Me & My Muse – Day 3685: Twins Days Festival – The Recap: For REALZ this Time – 2023 Edition!

Having had the chance to rest a couple days, I have taken the liberty to think and reflect on my memorable vacation.  Twins Day Festival 2023 was an unforgettable experience for me.  But don’t just take my word for it.  Instead, gaze upon the 11,782 word account and all the words and pictures that really made this convention a memorable one.  I will do more than just describe everything to you.  Instead, I am taking you back to the event, and you are going to relive all of my memorable moments with me again.  Sound good?  Then follow me, as I take you through the recap of Twins Days Festival 2023.

6:31 a.m. Thursday morning.  I get out of bed and turn on the coffee.  Well, not quite.  The coffee wasn’t ready, so I filled the carafe with water and I put four scoops of Starbucks Mocha Coffee into the rewashable coffee filter.  I pour the carafe of water into Mr. Coffee and let it do it’s magic.

Sadly, I couldn’t leave for Twins Days right away, since my brother had to work a half shift at the post office.  So, what do I do to kill the time?  I go for a practice 5K walk, of course!  Not run, mind you.  I will be doing that on Sunday with my brother.  Over the course of the week, both of us managed to get some good times.  Our best practice time was a 25:51.  My practice WALK, however, clocked in at a leisurely 45 minutes flat.

After my practice 5K walk, I had my breakfast.  My probiotic with 20 raw almonds, a strawberry Ratio Keto Yogurt, and a Mint Quest Bar.  I washed that down with the Starbucks Mocha coffee in a Super Mario Bros. Pipe Mug with a Truvia packet and a splash of MCT Oil.  I drank it black, since I’m still on Keto.

I then took a shower and did my devotionals afterward. I packed up everything for Twins Days 2023.  Toiletries?  Check.  Matching clothes for the weekend?  Check.  I packed everything up and put it in the car.

I then did a fluid check on my car.  Oil?  Check.  There’s plenty of oil, since it’s past the full mark.  After checking the windshield wiper fluid, I realized that I really needed some.  So, I went to the gas station and bought a gallon of wiper fluid.  I put nearly a gallon in the reservoir and it was full.

With that done, all that remained was to have my lunch.  I ate my lunch, and spent the rest of my time waiting for my brother to come back home.

My brother finally came home around 12:43.  After he got home, I went and put my laptop in my car.  My brother then had a request: get his charger from his car.  So I fulfilled his request while he went and got a shower.

After he got a shower, it was time to get going.  For his things, everything needed to get into the car – fast.  We get everything in there just in time for us to capture the perfect Kodak moment.  Me and my brother stood there in matching shirts from last year’s Twins Days Theme, shorts, socks, and red shoes, and I took a selfie before driving down to Twinsburg, Ohio for the Twins Days Festival.

 

After the pictures were taken, we were off at around 1:36 in the afternoon.  I got onto US-10 and we were Twinsburg bound, jamming to BZRK by Family Force 5.

After Auburn, I merged onto I-75 South, towards Flint.  After that, I took the right fork onto US-23 South, towards Ann Arbor.  When we go towards Ann Arbor, we ended up going the wrong way down I-94.  After that, we were routed onto I-275.  Then I-75.

Finally, we crossed the Ohio border.

Ohio’s slogan was “Find it Here”.  What I found was the speed limit going down to 65 miles per hour.  After I-75, we went down I-280.  We then went on the I-80/I-90 Ohio Turnpike.

The Turnpike was an enjoyable ride.  With the speed limit at 70 miles per hour, I felt right at home.  I cruised down it, listening to John Reuben.

And then at 4:38, we stopped at a Service Plaza.  Time for the first rest stop.  After some Instagramming, it was time to resume the trip.

After exiting the Turnpike, I paid $7.25 for it.  Finally, we were on I-480 East. We got off on the Great Northern Boulevard exit, because it was time for some dinner.

We entered North Olmstead and stopped at a Chick-Fil-A.  I was so happy there that I took a selfie.

After that, it was time to order my food!  The food you ask?  It was a mouthwatering spicy crispy chicken deluxe, three chick-n strips, and a medium order of waffle fries.  And why don’t we include every single kind of dipping sauce that they have?  There we go!

Now Midland has committed a terrible sin in not including one of these wonderful restaurants there.  I mean, we have plenty of burger places, but how many chicken places do we have?  Instead of getting this place, Midland gets a Popeye’s, and Flint gets a Chick-fil-A?  That makes no sense.  It’s true that just about every fast food place serves chicken, but not like this.  I would consider this place Colonel Sanders’ cousin.  But no buckets.  No biscuits.  No wedges.  No mashed potatoes.  Just the waffle fries will do.  Plus we’re on our way to Twinsburg.  We don’t have time to sit down for a home-cooked meal.

And what do we do with the trash?  Let’s not forget to throw it away.  In a regular dispenser this year, since those fancy automatic disposals were too expensive.  I’m going to miss those ones a lot.

The Automatic Dispenser from 2022 and earlier.  You will be missed!

The ordinary dispenser today

 

After we got our fill of Chick-Fil-A, we left North Olmstead, Ohio and got back on I-480 East.

Before long, we arrived at Twinsburg and got off on Aurora Road. Since this was Thursday night, we went right to the hotel.  We got off on Aurora Road, and turned right onto Wilcox Drive.

Upon entering the Hilton Garden Inn, this is what i saw.

 

After checking in, we took the elevators to Room 522.  Inside was a very nice room, as you can see here.

 

 

 

I loved this room.  There was two queen beds, a sitting chair and a desk for the computer.  There was even a Keurig coffee machine.  I unpacked everything and I went downstairs to get my glasses out of my car.  That’s when I met the very first set of twins for the whole trip.  Tess & Tabitha, identical twins from Austin, Texas.

This set of twins were talking to Karen & Sharon, identical twins from Cincinnati, Ohio.

After that, Ronald & Donald, identical twins that I met last year from Baltimore, Maryland.  They took everyone’s picture.  I also met Sara & Anna, identical twins from Duluth, Minnesota.   We all got a picture together.  A’s on one side, and B’s on the other.

After going back up to my room, I decided to take a short swim.  So I went down to the pool and checked it out.  While I did this,  I saw a set of twins come in to use the exercise room across from the pool.  I ended up swimming with my brother and then using the hot tub afterward.

After that, I went back upstairs, hoping to catch some more action in the lobby.  When I went downstairs, I found some more twins.  This was Heather & Christina, identical twins from Charlotte, North Carolina and Cincinnati, Ohio.  They were the same twins that I saw when I was swimming!  They ended up talking to Karen & Sharon.  They wanted to take Tess & Tabitha to the Bertram Inn (which I found out is still standing, as of this year).  As fun as the Bertram Inn was in 2019, I was tired tonight.  I had some other plans for tomorrow morning.  A nice hearty breakfast at the Fresh Start Diner!  I got a Life Water and went back up to my room.

Now tired, I put on my pajamas, brushed my teeth, and went to bed.  This was a good first night to unwind.  But Twins Days hasn’t even begun yet.  Can’t wait for the festivities to begin tomorrow…

 

6:00 a.m. Friday morning.  I spring out of bed at the sound of my 6:00 alarm.  With Fresh Start Diner opening at 7 a.m., it was high time that I got ready.

It didn’t take too long.   I got a shower and it was then time for some breakfast.  Since my mom and dad wanted to go, I decided to wait a little longer.  I got all my devotionals done and we all went in my car to the Fresh Start Diner.

Before we get to the Fresh Start Diner, let me provide you with my history with this place.  For two different Twins Days Festivals, I have been trying to eat at this place, but was unsuccessful.  At my first Twins Days Festival in 2019, I couldn’t go since I was supposed to meet my aunt, uncle, and cousins at the Cheesecake Factory.  Last year, I couldn’t go since the Fresh Start Diner was CLOSED on Monday.  That brings us to this year.  Will the Fresh Start Diner be open?  Is third time the charm?

Very excited, I drove my brother and parents there in my 2017 Toyota Camry.  On the way there, something didn’t sound quite right..  I checked all of the my tire pressure on the digital display and the rear passenger side tire was reading 0!  So, I finally get to eat at the Fresh Start Diner, and I get a flat tire as a result?

Very upset, I manage to take a few pictures of the place before entering with my brother and parents.

Upon entering, it seemed like a pretty simple diner.  Old style style seats with a long counter.  Or your standard booths if you prefer.  Still distraught, I order my food.  A coffee for the drink.  The meal?  A Leisy’s South of the Border Omelette with cinnamon toast and a side of potatoes.

While I’m sure that all the food that I ate was pretty good, it was hardly enjoyable for me at that point.  The only thing that I could think of was how to fix my flat tire in Twinsburg, Ohio.  Our waiter suggested that we take it to Goodyear to get it done.  After doing some searching, I found a Discount Tire located in Macedonia, just 4.1 miles away.  I wolfed down my breakfast and hurried outside to call Discount Tire to schedule an emergency appointment.

When I called them, I needed the earliest appointment possible.  Registration for Twins Days begins at 2:00. They could get me in at 12:15.  I had no other choice so I took the appointment.  After my dad and brother finished breakfast, we proceeded to change the flat tire and put on the spare tire.  To make a long story short, we got that done…at the expense of my red tank top getting all covered in tire grime.

I take my brother and parents back to the Hilton Garden Inn and change into a different shirt.  A 2019 Twins Days Festival shirt (Home for the Holidays).  My brother does the same so that we can match.  I drive over to Discount Tire and my dad follows me in his 4Runner.  We drop off the car and make our way back to the hotel.  For some quick details, I bought new tires a year ago and had hazard protection on all four of them.  This meant that they could replace the entire tire at no extra charge.  The estimated time to complete it?  1:00 p.m.

We make a brief stop at GetGo so that I could get some waters for the weekend.  I buy three 1 liter Aquafinas and one Twix bar.  After that, I make my way back to the hotel and take some pictures.  My mom tries to remove the tire stains from my red tank top by washing it and drying it.

At 12:31 p.m., I get a text from Discount Tire.  My car was already done a half hour early!  My tank top was also done, but still a little damp.  My brother and I put our tank tops on and we pile into the 4Runner with our parents.  Since the Friday events were closed to the public, mom and dad would explore Twinsburg and the parade route while my brother and I would go to Twinsburg High School for all the fun.

We get to Discount Tire in Macedonia and I pick up my car.  I drive back to the hotel to get my stainless steel water bottle (remember that for later….).  I check the digital display to make sure the new tire was displaying 35 instead of 0.  It was.

After getting my water bottle and everything that I needed, my brother and I go to the high school.  We cruise down Aurora road and approach the turn.

Unlike 2019, we did not miss the Twin Hills Highway.  That took us to Ravenna Road.  We turned left on Ravenna Road and then left on the Joshua T. Miktarian Memorial Parkway.  We arrived at Twinsburg High School, only there was one problem. Like last year, we were super early. It was 1:32.  Registration didn’t begin until 2:00!  To kill time, me and my brother took another awesome selfie.

After that, I went with my twin to a line that was forming in front of the high school.  A line of twins from all over the country and world.  A line of twins all waiting to check in for registration.  While we waited in line, I met some familiar twins that I met last year!  This was Hrefna & Hrönn, identical twins from Hveragerði, Iceland.  Next to them were Hafsteinn & Kristjen, identical twins from Hveragerði, Iceland.  Here’s a shot of both of them!

After that, I met some more twins.  I met Aislinn & Leah, identical twins from Dartmouth, Massachusetts.  Another set that I met from last year!  After that was Brittany & Brooklyn, fraternal twins from Eddyville, Iowa.

A few minutes later, they let everyone in a little late.  It was after 2:00 when the doors opened.  Learning that the pre-registration was at the auditorium this year (like last year), We all followed the line of twins that were headed there.  I waited until registration before I met any more twins.

After registration, it was time to meet some more twins.  I met Remington & Reagan, fraternal twins from Wilmington, Pennsylvania.  I then met Conner & Cooper, identical twins from Green Bay, Wisconsin.

After that, we met the following twins:

Geneva & Lena, fraternal twins from Wooster, Ohio.

Isaac & Joseph, fraternal twins from Greensboro, North Carolina.

After that, I met a set of twins that made me star struck.  This was Skylar & Spencer, identical twins from Chicago, Illinois.

When it comes to Twins Days Festivals, Skylar and Spencer don’t miss a single one.  For this year alone, it will be their 29th consecutive convention!  Even during COVID when Twins Days wasn’t held in person, this dedicated duo made their pilgrimage to Twinsburg to keep their streak of attendance unbroken.  They are well known among the regulars that attend and they consider the annual congregation of twins meeting at the beginning of every August to be their family.  After saying hi to Skylar and Spencer, my brother and I continued meeting more twins.   We met the following sets of twins with my brother:

  • Jerry & John, identical twins from Massillon, Ohio
  •  Nicole & Natalie, fraternal twins from Port Huron, Michigan
  •  Isabella & Austin, fraternal twins from Bowling Green, Ohio
  •  Micah & Mira, fraternal twins from Twinsburg, Ohio.
  • Dawn & Denise, identical twins from Houston, Texas
  •  Missy & Mindy, fraternal twins from Terre Haute, Indiana
  • Wesley & Sloan, fraternal twins from Sheffield, Ohio

After that set of twins, I met three more sets of twins with my twin before leaving Twinsburg High School:

Jessica & Miranda, identical twins from Charleston, North Carolina

Maura & Hannah, identical twins from Kenah, Texas and Marlene & Darlene, identical twins from Arlington, Virginia.

Why was I leaving Twinsburg High School so early?  After all, it was only 3:15!  This was because I had reservations for four, on the 4th, at 4:00!  And my, is that a lot of 4’s…

My brother and I make it back to the Hilton Garden Inn, and we walk to our reservation with our parents.  Well, my brother and I run to it so that we could make the 4:00 deadline.

Phew!  Just made it!

Now, if you have read any of these entries in the past, let me review.  The Blue Canyon is an upscale restaurant that I had reservations for.  The restaurant was situated on a bluff, which overlooked the hotel.

We had a wonderful waiter that assisted us that night.  His name was Michael, and he would be looking out for us.  I wanted to order something similar to the Lobster Linguine from 2019, but they had the Lobster Cannelloni listed as a special instead.  I ordered that with a bowl of Lobster Bisque.

The soup came first, of course.

After that was the delicious dish I was waiting for.  The Lobster Cannelloni.

The lobster was pretty good.  When it was gone, I shared dessert with my brother.  A Chocolate Bomb.  A layered chocolate dessert with filling, cake and covered in chocolate.  A round, delicious chocolatey ball of goodness.

After the food was done, and 20 minutes of waiting, the scary part came.  The bill.  But that’s nothing that my Meijer Mastercard can’t handle, right?

When the bill was paid, I said goodbye to the restaurant with my brother and parents.  Blue Canyon Kitchen & Tavern, you fed us well tonight.  You will be missed.

After we left the Blue Canyon Grill & Tavern, it was time to head back to Twinsburg High School.  Remember the water bottle that I mentioned earlier?  When I left for the reservation, I seemed to have left it at the high school.

After getting back to the high school, the rest of the night turned into a full blown search for it.  It was a Takeya 24 ounce stainless steel water bottle with an air tight rubber top.  I searched high and low for it, but alas.  I could not find the water bottle anywhere.

When I finally gave up my search for the water bottle, I managed to meet a few more twins.  Meet Sunnie & Bonnie, identical twins from Los Angeles, California.  They were dressed up as school girls and were a lot of fun to be around!

After that came Tom & Tim, identical twins from Munich, Germany.  I joined them with Sunnie & Bonnie for another shot:

Ken & Kris were next.  They are identical twins from Anaheim, California.  One of them gushed about the 2022 blog that I posted.  Here is another kodak moment with them! (With Sunnie & Bonnie, of course!)

It was now time to leave Twinsburg High School to get ready for Saturday.  I met Taunasha & Jaunesh, fraternal twins from Hanover Park, Illinois before leaving:

After getting back to the Hilton Garden Inn, I did a costume rehearsal with my parents in my room.  I found that notches needed to be added to all my belts for the costume to work.  With my dad’s trusty knife, he added those notches and the costume was perfect.

I then went downstairs, hoping to met a few more twins.  I met the following before calling it a night:

  • Natalie & Michele, identical twins from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  •  Mike & Chad, identical twins from Nashville, Tennessee
  •  Kendra & Brenda, identical twins from Greenville/Belding, Michigan

After meeting all the sets of twins, I went with my twin to Room 522.  We brushed our teeth and got ready for bed.  It was going to be a long and fun day for both of us tomorrow.

 

6:00 a.m. Saturday morning.  I spring out of bed at the sound of my 6:00 alarm.  Having done most of my routine last night, all that remained was my devotionals.  I put on yesterday’s clothes, quickly grabbed my almonds and white chocolate raspberry quest bar, and went downstairs for a delicious breakfast buffet.  I didn’t want to get my costume all messed up so I ate first.  Time for the buffet!

At the buffet, I grabbed four strips of bacon, two sausage links, one pancake, a little bit of eggs, and a small bit of potatoes.  There was no room for fruit, so I would get that on the second round.  While I was eating breakfast, I met Natalie & Rebecca, identical twins from Troy, Ohio.  As I was finishing, I met Esperanza & Susana, identical twins from Mesa, Arizona.  I met them last year, but this time, they knew what kind of twin they were.  They were identical.  I managed to get a picture of them before I hurried up to my room to change into my costume for the day:

I hurried up to room 522 with my coffee that I got from breakfast.  I added my Truvia packet and began to change into my costume.  Who was I going to be this year?  With this year’s theme being “Shiver Me TWINbers!”, I was going to be none other than Captain Jack Sparrow.  This costume had a lot to put on, so I hurried, putting on all the layers.  After I had the costume on, it was time to go downstairs.  I grabbed my laptop bag filled with my essentials (this would serve as my pockets today, since my costume had no pockets!) and went downstairs with my brother.   There were some other pirates downstairs, so we took some pictures with them.

My parents then got a shot with me and my brother.  Splendid!

After the picture, it was time to board a bus for the Twins Days Double Take Parade.  And not a moment too soon!  It was already after 8:00 so we needed to get down there, and fast!  My brother and I boarded the bus and we had the whole bus to ourselves.  As we approached the the parade site, I heard “Living on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi playing on the radio.

Minutes later, the shuttle dropped us off at the town square for the parade lineup.  Now in this new port of call, I had a mission.  Having already secured the Black Pearl, I now needed a crew to help serve on it. And with 34 sets of twins, I already had quite the crew!  But the more, the merrier, right?

My brother and I walked around and we the following twins:

Gina & Tina, identical twins from San Francisco, California

Anthony & Elijah, fraternal twins from Hudson, Ohio, Riley & Emily, identical twins from Cincinnati, Ohio, and Pam & Barbie, identical twins from Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In the middle of all that, I also met Kanna & Kara, identical twins from Twinsburg, Ohio.  My brother and I then recruited three more pairs of twins to serve on the Black Pearl:

Emily & Erica, identical twins from Utica, New York

Aaron & Chris, identical twins from Los Angeles, California

Kathy & Karen, identical twins from Elmore/Norfolk, Ohio/Virginia (right)

So far, the recruitment was going great!  With this much crew, I had enough for two ships!  But the recruiting continued.  My brother and I continued meeting some more twins.  We met the following twins as the time inched nearer toward the Double Take Parade:

  • Daniel & Sam, identical twins from San Antonio/Colcord, Texas/Oklahoma
  • Mark & Eric, identical twins from Spring Green/Colorado Springs, Wisconsin/Colorado
  • Kathy & Karyn, identical twins from Buffalo, New York
  • Lorrina & Karla, identical twins from Kent, Ohio
  • Lessa & Ivy, identical twins from Detroit, Michigan (Triplets, third one didn’t come)
  • Eva & Johanna, identical twins from Howell, Michigan

I then met another set of twins.  Sophia & Alexia, identical twins from Hocking Hills, Ohio.

After that, I found another Jack Sparrow!  A third one?  Where was the fourth one?  Anyway, I gathered the information from the person who was guilty of being innocent of being Captain Jack Sparrow.  This was Scott, and his brother was Jason.  Both of them was from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.  We found two women posing as giant bottles of Captain Morgan rum.  One of them “poured” their contents onto the one who called himself “Captain Jack Sparrow”.  This was the result:

Why is all the rum gone?

While I let that Jack Sparrow recover, I had to continue meeting some more twins.  I met the following with my twin:

  • Jody & Jenny, identical twins from Kansas City, Missouri
  • Katie & Maddie, identical twins from Indianapolis, Indiana
  • Morgan & Courtney, identical twins from Rochester, New York
  • Adam & Zachary, identical twins from Asheville, North Carolina
  • Paige & Bailey, identical twins from Grand Rapids, Michigan

After those twins (or new recruits for the Pearl), I met Rajvi & Rijul, identical twins from San Francisco, California, Michelle & Mindy, identical twins from Akron Ohio, and Alex & Ted, identical twins from East Rutherford, New Jersey.  For posterity, I got another picture with them:

Following that, the recruitment continues!  Check the new recruits (new twins I met) below, my mateys…

  • Lauren & Megan, identical twins from Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • Brook & Beth, identical twins from Finger Lakes, New York
  • Jane & Janet, identical twins from Ames, Iowa
  • Avery & Elina, fraternal twins from Chardon, Ohio
  • Claudia & Luzilie, identical twins from Lady Lake/Yeadon, Florida/Pennsylvania

At this point, the parade was about to start!  I met Victoria & Claire, fraternal twins from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

I then met two more sets of twins after that.  Tommy & Timmy, identical twins from Canton, Ohio and Jay & Neil, identical twins from Boston, Massachusetts.

I then met Ruby & Willow, identical twins from Rochester, New York.  I got a picture with them next.  Only two minutes left…

I then managed to meet five more sets of twins before the parade started.  The twins that my brother and I met included the following:

  • Nathan & Scott, identical twins from Moore, Oklahoma
  • Matt & Chris, identical twins from Topeka, Kansas
  • Laura & Rebecca, identical twins from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • Margaret & Monica, identical twins from Columbus, Ohio
  • Carolyn & Marilyn, fraternal twins from Hartford, Connecticut

With that, the parade was now officially underway. It was time to set sail!  We followed directions and began our march behind the large ship float.  I then got these shots as I walked down the parade route with my twin brother.

As I walked the parade route, I heard Daft Punk’s “One More Time”.  But for Captain Jack Sparrow, this song needed the perfect parody.  The solution?  “One More Rum”, of course!  In a merry tone, I sung “One More Rum”, and The Lonely Island’s “Jack Sparrow”.

One More Rum!

And a selfie with my First Mate, of course!

As we were continuing down the parade route, I saw what looked like two Wendy’s from Peter Pan.  It turned out to be Shannon & Shelby, the identical twins from Lancaster, Pennsylvania that I met in 2019, and last year!  While the parade was still moving, I managed to get a shot of them.  And no, they can’t fly since they don’t have any pixie dust!

The parade started at 9:00 and lasted about 45 minutes (longer for all the other bystanders watching the entire parade).  It was fun watching all the people on the street smile as we walked on by.  We waved at all the onlookers and smiled, since the weather was a lot nicer.  No rain this time!

When the parade was over, we marched into the Festival Grounds.  But first, a group wanted to take a picture of us with a few twins.  But, of course!  Captain Jack Sparrow would be more than happy to do this!  So this is how it turned out:

After the picture, my brother and I went right to the festival grounds.  Since I had everything that I needed, no trip back to the car was necessary.  My wristband wasn’t too tight, so no trip to the registration was necessary, either.  I then entered the festival gates…

What was the first thing on the agenda?  Before Twin Pops, I wanted to take care of the things that I didn’t do last year until the end of the festival:

1. Play with the mirror with my twin.

2. Put a pin on the U.S. map where I’m from and the world map at “Put a Pin on It!”

Number 1 was first.  After waiting in line, my brother and I played did some different poses at the Twins Days mirror:

Number 2 was next: Put a Pin on It!  I placed my pins and I was good to go!

Put a Pin on It!  at a glance!

Number 3 was next: Twin Pops!  My brother and I looked everywhere for the coolers but we couldn’t find any.  My excitement was deflated when I found out that there wouldn’t be any Twin Pops this year.  To this, I have a message for the committee:  Bring back Twin Pops for next year! I know the company had some problems but I surely hope it’s worked out next year.

Twin Pops Circa 2022 – Hopefully, we’ll get them in 2024!

Maybe…next year?

My brother and I bought our 2023 souvenir shirts and my brother heard the breaking news from the information booth.  He also heard that there wasn’t going to be any Fried Oreo’s, either.  Since the amusement companies want longer bookings, two days is not long enough for them.

While we couldn’t get Twin Pops or Fried Oreo’s, we did have Sunnie and Bonnie!  No longer schoolgirls, they were now dressed in their pirate garb now.

My brother and I then met our parents at the festival gate.  With the festival having just started, there was plenty to see.  We walked around and found the Captain Jack Sparrow copycat once again, but he was hanging out with fool’s gold!

Following that, I met some more twins and we watched some contests at the amphitheater.  My brother and I participated in one, but like 2019, we didn’t make the cut.  We did get white ribbons for participating!

After some contests, I met some more twins and we watched some talent shows.  After a few numbers, I met some more twins.  Since the beginning of the festival, here were all the twins that I met so far:

  • Tara & Jordan, identical twins from Columbus, Ohio
  • Karen & Cassy, identical twins from Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Julia & Maria, identical twins from Los Angeles/New York, California/New York
  • Hailey & Tiffany, fraternal twins from Whitehouse, Ohio
  • Christie & Katie , identical twins from New York, New York
  • Charlotte & Bridget, identical twins from Eatonville, Washington
  • Alexis & Emma, identical twins from Houston, Texas
  • Lexi & Laci, identical twins from Bullhead City, Arizona
  • Marley & Coral, identical twins from Los Angeles, California
  • Ronna & Donna, identical twins from Dallas, Texas
  • John & Jack, identical twins from Las Vegas/Rockford, Nevada/Illinois
  • Stephanie & Monica, identical twins from Seattle, Washington
  • Denise & Deanne, identical twins from Buffalo/Toledo, New York/Ohio
  • Asher & Rylan, identical twins from Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • Emmitt & Owen, fraternal twins from Geneva/Wilmington, Ohio
  • Sarah & Bonnie, identical twins from Greensboro, North Carolina
  • Garrett & Stefan, fraternal twins from Howell, Michigan
  • Julie & Amy, identical twins from Rockford/Beloit, Illinois/Wisconsin
  • Elva & Elsie, identical twins from Lancaster, Pennsylvania
  • Natalie & Nicole, identical twins from Wananchee, Washington
  • Kevin & Ken, identical twins from Los Angeles, California
  • Celeste & Cierra, fraternal twins from Gambier, Ohio
  • Andrea & Laura, identical twins from Windsor, Ontario, Canada
  • Jo & Jackie, identical twins from Wilmington/Ocean City, Delaware/Maryland
  • Lenore & Pauline, fraternal twins from Hudson, Ohio
  • Assia & Daja, identical twins from Cleveland, Ohio

After meeting all those twins over the course of the late morning and afternoon, it was time to meet my 100th set of twins.  Who were they?  They were Hannah & Haley, identical twins from Buffalo New York!  Erin & Kerry and Stephanie & Bridget, identical twins both from Chicago, Illinois were were all there, too so we all got a picture.  This was the result:

 

Since my parents wanted to see a few more shows, I went with my brother to look for the Royal Court.  From what I gathered from the information booth, they moved into the woods by the ampitheater.

Since it was between 1:30 and 2:30, we were within the time that we could see the Royal Court.  Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the 2023 Twins Days Royal Court!

First up is the king and queen.  The kings for this year’s royal court are Rich & Dave, identical twins from East Brunswick and Hillsborough, New Jersey.  The queens?  Dana & Delanie, identical twins from Toledo, Ohio.

Next up are the prince and princesses, who are both fraternal twins this year!  Max & Rose from North Ridgeville, Ohio are the first set of prince and princesses for this year.  Grace & Noah from Middlebranch, Ohio are the second prince and princesses for this year.

And let’s not forget the grand marshals!  The grand marshals for Twins Days 2023 are Hannah & Sarah, identical twins from Twinsburg, Ohio.  Let’s give it up for our 2023 Royal Court!

After that, the plan was to head towards the beer garden with my brother and parents, but it was getting close to 3:00 by the time we did this.  After all, we couldn’t miss “We’re Twins”, or Skylar and Spencer’s “You Got a Friend in Me”.

With a slight change of plans, I got to the football field where the picture was being taken and I met a BUNCH of twins.  I was meeting them up until the appointed time to take the group picture: 3:30.

Meanwhile,  my mom and dad were having a drink with another set of twins.  This was Foster & Clark, first timers and identical twins from Columbia, South Carolina.

Back at the football field, the picture was being taken.  Is everyone ready?  You better be!  They’re about to take it!

Everybody say cheese!

After the group picture, it was time to shed the Captain Jack Sparrow costume.  We started getting pictures on the way out.  I had to check the “Put a Pin on It!” before leaving.  With it being almost 4:00 in the afternoon, how many pins do we have now?

With my last moments in the Captain Jack Sparrow costume, I had to take a few more pictures with my twin.  We took another one in front of the Twins Days sign.

And let’s not forget the attendance!  Just how many have registered so far?

2005?!  Not bad for 4:00!

After getting some more pictures, we left the festival grounds and went back to the 4Runner.  My parents drove back to the Hilton Garden Inn.  I went to Room 522 and shed most of my Captain Jack Sparrow costume: the coat, the vest, the sash, the wig, the mustache, the belts, and the sword.  All that remained were the shorts, the white shirt, the tricorn hat, and the boots.

With my reduced costume, I went back out with my brother and we drove back to Twinsburg High School.  I paid the $5 in parking and we took a shuttle back out to the festival grounds.

My first mission was to have something that would serve as a replacement for the fried Oreos.  The next best thing was a chocolate funnel cake.  Before we get to that, I give you the Fried Oreos from last year!

