It's Official. I'm Old.

Sniff, sniff........

The Last Dance

Prom was last night, and Jake went out in style for his last high school dance. Couldn't have had a hotter date than Taylor (his brothers have had a crush on her since she was in 6th grade). And couldn't have had cooler wheels than Coach Shell's Lexus convertible. A good time was had by all.
Thanks Coach!

My other favorite pianist named Jon

Someone shared this video with me and I loved it, so I wanted to pass it along. This is definitely my kind of music.

Love Story Meets Viva La Vida

That's My Boy

An era has ended. It has been a long one.....many years of enjoying watching Jake play basketball. I have always enjoyed watching my children play. I remember when they were little, sending them out to the back yard so I could get something done in the house, then I would just stand at the window and watch them play anyway. But basketball has been extra special. Jake has put his heart into it. It's where many of his best character traits show themselves most observably: hard work, tenacity, loyalty, determination, friendship, team work, obedience, leadership. Not to mention talent, intelligence, and an irresistible sense of humor.

I love you Jake and am proud to have been your biggest fan for all these years. Perhaps you'll bless another team at the next level. But whether you do or don't, you've blessed my life more than you'll ever know.

Golden Girls

Remember this old camp song about friends?

"Make new friends but keep the old,
One is silver and the other is gold."

Here's to some very golden ones. This cute phone photo was sent from San Diego, where my darling friends were celebrating (unfortunately without me) our graceful collective entry into middle age. Okay, we entered that a while ago, but there's absolutely no denying it now. Just as I tried to warn them, this photo confirms that they were unable to have one bit of fun since I wasn't there. :)

Simple Truths

"The process of living seems to consist in coming to realize truths so ancient and simple that, if stated, they sound like barren platitudes. They cannot sound otherwise to those who have not had the relevant experience....every generation starts from scratch...." C. S. Lewis

Big Snow

One week ago was the big snow. One of the biggest storms I remember in a long long time. It may not rise to the level of those "Where were you when..." moments for most people, but I'll remember where I was during the storm of January 5, 2009.

I was stranded. A couple of times. And rescued.

My battery died in the grocery store parking lot. After scanning my phone list thinking about who I could call for help on a night when the roads were extremely hazardous and the conditions very harsh, I opted to ask a stranger who happened by to give me a jump. Gratefully, he did. I waited a few minutes, then put my car in gear to back out. It died again. Totally, stone cold dead. Thought I'd have to wait for the man to come back out from grocery shopping to ask him for a repeat. But I was getting very cold, so I asked another guy. This time I sat and idled for some time before attempting to move, and then drove around the parking lot for a while before daring to venture out on the roads, intending to go straight to Walmart for a new battery. Heat was out of the question, even though I was FREEZING. And I only occasionally used the wipers, even though the snow was still falling very heavily. I finally went out on 800 North, revving my engine at every slight pause. About two blocks down the road my visibility was zero because the windshield was all fogged up on the inside and totally covered with snow on the outside. I had no choice. I slowly switched on the defrost, and my car immediately died. I got off the road, but not comfortably. Started calling for tow trucks. Three hour wait times. Freezing. Dark. Worried every time a car(or especially a snow plow) passed. Phone battery almost dead...... Blah blah blah. You get the pathetic picture.

Let's get to the good part.

All of that vulnerability was very memorable, but the part I'll never forget is when Jon pulled up behind me and honked. It was a huge emotional sigh of relief. I got out and walked back to his car, and sat down on a wonderfully warm seat. Thank you Jon. For coming out in the storm to rescue your mama, and for being the kind of young man who would think to turn on the seat warmer before you got there.

For reference, here's a picture of the snow on my deck, several days later. A lot has melted, but you get the basic idea of how much snow fell in a few hours time.