Smithellaneous

Kids and Dogs and Medical Stuff.

Becky Smith — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 11:37:55 +0000

Last Tuesday night, Meagan and the kids stayed overnight at our house. They had an early flight to Georgia to visit some friends, and our house is much closer to the airport. Nathan joined us for dinner before saying goodbye and heading back home. So fun to watch Madi watching her parents. Love these two! Wednesday morning was a bit of a wild ride. Meagan did a fabulous job of getting four kids up and ready to hit the road by 5:15 a.m. so they could be ferried to the airport by their intrepid airport ferry-er, Steve. Breakfasts were eaten, bags were packed, and children were wrangled. Belle is not used to life moving along at 137 m.p.h. in the morning. She is not used to four excited children and three adults rambling around every which way. Our usual mornings are serene, with me getting up at 4.m. and Belle and Tinker staying in bed with Steve until 6:30 a.m. Excitement just doesn’t exist in our home at that hour. But it was sure running rampant last Wednesday with four pumped-up kids! Finally, the children and luggage were all collected, and it was time for a photo before they headed […]

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The Thing Post (June, 2026)

Becky Smith — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 11:34:10 +0000

THING ONE A couple of weeks ago, we went out to eat for Steve’s 69th birthday. I love it when you walk into a restaurant lobby, and it looks like nothing has changed for 70 years–because it hasn’t. And I always love interesting decor. Here’s the cheery birthday guy with one of his favorite desserts–tiramisu. THING TWO Steve and Nate took on the job of rebuilding a toilet a couple of weeks ago. I am so sad I wasn’t invited; it sounds like something I would love to do and be so good at. I’m not clear as to why the guys keep excluding me. At any rate, even without my assistance, they were successful in their endeavors and said toilet is now working fabulously. Good teamwork! (Nathan has on his tough face to show the toilet is not the boss of him.) And speaking of helping, Noah was at our house last week and assisted Steve in fixing the brakes on his Miata. Love the generations working together. THING THREE For Mother’s Day, Steve was so thoughtful and bought a corsage for me. Which is good, right? The not-so-good thing is that he had left for church before I […]

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A Big Anniversary and the Last of Wisconsin-ing.

Becky Smith — Mon, 25 May 2026 11:24:12 +0000

Before I finish out the last few tidbits of my Wisconsin trip, let me wish a happy fifth anniversary to this couple! (May 22) They are going to do a bigger celebration in a few weeks, but went out for coffee on the actual day. They were both pleased that they matched the backdrop of the coffee shop. Trust the two of them to notice an artistic detail like that! If you’re like me, you can hardly believe it’s been five years already. Wisconsin Part 2 The last two days of my Wisconsin visit were wonderful, hanging out with my two sisters. Ruth and I loved Debbie’s “hi.” sign. So fun and quirky. Debbie’s pancakes were her best batch ever–and that’s saying something. Ruth nabbed a photo of Debbie’s teacup drawer. Trust Ruth to discover eclectic beauty wherever it may be found. On Monday, the three of us did a little thrift store shopping, had lunch at Culver’s (a Wisconsin tradition), and then visited a Mennonite store. Our shopping trips never involve malls–we are all equally allergic to them. Monday evening, we had a wild ride through the Wisconsin countryside, where everything was funny whether it was funny or not. […]

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Watering the Roots

Becky Smith — Mon, 18 May 2026 13:31:40 +0000

In last week’s post, I said that it was an unusual Monday, and this week, I get to say the same thing again. Once again, I am not at work. I am not sick. I have not resigned. I am not having a colonoscopy. I am in Wisconsin! (Cue the brass band.) Steve and I usually come here together in the fall for a larger family reunion, but it occurred to me that a year was too long to go without seeing my sisters. So, while I’m on a 10-day break from work, I hopped on a plane and came up by myself. The Mantik Manor was all prepared for me with loveliness and thoughtful touches everywhere. Randy and Debbie have hospitality down to a science. One of the many great things about staying with them is that I can go to bed early, or disappear to my room for two hours, or go on a car ride alone, and they just cheerfully accommodate all the vagaries of my schedule. After dinner my first night there, we sat on their back patio enjoying perfect Wisconsin weather. Unfortunately, the weather has been yucky since then, but we at least had one good […]

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A Weird Monday. A Nike Sponsorship. A Party.

