There's a way.
How do you get a 400 pound gas grill out of your truck, when there's no one around to help you?
Well.....if you have a lift available, you use it to lift the grill from the truck, and gently place it on the driveway.
Don't believe me?
Tomorrow is John's birthday, and he got the grill he's wanted all summer. Get him to brag about his new "toy". It even has an oven, so he can bake me a cake while he's grilling the steaks. He broke it in today, we had a barbecue for his birthday. Burgers, hot dogs, tater salad, baked beans, yum!
Happy Birthday John!!!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Saturday, June 21, 2008
The Storm Is Over
Thursday our neighborhood was hit with a severe thunderstorm. Thunder, lightning, pouring down rain, hail, high winds, and after 3 days, the National Weather Service finally admitted that it was indeed a tornado that struck about 2 miles from our house!
No damage here. Thank God! Lots of small branches down, and a back yard that resembled the Okefenokee Swamps!
Thursday was my teaching day at the hospital. I typically leave at 3pm. For some reason, I hung out, chatting with my fellow nurses, then got my stuff together to leave. I dropped by my manager's office to say goodbye when I heard the weather alert on the tv. Savannah was under a severe weather warning from 3:15 until 4:15. I told Leigh I was leaving, before the weather hit. It was raining when I left ( about 3:20), but nothing major. The closer to home I got, the worse it got.
The rain was pouring down, it was dark, the winds were blowing really hard, thunder and lightning all around, and hail bouncing off of my new car! Visibility was down to about 2 car lengths in front of me. There was a bus ahead of me, slowing my progress. I just wanted him to pull over, so I could get around him, and get home where I would be safe!
Approximately 2 1/2 miles from home, the damage starts being apparent. Trees down, some totally blocking the road. At Hesse Elementary school, a downed tree was across the entire road. I had to drive into the school's lot to go around the tree. Then at 2 miles from home a downed tree had traffic blocked. I sat for 45 minutes, waiting to get around the tree!
Once I got home, the storm was over! It rained a little more, but in no time the sky was blue again, and the sun shinning! Our power was knocked out, and wouldn't be restored for 30 hours. That's 30 hours during 90+ degrees! We had the house (with the exception of A/C) connected to the generator for a few hours, but John's poor generator died, and like the rest of the neighborhood, we were left in the dark!
Yesterday was a very long day! Sitting around, waiting for the power to be restored. You really realize how much we depend upon electricity when it's gone. There's not a whole lot to do around here with no power!
We drove around looking at the damage in the area. Downed trees everywhere. Huge oaks totally uprooted. A local church lost their steeple.
And several homes damaged by trees laying on top of them. We were very blessed that the major damage missed us.
I can't help but to wonder, what would have happened if I had left the hospital at 3 like I normally do? I would have been right in the middle of the worst part of it! Would one of those trees have fallen on my car?
Would I still be here today?
Guess we'll never know, now will we?
No damage here. Thank God! Lots of small branches down, and a back yard that resembled the Okefenokee Swamps!
Thursday was my teaching day at the hospital. I typically leave at 3pm. For some reason, I hung out, chatting with my fellow nurses, then got my stuff together to leave. I dropped by my manager's office to say goodbye when I heard the weather alert on the tv. Savannah was under a severe weather warning from 3:15 until 4:15. I told Leigh I was leaving, before the weather hit. It was raining when I left ( about 3:20), but nothing major. The closer to home I got, the worse it got.
The rain was pouring down, it was dark, the winds were blowing really hard, thunder and lightning all around, and hail bouncing off of my new car! Visibility was down to about 2 car lengths in front of me. There was a bus ahead of me, slowing my progress. I just wanted him to pull over, so I could get around him, and get home where I would be safe!
Approximately 2 1/2 miles from home, the damage starts being apparent. Trees down, some totally blocking the road. At Hesse Elementary school, a downed tree was across the entire road. I had to drive into the school's lot to go around the tree. Then at 2 miles from home a downed tree had traffic blocked. I sat for 45 minutes, waiting to get around the tree!
Once I got home, the storm was over! It rained a little more, but in no time the sky was blue again, and the sun shinning! Our power was knocked out, and wouldn't be restored for 30 hours. That's 30 hours during 90+ degrees! We had the house (with the exception of A/C) connected to the generator for a few hours, but John's poor generator died, and like the rest of the neighborhood, we were left in the dark!
