Christmas Morning 2007

To me, the best part of Christmas is Jesus.

The second best part of Christmas is Nathan. He has been my best gift for six years now, and watching him open his presents and give his personally selected gifts to us was almost more than I could contain. Last year we were amazed at how he hand-picked our gifts from Santa's Workshop at school. I had no idea a 5-year old could select such individually appropriate gifts. He gave me a tiger figurine for my desk at school, the home of the Tomlin Tigers. This year DeeDee took him to the dollar store and let him pick out his gifts for us. My gift was a hugging teddy bear. I keep it at school attached to one of Nathan's pictures for the times I need a hug from Bubby.

I think this was the best Christmas morning so far. Carla made a breakfast casserole, the coffee was perking, and then Nathan started handing out gifts and opening presents of his own. He was so excited and so grateful for his presents. We got hugs and kisses for every gift he opened. I hope we are not spoiling him, but he's the only one we have to spend our money on right now. Hint! Hint!

You know you are truly blessed when your family asks for your Christmas list and you can't think of one thing you need. Okay, at least any affordable thing you need. If I wrote a Christmas list it would go like this:

1. a new roof
2. my house tented and fumigated
3. new ball joints on my car
4. new carpet
5. new blinds

and most of all . . .

6. an iPhone!

No one in my family wanted to spend that big, so I settled for some DVDs and a nice cash gift from Mama and Daddy that has already been put in iPhone savings.

Here are a few snapshots from our wonderful Christmas morning . . . .

Carla & Todd

Nathan gives his daddy golf balls.

"It rhymes with Winnie the Pooh."

It IS Winnie the Pooh!

Nathan gives Uncle Howie a huggable teddy bear and a hug.

DeeDee gets a digital camera.

Mommy opens her scented candle.

A bit of drama induced by a Nintendo DS Mario Kart game from Uncle Howie.

Pokémon chapter books

Pokémon drawing books

After we finished opening presents, Nathan volunteered (can you believe it?) to do the sign language performance he gave at his school program in Jamaica. The song was "Living Word" by Fred Hammond. This anointed song, plus Nathan's sign language brought us to tears. We are such cry-babies!

Bread of Life, sent down from Glory,
Many things You were on Earth,
A Holy King, a carpenter,
You are the Living Word

Bread of Heaven, sent down from Glory
Many things You were on Earth,
A Holy King, a carpenter,
You are the Living Word

Awesome Ruler, Gentle Redeemer,
God With Us, the Living Truth,
And what a Friend we have in You,
You are the Living Word

Jesus, Jesus, that's what we call You,
Manger born, but on a tree,
You died to save humanity
You are the Living Word

And now a first for Nathan's Uncle. Not a YouTube link, but my own uploaded video. I give you my nephew, Nathan . . . .

Christmas Eve at April & John's House

Yes, I know I haven't posted in over a month. Things happen, but I'm back now. Forgive me!

We spent Christmas Eve at April & John's house. John fried turkeys, baked hams, and barbecued ribs. The ladies provided the sides and desserts. Love those mustard greens and pecan pie!

Gayle, Mark, Todd, Daddy, Carla, and part of April

Uncle Layne, Aunt Sharon, and Mama

April's daughter, Layna

Carla & Nathan

After Christmas Eve dinner, we gathered in the living room and sang carols. Thanks John & April for bringing us all together at your house.

You can read more about the evening on Carla's blog here.

And Aubrey Was Her Name . . .

And Aubrey was her name,
A not so very ordinary girl or name . . .

Three weeks to the day after I said goodbye to my little buddy, Taylor, I had to send his lifelong companion and my sweet girl, Aubrey, back to her Creator.

Aubrey came to live with me on October 27, 1990. Everyone who knew her would agree that I could not have found a sweeter angel to share my life. She, too, will be greatly missed.

How 'bout that baby girl?

I have been a dachshund-lover all my life, but Aubrey was my first longhair. Her mother, Suki's Pretty Girl, was a show dog and the most stunningly beautiful doxie I had ever seen. My little pick of the litter was a red sable like her mother, so I named her Blount's Auburn Girl and called her Aubrey for short.

Aubrey had a strong mothering instinct, and although he was always afraid of them, Taylor fathered 9 of Aubrey's 14 puppies from three litters.

A U B R E Y
August 27, 1990 - November 30, 2007

Goodbye, Aub'ey!

I love you, sweet angel . . .

How I miss the girl
And I'd go a million times around the world just to say
She had been mine for a day . . .

Lyrics excerpted from Aubrey by David Gates and recorded by Bread
© Kipahulu Music, ASCAP

A Lovely Mess

This is what happens when you let a candle burn too long, but I thought it created an amazing paradox, a lovely mess. I watched as the wax poured like a waterfall and then cooled like lava into an exquisite tabletop design. Hey Rhoda, how's that for a decorating tip?

