Katie will soon inherit my car. She complains often; excuse me…. she complains daily about the car. She wants a truck. I have tried to explain that not many seniors can drive a car such as ours that not only hits 80 in seconds but also rips the hide off un-expecting rattle snakes.
Unfortunately, much of our late spring and summer has involved slaying snakes. This particular snake lost his life on the side of the highway due to the inability to get off the road fast enough. The first victim of the year was at Ashley’s during a girl’s night out, I noticed the pregnant momma kitty throwing something in the air and then flinging it. I, being too curious for my own good, went outside to see what she was doing. Our youth minster wife, who has a doctorate degree in wildlife, varied that it was a corral snake after reviewing a book on native snakes. We had trouble reciting the cute little snake rhyme “red on yellow kill a fellow, red on black friend of Jack”. Ashley being brave and noble beheaded the snake with a small…very small machete. 
Beside the rattle snake and corral snake, the other night on the way to church, I slammed on breaks, throw the car in reverse then frankly jammed in the car back in drive and continued with such spastic moves until a poor little corn snake lay dead on the nature trial that leads to my house. Katie’s lifetime friend Danyal, thought I had lost my mind as she was thrown about in the backseat until she saw the evidence of my madness—a dead 12 inch snake. Have I mentioned I HATE snakes?
Towards the end of the school year, my dear friend and librarian Marsha hosted a book fair. The not so intelligent me, thought it would be cute to dress up as Clifford to encourage students to visit the book fair on Family night. Remember if you will, our springs are unbearable hot, but even more so inside a BIG RED DOG costume. 
I commented that if I should ever, feel the desire to dress up again …I was wearing my bathing suit underneath it. That was until I thought about all the cootie that resides inside….yew yuck. One little boy told his mother that he knew that was a man in the Clifford costume because he had hairy arms. If you haven’t seen arms, let me elaborate…. I barely have peach fuzz on my arms. In the past, I have been known to ride a midsize child’s bike into 40 classrooms hooping and hollering to encourage our kids to attend an event at school. Other than the severe soreness in my legs for days, the bike ride was the easiest and least exhausting. Can you believe that some people had the nerve to ask me if, in near 90 degree temperatures if I would stand in the drop off area and wave to the families. I think, I send this individual a Christmas Card. I’m making a note to cross them off the list.
We’ve celebrated Mother’s Day with muffins for moms. Then our family had a late lunch at our favorite buffet restaurant. The big adventure of the day was driving by the river to see how high it had risen. It was just another day in paradise. lol 
Our youth host a spaghetti supper and Mount Pleasant Idol to raise money for youth camp. Steven was asked to serve as Randy. I personally think he is more like Simon.
We had all sorts of talent--- pig calling, cat imitations, and lots singing. The church had the great opportunity to hear my nephew Quin and Maddielyn sing a duet. After the performance, Jamie, the youth minister and MC for the night asked Quin who was his favorite singer and song. With out hesitation he said “Toby Keith, Beer for My Horses and Whiskey for My Men”. The crowd went wild. Did I tell y’all I ate Toby Keith restaurant in Oklahoma City, excellent place to eat and even awesomer atmosphere. I had lamb fries. They weren’t bad.Katie had cheerleading try outs. At the time, she thought this was great…now …. not so much. Their coach was a college cheerleader and performed competitive so needless to say they train like “athletes”. No comment at this time----
The FFA won the Plates for Plates contest. The club sold the most FFA license plates. This entitled the club to have Commissioner of Agriculture Charles Bronson teach Ag for a day.
At lunch, his personal chef cooked a meal for the members. The food was incredibly different from anything most of our rural rooted kids have ever seen, much less tasted.
I personally along with my table mate Carrie thought it was excitingly different. The chef has a blog, but I have not been successful in finding the site.We attended the Ranch Rodeo in which my crazy brother-in-law served as the entertainment for the evening as the Rodeo Clown.
Although the weather was awful, we had a great time. If you have not attended the event in the past, I encourage you to go this year. It is always held Memorial Day weekend at the Horsemen’s’ Arena in Williston . It is unlike any thing you have ever seen. The best part to me is the buddy pick up. Nah, my favorite is the wild cow milking. Um I changed my mind it is the wild bronco saddling. Okay, I really think my favorite is the event in which they unlaod the horse then quickly saddle him, race to the other end, come back unsaddle the horse and load him on the trailer again. Yeah that's my favorite.
We ended school with a BIG bang and celebration. The kids enjoyed every minute of the day not to mention Charlee crashed the party.
I wonder where the summer went. It seems like just yesterday, that we bid farewell to the students and celebrated the last day of school. A tradition at our school, the teachers create a line and sing……Nah Nah, Nah Hey, hey good bye. Embarrassingly enough, I was get choked up and can’t sing. I usually blame the tears on the sun or allergies.
After 3 years at Kid’s World, we closed that special chapter in Charlee’s life. They have tenderly cared for and loved my baby as their own.
Summer started off with a bang, the first week out Katie headed to the FFA convention in which she won the Beef Proficiency. We recently found out that she did not place nationally but received a Silver medal honor …I thought we entered a FFA contest not an Olympic. My lovely husband went with mom and me to the convention even though he complained about my driving he didn’t show his butt……
Well maybe he did a little. We had trouble with the seats in mom’s vehicle. I think before it was over, we all had to ask for forgiveness for using language only sailors use.
