Well the day we were scheduled to leave (Sat morning) I got a phone call on my cell phone. I woke up to Robin calling from the lab and she asked me if we have workman’s comp insurance? I responded by saying yes we have it, it comes out of my pocket-why? Then between Robin & Kim talking on speakerphone to me I was unsure what they were trying to tell me. Then Robin explained to me that there had been such a loud sound around 4:07 AM that they thought a car had crashed into the lab and in fact Kim says that it scared her so bad she almost cried! Evidentially there had been an earthquake that was rated as 2.8-3.0 on the Richter scale. The Roanoke Times reports: The Roanoke Valley was shaken early Saturday by a magnitude 3 earthquake that rattled buildings from Vinton to Salem and prompted people to flood emergency dispatch offices with dozens of calls. There were no reports of injuries or property damage. The epicenter of the quake, which struck at 4:08 a.m., was in the Cave Spring area near Garst Mill Road, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. According to researchers, similar incidents are recorded about once a year in Virginia, but most are hardly noticed because they typically happen in sparsely populated areas. "These earthquakes are fairly ordinary," said Martin Chapman, a research assistant professor of geophysics at Virginia Tech. "There's nothing remarkable about it, other than the center being in a populated area." The USGS initially reported the quake registered at 2.6, and throughout the day upgraded it to 2.8 and then 3. John Bellini, an USGS geophysicist, confirmed quakes are not "common everyday occurrences" in Virginia, though they might be on the West Coast.
With all the excitement I decided to go ahead and finish packing/loading the pickup. We had decided to take a car and the pickup so on the days that Thomas and I are in class Caitlynn and Douglas can have transportation. It’s an exciting day as Douglas Mitchell (my black child I affectionately refer to him when someone inquisitive asks who he is when he’s with our family) will be flying into Richmond today at 12:30 PM. Douglas has been a part of our family since he was in 2nd grade when he and Brandon became friends shortly after we moved from Hale Center, Tx. to Anton, Tx. when we bought our house with land there. Douglas and Brandon were inseparable and his mom refers to us as his white family and we all get a kick out of it. His birthday was yesterday and he turned 27 yrs old. He is 30 days older than Brandon would be. I’ll never forget the first time Douglas came to spend the night and was getting ready for bed and pulled out a plastic bag that he slept over his hair. Our type of hair has to stay clean without oil and they need oil for theirs to grow and be healthy. It was hilarious when the boys were in the bathroom getting ready and I walked by and heard Brandon tell him “well I hope it doesn’t fall over your head and you suffocate during the night!” Out of the mouths of Babes. Those 2 boys would make me laugh all the time. There was a time when the boys were in the 4th grade and Douglas’s family moved to Levelland, Tx. (which is 45 minutes from Anton). I told his mother Frances that I was claiming stepparent rights and we would have to come get him every other weekend and we did. We would pick him up on Friday afternoons and we would take him back after church on Sunday afternoons so he has been a part of our family truly. He took trips with us and one of his fondest memories was the trip we took to Austin to see my family for a few days. Lynn (Caitlynn and Brandon’s dad) and I took both of them to a sporting good store and bought the boys Dallas Cowboy helmets and gear, they loved all of it! The minute we got back to my mom’s they were outside throwing their new football and testing out all of their gear! Douglas dug many post holes with Brandon, even in the scorching hot summer sun and there were days that they walked all over our acreage picking up any piece of glass that may have been there for years because Lynn didn’t want them sitting around with nothing to do. The boys would spend nights out at the hay barn roping of the roping head with their music going and they’d talk about horses, hunting, castrating pigmy goats, stacking hay, planting wheat, and chickens-Brandon loved his chickens and loved talking to his PaPa Miller (my dad who got him started)about it all. One of my Nana Miller’s favorite stories to tell was when my dad was a young boy (about 2nd grade she recalled) and she got a phone call from the postmaster. The postmaster said, “Catherine, your chickens are here and you can come pick them up now.” Nana’s reply was “ I DID NOT order any chickens, what makes you think they are mine?” He told her because Art came here and mailed the order after I told him he couldn’t mail cash. She said “Art ordered chickens without telling me?” He assured her he did not of those details but they needed water/feeding so she needed to pick them up! So that’s when my dad’s love of agriculture began-the rest is history or should I say family history.
There would be nights that they’d stay up almost all night but regardless they were never inside. They were the best of friends for the duration of Brandon’s life and he will always be special to me for the duration of my life.
Thomas and I had decided to drive separately so we’d have 2 vehicles so Tracy and I had decided to go early this morning to shop at the outlet mall in Williamsburg while Thomas and Caitlynn left a little later so they could pick Douglas up at the Richmond airport and we’d all meet at the condo in Colonial Crossings which is where we’re staying for the week. So after answering my cell phone this morning I tried to let Thomas sleep so I went ahead and put the Rat dogs in the compound as Sam Booth would be caring for them during our absence. If Val stays in our bedroom she protects Thomas by letting him know everything going on around her so he is not able to sleep in usually if she’s on guard in our bedroom. I took care of all the clothes and Thomas/Caitlynn would load groceries from the house to bring with them. Tracy met me at the house around 7:30 AM and off we were for shopping. As Tracy likes to call it “sole therapy”. She will spend the night with us and then drive back to Roanoke on Sunday. Our hope is to go to the beach for the daytime on Sunday if the weather holds out for us. We left for our trip on I-81-North with just my music and the beautiful day ahead of us. At 8:15 AM we passed Buchanan, VA and it’s always such a beautiful drive through the mountains-no matter when we come this way. Below the draw there are cattle standing in the stream that I believe actually feeds into the James River in this area. The weather was great with a few scattered clouds and 68 degrees outside so I drove with my windows down and sang to myself. Just call me a “child of the wind” which is a very funny story that Caitlynn shared with me after she and Kati Hurt made their first overnight stay away from home-in Pigeon Forge, TN-by themselves. They went on the last weekend of April for Kati’s 17th birthday; I purchased the hotel suite for them as Kati’s birthday gift since she wanted to go to this area of TN. The story as Caitlynn told us was great as she describes herself as being a “bigger girl that her body was built with vegetables and smart water” and Kati has to take a deep breath to create a shadow. So as Caitlynn tells the story, “it was hot and Kati decides that she doesn’t want to run the A/C so she rolled all the windows down”. “As sweat is rolling down my back”, Caitlynn reports “Kati decides we need to be children of the wind with our hair blowing everywhere!” They made it home safe and sound along with a lot of funny stories to tell us from their first overnight trip alone.
