Diary of the Duleys

XC Season Begins!

2011-12-14T12:46:00.000-08:00

The Spartan XC season opened with the TCPS practice meet in Tupelo. It was a HOT, DUSTY day for a cross country meet, and the races began mid afternoon! For those who are not familiar with Mississippi in August, racing in the mid-afternoon is brutal! The Spartan runners did a great job, and showed up competitive. There were several 2011 season opening surprises, and two of them involved Duleys. Sarah and Hannah showed up and competed for the JV team! Also, Andrew Snyder, Clay Johnson, Nathan Baggett, and Kendra Sanders were a few others we all took note of.

Before.....

During....

After...

Our first race of the 2011BMC season was the Memphis Twilight on September 3. This meet has many races beginning early in the evening, and the college races finish up the evening... around 9:00pm! The start was so crowded, it was difficult for both teams to get out and establish position. However, there were constant opportunities for passing and moving up throughout the race. Freshman Latifa Swims from JZ George High School finished first for the Toppers. She had a great first college race! The second BMC finisher in the women's race was also a freshman- Kelsea Hendrix from Alcorn Central High School.

In the men's race, junior Austin Epting finished first for the Toppers, running an incredible race. RIGHT behind him was senior Nathan Young, who showed great improvement from last year. The BMC freshmen men also stepped up and helped out the team. Riley Bennet and Brian McDonnieal were the first freshmen Toppers across the finish line, followed by Jose Valle.

After arriving back to campus past midnight, several team members grabbed a few short hours of sleep (and some didn't sleep at all)! The next morning... or in the middle of the night, depending on your viewpoint... 5 runners had volunteered to help work the Tupelo Marathon. You see, runners will do crazy things for a good t-shirt! The race start was at 5:00AM!

Hannah and Sarah spent the night with friends and met me at the race. They worked the water stop at mile 3 with the BMC runners and then came back to the finish area to pass out medals and set up refreshments while I ran in the 14.2 mile race. It was a cool morning and a fun race. Esther Sanders and I ran together and visited with each other and other random runners passing by. Jimmy took off and left us (quite by accident- the race started in the pitch dark), so our training group was incomplete!

When I finished the 14.2 distance, I received my cool medal that is a 1/2 of a skull and cross bones... The race director argues, "If you don't run the full distance, you don't get the full medal!" After getting my legs back under me, we all went to the 23 mile marker to man the water station for the full marathon runners.
By the end, everyone was a little delirious... and hungry! This resulted in runners snacking on GU, water fights, and lots of laughter.

More fun, random running camp pictures

2011-08-23T13:32:00.001-07:00

The swimming pool wasn't ready, so we had some slip 'n slide fun to cool off one afternoon!

I think my Toppers had almost as much fun as my Spartans! (above: Hunter, Beth, Richard, Stephanie). (below: Martha, Leslie, Julie, Hannah, Olivia, Stephanie, Sarah, Danielle, Mercy, Noelle, Catherine, and AnnaBeth)

At the race on Saturday, one of the obstacles was a cattle gate across the trail... In fact, we had three. This was easy for the big people who could vault over, and it was easy for the little people who could go through the cracks, but it was not so easy for those in the middle who had to climb over!

The weather was perfect, and we were so thankful to NOT have a monsoon on our trails the night before the race!

Meanwhile, the fire truck was getting the mud pit nice and muddy!

For people to have fun... Like this!

Thankfully, they stayed around to clean us off... Like this!

Chicken Killin'

2011-08-18T12:19:00.001-07:00

Our meat birds were finally big enough to slaughter. We took them to the farm of some friends, so that we could butcher them in a sanitary, expedient fashion. I was so busy gutting chickens and cutting breasts that I forgot to take any pictures! Regardless, I had 44 chickens in my freezer by 1:00pm on the fourth of July!

Last week, Scott and the kids were able to go back and help our friends butcher their chickens! This time, he remembered to take pictures. If you've seen one dead chicken, you've seen another, so I thought would just post pictures from that day...because I know everyone wants to know how organic yard chickens are slaughtered....

First, they are shoved head first into these stainless cones. Their throats are cut and they are allowed to hang there and bleed out for a while.

Next, they go into the scalder (left) and plucker (right).

When they come through the little window to us, they look more like
a grocery store chicken... Especially after little Hallel cuts off their feet.

The people in the gutting line get footless chickens out of the ice buckets and go to work. This. Is. Gross. Guts. Are. Warm. Yuck.

After they are gutted, they are put into another ice bath to await packaging.

Finally, it's time to go cool off in the creek or channel while the grown ups finish up!

If you are cringing with disgust... Trust me...this is much more humane and sanitary than what the Tyson and Sanderson chickens experience!! (and they are oh so much more tasty!)

running camp

2011-08-14T17:17:00.001-07:00

This year BMC hosted our second cross country camp for runners in grades 6-12. Last year we got our feet wet with a day camp, but this year we took the plunge and had an overnight camp that culminated in a mud/obstacle 5K race!

Eighty-two runners from four states came to learn about different aspects of cross country, train, and have fun! Area professionals spoke about the importance of team, stretching, preventing injuries, and ADVENTURE! Kenneth Williams, everyone's favorite speaker, came and talked about the amazing things a person can do when a certain level of fitness is maintained. Good encouragement to stay active... Look out, Mt. Kilimanjaro!
We kept everyone very busy running, strength training, going to meetings, doing activities... whew, I'm tired just remembering it all! On Friday night the groups performed lip sync acts for each other... It was funny to see my Spartan girls jamming to "9-5" and "The Big Bad Wolf."

On Saturday morning, I rose early. TOO EARLY, in fact, because I couldn't sleep; I just knew I was forgetting something major. After making much needed coffee and gathering supplies, I headed out to the course. The Blue Mountain Fire Department came and hosed down our mud pit. Not just a little water. Thousands of gallons of water were expended into our finish stretch of mud. Mwahahahaha....
Runners were instructed to "NOT GET INJURED!" during the race, so the three fastest had a little fun on the course... The other runners were having fun, but it was a little more work. These guys make it look easy! Luke Hatcher, running in the middle, will be signing to run for BMC in 2012!
Hannah and Sarah did a great job at camp, and Hannah (above) was working hard during the race. Scott ran the race with Josh (below), who was determined to complete the 5K despite a lack of training... what Duley can resist cattle gates, hay bales, culverts, and a mud pit, right? Will had to be a spectator due to some random face swelling issues... he was disappointed, but the doctor felt like he better take it easy for a few days. :(

When runners started coming to the finish, things got messy. (Haha, of COURSE they did- it was a mud race!!) We had flagged off the mud pit so that runners had to crawl under the flagging to get to the finish line...
Sarah was the first Duley to cross the finish line, and the determination is evident in her expression. Hannah was next, and just as tired! Not quite as tired as my friend Dorothy (below), however... She decided to pause for just a second before getting across the finish! Josh managed to cross the finish line faster than the last time he ran a 5K without obstacles.
When Scott came through the finish line with Josh, he decided to share the mud love with me... but I didn't mind!When runners were done with the race, the fire department was on hand to hose off the muddy runners. This was a very welcome shower for most muddy people!
Finally, while the awards were being tabulated, the BMC runners raced through the mud pit.Seriously, you didn't think they just crawled through the mud pit and that was all? No way, a mud fight was definitely in order! These guys had been working hard all week, and it was time to relieve a little stress!
Mr. Coach Duley had to show the East Union freshmen that he is still the boss (above), and Derek had a seat right on top of Nathan (below).

What a motley crew...

BUT, I think I'll keep them... GO TOPPERS!

Fast old ladies

2011-07-18T16:11:00.001-07:00

It happened. I had another birthday. Yes, they come every year, but this was an important one. To me, far more painful than 30, or 40, or even 50.
I'm now 35.

When I started running at the age of 12 or 13, it didn't take long to learn about the BEASTLY female age group at 5k races... not the competitive high school runners, not the college age girls... But the 35-39 year old ladies.

Also known as the fast old lady age group.

This was not a title of derision... It was a title given after being schooled by these old ladies, race after race. And, believe me, they were OLD.

It was easy to spot them. Different from the aerobics queen and health club runners, these ladies had grit, a glint in their eyes, and saggy knees... And very often really cool outfits. (Much better than my 5k t-shirt from the previous weekend!). Inevitably, they would pass me in the last half mile or so, looking strong. At the finish, while I was crying or crumpling, they would nonchalantly stand around and talk to everyone... Because they seemed to know everyone.

Somehow or another, it has happened. I have gotten old. I don't think people even use the phrase "schooled" these days. My knees are definitely saggy. And now...

I AM a fast old lady... Maybe not so fast, but definitely in their category!

And to top it all off, I have strained my Achilles or lower calf. It seems that when you are in the fast old lady group, it is not a good idea to run 18 miles and weed eat for three hours one day, and then clean someone's house for 6 hours and try to go on a 6 mile run the next day. The injury description says "common in middle aged people."

The trainer is hopeful that we can get it well in time for the marathon. In the meantime, I get this cool kinesiotape on my leg. I'm thinking I might just get the outline tattooed on... It looks pretty cool. A friend of mine said, "it's kinda tribal, but the colors make it femine..." Maybe when I join the masters age group!

Sarah's quilt

2011-07-18T11:08:00.001-07:00

I am going to allow my mother-in-law, Kay to narrate this post with an email she sent me during the week!

"She's completed the center of the sudoku quilt. Hannah is familiar with the routine. Yesterday we purchased, washed, and cut fabric. We went to Bright Hopes Quilt shop in Mandeville. Everyone there was charmed with Sarah- remembered her from applique society last year. She was very clear about her fabric choices. She picked her focus fabric immediately and built her pile from there. We also sewed some yesterday. Today she finished piecing the center of the quilt. Three borders to come, then we will put it on the long arm. Wait until you see the backing fabric. It's totally sixties tie-dyed. Sarah is a careful and precise sewer. She is always alert to when things start to go awry and stops sewing immediately to ask what's up. Of course, there was the time she sewed perfectly for several minutes without bobbin thread. Hannah can relate...

We also went to the beach this morning. Got there right after nine am and left a little after eleven when all the "tourists" started crowding the beach."

Here is the quilt before the borders....

Here is the completed top- ready to begin long arm university!

Summer fun!

2011-07-18T11:07:00.001-07:00

We have had a busy summer, but there's always time for fun!

Especially some good, country fun, like playing in the hog feed barrel!

A friend of ours in town, Shelley Trout, has been diagnosed with breast, bone, and brain cancer. The town put on a fundraiser called "Night out with the Trouts." Hannah was at Nana's making her quilt, but Sarah and the boys participated in the 1 mile run. Sarah ran 6:45, Will ran 8:53, and Josh ran 10:41. Afterward, we stayed until dark-thirty and watched Megamind on the blow up screen.

It was a lot of fun! By that time it was reasonably cool, and we had snacks and drinks from the concession stand. (above: Christine, Will, Brayden, Avelee, Sarah. Seated: Josh, Scott, Savannah)

Several people from our church came, and we enjoyed the evening together! (above: Elizabeth and Hannah there was a great turn out, and over $30,000 was raised!

The boys went to basketball camp at BMC this June, and they learned some great skills... They also learned that they need to practice! Since camp, they have enjoyed shooting hoops in the gym when we go to the school for weight room duty.

Below: Josh, Men's Coach JD Parker, and Will

Will made a friend during the week, and they are hoping to attend some Topper basketball games together this winter!

During the week of basketball camp, we had a special visitor. Grace Orrick, Sarah's friend from when we lived in Kentucky, came to stay a few days. She would ride to Kentucky with Hannah and Scott in a few days.

My sister came one day to order her school curriculum and visit, and she brought tie-dye stuff! So fun!

We went swimming at the Autry's one day, and the kids had a great time practicing dives and tricks.

Hannah

Sarah

Will

Josh

And all together now...

The next week Scott went to spend his "man week" with Jim Orrick and Josh Bullock in Kentucky. Hannah went with him to spend the week with her friend in Louisville, Drew.

While they were gone, we stayed busy around the house and then took Sarah to Kay's for her turn at quilting camp!

Swapping rooms

2011-07-18T11:06:00.001-07:00

We gave the girls the upstairs room and moved all of the school stuff downstairs. This was definitely easier said than done....

We painted the boys' beds, painted both sides of the upstairs, and did a major purge!

I turned the school desks into a new sewing table with fabric storage underneath, and removed fabric shelves from the closet (so girls can hang clothes). We hung shelves to display all of the crafty Spartan creations in the sewing room.

Downstairs, we turned the girls' room into our new school room. It got a coat of paint, and I put extra shelving in the closets for school books. I brought a shelf down from the upstairs to hold literature, and we got desks, chairs, and blinds. (Happy birthday to me- thank you, thank you mom!!!)

The school room is now definitely more like a traditional classroom. I'm sure we will continue to do our read allude sprawled all over the couches, but it will be nice to have a setting a little more conducive to structure.

The boys wanted the loft beds, so we took them apart, Scott took off the desk part and cut a foot off the bottom (they were too high), and we painted them. While the room was empty, I decided it needed a coat of paint too... We put blinds up and took their dresser into our room (part of our bedroom furniture anyway).

Tada! Welcome to the dragon lair!

Hannah's quilt

2011-06-24T15:33:00.001-07:00

While we were organizing, painting, and assembling school desks, Hannah was spending the week at Nana's house for "quilting camp!"

Kay is in charge of a big quilt show in the spring, and the girls want to make and enter bed spreads. During the week, they shopped for fabric, cut the quilt pieces, pieced the top, and quilted it!

Here she is working with the quilting machine...

When we met in Meridian, Hannah was so proud to show me her quilt! What a fun week!

Here is the finished product!

Will's baseball

2011-06-24T15:22:00.001-07:00

Thursday night was Will's turn for baseball, and his game was at East Union... Home of the Urchins.

This has been the boys' first year to play baseball. Will had to jump right in with kid pitch... He has improved so much over the season.

He has made several friends from Scott's school...

Batting has been the biggest challenge by far. When I played softball, my parents would yell, "a walk's as good as a hit!" every time I got up to bat. I think Will can relate!

But seriously, a walk IS as good as a hit... You get on base!

We have enjoyed the time at the ball fields this summer, and it has been nice getting to know people in our county.

Life on the farm

2011-06-24T15:06:00.001-07:00

When my mom comes, I think she finds humor in the fact that her city-raised daughter is now THIS person...

Oh yes, that's me... Counting, watering, and feeding our 46 meat birds... In pj's and rain boots... Who would ever have thought...

Contrary to my little red friends, my laying hens, these meat birds stink and are nasty. BUT grass fed organic chicken is worth it! Sarah has really done most of the work with this batch, though... We know why farmers had so many kids!

Luke and Frizzie enjoy supervising morning chores...

My little friends usually come to the back porch during this time as well... Hoping for some breakfast scraps!

Back in the house, we got to a slow, summer morning start.

The kids all LOVE Sammy, my mom's teacup Yorkie...

Frizzie was not so sure if Sammy was friend or rodent... Finally, she decided friend!

Meanwhile, Bandit was patiently eyeing Sarah's cereal...

It paid off...

While Frizzie was checking out Sammy and Bandit was sneaking milk, Luke was just happy to be in the house.

This is how he smiles at us!

Baseball

2011-06-24T11:25:00.001-07:00

This has been a very busy week... I am planning to pull an all nighter so that I can finally post some "after" pictures of my rearranging. I wish I had taken before pictures, but any pictures taken now would reveal only chaos.

My mom came last week to help me be a "finisher," because I am notorious for being an 80/20 person... Getting a project 80% complete and then moving on, leaving the remaining 20% undone. Instead, we mostly finished several things, and I decided I would paint the upstairs!

While mom was in town, she got to see both boys play baseball games. Before Josh's game, we went to George's for supper... Yum!

Here are some pictures from his game...

What a good lookin' team!

Fun in the dugout...

Josh has been playing catcher, and he really likes it. Being part of the action on every pitch definitely keeps him interested... And sweaty!

Good game, good game, good game, good game, good game, good game....
24-7, L&W won the game!

Reading for Joy

2011-06-14T21:32:00.001-07:00

One of our most quoted Josh-isms of late is, "I don't read for joy yet."

Reading has not come easily to him, and there has NEVER been a time where he happily consented to his reading lesson or chose to read on his own. It has always been accompanied by groans, moans, and negotiations regarding the length of the passage.

Until tonight.

It all started with a light bulb.... A few weeks ago we began a "small" task of switching the girls room and the school room. That is deserving of it's own post, so I won't go into details. However, it is important to note that the boys ended up with loft beds in their room, and I got them each clamp-on lamp for reading at night. The only problem was that I did not have the right light bulbs! Every night Josh would say, "MOM, don't forget light bulbs tomorrow!" In that moment, I would fully intend to purchase light bulbs the next day... But inevitably forget. This morning I remembered the light bulbs! Hooray!

After baseball, snacks, and showers, the boys were ready for bed. It was 2 full hours past bedtime. Josh rushed to his room, installed his light bulb, adjusted his lamp, and picked out a book. Weakly, I protested about the time, but I was willingly overruled. His eagerness to read a book quickly cancelled any reservations I had about the lateness of hour. We clambered onto the loft bed and began to read "When a bug went Kachoo," (or something like that) by the light of the clamp lamp.

"One or two pages," I thought to myself, "This will only take a minute." I have never been so happy to be mistaken! Josh continued to say, "Oh let's just read to this page... Then this page... And so on."

I finally got down from the loft bed to go visit with my mom, but I gave him permission to continue reading to Will for a little while. Excitedly, he kept plugging along, sounding out word after word, and even adding in some expression!

30 minutes later, Will stumbled out and asked if Josh could PLEASE stop reading now... If you only knew how much of a role reversal that is... Upon entering the room, I found descending his loft bed ladder, book tucked underneath his chin. With a grin, he informed me that he had read the entire thing.

"Josh!" I said, "You are reading for joy now!" He gave me a great big hug, told his daddy, and was in bed fast asleep before I could write the first paragraph of this blog post.

Marathons/ love of running

2011-06-01T20:20:00.001-07:00

I have never done a marathon. Several times I have started a training program... Only to end up pregnant or injured! My most recent attempt ended in injury, but I learned a valuable lesson... The injury rule is too much, too soon, too fast: a sure way to achieve an injury! Although my mileage increased very gradually, my error was in the too fast department. I was ready for a 12 mile long run, and I decided just to do the Frostbite half marathon as a training run. HA! It turns out, trying to RACE a distance that you've never even run before is not such a good plan! My legs were so sore that when I went for my next run, I could feel the beginning if the end in my lower right leg. I made it up to a long run of 17, and then got a pretty black boot to wear for 4-6 weeks.

