and he's a Border Collie. We compared answers and although I pretty much knew already which ones he'd choose, I just do NOT see him as a Border Collie. The celebrities they had listed as those type doggies were Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, and Martha Stewart to name a few. Hmm, definitely not the kind of man I'm married to. He did say afterwards that he kept wanting to change his answers. He wasn't sure if he was to answer them as he would have 30 years ago or the way he would today. That surprised me. I would've answered mine the same way regardless of the years. Seemed like an easy test to me~
So Johnny Took That Test
So I Took This Test
that I found on Sweet Home Alabama AND it only confirmed what I've thought for years. If I were to be a dog, my favorite pet next to horses, I know I would be a Golden Retriever. And according to this test, I would be!! It's a cute test and a great website. Check it out and let me know what YOU would be!! Here's my results~
Golden Retriever
The Charmer
Laid-back, sociable and well-groomed, you've got your own hip little pack of groupies who just love to be around you. You have a brain inside that adorable little head of yours, though you use it mostly to organize your hectic social calendar. You never poop out at parties, and since you're popular with ladies and men, as well as children and adults, you dish out your wit, charm and luck to whomever is close enough to bask in it. The top dog likes you and wants to be your best friend, despite the fact that he doesn't really know what the heck you do. No one does, in fact, but everyone loves you all the same. A true foodie, you’ve got your keen ears fine-tuned to make sure you don't miss out on the opening of a trendy new place to nosh. But your youthful days of being able to wolf down food 24-7 are wagging behind you, meaning you've got to watch what you eat so you don’t pull a Brando and outgrow your coats.
FAMOUS GOLDEN RETRIEVERS: Bono, Robert Redford, Joe Montana, Julia Roberts
LIKELY PROFESSIONS: Journalist, Intelligence Agent,
Gatlinburg, Tennessee~
The view from our balcony when we got there Saturday night~
and the one that greeted us early Sunday morning!
John & I have been making trips to Gatlinburg, Tennessee since the fall of 1983 and we fall in love with it all over again each & every trip. Saturday Jenny & I had a huge yard sale and knowing I'd worked hard at getting things together, got up at 4 am to set it all up, Johnny took me to Ruby Tuesdays for a delicious salad and steak about 2:30 that afternoon. The entrees had just been brought to the table when he casually looked at me and asked, "Want to go to Gatlinburg this afternoon?" Did I??!!!! The waitress came by asking if we needed anything and I said, "YES, two to-go boxes, we're going to Gatlinburg!" Within the hour we were packed and halfway to the Clanton exit! Called on the way up to reserve a condo at our favorite place and found, to our excitement, that we were getting two nights for the price of one!! Could it get any better?!
Sunday afternoon we received word that Johnny's brother-in-law, John Barnes, won his battle with cancer. John was ready to go Home and we rest easier knowing he is with loved ones and a wife he missed dearly. We got home Monday afternoon and as much as we loved our little get-away, it's always good to get home. The family has elected not to have visitation, just a grave side service at a quaint church in the country. We rejoice knowing John walked with the King, is now resting in Paradise, and waiting for the rest of us to get there. Personally, I want to go back to the Garden, walk up to my dad and into a hug. I've missed his hugs and his grin.
If you're planning a trip to Gatlinburg, and I highly recommend it, get in touch with me and I'll give you the number of the condos we stay. They are located right off traffic light #6 and there are one and two bedroom units. Housekeeping is awesome and the kitchens have everything you need, including complimentary coffee, creamer, and sugar. Here's a picture of the opposite side of the building.
I'm off to have lunch with Deborah and to play catch up with her! Here's hoping you have a beautiful Tuesday and many, many moments of laughter~
I'm off to have lunch with Deborah and to play catch up with her! Here's hoping you have a beautiful Tuesday and many, many moments of laughter~Who, When, but Where?!
Here's the guy~
Here's the girl~
Here's the view from their condo room Saturday night!!If you think you know where they were,
be the first to say so in a comment
and you'll win a handcrafted surprise!
So log in, leave a guess, and let's see who wins!
Time's up at midnight tonight!
And at that time, I'll tell you about our weekend!!
Don't Wonder! Click!!
Please go, right now, to Melissa Lester's spot and read her note for today. I promise you, you'll be glad you did~Nancy
Shopping & Sleeping~
Women can just wear a man out while shopping ~ even two men! Jenny & I had a couple of places we wanted to visit in Montgomery today, and of course we're going to take the babes! It's such a delight to me just to watch them {you'll know one day when you have grandchildren} and I love watching Jenny interact with them. We tried on dresses, tried on shoes, ate at Chili's, they sat in the car and watched a DVD while I went to counseling, suffice to say we covered a bit of territory in a short period of time!
