Wow! What a summer!!!

Okay, so I finally have a moment to update the blog. It's been an amazing summer and God has blessed us so much this year! I'm not even sure where to begin. I guess our summer started by helping Tatum's parents move their camper in at their river property in Wedowee. We've had fun there this summer spending time with Tatum's family. I even kneeboarded for the first time ever.

You can tell I'm working hard!

I pretty much did nothing.

I did eat a lot, though.

We celebrated Tatum's first Mother's (to be) Day at The Classic on Noble.


Our friends from Orlando, Greg and Justine, came to visit us in May. We went to the Regions Charity Classic golf tournament at Ross Bridge, but it got rained out so we went shopping in Birmingham. Greg and I played golf at Silver Lakes and then we all went shopping in Atlanta and attended a Braves game.

I love funnel cakes, especially the sugar!!!!!

The first part of June we hosted a Mexican/Margarita Shower for our friends Misty and Marc at our house. Obviously, Tatum did a great job decorating and the shower was a hit!!

The happy couple. They got married July 19.

In the middle of June we went to visit my parents in West Virginia. My sister and brother-in-law were also there and we had blast! We went to visit the campus of Marshall University. We even got to play on their football field!!

We also ate at a place called Hillybilly Hotdogs. Tatum saw them on "Diners, Driver-Ins, and Dives" on The Food Network. Two items on their menu are a 10 lb. hamburger and a 3.5 lb. hotdog. Check out this video of their segment from the show:





On Father's Day, we went to Pipestem State Park in WV.



Our friends (extended family), the Gallahars, also came up to visit and we all went whitewater rafting up the New River.


When we returned home from WV, I played in a doubles tennis tournament with my friend Amado at the Anniston County Club. We played three matches in one day. It was so hot, but we had a lot of fun. Oh, and I guess I should say that we got spanked!!! Our first match was against two 15 year olds from Westbrook Christian and it was kind of embarrassing how bad they beat us.




At the end of June, Tatum and I got to go to Las Vegas. It was the first time either of us had been out west and we were amazed flying over the desert. We had a lot of fun in Vegas and even won $200 playing blackjack!!! Yeah!!! One of our favorite parts of the trip was eating dinner at the Eiffel Tower overlooking the water show at the Bellagio.






The week after the 4th of July, we went to Panama City Beach, FL for a week with Tatum's family. We had a great time relaxing, playing games, and of course eating!!

The sign says "17 weeks"

The summer did have a low point. My grandfather passed away the early morning hours of July 18. While very sad about this, it is very comforting knowing what a great man he was and that there is no doubt in our minds that he is in Heaven right now waiting on us to get there. The Anniston Star wrote a great article about him. You might be able to read it here. You might need a username/password. If you don't have one, you can get a one day pass at annistonstar.com

The end of July was kind of bittersweet. Our friends Matt and Kristen Howard moved to Hoover and we will surely miss them and their leadership in our church, but we know it's for the best. The highlight of July for me was on July 31; the day we found out we're having a boy!!! Mason Tate is due to be here the middle of December and we can't wait to meet him. We've been working on his nursery and I will update the blog later with pictures.

Let's see, I also bought a riding lawn mower (finally!!!) and built a 10x10 storage building in the backyard a few weeks ago. Like I said, we've been really blessed this summer... Tatum and I got to visit the mountains, the desert, and the beach. God's creations continue to amaze me!! The summer is almost over, but I still have a B.R. Williams 50th Anniversary picnic to finish coordinating and three weddings to attend, but then.... oh yeah... it's football season!!! Roll Tide!!!!

Countdown Clock by Zoodu.com

I'll Hold Your Hand

Today is Tatum and my 3 year wedding anniversary. I can't believe how fast the time has gone by, but it has been an amazing three years. I'm looking forward to our next anniversary with a baby there to help us celebrate. Our wedding day was PERFECT! We couldn't have asked for better weather for an outside ceremony. After we read our vows, I surprised Tatum with a song I wrote. There is a tune, but there is no music to it (yet). I was nervous singing it and for some reason dogs started howling in the distance. Wanna hear it? Here it goes...

