Thanksgiving Celebration in Florida

Tom was scheduled to work November 25 - 28 (Thanksgiving being Nov 27th), so we slid our Thanksgiving celebration to Saturday the 22nd. Nana made dinner this year, and it was soooooo yummy!




Gathered around the table -- Nana, Andrew, Christian, Tom, Uncle Jeff, Papa, Sarah, Aunt Jenn, Hazel and Grandpa

Two goof balls with their Dr. Pepper

Sarah and Papa

Sarah and Nana

Nana and Papa with the kiddos

Nana couldn't imagine that Sarah can now wear womens size small clothing. She understands why now!

Sarah had the camera as we were getting ready to leave and took a copious amount of pictures. I think there were more pictures on the camera of us saying good-bye than anything else. Digital cameras are so great -- just erase the ones you don't want!

"Yup. We like to see those tail lights headed down the street . . . . "

Bye Bye Nana!

A Day Trip to North Georgia

On this crisp, fall day, we took a day trip up to north Georgia with our friends, Wayne and Judy Rogers. On our way, we made a stop at the Jaemore Farm Market in Alto, where we picked up some apples, jams and fried apple pies to enjoy later.

We then drove northeast to the Tallulah Falls State Park. Pastor Wayne, Tom and the boys were brave and ventured down into the gorge, while Judy, Sarah and I stayed inside the Education Center.








Tom and the boys on the bridge across the gorge.




Tallulah Gorge




After we left the gorge, we headed straight north to the Dillard House where we enjoyed a fabulous, family-style dinner of the best southern food we have ever had. The scenery out the window was spectacular, as the house sits in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains.

On the grounds at the Dillard House

After we left the Dillard House, we drove southeast to the Nora Mill Granary in Helen, a working mill since 1876. Here are Pastor Wayne and the kids checking out the workings of the mill.

A family pic taken outside at the Nora Mill.

A perfect end to a perfect day!

FINALLY -- A New Update!

Someone finally contacted me and said, "WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO UPDATE YOUR BLOG?!!" It was good to hear that someone actually visits and keeps track! The Thomas' have been wonderfully busy living life, loving, learning and growing together.

Buddy's death slowed us all down for about a week, and things kind of snowballed, but we are back in the saddle now. We have been working hard at getting projects accomplished, both school and otherwise. The kids have had papers and projects they have been working on, and Tom and I have been busy with household maintenance. The garage is now clean, the yard has been "winterized," the new floor in the basement is complete, the carpets have been shampooed, the storage unit emptied, and lots of organizing and purging has taken place. How did we ever amass so much stuff??!!

Amidst the school work and household maintenance, we've enjoyed some wonderful activities. Well, most of them wonderful. The kids and I made a trip to Florida in October to be with my mom who had a pacemaker implanted. That wasn't so much fun for her, but it was wonderful to see her and my dad. She is doing well by the way.

I've posted pictures below of a few happenings in the last month.

Our friend, Jim Breton, who we met while camping in Williamsburg this past spring, stopped and stayed for a few days in McDonough while on his way to Florida for the winter. We stoked a fire in the backyard and made s'mores for old times sake.

S'mores weren't enough for these guys -- Tom went in and dished out some ice cream to further enhance their sugar high. Thank you for a great weekend Jim! We can't wait to see you again!

His Master's Voice Concert Choir, Concert Band, and Jazz Band that the boys are a part of had their first concert of the year. Here is the choir during their performance. These are all homeschooled students by the way. Andrew sings second tenor (and will need to drop down to baritone VERY soon), and Christian sings bass. If you click on the picture, Andrew is in the back row, second from the right. I think Christian's head is right above the music on the organ.

The Concert Band during their performance -- Andrew is just above the tympani. Christian plays the trumpet, and Andrew plays percussion.

The Jazz Band, which is directed by one of the students. Their director, Mr. Himebook gets to play with the students! They sounded incredible!

Andrew with fellow percussionists, Tyler and Mason.

Sarah continues to do that which she loves the most -- riding. Here she is riding Boss, who was being a real monster this day. She would take him up to the bars to jump, and he would abruptly stop right in front of them. It is by God's grace that he did not catapult her over his head!

He decided to go over THIS time.

Despite what a monster he can be, Sarah still loves to ride Boss.

Sarah with her coach, Peggy.

The HMV Jazz Band was invited to play at a harvest festival sponsored by a local church.

There are two boys in the bands and choir that looked really familiar to me, but I knew I had never met them. In fact, I kept staring at them (hoping that they wouldn't notice) while I tried to place their faces. Their dad pastors the church that was sponsoring the harvest festival, where it all came together for me.

During the festival, I look over and I recognize a gentleman I have not seen in YEARS. It is Stu Boice, whom I knew from afar when I went to Olivet Nazarene University in Kankakee, Illinois. I knew him from afar, but he was a good friend of my late husband, Brad. He is the pastor of Harvest Worship Center, the church that sponsored the festival that the boys played in. How amazing is that?! Stu, his wife Tammy and I, all grew up in Michigan, went to college in Illinois, and now our boys play music together and we live just a few miles from each other here in Georgia!

So THAT'S why Spenser and Parker looked so familiar to me -- they look a lot like their dad! It was really great to see Stu and his wife Tammy, and for the kids to meet one of their Daddy Brad's friends from college. The Boice's were amazed at how much Christian and Andrew resemble Brad.

