Need a Laugh?

Thanks to Dave and Julia I have been re-introduced to Tim Hawkins, a Christian comedian. I say re-introduced because I saw some of his early material way back in the day. He's very funny, though. So, enjoy the two videos. I know I did.



Corporate Worship (literally)



A Parent's Prayer

Kids and Composing

Tonight, Trey and Kassady decided to begin their foray into songwriting. Here are the results:

Let's Go Over the World

by Kassady Waggoner

The stars shine in the sky
I wanna go over the world
To see my friends
If I could go over the world to see the trees
Then I can go on an adventure
With all my friends and even you
On an adventure
So, if you wanna come
I can do it by myself
On a day if I could shine in the sky
And I could see a rainbow
So if you wanna come
Let's go over the world

I can almost hear her song on a Top 40 station. And next we have Trey's masterpiece:

I'm a Basketball Player

by Trey Waggoner

I'm a basketball player
I'm a basketball player
I can dribble, I can rebound
I can shoot, I can steal
I can be aggressive on the field
Maybe it's a court
But don't be a dork
If you mess with Trey
Then you're gonna pay
If you mess with me, the Dad
You are bad
I'm a basketball player
Maybe an All-Star
Who knows
I'm an All-Star basketball player

The results are in

It's a boy! The balance of power has shifted to the men after 4 years of stalemate.

****NEWS FLASH****

You've probably heard the saying that "the first shall be last." Well, I'm here to tell you that "the third shall be last". We're expecting our third child in February.

If it's a boy, I'm not sure what we'll call him. If it's a girl I'm leaning toward Lori, Jr. We'll just call her Junior. I haven't broached the subject with Lori yet. For some reason my name ideas are always shot down rather quickly. Anyway, there you have it. The latest news from the Waggoner front (literally, in the case of Lori).

The Call

I've been fascinated with the hows, whys, and wherefores concerning God's call for quite some time now. This is often a confusing and sometimes frustrating topic to sincere Christians. God's clear direction and calling in my life have helped me retain focus in confusing times. Have I ever doubted His calling in my life? Yes, but at the end of the day I've always been able to go back to a specific time and place where he called me to ministry. I can also point to a specific point in time where God clearly reconfirmed my call to ministry. However, I know that God calls individuals uniquely, and calls them into many different areas of life.

So, I'm embarking on a study of God's calling as represented in Scripture. I want to study the means by which he called, the emphasis of the call, and the end result of the call.

At the same time, I want to compile case studies of friends and colleagues who have been led by God to a certain occupation or ministry. If you would be willing to share your unique experience in hearing, answering, and following the call of God please email it to waggoner_keith@hotmail.com. I know that we're all busy, but your willingness to help me in my quest would be greatly appreciated. Let me emphasize that this is for God's call to any profession. I truly believe that God calls His people to be involved in many different areas of life.

I'd like to hear your story. It can be as short or as long as you want it to be. Answer this question: Is the call still relevant today? While I don't currently have any intention on publishing this, I am going to be chronicling my research and would be open to sharing it with anyone who is interested. If you want your story to remain anonymous, I'll be sure to honor your request.

Thanks for your response.

Another Kassady Candid Comment

Kassady's latest came as she was chowing down on McNuggets at MickeyDs yesterday. She was sitting between Trey and me at a long table with barstools, when she complained loudly: "Great! I'm boytrapped!"

I hope she maintains that attitude of disgust 'til, oh I don't know, 19 or so. I'll definitely be able to save on ammunition.

Lagoon

Nothing beats a family vacation! We just got back from our first vacation that didn't include going back to visit family (not that that isn't fun or anything). Lori and I took the kids to Lagoon, a theme park near Salt Lake City, UT for a fun getaway. Marc and Talisha Taylor, along with Emme and Addison, went too. What a blast! I was coming in from a Wyoming trip, so I met everyone in Pocatello, ID early Monday morning at the hotel and we took off. Fortunately, Talisha was along with us to give us directions ("if you just follow these mountains you'll eventually get to Lagoon") and weather reports ("you can tell that there's a cold front moving in; see the temperature's even dropped since I said that"). In spite of her efforts to derail the excellent navigational skills that Marc and I are inherently blessed with we finally arrived at our destination.

