Rambling on About a GREAT Weekend

This past weekend was one I hope I remember for a long time. Today, when I got to work, I was actually sad that Monday had come. Nothing monumental happened, nothing to make this weekend stand out from hundreds of others. It was just a good weekend. We were up at 8. The plan was to drop Lana and Logan off at the consignment sale, then Jackson and I would go get the tires rotated and oil change along with Dunkin Donuts. The wait at Kaufman Tire was going to be up to 3 hours which I thought was way too long; especially knowing we had to pick Lana and Logan. So we blew off the auto service and hit the donut place! Jackson ordered 5 powdered munchkins. He at 4 and was coated in powdered sugar, almost head to toe. So we drove over to the sale and went in to find mommy. This was at 9:30, the next time we saw daylight was after 11:30! Jackson even said at one point, “Daddy, can we go, I don’t like consignment sales.” To which I replied, “Nobody does Jackson.”

Then we went to Cracker Barrel for lunch. Normally Jackson loves Cracker Barrel, but today, he had requested Wendy’s. Mom and Dad didn’t want Wendy’s so he lost this time. I bribed him with the promise of a pack of big Smarties if he was good during lunch, which he was. He also got to play checkers and play with the toys. Once we got home, I called a neighbor to borrow his ladder to investigate our lack of Direct TV service. I had checked everything but the dish and upon further investigation, we’re lucky the house didn’t burn down during a pretty big storm Wednesday night. Lightening apparently struck a tree, just outside our fence. It blew bark off one side from top to bottom and even left a branch, about 3 feet long, sticking straight up in the ground. It looked like a missile that failed to detonate. The lightening took out phone and TV.
After Jackson’s nap, we decided to play with the slip and slide. We invited Brooke to come up and play with Jackson. They had a blast! And of course, so did we sitting there watching them. It’s amazing how much fun it is to watch you kids have fun.

After that, Jackson played with Brooke a little more and then I cleaned out the gutters, since I had the ladder. We had a little dinner, and after that we put together Jackson’s I Spy puzzle and played I Spy for a while. Soon after, we went to bed.

Sunday was normal, except we had our “Fall Classic” scheduled. Our 5th Sunday schedule includes lunch, afternoon service instead of 6 pm and an open afternoon/evening. The Fall Classic includes a kickball game for kids which Jackson was super excited about. But because of the rain all weekend, it was cancelled. And, because of the rain, we were stuck inside. So we played a little more I Spy, watched a Thomas and Clifford DVD, remember, no TV. We played tackle and then Jackson went to bed.

Not having TV is an interesting thing. I mean it’s one thing to turn it off during the day and do other things, or to have it on as background noise, but to not even have the option, that takes some getting used to. Since Wednesday, we have watched season five of Gilmore Girls and who knows how many DVDs. I finally watched “The Crossing,” a movie about George Washington crossing the Delaware on Christmas Day, 1776. It was great. Lana fell asleep. After that I watched “the Making of the Crossing” on the special features, might as well, nothing else was on.
We colored, played Wii, did puzzles, read books, did slip n slide with Jackson, along with some of his movies here and there. It was fun finding things to keep busy and I feel like we got know each other again because of it. The DirectTV guy is coming today to repair it so that will be nice, but I hope we can try, every now and again, to have a no TV day or weekend. It was a really great weekend.

