Roseland

Roseland

Music

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Tuesday

 

I voted today at the Cary Mall:)
A relief to have it done before the BIG ELECTION DAY a week away.
Cary Towne Center offers voting from 10am to 7pm til November 1st.
Keith voted this afternoon, also, in Morrisville at the Town Hall.
It took me 50 minutes at the Mall; it took Keith 20 minutes at the Town Hall.
I would recommend voting early IF you've decided on your candidates.
It will be less of a headache!

Now, we see through a glass darkly. Pray God gives us wise leaders, whoever they are!
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Monday, October 27, 2008

A fine beach weekend!

 
Last Friday afternoon Keith & I headed east to visit my childhood friend Judy & her husband JE at their pretty beach house on Oak Island. Our friend Linda & her husband Dean were meeting us also. The three of us grew up within a few miles of one another in the Sandhills of NC, in the community of Roseland (near Aberdeen) where pine trees flourish & tobacco used to be king.

I married Keith at 19 & moved to NY for a brief time, returning to NC & settling in the Raleigh area in 1973 when Keith was transferred by IBM.
Judy married Keith's Army cohort Bob for a time, then after divorcing years ago, married JE Bost, a good friend from high school:) She stayed primarily in the Aberdeen area throughout the last 40 years. After marrying JE they began buying property on Long Beach.
Linda, on the other hand, married Dean, a fellow classmate of mine, in 1970 or 1971. Dean joined the Air Force, & after finishing NC State, they traveled the world till about 10 years ago when they returned to Roseland to build a home.
All these dates are "guess-timates". I'm sure Judy & Linda will set me straight if I'm wrong:)!

This weekend we just talked, ate, walked, biked, talked, us girls shopped, the guys watched football, talked some more, & we ate seafood Sat. night (except Keith).

I must brag on Judy; she cooks a 'mean' breakfast, I'm telling you! Yum:)
I think she runs the best B&B I know of:)
A brunch both mornings; Saturday--breakfast casserole (Keith's favorite), grits, homemade bread, coffee, & ham biscuits added on the menu Sunday morning. We sat around each morning, leisurely, catching up on everybody's news.

It's so good to fall back into comfortable friendships--those that know you & your family as well as you yourself--maybe better!

(See February 2008 blogs for our previous trip to visit J&JE)
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Friday, October 24, 2008

Well....

If Colon Powell & Oppie & Andy (3 of my favorite folks) endorse Obama, do we need an election???
Hmmm.....

Monday, October 20, 2008

Ken/Dad

 
This is a photo of my father in law, Kenny McFarland, this August.
He's a dear man:)
He is going through a health crisis right now with congestive heart failure & some dementia.
He & Keith's mom, with the help of Keith's sister, are facing drastic life-changing decisions.
May the LORD go before them.
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Friday, October 17, 2008

Friday at the Fair

 

Today, on this drizzly, cloudy, cool Friday, Skye & I scouted out the Fair. We checked out most of exhibits, & visited the chickens, cows, sheep, & pigs.
For lunch we bought delicious corn dogs & then fudge-covered apples for dessert--yum!! Next we browsed through & critiqued the art work & photo entries. Also shopped for Christmas presents in this pottery exhibit/shop....such a nice day with Skye!
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Thursday, October 16, 2008

Our Second Mt. Weekend Retreat

 
There's nothing like a wonderful vacation with your family, & I've had two blessed weekends since August, spending time in the beautiful Boone area with Keith, Cameron, Seth & Kelley; all going to visit Skye. AND enjoying riding bikes together--what more could I ask (except to one day ride bikes in Scotland?)!

Last Friday evening through Sunday morning we stayed in the comfy West Jefferson cabin of gracious friends.

