P.S….

The last post talked about Beth Moore’s call to prayer. The email I got didn’t say a specific candidate. It just said to pray for the election.

Someone left me a comment (Thanks densgirl!) referring me to the Living Proof Ministries blog about this. Turns out, that email is fraudulent. But alas, I prayed, and have been, and will keep on. Whether Beth tells me to or not! (But I tell you what, if she says it’s a good idea, then most likely, it is!)

Funny conversation with Aidan tonight…no wonder I’m getting gray hairs…

Aidan: Are we going out of town tomorrow? (This is the 15th time we’ve been over this today!)
Me: NO. Tomorrow is Halloween. You will go to school, then tomorrow night we’re trick or treating with Britt’s family. We’re going out of town the next day, Saturday.
A: So tomorrow is Saturday?
Me: (holding up three fingers) Listen to me carefully. This finger is for today. Today is over. This finger is tomorrow, Friday, Halloween, school and trick or treat day. This finger is for Saturday, going out of town day. Now answer me, what is tomorrow?
A: Thanksgiving?

The lights are on…you know the rest.

Join the Crowd…Tonight!

I got an email today that says that Beth Moore is asking everyone to pray at 9:00 pm tonight for the upcoming election.

Regardless of your political preference, if you are a believer, you want God to put the right man in the White House. So join with many others and pray together that God’s will for our country be done.

And one more quick thing, completely unrelated to anything…This morning I was flipping channels because I really didn’t want to watch Dragon Tales. I came upon the Ellen Show and paused, because she was dancing on a front porch, and I wanted to see whose it was.

Paris Hilton. Did you see this on tv today?

My first thought when she came to the door was, “didn’t she promise to live differently and help people when she got out of jail?”

If living differently means different from all regular people, then she’s doing a great job.

My first observation was the photos in her house. ALL. OF. HER. Huge, ornately framed pictures of herself in various provocative poses and stages of undress. I was amazed.

Then she said, let’s go into my club…she has a club in her house? Yep. Complete with pole to dance on.

They passed a room and Ellen asked if it was her parlor and she said, “you know, I don’t know that I’ve ever sat down in this room before…”

Yes, California taxpayers, this is one changed person, all right.

I really hope she plans to open her home to her cellmate buddies…they’d love to come break in the rooms she hasn’t sat in yet.

Oh, and I didn’t mention her closets…one for clothes, one for shoes.

I guess nobody told her there was a recession.

The one funny part was when she and Ellen were riding in Ellen’s little electric car singing, “American Pie”. It was so strange, it was funny.

We then changed it back to Dragon Tales, because a land where dragons teach two hispanic kids valuable lessons about life seemed a bit more realistic.

The Invasion of the Candy Has Begun!

It’s here.

The week of Halloween.

My kids went to the dentist last month, and it wasn’t good. They’re getting fillings…3 days AFTER Halloween.

Lord protect their precious, sugar coated choppers.

This weekend has been busy. Too busy, if you ask me. We have so many things that are good to do, and we choose the ones that are the most meaningful to us. But there are still things that have to get done that just sit on the to-do list until we find some time to stay home for more than a minute.

For instance…we HAVE to sell our house. But we can’t sell it like it is…we have to make “improvements”, which are minor fix-ups. We have to clean out closets and make them look nice and organized. We have to caulk the tub.

And we have to find a way to hog-tie our children so they won’t bother us while we tackle these daunting tasks.

(I have used a hyphenated word in the last 3 little paragraphs. Wow.)

So, now that they’re all asleep and I have a minute to do some things before I collapse…

I thought I’d blog. Imagine that.

By the way, I had a funny conversation yesterday with the mom of a friend of mine. She told me she reads all of her daughter’s friends’ blogs. Then she told me that a friend of hers asked her, “Are you still reading those blobs?” Many, many times I feel like my writing is just a big blob of useless words in cyberspace, so she’s not too far off!

So here’s the weekend. It’s much easier to show you…

I went to the Superchick concert Friday night. I did this because I love the Adcock family very, very much and wanted to support Jonathan. And also because my precious Jr. High girls were going, and I desperately want them to think I’m cool, even though I say things to them like, “y’all watch out for cars when you cross the street.” Yeah, I think I killed it at that point.
Anyway…Allie and I took a picture. She may be one of the most awesome young women I’ve ever met. I totally admire her. And we talk about clothes, and I love that too.