Yesterday was a very long day! Sitting around, waiting for the power to be restored. You really realize how much we depend upon electricity when it's gone. There's not a whole lot to do around here with no power!
We drove around looking at the damage in the area. Downed trees everywhere. Huge oaks totally uprooted. A local church lost their steeple.
And several homes damaged by trees laying on top of them. We were very blessed that the major damage missed us.
I can't help but to wonder, what would have happened if I had left the hospital at 3 like I normally do? I would have been right in the middle of the worst part of it! Would one of those trees have fallen on my car?
Would I still be here today?
Guess we'll never know, now will we?
Sunday, June 15, 2008
We're Home!
Phew! What a week!
It all started last Sunday, we drove to Concord North Carolina, home of the Lowe's Motor Speedway. YES....I got to have my NASCAR experience! And I have pictures, a t-shirt, hat, and a Jeff Gordan racing licence to prove it!
It was a BLAST! You start by signing your life away to them, you know, the typical contract that says if you die, you can't come back and sue the track! Then, you get suited up, and they take your picture by a replica of Jeff Gordan's car. I liked my picture from April better than the picture last week. :-(
Then, you do a LOT of sitting around, waiting on the classes ahead of you to get done. Then they take the drivers to the media room to meet the instructors, and go over the rules and regulations. They tell you what the different color flags mean, and how to stay in the path of your instructor's car. Then, they take you outside and introduce you to a Nextel Cup Nascar racing car. They show you how to get in and out of the car, and what to expect. Then, they load the drivers into a van, and drive you around the track. I think so that you can see that you will NOT fall off of those banked turns! They are really steep at the Lowe's track!
Then, they call out groups of about 8 drivers to get helmeted up, and go Zoom Zoom.
I did a ride along with a professional driver, so I did that first. They stuff me into his car (Jeff Gordan's #24 car!) And I do mean STUFF! I got my body in ok, but I couldn't get my head into the window because of the helmet! I thought they would break my neck, trying to stuff my head into the car! Needless to say, they removed my helmet before getting me out of the car! Then, the driver takes off, and runs you around the track 4 times. They say he reaches speeds of 185 mph! I know it was FAST, and like a roller coaster ride, it was over before you knew it! It made me nervous of my driving it alone, I knew there was no way I could ever make that car go anyways near that fast! We were approaching cars on the track, and it looked like he was going to plow right into them! He made me nervous! But, I survived. Then, I waited my turn to drive.
I climb into the Bass Pro car. And they strap me in.
And I mean they strap you in! I don't know how those racers get out of those cars in an emergency! And you can't see what they are doing to you due to the helmet and neck collar. So, I'm all strapped in, and they raise my window curtain. It's show time! The car is idling, and they tell me I am to follow a car who is sitting beside me. So, I wait, this car doesn't move. Then my pit crew boss is looking at me like "why isn't this lady starting?" Then he says, oops, I mean the red car in FRONT of you! Yea, that makes more sense! Now I gotta use all the knowledge that John gave me during those driving lessons of driving a stick shift. In his jeep, I get nervous when starting out, and stall putting it in first gear. This race car, you just take your foot off of the clutch, and it's already moving! So, I am now officially moving.
They tell you to shift at 3,000 rpms. So, you are in 4th gear before getting all the way out of pit row! I wasn't the most graceful shifter, but I got her into 4th gear, then I just sat back and tried my best to keep the car in my instructor's tracks. Which seems like an easy thing to do, but it AINT! It took all of my upper body strength to keep that steering wheel steady! And, I had heard some guys talking that the key to being fast is keep it fast on the turns. So, I am trying my best to speed up on the turns, but my lead car would slow down on the turns! And I found myself having to let up on the gas on too many turns! Every time we approached turn 4, I wanted to give it my all, because I knew John was standing there, and I didn't want to be looking slow on the track! I haven't gotten my official numbers yet, but the girls at the track told me my high speed was 135 mph. Which is ok, I'm not upset by that number, but I wish it were higher! :-( Can't wait to see the video they shot of me. There is a camera mounted in your car, and it records the view out of the windshield, and the view of your head driving! I was so nervous, I forgot all about the camera until the last couple of laps, which is probably a good thing!
