Ordinary Life

Aundree Coker Brewer Aundree was affectionately known in our family as MeeMaw . She was the mother to my father in law, grandmother to my husband and great grandmother to my children. Aundree passed away last week . While there were a lot of painful memories and situations surrounding MeeMaw in her last few years, we have committed to reflect on only the bright and funny times we spent together with MeeMaw and the wonderful things she brought to our life. Now, I have to start out by admitting that I didn't know MeeMaw all that well until after her health started to decline. My idea of her personality may be a little tilted in favor of "Happy Go Lucky" (you would be to if you took some of the stuff they had her on :) but even when everything was on kilter, the vibe that Aundree put out in this world, as the minister said at her funeral, was much more "ragtime" than "waltz" MeeMaw loved to cook. I first encountered garlic in a jar at her condo....

Sometimes the grass really is greener on the other side... our side to be exact. There are a few perks to owning your own landscaper...er, um, I mean being married to a landscaper :) ( y'all know I love him)

I recently had some difficulty uploading photos to our local newspaper's online Bluffton Today feature . I promptly sent up smoke signals for help and just as promptly received help from BT's web guru Lisa. It was quickly discovered that I mostly just need to curb my enthusiasm with the shutter button and lower my Free Gallery expectation level from Limitless to Three. That and quit being so impatient, stop with the multiple clicks per second, etc However, due to my over abundance of pictures and desire to categorize and sub- categorize them all, Lisa asked if I'd like to be a SPOTTER - translated: volunteer community photographer with galleries to spare I wasted no time with my "Heck, Yeah!" and went in to their offices (despite rainy conditions) the following day ,to get things all set up. They took a head shot for my official "She's With Us" press badge (how exciting, no?) and gave me box of "You've Been Spotted" business cards ...

Day 2 of the Week of Champions baseball camp was also our final day. The same pros were in attendance, Chad Ogea, Chris Snopek, Anthony Telford and Roger Mason. Bluffton Township Firemen connected to a nearby hydrant and ended the day with a blast.

After our last day of sports clinics with the Week of Champions, we decided to try one of the restaurants in town that we haven't been to yet: Cheeburger, Cheeburger . "Big is Better" It was BIG in calories, fat and carbohydrates. It was also very yummy. We all ordered grilled cheese sandwiches except Fisher who always opts for PB&J if it is on the menu (and sometimes when it isn't) Next time we'll try one of the 88 featured milkshake flavors. Kids' favorite had to be the cardboard cars that served as baskets for their sandwiches and fries. (which they smuggled home and I in turn smuggled to the trash) The air conditioned, retro themed diner with attentive wait staff, bottomless iced tea and ever present management was the perfect way for these sun zapped campers to end the week.

Wednesday brought the first day of Baseball Clinic. Former pro athletes leading the Bluffton clinics were: Chad Ogea from the Cleveland Indians Anthony Telford from the Texas Rangers Roger Mason from the Philadelphia Phillies Chris Snopek from the Chicago White Sox *read Wikipedia with a grain of salt, obviously. **team affiliations based on personal introductions and jersey choice These fellas were wonderful with the kids. They took care to call them by name and give them direction with firm but caring tones. My hat is tipped especially in "Coach" Ogea's direction for taking Fisher under his wing and making it, in Fisher's words " a lucky day" (there was an 8 and Up stipulation but Fisher was included as an "assistant" and eventually full fledged participant thanks to Mr. Ogea.)

On the second day of football camp, the tie game between the "Carolina Gamecocks" and "Clemson Tigers" was resumed. The game would manage to end tied, albeit with a higher tied score than before. The fire department dispatched the tanker truck for the best 15 minutes of the day (unless you are the mom with muddy kids climbing in your Jeep, then well... it was entertainment with reservations) The day was closed out with a talk about God. Several little football players repeated a prayer after "Coach Moore" and raised their hand to talk further with FCA counselors about Christ. Clay came out both days and acted as "official" then ultimately became "Coach Brewer". He went on to meet these guys for golf and guy talk and accompanied them to the Wednesday night sports banquet for all the players, staff and community. Future get together dates have been planned... While I had an appreciation that these were great men, doing great things for...

On the first day of the Week of Champions sports clinics, we met Derrick Moore and Harry Colon. Harry Colon is a former Detroit Lion, New England Patriot and Jacksonville Jaguar. He is currently coaching high school ball for Reagan in Houston. Derrick Moore currently serves as the team chaplain for Georgia Tech. He played professionally for the Detroit Lions and Carolina Panthers. This video may give you an idea what two days under his leadership was like: GT Pre Game Pep Talk Video HERE . ( He's the Man .) * Derrick Moore has recently completed a book entitled " It's Possible !"- I haven't read the book yet, but I can vouch that the title fits his personality perfectly. You can check it out at Amazon .

For the last 30 years, Hilton Head has been home to the Week of Champions, an FCA sponsored event that brings former pro athletes into the area to host sports clinics and share God's love with the children who attend. This week was the Champion's choice for 2008 and there were clinics of all sorts on the island and in surrounding communities. We were fortunate that clinics were being held just a pace or two up the road at Bluffton High's athletic fields. We attended football on Monday and Tuesday and then baseball on Wednesday and Thursday . Former Pro's in attendance @ Bluffton included Derrick Moore, Harry Colon, Chad Ogea , Anthony Telford , Chris Snopek , and Roger Mason. Tuesday and Thursday were a blast for kids as the Bluffton Township Fire Co. (on site as stand-by paramedics) doubled as cooling agents. Photo galleries are immense and frankly, overwhelming. They will be posted individually with, or possibly without, much description. Related Links of Inte...

Father's Day we did lunch at this little Asian/Sushi bistro near the cinema...what I found in the ladies room was funny, ironic and a wonderful diet pill all at once... (it had a twitching leg, I offered a little help-flipped him over and made a bee line for the door...)