View Out The Windows 12/22/24

 Hey Friends,

I hope you have a great Sunday! Here is a view out a window from this week. It is too pretty not to share. Hope you enjoy! See you tomorrow. 

Odie

Collingsworth Family December 2024

Hey Friends,

Last Saturday, I experienced my first Collingsworth Family concert. This will not be my last CFAM concert! Centerville, Ohio, was the final stop on their 2024 Christmas tour. It was a phenomenal show. 

The entire night was amazing. Wow, what a talented family! The Christmas concert made it an extra special evening. Today, I have pictures from that night for you.

Tim Fitzharris and Strictly Gospel did a wonderful job hosting another great night of Southern Gospel in the Dayton area! I like attending their events, especially the Friday and Saturday concerts. This time around, the venue was the Centerville, Ohio Sinclair campus. It was an excellent place for a concert and close to home for me. 

Thanks to Jacqueline Coffman for inviting me to join her. I had a blast! So many friends were there, and we made some great memories! This night will always be a bright memory for this Christmas season.

I will close with my photos from the concert. I'm sorry, Blogger posted them out of order. I hope you enjoy the virtual CFAM Christmas concert in pictures. 

See you tomorrow. 

Odie

Hadassah and Albany’s first concert. Concerts with besties are awesome.

 They got to meet Kim Collingsworth too. They had a great night. 

Foodie Friday Alcapulco

Hey Friends,

It is time for another installment of Foodie Friday. Today, I thought it fitting to highlight Dad’s favorite salsa from Alcapulco in Lebanon, Ohio. 

Alcapulco has been one of our favorite places since shortly after they opened. The salsa is amazing, the food is fabulous, and the workers have become dear to us. Jorge and his team have been our friends for many years now. 

Sunday afternoon Mom and I went into see our friends. They are missing Dad along with us! Dad left a Davy size whole in a lot of hearts. His life had an impact on so many people. 

For lunch Sunday I had mutual favorite of mine and Dad’s, Carnitas Alcapulco. Oh, it was delicious food, and it made me feel a little closer to him that day. 

My friend Reagan Baker joined us for lunch. We enjoyed her company! She has wanted to experience the salsa she had heard Dad talk about so often. 

Thank for visiting. See you tomorrow. 

Odie

Throwback Thursday 12/19/24

Hey Friends,

Thanks for taking a moment out of your day to visit with me. Today, I have another installment of a throwback photo. Most of our talks about memories and days gone by are the precious days we spent with Dad! 

He provided Mom and me with many great memories! We traveled, saw beautiful places and had so many remarkable experiences! Thank you, Daddy, for a great life! We could share a new memory daily and probably never get through them all!

My mom and I are not the only ones going through memories. Many of our family and friends are also reliving their own” Davy” memories! It makes our day to hear them from you all!

My Mamaw Martha shared this photo with me a few days ago. This picture of Mamaw and baby Davy!  He was such a cute baby!  My grandparents definitely will always miss their boy!

Actually, this picture reminds me of one of his great nephew, Arlo. It makes me smile! Uncle Davy loved being “Uncle Davy The Great”

Thank you to many of you thay have asked how my Dad’s parents and family are doing? All of us are trying to adjust to the new normal. All of your prayers and thoughtfulness are very much appreciated by everyone!

See you tomorrow!

Odie

God Won’t

 Hey Friends,

This is Odie checking for this Wednesday. Thanks for visiting with me. I may not have A Word For Wednesday video to post. I wish so much that I had a profound devotion from Dad!

I do have song lyrics on my heart today. These are phenomenal words penned by Jimmy Yeary and Sue C. Smith. 

This song was recorded by the Nelons before the tragedy that happened in their family this summer. It was realesed on their new project a few months ago. 

From the first time I listened to the project God Won't is my favorite track from the album. It is a timely song. 

Click the video below to hear this great song. I shared the lyrics below the video. Friend, hold on to this reminder. 

God Won’t

Sue C. Smith and Jimmy Yeary

Verse 1

People can look 

At where you come from 

Mistakes that you’ve made 

The damage you’ve done 

Count every wrong 

And decide that you’ve gone to far

Verse 2

Yeah people are good 

At being judge and the jury 

They’ll hand down a verdict 

Of guilty in a hurry 

Not one ounce of grace 

They’ll just walk away 

Chorus

But God won’t 

He ain’t a leaver

He’s a call out His name

And you know that

He’ll be there 

The world can say that 

You’re on your own

Your last friend 

Can leave you alone 

But God won’t 

Verse 3

No God won’t fail

And God won’t quit 

He can handle the fire

He’ll walk right through it

Let ‘them all turn their backs 

But just know that

Chorus

God won’t 

He ain’t a leaver

He’s a call out His name

And you know that

 He’ll be there 

The world can say that 

You’re on your own

Your last friend 

Can leave you alone 

But God won’t 

Bridge 

If you feel like His love 

Is to good to be true 

And He’s already given up on you 

Chorus 

But God won’t 

He ain’t a leaver

He’s a call out His name

And you know that

 He’ll be there 

The world can say that 

You’re on your own

Your last friend 

Can leave you alone

Tag 

But God won’t 

He ain’t a leaver

He’s a call out His name

And you know that

 He’ll be there 

Friends can leave you alone 

But God won’t   

Mom and have a tremendous group of family and friends that are helping us daily. I am amazed every day, when I see the help the Lord sends our way. Thank you each person that prays for us! We absolutely not alone. 

