This morning I spent time going through email. I try to keep up with people every day.

It’s a discipline.

Kathy was on a long bike ride. She rides from our house to the bird sanctuary at Stone Mountain.

It’s a cool place that not many people take advantage of.

Stone Mountain is a beautiful place!

Today I drove over there in her van to pick her up. We needed to save time so we could get on over to the mission at Azalea.

We had lunch at El Toreros and see Cornelia Harrell and her family, including their new grandbaby!

Beauty!

The kids were really looking forward to swimming. We almost didn’t get to go because it looked like it might get stormy, but the thunder cell moved east of us pretty rapidly, so we didn’t have to wait long to swim safely.

My friend Mridha! I met him at the QT. His was the first Bengali family that moved into the area. He was on the Supreme Court in Bangladesh.

We got some new tires on Kathy’s bike. We took it over there before we went to the mission.

I picked it up after I got back from swimming.

Getting the logistics ready for my team of seniors from Texas, including my Mom and Dad! Always fun to help people have a good time in the International Village.

Enjoying a quiet evening with Kathy.

I liked this license plate.

It really rained last night! Nearly an 1 1/2″!

Had a big branch break off. I pulled it over to the side of the yard where I’m composting the other vegetation.

This morning I finished writing my little notes on the bottom of my newsletters.

We sent out 180 this month.

Took them over to the Post Office to mail out.

Had lunch at Perimeter Mall. It’s a beautiful place and the flowers are always so lovely!

Went to Best Buy to pick up a head set for Jesse for his phone. I love mine, which is just like this. Headsets ROCK!

Then to QT for a drink. Love their specials!

I’ve been drinking these for 52 cents all summer long. Amazing value!

Checked on the kids at the mission. Gave them some popcicles and icecream.

Told them I’ll take them swimming tomorrow. Give them something to look forward to.

Enjoyed talking with Pastor Daniel today. I’m going to help him do an Outreach Event in August. I have one this Saturday too!

Went back to the Post Office to mail Jesse’s head set to him. Sure do love and miss him! I like these flat rate boxes and envelopes.

Working on admin duties now. Looking forward to spending time with K in a little while.

People really stared at my shirt today. It’s from the Israel Defense Force. I like the Hebrew letters. I get all my best stuff at Goodwill!

I liked these wispy clouds. We’ll get a lot more of them when it gets cooler.

Busy day today! Worked on writing, laying out and printing my newsletters this morning.

Went over to the Westin where there is a big conference with the North American Mission Board involving state directors.

That’s not me! However, two of my great friends from Kansas came. Jon and Priscilla Sapp are some of the best missionaries I worked with in E. Africa.

I enjoyed showing them around the International Village in Chamblee and in Clarkston!

Good times with many of the locals!

Priscilla enjoyed sharing with the women, although they don’t like their pictures taken!

SUPER heavy rain this evening taking them back to the hotel. Wow!

And I think it was the hottest day I’ve ever seen in my car. 104! Ay Caramaba!

This truck didn’t seem like it fit in at Valet parking at the Westin.

This morning Kathy, Ashley, Miles and I went to Clarkston International Bible Church to hear Phil Kitchin speak!

He did a great job speaking from Genesis on Cain and Able.

For lunch we had a family get together with Kathy’s brothers and sisters at North Lake Mall. It was a belated birthday celebration!

We had a good time! Always good to spend time with family!

I’m home now watching the final moments of the Tour de France as they rush into Paris on the Champs de Elysee! What a beautiful city. Three of my favorite weeks of the year are spent riding a bike (virtually!) around France! An amazing year for Spain: Winning the World Cup of Soccer AND the Tour de France with Alberto Contedor! Wow!

Had lunch with Ashley! That’s always good! She’s headed to Athens tomorrow for a week to hang out with the other editors of the college newspapers from around the States. Cool!

I had a fun afternoon with the kids at Azalea today!

They helped me do the labels for our mail out.

Then I went and got three gallons of ice cream for them, which they loved.

We filled up my ice chest with water and I gave them big cups which they filled up and poured on each other. It was a hoot!

Good times!

I’m back home now knocking out my admin duties. It’s a way of life, baby!

Did I mention it was hot?

I usually think of myself as a pretty smart guy.

Not today.

