Ethridge- Amish Country

The day following our return to the south from Lake Powell, we "packed up" (hooked our house to the back of the truck and threw our wader pool into the living room) and headed to Ethridge TN. One of the tires on our trailer blew out so what was supposed to be a 2 and a half hour drive turned into a 7 hour journey. Thanks to expert advice (aka Kraig and Mike) we learned a lot, got our hands dirty, and got on our way before night time. Our new home (A Place of Rest RV Park) is situated right on the outskirts of the largest Amish settlement in the south (approximately 300 Amish families live here). My new rotation is at most 40 minutes away in Pulaski (Birthplace of the KKK… one of the reasons we didn't look for a park there… I hear the annual parade has more security personnel than those marching in the parade). My preceptor is a yankee (from Illinois) and I appreciate his laid back nature. The first day at the clinic we went and performed an emergency appendectomy, he kindly let me feel inside the patients abdominal cavity before he sewed him back up (a gift that can probably only be appreciated on a surgical rotation). We will be here for 4 more weeks… I don't know if it will be long enough! Church in Lawrenceburg TN (birthplace of southern gospel music and of Davy Crockett) was enjoyable. The most fierce religious competition is the Thousand Oaks Cowboy Church down the road from our RV park. Too bad they meet at 10am or we would have been there too.

The Amish

We've been buying produce and other goods from our peaceful neighbors, almost on a daily basis. One family we stopped by (to get some amazing bread) ended up being very talkative and we spent close to an hour talking to them. They are in their 30's, have 5 kids, and were full of questions about us. Their daughter Millie took Trace by the hand and led him around their yard (she's 3). They have no choice but to become our Amish friends (we hope they're okay with that). Our favorite past time is driving on the backroads; seeing a way of life that is mostly gone from the world. 

The Artful Tracer

Shayna took Trace to a flea market adjoining our RV park on Saturday. Apparently he wanted a wooden gun that Shay wasn't going to spend 2.50 on. He threw a fit in the middle of the market grounds and got the attention of 3 old men and a woman in a rocking chair. The old men handed him some money, Trace thanked them in whatever language he speaks, and bought the gun. During the fit the old lady in the rocking chair brought over a sucker and told Trace "do you want to come live with me? I could rock you all day". Shayna just watched it all go down. He's learning some new skills here in Ethridge.

Bluegrass Festival

The Summertown Annual Bluegrass Reunion was this weekend. Including our children there were about 10 children (and about the same amount of young adults). The rest of the crowd consisted of bluegrass relics (the oldest appeared to be the tiny tap-dancing grandma, she must have been approaching triple digits). It didn't take long for Trace to take the stage and dance with the rest of the faithful patrons. I think somehow Bo Jangles is his ancestor (the boy's got some quick stepping moves). We're grateful for safe, appropriate, and jive gatherings that are close enough to enjoy.

Lake Powell 2013

The long awaited annual Lake Powell trip finally arrived, and it couldn't have come at a more opportune time (i.e. following the gynecology rotation from hell). The entire trip was similar to a cruise: an unending spread of "fancy" foods, an open air balcony suite (a.k.a. the front deck of the houseboat), and beachside activities daily. Like usual we came bearing ridiculous gifts: artistically personalized hats and sunglasses from dirt cheap. Sarah wins points for wearing her combo every day!
Lake Powell has morphed over the years for our little family. We went from no kids, to 2 kids in just 2 years. This year we either had baby Honey in our arms or were chasing Trace. Megan and Cory are in the same boat as us as far as kids go. It was a lot of fun getting to catch up and getting to know Etnie and Drayke better. The weather was perfect. We got our yearly root beer floats at dangling rope marina and then went exploring slot canyons on boat. History was made: none of us got sunburned (and very few of the rest of the family got scorched). That never happens!
Plane ride home... some noteworthy events! We got to board first! Honey had an applesauce induced diaper explosion on Shayna's lap, seconds before her fellow passenger was about to slide past to his seat. He visually assessed the situation, said hi, and let us know he'd sit in an adjacent seat until Shayna was finished. Although our nice (but scatterbrained) flight attendant informed us that the flight was full, it was not. We got two 2 seat sections all to ourselves! During takeoff (while I was wrestling a hysterically screaming Trace to get him buckled in his seat) the same flight attendant stopped by to let me know that she once tied her daughter in her car seat with a rope... I was shocked by her honesty and took the hint that she was not going to allow this 20+lb  2year old child to sit on my lap.

Our boy is 2!

Trace, where has the time gone?  We had a pool party up at the Stites where Katie further spoiled Trace (it was like Christmas at grandma Nelson's back in the 90's before she promised to try to cut back on the presents). He now has a few more guns to add to his collection, lots of shoes (thanks Syler), and peter pan (we thought it would help keep him young). There was a sugar overload, which he handled fairly well when it was time for bed. Some recent memories:

- Shayna laid down with the kids one day for a nap, and woke suddenly to Traces little shrieks coming from the bathroom. When she found him he was sitting in a puddle of water with a mouse trap on his finger. Apparently he had messed with the back of the toilet pipe so it was leaking, and then had reached behind the toilet and found the mouse trap we had hidden. He's quite the adventurer.

- Last night while Trace was falling asleep in our bed (laying over my face) he kept holding Honey's hand. He usually plays with a pillow case or kicks something (or someone), but this time he was gently playing with Honeys fingers and holding her hand. He can be such a sweet little guy when he's not shooting at you, playing swords, or picking a fist fight.

- A while ago while we were in Walmart, Trace suddenly started yelling at strangers while pointing at them (with a serious face), saying "Right Now!" over and over. Apparently he learns quickly (we had just starting using that phrase with him a week or so before)

- He swims so hard lately that he falls asleep with his goggles on. He is fearless at jumping in the pool (which he demonstrated last week... Shayna jumped in, in her clothes, to save him). We just hope he learns to keep his head above water before we go to Lake Powell in a few weeks

He is a tough cowboy, a quick learner, witty with his limited vocabulary, and he's becoming really sweet with his baby sister. He keeps us on our toes, and doesn't let us get sloppy in our parenting without letting us know it. We love you little Tracer!!

Trace's Party with the Stites who we love!

The 4th

We had a great time celebrating the 4th! One of our favorite holidays!
Becky and Brian Ross, ((Shayna's) Mom and dad's good friends they grew up with from Chino) invited us to a pool party at their home in South Haven MS. We were grateful for the invite to help keep our minds off the parades, rodeos and BBQ's going on back home. We swam and ate, and had the best time hearing fun stories of the things Mom, Dad, Becky and Brian used to do when they were young-er :)! I wish someone had a camera back then to capture all the good times they had. It was great to get to know them. We hope to see them one more time before we leave the Dirty Sipp.