Friday I found out that my daughter-in-law’s (DIL) band was going to be playing in Nashville Saturday morning at the Finish Line of the Rock ‘n Roll Marathon in Nashville – a 90 minute set starting at about 1030 AM. I hadn’t seen them play since last June when they just added a new member. I drove in with my DIL and her parents. In spite of road closures for the marathon, traffic was light. We were able to go to the “green room” area for the band and hang there until it was time for the show.
It was a gorgeous morning – sunny in the high 60’s. The crowd ebbed and flowed was runners finished the marathon and half marathon. We were amazed at how they still had energy to stand and enjoy the music. The dancing increased throughout the show. I was amazed at how much better the show was than last year. I really enjoyed it as did the crowd.
After the show was over, I was walking back to the “green room” and a young woman approached me. It took me a couple of beats to place her – a colleague form University of Alabama in Birmingham. She was one of the investigators in the PLUS research network. She had completed the half marathon. She knew the band was going to be playing and was looking for me. It was so good to see her. So impressed that she had run the half marathon. I had that on my bucket list at one point. It was fun to be able to introduce her to my DIL who she has heard me talk about for years. She was so excited to get her picture taken with the band.
Sunday was a cool, mostly cloudy day at Habitat Village by the Creek build site. Since last fall, we have been building wall panels for the houses waiting for the streets to get in so the slabs can be poured so we can erect the walls. There are stacks and stacks of panels around the site now. In early May we should get to start erecting the walls. It is hard to describe how rewarding this experience is for me. I am physically active and mentally challenged. I made way fewer mistakes on Sunday than I did with the crew on Thursday. When the reciprocator saw comes out, you know something did not go well. I am not afraid to tackle complicated walls – doors, windows, ladders and flats.
I can’t wait to help turn the wall panels into walls and start building the actual houses. The first few are supposed to be completed by the end of June. Stay tuned.
Tamara Unleashed 