Looks like Christmas!

I love Christmas! It always brings back fun memories. When the boys were little... and still believed... Christmas Eve services, my father always waiting until Christmas Eve to go shopping. My mom and I always baked and make all kinds of Candy and cookies, making gingerbread houses with the boys. I love Christmas music too! I didn't realize I had so many Christmas decorations until Gary took down 17 large boxes of stuff and that didn't even include any outdoor decorations, which we have. I collect Santas and Kady has Nutcrackers. I usually only buy one new Santa a year, but this year... let's just say I bought more. I now need to start collecting Mrs. Claus' so I will have mates for all of Santa.
I still have a few projects to finish, but somehow I really am not stressing about that. I decided I only really have to finish 2 before Christmas and if the other three happen after Christmas, no big deal.
I did finish my Literature class. Wow was it tough! I learned a lot and will now take a break until we get my daughter well. Good news though, we have an appointment at Houston on January 11, 2011. I never thought her illness would last this long. Now, I am looking forward to reading Nicholas Sparks book Safe Haven. I will give you all a review when I finish. I really should do that more often!
Looking forward to American Idol beginning in January. I bet it is going to be fun, fun, fun!!
Later,

Thanksgiving

I cannot believe that Thanksgiving has come and gone. But, it was good. We went to my oldest son's house. It was a really enjoyable day. Seems like it had been forever since we went anywhere for any length of time. Chris' girlfriend Angie cooked the turkey in her new kitchen. It was awesome. She was a little worried that it wouldn't turn out since her oven was new. They were so worried, they precooked a practice turkey!! My three sons were there as well as Angie's parents and her sister and two of her sister's children. Kady had fun and made a new friend. Except she was extremely tired!
We kind of miss having leftover turkey, so right now, Gary is cooking a turkey so we can have leftover turkey!!! Considering we have chicken 95% of the time... it is all good!!
I have three weeks left in my literature class. I have learned a lot, but I am looking forward to the Christmas break. I haven't registered for classes in the spring, but I will be doing that soon.
I am making a lot of Christmas presents. It is a nice break from studying.
We are still waiting to hear from Texas Children's hospital in Houston. I am hoping that no news is good news.
Later

Here it is.

It has been busy since May. I know I have thought about posting, but besides taking care of a still sick child, I am taking college classes on-line.
OK, maybe trying to study isn't always as easy as I thought it would be. And, sleep is really a problem for me right now, so I end up studying at really odd times. I haven't gotten my grades from last session, but I made an A (100) on my term paper, which is 15% of my grade, so I am really hoping and wishing and praying. My next class is starting on Monday and it's literature. I love to read and write, so I am really looking forward to this one.
I am going to take a bible class and a history class in the spring and I would really love to take a break in the summer. Then next fall, except for a math class, all my classes are psychology classes, which is my major.
On the home front, Kady is still suffering from extreme nausea. She has gastroparesis and a bunch of other stuff all meaning she is nauseous all the time. She takes something every four hours for nausea/vomiting and it really only helps the nausea. Waking up in the night is probably why sleep is an issue. Also, since I get sleepy during the day, drinking tea to wake me up then keeps me awake. Then, the cycle starts again. The good thing is that she now sets her own alarm to take medicine, so is maintaining an active part of taking her medicine. That helps me a lot. She had her friend come over yesterday and that seemed to make her not think about being sick, so she felt better, but got really tired. We don't get out a whole lot because we try to stay away from germs. Especially church and other activities like that are a real danger to her. She can't catch anything else because her immune system is really compromised so she catches anything she remotely gets near. We will be testing her system because we are attending a quincenera for one of her best friends tomorrow night. (Praying for no sick people there.)
We are trying to get Kady into Houston Childrens hospital to see the GI specialist there. Then, we are also trying to get into a rheumatologist from Houston for her neck. We still feel like it is the veges nerve that is causing the problems.
Trying to keep up with everything, including this blog in the future.
TTFN

OK, I have been busy!

