Lost Sea Adventure

One can do only so many weekends of home improvement projects until it is time to go on an adventure.  Also, one can only stand so much of a cranky wife before one has to beg her to leave the house.  And so, Sam and I went to...

When beginning your lost sea adventure, please be advised that while the America's largest underground lake is cool, the place where you wait for tickets is not.   This summer I have lost all touch with what outside feels like.  My desk job is in a building where the heat varies wildly, and my office is usually somewhere in the arctic tundra range.  I wear sweaters to work while the rest of the world feels the 96 degrees and humidity.  Thus, I am spoiled and unprepared for reality and fall apart in the sun.  Especially when I was already halfway apart.

Sam couldn't believe the yellow tunnel would be so fun

Happily, once you sit down in the yellow tunnel to accustom your eyes to the darkness, you leave all that behind and the cool breezes begin.  

Far and away my best cave picture

Here is a problem with cave photography (aside from the fact that my camera was on panorama without my knowledge):  it is very dark down there.  It is my belief that even photographers who know what they are doing would struggle with this subject matter.  So while Sam and I can appreciate in our memories how cool it was to see civil war era graffiti, all we have to show for it is this:

And while it would be amazing for you to get to see a genuine, Tennessee, moonshine still, instead you get to see this:

For those who can't tell, the sign reads, "Genuine Tennessee Moonshine Still"

I'm pretty sure this is my picture of the underground lake.

But I'm borrowing this one from online so you can see it in all its glory.

The water was incredibly clear, and more blue than green.  They have stocked the lake with trout who become albino and partly blind because they never see the sun.  Despite the tragedy, it is beautiful to see them swimming around down there, and they seemed to find their way fairly well in spite of their handicaps.  

Sam attempts to empathize with a lost sea trout

While Sam's favorite part was the trout, mine was when we experienced absolute darkness.  Shutting off all the lights in the cave, I experienced darkness like I had never felt it before.  

This really doesn't do it justice

Southern Living

Well, now that we've had a few months to settle in and get our feet under us, it is time for the grand unveiling of the parts of our house that are in good order.  Which is to say, the doors to the back bedroom remained closed.

This is our porch.  I have been reading a lot of Southern Living lately, and I absolutely love the porches.  I feel like I've not yet arrived at all the glory that the porch will be at some point in the future, but my lovely Sam has put in a fan and that makes life luxurious at our house.   Let me address your number one concern first--yes there are twinkle lights not here pictured.  Second, I am aware that there is a big pile of dirt in this picture, but that just captures the daily struggle between me and one little plant who keeps trying to leap off the bench to freedom.

Sam and I thought long and hard before buying these red chairs.  Sam has PTSD from moving most of our things from Atlanta by himself, so he was of the mind that we never needed to buy anything again.  Plus, he thinks (crazy guy) that it is better to buy high quality things that last.  I (being from a non-profit background) think that pretty red cheap things are always a good idea.   While I completely agree that Sam's way is better, the siren song of the red chairs eventually became too loud for me to bear, and you can see the result.

Our living room is my favorite right now, though it, too, is a work in progress.  If you walked through the front door, slid to the ground and looked up at a cock-eyed angle, this is what you would see:

The other half of the room is all about bookshelves and my big, happy chair.

As you can see, I'm experimenting with covering over the pink checkered print cushion.  That green and light pink combination was a complete matter of circumstances beyond my control, but I believe I have been straining the limits of shabby chic by letting it continue on for so long.  Mismatched pillows can only do so much to hide the hard truth.  The fabric I'm using here is cotton that Sam bought in Africa.  I was so ready to name drop about my African cloth.  How exotic it was before I dumped all my coffee on it and my legs this morning.  Pride goes before you spill your coffee, friends.

Right around the corner is the kitchen.  This is Sam's favorite place.  In Atlanta, our kitchen really had room enough for one, but now Sam can sit at the table and read me things from interesting articles while I cook which turns out well for all.

Please note, that the theme in our kitchen is cows.  It doesn't exactly hit you over the head, but if you pay attention, you will see it.  Sam rarely puts his foot down on any matters related to decorating, but he needs to have non-cute cows in the kitchen.

For me, I love to wake up every morning to these little buddies on my windowsill.  They pre-date me in the house and I wouldn't move them for anything.

One of my favorite things in our kitchen is this shelf that Sam made.  I was so pleased with the red color he chose and how nicely it highlights our non-cute cow pictures.

And as always, we have to have the chalkboard.  We've had gratitude written up there for a long time, but it is always good to remember to be grateful.

My hope is that seeing all this loveliness will inspire you to come on over.  We would be thrilled for you to invite yourself to dinner, or to come and stay from out of town.  Just give us about half an hour head start to move the boxes out of the back bedroom.

Summer Reading

I have been incredibly blessed in my life with something that absolutely everyone needs...

...my own personal librarian.  Not only has she been talking about boys with me since we were twelve, she also reads all the books and tells me about the good ones so I can head straight for the best stuff.  This blog has reached the big time because she has agreed to loan us her talents (and help me keep posting momentum!) with some wonderful recommendations for summer.  So far I've read the first book and I have to say--it was all I hoped for.  Sam loved The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.  Thanks for keeping us well read Becca!!

Summer Reading—Three books that made me remember why I love to read.

Sometimes you read a book and it alters slightly the way that you think about the world and your place in it, not just while you are reading it, but long after you have put it down.  The following three books have kept me thinking about them for months and I would recommend them without reservations to anyone.  So, as you are enjoying  your Summer Reading, here are some options.

Baby We Were Meant for Each Other  Scott Simon

In this touching memoir, renowned NPR commentator, Scott Simon recounts the adoption of his daughters from China. His love for them is palpable in every word and transcends culture and ethnicity.  Simon also recounts other stories of adoption and adoptive families.  These personal stories combined with the story of the Simon family make for an up-lifting read.

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide  by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn

Kristof and WuDunn view women’s rights as the 21^st century’s human rights crisis and convincingly use the experiences of individual women to spotlight the issues presented in their narrative. Half the Sky lays out an agenda for the world's women and three major abuses: sex trafficking and forced prostitution; gender-based violence including honor killings and mass rape; maternal mortality, which needlessly claims one woman a minute. The creative solutions to these major problems are presented in concrete and attainable ways.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Sloot

Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor black tobacco farmer whose cells—taken without her knowledge in 1951—became one of the most important tools in medicine, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, in vitro fertilization, and more. Henrietta’s cells have been bought and sold by the billions, yet she remains virtually unknown, and her family can’t afford health This non-fiction title reads like fiction and allows the reader to grapple with tough ethical issues while remaining totally engaged with the story.

I know I said three, but this weekend I read the best book….

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

This charming story is told alternately from the perspective of Henry in 1986 and in the 1940’s at the start of World War II.  Henry is from a Chinese family and becomes friends with Keiko who is from a Japanese family after they meet an elementary school. Henry’s father is a Chinese nationalist who vehemently opposes Henry and Keiko’s friendship. Keiko’s family is sent to an internment camp in Minidoka, Idaho.  Ford deftly interweaves themes of acceptance and tolerance along with the bittersweet nature of first love.