Random Weekend Stories

I was out mowing the lawn Saturday when a neighbor walked over. Jamie was on the back porch. The neighbor asked if the rumors were true. I gave her a brief summary of our plans. She said "I have a couple friends who went to Africa for a year...BIGGEST MISTAKE OF THEIR LIVES!". She said they were just out of college and thought they were going to change the world, and perhaps their expectations were set a little high.

Then we had Kobe's birthday party yesterday afternoon. I'm not sure how, but my Grandpa wasn't aware of our plans (although after reading further maybe you'll understand how I forgot to tell him). I thought I had told him, or thought that my dad did... Anyway he found out and was not happy. He followed me around for 5 minutes while I was barbecuing trying to "talk some sense into me". He said he's available Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday nights. I need to come by for an hour each night and he'll explain how the world works to me, either that or I need to go see a "shrink". I think it is partly out of concern for my family, and partly out of his opinion that there's nothing we can do to help Africa. He did say he prayed for the first time yesterday, and God told him I should stay. I told him to keep praying. I learned a long time ago there is no point arguing with him and to never take offense at anything he says.

One kinda funny story. We were at the farm store in town getting some flowers and Colton had this conversation with the cashier:
Cashier: Are these flowers for your mother?
Colton: uh, not really.
Cashier: they're not for mother's day?
Colton: No, they're to make our house look pretty so we can sell it.
Cashier: Sell it? Why are you selling it?
Colton: because we're going to move.
Cashier: Why would you want to leave Everson? Where are you moving to?
Colton: Africa
Cashier: (light laughter).....are you serious?
Colton: Yeah, we're going to be missionaries in Liberia
Cashier: (looking at me) are you really?
I guess she didn't trust hearing it from an 8 year old.

And one really funny story. My brother in law told us this Saturday night and everyone was just about rolling on the floor laughing. About 9 years ago he was driving with his wife and young son through the bank drive thru. When they pulled up to the teller window his wife was bent over getting something out of her purse. The teller asked "would you like a sucker for your child and a dog treat for your dog?". My sister in law sat up in her seat and was wondering how the teller knew they had a dog, when she saw the look of horror on the teller's face. The teller started to apologize profusely, saying she'd never seen someone with such long beautiful hair. My brother in law had to pull over into the parking lot after their transaction was done because he was laughing to hard to drive.