Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Uncle Tom's Farm
Jude's uncle, Tom White, owns a farm in Dickson, Tennessee, about 30 minutes outside of Nashville. It's a great place for family gatherings. Recently, he and his wife, Sandy, hosted Jude's entire family on a Saturday afternoon to celebrate David Walker's (Jude's cousin) engagement to his fiance, Renee. It was a fabulous event, as nine of her ten cousins were present (the only absentee was Laura McCutcheon, who is working in Spain). Jude's brother, James, and his wife, Megan, were in town from New York City, too.
It was especially funny to watch "the cousins' kids," as they crawled, walked and ran around the barn. It's strange to see that J.P. isn't the youngest anymore - two of Jude's cousins' boys are younger than him. I think it's going to be a real treat to watch all of the kids grow up together, in he coming years.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
2011 Country Music Half Marathon Highlights
Random thoughts, in no particular order, about this morning's Country Music Half Marathon -
1. My morning got off to an inauspicious start, as the cab I'd reserved last night wasn't here at 6 a.m., as promised by the taxi company. When I called to find out what was going on, I quickly realized there was little or no chance a cab would arrive in time to take me to West End Avenue, near the starting line, before the race started. Somehow, the people at the taxi company hadn't realized there would be road closings, lots of people calling for cabs, etc. Needless to say, I was pissed. Near panic, I called my friend, Hal Humphreys, woke him up and he picked me up within minutes. We took a circuitous route to avoid the road closings and he dropped me off in plenty of time for the race. Crisis averted.
2. I love the new (old) course. This year, partly due to the increasing number of participants (30,000 last year and this year), the race organizers altered the course and added a leg on 12th Avenue in 12South and another leg through the heart of the neighborhoods off Woodland Street in East Nashville. It was pretty similar to the course the year the race returned to Nashville a decade ago, when I ran the marathon.
3. As I ran up 12th Avenue, my heart soared when I saw Jude, J.P. and Hal sitting in front of Rumor's Wine Bar at mile 7. When J.P. saw me, he broke into a big grin and started waving at me. I stopped, picked him up and gave him a kiss, hugged Jude, then got back to the race. It was great.
4. The weather couldn't have been any nicer. At 7 a.m., the race started under a brilliant blue sky with the temperature in the high 50s. Perfect weather for a race. Just before the race started, I turned and looked back down West End Avenue (I was in corral 2) and saw almost 30,000 people lined up behind me. It was pretty cool.
5. A police office - an older guy - stuck his hand out and gave me five as I passed the intersection of West End Avenue and 19th Street.
6. I ran in a pack that included "Supergirl" for a while - a woman in a blue skirt with stars on it and a red cape. I also saw a few guys wearing viking helmets, running the marathon. Weird.
7. The last 2 miles were tough, as the usually are in a half marathon. I was beat at that point and ready for the race to be over. I kept checking and rechecking my watch to see how much further I had to go (always a sign I'm tiring). I was very, very relieved when I started across the Woodland Street Bridge and approached LP Field. I finished in 1:44:01, ahead of my target time of 1:50:00, so I was pleased.
8. After I finished the race, I walked up Woodland Street to my truck, which I'd left in a church parking lot the night before. I opened my cooler and poured myself a beer that had been icing down all night long (obviously, not my first rodeo). I may or may not have had a second, ice cold beer.
9. I drove up Main Street and parked near 5 Points in East Nashville. I walked over to Woodland Street and, for about an hour, I cheered the marathoners on at the top of a long, gradual hill. It's always emotional for me to watch marathoners running, probably because I've been where they are, mentally and emotionally. There weren't a lot of spectators where I was standing, so the runners appreciated my encouragement. It was cool.
Overall, a good race and another Country Music Half Marathon in the books.
1. My morning got off to an inauspicious start, as the cab I'd reserved last night wasn't here at 6 a.m., as promised by the taxi company. When I called to find out what was going on, I quickly realized there was little or no chance a cab would arrive in time to take me to West End Avenue, near the starting line, before the race started. Somehow, the people at the taxi company hadn't realized there would be road closings, lots of people calling for cabs, etc. Needless to say, I was pissed. Near panic, I called my friend, Hal Humphreys, woke him up and he picked me up within minutes. We took a circuitous route to avoid the road closings and he dropped me off in plenty of time for the race. Crisis averted.
