Another painting

Sue did this painting today. She was trying some ideas from a different online instructor and enjoyed learning a couple of things.


Beautiful!

Recent painting

Sue continues to paint. She's been trying new techniques and images and really enjoys the challenges. This is one of her recent paintings. Beautiful! 

Good time at Deaf Expo

Sue had a good time at the Deaf Expo this past weekend. She saw lots of old and new friends, made some new contacts, and even helped interpret for a little while. It was really good to see her in her element! 

Elected band chaperone coordinator

Back at the end of the school year in May a lot of the band graduated high school, the band director left, the flag team leaders left, and things were looking bleak. But one of the good things that happened was that Sue got elected to be the chaperone coordinator for the band!

She's jumped into this role with gusto, and is the "experienced" one on the team. Since we've been involved with the WHS band since it started in 2006 Sue is able to tell people (including the new band director) the way we've done things in the past, some of the mistakes that were made, and all of that.

She's enjoying the challenge. Go, Sue!

Sue stays busy

Sue is rolling into 2019 with lots of things going on. Her interpreting career is going very well - she has assignments all week and enjoys what she does. She continues to be involved with swimming with The Swim Center, continues to paint beautiful pictures, visits people in the hospital, and is hoping to start a sign language class this spring. Go, Sue!

Done with air cast!

Sue had a good visit with the doctor.  He said her bone is about 60% healed and she no longer needs to wear the air cast. So long, Enrique! (that's what we nicknamed the boot :-)

Good visit with Mom Emery

Sue and Kevin rode down with Claudia so they could pick up the car we are buying from my mother.  Then they drove the car up to Penney Farms to check in with Mom Emery after her fall.  Mom Emery is healing well and is in good spirits.  Her memory loss and mental faculties are such that everything stays new, but she is happy and taken care of well by the people at PRC.

Good trip to PA

Sue helped Megan move to Pennsylvania this week.  She, Megan's fiance Booker, and Megan drove two vehicles packed to the gills with Megan's stuff up to Krislund Camp and Conference Center. Megan starts her full-time position as one of the camp directors there this week. 

They got moving early on Sunday morning because Megan and Booker wanted to stop at a church in Roanoke, VA, that they had read about.  It was a good church service but it was via satellite and there were some technical difficulties, which was sad. 

Once they got to the camp Megan showed Sue all around, showed her where Booker proposed to her, and showed her the cabin she will be staying in.  It's a very nice camp and should be lots of fun for her. 

Remember, Sue did this with her new friend Enrique, the air cast the doctor told her to wear.  Sue put the foot up when she could but didn't let it slow her down very much. 

They met up with Booker's mom and some other family to go and see some of the scenery near the camp.  Pennsylvania is a beautiful state when you get out away from the cities, and Sue enjoyed it very much. 

On the drive home Sue stopped and visited the Natural Bridge in Virginia, one of the places we went camping when the kids were young.  It had been closed for a while but was open again and was just as beautiful as before. 

Good job, Sue!

Sue broke her foot!

 She was walking our dog Mickey and hit the curb the wrong way.  As she went down she felt a huge "pop" in her right foot.  The ortho doctor explained that the muscles in her lower legs are so strong that as she tried to regain her balance two of them were pulling so hard on one of the bones in her foot that it broke! She gets to wear an air cast for the next six weeks with orders from the doctor sit with her foot raised as much as she can.  I doubt that she'll do that enough!

Enjoyed a medical interpreting workshop

Sure has been interpreting college anatomy classes for a while so she was excited about learning more techniques to improve her skills. She enjoyed all the learning as well as being with her professional friends.  Good stuff!

Sue doing good as Booster President

She was elected at the beginning of the season and had worked hard to help the school Soccer program.  Coordinating pre-game meals, helping with fundraising,  and deviating for Senior night,  she just keeps giving.  Good job,  Sue!

Good time with friends

Sue has had a good time her friends over the holidays.  We were honored to have Alice Turner, a deaf/blind friend of our family,  as a house guest this week.  Alice is in her words a "wild butterfly" that is always encouraging and patient. She tells funny jokes and stories, too. She is an amazing lady!

Enjoyed Black Friday shopping

Sue got up at 3am to join in the madness that is Black Friday shopping.  She and her friends Pam, Tiffany, and Sonja had a good time mixing it up with everyone else out there.  Then she came home, put her prizes in her closet, and took Kevin out to do more shopping!

