Fire and a Light Saber

Today was a free day. Sean was out of school and Chuck didn't have to work, so we planned for an afternoon/evening together.
Chuck is still clearing some of his property and Sean loves helping him pile brush onto the fire.

I had to stay back a bit and use the zoom to get this photo because I never know if Sean is going to cooperate with me when I have the camera. 

Sean had a great time feeding the fire while Chuck scooped more into the backhoe.

Once it started to get colder and the sun was behind a cloud I decided to go back up to the house. The wind was blowing and I was dodging the smoke. It wasn't long before they came back up and started planning for their project. It started here, earlier in the day when Sean showed Chuck the light saber he wants to build. They made a list of materials they needed in order to build it. Chuck has a little shop and he had everything they needed.
We took the list with us to Chuck's but we didn't have the written instructions for building it. When they came inside they printed out the instructions and pattern for it and went to work on that while I cooked dinner. I should have taken a picture of the fire in the fireplace. It was pretty dead and I got it started again and kept it going all afternoon.

The pattern is cut out of a PVC pipe--at least that's the first step.

They both had fun getting started on that project. Once they had the basic pattern cut, they brought the little file into the house to work on smoothing the edges while I finished up dinner. Chuck was a mess. I'll post the finished product when they have it completed. I think it's going to be pretty cool.

Sean loves hanging out with Chuck. They had a great day together. I enjoy watching them have so much fun. 

Grillin' and ice cream

I feel very blessed to have found someone who is so aware of how important it is to raise children with focus and intention. Yesterday we spent the evening with Chuck and Lilly. Chuck had invited us for dinner and said if we got there in time he would have Sean help him clear some of the property with him on the backhoe. We arrived later than we wanted, but a stop at the store and traffic delayed us. It was already dark when we got there but I could hear the backhoe when we got out of the car.
Sean took his new electric guitar and amp and a Nerf gun and when he got those things settled he ran right back out saying, "I'm going outside with Chuck."
He spent a little bit of time on the backhoe and got to drive it back up to the main property.

For dinner Chuck made chicken with vidalia onion BBQ sauce I bought him at the Charlotte airport from one of those souvenir shops. Chuck took Sean out to the grill and had him make it. We had discussed how to get Sean to try new foods and it was Chuck's idea to get him involved in making the chicken. Sean had two pieces. It was really good. I loved it.
After dinner Sean played his guitar a little, then he and Lilly had a Nerf war.
I wish I had gotten pictures, but I didn't take my camera.
We packed in a lot of activity in a short time because Lilly and Chuck made ice cream after dinner.
When the kitchen was clean we went upstairs and watched a movie together and ate the ice cream.
We all had a great time.

Home eatin'

While we were in Tennessee we ate at some of my favorite food establishments. I know for some people that isn't a big deal, but see, I left the South and headed to California a decade ago. I thought I might starve. There were other problems there, but that would be way too much information to put into this blog.

So, back to food.
Let me begin by saying none of these food establishments, or their parent companies, employees, managers, servers or anyone affiliated with them are paying me to blog about them. I got nothing free, no coupons, no compensation whatsoever. They are just my personal favorites.

I didn't get a picture of Taco John's, but that place holds a lot of memories for me. My mom and I used to go there on Taco Tuesdays when tacos were something like 59 cents, I can't remember. It is also the first place I found that would do a special order for my vegetarian tastes. Their Taco Bravo is my favorite, with refried beans, lettuce, tomato, black olives and sour cream stuffed into a hard shell and cased in a soft shell. mmmm. yummy.

I must have been slow with the camera when we first arrived, because I forgot to get a picture of Pal's. Pal's is a fast food place with a huge hot dog on the building. If you've never seen one, it is a bit shocking at first, but it soon becomes a beacon.  I believe it is one of the BEST fast food restaurants. For several reasons, but mainly because they get the order correct. And do you know why they get the order correct? BECAUSE A REAL HUMAN BEING TAKES THE ORDER.
When you visit Pal's, you pull up to the window and right there in front of you is a real live person. There is no speaker system. That person takes your order and directs you to drive around the building to the second window where you pay for the order and take your bag full of deliciousness that may include a toasted cheese sandwich (my personal favorite) and an order of Frenchie Fries. And if you're like me, and you enjoy a tasty, refreshing sweet tea, you can order up that bad boy for $1 and sip on it all day. I think it's 32 oz., and it is oh, so good.

One cold afternoon Sean and I were on our own and hungry. I was trying to think of a place to go that we don't have here in Washington and realized I was very close to Chik-fil-A.

The line for Chik-fil-A was around the building when we got there, while we were inside eating, and people were still coming as we were leaving. Inside this particular restaurant you'll find friendly staff who walk around to your table and offer to refresh your drink for you. The food is delish and I wish we had Chik-fil-A here. Sean loved it!

