"Outstanding In Our Field"

Yes, we were out standing in our field,

And, sitting out in our field,

and opening gates.

Milking cows, or at least posed to milk cows.

You see, Sam from the State Farm Bureau Office

came to take pictures for the State Farm Family contest.

And, he made the rounds.....so see below for a 

quick tour of our farm.

 

The Jersey cows have their own cooling pond.

 

They still have some green grass, as well.

 

The cows have a covered barn for their feed.
I would say these cows have it made.

The boys enjoy bottling the babies sometimes.

 

Awe...they are cute...boys and calves.

 

And, then there are the sheep.

 

 

 

   Sam moved on to take pictures of the beef cows.

 

 

 

Nathan and I standing outside the calf barn.

 

And, we are still standing.
Standing together after 43 years of marriage,
and 31 years on this farm in the dairy business.
I love standing by this man!  I love this man!

To quote a brief part of our application for 
the State Farm Family from David....

"Our family is not unique in Oklahoma.  There are many 
                outstanding farm families.  We believe that our family is representative of the many others because we love the land and animals passionately.  We are good stewards of that which God has entrusted us.  We attempt to promote a positive future for agriculture in Oklahoma.  We have been involved in various agriculture organizations and activities both for youth and adults."

"We have endured drought, floods, ice storms, fires, serious health issues, agriculture loan crises, and low prices.  We are in the midst of the greatest dairy cost-return crisis in 31 years."

"If there be anything that would uniquely qualify our family to represent Oklahoma agriculture, maybe it would be that perhaps we have a stronger passion to survive and succeed than many.  There are not many who remain in the dairy business."

And again I say....We are still standing....standing together.

Note:  We were the Muskogee County Farm Family.  We did NOT win the state competition.

Miss America 1995

Remember Miss America 1995?

We were privileged to hear Heather Whitestone McCallum speak at the OK State Farm Bureau Vespers service last Sunday morning.  As most of you know we represented Muskogee County Farm Bureau as the Farm Family.  We did not win the state contest, nor did we expect to, but the experience of listening to Heather was well worth the time.  Heather is an amazing woman.  She is very gracious and her love for the Lord radiates.  She shared about her deafness and childhood.  Her mother, Daphne Gray was the driving force behind Heather learning to speak instead of learning sign language as a child. Heather also loves ballet.  If you watched the Miss America contest in 1995, you may remember her stunning performance.  Prior to Heather speaking, a video was shown of parts of the pageant.  Her ballet performance was flawless.  I was so struck with her determination when she told us how she was able to dance without hearing the music......think about that....she performed without missing a beat.  At the time she only had minimal hearing in one ear.   She shared that she memorized the beat of the music with the faint sound she could hear.  That is just incredible to me.  It took a couple of months to master the music in her head.   She was not about beauty contests, but rather she had a desire to achieve and get an education.  She was able to do that and more due to the money received from the Miss America pageant.

Heather now has three sons and is married to a former Congressional aide.  She has overcome tremendous obstacles. She recently returned from Afghanistan where she and five other former Miss Americas went to visit the troops.  She said, "God is working in the hearts of our troops."

David and I were able to speak personally with her briefly.  We were waiting for our pickup on the curb of the hotel and she was standing right beside us....she had changed into her jeans....looking very common and I was not sure it was her.  David approached her to confirm it really was her and when I walked up she gave me a very sweet hug.  She is one of those people you just feel like you have known her forever.  Heather really is an  amazing young woman. 

Poor baby....he does not like to be

told "No".

Mean Grandma....I'm tellin' Momma.

Look, Momma can fix it.

I love my Mommy.

Okay, I will smile at Grandma now.

Red Tongue

Blue Tongue

Yummy!

More, give me more.

Awe......good!

Nathan has discovered M&M's....that is what "Trunk or Treat" is good for.
Don't miss the video below.

Brotherly Love

Please note: The following is posted by a guest author. I may have to move over and let him post more often.

I am not one to get involved in the Face Book craze or blogging. I look at the pictures occasionally, usually spending a little more time looking at my own grandkids than others, which is probably normal. This picture has a story behind it and a bigger story out front. Being one of four brothers, I have seen brother relationships up close all of my life. Through the years I have known other brothers.

The story behind this picture is one of sacrificial, unconditional love for a little brother unlike any I have personally experienced. To see Joshua, age 8, interact with his little brother Nathan, age 1, is a true picture of brotherly love. Joshua will stop playing with his other brother Andrew, whom he plays very well with, to entertain Nathan when Nathan is cranky. When Joshua enters a room where Nathan is, Nathan's eyes and face brighten.

Now to the story out front. Look at the signs of autumn in front of the little boys. These questions come to my mind. Will these boys have each other to hold when they reach the autumn of life? Will they always be this close? But, the greater question for me is, whose hand have I held as I walk toward the autumn of life? To whom have I given unconditional love? Whose face have I brightened by entering the room? For whom have I dropped what I was doing to make their day brighter?

Take another look at the little boys walking toward autumn, what questions do you have?

Thoughts from David