I couldn’t resist.

**Photo stolen without exactly getting permission from Ann Purcell.**

This is a fake blog to let you know why you aren’t getting a real blog.

Because I’m busy making a list of things to write about during the month of November. There is NO grace for writer’s block in NaBloPoMo.

And I’m finishing a paper for grad school.

And I’m watching last week’s Office episode.

I’m a multi-tasker…. who makes Bs on her papers because she isn’t focused while writing.

So you probably won’t hear from me anymore this month unless something really rad happens. It’s like the calm before the storm. This is your chance to read the paper, read a book, or read the Bible. Because starting November 1st, your life is going to be blogged to the max. (But keep reading the Bible. Don’t say that Annie said you didn’t have to read the Bible in November- God won’t believe that.)

Anyone else who wants to join NaBloPoMo, just let me know and I’ll add you to the blogroll over on the right. Don’t be scared. We’re all in this together …. until someone quits.

See you next month. (That will be Thursday.)

Here’s the video of Dad doing his thang. We didn’t have a real camera, just a photo camera with the videoing ability- so that’s why you can’t really see his face.

Remember- this show is PG+ a bit. Please don’t necessarily let your children watch. If you are not an adult, don’t let me catch you watching this without your parents’ permission. And if you know me well, you know I have the stalking skills to figure that out.

Your blogista here does not necessarily endorse the jokes, just the joker.

So here they are. I’ve high-jacked a camera plug for my computer, so I was able to download all the pictures. For starters, here’s the pamphlet.

And Tom’s main page. I wish I had Tatum’s copy- her’s is autographed. By “Tom Downs BTC FM”. For you amateurs, that’s “Tom Downs Big Tom Callahan Funny Man”.

Here’s Daddy coming onto the stage. Making his entrance. This wasn’t the funny part. It was the part where I was sweating from every pore in my body and hoping beyond all hope that a) people laugh at Dad’s jokes and b) that Dad doesn’t say anything LIKE the dirty jokes that another guy made. I shiver in disgust just recalling it.

Before he came on, Molly screamed “YEAH TOM DOWNS!”. We all began to cheer and yell like it was a scream-o-meter that judged him. Once the crowd regained control, the host said, “Sounds to me like Tom Downs is the Justin Timberlake of the accounting world.” He’s bringing sexy calculations back, I guess. Eww.
Here’s Daddy doing his bit on the senior tour of Nascar. Good one, Dad. Good one. He looks so calm. He was. Comedians are calm AND hilarious. And Dad has great timing- he inserted comedic pauses in only the most appropriate places.
And here’s Daddy accepting his second place award. SECOND PLACE. That’s amazing. Good ole Johnny, there on the left, is singing his heart out. Look how the other comedians are cheering. I’m pretty sure Dad was Ms. Congeniality. He was the crowd favorite, for sure.And here he is giving autographs. Rock star. That’s his “I can’t believe this is really happening” face. Here he is surrounded by about 1/8 of the Tom Downs crowd. Possibly the most amazing thing about this event, besides Dad’s comedy domination, was the group of people who came that love him and our family. If you were there, you truly have no idea how much it meant to all the Downs family that you took a night out of your week to support him. Us. Thank you.And here is the family. From left to right, Annie (your blog-ista), sister Sally, sassy-coated Mama, sweet cousin Jake, BTC FM, sister Tatum. And that beautiful piece of foam board proclaiming what may be the highlight of 2007. Right before this photo, the MC began talking to Tatum and I. He complimented Dad for about five minutes, talking about how hard he worked and what a “sweetheart” he was. How he had worked harder than any other person and how proud he was of Dad.

And when we took this picture, I thought about how proud I was of Dad for winning second place. But I also thought about how proud I am to be able to call him Daddy. He puts his whole heart into everything he does. 100%. And my life is wonderful because of how hard he works and how he loves us and how committed he is to our family. I’m lucky and I know it.

Way to go, Daddy.

