Thankfulness Journal #9

I've decided to speed this up just a bit so that I'm finished with the countdown on New Year's Eve. That's why there are 30 today instead of 20. Days 281-311 cover October 7th through November 6th.

Day 281- Diana Reed (A long-time member at Otter Creek. She and her husband established the Wayne Reed Center, that houses an early childhood intervention program for underprivileged kids and their families, several years ago. For the last 20 years, she has faithfully taken care of her husband, Wayne, who's battled ALS. She suffered a stroke unexpectedly after a routine pain management treatment that was tainted with fungal meningitis and passed away. Her funeral was today. Such a huge loss to so many people.)
Day 282- Milo and his bottle caps
Day 283- Vickie Foltz (Even though I never met her, what she brought to MNC is invaluable.)
Day 284- Curbside brush pick-up
Day 285- Hearing how much Reagan's teachers enjoy having her in class
Day 286- Titanic (the movie)
Day 287- A new, quiet pool pump
Day 288- No rain on my trip to SC
Day 289- Dr. Johnson (Jeannie's doctor, who took away her nausea)
Day 290- My MIL's guest room
Day 291- Strawberry tea from Ice Creams & Coffee Beans
Day 292- The Walking Dead marathon with Jeannie
Day 293- Reagan made her first airplane ride all alone, and she did GREAT!
Day 294- Survived my 20th high school reunion
Day 295- Beautiful fall drive back home through the mountains and God's paintbrush
Day 296- Paint! (Tim painted the kitchen, living room, hall and foyer while I was away.)
Day 297- Modern technology! I watched a giraffe in SC give birth via webcam. AWESOME!
Day 298- David England, filling in as worship minister
Day 299- Reagan's not afraid to develop her own sense of style
Day 300- A whole weekend alone with Tim
Day 301- Memory foam pillows
Day 302- Seeing Reagan's reaction when I told her that her dad had finally caved on the dog issue, and we were going to pick out our new puppy!
Day 303- The fact that my flight isn't being cancelled because of Hurricane Sandy. Many choruses and quartets may not be able to get to Denver to compete.
Day 304- The opportunity to "crown" the new Harmony Classic winners by giving them their medals, and remembering our achievement winning this award last year
Day 305- Trick-or treating with the McKnights (even if I couldn't be with them this year. I look forward to it every year!)
Day 306- Winning the Harmony Achievement medal and singing with the 12th best chorus in the world!
Day 307- Women like Ann Gooch, that have done so much to bring Sweet Adelines to women all over the world
Day 308- The opportunity to watch the 10 best choruses in the world compete LIVE
Day 309- A great week in Denver with my wonderful chorus and fabulous weather
Day 310- Peace and solitude, after several days surrounded by lots of people
Day 311- The women that fought for the rights of women everywhere in the 19th and 20th century, and allowed me the opportunity to vote today

Thankfulness Journal #8

Only a few more days left in 2012. Days 261-280 cover September 17th through October 6th.

Day 261- Don't need a crown or root canal right now
Day 262- The army of angels that protected Pierce when he went missing 2 years ago today.
Day 263- A family dinner on our screened in porch
Day 264- A friend for Pierce to ride bikes with
Day 265- Hearing Pierce recite Green Eggs And Ham as a form of protest when trying a new food
Day 266- The kids are old enough that we can leave them home alone for a couple of hours so we can have a little date.
Day 267- And So It Goes (A Billy Joel song that our quartet, Simplicity, is singing)
Day 268- Michelle's dad is no longer suffering
Day 269- A hen houseguest
Day 270- A baby sleeping in our hammock
Day 271- I successfully colored my own hair
Day 272- OC's Living Water Yard Sale
Day 273- A standing ovation for Simplicity and tears from the audience!
Day 274- A great weekend with the quartet
Day 275- Prayer and anointing over Jeannie that calmed her before surgery
Day 276- Jeannie's surgery, that was supposed to be lengthy and complicated, went smoothly and was over much sooner than we thought.
Day 277- First text from Jeannie post-surgery: NO NAUSEA!!!!
Day 278- Denice Trice (A dear friend that has been battling cancer for 11 years now. Her faith is amazing and so inspiring.)
Day 279- Jim Arns (One of MNC's coaches and director of 6-time International champs, Melodeers Chorus. He always brings out the best in our chorus!)
Day 280- Ms. Lee (Another friend that has been battling cancer. She is such a sweet, sweet lady, and was such an encouragement to me earlier in the year.)

