Spirit Come

Once a month our church has a contemporary service known as "Spirit Come".  

There is a small group of musicians who lead the music in this service.

I am privileged to be one of these musicians.  

Katy is the bubbly one in the group - even though she is sporting an orthopedic boot for a broken foot.

Gann runs the sound system and plays drums for the group.

Toby takes a moment to get her guitar in tune before our rehearsal.  

Jeff and Frances on the left fill out the current group. 

Tonight's service was our Christmas service.  

We sang some favorite Christmas songs and a few folks shared their 

favorite Christmas memories. 

It was a wonderful service to get us all in the Christmas spirit.  

Uganda Prep Underway!

I am going to the Gulu Region of Uganda the end of January with a mission team from 

my church and a couple from Mobile from our pastor's previous church.

We have been talking about it for months now, but it has just begun to feel real.

Our trunks for the trip have arrived!  

We each get a black one in which to pack our personal gear.

That would be all of our clothing, toiletries, bedding, towels, lights, and a chair.

(Yep, we are going so far off the grid that there will not only be 

no internet or cell service, there won't be electricity.)

The red trunks are for medications and other supplies that we will take.

Mary, my friend and nurse partner, and I placed our medication order for the trip today.  

Our friends and church families are bringing in 

Tylenol, Ibuprophen and vitamins by the bucket loads.

Airline tickets have been purchased.

Yep, this trip is quickly becoming a reality.

The Ugly Side of Christmas Decorating

This stack of boxes makes me tired.

These are the boxes of Christmas decorations that we just pulled down out of the attic.

I will love it when these boxes are empty and my home is decorated.  

I usually decorate on Thanksgiving weekend or during the week after Thanksgiving.  

Is it weird that I am feeling like I am running behind because it is the first weekend of December and my home isn't decorated?

Thankful for Family

Over Thanksgiving weekend my family had something extra for which to be thankful.  

Santa, General Robert E Lee, er, Dad's family has a tradition of getting together 

every other Thanksgiving for a reunion.  

This tradition was started a couple of decades ago by my grandmother, Ava Hester.

We are usually traveling elsewhere for the reunion but this year it was my turn 

to coordinate the reunion.  

That meant one thing: reunion in Huntsville!

Other than lots of time to sit, talk, and reminisce,

there was time to go through family artifacts (a suitcase of items that belonged to my grandfather).  There were some really interesting items in this suitcase.  

A big yellow school bus picked us up at the hotel so that we 

could go on a Twickenham Tour 

with my friend, and tour guide extraordinaire, Jacque Procter Reeves.

And of course there has to be a group picture.  

Unfortunately we didn't get everyone together before the light was too far gone outside 

so this was the best that we could do for a group picture.  

There were 53 of us together this weekend.  

I do believe that this is the largest group that has ever come together for our reunion.  

The only ones missing were the ones living in Osaka, Japan, Paris, France and deployed to Kuwait.  

I guess that they had a good enough excuse.  

Some years are more enjoyable than others, but I am relieved to report that I think that everyone had a very nice time.  

I know I did.  

The Beginning of Advent

This past Sunday marked the beginning of Advent.

Our family is participating by reading advent devotionals together as a family as 

we celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ and his triumphant return.  

The first Sunday's candle, the candle of Hope, commemorates the prophets 

who renew our faith and remind us of what God wants us to be.  

"The people who walked in the darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness - on them light has shined... For a child has been born to us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."  Isaiah 9:2,6

Does Peaches Want a Treat?

You betcha!

Goodbye Fall. Sad to see you go

I love decorating my home for different seasons.  

Changing up what's on the mantle or adding a dash of 

seasonal color here and there makes me happy.

Decorating for Halloween and fall is easy.  

I don't do too much.

Pile up ceramic gourds, change out napkins, a basket of mums on the porch 

a fall leaf spray over a mirror and suddenly it looks like fall!

After Halloween the couple of 

jack-o-lanterns we have get packed up. 

I just love that I can bring all of the beautiful gold/orange/red hues 

that I see outside in my home for a while.  

Kinda hate to pack it all up now.  

But is is time to move on the sparkle of Christmas decorations!