Two of my girls. Doesn’t seventh grade rock? They had fun, and totally planned their outfits. They’re so great.

Buck and Jake, being Buck and Jake.

Saturday morning. This kills me…Aidan had a friend over. They were all playing Superheroes, and Aidan called a meeting of all the Superheroes. I have no idea what it was about, Michael was the photographer in attendance.

Here is Aidan, aka Superbossyman, facilitating the meeting.

Even Superheroes like to have a silly time when they’re on break from saving the planet.

And here is Jack. He’s all dressed up for my Mamaw’s 84th birthday party. We all went to my Aunt Lisa’s house Satuday night. I had the best time, because these are the best people in my life.

Girl Pic! Trevor, Tatum, Maggie and Molly.

Paiz and Tatum, sharing a smooch.

My mamaw, Lucy. If I can do half of all the good things she’s done, and influence half as many people as she has, then I’ve accomplished something great. She’s one of my heroes.

My cousins, Lucy and Jenni. I have to say this since Jenni’s sister Sarah reads the blog…When we took this picture, I said, “Awww, Lucy’s the new Irlene!” Sarah moved to Florida over a year ago, and we miss her so much. When she and Jenni and I were little, we used to pretend we were the Mandrell sisters. I was Barbara, Jenni was Louise, and Sarah, Irlene. It’s not the same without you, Sarah. The new Irlene can’t quite keep the beat on those drums like you could.

This is my Papaw, Boots. He’s every bit as amazing as my mamaw. He is smart, funny, godly, talented, and just as wonderful as can be. I’m so proud to be his granddaughter. I hope he’s proud of me. I didn’t have any recent pictures of my grandparents. I’m so glad we took these. They are the reason I’m here, and they are a big part of the reason that I know Jesus and honor and serve him. I love them both so much.

Tatum got vampire teeth and immediately went for the jugular.

My brother. If there is a better tshirt in this world, I haven’t seen it. The small print says, “too cold.”

My dad. He just got back from Africa. Oh, I missed him.

And the best is last. This is the face Paisley makes when I tell her to say Cheese! I hope you’re laughing, because this cracks me up.

I could put so many more up here, but then you’d be here forever, then resent me when you didn’t get any work done. I refuse to shoulder that responsibilty.

Today was good. I was up very early, had to pack for the day and be out of here by 8. The kids were worn out and didn’t feel well. We went to church then mom and dad’s house. The girls slept, sort of, and Aidan had a ballgame that I feel guilty for missing. Then it was time to costume up and go to the Fall Festival at church. I’m just going to have to put those pics up later. This one post is a lot to absorb, and reliving this weekend is making me sleepy.

I think tomorrow the kids are going to stay home. They are just so tired. Maybe we’ll hang out in the pajamas all day and watch dvds.

Thank you God, for the busyness. I’m tired, and I need some down time, just to regroup. But I’m so grateful that I have friends, family and a church that I can be involved with. If I wasn’t tired, then that would mean that I didn’t see the people I love this weekend, or hear my kids laugh like crazy. I could have a clean house, but then I wouldn’t have spent an evening with my grandparents. I could have slept in Sunday morning, but then I wouldn’t have praised you. Thank you Jesus, for giving me health to do all of these things, a van that gets us places, clothes to wear to church and food to eat. Thanks that gas prices have gone down. Thanks for parents that help us out in the chaos. Lord, we are so blessed. Thank you so much. amen.

If He Changes His Mind Again…

I’ll just have to smack him!

Aidan has had several great ideas for a Halloween Costume…and we’ve finally reached a decision. Pictures will be up soon, so I won’t write about it now. The indecisiveness has been funny/irritating, though.

This time of year is a doozy.

My stay-at-home momness is being quite interrupted. With school trips, doctor visits, Halloween shopping, winter coat and shoe shopping, church festivals, choir functions, Michael going out of town, my Mamaw’s birthday party…I’m having to live by a calendar. It’s really putting a cramp in my ever-so-busy day of picking up the house, playing with Paisley, fixing lunch, and watching Regis and Kelly.

