Neighborhood Crime Watch

I was on my nightly walk around the neighborhood with Smokey the other evening. Dusk was approaching and as we neared the halfway point towards the end of the cul-de-sac, I heard a male voice, forceful and emphatic, bark out the command, "GET YOUR HANDS UP!". Smokey and I slowed as I scanned the yards in the distance, not knowing if it was safe to proceed. I had my phone with me so I wondered if I needed to call 911. Was someone being mugged? Was it a domestic violence situation? I heard the voice again, "STOP MOVING!" My imagination ran away with me as I imagined a person face down on the ground being hog-tied (too many movies!). I could still hear the man yelling although I could not always make out what he was saying. I couldn't see anyone or anything suspicious, so we proceeded with caution. As we cleared a giant crepe myrtle, suddenly the voice shouted, "RUN!" ...and then we saw the source of all the commotion.

The "thug" was actually a father in his front yard coaching his young son in football! Smokey and I continued on our walk as I re-holstered my phone and laughed a little sigh of relief.

Terry's Choice

My Awesome Husband was working on his laptop last night when he paused, looked at me and asked, "When you are on a website and you have to set up a security question, who do you choose when it asks for your favorite pet's name? Smokey, Simba, or Abby?"

"I would never choose that as my security question," I answered. "That's like asking which one of your kids is your favorite." All at once I was taken back to a Sunday morning at my home church in Franklin, TN. My mother and I always sat on the second pew on the right hand side facing the pulpit. We always sat next to a sweet elderly woman who was never without a roll of Life Savers which she generously shared with me during the service. My younger sister, at that time a toddler, spent the service in the nursery. One Sunday when I was probably 6 or 7, she asked my mother, "Do you favor one over the other?" My mother answered appropriately, of course.

I have always had such a vivid memory of that moment, and as I grew older I often wondered why she asked my mom that question right in front of me. Did she think I wouldn't know what she was asking? Not paying attention? Deaf? I will never know, but as a child and a teenager, whenever thought of that moment, I thought that surely parents DID have a favorite child, it would just be improper to admit it. Especially in front of one of them.

I have never had biological children of my own, but the mystery was solved (for me at least) when I became an adult and began to amass a menagerie of pets. Then I understood that each one is your favorite, but for a different reason. Smokey is my favorite for his jubilant excitement when he sees me in my tennis shoes or with my keys, because it means either a walk or a ride - both immensely exciting! Simba is my favorite for his beautiful green eyes, his cool demeanor, and the way he rolls around on his back in the grass so you'll scratch his belly. And Abby is my favorite because she's always there at bedtime loudly mewing and headbutting whatever book I'm reading just to get some affection.

Now, if you don't have pets or are not an animal person, I understand if you think I'm ridiculous for comparing children to cats & dogs. But hey, give me a break, that's all I've got to go on! If you do have kids, please let me know if my theory is correct. If I don't hear from you, I'll assume you have a favorite and I'll let your kids know it! ;P

The FAA: Keeping the Airways Starch Free For Your Safety

My Awesome Husband is apparently now on some government watch list after violating Title 49 of the Code of Regulations Parts 100-185 by attempting to board an airplane with (gasp!) spray starch earlier this year. They confiscated the offending chemical and sent him through extra security checks, but apparently they didn't think their point was made, so they followed up with this letter:



According to the letter, the FAA now considers the matter closed, so it seems he has narrowly avoided incarceration at Guantanamo. For now.

Water Water Everywhere

A phone conversation late this afternoon with My Awesome Husband who was in his car, halfway to band practice:

ME: How do you turn off the water?

My Awesome Husband: What water?

ME: The water to the house.

My Awesome Husband: Why?

ME: I broke the spigot off the house & water is spewing everywhere!

My Awesome Husband: I'll be right there.

And he was. The first thing he did was give me a big smile and a long hug. The next thing he did was turn off the water.

I know you have two questions: How did you get such an awesome husband? and...How the heck did you break the spigot off the house? I don't know the answer to the first question; I'm just richly blessed I guess. As for the second question, I was mowing the yard and was next to the house. Unbeknownst to me, the drive adjuster cable got caught on the spigot. However, I thought the reason the mower wouldn't move forward was because the wheels were stuck in one of the many holes that Smokey has dug in the yard. So, I get behind the mower and PUSH with all my might. Next thing I know, my legs and shoes are soaked, the spigot is dangling from the side of the house, and water is spraying everywhere!

