It Ain't Just Lights and Presents!

We thank God that Christmas is truly a celebration of birth - new birth! Not only do we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, but if you know Him and have received Him as your Savior it is a wonderful time to celebrate being born again!!




















May your homes be bright with the joys of the season and may your heart be bright with the love of God!

Mike and Patti

New Arrival and Pictures

Baby Lucas has arrived. See the updated post below to see new pictures
of him and grandbaby #5 due in January!!

Mike

More Blessings On The Way!!!!!

We truly are blessed!! Here is the current grandkid count and forecast for those of you who follow such things:


#1 Aidan Everett - Son of Mike, Jr. and Morgan - 3 Years Old.
















#2 Cadence Bowman - Daughter of Nick and Abbey - 3 Years Old






















#3 Cole (Bubby) Bowman - Son of Nick and Abbey - 1 Year Old






















#5 Lucas Everett - Son of Mike, Jr. and Morgan - Due October 10th



















#5 Baby Girl Powell - Daughter of Todd and Paige - Due January 6th

















#6 Baby Bowman - Next blessed event for Nick and Abbey - Due April 29th

True Toxin Times

Last week Patti had botox injections in her right arm to help with Charlotte's ongoing rehab. For those of you new to the blog, Charlotte is our term of endearment for her right arm. This is the second time we have had this done and it really helps a lot. Patti has started a brief series of re-hab visits to improve her exercise routine to get the most out of the treatment.

We are thankful that the insurance we have had covers this. This treatment is the last one approved before we move to a new plan. God has provided wonderfully for us through the insurance plan she was under at the Sheriff's office! God provided it when we didn't even know we were going to need it and it was the right plan with the right provisions!

Please pray that Patti's new treatment will lead to even more lasting results!!

Forever in Him,

Mike

More Restaurant Fun

Here's a cool story! My mother June Everett, or Meemo to grand and great grandkids, found out that her deceased brother-in-law had some money to be claimed that was listed by the state. She applied for it and a few years later - voila! A check in the mail! She decided that since it was "found" money, she'd blow a little of it and took me, Patti and brother Lynn to dinner last Thursday. However, she did not take us to just "any" restaurant - we went to the French Room in Adolphus hotel in downtown Dallas. The French Room, has earned Gourmet magazine’s top ranking for the Dallas/Fort Worth region for three consecutive years, and is a wonderful five star restaurant. Believe me, the food lived up to its billing - grrrrreat!

Also, the decor is spectacular. Check out the frescos, columns and chandelier. Very nice, quiet dining.

Here are a couple of dishes - tenderloin with a rosemary peppercorn sauce (Mike) and a baked halibut dish (Patti). For dessert I had a chocolate souffle. Notice the Happy Birthday on the plate - chocolate sauce - nice. The sorbet in the lily bowl was served between the salad and the main course.

Bon Apetit!

Mike

Restaurant Week in Dallas

Every year in August Dallas holds "Restaurant Week." Obviously the restaurants in town aren't making enough money, so they have to come up with a way to entice people to eat out a little more. (Yeah, right!)


Anyway, Mike and Patti, Mike's brother Lynn, and June (Meemo) went to The Nana Grill at the top of the Anatole Hotel to enjoy their special menu for the week. While we were there, we were treated to a fantastic lightning show during dinner and a wonderful view of downtown Dallas at night.



Great time!

More Lagniappe - In West Texas

Patti and I also took a recent weekend to travel out to West Texas to see Betty and R.I. (Neeno and Geeto). We had a lot of fun playing games including bridge and "hand and foot." By the way, if you've never played hand and foot, you should try it. It's a great game for families and friends. You can find the rules in several places on the web, but here is one of them:


http://www.pagat.com/rummy/handfoot.html

















Anyway, a great weekend. We just don't see you guys enough!!!

One funny note - when we were driving up we noticed something unusual out in a field between Ralls and Crosbyton. A large silver-back gorilla was standing guard over a field. Still haven't figured this one out! Apparently, just a farmer up to some monkey-business!

Lagniappe in Louisiana

OK, altogether now!

Summertime, summertime, sum, sum, summertime...

Summertime is the big birthday time of the year for the grandkids. Aidan is in June, Cole in July, and Cadence in August. Of course, that will soon be changing with new babies coming in October and January. Anyway, after we got back from Thailand, we got to go to Louisiana to enjoy a joint birthday party for Cadence and Cole (Bubby).



Cute cake!

















Bubby had his own and, in typical first birthday fashion, enjoyed it immensely!
































The kids had fun!
















Cadence got a cool rain outfit!
















And, Stephen and Bubby got acquainted!!

Nice job Mom! We loved the time together!!!!

Long Awaited Follow-up!!

I know you'll never believe this, but Patti and I got stuck in customs and have been having our bags examined for six straight weeks!!! (Hmmm. Maybe that's not so unbeleivable after all?)