And if anybody thinks that’s all I do in a day, just come on over…

Aidan’s class went to the Pumpkin Patch on Tuesday. I’m just now writing about it, because it took 2 full days to get over having to traipse through that corn maze.

Here’s my firstborn and me. My son, my pride and joy. He’ll carry on the family name, with a banana on his head. (And other than the banana, isn’t it a little scary how alike we look?)

And here they are…Aidan, Grace and Britt. Their teacher and I followed this small band of Corny Kids through the maze. Aidan’s holding up the flag, so they could find us if we got lost. Which we did. Many, many times. We were the last ones out, and the rest of the group was starting the next activity. Aidan said, “They are going on without us! They don’t even care that we’re missing!”

And that was the pumpkin patch. Seriously, it was a ton of fun, and I loved getting a day with my favorite little boy.

I can’t get over this picture. Her hair is now a force to be reckoned with. She can’t really see with it hanging in her eyes, but I refuse to cut it, fearing the “baby mullet” look. So we do the “palm tree ponytail”.

My parents have a hammock. It’s a happy, wonderful place.

Just ask her.

She’s telling me what the cow says. These are her “mooooo” lips.

Is there anything more snuggly than footie pajamas?

And just in case the footie pjs didn’t get you…here’s a grin. Yeah, we love her a whole lot.

I got to watch “The Office” tonight. Oh, how I wish Pam would come back to Scranton. It’s not cool to see Jim out of sorts like this.

And that auction was hilarious. How I do love Kevin.

“Today is gone, today was fun. Tomorrow is another one. Every day, from here to there, funny things are everywhere.” -Dr. Seuss

And One More Thing…

I just have to clarify on my last post. If I talk to you regularly, you know I’m the queen of clarification. I can’t sleep if I think someone may misunderstand me…and I need my sleep.

I have wonderful friends. Near and far, male and female, lifelong and recent. I am surrounded by super-duper-fabulous-splendiferous friends.

I was feeling introspective and the post was a quality control on my part. I was simply evaluating whether or not I’m doing a good job at maintaining or creating relationships.

I was not pitying myself. Gosh, that’d be embarrassing.

Anyway…just had to tag that on. Michael said just last night, “You’re so honest!” And yes, I am. Because of that honesty, I hate being misunderstood.

There. I feel better. Not really, though, I just walked through a 5 acre corn maze. With kindergarteners.

Maybe It’s the Music…

I’m listening to Neil Young right now, singing “One of these days”. This cd takes my little mind right back to one of the many, many nights Michael and I went out in the Mustang (moment of silence in memory of such a great car…….)

The song talks about writing a long letter to the good friends he’s known. Now, that’s not something I would ever do. I am a verbal person. I love to tell people what they mean to me. But writing a long letter? Nope. I don’t even write thank you notes well.

I try to justify such a social faux pas by telling myself that I remember everything anyone gave me, and I usually tell them thank you to their face numerous times throughout my life with them, so it’s okay.

But it’s not.

People like to get notes. I do. I always like reading a thank you note, but then I feel bad for the poor soul that has to write them.

I didn’t mean to talk about thank you notes. Maybe I have a guilty conscience.

Back on track…hearing the song made me wonder if the people I love know that I love them. I think they do. I say it. I blog it. I try to call, email, text, facebook, and basically stay in touch. I don’t make road trips like I should, because hello, Aidan, Molly and Paisley. But if someone I loved was in need, I’d be there, I hope.

As my mind meanders around letting people know I love them, I eventually get to pondering on friendship. Am I a good friend? Do I do everything I can to make and keep friends? Do I make new friends easily? Do I accept others? If I really consider these questions and say no to any of them, then there is work to be done.

My family has always been numero uno in my life. Michael is the best friend I’ve ever had. My mom was always my BFF growing up. I have tons and tons of acquaintances, but after Michael and my mom and maybe a few others, do I have good relationships? I’m really asking myself these questions…and therefore they end up here for you to consider too. But this is mostly for self-evaluation.