Verse 1:
Long blonde curly hair
Waving through the air
With the top down on your pretty yellow car
Riding next to you is where I want to be

You make my life complete

I want to be where you are

Cause where you are the sun is shining
And when I'm not with you I'm always whining

Chorus:
You are my sunshine

I'm so that glad that you are mine

You make me happy every day

I'll always love you and take care of you

I'll hold your hand along the way

Verse 2:
Big blue beautiful eyes
A smile that could win a grand prize
And lips that fit just perfectly against mine
Being with you is so much fun
Our lives have just begun
I want to be with you all the time

Cause where you are the sun the shining
And when I'm not with you I'm always whining

Chorus:
You are my sunshine
I'm so glad that you are mine

You make me happy every day

I'll always love youAnd take care of you

I'll hold your hand along the way

Verse 3:
Long white wedding dress

Emotions all in a mess
You look so beautiful today

Standing next to you God's blessed me

As we start this family

I never knew that love could feel this way

Chorus:
You are my sunshine

I'm so glad that you are mine

You make me happy every day

I'll always love you
And take care of you

I'll hold your hand along the way

Tag:
And maybe one day we'll have a little blonde haired girl
I hope she looks just like you with those cute little curls

I'll tuck her in her bed every night

And sing to her the song I sing my wife

You are my sunshine
I'm so glad that you are mine
You make me happy every day

I'll always love you

And take care of you

I'll hold your hand along the way

I'll hold you hand down the aisle today

Here is a picture of me singing and Tatum crying/laughing...

I'm in love all over again!!

If you're confused, read the shirts.

I Can Only Imagine

I want to share this precious video with you. The girl in the video is Whitney Gallahar. She was 13 years old when this video was taken in Gatlinburg, TN in 2001. I encourage you to listen to the words of this song and watch her eyes throughout the video and see how she "performs" this from her heart. Please watch the video completely and then read the remainder of this blog below. If you have a slow Internet connection, you might want to give it a few minutes to load.



What some of you didn't know before you watched the video is that Whitney left us in May 2007 at the age of 19. For those of you who knew Whitney, we are assured that she is not imagining anymore. She gets to walk by Jesus' side and dance for Him and sing Hallelujah to Him every day and I believe with all of my heart that she has that same look in her eyes, the look of passion and love for her Jesus. Whitney was, and still is, an amazing young lady. She always made the right decisions and she loved everyone she knew. She held no grudges and forgave anyone who did her wrong. I can only pray that I could have the strength and love that she possesed. She was like a little sister to me and I know without a doubt that I will be able to stand in awe of Jesus someday with Whitney right beside me. I won't have to imagine anymore either. If you're not sure that you won't have to imagine one day, or if you have any questions at all, please e-mail me at daniel.buckhannan@gmail.com and I would be honored to help you in any way possible.

Please feel free to share this blog/video with anyone by sending them to my blog or to http://wlg33.blogspot.com, which is a blog I set up just for this video. I encourage you to go there and leave a comment on how Whitney has touched your life.

Men do it too!

I am a little hesitant to post this because I'm sure I'll get made fun of by some people, but you know what... I don't care; it's worth it!   Apparently, more and more men are getting pedicures.  I have two uncles who have gone with their wives recently and have raved about what a great experience a pedicure is.  Well, yesterday I went with Tatum and my sister, Lisa,  and we all had pedicures.  Wow!  I'm hooked.  Guys, there is nothing wrong with doing this and trust me when I say it is awesome!  You sit in a massaging chair the whole time and start out with your feet soaking in hot water and then they trim and buff your toenails (make them look decent) and then the good stuff begins... she scrubs your feet and then massages your feet and lower legs for about 10 minutes..  The whole experience lasts about 30 minutes, but I've heard that it lasts longer at other places.  No, I didn't get my nails painted, not even clear paint, and I never will.  Tatum said that I enjoyed it more than she did, but it was my first time and I was kind of upset that I've gone all this time without doing this.  I don't think I'm brave enough to go alone, but I will definitely be going with Tatum again soon!

