Of Good Friends and Free Food

Last night Kearsdad and I got to do something really fun, something we don't get to do very often. We went out to dinner with friends. Adult friends. No children. We get to go out as a couple occasionally, but not with other adults. So before I procede...let me express my deep appreciation to Junebug for taking my girls to Pizza Inn last night. That is an entirely different story that will have to be posted by Junebug. This post is about MY dinner.

We went with SUG and Golden Boy and Mr. and Mrs. B to P.F. Changs. Kearsdad and I (and SUG) had never been to PFC. It was REALLY good. We had fun just laughing and talking amongst ourselves, no worries about what children would order, or children being too loud, or children needing more drinks, etc, etc. Just fun grown up conversation over appetizers...for a long time. Actually, a very long time between appetizers and dinner.

We didn't realize how long we had been sitting there because we were so engrossed in our fun conversation, but someone apparently noticed. But the manager, Leon, came to our table and announced that he had noticed how long we had been waiting. Leon apologized profusely, explaining that there had been a problem in the kitchen. Then he proclaimed, "Your dinner will be free." F.R.E.E. Let me emphasize this... we ordered 3 appetizers and each of the 6 of us ordered an entree. Needless to say, we ended up ordering dessert too!!! SUG was especially excited about chocolate cake.

So we had a lovely night out, laughing and talking with good friends, relaxing, eating really good food and to top it all off it was free. We did tip the nice (if slightly goofy) waitress.

Here is what we ordered:
Appetizers-2 orders of lettuce wraps and one order of calamari
Entrees-Chicken with Black Bean Sauce, Chang's Lemon Scallops, Crispy Honey Shrimp, Orange Peel Shrimp, Kung Pao Chicken, and Wok Seared Beef, with brown and white rice.
Desserts-Cheesecake (2 pieces because Golden Boy orded it plain, and it came with fruit stuff on top, so they left it and brought him another), Great Wall of Chocolate Cake, and 2 orders of Lucky 8's.

It was alotta food.

The Boogie Man

In honor of the current political season, I am humming a song that the girls and I made up 8 years ago...To the tune of God is Bigger Than the Boogie Man (as sung by Bob the Tomato) :


God is bigger than the Democrats,
He's bigger than Bill Clinton or even Hillary.
Oh, God is bigger than the Democrats,
And he's watching out for you and me!

So are you worried?
No, not really.
Are you frightened ?
Not a bit!
I know whatever's gonna happen
That God can handle it!

I'm sorry Al Gore scared you when you saw him on tv.
Well, that's okay 'cause now I know that God is watchin' out for me!!

OH, God is bigger than the Democrats,
He's bigger than Bill Clinton or even Hillary!
Yes, God is bigger than the Democrats,
And he's watching out for you and me!

Poor Sammy Boy

It has been quite a while since I posted a Sammy update. But this weekend was a significant benchmark for our giant baby. He visited the vet this weekend...had his surgery...got fixed...you know....yeah. As we've been jokingly calling it...he got tutored this weekend. Poor little guy. (Note: I am using the term little quite liberally. Sammy is around 50 pounds and stands about 2 feet high at the shoulder.) Kearsdad took him to the vet yesterday morning. He went and picked him up this morning. Kearsdad is not usually overly sympathetic, especially with our animals. But he must have felt a bonding with Sammy over this experience, because he has babied him all day. Sammy was free to wander in and out of his "room" (the laundry room) and through the kitchen and greatroom most of the day. The first half of the day, he was kind of pitiful, but he is beginning to perk up a bit.

In all his wandering, he has managed to leave black hair everywhere. If this shedding continues (and I am afraid it will) I may be forced to limit Sammy to his room when he is inside. Unless Kearsdad over-rules me. I think he is enjoying having another "guy" around the house.

Where oh Where is the Laundry Fairy?

Won't she please come to my house?? Laundry is piled in all corners, in every room. My children insist on wearing clothes every day, sometimes more than one set, and getting them all dirty. Kearsdad says he thinks they get stuff on their clothes just so that they can put them in the dirty clothes basket instead of having to hang them back up. He really doesn't have room to talk though. He manages to get something-grease, dirt, sauce, oil, foreign substances galore-on just about everything he wears. And so, I have this mound, no these mounds, of laundry in various stages of readiness. There are the dirty piles, the clean piles waiting to be folded, and clean piles waiting to be ironed. The dirty piles and the needing to be ironed piles are the most intimidating.

I am seriously thinking about just tossing all the dirty piles and starting over. Just go shopping and by all new clean clothes. Somehow, I don't think Kearsdad will let me do that. And something tells me that people would just get the new clean clothes dirty, and then I'd be right back where I started.

Runnin' in Circles

That about describes my life these days. Running somebody here, somebody there. Running to the store, the church...dropping people off and picking people up.

