Lesson 162: Happy Birthday, Tyler!

This little guy is 22 today. Happy Birthday, Uncle T!

Nice Turtleneck / Sweater Combo, B. 

Can you spot my senior picture in the background? Bahahaha.

He passes on his love of animals to Samara!

Lesson Learned: Little bros (turned awesome uncles) are the best!

Lesson 141: Mark Got Himself Ordinated

And just like that, I'm married to a Reverend.

Lesson Learned: To God be the Glory!

Lesson 118: A Hokie Highlight

A sad reality of living in South Carolina is the plethora of poor influences on our kids' lives. Yes, unfortunately, they are being reared smack dab in the middle of Tiger and Gamecock territory.

It sure is disheartening.

So powerful is this peer pressure that Samara hesitantly called an orange hairband her "Clemson hairband" the other day ...  just to test the water.

She was immediately informed (in a kind, gentle, VT voice) that "No honey, that's your Hokie hairband." 

Have no fear Hokies. Have no fear. More attention was directed towards this situation.

Just to be certain the lesson sunk in, we spent a good portion of tonight dedicated to a thorough Hokie-loving indoctrination on Youtube.

My kids were "Hokie, Hokie, Hokie, Hi-ing" themselves up the stairs to bed. They fell asleep with visions of Hokie Pokie-ing dancing in their heads. They'll awake to Enter Sandman in the morning, I am confident of this.

We spent a significant amount of time personalizing the whole ordeal. (Pay attention around second 29).

Who wouldn't want to become a Hokie fan if they had to watch their uncle score a touchdown against Miami ... over and over and over and over again?

(Sorry for the poor quality of the video, but if my kids had to endure it 10x's, you can watch it once.)

Rest assured, friends. We are all Hokies here!


Lesson Learned: Considerable attention must be given to education if a child is not going to be negatively influenced by their neighbors. (Actually ... our neighbors are Hokie fans! Phew.)

Lesson 48: The Number 48 (A Week of Numbers)

Football season has begun. 

Believe or not, I, Katherine Ashbaugh, voted "Most Spirited" in the Class of 2002 for having missed only one game in all four years of high school, have yet to watch a single one this year. 

(Well, unless you count talking non-stop during a Clemson one a few weeks ago. I'd tell you who they were playing, but I don't actually know.)

The reason? It could be in part because we don't have a television. It could be that our neighbors moved, and they did have a television and we watched games there. Honestly though, it's mostly because I no longer really care.

Ya'll, I've already come out to those closest to me, so I might as well come out to you as well. I am over football!