This week is a big one for Meagan as she is returning to working outside the home for the first time in seven years. She will be a third-grade teacher at a private school. Noah and Madi will attend there and Andrew and Grayson will attend the preschool so it’ll be all in the family.
We’re so proud of Meagan for this big step and know that her students will love her.
We have a second teacher in the family. Gage is rearranging his hours at Trader Joe’s so that he can also teach at a local private school. He is such a hard worker and puts his whole heart into everything he does.
And that hard work includes the artwork he does for Trader Joe’s. It’s an honor to be invited onto the art team and I think we can agree that he’s earned it. The first two pictures are chalk drawings on the front windows celebrating back to school and a few area mascots.
One of his many whimsical pricing signs.
As we get to know Tippi a little better, we are finding out all sorts of endearing qualities. Unlike our previous dogs, Tippi is our Travelin’ Doggie, always ready to get in the car and go bye-bye.
I drove home from work the other day in Steve’s car. Steve was outside with Tippi and as soon as I opened the car door Tippi jumped on my lap, jumped over me, and established herself in the passenger seat. When I went over and opened the passenger-side door to get her out she jumped over to the driver’s side. I went to the driver’s side and . . . you guessed it. Over to the passenger’s side.
I realized this was going to be an unwinnable game so I just went into the house. Ten minutes later, Tippi was still in the car, waiting for one of her humans to take her bye-bye. That’s my girl! Loves a good road trip.
When I get into my car each afternoon after work, I always ask Siri for directions home, just so I can see what the time estimate is and if I need to take any alternate routes.
The other day after working 9 1/2 hours, I was so tired. I got into the car, picked up my phone, and without thinking said, “Thank you for calling (insert company name here.) How may I direct your call?”
And then I just sat there and laughed for five minutes. At least I amuse myself.
THING FIVE
I was heading into work early Wednesday morning when my car started making some noises that did not sound happy, even to an untrained ear like mine. I went back to the house and got Steve’s car and continued on my way.
Steve knows I don’t love driving his Mazda Miata so he really pushed himself to get my car fixed which entailed doing a whole brake job which is a complex task.
I got home from work that evening and he was out in the rain working.
Shortly after I had gotten into bed, he came in to show me one of the parts he was working with.
The next morning I awakened to this Post-it note. It said, “Thy chariot awaits, my lady.”
He’s definitely a keeper!
Steve had such a good time with the Wisconsin relatives. Deb picked him up at the airport and Randy gave him a warm Wisconsin welcome. (Isn’t Deb’s house so cute in the background?)
He ate a Brussels sprout and made quite a production of it since he rarely eats those. He was definitely living on the wild side!
Of course, no visit to Wisconsin is complete without cheese curds being involved.
It goes without saying that the guys loved the air show. Steve’s favorite planes were the ones that his dad had flown. My favorite plane was one his dad had flown plus we have a model of it on our dresser plus it’s cute and yellow. (T-6 Texan)
Here’s another one his dad flew that we also have a model of. (T-28 Trojan)
Randy and Debbie just put in a cement patio in their backyard so they all got to sit and enjoy each others’ company in the lovely Wisconsin eventide. I hope to get up there in the fall when I have a little more time put in at work. Can’t wait to sit in that very spot and watch the moon rise.
From Libya to England to New Mexico to Nebraska to Florida to Pennsylvania to Hawaii to New Mexico (again) to Charlotte to Mooresville.
Are you wondering what sort of item would have made such a journey? Well, take a look at the two carved elephants in Nathan’s office bookcase. Many years ago, Ken brought those home from one of his overseas trips, and through the years, Nathan has always been drawn to them.
And now they belong to him and he gets to look at them every day and remember their journeys in the Smith family from a generation ago. A new Smith family will now take them along with them on their future journeys.
Thursday night I got home from work and Steve said, “Nathan is coming over in a few minutes to pick something up. He asked if he could stay for dinner.
Well, I was thrilled. Getting to feed my son! Getting to sit and talk with him! Getting to spend the evening with him! Be still my heart.
I bustled around to try to make the house as cozy and welcoming as possible. It was cool and raining outside . . .
which made the inside feel all the cozier.
I got to thinking that after the massive amount of change that Nathan’s family has been through in the last year, how comforting it must be to walk into the house that he was first carried into thirty-three years ago. He’s changed a little since then.
There is something so soul-soothing that comes from pulling into the driveway of a familiar home. Some of the house has changed, of course, but its essence is the same. It still serves as a haven and place of rest for all who walk through the doors just the way it did in Ken and Vernie’s day.
Open doors. Good food. Light. Warmth. Acceptance. Laughter.
Home, sweetest, home.
