Big Boy Haircut

Okay, so Wednesday Jack got his first real haircut, and by real I mean he wasn't sitting on our bathroom counter in a diaper. Yes, for his entire life (20 months...can you believe it?) he's been receiving complimentary trims courtesy of dad with a little head holding and help from mom. He's been in need of a trim, and for a free haircut I think we do a pretty good job. I thought it would be a good idea to take him to a professional since my sister's wedding is next week.

He was not real happy about sitting in this weird chair and didn't want to wear the smock, but a lollipop soon convinced him that all would be okay. He was pretty well behaved other than constantly turning his head left and right as if he was deliberately trying to make the stylist work harder. His long hair on top is officially gone, which is sad. I'm not sure what they hear when you say "don't make the top too short; I like it to comb over to the side," but it must sound like "just keep cutting away until it's all gone." It's not that bad and it will hopefully grow out a little to a length I will appreciate.

I still haven't gotten a good after photo...I'll have to post again soon. Here are some other things we've been up to since Josh has been home.


Enjoying corn on the cob.





A visit from Grandmommy last week.






Celebrating Uncle John's birthday with sweet kisses from Sadie (and Molly too!)

Daddy's Home

So, Josh is back and I've neglected to blog about his return. The pick-up on Sunday was very smooth. His flight was a little early and Jack & I ran into a bit of traffic in Atlanta, so I knew we'd be late and Josh would be standing around on the curb with his bag. But with his journey through customs balanced it all out and the timing was great. In fact if we hadn't been delayed we probably would have been sitting around at the airport instead, so I'll take the traffic instead of trying to keep Jack corraled at the airport. Hopefully, once he's caught up he'll blog about his trip. Afterall, I told you every detail of what we did while he was away!

Home, sweet, home?

Well, we arrived back home yesterday afternoon. There has been a decent bit of progress down in the basement while we were gone, electical, plumbing and hvac work. I'm not sure about Jack, but I was exhausted from our trip and was eager for bedtime to arrive. It's great to be home, but it's just not as sweet without someone to greet you when you pull in from your trip. Jack and I are on our own for just a wee bit longer now. I'm eagerly anticipating picking Josh up on Sunday evening...it's been a long week. I just don't know how people that travel all the time do it. Consider us thankful that Josh's travels are a rare occasion.

On Wednesday we enjoyed lunch with Shelby, a friend and fellow dawg fan I used to work with in Greenwood. Poor Shelby was having a terrible day, but insisted on keeping our lunch plans. I hope we were able to brighten her day just a bit with our company. I enjoyed catching up and hearing all about what's going on with her and of course the old work place.

After lunch, we returned to Cissy's for a swim. Jack was a little timid at first, but eventually warmed up to the water. He walked around the shallow area forever tossing balls for me to fetch. I wish I could have gotten some pictures, but I was on lifeguard duty. Lifeguard duty and expensive camera do not mix. I did get this shot of him relaxing with his drink poolside. We sat in the shade and dried off for a while before heading inside to cool off. It wasn't long before Jack was ready for a nap and I was happy to rest on the couch until Cissy got home.

Cissy made the yummiest dinner with lots of fresh vegetables. Jack loved the corn (or "cone" as Jack says), nibbled at the green beans and began to show some interest in a hot dog, too. Of course, he made a huge mess too. I thought his nap would have rejuvenated him, but by 8:45 he was pretty much asking to go to bed and even elected to skip his bath...which never happens! He loves bathtime!

On Thursday morning, we caught up with the Wiles family...which recently expanded to five. It was a pleasure to meet 3-month-old Gabby. Jack absolutely adored Hannah Grace & Austin and eagerly chased them around the house. He did not want to leave them or their fun toys behind! Our final stop was my old workplace, PTC. Things have changed quite a bit since I left just over two years ago. Of the 5 staff members I left behind only one is still in that area. One has retired, another quit and two others moved to different departments. It certainly makes going back feel really strange.

After our busy morning of visiting, Jack was exhausted. He quickly fell asleep. About 20 minutes into our journey home, he awoke. He was mostly pleasant the rest of the almost two hour drive. I would have loved nothing more than laying around and doing nothing today, but we were up and out of the house for a MOPS steering team meeting at the church. The meeting went pretty well and we got some things accomplished. Afterwards, we enjoyed lunch with Erin, Gus & Mack at Blimpie. Jack especially enjoyed the part when Gus shared his cookie with him! Thanks, guys!

