Summer here has been so quiet. A reall change from our normal everyday life. On one hand I have so enjoyed it and on the other I struggle with the down time. I am so use to going, and going that down time is hard for me.
I did start going to the gym. I am taking the body sculture class and zumba.. I have lost no weight, but I do enjoy the classes and do feel good, so I will take that for now.
The boys have been real low key this summer. They had one football camp that was one night. That is all. Football starts in a couple of weeks. So all this down time will end and the craziness will start.
Matthew will be playing Varsity football and Jacob will be on the middle school team. Timothy will play on the JV team at Birmingham Southern. They are giving him a Varsity number (different that JV number because different position) So we will see how this year goes with him. He is looking forward to it. So our weekends will be all football. Jacob on thursday or sat, Matthew on Friday nights, and Timothy on possibly sats and suns. I am true fooball mama, so this will be fun!
Me and Stephen are going away this weekend. We need some along time before football sets in. With his job and coaching varsity football, we get no "couple" time during football. So this weekend is going to be about us. I am so looking forward to it. Time alone with my sweetie!
thats all for now,
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
June
We are back from vacation. We had such a blessed time on the cruise. We had so much fun as a family and with friends (which are really more like family). The boys shut the boat down every night while us old people went to bed. It really was a great time and we enjoyed it so much.
Baseball ended with a surprise. Matthew's team that had only won two games in the season, came back and won the tournament. Not sure how - but we sure were an excited team! Jacob's basketball team ended up going to the state tournament and ended up 6th in the state and invited to nationals. It was a great way to end the season.
Timothy is off in Athens. He seems to be really enjoying himself and starting to have some fun again. I am very excited to see where this will all take him.
Here are some pictures from the cruise...........................
Baseball ended with a surprise. Matthew's team that had only won two games in the season, came back and won the tournament. Not sure how - but we sure were an excited team! Jacob's basketball team ended up going to the state tournament and ended up 6th in the state and invited to nationals. It was a great way to end the season.
Timothy is off in Athens. He seems to be really enjoying himself and starting to have some fun again. I am very excited to see where this will all take him.
Here are some pictures from the cruise...........................
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Wow - Time Flies
It is already mid may and I am not quite ready for what is coming at the end. One thing is a blessing and I am so looking forward to - our cruise. We are as a family going on a cruise! Our best friends, the Keelings are going also. This will be so much fun.
The sad part is on Wednesday after we get back, Timothy heads to Athens for the summer. He is interning with a youth minister friend we have there. It will be a great thing for him, after all he has been through lately. He will be there until he reports for football in August. Then he is at school until Christmas. Momma is having a very hard time with this. She is going to miss her oldest born very much!! I have dreaded it for a while, but I really had no idea that it would hurt so deep. For a mom, this is like cutting off part of you she is. He has been a part of our lives, day and night for so many years that it will feel very much not complete around the house if he is not here. Oh, I know that this is a good and natural thing and he is a great man and has a great head on his shoulders. It isn't that I am worried he will screw up real bad - I just plain will miss him and his presence around the home.
I guess I just need to keep myself busy and try and think of it as another stage of life we must go through with God's help. Once again I am thankful for God's faithful mercies everyday.
We are finishing up baseball (thank goodness, they have won only 2 games), football is done until summer camp, and basketball will finish up at the end of May. Jacob's team finally made it to the championship game of one of the tournaments. They lost - but got second - so we are very happy about that! I have VBS the week we get home from vacation. That will be a lot of fun and am looking forward to it.
That is about it. More later,
Michele
The sad part is on Wednesday after we get back, Timothy heads to Athens for the summer. He is interning with a youth minister friend we have there. It will be a great thing for him, after all he has been through lately. He will be there until he reports for football in August. Then he is at school until Christmas. Momma is having a very hard time with this. She is going to miss her oldest born very much!! I have dreaded it for a while, but I really had no idea that it would hurt so deep. For a mom, this is like cutting off part of you she is. He has been a part of our lives, day and night for so many years that it will feel very much not complete around the house if he is not here. Oh, I know that this is a good and natural thing and he is a great man and has a great head on his shoulders. It isn't that I am worried he will screw up real bad - I just plain will miss him and his presence around the home.
I guess I just need to keep myself busy and try and think of it as another stage of life we must go through with God's help. Once again I am thankful for God's faithful mercies everyday.
We are finishing up baseball (thank goodness, they have won only 2 games), football is done until summer camp, and basketball will finish up at the end of May. Jacob's team finally made it to the championship game of one of the tournaments. They lost - but got second - so we are very happy about that! I have VBS the week we get home from vacation. That will be a lot of fun and am looking forward to it.
That is about it. More later,
Michele
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Life in the fast lane
Well, it is picking up here at the Howard household. We have travel basketball going on, baseball, and now spring football. To say we don't have a night off is putting it mildly.
The baseball team finally won a game - thank goodness. I thought Stephen was going to never sleep. The basketball team wins about once a weekend. They play some very good basketball teams and have been getting better and better. The most important part is Jacob is getting better. Football- it is weird not seeing Timothy out there.
Timothy and I went and met his new team - Birmingham Southern Panthers this past Saturday. It was nice and he left very anxious to start. He is so looking forward to starting fresh somewhere and keeping busy with school and football. He will be interning at a church in Athens this summer, which also will be nice to keep him busy and focused on more important things.
That is it - we have no time for anything else. Crazy, I know!
