Where I Am

My Day with DW

2013-06-17T16:04:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, my friend Andy asked if I’d help with a charity golf event he was planning that would benefit Moriah Ministries, a ministry he leads. He and his family are dear friends and I jumped at the opportunity to help them. The fact that famed NASCAR driver Darrell Waltrip would be at the event was simply icing on the cake and my ticket to getting Sean and Michael to come with me.

(For the non-NASCAR crowd, Darrell Waltrip, or DW, is a three-time NASCAR Cup Series champ. He won NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver award twice, was NASCAR’s Driver of the Decade (‘80’s) and was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2012, among other accolades. Still doesn’t ring a bell? He’s also the voice of Darrell Cartrip from the Pixar film, Cars.)

My assignment was to photograph the event, specifically DW with his foursome, which meant I would have my own golf cart to follow behind their two carts. Sean was more than happy to be my cart chauffer. Michael was assigned Hole 7, where he answered questions for the event participants. Sean, though, had to leave early, so Michael got to be my driver for the last few holes of the day. My boys spent an entire afternoon five feet from DW AND they got to drive a golf cart; to say they had a happy, happy day is a massive understatement.

But all three of us agreed that as wonderful as the afternoon on the course was, the best part of the day was hearing DW talk. Before the golf game started, he spoke for a good 20 minutes; he told some tales about his driving years. But the best story was about how he first decided to thank God after winning a race.

He’d gone into his racing company's parts department to get some goggles. The man who took care of the parts regularly had his Bible out. DW said he never talked to him about it, but this day he said, “Why are you always reading that Bible?” Roger said, “Because I love Jesus and this helps me know him better.” And then Roger said, “Why don’t you consider thanking God after you win your next race?” DW said he thought that was a dumb idea. “Why would I do that? I drove the car!” “Well, just consider it,” Roger said.

DW went on to win the next race. And as he was driving down Victory Lane, his conversation with Roger bubbled up and he couldn’t stop thinking about it. So that day he thanked the three G’s: God, Gatorade and Goodyear. And that was the start of his journey to get to know God.

I know his wife was praying for him. I know lots of other friends were praying for him. I’m sure all of those people had talked with him about the Lord. But God saw fit to use one of the “little guys” working in a massive racing organization to get DW’s attention. And now, when DW tells people about how he came to know Jesus, he talks about the man who read his Bible in the parts department.

What an encouragement to all of us little people; we don’t know how the Lord may see fit to use us. Most won’t influence a multi-millionaire racecar driver. But we do have the opportunity to influence our children or neighbors or co-workers.

I’m thankful the Lord has put DW in such a visible, influential position and that he doesn't shy away from telling people about Jesus. And I’m thankful for Roger and his faithful witness which has, all these years later, been such an encouragement to me.

DW drinks dC. I knew I liked him!

The only picture I have of me and DW. At least I look like I know what I'm doing

with that camera. Mucho thanks to Sarah for loaning it to me!

The Waltrips and McDaniels

The only out-of-focus picture I took all day. What a bummer!

Thankfully, Michael was very understanding.

My chauffers.

The cupholders on my golf cart.

___________________________________________

Learn more about Moriah Ministries!

TGIF

2013-06-07T09:30:00.000-04:00

So true:

'Tis the season for camping:

If only I'd had Jack Black as my math teacher:

Happy weekend, y'all!

Bridal Shower Etiquette That Shouldn't Have to be Said

2013-06-06T10:15:00.001-04:00

June is upon us and that can only mean one thing: wedding season. And wedding season means bridal showers. As a seasoned veteran of many, many, many bridal showers, I thought I’d list the top three things to do at a shower. One and two are helpful; three is most important.

Number 1: Buy off the registry. Strapped for cash? Buy the least expensive thing on the registry. They really want that stuff.

Number 2: Not important – skip to Number 3.

Number 3: Under no circumstance should you mention that the groom once dated or wanted to date you. Never say that. Never. Ever. Ever.

