Giving My Doggie Away

Well, I hate to do it but I must give my sweet doggie away. Abby has been a fun dog and I really enjoy playing with her. When I go into the back yard and say "Where's the football!" she takes off running to find it. When she does she grabs it in her mouth she comes running toward me. About five feet away she will dodge to the left or right like a real football player. She knows we are playing a keep away game. If you want a good outside dog I will give her to you. She is pure bred but I don't have papers on her.

Proud of My Family

The Lord has blessed me in such a wonderful way. I got to spend some time with daughters and their children this past week. My girls are more beautiful now than they have ever been in their lives. The grand babies are even more beautiful. Here are some pics for you to enjoy.

A NEW YEAR '2009'

It was wonderful having all my children and grandchildren home for Christmas. Family sure brings meaning to the gift of "Everlasting Life." As we thought about Jesus birth and looked around at the grands, WOW, what a blessing! You can see more pics by linking over to the kids blog spots. You will find the links just under to top picture. Here are a few I want to share with you.

Visit From a Nephew

I had the privilege this week-end to have one of my nephews in our home. David Cate, my brothers son and one of two Cate boys to carry on the family name, came for a short visit. We didn't get to do all the things we wanted but we did find time to go over to the Alabama campus and look around. We are standing in front of one of the only buildings not burned down by the Yanks during the civil war. The building is dated circa 1866 and was used for a number of different things. We also got to go see the Paul "Bear" Bryant museum. I enjoyed it and I hope David did as well. I hope he comes again for another visit.

Christmas & Being Thankful

What a wonderful time of the year! Joyce has our home looking so beautiful. She has allowed her creativity to blossom in the last year or so. She has the living room looking like the North Pole. I expect to see Santa come walking in any time. The den is so comfortable now. There is plenty of room to move around and room for the grand babies to play. Watching the grands grow is so much fun. Can't wait to have the whole family together on Christmas day. Preston and Julian are bringing Amelia over from Asheville, NC and will spend about a week with us. Joyce and I will be beside our selves. We are gong to have a Birthday party for Amelia on the 23rd. I am going to make the cake for her as I did for our children. This one is to be a large balloon bouquet with a lot of different colors. Not sure what else I will put on it but I will have fun doing it. Amelia really likes balloons they tell me. While we take Mia out for a walk, Preston and Julian are going to blow up a bunch of balloons in the house. We should have a lot of fun.


NICK SABAN LEADS THE TEAM IN. BAMA is #1 in the county and undefeated as of today. These pics were taken at the AL vs AU game last Saturday. You can see how foggy it was. The pics look a little blurred but I think it is mostly the fog.
Will we see victory next Sat in the Georgia Dome??? That is a big question. I'm sure this is the biggest game of the year, not only for AL & FL but for the TV networks as well. Well, enjoy the day.

GROWING OLDER AND LOVING IT

There is just something about (61 years old) that sounds old. Just because it sounds old doesn't mean it isn't. Ha! I had a seminary professor who would often say "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you." It was funny then.

I can remember when I would think about how old over sixty sounded. It sounds pretty young now that I'm there. Seventy and Eighty doesn't sound to bad either. I remember George Burns, the TV and movie star would say, as he was getting close to age 100, "I'm looking forward to turning 100. Not many people die after age 100." Ha! In case you don't get the humor, their aren't a lot lot of people who make it to 100.
GRANDCHILDREN ARE GRAND
I'm looking forward to having my two daughters and my grandson and granddaughter come over for a visit tomorrow. We are to have a Birthday lunch together and spend a little time visiting. It's amazing how one's grands can make them feel better. Just knowing they are coming is exciting.








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How Bout Them Vols! We haven't had much of a chance to say that this year. Hope all works out as they look to hire a new coach. I wish Coach Fulmer well. He has done a good job over the last 17 years. I think he was playing for TN while I was in college there.

I have been to all but one of Alabama's home games this year. I have been working as an Usher. I get in free and have a great seat. The games have been pretty boring though. I have left in the third quarter at each game. I may stay to watch the Auburn game. We'll see.
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I am so thankful the Lord has allowed me to preach just about every Sunday since the first of July. I have been preaching in the same church for about seven weeks while their pastor has been recuperating from some medical problems. I hope he gets well soon but I have truly enjoyed the congregation and the privilege to preach. I even got to preach in my own church last Sunday evening. Our pastor had to be out and he asked me to fill in for him. That was fun. Thank you Lord Jesus for being so good to me and to Joyce.

