I apologize for the delay in getting out this newsletter. It has been sort of a low priority for the last 12 days. Here are the high points since you last heard from us.
CLEAN UP. Well, we are no different than anyone else. Any time company is due to arrive our house gets an overhaul. This has actually been a good thing. Not only have a few neglected corners been cleaned out but we also have several boxes of things to donate to a local charity.
I also got the chance to borrow a tractor and field mower so I could mow some fields around the house. The grass was chest high in most places. I really enjoyed watching the purple martins flying around the field. It is amazing to see them do their aerobatic tricks while catching flying insects for a quick snack.
COMPANY FROM FLORIDA. Cousins Jim, Dianna, Alex and Chris Cotter arrived from Florida on Friday and stayed with us until Wednesday morning. They took their time driving up here, stopping in Helen, GA, and Chattanooga, TN. While here we all went out to eat at the Catfish House, enjoyed swimming at the YMCA, breakfast at Pauline's, a picnic in Aunt Mar's yard, VBS, and played around the house. On Saturday we even set up a sprinkler in the back yard for the kids. This evolved into putting the hose at the top of the slide on the swing set to create a water slide. Once the ground at the foot of the slide got muddy the kids came off the slide and kept on skimming across the ground for several feet. This experience proved the following equation to be true: boys + mud = fun squared. Jenna, while not horrified at the scene before her, never really understood what was so fun about the mud.
SONGAMES 2004. Our Vacation Bible School had an Olympics theme this year and all the kids seemed to really enjoy it. If I remember correctly we had an average attendance of 167 (including VBS workers). SonGames 2004 started on Sunday night and ran through Thursday night with a family night last night. Vicki taught 2nd grade and I produced music videos from video footage and digital pictures taken each night. These videos were shown to the kids in the opening worship rally each night. For me the biggest blessing from VBS is watching how our church family "Teams Up" to work together and make VBS happen.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY BABY. Yesterday was our 10th anniversary. It does not seem like we have been married that long. Due to all the activities of the week Vicki and I will be celebrating the event in a special way next week but we did mark the day with some fun. Yesterday morning we drove over to Steve Freeland's pond with Jenna and Ben and went fishing (finally using the 2 fishing pole we bought while we were engaged--Vicki can't hold this over my head any more). We only caught one blue gill but had a lot of fun hanging out together. Vicki had what appeared to be a large catfish but her line broke during the fight to reel it in so we have a "one that got away" story we can embellish over the years (this actually happened to her twice). After leaving the pond we picked Nate up from Pauline's and went out to eat at Fisher's Farm Market.
I gave Vicki her anniversary present while we were in the van ready to leave from Fisher's. She got a wrap with 6 diamonds to go around her engagement ring. Our van parked in Fisher's parking lot in Milldale, TN, with three talkative kids in the back is not the most romantic place to give your bride her special present. But since she wanted to get her ring on THE day and we had to leave from there to start getting ready for VBS family night that's what happened. At one point Vicki jokingly said to the kids, "Be quiet so Daddy can give me my ring!" I feel blessed that I have a wife who can be a good sport about the situation.
Joe