Can you PLEASE bring these back in 2024?!

And now, the yummy (and not so exciting) chocolate funnelcake from this year!

(Psst!  I’m pretending it’s a Fried Oreo!)

After I ate the funnelcake, I carefully washed my hands and then met some more twins, up to the point where it was time to leave to meet mom and dad at Sushi En for dinner.  Since the Royal Court from earlier, I met the following twins this afternoon/evening:

  • Aven & Jaren, identical twins from Parker, Pennsylvania
  • Garrett & Michael, identical twins from San Jose, California
  • Kim & Melissa, identical twins from Richmond, Kentucky
  • Lorene & Lora identical twins from Chicago/Nashville, Illinois/Tennessee
  • Jackie & Jenna, identical twins from West Palm Beach/Flint, Florida/Michigan
  • Austin & Aaron, identical twins from Louisville, Kentucky
  • Lukyan & Dante, identical twins from Middletown, Ohio
  • Ashleigh & Brianna, identical twins from Streetsboro, Ohio
  • Sarah & Emily, identical twins from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • Courtney & Brittany, identical twins from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
  • Brooke & Taylor, identical twins from Cleveland, Ohio
  • Daniel & Samuel, identical twins from Houston, Texas
  • Abi & Katelin, fraternal twins from North Bend, Ohio
  • Ned & Fred, identical twins from Hollywood, South Carolina
  • Cathy & Mandy, fraternal twins from Warren, Ohio
  • Tyler & Cruz, identical twins from Twinsburg, Ohio
  • Maryanne & Trish, identical twins from Melbourne, Australia
  • Emily & Allison, identical twins from Buffalo, New York
  • Alison & Margaret, identical twins from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
  • Maggie & Dorrie, identical twins from Saratoga Springs, New York
  • Kristin & Meagan, identical twins from Indianapolis, Indiana
  • Katie & Liz, fraternal twins from Royal Oak, Michigan
  • Sandra & Heather, identical twins from Scranton, Pennsylvania
  • Michael & David, identical twins from Louisville, Kentucky
  • Emma & Jessa, identical twins from Cleveland, Ohio
  • Caitlyn & Jessica, identical twins from Cleveland, Ohio
  • Isaiah, Kaiden, and Trevor, identical triplets from Lancaster, Ohio
  • James & Oli, identical twins from London, England
  • Auden & Everett, fraternal twins from Liberty, New York
  • Grace & Carol, identical twins from Philadelphia/Manhattan, Pennsylvania/New York
  • Harley & Markeith, fraternal twins from Akron, Ohio
  • Matt & Mark, fraternal twins from Cleveland, Ohio
  • Jason & Austin, identical twins from Tampa Bay, Florida
  • Lauren & Emily, identical twins from Chicago, Illinois
  • Alexandria & Alexis, identical twins from Louisville, Kentucky
  • Bridget & Brooke, identical twins from Seattle, Washington

After meeting many twins,  my brother spotted a set of quadruplets!  Their names were Mina, Ally, Claire, and Lauren, half identical and half fraternal quadruplets from Pepper Pike, Ohio.  Here’s a shot of the Fantastic Four!

After taking a picture of the quads, it was time to call it a day and have dinner with my parents.  I left the festival grounds with my brother and we met them at the Hilton Garden Inn.  I then drove them to Sushi En.  When we got there, we got a table.  We then sat down and ate.    I split a shrimp and vegetable tempura with my brother.

After that, I had a Hot Mama roll and a Drunken Tiger roll.  The food was amazing!

Hot Mama (left) and Drunken Tiger (right)

And let’s not forget dessert!  They didn’t do a free dessert this year, but my brother and I wanted to get one anyway.  We settled for the mochi ice cream.  Two chocolate and two strawberry.  That too was yummy.

After that, I took us all back to the Hilton Garden Inn. My parents retired to the room for the night.  My brother and I on the other hand decided to get ready to go to the fireworks that would be at the festival grounds.

To kill some time, I met some more twins.  I saw who I thought was Esperanza and Susana.  Instead, it turned out to be Cassandra & Clarissa, identical twins from Billing, Montana.  They were both wearing their Doodlebob shirts!

Me Hoy Minoy!

After that, it was time to go to the fireworks.  There was only one problem.  My brother couldn’t find his wallet!  When this happened, I prayed that we would be able to find his wallet.  I prayed that it would be in the car.  When Ryan searched the room and then called Sushi En, I told him that I would check the car again.

I went out to the car, and carefully searched it.  I then saw it!  It was sitting tucked in the cubby on the front passenger door!  I thanked God and called my brother from my car and told him that I found it.  Minutes later, my brother came out and we were on our way to the fireworks.

We got to the high school around 8:40.  We went to the festival grounds on a shuttle and met some more twins.  I met Alexa & Cailey, fraternal twins from Mandiville, Louisiana and Alexandria & Selene, identical twins from Chicago, Illinois.  After meeting those twins, I hurried to the vendors with my twin.  We got a mini size cookies and cream Dippin’ Dots.  After that, I saw some triplets!  It was Hannah, Laurena, and Casey, fraternal triplets from Ashtabula, Ohio.  Here is a shot of them, enjoying their Dippin’ Dots:

After talking to them, it was time to go to the Twinless Twins lantern lighting ceremony.  25 lanterns were lit, each representing a twin that is no longer with us (but will always be with their twin!) I teared up as I heard all the names read.  The lanterns were all lit and would stay lit all night until they go out.  Here is a shot of the lanterns.

Right after that, the firework show started immediately.  It was put on by Meijer and the show was spectacular.

The fireworks show ran from 9:30 to 9:45.  When the show was over, I walked the parkway back to the high school. With the firework show over, it’s now time to live it up at the Bertram Inn right?

Wrong!  With there being a 5K to run in the morning, there was no way that I was going to head to party central when I had a race that I wanted to be rested up for with my twin.

We drove right back to the hotel and I called it a night.  It was 10:00 when I got back.  I managed to meet one more set of twins before I turned in for the night. I met Gianna & Dera, identical twins from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  I then got ready for bed.  The fourth day awaited us, starting with a 5K race tomorrow morning.  Having that said, the recap is not done yet…

5:30 a.m.  Sunday morning.  I spring out of bed, waking up a half hour before my alarm.  Fortunately, everything was done the night before.  Except for my devotionals and the dream that I needed to record.  I got ready for the race and ate my almonds, Fage Yogurt, Quest Bar, and Kind Bar.  I put on my running clothes and did my devotionals.  I then went down to breakfast and prepared a small plate of fruit.  My brother did the same.  I then saw Esperanza and Susana again.  They too were running the 5K race (as the Tammy Twins, as I later found out).  I wished them luck and left with my brother to go to the race.

There was, however, one problem as I went to the parking lot of the Hilton Garden Inn.  I couldn’t find my car keys!  I searched everywhere for them!  I searched my room, and then I went down to the front desk.  When I told them that I was missing keys to a Toyota Camry, they opened the drawer and handed me my keys!  Phew!

Now with my keys, my brother and I went over to Dodge Intermediate School for the 5K race.  With all the practices that I have been doing with my brother, I should be ready for this race.  I saw Hrefna & Hrönn (pronounced Schefna & Trenn), the identical twins from Iceland also running the race.  My brother and I were the team the Waterfaring Walkers.  Hrefna & Hrönn were Fire and Ice.

Finally, the race began and I was off with my twin.  Throughout the race, my pace was pretty good, since my brother was tracking it with his Strava app.  We managed a 5:30-something as we started, which I knew was unsustainable.  As the race continued, the pace was more familiar.  A 7:50-something.  That was more like it.  Eventually, the pace evened out to a 8:30-something, and then an 8:40-something.  This was the normal pace that we had.  After the halfway point, I saw Hrönn passing both my brother and I.  Moments later, Hrönn slowed down and my brother and I passed her.  Ice was starting to melt.  I started feeling sick towards the end of the race, but it wasn’t as bad as last year.  It was cooler and we were getting onto the track.  Only a quarter mile to go…

Then I crossed the finish line with my brother on the race track.  I finished with a time of 26:15.  For my age group, I placed 6th out of 8 and my brother placed 7th out of 8.   I placed 61 out of 173 and my brother placed 62.  My pace averaged 8:27 per mile, a 27 second improvement from last year.  Upon finishing the race, I was doing my cool downs for a few minutes.  Here are a few photos from the race.

Before the race!

After the race!

And let’s not forget the results!

With the race over, I got a group picture with all the other runners and saw the awards ceremony with my twin.  That’s when I found out my competition for next year.  For my age group, 3rd place was a Jordan.  2nd place was a Jordan.  1st place was a Jason.  With that knowledge, I have two Jordans and one Jason to beat for next year.  We then got one more group picture with everyone else that was wearing the 5K shirts for this year.

Before leaving, I got a picture with Hrefna & Hrönn and Hafsteinn & Kristjen.  I found out that Hrönn also got 6th place for her age group.  Hafsteinn got 3rd place with a time around 22 or 23 minutes.  Kristjen finished a little after my brother and I with a time of 27 minutes.  Here is a picture of them after the ceremony.

After that, it was time to clean up!  I drove back to the Hilton Garden inn with my twin brother, cleaned up in the shower, and said goodbye to our parents, since they were checking out today.   During that time, I met few more twins.  I met the following in the lobby of the Hilton Garden Inn:

  • Lesline & Pauline, identical twins from Toledo, Ohio
  • Claire & Greta, twins from Fort Wayne, Indiana
  • Constantine & Max, identical twins from Stuttgart, Germany
  • Paige & Charlotte, identical twins from Chardon, Ohio

After meeting the twins, it was time to say goodbye to my parents.

A set of twins (which will remain nameless) offered to take a picture of me with my brother and parents in front of the entrance of the hotel using my mom’s cell phone, my cell phone, and my brother’s cell phone.

After seeing my parents off, I wanted to back up to my room and clean things up.  Having spent the entire weekend there, things were pretty messy.  I also wanted to spend an hour working on the post you are currently reading right now.  I didn’t really do anything with the content, but was processing all of the names.

After that hour was up, it was time to go back to the festival grounds.  But first, we decided to have a nice lunch at Sheetz Made to Order (MTO).

Once at Sheetz, we entered and made our orders.  At Sheetz, there’s something that you should know about their food when you order it.  Whatever food you get, you have to say it in autotune.  It’s just for fun!  So, what did my brother and I get?

For starters, we wanted something that was already put together for the most part.  We  both got a Big Moooozzzzzz…We got that with Boom Boom sauce, guacamole, jalapeños, and bacon.  What did we get with that?  Some jalapeño popporzzzzzzz…(Mr. TalkBox, eat your heart out!)  Why?  Because we wanted to hack the Big Moz and make it a Big Poppa.  Two jalapeño poppers instead of two mozzarella sticks right inside the burgery goodness.

But we’re not done.  What to drink?  A frozen caramel brownie mochaaaaaaa….of course!  Sadly, they didn’t have the frozen hot chocolate, so this was the next best thing.  This delicious drink was made with Peruvian coffee beans, and it was good!  Need proof?  These pictures speak for themselves…in autotune, of course!

It likes it when I call it “Big Poppa”!

And some Caramel Brownie mocha goodness!

While I was waiting for my food, I bought another bottle of water.  While I was waiting in line at the register, I saw a bearded man buying a couple cans of Campbell’s soup.  The man looked intrigued at the sight of me and my brother and introduced himself as “Georgie”, a manchild that told me that he was like Peter Pan.  He was very friendly and he wanted a picture, only his flip phone had a dead battery.  After talking to “Georgie”, he left and I got my order.

After the food was eaten, with one-third of the drink consumed, it was time to head to the festival grounds.  To my surprise, the high school was available for parking this year!  I paid the $5 in parking and parked at a spot at the very end, since someone was just taking off.  Perfect timing!

We took the shuttle down the Officer Joshua T. Miktarian Memorial Parkway to the festival grounds.  Once there, it was time to meet some more twins.  I met Jenna & Jessi, identical twins from Cleveland, Ohio.  We all had our sunglasses, so a picture was needed.  Here’s how it turned out!

After that, I met Julian & Manuel, identical twins from Weinfeiden, Switzerland.

After that, I saw Spongebob with his buddy Patrick!  Actually, Spongebob and Patrick ATE a pair of twins!  Their names?  Maddy & Naomi, identical twins from Buffalo, New York.  Poor ladies!  I’ll see if I can get them out, but here’s a picture of the twin-eating monsters…

Spit them out!

After Spongebob and Patrick spit Maddy and Naomi out, I captured them and sent them to Shell City to teach them a lesson.  That will teach you to mess with twins at the Twins Days Festival!

After that misadventure with a sponge that lives in a pineapple under the sea, my brother and I wanted to get our $45 from the research booth.  We took a survey and answered all the questions.  All we got was a 20 ounce bottle of Cetaphil skin lotion!

With it approaching the time for the Sunday group picture, I noticed two other sets of twins. near the research tent.  The first one was Autumn & Rachel Read, identical twins from Fort Wayne, Indiana.  They own an Instagram account called thereadtwins with over 75,000 followers.  So if you haven’t already, follow @thereadtwins on Instagram, and enjoy this picture that I got with them!

Following that was Dana & Grace, identical twins from Cleveland, Ohio.  They seem to know the Read Twins too, so we got a picture with them as well!

After that, it was time for the line up for the Sunday group picture at 3:30.  There was no “darn rain” this time, so it looks like we’ll get a nice shot.  I met all these twins before the picture at 3:30:

  • Amelia & Madison, identical twins from Fort Wayne, Indiana
  • Mallory & Maddie, identical twins from Bellevue, Ohio
  • Emily & Makayla, fraternal twins from Augusta, Maine
  • Sarah & Tina, identical twins from Toledo, Ohio
  • Grace & Sophia, identical twins from Huron, Ohio
  • Hope & Faith, identical twins from Nashville, Tennessee
  • Terra & Karrah, twins from Prescott, Arizona

Before the Sunday group picture was taken, a couple of fun things happened.  While I was standing in the line up next to Skylar and Spencer, I overheard a set of twins talking about Breath of the Wild.  Anyway, I started talking to them about The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.  One of them then goes on to tell me about his favorite way to torture a korok: Use three flame emitters.  Poor koroks!  I wouldn’t ever imagine torturing those poor things!  I mean, would you torture a cute little forest creature like this?

Don’t hurt me!

Anyway, I had a fun conversation with that twin about Tears of the Kingdom.  Now for the second fun thing that happened.  Sunnie and Bonnie were here again!  This time as Mario and Luigi!  While they don’t play the video games, they did see the movie.  Here’s another shot of the LA fun girls!

MAMMA MIA!

After that, it was time to take the picture.  Is everyone ready?

No “darn rain” this time!

Right after the picture, I found out the names of the twins in the cherry-pickers that took the picture every year.  They were none other than John & Charles, identical twins from Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Shortly after that, I met Keisha & Erika, identical twins from Providence, Rhode Island.  I met them in 2022 so it was nice to see them again!

About 15 minutes after the picture, I met Kelsey & Riley, fraternal twins from Atlanta, Georgia.  Here’s a picture of them!

I talked with Kelsey for while, and it was a fun conversation.  They lived in a smaller community that was out of the hustle and bustle of Atlanta, so I could relate to that.  It’s good to live in a small town, but close enough to drive to a city.

I then talked to Kelsey & Courtney, identical twins from South Bend, Indiana.  And from their shirts, they were die hard Twilight fans.  I took a picture of them and Isaac & Enoc, identical twins from Warner Robbins, Georgia (Kelsey & Riley also joined in):

After that, it was time to get our twin pins.  But before we could, it started raining really hard.  Despite the rain, my brother and I were still able to get our twin pins.

When the rain stopped, My brother and I got some food at the vendors.  We decided on a gyro.  After we ate the gyro, we got a mega sized Blueberry ICE-E Dippin’ Dots.  We took that to the entertainment tent and ate it there.

After the Dippin’ Dots, my brother and I got a picture in front of the 2023 sign.  Here is how it turned out.

After that, I walked around and met some more twins.  I saw a cute set of twins that were fraternal.  They were the same age as my niece (four) so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.  Their names were Elliot & Maya from Twinsburg, Ohio.

After that, I met another set of twins that looked like woodland animals.  Their names were Glen “eddy” & Lynn “marty”, identical twins from Oakley, Illinois.

After that, I met Leyna & Klaira, identical twins from Dansville, Michigan.  I couldn’t pass up a picture from a fellow Michigander, so I got their picture in front of the 2023 sign:

And let’s check that attendance again, shall we?

A little behind last year!

After that, I decided to meet a few more twins.  As the festival was winding down, I met the following twins with my twin:

  • Rachel & Matthew, fraternal twins from Twinsburg, Ohio
  • Elijah & Aiden, identical twins from Lorain, Ohio
  • Filipp & Krill, identical twins from Siberia, Russia (They have a YouTube Channel called TwinsFromRussia)
  • Natalie & Nicole, fraternal twins from Champion, Ohio

After that, we were nearing the end of the festival, so I decided to go to one more contest.  My brother and I went to the amphitheater, and that’s when I heard the names “Etienne & Enya” announced.  So they were here after all!  I wouldn’t know since they probably stayed at a different hotel this time!

I hurried to the amphitheater and sat down.  Etienne and Enya got first place in the least look alike contest.  To recap from last year, Etienne and Enya are kind of regulars when it comes to attending Twins Days Festivals.  By kind of, I mean that the father has been taking them to these events every year since they were babies.  With them being adults now, it’s now just a fun reunion with their father every year.  Etienne & Enya are identical twins from Corona, California and Orlando, Florida.  Etienne & Enya have participated in a few contests over the years and have won the “look alike” contest before (including this year!).  Both have gotten similar jobs.  Etienne works at Universal and Enya works at Disney.  This year, Etienne and Enya will be 29, and it’s their 29th Twins Days Festival!  Here is a picture that I got with them.

Congrats for the Least Look Alike!

After the contests, the Twins Days Festival was pretty much starting to wind down.  As my brother and I were leaving the festival grounds, I managed to meet one more set of twins.  Ryder & Xander, identical twins from East Liverpool, Ohio.

So does that mean we’re going to go bowling now?  Not at all!  My brother and I were tired from the long day, so we caught a shuttle that took us back down the Officer Joshua T. Miktarian Memorial Parkway, back to Twinsburg High School.

My brother and I got in my Toyota Camry, conveniently parked on the end and left the high school.  It was a fun Twins Days Festival.  I turned onto Ravenna Road and followed it to the Twin Hills Parkway.  We turned onto the Twin Hills Parkway and followed it all the way to East Aurora Road.  Finally, we turned onto Wilcox Drive and pulled into the parking lot of the Hilton Garden Inn.  There was nothing else left for my brother and I to do than just relax.

We entered the hotel and went back up to the fifth floor.  We entered 522 and lightened our load.  It was time for another swim.  We got our suits on and went down to the pool.

This time, there was just a family down there.  No twins.   Just a younger sister with two older brothers.  And a young dad carefully supervising the kids at the hot tub.

I didn’t want to be rude, so I carefully waited for my turn at the hot tub.  When the little sister and older brothers left the hot tub, my brother and I entered it.  We enjoyed the 103 degree water, while the jets pumped fresh bubbles into the heavily chlorinated water.  After a short while, we left the hot tub.

After we went back up to the room, I spent the remainder of the evening working on the entry that you are currently reading.  Most of it was typing all the remaining names at the end of this post.  I stopped at almost 11:00, since I didn’t want to stay up too late.  I had to safely get back home.

Having worked on this entry in the lobby, I went back up to Room 522 and turned in for the night.  All the festivities were over, and all that remained was the trip home.  I took a shower and then plopped right into bed to rest myself for the trip home…

6:00 a.m.  We didn’t sleep in this time.  I wanted to get everything to the car and work on the entry for a little bit longer.  I got up, and ordered a Takeya Stainless Steel Graphite colored Water Bottle on Amazon, trying their FREE same-day delivery.  I then had my almonds, yogurt, quest bar, and coffee, and we both packed up our bags and got ready to leave the hotel.  I met no new twins this time.

After I got everything out to the car, I continued to work on the entry that you are reading right now.  In the middle of this, I saw Esperanza and Susana checking out, wearing their Spongebob shirts.  I never saw their costume and they they never saw my Jack Sparrow one.  So, we traded pictures and I saw one of them at the parade.  Since they had a flight to catch at 11:00, I bid them farewell.

At around 10:00, I wrapped things up and my brother and I checked out of the Hilton Garden Inn. It was now officially time to leave Twinsburg.  We left the Hilton Garden Inn at 10:10 a.m.

But not without refueling my tank of gas first.  We took our car to none other than the Sheetz gas station and filled up the tank.

Since the Fresh Start Diner was closed, we had Sheetz for breakfast instead.  I couldn’t get a Walker Breakfast Rangerrrrrr this year, so my brother and I settled for something different.  Remember: this is Sheetz Made to Order (MTO), so all food that you order needs to be said in autotune!  I got a sausage, egg, and cheese, breakfast burrrrito….and some Hashbrownzzzzzzzz and ranch dressingggggg…  Here’s a nice shot of that food in autotune:

Right before I left Sheetz, I saw someone wearing a Twins Days shirt!  It turned out to be one last twin!  This twin was half of what made up Richard & Robert, identical twins from Owensboro, Kentucky.

After saying goodbye to the last twin, it was time to say goodbye to Twinsburg.  Enjoy these pictures from last year as we all say a sad goodbye to Twinsburg for 2023.

Over the course of this trip, there was definitely some highs and lows.  There were even things that were lost.  But this is what I learned.  Sometimes, we have to lose things that are important to us.  It is only through that where we end up finding what is the most important.  I lost a water bottle and almost lost my car keys.  My brother almost lost his wallet.  But we all lost ourselves in Twinsburg this weekend.  And what did we find?  Each other.  One of the largest family of twins that you will ever find in the world.  Our annual home, right here in northeastern Ohio.  And now, as we all say goodbye to Twinsburg together, I give you the list of all the wonderful twins that I have met over the course of the weekend (also Jack Sparrow’s crew for the Black Pearl).  Here is the list of 181 twins (and the one that my parents met):

 

Captain Jack Sparrow’s Crew for the Black Pearl

Thursday, August 3, 2023

  1. Tess & Tabitha – Austin, TX
  2. Karen & Sharon – Cincinnati, OH
  3. Sara & Anna – Duluth, MN
  4. Donald & Ronald – Baltimore, MD (Met in 2019)
  5. Lorraine & Loretta – Pittsburgh, PA
  6. Heather & Christina – Charlotte/Cincinnati, NC/OH

Friday, August 4, 2023

7. Hrefna & Hrönn – Hveragerði, Iceland

8. Hafsteinn & Kristjen – Hveragerði, Iceland

9. Aislinn & Leah – Dartmouth, MA

10. Brittany & Brooklyn – Eddyville, IA

11. Remington & Reagan – Wilmington – PA

12.  Connor & Cooper – Green Bay, WI

13.  Geneva & Lena – Wooster, OH

14.  Isaac & Joseph – Greensboro, NC

15.  Skylar & Spencer – Chicago, IL

16.  Jerry & John – Massillon, OH

17.  Nicole & Natalie – Port Huron, MI

18.  Isabella & Austin – Bowling Green, OH

19.  Micah & Mira – Twinsburg, OH

20. Dawn & Denise – Houston, TX

21.  Missy & Mindy – Terre Haute, IN

22.  Wesley & Sloan – Sheffield, OH

23.  Jessica & Miranda – Charleston, NC

24.  Maura & Hannah – Kenah, TX

25.  Marlene & Darlene – Arlington, VA

26.  Sunnie & Bonnie – Los Angeles, CA

27.  Tom & Tim – Munich, Germany

28.  Ken & Kris – Anaheim, CA

29.  Taunasha & Jaunesh – Hanover Park, IL

30.  Natalie & Michele – Pittsburgh, PA

31.  Mike & Chad – Nashville, TN

32.  Kendra & Brenda – Greenville/Belding, MI

Saturday, August 5, 2022

33. Natalie & Rebecca – Troy, OH

34. Esperanza & Susana – Mesa, AZ (Met in 2022)

35. Gina & Tina – San Francisco, CA

36. Anthony & Elijah – Hudson, OH

37. Riley & Emily – Cincinnati, OH

38. Pam & Barbie – Minneapolis, MN

39. Kanna & Kara – Twinsburg, OH

40. Emily & Erica – Utica, NY

41. Aaron & Chris – Los Angeles, CA

42. Kathy & Karen – Elmore/Norfolk, OH/VA

43. Daniel & Sam -San Antonio/Colcord, TX/OK

44. Mark & Eric – Spring Green/Colorado Springs, WI/CO

45. Kathy & Karyn – Buffalo, NY

46. Lorrina & Karla – Kent, OH

47. Lessa & Ivy – Detroit, MI (Triplets, third one didn’t come)

48. Eva & Johanna – Howell, MI

49. Sophie & Aleria – Hocking Hills, OH

50. Jason & Scott – Cuyahoga Falls, OH

51. Jody & Jenny – Kansas City, MO

52. Katie & Maddie – Indianapolis, IN

53. Morgan & Courtney – Rochester, NY

54. Adam & Zachary – Asheville, NC

55. Paige & Bailey – Grand Rapids, MI

56. Rajivi & Rijul – San Francisco, CA

57. Michelle & Mindy – Akron, OH

58. Alex & Ted – East Rutherford, NJ

59. Lauren & Megan – Milwaukee, WI

60. Brook & Beth – Finger Lakes, NY

61. Jane & Janet – Ames, IA

62. Avery & Elina – Chardon, OH

63. Claudia & Luzilie – Lady Lake/Yeadon, FL/PA

64. Victoria & Claire – Pittsburgh, PA

65. Tommy & Timmy – Canton, OH

66. Jay & Neil – Boston, MA

67. Ruby & Willow – Rochester, NY

68. Nathan & Scott – Moore, OK

69. Matt & Chris – Topeka, KS

70. Laura & Rebecca – Pittsburgh, PA

71. Margaret & Monica – Columbus, OH

72. Carolyn & Marilyn – Hartford, CT

73. Shannon & Shelby – Lancaster, PA (Met in 2019 and 2022)

74. Tara & Jordan – Columbus, OH

75. Karen & Cassy – Cincinnati, OH

76. Julia & Maria – Los Angeles/New York, CA/NY

77. Hailey & Tiffany – Whitehouse, OH

78. Christie & Katie – New York, NY

79. Charlotte & Bridget – Eatonville, WA

80. Alexis & Emma – Houston, TX

81. Lexi & Laci – Bullhead City, AZ

82. Marley & Coral – Los Angeles, CA

83. Ronna & Donna – Dallas, TX

84. John & Jack – Las Vegas/Rockford, NV/IL

85. Stephanie & Monica – Seattle, WA

86. Denise & Deanne – Buffalo/Toledo, NY/OH

87. Asher & Rylan – Milwaukee, WI

88. Emmitt & Owen – Geneva/Wilmington, OH

89. Sarah & Bonnie – Greensboro, NC

90. Garrett & Stefan – Howell, MI

91. Julie & Amy – Rockford/Beloit, IL/WI

92. Elva & Elsie – Lancaster, PA

93. Natalie & Nicole – Wananchee, WA

94. Kevin & Ken – Los Angeles, CA

95. Celeste & Cierra – Gambier, OH

96. Andrea & Laura – Windsor, Ontario, Canada

97. Jo & Jackie – Wilmington/Ocean City, DE/MD

98. Lenore & Pauline – Hudson, OH

99. Assia & Daja – Cleveland, OH

100. Hannah & Haley – Buffalo, NY

101.  Erin & Kerry – Chicago, IL

102.  Stephanie & Bridget – Chicago, IL

103.  Rich & Dave – East Brunswick/Hillsborough, NJ

104.  Dana & Delanie – Toledo, OH

105.  Max & Rose – North Ridgeville, OH

106.  Grace & Noah – Middlebranch, OH

107.  Hannah & Sarah – Twinsburg, OH

108.  Aven & Jaren – Parker, PA

109.  Garrett & Michael – San Jose, CA

110.  Kim & Melissa – Richmond, KY

111.  Lorene & Lora – Chicago/Nashville, IL/TN

112.  Jackie & Jenna – West Palm Beach/Flint, FL/MI

113.  Austin & Aaron – Louisville, KY

114.  Lukyan & Dante – Middletown, OH

115.  Ashleigh & Brianna – Streetsboro, OH

116.  Sarah & Emily – Pittsburgh, PA

117.  Courtney & Brittany – Mechanicsburg, PA

118.  Brooke & Taylor – Cleveland, OH

119.  Daniel & Samuel – Houston, TX

120.  Abi & Katelin – North Bend, OH

121.  Ned & Fred – Hollywood, SC

122.  Cathy & Mandy – Warren, OH

123.  Tyler & Cruz – Twinsburg, OH

124.  Maryanne & Trish  – Melbourne, Australia

125.  Emily & Allison – Buffalo, NY

126.  Alison & Margaret – Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

127.  Maggie & Dorrie – Saratoga Springs, NY

128.  Kristin & Meagan – Indianapolis, IN

129.  Katie & Liz – Royal Oak, MI

130.  Sandra & Heather – Scranton, PA

131.  Michael & David – Louisville, KY

132.  Emma & Jessa – Cleveland, OH

133.  Caitlyn & Jessica – Cleveland, OH

134.  Isaiah, Kaiden, and Trevor – Lancaster, OH

135.  James & Oli – London, England

136.  Auden & Everett – Liberty, NY

137.  Grace & Carol – Philadelphia/Manhattan, PA/NY

138.  Harley & Markeith – Akron, OH

139.  Matt & Mark – Cleveland, OH

140.  Jason & Austin – Tampa Bay, FL

141.  Lauren & Emily – Chicago, IL

142.  Alexandria & Alexis – Louisville, KY

143.  Bridget & Brooke – Seattle, WA

144.  Mina, Ally, Claire, and Lauren – Pepper Pike, OH

145.  Sheila & Lauren – Cincinnati, OH

146.  Cassandra & Clarissa – Billings, MT

147.  Alexa & Cailey – Mandiville, LA

148.  Alexandria & Selene – Chicago, IL

149.  Hannah, Laurena, and Casey – Ashtabula, OH

150.  Gianna & Dera – Pittsburgh, PA

Saturday, August 5, 2022 (Mom and Dad)

  1. Foster & Clark – Columbia, SC

Sunday, August 6, 2022

151. Lesline & Pauline – Toledo, OH

152. Claire & Greta – Fort Wayne, IN

153. Constantine & Max – Stuttgart, Germany

154. Paige & Charlotte – Chardon, OH

155. Jenna & Jessi – Cleveland, OH

156. Julian & Manuel – Weinfelden, Switzerland

157. Maddy & Naomi – Buffalo, NY

158. Autumn & Rachel – Augusta, ME

159. Dana & Grace – Cleveland, OH

160. Amelia & Madison – Fort Wayne, IN

161. Mallory & Maddie – Bellevue, OH

162. Emily & Makayla – Augusta, ME

163. Sarah & Tina – Toledo, OH

164. Grace & Sophia – Huron, OH

165. Hope & Faith – Nashville, TN

166. Terra & Karrah – Prescott, AZ

167. John & Charles – Minneapolis, MN

168. Keisha & Erika – Providence, RI  (Met in 2022)

169. Kelsey & Riley – Atlanta, GA

170. Kelsey & Courtney – South Bend, IN

171. Isaac & Enoc – Warner Robbins, GA

172. Elliot & Maya – Twingburg, OH

173. Glen & Lynn – Oakley, IL

174. Leyna & Klaira – Dansville, MI

175. Rachel & Matthew – Twinsburg, OH

176. Elijah & Aiden – Lorain, OH

177. Filipp & Krill – Siberia, Russia

178. Natalie & Nicole – Champion, OH

179. Etienne & Enya – Corona/Orlando, CA/FL

180. Ryder & Xander – East Liverpool, OH

Monday, August 7, 2022

181. Richard & Robert –  Owensboro, KY

 

After twin 181, we left Sheetz.  It was now time to have cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory with grandma and Aunt Kari.  This would be at the Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi.  We left Twinsburg around 10:51. I took the same way back.  I went down I-480 and I-80 on the Turnpike.  I paid $7.25 after leaving the turnpike to go on I-280 North.  After driving into Michigan, it was a little cloudy.  It was official.  We were back in Michigan.

