Monday, August 28, 2006, 10:09 a.m., D.S.T., Nashville, Tenenssee~

Dear Jill~

Hi! Thanks for writing; it is good to hear from you!

I have heard of the young lady of which you speak, Kata Huddleston. She has been in the biz for a long time; even though she is still young, she is a future superstar in the making, and I have followed her career since her days on the original "Star Search". I have had the opportunity to have met Kata on several occasions, and she is a real sweetheart! :)

We have been to several of the oprys you have mentioned, and we enjoy the local "homegrown talent" as much as the legends. The singers on these oprys are the Garth Brooks and Reba McEntires of tomorrow; it is amazing at how talented some of these individuals are!

We have been watching "America's Got Talent" as well; we have enjoyed watching our "hometown hero", Franklin's own Taylor Ware, yodel her way to the finals (she didn't win, but she sure gave some of those other acts a run for their money, as you put it!). We had a "Taylor Ware Watch Party" at our high school, and I think a good portion of Nashville and the surrounding area showed up to root her on to (possible) victory! :)

I did enjoy that girl who won, Bianca Ryan. She sure has a soulful voice (no pun intended); she is going to follow in the footsteps of people like Patty LaBelle, Aretha Franklin, and Roberta Flack!

Yes, I am the Louisiana Sandusky who writes to Wilma Gardner. Now you know! *grins*

I really liked the picture you sent of your brood; your children are absolutely precious, especially Spirit! She looks like she could be a real handful! I am sorry to know she has poison ivy; hopefully she is feeling much better by the time you get this! I know poison ivy can be miserable! My son Johnny gets it so bad he is covered head to toe in pimples, and he itches so bad it is all he can do to keep from wanting to scratch his skin off!

Did you get my book yet? Just curious? It should be there by now; if not, it should be there by today or tomorrow! Let me know when it comes!

According to the Weather Channel, Texas (as well as Oklahoma) is finally going to get some needed relief from the drought and the heat. Of course, it will be a while before the drought is officially broken, but it will put a nice dent in it. I hope you will enjoy the rain and the cooler temperatures! I have been praying for relief for y'all down there! :)

The weather here is cool and cloudy, with temps in the upper seventies to mid eighties. We may get some more cooler weather by the weekend, and it is supposed to be headed y'all's way! I am so glad that summer is on the way out!

Now there may be a hurricane in the Gulf (Ernesto); hopefully he won't pull a Katrina; the Gulf Coast is still recovering from Katrina a year later; they don't need any more hurricanes!! I will have to say a special prayer of protection and healing for those dear people along the Gulf Coast region of our land!

We found out some good news over the weekend: Gabriel Abrahiam, our new child to be who is coming from Israel, will be arriving next week. Sooner than we anticipated, but we are ready for him! His room is all done, and we have cleaned the house from top to bottom; all we have to do now is wait for him to come! (We will probably pick him up at the airport.) He is coming next Thursday, according to Maddie Houston, our adoption counselor.

We cannot wait for him to come! We are so excited now we can't stand it!!

Well, I am going to get some grub before I miss out on eating while I am on break. I will write to you again; take care, Jill, and God bless! Love you!

(((HUGS))) Your friend in Tennessee, Louie May. :D