I looked at my thermometer before I went for a run. 91. Didn’t sound too bad.

First mile fine. Second mile not that great. Third mile started running in the grass, avoiding the asphalt at all costs, looking for shade trees.

Fourth mile I walked. Can’t remember the last time I couldn’t do my usual run, but today wasn’t usual.

Made it home fine, although my shoulders are pretty sunburned.

Took a cool shower and rested.

Just fine now, but when I got into my car the temp said 100. I reckon it was hotter than that in the full sun.

So I’m enjoying watching some recorded shows on my TV with my sweet wife and thinking that the words “Burn Notice” have a special meaning for me today!

I’ll knock out my admin duties and get ready for my Outreach Event at Azalea tomorrow.

This morning Kathy and I met up with Bayo Otiti and had lunch.

Fun to get to spend time with him!

He made this dress for Kathy!

This afternoon I went over to Azalea to check on the kids. We’re having a big Outreach Event there this Saturday. Wanted to make sure they knew about it.

It was another really hot day today. Kids don’t like to get out much when it’s over 100.

We call him “Spiderman.” Not sure who the flowers were for! He wouldn’t tell me! Spidergirl?

Went by my office to pick up the mail. They’re still having a job fair there.

Went to Best Buy. I got another cover for my iPhone. The other one was hard to turn the phone off and on and it was a “grip” kind. Which meant it felt sticky to me.

Came home to work on admin duties and rest.

I like Bayo’s shoes!

Last night K and I went back to Azalea Place to welcome a new Bengali family to the complex.


Kathy teaches many of the ladies English!

We had a fun time getting to know the new family as well as meeting more of the Bengali community. Plus the food was great! It was their two year old son’s birthday!

Kathy and I had a fun lunch together with one of my heroes, Debbie Lamb!

You may remember that when we had the fire at our house she had her husband Edwin took us in to their home for several months. They were SUCH a blessing to us. Great to spend some time with her today. Wish Edwin could have been there too.

After lunch, we went to Chamblee to pick up a bunch of the kids from Azalea and three of the moms! It was fun to have our group together!

We took them out for some cold drinks at QT afterward. Good time!

This evening I worked on putting up a new mail box. Our old one was about to fall over.

I dug it out and put in a brand new one, then set it in concrete. Heavy work! My back’s tender now. I used to do so much of that construction stuff when I was younger. Would have been nothing for me 30 years ago!

Old.

And new!

Also filled in some holes that the borer bees had dug in our railing and window sill.

Kathy said it looked like someone had taken a hatchet to it. Amazing what bugs can do. I filled it with wood putty. I’ll sand it and stain it after it dries.

Does this look hot to you?

This morning I met up with my partner Jeff Blevins.

He recently moved to S. Side Baptist Church in Savannah, GA. I’m glad that he’s bringing his choir up to work with us in a couple of weeks!

We had fun eating at Pig N Chick where I got to meet the owner, Bill! Groovy!

Then we went around the 6 locations where his team will be working and checked out some of the International Village.

It was great to catch up with Bayo and his team at Huntington Terraces.

Also got to see Ruthie North at Huntington Creek and the team from Mt. Zion Baptist Church who came to help her!

Big ol’ thunderclouds around the ATL today.

I planned on taking the boys swimming, but for various reasons it didn’t work out for them. Hope they can go tomorrow!

Admin work!

One of my favorite places.

This morning I worked on my podcast Verbal Surgery. I do a little every week for fun! Podcast!

Checked on hotels for a team coming in from Texas that includes my Mom and Dad! Getting that all figured out for them.

Went by my office to check on the mail. I thought I’d be able to meet the new secretary, but she wasn’t there then. They put out a little file box for our mail.

The road near my office looked like it was getting squished by something heavy. Bizarre!

They were having a job fair at the church. I liked the balloons.

Checked on the kids at Azalea. Clinton said he couldn’t find his key to the mission. Made him another one.

Went by Walmart on the way home to pick up some supplies for the mission and some more birdseed.

Signs of the times! School just around the corner!

I liked this vanity plate!

I read that telemarketers will have our cell phone numbers soon. If you want to avoid them calling you you can call the Do Not Call Registry number from your cell phone: 888-382-1222. You have to call from the cell you want blocked.

Back to admin work!