Happy Birthday Zeb

Eighteen years ago today God granted a wish I had been praying for my entire life - I got a brother. I didn't really enjoy being an only child, but for many years it looked like that's how it was going to be for me. Then, shortly before my college graduation I found out that God does listen to our prayers. He just works on his own timetable and not ours.

He sent me Zeb, who I like to think of as my practice child. With him I learned many things about parenting - how to change diapers, why one should always take a change of clothes when going out with a little one, when not to overreact, and most importantly, how to really listen.

I have had the honor of bringing him home from the hospital for the first time, helping cut down and decorate his first Christmas tree, watching him take his first steps, watching him play soccer and basketball, driving him home from school everyday his freshman year, helping teach him how to drive a car, providing "locker space" and emergency school supplies in my classroom, and being his shelter from the storms of teenage madness.

I am so proud of him today. He's quite the young man. He's intelligent, strong, funny, caring, and fiercely loyal to those who put their faith in him. I know good things await him on the road ahead and I hope he allows me to keep tagging along for the ride.

Happy Birthday to my Zeb, you funny little monkey.

STATE

November 7, 2009 - Sara's first State Band Competition

The 2009 Rebel Regiment

Our Guard Girl

Taking the field


Warming Up

Getting ready

Highlights of State Day

* Bus Trip (except for the part where one of the buses broke down)

*State Gifts from State Buddy and Family

*4th place finish :-)

Congrats to our Sara and the entire Rebel Regiment for a great season. Pipe Dreams was a wonderful show. We can't wait to see and hear what you do next year!

Happy Halloween!

Here's how Daniel and Owen spent their Saturday morning. Happy Halloween!

Our spooky front porch!

What it must be like to be a jack-o'-lantern...

Daniel and his masterpiece

Owen and his creation

Homecoming Parade!!

Every year for Homecoming the high school celebrates with a parade in front of the school. The contestants get to ride in convertibles, the football team and other groups pile in the backs of trucks, the band and ROTC march, and each class creates a float around the theme for the year. It's always lots of fun. This year was extra special because Sara was marching with the colorguard and Jeri was riding with the annual staff (they won best yearbook in the state for the '09 edition). Here are some pictures of the girls. Happy Homecoming!

Wise's Barbecue

If you're reading my blog, either you've been to Wise's and are now planning to go back very soon OR you need to get your tail down Hwy. 76 towards Newberry and get yourself some barbecue!

Trips to Wise's are a Camp family tradition dating back to the 1970s. The prices are a bit higher now, but the food is still just as delicious as it was when I first went in 1991. Chicken (not fried), chopped pork, hash, ribs, rice, beans, pickles, and white bread are all on the all-you-can-eat buffet. Smother it all in a peppery mustard barbecue sauce and yum! There's sweet tea to drink or you can buy a soft drink from the machine outside.

Here are some pictures from our most recent trip. That's Carl at the top. He works at Wise's and he's a hoot! He's the resident icon, much like J.C. is at the Beacon. He won't yell your order, but he'll definitely make you laugh.

"Band Geeks"

"Band Geeks" is the title of one of my favorite episodes of Spongebob Squarepants. Actually it ranks right after 1) Procrastination and 2) Frankendoodle, both of which I have been known to show to my students. Anyway, this month we have been in the midst of band competition season and we have all turned into "Band Geeks" traveling here and there to the various contests.

The first competition of the year was held at home so we really didn't compete. I guess it isn't fair for the home band to have an advantage. Anyway, the day began before noon and ran late. Daniel and I spent several hours working with some other parents in the concession stand. That was fun. Then we were finished in time to watch the Rebel Regiment perform their show for exhibition. Nanny came to see Sara perform that night. Scores were good and we were hopeful for a winning season.

The next competition was held at Mauldin. I should have known this one wouldn't go as well when we missed the turn for the school. Sara had a big crowd there that night: Grandmama, Madeline, Granny, Pa, and the three of us. Our band did an okay job. We placed third overall, not what we were expecting.

