Wedding Weekend

Last weekend we traveled to Florida for David's sister's wedding. It was unseasonably warm for March with highs in the 80s. The wedding was at the Omni ChampionsGate in Orlando on Saturday afternoon, and Allison and Matt make a wonderful couple!

The bride was beautiful, and it was a great event since we were able to see family members we haven't seen since leaving Florida in July 2006. I hung out in the bridal suite before the wedding and was able to take some photos.

Allison's mom helping her adjust her veil.



As the guests started to arrive we left them know we were up above watching them.



Allison wore her grandmother's pearls and gave each bridesmaid a set of pearls as a gift.



After putting on her dress and waiting for the ceremony to begin, Allison said, "I need to pee."



Allison, her maid of honor and cousin Mallory, and their grandmother.



The ring bearer and flower girl were adorable. Isabella wasn't happy about putting on her dress, and Daniel didn't want to give up his pacifier, but they were so cute walking down the isle together.



We're on our way down to the golf course for the wedding with only a few more minutes of being single.



Repeating the vows...


Allison's step dad is from Luxembourg, and several family members made the journey across the Atlantic, including cousin Olivier and his wife Alla. Olivier is a police officer in Luxembourg and was in his uniform. It was great to see them!



Her flowers were red and white.



The cake was beautiful and delicious.



At Friday night's rehearsal dinner, we had the groom's cake, which was made by one of Matt's co-workers. It was yummy too!



David's mom and step dad had the rehearsal dinner at their house in Winter Haven. They've recently completed a backyard renovation with a new deck and living space over their garage. The landscaping looks gorgeous in the front yard as well.









I don't know when we'll back in Florida, but it was a great visit! Congratulations Allison and Matt!

A Stressful Spring Break

I realize I haven't blogged in more than a week. I intended to blog earlier this week about the wonderful wedding and trip to Florida we had last weekend, but Dolly our cat had other plans. I promise to blog very soon about the wedding and post photos since I took more than 200!

We returned home from David's sister's wedding Monday night, and Dolly wasn't acting herself. I noticed it before we left last week, but thought she didn't like us leaving. When we returned, she didn't want to eat or drink much and just kept meowing as if she was trying to tell us something. She had something to say alright...

After a vet visit Tuesday afternoon, we learned Dolly was severely dehydrated, and her kidney disease had most likely progressed. She only weighed 6 pounds, 12 ounces. The blood work confirmed her kidney disease had worsened, and she also has some liver disease, a kidney infection and a urinary track infection. The vet gave us the option of putting her to sleep, but Dolly is still Dolly, happy and alert. The doctor told us her levels are the highest she's ever seen (not a good thing), even higher than textbooks mention. Dolly shouldn't be here, but she is thankfully.

She stayed at the wonderful Cat Clinic in Knoxville that only caters to cats for three nights until Friday afternoon. Dr. Koob and Dr. Haas and their extraordinary staff are so great, and we visited Dolly each day she was at the clinic. Because the lab was late with the blood work, they wanted us to leave her there Friday night since they close at 6 p.m. and didn't have time to get everything ready for her to come home, but I think the vet heard the extreme disappointment in my voice and said we could come get her last night and then take her back today, and they would load us up with her medications and show us how to give her the fluids here at home. We found out today she's gained a pound since Tuesday! Also, her liver disease has improved, and her kidney counts are better but not great. Below are the meds she's on. We have to give her more fluids tonight or tomorrow morning.



So far at home, she's eaten really well, sat and purred on our laps, enjoyed sitting in her cat tree and looking at the birds, and just being Dolly. We're very thankful she's happy at home for now, and we'll see how things go with her kidney counts.

It was a hard week since we weren't sure if she would improve. From now until when God wants Dolly back again, we'll have to give her fluids daily or several times a week, and she's on several medications for life. I realize some people might not understand our strong and loving connection to Dolly, but she is part of our family. As long as she's happy, we're extremely happy.

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. The vet told me again today that no one told Dolly her kidney disease is worse since she's still so happy and purring. :) As soon as Dolly came in the house last night, Sammie went over to her and sniffed her and then licked her face. I probably picked up and hugged Sammie a hundred times this week. I don't know what I would have done without her. Both of our girls are very special to us!

Our wonderful Florida friends, Brad and Mandy, who have two cat children, Cali and Kelsey, and one human child, Ryan, sent us a cat card that Ryan painted for us. So cute! Both of the girls love it. Thanks so much!

I Love the Smokies!