This year I will have 4 senior BMC runners, and they want to do the St. Jude full marathon after their last season. I agreed to do it with them, and all along, I have thought that if I am going to run 26.2 miles, I would like to do it fast enough to qualify for Boston. (Also, all my friends at church have gone on diets, but I would rather just run extra... I'm going to get a t-shirt that says, "I run so I can eat cookies!")

So there we have it. My running goal for the next 6 months is to train for a full marathon and hopefully qualify for Boston (for my age, that would be around an 8:30 pace). I'm such a sandbagger that it feels very, very strange to just put my "secret goal" out there for the whole world to see. I am very nervous about my ability to do this, but we will see how it all turns out. I

In order to achieve my goal, I knew that I would need help from someone with experience. While I am a running coach, my experience lies in the areas of 5k-8K... Kenneth Williams from Corinth has agreed to help me in my training. I got my training plan and almost had a heart attack when I saw 50 under the total weekly mileage column. Baby steps, and one week at a time. I'm not going to look at those numbers yet...

Last week my long run was 9 miles, and I decided to run with a group of friends. It was my first long run after having my wisdom teeth pulled, and I knew I was not going to worry about pace. Before starting the run, they belittled themselves and referred to themselves as the "grannies."

I remembered why I love running during that 9 mile run... Even though my face was hurting!

For the last year or two, my training has lacked consistency, and yet I have tried to train and race at levels for which I was not adequately prepared. That is miserable. In fact, during the Coke 10K, I told a BMC runner, "I hate running!" And I meant every word at that moment!

As I ran with the ladies, we talked about this and that, looked at houses, and enjoyed each other's company. What a pleasant time! I wasn't exaggerating a second ago; I really thought as I left, "I miss that. That's why I love to run!". It was such a refreshing time- I can't put words to it, but I am so thankful for friends who included me!

I called Scott on my way to BMC and told him that if I reach my marathon goal... Or even get close...or maybe even if I don't, I am retiring from running hard. I am going to join the grannies and quit trying to keep up with Spartans and Toppers!

Baseball

2011-05-22T21:58:00.001-07:00

The week has flown by... We arrived home from DC on Tuesday, I spent Wednesday catching up in my office, and Thursday morning I had my wisdom teeth removed.

Saturday was the first baseball game for the boys... I made it to Will's, but I had to come home and go to bed before Josh's. Here they are before leaving the house!

Last Day

2011-05-22T21:51:00.001-07:00

Our last day in DC was fantastic! We left the hotel, packed and ready to head back to Mississippi. We left everything in the car and entered our metro station for the last time.

We made a quick stop to get a close look at the white house. Ironically, the President was in Memphis while we were peeping through his gate!

The first lady's kitchen garden was so nicely organized. They even have a beehive for pollination! I joked that she probably never came out there to weed, but it turns out that she does!

After the white house, we went back to the American history museum... We had only seen 1 out of 3 floors previously, and Hannah couldn't wait to see the first ladies exhibit! Here she is with Mrs. Obama's inauguration gown.

There were several great exhibits... One showed the history of a particular house over the course of more than a century. I love this WW2 poster, and I am including the pictures of the accompanying kitchen.

In the exhibit about transportation through the ages, the kids reenacted our metro debacle for a photo!

In the hands on lab, Will created a marble moving contraption while the girls and I spoke with the scientist about the evils of sugar.

Before leaving, we saw Julia Child's kitchen, and we went back to see Kermit one last time!

We finished our DC trip with a fly-by tour of the archives. If we go back, we will definitely spend more time looking at the exhibits and maybe even researching relatives! I don't have any pictures, because photography is prohibited. We made it back to the metro and then to our car... Just in time to leave DC during rush hour!

We drove until after midnight, and then stopped for a short rest. We woke early, anxious to leave the "not so super 8" and finished our journey home... Just in time for baseball practice!

DC

2011-05-15T19:41:00.001-07:00

I was feeling a little brave this morning, so we decided to take the car to church and Mt. Vernon. Driving into town was not a problem... Parking was the challenge! We circled and circled the blocks surrounding the church, and then we found a small parking lot right behind the church! Thankfully, Josh Bullock had saved us some seats, because we ended up walking in just as the service was starting.

The service at Capitol Hill Baptist was an absolute blessing. Pastor Dever preached on Psalm 80, and he really preached it! The music was great as well, and I was very thankful for the service.

After church, we walked over to Union Station so the kids could see the beautiful building. Last time we were at the Union Station metro, sewers in a hurry and didn't have time to go upstairs and appreciate the architecture. We walked back to the car (it was a beautiful day!) and left for Mt. Vernon.

Our time at Mt. Vernon began with our National Treasure tour! Unfortunately, there are no tunnels and secret passages at Mt. Vernon. However, we got to see George Washington's basement and ice house! These were the two parts of Mt. Vernon that Hollywood melded together to make the tunnel. Also, the GW stone is based off a cornerstone that has LW for Lawrence, George's older half brother.

The home and extensive grounds were gorgeous. I am adding George Washington and family to my list of people I want to learn about this summer... It always interests me to learn about generations of families. In the mid 1800's, the family home had fallen into complete disrepair and was sold to a ladies group for historic preservation. Over the years, the ladies group has worked hard to recreate the home just as it was in the late 1700's.

We approached the house from the carriage entrance. The original house included only the center section. Through the years, the roof was raised, and wings were added to both sides. I didn't get them in the picture, but the main house has flanker buildings connected with covered arched walkways.

We entered the home through the door on the left side and came into the formal dining room. The two windows above the door are faux windows, and there for the sake of symmetry only. Inside, the room was two stories tall and beautiful.

The home was designed like many plantation homes of this time period, and had the entry way in the center with staircase, and rooms off to the side top and bottom. Interestingly, mounted on the wall in his entry way is the key to the Bastille, given to Washington as a gift from a French friend. Upstairs, George Washington's bedchamber was just as it was when he passed away.

The most spectacular part was the view of the river from the porch! After "settin' a spell," we toured the outbuildings and spent an hour or two in the museum. This was definitely worth the drive, and we were glad we took the time to include it in our plan!

Tomorrow is our last day! A person could spend weeks here and still not take it all in!

DC

2011-05-14T20:24:00.001-07:00

This morning we left for the subway at 8:30, and it was a good thing! The subway trains don't run as frequently on the weekends, and so we barely made it to our Arlington tour by 10:00. We chose to do another DC by Foot tour, and Chris was our tour guide again!

I was so thankful for this tour, because the guide put life to things that just can't be found in a self-guided tour. For instance, Robert E. Lee's home is in the middle of Arlington cemetery. Why? Because during the civil war, the government would only accept property taxes from homeowners. General Lee was off fighting the war, and it wouldn't have been appropriate for Mrs. Lee to pay the taxes in the midst of the Union army. Although they had made many (rejected) attempts to pay via couriers, the house was repossessed by the Union government.

The decision was made to turn the land into a cemetery, and the man who was in charge was rather spiteful... He resented Lee for joining the Confederates, and took a little revenge by burying the first people in Mrs. Lee's rose garden. Eventually it was given back to the Lee family... But the property was already a cemetery. There are some confederates buried there, and their graves are marked by a pointed gravestone... Reportedly, because no rebel would want a Yankee to sit on his grave!

We saw many graves to note, and we were overwhelmed by the number of servicemen who have sacrificed for our country. We saw the Kennedy graves, and I realized that I know almost nothing about JFK, other than his assassination. (We are only up to WW2 in history!). I really liked this quote near his grave.

I also really liked this inspiring quote from Robert Kennedy's grave, just a few feet away from his brother's:

Few will have the greatness to bend history; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation ... It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is thus shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."

We also got to witness the changing of the guard and a wreath laying ceremony at the tomb of the unknown soldier. The soldier guarding the tomb strides in groups of 21, with 21 second pauses between turns. This is to represent the honor of a 21 gun salute.

As the soldier played taps during the wreath laying ceremony, I was moved to tears. I was so thankful to have grandparents make it home safely from wars, and it struck me just how special it was that Pepa was buried with taps and a 21 gun salute.

On the metro back to DC, we once again were reminded that trains run less frequently on the weekends...we camped out and watched the digital board countdown about 30 minutes until our train arrived!

We went back to Chinatown, this time to have Chinese food!

After lunch, we decided it would probably be faster to walk across downtown rather than take the metro! This gave us a good excuse to enjoy a cup of coffee as we walked (since there is no drink on the metro!!). This afternoon was the Museum of American History...

Absolutely our favorite so far!

Hannah enjoyed the exhibit with antique instruments. Sarah's favorite part was seeing the original Kermit and Dorothy's ruby slippers. If it hadn't been a little crowded, Will would have stayed and continued to be President indefinitely.

My two favorite parts were the president exhibit and the exhibit about all of the American wars. Here are Sarah and Will wrestling their belongings away from a pillaging redcoat!

We only had 2 hours, and so we only got to see one out of 3 floors! I could have stayed 2 days in there, so we are going back on Monday to continue exploring the other floors!

Tomorrow, it's church at Capitol Hill Baptist and Mt. Vernon!

DC

2011-05-14T19:22:00.001-07:00

We had gotten our feet wet, and now we were experts and ready to tackle the city... In a competent manner!

Halfway through March I called our Senator's office to schedule a tour of the Capitol. They told me to arrive at 10:40, and I THOUGHT that meant we would meet someone from our Senator's office or maybe get to see the house in session.

Because I thought we were on a time schedule, we rushed out of our hotel room, with lunches packed for the day. In the city,you have to allow a lot more time for transit...especially if you don't have the timing of the trains down pat.

We found the Capitol building, and a long line outside the visitor's center. I called the Senator's office, and they said we were in the right place. We got to the front of the line and ready to go through security. The security guard said I couldn't take my re-usable water bottle inside, even though it was empty. We had to go outside and throw it in the trash can... They wouldn't even let us set it on the ground in a corner beside the trash can! We went back through the security line... And this time we got stopped in the bag check for our lunch of protein bars and peanut butter crackers. We had to go BACK outside, throw our lunch in the trash, and go BACK through security check. We made it!! Rushing to the counter, the lady told us that we should just get in line for a public tour, since we had no letter of confirmation or anything.

It dawned on me all at once... Why in the world had we rushed like crazy and thrown away our lunch?? We were in the public tour line, and it seemed to make no difference what time we had arrived. Frustrated that we had wasted our lunch, we went on with the tour.

The view from inside the dome was spectacular. After seeing the dome, we went to a room where congress met until the mid-1800's. I loved seeing the oil lamps mounted on the columns. The room is now home to statues from different states. Jefferson Davis represents Mississippi in the room.

Well, after those two rooms, we turned in our headsets and were through with our tour. Yep. On the bright side, we got to use the tunnel through to the library of congress and by-pass security there!

The library of congress is the most beautiful building I have ever been in! It is truly awesome. We got to see a Gutenberg Bible, Thomas Jefferson's library, and a great exhibit called "Creating the United Staes" featuring primary source documents from history.

Look at this mosaic ceiling!! Of course, the natural light and bright colors definitely added to the beauty! We went upstairs and got to view the reading room. We didn't get to find the President's book of Secrets, though!

After the library of congress, we decided to check out the Smithsonian Air and Space museum. We walked down the mall several blocks to the museum, and then we stopped for a pretzel break before entering.

We spent 4 hours in the museum! The kids enjoyed the first room, a hands on room all about flight. Sarah is flying a small cessna (sp?) plane!

Over and over we agreed how exciting it was to see the ACTUAL whatever it was... We got to see the ACTUAL plane flown by the Wright brothers!

After shutting down the museum, we made our way to Chinatown! The archway was beautiful, and you can see the Starbucks (with Chinese lettering!) on the corner in the background.

At the metro station, we avoided eye contact with some weirdos with microphones while waiting on our friends. One of the guys looked like Mr. T, they were all dressed in black robes, and they had a picture of Jesus with devil horns. Welcome to the big city... Our friends, Josh and Smitha Bullock, arrived, and we enjoyed a nice dinner together.

Back at the hotel, the kids swam for a little while before bed...

Subway debacle

2011-05-13T20:39:00.001-07:00

On our way home from the Lincoln memorial, we knew we would be a little pressed for time. It turned out that the Lincoln memorial was 15 minutes away from the nearest metro, and I began to worry that we might miss the hotel shuttle.

We trekked to the metro and went downstairs. Sarah had the only working card! We couldn't figure it out, and the station manager had to fix our cards. Turns out, you can't just walk through the opening after someone swipes their card. You have to swipe hour card on the way in and out of each station!

We made it to our first station and then had to change trains in order to make it to our final stop. Late in the evening, there is more and more time between trains. As we began to approach our next train, it was just beginning to allow passengers to board.

We all took off running, and Sarah and Will hopped on the metro. I thought Hannah was in front of me, but as I stepped onto the metro while the doors were closing, I saw her standing behind me on the platform! In a split second, her face paled and I saw an expression of pure panic.

I had no choice. I stood there and let the doors sandwich me, while grabbing out for Hannah. I was trying unsuccessfully to pry open the doors, and a gentleman came to our aid. He worked to pry open the doors, and the driver released the door mechanism, allowing me to come fully into the train, dragging Hannah in with me.

The young man who came to our aid was from Connecticut, of all places! Such kindness from a Yankee, lol! Everyone here has been very kind and helpful, willing to offer help or advice whenever we ask! We enjoyed chatting with him about his work at the Capitol during the commute. After he exited the train, we developed a plan for what to do in case we got separated on the metro!

At our stop, we were exiting the metro about 10:35. I knew we would either catch the bus or have to wait almost a full half hour in a deserted parking lot for the next shuttle. The kids shared my anxiety, and we commenced to run up the never-ending escalator.

When we arrived at the top, we spotted our shuttle in the exit lane of the parking lot, just waiting for a green light!! We ran, waving arms and yelling, across the middle of the medical center parking area. Our driver saw us and waited...phew! We made it! (Our driver told us that he waited an extra 5 minutes before heading to the exit, because he was a little worried about us!)

My legs were a little wobbly until bedtime! I don't know if it was from our near disaster, or from running up the escalator!

More than monuments

2011-05-13T20:02:00.001-07:00

After fighting traffic for what seemed like ages, we found our way to our DC hotel. Wow, what a treat!! We are living life well at the Mariott Bethesda! Soon after checking in, it was time to learn the metro. We took the shuttle to the nearby metro station, and the driver told us they would shuttle every 30 minutes until 11:00pm.

The escalator going into the subway was the longest one we had ever seen! We figured out tickets, bumbled our way through the electronic turnstile, and managed to figure out which train was heading into DC.

We exited at Union Station, had dinner in the food court, and then rushed to catch our train to the monument tour. Because we were pressed for time, we ordered milkshakes to go and went back below to the subway level. As we rode down the escalator, planning to savor our shakes as we toured the monuments, a lady rushed passed us and chided, "No food or drink on the metro!" Rats! We stood on the platform, furiously slurping milkshakes while waiting for the next train!

We chose a tour called "more than monuments" by a company named DC by Foot. It is a tip-based tour service, and I thought this would be a nice overview/ orientation to the area for our first evening. It turned out to be a great choice. We started out at the Washington monument. In the postcards, you don't ever see the scads of softball games and kickball games going on! I guess the city folks have to have a grassy area to play ball...

Will was fascinated by the color change in the stones. The project ran out of money and sat un-funded for years and years. When work resumed, they used the same stone from the same quarry, but the color was different.

After the Washington monument, we learned about the white house (from a distance). We did not get to see the Obamas out on their balcony, but we got to see the bushes! Hahahaha... I love cheesy tour guide jokes!!

Did you know that the white house is made of sandstone, and was not originally white? It was after the house was burned during the war of 1812 and charred that they decided to whitewash it!

At this point we also got to talk about e Jefferson memorial. Interestingly, it was built with Jefferson directly facing the white house, because he is known for his concerns about government exceeding the intended power and purpose. I am going to learn more about Thomas Jefferson this summer. I think we might have a lot in common.

Next was the WW2 memorial. This was my favorite, and I kept getting teared up. At this point, I was so incredibly thankful for our tour guide, Chris. I would never have gotten the full meaning and significance without his explanations.

There are two main towers on each side, and there are 4 eagles inside to represent the 4 branches of armed services. There are pillars for each state and territory, and each one has an oak wreath on one side and a wheat wreath on the other. The oak leaves symbolize... And the wheat symbolizes... The kids made it a point to locate Mississippi.

The monument is sunken below ground level, so as not to disturb the dialogue between the Lincoln memorial and the Washington monument. It uses water... There are fountains to create a visual effect and also to create a noise filter. There are also calm, reflective bodies of water for contemplation and reflection.
The picture below shows the gold stars which each represent 100 soldiers killed in the war. I am so thankful that both of my grandfathers fought and made it back home!

The most special part of the monument to me was a piece of graffiti left on the back side.

During the war, a man named kilroy had the job of counting rivets on ships. When he finished his count, he would write, "Kilroy was here." All over the world, sailors saw this signature and wondered, "Who in the world is Kilroy?" It eventually became a sort of joke among sailors, and was written on seized towns and goods across the world.

My grandfather enjoyed woodworking as a hobby. I have a stools, a key holder, and several other items made by him during his life. They all have one thing in common: a stamp on the underside or back. The stamp says "George was here," and there is a little picture just like the "graffiti" etched into the monument.

As the our guide recounted this story of Kilroy, memories of Pepa came flooding through my mind...almost simultaneously, I thought about Pepa's gifts of woodwprk and realized that there was a whole side of Pepa that I didn't know... And I wish I had found out about. Misty- eyed, we began our walk to the Vietnam memorial.

I don't know very much about the war in Vietnam, but the number of names on that wall was sobering.

I am not positive, but I think that Scott's dad might have been in Vietnam... And I feel horrible for not knowing! This statue is dedicated to those who survived Vietnam and made it home. They are surrounded by thorn bushes symbolizing the difficulties they faced upon returning.

Our final stop was the Lincoln Memorial. It was completely dark by this time... The monuments are beautiful lit up at night, but my pictures didn't turn out so well!

Hannah's favorite part was speculating about whether or not Robert E Lee's profile is in the back of Lincoln's head. (Facing his home at Arlington house)

Will was impressed by the height of the columns...

Afterwards, they sat on the steps and agreed that they had no choice but to steal the Declaration of Independence... (a little National Treasure joke!)

We finished up our time at the Lincoln memorial with a few silly pictures...

