Early morning trip to the ER

When I got home from work last night, James wasn't looking so hot. Well, not his Army-tough/teddy bear type of hot he usually emits. He was short of breath, run-down, and had a wicked cough. As the night progressed his cough started giving him shooting pains behind his eyes and pulling his lower back muscles. I took his temperature (99.1) and put him in bed at 9:00 PM with plans on getting up at 6:30 AM to make an appointment through sick-call.

However, his coughing didn't stop and he was only able to have short periods of sleep. At 5:00 AM after a rather nasty coughing fit, he said he was sweaty and hot. I took his temperature (101.7) and I had him get dressed and we went to the ER. I wasn't chancing this, especially since this guy NEVER gets sick.

Well, we have dodged a bullet. It isn't the regular flu or the piggy flu but an upper respiratory infection/virus. Even the doctor said he sounded like "ass." I kid you not! We were out of the ER by 9:15 AM after a bag of fluids, a chest X-ray, and three breathing treatments. We were out of the Pharmacy by 9:45 AM (thank god active duty gets first priority) and he was in bed by 10:15 AM on 48-hours quarters. He has a ton of meds and a great desire to sleep. Hopefully the two days of rest and meds will help him recover more quickly. We've got the boys this weekend and trick-or-treating to be had!!!

Spark of Insanity

Last night James and I traveld to Baltimore to see Jeff Dunham in his Spark of Insanity comedy show. If you have never heard of Jeff Dunham he is a ventriloquist and stand-up comedian. But his puppets are no Muppets. I wasn't really all that excited about seeing Jeff Dunham to be honest. But James is a big fan, as are our friends Becky and Leo who we went to the show with, so I was just along for the ride and to drive.

After struggling to find find parking and weaving through the crowds to find Becky and Leo, I was first shocked to see the number of people attending this show. I had no idea where we were going, but the venue was no Warner Theater. There were at least 3,000+ people in attendence and you know me and crowds. When we squeezed into our seats (not for those with 19" bottoms) I wasn't looking forward to being stuck in that position for three hours. But as it turned out I was pleasantly surprised.

Brian "The Guitar Guy" Haner is Jeff's opening act and musical accompanist. He was a riot and an amazing guitarist. And I will be purchasing any CD of his on iTunes. Then after a 15 minute intermission (who would have thought you needed a 15 minute intermission at a comdedy show but these people knew their audience since you could purchase overly expensive bad beer and most had been waiting for over two hours drinking this overly expensive bad beer waiting for the show to start you want those bladders empty before the main act starts) Jeff made his appearance. As did Walter, Achmed the Dead Terriort, Peanut, Jose Jalapeno on a Stick, and Bubba J. James was laughing so hard he started coughing and good thing he bought me a bottle of water to offset his overly expensive bad beer and I just handed him the bottle. I was laughing .

And at one point I was crying I was laughing so hard. Crying. Tears running down my face. All over one word from Peanut because it reminded me of something Jaime once said. One word and I was reduced to tears and the folks surrounding us were looking at me curiously as to my reaction. I was little shocked at my reaction too.

I would highly recommend seeing Jeff Dunham live. It was a truely memorable event.

Focus.....

30 under 30

So it turns out that my office's summer intern is a business owner?! Little did I know that the vegan, first-year law student had launched a childrens organic clothing line called barley & birch last year. She is even No. 26 in Inc.'s 30 under 30: America's Coolest Young Entrepreneurs.

I am shocked and inspired by this woman. And also, a little jealous at her stamina and forward thinking. Could I start my own business?

Boo-rrifc Weekend

Joe and Jaime were with us over the weekend, and it being so close to Halloween we had craft time! We made bat-o-laterns, vampire bats, and glow-in-the-dark skulls. It was hard work and the boys' interest waxed and waned, but overall I think they had a good time and really like the vampire bats the best. We also worked on pulling together Joe's Halloween costume. He was introduced to the wonderful world of dying clothing.

Jaime cutting bat wings

Joe and James placing wings on the vampire bat

Jaime and James working on a vampire bat

The boys with the finished vampire bats

The bat-o-laterns

Joe working on his Halloween costume

Slideshows down

So my hope that I could link you all to our Kodak Slideshows was working for about a week and now it seems the links are dead. I will over the next week try to figure out how else to include slideshows using another webservice. Keep checking back to see since I have new photos from Nashville and various social events that I want to share.

DCA to CHA to BNA to DCA

I am back from my trip to Nashville, TN, where I was teaching a course offered by my agency. It was quite a traveling experience. Once I am caught up on work and my email in-box has been put right, I'll fill you in the details of the trip. Here is a treat to whet your appetite!

Pun intended.....

Basket Full of Kitties!

Last Friday as I was stumbling around in the dark getting ready for an appointment I noticed a large black shape at the foot of our bed. I keep a white oak double pie basket that I bought in AR with a pillow in it for the cats to sleep in. What I discovered was not one...but two kitties in the basket! It was so adorable.

Ben and Roosie will sometimes, and I mean sometimes, sleep near each other. Especially if they are fighting for my stomach and chest at night. But I have never seen them in the basket together. It was quite a sight!

