“7. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
8. henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”
Hey Friends,
My Daddy fought a good fight and finished his race yesterday afternoon! He is shouting on the streets of gold, worshipping Jesus! He is reunited with our precious Ali and many other loved one.
We rejoice because Dad is happy and whole! The day he lived for has finally arrived! Our hearts hurt to say goodbye to the best husband, father, son, brother and friend, anyone could ask for. We are thankful for the blessed hope of seeing him again!
Please keep our family in your prayers! thank you for your love, Friendship and so much more. So many of you have already helped us navigate this difficult time in our lives! The outpouring of love and support from our friends has been mind blowing!
The funeral arrangements are pending. All the services will be held in Ohio. The details will be posted here when they are available. It could take a few days to finalize everything.
Thank you for checking in with us! Please share this post with others. we may take a break from our regular blog, content, or maybe not.
This is Odie coming to you from Mississippi. I am happy to be able to spend some time this week and tomorrow with some of my favorite road family.
My time at home last week was for the wedding of my cousin Jonas. When Jonas and Kylee got engaged earlier this year, I decided to be home for their big day.
Their wedding date was September 21st, 2024. The festivities took place at our church, Dryden Road Pentecostal Church. I was thrilled to be there as Jonas and Kylee started their new life together.
It was a beautiful wedding celebration for the happy couple, and it was great to see lots of family and friends! Below are my pictures from the wedding day. My photos are from before the wedding and during the reception. For the ceremony, they requested that no pictures be taken except by the photographer.
I hope you enjoy seeing the day through my camera lenses. Thank you for joining me for part of your day! I will see you next time!
This is Odie coming to you from the BoggsMobile again today. I hope you are doing well.
We have had an excellent week of campmeeting. Being with our friends, Pastor Eddie, Sis. Jan Stringfellow and their church people at Saint Thomas has been wonderful. They are precious people!
It was an honor for us to have a small part in the meeting again this year. I must tell you, Dad preached so good on Sunday and Wednesday nights. God helped him! I was wishing all of you could have been there too.
An added blessing to our family was getting to be with Pastor Kenny Morris, and to hear him preach 4 nights! Bro. Kenny is a phenomenal man of God! He has an extra special anointing. I love to hear him deliver the Word of God.
September Birthday’s
September is another month with several birthdays for our family and friends. I wanted to take a moment to wish all of them a happy birthday! Everyone celebrating this month, I am glad the Lord blessed you with one more year of life. I hope and pray this is your best year yet! I am so glad you are alive and part of my life.
Happy 30th Birthday Jacqueline
There is one birthday I wanted to highlight today. Jacqueline Coffman turned 30 this week. I can not believe 30 years have passed since she entered the world on September 11th 1994!
Jacqueline is an amazing woman! From her first day of life until now I have watched her grow into the awesome person she is today. It is a honor to know her, call her my cousin and a dear friend!
When I think of her so many excellent qualities come to my mind it is had to wrap it up in a few words. Here is just a sample of the good qualities that come to mind when I think about Jacqueline. She is beautiful, sweet, dedicated, caring, a prayer warrior, kind, loving, compassionate, hard working, creative, thoughtful well spoken and selfless.
Jacqueline, I love you so much! Hope you had a fabulous birthday. Sorry I was not there to celebrate you in person. I hope to see you in a few days. Maybe we can celebrate your birthday milestone then.
I know you are embarrassed to read this right now. My little corner of the world needs to know how awesome you truly are! I want to be like you “when I grow up”! 😁
Thanks for joining me today. I hope you have a weekend full of blessings. See you next time.
I am posting this in memory of September 11, 2001. I wrote this last year as a compilation of tributes I have written over a number of years. I think it is still appropriate today,
This will be the first post today and there will be a second post at noon with pictures from the camp meeting last night.
Remembering 9/11
Nearly 3000 people died on American soil on September 11, 2001 because religious nuts hated America, hated capitalism, hated our system of government, hated anyone that did not serve their god and tried their best to destroy us. It must be said loudly that most followers of that same religion didnot, donot want to kill Americans or destroy Americans. But it must be said just as loudly that these men killed Americans in the name of their religion. 3000 lives ended in a moment. 23 years later and people are still grieving, still hurting, still crying and still trying to live on. Many in the world would like us to forget. Many in the press would like for us to forget. Many in the government would like for us to forget. But we must never forget. Families were forever changed and scarred. Parents lost children.
