Tales From the Waiting Room (and other stories)

Tired Out

No more snow accumulation for us today, just bitter cold. I then uttered those famous words to Brett that always precede some sort of incident, making it impossible to complete what it is I wanted to complete that day. It appears I Shall Never Learn.

"The livestock and children are fed. Everyone's doing schoolwork and I'm going to finish grading and mailing in these tests so I can finally get on with the rest of my life. If you could staple and stuff that would be a big help." 

Brett: My car is ready at the dealership. Can we pick it up first? 

Me: Sure, let's get that out of the way, no time like the present, etc. Besides, then on the way home you can stop at the grocery store for a few items the children will die without, such as pizza and juice, and we can finish up the tests while they're eating lunch.

Brett: Thanks. I'd really like to get my car back. 

Me: Just glad they figured out what was wrong with it!

----

Although Brett is an ASE certified mechanic in all areas, his computer at the shop still didn't know what was wrong with his car, and he knew it Was Time to Take it In to the dealership. This is very difficult for him to admit. It had been acting up for a few months though, so the breakdown was inevitable (both for him and the car). 

Got to the dealership, paid the damages, and drove out. Four blocks later, I noticed the car was making a funny noise. Funny "strange", not funny "ha-ha". I slowed way down. Then it started to shimmy. Then shake. Then shimmy and shake. Then the right front tire rolled off and I ground to a halt. Good thing Brett was driving directly behind me. Later, he said it was surreal, seeing that tire just roll right off. I turned off the car, clicked on the 4-ways while saying a bad word, and got in the car he was driving. Here's the damaged vehicle.

Doesn't look too bad from that angle, eh?  How about this one?

Ouch.

Did not take long for The Law to stop by. Being about -20 windchill here, there's not a lot of crime going on right now so he was on the scene pretty quick. He first questioned Brett, outside the vehicle. "Step outside, please." Yessir.

Then they came back to the vehicle I was in. They were totally turned the other way as the cop was talking with Brett and I oh-so-cleverly held my innocuous iPhone up to snap a pic, making it look like I was merely texting someone. But he noticed. This guy's good and deserves a raise. 

Then he came over to the window and asked who had been driving the damaged vehicle. I said I had. He asked, "Did you stop at Subway a few minutes ago?" 

Um, no. But now that you mention it, it sounds delicious.

But all I said to him was "No." I must have looked suitably innocent as he seemed to believe me--and because I don't joke with The Law. Probably a throwback to my high school days. 

Another Officer of the Law stopped by to have a look-see. She briefly looked at the non-existent tire area, then looked at the tire on the side of the road while trying to warm up her frostbitten cheeks.

Did I mention it was cold here today?

The tow guy stops to have a look-see also. 

From the Rear Window: yet another discussion at the police car.

Searching the road for lug nuts.

Found two!

More discussion, and now a little action. The tow truck has arrived.

 

Brett goes up to listen to the discussion. It appears they have never seen a tire come off a car before. This makes Brett nervous. But instead, apparently there was a tinkling-match between tow companies. First guy on the scene wanted to help us, then another guy showed up. A brief argument ensued over who got to tow this car four blocks back to the dealership.

Finally, the errant tire, which Brett had picked up off the side of the road, is retrieved from the trunk.

At that point I thought, "Isn't it a good thing that someone at the dealership didn't hide a body in there? 'Cause then I think that would necessitate further questioning by the policeman, and no doubt I'd have to go downtown and Give a Statement. And from watching too much Law & Order SVU, if I knew if asked for a lawyer I would be assumed guilty, especially if Olivia was questioning me. If it was Ice-T he would merely stand there with arms folded and a smug look on his face and quote statistics about female murderers and how I'll be treated in prison. If Elliot questioned me, I might be slammed up against the wall if I didn't confess, depending on What Kind of Day he'd already had and if his wife was still filing for divorce.

Yet if I didn't ask for counsel, they'd coerce me into saying something stupid and incriminating and I'd spend the rest of my life in prison, with some burly woman making me her sex slave.

Thankfully, the trunk was empty except for a spare and a jack. Brett says I think too much sometimes.

Then, the Putting Back On of The Tire. Later, when Brett had to pay the guy, it occurred to him that he should have put it back on himself. Ah well. 

 Baby gets loaded up on the tow truck.

