Pigskin Picks

Today, after work, my law partners (Mark Puryear and Chas Morton) and I hosted our annual Pigskin Picks party and open house at our office. The Pigskin Picks has a long and storied history. Essentially, it's a football pool my law partner, Mark, started 15 or 16 years ago, when he was working in the District Attorney's office in Franklin, Tennessee. It's for bragging rights only - the winner gets a plaque (I have one proudly displayed in my office) - as several of the assistant district attorneys and police officers usually participate in it.

When Mark and I started our law practice, Puryear & Newman, in the fall of 1997, he continued running the Pigskin Picks. The following year (1998), we hosted a party and open house at our office (an old house we had converted into an office, actually) at 401 Church Street, Franklin, TN. It's hard to believe, but my mother and Mark's mother, Connie Puryear, actually cleaned our office and cooked food in the kitchen there for the party. Man, that seems like a long, long time ago, and I guess it was.

Chas, Mark and I bought the building we're in now (130 Fourth Avenue South, Franklin, TN) more than three years ago and completely renovated it. It's a great location for us, as we're directly across from the Williamson County Courthouse.

Anyway, this afternoon, we hosted friends, family and colleagues at our office. Mark's wife, Elizabeth was there, along with his children, Mark, Sarah and Michael. My mother was there, as was Mark's mother and her significant other, Baird Harris. Much to my delight, Jude was able to get away from work a little early, so she could drive down to Franklin with John Patrick. I was tickled to death when they arrived.

Mark's wife, Elizabeth, hadn't seen John Patrick since shortly after he was born, when they came to our house and brought food for us. His daughter, Sarah, was so excited to see John Patrick and couldn't wait to hold him. I took some great photographs of Sarah and Mark's youngest son, Michael, holding him. It was really cute to watch the kids with him, particularly since it seems like only yesterday that Sarah, then Michael, were born. Time really does get by you, doesn't it?