Our summer break is winding down. Two weeks from now the boys and I will be back in class. All our big summer activities are over now, but we've been pretty busy since I wrote last.
KNEE SURGERY
I usually try to take things in chronological order, but Jenna's knee surgery of last Monday needs to headline this edition. One day when she was a senior in high school a few years ago she was participating in an activity in PE class when another student ran into her. This collision injured her left knee by popping the knee cap out of place. She came home limping, but it wasn't severe enough at the time to visit the doctor. (It seems odd that I'm talking about an old high school injury for Jenna.)
More recently, that injury began to affect Jenna's walking and how she felt after standing for long periods of time, which she does when working at the coffee shop. Her knee cap would also pop out of place regularly. A trip to the doctor revealed that the ligament on the inside of the knee (that is, closest to the other leg) that holds the knee cap in place was torn.
Physical therapy and a brace were prescribed at first. This helped, but after a couple of months it was obvious this treatment wasn't enough, so surgery was scheduled. Two procedures were done in the operation, the ligament was repaired and the tibia was raised 8 mm to keep the knee cap more firmly in place.
Presently Jenna is wearing a brace which keeps her knee straight. She can put full weight on it with the brace on, though it is still painful to do so. She has also begun therapy. She will be on crutches for a total of six weeks with a six month recovery time until she's back to normal. This has certainly parked our busy girl on the couch for the last several weeks of her summer break.
ENGINEERING CAMP
Backing up to just after my last installment, Ben got to go to an engineering camp the week of July 8. We stumbled upon a pamphlet about this camp when visiting Tennessee Tech with him back in March. When we asked about it we learned it was an all expenses paid experience for rising high school seniors so he applied. Ben was one of 27 kids chosen to come to the camp (3 kids had to bail out at the last minute so only 24 attended).
We dropped Ben off in Cookeville that Sunday (the 8th) and picked him up on Saturday (the 14th). I will be honest and admit to my envy here. I wish I'd had an opportunity like this when I was in high school. The purpose of this camp was to expose students to several different fields of engineering and computing. Ben participated in activities like building a marshmallow tower, constructing and testing a balsa wood bridge, building robots, computer programming, casting metal, and the cardboard canoe challenge. He was full of all sorts of tales from the week on the ride home until sleep overtook him in Lebanon. It sounded like a good week. Hopefully this will help clarify a field of study for college. If he winds up attending Tennessee Tech this camp experience has earned him a small scholarship.
THE BIG FIVE-OH
Last weekend Vicki and the kids were in Hartwell, Georgia. Will had rented a lake house for the weekend there and invited us to meet them to celebrate Darice's 50th birthday. I was unable to go due to work.
The entire weekend was a big surprise for Darice. She was simply told to pack for a weekend trip, including a swimsuit, and that they would not be flying. They, like my family, headed out last Friday. At first she thought this was a quiet getaway for their family, then they went out to get pizza for supper where they "just happened to run into" the Swanns.
Last Saturday I got a lot of pictures of fun times on the lake. Darice's older sister also flew in from Utah. The fun continued last Sunday with a surprise party that afternoon. In addition to all the family there, Will had invited several of Darice's friends from Athens, where they used to live, to come for the party. She was totally blown away.
Vicki and the kids left after the party. I met them in Murfreesboro since Jenna's surgery was the next day in Franklin. This allowed Vicki and Jenna to find a nearby motel and avoid an hour drive early in that morning. The boys came home with me.
SURPRISE VISIT
Mom got a surprise last Friday. She was expecting Vicki and the kids to stop by to say goodbye as they got on the road when Dianna Cotter appeared at her door. Jim and Dianna had been shopping online for a fourth car and found an incredible deal in Chicago. So, she flew up there, bought the car, and was driving it home. As she was driving down I-65 she decided to take a brief stop and visit Mom.
DISTANT COUSINS
While Vicki and the kids were driving to Georgia last Friday I was able to get away from work a little early and meet some distant cousins, Bud and John Swann. They are a father and son.
My great great grandfather, John Swann, was born in Caswell Country, North Carolina, and migrated here as an adult. All 11 of his children were born here in Cross Plains and he is buried nearby. As I understand it, his oldest son, Elcanah, received an inheritance back in Caswell County and moved back. Bud and John are descendants of Elcanah. Bud is a blacksmith by hobby and several years ago had a booth at an arts and crafts show near Washington, DC. There he met another Swann from Robertson County and they struck up a conversation.
