I am a friend to everyone who fears you, to anyone who obeys your orders. ~Psalm 119:63

Mary's birthday is today. Her sister, Jeni, who is now a good friend, is getting married next week. Mary's kids are flying to New York today for the wedding so they can be up in the sky close to heaven on their mommy's birthday.

Jeni is just as good of a friend as Mary was. I have been struggling, and was away for a while, but Jeni kept in touch with me, sent me cards and support. I am so grateful for her and am truly happy for her upcoming wedding.

I am also grateful for all my other friends and family who wrote me, called or sent worried e-mails to me (I finally weeded through all of them). To be loved is a great feeling, and showing love is even better. Friends stick by each other through good times and bad. I am lucky to have so many friends who care.

I'm Back!

I'm back! Thanks to all of you for the e-mails (I had over 450 when I got back yesterday). It's good to know I was missed. I took a month-long sabbatical to renew and refresh my spirit. I also did some research and am working on a new book. I will post a longer blog later after I get caught up, but I wanted to let you know I am okay. Thanks again for the care and concern, my friends! What's up with you?

Freedom of Speech

How have you liked my blog lately?

Please give me some feedback. I have written about a few new things recently. These topics include some of my family heritage, such as the signing of the Declaration of Independence from my great (etc) grandfather (pictured above), Charles Carroll of Carrollton and the writing of my great grandmother's (Bess Carroll Brendel) historical novel, "That's the Way It Was" which has a spot in the Library of Congress. In her book, my great-grandma (Nonna B) talks about her childhood growing up on a big plantation, Old Chesterfield. All of this is part of my family legacy and American history, and as some say, "it is what it is" (or was). I have taken a huge interest in my family roots currently.


Yet, this is an e-mail I received from a fellow writing friend:

"...sensitivity to discretion was lost on some of your recent posts."

I am truly sorry if I have offended anyone. I was simply trying to share a little information of my family, and the major roles they played in this nation's history. A nation that our forefathers hoped would remain independent and free of socialism. I am a conservative person who was raised to "keep my mouth shut and opinions to myself" as any Southern belle would do. Well, I have finally found a way to speak out- through my writing. Ironically, the very person who made the above comment is the same one who has given me courage to speak out, and I am grateful to her for that!

I am proud this country allows us freedom of speech and thought. So feel free to speak your mind, too, on my comments...can't wait!

Kid's Escapades

I. The kids and I met some friends at the library the other day for a presentation on "Pioneer Days" by a local museum. We all had a lot of fun. The weather has been so hot and dry, we are looking for activities to do inside where it's nice and cool. When we got home, I asked the boys to clean their room, which to my surprise, they did immaculately. The only slight problem is that now I can't get into their closet! I was wondering why it had taken them so little time to put everything away- they simply piled all their "stuff" in the small closet. I guess I can't complain- they did do as I asked. Next time I will have to be more specific.

II. Having kids can be so...exciting. They can be expensive, too. A few years ago, Nicholas burned our microwave when he took it upon himself (as a toddler) to put his rice bowl, spoon and all, into the microwave for who knows how long. All I know is that I was giving Andrew a bath, Pete and Katie were outside, when all of the sudden I smelled this repugnant odor- something was on fire. I hadn't smelled that sickening aroma since student teaching in The Woodlands when our apartment complex caught on fire (a story for another day). I rushed out of the bathroom to see smoke coming from the microwave. I stopped the microwave, but when I opened the door, the rice was on fire and smoke filled our whole house. Boy, were we lucky! We had to get another microwave, which we bought at Target. Unfortunately, this one did not last too long. It died on us the other day. So the kids and I ventured out to Sears to buy a Kenmore. Hopefully, we'll have better luck (and if we don't, at least we know it can be fixed or replaced).

III. Remind me to share with you one day the time the boys turned on the gas by our fireplace. We had to evacuate the house, and again, we were VERY lucky to catch it in time. I am so grateful to have our guardian angels watching over my family!

A Sad Day

Yesterday was a sad day for Hollywood. Two icons now dead. Katie spent the night with her Nini and Papa, and I guess she heard a lot about the whole thing, since they love to watch the news. So she dreamt last night that SpongeBob died, too...a sad day, right?

Symbols
~by Laurie Kolp

She was the sex symbol of the 70s
Hair as big as a feathered peacock
Smile that spread like a wave.

He was the king of pop in the 80s
Music that thrilled millions of fans
Dancing with everything he gave.

Both dead on the same day
Farrah from cancer, Michael who knows?
Symbols that died before they hit the grave.