Career going well

Sue's career in sign language is going well.  She continues to take assignments all around the metro Atlanta area and has a good time meeting different people and interpreting in different situations.  She still enjoys interpreting in a college setting a lot, and continues to get assignments like that.  I'm proud of how well she's doing! 

Mental health interpreting workshop went well

Sue continues to develop herself and her interpreting skills.  Even though she's nationally certified and has over 20 years experience interpreting she continues to learn and grow.  This past weekend she went to a mental health interpreting workshop in north Georgia to connect with the people and get involved in the program.  She has taken mental health interpreting training in Alabama and wants to continue to learn in this field.  The workshop was good and she met a lot of people.  Sounds like she might be doing this monthly for a while as she develops the relationships and skills needed.  Go, Sue! 

Sue interpreted in church today!

Her friend Polly has wanted to try SCC for a while, so Sue approached the church leadership and got some buy-in on letting her interpret.  She's very excited about the opportunity and really enjoyed interpreting this morning.  Hopefully this will blossom into another avenue for the deaf and hard of hearing to get teaching from the Word of God! 

Sue "danced" in church today

She and some others did a choreographed thing with her doing some sign language in a praise song in all three services today.  She's so good! 

Good HIDS group today

Sue has a group of friends that she tries to get together once a month with called the 'HIDS group'.  HIDS stands for Hard of hearing, Interpreters, Deaf, Socializing or something like that.  She has some regulars and then she has some people that come sometimes.  Today she had Meskel, Debbie, Mary Ann, and a couple of others and they enjoyed eating and talking for a couple of hours.  It's nice to see them together having fun! 

Another successful spaghetti dinner!

Sue organized and help run another spaghetti dinner to raise money for a mission trip.  This time it was for the Honduras trip she and Stephen are going on this summer.  This one was fully an SCC thing and a whole new group of people helped out, which was awesome!  The event raised over $500 for the trip, which is a great blessing to everyone trying to raise their money.  Go, Sue! 

Sue helped her mother this weekend

Sue's mom had to have some eye surgery, so Sue went down to help her out.  Things went well, and Mom Emery is recovering nicely. 

This was the first trip to FL in the new-to-us Jetta and it did well, too.  Sue said it was fun to drive and handled traffic just fine.  Woohoo! 

Good birthday celebration!

We had a great time celebrating Sue's birthday today.  One of the best parts of the celebration was a surprise visit from her brother Dan, who was in Charlotte for some work stuff and came to Atlanta for a conference or something and spent the night with us.  I made a strawberry cake with plenty of frosting on it, and our server at Cafe Milano's did a great job taking care of us. 

I love our family, and I love it when we have celebrations together like this.  As the kids get older I know we'll have this less, which makes it all the more fun while we get to be together.  Woohoo! 

Good mission trip to Mexico

Sue went with 3 other people to Kantunilkin, Qroo, Mexico, to do some mission work down there.  She went as a sign language interpreter for a deaf missionary and to help teach hearing teachers in the town some sign language.  She was also asked to share some info on and experience in starting a deaf ministry at a church, something she has done at two churches so far. They also went to share toys and Bibles with some of the children in surrounding villages and to seek out deaf kids in the area. 

This was a great experience for her.  The teachers down there soaked up everything she and the others shared with them, and taking the toys and gifts out to the children for 3 Kings Day was a lot of fun for the team.  She said that the people were very nice, and she especially enjoyed learning more spanish from Florinda, their cook for the week. 

It was a lot of fun, and she came back tired and needing rest.  Of course, she is back up to full speed with me and the kids and looking for whatever adventure God has for her next...

Sue's going on a mission trip!

She was asked to be part of a small team from the Georgia Baptist Conference of the Deaf that is going to minister to deaf children in Cancun, Mexico (not the vacation side :-)  She will be going down there on 1/2/14 for a week to help them celebrate Los Treyes Reyes (Three Kings Day).  She is looking forward to working with these experienced missionaries and in practicing her spanish sign language.  You can read more on GBCD's site.  Go, Sue!

Sue doing well

She is keeping busy with all the things she is involved in.  Her career in interpreting is going well - she takes assignments that fit with our family schedule and does others when we can coordinate the movement of the kids between each other so she can do it.  She continues to help Ann, our friend that had a stroke at our house over the summer.  Ann is a challenge but Sue has built a team of people that go by and check on Ann, help Ann, and take Ann different places.  She keeps up with all that Stephen and Kevin are doing, even volunteers to help with different band fundraisers (pizza, concerts, etc.).  She has started teaching sign language at our church and is hopeful that she will be able to start interpreting services there in the future.  And she keeps up with me and my shiftwork.  All the while she has a great time and is a blast to be with.  Go, Sue!  