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is when tow company guys work together in unity." (paraphrased from Psalm 133:1, with apologies to King David)

Bye baby! Be well. Note the skid mark on the road left by the part of a car when the tire rolls off.

 

Then the policeman appeared at my window and asked me to sign something. I then asked him why he wanted to know why I'd been at Subway. He smiled and said, "Because a few minutes before I saw your car broken down, I'd gotten a call from Subway (which is across the street from the dealership) that someone had tagged their building, causing damage, but then just drove away. When I was on my way to Subway I saw you." 

Sometimes, there really is such a thing as a coincidence. But I had kinda been wondering why he took such a good long look at the Pontiac. 

On the way home, it suddenly occurred to Brett that while he was trying to assess the vehicle at his shop at home, before having taken it to the dealership, he had removed that tire to find out what needed to be repaired. And had only hand-screwed the lug nuts back on, forgetting to go back and tighten them with a lug wrench. So it was not the dealership's fault at all.

So, more repairs to pay for. And I retain the rights to remind him of this in a playful manner from time to time, such as when he complains about not being able to do something because the children/livestock/me prevent him from doing something he wants--I'll say things like "It's a bummer when the wheels of life fall off the chariot when you least expect it."

Oh yes, there's more where that came from.  

Be warm.

 

Riding, Playing, & a Non-Sequitor Retrospective

Is it really Thursday? I think I've finally recovered from my weekend! Last night was crazy hat night at AWANA, and I made the mistake of letting Josh pick out a "crazy hat" for me. I wore a bike helmet the whole night, and as one of the leaders, I didn't even get AWANA bucks for it. 

Saturday was the MQHYA (Missouri Quarter Horse Youth Assoc.) show. 

Here's Mercy, warming up for the barrel race on "Snuggles". As you can see, she's not entirely thrilled having a handler lead her, as she is used to riding by herself. But, them's the rules. There were just too many children and too many people there that day. Her class lessons on Thursdays give her lots more freedom. 

Abigail gets her turn as well, on her favorite horse Dolly.

The girls watch the other competitors...

Plenty of games for the other (non-participating) kids, to keep them occupied during all the excitement of watching children endlessly parade around the arena (yeah...it's the kind of thing that only parents love!).

Judson ropes a dangerous bale that is sporting fake horns.

Gideon and Isaiah get in on the "orb-roping" action, but get their toys twisted up. 

Wow, look at that group of participants! What a great day.

Abigail and Mercy got a plaque for barrel racing, and three ribbons: for participating in the trail ride, the general ride, and all-around...participation. They're quite pleased, and begged daddy to hang them up in their room as soon as they got home. Caveat from mom: I had to get a picture first. Mercy's lips aren't really blue...well, they are here, but it was from the blueberry kool-aid. Not normally though.

Sunday brought us to our piano teacher's church. We've tried to plan this event for some time, and it finally worked out.  The children played piano, and Susannah sang. 

What a sweet church, and everyone was so nice!

Beautiful inside and out!

Mercy played "Funeral March of the Marionettes" 

 

Susannah sings "Jacob's Ladder." She really belts it out at home, but still gets nervous in front of crowds. Can't blame her, my mind goes completely blank in front of a crowd! As the song goes on, she is more sure of herself. 

  Abigail played "Blessed Assurance"

 

Yeah, I don't expect you to watch everyone's. But as their mom, I think they all play beautifully! So this is mainly for my benefit (and extended family members if they so choose). 

Josh plays "The Wandering Musician" and "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross"

 

 Well, I can't get youtube to upload any more right now. Well I *can* but the upload time keeps saying "153 minutes left" so I'll upload the rest another day. 

There was a "Carry-in Supper" after the service. We brought deviled quail eggs. They're tiny, delicious, and draw attention to us ;)  A little boy once asked me at another carrry-in, "Are your chickens sick?"  

There was so much good food there!  By "good" I mean, "no canned fruit floating in gelatin."  Oh, but it really was good. Loosely quoting Dolly Parton from Steel Magnolias "There's nothing better than fried chicken made by good Christian women." I think that was Steel Magnolias anyway.

 And now, The Retrospective (queue reverb):

Now that I'm a grandmother and have been a mother for even longer, I look back at some of the things I put my own parents through. I've apologized for most of them I think, but I remembered something this morning that I feel needs to be addressed. In high school I had a serious boyfriend, and a friend whose cat had just delivered quadruplets. One of the kittens was a Calico and I love (even to this day) calico cats. 

