Welcome to JOYFUL REFLECTIONS. Also welcome to APRIL!!!! Spring is AWESOME. Enjoy some beautiful TULIPS from Biltmore!!

Monday, June 29, 2015

Our Yard during June, 2015

Hi There,  Remember me????? ha ha.... As you probably know,  I haven't been blogging much at all lately.  First of all,  let me say that everything is FINE with us.  In fact,  life is GREAT.  The real fact is that we are just staying SO busy.  BUT--this is the kind of 'busy' we enjoy!!!!  Whether we are taking pictures of our yard/flowers----OR working in the yard to keep things looking good----OR whether we are traveling/hiking---OR whether we are just out walking with our new FITBITS in order to get/stay healthy;  OR whether we are working on our food plans through "My Fitness Pal" (online)--in order to eat healthy,  all of these things take up time --but are things we enjoy and need to do!!!!

Speaking of getting healthier,  we highly recommend the FITBITS (wear them like a watch) since they keep track of our heart rates, our steps,  our exercise/workouts,  our sleep habits. And--  since this program syncs with My Fitness Pal,  it all works together helping us make good choices about our eating and the NEED for more exercise... My Fitness Pal keeps up with all of our nutrition,  so we know when we are low on something such as Vit. D or calcium, etc...  AMAZING how much we both have learned and how good we are doing (with A LOT of hard work).  George has lost over 16 pounds and I have lost about 6 pounds.... I don't need to lose much---but need to firm up and try to get rid of some of my 'flab' (left over from years of being so heavy)....

I do post on Facebook most every day --simply because it is EASY to do and I can spend as little time or as much as I want to.   Blogging is different... As you know,  I have been blogging since 2006 and never EVER run out of something to blog about... BUT--I have this little person inside of me who cannot help feeling guilty when I do not have time to visit your blog posts.  I know that there are others out there who can 'blog without guilt'--but that is just not me.  I enjoy visiting ---but right now,  I just do not have time.  SO---the easiest thing for me to do is to NOT blog myself.  That is the main reason I have not blogged recently.  But---I do MISS you and your blogs very much.  I really do!

That being said,  I want to show you some beauties in our yard this month... This is the prettiest month of the year here I think because we have ROSES,  LILIES and DAYLILIES all blooming at the same time... Hope you enjoy seeing some of the beauty around us---and can tell by looking how much work and effort it takes to have a yard like ours... There will come a time when we can't do it any longer --but right now,  when we are healthy,  we enjoy it and love to share it with YOU....

The picture above was taken on 6/27/15 as I stood out in the road looking back toward our home.  Today I'll share six of our different flowerbeds around our yard.  Be sure to click on the pictures for enlargements.


Our front yard looking toward the road  (6/27/15)



Lamppost Flowerbed (6/17/15)



Small Daylily Bed beside our Garage (6/17/15)



Side Flowerbed (next to our deck)--6/17/15;  I enjoy all of these beauties from my kitchen window and also from inside our living/dining area..



Small Daylily Bed in front of our big Rose Bed (6/25/15)



Daylily Bed  (6/14/15)



Looking toward the Small Daylily Bed,  the Rose Bed, and the Garage Daylily Bed (6/27/15)



Another view of our Side Flowerbed (next to the deck)--6/17/15;  George and I love to sit on the swing early in the mornings and have our devotions while we smell and enjoy the flowers.



Daylily Bed (6/26/15)



Beautiful Road Bed ---showing lots of Lilies (tall ones) and Daylilies (shorter ones)--6/26/15




A view of the entire Road Bed showing the Lilies and Daylilies (6/27/15)


Another view of the Lamppost Lilies  (and surrounding area) --6/19/15




Another view of the Road Bed (6/26/15)



Here's one last view of our little home showing off some of the colors (6/27/15)
My apologies again for not visiting your blogs.  I'm not sure when I'll ever be able to do it again on a daily basis since I am not sitting at the computer very much these days.  But--my health (at my OLD AGE) is much more important than sitting here!!!! I'm sure you understand that!

