Well.....a blog every couple of months is pretty good for me. I'd like to say that it is because my life is in the fast lane and there just isn't time but that would not be true. I'm just lazy.

Here is an update on the Bubel clan "mid-summer".

Toward the end of June, Mark and I and Tim, Shannon and Nikolaus went to New Orleans for a dry cleaning trade show. WOW - what a convention. Every known piece of dry cleaning/laundry equipment was on display from all over the world. I figured out pretty quick that the name of the game in this business is to automate automate automate! Once they figure out how to get rid of the pressers, there won't need to be any employees at all. haha. I saw a conveyor belt that I would give my eye teeth to have in my closet.

New Orleans has NOT recovered much still. The gene pool to pick employees from is apparently very limited, as most everyone we came in contact with did not exude any happiness that we were there. HOWEVER, it is still the culinary capital of the world as far as I'm concerned. Commander's Palace (and their staff) rock. La Meritage (and their staff) were sublime. Found a restaurant, Mandina's, that had been recommended many years ago by my friend, Jim Charbonnet, and it was everything he said it was and then some. The turtle soup was to die for! Anyway, I did learn from this trip that I will not be going back to south Louisiana in the summertime ever again. This Texan thought she could handle heat, but that stuff down there just isn't normal!

Baby Daniel graduated end of May and breathed a huge sigh of relief. I was so proud of him walking across the stage...he is so dang handsome - looks so much like LV. I know momma and daddy and Alton and Shirley are watching these boys and are very pleased with them. Looks like he will be going to Howard Payne University in the fall to play basketball for them. The coach there is the greatest guy...Mark and I really like him a lot. Doesn't hurt that he is from Arkansas and just seems so down to earth. He seems to genuinely love and care for the boys that play for him, he has been through a lot to get where he is now. I hope that Daniel can be part of a winning championship team for him.

My sweet and precious Aunt Edith closed her eyes on this earth July 8th and immediately opened them to see our Savior! I can't believe I'm not going to get to see her anymore when I go down to East Texas, however, I can't even imagine how glorious it must be where she is right now. No pain, no sadness, no suffering - only being with Him and reuniting with our family that is there. I'm quite certain that I learned more about Christ from just watching that woman than in 50 years of Sunday school classes. She made sure that everyone she ever knew heard the good news. My opinion is that God has to be pleased with that kind of witness above all others. No cramming stuff down people's throats through guilt or threats, just living day to day in a way that others see Him in you. That was my Aunt Edith. She is definitely someone I will try to emulate the rest of my days. Aged 90 with 11 children, 24 grandchildren, 48 great grandchildren and 5 great-great grandchildren. And still she had the capacity to love everybody else, too. Not too shabby!

Here's for you Aunt Edith:

While passing thro' this world of sin, and others your life shall view, Be clean and pure without, within; Let others see Jesus in you.

Your life's a book before their eyes, They're reading it thro' and thro' Say, does it point them to the skies, Do others see Jesus in you?

Keep telling the story, be faithful and true; Let others see Jesus in you.

Then live for Christ both day and night, Be faithful, be brave and true, and lead the lost to life and Christ. Let others see Jesus in you.

Rest in peace sweet angel.

Mark and I started Yoga last night. Enough said. I'll update you if we live through it.

I'll try and get some summer pictures posted later this week.