Doorbusting on what shall forever now be called "Red Thursday"

I, like so many of you, I imagine, was completely appalled by the fact that so many stores were open ON Thanksgiving Day this year.  Initially, some stores announced that they would open at midnight and I thought that was crazy....but then that seemed sane & smart compared to the announcement by Old Navy, Big Lots, K-Mart, and a few others that they would actually be open all day on Thanksgiving Day.

I thought it was completely un-American!  How could they?!? Think of the workers!  They don't get to be with their families on Thanksgiving Day!  OH, THE NERVE!!!

So, you can imagine my surprise when I found myself in a car with 4 others on our way to Big Lots and K-Mart at 7:00 on Thanksgiving Night. 

I know what you're thinking--"oh there must've been an emergency and somebody got sick and you needed Sprite and Saltines."  Nope.  "Well, then--peer pressure got the best of you, Ellen. The others weren't standing for the same values that you were and you succumbed to their evil plan to make people work on Thanksgiving Day." 

Um, I don't know how to say this, but....it was actually my idea.  I just wanted to get out of the house.  We'd been looking at the circulars all day & mapping out a Black Friday plan. Couple that with my serious Kohl's-Black-Friday-prices-online-Thursday SCORE (A $250 pre-lit Christmas tree for $65...plus KOHL'S CASH!!!) and I just caught Black Friday Fever and couldn't possibly wait a few more hours to get it going.

So, around 6:30 on Thanksgiving Night, myself along with 4 female family members loaded into the car and headed out.  We're not completely heartless, though--all 5 of us did have an internal struggle about the shopping.

Note the time on the clock...it's 6:38PM

Here are a few of the quotes from the trip to our first stop:  BIG LOTS (oh, do we have class!!!)

"My heart is saying no...but my wallet is saying yes."

"We are actually being pro American -- it's for the good of our country to stimulate the economy on the most American holiday!"

"We aren't doing anything wrong...we're just walking thru the doors that have been opened for us."

"We are so so opposed to this--like 100% opposed to this. But the employees will be there whether we show up tonight or not. So we may as well go and make it worth their while.  We'll even wish them a 'Happy Thanksgiving!' "

"I'm going to really weigh my decisions about what to buy...not going to buy things willy nilly." 


Who can resist the siren call from The Big Lots WALL OF EXTREME VALUES!!!

Everything was just peachy at Big Lots and we had gotten over our guilt until we were checking out at the very end.  My sister-in-law asked the cashier if she had a good day and if she got to spend anytime with her family....  Her answer?  NOPE. They were going to have to celebrate another day because she had to work.  The manager then came over to get involved and add to the conversation.  AND I QUOTE:  "If more people would've stayed home today, we probably wouldn't have to be open next year on Thanksgiving." 

Boy, did she know how to knock the wind out of our proverbial sails!  We felt like Thanksgiving had just become RED THURSDAY....the minute we handed over the green to pay for our wares, we had blood on our hands.

YOWZA!  Did we ever feel bad!  We felt so bad that I made this terribly scary face on our way into K-Mart.  (What?  You didn't think we actually went home after the Big Lots manager made us feel guilty, did you?!?)

K-mart was a hive of activity--lots of workers and everybody seemed just thrilled to have people stop by.  There were plenty of people out shopping and it made us feel a little less-dirty for breaking tradition and not waiting until Friday to celebrate Black Friday.  All in all, it was a good experience and we shopped until we dropped....or until they kicked us out at 9:00 to prepare for the REAL Black Friday...

To my partners in crime:  'Til next year, girls--it was a blast & I can't say that I learned my lesson or that I'd never do it again... 


Check your local cable listings before you clean your house

This is the part of my blog in which I become overwhelmed with the state of my house.

I had planned to start decorating for Christmas yesterday and I got my kids all pumped up for the momentous occasion:

Moi:  "Who wants to decorate for Christmas today?!?!?!?!" 