PRAY FOR OUR LEADERS

No matter who you or I voted for in this election we are commanded by Scripture to pray for our leaders. We REALLY need to get on both our physical knees and the knees of our heart to ask the Lord to bring back His children and His country (USA) to Himself. Today my heart is so very heavy in concern for our country.

On a brighter note, we have a Savior who will be victorious. We know because we have read the ending of the book and HE wins.

My grandchildren continue to grow and bless. If you haven't checked their blogs lately follow the links above and see how beautiful they are. We, Joyce and I, are looking forward to the next two holidays because we will get to see all three grands at the same time and some even more individually.

The Lord is blessing me in my mortgage protection work. Please pray for me to get kore healthy and go forward in His way. I have had the awesome privilege to preach for about the last two months at Beulah Baptist church in Utah, AL. They are a great group of people and the Lord is putting a joy in my heart that I have been missing for a long time.

Thanks you Lord Jesus for all you do!
Doug

FINDING A JOB

Finding a job is not as easy as it use to be. I have searched the internet and have looked at more than 1,500 job listings and have found nothing I can do or have been told they are not interested. WOW! Did I say more than 1,500? Yes, I did! I have checked out newspapers for Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and Huntsville. Nothing yet. HOWEVER, I am preaching this month at Unity Baptist church here in Tuscaloosa. Their pastor has moved and they are needing supply/interim pastors. I have preached twice there and have really enjoyed the people and the privilege to teach from their pulpit. I ask you to pray with me for Joyce and I to hear God speak. We want to know His will and His way. Then pray I will do as He leads. Thanks for all you prayers. I have continued working the NAA insurance mortgage protection business and am continuing to make appointments for sales. I hope to do well with it until the Lord leads me into what He wants us to do permanently. It could possibly involve doing the insurance while I serve in a local church as a bi-vocational minister.

The Fourth with the Grands

The Fourth of July celebration was great. Joyce and I were blessed to spend time with two of our grandchildren. Catelyn is so light you don't even realize she's on your lap. She is a petite joy to spend time with. Some how we have to figure out how to spend more time with all three of our babies. Joyce and I are trying to move to Huntsville so, if you will, pray for me to find a good job there with good medical benefits. That is a must for us.
Joyce and I were able to get in a little fishing while there. She caught a bunch of brim, a small bass and a wicked catfish that weighed about three pounds. She is an awesome fishing partner. I am indeed a blessed and fortunate man. All that and she is also very beautiful. What more can a man ask for? Nothing!

My Grandson Knows How to Laugh!

Visiting The "Little Man"

Joyce and I are spending a few days in Huntsville visiting with Sarah, Graham and Clayton, alias,"The Little Man!" He is so much fun. I wish I could understand his gibber jabber because he is really saying something. He starts jabbering and looks at you as if to say, "Don't you understand good English?"

The grands are really blessing my heart. Like Joyce, I just can't quit smiling when I am with them. We get to stay with them until Saturday. WOW!! That will be fun for us. Looking forward to being with all my family.

Grand Parenting

Being a grandfather is a wonderful thing. I was privileged to pick up Catelyn yesterday and bring her home for overnight. Joyce has not quit smiling since she came in the door. I haven't had a frown either. I have to take her back today but she has sure been a joy in our lives.

Hopefully we will get to see the other two before much longer. We really miss not being close to the kids and grand kids.

June 2008

I haven't updated this blog in quiet some time. Life is great in spite of the ways we try to mess it up. I enjoy so much having grand children. My grands are great and you can see current pictures by linking to my children s blogs listed above.

I want to thank all of you who prayed for me before, during and after the surgery I had on April 18th. Fortunately the "tumor" wasn't a tumor. The Surgeon was surprised to discover the mass of tissue was simply body fat that had grown through a hiatal hernia we didn't know I had. When the first surgeon was finished he called in another surgeon to repair the hernia. I was sedated for about seven hours during the surgeries. You can believe I was extremely sore when it was over.

I am now into the ninth week post op and my gut still is very sensitive.

We had fun at Catelyn's birthday party. She is extremely cute, as are my other two grand children.

Please pray for Joyce and I to have wisdom in a move we are about to make. I am looking for a job in Huntsville, AL. We have a contract on our house here in Northport so we are committed to move.

