Clarkmas!

I know it is very early to begin talking about Clarkmas. However, the Clarks of Lilburn would like to volunteer to host Clarkmas this year.

We have been doing a great deal of home improvement and plan to have just about everything done just in time for the holidays. Larry has already said he would like to smoke turkeys for us.

We can discuss this more when we get closer to the time, but for now we will keep on with the improvements!

News from Chattanooga

Jenny is right - it's been slow in the Blarkosphere recently. I'll add the news from Chattanooga and perhaps some other cities will chime in too. What can I co here?

Our biggest news is that Tyler has officially left the country. We put him on the plane in Atlanta yesterday morning and I haven't heard from him since, so I'm only assuming he's safe and sound in scenic Osaka, Japan. He'll be there until next August - studying at Kwansei Gankuin University and becoming a very tall Japanese speaking guy. Our plan is to go over there next March when he has the longest break of the year - it will probably be about a 2-3 week trip. If all goes as planned, he'll graduate from UGA once he gets back. (He had a demi-graduation this past May - he finished the coursework for his majors in International Business and Economics, so he walked across the stage at the Terry Business School convocation. But really, he's finishing up his courses for his Japanese major whilst in Japan, so he won't really completely graduate from UGA until that's done.)

Neal is living here for a while, working at Adams Masonry, and has proven to be quite an asset to the company. He's now doing all the bookkeeping/office manager stuff and is doing a good job. And while football season is going on, he's got tickets to every UT home game, so he's in Knoxville on the weekends. And we never have to worry about Neal talking too much. Who would have thought that a child of mine would be the quiet type?

Nick and I are doing fine. Thanks to Weight Watchers, we're skinnier folks than we've been in years, and we're not doing too bad about keeping it off. We're not doing as much bike riding as we've done in past years - I've basically become the lazy slob in the family. I just don't seem to have any time for long bike rides.

I'm glad to hear about Michael's new job and that he loves it and they have a nice house to live in and Clark is growing into an ornery 2 year old. I'd say he's going to grow out of it, but he'll just grow into a temperamental 3 year old, then a feisty 4 year old then a ferocious 5 year old, and so on and so on... Fortunately, all children have their cute and sweet moments and mothers get to remember those more than the crazy screaming moments.

OK, I'm heading off to bed. Let's hear from the other branches of the Clark family.

Where is everyone?

Granted I've been MIA in the blogging world, but it's surprising that Mom's post on July 2nd is the most recent post. Here's a quick update from the Anderson clan. We're in Vicksburg, we've gotten settled and we're getting into a routine. Michael loves his new job, which is such a wonderful change. The students are great and Clark and I have been able to go to more activities and be more involved than I first thought we would. The youth love Clark and he, of course, loves being a part of everything.

We close on our house September 30th (assuming everything goes as planned). Because we had to move quickly and there was nothing to rent (literally NOTHING) we have a lease purchase contract where we're renting the house until we close. It's weird to already be living in the house even though we haven't technically bought it yet, but it's nice to be settled and not have to move twice.

Mom, Caroline and Alison came up last week for a girl's trip. They didn't stay long enough, but we had fun anyway. They got the grand tour of Vicksburg which has a cute downtown area and some historic homes, ate at Cock of the Walk in Jackson, went to Hobby Lobby, got the short tour of the Battlefield (since they'll get the long tour when Dad comes) and gots lots of baby time with Clark (which is the whole reason why they came). They also helped us paint after Clark went to bed and it looks great! THe color chance made a huge difference in the feel of the house. I'll post up some house pictures for anyone who didn't see them on Facebook.

Clark is stubborn and strong. I think he's hit his terrible two's early (or I'm hoping that what it is so that maybe it'll end early too). We've definitely hit a frustrating parenting stage because despite my best efforts to be consistent, reinforcing good behavior and discouraging bad, it seems to be having no effect on his behavior. Any pointers from those of you who have children for what to do with a strong-willed 18 month old would be appreciated. All the parenting advice I've read is conflicting so it hasn't been too helpful.

I hope everyone is well.

Here's the house. If you ever want to visit Vicksburg we have an extra bedroom.

A memorable season of life

These last two months are going to be quite memorable for the Walker family. In addition to the very great loss of David, Jef's mom's memorial service was the first of May, and then we had another dear friend who died last week. Caroline and I have had a trip to NYC (like Larry and Taylor!) But we also had a special week of Michael's graduation from Reformed Seminary and having his parents in town. I also had the fun of Brenda, my high school BFF bringing a friend and coming to spend the weekend with me.

Last week was Vacation Bible School (15 kindergarteners) and putting together the reception for my friend's funeral. That was a first for me, but I was quite excited about how well it went and ready to help with other receptions as needed. A good friend of mine pulled out all of her mom's pretty glass platters and we were able to make it look quite elegant.

We are leaving Sunday morning to go camping for a week with Joel's old Boy Scout troop at Oconee State Park in SC. This is actually luxury camping in our pop-up and we are just helping the 5 leaders with 9 boys (two of us wives are just coming along for the ride and relaxation). Joel is keeping the homefront and Caroline is leaving for high school camp at Covenant College on Thursday. Life is good.

Tour of the Subways!

This summer I have barely been at home. I told everyone I am touring some of the most impressive subway systems around. Last month I went to D.C. with my friends and just on Tuesday, My dad and I returned home from New York City!

I have never been to NYC for more than about an hour and I never got to look around like I wanted to. I must say, I thought I would love New York, that I would feel at home there. However, after spending a few days there, I had that feeling of, "Oh, alright, this is nice, we can go home now." Don't get me wrong, New York is a cool city, it has its own culture and I love that you can walk or take public transportation any where, as expected. I was just a little let down by my lack of excitement for the city. I will go back, and I want to spend more time there for sure, it just may not be my number one place to go.

I do want to say that the Fancy Food Show was REALLY impressive. Although after you try one vegan, dairy free, organically grown chocolate, you have tried them all.

My mom and I leave for England on Tuesday. We will begin our trip with a tour of London for five days, then go up to Leeds to stay near my friend who is getting married on the 25th of this month. We are both very excited and we will try and update everyone throughout the trip!

Where is everyone?

It's July 1, and there's been not a word from anyone since Jenny and Michael and went to Vicksburg. So what's up?

I'm in Chattanooga this week, and Cristy and I have spent the first part of the week painting her living room deep red. It looks spectacular, and we celebrated today by fiddling away the day in the assorted retail meccas around here.

Monday night we shared in Monday night dinner with Danna and Blythe and their friends Jenny and Clay. It was fabulous, and I've picked up an idea I think we should try at the next family gathering. Danna, what do you think about a Clark LT?

I know Larry and Taylor have returned from New York, but don't know what anyone else is up to. Do tell.

Job Interview

We're back from Vicksburg. Michael's interview went well, but we won't know anything for two weeks. I've posted more details on my blog lsuandersons.blogspot.com so I won't retype them here. I'll let you know when we find out if they're going to offer the job or not.