Weekend Happenings

Good Friday morning!

The Faulkner Five are taking a little time out of this CRAZY MAY and heading for Nashville today for the weekend. I've planned a City Adventure for the five of us which I hope will be fun and exciting and a real bonding experience. (We'll see.)

Our original plan was to go to the Grand Ol' Opry, but they didn't have any singers we were willing to pay $250 to go see, so that money has gone elsewhere. So far, the itinerary looks like this:

Friday - We're eating at the Gaylord Hotel at a place called Paisano's Pizzeria in an island in the middle of the Delta. If all goes well, in the middle of our meal, the fountains will start "dancing" to music all around us. That should be memorable, shouldn't it?

Saturday - We're going to the Renaissance Festival. We took Austin to one when he was ten, and it was a lot of fun. We'll stay there most of the day (mainly for the jousting competition), and then we're heading to Miss Marples Dinner Theater. (They are doing a murder mystery/comedy... while we eat prime rib.) Again, I checked about "family friendly," and was assured we were safe.

Sunday - We have plans to go to Belle Meade Plantation for a tour and lunch. This is a working plantation and the lunch menu is made up of items raised and grown on the grounds. On the way home, we'll go down Music Row and take our time looking around.

I'll let you know how everything goes. Some of it may be fantastic, and some of it may be so-so. But we won't know until we try. Therein lies the "adventure."

As soon as we get home, we will be in Graduation Mode for the rest of the week. I imagine posts will be a little shorter and perhaps a lot sadder. I hope to make up for it by having tons of pictures.

TV Reviews

Survivor - I was right! J.T. won and it was unanimous. Now I'm hearing he's moved to Mobile. That's about five hours from here, so we're talking overnight accommodations... and maybe a list of fun things to do in Mobile after I have my picture taken with Mr. J.T. He played a great game, and other than a bit of profanity here and there, he made our state proud. And then he won another $100,000 because he was the most popular player of the season. (I think once he sees me in my "I Love J.T." T-shirt, he'll probably want to take me and my gang to lunch... or call the police. It could go either way!)

24 - Well, Kim is definitely Jack's daughter. She even went after a terrorist without a gun. Tough girl. And, of course, the cliffhanger this year was Kim having the procedure done to save Jack's life. (Not much of a cliffhanger really, especially since he's already signed a contract for Season 8.) One more year until he comes back and saves the world once again. I can't wait!

LOST - Believe it or not, we taped over LOST and Josh and I have yet to watch the last episode on the computer. Luckily for you (that's a joke, folks), that means we'll have one last TV Review next Friday. I know you're thrilled. (I could probably write the review right now... "What????" But wanting to be thorough, I will actually watch the show before I write the review.)

Books

I have three books to recommend for the graduates in your life. However, I've only read one, but the reviews and authors of the other two are very "safe."

1. Life Principles for the Graduate by Charles F. Stanley - This book provides nine Biblical truths for living God's way in the real world. It is written specifically for the high school and/or college graduate in your life.

2. God's Promises for Graduates: Class of 2009 - This book gives insightful wisdom and God's direction as your graduate tackles life's new challenges. The book deals with issues such as character, integrity, loyalty and having a servant's heart.

3. The Dateable Rules by Justin Lookadoo and Hayley DiMarco - This book is an interactive guide which takes up where Dateable left off (another great book). It walks teens and young adults through the Bible's insights about men and women. Guys will learn the difference between a spiritual and physical adventure. They'll also learn the rules regarding being a gentleman... even in today's world. Girls will learn that beauty is defined by God, not by the world. It's a great book to make sure your graduate (guy or girl) has read or is reading before they leave home. You want them to date with a Christian perspective and not the world's perspective.

Have a fantastic weekend. Do something memorable on Memorial Day Weekend! Next week we'll finish up any and all "spring things," so we can get right to the "summer things" (which, by the way, are too numerous to count).

Take care, and I'll talk to you on Monday.