Jamestown

2011-05-13T18:18:00.001-07:00

This morning we packed and loaded the car and went to visit historic Jamestown before driving to Washington, DC. In 1607 Jamestown was founded in Virginia, and it is recognized as the first permanent settlement in the US. Our visit began with a park ranger led tour/introduction to the settlement. Hannah got called to the front to demonstrate how large some of the sturgeon were in the first year or so.

Here the kids are with a statue of Captain John Smith, famous for his stance about "if a man will not work, neither will he eat." Interestingly, some attribute the tendency toward laziness to the brackish water filling the wells... Apparently salt water/ dehydration can make you lethargic!

This reconstruction of a barracks building was an example of the "mud and stud" method they used to build buildings in the beginning.

The sight is still under excavation. We got to see real archaeologists digging for remains and artifacts! It looked like hot, tedious work, but it is definitely rewarding... They have found the entire outline of the original settlement. Behind the kids here is Part of the rebuilt fort wall. The kids are making a silly pose in front of the monument dedicated to the first legislative meeting of Virginia.

The girls posing with Pocohantas... These two pictures illustrate e differences between boys and girls. Hannah and Sarah are holding hands with Pocohantas.

Will has her in some kind of strong arm hold... He was looking up her dress, but I refused to take that picture.

After Jamestown, we headed down the road again... North to Maryland! Traffic was terrible, and our 3 hours, 9 minutes trip took over 4 hours! Our hotel is SUPER nice!! We checked in, unpacked, and prepared to brave the metro.

Williamsburg part 3

2011-05-13T18:17:00.001-07:00

For the last part of the day, we took part in a Program called "Revolutionary City." There were several segments which took place in different parts of the town.

The first was called "The Cause of Freedom," and the actors conveyed how the decision to join the continental army was a difficult one. We witnessed a scene that explained how inflation affected the colonists during the war, and another that showed how families were torn apart.

After moving with the crowd to the Capitol, Benedict Arnold joined the scene and tried to recruit colonists and slaves to fight with the British.

We returned to the coffeehouse for an insight into the enslaved community during the war.

Finally, after an address by the general, we proceeded with the fife and drum players to the courthouse lawn. There we witnessed drill practice, a speech given by George Washington, and the firing of two cannons!

Williamsburg part 2

2011-05-11T19:46:00.000-07:00

After the Randolph tour, we found a fun climbing tree...

Williamsburg

2011-05-11T19:40:00.000-07:00

This morning, we got up and enjoyed a hot breakfast at our hotel, and then headed to the Colonial Williamsburg visitor's center. The girls have been looking forward to renting costumes and experiencing the colonial town in period dress.

As we walked to the town, we crossed a bridge with plaques imbedded in the ground. They were taking us back in time from present day to the days when Williamsburg was a loyal colony to the King of England.

We began our visit with an introductory tour/walk around the area. This was helpful to get us oriented, and we also learned some interesting facts. Next was a program in the museum about restoring and preserving items. After the museum, we toured one more house before lunch. It was the residence of Mr. Wythe, friend and teacher of Thomas Jefferson. We saw the parlor where Thomas Jefferson spent time playing his violin!

The most intriguing, enchanting thing about the community is that it is/was REAL... So many of the buildings have been there for hundreds of years, and our founding fathers really walked the same paths, discussed politics in the same parlors, and slept in those same bedrooms!

Lunch was in a local Williamsburg tavern. The building was set up how a tavern would have been, and of course, our server was dressed as a bar maid. Thankfully, this tavern had the modern convenience of "necessaries" indoors!

The Geddy home was the home of the local silversmith. We got to see the shop and the attached home. In this home, we had a manners and dancing lesson! The house was a good example of upper middle class life, and we learned that it was in these houses that families made use of drop leaf tables that are so common in antique shops. Middle class families did not have as many rooms as upper class families, and therefore had to make the most of space. They would break the tables down after meals and move them against the walls to make room for dancing, music, sewing, or school.

Adjacent to the silversmith's home was the gunsmith. We saw how a gun barrel was molded from a piece of iron!

We took a short break had some playtime on the palace green...

What could be more fun than playing with hoops and sticks on a large, grassy area!

We walked across the green to see the blacksmith and wheel wright. In most of the shops there would be one person to talk to visitors while another person worked at the trade. While we watched this man making a hinge, we listened to another man tell us about shaping iron utensils.

We saw the guardhouse, courthouse, and the magazine. Will was particularly interested in what the man had to say about all of the weapons (which were authentic, original weapons!).

He wouldn't dress up in a costume, so we locked him in the stocks... but only for a minute!

We happened upon the beginning of a tour of Peyton Randolph's home. This tour was given by an African American gentleman who spoke from the viewpoint of a slave. Who was Peyton Randolph? Some people argue that he was really our nation's first president, because he was the president of the first and second continental congresses until his untimely death. His home reflects his rise in political influence. The original structure had a side entrance with a narrow, steep staircase. In 1754 he joined his two buildings with a fabulous entry area. Sarah is regarding his ornate wall coverings from the landing.

Driving to Williamsburg!

2011-05-10T19:26:00.001-07:00

As I(Hannah) type this post, we are driving to Williamsburg, VA! We got up at 4:30 am, got in the car, and left! Right now, it is 5:00 pm, and we are STILL driving!!!!!!!!! Mom has an app on her phone that shows a green pin at our starting point, and a red pin on our destination, and a little blue dot that moves as we do, so we have been watching our progress SLOWLY drag by! :) it also tells us how long we have left, as in hours, minutes! As of now, we have 3 hrs and 6 mins left! That seems like so short after today.... :)

When we "first" started, and we were in Birmingham, we thought that surely we were half way!! Well, then we checked our progress, and saw THIS!! Do you see how close to the starting point we are? =)

In south Carolina, we stopped at a gas station, took a stretching break, and got some "freezonis!!" This is us slurping our slushies, in front of our rental car.

Tomorrow, we will go colonial Williamsburg, and then the next day, we will go to Jamestown, and when we're through there, we'll head to D.C.!

Recital

2011-05-10T19:24:00.001-07:00

Hannah and Sarah had their end of year recital Saturday, and they had a pew packed with grandparents for the special occasion! Sarah started piano after Christmas, and she is really enjoying it. This was Hannah's second year, and she is progressing nicely. Both girls had two pieces- a duet with Devin and a solo. Sarah's solo went super smoothly, and Hannah particularly shined during her duet, "Be Thou My Vision.".

Kaelan (Devin's sister/ friend of girls), Devin, Hannah, and Sarah (seated)

This is the group picture of Devin with her students- there has been so much improvement since last May!

Kaelan, Sarah, and Hannah

Easter

2011-05-10T19:14:00.003-07:00

Happy Easter 2011 from the Duleys!

The boys look so handsome!

About to leave for church!

Bluebirds!!

2011-05-10T19:14:00.001-07:00

Cale gave us a bird house at the end of XC season last year, and now we have baby bluebirds!!

They are saying, "Daddy! Daddy! Feed me! Feed me!"

Daddy bluebird says, "What are you pointing at me, and why won't you quit looking at me?"

Mito-What? 5k!

2011-05-10T19:13:00.001-07:00

This is Hannah... I will be posting the next few posts, because we are in the car, on the way to Williamsburg, VA and mom is driving!!!! Woohoo!! So, anyway, mom will be posting the posts about Washington D.C., though... Anyway! I will be catching you up on the post worthy events that have happened after Charleston, or in some cases, before. Anyway, here you go...

On march 26th, the 2nd annual mito-what? 5k was held to benefit the UMDF(the united mitochondrial disease foundation), by the parents of my 4 year old cousin, Jackson Culley, and the rest of my family on my mom's side. Jackson has mitochondrial disease, and the UMDF is working to find a cure. This year Sarah and I decided that we would like to participate in the race as "heroes," which meant that we had to raise $150 each. In order to do this, we decided to sell hats! We each made several hats, and sold many to many different people! In the end we came up a little short, but thanks to papa's donation, we were still able to run in the race as heroes!!

Here are pictures of the two hats Sarah made for Julie and Olivia Johnson!

Here is the hat Sarah made for Julie!

And here we have Olivia's hat, made by Sarah also... I don't have any pics of the ones that I made... Oh well! Sarah's are super cute! ;) :) =) :~)

Overall, the race went really well!! It was our first race for the spring, so I didn't have a great time, but we all did pretty well!! Here are our times:

Mom- 21:26??

Sarah- 24:42

Hannah- 29:54?

Dad ran with me, and the boys stayed with papa and cheered for us!!!

Charleston, part 2

2011-04-29T19:59:00.001-07:00

For our last day in Charleston, we did more walking and touring of homes. This time in downtown, we actually went inside several of the historic homes, and I bet we walked miles and miles! Here we are in front of our trolley that took us across the bridge to downtown.

First stop was the Manigault house. It actually had a huge piazza on the other side. Inside had been changed quite a bit, because the house changed hands several times. In the depression, it was converted into a boarding house, and subsequently occupied by the USO.

The next house was also impressive. One of my favorite things about this architecture was the windows on the piazzas. They started at floor level, were very tall (of course, because the ceilings were high for better airflow), and they opened high enough to use as doors onto the piazza. This created more breeze and crowd circulation during parties.

Next was a home on the battery- we were at the top of the peninsula, and would now make our way all the way down to the bottom. This one was my favorite home in town. It had the large window/doors and a beautiful piazza.

This is me on the lovely piazza taking a rest on a joggling board. They are contraptions originally designed to give arthritic women exercise, and then later used as a way for courting couples to scoot next to one another!

We headed over to the Nathaniel Russell house, home of the magnificent flying staircase. It was different from the others... Very ornate. It was said that it took years to build- can you imagine?

At this point we were all starting to run out of steam a bit, but we huffed over to the last home on our tour list. George Washington had rented this home out in the 1700's while in Charleston! Alas, we were about 5 minutes too late, and the tour guides were ready to call it a day.

We piddled around awhile and had dinner before catching the trolley back to our resort.

Happy birthday, Hillary! What a fun trip!

Charleston 2

2011-04-29T19:37:00.001-07:00

The next day I went on an early long run. I always enjoy exploring new places while running! This time I ran over a long bridge joining our resort with Charleston. I wanted to make it all the way down to the battery, but I reached my turn around time several blocks short. Because I had no idea where I was going, I carried my phone with me. While running, I wanted to show things to the kids, so I snapped a few quick pictures!

This time away from my children was different than any other; it was much more technologically advanced! I would randomly snap pictures with my phone and email them to the kids... Little things like, "Hey, we are in an old fashioned candy store!" Or, "Look at that battleship!"

After cleaning up from the run, we headed out to tour plantations. You see, the plantation owners and the owners of the beautiful city homes were at one time one and the same. They would live on their plantations for most of the year, and then go into town for the social season. Just guess how much one of those second homes in the city might cost a buyer today? Between 7-13 million!!! I think you could buy our entire county for that! (location, location, location!)

But I digress. Plantations. The first one we visited was built in the 1700's. At the time, the owner wanted to build an English Manor house... It was like something out of Pride and Prejudice!

I suppose that's why, the entire time we were touring, I kept thinking to myself in a British accent (much like Elizabeth Bennett's), and quoting random Jane Austin lines. You know, like, "Shelves in the closet! Happy thought indeed! Or, "The window glazing alone cost over 5,000 pounds!"

Occasionally, I would change stories and pull out quotes like, "A pokey hall and a fire that smokes.". Out of all the homes we toured, this would have been my choice. It was absolutely beautiful, and I loved that everything had been
Preserved rather than updated. I could just imagine using this staircase to go upstairs to the drawing room for a ball or music. Did you know that entertaining was done on the second floor so that it would be less dusty and a little more breezy?

This is the entrance that guests would have originally used, because people would have travelled by river boat rather than road.
Here are Hillary and I... Taking a break on my lawn down by the rivah, before we head up to have some iced tea.

I don't have any pictures from the next plantation. Strangely enough, I got really sick and had to go sit down for a while. The gardens were the main attraction here, and I know they were beautiful.

We left the second plantation hunting for food... And found some fabulous grouper sandwiches and a University of Memphis basketball game at a little joint on the water.

2011-04-27T06:51:00.001-07:00

This year my baby sister is turning 30. To celebrate her advancing years, mom, Hillary, and I took along weekend trip to Charleston, SC. It was very fitting for such an occasion, because we had a blast doing old people stuff... Touring old homes, gardens, plantations, and other historic things!

When we arrived on the first day, we found our resort, got settled in, and headed back out to find some fresh seafood. I am not a geography scholar, and I did not think about that Charleston is right on the coast... This was the first time have seen the Atlantic outside the Gulf of Mexico! The view and fried shrimp at RB's was fantastic!

The next day we decided to take a carriage tour to get acquainted with Charleston.

There were lines of carriages at the market waiting to take groups on tours of different parts of the historic district. The market was an open air flea market type place, with all kinds of good souvenirs.

Our tour guide was interesting, and we quickly learned that Charlestonians do not have porches... They have piazzas, and these piazzas were considered an extension of the home.

We admired piazzas all over the peninsula! Interesting to note... They would put the piazza on the south or west side of the home to shade the home's interior and to catch a cool breeze! (remember, these were built way before air conditioning!)

After our tour, we did lots of walking and window shopping. I'm telling you- our idea of a great vacation was probably one and the same as a Josh Duley nightmare! Walking all day long... Learning about the architecture of 150 year old homes... And window shopping! His torture... Our delight!

For dinner we ate on the patio of a restaurant located in an old home.

What was on the menu? For me, it was shrimp 'n grits! Yummy!

Just testing

2011-04-25T16:04:00.001-07:00

I am working on learning how to post from my iPad. However, it is failing every time i try to upload a post about charleston. I am going to try this post... Much smaller and only 1 photo. A picture is worth 1,000 words.

2011-04-24T16:37:00.001-07:00

Mary Tate's Cabin

2011-03-05T14:11:00.000-08:00

Years and years ago, a simple cabin sat nestled on a ridge in a grove of trees. Even in it's day, it was plain and small compared to the large family home across the cotton fields. In the springtime, a hedge of cheerful daffodils sprouted and bloomed along the perimeter of the yard. Mary Tate spent countless hours in front of her home, planting day lily bulbs, ornamental cabbages, and other flowers, attempting to make her home a welcoming place for passers-by. Although she enjoyed the breeze which steadily blew over the ridge, she was never able to fully appreciate the beauty of her hard work. You see, Mary Tate was blind.
Here begins the story of Mary Tate and her brother Harvey, who lived in a cabin on the back of our property. When we first moved here, the cabin was standing, but on the verge of complete cave in. We wanted to clean it out, preserve the window frames and doors, and save any treasures found. A suitcase with a luggage tag bearing the name, "Harvey Tate, Whitfield," newspaper clippings about the young Shirley Temple, handmade clothing, and rustic furniture were inside. The roof was collapsed, and everything was wet and rotten. Weeds, brush, and thorns had overtaken the yard. Unfortunately, before we could do more research, the cabin was burned down and everything lost when a fire got out of control.
We did find out from a neighbor that Mary Tate, a blind woman, lived alone in the little cabin. Her relatives, who lived in the farmhouse across the fields, boasted surviving a Yankee invasion during the War Between the States. Apparently, Yankees left the battle of Brice's Crossroads and decided to camp out at the Tate house. After the Yankees kicked the door in (the door is stored in this barn to this day!), Mrs. Tate somehow convinced them that they could come in her house, but under no circumstances would they go upstairs! You can see the barn from the "front yard" of the old cabin. The antebellum farmhouse burned down two years ago when a space heater caught fire.
Last weekend we went out to the old cabin and cleaned out around the homeplace. The Daffodils were being choked out by weeds and thorns. It seemed so sad to see what someone had clearly worked hard to maintain all but forgotten. After a few hours of raking and brush cutting, the area looks very picturesque. It will make a great camping spot for later this spring, and there will be dozens and dozens of day lilies before too long! (The picture below is the side "yard" of the cabin. The daffodils growing make a border of what was probably once her yard.)

Josh is Reading!!

2011-03-04T15:22:00.001-08:00

Homeschooling is not easy. Especially if you are actually trying to do school...I am just now getting to the point of being able to maintain a clean house and get school done each week! For years, it seemed like I could choose... teach children, have a clean house, or cook a good supper. I could usually get two out of three accomplished, but it was VERY rare that they all happened in the SAME day.

However, there has been absolutely nothing in my life that has been more gratifying (besides giving birth) than seeing my kids go from non-readers to readers, and knowing that I helped them accomplish this milestone!

Josh is 7, and has gotten to absorb a lot of things at a young age... he knows a lot more Latin and history than the others did in the second grade, and the kid is a math whiz... but he has gotten robbed in the area of reading. He did not get as many age-appropriate books read to him. Instead, he had to listen to chapters and chapters of Johnny Tremain and other books with no pictures. Also, I started my job at a very critical period in his phonics, and there were too many days where it was just too easy to say, "We will do it tonight after dinner." Of course, this translated to, "No phonics today."

I have buckled down over the last few months, and it is finally clicking! He is on lesson 90 of "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons," and he is starting to recognize the phonogram patterns quickly and on his own! Hooray!! I am so proud of him!

I am also trying to do a better job of reading aloud to him each evening. It's funny, when I start reading "Lyle, Lyle Crocodile" or "Miss Nelson is Missing" or any other book, the other kids come creeping out of the woodwork and end up all gathered around me too! I guess we never outgrow those read aloud favorites!

Pioneer Woman!!

2011-02-27T11:31:00.000-08:00

After the signing of new Toppers, the kids and I headed to Memphis for a different type of signing! My mom, sister, aunt and I had a GNO planned... we were going to the Pioneer Woman book signing!

We arrived at Davis Kidd, not really knowing what to expect (other than a crowd!). We got our "ticket," which was letter Q. Then we heard the announcer call the group of people with letter E! It was going to be a long wait... but what better place to have a long wait than a bookstore??

I love books. The library has ALWAYS been one of my favorite places to go... to study, research, sit and read, or check out an arm-load of books for summer reading enjoyment. My husband politely reminds me that the term for this is "nerd," but I don't care!

Some of my favorite memories involve books... I used to love the day the giant blue bookmobile would be parked in our neighbborhood! I treasured going to the library with Tootie and checking out piles of Nancy Drew books while staying at her house. My dad and I would go to Waldenbooks in the mall, and he always let me pick a new book and a new bookmark to go with it! In college, I informed Scott that if he wanted to spend time with me, I would be in the library. He promptly began showing up in the library to study with me every night, and that's where we spent a great deal of time! (He boasts about the boost his GPA took when we started dating!)

Sorry for the digression... SO, we had a long wait, but plenty of time to look at some cool books and figure out something clever to say when we reached the front of the line.

