Sleeping with kids!

Friday night the grandkids spent the night. I had the distinct "pleasure" of sleeping with Elliott. That child sleeps the way he lives his life... in perpetual motion and his mouth moving a mile a minute. There were moments I would have sworn he was awake when he was actually asleep. Sleeping with kids is always an adventure. It doesn't matter if you're a mom or a dad. Who among us can't relate to the photo below?

Gimme a sign!

Y'all know how much I love signs!

First Swim

The grandkids came over for the first swim of the season yesterday. The water was still a bit cold, but they had a good time anyway.

Engaged!

Michael's friend, Andrew, happens to be a photographer. Last evening Andrew was hiding nearby when Michael popped the question. Here are a few photos of the big event. What a cute couple! I remember the days... oh to be young again!

A glorious day!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am so thrilled to announce my son, Michael, got engaged this evening. On a beautiful day on the Covington riverfront, he asked Miss Lauren Parrish to marry him. She said yes! Tami and I are so very happy for the young couple and cannot wait to see what God has for them in the future.

Now we get to start preparing for a glorious wedding!

Falling Rock

Driving through the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina on the way to Myrtle Beach, it was quite common to see signs warning of rock slides. We've all seen them. "Watch for falling rock", "Falling Rock Zone", "Rock Slide Area" etc... You don't really give these signs much thought until you see photos like the one below. If you really think about it, the rocks in those road cuts could give way at any time... and you don't want to be below them when they do.

Lighting up the deck

Tami and I have always loved our deck around the pool. This past week we made a nice addition to our outdoor oasis, otherwise known as Lago Vista Resort :-)

My good friend and fellow Deacon from church, Jim Leichter, is an electrician. He wired the hot tub a few months ago. This week he installed some beautiful lighting on our deck rails and also on the steps leading from the upper deck to the lower deck. The photos below don't really accurately reflect how good the finished project looks. I recommend you come over to see it in person. Everyone is always welcome to sit on our deck and swim in our pool. I must say the recent upgrade to Lago Vista Resort looks pretty good.

Here's a photo taken from the upper deck looking down on the new lighting and the pool.

This photo is taken from the lower deck looking toward the steps.

Horse Racing

I'm not into horse racing, but I do find the "sport" very interesting. I usually watch the Kentucky Derby on TV, and I admit I watched last year when American Pharaoh won the triple crown for the first time in almost 40 years. I have been to Turfway Park several times, but I don't enjoy it because of all the cigarette smoke. The older I get, the more second hand smoke bothers me (but that's a post for another day).

Here's a photo of a Kentucky Derby winner. I'm sure everybody is familiar with this type of image. It's called The Run for the Roses for a reason.

Here's a rare photo most people never get to see. This is a photo of the last place finisher in the Kentucky Derby.

Playing Catch Up

Sorry for no post today. I have been playing catch up on yard and housework after vacation. Upon arriving home I quickly observed that my grass and weeds were nearly out of control (sheesh, I was only gone for a week!). The laundry and various other household jobs had to be completed as well. I worked like crazy today, but still didn't finish. I took a big chunk off the "to do" list, and I will finish everything else tomorrow. A strong afternoon thunderstorm interrupted my work and brought my momentum to a grinding halt.

Why isn't Tami helping you may ask? Well, as luck would have it, she was called to jury duty. She spent the whole day at the courthouse and I picked up the slack here at home. We make a good team! On a related note, I am happy to report Tami was not seated on the jury. She was dismissed at 5:30 and does not have to report any more. Praise the Lord!

Thanks for understanding, folks! I will be back to normal posts tomorrow.

Photos

Just some photos of where we stayed at Myrtle Beach...