Back in the spring Bud and John visited Cross Plains on separate trips (Bud was traveling through on business, John was in Nashville for a wedding). I met John when he was here then. From that conversation John decided to take his dad on a delayed Father's Day road trip to see the Threshermen's Show and then drive up to Dearborn, Michigan, to visit the Henry Ford Museum.
After spending most of the day in Adams, where they connected with Jackie, they swung by my house. We visited for well over an hour. It was quite an interesting conversation as we got acquainted and shared family stories. We tried to visit our ancestor's grave, but the cemetery was way too overgrown for that.
THRESHERMEN'S SHOW
Speaking of the Threshermen's Show, I went last Saturday. It was one of the more pleasant days for that show that I remember in a long time. It was good to see everyone on that branch of the family that I don't get to see too often. On top of that, all the equipment ran well. You can’t ask for much more than that.
Joe
Saturday, July 28, 2018
Saturday, July 7, 2018
Hot and Humid
It has been hot and humid here. The farmers have been harvesting wheat. Here's what we've been up to since I wrote last.
HAITI
Ben's trip to Haiti headlines this edition. We dropped him off at the airport early on Tuesday, the 12th, and picked him up Wednesday of the next week (the 20th). To give a brief itinerary, they flew all the way to Port au Prince the first day and then to Jeremie the next. Their team happened to arrive when another Mt. Carmel team, that ran a dental clinic the previous week, was leaving. The mission for Ben's team was to work with the kids at Emmanuel Children’s Village as well as the surrounding area. They led a Vacation Bible School, a sports camp, and taught some basic English while there. Additionally, they had a birthday party and visit to the beach for all the kids at Emmanuel.
Ben's take on the trip is very interesting and something that reveals a lot about his character. We hear of many who go that find it difficult to be without the amenities of home for very long even though they are aware of the vast differences between the two countries. Ben really didn't mention any of these things much, and when asked just seemed to pass it off as "Why would I expect it to be different?" This is not to say that I don't think he was affected by his experience there…he was. He was simply taking everything as it was and finding happiness in the place he found himself.
From the sound of it, Ben was a hit with the kids there, especially the little girl we sponsor, Mitiana. We got several neat pictures of the two of them doing things together (such as jumping rope, and interesting picture given how much Ben towers over her) and the shot of their parting as he left to come home will melt your heart. I think she touched a place deep within him. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ben goes back some day.
ANNIVERSARY
Life was pretty normal for the rest of us here at home while Ben was away in Haiti. One thing that was special was that Vicki and I celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary a couple of weeks ago (the 18th). Given that both of us had to work and we had weekend trips coming up, Vicki picked me up after work and we headed to Hillsboro Village to see Won't You Be My Neighbor, the documentary on the life of Mister Rogers. This film was very well done and we highly recommend it. After that we ate supper at the Grilled Cheeserie. The whole evening was a very enjoyable date.
CHURCH CAMP
So two weekends ago, the five of us went three different directions. As I mentioned above, Ben came in from Haiti on the 20th. He had one day at home (and for Vicki to do his laundry) before he and Nate headed out with our church youth group to Student Life camp. They stayed at Orange Beach, Alabama.
From the sound of it, they had a good time there, enjoying the camp activities as well as time on the beach with other kids from church. They returned home a couple of Tuesdays ago (the 26th). Nate was the only one in the group to come back with a sunburn.
OHIO
While the boys were in Alabama, Jenna and I headed north to the Akron, Ohio, area. You may recall that my cousin, Grant, visited us from there back in March. When he was here he mentioned that he was teaching Hebrew classes that enabled people to sightread Hebrew in only three lessons. Intrigued, Jenna and I decided to schedule a trip to visit Grant and learn how to do this. So, we left after dropping the boys off at church for their trip and arrived home a few hours before the boys did last Tuesday.
Sure enough, Grant has a brilliant method for teaching Hebrew. Now that I'm home it's up to me to practice what I learned, but as we finished our lessons I could slowly sound out Hebrew words and even read Genesis 1:1 aloud in Hebrew.