Fortunately, Talisha brought her camera along. I pulled out our digital camera and the shutter was messed up. I love Canon cameras, but we've had more trouble with this new one. I don't know what the deal is. Fortunately I purchased the warranty this time. Anyway, Talisha was kind enough to forward these pictures to me. However, I did notice that she left out several shots that could cause her potential embarrassment.

The kids, never having been to Lagoon, were sufficiently impressed with the Holiday Inn facilities on Sunday night and Monday morning that they entertained the notion of just staying there for vacation. Holiday Inn did have a nice pool and great props for indoor forts.

The kids loved the bumper cars. This picture was taken shortly before Addison attempted to bail. He experienced great frustration over the fact that his car just spun around in circles. He couldn't quite figure out the steering part. Kassady put some gargantuan hits on her adversaries. She drove with a maniacal gleam in her eye, cackling evilly every time she broad-sided someone. Unfortunately, we didn't get her in this shot.

Kassady's favorite ride was the helicoptors. She pulled the bar all the way back and soared into the sky.

Trey was pretty sure that he could handle all of the roller coasters at Lagoon...that was, until he rode the Wild Mouse. He was not impressed at all. He looked very pale after clambering out of the ride. Which I can understand. That crazy ride jerks you all over the place, many times giving you the impression that you're going to go over the edge. He said that it tickled his stomach and made it feel like "things were jumping in there". He wasn't convinced by my argument that this is what makes roller coasters so fun. I finally cajoled him into joining me on the classic wooden roller coaster, which he loved.

Marc and I rode a few rides by ourselves, rides that our wives refused to accompany us on. This is one of my favorites: the Rocket. They have two sides to the ride, "Blast-Off" and "Re-entry". We rode the "Re-entry". They take you way up and then drop you. Marc thought he had it figured out when we would drop, so he did his countdown. He didn't have it calculated right. He screamed like a little girl all the way down.

We also rode the new roller coaster at Lagoon called "Wicked". It features a hill that goes straight up 110 feat. And I mean straight up. It's a 180 degree climb and then a 180 degree drop. No obtuse angles here. It's breath-taking. It was worth waiting an hour for.

Another fun ride was the "Cliffhanger". You sit on a long platform which then rotates, spinning you upside down, forward and backward. All the while water is being shot up at you. I forgot to take my glasses off, so I wrinkled my nose and squinted my eyes hoping that my skin would bunch on either side of the nose piece, thus ensuring that they wouldn't slip. It worked, even though I looked like I had some sort of facial tic.

This roller coaster was more the kids' speed. Look at Addison's face (third from right; sitting by Trey). Kassady really liked this one, too.

It's very difficult to watch your head. Really.

The happy family after a long, fun day at Lagoon. This is going to be a yearly event. At least, I hope so.

We took it easy coming back. We stopped in Twin Falls, ID and had a photo op at the Snake River Canyon. For you Evil Knievel fans out there, his unsuccessful attempt to jump the canyon happened just to the left of us.

As we were waiting for the kids to finish yet another ride, it occurred to me that I have morphed from a 23-year-old thrill junkie to a rather sedate Dad who gets just as much enjoyment out of watching his children have fun. I like it.

Open up the archives

OK, it's hard to believe that Trey was this little. Kevin Moser took what has to be my favorite picture of the two of us together at a GBS spring picnic in 2003.

Side note: I just threw away the shoes I'm wearing in this picture. They lasted 6 years. It was a sentimental moment. Listen, if you want to buy shoes that last go with Nike.

Great Kids

Last night, Kassady clambered onto the bed with an armful of books, as is her evening custom. She didn't get too far, though. Reading is tough work!