Guys vs. Gals

The past two Saturday nights we've participated in Game Night with a few other couples.  It's a really fun time to eat, get to know new friends, and then partake in a battle of the sexes.  The first game night we played Cranium and the second night we played Buzz Word.  The inner beast comes out with some of the players with rudeness, arrogance, and competitiveness.  On the flip side, the guys are always encouraging and congratulatory in our defeats.  Even though we have yet to win (except in Wii boxing), we always leave with happy wives!

I'm sure I've started something now...

And the winners are...

WE WON!!! 

It came down to us and another couple, but we won in a tiebreaker.  We kissed for exactly 2 hours, well we really just kept our lips together, but it was still tough.  Our lips were numb by the time it was over.  You can only imagine.  Thanks to those who offered encouragement!!

The picture was taken with my cell phone, so the quality is not too great.  My mother-in-law took a lot of pictures and video, so as soon I receive them I will share them with you.

We had to wear matching K-98 shirts.

Time for the chapstick

I received a phone call from the local radio station about an hour ago. Tatum and I were chosen as one of the 5 couples participating Saturday. I'll just let you read the contest rules...

KISSIN' COUPLES CONTEST OFFICIAL RULES
Entry forms MUST have both names of participating couple on them and your guess of how many candy kisses are in the jar.
Top 5 couples who get closest to guessing the correct number of kisses in the jar will be our kissing couples.
Selected couples must meet WVOK staff at the Quintard Mall on Saturday, Feb. 16th at 1:30pm. Contest begins at 2pm.
Couples must stand the entire time.
Couples hands must be either behind their back or in their own pockets the entire time.
Lips must be touching the entire time.
No kissing breaks during the 2-hour remote.
Participants must be 19 years of age or older.
If two (2) or more couples remain at the end of the remote, all couples will be entered into a drawing. One couple will win the grand prize.
Winning couple will receive:
Victoria Inn One-night stay
His/Her Citizen watches from Sisters' Treasures
Two (2) One-month unlimited tanning certificates (one for each person) from Always Summer Tanning
Dinner for 2 at Classic On Noble
$100 gift card to the Quintard Mall ($50 card for each person)
Of course, the jar of Hershey's Kisses.

Monday Monday

Some of you have e-mailed me about my list below.  Here is something we all need to watch on a Monday...

Chick Flicks

Tomorrow is almost here. Tatum has been counting down the days for almost a month now. Tomorrow is the day the movie Fools Gold debuts. She is sooooo excited!!! And guess what... so am I. I have never really understood the whole "I'm a male... I don't watch chick flicks" attitude. Guys, hear me out on this one. Tatum and I love movies. We frequent the theatre and we are members of Netflix. We like just about all kinds of movies, with just two exceptions... Tatum despises horror flicks and I don't care much for Sci-fi.  But today's topic is Chick Flicks.

I have two reasons for not minding these movies: One, if she lets me watch hours upon hours of football, the least I can do is attend a movie that only lasts around 2 hours.  Two, they're actually pretty decent movies.  They're usually pretty funny, they show us attractive people, and the majority of the time the script has a happy ending.  In the straightest possible way to say this... I must admit that Matthew McConaughey is my favorite chick flick actor.  I think he plays the roles perfectly.  Failure to Launch and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days were really funny and I can watch them over and over and over again.  

Okay, now it's time to do something manly...

You gotta keep on smilin'

First, good news... my granddad went for more tests this morning and the results were encouraging. His kidneys have a lot of blockage, but the doctor is sending him to an Eurologist to discuss several options for surgery that will result in a drastic change for the good! So, thank you for all of your prayers so far and continue to pray for a speedy recovery!!

