The Festival of Nations in Tower Grove Park

Lots of beautiful things.

Music.

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I am not, nor have I ever been, an athlete. I tried hard to be. Really I did. It just never happened for me.

My parents signed me up for summer softball when I was 9. My coaches put me behind home plate as the catcher. Because this was very slow pitch, this was the only position where I couldn’t mess things up for the rest of the team. I struck out almost every single time I came up to bat. But my dad was persistent. He had me in the back yard practicing. I think the embarrassment of being the father of the “sure thing out getter” was more than he could stand.

Just in case this softball thing didn’t work out, for the next two summers in addition to softball I was also enrolled in the youth golf camp at the country club. I was the only girl, and while I showed slight natural talent in the game of golf, I lacked the interest in it.

Over the next few years my softball skills improved, but it was apparent that I would not be the next softball star. I gave up on softball and moved on to volleyball where I quickly failed miserably. In the end I played high school tennis where I eventually landed on the varsity team. Finally a victory for the athletically challenged.

You can imagine my surprise when my husband signed us both up for an adult summer softball league this summer. Suddenly all the feelings of inadequacy came pouring over me. Now it was Jason who had me in the yard playing catch and taking batting practice. He too did not want to be associated with the “sure thing out getter.” A couple weeks into the season I stopped hitting directly into double plays and was getting RBIs. I even got on base a couple of times. I am still the catcher in order to not mess things up, but I’m ok with that. Another small victory for the athletically challenged.

Making contact with the ball.

Jason and I before one of our softball games.

Much, much to my surprise, it seems that I have turned in to my father. I did not see this coming. I started noticing it whenever I would get bored. I found myself doing improvement projects around the house. I would fix something that was broken or enhance something that was lacking. After a brief period of denial, I decided to embrace my inner Treadway.

My latest project was this old chair that I bought at an antique shop in my hometown. It once sat in my closet, but now is a part of our bedroom décor. I painted the frame of the chair and recovered the seat.

This is the chair before.  This is the chair after.

I come from a long line of creativity. If the cycle continues, when I’m older I will be found working in my wood shop behind my house.....which sounds ok to me.

After a two week hiatus, I have returned home from vacation. I have spent the past couple of weeks with my family traveling through Tennessee...all of Tennessee.

Jason and I, accompanied by my mom, dad, brother, and his girlfriend, traveled through Tennessee landing in the Smoky Mountains. There we white water rafted, climbed mountains (either by foot or by Sky Lift), played Hillbilly Golf, went on a ghost tour (one of my favorite things to do), and shopped in the most unusual of stores. We spent time in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and even Cherokee, North Carolina.

In Cherokee we ran into one of Jason’s old classmates from high school, shopped in authentic Native American shops (where my mother insisted on looking at every walking stick she found), and endured a torrential rain storm. The North Carolina trip was my least favorite adventure due to my sensitiveness to getting car sick in the winding roads of the mountains.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was the white water rafting. It was something that I’ve never done, but I would do it again in a heart beat. Not being much of a thrill seeker, this was a stretch for me but I loved it. I would recommend trying it.

Because we take our vacation around the same time every year, I know when I get back that summer is almost over. It is the same feeling this year. The “back to school” commercials are on TV, the stores are packed with school supplies, and I find myself wishing I could go back to school. I miss the excitement of starting a new school year. I still have that “going back to school” mind set.

It feels good to be back in my own house and getting back to my schedule. My dogs are happy to be home too. They’re exhausted from all of the traveling.