Some Notes from Vacation

Parents, spank your children now because you can't spank them when they are adults no matter how much they need it. This observation comes from observing adults, not my children.
If Christians behaved like Alabama fans, we'd evangelize the whole world in one football season. A fellow fan ran up to me in Trader Joe's and we went over the whole plan for the next National Championship player by player and game by game. I rarely get this from fellow Christians. Of course, I have to ask if its easier to see that I love Alabama than it is to see that I love Jesus. I hope not.
If you want to know the stuff life is made of, look in your couch. We uncovered four years of popcorn, pacifiers, chex mix, hot wheels cars, go fish cards, and spare change as we rearranged the other day. The couch rattled like a toy chest when we moved it and we had to almost completely disassemble it, but there was quite the treasure hidden inside. I also learned that a staple can enter the meaty part of your palm (around your thumb) and go almost to your elbow before you realize that it is in there. I felt like I was doing a magic trick as I pulled it out and had to pull hand over hand for several minutes before it was free. Cammie showed her standard display of compassion for my injuries and laughed her rear end off.
I should also point out that I had to pull over twice on the drive back from vacation to whip and threaten my children into good behavior. They were so much better on the way to vacation, minus one accidental assault on their dad. I guess using, "I'll turn this van around and go home," as a threat on the way to Alabama was a bad call because I had nothing to threaten them with on the way back. By this point, they know I won't really choke them out (with their mother watching), so the little people have the upper hand. On the way to Alabama, the only significant event was when Carlie and Jay Allen were playing with his Taekwondo belt and let loose of it in a manner that caused it to snap like a leather whip right on my neck - while I was driving! I used all my best threats, but Cammie didn't help much because she was holding her ears and laughing.
Other notes, we learned that James will ask adults to leave the room before he misbehaves. That really helps in monitoring his behavior. If you refuse to leave the room, he will ask you to close your eyes.
The Lazy Donkey is still the best Mexican restaurant in the world!
I left my Tar Heel hat and my NRA hat somewhere on our vacation - not sure where.
Somebody stole my GPS, cellphone, and shades - and possibly Jay Allen's Leapster out of our van while we were unpacking.
My computer had crashed while we were gone, which is strange because we left it turned off the whole time.
I already rendered a report on Carlie's Baptism - it was great and so was the entire vacation, but we were away from home a long time and there's no place like home.
Hope you all have a great summer and enjoyed my potpourri of vacation notes!