Day 20: Quality Time

Sitting in an empty church parking lot today, a favorite stop for me when on the road to chart, make a call, or eat a quick meal, I heard a shocking statement on the radio.

The DJ was listing things that are no longer considered acceptable today.  Included in that list was calling someone without texting first, to ensure they weren't busy, and dropping by unannounced.  I posted about it on social media and nearly everyone agreed that pop-up visits were no fun.  I understand why, as I've had my share of the "flight of the bumblebee" zoom through the house to straighten up and put on a bra for unexpected company.  Yet it made me a little sad for the culture in which we now live.

Many years ago, when Tim and I first started dating, I fondly remember riding around just to visit friends.  Cell phones weren't around so we rarely called beforehand.  It was just a random drop-by, as someone would come to mind or we hadn't seen them in awhile.  Often I'd bring chocolate chip cookies and wherever we ended up would share snacks and drinks.  Or we'd play cards, watch tv, and even stranger simply sit and talk.  (The cookies may seem random but they were my first favorite recipe of Tim's and I loved both making and sharing them with others.)

When we were first married, we lived in an apartment complex, so it was common for neighbors to drop by, knock to borrow a cup of sugar, or to swap out mail.  And the first house we lived in was our hometown in the "circle," where it was normal to expect guests for no reason at all.

Again, there was limited technology, so perhaps that is why people spent so much time together.  I just find it ironic that in an age where we are instantly connected to others, we've never been more disconnected.  It has me longing for front porch sitting, recipe swapping, and sharing stories.

The walk down memory lane wasn't enough to entice me to venture out however as habitually once home I quickly changed into comfy pjs and settled into cooking dinner for Tim and me.  But we did spend a quiet evening of quality time together, which is my love language.  And it was nice reminiscing about a slower, simpler way of life.  What a joy it was to grow up back then.

Schoolhouse Rocks

Talking with someone recently, I realized we've not been on a vacation since 2013.

Twenty.  Thirteen.

There are many reasons why, but given the stressful summer we've had, it became necessary to shift things around and take an impromptu retreat.

Fall break gave us the perfect opportunity to get away for a few days.  Now that our baby is a working man, it isn't as easy to plan outings.  An added snafu was two doggies with no sitter on such short notice.  So this momma set to googling for a much needed dog-friendly vacay spot.

I found three or four contenders, sent inquiries, and set to packing.  In the end, the top choice became a one room schoolhouse built in the 1920s on the tail end of Kentucky Lake, in Buchanan, Tennessee.

1927 Fort Henry Schoolhouse

The guys were a little hesitant staying in one room all together for several days.  They didn't say much, but I could tell there was doubt.  That all changed though the moment they opened the door.

This is where they spent a good chunk of our trip....

And here...

Of course, I did my did share of R&R too, snuggled with my buddy,who spent most of the trip with a stomach bug.  

He was such a trooper, never once complaining about spending lots of time in the boys room.  Lucky for me there were two restrooms in the schoolhouse.

As such, we didn't venture out much but I was content soaking up the views from here.

                                        

The one "good day" he had we took the boat to spend some time on the lake.  It was beautiful exploring the God's patchwork quilt from the waters.

When at the schoolhouse, I loved browsing through the photos and newspaper clippings about the history.  Growing up, Little House on the Prairie was among my favorite stories so I imagined what life must have been like in a one room school.  We even managed to find an episode to watch on TV one afternoon.  

Though a brief trip, it was nice to stop and soak up some much needed family time.  My boy is growing so fast, this momma often wants to push on the breaks and slow things down.  This retreat gave us that chance.

We received lots and lots of Austin hugs on the trip as well.  

The first we noticed was at our lunch stop.  Noah glanced down and commented it was 2:32 about the same time we noticed the phone number on the restaurant.  The town where we were staying had 232 as the prefix.  On the way to the house, we crossed an intersection for Hwy 232.  And while browsing an online map, I realize the main road beside was Austin Memorial Hwy.  Hanging on one wall were enrollment cards for all the former classmates.  I noticed that each frame contained 23 students.  

So many signs he was smiling down and with us each mile.

Simpler Times

I've been on a quest for days of old.  From the time of my childhood where less was more.

Several weeks ago we brought back Tech Free Time, where every evening all things techie go on the desk.  We have dinner while having face to face conversations; and a couple hours devoted to each other, instead of letting gadgets steal our precious moments.

Learning how to bake bread came at a great time, as I've been more conscious of the food we're eating.  Less processed, more made from scratch - the way Grandma did.  Last night I made chicken Alfredo lasagna and homemade breadsticks.

Tina said, "how do you even make alfredo?  doesn't it just come in a jar?"

I've trimmed and cut, shuffled and rearranged the budget the past few months, thanks to my unexpected stint in unemployment.  My coupon scissors have been dusted off and finding deals has again brought me joy.  And now, we're ready to downsize our television.

Because $1200 is an insane price to pay for watching a big black screen.

Of course, the kids think I'm a little insane.  But truly, with as many choices as are out there now, I just can't justify being a slave to satellite prices.  Where price cuts are only given to new customers and loyalty is rewarded by increased bills, it is time for me to say farewell.

We've had Netflix awhile and I was familiar with other viewing options, but I worried about losing our local news (and giving up Good Morning America).  Up until a few days ago, I didn't realize antennas still existed. Or rather, I didn't know how advanced they had become.  In my mind, I still imagined rabbit ears with tin foil attached.  And that really doesn't match my decor.

But after a trip to a local gadget store, and an afternoon with hubby on the roof, we now have 20 FREE channels.  Adding in Hulu for the bulk of regular shows we watch and cancelling satellite gives us a monthly savings of $87!  Now, if I can just convince the family that a chicken coop is ok for the suburbs...