Monday, January 28, 2008

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Yankees in the Snow

Things have been hopping here in the southeast. The weather has been interesting. It never rains for more that a few hours and the temperature can change from 40 degrees to 60 in a day. Never boring. Last week as I was opening the store it began to rain. After the rain fell so did the temperature making all that rain freeze. I work downtown by UT and a hospital and it is extremely busy with traffic. I noticed, huh...no traffic. I looked out and there was an accident then I noticed later that the emergency vehicles were going the other way on the street and there was another accident the other way about two blocks from the store! All total there were ver 400 accidents in the Knoxville area that morning So many, they just had to push the cars off the road to deal with it all. Norm stayed home from work until roads were cleared and by the time I got off work, it had melted.
So funny, I was at work doing my daily report when I noticed something from the corner of my eye and thought, 'wow, those cottonwood are sure blowing'. I realized that was impossible and that it was snow. It was beautiful but didn't stick and didn't snow up where we live, but it was lovely.

I am still enjoyed my job, I am starting to adjust to getting up so early. By 8pm I am a zombie. Norm has been a trooper helping get the girls ready and off to school. I get home in time to pick up the girls so it works out well. I have stopped drinking coffee. I can drink as much as I want and I noticed I was not sleeping well and was nervous and agitated. So now, surrounded by all the coffee I want, I drink herbal tea.

Hope attended a Christian abstinence rally called The Silver Ring Thing. Six hundred teens came and Norm said it was excellent. Hope was very excited about it when she came home showing us her purity ring.
-Tina

Friday, January 25, 2008

Hawk Nelson Is Coming To Town


They're comin' to town and we've already got our tickets!!! It should be great.
-Norm

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Latte Anyone?


Once the girls started school and my last two courses haven't started, I decided that I would find a job. A few weeks ago I started my search and was hired for a little drive thru cafe. After a couple of weeks of training, I am now the assistant manager with my very own key. Yes, I am getting up at the crack of dawn to open, but it works out great, Norm can take the girls to school (yes, I get everything ready for the day) and I am home in time to pick them up.

I am really enjoying the job and I have a great boss who is a professional opera singer by the way. I am really tempted just to sing at him someday (just kidding). Anyway, he is helping me get linked up to the theater/musical scene for me and the girls. Oh, and next week I am finishing my final two online courses for my A.S. FINALLY!

Everyone is doing well (much better that California). It has been quite beautiful here. Someone told me if you don't like the weather here be patient and it will change. I find this to be true. It only rains every few days and the most it has rained it about six hours. The temperature dropped one day but in a couple of days it was back to the sixtys. It flucuates quite a bit. Yes, there is a tornado watch in central TN, next to Nashville going up to Louiville in KY. Alas, we are in the east and only now are feeling the "effects". It's raining and windy but that's about all we will get. No, the "fun" stuff is never fully felt here.

By the way, New Years was a lot of fun. There's a cute park area in the middle of downtown adjacent to quaint shops and restaurants where they hold concerts and community events. We had our own "ball drop" replete with bands (mostly country, of course), games, ice skating and marshmellow roast. About 10,000 people attended the event. It was pretty neat.
-Tina

The blog of Norm (and family). loving God, loving my family, loving people, living my life so that God smiles. making a great cup of coffee. enjoying time with my family. being the Church.