David and Grace took us to a place called Cook Out. I had never been, and they said it was pretty good food at a very reasonable price. Woweeee. Four of us ate there for less than $16. I guess they must be famous for their milkshakes, but I didn't know that when I was ordering. It was pretty cold outside, so I don't think we would have ordered one anyway. Maybe next visit.

On our final day there we got up and I called David and Jewel to see if we could all eat lunch together at Poor Richard's. Poor Richard's has two locations in Johnson City, and I personally prefer the campus location, but we needed to get to the closest one in the interest of time. We ate at the one close to the Mall. It was a great way to say goodbye before we headed to the airport for our trip back to Washington.

These were taken at Poor Richard's Uptown. The top photo is of Grace, me and Dave. Middle pic is me with Jewel, and bottom is Bjorn and Jewel. Parsla was sleeping in her seat.

A Tender Tennessee Christmas

Sean and I spent Christmas Day with family in Tennessee. What a great time we had!
We left out of Sea-Tac on Christmas Eve morning, not even the butt crack of dawn. Snow was predicted for the weekend, and we were prepared. I packed Sean's snowsuit, boots and gloves just in case.
Jewel, Bjorn and Parsla picked us up at the airport and it was a cold night.
Bjorn's brother let us stay in his beautiful apartment for the week and he stayed with his girlfriend. He was so kind and generous and even stocked the fridge. It was a nice place and we were very comfortable there.
Christmas Day we had already planned to head for the lake house in the mountains and the whole fam was joining us there. It was snowing, and Sean and I were excited. All but one vehicle was 4-wheel drive, so it was no problem getting there and out. It snowed all day. We spent the whole day there until dark. It's a beautiful place.

Sean on the deck at the lake house in Tennessee on Christmas Day.

From there we went to my dad's where there had been a house full of guests. We came as everyone was leaving, but we had a nice visit. It was still snowing.
The rest of the week we navigated the cold, snow and ice. Sean drove the 4-wheeler in the snow and did doughnuts on the road in front of Jewel and Bjorn's place and had a blast. He also spent some time playing their Wii and building the countless Lego sets he got for Christmas from the family.
I was able to visit with a couple of old friends. I met April when she was 3 and I was 2 and we grew up across the street from each other. I hadn't seen her in about 23 years. She hadn't changed.
Chera is a good friend from college. We were both in the psych program at ETSU and were great friends through those years and beyond. I hadn't seen her since I visited there when Sean was a baby, so about 8 years. She hasn't changed at all either.  It was nice to catch up with them.
The week was packed with activity. We spent some time at Bjorn's parents' home one afternoon, we went bowling one night with Bjorn, Jewel, Brett, Jen and Jean (Bjorn's mom) and had a great time.

Brett was pretty serious about his bowling attire. 

David and Grace took us to the Bristol Speedway in Lights and it was great! It was something to see.

Some of the lights were race themed. We got to drive on the track!

Once we had driven through the entire display we went to the pit and had some hot Russian tea and Sean roasted marshmallows in the fire as we all huddled to keep warm. There were amusement rides, but it was way too cold to do that.
The day before we were set to leave my dad took us on a trip to the shooting range. Sean was able to fire some real weapons, something he has wanted to do for a long time. I'm not really into guns at all, but he is. Dad is, of course, and so is David.
We also visited the Gray Fossil Site with Bjorn, Jewel, Parsla and Jean and I loved it. I think the facility will continue to grow and become a wonderful resource for the area. It's amazing to think that there were once camels in Tennessee.

I loved spending time with Jewel, Bjorn and Parsla and Dave and Grace. It was great to reconnect with old family too, who aren't really my family anymore but I still claim them. My former in-laws are just the best people in the world. I enjoyed visiting with my former sister-in-law too. She's always fun.
I wish we could have stayed a little longer, but I was also glad to come back. I hope to visit more often. I can't wait to see this little girl again!

Union party

Last night was the union party for the firefighters, and Chuck hosted it at his place. I intended to arrive early and help him prepare, but I couldn't drop Sean off until late afternoon. Traffic was awful. I got there and Chuck had everything ready except the cranberry sauce. So I made that. Whoo hoo, lot of help.

He is an absolute wonder. I couldn't believe how much food he had prepared all by himself. There was some kind of beef, though I'm not a meat person so I don't know what it was, maybe a roast? He had some delicious mashed potatoes, a salad, a relish tray and a veggie tray and cooked broccoli. He even baked some cookies! He used to work in restaurants and even ran the line, he said. (Have I said he's a fireman, and he can cook, and I really like him?) I took my camera, but was in such a rush I forgot I had the battery in the charger on the wall. No pics.

There was no drinking until the shift guys left, and then people really just drank light and no one got crazy. I realized how much I miss being around fun people who banter and joke around. My life has been so serious in the past six years or so.

It was about 9 and four couples, including us, and one guy went up to the loft to play an 80s game. I was horrible at it, even though I'm a child of the 80s. Most of the questions were about music, and I really wasn't that into the music. The music I like wasn't the music in the questions. Ask me about Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers or Dire Straits and I could probably answer, but I guess they aren't technically 80s bands.
It was a lot of fun, though. We weren't dead last, but close. Others seemed to know a LOT about the 80s. I enjoyed meeting the other couples and a few of the guys were really funny and made it enjoyable.