Can’t show you pics yet, but believe me when I tell you that Dad was AWESOME tonight. In fact, he was so awesome, that he got SECOND PLACE!! What?!? His first ever comedy show and he brings the house down.

More to come tomorrow, or sometime.

For now, the Downs family will just bask in the glory of being hilarious.

This man is ridiculously talented. I enjoy this so much it is stupid. Truly. But these backup singers. Gracious. Take it down a notch.

Phil Wickham. The Tabernacle. November 16th. I am so very excited. I’ll probably blog about it. I mean, I’m gonna have to think up something for the 16th.

And by the way, I honestly went searching for a clip from “The Office” for you, but it’s gone! Snobby NBC stole it back from YouTube. Mean. So you get a little more Phil. And that is so right.

P.S- 48 hours until BTC/Funny Man Downs competes to be the Funniest Accountant in the South. My palms are sweating just typing it. Go Daddy!!

It’s about this time every night, that as I am laying in bed, blogging, reading, cross-stitching, or organizing my files, that my neighbors lose their dog. I don’t mean that they call their dog home- I mean they lose the dog and search frantically to find him. I don’t know how or why it happens every night. But it does. (I think I’m going to buy them a fence for Christmas.) In just the last four minutes since I have started this blog, I have heard 3 different voices yell (the woman very panicky) “GUAPO!” and now the son is crying because Guapo has escapo-ed.

Guapo must not be too rapido because he gets caught every night. It only takes about 5 minutes to find Guapo. Based on this nightly occurrence, I have come up with some thoughts on this dog.

Guapo must be a dark colored dog.
Guapo must be relatively small.
Guapo is a free spirit, a roamer.
Guapo likes to play games.
Guapo may not speak Spanish.

As of right now, Guapo’s owners have either a)found him or b)given up, and I can move on. Gracias.

My sweet friend Lanier has my mind all crazy about this idea that one could write a novel in a month. I think my friend Caroline could do it. Actually, I’m about 100% sure she could. (Go for it, CBed!!) But, as for me, that seems a little daunting and life-absorbing. Though I will be the first to admit that I love life-absorbing things (i.e- MTV marathons, blogstalking, Real Simple magazine, trying to make the perfect buttermilk biscuit, etc.), I decided not to try to write a book in a month. BUT……

I am going to blog every day for a month. Luckily, November is also National Blog Posting Month!! Now this, I can do. Blog daily? Maybe win prizes? I’m so in … it’s not even funny.

This could be really good for my blogmies or really bad. Depending on my blog-muscles. Because in about a week, I’m probably gonna start turning out a lot of blog poo in order to complete the challenge. I take it back, I might make it through a few weeks of decent blogging before it gets ugly. But really, I think the Guapo story is pretty low achieving, so just plan on reading things more along that level.

Ok, blogmies and blog-2-facers, who’s in? Who wants to join me for NaBloPoMo? We could have a serious Blog-2-Face throwdown at the end of the month. Comment and join the blog-olution. (that’s a blog revolution OR a blog solution- both excellent things.) Once we know who’s in, I’ll make a special blog-roll on the right so everyone can see who the toughest bloggers on the block are. Or they will watch us self-destruct.

But be warned- don’t make this decision lightly. The first time I read about this idea was from a blogger in NYC named Lauren. I’m not kidding, NaBloPoMo killed her blog. Dead. She just couldn’t do it anymore. So recognize that this activity is blog-life threatening.

I ain’t skeered. Are you?

P.S- Happy birthday, Tatum!!! 26 has a purpose!! Love you, sister.

It’s 12:52am. I made a critical error this afternoon and fell asleep after school with no alarm set to end the [much needed] nap. So at 9pm when I woke up, I realized I was in big trouble. And this is what big trouble looks like. Being bright eyed and bushy tailed at 1am. But it looks like an actual blog will come of it. Or a semblance of a blog. We’ll see. My friend Justin wrote a very interesting blog earlier this week. And it is a subject that is very near and dear to my heart. The power of words and the importance of using them wisely.

