Evangelism Explosion for 3/28/06

Vicki dropped me at Church last night for EE. It looked like rain was imminent – but it never did to my knowledge – and that we were going to be sparse on folks, but they finally began showing up just after 5:30 p.m. I was prepared to cover for Dot, but she was one of the group who came in late. She said that she and Tag had gotten home from Pittsburgh about 4:00 p.m. I asked her and she said that their son, Dr. Clark Gamblin, is at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center/Hospital. I overheard her saying something about Carlyle/Carlisle, PA too – but I’m not sure what that was about – I didn’t ask.

For the second week in a row, William was absent. I suppose that he’s dropped out in order to begin his spring camping trips. He had told me that the reason he stopped doing EE was that it interfered with him being able to go camping – something he loves to do. However, in my view, EE is much more important.

Rick, my team leader, was there last night again. Ronnie split us up, though and used both of us as “floater” people. I wound up with Richard and Betty and we went out to a trailer park off of Greenfield Road in Brandon and did several questionnaire visits. I think we did like 4 visits and found that each person turned out to be a Christian, but we were able to ask the diagnostic questions and to the second question we got surprising answers. Richard was able to probe a little more and find out whether or not they had ever made a profession of faith and accepted Christ as their Savior and Lord. When we left the trailer park, we got about a mile down the road and Richard realized that he was missing his portfolio he had been carrying. I remembered that he had brought it with him on one of our stops in the park; we turned around and went back and went to the second street we had been on. As we were driving by, I spotted it on the porch of one of the trailers we had visited at, so he hopped out, went up and retrieved it. Then we left the park a second time and made our way back to Church. The report back session was already in progress.

Here’s Dot’s report…

Dear Friends,

Evangelism Explosion is reaching such an exciting time in the semester!

The trainees have just about mastered the required memory work and are taking a very active part now in the presentation of the Gospel. Each week from now on, it will become more and more natural for them. They are certainly getting caught up in the joy of it all. As Bob Waller said to me tonight, " I just LOVE to go fishing!"....and I agree with him 100%.

Tonight we had 12 professions of faith!

Bob Waller, Chris Ball and Karen Ball led a young mother of three to Jesus tonight.

Vic Holsapple and Guy Reedy led a 50 yr old Catholic man to Jesus.

My team (Jan Boteler and Don Goss) led a 29 yr old, single, Catholic guy to Jesus.

Terri Wissel and Rick Olson, and Jamie Butler led a family of 9 in the UMC waiting room to Jesus!

The other teams had some very important appointments tonight as well. The Gospel was shared many times, and many people were drawn closer to our Lord. Those visits are so very important too because often it takes several spiritual conversations with someone before they are ready to pray to receive Christ. Each link in the chain of events leading to a profession of faith is very important.

We are so proud of our trainees. They are so faithful to study and do their homework and are doing very well ! God has blessed us this semester, and we are so very thankful.

Ronnie Falvey and Vic Holsapple are wonderful leaders for Evangelism Explosion. They love this ministry and their enthusiasm is contagious!

Thanks for being faithful prayer partners for us. Prayer gets for EE what only God can do.

" God blesses those who obey him: happy the man who puts his trust in the Lord."

Prov. 16:20

With His love,

Dot

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According to my count, we’re now at 47 for the total number of professions of faith. Of course, EE isn’t just about numbers – as Ronnie put it last night, “that’s icing on the cake”. Instead, EE is about training people to go out and share their faith.

In the trainer session, Ronnie went over chapter one with us in the textbook by Dr. D. James Kennedy – founder of EE. I took notes as to what he had to say, but I didn’t bring them with me this morning or I would share with you 4 things Ronnie said give us confidence in the reliability of the Bible. Maybe I’ll grab my notebook at lunch and I can list them after that. He gave us a homework assignment – to read another chapter – he doesn’t have us studying each chapter, but instead we’re skipping around – and note what the chapter says to us. I’ll try to get that done over the next few days – before EE next week.

Betty dropped me off at Sterling – around 9:30 p.m. We found that we have common ties to Louisiana. Her mother was born in Hammond, although she didn’t really live there for a long period of time. Somehow she wound up in Clinton and met and married Betty’s father. I was told that her parents have been married for 58 years – yesterday was their anniversary. J J

When I got up to my apartment, Sukiey was on the couch waiting for me. I put some canned food down for her and moved her bowls like Michele suggested, but Sukiey didn’t like that, so I moved them back, and I eventually figured out (this morning) that she didn’t like the canned food I put down either. I put a different type of canned food down this morning and I saw that she did eat some of it – I’ll find out when I get a chance to go home – either at lunch or tonight after work – whether she ate any more of it and likes it or what. I’m just trying to give the cat some variety instead of the same thing all the time.

This morning I was leaving out to come to work and as I did, I was talking to Sukiey. When I stepped out and closed the door, I saw Harold – an older guy who lives down the hall – standing at the elevator. He observed “so you talk to your cat too?!” and I said yes. He said that he talks to his (he has 2) and that he thinks they understand him most of the time. While waiting for the elevator, I walked around to the landing dumpster and tossed the empty container of Tidy Cat in. Speaking of Tidy Cat, I got a response from them about the comment I e-mailed them a couple of days ago. They thanked me and said they are sending me some coupons for Tidy Cat products.