8:30 AM I called to see how Douglas’s flights were going for him and he had just landed in Dallas to change planes after his layover then it would be direct to Richmond from there. He flew one time to Houston and met us as we were flying in from Belize and then we all (including Douglas) drove from Houston, Tx. to VA. He had never been to a casino so on that trip as we alternated driving shifts home we usually slept but Thomas asked Douglas if he had ever been to casino and he had not. So with Thomas’s usual nature, we stopped in Louisiana and dropped Douglas and him off to go in and “try it out” as a first life experience for Douglas. Caitlynn and I slept in the pickup because we could stretch out while they were gone and when they were ready to go they called my cell phone and we drove around to pick them up and we were back on the road for the 23-24 hour trip to VA. Douglas says since that trip he will never drive to VA again, he will always fly (but he never complained). We laughed at the memories as he and Caitlynn rode most of the way on that trip in the back seat and they acted like brother and sister (most of you parents I’m SURE have experienced road trips with your kids). Nothing but love!
Tracy and I stopped at McDonalds to get a bite of breakfast. As we pulled up to park I heard Steven Tyler’s song and the line in it that song I love states: Life’s a journey, not a destination, I agree and the fun part is the journey with your friends and family every chance you get….Our route from I-81 north took us to I-64 east to Richmond then we took the loop around Richmond onto 295 south where it begins the VA Civil War Trails, we resumed I-64 east to take us to the Williamsburg Prime Outlet Mall-our destination for now. We were approximately 4-5 miles from our arrival point to shop when I was in the right lane while Tracy was ahead of me about ½ block in the left lane. She started to change lanes after looking but didn’t see a car in her blind spot. I saw it coming so I laid down on the horn to alert her and she did swerve and the car in the lane she was trying to move into also swerved. Then the car pulled up next to Tracy and gave her the universal sign language with one finger that indicated to her the driver’s anger….my poor wife!
Off to the shops we went, looking for good deals is our mission. We had a good time and enjoyed our therapy but we were not able to truly call it sole therapy since we realized neither of us had bought a shoe one for the entire day…what the heck? We went to the condo and no one was there since Thomas, Caitlynn, and Douglas had gone to get groceries for the week. I took Tracy into the front room where Douglas must have placed his luggage when he arrived since there was a big red Fireman bag; she had to see his starched clothes. He’s worn them since we met and all cowboys in Texas starch all their clothes. There was a time when he was younger and he’d starch all of his things but since adulthood he now takes it all to the cleaners but trust me-they could stand without a body in them due to the starch! I pulled a pair of pants out and showed them to Tracy and she just laughed. They arrived with “the goods” and we helped put it all away. Douglas looks great and has become such a nice young man. I love watching him and Caitlynn together as he has always treated her like the brother she wishes she had, she states. Yes, I mean he wrestles with her and reminds her that he can still “whoop you; you’re not too big for me to whoop”. Thomas enlightened us that the forecast for tomorrow was not looking good as they are predicting rain and colder temperatures throughout the day as a front is moving through so we altered our plans. Tracy and I went to the pool and laid out in the glorious bright sunshine for about an hour and a half-felt great with good conversation and company. Caitlynn and Thomas started getting the stuff ready to prepare dinner so Tracy and I joined them at the grill after we ran to get charcoal to cook with from Wal-Mart. Thomas was told the grills were gas but they were not so we had to make a quick trip to the ‘saving store’. Brandon used to say; Wal-Mart, Wal-Mart that’s our store, we shop there because we’re poor”. We all set the table, blessed the food provided and ate our dinner together as we laughed and shared stories of the past and enjoyed each others company. Thomas had several beers by this time (if you know what I mean) and we talked about running as Tracy and I would like to do the race in San Francisco next year in May as it is called Bay-to-Breakers that Dr. Killeen had told me about. He said it looks like a blast as every walk of life runs it-it is an 8 or 10K I believe. Thomas informed us that he ran a 5 minute mile as a teenager so he had “no doubt that I can run a 10 minute mile now, that should be very easy”. Oh my gosh, I can not believe he said that so I tried to clarify his time quantity as Tracy and I told him with our regular running we do 12-13 minute miles as an average on a 5K and he confirmed that he could still currently do a 10 minute mile---are you kidding me? I told everyone at the table that he had told Caitlynn and I a couple of months ago that he thinks he’s the most physically fit person in our house-what? We still laugh about that since I run 3-5 times a week and he plays seasonal hockey as a goalie. I believe that means he stands in the net until a puck comes toward him then he moves, right? I’m Texan not Canadian like my handsome husband but I have watched him play hockey a few times in the last 7 years…..Anyway everything in life is perception I guess but regardless, he agreed that he can run a 10 minute mile at any time currently and he’d prove it to me so I agreed to hold him to that! We all laughed except him…. The rest of the evening was spent with Caitlynn and Douglas watching cooking shows as this is her favorite, Tracy and I talked as we sat outside on the deck in rocking chairs, and Thomas rested in the big whirlpool Jacuzzi tub in our bathroom. The kids finished off the evening as they watched bull riding since Douglas had confiscated the remote control after watching enough Paula Deen (www.pauladeen.com) “Remember when I said springtime makes the whole world a fresh green salad? Now it’s time to grab a fork and dive right in! Happy spring, and remember, this season and every season, I send you love and best dishes, from my kitchen to yours”. To float a boat made out of butter, Douglas said he was done with that! Do people who cook really have “Butter Rangers” that assist them in the kitchen? I mean I’ve never had big buff young men wearing “Butter Rangers” on their t-shirts come waltzing in my kitchen (or any of my friends that I know of?) to assit me in preparing my food with butter-I guess just Paula Deen has them. It’s been a good day with a good ending.