We probably hadn't been in The Children's Place ten minutes when Ian turned around and said, "Mommy, I want to lay down on the couch." {Ian language for 'I'm tired, mommy'} Jenny stopped, looked at me, and said, "We're outta here." So I wheeled Noah around in the stroller and back to the car we went. We weren't on I-85 good before both boys were sound asleep! That was around 1:20, I guess. When I spoke to Jenny a little after four, Noah was still asleep. Do you think maybe we wore them out?
{PS~I have always wanted to hide in a rack of clothes forever! Jenny used to do it when we were shopping and she would reach out and grab me and I would pretend to be scared. Now it's Ian's turn and he loved hiding from me and Jen. Here's a picture I got before he decided he'd had enough and was ready for his couch and an afternoon rest.}
My Fairy Child~Laughter, Love, and Leaving
As our schoolyear drew to a close, I found myself worrying which 3rd grade teacher would get my fairy child. Would she understand him, love him, and accept the ways that set him apart from other children? Would he be allowed to ask the jillion questions he was capable of wondering? Would she guide him gently into the world of responsiblility and maturity? Would she take the time to laugh and enjoy life with him?
But who was I really worried about? Was it Evan? Or was it me?
Who would understand me? Love and accept my ways with unconditional love? Who would take the time to laugh and enjoy life with me? With Evan gone, who would I have within this classroom I call home for 185 days a year 9 hours a day?
"Mrs. Hood?"
"Yes, Evan?"
"Next year I won't be in your room, will I?"
"No, sweetheart, you won't."
"Will you go to third grade and be my teacher?"
"I can't do that, Evan. I have to stay here."
"Well, you know what?"
"What, my Evan?"
"Every morning I'm going to sneak down here before school and give you a hug. Will that be okay?"
"I'd like that a lot, Evan."
"You know what, Mrs. Hood? I'm never going to forget you. Not even when you're old and wrinkled, and I'm big and have a job."
And then I know it'll be okay. Because no matter where I go or what I do or what tomorrow may bring, for this particular moment in time I have the love of this small child. And I will always have the memories he created for me. For us.
Thank you, my fairy child. Thank you for touching my life in your very special way. I will never forget you. I will always love you.
And you will forever have a part of my heart.
Sometimes They Just Won't~
Yesterday I showed you a picture of Ian and his friend Grant. Well, Jenny showed me this picture of Noah and I had to share it with you!! It made me laugh and maybe it'll bring a smile to you, too. Here's Noah at the Biscuits game~
Generations of Friends~
You know my Ian, our daughter Jenny's son. On his right is a good friend of his, Grant Duncan. This friendship within our families goes back three generations. Grant's grandmother, Debra Brock, and I grew up worshipping together at the Lightwood church of Christ. We learned about Jesus at the feet of Miss Mary and played in the yard beside the cotton field. Grew up, married, and soon there were baby showers. At my baby shower, I have a cute picture of Debra's daughter, Angie, handing me a present to open. Our girls grew up worshipping together at Lightwood, and at the feet of the same Miss Mary! Now Angie and Jenny have children and they, too, have fun sharing time together. While not at the feet of Miss Mary, they are learning together here with the Prattville congregation. What comfort, knowing your grandchild has bonded with a Christian family and that through the years this will go on and on, just as it has for the past forty some odd years. Thank you, Lord, for this family, these friends.
Two Years~
I love pink. I love believing in faieries. I love looking in the mirror and seeing a healthier woman than this time last year. Today is the second anniversary of the accident and it's been a beautiful day. For those of you that don't know me, I'll save that story for another time. Suffice to say, don't take it for granted that routine outpatient procedures will go as planned!
There's only bits and pieces I remember of that first year. First there was the 70 day 'sleep' and then seven more days being weaned off the ventilator. One terrifying night in the rehab center, only to cry my way into our home the next day. Johnny brought me home on our 23rd wedding anniversary.
Then the drug withdrawal and the recovery period. Five weeks of in home physical therapy learning to walk, to climb steps, reteaching myself how to write and care for myself. Doing crossword puzzles to help my brain reconnect with words and sentences. By the middle of October I was out of the adult diapers (ugh!), able to get into the shower without help, both drainage bags had been removed and the wounds beginning to heal. The trach wound was finally closed and I didn't whistle when I talked.