The baseball team finally won a game - thank goodness. I thought Stephen was going to never sleep. The basketball team wins about once a weekend. They play some very good basketball teams and have been getting better and better. The most important part is Jacob is getting better. Football- it is weird not seeing Timothy out there.
Timothy and I went and met his new team - Birmingham Southern Panthers this past Saturday. It was nice and he left very anxious to start. He is so looking forward to starting fresh somewhere and keeping busy with school and football. He will be interning at a church in Athens this summer, which also will be nice to keep him busy and focused on more important things.
That is it - we have no time for anything else. Crazy, I know!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Spring Break
We made our annual spring break trip this year. We go every year now for 6 years with my two girlfriends, Tricia and Susan. We take our kids (minus Timothy) and head out somewhere. We try and go somewhere with a little bit of history (for me) and some science (for others). Some years we have had others come with us and the past 3 years Susan's husband and tagged along. This year we headed to Virginia - now for anyone that knows me - (sorry, Tricia) - you know that I want to live there one day. I love Virginia and think is a very beautiful place. I was not disappointed on this trip. We headed to Williamsburg on the first day. We met up with Susan and Marvin in Jamestown and spent the afternoon there. The next day was rainy so we did the Ripley's Museum - which was awesome and then headed to Norfolk to see the Nauticus Museum and the USS Wisconsin battleship. Loved both of these and got to walk along the waterfront and stop and have dinner. The next day we headed to one of my favorite places - Colonial Williamsburg. I just love this place. I so want to work there one day. It helps remind us of where we have been and what brought us to the place we are. I truly believe that the men that lived there in the 1770's really must be looking down at us and wondering how we could mess something up so badly. There was re-enactment and we got to see the drum and fife play. Yes, I was in heaven and so enjoyed the whole day - did I mention the weather was absolutely gorgeous!? On Thursday we headed to Richmond and went to the Holocaust Museum. This museum is free and so well done. The kids got so much out of it. One of the kids said he thought he knew about the Holocaust, but he found out he didn't. Real eye opener. I am so glad that we as a country thought it important enough to fight that war. Millions of Jews were killed but so many were saved because we were there. My grandfather included. We headed to Appomattox the next day and enjoyed that. We actually were there on the anniversary of the surrender by Lee. We also went to the Natural Bridge and Foamhedge. All and all this trip was so much fun and we enjoyed being with everyone. We have had some difficult things to work through here at home and it was nice to get away and just now worry or think about it for awhile.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Visiting Pennsylvania
This past week, me and my sister traveled to Pennsylvania for my aunt's funeral. It was a sad time saying goodbye to a wonderful person. The nice part was getting to see so much family again. No matter how much time goes by or the differences you have - it is so nice to see family and catch up.
On our last day- me and my sister took a day to wander around and see some things. We first headed to Lancaster, PA (amish country). It is so beautiful there and the first Ellmaker (my maiden name) homestead is there also. We enjoyed driving around and shopping. We then headed to Reading, PA for some shopping. After lunch we went to track down an old ice cream parlor that our grandparents would take us to every summer. With the tracking talents of my sister, we were able to find it and enjoy some icecream.
We then tracked down our grandparents old house. There is a huge farm behind it and we always loved being there. We ended the day with a dinner with our aunt and two cousins. It was so nice to see them and spend some time with them.
I just hate that it takes funerals to get family together. Family is so very precious.
Farm behind my grandparents house
Coventry Ice Cream Parlor
A carriage in Amish Country
On our last day- me and my sister took a day to wander around and see some things. We first headed to Lancaster, PA (amish country). It is so beautiful there and the first Ellmaker (my maiden name) homestead is there also. We enjoyed driving around and shopping. We then headed to Reading, PA for some shopping. After lunch we went to track down an old ice cream parlor that our grandparents would take us to every summer. With the tracking talents of my sister, we were able to find it and enjoy some icecream.
We then tracked down our grandparents old house. There is a huge farm behind it and we always loved being there. We ended the day with a dinner with our aunt and two cousins. It was so nice to see them and spend some time with them.
I just hate that it takes funerals to get family together. Family is so very precious.
Farm behind my grandparents house
Coventry Ice Cream Parlor
A carriage in Amish CountrySaturday, March 5, 2011
Having Faith
Faith... Do we really know what this word means until we are called to have it and have it alone? This past week has tested the faith of many in our family. We have had to have faith that God's plan is the perfect plan, even when we think it is the wrong plan. Some of us are not there quite yet, but are working on it.
I think the hardest thing is knowing that we have told others when they are going through rough times that God is with them and he will sustain them through it all - but boy it is different when you are going through those times yourself. It is a real eye opener to whether you believe your own words or were they just simply words? I want so much for them to be real and to know that He is with us and His plan is perfect. The words in Psalms 34 were placed in my life this week from just a random thing - but they spoke straight to my heart.
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
We have had deaths in the family this week, and deaths of relationships. May God continue to speak to us and comfort us through this and continue to guide our steps as we heal our hearts. Also pray that I can have faith in Him especially in the things that are out of my control.
Michele
I think the hardest thing is knowing that we have told others when they are going through rough times that God is with them and he will sustain them through it all - but boy it is different when you are going through those times yourself. It is a real eye opener to whether you believe your own words or were they just simply words? I want so much for them to be real and to know that He is with us and His plan is perfect. The words in Psalms 34 were placed in my life this week from just a random thing - but they spoke straight to my heart.
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
We have had deaths in the family this week, and deaths of relationships. May God continue to speak to us and comfort us through this and continue to guide our steps as we heal our hearts. Also pray that I can have faith in Him especially in the things that are out of my control.
Michele
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