Weekend Wrap-Up

From a 'Reading Wrap-up' to a 'Weekend Wrap-Up'.  I only have a couple of moments, so that is as good as it gets today!  But, I really need to get more creative with these blog post titles! 

Thursday night we attended William's last home game of the season.  The Waller JV Bulldogs took on the Stratford Spartans at the 'Big Field', as is tradition for the last home game.  We are down to one JV team now, so the games begin at 5 instead of 6:30...but we were able to make it before the first quarter was over.  We had rain Thursday afternoon, so that really slowed down my commute.  But it made for some fabulous football weather!!!  The cold front started moving through at about halftime.  The Waller Bulldogs pulled off a great win of 21-14.  Will had a teriffic game with his name called over the loud speakers a few times AND he was captain for the defense.  (He played both sides of the ball.)  The good thing about havin only one JV team is that we always finish early enough to go out for dinner after the game!  Celito Lindo is our restaurant of choice...so Meagan, Davin and I went over and got a table while Jim picked up Will from the field house and Derrick joined us when he got off of work.  It was a great Thursday night.  This week will be our last JV game and it makes me a little sad...but excited for Varsity next year too!

Friday was a rough day for me.  I just wasn't feeling up to par, so I stayed home from work and took it easy.  I finished reading a book and watched some television...and that was about it for me.  Will had Maroon Man Friday night, so he was out.  Brianne and Josh hung out with me for part of the day.  I finally got to feeling a little better once Jim got home from work.  He and Josh headed to the deer stand and got footage of the world's smallest six-point.  Brian came in from visiting with friends.  Afterwards we grilled some steaks and watched a movie.  I picked Will up after the football game and that completed our Friday!

Saturday was filled with more football, rescue teams and Miss Brooke's 4th birthday party!!!  Our beloved Razorbacks managed to eeek out a win over the Vanderbilt Commodores.  It was a nail biter to be sure...but I had a feeling all year that Vanderbilt was going to give us quite a ride.  Bri and I left for Kelli & Matt's a little early so that she could stop and pick up a gift for Brooke.  We didn't get very far before I ran over a piece of sheet metal that sliced my tire.   We limped into a gas station and waited on our rescue crew.  First to arrive was Josh, Will and Jesse.  It took awhile for us to find all the parts to change a tire...they can really hide a jack anywhere these days.  (mine is located in the framework of the back seat!!)  Soon after Jim and Brian arrived, handing me his keys so that we could get on to the store.  As we were pulling out I told Bri that we really should have taken a picture.  Five strapping gentlemen to rescue two damsels in distress!  How lucky we were!!!

Our little diva had a blast at her birthday party!!  It was a Hello Kitty party (you can see a few pictures here).  It was family only, but once you pile in all the Goode's and Ham's you have a party!!!  She received lots of clothes...just as requested!  Dresses, jeans, boots, dance wear, jackets with matching scarves, leggings galore...Kelli has herself a little fashion plate that is for sure!  After cake and ice cream, we sat around for a visit than headed home so that William and Jesse could go about their evening plans.

On Sunday morning I awoke to another rough morning, so I didn't make it to church.  But I had matinee tickets to see Memphis with Derrick's mom, Teri...so I slept as long as I could, got up, took my medicine and headed out for the afternoon.   It was a great musical and I really, really enjoyed it.   I thought that it would have used 50's music for the soundtrack, but it was all original pieces and they 'fit'.  It was a thoughtful and engaging storyline which made you truly 'feel' for the characters.  It was an afternoon of good conversations and sharing a love of theatre...what more could I want?

I stopped on the way home to pick up chicken for dinner, which we shared with some of Will's friends who were visiting.  It is always amusing and enlightening to hear teenage boys engaged in conversation!  I finally got caught up on Biggest Loser last night as well...so, I think I am now set for the new week's television schedule! 

Well, that was our weekend.  What about yours?

Reading Wrap-up

I haven't been able to do a lot of reading lately. Doing two Bible studies at once tends to leave little room for any other reading.  But in addition to reading When Crickets Cry, I have managed to read the following in the past few months.