We continued into Monroe County on I-75 North.  Eventually, we passed through Wayne County and got onto I-696 West.  Unlike 2019 and 2022, we actually took the right way!  We kept left at the fork, in the right lane of two lanes that took us onto M-5.  From there, we followed it to the exit for 12 Mile Road.  We then followed 12 Mile Road all the way to Twelve Oaks Mall and eventually found a parking space.  We got out and entered the Cheesecake Factory, and met grandma and Aunt Kari there.  Even though it was a Monday, there was a half hour wait, so I used the bathroom and then talked to my aunt and grandma about the trip.  I shared with them my favorite part of the festival, which was the Double Take Parade, and shared my favorite pictures.  What did I get?  Well, after studying the only menu in the world that’s still a little bit like a novel, I found what I was looking for.  I was hungry so I helped myself to some Fried Mac and Cheese and some Tex Mex Egg Rolls, since the Spicy Tuna wasn’t available.

I then looked at the novel…I mean, menu.  With 34 different cheesecakes, which two will I eat?

Fortunately, I already had in mind what I wanted.  I decided on the Godiva Cheesecake and to be different this year, I got the Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake.

Eventually, the appetizers came, and my do they look good!

Some fried mac goodness!

And some Tex Mex food that’s on a roll!

While I waited for my food, I reflected on the Twins Days Festival with my grandma and aunt.  All in all, it was a fun trip to Twinburg.

After eating the appetizers, we reflected on our trip some more while they prepared the cheesecakes.  When they arrived, they were enormous.  Just look at them!

Lady Godiva!

And a delicious Chocolate Mousse!

Now this was a tough battle.  If you were here for 2019, you should know this by now.  Whenever you’re faced up against two slices of multi-layered cheesecake, the cheesecake is going to win every time.  EXCEPT for this year.  Having eaten no bread like I did in 2019, I was prepared.  Despite the richness of the Godiva chocolate, I took small and careful bites.  I drank water to dilute the sweetness.  And in the end, I conquered the Godiva Cheesecake!  In the battle of Man versus Cheesecake, Man won this time!  For next year, I will pick two totally different cheesecakes.  What will I pick?  Find out in 2024!

After having our cheesecake and getting my take home one packaged by my grandma, it was time to head home.  Since my grandma was going home with my brother and I, my aunt carefully packed everything that my grandma brought into the trunk of my car like a jigsaw puzzle.  After everything was packed and my grandma was situated, it was time to head home.  I took I-96 West toward Brighton, where US-23 North merges.  With that, I merged onto Brighton and continued north, through Linden and Fenton.  After that, I drove through Flint.

There is not much more to say here, besides navigating familiar territory. Vienna Township, Birch Run, Buena Vista Township, Zilwaukee Bridge, Exit 162B to get onto US-10 West. Very straightforward.  I also made a detour in Midland to drop grandma off.  Besides that, it was a very straightforward trip home.

And with that, I have given you every memory that I could think of from one of the most memorable trips that I’ve been on.  You’ve relived it with me and the trip is over.  If you want to relive it again, go ahead.  Scroll all the way up to the top and re-read this entire recap.  It’s really one of those trips that’s worth reliving, and if I could do that, I would totally relive it.  But the best that I can do is capture time, put it into words, and let the words create a wonderful picture.  A picture of a wonderful land full of twins for just one weekend.  A land where every twin gets to be an honorary Twinsburg citizen for the weekend.  This land was truly special and totally unique and it’s something that I don’t ever want to forget.  I’m glad that I shared it with you and I hope to share a different version of this picture with you next year, because it’s something that I will truly never forget.

With the recap over, it is time to eat.  Farewell everyone!

 

Today’s high is going to be 86 degrees and the silver lining is getting this recap done.

To those of you who like retelling stories about your trips, I hope that you all have a fantastic day.

 

Muse:  *yawn*  That was fun…My twin had to go home.  I’m going to miss her…

Cleaning House

  1. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 

James 1:21

READ

James 4:1-10

 

Imagine this scenario.  You just came home from a busy day.  It could be a busy day at work, a busy day with your family and friends, or a busy day running errands and shopping for groceries.

You exit your car and enter your house.  Then you see it.  There are papers strewn out all over the desk.  The dishes are piled in the sink.  You enter your room and set your keys down on the nightstand.  You see it again.  Papers are covering the top of the filing cabinet.  Shirts, socks, and underwear are covering the carpeting.  You go to pick up your clothes, but you realize why they are there: the laundry hamper is overflowing.  In looking closer at the carpet, you see dust everywhere.

Your inspection continues.   The stove top is caked with grease and crumbs.  Dust is caking the floors.  Papers and other junk are everywhere.  At this point, you can’t take it anymore.

It is time to clean house.

Houses, like anything that you own, require time and care to maintain.  But in this case, I am not referring to cleaning a physical house.  What I am referring to is the cleaning of your soul.  Have you cleaned your house lately?  Have you really taken a good look within yourself and have begun to clean your house?

  1. Assess the Cleanliness of the House

 

“But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean’.  For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.  These are what makes a man ‘unclean’…”

Matthew 15:18-20

To begin, we need to assess the state of the house.  Is your “house” clean?  Some of you may already have a clean house and some of you will not.  The things that make your house unclean can be the things that come out of your mouth, and they will make your house unclean.  Once we know the cleanliness of the house, we can then know the kind of work that we need to do to clean it.

 

“What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?”

James 4:1

Our fleshly desires is another thing to consider if your house is not clean.  Going further in the passage, These desires can lead to wanting something, but not getting it.  This leads to quarreling and fighting.

But let’s not forget the key of the passage.  “You do not have, because you do not ask God.  When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”  (James 4:3-4)  Your house may be unclean because you are not asking God for what you need.  Asking must be done with a sincere heart, and not be done with a heart driven by fleshly desires or pleasures.

 

You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God?  Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.”

James 4:5

Your house may not be clean because there’s an issue with your relationship with God.  If you are a friend of the world, you are an enemy to Him.  Do you think that your house is not clean?  In just realizing this, you are on the right track.  He desires you and wants your house to be clean.  Going further in James, it says that  “without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely”  (James 4:6)  When we are in the wrong, when we see that our house is not clean, remember this: He gives us more grace.  He knew that our once clean house would become dirty, but he is here to help us clean it up.

 

2.  Submit Yourselves to God (James 4:7)

When you know that your house is dirty,  you can then turn to the one that can make it clean.  A proud heart doesn’t think that their heart needs to be clean.  Or if it is dirty, they will try to clean it themselves.  God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.  Getting back to the verse in James 1, it says to “Humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.”  (v.21)  This means letting go of any selfish tendency to try to do it yourself.  You can’t.  Give it all to Him because He knows how to clean it the best.

 

3.  Resist the devil (James 4:7)

Resisting the devil means letting go of all the tricks and devices that he has used to try to deceive you.  He is not going to do anything to make your house any cleaner.  He is the cause of the mess.  He is looking for someone to devour and his agenda is only to steal, kill, and destroy.  His power is in the lie so sever all ties to him.  And when you sever all those ties and run to God, he will flee like the coward he is.  Hold onto the truth and say no to the devil and all of his ways.

4.  Come Near to God and He Will Come Near to You.  (James 4:8)

The closer that you are to God, the closer you will be to His presence.  Now while you were unclean, your hands got dirty.  You are now aware of the sins that you have committed.  The passage tells us to “wash your hands”.  Confess your sins to him.  You know that you did it and so has He.  He now wants you to “come clean”.

Another thing that the passage tells us is to “purify your hearts”.  A double-minded person has an impure heart.  Your heart is an important part of your house that needs to be cleaned.  Start there.  Tell Him who you are and be real.  He will hear you and clean this most important part of your house.

A third thing that the passage tells us is to “grieve, mourn, and wail”.  Your house cannot be clean unless you are grieved over the sins that you have committed.  With a pure heart, you should be able to cry.  Think of this as the water that He is using to make your house clean.

5. Humble Yourselves Before the Lord, and He Will Lift You Up.  (James 4:10)

When your house became filthy, you were brought down.  Now you have washed your hands, purified your heart, grieved your sins, mourned over them, and cried.  He has heard all of your crying now.  Humble yourselves to Him.  Commit your house to His care.  When you do this, He will lift you up.  Entrust Him for all the routine inspections.  If there is anything unclean that He detects, He will let you know.

 

So is your house clean now?  Have you given a good look inside of your soul to see if you are clean there?  It’s one thing to pick up a few things, but the house needs to be clean.  Remember who you invited in.  You invited Jesus into your house and He wants all the rooms clean. Everything inside and out. (If you have never invited Jesus into your house before, I invite you to read “Why The Fountain?” just below.)  Now He will help you keep it clean but you have to let Him.  When you give way to compromise, or ignore His reminders to clean up your house, don’t ignore Him.  Remember how unclean your house was and the grace that He gave you.  You do not want to return to that place of filth again.  Trust God, and He will keep your house squeaky clean.

Why The Fountain?

The purpose of this blog series is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to encourage people during these dark and difficult times.

If you have never received Christ before, it is not too late to do so.  The truth is we are all sinners and have fallen short of God’s standard.  The good news is that Christ was sent to die for what we all deserved.  In believing that Christ died for you, you receive Christ and become an heir with him, with the promise of eternal life.  All you need to do is confess to him that you’re a sinner, ask him to come into your life and rescue you, and he will send you his Helper to be with you forever.  (John 14:16-17)

At the Fountain, you will always find Living Water.  Refreshing water for these difficult times.

Me & My Muse – Day 3320: Twins Days Festival – The Recap: For REALZ this Time!

Having had the chance to rest and work a full day at work, I have taken the liberty to think and reflect on my memorable vacation.  Twins Day Festival 2022 was an unforgettable experience for me.  But don’t just take my word for it.  Instead, gaze upon the 7,691 word account and all the words and pictures that really made this convention a memorable one.  I will do more than just describe everything to you.  Instead, I am taking you back to the event, and you are going to relive all of my memorable moments with me again.  Sound good?  Then follow me, as I take you through the recap of Twins Days Festival 2022.

6:00 a.m. Friday morning.  I spring out of bed and turn on the coffee.  I wake up to the alarm.  With my shower taken, all that was left was the devotional.  I get this done and check the fridge for coffee creamer.  Unlike 2019, there was some in there.  I enjoyed my favorite weekend Starbucks mocha coffee with a Truvia packet and some Coffemate creamer.  I eat my Quest bar and I brush my teeth.  I then begin to pack everything.

My mug was already drunk, and everything needed to get into the car – fast.  We get everything in there just in time for us to capture the perfect Kodak moment.  Me and my brother stood there in matching red shirts, shorts, socks, and red shoes, and I took a selfie before driving down to Twinsburg, Ohio for the Twins Days Festival.

 

After the pictures were taken, we were off at around 7:45 in the morning.  I got onto US-10 and we were Twinsburg bound, jamming to BZRK by Family Force 5.

After Auburn, I merged onto I-75 South, towards Flint.  After that, I took the right fork onto US-23 South, towards Ann Arbor.  After Ann Arbor, we passed Dundee, and then Temperance.

Finally, we crossed the Ohio border.

Ohio’s slogan was “Find it Here”.  What I found was the speed limit going down to 65 miles per hour.  We went through I-475 South, I-75 North, and then found myself on the I-80/I-90 Ohio Turnpike.

The Turnpike was an enjoyable ride.  With the speed limit at 70 miles per hour, I felt right at home.  I cruised down it, listening to John Reuben.

And then at 10:26, we stopped at a Service Plaza.  Time for the first rest stop.  After some Instagramming, it was time to resume the trip.

After exiting the Turnpike, I paid $7.00 for it.  Finally, we were on I-480 East. We got off on the Great Northern Boulevard exit, because it was time for some lunch.

We entered North Olmstead and stopped at a Chick-Fil-A.  I was so happy there that I took a selfie.

After that, it was time to order my food!  The food you ask?  It was a mouthwatering crispy chicken sandwich, three chick-n strips, and a medium order of waffle fries.  And why don’t we include every single kind of dipping sauce that they have?  There we go!

Now Midland has committed a terrible sin in not including one of these wonderful restaurants there.  I mean, we have plenty of burger places, but how many chicken places do we have?  Instead of getting this place, Midland gets a Popeye’s, and Flint gets a Chick-fil-A?  That makes no sense.  It’s true that just about every fast food place serves chicken, but not like this.  I would consider this place Colonel Sanders’ cousin.  But no buckets.  No biscuits.  No wedges.  No mashed potatoes.  Just the waffle fries will do.  Plus we’re on our way to Twinsburg.  We don’t have time to sit down for a home-cooked meal.

And what do we do with the trash?  Let’s not forget to throw it away.  In an automatic disposal?  Yes please!

After we got our fill of Chick-Fil-A, we left North Olmstead, Ohio and got back on I-480 East.

Before long, we arrived at Twinsburg and got off on Aurora Road.  Unlike 2019, we did not miss the Twin Hills Highway.  That took us to Ravenna Road.  We turned left on Ravenna Road and then left on the Joshua T. Miktarian Memorial Parkway.  We arrived at Twinsburg High School, only there was one problem.  It was 1:40.  Registration didn’t begin until 2:00!  To kill time, me and my brother took another awesome selfie.

After that, I went with my twin to a line that was forming in front of the high school.  A line of twins from all over the country and world.  A line of twins all waiting to check in for registration.  While we waited in line, I met Anna & Maia.  Identical twins from Cleveland, Ohio.

A few minutes later, they let everyone in about four minutes to 2:00.  Learning that the pre-registration was at the auditorium this year, We all followed the line of twins that were headed there.  Before entering, I met Everitt & Emmitt.  Identical twins from Lousiville, Kentucky.

While I waited in line with my twin bro, I met Semmie & Sammie. Identical twins from Chicago, Illinois.

Following that, the quest began to meet as many twins as possible.  And I was off to a good start.  I met Leeann & Megan, identical twins from Fort Collins, Colorado, Kimberly & Cassie, fraternal twins from Westchester, New York, Kelly & Kim, identical twins from Peekskin and Boston, Massachusetts, and Niko & Marko, identical twins from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

We then found another set of twins at the cafeteria.  Hrefna & Hrönn (pronounced Schefna & Trenn), identical twins from Hveragerði, Iceland.

After that, the meeting of twins continued with the following twins:

  • Ashley & Kimberly, fraternal twins from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Luke & Logan, identical twins from Wooster, Ohio.
  • Jennifer & Lauren, identical twins from Bridgeport, West Virginia
  • Kristy & Jenny, identical twins from Seattle, Washington and Orlando, Florida
  • Leah & Aislinn, identical twins from Dartmouth, Massachusetts
  • Austin & Isabella, fraternal twins from Bowling Green, Ohio
  • Rosalie & Rochelle, identical twins from Covina, California

After that, I met a set of twins that made me star struck.  This was Skylar & Spencer, identical twins from Chicago, Illinois.

When it comes to Twins Days Festivals, Skylar and Spencer don’t miss a single one.  For this year alone, it will be their 28th consecutive convention!  Even during COVID when Twins Days wasn’t held in person, this dedicated duo made their pilgrimage to Twinsburg to keep their streak of attendance unbroken.  They are well known among the regulars that attend and they consider the annual congregation of twins meeting at the beginning of every August to be their family.  After saying hi to Skylar and Spencer, my brother and I continued meeting more twins.

Before leaving Twinsburg High School, I met four more sets of twins with my brother:

  • Bailey & Maddy, identical twins from Wausau, Wisconsin
  • Mitchell & Logan, identical twins from Ann Arbor, Michigan
  • Jean & Joan, identical twins from Vassar, Kansas
  • Jane & Janet, fraternal twins from Max, Minnesota and Nevada, Iowa

Me and my twin brother then decided to go and check into our room.  With that, we drove to the Hilton Garden Inn at Twinsburg, Ohio, which was only a short distance away.  I would say about 0.7 miles away.

Upon entering the Hilton Garden Inn, this is what i saw.

 

After checking in, we took the elevators to Room 334.  Inside was a very nice room, as you can see here.

 

 

I loved this room.  Due to a mistake in the reservation, there instead of two queen beds, it was just one king-sized bed.  Along with that room came a sitting chair and a desk for the computer.  There was even a Keurig coffee machine.  I unpacked everything and we chilled in our room.  Unlike 2019, my parents came along separately since they wanted a piece of the Twins Days fun.  Since they were not quite there yet, we waited for them to arrive.  After they arrived, there was still a lot of free time available.  Since we had reservations at Blue Canyon Grill at 7:00, there was a little bit of time to kill.

When it got close to 7:00, we walked up with our parents to Blue Canyon, an upscale restaurant that I had reservations for.  The restaurant was situated on a bluff, which overlooked the hotel.  We entered the restaurant and were seated.

We had a wonderful waiter that assisted us that night.  I wanted to order something similar to the Lobster Linguine from 2019, but they had the Halibut listed as a special instead.  I ordered that with a bowl of Lobster Bisque.  Me and my brother split an order of Prince Edward Island Mussels.

The appetizers came first, of course.

After that, the waiter informed me that they were out of the Halibut, so they substituted that with the snapper instead.

After that was the delicious dish I was waiting for.  The Snapper.

The Snapper was pretty good.  When it was gone, I shared dessert with my brother.  A Chocolate Bomb.  A layered chocolate dessert with filling, cake and covered in chocolate.  A round, delicious chocolatey ball of goodness.

After the food was done, and 20 minutes of waiting, the scary part came.  The bill.  But that’s nothing that my Meijer Mastercard can’t handle, right?

When the bill was paid, I said goodbye to the restaurant with my brother and parents.  Blue Canyon Kitchen & Tavern, you fed us well tonight.  You will be missed.

After we left the Blue Canyon Grill & Tavern, my brother and I decided to go to the Get Go Gas Station for some liquid refreshment and snacks.  I bought a couple of liters of water and some Twix.

Me and my twin brother then went back to the Hilton Garden Inn nearby.  Before we went up to our rooms, I decided to meet a few more twins.  The twins that I met included the following:

  • Natalie & Nicole, identical twins from Wenatchee, Washington
  • Tabitha & Tammy, identical twins from Springfield, Ohio
  • Ann & Theresa, identical twins from Sacramento, California
  • Dana & Jana, identical twins from Cleveland, Ohio
  • Mary & Melissa, identical twins from Columbus, Ohio
  • Hannah & Janae, identical twins from Lancaster, Pennsylvania
  • Becca & Natalie, identical twins from Troy, Ohio
  • Marlene & Monica, identical twins from Sebring and Canton, Ohio
  • Melissa & Christina, identical twins from Bloomington, Idaho and Seattle, Washington
  • Joselyn & Jamie, identical twins from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Esperanza & Susana, twins from Mesa, Arizona

After meeting all the sets of twins, I went with my twin to Room 334.  We brushed our teeth and got ready for bed.  It was going to be a long and fun day for both of us tomorrow.

6:30 a.m. Saturday morning.  I spring out of bed at the sound of my 6:30 alarm.  Having done most of my routine last night, all that remained was my devotionals.  I took care of that and drank my freshly brewed Keurig coffee.  After waiting for the use of the bathroom, it finally became vacant and I brushed my teeth.  I then quickly put on my clothes for the day.  A complete safari outfit with all the decorations.  I then took a selfie with my brother.

All ready for the day, I went downstairs and had a delicious breakfast buffet. While I was at my breakfast table, I met a neat set of twins that were MARRIED to each other!  Alisha & Christina, identical twins from Boston, Massachusetts married Phillip & Stewart, identical twins from Sydney, Australia.  We chatted for a while and I got their picture.

When breakfast was over, it was time to board a bus for the Twins Days Double Take Parade.  Before I boarded the bus, I took a picture with my twin and some more twins:  Amanda & Rachel (who sat at my table during breakfast), identical twins from Kansas City, Missouri, Caroline & Kristen, identical twins from Los Angeles, California, and Donald and Ronald, identical twins from Baltimore, Maryland.

Before the lineup with the twins, I also met Cecelia & Alice, identical twins from Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

Minutes later, the shuttle dropped us off at the town square for the parade lineup.  As we walked around, I had an encounter with a pair of twin triceratops!

After that, I met some more twins.  I met the following twins as I walked around the parade grounds:

  • Andrew & Edward, identical twins from Lancaster, Ohio
  • Eli & Dylan, identical twins from Streetsboro, Ohio
  • Aurora & Ariel, fraternal twins from Portage, Wisconsin
  • Alexis & Alania, identical twins from Wellsburg, West Virginia
  • Abigail & Hannah, identical twins from Gainsville, Florida
  • Sarah & Allison, identical twins from Wheaton, Illinois
  • Libby & Annie, identical twins from Kansas City, Missouri
  • Lauren & Laeten, identical twins from Appleton, Wisconsin
  • Craigg & Gregg, identical twins from Albion, Michigan
  • Anthony & Elijah, fraternal twins from Hudson, Ohio
  • Isabella & Annika, fraternal twins from Bloomington, Illinois

We then met Michelle & Tonya, identical twins from Eau Claire, Wisconsin.  They were both ready for adventure like we were so we got a picture with them.

Following that, I met a couple more pairs of twins.  Sienna & Samantha, fraternal twins from Queens, New York and Melinda & Melanie, identical twins from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

After that, I met not a set of twins this time, but a unique set of multiples.  A set of quadruplets!  Their names were Nina, Ally, Claire, and Lauren,  50% identical and 50% fraternal quadruplets from Shaker Heights, Ohio.  My brother and I couldn’t resist so we got a picture with this unique quartet.

After meeting the fantastic four, my brother and I continued to meet some more twins.  We met the following before the parade started:

  • Jenny & Jessy, identical twins from Saint Louis, Missouri
  • Derek & Ryan, identical twins from Cinnaminson, New Jersey
  • Kelsey & Emma, identical twins from Dundee, Michigan
  • Jason & Eric, twins from Scranton, Pennsylvania
  • Leah & Anya, identical twins from Saint Louis, Missouri
  • Bry & Bren, fraternal twins from Erie, Pennsylvania
  • Abby & Sophie, identical twins from Durham, New Hampshire
  • Tara & Jordyn, identical twins from Kent and Sylvania, Ohio
  • David & Phillip, identical twins from Queens, New York
  • Deshay & Renee, identical twins from Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Jennifer & Tracey, identical twins from Colorado Springs, Colorado
  • Kaitlyn & Tiffany, fraternal twins from Mount Clemens, Michigan

The parade was now officially underway.  I managed to get these shots as I walked down the parade route with my twin brother.

Peyton & Paige, identical twins from Lafayette, Louisiana

The parade started at 9:00 and lasted about an hour (longer for all the other bystanders watching the entire parade).  It was fun watching all the people on the street smile as we walked on by.  We waved at all the onlookers and crossed our fingers, hoping that it wouldn’t rain.

When the parade was over, we marched into the Festival Grounds.  Unlike 2019, we didn’t need to go back to get the car this time.  Since my wristband was too tight, I needed to get a new one at registration.  After taking care of that, I stayed at the festival grounds with my twin and entered it.

What was the first thing on the agenda?  Twins Pops, of course!  The coolers containing all the Twins Pops were there, but the stands were not set up yet!  This did not stop numerous sets of twins from getting their free Twin Pops early.  My brother and I took advantage of this and helped ourselves to the Twin Pops.  We both got a green Twin Pop and split an orange one.

After the twin pops, we walked around and met some more twins.  We met the following twins as we walked the festival grounds:

  • Jenny & Katie, fraternal twins from Parkersburg, West Virginia
  • Olivia & Sophie, fraternal (unsure) twins from Wellington, Ohio
  • Krista & Kara, identical twins from Yukon, Oklahoma
  • Hannah & Aliza, identical twins from Carlisle, Pennsylvania
  • John & Jim, identical twins from Oshkosh, Wisconsin
  • Abby & Molly, fraternal twins from Berea, Ohio
  • Liz & Ursula, identical twins from Bethpage, New York
  • Ann & Amy, identical twins from Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • Stephanie & Anne, identical twins from Washington DC and Grand Rapids, Michigan
  • Dylan & David, fraternal twins from Ashtabula, Ohio
  • Aly & Shelly (Not here), identical twins from Ashtabula, Ohio
  • Allie & Cassy, identical twins from Ashtabula, Ohio
  • Rebecca & Laura, identical twins from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • Zayden, Zelia, & Zara, 50% identical and 50% fraternal triplets from Mahopac, New York
  • Shannon & Shelby, fraternal twins from Lancaster, Pennsylvania (Met in 2019)
  • Chelsea & Bailey, identical twins from Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota
  • Kristin & Alyssa, identical twins from Jamestown, Rhode Island

After meeting all those sets of twins, we went to a beer garden that was at a basketball court.  We met our parents there and shared our stories of all the twins that we met while we were there.  In the middle of our conversation, we had to deal with a pack of tigers!  Fortunately, they were very friendly!

David & Phillip, identical twins from Newcastle, Australia and Katie & Kristy, identical twins from Manhattan, New York

After sharing these stories with my parents, we each went our separate ways and would meet later for the group photo at 3:30.

The next item on my agenda was to buy this year’s convention t-shirt from the souvenir shop.  On my way there, we met some more twins as we walked the festival grounds:

  • Rodney & Ladney, fraternal twins from Locust Grove, Oklahoma
  • Katrina & Daniel, fraternal twins from Reno, Nevada
  • Tom & John, identical twins from Mountain View, California
  • Claire & Katie, identical twins from Indianapolis, Indiana
  • Kelly & Rachel, twins from Westfield, Indiana
  • Mike & Tim, identical twins from Wilsonville and Corvallis, Oregon
  • Laurel & Charie, identical twins from Saint Mary’s, Pennsylvania
  • Christie & Maddie, identical twins from Madison, Wisconsin
  • Jane & Janie, identical twins from London and Georgetown, Ontario, Canada
  • Allison & Liz, twins from Erin and Georgetown, Ontario, Canada
  • Brooklyn & Brynlee, identical twins from Oxford, Pennsylvania

After that, we met another set of twins that remembered us from meeting them in 2019.  It was Hannah & Haley, identical twins from Buffalo, New York. It was the second set of twins that we met again, so we decided to get a picture.

Then we met a mother with a rather shy set of girls.  They looked about 18 months and I would guess that this is their very first Twins Days Festival.  Their names are Evelyn & Georgia, identical twins from Northfield, Ohio and they looked so cute together!

After that, we met a few more sets of twins:

  • Madison & Christine, identical twins from Melborne and Sarasota, Florida
  • Tami & Marcia, identical twins from Whitby and Kennilworth, Ontario, Canada
  • Azaelea & Ilyanah, fraternal twins from Sterling Heights, Michigan (100th set of twins met today!)
  • Zane & Zoey, fraternal twins from South Point, Ohio
  • Barrett & Gordon, identical twins from Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Marlene & Charlene (Deceased), identical twins from Toledo, Ohio and Orphan Point, Indiana
  • Nicole & Tori, fraternal twins from York, Pennsylvania (Met in 2019)

After that, we were stopped by a pair of Curious Georges. Or should I say Curious Georginas?  Anyway, each had their own monkey on their shoulder and we chatted for a little bit. This would be Stephanie & Lisa, identical twins from Champaign, Illinois.  We got a selfie and a photo with them.

After that, we saw a cute pair of leopard cubs eating Twin Pops!  This was Anya & Eva, twins from Annapolis, Maryland.

 

After meeting many twins,  we tried to find the fried Oreos, but to no avail.  The next best thing?  A mega sized container of chocolate chip cookie dough flavored Dippin’ Dots.  Since the battery on my cell phone was getting low, I had to get back to the hotel, and fast.  Before we did, I made a wonderful discovery.  Near the kiddy rides, I found the fried Oreo stand!  I then got some fried Oreos.  If you’ve never had a fried Oreo, I’m sorry.  You are totally missing out.