The Weekend...

Thursday afternoon I left here and went home. I changed into a pair of jeans and a tee shirt and mostly hung out with Sukiey. I also saw Chris and we made plans to go Friday morning to the Wal*Mart in Pearl for some cat supplies. I didn’t do much Thursday evening; Sukiey woke me up during the night wanting her litter box changed. Yes, I got up and did that! She also wanted some food and I put some down for her.

Friday morning I did get to sleep in a little before getting up and getting ready. Chris and I left for the Wal*Mart in Pearl around 9:30 a.m. and found what we needed – she got cat litter and cat food; I got some cat food amongst some other things. By the time we checked out and got back to Sterling, it was almost 11:30 a.m.

I had just unloaded my bags and put the things away and was playing a little with Sukiey when my cell phone rang…I saw the call was coming from area code 501 – and I knew it had to be my cousin Kay’s cell phone. I answered – it was! J J It was around 12:00 p.m. – they had made better time from Little Rock, Arkansas than they had expected. She said they had exited I-20 at State Street and were at that time sitting at a train crossing that was blocked by a non-moving train. I told her I knew exactly where they were – at the Fowler Buick Crossing. She apparently looked around and saw the signs for the dealership and said yes, where they were. I told her that I wasn’t sure how to give them directions to get around the train without possibly getting them lost. She said they would just sit and wait on the train – if it got to be a lengthy wait, they’d cal me back, but asked that I give them directions from where they were and so I did.

I went down to the lobby – with my camera in tow, loaded and ready to go – and waited just a few minutes before they pulled up in Kay’s white Volvo wagon with her Arkansas plates. I discovered her brother Ray was driving. He got out of the car and came and greeted me with a hug. I went over to the car with him and Kay insisted that I sit in the front seat and got out and gave me a hug as well. We started off – on down Griffith Street, but I told Ray he should turn around and so he did and we went back out to High Street and got on I-55 North and off at Lakeland Drive. We were looking for the Cozumel location Vicki had told me was out there, but couldn’t find it, so instead we turned around and headed for the Ruby Tuesday.

There we had a nice lunch – they treated me – and then when we went outside, I had them to pose for a couple of pictures. When we got back to Sterling, I called Chris and she came out and took the camera and took a shot of the 3 of us – Ray, Kay and me. We said our goodbyes and they headed out – well about the time they were getting to the Interstate, Kay realized she had some things for me – some of her mother’s stuff – and she had forgotten to give them to me, so she called and they turned around and came back long enough to give them to me. The items were an ice cream set that I had given her at Christmas a couple of years ago and a vase that her mother had had and wanted me to have. J J I thanked them and they headed out again – to make their way to Baton Rouge, possibly stopping in Hammond. I haven’t talked with my brother, but they said they were going to try to connect with him while in town.

Their reason for going to Baton Rouge this trip was to meet with their mother’s CPA so they could finish and file her final tax returns. They expected to be down there through Tuesday, maybe Wednesday. Then, they’ll head back to Little Rock and Ray is going to use Kelly’s car – she’s the daughter of Kay and husband Jimmy – since she’s in England studying (I’m not sure what) and won’t be home for 6 months. They were going to sell it, but Uncle Ray asked if he might use it as he rambles around some on this trip.

Kay and Jimmy have 2 daughters – Kelly is 20 – almost 21 – and Courtney is 25. Both are in school – Courtney was leaving that day to go to London to visit her sister during spring break. Jimmy is in the real estate business in Little Rock. Ray is Kay’s older brother and he’s a retired teacher from the Glendale, California school system – he taught for some 30+ years before retiring after the last school year.

I went on and did laundry after that. I was almost done when Chris announced she wanted to go to the battery store to get a new battery for her cordless phone and I wanted to go with her and get Sukiey some cat treats at Pet Smart. So, Lena said she would finish my laundry for me; we went to the Interstate Battery place and got Chris’ battery; I got a spare for my camera while there, and then stopped at Pet Smart and I got the treats I wanted.

We stopped at McDonald’s on the way back; when we got back, I went and claimed my clothes and then went upstairs and put every- thing away. I talked a little while with Janice and then went to bed. Sukiey woke me up during the night to have some food put down for her.

Saturday morning Chris called and got me up early – to do the newspapers. We went out there and got to it. We finished up earlier than before – around 12:00 p.m. We left there and went by the Coffee Roastery and then went to the Wal*Mart in Pearl. I got a thing of cat litter and also wound up purchasing 2 pairs of shoes – actually a pair of boots in “sand” and a pair of brown sandals. I got the boots on clearance for $5.00 and the sandals were their regular price of $5.88! Chris couldn’t find any shoes she liked at a price she also was willing to pay. I also purchased socks and a replacement sunglass case – I lost mine on Friday. I think I left it at the Ruby Tuesday – laid it down to take a picture after taking my clip-on lenses out and then failed to pick the case back up.

