dissapointed

Well what a let down the Chilis night ou was. :( I honestly don't see how our town's store stays open! They have been short staffed and been struggeling for months now. We don't go often.. but I know they were the same slow service as they were when we went ack in July for my birthday.

Before our dinner came, Nora had to go potty so I took her and was shocked to count only 6 tables with people in the back of the resturant. Nearly all the tables were empty and we had just waitd 45 min for a table!!! Honestly, if they don't get a better resturant manager soon people will all together quit going and they'll close! which is sad.. b/c Chili's is our only major chain restruant without a drive-thru.

and of course on top of the slow service, we had a very tired and irratable and could not be made happy Paul Thomas to deal with the whole time... *sigh* :( but the food tasted good... ONCE we got it! :P

Today's the big day at Chili's Resturant

Sorry for such a short notice but I just learned of this myself. Today is the big day at Chili's - today, 09/29/08 they will donate 100% of TODAY"S profits to the St. Jude's Children Hospital!!! 100%!

I know that all month long they have had a coloring contest going on and taking donations to the cause... but this weekend I read on a blog about how for the whole month of September they donate a portion of proceeds and at the end of the month donate 100 of that day's! WOW. Cool ea?

Like my family needs an excuse to eat out! LOL So tonight I will not be thinking about what's for supper... instead we'll be headed to Chili's for a great cause for St Jude's!

~bonnie

To Do Your Will

Jesus, I long to do your will,
but often find my ego gets in the way.
I long to spend more time with you,
but find myself consumed with many tasks.
Deepen my desire for you,
strengthen my resolve to do your will
and give me courage
to start anew each time I fail.
Amen.

9 posts...and 9 nights

I just noticed in the sidebar to the left that I have posted 9 times for the month of September... and just yesterday I was counting on the calendar how many days/nights we have been out of state or home and can you believe we've only slept in our own beds here at home only 9 nights this month!!??

Two mandatory evacuations back to back will do that...I'm just so grateful that both times we had other homes to go to and stay... and didn't have to go to a shelter. I can NOT imagine what that would have been like sleeping on cots in a HUGE open space with hundreds of others...I would have never slept in fear of the safety of my kids. Thank God I didn't have to do that... but so many others did.

I washed the sheets on all of our beds today and am so looking forward to supper/bath/bed time tonight ;) The only thing better would be if I had line dried them... but I don't have a clothes line.


~bonnie

Please Pray for the People who lost everything to "IKE"

Today just after breakfast Dad and Clara helped load up the kids and we drove over to Bridge City to take a look at all the damage from Hurricane Ike. Both Clara and I took some photos and here are a few from my camera.

We drove thru the neighborhood near the Firestone Credit Union and down thru my friend Leslie's old neighborhood before she moved to PA... Leslie do you recognize anything?

I just can't imagine this town's loss! Everything was ruined by the flooding. It will take months perhaps longer... to get back to where they were... and to think this area is less than 10 miles from my home! News station reported that only 14 homes in the entire town had no reported damage.

I am so very grateful that our home did not receive any flooding. This town along with about 1/3 of my county did... and I am remembering them in my prayers and hope to somehow find a way to help them...

~bonnie

A Sad Goodbye...

Well as some of you who have been checking in and revisiting to see any new news... you may have figured it out. I've not been on line b/c we drove back home to Texas earlier this week. It was a sad good bye to all of our family Sunday when we spent the whole day making the rounds to go bye and see everyone one last time before leaving.....

Jackson enjoying a "double foot back rub" from the twins while cruzin to Kentucky.

But the saddest goodbye was the day before - Saturday. Early Saturday morning Jackson, our little miniature Schnauzer, was hit by a car on the road in front of my dad's home... killed instantly. :(

What a terrible thing to have to deal with... but Nora did better than I thought she would. I waited until later that afternoon to tell her about him.

However for Daddy and I, it's been more difficult.... we have 9 years of memories of Jackson... and telling David who was still in Texas..over the phone...wasn't easy either. We've had Jackson for almost as long as we've been married. He was our first child.

These are a few photos taken of him during our travels evacuating during hurricane Ike this month.

always curious to see what the babies were playin...

Jackson waiting patiently for his turn at having a treat..