I wanted a kitten SO badly but I knew my mom wouldn't allow another cat in the house. So I decided to ask her a hypothetical question--"What if someone told you were going to be a grandma?"  I made it clear that it was just a simple question that meant nothing, but for some reason she freaked out. I found myself in the unexpected (yes, I was that naive) position of having to reassure her several times that she was NOT going to become a grandmother "per se."  That did not seem to soothe her. When I finally mentioned the kitten, she was so relieved that she said yes. The kitten, which happened to be in my pocket for some odd reason, was then introduced to her catmother. But my mom drew the line at being called anything but "mom" by anyone else. 

Shasta the cat went with me when I married and she lived a good life. But I'm quite sure it took a few years off my own mother's life. Sorry, mom!

Have a great weekend, all!

 

Food, and other Delicacies

Just because you haven't seen me doesn't mean I haven't been here. Well not *here* exactly, but here as in...not gone. 

Good thing I don't write song lyrics for a living. 

A week ago Saturday the girls were signed up for an old-fashioned children's tea. This was for girls ages 7-12 and as I only have two that still fall into that category, they were the lucky ones. The turnout was wonderful, and this was the first time that the organization (Jesse James Museum and Farm) had done a children's tea. We learned so many things! Here are the girls starting out, playing tic-tac-toe.

It ended in a tie.

But what a cute game nonetheless!

Mercy tries her foot at spinning the top.

Then the ring toss...

Making rag dollies!

Playing pass the bean bag:

My personal favorite part of the day: A reading from "Little Women." 

Susannah read the part of Beth...

And Mercy wanted to narrate.

And perhaps the funniest, yet sweetest part of the day was the actual tea. First, the children read the rules of conduct.

Rules of conduct...are you listening, children? It even came with a detailed drawing of a table full of incredibly rude people that none of us should ever emulate. 

See? They're all numbered, lest you should wonder which faux pas they are committing, simply look to the sheet. The most amusing thing is that the only "rude" thing the woman is doing, is bringing a hungry  baby to the table. I don't know how to discipline a baby out of being hungry...

And the rest of the table are rude gents indeed, not helping the lady at all, but sure, the dog gets fed. 

Once we knew what was expected of us, we were allowed to proceed to the tea table.

I know, right?

The girls were soon done, then it was time for more crafts. 

 Then over to the schoolhouse, for a quick lesson on what it meant to go to school if you'd lived in 1889.

Ahhh, penmanship. I remember thee well. 

We were treated to Home, Home on the Range as we sang along.

Was life really simpler then?  I think, in some ways it was. 

Or perhaps, simply more charming.

And yet, I'm glad I'm sitting in air conditioning, able to blog about this. I suppose each age carries its own charm that is not quite recognized as it's happening. 

But on to the modern day! The jr. and sr. high at our church had a "food fight kick-off" for the beginning of the year. My children were especially excited, as they have never been allowed to throw food at someone before. Not that they haven't done so (I'm not quite that ignorant) but here it was actually  encouraged. Thank you to Denise who took photos of the evening. 

While talking to my children about it later, they were nearly certain that the event drew in teens from the area that they had never seen before. 

 

 Although I'm left wondering, how can they be sure?

They were sorta clean by the time they got home.

But I still felt the need to wash their clothes. Although of course my children are always thankful for everything I've done for them (*cough*) it's been awhile since I actually heard them thank me for letting them attend and meet some new people. 

Perhaps the past week has me waxing nostalgic about a lot of things. Knowing Brett and Josh were soon to be leaving for Haiti to help with the mechanics of the well-digging equipment (of which Haiti,  unfortunately remains in much the same condition as shortly after the earthquake), I declared that last Friday would be Huge Lunch Day. 

The chickens were put in the roaster. It's pure torture, smelling them cook and knowing it's at least another hour until lunchtime. 

My mashed potatoes. YES I leave the skin on. It's more nutritious that way, is what I tell myself. 

The toppings. Country gravy (as opposed to that nasty City gravy) and sour cream:

It was, of course, not complete without banana pudding. The decision to make this particular dessert was weighed heavily and discussed intensely. Then we discovered we had bananas, pudding mix, and milk. The decision practically made itself. 

 

The pudding and mashed potatoes were both made with our goat's milk. Thank you to Oreo, Pygmy goata, and Horned White Goat (okay, we don't always get around to naming all of them). 

