Welcome.....
To my world of the weird, the strange, the unexplained.........
no, I'm just kidding, this is a happy place......OK, maybe I am just a little weird.
Hey, where are my shoes?
Mom smooching on Austin!
Austin and I had fun playing the musical instruements in his book, wow, they sure didn't have toys like that when I was a kid! 
Here's beautiful little Hannah, she is so adorable and funny!
I think Bill likes being a grandpa!
Austin and Hannah helped me feed the chickens!
Austin and Hannah said that there sure is alot of stuff in this house, now that I look at this picture, they're sure IS alot of stuff in here!
Finally family picture!
I let Hannah and Austin make thier own ice cream treats, they thought that was fun. Austin got a face full of ice cream when he was making his milk shake!
Preston and Hanna, smoozing it up for the camera! 
Hey, Dad, wake up!.....I love you dad!
Preston and Amanda and family stopped back by on their way back to North Carolina. Mom was ill from her chemo treatment and couldn't join us, but she knew I would take more pictures, because that's how I am! so, mom, these are especially for you, but everyone else can enjoy them too and of course, you WILL enjoy them because I am the grandma and that's an order!.
Don't worry, Caleb, my parents used to pull that binkie trick on me too, when I was your age. 
Caleb and Grandpa Bill........hey, grandpa, what's on tv?
The Phillips Clan......
What BIG eyes you have.......
Enough with the smooches already..grandma! 
My Grandma Knight is pretty "great"....tee hee, I am funny, already!
Garret says: Hey, Cuz, it's nice to meet ya! 
MY babies.......Preston, Shelley and Darren
Me and those silly kids, they still know how to make those cheesy smiles after all of those years of pictures when they were growing up! (Well, except for Darren!)
Garret Says, "Hey, about those Nascar Races, Caleb?
Hey, there's still something good on t.v. Is that the food channel, Caleb?
Still cheesin' it up, Mindy and Shelley!
Me and Uncle Darren had a little too much to eat at Applebees..
I can't believe my mom made me wear these socks!
Wednesday night, July 5th, I went out to get the eggs and shut the coop, pet the dog, etc, etc. So, I got the flashlight and went outside…NO Dog….gate is wide open and she is gone. There is no way the gate just comes open, it is difficult to open, so anyway.. NO DOG..
So I went into the chicken coop, things don’t look or sound right in there, they are very quiet and I am missing 2 birds!.....I shined the flashlight around the floor and walls and I see something fuzzy with a tail…ewwww…a rat, I thought!...it was hiding behind their water bowl, so I kicked it and out ran a baby possum…..also dangerous to chickens. So I went and retrieved a rake from the barn and proceeded to chase him around the coop, finally he ran out, if I would have thought about the fact that I had on sandals and that maybe he might have run across my feet, I would have wigged out
……. . Still I have only 12 birds and no dog….what the????? I went into the dog’s pen, there are feathers everywhere, they belong to George the rooster!...OMG…poor George, got eaten by the dog,! I was very angry and upset. I called and called the dog, walked up and down the street yelling for her. So, I figured, she was chasing George and got ran over or something. I finally found one of the little hens in another part of the pen, poor thing was scared to death, I had to pick her up and put her in the coop on the roost, They can’t see a thing at night…anyway… I had to get to bed, so I went to sleep for a little while.
Bill had to get up at 3:30 to get ready for work. I asked him about the dog, he said he saw her about sunset in her pen. I told him about George and what I thought happened to him. Bill is upset at the dog, as she has eaten several birds during the last couple of years, I know she’s a dog, it’s natural, but I wanted to choke her!..Bill went outside and there is Sally (dog) lounging on the front porch like she is the Queen of Sheeba. He put her back in the pen. So, the dog is ok, but Poor George….
. SO,Bill goes off to work and I fall back into a light sleep. Suddenly I am awakened by George crowing…I looked out the window and there he is in Sally’s pen, just crowing at the top of his lungs. Sally is not chasing him and looks unhappy with her ears drooping. I put on my shoes and ran outside, grabbed the leash and went into her pen. I put her on the leash, left the gate opened and was holding her, trying to drag her towards George so that I could shoo him out of the pen, she won’t budge, she is scared of him…ha ha… he probably flogged her a good one last night with his huge spurs!...so anyway, I kicked toward George to get him moving, he gets confused and runs into the wall. Finally, he sees the open gate and runs out into the morning….did I mention that this is at 5:30 a.m. and I am in my t-shirt and panties???
SO, I take the leash off of the dog, and close her gate and now I am chasing George around the yard trying to get him back into the chicken pen. Round and round in cirlcles, just me and George in the morning mist!.. Finally I manage to get him back where he belongs.…….might as well stay up now, I got my morning jog in already!....
This is the text message I sent Bill….”.George is ok, repeat, George is ok, all birds accounted for, film at eleven!...”
Now ain’t I just freakin' Ellie May Clampette!!!!....weren't looking at no farflies t'night, pa!
I just wonder what the rest of the day is gonna be like……..
Footnote: the rest of the day sucked too!
I just love this picture because it reminds me of my backyard. Every night when I come home, I pet the dog, gather the eggs and close the chicken coop for the night. Behind the chicken yard is an area about like this one, with the trees and a large field, it is just loaded with fireflies this time for year! They are just beautiful blinking peacefully in the night,...there are hundreds of them, it looks like a small city and makes me feel peaceful and that I am " one with the firefly".
I should have put this in June , but as usual, I am behind. On June 17,2006 Amanda Haltermanand Matt Raper tied the knot .
This is really my favorite picture that I took all day, just Amanda, she looks very happy!
Here's the two sisters right before the wedding, what great smiles. Amanda is so nervous, she says she wishes they had just eloped to Vegas..
Taking their vows.
I just love this little church, it is really just a cute little chapel and was perfect for a small wedding.
This is Brad, Amanda's brother, and Kristin, his girl friend. I had such great time with them the whole day, they are so funny!!
The cake, of course!
The feeding of the cake.....always love this part. Below are the bridesmaids and groomsmen, already in their comfy clothes. It was a beautiful wedding and I wish Amanda and Matt the bst of luck and a happy life. 
Of course, we've been here many times before, but it was a beautiful 80 degree day, so we stayed outside and took lots of pictures. 
After having some Chinese food, we watched the paddle boats on the pond and fed the Coy goldfish.
Always a photo-op when there is a Hard Rock Cafe in the area. 
This little bridge took us over to a seafood restaurant. 
A view of the Hotel now inside what was once a major train station. There is a very interesting train museum inside also. 
But Bill's favorite picture of the day, was of the Hooter girls, posing with some National Guardsmen and firemen. 
