A Lunch For Little Rylynn

LB, Shane, Jeff, and Andrew-It was a beautiful day for a cold beer and a great cause!

Wow, what a day! I should be working on this massive stack of papers on my desk here at the ranch, but I'd rather talk about the event of the day. Today was the Children's Organ Transplant Association's (COTA) fundraiser event "A Lunch For Little Rylynn" at Moravian Hall in Jarrell, Texas and it was alot of fun.

Rylynn was on the waiting list for a heart transplant, but through the grace of God she received an Angel heart October 6th, and is doing well. We are all looking forward to her being home soon and have missed her at Aggieland this year.

So today was a day for her and her legion of prayer champions and supporters to get together and rejoice, and help raise funds for a great organization and the people they help.

There was bbq lunch plates for sale, with dessert as an optional purchase. Including my mom's delivered as promised infamously famous peanut butter cake...(Awww, damn that is just a delicious piece of heaven on Earth)! Ton's of cobbler, cookies, and anything else sweet that a dietitian would scowl at me for enjoying. (Plus, you could buy it to take home. Oh well , we all get a cheat day right?)

A silent auction included some great items courtesy of my brother and our good friends Karen and Jeff Carawan. We even purchased a few things. Who knew Andrew liked hand painted pictures of tugboats? All this time I could have bought the kid great local art and cut my Christmas budget in half. There were a ton of other cool items. However, I'm a tad bit glad that my mom was outbid on the t-sip paraphernalia (I didn't know Gil and Andrea had so many orange friends) she would have looked great in it, but it is still burnt orange.

The live auction seemed to draw the most attention and anytime a group that diverse is together the items will be just as spectacular. I didn't "win" the Yeti cooler, Stihl weed eater, Marlin .22 lever action, or this hill country resort of a bird house. I figure the desserts I bought(see above) made my contribution known.

Shane and his soon to be new beautiful bride Melissa made it out too. Somehow leading to Shane being the winning bid on a new AKC pointer puppy (for his brother). Shady things happen when this guy's around! However seeing them and hearing about what a fun time we'll be having at the wedding in Austin was great. I hear there will be a complimentary shuttle service....that's going to lead to bad things. (I might need a date for that if you are-female (never know), never married, no kids, Christian enough for both, no tattoos, no indoor pets, college educated, kinda know current events, know who Mike McClure, Reckless Kelly, Micky and the Motorcars are, drop dead gorgeous because you have to make us both look good, can dance, and have the ability to not take seriously 90-95% of what I say )

It's safe to say that as we were having to leave and the live auction was still way underway that the event was a success. We are thankful that Ry and the family are doing well and the organization that helps families like this exist. Being a part of today's event was a good thing.

If you missed out on the event, but still want to help then there is always a way. At this website, http://www.cotaforrylynnr.com/ you can learn about the organization and Ry's story. Also, it's something we hear, but not a lot of us do. Please consider being an organ donor. It might just lead to another great day like this.

Have a fantastic week!
LB

Just A Little Catch Up!

There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million. ~Walt Streightiff

A long awaited miracle took place the other day! Little Miss Rylynn Riojas has a heart. An Angel heart arrived and the transplant went off without a hitch! I'm happy to report that she is doing well and recovering. She still needs your prayers but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

The Children's Organ Transplant Association and Team Rylynn are having a benefit this Sunday October 23, 11:30-3:00 at Moravian Hall in Jarrell, Texas. There will be a bbq lunch/auction/silent auction/raffle/and children's games. For more information about the organization and benefit you can check out the website http://www.cotaforrylynnr.com/.

I'll be there...and I hear that Leanne and my mom will be providing some great desserts for the bake sale! MMMmm Peanut Butter Cake? (Yeah it's that good that it needs caps) Y'all come out and we'll have a great time.

What else is new? Well I guess it's all kids news still. Stopped by to see Jeff and Karen the other day and little Ruthie is turning out to be quite the handful. It was blast to see her walking across the living room and watching football with us guys. Then at Aggieland this weekend we were able to see our little cousin Finn up for his first Aggie game...(which we won!) Whoop!! Both of them will be having birthdays soon so I'll have to find something cool to spoil them with.

Other than that life has been pretty crazy. We had three inches of rain at the ranch the other day....Amen! So the grass is green and needing mowing, it's been awhile since a mowing was needed. We're hanging on and the cattle still look pretty good. Rain will always be in our prayers and always a welcome sight!

As far as work. I've been promoted to a position in San Antonio, but in trying to find a replacement for me...(Apparently it's pretty hard to replace me, others have tried and failed...j/k) I am still burning up the highway all over South Texas. I'm beginning to think 6-7k miles on my company pickup a month is normal. She treats me good though and there ain't nothing wrong with the radio. However, once the new guy is trained I can say goodbye to overnights in Laredo and hour and half one way commutes to the office. Maybe I'll even find some time for riding horses and chasing women. (Yeah, I've been that busy!)