In the meantime, we hopped in a shorter line and got her husband's autograph! He was hanging out in his cowboy hat, and attracted a little crowd for himself! I had him sign this AWESOME book I had found... Seemed more appropriate for him to sign this than a cookbook!
This book is a well illustrated, complete resource for everything I ever wanted to know about (other than spiritual matters or running.) From blueprints for building a goat barn to caning chairs and basket weaving, it's in my new book!

Hillary kept teasing me about blanking out, and we agreed that we would tell her how much we love her meatballs. BTW, if you have the PW cookbook, her meatballs are the BEST!!

The scene in Dirty Dancing where Jennifer Grey awkwardly says, "I carried a watermelon," kept popping in my head. I determined that I would try to make decent conversation. After all, this lady is just a lady.

We stepped out for coffee, but made it back in plenty of time. I think they were on J! Finally, it was our turn to get in line... us and the last five people in the store! Lol, next time we will arrive at a book signing a little earlier!

I did not blank. I wish I had. While my sister stood there COMPLETELY SILENT, I said a bunch of dumb stuff about myself... it's feast or famine, and both make a person's stomach hurt! I either can't think of anything to say, or I get nervous and say a bunch of stupid stuff!

My aunt said that I ground my own wheat to make bread, and PW said, "Oh, you're one of THOSE homeschoolers!" It was really funny, because I knew exactly what she meant, but then I felt this obligation to somehow explain that I was NOT like that... Oh, I am just thankful that she probably has no recollection of our meeting or the conversation whatsoever!

The ironic thing is that my silent sister, Hillary, is the one with the most in common with her! She has taken off with her cooking skills, and made quite a name for herself within our family!

Although she had to have been exhausted, the Pioneer Woman was very kind and personable, and it was a great GNO, filled with laughter and good times!

New Toppers

2011-02-27T11:20:00.000-08:00

Our Topper XC team is growing! We had a signing last Friday for 3 new runners! Brian McDonnieal, Bryan Cook, and Kelsea Hendrix came to sign on the dotted line and make it official! Kacie Harris signed a few weeks ago, and she came to join us for the afternoon.
I am very excited about next year's team... I think we have a great deal of potential, and I think the girls will gel together well. This new flock of freshmen brings us up to a Kacie, Casey, Kelsey, Brian, and Bryan.... and I am still holding out a glimmer of hope for a Katherine! I am going to need to come up with nick names or start calling people by their last names!

Kelsea, her parents, the principal of Alcorn Central, and I

Brian McDonnieal, his parents, and I

Bryan Cook, his parents, Coach Greer from Myrtle, and I

Here is the news release that was printed in the local papers....

Three outstanding runners from Northeast Mississippi signed cross country scholarships Friday with Blue Mountain College.

Kelsea Hendrix of Alcorn Central, Brian McDonnieal of Corinth and Bryan Cook of Myrtle will join the Toppers in fall 2011.

"This is areally strong group of runners," said BMC coach Heather Duley. "They've all had great high school careers in both cross country and track, and they will make us a better team right away."

Hendrix had an array of top 10 finishes in the fall, finishing fourth in the state 3A championships, third in the Saltillo Invitational and seventh in the Corinth Invitational.

McDonnieal, a member of 3A state championship teams in 2008 and 2010, won the 3A state championship in 2010. He was also a membere of the 3A state championship track team in 2010 and a member of three state championship tennis teams.

Cook won the 1A state championship in the fall and the Division 2 1A championship. He finished second in the East Union-Myrtle Challenge and the East Union Invitational, and third in the Tupelo High Invitational. He also won the 1A state championship 1600 meters and finished third in the 3200 meters.

TCPS 5K

2011-02-27T11:07:00.000-08:00

Mud is fun... and runners are crazy for thinking so.
Look at these girls... They look so happy! Smiling, playing, and looking as if they might be on the verge of doing something benign, like going to the zoo on a pretty day!

In reality, they were standing at the starting line of the TCPS cross country 5K, which was held on Feb. 12, 2011. Most people in our area are accustomed to 5k races run on pavement. The mere mention of trails will send many women (and men) scurrying for the hills. However, the phrase on the race t-shirt, "Dig deep, get dirty," attracted a fair sized crowd for a first 5K.

The flyer warned runners to come prepared for mud. "Dig deep, get dirty," was going to be more true than any of us realized. As we stood around the start, not really knowing what to expect from the course, I wondered which team was going to come out on top... The Blue Mountain Lady Toppers... or the Lady Spartans! Both of my teams were racing each other, and I really wasn't sure how the morning would turn out.

About 100 meters after the start, we all knew we were in trouble. Most of my runners persevered and continued to give a good solid effort, despite the course conditions. Apparently three runners saw this...
...and decided to take it easy and enjoy a walk in the park. I understand that they could not have possibly gotten a solid 5K time from that course, but my directions had been perfectly clear: 100% effort. Race. Nevertheless, somehow I managed to beat three healthy male college athletes.
I found no satisfaction in that. In fact, it was rather embarrassing.

Well, the day ended up being one of those races where you just talk about the "experience" and totally avoid any inquiries about times. The lady toppers ended up beating the Spartans in the team category- it was a close race, though! In the men's race, Austin, Nathan, and Richard finished top 3 overall... no contest!

The Spartan girls did a fabulous job... my ladies were pretty nervous!
After the race, Sarah went home with the Sanders girls, and I took Hannah to get her ears pierced. A little later, the girls both got to go to Skate Zone and celebrate Mercy's birthday! What a fun afternoon!

February Snow Day

2011-02-27T10:56:00.000-08:00

One beautiful snow would have been plenty. After all, we live in Mississippi. Not much is expected here. In fact, anything is sort of a treat and exciting. At the mere hint of winter precipitation, the news media goes absolutely bananas, and people can talk of little other than the weather... myself included. Schools shut down for days, Wal-Mart is laid bare of milk and bread, and children have redneck fun with sleds and 4Wheelers...

This is all grand once a winter... but twice? Really?! We had two major snows this year, and lots of COLD weather in between. The catchphrase became, "So much for global warming!"
Even our poor dog, Luke Skywalker, was desperate for a warm place to rest his fanny. We were all ready for a little warmer weather, and I know I was starting to suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder... or whatever.

The good news is, two days after this...
It was 60 degrees and sunny!

Buttercups, bloom soon... we need sunshine!!!

Random Happenings

2011-02-01T17:35:00.001-08:00

SO, as we have buzzed through January and are into February, things are falling into a routine.

It is a little late to mention New Year's resolutions, so I won't bore you. Mine are probably the same as they are every year... eat healthier, start writing letters, etc. This year I have added a new one, though. "Be Quiet." That's the nice way of putting it. It has occurred to me that a person can not be misjudged, misquoted, or misunderstood if nothing is said in the first place. I would also like to add another... "Never trust Nobody," but I don't think that is found in Scripture. Maybe I will just pray for wisdom and discernment. Probably a better choice.

BMC is training again... We are practicing four or five days per week, and Tuesday is our cross training day. We meet at the healthplex in New Albany and do a spin class for an hour. We then hit the pool and swim laps... working up to a 45 minute swim. It is a great workout, and it is a nice change of pace (no pun intended!)... cuts down a bit on the pavement pounding.

Tuesday is also our girls' night. My girls go with me and swim laps. After practice, we have a picnic supper in my office and then supervise study hall from 6-8:30. I enjoy getting to take them with me, and they enjoy swimming for exercise and having coffee in my office!

School has been going VERY well. It's absolutely amazing how much school gets done when I plan out our week on Saturday or Sunday afternoon. I printed a weekly planning sheet off donnayoung.org , and I plan out everyone's assignments one week at a time. This allows me to adjust for things that don't get completed, maybe need more practice, or even get completed early!

Will has taken to doubling up on school at least one day a week... he finds great satisfaction in getting to play while the girls are still doing work!

I have also changed my approach to a few school subjects. When we started homeschooling, none of my children could read. Therefore, I read aloud all of our history, science, geography, and literature each day. This would amount to several hours of read aloud time. While we all enjoyed this time together, I realized that this was one area where I could save some time. The girls are more than capable of reading their assignments, and Will can do a great deal independently. If I am going to be home, I will read to the group... but if we run out of time, they read to themselves, and someone reads aloud to Josh.

My kids are all suffering, because I am trying to eat healthy. Everyone hates it when mom cuts out sugar!

To sum up... We are falling into a routine of school and work, and things are going more smoothly now than they have in a while.

At the end of December, I started a chronological Bible reading plan, and I have been blessed with the time I have spent in the Scriptures. Isn't it funny how when God is teaching us something, He places it in so many different areas of our lives? Lately, He has been telling me to "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind..." which is done best by immersing oneself in His precious word.

Couple of random Josh quotes from the previous year... I think these got posted on Facebook, but I thought I would include them here, too!
"One thing I would NOT want to do is buy a plunger from a thrift store."

"Hey look, I can give myself a wedgie!"

Snow Days

2011-02-01T17:19:00.000-08:00

Global warming? Not in Mississippi! We have had a COLD winter this year!

The day that Tootie passed away, it was projected that we would receive about 8 inches of snow! The weathermen were right, and we had a beautiful covering of snow!

On Monday we enjoyed a full day of redneck snow fun... Scott pulled kids behind the 4wheeler, we made a snow "luge" on a hill (complete with launching ramp!), and Sarah and Josh made a snowman... Sheriff Mittens!

The next morning, Will misunderstood directions from Scott. I'm not sure what happened, but for some reason, Will went to get the four wheeler and start pulling Josh... all by himself! This would not have been a big deal, except for the fact that he had never driven without one of us! Used to going at moderate speeds on our driveway, he jumped straight into driving in circles around the house... in snow... pulling his brother behind him! (He actually did a good job, though, and we allow him to go feed the deer now!)

Tootie

2011-02-01T17:13:00.000-08:00

The morning after Sarah's party, we received a phone call from my mom. My grandmother had gone to be with the Lord on January 9, 2011.

As I write this post, I am filled with mixed emotions... I am sad and don't want to write anything. I am so thankful for my grandmother, and want to write something that would explain how much she meant to me. I have so many memories... Maybe now is not the best time to share them all.

My grandmother, Irene Baugh Lark, more intimately known as Tootie, was a very special woman. Generosity, kindness, sausage biscuits, craftiness, and frugality are only a few things I learned from her.

Her funeral was Wednesday, January 12th, 2011.

Sarah's 11!

2011-01-30T14:49:00.001-08:00

Sarah's birthday is January 3rd. This year, on January 3rd, the flu was still running rampant through our home, so we postponed the party until the following weekend.

By the next weekend, everyone was healthy and ready for a "Sock Hop!" We had plans for a '50's party with milkshakes and poodle skirts. Of course, being the procrastinator that I am, I had not yet started the poodle skirts... as of a few days before!

The day before the party, my mom called to tell me that Tootie was not doing well. Although we had plans to go to Memphis on Sunday, she encouraged me to go ahead and come see her. From Christmas to now, her health had begun to decline more and more rapidly. I grabbed a change of clothes, my sewing machine, and 5 unfinished poodle skirts, and hit the road for Memphis.

I am so thankful that I went. It was evening before I arrived, and I was able to spend some time with her before she went to bed. That night I enjoyed time with my mom while we finished the skirts together. In the morning, I got to visit a little with Tootie, and then I ran back home to shop and decorate for the party.

The girls looked so cute in their skirts, and I really think I missed my decade... I totally could have enjoyed skirts with petticoats, heels, and pearls... and aprons! :)

We started off the afternoon with some hula-hooping!

Marta (above) and Sarah (below) were hula experts!
Next, the girls divided into two groups and came up with a lip-sync to an oldie... One group performed "Ain't Nothin' but a Hound Dog," and the other performed "Lollipop!"Above: AnnaBeth leading the way with the Hound Dog group! Below: Hannah during the "Lollipop" presentation!

Ready for some refreshment, we took a break and had milkshakes... complete with whipped cream and cherries!

As if that was not enough sugar, we indulged in a cake that Sarah had made earlier in the week! My friend Sandy invited her over to make a birthday cake. They kept the '50's theme and made the Barbie mold with a poodle skirt! It was SO amazing!

After cake, Sarah opened presents with her friends. Then we spent the rest of the afternoon visiting, doing the twist, and playing some board games.

Happy Birthday, Sarah!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-30T12:15:00.000-08:00

Warning: If you are bored by superfluous pictures of other people's kids, move on to the next blog! Remember, my blog is also my online "scrapbook," serving to relieve the Creative Memories Guilt that plagues me.... which is another reason I have no problem posting about things that happened months ago!

This year on December 22, I went on a long run. I ran 11 miles in "need to relieve some stress mode," and when I got home, I was pooped. I started working on a quilt for Scott's mom with the girls, but my legs were just killing me, and my head was hurting. Well, I knew I had run hard and was probably dehydrated, but this was a bit ridiculous. Finally at bedtime, I took my temperature. Yep. It wasn't the run... I had a fever... and this mama RARELY runs a fever. (Probably because my normal is 96 or 97!)

The next day, I was still running fever, and we continued to work on the quilt as I was able. However, the pressure was beginning to mount. I had to get well. Must. Get. Better.

You see, we were supposed to head to Memphis on Christmas Eve to spend Christmas at my parents' house. Since Tootie was there, I really wanted to be healthy. Also, we were going to have a family get-together on Dec. 26th with cousins and extended family... Tootie had expressed her delight at the idea of having us all get together for Christmas like we used to, and I didn't want to be the family member to mess it up!

On Christmas Eve, I still had a bit of a fever. Tootie and my parents said come anyway... they would rather take their chances. It was never spoken, but we all knew that it was most likely going to be Tootie's last Christmas, and she wanted to have us and the kids there. We loaded everything into the van, and headed to Memphis!

Hillary and Adam were there with their children, and we had our traditional Christmas Eve spread of cookies, cookies, rocky road treats, cookies, chicken dip, cookies, sausage balls, and cookies. That's what I had anyway! I think other people might have had some sandwiches or something also....

Speaking of Christmas traditions, one tradition we have developed is the tradition of Hannah Duley being the tradition reminder. She is a stickler for tradition, I am terribly absent minded, and Scott can be sort of anti-tradition at times. It works well!

So, she straightened us out on our tradition of receiving one present from mom and dad, exchanging gifts with the Pitt family, and Duley kids exchanging with each other. On Christmas morning kids would get to open presents from us and from Mimi and Papa.

The kids were so excited to open their one, super special present from us on Christmas Eve. Josh just KNEW it was something spectacular.

I had gotten them all a pair of new pajamas. (which were badly needed by the boys!) Josh was SO excited about opening on e on Christmas Eve that the Robert Crosier in me just couldn't resist a little practical joke. I wrapped up his pajamas inside his new math workbook! His little face was crestfallen when he thought his super special gift was a new math book, but
when he saw that dragon pajamas were part of the gift, everything was great! You see, this was the year of dragons and Lego at our house!

Will and Josh modeling their new PJ's!

Group shot with all the grand kids... Josh, Will, Hannah, Evelyn, Sarah, Andrew, and Levi front and center. They have so much fun together!

We couldn't think of anything for Tootie, but we decided that she might actually use and enjoy a snuggie! As much as I have made fun of them over the years, the idea had grown on me. Most of her day was spent reading or watching television, and she usually had a blanket pulled up around her shoulders. She was pleased, and used it quite a bit over the next few weeks!
Sarah made Scott a pair of East Union slippers for Christmas. I have made countless pairs of slippers, but never a pair for him! Sarah took up my slack, and he loved them!
I also got a pair of slippers... Hannah got me a pair of slipper boots that I had seen and LOVED in the mall. One night while we were in Barnes and Noble with some girls, she and Sarah sneaked across the "hall" in the mall and got them for me! They feel like soft rabbit fur!

Scott and his Girls

Evelyn is 4 years old now, and she is at the princess dress up age! She got a trunk of dress up clothes from Mimi and Papa, and wore a different princess outfit each time we saw her!

Mom and Levi reading a new book

After opening gifts, Adam and Hillary took their kids home for the evening. We stayed up and watched Holiday Inn... or was it White Christmas? Lol, we kept getting them mixed up all weekend! Regardless, we enjoyed an old Christmas movie with eggnog and more cookies before going to bed.

On Christmas morning, we came downstairs and the kids opened gifts from us and from Mimi and Papa!

Hannah and Sarah displaying their PJ's and rainboots... an interesting combination!

As we opened gifts, Scott couldn't keep his eyes off the backyard. He had spent the first week of Christmas break hunting once or twice each day, and we did NOT have a freezer full of deer meat to show for it. Now, in my parents' neighborhood, we saw a herd of deer! It was too much to bear. He went out back to get one... but then decided (very sweetly) that it would be better to spend time with us than spend the whole morning cleaning a deer!
We got several board games this year... Bananagrams is great! Hannah, mom, and I especially love it!
Later in the morning, the Pitts came back over for our traditional large Christmas breakfast of sausage/pancake bake, shrimp 'n grits, and breakfast casserole! Yum!

After breakfast, we cleaned up, dressed, and headed over to the Duleys for Christmas! When we arrived, we found out that Sharon was sick. Poor Sharon! She had a stomach bug and slept the entire time we were there. It was wonderful, but just not the same without Grandmama Sharon! We all missed her, especially the kids! For whatever reason, I did not have my camera, and without Sharon, now I have no pictures from Christmas with the Duleys!! I hate it when I do that! We ate a huge Christmas dinner and hung out with Bobby, Brian and Kevin for the day and evening.

The next afternoon, all of my mom's family gathered to celebrate Christmas with Tootie. Our kids love their cousins, and I wish I did a better job of getting them together more often. When we do see each other, they all just pick right up and have a great time together!

Milo, Roman, Josh, and Will

All of Tootie's great grandchildren...
Evelyn, Chloe, Andrew, Hannah, Sarah, Levi/
Milo, Will, Josh, Roman

Our last family picture with Tootie... This was a bittersweet evening, and I really missed Pepa.

It was nice to get to visit with everyone. On the down side, Will and Josh were both feeling poorly. That night when we arrived home, they were both running fever. I just hoped we didn't infect the entire family. Mom, Dad, and Tootie stayed well, but Hillary's family passed it around the following week. She did not hold it against us, though, and was glad we had come. Thank goodness for an understanding sister!

Kevin went home with us in order to spend the next week deer hunting, and Kay came up to celebrate Christmas with us on Monday. Little did she know that she would spend the week patrolling the sick ward! Kay always seems to be a lifesaver like that! I was still a little puny, and Will and Josh were sick. Josh recovered quickly, but Sarah and Hannah went down soon after. In the room of hacking, feverish, sometimes vomiting kids, it seemed inevitable that Kay and Kevin would catch the flu! Thankfully, they both managed to escape it!

