Busted...by Gina Waite

My Mom was ALWAYS on time and ready. The reason this Facebook page and blog are so successful is because of her talent and timeliness! I, on the other hand, SUCK at it! 

You know the saying, "when it rains it pours?" I got handed a Whole Heck of A Lot of life, the past few weeks, and I'm happy to say I've pushed through! I'm writing up the details and will post, ASAP! In the meantime...as much as I'm disappointed in myself for not having a wonderful Nutshell for you to read this morning at 6:00am...I'm sharing a meme that contains the idea behind my only success this past little while...NOT GIVING UP! 

Ladies and gentlemen...I'm gonna try ONE MORE TIME! heart emoticon

Habits and Ingenuity...by Mary Hazlett

So I am sure you all have habits in your life...wether it may be good or bad...we all have them. And why is it that bad habits are so much easily picked up than the good ones: biting fingernails, staying up too late, not eating enough vegetables, eating too much ice-cream, swearing like a sailor...although I am great at going to the gym it is only because I love to indulge my bad habit of watching 30 minutes of television that does not have singing, dancing, or animated characters in it  (and quite possibly to let them change at least one of the days poopie diapers). Well that is enough about me...

My son, Benson, is hilarious.  I am so worried for myself and the things I might have to experience being the mother of a smart, energetic, and passionate-for-life kid.  He has a few habits that he has acquired in his little 5 years of life, some are good, some are annoying, and some are really disgusting.  So, as the parent of this little guy I am trying to help him avoid embarrassment by learning not to...here it comes...pick his nose.

Believe me when I say this...this habit has caused much a headache for those in this family.  We have had countless bloody noses that has disrupted nighttime routines, morning routines, family dinners, and even attending church.  Sometimes this poor little guy gets two of them in a day...because he does not even know that he is doing it.

So, I have had several discussions with him about why and how these things happen and how important it is to take care of our body. Usually after a traumatic episode of stopping the bleeding, Benson will devise some way to stop himself from picking his nose.  They are all very inventive.  To mention a few: he used his underwear on his head with his eyes peering through the leg holes and his nose right in the front of the underwear (which worked well until he noticed the slit in the front of those boy's underwear giving him perfect access to his nostrils),  a large bandaid wrapped on the outside of one nostril to the other nostril (convenient until his runny nose made it not stick anymore), placing his snorkel mask on his face (he got a headache after only 5 minutes),  but finally was my favorite and lasted through the night...the oven mitt.  Benson came down in the morning very excited that he still had his oven mitt on and his nose had not been touched all night long.  I have to be proud of his great ingenuity for these solutions.  I love the sweet innocence of children.

Now, as mentioned above, I have a few of my own habits I feel need some of that "Benson Ingenuity" and the only thing I could come up with was a straight jacket...well...I guess I will just have to live with a little imperfection.

**Please share your stories with us at nutshellstories@gmail.com

"Where's the Rum"...by Jordan Waite

First off I would like to start this post introducing myself. My name is Jordan Waite. I am a member of the renowned Terry family tree. Grandson of the infamous Marlene Terry and son of the merciful Gina Waite. Notice how I said merciful, this being the most valued trait my mother can possess while I am 17 years old and needing all the mercy I can get. I have wanted to write a nutshell post for a while. While thinking about what it was I wanted to write about, my mind vacillating from idea to idea, I always came back to the thought of writing about our beloved Grandma Marlene. The reason not being because she is the creator of this blog series, but because she played such an important role in the early years of my life.

Grandma and I had many similar interests. I think this is why we got along as well as we did. Whenever I had the privilege to spend time with my Grandma we both spent the entirety of our time together laughing and smiling. Whether it be discussing the latest “Star Trek” movie or simply eating some cookies together, we always had a fantastic time. We were able to share several evenings like these where we had nothing but a great time in each others company. My Grandma always made me feel very special and made a concentrated effort to recognize the things I was interested in and loved. Every Christmas a beautifully wrapped present (with paper that represented who I was at the time, and the gift a reflection of her effort in finding out what I liked and had a passion for) AND every Halloween, a custom-made costume!

Whenever I think about Grandma, there is one specific memory that always comes to mind...our shared love for the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies! One particular Halloween...she fashioned a Jack Sparrow costume for me, complete with swashbuckling boots and dreadlock-enhanced wig! My Grandma was such a fun-loving, adventurous spirit and her love of the Silver Screen was contagious! She once traveled 4 hours (after working a 12 hour day) just to attend one of the premieres of the "Pirates" movies with me. Once she arrived we hopped into my family's van and we were on our way! I vividly remember sitting in my van, tightly packed, journeying to the movie theater where we could escape from our Idaho lives to the adventurous lives of our favorite pirates. Of course, Grandma and I had to sit next to each other so we ended up sitting in the back of the van as we chatted excitedly about the movie to come. I remember my mother calling to the back asking us why we wanted to sit in the back. My sometimes annoyingly quick wit and even quicker mouth instantly said back “Mom, the back is where they put all the rum!”. After the initial shock of the humor of what I had said, Grandma and I burst into laughter, and continued to snicker about the joke for the rest of the night!