The third competition was held in Morganton, NC, about 2 hours away. That meant a road trip for the rest of us. Daniel had recently attended a youth leadership retreat at nearby Lake James so he knew of a neat place to eat along the way. We went to a place called Moondoggy's Classic Diner and ate something scrumptous - corn nuggets! Think hushpuppies with creamed corn inside and you've got it! Then we went to Freedom High School for the contest. We were the only band from SC and the biggest band by far. Let's just say the people were really nice even though our band took all their trophies home with us.

This weekend is a USSBA contest in Wise, Virginia. Sara has to be at the school before 7 am and won't return until midnight. It's a three hour drive and it's Halloween so we're not going to make this one. Owen really wants to trick-or-treat and he hasn't complained at all about attending these things so we need to let him do what he wants this weekend. Still, we will be there with Sara in spirit.

Besides, we have to get ready for next Saturday - it's STATE Saturday, the final competition of the year. We'll be traveling to Orangeburg to compete for the title. Be sure to wish the Rebel Regiment good luck and if you're in the stands and hear a shout out for Peanut or Chewy, you know those are for Sara from her loyal followers - Mama, Daddy, and Owen. Even though this season is coming to an end, there's still more fun to come - football playoff games, Christmas parades, and Winterguard season!

Farewell my dearest friend

July 1, 1993 - October 19, 2009

This is my most difficult post yet. Last night I had to say goodbye to my dear friend Lucy. She was 16 and a cat. That's what the outside world sees. Here's what I see.

Lucy was my faithful companion. She gave unconditional love. She was never disappointed in me, never angry at me, never too busy for me, never too anything for me. When I hurt or worried, she crawled into my lap and purred absorbing my troubles like a sponge. When I was happy, she crawled into my lap and purred. When we watched tv at night, she would crawl into my lap and purr, just happy to be with us. When Daniel and I were first married, she entertained me while he worked late hours. When the children were born, she watched over them with me and loved them because I loved them. When I had surgery, she remained by my side throughout my recovery. When I had bouts of insomnia, she got up with me - sometimes she was able to lull me back to sleep with her magic kitty dust and other times we just sat together until the morning came.

Every day she has been there - at the foot of the bed, in the sunbeam, in front of the cabinet with the kitty treats inside, on the couch with whomever happened to sit there, in my lap as I typed these many blogs... and now she's not. For the first time in 16 years, there's no life in the house when we're not there and when we are, there's still an eerie emptiness. How could one little kitty cat bring so much life, love, and joy into a house? That's an easy one. Lucy just reflected back all the love we gave to her. We treated her like one of us and loved her like one of us and so she became one of us.

We buried her in the backyard last night, out near the poplar trees and Sara's tree from USC. Many family members came out to say farewell with us. It was a sweet and fitting tribute to my very best friend.

Good Days, Bad Days

September has been another hectic month for us. We've had reasons to celebrate together - an anniversary, 4 big wins for the Byrnes football team, and several "atta boy"s and "atta girl"s from school, work, or church for each of us.
We've also had our share of reasons to mope - a heat pump on the fritz for the 5th time in 5 years that just needs replacing, the beloved minivan that needed brake repair, frustrations at work and school that caused lost sleep, lost free time, and general grumpiness. But through it all, we've remained close and supportive of one another.
When one of us stumbles, the others offer encouragement. When one of us has a bad day, the others give space and time to recover. I'm not saying we always get it right. Sometimes we bicker because one of us says the wrong thing to the wrong person on the wrong day. It happens. But, I have noticed this month that we've been especially loving to one another in our times of woe and as we've been experiencing the down times, we've been careful not to let our loved ones become the targets of our venting.
So as the end of September approaches, here's to hoping that October will be filled with resolutions to current dilemmas and much more sunshine than rain.

