Ben and Family spend Thanksgiving in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky

The Ben Isaacs Family

Sorry for the delay in the Thanksgiving blog.... We were in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky visiting my dad with no cell phone service and no Internet. We ( Mindy, the kids and I) left Wednesday for Kentucky with plans to get up on Thursday and do some rabbit hunting. This was my son Jacob's first rabbit hunting trip. He had taken the hunter safety course and was excited that he could carry his own gun! I had promised that once he passed the course, I would get him his own gun and take him hunting. Spending time with him and my dad had reminded me of my childhood hunting experiences. I have always enjoyed the outdoors and am glad to be sharing the experiences with my son. I do have to say that East Kentucky's rabbit population is down by five. After hunting, we returned back to Dad's to a fabulous feast of the best turkey, dressing, beans.......you name it, we ate it! While the guys were out hunting, Mindy and the girls went for a nice hike up a beautiful mountain. Cameron and Kyra were troopers! They hiked 2.5 miles and enjoyed almost every minute of it.

Cameron

Jacob

We had a wonderful time visiting with Dad and Stacy and cousins until late in the night. The next morning we went hunting again but the rabbits were smarter than us and we came home with nothing but our smiles. We put in a lot of miles walking in the fields. We were tired and hungry! When we came back from this trip, Stacy fried up the rabbits from the previous day. They were delicious! After eating we took the girls to Dad's friend's house to shoot for a while. Don't mess with my women!! They are all three sharp shooters!

After playing on the farm and holding baby goats and visiting with all the animals, it was time to head back to Hendersonville. This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for spending time with my family. After all, time is the most important thing that we can give each other.

Kyra

Ben

One Long Road Trip...coming right up

We're about to embark on a long road trip. We'll be leaving out on the 4th for a 10 day / 9 concert run. We thought it would be fun to keep you up to date on what's happening each day on the road....so we hope you'll check in here daily to hear the latest.

We've added a little something more to the fun. Scroll down below the Isaacs family pictures and the beautiful bible verse on the side bar on the right and look for a widget that says "Isaacs Twitters". When we don't have internet access or maybe something funny or interesting happens at a concert or on the bus then we can send a message right then from our cell phones and it will post right here on the blog. Be sure when you visit to check out that little Twitter widget to see if there are any messages there. That way you won't miss a thing. It will be just like you are along on the trip. Be sure to watch the Twitter at night during concert time and we'll let you know when The Isaacs are up for their songs and maybe you can say a prayer! The widget shows only the 5 latest twitters. If you want to see more click on "Follow me on Twitter".

Have a great December! Can you believe it's here? Only 26 days til Christmas!! Are you ready? Let us hear from you.....leave a comment.

Lisa

Tour Schedule

December 4th 7:00pm Toledo, Ohio Gaither Event

December 5th 7:00pm Indianapolis, Indiana Gaither Event

December 6th 6:00pm Roanoke, Virginia Gaither Event

December 7th 7:00pm East Stone Gap, Virginia ESG Meth Church

December 9th 7:00pm Lebanon, Missouri Cowan Civic Center

December 10th 7:00pm Sioux City, Iowa Cornerstone

December 11th 7:00pm Sioux Falls, South Dak. Gaither Event

December 12th 7:00pm Moline, Illinois Gaither Event

December 13th 6:00pm Green Bay, Wisconsin Gaither Event

A New Baby and A New Contest Winner

See the previous post for the exciting info. on the arrival of Baby Boy Stockman!

AND THE WINNER IS.............

of our baby guessing contest that is!

ODIE PODIE - guessed the weight as 8 lbs 9 oz. and the length as 21 3/4 inches.

Oliver Casey Stockman weighed in at 8 lbs 8.5 oz and he is 21 inches long. That means Odie was off by 1/2 ounce and 3/4 inches.

There were a lot of great guesses and wasn't this fun? Thanks for participating!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Baby Boy Stockman

I've just learned that baby boy Stockman has made his entrance into the world. More information is forthcoming.........

Update: Oliver Casey Stockman was born at 7:12am EST this morning. WHAT A THANKSGIVING DAY MIRACLE!! Both Amanda and baby are doing great. Proud daddy Jesse says Amanda had an easy time and a very quick labor and delivery (we'll see what she has to say about that later!).