Bedtime Conversations

"Give me a piss."

I had just heard Pete tell this to Nicholas after we said our family nightly prayers last night, as he leaned in for a kiss.

"Did you just say piss?" I whispered to Pete as he walked by with a smile (thankfully it went over our youngest's head).

"Yes- thanks to the conversation we just had," my Marine answered.

Drew had just asked Pete the question, "Where do soldiers go to the bathroom during war?"

To which Pete had responded, "Well, son, if you are fighting for your life with the enemy surrounding you, going to the bathroom is the last thing on your mind; but if you can't hold it, sometimes you just have to pee in your pants."

Thank you all you soldiers out there, former and current, for fighting for our freedom to... (fill in the blank in comments, please).

Summer Rains

Here is a picture taken after hurricane Ike.

This has been an unusually dry summer. In fact, we are in a drought and the grass is beginning to die. Let's all pray for rain. Here is a poem I wrote reflecting upon my childhood summers:

Summer Rains~ by Laurie Kolp

Memories of my childhood summers

fill me with warmth and happiness

as I recall the great times;

swimming like a fish,

sleeping like a bear,

sunning like a goddess,

having fun at the beach,

weekly trips to the library.

Perhaps the most disappointing

summer memory I have as a child

is the hot afternoon rains that would

invariably come at inopportune times

causing me to miss scheduled

tennis lessons I couldn't wait for,

swimming lessons I loved,

and birthday parties in the park.

The rains would come down

predictably each day

causing anxiety and disappointment,

but then, just as quickly as they came,

the rains would go away.

Hip- Hip Hooray!

I wish this was bigger, but in case you're wondering, the note says,
"Laurie,
Thank you for contributing your story to "Christmas Miracles." We're excited about the book and look forward to its great success. "Christmas Miracles" will release in October. You will receive complimentary copies from the publisher at this time.
~Twila Belk
Manager/P.A. of bestselling author Cecil Murphy
(Publisher: St. Martin's Press)

Can you believe this came in the mail today, along with the check for my story? I am now an officially payed author!!! Yippee- I'm doing the victory dance across the living room floor. Maybe this is the beginning of what's yet to come? I sure hope so. I'll be busy typing away, submitting stories and posting on my blog. Until then- thank you- keep coming back!

Choosing Battles

Nicholas in his new cowboy boots our neighbors gave him for his birthday (thanks Charles and Monica). He is sooo funny. Yesterday, Pete had to work and so he wasn't able to go to church with us. (Amazing how different Nick acts when Pete's not there)! Anyway, Nick dressed himself in a long-sleeved shirt, jeans and his boots.

"Nicholas- it is boiling hot outside. You CANNOT wear that long-sleeved shirt to church," I said.

"Oh, mom. I'll be fine," argued my youngest.

I proceeded to go over to him and try to take the shirt off, to which Nick wrapped his arms tightly around himself so I couldn't do anything.

Sometimes you just have to choose your battles.

I decided to let it go, for I knew Nicholas would be hot soon enough. So when we got to church, guess what? He complained of being hot and not wanting to be there. Surprise, surprise! Maybe next time he'll listen to his momma!

Nicholas at swimming lessons! He finally got the hang of it and is now an official swimmer! Yeah- no more swimming lessons for this family.

Today is the first Monday of summer that it seems we don't have any pending plans. Up until now we have been busy with swimming lessons, birthdays and Vacation Bible School. It will be so nice to have nothing "scheduled" (except for my tutoring, which is in the morning). This afternoon, Nini is taking us to the movie! My poor sweet Pete had to work most of the day on Father's Day, so hopefully he will be able to spend some time at home today! Happy Monday everyone!

Mary Poppins Still Lives...

Please excuse this brief interruption from the birthday fairy, but an important announcement must be made. After this, I promise I will let Laurie get back to her blog. Did you know that Laurie has a Mary Poppins purse? I observed as she changed purses to her new birthday present purse and this is what I found:

20 pounds of junk. No wonder the poor chick has an aching back, I mean, her purse is like a heavy weight from the gym. Maybe she needs to start lifting weights again- and the purse doesn't have to be it! Thrown out on the table, I saw six tubes of lipstick, five pencils, three pens, two hand sanitizer bottles, sunscreen, and two Invisible Armor bottles- is this mom worried about germs? And what was that- a flashlight? I mean this mom must mean business. Then came all of her gum, mints, peanut butter crackers,chapstick, yesterday's paper, disposable hand wipes, prayer cards, business cards from writer friends, along with a small pad of paper so if the muse moves her, she can write. Can you believe there was tons of garbage in there- bubble gum wrappers, candy and old school programs? Then, I found an umbrella, a poncho, a camera, a cell phone, her wallet (which is jammed packed with who knows what?). I found a book- can you believe it? It looks like a mini version of the Bible, I don't know- what else can there be? Oh, a calendar and lists of all the summer activities in the area. My goodness- no wonder this chick can't get out of bed. A compact, a mirror...does this girl need to move? I think all she owns is in her purse.