After the fried Oreos, we hightailed it back to the high school.  We took a golf cart to the school and hoofed it back, since I didn’t take my car with me.  The first stop was Sheetz, where I wolfed down a quick meal of a build your own burrito and a frozen hot chocolate.  Since the food was taking so long, I grabbed my brother’s cell phone and hurried back to the hotel.

Once back at the hotel room, I was covered in sweat. I could only charge the phones for 10 minutes since I thought that the picture was going to be taken at 3:00. Once my brother got back, we hurried back to the high school with our car and paid the $3.00 for parking.  We got back to the festival grounds and to the soccer field…and that’s when I found out that the picture was going to be taken at 3:30!  The lineup started at 3:00, so that gave me plenty of time.

I went to the soccer field with my twin and found my parents.  We then lined up for the picture, while my parents watched from a distance.

Like every Twins Days, it was actually done with two cherry pickers.  Here is a shot I got of them, 43 seconds before the picture got taken.

After the picture, I went back to the hotel to get my twins notebook (how else could I record all of the twins without it?)  After getting the notebook, paying another $3.00 in parking, and heading back to the festival grounds.  It was time.  Time to meet some more twins!

And meet them I did!  We met the following twins as we walked more of the festival grounds:

  • Meridith & Bethany, identical twins from Fort Mill, South Carolina
  • Erin & Alyssa, identical twins from Portland, Michigan
  • Jaycie & Jordyn, fraternal twins from Grand Rapids, Michigan
  • Alex & Alexis, identical twins from Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Karlie & Cadence, identical twins from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • Haily & Tiffany, fraternal twins from Whitehouse, Ohio
  • Mason & Garrett, identical twins from Finger Lakes, New York
  • Gabrielle & Isabelle, identical twins from Middletown, Ohio
  • Margaret & Laura, identical twins from Sterling Heights, Michigan
  • Jamie & Kristy, identical twins from Bloomfield, New Jersey
  • Jamie & Justine, identical twins from Ravenna, Ohio
  • Gwen & Cecelia, fraternal twins from Canal Harbor, Ohio

After meeting all these new twins, I decided to take a selfie with my brother in front of the registration counter. It just passed 2,000 so this was a well attended event!

After that, it was time to take a picture of the Royal Court for this year’s Twins Days.  Since they met at 5:00, I was able to get pictures of all of them.

First up is the king and queen.  The kings for this year’s royal court are Drew & Noah, identical twins from Farmington Hills, Michigan.  The queens?  Drew & Noah’s sisters that are also twins! Darien & Nina!  Also from Farmington Hills, Michigan!  Identical?  You betcha!

Next up are the prince and princesses.  Noah & Drew, identical twins from Austintown, Ohio are the princes for this year.  Aubrey & Olivia, fraternal twins from Rootstown, Ohio are the princesses for this year.

And let’s not forget the grand marshals!  The grand marshals for Twins Days 2022 are Nate & Jack, identical twins from Twinsburg, Ohio.  Let’s give it up for our 2022 Royal Court!

After meeting the royal court, I met a few more twins with my twin. This is who we met:

Logan & Ryan, fraternal twins from Auburn, Ohio

Taylor & Hayley, identical twins from Los Angeles, California

Kaisha & Erika, identical twins from Providence, Rhode Island

Iveta & Evelyn, fraternal twins from Cleveland, Ohio

After that, we watched a talent show at an event theater.  I got some more water and watched the talent show.  I then met my last three twins for the day:

  • Barry & Barren, identical twins from Cleveland and Willoughby, Ohio
  • Amanda & Catherine, identical twins from Princeton, New Jersey
  • Adele & Abagail, identical twins from Troy, Michigan

With that done, it was time to call it a day and have dinner with my parents.  I left the festival grounds with my brother and we met them at Sushi En.  When we got there, they already had a table ready so we sat down and ate.    I got some miso soup, a Last Samarai and an Ultimate Tuna roll.  The food was amazing!

And let’s not forget dessert!  Because my brother and I were attending the Twins Days Festival, we got a free dessert!  We settled for the mochi ice cream.  That too was yummy.

Since mom and dad both walked there from the hotel, I gave them a ride back.  We all rode back and my parents retired to the room for the night.  My brother and I on the other hand decided to get ready to go to the fireworks that would be at the festival grounds.

When it was 20 after 9, we left the Hilton Garden Inn again and went back to the high school.  I didn’t have to pay for the parking this time, since the events were done for the evening.  All except for the fireworks.

We got out the walked all the way down to the festival grounds, since the golf carts were done for the day.

After that, the firework show started.  It was put on by Meijer and the show was spectacular.

When the show was over, I walked the parkway back to the high school. With the firework show over, it’s now time to live it up at the Bertram Inn right?

Wrong!  With there being a 5K to run in the morning, there was no way that I was going to head to party central when I had a race that I wanted to be rested up for with my twin.

We drove right back to the hotel and I called it a night.  I took a shower and got ready for bed.  The third day awaited us, starting with a 5K race tomorrow morning.  Having that said, the recap is not done yet…

6:30 a.m.  Sunday morning.  I spring out of bed, waking up to the alarm.  Fortunately, everything was done the night before.  Except for my devotionals and the dream that I needed to record.  I got ready for the race and ate my Quest Bar. Once my brother was ready, we went to our parent’s hotel room.

We then went over to Dodge Intermediate School for the 5K race.  With all the workouts that I have been doing from playing Ring Fit Adventure for the Nintendo Switch, I should be ready for this race.  I saw Hrefna & Hrönn (pronounced Schefna & Trenn), the identical twins from Iceland that I met on Friday also running the race.

Finally, the race began and I was off with my twin.  As we got into the race, my pace was burning out quickly.  As we were on the last quarter of the race, I was getting sick to my stomach.  It was getting hot and I felt like I couldn’t go any further…

Then I crossed the finish line with my brother on the race track.  I finished with a time of 27:39.  I placed 60 out of 154.  My pace averaged 8:54 per mile.  Upon finishing the race, I was laying on the grass on the inside of the track.

With the race over, I got a group picture with all the other runners and saw the awards ceremony with my twin.  We then got one more group picture with everyone else that was wearing the 5K shirts for this year.

I drove back to the Hilton Garden inn with my twin brother, cleaned up in the shower, and said goodbye to our parents, since they were checking out today. Before we did that, my parents introduced me to the Ian Family, known for their twin boys.  The twin’s names you ask?  Meet Kenei & Keiden, identical twins from Vernon, New Jersey!

We talked for a while and it was fun getting to know them.  After we finished meeting them, we went to the lobby of the Hilton Garden Inn with our parents to say goodbye to them.

A set of twins from Columbia offered to take a picture of me with my brother and parents in front of the entrance of the hotel using my mom’s cell phone.

After seeing my parents off, I went back with my brother to the festival grounds.  Since the high school wasn’t doing parking on Sunday, I had to park at Dodge Intermediate School.  After that, I did what I do best at these festivals:  Meet more twins!    My brother and I met three more sets of twins as we entered the festival grounds for Sunday:

  • Maira & Karen, identical twins from New York City, New York
  • Luke & Michael, identical twins from Dalton, Georgia and Austin, Texas
  • Anika & Arden, fraternal twins from Akron, Ohio

We then saw Thing 1 and Thing 2, which turned out to be Jayden & Jaylen, identical twins from Lima, Ohio.

After meeting a few twins, I was hungry, so my brother and I found a food vendor.  What was I hungry for?  Stromboli? Why not?

After that delicious stromboli, I decided to get some more Dippin’ Dots.  A chocolate mega size was perfect to get on a day like this.

Following that, I bought some more water and decided to go to one of the tents where Twingo was being played. It’s like bingo, only you’re playing with a twin!  Each round had a cash prize of $120, but alas, I did not win a single round.

After Twingo, my brother and I decided to try to get a photo pin like 2019.  Sadly, we couldn’t since they couldn’t print anymore pins.

Since another group photo was going to be taken for Sunday, we made our way over to the soccer field, like yesterday.  The difference, however, was that there was a lot less twins on Sunday.

But before the picture could even be taken, a downpour began.  My brother and I took refuge under one of the tents and waited it out until it was over.

After the downpour,  my brother and I followed the other twins out to the soccer field, where the twin photographers in the cherry pickers were, once again!

And due to the “darn rain” according to one of the photographers, the picture was taken a minute late.  1 minute and 15 seconds to be exact!

After the second group photo for Sunday, it was time to meet some more twins.  My brother and I walked the grounds, and these were the next ones that we met:

  • Micah & Mira, fraternal twins from Twinsburg, Ohio
  • Savannah & Sierra, identical twins from London, Ohio
  • Carter & Coleman, identical twins from Grosse Pointe and Grand Rapids, Michigan
  • Khris & Kai, fraternal twins from Cleveland, Ohio
  • Kelly & Kristy, identical twins from Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Monica & Rachel, identical twins from Mayfield Heights, Ohio

The rest of the day pretty much consisted of watching contests in the amphitheater.  During that time,  I took a nice nap.  Just kidding!  I met some more twins, of course!  The next set consists of the following:

  • Cameron & Dalton, identical twins from Durham, North Carolina
  • Matt & Mark, fraternal twins from Cleveland, Ohio
  • Hailey & Hannah, identical twins from Aberdeen, South Dakota
  • Noah & Ethan, fraternal twins from Cleveland, Ohio
  • Kennedy & Kenzley, identical twins from Cleveland, Ohio
  • Jeremy & Josh, identical twins from Huddleston, Virginia
  • Briana & Brittney, identical twins from Huddleston, Virginia
  • Samantha & Sarah, identical twins from Portland, Oregon
  • Amber & Jada, identical twins from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
  • Delanie & Dana, identical twins from Toledo, Ohio

Here is a cool pic with my brother and I in front of a few of the sets listed above.

The next set of twins that my brother and I met are kind of regulars when it comes to attending Twins Days Festivals.  By kind of, I mean that the father has been taking them to these events every year since they were babies.  With them being adults now, it’s now just a fun reunion with their father every year.  I am referring to Etienne & Enya, identical twins from Corona, California and Orlando, Florida.  Etienne & Enya have participated in a few contests over the years and have won the “look alike” contest before.  Both have gotten similar jobs.  Etienne works at Universal and Enya works at Disney.

After the contests, the Twins Days Festival was pretty much starting to wind down.  Hailey & Hannah were still hanging around, too.  They kept the theme going for Sunday, since they were dressed up in monkey suits.  With the festival wrapping up, I met Megan & Leeann, identical twins from Denver, Colorado.   I then took some pictures of a few more sets of twins:

  • Laurel & Stephanie, identical twins from Cleveland, Ohio and Brian & Derek, fraternal twins from New York City, New York

  • Brienna & Whittney, identical twins from Danville and Clovis, California, and Nia & Tia, fraternal twins from Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Having met those sets of twins, it was official.  The 2022 Twins Days Festival was officially over.  I had a lot of fun, and it’s been real.  See you in 2023!

But with the festival over, it did not mean an end to the fun for the twins that still remained.  From what my brother and I found out, the twins were all heading over to Roseland Lanes at 7:00 for a fun evening of bowling.  The lanes are usually closed on Sundays, but they open them every year privately for all the twins to bowl at.  Having already experienced the Bertram Inn in 2019, my brother and I had to check out the bowling scene.

Before leaving the parking lot for Dodge Intermediate School, I was able to meet one more set of twins.  Gabriel & Garik, identical twins from New York City, New York.

After that, it was off to the bowling alley. We got there and entered, waiting to be assigned to a team.  After we were, we received the information about the evening.  Bowling for the night cost only $7.00 and that included the shoe rental.  None of us bowled right away since it took forever to start.

Once we did, it was a little different than what I was used to.  Two different teams would alternate bowlers for each ball.  Lanes would also be alternated for each frame.  With ninepin rules being used tonight, a strike could be obtained by hitting only nine pins.  I only ended up bowling for two games, since I had enough after that.  Since a pair of female twins were running late, my brother and I allowed them to bowl our frames in our place.  Here are a few pics that I took while at the bowling alley.  Enjoy!

Feeling very tired from the whole day, my brother and I left the bowling alley.  I documented no twins while at the bowling alley so you will not see any added to the list.

At that time of the evening, my brother and I were very hungry.  What could possibly satisfy our hunger?  More Sheetz, of course!  I got a Big Mozz sandwich with Apps Sampler, which included Totz, Jalapeño Poppers, and Fried Pickles. We got it to go and drove back to the Hilton Garden Inn.

At that point, I just wanted to eat so I helped myself to a delicious dinner of fried food.  It was quite filling and satisfying!

I finished my food, feeling beyond tired.  My brother and I went back up to Room 334 and turned in for the night.  All the festivities were over, and all that remained was the trip home.  I took a shower and then plopped right into bed to rest myself for the trip home…

8:00 a.m.  We slept in for a little bit this morning, since check out wasn’t until 10:00.  My brother went for a swim, but I didn’t feel like swimming this morning.  I got up and we both packed up our bags and got ready to leave the hotel.  While I was in the process of checking out, I met David & Bradley, identical twins from Bronx, New York.

After getting everything out to the car, I saw the father of Etienne & Enya.  My brother and I had a good conversation with him, and found out that that they have the exact same birthday as I do, only they are ten years younger than me!  That would put their birthday on August 12th (also my birthday!)  It was neat hearing the stories from the father from some of the past Twins Days Festivals that he took his twin daughters to when they were younger.

After the fond conversation with him, he volunteered to take a picture of my brother and I in the lobby.  I’m going to miss this hotel.  It won’t be until 2023 that I will be able to see it again.  It’s been real.  Hilton Garden Inn, you took care of me and my brother very well this trip.

After the front desk printed off my receipt, I said goodbye to the hotel, but not quite.  Before I left with my twin, I met Anna & Ulrika, identical twins from Stockholm, Sweden!  We even got a picture with them!

After that photo session with the Swedish twins, it was now officially time to leave Twinsburg. I knew that the Fresh Start Diner might be closed, but I wanted to be sure.  Sure enough, it was.

See you next year, Fresh Start Diner!

But the trip wasn’t entirely wasted.  My brother and I got the same pictures in front of Twinsburg Square as last time.

After that, it was time to leave Twinsburg!  But not without refueling my tank of gas first.  We took our car to none other than the Sheetz gas station and filled up the tank.

Since the Fresh Start Diner was closed, we had Sheetz for breakfast instead.  I got a Walker Breakfast Ranger and some Hashbrownz.  Here’s a nice shot of that legendary breakfast sandwich!

And believe it or not, we met one more set of twins while at Sheetz!  Their names were Taylor & Kailyn, identical twins from Twinsburg, Ohio.  They both worked at Sheetz  Having that said, they were the very last set of twins that I recorded for the whole trip.  To recap, I visited 161 twins this weekend.  In case you want the full list again, here is that list:

Friday, August 5, 2022

  1. Anna & Maia – Cleveland, OH
  2. Everitt & Emmitt – Louisville, KY
  3. Semmie & Sammie – Chicago, IL
  4. Leeann & Megan – Fort Collins, CO
  5. Kimberly & Cassie – Westchester, NY
  6. Kelly & Kim – Peekskin/Boston, MA
  7. Niko & Marko – Toronto, ON Canada
  8. Hrefna & Hrönn – Hveragerði, Iceland
  9. Ashley & Kimberly – Philadelphia, PA
  10. Luke & Logan – Wooster, OH
  11. Jennifer & Lauren – Bridgeport, WV
  12. Kristy & Jenny – Seattle/Orlando, WA/FL
  13. Leah & Aislinn – Dartmouth, MA
  14. Austin & Isabella – Bowling Green, OH
  15. Rosalie & Rochelle – Covina, CA
  16. Skylar & Spencer – Chicago, IL
  17. Bailey & Maddy – Wausau, WI
  18. Mitchell & Logan – Ann Arbor, MI
  19. Jean & Joan – Vassar, KS
  20. Jane & Janet – Max/Nevada, MN/IA
  21. Natalie & Nicole – Wenatchee, WA
  22. Tabitha & Tammy – Springfield, OH
  23. Ann & Theresa – Sacramento, CA
  24. Dana & Jana – Cleveland, OH
  25. Mary & Melissa – Columbus, OH
  26. Hannah & Janae – Lancaster, PA
  27. Becca & Natalie – Troy, OH
  28. Marlene & Monica – Sebring/Canton, OH
  29. Melissa & Christina – Bloomington/Seattle, ID/WA
  30. Joselyn & Jamie – Philadelphia, PA
  31. Esperanza & Susana – Mesa, AZ

Saturday, August 6, 2022

32. Alisha & Christina – Boston, MA

33. Phillip & Stewart – Sydney, Australia

34. Amanda & Rachel – Kansas City, MO

35. Cecelia & Alice – Waterloo, ON, Canada

36. Caroline & Kristen – Los Angeles, CA

37.  Donald and Ronald – Baltimore, MD

38.  Andrew & Edward – Lancaster, OH

39.  Eli & Dylan – Streetsboro, OH

40.  Aurora & Ariel – Portage, WI

41.  Alexis & Alania – Wellsburg, WV

42.  Abigail & Hannah – Gainsville, FL

43.  Sarah & Allison – Wheaton, IL

44.  Libby & Annie – Kansas City, MO

45. Lauren & Laeten – Appleton, WI

46.  Craigg & Gregg – Albion, MI

47.  Anthony & Elijah – Hudson, OH

48.  Isabella & Annika – Bloomington, IL

49.  Michelle & Tonya – Eau Claire, WI

50.  Sienna & Samantha – Queens, NY

51.  Melinda & Melanie – Pittsburgh, PA

52.  Nina, Ally, Claire, and Lauren – Shaker Heights, OH

53.  Jenny & Jessy – Saint Louis, MO

54.  Derek & Ryan – Cinnaminson, NJ

55.  Kelsey & Emma – Dundee, MI

56.  Jason & Eric – Scranton, PA

57.  Leah & Anya – Saint Louis, MO

58.  Bry & Bren – Erie, PA

59.  Abby & Sophie – Durham, NH

60.  Tara & Jordyn – Kent/Sylvania, OH

61.  David & Phillip – Queens, NY

62.  Deshay & Renee – Las Vegas, NV

63.  Jennifer & Tracey – Colorado Springs, CO

64.  Kaitlyn & Tiffany – Mount Clemens, MI

65.   Peyton & Paige – Lafayette, LA

66.  Jenny & Katie – Parkersburg, WV

67.  Olivia & Sophie – Wellington, OH

68.  Krista & Kara – Yukon, OK

69.  Hannah & Aliza – Carlisle, PA

70.  John & Jim – Oshkosh, WI

71.  Abby & Molly – Berea, OH

72.  Liz & Ursula – Bethpage, NY

73.  Ann & Amy – Milwaukee, WI

74.  Stephanie & Anne – Washington/Grand Rapids, DC/MI

75.  Dylan & David – Ashtabula, OH

76.  Aly & Shelly (Not here) – Ashtabula, OH

77.  Allie & Cassy – Ashtabula, OH

78.  Rebecca & Laura – Pittsburgh, PA

79.  Zayden, Zelia, & Zara – Mahopac, NY

80.  Shannon & Shelby – Lancaster, PA (Met in 2019)

81.  Chelsea & Bailey – Minneapolis/Saint Paul, MN

82.  Kristin & Alyssa – Jamestown, RI

83.  David & Phillip – Newcastle, Australia

84.  and Katie & Kristy – Manhattan, NY

85.  Rodney & Ladney – Locust Grove, OK

86.  Katrina & Daniel – Reno, NV

87.  Tom & John – Mountain View, CA

88.  Claire & Katie – Indianapolis, IN

89.  Kelly & Rachel – Westfield, IN

90.  Mike & Tim – Wilsonville/Corvallis, OR

91.  Laurel & Charie – Saint Mary’s, PA

92.  Christie & Maddie – Madison, WI

93.  Jane & Janie – London/Georgetown, ON, Canada

94.  Allison & Liz – Erin/Georgetown, ON, Canada

95.  Brooklyn & Brynlee – Oxford, PA

96.  Hannah & Haley – Buffalo, NY

97.  Evelyn & Georgia – Northfield, OH

98.  Madison & Christine – Melborne/Sarasota, FL

99.  Tami & Marcia – Whitby/Kennilworth, ON, Canada

100.  Azaelea & Ilyanah – Sterling Heights, MI

101.  Zane & Zoey – South Point, OH

102.  Barrett & Gordon – Las Vegas, NV

103.  Marlene & Charlene (Deceased) – Toledo/Orphan Point, OH/IN

104.  Nicole & Tori – York, PA (Met in 2019)

105.  Stephanie & Lisa – Champaign, IL

106.  Anya & Eva – Annapolis, MD

107.  Meridith & Bethany – Fort Mill, SC

108.  Erin & Alyssa – Portland, MI

109.  Jaycie & Jordyn – Grand Rapids, MI

110.  Alex & Alexis – Charlotte, NC

111.  Karlie & Cadence – Pittsburgh, PA

112.  Haily & Tiffany – Whitehouse, OH

113.  Mason & Garrett – Finger Lakes, NY

114.  Gabrielle & Isabelle – Middletown, OH

115.  Margaret & Laura – Sterling Heights, MI

116.  Jamie & Kristy – Bloomfield, NJ

117.  Jamie & Justine – Ravenna, OH

118.  Gwen & Cecelia – Canal Harbor, OH

119.  Drew & Noah – Farmington Hills, MI

120.  Darien & Nina – Farmington Hills, MI

121.  Noah & Drew – Austintown, OH

122.  Aubrey & Olivia – Rootstown, OH

123.  Logan & Ryan – Auburn, OH

124.  Taylor & Hayley – Los Angeles, CA

125.  Kaisha & Erika – Providence, RI

126.  Iveta & Evelyn – Cleveland, OH

127.  Nate & Jack – Twinsburg, OH

128.  Barry & Barren – Cleveland/Willoughby, OH

129.  Amanda & Catherine – Princeton, NJ

130.  Adele & Abagail – Troy, MI

Sunday, August 7, 2022

131.  Kenei & Keiden – Vernon, NJ

132.  Maira & Karen – New York City, NY

133.  Luke & Michael – Dalton/Austin, GA/Texas

134.  Anika & Arden – Akron, OH

135.  Jayden & Jaylen – Lima, OH

136.  Micah & Mira – Twinsburg, OH

137.  Savannah & Sierra – London, OH

138.  Carter & Coleman – Grosse Pointe/Grand Rapids, MI

139.  Khris & Kai – Cleveland, OH

140.  Kelly & Kristy – Cincinnati, OH

141.  Monica & Rachel – Mayfield Heights, OH

142.  Cameron & Dalton – Durham, NC

143.  Matt & Mark – Cleveland, OH

144.  Hailey & Hannah – Aberdeen, SD

145.  Noah & Ethan – Cleveland, OH

146.  Kennedy & Kenzley – Cleveland, OH

147.  Jeremy & Josh – Huddleston, VA

148.  Briana & Brittney – Huddleston, VA

149.  Samantha & Sarah – Portland, OR

150.  Amber & Jada – Hamilton, ON, Canada

151.  Delanie & Dana – Toledo, OH

152.  Etienne & Enya – Corona/Orlando, CA/FL

153.  Megan & Leeann – Denver, CO

154.  Laurel & Stephanie – Cleveland, OH

155.  Brian & Derek – New York City, NY

156.  Brienna & Whittney – Danville/Clovis, CA

157.  Nia & Tia – Milwaukee, WI

158.  Gabriel & Garik – New York City, NY

Monday, August 8, 2022

159.  David & Bradley – Bronx, NY

160.  Anna & Ulrika – Stockholm, Sweden

161.  Taylor & Kailyn – Twinsburg, OH

 

After twin 161, we left Sheetz.  It was now time to have cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory by ourselves, since unlike 2019, our aunt, uncle, and cousins couldn’t meet us there for it this time.  This would be at the Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi.  We left Twinsburg around 12:17. I took a slightly different way back.  I went down I-480 and I-80 on the Turnpike.  I paid $7.00 after leaving the turnpike to go on I-280 North.  After driving into Michigan, the roads were better than last time, and it wasn’t raining.  It was official.  We were back in Michigan.

We continued into Monroe County on I-75 North.  Eventually, we passed through Wayne County and got onto I-696 West.  Like 2019, we took a wrong turn AGAIN and ended up in Southfield.  We drove through Telegraph Road all the way to 12 Mile Road.  We then followed 12 Mile Road all the way to Twelve Oaks Mall and eventually found a parking space.  We got out and entered the Cheesecake Factory.  What did I get?  Well, after studying the only menu in the world that’s still a little bit like a novel, I found what I was looking for.  I was hungry so I helped myself to some Tex Mex Wontons and some Deep Fried Calimari, since the Ahi Tuna wasn’t available this time.

While I waited for my food, I reflected on the Twins Days Festival with my twin brother.  All in all, it was a fun trip to Twinburg.

After eating my appetizers, the waitress got the novels…I mean, menus back out.  With over 30 different cheesecakes, which two will I eat?

Fortunately, I already had in mind what I wanted.  I decided on the Godiva Cheesecake and the Chocolate Tuxedo Cheesecake.  We reflected on our trip some more while they prepared the cheesecakes.  When they arrived, they were enormous.  Just look at them!

Now this was a tough battle.  If you were here for 2019, you should know this by now.  Whenever you’re faced up against two slices of multi-layered cheesecake, the cheesecake is going to win every time.  Now that Godiva Cheesecake was so rich that I could almost not finish it.  I couldn’t even finish the cream on the Chocolate Tuxedo Cheesecake!  I had to wipe it off, so that it could get taken home.  Now at The Cheesecake Factory, there is one thing that you should never do.  And that’s underestimate their cheesecake.  I underestimated their cheesecake, and now I’m taking a slice home with me.

After having our cheesecake and getting my leftovers, it was time to head home.  I took I-96 West toward Brighton, where US-23 North merges.  With that, I merged onto Brighton and continued north, through Linden and Fenton.  After that, I drove through Flint.

There is not much more to say here, besides navigating familiar territory. Vienna Township, Birch Run, Buena Vista Township, Zilwaukee Bridge, Exit 162B to get onto US-10 West. Very straightforward.

And with that, I have given you every memory that I could think of from one of the most memorable trips that I’ve been on.  You’ve relived it with me and the trip is over.  If you want to relive it again, go ahead.  Scroll all the way up to the top and re-read this entire recap.  It’s really one of those trips that’s worth reliving, and if I could do that, I would totally relive it.  But the best that I can do is capture time, put it into words, and let the words create a wonderful picture.  A picture of a wonderful land full of twins for just one weekend.  A land where every twin gets to be an honorary Twinsburg citizen for the weekend.  This land was truly special and totally unique and it’s something that I don’t ever want to forget.  I’m glad that I shared it with you and I hope to share a different version of this picture with you next year, because it’s something that I will truly never forget.

With the recap over, it is time for bed.  Good night everyone!

 

Today’s high is going to be 76 degrees and the silver lining is getting this recap done.

To those of you who like retelling stories about your trips, I hope that you all have a fantastic day.

 

Muse:  *yawn*  That was fun…My twin had to go home.  I’m going to miss her…

A Worthwhile Ruler for Every Thought

…and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:5

I want you to imagine yourself in the ancient times.  A raiding party just invaded the land.  The fortress has been breached.  The castle invaded and the king is subdued.  The raiding party has just captured you and you are brought into captivity.

As you are led into the camp,  you are told how trustworthy the new ruler is.   Your captors tell you the one condition that you must follow in order for you to live.  Obey the new ruler or die by the sword.

This is what we deal with day to day in our thought life.  While some thoughts are very good, some wild ones often try to pass through without being detected.  One good way to prevent this is to be a careful gatekeeper over your thoughts.  Capture the renegades and bring them to the captivity of the rightful ruler.

The apostle Paul gives us the strategy that we are to use in successfully managing our thought life.  “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5)

When we give our hearts to Jesus, we are regenerated and become born again.  The old ruler of Self is captured and defeated and Jesus takes his rightful place on the throne.  When we manage our thought lives, we get rid of the hollow philosophies and arguments of this world since God’s weapons have the power “to demolish strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

But what happens when these wild thoughts come through?  In doing this, we are deciding to live in the flesh.  Old flesh patterns and habits have a way of resurfacing.  And we are responsible for taking every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.

So remember.  We all have a choice.  A choice to stand at the gate and capture every foreign thought and bring it to the obedience of our righteous king.

And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

2 Corinthians 10:6

Why The Fountain?

The purpose of this blog series is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to encourage people during these dark and difficult times.

If you have never received Christ before, it is not too late to do so.  The truth is we are all sinners and have fallen short of God’s standard.  The good news is that Christ was sent to die for what we all deserved.  In believing that Christ died for you, you receive Christ and become an heir with him, with the promise of eternal life.  All you need to do is confess to him that you’re a sinner, ask him to come into your life and rescue you, and he will send you his Helper to be with you forever.  (John 14:16-17)

At the Fountain, you will always find Living Water.  Refreshing water for these difficult times.

What do You Believe?

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

Proverbs 14:12

Imagine a ship sailing in the middle of the sea.  Just how is that ship going to fare?  Well, that would depend on the captain steering it and his level of experience.  Especially when the violent storms come in.

The inexperienced captain is not going to be able to navigate that ship very well when the storms come in.  The same thing is the case in our everyday life.  We are all captains and are responsible as to where the ship will go on the sea of life.  Do we feel that we are competent to navigate that ship safely to our destination?  Our thoughts determine where this ship is going to end up.  “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”   Our thoughts determine where this ship is going to end up.

And we have a choice.  Are we going to steer this ship out of control into unfamiliar waters?  Can we navigate these waters safely?

And since we have a choice, we can also decide who is going to commandeer our ship.  Are we going to steer it ourselves?  Or will we delegate this responsibility to someone who is more capable?  The good news is that we all have this option.

We can allow Jesus to commandeer our ship.  He is well experienced with all the different storms so he can surely handle it.  When we do this, when we entrust Jesus to take control of the whole ship, we can handle all the different storms that are found in the sea of life.  All we need to do is trust our well experienced captain to steer our ship.   Are we going to trust Him to do that?