Kay loved her quilt... even though it was unfinished! With me not feeling well, it got pieced but not quilted. Now, it can be a truly collaborative effort of 3, not 2, generations! We were all thrilled with our gifts from she and John. They got Scott a "big boy" cot for camping... it turned out to be a blessing, because we set it up in the living room, and it became part of our sick ward! I can't wait to go camping this summer and put it to outdoor use!

I did it again. This time, with the sickness going around the house, I neglected to pull out the camera, and I don't have pictures from this part of Christmas either! So, Nana, that just means you need to come back really soon. We will maybe actually feel like smiling for the camera!

Football Banquet

2011-01-20T09:49:00.000-08:00

Scott had his football awards banquet on December 18th. We had a delicious BBQ dinner, a slide show, and presentation of awards. He did a great job on the awards, and he is VERY fortunate to have a booster club that does everything for him! They all worked so hard, and the evening turned out great. At the end of the night, they gave him a nice black jacket to wear next season! (UC football colors are black and white!)

After the banquet, I had us take Christmas card pictures... because it was my INTENTION to send cards this year... it never happened... back to that chronic over-planning thing... Maybe next year. So, Merry Christmas from the Duleys... a month late!

s

Coffee Shop / recital

2011-01-20T09:23:00.001-08:00

The next week, Hannah got to spend two days baking her birthday cake with my friend Sandy. She picked out a design that looked like a Christmas gift... it turned out unbelievably well!

Saturday morning, we met a bunch of Spartan girls at the coffee shop for cookie decorating. It was a fun morning!

Before....

After....
The girls enjoy getting chances to visit with each other... that was just as fun as decorating the cookies!

After decorating cookies, we went home with a van overflowing with girls for cake and a violin recital! My mom and dad came, and so did Grandmama Sharon! We stayed longer than I had planned at the coffee shop, and so the lunch, and cake part of the afternoon were too rushed.

Here's your lunch and your cake smile for the camera ok now everyone get in the picture ok now you can open some gifts and grab your violin and come on hurry up lets get in the car we're gonna be late!!!

I can't believe my baby is 12 years old now!!!

Why am I a chronic over-planner?

We RUSHED (putting it lightly) out of the house and to the Christmas violin recital.

Devin has done a great job with her students, and they were actually good enough to play some group pieces this time!
Hannah and Devin during one recital piece... It is hard to get good violin "action shots!" Hannah did a beautiful job, especially in her trio piece with her friend Kaelan and another girl.

(There, that's a better picture! Hannah, Devin, and Kaelan at the reception!)

I had to get post-recital pictures of family with our budding violinist...

Memphis Weekend

2011-01-20T08:37:00.000-08:00

December 4th was Hannah's birthday and the Memphis 1/2 marathon, so we decided to combine the two events!

On Friday, Hannah took a few friends to Memphis with us. They all had parents or friends running in the race, and were excited to be spectators at the event. That night, we had pizza and ice cream for dinner... not your typical pre-race meal, but oh well! Afterward, we all went upstairs to watch a Christmas movie with Tootie. As the girls pulled out their various crafts and crochet, she could not believe how CRAFTY this group of girls was and marveled at their different creations. (I had previously informed the girls that my Tootie was the "Queen of Crochet," and described some of the things she had made.)

We all went to bed pretty early (for a slumber party), because we would have to leave the house before dawn the next morning!

Saturday morning was much warmer than expected! As I debated about what to wear, the girls packed and loaded all of their things. We headed downtown, and found the group of Spartans and Toppers.(Anna, Margaret, Kirsten, Olivia, Page, Hannah, Sarah, Claire, Julie, and Martha)

(Tuesdae, me, Olivia, and Julie before the race)

All morning, I was on the verge of tears. I can't explain it, but my heart was full of emotion. The race raises money for St. Jude Children's Hospital, and there were signs thanking participants everywhere. Seeing the signs for St. Jude, thinking about the children there (and the mothers of the children there), remembering when Sarah spent several days in a children's hospital, and being SO thankful to the Lord for the health of my children... it was a combination destined to get me choked up.

The girls stayed with Tuesdae's mom, Felesha, enjoyed a cup of Starbucks,and filled up my camera with random Memphis pictures!

Tuesdae was going to stay with us, but we never saw her after the first mile! She was feeling good and had a great race! Way to represent, Toppers! BAAAAHHHH!
That was my first time to run in a large half marathon... it was so much fun to have spectators all along the course! A drastic contrast to the Frostbite 1/2, where the only spectators are cows!

As we passed through the St. Jude campus, my eyes once again brimmed with tears. In this part of the course, parents of patients lined the streets with encouraging signs and signs expressing gratitude. The one that stuck with me most said, "SMILE... Jake always did."

About mile 9, Julie and I were very thankful for the dancing gorilla! We were pushing her pace a little, and I could tell she was getting fatigued. As we came out on Poplar, we passed the 10 mile mark, and we knew the end was near!

We finished strong, and came in right at Julie's goal!
After the race, the weather didn't seem quite as warm! We froze, wrapped up in those foil blankets, and waited on the infield of the Redbird Stadium for Roan, Olivia, Yonnea, Lynn, and several others. We stopped to pose with the Elvis impersonators who were milling around in the crowd!

After finding my girls and changing, we went to cheer for Jimmy and some others as they finished the full marathon... wow... they did a GREAT job!

For lunch, we all met at Huey's. After a 13 mile run, a giant burger and fries taste SO good!

We ordered Hannah a dessert, and we all sang "Happy Birthday" to her!

After lunch, which was really "Linner," the slumber party girls headed home with their parents. Hannah, Sarah, and I made a quick stop at the craft store for felt, and then went back home to my mom's house. Mom and dad were out of town, and we had a really nice weekend spending time with Tootie. We had cereal and leftovers on Saturday night, and just vegged out on together in the game room.

On Sunday, the girls and I went to early service and then brought back Chinese food and doughnuts (Tootie's favorites) for dessert. (These were from Sophie's do-nuts... not the VooDoo type!) We spent the afternoon and evening working on little felt creations and watching Christmas movies. It was a great weekend!

Thanksgiving

2011-01-20T08:14:00.000-08:00

I made it home from nationals about 6:00 Sunday night. Whew. The season was over, and Thanksgiving break was here. I felt a bit overwhelmed... drained from an emotionally exhausting season, worried about my grandmother who had just been diagnosed with cancer, and faced with the task of cleaning up my house before company arrived on Wednesday. You see, housework had kind of fallen by the wayside during the month of November... especially in the area of closets and cabinets!

On Monday, the girls and I went to Memphis to see my grandmother in the hospital. She was doing better and would be moving in with my mother in the next few days. While we were there, we did our grocery shopping and then headed home to clean and start cooking!

I am so thankful for my children... they have become SO helpful... I could NEVER have gotten as much done in those two days without their help!

On Wednesday, Scott's sister Stefanie and her family came to visit for a few days. We rarely see them, and always look forward to their visits. The kids enjoy playing with cousins... and they also enjoy playing with Uncle Craig!

Thursday was Thanksgiving! The Memphis Duleys came to join us, as well as Savannah and Christine... our Texas friends! We cooked all morning and prepared a feast!

That afternoon we lolled around and then watched football and played Bananagrams that evening. On Friday, the Millers headed back to Atlanta, and the Duleys headed back to Memphis.

In the meantime, Tootie had moved in with mom and dad. Our family went to Memphis on Friday or Saturday to help clean out her apartment and get her room set up at mom's house. Tootie was in good spirits and was very happy to be with mom and dad now. She decided to bless us with her living room furniture, so Scott and I made a trip back and forth in dad's truck... it looks perfect in my house! (I was fortunate to have a grandmother with good taste! Not many people would be so thankful to get their grandmother's living room furniture!)

We stayed for the remainder of the weekend and spent time with Tootie and my family, and then it was back home to get started on school!

Our school year is not like most peoples'. One of the great things about homeschooling is the ability to be flexible. During cross country and football, we keep up with the basics. During the spring semester, we do all subjects like crazy. During the summer, we catch up on history and the other extras that slipped during the fall semester. It all works out in the end.

Thanksgiving break was busy, and many would say that it wasn't really a break. It was a nice break from work, though, and it was great to have so much time with family... even if it was busy!

And I can't believe I didn't take any pictures. Rats.

VooDoo

2011-01-20T06:47:00.000-08:00

.As I mentioned, the night after nationals was deserving of its own post entirely. You see, it all began with a quest for cheap Nike apparel and the best doughnut shop ever... or so we thought!

At the coaches meeting on Friday, I asked one of the local coaches about what to do in Portland. She told me about Niketown, a HUGE bookstore, and she also told me that we absolutely HAD to go treat ourselves to a doughnut from this cool little hole in the wall in downtown Portland. I was assured that this doughnut shop had been on Food Network, and that no trip to Portland would be complete without going to VooDoo Doughnuts.

After the post-race pasta feed, showering, and resting a bit, we were ready for a night on the town. The 5 runners, 4 parents, 1 sibling, and myself headed over the bridge once again into Portland. Have I mentioned that on this adventure I was driving a 15 passenger van in downtown Portland?

There are 3 key phrases in the previous sentence: I, 15 passenger van, and downtown Portland.

Let's start with I... although I have a CDL, my driving skills make my husband QUITE nervous. It's not so much my driving skill... I suppose it is my LACK of attention to details and my propensity to panic that make him nervous when I am behind the wheel.

While many of my friends adeptly maneuver their 15 passenger vans all over the country, I am used to our family mini-van. (It is called a MINI van because it is a lot SMALLER and easier to maneuver into parking spots!!!)

Finally, I would just like to make sure that everyone knows that the majority of parking options in downtown Portland are parallel spots found alongside their seemingly NARROW streets.

We were off, and we had a plan... or so we thought. The plan WAS to park in a certain locale that would allow us to walk to all three locations and find some dinner in between. We found an open spot (thank GOODNESS my mother taught me the trick of parallel parking!), parked the van, and walked our 10 blocks or so to the Nike store (1st stop on the list).

As we entered the three story building filled with Nike apparel, we were all impressed... until we started looking at the prices. Where were those great deals we had heard about from other runners? Not here, that's for sure! (Although, I could kick myself for not getting those grey, knicker length spandex!!) We shopped around for a while, and then I asked the sales clerk if he had a "sale" department. At this point, he directed us to the Nike OUTLET... which was across the river, over a different bridge, and in a different part of town! Because it closed early, we shifted to plan B.

We walked 10 blocks back to the van, got out of our parking spot, threaded our way through traffic and over the bridge, and found the Nike Factory Outlet store! Now, THIS is what we were looking for! Imagine a grocery store sized building filled with Nike shoes, apparel, and accessories... a runner's dream! (Especially because they really were outlet prices!)

After shopping a while, we headed back through traffic, over the bridge, and began looking for a parking spot between the bookstore and doughnut shop. It was dinner time, and everyone was getting hungry at this point... we just THOUGHT we would pass a place to grab a bite to eat!

As we looked for parking, we saw it! A little parking LOT with several empty spaces... enough room to pull in and get parked! I was thrilled! (Even though it took about 10 times going back and forth and 2 dads directing me to get straight in the little spot!) We went to insert our cash for parking, and it would not accept our bills. We tried change. Credit cards. Nothing worked. Our assumption: It must be free! After all, it was after working hours on a weekend... maybe the paying lot was for people who worked downtown during the week.

We walked over to the bookstore, which was REALLY cool. It was about the size of a city block, and it was two or three stories high! I could have stayed in there for HOURS and HOURS! However, it was time to move on, and we were still hungry. There were no places to stop and eat... apparently, in downtown Portland, you can go to a bar or you can drive out of downtown and go somewhere else! We joked the entire weekend that there weren't as many overweight people in Oregon and Washington, because there were no places to eat or buy groceries!

We walked towards the doughnut shop, still looking for a place to eat. As we walked the 25 blocks into the ghetto, we saw some sights not found in Blue Mountain, MS! It was like a scene from a horror movie... a group of inexperienced tourists, dark and wet city streets, "ladies" standing on the corners, a crazy homeless man... there was even steam coming out of the gutters!!

Finally, we arrived to see VooDoo Doughnuts. The lady was not kidding... it really was just a little hole in the wall.... a little door on the side of a large brick wall. One one side there was a bar. On the other side was a "girls, girls, girls" kind of place. However, there was a line about 15 people long coming out of the door and winding down the sidewalk. We thought that maybe the lady was right, and the shop just had a very unfortunate location.

As we joined the line, we looked around at our surroundings. A homeless man sat on the curb beside us, smoking a joint and holding a sketch of a marijuana leaf and the saying "Keep Oregon Green." The sign for the doughnut shop hung on the brick wall to our other side, with a single light illuminating it. My first clue should have been their saying, "The magic is in the Hole." I am very slow to get innuendos, and so it went right over my head. The parents were laughing and saying, "Well, coach! Where have you brought us!?" We were all starving, though, and it smelled SO good... we decided to wait it out.

As we entered the door, a couple who had JUST gotten married came to get a doughnut. It's not every day that you see a couple in their wedding clothes, stopping to get a doughnut! It would have been really cool if they had gotten married IN the doughnut shop while we were there... apparently, it is an option! They have weddings, and you too can get married under the big doughnut inside VooDoo doughnuts.... not that you'd want to!

Back to entering the door... there were underwear hanging on the walls. Bad sign. We read the menu... Badder sign... the names of the doughnuts were for the most part inappropriate. The doughnuts themselves were all very, well, interesting. They were covered with things like rice crispies and peanut butter sauce or fruit loops. We ordered our doughnuts... being careful to pick one that had a decent name, and headed back to find our van.

Later, I thought that I should have just said, "I'm sorry... we are not ordering from here." ...Even if we had been told that we just HAD to have one, even though we had walked 30 minutes, even though we were starving, and even though we had waited in line outside the place for another 30 minutes... I am not good at changing the plan mid-stream. We had come for a doughnut, and so thinking otherwise did not occur to me until after the fact.

Thus began the trek back to the van. Along the way, we joked about us not paying to park... what if we had been towed? What if we had one of those nice little envelopes on our windshield? We passed China town on the way, and we all had to get a picture of Richard at the entrance.

We arrived in the general vicinity of the van... and couldn't find it! After some searching... remember, we are in the ghetto... those orange and white sawhorses everywhere, steam blowing in the air, suspicious characters on the streets... we found the van.

There was a nice little envelope on the windshield.

Someone saw the police officer walking down the street, so I hurried after him. He was a nice gentleman, but his English was not very clear. I showed him the ticket and explained that we TRIED to pay for the spot, but couldn't. He returned that we had to pay or not park. If we don't pay, we get a ticket or we get towed. Turning on my best southern accent, I tried to reason with him, telling him that we were not from the city, and that we didn't have parking lots like that in our little Mississippi town. He stated again... get towed or get a ticket. In desperation, I pleaded, "Well, sir, can't you just tear up the ticket for us? We are leaving tomorrow, and I will never do it again!!" (Say that once in a normal voice. Now say it again, but draw it out as much as you can, taking twice as long as the first time.) He looked at me and the parents/ runners now gathered around me... and took the ticket out of my hand. We cheered, and returned triumphantly to the van... amidst jokes about getting out of tickets and trying to charm police officers...now the task of backing out of the parking lot seemed trivial!

The fact remained. We were still hungry! It was now about 9:00, and we had not seen any eating establishments that were not also night clubs! We headed back to Washington and pulled in to the only restaurant nearby. After a very, very late dinner at Joe's Crab Shack, we headed to our hotel to pack. Our flight was another very early one!

The next morning, (well, middle of the night almost) we headed to the airport. It was good that we allowed plenty of time, because we had to drive around the world to find a gas station for the rental van! Once we arrived at the airport, things went very smoothly.

Over half a day later, we arrived in Memphis. It is always fun to travel, but it is always so NICE to be home! We joked about Memphis, "home sweet home," where people talk like us, sell sweet tea, and there's trash on the road! (It was agreed that the mid-south could learn some lessons on recycling and keeping cities clean!)

Nationals!

2010-12-22T15:16:00.000-08:00

After months and months of blood (literally- you should see Tuesdae's training shoes), sweat, and tears, WE MADE IT! The funny thing is, after all that work and focus on making it to the National Championships, I was weary. A weekend at home in my PJ's sounded even better than a trip to Oregon at this point!

Regardless, I went to work booking rooms and flights and making preparations for our trip. One preparation included finding hair ribbons for the girls. Thanks to Christy and Ellen Riley, they would have BMC embroidered ribbons! Practice was much more laid back, as there were only 5 runners now, and we were in "taper" mode.

On November 18th, we departed the BMC campus at 3:45 AM for the Memphis airport!!! At this point, my weariness had vanished and I was excited about our trip. We arrived at the airport, parked the van, and everything seemed to be on schedule.... Until we arrived at the check in counter.

The man told us our flight was delayed, and he was going to have to change our group to another flight. We were put in a line at a neighboring counter, and when we finally got to the front of the line, the lady started checking us in. She told us we were cutting it close, and kept barking orders to have out tickets, etc. Four out of eight people got checked in, and then she said that the flight was closed and the rest would have to take a later flight. There was no way I was going to leave runners in the Memphis airport with no information about when they would join us in Portland!! The lady was not very friendly, and I had to firmly convince her that it was "all of us or none of us!" I called everyone out of the security line, and we were trying to figure out what was going to happen.

In the meantime, the lady behind us started crying and begging the lady to let her on the flight. It seemed that her son was a soldier and on leave, and they were going to meet in Vancouver for Thanksgiving. The mean airline lady was quite unwilling to be helpful, and we were all trying to figure out a way to help her. Finally the manager heard what was going on and let her through to the gate. We all still wonder if the lady made it to see her son. As soon as she rushed off to get through the security line, the mean worker got on her radio and told them to close the flight. She then glared at us and said, "I don't like to be late!" Yikes!

We were then moved BACK to our original line and put on the original flight! We had been early, but now we were running late, and they were about to close THIS flight!! We rushed through the check in process, hurried through the security line, and got on the plane just in time. Whew! We made it! After a brief layover in Houston, we arrived in Portland close to lunch time!

We got our rental van and headed across the river from Portland to Vancouver, Washington. It was quite a bit cooler than Mississippi... 40 something and drizzling. Vancouver is the home of historic Ft. Vancouver... an old army post dating back to the mid 1800's. The cross country course was at the Ft. Vancouver site.