SO, now I'm sweaty from mowing the yard, I've got to GO really bad, and we have no water for showering or flushing until tomorrow when My Awesome Husband fixes the spigot. On Father's Day. You're welcome.

Happy Birthday Loren!

My niece, Loren, turned 8 on June 12 and had her birthday party today at Build A Bear in the mall. About 15 of her friends turned out to wish her a happy birthday and to build and outfit a bear of their own. Afterwards, there was birthday cake to eat and gifts to open!

ARE YOU TALKIN' TA ME? oh...never mind

My 5-year-old niece Chloe recently learned how to ride a bike without training wheels. My sister Rachel & brother-in-law Joel took her to the park so she could practice. Joel was posted at one end of the track and Rachel at the opposite end so they could watch Chloe as she rode her bike around or help her out if she ran into trouble. Joel was shouting encouragement to Chloe as she rode by. "Lookin' good, little lady!" and "You go girl! You're gettin' it!"

While Rachel watched, a woman who had been jogging in the park approached Joel and began talking to him. As Rachel was wondering if it was someone they knew, she could tell that the woman was becoming emphatic about whatever she was saying and Joel was looking back at the woman with a puzzled look on his face. Just then, Chloe whizzed by on her bike, waving and shouting out at her daddy. The woman watched Chloe zing by, then abruptly turned and left.

She thought Joel had been shouting out at HER as she was running so she stopped to give him a few choice words of her own! Can't you just imagine her embarrassment when she realized that he was not talking to her at all, but to a 5-year-old little girl on a bike?

Granddaddy Camp

Last week, we had an awesome time at Granddaddy Camp! My dad came up with the idea to host all the grandkids for a week at our family farm in Watertown, TN for a summer camp type of experience. His intention was to strengthen their ties to the place where he was raised, a place that has been in our family for over 100 years.

My sister, Rachel, who is blessed to be a stay-at-home mom, was full-time camp counselor and Activities Director. My other sister, Susan, my mom, my brother-in-law, Joel, and I were part-time camp counselors. My mom's name is Barbara, but the grandkids call her "Mona". Don't ask me why. Of course, my dad, a.k.a. Granddaddy, was Camp Director. We also had several visitors drop by during the week; some friends of my nieces were camp participants, and others were extended family members who had heard the buzz and came just to see what it was all about.

The camp counselors collaborated on a daily schedule and Rachel put it to paper. Each morning after breakfast, the kids gathered to learn a song which taught them the books of the Bible. There was a prize for anyone who could recite them all at the end of the week. Next was "Family Tree". My dad has four brothers and two sisters, so a few moments of each day were dedicated to learning the names of all the family members of the "Family of the Day" by looking at their family portrait and naming aunts, uncles, along with first and second cousins.

The remainder of the day was filled with craft activities, culinary adventures, field trips, hikes, and playtime with a break for lunch and naptime for my 3-year-old nephew. After dinner and an evening activity, there was Bible story time, Granddaddy story time, then a movie before lights out (most didn't make it through the whole movie before falling asleep). The kids had planned to sleep outside in a tent with Uncle Joel, but when they heard coyotes howling in the distance, they could not be persuaded, despite our assurances that they would not be dragged off by wild animals in the middle of the night.

I hope you enjoy this photo journal of our unforgettable week:

A Celebration...and Cherries

Our anniversary was 3 days ago, but we had our official celebration last night. Mark told me last week that he had made reservations but didn't tell me where. I had guessed Maggiano's, one of our favorites, but as we approached downtown Nashville, I could tell by the direction we were going that I was wrong. He went all out and purchased the anniversary package at the Melting Pot, another of our favorites. When we arrived, there were flowers and a card with my name on it already on our table. I know you can't tell this from the picture, but the heart on the front of the card is made of two shrimps pierced by two fondue forks--so cute & clever! The hostess then took our picture and returned a short while later with a copy of it in a nice Melting Pot frame. Of course, we ordered the Big Night Out special and finished it all off with the Bananas Foster Chocolate Fondue. We were stuffed, but it was a perfect celebration!

And this has nothing to do with our anniversary dinner, but I just had to post this picture. I was mowing the grass this morning and as I looked out across the yard, I spotted our neighbor's cherry tree covered in bright, red, ripe cherries!

Are they not gorgeous?!