Nephew & Niece / Youth Pastors

I was so blessed last Sunday evening to officiate the wedding of my nephew Jordy Davidson and his lovely bride, Lindsay Kiely. Jordy and his brother, Jeremy are my sister Holane's boys. They were raised here in Acadiana and were around Donna and I all the time as they were growing up - Giving us plenty of parenting practice before our own children were born. We've always been very close with the boys.

Lindsay came to us by means of Master's Commission. She hails from Canada. She is a wonderful girl who, although we didn't know her name, we have been praying for since 1988 (The year Jordy was born.) It was so good to get to know her family this past week leading up to the wedding.

I was so thrilled to bring Jordy on staff as our youth pastor here at Crossroads back in August of this year. He and Lindsay are loved by the students of our church and I can't wait to see how God will use this dynamic duo in the years to come as they reach the young people of Acadiana to the glory of God!

Their wedding was as unique as the bride and groom - An eclectic outdoor celebration with a vintage theme that was enjoyed by all!

A few of my favorite smells...

#1 - Pipe Tobacco 

My cousin Eddie was my best friend growing up as a kid. He was always at my house or I was at his. His dad was a pipe smoker. I can still remember the smell of that pipe tobacco. Any time I smell it today, the aroma takes me back to those days Eddie and I roamed the woods and creek banks of rural Ouachita Parish. Great memories indeed.

#2 - Saddle Leather

I know this will seem like a no-brainer to those who know me well. I love everything associated with horses. From the sense of smell perspective, saddle leather is one of my all time favorites. When I walk into a saddle shop I could stay there for hours just to take in the smells!

#3 - Coffee Beans

Last, but certainly not least - I LOVE the smell of coffee beans. I wasn't always a coffee drinker but my friend David Baudoin changed all that. Now I can't get enough of the stuff. I have a grinder and a French press that I use every Saturday and Monday mornings with great pleasure. But before the process starts, I take a deep whiff of the fresh beans from the bag.







So these are a few of my favorite smells. How about you?

Amy's Skylight (Sally) 1984-2011

Sally came to us in 2002 - A beautiful 18 year old Sorrel AQHA mare. She was a gift from a wonderful friend and our first horse here at the farm. She was the horse our children learned to ride on. She was so patient with them: Gentle enough to be a teacher, with just enough spunk to keep it fun. In her earlier life she had been a barrel racer and even at 18 she could fly! Robin entered her in Western Pleasure and Trail the year after we got her. We worked for months at these disciplines that Robin or Sally had never participated in. She was smart and a fast learner, so before long she was flawlessly side-stepping on cue, changing leads on cue, backing up, crossing hazards, allowing Robin to enter through gates mounted and the other things Western Pleasure and Trail disciplines require. That is, until she got to the show ring. At that point everything we had been working on for months went out the window and Sally completely reverted to her Barrel Racing days. As far as she was concerned, she was there for one thing only - to run as fast as possible! We knew we were in trouble when, while Robin tried to pass though the gate mounted, Sally finally got frustrated enough to push the gate closed herself. The crowd got a big kick out of that one.

Sally loved children and was always our go-to mount when families would visit us with kids interested in their first horse back ride. Few things gives me more pleasure than that, but I think Sally enjoyed it even more. She also has given us some wonderful memories of family rides when the kids were young. I'm so thankful for those times.

A few weeks ago our precious 27 year old Sally (that's 81 in human years) called it quits. She'd been losing weight for months despite our best attempts to keep it on. A few weeks before she started losing her hair and she finally laid down and wouldn't get up. I went out and pet on her for a while and we had a good talk, like we have so many times before. She's been somewhat of a therapist for me these past few years. I could tell her anything and she'd always keep it to herself. That day I told her how blessed we were to have her as a part of our family. How many great memories she's left us with and how we'll never forget her. I called the vet and asked him to come put her down, but he didn't have enough medicine to do so. He encouraged me to let things happen naturally and assured me she wasn't suffering. The next morning she was back up! I laughed and told the kids she must have overheard my conversation with the vet! We were thankful she was back up and moving around, but we knew the writing was on the wall and it was just a matter of time.

Wednesday, while we were in Alabama at a conference, Sally laid down for good. I'm going to miss her greatly. Her registered name was Amy's skylight. I don't really know who Amy is, but if you're reading this I'd like you to know what an incredible blessing your skylight was to me! 

Another New (Used) Car

Today we blessed Chase with a new (used) 2006 Jeep Liberty. I found an incredible deal on one in Chicago (around $2,500.00 under Blue Book value!) and flew there Monday night and drove it back on Tuesday. He had been with Master's Commission in Mobile for over a week working at House of Horrors and had no idea I had made the purchase. He was aware I was looking at a couple of vehicles when he left and, although I spoke with him every day while he was away, he never asked me about it! (He is one laid back kid! I would have been bugging my dad every day about it!)

They arrived back yesterday and Donna and I arranged to have lunch with he and Robin. Afterward I told them I needed pick up my vehicle at the oil change place (where I had left his Jeep to be serviced) and when we arrived, I went inside and paid then drove his Jeep around where they were waiting. He was ecstatic!

As I wrote in a previous post, it has always been our desire to bless our children with their first vehicle for their senior year of high school. Since Chase graduated early to attend Master's Commission, we were so thankful to be able to provide him with a good vehicle. He is a wonderful young man and we are so proud of him!