Welcome To (No) Moe's

Welcome To Moe's
Originally uploaded by blountman.

One of the culinary highlights of our trip to Ashland was a visit to Moe's Southwest Grill. We don't have one in Vero. That's a whole 'nuther story for a different post. But the title does not refer to the fact that there are No Moe's in Vero. Oh no! The title refers to an adventure similar to a roller coaster that resulted from our visit to Moe's in Ashland, KY.
See, we had the five of us, Nanny, Papaw, Betty, Tom, Terri, Brad and Amber descend upon Moe's mid afternoon on Wednesday, December 28th. Coats and purses abounded, and all were gathered up except for Emily's purse. Now, Emily isn't used to carrying a purse, but with her driver's permit, family pictures, school ID, and about $48 in Christmas money inside that purse, it was pretty cool to be able to lug it around.

Like I say, Emily's purse never left Moe's. Emily didn't realize that fact until Thursday afternoon, when suddenly she couldn't find her purse. Having stayed at Terri & Alvin's house some, and at Nanny & Papaw's house some didn't help the search any. We looked everywhere. Emily insisted that she had her purse Wednesday evening at home. Not so much. Despite her protestations, we took her to Moe's Thursday afternoon to talk with the employees there. Lo and behold, they had indeed found her purse right after we left Wednesday, and put it on the desk in the back office. Only problem was, it wasn't there now. No worries, the night manager probably put it somewhere, and he would be in at 5:00 PM, so we could check back with them then. We did, but to no avail. Joe (Moe's night manager) had never seen the purse. Adam (one of Moe's managers) saw it on the desk as of 5:00 PM Wednesday, but now, the purse had magically disappeared. Alvin knows Randy, the general manager for Moe's in Ashland, and a conversation with him brought about a more intense search, but alas, as of our departure from Ashland at 11:00 PM Thursday, December 29th, no purse had been recovered. I understand that Adam even dug through the garbage in search of the wayward purse. Kinda bums me that they don't have a secure location for lost and found items, and I would hate to think that a Moe's employee decided they like the purse (or the contents) and took it for themselves. Anyway, Emily takes full responsibility for leaving her purse there to start with, and while not thrilled about having to get replacement ID's (nor at the thought of losing $48, all her makeup, family picutres, etc.), she is doing very well. Much more mature in her response than I would have been. I always keep my purse close to my side, though, and that is a story for another post as well.

There are plenty of pictures from our Ashland visit up on my FLICKR site.

More excitement and a final overview/wrap-up of our visit will come in my next post which probably won't happen until next year. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Sweet 16, part two

When Emily first met Ethan Amerine at Old Orchard Church of Christ, they were in the nursery. Ethan came up to her and said, "Hi my name is Ethan, do you want to slide?" So, what better activity for Emily's Sweet 16th Birthday than to go to Charles Russell Elementary School's playground and slide? The FLICKR site has many more pictures from the playground and from our visit with Gran on Emily's birthday.

As previously stated, we ate lunch at Texas Roadhouse with the Amerines, the Reeves, Sahib, the Parkers, the Dixons, and the Bellomys. Great lunch, including throwing the peanut shells on each other. The ice cream cake from Dairy Queen was enjoyed by all over at Nanny & Papaw's house afterwards, along with lots of laughs (and no gasses).

After the party broke up, we went to see Gran. It was a nice visit, and Gran was having a good day. He enjoyed being around us all, and we had a great time visiting with him. These daily visits are the highlight of our trip to Ashland.

Then, we were off to pick up Ethan and head for the playground. After many slides, monkey bars, and fun (some of which I am not allowed to show, but ask me about the picture of Peggy on the "monkey slide"), we headed back to Nanny's house for Apples To Apples.

Elliott, Ian, Emily and Bradley went to the Ashland Invitational Tournament to see the Tomcats' victory over Letcher County. The rest of us just hung out here at Nanny's. The evening was topped off by a visit from Cheryl, Whitney and Chris. I've been asked to perform Chris and Whitney's wedding ceremony sometime in October 2006 (the date hasn't been set yet). Of course I will do that!

Tomorrow's agenda includes a grandkid portrait, visit to The Mustard Seed Christian Bookstore, and to Ashland Sporting Goods. Yeehaw (Junction)!

Sweet 16

This picture captures the day quite well. I'll post more on the events of Emi's Sweet 16th birthday later. Suffice it to say that she spent some time with her husband, Ethan, and that's all you need to know for now.

Sweet 16 Eve

Day Two of the Ashland Trip, and we have rested up in order to feel almost human now. I slept like a rock, and Peggy talked about the dried drool on her face when she awoke. Elliott spent the night with the Parkers, while the rest of us stayed at Nanny & Papaw's.

A visit to the nursing home with Gran was a hoot. We had 11 of us around a table for four in the dining room. Gran grinned from ear-to-ear the whole time, and we spent lots of time laughing and enjoying each other's company. Most of the discussion around the table centered around bodily functions and gasses (imagine that)!

Papaw, Ian and I went back home while Peggy, Elliott, Emily, Terri, Amber and Brad went shopping for some University of Kentucky t-shirts to be used in a family photo of the grandkids scheduled for Wednesday.

Jim & Debbie Reeves came by for a visit, and we spent more time around a table telling funny stories, exchanging bodily function (gas) stories and just enjoying a good time together.

Of course Emily has been beside herself all day long, the last day of being 15. Yes, tomorrow, our baby turns Sweet 16. We are meeting the Amerines for lunch so Emily will be able to see her "husband" Ethan. Yeah, they got married when they were three and four years old. Oh how funny!

Tonight, we will watch some football, since it is the LAST Monday Night Football Game on ABC and since Emily's "man" (Tom Brady) is playing. Then it will be off to bed so we can be ready for the big birthday celebration tomorrow. Yeah, it keeps getting better each day we are here.

The Long And Winding Road

We have made it to Ashland, KY, safe and sound and now can call it a night. We left at midnight Christmas Eve/Christmas Day and arrived in Ashland at 2:20 Christmas Afternoon. We went out to eat at Ponderosa with Peggy's parents and then visited some family before coming back to the Dixon Palace on Chessie Dr. in Beautiful Westwood.

Peggy's sister Terri and her clan came over and we exchanged gifts topping off the wonderful day known as Christmas.

Our drive north was relatively uneventful, although Elliott got the short end of the stick on the driving shift deal. He drove from Charolette, NC, to Wythville, VA, getting to experience the dense fog of the Appalachian Mountains, and drivers who could get out and walk beside their car for all the speed with which they were driving. Oh boy, did we almost have to change our shorts after coming upon those cars, not being able to see them until the very last second.

Anyway, topped off the day with calls from Ed and to Dad to discuss the Blount University t-shirts we sent out to everyone in the family. More details coming soon, it's late and I am dead tired! Merry Christmas!

Oh yeah madness

Oh yeah...2 billion points for the correct reference to the title of the previous post. Obviously we are going beyond the reefs on our Caribbean Cruise in June, so ya gotta do better than that.

Peggy's oral surgery went very well yesterday. She is a little swollen this evening, and is taking pain meds accordingly, but is doing very well indeed. The doc seems pleased with the procedure which took less than an hour! I didn't finish all the work I brought with me to the waiting room while she was back there!

Ian's rib cage is getting re-aligned, and he has one more visit to the chiropractor this week (Thusrsday) before we head out for the Christmas Break. Elliott and Abi have returned to Kissimmee since she has to be at work in the morning, and he has to go on to Taveres tomorrow afternoon. Elliott will return to Vero Beach on Thursday. It has been an interesting visit, and one that I hope has been pleasing for Elliott and Abi. Let's just say that Peggy and I laid our cards on the table, eh? Oh well, Peggy's meds are kicking in, so it must be time to go snuggle with her in the bed. Sweet Dreams everyone!

Reef Er Madness

So, I'm sitting at the dinner table having just fixed a good ole sketti dinner for the six of us (yeah, Elliott and Abi were still here), and the phone rings. It is the President of the VBHS Choral Parents' Association calling to see if we would serve as chaperones for the chorus competition cruise to Cozumel and Beliz next June. Can you say 25th wedding anniversary cruise? Can you say one that we can afford? Can you say "YES!"? We did! Words do not adequately express our excitement!

Chirstmas Program/Open House Madness

Whew! Yesterday was a whirlwind of activity, and man is it good to have it behind me! We did our children's and youth Christmas program yesterday morning. Our children (ages 3-10) served as our "Angel Choir" leading the congregation (sometimes) in Christmas Carols. Having 20 children up on the platform in church is always an adventure and they did not disappoint. They sang beautifully, and some of the younger ones danced, rolled around on the floor and talked to Mommy from the platform. It was precious, and lots of fun even for the director (me). Three of our teens: Ian Blount, Alison Bartolucci, and Katie Huntsberger performed a four act drama and they were amazing! The church auditorium was packed, and a good time was had by all. Special thanks to my stage crew who took care of all the set changes in between acts and while the children were singing. Things went as smooth as silk.

