Supper Club

Saturday we had dinner with good friends Kt and Ken, and Lindsey and David. We have the greatest friends and always have so much fun. Can't wait till next month!

Glimpse of Reed

Finally, pictures of Reed! A parent who attended graduation of another platoon was nice enough to take pictures of other soldiers at Parris Island and then put them on a website. Danny sifted through hundreds of pics to find these two. Reed is the cute one with the military-issued glasses! It's against the rules to wear contact lenses or your own glasses so they make the soldiers wear these huge glasses (even the girls!). He looks strong and has gained weight and muscle. It's thrilling to get a glimpse of him after all this time!

Letter From Reed

We got another letter from Reed. He has been so faithful about writing every week and letting us know what is happening...it is such a relief to hear from him. Last week he passed his rifle training test which is extremely difficult compared to the army, he said...(there's lots of competition between the branches apparently...ha!). In the rifle test he had to shoot at a 12-inch circle 200, 300 and 500 yards away. To put that in perspective, 300 yards is the length of three football fields! Basic Warrior training is coming up in two weeks and Reed said that's really intense. He has only about 30 days left until graduation. On the Sunday before he graduates he gets "base liberty" so if he can get to a phone he will call us. Yeah!

Missing Dixie

Ok, I know I'm totally obsessed with my dog but (all two of my readers out there) please forgive me for all the pics. Dixie is still vacationing in Tupes with her grandparents and Sugar, and I am missing her like crazy. Mom took this pic of the girls resting after a long day of play and she usually doesn't let Sugar on the sofa...however...Sugar, being the smart gal she is, figured by curling up Dixie-style that maybe Mom wouldn't notice her on the sofa too. Sugar had a buzz cut so she looks like a lab instead of the golden retriever she is but she's still a doll!

Reed's Team Week

Monday begins Reed's eighth week of recruit training. At this point he is over half-way through his training and in the last week of Phase 2 (there are 3 phases so he's on the downhill side). By this point, Reed has completed weapons training and has a thorough understanding of weapons safety rules and deadly force (eek!), and this week he'll be on guard duty around the barracks as part of his Interior Guard training. I'm not sure what that means but it sounds important. This is also the week where the recruits get to prove to the drill instructors that they are worthy of becoming Marines. On Saturday he will complete a 7.5 mile conditioning march dressed out in full gear and toting equipment. This march is one of the last conditioning marches he will have to go through prior to the Crucible (more on that to come!).

Delta G's Gather

Cori was in town this weekend from Orlando and we got a chance to visit with her Saturday night. Tonya was kind enough to let us gather at her house and we had a great time!

Our Trooper

We are happy to report that our troop is being a real trooper! Reed is so funny and upbeat in his letters as he matter-of-factly describes this grueling life of bootcamp he is living every day. He is running three miles in 21 minutes but did this with a cramp a mile in...21 minutes! Did I mention he runs on sand? That's pretty awesome but he's sure he will break the 20 minute mark next time when he is more hydrated. In one of his past letters he said he is missing worship at Pinelake and really looking forward to going when he gets home for his 10-day break. So this past Sunday he went looking for a little more "oomph" in a worship service and found it at the pentacostal church. He enjoyed it because "they really get into their worship," more than the protestant church there. Ha! They played a song he really likes, "I can only Imagine," by Mercy Me. What an awesome and grueling experience he is having simultaneously. He is feeling God's love and praising His Name even as he is swimming with 75 pounds of gear on his back, running through sand in 90-degree weather, and getting up at 4 a.m. We are constantly amazed by Reed's strength and fantastic attitude, and his ability to survive and even thrive in this crazy world of bootcamp. And not just any bootcamp...Marine Bootcamp.
When I read his letter I started thinking of the words to the song "I Can Only Imagine."
"Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel...Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still...Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall... Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all, I can only imagine...When all I will do is forever, forever worship you." I can only imagine...

Father's Day and Grand-dogs

Happy Father's Day to Danny and to Dad! We celebrated Father's Day with my Dad last Saturday when he and Mom came for a visit. We are all getting into golf (please hold the aarp jokes KT), well, dad and Danny are picking it back up and I'm attempting to swing something called a club at these cute pink golf balls I found at Target. Mom did a fantastic job driving the golf cart. Anyway, Toots has been in Tupes with GG and TomTom while we were at the beach for a few days. I'm missing her but she's having a great vacation with Breck's golden retriever, Sugar, and her very attentive grandparents. Mom took these pics of the grand-dogs 1) at their usual perch from which they scout for birds, squirrels, and golf carts, and 2) of them wrestling, playfully of course.

We Are Family

My sweetheart of a cousin Melanie came to the big city this week and we got to visit, but not for long enough! She is in grad school at Ole Miss and is just an all around fabulous girl. I forgot to take a pic of her at dinner so I dug this one up from our wedding weekend (my bro is also looking handsome in the pic). Please visit again soon Mellie!!

A Dog's Day Afternoon

A day in the life of Dixie...

