Merry Christmas ~ Happy Holidays ~ Happy New Year!

My how times have changed... I can remember when it didn't matter if you said Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays. Today you can tell someone Merry Christmas but they aren't permitted to reply the same back to you for fear they will get into trouble. That is pretty sad. What happened to freedom of speech? Employers are are forbidding their employees from saying Merry Christmas for fear of offending someone and having it backlash back on their business. WHY???? We have been to several places this past week and we have told our server, sales person, etc. "Merry Christmas" and they reply back "Happy Holidays." My husband says it again and they reply back the same. He asks them, "You can't say Merry Christmas back?" They reply "NO, we will get into trouble!" To me this is unbelievable!! Christmas is the holiday we are celebrating. If someone were to say to me Happy Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, I would probably reply the same back to them. Why is it that a few make it bad for the whole group? People, grow up!! This is a free country...is it not?

Sorry...I will get off my soapbox now...

I am thankful for my job, my family and friends, and another year of breathing. I am thankful for my new grandson, Mason, who is a doll!! He has so much personality! My job is not ideal, but it is a paycheck, and you make the best with what you've got and try to influence others. I pray that I have made a difference in someone's life this year and hopefully for the good.

This year has been a big one for Sarah. She graduated from high school and moved away and started college. As a mom, this has been a hard year for me...letting go and letting them make their own decisions is sometimes a difficult thing to do. You don't want your child to suffer and get hurt. I trust my daughter, but it is difficult when I know she is sick and is trying to make it on her own. She has had a bad stretch this past month and a half with illness. Hopefully, now she is on the mend. She will have to finish her quarter late, but at least she has that option.

Randy's farming has been difficult this year. The lack of rain hurt his crops a great deal, but thankfully, we have insurance. He actually bought a computer for the farm this past week! Randy and a computer! I never thought he would do it. He gets so frustrated when I try and show him how to search the internet and such. But, he is determined to make a go of it and I applaud him for that. For someone who is technologically challenged to go forward and make a purchase of a computer is a huge step.

My prayer for you and your's is that this coming year be a blessed one. May you see success in all you do and God blesses your every step. May you have a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

Update on Mason...

Mason is now four months old and very cute! I love being a Grammy! We saw him yesterday, but he slept most of the time. Mike said that he hadn't taken a nap all day and from 3-5 all he did was scream! Randy and I both just laughed and laughed. We said "sounds like some one else we know!" And laughed some more!! LOLOLO!

Blessings...

I'm a Grandma!!!!

Mason William Gearheart, born July 28, 2008 at 9:18pm at Knox Community Hospital. He was 8 lbs. 2 oz. and 21 inches long. He has extremely long hands/fingers and feet/toes. Renee says he has tingers instead of toes. :-)) More pictures to follow!

Blessings...

GRADUATION!!!

Well, she is finally graduated! Although, I am a bit sad......
But, I am so proud of her. She has accomplished a lot in school. A lot more than I ever thought possible. She is one very determined young woman, with a very strong will. My independent child from day one! I can still remember her saying when she was a toddler, "NO! ME DO IT!!" It still brings a smile to my face even though I remember the frustration at the time.


She has done a lot this past year. She was raised in rank in the Airforce Jr. ROTC to Cadet Major. She was again chosen as ambassador to the Knox County Career Center (2nd year). She played varsity volleyball and lettered again. She did indoor track during the winter and placed 8th in the state in long jump. She also did spring track and was voted MVP for the Mid-Buckeye Conference in running events, and the girls team also won the MBC meet!! She received the Marines Distinguised Athlete Award, and was awarded the Wendy's Heisman award for the Knox County Career Center. She does look good in red, doesn't she?!

Blessings...

Mid-Buckeye Conference MVPs!!

Sarah and Kaitlyn Newkirk were named MVP's of the track meet; Sarah - Running Events and Kaitlyn - Field events. An exciting night! Sarah came in 1st in the 100 meter and 200 meter dash, tied for 2nd in the long jump and received 3rd place in the high jump. Kaitlyn won 1st place in the high jump - broke the record tied by Sarah last year (5'2") with a jump of 5'2 1/2", 1st place (tying the record set last year by Corrine Salva) in pole vault with a jump of 9', 1st place in the 400 meter dash and 5th place with the 4x400 meter relay team.