No matter how many times I visit what some call the tourist trap of the Smokies, I never grow tired of seeing the gorgeous views and simply being in the mountains. We finally took a weekend trip to Gatlinburg this past weekend once I finally felt better after battling a nasty cold for a couple of weeks.

Before we left, Dolly had to check her e-mail on my computer. She's already thinking about this year's holiday letter!



We stayed at the Hampton Inn, which has fireplaces in some of the rooms. It was a warm weekend with highs in the low 70s, but we turned on the fireplace anyway. There's an AC unit next to it, so we can balance out the temp and burn extra energy. I know my "green" readers aren't happy about that, but it was only for a couple of hours.




Here's the view from our hotel balcony.



The Little Pigeon River was flowing fairly fast thanks to the melting snow and ice in the higher elevations.





On Sunday, we drove up to Newfoundland Gap, and while it was in the upper 60s in Gatlinburg, we still saw quite a few patches of snow and ice from the car. It had snowed about a week earlier, but so many of the spots are in the shade, and it takes a while for the ice and snow to melt away.





Here are a few shots David snapped of the beautiful Smoky Mountains. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park will celebrate 75 years this year! Happy Anniversary!

Missing the Mountains

We didn't get any snow in Knoxville over the weekend like many parts of the South did. We're in the valley, so the areas around us experience harsher winter conditions. However, when I'm driving through parts of Knoxville, I have a wonderful view of the snow-capped mountains. It's a gorgeous view and one I will miss if we move away.

On Mondays and Wednesdays, I teach until 5 p.m. By this time, rush hour hits and heavy traffic on Interstate-40 along with the glare from the sun since I'm driving west, make driving conditions not ideal on this route. Sometimes, I opt to go home another longer way because I'd rather be driving the entire time instead of sitting and inching along in stop-and-go traffic.

However, there's another reason I enjoy driving home on Alcoa Highway. I have the chance to see the beautiful Smoky mountains, and on afternoons such as yesterday, the snow-capped beauty of this wonderful area. I will definitely miss the mountains and am so thankful we've had the opportunity to live here.

A March Miracle

OK, this miracle technically happened Friday, February 27, but as a journalist, I always love a good headline. And Baby Austin will always be a miracle baby in my opinion.

You might remember from a post last year about my college friend Natasha and her family who discovered their little baby had leukemia. After five months of chemo at Shands at UF, the Allen family officially went home for good on Friday evening, and Austin is in remission. The photo above is Austin on the right, and his big brother Hunter is on the left.

I'm so happy for this special family and hope to meet Austin and his big brother Hunter one day. During this ordeal, my mom and dad cooked and took a meal to Natasha one day while she stayed at the hospital EVERY day. She stayed during the week, and her husband came to the hospital on the weekends. Austin is such a happy baby. When my parents visited his room, my mom said all he did was laugh and laugh, despite being so sick.

His older brother Hunter celebrated his 5th birthday at the end of January, and I sent him a present. He told his mom to tell me, "Thank you for the gift. If you ever need anything, please call me." How cute is that! He also sent me an adorable hand-written thank-you note.

Natasha and I have been out of touch since college, but through Facebook, e-mail and her blog, we've reconnected, and I've learned so much about her wonderful family's struggle with this dreaded disease. As Natasha wrote near the beginning of this fight, "Austin has cancer, but cancer doesn't have Austin." Go Austin for beating cancer! Take care little buddy!

Final Day of February

I don't have much to write, but I thought I'd make one last post for the month of February. It's hard to believe we're almost into March. I've battled a nasty cold and cough for more than a week now. I lost my voice and blew my noise every few minutes. I'm finally feeling better, but I'm still coughing. Hack, hack, hack!

Being sick put me behind in grading and reviewing papers for a conference, so I'm catching up this weekend. I'm so glad Spring Break is soon because I have a lot to accomplish for some upcoming conferences in Virginia and Las Vegas in April. The fun never stops...

The results are in...

I had the oral defense of my comprehensive exams Friday afternoon, and my committee members were pleased with my responses, so I officially passed. I can now call myself a Ph.D. candidate instead of a Ph.D. student. It's also known as "ABD," or all but the dissertation. Ironically, ABD are my initials.

We also had a discussion about my dissertation, so I have lots to think about and figure out in regards to the research I want to do dealing with the ethical ramifications of journalists who blog.

I haven't felt much like celebrating this weekend because I'm battling a nasty cold. I was losing my voice during Friday afternoon's meeting, and now I can't stop coughing.

