Wilson County Fair 2013

Wow -- two posts in one day!  What is the world coming to??

We've been doing a project with Cooper where we have him put a marble in a jar every time he obeys the first time we tell him to do something.    We told him when he got his jar filled up, we would do something special.  We didn't say what it would be, because we didn't know how long it would take him to fill it up.  You can read more about this here, if you want to.

So, his jar was almost full, and he has been talking about going to the Wilson County Fair ever since we went last year.  This week we were down to just a few marbles, so I told him if he could get his jar full by today, we would go to the fair.  He worked extra hard, and dropped his last marble in last night.

This morning it threatened to rain, but in the end it was actually pretty nice weather for the fair, so we went and had a good time.  He got a few extra indulgences, like a ride on a "stagecoach" (I'm not big into fair rides) and some cotton candy. 

His favorite part, I think, the thing he most remembered from last year and wanted to do again, was this:

Whatever.

There were lots of animals which he enjoyed petting,

and some big tractors for him to climb on too.

All in all, it was a fun day for all of us.  Even Nash, though he didn't get to go, got a special souvenir from the pet exhibit.

I think Cooper considered it a good prize for his efforts, and hopefully the new skills he has learned through this project will carry on for a long time.

Thirty-Three Months Old

It's been a busy month, but a mostly good one.

Besides the vacation that I already blogged about, we've had a few more adventures, most of which involved playing in water, very appropriate for this time of year.

We took a family trip to the Bicentennial Mall, built in 1996 in celebration of Tennessee's 200th birthday.  It is an outdoor park (not a shopping mall), where you can walk around and learn all about the State of Tennessee.

It also has an area where there are fountains symbolizing the major rivers in the state, which children can play in.  Cooper had a blast!

We went back a couple of weeks later with my friend Laurie, and once again, Cooper enjoyed himself immensely.  It is right next door to the Farmer's Market, so we went there too and got a few goodies that I don't have in my garden.

A few days later we went to another water park, near the Titans' stadium, with one of my friends from MOPS and her two boys, one of which is Cooper's age.  He loved that one too.

My garden is doing very well.  We have had an unusual amount of rain this summer, which has been great for it, and we have gotten all kinds of things from it: green beans, cucumbers (I made pickles with some of them), tomatoes (Cooper pops cherry tomatoes like candy), herbs, peppers, and now squash, which I have been trying to prepare in creative ways so my family will eat it.

We tried to potty train Cooper after our trip, but that didn't go so well, so we decided to just put it on hold for a couple of months and then try again.  People tell us it's easier if you wait until he's three or so.

Nothing yet on the job front for Don, though he's been doing some temporary, part-time work.  It's been kind of nice having him around more, though, so we're enjoying that while we can.

All in all, we're loving the carefree days of summer and making the most of them.

Mid-South Live Steamers

Yesterday my friend Laurie invited Cooper and me, along with another friend of hers who also has a little boy, to a semi-annual event in Columbia (south of Nashville) that I didn't even know existed: Mid-South Live Steamers. 

It was a fun day-all the way around.  The weather was beautiful.  Cooper behaved, and I think everyone had a great time!

This park is full of miniature (1/8 scale) railroad tracks, and apparently there are people who collect working steam-engine trains that are smaller than a real train but big enough for people to ride on.  Twice a year, they invite the public to come ride them.  We went over bridges, through tunnels and around the park, about a 10 or 15 minute ride.  There were about 6 trains running, and the wait was never too long.  Of course, we went on a Friday; it would probably have been longer on a Saturday.

We brought our lunch and ate it there, and besides the trains, there was a playground to play on and live music playing. 

Everything was free except concessions and souvenirs.  They even gave us free books! 

What a great day!  I think this is definitely something we will do again.  Thanks, Laurie!

An Autumn Outing

It was a beautiful fall weekend, so Don and I decided to take a family walk at the Ellington Agricultural Center. This is one of our favorite places, but we haven't been there in a while and have never taken Cooper. I really hadn't wanted to go since Dasha died because I have so many memories of her there (we used to live nearby before I was married and went there for walks often), but it was time.