I was at a shower recently where everyone gave a brief bio on her relationship to the bride. Most people knew her from her church or college. Instead of sticking to that script not one but two ladies felt the need to mention that the groom once asked them out. The first one who said it got an uncomfortable laugh from the group. But the second woman’s comment was truly cringe-worthy: “He tried to date me first, but when I turned him down he went for you.”

How does anyone, ANYONE, think that kind of comment is okay?

The bride was incredibly gracious and appeared to pay no attention. I, though, was fuming. I thought about spilling my punch on her, but my Southern-ness got the best of me and I let it go.

So, as you prepare to attend bridal showers this summer, please remember to buy the lovely couple something from their registry and be on time for all bridal events (that’s Number 2 but should go without saying – early is on time; on time is late). And most importantly, leave the stories about previous encounters with the groom at home. Seriously. No bride wants to think she’s getting sloppy seconds, even if it’s clear she is the better woman.

What I learned when the power went out

2013-06-03T09:48:00.001-04:00

Recently, a thunderstorm went through our town and knocked out our power. It happened right at 6 pm; thankfully, the gourmet food in the oven (frozen pizza) was finished, so dinner wasn’t a bust. We ate, expecting the lights to come back on at any moment. When they didn’t, we went about the business we could – reading by the light of the setting sun. No laundry, no ironing, no internet. It was not entirely unpleasant. Because we thought the lights would flicker back any minute.

Any minute became 60 minutes which became 120, which turned into 180 (for you non-math types, that equals three hours - look at me, adding). By that time, Sean and Rebecca had turned in for the night and Michael was heading that way. Only Amy and I held out hope that the lights would pop on soon.

She was texting away as I took in the news and Twitter and Facebook, alternating between being happy I’d charged my iPhone to fretting that it was going to run out of juice. At the four hour mark, I posted my plight on Facebook:

Come on Consumers Energy, electricity, please, before we all head to bed. If not, we'll wake up in the middle of the night to the radio going and a house full of lights blazing.

Within minutes, I got a text from a friend, letting me know they had a generator that her husband would gladly drive to my house right then and hook up for us.

It was 10 at night. We don’t exactly live next door to this friend but she instantly offered to help.

Lesson 1: I have some really, really good friends. (Thanks, Bethany and Jon!)

Shortly after my Facebook post, the electricity cranked back through the house. Lights flashed on, the fridge whirred back to life and the microwave beeped at me until I set the time. And I started grumbling that all these electrical gadgets should have some kind of internal memory so I don’t have to reset the clocks when the power goes out.

Lesson 2: I have a serious attitude problem.

I went from being pleased as punch for good friends to complaining that I had to reset the clocks when the power came back. Seriously? I’m complaining that I have to set the clocks because the POWER CAME ON! Which was exactly what I’d asked for.

As I realized what I was thinking, the verses in 1 Thessalonians 5 came to mind:

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

I was more than happy to give thanks when friends wanted to help, less so when inconvenienced.

Not pretty.

So today, I’m focusing on all the things I couldn’t use during the power outage, like my washing machine, dish washer, laptop, hair dyer, iron – and being purposeful in my thanksgiving. Because as Madame Blueberry says, "A thankful heart is a happy heart!"

What are you thankful for today?

Friday Fun

2013-05-31T09:00:00.000-04:00

Oh, this is funny because it's so true!

There is only one correct answer to this question:

These guys crack me up. Wait for the, "Pop!"

Happy weekend!

Road Trip

2013-05-24T09:59:00.000-04:00

For all of you taking road trips this weekend, I hope they don't look anything like this:

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Oddities at the Post Office

2013-05-22T10:29:00.001-04:00

This is weird. We're going out of town soon (that's not the weird part) and I wanted to put our mail on hold. I went to the post office's website, filled in all our info and under special instructions, typed, "Thanks!" But apparently, that's not a valid message:

Maybe, "Thanks!" is just too casual. So I upped it to "Thank you!" and tried again:

No dice. I figured it must have something to do with the number of characters used, so, undeterred, I gave this a shot:

And that worked.

