How High’s the Water, Mama?

Photo from The Tennessean

This is not far from my folks’ house; don’t worry, they’re OK – no damage, and not even really stranded.

Nashville and Middle Tennessee, as I’m sure you know, has been rocked by flooding. It’s been all-encompassing and everyone’s been affected in some way – we weren’t hit directly in my area, but yesterday we had water concerns (our water comes from Old Hickory Lake, and there were water main breaks) that hopefully have been worked out. We’re lucky; not a lot of Middle Tennessee can say the same.

Kinda takes the phrase “I can’t complain” to a new level – to see this devastation and realize how lucky you are that it missed you, or just barely touched you. Because Nature doesn’t discriminate – it didn’t pick that house to flood because of the homeowner’s socio-economic status, and it didn’t decide to flood the Opry because it doesn’t like country music.

I lived in Franklin, Tennessee (above – photo from The Tennessean) for several years, and it’s jaw-dropping for me to see photos of areas I know and imagine them just…gone. I know several have been stranded, and worse I know of some that have lost their homes. And they’re reporting several deaths from the flooding, at least 18 in Tennessee.

Please keep Tennessee in your prayers.

Ducks n’ Geese

This weekend we took the boys to visit their grandparents, and we fed some ducks:

Hope you enjoyed your weekend.

What if…

Angelle had an interesting post up about two weeks ago that I’ve just now had the time to really attend to. Go ahead, read it and come back here.

It’s funny thinking about what ifs, isn’t it? I think anyone that’s had any major life change – and that’s pretty much any adult – can play that card. It’s weird to do.

Honestly, my “what ifs” always end with “Well, it all worked out, didn’t it?” because I am very happy right now – awesome husband, great kiddos, two dogs, house, etc… We’re livin’ the American dream here on Awesome Avenue.

I try to live my life without regrets, and feel I’ve been fairly successful at it. However, I will share my biggest what if*.

At the age of 12, my Dad got a new job and we made the trip two hours north from Decatur, Alabama to Franklin, Tennessee.

At the time, I was pretty jazzed about it. Sad to leave my friends, sure, but happy about this BIG CHANGE that was going to make everything different. See, I had a nerd label to me – I was “the one that always made the A’s, got braces at 10 and glasses at 12” – and I thought “wow, no one will know me in Nashville, and I can totally reinvent myself”.

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

I’ve since learned that you are who you are. Can you change things about yourself, learn and grow? Of course! But does the fundamental core of who you are change? Likely as not, no.

So I move up to Franklin, and I’m still socially awkward (who isn’t at 12? Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that at the time), and now I’m deemed as having a hick accent (I know, I know – I’m in Nashville, right?) and was ridiculed in class for it. By a teacher. Nice. During my two years in high school, I always had shaky hands which I think was caused by the social anxiety.

Anyway, I later got over all this, made some friends, settled in, and all was peachy. I would not change a thing. It all lead up to this – if I had not moved to Franklin, I likely would not have gone to UTK, and in turn would not have met BHE.

I do have to wonder, from time to time, what “Alabama Me” would have been like. Would I have stayed in-state for my schoolin’, or left the Pride of Dixie for opportunities elsewhere? I know I would not been allowed to attend ‘Bama by my Auburn-fan Dad… What choices would I have made?

 

*The second big what if – when I was about 13, Dad was offered the chance to move us all to Japan for a year by his company. He turned it down. When I found out about that, I was disappointed, as my ties to Tennessee were still quite weak and I thought living in Japan would be awesome. Que sera.

Snow Day!

We got some of that white stuff here in middle Tennessee:

Photo Friday: “Passage of Time”

This is an old barn on my inlaws’ property in Overton County, Tennessee.

See more photos for the “Passage of Time” challenge at photofriday.com.