Weekend Happenings

Good Friday morning!

NOTE: I will NOT be posting Monday and Tuesday of next week. I'll be back Wednesday morning bright and early!

Since tomorrow marks the beginning of Spring Break for our school, we are going camping. Our only problem... we do not know exactly when we are leaving. The weather is a little "iffy" right now, and our original plan to leave early Friday has been changed due to the forecast of rain all day Saturday. Now we are planning on leaving Sunday morning and staying through Tuesday. So, as far as weekend happenings in the Faulkner household... it's a little "up in the air."

As stated above, there will be NO POSTS Monday and Tuesday of next week. However, I will still have all the fixins' for our "Ireland Week" (Party, Recipes, Tradition, Date and Book) Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Plus, there will be lots of camping pictures and stories connected with this trip, I am sure!

Challenge

Our "mental" challenge for next week is simple. Think of five or six things that make your house a home. I got this idea from reading Heidi Swapp's blog (click on Welcome to HeidiSwapp.com on my Blog List). She made a little scrapbook that showed all the things that make her house a home a few days ago. It can be anything. The pictures you've seen this week have been examples of three things that make my house a home... good memories (scrapbooks), a place where kids feel welcome and free to play (the lot), the beagles, etc. I'll be adding several more pictures of things I feel fall in this category next week when we get back from our camping trip. It's an interesting thing to think about, isn't it?

TV Review

Okay. This review is very easy. I don't want to say it's because LOST wasn't on this week, but...

Amazing Race - There are no villains in this race. I hate to say it, but there are NONE. Thus, even though the challenges are very good this year, I have no one to root for. Everyone keeps their cool. Everyone is civil to each other. Everyone points to the next place to go if they see someone is lost. Everyone is working together. The flight attendants FINALLY found a computer and booked their flight on time. They need a Team Faulkner on the show... just to give you someone you could hate. We'll continue watching, but if a fight doesn't break out soon, we may have to drop this one from our list!

Celebrity Apprentice - We had some technical difficulties taping this show. We assumed it was a one hour show, so when we checked at 8:15 and saw it was still going, we fixed the disc. For some reason, the disc only taped 30 more minutes. Thankfully, Mike saw this mistake and we had time to flip on the TV and see who got fired. We then watched the bits and pieces we had leading up to the firing. We missed the "presentation" and the "confrontation," but we know Scott Hamilton is gone... and Dennis Rodman is still there... and the loud poker player woman is still there. Oh, and we did find out Jesse James does NOT like Clint Black. I thought that was pretty interesting, although we have no idea why. I thought everyone loved Clint Black. We'll have to see what happens next week!

Jon & Kate - The giant German Shepherd puppies are still in the house! And they are still tinkling on the carpet downstairs! Why isn't Kate going crazy over this? When the kids did it in the old house, it was a whole episode of why they kept tinkling on the carpet. But the giant German Shepherd puppies do it (a lot) and... NOTHING! I am glad they were able to get the toy horse out of one of the puppies, but I thought it was totally gross when the vet gave the toy horse to Jon to take home. Hopefully, Kate got ride of it!

24 - Go, Jack, go! He's on his own again, being chased by the people he works so hard to protect. And Bill is dead. I loved Bill. He was the voice of reason. Soft-spoken, listened to and respected by his peers as well as leaders of our country... he will be missed. (QUESTION: If they gave Tony a shot of something that made him come back after he had been dead for seven plus minutes, why can't they do the same for Bill?) It was good FBI Agent Walker saw Jack cry because now she can fall in love with him. You know... because he has emotions. Since she was suspended and told to leave her badge and gun at the office, I guess she'll be storming the terrorist headquarters with anything she can find to throw. Or will she disobey and take her little gun with her? Hmmm. She and Jack are made for each other.

LOST - I'll write the exact thing I would have written if the show had been on this week... ?????

Survivor - It was a pretty good show. I'm afraid Taj and Brendan are getting a little cocky, and everyone knows when you begin to get cocky you usually get voted off. I still like J. T., but he had a little potty-mouth this episode. He needs to clean up his language if he's going to represent Alabama! Nothing earth-shattering happened, and there were no blindsides. (I don't understand why Jeff was so upset when J. T. threw his broken tooth away. He even stopped the game so everyone could look for it. What was that about?) No Survivor next week. The one week during the season we really have time to watch all the shows and they skip a week. Again, no one is consulting me regarding these schedules.

Moments Matter

No surprise here. My "Moment" Thursday came at 8:00 last evening. Austin was sprawled on the couch. Roxie and Mike were cuddling on the love seat. Josh had all of the giant pillows on a heap in the floor, and I had my feet up in the recliner. The Faulkner Five watching Survivor. I just took it all in. It won't be like this next year because Austin will be away at school. We'll still be the Faulkner Five, but we won't all be sprawled out in the den in the middle of the week watching our show. So what most people would consider mundane and perhaps "nothing," was my special Moment for today. I will miss the daily, one-on-one relationship with Austin... but I know the purpose of being a parent is raising Godly children and to one day send them out in the world to begin their own lives. Uh-oh... Here come my old friends, Melancholy and Depths of Despair. (Today's going to be a great day. Can you tell?)

List (10 more things to during Spring Break in Birmingham)

1. Carousel at the Galleria (If you have toddlers, two or three rides on the carousel and a Happy Meal from McDonald's or Chick-Fil-A, and you've got yourself a very good day!)

2. Spend the day visiting grandparents and great-grandparents

3. Picnic and kite flying

4. Backyard campout

5. Backyard movie (Put your TV on your back deck and watch a movie of your choice under the stars.)

6. Family bike ride (Pick a time during the day everyone is home and go on a long, leisurely bike ride together. Pack water bottles and snacks for a rest stop before heading home.)

