A Tribute to Blake

Two years ago, I received one of the most devastating phone calls of my life. One of my best friends, Blake, did not survive a car accident. Blake had just celebrated his 25th birthday and had recently been granted custody of his son, Lucas. I had called Blake several times throughout the last couple of weeks and was awaiting his phone call. I was so happy for him and Lucas and his entire family. I never got the phone call, but over the last two years, I still have dreams about the memories we shared, dreams about him not really being gone, dreams about the terrible news, and some dreams where he just randomly shows up. Here are a couple of things that bring back sweet memories of Blake:

AC/DC

Lynard Skynard

Rolling Stones (he loved the song, "Girl I Miss You")

Pink Floyd

David Alan Coe

Rebel Flags

Gibson guitars

Alabama "Crimson Tide"

Football

Chevy Trucks

"Roy-al with Cheese"

Mane N' Tail Shampoo

Crown and Coke

The only 6th grader with a beard

Snowsking in coveralls

My friend Lori tanning his name on her stomach in Middle School

Making "concoctions" with his school lunch leftovers

Referring to himself as "Bwake" (his little brother's name for him when they were kids)

Blake lived life on the edge and sometimes I feel he was a little misunderstood. Mom tells me, "Maybe he just had a lot of living to do in his 25 years." Blake holds such a special place in my heart. He was also a great listener. I always told him he should be some kind of therapist or social worker for his abiltiy to put my thoughts and feelings into words when even I couldn't.

One Christmas, Blake gave me an Atlanta Braves hat. He saw me eying it in Hat World at the Fayette Mall. Turns out, my husband had a thing for the Braves and would spot the "girl in the Chi-O jacket and Braves hat" on campus that he could only dream of dating. Little did he know, I would be his wife someday. I give Blake credit for the "tall baseball player guy" finally noticing me.

Friends come in to and out of your life for a reason. Without Blake's friendship, I wouldn't be the person I am today. He made me appreciate, well, the "southern" things in life. And, my husband may never had noticed me without my treasured Braves hat. He wanted the best for me and for all of his friends and family. Blake will always be a best friend and he will always be my watchful guardian. I miss you Blake!

Bodies

While Woody was in Nashville for a guys weekend, I organized a fun mini road trip with a couple of girlfriends this Saturday. I've been "dying" to see the Bodies exhibit since Lana raved about seeing the exhibit in Chicago years ago while I still worked at Root-A-Bakers.

Medicine has always been a big part in my life. With parents in the medical field (Dad no longer) and having a fascination of the human body, I've witnessed surgeries, explored cadavers, and become engrossed in Discovery Channel presentations on the subject.

Seeing these perfectly preserved bodies at the Cincinnati Museum Center made me realize why scientists, doctors and researchers still have so much to learn about the body's complexity and response to disease. Why wouldn't I want my otherwise decomposing dead body to be studied and possibly contribute toward a cure for disease? Well, ultimately it is a decision for my family, but I thought the exhibit was very respectful of the deceased.

You may have heard the controversy surrounding the Bodies exhibit. That these unclaimed, unidentified bodies were the remains of incarcerated Chinese prisoners. Whether they are or aren't, the exhibit honors the bodies just as the Egyptians honor mummies, without all of the jewels of course. On second thought, maybe I did see a few jewels. LOL, oh I just crack myself up. Should they just be placed in an unmarked grave for all to forget without a proper ceremony? What I witnessed was a respectable presentation of science and human life. From the moment our LIFE begins in the womb (fetal exhibits died in-utero), to birth defects, to the display of lifestyle habits that eventually become fatal.

I would be honored to be preserved, parts of me or the whole thing. I think I would make a fine specimen. However, I think my husband and I will stick together and rest in peace along side one another someday in our earthly bodies. And someday we will be together in Heaven, spiritually, with our Father.

After spending the day with the Chinese, we treated ourselves to The Cheesecake Factory. I had ice cream for dessert, because I think the words "cheese" and "cake" don't belong together and the thought of the two together really grosses me out. Our meal was fabulous but our waiter was, what Woody would say, " a few chicken nuggets short of a happy meal".