That's weird, right?

It's probably weird that I'm thinking this much about it, but I can't figure out why you'd have to use a majority of the characters to make your message go through. Just add this to the list of things I don’t understand about the USPS. Like the number of signs in my local post office telling customers the post office trash cans are not for outside trash.

This is a big problem? Really?

Oh well. I just hope the message gets through to our mailman. And I hope everyone who works at our post office knows I never bring in outside trash. Never.

Laughter heals

2013-05-17T09:23:00.000-04:00

Sean and I had the opportunity to see Carol Burnett this week. She showed some of her favorite clips of her show and took questions from the audience. One man wanted to thank her for bringing laughter to their family after his daughter died in 1975. He said her variety show was appointment television for his family and they looked forward to an hour each Saturday night when they knew they’d get to laugh. Carol was genuinely touched and teared up – I bawled my eyes out.

In response to that comment, she said laughter heals. She is so right. Hope you’ll take a few minutes to laugh today.

One of the clips Carol Burnett showed on Wednesday night:

I laughed out loud at this one. Right out loud:

For Amy:

And in honor of the closing of The Office - we'll all need some ice cream to get over the loss:

Happy weekend!

Worth the (decade) wait

2013-05-14T12:09:00.001-04:00

In 1997, I took Amy with me to the local Christian bookstore to pick up the new Amy Grant CD, Behind the Eyes. My Amy was one and did not fully appreciate the importance of being quiet while we listened to the new CD on the way home. Granted, it was nap time, but still. Seems like she should have intrinsically known that this was a time when crying was not a good idea.

Today, I took my Amy to the bank to sign a signature card so she could get her own debit card, and when we finished, she drove off in her car, headed to chemistry class as I drove off in mine to Target to pick up the new Amy Grant CD, her first new release in ten years.

My, how time flies.

Pretty sure this is the only time I’ve ever walked into Target and didn’t use a cart. I went straight for the music section, got the CD, checked out and walked with great purpose to my car. I opened the CD as soon as I sat down and promptly couldn’t figure out how to load it in my CD player. After a momentary panic, I found the eject button, got the Christmas disc out and slipped in the new CD.

It’s good. Y’all, it is so good.

Well, there is one song with slightly questionable theology… Okay, really questionable, but I’m just skipping that one.

Anyway, it’s like listening to an old friend tell new stories. And that’s a pretty sweet way to spend the day.

________________________________
(If you're going to get the new CD, get it at Target - they have the edition with three bonus tracks.)

Friday Fun

2013-05-10T09:30:00.000-04:00

Books may go electronic, but some paper products will always be in style:

(HT: David McW.)

Sinbad on how to get your grown kids out of your house. Hope we don't have to resort to this. So worth the 4 minutes:

Don't forget Mother's Day on Sunday! Today is the perfect day to tell her your plans for Sunday. Seriously. Tell her your plans. I'm sure she'd really, really like to know if something is being planned for this weekend:

Happy weekend!

The Office is (almost) closed

2013-05-08T10:54:00.001-04:00

Several years ago, Amy and Michael started watching The Office, the NBC “documentary” about people who work in a (wait for it) office. I don’t know how they got interested or who introduced them, but once they met Michael, Dwight, Jim, Pam and the rest of the crew, they were hooked.

Two years ago, they asked me watch the show with them. Seeing an opportunity to spend some quality time with my teenagers, I said yes. So we started watching from Season 1, Episode 1. It did not go well. I could not stand the show. Michael Scott made me physically ill. How could anyone – ANYONE – be so dumb?! And it wasn’t just Michael; the rest of the crew was dumb, too; even Pam! Why couldn’t she see Roy was clearly wrong for her? Jim seemed to be the only one who didn’t make me want to throw up.

There were nights I didn’t think I could make it through another episode. But I knew I was running out of time with my kids; they’d be grown and gone before long. So if this was a way to spend more time with them, I would make it work. Even if I had to occasionally close my eyes. And plug my ears.