What about you?
Are you a coffee or a tea drinker? How about chai tea? Why do you like one better than the other?
Do you like Brussels sprouts?
Are there any items you own that have interesting histories?
Since I told you about Steve’s trip, I want to hear the favorite place you went this summer.
Oh, I love the elephants! Didn’t get to travel at all this Summer, but ever so thankful for an afternoon at the beach with my son and grandson…I felt so refreshed and healthy after a couple hours in the ocean salt water?
I want to like Brussel Sprouts, I really do! I finally seasoned them with salt, pepper garlic powder, wrapped in bacon, a sprinkle of brown sugar, and drizzled with maple syrup, then roasted…they were quite good. Sadly, whatever good things they have to offer were outweighed by my additions. Too much work to make them tasty, so…I’ll just keep wanting to like them!
Guerrina,
Yes, ocean salt water is one of the most therapeutic things there is. Mix it with some sun, son, and a grandson, and you’re all set!
I think I would LOVE your Brussel Sprouts. 🙂 But you’re right, it’s a lot of work just to make them tasty enough to eat. I think we can agree that we can go through the rest of our lives without them.
I’ve had to play catch up on your posts (maybe 2 months worth). It’s been a busy summer with family time and some heart health issues. I could have commented on each post but don’t know how your comments work. I’ve spent the past week or more going through my late Mom’s things that have been sitting on my dining room floor for 2 years (and some of my Dad’s things that my Mom had so stuff I haven’t seen before). I’m making a dent and trying to get some organization so that the next owners of these things will know more of what is in the boxes (hopefully I will have it down to two). This Monday the 14th I am scheduled to have a patch put on a hole in my heart. I am overwhelmed but hope to be calm by the time I’m on the table. 🙏 I don’t think I still have your email address. Perhaps you can see mine when I put it on the sign in info for this comment.
Marylea,
Good to hear from you again.
Glad you to know you have made such good progress going through your mom and dad’s belongings and getting it down to two boxes. Big accomplishment!
Sorry you are having heart issues but so thankful for the great medical help that is available to you. Prayers for peace during this upcoming procedure. Hugs!
I like sweet iced tea with a flavor shot (usually some kind of berry). Nope – don’t eat Brussels sprouts. As always lots of great pictures and a peek into the Smith’s adventures with the Thing post!! Always one of my favorites! Have a great week.
Sue Ellen,
A berry flavor shot sounds good although I have never learned to like iced tea. Glad you enjoy the Thing Posts!
Congratulations to Meagan on her teaching position! What grades will Noah and Madison be in?
Congratulations also to Gage. What will he be teaching? His artwork is phenomenal!
I like to use the GPS on my phone too to gauge what time I’ll get home, even if I’ve driven the route a hundred times.
I make hot tea in my Keurig in the morning then pour it over ice. I’m not much of a hot beverage drinker. When I drink iced tea, it is always unsweetened.
I have a decorative bowl that was one of my maternal grandparents’ wedding gifts. I also have a cameo that my grandmother wore at her wedding. I bought a new chain for it many years ago as the one that it was on was very old and not in great shape.
I haven’t been anywhere special this summer. I usually wait until kids go back to school since I don’t have to work around that schedule. I did go to Mountain Home, AR Saturday and back on Sunday. I left around 11:30 Saturday and got back around 7:00 Sunday. I got to see my niece and her husband’s house they have rented there and saw him installed as the Director of Parish Music on Sunday.
Phyllis,
I think Madi is in 3rd and Noah 4th. I can’t quite keep up with them. There are several third grades so Madi won’t be in Meagan’s class. Gage is teaching history and science.
How special to have a bowl from your grandparents’ wedding. What a treasure!
It’s so fun to see Gage’s artwork at TJ’s! I love that he is such a great addition to their team.
This is a wonderful recipe for Brussels sprouts: https://rasamalaysia.com/crispy-garlic-sauteed-brussels-sprouts/. I don’t always saute the garlic as written–usually I just dump in some garlic powder! I didn’t grow up eating them….but I do like them know if the are cooked well (roasted/sauteed–definitely on the crispy side!) with a good sauce or flavoring.
Definitely team tea! Our kids got me a Breville tea maker several years ago–one of my favorite gifts ever! It brews tea to the correct specifications of the particular type of tea. I love it!
Blessings on you, Becky!
DeLynn,
I guess I could possibly eat a Brussels sprout if it was roasted with garlic; otherwise, I’m not a huge fan. ALL veggie taste great when they’re roasted!
The tea brewer sounds perfect. What thoughtful kids!
I love Trader Joe’s but I am not willing to drive an hour and a half to get to one! We have a wonderful market really close by, the down side is how expensive it is. So I don’t shop there very often.