Becky Smith — Mon, 11 May 2026 11:57:02 +0000

It is not a regular Monday at the Smith house. I did not get up at 4 am. I am not at my desk clad in appropriate corporate garb. I am not on vacation. It is not a holiday. I am not sick. Steve is not sick. I am not traveling. I have not resigned. And yet I’m not at work. I am at home preparing for . . . wait for it . . . a colonoscopy! Oh, the joy. I certainly hope your day is filled with more pleasantness than mine is going to be. Party, Party! (Photos by Meagan, Madi, and me.) On Saturday night, we celebrated Mother’s Day and Steve’s 69th birthday. Just think. When I started this blog, Steve was just forty-five years old and now he’s almost seventy. He received gifts that were both thoughtful and exquisitely wrapped. This was one was from Nathan who bought him a tool and thought he should wrap it appropriately. For any concerned dental professionals out there, Steve did not actually open the gift with his teeth. Gage handcrafted Steve a bow tie out of a piece of fabric that had a lot of sentiment for our family; […]

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The Thing Post (May, 2026)

Becky Smith — Mon, 04 May 2026 11:57:57 +0000

THING ONE Recently, Steve and Nathan joined forces to fix the brakes on Nathan’s minivan. I love seeing them have father-son time. Unfortunately, in the process of fixing the brakes, Steve’s finger became infected, which required a doctor’s visit, a tetanus shot, and an antibiotic injection. Thankfully, he was still able to play bass for church. Few things can stop him from doing that. Which reminds me of this post where he injured himself even worse and still managed to play the bass, even with this bandage. THING TWO I mentioned in last week’s post that our friend Greta spent the night with us on Friday. Since I had to work, Steve straightened the house and picked up groceries. He told me I didn’t need to worry about dinner at all; he would take care of it all. We had discussed the menu ahead of time, so everything was good to go. Speaking of menus, Steve and I both have an app on our phones called AnyList, where we keep lists and collect recipes. Steve has his own folder with all the recipes he knows how to make, and he had the evening’s recipe saved to that folder. When I […]

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The Cove. And the Designated Extrovert.

Becky Smith — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 11:53:12 +0000

Last week I wrote about doing something a little different–attending a concert with Steve. And guess what I did this past weekend? Another something a little different. My friend, Greta (from Manteo), and I took ourselves off to Montreat, NC, for a girls’ road trip. And yes, there was actually a concert there, so it was my second concert in ten days. I am quite the party person! Greta spent the night at our house on Friday, and we took off Saturday morning. We had lunch in Asheville, NC, at a place downtown called The White Duck Taco Shop, which has tacos of every kind. I had a Chicken BLT with seasonings and salsa, and it was one of the best things I have ever eaten. I loved the back wall and the chandelier. Quirky and smile-inducing. The only unhappy part of the lunch was when we found out we had inadvertently parked in a private parking garage instead of a city garage, and the total due (for an hour) was $25 instead of the $2 we were expecting. Oh well. It’s a good thing Greta and I are both made of money. (ha) Our eventual destination was the Billy […]

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Front Row Face

Becky Smith — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 11:53:33 +0000

I had the opportunity recently to say something to a stranger that made her mouth drop open in surprise. How often do you get to do that? Here’s the backstory. As much as Steve and I love music (we write it, play it, sing it, record it, and listen to it), we rarely go to concerts. That may seem odd, but there are just not many groups that we love enough to pay money to see. However, about a year ago, I heard a guitar-based duo on Facebook called “Sons of Legion.” (Sons came from the fact that both members are the 7th sons of their fathers. Legion means, “Disciplined, unified, and powerful together.”) The more I listened to them, the more I fell in love with their message and their music. I introduced Steve to them, and when we heard they were coming to Charlotte, we decided to go. Okay. Now this is where my advanced age shows up. I didn’t realize that many smaller concerts (unlike the concerts of my youth) are standing concerts. As in, there are no seats available. Anywhere. (Which I knew when I bought the tickets, but still . . .) My wobbly legs […]

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