Well, I powered through and Amy and I finished up Season 8 last weekend. I thought I was close to being able to watch the finale with the kids next week. Oh no. Turns out, in order for me to be totally caught up I had to watch 21 more episodes. Twenty-one.

Oh my word. That’s almost eight hours! I don't watch eight hours of television in a month, much less a week.

But because I love my children, I have ignored their needs since Monday. In that time, Amy and I have watched 17 episodes of The Office. We have to finish them all this week before our free trial of Hulu Plus ends, which is the only way I can see the current-season episodes. Miraculously, I cooked dinner Monday night. Thankfully, Sean had a dinner meeting last night, because there was no way food was happening with all this Office-watching going on. The girls had cereal.

And let me just tell you, if Pam and Jim mess things up because of the microphone guy and Jim’s new job in Philly, I am going to be unhappy. Very unhappy.

Four more episodes and I’ll be caught-up and can watch the finale with Michael and Amy.

The things you do for your kids…

_______________________

Please do not read this as a glowing endorsement of the show. It is certainly not entirely family-friendly. But it has been a great vehicle for conversation-starters, which has been good.

You will survive (believe it or not!)

2013-05-06T12:13:00.000-04:00

Michael called last week and asked us to help him move out of his dorm room. So Saturday afternoon, Sean and I drove up to move him out. When we got there the only things that were packed were the car pictures he’d hung on his walls. Those had been stacked neatly and placed gingerly in a suitcase. Everything else: still in drawers, on hangers, on shelves.

After going to three different stores to find boxes, we got his room packed up and loaded into Sean’s truck. Michael still has a few days of exams to finish, so we left him with just enough clothes and Cokes to get him through Wednesday. Everything else went in the back of the Escalade. As we drove the boy’s stuff home, it hit me that his first year at college is almost finished. He’ll be home later this week. His freshman year will be in the books.

Wasn’t it just last year at this time I was crying every other minute, dreading the thought that he’d be away at school? And now the thing I feared is over?

How did this happen?

I got an email from a friend last night, telling me she had just submitted her son’s housing info for his freshman year at college. She said if she thinks about it too much she can barely hold herself together. She wrote, “The thought of taking him to campus, moving him in and then LEAVING HIM THERE is too much for me!”

Oh, honey, I know the feeling! But I also know she'll be okay.

I don’t blame her if she doesn't believe me. I didn’t believe the people who told me I’d be okay. And there were plenty of people who did. They’d gone through it and they knew I would, in fact, be okay.

That’s the trick, though: they’d walked that path already and come out the other side mostly unscathed. And now, I have, too. Dropping him off was terrible. As bad as I feared. But then we entered into our new normal. And so did he. And it was good. We all had a really good year.

So, dear friend, allow me to be one of the many people adding my voice to the chorus of, “You will be okay.”

You really will.

And I will not be offended one little bit if you don’t believe me. But when you reach the point of thinking you absolutely cannot get through it, just remember that the woman who bawled her eyes out for months in anticipation of the dreaded drop-off actually survived. The same woman made it through the first family meal with an empty place at the table and the first family road trip with an empty seat in the car and the first of many, many days in a row of not talking to the child she’d never gone that long without talking to before. And this woman is telling you that it was okay. It was new and different and sometimes weird, but all in all, it was okay.

And in 12 months, you’ll be the one telling your friend of a senior that she too will be okay. Because even though you thought you wouldn’t survive, you did.

And you’re okay

Surely God is my help;

the Lord is the one who sustains me.

Psalm 54:4

Friday fun

2013-04-26T09:19:00.000-04:00

Like Mike was a favorite movie in our house for a very, very long time. My favorite part is when Sean sings this part:

Except he sings, "Y'all gonna make me lose my mind up ahead, up ahead." Drives the kids nuts.

Want to join, Michael?

Apparently I am old, because this is hysterical and I totally get it:

Happy weekend!