Then, we Blounts raced home to eat some leftover Big Apple Pizza and to put the finishing touches on the house. I swept the pool deck, vacuumed the pool, dusted furniture, ran the sweeper in the house and whatever else Peggy told me to do, while she was working feverishly as well. Elliott and Abi arrived about 4:15, just after I had returned from picking up the party trays of chicken, subs, and smaller sandwiches. Then our brothers and sisters from VCC started arriving shortly after five o'clock. We counted at least 60 who came through the doors of the Fabulous Blount Mansion yesterday evening, and the fellowship was sweet indeed. Thanks to all who came by, and thank you for the kind comments about the house and the spread. It truly was our desire to say thanks and Merry Christmas to our church family in this way.

So, today, Peggy has her oral surgery for the third time this year. Yep, they're gonna take a piece off of the roof of her mouth and attach it around the gum by where her root canal was done to see if they can finally cover up those still exposed roots! We travel to Stuart, FL, to a periodontist this time, and I am confident that this will FINALLY take care of the situation. Oh yeah, and Ian goes to the chiroprtacor this morning as his rib cage has slid out of place again. Lovely times for sure!

This week sees the Christmas Eve Communion Service (most of which is planned out already), and me doing some sermon work for New Year's Day, before we head out to Ashland early Christmas Morning.

May God bless you and your family in this Holy Season of Christmas.

Kentucky Madness!

Kentucky 73, Louisville 61

I was conducting a funeral service this afternoon, and didn't even set a tape up to record the game. Bummer, man! But I have read the early write-up at Kentucky.com! Oh yeah, baby! Kentucky madness is reigning this week. Go Cats!

December Madness

Why wait till March, when you can start the madness now? Just the typically way over-busy season leading up to the celebration of the birth of Jesus. This year, the assault on Christmas seems to be more open, but the response to that assault seems to be more firm in resolve. I make it a point to say "Merry Christmas" to everyone, everywhere these days. There is no "holiday tree" up at my house, it is a Christmas Tree. Speaking of which, we finally broke down and retired our old tree after nearly 20 years of service. We loved that old tree, but it was truly time to move on. So, we got a pre-lit 7 1/2 foot artificial tree that makes life much easier on the decorating and tear down situation with the tree. Because we wrapped each branch of the old tree in lights, just putting on the lights alone took a couple of hours. Now, open up the tree, plug in the electric cords, and you are ready! I'll take a picture of the tree in a few days, and post it so you can see the beauty of our new tree.

We actually have our Christmas Cards and a few gifts that we needed to mail already out! I took them to the post office yesterday. They were already out of the "religious stamps" (as the postal worker called them), so I had to settle for holiday cookies stamps. That stinks! But, the bottom line is, we have already mailed out our Christmas Cards. This has to be the earliest we have ever gotten them out!

Emily is going out on her first official date on Friday. She is excited, and it is a very big deal around here. The guy who is taking her out is a good friend of hers (and she has had a crush on him much longer than she wants to admit). We know the family through the high school chorus, and they are very actively involved in their church. It should be a fun time and a big night for my baby girl. Oh boy. I am so NOT ready for all of this!

Ian just got his class ring a week ago. It is beautiful (and it should be for what it cost!), and he proudly wears it. He has been extra busy with show choir over the past couple of weeks, not to mention the holiday concert that Emily and he were in with the full chorus last week. The same show on two different nights. Oh yeah, and we worked the Exchange Club/High School Chorus Christmas Tree Lot on several other nights during the past two weeks. Did I mention that we were in the middle of December Madness?

Elliott and Abi will be here on Sunday. Abi is going to stay with us for a couple of days, and then Elliott will go to her parents' home a couple of days after New Year's. Elliott has officially finished with finals at school now, but has to stay to teach guitar lessons at the Community Music School through Friday. He then heads to Traveres for his weekend ministry at Mid-Lakes, but should be home Sunday mid-afternoon.

Speaking of Sunday...the children and youth Christmas program takes place Sunday morning at 10. The children are singing several songs, and leading the congregation in several other Christmas songs. Ian, Alison and Katie are doing a four act drama that is very powerful, and other teens will help with being stage hands, to serving Communion. It should be an interesting service. Then, Sunday afternoon/evening from 5:00 until 8:00, the Fabulous Blount Mansion will be the scene of our Christmas Open House. Peggy is stressing over details of getting the house ready (we are having our garage door replaced as I type this, but that is a whole 'nuther story). She has postponed her periodontal surgery from Friday to Monday to be better able to prepare for Sunday (and to help Emily get ready for her date on Friday). Did I mention that we are in the middle of December Madness?

The Florida Christian Youth Convention has come and gone, and I am busy in the midst of preparing for next year. I serve as the President of the Convention in 2006. Whew. December Madness 2006 has already started!

We Blounts plan to be on the road to Ashland, KY, no later than 6:00 AM Christmas Morning, having taken care of Christmas Eve Worship Services in two different churches before heading out. Yes, VCC is having a worship service Christmas morning, but I have a vacation day that day, and the five of us (Elliott included) will head north to spend a few days with family. We will return on Friday, December 30th since Elliott has to be at Mid-Lakes on December 31st. Whew! Did I mention that we are in the middle of December Madness?

Throughout it all, we are focused on the Christ. May this blessed season remind you of God's great love. Tell someone you see today, "Merry Christmas" and let the atheists know that we will not kowtow to their ridiculous, shrill whining!

Ride It Like A Pontiac

Elliott has now joined that not-so-exclusive club of those who are making monthly car payments. Having determined that Hope needed to be retired, Elliott and Peggy went shopping on the Friday following Thansksgiving, and came up with this sweet lookin' 2001 Pontiac Grand Am GT. Leather interior, sunroof, it is tricked out, for sure.

Now, all he has to do is make the payments for the next 60 months! Welcome to car payment land, Dude!

Thanksgiving

As we enter this Thansgiving Holiday Week and as I am not so great at keeping this blog updated even though there are plenty of things going on in the lives of DaBlounts, let me take a few minutes to express thanks.

First of all I thank my Lord and Savior Jesus for saving me from my sins, and for continuing to put up with me. Jesus, I am so unworthy of Your love...I guess that's what makes You God's Son because You love me in spite of myself!

Peggy, your love for me is surpassed only by the love of Jesus. I cannot believe that I am so blessed as to be married to you. Your beauty is far deeper than your skin, although that is quite beautiful as well. The past 24-plus-years of marriage have been the greatest time of my life. I am just so thrilled that you are still willing to be seen in public with me!

Elliott, Ian, and Emily: you three are more precious to me than words can ever express! God has blessed me immensely by giving me the privilege of being your earthly dad. I know that I have messed that up at every opportunity, but please know that I love each of you dearly, and NOTHING can ever change that. I love watching you grow in Christ. Each of you have so much to offer the Kingdom of God, please keep your focus on Jesus and do your best for Him every single day of your lives.

To my brothers and sisters in Christ who encourage me daily: you are too numerous to name, and I would forget someone (you know how my memory is). Scattered all over the planet (literally), I could not survive this thing called life without your words of encouragement, your prayers, and your love in Christ that is showered upon me on a regular basis.

To my earthly family (extended version): thank you for showing me how to be a man, a husband, a father. Thank you for putting up with my stubbronness, with my perfectionsit tendancies, and with my self-deprecation. Thank you for allowing me to be part of the family, since I have never had any "in-laws" only a second set of parents and another sister to go along with that wacky Blount clan from which I came. Thank you Dad for loving me and adopting me into the Blount clan. The greatest compliment I can get physically is when someone says that I look like you. To my Bros and my Sis: you guys rawk! We haven't always gotten along (as siblings are wont to do), but you have finally "seen the light" and come around...see, I you I was right. HA!

To the youth and children's sponsors at VCC: you are the greatest! Thank you for investing yoour lives in the lives of our children!

To the youth and children at VCC: thanks for keeping me young! I love hanging out with you. You guys are so much more fun than the "old fogies!"

To the parents of children and youth at VCC: thank you for letting me hang out with your children. I pray that our time together brings them closer to Christ and reinforces what you are teaching them daily, since it is primarily YOUR responsibility to teach them about Christ!

To those of you reading this blog who don't think you fit in any of the above categories: you are wrong! You belong in there somewhere, and I love you dearly. Thanks for reading this. Sorry you are so bored that you had nothing else to do today.

Birthday Cupcakes

Ian17bday00
Originally uploaded by blountman.

Ian's 17th birthday celebration started a little early, as we brought in the Darth Vadar Cupcakes during youth groups on Sunday night, Nov. 6th. Ian's actualy birthday is Nov. 7th, but an event like this is too big to be contained in one day. Elliott made the drive down from Kissimmee to spend the evening (and night) with us to join in on the celebration. There were 19 of us celebrating in the high school room at the church, and many of us then went to the party palace of Vero Beach...Taco Bell, for a lovely birthday dinner celebration! Ian rocks. It is so difficult for me to realize that he is 17 now! YIKES! More birthday pictures can be seen on my FLICKR site.

