Happy 80th Birthday Mamaw

Hey Friends,

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!

Thanks for reading. See you next time.

Odie

2024 DRPC Indoor Invite

Hey Friends,

This is Odie reporting in from my Ohio Beach Cottage. Sadly, I am not actually sitting by a real beach, but a girl can dream. I do have the privilege of looking up from my computer to see a beautiful photograph of a Pensacola, Florida beach. The exquisite photo, titled Pathway To Happiness, was taken by Shavona Deane Golden. It does help me seem a little closer to the water. It also makes me feel a little happier!

I hope you are doing well this week. It is always an honor to have you spend a moment of your time visiting with me here. Your time and friendship are very much appreciated!

Today, I am here to tell you about an annual event coming up next month. For 30+ years, the Indoor Fellowship Meeting at our church, Dryden Road Pentecostal Church, has been a highlight of my year. It is almost Indoor time at DRPC.

Our pastor, Bro. Bennie Sutherland and the DRPC church family are very excited about Indoor 2024. God always shows up and helps us in a special way! You are invited to join us as well. It will occur on Tuesday, August 20, through Friday, August 23. DRPC is located at 3201 Dryden Road in Moraine, Ohio. 

The meeting starts Tuesday night at 7. Pastor Bill Parks is scheduled to preach the 7 PM services. Wednesday through Friday, there will also be a Morning service at 10AM and a youth service at 6PM. Pastor Dwain Galiher is the scheduled morning speaker. Usually, we hear from one or two visiting ministers after Bro. Galiher. Visiting ministers also preach in the youth services.

The services are phenomenal each year! We have experienced some life changing moments for our family during past Indoor meetings at DRPC! I hope and pray for a mighty move of God in my life this year, and in the lives of my church family and visiting friends!

The incredible church services are the focus of the week. We also get to experience fantastic fellowship with new and old friends alike! It is a treat to see many friends during the meeting!

Great fellowship and food go hand in hand. Our young people serve a meal after the 7PM service. Breakfast is served Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 8-9 AM. Lunch is also served following the morning service all three days. You will not leave disappointed after a DRPC Indoor meal! Our church is blessed with some excellent cooks!

Make your plans to join us now. Mark the calendar for August 20-23 2024. I hope to see you there! We will be giving updates right here during the meeting. The services will also be broadcast live and archived on Mixlr here.

Thanks for reading. See you next time.

Odie

Another Andrea Odie

 Hey Friends,

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.

Odie

Introducing Carson Lee Shoemaker

Hey Friends,

This is Odie; thanks for stopping by to visit today. It is always great to see our friends here each day. If you are a new friend, welcome! I hope you enjoy the blog and make this a regular stop.

Carson Lee Shoemaker

 

Today, I get to talk about one of my favorite topics, my family. Our newest  Boggs family member is 2 weeks old today. This is the newest grandchild of Uncle Steve and Aunt Karen Boggs. He was born on their anniversary this year.

Carson Lee Shoemaker arrived on June 25th. He weighed 7 lbs, 2oz and 19in, as he made his earthly debut. 

His birth was 4 weeks before his original due date. Carson had to go to the NICU to get a little help with breathing. 

 

Thank God for hearing and answering all the prayers for baby Carson! After a few days, he could breathe fully on his own! 

He spent a few more days in the NICU learning to eat and grow. 

Saturday was a big day in Carson's life. He got to go home!

Deidre and Ben were ready to bring their newest addition home! 

Now, they can start navigating life as a family of 5.

I know this Mama was thrilled to have all 3 of her babies together!

Big brother, Charlie and big sister and Chole Jean were past ready to meet their baby brother!

It makes me happy to see Carson loved by his Bubby and Sissy. Charlie is so excited to be a big brother again.

Chloe Jean is now a big sister. She loves her "Carsey," and I am confident she will be a little Mama to him.

Congratulations to the Shoemakers! We love your family of 5 and could not be happier for you all! 

This baby has already weaved his way deep into my heart. Yesterday, I had my first Facetime call with the little man. Now, I anxiously await the day I can see and hold him. I can not wait to love on him!

Carson is a precious gift from God to the Shoemaker family and an excellent addition to our Boggs family! Thanks to Deidre and Ben for allowing me to introduce their handsome boy to my friends!

Thanks for reading.

Odie

Two Special Birthdays

Hey Friends,

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.

Odie

Jeff and Sheri Easter June 2024

Hey Friends

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.

Odie

Odie's June Morgan Family Visit

Hey Friends,

This is Odie reporting in for a Saturday post. I hope this finds you doing well today.

Earlier this month, I spent a few exciting days with my Morgan side of the family. My Mamaw and Papaw, Martha and Eugene Boggs, offered to take me from Waynesville to Hillsboro. We stopped first at Ponderosa for a delicious meal. It was so good that I forgot to take pictures of it.

Then we ventured on to my Gran and Papaw's. Most of the morgan crew stopped by that night to see me. It is always fun to spend time with the family in Hillsboro.

Below are some pictures that I captured on my visit.

Tuesday

Wade 

 

Courtney and Odie.

Karliegh Jo having fun with her Dad.

Dinner fun with Pap Pap and Karleigh Jo.

Family time.

Trever and Kolby.

Kayla and Kolby.

Gran and Kolby.

I met the latest addition to our family, Kolby Lee Yeager.

Wednesday

The little man of the hour.

 

I got in as many baby cuddles as I could during my visit.

Karleigh Jo enjoyed figuring out my wheelchair on this visit.

Jackson wanted Lion to sit in my chair, too.

The Princess got brave enough to sit in the chair.

Pap Pap had to give Lion a guitar lesson before church.

Jackson wanted a picture with both of his animals.

Church time.

Uncle Danny.

Courtney and Odie.

The Yeager family of three.

Kayla and Odie.

My friend Sandy and I had matching purses.

Judy and Odie.

Karleigh Jo and Jackson.

Thursday

Kolby Lee Yeager

Seth and Odie, this was Seth's 17th birthday.

Kolby's Papaw Rusty stopped in to see him.

Courtney and Odie.

Jackson wanted a wheelchair ride.

Jackson built  Gran and Pap Pap's house with his magnets. 

Jackson and Odie.

Odie and Karleigh Jo.

Friday

I love being with Papaw Danny and Gran. 

That wraps up my June Morgan family time. Too soon, the visit came to an end, and I had to say goodbye. I am already looking forward to next time. I am blessed with a fantastic family!

Thanks for reading. I will see you next time.

Odie