The exhibit and the entire day was, well, to die for.

http://www.bodiestheexhibition.com/

Hidey-Ho Neighbor

Everyone has a funny neighbor story or experience. I've heard some people even have nick names for their neighbors. Since purchasing our home last August, I've always wondered whether the appearance of our neighbor's house and yard would affect the value of ours. How so?

In an effort to protect their identity, I will call them Tim and Jill. Tim and Jill are middle-aged to retired folks who love to decorate their home for every holiday event. They have two storage buildings in their tiny yard that store such festive decorations. One might compare them to the Griswold's but I think it becomes a little more tacky than that at times. The Griswold's are classy and consistent, making sure every light counts. Tim and Jill display a hodge podge of singing Santa Claus', Santa in a helicopter with propellers spinning 24-7, a combination of clear lights and colored lights (one of my pet peves) adorning the eves and gutters, some lights a constant glow while others twinkle in a pattern, and every lighted Christmas shape imaginable; from reindeer to snowmen, from elves to baby Jesus.

We only celebrate Chirstmas once a year right? Well, Tim and Jill celebrate from Halloween night (literally hanging the Chirstmas lights as trick-or-treaters pass by) until well after MLK Day. Tim and Jill even have lovely orange and black Halloween lights that highlight the trim surrounding their screened-in garage / UK sports / billiard room. Yes, you heard me. Tim and Jill have screened in thier lovely two-car garage, leaving the garage door of course, and have turned it into a rec room for all the neighborhood to see. They have just about every fashionable lawn ornament you could imagine which compliments their bright yellow trim on gray siding.

Tim and Jill are sweet folks and we have a wonderful realtionship. I wouldn't trade them for the world. Tim and Jill remind me of home, where the stresses of zoning and strict neighborhood or builiding associations are non-existant. Ahh, brings back sweet visions of trailer parks mixed in with mini mansions. Tim and Jill have a sense of ruralness with a tweek of redneck. I love it! It gives me a sense of home while living here in suburbian hell.

As we settled into our house, we got to know more people in the neighborhood and had more guests at our home. The common topic of discussion was the neighbors of course. "You don't live in the Chirstmas house do you, the one with yellow trim?" or "What happened to thier garage? They've screened it in."

Tim and Jill are great despite their tastes. As I was washing my car Wednseday evening, Tim and Jill were painting thier bright yellow trim. At first I thought they were giving the faded bright yellow a freshening up, but I had a double-take when I realized they were actaully painting it a dark gray. Yea for gray!

I love Morehead!

Well, here I created a blog, told everyone about it, and failed to post anything for two weeks.

For starters, I love Morehead. I cherish every moment I spend in Morehead b/c it is home. I never wanted to leave but job opportunities keep us tied down in Lexington. It is nice to be able to visit just about any retailer I want and most times during a lunch break, but this is the only advantage to living in Lexington. But I will admit, we have alot of friends in Lexington and found a great church, NorthEast Christian Church. Okay, now those are really the only good things. And no, its not the restaurant varieties that makes Lexington special. What I crave is Morehead Wendy's, the freshest, fastest drive-through in the world! I crave La Finca, Melini's, and Pasquale's! Yeah, sure we have our favorite restaurants in Lexington but we are repeat customers there as well. I guess I grew up with limited menu options and that is what I long for. I know what I like and I don't really care for trying anything new.

I love our house in Lexington we bought from the stripper, an entirely different story, and it is one of the most private lots in the suburbs. Our house is only surrounded by two other houses instead of five or six looking through your every window and down on your backyard, if you call what we have a back yard. Our house is plenty for the two of us but not suitable for a family. I guess it doesn't help that Greg and I were both raised on 15 or so acres... I just want a little privacy, some acreage, a pond, and maybe a few head of cattle, for aesthetic and mowing purposes, not for beef of course. Hmmm...maybe a filet or two wouldn't hurt.

I miss walking into the Morehead Wal-Mart and not meeting a stranger. I miss being able to drive to Cave Run and hop on a boat in a moment's notice with friends. I miss the hills, the trees, going 4-wheeling, and driving past the places everyday I've made memories throughout my entire life. I am a different person when I'm in Morehead and I thank God Woody appreciates the place almost as much as I do. It is a true southern community I hope my children grow to love. It is the Muskie Capital of the South. It is the Hardwood Capital of the World. Someday I will call it home again and someday I will breathe my last breath at home in Morehead.