Offspring:  "MEEEE!!!!" "Me Me Me Me!"  "I wanna decorate for Christmas!  I can't wait!" "Score!"

Moi:  "OK then...here's what we need to do:  YOU, there, boy--take out the trash.  Daughter: pick up all your coats! [editorial note--she has jackets aplenty so it really IS an overwhelming task]  Puzzle boy:  PUT THE PUZZLES AWAY. ALL OF THEM."

Offspring: "Ummm....errrr, actually, we aren't all that interested in decorating for Christmas.  In fact, if cleaning is involved as a precursor to decorating we'd just rather not celebrate Christmas this year..."

So, we didn't. Instead, I accidentally fell asleep.  I like to say it happened on accident, but if I'm going to be completely honest, I may or may not have employed the use of ear plugs and room darkening shades....so "intentional napping" might be a more accurate description of what went on, but it makes me feel better when I think of leaving my equally exhausted husband on an unexpected solo parenting journey for the entire afternoon. So there.  I accidentally took a very long winter's nap. With ear plugs.

All that to say, we didn't decorate for Christmas, but in light of the fact that I got a mid-day phone call from hubs who had invited some friends over to watch the Vandy/UT game at 6pm, I made the kids pick up the WRECK of a bonus room....by bribing them with cookie dough.  Oh yes I did.  Now, I know what you're thinking:  "bribe your kids?  for cleaning up THEIR mess?  How dare you!"  Don't judge, people...don't judge... you do what you gotta do sometimes when the impromptu football viewing party is less than 1 hour away from commencing at your home.

What's REALLY funny about all of this is that my husband did not happen to check what channel this game was on.  We have a pretty hefty cable channel load, but apparently not as hefty as required for watching this particular game.  VU/UT was on ESPNU and ESPN 3D.

Good news:  we have ESPN3D! 
Bad news:  We don't have a 3D TV
Bad news:  we don't have ESPNU...
Good news:  our best next door neighbors do!
Bad news:  they don't give one rip about VU or UT 
Good news:  they are good enough friends to let a party of 12 crash in their bonus room.  (We owe you big time K & V!)

All that last minute scurrying and cleaning occurred just so we could fix a plate of food and walk next door to the neighbors house.

That said:  Less than 24 hours ago, my house was clean...picked up...organized, even!  Because we entertained last night (lets use the term "entertained" loosely...it involved bags of salad, frozen pizza and pre-mixed cookies that require an egg & a cup of oil). Therefore, I had a lovely, clean, picked up, organized home as I'm prone to when we "entertain" (again--use the term very, very loosely).

We then spent the entire evening next door, followed by a morning at church.  Do the math and realize that we have now been in our house for about 4 hours of actual usage time and it is a WRECK. 

3 puzzles + 2 types of Legos + Pretzel and triscuit crumbs + Little People (the Fisher Price toys AND actual little people)  + Hot Wheels = ONE BIG HOT MESS

What football season means to me

Going to his very first football game--he was so excited!

My fabulous family--all 5 of us kids are UK grads!

Krispy Kreme FOOTBALL donuts!

Coloring to pass the time during a VERY long football game

scalping tickets! We got 19 tickets total for $120...pretty sweet deal!

smooching when your team scores or makes a great play (this couple was VERY supportive of Vanderbilt in this department)

Swinging on a handicap swing with your cousin

enjoying a coke & a donut with your favorite #1 cousin

A House Divided: the Cats vs. the Commodores

This weekend is big.  HUGE.  Massive.  It's positively monumental for our household.  It is the weekend when the powerhouse football team from the University of Kentucky (my alma mater!) comes to Nashville to challenge another powerhouse in college football:  the Vanderbilt Commodores (Michael's alma mater!). 

Now, let's just stop for a minute.  If you know even the slightest bit about college football, you'll quickly realize what a ridiculous string of sentences that first paragraph holds.  Neither team has EVER been described as a powerhouse when it comes to football (not in my lifetime, anyways).  However, we are going to act like it's a big deal...complete with a tailgate attended by my fellow favorite UK grads (my ENTIRE family...no really--my entire family) and a few local friends. 