Sunday, May 17, 2009-we woke up to a drastic weather change as it is overcast and cooler with 52 degrees outside and 90% chance of rain. So Tracy and I definitely changed our plans to go to the beach and decided to make a quick visit back to the Prime Outlets again. I had only spent $34 so not too much damage yesterday and besides we needed to exchange Caitlynn’s bras since she did not like what I had selected for her yesterday. (When I asked the lady at the Maidenform store for her best 38 DD bras she looked at me strangely then I explained to her that they would be for my well-endowed daughter who is 15-not sure where those genes came from? She responded with “15?”) As I came out of our room for the morning I laughed as Caitlynn was sleeping on the floor in the living room and Douglas was sleeping on the couch, we laughed because there was another bed in the room Tracy slept in that neither of them could of used. I knew the two of them had talked until wee hours of the morning and rightfully so since it had been awhile since he had been here in VA to see us, I believe 2 yrs actually. Thomas began cooking breakfast for us and I got ready as we had an owners meeting at 9:00 AM before us girls could leave for our attempt at sole therapy again. Tracy, Thomas and I ate and I was sure to reconfirm his statement that he could run a 10 minute mile and he still acknowledges it, even after he slept??? (maybe he hit his head yesterday that I wasn’t aware of?) The kids slept off and on while Thomas and I were gone and Tracy cleaned the kitchen for us. We returned so Tracy and I headed back to the Prime Outlets for a little bit. Midway into our shopping trip it began to rain and rained for the entirety of the day. That did not seem to bother us as we had joked about not buying any shoes yesterday but then today we stumbled across a store named “Closet” and the logo was a red stiletto heel, appropriately named we thought. They had the cutest shoes and by the time we left Tracy had purchased 3 pairs of shoes and I had purchased 5 pairs, what did I just say? That’s right 5 really cute pairs of shoes, this was a weird day when I out purchase Tracy in shoes…Oh well Tracy’s weakness is the “Lucky” brand store so we returned there and she made up for my out buying her in shoes. Upon our return to the condo Tracy loaded up and headed off to Roanoke. Meanwhile the 4 of us sat around and watched TV, ate and talked-a lot. I cracked up as Caitlynn got up from sitting down and she’d have to pull her pants up as that is one of Douglas’s pet peeves. He told her to get a belt and she told him she has one so he told her to put it on then! He tells us that is a pet peeve of his with his employees. Thomas continued cooking in the kitchen as he worked on his famous spaghetti sauce and also prepared some extra hamburger meat to use later for tacos that Caitlynn will prepare. He makes me laugh when we go on a trip because it is difficult for him to relax and just do nothing. But he does enjoy cooking and he used to do all the cooking when we first met/married. He recalls when he would cook for the family when he and Sherry were married and she’d “fuss” over the way he did things or moved things around in the kitchen so rather than create friction he’d just not cook. He made a point to tell me that story shortly after we married when I would ask him if he’d like me to help him and he’d deny help each time. His love language is definitely acts of service so I’ve always joked and said our prenuptial agreement was that he cook and I clean so I fulfill my responsibilities as I would clean as he prepares the meals. For about the last year Caitlynn has taken over almost all of the food preparations at our home so I think he enjoyed the time today of just puttering in the kitchen, on no time schedule but with a goal in mind-DINNER. We sat at the dinner table, blessed the food and enjoyed talking to each other. Afterwards we watched the Stanley Cup Playoffs which was Game 1: Chicago #4 vs. Detroit #2, Detroit won. Thomas went to bed first as he was the only one who HAD to be up and out of here in the morning. I stayed up and talked with Douglas and Caitlynn until she bailed on us around 1:15 AM then I was behind her 45 minutes later. Good night….Today in history: A filly named Rachel Alexandra won the Preakness in Maryland (Preakness Stake’s results: Twelfth race at Pimlico, in Baltimore Purse: $1,100,000. Track: Dirt. Distance: 1 3/16 miles. Three-year olds.) She is the 1st filly to win in 85 years. Headline news: UPDATED STORY: May 17, 10:01 pm LOS ANGELES - An earlier reported 5.0 earthquake is now being reported as a magnitude 4.7 earthquake, which struck tonight in South Los Angeles, and minutes later a magnitude 3.1 aftershock occurred, but no major damage or injuries were reported. The "moderate'' 4.7 quake struck shortly before 8:40 p.m., a mile east of Lennox, a mile south southeast of Inglewood and 10 miles south southwest of the Los Angeles Civic Center, according to Caltech. The rumbling lasted 10 to 15 seconds and was felt throughout the Greater Los Angeles area and as far south as San Diego, according to various witnesses. It was the strongest quake to strike the Southland since the magnitude 5.5 earthquake that hit in Chino Hills last July 29. The 3.1 aftershock occurred just after 8:45 p.m. a mile north northwest of Hawthorne and 3 miles southwest of Inglewood, according to Caltech. A 2.5 "micro quake'' also struck in the area at 8:44 p.m., according to Caltech. No fires, structural damage or injuries due to the earthquake were reported in El Segundo, Inglewood, and the city of Los Angeles or Los Angeles County, fire and police department officials from various agencies said.
Monday, May 18, 2009-started out partly cloud, cleared before noon then by evening started getting cloudy again. The temperature today will have a high of 65 degrees. Thomas got up at 6:45 AM and was out the door by 7:15 to work in the Richmond office. I got up and did my devotions, read my “The One Life Solution” book that I’ve been reading. It is written by Dr. Henry Cloud. I then worked on writing my resume for the Leadership Roanoke Valley nomination that is due by June 5th. Douglas and Caitlynn are still sleeping but this time she slept in a bed, not the floor! It’s time for me to be off so I went to the gym to workout since I had not ran since Friday and I felt like I did nothing but eat yesterday due to the rainy day-it always makes me just want to snack it seems. After my hour workout I returned to the condo where Caitlynn had prepared her and Douglas “steakums” for lunch. So I was glad to make guacamole and a sandwich and they were watching a reality show about mobile home makeovers? Do people really do that since they just depreciate? Afterwards the 3 of us went back to the outlet mall since they had not seen it and we walked around and made a couple of small purchases. Caitlynn had a gift card that she used and she entertained the saleslady at the Perfumeria, the saleslady laughed and laughed as Caitlynn was in search of “her own fragrance”. We left and then returned for her purchase after she thought about it and walked around a bit. We headed back to the condo and had an afternoon snack and Douglas got comfortable and fell asleep on the couch (he is on vacation), Caitlynn went into our room and watched a cooking show and I resumed my writing on this story. We will look forward to having Thomas back with us this evening, he always livens things up. He arrived close to 8:00 PM with 2 ½ inch porterhouse cut steaks. Douglas, Caitlynn, and I laughed as she had asked me about 2 hours earlier what she should fix for dinner and I had told her to just let Thomas decide since we had eaten what we liked today since we were here all day, and it’s a good thing since it seems he already had decided and made his purchases. He said that he thought this would be the last day we could grill out due to the weather forecast so he thought we should take advantage of it. I went outside with him after he got the steaks on the grill and we chatted as we caught up on the day’s events. I love spending time with this husband of mine and watching him do the simplest things such as this, I realize he’s quite the perfectionist but makes things happen. We had the salt and pepper outside with us when Caitlynn came to retrieve it as she was preparing the side dishes in the condo while we grilled. As she began to take them, Thomas asked her to wait a minute and he opened up a paper towel he held and put a small amount of each into it and then gave the set to her to take. When the steaks became very close to ready he stood above them and rubbed his hands together to create a grinding effect to cover each of them. My thoughts go back to him telling me stories of days when he was a Boy Scout/Eagle Scout so I believe he can improvise with anything. The four of us enjoyed another nice, quiet meal together after we blessed it and thanked the Lord for providing it for us and the time to spend together.