Amanda and Jesse chose to name the baby after Jesse's grandfather "Oliver" who always went to Jesse's concerts and festivals with him and his cousin who lived with their family a lot when Jesse was growing up. They've both passed on now. The names are very special to Jesse.

Jesse and Amanda are registered at both Walmart and Target.

Bet you want to know the weight and length huh?

Stay tuned for Weight and Length and the announcement of the winner of our contest!! (as soon as I can figure it out!)

First glimpses of the new arrival......

Here's daddy Jesse introducing baby Oliver
video from cell phone.....

Greetings from Thomas Wywrot

I am very thankful for having the chance to spend a week with my grandparents this Thanksgiving. I haven't had the chance to see them in a very long time and I realize I may not have many more opportunities to visit with them. The only bad part is that Canada celebrates Thanksgiving in October, so I'm missing out on all the good food being cooked in the U.S. right now!

I am also thankful for the opportunity to play music with an incredible group of people. I feel truly blessed to be part of such a wonderful band and I look forward to playing many shows with The Isaacs. Last but not least, I am thankful for my family and my amazing girlfriend, Laura, for their continued support and encouragement.

Thomas

(Thomas is the brand new guitar/banjo player for The Isaacs. If you haven't been introduced to him you can read about him HERE.)

Happy Thanksgiving from Lily Isaacs

As the years go by I become more and more grateful for good health. In 1983 I had 3 major surgeries in a 4 month period with one of those being for cancer.  So as you can see I have a lot to be thankful for in that I live a healthy life now.  

I wish a blessed Thanksgiving to each of you.  Remember to take the time to give Thanks!

Love

Lily

Thanksgiving wishes from Becky

Hello my friends! Praise God! We are on vacation!!! (or off for the weekend) but that's vacation for me. So, I must say how thankful I am for that Amen!

I have so much to be thankful for this year. God has blessed me with the best husband and kids in the world. No, they are not perfect but we all give our very best and that is something you can't buy.

We are looking forward to eating lots of yummy fattening food and doing some resting and relaxing on the couch. The kids will be off school and I also look forward to sleeping in. : 0 My health has been going well these past few weeks and I thank the good Lord for that extra blessing.

Over thanksgiving I am in charge of the desserts! So let's pray I haven't forgotten that skill Ha! I love to bake and I love food that requires dipping. That makes it so much more tasty and I'm sure adds lots more fat. But hey we only live once so let's enjoy! (I say that now but when I go back to LA Weight Loss to weigh I will be crying). Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends and I can't wait to hear your Thanksgiving stories too. Let's hope I don't have any horrible stories to share (like how many desserts I burned) AND Thank you Lord for your blessings on me. God is good and we must always find the beauty in the rain, no matter what!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!
Love, Becky

No News (yet) & a Contest

Update at bottom of post.

In reference to this post.....there is no news yet. Talked to Jesse today and he says it should be any day now!

Thought it might be fun to have a little contest. The person who guesses both the weight and length of baby boy Stockman will win a prize. Of course if no one guesses the exact weight and length then we'll go with the one who is closest.

Just leave your guess in the comments at the bottom of this post. (One guess per person please!) Remember if you don't have a google account or a blog then you can click on anonymous and leave a comment. Please type your name at the bottom of your post. Check back often and I'll post the winner information right here on the blog.

Don't wait too long to get your guess in. It could happen any day now!!

Updated:  Great guesses so far!  I'm not sure how much this little tidbit of info. will help you but here it is all the same....the current Stockman children weighed:

Hannah - 7 lbs 12 oz.

James - 9 lbs

Comments.......

Want to leave a comment on a post but you don't have a blog or google account?  Just click on Comments at the bottom of a post and when the comment form pops up write your comment and choose post as "anonymous".  You can still leave your name at the bottom of your post if you want.

I've received a few emails at info@theisaacs.com about this so thought I'd let you know!!

Enlighten on XM Radio......

UPDATE 11-16-08.....

The origin of the little jingle mentioned in this post is explained here: enLighten34.com

Thanks to our friend/fan Odie Podie for bringing this to our attention and Congrats on having your recent concert pics featured in the article.