Let me be absolutely clear about something:  there are only about two reasons that I've ever gone to a football game.  One is to impress a guy.  Well, guess what:  I already got the guy.  I'm married now so that excuse ended when I got married 3 weeks after college graduation 13 years ago.  The other reason is to TAILGATE.  If you provide the food, I will go.

So, that's what we will do!  Tomorrow morning, a caravan of huge UK fans (about 11 of my family members) will make their way down I-65 to join us in a little pre-game munchfest followed by a quick scurry around Vanderbilt's campus to buy tickets from a scalper.  We'll go into the game where I will most likely be reading a magazine or a cookbook and chasing Will around the bleachers.  There may or may not be some first downs, touch downs, flags on the play, field goals, facemasking, penalties, and quarterback sacking....but I'll never know.

I'm just here for the party.

Time change...and just how silent is a cemetery?

Saturday mornings!!!  Love them....for now, anyways--we are getting ready to start our youth basketball season (2 kids on 2 different teams will positively EAT UP your Saturdays!) which leads right into youth baseball/softball season, so our chill Saturdays are about to go away until June.  Wah wah wah. Anyhow, it is 10:00 in the morning and I'm still in my PJ's drinking a little Diet Coke and enjoying the pace of sleeping until 7:00 and then staying in bed until 8:00 just because I can.

It's all about to change.

Tonight.

Daylight Savings goes bye-bye.  :(

I wasn't dreading it too bad until I was re-reading some vintage "Welcometomyblog" from a few years back.....apparently I came up with a few reasons why I strongly dislike setting the ol' clocks back.

Reason #93

Reason #82

Reason #46

Some people really buy into this whole "extra hour of sleep" gimmick....but I've not seen benefit of that in several years. I've always had early bird children and they don't seem to mind what the clock says. For instance, my child who is finally (FINALLY!) finally sleeping consistently until 6:30 or 7:00 am (after years of 5:45 am, we're so grateful!!!)....well, 6:30 will be 5:30 tomorrow morning and we'll start this cycle all over again.  Wah wah wah.

Alright, that's it for your friendly reminder about setting the clocks back tonight.  I can't end on a down-note...so I'll just say that strep throat has now been banished from my house and pneumonia has been all but squashed!  Things are looking up after a very long week at home with sick peeps. (Here's how bad things got:  I was so desperate to get out of the house last night BY MYSELF that when Michael got home from work, I left to go running.  In a cemetery.  At dusk. By myself.  I was SO desperate for some alone time that I couldn't even make myself walk into the gym to get my workout!  I wanted to be in a spot where there was no shot that anybody would talk to me.  FYI:  a cemetery is good for that.)

A trip to KY for birthday fun

Well, it's September, and if you know me at all, you know that with the turning of August's calendar page, we enter into a month-long fest of cake, presents and cake. Did I mention that we eat a lot of cake during September? Because we do. Eat a lot of cake, that is.

This weekend we went to KY for a joint-celebration of my brother (David) and my sister-in-law's (Holly) birthdays. They both turn 30 in a few weeks, so mom put together a celebration like none other to ring in a new decade for these two.

Holly had been inspired by the viral youtube video of the wedding entrance dance a couple weeks ago and decided to put together a little birthday dance routine of her own. She & her friend Jennifer spliced together about 10 songs from the '90s and storyboarded out some choreography (it looked like a football playbook, so I hear). Last minute, I was recruited to participate....which was so difficult for me because I am REALLY shy. (I kid, oh, how I kid!) But, you know how it goes...anything for the birthday girl, right?

The best laid plans, however well planned they may be, sometimes go awry, though, you know? Guy Dancer #1 came down with the flu; Guy Dancer #2 was in a car wreck the night before and showed up late to the party so he couldn't "rehearse" with us; and of course I was a somewhat last minute addition, so I learned my steps in the parking lot behind the dumpsters about 10 minutes before we were "on."