Of course the responsibility is that we do it ourselves.  But where is that going to take us?  Some of you have gone through a lot and have been deeply battered by the tough storms from the sea of life.  Are you going to let someone else control that ship?  The decision is yours.

 

Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Matthew 11:28-30

Why The Fountain?

The purpose of this blog series is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to encourage people during these dark and difficult times.

If you have never received Christ before, it is not too late to do so.  The truth is we are all sinners and have fallen short of God’s standard.  The good news is that Christ was sent to die for what we all deserved.  In believing that Christ died for you, you receive Christ and become an heir with him, with the promise of eternal life.  All you need to do is confess to him that you’re a sinner, ask him to come into your life and rescue you, and he will send you his Helper to be with you forever.  (John 14:16-17)

At the Fountain, you will always find Living Water.  Refreshing water for these difficult times.

Me & My Muse – Day 3093: Merry Christmas!

Once again, it’s the most wonderful time of the year.  This is, without a doubt, my most favorite holiday.  Christmas morning.  Now it may be early, but I’m up and ready to open my presents.  My parents may still be sleeping, but I’m excited.  If it’s any part of me that has never grown up, it’s the part of me that acts four on Christmas morning.

Muse:  For me, that just happened.  I am so excited!  Tee hee!

Twin Muse:  So am I!  Tee hee!

But for Christmas, how excited are you two?

Muse:  I’m very excited.  Tee hee!  Part of me wants to squeal with excitement, but I will spare you that since I don’t want to wake up your parents.  I’ll do it quietly instead.  *whispering*  Yaaaay!!!!

Twin Muse:  Oh come on, twinnie!  Everyone should be awake by now!  If you want to squeal with excitement, do it!  I know I’m excited!  YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!

I can see that one part of you hasn’t grown up either.

Muse:  Who EVER grows up on Christmas morning?  When I wake up on this day, I feel like I’m five again.  Adulthood can wait for one day, can’t it?

Twin Muse:  You feel like you’re five?  Come on, sis!  We’re Intangible!  We can change our ages to whatever we want!  Besides, I literally can’t adult today…*Twin Muse regresses to a five-year-old girl*  Yay!  It’s Christmas!  When are we gonna open up all the presents?

Muse:  *sigh*  If you want to be five, be five.  I am not changing my age…

Twin Muse:  Suit yourself!  *Twin Muse runs in a circle and squeals with excitement*  It’s Christmas!  It’s Christmas!  It’s Christmas!  Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!!

As I was saying.  Adulthood can wait.  And I see that you’re cozy with your footie pajamas…

Muse:  I am, and I’m not taking them off.  They feel comfortable and they keep me warm.  You’ve worn them before so you should know, right?

Twin Muse:  I’m in mine, too!  They’re my Frozen footed jammies!  They’re my FAVORITE!

Right.  Getting back to what you said.  Adulthood can wait on Christmas.  Whatever memories I have had when I was younger, they all return on this day.  Now this may differ for some people.  But for most, they can feel some aspect of their childhood calling back…

Muse:  Yes.  And some people fight it and repress it.  They try to hide it, but this is unhealthy.  Everyone.  If you feel excited on this day, don’t hesitate to let it out.  Listen to your memories and set them free.  Remember your youth, and how fun Christmas was for you.  Your memories only want to remind you of this.  Listen to them and recapture the moment.  Take a step back in time.  Christmas only comes once a year!  Tee hee!

Twin Muse:  Or, if you can, change your age back to five!  It’s so much fun!  I can remember everything from kindergarten!

Muse:  Um, sis?  Tangible humans cannot change their ages.  They can only age one second at a time, but can never age in reverse.

Twin Muse:  They’re no fun!  They should learn to do this!  Now when can we open presents?  I wanna open presents!!!!

Muse:  They can’t learn it!  They are not Intangibles!  We are!  Now stop being silly and turn back to your adult age.

Twin Muse:  No!  It’s Christmas so I don’t have to be a grown-up!

Girls!  Let’s get back on track.  I totally agree with letting your childhood run free on this day.  But remember.  There is another side of Christmas.  A side that some people don’t pay attention to.  Christmas is not about presents and Santa Claus.  It’s about the birth of Jesus Christ.

Muse:  Yes.  I also look at the Advent Season when I celebrate this time of year.  We need to know why we give these gifts.

Twin Muse:  I like the story that mommy used to tell us about baby Jesus…

Muse:  Yes.  it’s a great story, isn’t it?

It is.  And we do need to know why we give these gifts.  What can we give to God what he doesn’t already have?  All we can give to him is ourselves.  And while we can’t give anything else to him, we give gifts to others to show our love and appreciation for them.

Muse:  I also think of the Charlie Brown Christmas Special.  It’s the only special where we hear the true meaning of Christmas.

Twin Muse:  Can we watch that?  I wanna watch Charlie Brown Christmas!

Maybe we can watch that later, okay?  And Yes.  We do hear the true meaning of Christmas.  Linus quotes the Christmas story found in Luke.  Matthew refers to the Wise Men delivering gifts to the baby Jesus.

Muse:  What were these gifts for, anyway?  I understand the symbolic meaning behind them.  I believe they were used to pay for the trip to Egypt.

It probably was, for they had to flee from Herod, since he issued orders to kill every firstborn male baby.  Jesus is the reason for the season.  He was born to be the perfect sacrifice.  To bear the sins of humanity so that we may live.

Muse:  It must have been a heavy burden to bear all that.

It was.  Today is indeed a joyful day.

Muse:  Should we make him a birthday cake?  I don’t know what frosting he would like!

Twin Muse:  Maybe we should ask Jesus what frosting he wants?  Let’s ask him!

I think he would be happy with any frosting.

Anyway, I want to wish everyone who is reading this Merry Christmas.  Whether you celebrate one side, both, or don’t celebrate Christmas at all, understand that this is a very special day.  Most importantly because Jesus was born on this day, both for you and for me.  And from this day, many traditions have developed.  The most popular one being the exchange of gifts.

The high today is going to be ?? degrees and the silver lining is celebrating the birth of Christ and the opening of presents.  My parents are still not up.  But when they are, it’s present opening time!

To all of you who celebrate Christmas, I hope that you all have a fantastic day.

Muse:  Merry Christmas, Kyle!  My company just arrived so I’ll see you later!  Tee hee…

Twin Muse:  And I’m gonna open my presents!  Yay!

Muse:  *sigh*

Twin Muse:  C’mon sis!  I see it…That look…You really don’t want to be an adult today, do you?

Muse: *sigh*  Urghhh…I can’t…I can’t adult…today…

*Muse regresses to a five-year-old girl*

Muse:  Just for today, sis.  I’m gonna open all my presents!!!!

Twin Muse:  I’m gonna open mine FIRST!

Muse:  No you won’t!  I’m opening mine first!

*both Muse and Twin Muse teleport in a beam of light and run into the living room*

Me & My Muse – Day 3092: Twas the Day Before Christmas…

…and all through the house

Kyle’s got no work so there’s no need to grouse

His Santa cap was sitting on the bedpost with care

Reserved just for Christmas to be crowned on his hair

Kyle’s in the midst of his 17-day vacation

Just 17 whole days of rest and relaxation

Then out of the oven before they get black

I will feast on few a Christmas snack

Then to herald the evening such a sight it will be

When he attends the Christmas Eve service at Midland Free

Then off to my grandma’s house with plenty of cheer

A gathering with snacks. The company’s near

My aunts and my uncles, my grandma too

And three of my cousins, all this I knew

The gathering warm, the noises were loud

The snacking and chatting from a sizable crowd

The day will be merry, the night will be bright

With plenty of snacks on this cold winter night

Then when I get home, I’ll don my PJ’s quick

So we can see a good Christmas flick

Then after that, it is on to tradition

My brother and me must carry out our mission

The time will be jolly, the room filled with heat

When we both watch The Miracle on 34th Street (1994)

Following that, it’s off to bed

Visions of CDs and games will dance in our heads

Looking at this, that’s all I have to say

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good day

Muse: Christmas is tomorrow! Eee! I’m so excited!

I know! Today is another day where I can take a breather. With it being a work holiday, I don’t have to worry about going to work…

Muse: All my things are done too. It’s only a matter of time…I’m so excited!

Wait. You’re a fairy? Why are you a fairy?

Muse: I love this form! And it goes so well with Christmas. You know how that is. Tee hee!

Well, if it makes you happy, go ahead. What about being your other transformation? Are you going to abandon that for Christmas?

Muse: I will. I mean, I’ve been that form for most of the story arc!  And from what I heard from the Dark Muse, I don’t have to worry about her bothering me this year.  Plus we are on a lot better terms than last year…Besides, she’s my sis!

That’s good to hear. Today is going to be exciting. It will be a day to relax before the excitement tomorrow…

Muse: I’m going to shower. Be back in a bit!

Okay. I need to shower myself.

Today’s high is going to be 27 degrees and the silver lining is watching the movie with my brother later tonight. This day is going to be quite fun. Having an extended vacation, I don’t have to worry about work for a while. For today and tomorrow, I’ll be in my next two days of vacation mode. It will be a day of snacking, relaxing and visiting with the family.

To all of you who love having 17 days off, I hope that you all have a fantastic day.

Muse: Tee hee! I can’t wait until tomorrow! I wish I could open my presents early! Eee! I’m so excited! Tee hee…

Twin Muse:  Aren’t you excited, twinnie?

Muse:  Yes I am, sis! I see you’re also a fairy!  Tee hee!

Twin Muse:  Why wouldn’t I be? I love fairies!  Tee hee!  Last one to the egg nog is a loser!

Muse:  Oh no you don’t!

Twin Muse:  Too late!  I already got to the egg nog and… *BURP*  I kind of drank it all…

Muse:  Kind of?  No one “kind of” drinks something…

Twin Muse:  I guess you’re right and…eep!  Oh no!  Hang on, twinnie!  I gotta go!

*Twin Muse flies out of the room quickly, leaving behind a dripping trail*

Muse:  *sigh*  I surely hoped that she packed them.  During the last Christmas that I spent with her, I woke up to wet bedsheets.  She’s sleeping in her own bed…I know that it can’t be helped.  I still do love her…Sis?  Are you okay?

*Muse flies out of the room toward the bathroom to check on her twin sister*

Me & My Muse – Day 3091: All Aboard!

If Tom Hanks was a train conductor, this is what he would be shouting outside your house on Christmas Eve.

Now what would Tom Hanks be doing here?  Your train has arrived.  You stopped believing in Santa Claus so you are now greeted by a magical train.  A train bound for the North Pole.  Make your decision quick.  The train conductor is very strict about being on time and he is not going to wait for you another minute.

If your decision was yes, then welcome aboard.  You are on The Polar Express.  A special service offered to help kids who have any lingering doubts about the man in red.  The ride is free, and every kid will meet Santa before he takes off to deliver his gifts around the world.

Tonight, I will be seeing this movie.  If I have said it before, I will say it again.  This movie gets better and better every time you see it.  It’s magical and nostalgic.  Can you remember your childhood memories about Christmas?  This movie will bring them all back, because you, the viewer, are riding that train with them.

Muse:  So you’re seeing the Polar Express?  I LOVE that movie!  Rather than seeing it alone, I think I’ll join you.

Twin Muse:  So will I!  It’s going to be fun!

Please do.  Just remember, miss.  The conductor does not like to wait.  We want to start the movie ON TIME and end ON TIME!  We have a tight schedule to keep tonight…

Muse:  Okay, Tom Hanks.

Twin Muse:  So strict!  We WILL be on time…

Besides that, my brother works at the Post Office.  After he gets home, and we finish having Christmas with my sister, brother in law, niece, and uncle in law with my family, I’ll watch the movie.

The high today is going to be 33 degrees and the silver lining will be watching The Polar Express tonight.

To those of you who love reliving your childhood memories through Christmas Movies, I hope that you all have a fantastic day.

Muse:  To gear up for the movie tonight, I’m brewing up a a large pot of HOT CHOCOLATE!  Hot hot!  Oh, we got it!  I love that movie!

Twin Muse:  Hot Chocolate!  I LOVE that song!  Tee hee!

Me & My Muse – Day 3090: The True Meaning of Christmas…

Since I want to make the most out of this day, I’ll cut to the chase.

I’ll be taking it easy at home, going through my devotionals, working out, watching a Christmas movie, and playing more of my game.  In the evening, I will watch The Nativity Story with my brother.

 

Muse:  That is a good movie.  I plan on watching it myself…

Twin Muse:  Yes!  We’ll be watching it together!

I will now get ready.

Today’s high is going to be 26 degrees and the silver lining is watching The Nativity Story with Ryan.

To those of you who look forward to Christmas, I hope that you all have a fantastic day.

 

Muse: Oh yeah!  There’s one more gift that I forgot to wrap!  Better finish wrapping it now…

Twin Muse:  What’s taking you so long, twinnie?  I’m done wrapping all my gifts!

Me & My Muse – Day 2966: Dinner at Grandma’s…

What’s on the schedule today?  After work, my brother and I will be visiting my grandma, since I want to keep her company.

Muse:  That’s nice of you!

I know.  I really want to get out and keep connecting with others.  These are the people that I love and I want to keep showing this more and more.

Muse:  That’s good.  Also connect with your other friend as well!

That’s the plan.  One thing at a time and one step at a time.

I’ll let you all know how it turns out.

Today’s high is going to be 88 degrees and the silver lining is being able to have dinner with my grandma.

To those of you who like having dinner with your friends and loved ones, I hope that you all have a fantastic day.

 

Muse:  Well, it’s the weekend. I think that I’ll join him for dinner…

Midnight Muse:  Tag!  You’re it!

*Midnight Muse enters Muse*

Muse:  Nah.  Don’t think I’ll join him.  I have a different plan.  Hee hee hee!  Ha ha ha!

Me & My Muse – Day 2965: Anniversary at…home

Okay, not really.  I’ll explain shortly

What anniversary are we talking about? My parent’s 43rd wedding anniversary.

Having recently gotten home from work, I wished them a happy anniversary.  For this year, they decided to go and have dinner somewhere, and they took their motorcycle out.  I will also be watching a movie.  What movie?  The latest God’s Not Dead movie.  Gotta love Pure Flix!

Muse:  Yeah.  It’s pretty good!

I know.  The movies have been very good.  It’s nice to relax to a movie at the end of the day.

Muse:  It’s looks like you’re doing better.  Do you think that you’ll be out of this soon?

Most certainly.  It’s been a trial, but one that I’ll surely be able to overcome.  And when that day comes, I will explain everything.  For now, just know that I am making progress.

Muse:  I’m so glad you are.  I have all my homework done for the summer and I’m ready for my senior year.  This summer has been too short…

I know.  With this trial, I feel like a lot of the days have been flying by.  I know that this is not a vacuum.

Muse:  It’s not.  Glad you’re able to leave your island.  You’ll get there…

Anyway, I’m going to cook some Hungry Mans and enjoy a chocolate chip cookie from Aviator Cookie Company.  They have good cookies if you’re ever in Midland.  Check them out by clicking here!  That’s pretty much this day in a nutshell.  Happy anniversary mom and dad!

Today’s high is going to be 88 degrees and the silver lining is being able to enjoy this evening and celebrate mom and dad’s anniversary.

To those of you who like to celebrate milestones with you family, I hope that you all have a fantastic day.

 

Muse:  I’m SO glad he’s making progress.  As for Midnight Muse, I hope that she doesn’t show up.  She’s bad news…

 

Meanwhile…

Midnight Mues:  Urrgh!  There!  I’m free!  It’s going to take more than that to keep me trapped.  A coma in a banished dimension?  Ha.  You’re gonna have to do better than that, Kyle.  Time for a new game.  I’m gonna play tag.  And you, sister, are IT!  Hee hee hee!  Ha ha ha!

Me & My Muse – Day 2957: Happy Birthday!

Once again, the day is here again. I’m another year older. Another year wiser. Getting on the subject of birthdays, I really love them. Most of us love celebrating the day of our birth. This is usually done with presents, a special dinner and the cake and ice cream, with is the staple for most birthday parties.

Birthdays are also the time that you get numerous people coming out of the woodwork. If you have a facebook, you will find a number of people that you normally never talk to wishing you happy birthday. I actually don’t have a problem with this, since everyone who does this are people that I do know. Some, however, are people that I haven’t talked to in years. Oh facebook and your birthday stalkers. You never cease to amaze me…

Muse: Happy birthday, Kyle!

Cake 2

For me? Thank you!

Muse: I am also taking a day off from being a teen, so you won’t have to worry about that.

That’s nice to hear. I wouldn’t want you to be preoccupied on my birthday!

Muse: Actually, I have to go to the mall right now. I’ll be right back.

Really? Not on my birthday!

Muse: Just kidding! I will not turn into a teen. I promise.

I can remember how last year’s birthday was. You were a time traveler and you took the day off so that you could spend it with me. The year before that, you were a tween and you took the day off so that you could spend it with me. The year before that, you were a mermaid and you took the day off so that you could spend it with me. The year before that, you were a Jedi and you took the day off so that you could spend it with me. The year before that, you were were a baby and I wished for you to be an adult for a day. And the year before that, you were brought from the past with Gabrielle so that I could celebrate my birthday with you. And the year before that, you were just getting over your shy tics. And the year before that, you were the Dark Muse…

Muse: You mean the Bad Idea, right? For just that one day, I was normal. After that, the Bad Idea took over again. It was terrible.

What about being a teen? I haven’t seen Midnight Muse lately. She won’t interfere, will she?

Muse: She won’t. There’s nothing that you need to worry about. So, what do you want to do, birthday boy?

Whatever I want. After all, it is my birthday, right? Well, I do have to work, first. Besides that, everything else is fair game.

Muse: Right. It took me quite a while to make that cake, so please eat all of it.

Don’t worry. I will, just for you.

Muse: Don’t I get a piece?

We’ll both eat it. We’ll eat it together…

Muse: What about your brother?

All three of us. We will all eat it together.

Muse: Sounds good to me!

You…look beautiful. Even more so than other days.

Muse: It’s for you. I appreciate your level of creativity. It keeps me healthy. The new ideas that are born. The ideas that eventually ripen into the most delicious of food. There is never a shortage. You always provide for me, and I’m thankful for it. You may be going through a lot, but patient. I know that you’ll get through this…

Well, if I leave you starved, it doesn’t help me at all. I don’t mind going the extra mile to keep you healthy.

Muse: Your food has given me a unique vitality. One that almost blurs the lines of reality and imagination. I long to be a person like you, but alas…There is a wall of separation between us.

Deja vu much?

Muse: I know. I said that last year, and it’s still something that I long for. When you find your wife, you will find me. The REAL me.

Muse: Like last year, I will ask again. What do you want to do on your birthday? Well, after work, of course…

I just want to have a nice dinner with my family. A nice dinner with some cake and ice cream. Before that, I’ll be working at East End. Later on, I’ll head home.

Muse: As you wish. It’s your day, so I won’t sway any of your decisions.

Good. I’m sure that you won’t be swayed by this…

*gives Muse a kiss on the lips*

Muse: Hey. I was just about to kiss you! My turn!

*Muse gives me a big kiss*

That was really good. There’s plenty more where that came from later.

Muse: Not too later. I want to be back by midnight. I don’t want to spoil my beauty rest…

Oh yeah. That’s right. Well, I better enjoy my time with you while it lasts…

Muse: I’ll enjoy my time with you as well. Anyway, I’ll let you get ready. Happy 37th Birthday, Kyle!

*Muse gives me another kiss and vanishes back into my head*

Isn’t she amazing? I love her immensely and I hope to meet her true identity some day…

From that exchange, it looks like my Muse already gave me her gift, and I shared it with her. I will also eat all of that cake with her and my brother. Man, am I going to feel that in the morning.

For today, I will be working and enjoying my birthday early in the day. After that, I will have a nice dinner with my brother, parents, my sister, niece, and grandma at Lucky’s tonight. After that, we will go to grandma’s for cake and ice cream. Today’s high is going to be 88. It’s supposed to be sunny, so that will be nice. The silver lining today is pretty obvious. It is my birthday and my brother and I will be enjoying it.

To all of you who love birthdays like I do, I hope that you all have a fantastic day.

Happy 37th birthday, Kyle! I hope that yours is a really good one…

Me & My Muse – Day 2940: Monday Again

Yup. It’s another day completed and I feel optimistic.

What are my plans for this blog? Stay tuned. I haven’t forgotten about all of you

Today’s high is going to be 90 degrees and the silver lining is already being through the first day of the week.

To those of you who unwinding after work on this Monday, I hope that you all have a fantastic day.

 

Muse: Yeah. This Monday is finally over! Time to read a nice book…

Me & My Muse – Day 2939: Back in Town

After driving for two and a half hours, refueling my car and unpacking at my place, I think I’m going to take it easy for the remainder of the day.  That’s about it for this one.

Today’s high is going to be 88 degrees and the silver lining is being able to unwind back at my place.

To those of you who like returning home after a fun weekend, I hope that you all have a fantastic day.

 

Muse:  I glad that you really enjoyed your weekend!  I’m glad it was nice and sunny.  It looks like you’re starting to come around.  Let’s talk some more, okay?

Me & My Muse – Day 2938: Plenty of Saturday GoodNES…

The NES weekend continues, and I’m currently enjoying myself at my friend’s house up north.  Just recently, I played a little bit of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island a game that I haven’t played in a long time.

Earlier, I helped my friend out with folding some laundry for the inn, since he is on duty this weekend in taking care of the inn while his landlord/inn supervisor is gone for the day.

Later on, my brother and I will get some fish and some chicken for our friend.  After that, we will watch another episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and chill some more.  That’s pretty much this day in a nutshell.

Today’s high is going to be 83 degrees and the silver lining is being able to spend some more time with my friend.

To those of you who like spending the weekend with friends, I hope that you all have a fantastic day.

 

Muse: You’re having fish later?  I want some!  Let me know when you’re going!  Enjoy the rest of your weekend! (He’s still kind of copying but it is his third one…)

Me & My Muse – Day 2937: FriNESday Road Trip

If you are reading this, then you know what’s about to happen.  Yup!  It’s another NES post!

But what if you’re new to this website and you don’t know what a NES post is?  Or what if you forgot what a NES post is?  That’s perfectly okay, as I will fully explain the meaning behind this to everyone, both old and new to this site.

Why is it called a NESday?  Quite a long time ago, my friend came over to my parent’s place to hang out.  Or we would go over to his place to hang out.  On the day that he over, it just so happened to be a Wednesday.  With it being Wednesday, we emphasized the NES in the day of the week.  It became WedNESday.  For those of you who are not really into video games, NES stands for Nintendo Entertainment System, a video game console created in the mid 1980’s.  Since my brother, me, and my friend all love video games, NES became that umbrella term.

From there, NES spread to other days of the week.  Whenever he came over or whenever we came over to his place, it was a different NESday.  There was SunNESday, MonNESday, TuesNESday, WedNESday (the original), ThursNESday, FriNESday, and SaturNESday.  Every day spent with my friend was a NESday.

Having fully explained that to all of you, I hope that better clarifies what I mean by a NES post or a NESday.

Getting back to the post, both I and my brother are fully packed and are ready to hit the road.  Our friend now lives up north, so we will be taking a road trip up there to visit him for the weekend.  I will be leaving shortly and should be up there by dinner time.  I will be staying there the rest of today and all of Saturday.  Both my brother and I will be returning late Sunday morning to beat the winter storm that is expected to hit our area.

All in all, it should be a fun weekend, full of Agent Carter and Nintendo Switch games.  I even brought my Nintendo 3DS so I’ll be able to get a little play time in on that… 🙂

So as to not delay my brother, I need to get ready to hit the road.  I am all done with my work so it’s time for a NES-filled weekend of fun.

Today’s high is going to be 79 degrees and the silver lining is being able to spend Friday evening with my friend.

To those of you who like to visit friends that you don’t see often, I hope that you all have a fantastic day.

 

Muse:  You’re visiting your friend?  Enjoy your weekend up there!  I think that I’ll be joining you as well.  It’s going to be busy on the way up, so be careful!

Me & My Muse – Day 2936: The Real Relief of Thursday

How so?  For starters, work is finished for the day and only one day remains: Friday.  After that, the fun can officially begin.

The other relieving part of this day is the brevity of this entry.  To further simply things, this post will be brief.  Enjoy Friday Eve everyone!

Today’s high is going to be 31 degrees and the silver lining is the weekend almost being here.

To those of you who are looking forward to the weekend, I hope that you all have a fantastic day.

 

Muse:  Friday Eve?  That is so awesome!  Tee hee!  Weekend, here I come!  Oh!  By the way everyone.  Psst!  Just between you and me, I think that he’s reusing one!

I heard that!

Muse:  I know.  Just try to be original, okay?  You’re getting there.  Congrats for posting again!

Me & My Muse – Day 2935: Oil Change and Panda Express…

Whoa.  Is he really doing it?  Is Kyle ACTUALLY typing a new entry for once?

Yes I am.  While I won’t reveal much right now, I am still going through some things.

 

Muse:  I’ll say!

Yes.  It’s been a little while and I am still going through some things.

Muse:  Kyle, I really miss you.  I know that you have been going through a lot.  I have been praying every day that you have been absent from this blog.  I always have it in my mind “When is he going to come back?”  What you are going through, I can say, is a whole lot.  Just know and remember this.  God’s got this.  He’s helping you through this.  Don’t forget!

I have not.  For a trial of this magnitude, it requires great patience on my part.

Muse:  I have been praying for patience.

I know.  And I thank you for that.

Muse:  Are you going to get your creative spark going again?  It’s only a matter of time, isn’t it?

I hope.  It’s all up to God’s timing.

Muse:  You are back at your office again.  Isn’t that great?

Yes it is.

Muse:  Don’t sound too excited!

It’s all the excitement I can muster right now.  Don’t you think I would like to sound 100% excited?

Muse:  That was more like 10% excited just now.  I know Kyle.  I know that you do.  Just know that we’re all pulling for you.

I know that you all are.  And in writing this one today, I don’t want to wait until I’m 100%. I want to get back to my creative writing prowess.  Don’t know when that will happen, but I want to get something out.  Anything.  Even if it’s not a work of art. I was given a gift of writing.  I don’t want to lose it.

Muse:  You still have it.  You just haven’t used it in a while.  And with what you have been going through, I’m sure that it has been a battle.

Yes.  Certainly one that I don’t want to lose.

Muse:  You won’t.  Now can we discuss the title?

Yes.  After work today, I went and got an oil change.  Tonight’s dinner plans include a long overdue trip to Panda Express, since there is a birthday card from last year to use.

Muse:  Sounds like a plan.  I hope you don’t mind if I join you.  I haven’t done anything with you in a while.  I know what you’re going through and you’re going to need your friends to help you out of this.  You will get there.  Just hold on.

You can join me.  It’s going to be my brother and I.  There is definitely room for a third person.

Muse:  Then it’s settled.  We leave when your brother is ready?

Yup.  That’s the plan.  (I can’t believe I am finally getting another one of these done.  The spark is there but it needs a fire to thrive.  Hope that I can keep this going once again…)

Muse:  (Don’t worry.  You will!)

So here’s a brief recap.  I worked today and had an oil change.  I will be having dinner with my brother at Panda Express.  My Muse will be tagging along.  That’s pretty much this day in a nutshell.

Today’s high is going to be 75 degrees and the silver lining is having a nice inexpensive dinner with my brother.

To those of you who like eating Chinese fast food, I hope that you all have a fantastic day.

 

Muse:  Congratulations on making another entry!  Yes, I know what you are going through but keep it going!  Maybe you will be able to get out of what you’re going through and really make some progress on these!  I hope that your brother ready soon!  My stomach is starting to growl and I’m feeling a little hangry…

 

Time for a Blessing…

Me & My Muse is not quite back yet, but don’t worry.  Here is a wonderful story for you all to read while you’re waiting.  It’s a story that I wrote eight years ago back in 2013.  It’s called “Blessings”, and it’s about a man named Thomas trying to raise Peyton, his five-year old daughter as a line cook at the Steak N’ Bake.

Everything changes when Thomas begins to receive more than what he bargained for.  What did he receive?  Read the story, and be blessed!

So pull up a chair and begin reading.  Warm yourself by the fire.  And remember.  You are always welcome at the estate.

Now for the story.  Enjoy!

 

Blessings

                Thomas Miller wiped the sweat off his brow, his eyes probing the entire kitchen.  Every cook was busy, preparing the numerous dishes that were asked of them.  On top of this, various new orders filled the kitchen.  The time was 6:24 p.m.  The orders were coming in faster than what they could manage.  It was crunch time.

                “You’re all doing good!” Thomas shouted, above the various kitchen sounds.  The sounds of steak sizzling on a hot grill.  The clinging and clanging of various pans as the cooks prepared the other side dishes.  Then there was the noise of the pastry chefs on the other side of the kitchen.  Altogether, it was the sound of business.  A well-oiled machine guaranteeing another profitable night.

                Thomas repeated himself, and raised his voice.  “You’re all doing good, but I need you to PICK IT UP!” he barked at all the cooks.  “I’m finishing up the food for table 12.  Where is everyone else?!”

“Chill out, Tom!” one of the cooks shouted.  “We’re all filling the orders as fast as we can!  I’m working on table 4.  It’s a party of ten people, and they all ordered the steak!  Take it easy, man!”

Thomas sighed, shaking his head.  “You all can work faster!” he said, challenging them.  “I know it!  Table 12 is for a party of 16 people, and I just finished it.  Let’s finish these orders, so we can get to the new ones!”

The same cook shrugged his shoulders and flipped over the steak that he was working on.  “Again Tom, please chill.” The cook then grabbed the steak with a pair of tongs and plopped it on the plate.  “Porterhouse is done.  This one just needs the sides.”

Thomas grabbed some new cuts of steak and brought them near the grill.  “Steve,” he said to the cook, “You wouldn’t be doing this if the head honcho was here.  Now, I need you and everyone else to pick up the pace.  We just got three new orders.  All of them are New York strips for table 7.”