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee:
One of the best loved stories of all time.  To Kill a Mockingbird has been translated into more than forty languages, sold more than thirty million copies worldwide, served as the basis of an enormously popular motion picture, and was voted as one of the best novels of the twentieth century by librarians across the country.  A gripping, heart-wrenching, and wholly remarkable tale of coming-of-age in a South poisoned by virulent prejudice, it views a world of great beauty and savage inequities through the eyes of a young girl, as her father -- a crusading local lawyer -- risks everything to defend a black man unjustly accused of a terrible crime.

What can be said about To Kill A Mockingbird that hasn't already been said?  I don't know how I went for so long without reading it...but I am sure it comes as no surprise that I LOVED it.  And since I finished it just before going to see The Help at the movies, it was perfect timing.

Heaven Is For Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back by Todd Burpo: 
Heaven Is For Real is the true story of the four-year old son  of a small town Nebraska pastor who during emergency surgery slips from conscienceness and enters heaven.  He survives and begins talking about being able to look down and see the doctor operating and his dad praying in the waiting room.  The family didn't know what to believe but soon the evidence was clear.

Colton said he met his miscarried sister, whom no one had told him about, and his great grandfather who died thirty years before he was born, then shared impossible-to-know details about each.  He describes the horse that only Jesus could ride, and how 'reaally big' God and His chair are, and how the Holy Spirit 'shoots down power' from heaven to help us.

Told by the father, but often in Colton's own words, the disarmingly simple message is heaven is a real place, Jesus really loves children, and be ready, there is a coming last battle. 

This one was totally outside of my normal reading realm.  Meagan suggested I read it, then Rosa told me that I HAD to read it...so, I downloaded it to my Nook and finished it in a weekend.  I am usually quite skeptical about people's accounts of dying and going to heaven.  This book, however, ministered to my heart, especially as I read the chapter of the little boy meeting his sister who had been miscarried before he was born.  I cried...and then cried some more as I thought of our little ones that await our arrival too.  The greatest comfort we have had in these losses is our belief that they are in the arms of Jesus.

Sweet Talk by Susan Mallery:

Don't ask Claire Keyes.  The twenty-eight-year-old piano prodigy has never had a regular boyfriend, much less a real romance.  Her music career has left little room for friends or family - which is just part of the reason she hasn't seen the family bakery or her two sisters in years.

But now Nicole is sick,and Jesse is AWOL.  Despite the fact that Claire can't boil water, she's determined to play caretaker.  Connecting with her sisters tops her to-do list...along with falling in love, or at least in lust, for the first time.

I downloaded this to my Nook from the "Steals N Deals" section.  I just wanted something fun to read at the pool while we were away last weekend.  At 99 cents, how could I go wrong?  I didn't realize until I was finished the book that it is part of the Harlequin Romance family of publishers.  There were some 'adult themes' that I rarely read these days, but the storyline of the estranged sisters had me hooked from the beginning.  As I was downloading the picture for this post from the Barnes and Noble website, I found that this was the first in a three book series.  I will probably be reading the other books in the Bakery Sisters Series soon! 

Okay...I'm done with my book talk for at least a day or two.  Maybe!

Hello, Kitty!

Guess who turned 4 years old today?

Our beautiful baby girl...Brooke.

She is our little Diva!  But look at that sweet smile.

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!!!!

When Crickets Cry: A Novel Of The Heart

It's been a while since I recorded my thoughts on the books I have been reading. I don't dare call them book reviews. That would imply that I had a degree in Literature or some other sort of expertise. I just want to remember what I have read and the effects it had on me, if any.

This is my second book to read from author Charles Martin.  The first is one of my all time favorites, Chasing Fireflies: A Novel Of Discovery.  A beautifully written account of a young man trying to find the family he never knew while at the same time trying to understand the family that took him in as a child.  It wasn't an easy book to read at times, but it was an encouraging book overall.

