Our Pickwick Adventure

While visiting the Pickwick Lake area, Chris (who is fascinated by anything with gasoline) insisted we stop by a boat store. I was game because I wanted the kids to see a pontoon like my dad had when I was little. Wow, was I ever in for a big surprise! Now they have fancy seating, built-in stereos and sinks, hidden toilets...pretty cool stuff. But the biggest shock was the price tag. Many were over a hundred thousand!!! But hey, at least now they can pull water skis or tubers.

Anyway, as soon as we walked in the door, I made it crystal clear that we had no intention of buying, and that even if we wanted to, we had nowhere to put a boat. Business was slow though given the time of year, so one of the staff people gave us the cook's tour of several watercraft including the one pictured above. What a blast!!! The guy tried to get Wayne to drive, and even offered him a high-speed run if he dropped the kids and I off back at the dock. I think we could ALL get used to having a boat.

That School Picture We've Promising...

A few months back Sammy received a school picture that was, well, a little shall we say old for her age. Above is the picture we've grown to refer as the "Boobalicious Picture". The poor kid also inherited my big upper arms. Ugh.

We finally got a second scanner up and running, so get ready for some oldies but goodies. I also have more Pickwick Lake pictures as well as some from Thanksgiving to share.

Here's hoping you and yours have a happy and safe holiday season!

Pickwick Lake: Where Memphians Go to Escape

Okay, so we don't consider ourselves true Memphians, but a couple weekends ago we decided to wander down to Mississippi in search of pretty countryside. We've been told a lot of people like the Pickwick Lake area, a large lake that covers parts of Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama. Above is a photo of Sam and Chris near Pickwick Dam. We had a gorgeous day to explore. The leaves were turning, and there were adventures around every corner, the biggest of which I'll tell you about--and show you--in my next post.

After some wandering and a pizza at a rustic place called "The Broken Spoke", we toured an open house on some hills near the lake. Beautiful spot. ALMOST nice enough to make me dream of investing there instead of in Gatlinburg, but not quite. I've decided Gatlinburg is an activity vacation spot, whereas Pickwick is the perfect place to relax and enjoy nature. There isn't really a whole lot to do there unless you boat, fish, or water ski.

It was a fun day though. The scenery and family time out of the hustle and bustle of Memphis were both a welcomed experience.

Yahoo! Chris Made Drumline!!!!!!!!!!!

Just popping in to let you all know that Chris had a successful drumline audition which means springtime trips to Dayton, Ohio; Indianapolis; Alabama, and Mississippi in addition to his Orlando, Florida trip with the band. Lucky kid will be better traveled than I am (laughs).

Right now it looks like he'll be playing one of the big racks with multiple instruments attached, and shadow on cymbals where he'll fill in for someone at their big competition in Dayton. He's the only freshman to make the cut over to drumline from hornline, so we're very proud and excited for him.

Practicing for Christmas

Sam's always wanted to make a gingerbread house, but she's always been afraid that she'd mess it up. Well you can imagine our surprise when this edible spook house showed up in the WalMart clearance cart after Halloween! We had to have it!

As you can see here, I left the construction and decorating to Sam. The chocolate graham cracker-like house was decorated in orange and black frosting (some of which you see on Sam's mouth), pumpkin gumballs, candy corn, jelly beans, and sugar ghosts. I think she enjoyed the process, but only the bite you see her taking here got eaten. Oh well, at least she's ready to try another one for Christmas.

My Rippy

I was digging through some digital pictures and found this one of Ripken watching a bubble to the lower left of the picture. They were catnip bubbles of all things. Too bad the bubbles entertained him more than the catnip (laughs)!

Ignore the background mess; this was was taken in Parker in the "litter bathroom" so the bubble stuff wouldn't hit the carpet or furniture. Also looks like my little man needed his goobers removed from his eyes before the big shoot. But hey, picture opportunities like this don't come around every day, so...

Something Better to Look At

After looking at my ugly mug online, I decided I'd better get something better posted. Fast. So here are Sam's before and after pics. Her hair had grown really long, but she couldn't decide on a style. A fall dance prompted her to make a change and these are what came out.

We're still trying to work with doctors to figure out why the shape of her face changes so radically with her cycle. You can tell by the rounder look here that she's in the middle of it all. Poor kid. She never knows what she's going to look like from one day to the next.

Anyway, she LOVES the cut and how bouncy it makes her hair feel.

Belated Halloween Present

Okay, I made the images small so as not to scare small children or rodents. These are before and after shots of my first professional cut and color. I used to do it myself, but decided I deserved a treat after all the health craziness we've been through. The top is the "before" shot with all its split ends, etc. I had a back shot, too, but it scared even ME too much, so I decided not to post it.

The last two are the "afters". It's a bit short for me, and the color may be just a tad too dark, but it works for fall and winter. The girl even colored my eyebrows to make my eyes "pop". I was thinking, "With goofy eyes like mine, do I REALLY want to draw any more attention to them?" But in the end she won and I gave it a try. I really like the back. The front, well... Like I said, it's kinda short for my liking, and covering up my bald spot inspired her to try off to the side swoopy bangs. Uh no.

Anyway, it was a challenge getting pics that didn't show off my swollen thyroid. Oh what fun (laughs). Sammy also got a new 'do. I'll be posting hers next.

Happy belated Halloween (laughs)!!!

What a Collection!

Whew, the marching band season is finally over! I shouldn't say it that way because we all really enjoyed it. It's just that the hours, the work, and the traveling really got frantic for a while there. The band enjoyed a trophy-filled season as evidenced by the photo above. Yes, all those trophies really did come from the 2007 marching season (laughs).

Now Chris is not only gearing up for concert band, symphonic band, and wind ensemble auditions, but he's also got a drumline interview on Tuesday. The drumline travels extensively in the spring, but I think the discipline would be awesome for him. His chances of getting in to the select group may not be great because he's a freshman, but we're hoping that being the most improved marcher of the season will sway the directors in his favor. I think he's a little intimidated about having a one-on-one with the band director, asisstant director, and drumline director, but that too will be good for him. Wish him luck!!!