Trey has been having a tough time lately. I've tried to influence his priorities for the good as he has matured. More than anything I want him to be a passionate Christian. A little lower down the priority list has to be a loyalty to the Cincinnati Reds. He's doing great in this area (thank the Lord he hasn't backslidden and become one of those evil St. Louis Cardinals fans), but he can't figure out why in the world the Reds would trade Ken Griffey, Jr. and Adam Dunn, his two favorite players. Since he saw them play a few weeks ago they've unloaded both of these guys. He now says his "next-favorite teams" are the White Sox and Diamondbacks. Here he poses with his Adam Dunn bobblehead he got at the game.

Concert in the Courtyard

Wednesday, Liberty sang at Valley Shepherd Church of the Nazarene in Meridian, ID. Paul Ellis, former tenor, for Liberty is the Worship & Arts Pastor at the church. They have a monthly music series called "Concert in the Courtyard". It was one of those fun, relaxed outdoor concerts. A lot of our friends showed up for the concert. It was good to see my former college pastor, Edsel Trouten, at the concert. He's on my favorite persons list, for sure. He has had a great impact on my life and ministry. It was a fantastic night! Here are just a couple of entertaining pictures (thanks to Dee Sienknecht):

Paul joined us on "God Bless the USA". The boy can still bring it! That was a lot of fun. I'm still trying to figure out what's going on with Dan's shirt. Either he's put on a lot more weight or he caught a sudden low breeze. Nice! Also, Doran has started grabbing his belt buckle to hit those high notes. As you can see, he's supporting the note quite well.

Yeah, we're still doing Doran's favorite song. "Gospel Plow" has kind of taken on a life of its own. Really, there are no words to explain what's going on here. So...there I leave it.

Waterlogged

We had a fun-filled trip last weekend. The wonderful folks we sang to in California and Nevada enjoyed some of the new music Liberty debuted. I do have to tell you about one of those funny incidents that just seem to happen naturally to our quartet. We got to Lake Almanor, CA early in the day on Saturday. It's not too far from Gerber, CA, where we had been the night before. Doran had called one of our good friends, Dan Foos, and asked if there was any chance of getting out on the lake in one of his boats. Dan is a fantastic singer who occasionally sings a few songs with us when we're in the area. Well, he graciously agreed to take us out and we set off around noon. It was an absolutely gorgeous day. The temperature was between 80 and 85 degrees, blue skies, and bright sun. We headed off across the lake to Prattville, a trip of a few miles, where we had a delicious lunch at a RV camp cafe. After lunch, Dan took us around the lake showing us the sights. As you can see from the picture, it's beautiful.

While we were drifting around, just enjoying the weather and conversation, Dan's wife called and told him that the wind was starting to blow and the water was getting rough on their side of the lake. Well, he decided we had better head back to shore. On the trip back we started to hit a few waves and it was throwing a little water into the boat. Doran had been sitting up front, but wasn't a big fan of getting soaked so he came back to where I was sitting in the boat. These guys with hair are wimps! So concerned about what might happen to their "look". I enjoyed the spray so I went up to the front of the boat, the splash section if you will. Before too long, we started to rock and roll. Let me provide you with some context before I go on. Dan Gilbert was in the Coast Guard for four years; he's an excellent swimmer. In fact, he has fins for feet. Royce is a pretty good swimmer. He's no Michael Phelps, but he can stay above water. I'm a mediocre to poor swimmer. I'm pretty sure I could save myself if for some reason I found myself in water a little ways from shore (I mean, after all, I learned in Gordie Howe's pool; remember those days?). Well, maybe that's a little ambitious . Doran can't swim to save his life. That's no exaggeration. So, here we are in the boat heading into what are becoming good-sized waves. As we're about half a mile away from the dock, the boat suddenly dipped into the water and a huge wave just came crashing over the front of the boat. Royce and I were in the front and were instantly drenched. It partially tore off the front panel of the boat. Royce decided he was going to play Bob Vila and bent down to make the repair. As Royce leaned down to try to push back the panel, we got hammered with another massive wave. By this time, there are several inches of water in the boat and it's beginning to seriously lean to the side (this is a large boat, mind you; not some little rowboat). Dan Gilbert yelled for me to grab some life jackets, and I started throwing them back to the guys. When I heard Dan asking for a life jacket, I knew it was pretty bad. However, I didn't have enough sense to get scared because as I looked to the back of the boat, Doran had scrambled for the top of the seat and was making his way to the roof. I have never seen anyone put on a life jacket so fast! He was trying to balance on the top of the back seat, while grabbing for the roof. His teeth were chattering at about 208 bps and he wasn't humored. Between that and Royce looking like a drowned rat, standing with his shoulders hunched, water pouring off him, I couldn't take it. I laughed so hard I was crying. Dan Gilbert was leaning over the side of the boat laughing. I'm sure I looked as bad as Royce...no...there's no way I could have looked as bad as Royce! We bailed what water we could out of the boat and a very pale Dan Foos took us on in to shore. Dan has boated on Lake Almanor for 32 years and he said he had never had anything like that happen to him. I truly wish I had some pictures. It was one of those experiences that is going to be laughed about for a long time. Well, except for Doran. He still isn't laughing.