The weather changes up here as fast as it did in Florida. It was 59 degrees yesterday, and this morning we woke up to snow on the ground and highs in the 20s today. It's just a dusting, and much of it has melted, however, I was able to get the girls to go out in it briefly. The evidence is below since they quickly made their way back inside the warm house.

Dr. Dolly

The University of Tennessee is expected to award Dolly Parton an honorary doctorate in May. Pending approval of the Board of Trustees, Parton will be only the second person to receive this honor. Former U.S. Senator Howard H. Baker Jr. received a doctorate of humane letters in May 2005. Parton's hometown is Sevierville, Tenn., which is in neighboring Sevier County.

It's interesting that UT has only given this award twice in its history, and the University of Florida gives honorary degrees at least once or twice per year. Visit http://www.president.ufl.edu/hddesc.htm to see a list of all of them.

In other UT news this week, system-wide president John Petersen is resigning. His official resignation date is June 30, 2009, but he's stepping down March 1, so the interim president can take over and deal with budget issues. Petersen will receive $400,000 as part of his severance package. He is UT's fourth president during the past decade.

Get Drunk, Fall and Get $2.3 Million

A 25-year-old man fell onto the tracks of a subway train after getting drunk during a hockey game at a bar. A train ran over him and severed his right leg. His lawyer claimed the subway driver had time to stop, and a jury awarded him $2.3 million. Read more about it at:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/02/18/drunk.amputee.payout/index.html

What would America do without lawyers? I'm glad I became a journalist and now a journalism educator! :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

We celebrated Valentine's Day yesterday, which was also our five-year wedding anniversary. It's hard to believe we've been married for five years and together for nine. For a gift, David bought each us matching Saint Valentine medals and chains to wear. They are beautiful, and I haven't taken mine off. He's such a sweet guy.

We celebrated with an evening at home and a homemade meal, designed and prepared by David. He made smokey mushroom portabello soup from one of our favorite Disney restaurants, Artist Point. We also had cedar plank salmon with creamy dill sauce, rice pilaf and vegetables. It was delicious! Thanks honey. I love you! Happy Valentine's Day and Happy Anniversary!

The Flame Goes Out

On Wednesday, Knoxville and surrounding areas saw a fast moving thunderstorm roll through during the afternoon. The storm was moving more than 50 miles per hour, so it swept through quickly, but the winds were strong, causing some damage and power outages.

One of my students, Samantha Sutton, is a photographer and captured some great images before, during and after the storm. They are published in a slide show story at http://tnjn.com/2009/feb/11/ut-campus-after-the-storm/

One of my favorites is the torchbearer with his flame extinguished, which is a very rare site on UT's campus. I've heard that an opposing football team was able to make the flame go out once. I'm assuming this time the winds were so strong that the torchbearer's flame couldn't withstand them. Great job Samantha!

Where did the muppets come from?

Ever wonder how Oscar the Grouch came to be? According to a blog on Mental Floss, a lot of of Jim Henson's famous puppets are based on real people.

I never knew that Count von Count lost his ability to hypnotize people for fear he would scare children. Also, Miss Piggy is from Iowa apparently. Telly Monster, who is one of my favorites, originally was obsessed with TV, but producers were concerned about his influence on children, so they made him a constant worrier. Those of you who know me well know why I relate to him so well.

The Future of Journalism...in Nashville

Last week, I went to Nashville with several colleagues for an Online News Association one-day conference. We drove over that morning, traveling across the Cumberland Plateau, and returned Friday evening. It was a long day, but a good one.

I have been to Nashville several times (including several visits to the Grand Ole Opry and once with front row seats!), but the drive was always from Florida, so this was the first time I had driven through this part of Tennessee, which was quite mountainous and beautiful.

The conference was held at the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute, close to the campus of Vanderbilt University. We actually ate lunch at a cafeteria on campus, and I snapped a few shots of Vanderbilt in winter.

No Snow Day for UT

When I started teaching at the University of Tennessee in 2006, a colleague told me that UT rarely closes for snow days. Since I have been here, the university has only delayed opening for two hours one day, and this was after I had driven on icy roads to teach my 8 a.m. class, only to receive a text message when I pulled into the parking garage letting me know about the delay. What perfect timing!

Some UT students have suggested that UT rarely closes for snow days because of a snowball fight near campus that happened more than 40 years ago and is attributed to three deaths. The administration has denied this is why UT never closes, but it is still an interesting story. I told my students to research the snowball fight, and they found articles in two local papers, The Knoxville News Sentinel and The Daily Beacon
written several years ago that recount what happened on February 25, 1965.

