Treeing Walker Coonhounds

These are my parents’ new coondog pups. Something that has been a lifelong love for my dad is now the love of my mom’s life. They have been raising and training Walker coondogs for the last few years. They have had as many as 19 dogs at one time. Some of the dogs are show dogs, some are hunters and some are just cute companions. Nevertheless, they are an expensive group of dogs.
The name “Vallen Nelson” is nationally known in the coondog circles. He has raised at least one national champion and has helped to train several others. He knows how every muscle, every spot, every wrinkle on the dog is supposed to look. He not only takes dogs to compete in shows, he also judges several competitions each year.
My mom helps a lot with keeping the dogs healthy, fed, and in shape. With the number of dogs they have, it can be a full-time job. When it’s warm outside, the dogs exercise by swimming in the creek. When it’s cold outside, they run on treadmills that are set up for them in the basement.
When they go out to hunt, it has to be at night when it’s dark. From what I hear, it’s a thrill. And, yes, my mom even goes sometimes.

Harvest table topper

Pumkin-shaped gourds make the brightest candleholders ever. Cut out the center stem of the pumkin as you would core an apple. Do not cut through the bottom of the pumpkin. Make sure that the hole is slightly smaller than the candle so that you have to force it in. If the hole is too large, the candle will wobble and not sit straight. Use yellow or orange dripless candles. In a table arrangement, these steal the show. Arrange other colorful, shapely gourds around the candle holders. The glass globe is filled with water, then place a freshly cut fall flower into the bowl to daintily float. Voila, a fantastic fall centerpiece.

Brothers

I am a proud big sister. My twin brothers are now 22 year old men and my best friends, other than you, Joelle. They completely amaze me with all of their talent and they remain humble. Let me tell you a little bit about what they have been up to.

My brother, Matthew, and his wife bought their first home last year. Matthew has become quite the "fix-it man." Last weekend's project was to paint the livingroom and bathroom. Josh, my mom and I went over to help out. Don't let the name of the paint "lava orange" fool you. It turned out great as you can see!

Matthew is sanding the new threshold to the bathroom that he just installed.

Matthew is also a senior in college and planning to become a counselor, like his big sis. On Monday we visited my old graduate school, AGTS, in Springfield. He ended up loving it and thinks he will probably go there next year. We also found out that the school is planning to develop a doctoral program for the counseling department in the next 3-5 years. It looks like I might be going back to school when they get that started. The highlight of the day though was getting to see Nathan.

My brother, Nathan, lives in Springfield and goes to Missouri State University. He is the first in the family to move out of Joplin on his own. He is in his 2nd year as a painting major. Nathan has always been good at art, but the focused schooling has helped him develop to a whole new level as an artist. His work is very deep and often full of emotion. Nathan also drives back home on Fridays for the sole purpose of discipling 4 young junior high boys in a D-group.

I feel very blessed to have great brothers. They still wrestle and act like little boys when they get together, and they probably always will. I really have to admit, I am a proud big sister.

Gone for 12 Years

Jay D Judah passed away on October 14, 1994, after a serious car accident. My dad was only 41 years old. I was 12 when he died, my twin brothers were 10. I know he would be proud of us now, of the adults we have become.
A favorite memory that I have of him is when he would take us to school in the morning. My brothers and I would plead that mom always sang songs like "You are my Sunshine" with us. When dad drove he liked to sing the Beatles. "It's been a hard day's night and I been workin like a dog ..." We learned the words because we wanted to sing along with dad. Another great memory that I have of him is going cruising on weekend afternoons in one of dad's sports cars. He always liked fast cars. My particular favorite was his red Iroc-Z with t-tops. My brothers and I would squeeze into the not-so-spacious backseat and dad would crank up Alabama (of all bands?) and we'd just drive around town.
He was a quiet man, a hardworker, a sports lover, a car fanatic. He was a very intelligent pharmacist. He would have my little brothers interested in and scanning through the encyclopedias to learn about things they liked. He was also great at carving out pumpkins as you can see above.
I am so glad that my dad met my husband. If you haven't read the story of how Josh and I met, see below. Just a year or so before he died, he got to meet his future son-in-law. I can't wait to see my dad again in heaven. I wonder what he's driving up there.

Nathan, Lindsay, & Matthew at the grave 12 yrs after Dad's trip to heaven

Branson Fun

Outside of our hotel

Branson Weekend

Josh turned 27 years old on Tuesday, October 3rd. He decided that he really wanted to go on a trip to Branson. A shopping vacation? I could definitely handle this. So the next weekend, we packed our bags and headed for the Ozark hills. We stayed at the Grand Victorian Hotel. Nice! There is an awesome new outdoor shopping center right on the water's edge called Branson Landing. It just opened this summer and is filled with really interesting shops and restaurants. Josh found a favorite at a little gyro shop. Branson Landing also has a trolley car that runs along the sidewalk to take people from one end to the other. A lighted water fountain show sits at the center of the shopping strip. It is the best after dark. We also livened up our weekend by going to see the Russian comedian, Yakov Smirnoff. His show was actually quite good. It was funny, patriotic, and even serious at times. I have to admit, Yakov made me cry. And of course, no October Saturday evening is complete without a little Husker football. Back at the hotel we watched Nebraska slaughter Iowa State. We topped the day off by relaxing in the hot tub. We also swam in the pool for awhile and discovered that Josh is the incredible sinking man. It was hilarious because he couldn't float without kicking his legs. On Sunday, we conquered the Tanger outlet shopping center. I'm proud of how much shopping my man can handle! Just before heading back to our humble abode, we made a stop at the Coldstone Creamery. Some say that they feel the presence of God in the Ozarks. Well, I think he lives at Coldstone Creamery, or at least He is the Brains behind it. This heavenly place caters to your ice cream tastebuds. They scoop up your favorite flavor and then mash in any candy or topping of your choice. You almost, almost think you're in heaven. But alas, I cannot live in heaven yet. It was a great 3 day weekend.