Champions of Hope, 2008

I don't call myself a runner and I certainly wouldn't refer to myself as a champion, but Saturday found me and about 499 others at the 2008 Champions of Hope 5K Run/Walk "taking steps to stop breast cancer."

My nephew Harris asked me if I was hoping to place, to which I immediately replied NO, I am hoping to finish !! I plodded along at my steady jog over what seemed to me many hills with very few downhills to match !! ( I think the real runners call this gently rolling). I am happy to report that I finished in about 39 minutes and I never had to stop and walk ! I was unable to speak as I ran; but I was breathing ! I attribute my stamina to the playlist on my ipod. I know the people around me would have been surprised to hear what I was hearing....The South's Gonna Do it Again, Amazing Grace-My Chains are Gone, Brick House, Sweet Home Alabama, Rollin' on the River, Precious Lord Take My Hand, and Brown Eyed Girl--all in that order !!

It was a fun morning...I loved being joined by Erin, Victoria, Brock, and I was excited to see some of my Headland High Girls out so early in the morning !!

It is a good cause, one that has touched all of us. It was mine and Erin's honor to run in memory of my mother's sister, Mock and my daddy's sister, Mary. We ran in honor of friends in the midst of the battle including Christine Z. and Kristin S. We ran for others, knowing they would run for us.

Ramblings VIII: Just "Pundering"

When Erin was in elementary school one of her teachers challenged them to "punder" things (spelling intentionally incorrect). She would often come home and share her "punderings."

Well, lately I have been pundering myself...this is what happens when you spend alot of time driving, cleaning, and working in the yard !!

I have been thinking about the lack of balance in our nation and in my own personal life.

Looking at the big picture:
Why is it....

• we provide financial bailouts and stimulus checks when we are running a budget in such a large deficit ?? I am unable to do this at home...when the money runs out here..the party is over !!


• I am giddy when I see gas at $2.59 per gallon !! I know we are being jerked around !!

In contrast...looking at the very small picture (that would be me):

Why is it...

• I have allowed too much clutter and excess in my life ? I think what pushed me over the edge was a simple $4.00 bottle of nailpolish. I bought the same bottle twice..same color...because I couldn't find the one I had, as it had become lost in the clutter..then it turned up and had never been opened.


• I keep gaining and losing the same 10 ( or is it 20) pounds over and over and over and over...I know what to do...I have have taught the weight rules...limit your food and increase your activity..it truly is just that simple but why is it so hard ?
• I eat too much, spend too much, own too much, waste too much time and sleep too little...I am over 50 and I know better
• Procrastination rules my life...it is so much easier to handle life as it comes at me, yet I let it pile up and cause me stress

I don't know the answers to the "why is its ?" of the nation or of my personal life...

But I can't help but wonder and punder if the answer to the big picture and the small lies in a verse we are being reminded to pray :

2 Chronicles 7:14 " if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land"

As I have investigated the word humble, both Psalm 35:13 where David "...humbled myself with fasting" and Ezra 8:21"...I proclaimed a fast that we might humble ourselves before God" impress on me that maybe it is time to humble myself before God and allow Him to work in me.. maybe it's time for a fast from the excesses in my own life...

Philippians 2:4

Each of you should not look only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Philipians 2:4

When my daughter Erin went to work with Covenant Hospice...I guess we signed on as a package deal since we ( her family and friends) have come along to volunteer for fund raising events!!!
Actually Erin's job has raised my awareness of the different forms of hospice care as well as the different hospice groups. Covenant raises monies to provide care for those in need. In the spring, Sidney and I helped with the Boston Butt Sale fundraiser. There, I met Victoria. She has become my Thursday morning walking partner as well a a sounding board for politics of the day and good recipes !!
This past weekend, Anita, me, Victoria, and Pat, worked at the Holiday of Hope Marketplace (Sandy and Yevonne worked also on another shift )...Covenant's fall fundraiser. To say these are my friends does not do our relationships justice; they are truly my sisters in Christ ( ah..but more on these and the other Coffee Girls in another post)
Thanks Erin...for the opportunity to serve...

September 28, 1998

I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.

Psalm 57:1 (NIV)

I think we all define the timelines of our lives by certain milestone events. For my family, September 28, 1998 was truly one of those milestone events. Around 7:00 pm on that Monday night our house was hit by a tornado. The house was shifted on it's foundation, a side wall was torn away, and our lives were forever changed...for the better.



I have some very vivid memories of that night. I remember...