From the book cover:
A man with a painful past.  A child with a doubtful future.  And a shared journey toward healing for both their hearts...It begins on the shaded town square in a sleepy Southern town.  A spirited seven-year-old has a brisk business at her lemonade stand.  But the little girl's pretty yellow dress can't quite hide the ugly scar on her chest.  The stranger understands more about it than he wants to admit.  And the beat-up bread truck careening around the corner with its radio blaring is about to change the trajectory of both their lives.  Before it's over, they'll both know there are painful reasons why crickets cry...and that miracles lurk around unexpected corners.

My Thoughts:
Though there were a few things that were a little too neat in the story, it was a good read.  Of course, I am usually biased toward a good Southern novel.  And what could be more Southern than a Southern Living Book of the Month Selection?
It is a story of the healing power of hope...not just for the physical body, but for the wounds of the heart as well.  Each of the characters have faced their own tragedies, but the Lord weaves them together to bring each one to a healing that only He can accomplish.

Though this one may not make my all time favorite list...it was still very good.

And Charles Martin may be my new favorite author!

Still Here!!!

Hello, Blog-o-sphere!

I noticed on my site meter report that several of you have been checking in this past week and I feel bad that there has been no new news!  Don't you just hate visiting a blog for an update and listening to the crickets chirp?

Well, we are all still here.   Some of us a little more so than others.  I have been having horrible computer problems this month.  Our Internet at home has freaked out on us and will only let us view one or two pages before booting us off.  I think with the addition of Brian's computer and video game we have overloaded our ANCIENT router!  I really need to get on the telephone with AT&T this week and get the issue resolved, but I haven't made the time to do so yet.  It may mean a new router...but that is fine by me so long as we can all log on and get something accomplished!

My work computer came down with a critical illness after a power outage a few weeks back.  It worked, but would not allow communication with any printer in the whole office!  It did that a few years back and Geek Squad was able to get me back online, but without access to print labels.  Go figure!  I decided that enough was enough and ordered a new computer which did not have a strong aversion to printers...label or otherwise!  Well, it took a week to receive, a week to load the software and get hooked in to the network...and then I left town for a few days.   Believe me, after all that computer drama, I deserved a few days away!!!

And that is why I have not posted in over two weeks. 

Aren't you glad you asked?

Football season is winding down.  Two more games...one tonight and another next week.  I will post pictures soon of our Football Frenzy Tailgate Party last Friday night.  We had a blast tailgating with the Waller High School Cheerleaders.  Sweet girls...and Davin is their #1 fan!  He doesn't even like going to a game if they are not going to be there!!!

I'll have a few pictures from our weekend getaway to share too.  But only a few, because I really took it easy and didn't take many pictures at all. 

So, next time you stop by for a visit...maybe I'll have something to share and it will make those dang crickets shut up!!!

Sunday Showers

On Sunday morning we were greeted with a sound that was uncommon yet very familiar. One of my favorite sounds on earth...rain softly falling on the roof.  There was no thunder and lightening show this time.  Just a slow and steady rain that lasted throughout most of the day.


View through my windshield as I returned home from the corner store.
(Well, we call it that even though it is several miles and many corners away!)

 There was not just a few puddles on the sides of the road, but the ditches were filling with the bounty of the clouds overhead.  The new pond is actually finally seeing some water!  Jim says we are about a third of the way to full.  The grand kids can hardly wait for it to have enough water for fishing!


What a glorious sight!

Thank you, Lord, for the showers of blessing!


Are there any among the idols of the nations who give rain?

Or can the heavens grant showers?

Is it not Thou, O Lord our God?

Therefore we hope in Thee,

For Thou art the one who hast done all these things.

Jeremiah 14:22 (NAS)



Parent Night 2011

Friday night was Parent Appreciation Night at the Waller Bulldogs football game.  All the parents of any student participating in the game were given free admission and were asked to join their student on the field.

As you can see, it was a beautiful October night...and perfect weather for some football!

It was also Breast Cancer Awareness Night (hence all the pink instead of maroon).

Here is a picture of our Maroon Man taken on the field prior to the game.  Isn't he handsome?  When I posted these on Facebook, one of our high school friends commented how much he looks like Jim.  I think it is the hair!

