For the next edition of Poes Pals, I'd like you to meet another friend of ours from Starkville, Ms. Long*:
We've known Ms. Long for many years and have had many adventures with her. A recent graduate of MSU, she is currently teaching English and working on a masters degree. Ms. Long loves everything about English- words and spooky stories in particular, and H.P. Lovecraft is one of her favorite authors. We wouldn't be surprised if her own work was published one of these days; she's a great writer, even though she tends to keep her stories to herself.
Ms. Long also has a goofy side that makes for a barrel of laughs. She loves the Lord and her family, and is very close to her mother and sister. We look forward to the opportunity to visit Ms. Long and the rest of our Starkville family soon!
*Picture taken by Ms. Long's cousin, Ms. K. Davis.
Good morning to you all, and welcome to another edition of Poes' Pals here on the blog! This week we're featuring another family from Starkville, the Bullingtons:
We have known this family for many years, and they have been such an inspiration and encouragement to us! Dr. Bullington (yes, this Dr. Bullington) is a professor in the Industrial Engineering department at Mississippi State. While neither Mr. Poe nor I have ever had him for a secular class, we have both been in several of his Bible classes and can attest to the fact that he is an amazing teacher with a multitude of knowledge and wisdom. Mrs. Bullington is pretty fabulous as well- successfully home-schooled all of her children, possessing so much Bible knowledge (paired with a desire to teach others...especially children), and being the couponing QUEEN.
Mr. W. Bullington and Mr. A Bullington are some fantastic guys, who are also some of the most spiritually-minded (particularly for their ages) that I have ever met. They are very capable song leaders too. Ms. S. Bullington is sweet and hilarious with a great work-ethic. She loves to read, is an amazing Bible student, and will make a wonderful doctor one day. The oldest, Ms. A. Bullington*:
is another dear friend of ours. We almost always sat with her during Bible classes, and she was such a great help to me when I first started singing alto. She graduated in 2010 with a double major in Music and Industrial Engineering- she is one smart, hard-working cookie! She's currently working on a masters in IE at UAH.
As you've heard me say before, we love and miss our Starkville family very much. And If you ever get a chance to get to know the Bullingtons, take it!
*Photo Credit
It's time for another edition of Poes' Pals here on the blog! This morning, I'd like to introduce you to another wonderful family from Starkville...the Rudes:
We've known the Rudes for approximately seven years, and we can attest to the fact that, contrary to what their last name might suggest, they are some of the most caring and friendly folks we know!
Dr. Rude is a professor in the Animal and Dairy Science at Mississippi State University (Mrs. Luke actually had him for a class; she and others have told us that Dr. Rude is a great teacher and his classes were enjoyable and informative). He is also a great Bible teacher, presenting material in a way that encourages participation.
Mrs. Rude often teaches French at East Mississippi Community College (we've heard great things about her and her teaching from friends too). She is one of the most selfless people I've ever met, constantly being aware of the needs and desires of others and striving to help out in whatever way she can.
Ms. Rude may come across as shy when you first meet her, but she is a very spirited, fun-loving, and spiritually minded young woman. One of my very fondest memories of her is when she went with Ms. K. Davis, Ms. M. Davis, and me to a ladies Bible study in Birmingham- oh what a great time we had!
As you're probably tired of hearing me say, we miss our Starkville family very much, and we hope that if you're ever in the area you'll have an opportunity to meet some of the fine people there!
For the next edition of Poes' Pals, I'd like you to meet the Davis Family:
We visit the Davis family every time we go to Starkville. They are fantastic people, and we love them very much! Mr. G. Davis and Mrs. Davis just built a beautiful house that they allowed me to invade during my last business trip to MSU. Mr. Poe and I have greatly appreciated their example and advice; they are wonderful Christians who have raised some great kids.
Ms. K. Davis is one of our dearest friends (and our "adopted" sister and daughter). She helped us move to Atlanta and has been on many a road trip with us; we talk almost daily. We hope to persuade her to join us in Georgia when she graduates in Graphic Design from State in December. Ms. M. Davis is such a sweetie as well- during my two week stay, we shared many a breakfast, car ride and evening together. She just started her first year in pre-nursing at State this fall, and we know she will make an excellent nurse! Mr. J. Davis is like a brother to us. He and Mr. Poe love to talk sports, and we all love to trade jabs and jokes when we get together.
As with the Holleys, we suggest you take some time to visit the Davis family next time you're in the Starkville area- we certainly look forward to it!
For the next Poe's Pals segment, I'd like to introduce you to Ms. Hopkins:
Mr. Poe and I have known Ms. Hopkins for several years, and we enjoy visiting with her when we return to Starkville. She is a driver for the MSU transit system, and one of the most friendly people you will ever meet.
Ms. Hopkins loves her job and the people it puts her in contact with every single day. If you ride with her just once, she'll remember your name forever. She'll talk with you about your day and your life with a genuine concern for you...she'll talk with you about Jesus with a genuine concern for your soul.
Over the summer, she also started driving students without cars to the store or wherever they needed to go on her own dime. When questioned about it, she gives all the credit to God for the blessings He's given her to help others in the ways that she does. She truly loves the Lord and cares about everyone; she is a very special person. If you're ever on campus, you should take a ride on the blue route- tell her the Poes sent you.
Many days have come and gone, and once again Foto Friday has arrived. Last week, I posted about my home away from home, Starkville, Mississippi...this week I'll share some more pictures from my trip because I'm still here (oh the joys of research).
My simulations and I have had a love-hate relationship this week, as in they've loved to hate me:
Every time I thought some progress has been made, the results look terrible- I've planned to leave town every day this week (literally). But thankfully I've had good company despite my difficulties. My good friend Ms. K. Davis was kind enough to come to the HPC2 so I wouldn't be working alone at night:
One day I saw this car on campus, and it reminded me of Mr. Poe:
I wanted to run home immediately, but I couldn't. One day soon I'll make it back to my home, my husband, and my dogs...but until then, you can just call me...Brett Favre.