Say a Prayer

Carley forwarded this e-mail. Frank is from Tupelo....
To Everyone,We need your prayers desperately!! To make a long story short, yesterday Frank, my husband, and I found out that our precious little 5 year old boy, Will, may have a cancerous tumor in his right eye. We are going to St. Jude beginning Monday to have further tests done and on Wednesday they will biopsy the tumor to make a final diagnosis. We are overwhelmed and feel as if someone will come and wake us up at any moment. For those of you who do know us well, you know that we know that God is our Heavenly Father. If he is yours as well, you know as well as I that He would be insulted if we did not come and ask for complete healing. He is our Father after all!!! He would want us to come to Him just like our children would come to us if they needed anything. We have the faith that He can heal this tumor so we ask for that first and foremost!!! No matter what, we love the Lord and will keep on no matter what. We decided that a long time ago!!! We need your prayers though and ask for peace and for God to strengthen Will's body. Help us on this journey. If you can, please pray right now--on your knees!! Be bold and go to His throne! Go to Him with your own needs, too. I know that He loves us all and that He is good. Love,Kim Hodges

Pride and Prejudice

It is a quiet night. My hubby is on a plane headed home, and I'm having an allergic reaction and have broken out in hives all over. Hope that's not too much info. While waiting on my man to get home (I'm using my unfortunate hives situation as an excuse not to wash clothes or clean the house) I decided to pick up my copy of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and read it for oh I don't know, the 10th time. It is my favorite all-time read by my favorite all-time author. Getting past the language took some getting used to - words like fortnight and thither aren't words I use in my limited, everyday, very Southern vernacular. But there is something about Austen's way with words that makes the story complex, witty, and even comedic. Elizabeth Bennett is one of the greatest characters in literature and her suitor Mr. Darcy is equally as fascinating. Will they get together? It's a mystery until the very end! Wish I had time to watch the movie with Keira Knightly (yes, I own it) before I pick up my Mr. Darcy from the airport but there's no time. Maybe on his next trip out of town (he humored me once or twice and watched it with me but there's only so many times you can expect even the most loving man to watch a romantic movie about 18th century rural English society). Even though this line is not in the book (only in the movie version), I'm sure Jane would have approved...."You have bewitched me body and soul and I love, love, love you"...Mr. Darcy...

“I like my money where I can see it…hanging in my closet.” Carrie Bradshaw

After years of waiting for Sex and the City, The Movie, I couldn’t help but wonder…would it be everything I’d hoped for?

Well, ladies strap on your Manolos and head to the theaters. Three friends and one brave husband saw the long-awaited movie on opening weekend. After gathering every Sunday night for years to watch the TV show it finally came to life on the big screen.

I’m not sure what drew us to the series... the fashion, the cosmos, the beeauuutiful shoes, or the relationships between great friends that might as well be family. Whatever the connection, it meant something to all of us.

Lots of girlfriends were gathered at the theater and even though Dara wasn’t with us, she was there in spirit (channeled by a lady sitting in front of us who emphatically said with words and gestures that she was there to oogle Mr. Big)!

Everyone was in the spirit of things. One lady tripped coming up the stairs and almost fell. She promtly announced to the entire theater "please excuse me I had a 'Carrie Bradshaw' moment."

Kt, Lindsey and I cried through most of the movie though only parts of it were sad. Yes, Kt actually saw a movie in a real theater!

Danny took this pic of us after the movie. That's Carrie in the poster behind us. And these are three friends gathering once again on Sunday to watch Sex and the City.

39 Years Today

Happy anniversary to mom and dad. Today, they have been married 39 years. That's almost four decades of marriage! They are at the Grand Hotel in Fairhope, Ala., having a wonderful time. Thanks for being wonderful, loving parents. We love you!

More Dixie Pics

Dixie loves, loves, loves to sleep and I couldn't resist taking this pic of her just waking up, buried in the covers with her little nose peeking out. Daschunds instinctively burrow so she spends most of her days nestled under a blanket, but usually she's completely under the covers and you can't even see a snout!

Who could resist this face? She's modeling her new collar.

Night out at Pf Chang's

We spent part of Memorial Day weekend with our good friends Kt and Ken, and Dara (soon to be Newman) and Doug. We ate at one of our faves, Pf Chang's. Thanks for a great time!!

Reed's Training

This is Reed's fifth week away from home and his fourth week of marine bootcamp training. This week he is learning unarmed manipulations, which means he learns to take control of an opponent using pressure points and joint manipulations. Yikes! His platoon also began swim week today. Since the marine corps is an "amphibious assault force," every marine must know how to survive in water. After he finishes water survival training on Friday he will take a test to earn his tan belt, which is the first of five tests on his way to a black belt in martial arts. In his letters Reed has said he is really excited about learning martial arts, and he also said that his muscles haven't gotten any bigger yet but you can see the veins in his arms! Ha!

Graduation Day!

Kendall graduated Saturday morning along with 418 other seniors from Madison Central at the coliseum in Jackson. We estimated there were probably four to 5,000 people there to see the ceremony. Kendall is Destin bound for a week with a stop off in Orange Beach to see Taylor Swift tonight in concert. Congratulations to our little KK. We are so proud of you!!

Big accomplishment...

I have to send a shout out to my sweet husband who has accomplished something pretty big. Last year on Memorial Day Danny decided he wanted to read the Bible over the next year. He followed a daily Bilble reading plan from our church and this weekend, one year later on Memorial Day, he finished reading the entire Bible. The entire Bible! It takes a lot of discipline to read scripture and be in prayer every day. Pretty impressive...

Dixie loves ice cream

Dixie doesn't get to have people food very often but Danny lets her have ice cream every now and then and she loves it!