October-Part 3

Finally time to wrap up October and get ready for November.

Mid October was time for the annual Optimist Golf Scramble. Every year Mike and I somehow psych ourselves up that we have a chance to win, or at a minimum be competitive. Of course when its over, we always remind ourselves that we aren't very good at golf and should remember that fact next year. This year's winner shot 20 under par. Not bad for a few people that played on the Nationwide Tour. Mom, Dad, Casey, and Jeff also fielded a team this year. I think they had a great time, with Casey and Mom carrying the team most of the way...they might want to drop Dad and Jeff and pick up Janet and Steph next year!

The following week Steph finally had her Grand Opening for Fidelity. It was a few months after her office actually opened, but it was very well put together. For those of you that have visited, it was held in Franklin (The Factory). The big headline of the event was that Emerson Drive played a short set and did a meet and greet. We got to talk with them before the show. They were all really nice and very down to earth. Steph had a lot of interaction with her clients and I think it was a great event for her branch to get started on the right foot. It was interesting to see some of the people that live in all those big houses down here...surprisingly most of them look like us, with the exception of the $1,000,000 house that they have.

For me, the best thing that happened this month was our Family Reunion for the Brown's. We had finally put the finishing touches on the "Farm" and Momzes felt comfortable enough to have the family over. You know how Grandmas can be, nothing is ever clean enough for company to come over, but we finally talked her in to it. The turnout was amazing! Over 100 family members came out of the wood work! Unfortunately it seemed like each person brought something to eat. Boy, there so much food to eat! We had to have a trailer to hold it all, and this being a Brown Family reunion, most of that food disappeared!

I want to thank Momzes and Papa for deciding to repair the farm. They have invested a lot of time and money to make sure it remains standing for hopefully another 100 years. Of course, Jeff and I did a lot of work on it, so maybe like 10 more years and we will re-evaluate. But seriously, without them none of this would have been possible. I today's rapid pace, it was nice to sit outside on the porch and hear stories about how Momzes had to walk uphill both ways to school in the snow, and how Papa killed a bear with his loose-leaf notebook. Family members are investigating both stories for accuracy, but you get the idea. It was a great time and I look forward to the Reunion for many more years.

The end of October found us making a trip to the lake, carving a pumpkin, Parents visiting and stupid Steeler fans.

We made a quick trip to the lake and got to visit with Steph's parents and the Vicarels. I was hoping to land some big fish, but I had to settle for just one. As always, we had a great time. Larry fixed a great dinner Saturday night, while Carol and Janet got the bonfire started. Steph made S'mores. Steve and I relaxed and enjoyed it all. Steph and I can't thank the Vicarels and Jackups enough. It made our move to Tennessee a little easier knowing that we can jump in the truck and see friends and family in about 2 hours, not to mention fish, ski and relax at the lake!

Steph wanted to make sure we carved a pumpkin for our first Halloween in the new house. So the night before, Steph designed it and I carved it and set it outside. She was excited to see all of the kids in their costumes. A quick trip to Costco and we were stocked up with candy and ready for the little monsters. The next night (Halloween), a grand total of 8 kids came to the door. A little bit of a downer, but on the upside more candy for us!

Steeler's Fans...hate em. Hate is such a strong word...but sometimes appropriate. We went to the local bar for lunch so we could watch the Bungals game. We sit down, order, grab a beer and then it happens. Right here in Nashville. To this bar. In walk 2 people with their Steeler uniforms. Of course they decided to sit right next to us to watch the game. I know the Bungals are terrible, but sitting next to these 2 made it that much worse. Even when the Steelers were dominating, these 2 felt it necessary to complain about the Refs, chest bump in public, and talk about how great it was to be a Steelers fan. We lost our appetite, finished what we could and headed for home. Just goes to show you not everyone in Nashville is normal, their are still some crazy's down here that are "Steeler Brainwashed".

Well that's it for October. Thanks to those of you that made it to the end of this!

November is coming up soon. Things to look forward to: Jason's parents visit, Steph's girlfriends come to visit, a trip home for the Bungals, Steph's family visits for Thanksgiving and much more!

October - Part 2 - Remembering

I know, only a few days ago Part one was published! I've got to get caught up before the holidays get here. Bear with me on the length of this Part of the Blog.
I regret to say that October this year brought some sad news with the passing of someone very dear to Stephanie and I, as well as many of you.

On October 7th, 2007 Jeraleen "Jerry" Hensley, age 80 of Fairfield passed away in Mercy Hospital of Fairfield at 10:03 PM. She was born in Waynesville, North Carolina on May 31, 1927 the daughter of Glenn and Maude (Conard) Ruff. Jerry was a prayer warrior for Cincinnati Real Life Church, South Fork Christian Church, and Rolling Hills Baptist Church. She was a woman whose heart was full of love and she generously contributed to many area ministries; for example Pass It On Ministries, Water Through the Word Ministries, South Fork Christian Church, and Rolling Hills Baptist Church. She was loved by many and will be missed by all. She was employed as the office manager for Glenn Ruff Inc. for twenty-seven years, retiring in 1990. On October 25, 1947 in Hamilton she was married to William "Bill" Hensley, and he preceded her in death in 2001. She is survived by one daughter, Debra Sue (Hensley) Lanier of Sparta, Kentucky; a sister, Ruby (Wally) Wogenstahl of Hamilton; two grandchildren, Stacey (Lanier) Alexander and her husband Barry of Sparta, Kentucky and Scott Lanier of Coupeville, Washington; two great-grandchildren, William Barrett Alexander II and Nicholas Barrett Alexander; and also many nieces and nephews, great-nieces and nephews, and other relatives and many friends.