While there Grant and Robin did a lot of fun things with us. Grant and I went biking down a stretch of the Erie Canal towpath one day. Another day, Grant, Jenna, and I drove down to Amish country south of Akron where we visited the Warther Museum and Gardens, visited a cheese factory, etc. Jenna also enjoyed spending time with Grant and Robin's daughter, Lindsay. We also got to visit with Grant's brother, Bryan, and his wife, Mem, and their family.
GIRLS TRIP
Not to be outdone by the rest of the family, Vicki scheduled a girls trip to Gatlinburg last weekend. They left last Friday and came home last Sunday. Unfortunately, Vicki experienced a little food poisoning, but mercifully this passed fairly quickly and she was able to enjoy most of the trip with her friends, Tracy and Angi. From what I've heard they did a lot of eating, shopping, and laughing.
COTTERS VISIT
With all our running these past few weeks, we were able to stay home and host Jim, Dianna, and their boys as they came up for a quick visit last weekend. They arrived Thursday afternoon and returned home Sunday. The boys spent a lot of time together as they usually do. They certainly aren't too old to have a Nerf gun battle or two. They also went to play in the river at Kilgore Park a couple of times. We also took dinner over to Mom's house Friday and Saturday.
In addition to enjoying family time we went shopping at Trash & Treasures in Cross Plains where there were a few treasures to be had this year. I found a small bandsaw for $5. I wound up spending $35-$40 more on a new blade and other parts and now I have a bandsaw that runs like a champ!
LONG OVERDUE
I like Pixar movies, and for me the The Incredibles was the best flick they've produced. I also enjoy Toy Story and understand the appeal and why they would make sequels; however, I've been disappointed that the Parr family was left to languish with only one film. Almost fourteen years later Incredibles 2 is out and it was good to reunite with old friends on a super adventure. We went to see this after church on Sunday. A very fitting end to a fun weekend with family.
A QUIET FOURTH
We had a very enjoyable Fourth of July, though I could have done without the 108° heat index. As is our tradition, we went to the Kilgore Remembrance Ceremony at 9:00. Jenna spent about three hours the day before baking cookies for folks to enjoy, and given how few were left, I think they were a hit.
That afternoon we were invited to a cookout and swimming party at Kenny and Lori's. It was a pleasure to visit with everyone, but a struggle to stay cool. Morgan had purchased an inflatable bull for the pool and it was a lot of fun to watch everyone try their hand at bull riding.
We had thought about going to Cross Plains for the fireworks, but after coming in and cooling off from the party no one wanted to go back outside. We stayed in and watched the first installment of the The Incredibles on DVD.
2018, PART 2
As of Tuesday we are now in the second half of the year. School starts in a little over four weeks now. When I go to work Monday it will feel like we don't have enough time to get everything done before our students return. I have a Peanuts comic book which is aptly named Summers Fly, Winters Walk.
Shalom,
Joe
HAITI
Ben's trip to Haiti headlines this edition. We dropped him off at the airport early on Tuesday, the 12th, and picked him up Wednesday of the next week (the 20th). To give a brief itinerary, they flew all the way to Port au Prince the first day and then to Jeremie the next. Their team happened to arrive when another Mt. Carmel team, that ran a dental clinic the previous week, was leaving. The mission for Ben's team was to work with the kids at Emmanuel Children’s Village as well as the surrounding area. They led a Vacation Bible School, a sports camp, and taught some basic English while there. Additionally, they had a birthday party and visit to the beach for all the kids at Emmanuel.
Ben's take on the trip is very interesting and something that reveals a lot about his character. We hear of many who go that find it difficult to be without the amenities of home for very long even though they are aware of the vast differences between the two countries. Ben really didn't mention any of these things much, and when asked just seemed to pass it off as "Why would I expect it to be different?" This is not to say that I don't think he was affected by his experience there…he was. He was simply taking everything as it was and finding happiness in the place he found himself.
From the sound of it, Ben was a hit with the kids there, especially the little girl we sponsor, Mitiana. We got several neat pictures of the two of them doing things together (such as jumping rope, and interesting picture given how much Ben towers over her) and the shot of their parting as he left to come home will melt your heart. I think she touched a place deep within him. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ben goes back some day.