Have a nice day.

March Update

February seems to have past in a flash. Preston and I are still working hard at Cate & Associates Company. I am the Associate by the way. Preston has recruited me into the group so he is my boss. We get along fine as long as he does what I say! Ha! We all no that is a joke.

My grandchildren are such a blessing. If you have grands you know what I am talking about. They bring such a smile to my heart and my face. They develop unique character of their own. Of course I have a favorite. That would be the one I am with at the time. Pray for a friend of mine. Lloyd Powell is still fighting cancer and some of the side effects from radiation and chemo. He is a great Christian man and has been the director of Camp Ba-Yo-Ca for about 1000 years. He has become a permanent fixture at the camp. At this time he is in Baptist Hospital in Knox, TN.
Thanks for stopping by. Doug

Preston & Doug at the 2008 NAA Conference in Dallas, TX

Preston and I are attending the 2008 NAA (National Agents Alliance) Convention in Dallas, TX. We are having a great time being together and we are learning a bushel about our work. There are so many new ideas. The insurance industry has changed so much since I was a Special Agent and Division Manager with Prudential. We are setting some challenging goals for ourselves and for each other. Our partnership has come together as "Cate & Associates" and I consider myself as the associate. We are looking for two new partners to work with us. What I have found to be so neat is it can be a part time job as well as a full time career. If you are interested give us a call. You don't have to live in our cities. What we have discovered is a person can really make a lot of money if they are willing to work hard.

Christmas Time

This year Joyce and I will renew an old tradition for Christmas celebration. Our children are away and we are planning to re-experience Christmas with just the two of us . Life is interesting with all the changes and experiences.

We will spend this week-end with Sarah, Graham and Clayton as they are moving into a new house. I'm looking forward to being the primary baby sitter while every one else moves furniture and boxes. SOMETIMES HAVING A BAD BACK WORKS TO YOUR FAVOR!

We are so greatfull for our family. The grands are beautiful and so full of life. Please check out their blogs which I have linked too at the top of this page. You need to look at all three and watch the kids grow.

We wish for you a very blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year! ---------I want to challange all to read the Bible all the way through during this next year. There are many good reading plans available. If you can't find one please send me an e-mail and I will see that you get one.

NOV - TRIP TO TN & NC

WE HAVE JUST GOTTEN BACK FROM A TRIP OVER TO NC TO SEE PRESTON, JULIAN AND OF COURSE AMELIA. WE HAD A GOOD VISIT. PRESTON AND I MADE AN HONEST EFFORT TO PRESENT THE MORTGAGE PROTECTION PLANS WE HAVE BUT OUR PLANNING HAD A LOT TO BE DESIRED. SO, WE DIDN'T GET TO SEE AS MANY FAMILIES AS WE WANTED.

CHECK OUT PRESTON & JULIAN'S BLOG LINK AT THE TOP OF THIS PAGE TO SEE A GREAT PIC OF AMELIA WITH PAPAW. SHE IS DOING GREAT. SHE TOOK HER FIRST STEPS WHILE WE WERE THERE. SHE HAS ADDED A BUNCH OF MUMBO-MUMBO TO HER VOCABULARY AND ALSO A FEW WORDS. WE WILL BE MEETING WITH ALL THE KIDS AND THEIR KIDS NEXT WEEK IN PIGEON FORGE. WE HAVE A CONDO RESERVED AND PLAN TO DO T-DAY DINNER THERE. CHECK OUT THE KIDS BLOG'S. THEY ARE BETTER THAN MINE.

THIRD SATURDAY IN OCTOBER

Although Tennessee lost terribly bad to Alabama I had a great week-end. Sarah and Graham came down and brought Clayton. They spent Friday night with us and Joyce and I got to keep Clayton. Mostly Joyce but I try to do my part. I don't do dirty diapers yet. I'm sure I will get trapped.

The weather has been beautiful and I got to go over on campus for some of the pre-game activities. Graham's law firm had a big tent set up and lots of ribs and other BBQ stuff with bean s and potato salad, desserts, soft drinks, etc. Very enjoyable.