Jerry will be missed tremendously by all of us. Many of you reading this were fortunate to know Jerry, or "Mammaw" as many of us called her. Those of you that didn't get to meet this special person really missed out on one of the truest, most gracious, caring, and loving person Steph and I have ever met.

A loving wife, mother, grandmother, and more recently a GREAT-Grandmother. She was a rock for her family. She was a kind friend. A listening ear...when you needed one. A voice of reason and guidance...when you needed that too. And trust me, Mammaw knew before you did which one you needed most. She meant something different and wonderful to each and everyone she met.

There isn't enough space on the Internet to tell how wonderful she was to every person she met, nor the numerous memories and stories we could all tell about how she affected our lives.

One of the memories I will always think about is how her strength and happiness always shined through whenever you walked in her door. She greeted me with such joy, happiness and enthusiasm every time I saw her. I know she was probably in more pain than most of us could put up with for that long of time, but never once did I see her complain, or even talk about it as long as I knew her. She was more concerned about how other people were doing in their lives and doing all she could to help them.

Whether you knew it or not, Mammaw was always trying to help all of you. Even the people she never got to meet. Consistently, she was behind the scenes praying for all of us, she might not have known what we needed praying for, but that didn't stop her devotion to us, nor to her Savior.

Something else Mammaw was always doing behind the scenes was sending "forwards". Yes, I know she sent a lot didn't she! I'm sure even those that didn't know her had one of those show up in your Inbox every once in a while.

Below is one of the last ones that we got from her. I'm glad she sent it, I think it says a lot about her thoughts on life and why she treasured her time with every person she met.

Mammaw Forward 9/10/07

Thinking of you....

I am sending this to you to see how many actually read their e-mail. Your response will be interesting. Pay attention to what you read. After you have finished reading it you will know the reason it was sent to you.

Here goes:

People come into your life for a Reason, a Season or a Lifetime.
When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.

Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.

What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it; it is real, but only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind, but friendship is clairvoyant.

Thank you for being a part of my life,
whether you were a reason, a season or a lifetime.



I'm sure each one of us have those special people in our life. We can look back at the memories and experiences that have made an everlasting impression on us. I've found that the important thing for me, is to not just look back in remembrance, but to look to today and put those memories into action.

As I get older, I try hard to remember traits about those people that have touched my life and put them into my everyday day life. It could be something as simple as trying to smile at every person I met, or taking that extra time to help someone in need, or just calling an old friend to see if they need an ear to talk to.

Take time to remember those important people that have touched your lives and do all you can to become one of those people for someone else.

We love you and miss you Mammaw.

Outrageous October! Part 1 of a few

I know November is almost gone, but I'm trying to catch up as fast as possible... Wow. What a month. October was busy! Fall is a fabulous time of year. Leaves are starting to turn, weather is amazingly comfortable, kids are outside playing in piles of leaves, and football season is in full swing. Which brings us to the first day of October. Monday Night Football!

For some reason the NFL decided the Bungals were going to play on Monday night again...unfortunately for Cincinnati, the Patriots were coming to town. Since Steph didn't make it to the first game she wanted to take part in the festivities this time and took a day off work. After it was over, we both agreed the tailgating at Longworth Hall was a much better show than the actual game. Bungals lost...again...a trend that will continue thru the rest of the month.

After returning to Tennessee on Tuesday, Steph and I loaded up the car and turned right back around the following weekend for a wedding. Mandy (a former co-worker) of Steph was getting married in Cincinnati. Actually she ended up having the reception at the Madison in Covington. That's the same place we had ours. Brought back a lot of good memories. The wedding was a very nice Catholic mass followed by the reception a few hours later. It was nice to see some of Steph's former co-workers. A quick night's sleep and we were back in the car Sunday headed back to Brentwood and a well needed day of R&R (Rest & Relaxation...Steph asked, so I thought someone else wouldn't feel so bad if I explained it)

The rest was important, on Tuesday night we had tickets for the Grand Ole Opry! It was our first trip to the Opry. What a line-up they had that night...Porter Wagner, Jimmy Dickens, John Conlee, Emerson Drive, Trent Tomlinson, Jason Aldean, Ricky Skaggs, and Carrie Underwood!! Needless to say we were impressed with our first visit. Steph and Shay were in full character with their Cowboy hats and boots on. This must be what attributed to our next experience at the Opry. Being the tourist that we still are, after the show we were outside taking pictures; a woman approached us about doing an interview for GAC. GAC = Great American Country TV Station. We said sure and went over to where they were filming. After getting some make-up applied...yes in addition to what I already had on (I know Dillman was going to make that comment anyway, so i went ahead and put it in for him).