I’ve joked about wanting to have my funeral before I die. I say it’s because I’d get a chance to say goodbye, but mostly it’s because I’d like to know who would show up. Don’t say you haven’t thought about that. I’m just loony enough to say it publicly. But seriously, would anybody care? Have I loved people enough? Have I left any kind of reminder of being a good friend?

Michael says I love freely and fiercely. He says I love deeply, and sometimes that hurts when others don’t love me back the same way. But the way I see it is that it’s worth the risk. I self-evaluate all the time so I can be better. If I know I’m becoming a better friend, then I can love with all my heart and if it’s rejected for any reason, then I know I didn’t purposely do anything wrong.

Friendships are tricky things to navigate. I mean, there are so many factors. Things in common, where you are in life, beliefs and values, all of those things and more determine who you choose to let into your life. I’ve discovered that no matter how old you are, it’s scary territory when you just want somebody to hang out with, and in a sea of people, there’s just no connection. Why? Did you not meet the criteria? Gosh, I wish somebody would just post a list somewhere with what I have to do, and I’ll do it.

I take that back. No I wouldn’t. Not in a million years.

This is where I struggle. (Here’s the gut-spilling part. Ick.) I’m so unapologetic of who I am. I don’t change for anybody. If something bothers me, I say it, and then avoid it. It’s just the way I work. And it puts a huge crimp in the business of making new friends. This is not a new discovery, this has been my life since kindergarten.

I remember hearing my first dirty joke. I was so upset and felt like I had done something wrong by listening and pretending to laugh because everyone else was laughing. I was 8. I tearfully told my mom about it and felt so much better, but also felt so weird, because nobody else thought it was wrong.

Yeah, that’s pretty much my life.

So I’ll never meet the criteria. At least, not all of it.

But I’m me. And I love people. I love making friends. I love getting to know new people, especially if they make me laugh.

“To have a friend, you have to be a friend”. I’m willing to do my part. I want to be remembered as someone who loved everybody. No matter what.

I don’t give a hooey about being popular. I don’t care if I get calls or emails or have stuff to do. But I really hope that if someone needs me, or just needs me to pray, that they would know I would.

My playlist has long since moved past Neil Young. Now we’re hanging out with Carole King. Doesn’t she sing, “You’ve got a friend”? Yep. I’ve got to get out of the 70’s music. It’s making me way too introspective.

I Would Get You a Gift,

but I got this new bag on Wednesday…!

Today is my friend Jennifer’s birthday. If you’ve known me a long time, then you know Jennifer. She’s been my buddy since 7th grade, and my true friend and confidante since 9th.

She’s terrific.

If I close my eyes and get a mental picture of Jennifer from way back, I can see her in Coach Dorman’s science class, wearing jeans and a “Guess Who Loves You, Jesus” tshirt. With the sleeves rolled up.

She was the nicest person in my entire Jr. High experience. God gave her to me as a friend at a time when I was trying way too hard to be cool.

I remember her inviting me to go shopping with her and her mama, Beverly. That may have been the first time we ever hung out. The three of us went to the Metrocenter and I think Jennifer got clothes for her birthday. I remember thinking her mom was so pretty, and just as funny as Jen.

From that time on, we have been so close. I mean, there were years where we didn’t talk much. We went to different high schools and colleges. But she was there. I don’t think we’ve ever gone more than a couple of months without talking.

Before you get the idea that this will be a mushy, squishy post, let me take a detour. Jennifer is not a mushy squishy person. She laughs at me. She rolls her eyes. She tells it to me straight.

And I love her for it.

There was the time we shopped with MY mom…at the Metro…and after a night of picking on her for being a size 0, we ended up in the hat section of McRaes. We were all laughing at each other trying on the biggest and gaudiest hats when I picked up one in particular and as I stretched the elastic under my chin it slipped, and smacked me under the nose. I had to walk around with a big red line across my face the whole night. I think mom and Jen busted a gut laughing at me.

Then there was the prom. Our Jr. High had a ninth grade prom. Normally, it was held at a local country club, because 14 year olds have earned a swanky night out. Right.