Children lost parents. Spouses lost companions. Friends were separated forever. Many businesses lost key employees. New York City Fire Department lost 343 firefighters. New York City Police Department lost 23 officers. New York City Port Authority lost 37 officers. Over 3200 children lost at least one parent. How could we ever forget? We must never forget. We must never omit the details. We must never sidestep the truth to avoid hurting a snowflake's feelings. Those 19 hijackers and the men who sent them did not care for the feelings of thousands they hoped to kill. We must know. We must learn. We must remember. We must care. We must remain vigilant. We must never forget. September 11, 2001 made me want to pull people I love closer and let them know how much I care for them. It still does. Nearly 3000 people lost their lives in NYC, Washington DC and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The more I read the stories of victims and survivors and heroes, the more I value life at its very core. Life is valuable. Life is fleeting. Life is too short to waste on ourselves. God help me to remember. We visited the 9/11 Museum and Memorial in August 2014 and 2016. These two visits had a sobering impact on our family. We were seeing many of the film clips and pictures for the very first time. I have described it as an emotional punch in the gut. The hours we spent there were some of the most sobering, severe and significant hours in my life. It is a place that haunts not only my sleep, but often even my waking hours. It may seem cliche but I assure you it is not, 9/11 changed our lives forever, even those of us that were thousands of miles removed from the destruction. In the museum, I came to the slow realization that we are not talking about a group of 3000 random people being tragically killed, which is heartbreaking in itself, but we are talking about 3000 individuals, all with families, hopes, dreams, ambitions and plans. The personal cost, the personal hurta nd the personal tragedies are completely overwhelming when standing on their own. To hear their voices, to see their pictures, to watch video clips of them with their families, to hear their loved ones talk about them is powerfully poignant. When you put it all together in one event and attempt to add up all the loss of real, living, breathing humanity, it is unfathomable! Consider just one personal story we learned there. It is the story of Captain Terrance S. Hatton the commander of Rescue 1 in Manhattan. Captain Terry Hatton was killed in the north tower when it fell. His wife, Beth Petrone Hatton was the Executive Assistant to Mayor Rudy Giuliani. She was standing on the steps of City Hall as the World Trade Center collapsed. She knew exactly where her husband was at that moment. Captain Hatton was a man of duty. He was 41 years old and had served the NYFD for 21 years. In those 21 years he had earned 19 medals for bravery including the highest award in the city, the Medal of Honor. He was considered by those who served with him as one of the best. Beth Petrone knew all that. She knew her honorable husband would be on the highest accessible floor conducting rescue operations. That was his job and he did it well. As she watched the tower fall, she instantly knew he was dead. The dust engulfed City Hall and Beth found herself holding handfuls of the debris thinking she was somehow holding her husband. They found Captain Terry Hatton's remains two weeks later and buried him in the fashion of the hero he was. By then, Beth Petrone Hatton had learned she was expecting their first child. Terri Elizabeth Hatton was born in May of 2002. She is a beautiful young lady now and she will never know her heroic father except for stories. He will never hold her. He will never tuck her into bed. He will never read to her. He will never walk her down the aisle. He is gone. Beth lost her husband and little Terri lost her Daddy, simply because he went to work that morning.
That is the story of only one man that died and it does not even include the hurt of his parents, his siblings, his other relatives, his friends or the men he worked with and all the rest he left behind.
Multiply that one story by 3000 plus stories and you have not even begun to scratch the surface of why we should never forget!
Maybe you will enjoy your family today. Maybe you will go to church and worship. Maybe you must concentrate today on walking through your own personal hardships or even tragedy. Wherever you are and whatever stage in life you are in, please take a moment to think about all that were lost on September 11, 2001.
Take a moment to remember. Take a moment to consider what might have been. Take a moment to pray for Terri Elizabeth Hatton and many, many of thousands of others that are moving forward and trying to overcome each day.
Earlier in August, I made my first return to Acapulco since December 28, 2023. That is not to say we have forsaken them in the meantime. KJo and Odie have been there multiple times and we have ordered takeout many times. It is just the first time that I have physically went inside to eat since then.
It was wonderful to see Jorge and all the gang. I have actually seen Jorge a couple times but it was great to visit with him for a while and demonstrate my loyalty to the best Mexican food in the area and the best salsa in the world.
I did not take a picture of my food but you can see a glimpse of it in the picture of me. It is not all that exciting. I order grilled vegetables, chopped into small pieces with lots of cheese sauce and a little chorizo. I also order a little refried beans on the side. I only ate about a third of it and took the rest home.
The reason I had not been back earlier is that I need to concentrate on swallowing when I eat and I get distracted by the conversation in a restaurant. Even if I am not talking, I find myself getting choked much easier than I do alone. That can get ugly quick.
It is easier for me to limit my visits to restaurants. I actually do better when it is only us and we sit away from the crowd where I am less distracted. Of course, it makes a difference what I am trying to eat too.
Surprisingly, I do pretty good eating salad so we have eaten the salad bar at Ruby Tuesday's and Frisch's and the salad at Olive Garden more than anything else. The therapist told me that often lettuce is a nogo for people who struggle to swallow but wouldn't you know that fat guy can eat lettuce.😍
Anyway, I was happy to be back at Acapulco. Jorge's wife called him while he was at the table and I got to speak to her too. It was good all around.