Michael the Maid

2013-04-24T09:00:00.000-04:00

Michael was home alone for a few hours last Saturday night. Sean and I had a dessert meeting with another couple and both girls were otherwise engaged. He was home because his college was under the threat of imminent flooding; the campus was evacuated, so home he came.

Saturday was a crazy day – funeral in the morning, a show at the Wharton Center in the afternoon, and the aforementioned meeting in the evening. I didn’t really take the time to clean up the kitchen before leaving, and as we pulled into the driveway after being gone all day long, I dreaded the thought of having to clean up at 10:30 at night.

Turns out I had nothing to worry about. I stepped into a glistening kitchen. I could see the countertops. (This is not a normal occurrence in my kitchen, much to my husband’s chagrin.) The dirty dishes were in the dishwasher. My many small piles had been piled into one big pile on a corner of the countertop, leaving the island clear and clutter-free. The cords to the various chargers had been coiled up and tucked away.

Michael does not like a mess.

I know he’s a neat-nick. He knows the placement of each Matchbox and Hot Wheel car in his room; move one car and he knows. I never had to hound him to make his bed or clean his room – there would be mornings I didn’t want to make my bed but knew I had to because if my son was making his surely I had to make mine. Even his drawers are neatly kept.

Sometimes I don’t know if he’s really mine…

Amy has a great blog of quotes from the family and her post from Sunday illustrates who Michael is:

A boy who likes his room clean and a restaurant for lunch.

I suppose if this is his way of rebelling against his mom, I can take it. I just wish I'd left him home alone more often!

Another First

2013-04-22T13:26:00.000-04:00

Today is Michael’s 19^th birthday. Nineteen years ago, the nurse put that baby in my arms and said, “Here you go!” I was a week shy of turning 24 and had no idea what I was doing; were they really sending me home with a living, breathing baby?! Sean took five pages of notes on a legal pad. Neither of us comes from large families, nor had we done much babysitting. We had no clue what we were doing.

Aside from a falling-off-the-bed incident, (a trick both Amy and Rebecca repeated), and copious amounts of help for our parents (which they also, graciously, repeated), we managed to get through the first year without dropping him on his head or otherwise maiming him. Then the second. And third. And now, the 19^th.

He was our first, and we went through all the firsts with him. Including this new first – the first birthday without him around. He’s at school, and as I write this, is sitting in his American Government class. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about being away from him on his birthday, but, turns out I’m okay. He’s where he needs to be. That was the point of raising him – to send him off.

Well, I was okay until I typed that. Guess I won’t really get over missing him being around. But that doesn’t change the fact that he is exactly where he needs to be. And so am I.

So, here’s to a new year for Michael, and another first for us. We are thankful for God’s grace that enables us to enjoy and endure these exciting times.

Happy birthday, Michael! We love you lots!

Proud (and tired) parents.

His second birthday at the Train Park in Duluth.

Michael was home this weekend for an early birthday celebration -

Sean got him a Cadillac shirt. Some things never change.

Friday Fun

2013-04-19T09:00:00.000-04:00

For Rebecca:

"But it's much more helpful!"

Happy weekend!

Back from the beach

2013-04-16T10:12:00.002-04:00

Ha ha – see what I did with that title? Made you think I’d gone someplace warm and sunny. No, I stayed here last week to enjoy the rainy, snowy, 30 degree weather that Michigan calls April. But I am back from the beach that the Pirates of Penzance landed on. We closed the curtain on another fabulous Homeschool Performing Arts production. And it was so, so good.

I must be totally honest and say I didn't get the show for the entire year. I just didn't get it. I thought the music was dumb and I couldn’t figure out the words… bottom line was it just didn't click for me. Until five days before opening night. When I figured out it was a comedy. And all of a sudden, I got it. The pirates won’t attack anyone who says they are orphans. The major general cons them by saying he’s an orphan. The police are like the Keystone Cops and don’t really want to take care of the pirates. And in the end, the pirates are deemed noble men who have gone wrong, so the major general grants his blessing to have his daughters married to the pirates.

Sure wish I’d figured that out in September.