Thankfulness Journal #7

Ok, I feel the need to give some commentary on my entry for day 259. Many of you out there are horrified at the mere suggestion of the S-E-X word. I'm sorry if you feel embarrassed reading what I was thankful for that day. I thought about censoring my entry for your benefit. But why should I be ashamed? It's a God-given gift. So, I let the record stand. That's all I have to say about that. Days 241-260 cover August 28th through September 16th.

Day 241- Sarah Walker's testimony (A lady that I didn't know personally, but I read some of her blog during her fight with cancer. She died today. What remarkable faith she had.)
Day 242- Because so many people heeded evacuation warnings in New Orleans, there have been no deaths from Hurricane Isaac. (Not that day, but there were a few deaths from the storm when it was all over)
Day 243- Reagan's science teacher, Mr. Modglin. Even after a long day of school, he was still energetic and enthusiastic when he spoke to us about teaching at open house.
Day 244- Our last day of commuting
Day 245- Our new pool!!
Day 246- Sitting on my screened-in porch with coffee, watching the rain
Day 247- Friends that will clean my windows and refrigerator, scrub the mildew off of our pool chairs, clean the ceiling fans, and unpack the kitchen.
Day 248- A 10-minute drive to MNC rehearsal
Day 249- A garage! We got into our car during a rainstorm to go to church tonight and never got wet.
Day 250- Got all of mine and Tim's clothes into our closets without buying any extra storage
Day 251- First full week in our new house
Day 252- A friend I can accept criticism from and who isn't afraid to give it to me when I really need it.
Day 253- My first Praise Team solo and the fact that my stage fright is mostly gone
Day 254- My first book club meeting!
Day 255- Pull-Ups. I had 3-year-old Cooper in the car (who'd just begun potty training), and we were waiting in the school pick-up line when he announced that he needed to poop. I couldn't get him to a bathroom in time.
Day 256- Back in Vespers!
Day 257- Nearly 38 years of perfect teeth
Day 258- Another year of life (My birthday)
Day 259- Orgasms
Day 260- Birthday cake and flowers from my quartet

Thankfulness Journal #6

Days 221-240 cover August 8th through 27th. Summer is almost over!

Day 221- Old-fashioned hymn sing @ OC
Day 222- The kids' last day of summer vacation
Day 223- First day at a new school, and a happy ending when Pierce was accidentally put on a bus.
Day 224- Tracey Moore's 50th birthday and time with old friends
Day 225- OC's Back To School Blessing service
Day 226- Both kids had a great first full day of school
Day 227- All the wonderful memories we've made in this house
Day 228- Heard from Maria Ballard (Pierce's Ed. Aide from DuPont Hadley that was fired at the end of the year). She found a job at another school.
Day 229- A stomach bug (afraid the intense cramps I was having was from another kidney stone)
Day 230- Reagan got to experience a movie at a drive-in
Day 231- Reagan is old enough to watch some of the more grown-up movies
Day 232- Great Is Thy Faithfulness and He's Always Been Faithful
Day 233- Fantastic IEP meeting at Brentwood Middle!
Day 234- A POD to hold all of the boxes we've packed until our move
Day 235- Matching doors on all of our closets and bedrooms
Day 236- Having a husband to come home to (sang at the memorial service of a friend's husband)
Day 237- Fun with Cooper
Day 238- Melissa McAdory's hand truck/dolly
Day 239- Last Sunday to drive across town for church
Day 240- My programmable crock-pot

Thankfulness Journal #5

Here's 20 more things I was thankful for this year. These cover the days July 19th through August 7th. Hope all of my friends and family are having a wonderful Christmas!

