Our KEEW in Review - July Already?! And a TON of Pix to Prove It!

Alright already! So I've taken a few days off from my blogging! Gimme a little slack, I've been...um...busy! Yes! THAT'S the ticket! Busy like a bee. Nah, just kidding! I've been reverting back to my old habits of procrastinating, and putting off for tomorrow what I should have done today. You know the drill. I titled this entry Our KEEW because it's a look at our week, backwards! Clever, yes, I know. :) Get it? KEEW spelled backward is WEEK. Ah, there ya go! Anyway, here are the highlights to the best of my recollection starting with today.

Happy Birthday America! I awoke this morning to my main man, Hallerin Hilton Hill, inspiring me to appreciate the freedoms we have in this incredible country of ours. HHH mentioned that Liona Helmsley had willed her dogs 12 million dollars! What a waste, no? But as HHH pointed out, isn't it great to live in a country where we have the freedom to choose where our money is spent, even if it's on frivolous things? A woman who immigrated from Iraq read a letter she had written to the paper about how grateful she was to live here and how thankful the Iraqi people are to the American soldiers who are fighting in Iraq as I type to restore their God-given inalienable rights. This interview struck a chord with me as I have just finished reading A Long Way Gone, the story of a boy soldier by Ishmael Beal. This book is required reading for all incoming UT freshmen, so I figured it must be a good read and it did not disappoint. I was appalled and dismayed throughout most of the book at the degree of cruelty and violence that is brought out in war, but particularly moved by the story of this young boy's life as he was recruited at 12 years old to serve in the army in Sierra Lionne. Gripping, doesn't come close to describing this book. And sadly, it's all true, and continues to be retold in countless villages around the world. Definitely food for thought anyway. Oops, starting thinking about books and off I go! Anyway, Hallerin's show this morning was inspiring and patriotic, and it made me grateful to be a mom in the country where I don't fear for my children's futures, rather I anxiously anticipate their dreams coming true.

Addie, Sam, Tom, and I headed down to the quaint little town of Farragut for the annual 4th of July parade. As is our standing tradition, we sat on the curb in front of Mike Wallace and his momma. Taylor, Natalie, and Olivia joined us. The kids had a great time...for about 30 minutes, but Farragut Parade Part 2 got a little redundant, especially when they passed a "law" that no more candy could be thrown out to the kids. Say what?

After the parade, we drove by the Littles' to make sure the house was still standing, and it was. We actually passed Drake as we were leaving the neighborhood. He was heading to the house and it appeared all was as it should be. You never can tell what's going to happen when you leave two teenage boys home alone. So far, so good!

Then it was home sweet home to finish my book, then to the Verizon store to transfer my phone number to Lori's old phone because of what happened to my phone. I'll tell that story in a sec...It took nearly an hour to get the situation resolved, but I'm back in business! I lost all my contacts, but at least they can find me if they need me. Tom took Sam to see Wall-E and Addie was at the lake with Natalie, so I just did a little more reading and a little laundry too. When Tom and Sam got home, I made a quick run to Kroger to buy supplies for our 4th of July cook-out at Grandmom's and Papaw's house. I made my specialty-Redneck Caviar! Becca Jones and Kelli Martin joined the family minus the Rymers and Drew for hamburgers before heading to the World's Fair Site for fireworks.

Thursday, Lori, Natalie, Dinah, Sam, Addie, Taylor, Ed, Olivia, Charlie, Allan, and I made yet another run to Dollywood. Surprisingly, this trip turned out to be a life-changer as Addie rode her first big roller coaster and got the fee-vah! Once she rode the Tennessee Tornado, she went on to ride Mystery Mine and finished off the day with TWO rides on Thunderhead. The day was HOT and we were all a little more tired than usual. Poor little Sam! He is about 1/4" too short to ride the big rides, and he was so disappointed! All the kids rode the big rides by the end of the day, but even when we tried to sneak Sam on to Mystery Mine, they busted us, and wouldn't let him ride. We're in the market for some "Tall Shoes." My bad news of the day was that when I was upside down on Mystery Mine, my cellphone aka lifeline, fell out of my pocket and was lost forever, along with all my contacts, so now I'm cut-off from my "peeps." Hopefully, all my friends will call me this week just say, "howdy" and I'll be reconnected!

Oh yes! I must include this little anecdote about our BreadBox experience! I'm sure it'll come across as a "had to be there" story, but it makes me smile when I think of it, so bear with me. Alright, Lori, Ed, and I planned to meet at BreadBox at 9:30, so Ed and I got there on time, but Lori...well, she was confused, so we waited patiently in the parking lot and sent the kids into the store for some "provisions." Would you believe our sweet little angels (Addie, Taylor, Sam, and Olivia) ran around in the store so wildly that the cashier had to reprimand them? Apparently, she told them to go outside and get their mothers IF they HAD mothers with them. Oops! Dropped the ball on that one, huh? Well, Lori pulled up about that time and Natalie bailed out of the car and we ALL headed back into the BreadBox for some refreshments. When the cashier recognized Lori and realized who we were, all the color drained immediately from her face and she weakly asked Lori with a pleading look in her eyes if she still had a job! Of course, Lori laughed it off and said, "Yes! You sure do!" It was only at that point that the lady regained her composure and recounted her emotions when she looked out the front of the store and saw Lori pull up to join us. She said she thought to herself, "Oh God! I've done lost my job!" I thought it was hilarious 'cause that is so much like something I would do! I can see myself now reprimanding our brand new superintendent's children before realizing who(se) they are! Now that I think about it, shouldn't we treat all children as if they are children of the King? 'Cause they are. We've all entertained angels unaware.

Wednesday was a blur. I have no idea what we did. I've slept since then. Maybe my memory will be jogged once I upload the pictures. Ah, yes! Now I remember! Wednesday was another lemonade stand with Lauren and Bennett. Evan came over to hang out for awhile, so you KNOW Sam was happy! They played with cap guns (something that would have NEVER happened with our #1 and #2 kids, but hey- what's the big deal? They had fun. I seriously doubt that Evan and Sam are going to hold up convenience stores and snatch little old ladies' purses now that I've exposed them to the world of "handguns." I think boys today NEED to be a little more masculine anyway.

Tuesday's highlight was another day with the Sistas! Lori and Katie and I made a day of Dollywood and the kids had a blast! I think we're bonding like the Baxter sisters in our shared novels!

There is SO much to do with Reach Them, and this is my week to bust my tail getting on top of things before it gets away from me. The pre-event is August 19th. We have the food, venue, and emcee arranged but we're still working on our keynote speaker, door prizes, printed matter, and guests! If you're a prayin' kinda' person, please take this event before the Lord and then praise Him when miracles happen!