family photo Sunday

We enjoyed a brief visit with our son and his family this past weekend. This photo of Brielle was taken during the children's hayride at their church in Pennsylvania.

Happy Thanksgiving

family photo Sunday

As we approached the cemetery, a ladder truck was fully extended with a huge American flag flying in tribute to my cousin Mark Rice (Click to read Remembering Mark Rice)

tribute to cousin Mark Rice

It was just a year ago that my Uncle Jimmy Rice died. This week we were saddened to lose another member of our family when his son, Mark Rice, died after a courageous battle with cancer. The following obit was posted at the Charlotte Observer:(click to read more)

Happy Fall Ya'll ! (Slideshow)

Photos taken this Fall around and about Georgia, from Lawrenceville to Ellijay. We have enjoyed watching the leaves change colors, but not the raking of the leaves!

family photo Sunday

This photo of Brielle with Uncle Brandon and Aunt Rachel was taken in Sept. 2008 in Pennsylvania.

along the journey

I woke up this morning and the first thing on my mind was an old Knock, Knock joke -

Knock, Knock.
Who's there?
Dwayne.
Dwayne who?
Dwayne the bathtub I'm dwouning!

So I wonder what this means, other than being really weird. Since we are both a little sick with allergies this time of the year, my wife and I both slept in today. Maybe I just slept too long! I guess with the fall season and the leaves falling like snowflakes, we are both allergic to something in the air. Cindy is having a worse time of it, even after one round of antibiotics she still has a dry cough. Just love the smell of vinegar and water boiling on the stove :) If you know of any more home remedies for the dry cough, please let us know.

The school where Cindy is teaching this year, Integrity Christian Academy, just moved from the Oak Road Lutheran church to a larger facility at Bethany Christian Center in Loganville. It is about 2 miles further for her to drive but it still is only 15 minutes with good traffic. The school has room to grow now and everyone is excited about the new facilities.

We are looking forward to the holiday season. We will be visiting my mom and dad for Thanksgiving and will get to see Josh, Janelle, and Brielle while there. I am glad to see the gas prices drop. The Walmart gas station was $1.82/ga on Friday and I really did not think I would ever see it that low again. I filled up my gas tank for $22 unlike a few weeks ago when it cost $52. This should help with everyone's traveling budget this season.

Duke wins 2nd game of tournament

Duke 97, Georgia Southern 54

Duke easily won their 2nd game (vs Georgia Southern) during the Coaches vs Cancer tournament and will play the next game against Rhode Island on Nov. 16th at 4:30pm. This game will only be carried on ESPNU. One notable change in the Duke line-up this year is that Greg Paulus, a senior and team leader, is the 6th man coming off the bench. Last year Jon Scheyer played the entire year as the 6th man, but this year Jon is a starter. Not sure if this is just an early season move by Coach K, but I would not be surprised to see Greg move back to a starting position. Regardless, he scored 11 points coming off the bench in this game. Kyle Singler (photo) had second straight 19 point game.

Recap at ESPN.COM

Tribute to Veterans

A special thanks to all Veterans today! According to USA Today there is only one living veteran of WWI; there are 2,306,000 living veterans of WWII and there are 2,307,000 veterans of the Korean war alive today. This video tribute was presented at half-time of the VMI - Citadel football game on November 11, 2006.

some may say I'm confused

Yes, some people probably think I am confused, but I am not the only one! We are in the midst of college football season and my favorite team, the Gators, are at #3 this week in both the AP and the ESPN/Coaches Poll. And the excitement is building towards the #3 Gators playing the #1 Crimson Tide for the SEC Championship on December 6th.

BUT, something else happened today that you need to be aware of - Duke Basketball began it's regular season in the "Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament" playing Presbyterian College at 7 PM tonight - final score Duke 80, Presbyterian 49 - Recap of the game at ESPN

Next game - Tuesday night at 9 PM and should be broadcast on ESPNU (if you have this channel)

Photos from tonight's game - I just love the faces Jon Scheyer makes when he plays ball.

family photo Sunday

Photo of my mom and dad before they were married - photo taken in March 1951 - This was one of several photos given to me recently by Aunt Louise. The photos were in a little book that belonged to Grandma Rice (mom's mother).

November Birthdays Slideshow

Star Wars acapella tribute

We can always use a little humor(and music) to cheer us up! Enjoy this acapella tribute to the music of composer John Williams.

good night, dear heart

Recently, composer and arranger Dan Forrest was emotionally moved to write a new choral piece titled "Good Night, Dear Heart" after his brother and sister-in-law lost a baby that they were supposed to adopt. You can read the story behind the song at this link to BJU.edu and listen to an excerpt from the premiere performance on Oct. 24th.

After leaving his brother’s home just moments after the news arrived, Forrest searched on the Internet for words that would describe his sadness. His searches eventually led him to a poem that was inscribed on the grave marker of Susy Clemens, the daughter of Mark Twain. The inscription read:

Warm summer sun shine kindly here, Warm southern wind blow softly here, Green sod above, lie light, lie light -- Good night Dear Heart, Good night, Good night.

Your Vote Counts

Well-done video that encourages us all to do our part and vote today, Nov 4th!

family photo Sunday

Here is a recent photo of Sophia Martha with daddy (Stephen) from the Fall of 2008. Sophia is our youngest grand-daughter and is 7 months old today.

Gators embarrass the Bulldogs, 49-10

Click this link to check out my Gator blog for the results of the Florida-Georgia game.