2. I love the new (old) course. This year, partly due to the increasing number of participants (30,000 last year and this year), the race organizers altered the course and added a leg on 12th Avenue in 12South and another leg through the heart of the neighborhoods off Woodland Street in East Nashville. It was pretty similar to the course the year the race returned to Nashville a decade ago, when I ran the marathon.
3. As I ran up 12th Avenue, my heart soared when I saw Jude, J.P. and Hal sitting in front of Rumor's Wine Bar at mile 7. When J.P. saw me, he broke into a big grin and started waving at me. I stopped, picked him up and gave him a kiss, hugged Jude, then got back to the race. It was great.
4. The weather couldn't have been any nicer. At 7 a.m., the race started under a brilliant blue sky with the temperature in the high 50s. Perfect weather for a race. Just before the race started, I turned and looked back down West End Avenue (I was in corral 2) and saw almost 30,000 people lined up behind me. It was pretty cool.
5. A police office - an older guy - stuck his hand out and gave me five as I passed the intersection of West End Avenue and 19th Street.
6. I ran in a pack that included "Supergirl" for a while - a woman in a blue skirt with stars on it and a red cape. I also saw a few guys wearing viking helmets, running the marathon. Weird.
7. The last 2 miles were tough, as the usually are in a half marathon. I was beat at that point and ready for the race to be over. I kept checking and rechecking my watch to see how much further I had to go (always a sign I'm tiring). I was very, very relieved when I started across the Woodland Street Bridge and approached LP Field. I finished in 1:44:01, ahead of my target time of 1:50:00, so I was pleased.
8. After I finished the race, I walked up Woodland Street to my truck, which I'd left in a church parking lot the night before. I opened my cooler and poured myself a beer that had been icing down all night long (obviously, not my first rodeo). I may or may not have had a second, ice cold beer.
9. I drove up Main Street and parked near 5 Points in East Nashville. I walked over to Woodland Street and, for about an hour, I cheered the marathoners on at the top of a long, gradual hill. It's always emotional for me to watch marathoners running, probably because I've been where they are, mentally and emotionally. There weren't a lot of spectators where I was standing, so the runners appreciated my encouragement. It was cool.
Overall, a good race and another Country Music Half Marathon in the books.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Easter Egg Hunt
Kim & J.P.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Signs
Lately, I've been a bit down. That's unusual for me, because I'm generally a pretty upbeat person. I laugh a lot, smile a lot and generally enjoy life. I wouldn't necessarily call it a crisis of faith or anything like that, but I've been struggling.
A week ago Sunday, I finally cleaned out the console between the front seats in my truck. It had become so filled with junk (loose change, receipts, pens, cd's, etc.) that I could barely close it. Rather than sort through the contents of the console as I sat in my truck, I unloaded everything in it into a small box. Everything. Even a few, stray clothes pins.
Monday, I was driving J.P. to my mom's house, on my way to work. On the interstate, a lady changed lanes without checking her blind spot, causing me to swerve into another lane of traffic to avoid an accident. Without thinking, I let her know how angry I was by honking the horn and holding it down for about 10-15 seconds. I didn't yell anything at her - fortunately - but when I turned around, I noticed J.P. was just sitting quietly in his car seat, staring at me. Immediately, I felt guilty that I was setting a bad example for him.
A few minutes later, I dropped J.P. off at my mom's house, then pulled out of her driveway and headed to work. I guess I had the Monday blues, because I just felt unhappy. Unhappy with myself, work, etc. During the drive, I opened the console for no apparent reason, temporarily forgetting I'd emptied it out the day before. Inside, I saw a white business card, face down, its brightness in sharp contrast to the gray color of the inside of the console.
That's weird, I thought. I know the console was completely empty after I cleaned it out yesterday.
I turned the business card over in my hand, as I drove, and read it. There was no name on it. Just the following:
Let Him have all your worries and cares, for He is always thinking about and watching everything that concerns you. 1 Peter 5:7
And now just as you trusted Christ to save you, trust Him, too, for each day's problems: live in vital union with Him. Colossians 2:6
That's all. No name, no business, nothing. Just two bible verses that just so happened to address perfectly the way I was feeling that morning. If I had a question, there was the answer, right in my hands.