They talked with us for about 5 minutes and asked us a series of questions about the Opry and GAC. I think Steph really impressed them when they asked who her favorite performer at the Opry was that night. Her reply?..."I just loved that Little Jimmy Dickenson", of course I had to correct her on camera and explain to her that his name is Jimmy Dickens. We all had a good laugh. Of course that part probably won't be aired, however we did get our 3 seconds of fame at the end of a commercial that GAC is currently running. I knew I wouldn't have to get a job to become famous here in Nashvegas.

Part 2 coming soon...

September in the South

Howdy yall! It's me again. I've had a few complaints from a few of my friends. The most notable being that the last blog was too long for them to read. Since I have decided to keep them as friends...for the time being...I decided to give them a summary first, then continue below for the rest of you.

September. Visited Van Wert Ohio for Labor Day. Had Fun. Won Money on horses. Drafted LT in Fantasy Football. Celebrated Mom and Dad's Birthday's. Drove home for Bengals Monday Night Football. Bengals won. Went to a bar to watch the Bengals play Cleveland...Bengals lost. Had friends over for a party at the new house. Went to Cincinnati for an Autism event. Celebrated Birthdays. Finished.

How was that? I don't know why it is important for me to keep those 2 friends that complained about that, but I guess it is. Now that I think about it, it could be the fact that their parents are still sending me money to pretend to be their friends.

Ok for the rest of you that are still reading...I will also try to streamline September.

Labor Day! What a way to start the month. Steph and I headed to Van Wert Ohio (About 2 1/2 North on 127) to visit her grandparents for the County Fair. After the rest of the family members arrived, we headed to the fairgrounds. We easily passed the tractors and the Amish in their buggies and found a great parking spot...you know kind of like Chevy Chase at Wally World...Steve kept telling me we would be the first ones out of there...I guess I'm supposed to be Rusty. Once inside the gate it was a free-for-all. Kids ran to get tickets for all the rides, Steph's cousin Jeb had to find a world famous corn dog stand. Steve wanted a sausage burger from the Lion's club...and then there was Steph and Paul. (Paul is Steph's Uncle) For some reason they thought they were 12 years old again. They strolled upon one of those rides for little kids that strap you in bungee cords and they raise you off the ground and you can jump around. Sounds fun huh? Anyway they just had to try that. It made for some great laughs for the rest of the group...I have attached pictures, but they don't do it justice.

After stuffing ourselves with more food than we can remember the guys (and Steph) headed to the horse track. There were about 8 of us that pulled our money and placed a few bets on each race. Rob was one of the 8, but he decided he needed to hedge his bets. So whatever horses we were betting on, he would place a side bet on the other horses in the race. He didn't care if he broke even, he just wanted to win. You have to applaud the effort. After making a few bucks at the track we piled into cars and headed off to see Steph's uncle John play in a band.

John's band was playing at a local bar not too far from Van Vert. They play mostly rock and roll from the 50's and 60's. Everyone had a great time. Dancing, singing, drinking, watching sports...it was great. But the best part of the night came with such a shock, most of us couldn't believe our eyes. We were watching the ticker on the bottom of the TV and we swore it said that team from up north lost to Appalachian State. That had to be the best thing we saw all day!!

The Bengals. Where to begin? So much build up during the pre-season led to the much anticipated Monday Night opener with the Baltimore Ravens. The crowd was electric, the Bengals actually looked good and were able to pull out a win! We left the game thinking everything was going to be great this year. Why? Why would anyone in their right mind think such crazy thoughts? I mean have we not learned anything in the last 18 years? Einstein said it best...Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Substitute Insanity with "Bengals" and that about sums it up. The Titans are looking better and better every week.

September was filled with Birthdays! Jason's Mom and Dad, Jason's Grandpa, and Steph's Dad. Lots of cake!

Steph and I came home the end of September for an Autism Expo in Anderson. The Expo featured a variety of sponsors and booths were set up like a convention for local groups. Steph's mom got a table and we set up a display for the Flying Pig Marathon to raise awareness for Autism. This was a great event! About 50 people signed up for more information on the run/walk in May and a lot of helpful contacts were made. For those of you that want more information on the run/walk, or making a contribution please check out our other blog at runforautism.blogspot.com

We hope everyone is doing great and will look forward to seeing everyone over the next few months!!

Amazingly Hot August!

Finally another Blog Post! I know most of you were checking everyday, holding your breath and hoping to find a new adventure story from Nashville only to be disappointed. Well wait no more! I am going to bring everyone up to speed with 2 new blogs...one for August and one for September.

Here is a little note from the National Weather Service about August:

...AUGUST 2007 WAS THE HOTTEST MONTH EVER RECORDED IN NASHVILLE...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE DURING THE MONTH OF AUGUST 2007 AVERAGED 86.9 DEGREES...WHICH WAS 9.0 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. ...AND THE HOTTEST OF ANY MONTH IN 137 YEARS OF RECORD KEEPING.THERE WERE 15 DAYS OF 100 DEGREES AND ABOVE IN NASHVILLE DURING AUGUST 2007. THIS IS THE MOST EVER IN THE MONTH OF AUGUST. A STRING OF 7 CONSECUTIVE DAYS OF 100 DEGREES AND ABOVE BEGAN ON AUGUST 12TH...2007. ALSO...THE 106 DEGREES ON AUGUST 16TH WAS THE HOTTEST TEMPERATURE IN NASHVILLE IN THE LAST 55 YEARS...ONLY SURPASSED BY 107DEGREES BACK ON JULY 27TH AND JULY 28TH IN 1952.