A Father-Son Conversation

Trey: "Hey, Dad! Why did you shave all your hair off?"

Me: "Because I wanted to. I like it this way."

Trey: "Well, I think I heard you say one time that the little bit of hair around your head looked weird."

Me: "Yeah, I think I said that."

Trey: "Well, it's probably cooler in the summer, too."

Me: "Yeah, it's definitely cooler. It feels good."

Trey: "Man! I hope I'm bald when I get older!"

Fortunately for him, genetic history is on his side...

Live God Loud

I was going through some old videos yesterday and came across this clip from Appalachian Youth Camp. I think this was filmed in 2002 or 2003. Dan Coy wrote a theme song for the camp and this particular performance was right before the Talent Night.

Liberty Stuff

Lately I've been consumed with all things Liberty:

This week Royce's second solo recording "Truckin' On" will be delivered. I think it's supposed to be in on Wednesday; just in time for leave time on Thursday morning. We've already been singing a couple of the songs featured on the CD. I'm really happy with this album.

Then, last week I sent off the artwork and proofs for our new DVDs, Hymnsing 1 & 2. These are, by far, the best live videos that we have recorded. I enjoyed doing the graphic design. We're hoping to have the DVDs back in the next 3 weeks or so.


We got the rough mix back for our new CD, Amazed, which is slated for release on September 27. Roger Talley, Phil Cross, and Doran combined their producing skills on this project. The final result is awesome! It has yet to be mastered, but I'm already impressed with what I'm hearing. It's hard to label this recording stylistically. It has a Southern Gospel feel for sure, but we've also incorporated elements from other genres. It's a unique sound for Liberty.

I'm taking a break today. I just got in from a Washington weekend and I'm still a little groggy.

In My Spare Time

I recently got off a mini-kick where I read the biographies of famous comedians. The two most recent reads were Steve Martin's autobiography "Standing Up" and the biography of Chris Farley. Both were great reads. Did you know that Martin dated Christian writer Stormie Omartian for quite a while? Just a little trivia minutiae. I recommend both books. The language occasionally gets a little salty in Farley's biography, but it's hard to put it down. A unique writing concept helps peel away the layers of one of my favorite comedic actors. What a waste of a gifted life!

I'm currently reading three books that are challenging, informative, and thought-provoking. Jim Wallis's The Great Awakening is a call to social revival, a revival that must come from those who share the Christian faith and have a moral conscience. Wallis (founder of Sojourners) points out the historical significance of previous social revivals that helped shape our nation, such as the abolition of slavery and the civil rights movement. His call is for the church to actively care quit hoping that politicians will solve culture's ills. Many of the church leaders and lay people that I know are more concerned with enforcing a catalogue of rules (many of which aren't even in the Bible) than they are with loving people. They're also often set on pushing a Republican political agenda than they are with reaching out to real people with needs in their community. A sad commentary on the church. And, trust me, I often find myself in that trap. I'm admittedly on the Republican side of most issues, but I've figured out that they don't many more answers than the Democrats. While I don't agree with everything Wallis proposes, I'm all for a reviving of the church's social conscience.