Cindy,
I’m surprised in a metropolis your size there isn’t a TJ’s closer. It’s always nice to find a grocery store you really like–sad that the prices are high.
I absolutely love Trader Joes!! They have so many fun things and delicious food. Gage has such a talent! I’m sure he will be a fantastic teacher.
We went to Alaska this summer to celebrate my retirement. It was breath-taking. I was constantly in awe of God’s great love for us.
Lisa,
Alaska. What an adventure! You are so right that breathtaking scenery like that can only remind us of God–His love and his creativity. He done good!
It must be so nice for Nathan to have that house as a constant in his life. My grandparents home was always the place that felt most familiar to me.
I love chai tea. My work takes me to India often, and there’s something special about making a cup of chai at home and remembering the adventures I’ve had all over India.
I just got back from a little weekend backpacking trip with my parents. They are in their sixties, and I am so grateful they are still able to go camping with me. I’m sure your kids are delighted that you are close enough to make memories with through the ups and downs of daily life.
Robin,
How cool that you get to travel to India! What work do you do that takes you there.
It’s true that food and drink can so easily evoke memories of certain places. I’m sure drinking chai tea in India is an amazing experience.
I love that your parents are backpacking in their 60’s. Enjoy these years!
Hi Becky,
I am an engineer and work for a non-profit organization that designs medical devices for low and middle-income countries. While I have been to India many times, I spend most of my time in hospitals, so each little outing to get chai or take a walk is a precious memory. I try to take every opportunity to travel as I don’t yet have kids and know these days are numbered.
Robin,
How wonderful to have a job that lets you travel PLUS allows you to make a huge difference in the lives of so many people.
Bless you as you continue doing what you do and enjoy those little chai breaks along the way.
Oh, definitely coffee!! I do like hot peppermint tea on a cold winter day though. So warming!
I really do love Brussels sprouts! Oven roasted with some olive oil and sea salt. Yum!
We went to Florida this summer. Drove from Nebraska. It was a two week trip. Had a really great time. But my goodness. The heat and humidity combined were insane. I think I’d rather visit there in the winter. Lol
We also went to South Dakota for a week with a group of friends and that was my favorite trip! We took our side-by-sides and rode trails. Some were really gnarly, rocky, and intense! SO much fun! The weather was great too!
Good luck to Meagan and Gage in their new teaching positions!
Wisconsin looks beautiful!
LeeAnne,
Yes, heat and humidity mixed together are very not much fun. I’m looking forward to Nathan and the family getting to experience fall and winter in the Carolinas and leave all the Florida heat behind.
Sounds like you always have the best adventures. Gnarly, rocky and intense . . . pretty exciting adjectives! Glad it was a great summer.
Hi from stormy Denmark!
What a great thing post. Which subject are they going to teach ? Sounds like a exciting new season !
I love tea
And I do like chai but that is more a treat thing I drink if I am a bookstore or cafe
Katrina,
Meagan will teach all subjects and Gage will teach science and history.
Enjoy your future chai/bookstore outings. 🙂
The kids in my area (Harford County, MD) are getting ready to go back to school at the end of August.
I usually only drink coffee and hot vanilla chai in the winter months as I think it keeps me a little warmer than tea. However, I LOVE Iced Tea slightly sweetened and Iced Vanilla Chai. Those are usually my go to drinks from Spring to Fall time.
I have some antique items from Germany when we lived there in the 80’s. I have a three-piece shrunk in my dining room as well as a shrunk like closet in my bedroom. They are very heavy to move, and they don’t get moved often.
This summer, I’ve taken a couple of day trips to Virginia to do different things. I think going to Virginia Beach to attend a friends’ Authority Day (which is like their 4th of July) has been the best trip this summer. I have a girls’ trip coming up later this week for a concert and a day trip to Hershey Park. Then this weekend, I’ll be attending my first bowling tournament. Nervous and scared about that. I’m really looking forward to going to New York this Fall for a Wedding.
Michelle,
I had to look up what a shrunk is. I always learn cool things from readers! I saw pictures online and could tell just by looking that they would be incredibly heavy. But how cool to have those items in your life.
I’m assuming that since you’re nervous you’re actually going to be bowling in the tournament and not just attending? Sounds like a great adventure!
Oh no! It happened again! I had a whole long, juicy, relevant post and it disappeared when I clicked ‘post comment.’
Short version: YAY for Meagan and Gage teaching! YAY for Steve fixing your car! YAY for the matching planes! I have my great-grandmother’s cast iron skillet. Love both brussels sprouts and coffee (but not together). Mike drinks tea (not surprisingly).