Wilma Aftermath

Well, I must say, Hurricane Wilma is certainly interesting to look at, eh? We held services yesterday at VCC complete with electricity in the building (as of 7PM Friday)! Attendance was the best it has been in a month, with 155 people gathered for worship. As of 3PM Saturday, the last of our members had electricity restored to their homes. Most of us suffered only minor damage, although we do have one church member who had part of his roof peeled back by the winds, so there is significant damage there.

I had several very nice comments following my sermon yesterday morning as we examined 1 Samuel 17, and the difference between viewing things as obstacles or opportunities. My sincere thanks to all who were so kind in their comments following the sermon. Youth and children's groups went off last night with decent attendance, and with kids back in school all up and down the Treasure Coast today, we are slowly getting back to "normal" around here. CIY DVD's are done, and will be distributed this week, so I have one more major project under my belt. Whew! Now, to head to the doc's today for a regular checkup, and to go pick up my pre-ordered copy of the latest Veggie Tales DVD, "Lord of the Beans"!!! I am so excited!

Play Misty For Me

Wilma05
Originally uploaded by blountman.

This is one of 11 Hurricane Wilma pictures posted on my flickr account. I also have uploaded Emily's new school picture, and will have Ian's new school picture as soon as I get it.

It's Friday and while we have power and phones at the house, we still have no electricity at the church building. We may well have a Sunday worship service in fellowship hall just like we did on the Sundays following Frances and Jeanne last year. Woo-hoo!

Post Wilma Post

Well, Wilma has come and gone, and as of this posting, we finally have electric power and phones back at the Fabulous Blount Mansion. Our power came back on yesterday evening, while the phones were out until around noon today. I have spoken with many of the VCC folks and most of them are now back up and running with power and phones, while there are still several who are without and are using generators. Steve Macaluso loaned us their generator Tuesday night after power was restored to their house. What a blessing! It is a big generator that we could run most of the house on (except the stove, A/C, etc.) including judicious use of the hot water tank. Hot showers! A luxury far too often that is taken for granted, let me tell you! We have helped pass that blessing on to the Dyes who are still without power. The church building is still without power, so we may well have worship services in fellowship hall Sunday morning! Ah, another acoustic worship set in fellowship hall. Good times for sure!

Well, I have tons more sermon work to finish up, just wanted to update you on the latest happenings. Praise God for cool weather here (daytime highs have been around 70, and overnight lows in the upper 40's). Much nicer weather to be without power than last year's post Frances and Jeanne sweltering days!

VCC work crew

We cleaned the church property! Spending about 2 1/2 hours picking up debris, raking and sweeping, we got most of the church property looking pretty good. The Work Crew from left to right is: Kyle Aldhizer, Glorida Wojtaszek, Ian Blount, Anne Martinelli, Jillian Martinelli, Lyndsey Wojtaszek, Jessica Martinelli, Peggy Blount, Turtle, and Emily Blount. Great job, gang!

Wilma 10

2 screen sections ripped from the winds. No other damage to the pool enclosure. Peggy "loved" the fact that I was out on the pool deck during the storm. She was afraid that this skinny little boy would blow away in the wind. HA! Wilma was no match for me!

Wilma 09

The palm that leaned during Frances last year & was straightened again didn't like Wilma! This is the closest thing to major damage we got from the Cat 1 winds of Wilma at the house...the church building took on other damage, which I will detail in a later post.

Hunkered Down

Well, it's Sunday night, and the house is boarded up. I am not putting up the plywood on the windows of the house inside the screened-in pool enclosure, but every other window of the house is boarded up in anticipation of the early morning arrival tomorrow of Hurricane Wilma. Since I have put the plywood up, we probably won't get much wind, but that's okay, too. Ian and I put them all up over a three day period. Yesterday, Braxston helped us with some of the windows, and today Turtle helped us with the dining room window, which I saved until the last minute so we wouldn't have the room so dark. It was around five o'clock this evening when we put the plywood up on that puppy. Now, we are just gonna watch some DVD's (including the CIY Summer Conference Trip DVD I have FINALLY finished producing), eat some junk food and "hunker down" while Wilma blows through. Catch ya on the other side of the storm!

Nerd Wanna Be

So, I took the test via Lil Bro's blog. Here are the reults:


I knew I would be a nerd wanna be. I know that I am a nerd wanna be. I have enough nerd in me to get by, but not enough to be a true nerd.

As we keep an eye on Hurricane Wilma (who at the time of this writing is a Cat 5 with 175 mph winds), I am starting some early prep. If Wilma follows the projected forecast path as of this morning, we should feel some pretty strong winds, and get a lot of rain this weekend. Fun times ahead. And we thought we were gonna get through this Hurricane Season virtually untouched. Oops!

Baby, What A Big Surprise

Peggy was wondering why I didn't blog yesterday in light of our surprise visit Sunday afternoon-Monday morning from our long-lest eldest child. Yes, Elliott made our weekend by dropping in to watch some football & baseball (sorry Ed, he was happy about the results of the longest game in MLB plyaoff history) and do some laundry. It is the first time this semester that Elliott has been able to come home. Between his extremely busy school schedule and his new ministry with Mid-Lakes Christian Church, we truly don't expect him to be back in Vero Beach until Thanksgiving. It was such a great surprise! Things are going very well for him with his new ministry, and we enjoy getting the church newsletter so much. This is a church on the move for Jesus, and has a leadership with a vision for moving ahead to the next level of excellence in the name of the Lord.

Elliott and I talked a good part of Monday morning about church-related stuff both Mid-Lakes and VCC, and it was so good to be able to do that with him. In fact, when Elliott pulled out of the driveway to head back to Kissimmee, he said, "I'll call you and we can talk some more." I had barely gotten back in the house when my cellphone rang...it was Elliott. We talked for another hour before I finally told him that I needed to get in the shower and actually go to work! How cool!

Reaching back into the memory banks going to Saturday, the memorial service for Tom Lockwood was a true celebration. Tom's passing is a great loss for our church family, and a great gain for heaven. The packed sanctuary, and overflow crowd into the welcome center was testiment to his impact on lives. I cannot thank Lou Ann and Sue enough for allowing me to play a small role in that service. Without a doubt, that is the best example of how we who do not mourn without hope could express our loss while celebrating Tom's gain. Getting to take Lauren out for some teen stuff afterwards (we were gonna play some football, but didn't have enough to play, so we went to watch some Rec League Football instead), was a privilege in ministry that I was so thankful to be able to do, too!

Continue to remember Danny Dye and his family at the passing of Danny's Mom, Dorothy. Her visitation was Saturday night and funeral on Sunday in Ripley, Ohio. I know this has been one of the most difficult season's of Danny's life, and I pray for the peace of our Lord Jesus to shower upon him, upon Pat and upon Dana. I love them so much, and hurt for them so dearly. Danny called me using the Google Talk feature on his laptop while in the Columbus, OH, airport yesterday to thank Peggy and me for the flowers we sent for his Mom's funeral. That truly touched me, that he would call from the airport to express his thanks...well, it shows the depth of his character.

Then skipping back ahead to last night: our first Elders/Deacons meeting with the new crew went very well. I look forward to Steve Huntsberger's leading of these sessions. The highlights inclulde the approval of audio/visual equipment needed for the move to temporary facilities (and beyond). YAY, Dan! Of course the night was topped off by the California Angels eliminating the Evil Empire from the American League Division Series, thus making it easier to sleep (as the Ambien fought off the prednisone and won).

This morning, we have a staff meeting with Steve Huntsberger to start putting together the moving plan for the office as well as other administrative issues to be worked out. I have a follow up doc's visit from my poison ivy bout (I am much better today thank you very much), and then it is serious study time today.

I am listening to the Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And the Wardrobe soundtrack, and I must say IT ROCKS! Hope you have a great day, and hope you will post a comment. Five music trivia points...no make that 5,000 music trivia points (the points are made up and don't matter anyway) to the first person to identify the lead singer of the title song for this post.

Two in one week?

Yeah, I know, don't faint. I am actually blogging again today.

The medicine-induced roller coaster has been interesting to say the least. This week, as I fight the ravages of my poison ivy, I take 20 mg. of prednisone twice a day (at breakfast and at supper). The prednisone makes me shaky (okay shakier than usual), as it hypes my body up. Dr. Fischman warned me that this would happen, that's why he also prescribved me Ambien to help me sleep at night. So, I am either shaking in the hyper state of being, or zombie-ized from the sleeping pill. Pretty interesting existence to say the least.

I have spent a good part of the week working on Christian Ed matters like class plans for our move to the Galaxy 12 Theatres, lesson materials (I edit daily student devos and weekly family devos that we give out to our families here at VCC), and general administrative stuff that way. I also have spent a lot of time working on the Memorial Service for Tom Lockwood which takes place tomorrow. Tom's quiet witness for Christ deserves the best kind of Memorial Service we can give him, and I am confident that his daughter Lou Ann has put together a wonderful service, even if I am involved in it. I put a Power Point cleebration of Tom's Life together, have the Scripture readings, obituary reading, and will sing "I Can Only Imagine" as well as closing out the service. Several folks have been asked to speak in celebration of Tom's life. It will be a very special service.