Day 201- Opportunity to help the youth group bake cookies. I was also blessed to have several people tell me how much they love watching Pierce and Reagan interact and what great kids they are.
Day 202- Thankful for the opportunity Pierce has had to participate in a mission trip.
Day 203- Thankful for a husband that still loves me even after I act like a brat.
Day 204- Watched Tim baptize Reagan and got to hear Scott Hamilton's testimony
Day 205- Breakfast for dinner
Day 206- Reagan gets excited about a Bible study
Day 207- Extra funds for an emergency
Day 208- Chaperoned the youth group's "Mystery Trip" and climbed to the top of the world's largest treehouse.
Day 209- Start of the summer Olympics! And, thought the AC was broken, but it was just a tripped breaker.
Day 210- Saw the final Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises
Day 211- Thankful for everyone that works with Otter Creek's middle school youth group; mainly David Knox, Zac Smith, James Curtis and Hannah Whitney
Day 212- Brentwood Middle; what appears to be a great new school!
Day 213- MNC's accomplishment as the 2011 AA International Chorus Champions.
Day 214- CAMP NIGHT!! The chance to see how much my kids LOVE camp through pictures and videos
Day 215- Learning how to get my camera out of auto mode
Day 216- Got our bonus room packed up in a few hours
Day 217- Great face-to-face talk with my mom
Day 218- Wilson life group is back after a summer break
Day 219- Last day of counseling, and I finally found Ben and Jerry's Key Lime Pie ice cream!
Day 220- Free boxes

Thankfulness Journal #4

You may have thought I forgot about my Thankfulness Journal. While I have been lax in sharing these with you, I have been faithful to keep writing down my blessings this year. We only have ONE WEEK LEFT of 2012! Eek! So, I will bring you the rest of my Thankfulness Journal in daily installments from now until New Year's Day. Days 181-200 run from June 29th to July 18th. Here we go...!

Day 181- AIR CONDITIONING (Temp reached 109!)
Day 182- Night time walk on the beach
Day 183- Pixar (got to watch the latest movie, Brave, with the family)
Day 184- Found a sand dollar on the beach and watched the sunset over the ocean with Reagan
Day 185- A visit with Tim's family, especially his Papa who is in bad health; also, getting to feed flamingos!
Day 186- Our country, and the freedoms we are privileged to enjoy; also, fireworks over the ocean
Day 187- Universal Studios Express Passes. Cut our wait time in line by about 75%
Day 188- Reagan was chosen to get a wand at Ollivander's in Harry Potter World. She said she would remember it for the rest of her life.
Day 189- How great my kids have been on vacation: no bickering, begging, whining, or complaining
Day 190- A fantastic vacation with Tim and the kids
Day 191- A fun art camp for Reagan
Day 192- Cooler temps and a dreary, drizzly day
Day 193- Fried Cheesecake
Day 194- Reagan's first all-nighter at the Youth Group lock-in and subsequent naps from BOTH kids
Day 195- The kids got to visit with mom and Jeannie
Day 196- 7 straight days of rain after 2 weeks of 100+ degree temps
Day 197- The look on Reagan's face as she told us she wanted to be baptized
Day 198- Made my first purchase for the new house: a hammock for the screened in porch
Day 199- MNC's talented music team
Day 200- Learned that the song I've been humming since Reagan told us of her decision, and that I've been wanting to sing after her baptism (The Lord Bless You and Keep You) is on the worship schedule for that day!

This Old House

In 2 weeks, we will be moving from the north side of Nashville (Madison) to the south side (Brentwood). It's a move that we've toyed with in the past, but only seriously began to consider this summer. We will be almost across the street from our church, and very close to all of my chorus activities. We'll have a pool, more square footage, and we'll be in a great school. We are all at peace with this move, more so than I thought we'd ever be, but I've been pretty emotional at times about what we're leaving behind. Here's the story of our current house.