Basically it was hot here. I'm sure it was hot everywhere this summer. Al Gore was right when he said ..."It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it."--or maybe when he said "We are ready for an unforeseen event that may or may not occur." It's very exciting having such a smart person as our neighbor...heck I bet he is smart enough to invent this Internet we are all talking on these days.

I digress...no need to get political in this blog...but here is a subliminal message (WHATEVER YOU DO DON'T VOTE FOR HER).

Once we got past the heat wave we had a great time in August. For those of you that don't know, Steph's company Fidelity was nice enough to pay for temporary housing here in Nashville for 2 months. Those 2 months ended in July. We have been looking for a house since June and were having some trouble figuring out exactly where to live. For some reason, unlike the rest of the country, Nashville is not a buyer's market. We must have looked at 30-40 houses with our realtor in a variety of different areas.

Still not satisfied, we were driving around one day and made a wrong turn (I was driving...hard to believe huh?) and found ourselves in a neighborhood we had not seen yet. Trying to find our way back out, we noticed an Open House sign that was advertising for that afternoon. After a quick drive by look, we decided to come back and look at it. Boy were we surprised when we did...there were about 20 cars lined up on either side of the street! All of them had come to the Open House! We strolled through the house and really liked it, we still had a few others to look at that day and more to think about. Eventually Steph wanted to go back and look again later that same day. Making a long story shorter...we decided to put an offer in that night. The next day we found out that we were bidding against another couple that had come through the open house. So we gave our best offer and crossed our fingers. Monday afternoon we got the call that we had "won" the bidding and could move in at the end of the month! The house and neighborhood are great. We are very fortunate to have stumbled upon a great home.

Now back to my earlier comment that I had made a wrong turn...looking back I can concur that it was a correct turn, and at no point in time have I ever been lost driving...I am a man of course and as long as we have gas in the tank we are never lost.

Is everyone tired of reading now? Good...for those of you still with us I'll continue (For Mike and Greg quit surfing the Internet for girls while you are at work)

After settling in, we had an interesting event. Sometime in the middle of the month while we (I) was cooking dinner we hard a loud "pop" and the power went out. I immediately checked out our front door to see about the transformer on the power pole and yup, it had exploded and was on fire. I yelled at Steph to grab my phone and the camera. I got to call 911, very exciting. Only in Tennessee can you call 911 and tell them you have a fire in front of your house and the operator replies "Ok, we will send someone out to take a look at it"...I'm like...I don't want an estimate on what it will cost to put it out, just tell the firefighters to put the Sony Playstation down and bring a truck with some water on it right away. Turner will understand about the Playstation. You see for those of you that don't know someone who is a firefighter we get the inside scoop. When they aren't getting the cats out of the trees, they are doing 1 of 3 things...Cooking...Playing Video games...or sleeping. Go ahead Turner, try to deny it. Anyway, I have attached a video of the pole on fire...sorry about it being sideways...if you are at work, just tilt your head and tell the boss you are doing stretching exercises.

Lets see what else happened in August. Late August we took a trip to the lake (Watts Bar Tennessee) We went to visit the Vicarels and Jackups. As I have mentioned in the past, it is a great place to go and relax and enjoy the water. Steph got to Ski and she even went fishing with us. I'll leave out the part of the story where she caught more fish than I did...she can tell you about that later. The lake is only about 2 1/2 hours from here and Larry, Carol, Ron and Mel are great hosts! We are very thankful that they invite us over all the time.

That seems like enough for now. Tune in tomorrow for the next Chapter. Hope this finds everyone in good health and happiness! Jason and Steph.

A Visitor's Perspective

I, Casey Brown, am the first official guest blogger for this site. You may notice that this is the only grammatically correct blog posting on this page. I cannot help it that I was the only sibling to get the "brains..."

Top Ten Things to Do in Nashville/Franklin, TN:

10. Stare at big houses
Picture the biggest house you have ever seen. Now multiply that by three. Add a five-car garage and a Porsche SUV in front of it. This would be the smallest house in your neighborhood. Seriously...Kelly and I were in disbelief of all of the HUGE houses that were in neighborhoods like Village Green.

9. Feel sorry for the people in the big houses
We did not envy these people. We must only assume that these big houses are to make up for all of their inner emptiness. We imagine that of the 25 rooms in the house, at least 5 are dedicated solely to crying. And that just makes me sad for them.

8. Take Charlie for a walk
Or rather, have Charlie take you for a walk. And actually, it is more like a run. I used to think that Steph was the runner in the family. Now I see that Charlie is the inspiration behind the running madness. I almost wiped out twice--once for a bird and another time for a squirrel. I had to let go of the leash and save myself!