Here's the thing, too. I know, I mean I know there was nothing left in the console when I cleaned it out the day before. I would have noticed the white business card if it had been there, because I emptied everything else out of the console and it was so readily noticeable Monday morning (the white color of the business card against the gray background).
I pulled into the parking garage across from my office, lost in my thoughts as I pondered the significance of what had happened.
This is where I tell you that I never, ever park in the parking garage. I always park behind my office or in a parking lot nearby. The garage is always crowded and it's difficult to find a space. I might, I mean might, park in the garage five times a year, at most. Monday morning, though, the weather was supposed to get bad, so I just decided to park in the garage. Very unusual for me.
I pulled into a parking space on the third level and got out of my truck. My eyes were drawn to a nice, silver sports car - a convertible - parked directly across from me. I stopped to admire it, then glanced down at the license plate. It was a personalized plate and I couldn't make sense of it at first.
Then, my heart skipped a beat, as I realized what it said.
SEEKHVN
I was stunned. Two messages or, more appropriately, signs, presented to me ten minutes apart.
Which, of course, begs the question, "Do I believe in signs?" Yes, I do. Do you?
A week ago Sunday, I finally cleaned out the console between the front seats in my truck. It had become so filled with junk (loose change, receipts, pens, cd's, etc.) that I could barely close it. Rather than sort through the contents of the console as I sat in my truck, I unloaded everything in it into a small box. Everything. Even a few, stray clothes pins.
Monday, I was driving J.P. to my mom's house, on my way to work. On the interstate, a lady changed lanes without checking her blind spot, causing me to swerve into another lane of traffic to avoid an accident. Without thinking, I let her know how angry I was by honking the horn and holding it down for about 10-15 seconds. I didn't yell anything at her - fortunately - but when I turned around, I noticed J.P. was just sitting quietly in his car seat, staring at me. Immediately, I felt guilty that I was setting a bad example for him.
A few minutes later, I dropped J.P. off at my mom's house, then pulled out of her driveway and headed to work. I guess I had the Monday blues, because I just felt unhappy. Unhappy with myself, work, etc. During the drive, I opened the console for no apparent reason, temporarily forgetting I'd emptied it out the day before. Inside, I saw a white business card, face down, its brightness in sharp contrast to the gray color of the inside of the console.
That's weird, I thought. I know the console was completely empty after I cleaned it out yesterday.
I turned the business card over in my hand, as I drove, and read it. There was no name on it. Just the following:
Let Him have all your worries and cares, for He is always thinking about and watching everything that concerns you. 1 Peter 5:7
And now just as you trusted Christ to save you, trust Him, too, for each day's problems: live in vital union with Him. Colossians 2:6
That's all. No name, no business, nothing. Just two bible verses that just so happened to address perfectly the way I was feeling that morning. If I had a question, there was the answer, right in my hands.
Here's the thing, too. I know, I mean I know there was nothing left in the console when I cleaned it out the day before. I would have noticed the white business card if it had been there, because I emptied everything else out of the console and it was so readily noticeable Monday morning (the white color of the business card against the gray background).
I pulled into the parking garage across from my office, lost in my thoughts as I pondered the significance of what had happened.
This is where I tell you that I never, ever park in the parking garage. I always park behind my office or in a parking lot nearby. The garage is always crowded and it's difficult to find a space. I might, I mean might, park in the garage five times a year, at most. Monday morning, though, the weather was supposed to get bad, so I just decided to park in the garage. Very unusual for me.
I pulled into a parking space on the third level and got out of my truck. My eyes were drawn to a nice, silver sports car - a convertible - parked directly across from me. I stopped to admire it, then glanced down at the license plate. It was a personalized plate and I couldn't make sense of it at first.
Then, my heart skipped a beat, as I realized what it said.
SEEKHVN
I was stunned. Two messages or, more appropriately, signs, presented to me ten minutes apart.
Which, of course, begs the question, "Do I believe in signs?" Yes, I do. Do you?
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Duane and J.P.
J.P. absolutely idolizes our friend, Duane Pierce. Whenever Duane is at our house, working in the yard, J.P. insists on joining him, peppering him with questions as he works ("What's that? What are you doing? Do you know Neighbor Rich?"). J.P. also keeps up a running commentary of what's been going on in his life, informing Duane of recent developments, telling him about church, our neighbors, new toys, etc.
Here's a photo of Duane and J.P. on our front porch earlier this week.
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