A couple of my other blogging friends recently posted a top ten list of their pet peeves, and not that it is a bad thing, but I want to make a list of things that make me smile. So here they are in random order:

1. Watching Tatum dance. She is hilarious.

2. Seeing an older (senior citizen status) couple holding hands. I mean, come on... that's awesome!

3. Hearing a baby laugh. I know, I know... everyone smiles at this, but next time you experience this, you should really take it in.

4. Winning. I hate to be a sore winner, but I can't help it... it makes me happy!

5. When I'm sitting on the floor and my dogs come up and lay their heads down on my legs and look up at me with those big brown eyes.

6. The smell of fresh cut grass. It immediately puts me in a good mood.

7. Rob & Big. It's a TV show on MTV, but it is usually pretty clean humor and you can't help but laugh out loud while watching every episode. Those two guys make everything hilarious. They even made turtle racing one of the funniest things you've ever seen.
Caution: do not eat while watching this show!

8. America's Funniest Home Videos. I didn't want to add another TV show to the list, but this is a must-see for me. Videos of people getting hurt (knowing they're okay in the end) crack me up every time.

9. Waking up on a Saturday morning at 6:00 and knowing that I can go back to sleep. Ahhh.

10. Pictures of our wedding day. Everything about that day was perfect!

Time for a change!

I've been contemplating the idea of starting my own blog for a couple of weeks now.   I'm not a writer.  As a matter of fact, I hate writing.  If it wasn't for writing, I would have probably loved school.  It stresses me out when I write, because I feel like people don't see the whole picture of what I'm trying to say.  For instance, I can tell you that I love my wife, but just saying that doesn't do it for me;  I want you to really understand how much I love her and why I love her and I cannot just say that in a few sentences.  I'm trying to change.

My first blog comes with sad news.  My Granddaddy is not doing well.  He has Alzheimer's and has been getting worse and worse every day it seems.  I feel like he stills knows who I am when I am with him and he definitely knows who my grandmother (MamaRie as most people know her) is.  We just found out that his kidneys are failing and while there are more tests to be run, it appears as if he will not be here for his 80th birthday in May.  Growing up I was extremely close to my grandparents.  We lived about 3 miles from them in Saks and their house was a second home.  When they were out of town, I still wanted to go to their house.  After my first year of college, my parents moved to Douglasville, GA and my grandparents moved to Guntersville, AL to be closer to other family members.  Over the past years, I have seen them less, but my love for them certainly hasn't diminished.  Every time I am with them, I feel like the luckiest grandchild ever, but I also feel bad because I don't spend the time with them that I want to and I know that MamaRie wants me to.   Inconvenience ruins me.  When Granddaddy was in his prime, he was the greatest man most people knew.  I've heard countless stories of his selfless acts no matter how inconvenient it was to him.  If a grandchild wanted ice cream at 10pm and they didn't have the requested flavor at their house, Granddaddy was on his way to the grocery store.  If he passed a broken down car on the side of the road, Granddaddy would pullover to offer assistance.  Not only would he help them, but he would invite them to church... every time.  I've heard stories of how he paid other people's bills anonymously because he knew they were in need.  Granddaddy has walked girls down the aisle on their wedding day because they didn't have their own father there and he was seen as someone just as important.  If you've ever read Don Piper's book 90 Minutes in Heaven or heard him speak, you've heard about his experience in Heaven (in a nutshell... he was in a terrible car accident, pronounced dead at the scence, and came back to life after experiencing Heaven for 90 minutes).  Don Piper talks about one thing that really stands out from his visit to Heaven is that the people who were standing at the gates welcoming him home were those who had an influence in him getting to Heaven.  I can only imagine that once Granddaddy does get to Heaven how many people he is going to welcome Home.  Inconvenience made Grandaddy a hero.  I want to be just like him, but that requires change.  I'm trying to change. 

Please pray that God will help me change to be more like my Granddaddy.  Pray that inconvenience will not keep me from inviting others to church.  Pray that I will be willing to get my hands dirty for the one lost sheep.   I'm trying to change.