Then we stopped at the Arby’s in Pearl and had lunch and came on home. I went up and put my stuff away and laid down and took a nap with Sukiey cuddled up on top of me. She loves to sleep like that and I don’t mind it either. By the way, I received my refund check from the State Tax Commission in the mail on Saturday.

Later, I went down to see Chris about something and she asked if I wanted to go for a taco. I said yes. She had given me some cat stuff that apparently got mixed up with hers, so I shot up to my apartment and dropped it off. Then, we took Romeo (a/k/a Barkey Butt) with us and set out for Taco Bell. We passed the place on High Street and wound up going all the way to County Line Road to eat. We left Romeo in the car – it was a cool evening. Before leaving the Taco Bell, though, we did request a cup of water for the puppy and they gave us a small cup, which I took to the fountain area and found the “water only” button on a dispenser and filled it about ¾ of the way.

Upon leaving, I discovered Chris had a mischievous streak to hit her and we headed for the I-220 loop around to West Jackson and we ended up riding all the way around back to I-55 North and then got off at High Street. She wanted to stop at the Sprint Mart Shell – so we did – she went in and got what she wanted and what I wanted while I stayed in the car with Romeo. He whined for most of the time she was in the store.

Oh yeah – as we were turning in at the Sprint Mart Shell, we noticed there was a wreck on the other side of the intersection and we asked if they needed us to call the police for them – a guy said the cops had already been called, but they weren’t there by the time we left, so Chris got her cell phone and called 911 and advised them of it. They said they would dispatch officers.

We got back to Sterling and parted ways. She took Romeo and went home while I went on up to my apartment. I got myself ready for bed, then laid down on the couch and read for a while, with Sukiey at my feet. Finally I went on to bed – Sukiey woke me up about 3:00 a.m. wanting food. I put some down for her and she was fine after that.

Chris called me early Sunday morning – around 7:30 a.m. or so – and wanted to know if I wanted to take her car to Church. I told her I had decided I wasn’t going. But, we decided to go take a “Sunday drive”. So – later on – around 9:30 a.m., we met up downstairs. I brought my camera with me and she had Romeo – we decided to let him accompany us. We set out on the drive – went up to North Jackson and hit I-220 and went around to Clinton – where we got off on Springridge and pulled in at the Kroger Fuel Center and filled up Chris’ car with gas. She walked Romeo while I pumped; then I went and paid for the gas and got in the car with Romeo while she added a quart of oil.

We set off in the direction of Vicksburg – roughly 30 miles away – and kept going – across the Mississippi River into Louisiana. So – now I can say that I’ve been in my home state once this year already. We stopped at the Tourism Information Center at Mound. I pulled out the camera and got a couple of pictures of Chris and Romeo with the Louisiana sign; she took the camera and got a shot of me with Romeo and the sign. I had taken other pictures en route and took a couple more while we were there. I went to the rest room and then came out and kept Romeo while she went in. Then when she returned, I went in the Tourism Center and browsed, plus got a decaf cup of Community Coffee (the official coffee of Louisiana). She went in and got a cup while I held on to Romeo.

Then, we got back in the car and headed west again – to the next exit – and turned around and headed east back into Mississippi. We were almost to Bolton when we saw a horse farm on our right. I remarked that it would make a very pretty picture – considering the weather was gorgeous, even if a bit chilly. J J We went on down to the Bolton exit, got off and turned right, then went in search of a way to reach the frontage road. We found it – and also noticed a Bolton police officer sitting parked in his cruiser just back off the road. We drove on past him and down the winding road. Well – the next thing we knew – we found the horse farm and it was on the left. We pulled over on the right side of the road to park, but Chris decided she’d rather be on the left, headed back out. So – a Lincoln Town Car (or something similar) passed by us, then Chris did a U and pulled over on the side of the road next to the white picket fence.

I got out of the car; she stayed inside with Romeo. I hiked a wee bit to the fence and started checking for camera angles. I got several shots – what I believe will be beautiful shots – and then went to get back in the car. I discovered that Romeo had gotten excited and was trying to follow me out of the car and managed to spill the cup of water in my seat. Chris didn’t have a towel, but she did have a plastic grocery bag, so she put it down to try to keep my bottom dry on the ride back. As I was coming back to the car, that same Lincoln (or whatever) came back down the road in the same direction we would be going.

We pulled back onto the road – and as we driving along, we encountered that same Lincoln (or whatever) parked off of the road and pointed in our direction. As we were approaching, it began moving – backing up – and as we passed, it pulled out and behind us. It followed us back around to where the Bolton police cruiser was parked. Chris signaled and turned left – the Lincoln (or whatever) kept going on down the road. We made our way back out to the “main drag” of Bolton (not a real big town to begin with) and on to the exit for I-20 towards Jackson. J J

This wasn’t the end to our adventure, though…

As we were driving along - about the time we were approaching Clinton, a black four door truck with darkly tinted windows passed us on the left (we were in the right lane) and then slowed. Next thing we knew – a guy rolled the rear seat window down and half hung out of it with a camera taking pictures of Chris’ car. Chris told me “smile – you’re on candid camera”! J J

Then as we were approaching Ellis Avenue, we saw police and other emergency vehicles in the road ahead and slowed down like the other traffic was doing. Then we saw that we were being signaled to move to the far left lane to go around. We did and as we passed by, we saw that an 18-wheeler had run off the Interstate and flipped over among some trees. On the news, later, we learned that the driver had only minor injuries and the police suspected him of having fallen asleep at the wheel.

