On Friday evening, after what had been a very tiring and stressful seven days for several reasons, Jennifer and I and the kids met our new friends, the Harpers, at Mellow Mushroom for supper. Mellow Mushroom is Hutch’s favorite pizza place but he decided to eat salad and yogurt instead. We should have known something was fishy. When we got home we got a text message from Ryan Simmons of the band Addison Road. They are borrowing our RV/Bus for their tour with Sanctus Real. It worked out really well, or so we thought, since we’re off the road until Easter and don’t currently need it. Ryan’s text was short but informative…

“Call me. 911. RV engulfed in flames.”

I smiled when I saw the text knowing that it was a joke. The guys had been having some minor mechanical issues earlier in the week and we’d been joking about how that always seems to happens to them. Ryan did a really good job of keeping the prank going when I called him, acting somber and trying to convince me that the text was true. I hung up and called Brandon, their driver, just to be sure it was, in fact, a joke. Brandon went along with the prank as well so I did too, but I did get a bit nervous. A minute or two later I received an email from Ryan with this picture attached…

I texted back…

“Ok, so you were NOT JOKING, call me.”

The band was not on the bus when the fire started. The driver was in Kingman Arizona on his way to meet up with them in Las Vegas when he heard the smoke detector in the back bedroom ringing. He couldn’t see or smell smoke when he looked back but pulled over anyway. Once outside he noticed flames and sparks shooting from the engine compartment and immediately he and a stranger that had pulled over behind him tried to put the flames out with fire extinguishers. They couldn’t contain it and after a few minutes they had to abandon it for fear that the fire was going to spread to the fuel lines and explode. They had called the fire department but by the time they arrived they could only contain the blaze. A few hours later only a shell remained and the towing service took over the clean up. The fire was so hot that the rims melted into the highway and it took the wrecker service extra effort to get the Bus free.

The band is understandably shaken but they are continuing on the tour one show at a time. They are traveling in a caravan of rented SUVs for now until they get a plan sorted out. All of their merchandise (CDs, shirts, etc.) burned in the trailer they were towing but their instruments and gear were already at the concert venue so they are intact.

Jennifer and I are beginning the process of filing an insurance report and hoping to get a fair settlement. Even though we’d not owned this RV for a long time we still have many memories in it from last year’s travels and that’s a bit of a bummer, especially for our kids.

I’ve got to get going but I’ll be in touch-
Jeromy

FFH’s latest project chronicles the ups and downs of their journey these last few years. Jeremy explains, “Since our departure in 2006, Jennifer and I have moved to Africa and back, welcomed our second child, and dealt with my MS diagnosis. We’ve been walking the wilderness in brokenness and joy, learning that the two coexist. We now feel like it’s time to renew our connection with our audience and start telling them about this chapter in our story.” The album’s latest singles UNDONE and WHAT IF YOUR BEST are being serviced to radio this spring, with the album slated to be on store shelves May 10th.

I got a call tonight from Addison Road’s bus driver tonight. They are borrowing our bus for their tour while we are home for a while. Strangely enough, the call came right after I downloaded their album from iTunes. I didn’t realize that Jennifer’s favorite song (Hope Now) was theirs. We’ve been trying to figure out who recorded the song for a few weeks, catching only bits and pieces of it on the radio, where they never announce who the artist is that performs the song. I got chills as I downloaded the song. Then their driver called to ask me how to get the bus generator started and the chills went away. Addison Road’s has had as many problems with the bus in one week as we’ve had over the past year. Figures.

Hutch needs to get to bed so I’m gonna go. A lot went on this week that I need to tell you about but I need to get past it a bit before I can collect the thoughts. Remind me if I forget. Talk to you Monday if not sooner –

For more details log onto http://fellowshipnashville.org/worshipblog.

I had a meeting about you this week. It was with Brody and Randy, the guys that take care of our Internet sites. As usual it was an education. As I’ve mentioned before, Jennifer and I picked the worst possible time to move to Africa as far as technology is concerned. While we were away (Fall 2006- Spring 2007) things moved on right past us and we had to come home and relearn how people connect. We’re getting there but still need help. Turns out that my Mom isn’t the only one who reads these posts. Brody says that I should send him everything that I’ve been writing – record reviews, songs, devotionals, stuff about the kids, anything – and he will post it. Merridee’s Mondays will still be my official weekly blog, but there will be stuff coming mid-week as well. Here’s the deal though… For this to work we need to be able to communicate. So send me your thoughts and comments and I’ll write you back. And, as I promised before, I won’t use this as a forum for personal gain, trying to sell you stuff.

