What's Been Happening in Remlerville?

Recently, my dear friend and Remlerville reader Carmen Mills Thompson mentioned that she has not been able to read a Remlerville post in quite some time. "What's been going on?" she asked. "I'm going into withdrawal."

That's so sweet. Actually, a lot has been going on, which is why I haven't had time to post much on the blog. So here's a summary of what the Remlers have been working on (in no particular order):

The Superbowl:  Last weekend the Remlers attended a Superbowl Bash hosted by Scott and Allison King, who, as it turns out, spare no effort to make sure all party goers have a good view of the game. Television sets were posted inside and out: in the living room, on the back porch, by the fire pit, in the back yard. No matter where we were, we could see what was happening with the game--or at least in my case, with the commercials. I'm not a big fan of pro football, but who can resist those Superbowl ads?

Beautiful fire pit!

But what I figured out early on was that when I'm at a Superbowl party, I'm not watching the game or the commercials. I'm busy talking to Kings, Thompsons, Douglases, Autries, Heaps, Russells, Joneses and Fogarties. I'm also busy trying to figure out the Superbowl squares to see if I have a chance at winning. I'm such a gambling girl, I can't resist throwing some money to the fates. I'm busy trying out the smorgasbord of food people brought to go along with the delicious pork sausage Scott King grilled. 

So if you ask me who won the Superbowl, I have no idea. I was too busy having a good time. 

Eye Care at a Distance: Also on Superbowl weekend, I stayed on the phone with Davis as he made his first trip to an emergency room. How I wish that had happened a little closer to home, but he fared well on his own. Davis was on ship duty last weekend on a windy Saturday, and something blew in his eye and scratched his cornea. He said it hurt like &%^$#*. His buddies took him to an urgent care center, but they said they don't treat eyes. He had to go to an eye doctor or an ER. Well, what eye doctor is open on Saturday? So off to the ER they went. Fortunately, after several hours of waiting around, he finally got the all clear to go home. His eye took several days to heal, but it's fine now. I don't have a photo of his eye, so I'll just share a photo of Davis in his uniform: 

Here he is in his navigation class. Doesn't he look busy?

He says it's very important to make sure the ship stays on the blue part. Thank goodness he can see through both his eyes.

Basketball: As soon as Lawson returned from the annual river trip, he began basketball season. The St. Peter the Apostle Rams have been under the leadership of three coaches:  Sean Sheppard, George Miller, and Heath Moyer. We appreciate their willingness to coach the team because neither man has a son on the team, so they are volunteering their time out of pure sportsmanship. So three cheers to the three coaches!

They've led their team to many victories and some near victories, and what's been exciting is to see how Lawson has become much more aggressive on the court. I don't know if he'll play high school ball, but I think he has the potential if he wants to. 

In a couple of weeks, the Rams will travel to Charlotte, NC to play in the Shamrock Tournament. The eighth grade teams always go to that event and have a great time, so this year's athletics will take the Remlers on the road.

A Speaking Engagement:  In mid January, I drove to Hawkinsville, GA to give a lecture on the influenza pandemic at the M.E. Roden Memorial Library. Afterward, I held a book signing and visited with friends and family. I enjoyed being there that day.

An Honor for a Friend:  And then yesterday, after Lawson's last basketball game of the regular season ended in a loss in triple overtime, the Remlers drove out to Armstrong Atlantic State University to see the Pirates defeat the USC Aiken Pacers in basketball. It was also alumni weekend at the university, and one of our dear friends was being honored. Ernie Friedman graduated from Armstrong Junior College in 1950 before continuing to New York University and then Emory Law School. Yesterday afternoon, he received the outstanding alumnus award during a halftime ceremony. We were glad to be there to see him receive that honor. And we were glad the Pirates won for the occasion as well!

And then there are all the other things keeping us busy that we don't have photos of, such as teaching my first online class, grading papers, working the concession stand and ticket table at basketball games, nursing a sick Lawson (he's feeling better now), getting Lawson a hair cut, selling books, getting myself a hair cut, cooking dinners, attending writing group meetings, and trying to pound out that second novel that everybody's been asking about.

There's just not enough time in the day! But I thought I'd take a little bit of it to update everybody on what's going on in Remlerville. I'll try not to neglect my blog for so long before my next post.