Wheelchairs, Paperwork, and Labor Pains

We pulled out at 4 a.m. sharp on the way to the hospital, August 4, 2009. Nineteen minutes later we are walking into the ER at Fayette Piedmont Hospital. The contractions are 4-6 minutes apart and have been since 1:30 a.m. After being wheeled up to Labor and Delivery, and after being hooked up to all the monitors, and after walking the hospital halls for an hour, we got sent home, turned away, tossed out. And that's ok, I guess. Yes, it's a little embarrasing, and a bit of a let down, but in the end, little baby Logan is just not ready yet. Hopefully for Lana's sake he will be soon!
But here's the absurd part....
First, after hours, you are directed to go through the ER entrance if in labor because the West entrance is closed. So, fine, we did. I was a little surprised though when the nurse at the ER desk called to have someone take us to L&D, and then told me to go get a wheel chair. They were parked just inside the door which she kindly pointed out. Then, when couldn't make the chair move, she told me, from her high position behind the desk, that I needed to squeeze the handle to release the break. Wow, thanks for your help!
Once we got to L&D, one of the nurses came in and said she would bring us the paper work we needed to fill out. We proudly stopped her and said that we have pre-registered online, like we were told on our tour of the Women's Center and like all the signs tell you to, throughout that section of the hospital. We had everything printed out and signed and were ready to go. Oh, no, no, she informed us, we have different, addtional forms to fill out. And she has updated versions of the ones we printed, so those don't even apply, you must fill her version out instead. Apparently she could read the look of puzzled frustration on my face because she said, "I know, I've asked several times to have it corrected." Thanks, it doesn't change the fact that I had to fill it all out again, but thanks.
Then on top of all that, we get sent home. Labor has started, but we are very early. It's been a week now of contractions, some as close as 3 minutes apart, some as far as 12 minutes apart. With Jackson, Lana began having contractions on Friday morning/afternoon and he was born Saturday before noon. So this long, drawn out labor is not something we're used to. But now he has a deadline, Wednesday, August 12. We scheduled an induction today so at least there's a light at the end of the tunnel. I can certainly attest that she's more than ready.
So c'mon Logan, everyone is pulling for you! Especially Lana, of course, but hopefully soon she'll be pushing!

Chalk One Up for the Good Guys

His eyes dared me to move. I wasn’t taking another step forward, he knew it and I knew it. I had followed him this far, but we had come to a point where one more step would mean disaster.

Jackson asked if he could sit with Brianna for the 5th Sunday afternoon devotional. I told him to ask Brianna’s mom, who said yes. So, off he went, with his Dora the Explorer coloring book and crayons. We were second row from the back, far right end and Jackson was one row up, on the far left end. Just as our new intern began his talk, I get hit in the arm with a Dora coloring book. Jackson had gotten up, walked around behind the pews to hand me his book. Apparently he was finished coloring. He ran, yes, ran back and sat. Then, I saw him get up again, this time to bring me his crayons. I took the crayons and told him to go sit down or he would have to sit with me. He went and sat, although not for long. He had missed one crayon, the brown one, so he brings it to me. But when he gets there he wants his book back and wants to go back again. I put him next to me, and tell him no, but as I’m collecting crayons, he grabs the coloring book and breaks for it. He stops behind the back pew and we make eye contact. I get up, and as I walk toward him, he steps back away from me. I walk calmly and deliberately, not running, to minimize the disturbance we’ve already created. I step forward, he steps back until he is in the aisle even with Brianna’s pew, third from the back mind you, facing the back of the auditorium. I am just behind the very back pew. There are six, maybe eight feet between us.

In my mind I hear the music from “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” and things begin moving in slow motion.
With my finger I motion for him to come to me. He stares back, motionless, cold, confident. I return the same stone cold look, but he can sense my fear. I know exactly what will happen if I take another step, and he knows that I know. If I move, he runs. It’s every church going parent’s fear. One day the kid breaks free and runs to the front of the church. But I had an ace in the hole. I had made swift eye contact with a fellow deacon, Kenny Wayne Arrington, one pew behind Jackson. He saw what was happening and was standing by to make the grab. Finally, sensing he was caught, Jackson lightly tossed the Dora coloring book onto the floor toward me, sort of as a peace offering. I knelt to pick up the book, and then being a possessive 3-year-old, he moves to pick up the book as well. I move quckly and firmly take his hand and walk him back to our seat where within about 2 ½ minutes he is asleep in his mothers arms.

We lived to fight another day.