Nonetheless, we pulled out all the stops as we MC Hammered, Vanilla Iced, Michael Jackson'd (R.I.P.), Cotton-Eyed Joed, and N'Sync'd our way through some stellar dance moves.

And heaven help me if the video footage of this little ditty ever shows up on youtube...

So we are now 2 birthdays down, and about 4 to go!

I turn 29 again on Sunday, followed by my mother-in-law, then Michael's and finally Will's 2nd birthday round us off for the month.

Vacation Post #1

Flashback to June 2008. This might be my all-time favorite picture of my kids:

So, I decided it would be fitting to try to re-create the shot.

Fast forward to June 2009. I am even more thankful than ever for digital cameras where you're not limited to a certain number of shots. Here is a sampling of the photo shoot:

AND....at long last, here's the closest thing I got to the original. I'm glad you can't see their faces--you'd no doubt see a bit of anguish.

Ta Da! It might not be frame-worthy, but I finally got what I wanted!

The long overdue catch up post

Catching up on the ol' blog here. Hang onto your hat. Here goes:

We returned from Destin on Saturday night and were downright exhausted. Remember last year? Well, this year was on the same track. We did the beach olympics, talent show, and also seemed to incorporate a shopping marathon into the mix as well. Last year, we stayed in Seagrove and Seacrest and you had to drive a good ways to the outlets so we didn't do so much shopping. This year, we were about 5-10 minutes away and it seemed like every few hours, somebody was going to the outlets. That carload would return with some major deals which would feed another trip to the outlets for somebody else. (If our family is any indication of the average American, go buy some stock in Banana Republic.)

Anyways, there'll be a whole other post on vacation when I get my camera back...it hitched a ride home in somebody else's vehicle and is in the mail on the way back here as I type...



So, today was my catch-up day. I climbed Mt. Laundry and have reached the summit. Now for the ironing. However, I cannot iron when Will is awake, so that rules out most of my day. That will have to wait until after the kids go to bed tonight. Which is just what I want to do at my first free minute tonight, right? Whip out the ol' Rowenta and start pressing.

I actually can't complain about my day--it started with golf lessons for John, then we got home at 10:30 and had a few hours at home playing with the neighbors. Maddy then went to a birthday party at "Chuck E Jesus" (that's what the 4 yr old birthday boy calls it!). She had a ride to Chuck's so I didn't have to leave the home for that. John went swimming with our neighbors and Will slept, so I was able to get a lot done around here!


Ooh! I know when I'll iron: I have been anxiously awaiting Jon & Kate's big announcement tonight. I think that'll be a good time to iron. I have too much anxiety about their marriage problems--I can't just sit still & watch...ironing will give me an outlet for the nervous energy as I watch. I know this sounds crazy, but I am really sad for them! I don't know what's going to happen, but I'm just sad about the damage that has already been done by the paparazzi and their own personal bad choices.

I just pulled some pasta thing out of the freezer for dinner. I should be eating iceberg lettuce and carrot sticks to try and make a dent in the calorie OVERexpenditure that I'm working on from vacation. Can you say "donuts for breakfast?" Or what about "dessert after every meal?" Try this one out: "chips & queso for snack every afternoon." Grand finale on this exercise: "FRIED GROUPER."

Lastly--in honor of yesterday's big father's day celebrations, I have to say that I have the BEST dad in the world. If I could pick any dad out to be mine....no doubt, I'd picked him! Thanks Dad--I love you!

And to my own husband and father of my children. You are the most patient, loving, and FUN dad they could ever have. I love the way you love me & I love the way you love our 3 kiddos.

vacation preparation

We leave in the morning for Destin with my whole family! Looking forward to it.

In the meantime, however...