Our first order of business was to find the hotel and get checked in. As we waited in the lobby, Austin made two quotable remarks... First of all, he said, "Hey! Did you see the size of that squirrel?!" This was followed by, "Hey dad, that chandelier is bigger than our kitchen table!" Both of these statements in themselves are not that great... but when they were made in a room full of people NOT from the South, and with a THICK southern accent... Hilarious!

Our hotel was in downtown Vancouver, and we were within walking distance of the meet headquarters, Subway, Starbucks, and the course was only about a mile away. Being in a city with more pavement than kudzu was a big change, but it was a great experience!

Thursday afternoon, we jogged our way through town and over to the course. The course was a lap course... great for spectators, but horrible for runners. No cross country runner appreciates running in circles... especially in the mud! On our way back to the hotel, we jogged across the bridge going from Washington to Oregon. Now we were able to say that we had run from Washington to Oregon and back!
Austin, Emma, Magan, Richard, Tuesdae, and Page (Tuesdae's sister) ready for a jog in the cold!

When it was time for dinner, we decided to strike out and find some supper. We didn't seem to see any restaurants in the immediate vicinity, so we headed over the bridge to Oregon. Traffic was terrible, and we took the first exit with any promise of food. We ended up getting a very thorough tour of the industrial area of Portland. Finally, as we were all becoming delirious with fatigue and hunger, we found a place called Elmer's. It was the Northwestern equivalent of a Shoney's, but we did not care! We were all very excited to make it back to the hotel for the night! I stayed up for a little while, finishing up the slippers I had been working on for the girls. (I thought about making Richard and Austin a pair, but decided that they would probably just laugh at me... I was right!)
On Friday we had several things to accomplish: walk to Starbucks, attend a coaches meeting, jog the course again, check out the Nike lounge, and find a better place to have dinner.

This time we took the van to the course and just jogged and stretched there. It had been at least drizzling, if not all out raining the entire time, so the course was getting good and muddy. So muddy, in fact, that there were flags blocking it off in several places. As we were jogging, I got tickled about runners... we are a strange lot. Tuesdae and Page were running in some wild knee socks. A van full of runners drove by, and the guys were hanging out hollering, "Hey, I like your socks!" (Pick up lines for runners!)

During the NAIA Coaches meeting, I gave the runners some homework. Their assignment was to find us a place to eat dinner, including directions! The coaches meeting was a typical business meeting... voting on measures and yada yada yada. When we were adjourned, the runners met me at the headquarters hotel, and we waited for the Nike experience lounge to open.

Nike was the major sponsor of the meet... which is why the National Championship was not more centrally located! They had a section of the hotel called the Nike Experience Lounge... Richard was in heaven... Free Red Bull!! He had us all collecting cans for his stash!

They had a booth where you could make a photo flip booka booth to play wii, and a booth set up to play Rock Band or Guitar Hero... or whatever!
We all got free red shoe laces and at least one can of Red Bull for Richard before we headed out!

We had to pose with the XC symbols... I thought they were swords, but they are spikes!! Get it? Spikes in the shape of an X with the C below? XC? Cross Country? (Just in case you were wondering.)

The runners had done their homework, and we were heading into Portland again for supper. As we came into the HUGE city of Portland, we all just laughed... if we had only gone ahead two more exits on the freeway the night before, we would have been in a completely different part of town! I navigated the 15 passenger van through the traffic and streets of downtown Portland. (In the rain... because it was STILL raining!) The restaurant turned out to be a great pasta place... good atmosphere, moderately priced... definitely wish I could remember the name, because we would like to go back next year!
When we got back to the hotel, we had our team meeting and started getting ready for the races the next day. Unlike regular races, each runner had 4 numbers to get pinned on! Poor Emma, our early bird, was dozing off, so we had devotion and called it a night.
The next morning was RACE DAY!!! I woke up early and went for a long run around Vancouver. There was much more to the city than we had at first thought. I enjoyed running through the Ft. Vancouver area and the nearby neighborhoods built in the 30's and 40's... bungalow houses are my favorite!

I came back to the hotel and had just enough time to shower and get a bit of breakfast before heading over to the course. By this time, we didn't even notice the rain. It just seemed natural for it to be gray outside and misting!

We got to the course, and the air was already charged with excitement. You know it's going to be a big race when the line of porta potties is about 40 across!! There was a great PA system set up and playing music, and Nike people were giving away cow bells and megaphones. Richard had his dreams come true the night before with the Red Bull stand, and now it was Austin's turn... Muscle Milk had a tent set up, and they were giving away free protein shakes! We had to take advantage of a few photo opportunities before it was time to get warmed up!

Richard Feist, Emma Baxter, Tuesdae Rowland, Magan Wilburn, and Austin Epting... competitors in the 2010 National Championship race!

I mentioned earlier that the race was held at historic Ft. Vancouver. The open area was used for drill, games, and parades. All around the area were historic buildings... the barracks (which looked like some of the older pictures of the first BMC buildings), and Officers' Row (beautiful older homes). To begin the day's events, some men fired a real cannon after the singing of the National Anthem!
It was time to start warming up... this would take a while, because the temperature was still in the 40's! The starting line was incredibly wide. I had never seen anything like it before. 350 runners thundering across a field... It's enough to get even the most non-athletic person excited!Tuesdae led the Lady Toppers during the race. She came back from spending the summer in the Ukraine rarin' to go, and never slowed down!

After the first lap, the course was trashed. You can see how torn up the ground was, and they had a few laps to go!Last summer, Emma (the runner above) ran a 5K in Kossuth in 26 minutes. Look at her now! She worked hard all season, and I was so pleased with how competitive she became!

Magan (below) came into the race with a quad pull. It had happened right before conference, and we had spent the last month trying to walk the fine line between keeping her in shape and not making her injury worse. Magan definitely would receive the "Guts" award for the year... she showed amazing determination!
The girls' times were slow... as were everyone's. We were not very competitive at the national level THIS YEAR, but then again, I didn't expect us to be. This year our goal was to MAKE it to nationals... and we did it!!Magan, Emma, and Tuesdae with their frozen, muddy legs after the race!

Now it was time for the guys to start warming up. I love this picture (below), which vividly shows the contrast between the personalities of Austin and Richard... Austin is on the left. Every muscle tense, furrowed brow, and a look of concentration on his face. That pretty much sums up Austin. Intense. And then there's Richard on the right. A mischievous twinkle in his eyes, a grin, and hands rubbing together... because he is constantly moving! Very different individuals, but both very talented runners!
Before the men even started their race, the course was a hot mess. It was like running through a hog pen, and they had 4 laps to go!
Austin started and finished the race strong. He finished exactly halfway in the pack. He was closer to one of the Kenyans from Union than he had been all year! I think Austin was a little shocked at how competitive NAIA cross country is. He is even MORE determined (if that's even possible) to do his best for next season. I have tried to warn them about the coming increase in miles...
Richard had a great race as well. The last two laps we kept shouting, "Catch Zach!" because he was so close to a friend of his from high school! He ended up finishing just a few seconds behind him, and closer to Austin than he had been all year!
Below are Richard and Zach at the finish line... you can see how spent they were. Awesome.

Austin and Richard (below) after a few minutes of recovery time!

We took one final group picture before heading out to the pasta feed. I will tell you about our evening adventure in a separate post...

Christmas cards

2010-12-20T12:51:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from the BMC Toppers!

We had the runners over in November for an "Ugly Christmas Sweater Party." Everyone found ugly sweaters from local thrift stores, and showed up for supper and Christmas card pictures!

Qualifying Meet

2010-12-20T12:05:00.000-08:00

The Spartan season was finished, but BMC was still trucking along. We had our regional qualifying meet in Nashville on Friday, November 5th. The top team and the top 5 finishers (not on that team) would qualify for the NAIA National Championships in Vancouver, WA!

We got to leave BMC on Thursday and head to Nashville. The weather had turned cold!! We jogged the course, showered, and had dinner at Chili's. To keep us relaxed, we went to go see a movie. We had no major bus problems, and all went smoothly. Our race was early Friday afternoon, so we did not have to get up early and get to the course. (Which was a good thing, because it was freezing!) We had breakfast, gathered our things, and then went to kill some time in the local mall.

We did not go into the race thinking that we would get either team spot. With two runners in boots (Ashlee and Mary), the odds of our women beating Union were slim to none, and girls were competing for individual slots. In the same way, the BMC men were hoping to beat Bethel, claim second place, and take several individual slots.

It was an exciting day, and I was about as wound up as I get as a coach. The girls ran first and did a GREAT job. Tuesdae, Magan, and Emma qualified for nationals! Beth and Stephanie ran good races, and improved their times for the Nashville course. During the men's race, I began to think Austin was going to beat all of the Kenyans... He ran very strong! He ended up finishing right behind the two Union Kenyans, and he got 3rd overall. Richard had a great race; he beat the Bethel runners and qualified also! The guys all had great races as well... it was just a competitive field.

BMC would be represented by 5 runners at the National Championship race! WooHoo!

After the race, we loaded up into the van and drove all the way to Clinton, MS for the MS Cross Country Championships.

It was a long day, but it was a fun trip down south. Scott rode down with the East Union team and met us at our hotel. The next day came all too soon. We got to see recruits in every race, and they all had a good day.

By the time we arrived home late on Saturday evening, I was thankful that there were only two weeks left in the season!

Josh is 7!

2010-12-20T11:43:00.000-08:00

On October 27, Josh got to wake up shouting, "It's my birthday!!" I can't believe my baby is seven now! The girls had the kitchen all decorated for him, and we let him open presents first thing. We got him a Kung Zu (small motorized hamster) with battle armor!

Later in the day, several buddies from church came to spend the afternoon playing a game called Dimenion Splash. It is a game made up by one of the young men in our church.... The inventor, John David, has figured out a way to control all of the boys in the church... He is the game master, and his little minions do his bidding in this game!

Hannah made Josh his cake. It was a "How to Train Your Dragon" dessert made of a brownie, pudding, and Reeses' cups and Oreos to look like rocks.

XC Season 2010

2010-10-27T11:02:00.000-07:00

2010 BMC Toppers

After our camping trip, we went straight into school, cross country season for BMC, cross country season for the Spartans, and football season for Union County. Add some drama over dress code, stir it all up, and whatya get?

A completely exhausted, overwhelmed mom who wished she could run away to Mexico. Of course, in addition to all this I under-estimated how much time and how much of a change this job would be... making the adjustment even greater. I tend to be an optimist when it comes to how much I think I can accomplish in a day!

It came down to two options: cut something loose or have a mental breakdown and jump off a high cliff. With great sadness, I chose option one. serving as head coach of the Spartans was the only thing that seemed the least bit optional, so I turned myself into an official parent volunteer. Being a control freak and very protective over my Spartans, this was a heart-wrenching decision for me. Roan Johnson stepped in and took over all administrative stuff, and Sheri Cobb stepped up to take over the bulk of coaching duties. Graciously, she let me continue working with the varsity on Tuesday afternoons.

On August 28, BMC hosted its first 5K road race in conjunction with "Meet the Toppers" day. The day was designed to recognize the Topper athletes and raise money for our different athletic programs.

*** Just in case there is a wealthy philanthropist looking for a tax deduction reading this post... BMC is a private, Christian college that tries to keep quality education affordable... but the athletic programs heavily rely on the contributions of kind hearted people!**** (Sorry for the shameless plug!)

The 5K was fairly successful... just like all things, there is a learning curve! I learned primarily that it is good to have your course mapped out and volunteers who know where they are going before race morning!!! We ended up raising several hundred dollars, thanks to the participation of the Spartans!

Who knows how many will participate next year.... Blue Mountain is not named Blue Mountain because it is flat! I hope we didn't scare off the community too badly!

After the race, everyone headed to the gym for games with prizes, lunch, and then athletic introductions. I hate microphones. Hate, hate, hate. This is the part of my job that I despise the most. Public speaking. With microphones. Terrible.

By the time our first meet arrived, things were beginning to settle into a routine. Things were still crazy, but at least they were routine! Life would have been unbearable, except a young lady from our church comes on Wednesdays each week. This allows me to spend a full day in my office, and she does all of the elective subjects plus violin while I am gone.

September 10th arrived. We loaded up the bus and headed for Rome! Georgia, that is! Berry College has one of the largest campuses, and the buildings all look like castles! It was a beautiful place to run, and the Toppers started their season out strong.

Austin finished in the top 15, winning a t-shirt! In college, the level of competition jumps significantly, making t-shirts much more coveted! Tuesdae Rowland also started the season off right... Borsht in the Ukraine for the summer served her well!

While we were in Georgia, the Spartans ran in the Sherman Days 5K. The girls did well, and they were happy that their daddy got to take them to the race.

The next weekend we headed to Nashville for the Vanderbilt invitational. This time I got to take my girls with me! I was thankful for their company! We arrived at the course in time to jog it once through before heading to the hotel. For dinner, we went to a nearby mall where people could choose from the food court options. The girls and I walked around and spent a lot of time in Claire's (trying on hats) and looking at the hermit crabs in Earthbound. On race day, the BMC toppers had great races. Austin beat a particular Union runner for the first time, and Derek almost beat Richard! Tuesdae ran a PR, and Beth took 20 seconds off her time... even though she didn't buy my speech about the course being fast!

After two weeks of racing, we were ready for an off-weekend. Although we did not have to travel to a meet, it was not a restful week... we were preparing for our High School Invitational. The week before the 25th is a blur in my memory. I vaguely remember a crazy amount of trail work, typing in rosters, assigning race numbers, NO school with my kids, counting safety pins, and LOTS of flags and spray paint!

LAST year was the muddiest cross country season EVER. You can look back at pictures and see mud in just about every picture, and I can still remember the smell of sour running shoes in the laundry room. This year was quite the opposite. After an extended period with no rain, courses had been hard caked, dry, and dusty!

The BMC trail was looking good, although definitely primitive... even when dry. We had obsessed over the little tripper roots, painted everything that couldn't be cut, and gone over it with the leaf blower several times!

After months of draught, it rained the night before our meet. Of course it did.

Talk about a race director's nightmare! Our trail was a slippery tunnel of doom, and parking "Plan B" was a failure. We were supposed to have shuttle buses ferrying people from campus out to the course (about 1/2 mile). However, the road was too narrow for the traffic, and one of our bus drivers was late! People ended up walking all the way out there and then back to their cars. Fortunately, there were no broken bones... just a kid with a busted face from running into a tree!

We had a bit of a delay in the scoring, but overall the coaches were very kind and understanding. It was clear which coaches had hosted meets before... they were all very gracious!

This was my first opportunity to see the Spartans run, and they did not disappoint! Hannah ran STRONG in the JV girls race, and it was great to see the JV girls coming together as a team and getting excited about cross country. In the Varsity races, Forrest did very well and stayed competitive throughout the race. Nicholas, Forrest, Jesse, Andy, Josh, Landers, and Cale

As for the Varsity girls... THEY ROCKED the place, winning the meet overall and getting to bring home a trophy!

Hannah/ Margaret, Claire/ Kirsten, Catherine/Olivia

Raeley, Emily, Danielle, Me, Martha, Julie, Catherine, Olivia-

In the open division, Sarah ran a GREAT 2 mile race, winning a "Top Finisher" t-shirt!After the race I was ready to crash. No such luck. Tuesdae, Page, Richard, Casey, and I went to Memphis to recruit at the Twilight run. It turned into a perfect evening for a cross country meet, and it was great to see some runners have fast races.

Insert sigh of relief here. The 5K road race was over. The high school invitational was over. My training plan was completed. Now things really would settle down into a manageable routine.

October 2nd was a remarkable weekend for the Spartans and the Toppers. Union University hosted its invitational, and both teams were there to participate. We drove to Jackson on Friday in order to jog the course and be prepared to run.Hunter, Derek, Richard on the bus

After dinner we made a quick stop at Wal-Mart for some chapstick. Then, it happened. The inevitable... Our bus died.

It didn't just go dead, though. Oh, no, it started smoking... Large billowing clouds of smoke poured from under the hood! I sat staring in a panic, and Richard started calling for everyone to evacuate the bus! "This is not a drill!" We got out, and then rolled/ pushed it down the hill out of traffic.

As we sat waiting on the mechanic, some Union runners pulled up in their jeep. It was like a scene from Grease... They cruise up slowly, roll down the window, and ask, "Do y'all need some help?" (with a completely smirky expression, of course!) We assured them that all was under control, so they pulled off. As we waited on the mechanic, we tried to start the bus again, and it worked! We drove back to the hotel and prayed that the bus would start the next morning!

On Saturday the weather was absolutely perfect. For real... absolutely perfect for running cross country.

The college races were first, and 12 out of 13 Toppers ran all-time PR's! Nathan running hard

Tuesdae broke 20 for the first time, which is a major accomplishment for a female! BMC got 3rd for the men, but we gave Bethel and Union a run for their money. We got 2nd for the women, and for the first time really competed with Union.

The high school races were next, and the Spartans came away with a LOT of T-shirts! They all had great performances also! Hannah ran a PR in the JV 5k... 27:22!

After a trip to Steak N Shake, Starbucks, AND Baskin Robbins, we headed back to Blue Mountain. We had not been on the road for 5 minutes and guess what? The bus started smoking again. As I waited for the signal to turn green, the temp. gauge was steadily rising... We pulled into the gas station, smoking and spraying water everywhere! Coach Driskell asked if there was a lake anywhere and instructed me to just kill it! When the mechanic arrived, you guessed it, the van cranked right up. We made it home just fine... but kept eyes on the temperature gauge the whole time!

October 8th was the MC invitational. In order to prevent early peaking, we did not back off training too much during the week. We drove down to Clinton the day of the race (it was an afternoon meet), and it was hot and DUSTY! All things considered, it was no surprise that the Toppers did not all run PRs this week. However, they had a great day! Once again, Tuesdae and Austin got T-shirts, and the girls got second in the non-D1 school division!Austin and Tuesdae

Ashlee, Magan, Emma, Tuesdae, Beth, and Stephanie (Mary was injured)

After MC, we had another weekend off before conference. It was just what Mary needed in order to get her foot healed. However, Magan pulled her quad during speed work, and Nathan got a stomach virus! Not the ideal situation!

This time the boys got to make the trip with us. The school got a new bus, and we got to take it to Jackson. It is huge, and I was nervous! It turned out that it was actually easier to drive than the old bus... I can actually reach the gas pedal on this one! The boys had a good time watching a movie on the bus, visiting with the runners, and staying in the hotel room with me.

The Spartan season was winding down, so we got to have fun at our last week of practice. Tuesday was crazy hair day....

And Thursday was the annual shaving cream fight! I just had to participate!