Yesterday, I got to see my "kid" Whitney Bowe. Whit, now a school teacher in the Fairview School District in Ashland, KY, is one of my former youth group kids who actually does stay in active contact with me over the years. Hint, hint to those who read this blog, yet never or rarely respond.
Whintey and Chris are coming over for dinner tonight. This will be at least the 2nd time they have done that over the past couple of years. hint, hint.

Please remember Danny Dye and his family in prayer after the passing of his Mom, Dorothy, this week. The visitation is Saturday and the funeral service Sunday in Ripley, Ohio.

Now that you are totally caught up on this exciting life of mine, leave me a comment, eh?

Long Time, No Blog

Okay, we are now well into October, the blended worship service deal is in full swing at VCC. There were lots of nice comments about the service and about my sermon on Oct. 2nd and that is all very well and good. The bottom line, however, is that we had the LOWEST attended worship service in four years on Sunday, Oct. 2nd. Just as some of us have tried to warn the powers at be for some time, anytime you reduce the number of services offered, you will reduce the number of people attending worship. I pray that this trend reverses itself this coming Sunday with Florida Christian College's Bill Behrman preaching.
Dan and the praise team did a great job in leading the song service. Much better than I was afraid they would having heard the practice on Wednesday. I am cautiously optimistic that things will slowly swing the way they need to go in doing a true blend of contemporary music with older music. So far the closest thing to a contemporary song in the first two Sunday is a song copyrighted 1989. A sixteen year-old-song is NOT contemporary. I understand the need to go slow, I just hope it doesn't go too slow in bringing in contemporary music to the worship service. Ah well, not my worry, eh?
Yard work Saturday included trimming tree branches from the wooded lot behind our house that were hanging over the fence. I also got my first good dose of poison ivy since moving to Florida. So, yesterday, I got the prednisone shot, and have the full gamut of meds to fight it off, since I am highly allergic to poison ivy!
Well, time to get ready for work, now the that sleeping pill has worn off (yeah, it's part of the poison ivy regimine).

Clearing the Air

Okay, so I have had a few people from VCC asking about recent posts on my blog. They didn't leave comments, but they have lovingly questioned me, out of concern. Let me clear the air:

I believe that God called me to ministry at VCC. That call is as clear today as it was in May of 2000. Nothing has changed in that regard. Have I been less than happy with the way some things have gone lately? Yes. Am I over it? Pretty much. I still have my bad days just like anyone else, but I still believe that God called me to ministry at VCC.

There are lots of changes taking place these days, and change always brings with it, discomfort. I am praying that God helps me as I move out of my comfort zone, and that He will clearly show me what He wants, so that I can line up my will with His. I am looking forward to getting back into a teaching situation with pre-schoolers in December. I am looking forward to working out the children's and youth Christmas program. I am looking forward to taking the teens to FCYC in December, to Impact Weekend at Florida Christian College in February, to Middle School Believe Conference in March, and to gearing up for summer camp at Lake Aurora and CIY Summer Conference. I look forward to rolling on the floor with the pre-school children on Sunday mornings, and banging my head with teens at Christian Concerts.

So, I hope this helps folks understand that while I have had my stormy times, I am at peace with where I am, and why I am here. God is good.

What a Weekend

What do you get when you combine a memorial service for a dear sister in Christ who has passed on, a state ministers' association luncheon at Florida Christian College, the Florida Christian Convention in Kissimmee, and having the college president preach at your church, with a chance to meet your oldest son's girlfriend's parents for the first time? Our weekend from Friday, Sept. 16 through Sunday Sept. 18th!

I led in some songs for the memorial service on Friday morning to honor Nancy Dodson, a dear sister in Christ who has gone to be with the Lord. I miss her a lot, but I am so glad she is at rest following a battle with Lukemia. Peggy and I had to leave the service a little bit early so we could get to Florida Christian College for the state minister's assocation meeting/luncheon. Ric Huxford, the minister of outreach at Swiss Cove Christian Church in Jacksonville, spoke and sang to the ministers and their wives. It was a great luncheon...very encouraging, and very needed. We saw Abi at the lunch, and she wanted to introduce us to her parents, but first we spent some time speaking with one of the newer professors at FCC, Dr. Les Hardin. Les was the youth minister at Gateway Church of Christ in St. Albans, WV, many moons ago, and we did a NYLC trip to Joplin together one year. It was so wild seeing him and realizing that Elliott's Greek Professor is a YM bud from years ago!

We then did have the opportunity to be formally introduced to Dave and Jan Pardue, and felt an immediate connection that goes beyond the fact that our children are dating one another. Dave is the preacher at the Christian Church In The Wildwood and we immeidately knew that we had great friends in Christ as we spoke with Dave and Jan. We had plans for lunch together on Saturday, but as we made dinner plans with Elliott (can you say "Welcome to Moe's?"), we wound up brining the Pardues into those plans. Abi could not go with us, because of duties she had with the Florida Christian Convention, but the meal was wonderful, and we won't even talk about the desert at Coldstone Creamery afterwards.

Finally, it was time for the convention to begin. The song service Friday night was the crowd favorite of the weekend, a stirring rendition of hymns, led by Eli Reyes and the Southside Christian Church praise team. FCC President Harold Armstrong gave a stirring message on the history of the Christian Church in the state of Florida. Friday night after the first session of the covnention, Peggy and I went over to Elliott's apartment, where we had a great visit with Elliott, Tyler and Andrew. Nice gift idea planted in my head, there, Andrew! We left the apartment close to midnight and headed to our motel room to crash for a couple of hours before the Saturday sessions of the convention got underway.

Saturday's morning schedule included a panel discussion on evangelism and outreach issues that was very good. We also got to see lots of folks from around the state we know and love, and then the morning worship session (my personal favorite) included contemporary songs and a message about where the church is today by Paul Williams. This was by far my favorite session of the convention (not that the others were bad). Then, it was the planned lunch with the Pardues and the Blounts...the six of us, heading to Sonny's for some bar-b-que. Another great visit, then the kids were off again quickly because of their commitments to the convention and to Mid-Lakes Christian Church (more on that in a minute). We headed back to the convention site, and hooked up with the Collins family from VCC, hanging out with them for the afternoon worship service. The song service was a little more post modern in flavor, not a crowd favorite, but I am glad it was done. Dave Ferguson's message on the emerging church was delivered via video as an emergency had come up precluding his ability to travel to Florida. As things ended shortly after 3 o'clock that afternoon, convention president Aaron Chambers had folks in the crowd place their hands on the ministers and spouses in the crowd and pray for them. Made me cry. Dirty dog!

Peggy and I had planned to go to Mid-Lakes Christian Church because Elliott is now leading the contemporary worship service there on Saturday nights. Since we were only 50 miles away, it made sense for us to head up to see Elliott in action. Abi wanted to go, and we offered to take her up with us, since we would come right back by the college on our way home. Abi's parents then decided they would go, as did Abi's brother, sister-in-law, neice and nephew, so we had a big crew of Elliott supporters heading to the church Saturday evening. Now, the Pardues have been family friends with the preacher at the Mid-Lakes Christian Church and his family for many years, so it was like a family homecoming. Good times for sure. Elliott's breaking of a guitar string during worship wouldn't have been all that funny except that the guitar wasn't Elliott's. He had to borrow one since he had left his guitar locked in a music practice room at the college. Oh how funny!

The most disappointing aspect of the weekend? Our attempted trip to Taco John's. I say the attempted trip because the placed was closed by 9 o'clock on a SATURDAY NIGHT! Major disappointment as I was looking forward to some famous green sauce on some burrito. Had to settle for a hamburger joint instead. Enjoyed the extra visit with Elliott and Abi, but the lack of Taco John's was a true bummer. Then, we dropped Elliott back off, headed for Kissimmee with Abi, dropped her at the college, and headed for Vero Beach, arriving home at 12:30am!

After what was not nearly enough sleep, it was time to get things ready for the two Sunday morning worship services, and the Bible Class I teach. Harold Armstrong preached, and it was wonderful. Both services went very well. Emily drove home from church, a first for her. Much more excitement is involved in that story, but it is a family story only. Sorry. After what was much too short of a nap, it was time to get ready for youth groups, which was very well attended, then Emily and I ended the weekend with the viewing of the 1931 movie, "Dracula" with Bela Lugosi. Props to Lil Bro Ed for the Netflix hookup making this movie viewing possible!
I had sweet dreams as I headed for la-la land that night.

Wow, this is a long post. Hope it thrills you to read it. It was a great weekend, and this sorry attempt to describe it doesn't come close to doing it justice.

Hold Me Jesus

My second favorite songwritier of all time, Rich Mullins, (Elliott Blount is my favorite, okay?) wrote:
"Hold me Jesus, cause I'm shaking like a leaf
You have been King of my glory, won't You be my Prince of Peace?"

Even with the latest Switchfoot and Audio Adrenaline CD's having just come out, and all the time I have spent listening to them to do reviews for a newsletter to which I contribute, this old Rich Mullins tune is stuck in my head today. It is so comforting.