....you know how you do laundry a few days before you leave for a trip, then you tell everybody not to wear anything between now and then that they want to take because you won't be doing laundry again? And, then, you know how all that's left in your drawers after that are ugly clothes that you don't normally wear?

That's us this week, folks. If you see us out & about, please don't say anything about how we look.

Another vacation preparation casualty is our pantry and fridge. Because, well, you know how you don't want to go to the store and spend a lot of money on food that will go bad while you're gone? Basically, that means your menu for this week might look a little something like this:

*spaghetti with a jar of sauce, no meat
*eggs and biscuits
*rotisserie chicken and sides from the deli
*cereal

Nothing wrong with any of those dishes, by the way....I'm just sayin' there might've been a little more pizzazz this week if I'd allowed myself to buy anything at the store other than vacation food. (I do have skittles and chex mix, but heaven help you if you even THINK about opening those bags before we hit the Alabama state line...)

T-5 days and counting....

The Country Music 1/2 Marathon is almost here! I have been training seriously for about 4 months. I've put lots of miles on these legs & feet and am actually really looking forward to Saturday! We've got family coming into town and my brother Keith is running with Michael & I, along with several neighbors and friends from church. It has taken much coordination to get the kids in the right place so we can just wake up, eat, and run, but I think I've finally gotten it all figured out.

My mother-in-law is keeping Will overnight on Friday night and part of Saturday; My parents will take care of John & Maddy and get them to John's baseball game at 10:30 that morning; we're still trying to work out the parking situation/shuttle. A few years ago, Keith & Michael ran the race together and followed the advice in the race literature: they woke up at 3:30 in the morning, parked at the finish line and rode the shuttle from the finish to the start line only to arrive before the volunteers did and so they had about 2 hours to kill before the race started! They stretched by the Parthenon; talked to the media folk there to cover the race; were first in line for the port-a-potties. We still laugh about that one. We'd like to avoid that if at all possible, however, we'd equally like to avoid the mistake I made last year. I did not have a car at the finish line (because there was a wreck at the exit to get off there earlier that morning), couldn't find a ride back to the start line where I'd parked and ended up PRAYING (literally) for someone to come along to give me a lift back to the start line.

OK, moving on:
This week, I hope to be wise with my diet and exercise--I plan to make it an easy week...skipping my strength training classes and will probably only do two short and easy runs to save my legs for Saturday.

The diet part, however, is a little trickier for me. I made the mistake before my last long run of fueling up past the point of fueling up and boy did I pay for it during my run! We were in KY at my parent's house and the option is available to just eat all day if that's what you desire. And, so I did. BIG MISTAKE. Banana pudding, strawberry pretzel salad, jelly beans galore, cupcakes, and a huge Easter dinner. The next day as I ran my 11 miles, I also did a lot of praying. I was actually longing to come upon a port-a-potty, if you know what I mean.

So, I'm planning to avoid that scenario as well.

Last, but not least, another one bit the dust. I lost another running partner. I am the kiss of death to someone's running career, apparently. If you are looking to get into running....don't ask me to train with you! Last year, I trained with Kirsten for 4 months and she woke up in the middle of the night before the race with a terrible stomach virus.

This year, I trained with Micah for 4 months before she dropped out because of her IT Band (don't ask me to explain the IT Band....just know that it is along the side of your leg from your knee to your hip.)

So, I'll be running the actual race solo again. Which.....could be good. I am a very social runner, so when I'm running with a friend, we just chat, laugh, tell life stories, give unsolicited advice to each other, show our stretch marks to each other, cry and so forth and so on. Last year when I had to run by myself at the last minute, I approached the start line with a "the quicker I do this, the quicker it's over" mentality and it paid off! I shaved 15 minutes off my old record. So, perhaps this year I'll do the same. Just run. Faster you run, faster you finish.