7. Eat
Kelly and I realized quickly that Steph and Jason eat out quite often. Their refridgerator has mixed vegetables and Healthy Choice fudge bars. That's about it...maybe there were some eggs? But no need to worry! They have every possible eatery nearby! We feasted on favorites like Jimmy Johns and mongolian barbeque. We had local flavors like the Pancake Pantry--with yummy sweet potato pancakes. And Jack's BBQ was wonderful! We also ate at Puckett's--at least I think that is the name of it. We walked to Maggie Moo's, and we journeyed to Ben and Jerry's! Delicious! I cannot wait to go back and try more.

6. Eat Mexican popcicles
These get their own number because they ROCK! I want one right now. And so does Owen. I highly recommend the chocolate-strawberry flavor. I will be back for more of these as well.

5. Hang out with Owen
Owen makes every city more exciting. His Uncle Jason gave him a bath. Then he proceeded to run around naked holding onto his "pickle" (Owen is the "he" in this sentence--not Uncle Jason.) He was a trooper: riding around from place to place, eating all the fun foods, snuggling with Charlie, banging pots and pans, and cracking us up.

4. Drive around
Jason loves to take the "back way" to everything. It is a great way to see the greater Nashville area. I think he gets lost a lot more than he lets on, but we played along as if it were all part of the plan. It is a pretty place to just ride around.


3. Hang out with Jason and Stephanie
What can I say! These two are great hosts! Stephanie works hard all day but still comes home with a smile on her face and energy to head out to dinner with her guests. Jason does something all day (I think he spends most days at Costco trying out all of the samples), and he takes the time to plan out great days that are fun and balanced. Also, Stephanie makes us laugh a lot! She talks about crazy birds named Cherokeets and shows us an imaginary map of Nashville that she can see on her hand. Good times!

2. Visit the sights
Opryland, music row, the Parthenon, downtown Nashville, the river, Centennial Park, the print shop, boot stores, ...there is so much to see. Next time, I plan to visit the country music hall of fame and an art museum.

1. Relax!
This is a great place to get away to hang out with Jason and Steph and to see the city. There is a great mix of action, but lots of time to unwind and kick back. I highly recommend a visit! It's a blast!

Happy 4th of July!

Hope everyone had a great Independence Day! As Stephanie update you last week I have been absent in my blogging duties, it may be a little long but will do my best to bring you up to speed.

Last Sunday I headed to "the farm", which from here is about 3 hours north-east. It wasn't a bad drive except for the fact that I left at 5 in the morning. Of course this was planned on my part so that I could make it in time for breakfast. Aunt Nora didn't disappoint either. We had the usual spread of homemade biscuits and gravy with eggs, bacon, sausage, and tomatoes. I think she throws the tomatoes on the table just so she can offer a little healthier option to her guests. Everything was as amazing as I remembered it would be. The only thing she didn't have this time was chocolate gravy. Yup, that's right...as if gravy couldn't get any better, someone decided to put chocolate in it. I guess my uncle Bobby wasn't minding her this week (it's his favorite).

After stuffing our faces we went to work. Jeff, Casey, Owen, mom and dad had already been working on Saturday and we picked up where they left off. Jeff and I starting putting the final texture on the drywall upstairs. It looks a whole lot better than it used to and is almost finished. Mom decided that she was going to stay till Monday and keep working on it.

Leaving Mom behind to fend for herself, Dad and I headed for home...that is Fairfield. For those of you that didn't know, dad is running for school board in Fairfield. make sure you vote early and often and tell your friends! Once we arrived I started on my list of tasks to be completed on my visit...I won't bore you with a blow by blow of that, but here is a rough synopsis...haircut, install signage on a truck, minor work at our house, load the truck with stuff we forgot, set up a computer for a friend, play golf with optimist club, went out with Mike for lunch, visited Janet, visited Momzes and Papa, etc. Sounds exciting huh? Momzes and Janet were kind enough to send care packages back with me...Momzes sent Zuchhini bread and Janet sent cookies. Both were great! I would say there was at least 50% left for Steph by the time I got back...ok maybe 40%.

Tuesday evening when I returned Steph and I went out looking for houses again with our realtor. Once again we didn't really see anything to our liking. Location, Location, Location! Problem is we don't know what location we want! Our search continues...on the other hand we are in the middle of a contract negotiation on our house in Fairfield. Keep your fingers crossed and we should know something today!

That brings us to Wednesday the 4th. Had I known what was going to happen on the 4th, maybe I would have stayed in Fairfield longer. Somehow before I left town Stephanie talked me into running a 5K (3.1 miles) for a local YMCA. When she mentioned it I think I was still sleeping or something. Anyway I thought to myself, "self how hard could a 5K be?"..."5k doesn't sound very far" Now those of you that run or walk are probably laughing at me right now, but since I haven't ran farther than 1/2 a mile in the past year I began to start thinking that 5K might be a pretty far distance. We awoke that morning at 6:00 am (race started at 7:00) and headed to the event. They had a huge turnout-about 1500 participants. It was a very well run event and you could tell that most of the people had run farther than a 1/2 mile recently.