I am so thankful that God Won't leave us! We can face life because He is alway there! I am clinging to Him!

See you next time. 

Odie

One Month Post Surgery

 Hey Friends,

Today is one month since I had emergency surgery. I am thankful to report the recovery process for surgery has continued to go well. Thank you for your prayers!

I am so thankful for the Lord’s help in the whole situation! The outcome could have been entirely different for me. I do not want to be ungrateful for the blessings God has given me. 

I have another follow up appointment with my doctor this morning. I expect nothing but good news to report. 

After surgery, the doctor ordered daily shots. Those have been the worst part of the recovery for me. 

I am not a fan of needles at all. These shots were to prevent blood clots. I absolutely did not want a blood clot, so we faithfully did the shots. Thank you to Mom and Lisa Isaacs for giving me the shots at home. 

I was counting down the shots every day. They left my stomach sore and bruised. I was so ready to get the shots over!

Saturday night was my final shot! I had to get a picture to remember this momentous occasion. 

I am so glad to have this behind me. I will give you another update this week if there is any more news from today's appointment. 

Thank you for stopping by to visit with us. Please keep Mom and me in your prayers! We love all of our friends. 

Odie 

Sunday Sanity 12/15/24

 Hey Friends,

A pastor friend texted me last week. He was checking on me and Mom. He also let us know that his church and family were praying for us.  He sent me some words of encouragement that profoundly spoke to my heart.

I do not know if they are original to him, but I am giving him credit. God used Bro. Devin Birdsong to deliver these words of comfort just when I needed them.

Odie

"Grief is like glitter. Just when you think you have every speck of it moved, it shines through in unexpected places and ways."

Pastor Devin Birdsong

The Isaacs December 2024

Hey Friends,

I am here to tell you about a fun evening Mom and I had together recently. This resembles my usual Saturday posts. 

The Isaacs were having a Christmas concert north of us, so we decided to drive the hour and a half to Versailles, Ohio. It was great to see our family perform at the BMI Event Center. 

Food was our first order of business. Culvers was on the menu for dinner, and we both had the cod dinner. 

Then we finished the drive to Versailles. The BMI Event Center was a great smaller concert setting. You felt like it was a personal concert. 

I was thrilled to meet singer songwriter legend, Jimmy Fortune! He was super nice! I left with a new friend. We bonded of things we share in common. 

Wow, what a singer? Jimmy’s version of Oh Holy Night was breathtakingly beautiful!

I got to see my friend Andi at the concert We enjoyed getting to catch up with her.

 

I love my sweet Mama!

The moment I had been waiting for… The Isaacs! An Isaacs Christmas concert is another level of awesome!

The lighting was not the best for pictures from my vantage point. Here are my best shots. 

Becky is a walking miracle. 2 years ago tomorrow she was hit in a head on collision. She could not walk or stand for several weeks. Thank God for sparring her life and helping her this far! 

Many of you joined us in praying for her. Thank you so much for the prayers. Becky is still recovering and waiting for a total miracle. 

Sonya sang and played amazing all night. I was left speechless and in awe of her ability! It was better than ever, and I do not know how that is possible!

It is always a treat for us to see  Aunt Lily! She is a fabulous lady. I am proud to call her my Aunt!

They sang many of their wonderful songs from the Isaacs Christmas catalog. Also adding in some Christmas classics and a couple more songs along the way. 

We love Greg Ritchie on drums. He has worked on all of studio albums. He is very special to our family. 

The one the only Ben Isaacs. I am still Ben’s number one fan. Thanks, Ben, for loving me and being my chearleader!

I love it when Sonya’s children Gatlyn and Evya join her on stage! They are both a lot of fun. I enjoyed getting to spend some time with my little cousins. 

This was an outstanding show. It will go down in our memory bank as an awesome night. It was just what we needed. 

We loved be with our family, The Isaacs one more time. The music and singing encouraged and inspired us. We laughed and cried but it was a great night!

It was good to see some other family and friends too. 

A selfie with both my cousins, Steve and Jenny Moore, was a must. 

 

That is a wrap on our visit with the Isaacs for December 2024. Hopefully, we can see them again soon. 

Thank you for reading. See you tomorrow.

Odie

Foodie Friday Loaded Potato Soup

 Hey Friends,

Mom and I have had a blog post idea for Foodie Friday for a while. Now is a great time to incorporate it into my rotation. Some weeks, I may share a favorite recipe or talk about good food I have enjoyed.

