LOVE This...

I love that my Expedition doesn't have a gas cap!

B's First Golf Tournament

Saturday, 10/22/11, the Cheyenne Club held it's 2nd annual charity golf tournament to benefit the Gregg County Rainbow Room.  Since I was there for work, I decided to let Brooklyn play in it.  It was held at the Longview Country Club and she had a wonderful time!

Bobbie Richards (from work) and Brooklyn

Brooklyn, Bobbie, Brandt Thorson (Rainbow Room board member) and Kyle Michalka (from work)

 



The team:  Drew Womack (I work with his wife Linda), Kyle, Bobbie & Brooklyn

The team mates had to scare the geese away!

This was a 4 man scramble and once they used Brooklyn's drive to start from!  She was feeling pretty awesome.  And several of her drives were just as long if not longer than some of her team mates!  Later that night she asked me when could she get on the course again!  She said, "that was amazing and not just the golf cart!"  They had a final score of 70 which is par for the course!

PawPaw

We finally talked my dad into coming to a football game on 10/21/11.  We knew he would only stay through half time, but that's okay!

North Mesquite Stallions

It was a beautiful night for football!

Par for Golf

Brooklyn is taking "Intro to Golf" in school and so far she loves it!  We have really been encouraged to have her participate in the First Tee Program.  We will start this in the spring and are very excited!  She had her first lesson with Mike Williams from the Alpine Target Golf Center / Divine Nine, on October 5.  He really helped her understand her pre-swing pose and compared it to a dance move - now that, we can relate to!  He had only positive things to say about her and that of course was a great esteem booster!

Can't wait for the next lesson and some time at the driving range!

Mormons and Me

Here we go again!  Mormons are not Christians.  Mormons are a cult.  Mormons don't worship Jesus Christ.  They worship Joseph Smith.  Mormons are.....on and on.  Really?  First of all, the name "Mormon" is a nickname.  And if people would slow down and read the name of our church it is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  The church of who?  Yes, you read that right - Jesus Christ.  I LOVE that we have the name of our Savior in our church name!  That really says it all. 

This is my Savior and Redeemer

My church is not a secret.  It is for everyone.  Not everyone will choose this religion and thank goodness we live in a country where we are not all forced to believe the same thing.  We are free to choose for ourselves - don't you love free agency?!

A friend of mine once made the analogy that the full gospel of Jesus Christ (the gospel that He taught while He was upon the Earth along with his apostles), could be like a mirror.  (By the way, I love analogies.)  The gospel in it's entirety was a complete mirror - no chips or cracks.  It was and is perfect.  After Christ suffered for our sins and died on the cross, the apostles were left to continue His teachings and healing.  One by one as they died, no one was left to hold the mirror, or move forward with the full gospel.  The mirror fell and crashed into many, many pieces.  Others would come and take parts of the mirror, or parts of the gospel that were pleasing unto them, but this mirror could not be put back together in it's former shape.  Not yet anyway.  Enter Joseph Smith:

When he was 14 years old he was chosen by our Heavenly Father to bring the fullness of the Gospel back to earth.  The teachings and blessings of our Savior!  I believe we need this now more than ever.  Do I "worship" Joseph Smith?  No.  But I do respect him and believe his teachings because they are the teachings of my Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.  Just as I do all prophets, including those in the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants, as well as those today.  Joseph Smith and many of the early members of the church were beaten, ran out of their homes, their wives and children were raped and in the end some including Joseph were murdered.  By who?  Others that called themselves Christians.  Doesn't seem right does it?  And just so you know, we use all of the scriptures at church and in our personal studies.

Take a look at the Thirteen Articles of Faith for a clear understanding of exactly what I believe:

1 We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.

2 We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.

3 We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

4 We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

5 We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.

6 We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.

7 We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.

8 We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.

9 We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.

10 We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.

11 We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.

12 We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.

13 We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

I have had snide remarks made about my beliefs, been pointed out that I am someones "Mormon" friend, as people have set out to make me feel uncomfortable.  But for the most part, I am respected.  The people closest to me know that I don't drink, smoke, do drugs, watch rated R movies, cheat, lie or steal.  I do my best to keep all of the commandments - the ten plus commandments! 

I am saved - not in the way that people become "saved" on their death beds.  I am saved because my Savior made it possible for me to repent of my sins and try again.  Just because I say I am saved or am a Christian, does not in no way give me a golden ticket.  There is much work to do on my part and I alone am the only person that can do it.  The Lord has shown me the way, but the choice is mine.  I hope you will read the link above to better understand this!

My name is Nancy Eldridge.  I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I am known and loved by my Heavenly Father.  I make mistakes, sometimes repeatedly.  I ask for forgiveness and start over.  I know that my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live.  I pray to my Heavenly Father through His Son Jesus Christ.  I love them both.  The Holy Ghost guides and directs me.  I am indebted to them all.  I know that I can live with them and my family for eternity.

I am a Christian.

LOVE This!

A few weeks ago I had to travel to Austin for work.  I don't always enjoy the long drive, but I do love this!  A king sized bed all to myself!!