That's pretty much the gist of my life right now. But continue to pray for Rylynn and if you can help out with the fundraiser that would be great!

Y'all need anything then you know how to reach me.

Hasta,
LB

Prayer Requests!

Well summer has been flying by and it's been alot of fun. There have been trips to the lake, the river, a couple of wild nights in Bandera and a fabulous vacation to Hawaii. Sorry I didn't post all those while they were happening but you throw in a crazy, hectic work schedule and something has to give.

Plus, haven't really felt inspired to write about too much.....of topics crossing my door lately is a break up with an on again off again woman (but those of y'all that know me know that broken record, and why beat a dead horse? :-) ) However, I think the retelling in the right setting might make for the modern day "Gone With The Wind:" or at least a pretty good comedic remake of it. Then there is a fiction about a cattle ranger working in South Texas and dealing with greedy bankers, ostentatious women, and drug cartels....maybe that will get finished one day too.

I even was able to make a ranch sorting practice last night and it was amazing. Nothing like hooking up Ol Blue, loading some horses, and running down the road to put me in a better mood.

Of course, it is my friends and family that mean the most to me and always will. I admit that I like to do alot on my own, but without the support of those that mean the most to me I just wouldn't be able to be who I am. With that being said there are several of them that need to be lifted up in prayer and I know that faith is always a comfort.

Please pray for my grandmother Marie Moore. She recently had knee surgery and has had several complications and difficulties on her road to recovery. I love my grandmother and have fond memories of her bouncing me on her knee telling me I was a good kid. Even if I had just wrecked havoc on some cousins' toy, or been in the way of whatever adult project was going on. A greater player of Wheel of Fortune or Jeopordy I've never seen, and I can't remember a time or place that we've ever been where her and my grandfather didn't know somebody. And whomever it was always had kind things to say about the both of them.

Also please pray for my uncle Roy Allbritton. He is having some complications with a foot injury and we are praying for a speedy recovery. I know he is eager to be up and running around again. I'm sure that him being cooped up and not allowed to be going off in his own pursuits is getting to his nerves. However, the doctor has the bigger picture in mind and his best interests.

Next on the list is our military. I've seen glances at reports of losing 31brave soldiers this weekend. My heart goes out to those families and I pray that they find comfort in their faith. I'm thankful for those men and women that serve so we can be free. Please continue to keep them in your prayers.

Also please pray for rain. I was in San Angelo last weekend and I've never seen so much of our beautiful state look so pathetic. Lush pastures and native range land were bare to the soil. Cattle looked in poor condition with not much hope in sight. I've heard stories of the drought of the 1950's, but I believe this one to be much worse. Our state is much more beautiful with a little rain, and the bad news always seems a little better with green pastures to look at.

My final prayer request is for my friends Gilly and Andrea Riojas and their baby girl Rylynn. Rylynn is currently living with a Berlin heart at the ICU of Children's Medical in Dallas, Texas. She is awaiting a heart transplant and in her short years has been through Hell on Earth. I've watched as my friends and their family have embraced each new challenge of Ry's life with their faith. Ry is such a beautiful, sweet, and vivacious girl that anytime with her and you realize she is truly one of God's greatest. I don't know all the details of her journey, but I know each time I've seen her she's never failed to muster a smile and wonder at the world around her! Please pray that she comes through this new challenge with flying colors! Andrea has created a blog where you can learn more about Ry and what she is going through and it is available at andreariojas.blogspot.com.


Well that's all I have! Just some simple prayer requests but the power of prayer is amazing! Please keep those mentioned above in your prayers and send me any prayer requests that you may have. I hope y'all the best!

Vaya Con Dios Mis Amigos!

LB

I'm Back And Whoop!!

Well it has been....to quote my father..."A hell of a year!" However, hell year is over. My brother and I are official MBA graduates of Texas A&M University-San Antonio. It still really hasn't sank in yet that a long tumultous year of breaking in a new job and going to grad school is over. As I'm typing this blog it's a Sunday night and I'm watching Celebrity Apprentice. My usual routine for Sunday has been watching this show and pouring over notes, doing school projects, or taking online quizzes. But no more!

I can take a deep breath and catch my breath....done. Now its time to get to my list of things that I've been neglecting.

Back to my horses- too long with out riding and running down the road. Rebel's been sitting in a stall all year and he's about as bored as I have been. Time to hit the back pasture and the arena for lots of tuning up. Being on the back of a horse is still better than being behind my big desk...anyday.

Pick up my guitar- No, I'm no John Rich with a guitar but I do enjoy picking out the lyrics that float through my head.

Enjoy the peace- I can't remember the last time I had some thoughts that didn't revolve around my school schedule and work load. Looking forward to all those going away.

Hit the lake- Time to get the fleet out and enjoy the water. Hello Medina (at least till the drought doesn't let us launch)

Friends and Family- Let's BBQ. Time to hangout, catch up, and enjoy life.

Write- maybe a novel, maybe a short series, but at least more on this blog.


Thanks for the support y'all!


LB