Dad taught us to love food and the experience of excellent food and cherish the memories. Eating was an event for us!  What better way to honor him than by talking about food?

Last winter, I was on the hunt for a good recipe for potato soup. I combined my favorite ingredients and created my own version. I am pleased with the outcome. 

We have had some cold days this week that were just right for soup. Mom was busy with paperwork. Wednesday afternoon. I fixed u Loaded Baked Potato Soup. It was just right on a cold day. I did not get pictures of the process this week. Here is a picture of the leftovers.

I thought it was even better the second day.

Here is the list of ingredients I use. This is an Instant Pot meal for me, but I am sure you could do it on the stove, too.

Ingredients

4 cans diced potatoes 

14 oz real bacon pieces

1 stick of butter

Chopped green onions

2 Tlbs minced garlic

Seasonings measurement to your taste.

Salt 

Pepper 

Onion powder

Garlic powder

1 c Milk

1c Heavy whipping cream

1c Chicken broth

1 block Cream cheese

2 c Cheddar cheese

Instructions 

Part 1

Add a stick of butter to the pot on sautee mode.

Then add 1 Tbs of minced garlic.

Next, add most of the bacon pieces and 

Most of the green onions. 

Add seasonings

Sautee for 10-15 minutes. Stir frequently 

Part 2

Add drained potatoes. 

The rest of the minced Garlic

Season some more and stir. 

Add chicken broth.

Cancel sautee.

Add lid set to sealing, not venting.

Cook on manual for 15 minutes. 

Pressure can be quick or naturally released. 

I usually do a quick release.

Part 3

Add Cheese, Cream Cheese, Milk and Heavy cream. 

Stir well to combine ingredients.

I turn the sautee feature on again to help things melt together. 

Then, I set the slow cook feature on for a few hours to keep it hot. 

I stir the soup occasionally. 

Part 4

Time to enjoy some Loaded Potato  Soup. Garnish is optional sour cream, bacon pieces and green onion.

Thanks for stopping by for this first installment of Foodie Friday. See you next time. 

Odie

Throwback Thursday 12/12/24

 Hey Friends,

Thanks for stopping by for a visit for this Thursday. It is a pleasure to have you drop by.

Mom found an old photo album the other day. The pictures brought back a lot of good memories. I scanned a couple of the photos to share with you. I may choose some others in the future.

These pictures are from our first trip to Mexico with Bro. Larry Landress in the early 1990s. Bro. and Sis. Landress were still in language school. If my memory is correct, Bro. Larry also preached his first full message in Spanish the day these pictures were taken. It was an honor to experience that moment in history with our friends!

Dad also preached with an interpreter for the first time here. Bro. Craig Benner interpreted that message. Dad often said he could not get his message out that day. He also said Bro. Benner must have preached a great message in Spanish. The people listening to the message were touched greatly by God!

Below is a snapshot of our family on this Mexico trip. I remember this photo being taken. It is crazy to me how random memories are engraved in my mind.

I am so thankful for all the moments I was blessed to experience with our family. We can look back on many of them in the blog archives.

See you next time.

Odie

Christmas Mall Fun

Hey Friends,

Thank you for visiting. I have something fun to tell you about today. 

Yesterday I spent a few hours with some my favorite ladies. Sarah Lakes Boyd, Bethany Lakes Hoskins and Rebecca Lakes James, which they will forever be The Lakes Girls in my brain. 😁 Ava James and Emerson Hoskins were also part of our fun crew too. We missed you, Grace Boyd and Brylee James!

I was blessed to have them as my cousins, friends and role models growing up. We share lots of wonderful memories from our younger years.

We actually had a good laugh over one of our memories! We had to stage a photo. No one was harmed in the process!

while in Indiana for a youth camp back when I was around four or five, Rebecca accidentally locked us out of the girls dorm. She was watching me while our Mothers were at choir practice. In her panic, she pushed my stroller down the back steps of the dorm. We went for a little tumble! All I remember is landing in the rocks and Sarah coming to my rescue along with our friend Anita. They picked me up and took me into the dorm. They dusted me off and made sure I was OK.

Rebecca has felt horrible about that moment all these years! It is definitely something that we have never forgotten. We have laughed a lot about it. 30 plus years later she still can not believe that my Mom trusted her to watch me. 😀

From my earliest memories, they have been a bright spot in my life. Always there to lend a smile, give a word of encouragement, or just be a friend. I am genuinely thankful that they have been my friends for life. They have always gone out of their way to make sure I knew they were my friends.

Now is no exception. They were some of the first to reach out to me when our current journey began! They have carried us through prayer and being there whenever I needed them. 

Yesterday, we actually got to sit have lunch, talk, laugh, cry and just enjoy each other's company. A little bit of retail therapy was also thrown in the mix. We finished the day off with a little treat and coffee. 

All around it was a wonderful day! Just what I needed to bring a smile to my face. it made me extra thankful for the wonderful friends and family that God has placed in my path!

See you tomorrow

Odie