Brady Lewis Crumpton

Happy Birthday to my son, Brady Lewis Crumpton on Dec. 2nd!
I will never stop thanking God for you!!!

Published in my church Bulletin after Brady died.

Dear First Baptist Friends,

There are no words to express the appreciation I have in my heart for you. Your prayers, visits, cards, food contributions and attendance at my son, Brady's funeral mean more to me than mere words could ever express.

Nor are there words to describe the loss of one you loved so much. How enriched my life has been because I was blessed with being Brady Crumpton's mother. I am a better person today for having been blessed with this most special child to raise. He taught me so very many things, and we learned so much together in our journey of taking him from a 6 pound beautiful baby boy to to a 170 lb. handsome young Christian man. My life is forever enriched because of him. I survive the pain of living the rest of my life on earth without him because he didn't leave me until he handed me a huge bouquet of the most beautiful and precious memories.

When he was a baby learning to walk, I would follow along behind him, ready to catch him should he fall. I did indeed catch him many times throughout his 23 years. This time he fell into the arms of Jesus.

Brady's mom

Thanksgiving 2008

This was a fabulous Thanksgiving! My happiest one in many, many years!!!

Things to be Thankful for.....short list!!!

A = Angels - expecially the Grand Angels!!!

B = Brady Joseph Dixon and Brady Lewis Crumpton!!! And my BROTHERS, all 4 of them!!!

C = Children - they make life worthwhile!!! Coffee - a close second.......LOL.......

D = Dogs, what would I do without Bruiser and Chi Chi???

E = Elaine! I am thankful "Elaine" is now my legal name, and I can drop "Barbara" forever!

F = Faye Moore, my MOM. NO ONE loves you like your mama does!

G = Grandaughter - Ally, my grandaughter, she is so special!!!

H = Heidi, I learned so much working from working with her.

I = I-Pod - Michael LOVES his music!!!

J = Joy to the World - the Lord Has Come!!! And - Stacy Joy, she is so precious!

K = Kindness...a gift you can freely give that will make you AND the receiver feel like a million bucks!

L = Lewis Moore, my DAD! I have always been a "Daddy's Girl"!!!

M = Michael, my boyfriend, the best boyfriend on the Planet!!!

N = Nicole, my daughter. I would have missed 33 years of the most ASTOUNDING AND AMAZING BLESSINGS without her!

O = On the Border, they have Nicole's favorite Chicken Tortilla Soup!

P = Patience - it is a Virtue!!!

Q = Quiet Time, and "Quitting Time" at work!!!!!

R = Respect - NOTHING feels better!!!

S = Son-in-law, Brian Scott Dixon. And Sister - Deanna Honey.

T = Tough Love, 100% of all teenagers need it, and many survive because of it!

U = Unconditional Love.....how precious is it!!!

V -=Victory in Jesus, my Savior Forever !!!

W = Wine - glad I finally discovered it!!!

X = X-rays.....for lack of a better word that starts with X .....

Y = Yahoo, but it is not as good as Google!

Z = Zachary Scott Dixon, my 1st grandson !

Weekend Update........

The weekend was great. We ate at a great little fish place on Friday night and stuck to our healthy eating plan. Saturday night after church was The Keg....wonderful, we "splurged" from our 'diet' and had bread and baked potato's with our steak - very yummy food, and great wine.

Sunday night we to SMG and saw "The Changeling" ...(ate some great appetizers, too). It was a good movie. It depicted the complete and total corruption within the LA police department in the 1920's. Had I not known this movie was based on a true story, I would never have believed that corruption to this degree existed back then (much less now). Angelina Jolie plays the lead role of the movie, as a single mother named Christine Colins. Her 9 year old son ends up missing. Several months later, the LAPD announce they have found her son. She is a great actress, because the emotion she showed when she was told her son had been found, was intense and moving. Then the "hiccup" - - - would you not know your own son (?). He has been missing only a few months, not a few years. The child they brought back to her - is a full 3 inches shorter than her son, and - unlike her son - this child has been circumcised. He is definitely not her son. Since she continues to talk to the LAPD about the fact that they have not found "her" son, and she refuses to accept the boy they brought her as her son, they end up saying she is crazy and they commit her to an - insane asylum (yes, that is what I would call it). Her friend, The Reverend, who has been fighting the corruption in the LA police department with his weekly radio broadcasts, manages to hire a lawyer "pro bono" and get her released from the "hospital". They go to trial, and - she "wins" as far as the trial goes. Some of the top officers in the police department are removed from duty, and others are recommended to be removed from duty. But as far as her son goes, there is "no winning". She never stops looking for him, but he is never found.