Just listening to enLighten34 on Directv tonight and lo and behold I hear a little jingle.......this is The Isaacs and this is enLighten.......in a beautiful sing songy voice. The announcer said "on Monday evening November 17th I'll tell you all about the origin of that little jingle." Soooooo you Isaacs fans out there might want to tune in to the enLighten Southern Gospel music channel on XM Radio and it's also now on Sirius.

Here's a recent announcement about enLighten.....

Not only will enLighten continue to be a major channel within the XM satellite channel lineup and remain on XM Channel 34 … but beginning shortly after Midnight on the morning of Wednesday, November 12th … enLighten joins the Sirius satellite channel lineup as well, to be heard on . . .

Sirius Channel 67!

A Message from Rebecca Isaacs Bowman.......

Hello friends!  It is so fun to greet all of you fun and sweet friends online. I am slow at this internet blogging, but with Lisa's help I'll catch up to you all.  : > )

It has been a busy end of summer and a busy start to the fall season. Levi (my 7th grader) has started heavy into the basketball schedule.....Monday night practice, Tuesday game, Wednesday night church, Thursday a game and by Thursday night (sometimes Wednesday night) it's time to hop on the bus!!!  No time to slow down. Just Gotta Keep On, Gotta Keep On, Gotta Keep on, Keep on Movin' Through the Valley, Up the Mountain!!!!! Levi loves Basketball and he's a great shot!  He loves to make 3 pointers!

Jakobi finds herself busy at the games being the cheerleader for Levi and his team.  She along with 15 or so other girls cheer for the teams. They run from Pre-K thru 2nd grade.  So, when I tell you it is so sweet, that is no understatement!  Jakobi is in 2nd grade and she has already told me that next year when she hits the 3rd grade she wants to play Basketball.  Sooooo that means I will be going to even more games next year!  (anybody got a comfortable seat pad?!?!) 

Poor John or should I say MR BOWMAN?!?!  He is teaching 4th grade and loves his class and the school.  He is so talented in teaching.  I just wish when I homeschool the kids on some weekends that he didn't put me to shame Ha Ha!  During Basketball season John is very busy with teaching and the games, being a Dad and husband and a regular church attendant.

Somehow we make it all work and I wouldn't change it if I could.  God is so good and I thank Him for all of it!!!!  I just wish I could stop time for a while.  The kids are growing up so fast.  We (the parents) blink and wonder how time went so quickly right before our eyes.  WOW!  Time won't stop for no one!

Well, I just wanted to say Hello to you all and let you know a little about what my home life is like.  I am sure it sounds a lot like yours.  I will pray for you and you pray for me!!  AMEN!!

Love 

Becky

Busy but Blessed and Thankful!

We have had such a busy Fall season! First we all went to Europe for a week and had wonderful time. I got to take all 5 of my grandchildren with us! They had a blast and so did we. We met new friends in the Faroe Islands and reunited with our dear friends in Norway. When we got home we soon got ready for National Quartet Convention in Louisville, KY and spent several days there. About 3 days later we were off on a 2 week trip out west. We traveled through Kansas, Colorado and all over California! Then in the first part of October we also spent a couple of days performing at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge. Some of these trips were in addition to our normal weekend work days. So, yes we've been busy, but OH SO BLESSED.

Things will begin to slow down a bit now and we look forward to spending some time at home during our Thanksgiving break. We appreciate all of you out there and Thank You for coming out to be with us every chance you get. We Love You all and want to say "Have a Wonderful and Blessed Thanksgiving!"

WE ARE THANKFUL FOR YOU!

Lily

Isaacs Fan in Fiji

Isaacs fan Don Peck with his new Isaacs Fan friend "Su"

My wife and I just returned from 2 weeks in Fiji. Besides the scuba diving, snorkeling, massages and beach time, we spent each evening enjoying the beautiful and exotic sounds of the “bula band”. Fijians play guitars, ukuleles, and mandolins along with a variety of indigenous instruments. The folk styles are distinct in their fusion of Polynesian and Melanesian traditions and are dominated by vocal church music.

We were also privileged to enjoy the wonderful world of underwater Fiji. The boat rides from the resort to the dive sites were about  45 minutes and we were entertained not by the “bula band”, but by 5 or 6 divemasters with guitars singing in Fijian language. We couldn’t understand the words, but music is universal and it was a ball! The 2 songs they knew in English were “Please Release Me” and “You Are My Sunshine” and we all joined in!

