my tree!

Here it is!

• bought it
• threw it in the trunk
• hoped it wouldn't blow out
• shook it a LOT
• cut 4" off the trunk
• put it in the stand
• decorated it
• watered it (this probably should have been done earlier)
• took a picture of it
  

they threw me into public...

Well, it's official. I'm a notary now and can place this lovely stamp on your legal documents (if in TN). I didn't want to put the picture on here without changing it somehow so someone couldn't print it out and use it.

oldies but goodies

Sulpher Springs, TN
How I got the nickname Carrie Knievel is a mystery to me.

Late 80s - Jonesboro, TN
Don't be afraid, this wasn't our couch.

1987 Florida Trip
Joy, Grant, me, Jason, Jeremy

Tweetsy Railroad

And to get you in the Christmas spirit, a nativity reenactment brought to you by Grant and myself (and our stuffed animals) in 1987. Joseph is a little short, don't you think? I think the footsies on the pajamas step the authenticity up a notch.

Too bad we don't have a scanner at home. I had to take pictures of all of these pictures, so they're not the best quality.

it's all fun and games until someone aspirates cranberry juice

the view from hereThis is as close as Solomon got to an actual picture. He always charges the camera and makes life difficult for the photographer.

I have no explanation. These were taken on two separate days, btw.

Mom and the three Siameses. They weren't kidding in that Disney song about being trouble either . . . we have 4!

Oreo and me in the living room Thursday night

This is called tech support, I think. I'm not sure Grandpa learned anything new.

Friday night, I got the bright idea (pun intended) to attach Maggie to her beloved laser pointer. You can see the setup in this picture. The little red dot stayed in front of her and got farther away the more she raised her head. It made for side-splitting laughter from the rest of us and gave the cats something to chase too. It was pretty hilarious.

Grant has to sleep on the couch. Jaz just likes being there anyway.

We really are rednecks at heart. Grant, dad, and I spent quite a while outside today trying to see who has the best accuracy when it comes to shooting. I knocked down more bottles. =)

Before we headed out for a walk this afternoon, Grant got Maggie to sit still enough for a picture by a tree that still has leaves. See the blue sky?

Oreo maintained proper hydration before the trek.

Mom brought Sheba with us in her backpack.

This is what Lynx looks like right before she (a) attacks you (b) drinks milk (c) attacks you.

And the mystery person of the evening is _______________.
Do you know? No family are allowed to participate in this contest.

finally home

My break started with driving to Chattanooga, where I met Hollie and Jaclyn for supper at Olive Garden (sorry Tara!). I had forgotten about the time difference and had a kind of late lunch while I was driving from Portland. I managed to finish my food though, plus salad and one breadstick. It was fun to see Hollie and we even went shopping for a little while in the mall afterward.

I got to see Ryan for a few hours after Jaclyn and I picked him up from dropping off his rental car at the airport. His family took off a little after we did, on their way to Florida. Ryan got his new car - the one from his blog - so we took that for a spin around Collegedale before they left.

Our drive yesterday was pretty eventful . . . and long. You can look at Jaclyn's blog for the details and pictures. An attempt to avoid bad traffic ended up costing us some time. All it takes is one other car, I guess. A good thing that happened was getting to stop and see the Cooks at their house on our way home.

Last night, we just hung out and played with the animals. I got to see the "big squirrel" that makes Maggie so excited in the back yard. She kept wanting out after we saw the possum, but she finally calmed down and decided to eat my dad's cough drops instead. She's a weird dog . . .

Grant enjoyed watching some TV with Jaz after she came in from the cold. Lily and Myrrh didn't remember me, but by now they've warmed up again. I had to kick them out of my room last night so I could sleep >:(


For now, we're still watching for Grandma and Grandpa Rilea (and squirrels) to get here!

catless

Well, my kitty is gone. She went kicking and scratching with Don Aldrich, one of the teachers here. I forgot to tell them that she likes to drink out of the faucet better than out of a bowl. Don't worry, I sent her catnip mouse (the red one from the pictures). Now there's no one to talk to here, or watch tv with, or to sleep across my neck at night. How will I survive? It's much more boring to do dishes by myself. =(


I'm headed to Collegedale, then home for break. We're going to stop and see the Cooks on Wednesday morning on the way through NC. I don't think I've seen them since April at Alumni Weekend. Oh, wait, my car broke down and they rescued me in May . . . Anyway . . . Ryan's going to be in Collegedale tomorrow night too, so it will be fun to get to see him for a few hours before we head different directions again.

