Heart Support Tour

What do you do when you have a free night in Knoxville TN? You go to someplace by Lexington KY to a concert. We heard about a christian organization called heartsupport.com that was doing a concert tour with The Beautiful Republic,Spoken, Falling Up(yea) and Family Force 5 (double yea). Lexington is only a couple of hours from us so we headed north, checked out Lexington and went to the concert.

It was first come first serve on the standing (yes, standing only) concert so we got there as soon as the doors opened. I, Hope, Grace and Norm were to determined to stand as close to the stage as we could. By the time Beautiful Republic was done, so was Grace-too many Kentucky boys trying to mosh. By the time Spoken was done, so was I. I am too old to enjoy my hair being pulled, my feet being stomped on and being a part of a mosh. The bands were great, I love Falling Up and Family Force 5 was as always fantastic. I enjoyed the rest of the concert with all the other forty-somethings-singing-along-looking-dorky-cause-we-know-all-the-words people.

We had a great time, my ears are still ringing. -Tina

And a video short by Grace (Family Force Five)

HAWK NELSON (no relation)

The event

we'd been looking

forward to finally arrived.

HAWK NELSON

in concert

in Knoxville!

It was a sold out

concert at

the Coliseum.

There is so

much energy in

their shows and

last night was

no exception!

Rock The City
was

sponsored by the
Franklin Graham Festival
coming to Knoxville in

April 2008.

-Norm

A Video Short By Grace..................

La Forza del Destino

Last night was to be our Valentine Day outing. It turned out to be a family event. One of the reasons I was attracted to Knoxville was, for being a town by mountains, it offers a lot of cultural events. Last night we attended Verdi's (in english) Force of Destiny Opera at the Tennessee theater. The tickets are less than what I paid for Hannah Montana in 3D (yes, we saw it) and was just fathoms better.

The Tennessee theater is one of the most slendid buildings I have ever been in; just a gorgeously restored theater. The people were as interesting as the building itself. You had the men in tuxedos, women in full length gowns, the business dressed and even the UT students in the orange (go vols!) hoodies and jeans.

The full orchestra was spot on and the cast was amazing. One of the main characters happens to be the owner of the store where I work. He is a vocal teacher at UT and offered us to go backstage. I love opera among other genres of music, but opera is what I would love to sing. I look forward to seeing Pucini's Tosca (one of my favs) in the spring at the Tennessee theater. Of couse Merle Haggard will also be performing there as well. Hey, it is the south!

-Tina

Storms and Sushi

I still monitor the weather and news in California. As storms have nailed the Sacramento Valley and just about all of the west coast. Here in Tennessee, another type of weather has made itself known. Tornados ripped through the Nashville area and surrounding states. We are happy to report all we experienced was high winds and rain. I think part of it might be the effect the mountains have in counteracting the wind patterns. Thankfully, we are all safe and sound.

Last night we went out to eat sushi. Our last experience with sushi was at a place in Redding. It was not a pleasant experience, but last night was a whole different story. The atmosphere was great at the Stir Fry Cafe in West Knoxville. Hope had a salad. Grace adventured with us in trying sushi. It was very fun trying something new and eating with chopsticks.

Friday evening Tina and I will be trying something else new. We will be attending the Knoxville Opera for an early Valentine's Day date. I hear the Tennessee Theater is something to see!

-Norm

Another Concert Coming Soon

PILLAR!!!

-Norm

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

Hawk Nelson Is Coming To Town

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

-Norm

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

A Holler Joller Christmas

With much anticipation we awaited the arrival of our true Christmas gift, the Hollers. It took eleven hours but they finally arrived. The problem with showing people around is that I am still trying to find my own way around. It was so great to see everyone the girls have all grown (finally).

We went to Gatlinburg and Seiverville and went shopping. We had a great time with them. They were here for about four and half days, not long enough. RaChael kept commenting that it was too quiet and people were shockingly polite. We had opened our gifts on Christmas Eve and then shared Christmas with the Hollers. It was great cooking with my sister again. We had an Italian meal. On the last day we took them downtown town to the Sun Sphere and Chocolate Factory. With much pleading and begging for a longer stay on the girl's part, we said our goodbyes.

-Tina

For...

