The Shepherd Experiment

Just for laughs...

Fall is approaching and school is starting again!  This year, both Ryan and Jenna are going to Mother's Day Out twice a week and so far they are loving it.  (Mommy is too!)  I miss them but I truly appreciate that alone time to finish school work, run errands, and most importantly, retain my sanity!  Here's some shots from their first day...

Around here, Fridays are affectionately known as Family Day because Jon gets Fridays off.  Sometimes we just laze around all day but here lately we've been trying to plan fun and frugal outings.  Our latest venture took us to Jumper's Playhouse in Smyrna.  It only cost us about $10 and as our luck would have it, we were the only ones there all morning!  Couldn't have asked for a better time.  Afterwards we went to a park and ate our picnic lunch.  Good times...

Over the 4th of July weekend we had the chance to drive over to Crossville and visit Jon's mom and dad at "the campground".  It was our first time there and it was great to see the place they've made for themselves there - a perfect place to spend retirement!

As our family grows ever larger and as our responsibilities grow ever more demanding, it is getting harder and harder to find a good time for all of us to get together to celebrate holidays, especially birthdays.  To compensate we have been combining several birthdays into one big event.  In mid-June we gathered with the Shepherds to celebrate our nephew Wylie's birthday, Jon's dad's birthday, Jon's birthday, and Father's Day.

In early August we were at it again, this time with the Vertrees side of the family.  We celebrated my sister-in-law Summer's birthday, Jon's birthday, and PawPaw's birthday - a real milestone, he turned 98!

Our first family trip, and we're in FLORIDA!  Loving it!  Here's a sample of our fun...

On Good Friday an F-4 tornado tore through the city of Murfreesboro.  One of the hardest hit areas was the Blackman community where we live.  This YouTube footage shows the tornado passing over I-24.  Where you first see the funnel touch the ground on the left of the screen - that's where we live!

We were so blessed to come through the storm safely with barely a scratch on our house.  Many of our neighbors however were not so fortunate.  As you leave our house and head toward I-24 the damage gets worse and worse.  Our closest neighbors had roof damage and lost backyard fences.  At the end of the cul-de-sac houses had windows blown out and structural damage.  The photos really speak for themselves.

I also want to thank everyone that helped us out - for all the prayers, to the Hills who loaned us a generator, and a BIG thank you to my brother and his family for taking us in that night at the last minute.  We love you all!