As the Stanley Cup Playoff continues, tonight is Game 1: Hurricanes #6 @ Penguins #4 and the Penguins take the first win. Then we all sat around and watched Spike TV (a cable channel) with the season premier of “4th and Long”-4th Quarter Training (After moving into their new home at the Cotton Bowl Stadium, Michael Irvin puts the 6 wide receivers and 6 defensive backs through a grueling set of full contact drills designed to test their ability and they will eliminate one weekly. The final one left will actually hold a place on the 80 man roster for the Dallas Cowboys this next season...) The four of us watched both together and Caitlynn would occasionally text Kati Hurt or Lindsey Page Blankenship but was mostly attentive. Thomas’s favorite NFL team has always been the Cowboys. We called it a night for Thomas and me as we headed to our room. He got in the Jacuzzi tub in our bathroom and worked on his Suduko puzzles and I resumed my writing. My reading for today from the Living Faith: Children’s lessons as we learn the song “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so……” It is a simple tune with a simple message, but within it lays the truth that gives meaning and purpose to our lives: The love of God is revealed to us through Jesus Christ and the Scriptures. From the beginning of my life as a Christian that simple song holds truth. But since then I have continued to be blessed by a seemingly never-ending series of revelations that show me over and over the full extent of God’s love-from my relationship with my husband and our 4 year marriage to our two beautiful and faith-filled children and on to the blessings of friends who never stop challenging me and affirming my faith while we share good conversation and meals around the table. In all these ways, and in so many more, God continues to reveal himself to me, and I am blessed. God, thank you for the ways you reveal yourself to me.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009-We woke up this morning and Thomas immediately ran his hot water in the Jacuzzi tub and grabbed a cup of coffee and off he went! The temperature was 52 degrees and expected to be clear with average temperature of 67 degrees. I worked on returning texts, calls, and emails then when The Today Show (http://today.msnbc.msn.com) came on I was right there enjoying it, it is really the only thing I watch on TV if it’s not football season. I like it because it gives me a good diversified view of many areas of our world (finance, beauty, investments, weather, and travel). One of the topics today were the fact that Google’s CEO spoke at the commencement exercises for University of Pennsylvania and told the graduates to “Disconnect and Log-off at least once a week”, obviously our country’s culture is cultivating our children who struggle with balance as they are in this environment that we as parents struggle in that area too. He said they will never realize what’s important to them unless they learn to do this regularly. Another newsworthy topic is: “Shuttle astronaut’s tweets are heavenly”: In space, anyone can hear you tweet. Story goes: 325,000 follow astronaut’s mission, musings via Twitter. Astronaut Michael Massimino now in orbit on space shuttle Atlantis is the first person to Twitter from space. (A Tweet is 140 or less characters) Since reaching orbit, he has tapped his tweets into the shuttle’s laptops and e-mailed them to Lemasters. She posts them to twitter.com/Astro_Mike. “The one regret that I have when I look out the window and I see how beautiful the Earth looks…is that you can’t share it with everyone,” says Astro Mike.
Then one of the topics The Today Show spoke of was: Pillow Talk Study-People taking laptops to bed has surpassed 30% (no wonder we have sleep issues…job security) and also there would be “No day at the beach” as 35% of Americans not taking vacations due to the economy this year. The Bureau of Labor Statistics: Nonfarm payroll employment continued to decline in April (-539,000), and the unemployment rate rose from 8.5 to 8.9 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Since the recession began in December 2007, 5.7 million jobs have been lost. In April, job losses were large and widespread across nearly all major private-sector industries. Overall, private-sector employment fell by 611,000. The number of unemployed persons increased by 563,000 to 13.7 million in April, and the unemployment rate rose to 8.9 percent. Over the past 12 months, the number of unemployed persons has risen by 6.0 million, and the unemployment rate has grown by 3.9 percentage points.
Unemployment rates rose in April for adult men (9.4 percent) and blacks (15.0 percent). The jobless rates for adult women (7.1percent), teenagers (21.5 percent), whites (8.0 percent), and Hispanics (11.3 percent) were little changed over the month. The unemployment rate for Asians was 6.6 percent in April, not seasonally adjusted, up from 3.2 percent a year earlier.7/
Thomas resumed working from his laptop and made a lot of phone calls to several of his offices, Caitlynn and Douglas were still sleeping so I ate a bowl of cereal and a banana and off to work out at the gym here on location. Upon my return Thomas decided we would go to Milano’s restaurant for a later lunch around 2 PM. I laughed as we started out the door and Douglas socked Caitlynn in the upper arm area, it was so loud I said, “uuhhh I felt that over here!” Caitlynn said “The 1st is bad but the 2nd is worse”. I replied “then why don’t you run” and she said “cause he’s gonna chase me so I might as well just stand here and take it.” We all laughed, he’s always treated her like a sister.