Clinton in Exile has been an excellent book so far. President Clinton has always intrigued me, even as a teen I remember wondering what kind of guy he was. My perception has been that he's a hedonist to the very core, compromising morality and conviction for pleasure and poll numbers. This book has yet to point to anything that would sway my opinion. I really do think I would like Bill Clinton if I had the chance to meet him, though. He definitely has a winsome personality, portraying a caricature of being one of the boys. This book looks at his life after leaving the White House, exploring his psyche as he came to grips with becoming just another American. Carol Felsenthal does a great job of bringing Bill Clinton the person to the microscope in a non-partisan sort of way.

Church Unique is my favorite read of the three, so far. Will Mancini argues that strategic planning isn't necessarily the method churches should employ when determining their future. He proposes a visioning process that is driven by a church's gifts, a focus on it's community, and one that involves the entire church from the member to the janitor to the ministry volunteer to the senior pastor. The focus is outward instead of internal. Mancini points out that many churches get so caught up in fulfilling their strategic goals that the plan becomes an end in itself rather than a means to the end. A missional leader (and church) identifies the main thing(s) that they're good at and they then refine, enhance, and implement those gifts. Mancini contends that churches need clarity, not complexity; synergy, not accountability (in the sense of fulfilling a proposed set of goals); adaptability, not predictability ("the assumption that the near future will resemble the recent past"). When changes to the plan come they aren't necessarily viewed as a negative because the end result is driven by the church's mission. Missional leadership is fluid and adaptable to the circumstance. It definitely debunks the myth of the cookie-cutter, one style fits all mantra being proposed by large churches such as Saddleback and Willow Creek. Your church is unique, specially crafted and gifted by God for a specific ministry to a specific community. The timeless message of redemption is carried out and implemented by playing to the gifts. An interesting point that Mancini makes is that churches spend more time on shoring up weaknesses than they do in fine-tuning their strengths. Read this one.


I've also been jamming away to some new music lately. Matthew West is currently one of my favorite CCM songwriters. If you want to be challenged while enjoying a fresh musical sound I suggest West's latest release Something to Say. My favorite tracks are "The Motions" and "Stop the World". WOW! Highly recommended.

A little while ago I shared how I've been trying out new artists by buying a CD here and there at the pawn shop (yes, I know it's cheaper to check them out at the library). Well, I found a gem: Natalie Merchant's Tigerlily. Natalie's been around forever, but I don't listen to secular stations much so I haven't heard her music. I was blown away by her voice. This is a great mellow CD. If you like folksy, laid-back grooves you'll dig this CD.

One of my favorite purchases in the last few weeks has been Rodney Atkins project If You're Going Through Hell. I heard "Watching You" on the radio a year or so ago and actually had my eyes tear up while listening to the lyrics. This CD is awesome. For those of you who have written it off already because of the title, let me assure you that it's based on a Winston Churchill quote: "If you're going through hell, keep on going" and an old Irish toast that says "May you be in heaven five minutes before the devil know you're dead". I like every song on this CD. I rarely buy country music, but this is a must-have.

I bought Toby Mac because nobody knows how to jam like the old dcTalk frontman. Welcome to Diverse City is an infectious CD with great tunes, witty lyrics, and the occasional provocative message.

Every song on Selah's Bless the Broken Road is a duet. Some of the artists featured include Nichole Nordeman (what a voice!), Barlowgirl, Jason and Aaron Crabb, Christy Nockels (of Watermark), and Cynthia Clawson. This is an awesome recording! Beautiful songs featuring big voices. I'm hear to tell you that Selah's Todd Smith has one of the best voices in gospel music. He's a vocal animal.

