On April 21 of this year, I wrote to you all that I would
not bother you all again regarding the number of views I had on the blog until
I  reached 5,000, and HERE IT IS! Woo
Hoo! On April 20, I had reached 1,000, and I was so proud. Well, I am so
excited with 5,000 views as well: Excited, humbled, and grateful. These six
months of sharing with you all have been so fulfilling. My heart and soul are so
filled by all of you who have encouraged me and thanked me. I thank you all,
again, for coming to the blog to share in my life. My next goal is 10,000
views, and I will let you know when we make it! Love, Haven

If someone you know and love has gone back to a
college or a university this semester, be sure to wish them luck and pray for
them. It may be you returning to school! A good friend of mine, Remell Hall, who was also my adopted grandmother did not get to see me complete my doctorate; however, she did help me get
through my all my class work before my dissertation (all that research,
collecting data, and reporting on the data). She died in 2003, and I defended
and completed my dissertation in 2006. Because of the prayers she as well as
dozens of others lifted up to God on my behalf, God helped me get through those
years.

Some people are blessed to not have to work and can devote
100% of their time to their studies, but some of us have not been that
fortunate. I always worked part time during my undergraduate degree, but during
my masters, specialist, and doctorate degrees I worked full-time. It was so
difficult. The worst was the last two years of my doctorate when I was 700
miles away from my supervising professor, and it was ALL UP TO HAVEN to
complete it. Oh, well, I made it, and I know it was with the help of my dear
friend, Remell and all the others who were praying for me. I would also appreciate you letting me know if you are one who is returning to school as well. I will definitely add you to my prayer list.

My Dear Friend, Claire Lane

For several months I have wanted to write a few words about
my friend, Claire Lane. She has been an educator for nearly 30 years. She lives
and teaches in Hamilton County. She is a spectacular lady, educator, and sister
in Christ. In November of 2007, Claire helped hire me to work at Hixson High
School. I was hired to finish the school year in a Spanish position abruptly
left vacant! I loved working with Claire. In February of 2008, I explained to her about
the in vitro fertilization process I was going through, and she was so
supportive!

Since the birth of Carter and Ammon, I didn’t see much or hear much from Claire until I found her on Facebook several months ago. Now, God has put us back in each other’s paths. Claire is so wonderful with children and Ammon and Carter are crazy about her. She is also contemplating worshipping full-time with St. Martin’s Episcopal Church
where Sean, Ammon, Carter, and I attend. Claire sat with us during worship
yesterday, and it was awesome. Singing, praying, listening to a gospel sermon,
and taking communion side by side with Claire was such a spiritual boost for me. When
service was over, Ammon grabbed Claire’s hand, dragged her to the foyer, chatted with her, and enjoyed her company. Okay, I could write and write about Ms. Claire. We love her and appreciate her dearly. Claire, we hope you don’t mind the photo. We will change
it if you wish ;o)

I cannot believe the courage Carter and Ammon have! They can
be apprehensive and cautious, and I really like that; however, they can be such
dare-devils! We went to Julie, Caden, and Kobe Stoke’s house on Saturday
evening to swim, and they have pool slide that when you climb to the top, it is
about 7 feet tall. Neither Carter nor Ammon “blinked an eye” when they slid
down into the pool where Sean was waiting! When Carter came up out of the water
he yelled, “Do it again!”, so he did over and over. Ammon did it as well. I am
so glad they are not afraid of the water, and I’m glad they are braver than I
was a child. Have a great Sunday everyone!

During the past 10 days, Ammon and Carter have been
practicing being doctors. They have treated Sean at the hospital for the
hiccups, driven to work to their doctors offices in their “Flintstone” cars, and
actually helped take care of Mamaw’s wasp sting the other day. On Friday, I
remembered a Christmas gift each of them got last year: a doctor’s coat with
doctor’s instruments. They had not seen it in 8 months, and they LOVED IT! Will we
have two more doctors in the family in about 27 years? It’s possible. I hope
everyone enjoys their Saturday! Take care.

Dr. Carter (8-19-2011)

Dr. Ammon (8-19-2011)

The summer of 2008 I made several charitable contributions
to some Chattanooga organizations. One of them was to the Partnership for
Families, Children, and Adults (The office on McCallie Avenue is our hub). The
day I went to Partnership I met a wonderful lady named Ann Gunter. Every time I
make a donation, I prefer to go in person so I can talk with Ann. She has been
my friend since before Carter and Ammon were born, and she has watched them
grow these past 3 years. She is a wonderful lady, and we appreciate her work at
Partnership. She is also so loving and giving to Ammon and Carter.  On Thursday when we visited, Ann gave them a gift bag with stickers, fun straws, candy, and snack sets for
snack time! They love it all!

Partnership helps so many people. I cannot begin to list
everything they do, but I have donated to help abused children and to the elderly
in instances where an older person is still independent but needs a helping
hand with buying groceries, postage stamps, paying a utility bill, or whatever,
Partnership provides that assistance. Thank you Partnership for all you do, and
thank you Ann! You’re great!

www.partnershipfca.com

423-755-2822 (Main Office)

I knew Carter and Ammon had been in a growth spurt lately; however, I didn’t really see it until Aunt Karen took these pictures on Tuesday. I am so grateful they are healthy and growing.

Tall Boy Carter (August 16, 2011)

Tall Girl Ammon (August 16, 2011)

Ammon and Carter went to Mamaw’s to spend Tuesday, Tuesday
night, and a good part of the day Wednesday (today). As soon I I got home from Mamaw’s
I began chores: picking up toys through the house, laundry, gathering garbage,
etc. I even had time to finish a future article for publication. In my mind, I
had the remainder of the evening planned to do more chores and finish the
evening with a jog and typing. However, there was a pleasant change.

Sean had finished with all of his patients, completed all
his computer work, and did his charts for the day. When he came home early, he
said, “ We need to go get some office supplies.” I immediately looked at the
time, and it was 3:00. I also found a movie that started at 4:30. Things flew
into place. We got the office supplies, saw Captain
America, ate a quick, healthy dinner, came home and jogged. It was a great
change of pace for the week! I was even able to come home and do some typing.
We need these types of days every once in a while don’t we? And, yes, I do advise you to see Captain America if you enjoy those type of Americana adventures.

Parents you can all relate to this because it is timeless.
We decided that we wanted Ammon and Carter to enroll in Kindermusik. This program
is usually in conjunction with a college or university’s music academy. Our
children love music: Mozart, children’s songs, Chopin, Lady Gaga, etc.;
however, we wanted them to be in an environment with other children growing and
learning with music.

Carter, Ammon, and I went to class, and they did, indeed,
enjoy their first day. It is a 15 week program, and we received two mesh-net
packages with CDs, books, and musical instruments. When we got home, Ammon and
Carter emptied their bags. Ammon’s bag became a “pocket book” stuffed with
black walnuts and shoes, and Carter’s bag became a “suit case” stuffed with toy
cars and black walnuts. When Mamaw asked how Kindermusik went I laughed and
chided and said, “We paid $300 for a pocket book and a suit case!”

Ammon at the pool: summer 2011

On Sunday afternoon, we were all enjoying our Sunday swim.
Carter and Ammon were having a glorious time! They had both been climbing out
of the pool and jumping back in. One time Ammon jumped in, swam to the steps,
and stood up. While standing, she brushed her “wild” looking swimming hair out
of her eyes, and Sean smiled and said, “You look crazy!” Ammon quickly came
back with a grin and said, “I’m not crazy. I’m happy!”

P. S. The picture from above is earlier in the summer. Water wings are already passé.