The girls team also were the MBC champs!! Woo Hoo!!!

Froggy...

Today my voice started out normal and by the time I got to work I was pretty froggy sounding and by the time I left I was VERY froggy. I didn't make it to Spanish class tonight. Sorry Missy!! I came home and ate dinner, cleaned up and parked my tush in the recliner and didn't do much after that. Not sure if it is allergies kickin' in or if it is another bug I am trying to fight off. We will have to wait and see...

We are very blessed....

Monster Trucks

Ran went to the Monster truck show last night and this is what I created from his pictures and movies. What do ya think?

Birthday and State Track Meet

Today is my oldest baby's birthday! Happy Birthday Missy!!! We love you! :-)

Well Sarah took 7th place in the long jump at state with a jump of 15'5". She also took 13th place in both the 60 meter dash and the high jump. It was a very early drive in thick fog to get us there by 8:30 so she could get warmed up to jump at 9:30. We didn't make it back home until about 3:30.

Blessings...

Wow! What a month this has been!!

Well, I know I haven't been on here much for a quite a while now...almost as bad as my daughter! Ha! Ha! Sorry Missy!! But figured I needed to update my age since I have had a birthday...awwww another year closer to 50! Ran hits 50 this year so I will have to have a big party for him. Can't wait!! I have had a time for over a month now with this nasty cold thing that has been going around. I also took a tumble here at home and kind of messed up my knee, hip and rib cage on the left side. Nothing like slipping on ice and coming down hard on your knee and ramming every thing up into your hip, bouncing off your hip and landing on your ribs! I bounce pretty good! LOLOLO!!! I still can't figure out my landings...having trouble with those! Ran said he was going to buy me a walker and a skooter...then busted out laughing! What a booger!

We had over 20 inches of snow last week. It was pretty but very dangerous to drive in. The week before we had a huge ice storm. Check out my picture of our maple tree at the top of the page. I am hoping spring is around the corner! I am ready to start planting in the garden!!

Pray for my mom. She is having a lot of severe pain in her neck again and had to go have an MRI done today. She is afraid she will have to have surgery again. But if it will fix her and take away the pain it would be worth it. It just continually gets worse and worse and she has to take more and more pain meds and that isn't good! Her brother Raymond is having a lot of problems too, so keep him inn your prayers too.

Gotta run...Blessings....

His Blessings of Light

Have you ever risen early
Awaiting a sun kissed morn
To watch as the rays of sun
Dance through the darkness of night
To bless what it may touch
To brighten what was worn
Enraptured by it’s beauty
As it wraps its magical threads of light
You can see the glow of hope as it rises
From the shadows deep behind a hill
To make its glorious way heavenward
To brighten our paths with its essence bright
Reminding us of life eternal, of faith and love
Of our Father’s great and mighty will
Rejoice in His promise, His life everlasting
Delight in His love, celebrate in His light

© 2001 Sharon L. Gearheart

We are blessed...even though things don't always go as we "want or plan" them, He sees what we need. It may seem to be a trial at times...testing our spirit, body, or whatever...but in the long run it is something we need to go through to make us stronger, more understanding, more empathetic, happier, etc. Just look around you and you can see His touch in everything.

My new job at NCSC is going well. This Friday will make it four weeks and I will be getting my first paycheck! Woooo! Hoooo!! Unfortunately...it ALL goes to bills! Go figure! But...I am blessed! When I lost my job at MVNU I had worked there 13 years almost to the day. My annual anniversary was January 7th and I was called in let go on the 10th with my last day being the 12th. When I started at NCSC it was the 14th of January...almost to the day of being off work a whole year.

I think I needed to be off work to recoup myself. I had been going to school for almost five years with no time for myself, the house, the garden, home or family. This was the first year in about five or six that I was actually able to have a garden and do some canning. My how I missed that! It was difficult not having the income coming in, but we managed.