In the past, I have blogged about American Idol. Sorry everyone, it is now over and well, anything I have to say is pretty moot point.
Some people found American Idol to be boring, but I enjoyed every week and watched it a lot of the time live. That in itself tells you something. We liked not having to watch all the commercials, but hey, you work with what you have.
I was a Lee fan from the beginning. I guess he reminded me so much of Danny Gokey (only cuter). I don't usually vote, but I did vote when it was down to the two. I really wanted Lee to win, but honestly, the top 5 are usually very sucessful and motre than that, the top 12 we will be hearing more from.
I heard there was little murmur about the finale too. I thought it was fun to watch. Also, realize that in the past few months we are now up to 20 days in the hospital, so I enjoy the little distractions. Let's say, I am easily amused. :)
So, as Paula Abdul said : American Idol will go on without Simon. True, so true. I think it would be fun if they had a guest judge each week. Perhaps whoever the mentor is, then be allowed to also judge that week, wouldn't that be good?
Later,

Top 12 on American Idol, First Showing

Although we really missed a larger tv with better sound. Kady & I watched American Idol in her hospital room. Sorry, they are out of order, but I am writing this today and I didn't take notes. I thought as a whole, everyone did a really good job.
Mike started off the show really well. It will take him some time to walk around the whole stage, but he is just really good!
Didi did a nice job and her voice is unique enough that no matter when she ends the show, she will obviously be making cds.
Katie was really beautiful. I think youth is working against her. She has a nice voice, but I want the winner to be a more significant different vocalist. She should do well among the contemporaries on Disney channel, but I don't see her recording main stream.
Tim sang a quirky little version that the judges weren't so excited about, but Kady thought he was really good. So, tweens everywhere were probably voting on him.
Aaron has come a long way since the beginning. I think he has a really good voice and I hope he does well in the competition. Singing Angie, was a stroke of genius. I don't think he will be forgotten.
Crystal, singing and playing the guitar did a decent job. I always felt her confidence was a little arrogance, but I didn't see it this show. You could tell she was a little distracted, but I think that actually added itself to the performance. Ryan commented that she was friends with Lilly. So, that being the case, perhaps as she advances, if she doesn't win, she should bring Lilly with her and they should do duet stuff.
Paige is not one of my favorites. She had laryngitis which is admirable for her to sound as good as she did, but I don't think her voice is unique to stand out in a crowd. All the other girls you can tell who is singing without looking. Paige isn't that different than say Jasmine from Disney Channel.
Siobhan is absolutely amazing. Her whole makeover was just awesome. Singing like she does, it is going to be her to beat in the girls, I believe
Andrew, one of my favorites, just didn't shine. I kept waiting for "something more" and I was disappointed. He has such a sweet family story, I would like to see him do well, but he really needs to step it up.
Casey, got such a hit from the judges. I think he is awesome and as Ellen says, eye candy for most women.
Lacey, is a favorite. Her look, her clothes, her story is such a seller to me. Her voice is unique and although she took a hit for song choice, I hope she stays in.
Lee did a great job. He too got some negative feedback, but I think he can overcome the bad comments and use it to make next week better. We like him.
I think Paige should leave, but if anyone other than Katie or Paige leaves, I will be disappointed.
Later,