After our lunch with Italian food Thomas was driving with Caitlynn as co-pilot and Douglas and I sat in the back. We drove towards Busch Garden then Thomas turned into the Amheuser-Busch Distilling factory located here in Williamsburg Anheuser-Busch Cos. is a St. Louis-based, publicly-traded corporation that primarily produces and distributes more than 100 brands of beer, most notably Budweiser. In 2006 Anheuser-Busch sold 125 million barrels of beer, with gross sales of $18 billion and net income of $2 billion, making it the United States' largest brewer. Among the corporate divisions is Busch Entertainment Corp., which has 11 theme and water parks, including SeaWorld Orlando, Discovery Cove and (the soon to open) Aquatica in Orlando, and Busch Gardens and Adventure Island in Tampa. Other BEC parks are SeaWorld San Diego, SeaWorld San Antonio, Busch Gardens Europe and Water Country USA in Virginia and Sesame Place in Pennsylvania. The security guard stopped us just before we walked in and instructed us that they no longer do tours so we returned to our car and headed out to sight see. We decided to go to Williamsburg Winery (www.williamsburgwinery.com) since we have never been there and we try to go to any wineries in an area we are visiting: Williamsburg Winery is Virginia’s largest winery with an annual production of some 60,000 cases. With approximately 100 wineries in Virginia, the Williamsburg Winery accounts for almost one-quarter of all wine production in Virginia. Thomas and I did the tasting while Douglas and Caitlynn looked around at the setting we were in and after a purchase we were off to our next venture. Thomas took the Colonial Parkway drive since he has never made this drive before, so we did it together. The Parkway takes you to over the James River to Historic Jamestown, VA, Jamestown Island, Island Loop Dr, and then the Glasshouse of 1608. Along the pleasant drive we saw squirrels, geese and a deer-what a great afternoon for a drive. The trees that surround us are very tall and there are areas of water with the smell of honeysuckle from the woods as we make our drive. Initially we passed an area that had a small beach area that people were fishing and laying out in the sun. Then there was a farm area with cows standing in the small valleys and as we left that area and got more into the Colonial Parkway drive there were several cyclists riding. As we began to pass one ahead Thomas told Caitlynn to “reach your hand out and smack his booty as we go by”, we laughed and I said as we got slightly closer (and the body frame) “I believe that’s a woman” and as we passed her Thomas agreed as he said “Yeah, sports bra”. We all chuckled. So as we stopped to read the marques on the Island Loop drive, the facts written were these: The colonist arrived in 1607 to this area. Confederate troops guarded the river channel during the Civil War. Six out of seven people died out in Jamestown for the 1st 18 years they were here due to medical problems. Within 3 days of reaching the New World the 1st Jamestown colonists had assembled a small boat to explore the remaining area around them. VA vintage (wines) often spoiled during shipment so they colonists began making their own vintages. Colonists wondered of the deep/tall forests of VA. 1640 Jamestown potters were making their own pottery needed. Powhatans (Indians) traded for staples with the settlers. Jamestown imported silk from the Mediterranean and the orient. King James called smoking “a filthy novelty” but tobacco proved the salvation of his VA colony..……We headed toward the condo when Thomas saw “Trader Joe’s” and we had seen this store in CA but had never stopped so he and Caitlynn (the 2 shoppers in the car) went in to see what it was all about while Douglas and I sat in the car talking. They returned with 2 bags and they were both excited over their discovery. Now we’re en route as we’ve completed our drive and came back to the condo to relax for the rest of the late afternoon. After we got back to the condo for a bit Douglas began talking about going to get beer and Caitlynn told him the two of them could run up to Wal-Mart and get it. He seemed to think that they wouldn’t sell it to him if she was with him because of her age, we laughed as I said yes because you have an ID and she doesn’t but she looks older than you. Caitlynn said, “I will just say that we’re married. I went to Africa and brought Jesus to your colony, saved your soul, stole your heart, and brought you home”. The three of us cracked up! I decided to take a quick nap and when I woke-up I smelled food being cooked. Thomas, Douglas and Caitlynn had gone to the outlet mall to get a wok for Caitlynn as she would begin another chapter of her cooking class and will need one so she’s been looking around for one. Caitlynn had prepared dinner so we all ate together in the dining room, we thanked the Lord for our time together and the food provided. Afterwards we watched the next Stanley Cup Playoff game came on at 7:30 PM (EST): Game 2-Chicago vs. Detroit which went into overtime for a final score of 2-3 with Detroit winning. I had to wake my husband as he had dozed off and I didn’t want him to miss the replay of the winning goal…now he’s off to hit the Jacuzzi before bed. Caitlynn came in the living area after talking to Lindsay Paige and Douglas was watching TV when there was a strong smell of marijuana before Caitlynn came back in the room. I confirmed it with Thomas and Douglas (he’s a fireman and runs rescue in addition to his job). So when Caitlynn came back in Douglas asked her if she’d been smoking marijuana outside? She said “NO why?” and we both responded because we both smelled it. I shared with them that I smelled it yesterday when I came back from working out and walked up the stairs. Caitlynn said “how do you know what it is?” and Douglas asked her if she really didn’t know what it smelled like and she said “No, I have never smelled it that I am aware of”. Douglas said “well you really need to know in case anyone ever tried to give it to you to be safe”. She replied, “Well, how do you propose I do that? You got a scratch ‘n sniff?” We both just laughed, she is crazy. Her cell phone rang and she stepped outside briefly to talk to Lindsey then returned and told us as she came in she had found the marijuana culprit. I said “what, how do you know?” She replied, “because he asked me if I wanted any and I told him I’m trying to cutback since my husband has me on a budget”, Douglas and I cracked up. They watched Tyler Perry’s House of Payne and laughed as the show was about a lady having twins and Tyler had to deliver them. Caitlynn said “I don’t know why anyone would want to have a baby” Douglas and I snickered as we both remember what a handful she was as a small kid….She prepared me a strawberry shortcake to snack before I went off to bed since I was trying to eat up all the strawberries that Thomas had gotten (when he and Caitlynn came down as they stopped on the side of the road and purchased them-just for me since neither of them eat anything with ‘berry’ in its name). But after she fixed it up for me I had to wait until the Cool Whip defrosted since Douglas told us when they bought it the first day we arrived that the container reads “Keep Frozen” so everyone’s been putting it back in the freezer after each use-I tried to explain to them that it means if it’s not going to be eaten within a 2-3 day span, not after each use……..Good night!