Happy Thanksgiving! The next time you'll hear from me, I'll probably be in NC!

cat

There is something about the presence of a cat... that seems to take the bite out of being alone.
-Louis J. Camuti








As anyone who has ever been around a cat for any length of time well knows, cats have enormous patience with the limitations of the human kind.
-Cleveland Amory






The cat is the animal to whom the Creator gave the biggest eye, the softest fur, the most supremely delicate nostrils, a mobile ear, an unrivaled paw and a curved claw borrowed from the rose-tree.
-Sidonie Gabrielle Colette





One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. Which road do I take? she asked. Where do you want to go? was his response. I don't know, Alice answered. Then, said the cat, it doesn't matter.
-Lewis Carroll

more snapshots

This is the outside of the gym at MVA. The music building is to the right, just out of the picture.

The inside of Ryan's gym.

I stayed in the girls' dorm on the 4th or 5th??? floor. The dean called it the 4th, but Mary Jane said it used to be considered the 5th. Anyway, my window was the dormer all the way to the right.


To get the fans to boo, the U. of Michigan (thanks Jason!) logo was put up on the big screen while the Celtics tried to make free throws. The Wolverines and Buckeyes are big rivals.

This picture is for Grant. They had a bunch of giant guitars painted with different pictures on them all around because the Hard Rock Cafe was inside the mall. I think it was called Tower City.

The train at Kokosing Gap Trail. I made it look longer than it really is by this angle.


Yet another self-portrait.

This is why blogging takes so much longer now.

She really is ferocious, especially if you are trying to sleep or sit peacefully.

I brought Gabby and Olivia over today to play with the kitten. Olivia caught her about 4 times and wasn't afraid at all. Gabby wouldn't hold her unless seated on the couch with a blanket on her lap. I think they had fun. =)

oh deer!

I took a personal day Friday and flew from Nashville to Columbus to spend the weekend with Ryan. I got into the airport there around 9:45p Thursday and we drove straight back to campus so I could get to the girls' dorm before it was very late.

This is some of what's left of the tree that brought an unfortunate end to Ryan's car. It fell across the parking lot, where a branch hit the car.

I didn't wake up in time to go to either of Ryan's P.E. classes, but I did go to Health on Friday. We took the rest of the afternoon to drive around and go shopping. We got back just in time for Ryan to get his hair cut before sundown. Here's a "before picture" for you. You can see the after in all of the other pictures.

We ate breakfast at Ryan's Sabbath and then went to Sabbath school in the chapel. Oakwood's drama team got in too late Friday night to have vespers, so they did Sabbath school instead. They have a really strong group of actors. It was fun getting to see their program. They did the bulk of the church service too.

We went to a faculty member's house for lunch after church with the assistant guys' dean and some students. I know Ryan was disappointed he didn't have to cook ; ). We didn't end up leaving there until about 3p to get ready and leave for Cleveland.

Our Saturday evening entertainment was a great matchup between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics. The game started off looking like the Cavs were going to do horribly, but they came back from being very far behind to win by one point, after doing the last 1.2 minutes over. It was so much fun to be in a packed arena with crazy fans. We sat one row from the very top. They gave us those inflatable sticks to bang together to make noise with. It was fun being loud. We couldn't hear each other unless we yelled! This picture is Lebron James taking some foul shots when the Cavs were down 22 points.

Today was cold, but nicer because it wasn't raining (much). We drove over to Kenyon College after watching Cars. Mary Jane said it was a good place to go walking on the trail there that is 14 miles long. We didn't have enough time to actually walk anywhere, but we did look around the campus after we played on the train. We actually took one picture of us on the caboose with the camera on a timer where we were up on the platform, but it was too dark. It was fun to try to run and jump up there to beat the camera!

The train was fun to climb around on. I liked ringing the bell on the engine.

I'm back in Portland now, obviously. I left Columbus around 7:25 EST and got back at 7:30 ish CST. Pretty good, huh?