Sue instrumental in helping friend

My wife and I have made Anne a part of our family.  When Anne had a stroke last month we took her to the hospital, stayed with her until she was admitted, and have visited her faithfully as Anne's friends and community have gathered around her. 

Sue has been instrumental in helping Anne as she recovers from the stroke.  Even though Anne is grumpy, acts out, and threatens her, Sue continues to love on her and show her compassion.  Sue and DeeAnn went over what the housing authority said about the stuff in her apartment, and today Sue marshaled the boys and a couple of friends in cleaning out the garbage and junk in Anne's apartment. 

I am very proud of Sue, and have told her several times that Anne appreciates her even if she (Anne) doesn't know it yet!  Sue laughs, smiles, and keeps doing things to help set Anne up to succeed as she recovers from her stroke.  Go, Sue! 

Good mission trip to Nicaragua

 Sue and her team had a great time on their mission trip to Nicaragua this past week.  They went down and taught students at a school for the deaf in Managua ways to share their faith with their friends.  The theme of the trip was an "explosion of love" and they used volcanoes as part of the theme for the trip.  On one of the days they used a line of cups fille with water, baking soda, vinegar, and salt to demonstrate how God's love overflows to those around us.  Several of the cups didn't get enough of one or another substance so they didn't bubble and overflow very much.  One of the girls commented that they didn't overflow because they didn't share about Jesus - that's when the team realized that they had gotten their message across to the kids and it all became worth it.  Good job, team!

Sue on mission trip

Sue has gone to Nicaragua again on a mission trip to work at a school for the deaf in Managua with 3 other interpreters.  I am sure that things are going well and that they are reaching kids with what the Lord has to say to them.  Woohoo! 

Sue got a new phone!

Her old phone was coming apart to the point that the screen was cracked.  We went and looked and she got a Samsung Galaxy 3 S!  She wanted to be able to do things by voice and now she can do that and lots more.  She is very excited and is learning all of the new capabilities she has.  Woohoo! 

Good meeting with missionaries

Sue took a trip to Florida to see family and friends and to visit with Matthew and Eva, her missionary friends from Nicaragua.  They had a good time together, and Sue learned a lot about what she will be doing with the group she is taking to Nicaragua this coming June.  She took Matthew and Eva up to Penney Farms to see her mother and Jane, a friend of Eva and Matthew from their time in Nicaragua.  Good job, Sue! 

Sue signed at new church

They asked her to sign "Silent Night" which she did.  She did a great job, and Megan M came be to see it.  Who knows - this may lead to more signing at our new church! 

Coordinated Cmas shop at SCC

Sue did a great job helping to organize and coordinate the Christmas shop at Stockbridge Community Church (SCC) today.  She's been working with our new Faye for the past 2 months on this, and it all came together well.  The idea the church had was to have a shop filled with newly-bought-donated toys and stuff and sell them to families that are having a hard time at 75% off the price.  The proceeds from the sale of these donated items go to Woodland Elementary School, one of the schools that our church supports through volunteer efforts, donations, and the Good News Club. 

Sue said it was a bit overwhelming how organized SCC was about this effort, and after all the planning and preparing it went off without a hitch!  Many people gave a couple of hours here, a couple of hours there, and the way this touched our community will only be known when we get to heaven.   Go, Sue! 

Susan helping with Christmas project at church

She volunteered to help out with a Christmas project at our new church, and today the whole thing kicks off. She is helping to organize a Christmas shop where instead of just giving the gifts away we will give families that need some help a way to purchase deeply discounted gifts donated by our church members. It's an interesting way of doing soemthing like this. Sue is in the thick of things, helping out at all three services this morning and having meetings to work out details over the past 3 weeks with plans for more in the next few weeks. Go, Sue!

Sue's foot still not better

She's been dealing with pain in her heel due to plantar fasciitis and a bone spur. She's done the exercises, gone through the physical therapy, and still has almost constant pain in her foot. So now she is going to have a procedure done to help speed the healing process. It's cool - they take some of her blood, spin it out so they just have the platelets, then inject them in to the area of her foot where the pain is. This is supposed to induce a better healing reaction in the body and get things moving. She's having it done at the end of the month and will have to wear an air cast for a few weeks, so it should be interesting. Please pray for quick healing!

Sue and the power outage

So we had a big storm at our house tonight. Sue found out that they were fire engines at the house behind ours. So she headed over there with the boys to find out what was going on.

