Hello all,
I know it's been a while. I promise to try harder.
All is well here. No big changes.
Deer season starts October 1 and there is a possibility for another potential opportunity that I will have to keep secret for now...I'll keep you posted.
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Monday and Tuesday
3/23 - Monday
We woke up at our leisure and moseyed over to EPCOT where we OF COURSE rode the Test Track (greatest ride EVER!) and then Soarin' then goofed off at EPCOT until Illuminations that evening. Great fun, but my feet are tired.
3/24 - Tuesday
Woke up a little later than our leisure :) and headed over to Animal Kingdom where we quickly got our fast passes for Expedition Everest...and then goofed off around the park until our fast pass reservation. About a hundred Rhinos, Gorillas, and other cool animals later we headed for our reservations...Oh my Goodness!!! The Yetti is now our MOST FAVORITE RIDE EVER!!! I would have riden it about five more times but Kate and Darren are satisfied with just being able to say they rode it. If they line hadn't be 120 minutes long...I'd would have stayed there with out them!
Tuesday Afternoon - we came back to the room and rested for a while. I went and did some laundry and then Kate and sat on our bldg's private beach and enjoyed the sun and surf (more sun than surf actually..it's really a lake). And now...I'm blogging :) I love vacations!
Dear Lord, Thanks for my wonderful family. Kate is so kind, patient and obedient. I saw so many moms loose their patience and yell at their children today. I so appreciate a wonderful daughter that I saw help other children and say 'excuse me' and 'thank you' more times than I can count today. I am blessed beyond measure. And then there's Darren...such a leader but not a dictator. He recognized that this is for Kate and allowed her to actually have fun knowing that we've taught her to know limitations when it comes to things she wants...and things she will enjoy. He is patient and kind, loving and strong, and I thank you for him. He's my best friend. ~Amen.
We woke up at our leisure and moseyed over to EPCOT where we OF COURSE rode the Test Track (greatest ride EVER!) and then Soarin' then goofed off at EPCOT until Illuminations that evening. Great fun, but my feet are tired.
3/24 - Tuesday
Woke up a little later than our leisure :) and headed over to Animal Kingdom where we quickly got our fast passes for Expedition Everest...and then goofed off around the park until our fast pass reservation. About a hundred Rhinos, Gorillas, and other cool animals later we headed for our reservations...Oh my Goodness!!! The Yetti is now our MOST FAVORITE RIDE EVER!!! I would have riden it about five more times but Kate and Darren are satisfied with just being able to say they rode it. If they line hadn't be 120 minutes long...I'd would have stayed there with out them!
Tuesday Afternoon - we came back to the room and rested for a while. I went and did some laundry and then Kate and sat on our bldg's private beach and enjoyed the sun and surf (more sun than surf actually..it's really a lake). And now...I'm blogging :) I love vacations!
Dear Lord, Thanks for my wonderful family. Kate is so kind, patient and obedient. I saw so many moms loose their patience and yell at their children today. I so appreciate a wonderful daughter that I saw help other children and say 'excuse me' and 'thank you' more times than I can count today. I am blessed beyond measure. And then there's Darren...such a leader but not a dictator. He recognized that this is for Kate and allowed her to actually have fun knowing that we've taught her to know limitations when it comes to things she wants...and things she will enjoy. He is patient and kind, loving and strong, and I thank you for him. He's my best friend. ~Amen.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Where in the US is the Creel Family?
We love vacations!!!
The absolute best vacations we've had as a family started with no plans, just backpacks and a full tank of gas. The family favorite was when we ended up at the Grand Canyon, then went to the Crater National Park, Painted Desert, Petrified Forest and more.
This year, Kate's spring break was postponed til the last week of March (usually it's on her birthday!) so we weren't sure what to do with her for her birthday. We were ready to get outta town for a break by the time spring break came, but had no time to plan so... on Friday, less than two hours before we picked up Kate from school we packed back packs, grabbed the laptop, bought a map of the continental US, ran to Sam's and bought a video camera, and as we picked up Kate from school we handed her the map and said "Where do you want to go?".
3/20 - Friday Night
We drove to Cleveland and had dinner with Mimi and Papa...with the promise of Saturday morning biscuits, gravy and sausage and some serious play time on the Wii.
3/21 - Saturday Morning:
We asked Kate again at breakfast where she wanted to go...her answer? "The Children's Mueseum of Houston!" So...with a quick detour to Grands house to say Hi, we were headed to the Mueseum.
Lunch at Pappasittos (thanks to First Assembly of God Cleveland for the gift card!):
We asked Kate "where now?"...after much hesitation she mumbled under her breath "Walt Disney World?"... and without even blinking an eye...Dad exclaimed "Alrighty then...Disney it is!" Kate was shocked! So we hopped in the Tahoe, put Orlando in the GPS and headed off.
