Back To School

Well, it is time to start the spring semester already. Greerson went back for a short week and came home sick on Friday. We had to prepare dinner for the leaders of our churches youth group revival weekend called Impact. We prepared chicken spaghetti and lasagne as the main dishes and prepared sides and desserts as well. It was a lot of work! We cooked and assembled most of it Thursday night then Friday was spent cooking and serving. Poor Greerson hat to sit at home because he was sick. We checked in on him frequently, but he slept most of the day. The youth had a great time. They did an activity based on the Amazing Race Friday evening. The leaders sat around eating dessert and we got to listen to the riddles and see if we could figure them out. Collectively we were able to figure them out, so they were deemed acceptable. We actually got out lucky. We were finished four hours into the event. It was a two night lock-in type event (except they stay at several houses) with general assemblies at the church and smaller groups Bible studies in the houses. It was a great success, but like I said we were done early. It culminated with Sunday morning worship and the guest band performed and our Pastor preached a sermon in line with the theme of the weekend. It's hard to believe that Greerson will be a youth next year. I have a feeling we will be more involved in the future. Christa has to work on King day, but Greerson and I will probably take down the Christmas tree. We have been too busy to take it down (frankly I don't know where we are going to put it, the camper is in the garage and the canoe is hanging over the attic access), I guess it will go in a closet for a couple of weeks until we need the camper again. We are planning to be out with the Boy Scouts next weekend and the adults are going to cook a hog in a pit. Check back next week for photos of this exciting event!

Happy New Year!!!!

We left Houston and stopped in at home for a few hours to sleep and then got up and headed north to Tulsa for New Years. It was a pleasant trip, Greerson watched the thirds season of The Lucy Show most of the trip. We got there about five pm and checked into the hotel and made it to Steve and Carol's about six to discover we were the first ones there. Bob and Sheryl were about thirty minutes behind us. David and Rox made it and we have brisket for dinner and sat around talking until just after midnight. It actually was kind of anticlimatic, but we enjoyed each others company. New Years day we decided to take the kids ice skating in downtown Tulsa. It was a lot of fun. The kids really seemed to enjoy it. There was a heated tent for the adults and we enjoyed that since it had gotten cold overnight. We watched a dance team (Sheryl argued that they were a theatre troupe) sing and dance for a little bit then headed back to the warm house. We enjoyed Mexican Train and Catch Phrase while we were there. The time really flew by and it was time to leave. We had a nice drive home. The traffic was a little heavy, but not too bad. Greerson is out of school until January 11, so he has been enjoying playing with his friends this week. We have been playing the Wii every night. The favorite games would be "curling", "Figure skating" and "cart racing". We have a good time.

A view of downtown Dallas on the way to Tulsa

Steve leading the conversation

Steve has Sheryl, Regan and Christa's attention

David and Rox prepared for Mexican Train

The BOK Center in downtown Tulsa

Greerson and Rachel share a funnel cake

Regan and Rachel warm up after ice skating

Rachel, Greerson and Regan on the ice

This video showcases Greerson and his cousins ice skating. Caleb is actually very good at it!

The Texas Bowl 2010

One of the few Baylor touchdowns at the Texas Bowl 2010!

This is the Illinois band from the end zone they just looked like they were marching in a straight line, but on the screen you can see they are able to spell.

The Cheerleaders watch the game in anticipation of a touchdown

The Scouts wait to unfurl the flag

The Baylor Golden Wave Band perform at half time

Sic'em Bears!!!!!!

waiting in the tunnel to go onto the field

It's almost time

Chas and Greerson wait in backstage to go into the tunnel and onto the field

The Scouts at the Methodist Practice Facility preparing for their presentation at the game