Christian and Spenser Boice

The Boice Family - Taylor, Stu, Tammy, Spenser and Parker

We celebrated the courage and faith of the Reformers -- Martin Luther, John Knox, John Wycliffe, John Calvin, etc. -- that launched the Protestant movement with a Reformation Celebration at church. We ate a yummy dinner together, enjoyed incredible desserts brought by the ladies, encouraged those who shared a talent the Lord has blessed them with, and answered questions regarding the Reformation sufficiently for Pastor Rogers so that no one faces church discipline for being ignorant. ~wink~ Everyone was encouraged to wear period dress, but only the younger members dressed up. Here we are guessing who each child dressed to represent. Sarah dressed as Lady Jane Grey, queen of England for only 9 days in July of 1553.

Tom with his little buddy, William Coppock. Precious!

The newest member among our church family, Levi Anthony Lindsey, only 3 days old.
Levi's mommy, Meloney, is who we gave a shower for in September. If you jump over to September's posts, you'll see a picture of her pregnant with whom we thought was Lily, but Lily came out a Levi!

The boys at our church love to get together! Here they are doing I don't know what, but they had a great time!

And last, but not least, I wanted to introduce you to my brother, Jeffrey Umbaugh, Principal of Wilkinson Elementary in Middleburg, Florida. Here he is, pictured with his two assistant principals, Emily and Diana. Moments like these make me soooooooooo proud to be his sister!

A Well Written Letter to President-elect Obama

Dear President-elect Obama:

First, congratulations on your victory. The historical magnitude of your presidential win is nothing short of stupendous and a colossal fulfillment of the American dream (an achievement embedded long ago in the equality clauses of the Declaration of Independence).

It's likely no big surprise that I don't see eye to eye with you politically. Actually, I stand in stark opposition to most of your politics. Still, I realize that we must learn to work together if we are to see our country get back on track. After Election Day, I asked myself, "How can I work for our new president to help better America?" Then a thought occurred to me. The first question that should be answered is: How will you work for me? After all, "We the People" of the United States employ you, correct?

So here are a few ways you might begin to gain the respect of those who oppose you and to show that your campaign pledges to bridge the divides were not empty promises to get you into office. And these requests I make are based upon the inaugural oath you will make Jan. 20, "I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." No doubt these won't be my only requests through the years, but they serve as a good beginning:

--Use and cite the Constitution. If that constitutional oath ("preserve, protect and defend") is the central duty of your job description, then I assume we will be hearing often from you about exactly how you are doing just that. There is no replacement for strict adherence, application and defense of the Constitution. And it's high time that presidents quit reciting the presidential oath tritely and then abandoning its tenets when they enter the Oval Office. You should be quoting from the Constitution publicly as often as a preacher quotes the Bible to his congregation -- at least weekly. If you take this oath and challenge seriously, you will limit the powers of federal government, reduce taxes (for everyone), encourage the freedom of religion and expression (even in the public square), and stand up for such things as our right to bear arms. The American public and the government have lost their grip on the content and role of the Constitution, but if you daily choose, you can help to re-educate and model its usage for them.

--Protect American life. Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1809, "The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only legitimate object of good government." Those are powerful and enlightening words. Of course, such a role was created and secured in the very fabric of our nation -- in the Declaration of Independence. The commitment to protect life should serve as the basis for all you do, even as a foundation for your national defense strategy. I'm sure the first of your secret briefings this past week on our global security threats have opened your eyes to the extensive onslaught of our enemies. Don't allow your pride, partisanship, personal bias or political abilities to jeopardize the safety of Americans lives. As commander in chief, you are called to preserve American life. Quite frankly, that is why I'm surprised that a man such as you, who professes to fight for minorities, would not recognize the clear value of a human life in a womb. Federal law should not decree the sacrifice of one human life for the preference of another. Both lives should be protected. Otherwise, what do Jefferson's 1809 words mean? As president, you are called to protect (not destroy) human life; it is the "first and only legitimate object of good government."

--Lead more from the center. It's been pointed out by countless pundits, and your track record is clear: You have one of the most liberal records in the Senate. You've had the liberty of voting and fighting for an agenda "from the left" as you've tried to persuade state and federal lawmakers to do the same. But if you continue to lead our country down a more liberal road, you will follow the peril of Bill Clinton, who stepped into office and initially tried to lift the ban on gays in the military and extend abortion rights, only to prompt the creation of a more balanced and strong Republican Congress in the 1990s. Don't underestimate the resurrecting power of the conservative voice. You observed in last week's election how three states across this union voted to protect marriage in their constitutions (the 28th, 29th and 30th states to do so -- California, Arizona and Florida).

We will be watching who you choose to be in your Cabinet. We will discern how you lead Pelosi and Reid. We will be observing those you select as candidates for Supreme Court justices. The election is over. No more promises. No more words. You might work well in a team, but this time, you don't have congressional members to hide behind. You're on your own -- leading the pack -- and the whole country is watching. I, especially, am watching. So make sure you lead more from the center.

One of your 300 million bosses,

Chuck Norris

HMV Fundraiser

His Master's Voice choirs and bands had a fund raiser at our local Kroger. The elementary choir sang in the morning, while the concert choir and jazz performed a few 20 minute segments throughout the day. In between performance segments, the older kids worked hard bagging groceries for customers. At the end of the day, they had earned $1,500 in tips to use towards new instruments! Woo hoo!




The elementary choir - Sarah is in the back row




The jazz band - Andrew is on the far right with the bongos.

Andrew bagging groceries -- people were glad to give tips to kids that were actually working!

Christian and Joseph Deaton