This weekend was one of those weekends. It was the weekend of Kat's last horse show for this season. It was also the weekend of Banana's first official "company class" and first Nutcracker rehearsal. The makings of a perfect storm? Or the perfect opportunity to utilize the "friend's network"? Not being in the mood for a storm, I opted for friends.

Kearsdad and I went to the Last Show. Banana spent the night with friend #1. Friend #2's mom picked Banana up, took both girls to class/rehersal.

The last show was fun. Hickory the Horse wasn't at the top of his game today, though. In fact, I'm not sure he was even in the game. To his credit (actually, to Kat's credit) they placed 2nd in Showmanship. Otherwise, the only way they placed at all was by being "bumped up" by having older girls showing in their class (after scoring, the older girls get moved to their own catagory, and everyone else moves up a spot). Hickory was just "happy to be there" today. He was extrememly handsome, his color was bright. We think he knew he looked good and was so busy strutting that he forgot what he was supposed to be doing. Or didn't care.

The cool thing is that Kat loves him and loves showing him so much that she didn't even care. She gets excited when they do well, but she is also just "happy to be there". I love that attitude.

So we are home and tired. Very tired. I am ready for a HOT bubble bath and my bed.

September 11-Tribute

Below is my journal entry from one year ago today. I was thinking about it today, and decided to share it. May God bless our country.



September 11, 2006

Five years, and watching it again today I feel the same gut level horror, the heart-racing anxiety, the overwhelming sadness…
I remember the instinct to protect my girls-to not let them see the terrifying images, to remain calm in front of them, to keep conversation normal…keep everything normal. Barney and Blue’s Clues in the den…horror and madness on the screen in my bedroom.
Even as I protected them, did I have even an inkling of the world they would grow up in? Innocence forever shattered…
A world filled with images of men and women in uniform. Flags at half mast. I don’t know how old I was when I learned what half mast meant-it certainly wasn’t 5 or 6, or 9 or 10. Terror alerts, terrorists faces on TV, war updates.
“Mama, have they found Osama Bin Laden yet? Where is he?”
“Mama, is Saddam’s trial over?”
Little girls shouldn’t know such things…or should they?

The changed world they have grown up in has taught them…
-the meaning of liberty
-the preciousness of freedom

They know the Pledge of Allegiance and the all important phrase, “One nation under God”. The Star Spangled Banner and God Bless America.
They know what our nation was founded on, and why it is still important. They recognize the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. They know what the 1st Amendment is, and what it isn’t.
They know about George Washington and John Adams and Abraham Lincoln. They recognize and know about George Bush and Dick Cheney…and Bill Clinton and John Kerry. They know why we support some but not others, and they don’t hesitate to say so. They pray, without prompting, for our nation and its leaders. They thank God for a Christian president.
They say goodbye to friends who leave to go around the world…some to protect freedom, some to preach it. They understand the absolute necessity of both. They welcome friends home from Iraq, and pray for one in Tel Aviv.
Perhaps the loss of innocence meant the birth of something greater…conviction.

The "Youngest" Syndrome

I talked with my sister-in-law today, and she made an interesting observation. We were talking about my twin nephews' birthday last week. They turned four, and we were both saying that it is hard to believe they are that old already. (That they are even here is a miracle in itself, but that is a story for another post.) Then she laughed and said she finds herself letting them get away with doing or not doing things because they are the youngest. She said that no matter who is the youngest (their sister Caroline, who is 6 was the youngest before they came along), she finds herself doing the same thing. I realized that I do too. I think it is something all parents do....look at that youngest child one day and think "When your sister was your age, she was already doing ______ by herself. Why am I doing it for you?"

I know with Banana, I underestimate her ability all the time. I think that she isn't ready or able to do something, then I'm surprised when she does it! Just yesterday, she completed an assignment in her science book that I expected to have to help her with. Now, just last year, Kat-who is only 14 months older-completed the same assignment and I thought nothing of it. Of course she should be able to do that. But Banana? I think I really underestimate her. I find her doing more and more on her own. Thinking for herself, solving her own problems. My baby is growing up.

Then again...yesterday we did school work in the morning, then left at lunch for my Monday staff meeting. On the way out the door, Banana had to run back to her room and slipped past me to the car, trying to hide something. Turns out she was hiding an article of "clothing" that she had forgotten to put on. She had also forgotten to brush her teeth. And make her bed. So, I see I still have a long way to go...

Okay, It's Over, I'm Done

Summer that is. Many of you (or few of you, depending on how many people actually read this blog) may remember how I was lamenting the early demise of summer a few weeks ago. I really do think that ending summer at the beginning of August is criminal. However, it is now September, and I realized this afternoon that I am ready for it to be over. I am ready for cool air and bonfires and all that fun stuff.