"...God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 NIV

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 NIV

Merry Christmas from Tennessee!

Famous Last Words

I told Norm when we got here, we were going to take it easy...you know, just sit back enjoy the church service but not really get involved. This did not last. Last week we went to the convelescent home with our church and sang songs to/with the residents. The worship leader asked 'who is singing harmony'. Guilty as charged I said. We talked about me singing with worship team. I am excited about this. I have also signed to do children's church once a month with the help of Hope and Grace. We also enjoyed the Knoxville Christmas Parade along with 30,000 residents at the pastors loft overlooking the parade. If I have to explain why we came one more time............. It is funny; everyone that I have met that goes to our church are transplants; all have the same story (although not as crazy as ours). Each visited the area, fell in love and moved.

Yes, I have changed my mind. I have decided the best way to really feel a part of this new adventure is to jump in with both feet. Each week all of us have helped tear down the church (it is in a movie theater). Plus, we are getting involved with the girls' schools and have tried to attend various functions around town (although it would be impossible to attend everything). We went to the Art Museum and tomorrow after church, we will go to the Museum of Science and Energy. I am now going on job interviews and will be starting school again. I only have two more classes until I am finished with my Hospitality degree.

To feel even more at home, we went to a BBQ place. I would have asked for a veggie burger, but I am sure they would have no idea what I was talking about. What did we have? Four turkey sandwiches....okay, maybe we have a little ways to go.

Tina

A Teacher Graduates.....

The following was taken from today's Chico Enterprise Record:

ENGEBRETSEN — Clara E. Engebretsen, 70, of Paradise, died Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2007, in Chico. Arrangements are under the direction of Newton-Bracewell Cremation & Funeral Service of Paradise, 873-7602.

Clara (Raymond, Lambeth) Engebretsen was my first and second grade teacher. I remember those years. Please pray for her family.

The picture to the right was taken in July 2006 at a school reunion.

-Norm

Our Hannah Montana Saga

If you have a preteen or know of a preteen, I am sure you have heard of Hannah Montana. The tickets went on sale in Knoxville the day we drove over. We thought we could get some when we got here but, Hannah Montana, Miley Cyrus' alter ego, was raised in TN. The tickets were gone in a matter of minutes. We got big laughs when we said we were going to get some. Our plan B was to enter contests. I will not tell you the lengths I went to to enter these, just suffice it to say we entered about six contests, winning none.

The concert day came and went, tickets were selling for hundreds even thousands of dollars. I got a tip that the day of the concert they start selling regular seats that are held to sell at that time. I tried it and snagged three great seats for the concert in Charlotte NC. I decided to surprise the girls by showing up to their schools, picking them up and telling them on the way. My plan, like most of my plans, had some snags.

It started out rough; I tripped over something and tried to catch my balance with my other foot. Unfortunatly, my other foot was asleep and I went crashing down to the foot (Mitchell was thrilled). Yes, I sprained my ankle. Undetered, I grabbed my directions, ticket confirmation and ace bandage and off we went.
But certainly I wouldn't be blogging if this was the only problem. Mind you, I am still acclimating to the concept that the ocean is now on the other side and that the states are arranged differently. Through the pain, I didn't realize I had grabbed my "reverse" directions to get home from the concert. Now, I have been out of Knoxville before (sometimes on purpose), but certainly not this far out. Making sure I was following directions correctly, I would set the mileage at each change. At one point I went over the mileage and realized I had made a mistake. I started to panic. I was going in the opposite direction heading towards Virginia! (I think) I grabbed my atlas which I am never without, I realized my mistate; a difference of about 60 miles one way.

Then I uttered the words no mother should tell her children, 'girls, watch for cops'. I realized now that my directions would not take my there and started to call Norm to see if he could look up better directions. After some very confusing directions (Hope's interpretation of Norm's directions), we got there. We had about ten minutes before the will call booth closed, when we left the parking garage. Hope took off her sandals and took off running with Grace and I behind. I started running the best I could (I think I conjured up my lamaze breathing) to the bright lights. Just our luck, those bright lights were the greyhound bus terminal. After standing there in a daze, Hope squealed; she had found it. I hobbled up to the will call window with one minute to spare.

