A Western Tale (For my boys)

Many years ago, during the days of Old Yeller, there roamed in the west a "bad guy" that was so ornery that no one wanted to be around him. He was know a Dylan the Dodger.

He blazed a trail across the frontier leaving a mess everywhere he went. Though many had tried to find and capture him, he was always somehow able to escape. That was until the notorious bounty hunter, Ethan the Exterminator, came to town.

Absolutely no "bad guy" ever escaped the quick eye and sharp tracking skills of Ethan. Dylan headed for the hills as soon as he learned that there was a price on his head, but he was no match against Ethan. He was hunted down like a yellow dog and hauled to the county jail. There ruled a sheriff who was loved by all who knew him.

Collin the Compassionate preside over his jail with a firm, but kind hand. Because he had a strong resemblance to Woody, a toy, and was missing a few teeth, Dylan thought he would be a pushover. This was not to be the case. Collin required that Dylan say he was sorry for all the messes he made, help clean them up, and say nightly prayers. A remarkable thing began to happen, Dylan decided that he wanted to be a "good guy". One day he bowed his head in shame and asked God to forgive all his sins. He was a new man.

When the time came for him to go to court he was assigned a very tender public defender, Landon the Lenient.

Having once been a mess making "bad guy" himself he felt very sorry for poor Dylan. He quickly realized that a complete change had been made in the life of this derelict. When it came their turn before the judge Landon pleaded as if Dylan were his own brother. It was a hard decision for the judge to make since Dylan had been such a "stinker". In the end he decided to have mercy and give a full pardon. Today Dylan is know throughout the west for his cheesy grin and remarkable potty manners. He is now known as Dylan the Delightful.

The four heroes joined up to make a team of serious crime fighters, and this is why "folks in the west never get no rest".

This was written for my boys after Career Day at school. They really love my stories even if you thought it was cheesy. This is the only way to illustrate it.

Hobe Sound Bible College Alumni Association (Fund Update)

Thanks so much for all the interest and activity on the Patricia Bigger Memorial Fund. Not only was Patricia an HSBC alumni, but her parents also. Her grandparents were HIM missionaries in Haiti. Brent and Patricia spent several of their summers travelling in music groups for the college.
I will be leaving this afternoon taking Bro. Miller (Patricia's grandfather), President Stetler, Paul Stetler, and Dr. Churchill up to the Memorial Service. Please keep us in your prayers as we fly. Brent is not only an alumnus, he is also a good friend. Brent, Jonathan Heath, and I travelled together in a men's trio and made many memories. As HSBC alumni let's keep praying for and supporting Brent in this time of unimaginable pain and sorrow.

Harold Martin
Alumni President HSBC

Please see post below for details on the Patricia Bigger Memorial Fund.

Patrica Bigger Memorial Fund

The Alumni Association of Hobe Sound Bible College has set up a Patricia Bigger Memorial Fund. All donations recieved along with a list of donors will be given to Brent Bigger to help defray the cost of funeral expenses. This is a tragedy that no one plans for. Checks can be made payable to Hobe Sound Bible College Alumni Association. Just be sure to include a note or specify in the memo section that it is for the Patricia Bigger Memorial Fund.

Harold Martin
Alumni President

Hobe Sound Bible College Alumni Association
P.O. Box 1065
Hobe Sound, FL 33455





Please pass this on to any alumni or friends that you are in contact with.

Liberty mom, 2 kids die after N.C. accident GreenvilleOnline.com The Greenville News

http://hsbc.edu/student/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=66&Itemid=98
This is the link for online giving to the Patricia Bigger Memorial Fund. Please pass it on.

All The Dogs I've Loved Before

Once again we are dog owners. Those of you who know the dogs in our past will be shocked to know that we once again have taken a canine into our home. Those of you who didn't have the privilege of meeting our first two dogs are about to become acquainted with them.

First there was Snickers, I got her from a girl I worked with in TN as a gift for Harold. I should have know better than to take a chance on her when I learned that her Dad used to "bob" for the cat in their swimming pool. She was a beautiful dog, but she had a lot of issues and caused me much grief. My most embarrassing story about her is the day my neighbors had their carpet cleaned and left the back door open for it to dry. Snicker's happened to get out of her pen that day and hightailed right into their condo with me chasing her, apologizing all the way through to the poor landlord. We went in the back door and out the front, leaving trail behind us. She was constantly digging her way out of her pen and getting into mischief. The digging meant that she was always covered with mud. Almost worse that the carpet episode was the day our two elderly neighbors drove up to their house, opened their car doors to get out and Snicker's got in with them, mud and all. Harold was so embarrassed he made me go do the apologies. She actually moved back to FL with us, but since we were renting and had no yard for her to play in we had to get rid of her. It was a very sad day indeed.

Here she is attacking me and Ethan while Harold took pictures.

