Getting Wet With the Anderson Boys

Knowing that the days of summer are coming to end, and that the Roger's pool closes September 4th, we enjoyed what turned out to be our second to last swim (last one was Labor Day). We have heard from the Roger's that they plan to put their house up for sale in the spring -- they're probably worn out from all the kids coming to swim! No, just kidding - they reminded the folks at church every Sunday that they were welcome to come over and use the pool anytime, and we are so grateful for their generous offer. The Thomas kids have had a great time this summer!

Christian, Andrew, and Sarah with William and Bryan Anderson

Dinner at the Coppock's (a.k.a How Not to Behave)

We were very excited to see some visitors come in with the Coppock's on Sunday morning. After the service, we had the privilege of meeting Ted and Doro. Ted is a colleague of Patrick's at Emory who is also working on a PhD in the same program as Patrick. Doro had just arrived here in the US for the first time four days before. She is here to work on an MBA in California. Both Ted and Doro are from China.

Here is where the story gets ugly. I was talking with Jill (Patrick's wife) after meeting Ted and Doro, and asked her what she was going to be serving them for dinner. She was going to be making a pasta dish with chicken, artichokes and some other ingredients, and it sounded positively scrumptious! Here is where things went downhill. I said, "Ooooooo, that sounds so yummy! I want to come too!" Now, I was only kidding, but I should have known better -- I'm talking to Jill here, "Miss Hospitality." She immediately responds with, "Oh, you have to come then!" I was then mortified with what I had done -- I HAD JUST INVITED MY FAMILY TO SOMEONE'S HOUSE FOR SUNDAY DINNER!!! I told her that I was only kidding, and that we couldn't come, as I had nothing to contribute to the meal. She assured me that she had plenty and that they really, really wanted us to come. I realized that she was absolutely serious.

So, the Thomas' did something that they very, very rarely do -- they were spontaneous! We went to the Coppock's house and enjoyed a wonderful meal and sweet fellowship. Ted and Doro told us about their culture in China, wrote for us in Chinese, and entertained the kids with their paper folding skills. I am so glad that we got to share the afternoon with them, but I am so embarrassed at how it all came about!

Ted and Doro

Sarah and William

Ted, Doro, Jill and Patrick

Her Maiden Voyage!

August 23rd - 25th we took the trailer out for her first overnight trip away from home. We didn't go far -- just a few exits down on I-75 to High Falls State Park. Our reasoning was that we didn't want to be too far from home in case we forgot something major, or something went terribly wrong because of our lack of experience. We are glad to report neither circumstance occurred!

Our family in the driveway before our departure (thanks to a handy dandy tripod and a camera with a timer!)

Our first meal on the road of tacos and quesadilla pie.

Andrew and his pooch, Baxter

Would you believe a stray cat found our trailer?!!! Sarah, whose heart is a softy for animals (much like her mother at the same age -- ask me about rabies shots sometime) kept this fella well fed during our stay. Here he is enjoying a breakfast sausage.

During our brief excursion, we visited Dausett Trails Nature Center upon suggestion by Debbie Howland (thanks Debbie!). We enjoyed a walk through a nature center which included animals that are non-releasable into the wild because they have either been injured or orphaned. Christian took this picture of a very menacing eagle.

Here is a picture of a beautiful bird that Tom carved out of wood while the kids and I walked around. He told me to say that, but now I have to tell you the truth (like you didn't already figure it out!) that Tom had nothing to do with this beautiful carving. Upon further inspection, I realized that it was carved from the stump of wood that it is sitting upon. Wow!

Here is an acorn that was carved in the same fashion.

All in all, we consider the trip to be a success, even though we had a few glitches. Our hot water heater wasn't working, and we couldn't keep the refrigerator running on electric power. Tom took it in to the dealership the following Monday and both issues were taken care of under our warranty.

This trip was intended to be short and sweet, just so we could try out our new trailer, and hopefully, it would leave us eagerly anticipating bigger trips in September while Tom is on vacation. We had a wonderful time at Dausett Trails despite the 90 degree temperatures and humidity. We were very thankful for the "Wonder Room" where all the reptiles were kept, as it was very well air conditioned. We hung out in there until we were afraid they might kick us out.

After visiting Dausett Trails, we all agreed we were hungry for barbecue, so we asked the locals if they could direct us to their favorite. We were given directions to the Fresh Air Barbecue in Jackson, off of Highway 42 (Fresh Air Barbeque) . Let's just say that while it may be a favorite of the locals, the Thomas' will be passing it by if they are ever in the area in the future. We did learn that barbecue flavors differ from place to place, and that our preference is for the hickory smoke barbecue flavor (think Sonny's).

Observations made while camping:

* A travel trailer is a small space for a family of five.

* A family of five in a travel trailer will get on one another's nerves.

* A family of five can fill a black water tank in less than 24 hours.

* A family of five can fill a grey water tank even faster.

* Camping gets everything dirty.

* White bichons get really dirty while camping.

* Kids eat more while camping than they do at home.

* A trailer oven can really heat up the place.

* Cold showers really make you appreciate the warm ones.

* Children are born pyromaniacs.

* Stray animals can find us even when we are traveling. (The Thomas' and stray animals, dogs in particular, is a long post for another day . . . .)

* Teenagers are actually capable of taking a short shower when given incentive to do so.

