Our Day in Greenville.....

"Power is created in the mind, Rooted in the feet, developed in the legs, directed by the hips, transferred through the torso, focused in the feet or hands and felt in the spirit." -- C. J. Doyle


Today Scott, Pamela, Mr. X and I went to cheer our friends on in Greenville, SC. John (Shazz) and Tracy (Sin) competed in the South Carolina Governor's Cup, Tae Kwon Do Championship with their club, Ray Smith's Tae Kwon Do.
Their club took First Place Overall (again) and we were thrilled to see John get a Gold and a Silver and Tracy take home a Gold!

The day was very exciting and it was fun to watch and learn. I was sorry that the boys had to miss it but they had obligations of their own.

I was very impressed by the Ray Smith Club. They were an extremely proud group that had excellent sportsmanship. You could tell that much was demanded of each and every one of them to have respect for what they were doing, who they are and for Master Smith.

"The true value of the martial arts is not in
100 victories but in the perfection of the character of the students."
-- Gichin Funakoshi


After the competition was over and everyone was packing up we loaded up the van and headed home. We stopped in Anderson, SC to have dinner at Long Horn's Steak house and the meal was absolutely incredible..... Yes, even the "funyuns" were good..... (some kind of onion thinggys that I have no idea what they are really called, that is just what I heard them being called.....) It was great to hang out and the six of us really had a good time! Laughing, eating and continuing to enjoy the day......

We met up with Mom, Q and Z coming back from their soccer photos and the boys were thrilled to hang out at Pamela's and Mr.X's house, eat their Chinese (take out that mom got them) and visit with Shazz and Sin!

Random Ramblings

Today is Friday. Quentin is having a sleep over at his friend Daniels house and Zachary is having a sleep over at Nana and Grandpa's. Scott and I are leaving the house about 6:30am to head to Greenville with Mr. X, Pamela, John and Tracy to watch John and Tracy compete in the South Carolina Governor's Cup, Tae Kwon Do Championship.

If I could remember the week I would tell you.... There was lots of work still to be done on the house. Betty and I worked our tails off and we are so very close to being finished! I will be so happy to turn the keys over to Shala and be done with it! It has been quite an undertaking.

I started a small job as a writer and as glamorous as that sounds it is not. I have finished my first week and it took me forever to "catch on" to what I was supposed to be doing but eventually I did complete what I needed to do and picked up my speed writing a bit. I joined walter in his writing for an online company. It is required to do a min. of 50/300 word articles but I was unable to do that this week. I am still pretty proud of now being able to call myself (in jest of course) a "paid writer"..... lol

Dad took the boys to Master's on Thursday and the three enjoyed a pleasant Waffle House lunch.

Today I ran to Hartwell to get a new pair of running shoes, and some new clothes from Belks. I had a gift certificate for there and Belks was having a 40% off the already 75% off.... I got a bag full of clothes for about $20 and still have $13 on my gift card (even after the New Balance running shoes) that I can go back and spend! I also had to drop off a gift to Robert. My brother was kind enough to spend hours meshing the two photos I sent him to make a wonderful photo of Roberts new barn and farm. I sent the photo off and had it enlarged to be mini-poster size. I framed it and Kala and I gave it to Robert for his Birthday (a month late but oh well...)...... He seemed to really like it and I was happy that it made him smile.....

Tomorrow Zachary will be spending the day at Bowman's Fall Festival with Nana and then she will head down to pick up Quentin and take both boys to get their soccer photos taken.

In between everything else there has been school work, karate, soccer games, T4L blog updates and general chatting with Kati....

Sunday I will head back over to the house to do a few more little things and hopefully relax a bit, clean my house and hang out with my kids.... We shall see....

So, that was my week... Next week promises to be just as busy with more articles to write, soccer games to attend, Karate, working on the house, and working at the newest Fast Tax offices here in E. on Friday!

I hope to get some great shots of John and Tracy tomorrow..... Look for those!

Oh, Scott had me in tears tonight (laughing) because he said that someone at work gave him a sinus pill and it made him sleepy..... He went in his office and was checking his gmail account when he must have dozed off with his finger on the delete key.... He woke to an EMPTY mail box!!! I guess gmail does not have any "Wake up stupid! Are you sure you want to delete all your mail?" features!