I've enjoyed listening to Legacy Five's latest release God's Been Good. This a solid recording from a solid group who is starting to find their niche since Roger's death. These are great guys and some of my best friends in the biz. While this isn't my favorite recording they've ever put out, it's still worth buying. Frank Seaman sounds better than he's ever sounded on this recording, while the rest of the guys put forth stellar efforts on their featured solos. Good stuff.

So, that's what I've been reading and listening to for the last month. What about you?

SGM

I'm now a published writer. Well, kinda. SGMradio.com was kind enough to ask me to be a contributing columnist for their online magazine. Today my first column appeared online (just look for my mugshot). Thanks, Rob and Karen, for the invite. You have NO IDEA what you just got yourself into.

One Family's Journey

Well, I survived two weeks of bachelorhood while Lori and the kids trekked back east to visit family and spend a week at Appalachian Youth Camp. I rarely cooked for myself and depended on my skills of appearing as pathetic as possible to weasel dinner invites out of friends. It worked. So, thanks to Marc and Talisha; Royce and Tammy; and Doran and Diane for the delicious meals. Oh, yes, and Melissa Roskam for the outstanding cheesy potatoes (she came over to the Ritcheys, too). As much as I enjoyed the culinary delights of Wendys, Taco Bell, and the ilk I was SO ready for Lori and the kids to come home.

They had a great time hanging out with siblings, parents, and cousins on the visit. They flew into Indianapolis, spent a day in Cincinnati, and then traveled to Pennsylvania to spend a long weekend with Mom and Dad Frederick. They dined like kings, feasting on scrapple, Philly cheesesteaks, east coast pizza,while enjoying cultural favorites like Italian ices. Yeah, all this while I was eating chicken nuggets from McDs. Here are a few pictures from the visit:

Lori, the kids, and Nanny and Pop-Pop.

Lori, Char, and Dave pose with Mom and Dad. Dad's hoping to get this photo shoot over as soon as possible while Dave tries to see how far away he can get from Char while still staying in the picture.

The grand kids and Nanny and Pop-pop Frederick. Back row: David, Alicia, Ankie, and Christy. Just so you know, I told David back in the day that if he made those weird faces that it would stay that way. You can see what happened...

Trey gets swatted by Ank. Ankie is Trey's new hero. They hung out quite a bit.

Kass enjoyed a little 3-wheelin'. She's got her game face on.

Running the break. Reminscent of Nash and Stoudemire (that's for Trey).

The red hat ladies captured by roving paparazzi (read: Char). I enjoyed Lori's retelling of the sales clerk's explanation of what the red hat craze was all about. She told them that it was a fad that was way too old for them. Since, Char was wearing her covering she inferred that she (Char) probably wouldn't be interested since it was a "social club" and that's probably something she wouldn't want to be a part of. "Covering discrimination".

Lori and the kids left on Tuesday for AYC. I'm on the youth camp board, but due to a scheduling conflict couldn't make it this year. I was pretty bummed. This is one of the highlights of my summer. Nothing beats making fun of my cousin Ray Mac all week while trading insults with Tony and Abby. I also missed directing the AYC choir. They are incredible! The best music groups I've worked with have been found in Roxbury, PA every July. Lori spent the week helping Char with the Kidz Adventure portion of the camp. My kids loved hanging out with the Frederick and McCrary cousins all week. From what I hear it was a great week. Jeff Keaton was the evangelist and they had some incredible worship services with many, many teens giving their lives to Christ. Awesome! Every evening they have an afterglow and due to a rainstorm they had to host an X-games-type competition in the tabernacle after one of the services. Kassady told me about it and said, "They rode skateboards and bikes in the church, and Dad, that just isn't right!" Trying to synthesize her church-behavior training with what she just witnessed was a little difficult.

The Hawaiian luau was a great success and quite the hit with my kids. They loved hanging out with the "big" kids and doing the hula, the limbo, and pineapple bowling. Fortunately, the authentic Hawaiian Hut was available for a photo op.