There has been a pretty big whirlwind blowing around in my life these days, thus the relative few updates on this blog. What it all boils down to (doesn't it always) is: submit to God's Will. God has planted me in this place at this time, for HIS purpose. I was in the whining mode, trying to get God to make things fall into place the way I thought they should. I am such a doofus. I should have realized that a lack of response to a written proposal means that the "powers at be" aren't interested. I should have realized that the taking away of one of my personal favorite ministry areas so I could "concentrate" on other ministry areas was a way of showing me where things were going for me here. I finally wised up when I realized that my back is not being covered by those in the position to do so if I am to deal with the "adults" in our congregation on a regular basis. Should've known.


"Hold me Jesus, cause I'm shaking like a leaf
You have been King of my glory, won't You be my Prince of Peace?"

I Passed!

Well, I didn't hear from the doc yesterday, and got in much trouble with my Bride for not having checked in on my stress test. Guess I was too stressed to remember.

Anyway, I got a call this morning after I ran back by the house. I had been at the hospital for Ruby Shaffer's surgery (which went wonderfully well), and a visit with Elaine Waldschmidt at Atlantic Rehab. So, the call from Dr. Fischman's office confirmed that I do indeed have a heart. There has been some doubt lately. Not only that, but my heart is apparently normal. "No heart problems," was the word. If they only knew...

Stress Tested

Well, now I am just awaiting the results...did I pass, Doc, did I pass? I'll have to wait until Monday to know for sure. I took the resting part of my stress test yesterday, and took a nap while resting (Sleep being my favorite spiritual discipline). This morning, after getting sandpapered down - yess, the actually use some type of sandpaper on you before hooking the sensor patches to your chest, sides and stomach, can you say "tender"? -poked in the hand for the IV, then I got to hit the treadmill until my heart rate got to 150 beats per minute, then they injected me with the radioactive juice, and had me walk for at least one more minute to get the juice to my heart. I breathed like I was excercising, but it really was not a big deal. Then, I got to eat my snack (peanutbutter and crackers), drink some water, and wait until it was time for me to let the big ole heart imaging camera map my heart. I had that part yesterday, too, so they can compare the resting shots with the "stressed" shots. All in all, I was out in about two hours. It will hurt more to pull the tape off my hand - can you say "hairs"? - than even getting the needle put in or going through the treadmill excercise.

Emily has had a migraine trying to get to her this morning, so I will check on her, get ready for work, and go at it.

Did I pass, doc, did I pass?

Emily Drives

Lesson number five: parking spaces & backing up in the rain. Several A plus parking grades.

Driving Miss Emily

In the midst of many national, regional and personal crises, yesterday was a wonderful break from the ordinary. You see, my Chick-A-Boo got her drivers' permit yesterday, and we went for her first driving lesson. She was petrified at first, more than a little intimidated by driving that "big ole van." She warmed up to it quite nicely though, and our hour's worth of her first driving experience was truly wonderful. It was so cool to watch her glow with excitement as she got the hang of the twisting, turning course through the church parking lot. I am so proud of her!

As much as I know it thrilled her, it thrilled me even more. I look forward to many more driving lessons with Emily, starting with another one today, if I get my act together and get everything done early enough this afternoon for us to have the lesson. Guess that means this post has come to an end.

Oh wait, one more bit of FANTASTIC NEWS: Ian received a postcard of encouragement from his English teacher with grades of a 96 and 100 on two recent tests/essays! YAY Ian!!!! Thursday was the best day I've had in many weeks!

Housekeeping

I have just added a security step to keep spam postings from appearing on this blog. I would still love to hear from the two or three of your readers of my blog, so please post a comment. I promise the extra security step you will have to take is painless. It will just keep me from having to delete spam comments (which amazingly enough has alreay happened here).

May God bless your day. I promise to catch up again soon. Things are fine, just busy, busy, busy! I preach this Sunday (which is also my physical birthday), so it is a pretty hectic week, but a good one.

Potty Prayer

I am currently reading the book “God Is Closer Than You Think” by John Ortberg. He is one of my favorite contemporary writers. In chapter 4, Ortberg is discussing the subject of “the Greatest Moments Of Your Life” or to put it Blountly: realizing God’s presence in the everyday happenings of your life. He discusses God’s presence in the act of eating your food each day starting on page 76, but page 77 includes a parenthetical paragraph that is my favorite paragraph of all times…read this, please.

(If you think trying to turn eating into a spiritual experience is a little far-fetched, consider that for the ancient Hebrews, the other end of the digestive process was a gift of God as well. They actually had a prayer to be said after going to the bathroom: “Blessed art Thou, O God, who has made the openings in my body.”)

Now THAT is great!

Decent Report

I know, don't faint. Two blog posts in one day (like anyone is actually reading them - ha!). Went to the dermatologist today and had three "skin tags" taken off my neck. One of them had gone nuclear on me in the past three weeks, growing big time, changing color, etc. It is now off to the lab for a biopsy. I also got the Mr Freeze spray on my left forearm for what may be a pre-cancerous spot. Nothing to worry about, just taking care of business.

Now that you know more about my current medical state than you could have possibly been interested in, I will close this post.

Blow Me Down...NOT!

Well, looks like Tropical Storm/Hurricane Katrina will stay far enough south of us soas to have very little serious impact on Indian River County. We will get some much needed rain, but winds are not supposed to be anything above about 35 miles per hour. Just a blustery day or two. As we enter the peak of Hurricane Season, anxiety levels are on the rise. This time last year, we had just experirenced the first of what were four named systems that impacted our weather in Vero Beach. In September of 2004, we took two direct hits from major hurricanes. So, people here are a little nervous.

I am not. It is totally in God's hands, and I am okay with that. The storms of life come and go. Jesus stays the same. There are plenty of storms blowing up in and around my life these days, but as I continue to read from the Bible each day I am to be strong and courageous. I am to realize that God is in control. Part of today's Scripture reading:
1 Cor. 16:13-14
[13] Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. [14] Do everything in love.

Part of yesterday's Scripture reading:

Job 12:13-25

[13] "To God belong wisdom and power;

counsel and understanding are his.

[14] What he tears down cannot be rebuilt;

the man he imprisons cannot be released.

[15] If he holds back the waters, there is drought;

if he lets them loose, they devastate the land.

[16] To him belong strength and victory;

both deceived and deceiver are his.

[17] He leads counselors away stripped

and makes fools of judges.

[18] He takes off the shackles put on by kings

and ties a loincloth around their waist.

[19] He leads priests away stripped

and overthrows men long established.

[20] He silences the lips of trusted advisers

and takes away the discernment of elders.

[21] He pours contempt on nobles

and disarms the mighty.

[22] He reveals the deep things of darkness

and brings deep shadows into the light.

[23] He makes nations great, and destroys them;

he enlarges nations, and disperses them.

[24] He deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason;

he sends them wandering through a trackless waste.

[25] They grope in darkness with no light;

he makes them stagger like drunkards.

It is so good to let God be in control. It is so good to be reminded to be strong and courageous, be on your guard, stand firm in your faith and to do everything in love. I really needed to hear those messages from God these days!

The Longest Week

This is the start of what could be one of the longest weeks of my life. Danny Dye preaches his last sermon here this coming Sunday. I preach the first post-Danny Dye era sermon the following Sunday (on my birthday), yee-haw! I'm working on a good UK basketball analogy to open the message. I figure I might as well break 'em in good! Anyway, it will be tough around the office this week and next as Danny transitions out, but I know that God has the best in store for the Dyes, and I will trust that He will have the best in store for VCC and the Blounts, too.

Immersing Turtle

August 14, 2005 the new birth of Bryant "Turtle" Smith takes place!

I had the privilege of immersing Turtle into Christ following our second worship service! Yes, the day is Peggy's physical birthday, but now it is also Turtle's spiritual birthday! What a great way to celebrate that day!

Then and Now

August 8, 1981.

Today.

Peggy gets better looking every day. I get...well, I'm here, too.

Anniversary Card

If I had bought a card, this would be the one!

Peggy and I spent our Anniversary evening doing what has become our traditional Anniversary date: going to a local establishment with greetings cards and looking through the Anniversary Cards together. We pick out one card each from all that we look at and say, "If I had bought a card, this would be the one!" We laugh at the silly ones, get misty-eyed over the sentimental ones, and just enjoy that time together. It is free. It costs us nothing. We spend that time together just celebrating our precious time together.

This year, because we are celebrating #24, we went to a special place for dinner: Taco Bell. Yeah, that's what fit in our budget, but that's a whole other story that I don't want to go into right now. Then, it was home to watch some preseason NFL, with the Hall of Fame Bowl featuring the Dolphins and the Bears, as well as watching our beloved Reds beat up on the Cubs in Monday night baseball. What a perfect night. What a perfect wife!

Happy Anniversary Baby

Got you on my mind.