Guys & Girls this week

This week because of having a sick child, we recorded and then actually watched later that night. I decided to combine the two nights and make some comments.
Katie sang Breakaway, a Kelly Clarkson song and got pretty bad comments. I like her, and I didn't think she really did that poorly. She is young but she did a decent job.
Siobhan sang House of Rising Sun. She wasn't near as awesome as last week but I think she gets better every week.
Lacey finally connected with the judges. I think she did a song I actually didn't know very well. But, she did a good job. She seemed a lot more relaxed this week.
Katelyn played the piano and it was just a little weird. I get that she was trying to be not so corny, but I don't think it really worked this week.
Didi is finally back sounding good. Seems like she has a similar personality to Brook White, but man they were hard on her last week. I'm glad she did better this week and got the judges to give her good comments.
Paige, well, I think she will go home this week. Her rendition of Smile was so boring and slow, I think I was ready to fast forward. She was so emotional singing the song. I get that it meant a lot because of Michael Jackson, but if you perform, you compartmentalize and deal with the emotion when you are finished singing.
Crystal was awesome. She just gets who she is and what she should be singing. So, judges of course will give her kudos. She is what the competition is about. Undiscovered talent.
Lilly, who is one of my favorites did a good job, but I hate watching her twitch her mouth when she sings. It's more over the top than I like. I would rather she just sang instead of trying to be so dramatic.
What girls are going home? Paige and Katelyn are my predictions.
Now the guys......
Lee, one of my favorite singers sang Fireflys, one of my favorite songs. I think it was really good and the arrangement was different enough to make it work. Randy seemed a little grumpy tonight. Kady likes the song Fireflys, but she said Lee's version was like homemade pizza. She would rather have Pizza Hut than homemade, meaning that she would rather have the original song by Owl City.
Alex singing Trouble was awful. I think he will be in trouble. Truthfully, I do not like his voice.
Tim singing Hallelujah was really good. He seemed more comfortable this week, and I hope he continues on.
Andrew singing Genie in a bottle, was just too weird. He was one of my favorite in the beginning and I loved his "Straight Up" but get real, sing a "boy" song already! The song was just too cutesy for him. It's a shame cause I think he really has some talent, but he keeps picking bad songs.
Casey James needs to be singing country music. He just looks like a Country singer to me. Of course, if you look back, singing a grocery list would work for me from him.
Aaron singing Already There was really good. It reminded me a little of Billy Gillman. I also agree with Simon, quit saying sing this, not that, not this, not that. Yikes, that has to be confusing. He is only 16, and he did a really ok job. I want him to stay in top 12 because he adds a youthful dimension to the whole group.
Todrick singing Somebody to Love, a Queen song, seemed a little bizarre to me. Had he kept it all in one mode, like Gospel, I think that it would have been better. He shuffled between a couple styles and I just didn't like it very well. He got good comments, but sorry, I didn't agree.
Mike, one of my favorites, sang in such a completely different league than all the guys. I played, then replayed and watched again with Kady, and I will have to say it was better the second time. I am not familiar with the song, so hearing it the second time it was easier to see (and hear) what the judges were talking about. He was good, very good. It's also fun to watch him because you never know what he is going to do. You could tell his wife is with him now, he just had a renewed energy in his performance, being able to sing "for his wife."
My predictions for the guys leaving are Alex and Andrew. Please note I really like Andrew, but his song choice has just been bad.
We will see. Later,

Yeah. 4 more leave.

I don't mean to be callous, but this week the four who left, needed to. It was time. I enjoy music, all different genres but, when it is done poorly or over electrified, I really could do without. So, after the performances of all the remaining 20, I was a little disappointed.
The difference between hearing the performances live and what we see and hear by television must be a big difference. We actually hear more mistakes than those hearing it in the live audience.
Jermaine stayed in way longer than I thought he should have. If I had been a judge, he wouldn't have made it past Hollywood week. Remember his little temper tantrum? I'm a Christian too and no GOD doesn't make mistakes, but we my dear, guilty humans make a lot of mistakes. Glad he is gone, that's what I say.
John, although a sweetie pie and he did go out with dignity, actually sang better during his swan song than he did on Tuesday night. If he had sung like he did tonight on Tuesday, he would have gotten a different review. I wish him well, and I could envision him being back in a group. We probably haven't heard the last from him. Nice guy!!
Michelle, who is absolutely gorgeous, just didn't bring anything different to the show. She had a great face and wore awesome clothes, but this is a singing competition. She did better tonight than she did last night.
Haeley, the screecher, is gone, finally. I am a little surprised, only because I presume she probably had a good fan base being in high school. (Don't you think her entire school voted?) Her last singing was only more evidence that it was time for her to go. She sang it badly. It was a good song, but she killed it... and not in a good way.
After this, kick-off's will be a little harder, because for the most part, I am fond of all the remaining contestants. What will change for me is when they pick a bad song, or sing a good song badly. I really am not that hard to please. The good news is a lot of the remaining kids are now on their way to a music career. Some of them will be bigger stars than others. Not just the top 10 get record deals. I could see Lacey Brown singing gospel with the Women of Faith conferences. As the weeks go on, let's hope the group kicks it up and we begin to see a top few pull ahead.
Later,

