Expecting Katrina

I would have never guessed that we would be closing schools here in Tennessee for a hurricane. Katrina, a category 5 hurricane, came ashore this morning near New Orleans. Now in central Mississippi it has been downgraded to a tropical storm and may keep that status when it blows into Tennessee in the morning. Many school systems, having built in snow days, have opted to close tomorrow. While I think it is a wise decision not to take chances with the safety of our children I am astounded that we are closing for a hurricane.

Of course, our problems from Katrina won't compare to what people along the coast have experienced. We have just heard that the church in which Will and Darice were married (located in Long Beach, Mississippi) has been leveled. Darice's mom and step dad have evacuated but have not heard any damage reports on their property yet. Darice's dad left his home in Jackson, Mississippi, as well. Our prayers are with them all.

THE AUNT MAR GENE STRIKES AGAIN. Last weekend Ben spent a lot of time putting together his train track he got for his birthday. When he got done he was really proud of his work and he called all of us to his room to show off. He did a good job of getting the track together. What was so funny was that the first thing out of Jenna's mouth was, "Now you know, you're going to have to clean that up!" Vicki and I laughed pretty hard at that, even teasing Jenna by calling her Aunt Mar. The thing that clinches the story was that after complimenting Ben and turning to leave the room Jenna said it again!

EVERY DAY IS LAUNDRY DAY. I'm not planning to test this hypothesis but I'm beginning to think we'd generate dirty laundry even if we went around naked and never took a bath. Dirty clothes seem to breed in our hamper. Last Monday I came home for lunch and found Vicki standing at the washer and dryer folding clothes. Both appliances were running hard. When I came home from work a few hours later she was in the same spot. I made a comment about this and she shot me the look of a tired woman who had no time for such foolishness.

After this I went to the bedroom to change clothes. Now when I got up that morning I put on the same clothes I had worn to church the day before. It made sense to me to do that, I had only worn them about three hours, they were still clean and I figured that since Vicki had already seen me in them once they matched (occasionally I come in from work and Vicki just shakes her head). Anyway, I changed into shorts and a t-shirt and took my dirty clothes to the bathroom. When Vicki saw me she looked at my clothes and back to me with this pitiful expression on her face. In quick self defense I said, "But I've worn them two days in a row!" That broke through the fatigue and gave us both a good laugh.

BACK INTO A ROUTINE. While Vicki has had a very busy summer many of her normal activities were put on hold for one reason or another. She seems to to have jumped back into life with both feet this week. When Pauline was in the hospital she requested not to be scheduled for work at the YMCA. Now that Pauline is able to take care of a lot of things for herself Vicki has started back to work (she works about five mornings a month).

Vicki also teaches a Mission Friends class on Wednesday nights at church (Ben is in this class). Since this class follows the school calendar she's had the summer off. Now her Mission Friends class is active again. Church choir is also in full swing.

Vicki is also an officer in the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) at East Robertson. She is the Volunteer Coordinator and shares this position with another person. Fortunately they had many people fill out forms saying they are willing to help out. I'm sure Vicki will be spending a lot of time on the phone this year.

Vicki has also been hitting lots of consignment sales in shopping for the kids' clothes. I'll have to hand it to her, she has sure saved us a lot of money and found an abundance of quality clothing. This is recycling at its finest.

Joe

Wow, The 100th Edition!

As I write this newsletter I am shocked to see this is the 100th edition. I remember wondering when I sat down to write the first edition in September, 2003, just how long this little project would last. I didn't have a whole lot of confidence about it at the time. I'm glad I was wrong.

You may find it interesting to know that in the last two years I have written over 71,000 words to record and share what has happened in our family. Currently this gets sent to 26 e-mail addresses. Some of you we see each week at church. The rest of you live outside of Robertson County. I did not start this to send you spam, I just wanted to keep in touch and this seemed to be a good way to do that.