If you're a frequent reader, you may recall the name "Holley" used quite often in my Theology Thursday posts. This week's Poe's Pals will reveal for you the face that goes along with the name. Meet the Holleys:
Although we've only known these folks for over three years, it feels like we've known them our whole lives. We first met Mr. T. and Mrs. Holley when they came back from Argentina to visit family; shortly after that, they decided to make Starkville their home. It has been such a blessing to get to know this wonderful family during the time we were in school!
Mr. T. Holley is the preacher here and one of the most knowledgeable and dedicated Bible students I know. Mr. Poe and I have learned so much from him- both directly about the Bible and about good Bible study habits. Mrs. Holley is his fantastic counterpart. She is so friendly and hospitable to everyone she comes across, welcoming them into her home and cooking them wonderfully delicious food. Mr. S. Holley is a great, puzzle-loving friend to us as well- he helped us move, sledded with us on our birthdays, and has given us his bed on more than one occasion. Ms. Holley is also one of our firends who always loves having us over for visits- when we leave, she sees us to the door with a big "thank you for coming!"
We look forwarding to visiting the Holleys every time we come to Starkville, and I suggest that you stop by when you're in the area too!
Once again Foto Friday is upon us! This week I traveled to the wonderful town of Starkville to present my dissertation proposal. Thankfully, I obtained my committee's approval for my presentation; then I spent the rest of this week researching, relaxing, and reminiscing.
Tuesday night I attended the weekly meeting of the Campus Bible Students
where we heard a great lesson on the beginning of James from Mr. Bethea. If you're in the Starkville area on a Tuesday evening, be sure to stop by the Union:
at 7pm to hear a portion of God's word...all are welcome- college student or otherwise. After the study, Ms. K. Davis and Ms. M. Davis walked with me over to the Chapel of Memories:
and allowed me to recount Mr. Poe's proposal oh so many years ago.
It has been so nice to get out of the city for a little while. I mean look at this:
How beautiful is this place? Coming back here to my "home away from home" to all my "family away from family" reminds me of Mark 10:29-30:
So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time-- houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions-- and in the age to come, eternal life."
Amen.
For the latest edition of Poes' Pals, I present to you Ms. Nowell:
Ms. Nowell is another friend from Mississippi that Mr. Poe and I have known for several years; we first met her shortly after she moved from the great state of Texas. She is a joy to be around, and we greatly admire her desire to serve the Lord and her drive to work hard at any task she begins.
Often Ms. Nowell invites her classmates to Bible studies and shows hospitality by gathering fellow students to the home she shares with her grandfather- I remember many an enjoyable evening of Rock Band and karaoke there. She has also had to make some difficult choices in order to better align her life with the patterns found in Biblical examples and teaching, which is a great encouragement to all who are around her. Currently, Ms. Nowell is participating in a nursing program in which she is doing quite well. When she finishes, I know she will be such a blessing to the babies and families she'll work with wherever she chooses to get a job!
If I've said it before, I've said it a million times, Mr. Poe and I miss Ms. Nowell and all of our Starkville family very much!
Special thanks to Ms. K. Davis for use of her fabulous photography skills.
This will be my first attempt at a blog post, so bear with me and hopefully I can shed some light on a few different subjects. While I am like my wife in so many ways - a follower of Christ, an engineer, a chaotic person (though that is my nature, not my choice) - we differ in so many ways. I am a very hands on, gotta see it, need to take it apart to know how it works, don't really care that much about the theory behind it... person. I hope by now you can tell that Mrs. Poe is somewhat of an opposite personality in that respect.
Today's post is about that need to deconstruct, and on the rare occasion construct, what often are the very common things in life. In this instance a children's Yerfdog go-kart had crossed paths with me and my friend, Mr. Robinson.
It happened as I was working as a mechanic at MSU that a co-worker posed a proposition to me. He had a go-kart and motor that had been sitting around his house for some time that he thought would be a good project, but didn't have time to personally complete. The price would be what he liked to call a "long wheel base $10" (to the people without dirt under your fingernails, that would be a $100 bill). I did not have a need to buy it nor a place to store it, but boy did I ever want to build it and drive it.
In order to see the job through, I contacted Mr. Robinson who shares my passion for Frankenstein contraptions. It was my opportunity to live vicariously through someone else. Mr. Robinson bought the kart and, along with it, the 1980's model 200cc big, red three-wheeler motor- 14 Horsepower and 5 speeds of blissful fun.
Over the next several weeks, we worked to get the wiring harness corrected, carburetor installed, exhaust welded, and we even took time to reinstall a braking system. Before we could finish with the project, I ended up getting a job which took me away from my good friend. Well just this past week I headed back to Starkville to visit friends (as Mrs. Poe has been telling you), and whadaya know? I called Mr. Robinson to take my inaugural ride in the overhauled Yerfdog.
This first video is his arrival and a short walk around of the vehicle. You may see that he made his own muffler, which works very well (previously it was about 3 times as loud). It also has a gas tank from an old pressure washer and a couple of new lawn mower tires.
The second video is him just playing in the gravel a little bit. The top speed is in excess of 40mph... for now. I took an "in car" video, but it was so bouncy you can't make a whole lot out. Hope you enjoy, and until next time it was nice meeting you.
Traveling with the girls is always entertaining. Over the holiday weekend, we went to Starkville to run some errands and visit some friends. We currently have no air conditioning in any of our vehicles, so Layla likes to stick her head out the window:
Sascha prefers to hang out under the glove box:
Aren't they cute?