“The head honcho is here,” a voice announced.

Thomas turned around and gasped.  Near the door to the kitchen, there stood the manager of Steak N’ Bake, with a slight frown on his face.  “Chris!  I was just motiva….”

“I know what you were trying to do,” Chris interrupted.  “They are all doing a good job, and you really need to have more confidence in them.  See?  They just finished 3 more tables and are ready for the next orders.”

Thomas nodded.  “I just wanted them to be at their best, like you told me.  ‘Lead by example, do your best’….”

Chris smiled.  “They are, Tom.  You need to trust them a little more and not be so critical.  Fridays are always busy, but you need to relax.   Now, how many hours have you worked this week?”

Thomas scratched his hair and let out a nervous laugh.  “More than 40.  I had to cover some extra shifts, due to this crazy flu epidemic….”

Chris retrieved the schedule book and grinned.  “That would explain your behavior.  You’re usually not like this.  Uptight and nervous.  That’s not the Tom I know.”

Thomas adjusted his “Steak N’ Bake” cap.  “What else can I do?” he said with a sigh.  “I can’t control when people get sick!”

Chris nodded, while he leafed through the schedule book.  “Ah!” he shouted.  “Here we go!  You work until 10.  Why don’t you go early?  I’m sure you want to see your daughter.  How is she, by the way?”

Thomas smiled.  “Oh, Peyton?  She’s doing fine.  My usual sitter is watching her right now.”

Chris closed the schedule book and walked over to the oven.  “You can leave early, Tom.  I can take it from here.  Relax and take it easy.”

While Chris was talking to Thomas, a woman with a pastry chef’s hat walked over to him.  “All of my chefs are keeping up with the desserts,” she told him.  “They’re doing a splendid job.”

“Very good, Laura!” Chris said, praising her.

Thomas nodded, and took his time card.  He punched out and grabbed his winter coat.

“Oh.” Laura gasped.  “Are you leaving?”

“He’s filled in for a few sick people this week, so he’s already over the max hours,” Chris told her.  “Plus, I want him to recharge.  Working that many hours can drain anyone.”

Laura nodded.  “My chefs haven’t missed any days.”  She then turned to Thomas.  “Bye Tom!  Enjoy your Friday night with your daughter!”

Or what’s left of it,” Thomas quietly said under his breath as he looked at his watch.  The time was now 6:38 p.m.  A little more than an hour before Peyton’s bedtime.

Thomas left the kitchen and approached the entrance of the restaurant.

“Bye Tom!” the hostesses shouted as he left Steak N’ Bake.

Thomas was hit with a sudden burst of cold air.  He stepped gingerly toward his car, through the snow and ice that blanketed the parking lot.  Upon inspecting his Toyota, there was a thin layer of snow on the windshield.

Thomas sighed, taking off his work hat and starting the ignition.  He loosened the wipers and then re-entered his car.  He then activated the wipers, which swept off the new snow.

After a couple miles, Thomas turned down a couple more streets, which led to the Golden Meadows trailer park.  The sign sat prominently in the front, cracked and worn.  The visibility of the sign faded as the new snow began to cover it.

“More like Broken Meadows….” he quietly said with a sigh.

Thomas drove down, through the rows of trailers. Some of the trailers looked like junkyards, with all the trash that sat around it.  Others were nicely kept, with snow laden lawn ornaments, resembling gnomes.  A couple trailers, despite it being a couple weeks after New Year’s, still had their Christmas lights up.

He pulled his car up to his trailer, which was all decorated with Christmas lights (his trailer was unfortunately one of them).  A green car was parked next to him.  It belonged to the babysitter, who was watching his daughter.

Thomas got out of his car and entered the trailer.  The babysitter was sitting in the reclining chair, which sat beside the window in the tiny living room.  When she saw Thomas, she smiled and looked up.  “Peyton!” she called out.  “Your daddy’s home.  Wanna say hi?”

Peyton, who was watching a movie, looked up from the television screen.  “Okay.” she said in agreement as she got to her feet.  “Daddy!”

Thomas ran toward Peyton, arms wide open.  He then tightly embraced her and scooped her up.  “Peyton!  How’s my peanut doing tonight?”

“Fine, daddy.” Peyton answered.  “Stephanie played dolls with me and we put on makeup.  We then had sloppy joes and we watched a movie….” Peyton glanced at the screen.  “It’s almost over.”  She then glanced at her father, giving him a curious look.  “Daddy, why are you home so early?”

At this, Thomas sighed.  “Daddy was working too much, so they sent daddy home early.  But isn’t that great?  I get to see you before your bedtime!”  He then turned to Stephanie.  “She wasn’t too much trouble for you, was she?”

Stephanie smiled.  “Not at all.  She minds pretty well.  We both had a blast….”  Stephanie then stood up and got her purple winter coat.  “Just give me $40, and that should cover it for tonight.”

Thomas gasped.  “Are you sure?  I usually pay you 70….”

Stephanie nodded, and shoved her hand at him.  “Just 40.” she insisted.  “You came home early, and you mentioned how you were behind on your rent.  I don’t want you to lose this place.  Just accept my offer….okay?”  At that moment, some text message alert sounded on her cell phone, but she ignored it.

Thomas nodded in reluctance.  “Okay.  40 it is….”  He opened up his wallet and paid the babysitter.

Stephanie smiled.  “Thank you.   For Peyton, it’s worth every penny.  She is a wonderful girl, and I enjoy spending every minute with her.  I’ll see you Monday!”

Thomas nodded, as Stephanie approached the door.  “You’re welcome, Stephanie.  I’ll see you later!  Stay warm!”

Stephanie nodded, and exited the trailer.

With Stephanie gone, Thomas carefully surveyed the living room.  Everything was picked up.  There was not a single thing lying on the floor.  He then checked the kitchen.  All the dishes were washed and put away.  The left-over sloppy joe meat sat in the fridge, in a bowl covered in saran wrap.

Right then, Thomas had a sudden urge to go.  As he walked toward the bathroom, Peyton grabbed his arm and shook her head.

“No daddy,” she told him.  “You can’t go in there.”

Thomas frowned.  “Why can’t I?”

Peyton placed her hands in the pockets of her pink corduroy pants.  “The toilet’s backed up.”

Thomas scowled.  “Again?  That’s the second time this week!”

Peyton then opened the door pointed to a small bucket inside the bathroom.  “She had me use that.” she said, holding the bucket.  “She then dumped it out when I was done.”

Thomas then began to shake and squirm.  “Let daddy use the bathroom, okay honey?!”

Peyton nodded, and left the bathroom.

Thomas shut the door and used the bathroom.  Of course he didn’t use the toilet, since it would overflow if he used it.

After he did his business, he washed his hands and opened the door.  He clenched his fist and scowled.  “We’re calling a plumber tomorrow,” he told Peyton.  “There is no way that I’m dealing with this all weekend.”

Peyton nodded, with a disdainful look on her face.  “I don’t like the bucket, daddy….”

Thomas nodded.  “Neither do I.  We’ll take care of it tomorrow, okay?”  Thomas patted Peyton’s face and hugged her.  “Come on.  We need to get you ready for bed.”

Peyton looked at the clock and frowned.  “But daddyyyyyy,” she sighed.  “It’s too earlyyyyyy….”

Thomas looked at the clock, which said 7:25.  “Daddy wants a little alone time tonight, okay?  Let’s get ready, peanut.”

Peyton frowned.  “Okaaaaay….” she reluctantly sighed.

Thomas nodded and smiled.  “That’s my peanut.” he told her.

Thomas took Peyton into her bedroom.  He got out her pajamas and she put them on.  They were pink pajamas, with cute little cat patterns on them.

Once Peyton had her pajamas on, he took her into the bathroom to brush her teeth.  He made sure that she brushed everywhere.  If there was one spot that she missed, he made her brush her teeth again until she got it.

Before Thomas left the bathroom, he noticed that Peyton had an uncomfortable look on her face.

“Do you have to go potty?” he asked her.

Peyton cringed.  “Yes daddy.  But I don’t want to use the bucket.”

Thomas sighed.  “You have to, honey.  Use it for tonight.  Do it for daddy.  The plumber will fix the toilet tomorrow, alright?”

Peyton winced and nodded.  “Okay daddy!”

Thomas left the bathroom and closed the door.  “When you’re done, I’ll be in your room to tuck you in, okay?!” he called to her.

“Okay daddy!” Peyton shouted.

Thomas entered Peyton’s room and sighed.  A broken toilet was the last thing that he needed right now.  Why does this have to happen?  He thought.  I’m already behind on my rent.  I can’t afford to pay a plumber….

Peyton entered the room, with a much more pleasant look on her face.  “I’m all done, daddy.”

Thomas nodded.  “Okay, my peanut.  Daddy’s going to tuck you in now.”

Peyton plopped on her bed and crawled underneath the covers.  Thomas then tucked in the covers around Peyton’s bed.  After that, he kneeled down and gave Peyton a kiss on the cheek.  “Goodnight, my peanut.” he told her.

Peyton wrapped her arms around the covers.  “Good night, daddy….”

Thomas left the room and closed the door.  He then entered the living room and turned off the DVD player.  He sat down on the recliner and watched TV for a while.

When it was a commercial, he got up and walked over to the fridge.  He grabbed a can of Budweiser and sat back down with it.  He cracked open the can and began sipping it.

Thomas glanced at a nicely framed picture of a woman on the coffee table.  Her smile was sweet and innocent.  It was also genuine.  Genuine in such a way that you would know that the smile wasn’t fake.  She meant it. “Julie,” he quietly sighed.  “Why did you have to go?”

Thomas started to tear up.  A tear began to roll down his cheek. “Julie,” he weeped.  “I raised her right, didn’t I?  This is the way that you would’ve wanted it done, isn’t it?”  Thomas took another sip of his beer and sat the can on the coffee table.

The door suddenly opened and Peyton walked out into the living room.  “Daddy….” she said.  “I can’t sleep.”  Peyton then noticed the half drank can of Budweiser on the coffee table.  “Why are you drinking the yucky beer?”

Thomas wiped off his tears.  He didn’t want Peyton to see any of them.  After that, he sighed and put the can in the fridge.  Ever since Peyton was three, Thomas has tried not to drink when Peyton was awake.  This lesson was learned the hard way when he left a partially drank can in the living room.  When he entered the living room, he saw Peyton drinking the can, and spitting it out afterwards.  “Daddy,” she told him.  “This apple juice is yucky.”

Thomas grabbed the can and scolded Peyton.  “Peyton!” he shouted.  “That ‘yucky apple juice’ is beer.  Don’t drink any more of it.  It’s daddy’s, okay?”

Peyton nodded, and gave him a disgusted look.  “Why does daddy drink yucky beer?”

Thomas took all his cans of beer and poured them down the sink.  “Daddy doesn’t drink yucky beer,” he told her.  “Not anymore.”

And to this day, Thomas has tried to do his drinking while Peyton was asleep.  Since then, Peyton has caught him a couple times.

Thomas sighed.  “The beer isn’t yucky to daddy.  Daddy likes the taste.”  Thomas sat down on the couch and had Peyton sit on his lap.  “Now, why can’t you sleep?”

“I was thinking about mommies,” she told him.  “At school, everyone was talking about their mommies and daddies.  Why don’t I have a mommy?”

Thomas fought back the tears and stared into his daughter’s eyes.  “You did have a mommy,” he told her.  “When you were just a baby, she used to hold you.  She loved you very much and you meant everything to her.”

Peyton frowned, looking at her father.  “Where is she?”

Thomas couldn’t hold it back any longer.  “She is not here anymore,” he said, as his eyes began to tear up.

“Can’t we go visit her?” Peyton asked him.

Thomas shook his head.  “We can’t,” he said, weeping.  “Mommy got really really sick and fell asleep.”

Peyton gasped.  “But daddy,” she said.  “Can’t we wake her up?”

“No.  Mommy fell into a very deep sleep.  With that kind of sleep, she will never ever wake up.”

Peyton then hugged Thomas.  “Don’t cry, daddy.  Please.  Don’t cry….”

“Daddy is sad that mommy is not here,” he told her.  “Daddy loved mommy very much.  But mommy got sick, and she fell into a deep sleep.”

Peyton tried to cheer Thomas up.  “Can Stephanie be my mommy?”

Thomas’s eyes lit up.  “The babysitter?  Why do you ask?”
“I asked her, daddy.  I asked her if she could be my mommy.  She said yes.  I told her that I didn’t have one….”

Thomas nodded.  “She can be your mommy then.”  He then walked Peyton back to her room.  “Think you can sleep now?”

Peyton yawned.  “I feel tired, daddy.”

“That’s my peanut.  Good night, honey.”

Thomas kissed Peyton goodnight again on the cheek and tucked her in again.  He then closed the door and sat down on the recliner in the living room.  He reached for the can of beer on the coffee table only to realize that it wasn’t there.  The fridge…. he whispered, a little frustrated.

He grabbed the beer in the fridge, sat back down in the recliner and finished it.  Then, he quietly placed the can in a paper grocery bag, which was filled with empty cans.  This bag sat in the kitchen, near the trash bin.

With his beer gone, Thomas got ready for bed.  He brushed his teeth and then entered his bedroom.  He then stripped down to just his underwear and a T-shirt.  Thomas didn’t like pajamas, and he didn’t feel comfortable wearing them.

Before shutting off the light, he saw the picture of him with his wife.  They were both smiling.  It reminded him of better days.  Days much better than the ones he must deal with now.  Then the pain was too much, so he looked away.

“All at once.” he sniffed.  “First, my wife.  Then my job.  Finally, my beautiful house!”

Thomas was upset.  He looked up at the ceiling and pointed his finger.  “God,” he called.  “At least if there is one, why did you take all of them?  You could’ve at least taken my daughter Peyton, too!  At least then, she wouldn’t have to grow up in this dumpy trailer…..”

Thomas was silent for a couple minutes.  After that, he spread his hands out at the ceiling.  “Why?” he finally said.  “Why did you do this?  You took everything in my life that mattered to me.  Why don’t you just take everything else, until there’s nothing but the clothes on my back?”

Thomas turned off the lights and got into bed.  “Is there really a God?” he cried.  “Are you really there?  If so, then prove it!”

Thomas turned his face over, pressing it on his pillow and wept bitterly.  His crying slowly faded and he fell asleep.

Thomas woke up to notice the glint of the sun in his eyes.  The sunlight leaked through his tattered curtains, shining down on his bed.  He then sat up and looked at the clock.  8:39 a.m.  The alarm was turned off, since he doesn’t like to use the alarm on the weekends.  This is especially the case when he has the day off.  But with those kinds of days being so rare, he just wanted to take advantage of not having to wake up to that infernal buzzing sound.

After looking at the clock, he sat up and sighed.  He couldn’t hear Peyton yet.  Time to do my work out, he said to himself.  Might as well, since she’s not up yet….

Thomas laid down on his back, sliding his feet under the bed.  After that, he did 50 sit-ups.  After the 50 sit-ups, he got on his stomach and did 50 push-ups.  He then did 50 squat thrusts and 50 jumping jacks.

To finish the workout, he bundled up, putting on his winter coat and his snow pants.  His thermal underwear was underneath, so he wouldn’t have to worry about getting cold.  Very quietly, he opened the door and exited the trailer.  He then ran four laps around the trailer park.  With it being winter, he had to adjust his pace, especially since he almost slipped on the ice a couple times.

With that, the workout was now done.  Thomas walked toward the trailer, panting and opened it.  Once inside, he looked around.  Still not a sound from Peyton.  “Peanut’s quite the sleeper,” he whispered.  “She’ll sleep all day if I let her….”

Thomas approached the door to Peyton’s room.  Time to wake her up….As he was about to reach for the doorknob, something hit him.  “The mail!” he whispered.  “I forgot to get that after my workout….”  He made his way back to the living room.  “I’ll wake her up after I get the mail….”

With his coat hanging over his back, Thomas zipped it back up and left the trailer.  Next to his parked car was the mailbox.  He opened it up and pulled out the contents.  Another notice from his landlord, some junk mail about winning a new car and a folded piece of paper.

Thomas took the three items back into the trailer and sat them down on the table in the kitchen.  He opened up the envelope containing the notice and slammed it on the table.  “I get paid next week!” he growled.  “Can’t you wait until then?”

He then looked at the new car offer.  Shaking his head, he threw that in the trash.  “Junk,” he said in a disgusted tone.

His attention was now directed to the folded piece of paper.  It was not in an envelope and it had no address on it.  It was almost like someone just stuck it in his mailbox.  On the one side of the paper were the words “To Thomas,”.  After reading those words, he unfolded the piece of paper.  A few 20 dollar bills were sitting on the note, with a couple falling on the floor.  Thomas gathered the two 20’s that fell on the floor and counted them all.  Altogether, there were seven 20’s.  “$140….” Thomas gasped.  “Where did this come from?”  He then read the message.

 

This is for the plumber.  I thought this might help.

Signed,

Anonymous

 

Thomas sat the note down and shook his head in disbelief.  “Who is this ‘anonymous’?” Thomas said, still shocked.  “I guess that doesn’t matter.  Time to call that plumber.”

After bunching all the 20’s together, Thomas called the plumber and set up the appointment.  He would be coming out around noon.  He hung up the phone and quietly entered the bathroom.  He took a quick shower, combed his hair and got dressed.  He then quietly opened the door to Peyton’s room.

Sure enough, Peyton was still lying in her bed peacefully, sound asleep.

Thomas shook his head.  “You’re getting up, peanut.”  Right then, he scooped up Peyton and lifted her up above his shoulders.  “Up we go, my sweet little peanut.”

“Whoa!” Peyton shouted as she was lifted up.  She then giggled and held on tight.  “Good morning, daddy!”

“Good morning, Peyton.” Thomas said, smiling.  “I had to get you up.  I wouldn’t want you to miss SMILEY FACE PANCAKES!”

Peyton’s face lit up.  “Smiley face pancakes?  Yay!  You’re the best daddy in the world!”   Suddenly, Peyton’s smile faded.  When Thomas saw this, he sat her down.   After that, Peyton pressed her hands below her stomach.  “Daddy, I gotta go potty!”  At that, Peyton dashed out of her room and made a beeline for the bathroom.

Thomas left Peyton’s room and began preparing the pancakes.  While he was doing this, Peyton entered the kitchen.

“The bucket’s almost full.” she told him.

“I’ll take care of it after breakfast, honey.” Thomas told her.  “Go watch your cartoons.  I’ll let you know when the pancakes are ready.”

Peyton nodded, and merrily skipped into the living room.  She grabbed the remote and turned on the TV.

Thomas made the pancakes.  They were a little smaller than the ones he would make for himself, since he was making them for Peyton.  After the batter solidified, he flipped them, each one turning out golden brown.  For him, making the perfect pancake was easy.

After the other sides were done, Thomas placed the three pancakes on a plate.  He squirted whipped cream for the eyes, used a strawberry for the nose and blueberries for the mouth.  When he was done, he had three smiling pancakes for Peyton.

“Peyton!” Thomas called.  “The smiley face pancakes are ready!”

Peyton ran to the kitchen and smiled.  “Yay!” she shouted.  After looking at the pancakes, she frowned.  “Where is the daddy pancake?” she asked him.

“Daddy needs to make one still,” he told her.

Whenever Thomas made smiley face pancakes, he always made a larger version for himself, which he called the “daddy pancake”.  In knowing how important this was for Peyton, he made the “daddy pancake”, sat down at the table and ate it with her.

After breakfast, Thomas had Peyton watch more cartoons while he cleaned up the dishes from breakfast.

When he finished clean up, he took the bucket out of the trailer, went out to the back and dumped it.  He then placed it back inside the bathroom.

A couple hours later, the plumber arrived.  After looking at the clog in the toilet, he was able to quickly fix it.  After an hour of work, the toilet was working again.

The plumber then made out the bill.  “That will be $139.81,” he told him.

Thomas got out the wad of 20’s he had in his pocket.  He gave the plumber the money.  The plumber in turn, gave him a funny look.

“What’s wrong?” Thomas asked him.

“I don’t have any change.” The plumber said, with an embarrassed smile.

Thomas let out a weak laugh.  “No change?  That’s okay.  Just keep it.”

The plumber nodded.  “You’re all set, then.  Have a nice day.”

Thomas led the plumber to the door and he exited the trailer.  With the plumber gone, his attention went to the bill that the plumber gave him.  After looking at the bill, he remembered the note that he received this morning.  He ran and got the note.  It was still sitting on the kitchen table.  He unfolded the note and quietly read it again:

 

This is for the plumber.  I thought this might help.

Signed,

Anonymous

 

Thomas sat there, staring at the note.  His eyes misted up and he shook his head.  “Who is this….?” he wondered.  “….How did they know the right amount….?

While Thomas was looking at the note, Peyton came into the living room, holding a juice box.  A curious expression came over her face.  “What are you doing, daddy?”

Thomas smiled, and hugged Peyton.  “I’m looking at this note, peanut.  Daddy is very surprised at this note.”

Peyton gave Thomas a brief stare.  More confusion.  “Why?”

Thomas showed Peyton the note.  “I know that you can’t read all of this yet, since you’re not old enough,” he told her.  “But some strange person left it.  Their name is anonymous.”

Peyton took a sip out of her juice box, looking all the more curious.  “What does a-na-na-mus mean?”

“It means that person doesn’t want to give me their name….” he told her.  “Whoever they are, they gave daddy enough money to pay for the plumber.”

Peyton beamed.  “I want to see a-na-na-mus, daddy!”

Thomas nodded.  “So do I, peanut.  So do I.”

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.  Thomas looked through the window.  The landlord, he sighed.  He then turned to Peyton.  “Go watch some more cartoons.  We will do something special later, okay?”

Peyton nodded.  “Okay!”

Peyton ran into the living room while Thomas opened up the door.  A man with a blue polo shirt was standing there, holding a slip of paper.

“Thomas Miller, right?” he questioned him.

Thomas nodded.

The man with the blue polo shirt handed him the slip of paper.  “Your rent is overdue.  If you don’t pay it in two days, you’re being evicted.  This is your final warning.  Do I make myself clear?”

Thomas nodded.  “I don’t get paid until Friday!” he sighed.  “Can’t you wait until then?”

“I’ve given you enough extra time,” he told him.  “I don’t need any more excuses.  The rent is due Monday, or you’re leaving.  Good day to you, Mr. Miller.”

“Good day?” Thomas scoffed.  “I think you just ruined it!”

The man ignored Thomas and left, walking off into the distance.

Thomas closed the door.  “It’s cold out there! Is he really going to throw me out there in the snow?”  In trying to get his mind off of the landlord, Thomas opened his wallet.  $10 was in it.  Just enough money to buy himself and Peyton an ice cream cone.  But not nearly enough to pay for the rent.

Peyton looked up from the television screen.  “Who was that?”

Thomas faked a smile.  “It was just the landlord, honey.”

A look of disdain filled Peyton’s face.  “I don’t like him, daddy!” she shouted.  “He’s mean!”  Then she continued watching her cartoons.

Thomas got his coat on.  He was determined to get the blue-poloed man out of his head.  “Turn the TV off and get your coat on, Peyton,” he told her.

“Where are we going, daddy?” she asked him.

“We’re getting some ice cream!” he said.  “Get your shoes and coat on and let’s go!”

Peyton turned off the TV.  She then put on her slip-on shoes and zipped up her coat.

Thomas then opened the back door and sat Peyton in her car seat.  Strapping her in, he got in the front and took off.

Going a short distance from the trailer park, he stopped at the Sweet Spoon, a small ice cream shop that is locally known for their ice cream sundaes.

Once in the shop, he ordered two ice cream cones, each with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  He gave Peyton hers and they both sat down at a table that faced a window.

Peyton began licking the ice cream.  She then smiled.  “I like ice cream.”  She then noticed that Thomas hasn’t touched his cone yet.  “Why aren’t you eating yours, daddy?”

Thomas sighed and began eating the ice cream off his cone.  “I’m sorry, peanut.” he told her.  “Daddy was just thinking.”

“What were you thinking about, daddy?”

Thomas lied.  He didn’t want to talk anymore about the landlord, especially around his daughter.  “Daddy was thinking that we just had dessert first!  We’ll have lunch when we get home, honey.”  Thomas finished the ice cream off his cone and ate the cone whole.  He then waited for Peyton to finish hers.

After Peyton was done, he took her back to the trailer park.  He made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the two of them and they ate them together.  Since the sandwiches were on paper plates, clean-up was a breeze.

For the rest of the day, Thomas played with Peyton.  They played house, using Peyton’s dollhouse.  Thomas played with the daddy doll and Peyton played with the mommy doll.  At one point, Thomas almost forgot about the landlord.  He suddenly remembered when he had to make dinner.

To resolve dinner, he made sloppy joes, using the leftover meat that Stephanie had in the fridge.

After dinner, Thomas let Peyton play a little while he did the dishes.  After dinner, Thomas told Peyton a story.  After the story, he got her ready for bed.  He then tucked her in and kissed her goodnight.

Being troubled by the whole incident with the landlord, Thomas went to bed early himself.  “What am I going to do tomorrow?” he said, sighing.  With all the worrying, his sleep was intermittent.  He didn’t get much sleep that night.

Thomas woke up.  The time was 7:48 a.m.  As he lay there, he felt a headache.  The headache worsened by the minute.  Finally, Thomas couldn’t stand it.  He pressed his hands over his temples and groaned.  “Okay, I’m up!” he cried.

After he got up, he immediately went to the bathroom and got some aspirin.  Using the glass near the sink, he took the aspirin and drank the whole glass of water.

He then went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.  Since it was a Sunday, he took the day off from working out.  Before he did anything, he noticed the folded slip of paper that was still sitting on the kitchen table.  “The mail!” he said, gasping.

While the mail didn’t come on Sunday, curiosity got the best of him.  He put on his coat, slipped on some shoes and quietly left the trailer.

In checking the mailbox, sure enough, there was another folded piece of paper.  Just like the first one, it was folded neatly in thirds.  He grabbed the piece of paper out of the mailbox and carefully looked around.  “Where is this ‘anonymous”?” he wondered.  Shrugging his shoulders, he quickly went back inside the trailer, since it was very chilly outside.

Thomas hung up his coat and took off his shoes.  He then entered the kitchen and unfolded the piece of paper.  A new message was written, in the same thick and bold font as before:

 

Don’t worry about the rent.  For today, be watchful and observant.  Someone will need your help.  Find that person and help them.

Signed,

                Anonymous

 

Thomas sat the note next to the first one and let out a nervous laugh.  “Don’t worry?” he scoffed.  “I owe $307 in rent tomorrow!  This was due more than a week ago!  If I stop worrying, I will lose this place….”

Just then, the door to Peyton’s room burst open.

“I gotta pee-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e…..!” Peyton shouted, hands beneath her stomach as she made a beeline for the bathroom.  She quickly entered, and shut the door behind her.

About a minute or two later, the bathroom door opened.  Peyton walked back to her bedroom and closed the door.

Thomas smiled.  “I guess I’ll use this time to make breakfast….

While Peyton was still sleeping, Thomas made a pot of oatmeal.  He then served the oatmeal, adding some diced apples and raisins to it.

“Peyton!” he called.  “Breakfast is ready!”

Peyton didn’t answer.

“Come on!” he called again.  “Don’t want your breakfast to get cold!”

Still no answer from Peyton.

At this, Thomas sighed.  He marched over to Peyton’s room and opened the door.  Peyton was still sound asleep.  He shook his head, and scooped Peyton out of her bed.

“No daddy….” she said, yawning.  “I wanna sleep longer…..”

“But Peyton, honey!” he pleaded.  “Your oatmeal will get cold…..”

“I don’t caaaaaare…..” she told him.  “I wanna sleeeeeeeep….”

Thomas sighed.  “Very well….” He placed Peyton back into her bed and left the room.

“Daddy!” she shouted.  “Tuck me in!”

Thomas turned around and shook his head.  “Daddy only does that at night.  Tuck yourself in.”

“Okaaaaaay….” Peyton sighed reluctantly, grabbing the covers and pulling them over her face.

“Since you don’t want your oatmeal, I’ll put it in the fridge.  Okay, peanut?”

Peyton nodded from underneath the covers.  “Mmkmm,” she said, her voice all muffled from the covers.

Thomas closed the door.  Since Peyton didn’t want to have breakfast with him, he ate it alone.  He ate his oatmeal and placed Peyton’s in the fridge.  He then cleaned up and got ready.

A few hours later, there was a knock at the door.  Thomas opened it.  Standing there was a slightly younger man, wearing a red winter coat and a woven snow cap.   “We need your help,” he pleaded.  “There’s an old man that drove into the snow bank.  We need your help getting him out.”

Thomas nodded and looked back at Peyton’s room.  She’ll be fine…. he thought.  Then he faced the younger man again.  “I’ll be right over.”

The man smiled.  “Thank you very much!” he said in a grateful tone.

Thomas got his coat on and slipped on his boots.  He put his snow cap on and his gloves.  He took his keys with him and left the trailer.

Next to his trailer, he used one of his keys to unlock a padlock to a tiny shed.  He opened the door and pulled out a snow shovel.  Grabbing the snow shovel, he followed the younger man, who was standing there, waiting for him.

He followed the younger man to a trailer that was just down the street.  Right next to the trailer was a car, stuck in the snow bank.  A younger woman, a middle-aged woman and an older man were all standing there, holding snow shovels.

“We have been digging by the tires,” the younger man told Thomas.  “Let’s keep digging and then try to push him out.”

Thomas nodded.  They dug, going around the rear tires and the front tires.  After that, they tried pushing him out.  The tires spun, digging him into the snow again.  After a couple more times of digging and pushing, the car was still stuck.

With their original plan failing, they decided to dig through the snow bank, all the way out to the road.  After 20 minutes of all of them digging, a nice trench was dug out.  They then tried pushing again, the car then started moving, steadily inching its way through the trench and out to the road.  The car was finally free.

