career expo

william's 8th grade glass went to the imagine the possibilities career expo.  it is a huge expo with careers in every field imaginable laid out for the kids to talk about/touch/hear/experience.  he really enjoyed it, and he was a little upset because they didn't have enough time to get to everything.  but, he did come away interested in engineering and architecture.  i got this pic from an architect friend as william was trying out his booth!  after listening to him talk all about it, i want to go next year!!

chris stapleton

chris stapleton came to the fed ex forum in memphis, and we were his most special guests!!  for real.  cousin katie hooked us up with backstage passes, a meet and greet, guitar playing and whiskey tasting in the lounge, and the best seats in the house.  it was a night that won't be forgotten by my country music loving kiddos.  and, i'm pretty sure that they will not enjoy all other concerts where they have to be regular people!

we started out the night at rendezvous so they could experience the ribs.

then, we made our way down beale street.  it was early, so it wasn't crazy out there.  yet.

 and then....we got treated like royalty!!  the girl at the ticket window looked at all of our armbands, tickets, stickers, and passes, and said, "i've never seen this before.  y'all must really know somebody!"  :)  the only issue we had was having to wait a bit for an uber after the concert, but the night totally made up for it!!  chris stapleton has some major fans over here!

if we have any other family members out there that want to try and top this experience, we welcome any and all attempts.  as for now, you are going to have a hard time knocking katie out of the top spot!!

he would have made a good redneck.

i look out the window one saturday morning to see reed in his boots with a pistol in hand.  he had targets set up and was going to town.  about a week later, i was cooking supper while he was outside doing the same thing.  in the dark.  i hear a very loud, "whoooooohooooo" and then he rushes in to tell me that he hit the little one.  in the dark.

"yes, my little redneck, i heard you.  i bet the neighbors did, too!"  :)

fall tennis

we made the circuit this fall and had some wins and some losses, but we managed to squeeze in fun with some friends and ice cream! so....that counts as a success!

homecoming crew

the crew got together before homecoming and a few football games this year.  thankful for this group of sweet people!

be like G?

imitation is the finest form flattery, right?

fourteen

william's 14th birthday breakfast was fun (despite wes' yawn in the background!).  it was filled with sugar and presents....the biggest of which was chris stapleton tickets.  that's a whole different post in itself!!

and per the usual, he got a social media birthday shout out!

14 years ago, William came into this world in a hurry three weeks early. That’s the last time that he was in a hurry. He lives in his own little bubble, on his own time, and absolutely not in a hurry to do anything! He is now taller than me, and his feet are way bigger than mine. Speaking of feet, he is under no circumstances allowed to take his shoes off in the car!  😬 He can drive that car (but is only allowed to do so in the Delta)! He has come a long way from that little motorized tractor that he used to ride everywhere! He loves breakfast, watermelon, and ribs! He won’t turn down any sort of ice cream. He lives for music. He wakes up to it, sings or hums all day, plays piano or guitar for hours a day, commands the radio in the car, and just constantly has something going on that involves it! He would wear a t-shirt and gym shorts every day of life if his mama and daddy didn’t make him put on something else. (I can’t blame him there…he inherited that.) He loves to be on the tennis court. His favorite player is still Federer, but I think he likes watching doubles the best! He is padding his checking account with his stringing business, Henson Strings, and he just pulled racket #110 off of the stringer last night. His favorite teams are the Dodgers, the Cowboys, and the Bulldogs. He still hates blue jeans. He loves mexican food, a Subway sandwich, a buffalo chicken wrap, and Chick fil a. He is a country music nerd, and Old Dominion is his favorite. He is headed to Chris Stapleton in October, though, so I think he may put up a good fight for his top spot! He wants to attend Vanderbilt or Missississippi State and be a civil engineer. But, he’s not opposed to somewhere far away! However, he might “go pro” in music. I don’t know what that means to him, but if I get to keep hearing him play…he can certainly “go pro.” He loves math, science, and history. Actually, he just likes learning anything new. He reads all the time, and there is always a book nearby. He likes golf with his brothers and buddies, and they are missing their morning outings now that school is back in session. He makes his bed as soon as he gets out of it. He packs PB and J for his lunch at school every, single day! Another day, another PB and J! He loves the Lord and knows his Bible. He can memorize anything. He knows greek mythology better than anyone I know. He is loving learning Spanish this year. He’s fun to hike with. He can fall asleep in no time. He drives me up the wall on a daily basis, but I love him to pieces. Happy birthday, William!