I am so blessed to be married to you, Peggy. I thought I loved you 24 years ago today when I said "I do," but I didn't have a clue what love was back then. I think I have a little better understanding of it today. I love you. More than words can express. I pray that my actions speak volumes about my love for you. Thanks for putting up with me all these years!
Your Lumpy

Post Mortem

We did the post mortem on the 2005 CIY trip this evening at the fabulous estate of the Huntsbergers. With more pizza than we could eat, and lots of godies to boot, we enjoyed viewing the unedited video from the trip to Lee University.

Good times fer sure. Amos and Lydia Smith came down from Daytona for this evening's festivities, and they are spending the night at our house. Good times, mixed with a little intrigue. If you don't know what I mean by that, and you are really that intested, you'll hafta e-mail me and ask me in private. Let's just say that it is time to move on...at least that is what I keep telling my eldest.

Peggy starts school tomorrow (the kids don't start back until August 12th). Elliott is here for the weekend, will go back to Florida Christian College for the week, and then be back next weekend and next week. I am really looking forward to spening time with him.

That sick feeling...

...in the pit of your stomach. Yeah, that describes my day today. Having survived Peggy's medical deals this week, including the redo of her oral surgery, today was the worst day of the week. See, I innocently checked my online bank statement only to find that our auto insurance company had taken out three times the normal amount of money from our auto pay this month! The reason? They added our two non-drivers in our house to our policy while we were on vacation! Needless to say, this was not budgeted, thus causing a MAJOR problem with our checking account. After frustrating conversations with two different people with the insurance company, we have Ian and Emily off of our policy and the company will credit the overcharge in our next two monthly payments (but they won't put the overcharge back in the checking account). So, I had to scramble to get my paycheck signed early and got it deposited today to stop any further damage (as in overdraft city, baby!). As of this writing, I have spoken with the bank, explained the situation and have been assured that no further pentalties will be incurred. Sweet.

As for Peggy's redo of her oral surgery...things went well. She was much more groggy this time with the sedation, it took over an hour and a half to wake her up enough after the surgery for me to be able to take her home. She promptly went to bed and slept for seven more hours without moving. At 10:00 PM, she appeared in the doorway of our bedroom, and asked me what time it was. The conversation proceded like this:
Scott - "It's 10 o'clock, honey"
Peggy (with panicked look on her face) - "But, weren't we supposed to be at the dentists' office at NINE O'CLOCK?"
Scott (holding back the laughter, but not holding it back too much) - "Peggy it is 10 o'clock AT NIGHT. You've already been to the dentists' office today, check the inside of your mouth."

Lost the whole day thanks to the modern miracle of zanax as prescribed to her by the dentist. How could you possibly use that drug recreationally? We are told that kids do, but man, that seems too unreal to me! Anyway, Peggy is back to "normal" today, having taken the kids shopping for school clothes, etc. All this before I found out about the big money problem, thus again necessitating my scrambling action.

Ah well, I am ready to go home for the evening, and go to bed early. I am exhausted. Frustrated. Down right TO'd.

The Breakfast Club

robes
Originally uploaded by blountman.

Emily went to breakfast at CIY one morning wearing her robe...she had been fighting a migraine, but when her robe-mate found her, she was all smiles. Pretty cool stuff that goes on in the dining hall during CIY Summer Conference!

More CIY pictures are now found on my flickr site, so click on the flickr button found on the right side of this page, eh?

This Is Me

thisisme
Originally uploaded by blountman.

The title of the 2005 Christ In Youth Summer Conference Theme. It was an intensive look at Jesus with daily subthemes including: "I Am Grace," "I Am Love," "I Am Life," "I Am Here" and "I Am The Way."

As previously noted, we took 27 students and adults (23 students, 4 adults) for a week that included whitewater rafting, hiking through the mountains, and fantastic worship and teaching times each day. More pictures from the trip will soon be posted on my flickr site, so be sure to visit there often as well.

I had the opportunity to really put into practice the art of Grace during the week, and I didn't always extend it very graciously. Gotta keep working on that. Otherwise, it was a good week, and our students from VCC really seemed to get a lot out of it. It was a tough week, with some seriously deep issues to be dealt with. Time will tell how seriously the students (and the adults) were impacted.

Of course by the time we got back late Saturday, and I drug myself out of my bed Sunday morning for church, it was time for our congregational meeting/vote concerning the sale of the property. The sale was approved by aobut a 92% vote.

I have yet to have my meeting with the Elders concerning the transition that will have to take place with Danny retirement. That could happen tonight. Meanwhile, I will trust that God knows what He is doing, because frankly, I don't. I do trust in Him completely, and I am humbled that He wants to use me in any way whatsoever to advance His Kingdom.

More to come, I know you are tingling with anticipation!

Adults at C I Y

Peggy Blount, Julie Huntsberger, Scott Blount, & Greg Bartolucci.

These three adults pictured along with me in front of the Conn Center on the campus of Lee University in Cleveland, TN, are the BEST!!!! (Ed, note the excessive punctuation). They helped shepherd 23 students during the week, got up early and went to bed late, and always had smiles on their faces. Thank you guys and gals, you are the best.

C I Y Crew

Students who went with us to conference this year. From let to right...
Front row: Samantha and Katie
2nd Row: Zach, Ray, Kyle, Lydia, Lyndsey, Kerry and Maria
3rd row: "Turtle," Ian, Craig, Braxston, Emily, Alison, Peggy
4th row: Jordy, Ben, Obie, Amos, Matt, Jenson, Julie, Jessica
Not pictured because they were taking pictures with several cameras - Greg & Scott

Benton Falls

Took 22 to the falls today. Awerome! This 60 foot waterfall can be seen after a 1.5 mile hike in the mountains near Cleveland, TN. The Chilhowee area. For many of the Florida flatlanders, this is a highlight of our trip to CIY in Cleveland, TN each year. I don't blame them. Sitting in the falls is very cool. When I get my underwater camera pictures developed, I will post one here!

Kinda Wierd

Guess what movie we saw last night? Charlie & The Chocolate Factory rawks! I recommend it highly! Are ya jealous, Elliott? Don't you think wearing these during C-I-Y will be a hoot?

Coming at ya like a Whirlwind

This may be the only post for the week. I am trying to get ready for the Christ In Youth Summer Conference Trip (we leave Vero Beach at 6:30 AM Sunday and will return late night Saturday, July 23rd), while also dealing with matters pertaining to the potential sale of our current church property, a refinance on the house, the aftermath of the fender bender that took out Pistin from going on vacation with us, and the announced forthcoming retirement of Danny Dye, my good friend and brother in Christ, our Senior Minister here at Vero Christian Church.

Just suffice it to say that there is way more going on than I can blog about today. Someday soon, but not today. Thanks in advance for your prayers for our trip, for our congregation and for our family. We need to be bathed in your prayers these days!

Scott Preaching

Scott Preaching
Originally uploaded by blountman.

We had church services both Sundays at Black Mountain East. I put together song services, and two messages using some DVD clips (one of which I did, one of which I got from a men's retreat message).

I had this picture taken so I could show the folks in Vero Beach how Kentuckians do church: A UK championship T-shirt, bare feet, and my pocket pc with my sermon notes. Now, THAT'S what a preacher should look like, eh? HA!

We are back home now, and glad to be here. Plenty going on which will be blogged about in coming days, I am sure.

Today the announcements were made: 1)the offer on our current church property including the vacant lot and parsonage - a congregatinal meeting/vote is scheduled for July 24th, and 2)Danny Dye's retirement under the oversight of the Elders effective Sept. 30, 2005.

Now, the REAL FUN begins...

We're Home

After a ten hour drive back with relatively few traffic and weather-related problems, we are back home. The vacation was great, but it is absolutely wonderful to be home. I'll update more fully later. As for now, I am ready for the sack. Tomorrow promises to be a Sunday among Sundays.

Need I say more?

Emily loves Sunset Beach!

BQ's

Peggy & Teresa enjoying the sun on the beach.

Vacation Update

I am sitting in the public library in Shallotte, NC, this morning, checking em-mail and providing both of my avid blog readers with this stimulating update.

Yes, Stacie, of course Peggy got a "real" tattoo, what else would it be? She wanted to show solidarity with Elliott. HA!

I failed to properly sunscreen my legs yesterday, and got pinker than I care to be, so no beach-going for me (thus the trip off the island and to the library this morning). Tim Hammersmith (Peggy's cousin Teresa's husband) wanted to do some internet surfing and he asked me last night if we could come over here. Of course I jumped at the opportunity.

We have spent much time lounging on the beach, reading books (I am ready to start book #4 today), taking naps at the house, and just generally relaxing. It is everything in a vacation that I had hoped for, and the ability to just chill out for a couple of weeks is a blessing beyond words!

