Day by Day

It has been just over a week since my father-in-law passed away suddenly. Each day is just a day of survival around our house. There isn't a thing we see, do or say that doesn't remind of us him.

I wish I could take my husband's pain away. The pain that he is going to feel for such a long time. The breaking in his heart because he is waiting for his phone to ring and his dad to say "Whatcha doin' bud?" The painful look on his face as he keeps glancing at the barn, waiting to see his dad walk out, get on his scooter and ride across the barn lot, just coming to see what Glen was up to.

I know there is nothing that I can say or do to take the pain away. I don't know firsthand what my husband is going through. I can only be there for him when he needs me. Right now, he needs me.

I was supposed to be in Nashville tonight for the Christmas 4 Kids benefit. My husband needed me, so I stayed home. Sure, he could have made it through the day without me, but why should he have to? Why should he have to face this unbareable pain alone?

He doesn't...he has me, he has his boys, he has my boys and he has lots of family. We are here....when he needs us. Right now...he needs us and we need him.

Missing my father-in-law

Sad to have to post this but Friday night we lost my father in law. Neal was only 62 years old but his health had not always been the best. He has had heart problems since he was 38 years old. In recent years he has had several stints and many trips to the hospital. This was one of those things that you expect eventually but aren't ready for it even when it happens.

My husband, Glen, and his dad were so close. Glen lived with his dad after his parents were divorced. Neal thought the sun rose and set in Glen and I am pretty sure Glen thought the same thing. There were a few rocky years in the middle - but things were patched up many years ago and the bonds grew only tighter.

Last year Glen and Neal became very involved in remote control airplanes. As I would tell Neal...another "High Dollar Hobby". The would spend HOURS in that barn working on those planes. Putting them together, putting in the engines, putting the weights on the them, gluing, testing, flying, CRASHING, them! I think they spent more time crashing them they they did actually flying them! After they crashed them they would make the 1/2 hour drive to HobbyTownUSA to invest in more parts and more planes. The may have increased HobbyTown's sales 200% that summer all by themselves! Like I said "High Dollar Hobby!"

Neal was so proud of this plane....it took 1 flight before it ate the dust!!!

This year they were very involved in my step-son's go-kart racing. Tristan would race, Glen was the mechanic and Neal with the Crew Chief :) or something like that. Every Thursday and Saturday they were at that track. He would ride his little scooter and push Tristan to the start line each night...it was kind of a tradition.

Everyday inbetween they were in the barn working on that car. I have never seem a grandfather more proud that when Tristan won his very first race. Tears streaming down grandpa's eyes. Tears streaming down Glen's eyes. Two peas in a pod.

Neal, Glen and Tristan after Tristan won the STATE championship this year.

Every day Glen would call his dad and ask him if he wanted to run into town with him. His dad may have stayed in the truck, but they spent that time together. Glen is going to miss him. We would invite him to dinner and he said I made the best damn hamburgers he had ever tasted. He also loved my lasagna, meatloaf and everything else. He tried to talk me into opening a restaurant one time.

He sure is going to be missed around here.

This is MY America

I second that!

Shouldn't we all drive a mule into town???

The view from our driveway

The only stop-light in town, okay, fine..the only flashing light in town (we don't have a stop light!)

Our Pastor's Garden

My baby girls - Tasha (black lab) and Maddi (basset)

The best sweet corn you will ever taste!

The Worst Drink in America

Baskin-Robbins Large Heath Bar Shake

2,310 calories
108 g fat (64 g saturated)
266 g sugar

Let's look at America's Worst Drinks in numbers:

73: The number of ingredients that go into this milkshake.

66: The number of teaspoons of sugar this drink contains.

11: The number of Heath Bars you would have to eat to equal the number of calories found in one Baskin Robbins Large Heath Bar Shake.

12: The average number of minutes it takes to consume this drink.

240: The number of minutes you'd need to spend on a treadmill, running at a moderate pace, to burn it off.

'nuff said (but it sure looks good!!!!)

It's America

Okay...here it is. Maybe after you listen to it you will see why I love it so much!

mms://wm.allaccess.com/allaccess/rodnitsa.wma

This will allow you to stream Rodney's new song...

Photo Credit: Chris Maggart (July 2008)


It's America should be available to download/purchase through iTunes on Monday, November 24, 2008 (the official release date).

Enjoy!

CMA Awards

I watched the 2008 CMA Awards last night on ABC. Most of you know that I was watching to see Rodney. He was nominated for New Artist of the Year and he was going to be debuting his new song. This is the first time that he has been asked to do that. But I have always watched the awards show. Even before I became a huge fan of Rodney.

Photo Credit: Donn Jones/CMA
Rodney Atkins singing his new song
"It's America"

It is always fun to see the performances and what everyone is wearing and see who wins. It's always fun to see if you can guess the winners. Sometimes I am right and sometimes I am wrong.

