32 Things to Know

I was going to write 32 random things about me but I realized that's not very exciting. So, here is a list of some useless info (one can never have enough) about the number 32:

1. The freezing point of water at sea level in Fahrenheit


2. The fifth power of 2


3. The atomic number of germanium (Ge)


4. Jesus was crucified in his 32nd year


5. In chess, the total number of black squares on the board, the total number of white squares (also the total number of black & white chess pieces at the beginning of the game)


6. The number of teeth in a full set of teeth in an adult, including wisdom teeth (except for those in West Virginia)


7. The jersey number 32 has been retired for the following players: the Los Angeles Lakers' Magic Johnson,


8. the Utah Jazz's Karl Malone,


9. the Portland Trail Blazers' Bill Walton,


10. the Philadelphia 76ers' Julius Erving,


11. the Boston Celtics' Kevin McHale,


12. and baseball pitcher Sandy Koufax


13. A soccer ball has 32 panels of leather


14. Total number of pages in an average comic book, not including the cover


15. In the Kabbalah, there are 32 Kabbalistic Paths of Wisdom


16. The number of completed piano sonatas by Beethoven


17. It is the totient function for the first ten integers (math geeks rule!)


18. Number of guys I dated before meeting Clay (that list will not be published)


19. Shoes in my closet (16 pairs for those who are counting)


20. The 32nd state is Minnesota - also called the "Land of 10,000 Lakes"


21. The number 32 is represented in binary as 100000


22. The winning car number in the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911


23. Huggies Little Swimmers Diapers (large) can hold up to 32 lbs


24. A beheaded body can take 32 steps (that's what I hear, but not sure if I would ever want to see that on YouTube)


25. According to the American Management Association, there are 32 steps to being an outstanding communicator (seems like they could have condensed it to under 10)


26. Number of wives Ghana's king Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II had when he died (in case you are wondering, they didn't kill him)


27. When playing World of Warcraft, in order to keep teams in Alterac Valley numerically balanced, players will enter Alterac Valley on a one-for-one basis (i.e. if there are 30 players in the battleground for each side with 10 players in the Alliance queue and 2 players in the Horde queue, only two players from each team will be added, bringing the total to 32 per side.)...um yeah, whatever that means. (that was for Clay)


28. The code for international direct dial phone calls to Belgium (hello, chocolate? it's me!)


29. A 32 inch flat panel LCD is about $1,000 at BestBuy


30. Number of teams in the NFL


31. Number of birthdays I have had so far


32. How old I will be on June 1st!

Honoring "Maw Maw"

It will be four years ago that my sweet Maw Maw passed away - she was 88 years old - and today is about looking back and remembering those who had to leave us. Memorial Day is set aside for honoring miliary soldiers, but I know that even though she wasn't in the military, she would have earned many medals for all she did. So, I thought I would list some awards that I believe she carries with her:

• Medals of Honor - there are so many reasons she would have won this award many times over! There are so many ways she served our family:

• She was always cooking huge dinners, making more desserts than side dishes (I loved that!)
• Everyday after school, I would ride the bus home and she would be standing there waiting for me to greet me at the bus - rain or shine - she was always there for me.
• Teaching me about gardening, we grew all kinds of things in her garden (pumpkins, beans, peppers and more) & I can't look at a beautiful flower without thinking of her...she definitely had a green thumb (which I didn't inherit!)
• She could make anything from scratch...I loved her salmon patties, fried chicken, and sweet potatoes with the marshmellows on top....yum!
• She loved crossword puzzles and TV...we used to watch HeeHaw, M*A*S*H, Facts of Life, and every game show that ever existed.
• She loved shopping from catalogs (she was a pioneer in online shopping before the internet)...although, she would often buy things because the models looked like people she knew (I once received a maternity top when I was 12!)
• She was a sucker for sweepstakes....I think she was certain to be the next big winner of the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes (Ed McMahon told her so!)

Distinguished Service Medal - she worked at a Kroger grocery store for 36 years as a check-out girl (not sure what the official title is). That was in an era before barcodes, scanners and computerized registers! After retiring, she faithfully attended her union meetings, often taking me with her. I mostly remember all the old people drinking coffee and eating donuts....I remember thinking that I wanted to join a union someday so I could have free donuts too.