Next came Chandler, who I have no pictures of and have no regrets about it. When an MFI volunteer offered him to Harold I very grudgingly consented. He was ten years old and very set in his ways. He also had very serious nerve problems. We were told that he had been attacked by an alligator as a puppy, therefore he could not handle loud noises. This included thunder storms and firecrackers. He would start shaking uncontrollably and try to crawl on our laps, he weighed about eighty pounds. Loud noises also gave him diarrhea. On the Fourth of July I was fixing food for a cookout and the neighborhood kids were doing fireworks outside our house. He wanted my full attention which I was not able to give him so I locked him in our bedroom. Pretty soon I started smelling something foul, I opened the door to find that he had had multiple episodes through which he had nervously paced around in. I made Harold clean up the whole mess while I tried to control my carnal nature. He also shed more that any dog I have ever seen before, and we had green carpet. Not a good combination. When I became pregnant with Dylan we realized that four kids and an old nervous dog in a trailer wasn't going to work so away he went to some friends of his previous owner.

Now let me introduce you to the newest canine in our lives. His name is Dorado, because he came from Guatemala City. Dorado means golden in Spanish for those of you aren't bilingual. We had talked about getting a dog for the boys, since they asked for one at least twice a day, but weren't sure we were ready yet. Mrs. Duren went to Guatemala and guess what she came back with. The problem was that none of her kids were quite ready for a dog yet. When Emily told me that they were not going to be able to keep him, my heart started softening. My boys had played with him with her boys and were quite smitten. After talking it over Harold and I decided that the time was right, the dog was the right kind, and our house is finally right. We even have a doggy door on our back porch. He is much better behaved at fifteen weeks than our other dogs were as adults. The boys absolutely adore him and he seems to them as well. I called home from work one night, and Harold told me that Dylan was flossing his teeth (the dog's) and he seemed to enjoy it. Dylan has had to deal with getting pushed around a little, but it is somewhat enjoyable to watch.

Please keep us in your prayers as we potty train and housebreak at the same time.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Since I don't foresee much time for blogging in the next few days I'd like to go ahead and wish anyone who stops by a Merry Christmas! I plan to spend the next few days focusing on the fact that "God has taken form" and helping my boys to realize the absolute wonder of it. Who knows I may not be back until next year, that is unless I have sudden inspiration. With the boys home all day it is a real possibility.

The Not So Jolly Diet

BEFORE


Many years have passed since the day that Santa first became aware of his need for a healthier lifestyle. After hundreds of fad diets and starvation techniques he finally found the diet that worked for him. He's able to wear his long johns again without being self conscious of his jiggly belly showing. So this year he is so proud to introduce this new breakthrough diet to so many of you who have bellies that" jiggle like bowls full of jelly". This diet is so easy that even a kid can do it.

Breakfast: 1glass of strawberry milk.

Refuse anything offered by saying, "I don't wike that kind of food".

If that doesn't work simply lie on the couch in your PJ's for so long that you run out
of time and have to eat while running to the car.



Lunch: 1/2 peanut butter & jelly sandwich with the sides cut off, never ever eat the crusts

1 glass strawberry milk



Supper: 2 chicken nuggets, that's all your tummy will hold

1/4 cup pasta

Put some peas on your plate but start convulsing as soon as you taste them.



Snacks: Unlimited amounts of apples, cheese curls, and cookies. The trick is to move
constantly, never stop moving, run, jump, swim, ride bikes, drive your Mom crazy,
just don't stop moving.

If you follow this simple menu and directions you'll be sure to look like this next year.

AFTER

The Two Year Old and The Man

While we were in LA my baby officially hit the Terrible Two's, actually I think he was already there. We had already celebrated in FL on the same night as Landon's birthday, so a huge party was not required. Kimberly suggested a local Mexican restaurant where the birthday boy could where a Sombrero and be sung to in Spanish. A few faithful relatives joined us for the occasion. Unfortunately my camera card was full when he actually had the hat on, but here's a picture of me and Dylan before. As you can see he was very happy about the whole affair.

Later on that evening we had a fish fry with Dylan's cookie cake as the dessert. He had a hard time sharing.

On that same day Harold took Ethan fishing with the "men". My cousin Stevie took Harold, Philip, and Ethan on a grand expedition of a fishing trip.

A few months ago my oldest son had to start wearing deodorant. Very sad, but true. Collin was a little jealous over this milestone in the life of his older brother. I tried to explain to him that it is part of the process of a boy becoming a man. As soon as he heard the word "man" he took of yelling frantically "Ethan, Ethan, you're a man now". Ethan has taken this very seriously, and the fishing trip served to reinforce this notion. On the way home he asked Harold, "So, I'm a man now?". The rest of the evening while the fish were being cleaned and fried he kept telling his poor little brothers, "You have to go inside, I'm only out here cause I'm helping". We're working on bringing his ego down a notch or two. Here he is with one of the many fish he caught that day.

One of the "men". Yes, Harold is barefoot. I guess he was feeling a little Redneck.