Thanksgiving 2007

I didn't go to the mountains for Thanksgiving this year. For some reason, I just didn't feel up to the drive. Last year, although I had invitations, I spent Thanksgiving alone at the cabin. I bought a rotisserie chicken and a pumpkin pie, whipped up some Stovetop Stuffing, slid The Waltons Thanksgiving in the DVD player, and had a great time all by myself.

Yesterday, my Thanksgiving morning started out with a phone call from Carla and Nathan. They were headed out the door to spend the day with missionary friends in Christiana, Jamaica. We're all looking forward to the Hoods coming home for Christmas.

This year, Mama, Daddy, and I spent Thanksgiving with the Hills. Heather and Tim, JerriLynn, Joslyn, and Javin Rodriguez were there, too. When we arrived, Uncle Olan, Doyle, and Tim were watching the game on the widescreen plasma. For those of you who know me well . . . I still don't get it.

Thanks to Mama, Uncle Olan, and Aunt Mary Lou, Thanksgiving dinner was a feast as usual, complete with a baked turkey, a fried turkey, dressing, chicken & dumplings, broccoli casserole, squash casserole, eggplant casserole, mustard greens, rutabagas, ambrosia, pecan pie, and pumpkin cake. I would have enjoyed Todd's baked ham and Holli's or Lisa's potato salad, but since I didn't cook a thing, I can't complain.

It was great to see Doyle and catch up again. After dinner, Heather was wading through the sale papers planning her Black Friday itinerary with Uncle Olan and Aunt Mary Lou. Uncle Olan likes to shop as much as any woman I know. I glanced through some of the sale papers, too, but I found nothing that would make me subject myself to that madness.

I hope all my readers had a special Thanksgiving wherever you are, and that you are as thankful for the blessings in your life as I am for mine.

Mr. Blount's Classroom Goes Online

Just a note for my readers to check out my newest blog, Mr. Blount's Classroom. It's something I've been trying to work out since school started, and I finally got it up and running. It probably won't interest most of you, but I'm sure inquiring minds like April will want to have regular updates on what's happening at school. This site will be kept positive and informative. Sorry, no politics here! You can find that at Eyes Wide Open.

Part 2 - Dunn's River Falls, Jamaica

My very first blog post on Nathan's Uncle was June 18. In that post I told how Nathan was my favorite subject, but that I hoped to write about many of my favorite things. I included a brainstormed list of many of those things. The first two topics in my list of favorites were mountains and waterfalls. Later, on June 29, I wrote about my trip out West and how Jackson Hole, Wyoming, was the most beautiful place on Earth.

Well, on Friday, November 1, those two posts collided in Ocho Rios (or "Ochy" as the locals call it), Jamaica. Todd, Carla, Nathan, and I visited what may well be the second most beautiful spot on Earth. Dunn's River Falls is the number one tourist destination in Jamaica, as well it should be. Cruise ships haul in visitors by the thousands to climb the falls from bottom to top. Fortunately, we hit it on a day when no cruise ships were in port.

The following photo-sequence tells the story of the amazing day we spent together:

They made me ride in the back seat with Nathan all the way from Montego Bay to Ocho Rios. Not only that . . . they forced me to ride with him in the back seat all the way back, including Todd's navigation through the interminable traffic and gridlocks in MoBay. I know . . . sometimes people treat you that way, and you just have to put up with it.

The lush tropical foliage speaks for itself.

Parking is at the top of the falls, and we couldn't resist stopping for some pictures before hiking to the bottom.

My sweet sister, Carla . . . the best brother-in-law ever, Todd . . . and of course the center of my world, Nathan . . . meet the Hoods, missionary associates to Jamaica!

"Am I going to climb this waterfall or not?"

Snapped on our way down. I thought this sign had a vintage Hollywood look.

A bit of history.

Where the falls meet the beach.

Dunn's River flows into the Caribbean Sea.

We begin the ascent alone.

At this point we decide to let an escorted tour group go ahead so we could follow in their steps. This illustrates how large groups navigate the falls by holding hands in single file.

We've only just begun.

I think this image through the jungle foliage has great 3-D composition. Cool shot, Carla!

Another interesting shot. I love the jungle vines in this one. The escorts for the tour group lagged behind to assist us, even though we had not hired them. We tipped them when we reached the top.

He-Man and the Olympic Gold Medalist.

Otherworldly.

Near the top. Almost Heaven.

Carla, thanks for being our official trek photographer. You got some amazing shots, Sister!

Footnote: I still remember the night several years ago when Todd told me they were going to be missionaries to Jamaica. I didn't receive the news well. They would be taking my one and only nephew away from me. Over time, I came to accept the inevitable, and being a missionary's kid myself I knew that Nathan would get to experience many things that the average American kid would never be able to do, and I could never deny him those benefits. Watching Nathan climb Dunn's River Falls and swim near the coral reef at Doctor's Cave confirmed that knowledge for me.