No “trips” but we are visiting all of the Missouri Courthouses, at some point, and photographing them. Missouri has 114 counties and we’ve visited 31 courthouses so far.
Stefanie,
Oh dear. I don’t know why the internet eats up long, juicy, relevant posts. Sorry about that!
Thanks for persisting with the short version and for “YAYING” along with us.
I can only imagine the deliciousness that has been cooked up in that skillet over the decades. YAY for old cast iron!
LOTS of changes for the Nathan/Meagan team this year! So happy for her that she’s found a place to share her knowledge with lots of little people. 🙂 Third grade is such a fun age group!
Wow! Gage will be teaching too? Is there NOTHING he can’t do? What a talented, all-around guy! I know yall are very proud of him. 🙂
Love the plane photos – and so cool that you have a model of one of the planes Steve saw. 🙂 And he’s an amazing guy, fixing your brakes in the rain! 🙂
I love both coffee and brussels sprouts, but not together. haha We roast ours in olive oil then drizzle them with a balsamic glaze. Or we roast them in olive oil, salt, pepper, and parmesan. We generally buy the HUGE bag of them from Sam’s Club! Mike is the tea drinker (of course), but I’ll occasionally have tea if we’re back in England – it’s easier than ordering “coffee with cream” because that just doesn’t work over there. lol I’ve never tried Chai tea, but my friend drinks it all the time.
I have my great-grandmother’s cast iron skillet – does that count as something interesting?
We haven’t been anywhere on vacation since summer officially began, other than weekend day/road trips around Missouri. We’ve set a goal to visit every county courthouse (and document them with photos) in the state. Missouri has 114 counties, and we’ve “officially” (because we have been to many of these counties previously, but not to document the courthouses) seen 31 courthouses now. Some counties also have two county seats, so we will see more than 114 buildings. Some counties also have new buildings, while the old/historic buildings still exist, but we are only photographing “active” facilities. Mike and I take turns planning the day’s drive. The planner is also the driver and the food-finder or picnic-packer. 🙂
We’ve learned a lot along the way; yesterday, we learned about Jim the Wonder Dog when we were in Fayette. 🙂 https://www.jimthewonderdog.org/
Stefanie,
I found your missing comment; it ended up in the blog’s spam folder of all things.
I love the idea of visiting all of the county courthouses. I always enjoy seeing the different courthouses, especially when I’m puttering my way through a small town. And how great that you divide up responsibility for the trips and planning. You’ve got a good thing going on there!
And I was glad to learn about Jim the Wonder Dog. A remarkable animal!
Love your “thing” posts. Prayers for the teachers as they head into the classroom. I do miss teaching, but not the work of it, just the kids.
Since I can’t have caffine, I do have an occasional decafe coffee or herbal tea. My go to hot beverage of the last year or so is a brewed cacao bean. I buy them online from Crio Bru and love it. A slight chocolate taste but not sweet. It is a flavor many wouldn’t like, but I find it delightful with a couple splashes of cream. Brewed it is 99% caffine free.
I love brussel sprouts and always have. I like lemon juice on mine while my husband like butter. A game changer flavor is when they are sliced in half, tossed in olive oil and salt, the roasted in the oven. The flavor is so good I don’t put anything on them.
I have a lot of old things that my parents had, but none have interesting stories. Sadly their grandkids aren’t interested in most of the items. I don’t have kids of my own so not sure where things will end up.
Our only trip was early this summer to DC to see a granddaughter graduate from Georgetown University. It was a fun trip and got to take a night walk of the monuments which is always a delight.
Patti,
How cool to take a night walk of the monuments. I’ve only seen them during the day; I can imagine they would evoke a whole different set of emotions lit up at night.
All of you “roasted Brussels sprouts” commenter are almost making me want to try them. I’ll be sure to post about it if I do.
I’ve never heard of a brewed cacao bean. Glad you’ve found something you enjoy drinking that doesn’t have caffeine.
My favorite place I went this summer is HERE, my home, after a month inpatient physical therapy after a few days in the hospital after surgery for my broken femur! Truly no place like it, no matter how humble!
Jan, my mom broke her femur almost 3 years ago. She was inpatient in one hospital for 6 days for surgery, then returned to their hometown hospital that has swing beds for another 18 days. She was 89 at the time. Her surgeon said she had a pretty bad break. She had also had that hip replaced in 2010 so he was concerned that he might have to revise that replacement. Fortunately he didn’t have to. I know she was glad to get back home then.
Jan,
So good to hear from you again. And yes, your own bed, kitchen, and bathroom after a month of of hospitalization and PT must be the sweetest thing on earth. Since you ARE home that must mean you are doing a lot better which makes me happy!