The lady that lives behind us is pregnant and her husband was there with her and they told Sue they didn't have any candles or flashlights and didn't know what they were going to do with no power. So Sue came home and got some emergency flashlights a lighter and some candles for them and took them over there.  On her way back she got into trouble with the rescue personnel because she went underneath the tree that was leaning on the power lines and she made her way back to our house.  She said afterwards that she just wasn't thinking and just one underneath the tree no big deal.

My beautiful wife! She sure loves to help people...

Studying for new certification

Sue has been getting ready to test for a new certification in mental health interpreting.  The program is based in Alabama but she has gotten to work on most of in the local area.  She has been busily reading articles and books, doing practicum, and psyching herself up for it.  Pray she does well when she takes the test in April! 

Good conference

Sue had a good time at a mental health interpreting conference down in Montgomery last week. She learned lots of good techniques and made some new friends in Alabama. Good job, Sue!

Gearing up for Nicaragua

Sue is getting ready for her second mission trip to Nicaragua in June. She is going with our church again, and is hoping to go and meet with a missionary couple that may be able to guide her to a deaf school Sue wants to contact and learn about. She is hoping that in 2012 she and some deaf friends can go down and serve at the deaf school and maybe even put on a VBS and share the Good News with the kids there. Please pray for her safety and guidance as she navigates these new experiences with the Lord. Go, Sue!

Sue's book has been (self) published!

Last year when Sue was getting ready for her first mission trip to Nicaragua she was inspired by God to write devotions leading up to the actual trip. After she got back she was so moved by the whole thing that she wrote more devotions, asked a friend to edit them, and put them together as a book she calls "50 Days of Preparation for Missions". She's very proud and humbled to have an actual book out there that she wrote, and hopes that it will help those getting ready for a mission trip to focus their hearts on God.

You can learn more and order a copy of the book (paper or ebook) at http://www.preparationformissions.info. We appreciate your support and prayers as we go with this endeavor!

Sue teaching herselft Spanish sign language!

She bought a book on sign language from Nicaragua and is going through it translating the Spanish words to English so she can learn the signs. It's slow going because there are over 800 signs in the book and she is having to use Google Translate to figure out what each word means. She is hoping this helps her on her next mission trip to Nicaragua. Way to go, Sue!

Good birthday

Sue had a lot of fun - her "sisters in the Spirit" came over and had fun doing a Bible study, then she hung out with me, then she took Kevin to karate, then her brother Dan came home with Jacob and spent the evening with us, and we had a good dinner and a tropical fruit pie with bavarian cream. A good way to celebrate!

Good trip to see Cathleen

Sue went down to St. Mary's to be with her friend Cathleen on Cathleen's birthday and had a great time. Then Sue went down to Penney Farms to spend New Year's Eve with her mother. Sue and the kids said it was kind of quiet but they had a good time. Way to go, Sue!

Sue worked hard on wreath night

Sue is heavily involved in the PTO at Kevin's school, and enjoys it for the most part. She is disappointed in some of the decisions that are made, but enjoys helping to raise money to make our community's children's school experience better. This week she helped by making and helping to sell Cmas wreaths at the school. People could walk by an dbid on the wreath, and this fundraiser helped to make the PTO lots of money this week. Good job, Sue!

Sue enjoyed "Seize the day"

Sue had a good time at the "Seize the Day" event in downtown Atlanta today. She got to see Sarah Palin, Bill O'Reilly, Laura Bush, and others speak on how to improve her business and "seize the day". She took one of her friends from her Bible study group, which made it a lot of fun for her. It was hard to carve out the time from our busy schedule, but I'm glad she sets such a high priority on learning and expanding her horizons.

Sue came in first on game

Sue was very cute riding the motorcycle in the game room. She was going at it really well, and was sooooo surprised when she won the game! I was lucky enough to capture that surprise in a picture :-)

Sue did well on mission trip to Nicaragua

She raised all the money she needed to go on the trip, and then lined everything up so that she could go even in the midst of Jacob's graduation and family coming in to town and all that. She spent a week in Jiquilillo, Nicaragua, working with others from our church to help orphans and children living in the area. She said that it was a good experience overall, though the conditions were not pleasant. She also says that she is changed on the inside. Good job, Sue!

Enjoying coaching soccer

Sue has done this long enough that's she's getting good at it. She's helping out with the coaching of both Stephen and Kevin's teams this season, and is in there taking it pretty seriously. She was cute, walking the sideline with her clipboard and yelling encouragement at all the kids. Way to go, Sue!