We got home without any further adventures and I stayed home with Sukiey and watched TV and did some cleaning for the rest of the day.

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Today’s Women’s Luncheon was excellent – June’s son-in-law and pastor of First Baptist Church of Canton – was the speaker. His name is Bro. Donnie South – I believe he’s working on his doctoral degree at this time. I picked up a copy of the April schedule on the way in and then after eating, settled down and took notes as Donnie was speaking. I’ll share them with you…

The Heart of Jeaus…Compassion

When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9:36 NIV

The heart of Jesus is compassion – how He shows His compassion. The life of Jesus was one interruption after another – but there was always compassion.

Matthew 9:35-37

1. Heed the leadership of the Spirit. (John 14)

God will give opportunities

2. Encounter the multitudes…

Jesus went to the people.

When God calls we must go

3. Act on the need…

He healed.

See that people’s needs are met.

4. Realize the true need.

Sheep without a shepherd.

5. The Savior is waiting…

For you to realize there are hurting people all around.

This spells H E A R T! The heart of Jesus is compassion.

Donnie also shared a slideshow of photos he had taken on a trip to Cambodia. They were very powerful.

At the end of the Luncheon, I went up and waited in a short line to greet Donnie and when it was my turn, I asked him to sign my Journal and he was very gracious and did for me.

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Michele just called me and said that Kathy asked her what we were talking about regarding Chris and me being followed. When Michele filled her in, Kathy informed Michele that there’s a serial killer on the loose – has been for about 2 years – and it’s being kept rather hush-hush by law enforcement in order to try to flush the individual(s) out. Bolton is an area where the bodies have been found; Clinton is another. So – indeed – we were being followed! The Lincoln was following us to find out who we were and what we were up to. Then – the truck on the Interstate with the guy hanging out the window taking pictures – Kathy said they took pictures of Chris’ car so they could check it out later. Michele said that by now the police know all about Chris and possibly me as well. They could’ve run the license tag and got who knows what information on her and/or me.

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In today's mail...

The packages were books:

· The Journey How To Live By Faith In An Uncertain World Billy Graham

· Where God Was Born: A Journey by Land to the Roots of Religion Bruce Feiler

· The Sion Revelation: The Truth About the Guardians of Christ’s Sacred Bloodline Lynn Pickett & Clive Prince

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James left early; Daryl is outside and Ignacio should be in behind him shortly. I'll call a wrap to writing today and continue later...

Notes - Wednesday and Thursday

I got a call from my cousin Kay in Little Rock Wednesday and she said she and her brother Ray (from California) are going to be passing through Jackson on Friday and they want to stop and have lunch with me. They're to call me when they start getting close to the Metro for directions.

Wednesday night Sukiey was on the couch when I got home. This was her second night to have done that. She's been staying in her "hidey-hole" spots and coming out when I get in. This morning she wanted to cuddle with me and didn't want to get up so I could get out of bed. I finally got her to cooperate around 5:45 a.m. Then I had to go fix her breakfast as well as mine before getting ready for work.

Evangelism Explosion for 3/21/06

Good morning friends of Evangelism Explosion!

Tuesday night was our first night back after taking Spring Break the previous week. We
discovered our attendance was down as several leaders were out, along with a few
trainees. Ronnie had a commitment with his daughter that he had to leave to attend;
Dot is on vacation, so I'm filling in for her this morning in sending this out. Our
intrepid Vic Holsapple perservered with some not necessarily needed help from some of
us leaders who were there. :) :)

To kick the evening off, we had some entertainment. Mrs. Shiny Yates came and sang for
us while accompanying herself on piano. Shiny sang 3 songs: Amazing Grace, My Tribute
and Love One Another. She also had Vic to read the following that she had prepared:

"Love One Another"

Love one another as I have loved you.
Forgive one another.
Help one another.
Accept one another as I have done to you.
Share this bread together. It is my body.
Drink this wine together. It is my blood.
Share joy together. I will give you rest.
Sing together. I will give you everlasting peace.
Love one another.
Cherish one another as I have loved you.

Here's how the evening went:

Linda, Jared and Ken went out to do a state fair follow-up. They presented the Gospel
to Cheiron, his sister and brother-in-law. Gave assurance to them.

Bob M., Linda C. and Teenie were asked to come back later by the person they attempted
to visit with.

Bill, James and Beth gave assurance to the person they visited with.

Rick, Freddy and Peggy visited in North Jackson with a CLC member's brother; the member
wasn't home. Asked the diagnostic questions, got nowhere but left information.