Actually, I probably need to have my head examined for taking so long to do this. (Or at least my time management!)

Yes, we made it back and, yes, we had a great time! Mike, Morgan and Aidan were gracious and patient hosts and never once threatened to throw us out of the house. Of course, the fact that we brought several bags of Cheetos over for them may have influenced their tolerance somewhat.

OK. Some highlights and pictures.

Right after arriving we got to enjoy Aidan's third birthday party. There was a nice crowd of friends on hand.

Everybody enjoyed the cake, especially Aidan.

We saw a lot of the sights of Chiang Mai including a huge Buddha (or is it Buddhette?):

We learned that even Buddha (Buddhette) takes it easy once in a while.

Chiang Mai from the mountaintop:

Stinky fruit at the market: (We didn't try it and because it was wrapped in plastic we didn't get to smell it. We're told we were very fortunate!

Lots and lots and lots and lots of motor bikes:

In fact, this picture just doesn't do it justice. There are thousands of these things around all the time. It is the preferred form of transportation. We saw bike drivers on cell phones, with babies in their laps, and as many as four (though we heard about five) on a single bike. It is a bike culture in Chiang Mai!

Here's another example. For those of us used to overwhelming government control of the comfort and condition of kids in the car, this was a little different!!

The ancient wall of the city of Chiang Mai. It was mostly destroyed during WWII by Japanese bombers.

There was always something beautiful to see in Chiang Mai and the surrounding countryside. This was a waterfall where we had a picnic.

This was an even bigger waterfall we visited a few days later.

We wondered where all the water for this one was coming from, so we looked around and, sure enough, we found the source of all that water......

Too bad there was a leak in the hose. Who knows how much bigger the falls would have been?

What trip to Thailand would be complete without a visit to the elephant camp! This was so much fun! I had no idea elephants were so friendly. Makes you think about getting one for a pet!

We also had a blast at the Chiang Mai Zoo. Below are the animals we got to see and, in the case of the Giraffes, feed!!

There are two videos that I want to pass along. The first was taken when Mike Jr. and I were out playing golf. We had the opportunity to feed some fish in a pond. It was fun! Watch what happens!

The second video was taken in Japan as Patti and I were waiting to ride the bullet train back to Tokyo from a tour of Mount Fuji. I always wonder why we don't have things like this in Texas!?!

During the tour in Japan it was a very rainy and foggy day. The picture on the left is what we were supposed to see on the tour. The picture on the right is what we did see!!

Fortunately the clouds lifted a little later and we got to see the mountain briefly.

But, enough of Japan!

What we really came to see was family. You really don't understand how much you miss and appreciate your kids and your grandkids until you go to visit them. We had an absolutely wonderful time throughout the trip. God blessed us with easy travel and safety and the ability financially and timewise to be able to go. Patti covered more and different kinds of terrain than I think she thought possible, but did it with ease and joyful determination. But in the end, this is what we came for and, what we enjoyed the most.

Mike, Morgan, and Aidan - Thanks for a wonderful time! We will never forget it!

Mimi and Pop

Busy First Week

Wow, one week has already flown by since we got to Chiang Mai. We've had a great time and seen so much. Here are some of the highlights:

1. Mike Sr. got to play in the praise band at The Gathering (local church) while Mike Jr. led worship.
2. We visited a silk factory and got to see how Thai silk is made starting with silkworms and how they grow and finally form a cocoon which is then processed for the silk threads. We got to watch silk fabric being woven on hand-operated looms which was really educational!
3. We visited the winter palace for the king and toured the grounds. Very impressive and (Trish) lots and lots of flowers!
4. Bought some souvenirs at the Sunday Night Market. It's different from other markets as it only is open on Sunday night and there is room to walk around. They actually close off a street so there is plenty of room. It's amazing how much stuff is made and sold here. It's like everybody is in a little business for themselves.
5. Patti and I got foot massages Sunday night at the market. Wow! We are both walking better as a result.
6. Went to a 4th of July Party for Mike's company on Saturday and got to swim in a 1-ACRE POOL!! It was huge! We had a lot of fun and some great American burgers. They even had some Miracle Whip on hand!

We're having a great time and being with Mike and Morgan and Aidan this long is really special. We know the next week will fly by, so we are trying to savor every minute!

More later!

Forever in Him,

Mike and Patti

Hard Drive Down

Patti and I arrived safely at Mike and Morgan's and have been enjoying our first week spending time with them and seeing some of the sights. We have been up to Doi Suthep which is a Buddist temple with a huge statue of Budda; visited the waterfalls on the way for a picnic; been to the downtown market and the night bazaar; seen the old city walls and moat and visited a lovely park nearby; had authentic Thai food and some great Western food as well; Mike and I have played golf; had a great birthday party with Aidan; visited the Chiang Mai zoo, which is really cool; and generally having a great time while we have gotten adjusted to the time difference.