She also took care of me alot while growing up. She lived right next door so her house was always my second home and where I spent most of my time. She would make sweet tea and we would sit out on her front porch and rock in her rocking chairs and just enjoy the day. I need to learn to take more time to sit and do nothing...that's definitely something I need to work on.

Legion of Merit -My grandpa died when my dad was in his teens. She talked about her "Charles" so much I always felt like I knew him. Maw Maw never drove a car and rarely ever traveled but she always had stories to share about growing up in the hills and walking to school and when she met her husband and how when they decided to get married, they went to the preacher's house and had him marry them right there while the preacher's wife played the piano. She also used to tell me about the day my dad was born...she said she just went to sleep and when she woke up she had a baby (she insists that there was no anesthesia used!)...I've seen my dad's baby pictures - he wasn't a small baby!

Purple Heart - (Purple was her favorite color!) In her later years she got Alzheimers which stole many memories from her and confused her quite a bit. It was hard on everyone to watch it progress, especially for my dad. I remember one time, she had asked a nurse if she was an angel taking her to see Jesus. (how sweet!)

She will always be remembered for her sweet personality. She was always cheerful and ready for a good chuckle. Family was important to her and she was always going out of her way to let those closest to her know how much she cared. She was a servant through and through and was always looking for ways to serve others. She taught me patience and contentment. She helped shape me into who I am today. I will always remember her and hope to let my kids know how great she was. I love you Maw Maw! : )

Happy Dance

Well, Hail!

This week we had a pretty impressive hail storm come through Charleston.
Here are some photos of our front yard with so much hail that it looks like snow. I went out (after the storm) and brought some in for Cody to play with....he was so excited to see "sugar rocks" in the yard. Some of the hail looked like weird spiders with leg-like spikes sticking out on the sides. They were melting as I was taking the pictures, but you can sort of see how cool they were. We are thankful that our cars were in the garage...I'm sure a few cars got pounded pretty hard by the ice.

Charleston Lindy Exchange

This past weekend, we participated in some swing events around Charleston for the 2008 Charleston Lindy Exchange, hosted by the Charleston Swing Dance Association. We danced at several venues and saw alot of old friends and made lots of new ones. Friday night, we danced to the sound of the Joe Clarke Big Band at the Charleston Visitors Center...it was one of the best swing events we've ever been to in Charleston. I am so thankful for everyone who worked so hard on making this weekend so special....and for my husband for going with me.

A little history...The history of swing dates back to the 1920's, where the black community, while dancing to contemporary Jazz music, discovered the Charleston and the Lindy Hop. Here in this picture you can see ladies dancing "the Charleston" to the sounds of the Jenkins Orphanage Band.

In the mid 1930's, Herbert White, head bouncer in the New York City Savoy Ballroom, formed a Lindy Hop dance troupe called Whitey's Lindy Hoppers. One of the most important members of Whitey's Lindy Hoppers was Frankie Manning. The "Hoppers" were showcased in the following films: "A Day at the Races" (1937), "Hellzapoppin" (1941), "Sugar Hill Masquerade" (1942), and "Killer Diller" (1948). Here is one of the most famous photos of Frankie Manning and Ann Johnson in "Hellzapoppin".

Though the music and attire has changed a bit over the last 60 years, the dancing continues on....and on...and on! Here are some photos from this year's CHEX - wish I had taken more, but I was too busy on the dance floor! : )

We didn't take the kids out dancing with us. We don't think they would appreciate it at this age. But we did think about them and we brought home warm Krispy Kreme donuts - here is a picture of Cody with his first Krispy Kreme! Yum!!!

Harborfest

We spent a day at Harborfest and the kids had a ball! There were pirates and tall ships, clowns and jump castles. By the end of the day we were all worn out!

Catching Up....

Time to catch up on some blogging....here are some pictures from my Grandma's visit to Charleston. We had such a great time. We ate at Poogan's Porch, went shopping on the Market and went out to the beach. The kids loved spending time with her as much as I did. Man, I miss her already!

Mother's Day lunch at Gilligan's with Clay & the kids and a bunch of our friends. We are going to miss Amber, Jesse & DJ when they move next week. : (