• Sidney was on the phone with his mother when he heard the rumblings; he threw the phone (still connected) to the floor and rushed us to the hallway
• My sister, Nancy and her girls were at Daddy and Mama's..seeking a safe place from a threatening hurricane. They were supposed to eat supper with us that night and I thank God they didn't come
• Finding a log chain that the wind had blown through a window and into the chair where Sidney would normally have been sitting watching the evening news
• The quick response and tremendous help of the Newville and Echo volunteer fire departments, family and friends.

We were all at home that night, in the house, just not in our typical "hanging out" spots. I know that God's hand was on each of us, protecting us from physical harm and granting us the grace to view the situation from His perspective.

Just what did He teach us ?

• A house is just that...a home is people
• Things are just things...all replaceable...many unnecessary
• It is God's gift to accept help from His peole
• It is our mission to help others
• God can truly take an overwhelming situation and use it for good
  

End of Summer

The weatherman says this week marks the beginning of fall. We are well into the school year, into football season, and heading into the peanut harvest season, so he must be right !!!

These pictures are of our last "hurrah" of summer, as we enjoyed a visit with Sidney's sisters and brother in law at Lake Martin. A great weekend of food, family, touring of unbelievable lake homes, pontooning, and watching the brave ( including my nephews, Pierce and Harris) as they jumped from chimney rock. As always...we had a project...this time to help Mila complete her skirt wardrobe for school.

We have put away the bathing suits and towels until next year !!

Our Latest "Claim to Fame"

Anyone who follows college football KNOWS who Tim Tebow is.....and anyone who recognizes the most important person in this picture also knows it is the girl on the far right, my niece Katie Haney !! My sister sent this picture to assure us that Katie doesn't study all the time just in case we were worried that all work and no play would make for a dull life !!!

I am quite confident that Katie is making the most of her UF experience.

By the way, I was pulling for the Gators during this game with Miami...just don't tell anyone at Auburn !

Going Green...Been Green...Saving Green !!!

"Prosper ! Reproduce ! Fill Earth ! Take Charge ! Be responsible..." Genesis 1 The Message

As a teenager and then young adult of the 70's, I have been intrigued with the current trend to "go green." While I have not yet hugged a tree, I can't bring myself to throw away an aluminum can or trash my compost scraps!!
In the early years of my marriage I was very green ( in more ways than one !!) ; I never bought paper napkins or paper towel. I must admit though, I was busy trying to stretch my green, not save the planet.
I've been thinking about the green practices I have. They include:

• hanging my clothes on the clothesline
• saving aluminum cans
• composting my kitchen scraps
• recycling my used printer ink cartridges
• drinking water from my faucet
• rarely using paper plates or plastic cups

I'm open to some new ideas...so pass them on...I especially like the ones that save my green !!!

Ramblings VII: My Summer "Vacation"

Remember when on the first day of school your assignment was to write about your summer vacation? School has started and I was thinking about what I did with my time. As I looked over the summer, it made me think of a quilt...it is not much to look at square by square, but all of the pieces together create an interesting pattern. So here are the squares of my summer:



The Roney Reunion--in the south, what is summer without a family reunion ? We have been celebrating with my mother's family for over 30 years...the 4th Sunday in June at Lake Eufaula. The food is great, come on up, we won't know if you belong or not !!! The threat of rain had thinned the crowd considerably before I got pictures .

We have done lots and lots and lots of swimming....

I created a rock garden to cover an unsightly well. Still need to plant...another of my many works in progress ( I love that phrase, it is so much nicer than unfinished !!)


Tomato gravy and biscuits: a staple of the south.

I was involved in a wonderful Bible Study on the Song of Solomon. We had the privilege of having the author of the study join us for a week of intense reflection. This was a highlight of the summer !!

More swimming, with friends and family, young and old.

Priceless !!

They say that a picture is "worth a thousand words". It is a good thing because this event left me speechless !!! Yes, this is me, Mama and Daddy having a pedicure...and...it was their idea !!

The Big Girl "Spend the Night" Party

Jane standing L- R Nancy, Trib, Ann, Susan

July has been jam packed. One of the highlights was a "spend the night" party at Lake Eufaula with "the cousins". The cousins are a group of the Roneys that have grown up together. We have shared our lives...the good and the bad...and while time and responsibilities take us apart, we always gravitate back to each other. When we do, we pick up where we left off and share one another's lives. These are the "girls" that have known me forever.

We had a great time talking and laughing. We remembered the good times and touched briefly on the hard and sad times. We had numerous conversations composed of " sentence stems" as we tried to remember names, dates, and particular situations !!! ( Oh you know...uh...uh..I cannot think of her name !!!)
We caught up on each others lives, spouses, and children. We talked recipes, the price of gas, and politics. (By the way, I read in this morning's paper that Michelle Obama and Cindy McCain have discovered the power of pearls as statement accessory pieces...where have they been !!)
We swam....ate...and drank....all on our own schedule !!
We enjoyed each other for the girls we were and the women we are. We left the next morning, each to their own agenda, making plans for another get away just for us cousins.