The weather for conference was good, but not as perfect as last time... windy enough to make a difference in times. The women ran first, and did not make it an easy win for Union. We finished with 3 all-conference women! Tuesdae finished second, Magan showed a crazy amount of determination and finished 5th with a quad pull, and Emma Baxter came out of NOWHERE to finish 7th! Mary was a little disappointed with her race, but she did well, considering she was coming back after two weeks in a boot. On the down side, Ashlee injured her leg during the race and possibly has a stress fracture.

In the Men's race, Austin finished 3rd (first American in the race!), and the men finished 3rd behind Union and Bethel. Nathan's stomach virus came back to haunt him, causing him to run 2 minutes slower than usual. Richard, on the other hand, had a great race and missed all-conference by 2 seconds!

Back at home, the girls ran in Race for the Cure. Sarah had her PR of 23:38, giving her the state 5K record for 10 year olds!

Hannah ran just over 28, which is great, but she was disappointed. They had fun staying with the Johnsons and wearing giant pink hairbows during the race!

That afternoon we all met back up at the Spartan end of the year party. We had pizza and played at the Saltillo City Park. It was a fun afternoon that lasted into evening! It was a little sad, because for the first time we had seniors! I was blessed with many cards from runners, a gift card from all the Spartans, and several hand made treasures.

Cale made me a birdhouse... I love it! Hannah says I am like an old lady with a bunch of stuff in the flower bed, but I like it! I need to get some gnomes next! :)

The Spartan girls started on a secret project for me back at Spartan running camp... they all worked individually on knitted and crocheted squares... different colors and patterns. Then Julie and Olivia stitched them all together into an afghan! I love rainbow, I love patchwork stuff, and I love thoughtful gifts... This is one of my all-time favorite gifts EVER!!!

The Spartans had a GREAT season, and I am looking forward to seeing what these ladies accomplish as they get more mature and stronger!

In the midst of all of this cross country reporting, I almost forgot to mention the UC football team!

Coach Scott Duley had an adjustment season as well. He was saddled with the responsibility of developing a fledgling football program.... This would be a big job at any school, but his task involved bringing 4 schools together to unite on one team. They only had an hour and a half each day for practice, and he was the coach of junior high AND high school! Did I mention fundraising, building weight rooms, getting kids to come out and participate, ordering equipment, making a practice field.... OK, if you know anything about athletics or coaching, you understand what a HUGE task this was!

He has done a great job, and it has been nice for him to be at a school where he can bring the kids with him to practice. (Part of our routine has involved the kids going to football with daddy twice per week.) The UC football team finished the season 5-3 at Jumpertown!

The team doesn't have a mascot yet, so we just call them the "Union County whatevers!!!" So, "Go Whatevers!"

BMC "Team Bonding"

2010-09-28T19:56:00.000-07:00

The second running camp during the month of August was with the BMC runners. After Spartan running camp, I scrambled to get my CDL, make plans, grocery shop, and gather tents and supplies for a camping trip to the Smoky Mountains.

We took a trip to Gatlinburg, TN with the intention of creating team unity. The trip was good in many ways. The weather was great, the scenery was beautiful, and a few of the runners really appreciated the work, expense, and good intentions behind the trip.

We stayed at Jellystone Campground, which was the same place our family stayed last Thanksgiving. The campground connects to the Smoky Mountain National Park, and many of our runs began with a direct ascent up the mountain!

Our campsites were right beside the stream running through the campground. The stream was a great way to cool off after a run!
We had 3 tents plus a food tent. Our breakfasts and lunches were very simple and from the cooler, and dinners were cooked in crock pots.

The day of utter exhaustion included a long run on the mountain and a hike that went from 8 miles to 13... The bus couldn't drive all the way up to the trail head, and so we hitched a ride in the back of a truck. On our way down, we walked several extra miles before coming to a car willing to take us to the bus. Taking a break on the way down

The hike was worth it (in my opinion), because the view at the top was amazing... The old growth forest and waterfall were breathtaking!

Literally breathtaking, if you stood under the waterfall!! That water was COLD!

We also got to take a whitewater rafting trip! Although several runners were nervous, it was a fun day and everyone really enjoyed this part of the trip.

I learned on this trip that coaching at the college level is different from my group of Spartans. I had hoped that the trip would bring the team together and get everyone excited about the upcoming season in the same way that camp had seemed to help the Spartans. I am afraid that this trip just wore everyone out, sent the freshmen into shock, and united quite a few runners against me. I am not sure if we will be taking another team bonding trip! However, there were some encouraging things about the trip. I love the mountains, I love tent camping, and it was great to see some spiritual maturity from some of the runners!

Spartan Camp

2010-09-28T18:42:00.000-07:00

In August, two of the four weeks were spent doing running camps. The first was Spartan running camp, held in Shelby Forest State Park in Millington, TN. The Spartans rented out a group camp facility and split the week... boys the first half and girls the second half.

The group camp was perfect... except for the fact that the cabins had no air conditioning! The boys started out the week sleeping in cabins, but the heat index was up over 110 most of the time... This made for rather uncomfortable sleeping arrangements, so everyone carried their mattresses to the lodge for a giant slumber party! Sleeping in the air was much nicer... but there was a demon ice maker in the kitchen which kept dropping loud loads of ice every few hours and overflowing!

Each day we ran, did strength training, had recreation time, and finished the day with devotion.
The terrain for running was definitely challenging. Runners had a choice... uphill or downhill, but there was not really a flat option! Recreation activities included hiking, kickball, ultimate frisbee, and 4 square! Four square was a great way to beat the heat and play something competitive indoors.

Hiking a trail during recreation time

Strengthening the hips

Learning about race strategy

Devotion with Mr. Young

What a great group of guys!

The girls arrived on Wednesday for their half of the week. Menus and schedules were almost identical...However, the girls slept in the lodge right from the beginning!

The week was great for both groups, but I think it seemed to be particularly helpful for the girls... especially the varsity group. They really came together as a group and I could tell that they were in for a good, strong season.

Kendra, Danielle, Julie, Martha, Olivia, and Catherine

All of the girls worked hard during our runs and strength training...

And we had fun during recreation, too! The lifeguards entertained us showing off with their tricks, and we had a few tricks of our own!

The best part of the week was our special speaker... My high school coach came one evening to speak to the girls about a wide variety of running issues! Coach Campbell has been one of the most influential people in my life, and I am so thankful that I got to share him with my Spartan girls! He finished up his talk by entertaining the group with some photos of me and even an old home video of our team!

Catching Up

2010-09-28T16:33:00.000-07:00

I can NOT believe how long it has been since I've posted on this blog!! Everything in the next few posts will be very old news, but I like to keep my blog as sort of an online scrapbook...

At the end of the summer, my mom and sister came to help with some projects... I love the cottage look, but somehow or another my house was full of dark furniture! Our solution: paint just about everything downstairs! We started with painting and distressing my dining room table and china cabinet.
Next, we moved on to the black built in cabinet in our eating area. I know that the black is more trendy, but I just really like bright and colorful... SO... it took several coats, but we painted it white. We changed the background to blue, and also painted my kitchen chairs to match. Finally, we painted the bead board under the bar white and the pie safe green. I love the new look! It may sound garish to some of my more subdued friends, but, well, I think Mi Pueblo is beautiful! :)

The day my mom and sister were helping me finish up stuff, I got a phone call from Scott asking if I'd like some tomatoes to can. Sounded good to me, so I said, "Sure!" When he arrived home, box after box of tomatoes appeared in my kitchen. His reasoning: well, we got a good deal if I bought ALL 130 POUNDS!!!! Yikes! To his credit, he had NO idea how much work canning tomatoes is!

Now, we have a pantry full of chili tomatoes, salsa, and mexican tomatoes! How nice for this winter!
Right before school started, the girls got to do two more exciting things. First, we took a van load of girls to my mom's house for a "Math Party!" This was not a slumber party to work on multiplication... it was a party to celebrate Sarah's monumental math achievement... for the first time since first grade she is caught up in math!! We ordered pizza, swam, and stayed up late watching movies.

Next, we got to have "Chocolate Class" with Sydney! Sydney spent the previous semester in Italy taking culinary classes. The girls had been dying to learn some of her tricks, so she brought ingredients and taught us some Italian chocolate secrets!

YUM! The finished product!

EU Running Camp

2010-07-07T00:57:00.000-07:00

In August of 2001, I had an idea. Why not start a cross country team at the school where Scott was teaching? The principal thought it was a fine idea, and so Scott became the coach on paper. The kids and I would come up to East Union each afternoon, and we would coach together. We joked that I was the brains behind the operation, and he had the loud voice to carry it through. We started running around the baseball fields and adjoining cotton fields, and before we knew it, we had worked out a little course around the campus. Here are the runners on the famous (or infamous) cotton field road hill...
Now, it is 2010. Scott is going back to teach at East Union, and I am coaching 3 of my former Urchins at Blue Mountain.

Quick aside... for those of you who might not know, East Union's mascot is the SEA URCHIN. No joke about the name... GO URCHINS!!! The joke is, the mascot is not actually a sea urchin; It is a sea HORSE. Very interesting choice for a completely landlocked school in the middle of rural Mississippi! Oh, yes, and did I mention that the colors are brown and gold? That's right, brown and gold, baby, brown and gold.

Breakin' it down before the group run

SO. It came about that I was asked to speak at East Union's running camp last week. It was very special to me to have the opportunity to go back there and speak to several siblings of runners I coached! Tuesday night we talked about training ...

Attitude (It really is everything... well, almost)
Guidelines (training smart and with a plan)
External Factors (nutrition, rest, etc.)

Thursday night we talked about racing strategies. Mostly how to beat Myrtle. Just kidding Coach Greer! :) Really, we discussed issues surrounding racing...

Pre-race preparation
Running Smart
Staying Focused

I think it went well, and I enjoyed the opportunity to speak. Sarah went with me on Tuesday, and did a great job. I had to tell Coach McClellan that he better not be trying to recruit my own kid out from under me... She's a Spartan, not an Urchin, no matter where her daddy works! :)

Guys doing a little hill work to finish off practice

2010-07-07T00:02:00.000-07:00

Well, I have made significant progress toward being a real farm wife this week! I got to help Scott fix the tractor,

and we got 50 baby chicks to raise for meat!

I say progress (rather than having officially arrived at being a farm wife), for two reasons.

#1 I didn't actually fix the tractor... I just tightened bolts because my hands are smaller

#2 Because the inevitable question concerning the chicks arises: "So, are you going to wring their necks and pluck them when they are old enough to eat?" When it does, my inevitable answer is "NO!" We will raise them here, and when it is "Chicken Killin' Day," we will take them to a nearby farm where our friends raise all natural meat. On "Chicken Killin' Day," Scott and the kids have agreed to help slaughter chickens together with our friends, and I have volunteered to bring food, prepare food for everyone, and clean house for them while they are out... killin' chickens!

I might end up helping, but I am not wringing any necks... nor do I think I could slit any throats. Maybe I can operate the food saver or something!

They were so cute and tiny when they arrived! Check out our redneck engineering at its finest... they are in kiddie pools for now. We will move them to a pen when they get a little bigger!

Josh

Will

Hannah

Jammin'

2010-07-06T23:12:00.000-07:00

This is just a random post with some pictures of summer happenings....

A few weeks ago, Stokes had blueberries and mangoes on sale. Not just any sale... but call all of your friends, b/c this is a fabulous deal kind of sale! I bought 2 cases of mangoes and 6 cases of blueberries. Many of the blueberries went into my freezer, but the girls made several cobblers, and I decided to make some jam!

I spent the day with a friend making several batches of jams. We made blueberry lime, blueberry mango, and raspberry mango. When I got home, I was very pleased! However, I still had a case of mangoes and two cases of blueberries left!

The next day was Saturday, so the girls and I went to work. We ended up with 52 jars of jam!

In other news, Sarah got her point shoes this summer. She has been practicing on point, and doing well. As this milestone has been reached, she has been faced with a decision: Spartans or ballet. It has been very tough for her, but I think that she has chosen to keep running. Although she LOVES ballet, she likes running and wants to be able to see her friends at running practice. It really has not been as simple as this, but we think she has chosen wisely. It is so hard when there are many GOOD things to do... it's just not good to do all of them!
Finally, we got a new puppy. Yes, the poor thing is in a wedding dress. HE (yes, HE is in a wedding dress) got named Darth Vader, because we already had Luke Skywalker. Darth Vader is not the most intimidating creature, is he?

No wonder he looks so forlorn in the next picture!

First Spartan to become a Topper!

2010-07-06T22:59:00.000-07:00

I mentioned that I had a signee come out of running camp... I didn't mention that it was one of my Spartans from last year!

Mary Chunn decided to come to running camp, even though she had already graduated from high school. I am not exactly sure why she decided to come, but I think it was providential. As the week went on, the BMC runners steadily talked to her about the possibility of coming to run for Blue Mountain College. She was interested, and agreed to talk to her parents and consider the matter.

The following week, she decided to sign! We are thankful to have Mary joining us at BMC! Mary has a lot of potential, and I know she will make the Toppers (and the Spartans) proud! Hopefully she will be the first in a long line of Chunns to come and run for me there!

Matt and Michael couldn't make it, but here are Steve, Yonnea, and siblings with Mary.

BMC Running Camp

2010-06-28T13:23:00.001-07:00

When we got back from Disney World, we had one week before BMC Running camp, and a WHOLE lot to do! Our trail was still a single file foot path through poison ivy, and I had not even finished our camp notebooks yet!

Thankfully, my husband had promised me that he would work on the trails that week. Very good, actually, because a man with a chainsaw is generally more productive than a woman with a rake and pruning shears!

Even so, I began to feel overwhelmed around Tuesday or Wednesday... This was an insurmountable job, and we would never finish on time! I sent out an email plea to ask any available Spartans to come help. 4 Cobbs, a Gunnells, 2 McAfees, and 2 Newells came to the rescue! It is amazing how much these young people accomplished in a few days! It was also amazing and wonderful to see their willingness to serve and work in the Mississipi summer heat... Thank you, y'all!

We finished cutting the trail! The bridges didn't get built, but I always over estimate how productive I will be. Scott thinks I'm crazy... I call it optimistic! :)

36 middle/high school students turned out for Blue Mountain's first Cross Country camp! We had a great week... each day we ran (duh!), had nutrition class, learned from some very informative speakers, did strength training, and enjoyed some fun recreation!

Luke and Anthony enjoying some fine BMC cuisine!

The runners were broken up into groups with Blue Mountain runners as leaders... here are some of their pictures:

Hunter's group

Derek and Richard with their group

Austin and the "Fast Boys"

Beth and Stephanie with campers

The pool was not quite ready on Monday, so our recreation consisted of a large tarp, a fire hydrant, and baby shampoo! Talk about large-scale slip 'n sliding! I was too much of a chicken to try it, but it sure looked fun! (You know, I'm getting old and might have broken a hip or something!)
The week culminated in a cross country race. Our course was muddy (there had been a monsoon the night before), HOT, and HUMID!!! Aside from those not-so-small factors, the runners did very well! I even got a new signee for this upcoming fall out of the deal... details in a minute!

We had 2 races: JV and Varsity. The girls and boys were combined because of numbers, and it worked out fine.

Sarah won the 2 mile JV race... by a long shot! Way to go, girl! Martha Chunn came in third for the varsity girls, but there were two very competitive girls from south Mississippi in front of her. I was very proud of her race!

Nathan Baggett also won an award in the JV race- Way to go, Nathan!

The awards were Large BMC Topper cups with a bag of grapes inside. After all of our nutrition talks, I couldn't bear to fill them with M&Ms or something! However, we did let the award winners partake in a special rite of passage... I had brought the coveted coffee punch for my BMC runners that morning, and the winners were allowed to have a little in their Topper cups!It was nice to have my girls there with me at camp all week!

Disney Days 6-7

2010-06-27T15:42:00.000-07:00

Breakfast with Mickey!

On Friday, we woke up and took the monorail to the Polynesian Resort for breakfast with Lilo and Stitch. Upon entering, we were greeted and given leis to wear, and we got to see Mickey, Lilo, Stitch, and Pluto! (Breakfast was delicious here!)

Josh with Stitch

Will and Sarah with Lilo

Scott and I at breakfast

After breakfast we went back to the Magic Kingdom to catch the things we had missed. We did It's A Small World (girls had done it early in the week, but boys had not), Peter Pan's Flight, Dumbo, Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, Swiss Family's Tree House, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Aladdin's flying carpets.

Will and Josh at the Flying Carpet Ride
It's a Small World

Wow! Compared to the first day, we were now Disney World experts at working the fast pass system and getting around the park! All of that efficiency was tiring, though, so we went back to the hotel for an afternoon rest.

All of us in front of the castle

About 5:00, we headed back to Epcot. There were several things we had missed, and we also wanted to spend more time in the World Showcase.

Hannah having fun in "Mexico!"

The boys rode Mission Space (we girls were too chicken!) while the girls hung out in Mexico! Of course, guess where I spent my souvenir money?? I got a great house dress in Mexico and a little sombrero for my kitchen!

We had dinner in Morocco, and I think this was my favorite meal of the week... Oh, yum... It was a flatbread with fresh lamb, vegetables, and a cucumber dressing. I'm hungry just thinking about it!

After dinner, Hannah saw Jasmine while I waited for Scott and the boys to finish dinner. After dinner, the Duleys went to Soarin', and mom and dad spent more time walking around the world. Someone had given us 4 fast passes that they were not going to use. As we approached the line, we were asking the ladies about where the kids would exit and giving them "the talk" about strangers and manners in line. The ladies offered us fast passes so that we could go too, and we all got to ride! It was an amazing experience... we were on hang gliders flying over California. It was so real at some points that I picked up my feet so they didn't get wet in the stream below! We all met back at the hotel to crash for the evening!

On our last day, we went to Blizzard Beach, the other Disney water park. We had another great day... the kids enjoyed the "tween" area where they did the zip line into the pool and walked across icebergs holding onto a net! We had to get out of the water for a while because of weather, but the storm passed and we were able to keep swimming.

We spent our last night packing and had dinner at Shutters, the restaurant at our hotel. What a fabulous trip!

Disney Day 5

2010-06-27T14:45:00.001-07:00

We woke up and took the ferry over to the Grand Floridian Resort, which is BEAUTIFUL! We explored the hotel for a while as we waited for our breakfast reservation time.

Sarah and Hannah at the Grand Floridian

The 1900's Park Fare Character Breakfast was great! There were many characters there, and we got a lot of autographs and pictures. The Mad Hatter was our favorite... he truly was a character!Hannah, Josh, Will, and Sarah with the Mad Hatter

Mary Poppins was at breakfast also!

