Brynnlee is driving in Alabama!

Hey, Dad! What's the speed limit here, anyway?

It's OK Mom; I'm just practicing for my drivers exam....

Here is the Halloween Picture of Brynnlee as a Butterfly:

Christmas Decorations

We are surely missing the newest in the clan; little Brynnlee (Stephanie and Blake) moved to Decatur, Alabama several weeks ago. Stephanie has been calling to keep us up to date.

The Tipton community was shocked with the tragic news of the Ft. Hood disaster; 2005 graduate, J. D. Hunt, was one of twelve victims. The news loomed heavy over the football activities as the Tigers got revenge over Thackerville, 30 - 8, and avoided a ngihtmarious trek to the panhandle next Friday. The District playoff game will feature Boise City visiting Tipton.

Ashley is back from a visit to Japan and the rest of the family enjoyed a trip to Mexico last month.

The Tahlequah bunch are keeping busy with crazy school schedules.

Long time silence . . .

Many times I thought about posting again. Time slips by so quickly and before you know it, the absence is embarrassing. My adventures added up. The teen work doubled. The full - plate of responsibilities continued. SO . . . here I am; finally trying to break the ice.

Exactly a week ago, I began a fascinating trip. Sunday afternoon my wife dropped me off at Will Rogers World Airport. My Delta tickets read Norfolk by way of Cincinnati. I was secretly excited about the chance to fly again - it had been 33 years. I was treated to two window seats and some wonderful views. I found the crews friendly, the cabins intimate, and the trim jets very efficient.

I was met curbside and given possession of a shiney red Jetta - my chariot for the next 48 hours. After a night's rest at the Red Roof Inn in Virginia Beach, I was almost ready to set out for home. A quick stop to grab a GPS system and I was on my way. The harbor scenes rushed by so quickly and I-64's lengthy bridge suddenly morphed into a surreal tunnel.

The next hours were an artist's treat: mile after mile of prime Fall follage. Salem, a burb of Roanoke, was the setting for lunch at Mac and Bob's. The afternoon trek Southwestward along the mountain ridges finally led to I-40 and Tennessee. Pressing on, I made it to Lebonan and my room at the Super 8 Inn.

Early Tuesday, I headed for Nashville, then Memphis. After crossing the mighty Mississippi, I stopped for buffet at Pizza Hut in Forrest City, Arkansas. Rain ushered me into Little Rock; dusk came before Ft. Smith. They say those last familiar miles and couple of hours take the longest. At 7:25 EST, I pulled into my drive, ending the 1400 mile experience. 33 hours of elapsed time and 22 hours of driving had brought the Jetta back to the City.

Arbuckles and South . . . again.

Yesterday it sped thru the pass but stopped at Ardmore. Today I pushed on South, another 50 miles from Dallas. At Corsicana, I traded Siennas and hit rush hour in Big D.

Jeannette hadn't been home long from volunteering at ACS, when the storm begin to dump hail. To the East it spawned multiple funnels.

Monday was a big day for Whiz Kids - our end of year banquet and program for the kids and their families. Ten adults filled the 200 plates with the delicious catered food; some of the youth group served. After several songs, the night ended with a slideshow.

Far, Farther, Farthest

Monday morning and I had the slides ready for Whiz Kids. . . but I didn't have to be there with a Bible story. Dave got a call for 2 drivers to deliver a new Maxima to McAlester. I drove the chase car; my first time in a Nissan Sentra. Just before leaving I-40 at Henryetta, Dave's path converged with a huge piece of tire tread from a semi. It hit up under the front bumper and ripped the fasteners out of the gravel / splash guard. After 3 attempts to secure it, we threw it in the trunk and finished the drive. The couple was very cool about it all and took delivery. We saw quite a show of lightening and got home about ten.

As we returned the Sentra Tuesday morning, he got a call for 2 drivers to go to Arkansas for Chrysler-Jeep. In Ft. Smith he left the big nice 300c for me and he drove a Jeep Patriot back (just so I could listen to Sirrus 128 [NASCAR talk radio] ). We hit spells of heavy rain in Eastern Oklahoma. I got a dealer trade call to Duncanville, Texas for today. I traded a navy Sentra for a loaded charcoal grey one. Mapquest took me off Loop 12 sooner than Dave always goes, but I found it - 224 miles one way!

I really felt like a hypocrite! With all the bother about the NBA leaving Seattle, I thought about boycotting Starbucks. But I don't drink coffee, so that was a shortlived idea. THEN, I stopped in Gaineville for a late lunch. I just couldn't make myself stop at the "arches" and there was a new Starbucks next door.

Well, it turned into a very entertaining and interesting experience. A very personable young lady and her dreadlocked co-worker went out of their way to make my first solo visit a pleasant one. {If you find your way here, thank you! Here is some of my art work you can check out.} http://www.okcps.org/ms/jackson/canan/visual_art.htm

The heaven's openned up and I drove back across town in a dark downpour. We quickly left for Church. We had a good group of 14 for teen class. We ate when we got back home.... I'm running a contract to Chandler in the morning.

Tahlequah & Taxes

Tuesday, I mean Tax Day, I delivered a big shiney Silverado 2500 club cab to an employee at NSU. I wanted to see Geoff, but his teaching schedule didn't allow it this time. I ate in Locust Grove before bringing the Suburban loaner back. I mailed Mother's tax return that morning, but I had to finish Rob's and join the party at the dowtown post office before I could go to bed.
Wednesday, I worked on the Teen Room until lunch time. I replaced 4 ceiling tile, vacuumed, and rearranged the furniture. Two calls after lunch changed my plans to include a run to the tag agency and a quick trip to Norman before Bible class.
Thursday morning began early with Preachers' Breakfast at Denny's. I switched a trip to Cyril to tonight so I could have time to donate plateletts and attend the funeral for Florence Sweeney at Southwest. While Jeannette was enjoying Caring Sisters tonight I met the guy from Blanchard to sign a form. A discovered a tremendous bargain at Gordman's: three beautiful name-brand dress shirts at a rediculous clearance price.