running is for the birds

After traipsing 13.1 miles on foot through the streets of Nashville, Gina might tell you walking is, too. The last weekend in April we made the journey to the homeland for the famed Country Music Marathon. Initially the plan was simple and painless: spectate. But the day before the race, in a show of unparalleled kindred solidarity, Gina decided to register so that she could walk the half-marathon with her mom, aunt, and 2 cousins.

She had not trained, mind you. Not one bit. But my bipedal wonder persevered and completed the course in a scorchingly fast 4+ hours (editor's note: I'm pretty sure they stop counting minutes once you cross the 240 barrier). Anna proved the decisive factor in her mommy's and nana's will to conquer Nashville one step at a time, popping up along the course at critical moments to lend moral support.

A spectator's observation: it's almost as exhausting driving all over town and getting in and out of the car with an infant just for a 2-minute pit stop as it is actually racing. But it was worth it. Way to go Gina, Phyllis, Marilyn, Lindsey, and Michelle!

the next american idol

I can see the video montage and hear the Ryan Seacrest voiceover now..."her parents knew she had music in her blood from a very young age". What do you think: a cross between Brooke White and Katharine McPhee?

the future's so bright...

I gotta wear shades

Better Late Than Never

So after much harassment from my wife and the plaintive urging of others across the country, I'm finally trying to bring our blog up to date. So much has happened since our last post in February that I can't show it all. But I'll try to hit the highlights in this and the entries that follow. First up is Anna's dedication to the Lord at Harvest Community Church on March 7. The Nazarene Church performs both infant baptism and baby dedication, but after some deliberation we opted for dedication largely so that the exhortation "Remember your baptism" might actually have some concrete referent in her memory. Our pastor, Derek, gave beautiful voice to our faith in God's grace toward Anna and our hope that she will grow up to walk in the way of Jesus. For her part, she hammed it up throughout, clapping her hands and pulling up her dress. She's got Gina's flair for the limelight!

I've also thrown in a few Easter pics for good measure. The bunny ears were Gina's idea, not mine. Who knew heresy could be so cute? Enjoy!


Pretty girl in her dedication dress


The family and in-laws representin'


First Easter...you can glimpse the living cross behind us


Cadbury ain't got nothing on her!

Everyday is Valentine's Day in Our House

Even 2 weeks later you can still feel the love... :)

Obama Attracting Younger Voters

That's right. Apparently Barack's appeal extends beyond the young adult demographic to the "I don't have teeth yet" age group. Gina gave Anna a head start on her civics lessons by taking her to the neighborhood polling station on Super Tuesday to cast a ballot (bold prediction to follow) for the next President of the United States! The three of us matched the rest of the day with our "I'm a Georgia Voter" stickers proudly displayed.

Snow Bunny

No, the national news reports about snow in Atlanta yesterday were totally unfounded (fascinating that I had 2 non-Atlantans ask me about snow when I didn't hear a word about wintry weather predictions on our local news stations). I guess the global information network can't replace good 'ol local journalism. Anyway, these pics are from the only snowfall of the year to date, back around New Years. It was Anna's first encounter with the white stuff, and she was relatively unphased by the whole thing. Hopefully, that'll change. We did teach her how to make the perfect snowball and launch a surprise attack, though. Daddy will make a hurler out of her yet!