This newsletter also came to be in response to setting a personal goal for myself. Ever since Mom showed me a journal Dad kept while he was stationed on Saipan in World War II I realized how much it would be appreciated by myself and others in the future. I first started a journal of sorts about 15 years ago. Being inspired by the M*A*S*H character, Hawkeye Pierce, it was formatted as letters to my own father. I was faithful to it for several months. Later, after Jenna was born, I started a new journal, this time writing one page a day in a little steno notebook. I filled several books but when Ben came along it got to be a burden and I stopped. This format seems to work for me and knowing that I have readers holds me accountable to the job.

It takes me about an hour or so to produce each edition. I try to write a little on the newsletter throughout the week so it doesn't consume a whole evening but things don't always work out that way. Once I have written a rough draft I print it so Vicki and I can proofread it. In all fairness she really is a co-author even though I sign my name each week.

The dangerous thing is Jenna can read now. Last Monday Vicki had left last week's edition on the bathroom counter. After supper Jenna went to use the bathroom and saw it for reading material. Vicki and I were still sitting at the supper table when she came out of the bathroom saying, "HEY! I've been reading..." Vicki, seeing what was in her hand pointed at me so Jenna could direct her fussing at the appropriate person. It seems she didn't like the story about her coming down the steps in her shoes and underwear and wanted it deleted. After a little diplomacy she consented, but I got pinched on the arm pretty hard. Who knows, we may have a guest columnist in upcoming issues!

So, this is our life. Granted, what we choose to write is like taking pictures with a camera, you capture the things you want to remember later. Most of the pictures are good memories. Some are not. At any rate, I'm glad I have a written record to look back on to aid my memory of what life has been like for us.

MEDICAL UPDATES. I've got a little good news and a little bad news. The bad news first--Mom had an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon to check on her knee. To be brief he simply said her only option was knee replacement and he'd schedule it whenever she was ready. She's not ready.

On a better note, Pauline went to see the same surgeon about her foot. He took an x-ray and said there was no real change from the last visit. He sent Pauline to be fitted for a diabetic shoe but told her not to put any weight on her foot and continue to keep it elevated. He plans to evaluate again in four weeks. Pauline's foot still gets red very quickly whenever she puts it down and he'd like to see that stop happening (which could be as long as eight more months).

Joe

Quit Teasing, We Need Rain!

We really haven't had much rain in about four weeks and everything sure looks dry. The heat does generate a few late afternoon thunderstorms but what rain they do provide is about like giving a thirsty man a thimble full of water. We've watched most of these storms pass us by. At least we haven't had to mow the yards.

READY TO GO. So Tuesday was the first day of school. Vicki had told Jenna Monday night that her clothes would have to be ironed or tumble dried. Tuesday morning I was walking from the kitchen to the bedroom when I heard Jenna clomping down the stairs behind me. Seeing me in the hall she asked, "Daddy, do you know if Mom has my clothes ready?" After answering that I did not know it dawned on me that something about that question and the sound I'd heard her making as she came down the steps didn't go together. I turned around and my gaze fell upon my daughter who was standing there on the steps wearing her socks, shoes and a pair of panties. It was all I could do to duck in the bedroom without laughing in front of her.

Since then Jenna has had three full days of school and has really enjoyed it. I think Mrs. Phillips is going to be a really fun teacher. Jenna sure is excited about being in her class. She came home one day saying she needed house shoes for school. It turns out that they are standard equipment for math. I wonder if that would have helped some of my pre-algebra students ten years ago?

TRICKY STUFF. Ben got Ker-Plunk for his birthday last week (thanks Jones family). This game is made of a plastic cylinder that has a bunch of holes around its middle. There are 20-30 plastic sticks that you insert through the holes in the cylinder at the start of the game, then you drop some marbles in the top. The sticks keep the marbles from falling through. The object of the game is to take turns removing a stick. Eventually this will release the marbles. The person who has collected the fewest marbles at the end is the winner. This is a big hit with Jenna and Benton. Ben's favorite thing to say after someone has pulled a stick and no marbles fall is, "Oooo, that was a trrricky one!"