Cheers to everyone!

Trey tubin' down the water slide. Definitely, the highlight of camp!

Kass can do anything her big brother does. Don't believe it? Just ask her.

After AYC, they drove back to Cincinnati, getting in about 11:30 PM. Kassady and Christy decided to stay up and watch a Disney movie and didn't fall asleep until after 1:00 AM. I called Lori after our concert on Friday and was shocked when Kass got on the phone. She's her mother's daughter, that's for sure.

On Saturday, the fam went to see a Reds game at Great American Ballpark. Yes, I was a little jealous. Trey is a huge Reds fan (I've trained him well) and he felt like he was coming home to Mecca. There was a rain delay, so the players didn't come out for batting practice. Which meant that he didn't get their autographs. He did get Gapper, the mascot, to sign his hat, though, so it was all good. Trey called to tell me that his favorite player Ken Griffey, Jr. blasted homerun 607 in his quest to pass Sammy Sosa on the all-time homers list. You have to understand that Trey is a walking sports encyclopedia, and he's been obsessed with Griffey's progress. I tried to explain that there was a good chance that Griffey wouldn't hit one out at his game, but his faith endured. Of course, less than a week later (yesterday to be exact) Griffey got traded to the White Sox. I'm glad Trey was able to be there for one his final games in a Reds uniform.

Trey thought he'd died and gone to heaven. Great American Ballpark! Cincinnati Reds! Ken Griffey, Jr.!

Trey nearly wet himself with excitement when Griffey belted home run number number 607. He was there. Here's the swing...

...and, the butt-slap from his teammate. Trey and I are still Griffey fans even though he was traded to the White Sox less than a week later.

Sunday afternoon, found the Waggoner fam headed to Frankfort, Indiana to meet up with my family. Mom and Dad picked them up in Indianapolis and brought them on in to Mamma and Pappa's house. I hated hearing about all the great food they were eating. Mamma is one of the greatest cooks this world has ever known. Her Sunday dinners are legendary. So, yeah, I was pretty homesick. Bobby, his kids, Alyssa, Alyssa's son Josh, Mom & Dad, Sharilyn, and Mamma and Pappa grilled out on Tuesday night (I had a frozen pizza) and had a great time together.

These women are SO much alike: Mamma and Kassady. They're both independent, opinionated, mouthy, and loyal as can be. And I love 'em both!

The kids and uncle Bob gang up on Sharilyn for a ticklefest.

One task I was always dragged into as a kid was husking corn and then silking it so we could have corn on the cob. I used to hate it! That and breaking beans. Man, if only I could go back in time...

Trey and Kassady got a taste of gardening. They enjoyed it. Of course, when Bobby and I had to do it we were working with several thousand bushels of corn (or so it seemed). It was usually a 3 or 4-day ordeal. But, I'm telling you, nothing tastes as good as the corn out of Mamma and Pappa's garden!


Dylan, Jillian, Josh (Dylan's buddy), Kassady, and Trey. What a bunch of posers!

These are the steps leading up to the attic of Pappa's barn. There have been more kids that have fallen off of those steps across the years. Most of the accidents were caused by shoves from well-meaning cousins or siblings. At least the ones involving me and Bobby. Fortunately, the kids survived. It's about 145 degrees up in that attic, but that was the coolest place to hang out. I'll bet the only things up there to this day are some croquet mallets and wickets. And, maybe a shuffleboard disc or two.

Absence did make the heart grow fonder. I missed my family so much. Finally, Wednesday evening found Lori, Trey, and Kassady home in Idaho where they belong. And, I ate well.

Bus Driver

Thanks to one of my loyal readers, Ellen, Liberty's version of Bus Driver is now available. Check out my shaved head. I've gone Bic and I'm not looking back.

NASCAR

OK, maybe this is overdoing it, but this one's good, too.

Coming soon to a restaurant near you...