I’m still not a huge fan of all the singing – can’t someone just tell me the line instead of singing it?! – but I must admit, I did end up liking the show. Our kids did a great job and the directors outdid themselves. Really, really fabulous.

Pretty sure I wouldn’t choose to go see the musical again, but at least I ended up with an appreciation of it. Of course, it helped that I had the cutest policeman and most adorable orchestra conductor in the mix.

Amy with her 'stache.

Top row - some of the great people I work with all year. Other rows - some of the great kids I work with. Love them bunches!

It was a family affair again. This time, Michael ushered several shows.

Policemen (and three women).

Some pirates.

Rebecca and her buddy Carly were my support staff. (Sorry it's such a bad picture, ladies!)

At one point, the whole cast wore these blue mustaches to surprise me - it worked!

Love that conductor!

Off to Penzance

2013-04-11T13:30:00.002-04:00

Come see us! Tickets are selling fast; get them online or at the door. Hope to see you there! (And don't forget - this is your chance to see Amy sporting a 'stache.)

Happy Friday!

2013-04-05T09:18:00.000-04:00

This is me at the beach. Who am I kidding - I never go in that far.

Sean, I thought you'd especially appreciate the last skit:

And another one for the engineers:

Happy weekend, all!

Spring? We'll see...

2013-04-04T09:30:00.000-04:00

I have a feeling this is going to be one of those March days that suckers us into believing spring has finally arrived. However, I know the forecast for the weekend is anything but spring-like.

Michigan. Seriously. If it weren't for the fabulous summers we'd have a real problem...

Bosch is the boss

2013-04-01T09:30:00.000-04:00

File this under, “First World Problems,” but I was without a dishwasher for six weeks. Six weeks is a long time to wash dishes by hand after being used to, well, not washing dishes by hand. But I should have been used to it, because before the dishwasher finally went kaput, I was having to hand wash each dish that came out of the dishwasher even after it ran on heavy with high heat.

It was annoying to say the least.

I couldn’t help but think of my college roommate’s mom, who never had a dishwasher. I think she finally got one a few years ago, but for the entire time she was raising children, she washed each and every dish by hand. She deserves a medal.

Sean researched dishwashers (fun way to spend a weekend) and bought one without me even looking at it. He asked, "Don't you want to see the choices?" Nope. All I said was, “I want a dishwasher that actually cleans the dishes.” I didn’t care about delay start or pot scrubber or anything except the dishes getting clean.

When the appliance man came to install the new washer, he said Sean made a good choice. LG and Samsung, he said, were the worst dishwashers out there. “We call them M&Ms – money makers! We make tons of money fixing them,” he said with a laugh.

Guess what dishwasher he pulled out of my house? Samsung. Guess what dishwasher I had before buying the Samsung? LG.

So here’s my unsolicited and unsponsored ad for Bosch dishwashers: they are fabulous! The one I have actually washes the dishes no matter how much stuff is left on them. I can’t tell you how exciting it is to pull the dishes out of the washer after a cycle has been run to find them actually clean.

Novel idea – clean dishes coming out of a dishwasher.

Again, totally a first world problem, but since my readership is mainly in the first world, I thought I’d let y’all know if you need a dishwasher, you need a Bosch.

And Bosch, if you’re looking for a spokesperson, sign me up!

TGIF

2013-03-29T10:52:00.003-04:00

TGIF: Good Friday is the most appropriate day for that saying. I truly thank God it’s this Friday.

Can't wait for Sunday!

Happy anniversary to MI

2013-03-27T09:00:00.000-04:00

Today’s my anniversary. Not with Sean – we celebrated 20 years of (mostly) wedded bliss in September. No, today’s my anniversary with Michigan. Eight years ago today Michigan and I began our love/hate/love relationship and we’re still going strong.

It started with love. When Sean told me about his job opportunity here, I was excited for him. I was excited for an adventure for our family. Of course, I was excited in Atlanta. Reality hadn’t exactly set in.