After breakfast, we caught the bus to Typhoon Lagoon! I don't have any pictures from the water park, but it was fabulous. The kids had never been to a large water park before, and they had a blast. There is a wave pool that sends out giant waves... we spent a good portion of the day letting Scott throw us toward shore just as a giant wave was coming at us... redneck body surfing! :) We also enjoyed a "water coaster" and several other water slides.

After returning to the hotel and changing clothes, my parents, the kids, and I headed to the Magic Kingdom for our LATE, LATE night.... Little did we know just how late it would end up being!

We took the boys to Stitch's Great Escape (the boys both love the Lilo and Stitch cartoon). Then we headed to get a quick supper and watch the sunset by the castle... beautiful!
We did the go-carts at the Speedway, and we rode the Astro-Orbiter. It was a Dumbo-type ride several stories up in the air!

Will on the Astro Orbiter

At 10:00, we watched the spectacular fireworks show and then got our spots for the late night parade. While waiting for the parade, Josh fell asleep on the curb! Will was feeling quite poorly, but he really wanted to see the parade.
After the parade we waited in a CRAZY line for the bus back to the resort.... we didn't get home until after 1:00 AM!!! What a day!

Disney Day 4

2010-06-24T06:20:00.001-07:00

Josh (Red Ranger), Hannah (Music Mania), Sarah (Tinkerbell), and Will (? Star Wars)

It took a few days, but finally we had it. We decided that just like with homeschooling, "An ounce of morning is worth a pound of afternoon!" We were in line to enter Hollywood Studios about 15 minutes before the park opened. As we went through the gate, I collected all of our keys to the world and went on a scout mission to the Rockin' Roller Coaster to get our fast passes. Everyone else booked it to the Toy Story ride. After getting our fast passes, I hauled across the park and hopped in line with everyone else. We had a very short wait until the Toy story ride, and then we were able to go straight over to the Rockin' Roller Coaster with no waiting!

Sarah, Will, Hannah, and Josh in front of Mr. Potato Head!

The Toy Story ride was so cute! It was a 3-D interactive ride that made you feel like you were on the midway of a carnival. We all loved it! After Toy Story, we headed over to the Rockin' Roller Coaster. Josh took his place on the front row and was ready for action! We all loved this one! Next, we went to one of my personal favorites of the week... The Muppet 3D show! I love the muppets, and this was hilarious!

Will, Hannah, Josh, Sarah in front of the Muppet Theater
Couldn't resist a picture of Scott in Lavender 3D glasses!

Wow, we had accomplished a lot by the time we were usually just entering the park! It was lunch time, and we had reservations at the Prime Time Cafe. This is a restaurant where each table is designed to be like a kitchen from the 50's. The waiter was like mom or dad serving your meal. We decided our waiter was like a yankee dad, because he kept calling us brats and not being very kind! It was funny, though. I changed my mind about my drink, and so he brought me one of everything. Then, when it was time for dessert, he brought the piece of chicken that I didn't finish covered with whipped cream and sprinkles! We hid it in Sarah's leftover chicken pot pie, and so I got to get my ice cream... However, before the waiter took her plate, she had to eat one more bite! She assured us that she picked a bite without my chicken in it!My not-so-yummy "dessert!"
Sarah choosing her dessert

Right after lunch we went on a Star Tours ride... a simulator of the Star Wars ship. We went to a car stunt show (Of course, Josh informed us that he wants to be a stunt driver when he grows up), the boys went on the Tower of Terror, and the girls got in line for more autographs.

My incredible family!

3 Super Heroes!

Finally, Hannah and Will went with my parents to the Indiana Jones stunt show, and Josh, Sarah, and I went to go wait for the Power Rangers! Josh is a HUGE Power Rangers fan... He is at that age where he LOVES them. After taking a back seat to many parades, we made sure that we would have front row spots! We got our snack and parked ourselves right where we knew they would be coming.
It paid off! We found out which Rangers were coming and where they would be standing. Josh wanted Red Ranger's autograph first (since his face was painted to match), so we got to be first in his line. He gave Josh a thumbs up over the face painting, signed his and Sarah's autograph books, and got pictures made. We had time to run over to the Green Ranger's line and do the same. Duley Rangers in front of the Ranger Car

As the Rangers were loaded up to leave, the most exciting thing of the afternoon happened. We were standing right in front, and Josh was waving good-bye to the Power Rangers. The Red Ranger hopped up to his spot, pointed right at Josh and gave him a thumbs up. Boy, did I have one THRILLED little boy! He talked about that moment for the rest of the afternoon!

Disney Day 3

2010-06-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

EPCOT!!

On Tuesday, we got another late start. After breakfast at our hotel, we hopped on our shuttle bus and headed to Epcot about 11. By the time we arrived, the fast pass times to "Soarin'" were later than we planned to stay, so we headed to the Nemo building. We went on Nemo's adventure, which was really cute! Afterwards, we stayed for "Turtle Talk with Crush." This interactive event was really neat! Next, we went to the Imaginarium with Figment. I remembered this as one of my favorite things from when I was a young girl. Of course, things have been changed and updated since then, but it was still fun. Hannah saw Chip 'n Dale, so she got in line for their autographs while everyone else looked around.

The kids decided to brave an hour and a half wait to get autographs at the "Character Spot." Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, and Donald were there! The wait wasn't too bad, because there were televisions with old Mickey Mouse cartoons to entertain us. Will went with Scott to some type of exhibit place and made their own computer games, because he didn't want to get autographs. Unfortunately for him, when we reached the front of the line, I dragged him up there for the pictures! Josh and Hannah got really into autographs and pictures with characters. It was so much fun for me to see how special the trip was to them!

We all went to Spaceship Earth (we got to go up in the big ball), and then we rode Test Track... a fast, fun ride. You got to pretend like you were a test dummy going through all sorts of car tests. Hannah and mom wished they hadn't sat out!

For dinner, we had a unique German experience at the Biergarten! As you walked into the the restaurant, it was like walking into a small German village! There were people playing cowbells and those horns, and we even got to go down and do the chicken dance!

Mom and dad at dinner- it was too dim to see the elaborate backdrops inside the restaurant

Will with his stein of root beer!

After dinner, Scott and Will headed back to the hotel to get some rest. (I should mention... Will got diagnosed with mono two days before we left for our trip. His instructions from the doctor were to stay hydrated and rest when he got tired.... and not allow anyone to share drinks!) The rest of us decided to stay for a little longer, because we hadn't gotten to do our Kimpossible mission yet.

The Kimpossible missions are a very, very cool way to explore the World Showcase. You get a "secret mission" that takes you to a certain country in the World Showcase. With your interactive cell phone, you look for clues and go on a scavenger hunt. Our mission was to China, and it culminated with the cell phone remotely signaling a jade monkey to rise up out of a fountain! The next time we went to Epcot, they were all out of missions for the day. Rats!

Hannah, Josh, & Sarah checking out their first clue

As we headed out of the park, we stopped for a picture... I wish Scott and Will had been with us!

Sarah, Me, Josh, Hannah, Mimi, and Papa

We also made a stop in the gift shop. The kids had been given a certain amount of souvenir money, and they were very careful all week to make sure that they got just the right memento! Josh had fun trying on the Stitch hat and gloves!

Disney Day 2

2010-06-23T21:55:00.000-07:00

Will, Sarah, Josh, Hannah, Scott, and I at the Magic Kingdom!

For our first full day at Disney World, we headed to the Magic Kingdom! Our first day was not very efficient, but we would get it figured out. We got off to a slow start and then got split up at the beginning of the day. The fast pass thing is beautiful... we just had to learn that the hard way!

Girls in Frontierland

Because of the previous day's roller coaster experience, we decided to make sure that Josh changed his opinion. We went on Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Josh was officially back to being the daredevil we all know and love. From then on, he wanted to be as close to the front of every ride as possible!Hannah sitting in front of Splash Mountain

Dad, Josh, Scott, and Will on Thunder Mountain Railroad

We had our "random dinner time" reservation at the Crystal Palace at 3:15. This was a fun character dining meal with the Pooh characters. They all came to the tables for autographs and pictures. It was so much fun! All of the kids (except Will) really got into collecting autographs and were happy to get pictures with the different characters.
After our dinner, the boys were ready to go back to the hotel to swim. Hannah, Sarah, Mom, and I stayed at the Magic Kingdom until after dark. We got to ride several rides (including Space Mountain and It's a Small World) that we would do again with the boys later in the week.

Disney Day 1

2010-06-23T21:27:00.000-07:00

My parents have said for years that when all of our children were 6 years old or older, they wanted to take us all to Disney World for a vacation. Well, Josh is six, and we got to go on our trip at the end of May!

The excitement began to build months ago... the kids had a countdown picture that they had started 42 days before the trip! Faithfully they switched the number every day and pored over our Disney information books.

Before this week, our children had never been to a theme park. Never been on a roller coaster. Never been to a water park. The boys had never been on an airplane. They were about to have sensory overload!

We left the Memphis airport on Sunday morning and arrived in Orlando around lunchtime. As we made our way to the Magical Express bus, we entered one of those lines that zig zags around back and forth with the little guide ropes directing you. As we entered the line, Josh exclaimed, "Boy, I'm glad we are not in THAT line!" Little did he know, we WERE in that line... we just hadn't made it up to them yet!

We took the bus to Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort and got checked in. What a beautiful place to stay! The hotel had a distinct Caribbean flare, and the pool was designed around a pirate theme. We got our "Keys to the World" and had a quick lesson on how to use them. It would take us a little while to figure out the dining plan, but we were soon old pro's at it!

After we changed clothes, we headed to the Animal Kingdom. Our first ride was Expedition Everest. The fast passes were gone, so we decided to wait it out. As we all stood in line, we were impressed with the attention to detail that seems to set Disney World apart from other theme parks. The hour wait went by quickly. Many people rave over this ride, but we all exited the ride with queasy stomachs! Josh was convinced that he did NOT like roller coasters!
The park was soon closing, and it was time for us to head to our dinner reservation at the Tusker House. Dinner was great... a buffet with an African theme. I was hoping for some Ethiopian food, but I didn't see anything resembling injera (sp?). Everything we tried was good, though! My kids surprised me with how adventurous they were during the week!
After supper we headed back to the resort for a swim in our hotel pool... that had its own water slide!!! On the first night, Josh accidentally smashed his face on the bottom of the hot tub. For the rest of the week, he has a big boo-boo on his upper lip... It healed just in time for the trip home!

Job News

2010-06-23T20:15:00.000-07:00

I have mentioned several times that Scott's job for the fall has been totally up in the air. Well, over the first few weeks of May, the Lord brought things to a conclusion...

It became clear that his New Albany science job was not going to be available. He was told that he could interview for the shop teacher's position at NAHS, and at the same time another job opportunity presented itself. The superintendent of the county schools contacted Scott about teaching science at East Union Attendance Center (where he taught before we moved to KY). Great, right? Only one catch... You guessed it, he would also be coaching football!

I am not going to go into the gory details of the decision making process, but we both agreed that the best choice would be working for the Union County School System.

There are 4 small Union County schools, and they have obtained permission to have one county-wide football team. Scott will be the head football coach for this new, experimental program. His primary tasks over the next few years are teaching the players the game, developing the program, and fundraising for a central facility.

There is not a lot of pressure... the goal is genuinely to teach the game and be a good role model. Also, the team will not be playing a varsity schedule... yet. This means that there will not be Friday night games or long Saturdays watching film, but there will be plenty of other logistical things to fill the time, I'm sure!

I was a little disappointed at first. I know it is selfish, but I was looking forward to a cross country season with us working together again. As I see him getting excited and doing well, I am proud of him and realize that it will be fine. Crazy busy, but fine.

This will definitely make for an interesting fall! I am trying to put some things into place to help me not lose my mind... we will see how that goes!

Here is an article that appeared in the Tupelo Daily Journal last week:

Duley Tackles Union County Football Challenge
Scott Duley was faced with the challenge of turning around a New Albany High defense that allowed more than 36 points per game in 2007.

After dropping that figure to almost 23 points per game this past season, he now has the task of teaching the basics of football to inexperienced players.

Duley, New Albany's defensive coordinator for the past two seasons, has been named the head football coach for the fledgling Union County School District program that is about to enter its second season.

"I was here before and I really enjoyed it," said Duley, 34, who taught previously at East Union Attendance Center nearly a decade ago. "It's a very good opportunity, No. 1, for these young men to play football, and for these communities to have a football program."

The Union County football program consists of athletes from East Union, Ingomar, Myrtle and West Union schools. Since those four schools are rather small in terms of enrollment, the most sound opportunity for the students to play football is if there was one program that incorporated all of the schools.

(New Albany High School, which is located in Union County, is not part of the Union County School District; the MHSAA Class 4A school is operated by the New Albany School District.)

Only seventh-, eighth- and ninth-graders took part in the program's inaugural season under the watchful eye of acting head coach Chris Basil.

Basil has since become East Union's assistant principal and will no longer be coaching football. He will remain as the East Union head baseball coach.

This season, Duley expects students in the seventh through 10th grades to join the program.

"We will have a junior high team and at least something with the freshmen and sophomores," he said. "I would hate to have those young men who are now sophomores not have an opportunity to play."

No stranger to new things

Duley and his wife, Heather, were responsible for starting East Union's cross country program several years ago.

That goes to show that Duley, despite entering his first head-coaching job in football, can handle the responsibilities of developing a new program and bring it to a varsity level.

"Scott will be a good football coach," said Union County School District Superintendent Ken Basil. "He can handle anything, from fundraising on down."

Duley has already started getting the program ready for its second season by cutting the grass at the practice facility across the street from the East Union Attendance Center.

"We'll start meeting with these young men, hire some assistant coaches and hopefully get on the ball in the next couple of weeks," he said.

While nothing has been set in stone of where the team will be practicing, Duley said he would like to hold practice sessions this season at East Union.

Last year, the Union County schools held practices at the New Albany Sportsplex.

"What I hope is that we're able to get a permanent facility somewhere in a more central location, something owned by the Union County school system that we can use and it will just be ideal with all the parents," said the former Lambuth University offensive lineman.

As far as games go, the Union County program would like to play seven or eight games this season. Last season, the program played five games.

"Right now, the games we have scheduled are going to be on the road," Duley said of the five or six games his team currently has in the works for this year. "The New Albany school department and Superintendent Dr. (Charles) Garrett have been kind enough to extend an invitation to use their facilities.

"If we do have some home games, it will be at the New Albany home field."

Contact John Wilbert at 678-1572 or john.wilbert@djournal.com

Read more: NEMS360.com - Duley tackles Union County football challenge

Here is the article that appeared in our New Albany paper, the Gazette. When he saw the picture, he said, "All I could think was, 'My wife is going to KILL me!'" He had been mowing grass when the reporter arrived. She asked for his picture. Thinking that it was going to be a shoulders up shot, he folded down his overalls to get the straps out of the picture. Oh, no... instead, this was the picture right on the front of our sports section!!! How would you feel to see that this was your kid's new football coach!? :)
Duley to Coach County Football Program
By Elizabeth Zaremba

With the motto “Together we will,” the Union County football team will be under new leadership next season, but will continue to grow entering year two of the program.

Scott Duley is already well acquainted with his new teaching assignment at East Union as he and his wife, Heather, started the Urchins’ cross country program. Duley coached for three years at New Albany, one as a member of the freshman football team and two as the varsity defensive coordinator for the Bulldogs. Now back to lead Union County football, Duley is excited about the opportunity given to him.

“The things that Coach (Chris) Basil and his staff did last year, we want to build on those this year,” he said. “We want to be able to develop a plan to get these kids on a weight program, probably not this summer, but certainly in the offseason next summer. More than anything, we want to be able to treat these kids well and give them the opportunity to not only learn the game of football, but to teach them about life by being good role models to them.”

First things first is where the team will practice this season. Duley was found on Monday working on the field across from East Union, where they plan to have the team practicing as soon as MHSAA allows them to. Duley feels that having a home for the team is essential in the growing process.

“It would be wonderful if it were a central location in New Albany, but this is what we have it right now,” he said. “In the long run, having a permanent property will give these kids a sense of ownership. Maybe not the community’s because of the distance they’re having to travel, but it at least gives the kids ownership over the program.”

The team brought in over 100 participants in the opening week of practice, and Duley hopes to see similar numbers, with equal participation from each school.

“We want to continue to have good numbers. If you can get a good number going at each school, that’s good for each individual school, because you’ll have a core group of kids at each school playing football, as well as basketball and baseball, as these will be multi-sport athletes.”

Duley will next work on not only getting in touch with the kids in the program, but also with administration at each school, as well as selecting assistant coaches.

“I plan to talk to the kids this week, and I am also planning to speak with each school as to what they would like to see in order for the program to succeed and see how they would like their young men develop in the offseason programs we’re hoping to implement,” Duley said. “I have been given names of men who the administration thinks will be interested in coaching, and as it stands, we are going to have a coach from each school.”

Overall, Duley is excited about the interest in the community and hopes to continue developing a team the county can be proud of.

“The opportunities are not endless, but they’re great because the has wanted a program for a long time,” he said. “The possibilities that we’ll give the people in the communities, as well as the young men is something to be excited about.”

Catching Up

2010-06-23T19:16:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it has been 2 months since my last post! All of my children are at my mom's house tonight, so I am going to go on a little blogging binge... and I will pretend as though I am not posting about yesterday's news!

Let's see... where do we begin... The rest of April and beginning of May were spent working on school and gearing up for recitals. I am kicking myself, because the "recital" picture folder is mysteriously empty, and the pictures did not wind up in any of my other 100 picture folders! If I find them, I will add them later.

Sarah's ballet recital came first. Kay and my mom came for the big event, and they were not disappointed. Her two dances were great! Scott got home from the state track meet just in time to go to George's for ice cream with us! Sarah went home with Kay for a few days, because they would be coming back for Hannah's recital the next weekend!

Hannah spent the week madly practicing her pieces for her very first violin recital. I can't believe that she has only been playing for one school year... (and even had a 6 week break with her broken arm!) She is doing so well!

Her recital was on a Friday night at Lawndale Presbyterian church. The students all did a GREAT job! Hannah had two pieces- a solo and a duet. The solo came first, and it was clear that it was her first time to perform; she played the piece at lightning speed! :) The duet went MUCH more smoothly, and they did splendidly. (I am still mad that I can't find those pictures! GRRR!!)

After the recital, Kay took us out for a special treat: dinner at Harvey's, a nice restaurant in Tupelo. We all enjoyed a nice dinner and then headed home.

On Saturday morning, Kay headed home early, and we got started PACKING!!!!

Why would we spend an entire day packing?! Because we would be leaving for Disney World the next morning!!! WOO HOO!!!