Saturday Night - Thanks to the wonder of technology I was able to find a great hotel in Baton Rouge while driving down I-10. Verizon Wireless cards as a blessing! We even have a hotel waiting for us at Disney's Caribbean Resort near Epcot.
Sunday Morning:
Breakfast at McDonalds and a long drive ahead we are off. and it's almost time for Church Online so we will be watching from somewhere in Mississippi or Alabama while driving 70 mph down I-10. We'll keep you posted!
The absolute best vacations we've had as a family started with no plans, just backpacks and a full tank of gas. The family favorite was when we ended up at the Grand Canyon, then went to the Crater National Park, Painted Desert, Petrified Forest and more.
This year, Kate's spring break was postponed til the last week of March (usually it's on her birthday!) so we weren't sure what to do with her for her birthday. We were ready to get outta town for a break by the time spring break came, but had no time to plan so... on Friday, less than two hours before we picked up Kate from school we packed back packs, grabbed the laptop, bought a map of the continental US, ran to Sam's and bought a video camera, and as we picked up Kate from school we handed her the map and said "Where do you want to go?".
3/20 - Friday Night
We drove to Cleveland and had dinner with Mimi and Papa...with the promise of Saturday morning biscuits, gravy and sausage and some serious play time on the Wii.
3/21 - Saturday Morning:
We asked Kate again at breakfast where she wanted to go...her answer? "The Children's Mueseum of Houston!" So...with a quick detour to Grands house to say Hi, we were headed to the Mueseum.
Lunch at Pappasittos (thanks to First Assembly of God Cleveland for the gift card!):We asked Kate "where now?"...after much hesitation she mumbled under her breath "Walt Disney World?"... and without even blinking an eye...Dad exclaimed "Alrighty then...Disney it is!" Kate was shocked! So we hopped in the Tahoe, put Orlando in the GPS and headed off.
Saturday Night - Thanks to the wonder of technology I was able to find a great hotel in Baton Rouge while driving down I-10. Verizon Wireless cards as a blessing! We even have a hotel waiting for us at Disney's Caribbean Resort near Epcot.
Sunday Morning:
Breakfast at McDonalds and a long drive ahead we are off. and it's almost time for Church Online so we will be watching from somewhere in Mississippi or Alabama while driving 70 mph down I-10. We'll keep you posted!
Friday, December 26, 2008
Merry Christmas!
Hello Everyone...Merry Christmas!
I love this time of year. What an awesome joy to celebrate the birth of Christ. He is good!
We are all great here. Kate spent the four days before Christmas with my Mom and Dad in Cleveland (she didn't want to get stuck here at the office all week!). They traveled to Dallas to visit Mark, Terri and Maresa as well as had Christmas day breakfast with Jeanie, Kenny and their three. Then the moseyed over here to Beaumont to have lunch with us. It's Kate's first Christmas to not wake up here with us. In reality, it worked out great because we bought her a bedroom suite from IKEA and needed to put it together before they arrived.
Darren is grateful for a day off from Deer Processing which is good business right now, but tiring. We've had almost 1100 deer come in this season so far. It's been a good season. Creel Investments is doing great; constantly talking with potential clients. Susan passed her Real Estate License Exam and is now a Real Estate Agent.
It's been a busy couple of months...and then there was snow! We had more than FOUR INCHES of snow here in Southeast Texas. Now before you starting thinking I'm crazy...please realize. I have never seen that much snow...EVER! So obviously Kate and Julio (from Cameroon, Africa) had quite a ball.
In fact, here's a video of Kate:
Saturday, November 29, 2008
I resigned!
I have forgotten that many of you may not know that I've resigned from Church on the Rock and KE Resources. It was a very tough decision, but once God made it clear, I knew it was time to go.
I had been trying to juggle two business, one very busy husband, one struggling daughter (more details later), a house, and work at COTR and KER. It was getting to be too much and no one was getting 100% of my time, in fact, I don't think that ANYONE was getting 10% of my time. I kept praying that God would 'fix it'. In January, I went part time at COTR and KER hoping that would help (knowing all the time that I was really supposed to be resigning).
Darren and I, after much prayer (though Darren would not make the decision for me) decided that the companies were the vision of our house and our financial future. We even felt strongly that the next big growth burst for both companies would come when I focused more on them.
So, on a Monday morning, just after Pastor Ron's Mentor Meeting with his staff, I resigned with a lump in my throat and holding back tears. I love working for him. There is no greater boss on planet Earth (sorry Darren :P).
Finally, the Lord made it even more clear when Kate was tested and diagnosed with Severe Dyslexia just a couple of weeks after my last day. Kate needed my attention more now than ever, and being the boss of two companies gave me the schedule flexibility to do that.