March Madness To Do List:

1. Watch ESPN's "Bracketology" special.
2. Watch games I DVR'd and analyze all 64 teams' strengths.
3. Now, analyze their weaknesses.
4. Create an Excel spreadsheet analyzing each team against their 1st round opponents.
5. Check out some college hoops message boards and see what the buzz is.
6. Fill out my bracket.

OR...

I could just do what I normally do. Here's a list of questions I use to help me decide who to choose since I have not watched one single basketball game this entire year:

1. Did I know somebody who went to that school?
2. If so, did I like them? Pick that school to win if that person was nice to me.
3. Does that school have a fun mascot? Pick them to win if it's a good mascot. Not something scary. Unless it's a pirate because mascot pirates are cool, not scary.
4. Does that school have good colors? Do the colors go well with my hair and skin tone....like, could I actually wear their sweatshirt & look decent?
5. Would I ever want to take a road trip to this school? Is it in a nice locale?
6. Did I go to school there? OH WAIT. KENTUCKY is going to the NIT, which stands for the "Not Invited Tournament"). Sorry, cats, I can't pick you to win this year like I usually do.

So, there you have it. My family does a yahoo group which features a "smack talking" message board and some serious bracket pickin'. There's a traveling trophy/plaque that my name is YET to appear on (wonder why?). It's spent the last year in my 1 year old nephew Max's room....which basically means Keith submitted more than one bracket which is totally against the rules.

Here's to "Ellen's Elite Athletes" and a fabulous 2009 journey to the final four! Will keep you posted on my standing.

Make new friends, but keep the old

This past Sunday, I had lunch with a good friend I hadn't seen in well over 5 years. Lisa has known me for probably 15 years or so--I first met her when my older brother brought her home from college when I was still in high school. Well, it didn't work out for them, but it worked out well for me! Lisa was my Bible Study leader and mentor in college and we've done our best to keep up over the last 10 years.

The first question she & her husband Mark asked me was, "So have you started eating salads yet?" (read Item #2 on this link and you'll know where this comes from). I was thrilled to announce to them that I had indeed been a faithful salad eater for about 6 years now.

There's just a comfort that comes from seeing old friends! It was very fun to catch up and laugh and relive the old times (salad, anyone?) but also celebrate the present and all the ways God has grown us up.

The night before, I had a "girl's night out" with my "new" friends (although most of them are now becoming my "old" friends since we've been hanging together for about 8 years now). I decided the time had come to let them in on my secret, hidden, mysterious talent. Lisa & Mark knew about this and I figured it was time to really solidify my relationships with my "new/old" girlfriends as well.

Shall I share it with the blogosphere as well? I'm feeling right confident that this is an appropriate forum, so here goes:

I can do the worm. Yes, as in the break-dance variety.

It only took me one margarita to get the courage to showcase this talent, but I'm fairly sure it was worth it because "the worm" was greeted with open arms and hearts.

The last time I did the worm (in public, anyways) was 10 years ago at my brother Craig's 30th birthday party...In front of his friends, coworkers and colleagues. But I wasn't alone--Keith, my other older brother, and I did a synchronized worm. (Keith's the one I probably owe a sincere debt of gratitude to for learning the worm in the first place-he's the one who taught me the lyrics to Christmas in Hollis, as you may recall. He seems to have a little R&B/hiphop in his soul.)

And of course, there are pictures. But none of them were too "flattering" if you know what I mean, so you'll have to live without.

I feel like we know each other a little better now.

I'm The Biggest CONTEST Loser

I didn't win.

We're not going to Montana.

I'm not going to be giving Land's End Outerwear for Christmas.

You can read the winning entries here.

My sweet family has already started sending their condolences to me and cheering me up--
Keith (my bro) was the first to point out that the winners all played the sympathy card big time. My story was one of happiness and mirth. (Don't you just love when you get to use the word "mirth"?) Guess I'll know which way to write my next contest entry. Kleenex, anyone?

Beth (my sis) wrote the following in an email to me and I'm doing alright now. Thanks Sis!

