The "S" Word ......PANIC!

Before I start, I want all my friends from the north to imagine living here in the south, where the "S" word appears maybe, and I say maybe, two times in the winter. The "S" word is something that sends panic into all southerners driving them to run to the store and buy eggs, milk and bread. We affectionately call it French Toast Day. Why do people feel the need to get those three items? I would think that beer, potato chips and cokes would be more fitting but no........eggs, milk and bread are the ONLY things needed at the market. The mention of the"S" word and the shelves are bare. Not a loaf in sight, ziltch, nada, none.

Schools here close at the first sign of a cold front coming through. Nothing has to fall from the sky and schools are canceled. CLOSED because it MIGHT snow!! Mind you, my family in West Virginia have over 2 feet on the ground and school is delayed 1 hour and all the buses are running. WTH?

This year, after the first mention of the white fluffy stuff began, we went to home depot and bought some items to make sleds so we can zip down our hill. Nothing elaborate, just something that can accommodate Andrew and Alex (and Mike and I) when the precip appears. Marlite and good old fashioned rope. Forget the expensive discs, the slick sled did the job! Then........it happened! It snowed about 4 inches....woo hoo! School was closed, businesses were closed and we were out to play! The boys played for about an hour before they started to freeze. You see, here in the south, we do not have the heavy boots and down jackets so we have to layer jackets and put 3 pairs of socks on covered by a duct taped wrapped Ziploc bags. No lie......True Story.



The boys each built a snowman which was riddled with leaves, nasty dirty leaves. I call it a southern snowman as I tried to brush the leaves off so their snowmen would not look like a dalmatian puppy. Tsssk Tsssk.

Curse the "S" word they say! How can anyone hate snow? I am Southern by location but I am a Northerner at heart. I love snow, I love to be out in it, I love to stand out in the silence of the night and listen to the snow. I love when the meteorologists predict snow and this year, I MADE SNOW CREAM, something I was very proud ! Don't get me wrong, I still laugh at the southern folk who freak out and I love to pretend I am one of them.......its a good excuse to leave work early!

The next time you are in the middle of a snowfall, take a minute to go outside and listen. That "S" word is a gift from God.

Ashley and her New Nashville Adventure

How many of you have had children move away? How many of you wish you children would move away?

Ashley, our 27 year old daughter, has made a decision to and has moved east to Nashville to go to school and prayerfully, in a few years, begin a career in nursing. Nashville is not too far from us but in the eyes of a mother, it is a million miles away. I knew it was coming but if you know me and it is NOT in my face, it is not happening. Well, it happened all during the week of Christmas and New Years.

Now, who moves in the middle of a Holiday? Ashley does. There is shopping and wrapping and holiday parties to attend. But Ashley is moving. There is baking and cooking and hiding gifts and family visits and decoratingto do, but Ashley is moving. I can say that now since she is gone but I swear, I wanted to SCREAM! (As she more than likely did too) Bless their hearts, she recruited help from her friend Hope, her sister Natalie, Natalie's friend Lisa, myself and her Poppa, friends Jake and Chad and Andrew, who helped moved a washer and dryer (Andrew weighs 68 pounds soaking wet). At one point, her Untin John even showed up with a trailer! So even after all the fussing, she did have help. Please do not even let me forget her Aunt Victoria...the cleaning queen who was there with rags, cleaning supplies and the vacuum cleaner that Mike threatened to do bodily harm to her with. No one died in the process but the cats absolutely thought we were doing an reinactment of Hiroshima.

Mom and Dad and Andrew Waving Bye Bye to Ashley

After finishing the packing, Ash finally pulled down I-40 on Tuesday, the 4th of January. We met and cried and I made her promise to make all the right decisions and giving her the "I know this is the perfect opportunity" talk. I do know this is right for her, but I dont like her being three hours from her mom. As she left, she handed me a Jared's bag (SHE WENT TO JARED'S) with a charm called Lotsa Love which I think she just wanted me to cry more.

Luckily, both she and I have great friends in Nashville who sent their phone numbers to her "just in case" so she really does have a million eyes and helping hands in her new adventures. Her BFF Patty is 2 1/2 hours from her and her sister Kinsey will be attending MTSU in the fall which is 1 hour away.

The most important hands around her are the hands of our Lord and Shepherd and I ask that everyone continues to pray for her and her focus.

Be warned my friends..... your child will go from tiny to an adult with a HUGE Margarita in a blink of an eye.

Good Luck, Congratulations, God Speed and here's to you Baby Ashley!