As the gun sounded the start I sucked it up and started to slowly push myself forward one foot at a time. Steph was a very good coach, she would keep asking me if I needed oxygen, or should she call 911 yet, sometimes she would run backwards...she said so she could still keep an eye on me and make sure I didn't cut through the trees. She is hitting me right now...none of that actually happened...I'm sure some of it could have, but didn't. About mile 1.5 she did turn to me and seriously say "do you feel like you are in a groove now"...remember I'm doing well just to concentrate on breathing every few seconds. I try to hold back my laughter and tell her politely "NO!" I guess most runners get into a "groove" of some kind and then "its all downhill" from there. We just kept jogging/running and I eventually made it to the finish line in one piece. Stephanie was very proud of me! I was just glad to make it without walking. After the race they offer food and drinks to those who participated...I told Steph this was the first time I didn't feel guilty about eating and drinking those. Normally after Steph runs I get hungry and thirsty from just watching. As a side note in case some of you were wondering...Jason won by 1 second over Stephanie.

After a well deserved breakfast and shower we headed to downtown Franklin. They had a festival to celebrate the holiday. Music, food, vendors, kids events and many others. It was nice and relaxing even though it involved more walking. Charlie accompanied us and was a big hit. Everyone loves Charlie! Back at the apartment we had a quick nap and then headed back out on the town. Nashville had a big concert and fireworks show planned for that evening. We went with Brandon and Shay (Steph's co-worker and wife). It was on the river downtown similar to WEBN's in Cincinnati. GAC hosted the event and had Taylor Swift, Rodney Atkins, and Van Zant as the musical guests. Stephanie was excited because she got to buy her Cowboy hat! All in all it was a great event. Lots of people, but it was easy to get in and out. For those of you that missed out on seeing Fireworks on the Fourth I have added a video that we took.

I guess that brings everyone up to speed. Sorry it was a long winded blog, but with no job and no house to work on what do you expect.

Next Week's Issue..."Owen sings at the Grand Ole Opry", "Casey eats Jimmy Johns every night", "Kelly buys a cowboy hat and boots and promises to start a fashion trend in Harrison"...stay tuned.

Weekend at Brownie's

Almost our first weekend together in Nashville....Friday, Jason met myself and some of my colleagues out for celebration beverages. We all cheered to our first week open in Nashville. After a drink or two Jason and I went to dinner w/ another couple, Brandon and Shay. (I work w/ Brandon) We had a great time with some excellent sushi.. Sushi in the south?? you may say....well it was FANtastic. Peter is quite the sushi chef!

Saturday J and I spent the day DRIVING around looking at neighborhoods. It's much more tiring than I'd expect! Driving and driving and driving. We did stop for lunch down town and had Jack's BBQ. It came highly recommended from Steve, a cincy colleague of mine. It was delicious! And I did experience my first mexican popsicle. This was a well needed break from our driving, driving and driving. Then we wanted to kick off our first weekend together with a nice dinner downtown. We went to the Melting Pot. I know we can have that at home, but we never did. Seemed like a good time to try it. It was my first time ever. We took a walk around town afterwords in effort to make our stomachs feel better - we were stuffed! Chocolate covered marshmellows??!!!mmmmm... I couldn't resisit!

You may have noticed I said almost our first weekend together. That's because Jason left at 5am on Sunday morning. He headed to Kentucky to work on the farm. He met the family there, worked a few hours, and headed to Fairfield in the afternoon. I'm sure he'll fill you in when he gets back. What did I do? Yes! More driving! Clearly I can't decide what area I'd like to live in. But I did go through a few open houses which was pretty fun. As I keep saying, it's hard to get excited when we have a house to sell. In the evening, Charlie and I just hung out trying to find a job for Jason. I printed out a stack of opportunities and emailed him some links. We'll see where that goes. Job hunting and house hunting.. how exhausting.

And that's about it. I know it's not the most exciting weekend at Brownie's, but I promise for all of you who come visit you'll have an amazing time - and we won't spend the weekend just driving.

Jason, Charlie and I send out lots of love to everyone!!!

Happy 4th of July!

Mr. Mom 101

Wake up around 7:00. Kiss Steph good-bye and wish her a good luck at work. Grab a cup of coffee and a bagel. Take Charlie for a walk. Head to the YMCA to work out. Come back and take Charlie for another walk. Head to the pool for an hour or so. Come in, take a shower. Then the work day really begins. I've been spending the afternoons researching houses on the Internet and then driving around for a few hours to familiarize myself with Nashville. After a long hard day of driving and house hunting I wait for Steph to get home so we can go out to dinner. Yesterday we had Outback...it was as good as it is up home!



Charlie normally accompanies me on my trips around the city. We made a stop at a park near Belmont University yesterday and he seemed to have a good time (I can only judge that by the big smile on his face after he went to the bathroom). Charlie has been doing well. We found quite a few people here in our apartment complex that have dogs. Charlie of course has made friends quickly. So far his buddies are Alex, Johnny, Honey Bear, and Daisy. Johnny is about 2 weeks old and is very scrappy.



One of the places Charlie and I visited this week was a place called Las Palatas. They are famous Mexican Popsicles made here in Nashville. Yes I know what many of you are thinking...no Mexican Popsicles aren't from Hamilton. They are actually very good and come in a variety of fruit flavors. They taste like very fresh fruit, only cold.