"Well, I just looked on the web-site and saw that Ellen's entry was not a winner in the eyes of Land's End. But, she and her writing will always be a winner in my heart! I haven't read all of the winning entries yet that they posted, but I know that our family always has the most fun of anyone I know. Good try, Ellen! I guess we'll be getting something other than cashmere for Christmas."

A Dream Fulfilled

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Montana Bound? Sure hope so!

OK, now that the contest entry dates have passed, I can share with you my next big thing.

I have entered an essay contest to win a fabulous get-away for me and 11 of my closest friends/family....but I didn't want to tell you until the entry dates had passed because I'm real competitive like that, you see? I didn't want you to come along and snap it out from underneath me with a bigger, better essay.

I was perusing the latest Land's End catalogue (a personal favorite) when I came upon a discreet page in the middle announcing an enormous grand prize. A trip for 12 to Paw's Up Montana. Outfitted in complete Land's End gear. Wilderness adventures. Surely there's a spa and a massage involved in this somewhere. Surely.

So....I answered the question in exactly 300 words: "what was your best family get together?" I took the posting I wrote here several months ago ("Vacation? What Vacation?") and polished it up a bit, adding an extra tug at the ol' heartstrings, prayed over it and hit "submit."

AND I'M A NERVOUS WRECK!!! I want to win it so bad. It's a package valued at over $30,000. How great is that?!?

December 1 is when we'll know. You can bet I'll post the results here...

2nd & 3rd prizes aren't so bad either. The Land's End Cashmere collection for 2nd prize and the Land's End Fleece outerwear collection for 3rd.

The best part is, if I win this, I will SO be off the hook for Christmas shopping for 11 people. And that, my friends, is what Christmas is all about.

Well, not really, but it would be pretty rockin'.

Happy Election Day!

If you haven't already done so, make sure you get out and perform your duty as a citizen of this great nation and VOTE! In Tennessee, they have early voting, so I've been there/done that already this year, but it's still very exciting to wake up today knowing that we'll have a new leader elected by the end of the day.

I grew up in Kentucky politics--the year I was born, my dad ran for the state legislature. He retired the year I graduated from high school, so it was really all I ever knew growing up. Thankfully, most years, he ran uncontested, but there were a few campaigns that I've lived to tell about.

Dad's campaigning strategy involved going DOOR-TO-DOOR--as in EVERY DOOR of our hometown. This was his version of "Get out the vote." A group of friends and family would gather at our home around 5:00 each night of the week during the campaign and we'd map out our route for that night. We'd try to cover a precinct each night if it was small enough or we'd stretch it out over a few nights if we couldn't get all the houses. Dad would assign everybody a couple of streets, arm us with brochures and stickers and off we'd go! My BFF Andee and I partnered together most of the time [total aside--can you imagine letting 2 pre-teen girls go around to houses asking people to vote for a certain candidate these days!!! My, how the times have changed!]

Here's our script:
[ring doorbell. wait for someone to answer door. pray that they were fully clothed and they had no mangy attack dogs.]
"Hi. My name is Ellen and this is my friend Andee. My dad is running for state representative and we wanted to see if we could count on your vote....."

Oh, the stories we could tell (and actually do tell) about those days. There was the time that a precinct walker got bit by a dog. And, of course, there were houses that Andee and I would skip. SHHHHH!!!!! Don't tell anybody! We always felt guilty about this, but the houses with grass up to your waist and a Harley parked in the front yard next to the chained up bulldog...well, we just weren't sure we needed their vote. But, we still felt this enormous responsibility...."what if dad loses by 1 vote and it's all because we weren't brave enough to face the heavily tattoo'd, shirtless man on that one front porch..."

All the precinct walkers were fed a good meal afterwards. At Wendy's. Yes, at Wendy's. This was back in the days when Wendy's had the SuperBar. (Remember that?) So, it was a good deal. When I got a little older and too cool to walk the precincts, I'd show up just for the Wendy's portion of the festivities and my Uncle Don would tease me, "No walk, No eat." I think that's in the Bible.