Now, I pick her up at 3:00 and we go home. No stress...no other responsibilites...phone turned off if necessary. We do her homework and then if I need to go to Gibson's or to Creel Investments I can...but she comes first!
My prayer: Lord, I'm so sorry I'm so hard-headed. I just couldn't imagine I wasn't supposed to be working for Pastor Ron and COTR. I see now it wasn't about me...I'm not sure it was even about Kate. But I know you have a plan...and I know it's a good plan. I am choosing to be a part of it. I believe Lord, but help me in my hard-headedness. ~Amen.
I had been trying to juggle two business, one very busy husband, one struggling daughter (more details later), a house, and work at COTR and KER. It was getting to be too much and no one was getting 100% of my time, in fact, I don't think that ANYONE was getting 10% of my time. I kept praying that God would 'fix it'. In January, I went part time at COTR and KER hoping that would help (knowing all the time that I was really supposed to be resigning).
Darren and I, after much prayer (though Darren would not make the decision for me) decided that the companies were the vision of our house and our financial future. We even felt strongly that the next big growth burst for both companies would come when I focused more on them.
So, on a Monday morning, just after Pastor Ron's Mentor Meeting with his staff, I resigned with a lump in my throat and holding back tears. I love working for him. There is no greater boss on planet Earth (sorry Darren :P).
Finally, the Lord made it even more clear when Kate was tested and diagnosed with Severe Dyslexia just a couple of weeks after my last day. Kate needed my attention more now than ever, and being the boss of two companies gave me the schedule flexibility to do that.
Now, I pick her up at 3:00 and we go home. No stress...no other responsibilites...phone turned off if necessary. We do her homework and then if I need to go to Gibson's or to Creel Investments I can...but she comes first!
My prayer: Lord, I'm so sorry I'm so hard-headed. I just couldn't imagine I wasn't supposed to be working for Pastor Ron and COTR. I see now it wasn't about me...I'm not sure it was even about Kate. But I know you have a plan...and I know it's a good plan. I am choosing to be a part of it. I believe Lord, but help me in my hard-headedness. ~Amen.
Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!
Hello Everyone,
I am here sitting in Gibson's watching about four guys cut up deer one after another...and I thought..."I'm going to blog an entry and tell everyone Happy Thanksgiving!".
I certainly hope that you were able to celebrate Thanksgiving with your family like we were. We celebrated twice; once in Hemphill, Texas with Darren's great family on the banks of Toledo Bend with a gorgeous view. We sat on the porch, in rocking chairs and watched Kate play on the docks. What a great day!
Then Friday, we went to my parents house in Cleveland. It was a perfect day! We were able to take family portraits for my parents for christmas and many of my brothers and sisters were able to be there. Those that weren't able will be 'photoshoped in' at a later time. I think they will be great. Then we played on Mom and Dad's Wii after we ate so much food. It was fun and it's holidays like this that I cherish the most.
My prayer: Lord, I sure am blessed! I'm not talking about the money, house, and fancy cars...I'm talking about the things that really matter. Family, Friends and Fellowship. We've got the best family, friends that anyone would kill for, and we fellowship like there's not tomorrow. Help us all to remeber to "Make a living, Make a life, and Make a difference!". It keeps us so balanced.
I am here sitting in Gibson's watching about four guys cut up deer one after another...and I thought..."I'm going to blog an entry and tell everyone Happy Thanksgiving!".
I certainly hope that you were able to celebrate Thanksgiving with your family like we were. We celebrated twice; once in Hemphill, Texas with Darren's great family on the banks of Toledo Bend with a gorgeous view. We sat on the porch, in rocking chairs and watched Kate play on the docks. What a great day!
Then Friday, we went to my parents house in Cleveland. It was a perfect day! We were able to take family portraits for my parents for christmas and many of my brothers and sisters were able to be there. Those that weren't able will be 'photoshoped in' at a later time. I think they will be great. Then we played on Mom and Dad's Wii after we ate so much food. It was fun and it's holidays like this that I cherish the most.
My prayer: Lord, I sure am blessed! I'm not talking about the money, house, and fancy cars...I'm talking about the things that really matter. Family, Friends and Fellowship. We've got the best family, friends that anyone would kill for, and we fellowship like there's not tomorrow. Help us all to remeber to "Make a living, Make a life, and Make a difference!". It keeps us so balanced.
Friday, July 04, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
He took the dare!