Sat. midday all of us (except Kelley) drove to the Va. Creeper Trail. This trip Seth had his new black Trek bike & Cameron had his own orange pro Trek bike--neat:)
We did miss having Kelley along, but she was enjoying an afternoon of serious stress free couch-lounging at the cabin with her Three-Three:)

After finishing the Creeper we picked up Kelley & headed into West Jefferson where we celebrated my birthday at a nice local restaurant, Frasier's. I would highly recommend it; the food was superb & the atmosphere was very nice.
Kelley & I even ended up buying some neat hand-carved wooden trees that we spied scattered along the restaurant window sills.

And Sunday, after having a late breakfast, we packed up & headed to downtown Boone where we shopped a bit & then bought lunch from The Daily Bread, which we took outside for a picnic, enjoying the fresh fall mt. air.
Also met Skye's friends Abby & Adam who joined us for lunch:)

What a blessed time!
And when we had to leave, knowing Skye would be in Apex in three days made it easier.....
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CSI: Las Vegas

Tuesday evening Keith & I watched the first episode of CSI for this season.
Sad is not the word.
A tearjerker:(

I became involved with this series a few years ago (I enjoy murder mysteries:)) & have enjoyed the characters, especially Gil Grissom, William Peterson.

Well, a few months ago, actor Gary Dourdan, the character Warrick Brown, literally was arrested for drugs & sleeping in his car. I was afraid that meant things weren't boding well for his CSI character:(
Then, in the final episode of last season, he was shot in the head, murdered by a trusted policeman!!
Such a gut-wrenching show:(!

And now I've read Gil/William will be leaving:( Gil, the steady man of reason; a loner & a thinker, with a compassionate heart.
His friend Sara left last season.
I'm not happy:(
The CSI "family" is changing & I don't like it...but, that's life, isn't it.
Sigh:(

And I worry about the actors.....Warrick (Gary), are you okay??
I'm rooting for you.

Saturday, October 04, 2008

Alathea

After a trying week of sleepless nights, awful shoulder pain & doctors' visits, subbing at Hallmark for my manager--working hard!, & leading Bible study Wed. night, I was ready for a calm, soothing, Friday night!

I wasn't disappointed:)
After work my friend Kathy met Keith & me and we traveled to North Raleigh to a house concert performed by a girls' duo, Alathea. I had read about them on Steve West's blog & had listened to them on iTunes, enjoying their style enough to buy a couple of songs for my iPod. I liked their folksy, mountain-style music.

Well....they were very good!
Mandy is the song writer & lead singer, and she's a hoot! Her story telling tales were hilarious, & her songs were beautiful. Christy, the other half, can play numerous instruments, including harmonica, & mandolin, and added harmony to each rendition. Her drums were cans, water bottles, & paint buckets!

A blessed evening of sweet sounds.
Alathea's music soothed my soul:)

Check them out at: www.alathea.com

Friday, October 03, 2008

Anxiety

 

"One of the marks of Christian maturity which a believer should seek is an acquiescence in the Lord's will founded in a persuasion of His wisdom, holiness, sovereignty, & goodness...So far as we attain to this, we are secure from disappointment. Our own limited views, & short-sighted purposes & desires, may be, & will be, often over-ruled; but then our main & leading desire, that the will of the Lord may be done, must be accomplished.

How highly does it become us, both as creatures & as sinners, to submit to the appointments of our Maker! and how necessary is it to our peace!
This great attainment is too often unthought of, & over-looked; we are prone to fix our attention upon the second causes & immediate instruments of events; forgetting that whatever befalls us is according to His purpose, & therefore must be right & seasonable in itself, & shall in the issue be productive of good.

From hence arise impatience, resentment, & secret repinings (complainings), which are not only sinful, but tormenting; whereas, if all things are in His Hand, if the very hairs of our head are numbered; if every event, great & small, is under the direction of His providence & purpose; & if He has a wise, holy, & gracious end in view, to which everything that happens is subordinate & subservient;-then we have nothing to do, but with patience & humility to follow as He leads, & cheerfully to expect a happy issue...

How happy are they who can resign all to Him, see His Hand in every dispensation, & believe that He chooses better for them than they possibly could for themselves!"

John Newton

If only I had learned this before now!
And can I?
Only in spite of me & through His mercy.
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