Additionally, our new camera has been taking some wonderful pictures. However, after downloading all the pictures to my laptop to post on the blog, and clearing them off of our camera card, I'm sorry to report that the harddrive on my laptop has apparently failed. Dell doesn't think it can be fixed until after we get back to the states and the IT guys at Mike's company are going to try to get the information off so we don't lose anything.

So now we have to figure how to get pictures off the camera and on to Mike and Morgan's computer so we can put some up in the blog. I don't have a cable for the transfer since I didn't need one with my computer, so it is a problem. Just as bad, all of my e-mail addresses are on the computer as well! So I'm really locked up when it comes to communicating with some of our friends who don't read the blog.


Just a couple of observations before I sign off:

Things you can find anywhere on earth:

1. Coca-Cola
2. Roaches
3. Starbuck's
4. Mosquitos
5. Pigeons
6. Motor scooters
7. $3.00/gal gasoline.

So with that information now in the public domain, I will sign off until we can figure out our technical glitches. Oh, one word of advice - buy McIntosh!!!

Mike and Patti

First Leg - I Can't Believe We've Come This Far

Patti and I are sitting in the United Airlines International Travelers Lounge at Tokyo's Narita airport. We left DFW this morning at 8:07 and flew to San Francisco to change planes and head for Tokyo. We landed in Tokyo at 2AM Dallas time, so including the San Francisco leg and time between flights it was a total of 18 hours. Arrrrgh! We have a three hour layover here before heading on to Bangkok. Notes from the trip:

It was raining in Dallas when we left. It was raining in Tokyo when we arrived. Hmmmm. The flight was incredibly long, but business class really takes the edge off. The seats fully recline and the food was great! I can't remember the last time I got something more than peanuts on a flight. We had a great Japanese meal including smoked salmon, green salad, some tasty things I didn't recognize and some really wonderful sesame chicken with noodles and mixed vegetables. Coffee, soft drinks, water snacks and lots of fruit filled out the rest of the time. By the way, I know that United Airlines is not the snazziest airline around, but the service, food and flight attendants were great. Patti has been handled with kid gloves and wonderful courtesy the whole way.

There was a choice of nine movies on board. The only one I watched was Wild Hogs for the second time. Otherwise listening to music, reading and sleeping.

Here is Patti in Business Class:

Here is a look at the upper deck, all business class, on the 747:

Here is the plane:

Narita Airport is a pretty interesting place. For one thing, the lounge we are in is very delux. If you've ever been in an airline club like the American Admiral's Club, you know they are nice. This is like an Admiral's club on steroids. Lots of room, showers if you need one, free food, drink and even direct telephone lines to the U.S., Canada, China, Singapore, Korea and Thailand. This is just one section.

When you walk outside the lounge you are absolutely assaulted with Duty Free stores selling all kinds of cosmetics, electronics, jewelry, watches, clothing, you name it! Here's a sample:

I mean, what airport could possibly be complete without a Tiffany's!!

Finally, one of the more popular pastimes at Narita is enjoying a relaxing, vibrating recliner while waiting for your flight. These guys all looked like they were having the time of their lives right here!!

Please pray for me (Mike). I managed, wouldn't you know it, to develop a rollicking head cold just before we left. It would really be nice to get over it in the next day and not infect any family members!!!

Forever in Him,

Mike and Patti

Really Cool Trip!

Way too cool! Patti and I are going to Thailand for the next two weeks to visit Mike, Morgan and Aidan!!!!!!!!!!

For those of you who are fluent in Thai, that means we are pai teeo. For those of you who aren't, that means we are going traveling. And travel we will. We fly from DFW to San Francisco to Tokyo to Bangkok. That whole trip is approximately 24 hours in the air! Needless to say we will be travel weary when we get to Bangkok. We will spend the night there and push on to Chiang Mai and a happy reunion the following day. We have a new camera so I hope to be posting pictures during the trip.

Pray for safe travel, health and a great time together!

More later...

Mike and Patti

New Faces - No Names! Kids & Grandkids Update

In the last few months we have been blessed with two, yes TWO, blessed announcements!

Mike and Morgan, who currently reside in Thailand with Grandson #1, Aidan (Devestatingly cute and just turned 3), are expecting a baby brother, grandchild #4, in October!! Interestingly, the due date is October 10th - the same as Mike Sr.'s birthday! That means there is a good chance there will be at least one grandchild's birthday he won't forget!!

Paige and Todd, who currently reside in Tallahassee, FL, announced their new arrival, grandchild #5, is scheduled for January of 2008! Don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet, but Paige is having fun working on eyes, fingers, toes, etc.

Nick and Abbey, in Simsboro, LA, continue to enjoy the blessings and challenges of raising two beautiful children Cadence (Turning 3 in August) and Cole (Turning 1 in July) (Both also devestatingly cute as well).

