Texas...the first of many posts (and pics)

Well, the trip started out Friday morning-not really. Mike was feeling some numbness in his arm so he ran to the doc real quick. My parents were to follow us and I figured they'd wig on us because OF COURSE....we were not on time. After a quick trip to the doc...he was fine - possible pinched nerve - We finally headed out - - at 1:00! 3 hours later than anticipated. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day. Great for travel.

I SO need a pedicure. I love to keep my feet on the dashboard.

Mike listening to Kody's IPOD while at the wheel.
We take our little DVD TV on trips with us. OK, so really, it's not so little. It's pretty much a small TV that we put on our console. We've had it for about 4 years and got it before the little portable ones came out. This one still works and even has a bigger screen. Why buy new?

Top Gun is always on the playlist for trips.

This must have been before the nap.

The W is for warm...
Don't mind the yellow sign - look at the one behind it. We passed it so fast I couldn't really catch where and what time the auditions were to be held. DANG....missed it again!
Dallas traffic....right at rush hour. FUN!
The big D
Finally....
We headed straight to the baseball field. We got there just in time to watch the JV play. The field is really nothing to speak of. Kind of neat, I guess. It used to be a minor league lots of years ago and railroad tracks run right beside it. My brother said players used to hop on the trains and ride from city to city, from field to field. I didn't get my camera out but I thought it was pretty cool at the tradition of the place.

After the game we headed to the pizza place.

Carson won this out of a gaming machine.

Too bad he didn't get any manly bling.

Chase and Kyle trying to rock the game machine to get a better prize.

Always good to visit with family.

Carson and Nana

Kyle and Carson in front of the tube gaming.

Kody and Carson busting a move in the car. Pause the music from the playlist on the right of my blog to watch.

They are such DORKS!

The end of day 1. Early to bed. Tomorrow is the big day.

~Shannon

Slow and Steady

35 words

****EDIT***** I just got 43!

Favorite Foto(s) Friday 03/21/2008

This one is self explanatory

Tuesday the 18th marked the 4 year anniversary of the accident. The accident that took the lives of 3 very sweet girls.

Jae Lynn Russell

Alicia Rix
Taylore' Hall
The annual banquet was held on Sunday. Mike and I are usually a part of the planning and the set up for it but we had to decline this year because we went out of town. The banquet is held each year to raise money for scholarships in memory of the 3 girls.

The Rix's, The Russell's and the Kyzer's

This was taken from th foundation's website that deals with the scholarships:


3 Cheerleaders Scholarship Fund
The Three Cheerleaders Scholarship Fund honors Tayloré Hall, Alicia Rix and Jae Lynn Russell, cheerleaders for Sylvan Hills and North Pulaski High Schools, who were killed in 2004 at the intersection of Highway 5 and 89 in Cabot, now known by local residents as “Angel’s Crossing.”
Tayloré Hall
Tayloré was great at sports and ran circles around the boys. She was as fearless as they come, yet gentle as a butterfly. She played softball, basketball, soccer and volleyball and was good at all of them. If she made it her goal to succeed at sports or in her studies, she didn't give up. She also had a kind heart for people and a way to make people happy. She thought everyone needed someone. She became a strong follower of Christ, and she always lived life to the fullest.Mallory Kyzer, Taylore’s mom, says her daughter would be so honored to have the scholarship fund make a difference in people’s lives just as she loved to do while here on earth. She adds, “the loss of Taylore' has really made us and others realize that life is too short to take for granted and that each moment spent with a loved one is an important one. The scholarship named in her honor has been an inspiration. I feel like she will always live on and there will be people in school because of it, and she will have been a part of their success.”
Alicia Rix
Alicia, a junior at Sylvan Hills High School, was a sweet girl who was loved by many people. She was an honest and modest young Christian lady who wanted to make certain everyone had a "good day". When she walked into a room, everyone noticed her smile and positive attitude. She loved sports and was an avid Razorback fan. She was applying for a soccer scholarship and a cheerleading scholarship at U of A. There was no doubt Alicia would have been a Razorback Star!Alicia’s mom, Nicki Rix says, “Alicia kept us so busy with cheerleading, soccer, softball, and college dreams. But after theaccident, all of those things came to a sudden and complete stop.
Building this scholarship in Alicia's honor, has given us something of her to fill those lonely days. So now instead of going to watch her cheer on Friday nights, we fill that time (Alicia's time) with addressing envelopes to new people we have met and writing thank you cards to those who are generously giving to her memorial fund. Alicia has taught us the very thing we felt was important for her to understand as a Christian, ‘There is always comfort in giving’.”

