Senior Picture Day For Clark

I forgot to write about what else happened yesterday afternoon after we got home from Fayetteville.

Holly called and wanted me to run to Target and stuff with her, so I left Jim and the boys here for a couple of hours. While I was gone, Jim decided to clean out the drain in my sink. It's been clogged up for MONTHS. In fact, I didn't tell him, but I'd been using his sink for brushing my teeth. It made me gag to see my tooth-brushing water floating in there for 2 hours while it drained. Blech.

So, we were at Old Navy when Jim texted me. I looked at my phone, and it was a picture. When I opened it up, it was a picture of the hair and all the yack that he got out of my drain. I told him that I DID NOT NEED TO SEE THAT, and he replied, "oh, yes you DID need to see it."

He said that he called Clark into our bathroom to help him, because "Clark needs to know how about stuff like this." He told Clark that this was one of the WORST THINGS about being a homeowner (which, dramatic much? What about the ones whose homes are devastated by a tornado? Or by a fire? Yeah...clogged drains are just the WORST!)...and that unless he was rich and could afford to call a plumber for things like this...he would need to know how to unclog drains in his own home one day.

Debbie Downer, right?

I'M KIDDING.

He told me that the picture he sent, as gross as it was, could not attest to the SMELL of what all he pulled out of the drain. He said it was so bad that Clark had to leave the bathroom.

And do you know what I said?

I said, "thank you," of course...but then do you know what else?

I said that I was sorry for clogging the drain with my hair, that is apparently falling out of my head at an alarming rate. And I said that while I was sure it was bad, it was not nearly as bad as driving 2 hours and 23 minutes to a powerlifting meet without checking first to see if it was still being held on that day.

(drops mic and walks away)

Yes, I came in hot.

And yes, I plan on using this from now until eternity.

We had a great morning at Sunday School and church today. When church was over and we walked outside, it was so nice and warm. I could've sat outside all day.

But, we already had plans...it was Senior Picture day for #4.

Our three big kids all had their Senior Pix made by the same photographer, and I wanted her to take Clark's picture, too. She lives about an hour away, but I didn't let that stop us! She gave us a date to come, and we headed over there this afternoon.

I let Clark choose all of his outfits. It's just not worth it for me to get all up in that. The only thing I requested was that he bring Holly's old Ouachita hoodie to wear for at least one picture. :)

I'm thinking that's gonna be one of my favorites!

The photographer took a few pictures in her studio, and then we headed to several different places downtown. The last place we went was a field beside an old church. I don't know...I think these pictures are gonna be pretty good! I can't wait to see them!

On the way home, I stopped by a small church for a "visitation." One of my friends from Sunday School lost her mom on Friday night. The parking lot was packed, but I still wasn't prepared for what I saw when I walked in: A LINE.

And not just any line...a LONG LINE.

A wrapping-around-the-sanctuary-and-down-the-hall long line.

I waited in it for a while, but it.never.moved.

A lady came in and got in line behind me, and struck up a conversation. It took me about 15 seconds to realize that this lady did not meet a stranger. LONNNNNG story short, she told me it was a 2 hour wait in the line. AND that she was the custodian of the church. AND she took me out the door and around the building and into another "secret" door...so that I could at least sign the book.

She said, "it will be crowded like this at the funeral tomorrow." I told her that I probably wasn't going to come to the funeral, because I would have Joshua with me...and I went into a brief explanation about Joshua having Down Syndrome, and how death and sadness were hard for him to process.

She said, "well, we'd be happy to have him in the nursery here."

I said, "well, he's 29."

She said, "oh, okay...but I think he'd be fine here. We have lottttts of 'HANDICAPPED PEOPLE' here."

And then she started talking about these people like I knew them. I DON'T KNOW THEM. I DON'T KNOW HER! 

She continued, "We have Dennis...he's in a wheelchair. And we have Bobby...he has problems because his mom tried to drown him when he was little...I know...sad. And we have Bethany. She has that...uhhhhhh....ummmmmm...what is it that all the kids have now-a-days? You know, where they don't really know where they are?"

I took a shot: "Autism?"

Her: "YES! THAT'S IT! AUTISM! So, see? Your son would be just fine here."

I.KID.YOU.NOT.

"Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:16