Random Monday

It's been a crazy busy weekend and it's Monday and Monday's are always crazy. All day last Frudat, I felt nauseated. Like, a weird nausea. Sara was off work and came by to visit the gals and I was like, "Ugh, I feel sick." She joked, "Probably because you're pregnant." I just kind of stood there and smiled and then went..."NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooo!!" Then Sara said, "You walk every day with the girls, right?" I said, "Yep." She said, "You're probably dehydrated because you're always so busy." I went and downed about 3 gallons of water. About two hours later, I felt as right as rain. How is rain right, by the way? So, yeah, not pregnant. Ha, we had a good (nervous) laugh. Although, I would have eventually been super thrilled about the baby (singular) that God decided to bless us with at that time, it was not something that would have been super great for my sanity right then. Once again, I would have been happy at a point later in time, but I would have freaked out for a little bit. And, I mean, there's no way. I am OCD when it comes to taking my pill. I know, I know..."sometimes they don't always work." Not mine...mine always work. It's not happening. But, anyways. It made me realize that I might need to slow down and take a break more often. And drink some water. Sheesh. Sad when I don't have time to barely live.

On Saturday, David and I loaded up the girls and headed north to my Mom's side of the family family reunion. Actually, my Mom's Dad's side...so Papaw G's family. They are craaaaazzzzyyyy, but a bunch of fun! Some folks I hadn't seen since I was maybe 3...some I had never met. They were all awesome, though. They're my family, so of course they're awesome. The girls were super fantastic and held out until the very end. They're the best. I found out some more about Missouri Jane, Harper's namesake. (You can read the whole story behind the twins' names here.) Uncle Raymond, my great-uncle, said they found a news article from October 13, 1898. It's about James "Indian Jim" Russell Sutton, Missouri Jane's father, which would make him my great-great-great grandfather. Indian Jim married Mary and they had Missouri Jane and Missouri had Esther and Esther had my Papaw G. So, I told you that Missouri Jane was kind of rambunctious and didn't put up with anything and they came from a long line of moonshiners. (Which is where the real Bogue and Weejer got it from.) I'll tell you another story about Missouri Jane in a second, but here's the 1898 article.

October 13, 1898

On Gunters Mountain, a few miles from Grant, at 8 0'clock Monday morning, Jeptha Reynolds, a sawmill man, aged about 50, had a misunderstanding with Indian Jim Sutton, a farmer of about the same age. Knives and rocks were used. Reynolds was cut on the head with a rock and knocked down. The fight continued, with Sutton on top. Reynolds cut across Sutton's body twice, once severing a lung, then laying open the bowels and severing the two intestines. Sutton then arose, gathering his hanging intestines in his hands and started for assistance. His wounds were necessarily Fatal. This happened down in Kennamer's cove. Indian Jim walked back up to the top of the mountain to a relative's house (he may have gotten a ride in a wagon). He died at that relative's house after a day or two of terrible suffering.

April 20, 1899

Jeptha Reynolds stands acquitted of the killing of James Sutton.

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat???? InSANE! A day or two of terrible suffering indeed. So, that was Missouri Jane's father. Now, MJ was pretty feisty herself. They said she always had a gun with her to protect her family and property. But, she was a moonshiner. Back then, if you turned in a moonshiner to the government, you'd get a cash reward. Well, that gal would turn in all of the other moonshiner's and 1. get the reward and 2. eliminate the competition. Pretty smart, huh. (I do not condone her actions...although I do like her attitude.) So, one time, she was scouting out a moonshiner and was hiding in the woods and they saw her and shot her in the hip. And that's why she always had a limp and walked with a cane. I have another picture of her with a cane, but here's one of her and her husband. I think his name was William.

We'll have a lot to tell Harper when she gets older. And there will be no shining of the moons.

On Sunday, my parents drove through back from the reunion and picked me and the gals up and we're back down south for two weeks. So so so so so thankful for the help. My level of sanity was reaching its limits. The girls have been absolutely perfect. Really. But it's working full-time and raising two kids and doing housework all at the same time that was tiring me out just a tiny little bit. And now I have some time to drink water again. And David is amazing and helps me so much when he gets home at night and on the weekends, it's just exhausting during the day.

And I miss David terribly already. I hate being away from him, but he's so supportive about me coming to visit and kind of recharge. He's coming down on Friday and we have a date Saturday night! Woo hoo!! I've said before it can get pretty scary here at my parents' house at night. It's in the middle of the woods. They have a tin roof that pops and creaks. Oh, there it goes again. Who knows what lurks in the shadows. They have hardwoods all in the house so I always hear footsteps. No wonder I'm still, at 27, terrified of monsters. That, at the fact that my loser (but awesome) sister told me It the Clown lived in my closet and an octopus lived under my bed. That's why I jump to get into bed.

I'll post pictures of our adventures at Mommajoe's and Poppadoc's.