GOOD SPORTS. This happened a few weeks ago and had slipped my mind until I wrote the article above. The game of Sorry is also a favorite of ours. Ben has the best luck but it is really good that his luck works like it does because it has made him a pleasant person to play games with. One of the last times we played Sorry Ben went a long time without drawing a card to allow him to put a piece into play. We were almost through the deck of cards the second time when I decided I would let him take a man out of start in spite of his bad luck. Just before I opened my mouth to tell him this he drew a 1 (which let's you start a man). You know that boy wound up winning the game! And that has happened to him several times.

What I was really pleased to see is that Nate has picked up on being a good sport. He played a game with us (as well as a two year old can) one time and really took set backs well. There were two or three times where someone drew a Sorry card and decided to put Nate's piece back in start. He sure understood what that meant and being sad, burrowed his face into the floor. When it was his turn again he raised up and drew his card. I'm glad both boys are getting a handle on expressing sadness and disappointment in positive ways.

39 AND HOLDING--'TIL NEXT YEAR. I am not going to be like Jack Benny. My 39th birthday was Saturday. I'll hold it, but just for a year.

It was a nice birthday. Vicki and I went out to eat Friday night and it was good to share a meal alone together. Connie Coleman, a friend from church, volunteered to keep the kids. When we went to pick them up it was obvious all four of them had a blast (and the kids keep asking when they can go back). Connie has got to be one of the coolest baby sitters ever. They did everything from eating ice cream to riding the paddle boat on their pond to having major pillow fights. The kids may have had more fun that night than we did.

On Saturday Vicki cooked chicken lasagna for supper and we all ate over at Pauline's. Mom and Aunt Mar brought their famous chocolate cake. The kids made cards for me. Jenna drew the two of us riding bicycles together. Ben drew us and a monster and had a whole story that went along with it which Vicki wrote on the card for him. Nate's card was one big scribble. Vicki said he enjoyed drawing it and he sure enjoyed showing it to me.

Vicki gave me the second season of The Waltons on DVD. We had gotten the first season last year for our tenth anniversary and we lack two episodes watching all of those. We are very happy to have 24 more in the line up for the occasional slow evening. I wish someone would produce a show of that calibre today.

Good night John-Boy

The Last Week of Summer Break

This was the last full week of summer break. School starts with a half day on Tuesday and the first full day will be Thursday. For all the kids and teachers I know this summer hasn't been long enough. As for me, since I have been back to work for a month now I am ready to get the show on the road. I feel kind of like I've been packing for a trip. Eventually you just want to get in the van and head out.

THE BIRTHDAY BOY. Ben's fifth birthday was Wednesday. His party was held at Chuck E. Cheese's and a good time was had by all. Fortunately for us it was a slow night for the restaurant. Ben had seven guests (Jenna and Nate included) and by the time you added the parents, siblings, grandmas and all in we had a large party. The fun started at 6:00 and by the time we had our pizza, met Chuck, played games, had the cake, opened presents and played more games it was almost 9:00 before we were packing up to go home. Five is really a fun age to have a birthday party and I'm glad Ben enjoyed his.

TORPEDEARS FOR SUPPER. We had tortillas and the works for supper one night this week. This is NOT Ben's favorite menu. Our rule is to get the occasional dessert you must finish your meal. After Jenna and Nate had left the table, Ben continued to sit and stare at his plate. He finally with much sadness asked, "Mom, do I have to finish this torpedo?"

SPEAKING OF SCHOOL, Jenna will be starting the second grade this year. Her teacher's name is Mrs. Phillips. We have decided to wait until next year to start Ben due to his late birthday, and he will continue Mom's Day Out two days a week in a few weeks. Nate will also go one day a week so that Vicki can be more readily available for Pauline, Aunt Mar and Mom for doctor's visits.

