My Life as a Novel

I just wanted to make this proclamation, in case anyone in the "Lowcountry" is thinking it and just hadn't had the opportunity to say it yet.

The Lowcountry Franklin Graham Festival is NOT SIMPLE! It is COMPLEX! And ... weird!!

Take their schedule, for instance. When you're planning a three-day event where, over the course of three evenings, you plan to have meetings in the same location, with the same keynote speaker, wouldn't it make sense that all three meeting times would be the same?!

Nah. That'd be too easy! So why don't we make it really difficult for people to remember and make the Friday night meeting at 7:30, the Saturday night meeting at 7, and the Sunday meeting at 4.

What?! That does not make any sense at all. At all! Anybody who does event-planning knows that you make the schedule as easy on the attenders as possible so that you increase attendance by decreasing confusion.

Please forgive the rant. It's not like it really affects me. Except that I have to promote this craziness at work and it's lack of simplicity is just astounding.

Labels: Good for a laugh

I had to call in the pro for some help a couple of times!I'm not quite done yet, but ... soon!!
I'll post a Completion picture soon, I hope.

Labels: photo, Work in Progress

a very dark picture taken inside a diner where we had lunch on Friday
Me & Aunt Janice -- the older sisters


and another dark one of baby sisters Karen and Mendy


Mendy walking with Granny - we spent a couple of hours visiting with her on Friday.
Mendy is excited to be giving Granny her first great-grandchild.





They had an activity at the center where Granny lives -- making ice cream. She thought it was silly, so I shook the Zip-Loc bags for her and then she enjoyed ice cream.


Then we went to the yarn shop where we spent a lot of the rest of the weekend.
(More on that in my next post.)






That may not mean much to most of you, but let me tell you -- this yarn is the best I've put my hands on. Hands down. If I ever worked at a place like this, I would make no money. I would spend it all. Every bit of it.

And in unrelated news, I finished this blanket yesterday.

Labels: family, photo

Yesterday was Kyle's brother's birthday. He turned 29 for the first time. His party was in true Southern style -- half a bushel of boiled peanuts, a big front porch, and the company of many good friends. A lot of these people we met for the first time last night. And, in true JOHN style, a lot of these people, he met for the first time last week! :) (John never meets a stranger. He inherited that trait from his mom.)

It was a good night. Recent goings-on have made us more mindful of the fact that we need to cherish these connections and celebrate each other when we have the opportunity.

Happy Birthday, John.

Labels: family, photo

Kyle got this email today:

Good news my friend....She is done!! Sending her out today! I will send you pics right now. You are going to be blown away. She sounds amazing. Let me know when you get her and what you think....damn she looks amazing! - JC

So if you see my husband any time soon and you find a peculiarly large smile on his face, this is what that email is all about:

Labels: family, Music, The Hubby

Blogging about concerts is so weird, because ... I could type about how Jeff Tweedy got upset by a guy from the middle-back section who actually walked up to the stage and said, "Play louder! I paid $40 for these tickets and I can't hear sh*t back there." And you would say, "That's strange", but why would you care? (That guy got kicked out for being obnoxious shortly afterwards, I understand.)

I could recount the number of songs they played that were "on my list", but if you're not a fan, you wouldn't care. (If you are, "Sunken Treasure", "Heavy Metal Drummer", and "Jesus, Etc.". But "Walken", "Hate It Here", and "Kidsmoke" stole the show... even though the whole concert was pretty much phenomenal.)

But hey, here's this youtube video (that I can't embed) for you to enjoy in case you're interested.

misunderstood

At one point, I posted this. And now it's August. So tonight's the night.

Me. Jeff Tweedy. His guitars. In the same room. And sharing the experience with my husband and some of our closest friends. Is there a better way to spend an evening? I submit that there is not.

But I'll let you know for sure tomorrow!

Labels: Music

I've been somewhat absent from the blogging scene lately. It has been true in my life that when my blog becomes really uninteresting, it's usually because life is becoming really interesting.

"Interesting" means different things at different times. Sometimes I'm just too busy -- as life is prone to be during certain seasons. Sometimes the things that I'd potentially write about are too personal to put a blog for all the world to see/read. Sometimes I'm going through times that just don't need documenting. And sometimes -- as has been the case this time -- I'm really learning a lot and processing a lot and find that the time is better spent listening than speaking ... or blogging, as it were. This probably falls under the "too personal" category, though perhaps in a more positive sense than other situations.

There's been a fair dose of family drama lately ([disclaimer] having nothing to do with any aforementioned announcement or anyone involved in/affected by that announcement). We've seen positive things come out of the situation I'm referencing, but still see some work ahead of us. If you know the situation, your continued prayers are always welcome.

And there's been a large dose of learning going on. I think that for the first time ever I'm learning the importance of depending on Christ for life and not just for salvation. And that statement is pretty loaded. The application is even more so. It's a big lesson. That even in the small things... Even when I feel capable and able and equipped to do whatever comes into my path. Even when I could do things alone. ... it's better when I rely on something higher and better than myself. It's what Jesus did. And this sounds so theoretical and abstract, my realist mind is still struggling with the application. But there it is.

So that's where I am. While I'm a sucky blogger these days (Except for the Harry Potter trailer. That was blogging awesomeness at its best.), I like to think I'm becoming a better person. And that's more important anyway.