I hope I will be able to get to work okay in the morning. Driving through Lexington there was water close to the road on the north side of town and you could see where it had been over the road earlier. We are getting more rain now with it being very heavy later on with a chance of flash flooding. I guess we will see in the morning!

Blessings...

Well, I am back at the grindstone!

You know, I prayed and prayed for a job and now that it is here...don't get me wrong...I am grateful, but... I know every place has its problems and this one does too...lots of them! I am not sure I am ready to deal with all of it or not! At least it will be a paycheck...right? I am learning the traditional side of higher education, at least their their method anyway.

On to other things! Sarah won the high jump at the Univ. of Findlay on Sunday!! She was the only one out of the final five who jumped 5', and then went on to jump 5'2" and almost had 5'3". She also took 5th place in the 55 meter dash with a time of 7:85 seconds. First place ran 7:45 seconds. Pretty fast, huh!! Not too bad for not practicing very much. She is going to go down to visit Ohio Wesleyan University tomorrow morning and take the tour and visit with the volleyball and track coaches. They are recruiting her right now.

Well, need to get some shut-eye....have to go to the gravel pit tomorrow! :)))

Blessings

Back to the grindstone....

Yes....my freedom is over!! I start my new job at NCSC on Monday...say a prayer!! LOLOLOL I really wanted a new job but now that it is almost here I am dreading it too! Does that make any sense? I just hate starting over from scratch...you know what I mean?

Well, our new grandbaby's birthday has been pushed out until August 14th. Which is a good thing. Renee had had some x-rays done a couple of months back and this due date will have pushed it out past the time she had the x-rays done. Thank God! None of us even thought about that except her mom. They also found a cyst when they did the ultra sound so they are going to keep an eye on that as well. Hopefully, it will disappear!!

I ordered a calendar with my photos through my online business and just got it last week. It turned out beautiful! You can put your own photos on as well as birthdays and anniversarys along with pictures of the people! I am putting that one up in my new office!! Maybe I will get some bites of interest there...

Well, I have had a massive headache all day and need to get off of here, but I wanted to post something for today.

Blessings....

Indoor track season has begun!

Left early this morning, before 7, and headed for Ada, Ohio to Ohio Northern University for the "Western Ohio High School Indoor Track & Field Elite Meet 2008." Sarah competed only in the high jump. She placed 1st in Division III and 3rd overall. Division I, II and III competed together. She jumped 5' 1". This is not her personal best (5' 3") but with hardly practicing at all, this is great! The winner from Celina jumped 5' 4", second place jumped 5' 3" and they were both from Division I schools. We came home after she finished. She also got to talk to the high jump and long jump coaches while she was there. The volleyball coach also called and talked to her a couple of days ago. So now she is being recruited for Ohio Northern. She really liked the campus.

Hubby gave me a scare a little bit ago. He had went out to fill the wood stove and was gone for a while. He came running in with blood running down his face and his arm, stripped off his coat, gloves and flannel shirt, stuck his head in the bathtub rinsing off his head. I couldn't get out of him what happened for about four minutes. Finally he stood up and I got to check him out. He has one booger of a banged up head. He tripped and hit his head on a steel fence post which gouged a nice big nick out his little balding head along with a number of scrapes. He has one doozy of a head ache and will be very sore tomorrow!! I am just thankful he didn't need stitches. I probably wouldn't have been able to get him to go have it looked at!! Well, say a prayer for Ran's head and a prayer for me when he gets up in the morning!!! LOLOLOL!

Blessings...

I'm gonna be a grandma!!!!

On Christmas Eve Mike and Renee announced, thru little wrapped onsies for each of us with little notes attached, "to Grandma," "to Grandpa," etc. It is so exciting!! Their due date is July 29th.

Well, I accepted a job at North Central State College in Mansfield and I am supposed to start on the 14th. But, I also had an interview today at MVNU for a job, which I will find out Monday or Tuesday if they offer it to me or not. We will see what they offer. If it is more pay at MVNU, I may take it instead.

Check out my new link to my Webshots website.

Blessings...