Happy Anniversary

On this date, 59 years ago, my parents stood before family, friends, and God and pledged their lives to each other. Life hasn't always been perfect for them (especially some parts where I was involved) but they took their vows literally, and have remained faithful 'til "death do they part."

We wanted to do something special for them, but they have pretty much everything. We thought about taking them out to eat, but they really prefer home-style cooking instead of fancy foods. We knew they love Cracker Barrel, so we decided that was the place to go. The only problem was...there's not a Cracker Barrel in Lufkin and the closest one is about 90 miles away. Ok, that wasn't really a problem because we love Cracker Barrel, too, and we're talking about my parents who are celebrating 59 years of marriage! So we loaded up and made the trek to Tyler, filled up on great food and had a great time laughing and talking about whatever topic popped up. It was a great day together and my only regret is forgetting to take pictures.

I know this is a short post but I just wanted to let you know that the attack on marriage in our world today hasn't had any effect on one particular couple who continue to defy the odds and remain faithful to the vows they made to each other and to God. Way to go, Mom and Dad! Maybe Cracker Barrel will open a restaurant in Lufkin before number 60! If not, I'm sure we'll head back to Tyler next year.

Carving Out Time For...Carving

Boy, time has gone by again! We're almost finished with the first month of 2010 and I honestly don't know where the time has gone! I guess that's a good thing, because I'd rather be doing things that make time seem to fly by instead of sitting around twiddling my thumbs, bored out of my skull.

Speaking of doing things, I've taken up a new hobby that I hope might turn into a way to earn some money at some point. I grew up loving knives. I got my first pocketknife when I was 6 and was completely hooked from then on. Let me just assure you right now that I wasn't allowed to carry it around and use it unsupervised until I was older. It did make me an avid "whittler" and I used my ever-growing collection of knives to carve some pretty mean spears and large toothpicks. Impressive, huh? Well, now I'm learning how to use professional carving knives to turn blocks of wood into things that are a little more interesting to look at than just sharpened sticks. At least, that's the plan. I found a local group of carvers that range in experience from beginners eager to learn to masters who truly know this craft! They have taken me in as part of the group and are so willing to pass along their knowledge.

So far, I have taken a block of wood and carved out a donut. Simple sounding, but a great exercise to learn how to use the knives and how to "read the grain" of the wood.

Believe me, it was harder than it sounds. I've also learned how to sharpen the knife and I can tell you that it's a totally different edge than a standard pocketknife. These are literally razor sharp and will actually polish the wood as they slice through. Needless to say, I'm having a blast learning this new art form, and I'm really enjoying the fellowship as I get to know some wonderful people. Maybe by the time I learn how to carve well enough to sell some things I'll have figured out how to combine the carving with my leather working, which is also going well. I'll fill you in on that next time. In the meantime, please, take a minute and share about your hobbies whether they are ones you have enjoyed for years, or have just picked up to help reduce stress in the new year. And if woodcarving is something you would like to learn, here's a link to search for a local carving club in your area. It's not very expensive to get started, and most carvers I have encountered are eager to pass on their knowledge of this fun, rewarding craft.