Goodbye Old Friend

It was bound to happen. In fact I knew one day we would have to part, for nothing in this life is permanent. It’s been almost 10 years and honestly, I’m surprised it lasted this long. We tried a replacement once along the way, based on looks and labels, but there was no comparison. Simple may be the best description, simple in appearance and simple in performance. The goal was to do the job and do it well and that goal was accomplished whenever this old friend was called into service. I hate long goodbyes, so I won’t press the issue, because I know you may be getting “board” and I certainly don’t want to put a wrinkle in your day by keeping you, the fact is, it just ran out of steam.
Not to mention, it also began shooting blue sparks out of the back! And, as it shot the sparks out, the temperature would drop and water would pour out rather than steam. That, mixed with the smell of burning/melting plastic told us it was the end of the line. Our old Black and Decker iron was through. Funny thing is, I actually remember buying it soon after we got married at the Auburn Kmart.* It was ten bucks and we bought it, along with some other things, with a gift card someone had given us for our wedding. So thank you, Jim and Kerrie Flowers for the gift card and in turn for the iron. You may not remember giving the gift card, and for the life of me I’m not sure how I remember it. Either way, it was a good iron!
* We did not get married at the Auburn Kmart.

Me Minus Jon and Kate

My relationship with God, my wife, my son, my unborn child, my sister, parents grandmother, in-laws, cousins, aunts and uncles, my church, my health, my mortgage, my job, preschool, putting food on the table, the gas bill, power bill, gasoline prices, taxes, Auburn football, the creeping in and acceptance of socialism in the United States….

These are the things I think or pray or worry (all three for some) about. Shall I go on? Because the list certainly could continue for quite sometime before I get to the marital discord between Jon and Kate Gosselin. Oh the comments on blogs and facebook are so touching, “my heart goes out to Jon and Kate,” or “I feel so bad for Jon and Kate.” My comment? “Who cares?!?” They don’t know me, nor do they care about me, unless of course I’m watching the show. These people put their lives on television and are now acting surprised that they have attained some sort of fame. And it is now quite obvious to all viewers that family has been replaced by fame. The business of running a show has taken over the business of running a family. But all that aside, the real problem is that people care. We think we really do know these people and that what is portrayed on TLC is reality. If you want reality TV, watch QVC. You can even call in and talk to the hosts! I urge you; list your priorities, where do Jon and Kate fall? Is it sad? Yes, anytime any marriage is going through a situation like this, it’s sad, even heartbreaking. But we all know people around us who are hurting. Friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, who ever it may be. Be concerned with those within your own reality, the ones you really know and really love and care about.

I'm Back!

A new name...
A new look...
And (hopefully) a new commitment to blog!

The Baby and the Fish: Part 2

So, there we were, all relieved that the fish, the water and the little marbles at the bottom were all safely in the fish bowl. Yes, super dad had once again saved the day. After the unbelievable recovery, I was going to move the fish bowl for a moment to let Jackson collect himself, finish our father/son chat, then we would continue with the pictures. I grabbed the bowl at the rim and lifted it. I was going to move it 6 inches tops, but as I lifted the bowl off the floor, there was a crack, then a pop, then a crash and a splash!

That's right, super dad broke the fish bowl! As the bowl crashes to the ground, water, glass, and marbles spill out in every direction. Which leave our friend the gold fish lying there, flipping and flopping around, gasping, drowning in the open air.

obviously Jackson was not at all happy about this. Who would be? One moment your sitting with a fish bowl in your lap, smiling, splashing a little, and watching a gold fish swim peacefully, the next, your sitting in a pool of water, with glass, marbles, and panicking adults all around. Not to mention, having to see this poor fish, practically dying in front of you.

Our first priority was Jackson, who along with super dad, suffered only a minor cut aside from the obvious mental anguish. I picked him up, wet jeans and all, and passed him off to Lana who began damage control. We then cleaned everything up, and got everything reset for the next set of pictures. At this point though, Jackson had had about enough. We got a few more shots, but he never really recovered. Nap time had come and passed and lunch was now looming. So after a few more noble attempts, we called it quits and tried to relieve Jackson of his misery. The pictures turned out good considering all the factors that were working against us that morning. What can I say, when the kid is that cute, it's hard to take a bad picture!

Oh, incase you are wondering, the last I saw, our friend the goldfish was in a Styrofoam cup, staring blankly at the sides. He was no doubt traumatized. I don't know what his fate was that day or whether he is even with us any longer. Either way, I'm sure his advice to his goldfish friends would be that if you see a guy with a plastic bag and a big green net, swim the other way!