>>flash from behind us< >KABOOOM< <
– The roll of thunder that started immediately after Emily asked her question

“Wow, even the trash is fancy here!”
– Emily, at Biltmore estate, admiring the cast iron scrollwork around a trash can in the parking lot

“Hey, we could move here– they have a Walmart!”
– Shannon, joking with John while driving through Hendersonville on vacation, continuing our casual search for the perfect place to move to in the mountains when the kids are grown

“But we don’t have enough clothes– or the cats!”
– Amanda, from the backseat, thinking maybe that’s why we’ve been doing all this driving

“Man made things God does not marvel at; God made things man marvels at”
– Emily, unscripted, unprompted, from the backseat, as we were passing a man-made waterfall on our way to hike around some God-made ones!

“Daddy, what’s “Death by Chocolate”?
– Emily, reading the list of desserts in a restaurant

“What do you think it is?”
– Daddy

“A cake that’s really really really chocolatey?”
– Emily, clearly still wondering about the “death” part

“Yep, and then they shoot you.”
– Daddy, completely straight-faced

(brief pause while Emily considers this information)

“I think maybe I’d like to try the cheesecake.”
– Emily, not taking any chances