Must Read: The Eight

Just this morning, for perhaps the fifth time, I finished one of my most favorite books, The Eight by Katherine Neville. I was so engrossed that I was standing out in the hallyway outside of my office reading the last few pages. It is amazing how much you can read on the Metro. I believe the first time I read this book was in 1995 or 1996 on a recommendation from my mother. My Aunt Nancy had recommended it to her. It has since been passed around my family and some friends for consumption.

Here is a review from Amazon.com and sums up the story in a the shortest way possible:

Katherine Neville's debut novel is a postmodern thriller set in 1972 ... and 1790. In the 20th century, Catherine Velis is a computer expert with a flair for music, painting, and chess who, on her way to Algeria at the behest of the accounting firm where she is employed, is invited to take a mysterious moonlighting assignment: recover the pieces of an old chess set missing for centuries.

In the midst of the French Revolution, a young novice discovers that her abbey is the hiding place of a chess set, once owned by the great Charlemagne, which allows those who play it to tap into incredible powers beyond the imagination. She eventually comes into contact with the major historical figures of the day, from Robespierre to Napoleon, each of whom has an agenda.

The Eight is a non-stop ride that recalls the swashbuckling adventures of Indiana Jones as well as the historical puzzles of Umberto Eco which, since its first publication in 1988, has gone on to acquire a substantial cult following.

I picked it up again to read because just last year a sequel was published, The Fire. I am a little hesitant to read The Fire because a) I've read Ms. Neville's other two books and I wasn't impressed; and b) I love The Eight so much I don't want to have it runied by a sloppy sequel. I will most likely end up reading the sequel anyway, so I'll keep you all up to date.

If you have read The Fire please don't tell me anything about it!

History Lesson: Coach Tim Kerr

My father, Tim Kerr, has been involved with rowing since the early 1960s from pulling the shells for Marietta College, coaching scholatisc (Marietta High School) to collegiate (University of Virginia and Jacksonville University) teams, and for the past several years as a National Rowing Association referree. Even my sister Nancy has now gotten the rowing bug and referree's alongside our father.

My mother just alerted me to the fact that the following photos of my dad are now part of UVA Men's Rowing website. And I wanted to share.

This photo was taken in 1968 when my father coached at UVA

This is one of my favorite photos of my father, I have stared at it in the hallway of my parent's house since I could walk. My sisters and I will be fighting over this photo. The funny thing is that I believe this was taken at  Marietta High School and not at UVA. Regardless, it is the classic image of Tim Kerr as a coach: vocal, impassioned, and animated.

Elevator etiquette is dead

When I was a child my mother instilled in me the rules of the elevator:

1. It is not a toy but in fact a mechanical system to move you between the floors of a tall building;
2. Only hit the button for the floor you need;
3. When waiting for an elevator stand to one side of the door in order to allow individuals already on the elevator room to exit before you enter.

The last rule is the most important in my opinion. And I now proclaim it is the most dead of all elevator rules. I work in an eight story building with five elevators and the two times I have taken the elevator to the first floor today I have had to stop mid stride to exit the elevator because some individual waiting for the elevator on the first floor had it in his or her mind that the elevator would be empty and there was no need to stand to one side of the elevator to allow exiting riders the room to exit. Instead I have to jolt myself to a stop and allow the other person to move out of the elevator door opening so I can continue on my way. Or they stand completely still and I have to move around them.

Elevator etiquette is dead. Start taking the stairs.

A little slice of heaven...and then some

To end our day at the WSF, the whole family had dinner at the Hog Wild Smokehouse in Toano, VA. Chris chose the location for the proximity to the Rockahock Campgrounds and I-64. He ended up choosing one of the best restaurants we had eaten at in a long time!!!


With a motto of "Never trust a skinny Chef!" everyone had a fabulous meal! And dessert!

If you are ever near Toano, VA, you must stop there for some fantastic BBQ!!! And get the Hog Heaven for dessert....

Williamsburg Scottish Festival 2009

James, the boys, and I traveled to New Kent County, VA, on Saturday to join my family for the Williamsburg Scottish Festival and Celtic Celebration. After the mass confusion upon entering the Rockahock Campgrounds (it took 30 minutes to park....line Nazi anyone?) and getting ripped off with tickets (active duty military members AND their spouses were to receive a discount), Joe said we should leave our troubles at the car and enjoy the day. Wise words from a 10 year old.


The day was filled with wonderful sights, sounds, and smells as we saw the different scottish families, organizations, reenactors, and muscians. It was a lot of fun visiting with family and continuing the boys' introduction to the world of Scottish festivals.

One of our favorite bands, Albannach, was playing that day. How the WSF secured Albannach to play was beyond my comprehension. Their energetic playing and showmanship has made them the most popular Scottish/Celtic band on the East Coast. Joe and Jaime were bouncing to the beat and enjoying the show!

Check out the link under Kodak Gallery Slideshows for all the photos I took.

A new adventure on the web

The idea of an internet blog has always intrigued me. Especially given the geographical location of our family and friends. Alaska, Michigan, New York, Georgia, Iraq....you get the idea. Well, I have decided to try my hand at such a masterful communication tool. James and I will use this blog to keep everyone up to date on our adventures, trials, celebrations, defeats, and the growth of our marriage and family.

Who knows what the future will bring to us or where it will take us. But fear not. You will always be able to stay connected to us with one click of the mouse :)