IT'S THE AIR FORCE COWBOY WAY...

 Where to start? 

Where to start? 

OH! 

I know! 

Let's look at some pictures from my wonderful weekend! 

I know I've kept it a BIG secret, but my Jared is in the 
Air Force Academy Band 

Wild Blue Country...

first you've heard, huh? 

Well, here ya go then!

 

My Air Force cowboy, waiting backstage in Destin, Florida for Wild Blue Country's turn to play. They went on to perform for a large crowd at the Destin Seafood Festival. They were enjoyed, cheered on and made to feel very appreciated for their service to our country!

The weekend started with a parade in the little town of Bonifay, Florida. It was the big Rodeo weekend! Wild Blue Country also played just outside the Rodeo gates and some of the band members sang the national anthem for the opening ceremony.

 Our Jared got to head off with us and visit his grandparents who live in the area...

we had a wonderful time with family and with our boy! 

Smiles for us when he saw us in the parade crowd. 

Playing for the Seafood Festival crowds, and making us so proud!

Though these still shots do not show it they put on a very energized show with lots of fun and lots of wonderful songs. They are touring through Florida right now with many free concerts and appearances so if they are near you please go and support these guys! There are more pictures and videos of their performances on the  Wild Blue Country Facebook page if you want to see more of the band. Once again...a very proud proud mama!

 

Best, 

Vicki

BE STILL AND KNOW...

THE LORD WILL FIGHT FOR YOU; 

YOU NEED ONLY BE STILL.

EXODUS 14:14

Some of my favorite scenes from the stillness of Maine.

THE NEWEST BANDSMAN

 I just returned from Texas...

I saw The Riverwalk in San Antonio, and The Alamo...

I visited Lackland Air Force Base and...

I saw Airman Andrews in the Drum and Bugle Corp...

 I also saw him play for his own
Basic Military Training graduation, and...

 

 I was proud!

 God Bless the U.S.A. and my Bandsman!

I can tell you are dying to know 

what I did on my 

birthday yesterday! 

Yeah, yeah...I can see you are sitting on the edge of your seat!

Let's see...

where to begin? 

I know you are not all that interested in my over night trip to Paris, everybody does that,

so I'll just get right to the best part of the day...

I played in a flower field with the Zinnias and Sunflowers

 

 

What a wonderful day!

 Just my Bill and me, 

we enjoyed fellowship with flowers and people. 

We dined on the best burgers a little hole in the wall restaurant could produce and we ate  

Peach Ice Cream Blossoms

that proved GA truly is a peach! 

All this combined with all the birthday wishes by card, phone, facebook, blogland 

and some actually in person, 

all of this is what put the

Happy

in my day!

And I wanted to share the beautiful flowers with you!

EVERY DAY ABOVE GROUND IS...

A GOOD DAY!

 THIS IS MY FAVORITE QUOTE OF RECENT DAYS.

I AM SITTING

HERE WATCHING THE CLOCK MOVE SLOWLY TOWARDS 

 MIDNIGHT...

ONCE IT HITS THAT 12 I WILL BE REACHING 56 YEARS OF AGE! 

YOU GO GIRL!

WHAT A WONDERFUL BLESSING!

WHAT A WONDERFUL JOY!

(Now my husband, being the sweet fellow that he is, reminds me that actually I will only be 56 tomorrow, because after that I am working on 57! Thanks! Bill)

Not writing this for happy wishes, 
though they are wonderful! 
I am writing this to say...

NEVER LET YOUR AGE HOLD YOU BACK! NEVER LET AGE KEEP YOU FROM DOING ANYTHING THAT YOU DESIRE! 

NEVER!!!!!!!!!!

My what ifs...

What if I had said at 28 it's too late for me to marry? 

Course some would say too young on that one.

I wouldn't be celebrating 28 years married to the best guy around.

Or, 
oh I am just too old to have a child now...I'm 32!!!

 I wouldn't be a proud mama to a fine young man, who amazes me daily!

 

Become a teacher at my age, really!!?? 

I'm too old, I'm 45 after all!

I would not have received hugs, and I love yous, tonight from some of the sweetest little students around.
We were trying to be seated at a restaurant, but you can't say no to all that sweetness! 

Get my masters degree? Ha! 

Not at 53! 
No way! 

Yes way!

If I had not, I wouldn't have all my new younger friends that I met in class...so blessed am I!

I wouldn't be getting a pay raise during these hard times, and I would not have found new avenues of expression...I can dance! (Well, sort of.)  
I can write poetry, move, sing, act and tell stories, though not at the same time...yet!

