Balderdash!

For those of you who are unfamiliar, "balderdash" is much more than a term that embodies disbelief and incredulity. (As in, "What a lot of balderdash and poppycock! I never heard a more unbelievable tale! What?" *more effective if said in a thick British accent*) Balderdash is, in fact, an incredibly fun game of bluff. In essence, the most credulous liars come out on top. This is not, dear friends, the time to pass moral judgement on being said "credulous liar." (I, incidentally, am very good at Balderdash. Take that however you will.) This is simply a nod to a very fun game that can make one laugh until...well, let's just say it can make one laugh very hard. On Monday night, I was privileged to play this game with my family and some very dear friends.


The thing that has made this game so incredibly special to me growing up is playing it with my father. Now, many of my friends gave beautiful tributes to their respective father's on Father's Day last. I know, the holiday is past, but humor me here. My father does not play Balderdash to win. Oh no, he plays for the sheer joy of it. Beyond Balderdash (as we played the other night) involves making up definitions for words, plots for film titles, the meanings of abbreviations, the importance of given dates, and the significance of famous names. The sheer stupidity of my father's answers always yields a crop of howls, snickers, chuckles, snorts, gasps, and tears streaming down one's face. No, my dad never wins, but he brings a lot of joy to the other players. He helps everyone to enjoy the game.

I want to thank my dad for teaching me that there is a lot more to life than "winning." In a day when success is measured in dollars and position, I am blessed to have a dad that thinks it much more important to bring joy along the way and to find good in every situation. I have seen that one can be totally in love with and committed to Jesus Christ and still know when it's OK to be silly; that there truly is a time for everything, as Ecclesiastes says. No, my dad never wins at Balderdash, but I happen to think that in the things that are really important, he's the biggest winner I know.

VACATION!

Well, praise the Lord for a wireless connection. Dial-up makes me ...oooo don't get me started! :) Anyway, it's time. *drum roll* My blog about vacation. Written by "that girl [that] can write." (If you can't lick 'em, join 'em. See the God's Revivalist.) Actually, it is going to be more of a pictorial journey. My creative juices seem to be a bit clogged at the moment. I just don't feel "funny". I mean, I feel funny but not "funny" if you know what I mean.

After my mouse incident (by the way, I never saw him again), I left Cincinnati with my brother and headed to KY to spend some time with friends. Yay! It was so great to be with Derek and Tara and their wonderful family. We also got to see the rest of the Hollingsworth's on Sunday and partake of a LOVELY meal with them. (Go, Mrs. Hollingsworth!) Old friends are so special. (Not that they, themselves are old. Oh dear. I will stop while I'm ahead.)

Tara and I wanted to take a special picture for some mutual friends. You know who you are! This is for you.

OK, enough of that. Brent and I had lots of fun with the kids. I think Tara already posted some of these pics, but I'll repeat a few.

I feel a common bond with this young lady. We both enjoy a flair for the dramatic. :)


Some really fun kids!


Yay for friends!

And so, a great time was had by all, and we left KY with much weeping and rending of garments. We arrived in Tennessee to greet our parents (rent garments and all) and there was much rejoicing. We spent a week in a cabin in the smokies.
It was truly lovely. We enjoyed the sounds of birds singing, donkeys braying, and cows sneezing and blowing loudly from their noses. Weird. Besides our time in the country, we did manage to make time for:

Dollywood, Dixie Stampede, great restaurants in Pigeon Forge,

Cade's Cove,

Ripley's Aquarium

the sky lift in Gatlinburg (wooo),
and watching my brother and a friend (who was visiting with his family) get shot skyward in a bungee swingy thingy.

The heroes of the vacation were my parents (see photo below) who planned and saved and made a very special week for their kids. And, I'm assuming, themselves as well. They seemed to enjoy it. :)

I am now back in the hot, steamy south where the sun beats down and the humidity rises. *snicker* OK, I can't do it anymore. I was trying not to rub it in. But I love it here, and I'm having a wonderful time! *dance of joy* I am a blessed person indeed to have friends in many places, and a family that understands unconditional love. I also understand how unlovable we humans can be at times (especially me), and when I think about that, I feel even more blessed to be loved by some wonderful people. *warm fuzzies all around* Feel free to share in the warm fuzzies. There are plenty. I will continue to update as my adventures continue!

Trailer

*eerie music* *deep voice* You've read "Excuses". You discussed "Motives?". You pondered "Communion". You lauged until you cried over "Rodentia". And now, from the acclaimed writer of "Woooooo Hoooooo!" comes a New Blog. A blog so thrilling you won't want to miss it. A blog that the whole family will enjoy. A blog about...*music swells*...VACATION. Appearing next week on a computer near you. Read it! *music fades*

Rodentia

For the first time in my short but exciting life I can truly say…“there’s a mouse in my house” and not be quoting a Dr. Suess book. Actually, I don’t think it’s here now. It’s somewhere in the dorm. *sigh* Hopefully my girls don’t find out or they’ll probably all try to sleep with me tonight. (No, that will never do.) *shudder* A few nights ago I was sitting in my Chair (green recliner - a gift from heaven and my parents after heart surgery), looking at something on my laptop. There were no lights on except for a string of lights on my fake tree in the corner of my living room. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a large blur go across the kitchen floor. I did a guilty leap, a sharp intake of breathe, muttered a few choice words, and slowly and rather tensely got up to investigate. After finding nothing, I finally decided that it was my imagination. Thought maybe it was a roach or something. I know, much better. But, no, gentle readers, such was not the case. Tonight, once again in The Chair, I saw a little brown mouse come out from under the stove, run back, come back out, and run back under again. Now, I love all of God’s creatures, but I love them in their proper habitats. My kitchen is not one. I am dead set against a house full of mouse droppings and chewed up items. So, I borrowed a Cunning Trap and trickily set it with peanut butter.



Within two minutes, the fearless mouse was out (with Brent and I in the room) sniffing at the trap. It sprung, and he leapt back unscathed and much smarter. Several minutes later, the trap reset and Brent and I with our popcorn for the show, Mr. Mouse poked his head out, looked at us for a while and then (after cutting a wide swath around the trap) commenced to playing under my front door. Yes, he can crawl under it. He ran around in circles for awhile and then scurried out down the first floor hall. So, he is now loose in the dorm somewhere. I now have a towel stuffed under the door, so hopefully, he won’t be able to come back and visit -- at least tonight. The trap is still set. If I hear it go off in the middle of the night, I will probably soil myself.

Earlier this week we had a little brown bat hanging from a light in the 4th floor hallway, so I’m not sure what this place is coming to. It is becoming the rodent capital of the world. Maybe I should invest in a cat. (On second thought, I’m not quite to that point.) *In case any health inspectors read this, THE DORM IS VERY CLEAN. THESE ARE FREAK INCIDENTS.*

Other than the above, it has been a nice day. Brent & I spent a lot of time together. We spent part of the day at Winton Woods -- saw some animals, walked a trail, laughed a lot. And it was good.



I leave you with this thought for the day.



Be kind out there.

Communion

Today was communion Sunday at church. I love communion. I am one of those individuals who relishes the sacraments. This morning I was overwhelmed with a sense of being a part of something so much bigger than myself. For hundreds of years the same words have been said, the same elements have been passed, and millions of my brothers and sisters of many different stripes and labels have remembered...together. Together we partake of the symbols of His body and blood. Together we receive the grace that comes to us through our obedience to "do this in remembrance of Me". Together we cling to Him as our only hope of salvation. Together. His Body. His Bride. We are one. Truly this is "communion".