Have a good week, all!

It's Reining, it's Poring

Reining:

 

Mercy waits not-so-patiently for her turn. Thank you, Dolly (the horse) for being so responsive to my girlies!

Finally!
  

Thank you to Northland Therapuetic Riding Center for the lessons, which will now take place on Thursday evenings. Ever since we've moved here we've tried to find a place that would take the girls for lessons. When we lived down south, no one questioned it, we paid for lessons and the girls did great. Who knew that not having arms would prove such a liability?  Now, after trying to pay for lessons numerous times with many places over the course of nearly two years, we find this place less than a half hour from our home, and it's no cost! And they were fantastic with the girls. 

Poring:

 

Yep, school's started up here again. You can practically feel the air crackling with excitement just by looking at them!

We opted for public school for Susannah this year, which started last week. So far, so good, she's aced her math and Language tests (the only ones she's taken so far) and our dear piano teacher (and voice for Susannah) has moved her extremely busy schedule around a bit to accommodate all of us on Thursdays.  So here's "first day of school" for Susannah:

 

I must say, signing her up for both breakfast and lunch program was a very good idea. She has to be at the bus stop (end of our driveway) at 7:05 and most mornings it's all I can do to make sure her clothes are on right (I promise, I do buy her socks in pairs that match. But inevitably one goes to live with Jesus at some point during the wash/dry cycle. I've learned to buy either tights or white socks only) and her hair is looking good. I wouldn't want to get up any earlier!  It all works out. We wait with her till the bus comes (we have a long driveway, and don't want her standing out there by herself). 

But...The House is confused. It's been breaking all week long, *while* Brett is here and able to be on location when the workmen arrive. I have a pathological ...not fear, exactly, but let us say, intense dislike of, having workmen in my home when Brett's not here. It's not a safety issue, it's that they want to explain things to me. They want to tell me why a certain appliance is not working, how it's my fault (therefore voiding any warranty, implied or implicit) and explaining to me the intricate workings of something that I don't care about and never will. They then want me to sign papers absolving them and their kin of all blame. 

They do not do this when Brett is here. Here's the electrician yesterday, installing some sort of electric thing (I assume) while Brett looks on.

And today, the Bug Man Cometh. 

Unfortunately, Brett was at an eye dr. appt when Bug Man came. So I was presented with paperwork that confused me. In the comment section, it said "Food left out in kitchen, trash in kitchen, did utmost to minimize insect control." 

I had the courage to ask exactly what food was "left out" in the kitchen. He said there was a partial cake in a box. Oh, that would be the leftover cake from Judson's birthday yesterday. 

Created by my dear friend Donna, the cake was a huge success and I resent the implication that it could possibly be the cause of a plague.

 

 And his answer to "trash in the kitchen" was, "Well, you have a waste can in the kitchen."

However true this may be, I'm left with wondering who does *not* have a waste can in their kitchen? And if we didn't, wouldn't this invite more insects?  I told Bug Guy that I wasn't going to pay extra just for being alive. He finally admitted that the cost was the same, he just "likes" to fill in the comment section. 

I think he missed his calling in life. Maybe he should just author a boring blog that only a few people (hi mom!) read. 

But back to Judson's birthday. This, he declared, was THE only gift he wanted for his birthday. Besides the summer camp we'd sent him too, of course. But that was way back in July, for pete's sake. Of course, this particular gift was not available in the United States. I don't know why. I think just because, that's how it goes with us. 

So it didn't arrive until today, because we had to order it from overseas. I ask you! 

But tomorrow's Friday, for really real. I quake with fear at what The House has in store for me when Brett leaves again. We'll be fine though, so have a great weekend!

Laundry Equilibrium

It's never been achieved before. It may never be achieved again. But Saturday, while the children were swimming, I achieved it.

 

Yes, I see the clothes whirring around in both washers and dryers. That doesn't count. What counts is that Every. Single. Piece. of clothing in the house that was dirty, was either clean or being cleaned at the moment. 

Swimsuits and swim towels don't count, because (in a perfect world) those get hung up in bathrooms to dry for next use. Not slumped in a sad pile, molding into a health hazard until mom says "What's that smell?" Not really wanting to know, mind you, but bravely confronting the necessity of not wanting the house to rot. Boys, at least let let the towels slump on the ceramic tile bathroom floor, not on your wood floor in your rooms? I mean, assuming hanging it over the towel rack requires too much exertion and you're met with those two options only. What also doesn't count: bedsheets. If I can't smell 'em, they're okay.