7. Family movie (Instead of watching at night, wake up in the morning and have popcorn and ice cream for breakfast and watch a movie together to start your day. Fun.)

8. Alphabet day (Put one of each letters of the alphabet in a bowl. Pick a letter and plan your day around the letter. For example, if you pick "C," go the grocery store and buy as many "C" foods as you can for your dinner that night. Have Candles at dinnertime. Go to a pet store and pet the Cats. Camp in the backyard. Play Kick the Can or Chutes and Ladders. Drive around town and write down as many "C" words and things as you can find. Use your imagination.)

9. Everyone cooks (Have everyone cook their favorite dish for dinner, no matter what it is. It will be an interesting supper to say the least.

10. Puzzles (Set a large puzzle out on a table at the beginning of the week, and see if your family can finish by Sunday night before school starts back.)

Bill Bolen

My friend, Alesia, was getting married. It was an exciting time of teas and parties and trying on dresses and more teas. However, one party in particular caught my attention. She and her groom-to-be, Scott, were having a couples' shower at a local newscaster's home. Bill Bolen. Oh, boy! A celebrity. And not only was I just going to meet him... I was actually invited to his home. What to wear? What to wear?

Alesia, of course, was excited, but more so about the wedding stuff than actually meeting a local celebrity. (Her priorities were all mixed up back then.) I couldn't wait. I bought a new outfit... appropriate for such an auspicious occasion. (And if memory serves, I was the dressiest attendee that evening.) I brought my camera (which I always did anyway), with several rolls of extra film and lots of extra batteries. I didn't want to take a chance this celebrity sighting would not be well-documented.

When we arrived at the beautiful home, we were greeted by Mr. Bolen himself. He was warm and friendly and so hospitable. I was instantly drawn to him... and not just because he was locally famous. He was genuinely a very nice person, as was his wife.

Unfortunately, the evening was pretty much a blur. We ate outside. Alesia and Scott opened their gifts. We visited a little bit. The evening was coming to a close, and I had yet to get a picture of Bill Bolen. For some reason, I was shy, and I was so overcome by his "famousness." I couldn't bring myself to ask for a picture. (You can see how well I have overcome my shyness from the time I met Mr. Bolen to the time I met Col. John Glenn.)

I excused myself to go to the restroom, dragging a friend along with me. "I have to get a picture with Mr. Bolen," I hissed.

"Well, just ask," was her oversimplified solution.

"You can't just go up to someone as famous as Mr. Bolen and ASK," I hissed again. She wasn't getting it.

I used the restroom, and as I was coming out I noticed several monogrammed hand towels on the sink. Stop right there. I know what you're thinking. I did NOT steal hand towels from Mr. Bolen's restroom... I did something much worse. I had my picture taken holding them. I know, I know. I'm pathetic.

Then, on the way back to the patio where all the guests were getting ready to leave, I had my picture taken in the hallway, in the foyer beside a family painting, in the den and finally, in the kitchen. Well, their home was well-photographed and ready to be submitted to House Beautiful, but I still didn't have my picture!

As I walked out the door onto the patio, I saw the back of them... Mr. and Mrs. Bolen, Alesia and Scott and Scott's parents all huddled together. I knew what that huddle meant. Someone on the other side of the huddle was taking a picture! I saw the flash. Oh, no... I was too late! Then I heard the words every photographer says at one time or another, "One more, just in case," and I sprang into action.

Before anyone could stop me or the photographer could notice, I had popped my head in the picture between Mr. Bolen and Alesia's head. FLASH! I was in!

Now, to get a copy of the picture. I made my way through the crowd to the person who had taken the picture and asked if I could have a copy. "Are you a friend of the bride?" he asked politely.

"Uh, yeah. The bride. I want the picture because Alesia's in it," I stammered. (It wasn't like I didn't already have 5,000 pictures of Alesia.)

"Sure. I'll get an extra copy and give it to the bride, and she can give it to you," he told me.

I eventually did get the picture, but because I had popped my head in so quickly, it was a blur. The blur, plus my frantic, wide-eyed, scary smiling face made it a really bad, bad picture. So bad, I couldn't bring myself to keep it. So I have the picture of me with the monogrammed towels (which I did not steal) as my only proof of my visit to Mr. Bolen's home... and to be honest, I don't even know where that sad little picture is anymore.

Mr. Bolen was my first real celebrity, and you never forget your first real celebrity meeting. Especially, when the celebrity is as gracious and kind as Mr. Bolen. (But you do get better at getting the shots you want when you cross certain celebrity's paths. Case in point... I have FABULOUS pictures of Jon and Kate, Rick and Bubba, Roger from Survivor and, of course, Col. John Glenn.)

I wonder who my next poor celebrity will be?

Book

Roxie's taking over the Book of the Week spot on my blog. She just finished A Wrinkle in Time by Charlotte L'Engle and wanted it to be known that it is now her FAVORITE book. She loved it more than James and the Giant Peach.

Here is her review:

"This book is for mature 5th graders up to 8th graders. Boys or girls would like this book. It is fantasy and science fiction. You have to give yourself time to get into the story. Once I got past Chapter Three, I couldn't put it down. There is a cliffhanger at the end of every chapter. Each turn of the page is a new surprise. It is awesome."

Well, there you have it. The best book ever written as per Roxie.

Have a wonderful weekend, and if you are on your Spring Break next week, plan on doing some fun things you wouldn't normally do with your family.

I'll be back Wednesday with all of our activities for "Ireland Week," more pictures of people and things that makes "my house a home," and camping pictures galore.

Talk to you soon.