I can't say exactly what led me to this conclusion. My week in Colorado where it never got above 75 (that was the WARM day) probably has something to do with it. Also the fact that we started school this week. And the fact that I spent 2 hours standing outside in the heat watching girls and horses work today. I have made the mental and emotional transition and now I am impatient for fall. Enough of this heat. Let's get on with it already.

On a more serious note...God continually amazes me with His faithfulness. Last week in Colorado I was blown away daily, hourly, at the awesome beauty and power of His creation. But this morning, I asked Him to help me be aware of the same things in my daily life, here where I live. He isn't just in the mountains and the waterfalls and on the rocks. He is in the sunset, and the light reflected on the water near my house and in the birdsong and in my children's smiles. He reminded me of that today, in the breeze under the tree, watching my sweet girl loving on that silly horse, and as my other sweet girl ran through the grass in the pasture under a clear blue sky in total freedom and abandon. Thanks Jesus!

Some of the Story

I still don't have time to tell of all our adventures on vacation last week...but I figure I'll start with this.

We drove on Sunday from Jackson to Amarillo, TX. We took Kearsdad's folks' van, because we could all fit in it. The deal was, we wanted them to go with us, and we told them that if they would, and if they would let us drive the van, we would pay for gas and for the hotel. How could they pass that up?? So off we went, loaded comfortably into the van, with the luggage thingy on top.

The Parents had never been past Vicksburg on the ground. Years ago, they flew to Hawaii for a trip with their company. And I think they had flown west on another trip sometime, but that was also a long time ago. They do not like to travel by car. Actually, Mom doesn't like to travel by anything. They had definitely never traveled that far or for that long. Needless to say, Kearsdad drove. I co-piloted.

On day two, Monday, we drove from Amarillo into the northeastern corner of New Mexico. We couldn't decide if the Parents were as impressed with the scenery of the drive as we were. I think they were, but they were too stunned by the length of the drive to notice. We stopped in Capulin at the Capulin Volcano National Park. It is a stunning sight. Kat is always bothered by all the statements of "Millions of Years Ago". She says she is going to make a sign that says "In the Beginning God Created" and put it at the top. Everyone enjoyed the scenery, we hung around for an hour or so, and off we went.

Shortly after our stop, we crossed into Colorado and stopped for lunch. After that stop, Kearsdad began noticing a PROBLEM. The tachometer on the van began going haywire. We were running way too high. He was worried. Was it the altitude?? Hmmm....

We ran that way for an hour or more. Up steep inclines. Through barren land and tiny towns. Then we came into Pueblo. Pueblo is 40 miles south of Colorado Springs. It is also notable for its terrible interstate. Curvy, fast, short exits, lots of overpasses. On our way up to one of said overpasses, on a curve, the van died. It made a horrible noise and just died. No transmission. No way out. Guard rail up against us on one side, 70 mph traffic on the other. Scary.

Technology is a good thing. Dad started calling AAA for a tow truck. I called 911 for traffic control-they were on shift change, of course. Kearsdad called a buddy at work and asked him to Google Transmission shops in Pueblo. Then I sent a text to a friend that said "Pray, lost transmission on the interstate." She replied, "Praying". Kearsdad called the first transmission shop and told the guy where we were, and what had happened. He asked if we could bring the car there when we got a tow, and if he thought he could get it fixed by Friday when we needed to leave. He said, "Come on."

Within a few minutes (seemed much longer) a truck pulled up behind and a guy walked up to my side of the car and handed me a business card. It was Chris...the transmission guy! He said he got to thinking about where we were, and knew we were in a dangerous spot and decided to come see if he could help! He sure looked like an angel to me.

Long story short...he got us off the overpass and to the exit. He waited for the tow with us. He loaded all 6 of us and the dog into his really big truck and took us to his shop. He helped us find a rental van. He took us and all our luggage to the rental place and helped us reload. And he got the van fixed by Thursday.

The Parent's free vacation wasn't so free. But they would have lost the transmission anyway, and if they hadn't been with us already, they would have never gone and never seen the beauty of God's creation that they got to see. And we got to experience God's provision in an incredible way.

One extra side note...while standing in the transmission shop office, Mom says, "Dad, I TOLD you the van acted funny last week, like it wanted to quit on me."

EXCUSE ME???? And you thought it was a good idea to drive ACROSS THE COUNTRY without having it checked????

Here is a picture of the van before it died. I didn't ever think to get a picture of the rental.



Here is a pic of Kat, Banana, Mom and Dad, doing what they did for 1100 miles, each way...

We're Baaaack!!

We had a WONDERFUL week! I have 350 pictures to get organized, and tons of laundry to do. We drove 2 full days home, and we have church in the morning, so the story will have to wait. As much as I love Colorado...I REALLY love Colorado...it's good to be home. (All except for the heat, I really miss 70 degree days.)