What a week of expectation and excitement! New carpet for a new master bedroom and a trip to Tennessee to meet up with four of my kids and their families. Boy Howdy, it’s something, sure ’nuff. Well, let’s get started with today’s installment.

We moved into this house four years ago this month. For a while, we slept in the north bedroom with our mattress sitting on the floor. A year later, we moved to another room, temporarily, of course, ripped out the old carpet in the north room and installed the whirlpool tub. A year after that, we built the skirt and apron for the tub. In January of 2013, we cut a big hole in the east wall and framed out a closet. This year, we stripped off the wallpaper, finished off the drywall in the closet, repaired the old plaster walls and finished them off with Venetian Plaster. Three weeks ago, we ordered the carpet. At two-thirty this morning, I finished the final coat of paint on the crown molding. Lord willing, we’ll have new carpet in our new master bedroom by mid-afternoon. I haven’t been this excited about finishing a project in quite some time.

But even that doesn’t match the excitement I have for this weekend.

Back in March, I decided I’d do six Warrior Dash events this year to celebrate my sixth decade in this body. I ran the first one in Texas in March with two of my sons and one’s girlfriend. I ran one alone in April near Lawrence, Kansas, and then joined two sons and the girlfriend for one in Arkansas in May. The following weekend, I visited my sister in North Carolina and did another solo run there. I ran the fifth one in Iowa in August in memory of my mother who had passed away two days earlier.

I had hoped back in March when I set this all up that all six of my kids would be able to join me for the culminating event this weekend near Pulaski, Tennessee. Unfortunately, the U. S. military has pretty limited flexibility on personal schedules so the two oldest sons won’t be able to join us from Key West and San Antonio.

We will miss them but we will miss them while we’re having an awesome time being together. I’ve rented a vacation home in Hohenwald that has an gazebo on a small island in a pond outside, a heated pool and a furnished music room inside and space to sleep ten adults.

Those adults will include three of my sons and their significant others, my daughter and her boyfriend, and Randa and me. Current estimates are for four grandkids to join us with Randa agreeing to help monitor juvenile behavior during the mud run. We anticipate that most of the juvenile behavior will come from the children but I’m not covering any bets to the contrary. And, thanks to some young women that I admire, I’m counting on having six of my kids running the race with me.

Two daughters-in-law and another one that I hope will become a daughter-in-law have been training and are registered for the event. And, since my daughter is using her pregnancy as an excuse to drop out of the race, her boyfriend is going to step in for her. So, I won’t have six of my “kids” joining me; I’ll have seven!

Most people might figure there can’t be much of a connection between remodeling, mud runs and heaven. Me–I can barely think of a closer one. The notion of getting a new room that’s been specially prepared for us and the joy of reunion and celebration with people who love us enough to join us in taking on the muck and mud of life’s little challenges… well, if that doesn’t make you want to go, I don’t know what would!

H. Arnett
9/30/14