Over the last few days since the big event, we've just relaxed and enjoyed the season. Deb and Keli have been out and about to the antique stores in Woodbury and Murfreesboro - thankfully no big purchases but it's something that they both enjoy.

Before we left, my mom gave me specific instructions about a single plate recovery from all the stuff that we moved down in the truck. We had some 95 boxes along with an assortment of antique furniture and she wants one plate. Thankfully we put together a pretty detailed list - box-by-box for customs, so I had a general idea where this plate could be. I guess it was a special plate, given to her by her godfather which was hand painted and signed. First box (Box 22) I opened, viola - there it was - so this is safe and ready to head home with us. You know, people are funny, or at least Deb thinks I'm funny - we bring a truckload of stuff down here to Tennessee - I unload it, we get it into the barn and then I start opening boxes to discover that YES, I still want some of these things. So what do I take - baseball hats, (20) new golf gloves - old family pictures. I think I'm done and the rest is up to Keli and Joe to use, disperse or keep in the family as they see fit.

People here in the south are much different from the Yankees up north. You have to realize too that we are in a Republican area of the country so their way of thinking is a bit skewed. Even their perception of Keli and Joe - they live here in the valley, they're part of the community and the locals still think that they're freaks because they are educated. Joe holds a teaching degree and Keli is working on her second degree - alot of people here are against too much education and stay at arms length from them. Joe teaches Grade 8 English and he tells me that so many of the kids in his rotation can't even read with much comfort. Realizing again that this comes down to financial issues and just how much the parents are involved in their childs' life, but the kids here think that they'll get by just as their parents have and their parents parents have got by in the past.

Looking at Joram, Kaelyn, and Lilli they are so very far from the norm here. They have parents that care, parents that take an interest in their future and it shows. They are very well spoken, behaved and always taking part in every discussion we have - they're such great kids.

Joe & Keli had some friends, Eric and Laura, over the other day for lunch and we ended up having the Bradyville Texas Holdem Championship at the dining room table. So the six of us got into it with Joram's new Poker set and yes....you know it......I won. But in all fairness a special word of congratulations has to go out to Laura as she had a definite aim in mind - to beat Joe and she did that handily.

We've ventured off to see a couple of movies since being here - Hobbit - The Desolation of Smaug and 47 Ronin which has been nice - but they did not come up to our expectations.