Will was involved in the Cheerleaders pregame performance.  He is the black shirt underneath that third pink pom pom from the left.  (His cheerleader is the one in the air.)

Jim wasn't able to make it to the game.  He was on a hunting trip with some of our clients.  And, in all honesty, had I not attended the Cheer Booster Club meeting on Monday night, I wouldn't have known that we were supposed to be there either! 

Boys!!  Anywho, here is a picture of Will and I on the field waiting for the Maroon Men to be announced.

It was also Tribute Night to the First Responders who helped during the wildfires.  They were spread out along most of the field.  Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!

Okay, so he does kind of look like his dad in this photo!!!  I am so proud of him and his willingness to get involved with extra curricular activities.  Will really does have a lot of school spirit.  It wasn't a good night for the Waller Bulldogs on the scoreboard...but we had a great time anyway!

Football Update

Another Thursday night has come and gone with no football updates from me.  This will be short and sweet...I promise!

On Thursday night, September 29 the big game against our rivals (the Brenham Bears) was cancelled due to RAIN!!!  That's right...RAIN!!!  Enough to leave puddles on the sides of the road.  I have never been so happy to miss out on a football game...because we got RAIN people!  Soaking RAIN with God's spectacular special effects of booming thunder and flashing lightening!  Woo Hoo!  So, when they finally called the game, we went to eat at our favorite Mexican restaurant to celebrate!

Last night the mighty Bulldogs met another set of Bears...the Montgomery ones. 

(As a total aside, can I just say that between me wearing the maroon & white and being surrounded by Montgomery's purple and gold I nearly broke out in hives!  Not to mention the guy I had to walk by four times who was all decked out in his Alabama gear!  Oh my goodness!)

Okay...back to the game.  I have not a single picture to show you because I forgot my camera.  And even if I hadn't, I was the lone Goode fan in the stadium so I had to pay close attention.  Jim is gone on a dove hunt, Brian was waiting on a friend to arrive at our house, Bri was in class, Meagan & family were getting ready to leave on a weekend get away and the Lozanos were at an event for her work.   Just his Momma there to cheer and holler and send text messages when something good happened!

Good things did happen...he got his first SACK of the season!  And he rushed the quarterback several times, making him throw the ball into deep coverage.  It was a terrific game that went back and forth in scoring.  In the end it was Bulldogs 14 - Bears 22...but that last score came with less than two minutes on the game clock.

Great job, Bulldogs! 

And thank You, Lord, for the fabulous football weather we got to enjoy last night!

iPhone Dump

I borrowed this idea from Lindsee over at Living Proof Ministry's blog.

In honor of the late Steve Jobs, founder and former CEO of Apple...creator of my iPhone WHICH I LOVE...an iPhone photo dump. 

[I hope these are all new pictures to the blog.  I forget sometimes which ones I posted here and which ones I have posted on Facebook.]

Our room for our 30th anniversary trip to South Africa.
Let's just say that those beds stayed like that until bedtime. 
I can't sleep if I can't touch My Hero!



Davin's monster face.
This look tells me that the photo opportunity has come to a close!



Bri playing on her phone.



I took this picture at a red light by the office just for Jim.
At the time, his Blazer was in for restoration in the same colors as this one!



Summer's Bountiful Goodness!
Just looking at that picture makes my mouth water for fresh tomatoes!



Shy Maddux!
This picture was taken back in June.  We had just returned from South Africa and I wanted to spend some time with my grandchildren.  I asked Kelli if I could treat the kids to a movie and dinner while she had some time off. 
Her time off lasted about five minutes...because as soon as I took this picture, he realized Momma was gone and threw a FIT right there in the middle of the lobby.  I had to call her back to pick him up, so Brooke and I watched Mr. Poppers Penguins alone.



Fourth of July Breakfast platter.
It was our first day at the lake house for vacation and this was served alongside the breakfast casserole.
Doesn't it look festive?

Brooke - posing with bread in her mouth.
You bring out a camera and this girl is all in!!
Eating or not!



