Great Grand Daughter has a new Daddy

Here they are headed to the church to get ready for the wedding and start their new lives together as a family.

I know I wasn't going to write anymore about the tornado, but the paper is so full of stories every day and it is hard to still not be attuned to all of it. I just read that 18,000 cars were destroyed! 18,000! When we were in Joplin last week we saw several really battered autos on the streets. I sort of felt like driving them was a badge of courage for those folks. I don't think I would get body work done if it still ran! There was a picture of a van (couldn't tell from the pic) They were thinking of keeping it somewhere where they are collecting stuff to form a sort of museum to show what damage a tornado can do. The guy had just bought it and didn't have insurance transferred yet. Went into Walmart to shop and was lucky he was alive!

There was also a long article about the areas hardest hit and destroyed that had been some of the oldest historic part of the city. So with the loss of these buildings goes the loss of alot of Joplin's history.

Thought for the day:: Good things are worth taking care of!

More on the Joplin tornado

Down by that white car and on the right was a huge building where I worked for 8 years, for a large home health agency. Its all gone now. My friend still works "there". She said there is a huge beam across her old desk. Thank God the tornado happened on a Sun evening, and not a work day. They are displaced, like about 500 other businesses, working out of a church till an office building in another part of town can be renovated for them. The paper is still just full of the stories of survival. One that tugs your heart was a young girl (I think 11 years old) that was at the Home Depot where several people died. She got a piece of angle iron driven thru her body from her shoulder down to her lower spine. She is a miracle as she is recovering. The death toll is up to 156 now, as some of the injuries were so sever that they just can't make it.

We had to go to Joplin last Tue for a follow up apt on hubby's knee. 3 mo. and he is doing very well. Did drive by the hospital and to see it in person just makes your mouth hang open. All windows blown out, cars still in parking lot and are all beat up. Across the street all the medical buildings are leveled. They are working on removal now. A huge scale operation. It is amazing how people from all across the country are showing up to help clean up.

Thought for the day: A man should forget his mistakes, there's no use in two people remembering the same thing.

Went to Joplin last week

These are just a few pictures I took last week in Joplin. What is so horrifying is that these were neighborhoods. So when you see the flat ground those were ALL homes! I am just amazed that more didn't die. I think the death toll is 150 now.

Some other facts that came out in the paper the other day: 6,954 homes destroyed, 359 homes with major damage, 516 with minor damage, 300 businesses destroyed or terribly damaged.

Those numbers are just staggering. I think I heard that 1/3 of Joplin was destroyed or damaged. Major businesses were: 1 large hospital, 2 fire stations, at least 3 churches, Walmart Super Center, Home Depot, Acadamy Sports, the high school and 2 or 3 other schools, Toyota dealership, and a big Pepsi Distribution center. Then there was all the beauty shops, fabric store, small restaurants, Salvation Army, and Goodwill stores. So hard to wrap your brain around something that caused so much damage.

I just hope that all the money being raised is going to go to the right people who need it.

So just wanted to share this little bit from my part of the world.

Thought for the day: Whenever I hear a mother talk about wanting time away from her kids I can't help but think: just wait 'til the time comes when you'd do anything to be with then.. (I found that somewhere and think its worth some thought)

My daughter is an awesome driver!

The second picture is of our EMERGENCY FLASHERS that I wish we had Monday!

Bet that got your attention huh? Actually coming back from Texas in nearly 100 degree heat we had a right front tire blow out. My daughter was really awesome, in guiding the van to the shoulder like an old pro! It happened on a stretch of highway that was about as good as it gets for having to pull over and change a tire on a freeway. You would have thought someone would stop to help, what with a guy in a W/C sitting off the road and 2 women trying to change the tire. But she did it!! I only got a tiny smudge of grim on my white pants, so you know how much help I was to her. We went on into the next town and waited over 2 hrs and got 4 new tires put on! Not taking any chances! Then on safely home.

Oh, the Canton Tx. First Monday Sales is awesome, just don't go in 98 degree weather. You won't see it all in a day that's for sure. And take a wheeled cart or be ready to buy one for about 25$ there. Was great we had one and carried our small cooler and booty in it.

It was a great trip, great time with daughter, her hubby to be and the grand daughter. We are all ready to do another road trip when it gets cooler!

Thought for the day: Mistakes are a part of being human. Appreciate your mistakes for what they are: precious life lessons that can only be learned the hard way. Unless it's a fatal mistake, which at least, others can learn from.

YeeHaw look out Texas

If I see this guy I will for sure stop and give him a ride. He may have to sit on my lap as we may be a little crowded.

Dtr. and her family and I are taking a little trip for a few days to Canton Texas. The First Monday Trade Day. Always the first Monday of each month and the weekend preceding. It is the biggest flea market, craft show in the USA. Guess it is hard to see it all in one day. Go to
firstmondaycanton.com if you are interested in learning more. We were going to go the first of May, but there were so many storms brewing up that we chickened out. Now it will be good and hot and sunny. But looking forward to the family time.

Made some excellent book deals this week. One was at an estate sale and all the books were free. Got about 150 books in pretty good condition. Then today I stopped at a garage sale and paid 10$ for a big box of over 90 of these Love Inspired Romance novels that my older ladies just love. All nearly brand new. So Yeah for me.
(I almost feel guilty)

Thought for the day: Some people have such a talent for making the best of a bad situation that they go around creating bad situations so they can make the best of them. (makes sense to me)