A Cent's Worth of Sense

Rambling on About a GREAT Weekend

2009-08-31T09:15:00.002-04:00

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

2009-08-07T17:09:00.002-04:00

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

2009-06-02T15:36:00.003-04:00

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

2009-05-29T11:40:00.001-04:00

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

2009-05-26T19:13:00.001-04:00

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!

2009-05-26T19:12:00.001-04:00

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

The Baby and the Fish: Part 2

2006-12-08T10:45:00.000-05:00

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!

OK City

2006-12-07T14:16:00.000-05:00

This past Monday and Tuesday I was in Oklahoma City for work. I went with my boss to visit a call center and to meet face to face with a candidate for an opening on our team. Overall it was a good trip. We left Monday morning and returned Tuesday night, so it was a quick trip as well. Speaking of quick trip (QT), I would highly recomend their flavored coffees and cappucinos. They have a good selection, taste good, and are significantly cheaper than Starbucks! Anyway, here are some highlights of the trip.

Security-since we were at the airport just before 6 a.m., the security line was not too long and it kept moving. I had not travelled by air since 9/11, so I had heard of all the new precautions, but not experienced them first had. It really wasn't that bad, the guy with the rubber gloves was relatively gentle, which always helps. I'm kidding, I didn't get pulled out of line at all. I took off my shoes, took out my laptop, emptied my pockets, and placed everything on the belt to be passed through the machine. And I felt no more secure than any other time I had traveled by air.
The first flight was easy enough. Again, I had not traveled by air in about 5 years and while I don't mind flying, there's still that little part of me that is very nervous when suspended 30,000 feet above the ground. I find comfort in two things: One, God is in control and I "cast my cares" on him for comfort. Two, I have to believe that the pilot would like to remain alive as much as his passengers and will do all in his power to keep everyone safe.
We had a conneting flight in Memphis with about an hour or so to kill at the airport. I'm sorry to say I didn't buy any cheesy Elvis airport souveniers although there were plenty to chose from!
The second flight was terrible! The plane was a 25+ year old DC9 and it was packed. It seemed like it would only hold about half the people that were on it. It was also loud. I was sitting in the back row, a window seat, but with a window that was permenatly covered because the engine was located right outside. It took a couple of hours for my hearing to return to 100%. I was reminded of the commercial when the guy imagines all the people who have sat in the airplane seat before and all their germs. I actually never put my head back on the headrest.
The one funny thing about that flight was the guy in front of me looked back and asked me, "Where ya headed?" We were about 30 minutes from landing in Oklahoma City at this point which would make me think that my destination was pretty obvious. So, even though every fiber of my being wanted to say anything other than Oklahoma City, I said with as little sarcasm as possible, "Oklahoma City," while adding, "here's your sign" in my head. He seemed to be satisfied with that answer.
Oklahoma City was nice enough. Life was a little slower, or maybe more laid back is a good way to describe it. It was very flat and since they had just had a winter storm the week before, there was still snow on the ground! So that was cool.
When we got to the airport to leave Tuesday night, there was a neat scene at as we entered. Of course this was after we asked if we were in the correct terminal, to which the airport employee said that we were in the only terminal. It's interesting to see other airports when you are used to ATL. Anyway, when we got in and were going through security, we heard a crowd of about 20-25 people start cheering. They were holding signs and clapping and hugging and all this attention seem to be directed toward one person. Then we saw the recipient of the attention. It was a soldier, whom i would assume just got home from Iraq or Afghanistan. Some others in the airport clapped too. That was pretty neat to see.

Well, that's about the trip in a nutshell. The flight home was smooth and normal. I was home at about 9:30 and could not have been happier to see Lana and Jackson.