After North Carolina we drove up to mom and dad's house. John promised daddy he would change out his electrical meter box, and change him from the old fuses to a breaker box. They spent most of Tuesday fiddling with wires, while mom and I watched. Not much else to do with no electricity! Afterwards, we went to Lee and Chris' house for a picnic. Lots of yummy food, and catching up. Wednesday I drove John around the valley that I grew up in. We went to the Good Zoo at Ogelbay, and went to visit the new high school in my home town. The schools opened over Christmas break. There is one big elementary school for all of the kids, and then a big building that the middle school and high school share. I love the new high school! The doors were unlocked, so we snuck in. Of course it has lots of purple, our school color, and it's so modern, compared to the old building I went to school in! Makes me ALMOST wish I were back in high school again. Notice I said ALMOST!
Thursday was out 4th Anniversary, and I booked us a 2 night stay at a Bed & Breakfast at Atwood Lake.
We visited Amish country, ate lots of good country food, rented a boat and drifted along the lake, and enjoyed some relaxing down time.
Then yesterday we drove back home. It was really good to get back. Meow missed us, and is enjoying some spoiling time!
When I get organized, I'll post some pictures of our adventure.
Penny & John
It all started last Sunday, we drove to Concord North Carolina, home of the Lowe's Motor Speedway. YES....I got to have my NASCAR experience! And I have pictures, a t-shirt, hat, and a Jeff Gordan racing licence to prove it!
It was a BLAST! You start by signing your life away to them, you know, the typical contract that says if you die, you can't come back and sue the track! Then, you get suited up, and they take your picture by a replica of Jeff Gordan's car. I liked my picture from April better than the picture last week. :-(
Then, you do a LOT of sitting around, waiting on the classes ahead of you to get done. Then they take the drivers to the media room to meet the instructors, and go over the rules and regulations. They tell you what the different color flags mean, and how to stay in the path of your instructor's car. Then, they take you outside and introduce you to a Nextel Cup Nascar racing car. They show you how to get in and out of the car, and what to expect. Then, they load the drivers into a van, and drive you around the track. I think so that you can see that you will NOT fall off of those banked turns! They are really steep at the Lowe's track!
Then, they call out groups of about 8 drivers to get helmeted up, and go Zoom Zoom.
I did a ride along with a professional driver, so I did that first. They stuff me into his car (Jeff Gordan's #24 car!) And I do mean STUFF! I got my body in ok, but I couldn't get my head into the window because of the helmet! I thought they would break my neck, trying to stuff my head into the car! Needless to say, they removed my helmet before getting me out of the car! Then, the driver takes off, and runs you around the track 4 times. They say he reaches speeds of 185 mph! I know it was FAST, and like a roller coaster ride, it was over before you knew it! It made me nervous of my driving it alone, I knew there was no way I could ever make that car go anyways near that fast! We were approaching cars on the track, and it looked like he was going to plow right into them! He made me nervous! But, I survived. Then, I waited my turn to drive.
I climb into the Bass Pro car. And they strap me in.
And I mean they strap you in! I don't know how those racers get out of those cars in an emergency! And you can't see what they are doing to you due to the helmet and neck collar. So, I'm all strapped in, and they raise my window curtain. It's show time! The car is idling, and they tell me I am to follow a car who is sitting beside me. So, I wait, this car doesn't move. Then my pit crew boss is looking at me like "why isn't this lady starting?" Then he says, oops, I mean the red car in FRONT of you! Yea, that makes more sense! Now I gotta use all the knowledge that John gave me during those driving lessons of driving a stick shift. In his jeep, I get nervous when starting out, and stall putting it in first gear. This race car, you just take your foot off of the clutch, and it's already moving! So, I am now officially moving.
They tell you to shift at 3,000 rpms. So, you are in 4th gear before getting all the way out of pit row! I wasn't the most graceful shifter, but I got her into 4th gear, then I just sat back and tried my best to keep the car in my instructor's tracks. Which seems like an easy thing to do, but it AINT! It took all of my upper body strength to keep that steering wheel steady! And, I had heard some guys talking that the key to being fast is keep it fast on the turns. So, I am trying my best to speed up on the turns, but my lead car would slow down on the turns! And I found myself having to let up on the gas on too many turns! Every time we approached turn 4, I wanted to give it my all, because I knew John was standing there, and I didn't want to be looking slow on the track! I haven't gotten my official numbers yet, but the girls at the track told me my high speed was 135 mph. Which is ok, I'm not upset by that number, but I wish it were higher! :-( Can't wait to see the video they shot of me. There is a camera mounted in your car, and it records the view out of the windshield, and the view of your head driving! I was so nervous, I forgot all about the camera until the last couple of laps, which is probably a good thing!