Our ninth grade year we had a budget crisis, long story. So our prom was held in the cafeteria. It was a big room, just right for dancing…with a huge mural of trees painted on one wall. Stunning.

Jennifer and I were all gussied up in our finest taffeta, hers purple, mine green. She had the oh-so trendy high-low hemline and big ruffles on the shoulders. I had the sequined bodice and ballskirt the size of Idaho. And if I remember right, there might have just been a banana clip in Jen’s hair. Maybe not…but still, you get the picture.

Our dates were lovely, too. Jennifer is tall. She earned the nickname “Sketti” in 9th grade because of her tall, thin form. Personally, I thought she had the build of a supermodel, and all clothes looked good on her. But her date had a beautiful view of her clavicle while dancing to such memorable songs like “Friends in Low Places”. My date…what was his name again? He was from out of town, and that’s about all I can say about him. I met him at a concert, and thought it would be fun to import a guy for Prom. When he never wrote or called after that night, my sweet friend Jen wrote him a scathing letter. I love her so much for that.

There were many, many nights that we spent riding around in whatever car her dad had most recently purchased. We would go to the video store on Terry Road and look for guys while checking out the latest PG flicks. Jen, my favorite car of all time will always be the black Honda. The world got a little sadder when it was gone.

We thought Steven Curtis Chapman’s rap “Got 2 B Tru” was a great song.

She didn’t judge me or make fun of me when I dated guys from you-know-where.

I didn’t make fun of her when we had to go out in the car her parents brought her home from the hospital in.

Talk about unconditional love.

I don’t think there’s anything we haven’t talked about. When something big happens, she’s the first friend to know. When I found out I was having Paisley, I told her before I told anyone, even my family. I knew she would understand how I was feeling. When she went through a really rotten time a while back, she sent me an email with devastating news and we prayed. We are still praying.

This is turning out to be much longer than I thought…but how do you condense a 20 year old friendship into a couple of paragraphs?

When Jen met Joey, there was no doubt in her mind that he was the one. There was no doubt in anybody’s mind! They go together perfectly. She is living the life she has always wanted and worked for. She stays home with 2 precious girls and serves alongside her husband. I think God worked them out perfectly for me, too…because I went to MC with Joey and so I got to see Jennifer a lot when they got together. Joey and I worked together at Lifeway one summer and he shared my love for all things Veggie. Now that we have kids, I think we’ve both outgrown that. He’s a Worship Pastor at a great church and I’m so proud of both of them.

I’ve been going over my life with Jen all day today and basically I guess I’m trying to say that I hope my kids can have that one friend that lets them be themselves. Jennifer tells me when I need to rethink my behavior. She loves that I can be a little crazy and even introduces me as, “my crazy friend, Anne”. She always has been verbal about her faith. She is unashamedly a Child of God. In Jr. High, you don’t find many kids with that in common. We have always talked about Jesus, and how he’s working in our lives. We pray for each other. Yesterday, I had to have a difficult conversation, so I called and she said, “When I hang up, I’ll pray for you.” And I know she did.

Maybe I was really sheltered, but I thought friendships like this were common. Now as an adult, I know how rare they are.

Happy Birthday Jen. There’s so much more I could write about, but this is a public blog. I love you more than all the Steven Curtis Chapman cds in the world. May your day be filled with Barry Manilow, clean floors, squash dressing, and no jewelry that makes you feel hot (oven hot, not Paris Hilton hot).

The Kids Go To Bed Early, and I Get the Urge…

Don’t let the title fool you. This is a kid-friendly blog.

My living room has had a smell. We have no animals, and our kids bathe regularly, but there has been a foul odor coming from the rug. I knew it was the rug when I was showing Molly how to do a headstand (yes, I did!) and the smell literally knocked me over.

Our friendly neighborhood Piggly Wiggly rents Rug Doctors, but we only have 2 rugs in the house and no other carpet, so it didn’t make sense to rent the thing for a day. So I followed the suggestion of the manager at the Pig, and bought a huge bottle of Pine-Sol.

After the kids went to bed last night, I changed into grubbies (Michael’s clothes) and rolled up the rug. We took the offensive thing outside and beat it with a broom, then vaccumed it. Then Michael filled buckets with hot water and Pine-Sol and I got to work with a scrub brush.