You learn about all kinds of things in a masters program.

If you are living you are still going to be whatever age, 
you may as well do whatever your heart needs you to do.

After all Socrates learned to dance at 70...so I've heard...I wasn't there. 

The great thing about getting older, is you don't lose all the ages you've been. Maya Angelou


HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! 

Thanks Mama and Daddy!

The Paths We Take...

This is a path I made under one of my garden arbors...still needs something to give it more oomph...I think. Looking at this photo of my junky mosaic path, I started thinking about the paths we take in our lives. 

My son is at a turn in his path, he's got to decide which way to go now that he is finished with his formal education...hopefully that path will include his dream job. My husband and I are at  point in our path we are walking together where we are dreaming of our retirement days and the change they will bring for us. We still have a few more steps to make on that path, but it's just around the bend, and getting closer each day. Most of our paths look like the one I created...bits and pieces, some good and smooth, and some cracked and crumbly. A bit rocky at times, but they level out and we forget the rocky parts. Fortunately, for us God doesn't create the paths He puts before us the way I did this one. I just found old tiles and broken rocks, placed them randomly, without much thinking. Then I swept some concrete over them and sprinkled water over the concrete, and called it a day. God hangs around to make sure we make it through the rocky parts, and enjoy the smooth parts. He does leave it up to us when it comes to choosing how we will make it through those tough times, and those happy times. He gives us the tools to make our paths pleasant and fulfilling.  One way is through His word, I suppose that is His concrete. I have many favorite verses from His word...Jeremiah 29:11; John 3:16 and Romans 28 and many more. However, this is my recent favorite, and I plan to use it a great deal in my daily path I walk. It will carry me well, it's solid as concrete.

  

I'm linking my favorite Bible verse, for now, to 

I OWE IT ALL TO HIM...Cindy has a beautiful blog there...go take a look!

 

MAINE AND BEYOND...MAINLY MAINE

I've already told you a little about our trip to Maine. We left our one and only in the Maine wilderness for most of the summer and Bill and I explored the beauty of Maine. 

I have no disappointments about our trip, so don't get me wrong when I say I have some disappointments...I'm disappointed that I did not get to go to one Flea Market, yard sale or Junk Store! But I'm trying to be a big girl about it, we are going back and I will get to do the junking thing then. 


On this trip we just looked and tried to absorb everything.  Many things played into my not getting to do these things. Top of the list...we had a time limit for getting our son to his summer teaching job at a music camp, and most sales are on Saturday and we arrived too late in the day. 

We did see so much so I am content...to a point. 

We did stay in Maine 5 days, and traveled to the coast and in between. Spent time at the most wonderful Inn in Maine...mostly having the entire Inn to ourselves. So no complaints...much. 


We explored and thought we would leisurely come home and stop along the way at different shops we had seen on the trip up. However, the GPS gal played a joke on us several times and we ended up sitting in some of the big city traffic jams. That took up some of our time so we headed back to the peacefulness of GA, and rested here in our paradise the last few days of vacation time.

There is another thing that you may feel is a bit silly. And only another junker would understand why I keep thinking and dreaming about some old shutters I saw by the curb, not far from the Inn where we stayed. It was too late when I spied them so we planned to stop the next morning and whisk them away to GA. 
 Sigh...we forgot to go back that route because we were so excited over a cabin a sweet lady at the Inn offered to rent us on our return visit. We went a different way to see the cabin, and I didn't give the shutters another thought...until I got back home, now they are all I can think about...do you think they will still be there later?      
                         No, me either.

I'm including a photo of a bridge I saw on our trip up. I posted it on Junk Market Style and my fellow junkers, who understand the truthfulness of it, have enjoyed it. One junker has helped me narrow down where the bridge is actually located. It's on the NH/VERMONT line. He's been under this bridge twice recently! Since we traveled over 3,000 miles this trip you will understand why I couldn't quite remember where the bridge caught my eye.

I DO, I DO LOVE RUST!

Maine is a beautiful state! As I told you earlier it had been DREAM of mine for years to go to Maine. I had stopped over in Bangor, ME on a flight to Germany, some 32 years ago, but that really doesn't count. This trip was a true blessing, and one I will never forget. When you pray you get an over abundance sometimes. With this I did, because I get to travel that way again in the near future. So my cup running over with Maine.


I could look at my pictures for hours...most were taken from the car, so some have a car mirror or GPS or a reflection in them...no matter, they are mine and 
I WAS THERE!