The Celebration Continues....!

I hate for it to end.....but I guess my Birthday Celebrations are over .... for 2008 anyway!

Nicole and the Grand Angels rounded it out with Birthday Cake and Presents. I do not know how Brady knew that Batman was my favorite Super Hero, but somehow he did and he talked his mommy into getting Grandma a ...... Batman Cake....!!! And my favorite flavor too .... chocolate! It was a sad scene when Brady was trying to tear the little Batman figure and Batman car out of my clutched fingers, but I finally decided to be the "bigger person", and let him take them home. As it turns out, he slept with them, so maybe he does like them a little more than I do...I was not planning to sleep with them.

Ally and Zach created the most special, hand-made cards that any Grandma could ever dream of...with such sweet sentiments! Even 2 year old Brady created his own hand-made card for Grandma (with Miss Julie's help). Nicole always gives me the SWEETEST cards, and this year was no exception, she hand-made her special card for me also!

I received the "perfect" brown leather handbag that I wanted, Sex and the City DVD, and some fabulous.....hmmmm....lingerie(!).

Life is Good....I am Blessed....and I am Grateful!!!

Santa Fe !!!

W-O-W - what is not to like about Santa Fe? I felt an immediate "calming effect" the moment we stepped out of the car. This place is laid-back and relaxing - not low-stress....but No-Stress!

I love the architecture. The building code is such that all architecture has to be "Adobe/Santa Fe" style which gives you a feeling there has been no new construction there for 100's of years.....you expect the American Indians to still inhabit all the buildings. It is so cool!

The shopping is to die for - and you are kidding yourself if you think you will only "window-shop". After looking at their beautiful, hand-made silver jewelry pieces for hours - you are going to find a "deal" - and you ARE going to "buy"!!! So, yes, I ended up with 5 BEAUTIFUL pieces of jewelry from Michael, and (yes) I do know I am spoiled rotten. We also were able to find what we think will be a GREAT Christmas present for Nick and Lindsey, I think they will love it!

And you ask - how good is the food in Santa Fe? I gained 5 pounds in 5 days - does that answer your question? OK, just kidding, but the food there is Awesome, and I have never had a better Margarita in my life than the one they serve at the Inn and Spa at Loretto, our hotel. The secret seems to be their addition of Guave juice - but whatever it is, we felt it our civic duty to have at least 1 Margarita every afternoon at the end of our shopping trips. YUMMY.

If we go again, perhaps we will get a massage, Santa Fe is known for their great massages. However, my thought when Michael asked me about getting a massage - is that they are more expensive than the are worth. But considering what Michael spent on jewelry, we would have saved lots of money had we been laying on a massage table!

My Birthday!!!

I had a Fantastic Birthday yesterday (and more yet to come today)!

Many friends and relatives remembered me with birthday cards, birthday e-cards, phone calls, emails, birthday lunch, and presents! Life is good and I am so honored and humbled to be rememered by so many. No worries about my "age" or wrinkles today, just gratitude for the priceless gift of friends and family.

My Special Birthday dinner was at PF Chang's with "my" Michael (as Brady calls him). Chang's is where we had our first date, so it will always be a favorite of mine. Beautiful "Birthday" flowers arrived at my office on Tuesday from Michael. When he arrived at my house to take me to dinner....he was "bearing gifts".....(he did so good)! I am very picky..... so very hard to shop for - but he got me a wonderful assortment of gifts! I am so excited about the Chanel #5, and it was all I could do to not open it this morning(!). BUT, I know - the smart thing to do is to get samples of all the Chanel fragrances, so I know before I open it that #5 is indeed my favorite. Godiva chocolates, a new birthday outfit that I get to choose(!)....mani-pedi....(I love to pamper myself).....and my Baby is going to cook a special meal for us too!

Tonight the celebration continues with Nicole and the Grand Angels. Rumor has it, that Brady got to choose Grandma's cake, so I am expecting one of the "Super Heros" to be on it - probably Batman or Superman! Now this will truly be a FIRST for grandma.....a Super Hero Cake.