One of the divemasters is also the lead singer in his church and would you guess, he is a die hard ISAACS FAN!!!!! He knows them from a CD he saw of the Gaithers. He loves the ISAACS!! He convinced me to the point that I gave him my beloved and only ISAACS t-shirt! His name is “Su”. He is 22 years old, very religious, a divemaster-in- training and a great young man. He now wears a big smile when he dons his ISAACS t-shirt! He hugged me until we left the resort!! I promised to send him several CD’s of the ISAACS and so I’ll be going shopping! I can’t wait to hear the divemasters sing one of the ISAACS’S songs!

Don

The Isaacs Welcome New Banjo/Guitar player.......

Thomas Wywrot was born and raised in Northwestern Ontario.  He lived in subzero temperatures most of his childhood, spending tons of time near the wood stove in his igloo.  "I had time to practice," says Wywrot who would rather play the guitar inside than play hockey on the homemade ice rink in his backyard.  After falling into Lake Dinorwick on a duck hunting excursion one chilly October morning, Thomas decided that the cold weather wasn't for him.  He soon found himself in Tennessee, jamming with the locals in the post office at ETSU, where he briefly attended university until his Canadian English became too much for the school to handle.  "How was I supposed to know you don't spell "colour" with a "u" down here?"  He had no other choice......it was time to start a career in bluegrass!

In only a few short years Thomas has appeared on stage with countless (9) acts, having had the pleasure of playing the Grand Ole Opry with Alecia Nugent, Bradley Walker and Mountain Heart. 

Now living in Nashville, you can catch Thomas playing banjo and guitar on the road with The Isaacs.

Thomas personally endorses Proulx Guitars, by Mario Proulx.

Check out the offical Thomas Wywrot T Shirt Store for some pretty cool shirts that I recommend you wear.

Make sure to stop by and see The Isaacs full tour schedule.

Check out these youtube videos with Thomas playing with various bands.

I look forward to seeing you all somewhere down the road.

Thomas

Looking back.........

Sunday night's concert in N.Carolina was great. The church was packed out.We had a great time. It was great to see friends Anne & Bobby Williams and Mary & Dee Hill & Carroll Willis. It was a great service.

We enjoyed a wonderful meal at Outback after the concert. Thanks Pastor! We shared some cheesecake with Troy, celebrating (not sure that's the right word to use) his last weekend with The Isaacs. Troy has resigned his position of banjo/guitar/fiddle player to start a new chapter in his life. He has a beautiful wife Mandy and two beautiful children, Lizzie and Little Troy back home in the burbs of Nashville. He's looking forward to spending more time with his family. Troy said he's enjoyed his time with The Isaacs and has had a great time playing with them for the last 14 months. You'll be greatly missed T-Bay!! We Love You!

Click on Photos to Enlarge

Gina offering cheesecake to all......

Troy with the cheesecake

Friend Dee Hill from Murrells Inlet saying 

farewell to Troy in Lumberton on Sunday night

Troy on stage for his last Gaither gig

In North Carolina today......

It's Sunday, November 2nd.  The Isaacs are in Lumberton, NC today.  After a great Gaither weekend it's nice to be back on Isaacs time today.  Last night's concert was great.  The Isaacs performed the Bluegrass Medley early in the 1st half.  Later in the night Bill called them back up to do Heroes and then they showed the clip from the Norway DVD of their visit to the concentration camp in Germany and a bit of the interview with Lily's mother.  Then Becky, Sonya and Ben did The Love of God.  Their rendition of that song is always so touching. Afterwards lots of folks came to the table wanting a copy of that song and also wanting to see more of the Norway DVD.  

It was great to see lots of Norway friends in attendance this time.  They all met in the lobby after the morning show and there was a lot of Norwegian chatter and lots of picture taking going on. They are such sweet folks and they love The Isaacs.  It was also great to see Bill and Debbie Decker again and they were a great help at the product table.  

The Isaacs are beginning to rise and shine this morning and starting to get showers.  Load in time at the church today is at 12:00 noon and after a few hours of set up, sound check, etc. it will be time for an all Isaacs concert at 5:00 PM.  Come on out to Lumberton and join us!