The Girls

Crystal did a good job. Considering she had some kind of illness that put her in the hospital, she had to be a little shaky, but she didn't seem to show it. She is different and I'm a fan, but I was not as impressed by her as the judges were. She will be getting a sympathy vote, I think.
Haeley is NOT my favorite. I find her voice a little screechy, and I have to admit... it was a mess! She did mix it a little bit, but she does not do it in the right places. Ugh! I really hope people will see that she isn't that good. She sang a Miley Cyrus song, which my daughter thought a better song would be Party in the USA.
Lacey is my favorite. She started off real well, and she is adorable. I love the smile, it seems much more genuine than Haley. Probably I like her too because she is 1)Christian and 2)Texan. She is still smiling listening to the comments. That has to be really hard.
Katie sang a younger song. She has such a great voice, but I really agree with the judges, her higher range is better than the lower register. The song was a good choice, just maybe the wrong key, which I think Kara mentioned.
Didi, another one of my favorites, sang Lean on Me. I wasn't familiar with her arrangement. Perhaps she tried to mess with the arrangement too much? Her voice reminds a little of Brooke White from a few years ago. Her song choice was not a really good one.
RYAN SEACREST was adorable comforting Didi wasn't he? He has to feel a little bit awkward when the singer gets shredded and then he has to announce their number to call to vote for them. He does such a great job of trying to be up and sometimes calling the judges on their negativity. I think the show would be really awful without him. I could also see him and Didi together... after the show. Don't they make a cute couple?
I saw them interact before and felt like there was a little bit of chemistry between them.
Michelle sang a Creed song. I like Creed. (Hard to believe isn't it?) I thought her outfit was a little bit weird, but it fit the rock song she chose. She is such a pretty girl. I'm not sure she is different enough to make me want to buy one of her cds. Her last note was a little bit flat. As in lower than the note should be. But, Kara was right, she was believable this week. I'm glad Simon agreed with the song choice, because she was trying to be current and take the Judges advice from last week. (Wearing Vera Wang was a cool thing, though you can buy Vera Wang at Kohl's so it isn't so exclusive, just beautiful design.)
Lilly is one of my favorites. I love the 12 string guitar. She is kinda strange to watch cause she makes a lot of funny squinchy faces. I don't know that I would choose the song she sang, but I like that you never know what she is going to pick. Her outfit was 10 times better than last week. She made Randy finally smile. Ellen was right, she was best of the night.
Katelyn sang The Planet by Coldplay. I would pay for that itunes download. She did a great job and she looked really pretty. It seems a little weird to see a white piano, instead of a black one. I disagree with Simon about her being corny. She was not near as corny with her face as Lilly is, and they both are good.
Paige sang a Kelly Clarkson song, Walk Away, but I think it is supposed to be sad, instead of singing and sounding so happy. She actually sounds a little like Kelly. Maybe too much to sing a song like that. I want her shirt. It was cute. I'm not convinced she has the best voice, but she does have a good voice. Ellen is right, if the singer is having fun, that is the most important part. I really don't get that Simon and Randy thought it was the wrong song, I only part way agree with them.
Siobhan singing an Aretha song was a little surprise, but it fit her. I agree with Randy, she is fearless. You have to love someone that takes such a risk. She was able to hit a note that was incredible. I hope she stays in the competition. She is quirky, and I love that!!!
My guess, who should go home would be Haeley and I can't choose another because I like the rest of them.
Well, we will see won't we?
Later,

Boys first!