*Note: I have never, and probably will never post such unflattering pics of myself again. I just wanted you to get an idea of what goes on here when the lights go down.

Don’t you love the muscle shirt look on me?

I’m pouting here because I scrubbed the skin off my pinky knuckle. Ouch.

I had Michael take these pictures so that I’ll have proof that I actually did work my tail off at least once this year.

Then Michael got the hose and started rinsing.

After this point we have no more pics, because we were both a little tied up. Let me see if I can give you a visual…

We were both on all fours, he was rinsing the rug, and I was using my hands to sweep the suds and water out. Then we had to figure out how to get it off the ground to dry.

The rug probably weighed over a hundred pounds.

We folded it up, clean side in, and put it in the wagon. We wheeled it out to the swingset. There was a serious attempt to get the rug over the swingset. Michael was on the ladder, I was on a chair. There was lots of grunting and yelling things like, “hold this here!” and “don’t move, I’ve got it!”. No cuss words were spoken, and while that’s not part of our daily vocabulary anyway, in this situation, I’m proud of that.

After half an hour of trying to lift this gigantic piece of wet shag, we decided on plan B. And plan B worked because we have enough South Jackson left in us to make it work. We gathered all the yard toys, the slide, the chairs, the pool, the wagon…and we laid the rug across the top of them.

Today the kids got home from school, got their action figures out and went to play in the “Grand Canyon” in the backyard. At lunch, Michael and I dragged the rug to the driveway where the sun shines brightest. It’s now lying flat, sunbathing in my driveway. By tonight we should have a clean, fresh smelling rug back in place in my living room.

Unless a bird poops on it.

I also found a cleaner that finally gets my tub clean. De-Solv-It. I highly recommend it. Fabulous stuff. I know this because after the rug cleaning extravaganza, I cleaned my tub.

Just call me Mr. Belvedere. Or Tony Micelli. (Why can I only think of male housekeepers right now?)

At the Canton Flea Market, Mom and I went in Noble-Watts Jewelers. This is one of my favorite stores on the square. They have such pretty stuff.

I found a purse that I love.

Now I know I said on my “bits of wonderful” page that I didn’t need a purse. But if you carry a diaper bag as much as I do, your brain starts to tell you things…and you change your mind.

Especially when the bag looks like this:

The picture doesn’t show it’s true beauty. (there’s a lesson there, don’t you think?) It’s pewter colored and just so pretty.

If you have read my blog recently, then you’ll know…I don’t use credit. But I didn’t have the cash to get it on Monday after the flea market. (I really spent all weekend thinking and yes, praying about whether it was a practical purchase). So I put it on layaway.

And it was driving me crazy.

So then I got my Pampered Chef paycheck and tada! I got me a purty new bag!

I’m so excited. I’ve been walking around the house with it on my shoulder.

Now watch…I’ll take it to church tonight and it will get stepped on or something, just because I’m proud. I’d better get humble quick, huh? It’s just a thing. But a really pretty thing!!!

Here’s another picture, just because I can…

So it’s been a good day. I mean, most every day is pretty good. But a rug that smells like Pine-Sol and sunshine and a new purse is just red-letter in my book!

Then there are days when Paisley dumps all the clothes in her dresser down the stairs.

Never a dull moment. And I’m so thankful for each and every one of them.

“It’s really more of an aubergine…”

The title is a quote (I didn’t look it up, I hope I remembered it right!) from Steel Magnolias, when Claree was in the locker room talking about the high school football team’s uniforms. I love Claree. Worst southern accent EVER, thanks to Olympia Dukakis, but the character was fabulous.

Aidan is getting into football. Actually, he wants to be just like his dad, so he asks about 37,000 questions during any sporting event on tv. Today the Cowboys were on, and he learned all about Tony Romo and what he does as a quarterback. It was all I could do not to mention Jessica Simpson, but I think Michael would have duct taped my mouth shut.