Zach's Second Game.... Go Jake!!!

Our little Zachary played an awesome game tonight..... Just inches came between him and scoring two goals..... I know he has it in him and I can almost guarantee a goal before the end of the season! He played an incredible game!!

He was determined tonight and by the end of the game you could tell that he was tired! He ran his butt off! It was a perfect game night because there was a cool breeze and a light mist.... I always loved playing in the rain!

Their team pulled off a 2-1 win with the thanks going to our little buddy Jake.... Jake drove in two goals early in the game with one being assisted and one being solo, and for the longest time it was 2-0!

At half time we gave Zach a little pep talk about "going to goal" and his only response was, "Do you know how fast Jake is??"

Scott, Mr. X, Q and I were there cheering Zachary and his teammates on!

Because of the time of the game I could not get any shots but Zman asked me twice if I was getting any good shots so I am re-posting his first game shots... Which works out nicely because both he and jake are in both photos..

edit correction to Q's first game.... they did loose but it was not a shut-out, the score was 2-1...

"Keep your dreams alive. Understand to
achieve anything
requires faith and belief in yourself,
vision, hard work,
determination, and dedication.
Remember all things are possible
for those who believe."
~Gail Devers

Quentin's Second Game!

Quentin played his second game last night. Although he flinched and jerked every time the ball even threatened to come near him he did okay.... A couple times he actually ran towards the ball!

It is coming slowly again this year and hopefully he will get it.... I am so very proud that he plays soccer and I hope that he keeps it up.

I don't know what the score was but I know that Quentin's team did not score. Both teams played hard and it was a fun game to watch. Mr. X joined us in cheering Q on.....

Z's next game is tomorrow.....

Happy Birthday JenJen!!!

Happy Birthday Jen!!! You are Queen for a day!!!

I would rather walk
with my Sister in-law
in the dark,
than walk alone in the light
She lights a path
as bright as an angel

Campout "And That's All Folks!"

Sunday morning came with more HEAT...... It was so hot by 8:30 this morning that everyone was sweating!

We had two projects to do and then pack up. THANKFULLY we (The Bells) did not have to actually pack everything up and load it in the cars but we were able to clean up, get most everything back down to the house and help the S. Family pack.

Breakfast again was French toast....YUMMY..... And then after breakfast the three boys worked on a "Thank You" for dad. They wanted to make him cards but we thought that a little poster with their photos on it, in a frame, all signed by the boys would be nice.

The boys enjoyed "putting it together" and of course were so excited to bring it to Grandpa and thank him for everything that he had done with them.

We had to have the last Flag ceremony and after the initial explanation they were able to carry it off almost by themselves.

At this point Braeden had no concept of being any younger than the 3 other boys and insisted in "helping out".... "Lern'em young I say"........


This photo completely says it all, this is the way we all felt...... Poor little Braed, always someone there with a camera to snap him at his best.....

Being that today is Sunday, the boys had their class with Mr. X and Bailey was invited to join them. Kati and Walter were pleased that he went along and hope to come back to let him keep up with the "Sunday School".....

I would do it again in a heartbeat.... Maybe not tomorrow.... Maybe not next weekend.... But soon.... Soon we would like to do it again.... It was great fun! Just next time I would like to be able to sit by the campfire and wear my favorite jeans and sweatshirt!

Campout "The Award Ceremony"

We changed the award ceremony from Sunday to Saturday night because Kati had one that she wanted to do by the campfire at night. The decision did not lend itself nicely to photos but we tried and some came out pretty well.

Q and Z had earned their Bobcat badge. They worked very hard in studying and then were able to "pass" when asked the requirements that they had learned. I was very proud of them and it was so nice to see them standing so proudly.

They were also awarded a few belt loops. Kati purchased each boy a "flag" pin that she pinned on their lapel and put one of those rubber bracelets on them that mom bought that was the boy scout colors and said "Do your best" on them.

The boys were overwhelmed by everyone coming to see them honored. Of course Kati, Walter, Scott and I were there but also, MiMi, Nana, Grandpa, Pamela and Mr.X came to show their support for all 3 boys.

Bailey transitioned this weekend from a wolf to a bear. He has spent the last year earning his wolf badge and it was very nice to be able to share in him getting his badge. He was also awarded a belt loop and his summer time award.

