Playing with a Canon

Guys, if you've been reading our blog for a while you know I have high aspirations of being a photographer.

Actually, I said that wrong;

I'd just like to be able to take decent pictures. 

I fancy myself somewhat of a creative soul. 

In reality I'm half decent at copying *some* artistic mediums but I haven't been blessed with a boatload of original creativity.

So it really torques me when I pick up a camera and the photos I take are...fair to middlin', at best, and ding-dang awful at worst.

I WANT to be able to be gifted.

I also feel like this when I get a notion and pick up Mark's guitar to start playing through my guitar songs repertoire. 

Including and limited to:

- Lord I Lift Your Name on High

- One of These Days by FFH

- Wipe Out

- the base line to Mission Impossible theme song

And then my finger tips start throbbing, I cry and moan and get frustrated that my guitar playing is just NOT progressing, and I put Mark's guitar up in the case until the next time I get it out...in November.

So I'm trying.

I'm. Trying.

To be better at photography.

Y'all are just my audience so we can reflect on my journey.

And it had better be a journey, dang it.

Patient Declined Termination of Pregnancy: Sally Pink's story

Two years ago this week our world tilted on its axis. We lived in Houston, Texas, I was 20 weeks pregnant with our 4^th child, and we had just been in to receive our anatomy ultrasound. This is the scan where the baby’s major organs are checked. We had the scan done at a special ultrasound clinic and our biggest decision that day was whether to find out the gender of the baby or not. We choose both and had the technician write the results on a yellow sticky note and I placed in my purse.

The next day Mark and I were out trying to finalize the sale of our two vehicles and had stopped to eat lunch when my obstetrician called us. I quickly stepped out of the restaurant to more clearly hear. Just in time to hear the Dr when she said, “All the measurements look good with the baby and everything looks up to date... However, the technician did find a spot in the brain. You’re going to need a level 2 scan to address this.” I felt the blood draining...I tried to ask coherent questions, tried to understand what the Dr was saying, but basically until we had the scan there was no telling what “spot on the brain meant.” This was Thursday and so we had to wait over an agonizing long weekend until Tuesday to attend the scan with a perinatologist.

That weekend I turned 31 and it was a horrible birthday, sad to say. I was consumed with worry. If you’ve never experienced it worry on this level it rips you in two. Sleep was the only respite from this disease that was eating me alive.

Cheerleading Tales from the Crypt(tic post title, I know)

My house is rather empty. Therefore it is rather tidy.
*rather*
The kids are to bed and so I thought I'd write a story.
But not just any story, it has to be funny. Because laughing is one of my all time favorite activities.
I'm not good at making up stories so this one is, regrettably, true.

Many years ago young Jordan was a cheerleader in high school. Jordan was the co-captain of the varsity squad, which sounds like an auspicious title, but I can assure you the most glamorous that title was, was it printed in fuzzy gold letters on the back of my letter jacket.

In some American high schools we have what is known as "the pep rally" which is a dang good excuse to skip 45 minutes of class. The entire school, ENTIRE school filed into the large gymnasium and sat waiting for the pep band and cheerleaders to entertain them for 45 minutes on a big game day. I'll admit now, we hadn't a clue what we were doing. We danced, did some cheers, and played silly games--really I have no memory of how we filled the rest of the 38 minutes after that. But the important part to remember was the school showed up to be entertained.

The cheerleading squad lined up across the gym to do our first dance to the cheerleading essential: Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll, Part 2" (Heck yes I had to Google that. It's a song EVERYONE can hum, but no one knows the title. Go ahead you doubters, Google it). As I take my place I notice I'm right in front of the pep band who have filled half of the lower bleachers. Then I gaze up and see an ocean of black and gold jerseys...the football team seated together. It's game day, they're dressed in their away jerseys and are highly noticeable. Also, please note they were highly noticeable to the 15 year old Jordan anyhow. They could've all been dressed like the goths that hung out in smokers alley and I could've picked 'em out of the crowd.

Flowers, Seals, and Slimy Things

We've been exploring, as we are oft to do.
Scotland has so so many beautiful places to hike around.
Our kids ask a lot for us to take them to the ever present, ever popular indoor play areas here. Those are great--for rainy days.

But we tell them God has created an amazing playground for them outside.
We're going to walk all over it...
and they're gonna like it!

Best part of God's playground?

It doesn't cost £4 a head.

It's not far from us and...

Foodie: UK Style Part 2

Last week I offered y'all a taste (pun totally intended) of the food offering here in Scotland. 

That post is here.

I'll reiterate again: these are a collection of photos from our many years association with Scotland. Ain't nobody got enough Weight Watchers* points for a post like this to happen in a few days span.

*We aren't associated with Weight Watchers (shocker), they don't even know I'm advertising for them.

Please note: I am aware of my usage of contractions of auxiliary verbs as well as the occasional double negative and would ask that the general public just sit back and enjoy the colloquialisms I employ on this blog, not using them as a standard of my socio-economic or education level.

What did I just say?

If y'all would like to continue on the delightful, delicious, and sometimes strange foodie journey, read on.

To start the lineup we have the Scottish specialty: white pudding.

This is oatmeal, fat, and seasoning all stuffed into a casing to be cooked and eaten as a side dish.

My family ADORES this.

I, again, have trouble with beef lurking in foods I think it has no business in.

It's different for everyone,

It's just how you're raised.

Or perhaps your geographical ubiquity.