Sunday was rainy, and Emily wanted to go to the Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum. I said yes before I realized that the museum is in downtown Myrtle Beach. I mean across the street from the Grand Strand. I promised 18 years ago to never venture to downtown Myrtle Beach again, but Emily was not aware of that promise, so we went. Peggy, Ian, Emily and our nephew Bradley. It was downtown Myrtle Beach where we got our tats (yes all of us got tats: Ian, Peggy and I got the same design as Elliott's, while Emily got a crescent moon and star on her belly, and Bradley got a cool looking cross on his arm). We shopped and even found a couple of gag gifts for the beach bingo game (side note - Alvin made up a beach bingo game using the word "BEACH" in place of bingo, and used names, places, and funny things that have happened to us over the 18 years the family has been coming to Sunset Beach...It is obviously a family-only kind of game, because you just wouldn't get the humor of things like Jack-The Crack Man unless you were there with us at the restaurant that year). We toured the museum, and then went to Emily's choice of a place to eat: Fazzolis. We don't have one in Vero, and on the day we drove in to the area for vacation, Emily let it be known that she wanted to eat there. So, Sunday was her day to choose the activities, and it worked out well.

Having read "Refueling Your Faith," "Why Men Hate Going To Church," and "The Treasure Principle," I am now ready (finally) to read John Ortberg's, "Everybody's Normal 'Til You Get To Know Them." I love the time that I get to spend just reading and relaxing. I wish I had a few more days, because I still have two other books I would like to read this year...Probably not gonna make it through them all.

Ian is no longer wearing the "boot" for his ankle. He got a stress fracture last year, and we booted him up. He re-aggravated it at camp two weeks ago, and spent about 10 days in the boot again. Fortunately he seems to be doing okay now.

Peggy is getting tanned and looking good as usual. She has been much more careful than even me this year with the sunscreen (of course the fact that I had absolutely no base tan to start with didn't help), and is enjoying her leisurely days on the beach.

Emily is getting quite dark as well, and avoiding the burn. She does look cute in her pink "bikini" (a two-piece suit that is modest, but very cute).

We miss Elliott, as this is the first time we have ever been here without him. He is doing a third week of C-I-Y Summer Conference at Milligan College this week, and having a blast.

Well, I have other things to take care of before my time expires here in the library. I promise to update when I get home complete with details of stuff that I cannot talk about in this post. All I can say is BOY AM I EVER GLAD THAT I AM ON VACATION!

Showing solidarity

Peggy decided since she can't beat Elliott that she would join him!

A little pink

Ian may have stayed in the sun a little too long!

Beached

Ian & Peggy enjoying the sun Friday morning, July1, 2005.

Peggy gets the crabs from Alvin.

Brad caught the crabs!

We ate at a seafood buffet in Myrtle Beach Wednesday afternoon. Good eating!

After

It's camp! What can I say? I lost half of my beard & the opposite half of my moustache! 4 baptisms & 1 rededication so far...one more day to go.

Before

All smiles-complete with beard...

Banana boat

Lauren Collins & crew ride the banana boat om Lake Aurora. It's been a great day at camp. So far, 3 campers have decided to be baptized into Chrlst!

YIKES!

Aaron Scwingel reacts to my campfire message Tuesday night. Okay, actually he is a S'mores expirement gone horribly wrong. Aaron is one of the counselors at my week of camp.

Dodgeball

A camper & faculty favorite. Lou Ann does throw like a girl, though. Day 2 is going very well!

This is Camp!

The Program Director's bedroom in the apartment at Lake Aurora. Sweet suite, eh? We have 91 campers and thigs are going great so far!

Close-up

Make no mistake - we make Thunder! Go Herd!

Dad's Day Gift

Pistin is adorned with a Herd license plate now! Let's Go Herd!

Hurry up & wait

After the first hour & a half in the waiting room at the dentist's office. This, after getting my annual physical earlier!

Ianburn

Ianburn
Originally uploaded by blountman.

Our Native American Son, Ian, showing off his reddness. He is actually much more red than this photo shows. Painfully so.

Pistin

Okay, in the midst of the numerous projects I must complete before heading for camp (several of which I completed between my late night ventures, and my early morning work here in the office), I have done a further word study on Faith. You know, I have named our new silver van Faith, but want to address her in the Greek. Well, the accusative singular feminine form of the greek word Pistis is Pistin. Now that sounds more like a car name. After all, they have pistons that drive the engine, and if I have to choose an NBA team to "like" (I'm not a fan of the NBA, I like the college game much better), then Detroit is my choice. Can you say Tayshaun Prince? Yes, I know that Nazr Mohammed plays for the Spurs, so I really can't lose in this Chapmpionship series, but my heart is more with the Pistons. Anyway, enough of the side trip...so I am refining the name of oour new van to Pistin. Maybe Peggy won't be so afraid to call the van by her name now.

As I have previously indicated, I head out for a week of church camp at Lake Aurora on Sunday (Father's Day), and then for a two week vacation to Sunset Beach, NC. Yeah, I know, I am driving 10 hours to go to the beach when I live five minutes away from the beach. Don't get me started on that line of thought.

I do have three of the four books I will read at the beach already picked out, just gotta find a good novel for pure pleasure reading to round out my selections. Guess I will hafta get busy with that pretty soon, since I won't have a chance to get a book next week, eh?

Your continued prayers concerning Ian and his lack of school work would be appreciated. He is going to take the 2nd semester work of his Chemistry 1 class online when we get back from vacation, and he will be repeating his Algebra 2 class next year in school (we already knew that before the final grades came out for the year). Peggy and I are very worried about our big man. He has a sevant's heart, but he just doesn't seem to see the importance of doing school work. Thanks for your prayers for Ian and for us as we all try to deal with this very sticky situation.

Elliott is off traveling for Florida Christian College for the summer. This week he is at Milligan College for a Christ In Youth Summer Conference We won't see him again until early August, but we talk a couple of times a week by phone or by text message.

Emily and her fellow are enjoying each other's company (a little too much for her Dadda's taste). Matt is a nice guy, and he's been able to take my teasing just fine. Emily and Ian babysat on Monday for some kids in our church, and they spent much time at the pool, getting rather red. I should have taken a picture of Ian's back two days ago when it was glowing red, maybe this afternoon, I'll get him out by our pool with his shirt off and snap a quick picture before making him come back in out of the sun.

Peggy is doing well following her surgery. Still has her stitches in, but she should get them out next Monday. The swelling has gone down a lot, and she is finishing up her third round of antibiotics, so I hope that she will finally start to feel human again. She looks mah-vah-lous dahling, and after all it is better to look mah-vah-lous than to feel mah-vah-lous, dahling.

Well, lesson plan writing is calling my name again. It was good to do some Greek Word studies this morning, just to get the juices flowing, now let's communicate the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus as we write these Bible Studies for the teens, eh?

Why Am I Still Up?

Yes, it's nearly 12:30 AM, and I am still up. I just finsihed some work on newsletter articles for our church newsletter. I am working late because I leave for camp on Sunday, and for vacation on Friday, June 24th.

Overall, life keeps going at an extremely hectic pace, filled with the usual disappointments and challenges. After all, grades are now in.

Well, I will try to do a real post before I head out for camp (I am really excited about the week), but as for now, I will simply say, "good night."

Nothing From Nothing Leaves Nothing

It's not that I don't have anything about which to write, I just don't have the time right now. I am preparing for a week of camp, vacation, CIY Trip, a carry-in dinner at the church tonight, a summer's worth of youth group lessons to write, a summer's worth of song services to plan, and then there is the whole dealing with end of the school year grades thing. Whew.

I've got nothing right now. Nothing.

In fact, posts on the site may be very sporodic as we go through the next several weeks. I know that the two people who check this site will be sorely disappointed, but they will get over it.

happy pills

happy pills
Originally uploaded by blountman.

Peggy underwent 3 1/2 hours of oral surgery on Monday, June 6th to repair a hole in her gum from a root canal done last year. She gave me permission to take this photo of her in the dentist's chair following the surgery, so she surely won't be upset with me for posting on the blog, eh? At least not until she sees it. Oh well, with the happy pills in her, she is sleeping soundly as I type this entry to the blog just a few feet from her slumbering self. The dentist said all went very well, so hopefully we are putting this all behind us now! Happy first day out of school, Peggy!

Top O the River

Top O the River
Originally uploaded by blountman.

Oh yeah, I forgot to send this picture from my phone last week. Middle Bro took it of me standing in front of the Fabulous "Top O' The River" restaurant in Anniston, Alabama. In fact, I just ate the last of the leftover catfish from there for lunch today. Good stuff!

What is this?

Three guesses and the first two don't count. No, members of my immediate family are not elibible for the grand prize, as they already know. Let's just say this is not a one-of-a-kind deal, there are actually three of them. And oh boy, is Mamma ever proud.

The Best Day In Alabama

Oh yeah!

Alabama Journal 5
Friday, May 27, 2005

It was only 62 on the back porch when I was talking with my Bride on the phone this morning. A ten degree difference from yesterday, yay! I had a shirt on today, too! After returning to the warmth of Dad’s house, I got a hot shower, and got ready for what would be a most eventful day. Lil Bro and I spent some time on the porch chillin’ and then headed to the Anniston Public Library for some Internet time. Thus, the earlier posts from Alabama.