As a teacher, I spend my day with a lot of children. And these children talk a lot. I mean, A LOT. And I get quickly annoyed. In fact, today I was sitting at my desk, head in hands, saying, “Please. Just do what I ask. Sit down. Pack your book bags. Be quiet. Come on guys.” How many people in the room were actually listening? Oh, none. I take that back. ONE. Which one? The MOM standing at my door to pick up her little precious. Fantastic.

So many times I want to LOSE IT. Like, really. In a deep and meaningful way. YELL my head off until they realize that they have pushed me about 6 inches past my limits. Because they have. No one can push me to the edge like a group of children who don’t follow directions.

Early in my teaching career I learned this- sometimes in those moments, I need to just shut up. Because when I say something out of anger, the kid goes home, and I go home …. and I worry all night long- “If something happens to me before school tomorrow, does that child KNOW that I love them?” It’s hard to wonder if something you said made a permanent and painful mark on someone’s heart.

There are not many things in this world that are more powerful than words. Maybe the writer and constant talker in me is biased, but that is the truth as I see it. Good words can heal deep wounds. Unkind words can cut them open. So, I try, ATTEMPT, to not say the ugly out- of- pure- frustration comment or use a frustrated tone. I often fail. Obviously. Or this wouldn’t be a lesson I had learned (and continue to learn). But God has flooded these situations with His grace. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve said something and then hung my head immediately. In my mind, I say, “Oh God, I’m sorry. Give me Your words for this kid.” And He does.

Because I’m His ambassador. He would MUCH rather I use His words than my own. I don’t take for granted the idea that I may be the ONLY Christian in these children’s lives. I may be the ONLY voice in their lives that speaks genuine LOVE and TRUTH and ENCOURAGEMENT. But, knowing all of this, knowing that God placed these lives in my hands for 180 days- these things don’t make me Super Christian!, local perfect behaving heroine. I’m just grateful that when my tongue runs faster than my good sense, His grace is sufficient. There are days now, in my 5th year of this, after 700+ days total, where I go home mad at myself for something I said. But that’s life. That’s why God made candy. A hug, an apology, and a piece of candy- the terrific trio.

The song “Legacy” by Nichole Nordeman is kind of my teaching theme song. I think these words a lot and it has definitely tamed my tongue more than once. It has also made me braver than I ever thought I could be about my faith in the classroom. Here are the lyrics to the chorus:

I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me? Did I choose to love?
Did I point to You enough To make a mark on things?
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace who blessed Your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy

Someday, I want my children to make this connection- Ms. Downs really loved me. Ms. Downs went to church. I wonder if she loved me because of God loves her. I wonder if God loves me.

And there is the mark I want to leave. A desire to know God’s love. So I hold my tongue. I breathe before I speak. I ask their forgiveness when I speak unkindly. I hug my kids and tell them everyday that I love them.

So, Justin, there’s my take on it. Do your best to speak life as much as possible. Accept His grace when you don’t. Speak love in their hearts, and believe that someday it will be the string that pulls them to God.

That I am waving. I give up.

Fine, 10 page paper, you win. You have defeated me. I have one section left, the hard section, where I actually have to use research to say something instead of just my vast mental knowledge.

It’s 9:54pm. The Falcons are losing by 11 points. And how did I find that video of “Today’s Special”? It’s an old college trick of mine- finding very important information when I should be working on an assignment. A few minutes on YouTube and I’m watching 80s gold.

My paper is, if you can believe this, TOO LONG. I have apparently done TOO good on the first eight sections. Ridiculous. Editor, where are you when I need you?

UGA Annie would have loved this junk- the pressure, the ticking clock, having to get it all done in such a short amount of time. Due in 20 hours. A 3am lap around the house to get the ole brain juices flowing again.

But Adult Annie thinks staying up past 11pm is “pulling an all nighter”. So I won’t make it much longer.

Good Professor gave us the option of turning this paper in next Tuesday. Adult Annie wanted to stick to the real deadline, not turn it in late. I tried not to embrace that option.

But now I’m giving it a bear hug.