I heart knoxville, I am sure all of you know that by now.... Although there were a lot more ladies lovin' ladies (if you know what I mean) than I ever remember seeing during the ole college days. I was actually frightened a few times. Anyways, the picture above just makes me laugh....
Dear graffiti artist... Yes, tuition sucks, but you are in college, soak in the glory days while you can... they are over too quickly! Ahhhh, the annual orange and white impatiens are planted... in the checker board fashion... maybe this will give our football team a boost?? Maybe not.
Of course we visited all our old stomping grounds, drove by my college house, although we didn't have the pleasure of seeing Wang heading to the law building for a bath in the sink...(God forbid he pay for his own water to keep up his hygiene...) but that's a different story.
We had some time with some sweet friends, saw my brother and Kristin, and walked all over the city. All in all, great weekend. Knoxville, thank you for being so glorious!
Well, we ended our fabulously great swim lessons with Grace ralphing on the teacher the very last minute of the very last lesson. I was on the phone with a friend, in the middle of a conversation and I think I said: "O S***, Grace is about to puke on the teacher!" and hung up! I am sure she was thrilled to be cussed at and hung up on all in the same second! Sorry, friend!!!
Harper started her week with disgusting neon yellow puss like nasty-ness coming from her left ear. I took her to the doctor and she had ruptured her ear drum. Apparently she had acquired such a bad ear infection that the ear drum burst in an effort to heal itself... The doctor didn't believe me that Harper did not show any symptoms and gave me the "really?? where have you been all her life" look, which if you've ever gotten it, makes you feel like one hell of a mother....if you know what I mean!
Other than that, things have been relatively quiet around here. Chris and I are heading to Knoxville this weekend. It's our anniversary, and we love K-town. It is one of my favorite cities...and I think it's just because of all the good memories I have there. If I could go back and live my college days all over again, I would do it in half a second. I just loved it.
Grace is a little swimmer girl! Here's a rundown of the week:
"Excuse me, you want me to do WHAT??"
Day 1: Grace goes into the water willingly with young, nice teacher. They attempt to go under water and hold breath, get used to blowing bubbles, putting ears and face in the water... She looked terrified, but did whatever the teacher said.
Day 2: New teacher, older lady, swim coach-type, very loving towards Grace. She started 'mermaid dives' today. The entire time Grace was about to bust out some tears... but she kept them in. She still doesn't 'get' the concept that when you go under water you should hold your breath... Grace is smart and ended the lesson early by telling the lady she had to pee. I took her to the bathroom and all hell broke loose... a fit like you could never imagine ensued. When I carried her kicking and screaming from the bathroom, buck-naked under her cover-up, everyone stared... and probably thought I was kidnapping the child. Keep in mind we had to walk to the Burtons from the pool...and she screamed at the top of her lungs the whole time.
Day 3: Grace a little hesitant to get in pool, but she does anyways... Teach starts off with a few mermaid dives (going under water and swimming to the steps, or the side of the pool) and Grace tells the lady she has to pee. She'd already peed 5 minutes before this... so I say: "Grace, you just went to the bathroom, are you sure you have to pee?" Grace responds: "Oh, I mean I have to poop." (Yea right, I am thinking to myself) We go to the bathroom and she doesn't poop, just sits on the potty and tells me how she doesn't want to do anymore mermaid dives. I suggest that she talk to her teacher about it rather than lying... so she gets back in the water and starts bawling... She finally tells her teacher that she doesn't want to do anymore, and the teacher kindly complies and they work on other things. *highlight of day 3, her new Ariel goggles, which she wore proudly.
Day 4: Grace is a different child. No crying, almost no hesitation to do anything. She has finally 'gotten' it and can now hold her breath without sucking in through her nose or mouth when she goes under... She is swimming from the steps to the teacher and back with no problem. She can float on her back, ears in the water and all... completely relaxed in the water. She is jumping off the side of the pool, and going under water on the way in... Totally different child! I was so proud and amazed. Iz texted me and told me she was praying for Grace and God totally answered all her prayers that day! Today Grace started to realize how well she was doing and was a little proud of herself too!