The second year I began gaining back the 40 pounds I lost. Well, okay, so I didn't need to gain alllll of it back. But I'm on the upper upper side of middle age and it does NOT come off easily. {Some would say I'm on the younger side of senior citizenship, but I'm not.} {Really! I'm not.}
Johnny still looks at me at times as if he's afraid I'll vanish. When I don't feel good, or the days when I simply need to sleep, I see the fear in his eyes. My family and friends suffered and it was doubled with the fact that we were in Birmingham and not Montgomery. I slept through it all. There were nightmares, oh horrid nightmares brought on when they weaned me from the paralytic medicine. But mostly I just slept. I remember crying and begging Johnny and Jenny to take me home. That was so traumatic for them. I remember seeing Nelson at the foot of my bed, standing there with his big smile meant just for me. I remember Leslie cupping my face in her hands, getting real close, and repeating, "Nancy, you're going to be alright. You're really going to be alright." And I was. And each day was easier.
There's still problems that may never go away. I forget things, and when a trigger moment brings a rush of feelings, there's what I call 'zinger headaches' that create speech problems, interrupts my thought process, and I become extremely ADD ~ and I used to be so ADHD!! But I'm back with my family and my friends and life is vibrant. It saddens me that others suffered while I slept, but it strengthens me to know that my family is much stronger now because of it. I know they will endure and they will live, prosper, and be happy. And that comforts me.
My Fairy Child~Pizza & Laughter
I had to carefully screen what Evan said, during any time together. One morning, during a Reading lesson, I tried to prevent him from telling us how pizza affected his mother's intestines.
"Mrs. Hood, do you like pizza?"
"I do, but sometimes it makes me burp."
"Me, too! But you know what it does to my mom?"
"Does it make her burp, too?"
"No, ma'am. It makes her po-" as I slap my hand over his mouth. Too late. Someone has already figured it out and now I have 21 little people rolling on the floor around my chair. Evan's wide eyes are looking at me over my hand, which is pressed tightly below his nose!
"Evan P*, I am going to remove my hand and you are NOT to repeat that word. Do you understand?"
"Yishmi'im," he garbled out beneath my fingers.
"I'm serious, Evan. Don't say it."
Removing my hand, I looked at him and cautioned him with my eyes. With all the seriousness of a politician, he said, "I promise, Mrs. Hood, I won't say poot anymore."
Closing my eyes, I listen as my classroom erupts once more in giggles and laughter.
And Evan just sits there quietly at my knees, with dancing eyes - knowing exactly what he's done. And I wonder, once more, what it's like to live with him 24 hours a day.
Ian & Me
It was a busy week, but such a fun week. Looking through Jen's pictures I found this one and like it well enough to want to share with you. This is Ian, Brandon and Jenny's oldest. We always have fun together and he never fails to make me laugh. Although he's getting past the stage of wanting to snuggle, he still loves to spend time with me. Without being told "I love you" first, he says it. Now, isn't that the way to any woman's heart?
Love, Life & Loss
The Senior Dinner before Edgewood's Prom was a hit and Kindall was beautiful. She's holding Landon Martin, son of Kelcey and Bryan Martin. Some of you may have known Bryan in school, others will remember him as being the young father and husband that was senselessly shot and killed not too long ago. Apparently two young men from Montgomery had sat in the parking lot outside Millbrook's Walmart and watched, and discounted, others before Bryan drove in. He went in that night to get dog food and diapers and was shot as he got back in his truck. The men were caught the next day, driving the truck and have been sentenced. He left a beautiful wife, Landon, and a small daughter. I know they need your prayers. Landon is the nephew of Chad Driscoll~
My Fairy Child~Classroom Angels
It can make one sad for our children that they have to grow up to be adults, because with that stage comes fear and doubt and hurt. We lose that innocence and trust, the idea that others will help us because we would have helped them.
To love without being loved is something certainly common to a child and very rare with us older beings.
I was always reminded that I was one of those 'older' ones when I got on my knees at the end of each classday to clean up Evan's desk area. It never ceased to amaze me how much paper, color crayons, broken pencils, and just 'stuff!' he could accumulate in a days time. And it only took part of the next morning for it to get right back to where it had been the previous day!
I fussed, threatened, bribed - most anything - to try and have him keep some semblance of order. Then I began to notice he was sitting in a state of organization - and this began to happen on a regular basis. I didn't think I had succeeded in my pleadings, but neither did Evan seem to be putting forth any extra effort.
I did notice, however, that he seemed to have more company around his floor area. It was quiet, and there would be no playing, but someone was always there - on the floor. And on their knees. Scurrying around like squirrels, picking up things and crawling to our trashcan.
So now Evan had help. Upon questioning one of the helpers, I found that they didn't want me fussing at him, so they had individually decided to help. Each one pitching in to aid a friend. What wonderful little people we have. What loving angels in small bodies~
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