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009-VSRC Conference begins today @ 7:30 AM so we all drove into VA Beach. Douglas and Caitlynn were ecstatic about getting up so early-haha. Needless to say they both slept the entire trip. The conference has been held at the Hilton which is on the boardwalk ever since I can remember and it makes for a great meeting place (Caitlynn & Jason always seemed to enjoy the frozen grapes and the mint smelling chilled wash towels that they bring to you at poolside to wipe the sweat from your brows during your visit to the pool sitting on the top of the building-and I love both of this amenities here!). Caitlynn and Douglas went through the vendor booths with Thomas and I and they usually came back around with me since Thomas knows so many people and with his curious nature he’d ask detailed questions about 90% of the products, if they were hanging out with him entirely, they would have to hear all the sales pitches also so they meandered through. I mostly asked questions with sleep related products only. Douglas was interested in a lot of it since were booths that represented companies with oxygen supplies, etc., he was curious due to his time spent with the fire/rescue in Anton, Tx. Caitlynn has always had a fascination with the healthcare field in general since that’s all she’s ever been around from birth to now so she learned things also as she too interest (yes, she’s full of questions). The morning started out at 52 degrees and the sun was nice bringing warmth but the wind coming off the Atlantic Ocean was cool, to the point that even sitting directly in the sun as we ate lunch it was still chilly. We ate on the outside area of Catch 31 (one of the restaurants here at the Hilton) that is on the boardwalk/oceanview where they have several large fire pits, so as we sat outside to eat we were around the fire pit which made things nice and warm for today. They are setting up the 31st Street amphitheatre (which is directly across a walk from us) for a free outdoor concert tonight here by Toad the Wet Sprocket, we would have to miss but we got to listen as they did the sound checks after setting up. We allowed Caitlynn to go shop on her own as long as she checked in by text periodically for a couple of hours in the afternoon while we finished the conference. Caitlynn still believes that we have tickets to go to the Richmond Art Museum (I love museums and she’s aware that since I am a Docent for the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke, I love to try to visit as many when traveling as possible so that wasn’t awkward to her when I told her about the tickets) for tonight so we drove back to Williamsburg so that we could all change to go to Richmond for the supposed Museum event, now we have a 45 minute drive from the condo. As we got close to our destination there were a lot of people everywhere and the police were directing traffic, Caitlynn said, “there must be something else big going on around the museum”. We kept searching for parking and she told me to ask the lady taking money for parking what is going on here. As we got up to the lady I handed her the $3 to park and didn’t give Caitlynn time to ask her anything (well actually she did ask but the lady didn’t have time to respond) before we started driving back to our spot. Caitlynn said, “I don’t know why there are so many girls with Daisy Dukes on and cowboy hats but it looks like a concert to me.” Then she was getting frustrated with me because she said we didn’t give her time to get her hair done, etc. and she “looks like white trash” she said. At this point she still had no idea why or because of who we were here to see or do. We had Douglas and Caitlynn go ahead and get in line to enter the Innsbrook After Hours amphitheatre (http://innsbrookafterhours.com) while Thomas and I went to the “Will Call” window to pickup the tickets I had purchased online. As we returned Douglas told us he told her who we’d be seeing tonight and she was very excited. She had bought Jason Aldean’s newest CD just a couple of weeks ago and his “green tractor” song is her ringback tone for her cell phone. She was sure to “let me listen” to the new CD one afternoon while we were driving to do somewhere in Roanoke, so I knew she liked him as a country artist. Now we are in the mix of over 3,000 + people, country people waiting to see new country star Jason Aldean (www.jasonaldean.com) with guests Marna and Macy. Douglas fit right in as he wears nothing but John Deere t-shirts and tonight he chose his brown t-shirt with green writing that read: Friends don’t let friends drive red tractors. So he was amongst the rednecks with us-I wondered if even 10% of these people have ever even ridden a horse in their life or been on a tractor? And there were a lot of young fans it seemed but all of them are definitely country fans. I’ve never seen so many John Deere tractor shirts in one place in my life-my black child fit right in as he’s got his t-shirt on and yes he had been on many horses and John Deere tractors (the first time for both was with my family)! I guess he’s been on ‘other tractors’ but prefers the ‘green ones’, maybe because he works on them at home and that’s mostly what he’s been around his whole life so to him, there is NO other tractor. The concert was good (even though I am not a country music fan) and Thomas even enjoyed it. He left to go get Caitlynn a concert t-shirt and a license place cover that read “Hick Town” with origination of Georgia since Jason Aldean is a Georgia peach. The band did play some good guitar music (‘licks’ as Jason would say) and threw in a little Lynard Skynard then told a story to the crowd about an episode of Country Crossroads (Caitlynn tells me it is a current music show on TV where they match artists up with other artists from another genre to do an episode with them) that they just finished filming. Jason Aldean told the crowd that they never could really relate to any of the music artists the program offered them until “a guy named Bryan Adams came along and they worked perfectly well together so we got us a story now that will come on in June”. After the concert we worked our way thru the loads of people to get to our vehicle and then we waited, waited, and waited until we could make it out of the parking lots. I’m a people watcher and trust me, there were a lot of interesting people to watch as we waited! I drove as Thomas and Douglas had partaken in beverages with all the rednecks around us at the concert so off we go in search of dinner. Since it was almost 11 PM we had a hard time (except for fast food) finding a restaurant opened so we settled for a FGI Friday’s. Douglas decided on BBQ ribs, typical Texan I’d say. We ended our meal and made our next hour drive back to the condo. Since both of the guys slept, Caitlynn and I sang (to the radio) and talked. Shortly before 2 AM we were back at the condo for our much needed rest-it had been a long day with a few hours drive time…night!
Thursday, May 21, 2009- Thomas and I were up and gone nice and EARLY as we had a conference day. Douglas and Caitlynn had decided the night before that they would hang out at the condo and not be needing to get up early today. The drive wasn’t too bad going into VA Beach except for the backup through the tunnel to get to VA Beach, which is normal for this area (and without the tunnels, you do not get to the beach area). Thomas & I had lunch with 2 of the Fisher-Paykel reps and then finished up our conference day and quickly made our way to the pool area at the top of the Hilton where the conference is being held for a couple hours to enjoy some vitamin D (that we all need a little of-I feel I need more than a little!). The Hilton is Oceanside and from the top you can see the entire boardwalk and all the activities below. It’s a great view as there is an indoor pool and the outdoor pool is an infinity pool, so as you are looking at it you never see the edge of it-just the Atlantic Ocean. The weather held out for us topping out at 82 degrees and we enjoyed every drop of sunshine. Afterwards we left and returned to Williamsburg early evening and retrieved the “kids” for dinner. We decided (as our tradition-we make 1 visit to Capt. George’s during our beach stays) to make this our Captain George’s meal night since Thomas and I had a salad for lunch and a very light breakfast. We felt like we would make Captain George’s worth it since we’d be good and hungry by the time we ate. Douglas had never been to a place like this and his favorite is crawfish (trivia I learned watching a cooking show with Caitlynn-there are crawfish as large as lobster in Australia) and they had that along with almost 50 other options on their buffet before the dessert options. We took pictures outside the restaurant as Caitlynn and Douglas “pick on each other” they raced to the truck afterwards….Caitlynn told Douglas that she “let him win”. We drove back to the condo and settled in for the close of the day. The guys guys turned on the TV to watch the Stanley Cup Playoff, Caitlynn & I joined them shortly after the 2nd period. Game #2: Carolina vs. Pittsburgh with Pittsburgh winning in OT. Caitlynn and Douglas stayed up talking to each other and to Vanessa (Douglas’s girlfriend in Tx.). They always enjoy spending time together-doing nothing or whatever, doesn’t really matter to them. I would say this was the best weather day during the week so far-but I’m prejudice because I love the sun. As I jokingly tell my family-it’s the only bad habit I have….
