There Is A Severe Lack Of Family Photos, But It Will Do

This is where the magic happens: Pa's desk.

On a clear day, he can see Mount Somethinerother from his window. Surely that sparks the creative flame.

But if you ask me, some greenery and a picture or two might spruce up the place.

Because you know what a Debbie Decorator I am.

I am also not sure if Pa cleaned up his desk before snapping the shot, but I'm guessing not. He's like that, "neat" and all. I guess that's what happens when you work with "adults," who say, don't litter their junk all over someone else's space. I wouldn't know anything about that, as "adults" happen to be on the Endangered Species List in the World Of The Ma.

But I digress.

So now I am motivated to take a few shots of MY desk. Yes, that will be enlightening for sure.

Stay tuned.

High Heels, Leg Cramps, And Crabby Chickens

It's been a long time since I've finished a meal where I didn't have to crawl under the table with a shovel to clean up the worst of the mess. That wouldn't have been very ladylike, anyway, especially in my Power Suit, which hasn't seen the light of day in quite some time. Oh, and the Blasted High Heels, which may look great but do nothing more than add leg cramps to what could have been a peaceful night of sleep.

But enough about me, maybe I'll mention important details like where we were and such.

Last night was the mission's annual fund raising event, complete with a full meal and Starbucks coffee. Our server asked me, "Chicken or crab?", and once I realized she was not asking for my Mood-Of-The-Day, I requested the chicken. (Same as Pa. Because you want to know that detail I am just sure of it.)

There were tear-jerker stories and oh yes, Dave Dravecky spoke too, which was inspirational and fun and where is that cloth napkin again to wipe up the tears. He did use a lot of baseball speak though, which even for us Supremely-Athletic Sports-Minded Folks, was a bit tough to follow.

(Oh, I like to kid.)

We were seated with a handful of the guests of honor, namely, men who have graduated from the "total life recovery" program. Dressed in tuxedos and faced with a table setting with more forks than you could shake a knife (or two) at, these guys surely must have felt a bit intimidated. But, it was an honor to see them treated so respectfully (you know, like "people") and at the end of the evening I realized, Yes, These Are Just Ordinary Folk, No Weirder Than Pa Or Me. (Well, I guess that may not be saying much.)

But I will say, it was a new experience carrying on a conversation with such folks. For starters, they were men, single ones at that, so out the window went all Mom Stories and all other kinds of Intelligent Things [sarcasm] I have to add to every discussion. And no kidding, I'll bet we were the only table to share a good deal of our plates of food (and the meal was not family style) all the while having a good laugh about Big Macs and the perennial favorite, the Dollar Menu.

You thought our jokes were bad before. Well, now you can just add Homeless Humor to the shtick.

But enough of my nonsense, on to Pa. He dove head first into his first week of work, and helped get the banquet off the ground. He has walked to Kinkos in the rain, transitioned to a Mac computer, and collected enough public transportation stories to delight us all.

So here's a nice Red Eye shot of the two of us, dressed for success:

And a bird's eye view of the banquet, which was all-in-all a nice way to kick-start Pa's first week of work:

And yes, the men in tuxedos on the stage were singing, a nice Chris Tomlin ditty--Amazing Grace--which was a humbling song for us all. Because whether we have a roof over our heads or not, we're all chained up in some way, but can be set free.

"Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)"

Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I'm found
Was blind, but now I see
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed

My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love, Amazing grace

The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow
The sun forbid to shine
But God, Who called me here below
Will be forever mine
Will be forever mine
You are forever mine

Superman Has Left The Building

A new pair of shoes, a new lunch bag, and a pass for the bus. Sounds like the first day of school to me. And I was right there, 6:45 am, with the camera.

Y'all owe me one, big time.

So there Pa goes, headed off to his first day of work, ready to rescue the perishing.

[Or maybe to just fill out some paperwork for HR. But I wasn't there, I'm just guessing.]

Daddy's New Office

Campers was duly impressed. Daddy gets to work in a skyscraper.

All this time we've been in town, Campers has doubted that we were actually living in a "city". No skyscrapers = no city. So our little jaunt downtown today proved that yes indeedy, we are living in a city. Though Mr. Six Year Old Let's Get Technical About Everything still informs me that we "live" in a town.

So behind the boys is Pa's new office, where he'll start on Monday, and we were standing right where the train will drop him off and pick him up every day.