This is Odie reporting in for another Saturday post. Thank you for joining me. It is great to be with you for a few moments. I hope you are well!
There is an extra special event happening in our Boggs family this week. Do you know what happened in history on Sunday, July 30th, 1944? According to Wikipedia, here are the events that happened 80 years ago.
Sunday, June 30th 1944
The Narva July Offensive ended in Soviet victory.
The Battle of Sansapor began when U.S. forces made amphibious landings around Sansapor, Dutch New Guinea.
During the Battle of Normandy the British Army began Operation Bluecoat with the goal of capturing Vire and Mont Pinçon.
German submarine U-250 was depth charged and sunk in the Gulf of Finland by the Soviet submarine chaser M-103.
Died: Lee Powell, 36, American actor
They missed the biggest event that day in history. It should be in all history books. An exceptional baby entered the world. Her birth sure changed my life. I would not be here without her!
Godfrey and Bessie Isaacs lived in a log cabin in the mountains of eastern Kentucky. They had been married for 25 years at this point. God had already blessed them with many children. On that day in history, their last baby girl, Martha Emma Isaacs, joined the family. She was number 16 in the line-up of children. A couple of years later, a baby brother completed their family of 17 children.
Martha grew up in Kentucky. She quickly learned to work alongside her parents on the farm. I am sure she could do whatever task was needed. The Martha I know has never been one to shy away from work.
In the 1960s, she left home to move to Ohio. There, she met and married the love of her life, Eugene Boggs. When they married, he was a Sailor in the Navy, but they made life work!
Martha Emma Boggs has been her name for 61 of her 80 years on earth. With God's help and strength, she has weathered many storms of life. Her path has had many twists and turns, but she still stands today! Thank God for grace and provision!
Martha's family has now grown to include 4 children, spouses, 7 grandchildren, spouses and 6 great grandchildren. She is our family queen!
For the last 38 of her 80 years, her grandest title has been Mamaw! She is my Mamaw, and I think she is the World's Best Mamaw! I am proud to tell the world about my Mamaw! Everyone who knows her loves her!
When I think of Mamaw, I think of a classy lady who is Godly, beautiful, loving, caring, kind, and compassionate. She has a heart of gold and is always ready to help or give to others when needed. My Mamaw is the true definition of a prayer warrior!
Our family is blessed beyond measure to have Mamaw! God allowed us to have a jewel as our very own. She is an incredible Wife, Mother, Mamaw, Nana Great, Sister, Aunt, Friend and all around great human! Martha Boggs is a gift of God to our family!
July 30th 2024 marks the 80th birthday of Martha Boggs! Today, we are spending some time with Mamaw's family and friends, celebrating her milestone birthday.
Mamaw, I love you more than I can say with words or actions! I admire and appreciate you so much! Thank you for being there for me! I hope you feel extraodanarly love and appreciated today!
July has been a busy birthday month for lots of our family and friends! We started the month with my Mom's birthday on the 3rd, and they kept rolling from there. Happy birthday to all those born during July!
This is Odie, coming to you from Kentucky. We are enjoying time with family this weekend at Carter Caves State Park. Today, it is time for the annual Boggs reunion. I am confident this will be a fun filled couple of days. It is always fun to catch up with our Boggs cousins!
We will soon bring you a full report on the Boggs reunion 2024. Here is an excellent video of pictures and memories from 2021. Dad compiled this back then. I liked looking back on this video a few days ago.
Another Andrea Odie
Now, for the main topic of this post. Most of my regular readers know that I am Andrea Boggs, but better known as Odie to most people. I love my name, Andrea.
I am proud of my birth name, which Dad chose for me before my birth. I am named after a cousin. When I reached adulthood, I had to use it daily for business. Also, a few family members and select friends call me Andrea.
I do have my own namesake. My best friend named her second daughter Andrea after me. We have jokingly called her little Odie. Andrea Blakenship is now a beautiful teenager.
Here is the backstory to my name nickname. Odie has been my identity since around 2 years of age. Dad also tagged me with this name. As a toddler, crawling was my method of navigating. My long brown hair was mainly in a doggie ear style, and I crawled better with my tongue hanging out of my mouth. Dad thought I resembled the cartoon dog Odie.
The name has stuck with me all these years. I like having a unique name that makes me easily recognizable, so I have chosen to keep that my primary name. Most people do not even need to hear the Boggs part of my name because I am just Odie.
When I meet somebody new, they often want to know the history of my name. I have a few funny stories about people trying to figure out my name! Sometimes, I overhear conversations about my name, which makes me laugh.
Something happened a while back that I have been wanting to write about. I was on the phone with a business, doing something for our family. The kind lady taking my info asked if she could ask me a question. I agreed and this was her response. Is Andrea your real name and Odie a nickname? I said yes, and gave my explanation.