So the other day after Kate's basketball game (which her team won!...again!), we took my mom (who was kind enough to come to Beaumont to see her granddaughter play) and Julio to lunch at Cowboy Red's, a BBQ place in Mid-County. They have 'the Outlaw burger'...a HUGE burger with three one pound patties and all the fixin's not counting the buns!...so we challenged Julio to try and eat it!!! He took the bet!...and lost! He brought the leftovers home in a box.My prayer: Lord, Julio is such a blessing to us. He makes us laugh, he is such a great help to Kate when she has Math homework...so patient! (cuz you know I'm not the math homework person in our home!) and on top of that he's just a great guy to have around. Bless him Lord, keep him healthy, wealthy and wise. Bring him a wife one day when he's ready...too, but in the mean time keep him sane with all the responsibilities and classes he carries. Reveal yourself to him in a ways that make him realize how much you love him. ~Amen.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
Kate and Renee'
Renee is one of my nieces (my cousin Jonathan Raines' daughter) who lives in Morocco, West Africa. Jonathan works there. They came into the States for Christmas this year.
We had sent Kate to Mom and Dad's in Cleveland during the winter break because she was bored working two jobs with Darren and I. Luckily, Renee and Kate hit it off beautifully! They spent as much time together as they possibly could. They even went to NASA!
My prayer: Lord, Renee is beautiful! Her entire family is such a blessing to you. I pray you keep them healthy, happy and provide for all their needs as they are working out of the country. Thank you for the wonderful time Kate had with her. Family is so precious and I know Kate loved getting to know Renee. My their relationship and the time they spent together be a beautiful memory that they both cherish.
Kate's Playing Basketball!!
Kate has joined the Little Dribblers this year! and she is doing great!!!
At first she was very nervous since she has never played on a team of any kind but we enrolled her in a basketball basics class at a local gym and she has gained so much confidence!
She has had two games and her team has won both. The first game she was nervous and timid but the second games she shot twice (and almost made one of them) but was so much more aggressive (in a good way!)
Anyway, Darren and I are loving watching her play. At least she hasn't sat on the basketball yet (huh daddy!)
Here's a short video of her first game! I'll upload another one soon!
My prayer: God, sports were such a confidence builder for me when I was in school and though I know that they can also 'expose character' I think it could be great for Kate. Please let her have fun, stay active, make friends, build confidence and learn discipline and teamwork. I even promise not to become one of those 'psycho sports parents'!...but you have to help me :)
~Amen
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Four Generations
Pictured left to right: Jennifer Cooper (my mother), Lillian Payne (my Grandmother),Kate Creel (my daughter), Susan Creel (me!)
I'm so proud to be a 'baton-holder' in this family!
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
OKay...too funny to not share
This is by no means a slam on Catholics...it's just funny...!
Come on ...laugh! You know you want to...and it's good for you!
Come on ...laugh! You know you want to...and it's good for you!
Monday, November 12, 2007
Deer Season is GOOD!
Many of you know now that Darren and I are buying a Deer Processing business already in operation in Port Neches with a partner...it's going very well... in fact, It's going MUCH better than I thought it would. To date we have taken in just shy of 600 deer. That's only been a week of Rifle Season open! and we've got a long way to go.To keep you posted on our success...I'm posting the deer count in the column on the right.
My prayer :) God, thank you for favor. We know we aren't perfect and often wonder why you bless us...but we appreciate the opportunity to be used. We will do with it exactly what you've told us. ~Amen
Monday, October 29, 2007
Remember Humberto?
Do any of you remember Hurricane Humberto? You remember...the little tropical depression that decided at the last minute it wanted to be a hurricane and then slammed into Beaumont?
For those of you who DON'T remember it happened in September around the 13th? How do I know that? September 12th is my anniversary...My adorable husband has a habit of being out of the country on our anniversary (not his fault, just a horrible timing thing). Not to mention that he apparently hates hurricanes and refuses to be here when one occurs :)
No...really...he was unfortunately out of the country when Hurricane Rita hit in 2005, and I jokingly told him no more traveling during hurricane season after her. Then Humberto just made it a horribly sad joke by deciding to hit while Darren was again...out of the country. Anyway, these are the flowers I received the day before Hurricane Humberto for my anniversary...they quickly became "I'm sorry I left you at home with 200 rental properties, 13 clients, one daughter, two dogs, and nine employees...during a hurricane" flowers. :)
Pretty huh?
My prayer: Lord...If you have to let another hurricane hit us...can Darren at least be here?
For those of you who DON'T remember it happened in September around the 13th? How do I know that? September 12th is my anniversary...My adorable husband has a habit of being out of the country on our anniversary (not his fault, just a horrible timing thing). Not to mention that he apparently hates hurricanes and refuses to be here when one occurs :)
No...really...he was unfortunately out of the country when Hurricane Rita hit in 2005, and I jokingly told him no more traveling during hurricane season after her. Then Humberto just made it a horribly sad joke by deciding to hit while Darren was again...out of the country. Anyway, these are the flowers I received the day before Hurricane Humberto for my anniversary...they quickly became "I'm sorry I left you at home with 200 rental properties, 13 clients, one daughter, two dogs, and nine employees...during a hurricane" flowers. :)
Pretty huh?
My prayer: Lord...If you have to let another hurricane hit us...can Darren at least be here?
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