After our trip to the Library (and the near-miss with the stealth red car at the four-way stop), we returned home to find the “vampires” had all risen. We had the hanerkin’ for some Sonic Frito Chili Pie, so plans were finally hammered out for the trip. Lil Bro, Baby Sis and I made the journey, and when we placed the order that confused the poor Sonic Employee to no end, we got the bad news. Sonic is apparently removing Fritos Chili Pie from the menu. We were told that they only had enough ingredients left to give us three orders (not the four that we wanted)! No Fritos Chili Pie? That is not Sonic! It was a foreshadowing of many “interesting” things to come on this most eventful day.

Now, Lil Bro and I had been wanting to make the trip to Cheaha Mountain (almost as badly as we had been wanting to show “Napoleon Dynamite” to Dad, Middle Bro and Baby Sis), so after eating the last of the Fritos Chili Pie from Sonic ever, we firmed up the trip to the mountain. Baby Sis didn’t make the trip with us as she was not feeling well (more than just a little “run” down, with the key word in quotations, if you catch my drift…if you don’t, then never mind). Middle Bro had the highlight of the day to that point with his blast on Bald Rock! I’ve never experienced that kind of nasty stink on top of a mountain. An enclosed structure, like the mall concourse that Lil Bro stunk up the day before, maybe…but in the open air of a mountaintop? WHEW!

We took a different route back home from the mountain top, and the drive was beautiful! The winding roads and the lush green forest were perfect. Lil Bro was in driving heaven! Please check out the pictures Lil Bro will post on his Flickr site.

If the day had ended then, it would have been classified as a Top Ten Day of all time. But, no! The best was yet to come!

We had dinner plans for the Top O The River and it was the best meal ever! After taking a picture of Middle Bro with the bunnies outside the restaurant, we made our way in and had no waiting to be seated. Our waitress, Derrika, commented that we were a “quiet group.” Serious mistake. Middle Bro lay in wait for her with his straw and straw paper loaded for some blow dart action. He nailed her right in the face from point blank range! She smiled, and said she would take care of matters. Lil Bro reminded her that Middle Bro was the one who ordered onion rings (the rest of us had baked potatoes). Soon, a guy from the kitchen came to deliver three of the five meals, so Dad, Baby Sis and Lil Bro had theirs (we had munched on the cornbread, and cole slaw as well as some greens and fried pickles…great stuff!). Shortly afterwards, Derika showed up to apologize because they had “run out of fish” and were fixing some more for us. Right. At her next appearance, she gave me my fried catfish and baked potato (both of which were delicious). She then “served” Middle Bro his plate, which has already been pictured on the blog: raw catfish and raw onion rings. Derika rawks! I told the cashier so, and wrote a nice comment on the bill as well. She got a nice tip from us all, and Middle Bro eventually even got a cooked meal. Now, the day had moved into a top seven status.

Desert was the long-awaited “Napoleon Dynamite” screening at Dad’s house that night. I didn’t think Donna would ever stop laughing during the Napoleon Dance scene after Pedro’s campaign speech. Dad just kept saying “there’s something not right about that boy” throughout the movie. Tim was in awe. Mission accomplished. GOSH! They finally watched the flippin’ movie! After taking them through the hidden wedding scene and the deleted scenes from the flip side of the disk, I went to bed dreaming of a trip back to Paradise on Earth: Vero Beach. The day had to be a top six day (Number one is August 27, 1985 when I was baptized into Christ. Number Two is August 8, 1981, when my Bride said “I do.” There is a three way tie for third with the dates January 30, 1985; November 7, 1988; and December 27, 1989…yeah, the kids’ birthdays)!

Alabama Four

Will it never end? Not yet.

Alabama Journal 4
Thursday, May 26, 2005

It was a crisp 50 degrees on the back porch at 7:20 AM REAL time. My phone conversation with my Bride was chilly to say the least. Okay, our conversation was warm, but I was not. Guess I should have had a shirt and shoes on along with my Hot Tamale sleep pants, eh? My Bride is worth every freezing moment on the phone. She is battling the sinus junk and having to play Mom and Dad this week, so I can at least sacrifice by calling her on the way to school each morning, even if it means freezing my toes off!

I did warm back up after spending some time in the house and eventually in a hot shower! Lil Bro and I spent a pleasant morning on the back porch with Sam (the cat), and lamented that we hadn’t gone to the Library while the rest of the crew was asleep. With no internet access at Dad’s, Lil Bro and I are both experiencing withdrawals. Ha!

Our plans were to go to I-HOP for a brunch before Baby Sis headed to work, and we left about 30 minutes later than originally planned. Of course, by then, Lil Bro and I had already put in half a day…I worked on some of my church camp stuff, so it wasn’t a totally wasted morning.

We did make it to I-HOP and got our grub on. Most satisfying. Baby Sis headed for work from there, and Lil Bro and I kidnapped Middle Bro and Dad for a trip to the mall, the movies to see “Revenge of the Sith.” It gets better every time I see it! (This makes three times). Middle Bro and Dad were sufficiently pleased, neither being big Star Wars fans. Lil Bro was more than satisfied, although I’ll defer to his blog for any comments he wants to make on the flick. After the movie, we walked to Radio Shack in search of a pillbox timer for Dad. No such luck, but in addition to the five missed phone calls I got during the movie, I had calls from both Elliott and my Bride. I’m not sure, but I think Lil Bro gets a big laugh out of the time I spend on the phone talking with those two. Jealous. Ha! I was still hoping we would finish off the evening with a good screening of “Napoleon Dynamite” at the house later in the evening, but a Braves game won out instead.

It was a nice day, filled with some fun, and I got to click off one of my “to-do’s” for the trip…ROTS with my bros and my dad. Still, I gotta get ND in the DVD player that now works in Dad’s TV room! You might say things are getting pretty serious around here.

Alabama Next

Still more to come...

Alabama Journal 3

Wednesday, May 25, 2005

It's 8:05 AM, and I've been awake for about an hour, having called my Bride on her way to school (it was after she had already dropped off Ian & Emily). Yesterday was a day filled with laughter and good times:

Elliott called me to tell me that the battery was dead on Hope. Apparently one of the retractable headlights hadn't fully retracted when he got back on campus the night before, so his battery was drained. He couldn't find the hood release on the front of the car, so I had to describe how to find it over the phone. It took him several minutes but he did find it, got the battery jump started, and learned that he must make sure the headlight fully retracts from now on. Another Batman Adventure via cell phone! D he was pretty much finished with D-Group lesson writing for the day, and had some finishing touches to do on his Europe Trip paper, then would spend time in the pool that afternoon...a requirement of his job with the school. Tough job, eh?

Lil Bro and I tried to solve the mystery of the DVD player, finally deciding that we would have to get an RF converter box. Wal Mart here we come! Now, Lil Bro is anti-Wal Mart, but we had already decided that $1.49 soda at Winn Dixie was not acceptable. With the need for soda, and the RF converter, Wal Mart was the choice of the day. Lil Bro especially liked my attempt to "ambush" him with my camera phone in the Wal Mart parking lot, finally giving in and posing for the shot previously posted.

Upon arriving back at the house, we got the DVD player hooked up, and Napoleon Dynamite time is coming! SWEET!

Baby Sis and Dad both had doctors' appointments during the mid-day (or early morning according to their body clocks...10 AM and noon, respectively), so our trip to Pell City to meet the Goggans Clan was not going to be until 4:30 Central Time. Of course Baby Sis had forgotten to factor in the road construction on I-20 that none of the rest of us really knew about anyway, so we wound up doing the parking lot on the Interstate thing for a while, before jumping off I-20 and taking the "back roads" in to our meeting place: Western Sizzlin'. It was about 5:40 when we got there, having called Aunt Phyllis to tell her we were running late, but on the way. The visit with cousins Yolanda, Jim and Ray was fabulous! Yolanda's husband Robbie was there as well, and for an hour and a half inside the restaurant, and another hour and a half in the parking lot, we laughed and carried on like madmen and women. We all agreed that it was foolish for us to not get together more often, and Yolanda begged us to come stay at their home...a beautiful southern mansion overlooking a lake that they built themselves. I think next summer's family vacation should be a visit to the mansion.

I "asked" Lil Bro to drive back, so I could call my Bride and chillins, since it was 10:00 PM REAL Time. I got the shocker of the day, when my Bride told me that Turtle had gotten suspended from school for getting into a fight and breaking a guy's nose! Now, Turtle is the most docile dude I know, but apparently this other guy had been picking on Turtle all year long, and Turtle finally snapped. You don't want to mess with a Snapping Turtle! When my Bride told me "you'll never guess what happened at school today," she was right. I would never have guessed that in a million years! I also spoke with both Ian and Emily...Emily was excited because she did get a 4 on her FCAT Reading which should exempt her from her English Final. YAY! Both kids said they were helping to take care of Mamma, so that made me feel better. I am worried about her, since her throat is on fire and her sinuses are yucky, and I am not there to help out, but she will survive, and she will appreciate me that much more upon my return, eh? Watched some TV with Dad until midnight REAL time, and then hit the air mattress for the night, exhausted, but extremely satisfied with the day. Today, we plan to go to I-Hop for breakfast before Baby Sis heads off for her 12 hour work day work day, and we head off for "Return of the Sith," With some Napoleon Dynamite thrown in for good me measure! SWEET!