We went in to a stadium filled with twenty thousand screaming preteens and their mothers and I promptly threw up. I think the jog on my ankle got to me. But the girls were thrilled and it was all worth it. Are we done? No. The problem with running from the car like crazy Jonas Brothers fans (yes, that is who we really came to see), is that we had no idea were we had parked the car. For the next hour, we limped our way through downtown Charlotte (lovely town by the way). Once we found it, I decided I could not make it home that night. Much to the girls disappointment, we spent the night and enjoyed the trip home the following day. I am now gratfully lying down with my foot propped up which is the best feeling I have had since the day before.

-Tina

Getting to Knoxvul (that's how you say it)

Like Norm had said, we visited a great new church; yesterday we met with the church to pack meals for Meals on Wheels. We packed 2ooo boxes! It was fun and a good way to get to know our new church family. Our church will be doing some sort of outreach every other week. Plus, they will be starting home groups at the first of the year.

A couple of things we've discovered this week. We signed up for our library cards. We have ten libraries; all interconnected. I am in heaven. The closet library is a beautiful stone interior/exterior with a fireplace and huge windows that over look the trees. I could stay there for hours. So far, I have hit three of the libraries. Click on the post title above to visit the Knox County Libraries website.

I also, along with the girls, got caught in a storm. Not a look-at-the-gentle rain kind of storms- a Jesus-help-me-I-can't-see-the-road storm. I was visiting a nearby town. And yes, I knew a it was supposed to rain. But this was beyond "rain". The lightening was incredible-light up the sky stuff. I should have known; the day started with what I believe was freezing rain. Later, I found out there was a tornado that had hit west TN. Once we made it home (after passing two accidents), it was fun to watch out of the big window in the living room.

-Tina

We Visited A New Church Today

When I say new, I mean NEW. We visited Knoxville Life Church. It is a new church meeting in a movie theater in downtown Knoxville. I found out about it through the church directory of www.relevantmagazine.com/ . The church started about 4 weeks ago. The pastor and his family moved from southern California about 8 months ago to start this church. It's a great place with great worship. No King James Version 1611 here (believe it or not some churches here have it on their signs that they use that version, go figure!) We all enjoyed being there very much. The message today was the first in a series on the Fruit of the Spirit.

The girls stayed in service with us and enjoyed it as well. The feel of having church in a theater is just cool. It is a comfortable setting for us anyway. We really enjoy going to the movies! The multimedia was very impressive (hey it's in a movie theater!!!). Please be sure to click on the title above to visit Knoxville Life's website.

The main purpose of Knoxville Life Church seems to be serving and loving the lost of this city. Now who can disagree with that?

-Norm

We Went To The Knoxville Zoo

This morning Tina and I went to a number of yard sales. While we were in the car an announcement came on the radio about a free admission day at the Knoxville Zoo. We have been wanting to go to the zoo since we got here. We went today. It is a great zoo!

The have red pandas. I have included a picture of one to the right. Our whole family had a great time today. Add this to the list of places to take people when they come to visit!! Be sure to click on the title above to see the Knoxville Zoo website. They have more posted there than I could possibly include here.

Following our trip to the Zoo we went to Chick-Fil-A. I never did get to installing the garbage disposal and donating stuff to the thrift store. That will probably happen tomorrow. We'll see......................

-Norm

A Stressful Couple Of Weeks

A requirement of my new job is that I had to be certified to give medications to our residents. Last week I had two days of training and then should have taken a test. I did not feel confident enough to take the test, so I pulled out of the class. Here in Tennessee you can only take this certification test twice. If you fail it both times you can never take it again or be certified. I felt really guilty about pulling out of the class and I think work was disappointed as well. The Instruction Coordinator scheduled me for a second class this week. I was a little nervous about taking it again. The most difficult part has been mentally changing from a vocational training focus to a residential focus. At the Opportunity Center we were restricted from giving any type of medications. Now in this position, it is expected. There is definately a mental shift.

The testing consists of a written test with 100 questions, appropriately filling out a Medication Administration Record (MAR) from a doctor's prescription, completing a Medication Variance Form and finally, confidently demonstrating 8 different medication procedures/techniques. There is alot to this medication administration stuff. The training this week was three days and went at a slower pace. Our instructor this time was excellent! I actually enjoyed the training. I passed and will soon be receiving my card in the mail. I learned so much about medications and how to dispense them.