After North Carolina we drove up to mom and dad's house. John promised daddy he would change out his electrical meter box, and change him from the old fuses to a breaker box. They spent most of Tuesday fiddling with wires, while mom and I watched. Not much else to do with no electricity! Afterwards, we went to Lee and Chris' house for a picnic. Lots of yummy food, and catching up. Wednesday I drove John around the valley that I grew up in. We went to the Good Zoo at Ogelbay, and went to visit the new high school in my home town. The schools opened over Christmas break. There is one big elementary school for all of the kids, and then a big building that the middle school and high school share. I love the new high school! The doors were unlocked, so we snuck in. Of course it has lots of purple, our school color, and it's so modern, compared to the old building I went to school in! Makes me ALMOST wish I were back in high school again. Notice I said ALMOST!
Thursday was out 4th Anniversary, and I booked us a 2 night stay at a Bed & Breakfast at Atwood Lake.
We visited Amish country, ate lots of good country food, rented a boat and drifted along the lake, and enjoyed some relaxing down time.
Then yesterday we drove back home. It was really good to get back. Meow missed us, and is enjoying some spoiling time!
When I get organized, I'll post some pictures of our adventure.
Penny & John
Thursday, June 5, 2008
A Love For God
John's oldest nephew Matthew is having a few moments of fame. He participates in a video program at his school. In April, they shot some short PSAs to appear on our local tv stations. This is my favorite one. Titled "A Love For God." Matthews's voice is the first young man who speaks. He appears in the shot of the classroom, he's the one facing the camera. And again when the boys are praying at the meal, he's on the right hand side of the screen.
So Matt, enjoy your walk of fame! You deserve it!
And people think they need to take prayer out of our schools? Oh I don't think so!
So Matt, enjoy your walk of fame! You deserve it!
And people think they need to take prayer out of our schools? Oh I don't think so!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
5 Days Until ZOOM ZOOM!
Maybe THIS time it will actually take place? If it rains.....I swear to you, I will not be held resposible for what happens next! I just want to drive really, really fast! Is that too much to ask for! PLEASE pray for NO RAIN on Charlotte North Carolina at the Lowes' Motor Speedway Sunday afternoon, from about 4pm till....oh....maybe 8ish? After 8, it can do whatever it wants to do, as long as I get to drive!
Sunday officially starts a week long vacation for John and myself. We start with my race car adventure in North Carolina, then Monday morning we drive up to mom and dad's house. John is doing some electrical work for daddy, IF it doesn't rain! Notice a pattern here?! LOL We'll spend a few days with mom and dad, my sister Lee Ann and her husband Chris,, and anybody else we might encounter on the trip. Then Thursday we drive to Atwood Lake, and spend our anniversary at a Bed & Breakfast at Atwood Lake. Hopefully, we can rent a speed boat, and spend some relaxing time floating on the lake. Can you believe we've been married 4 years?! Where did the time go? Seems like just yesterday I was running around with the final details of the wedding. It's been a wonderful 4 years, I wouldn't change the last 4 years for anything! I love you more today than yesterday babe. And can't wait to start the beginning of the next 4 years, .. 14 years,... 40 years!!
In honor of our anniversary, I thought I'd drag out one of my favorite photos, dust it off, and put it on the blog.
Thanks for looking.
Sunday officially starts a week long vacation for John and myself. We start with my race car adventure in North Carolina, then Monday morning we drive up to mom and dad's house. John is doing some electrical work for daddy, IF it doesn't rain! Notice a pattern here?! LOL We'll spend a few days with mom and dad, my sister Lee Ann and her husband Chris,, and anybody else we might encounter on the trip. Then Thursday we drive to Atwood Lake, and spend our anniversary at a Bed & Breakfast at Atwood Lake. Hopefully, we can rent a speed boat, and spend some relaxing time floating on the lake. Can you believe we've been married 4 years?! Where did the time go? Seems like just yesterday I was running around with the final details of the wedding. It's been a wonderful 4 years, I wouldn't change the last 4 years for anything! I love you more today than yesterday babe. And can't wait to start the beginning of the next 4 years, .. 14 years,... 40 years!!
In honor of our anniversary, I thought I'd drag out one of my favorite photos, dust it off, and put it on the blog.
Thanks for looking.
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