Life with The Swell Guy!

In the Christmas Spirit

Each year we  have gone out to pick a family Christmas tree.  On Sunday we marked one that we will go back to cut in a few weeks.  We had a swell Thanksgiving weekend with friends and family.  Highlights included:

• Mom and Dad making it down from Virginia
• Beth up from college and flying Jordan in to visit a few days
• A gathering at the Wagon Road Farm huge fireplace to visit and enjoy Earl's Famous Chicken Stew with a Side of Ribs
• Finally meeting baby Cash.  We can see why Travis and Scotty are proud parents.  We hope to help spoil Cash over the years!

It's been an interesting year.  A year of change in which we can be thankful.  Really thankful.

The Red Bendel

My friend Lynn "New York" Brown sent me this Authentic Jerusalem Bendel after I asked him  what he was  wearing when I saw him  recently.  It dates back years in Jewish history and  is said that the wearer is protected from evil and it ensures good health and fortune.  Lynn says it keeps the "evil eye" away.  You can order one here.

By the way, I'm in the  middle of a book called "A Year of Living Biblically".  It's not what you think.  It's about a agnostic Jewish guy in New York City  who decides to following every instruction in the Bible.  Read about it here.  There are some great observations and there are humbling moments if you are trying to live according to the Good Book.

And a good time was had by all....

Today we celebrated all the birthdays at ID Shop since August.  Earl brought the grill over on the tractor and cooked for us.  We popped up the Easy-Up awning and ate outside.  It was the perfect fall day to do it.  A good time was had by all.

And  oh yes, Leslie announced  she is pregnant!

Proof that we really live in The South!

Need I say more?  I saw this and had to laugh...and share.  Life has been busy and I have not taken many photos or blogged.  Some recent good stuff includes:

• A very successful ASIS trade show in Las Vegas.  Some of the wives were able to go along which was super  good.
• We had a perfect Friday evening at the Piedmont Blues and Hash Bash.  What can be better than blues music with pork bar-b-que?  Really!!  Bluesman Mac Arnold should be declared a national treasure!  Stomp, holler, and howlin' good music....
• Earl and Teresa had us out to the cabin in Blue Ridge, Georgia for the Mountain Fall Festival.  Ray and Paula came along and we all enjoyed being together on a classic fall weekend.
• We popped over to see Beth at Atlanta Christian College for her birthday.  She took us over the Virginia Highlands section in town to browse shops, have gelato, and spend time together.  This section of Atlanta has a lot of  charming cottage style homes.
• Denine and I went to see "Last Comic Standing On Tour" in Greenville,SC.  It was the top 5 finalist from the TV show and we can not remember laughing so much. 
• Our "Baby Girl" has made it home a number of weekends which has been great.
• Last weekend it was "all hands on deck" to help move our  Laminex manufacturing and warehouse facility to new, larger quarters.  It was good team building to get all our companies together to work side-by-side.  How can you not bond over fried catfish (yes, another southern thing)?  We are grateful that there were no injuries and no major equipment damage.

More sharing and more photos later.  I promise!!