These five pics were taken the last time I stopped to get everyone out of the van for walking, changing, feeding, and reloading on the way to KY. Jackson was so excited to look out the back hatch to see where we were - and he was up in Olivia's lap - which she LOVED! :) I'm so glad I took these pics... but wish I had made a short video to capture her loud laughing!!!






and there is no doubt that Jackson loved visiting my Dad's home as much as we did!!! He even used to get all worked up and barking if you even mumbeled the words, "Do you want to go to Kentucky?" You never had to ask him twice... he was always ready to go! His registered name was even "Travelin' BoJackson"

Jackson running behind Papaw and Nora on the the four wheeler.

...and this last photo... is where we laid him to rest... under the pear tree... he's hard to see but just infront of the wheel barrell...

Jackson you were such an important part of our family... and the BEST pet we ever had! So many people loved you very much!!! We will miss you so much and never forget you!!

To everyone who understans our sorrow, thank you for you prayers.

Saint Francis, patron saint of animals..pray for us.

What Nora's learning about this week

September 15th – 19th
Religion: Joseph and his coat of many colors
Letter: Review of Aa – Dd
Math: Kumon, telling how many 1,2, and 3 is by telling and not counting
Science: The five senses
Theme Seasons changing

Great news and more Great news

The first great news is that the kids and I are now in Kentucky staying at my Dad's home. We left Jackson, MS yesterday and drove up. It took me 10 hours and 9 minutes. NOT bad considering when I stopped... it was for an hour or more each time. I am so glad to be home and so glad I drove yesterday... if I'd waited until today or later... it would have been terrible drivin in such wind and rain!

The other GREAT news is - that I talked with my husband and he is SAFE and doing OK. He didn't get to leave the shelter yesterday until around 3-4pm to go looking to asses damage. He went downtown first and saw all the flooding and then out to his plant where they found 4-5 feet of water in all of the administration buildings. :( He said that in his office water was up over top of his desk! :(

but that when he went to our home - that he was able to drive all the way to our home...(with Hurricane Rita) he couldn't drive in past the first block b/c of so many trees down... and that our Roof was still there - windows all OK and NO FLOODING! :) :) :)

and more great news... that after about 2 hours on the phone with AT&T this afternoon.... I'm now able to use my cell phone as a modem to make updates! which is good b/c at my dad's house there is no other way to connect to the Internet to let anyone know. :) (in MS I used my friends computer at their home)

so I'll be here in KY for at least a couple of weeks... time really unknown. It all depends on how long until electricity is restored in the SE Texas region.... Both days I was traveling to MS and to KY I passed at least 200 or more bucket trucks all headed South to help out with the response team...

David is still staying at the shelter set up at a neighboring town's elementary school...

Well I gotta go - my dad and step mom will think I've abandoned them... as I've been locked up in their room for over 2 hours while on the phone with AT&T.

Love from KY! ~bonnie

A couple photos I found tonight from Yahoo

This image taken Tuesday Sept. 9, 2008 from the International Space Station and provided by NASA shows Hurricane Ike in the Gulf of Mexico closing in on the Texas coast.(AP Photo/NASA)

The rising water in a coastal inlet that runs by the Valero Port Arthur Refinery is shown reaching the top of its banks, Friday, Sept. 12, 2008, in Port Arthur, Texas. Hurricane Ike will produce a surge that is expected to flood parts of Port Arthur.(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

This image taken at 4:45 p.m. EDT Friday Sept. 12, 2008 and provided by NOAA shows Hurricane Ike in the Gulf of Mexico closing in on the Texas coast. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami say the storm could become a Category 3 hurricane with winds of at least 111 mph before it hits the coast late Friday or early Saturday.

I last spoke with David tonight at about 6pm. He is safe in their designated shelter in another town... and will be at the school unitl 3-4pm tomrrow before allowed to leave. I have no idea as I write this if he has phone service still or not. I am assuming not... so now the hardest part will be waiting to hear from him.

He said they are projecting for our area to be without power for abotu 3 weeks - yet to be determined... he has a meeting with Entergy people tomorrow and will know more then... so the kids and I may be traveling up to KY in a day or two... depending the tornado watches for the state of Mississippi. I certainly do not want to be on the roads during that. However, I will most likely have to drive thru lots of rain :(

I'll keep you posted. Thanks for your prayers!!!

Love from Mississippi! ~bonnie