Wyndham

I'm not sure we will ever see this in East Texas!  In the hotel parking lot:

Maybe this!

You know the saying in Austin is "Keep Austin Weird" - just keep me out of it!

Cousins at Halftime - MeMe the Next Game!

This past Friday, October 7, 2011, we played the Mesquite Skeeters.  Luckily, the cousins were able to come to the game!  Poor MeMe had a very difficult time getting to this game and in the end wasn't able to make it, but she made it on October 14, when we played the Mesquite Jaguars!

Some fun jumps before the game!

Jeni Scoggin, Sophie Tibiletti, Andrea Roark, Lexie Jones, Korynn Johnson,

Taylor,  Brittany Lee, Sydni Barnhart

We are SERIOUS about this!

Two more down, with no idea how many to go!

Taylor Swift - For Real!

This year for Taylor's birthday we went to see Taylor Swift at Cowboy Stadium.  Of course her birthday isn't until November 23, but we celebrated a little early.  Since we were already in the Dallas area for the football game, we just made a weekend of it.  After going to the Galleria and shopping a bit, it was time to head to the hotel to get ready for the big night!  And a big day AND night it was!  The State Fair was going on, the OU vs Texas game was being played that afternoon and the Rangers were playing right next door and the game started about the same time as the concert!  Whewwh!  I do not like driving in the crazy traffic, but luckily my GPS took me around all of the interstates - it was lovely!  And parking was a breeze as well.  It cost $35, but what are you going to do?!

Marissa Hadley, Andrea Roark, Sophie Tibiletti and Taylor

The girls loved shopping at Forever 21!

At the hotel on our way to get food and then the concert!

This place is HUGE!

It literally took me about 15 minutes of holding on to my seat to calm down.  We were SO high up.

Me and my dear friend Melanie Talbot!  It was so cool to see her there!  We went to BYU Women's Conference in 2009 - love trips with this gal!

Special effects!

Thank goodness they turned on the BIG screen, because we were at the very top!  I could look over the top of the jumbo tron and see people sitting on the other side.  Two event staff personnel told us they weren't going to turn it on - we were so bummed!  BUT THEN......

In case you have wondered what she written down her left arm, it's the lyrics to Don Henley's, "The Boys of Summer."  (A little voice inside my head said don't look back, you can never look back)

Surprise guest:  B. o. B. - okay I don't know him, but he popped out of the stage and the crowd went crazy.  He sings "Airplanes" (you know, "Let's pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars.  I could really use a wish right now, wish right now, wish right now.  Got it?!)

We had a GREAT time ALL weekend!  And we were so tired after the concert - we made a run to Whataburger, ate at the hotel and crashed!  For all of you who have heard that Taylor Swift can't sing live, she can.  I wasn't a believer until I went.  I would go again in a heartbeat :)

B's Favorite Tree

Brooklyn has always appreciated nature - sunrises, sunsets, the flowers in the Spring, and beautiful leaves in the fall.  I believe she gets this from me and I know I got it from my mother.  My mom used to always say she wanted a dress the color of the sunset.  Well, that's a lot of colors!  And she would always point out the beautiful landscapes.  And Brooklyn can spot a Weeping Willow a mile away.  She LOVES them!  And why haven't we ever planted her one?  We know that they require a lot of water and water has been on short supply this year.  But even before this drought, we just never did.  We've look at our yard and tried to figure out the best place for one and that was it.  I would still love for her to have one.  We will have to plot the yard again!

And I'm chronologically out of order again - these pictures were taken at Kelci's high school graduation party in June.

A Higher Education

Taylor and her friend, Angel Reed, toured the University of North Texas in Denton on September 19, 2011.  I can't believe we are already talking about college.  Can you hear the sound of my heart breaking?  Where did the time go?  Did I really cherish every minute?  Probably not :(  But she's only a junior this year and we have time!  It's just a wake up call that she's growing up FAST and will be starting a new chapter in her life SOON!

Of course she has thrown several ideas around of what she wants to be "when she grows up."  The main one is, and I quote, "I just want to wrap the babies up and hold them."  If you were talking to me face to face I would make the motions!  So as of right now, nurse it is!

The Lord wants you to educate your mind and improve your skills and abilities. Education will help you to be an influence for good in the world. It will help you better provide for yourself, your loved ones, and those in need.  Be willing to work diligently and make sacrifices to obtain learning. Education is an investment that brings great rewards. You live in a competitive world where a good education opens the doors of opportunity that may otherwise be closed to you. Maintain an enthusiasm for learning throughout your life. Find joy in continuing to learn about yourself, other people, and the world around you. Study the words of the Lord, and continue learning about your Heavenly Father’s plan. Make seminary an important part of your total education.

Doctrine and Covenants 88:77–80

General Conference

I am anal about going in chronological order with my blog, but sometimes you have to take a detour!  After an unsuccessful attempt of watching conference on the internet, I've been watching it on my phone.  No matter how small or large the screen is, the words are glorious music to my ears!  I didn't do a good job of taking handwritten notes yesterday, but so many of the talks have touched me.  I especially love the one about managing our time better.  We must put God and family first!!  I really needed this.  The past several months have been extremely hectic and demanding.  And President Thomas S. Monson telling Elder Carl Cook, "it's better to look up!" 