“Thank you all very much,” the old man said.  “So that you don’t get stuck like me, drive carefully.  The roads are a little bit icy.”

Thomas nodded, and held out his hand to shake the old man.  “I definitely will be careful.  You’re welcome.” The old man shook his hand, and Thomas waved goodbye to everyone.

As he made his way back with his snow shovel, Thomas looked at his watch.  3:22 p.m.  The whole thing took about an hour.  Taking the snow shovel, he put it back in the shed and closed the door, locking it with the padlock.  He then looked at the trailer and sighed.  “Peyton better be up, or I’m getting her up….”

Thomas entered the trailer.  In the living room, there sat Peyton on the couch, in her pajamas, eating her cold oatmeal and watching cartoons.

Thomas was a little upset.  “Peanut,” he told her.  “It’s 3:30 in the afternoon and you’re still in your pajamas.  When did you get up?”

“I just got up,” Peyton said, smiling.  “Not too long ago.”

“That’s just great,” Thomas said, sighing.  “You’re not going to want to go to sleep tonight.”

Peyton shook her head.  “Yes I will,” she said, yawning.

“You need a shower,” he told her.  “After daddy showers, I want you to take a shower, okay?”

Peyton’s eyes were glued to the TV.

“Peyton?” Thomas said, growing more impatient.

Peyton looked up from the TV.  “What, daddy?”

“You’re showering after daddy, okay?”

“Okay!  You could’ve waited until a commercial….”

Thomas took a shower, and then left the bathroom.  “Your turn, Peyton….” he told her.

Peyton nodded, and entered her room.  She got her clothes and entered the bathroom.

“Daddy will check to see if you’re clean.” he told her.

“Okay daddy!” Peyton closed the door.

Thomas picked up Peyton’s empty bowl and placed it in the kitchen.  He then washed the bowl.

After Peyton’s shower, he checked.  She was all clean.

For the rest of the day, Thomas just watched movies with Peyton.  He then made tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner and they ate.

After that, he played dolls with Peyton for a short while and got her ready for bed.  Peyton wasn’t tired, but he got her ready for bed anyway.

After he tucked Peyton in and kissed her goodnight, he got ready for bed.  Tomorrow, he worked at the Steak N’ Bake from noon to 8:00.  With this situation, he would have Stephanie pick Peyton up after school.  Even though the school bus would drop her off near his trailer, he figured that it would be better this way.

Thomas thought about the two notes.  Who sent them?  Thinking of today’s note made him worry about the rent again.  “Don’t worry?” he sighed.  “They’re evicting me tomorrow….”

Despite the worrying, a calm peace protected Thomas and he fell asleep.

Thomas woke to the alarm clock.  The time was 6:00 a.m.  The school bus picks Peyton up at 7:50.  He let Peyton sleep until 6:30.

Thomas immediately got up and ran out to the living room.  He put his coat on and slipped on his shoes.  He then exited the trailer and checked the mailbox.

While the mail didn’t come yet, another folded piece of paper was inside.  Thomas grabbed the paper and closed the mailbox.

Taking the paper, Thomas went back inside.  He threw off his shoes and sat his coat on the chair.  He unfolded the paper and read the new message:

 

The rent is all paid for.  Please stop worrying and have a nice day.

Signed,

                Anonymous

 

Thomas shook his head.  “Where’s the check?  Where’s the money?  Where’s the receipt?  This is not paid for!  This anonymous guy is clearly mistaken!”  Thomas sat the paper on the table.  Opening the fridge, he got out the leftover oatmeal and began heating it up.

When it was ready, he looked at the clock.  6:34 a.m.  Time to get Peyton up.  Thomas got Peyton up and she ate her oatmeal.

“I’m tired, daddy….” Peyton said, as she ate her oatmeal.

“It’s okay, peanut.” he told her.  “You can sleep on the bus.  We got to get you ready!”

Thomas got Peyton into the bathroom and had her shower.  After she was all dressed, he made sure that Peyton had everything ready for kindergarten.  Her backpack was all packed and he made a lunch for her, which he placed in a paper sack.

After finally getting Peyton out to the bus, Thomas went back inside.  He let out a deep sigh.  The landlord could be coming any minute….

Sure enough, he did.  At around a quarter after eight, the man knocked on his door.  Thomas cringed and opened it.

The landlord stood there.  He was wearing a winter coat that was zipped open, revealing his red polo shirt.  “Thomas Miller?” he asked.

“Yes?” Thomas choked.  He was not looking forward to this at all.

The landlord gave Thomas a puzzled look.  “There’s been a mistake, Mr. Miller.  Our records show that you overpaid the rent for this month.  Here’s $20.  That should make up for the difference.”

Thomas was shocked.  “O-overpaid?” he stuttered.  “Are you sure about this?”

The landlord lowered his head and nodded.  “Mr. Miller, the records that I keep are very accurate.  As of this morning, I discovered that you overpaid for this month.  Now are you going to debate with me about this some more?  Just take what I owe you and have a nice day.”  The landlord placed the money in Thomas’s hand and left.

Right after the landlord left, Thomas shook his head.  He was on the verge of tears.  He KNEW that he was overdue on the rent.  How then, was it already paid for?

Thomas looked at the piece of paper that he received that day.  “All paid for….?” he gasped.  “But how?”  Thomas then smiled.  “I guess that doesn’t matter.  Somehow, the rent got paid for.  I wish I could meet this Anonymous guy so I can thank him….”

Thomas did his work out and then took a shower after coming inside.  He remembered the mail this time.  There was no new piece of paper, since he already got the one for that day.  After the shower, he had lunch and got ready for work.

Over the next few days, Thomas started his day by checking the mailbox for new messages.  Each day, he found a new message.  On Tuesday, it said that the one he loved was sick, and to care for that person.  Sure enough, Peyton came down with the flu that day, and Thomas used his usual remedies to help her get better.  On Wednesday, it said to take it easy on his coworkers.  Thomas remembered this and followed that advice, as that was the same advice that his boss gave him.  On Thursday, it told him to smile even when the weather isn’t smiling.  When Thomas saw the snow storm, he knew what it meant, and smiled.  On Friday, it said to love those who hurt him.  This definitely made sense when Thomas had to deal with a complaint at the Steak N’ Bake.  Every day, it was a new message, and all of the messages were signed by “Anonymous”.

That Friday, Thomas left work, took his paycheck, deposited it at the ATM and went home.

The next day, there was another new message that Thomas found in the mailbox.  This one in particular caught his attention.  It read:

 

Be careful out there on the roads.  They are covered in ice.

Signed,

Anonymous

 

Thomas wrote the current date on the top of the paper and put it with the others.  Since finding the notes, Thomas has dated every single one he found, with the date he found each one.

That Saturday, Thomas worked from 11:00 to 6:00.  With this kind of set up, he had Stephanie, the babysitter watch Peyton.  Stephanie would then drop Peyton off at the Steak N’ Bake after work, since Thomas was planning on having dinner with her.  Every now and then, he would take Peyton out to dinner as a treat.  Stephanie didn’t mind the extra driving, since the trailer park was just a few miles away from the restaurant.

The time was now 5:57 p.m. Looking at the clock, Thomas smiled.  He only had two more tables to go.

“You’re doing good, everyone!” he shouted.  “Keep the steaks coming and try to keep up the pace.  Check for doneness.   We got a complaint yesterday because someone overcooked a steak.”

One of the line cook’s faces turned red.  “That was me, Tom!” he said in an embarrassed tone.  “That was a big table.  Normally, my steaks turn out pretty good.”

“Check it, serve it.” He told the line cook.  “Wait longer if they want it well done.  You’ll get it, Eugene….”  Thomas smiled, and finished his last two tables.

“6:01,” Thomas said, looking at the clock.  “The captain’s leaving the ship, but Chris will be here to handle the dinner rush.  He knows a thing or two about cooking steaks!”

Everyone laughed at Thomas’s joke.

“Hey Chris!” One of the line cooks shouted.  “Do you know how to cook a steak?”

“No, Jimmy!” Chris jokingly said in a sarcastic manner.  “I forgot.  That’s why I’m wearing this manager pin.  What do you think? Come on!”  Chris gave Jimmy a playful shove in the arm.

Chris then turned to Thomas.  “Since your promotion to head cook, you’re doing a good job.  Just remember to have fun with them.  A smile increases morale.  For the newer faces, just remember.  You used to be where they were.  They all know how to cook a steak.  They wouldn’t be here if they didn’t, and neither would you.”

Thomas nervously glanced at the clock. 6:05. “Thank you, Chris.  I’m still a little new at head cook, but I think I’m starting to get it down.”

When Chris noticed Thomas looking at the clock, he smiled.  “That’s right.  You told me that you’re having dinner with your daughter.  I don’t want to keep you from that.  Have a good night.  I’ll see you Monday.”

Thomas nodded and turned back facing the grill.  “Keep up the good work!” he shouted at all the line cooks.

“Sure thing, Tom!” some of them shouted back.  The rest were too busy to talk to him.  Thomas turned around and left the kitchen.

After leaving, he looked around the restaurant for the booth that Stephanie and Peyton was sitting at.  He found them sitting at a booth that was near the entrance to the restaurant.

When Stephanie saw Thomas, she got all excited and told Peyton.  “Look!” she said, pointing at Thomas.  “It’s your daddy!”

Peyton looked up and saw her father standing there.  Then, she ran towards him.  Thomas picked her up and hugged her.

“Oh, my peanut!” He shouted.  “How is my peanut tonight?  Did you have fun with Stephanie?”

“We had a lot of fun, daddy.” she told him.  “We drew funny pictures, watched movies, played dollhouse….”

Stephanie smiled.  “We did,” she told him.  “Just give me another 20 for now.  As often as I’ve been watching her, it doesn’t make sense to charge any more.”

Thomas handed her a 20 and she placed it inside her purse.

“Well, I gotta get going.” she told him, as she put her coat on.  “There’s a winter festival tonight.”

“Bye mommy!” Peyton shouted.

Stephanie laughed weakly.  “Yeah.  She calls me that sometimes.”  She then turned to face Peyton.  “Bye, Peyton!”  Stephanie grabbed her purse and left the restaurant.

Thomas sat Peyton down on her booster seat.   “So, what are you going to get?”

“The same thing I always get.” she plainly answered.

“The chicken nuggets and fries?” he asked her.  “Just get the applesauce too, okay honey….?”

Peyton nodded, as she continued coloring the paper placemat with a green crayon.

Moments later, the waitress was there to take their order.  She smiled when she saw Thomas with his daughter.

“So, is Peyton getting her ‘usual’?” she asked him.

Thomas nodded.  “It’s the only thing she gets.  I guess that doesn’t matter just as long as she’s happy, right?”

The waitress nodded.  “Yes.  It’s been a while since you guys ate here.  I believe the last time was before you were promoted, a little more than a month ago….”  She then began writing Thomas’s order.  “So, will it be the New York Strip for you tonight?”

Thomas nodded.  “Yes.  With a loaded baked potato and a cup of your clam chowder.”

The waitress nodded.  “I figured you would get that, so I already had it written down.  And that will be a water for you and an apple juice for Peyton, right?  I’ll turn the order in and I’ll be right back with your drinks.”

The waitress turned in the order slip and got their drinks.

A little later, the food came.  Both Thomas and Peyton ate.  Peyton shared with Thomas everything she did with Stephanie and Thomas shared a little bit about his day.

After they ate their dinner, Thomas got some strawberry shortcake for dessert.  It was Peyton’s favorite, so they shared one serving together.

Thomas then thanked the waitress, paid the bill and left with Peyton.

As they left the restaurant, torrents of freezing rain were hitting the parking lot.  They both carefully walked to the car, Peyton holding Thomas’s hand.

When Thomas opened the door, he slipped backwards and fell on his butt.

Peyton laughed when she saw this.  “Daddy fell!” she squealed, laughing.

“That’s not funny,” Thomas said, as he got up.  “Here.  Let daddy strap you in your car seat.”

Thomas put Peyton into her car seat and strapped her in.  After that, he got into the front seat and started up the car.  He had to wait for the windshield to defrost, since it was frozen from the freezing rain.

After the windshield was defrosted, Thomas carefully drove out of the parking lot and out of the restaurant.

After that, everything suddenly happened quickly.  Thomas could hear it.  The sound of the brakes.  And then, the sound of glass breaking.  And then, screaming.  And then, crying.  When Thomas’s mind finally caught up to the present, he found himself sitting there, his daughter Peyton crying in the background.  His Toyota Camry has crashed into the passenger side of a car a little smaller than his.  A white compact car, with the passenger door smashed in.

Finally having the time to think, Thomas was able to piece together the whole scenario.  As he was driving along, he saw a car spinning out of control in the distance.  At that very moment, he began to gently apply the brakes.  On a normal road, he would stop in time.  But this road was covered in ice, with the relentlessly persistent freezing rain continuing to fall.  Instead of braking, Thomas’s car slid along the icy road.  The other car continued spinning further into the lane, while Thomas continued to brake.  Unfortunately, there was not enough time to stop completely, and Thomas’s car collided directly into the passenger door of the slightly smaller white car.

Peyton continued crying.  “Daaaaaddy!” she wailed.  “I’m scared!”

Thomas reached into the back of the seat, attempting to hug Peyton.  With the seat harness in the way, the best he could manage was hugging the seat.

“It will be okay,” he told her.  “Daddy’s a little scared, too.  It’s okay.  None of us got hurt, right?”

At that point, Thomas turned his attention to the car that he hit.  He just wanted to know if they were okay.  Was anyone hurt there?  Who did he hit?

Finally, Thomas couldn’t take it anymore, so he unbuckled his seat belt.  “Daddy’s going to talk to the people in the other car.” he told her.  “You wait here, peanut.”

Peyton, who stopped crying, nodded.  She was still a little scared, but she knew that she would be okay with daddy around.  “Okay daddy….”

Thomas crawled over to the passenger side and opened the door.  Because this happened right in the middle of a right lane on a five-lane road, he made sure that he got out on the right side.  He closed the door, and glanced at the front of the car.  The hood was dented, with one of the headlights smashed.  After that, he walked along the shoulder.  The cold rain splashed on his winter coat, as he carefully walked over to the other car.  He almost slipped a couple times, but he managed to regain his footing.  Numerous cars began to cautiously maneuver around the scene of the accident.

As he approached the white car, a woman began to get out of her car.  Upon looking at the car, Thomas saw that it was a Honda.

When the woman saw Thomas, she sighed.  To Thomas, she looked greatly distressed.

“I’m sorry!” the woman shouted.

Thomas couldn’t believe it.  Sorry?  He thought.  I should be the one who’s sorry….

The icy rain continued to fall as Thomas carefully inched his way toward the white Honda. But he wasn’t careful enough.  Despite his determined effort to maintain his balance, he slipped and fell on the icy road.

The woman gasped.  “Are you okay?” The woman asked him.

Thomas sat up, and looked for something for him to hang on to, so that he could regain his balance.  Being close enough to her car, he clutched the bumper and carefully stood back up.

“I’m okay,” Thomas said with a groan.

The woman frowned.  “Are you sure?” she asked him.  “It seemed like you fell pretty hard.”

Thomas nodded.  “I can walk, so I’m fine.  I may be sore, but I’ll be okay….”

As he stood there, he glanced at the woman.  He noticed her long and smooth hazelnut hair.  She was wearing a green winter coat with a blue and yellow striped scarf.

The woman glanced at Thomas, letting out a deep sigh.  “Once again, I’m sorry.” She then gave a quick glance inside the car.  “No one got hurt.”

“Same here.” Thomas told her.  “But why are you apologizing?  I hit you.”

The woman nodded.  “I know that,” she said.  “But it was my fault.  When I turned, I lost control of the vehicle.  Because I lost control, you hit me.  It was my fault.”  The woman then placed her hands over her eyes and began to weep.

Thomas sighed.  “It’s okay.” he told her.  “No one got hurt, right?”

The woman nodded, and began to shiver.  “Right.  I’m getting cold, so I’m going back in.  Sorry again for the accident.  I turned too quickly and….” The woman stopped talking mid-sentence and blushed, when she saw Thomas standing there, nodding in agreement.  “It’s okay?  Good.   You have a nice evening.  Well, at least try to!”  The woman opened the door and carefully stepped back inside.

Thomas carefully made his way back to his car.  As he was doing so, a police car carefully pulled up in front of the white Honda.  When Thomas was about to open his door, a police officer stepped outside and walked over to the woman’s car.  The woman rolled her window down and began talking to him.

While this was happening, Thomas got inside his car and waited.  Peyton was sitting there in her car seat, and her mood was not very pleasant.

“I wanna go home, daddy!” she wailed.

Thomas leaned over his seat and tried calming Peyton down.  “We will soon, honey.” he told her.  “Daddy has to talk to the police officer first.”

Peyton wiped a tear away from her eyes.  “Why?”

“If daddy leaves, daddy will get in trouble,” he told her.  “Daddy’s going to be good by staying here and talking to the nice policeman.”

Moments passed.  Finally, the police officer walked over to the Toyota Camry.  Thomas rolled his window down.

Thomas spent the next few minutes talking with the police officer.  He asked questions pertaining to how the accident happened and Thomas answered them to the best of his ability.

After obtaining all the information he needed, he put his sheet of paper away.  “Mr. Miller,” he told him.  “You’re clear.  From what you told me, you did everything you could to prevent the accident, but you couldn’t.  The woman, however, failed to execute a right turn properly.  This caused her to lose control of her vehicle and what led you to hit her.  I will be filling out an accident report and you can pick it up at the Greenville Police Department in a few days.  Just call the number and give them your name.  Have a good evening, and drive safe.”

The police officer walked away, got back in his car and drove off.

Thomas drove back to the trailer park and parked his car.  He took Peyton inside and got her ready for bed.

After he got Peyton to bed, he grabbed all the dated messages from the kitchen and took them to his bedroom.  He looked at the one from that day.

 

Be careful out there on the roads.  They are covered in ice.

Signed,

Anonymous

 

Thomas sighed.  “I guess I wasn’t careful,” he said, frustrated.  “What was that supposed to mean?  Oh well….At least the insurance will pick this one up….”

As Thomas was getting ready for bed, he couldn’t help but think of that woman.  Who was she?  Why did she have to cause the accident?  Couldn’t she have been more careful?  Thomas brushed his teeth, thinking about these questions.

Still flooded with these thoughts, he got into his bed and fell asleep.

The next couple days passed.  In that time, Thomas was receiving those daily messages from “Anonymous”.  On Sunday, it said that someone else needed his help.  This time, it wasn’t a car stuck in the snow, but a car with a flat tire.  Thomas went and helped the younger man, who was on his way to the store to get some medicine for his sick wife.  With his wife ill, he had his baby daughter in the car with him.  With the tire fixed, Thomas shook hands with the younger man.  He thanked Thomas.  Thomas in turn, nodded.  “I hope your wife feels better.” he told him.

On Monday, Anonymous wanted Thomas to “carry the extra weight”, whatever that meant.  A couple of hours before he left for work at the Steak N’ Bake, his boss Chris called him.  He told Thomas that he was sick with the flu, and for that day, he wanted Thomas to run the restaurant in his place.  Thomas agreed, shrugging his shoulders.  Thomas quietly thought – I’m glad I’m not sick with the flu. Being down one person, Thomas had to work extra hard that day.  Challenging as it was, he made it through the dinner shift and came home late, around 10:30 p.m.

Tuesday then came.  Thomas woke up and made breakfast for himself and Peyton.  He then made Peyton’s lunch, got Peyton up and ready, and walked her to the school bus.  After she got on the bus, Thomas made a quick stride over to the mailbox.  He took the message out and entered the house.  The other mail did not come yet.  He would get that later on.

Thomas took the message to the living room and he opened it.  It read:

 

Look in your cupboard.  Are you missing anything?

Signed,

Anonymous

 

Thomas looked inside his cupboard.  All he found inside was a nearly empty bag of barbeque potato chips and a nearly empty package of chocolate chip cookies.  Just one cookie was left.

In addition to the cupboard, Thomas looked inside his refrigerator.  A nearly empty gallon of milk and a 12 pack of Budweiser with just one can left.

Thinking about the message that he just read, Thomas smiled, nodding matter-of-factly.  Time to make a list.  Thomas got out a notepad and a pen, writing down everything that he could think of.  More cereal.  More milk.  More cookies.  More chips.  And of course, more apple juice.  “Peyton finished off the last juice box the other day….” he whispered.

After a few minutes, Thomas had a list.  Fortunately, he just got paid, so the timing was perfect.  Thomas grabbed the list, bundled up and left the trailer.  He drove off in his still damaged Toyota Camry.  “I still gotta get that thing fixed,” he sighed.  Then it hit him.  “The accident report!” he gasped.

Instead of heading to the supermarket, he first stopped at the Greenville Police Department and picked up the accident report.  He then stopped at a Toyota dealership and dropped off the damaged car.  The repair technician said that the car would be repaired by the weekend.  In the meantime, Thomas rented a slightly newer Toyota Camry.  Unlike his red one, it was blue.  It’s just a rental, so it will do for now.  Thomas got in the blue rental Toyota Camry and took off.

Thomas arrived at the supermarket and entered.  With Peyton at school and having the whole day off, this was the perfect time to get all his shopping done.  He grabbed a shopping cart and wheeled it all the way to the back of the store.

He started with the milk.  From here, he went from aisle to aisle, placing various items in his cart.

When he got to the cereal aisle, he shot a double take.  In that aisle was a woman that looked familiar.  It couldn’t be.  “Just a coincidence….” he quietly said.

The woman turned back and looked at him.  “I’m sorry…..” she told him.  “I didn’t get that.  Did you just say something?”  The woman looked at him again and gasped.  “Wait a second!  Don’t I know you from somewhere?”

Thomas studied the woman carefully.  She was wearing a green winter coat and a blue and yellow scarf.  “Wait!  You are….”

“Yes.” the woman said.  “I remember.  You were the one that hit me.  I’m really sorry that I caused you all that trouble.”

Thomas nodded.  “It’s okay.  It seems like we’re both covered….”

Suddenly, Thomas was at a loss for words.  This usually doesn’t happen to him.  There was just something about this woman that he found….attractive.  “W-what’s your n-name?” he finally said.

The woman humored him.  “M-my n-name is Mary,” she said, playfully teasing him.  “What’s yours?”

His confidence increased.  “I’m Thomas.” he told her.  “I work as a head cook at the Steak N’ Bake.”

Mary nodded, looking very interested.  “You are?  Wow….  I work as a desk clerk for Dr. Maxwell.  He’s a local dentist in my area.”

“Where do you live?”

“Sherman Valley.  How about you?”

“I live right here in Greenville.”

Mary nodded.  “That’s right.  We don’t have a Steak N’ Bake in Sherman Valley.  It’s just a small town, but I like it there.”

“I know.  I’ve heard of it.”

Mary ran her hand through her hair, holding the shopping list in the other.  “That’s why I’m here.  This supermarket has a lot better variety than the dinky grocery store where I live.  Better sales, too.”

Thomas glanced at her shopping cart.  In it was a pack of Pampers Easy-Ups.  “Training pants,” he whispered, smiling.  Then he said louder:  “You have a boy?”

Mary smiled and nodded, with a proud and joyful grin.  “Um, yes.  How did you know I had a boy?”

Thomas smiled, and pointed at her cart.  “The training pants.  They have a picture of a boy on them.”

Mary frowned.  “What’s with the smiling?  Billy only wears them at night!  I’m sure you never had to toilet train a kid before.  Do you have any kids?”

Thomas nodded.  “One.  Her name is Peyton, and she’s five.  And I resent your remark! I toilet trained her well, all by myself!”

Mary gasped.  “I’m very sorry.” she told him.  “I overreacted a little bit.  Billy just turned three in November.  He’s a little younger than your kid.”

Thomas wagged his finger over at the empty child seat on the cart.  “So, where is Billy?”

“I didn’t bring him,” she told him.  “My sister is watching Billy right now, so I can get my shopping done.  When I have him with me, I can’t get a thing done….”

Thomas laughed.  “I don’t blame you.  Peyton’s the same way.  I usually shop here when my babysitter’s watching her.  Since I have the day off, I don’t have to do that.”

Mary glanced at the empty child seat in Thomas’s cart.  “So, is Peyton in kindergarten?”

“Yes she is,” he said.

A curious expression came over Mary’s face.  “You mentioned a babysitter.  Why isn’t your wife watching her?”

“My wife….” Thomas gasped.  Tears began to stream down his face, but he tried to blink them away.

Mary cupped her hand over her mouth, gasping.  “What happened? Was it a divorce?”

“No,” Thomas sobbed.  “She died of breast cancer, okay?” He was now upset.  “So is your husband working?  Is that why your sister’s watching him?”

Mary shook her head.  She reached into her purse and pulled out a tissue.  Her eyes were starting to fill with tears, and she wiped them.  “No.  He died on the battlefield.”

Thomas was shocked.  He ran over to Mary and embraced her.  “Here,” he told her.  “I know what it’s like to lose someone.”

Mary wiped more tears from her eyes, and looked up at Thomas.  “I know,” she told him.  “But I know he’s in a better place.”

“Where, heaven?” Thomas sighed.  “Do you really believe that?”

Mary nodded.  “Yes.”  Mary unzipped her coat, revealing her cross necklace that she wore around her neck.  “I believe in Jesus Christ and I’m not ashamed to tell you that.”

Thomas was now a little nervous.  The woman was beautiful, but to him, she was acting a little crazy.  “Well, I’m not religious.” he told her.

“Neither am I,” Mary argued.  “I didn’t do anything to earn my salvation.  That’s what religion is.  Jesus paid the ultimate price for me, and for you.  That is not religion.  That is love.  That is grace.”

“That is enough,” Thomas told her.  “Stop preaching to me.  Both my mom and dad did this enough.  I don’t need to hear it from you.”

“I’m sorry,” Mary said, as she quietly wheeled her shopping cart away.

Thomas sighed, and turned back to his shopping cart.  He pushed his cart forward and continued his shopping.

As he was approaching the self-checkout, there was Mary, scanning all her items.

When Mary saw him, she smiled.  Thomas, however, sighed.  He didn’t want to say a word to her.

Mary handed him a scrap of paper.  “You are invited to come to my church on Sunday,” she told him.  You don’t have to come, but the invitation is open if you want to accept it.”  And with that, she scanned the rest of her items, paid for them and left.

Thomas held the scrap of paper in his hands.  He was thinking about throwing it on the ground, but he decided to hang on to it.

But after he paid for his groceries and left the store, he changed his mind.  That woman’s a religious nut.  He threw the scrap of paper out in the parking lot.  He then loaded his groceries into the trunk of his rental Camry and left the supermarket.

For the rest of the day, Thomas just kept thinking about Mary.  He didn’t want to, but the thoughts about her remained.  She was a crazy religious fanatic, and he didn’t want anything to do with her.  But the thoughts persisted.  They persisted when he was putting the groceries away, when he was doing his workout, when he was enjoying his beer, when Peyton came home, when he made dinner and finally, when he put Peyton to bed.  The thoughts about Mary did not go away.

Throughout the day, Peyton noticed this.  “What’s wrong, daddy?” she asked, as she was being tucked into her bed.

“It’s nothing, honey.” he lied.  Peyton wouldn’t understand anything that he’s going through.

But that answer wasn’t enough for Peyton.  “But you look different, daddy.” she said, her voice lowering.  “You’re not smiling as much.”

Thomas kneeled down next to Peyton and sighed.  “It’s a complicated adult thing, peanut,” he told her.  “Daddy doesn’t want to talk about it, okay?  Sleep well, my princess.”  With that, he kissed Peyton on the cheek, and they rubbed their noses together.  “Good night, Peyton.”

“Good night, daddy,” Peyton replied.

Thomas got ready and crawled into bed.  When he closed his eyes, he could still see the image of Mary burned into his mind.  At certain times, he could hear her speaking.  The words that she kept repeating was “I’m sorry.” Over and over, these words echoed in his mind.

The very next day, Thomas woke up and got his coat on.  It was another work day, so Stephanie had to watch Peyton again.  On his trip out to the mailbox, there was another message.  Thomas grabbed it and entered the trailer.

Thomas sat down in the living room and wrote the current date on the message: 1/23/2013.  After that, he read the message.  It read:

 

Apologize to the one that you have wronged.

Signed,

                Anonymous

 

Thomas gasped.  He was beyond the point of being shocked now.  Thomas was scared.  “Who is this ‘Anonymous’?” he shouted.

After that, Thomas read the note again.  How did they find out about Mary?  Was this person in the supermarket yesterday?  Thomas couldn’t figure it out.  “It has to be someone….” Thomas said in a frustrated tone.

Throughout the rest of the day, Thomas was bothered by the note.  From that point on, he made it a point to look behind himself, everywhere he was in public.  In his determination to find “Anonymous”, paranoia was starting to get to him.  He looked back when he took Peyton to the bus stop.  He looked back when he left for the Steak N’ Bake and when he arrived.  He even did this while he was at work.

“What are you doing, Thomas?” Chris asked him, while Thomas was cooking a steak.

Thomas turned the steak over, and explained the whole story to Chris.

Chris laughed.  “Nobody’s watching you, Thomas.  As for this ‘Anonymous’, I don’t know who it is.  Maybe you’re not supposed to know.  Did you ever think of that?”

Thomas nodded, as he began plating the steak.  “I guess you’re right, but it’s really starting to bother me.”

Chris sighed.  “Don’t let it.  Maybe this ‘Anonymous’ wants to help.”

Thomas shrugged his shoulders.  “Yeah, by invading my privacy.  I hope I find them soon….”

When Thomas left the Steak N’ Bake, he looked behind him.  He then drove home.

The next day, Thomas checked his mailbox again, finding the usual message.  He took it inside, dated it and read the message:

Stop worrying about who’s watching you.  Watch other people instead, and tend to their needs.

Signed,

                Anonymous

 

This only increased Thomas’s frustration.  How is this happening?  Someone is watching me, but where are they?  Do they go into hiding?  Is it a master spy?  That message only made Thomas worry more instead of less.

