Homes: Dwarf, Victorian, and Otherwise

This past weekend we took a family trip to Savannah (Jen's parents, sister, and our clan of Lemmings, plus the dog). We were looking forward to a great weekend and were not disappointed. Here is a 'brief' recap of the trip:

• New food places: original Chick-fil-a Dwarf House near the Atlanta airport (did you know this is the only Chick-fil-a that is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?); Firefly Cafe' (food was fantastic);
  Churchill's Pub and Restaurant (food not so good); Spanky's (the original chicken finger place on Tybee Island - food was good; you really can't mess up chicken fingers); Paula Deen's place, Lady and Sons for Mother's Day (food was a disappointment).
• Savannah-time: horse-cart tour of Savannah - great history of the squares, the city, the homes, some ghost stories, etc (overall it was awesome); Tybee Island was great (imagine a non-commercialized Panama City minus the rednecks) - we'll be back for sure!; our accommodations were pretty cool - pretty much in walking distance of historic downtown Savannah - it was a 100+ year old Victorian house that pretty much looked like IKEA vomited within it;
• Entertainment: Lulu's Chocolate Bar was freakin' tasty and the art work was 'out-there' (very cool); Jen and I had a date afternoon and saw 'What happens in Vegas' (deserves 2 1/2 star - but what do you expect with Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz? it was cute, but should have just rented it in a couple weeks); the alone time with Jen was awesome- Thanks Mimi, Papa, and Mama for putting up with screaming kids (oops!); we also watched 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil', I had seen it a couple times before coming to Savannah - Brian (FIL) said that if they would have seen the movie before the reservations in Savannah, we would have been somewhere else for the weekend!

We had a great time in Savannah and can't wait to get back (maybe next time Jen and I will get to go without the kids and will be able to experience it without being 'mommy and daddy')!

Granny?

An Arkansas family trying to fulfill an ailing grandmother's last request, arrived in Hillsboro early Sunday with the grandmother's body in the back of their recreational vehicle, police said.

The woman apparently died in Wyoming, and her family completed the trip.

The 79-year-old woman, who lived in Oroville, Calif., suffered from advanced kidney disease and wished to see her family before she died, Hillsboro Police Lt. Michael Rouches said.

Rouches said the woman's family picked her up in Oroville, drove her to visit family in Arkansas and were on their way to see other family in Hillsboro when she died.

The woman was last seen alive by the family about 3 a.m. Saturday near Laramie, Wyo., he said.

"We believe they were about 1,100 miles from Hillsboro when she passed away," Rouches said. "We believe they were in Wyoming. That's based on gas receipts."

Rouches said the woman's doctors told family members the frail grandmother might not survive the trip.

Hillsboro Police were called at about 9 a.m. Sunday.

Rouches stressed that the death was not a police matter, despite its seemingly unusual nature, because no law had been broken. Because it was not a police matter, Rouches did not release the woman's name.

"People die every day," Rouches said. This could happen more frequently than we know." He said Hillsboro police were called by family members who drove her to Oregon because they wanted to report the death to authorities.

"We're a first responder," he said. "If you have a problem you call the police, the fire department or an ambulance. They could have called an ambulance, but what's the point? The person was already deceased. Calling the cops is the default position."

Rouches said the situation is being examined by detectives, but added that he didn't expect any action to be taken. He said the family routinely traveled together and there is no reason to suspect foul play.

"I've looked through all the Oregon statutes," he said. "This is not a crime."

Bloggers getting LOST in Uganda

The following bloggers are off to Uganda with Compassion International to use their eyes, hearts, and high blog hits to bring attention to the need of humanitarian aid to the people of Uganda.

Keep these guys and gals in your thoughts and prayers (not to mention on your RSS feed or favorites).

Evangelical Outpost
Family Research Counsil
BeliefNet - J-Walking
Ethos
Chris Elrod
Ragamuffin Soul
Whittaker Woman
Rocks In My Dryer
BooMama
Flowerdust
Heartlight Magazine
HM - The Hard Music Magazine
Shlog
Spence Smith
Brian Seay
Keely Scott

Where in the world?

What do the following things have in common?


Chicago, Yellow fever vaccinations, a Fat Ragamuffin and Whittaker Woman, Flower Dust, The BlogFather, and a Shlog.