Sue enjoyed GBCD

Sue had a good time this weekend at the Georgia Baptist Convention of the Deaf (GBCD). They talked about deaf culture, one of Sue's favorite subjects, and she got a lot out of it. She said that they had interpreting for the hearing using a microphone and an in-ear system for those that weren't as proficient in sign language as they could be, which was interesting. She came back refreshed and energized to serve the Lord even more!

Carnival and Senior Night a success

Sue coordinated the elementary school's fall carnival this year, and it was a great success! They made over $1900 for PTO, and everyone seemed to have a good time.

She did well coordinating, too - she had to leave just as the carnival got going so she could be at Senior Night for Jacob. We had fun with that, then Sue took off to make sure things were still going well at the carnival.

What a great woman!

Sue still grieving

She was cleaning out the big van this afternoon and came in crying. She had found one of the flyers from the memorial service for her sister under one of the seats, and had just put it away in her filing cabinet when it struck her: Nancy's gone. She cried for a while, and we talked. The grieving process is hard, and we have so many unanswered questions. Thanks for your continued prayers...

Too much?

Today Sue something I have never heard her say:  "I have too much going on!"  Between the Cub Scout campout this weekend, the school carnival she is helping to coordinate, the kids and all their activites, and my chemo creme tiredness, she is running in several circles.  Sue actually said it today: She said that she had "too much to do" and that she was feeling "overwhelmed" by everything she had going on! Wow, that's huge for her to admit! It was pretty funny to hear, and I am sure it will all work out.  She makes me so proud! 

Sue interpretes for the DPMN

She was invites by a deaf pastor she's known for a number of years to interpret a conference for the Deaf Prison Ministry Network this week.  She got to go and interpret the meet-and-greet and then ride with them to a prison.  While on the tour she got to counsel a prisoner and shared the gospel with the man.  She said it was an onteresting experience ans ahe got to meet a number of deaf professionals ans ministers she had never met before.  She haa no desire to get n to prison ministry bit would be more than willing to interpret this conference again. 

Sue helping with PTO again this year

She's having a lot of fun with it as one of the ring-leaders this time. She's coordinating the room-parents and coordinated an appreciation breakfast that she and the others are holding this morning. Whew, she's staying busy with it!

Sue with straight hair

Sue's friends Crystal and KT took her out today to be pampered, and surprised her with a hair straightening and lunch! Sue said it took about 90 minutes, but this was the result when the stylist was done. She said that it feels good, but it feels really cool when it blows in the wind, something she hasn't had in the past. I have to admit that I like the look :-)

They had a great time! Thanks, Crystal and KT!

Sue is sick

She rarely gets sick, but this cold that's going around got her this week. I had it first, now she's got. We're hoping that the rest of the family resists it, but we'll see...

Sue elected to PTO office again

She volunteered and was elected to continue as the Special Events Coordinator for the elementary school next year. She enjoyed doing It this year and is looking forward to another great time next year. Woohoo!

Sue coached soccer today

She volunteered to be the assistant coach for Stephen's team this season, and the main coach was out of town today so she was it! She did good, walking around with her clipboard and substituting kids on a re gulard basis to keep players fresh. The team won 3-2, so she did pretty good :-)

Sue enjoyed GBCD this year

Sue and Megan went to this year's Georgia Baptist Conference of the Deaf this past weekend. They both enjoyed the experience, getting to spend some time together and with see friends from our church (DeeAnn Harmon, Kari Gunter). Sue said the lessons were very good, and they all stayed up way too late on Friday night :-)

Sue was the chef for the retreat

She went with the Youth on a retreat this week in the Smoky Mountains near Sieverville, TN. It was a nice resort, and the kids had lots of fun. She originally agreed to just be the cook, but it ended up that she was a group leader and helped the kids learn about God all week. She had a good time and hopes to go on the next trip with the group.

Good PTO Bingo night

Sue and her friends did a good job putting on a Bingo night for the school last Friday. They had lots of baskets with different themes and gave them as Bingo prizes. I won a Bath and Body Works basket! They ended up raising over $1000 for the PTO, which is a good thing. Way to go, Sue!

Sue was a greeter in RTB

She had a good time welcoming people to our church's "live Nativity village" called Return to Bethlehem and being available to interpret. It was a busy weekend, but good. She got to know a couple of new people at our church, and enjoyed the whole experience. Good job, Sue!