But that was two days ago. Mt. Washmore is once again on location. 

Last Friday was "homeschool family day" at Worlds of Fun, where homeschooled students got discounted tickets, meals and the thing Josh declared "the very best part of all" was a paper bracelet allowing the bearer to receive unlimited free drinks all day. Good day for it too, as the temps were breaking records that day. Christina was able to join us as nursing school lets out early on Fridays. 

Some favorites:

 

Are we REEEAAALLY SURE? There's still time to change minds...

 

Nope. Rip-cord pulled. Descent begins quickly.

 

  
 Braver, knowing it was going to be okay...

And a graceful landing.

And although Isaiah declared the entire day "a big piece of fun, the most fun I ever had!" he looked like this on all of the rides:

 

And then we split up, I took the little ones to Camp Snoopy.

      

At least, that was the plan. But the big kids wanted to try the Worm first. I'll never be sure why.
   
Silly girls. No matter what kind of horse it is, they'll ride it.

 

Then the big kids went with Brett, and the little ones decided that Snoopy must be thirsty.

 

But Gideon was the only one I could talk into a face painting. He chose the dragon.

He looks rather fearsome, don't you think?

  Having explored the depths of Camp Snoopy as much as we felt possible, we hooked up with the older set again. The log flume proved to be a good match for all. Yet note the still-worried look on Isaiah's face.

   

A wet landing.

 Have you ever seen such joy-filled faces? Except Isaiah of course.

 Kept trying to find a pic of Isaiah smiling while riding. Here, even Judson tried to talk him into not being worried--to no avail

 There's so many missing photos. When Brett and the older kids split up and went on the Big People rides, I didn't get photos of those. Huh. Maybe we'll have to make another trip if we cash in our retirement account. 

This pretty much sums up the day:

Though Sunday was supposed to be a day of rest, it didn't really turn into that. Usually how it goes.

So Monday afternoon, when the kids were done with school, we decided an afternoon of swimming would suffice.

Unfortunately, the dreaded Pool Snake was discovered, and Isaiah came in yelling that it was the biggest snake EVER. 

 We retrieved it out of the depths and disposed of it properly. Depending upon your particular persuasion of How Animals Should be Treated, I will leave it to your imagination. If you choose to think that he is now slithering back to his family with a great adventure story, then do so.

 

But it was traumatic, and there was no getting back into the pool until said snake had been properly removed. It also required Ice Cream--the Universal Bandaid.

Hope your weekend was slightly exciting and that this week brings you joy and not snakes. Unless you like snakes.  

Over the Moon...and the Rainbow

Over the Moon because of the way-too-short-visit of these sweethearts, our grandbabes at Smithville Beach:

 

Triplets Twins Dave and Bo, and cousin Sophie. 

Sophie's big sis, Naomi:

 

And Joseph, acting silly in the sand until his Uncle Tim warned him about the venomous Sand Spiders:

 

I'm sure it had nothing to do with a bit of sibling rivalry between Uncle Tim and his older brother, who is "safely" far away in Afghanistan. Good work, Tim! Joseph immediately dove into the lake to wash off. Upon re-emergence, he skeptically asked why we were letting all the babies play in the sand undisturbed. The truth washed upon him as quickly as the mythical sand spiders had previously crawled over him. 

We loved having everyone here! Busy yes, but so amazing to see these little people explore and develop before our eyes! I admit, there hasn't been a lot of time between our children and the grandchildren, but I do enjoy it all. Here's our Gideon, in all fairness to him:

He felt a bit left out by not being "The Baby" on so many fronts, that at night he'd crawl, unnoticed until morning, into bed between daddy and me.   

They're all so cute but the reality sets in when babies (etc.) need to be bathed and fed, and vans need to be de-sanded later in the day. 
 
Several times I'd walk around the house with a baby clutched to my leg and one in each arm. Brought back some fond memories of when we had three one-year-olds. Here's  Nate, Mercy Grace and Susannah when they were all a year old (ca. 2000):

 

I had more energy back then, though. It didn't seem like a big deal (or maybe I've blissfully blocked it out) and we just went from one day to the next. And Mercy was mostly carried, as she couldn't clutch my leg :)

One of the funniest quotes from this particular trip was from granddaughter Naomi, who kept calling Brett's dog, who is named Hershey--"Chocolate."  