We got to enjoy a lot of God's wonderful handiwork
and take a few pictures of our little guy.
This is the gazebo where Don and I got engaged.
He's crawling here, but he actually started walking this week.
We stopped by to visit the police horses. Cooper had never been this close to a horse before, so he let out a few random, piercing screams. Fortunately, these horses are trained to handle things like that and didn't flinch.
It was a fun family outing. We all soaked in a little sunshine, got some exercise and just generally had a good time.

A Day at the Zoo

We took Cooper to the Nashville Zoo today for the first time. It was a fairly nice August day, and we had a fun family outing.We had been reading a lot of books about animals, so I thought it was time he got a concept of what they actually looked like. The Nashville Zoo has an interesting selection of animals -- a few traditional ones: elephants, giraffes, lions and zebras, and a few less-traditional ones: a giant anteater, a porcupine, a guenon (whatever that is) and a tapir (huh?). We didn't see everything today, but we got a 1-year membership so we can go back anytime.The most fun part of me was getting to enjoy being a kid again as I got to watch Cooper seeing new things for the very first time.

THIS is Nashville

By now most have seen pictures of the flood in Nashville and the damage that was done. But it has been a week and a half. The waters have receded. What does Nashville look like now? These are some pictures I have pulled from my friends’ Facebook pages of their homes or those of people they know. This is what Nashville looks like now.
What you will see in these pictures is people helping people, people who are under no obligation showing up to help others, in some cases people they don’t even know. What you will not see is anyone sitting around, feeling sorry for themselves, waiting for the government to come in and help them. You will not see policemen patrolling neighborhoods, guarding against looters or others who may take advantage of those in bad situations. (While these things may exist on a small scale, they are definitely the exception rather than the rule.) Nashville has been an example of what a community should be. People have pulled together to help tear down and rebuild, provide housing for people and pets who have lost their homes, bring food and water to workers, donate clothing, furniture and other necessities to those who have lost them, and encourage and pray for others. Churches have taken up collections for their members and others in the community. For some, it has been a lesson in swallowing their pride and graciously receiving the help offered by others.
In the days during and following the flood, people who owned boats went around rescuing people or bringing them supplies. Neighbors went into houses to save pets and other priceless items when the owners couldn’t get there. One man on his jet ski even saved a woman and her dog from their burning home that was surrounded by water. I am proud of my city. I am proud of their old-fashioned values. I am proud of the way they have pulled together and been an example to the country and the world of how we can help our family, friends and neighbors in need. I don’t watch much TV, so I don’t really know how the national media is portraying us. I can only hope that, if we’re getting any attention at all, they are showing the spirit of camaraderie that is here. But whether or not the media or the government decides to help us, we’re pulling together and making it happen.

Opryland

I believe one of the biggest impacts this past weekend's flood will have on Nashville is the damage that occurred at the Opryland Hotel.

This is sad for a number of reasons. For Don and me personally, this is a place we enjoy going for a free date. It is just a few minutes from our house, and is a wonderful place to walk around, enjoying the indoor atriums, sometimes stopping to eat or get ice cream. Here is a previous blog I did with some pictures I took at Christmas time.

Here is a video of what it looks like now.


Opryland is one of the largest employers in the Nashville area. It is estimated that it will be 3-6 months before the hotel opens again, and in the meantime, thousands of people are without jobs. This includes several people we know personally, one of which is my brother, who works there part-time. Nashville's job market was already in pretty bad shape before this happened.


Another way it will affect us is the tourism industry. The Opryland Hotel, one of the largest hotels in the country, is a major tourist spot, hosting vacationers and conventions from all over the world.


The nearby Opry Mills mall, also flooded, was a big part of our economy as well, along with the Grand Ole Opry, shown here:

This is, of course, in addition to the many people who have lost their homes (a good number of which didn't have flood insurance), cars, pets and all their possessions. A few even lost their lives.

Apparently the national news media isn't giving us much coverage compared to other current events, but from an insider's perspective, this is a very sad time in our city which will have far-reaching implications. I pray that God will bring good out of it, and perhaps this great city, known as the "buckle of the Bible belt" will turn tragedy into triumph.

Praise You in the Storm

This song, by Casting Crowns, has more or less been my theme song over the past couple of weeks.



My baby still hasn't moved into the position it's supposed to be in, though, thankfully, I haven't had to make any more trips to the emergency room, and the doctor is still optimistic that the problem may correct itself. So I'm trying to be optimistic too. And not worry. And not be anxious. And praise God in spite of it all.