Fifteen years ago, we were a young, childless couple, on a tight budget, looking for our first house. We found a cute starter home in Madison. It wasn't the best area of town and the schools weren't great, but having no kids yet, that wasn't really a concern for us. About a year later, I gave birth to our first child. Imagine my surprise when Tim came home just a few weeks later to say that he had driven past a very cool house (only a mile away from our first home) that was for sale. It was old, but charming, and he thought it would be fun to remodel. To say I was apprehensive is a bit of an understatement; then I saw the place. My first impression of the concrete block house on 4 acres of land with 6 outbuildings was that it looked like the lair of a serial killer. However, the rock walls and huge trees all over the property gave it a bit of charm. The house would need quite a bit of work to make it livable, but we had an infant to take care of! I couldn't believe Tim was really serious. He finally convinced me to take the plunge by saying that he thought we could make it livable in 2 months (Tim, of course, does not remember telling me this). We closed on the property when Pierce was 3 months old in July of 1998. Our friends and family thought we were crazy.

Several months later, we were STILL working on the house. We'd knocked out walls, built new ones, replastered, and completely replaced the electrical. I honestly can't remember what the date was, but in early 1999, we figured it was safe to put our first house on the market. Of course, it sold quicker than we were expecting. Suddenly, we had to move into a house that didn't have floors or a kitchen. Tim scrambled to get things finished. A few days before moving, I took Pierce to South Carolina to stay with my parents for a week. He was almost a year old. I didn't want to, but the house still didn't have a kitchen, and I didn't want to live in those conditions with a baby. I came back to help Tim finish and get us moved. I have a picture of all of our living room furniture sitting outside for 2 days, because we still had no carpet in that room! The first night Tim and I spent in the house, a pipe in our only working bathroom burst. After the move, I went back to South Carolina and stayed with my parents for another week until the house was ready. When I came home, I was an emotional wreck. I'd had to spend several days away from my baby and then several more days without Tim; I'd left behind a nursery that I'd spent so much time decorating and that had sentimental value to me; I'd just moved out of a perfectly good house where everything was finished and working. I was crying and raging about all of this one night in our somewhat functional kitchen when Tim said something to the effect of "I just want you to be happy". That's when I yelled the words that still haunt me: "I WILL NEVER BE HAPPY HERE!!"

Well, we continued working on the house here and there; a new roof, new windows. When I got pregnant with Reagan, I insisted that the time had come for our master bathroom to be finished. When Reagan was a toddler, we hired a contractor to finish out the concrete block bonus room and to remodel the exterior. Tim's mother would come visit from time to time and help us with unfinished projects around the house. I think it made her a bit crazy to see so many things undone. As the years went by and we began to make memories in this old house, it began to grow on me more and more. People would joke with us about how far we would drive to church and how our little hilltop was becoming more exposed. I-65 had been widened and we could see it from our living room window. Also, the land across the street was cleared 2 weeks after we closed on the house. A new hospital opened 3 years later. The Emergency Room entrance was actually directly across from our driveway. This increased traffic on our narrow, windy street, bringing crazy drivers that nearly ran me off the road more than once. Our friends said that maybe the time had come to move on to greener pastures. My statement was always the same: "We'll never get rid of this place. I'll be buried in the back yard." I began to garden, and I had dreams of getting every inch of our 4 acres beautifully landscaped. We did another big remodel last summer. We knocked out walls, built a closet and pantry, and installed bamboo flooring. There are still many projects to be completed, but we've made this place into a home that I now love. I could never imagine leaving...

That is, until Tim's dad called a few months ago to talk to him about his house. His dad had a house in Brentwood that had been rented for the last 2 years. We'd toyed with the idea of buying this house a few years ago since we had become members at the Otter Creek Church in Brentwood. In the end, we decided that we couldn't possibly leave our house. But, a few recent events had made us reevaluate. Both of our kids entered the youth group over the summer. It seemed like we were constantly driving them to and from Brentwood for some youth event. I was already doing an excessive amount of  driving to Brentwood for chorus rehearsals and meetings. Then, Pierce had a not-so-good year at school. We were dealing with a difficult new principal and Pierce's one-on-one assistant was fired at the end of the year. When Tim's dad called to say that he was putting his house on the market, I told Tim that I was interested in talking about it.

