Our Sadie

We lost our little sheltie Sadie this morning. She got away from Jim on their morning run.
She was trying to get home and was struck by a car.
And now our home is feeling empty without her joyful presence.

AWEs and AHHHs

Jim had a business meeting in Baltimore Friday.
I decided to tag along, get some exercise at the Inner Harbor
and then we would meet Sam for lunch near Ft. McHenry.Jim dropped me off at the harbor just as the
HMAS Ballarat was docking.
An Australian frigate, it is still a thrill to see the sailors
standing at attention on deck.
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I wondered over to a shady bench to do some devotions...
and noticed a group of men all in blue Samsung jerseys walking.
The teacher in me considered they might be some field trip
or tour group. And so I asked.
"We're Chelsea," one replied.
It suddenly registered that they were an English soccer team.
So I quickly called Sam to tell him. "Get their autographs, Mom!"
I didn't know which ones-- there were about 40 in the group.

Thankfully, a man nearby, guided me to the "stars,"
then used my cellphone to get the clueless middle aged woman
photographed with these world famous soccer players.
All I can say is that when my son saw the pictures...
he kept saying over and over...
"Mom, you just don't appreciate who these guys are!!"
"Mom, you don't even understand how lucky you are!!"
I asked if this means I would make it onto his Facebook.
At my age, it is still nice to impress my son...
that night Chelsea beat A.C. Milan in front
of a record Baltimore crowd.
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We then got a tour of Sam's office at
Under Armour Headquarters...
A special treat was to meet Kevin Plank, the owner and founder.

It is always nice to be with our son...
an Under Armour "rookie" for the summer.

FIVE DAYS OF FUN IN FLORIDA!!!

Last week I had the blessing
of traveling to see my dear friend Chung Hae in Florida.
It is gator country, you know!!
I had to inspect their soon to be home...Hopefully, they will be in by the end of October.
Then I can come visit againWe ate plenty of seafood...
We weren't looking for the Fountain of Youth,
like Ponce de Leon when we headed for St. Augustine...But it was a treat to be in the oldest city in the U.S.
Our visit to the old jail was led by a "prisoner"...
who admired Chung Hae's "summer" prison uniform...
The "oldest wood school house in the U.S.A" is located here.
Mayo Clinic has built a beautiful new facility in Jacksonville.
And they are blessed to have the best ENT surgeon I know of.
On Sunday I went to church twice---
once in English and once in Korean.
In Christ there is no East or West. But the love of Christ knows no boundaries.
After the service we were served a meal
of authentic and delicious Korean fare.

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John's not only a great surgeon, he has become quite

the finder of ancient fossilized sharks teeth on the beach.
Their condo (in the background) means we don't have far to look.
John even helped Chung Hae and me find some
Of course, back at the condo, he had to analyze our findings.

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Chung Hae introduced me to the real way to eat Sushi..

Christina is thriving in Florida & honing her many talents. This is no photograph...but one of her colored drawings!!

When not preparing for her debut as a Gator in Gainsville...
Christina is creating beautiful jewelry...
See the earrings she made me from...ta da...what else
Sharks teeth found on Jacksonville beach by her father.
She is pretty creative
She will custom design something for you too.

See more of her work at College Girl Accessories.

Her prices are very reasonable.

Our Loss is Heaven's Gain

I confess to "borrowing" these pictures from other blogs.

But I wanted to use them to honor this family

and to note their great loss.

Yesterday precious Reid Jones went to be with our Lord.
How good of God to give Drew & Diane

22 special years with their son.
And how good of God to give our family their friendship.

We grieve with Drew, Diane, Erin and Vicky...

but know that Reid finally is home.

Fourth of July

Jim performed his magic with that good Amish beef.

The weather was great...

The company was superb--

what a delight to have Bucky and Bill

who have both had a miraculous year.

We didn't run short on food...

or good fellowship.
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Sunday morning surprise for our neighbors!

I have to admit it was the best T.P. job I've ever seen.