Spending a lot of time with Charlie has definitely brought us closer together. I hope Steph is making enough money that I can home school Charlie when he is older...I just can't imagine having to leave him during the day. I mean I am teaching him so much! Just yesterday I taught him a valuable lesson that my dad passed on to me. We were driving around town and some guy cut me off going into the shopping center. I proceeded to yell and curse at him. I know I should have told Charlie "ear muffs", but I was just too mad. Anyway upon further inspection we found out that the guy was actually a girl. This gave me the opportunity to let Charlie know what to expect the next time someone cut us off and was driving erratically. Yup, you guessed it...Charlie is expecting it to be a woman. Don't yell at the facts. So far in my recent scientific studies here in Nashville I have become frustrated with 10 drivers and so far all of them have been woman. I will continue to update this stat for those nay sayers out there.



Steph is staying very busy at work. So far she says things are going well and seems to be picking up right where she left off. I told her if she really wants me to work again that I could just commute to Fairfield during the week until we sell the house. She didn't like that idea too much. I will be heading back home on Sunday for a day or two in order to do some work on the house. After that we won't be back until around July 30th. I did get a confirmation on our first visitors to Nashville today. Casey, Owen, and Kelly are going to come down July 9th thru 12th. (Casey will be happy to hear that we have a Jimmy John's right down the street!) Those of you that haven't started thinking about visiting... what are you waiting for. Remember right now I can be a great tour guide, once Stephanie puts a stop to all that nonsense and I get a job my tour guide services will diminish.

Hope to see yall soon.

The One That Got Away!

I'm back! After relaxing at the lake for a week I have made it back to Nashville. Hopefully my assistant, Stephanie kept you all informed. I apologize if she disappointed anyone...she's a rookie and will improve with time.



Watts Bar Lake was beautiful. Very peaceful and relaxing. The fishing was great! I brought a camera to take a picture if all the lunker fish I was going to catch and thought I would post them here. Of course if I did that then I wouldn't be able to exaggerate my fish stories like a true angler. I did however take a few pictures of the sunset and have posted them for your enjoyment.



Truthfully though, I did catch some fish. We did a variety of styles. Early in the morning (4:30 am) we did some top-water fishing for large mouth bass. In the afternoons a few of us headed out to a spot called the island and trolled for white bass and strippers. This is a very relaxing way to fish. Basically someone drives the boat and 2 people sit in the back of the boat, hold a pole and about 3 min into the pass catch a fish. The other people in the boat are in charge of handing the "fishermen" their beers as they relax. Yes Momzes, we did drink a beer. We tried to limit it to one a day. :)



Then as if that wasn't enough, I went night fishing twice. Ron Jackups neighbor, Ray, offered to take me with him. We would leave about 8:30 pm and come back around 3:30 am. The first night I caught a combination of large and small mouth...around 10. Unfortunately Ray caught quite a bit less than that. After out fishing him, I didn't think I would get another invitation, but the next night he offered and I took him up on it. He said things would be different that night, but once again he caught less than I did. I think that might be the last time Ray takes me night fishing. Our "guides" were Ron Jackups, Ray, and Larry Vicarel. Fishing is a lot of fun when someone else does all the work...these guys were great!



Stephanie and Charlie came to visit on Saturday. Poor Charlie had to go to a kennel for the first time. We told him he was going to a sleepover and he was fine after that. Actually he did really well for his first time. I'm sure he really missed Kipper. Stephanie arrived Saturday morning and brought the first rain we had all week. Showers were hit and miss and the girls did finally get a few hours out on the water. I know we will visit over the summer so I'm sure she will get some more time on the lake and maybe even learn to ski again.



I guess that's it for now. I'll keep you posted on the weeks events. Casey wants a blog everyday, but I will spare you that...I'm very busy during the day and don't know if I'll have the time between walking Charlie and going to the pool. (Don't tell Steph...she thinks I'll be out looking for a job).



Make sure everyone wishes Owen a Happy Birthday! He is EXACTLY one-year old today!

Charlie and Me

Jason has extended his vacation to the lake. Charlie and I dropped him off early this morning at Watts Barr Lake toward Knoxville. It's a little less than 3 hours from here. He's spending the week fishing, golfing and drinking with the guys. Thank goodness my dad and Rob are there to keep an eye on him. :) All kinds of trouble for those boys to get into. Jason has been excited about it for awhile now and I know will have an excellent time.

So it's Charlie and Me for the rest of the week. And I have been designated as the Brown Blogger while Jason is out. This is my first one. If you haven't read back through the postings, here's the gist of things. We got here on Saturday. Our temporary housing is great! We are very pleased. For the past few days we have done 3 main things. Worked out, ate and driven around. It doesn't sounds exciting, but we've actually had a blast. As Jason mentioned, it feels like we're on a mini vacation. And it's quite relaxing. I'm trying to enjoy it now before our life gets crazy.

Today after we dropped Jason off at the lake, we came back the apartment to get out of the rain. It was coming down pretty hard. I did a few things for work which turned out to be exciting... I set an appointment to meet with a client on Monday - the first day we're open. Nothing like starting off with a bang. :) Then we took a small nap. Hey- we were up at 4:30 am to get on the road so it's justified.