Essentially, UT students were on Cumberland Avenue near campus (the equivalent of University Avenue in Gainesville for my Gator friends) and throwing snowballs. At some point, the students apparently opened the door to a truck that was driving on Cumberland and started throwing snowballs at the driver. He reacted by taking the gun he carried in his truck and shooting into the crowd of students, fatally wounding a male student. He was tried for murder, but was not convicted. The city of Knoxville was outraged about the students' behavior. You can read about the other two deaths that are blamed on the snowball fight by clicking on the story links in the above paragraph.

I've never been a part of a snowball fight since I grew up in Florida, so it's hard to imagine that what seems like innocent children's play could lead to death. But if the circumstances are right, anything can happen at any time.

Snow Days!

We've gotten the most snow in Knoxville during the past few weeks since we've been here. Fortunately, it's beautiful to look at, and there hasn't been major traffic disruptions. Knox County schools closed early yesterday and are also closed today, but UT never closes. Below are some photos I've taken during the past couple of weeks.












Dolly was not happy about being outside in the cold snow, but she loved eating a snowball!







I built a very small snowman on a table on our back porch. It took it several days to finally melt as you can see from the photos below.

25 Things About Me

25 Things About Me

1. After living 29 years in Alachua County, Florida, I moved to Knoxville in 2006 for a Ph.D. program at the University of Tennessee.
2. I love living in Tennessee since we have seasons, and the mountains are gorgeous.
3. I do not miss living in Florida, and I really don't want to move back to Florida at this point in my life.
4. Things I miss about Florida: Publix, family and friends, uncrowded days at Disney, alligators, UF's campus beauty at night (not necessarily in that order :))
5. I'm married to a wonderful man, and I'm the human mother of two cats.
6. We want to have human children, but I want to finish my degree first.
7. I do not like steak, but I love pizza.
8. I do not like beer, but I love wine.
9. I am completely deaf in my left ear and have been since birth.
10. I am left handed, and I've been told I have nice handwriting.
11. I enjoy writing and teaching, which is part of the reason I'm in a Ph.D. program.
12. I enjoy watching college and professional football and college basketball at times, but I don't have much interest in baseball. I also enjoy watching NASCAR races and have been to the Pepsi 400 in Daytona.
13. I grew up on a farm in Alachua, Florida, and our neighbors are Hare Krishnas.
14. My aunt lives in a house across the road, and my father was born in that house in 1939.
15. I learned to drive a stick-shift when I was about 8 years old, but I've since forgotten. I used to drive my dad's truck around the farm when I was young, helping him herd our cows.
16. I have a younger brother who is 8 years younger than me named Jason. My mom thought about spelling it Jayson, but she realized his name would never be spelled correctly. Thanks mom!
17. I have a sister-in-law (my husband's sister) named Allison, but my mom insisted using a "y" instead of an "i" in my name.
18. My parents thought about naming me Jody Beth, so I would have grown up as Jody Beth Beutke. My dad had thought about naming me Albert if I had been a boy. I'm glad neither of those things happened.
19. I grew up watching soap operas and I still watch The Young and the Restless along with other shows including ER, The Office, 24, and reruns of Beverly Hills 90210, the Brady Bunch and more. I can't imagine not having a television. I also watch a variety of news programs.
20. I have always loved school, and I'm a true nerd, but that doesn't bother me. My husband is also a nerd.
21. I have been to Europe and visited Luxembourg, France, Germany and Belgium. My husband's step-father is a Luxembourg native who lives in the U.S. now, but his entire family still lives there.
22. I love many kinds of cheese, but not a kind Luxembourg has called Kach Keis, which is a soft cooked cheese that has the consistency of rubber cement but looks like something that came out of your nose. Sorry, but it's just gross. I love blue cheese though, which my husband detests since it's "rotting cheese."
23. I have been to Hawaii on our honeymoon and loved it. I would rather live there than Florida.
24. I tend to be a neat freak and detest fingerprints that can be seen on mirrors, microwaves, television and computer screens. I hate it when people touch my computer screen and leave a fingerprint.
25. I cut coupons from Sunday's paper and use them, and I comb through ads and try to buy most items on sale.

Last Weekend of Studying

I'm in the middle of taking my comprehensive exams that are testing me on all that I've learned during my Ph.D. studies. I've received tons of much appreciated advice about how to study and what to study. I've actually enjoyed studying...to some extent because I've had the chance to read a lot and start fitting the pieces of all that I've learned together in some type of understandable puzzle. One of my professors told me this is the smartest I'll ever be in my life.