Kendra Sue, Betty and Bill went out; Bill shared with us about a "way of life" that
happened at a Baptist Medical convention he attended. He was able to share EE with a
hotel employee who was downcast and the lady made a profession of faith.

Vic, Guy and Karen went out as a team and wound up providing assurance to 2 people.

Bob T., Ed, Barbara and Chris met with David and he made a profession of faith.

Ken, Chris and Jamie attempted to visit, but were unable to talk with anyone, however
they did leave information.

Mary, Don, Hank and Rex did a state fair follow-up with Kay, but were not admitted, so
they left information; another person they talked with nailed the diagnostic questions.

Chris, Richard and Linda visited with a female who needs counseling and work.

Eric, Jenny and Mark had a visit with 2 people who turned out to be Christians.

Prayer Requests:

Mr. Hurst and his 10 year old son

John - brother of CLC member; no clue about God

Cheiron - severe mental/emotional stress; mom has lung cancer

Allen - evacuee from New Orleans; financial difficulties

David - profession of faith

Kaye - that someone can reach her

Kimberly and son - moved from Ocean Springs

Dana - moved from Biloxi and is having surgery

According to my count, there were 30 attempts, 12 were completed, the diagnostic
questions were asked 9 times and there were 2 professions of faith.

We appreciate your prayers every week so very much. Please continue to pray for our
teams - leaders and trainees - as our semester runs through May 9th.

In His Service,

Peggy Alford

My First Long Weekend...

First of all, I left out of here at 12:00 p.m. on Thursday and went on upstairs after talking with Chris. She was in the lobby and they were having a birthday lunch for Jean. I wasn’t invited and I didn’t try to invite myself. I’m not a part of “Jean’s clique” and don’t even want to be. I went up and changed clothes, then hung out with Sukiey afterwards. When the lunch was over, Chris called me. We discussed the idea of going ahead and telling Jean about Sukiey. It was finally decided that we would – or rather Chris would – and so she went back to Jean’s office to do that, as she had gone home to call me.

Chris went back to see Jean and she informed her that I had Sukiey and that I had been keeping her on a “trial basis” to see how it would work out – if she and I would bond. She told Jean that we had indeed bonded and that I wanted to keep the cat, so she wanted Jean to know that I have her. They discussed the business of my putting down a pet deposit and that would cause my rent to increase by $25.00 per month. Well – Jean finally told Chris for me not to put down the deposit because if I did, Lee would begin expecting the extra $25.00 per month in rent. Frankly – I don’t think that place is worth $475.00 per month (what I pay now) – let alone $500.00!

After talking with Jean, Chris went back to her apartment and called me. She told me what the results of the discussion with Jean were. We decided that we would go ahead that afternoon and take Sukiey to the vet (Dr. Troy Majure) instead of waiting till Friday around mid-morning. So, Chris came up and we “captured” Sukiey and got her in the carry cage and we took her down – via the elevator – and had to listen to her squall the entire way down. Sukiey doesn’t like the elevator but I’m not sure why. Chris says it has to do with the movement involved.

Once we got out of the elevator with her, she calmed down. Chris showed Sukiey to Jean so she would know what cat Chris was referring to and I went for my mail. I found that the order of address cards had come in and so I took the mail with me when we left to go to the vet’s office. She was completely calm the entire trip to the vet and while at the office. She didn’t cut up or try to fight while Dr. Beth Boyd (one of Dr. Majure’s associates) was examining her.

Dr. Boyd weighed her and told us Sukiey weighs 8 pounds. She also tested her for feline hiv and it came back negative, so she gave her the vaccine and told us we would need to bring her back in 3 weeks for a booster and then 3 weeks after that for another booster, then she would be good for a year. She checked Sukiey’s heart, lungs, and whatever else they check on a cat. Dr. Boyd also gave her the usual shots – rabies and whatever else. Sukiey has an appointment on April 6^th for the feline hiv vaccine booster. Dr. Boyd said we should use a product called Revolution on Sukiey to treat her for heartworms and fleas; I bought one package and will get another when I take her back for her booster in April.

When we finished at the vet’s office, we loaded Sukiey back up in her cage – she was more than willing to get in it because she knew it meant she was going home. J J Then we left there and went in search of something to eat. We wound up at Captain D’s – Sukiey was good and calm the whole time we were out with her. When we returned to Sterling, and got back in the elevator with her, she began squalling again. But – once we got out of the elevator and let her out of the cage in my apartment, she was fine.

Thursday night she was kind of drowsy – from all the shots she had gotten and the bit of blood drawn to test for the feline hiv. She was running a little fever too. Sukiey stayed in the bed close to me instead of getting in her “hidey-hole”. I said something to Chris about it and she said that perhaps, if Sukiey wasn’t feeling better Friday afternoon, we could call Dr. Majure and ask him about giving her an aspirin. An aspirin to a cat?!