Friday, May 22, 2009-The morning brought on a nice sunny day with initial temperatures of 60-62 degrees and the day ended at the warmest point with 82 degrees. I worked out and Thomas prepared breakfast for all of us to eat together. Afterwards Thomas and I enjoyed the sun at the pool for an hour and a half before we had an appointment. Thomas and I left for our appointment and “the kids” stayed hanging out-I think they both wanted to nap actually! We returned by 6:15 PM and Caitlynn had prepared us dinner-Mexican food with tacos and burrito makings, Douglas helped set the table. Of course I had to make guacamole to complete all the makings and we blessed the food and had a good time talking and reminiscing. It’s good to be here together and I love seeing what a nice, responsible young man Douglas has become and seeing him bond with Thomas. Afterwards we all cleaned up the kitchen and sat down to watch the Stanley Cup Playoff Game 3: Detroit vs. Chicago with Chicago winning in OT. Detroit stills remains up 2-1 though. Douglas and Caitlynn gathered their things and I began packing our stuff up as we would be leaving to go back to Roanoke in the morning. We had been undecided whether to stay longer since Douglas would be flying out on Monday (Memorial Day holiday) or just come back for his flight that morning. Thomas had talked to Jason and the duplexes had not been mowed since we were in the truck, so we thought it best to go home so he could do that and then drive back Sunday evening and stay in a hotel close to the airport in Richmond (3 hour drive from Roanoke) as Douglas’s flight was for 7 AM and he’d need to be there at least an hour and half before time. We would check out in the morning and head back to Roanoke. It’s been a good week!
Saturday, May 23rd, 2009-We woke up and began cleaning the refrigerator out and packing up the remaining items for our trip home. The guys drove the Taurus and us girls drove the pickup home. We chose interstate since we needed to get home by mid afternoon to allow Jason daylight to mow. Caitlynn took a small nap and so did Douglas in the other vehicle. It’s been a standing joke all week that all’s Douglas did was rest, watch TV, and enjoy a little beer-his response was “I’m on vacation, I’m supposed to do that!” We all laughed each time he responded with that line, Caitlynn just said “Right…”. We arrived at home and immediately I got a call on my cell phone from Robin White who works for me and she’s sick. I needed to go to the lab to look at the schedule as this is a holiday weekend, and if she calls in she is sick! Caitlynn and I had the entire truck unloaded before Thomas and Douglas arrived then they unloaded their vehicle. Douglas came with me and we went to the lab so he could see it and hang with me. I got the patients situated and we went back to the house since Reba was coming to the house to spend the night with Caitlynn and we are going to grill out. Thomas and Douglas stood out on the deck getting our meal prepared on the grill and I worked in the kitchen to prepare the other fixings. Jason had come to get the truck and mowing supplies then he came by for a bit after he finished mowing at the duplexes but did not stay for dinner with us. We made a fire in the chiminea and the kids all swam and Thomas and I sat by the fire and visited with each other. As I sit here and watch the fire I remember how small Douglas and Brandon were when they became friends and watching Caitlynn and Reba play around in the pool reminds me how fast time rolls by. In my mind’s eye I have always had landmarks with Caitlynn as she grows up since I was only privileged to have her brother thru his junior high school years. I have had other children in my life that I have been honored to be an intricate part of but none of either of my children have grownup and left my home (Jason was well on his way when I married his dad) so I have a lot of pressure on my parenting skills with her. I’m unrealistic think that I could remember all the particulars so I struggle to remember all the significant moments of each year. I sometimes ached in wanting to look into her eyes on the first day of middle school and assure her that she’s ready for the coming adventure. When she gets home from school after a day of defeat, did I notice the dejection in her eyes? Was I attentive in teaching her along the way that kindness and sincerity will always win more friends than cute shoes and or a pretty purse? I’m preparing myself to look at my girl-now in high school, then college and possibly married-and panic at the thought that the next time I blink, she and Jason will be buying their first houses. Time really goes by TOO fast. She does things for herself, catches rides with friends (a select couple that I allow her to ride with), have sleepovers that don’t require so much supervision (inserting loud laughing and loud music), and responsible for her own school projects. I know without a doubt that I want Caitlynn to make good decisions in life, the time it takes to blink is the time our kids will make their worst decisions. It’s during those times when I may turn my head that they’ll learn life’s greatest lessons. Now isn’t the time for me to rest. It’s the time to use my energy I’ve been saving to catch her before she hits the ground. As our children move from elementary school to junior high school and through high school and college, they will lose their footing every now and then. If I’m not there to catch them, who will? Maybe some parents think their friends will be there to catch them-I feel like it’s the parent’s responsibility along with a lot of praying. I could lose track of who their friends are (especially Jason in college now) and more importantly, what they are like. Suddenly I was faced with 8th grade boys needing to shave and mean girls declaring that my precious girl needs to diet (as she likes to entertain us as she claims “this body was built with vegetables and vitamin water” I am proud she is comfortable with herself). Where did these kids come from? What upbringing did they have? Who is that boy’s parents and where do they live? Who all will be in the car, and how long has the driver had their license-with or without accidents (including finderbenders!) I realize that while I’m trying not to do too much and allow them the space to make choices, I lose more than the free time I gain. I now know it was easier when I only worried about completing spelling assignments and simple math problems. It was easier when we could pull out our hair while we worked on a school project together. Time quickly fades, and suddenly our children are spending time with peers I’ve never met if I do not stay involved. Worse, I have no idea if that boy is up to no good with my girl and if his ethics and priorities are as important to him as they are to me. School fundraisers and hauling school projects back and forth seems like a walk in the park compared to sitting up waiting for car lights to come through the window before 12:01 AM. Yes, it’s true that once my children leave home and begin their lives without me, I won’t have to be bothered with school plays and fundraising drives. No more bake sales, construction projects or book reports for research papers. When life has slowed down enough for me to have the time I think I need to be involved, my children won’t be here any longer if I’m not careful. So bear with me if my life’s a little overbooked. I’ll do my best to juggle all of my commitments and not appear too rattled while doing so. That is what I have to do if I want to meet the boy that will eventually try my patience by bringing my daughter home after midnight.
It’s hard to believe that Jason is finished with his 2nd year in college (Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA) and Caitlynn’s finishing her 2nd year in high school! Later that evening as we sat outside still watching the kids in the pool and throwing the tennis balls for the 3 Rat Dogz (actually 2 of the 3 since Shugs is old and cares nothing about chasing a silly ‘ol ball but he does like to start out by barking and chasing the other 2 as they begin to run after it. It doesn’t take long for him to get tired and stop dead in his trail to return back to my lap…Shugs is 10, Gizmo is 7 and Val is 3 yrs old) Jason returned to demonstrate his newly acquired skills that he’s learned as he will be assisting someone this summer doing balloon creations at parties. He made all kinds of balloon creations to demonstrate for us, including a ‘heart hat’ (instead of a hard hat) for his dad and placed it on his head. That’s all it took for his dad’s curiosity to begin and wanted Jason’s help to learn the technique. Then a little while later Lauren (Jason’s girlfriend) joined us after she got off work, we had a nice evening with the family. Around 12:45 AM we decided to call it a day, Jason and Lauren left and we all bedded down.