I so agree that this week was better than last week for the boys. The judges say they think the girls are doing better. While that may be true, I really enjoyed this week for the guys.
Mike is so smooth! A big boy, he really looked awesome and he obviously is very comfortable in his own skin. He was fun to watch. He was leaning a little into the theatrical with his rendition of This is a Man's World, but it was enjoyable.
John on the other hand was so uncomfortable to watch. He just can't compare to John Mayer when he is singing so shouldn't try to take on a John Mayer song. He wasn't dismal, he just wasn't great.
Casey sang as if he is already a star. I'm kinda impressed that he doesn't watch TV. Isn't that how he is making his living now? LOL He could sing a grocery list and I would probably like him, but I agree with Kara... 2 steps back from last week cause he was amazing last week. Bring your acoustic guitar back out Casey!
Alex sang Everybody knows and although he started rather badly on the guitar, he worked it out. He does have a unique voice. I wish he wasn't quite so nervous, I don't think we get his best with the nerves.
Todrick looked really good in his silver jacket but sorry, I thought his son was a stinker. He totally ruined a really awesome opportunity to entertain and kick it up with his moves.
Jermaine was just OK. I know he is a church singer, but honestly, he is giving church a bad name if he doesn't start working out the kinks.
Andrew singing James Morrison should have been awesome. Instead, he looked a little stiff and the song was just not good. I am a fan of his, but every since Straight Up, the judges are right, he hasn't clicked with the music.
Aaron, the cutie patootie 16 year old. I do hope he stays, because he does have such a potential to get better. I hope the younger teens and tweens keep him in the competition. He needs some more help with the song choice.
Tim Urban, I thought he did an ok job. I was a little surprised that he got such horrible comments from everybody but Simon. Simon was right, he was so much better this week than last.
Lee, who is one of my favorites did a decent job. I have to believe him being last was not a helper with the nerves. Hope he stays in, he has a really unique and good voice. The song was a little pitchy, but I go back and think it was nerves, cause he usually is on key.
If I had to guess, John Park and Alex Lambert will probably leave. I am not a fan of Jermaine, but I think he has a big fan base, so he probably won't go for awhile.
Later,

4 leave

I think America missed it a little.
Janell, Tyler, Ashley and Joe are going home.
Tyler was quirky enough that he would have added some interesting upbeatedness to the whole show as well as Joe's positivity. I think there were other guy singers who got by and through because they have a fan base, not because they should continue on because they are good singers.
Janell was a good singer, but unfortunately all of the girls this year are really pretty good. Ashley, even in her goodbye song was really awful. If she plays it back, she will realize she was off by a mile. So that one was called correctly.
I really liked the performances by both Chris and Allison. Allison was one of my favorites, she left before I thought she should. She also looked amazing. Loved her hair!
Until next time!

Top 12 boys on American Idol

A little late, because I had a headache... but I took notes. As of this moment, I haven't watched the results, so my prediction would still be unbiased.
Todrick, did a funked up version of Since you've been gone. Although the verses were cool... he should have stayed true to the chorus. Not a big fan of what he did. He does have some talent though.
Aaron, the cutie patootie with an adorable face and persona let the nerves get to him. I can't wait to see what he does in the coming weeks. Hope he gets the votes so we see him more.
Jermaine, the church singer, is given church a bad name. I'm a little disappointed at the attitude. Rather haughty, and he was a screaming mess in his song.
Tim Urban and Apologize should really say he is sorry for that performance. Not good!
Joe, another cutie, but his performance was unforgettable.
Tyler, the 70's darling should leave the 70's behind. His rendition of Pretty woman needs to stay back in the past. I do hope he goes shopping at the mall. Hey, I would take him shopping! He looks familiar. But, I was in high school in the 70's so he looks like a classmate of mine. LOL
Lee and his guitar were really good. I was surprised that Randy and Kara didn't like it. Simon in his successfulness did like it so, I was glad to ride his comments. Lee was good.
John, I really don't think he is that good of a singer. He is cute, so maybe that will get him some votes. Who knows?
Michael singing Maroon 5 was a little weird. I like him, and Maroon 5 is one of my favorite groups, but I guess the performance needed a little more "group" instead of singing as a solo. Ryan was right though, his guitar looks like a ukulele in Michael's big hands.
Alex, a Texas was all over the place with the notes. I don't see how he can keep up. His vocals are just not that good. Maybe it was the song, but I don't know.
Casey James - Heaven, yes it was. Enough said!
Andrew, one of my favorites from earlier, totally blew it with song choice. He just picked a really awful song. Get a grip or get out.
My predictions for leaving are actually tied between three. Jermaine, Alex and maybe John. Who knows?
See you later today.

