Family 2020

Family 2020
Family Christmas 2020. Love these people so much!

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Allison Times - 2013 in Review




Mean Green Machine

   Hannah Grace passed her driving test in 2013 and headed straight for a lime green VW Bug in Dallas. She didn’t stop smiling for 6 months. Even when parts started rattling off, nothing could shake the Big Green Grin. Since these cars aren’t designed for dirt roads, Hannah drove it so slowly it resembled a large green turtle. Despite her TLC, the green bug threw a headlight while speeding down Hwy 169 in Tulsa. Literally threw an entire headlight, wires and all. Just let ‘er go. Hannah claims she saw it take flight, but there was nothing she could do. Hang on to the wheel and keep driving. The Big Green Grin is beginning to droop

Taiwan Tales
   Timothy should write a book on his Taiwan adventures, but until then, one of our favorite stories is the time his rural class of 5th graders went on an over-night field trip to the Big City. Timothy was in charge of 4 boys who were sharing his hotel room. At least, there were 4 when he went to take his shower. When he returned, there were only 3. He figured, “No cause for alarm. The kid’s around here somewhere.”
  But, very shortly, the trip supervisor came storming into the room demanding, “Where is Sung-Fu?”
   Timothy stared blankly and replied, “Who is Sung Fu?” He only knew the kids by their American names, which he had given them (Ted? Eric? Matt?).
   This sparked an explosion of fast, furious verbiage that Timothy could only somewhat interpret. He knew very few Chinese words to fit this occasion, so he used them over and over. “So sorry. So sorry.”
   Sung-Fu eventually did return and claimed he had been there all along. No harm done, but Timothy was never again allowed to chaperone a field trip. 

Ralph! Ralph!

   As the snow melted last January, a huge, shaggy white dog appeared in the front yard. Friendly, slow and docile, Ralph was welcomed and loved by the entire Allison household. Ralph eventually proved to be a female, but it was too late to change his/her name (Hereafter, Ralph will be referred to with alternating gender pronouns). He slept all day, barked all night, and ate lots of food. Kim’s 1st attempt at a flower garden revealed Ralph’s only flaw: she digs huge holes in flower beds. Everything Ralph does is huge. Then came the fateful fall day when the boys started sighting in their rifles. Ralph disappeared. He made a beeline for Nan and Pa’s house and has been there ever since, despite numerous vain attempts on our part to haul her home. He shows up now and then to see what’s in her dinner dish, but the guns keep sending him back up the hill. Maybe this will be her summer home (Right next to the petunias).
Onward and Upward!

   Joseph’s wrist was confronted by a grinder while working on a car last January. That ended his career in auto-body, but allowed him to post a nasty bunch of stitches on Facebook to his admiring fans. On to My Place BBQ! It’s a great place for left-overs, but after about 6 months, he had eaten all the BBQ he wanted and started climbing 300’ cell phone towers. At the top of every tower, he makes a vow to quit, but by the time he touches the ground (and gets his paycheck), he has changed his mind.

Caleb’s Field Trips

   Caleb took Jubilee to visit his favorite childhood destination: the Kirkpatrick Center in OKC (aka the Omniplex, aka the Science Museum, etc.). They both had a great time, and of course, no excursion is complete without lots of good food, at as many restaurants as you can stuff in. In that regard, they are the perfect pair. They also took a jaunt to the Tulsa Zoo last year, where Caleb got suckered into buying a picture of Jubilee on a camel, a stuffed animal from the gift shop, and many a ride on the carousel. Good times with Bubba! 


She’s in the Jailhouse, Now

  Last May, Bethany graduated from NSU with her Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Science, and is now living in Tulsa and working at the County jail (She somehow managed to remove herself from Uncle Sam’s military roster just after the last newsletter was published. We didn’t ask how, but we are eternally grateful.). Babysitting inmates has provided Bethany much character development and a few bruises. It’s a ministry.  

Pint-Sized Missionary

   At the last minute, Jubilee decided to go on the church mission trip (her first) to Texas with her dad. Without her mom. For a whole week.

   Jubilee enjoyed helping renovate an old church camp ground and also helped with meal preparations. She did need to move her cot right next to her Dad’s, but who cares? Kim spent the week painting the house in lonely solitude. Whose idea was this, anyway?

Another Dropped Call in Brazil

   As soon as Timothy came home from Taiwan, he was making plans to go to Brazil. He worked (like a horse!) 2 months with a missionary couple who ran a drug rehab “ranch” and was even able to do a little preaching through an interpreter. He also helped another missionary family get their operation off the ground and into the water – a floating ministry - to bring fresh-water wells to the villages along the Amazon River. This Amazon boat-tour fulfilled a lifelong dream of Timothy’s, and the Amazon still has his heart. It still has his cell phone, too. It slipped into the murky waters while he was sleeping on deck. Only the piranhas kept him from diving in after it.

The Ballad of the Honda Rebel

   Years ago, when Timothy got his motorcycle license, Herb went in halves with him to buy a Honda Rebel. Later, Timothy sold it to Joseph, and just to be fair, Herb went in halves with him to buy it. Then Joseph sold it to Hannah, and she sold it to Herb for more than she paid for it (having never driven it past the mailbox). Now, since Herb is the sole, uncontested owner of the Rebel, Joseph has borrowed it. He is trying to sell Herb the truck that Herb gave him last year. And Herb’s major was Business Finance! Could someone loan Herb a calculator?
   Please note that Bethany opted out of the line-up of Rebel ownership. When her turn came, she took one practice ride on the dirt bike and drove it straight up the kids’ clubhouse, snapping every rung on the rope ladder as she went. Kept the throttle wide open all the way. “Never let go” has been her motto since childhood; tenacity, her greatest strength. The ride down was more abrupt. After she revived, we easily convinced her to stick with 4-wheeled vehicles.