Sunday, May 24, 2009-Today is Memorial Day. This is a day of reflection for all of our country’s servicemen that have given their lives to make this a better country for us all from generation to generation. For me, I also reflect on the love ones I have lost so it’s usually very sentimental to me-ironic that Douglas is here with me this year but I am proud he is, it’s always great to spend time with him. We went to our church for our service and as it began Jason and Lauren came to join us. It’s nice having the family together. After our service we went home and had lunch together (Jason and Lauren left us after the church service). Thomas & I had decided to drive to Richmond with Douglas and stay the night to take him to the airport in the morning so we would not be so rushed in the morning. Caitlynn decided to stay in Roanoke and spend the night with Reba (her mom has cancer and while we were gone to Williamsburg a nurse had taken her off her seizure medication and she had a relapse that caused her to be back in the hospital), instead of driving in the car for another 3 hours she said. Thomas, Douglas and I loaded our things and took the Blue Ridge Parkway route instead of the highway so Douglas could admire the beauty that we are blessed enough to see everyday. He rested off and on and Thomas and I enjoyed the quiet time as we have frequently done since we met-we’ve spent a lot of time driving the Parkway. It’s a slower route since the speed limit is 45 MPH but it’s worth it. When we made it to Richmond we were in search of finding Copenhagen (a whole roll) for Douglas to take back to Texas. I, of course asked Douglas how much he had used while he was here in VA and when he told me the amount. I paused, thought before I spoke then started my constructive criticism as I lectured him on the health issues (as if he’s not aware of them). I had told Douglas earlier that Thomas is a ‘provider’ and if you mention something that you feel you need, he makes it happen. I on the other hand am NOT that patient, I am resourceful but I have my limits and know when to quit. Thomas will go and go like the energy bunny with new ideas for the task at hand until he completes that task-today it is finding Douglas a whole roll of snuff for him to take with him to Texas……so-Katie bar the door, here we go! Thomas was driving and Douglas co-piloting, we literally looked high and low for snuff-from Wal-Mart, tobacco stores (that Thomas’s GPS kept sending us to bogus addresses) to Sheetz. I’m not where they actually settled for the purchase but we got it, I told you Thomas would make sure of that! Then since we had attempted Bottoms Up Pizza (located in the old downtown part of Richmond called “Shockoe Bottom-where the streets are still made of brick) earlier in the week and they were already closed, this is where we were having our dinner. Douglas needed to experience it and we all enjoyed it. You can either buy the pizza by the slice of ‘pie’ or the whole pie but I usually can’t eat more than 1 slice due to the size but oh is it good! We ordered a “whole pie” with half pepperoni (for Douglas) and half loaded with all the good stuff (Thomas & I prefer this kind) . I had a slice and the guys finished it all but 1 piece, so we took it with us for a later need maybe?.....
After an afternoon of driving, our bellies were full as a tick now, we were ready to bed down at the hotel-so we did. Douglas visited with Vanessa on his cell for a bit but Thomas was already sawing logs. I had told Thomas that I wanted to get up and take Douglas to the airport and we’d leave around 5:20 AM since his flight is scheduled for a 7:00 AM departure. The lab had 2 bad patients so I was texting/calling (but texting much more than calling) to Dustin and Tiffany until 4:50 AM. Actually I kept my cell phone in the pocket of my pajamas the entire night to assist the techs. I dozed off around 5 AM before my alarm went off 10 minutes later and I woke Douglas up and we were out the door shortly afterwards. It was a quiet ride as he’s not much of a talker when he wakes but it gives me time to relish in the time we’ve had together for the last 9 days and since he comes every 2 years I enjoy every minute of it!
“Count your breaths, they are a limited gift” by Lt. Cmdr. Stephen M. Lee from The Flagship-Hampton Roads Navy Family paper. Written on May 21, 2009, I happened to read it….
The vehicle was speeding when it fish tailed, over corrected and went head long into a shallow ravine in the outer bend of the two lane road. As the first and only person on the scene, I arrived at the crumbled truck and saw a young woman trapped inside. She gave no response, the eyes were pinpointed. Her heart was threatening to leap out of her chest as her lungs pumped like racing billows. I called 911. Her body temperature soared. After checking for and finding no cuts or gashes, I could do little to help her. It was obvious her head had impacted the windshield by the web shaped cracks in the glass. The seatbelts lay open. Who knew what other injuries she had suffered; perhaps she sustained neck or internal organ damage. With no response to word or touch, her non-responsive eyes stared ahead, no twitching and no movement except the pumping of her lungs and thundering heart. No emergency personnel had arrived yet. I noticed pictures, scattered all over the vehicle, of her with young children and a happy looking man. What had been her hurry? What was so important that she had to speed and take such a great chance? A thin plastic shopping bag let through the image of the happy third birthday candle and assorted party favors. Today was her child’s birthday; she had been racing to make everything perfect. Instead, her life ebbed away in rapidly increasing and labored breaths, as the emergency crew began to descend the bank of the ravine. Although it had seemed hours, it had only been a few minutes. As paramedics loaded her into the ambulance, I prayed for her and all she loved. Her family would not see their mother come through the door to start the birthday party, to make demands or give warm hugs. For her child’s third birthday she provided, tragically, only one unwanted gift-a long season of tears. There is a certain way in which we similarly hold our lives in low regard and toss it about carelessly. For instance, mindlessly cutting in and out of rush hour traffic, take unwarranted chances to achieve a quick adrenaline rush, needlessly working until exhausted, unhealthy consumption, and a hundred other specific and unwarranted risks you can name. Yet, we will rationalize our desire to fulfill our immediately perceived need out weighs the risk involved to self and to anyone else connected to us. In scripture, we’re told that our lives are like “a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes,” but, at the same time our lives are of great value. Two truths, our lives relatively short and at the same time intrinsically valuable. Our lives are too short and at the same time too valuable to pour out on needless risks. The point is not to merely avoid unnecessary risk, but to live mindfully of the great gift life is and then pour out this gift purposefully and intentionally for the greatest effect. Count your breaths; they are a limited gift on loan from God. Please, use what you have left on them wisely and invest them with due care.
I went back to the hotel to join Thomas around 8 AM, took a little nap until we go up to eat breakfast by 9:30 AM. We returned to our room and I slept for a hour, loaded our things and checked out. We had a nice leisurely day together as we made our way home-you guessed it, on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Enjoying our time together as he stopped and picked me flowers, we talked and reconnected…life is good and we are truly blessed with our family and friends.
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