That game went on forever. I think it was midnight when we were finished, and I helped clean up until 12:30 a.m. or later, maybe it was 1 a.m., I can't remember.

His house is for sale, and wouldn't you know someone was coming today to look at it. Of course, the day after a big party. We worked fast and hard to get everything cleaned up.

I asked him, "What are we going to do after Christmas, when there's no party and nowhere to go?" Snuggle and talk, he said. Ahh, and that sounds great to me.

Cookies and fellowship

Last Sunday I stopped over at the pastor's house for an annual Open House Christmas Cookie fellowship.
His wife Sandra makes an array of cookies from scratch, complete with name plates for each decorative and delicious flavor.
Shane and Jacob-Joshua were at church that morning, and immediately after church we had an education meeting. After the meeting Shane followed me to Pastor Jim's and we enjoyed the decorations and friends there.

All of the cookies are from scratch, and they are decorated perfectly. Sandra said her mom was a cake decorator, so she watched as a child while her mother prepared cakes.

Yesterday was our Las Posadas celebration at church. It is the first time our church has put this on, and our fellowship hall was transformed into a Fiesta complete with banners and pinatas. The children followed Mary and Joseph as they knocked on a door four times and were turned away until the fourth time they were welcomed in. Each time they knocked someone gave examples of people who are hurting in our world and in some cases are turned away.
I didn't get pictures because I forgot my camera. The choir members and children all wore ponchos, except for Mary and Joseph. It was fun, but Sean didn't care for it. He was hot in the poncho and bored with the procession. My patience was wearing thin, so we didn't stay around for all of the rest of the celebration. We had a long day ahead with a social event that afternoon, so I figured I'd be setting myself and Sean up for a bad day if we hung around.

We came home and had a little while to regroup before heading to Chuck's. I took some leftover decorations for him to choose from for his union party coming up this week. Then we all piled into my car and were on our way to an afternoon Christmas open house at a friend's house. We were there for quite a while, but the food and company were so good it was hard to leave.
On the drive back to Chuck's Lilly and Sean were playing and laughing in the back seat, and I thought how long it had been since I heard that kind of chatter in my car from children.
Back to Chuck's, and a light dinner with Chuck and Lilly before he had to take Lilly back to her mom's.

Puget Sound Revels

We started a tradition last year when I took my aunt Bennie to see the Puget Sound Revels Show at Christmas time. After that show I was already planning to take her again this year. Each year the show changes, so I knew it would still be a new experience.
I bought tickets a week or so ago for today's matinee.
Time got away from me a bit so we were cutting it close on getting there on time, and then we had to park.
Parking is awful, but I knew I wanted to park in the same garage we parked in last year because it is so close to the theatre. We got the last spot in the garage, but I had forgotten what a pain it is to pay.

So you have to pay $5 to park. OK. Not a really big deal. Except I forgot about that part and didn't have $5 in my wallet. I dug around and found $2 and some change, and Bennie had some change. While she was digging for her change I was putting my money in the tiny little slot. I swear we spent an extra 10 mins. at this pay stall just trying to get enough for $5 and get it in the metal slot.

That's us. We parked in spot 31, and that long thin slot is the one for your CHANGE. The one next to it that you can barely see, that's the one for your DOLLARS. 

So we didn't have enough and Bennie read on the sign you could write a check.

So she wrote a check for $2. Then we had to fold that sucker small enough to fit into the slot. She tried to jam it in with her key, but it was stuck. So I pulled it back out with my key, unfolded it a bit and was able to cram it in.
Honestly, who comes up with these pay stalls?
Finally we were on our way. I get to the will call and get our extra ticket I ordered for Rhian and realize I left my other three at home. UGH! Luckily they had a record of my purchase, wrote me a note to get in that had seat numbers on it, and we got seated. I'm not sure how much we missed.

We weren't allowed to take pics during the performance, but Sean snapped some of the stage during intermission.
This year's show was really different from last year. It was Victorian England, and it was filled with lots of humor. We had a great time. I love two songs in particular that they sing each year, "Dona Nobis Pacem" and "Lord of the Dance."
"Dance, then, wherever you may be.
I am the Lord of the Dance," said he. "And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be, And I'll lead you all in the dance," said he.
During that song the actors come out into the audience and encourage everyone to join hands and dance around the theatre. It is such fun.
I love this show because it was blatantly Christmas. There is no watered down "happy holidays," about it. The songs are all about Christ and the Christmas celebration.
The Puget Sound Revels have activities throughout the year, including a May Day celebration on May 1 and a Children's Play Date with Revels Theatre Project in October. I feel very lucky to have a Revels near us. There are only 10 cities in the country that have Revels. If you have one near you, go. It's a great way to get into the Christmas spirit.