DRUM ROLL PLEASE!

   On August 29th, 2014, while playing my favorite course, Dubsdread, on hole number 3, I pulled out my 4 hybrid club and hit 135 yards and sunk that baby smack dad in the middle of the hole....and for you non-golfers that would be a HOLE IN ONE!

   Joe was playing with me along with two other guys they put us with.  I turned to the 3 guys waiting for the applause, and no one saw it....the other guys weren't even looking, and Joe thought it ran off the back.  So of course that made me question myself, did it really go in?

   We get up to the green, I pull out my two clubs and start my search for my ball....AND as you can see, I don't play with just any old ball....it has to be FLORESCENT ORANGE...I order them online and this time they gave you a free saying of your choice....don't know if you can read this, but it reads LAURA SHERWOOD BEST GOLFER EVER.....Who knew that it was true?...ha!

    Anyway, since I could not find it anywhere, I checked the hole....and Lordy Bee...There It Be....in the hole, like it was saying...."Girl, get me out of here, and start your Hole In One dance!"...which of course I DID just that...(good thing I learned most of my awesome moves from jazzercise)...high five-ing these strangers I had just met....and carrying on so much, I forgot to take ONE PICTURE!...and this is from a gal who takes pictures of her meals on vacation....WHAT?  No picture?  The one above is just a reenactment....they do it all the time on TV, so why not my blog?  

   I was so excited I could barely play after that.  I did pull it together enough to finish the round with an 84....we got rained out for the last hole....major lightening show, so I went back the next day and finished it, since I was told it didn't really count, if I didn't finish the round....and I gotta make it count..I mean, this is my first HOLE IN ONE for heaven's sake!  Gotta play it right!

   So there ya have it....and I am sticking' to my story!  I think every golfer dreams of getting one of these....it is pretty cool.  Now of course, I found out that it doesn't mean you are necessarily that great of a golfer, since I golfed yesterday and shot 101....so what is that about?  My game was in the toilet all day long.  But hey, it was fine by me....I was outside, the birds were singin', I didn't have to do laundry or vacuum, or cook dinner, or fold underwear or weed or NUTHIN'!  God is so good to me! 

 

Emily turns "3" weekend pics!

Birthday girl and Aunt Stacy 

pool time is always fun

Snow cones made from Aunt Christin

Norah is in her car ready to take off any minute!

Stacy & Norah

Norah & Joshua....our latest additions

Norah, hold still.....I will get this flower off your head...

the 7 Grands are ready to get down with their bad selves....all dressed in their princess garb

Hey, I think I would like a cookie please!

Hey cousin....Lets get beautiful for the party

Emily attempts putting a nose on Olaf....good job!

Mr. Harley has the kids dancing and singing!

Emily is fixin' to get SNOWED on.....

Let it go....let it go...or is that SNOW?

Make a wish...

Utah National Parks

Well, you guessed it....We have been where the buffalo roam....Utah...These guys look like future bison burgers to me!

This was at Zion National Park.  Nothing but beauty at every turn!  God sure does like to show off!

Joe made it to the top of Angel's Landing!

The hike was a tad scary!

Here is Moses Joe in the cliff of the rock

Lets see how long Laura can hold that boulder in her hand....

Indiana Joe can hold it up too....but he needs both hands!

It was a 2 hour hike to see the "delicate arch"...but it was SO worth it!

and what would a Sherwood trip be without pictures of food?

Breakfast of champions!

And what would a trip be like without golf?

I am pointing out my favorite hole....I didn't quite make it to the green on this par 3 on my first hit!

Sister Mary Carol and I are trying to see whose mouth is biggest...I think I won!

Our Backyard Buck

Ok, here is Mr. Buck, whom we have named Chuck, who decided to come on into our pool area, when Joe left the door open.  He enjoyed some of our plants before he left.  He is quite something!  I am thinkin' you could shoot a dad gum Disney movie in our backyard...Me, being the beautiful princess, of course!...Princess Majo and her friend Chuck....I can see it now...Princess Majo, Chuck, & Hop-along(our one-toed turkey) take a walk in the forest.....I am thinking' that is how it should start....and see where the adventure leads....I need to find my tiara!