The great Texas sky



The great Texas sky at sunset.
I have a friend serving halfway around the world who posted on Facebook that she missed the Texas sky...so I snapped some pictures throughout the day to share with her.  A taste of home for a weary traveler.



This guy met me in the bathroom one morning in August.  I texted this picture to Jim.
Yes, the picture is blurry!  I didn't know how to make the camera on the iPhone go to close up and the closer my hand got to him -- the more I shook!  He has now gone to Scorpion Heaven...if there is such a place.



Stacy and I with Jon Reep -- the 'Hemi Guy' from the Dodge commercials.
We saw him at the Houston Improv a few months ago.

A close up of a praying mantis that was on our deck in early September.



Davin's perception of Will's last football game against Spring Woods.
You should see all the pictures I have on my phone of the bleachers and the cars driving past the stadium.
The iPhone, so easy that a 4 year old can do it!



Thanks, Steve!

Remembering Our Little Ones

Saturday arrived all sunny and beautiful here in the Greater Houston area.  It was a nice day for a walk.  Kelli, Bri and I joined Meagan at her M.E.N.D. Walk To Remember.  I was prepared for an emotional day.  Just putting on the t-shirt with Desi's name, birth date and precious footprints was enough to put me over the top!


Brianne, Me and Meagan with a picture of Desi just before the balloon release



Kelli, Bri and me with our balloons

What I did not know before attending was that Meagan had also listed the Baby that Jim and I lost in October of 2008 as a name to be read at the memorial service.  It was a touching service where way too many names were read.  Our family had three...Baby Goode, Baby Rodgers (2009) and Desi Elise.  We were each presented with a beautiful Christmas ornament in the shape of an angel and our little ones name printed on the ribbon. 

We then heard from the speaker of the day, Rebecca Rainey Mutz.  Rebecca lost a little girl, Molly, after 7 days of life three years ago.  She has since lost a son (Micah) who fell asleep in her womb, given birth to twin girls (Piper and Lily) and had two miscarriages.  She has a little too much knowledge of the pain that was felt in that room on Saturday.  Yet she still gave us a message of hope!

After she spoke, the children in attendance walked to the front of the auditorium and sang "Jesus Loves Me".  Precious!!!

We then walked outside and gathered our balloons.  Two white (for the miscarriages) and one pink.  After taking a short walk through the parking lot with time to reminisce on the ones we have lost...we all gathered for the balloon release.

So many balloons.  So many tears.  So many broken hearts.  So much love!

"If your heart is broken, you'll find God right there;

If you're kicked in the gut, He'll help you catch your breath."

Psalm 34:18 from The Message

Lazy Saturdays

Guess what we are doing today?

Jim is heading out bright and early for the Opening Day of Bow Season.  He has been looking forward to it for months...but honestly, once he saw these monsters on his GameCam Wednesday evening...it has been more like 'Chomping At The Bit' than waiting.  We shall see!  Y'all wish him luck!

At 11 o'clock our beloved Arkansas Razorbacks will be kicking off against the Texas A&M Aggies at Cowboy Stadium in Dallas.  My beautiful sister and nieces will be there, along with her dashing husband...but alas, we will miss this year's game in person and will get to see precious little of it on television.

BECAUSE at 1 o'clock, Meagan, Bri, Kelli and I will be attending a M.E.N.D. event, Walk To Remember in honor of Desi.  M.E.N.D. (Mommies Enduring Neonatal Death) is a Christian support group that has wrapped it's arms around Meagan during this loss.  This is one of two events they hold each year and we wanted to be there to show our support of them as they have supported one of our own.

And while we are there, Jim, Will and Brian will be attending the Waller County Fair Junior Livestock Auction with friends.  I hope that we will be able to join them before all the fun is over.  I love watching those exhibitors show off their prizes! 

And maybe we can stick around to watch the Mutton Bustin' contest too!  Little kids riding sheep!  Who doesn't grin from ear to ear watching that?

Well, I guess so much for a Lazy Saturday!  What are you doing today?