I ran a few errands and then took Charlie to a play area. He met a friend and was cracking me up. The other dog got a little rough and right away Charlie laid on his back w/ all fours up in the air, immediately surrendering. If you didn't already know, he's quite submissive.

Then I sat on the balcony, watched it rain, read a magazine about Nashville and drank a few beers. Just perfect. Tonight Charlie kept nagging me about getting ice cream so we ventured out for a walk to Maggie Moo's. I thought I knew where it was- that's what I get for thinking. We ended up at Cold Stone Creamery. It's just as good or better any way. I tried to take Charlie inside, but he wasn't allowed. And what do you know, a friendly couple from Cincinnati watched Charlie as I ordered. So far we have found the reputation of niceness to be true. Everyone we have come across has been extremely friendly.

Tomorrow's my last day of rest and relaxation, then the fun begins on Thursday. I'm really excited to get started.

Saturday I'm heading to the lake to hang out with the ladies and then drive back w/ Jason on Sunday. Then it will be back to Jason, Charlie and me. Much better.

Nashville..."The Food Capital of the South"

"Hello yall!" We are trying to adapt as best we can. Aunt Nora says the quicker we can start talking like locals the quicker we will fit in. It's not too bad to adjust...notice the "Hello"...it doesn't have to be totally southern like "Howdy", but you are required to add "yall" to most everything you say.

If you notice I added some links to our favorite restaurants to the right. It seems like most of our days so far have been exploring and trying to find out where our next meal is going to be. Sounds like a rough life so far huh? All the restaurants are something new and exciting that we feel we must try in order to properly advise our guests (that's yall) when they come to visit.

Last night we had Genghis Grill. It was a Mongolian style feast. You get a bowl and fill it with choices of meat and vegetables, add spices and sauce, then choose your rice or noodles. Very tasty...and I could almost take credit for making it.

Today we decided to make a quick breakfast at "home" before venturing out to explore. Steph and I went to another favorite place we had at home...Dick's Sporting Goods. I had to get my Tennessee fishing license for my upcoming trip to Watts Bar Lake (TN). I leave tomorrow morning and return on Sunday. Like I said in my first blog...feels like vacation so far. Don't worry though Steph does report to work on Thursday.

Back to food. Lunch was in downtown Franklin (I compare it to a smaller Lebanon, Ohio). Someone recommended a place called "Puckett's". It looks like an old style grocery store and serves home-style meals. Very good. Steph felt right at home when she stumbled across a Ben and Jerry's. Vanilla Health Crunch.

Dinner was an adventure. We stopped at 3-4 places before finally settling on a place called Otter's Chicken Tenders. Can you guess what they serve there? Not bad for a simple fast food dinner. I would put it last on the list so far, but again so far nothing here tastes bad.

Charlie has really enjoyed the food as well. I guess Beneful in Nashville tastes the same as Beneful in Cincinnati. He has done extremely well for being in a condo and not having a place to run freely. Steph has been running him in the morning and we have been walking with him in the evening. So far no accidents and nothing has been chewed up. He is great! I'm sure he misses Kipper and can't wait for her to come visit.

Well I must sign off for the evening. I leave you in the very capable hands of my lovely wife Stephanie. She will be keeping you up to date on Nashville this week. Maybe she can talk about something more exciting than food. I'll fill you in on all of the big fish that got away when I return!

Our First Day of Vacation

Hello everyone! Stephanie and I are now in Nashville (actually Franklin) Tennessee! We loaded up the car and truck on Saturday morning and arrived about 12:00 (central time zone). Just in case everyone didn't know...we are an hour behind now.

The trip took us about 5 hours from Fairfield Township...mainly doing the speed limit plus 5-10 mph. Charlie wanted to stop and stretch his legs so we let him do that twice on the way down. What I'm trying to say to everyone is that it isn't that far to drive down and visit!

The condo that Fidelity has for us is very nice. It has 2 bedrooms, 2 full baths, dining room, living room, small deck, and is fully furnished. We also took advantage of the weight room and pool that they have here. Like I said, it feels like we are on vacation so far.

Yesterday for lunch we had a great meal at none other than "Jason's Deli". Seriously, that's the name. It has great sandwiches, huge portions, and an out of this world salad bar. For Dinner we chose "Pie in the Sky Pizza" Not LaRosa's, but not bad. This morning we found a place called the "5 & Diner" (Similar to the Silver Diner if anyone has been there). Steph had french toast and I had a Bagel and eggs.

Then we started our grocery shopping. That actually made us feel like we were still at home. We drove less than a mile from where we are staying and on our left was Costco and directly across the street was Kroger!

After an afternoon at the pool I came in to watch the US open and hang out with Charlie. Steph was still soaking up rays at the pool. I fugred that was a good time to learn how to "blog". Casey said it was easy so I thought if she can do it surely I could handle it. I'll try to keep everyone updated as often as possible.

A final thought of today...

Happy Father's Day to all of the Fathers out there. And for those of you that haven't make sure you tell your dad how much you love them. I know I love mine! Sorry to all of the other fathers out there, but "My dad is the greatest!"

Talk to you soon!

Jason