Fried what?

I saw this sign at the Hardee's in Savannah, TN when we were there over Labor Day weekend for the family reunion. I have not seen fried bologna advertised here in Atlanta. But I don't see too many Hardee's anyway. I thought maybe this was something that the Savannah store initiated but there was an official sign in the window with an Oscar Mayer logo. Anyone else seen this at your local Hardee's?
I have to admit that if I were forced to eat bologna, I prefer it fried. Grease makes everything taste better, right?

100th Post/Happy 19-month Birthday Rowan!

I knew my 100th post was coming up so I was waiting for something good to write about. I figured since Rowan just turned 19 months old that was good enough of a topic. He just gets smarter and more fun every day.

• New Vocab: caterpillar; butterfly; peach; pear; plum; strawberry; Ma (for G-Ma); his classmates' names (Alex, Mitchell, Bailey, Mya); eat; play; Go Gators! (he learned that this past Saturday); Cookie (for Cookie Monster); bird; squirrel (kerl); up; bright; hot; cold
• New Skills: He's trying to jump/hop and it's really funny to watch. Mostly he raises up his arms and one leg and then slams them all down.
• Miscellaneous: We've been talking about the concepts of hot and cold and Rowan has really caught on quickly though he still confuses the two sometimes. Lately, he can't get enough reading time. When he wakes up his first word is "book". Mwoohaha... my plan to turn him into a bookworm is working! We're still casually working on the potty. Some days are better than others, but we're not worried or in any hurry. Rowan is getting better at using utensils although he likes to use his hands when he's eating something really yummy, like mac-n-cheese. It's gross. And, he's pretty decent at using a regular cup (no lid or straw) but sometimes he gets possessed and dumps his drink out instead of drinking it. Arghhh.

In other news, we are getting new kitchen countertops and a new tile floor. The workers came to make the countertop template this morning. My mom has been in town looking at houses. She saw one promising property yesterday and plans to look at a few more today. We really haven't been up to much, just trying to stay safe and dry during all the rain storms this past and coming week.

Here's to my first 100 posts. I hope to make the next 100 even better!

Big News and Little News

Big news first. My parents are moving! And, no, it's not to the backyard again. After 40 years+ (a little less for Dad since he grew up on the other side of town, like 2 miles away) of living in the same 1-mile radius, the parental units are temporarily relocating to *gasp* a retirement community in a small hamlet north of the Big Potato. For those of you not from those parts, I'm talking about Zellwood Station. Believe it. It's true.

Don't bother calling their home phone number after today. They won't answer. In fact, I don't even know that the number would go through. Don't send them mail. Don't stop by. They won't be there. Man! It's so weird to type that!

So, what gives? Why the big move? Why in the world are they staying at Z.S.? How temporary is "temporary"? The facts as I know them are thus: Their ultimate plan is to relocate to the Atlanta area to be closer to the Wilson-Miller Fam (i.e., Rowan). They have a real estate agent scouring the eastern outskirts of Atlanta and hope to find something dreamy in the next couple of months. The Z.S. gig worked well 'cause the owner will let them rent by the month and it's furnished (with taste and a contemporary feel - no doilies, dusty knick-knacks, and senior class photos of people now in their 50s). Neither of them are thrilled to be moving to Old People Town, but are trying to view this phase of their life as an adventure.

You can still reach them by cell phone and e-mail (I assume there's some kind of Internet hookup where they are going. Maybe not, though.). I'm also thinking of interviewing them for the blog, too, if they consent. Stay tuned as the story develops!

And for the little news... Even if I had the best news, how could I compete with the above? Really though, not much is new with us. We went to Tennessee over the long weekend for the Love family (my paternal grandmother's family) reuinion. Pretty uneventful that was. There was much potential for high drama, but everyone behaved themselves. Bummer. (Total side note: I was reading a blog entry today about how Southern writers aren't inherently more gifted, they just have more fodder for stories and it really hit home - and my funny bone. Like my co-worker's mom says, "It ain't worth going to if there ain't a story.")

On the health front, one of Rowan's day care teachers was hospitalized with H1N1 over the weekend. We kept him home 2 days because of that and the fact that he has a deep chest cough. He's back in action today, along with the rest of his coughing, hacking classmates. So far, the school has not reported any other infected teachers or kids. As with my parents' move, I'm sure the H1N1 saga will unfold in the coming weeks.

Photo update

I was looking at my camera last night and realized that there were several photos that I had not uploaded yet. What a slacker! So, I've added them to the Volume 2 album. Enjoy!

You call this work?

I just got the best work e-mail. Have I mentioned that I love my job?

Sent: Tuesday, September 01, 2009 2:34 PM
To: Wilson, Holly R. (CDC/CCEHIP/NCEH)
Subject: Thursday afternoon

Thursday there will be cake.