So here’s how this will work for the time being. Merridee’s Mondays (written from my favorite bakery in Franklin) will be my normal Monday blog. “Hey Mom” posts will be stuff during the week that I’d normally tell Mom that you might like to know as well; stuff about the kids and our friends, etc. Everything else will come as a special report. I still haven’t figured out a clever name for them yet.

Talk soon-
Jeromy

But today things are back to normal. The sky is grey and damp and people are huddled inside the coffee shops warming their hands around mugs full of lattes and americanos. But the memory of the strange orb-in-the-sky and it’s effect still linger in our hearts. We hope it comes back soon.

Fortunately the snow didn’t start until yesterday and our babysitter was able to get to the house on Saturday so Jennifer and I could go away for our Valentine’s Day “trip”. We traveled to a hotel in Cool Springs, about seven miles from our house in Franklin, for our getaway. We arrived and checked-in at three, watched a movie on tv, then went to dinner and out to another movie. We ate mostly chocolate and cheesecake and fell asleep reading books and magazines. In the morning we slept until nine and stayed in bed until eleven-fifteen then drove back home. It was no-pressure and that was special. I love my kids enough to die for them, but I need to be away from them at times. Jennifer said last night that we can actually “see” eachother when we’re alone together.

It occurred to me as Hutch and I showered this morning that I feel a little refreshed today, even after just a short time away. I realized that a“getaway” doesn’t have to be far away and for a long time. It can be just a night in town, or a movie, or a walk in the woods. I woke today more inspired and was even more patient with Hutch as he covered the shower with shaving cream, and he was more patient with me when I told him he had to clean his room and get dressed before he played Wii.

Everything is better after rest.

Have a peaceful week,
Jeromy

Jennifer and I alternate bedtimes with Hutch and Sadie-Claire. On nights when she’s with Sadie I’m with Hutch, and on those nights Hutch and I have begun a routine that both of us love. After we talk about the day and sing our blessing, I ask Hutch if he wants me to stay and hold him while he falls asleep. It’s a sweet time of quiet, but we are communicating none the less. I’ve realized in those moments that conversation doesn’t require speaking. Our togetherness in the quiet reminds him that I am present and I am strong. As I scratch his back I’m telling him that I love him and want him to relax and be comfortable.

I realize this morning that I’ve never thought about communication like this before and as I let my mind wonder I recognize how just how much I say without words. My eyes tell my story best. They communicate my sorrow or anger or dishonesty. (Jennifer can tell me whole stories with her eyes). And my face and body follows suit. The way I stand, the way I walk, and the way I dress tells others something specific and important about myself. Today they say I’m tired from a long day yesterday and eating way too much last night and that I really didn’t care how I looked when I chose my cloths for the day.

The Bible says something about Jesus being able to look into another person’s eyes and see their heart. I think He wants me to learn this art as well; to be able to hear and speak without words. Like Jeremiah Johnson and the Indian girl he met in the wilderness. I think it would make life more interesting and colorful. And I would take some of the pressure off, the pressure to say the right thing.

On Saturday, the morning after the storm, we went out for breakfast and tried to find a sled, but all the stores have already stopped stocking them, so we headed over to the Ingrim’s for a visit. Jason and Culley are in our community group and their daughters are the same age as our kids. They live on a seven-acre hill in Franklin and have a great sledding slope. They’d been literally snowed-in and were glad for the company. Their sledding hill began from their front door and they had a sled to we gave it a go. The thin layer of ice made for a perfect surface and in about 20 seconds you could be at the bottom of the hill. Jennifer watched me take the hill and couldn’t resist. She jumped on head-first and pushed off. We watched as she got smaller and smaller and wrecked legs over head at the end of the run. What we couldn’t see from the top of the hill was that, in her attempt to stop the sled before sliding into the sewer drain, Jennifer pushed down on the front of the sled breaking through the quarter-inch layer of ice she was sliding on. When she did the sled stopped but her face didn’t. All of her forward momentum was directed into the ice, her forehead leading the way. From the front porch it appeared that Jennifer popped up unfazed, but as she made her way up the hill it became clear that something bad had happened in the wreck. When Jennifer was about 100 feet from the house we could see blood and the closer she got the worse the carnage became. The ice had carved a curved line in Jennifer’s face from the center of her forehead to just below her left cheekbone and the sharp little shards of ice that implanted themselves into her skin were melting into little red spots. Her eye was already beginning to show a bruise. Our first reaction was surprise, then Jason said “Quick, get the camera.” He wanted to be sure to document the event. Cully took Jennifer inside and cleaned her up a little and we decided we should all quit while we were still alive.

Jennifer is recovering well. She’s still beautiful even with a bruised face.

Stay warm,
Jeromy