Hug a Teacher!!

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We have a whole bunch of teachers as a part of our church family. Make sure you pray for our teachers and students as you drive past schools and the School Zone–seriously, don’t get mad that the speed limit is 20 MPH. . . take the time to pray!! Pray that God would be honored with their hard work and love for students!

Here’s the lineup off the top of my head . . . Have a great year!!!

Randy & Marty Towe (Nixa), Kristy Richart (Nixa), Kent & Mindy Doyle (Ozark), Mary Penrod (Evangel), Brad (MSU Graduate Assistant) & Susie Dorris (Sparta); Trevor & Laine Towe (Hurley); Leslie Sallee (Nixa) ; Robert Grant (Forest Institute of Psychology); Faith Chaney (Hickory Hills)

Long Distance faculty–Ross & Dena Frierson (Crowley, TX)

Please make a comment if I have missed someone in our fellowship . . . but also fire up a comment for someone in your life that is a teacher and where they teach so we can celebrate them!

Think of where you might be without that special teacher or coach in your life!

Welcome Farkleberry’s

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My friend Brad Daily has a post about Gary and Fran’s new store that is now open in Nixa–Farkleberry’s.? Go and check out the “unique gifts” for your unique self!? Good luck Gary and Fran!

They’re Back!!

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Taylor came in this morning and said, “You’re not going to like this, we have a bird in our house again!”? Well, technically in the house, but in my mind anyway, the garage isn’t “in the house.”? Another, I hope not the same one as last time, is “stuck” in our garage.? Can’t figure out how to get out–except for that HUGE hole called a garage door!!? The thing is currently perched in a Christmas wreath on the wall in the garage over the door.? Nice.? Maybe that is how the other one got in the house the other day.? Mr. Birdy, meet Mr. Trout net!

Slacker Blogger

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I have been called out . . . again!!? John Hill has called me a slacker blogger.? Just because he blogs about his recent trip with Aaron, his son, to seven MLB games in seven different ballparks in six different cities in seven days. . . blah, blah, blah.? Just kidding John!!? I can’t wait until the boys are old enough to do something like that with them!

Actually, John hasn’t called me out, but a mutual friend recently commented that he hadn’t posted in quite some time, but not in the category of “David Stone.”? Nice–so I am now in a category of blogging mediocrity all my own!!

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Fishing for Starlings

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Jenny woke me up at the crack of dawn this morning saying there was a “critter” somewhere in the house. She heard a paper fall off of the dresser. Then she felt something on her hip as she laid in bed!! Creepy! I looked around the kitchen. Didn’t find anything. Looked in Taylor’s room . . . nothing thank goodness. He would have totally been freaked out for who knows how long! Working my way back into the bedroom, I walked into our bathroom. On a decoration in the window is the silhouette of a tiny bird. Then it flies right toward me!! Totally freaked out, I am screaming like a little girl! (Shut up Fran!! I don’t want to hear it!!) Poor thing didn’t know what in the world was going on. Kept trying to fly to safety and hitting the window and mirrors in the bathroom. Jenny is in the far other end of the house by now. I go out in the garage to find something to capture the thing with. What to use? How about a trout net? Perfect! After about 10 minutes of flying around tiring the sucker out, he/she landed in our shower and sat on the floor. dsc00027.JPG I put the net over the top of it and slipped a cardboard box top under it and headed for the front door. Put it on the sidewalk and it didn’t move a bit . . . just sat there stunned. Sat there long enough for me to get a good picture. And they lived happily ever after. Let’s not talk about where the thing used the bathroom in our bathroom!! Disgusting!!

Conductor Towe

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Caleb Towe, one of our CFC grads from Nixa, works down at Silver Dollar City and we have been trying to get down to see him all year. If you all know, I am a big fan of the Silver Dollar City! We have season tickets each year as a Christmas gift from my mom and dad, so we go a lot. We haven’t been down there this year and I’ve been wanting to go all year, so I decided to beg off of work early on Monday to the city.

Caleb is an actor on the the Silver Dollar Line. They rotate the duties of Alfie and dsc00021.JPGRalphie J. Bolland, “those notorious train robbers” and the conductor of the train. He happened to be the Conductor on Monday afternoon. If you have been to SDC and been as many times as I have growing up, you dsc00026.JPGprobably know the scripts by heart. They have changed some of the things, which is cool. He even added a “David Stone” on the ride for good measure . . . nice!

Good to get away for the afternoon. We will go again, especially when he is “robbing.”

Little Yadi

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One of Taylor’s favorite players on the Cardinals is catcher, Yadier Molina. It seems that on our baseball team, everyone wants to play catcher. I don’t know if it is the gear, the action of a ball coming all of the time, getting to stand by a guy like me. . . don’t know. In our hurry back from our maiden voyage of the ol’ RV, Taylor failed to put his glove in his bag. taylor-yadi.jpgSo he had to play catcher back there with no glove. (Don’t worry DFS, it is coach pitch and he was “catching” them off the bounce.) I think he really did learn (is learning) a lesson about taking care of your stuff.

Here he is in action. Don’t know who that fat guy is next to him, though.

Extreme Makeover: Motorhome Edition

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“That there Clark, is an RV!”

We have been looking for about 2 years for a pop-up camper to pull behind the van. Every time I call a phone number in the paper in the price range we could afford, no dice, already sold! My dad has some friends that own a car/RV dealership in Springfield dsc00133.JPGand helps them drive Cars/RVs back from auctions. He has “been keeping an eye out for something” for quite some time and finally found something for us. But “it needs a little work” to quote him. A little work–how about a lot of work? There is a reason why he got such a smokin’ deal on it! Read more

Me and the Monks

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I spent Monday afternoon through Tuesday morning reflecting upon Christ on a Solitude Retreat.? I went with a bunch of pastors from the Springfield area on Monday and Tuesday to Assumption Abbey, a Trappist-Cistercian monastery near Ava, MO.? They are200px-stanthony.jpg quite famous for their fruitcakes.? They had several of the clippings in TIME magazine and other news publications on display in the retreat center lobby.

They have a retreat center that is provided for people to come and leave the trappings of this life, including cell phone signal!? There are some very simple rooms and meals provided for a small donation.? You could go to the different masses with the monks, if you could figure out when they were!? I would be a terrible Catholic monk because I was only able to be at one complete service, the evening prayers.? I went several other times and they had already completed the services.? The schedule provided in the rooms were obviously “appoximate” times and they didn’t wait for the retreat guests.

Overall, I had a really great time with the Lord on several hikes in the beautiful Ozarks hills.? Actually only there 23 hours and just when you got acclimated to the routine, it was time to leave. ? The monastic life is quite noble for these men to give their entire lives to God through a quiet life (yes, they speak.)? Actually had a very good conversation with the Abbot, Father Mark.

I have been reading about Sabbath and rest in God.? It was good to go, next time I will carve out more TIME to go.? I could say that about a lot of things.

That 70s Family Picture

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We are scanning in a ton of pictures for a video slide show for my parents 50th groovyfamilyweb.jpgWedding Celebration. It has been really fun to see all of the old photos. I think one of my favorites is this one circa 1974-75! That’s me on my dad’s lap looking like a girl in a dress. My mom in a happenin’ dress and hair up in a bee hive. . . CLASSIC!