16th Anniversary

Now

Then

Friday was our 16th wedding anniversary. Since Daniel has already posted the ol' wedding photo on his facebook page, I might as well post it here too. We were so young back then. We really had no clue what we were getting into, but we jumped in and held on. 16 years later we're still holding on together and, God willing, we will for the rest of our lives. I cannot imagine my life spent with anyone other than Daniel. He knows me better than I know myself and loves me anyway. He is the best husband and father I could have asked for to lead this family, but most of all, he is my very best friend!

Friday Night Fever

Friday Night Fever has begun!!! This past Friday was the first home game of the year at Byrnes. It was special for us because it was Sara's first time on the field with the Rebel Regiment and, as it is Zeb's Senior year, his first game as a Nixon Nut. It was such a fun night and, of course, Byrnes won beating Myrtle Beach 65-14. GO REBELS!!

Greenville Drive Game

The Byrnes Color Guard was invited to perform a routine before the Greenville Drive baseball game on Spartanburg County night. Here's some pics of Sara, the guard, and her biggest fans! I can't forget Owen. That's a picture of him with the fly ball he caught. All in all, a great time was had by everyone.

The Music Man

Owen has always loved music. Even when he was a baby he loved for me rock him to sleep and sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame". Go ahead and laugh. It worked and, as you probably know, with babies whatever works is fabulous! He has enjoyed playing around on my piano and with Daniel's harmonica for years. Now he has his own instrument and it's bigger than he is!!! He seems to enjoy playing it and taking band class at school. Hopefully this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. :-)

The summer flew by

Well, there it is - the annual first day of school picture. Summer is over now. School officially began yesterday and our family is back to business as usual. This summer was much different than past ones as the kids are growing up and becoming more and more independent.
Sara spent 5 weeks of her summer at the high school for colorguard camps - beginner camp, guard camp, and band camp. Some days were 8 am - 9pm! She was exhausted, but loved (almost) every minute of it. She has learned so much, made lots of new friends, and gotten ready to perform on the field at football games and competitions this fall.
Owen developed the closest thing to a "gang" our neighborhood has ever seen. He and two of the younger boys on our street spent their days playing ball in someone's yard, swimming in the neighbor's pool, riding bikes and skateboards, and playing video games when it got too hot. He was gone for most of the day, coming home usually just to eat.
I read, did the housewife thing (cooking and cleaning), furthered my obsession with facebook, took Owen on a couple of field trips to Shipwreck Cove and Frankie's Fun Park, and chauffered Sara to and from the school. All in all it was a relaxing summer and while I am glad to be back at school, another week of laziness would have been just fine with me.

Camp 4th of July

Owen has fun with sparklers.

Sara eats a cupcake.

Sara and Daniel play in the pool.

Every year we go to Uncle Lawrence and Aunt Linda's for a July 4th celebration. They have a fish fry and we get to play in the pool until time for fireworks, but the best part is always being with FAMILY!

Flower Day and Barbecue

Yummy!
Sara's plate o' hash...

Sara and Owen were really ready to leave....

Park Seed

Pretty flowers :-)

A couple of Saturdays ago, we ventured down to Greenwood for Park Seed's annual Flower Day and as long as we were in the area, we stopped by our favorite barbecue spot, Wise's, for lunch.

Destruction

Owen carefully uses the drill.

Daniel breaks his hammer - lol.

Sara's tribute to Michael Jackson - 'just beat it.'

Sara learns the drill is easier.

Owen has the hang of it.

We've been in our house for 5 years now and so the time has come to start making a few changes. When we built the house we thought we'd like a screened porch and a patio, but as we've lived here, we've discovered that 1) the screened porch was too narrow to really enjoy 2) Maggie claimed it for her own (first by learning to open the gate and then by learning to open the screened door) and her hair accumulated in there so that no one ever really wanted to go out there. So, we decided to tear out the screen and open the porch to the patio. Here's the pictures of the destruction phase of the project. I'll post the "after" pictures when we get finished.