Top 12 girls on American Idol

The first week of American Idol after Hollywood week is always a little shaky. Seems like every year the song choice is a little skewed. They have a list to choose from with so many songs and yet they always seem to pick either something so obscure no one can identify with, or something so popular they can't do it justice.
Was it just me, or did Ellen look a little nervous? I thought she did a great job. Simon is still brutally honest and for the most part I agreed with him. Let's look at the girls one by one.
Paige got kudos and negativity. Saying she was the best singer was a little over the top as far as I was concerned. Her song was totally unforgettable.
Ashley singing Leona Lewis' Happy was a big mess. She was even off key a lot of the time.
Janell, one of my favorites picked a horrible song, she was off a little vocally and she was so nervous the mic was shaking.
Lilly, another one of my favorites, had a great look. As far as the song, hated the song!
Katelyn was just an unforgettable performance. I just figured she would do so much better.
Haeley, I have to admit is just not one of my favorites. Her song choice was awful and her voice was annoying. I really wanted to fast forward through her song. I hope that based on her performance that she is one of the ones to leave.
Lacey Brown has an amazing voice and I really like her but take about a weird song choice. She does have the most incredible face though, doesn't she?
Michelle performed Falling and I actually thought it was kinda boring. She too is very pretty though isn't she?
Didi picked a song that fit her voice and she was one I really disagreed with Simon. She should stay until next week so we can see that she has more in her repertoire.
Siobhan sang Wicked game the song best know for being played when Ross and Rachel finally got together on Friends. She did a really good job and I really hope she continues. She is a little quirky and I think will make American Idol a little more interesting.
Crystal, though a really good singer, I didn't like her song choice either. She is so talented, I almost felt like she tried to do too much the first week. I really feel like she needs more weeks and she will be one of those who will get better every week. I hope people are smart enough to vote for her.
Katie, another one of my favorites. She sang a Michael Buble arrangement of Feelin' Good. What was she thinking? I really feel like someone gave her some bad song choice advice. I so agree with all of the judges that she needs to embrace being 17. She should sing lots of bubbly young songs. I hope she gets a chance to continue, because if she improves the way Jordin Sparks did.... wow!
One of the hardest parts about singing on American Idol has to be receiving comments right after your performance. To stand there and not break out bawling would just be the hardest thing ever!
My choice for bottom two would be Haeley and perhaps Janelle. We will see.
BTW, I watch AI on dvr. It takes a two hour show down to less than an hour and a half. Commercial free!
Later.

Don't be confused

It's still me blogging. :) But, I wanted Kady to do a blog for home school. But, because of her age, it's under mine. Look for the Princess of Random. www.blogspot.kathryn-princessofrandom.com
To be honest, she comes by randomness from me. I think it might be a family trait. My sister and I can switch channels in conversation and then return back to a previous conversation... and keep track. Kady and I can actually do that too! It makes for some non-boring moments, but confusing for my husband.
I plan on making comments about American Idol. So far, I really like Ellen. But, I have to admit, I've always been a fan of hers. I am looking forward to this year, as it has been said there is more talent. Let me know what you think.
Later

Happy Birthday Dad!