This past year was one of the very best years of my life. I am 1 year closer to 100, and now that I have met Michael - 100 is my goal (his too!). I pray good health will get us there!!!

Things

We all want "things". I want clothes. It is my weakness! God created me this way - I did not get it from my parents...God gave me the "clothes gene"! My mom has never liked shopping - for anything - but in particular she does not like shopping for clothes. My dad enjoys nice clothes and he will - occassionally - splurge on custom made shirts for church - but this is once every 6 years or so.

Me.......I am "out there" all the time looking for a good deal. And I almost always find it! If I am not responding to your texts, or I am late for an appointment with you, there is a 99% chance I have stopped by a store - and I am shopping.

I have friends who love jewelry - simple costume jewelry - but they LOVE it. When it is their birthday or Christmas - jewelry is all they want and all they ask for!

And I think almost ALL women love shoes!

Men love cars - but we all LOVE THINGS of one type or another.

I heard a story on the radio this morning, that reminded me how UN-important "things" are. It was just a part of "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pauch, a man in his forties who is dying (he has since died) of pancreatic cancer. Randy talked about how as a teenager he got a new car. He then went to pick up his niece and nephew to take them for a ride. The kid's mom was telling them to be very careful in Uncle Randy's new car....do not get it dirty...etc. Randy opened a soda and poured it all over the back seat. Because he realized that this new car - although he cared for it a lot - was just a "thing". It is not LIFE. It is not losing a loved one. It is not burying a loved one. It is not missing that loved one every single day for the rest of your life. It is just a "thing".

May we all keep the UN-importance of "things" in perspective.

Name Change

Woo Hoo - with a little luck, my email ID will be changed by Monday morning.

Might take more than a little luck actually. The last time the Help Desk was going to make a "weekend update" for me, it took 2 weekends.

Anyway, I am very, very happy about my name change! I am glad Aleta was sitting beside me during my "divorce concall" with the Judge and encouraged me to do it. She knew I wanted to....I just dreaded the hassle of all the paperwork.

Hmmm......and so the email trail goes on and on........

Oh well! Back to the "Basics" mom and dad - I got my Maiden name back!

The Other Boleyn Girl

This one kept me on the edge of my seat. I tend to "doze off" during movies I rent/watch at home, but - not this one - it kept me wide awake.

Message of the Movie: There are 2......."Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"........and "You reap what you sow".

Two Boleyn sisters - the "good" one is Mary, the "bad" one is Anne.

At the urging of her father and uncle, Mary becomes one of the King's "concubines" (she is married at the time, but her husband offers no resistance to this proposal). Their "reasoning" is if the King is sleeping with Mary, then their family will receive special priviledges, better lodging, and financial gain. Although Mary is (initially) shocked at the proposal, she agrees to do it "for the good of the entire family".

Mary is a good woman with a good heart. There is a halo of innocence around her throughout the entire movie (concubine or not). The King treats Mary with gentleness and respect (she received neither from her husband) and she falls deeply in love with him. Mary becomes pregnant with the son the King has longed for for many years (the Queen has birthed only daughters).

About half way through the pregnancy, Mary is put on complete bedrest. This is the perfect time for her sister, Anne, to return from Paris...and she does. Upon seeing that Mary is "out of the picture" as far as 'entertaining' the King is concerned, Anne puts her plan into motion. Her "Plan" is not only to steal the King's affection away from her pregnant and bed-ridden (only) sister - but to (ultimately) become the King's bride - his Queen.

Anne starts playing her manipulative game with the King. She impresses him and wins his affection by being assertive, outspoken, intelligent, beautiful, witty, charming, and - above all - "hard to get".....one thing the King has never dealt with. Anne leads him on and on - with the promise of one day "bedding" him. He concedes to one demand of hers after another - each time thinking this is the last one, but Anne wont' stop until she is Queen.

The King becomes putty in Anne's hands. When Mary delivers the son the King longed for, he will not even look at the child or at Mary. Mary's heart is shattered.

Anne continues to make and get all of her demands - she insists the King divorce his wife and marry her....and he does. Anne ends up getting everything she demanded, but having nothing because the King ultimately realizes that for the "love" of this woman - he has betrayed his country and he has betrayed himself.