Friday morning I got up and fed Sukiey, then went and did my laundry while Chris went and helped her friend Rose. She doesn’t drive much and she’s elderly, so Chris takes her to do errands and stuff. Well, when Chris came back, I was done. She and I left out and we knew that I was missing Sukiey’s rabies tag they had given me. We stopped by Dr. Majure’s and sure enough, I had left it on the counter when we left the day before. They gave it to me and I pocketed it this time.

When we left Dr. Majure’s office, we went over to Bill’s Coin Shop. They didn’t have the Nebraska quarters in yet – I would’ve been surprised if they had – but while there, we purchased the Jefferson nickels from 2005 that weren’t meant for circulation, I purchased a Walking Liberty silver dollar – yes 2006 silver dollar – it has one ounce of fine silver in it and it came in a holder and it’s brilliant uncalculated. It cost between $14-15. I also wound up with 3 Kennedy halves: 1971, 1974 and the bicentennial issue of 1976. Chris made some purchases as well.

Upon leaving there, we headed up to the Junction Shopping Center. There we parked in the Target area and I went in to get a few items: baking soda (Aunt Tootie had told me that I should put it in the bottom of the litter pan prior to putting a liner bag in the pan); shaving cream, a new Wisp and refills; and I also bought a pack of refill cartridges for my new razor as they were 50 cents cheaper at Target than at Wal*Mart. I had a difficult time believing Target was that much cheaper on something!

When I was done, we moved the car over to PetSmart and I got a package of cat treats for Sukiey; Chris got some things she needed there as well. Then, we went to Books-A-Million and I purchased some magazines and we stopped for lunch, then went back to Sterling. I hung out with Sukiey for the remainder of the day and also did some reading. I discovered a flea on Sukiey, so I told Chris and we decided that Saturday we would put the Revolution on her.

Saturday morning we headed out to the newspaper site and did the newspapers – we finished earlier than usual – about 1:00 p.m. From there we went to Ryan’s for lunch, then down the street to Bass Pro Shop. There I purchased some birthday cards, a Bass Pro sweatshirt and a can cooler, plus I got a rewards card. From that point we went to a Cingular and were able to get one of the techs there to show me how to send photos I took with my phone’s camera to people by e-mail.

Then we went home to Sterling and put the Revolution on Sukiey – she wasn’t real thrilled for a while, but she got over it. I had a hard time getting her to get up – she was laying on top of me on the couch – when I was ready to go to bed. She squalled at me for making her move!

Sunday morning I called Chris and she said she wasn’t feeling good and that I should take her car – so I took her car to church and was going to come back and get her, but she left me a voice mail that I got before leaving Sunday school and so I went on to CVS to get my prescriptions and then went to Taco Bell and picked up lunch before returning home and bringing her the keys back.

I hung out at home the remainder of the day – it was nippy, chilly, rainy, damp and wet. I didn’t care to get back out in it for anything.

Sukiey - - photo

This is a photo of my cat Sukiey. She's a sweet, loving and loveable cat. She's also a "purring machine".

Tuesday Night...

Tuesday night was unusual - there was no EE, as we were taking Spring Break. That was Ronnie's decision. I was glad to have the night free, but it seemed strange not to be going out on visits at the same time.

Well, when I got in last night, I found Chris and Romeo in the lobby. She and Lena were visiting; she had just returned from walking Romeo. He grabbed the handle of his leash and began looking at me - the stinker wanted me to take him again! I didn't, though.

Chris told me she was going to Wal*Mart and asked if I wanted to go with her. After a few minutes, I went up to my apartment and dropped my bag and checked on Sukiey, then came back down and met up with Chris. We headed out to the Wal*Mart in Pearl to do some shopping.

We stopped at an area where there were sports cards and supplies; I picked out several packs of cards - basketball and hockey - and finally found some card pages. I told Chris that I needed a 3 ring binder - to put the pages in.

Then, we started browsing some - and made our way to the pet stuff area. We picked out more cat food - 9 Lives. Since I already have several cans of chicken, I decided Sukiey may be tiring of chicken, so I got her 2 packages of other 9 Lives canned cat food. I hope she'll like them - I have another serving left in the can that's open, so I'll give her that tomorrow and then on Friday I'll try her on a new can. Chris also bought some 9 Lives. And, she insisted on buying a scratch pad with catnip for Sukiey.

After spending some time in that area, we went on to the entertainment area. Chris' reason for going in the first place was to purchase a VCR for Jean, the resident manager, for her upcoming birthday. She went looking at the VCR selection and I went looking for and found a copy of Alan Jackson's Precious Memories - his new Gospel music CD. I inquired about getting the photo of Sukiey taken off my phone's camera - printed, that is. The guy at the camera area said unless my phone is Bluetooth enabled, they couldn't do it. I told him it wasn't because I don't really know if it is or not. I'll have to check on that.

We made our way through other areas of the store - I got the 3 ring binder I needed. Finally we reached the check out and were indeed checked out and headed to the car. It was after 9:00 p.m. by the time we left Wal*Mart. We stopped to pick up something to eat at Krystal on the way back to Sterling.