TRIP TO TENNESSEE & NC

Joyce and I just made an 11 day trip over to see Preston, Julian and, the real reason, -AMELIA-. We had a great trip. The mountains of NC are, as always, beautiful. Preston and I attended and 1 1/2 day conference with the company he works for -NAA- National Agents Alliance. I believe I will work with him at least part time for a while. In the mean time I will be looking for a job in Knoxville with full benefits.

I got to spend several nights at sister Vicki's while I was job hunting and then after going back over to Preston's conference and picking up Joyce we stayed at Al & Sue's for three night's.

The last night in town we had a wonderful sibling get together. All my siblings were together for the first time in five years. Lot's of fun and laughter. Vicki, once again, cooked a wonder pot of soup with cornbread and Joyce whuped up a bowl of naner puddin.

On the Saturday before we had a cousins reunion, or as one aunt had called it, a cussin reunion, Ha! That was fun. I'm sure we will do that on a regular basis as did our aunt's/mom's.

We stopped by to see Deb/Will and of course the real reason was to see Catelyn. She is so cute. She was cooing for me and blowing bubbles. It is so easy to love the grands.

Tonight Sarah and Graham are stopping by to drop off Clayton for a few days. Graham has a conference down in Panama City, FL and I guess we will just "Have to take care of the baby". Ha! It is going to an exciting and fun four days.

Joyce and I are so blessed we want to almost cry. Thank you for caring and praying for us. Pray for the quick sale of our house and for me to find a really good job in Knoxville. Go Vols, Roll Tide and Go State.

PLAY BALL

Well, football season is just about here. We are looking forward to having our kids over on some of the game days. That's one way we get to keep the grandchildren. The big kids go to the game and Mamaw & Papaw GET to stay home and play with the grand babies. We are soooooo looking forward to seeing the g-babies more often.

Don't know what Bama is going to do but I think the Big Orange, Tennessee, is going to the big dance this year. If they don't, SO WHAT! It's just a game.

I hope you are playing ball in your life. I hope you aren't missing out on being involved in your church and your community. I would like to have some time back that I wasted not serving but hopefully you and I can make good use of the time ahead.

Have a GREAT DAY!!! and may God pour His blessing upon you and your family.

JOY & HAPPINESS

This week I have been blessed to have two of my grandchildren come down for a visit. These children bring such a joy to my heart that it is impossible to express. This got me to thinking once again about from whence ones joy comes.

Life deals a lot of joy and heartache. Happiness is merely a response to what is happening at the time. Some things make us happy and some things make us sad or unhappy. But, "TRUE JOY" comes from the Lord and can not be taken from you. God has so blessed Joyce and me with beautiful children and grand children. Sometimes I am so over joyed that I actually have tears in my eyes. Holding Clayton and Catelyn yesterday was an awesome experience of both happiness and joy. The happiness was due to the moment of holding the kids and the joy came from the Lord who has so blessed us.

I hope you know Jesus as your savior and have made him the Lord of your life. All one can do to be saved is admit, believe and confess Jesus is Lord and ask him to take away your sins and GIVE you the free gift of everlasting life. Then you will have true, never ending, joy.

A NEW LEVEL OF LOVE

I could not have imagined one could love a child more than their own child. Grand children take us to a whole new level of love. I did not realize this until July 1, 2007. That is when we had all three brand new grand babies together at once. You can see them in this blogs opening photo entitled "The Cate Eleven."

They are truly GRAND. I praise the Lord and sometimes I actually have tears in my eyes as I look at photo's of Amelia, Clayton and Catelyn. They are certainly beautiful and I am a blessed man. I am also very blessed to have a very beautiful and loving wife. I can't ledave out the parents of the grandbabies. WOW!!! Thank you Lord Jesus for the joy in my life. AMEN!

Catelyn Marie Lawler

Today we welcomed into the world our newest granddaughter.

Catelyn Marie Lawler was born at 12:15 PM, Monday, May 21, 2007. She weighed 6lbs-13oz. and was 19 1/2 inches long. It looks like she has blue eyes and blond hair like her mom.

Deborah and Will are doing fine and of course are floating about three feet off the ground. The baby was born at St. Vincent Hospital in Birmingham, AL.

I'm sure there will be a blog site soon for us to see current photos.

Introduction

Thank you for viewing our Blog. We aren't to vain but we love our family and are so proud of our children. Please go to their Blog site, which I have linked for you, to see my grandchildren.

Our children are so different and yet so much alike. We are truly blessed parents and thank the Lord for HIS many blessings.