Sue took the CI test again today

She feels like she did better on this one - she came home confident and secure in her skills. I took the day off so I could be available when she got home, which surprised her. We went out to Shane's for lunch to celebrate, so that was fun. She won't know until the end of January if she got this certification - hopefully the results will show up by her birthday :-)

Sue at Silent Dinner tonight

She is gearing up for her re-take of the big certification test she takes next Friday and has been busily interpreting videos and getting with friends for weeks. She had hoped that her position as a video-relay interpreter would help, but they haven't contacted her to get started in the mentoring program since they mentioned it. So tonight she is at the Mall of Georgia with some deaf friends hanging out and signing with many different people. Our friend Anne was excited to be going, so hopefully they'll get some shopping in, too.

Sue started at Sorensen this week

She is really enjoying the challenge of learning the whole video-interpreter ways, and becoming a part of the Sorensen group. You can read a news story about video relay interpreters on the CBS website here: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/01/26/tech/main595942.shtml. Good job, Sue!

PGES Carnival was great!

Sue did a great job coordinating things for the PTO's Fall Carnival this year. She called lots of people, had Megan call and recruit lots of her friends, and handled issues as they came up. It was fun to see and hear people calling her with questions and watching her handle them. Everyone seemed to have a good time despite some of the issues that came up (popcorn machine was broken, cotton-candy machine clean-up, unanchored inflated jumpy things, etc. :-) I think they even raised some money for the school!

Good job, Sue!

Sue's new job

Sue is now a Sorenson Video Relay Service employee! She will be interpreting for hearing-impaired people using a video-relay system, which will be pretty cool. She starts in November, so be sure and congratulate her when you see lr talk to her!

Slated to take test again

Sue has signed up to take the Certificate of Interpreting (CI) test again. She did good on the last one but didn't pass one of the four parts, and wants to knock it out this time. Please pray for her to make time to practice and to focus on getting ready for it. Go, Sue!

Sue is BALOO trained!

She went to the Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation training today! She can now help keep our Cub Scout Pack out of trouble when we have outdoor activities. Good job, Sue!

Sue visits her sister

She took Jacob and Megan with her to spend the night with her sister in Aiken, SC, then they all packed up and went to Charleston, SC, for a day and a night. She said they had a good time, and even went on a "ghost tour" of Charleston that night. Spooky!

Sue goes to GPC reunion

Sue went through the Interpreter's Training Program (ITP) at Dekalb College to get her 2-year degree in Interpreting back in the early 1990's. Well, that school is now known as Georgia Perimeter College, and she went there today to be part of an ITP reunion. She said it was a lot of fun, seeing all the people that have gone through the program, many of whom she has known now for quite some time. She said she felt a little old, though, when they started asking for who had gone through the program the earliest and she was the 2nd place person (meaning there was only 1 person there who had been through the program earlier than her!). Pretty funny...

Taking CI test today

Sue has done well preparing for the Certificate of Interpreting test. She's been practicing with friends, teaching, and watching sign language DVDs to get ready. The jobs she has been taking have helped her get ready, too, which has helped her a lot. She was a little nervous about the test itself but very cconfident in her ability today when she left.

Even though she's already nationally certified with her Certificate of Transliteration (CT) it will be nice when she can add this to her list of accomplishments and be able to earn more when she interprets. Wow, all of this AND taking care of me and the kids. Woohoo! What a woman!

Sue enjoyed Camp Kaleo

She had an interpreting workshop there about classifiers and other things last night and today. She got to see some people she hadn't seen for a while and met some new friends. Hopefully this helped her gear up for her big test this coming Saturday. We'll see...

Sue is now a PTO officer

Tonight Sue is being inducted into her new PTO officer position as next year's Special Events Coordinator. She will coordinate the special events the PTO puts on to help raise funds and help the school. Sue really enjoys helping out in this way. Way to go, sue!

Good visit with Aunt Nancy & Uncle Dick

Sue drove down from my brother's house yesterday and went to church with them. She said that they were doing good, though time is showing more and more on them. Uncle Dick was feeling better, and Aunt Nancy was full of energy and excited to see Sue and the kids. Dawn and her husband took Sue and the kids to church, but quickly left after taking Sue back to her Aunt's place. Sue was disappointed that she didn't get to see her other cousins (the Baltimore Ravens game was on), but she enjoyed her visit with Aunt Nancy.

Then Sue drove back through the rain and near-snow of the evening. Jacob and Megan locked her keys in the car somewhere in Delaware, so they had to call our roadside assistance guys to come and unlock it. She made it back to my brother's house around 8:30pm. I'm glad she got to visit!