Introducing the Isaacs Bus Driver......

"Skip"

He's not so new anymore, but we thought you'd like to know about our great bus driver, J.Staton or better known as "Skip". He started driving for us the first part of September this year. Skip is originally from Albemarle, NC and has made his home near Kansas City for the last 48 years. He recently bought some property and moved back to NC near Mocksville. He has two daughters and a brand new granddaughter Addison who was born last month in Sicily.

We had advertised briefly on our website for a coach driver and Skip's cousin saw the ad and forwarded it to him. Skip got in touch with Ben through a friend and the rest is history. Skip had been a driver for Senators coaches for almost 5 years before joining the Isaacs. He is a great driver and gets us to and from our dates safely each week. We're glad to have him as part of our Isaacs team.

Jesse Stockman News!

The Isaacs fiddle player, Jesse Stockman has an exciting event coming up back home in Jacksboro, TN. He and his beautiful wife Amanda are expecting their third child around Thanksgiving. Only a few short weeks to go. Jesse has a little girl, Hannah who is 9 years old and a son, James who will be 5 this month. They are expecting another little boy. Jesse says James is about as layed back as they come and Hannah is pretty quiet too so he's wondering what they might be in store for this time. They are planning to name him after Jesse's grandfather.

The Stockman Family at Dollywood in October

Myrtle Beach and The Isaacs....what else can I say?

Assigned parking spaces

Buses, Buses Everywhere

Hey! This is Isaacs Insider, Gina. Randy and I made the trek to Myrtle Beach Friday morning. It was a gorgeous, sunny, but brisk day. We drove to the M.B. Convention Center and entered the lobby at 12:30pm. The artists' product tables were lined up and ready for the eager fans to arrive. A few people were strolling around. We first saw Isaacs' drummer Nathan Fauscett and his beautiful girlfriend Kelly. After spending a few minutes with them, I looked up and saw Ben, and then the rest of the Isaacs family. It was great to see them, even though it had only been a couple of weeks. The last person to appear was Lisa! She had a room in the Sheraton which is attached to the convention center. We had a little reunion. Randy had not seen the Isaacs gang since April. He hadn't seen Lisa since February. He was having a great time for sure! We even ran into Eddy Houk, former Isaacs soundman/road manager.

We were fortunate to have "all access" passes. (Thanks Eddy!) We enjoyed dinner in catering and we had great seats for the concert. The lobby opened at 4:30 and Gaither fans started rolling in. Lisa, Randy and I worked with Lily at the products table. I always ask where people are from. I met folks from NC, SC, OH, IN, NY, Norway and England! There was a pair of gorgeous ladies from England and Lisa sent them down to my end of the table to "just talk" for me. She knows how much I enjoy listening to a British accent. The ladies were lovely and they are huge Isaacs fans.

The Isaacs performed just before intermission. They looked great in black and gray. Randy had never been to an event like this one and he had a blast. He was fascinated when different artists just walked over and sat down beside him. He did a real good job of containing himself, though.

After the show, we went to eat with Nathan, Kelly, Peggy, Skip and Lisa. It was nearly three am when we got in bed. Then, we were back up at 7am. We drove back down to Myrtle Beach in time for lunch with part of the gang. If any of the Isaacs band ever decides to stop playing music, they all have a future in comedy!

We are sitting in the lobby of the Sheraton in their little internet cafe waiting for the doors to open. Randy and Skip walked down to the beach just now. Lily, Becky, Jesse, Peggy and Steve are resting on the bus. Ben is practicing some new material. Nathan and Kelly are surfing.....the net.

It has been a lot of fun for the last two days. Tomorrow evening at 5pm, they will be playing in Lumberton, NC. I was born in Lumberton and I have a lot of family living in the area. I will be having about 12 people coming to see The Isaacs, some for the first time. I can't wait! I think the bus is actually going to follow us there tonight. Sounds like it might be another late night.

I hope all of you are having a great weekend. We truly wish that each of you could have been here. I am still looking forward to having that Isaacs' fans convention! God bless each of you. Keep reading....G

A Great Morning......