By the time I got to my apartment and and unloaded the bags, it was after 10:00 p.m. I had a couple more tasks before going to bed. I put the scratch pad out for Sukiey and she went wild over it. Overnight she spent more time in the bed with me than on previous nights. Then, this morning when the alarm clock went off, I got up and fixed her breakfast and put it down for her, then fixed mine. She went to town eating. I told her I would be home around lunchtime to check on her.

Sukiey is really adjusting and acclimating herself to living me (or maybe it's me living with her). I was playing with her in the bed this morning and she was very much enjoying that. Chris said that Sukiey deserves to have me after what she's been through in the past with her previous "owners". I suppose that was a compliment, I'll take it as such.

This is about it for now...

Sukiey and Me...

Last night when I got home from work, I found Chris and then we went up to my apartment. She wanted to come up and check on Sukiey - see how she was doing since she's been living with me or is it that I'm now living with her?!

When we opened the door and went inside, we called her. She immediately came out from her "hidey-hole" and let us pet her and play with her. Chris showed me how to use the wand thing to play with her.

Then, later, after Chris left, I laid down on the couch and was watching TV. I was waiting for 24 to come on. Well - Sukiey jumped up on the couch and settled down on top of me. She made herself comfortable and became a "purring machine". She stayed there - when it was time for me to get to bed, I had to nudge her to get her to move so I could get up!

She got in the bed with me - although she didn't stay all night. She is becoming more and more content - Chris said it was obvious to her that Sukiey is bonding to me and that she's a much happier cat in my apartment.

This morning Sukiey got up when I did and waited for me to put some of the canned food down for her - then she got busy eating it while I went to take a shower and get ready for work. When I left, she was up in her "hidey-hole" as I could see her tail hanging down.

I'll try to check on her at lunchtime if I can - or I may wait till later in the afternoon, after the mail has run and go pick it up and take it upstairs. Depends on how things go around here.

Woo-Hoo!! Dr. Sally K. Ride!!

In today's mail I received a signed color 8x10 photo from Dr. Sally K. Ride - the first American female to fly in space. She sent the photo I sent her back unsigned.

I went over about 30 minutes or so ago to Sterling to check the mail, pick up my medications and go up and check on Sukiey.

Nice and fast success - considering that I only sent the request off on March 2!

Over the Weekend....

Monday, March 13, 2006

Good afternoon folks! It’s just about straight up 1:00 p.m. I’m finally getting a chance to open your file in an attempt to try to bring you up to date about my busy weekend. Yep – I had a busy one!! So here goes…

Friday evening when I got home from work, I freshened up and took care of a few things, then went downstairs to wait for Bobby to swing by and pick me up. He showed up and we hightailed it over to Chad’s house. Andy and Allison had just gotten there and Andy had their grill in the back of his truck. He and Chad unloaded it and took it to the backyard and started prepping both grills that they had and got them going.

Once everyone arrived, we gathered in Chad’s living room and had our Bible study while a couple of the guys were tending the grills. I think they were in there too, they just popped out every once in a while to check on the progress. They were cooking shish-ka-bobs on the grills. Mark spoke on the topic of temptation and he shared with us about how he has an accountability partner and how it works. I have notes – but not with me - so I won’t be able to go into detail with you.

Once Mark was done, we had dinner. There were the shish-ka-bobs and corn on the cob, salad and a couple of other things. For dessert we had cookies and a chocolate cheesecake with cherries on top. I brought a cookie home with me. And – I caught a ride with the Ware gang – Greg, Brad and Tina – they’re brothers and a sister. Greg and Tina live in Forest over in Scott County and Brad lives in Brandon (here in the Metro). It was on their way home, actually, so that’s why Allison asked them to drop me at Sterling – it would’ve been a slight detour off of I-55 South; but Greg (who was driving) didn’t go that way. He took the city streets and dropped me off.

I talked with Chris when I got home about working with the newspapers on Saturday. She called me early Saturday morning – around 6:15 a.m. I think it was. I got up and got ready and we left out around 7:00 a.m. and were at the DC site by around 7:20 a.m. We got an earlier start than usual.

When we got finished, which was around 2:30 p.m. we left the DC site and headed for the Wal*Mart in Pearl. Once inside, we went shopping – first we went to the pet supply area. There we bought:

Friskies Chef’s Blend dry cat food

Cat “starter kit” – containing:

Food dish (dual)

Water bowl

Litter box

Litter waste bags

Rake for litter

Tidy Cat litter

Ball toys

Wand toy

Collar

Groceries (fill-in needs)

When we were done at Wal*Mart, we started to go to Arby’s for lunch but decided we wanted to go to Barnhill’s instead. So, we hightailed it to Sterling and dropped off the Wal*Mart purchases – since I had some frozen items in there. Then, we got back in the car and went up to Barnhill’s on County Line. They just opened a week or so ago. We got there at 4:00 p.m. and had to wait in line to get in, but were out of there about 5:00 p.m.