Stephen, attending LSU in Baton Rouge, will graduate in December and is working now with Mike Sr.'s company, Millennium Protection Group and pursuing other ventures as well.

All are doing well and we give glory to God for His goodness! Check the links to visit their blogs and learn and see more!

M & P

Graduation Day

Hi! Remember me? Long time no post!


On Thursday, May 31st, Patti graduated from re-hab! YAY! God blessed us with 18 months of intensive work for Patti to assist in her recovery. That's amazing in itself because most of the people she saw coming through re-hab only stayed a few months. Many had insurance restrictions that forced them out. Others had no family or friend support and gave up. Still others quit on life altogether regardless of the support they had.


Exiting formal re-hab is exciting, but it is also a big adjustment. The truth is that re-hab continues - just at home. So Patti is continuing to work hard each day on various aspects of her on-going recovery. She works out at the YMCA three times a week and the therapists at the re-hab center gave her a small library of tools to help her along and she uses these daily. We are exploring other ways to make the effort more interesting.

Getting back into a rhythm of life is more important now, also. We have settled into a wonderful fellowship group at church that meets on Saturday nights. They have welcomed us and we have numerous new friendships developing.

I continue to be busy with work which means that Patti has a lot of time during the day by herself. Transportation when she needs to go somewhere is a problem if I'm not available. Dallas Area Rapid Transit has a door-to-door service available that Patti is now qualified for which will come in very handy in the future. We are also looking for part-time driver for Patti so that she will have the mobility she needs to go places and do things.

Please pray that we find the right person for driving and that Patti's activities settle into place in a way that is pleasing to her and promotes her on-going recovery.

Sorry for the huge gap in the blog! We will attempt to get current and stay that way!

Forever in Him!

Mike and Patti

Recent Pictures

Friends and Family,

Patti and I have been asked for some recent pictures. I've really been struggling to get pictures from our last trip on to the blog with no success, but I've been able to get these to come up properly.

The True Texan Times accepts no responsibility for any damage to your computer screen resulting from the viewing of these photographs.

Forever in Him,

Mike

How do you spell relief? M..I..G..R..A..I..N..E!

More accurately, it's J..E..S..U..S!

After visiting with the neurologist late Thursday afternoon, he determined that Patti suffered a migraine headache. I know that after all the scary events (believe me, it was scary) on Sunday, to come up with a migraine as a diagnosis seemed a bit unusual!

First of all, I want to thank the Lord for sustaining us through this time. Knowing Him, holding on to Him and remaining steadfast in His peace allowed us to not give in to fear which, I believe, was the design of the enemy of our souls.

Secondly, deepest, heartfelt thanks to all of the wonderful prayer warriors who cast their love on God's throne on Patti's behalf!

The way the doctor described it, Patti's brain is in a weakened condition from the stroke. No news there! But he also said that a migraine is hard enough on a healthy brain, but when it hit Patti her brain began throwing off stroke symptoms big time! In fact, if you read the earlier blogs, the first doctor to see her was convinced she had suffered a new stroke event. So we were greatly concerned that, after having Patti's heart repaired and months of diligent re-hab, we might be faced with the loss of all of her progress and not even know why! Plus, the first doctor speculated that there might be some kind of condition in the brain that may, or may not, be treatable. So we were also faced with the possibility of more stroke events and greater and greater damage occuring over time. Not a pretty picture!

After looking at the MRI the neurologist stated conclusively that there was no new damage to Patti's brain nor anything that looked even suspicious to him. He gave her a complete release to participate in all of her activities with no restraint!

So to say we are relieved is a massive understatement! Everything about Patti improved when she got the diagnosis! She was really concerned and fearful, but she stood firm in the storm!

One quick humorous story: When we were leaving to go to the hospital on Sunday, I leaned over to Patti, who was in the wheelchair, and said "You know, honey, if you didn't want to watch the Super Bowl all you had to do was just say so!" Actually, at the time, she didn't much appreciate the humor. My timing was off just a little. Anyway, she had been insistent that she did not want to go to the hospital and wasn't real happy about it. So when we left the neurologist's office and headed for the elevator I looked to my right and Patti wasn't there. I turned around and she was standing in the hallway with her hands spread slightly apart and a smile on her face and said "See!! I told you not to take me to the hospital!!" We both laughed and, of course, to get the last word in, I told her "This just confirms my original thought that you just didn't want to watch the game!"

All's well that ends well!

Pressing on in Him,

Mike

Thursday Update

Not a very creative title, but accurate.

Patti's condition is still good. She does seem to be having some trouble with her speech which is frustrating for her, but overall she is good.

Today we see a neurologist at 2:00PM. Please continue to pray for the outcome of this visit.

Details of the visit later today.

Forever in Him,

Mike