NAME CONFUSION. Nate still thinks Ben's name is "Nate." He is convinced of it. We try hard to correct him but since we all know what Nate means when he says Nate we are in danger of it growing on us. One night at supper I pointed to Ben and asked Nate what his name was. He answered "Nate" very enthusiastically.

After correcting him I asked again, "Nate, what is his [pointing to Ben] name?"

Nate replied, "Name!"

I shook my head and tried again, "Nate, who is that?"

Nate pointed at Ben and said, "That!"

Vicki was about to lose it at this point and she couldn't hold her laughter any longer (as well as the kids) when I looked over and said, "This is about as bad as that police officer in Korea."

LOST IN KOREA. To let you in on the joke I need to go back to 1992 when I was a summer missionary in Seoul (Hae-Soon, I don't know if I ever told you this). I spent that summer teaching English to Korean college students. One afternoon I went sight seeing with Hae-Soon, a friend I made in my Bible study class. After eating supper it was time for me to catch my bus back home. While riding home it began to rain. For some reason the bus driver entered our apartment complex from a different side. Since it was raining and dark I failed to recognize where I was until I missed my stop.

I did not panic because our stop was at the end of the route and I thought I'd just ride back up one stop, cross the street and catch the next bus to come through. Well, it was the end of the day for this particular driver and he headed back to the shop for the night and had us all get out just a few blocks from the shop. I was somewhere I had never been before and could not read or speak Korean. I hailed a taxi. The driver couldn't speak English. Realizing I was lost and needing help he took me to a police station and found an officer who spoke broken English.

Now I didn't know the name of the neighborhood I lived in but I could navigate the subway to the Shin-Do-Rim station and take the little "village bus" that ferried people back and forth to our apartment complex (which was at least a dozen high rise buildings). With that in mind I told the police officer I needed to get to the closest subway station. He looked really confused and said, "We have no subway station named 'Closest'." I tried again asking for the nearest station. Again, "We have no subway station named 'Nearest'."

I finally got my point across and got home but a trip that normally took 30 minutes took over three hours that night.

LITTLE BROTHERS! Occasionally Jenna invites Ben upstairs to spend the night with her. He sleeps on a mattress we store under her bed (I call it the trundle mattress). He got to do that one night this week. The next morning he stayed up there to play and when Nate woke up he went up there too. At one point Nate got a bit hungry, came downstairs, poured some dry cereal in a cup and went back up (we let him snack like this on occasion but he must stay in the kitchen when he does). A bit later Vicki, who was unaware of the cereal, heard Jenna really fussing at Nate to leave. Since he would not she came downstairs frustrated and said, "Mommy, would you make Nate come downstairs?"

Defending Nate Vicki said, "It sounds like he is playing well, why do you want him to come downstairs?"

A very aggravated Jenna answered, "Because he is sitting there in the chair!"

Vicki looked at her without any sympathy. So Jenna added, "And...he's CRUNCHING!!!!" She was ultimately surprised that her amused Mom chose to stay out of it.

TOOTH STORIES. I mentioned last week that Jenna had lost two teeth. We went to visit with Uncle Paul this afternoon and she was showing him the gaps in her teeth. In their conversation Uncle Paul, who has had dentures since he was in his 20s, took his tongue and pushed his lower plate out and then sucked them back in real quick. Jenna moved back a bit and her eyes got really big in a look of startled amusement. It didn't scare her but she sure wasn't expecting that to happen. We all had a good laugh.

This all segued into Uncle Paul remembering a prank he had pulled when he was single and living at home. Both of his parents had dentures at that time and when they went to bed they stored their teeth in jars on their night stands. One night uncle Paul came in after his parents had gone to bed. Since they were sound asleep he slipped into their room and swapped their teeth. When they got up the next morning they couldn't figure out why their their teeth didn't fit. They finally got things sorted out but they never said anything to him. But Uncle Paul ends the story saying, "They kept looking at me awful funny."

Joe