Another professor and friend from my days at UF said to me on Friday, "Allyson, this is the last weekend you will ever have to study, ever!" I thought about it, and realized she's right. While I do have the daunting task of writing a dissertation, writing additional research articles, preparing to teach classes, and attending conferences, I'm finished taking classes, and this is the last time I'll actually be studying to take an exam. (Unless of course I decide to get another degree :))

This thought makes me nostalgic since I've always enjoyed studying and learning new concepts and ideas. I think back to all the exams I've studied for during my life, and I wonder how many tests I've actually taken. But these exams are the most important to some extent, and I'll be glad when I am finished on Friday. I appreciate all the well wishes and positive thoughts sent my way.

I take my next exam Tuesday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. so I'll miss the live presidential inauguration, but we have a DVR, so I'll record it and watch later that afternoon. It's hard to believe that while I'm sitting in conference room and typing on a computer for four hours that our next president will be sworn in to office. Of all the presidential inaugurations I've been alive for, this is the most historic one. I'm sorry I can't watch it live, but as Barack Obama endures one of his first tests as president of the United States, I'll be taking one of my final ones...on paper that is.

Go Gators!

It was great to see the Florida Gators win a third national football championship Thursday night! We've been in Knoxville for the past two, but David and I were both UF students when the Gators won the title in 1996. I know not everyone agreed they should be the national champs since Utah is undefeated, and Florida lost to Ole Miss at home earlier in the season.

I agree we should have a playoff, and president-elect Barack Obama feels the same. In an interview with "60 minutes," he said, "If you've got a bunch of teams who play throughout the season, and many of them have one loss or two losses, there's no clear decisive winner. We should be creating a playoff system."

When UF clinched the title, Obama again said he supports a playoff system. While he congratulated the Gators, he said, "If I'm Utah, or if I'm USC or if I'm Texas, I might still have some quibbles. That's why we need a playoff."

He and others who feel the same way make a good point, but for now, it's nice to be on top again. Go Gators!!!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday! Happy Birthday Mom! Wish we could be there to help you celebrate at Outback tonight. Enjoy your steak! We love you!

Finally Fixed?!?!

UPDATE: The water heater is NOT fixed. We had to reset it again this morning after David took a shower. I think we're both too annoyed and frustrated right now to call the rental agency AGAIN for fear of what we might say!

We live in a rental house in Knoxville, and while it was built in 2005, we've had numerous problems with it. The most recent was the water heater that stopped making hot water in mid-December. We called the rental agency, and they sent someone who arrived one evening at 7 p.m. and told us there's a red reset button that hopefully just needed to be reset, and that would solve the problem. It did need to be reset, and the hot water quickly returned, but after two showers and a dishwasher run, no hot water again. So we reset the button a couple more times and realized something else was wrong. To make a long story short, it's taken four repair trips to hopefully and finally fix the water heater. The top and bottom heating elements and the thermostat had to be replaced. I'm still not sure why all of this was necessary since the water heater is only a few years old.

In addition to that problem, we've had two stove burners short circuit, an ice maker that leaked water in our top freezer and bottom fridge, a leaky toilet, clogged drains (when we first moved it, David cleaned out the bathroom sink drain and found enough hair to cover a furry animal!), and closet shelves that have fallen twice. With the shelves, it took them more than a month to come out and fix them for the second time last summer. The carpet is thin, and all you have to do is look at one of the walls, and it makes a mark.

Some of you might also remember how our porch almost slid down the hill a couple of months after we moved here.



It was a Saturday and had rained all day, and about 4 p.m. when it stopped, I stepped out onto the porch, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw the air conditioning unit leaning and realized the porch was also learning. They fixed it but not very well. Finally last summer, they came back and redid our porch and our neighbors' porches. The workers, however, thought our back hill was a landfill since they left all their water and Gatorade bottles and trash. Some of it we could pick up, but most of it was too far down the hill to get.

While we've had our share of problems, I'm glad we're renting this place. If we owned it, we would have spent a lot of money in home repairs. They probably built this house in day or two at the most. They were still finishing our subdivision when we moved, and I remember seeing houses going up in a matter of days, but the workmanship is not of high quality. David and I both have rented a series of apartments that were built in the 1970s or even earlier, and while you can see the numerous paint jobs, we never had as many issues with our rentals as we've had with this house in Knoxville.

The saving grace is the view of the small mountain ridge that I look at whenever I'm frustrated about something else breaking.



I'm keeping my fingers crossed that our hot water heater troubles are over for now and placing bets on what will need to be fixed next!