If my father were still living, he would be 91 today. It's hard for me to believe that he has been gone for 10 years. There are some moments I feel he isn't even gone. My explanation for that is that since he is in heaven, when I pray or when I'm reading the bible, my proximity to God increases my feelings of closeness to my dad.
My dad wasn't perfect. But, one of the things I know he did, his whole life, was work on being a better dad, husband, person, and most of all Christian.
He would get up every morning at 4am to have time to read and study his bible before going to work. If he worked nights, he would just manipulate his schedule again so he would have time to study. I think Dad only went to college one year, but when it came to the bible, he knew more than anyone I ever met.
He was also big on Christian tracts. I think I have probably read about 100 little booklets that he would get in the mail and then he would pass on.
My dad wrote letters to prisoners in jail. I remember asking him once what did this person do? His response was he didn't know but God would forgive them if they asked God to. He and mom even helped some men at the half-way house to get to church. I sometimes worried that men he wrote might get out of jail and come and do something bad to my parents, but it never happened. I believe God protected them.
One of the things I knew about my dad was that he loved my mother and all 4 of us kids as well as our spouses and our children. Family was important. One time when I was about twelve years old, it was Thanksgiving time. My dad was Air Force reserve and served once a month on weekends. He had driven to Oklahoma City (Tinker AFB) and while there got snowbound. Because the holiday was coming up, as soon as the roads cleared enough for him to get out of the City, he drove as far as possible in the car. He then caught a ride with a trucker who drove him as far as roads were cleared. That put my dad about six miles away from our house in the country. Once he was dropped off, he then crawled, walked and tramped through drifts of snow to get home. He would stop at houses along the way and ask them to call my mom so she would know how far he had made it. Because the snow and drifts were a little disorienting, he actually walked a couple miles past where he should have turned to go to our house. I remember it taking most of the day for him to get home, and he arrived before dark. Family was important and being home for Thanksgiving was worth it to him.
My dad had a lot of friends. I don't think he really ever met a stranger. He was likely to strike up a conversation with anyone wherever he went.
My dad got fired from teaching Sunday school one time. He was a really good Sunday School teacher and the kids loved him. They also learned a lot. He believed that memorizing scripture was a real important part of being a Christian. When the Sunday School material only provided one little verse per lesson, my dad spent hours finding other verses that went with the lesson. When the preacher found out he was "adding to" the Bible lesson, he asked my dad to teach "only what was provided or not teach". My dad chose not to teach. Our family then joined with other families and began a new church not far from where we lived. We first met at a Lion's Club building, then bought property and built a church building.
In my dad's later years, after he retired, he began to volunteer at the hospital. He was gone so much that my mom decided she would join him as a volunteer. They both volunteered for a long time. They also distributed "The Greatest is Love" Bibles. These were New Testament bibles set up in hospitals and hotel racks that people could donate towards if they wanted, or have for free.
I found notes in one of Dad's bibles after he passed. He studied a lot, but from his notes, he never felt pious about his relationship with God. He wrote time and time again "I want to be a better Christian and I want to be closer to God."
Dad's hope came true. Hope you have a great birthday party in heaven, Dad! I love and miss you!

American Idol does Atlanta

OK, more of the same on night number two, this time in Atlanta. I like Mary J. Blige and have a lot of respect for her comments. She took some undeserved grief from a not very good singer. I hope when he saw the playback he realized what an absolute Jack Donkey he was.
Names to remember? Vanessa, Jermaine, Malorie and of course cop Brian. Being a poor country girl is going to go a long way in the sympathy vote, but I hope she polishes her vocals a little... I found her a little breathy. Jermaine, the church singer is going to make it a long way as long as he doesn't fall flat in Hollywood. Hope he gets a really good group, he is my favorite so far. (no, it's not just the church thing) Brian, the police officer was really good, but as Randy said the voice didn't match the look, so really, I hopes he changes his look a little bit. His persona reminds me a little of Clay Aiken. There were some other singers that made it that didn't get highlighted much. Isn't this fun?
Later,

American Idol Year Nine

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding American Idol. First Chris wins over Adam, then Paula Abdul leaves and then Ellen DeGeneres is signed to "take her place". Now the final straw is "this is Simon's last year". Sorry, people, my prediction is this will be Idol's last year. With Simon's new show the X factor being brought to the U.S. I really doubt that Idol can compete, but we will see won't we?
My first impression from last night which was Boston auditions is more of the same. There are always some really horrible singers... how do they get through to the judges? There were some sweet stories that will probably be recapped again. Maddie, who has brother's with Down Syndrome. Cute girl, good story and she is on my list to watch. The other story that was touching was Justin, who had cancer and is now cancer free. The few names I gleaned from good singers were: Maddie, Justin, Bosa, Leah, Katie and Tyler. We will see as the season progresses... I'll keep you posted.
Later,