My Mom is an Olympic Champion!

Yes, it's true. She won the 100-meter run in the Tennessee Senior Olympics, finishing in 18.69 seconds. I will post a picture later, with more results. (The Commercial Appeal did not spell our name correctly: it's Stricklin.)

Congratulazioni Mom! Ti amo!

14 Years Ago Today

Fourteen years ago today this little man came into my life. What a beautiful boy on the outside and beautiful person on the inside. (Yeah, I know, not that cute in this picture, but after a harrowing journey into fresh air they put those eyedrops in his eyes. He barely opened them again for another three days.)

If I had been the one picking, I confess, I would not have chosen a boy. I already had a girl--the hand-me-downs were queued up, and I knew (at least I thought) what to do with a girl. And have you seen the boys' toy aisle in any store? Yikes! And the boys' clothing section? It's a fraction of what is offered for girls. But God gave me a boy, proving that He knows best, and I discovered how much fun boys are, including their toys.

Happy Birthday, Son!

Matt the Dog

Matt came from Horse Creek Wildlife animal rescue in 2001, and he has been the best dog a family could hope for. Now he loves the FC as much as we do. He has wide open spaces to run and roam, and has made it his calling to mark every tree, lamp post, and twig when we go walking. He runs ahead of us so he can wade into the ponds and creek when it's hot, and he sometimes takes off into the woods after the rustle of a critter. He is loyal, and a shepherd at heart, so his number one job is keeping the family herded together, a job he takes very seriously.

Family Fun: Lowe's Build and Grow Workshop

On certain Saturdays (I haven't quite nailed down the days/pun intended) Lowe's has kids workshops. Each kid gets a kit that contains materials to build a little project. We discovered the workshop during a Lowe's run in December and acutally had enough time to stay and enjoy it. Le ragazze (the girls) built little wooden gingerbread houses and decorated them with stickers from the kit. We went back this Saturday and they assembled time capsules, which looked sort of like those containers you exchange deposits and withdrawals with the teller in the bank drive-through, except made of wood. Each kid also gets a kid-size Lowe's work apron (to keep) and a little badge to put on the apron for each project they complete. Good, free fun!

Additional note: I researched this a little more and it's called the Lowe's Build and Grow Workshop. The next one listed on their web site is on February 14, building a cute Valentine's Day box.