Sue gets a ticket

She ran a red light that had one of those automated cameras and it got her! She was all embarrassed about it, saying that the light was real short and she had been sitting there for a while trying to get through it and just ran the light. The pictures were very clear, and the fine wasn't too bad ($70), but still! Oh, well, maybe she'll think twice before she runs a red light again :-)

Sue works PTO's "Santa Night"

She had a good time selling tickets for the raffle and the ornament walk (like a cake walk but with ornaments :-) Everyone involved did a good job, working hard and sweating the details. The boys and I had a good time hanging out with Harrison Brown while his mother and Sue worked.

Sue in SC helping her sister

Nancy chose to have surgery on her macular hole in her eye and has to keep her head down for the next 5 to 14 days. Sue, being the good sister she is, is there with Nancy helping her do the right things during the recovery. Hopefully things will go well and she'll regain some of her vision.

Sue's friend passed away

Sue got a call this morning that her friend Barbara Hardy passed away overnight. Barbara was a hearing-impaired woman that had an organ transplant years ago and struggled with different issues over the years. She lived in an assisted-living home the past year or two. Barbara's mother and father are still living and dealing with their own health issues.

Sue enjoyed Deaf Expo today

Even though our schedule is packed Sue took some time this afternoon to go to the Deaf Expo 2007 at the Georgia Convention Center. She had a good time seeing some people she hadn't seen for some time, both hearing and deaf. She didn't see any of our new friends from the cruise, though. And she didn't bring me any catalogs of cool products like my "Shake Awake" alarm clock. Oh, well...

Great experience on Hawaiian cruise

Sue had a great experience as an interpreter on our cruise to Hawaii. We met a lot of really nice people, and made some good friends during the cruise. The deaf people were great, Sue really enjoyed working with her fellow interpreters Teri, PJ, MaryAnne, Shelly, Chris, and Doug, and she learned a lot from the leadership of both Tom and Maria, the people at Cruises Unlimited that hired her to be an interpreter on the cruise. Big thanks to everyone that worked together to make it a wonderful experience!

Sue's shoulder hurts

Somehow or another she has gotten a pain in her left shoulder that has her all messed up. She's going to the chiropractor, rubbing mineral ice and other things on it, and icing it down in between everything. We think that she slept on it wrong but just don't know. I'm giving her backrubs to try to help, but we'll all be glad when she's feeling better...

UPDATE: It took about 10 days but it feels fine now. She's been doing great ever since!

Sue's making earrings

Sue has started making earrings. She bought a whole bunch of beads,
wire things, and other paraphenalia and starting making stuff. She's
been selling some of it, and enjoys the creativity it allows her to
express. Last night she took my advice and started making cards with
holes to present the earrings in a more pleasing manner. Way to go,
Sue!

Sue starts "The Point of Prayer" blog

Sue is helping "lead" the prayer team at our church and asked me to set up a page where she could share prayer requests and such on the church's website. I did, and as soon as she saw that she asked if I could set up a blog for her to share her thoughts and ideas on what prayer is and what the Lord was doing in her life because of it. I set that up and she is starting to post to it, which is cool. You can view it at http://www.harvestpointonline.com/prayer/thepointofprayer.php. Go, Sue, go!

Sue's new haircut

Sue finally got tired of having her hair in her face "all the time" and got it cut. It's not too short, it's just right, and she looks really cute. People keep telling her that it's "really you". I like it!

Sue to interpret play at Georgia Tech

One of Sue's friends asked her to take a job interpreting a play at Georgia Tech this month. It sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun for her, and she will actually get paid for it, too! Good job, Sue!

Sue interpretes Right to Life rally

Sue got to interpret at the Right to Life rally again this year. She enjoys giving her time to the cause, and has done so for about 5 years now. Her and her friend Sue Hardy went and prayed, then interpreted some of the speakers, and then came home. Good job, Sue!

Sue is in St. Mary's, GA, visiting her friend Cathleen during the holidays. It's kind of a weird time to go, but we couldn't find any other time for this to happen. Hopefully she is having lots of fun being with her friend and bumming around a beach town - tough duty, I know, but someone's got to do it :-)

Sue's tomato "garden"

Sue grew some tomato plants on our deck over the summer trying to show Stephen and Kevin how it's done. She's got two or three little tomatos on them, and I think they're going to make it to ripeness, but it's hard to tell. Maybe I'll let her use part of the yard next year...

