A Birthday Surprise

This past weekend we made our fourth trip to Florida in seven months to celebrate David's mom's 50th birthday. It was a surprise party for her, and she was definitely surprised. Her actual birthday is in September, so having her party in late July was a great way to surprise her. Everyone in the family was able to make it, and we had a great time hanging out. The next time we'll probably all be together is for David's sister Allison's wedding next March.



The whole gang!



David and his mom.



Grandma and her six kids!

We also had the chance to spend time with David's dad and my family. Thanks for the delicious friend chicken, potato salad and macaroni and cheese Mom!

Christian the Lion

Thanks to my good friend Mandy for sharing this clip. If you're a cat lover or just appreciate animals and their amazing and loving connections to humans, you'll enjoy this video. It reminds me of my "little lions," Dolly and Sammie and how much they "love" us. In fact, did you hear that Dolly just became a hurricane? I hope she just brings needed rain and no harsh storms to Texas and Mexico.

Diva Dolly

Since we don't have human children yet, we like to occasionally dress up our cats. They aren't always fond of it, but they always get extra treats afterward. Recently, I let Dolly play Diva for a little while with this fashionable scarf.



On another note, Sammie has become extremely attached to me. I know I'm home more during the summer, but if I leave the room that she and I are both in, she follows me around until I'm sitting down again. If I go to the bathroom and close the door, when I open it, she is there. Even when I use our Wii video console, which involves standing up, she stands next to me. If she is sleeping, she doesn't notice if I'm not in the same room, but if she wakes up, she starts to wonder where I am. I have a kitty stalker! :) At least she doesn't jump up on the kitchen counters like she did when we first got her.

Cleaning out the Fridge

Sometimes I go on a cleaning frenzy, and that happened during the past week. I start organizing drawers and wiping unseen corners. I tend to get obsessive about it, but I can't stand living in a dirty house.

I cleaned the refrigerator and freezer from top to bottom. They weren't that dirty, but a few of the items in them should have seen the trash a lot sooner. One such item that we threw away several months ago was a piece of groom's cake from our wedding more than four years ago. For some reason, it made the move with us from Florida to Tennessee, but it should have been thrown out a long time ago. David and I both were brave enough to taste it, but it was severely freezer burned. I know four years is a long time to keep cake, but we didn't set the record by any means. I remember reading a story last year about a couple who had kept their wedding cake in the freezer for more than 30 years! Yummy!

A Bear in the Mountains

This past Fourth of July weekend we traveled about an hour and half up the road to Gatlinburg, Tennessee and the Great Smoky Mountains. Some might have said we were crazy to venture into this crowded area on a holiday weekend, but Gatlinburg has the distinction of having the first Independence Day parade in the nation since it starts at 12 a.m. on July 4. It was a late night but a great parade with close to 100,000 people in attendance.

While we were there, we ate at a few of our favorite places. The Best Italian Cafe and Pizzeria is a new find within the past few years, but a great bargain. The meals are fresh, delicious and plenty, and you'll probably ask for a take-home box. One of my family's all-time favorites is the Pancake Pantry, which has been around since 1960 and serves breakfast all day, but we prefer their gourmet sandwiches at lunch. They also have a restaurant in Nashville, but I was told by the manager one time that they ship their pancake batter to that location since they don't want to give up the secret recipe. The Peddler is also a great place for fine dining, and we dined there on July 4 for dinner before the fireworks.

On a rainy Saturday morning, we drove up into the mountains to Clingman's Dome, the highest point in the Smokies and Tennessee. It was rainy and cloudy, and the higher you climb, the lower the temperature drops. It was a chilly 54 degrees on top, and we even got to see a black bear...well kind of. It was a great weekend!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my dad's 69th birthday. Happy Birthday Dad! He was born at home at his parent's farmhouse in 1939, and his mother didn't have any pain killers I'm sure. Moving to Knoxville has meant we no longer get to celebrate family birthdays, which I miss a lot. We'll be with you in spirit tonight dad as you celebrate at Outback. Enjoy! Happy Birthday! We love you!

Last Day of School

Today is the last day of the first summer session at UT, so it's my last day teaching Journalism and Electronic Media 200, the introduction to mass media writing course. We've met every day of the week (Monday-Friday) since June 2, but I don't mind.

I really enjoy teaching during the summer. Overall, the students perform better. I don't know if it's because we meet daily, and they are only taking my class and maybe one other, or what it is, but I really get to know them.

Sometimes I feel like an elementary school teacher who has to say good-bye on the last day. I'll actually miss seeing some of them and having vibrant class discussions. I might have some of these students again if they take the radio and television reporting class this fall that I'm teaching. Let's hope!

Happy Fourth of July!