"No, Chocolate! Go outside, Chocolate!"  Hershey would just look at her, eyes filled with boredom as if to say "Get the name right and I'll think about it." 

I drove to Arkansas with Maggie, as she was visiting her parents and sister, to help out on the way with the twinnies. Turns out she's quite self-sufficient (I already knew that) but it was fun to chat, nonetheless. We did get caught in a number of storms that kept criss-crossing our path.  I took this with my iPhone so you can't see the full effect but it really did look like a tornado was going to dip down any minute.  This lasted for about two hours of the trip, off and on. We finally made it over the rainbow though, and arrived unscathed at Maggie's parents house, at which I was treated with excellent cooking and a very comfy bed to sleep in. 

 

Last week three of our children spent the week in St. Louis, on a mission trip to inner-city churches. Josh and Judson spoke briefly in front of the church about what it meant to them. 

 

Some other teens talk first, but hang on, Josh gets his turn:

Music by Chris Tomlin God of This City

  

Later that day, some friends came over. We cooked some zucchini that *other* friends had brought us (thank you Powells!)--thanks to everyone for the fresh garden veggies! And thanks Penny, for bringing us the tomatoes and assorted other veggies. They are quite gone now :)  Our own pretend gardens have yielded a few cucumbers and promises of tomatoes (because the plants have flowers) but I hesitate to count my vegetables before they're snatched ripe from their vines. I have far better luck counting my chickens before they hatch. You may take that literally. 

The kids prepare the zucchini for frying:

 

Josh fries it up, while Judson mans the 'dogs and corn on the grill outside.

 

   
 
 Christina helps serve it up right.

 
 Our guests included sweet little Ethan, who, after dinner, went up to see our farm animals. He fell in love with a kitten.

Then he collected eggs from our chicken coop. He wanted to have some, but his mom explained that we sold our eggs for money. Ethan pulled out some pennies from his pocket and asked how many eggs he could buy for this:

 
 

I told him he could have three eggs. He took just a few minutes to pick out the ones he wanted. 

 

Ethan's cousin Timothy helped corral one of the baby goats that got away from its mommy. Thanks, Timothy!

 

  I would be remiss if I didn't add on the dear guests that arrived unexpectedly--but very welcome--at our door this evening. They are new neighbors that we met late last year and live just across the street.  In rural terms, that means 1/4 mile away.  Turns out we both have lived here a shortish time, and are both from the Tennessee area. We have lots in common and it was a pleasure to get to know them more. Here's hoping for more frequent visits, Matthew and Elizabeth!  Their visit came at just the right time, as I was getting discouraged about our internet access being "interrupted" by the storms, and Brett still in Australia. He'll be back soon, but we do so miss daddy when he's gone. 

Tomorrow's a new day and it'll probably start earlier than I want, but later than I should. 

The Perilous Adventures of Amy and Abigail

Having Amy here this week has been wonderful. While we are always blessed with Chrsitina's presence, we rarely see her outside of school, work and church, so it's been fun having Amy here. "Fun" as in, she loves to cook. Nay, adores it. Coincidentally, we like eating. Blurry, but everything was happening so fast...five kinds of gourmet pizza took place that night. 

 A delicious salad--which in retrospect I should have eaten more of so as to have less room for the pizza...

 

Hurry UP with the dessert, AMY!!

 
 

Waiting, waiting,,,,oh good there's beaters to lick!

 

 
 

Finally, it's done!!  And we can.....

 

Wait til Amy puts the icing on....

Finally done and everyone got a nice-sized square.  

As for Abigail, I won't tell you how many times she's studied and cried and studied and prayed and studied and took the test, but TODAY, she got her driver's permit! The people at the licensing station were SO happy for her, and gave her a lot of low-fives. Here she is, in her car with the pedal extenders and driving knob (on steering wheel) set up just for her. She'll still need a booster cushion but she'll be practicing all weekend with daddy, before taking the Driver's Edge class next Saturday (Josh, also newly-permitted, will be taking the class as well). 

 

That's enough for a day, and we even fit piano and singing lessons into the mix today. Is it time for bed yet?