A-Camping We Will Go

   Last summer, Uncle Curt organized a camp-out at Robbers’ Cave State Park for any willing nieces and nephews. Jubilee and Mom represented the Allison family, while Kristen’s clan boasted a full tent with all 7 members present. Caleb acted as spelunking guide, but hit the trail home before the raccoon made its midnight appearance and looted our snacks. It saved us some calories but kept us up most of the night rattling chip bags.
   The trip included swimming, hiking, rock climbing, and horseback riding. Kim stared down her life-long fear of horses and agreed to ride, but only if her horse was nicknamed “Granny” and had never had more than one hoof off the ground at a time. When the trail wound slowly through a nest of hornets (or something similar), even seasoned riders were bailing off, and “Granny” high-tailed it home, along with 3 other renegade horses. Kim was grateful to walk back in peace, her fear of horses still intact. With two good legs and a set of car keys, no one really needs to ride horses, anyway. No need to prove anything. All of the cousins and Jubilee continued the trail ride without a hitch J and are ready for the next  Uncle Curt Adventure.

Goodness Snakes!

   We discovered that Timothy isn’t afraid to tackle any project - plumbing, electrical, carpentry - unless it involves snakes. While crawling under the house to re-route a gas line, Timothy encountered a snake. He shot out backward and kept running - pale, breathless and stuttering; grass and dirt flying off his hair and clothes.  He suggested we hire that little job out to a plumber friend, and just not tell him about the snake. That’s how we treat our friends. 

If the Barn Needs Painted…

   It started small. We just needed to replace the kitchen carpet. It was 20 years old, after all. But first, let’s move the island and upper cabinets over to the wall. And take out the upper cabinets above the bar. And add a concrete pass-through bar into the living room. Add a built-in spice rack, remove the pantry, strip and paint the dining room table (Curt’s idea), add a ceiling fan, move out the file cabinets, paint the ceiling and walls, and lay down a wide plank knotty pine floor (Timothy’s idea). But wait! That makes the floor too tall for the doors to open and close, so all the doors had to be raised ¾”. This revealed a problem with water drainage on the back deck, which required taking half the deck apart. It still isn’t finished (all the interior remodeling is being done simultaneously with the painting and renovating of the outside of the house. It still isn’t finished, either. Anyone who likes to paint is welcome to join us.). And the living room carpet (20 years old, after all) looked really bad up next to the dining room wood floor, so the carpet got ripped up all the way down the hall. More wood ordered, laid, and sealed.
   But wait! Kim didn’t want to smell the deadly fumes from polyurethane sealer, so she insisted on using all natural Tung oil and citrus solvent on the floor (Timothy argued that stingrays and rattlesnakes are also all natural.). This stuff has to have 5 – 7 coats over a 2 day period, and then it takes 30 days to cure. No shoes for a month. No furniture. The family stands barefoot in the living room and stares silently at the floor. It’s all Kim’s fault. And it has to be re-sealed every year. For the rest of your life.
   Then Timothy started in on the bathroom. He wants to add a concrete counter-top, and a tiled shower. And the floor looks bad in there, too. But it’s 20 years old, after all. Timothy’s M.O. is to tear up an area and then leave the country. We have no choice but to try to repair it. “Get busy”, he says. “Have it done when I get back.” Kids these days.
   At periodic intervals during the remodeling, Timothy would invite a group of friends from out-of-state or overseas, to come and stay the week. The purpose was to push us to a frenzy of painting and hammering. It became common-place to have people sleeping on sofas and floors, and walking on drop-cloths through the construction zones.
   We are now in the midst of a 6-month standoff on countertop material. Kim doesn’t mind Formica. Herb, however, has a burning desire to replicate Fort Knox. The idea that granite would never need to be replaced or remodeled in any way speaks to his soul on a very deep level. Timothy wants to do all the counters in concrete (We’re leaning toward a farmhouse-lodge-traditional-shabby-eclectic style.). Kim fears the added weight of all that concrete may sink the kitchen. It’s 20 years old, after all. 

To Cap It Off…

  Herb’s new hobby uses up the rest of his 24 allotted hours per day. His manual ammo reloader makes 1 bullet at a time, and, oddly, has the arm mechanism of a slot machine, with the same addictive powers. Whenever Herb can’t be found, just look for him in the shop, preparing for Armageddon.
  Timothy is coaching Hannah Grace through her ACT readiness class, and keeps her saddled with assignments. He must be a good motivator, because her practice test scores are steadily improving.
   Caleb enjoys teaching his favorite subject (history) to Kristen’s kids 2 days/week. He usually hangs around long enough to eat lunch with them, but “The History Guy” claims food was not a factor in his decision.
   Bethany and Hannah Grace traveled to Moore, OK to help with the tornado clean-up. They were able to clear 2 house sites before noon, and won the unofficial title of “fastest working crew.”
    Hannah Grace and Jubilee kept the piano keys hot with lessons and a recital in 2013. They also sang a few specials in church, which made their mother very proud, indeed!
   The Allison and Price families enjoyed caroling room to room at the VA hospital and serenading the folks at Pleasant Valley Nursing Home (including a personal concert in Aunt Jenny’s room!) What we lacked in harmony, we made up for in volume, thanks to Herb and Uncle Curt!
   Chinese New Year in Taiwan means a month-long break from school, so Timothy went country hopping. He snow skied in South Korea, toured the Philippines, and visited friends in Singapore. Must be rough.

   For the 2nd year in a row, Jubilee has been the only kid in tow at the annual home-school conference in Big Sandy, TX. Maybe this is the new normal, but Kim doesn’t like it. 

1 comment:

Sammi said...

We had a blast with u all. The babies still talk about the "farm"