Toadfrogs and Elephants

Wade and I love playing Spades, but we have had trouble finding people to play with. The game needs four players. We inevitably have three people or five. My friend Jamie and her boyfriend Kevin spent the weekend with us. We definitely made time for a game of Spades. Wade and I don’t work well as partners so Jamie and Wade took on Kevin and I. Kevin and I won by a landslide – maybe 300 points or so. I think we all had a good time though. If only there was a place to play cards in front of the fireplace..

Wade was having a yucky day so I decided to try extra hard to find him the Nintendo Wii I promised for his birthday. By now I know that stores randomly get them in, but they don’t know when. I called all the stores in Anderson but nobody had one. We were headed to Greenville tonight so I thought I would call a few places there. The first one I tried was K-Mart close to a friend’s house. I was shocked when the woman told me she had one in stock. I asked if it was possible to hold it and she said no (of course not). It was early in the afternoon and we didn’t have to be in Greenville till after dinner so I called my friend Kendall (who lived nearby) and begged her to go get it for me. She told me I didn’t have to beg, she would be happy to. Then she says, “What is it again?” Needless to say Wade was excited. We played it as soon as we got home and both loved it. It’s interactive and fun for all.

Wade and I completed one more project. We had a quote printed on vinyl and then I used the stencil to paint the quote. Our quote is “Love, Honor, & Negotiate.” Now I want to find another place for words on the wall. I love the look.

Today was Wade’s birthday and we celebrated with BBQ (of course). We had a few errands in Greenville (seeing the Wrights and the Broaches) so we decided to have dinner at Sticky Fingers. Maren, my friend from DC, was in town for work so she met us for ice cream. South Carolina has gotten very cold and wintry mix is coming our way. Maybe ice cream wasn’t the best idea…

Wade has opened gifts as he got them, but I had him save my presents till after dinner. When we got home from Greenville, we built a fire, and he opened presents. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to find a Nintendo Wii for Wade, but I did get him a second remote and the promise of the system.

Wade’s wasn’t the only birthday today.

Happy Birthday German!

Wade was a madman attacking the to do list tonight. He built a shoe shelf for the upstairs closet, fixed the latch on the door under the stairs, contacted several companies about returns, and finished my new front door. I have to do a little touch up paint and Wade still needs to put the numbers back on, but I have a new glass front door! Before and after pictures below:

Wade and I left Memphis early, hoping to make it home in time for Small Group. About half way home we got the message that Small Group was cancelled. Oh well. We stopped to pick up my alterations in Atlanta and made it home by 5:30. We got the new desk and chair, mattresses, and bed unloaded before dark. We didn’t actually put the mattresses on the bed, but maybe tomorrow. Now I just have to find a home for our new desk…

Madison always looks like a devil dog in pictures. I wonder if they have a red-eye reduction that works for dogs..

Update: Ask and you shall receive. Kodak is making a tool for dog eyes in pictures. Read about it here.

Some close family friends have had a rough new year. The Sieners were expecting twin boys in February, but the twins (Kase and Kip) came a few days before Christmas. The boys are getting lots of care in a hospital in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, but they have a long road ahead of them. Pictures and updates can be found here. Just keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Below is a picture of Kase:

Today was Wade’s “The Day I Celebrate My Birthday Day”. It’s probably hard to imagine how, but he sang that line over and over all day long. His birthday isn’t till Wednesday but we were celebrating with his parents this weekend. The big Birthday dinner was a trip to Rendezvous – Wade’s all time favorite rib restaurant. He got his birthday meal, but the presents have to wait till tomorrow. After the late lunch, we watched the movie “We Are Marshall.” I knew the actors but I had heard nothing about the movie. It was a pretty good movie. It had a lot of sad, sappy moments. The rest of the day was spent teaching Wade’s parents fun computer stuff, like keyboard shortcuts and “undo”.