“The back is where they put all the rum”. That would be an ongoing inside joke between my Grandma and me for the rest of our earthly relationship. I will never forget the interactions and experiences I had with my Grandma. Most especially, I will never forget the joy she seemingly radiated whenever she saw one of her grandchildren. The passing of such an inspirational and loved woman in my life was definitely an obstacle...that continues to be very difficult for me! But as I reflect on the fun-loving, adventurous spirit that my Grandma was I think I know why it is she left us so quickly. She realized where it is they kept the rum.

*Hope you'll let us share your stories and photos here at our residence "In a Nutshell." Email us at nutshellstories@gmail.com.

Christmas In July...by Jim Terry

Now I know, and I can already hear, some of you are already saying, “Bah Humbug” to the title of today’s blog, but please bare with me for just a bit. First off because you wouldn’t change my mind about Christmas anyhow, but if you have been following some of the news feeds more recently you would or might be familiar with a certain astrological event that just took place just a few days ago.

“On June 30, two astronomical objects are destined to meet: The planet named after the Goddess of love, Venus, and the planet named after the God of Thunder, Jupiter. On Earth, they will appear so close together that they will look like a dramatic "double star." 

These two planets have been gradually approaching each other for the last few weeks, creeping toward their closest point: 1/3° apart. That's close enough to be able to cover them with the tip of your pinky finger with an outstretched arm. In reality, they will be around 670 million kilometers (416 million miles) apart in space, but it could produce a show that some astronomers say could account for the ‘Star of Bethlehem.’”

With the anticipation of this astrological event, I became excited and was filled with optimism by thinking how special it would be to experience a phenomenon that happened over two thousand years ago.  And of course this event, in the eyes of Christianity, served as a guiding light to help lead the three wise men to a destination known as Bethlehem where they found a babe in a manger known as Jesus.  

So in my attempt to get a vivid and vibrant picture of these two planets that appeared to almost collide and merge into one, I took a trek up the mountain one night after work to see if I could get “the shot." And just so you know, living on the coast has its pros and cons just like any other place in the world. One of the CONS of living on the coast in Northern California, especially during the summer, means FOG!  Have you ever heard of San Francisco referred to as “fog city?”  Or have you ever heard the proverb that some claim originated and could have been derived from Mark Twain that states, ”The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco?” 

Well as true to the proverb mentioned above, I started my hike in the fog. There are times however; where you can actually climb high enough to get above the fog line and once again experience the sun on your face, or on this attempt, the constellations in the heavens above.  So as I continued my journey and came closer and closer to the top of the mountain and approached the end of the trail, my hopes of seeing the “star” began to fade.  The elevation where I normally break free from the fog line was not becoming a reality on this particular day and each step I took towards the top only seemed to produce more fierce winds and a darkened ambiance. 

After I waited for about a half an hour at the top in hopes that there would be some sort of break in the clouds and because I was freezing my butt off at this point, I decided to end my attempt and began my three mile trek back down the mountain.  With each step I took in the darkness only equipped with a small flashlight, a heavy heart and no picture of  “the Star of Bethlehem,” I began to think about my life and my faith.  And as I did so, I couldn't help but to hum a Christmas song or two as my mind was flooded with wonderful warm memories, especially the ones at Christmas time to honor the purpose of my hike, where I was a young boy surrounded by family, a loving mother and father and the excitement that life offers to a young boy.  

In continuing my thought process I was also reminded of some really positive things or gifts that are happening in my life right now. 

- First the fog.  Even though I complain about it and its ability to obstruct the star I was so desperately searching for, it also provides one of the best natural air conditioners I have ever experienced. The best part...it's free.  

- A very painful pinched nerve I have been dealing with for almost two months now in my lower back that extends down my left leg has finally started to subside.

- All of my family members are currently healthy and happy.

- Not only do I have a job but I also actually really like the people and the patients I am working with.

- Finally, a dear friend who just recently endured chemotherapy for leukemia was released early from the hospital because her blood counts were so good and because there were no more signs of cancerous cells.  The next step I will be looking forward to is a successful bone marrow transplant for her.

I actually could go on and on about what I thought about while hiking that night; however, I will stop with those mentioned and simply recognize all of those items as gifts in my life.  And, "Yes," I know the objects mentioned weren't like the typical gifts that are placed under a tree all wrapped up with a bow on top, but is it any wonder then, with receiving gifts such as these, that I would think that Christmas had come early this year?  Christmas in July?  Who would have thought?

Also if you have some photos or were able to get a great shot of the “Star of Bethlehem” please share. We would all LOVE TO SEE THEM!!!

♦ Hope you'll let us share your stories and photos here at our residence "In a Nutshell." Email us at nutshellstories@gmail.com.