Things are pretty much back to normal except for the fact that Josh isn't here which is very abnormal!! I obviously know that I'm closer to Sunday than I have been all week, but it still seems so far away. We are eager for his return. We got to meet him at the airport around 5:45. I hope his flight is on time...or even early. Is that too much to ask?

In Carolina

While Josh is away Jack and I decided to come and catch up with some friends in South Carolina. After a fun morning at Monkey Joe's with several fun friends from MOPS, we hit the road. Our first stop was to see Sara & Noah. Sara and her husband Chandler lived two doors down from us in residency, and Chandler was co-chief with Josh. Chandler is also in Honduras this week. Their son, Noah, was born about 6 weeks before Jack. They have a lot of fun together and it's too bad they can't see each other more often. Jack & Noah had a blast playing ball together. Later we had dinner together at McAllister's. The boys had so much fun pushing their cars back and forth across the table.

After dinner we arrived at our home away from home...Cissy's! It wasn't long before Jack was chasing poor Baby Cat around the yard. He also soon found his way over to the play area with swings, slides and more. He had a great time. He played so hard that not long after his bath, he was exhausted.

This morning we headed over to see Gretchen, Tripp and new baby Shane. Gretchen & her husband Marty were also friends from residency. Tripp was born about 2 weeks after Noah and a month before Jack. They also just welcomed a new baby, Shane, on Saturday. It was a treat to see the new baby although I forgot to take a picture. Gretchen looked great, and we had a wonderful time catching up about all that's been happening.

We're looking forward to lunch with another friend and some swim time at Cissy's this afternoon. I'll post pictures when we return. I also got another email from Josh and their second day of seeing patients went really well. They haven't encountered any problems. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

And Curtain!

Well, State Road 47 is officially over. I'm not sure how much I've blogged about it, but it has pretty much entirely consumed our lives for the last couple months. Even though my role was minor...ticket, poster & program design; publicity; ad design, Josh's was the big deal. For the past several weeks, he has had rehearsal pretty much every Tues & Thurs, then every day for the last couple of weeks. The shows went really well, and maybe the effort put into the show was evident to those who saw it, and I hope it ministered to those in attendance. But most of all...I'm just glad it's over.

The only catch, however, is that instead of spending the first post-SR47 day lounging around the house or celebrating over a nice meal...I was dropping my hubby of 6 years off at the airport to fly to a country in extreme political turmoil. As soon as the Saturday night performance was over (which was probably the best of the four...yes, they did it four times), we ran home to change, grab bags and head to Atlanta. We stopped in the Gwinnett area for dinner at one of the few non-fast food establishments still serving at 10:45, then it was on to the hotel for a few hours of sleep. We were up around 6, and had celebrated our 6th anniversary over eggs, sausage and biscuits at Paschal's in the food court at Hartsfield. Say, what you will, but it was still one of the best breakfasts I have had in a long time (never mind, that I rarely eat breakfast).

I received an email Sunday night from Josh letting me know they had arrived safely. Although it was a brief message, it was nice to read! Earlier this evening as Jack and I are just sitting around pretty much unwinding, my cell phone rang. It was a really strange and long number with no spaces. I thought it might be, and it was...Josh. He was calling from the team's satellite phone. We didn't talk very long...probably 2 minutes, but it was probably the best 2 minutes of the day.

Tomorrow, Jack and I will leave for our mini-road trip to Greenwood to reunite and catch up with some old friends. It will be a lot of fun to see some folks we haven't seen in a while.

Yesterday Josh & I marked 6 years of marriage, and today my mom & dad celebrate 36. Happy Anniversary, Mom & Dad! Josh and I are incredibly lucky to have parents who emulate what marriage should be.

On again?

Well, sounds like as of now Josh's trip is on again. After the team leader consider changing the destination to Roatan, a touristy/resort-style island that seemed safer, he felt compelled to discuss the situation with the missionaries in the original destination again. They apparently traveled the road from San Pedro Sula (where Josh & the team flys in) to La Esperanza (the town they board in) without any incident and felt safe. Fortunately, the rioting and demonstration is not expected to reach and/or affect these more remote areas. So, for now, Josh's trip is on again. Please remember him as he prepares for this trip. I can only imagine it will be difficult to prepare mentally with the hectic schedule of the musical immediately preceding his departure. Also, remember Jack & I as we prepare to say goodbye to Josh for a whole week. We feel fortunate that Josh's profession is not one that requires much travel, so other than Monday nights in the ER, we enjoy spending simple evenings at home or occasionally with friends and will certainly miss him while he's gone.

