Happy Easter!

 

He's in the Army Now

Yesterday we dropped A.J. off in Knoxville, Tennessee, from where he will be transported to basic training in Ft. Benning, Georgia. It was a beautiful drive down and some good time as a family before sending our boy off on his own.

Then things got really interesting.  We had to set the emergency brake when we dropped A.J. off, and the emergency brake locked on one of our rear wheels.  Noticing something was amiss, we pulled off in the parking lot of an old factory with our rear wheel pouring smoke.  It was almost 5:00 on a Sunday.  We will be forever grateful for a man named Jonathan at the local Pep Boys who put us in contact with a mechanic friend named Howard who spent the next five hours tracking down parts and getting us back on the road.

Roadside Assistance (which we have for only 10,000 more miles!) got the ol' minivan towed for us.  The driver was a conspiracy theorist with PTSD, and we couldn't ride in the tow truck cab due to COVID, but an Ub*r was on the way, so we sent the tow truck on to the auto parts store where Howard was going to replace the brakes.  The Ub*r driver pulled up to us sitting alone in the abandoned factory parking lot with no vehicle, said, "I can't take that many of you," and drove off.  L*ft had no drivers available, and the taxi companies weren't answering their phones.

Through the miracle of F*ceb**k, we got into contact with Stephanie, who was in school with us 20 years ago at Asbury College and now lives in Knoxville. Every once in a while, social media is more than the hellscape of craziness that it so often can be.  Stephanie came and picked up Amy and the girls, and Howard came in his girlfriend's Hummer and took Matt to go in search of the correct brake caliper before all the auto parts stores closed.

While Amy and the girls hung out with Stephanie, Matt held a flashlight while Howard replaced the seized-up brake in the dark in a closed auto parts store parking lot.  Howard did an incredibly selfless thing to give up his evening like he did to get this poor family back on the road.  He earned every one of the cigarettes he smoked along the way.  His girlfriend was a little miffed that he bailed on date night, so Matt bought a restaurant gift card so Howard could take his girl out for a nice dinner.  Howard even called the next morning to make sure we got home okay.  We can't express how much we owe to his kindness.  And all the fun new applications for common everyday swear words.

We were back on the road by 9:30 and were zipping along northward, laughing along to a Jim Gaffigan album, when we came on a rolling roadblock, where the police blocked all three lanes of I-75 while road crews filled potholes.  That significantly dampened our exhausted spirits.  We finally got home and were in bed by about 1:00am.

An adventure that was a nightmare almost from start to finish was something that could certainly have been much worse.  We could still be sitting in an abandoned factory parking lot, waiting for Knoxville Taxi to call us back. (They never did.)  When someone asked us how we would handle sending A.J. off to Army, we confidently commented that our family typically does not get too up or down about things, but we roll with whatever comes our way.  So why should we be surprised that our coping skills were tested later that day?  Above all, we are thankful to be home, safe but a little tired.  Okay, a lot tired.

Congratulations, A.J.!

Ten years ago we took a frightened little boy who had only been in America for a few weeks to his first day of school.  He was placed in the 2nd grade, though he had never gone to school and did not speak any English.  With help from dedicated people like Dana Baker and Melissa Beckley, he succeeded.

Today is A.J.'s last day of high school. We are so proud of him and look forward to all the good things yet to come.

Christmas Letter 2020

(Click image to enlarge)

 

A.J.'s Senior Season

 A.J.'s final high school soccer season was shortened by the pandemic.  The team went 10-4-1, and A.J. finished the season with 6 goals and 2 assists.  The Colts won their district for the 4th consecutive year, and they finished 2nd in the region once again (3 out of 4 years).  The low output for A.J. production-wise was a testament to the attention he drew from opponents seeking to neutralize his impact on the game.  It was a weird season all around, but we are glad he got to play.  He finished his career with a school record 58 goals and was name to the All-State 2nd Team.

Mom pleaded with him for a smile!

The end-of-season awards ceremony (which was held outdoors in gale-force winds)

A.J. with his awards ceremony swag

Chloe's Chicken Pot Pie

 One of the joys (for the rest of the family) of virtual learning is Chloe's Food & Nutrition class, where since she is doing school from home, she has to make her food projects for us instead of her classmates!  Last week Chloe had the assignment of making chicken pot pie.  It was delicious!

I doubt there were may other kids who had to begin by cutting up one of their mom's home-grown chickens.

Putting on the finishing touches

The finished product

Another winner from Chef Chloe's kitchen!