After I had been singing this song for days, it was sung at my Bible study on Wednesday as "special music." Think God is trying to tell me something??

This weekend, the song took on a whole new meaning, as Nashville and the surrounding areas experienced record-setting rainfalls. Many parts of town are still flooded. You can view some pictures here. Thankfully, our house wasn't affected too much, other than a small leak and some water in our garage. We pretty much stayed home the whole weekend. Our church service was cancelled, as were many other churches and events around town, and most of the schools in the area are closed today.

Please keep the people of middle Tennessee who have been greatly affected by this in your prayers. And please keep my little baby in your prayers too. And me. In the meantime, I will keep trying to praise God. Even in the storms.

More Snow

I've had enough. We haven't really had too much snow in the past few years, but we seem to be making up for it this year. I am usually seeing signs of spring by now (warmer weather, daffodils popping up, etc.), but this year . . . snow. And more snow. I'm missing lots of work (for me, no work = no $), and our upcoming band concert had to be cancelled because we've now missed 2-1/2 practices (that "1/2" meant I had to drive home in a surprise snowstorm last Monday night, which nearly pushed me over the edge).

I'm sure in a few weeks spring will be here and I'll have forgotten all about it, but it's not soon enough for me.

Okay, enough whining. I'll try to cheer up before I blog again. I'll bet a good dose of warm sunshine would help . . .

Look at My Garden Now!

Following my tradition from last summer of taking pictures of my garden from my upstairs window, I decided to take one this morning: Yes, believe it or not, we got about 4-5" of snow yesterday! This is the first "real" snow we have had here in several years, so it's pretty exciting!

It's a little crusty on top this morning, so my dog Dasha, who weighs 15 pounds, had a really hard time walking in it. She would take a careful step, and it would hold her up for a couple of seconds; then SPLAT -- she would fall down into it. Made for a rough time pottying this morning.

But all in all, it's kind of fun. I'm considering us to be "snowed in," though I'm sure we could get somewhere if we really needed to.

I posted a question on Facebook yesterday: if you were snowed in, assuming all your basic needs were met, what would be the one thing you wouldn't want to be without? I got lots of creative answers, some of which I am listing here, in the order that I would find them important:

Spouse/family
Pets
A good book
Junk food
Puzzle book
Facebook
Blankets
Chili
Hot chocolate
Sled
Movies
Beer/Wine

We never get snowed in for more than a day or two here in Nashville, so I guess we'll enjoy it while we can. Thankfully, I'm well equipped with the first few items on the list above, so I'm in good shape. Now maybe I can go out and build a snowman.

The Big Flurry

A new group was started on Facebook yesterday. At press time, it has 6,460 members and is growing by the hour. Its name: I survived the big Nashville snow flurry of 1/7/10.

People are using this site to post impressive snow pictures, such as snowmen they built: Why is this so funny?

Nashville is apparently pretty desperate for some “real” snow. Earlier in the week there were predictions that we would get up to 6 inches. It was later downgraded to 4 inches “in some areas,” and then to “up to 2 inches,” beginning between 3:00 and 6:00 a.m.

Even 2 inches would be the biggest snow we have gotten in recent years. Excitement mounted. Grocery stores were mobbed and completely sold out of milk, bread and other essentials. Crews got out and salted all the roads. Pretty much every single school system and private school in Middle Tennessee had already called off school by Wednesday night before a single flake fell.

We all prepared to wake up to a winter wonderland.

Thursday morning I jumped out of bed and looked out the window . . . at . . . nothing. Brown grass and bare sidewalks. Not even a flake falling from the sky. “Never fear,” said the weather people. “It will arrive around rush hour.” I didn’t know whether to go to my 8:00 meeting or not, but I really couldn’t justify staying home, since it wasn’t even snowing yet, so I went. When I got done at 9:00, nothing. “It’s still coming,” they said. “It will be here around noon!” The predicted accumulation had been reduced to half an inch.

Well, around mid-day we did begin to get a little snow. It stuck, because of the cold temperatures we have been having, but it could hardly be considered more than a dusting. Kids, while happy for the days off (they are out again today), were very disappointed that it wasn’t really enough to play in, though some tried. Thus the snowmen, pictured above. Oh well. I guess we have to take what we get.