Anne bears the King a child - a daughter. She is desperate to give him a son - an heir to the throne, but she miscarries her second child. She is (now) so desperate to become pregnant with a son that she tries to talk her brother (yes I said her brother) into sleeping with her (the King no longer wants to "bed" her).

Although the "incest act" with her brother does NOT actually take place, she is still accused of incest, tried for incest and infidelity in a court of law - and she is sentenced - to be beheaded - and she is.....beheaded.

This movie is based on a true story. If you think you are "getting away with murder" - you are not. Some crimes do not warrant a judgement day here on this Earth. For those crimes the judgement day will be when you stand before your Father in Heaven.

So remember - Do unto others as you would have them do unto you - because you do reap what you sow!

WALL-E

WALL-E was a cute movie. The "message" of the movie is about "going green"..... and the consequences of not doing that!

But there is also a very sweet love story - and of course, that was my favorite part. Think of WALL-E as a 'Blue Collar' worker Robot. No one works harder than WALL-E.....he is DEDICATED to his job - there could not be a more RESPONSIBLE worker Robot than WALL-E! His daily job (of trash compacting and stacking) is the #1 Priority of his life.

His Robot 'body' could definitely use a new coat of paint - but he is not focused on "self".....he has his head down and is FOCUSED on his job - day in and day out. The most attention he gives to himself is to replace his "body parts" from time to time as they wear out (he has a vast supply of parts he has salvaged from the landfills).

But then he meets EVA!!! She is "all that" - every man's dream (well at least every "Blue Collar Robot's" dream) of what the latest and greatest Robot should be / do / look like! We start to see a gradual shift in WALL-E's priorities. He is still "the hard worker Bee" Robot that he has always been, but EVA is always (and I do mean always) on his mind. If she is out of his sight for a second.....he is running around and calling her name "EVA EVA EVA".....trying to find her to make sure she is safe.

The ending is good - EVA does realize that WALL-E is (hands down) the best Robot "Catch" in existence - on ANY Planet - and we leave the movie theatre knowing that they will live happily ever after!

Ain't Love Grand?!!!

My Daughter, Nicole

My daughter Nicole is incredible! She is a strong woman of God. She is a true friend, a devoted and protective mother, a loving daughter and a supportive and faithful wife. She has a heart of gold...(she'd kill me if I did not also mention here that she is incredibly intelligent!).

I am So Very Very Very Proud of my Daughter!!!.....

Nicole lost her only brother, Brady when she was a Junior in College. Her brother died suddenly and without warning (he was 23 and she was 21). He was her only sibling....her protector, and her best friend. She thought Brady was absolutely the coolest human being on the Planet.....he had been her idol since she was about 2, and "Bady" was one of the first words she spoke.

The loss of her brother threw Nicole into a "tunnel of darkness". There were times when she could not see even a ray of light - it literally brought her to her knees. But...she continued to pray, and fought to "live" again - she literally clawed her way forward, she crawled, and eventually she walked. She continued her studies at TWU after taking a year off to figure out how she was going to live "life without Brady". She remained focused and kept her eye on the "prize" (the diploma!), and she graduated from TWU....with honors! I admire her so very much for this accomplishment and I will take it with me to my grave!!! It might be the last thought in my head before I leave this earth!

I love you so very much Nicole, I am so very proud of you! I treasure you with all my heart and all my soul!!! I love you with every breath I take.

It is not about if life brought you to your knees - it's about if you got back up. I thank God Nicole got back up.

Movie Review

I 'like' a whole lot of movies, but 'love' only a few. I 'loved' "The Thorn Birds"...."Gone with the Wind"......"Steel Magnolias". I have one to add - I saw "Sex and the City" this weekend and (OMG) - I "LOVE" this movie!

"Sex and the City is definitely a "girls" movie (a special thanks to my BH for taking me - and -watching it with me!) . Ahhhh - the fashion, the shoes, the makeup, the hair, the "closet"!!! The 10 or 15 "simply to die for" wedding gowns Carrie tried on - with hair and makeup coordinating perfectly with each one. The movie was a "Vision" (just) to watch - incredibly Beautiful scenes.

