Never Stop Believing

We're on day six of the Swine Flu and hopefully it will be history by Monday. We've been watching movies, sleeping a lot, and eating chicken noodle soup and jello. Shannon and I must have caught the adult version which isn't near as bad as the children's. We've experienced dizziness and extreme fatigue. I ran a low grade fever one day, but it wasn't too bad. Caroline was hit the hardest. Her fever reached 103 for a couple of days and was still 100 this morning. She caught the vomiting part too. Ben's fever broke Wednesday night and I'm hoping Caroline's will tomorrow. I emailed my Spanish professor and was told not to come to class last night. The only stinky thing about trying to spare my classmates is the fact that I missed the review for an exam. I've tried a couple of times to get the notes, but so far I haven't found anyone to respond to my emails.

I've spent the last few days cat napping and watching movies with the kids. One of our favorites is Remember the Titans. Not only is it an emotional movie, but my father has a personal memory that makes this movie even more special. My parents moved from Alexandria, Virginia to Roanoke, Virginia in August of 1971. My father taught at Howard Middle School which feeds into T.C. Williams. When he moved to Roanoke, he took a job at Cave Spring High School, teaching U.S. Government, American History and coaching the track & cross country teams. When Andrew Lewis played T.C. Williams for the state championship at the former Victory Stadium, (the old Roanoke Stadium) Dad said that he was the only member of Cave Spring High School to sit on the T.C. Williams side. He said that he knew many of the players, and he couldn't help but cheer for "his boys."

Here's another tid bit of interesting history for writers. While watching the bonus features included in the DVD, I learned that Denzel Washington, and several other members of the cast took salary cuts because no one believed in the film. The writers went through oodles of rejections because no one thought it was good enough for Hollywood. I find that fascinating since the movie is such a blockbuster hit! That speaks volumes, doesn't it? When we believe in our work, eventually it will pay off. On that positive note, have a wonderful trick or treating weekend!