As I had mentioned in an earlier post, for the first time in years, and I do mean years, I attended youth camp. I had a blast. However next year, I want to chaperone the boys. Every night they stayed in our room and entertained us. Ashley served as head “cook” and I assisted and cooked breakfast. We meet the group Unhindered.
They were precious. I invited them back to eat with our youth group, but they had previous an engagement (yeah right). 
I had a personally hair dress and enjoyed shopping with the girls and Tyler.
Every chance I got, I spent some time at mom and dad’s. It is undoubtedly my most favorite place on earth. I also had the opportunity to cream field corn and sweet corn.
Maybe soon I’ll update the recipe blog and include some of my summer recipes as well as my recipe for canning the most scrumptious corn. We had tons juicy watermelons, yummy eggplants, lots of pots of peas and loads of pods of okra. I love summer vegetables.
Most the summer, I spent as much time as possible soaking up the sun. On this trip to the pool, the Johnsons did some “deep pool dove” to harvest water logged earth worms.
They were more excited about their finds than swimming. We enjoy our pool (and porch), it serves as a wonderful mission field for us to minister to some kids in our youth group and neighborhood. My question to you is ----What do you have that could be used as a vehicle to help others come to know Christ or build a strong relationship with Him?
This has been the most memorable spring and summer that I have had in a long time. It is obvious that I have been busy and have traveled all about because my house is a disaster zone and looks as though we have been robbed. Maybe since school has started back, I will develop a routine that allows for organization and outrageous adventures as we embark on Katie’s senior year and Charlee’s kindergarten year.
On Saturday afternoon, well more into the evening, like 11 o’clock, I helped Ashley set up the replica of the land down under-Australia.
They were so funny. They played Barbie’s with Charlee, gave each other pedicures and laughed the night away. I wish I had pictures of the evening. I don’t know what was more hilarious the girls dressing Barbie or all three girls sitting on the side of the tub with mask on their faces and scrubs on their feet. My bathroom smelled like a beauty parlor.
Each kid rented a huge inner tube, but after all the tubes were passed out we had one extra. We took the extra one for her. I tied Presley, Charlee, and the fish raft that was original brought for Charlee and my boat tighter with some hay string I found on the bank of the river. Being old and less invigorated by cold water, I tugged along the boat for myself. All the older grandkids made the trip with us. Due to my in laws recent kitchen and bath renovations we carried Charlee with us. 
Once Charlee was safe again, I tried to position my larger than the hole body, on the tube. Needless to say, I looked like a whale perched on the tube. Katie tried diligently to help. The whole time the current is sucking our massive caravan down stream. Charlee is petrified that she is going to flip again. Finally, I made it atop my raft and then it was to secure Katie back on hers. She being the smartest one in the family “trespassed” on to some strangers dock and jumped back on her tube. We were headed happily back down stream when Charlee speaks her first word after the escapade “See, I told you, I shouldn’t have come”. Yes I should have known from my own past experiences, that a trip down the Ichetucknee is filled with adventure and moments of near death experiences. Example being, when I was a youth at PGBC, my mom hauled a group of wild hoodlum girls to float down the run. During our peaceful excursion we encountered a mom gator, which took it upon herself, to act as a river guide and float along with us. I encourage you to ask my mom about this, as it is much too lengthy and detailed for me to recall by myself. 
However, I felt more sympatric for the Musens, a retired missionary couple in their 70’s. Oh, did I forget to mention the massive thunderclouds and rumbling thunder ---the lighting came later. When we finally made it back to the post, I hopped in the truck to retrieve the missionaries (maybe they’ll put a good word in for me). When I got back, everybody was loading up on the church bus. The youth pastor was afraid of the terrible storm that was quickly approaching. Since the kids waited 20 minutes for me that morning, I offered to stay behind to wait for the man to return for the tubes. He had explained earlier, that they had a problem with other people stealing the tubes. I chuckled to myself “yeah right” but I waited any way. Katie, in-between lightning and the heavy down pours, climbs in the back of truck to get everybody a drink. When Lacey comments “Aunt B that man just grabbed 2 tubes” I jumped out of the truck as though I was the Tube Police and bounced over to the truck load with wool boogers and asked for the tubes back. The smoking dude, (to clarify, not smoking hot good-looking), in the back said in a lame kind of way “I thought they were the parks and were free”. Uh…. that would be a negative. I was waiting the houchie in the front of the truck to jump me. Funny enough, he gave them back and they went down the road looking for more tubes to steal. 
After the commencement service, once again we tore the stage apart. Luckily for a church in Bell, they gathered’ the extravagant decoration for their exciting week. By the time I had made it home Charlee was asleep. I grabbed her to lay her in bed when I noticed she was burning up with fever. I woke her up and gave her some Motrin. The next morning, no fever. By lunch, burning up again. I called the pediatrician. 
We headed for the BIG town, with everybody in tow. While we were in the doctor’s office Katie and the kids hit the new and awesomely improved playground up town. 
At first the doctor found nothing wrong but ironically decided to do a throat cultural--- you guessed it STREP. This broke my heart, Saturday was the annual Quincey Family reunion. I knew there was no way I would reunite with my dear loved ones.
Mom fixed us sausage sandwiches.
The evening ended with a magnificent view- 
