Apr 30, 2013

Duck Dynasty at Lipscombs Evening of Excellence

Well.  Hey there.  It's been a while.  We've been busy.  So busy.  Getting into our new norm with new school, new commute, new house, new routines.  Change is hard for me, so it's taking me some time to get in the groove.  But, I think I'm on the right track.  Oh.  And Barn Sale.  Every free moment has been in prep for that.  Update on that later too.  Well worth the work.  For sure!   

We had a fun weekend!  I'll play catch up later.  For now, lets talk about Duck Dynasty shall we?! We were so graciously gifted TWO Dinner Tickets, TWO reserved seats and a Parking Pass to Lipscomb's Evening of Excellence, with guests speakers, none other than Phil, Kay & Si Robertson! Not to mention Don Meyer, who won the Jimmy V award at the Espy's a few years ago.  If you ever get a chance to hear Don Meyer speak...GO!  He's an amazing speaker!   

Back to Duck Dynasty.  Hold the phone!  I know!  GIFTED!  I about fell out too!  Three events SOLD OUT.  This was a much anticipated event! 

My mom works at Purity Dairies, has for years.  Mr. Ezell was given 20 tickets to Saturday night's shin-dig and she put a little birdie in his ear that if he had any extra, Lance and I would LOVE to go.  And God bless that man, don't you know he came through.  Kindest soul ever.

A little history.  Mom grew up at Purity.  I grew up there with her.  She's worked there since she was 20 or so.  I used to go to work with her on Saturdays and I'd clean out my room the night before and I'd have a 'yard sale' in the office and all the nice folks would buy my junk.  So, most of these folks are like family.  To her for sure, but to me as well. 

So anyways, her asking Mr. Ezel wasn't out of line- she was just letting him know if he'd had extra who might want them.  In her words, they're like GOLD!

After 3 days at the Barn Sale and a babysitter for Easton (thanks Aunt Kathy!), we were off to the show!

To say I was excited would be an understatement.  Lance was keeping his cool pretty well, but I think we were both pretty jazzed for this opportunity.

We had a wonderful dinner, with wonderful dinner guests at our table.  I felt honored to sit by Mr. and Mrs. Ezell along with other members of their family.  We ate dinner and had a brief Q&A with Phil, Mrs. Kay & Si. 



I think my favorite question of that event was to Mrs. Kay.  Someone asked what she thought was the most beneficial thing she'd done for her kids was?  They let Alan answer the question first.  Alan is the OLDEST Robertson brother, who will be on the show next season.  He's a preacher.  And has no beard.  He says he's the rebel of the family.  Alan's answer was that she was the tender one.  She was there to offer compassion and comfort to them at any moment.  Then Mrs. Kay answered.  She said the first thing was to be consistent, and the second was that she loved and respected their father even when he was unlovable.  What an impact that one statement had on me.  It's obvious that she's the heart of the family but that radiates out to all of her family members, starting with her husband. 
Phil wasn't always the Phil Robertson we see on TV.  He had a rough start in their marriage but the Lord changed his heart. 

I read an article in our local newspaper about the Robertsons and thought this last portion was worth quoting: "Christianity doesn’t become the spectacle of the show, it simply becomes an element of authenticity. And that would certainly appeal to anyone who is a Christian."

What an example.  Christianity without spectacle.  I like that.  A lot. 

After dinner, we heard Don Meyer speak.  I'll say it again.  Incredible speaker.  Read his story sometime.  Pretty fabulous.  Then another Q&A with Phil, Mrs. Kay & Si along with a visit from the Tennessee Game Warden, who presented Phil with a plaque and even some Tennessee Titans came on for some duck calling practice.  The night ended with Phil preaching.  And, no.  He didn't offend me.  It was straight out of the Bible.  Truth is Truth.  He had some pretty powerful things to say.  And he's right.  On all of them.    And yes.  I took notes.  On the whole event.  They're in my purse.  And I'm too tired to get up.  But these are the high points.  The stuff that stuck. 

 
An incredible night.  I love the Robertsons even more now than I did.  They are real.  They are genuine.  They love the Lord.  They are good people.  They live in the country.  What's not to love??I'm so thankful that we were given those tickets.  Kudos, high fives and toe touches to Mr. & Mrs. Ezell for the tickets!  Much appreciated!  MUCH!!!

Do you watch Duck Dynasty?  Do you love them as much as we do?  How was your weekend?  Did you do anything fun?

Apr 3, 2013

Egg Hunting

This year we decided to take Easton to a HUGE Community Easter Egg Hunt.
They had 2 hunts.  We went to the early one.
It's a free event that a church puts on at a local park.
They had inflatables, pony rides, face painting, train rides, a small petting zoo.
It really was perfect!
Minus the rain we'd had all week, things were a bit soggy.
 
Easton loved the inflatables!
Aren't y'all proud?  I let him play in the germs balls!

This hunt was no joke.  It wasn't much of a hunt, as you can see behind Easton, the eggs were just laid on the football field, but it was FUN!
 
And quick!  I think once the hunt started it last a minute.  60 seconds.  At most.

Easton wasn't too sure about the chick, but he liked the duck.
 
Followed by a fun lunch with cousins and a big ole Saturday nap, the Hunt was a BIG HIT!


Apr 1, 2013

Easter Party & Last Day of School {cue the tears}

 
It feels like just yesterday I wrote about Easton's first day of school
 
And now, 3 years later, I'm writing about his last.
Friday was his Easter party at school.
What better way to go out than with a party!?
Complete with the Easter Bunny, cupcakes and cookies!
It's a shame The Mother couldn't hold her tears back the entire time...
 

 
Most of the kids in his class have been there from the start just like him.  If not, very soon thereafter.
We don't have a conversation most days without it including most of these friends.
They are the sweetest group of kids a mom could ever want for her child's friends.
It was a very hard decision to move him to a new school, and one I debated for MONTHS.
We commuted an hour and fifteen minute each day, one way.  This is hard on him, and me.
So, when we moved into the new house, we knew we'd move him to a closer school, but that didn't make it any easier for me.
 
This group of Directors and Teachers have been absolutely amazing.  From the first day we toured the facility, even now that we're gone, they are truly some of the best friends I could ask for.  They love Easton as if he were there own.  They have answered numerous phone calls from me, his detail loving mother, wondering how much breast milk he'd drank, if he'd had a BM, how he'd napped, the list goes on.  They have listened, they have talked,  they've supported, they have loved, they have hugged and they have cried with me.  To say I'll miss these girls is major understatement
 
 
There really is not enough words or sentiment strong enough to say how strongly I feel about this group. Directors, Teachers & Little Friends. They will be missed every day!
 
A sweet little song Aunt Janice sang the other day was:
Make new friends,
but keep the old.
One is silver,
the other is gold.
 
That's exactly how we're looking at this new chapter.
Keeping the old, but making new too.  Both are a treasure!
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