When we physically got here, all the love went, “Poof!” To say I was not happy with Michigan would be a massive understatement. I missed my family and friends and everything that was familiar. I hated that I didn’t know how to get places and I really hated how freakishly cold I was. A real low point came on my first birthday here – April 29. It snowed. Not. Good.

But eventually, Michigan and I turned a corner. It took a few years. Finding a church, making friends there and in my neighborhood helped. And before I knew it, I didn’t have to MapQuest Target or the grocery store or Sean’s work each time I went there. (Let’s be real: I only had to MapQuest Target once. Some things need to be committed to memory.) Amazingly, I knew my way around. I knew the people around me. And the people around me knew me.

Being known makes all the difference.

Today I’ll be at play practice where I’m certain to hear my name called about a thousand times. Some days all those, “Mrs. Duffy!”’s make me crazy. Not today. Today, I’ll be thankful for each time I’m asked a question or told a joke or am simply greeted hello. Because eight years ago not a single soul here knew my name.

I still miss the South – I miss my friends and extended family. I miss spring in March. I miss Chick-fil-A like nobody’s business. But life here is good, too. My marriage is sweeter, my family stronger and we all have friends we'd die for. To have friends in two states I feel that way about - how blessed am I? Eight years ago I wouldn’t have believed it possible for me to type those words. After all, I’d just left everything I’d ever known, loved or held dear and moved 800 miles north. North! Who’d have thunk it?

So Michigan, happy anniversary! I was pretty sure we wouldn’t make it – looks like I was wrong.

PS: If you'd like to do something sweet for our anniversary, could you please stop the snow? And made it a tad warmer? Thanks.

The deal's off (for today)

2013-03-25T09:43:00.000-04:00

I love writing about my kids. My kids, however, don’t always love being written about. A few years ago, Amy and I made a deal – I would only write about her on my blog AFTER receiving permission to write about her on my blog. I wasn’t wild about the agreement, but it seemed like a way to honor her and still occasionally include her in my writing. Today, though, the deal is out the window and I’m pretty certain there’s no way Amy will be able to complain. Not after this story. Welcome to Payback City.

Last week, Amy drove a friend home from play practice, and from there, she headed to a science fair she had an exhibit in. I had to stay at rehearsal, but Sean and Rebecca met Amy at the fair to see her fascinating display of which plastics contain carbonation best. (Gearing up for the science fair is not a period of family togetherness that I will remember with fondness...) While I was still at play practice, I received a text from the friend Amy drove home which included this picture:

The text, from the friend who will remain nameless (for now), implied that Amy had knocked over the sign. I immediately texted Sean to see if Amy mentioned the accident to him. No mention of an accident. He checked out her car and didn’t see any signs of damage. How could she have plowed over a street sign and not dented her car?

I texted Sean the picture who showed it to Amy, who cracked up.

Neither Sean nor I found any humor in this moment.

Apparently, Amy and Friend saw the already-downed street sign and thought it would be funny to take a picture that made it appear they had knocked over the sign. And that it would be even funnier to have Friend send me the picture with absolutely no stinkin’ explanation other than, “Sooo maybe I just got the nerve to send you this, but what if two special people were responsible…”

Once the picture was explained, we got the joke. And the more time has passed, the more we've laughed - we do have good senses of humor after all. But initally - not so much.

Those two “special people” are really, really lucky that I love them as much as I do. Otherwise one of those “special people” would not have her keys any more.

I do love you guys - But be warned that if y'all pull more stunts like this, they're going on the blog. And Friend, you will be named!

Friday Fun

2013-03-22T10:00:00.000-04:00

I feel this guy's pain - autocorrect has bitten me too many times!

Even if you don't like cars, the show Top Gear is hysterical. The hosts, Jeremy, James and Richard are just so stinkin' funny. I have no idea what this clip came from, but I'm sure Michael does. Here's a funny for you, MTD:

Source: i.imgur.com viaChristy on Pinterest

Loved, loved, loved Designing Women:

Source: s695.beta.photobucket.com viaChristy on Pinterest

Happy weekend!