The lady then told me she has a niece named Andrea, who goes by Odie. She thought her nickname was also connected to the dog. I really could not believe my ears! Are there really two Andreas who go by Odie?
I was so surprised! I wanted to ask if she was my aunt. LOL? She was in an area where I have lots of family! She did tell me the niece lived in a different state than me.
I asked her to have her family look me up online. It would be neat to connect with the other Andrea Odie! I have not heard from anyone yet. If you are reading this post and are aware of this other person, please leave a comment!
Well, I will quit my rambling! Thanks for reading as I conveyed my conversation. It is just more proof that you never know what you will learn in one day.
This is Odie checking in for this first Saturday of July. Can you believe we are 7 months into 2024? The year is seemingly speeding by in record time.
Happy Birthday, America!
I hope you had an excellent July 4th. We are blessed to live in America. I am so thankful for the men and women who prayed, fought and worked tirelessly for our great nation.
I am proud to be an American and thankful for our freedoms. Join me in praying extra for our nation and fellow Americans. We need God to have mercy on us. Oh, Lord, send us revival!
Happy Birthday, Mom!
This past Wednesday was a big birthday in our family. My beautiful and amazingly awesome Mother had the anniversary of her birthday! Happy belated birthday, Mom!
You are incredible, and I am blessed to have you in my life! I hope you felt extra love and appreciation this week! You will forever be my hero! Thank you so much for being my rock! I love you more than I love chocolate!
July is a busy birthday month for lots of our family and friends. Happy birthday to all of the July birthday club members! I am celebrating with you today, too!
Thanks for joining me today! I would love for you to come back next Saturday for more.
This is Odie checking from the beach cottage. Thanks for stopping by to visit with me.
Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad
First things first, today is my parent's anniversary! I want to wish Mom and Dad a Happy Anniversary!
Congrats on making it to number 39! I love you both so much! I pray this is your best year yet!
Jeff and Sheri Easter June 2024
Today, I am here to tell you about some fun from the first Friday of June. Jeff and Sheri Easter were scheduled to be in Hillsboro, Ohio.
I heard about this concert in March and quickly told my friends, the Stansells. They are big fans of Jeff and Sheri Easter’s music, too, and they immediately planned to attend the concert.
The Stansells invited me to tag along with them if my schedule allowed. I was able to work my trip to visit my family in Hillsboro into that week. I met up with my dear friends for dinner and the concert and then rode back to Waynesville with them. It worked out great for me!
Dinner consisted of another trip to Ponderosa! Yes, the Hillsboro Ponderosa is good enough to have twice in one week. Yet, I failed again to snap any food pictures!
After dinner, we headed to the Hillsboro Church of the Nazarene. We wanted to get there early enough to get a good seat. This was the second concert that the Stansells and I had attended at this church.
The doors opened at 5 p.m. We paid the admission fee and made our way into the sanctuary. We found great seats and settled in to wait for the 6 p.m. start time.
Here is a picture of me, Jeff Easter, Stephanie and Timmy Stansell.
This is Timmy and me, ready for the concert to start.
The setup. Before the concert, a Gaither Jeff and Sheri Easter video was playing. It was neat to look back on some of their older material that I had not heard in a long time!
Me, Stephanie, Timmy and Rick. These are my awesome cousin friends, and it is always fun spending time with them!
Ladies and Gentlemen, introducing Jeff and Sheri Easter.
The amazingly talented Sheri Easter.
Jack Carter now plays drums and sings background vocals. Fun fact: Jack's parents met when they worked for Jeff and Sheri years ago.
I enjoy Jeff's singing. He is one of the most underrated singers in southern gospel.
Sheri was singing from the heart that night. It was special!
The whole gang.
Jeff
Sheri read us an excerpt from one of her devotionals.
This year, Tanner Duckworth is a new addition to the Jeff and Sheri Easter full time lineup.
Here is another fun tidbit of info for you. Jeff and Sheri celebrated 39 years of marriage this month. They were married several days before my Mom and Dad in June 1985.
Tanner is a guitar-picking machine. You can look him up on YouTube to hear some of his incredible picking.
Timmy, Me and Stephanie were able to grab a quick picture with both Jeff and Sheri Easter.
Soon, it was time for the night to end. I was so glad to be in attendance at this wonderful concert. It was a fantastic night of music, singing and fellowship with friends.
Thanks to the Nazarene Church for hosting the evening! Thank you to Jeff and Sheri Easter, Tanner Duckworth and Jack Carter for the awesome music and singing! We thoroughly enjoyed being in service with you!
I want to thank the Stansells for allowing me to tag along with them! It was fun making more memories with my dear cousin friends! I love you all so much!
That wraps up this concert recap. See you next time.