Another thing I walked away with was an increased awe of our God. The human body is so complex. The Creator thought of everything. Did you know there is a flap at the back of our mouth (the Epiglottis) that closes to keep food from entering our airway so we don't gag or aspirate?

It feels so good to have this completed. I studied hard the last couple weeks and it has paid off. Tina passed along a couple tricks for studying for tests. (She is a fantastic student) They worked very well. I am rewarding myself (and the family really) by installing a garbage disposal in the kitchen tomorrow. I also want to free up some room in the garage by taking a load of inherited items (item left here when we bought the house) to the thrift store, as well. We are all enjoying having a garage. It has been pretty chilly here over night, dipping down into the upper 20's. It is nice to get into a warm dry car that is free of frosty windows. Oh, yea we another project for tomorrow is to get a new garage door opener. Apparently, the one we should have received with the house could not be found.

That's all the news for now. Happy Friday and have a great weekend!

-Norm

You Know You've Been in a Baptist Too Long When...

We have now set about the task of finding a church. Last week we went to a Foursquare Church and enjoyed it but want to experience what Knoxville has to offer.
Last week we went to Lovell Heights Church of God's Take Back the Night outreach and really enjoyed ourselves so we decided to check the church out.

We have gone to Community Baptist since Grace, now ten years old, was a baby. Norm and I have been both raised in Pentecostal settings, so it kind of took me by surprise when I saw both Hope and Grace's head snap forward searching for the origin of the different language being spoken.

Norm and I both looked at each other and realized we had never discussed this experience with the girls. Frankly, they were a little confused. Once we left, the questions started tumbling out. We tried to explain speaking in tongues as a 'heavenly language'. Grace turns and asks 'are they tonguenadians'? That was halarious! Once we explained that they were not from another "heavenly" country, she ascertained it was like the hispanic translator at Jackson Heights School who always translated what the principal said. This is her explaination of tongues and interpretation. We explained tongues as a gift and the girls seemed to understand it.

Next week we plan to visit a brand new church that is meeting in a theater downtown. We heard about it through Relevant Magazine and it looks like a place we should check out.

-Norm and Tina

October 31 - EleventySeven

Last night we heard EleventySeven in the parking lot of a WalMart in West Knoxville. The event was called "Take Back The Night" and was sponsored by Lovell Heights Church of God. Everything was free, except for baked goods being sold by the Ladies Ministries. Our family won an IPod Shuffle. We purchased two cds giving us the opportunity to hear all things EleventySeven.

Their musical style is similiar to Hawk Nelson.

Their website can be found at
http://www.eleventysevenrock.com/










EleventySeven is:
Matt Langston-vocals, guitar, synth
Caleb Satterfield-bass, bgv
Jonathan Stephens-drums, bgv

It's Starting to Look Like Home

We had our first real-sit-at-a-table dinner. I made chili and fried green tomatoes. I thought it was befitting for our first southern meal. The girls are have started school. They both have about 900 students a piece. Hope was fortunate to have her new friend Hannah's area and home room. Her new classmates all assumed we lived by the beach (hey doesn't everyone?!). She is adapting well. Grace is a real trooper since she know no one in this state her age.

I have got lost a few times today. I wound up at the zoo, heading out to the smokies and going in the direction of South Carolina at certain points. I made a few people snicker when I asked if the hills were the Smokies. They informed me it was just a hill. Oh well. What is so great about this area is it has a lot of concerts. Switchfoot is coming next week and halloween night a Christian band Elevntyseven will be performing in the Walmart parking lot (which one-I have no idea).

With our stuff being slowly unpacked it is looking a feeling more like home. The weather is still good and everyday it seems the leaves change a little more. I have found my favorite grocery stores-I found one that carries every kind of grain and soy product. It's like Trader Joe's (my old favorite) only bigger. All the stores carry things I used to have trouble finding. While shopping at the store right down the street Grace came running down the aisle exclaiming 'they have grey sea salt'! Only my kids would get excited over cous cous and sea salt.

-Tina