Day 5: These are videos from Day 5, and I really never thought she would come this far in a week! We have 2 more lessons next week, and no telling what she will be doing by mid week.
Today I drove around parts of downtown Franklin that were previously completely under water. You can tell exactly where the water was, and in many cases, how deep just by looking at what's left. Everything that was submerged now has a thick film of mud covering every surface: trees, branches, blades of grass, grave stones, buildings, doors, homes, everything. In most cases the water is gone, but the devastation remains.
Something struck me as I was looking at a field... upon first glance, it looked dead; brown everywhere, with no hint of green... but the truth of the matter is that those trees, bushes, blades of grass and the like were STILL ALIVE underneath all the muck. There is still life in them, but in order to see it, they just need a little help. It is supposed to rain again this weekend, I think, maybe early next week, so with the gentle rain, God will wash away the mud from the grass, and trees, and reveal LIFE.
I think He is doing this in our city. People helping people, communities coming together, I am not sure there could be anyone who feels alone in their struggle this week, because people are rising up and standing together. We are pouring life into each other.
I am just praying for the families who lost everything, praying that they will know that they are still alive underneath, and that they will feel the love of a diverse community standing around them.
A farm on the other side of Forrest Crossingnear the driving range
For some reason blogger has decided to give my photos a home on the left side of the page, rather than the center... so we'll go with it. So, here are a few pictures of the flood. If you live in Nashville you've been hearing about this for days...but if you live elsewhere, you may not have heard a thing! Our neighbor's fence, which is now busted up and on the ground. This is when the Harpeth River was still close to being within it's banks....
Praise the Lord for the golf course in front of us, because it was our saving grace. I would be willing to bet that there was water to a depth of at least 15 feet in many parts across the street. The water crept up the hill in front of our house, but never made it to the street. We know several people whose homes were completely destroyed. Nothing left to salvage. I can't imagine the feeling. It breaks my heart even thinking about it. It reminds me that the 'things' we so often trust in could be gone in an instant. Cart path bridge that is normally 20 or so feet above the water... There's our mailbox. This is taken from our front porch.
The rain is coming down so hard, the picture looks foggy... those trees are well over 20 ft tall, probably.... And this wasn't where the water crested!
I've heard this so many times in the past 2 days, but I am proud to live in Nashville. People are helping wherever and however they can. There is such a resilient spirit here and it is so obvious. Here is a picture inside the Bridgestone Arena... (where Chris works)... and thus the reason he has gotten to stay home for 2 extra days... (the girls are in heaven, I am in heaven... it's been nice!) From what we've heard, the water did not rush in here, it came up from the drains... which is even more disgusting...
"Isn't it funny how day by day nothing changes but when you look back everything is different...." -C.S. Lewis
What does one do on a day when no one will call us back??? Well, get out the sprinkler, of course! That's what we did today. The weather was warm, but the water was REALLY cold. Harper paid no mind to that fact, of course... but Grace was keenly aware. But she played because Harper played and she had a great time!
The screams and squeals of delight didn't seem to make the mid-day golfers very happy...but, you can't please everyone, can you?
I love that quote by C.S. Lewis... As I was ordering 800+ pictures on Shutterfly today I was struck by it. I mean, just in the last 4 months, the girls have changed so much! I can't really believe my eyes. It seems like Harper should still only be a few weeks old! I need to remind myself what a privileged it is to stay home and watch them grow. ( I will admit that it is so much easier to do that when hockey season is over!) I've felt about 700 pounds lighter this week, and I know it's because I finally feel like a family again. By March/April...I am so ragged and tired that I don't enjoy things and I am bogged down by every detail of life... But now... Ahhhh, I feel like I can breathe again. And that feels good.
I heart knoxville, I am sure all of you know that by now.... Although there were a lot more ladies lovin' ladies (if you know what I mean) than I ever remember seeing during the ole college days. I was actually frightened a few times. Anyways, the picture above just makes me laugh....
Ahhhh, the annual orange and white impatiens are planted... in the checker board fashion... maybe this will give our football team a boost?? Maybe not.