ANNIVERSARY
Life was pretty normal for the rest of us here at home while Ben was away in Haiti. One thing that was special was that Vicki and I celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary a couple of weeks ago (the 18th). Given that both of us had to work and we had weekend trips coming up, Vicki picked me up after work and we headed to Hillsboro Village to see Won't You Be My Neighbor, the documentary on the life of Mister Rogers. This film was very well done and we highly recommend it. After that we ate supper at the Grilled Cheeserie. The whole evening was a very enjoyable date.
CHURCH CAMP
So two weekends ago, the five of us went three different directions. As I mentioned above, Ben came in from Haiti on the 20th. He had one day at home (and for Vicki to do his laundry) before he and Nate headed out with our church youth group to Student Life camp. They stayed at Orange Beach, Alabama.
From the sound of it, they had a good time there, enjoying the camp activities as well as time on the beach with other kids from church. They returned home a couple of Tuesdays ago (the 26th). Nate was the only one in the group to come back with a sunburn.
OHIO
While the boys were in Alabama, Jenna and I headed north to the Akron, Ohio, area. You may recall that my cousin, Grant, visited us from there back in March. When he was here he mentioned that he was teaching Hebrew classes that enabled people to sightread Hebrew in only three lessons. Intrigued, Jenna and I decided to schedule a trip to visit Grant and learn how to do this. So, we left after dropping the boys off at church for their trip and arrived home a few hours before the boys did last Tuesday.
Sure enough, Grant has a brilliant method for teaching Hebrew. Now that I'm home it's up to me to practice what I learned, but as we finished our lessons I could slowly sound out Hebrew words and even read Genesis 1:1 aloud in Hebrew.
While there Grant and Robin did a lot of fun things with us. Grant and I went biking down a stretch of the Erie Canal towpath one day. Another day, Grant, Jenna, and I drove down to Amish country south of Akron where we visited the Warther Museum and Gardens, visited a cheese factory, etc. Jenna also enjoyed spending time with Grant and Robin's daughter, Lindsay. We also got to visit with Grant's brother, Bryan, and his wife, Mem, and their family.
GIRLS TRIP
Not to be outdone by the rest of the family, Vicki scheduled a girls trip to Gatlinburg last weekend. They left last Friday and came home last Sunday. Unfortunately, Vicki experienced a little food poisoning, but mercifully this passed fairly quickly and she was able to enjoy most of the trip with her friends, Tracy and Angi. From what I've heard they did a lot of eating, shopping, and laughing.
COTTERS VISIT
With all our running these past few weeks, we were able to stay home and host Jim, Dianna, and their boys as they came up for a quick visit last weekend. They arrived Thursday afternoon and returned home Sunday. The boys spent a lot of time together as they usually do. They certainly aren't too old to have a Nerf gun battle or two. They also went to play in the river at Kilgore Park a couple of times. We also took dinner over to Mom's house Friday and Saturday.
In addition to enjoying family time we went shopping at Trash & Treasures in Cross Plains where there were a few treasures to be had this year. I found a small bandsaw for $5. I wound up spending $35-$40 more on a new blade and other parts and now I have a bandsaw that runs like a champ!
LONG OVERDUE
I like Pixar movies, and for me the The Incredibles was the best flick they've produced. I also enjoy Toy Story and understand the appeal and why they would make sequels; however, I've been disappointed that the Parr family was left to languish with only one film. Almost fourteen years later Incredibles 2 is out and it was good to reunite with old friends on a super adventure. We went to see this after church on Sunday. A very fitting end to a fun weekend with family.
A QUIET FOURTH
We had a very enjoyable Fourth of July, though I could have done without the 108° heat index. As is our tradition, we went to the Kilgore Remembrance Ceremony at 9:00. Jenna spent about three hours the day before baking cookies for folks to enjoy, and given how few were left, I think they were a hit.
That afternoon we were invited to a cookout and swimming party at Kenny and Lori's. It was a pleasure to visit with everyone, but a struggle to stay cool. Morgan had purchased an inflatable bull for the pool and it was a lot of fun to watch everyone try their hand at bull riding.
We had thought about going to Cross Plains for the fireworks, but after coming in and cooling off from the party no one wanted to go back outside. We stayed in and watched the first installment of the The Incredibles on DVD.
2018, PART 2
As of Tuesday we are now in the second half of the year. School starts in a little over four weeks now. When I go to work Monday it will feel like we don't have enough time to get everything done before our students return. I have a Peanuts comic book which is aptly named Summers Fly, Winters Walk.
Shalom,
Joe
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