Tonight, we’re watching the Dodgers, (I’m aware that I’ve switched sports, hang with me) and Michael was telling Aidan that he loves the Dodgers. Of course, now that’s Aidan’s favorite team. So we established that the Cowboys and the Dodgers are our family faves. I told Aidan he could also like the Colts and the Giants, because the Manning boys have family in Mississippi. Aidan thought that was great. Michael rolled his eyes. He likes both teams, but that’s by far not a good reason. Then I told him that the Colts coach loves Jesus and is a Christian and Aidan said, “I love Jesus too! I love the Colts!” Michael couldn’t say anything about that. But when I told him that I didn’t like the Patriots because I thought their injured quarterback was not a nice person, Michael told me in the nicest way possible to shut up.

So that’s our Sunday sports update. It’s 10 p.m. and the kids just went to bed. That’s so weird for me. I’m a big believer in bedtime. I love my few hours in the evening with no demands. But they were wired when we got home from church and so we let them climb on the furniture, scream, wrestle and basically act like monkeys for an hour or so.

Last night, Michael and I had our annual date to the fair. I LOVE the MS State Fair. I love the sights, smells, the people, the action. I have so many wonderful memories of greasy food, overpriced rides, smelly workers, livestock, vomit, crowds, shootings…can you believe that we DIDN’T go this year?

Now let me clarify…the vomit and shootings are memories from a LONG time ago. As far as I know, the fair’s a pretty clean operation these days. Everybody goes and takes their kids. So that means most of the people our age go during daylight hours, or on a weeknight. 

So last night, Michael and I got cuted up, then drove downtown. I actually took the camera and was going to photoblog the fair for all of you, my friends. We parked on the street because we’re cheap, then walked to the gate and as we approached the Jefferson Street entrance we looked at each other and said, “do you really want to do this?”

I have to say here that we don’t miss the fair. I think we’ve missed it once in our married life. Even when we had no money, we went to the fair. We’ve taken the kids, but luckily they didn’t ask to go this year. I don’t think we told them it was here. But Michael and I go EVERY year, and we have a very “special” game that we play. It’s called “who knows the most people” and I love to play because I win.

The rules are: when you see somebody you know, you have to know their first and last name. You have to know where you know them from, and it has to be somebody that would know you too. You can’t say, “oh, he went to State” and not have any more information. If we both know them, whoever has known them longest gets the point.

I’m good with names, and I know a lot of people, so I usually beat the snot out of Michael every year. The only year he got me was when he taught at Hillcrest and was down by 10, then as we were leaving the fair, he ran into his whole 5th period class. I was depressed for a week.

So we got to the gate, looked inside, and just didn’t feel like working the crowd. Then Michael had a stroke of brilliance and suggested Kiefer’s. I knew I loved him for some reason.

We enjoyed our gyros and went to Renaissance where I got my usual snack of Jellybelly jellybeans at Fresh Market then perused the stores. I tried on a precious tshirt at Ann Taylor that was $9, and so I left with a souvenir of our non-Fair date. We looked at the MacBooks at the Apple store and tried to figure out how much plasma we would have to sell to get one.

 So it’s been a great weekend. Today was almost perfect. The only imperfect part of the day was when I snuggled into my couch under a blanket and was just falling asleep and the marching band started up outside of my living room. Yes, you read that right. Canton Academy across the street had band practice on Sunday afternoon and they picked the closest piece of property to my house to practice on. Yay.

Nothing a little Advil won’t fix.

My dad’s in Africa. He made it there safely and will probably be waking up soon to start his first day of medical work. Please pray for him.

Michael has already commented on how long this post is. So I’ll wrap up. We did take one picture on our date last night. As we were walking away from the fair, we took one of those “hold your arm out” pictures. It turned out okay, but I hate the way my nose looks at this angle.

We have so much fun together. Wherever.

Take 5 Minutes…

and read my wonderful friend Nikki’s latest post. She is a brilliant, courageous, faithful woman of God.

Reading the post will take 5 minutes, but please spend the rest of your weekend dealing with what it says. I’ve been wanting to tackle the subject for months, and she articulated this better than I could ever have.

Our homes, our schools, and especially our churches should be places of love and unconditional acceptance. We should be teaching our children this truth. They learn from our words and our actions.

Thank you Nikki, for your thoughts.