Thankfully, dad never did lose and served about 18 years in the House of Representatives. He was the kind of man that Frankfort, KY hated to lose--he stood up for what was right. He was the same behind closed doors as he was in front of the House or the media. He taught me much about the political process, but most of all, he passed onto me the love of his country. He is such a patriotic man! He taught me the importance of letting your voice be heard on election day and all year around.

So, what are you waiting for? To the polls!!!

God's redemptive plan: a story told in chocolate

A little theological lesson for you today readers.

My parents came to town to visit this weekend. They were trying to find their way to Steinmart on their way into town and got a little lost and ended up in the Puffy Muffin bakery parking lot.

God does indeed guide our every step. Even our "mistakes" (in this case, taking the wrong turn) can be redeemed, readers! Here's the glorious way God redeemed dad's wrong turn:

If you'll remember my last post, one of my top 5 favorite desserts hails straight from their bakery.

My dad, an avid "welcometomyblog" reader, remembered the post and showed up at my house carrying a....

CHOCOLATE GANACHE CAKE FROM THE PUFFY MUFFIN!

Vacation? What Vacation?

Aaaaahhhhh...the beach.....a vacation.....a good read in the sand....hanging poolside, feet in the water....just soaking up the rest & relaxation, right?

WRONG!!!

When my family goes to the beach, it's competition, it's sweat, it's grit, it's determination, it's ambition, and it's F-U-N!

Think "Dan in Real Life" on steroids. Their family did the group togetherness...family aerobics, talent show, games. My family does all this...but with a higher purpose in mind. Trophies & Medals are at stake!!!

The week starts off with a trophy presentation for the winner of the NCAA March Madness bracket winner. This year, my 5 month old nephew Max won. It was amazing, really, to see a rookie picker take the trophy this year. He gets to keep the traveling trophy until next year when a new winner is crowned. Everybody else received runner's up certificates.

The next night, we began Beach Olympics. The teams were decided beforehand and were "evenly distributed". My brother Keith was the head of the IOC so he had planned ahead with multiple activities/competitions that involved all members of each team. There were 5 teams of 4: The Celtics, Mad-JX, Beach Bum Bombers, Superstars and the Crocs.

Each day of vacation, there were several different activities that we had to do in order to earn points for your team. Jump Rope contest, Water balloon toss, Football Throw, Sling Ball were just a few of the activities that could win your team points. Medals were awarded to the winning team on the last day of vacation.

MAD-JX the winning team. In his victory speech, John said, "At first, I didn't have a lot of confidence in my team, but it turned out good in the end."

Thursday night, we had an "Unconventional Talent Show". Participation was mandatory, but somehow my brother David found a loophole (he's the newest attorney in the family) and sat it out. We had dance routines, songs, a poetry reading, juggling (Keith called his entry "various asundry"), trumpet playing, "Peek a boo" from Will, and a SNL-styled parody of the movie "Akeelah and the Bee".

"Clayla and Bethla and the Bee"

Dramatic Reading: "The Road Less Traveled"

Dad sang "It's a Sin to Tell a Lie"

Craig & I singing the "Family Ties" theme song (very sincerely, I might add)

Trumpet & Dance combo

However, just so you don't think there's no depth to us, my mother did coordinate a "Virtue of the Day" activity. She assigned several people a virtue/topic to do a devotion on and this was to inspire "virtue spotting" the next day as we watched for people to demonstrate these traits. For instance, "Patience" was the virtue for the first day as we all traveled to Destin. "Kindness" was mid-week. Two of my nephews also got baptised in the pool!

Add to what you've already read a luau, outlet shopping, swimming, playing hot box on the beach, white & khaki family pictures at Seaside, LCR tournament, a play at Watercolor resort and you've got one full week!
After all that, I always say we need a real vacation after the family vacation to rest up.

Thanks for a fun week, family! Let's do it again next year!