Since I am way behind with my blogging,  I still have stories to tell and pictures to show... If you didn't read about it on Facebook,  then you will need to hear about us getting stuck on top of a mountain in a fierce thunderstorm...  AND--I haven't shared with you our time in New Orleans (which was quick but fun)... AND---then there is the Anniversary trip to North Carolina we took last week (our 14th Anniversary was on June 23)....  And of course,  I have a gazillion pictures of Roses,  individual Lilies and Daylilies.... SO--one of these days,  I'll be back!!!!!!!  I just am not going to promise that it will be on a regular basis --at least not now.

Hugs,

Monday, June 15, 2015

A Texas Granddaughter's Graduation

George and I spent the first week of June in Texas with family  (lots of family) at a beach house in Galveston so that we could spend time with each other and could attend a granddaughter's high school graduation on June 4. 

This beautiful young lady is BROOKE ELIZABETH.  She is the younger daughter of my middle son,  Mark.  We had a wonderful time ---so today I will share some pictures from our week.


Brooke has been playing softball for many years,  and is an excellent player..  Mark has two daughters ---and both of them played softball.  Mark even was a girls' softball coach for a few years.    He made the comment recently that he won't know what to do next year when softball season begins, and he won't have anymore daughters playing!  He will miss that so much!


There was time for lots of FUN....  While at the beach house,  we enjoyed lots of crazy games/cards/puzzles --most of which I had never heard of... We also enjoyed being at the beach while there..  This is Brooke and her wonderful boyfriend,  Tristan, enjoying the water.


One evening the family took Brooke and Tristan out to dinner to celebrate her graduation.  She chose Fish Tails Restaurant in Galveston.  Ten of us enjoyed the evening together, and the food was TERRIFIC.   For your information,  two of my three sons were there. My eldest son, Bert (Tre),  is the 5th one from the left.   Mark (middle son) is the 3rd from the right.   My other son (Jeff) couldn't attend this celebration --and we all missed him.  



Besides EATING,  playing games, and enjoying the beach,  we also enjoyed some time with Bert and his family at their gorgeous condo.   Here I am sitting IN the water chatting with son Mark at Bert's beautiful swimming pool.  Bert and family truly live in an awesome area in west Galveston.  That water felt SO good!


Then it was Graduation Night.... Luckily the weather was awesome (unlike all of the rain and storms that area had had the week before).   Can you see Brooke??????? ha...  There were more than 600 young people in her graduating class...


A proud Papa (Mark) with his wonderful daughter,  Brooke,  after her graduation


George and I are so very very proud of Brooke.   Not only is she gorgeous on the outside --but she is just as gorgeous on the inside also.   I ADORE this young lady!!!!


I love this picture of these two young people after their graduation!!!! Tristan is going into the Navy and Brooke will be attending a local community college while working fulltime.  Brooke wants to be an Accountant.  She will be a good one for sure!


The day after the graduation,   it was time to PARTY.   Brooke had a big party at her home not only for all of the family but also for lots of Brooke's many friends.  The house was decorated so pretty and the Mexican food was delicious...

This picture is Mark and his beautiful daughters --whom he truly adores... Bay Lee works and goes to college in San Marcos,  Texas.  She could only get off of work a few days --so we didn't get to spend too much time with her this year.  Don't you love this photo of Dad and daughters?  I DO!!!!


Here's one more picture of Brooke.   I hope that she had as much fun that week as all of us did!!!!!   AND---I hope you have enjoyed seeing what a wonderful week with family that George and I had...

I haven't been able to do much blogging the past couple of weeks at all.   SO---please update me if I have missed anything really important... I did read that one of my blog friends lost her mother last week... Prayers for Suzanne (Busy Bee Suz).  I also know that Ginny's husband (Phil) had surgery... Prayers for him --and for Ginny.

TODAY is my Blog-aversary!!!!  Do you realize that I have been blogging for NINE years... I began on Lightblog in June of 2006?   Changed to Blogger in 2009.   How many of you have been following me since 2009 or before????  Many of my blogging friends are no longer blogging --but I keep up with some of them on Facebook now.

Have a wonderful week.  And check out my photo Blog for a couple of pretty pictures of something in our yard!!!!   Click  HERE for that link.

Hugs,