These were the big ones: (winners in bold)

Entertainer of the Year
Kenny Chesney (my choice)
Brad Paisley
George Strait
Sugarland
Keith Urban

Female Vocalist of the Year
Alison Krauss
Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood (my choice)

Male Vocalist of the Year
Kenny Chesney
Alan Jackson
Brad Paisley (my choice)
George Strait
Keith Urban

New Artist of the Year
Jason Aldean
Rodney Atkins (my choice)
Lady Antebellum
James Otto
Kellie Pickler

Vocal Group of the Year
Eagles
Emerson Drive
Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town
Rascal Flatts (my choice)

Vocal Duo of the Year
Big & Rich
Brooks & Dunn
Montgomery Gentry (my choice)
Sugarland
The Wreckers - why were they nominated they aren't even a duo anymore!!!

Single of the Year(Award goes to Artist and Producer)
"Don’t Blink"Kenny Chesney
"Gunpowder & Lead"Miranda Lambert
"I Saw God Today"George Strait (my choice)
"Stay"Sugarland
"You’re Gonna Miss This"Trace Adkins

Album of the Year (Award goes to Artist and Producer)
Carnival Ride Carrie Underwood
Cowboy Town Brooks & Dunn
Good Time Alan Jackson
Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates Kenny
Troubadour George Strait (my choice)

Song of the Year (Award goes to Songwriter and Primary Publisher)
“Good Time” Alan Jackson EMI-April Music/Tri-Angels Music
“I Saw God Today” Rodney Clawson/Monty Criswell/Wade KirbyBig Red Toe/Extremely Loud Music/Steel Wheels Music/Blind Mule Music (my choice)
“Letter To Me” Brad Paisley EMI-April Music/Sea Gayle Music
“Stay”Jennifer Nettles Jennifer Nettles Publishing
“You’re Gonna Miss This” Ashley Gorley/Lee Thomas MillerEMI Blackwood Music/Songs of Combustion/Sea Gayle Music

Oh and WFMS won large market station of the year. You can check out their website here (www.wfms.com)

I personally LOVED the show and enjoyed ALL the performances. I loved the red carpet. It was just a fun night to watch. It looked like all the artists enjoyed theirselves. The new songs were great to hear and I can't wait to start hearing them on the radio. Now for my beef...

Okay...I have read tons of reviews of the CMA's but I am ticked. There is one review in the LA times that BLASTS almost every one of the performances of last nights CMA's! Seriously folks. I watched them last night and the sound quality was the best it has been in a LONG time. A few people had problems but not near as many in the past.


The show was better and so many people had GREAT new songs. I loved so many of them. I am finding it hard to understand first off why LA would even be interested in country music - this obviously isn't their lifestyle - but don't criticize us for the way we live and what we listen to.

They are so out of touch that one photo in the review shows a picture of Carrie Underwood clutching the ACM statue with the heading "Carrie, Paisley & Chesney win at CMA's"....at least upload the right photo from the right awards show!!!!

Then they called Brad & Keith the most "LUKEWARM PAIRING!!!!" seriously...seriously....UGGGGHHHHHH

Okay...you can read it - here is the link.

I am going to stop typing cause I just keep getting more upset.

http://latimesblogs.%20latimes.%20com/music_blog/2008/11/cma-awards-live.%20html

(this is for the blow by blow literally of the performances)

http://latimesblogs.%20latimes.%20com/music_blog/

(this is for the photo and "lukewarm quote)

Changes

What a week! This has been something that truly is hard to put in words. Something that is going to be hard to explain to my children - hopefully they understand the importance of what we are a part of. I truly didn't realize the magnitude - the impact this week had on the world...not only me, my children, my friends and my country...but the world.

I was reading the news, the day the country "changed" and it hit me when I read of election parties - in London, Kenya, Australia, Japan, Iraq and other countries. It hit me when I saw the tears of joy in others eyes as we elected a new leader of our country. This change doesn't only effect us - it has a significant impact on the world. They had an interest in what is going on and the cared the outcome. They may not have voted - but they were right there watching until the very end...awaiting the results.

I loved the passion that people had for this election. The passion that each person had for the candidate that they supported. I wish that everyone had that passion every election day. Maybe if we, as a nation, had that kind of passion wouldn't be in the kind of mess we are in right now. Maybe, just maybe, we might have paid attention in each previous election and made better choices. I am not saying what is right and what is wrong, but we need to have passion about our country. We need to have passion about our leaders. We are so fortunate that we get to choose who leads us.

Okay - off my soapbox.

This week was another change week for me. My son, Tyler, went to the doctor to determine what kind of meds he needed to start. He has been diagnosed with ADD. After years of struggling with his grades and his inability to focus - we made a tough choice - but we feel the right one. He is starting the meds tomorrow. I pray that this is the right choice. In the process of taking him to the doctor, we found that he is now 5' 8". At the beginning of the summer - he was 5' 6". He grew 2" this summer. At the end of last summer he was only 5' 3"...he needs to SLOW down. He is only 13!!! I am not going to be able to keep him in any clothes at this rate!!!!