Well, I tried to weed out some of the duplicates, but I don't know. This is one tough momma, and her new purse still seems heavy. Heaven help her. I think she needs a spoonful of sugar and some sleep... what do you think?

My Birthday...

My birthday started out lovely with breakfast in bed. My wonderful children brought my coffee in a new mug from Starbucks with freshly ground coffee from Starbucks (along with a gift certificate). Two of my favorite mugs had recently been broken - one when the kids were playing the Wii and knocked it down, the other when they accidentally dropped one while unloading the dishwasher; hence the new mug. I love it! Along with the coffee, I had Pete's infamous pancakes, strawberries and orange juice- yummy! My great family also gave me other gifts I love: a beautiful picture frame necklace where I can place a photo of the kids and wear it close to my heart, a cardinal windchime, a neat cardinal that looks like it is going through the window (see picture below), a wonderful candle and an Aggie garden gnome.
I was so full from breakfast, I decided to take a little walk. Of course, I took my camera with me, for I would never want to miss a special moment. As I walked down the street, a huge feeling of grief struck me and I began crying because I miss Mary so much. I thought to myself that maybe I should go and visit her grave soon. By that time, I was halfway down the street and guess what happened! My friend, Libby, who just got back (the same one the dove warned me about and who had a cardinal appear to her as she read my card) popped out of her house to put a letter in her mailbox. Of course she gave me a hug, and I instantly felt better! When I got home, my cardinal was munching on some birdseed, as you can see in the photo above. ( He appeared to me all day long).

After my walk, my family took me to the phone store to pick out a new cell phone! I feel like a savy chic now that I can text finally. Katie is going to show me how. (Kids are good at keeping their parents hip). Later on, I stopped by Ms. Angelle's for a quick visit. I hadn't been able to visit her much now that the kids are out of school, so I wanted to take her some banana bread on my birthday. She was delighted and I loved seeing her. After that, the family went swimming at the country club. We had a lot of fun there. It brings back a lot of childhood and teenage memories, though, and seems surreal to be going to the country club as a parent, now.

For dinner, my parents joined us at the Cracker Barrel restaurant. We had fun, although Drew started to feel sick to his stomach (perhaps he drank too much pool water) and Pete had to take him home. I got a cute outfit and purse from Mom and Dad. Here I am blowing out the candles on my carrot cake that Katie made me.

It was also my dear nephew, Matt's, 22nd birthday. We will all (my sister's family) celebrate more birthday today along with Father's day at my parents for dinner. Poor Pete, though, has to work. Oh well, we were at least able to give him his cards and present. I sure do hope he won't be too long!

I also got lovely calls from my dear friends Karen and Jeni! Thanks so much! Karen sent me a gorgeous necklace, and Chelsea and Angie sent cards, too. Many of my lovely friends also wished my Happy Birthday on Facebook. Thanks to everyone for a wonderful day. Except for the brief wave of sadness, it was a great day, and I know Mary was with me, too.

P.S. In case you're wondering- I'm still 29- can you believe it - hee-hee.

Cardinal Delight

This morning my beautiful red cardinal sang to me as I drank my coffee. I sat outside and listened to the melodious song as I also watched a dove perched below. I said my morning prayers and gave thanks to God for the wonderful day. Tomorrow is my birthday. I think Mary is thinking of me; I sure am thinking of her. The cardinal was also eating out of the birdfeeder in the front of the house just a few minutes ago as I was typing this, but I just wasn't quick enough to get a picture this time.

Do you remember the incident not long ago when the dove warned me that my dear friend who lives down the street was in danger? Well, she had some medical problems that needed to be taken care of and was gone for a while. While she was away, I wrote to her and sent her a card to let her know that I missed and loved her. Well, now she's back and can you believe she told me that when she read my card, a cardinal came up and sat on the picnic bench and just sat there! Everyone made a comment about it because they hadn't seen such a bright red cardinal in Louisiana like that in a long time. My friend knew this was something very spiritual and felt a sense of calmness inside- like everything would be okay.

God is good. I am thankful to know my Mary still thinks of me, just as I think of her.