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!