Ramblings VI: "Where Does the Day Go ?"

I have so-o-o enjoyed my blogging experiences, but find that while I am constantly generating ideas for the blog...I can't find the time to sit down at the computer and create !!!
I was encouraged to see that I am not alone, as I scanned some of my "favs" it was easy to see that July is vacation month !! I am a retired person, working a part time job. My job only makes demands of me during the school year...so I asked myself ( as my working friends ask me ) what do I do with my time?
With today as the pivotal point, I am looking back a week and forward a week and here is where I've been and where I'm headed:

• Enjoyed a big girl slumber party with the cousins


• Spent a few hours each day last week with the author of our summer Bible Study plus enjoyed a talk by Betsey on Thursday night


• Helped my friend Kerri "fluff" her new house


• Cooked a real supper four nights


• Bought groceries


• Taught my Weight Watcher group


• Baked teacakes for the Thursday night get together


• Walked and ran--one hour each day, alone and with my walking buddy Victoria


• Washed multiple loads of clothes ( which I also hung out and folded)


• Hurt my knee ( don't know how; but three days of RICE cured me !!)


• Cleaned my house ( included bathrooms, sheet changes, and floor moppings)


• Worked toward establishing my early, first thing in the morning ,Bible reading and quiet time


• Helped my former student and friend Bert, as he is working toward a dietary certification from Auburn


• Visited with both my sisters in law by phone and Erin "in person" and on the phone


• Ran to the high school to get information for a student to take to a prospective employer


• Watered my outside plants


• Swam with the senior citizens ( that would be Mama and Daddy)


• Helped Ryan get ready for school, dish him out a snack after school, answer his million questions about family members, Lisa ( his caregiver friend), Buddy ( the dog), church, and Billy Gaither ( his favorite preacher)--then get him ready for bed


• Had a root canal


• Enjoyed backed to back episodes of my new ( I think) favorite show The Office...which is where I am headed now

WHEW---no wonder I am behind on the blogging !! But school is about to start and with it comes routine, so I should be posting regularly. That is until life gets in my way again !

Family Beach Trip--2008

The Owens' have a long history with the beach...from the earliest day and overnight trips to Panama City...to long weekends and even a week spent at Seascape Resort in Destin...to our most recent adventure at Blue Mountain Beach. While the "make-up" of the group has changed to include in-laws and granchildren, the traditions remain the same.

We eat ( the menu always includes tomato sandwiches, seafood, and pizza), we sleep ( the sleeping arangements always include an inflatible mattress), we play ( in the water and some on the golf course), and most of all we laugh, reflect, and remember. We have a great time...being together !!!

TRUNK

As a general rule, I am a rather traditional and conservative person. Or, I thought I was ! Thank goodness...reconnecting with my high school friend Jim, and having the honor and delight of helping him ( in very small ways) as he is establishing a series of "art to wear" shows peeled under my traditional layers and let the light back in to my somewhat funky side !!! I have enjoyed every minute of TRUNK, of renewing old friendships and establishing new ones. Not long ago, Jim entertained the help and the help loved it !!

The "Disputed" Champions !!

My friend Sandy has celebrated another birthday..this one has put her one step deeper into the "certain age" I posted about earlier. Congratulations Sandy ! To celebrate, we played Bocce Ball..just like last year...and again...just like last year...We ( Charles and me )are the champs !! There seems to be some dispute to this, but Charles ( who has more eduction and more years) declared it...and I'm with him.

Happy Birthday Sidney !!!

June is a month of continuous celebrating for the Owens Family .



Birthdays, anniversaries, Father's Day, and family reunions abound. In honor of Sidney's 54th birthday, here are five reasons, four words each that will help explain why we love, respect and appreciate him!!!

1) He loves the Lord (he is the leader of our family and he sets a great example)



(2) He's a family man (he loves me, he loves Erin, he loves Ryan and he loves Buddy!!)











(3)He's a funny guy (he has a great sense of humor and keeps us laughing about some sort of foolishness !!)



(4)He's a hard worker (he is always doing something...loves yardwork...and even does some of the "honey-dos" with little "backtalk")

(5)He's God's gift to me ( Okay..this one is five words. I often kid Sidney and tell him I could never imagine I would be married to a man over 50; of course is reply to me is he never imagined being married to an old woman either !!! But here we are, after 32 years together and I love him, respect him and appreciate him more every year)
Happy Birthday Sidney...and many more !!!