Greerson is ready to go to the game

Christmas 2010

We got up early and had chocolate croissants then rushed around preparing for the crowd to arrive. Actually Greerson got us up about two hours earlier to check out the tree downstairs and found a semiautomatic air rifle and a handgun. Then we took a nap and ate the croissants. Dinner was prepared about noon and we had about thirty people there to eat. After lunch we did the chinese Christmas game where you draw a number and get or steal a present. It was a lot of fun. Christa's uncle opened two snuggies then got a big roll of aluminum foil that was taped up. after about ten minutes of unwrapping the foil he found a big sucker and a box of aluminum foil. Unfortunately he had to keep the foil and didn't get either one of the snuggies. Daryl got a flashlight and Christa ended up with one of the snuggies with Texas A&M on it and Greerson got salt and pepper shakers that look like shotgun shells. We had our traditional game of Mexican Train and Sheryl and Daryl tied in last place. It was decided that Sunday morning we would play again. The result of that game was Sheryl first place (now she can return to Missouri after vowing not to leave until she won) and Daryl second place. It was a lot of fun. We have been eating ham for two days now so I think we may head back to Waco to change our diet a little. Brenna has been talking to us a lot this Christmas (she is 18 months), it was a joy to watch her open her presents and find a new toy. Greerson and Tyler took over the theatre and have been watching movies. We took family photos by the fireplace as you can see.

Mimi and Grandpa Woody

Greerson and Tyler

Daryl, Christa, Shanda and Stephen

The Christmas tree

Santa Came

Greerson couldn't wait to get downstairs to see if Santa came. When he got down there he found a semiautomatic BB gun. He was excited to say the least.

Christmas Eve

We had a great Christmas Eve. We started out by checking on the animals and a couple of animals came to the fence to see us. It was really cool. Daryl forgot the Wii fit, so rather than go to Waco he drove to Bryan and bought a new one to keep at the ranch. We had steaks for dinner and the kids were rushing us so they could open presents. Greerson actually cleared the dishes from the table. Brenna was so cute she found a present that was hers and she was carrying it around the house. Shanda made a gingerbread house that was really delicious. She actually baked it fresh. By the end of the night it had a huge garage door cut out of the back and a big window on the side and all of the gingerbread men were gone along with the north pole sign. The picture is after they disappeared.

Brenna got a new coat

Greerson actually got a present!

Grandpa Woody found a crown

Brenna found her present

We start letting them drive at 18 months

Greerson checking out the animals

Here are the animals that came to the fence. One had his horns sawed off

Ladson Worley

Ladson Roscoe Worley (1928-2008) was born in a little community close to Muleshoe, Texas on December 24, 1928 to W.G. and Lottie Worley. He was the fourth of six children. He grew up in eastern New Mexico in the small community of Floyd. During his high school years he drove a bus for the district and after graduation attended Wayland College in Plainview, Texas. This is where he met Billie Galloway and they eventually married and then transferred to Howard Payne College in Brownwood, Texas. The first couple of years of marriage they really struggled financially, but God saw them through the difficult times. He was a music minister and they served in several churches throughout Texas and New Mexico. He got a masters degree from the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas and another from Eastrn New Mexico University in Portales, New Mexico. After serving many years as a full time music and education minister he found himself teaching in the public schools in Bovina, Texas. Later he would teach and retire in the Killeen ISD in central Texas. That is the professional side of this great man, but he was very multifaceted. I do not believe that there was anything he could not do. He was a clock builder and he learned to adjust my mother's spine from the chiropracter since they lived 80 miles away and she couldn't always get there for a treatment. He was an avid gardener, auto mechanic, carpenter and general fix it man. A product of the great depression he grew up learning how to make things work without the actual parts you need to repair it. He was not about making things pretty, but they would work and get the job done. I was always amazed that he never had a birthday cake until he met my mother, but she saw to it that he had one every year in spite of the fact that his birthday was so close to Christmas. We always gathered on Christmas eve and ate dinner then had a birthday cake with candles and he opened his birthday presents. Then we would move into the living room and he would read the Christmas story from the Bible and then we would all exchange gifts. We never had gifts on Christmas morning. Looking back he really gave up his birthday so that we could all enjoy the gifts and spend time with each other. He was a great man and I sorely miss him, but most of all I miss him on Christmas Eve. It is a comfort to me to know that somewhere in heaven my mother is celebrating with him today. He really missed her when she passed away. I am greatful that they have been reunuited.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Daddy and Grandma Bob (my mother's step grandmother) in June 2004

Daddy checking out Steve's car in June 2004

December 24 is a day full of lots of activities, but it also marks the birth of Ladson Worley, Daryl's Dad. In looking for a picture to put up today I found a picture taken pre brain tumor of Daddy checking out Steve's new vehicle. This is particularly special since we have just suffered the loss of our Honda, knowing that if he was around he could of helped us fix it and keep driving it rather than just hand it over to the insurance company.