Taking the Stage & Ch-ch-ch-changes

So, in my last post I hinted that Josh had started farming, become a preacher and would flee the country. Well, the first two will be on stage for all to see when "State Road 47" is performed on Thursday - Saturday at the theatre at Tallulah Falls School. It's an entertaining musical that retells three parables in a modern style. In the first, Josh plays a very convincing farmer. The first number in his scene, a song entitled "Corn" is seriously like "Waiting for Guffman" all over again.

In the second scene, Josh plays a preacher who passes the injured man on the side of the road. Complete with a back-up choir, his "Amen" number is one to get you clapping. Overall, it's a wonderfully entertaining show, and I'm hoping for a great turn out each night.

Now, about Josh fleeing the country...he's all set to jet off to San Pedro Sula, Honduras for a medical mission trip much like he did this time last summer. The team he travels with journeys to La Esperanza (a more remote town) and then treks daily to even more remote villages to treat patients (most of which travel hours to see them). Some of you may not have heard (because all the media continues to talk about is the death of Michael Jackson), but there is currently a coup in Honduras. Most of the strife was taking place in and around the capital city, which is not where Josh's team would be. Unfortunately, the ousted president tried to make a return to the country and asked his supporters to rally in protest. A teenager was killed, and the supporters have vowed to now spread their protesting even farther.

Josh's trip is now being reorganized. Although, we haven't had the chance to discuss many details (he was on the phone with a trip leader when I had to leave for bible study this evening and he's now working in the er), it sounds as though they are preparing an alternate destination. Unfortunately, the new trip is supposed to depart Saturday (rather than Sunday), and of course Josh is committed to perform in two shows Saturday and may be forced to miss his trip. Hearing about the many people Josh and his team were able to treat and minister to last year was phenomenal. It is hard to believe that an obstacle would be presented to make that impossible this year, but we trust that God has a plan to prosper and protect the team wherever they should travel.

The other major change we were presented with this week is that my sister has moved her wedding from December to August 15, yes...just about a month away! Thankfully, dresses had already come in and most everything was able to be changed, but it is a stressful and hectic time for her and my mom. My sister's fiance is being stationed in Cuba once he finishes his AIT, and they can't guarantee exactly when he'll be on furlough. On another note, if you know anyone who wants tickets to see Paul McCartney at Piedmont Park on August 15...let me know!

Park-ing

**Updated to include photos...gasp!

I know it's been a while, but instead of apologizing or telling you how crazy life has been (because seriously, who's life isn't crazy, right?), I thought I'd just cut to the chase and tell you what we've been up to the last two weeks, yes...two weeks worth of fun!! The main theme was definitely "park"-ing, as in multiple trips to Pitts Park, a trip to the ball park and a couple of trips to the Splash Park.

Like most 19-month-olds, Jack loves to explore and is often a bundle of energy. We try to focus that energy somewhere, so we've been meeting friends at the park in the mornings a couple of days a week. If we go early enough we miss the unbearable heat, and usually have plenty of time to get a few other things done before lunch too. On really good days, we end our morning out with lunch with Josh before heading home for a great nap!

Last Tuesday, we headed to Atlanta to watch the Braves take on the Yankees. It was a great game, and Jack did really well. We made it 7 1/2 innings. He might have made it a bit longer, but we didn't want to risk meltdown. It was the only game in the series that the Braves won, so we couldn't have picked a better one. You may remember we took in a game a few weeks back with some friends from Charleston. They were so sweet to share their peanuts during the game with Jack. So, naturally, this time he was puzzled that the fans behind us (and in front of us) weren't just giving him their peanuts! That boy loves some roasted peanuts.

Twice in the last two weeks Jack and I have joined friends at the Splash Park in Gainesville. It's a short drive and a great value...$4. Jack doesn't LOVE all the excitement and is actually quite cautious, but he seems to enjoy it. It's also a great excuse to have Chick-fil-A for lunch...even if we do have to go through the drive-thru because of our passed out children. Note to mothers: splash zone will exhaust your child and hopefully get you a good nap!!

I'll be back to post some pictures soon and fill you in on what else we've got going on. Here's a teaser (just like the scenes from next week's episodes on your favorite shows): Josh starts farming, becomes a preacher and flees the country...I know, you're dying inside!