friend sharing fun times and laughter, including a few air biscuits from male figures in the car. Again, some things are better left in secret!

No spooks here!


While I am at it, here's another peek at my favorite little trick or treater! Jay is sporting (Roll Tide!) Caroline's and Reid's first Halloween costume. Isn't he precious?! (And before you ask, he's being supported in the back by his mother's hand. No, he's not standing at 8 months.)

It was my honor!


A few weeks back, Jay, my nephew was Christened. It was a very special day, not only because of the dedication of this precious soul to the Lord, but also because Johanna and Jeff honored me by asking if I would be his godmother. This recognition is a precious testament to my love for this child and for my extended family! Indeed, I was honored by this request, and I graciously accepted!

And of course, I snapped a few photographs in the process, though I had to ask Reid to do the honors while I participated in the actual baptism . Since I have included his sweet face before, you must expect that I will continue the tradition. Without too many words, I would like to share some of the event with you.

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