* The worst things about camping are still better than being stuck at home!

Ummm . . Not sure what to call this one . . . .

I guess I could call this post "Boys Being Silly" or something as such. It would seem that some of our teenage boys broke into Pastor Roger's stash of costume items stored at the church. I believe I have seen the wig before . . . . if my memory serves me correctly (and many times it doesn't!) Pastor Roger's wore it last October for our Reformation Celebration when he dressed up at Martin Luther. Who the boys were intending to be, I'm not sure!

Andrew and Reid Hawkins

From the far left - Bryan Anderson, David Coppock, Christian, Andrew,
Reid Hawkins and Mac Sackberger

A Double Treat!

On Saturday, we had the privilege of attending a recital given by one of the boys' friends, Bryan Anderson. At age 14, Bryan, who is a homeschooled student, is a very accomplished pianist and pipe organist. We are blessed every Sabbath by his accompaniment during our worship service, but never knew of the extraordinary talent he possesses -- the kind that you say years down the road, "We knew him when . . . . " Experiencing such talent was such a treat!

Bryan Anderson

Following Bryan's recital, we attended a small reception given in his honor. While there, his mother, Melanie, was speaking with a kindly-looking woman, and she called me over to introduce her. Mrs. Rogers was her name, to which Melanie followed up with "THE Mrs. Rogers." Seeing the curious look on my face, she said, "Do you remember Fred Rogers from Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood?" Do I remember Mr. Roger's Neighborhood??!!!! I've only seen every episode at least a dozen times!!!! Who could grow up in the 70's and NOT know Mr. Rogers?! I was being introduced to his sweet wife, Joanne.

Curious as to what the connection was between Mrs. Rogers and Bryan's recital, I learned that Mrs. Rogers and Bryan's piano teacher, Jeannine Morrison, have been playing piano concerts together since college. Mrs. Rogers told me that she had flown in from Pennsylvania, and she and Jeannine had just played their last concert together that morning. Meeting her made for a double treat!

Christian, Sarah, Mrs. Rogers and Andrew

Mrs. Rogers and Melanie Anderson

Sarah's First French Toast!

Sarah's first attempt at making French toast all by herself! Yay! Next thing you know, she's going to be cooking dinner . . . . :o)

TRAUMA!

Christian and Andrew have picked up their first paying job -- mowing the lawn next door. Their first time doing the job turned out to be a memorable one. The house is for sale, but is vacant, and with the drought we've been having, critters (fire ants, yellow jackets, etc.) have taken over the yard. As Christian was using the weed whacker to trim around the landscape, a yellow jacket came from apparently nowhere and stung him on the arm. Consequently, he dropped the running machine and ran into our house where we promptly iced the spot.

We went back over a few minutes later to check on the running weed whacker. There it was, lying in the grass, still running, with a SWARM of yellow jackets attacking it. We figured he must have disturbed a nest. Fortunately, at the angle it was laying at, the engine wasn't getting gas and it sputtered out about an hour later.

That evening after dark, I (Tom was on a trip) went over to the house with a flashlight to try and find the source. I located a hole in the ground just to the left of the weed whacker, which would have been right where Christian was standing. So, the yellow jacket really did come out of nowhere! Tom returned from his trip two days later and filled the hole with water mixed with detergent, and we haven't seen a yellow jacket since.

Oh, the hazards of yard work!

An Evening with the Anderson's & Pastor Rogers

Tuesday evening, the Anderson's and Pastor Rogers (Judy is out of town) joined us for our evening meal. It was a sweet time of fellowship for the adults and fun for the kids. We were sad to see it end -- thanks for a great evening! :o)


Back - Melanie, Sonny, Bryan, Pastor Rogers
Front - Molly, William, Courtney


Back - Bryan, Andrew, Christian
Front - Molly, Sarah, William & Courtney

Nothing much happening around here . . . .

Where have I been, you ask? Well, there really hasn't been anything much to report on here at the Thomas household. Since the last post when the trailer arrived, I've been busy cleaning the inside and getting it ready for our first outing in a couple of weeks. What has taken up the biggest share of my time has been lesson planning and preparations for the new school year, so there really hasn't been much to tell about.

This week, there has been a little more excitement as we've had some company. Sunday evening, we were privileged to keep the Coppock boys while their parents attended a dinner. I'm not sure who had more fun -- their boys or us!


The kids had a ball playing in the trailer. I remember when I was kid, our family would get together with friends, and us kids would play games that involved some level of being scared, like hide-and-seek in the dark. What is it about kids that they like to be scared to a certain degree? Anyway, my kids aren't any different, and as best I can tell, neither are anyone else's! The above photo is of Christian dressed up as an "alien." He went around the trailer, tapping his "claw" (made of Legos) on the windows, eliciting screams from inside. Soon thereafter, he would open the door and try to "get" them. Christian doesn't have any idea that I took this picture. I'm predicting that I'm really gonna hear it once he learns that I not only took it, but POSTED it here!



Inside, they were waiting with "guns" (made of Legos) to protect themselves from the alien. They kept this game up for quite awhile. I hope that Patrick (left) and David (middle) didn't have any nightmares Sunday night. I haven't gotten any phone calls yet, but we'll just have to see if we are ever called on again to keep the boys.



Pledger played it safe and stayed inside with me.




Christian giving me a hand with William. It was so wonderful to have little ones in the house again!