Rites of Passage

We have two college graduates this month. Unfortunately, Christina chose not to "walk" through the ceremony (she's busy with her next degree, cosmetology!) but we did travel to Jackson, MS to see Amy graduate today. We stayed at a hotel with a requisite breakfast buffet. I'm not sure why it soothes my soul to be at a buffet. The Good Mother answer is that I am pleased to see the children happy and fed. The real answer lies more along the lines of "Hey! I don't have to cook or clean up! And they'll live for another few hours!"  Amy arrived early and joined us for breakfast, on the premise that she was technically still a college student, and they don't pass up free food. 

Out on the lawn of the hotel, to snap a few before the ceremony.

After the graduation ceremony. Here's Amy with two of her piano students, who came to support her.

A few of the boys, mugging for the camera. YES we ordered Isaiah's new glasses two weeks ago, but they still aren't ready. 

We didn't get to tour the St. Louis Arch on the way down as anticipated, due to tornadoes in the area :0

However, we were able to change our tickets to tomorrow and good weather is expected. So we'll go do that before we head back home. 

We got to the hotel an hour or so ago, and Brett sent me and the girls up to the room (3 room suite) while he and the boys got the luggage out and locked up the van. We went up to the room and I set down the things we were carrying, and used the card-key to unlock the door. Soon I would be relaxing on the bed and making one of the children go to the ice machine for me. ahhhh......

As I opened the door, I first noticed the men's tennis shoes parked just inside the door. The first thought that occurred to me was "How did Brett make it up to the room already, and why did he take his shoes off? Oh...and why is he coming out of the shower already?" 

Being a quick study if I do say so myself, I quickly realized that wasn't Brett. I closed the door and only told the girls to get back to the elevator. I explained as much as I thought was proper, on the way back down to the lobby. Abbi thought it amusing. 

The gal at the desk didn't believe me at first, and thought that I was one of those Difficult Customers who wanted to change rooms because the wall hangings aren't up to her standards. The following conversation ensued:

Me:  No, there was actually a man in that room, and he was using the shower. I thought it prudent to involve you, and change rooms.

Desk Gal: Well who was it?

Me:  He did not confide in me. 

DG: Are you sure someone was in there?

Me: Pretty sure, yep. 

DG: And you say he was using the shower? 

Me:  Technically, he was done using the shower. 

(she had been typing on her computer all along, and finally figured out there was actually someone assigned to that room already). 

DG: I don't know how this could have happened!

Me: Can I just have another room?

DG: I'm just sorry you had to go through this! 

Me: Well as my grandmother always said, if you haven't seen it before you won't know what it is, and if you have, it won't be a big deal. 

DG: I'm almost done with your new room key, ma'am. 

I was a little disappointed that she didn't nod sagely at my grandmother's wisdom, but perhaps she was worried about other things, such as keeping her job. 

And for some reason, Brett was disturbed that I went "through that" also. The clerk apologized to both of us and handed us another card-key for another suite, and I said to Brett "Maybe this one will have a pretty lady for you, dear." 

As they say, no artist is appreciated in their own time. 

Have a wonderful Mother's Day, to all of you moms and daughters out there. 

As I See It: The Decline of Society

Some blame drugs. Some blame skimpy outfits, and perhaps Hannah Montana. 

I blame bad punctuation. 

I mean, really?  

Ah, but there are other signs that summon my interest, as my travels take me about this strange and wonderful land that I must become accustomed to. We definitely live in Cattle Country, and indeed there is even a piece of meat that is named after this section of the country - Kansas City Strip.  If there was any doubt that there were a lot of cows here, let that be eradicated immediately. 

As if passing pasture after pasture of black angus cows weren't enough, this reminds us that Hey! We have beef for you! 

I had long been fascinated by this sign, even before the swine flu became a pre-pandemic. Every time I passed it, I couldn't help but wonder--what does a BBQ breakfast entail?  Do I want to know?  When I wake up, it's all I can do to stagger to the coffee machine.  The thought of a BBQ breakfast churns my stomach. 

On another, less protein-en note, we made cupcakes yesterday.  I earned my keep for my design team, as Gideon enjoys a sweet treat:

 

That's all folks. Have a wonderful weekend. 

Oh the Humanity

We took a road trip yesterday, the older children and I. We saw a town with an odd name:

And presumably, one with a population:

We thought we had taken a wrong turn when we saw this sign. The words read "Next 115 km"

The real reason for our trip was to meet up with our newest addition--a Newfoundland pup we have tentatively named Jamie.