But surely there is "more" to the movie than the "fluff" I have spoken of so far to make me "love" it right? Well there is - the movie conveys so clearly the incredible and deep bond of love and friendship these 4 women have for each other. IF women have "anything" over men (and I did say IF) - it would be the deep bond of friendship we develop with the 2 or 3 women friends who have always "been there" for us through the darkest times of our lives. Nothing "surface" about these friendships, and many times we are closer to these special women friends than our own "blood" relatives.

I am not surprised to read that "Sex and the City" grossed $55.7M this past (opening weekend)!!!. I want to see it at least 2 or 3 more times!!!

The Cookout!

What a fun "Memorial Day" weekend - full of activities and fun for me and my BH....including a trip to Dave and Buster for those sweet and handsome Dixon grandsons of mine - Zachary and Brady - well the whole family is gorgeous - so here they are!!!

Nicole is right - Brady LOVES GAMES. Try telling a 2 year old that he has to 1) order lunch 2) wait for lunch to be served 3) eat lunch - - - BEFORE he can play the games at D & B's. Well my Sweetie had a wonderful idea - just let him sit at the game right next to our table and play on it until the food arrived. That worked! "Zachie" as Brady calls him ordered shrimp, one of his favorite things to eat. We had a great time.....those game cards kept running out, but my Sweetie kept re-activating them. He is a doll. The boys had a blast!!!

Memorial Day was a fun day....my BH had a cookout at his house! His son, Nicholas came and brought his girlfriend, Lindsay - and Nicole and Brian and all 3 kids attended as well. We had lots of great appetizers, then steak, chicken and hamburgers cooked on the grill, and some yummy yummy zuchini, yellow squash, and fresh asparagus also cooked on the grill. Wonderful red wine, and cheesecake for dessert. Everyone really enjoyed the food and the visit, it was a great time for everyone!

We have lots of "Great Memories" from this weekend!!!

The Graduate

Nick graduated last night! Woo Hoo! It was such a special night....my BH is such a proud dad (as well he should be!). Nick is a wonderful young man. He is kind, compassionate, and has a loving heart just like his dad....(he is also tall and handsome like his dad!). He has been gainfully employed and in his own apartment for almost a year now. We praise God for this awesome accomplishment. Congratulations Nick!

Bruiser the Biter

Yep - I am just as shocked as you are! My sweet little (hyper/full-of-attitude) animal bit his mommy's lip last night! Now I know how Damarys felt when Jack bit her.....thanks to you ....little "Biting Bruiser"! Thank goodness Bruiser is not Jack's size, or I'd be missing my entire upper lip!

Seems I picked the little fella up wrong - probably touching him where the Vet had injected him earlier in the day. Well in the 'blink of an eye' (or less) - he let me know how he felt about that!

I must admit, my separation anxiety about him going to doggie college this fall has lessened with this latest, shocking behavior of his.

Once a Month Blogger

Hmmm.....it is May 14th.....I am obviously not a "daily" Blogger like my Better Half is (hereafter referred to as BH)..........!!!

I enjoy reading my BH's and my Daughter's Blogs so much, that I am making a committment to Blog at least once a week!

Q4 craziness abounds at my Company......discounts keep getting higher - right along with my managers' stress levels. They are paid well, but they earn every cent for the stress they endure in this highly competitive world of Software sales.

I worry about the stress my BH lives with at his job. Even though he is used to it, I worry about him - I know he has a lot of "Politics" to deal with - and....that is "hard stuff". He handles it so well, but I still worry - stress can cause heart attacks and stroke! He is an incredibly smart man, I'm sure he'll know when it is time to do something "different"....meanwhile I'll continue to pray!

April is a hard month.....

"The Lord is my Light and my Salvation...whom shall I fear? The Lord is the Strength of my Life - of whom shall I be afraid".... Psalms 27:1.

I could go on - because I absolutely love the entire chapter, but this will do for now.

I felt bummed this morning........April is a hard month. Happy month too, because Nicole was born on April 7, 1975. But our Brady left us on April 19, 1996, and 12 years later - there are still many days that it seems unbelievable - still....

God is good, he blessed Nicole with her own little Brady, who has his Uncle Brady's coloring and BRAIN(!).....hopefully he will have Uncle Brady's bubbly outgoing personality and super positive attitude too.

Nicole and Traci and I worked out at lunch and much WOW - that lifted my spirits!!!

I look forward to church at Prestonwood tonight.