So here I am, packing up the house that we've lived in for 13 years. I feel an indescribable peace about the move. I'm excited to be so close to most of our activities. Reagan is excited to be going to school with one of her very close friends from church. Pierce is excited to have a pool. Though we had a rocky start to the school year (Pierce was accidentally placed on a bus at the end of the first day, so when I came to pick him up, no one could find him. Ah, just another story for my book.), every other interaction I've had with the school reinforces my belief that we've made the right choice. But among all of the joy, there are pangs of sorrow. I'll never get to see what this place could've been. Our to-do list will never be completed. Actually, many of those projects we've put off will be tackled, but only to appeal to renters or buyers. One of the first things I said to Tim after making this decision was, "Oh great. I'll finally get this house looking just the way I want it, only to give it to someone else!"

I decided one day to make a list of all of the things I would miss about this house, and all of the things I would NOT. I just wanted to see which list would be longer. Interestingly, my "miss" list is longer than my "not" list, nearly 2 to 1. I couldn't have predicted that 13 years ago. This list is not complete; I keep thinking of more to add, and I'm sure I'll have a few more after the move. But this is a long post, and it needs to end sometime. Thank you for joining me on my walk down memory lane!

Things I WILL miss:

1. My custom shower/bathroom

2. The seclusion

3. All the work we've done

4. Charm of this place

5. Potential of how fantastic we could make this landscape look

6. All of our rock walls

7. The scripture engraved in tile behind the stove (Ecclesiastes 3:13- "That everyone may eat and drink, and find  satisfaction in all his toil. This is the gift of God")

8. Chef's Market Cafe (They have the BEST carrot cake I think I've ever tasted!)

9. View from our hill at night

10. Being so close to Opry Mills

11. Being close to Metro Center, and my favorite Greek place

12. Reagan's friends, Kaylee and Kaylin

13. My big white crepe myrtles

14. My tankless water heater

15. The round bathroom (converted from a water cistern that was part of the house)

16. Mowing around the grave of our very first family pet; our sweet puppy dog Annabelle

17. Our VERY secluded hot tub 

18. The wild turkeys that show up in our yard every spring

19. Being close to Olive Garden

20. Time alone in the car singing my favorite music

21. Driving past the cute little garden on Due West Avenue

22. My favorite garden center, Bates Nursery, that's just down the road.

23. Our cranky but sweet next-door-neighbor (She's the daughter of the man that built this house)

24. The root cellar in one of our out-buildings that kids refer to as "the cave"

25. Hearing people tell us what a neat place we have

26. Hearing Goodpasture's marching band rehearsing in the distance

27. Being 2 miles away from Old Time Pottery

28. Being 2 miles away from Dairy Queen

Things I will NOT miss:

1. The long drives

2. Hearing ambulances and life flight helicopters all hours of the day and night

3. Terrifying turn into and out of our driveway (Our driveway sits right on a blind curve. Someone hit me as I turned out just a few months after we moved in)

4. The trash that is constantly being thrown onto our street from passing motorists

5. The apartments at the end of our street, whose entrance is constantly strewn with clothes and furniture from a recent eviction

6. The crappiest Walmart I've ever shopped at, right across the street.

7. Feeling so susceptible to another break-in

8. How long it takes takes to mow

9. How much effort it takes to make this yard look decent

10. The over abundance of poison ivy

11. The condemned house and overgrown property next door

12. The invasive honeysuckle bushes

13. Getting nearly run off of our narrow, windy road by crazy drivers and ambulances

14. Hearing delivery guys complain about our steep driveway

15. Having to drive to a park if I wanted to walk (Our street was too dangerous.)

16. Metro schools