It can be so easy to have pitty parties.  I try to determine when one is coming on, RSVP to it (that I'm coming), but change my mind at the last minute and don't give into the temptation.  Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't - but the truth is, I always feel better when I don't give in (at least not too long.)  I'm not saying a good cry every now and then doesn't help, I just don't want to make a habit of it! 

Everything shall be for our experience and our good - whether we understand them or not.

You too can learn more about the October 2011 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.



Thy will be done

Too Close to Home

September 14, 2011, turned out to be a hectic day to say the least.  There was a fire close to our home and we were both at work. Sometime during the morning I talked with our neighbor Susan Bower.  Luckily her husband John was home this day and would keep at eye on everything for us.  Firetrucks were already in the area and John was talking with the Fire Marshall.  So we would stay calm and only come home if John told us we needed to. 

A little later, Carey got a phone call from a friend asking about it, I started receiving text messages and wasn't too sure I shouldn't be concerned!  But, I had a hair appointment at noon!  Even the stylist asked me if I needed to go home, but I assured her everything was fine and they would call me if I needed to leave - take care of these roots please!  Of course as she's applying the color, I get a phone call from Susan telling me that she's going home - YIKES!  Now I'm a little nervous.  They live at the top of the hill from us!  I send Carey a text telling him Susan's going home and he should go home.  In the meantime, our other neighbors directly across from us, the Allison's, call to let me know what's going on.  Mr.Allison is such a sweet man and he was so calm - it made me more nervous!  But I'm stuck under the dryer with bleach and foil in my hair!  I tell Kelly, the stylist, "maybe we should rinse!"  Carey has since made it home and he's telling me that the tanker plane is dropping the orange retardant, there is a spotter plane and two helicopters are dropping water.

By this time Taylor has been told to go home and get Gus and throw some things in the truck.  She has her friend Marissa with her (thank goodness), because she loses it when the road is blocked and they won't let her in.  I call our friend, JP Steelman, who just happens to be the Longview Fire Chief, for the magic password to get in when the roads are blocked - FYI there is no such password :(  Now that I know our roads are blocked and that I probably wouldn't be able to get through, I tell Kelly to go ahead and cut my hair.  I passed on the styling part!  I know she was talking about me when I left - "can you believe my last client's neighborhood was on fire and she wouldn't leave?"  I told her when I was interviewed on television, I would say "hair by Kelly!" 

The officer finally tells Taylor to try the other way and luckily that officer let her through (I think the tears and "my daddy's waiting on me to help pack," had something to do with it!  She and Marissa are able to help Carey throw some clothes in the car.  This is Taylor's Facebook  post about Carey's packing:

"So the road to my house is blocked off because of the fires.. I finally get through it to my house and daddy is outside and the first thing he says is "I got all your important stuff in my truck and I got the Uggs!" He was totally serious. Glad my Uggs will be okay if the rest of my stuff burns up."

The fire was put out and we even had a small rain shower!  We watched the helicopters continue to drop water for hours after we were all home.  And we're so thankful for dear friends and family that came to check on us and see if we needed help packing:  Mike Hill, Jenny Whitman, Aunt Queenie and Andy Loy!

(we don't live in East Mountain, but are about 4 miles east of it)

From KLTV's website:

UPDATE 3:45 PM: Burnam and Fullar road were both evacuated earlier Wednesday afternoon after a 110 acre fire swept through the East Mountain area. Those roads are now re-opening along with FM 1844.

Authorities say the fire is about 85 percent contained at this point. Six fire departments, four dozers, two helicopters and two tanker planes all responded to the fire that fortunately only destroyed one shed.

No injuries have been reported at this time. The Red Cross is on the scene assisting firefighters.

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UPDATE 3:30 p.m. Authorities have confirmed evacuations are taking place in the area. We have a reporter on the scene. Detailed information coming soon.

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UPDATE 09/14 2:35pm: Westbound traffic on FM 1844 shut down at Hamby Road. Eastbound traffic on FM 1844 shut down at Hwy 300.

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EAST MOUNTAIN, TX (KLTV) - A large fire has been burning through a wooded area near the Gregg/Upshur County line since early Wednesday morning.

Around 7:00 am, a smoke plume was spotted on the horizon and crews from the Glenwood, East Mountain and Judson Metro Fire Departments responded to the scene of the fire on a lease property on North Fuller Road about a mile north of FM 1844.

Two Texas Forest Service plows have been brought in to cut fire breaks. So far 20 to 25 acres have burned. The wind is picking up and crews are worried about containing the fire before it jumps to another area.

There are no structures or homes in danger at this time.

The fire can be seen from our roof cam at our Longview Bureau near downtown Longview, seven miles south of this fire.

 

Our clothes, pictures and other important, sentimental, can't live without items stayed in our vehicles for a few days.  Very glad that the fire didn't get out of hand and so thankful for ALL fire departments!