Finger Prints

A few weeks ago I had some guy come to the house and clean my windows.  Yeah, I know, it was a bit extreme, but I have a lot of windows and I was tired of looking through the haze.  He spent all day here.  He cleaned the screens on the windows and that crud that is on the ledge.  The stuff you aren’t sure what it is, but you don’t want to touch it, kind of stuff.  He did inside and out and by golly, when he was done, it was a thing of beauty.  I had to just take a moment and ponder the whole clean window thing.

It lasted a few days.  The grandkids came over...need I say more?  Before long, there were finger prints, face smears on most windows that they could reach, and parts of food and chocolate, where it hadn’t been before.

It kind of took the wind out of my sails.  I had a lot of sighs, as I went through the house, looking at the damage that had been done.

But in all honesty, what was the damage, exactly?  My grandchildren, whom I love with all my being, were here.  I have proof that they were....Any CSI guy could come with his blue light and test the area.  They could see Emily’s snot on one window, and Claire’s tiny little prints on another.  Laura, Annie, and Millie’s are in the other room where they colored pictures and taped them to the windows. Joshua and Norah aren’t big enough to leave their mark, but it is only a matter of time. And heaven help me, if I dare complain.  I have friends who see their grands once a year, if they are lucky.  I am only hours from 4 and minutes from 3....The Lord has blessed me mightily, and I am thankful.

It made me think of the fingerprints of God, and His mark on my own life.  There are several times God’s fingerprints are mentioned in the bible.  The 10 Commandments, both sets, were inscribed by His very own finger. (Deut. 9:10) The very heavens were made by his fingers (Ps 8:3) and Jesus himself drove out demons with the finger of God (Lk 11:20). And who can forget, when in Daniel, (Dan. 5:5) God showed up, and wrote on the wall with his finger to pronounce doom to Belshazzar?

It is amazing to me what the ALL MIGHTY can do with just the tip of his fingers!  Wow....I just hope when my last days are here, and my number has been called, God’s CSI angels can get their little blue light and see God’s fingerprints all over me!  He has certainly left His mark, and I am so thankful He has.  

So, if you come to my house, you may see a smear or two on my windows.  I hope it makes ya smile a bit.  It sure does me good to know my grands are just that....GRAND and messy!....gotta love it!

Memories I can't shake...

        Being OLD has it’s advantages.  The memory fails me at every turn.  I am the safest person you could tell a secret to!  Trust me, I am a dad gum vault!

However, there are some memories that return, that I can’t seem to shake.

Just this morning, during my quiet time, being still before the Lord, is usually when it happens....and sure enough, He reminded me of Sept. 4th, 2013.  It was late at night.  I keep my phone in the kitchen charging and I went in to turn it off for the night.  But before I did, I checked for messages.  It was from Sarah.  She had just announced with great joy, weeks earlier, that she was pregnant with No. 3.  In this text she writes.  “Mom, I can’t talk. My heart is breaking. I am losing my baby.  There is a lot of blood. Could you come watch the girls, while I go to the doctor in the morning?”

As a Mom, my heart sank, followed by knees hitting the floor, praying for my first born.  I had been down this road before with Stacy & Amanda, and now Sarah.  This Mama’s heart was in two.  Sleep was not found that night.  I tossed and turned and prayed.  

I arrived at Sarah’s early the next morning.  She was trying to be brave, and was out the door before I could turn around.  Laura & Emily were in FULL TILT and kept me busy until I got a text at 12:10 from Sarah....”baby is alive.  Heard a strong heart beat.  It was a blood clot outside of the womb.  All is well”

O MY!  I went from heart ache to sweeping the girls up and dancing around the room.  It is amazing how close sadness and joy are....just a stone’s throw away from each other!  I was reminded of Ps 30:5  “Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”  Rejoicing indeed!  

So, do you believe in miracles?  Today Joshua is a strong 4 month old. Thought you would want to see one for yourself.

 

Family Shots from May 2014

 Well, here they are....They look better in person.  Some look a little fuzzy because I just took pictures of these with my iPad to put on my blog....these are not the originals...so they are not as clear...but you get the general idea.  You will need to come over for a visit to see the REAL McCOY!