Annie is 4

Happy Birthday Annie!

















A. requested a donut party. So, we had a morning party at Shipley's Donuts.










Thank you to all of Annie's friends that helped make her party day wonderful!








Saturday afternoon we met cousin Adrianne with Ethan and Mikayla at Chili's for lunch(Annie's pick) and then we went to UMHB soccer camp. A. did not participate, but J, G, E and M did and they had alot of fun! Thank you Adrianne for driving up to see us.









On Tuesday, on her "real" birthday, she opened family gifts and had LalaLoopsy cupcakes.








Her new booster car seat!






Thank you to GranNola and Papa, Grandma and Grandpa, Mimi and Jazbo, U. C and A. K, Great Grandmother and Grandaddy for the phone calls and for sending her mail. She was thrilled to receive something in the mailbox!

The Springfield Isotopes and Jesus

I've been wrestling with this in my mind since the World Series last fall....

The Springfield Isotopes make it to the World Series.
Your co-worker shows up with a new Isotopes shirt, hat, and bumper sticker.
You say, "I didn't know you were an Isotopes fan."
"Oh yeah, man.  I've been a huge fan for years."
"Really?  I've never heard you mention them before."
"Well, I am."
Another co-worker shows up wearing the same Isotopes hat he was wearing when you met him ten years ago.  You know he's an Isotopes fan.  They're all he ever talks about, even in the off-season.  He spends his vacation going to spring training.  His kids are named after his favorite Isotope players.  He gets up early to study their box scores every morning.
He sees the other guy with his new gear and bristles.
"Fair weather fan, huh?  You don't deserve to wear our stuff!  Where were you when we were at the bottom?  Where were you when we couldn't buy a win?"  (Real fans always refer to their team with words like "we" and "our".)
Another guy walks in wearing a Yankee cap and Mr. Realfan turns on him. 
"You're from Springfield!  Why are you wearing a Yankee cap?"
"Because I like them, I was born in New York."
"Yeah, but you live in Springfield now. Everyone here should be an Isotopes fan."
"So you can make fun of us for being fair weather fans?" you ask. 

I'm going to take a cue from my uncle's blog today and not offer any of my own conclusions, but rather put forth some questions and invite you to respond as you will.

1. How do the un-churched feel when they visit your church?
2. Are you bothered by heathens celebrating Christmas?
3. Do you think the owners of the Springfield Isotopes are bothered when "fair weather fans" buy what they are selling?

Que Pasa

This time last year I was catching lots of catfish.  I haven't even wet a line yet in 2012.  I've been working a lot.  And when I haven't been at work I've been working a lot.  I'm installing new tile in our house, learning as I go.  I'm only halfway finished.
Trying to do this and also be a good daddy and husband and employee is leaving me exhausted.

In keeping with the 2012 TOTP resolutions, here are the books that I have read so far this year...

The Help by Kathryn Stockett.  The cover has a blurb from some NPR lefty, "This could be one of the most important pieces of fiction since To Kill a Mockingbird..."  A good book, but sorry, this is not going to go down in literary history as one of the most important pieces of fiction.  If it had been published when To Kill a Mockingbird was published, then maybe.  But I don't think it could have or would have been published back then.  Maybe the story could have been published, but it would have had to be written with a very different, more delicate approach.  Harper Lee managed it with her classic.  I'm not so sure that this author could pull it off.  Also, I noticed a continuous flaw in the writing.  As the author gave voice to each of the characters it was obvious that she putting her own 21st century outlook into many of the characters' thoughts.
I did enjoy the book and am looking forward to seeing the movie. 

The Shunning, The Confession, and The Reckoning by Beverly Lewis.  The Heritage of Lancaster County Trilogy.  Interesting, entertaining, easy reads.  I can see why her books are so popular.  I learned a lot about Amish culture that I didn't know before.

The Secret, also by Beverly Lewis.  The first book in another Amish trilogy.  The plot is not as interesting.  I've started the second book in the series, but I'm having a hard time pushing through this one.  The first trilogy I read interested me because I was learning about Amish culture.  This one is kind of bland and predictable.

What Are People For? by Wendell Berry- A collection of essays.  I'm blaming my lack of blogging over the last month on this book.  He says what I would like to say a lot better than I could ever say it.  It was enjoyable to read someone with whom I agree about so much.  He discusses everything from marriage, to church, to farming techniques, economics, education, and politics.  Amen and Amen.

Jaber Crow by Wendell Berry- A novel that has made it's way onto my top 10 list.  I plan on reading everything else by Berry that I can get my hands on.

Massacre at Goliad and After the Bugles by Elmer Kelton- Two novels of the Texas Republic.  As always, great writing from a great Texan writer.  He deals with it in many of his books, but racial tensions between Mexicans and Anglos is a major theme in these books.  He handles it in a much better way than Stockett did in The Help.  In my opinion, our seventh-graders could learn more about Texas history by reading three or four of Kelton's books than they could sitting through a whole year of social studies class.