This morning's service was again GREAT! The Isaacs were up early for one song "He Never Failed Me" which led into the topic of Ken Davis sermon. He talked about when you have Christ in your life there is always hope no matter the situation you find yourself in. It was very touching and uplifting.

We just returned from a great Mexican Fiesta lunch. Nathan, Troy and Jesse joined us and we had a great time. The rest of The Isaacs family decided to hang around the convention center for lunch. Our tummies are full but there's no rest for the weary. Only about an hour and a half til time to open up the table again.I'm in the lobby of the hotel where they have a great internet

 cafe set up. Nathan and his girlfriend Kelly are with me and Nathan wants to say a few words to the Isaacs fans.

Hey yall! Been kind of busy lately (not really, but kind of). This past week I spent some time at The Tracking Room in Nashville listening to Becky and Sonya while they were doing their demo sessions for their new album. It's gonna be Killer! We left out for the weekend on Thursday night and I woke up in Myrtle Beach in the early hours of Friday morning. We had a great concert Friday night and this morning's service was great. Looking forward to an even better one tonight. I'm happy to have my mom and Kelly, my girlfriend, with me this weekend. We've been dating almost 8 months now and it's been amazing. Kelly comes out to see us in concert whenever she can. She lives in Georgia and I am in Nashville so it's very special when we get to spend time together. Well, I need to check my email and then get back

 to the bus. We hope to see yall soon!

Nate

Nathan with his mom Peggy

Kelly & Nathan

Nathan says "Man, the folks are excited to 

see The Isaacs this weekend"  He's such a clown!

Myrtle Beach Gaither Fest

The lobby of the beautiful Sheraton - Myrtle Beach

Good morning from sunny Myrtle Beach, SC. Looks like it's going to be a beautiful day.I had a great drive to MB yesterday morning. I was able to leave a little earlier than planned and arrived at the beach about 10:00 AM. The sun was shining and it warmed up to be wonderful fall day. I did just a little shopping and then headed over to the beautiful MB Convention Center. The Isaacs were there and already had the product table set up. They were about to start getting showers. Nathan's mom and girlfriend arrived about the same time and after checking into our beautiful rooms we decided to head up to the Vidalia restaurant for some lunch. Well, they had lunch and I had dessert. Fried cheesecake with ice cream. YUM! When we were finished and went back down to the lobby my friend Gina and her hubby Randy had arrived. We had a nice visit with some folks from Norway, Eddy Houk, the Isaacs former sound man, Jason Crabb and band and a few others. Jason is filling in for Guy Penrod this weekend as Guy is taking a leave from the GVB. Jason did a fantastic job last night by the way. Around 4:15 it was time for The Isaacs to do sound check. They sounded great. We then had a little to eat in catering and it was time to get dressed and get back down to open up the product table. The crowd was sweet and lots of folks came by to visit and buy some Isaacs stuff.

Last night was an amazing service. All of the performances were outstanding. The Isaacs performed Walk On, The One I'm Dying For and It is Well with my Soul. The house came down after that last one, as usual. The speaker for the weekend is Christian comedian Ken Davis. He is so funny. I'm looking forward to hearing him speak this morning. Everyone was outstanding but some highlights of the night were Kim Collingsworth on piano & Janet Paschal - It won't Rain Always. The Easter's performance was very touching also as Sheri is battling cancer and chemo at this time. She looks great and sounds great. She hasn't missed any of her performances except the week of her surgery. Their daughter Morgan is doing a great job singing with them.

The Isaacs girls with comedian Ken Davis

The Isaacs first performance of the weekend

It was a very fun night. We finished up at the table after the concert around 11:15 and then a bunch of us drove down to North Myrtle Beach to Steak-n-Shake. We were about 2:00 getting in bed this morning. Man! 7:00 AM came early!! BUT, it's all worth it to get to spend time with The Isaacs and to hear some much needed heavenly music!

I will be back with some very special features that I know you'll be interested in. I hope to get an interview with Skip, The Isaacs new bus driver, Troy Engle who plays banjo and guitar for The Isaacs and I hope to have a moment with fiddler player Jesse Stockman who has an exciting event about to take place back home in Tennessee. Right now it's 8:52 am and I need to open the product table in about 7 1/2 minutes.

See you in a few..........Lisa