Bosque Riverwalk

Some of you who know me or have been to the Ponderosa (at Scottwood) have heard me say that I am going to "walk to the river." About a mile behind the cabin you come to the bluff which overlooks the North Bosque River. It is a beautiful place for down time no matter if it is cool or warm outside. Our property goes all the way back to the bank of the river and we have an old gravel and dirt road that leads back there. We have cleared out an area and put in a fire pit for campfires. You can see my Golden Retriever - Brady - here at the firepit on the bluff. You can also see a shot of the river. Last Sunday, on the way back, I couldn't believe what I saw...the seedlings of bluebonnets in the field adjacent to my house. These usually don't show up until February...but until last week it has been in the 80's. I am included a picture of bluebonnets that bloom in the last spring for those of you who do not live in Texas. Tonight it will get down into the mid-20's so I think winter has finally arrived in Central Texas.

The Gift

Last night I had the opportunity to go to a Jim Brickman concert. If you are not familiar with Jim Brickman, he is a pianist - mostly the 'adult contemporary' style. He was at the historical Waco Hippodrome downtown. He played many of his old familiar songs and added some friends, one on the violin and two on vocals to give the show some variety. He has several Christmas cd's out and one if his most famous songs is called "The Gift."
Lyrics: "All I want is to hold you forever. All I need is you more every day. You saved my heart from being broken apart; you gave your love away, I'm thankful every day for THE GIFT." If you click above you can scroll down to the bottom and find a clip of the song. The things I like about Jim's music are that the instrumentals are very inspiring and calming and the songs that have words can all be used for that one on earth that you love and they can double as songs from/to the Lord. There is no doubt who inspires his music.

Hokey Pokey

Wow! What a week. We have had 5 basketball games in 6 days. Where should I start? Baylor Basketball... both the men and the women are doing well/gearing up for one of the toughest basketball conferences in the nation. I have worked part-time with Athletics since I graduated from Baylor; but this year, I became the "Official Scorer" for the Lady Bears. The pressure is on to document points scored, fouls & timeouts called, change of possession, and the time on the game clock that all of those occurred. I also am required to "wear the stripes" at the desk. Attractive huh? Anyway, the most exciting time was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, the then ranked #16 Lady Bears beat the #9 ranked LSU Lady Tigers. It was a grudge match of sorts when our student held up the sign that read: "YOU GOT HOKEY POKEY AND WE GOT A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!"

Let's see, what's next...the Jim Brickman concert.....stay tuned....

Fall means change

So, who says there are no seasons in Texas? Here you can see some of the amazing colors of the leaves - on the trees and as they begin to fall. I will confess that what you can't tell that it is 80 degrees outside when I took these. But tomorrow the low is supposed to be 24 and the high 40...that is what living in Texas is all about...change.

I have also included some pictures of the new entrance to our land. My grandfather bought it before I was born...they used to live on Lake Waco but in 1960 they raised the level of the lake and told my grandfather to buy land elsewhere. All the men in my family fly planes so they named the land "Scottwood Strip." Over time, several houses have been added to the place. Presently, my brother and his family live in my grandparent's old house, my parents built out here when my dad transitioned to the Navy reserve started teaching at Baylor in 1968. My aunt and uncle retired here from 20 years in the Air Force in 1976. I built my log cabin out here in 2002 and my cousin and his wife built a house out of the stone underground and moved in in 2003. There are three driveways so my parents decided to shorten the name of theirs to SCOTTWOOD. Thus, the new sign. My brother still hangs the original sign that my dad carved out of cedar which reads SCOTTWOOD STRIP.

HOMECOMING - better late than never

I have been overwhelmed with how far behind I am on the meaningful thoughts and experiences that I would want to write about...ironic isn't it...that my last blog was about writing! It has been just over a month since Baylor's Homecoming weekend and our last win on the gridiron. The weekend was filled with the normal activities from the late night Pep Rally and Bonfire on Friday night to the nation's longest collegiate Parade on Saturday morning to the Football Game on Saturday afternoon. All of these activities are very familiar to me. I have been to them for at least 30 years. But, I guess it never really hit me since I have always lived close and now work at Baylor; but this was the year that I truly learned the meaning of the word HOMECOMING. Technically it means "the arrival of someone who has been away." Generally it is a gathering of alums at a designated time to come back to campus to revisit the nostalgia of years gone by.

As most of you know, my friend and the first-ever Spirit Coordinator for Baylor University, Elizabeth Williams moved with her husband to Alabama. Her last week with us was spent just as the first four years were...with students from the spirit program. At her going away party they gave her a plane ticket to return "home" for Homecoming. I picked her up from the airport and the weekend that was literally a whirlwind of activity. However we did share some special times throughout the weekend. I won't go into the "B--U" cheers at the Bonfire or the Chamber Police at the Parade or the tears of joy on the football field. I will tell you that Elizabeth and I grilled out on Saturday night at the cabin with two of our favorite students: Bailey (in picture above) and Erin. It was so fun to catch up and to share from the heart about where each of our lives had gone in the last six months. I am thankful that the bond we have cannot be severed because it is in the Lord who "is the same yesterday, today and forever." Friendships that weather the test of time and distance are also those that are forged in the mountains and valleys of life experiences. The four of us have been together all over the United States...New York to Seattle to Arizona to Indiana. We have witnessed the "thrill of victory and the agony of defeat." We have also prayed together and laughed together, cried together and we still do not agree that an apple has caffeine! Life together was certainly sweet while it lasted. Life changes but we will share these memories forever. This Thanksgiving weekend, I am truly grateful for the gift of friendship - with these iron sisters and now I truly know the depth of the meaning of HOMECOMING. Thank you Elizabeth for making the sacrifice to come and hang with us. On this earth, the only thing more precious than the air you breathe is the hand you hold...I am grateful for the chance to hold hands with Women of God like these. I am blessed.

WRITE ON!!

I have just started a book about "waking up your soul." I am going to have to withhold the title until after Christmas because some of you will be seeing it soon. :) Anyway, the second chapter is about journaling. For those of us who like to question and write - this is a familiar setting. For those of you who find it hard to write honestly, this is a challenge. I wanted to share two quotes to encourage you today: "We write to taste our life twice, in the moment and in retrospect." Anais Nin

Then in discussing this thought the writer says, "Your journal can remind you that your must make a life worth recording."

So, I say, WRITE ON sisters!

Rachael Ray & Dolly Parton at the Ponderosa

Well, it is the simple things in life that make the heart sing. On Sunday afternoons, Mia comes over to play while her mom and dad go to home group and sister, McKenna, goes to Bible Drill at church. Last Sunday, she decided to come over looking like Dolly Parton...just walking down the country road over to Aunt Kim's. She made me laugh out loud.

Then, today you see the Sunday afternoon Rachael Ray cooking lessons with my niece Mia. I asked her if she wanted to make pizza or brownies (for dinner) and she picked pizza. So we kneaded the crust, spread the sauce, browned the meat, sprinkled the cheese, and watched the clock and whola! It'sssssssssssssss Pizza Time!

I definitely think I like her without the wig. Yes, truly it is the simple things in life that make the heart sing...speaking of singing, we rode the "phonics bus" on the letter "S" tonight as well. It is truly amazing what toys teach today. I had a hard time matching her word for word.

So, today I learned that life is one big lesson and it is much more fun shared with those you love. Soon I will share some of the life lessons I have learned about faith and friendship. Thanks for walking part of this journey we call life with me.