They won't tell until Monday...


I think they are going to finally put their heads and blogs together and save the world!

Caring...Sharing...Training

The Mustard Seed Communities are designed to care for disabled and mentally retarded children. I've got a buddy heading down to Jamaica at the end of February to help repair the Administration Building at Jacob's Ladder (the newest community).

Pray that God will provide further opportunities for healing, growth, and protect fingers from being smacked by hammers!

Pray that donations will flood the organization - that hearts, minds, and wallets will be open to show the mercy to the kids in Jamaica that God has shown us here in the US.

Shift Happens

If you have the time today, tomorrow, or this weekend watch this entire presentation "Did you know 2.0?". The presentation was developed to get conversations started at local schools about the curriculum they are using to prepare students for the future. The presentation is just about 8 minutes long, but is an important piece to watch and to think about (if you are a parent, a student, or ever planning to have children).

Are the schools you are currently sending your children to preparing them to solve the problems of tomorrow?

iTouch?

Starting the Christmas list early...

3:59:38*

That is my non-official timing for the Chicago Marathon! Did you notice the asterisk?

Jen has done a better job linking stories about the incredible debacle that was the marathon. The farther out from the circumstances the more irritated I get, so I'm going to take a couple days to "cool down" and will post my comments about the run through Hell on October 7, 2007.

Oh yeah. The asterisk. This was my non-official finish time for the Chicago Marathon. Not to shabby for a first timer. Wait - that is the official time they forced me to stop running the marathon. And by "me" I mean roughly 3/4 of those people that trained all Summer and were forced to stop running because the race officials didn't have a good contingency plan in place for the incredible heat.

It is just too bad.

Off to AC

Jen and I leave in the morning to go to Atlantic City for the annual CSTE conference. For the last two years she worked and I played, but this year we are both working.

She'll be working at the conference making sure all the i's are dotted and t's are crossed (that can't be a grammatically correct sentence - how do you actually write that without given ownership to the "i" and "t"?).

This year's conference will have the biggest attendance yet! Apparently there will be a little more than 1000 public health figures converging on AC this next week. This would not be the best week for a bird flu, tuberculosis, sarin, or any other infectious or biological disease to sweep America - all the smartest epidemiologists and public health leaders from around the US and its territories will be in conference break out groups. (So hopefully the doom and gloom of public health will at least wait until the week after next- Thanks.)

Instead of me being able to sleep in and explore whichever city the conference is in (Albequerque, NM or Anaheim, CA the last couple years) - this year I'll be working from the hotel room in the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center in Atlantic City, NJ. I guess this will be the first time that I won't like that I quit teaching the rug-rats of America, all work and no play. Not all is lost - I DO have the ability to "work" from anywhere there is Internet access - that is a plus (silver-lining?); at least I'm not stuck working in Atlanta while Jen is in AC. Also, my daily commute will drop from 1 hour to 14 seconds (from bed to computer desk).

So, for the next week (Saturday-Thursday) Jen and I will be without a child under our feet! Being able to stay out and not worry about getting home to a cranky two year old will be an awesome and earned break. Don't worry about Morgan - Jen's parents are coming in town on Friday night. Morgan will get to play at the park, go to the zoo, swim at the pool, and slide down her new slide (a pre-arrival gift from Ma-maw and Papa).

While we will both miss Morgan terribly it will be a great time for Jen and I to have some date nights (dinner, shows, walk on the boardwalk, gambling Morgan's college fund, etc.). Brea sent us a link to a place that is supposed to have great music and martini's (not a big fan of martinis, but I'm up for some good music).

Any one else have suggestions?

Last Minute Travel Deal...Be sure to check it out!

Anyone interested in vacationing in Antarctica? Here is a blurb from the sale on Antarctica:

"Antarctica is one of the most remote regions in the world, but travelers who make the trip are well-rewarded with views of its rich sea life and the unparalleled beauty of its glacier landscapes. Going here isn't cheap, but a trip to the White Continent is within your reach, because we've scouted out three cruises offering serious discounts. Pick between last-minute savings of $1580 on one of this season's last cruises (the austral summer ends in February), book a November 2007 voyage and get free air from Miami, or save $750 per person off a 19-day crossing in January 2008."

Be sure to sign up early! I'm sure the seats are going fast.