The last several weeks have been quite…. Well I am not exactly sure what they have been. Several erased sentences ago, I used the word interesting then I moved to pleasurable, peaceful, and now I am having a hard time choosing the right adjective. I think at this point in my life I am quite at ease. It is not that life is easy or that I have lost ambition, it is just that in my life I am not unhappy. I think I have found some sort of purpose in my life that I have not felt before.

Also, I am not sure that Leslie and I have had a better time than during the last several weeks. I guess there has been nothing ground shaking, not in the figurative sense at least, that has happened in our lives. We have just been enjoying our time with John David and have been blessed with the opportunity to see him go through all the many stages of growth and development. I am truly thankful for him.

The Earthquake
On April 29th, I was woken up at 5 a.m. by a rather significant shaking. It felt like a wave and loudly rattled the old windows in our house. At the time I was not aware that it was an earthquake. Thinking that it was a thunderstorm, I was brought back to my days at Ravencrest when the wind would blow at hurricane force for several days. There were many nights that I woke up hearing the lodge swaying and creaking in the wind. Well, by the time I got out of bed at 5:15 and turned on the TV, I found out that we had had an earthquake that rated 4.6 on the Richter scale. I am sooo glad that I woke up for the quake because if I had not, I would still be upset with myself.

The Flood
The last time that I saw as much rain as we have had over the last week was back in Louisiana when over a two day period we got 20 inches. The Tennessee River is at its highest point around Chattanooga in 30 years. As much as I could say about the flood, the really odd thing is--and I don't know why I haven't heard anybody draw the connection--that it has been thirty years since the last major earthquake also. Even crazier than that is that 30 years ago was the year 1973, and I was born in 1974. If this is some kind of repeating pattern then next year should be quite interesting.

John David
He is doing really well. At his 2 month check up (on 4/4), he weighed 13 lbs. 4 oz. and was in the 80th percentile in weight. He has a great laugh and is just infatuated with Leslie. I have to admit that I get a little jealous at times but am so pleased that Leslie has finally found a bit of contentment that she never had at work. Speaking of work, Leslie handed in her notice, telling her boss Neal that she had decided not to return. On one level, I will really miss the second income and having her five cubes away, but on another, I can't imagine what could possibly entice her to give up this special time with John David.

David, Leslie and John David Gidcumb