The Baby and the Fish: Part 1

2006-11-21T13:33:00.000-05:00

Recently we took Jackson to have his 9 month pictures taken. It was a Saturday morning and we knew that it would be close to nap time toward the end of our session. So we were going to do whatever we could to keep the boss happy and get as many good shots as possible before the meltdown commenced. Of course meltdown is such a strong word. Jackson is normally pretty good about nap time, in fact, the kid is like a clock! At ten, two, and five, he begins rubbing his eyes, yawning, and sucking his thumb. It's like Naptime Airlines has three flights per day and while they do arrive a little early or a little late sometimes, typically they are right on time.
So anyway, we began taking pictures. Actually, Ms. Katie of KMA Kidtography began taking pictures. (Was that an endorsement??) He was doing fine with the first prop, a big pumpkin, smiling, laughing, not putting his mouth on it. Then, gravity overtook his 9 month old ability to stand up. He fell backward and bumped his head on the floor. Obviously he was upset, but recovered well and we continued with the shoot.
After the pumpkin, the next pose consisted of a goldfish in a bowl sitting in front of Jackson where he could look down in the bowl and even touch the water. (For all the germophobes, the bowl, water, and fish were all new so there was no fish gunk floating around in the water. He had only resided in the bowl for a few minutes, which was quite a step up from the plastic bag he was in before.) And it was cute. He like the bowl and was looking down in the water, gently touching it and was beginning to notice our friend the goldfish. Our friend the goldfish was doing well also. He glided through the water calmly, almost as if he didn't mind that Jackson reached for him a couple of times. Everything was going along swimmingly.
Then, Jackson grabbed the rim of the bowl and began rocking it back and forth. It was innocent at first, but quickly the rocking got more violent and out of control. We all, including the fish, could see what was about to happen. Then Super Dad swooped in from above to save the day! I quickly, but gently knelt down beside Jackson and reached to steady the fish bowl. Ahhh, crisis averted. In those brief seconds, I was planning my next move (since, as all Super Dads know, you must have a plan to stay one step ahead). I figured we would have brief father and son discussion about what to do and not to do when you are sitting with a fish bowl in your lap. I would explain to him the proper behavior, field any questions he had, and he would return to smiling and laughing and not putting props in his mouth. Little did I know what was to come...

A great way to end a day

2006-11-09T08:15:00.000-05:00

Last night at our midweek Bible study a friend of ours named Kandis was baptized. She and her husband have been attending PTC for some time now and it has been the prayer of many that she become a Christian. I was touched by her comments afterward. (I'm paraphrasing) She mentioned that now she doesn't have to worry, she could die right now and know she's going to heaven. WOW! What peace and assurance! That is truly the way God wants us to live our lives.
Typically, when I witness someone's baptism, my mind travels back to my own. I remember that moment when I came out of that water knowing I was cleansed of my sin and I had been joined to God's family. I had those same thoughts that Kandis expressed, now I'm a child of God, now, I'm going to heaven.
We tend to lose that over time. We sometimes question whether we are going to heaven, or we let the worries of life take over our focus on our heavenly home. But when we witness someone put on Christ, those realizations of peace, forgiveness, and assurance come back into focus. And we rejoice, not just for our new brother or sister, but for our own salvation.
Thank you, Kandis, for helping me regain my focus and welcome to the family!

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philipians 4:4-7

Go Vote!

2006-11-07T13:34:00.000-05:00

Today is Election Day and let me make one recommendation: check the sample ballot if you get a chance before you vote. Lana and I looked it over and we were prepared when we got to the poll today. I walked up, made my selections, got my sticker, and left. There were some fine American voters who had been voting for several minutes before me and were still going after I was done! Lesson: don't let voting catch you off guard, the sample ballot is out there for your viewing pleasure. Voting is a great privilege, but let's not make it an all day event folks.

Jackson did great! He was working the room, as usual, waving and smiling and just being generally cute. No matter where we go, I think he truly believes that everyone came to see him. Today, you would have thought he was campaigning! He even got a sticker.

Another thing I noticed was that the average poll worker was...how shall I say this so as not to offend anyone...of the senior cititzen demographic. No offense, really, I love old people, in fact I aspire to be an old person some day. But most of the senior citizens I know don't really care about or keep up with the latest in technological advances, voting machines included. Granted they are fairly simple to operate, stick the card in, touch the name of the person you want to vote for and touch submit ballot at the bottom, but as we all know with anything electronic or automated, there is so much that can go wrong. I guess it's like a lot of things in life, a leap of faith. We have faith in the people we vote for, we have faith in the process used to elect those people, and I guess we must have faith (and patience) in those who volunteer to facilitate this most sacred right granted to us as citizens of the United States.

If you haven't already....GO VOTE!

Jackson

2006-11-02T15:35:00.000-05:00

Yes sir, that's my baby! Jackson Allen Parker, born January 21, 2006. What a kid! He is so happy all the time, even bed time most nights. Lana and I have been so blessed by this addition to our lives. I love walking in after work in the afternoon and seeing him light up as I walk in the door. I could go on and on about him, but I really just wanted to get his picture on here for all to see.

Here's my blog.....

2006-11-01T14:28:00.000-05:00

more to come.