We still do not know what direction we will take as far as the Boy Scout troop goes. We do know that these three boys will be experiencing everything that Boy Scouts has to offer and there will always be a "crowd" to cheer them on.

Mom was nice enough to make lemon luscious and brownies for after the ceremony and we all enjoyed the desert very much!

I had forgot to mention dinner. We had planned "pocket" meals cooked in the campfire with baked beans and baked potatoes... Somewhere in my brain, the fact that 1 pound potatoes might take a while, was lost and the baked potatoes never did actually "cook" all the way through. The pockets had beef, shrimp, chicken and a mixture of many veggies.... They were very good and we all enjoyed them.... Really wished that I had not purchased the biggest potatoes that I possibly could and they had been done but everyone said that everything was good and we all enjoyed our meals!

Zachary's seemed to have burned so we had to scramble to make him some more but the kids enjoyed putting all the stuff in their pouches and putting them in the fire. We now are talking about Dad and the boys making some kind of grate for over the fire pit so we can "cook" on the fire as well as "in" the fire........ I will know next time about the potatoes and not get ones that are so big... Or maybe just put them on earlier????

Braeden, The boys, The Parents......

He grabs your heart and with his smile does not let it go....... He is fun to watch, he makes everyone laugh and he knows that he has every adult wrapped around his finger....

His name is Braeden and he is the younger brother to a wonderful boy named Bailey. Both boys are so enjoyable to have around you really feel a loss when you watch them drive away.

Our boys can not get enough of them and the 4 boys have so much fun together that we wish they lived next door!

When I asked Quentin tonight if he had a good weekend he said that he had a great weekend!... Then he looked at me and said, "But I am really sad that Bailey and Braeden had to leave." I told him that they can't stay forever and he just looked at me and said, "Sure they can, they can just put their house on wheels and move it here!"........ He then thought a minuted and added, "Of course, if they have a basement it would be a little bit harder, but it can be done.."

Those two boys are truly and extension of our family and in a short time have
become very close to our two boys......

"Sometimes people come into your life and you know
right away that they are meant to be there; they serve
some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson,
or help you figure out who you are."

Intermission...... "The Q. Z. Bell"

Welcome to the Intermission portion of our weekend...... What a whirlwind of a weekend.....

The 4 boys had a great time "playing" in The Boat...... Proudly named, "The Q. Z. Bell"

Campout "Saturday's tool Project"

After the Flag Cerimony we broke for a bit for lunch and then headed back up for the boys tool lesson and project that dad had for them.

The boys were to "find" tools in dad's shop that were on their list. They had a good time "finding" the tools and then using each one.

Braeden took up residence in the boat and was soon intrigued by what was going on. It was not long before we heard a little voice say, "Me want a turn"......

Dad had all the parts cut out for the boys to make their own set of book ends and the dad's (Scott and Walter) jumped in at the end to help out the boys put them together.

All 3 boys did well using tools and Braeden shocked us all with his skill in jumping right in, trying each tool like the older boys were doing!

One funny thing that happened was when someone overheard Bailey calling my Dad "Quarter" instead of "Porter".(he miss-heard when introduced)... Braeden refused to call him anything other than "Grandpa"!

"The central task of education is to implant a will
and facility for learning; it should produce
not learned but learning people.
The truly human society is a
learning society, where grandparents,
parents, and children are students together."
Eric Hoffer

Campout "The Flag Cerimony"

One of the activities we had was to teach the boys about the Flag. How to handle it, how to respect it, how to raise and lower it, and how to fold it. Dad was responsible for most of this and with Kati adding the official Boy Scout Cerimony in the middle of the instructions everything went off very well. The boys paid careful attention, took everything very seriously and did a great job.

By Sundays ceremony they were able to do most all of it themselves and Dad stood back and was able to watch them perform the tasks that he was solely responsible for showing them. All 3 boys did very well and remembered almost all of what dad and Kati told them.

It was amazing to watch, when they put on their uniform and were faced with what they had to do, they did it without fooling around or joking..... I was very proud!

Cheers for the sailors that fought on the wave for it,
Cheers for the soldiers that always were brave for it,
Tears for the men that went down to the grave for it,
Here comes the flag!
~Arthur Macy, The Flag

And I'm proud to be an American,
where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.
~Lee Greenwood