Jae Lynn Russell
By Becky Russell Jae Lynn never failed to captivate those who knew and loved her. At an early age, it became apparent that she possessed a vivid imagination and an unquenchable curiosity. As she grew and developed into a beautiful teenager, those qualities in her personality remained and were a source of frequent amusement for her family and friends. Jae Lynn was a typical teen and an intensely free-spirited individual. She worked hard at the sport of cheerleading and she gained a great deal of self-confidence
as her skills improved. One of her greatest loves of the sport wasthat she was always surrounded by people with the same interest. Jae Lynn’s mom, Becky says, “There are no words to express the loss and sadness we feel with her absence. I feel like the whole world should miss her and it does not seem possible that it continues to move on without her. The work with the scholarship is my way of keeping Jae Lynn with us. And if someday I see one of our scholarship winners have a successful life, I will say, ‘Way to go, Jae Lynn! You had something to do with that!’”
As profound as the sadness of these parents and other family members, they have found that working together, forming a fund in their daughters’ names and reaching out to other young people has helped them deal with their grief. It is a testament to the goodness, warmth and talent of these girls that not only their parents, but friends, neighbors, co-workers, fellow students and even strangers are contributing money to build the funds that honor them and pave the way for other young people to fulfill their college dreams.
1400 West Markham, Suite 206, Little Rock, AR 72201 ph: 501-372-1116 arcf@arcf.org

Life Is Short

In cleaning out my e-mail inbox I found this...
READ THIS VERY SLOWLY.... IT'S PRETTY PROFOUND.
>
> Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because
> they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't
> know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.
>
> I got to thinking one day about all those women on the Titanic who
> passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back.
> From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.
>
> How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't
> suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed?
> Does the word "refrigeration" mean nothing to you?
>
> How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while
> you watched 'Jeopardy' on television?
>
> I cannot count the times I called my sister and said, "How about going
> to lunch in a half hour?" She would gas up and stammer, "I can't. I
> have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known
> yesterday, I had a late breakfast, It looks like rain." And my
> personal favorite: "It's Monday." She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.
>
> Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule
> our headaches. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to
> ourselves when all the conditions are perfect!
>
> We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Steve toilet-trained.
> We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet. We'll go on a
> second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.
>
> Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter,
> and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we
> awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of "I'm
> going to," "I plan on," and "Someday, when things are settled down a b it."
>
> When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to
> adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new
> ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for
> five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of
> roller blades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.
>
> My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's
> just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a
> spatula and eliminate the digestive process The other day, I stopped
> the car and bought a triple-decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on
> the way home, I would have died happy.
>
> Now...go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to......not
> something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon and
> had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what
> would you say? And why are you wait ing?
>
> Make sure you read this to the end; you will understand why I sent
> this to you
>
> Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to
> the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic
> flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night? Do you run through
> each day on the fly? When you ask "How are you?" Do you hear the reply?
>
> When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred
> chores running through your head? Ever told your child, "We'll do it
> tomorrow." And in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die?
> Just call to say "Hi?
>
> When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened
> gift....Thrown away.... Life is not a race. Take it slower. Hear the
> music before the song is over.

~Shannon

The Cross

Check this out

http://home.swbell.net/rwpassmo/cross.htm

Be sure and click towards the bottom of the page to see the bronze statues.

Favorite Foto Friday 3/14/08

Road Trip

HERE WE GO!!

Family Road Trip!

On our way to Texas. We're going to visit my oldest brother and his family. My brother is a high school baseball coach in Waxahachie. He has coached for almost 20 years and is really good at what he does. His team is playing at Ameriquest Field which is where the Texas Rangers play ball. Kind of a big deal for a high school team.
We've taken the day off and will be heading out tomorrow (Fri) A.M. Say a little prayer for traveling mercies for our family. My parents are caravanning with us.

Gas Prices.....

Glug, glug, glug-

~Shannon