While in Wal*Mart we had tried to use the pet id engraving machine, but couldn’t get it to work. Well, we were going to Pet Smart to get some puppy food for Romeo, so while we were there, we used their machine and got an engraved tag for Sukiey – I put “Sukiey Alford” and my cell phone number on it. I also got a 7 pound container of Tidy Cat as Chris decided that what I bought at Wal*Mart might not be enough to last awhile. Chris got the Science Diet that Romeo eats.

We left Pet Smart and returned to Sterling; I went up with the Tidy Cat and the tag. Chris went home. I got the air cranked up – it was kind of stuffy. Then, I got busy – I did a little cleaning up that needed to be done; I got my bed’s act together – got the covers and blankets back on it properly and tucked down where Sukiey wouldn’t be able to get to the mattress. Finally, I went downstairs and Chris was in the lobby with Romeo. She had been out walking him.

Chris and I went back to her apartment with Romeo and we got Sukiey out of her hiding spot. I was able to catch her and get a hold on her. I took her to Chris to put in the carry cage, but she managed to escape and went up under Chris’ bed. Chris got her out and this time got her in the cage. She was just a squawking as we carried her up to the lobby and got in the elevator and took her up to my apartment.

Once we got inside, Chris opened the door of the cage and Sukiey ran out like she had been shot out of a cannon. J J She ran and found a spot to hide. Chris fixed the cage for her and the stool that she likes to sleep on. We put the toys out too. I had opened the kit and fixed the litter box and put food and water down for her. Chris gave me some cans of 9 Lives for her to eat in addition to the Friskies Chef’s Blend.

Chris left and I laid down on the couch and was perusing the magazines I had gotten – I was more or less ignoring Sukiey on purpose to see how she would act. Finally, she came out from her “hidey-hole” as Chris and I call it. She came to me and would let me pet her and would lick and nibble at my fingers. When I finally went to bed, I opened the door and left it open – I had closed it when I went down. Then, about ½ an hour later, I felt a thump and looked and Sukiey was in the bed with me. She didn’t stay, though; she went back to her “hidey-hole”.

Sunday morning I got up and fixed Sukiey some of her canned cat food – put it down for her. I had breakfast as well. I closed the bedroom door and kept it closed while I was having breakfast and then taking a shower and getting ready for Church. I came out and shut it behind me. I told Sukiey that I was heading to Church and would be back later. One thing I did was leave the TV on – tuned to Animal Planet – on low volume.

At Church we had a nice service. Mark preached and brought a good message. Then, after a “pit stop”, I went up to Sunday school. We had our first lesson in Hebrews and David taught it. Debbie will teach next week. I didn’t go out with the group for lunch – I wanted to get home and check on Sukiey.

When I got home, I went and changed clothes and then went and laid on the couch for a little while to watch the Arena Football game. Sukiey came out and got up on the couch and laid down on top of me briefly. She was purring. Then, she got up and went back to her “hidey-hole” and I got up and got my stuff together and went down to do laundry. I made a few trips up and down – and finally got it done.

When I was able to stay put, I laid down on the couch and watched the rest of the NASCAR race and believe it or not, Sukiey came back up and laid down on top of me for a while. She was licking me and nibbling my fingers. Chris called and I gave her an update on Sukiey’s bonding progress. Last night I curled up on the couch and she got up there and laid down by me. I was finally able to figure out how to use the camera in my phone and I took a picture of Sukiey – actually I took several pictures of her before I finally got a good one of her. Then, I went down to see Chris and while down there, I used the camera and took a couple of pictures of Romeo – took a couple of attempts to get a good one of him.

I went to bed and left the door open and she came and got in the bed with me a little later. She seems to be spooked by the waterbed, though. She seems not to like the waves. And, she seems to be spooked as well by the elevator noises. But, she’ll eventually get used to that. I felt the same way at first and I adjusted.

This morning – oops! There was a miscommunication and somehow I failed to remember that I was supposed to come in to work for 7:00 a.m. I knew Bob is out – on vacation this week, but I forgot that they wanted me to start working on shift this week. So – I got in for 8:00 a.m. and they weren’t too upset – once I explained about my confusion. They understood.

Well – I’ve been moved – over to the Operator workstations. I couldn’t log in at first, so I had to use my regular one. I put in a ticket to have the team copy my id over. Jeremy and McKinley finally got over here and did that – now I’m using the same one Bob uses – since I’m working in his place this week. I’m also able to log on to the one Allan uses. I’ll have to share again– I’m not real happy about that, but…

Vicki, Laura and I went to the Women’s Luncheon and Mark spoke today. That makes 3 events in the past 4 days that I’ve heard him speak at. It was a good one too – he used some of the material from Friday and Sunday – combined it sort of. I took notes.

Around 3:00 p.m. I plan to go over to to Sterling – to do 3 things: pick up my mail, get my meds for this evening and check on Sukiey. Since I didn’t realize I would be working till 7:00 p.m., I didn’t bring my meds with me and I hadn’t thought I would need to check on Sukiey, although I made sure she had plenty of food and water when I left this morning.

Oh yes, this morning Michele S. came over and brought me a bag with some “cat stuff” in it – toys and catnip. I’ll take it home with me later tonight.

I’ll pause here for now and have more later…