The next day, Thomas looked at the next message.  It read:

 

I will say it again.  Stop worrying about the one who is watching.  Instead, watch others and be a blessing in their lives.

Signed,

                Anonymous

 

After this, Thomas stopped worrying, but not completely.  After all, “Anonymous” did pay for the plumber and his rent somehow.  But regardless, Thomas was still curious about who the sender of the message was.

On Saturday, Thomas read the next message from his usual trip to the mailbox.  It read:

 

Go to this church tomorrow morning at 10:30.

Sherman Valley Community Church

3409 S. Abbott Street

Sherman Valley, IL  62246

 

Don’t forget to apologize.

Signed,

Anonymous

 

Thomas gasped.  This was the exact same information that was on the invitation that Mary gave him on Tuesday.  The same invitation that Thomas threw in the parking lot.  Somehow, “Anonymous” was able to reproduce every detail.

“Mary….” Thomas gasped, remembering what she said about the invitation.  Instead of placing the slip of paper with the others, he folded it and placed it in his pocket.

A little later after breakfast, Thomas found Peyton sitting there, with all the pieces of paper lying on the floor.  He forgot to put them away!

“What is a-na-na mus, daddy?” Peyton asked, picking up one of the pieces.

Thomas nervously grabbed all the pieces of paper and piled them together.  “ ’Anonymous’ is….” Thomas paused.  “ Daddy already told you the other day!  ‘Anonymous ‘ is a new friend that keeps bothering daddy.  They don’t ever let daddy know who they are.  They just keep bothering daddy.  And daddy wants to know….who they are.”

“Maybe a-na-na mus is invisdable,” Peyton told him.

Thomas shook his head.  “ ‘Anonymous’ is visible, honey.  They’re just very good at hiding.”

Peyton’s face lit up.  “Hide and go seek?  I wanna play with a-na-na mus!”

Thomas sighed.  “I don’t.  The game has ended, and they still haven’t gone out of hiding.”

After putting the paper away, he put a movie on for Peyton, just as Stephanie arrived.

“Daddy’s going to work.” he told Peyton.  “Be good for Stephanie, okay?”

Peyton smiled and nodded.  “I’ll be good for mommy!”

“She’s not your mommy.” Thomas argued.

“She said I could call her that!” Peyton argued back.

Thomas sighed and left for the Steak N’ Bake.  While Thomas planned on going to work, he actually left a little early so that he could pick up his Toyota Camry.  He dropped off the rental at the dealership and picked up his car.  The hood and headlight was all fixed – Good as new.   And with the dealership billing the insurance company, Thomas didn’t have to pay a dime.  Thomas drove out of the dealership and made his way to the Steak N’ Bake.

After work, Thomas came home.  Peyton was already in bed, and Stephanie was sitting on the couch.

“I already put her in bed, since she was getting tired.” Stephanie explained.  “Also, there is something that is really starting to bother me.”

Thomas frowned and scratched his head.  “What is it?”

Stephanie looked uncomfortable.  “Your daughter is starting to get attached to me.  She keeps calling me ‘mommy’ and she wants me to live here.  I can’t.  And…..” Stephanie started to cry.  “I can’t watch her anymore.  She’s a real fun kid to watch, but she really wants me to serve a role that I can’t provide for her.  What she needs is a real mother.  I can’t serve that role.”

Thomas nodded.  “I understand.  I’m also starting to understand why Peyton is doing this.  Peyton doesn’t have a mother to look up to.  At school, she hears about mothers that other kids have.  Peyton doesn’t remember Julie, since she died when she was so young.  To Peyton, you’re the mother, since she doesn’t understand what a mother looks like.”

Stephanie nodded.  “I know,” she said, wiping some of her tears away with a tissue.  “And I want Peyton to have a real mother.  One that can satisfy her every need.  I’m just her babysitter, and I can’t fulfill that duty anymore.  It’s for her good, okay?  If you have to tell her, just say that I left and I’m not coming back.  It was a pleasure watching her.  Just give me $70, and that should cover it.”

Thomas sighed, and hugged Stephanie.  “Thank you for watching my kid,” he said, handing her the money.

“You’re welcome,” Stephanie said, smiling.  “It’s going to be sad leaving her.  But I can remember all the fun times I had with her….”

Thomas nodded, as Stephanie grabbed her coat.  “Yeah.  My Peanut is special.  Farewell, Stephanie!”

“Bye!” Stephanie said, quietly.  She waved and left the trailer.

Thomas slapped his hand onto his temples and shook his head.  “I just lost the best babysitter I will probably ever have,” he sighed.

He then walked over to Peyton’s room and opened the door.

“Peyton?” he whispered.  “We’re going to church tomorrow.  I know that daddy never goes to church, but there’s this woman that daddy wants to talk to….”

“Okay daddy….” Peyton said, half asleep.

I’ll wake her in the morning, Thomas whispered to himself as he left her room.

The next morning, Thomas’s alarm went off.  It was 9:00 a.m.  Thomas sprang out of bed and ran into Peyton’s room.  He shook her awake.

“Daddy, I’m tired….” Peyton complained.

“You can sleep in the car,” Thomas told her.  “Let’s get ready for church, okay?”

Thomas got himself and Peyton ready for church.  Thomas wasn’t really thrilled about going.  He was only going so that he could talk to Mary.  He was also going because “Anonymous” said so.

Since Thomas never went to church, he didn’t really have any dress clothes to choose from.  The only thing he had was a nice tuxedo that he wore on the day he married Julie.  “Not the tux,” he weeped.  “I’ll just wear the dress shirt with the pants.”

For Peyton, he found a cute pink dress for her to wear.  Despite the fact that she last wore this dress when she was four, she could still fit into it.

After they were both ready, Thomas strapped Peyton into her car seat and they drove off.  The time was 10:08 a.m.  Sherman Valley was about 15 miles away.  From there, he didn’t know exactly where the church was.

When he got to Sherman Valley, he looked at the road that he was on.  It was Abbott Street.  Moments later, he spotted the church, which was on the left hand side of the road.  He turned in and parked in the parking lot.

“Wake up, Peyton!” he shouted.  “We’re here!”

Thomas unstrapped Peyton and led her by the hand into the church.

Just as they entered the door, Mary was standing there with Billy.  She was wearing black tights, a red miniskirt and a black twill shirt, with black stilettos to match.  Her hazelnut hair was neatly combed and she smelled strongly of perfume.  The same cross necklace that she wore the other day was hanging around her neck.  Billy wore a red button-up shirt with khakis and a pair of brown oxfords.

When Mary saw Thomas, she gasped.  “You actually came!” she gasped.  “I didn’t think you would.  I was actually praying that you would, and here you are!”

“I’m sorry,” Thomas told her.

Mary frowned.  “Sorry about what?” she raised her finger and shook it at Thomas.  “Oh right!  You mean the other day?  Don’t worry about that.  I forgive you.”

Mary led Thomas and Peyton through the hallway of the church.  “Is that your girl?” she asked, looking at Peyton.

Thomas nodded.  “Yes.” Then he looked at Peyton.  “Peyton, this is my friend Mary.  Say ‘Hi, Mary!’ “

“Hi, Mary!” Peyton repeated.  “Are you a-na-na mus?”

“What?” Mary said, frowning.

“I’ll explain later,” Thomas told her.  He then looked past Mary and saw Billy.  “That’s your boy, Billy, right?”

Mary picked up Billy and stood next to Thomas with him.  “Yup!  Say hi, Billy!”

Billy looked scared.

Mary smiled.  “He’s a little shy.  He’s not once he gets to know you.  Here. Let’s drop the kids off at Sunday school.  I’ll show you where Peyton goes, since she’s a little older.”

Mary dropped Billy off at the same room she does weekly.  “Bye Billy!  Be good for mommy!”

With Billy dropped off, she guided Thomas to another room, with kids that were around Peyton’s age.  Mary introduced Thomas and Peyton to the teachers.  “He’s new here,” she explained.  “He just came to visit.”

With Peyton dropped off, Thomas followed Mary into the sanctuary.

The service lasted about an hour.  It started with worship music.  After that came the offering and the sermon.  The sermon was about being a blessing to other people.  Something that really shocked Thomas.

“That was in one of the messages,” he whispered as the service ended.

When the service was over, Mary guided Thomas back to the rooms their kids were in.  They picked up both Peyton and Billy.  She then introduced Thomas to a few of her friends.

“So Mary, will you be joining us for lunch today?” a woman about her age asked her.

Thomas spoke up.  “I actually would like to tell her something.” he said.

Mary nodded.  “As much as I would like to, Andrea, I’m actually going to pass.  I’m going to spend a little time with my new friend.”  Mary then turned to Thomas.  “Every week, this church prepares lunch for everyone, and we all eat together.  I usually go, but I’ll make an exception this week.”

Mary said bye to all her friends and she left with Billy, following Thomas and Peyton.

“So, where do you want to go?” Mary asked Thomas.

“Let’s go to my house,” Thomas told her.  “It’s a little bit of a drive for you, but it’s not too far.”

Mary nodded.  “Sure.  Why don’t you give me the directions, and I’ll meet you there.  I would like to get out of my church clothes first.”

Thomas nodded, and waved good-bye to her.  “I’ll see you in a little bit,” he told her.  Thomas took Peyton and they drove home.

Once at home, Thomas made Peyton a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch. An hour later, a white Honda parked next to Thomas’s Toyota Camry.  The passenger door was fixed.  It looked brand new.  Mary exited her car and approached the door to the trailer.  Thomas opened it.

“Sorry for the wait.” Mary told him.  “I had to put Billy down for a nap.  My sister is watching him back at home.”

Thomas nodded, pointing at the door to Peyton’s bedroom.  “Same here,” he told her.  In fact, I just got Peyton in her bedroom.

Mary took off her coat.  Thomas took it and placed the coat on a chair.  “Isn’t Peyton a little old for naps?”

Thomas shook his head.  “My Peyton will sleep all day if you let her.  Besides, she gets cranky when she doesn’t have her nap.”

Changing the subject, Thomas pulled a sheet of paper out of his pocket.  “Now,” he began.  “I need your help.”  Thomas got out the rest of the slips of paper, and laid them all out before Mary.  “Every day, I have been receiving these notes from someone named “Anonymous”.  Now I have tried to find out who they are, but I can’t.  I’m thinking that it’s a spy, but I can’t find them yet.”

Mary scratched her head.  “Interesting,” she said with a smile.  “When did you start receiving the notes?”

Thomas thought about it, and then found the first note.  It was the one with the earliest date – 1/12/2013.  “Right here,” he told her.  “They gave me $140 to pay for the plumber.  Now that’s the weird thing.  I saved the receipt from the plumber.  It came to $139.81.  How did they know the right amount to pay me?”

Mary was puzzled.  “I don’t know,” she said, shrugging her shoulders.  “Did you ever receive these notes from ‘Anonymous’ before then?”

“No,” Thomas answered.  “I’ve never received any before until then.”

Mary sat there, thinking.  After a while, her face lit up.  “While we don’t know who it is,” she told him.  “We do know that whoever it was wanted to help you.  Can I look at these other notes?”

“Go ahead.” Thomas told her.  “Look at all of them if you want.”
Mary grabbed the small stack of notes and piled them in front of her.  After a few minutes, she read them all.  “These notes,” she said.  “They’re written in large bold letters.  Did you receive any notes on Friday?”

“I have a couple notes from Friday….”

“No.  I mean Friday, the eleventh?”

“I already told you.  My first note was on that Saturday!”

“Exactly.  You didn’t receive a note on that Friday.  What can you remember doing that day?”

Thomas scowled.  “What does that have to do with any of these notes?”

Mary took one of the notes from her lap and sat it on the floor with the others.  “Think about it.  Can you remember anything from that day?”

Thomas sighed.  “Mary, I don’t know why anything would….”  Mary was sitting there, looking impatient.  “Okay, I’ll think about it.”

Thomas closed his eyes and thought hard about what he did on that night.  Suddenly it returned.  All the frustration from that night.  Losing his wife, job and house all in a short period of time.  If there was anyone to blame, he blamed God for it all.

Then it hit him.  “That’s it!” he cried.  “I can remember everything from that night.”

Mary cast an interested stare at him.  “What can you remember?”

“Mary,” he told her.  “I don’t know if I ever told anyone this.  Maybe just a couple people at work….”

“I lost everything.  Almost four years ago, my wife died to breast cancer.  Two months later, I lost my job as executive.  The entire company went bankrupt.  And then….” Thomas began to sob.  “And then, when my daughter turned two, I lost my house.  It was a beautiful house, Mary.  But I was running out of money so I had to sell it.  I lost my wife, my job and my house.  I lost everything.”

“You didn’t lose everything,” Mary argued.  “You still have Peyton.  You still have your cook job.”

“Yeah,” Thomas sighed. “A job that doesn’t pay diddly-squat.  For the past three years, I’ve been raising Peyton in a dumpy trailer.  I don’t want that for her.  She deserves much better….”

“But you have that job, this trailer and your daughter,” she told him.  “This is what God gave you.”

Thomas was angry.  “What he gave me?” he shouted.  “I can remember that night now!  I asked God to prove to me if he was real or not!  What did he do?  Tell me! What did he do?”

“He gave you all those messages,” Mary said, wiping away a tear.  “Do you want to know who I think “Anonymous” is?  I think he’s an angel.  An angel sent from God to point you in the right direction.”

Thomas shook his head.  “An angel?

“Think about it.” Mary told him.  “How about the car accident that happened?  None of us got hurt.  I believe that this was God’s way of bringing me into your life.”

“Don’t think you’re the only one with problems, Thomas.  Since my husband died, I have been very lonely.  Every day, I have been praying for a husband.  Do you think I get mad at God and blame him?  No.  I patiently wait for him to reveal his will to me.  I don’t make a lot of money, and I rely on my sister a lot to care for my kid.  But none of this has made me any weaker.  It has made me into a stronger person.”

“You challenged God, Thomas.  You wanted him to prove that he was real.  And he has done so with all those messages.  All the gifts that you have received.  And now, he has done so with me.  Now whether or not you want to believe that is your choice. God has given you a lot of blessings, Thomas, and now he wants you to be one.”

Thomas was now in tears.  “I don’t know what to say,” he sobbed.  “I didn’t know that the answer was staring me right in the face.  And now, today, I have 16 answers.   I didn’t expect them to come in this way.”

“God never acts in the way you expect him to,” Mary told him.  “Up to this point, he has been very patient with you.  Please don’t shun that gift.”

Thomas rubbed his eyes and his temples.  “I don’t know how he could be patient with me, Mary.  I would think that God would’ve been done with me by now.”

Mary clasped her hands together and rested them in her lap. “But he’s not, Thomas.  He’s far from done.”  She then gave Thomas a fixed stare.  “Now Thomas, do you think that God is real?”

Thomas glanced at all the messages that were heaped in the middle of the room.  He then looked at Mary.  And, shedding a tear, he nodded.  “Yes Mary, he is.  And it took me until now to realize that.”

Mary’s face then changed.  It began with serious, but was then set on fire.  The flames of passion engulfed it and she smiled.  “Thomas,” she said in a faint voice.  “I….have something to tell you.  You know how I have told you that I have been praying for a husband?”

Thomas stared at Mary.  The radiance emanating from her smile has set him on end.  “Yes.  You told me that.”

“Well,” she said, opening up her hands.  “I think you are the answer to those prayers.  I mean, we both lost our loved ones, right?  This is way more than a coincidence.”  Then Mary snapped out of it, as if she were fighting a spell.  “But I want to be sure.  Is this love for real?  I hardly know you, so I don’t want to take anything too quickly. Let’s just start by you coming to my church again next week.  I don’t think that we’re ready to date yet.”

Thomas nodded.  “I agree.  I’m still trying to make sense of all of this.  I don’t feel like I really like you, yet.  Also, it’s going to be very hard for any woman to take Julie’s place….”

Mary nodded, and stood up.  “Well, I need to get going.  Think about the sermon that you listened to, okay?  Be a blessing.  That’s what God wants you to be.  Also, I feel like God is telling me to be patient with all of this.  Song of Songs, right?”
“Song of what?” Thomas sighed.

Mary’s face reddened.  “Oh, that’s right!” Mary gasped.  “It’s a book in the Bible.  I don’t know how much of the Bible you’ve read.”

“Very little,” Thomas answered.

Mary nodded, as she grabbed her coat.  “Well, I’ll get you a Bible then.   I’ll see you next week!  Sherman Valley Community Church, okay?  Bye Thomas!”

“Bye!” Thomas replied.

Mary opened the door and left the house.

After Mary left, Thomas went out to the mailbox and found another message.  He took the message inside and read it.  It read:

 

Do you know who I am?

                Signed,

                                Anonymous

 

Thomas tearfully nodded.  “Yes I do.  I get it.”  Thomas dated the note, placed it with the others and put them away.

After that, Thomas looked at the time and gasped.  “Peyton!” he shouted.

He ran inside the bedroom.  While he expected Peyton to be sound asleep, like she usually was, she wasn’t.  She was wide awake.

“Who were you talking to, daddy?” she asked him.  “Were you talking to mommy?”

Thomas sighed.  “Stephanie left.  She’s not going to be watching you anymore.  She wants you to have a real mommy.”

Peyton was heartbroken.  “Why?  Why can’t she be my mommy, daddy?”

“Peyton,” Thomas said.  “You are in elementary school.  Stephanie is in high school.  Stephanie is about to go to college and get married.  She will be a mommy, but not yours.  She wants you to have a real one.  A special one.”

Peyton frowned.  “Then who were you talking to, daddy?”

Thomas smiled.  “Remember Mary?  She was the one you met this morning at church.  She had that little boy with her named Billy.”

Peyton smiled again.  “Can she be my mommy?”

Thomas blushed.  “We’ll see, honey.  I just met her, so daddy doesn’t know if he likes her yet.” Thomas looked at the clock.  It was 2:36 p.m.  “Do you still need time to rest?  I don’t want to disturb any more of your nap.”  Thomas was about to leave the room, when Peyton sat up.

“Wait!” Peyton shouted.

Thomas turned and approached her bed.  “What is it, peanut?”

“Who is God?” she asked him.

Thomas gasped.  “God is someone who is really important that you should always listen to, honey.  Now, how long did you hear us talk?”

“When you started shouting.” Peyton told him.  “You woke me up.”

“Well, daddy’s sorry.  I’ll let you sleep then.  Have a nice nap, peanut!”

Peyton nodded, and Thomas left Peyton’s room, closing the door behind him.

One week passed.  Thomas still didn’t consider himself religious, but he was a little more curious about God, and who he was.  With that, the messages continued.  Most of them suggested listening to Mary.  While they all didn’t say this verbatim, they each did in a different way.

Thomas once again went with Peyton to the Sherman Valley Community Church.  Mary was in the lobby with Billy, this time waiting for his arrival.

Mary smiled when she saw Thomas with Peyton.  “You’re a little late.  Hurry!  Let’s get the kids to their classrooms.”

Thomas bashfully smiled.  “Peyton was the one that held me up this morning.” he told her.  “I’m sorry….”

After the kids were dropped off, Thomas entered the sanctuary for another sermon with Mary.  Thomas got more into it this time.  The music was nothing like what he experienced in the past.  When his parents took him to church as a kid, the music was played on an organ.  Sometimes, it was played on a piano.  They all sang from hymnals.  That was not the case at this church.

Unlike the church that Thomas went to as a kid, the music was modern, with a full band playing on a stage.  All the words were displayed on a projection screen.  There was no hymnal to be found anywhere.

After the worship music and the offering was a sermon.  The pastor talked about John 3 & 4.  He compared and contrasted the story with Jesus teaching Nicodemus and the encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well.  He went into great detail with each story, and explained everything very well.  That was the whole sermon.

When the sermon was over, Thomas followed Mary to the classrooms to pick the kids up.  This time, Thomas stayed with Mary to have lunch at the church.

During lunch, Mary handed Thomas a bible.  She called it “spiritual nourishment”, and that he could have it after his “physical nourishment”.  Thomas and Peyton ate the food.  It was chili with an assortment of fruit and vegetables.  After the meal, Thomas took the bible and thanked Mary.  For a meeting time, they both agreed to meet at Sherman Valley Community Church next week.  Same time, same place.

Back at home, Thomas opened up the bible.  This was the first time that Thomas has opened a bible in more than 20 years.  In the front was some lined paper, with a note from Mary.  In the note, she gave him a bunch of passages to look at.  They were mainly from Romans and the four gospels.

Thomas turned the page to Romans and began reading.  For the next three hours, he just kept reading.  He spent so much time reading that Peyton was starting to notice.

Peyton entered the room to find Thomas, sitting at the table with the bible open.  “What are you reading, daddy?” she asked him.

“Daddy is reading an important book,” he told her.

Peyton glanced at the book and frowned.  “There’s no pictures,” she said, pouting.  “Where are the pictures, daddy?”

Thomas smiled.  “There aren’t any, peanut.  That’s why daddy is using his imagination.  There are plenty of pictures when daddy does this.”

Peyton imitated the pose that Thomas was showing her.  “Oh.  Okay daddy!”  Peyton skipped off into the living room, and continued watching her cartoons.

After finishing Romans, Thomas got to the gospels.  He started with John, but stopped when he got to the third and fourth chapter.  He again saw the same words that he heard in the sermon:  “You must be born again”.  Thomas reread that passage over and over again.  After that he began to cry.

Thomas thought about his upbringing and his recent encounter with God.  He was actually angry at him, and blamed him for the loss of all the things that were most dear to him: his wife Julie, his position as executive for a large technical firm and his wonderful house.  All of these were things that he worked hard for.  Julie was his high school sweetheart.  And just like that, she was gone.  Thomas not only blamed God, but wanted him to prove that he was real.  In so many ways, Thomas hoped that he wasn’t real.  But every single time since that night, this never turned out to be the case.  Thomas now saw himself as the horrible person.  He blamed himself, hoping that God wasn’t angry at him.

Then there were the daily messages from “Anonymous”.  He teared up just thinking about them.  For each day that these messages were sent, God was reaching out to Thomas.  And he ignored that!  He wanted to try to find a different way.  Another method to explain the mysterious notes.  They couldn’t be from him, could they?  But they were, and he knew it.  Deep down he did, but he just didn’t want to admit it.

And then, the tears came out.  All the tears that should’ve come out before were coming out.  Every tear that was not shed during this whole experience was there.  Every tear was accounted for, and each went to their assigned places.

Thomas then closed his eyes and said a quiet prayer.  He heard himself say the words “born again” and “I will follow”.  He meant it.

All of a sudden, Thomas was overcome with peace.  It was a peace that Thomas couldn’t explain.  A peace that Thomas never felt before.  Upon feeling this, Thomas smiled, and wiped away the tears.  He was a new person.

The next day, Thomas checked his mailbox for a message.  He found one and took it inside.  It read:

 

This is my last message to you.  Welcome, Thomas.  We will meet again.  Don’t forget to talk to me.  Read that book.

Signed,

Anonymous

 

Thomas nodded, dated the message and placed it with the others.  Altogether, there were 24 messages, all addressed to Thomas.  24 reminders to Thomas of who he was dealing with.  24 blessings, just for him.  On some of those days, the blessing was himself.  A blessing that needed to be shared with those who needed it.

On one of those days, that blessing was Mary.  A blessing that happened in an unexpected way.  Since then, Thomas has started to become good friends with her, and looked forward to seeing her every Sunday.

On the very next Sunday, Thomas told Mary everything.  He had a lot of questions for her, and she answered them after the service.  They mostly pertained to the bible.  One of them pertained to a method of contacting her.  He asked for her phone number, and she gave it to him.  Thomas , in turn, gave her his number.  When Mary told him about her Facebook, Thomas frowned.  Thomas didn’t own a computer, but was now definitely planning on saving up for one.

After that, the phone conversations began.  Thomas called Mary every day.  Sometimes, Mary called first.  It was usually in the evening, since they had the most time to talk, and both of their kids were in bed during that time.  In these conversations, Thomas wanted be with Mary more.  He wanted to go further than the friendship that they were having.  Mary agreed.  This began their “meetings”.

The so-called “meetings” were arranged by either Thomas or Mary, and they involved meeting at a fun place.  The coffee shop, the library, the movie theater, and of course, Mary’s church.

Eventually, Thomas didn’t like the name “meetings” anymore, and wanted to call them dates.  They both agreed on this during one dinner at Thomas’s work — the Steak N’ Bake.  They both sat in a private and secluded part of the restaurant.  With it being a Monday night, they had the place to themselves.

“Another one of our ‘meetings’, huh?” Thomas said, giving her a playful smile.  “I think we should call them something else.”

Mary nodded, and reached for Thomas’s hands.  “Should we call them ‘dates’ then?” she said, smiling.

“Yes,” Thomas told her.  “Dates would do just fine.”  And with that, he leaned forward and kissed her.

Mary blushed.  “This is real love.  I know it is.”

Thomas frowned.  “Why would it not be?”

Mary stared at Thomas matter-of-factly.  “You remember, don’t you?  1 Corinthians 13….”

“Love is patient, love is kind,” Thomas recited.

Mary gave him a nod of approval.  “It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud….” she continued.  After she finished reciting, she kissed him.

After that, Thomas laughed.  “You’re right!  It is love.  Real love.  Genuine love….”

During that spring, Thomas and Mary started dating very frequently.  They dated every weekend on Saturday, going to church on Sunday. From the night that Thomas got saved, he learned so much from Mary.  From the books that she recommended and the book that brought him on the road to salvation.

In mid April, Chris, Thomas’s boss at the Steak N’ Bake was promoted to higher management.  As a result, Thomas was trained to be the new store manager.  Granted, this was a lot more responsibility for Thomas, but the higher salary was rewarding.

Towards the end of spring, Thomas proposed to Mary.  Using the money that he got from his promotion, he bought her a nice engagement ring.  In presenting her the ring, he got down on his knees and asked her the question.  “Mary,” he asked her.  “Will you marry me?”

Mary stood there, awestruck.  She took the ring from him and kissed him.  And, shedding a tear of joy, she nodded.  “Yes,” she told him.  “I will marry you.”

From that day, the wedding was planned for August 24, 2013.

In the midst of all the wedding planning, Thomas was trying to find them a new place to live.  He decided on an apartment.  But with all the planning divided between the wedding and apartment hunting, he was not able to find anything.  Even after months of searching, he was not able to find anything.

The wedding came, and both Thomas and Mary got married.  They exchanged their vows, their rings and their kisses.

A couple weeks later, the newlywed couple searched for an apartment together.  They found just the right one.  A three bedroom unit in a different community.  One that Thomas thought was a lot better than Golden Meadows.  Both Thomas and Mary sold their houses and moved in.  Thomas sold his trailer and Mary sold her 2 bedroom shack.

In addition to selling the house, Mary quit her job, so that she could focus on raising Peyton and Billy.

After the happily married new couple moved into their new apartment, Thomas noticed a box that he forgot to unpack.  It sat in the corner of the kitchen, near the kitchen table.  Thomas opened it.  The 24 “blessings” were inside.

Thomas found the one that referred to the car accident and quietly read it to himself.  If not for that accident, he would’ve never met Mary.  It was that blessing, and all those other blessings that changed Thomas’s life forever.

Thomas looked at the part that read “signed, Anonymous” and laughed.  “I guess you’re not ‘Anonymous’ anymore,” he said with a smile.

Looking at the other notes, he nodded.  “This is all the proof I need.”  Then he shook his head.  “No.  Your Word is….”

Thomas gathered his 24 “blessings” and placed them back in the box.  It was now his turn.  His turn to be a blessing.  To Mary, to Peyton, to Billy and to everyone else who needed it.

 

 

 

Me & My Muse – Day 2893: Happy 62nd Birthday, Mom!

While I certainly wasn’t present on your birthday a year ago, I am most certainly present with you now.

Mom is at home and we’ll be able to celebrate her birthday as a family.  She is enjoying her new gift:  A Garmin Vivo Smart 4 Smart Activity Tracker.  I wished her a happy birthday and she has yet to open her card from my brother and I.  I don’t know if she’ll have cake, but I know that there will be ice cream.

Today, I will be going over to grandma’s with mom, dad, and my brother to join my sister, my brother-in-law, my niece, and grandma for a birthday dinner of pulled pork sandwiches.  After that, we will be going home.

So, you’re all probably wondering what has happened to me.  What has happened to Kyle and has he fallen off the face of the earth?  To answer the first question, I will get to that.  There has been a lot of personal things in my life that I have had to sort through.  I will certainly explain it in future posts.  And to answer the second question, no.  I did not fall off the face of the earth.

Another thing that you’re probably going to be confused about is the numbering of the entries.  Why am I skipping 255 entries? (Technically, it’s 256 since I left out an entry in December.)

Muse:  I was wondering that too.  Are you ever going to get back to that?  There are so many missed entries!

I know.  And wow, you’re very small.  Almost the size of an atom!  Fortunately, I can see you with my Creator’s Privileges…

Muse:  I know you have other reasons as to why you haven’t updated.  Just hang in there and know just one thing.  You ARE going to get through this…

I know.  It’s a process that I’m still working on.  So, what’s the plan to restore the Walker Estate and Me & My Muse?  The story arcs will be worked on and written and be separated by post numbers.  It’s a gradual process but it’s all going to happen eventually.

Muse:  Is there going to be a Tower of Muses?  The next one is in a week!

Not necessarily.  The priority is to restore this blog.  The short and choppy posts will be replaced by longer ones.  I may keep the older ones and use post the new ones as “B” entries.  That’s the plan moving forward.  Consider this a trial entry as I am trying to get things back on track.

Today’s high is going to be 88 degrees and the silver lining is it being my mom’s 62nd birthday.

To those of you who like celebrating special birthday milestones, I hope that you all have a fantastic day.

Muse: It’s your mom’s 62nd birthday today? Tell her that I said happy birthday, okay?

Muse: Also, he still is not aware of the truth.  I replaced his Muse at birth to save my twinnie!  I hope that we can get her back soon somehow…