Sue dedicates Prayer Room and church

Somehow from a conversation with our pastor about a place to pray Sue came up with a Prayer Room at church. She did really well translating the ideas into a reality, and got help from several people to set thing up, paint it, get a couch and prayer bench, and other things to fill it with comforts and aids. She got up in front of the church this past Sunday and told everyone about it, and the room is "open for business" now. Way to go, Sue!

Sue enjoys vacation

She's having a good time just relaxing at the beach with me now that the
kids are with their grandparents. She took me to Amelia Island (where
we were going to honeymoon when we got married), and today is just
chilling on the beach and at the condo. Fun, fun!

Sue interprets the Atlanta Passion Play

This has practically become a tradition for Sue. She's been able to interpret parts of the Atlanta Passion Play now for 4 or 5 years; this year she got to interpret the final scenes, which is a change for her. If you ever get the chance to go to the Atlanta Passion Play please go -- it's a great experience!

Sue coaches soccer now :-)

Sue is the assistant coach for Stephen's team at the church soccer league he and Kevin are playing in this spring. She has ended up being the only coach there two Saturdays in a row so far, so we are wondering if she is going to end up being the head coach of the team. Pretty funny, considering she's never done this before and is just learning all the in's and out's of the rules of soccer and the way the church league plays! Way to go, Sue!

Women's Breakfast went well

Sue had a "Women's Breakfast" for the women at our church today. She had it our house, and it was small - only three women came, but thay had a good time. They decided that they want to do it again, and may even have one every other Friday! We'll see how that goes...

Quick trip to FL

Sue had the sad duty to make a quick run to Florida for a memorial
service this past weekend. Her sister-in-law's sister, Susan McQuitty,
died from cancer last week. She had suffered for a long time, and Sue
felt led to go and pay her respects, show support for our family, and be
there for Mark and Mary.

The service went well, and Sue made it home safe and sound.

Date Night

Sue and I had a good "date night" tonight. We left Jacob in charge at
home and had a delicious dinner at O'Charley's, then went to see the
movie "Firewall". It was a good flick, though a little intense for
Sue's taste :-) We got home at 9:30pm, which was good since I had been
up since 4:30am!

What a great date night!

Working at ACC part-time

Sue has taken a part-time job interpreting for a student at the Atlanta Christian College. She wanted to do this to keep her skills up and earn a little money for us to travel with. She has substitute-interpreted there for the past 6 months or so, and is enjoying the challenging classes the student is taking (philosophy and something else).

Sue goes to St. Mary's

Sue took a short break from everything to go and see her friend Cathleen
in St. Mary's, Georgia. Cathleen used to live in McDonough but moved to St. Mary's last year (or was two years ago?) when her husband got a new
job. Sue and Cathleen are having a good time Cmas shopping, doing creative stuff, and catching up on what's been happening. Have fun, Sue!

Freelancing, mothering, and volunteering

Sue has had some opportunities to do some interpreting assignments, and has enjoyed getting out and honing her skills. The kids are keeping us both hopping with all the things they've got going on (scouts, gymnastics, soccer, church, and friends :-), but Sue stays on top of it most of the time.

Sue took the kids to the local church that is the central point for Hurricane Katrina Relief efforts here in Henry County. They helped guide people to the different parts of the church they needed to go and helped move some stuff around. It was a good experince for her and the kids.

Sue's doing great!

Full-speed ahead!

Sue didn't wait much at all after getting home from Alaska to get back
up to full-speed. She had some jet-lag until Monday, but then got right
back to her busy schedule, even helping a friend take some dinner to a
family in our church.

We had a good time going to see the Fantastic Four movie with some
friends from church last night, and today she is taking Jacob, two or
three of his friends, and Megan to High Falls State Park to hike, swim,
and picnic. Go, Sue, go!

Good trip to FL

Sue had a good trip to FL this past week. She went down there to take
Jacob and Megan to stay with their grandparents and ended up spending
nearly a week down there. She got to see Paree on her 85th birthday
(great timing!), spend the night with Victoria and Jason, go to Daytona
Beach with Karen, visit with Melody Long (a friend from long ago), and
visit her mom at Penney Farms. That was a lot of driving for her, but
she had a good time.
David Holly
davidholly@theHollys.net
678.464.5055 Mobile
770.957.4334 Home

Sound of Music a hit!

Sue has really enjoyed going to the rehearsals and getting to know the
rest of the cast. The performances have gone well so far, and everyone
is enjoying the shows. Sue has put in some long hours (out at the cast
party until 1:00am last night!), but has really enjoyed it. Good job,
Sue!