Jonas Brothers Take Over Atlanta

We bought tickets to the Jonas Brothers as soon as they came on sale way back in March, so the girls have been anticipating this concert for forever. Unfortunately its on a Wednesday. I got Grace out of school a little early to drive to Hope's school and be in line to pick her up. To get her out of school early takes an act of Congress so we just waited until school was over.

I had to open at the store and I have to open the following day, so Norm came with us. I sure he was heartbroken to know we didn't have an extra ticket. He went disc golfing while we battled thousands of girls. Demi Lavato was the beginning act. She was one of the stars from Disney's

Camp Rock. We were a little late because of road construction, but we made it. It was her 16th birthday so everyone sang to her and we watched a montage of her life. Oh, I forgot to mention the concert was held in Atlanta, GA.

The Jonas Brothers held a great concert. Hope and Grace loved it and sang their hearts out. They had a graduation party thing since Joe Jonas just graduated high school. We had to leave a little early since I needed to open. Of course, we stopped by the Varsity for a late dinner and headed home. The sould of thousands of girls are still ringing in my head. -Tina

Happy 222nd Birthday!

Today as I am sure most Tennesseans are aware, marks Davy Crockett's 222nd birthday. Crockett was born on a mountain top in Tennessee...but he spent quite a bit of time in Morristown, a town about fifty miles north east of Knoxville.

We went to the celebration hosted by the Davy Crockett Museum and Tavern. The festivities included Marshal Andy host of PBS' Riders of the Silver Screen, who showed the kids how to rope, play bugle along with telling cowboy stories and leading a sing a long of of old songs (including Davy Crockett song of course). Then a speaker dressed in Crockett attire went through the history of Davy Crockett's life. It was very entertaining and interesting.

Afterwards, they lead tours through the

Crockett home and tavern and served refreshments.

The weather has been perfect for all of

August with mid eighty temperatures

and this just capped it off.

A New Chapter

This week marked the first day of school for Hope and Grace. It came up so fast; I mean, didn't we just start the month of August?! It could be worst, the schools in Maryville started Aug. 4th. This was a particularly challenging start; Grace started Jr. High, Hope- High School.

Grace is going to Powell Middle School, Hope's school from last year. We met her teachers, signed up for PTA (finally) and walked around. She has a new science lab along with a beautiful new gym.

Hope, as written earlier, is starting Hardin Valley Academy; a school that was opened to the public just last Thursday. She went through to her classes so much she didn't have any problem finding them.
Hardin Valley Academy is a new model of high school that incorporates the college model. There are four academies: Liberal Arts (Hope's chosen academy), Health Science, Law and Public Affairs and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathmatics. They must meet all the regular high school requirements in addition to the academy requirements. These will count towards college credits. She will have enough credits to enter college as a Junior in college after high school.

Each academy has its own principal, advisor and counselor and each semester has four blocks of classes . It is the only one of its kind in the state. The principal stated there are all schools from all over the nation coming to learn more about it. The facility is beautiful, each class is equipped with a smart board and two computers. The library has about 25 computers and more shiny books than the Borders. It is also nestled in the foothills and adjacent to one of state colleges. This allows the professors to come and teach at the high school as well.

The grading is stricter that California. All Knox County Schools grade tougher; An "A" is a precentage of 100-93, a "B" is 92-83 and so on. Hardin Valley in order to graduate from the Acamedy you must posess a "B" average. The actual prinicpal over HVA was able to hand pick each teacher: good for us, sour grapes for other schools.

The only draw back is it is in Oak Ridge. The same Oak Ridge that has the ORNL (Oak Ridge National Lab-from the Mahattan Project-someday we will have to rent that movie). So I go to Grace's school about an hour early (I get alot of reading done) to get in first in line so we can drive 20 minutes to get Hope from her school. They both start and end at the same time so Grace arrives early and Hope gets picked up late. Grace doesn't seem to mind; she wants to go there to HVA when she starts high school (I don't even want to entertain that idea just yet).

Grace started her school having friends (yeah). Hope once again started a different school knowing no one. I couldn't believe she wanted to go through that again after facing the same thing just last year. But she never wavered. She loves her classes (her favorites are acting and choir, of course) and has made friends. Grace's favorite is Choir-no suprise there.

We have now etablished our route after much trial and error. Norm would call me at work and tell me how he went, I would see him in the evening and tell how I went. The first day was tough (on me). Ah back to school lunches, projects and No. 2 pencils. -Tina

The Hollers' Visit

They got here, as Norm posted, on Tuesday afternoon. While we had just seen them Saturday, that didn't seem to lessen the enthusiasm. Most of the time was spent just hanging out which seemed okay with everyone, but we did manage to do a walking tour of downtown Knoxville and Old City. We would be remiss if we didn't stop by Magpies Cakes. The first night I taught the girls all how to make their own sushi which was fun.

Sivana (ten) is growing into a young lady with insights that are amazing, Gaveriel (eight) is just full of life,sweet and helpful. Trinity (four, turning five in Nov.) is just hillarious. It's so hard to believe how much they have grown and matured in such a short time.
Since we weren't together for any of the girls' birthdays, we decided to do a mass birthday party for all of them. After the party, the girls all put on a play called Frog in the Pond. The girls had worked on it from day one and it was great.
We also took a trip to Hope's brand new high school built (more on that later) and checked out Grace's new Jr. High (I can't believe it). It was so great to have them here and was hard to say goodbye. They left about the same time we headed for church. -Tina

Disc Golf At Morningside

Today Buck and I played a round of disc golf at Morningside Park in Knoxville. It was my second time to play there, or play a whole round for that matter. Buck hadn't played before. The weather was absolutely great 85 degrees and low humidity. We didn't keep score but were on the average 1-2 over par on most holes. I have posted an arial picture of the course to the left.

We had been waiting for an opportunity to go play since they arrived on Tuesday. With work, shopping and transportation challenges we did not get to go until today. It was great just being out there with Buck doing something we'd never done before.

Following our round we went over to Plutos. If you are in Knoxville and like disc golf, it's a must do. They have so many discs by the all the major manufacturers as well as shirts, hats, and the baskets too. I am amazed at how many types of discs there are. Different types, weights and plastics. Discs range in price from $8.00 to $20.00. I definately saw a few I would like to get, who knows maybe even a disc bag............ -Norm

Good and Bad News

A week ago Knoxville made the national news for a shooting at a church. A man entered the Unity Universalist church last Sunday and opened fire while the children were preforming a play. He killed two, was tackled to the ground and will have his first court appearance this week. His motive was a mystery for a while. He wrote a four page tirade about his motives. Basically, he is an unemployed machinist and said he couldn't find that kind of work. He is an alcoholic with a violent past who was frustrated that his food stamps were being decreased. He blamed the "liberals" for all his ills. He decided since he couldn't shoot the policitians he would shoot those who put them in office. Why he targeted this liberal church was that his ex wife used to attend. He himself, has no affiliation with any church. He had seventy six shot gun shells with him but only was able to fire off two. Besides the two that were killed seven other were wounded. This has been very unsettling to the whole community; it reminded me of the Dave Mobilio shooting that happened in Red Bluff CA.

Okay, on to the good news. RaChael, Buck, Sivana, Gaveriel and Trinity are vacationing in North Carolina. They have visited Raleigh, Charlotte and Asheville. Ashville is about an hour and a half from us, we couldn't resist, so the girls and I joined them. It was so great to see them. We hiked Grandfather Mountain and went on the mile high suspension bridge. It was gorgeous. They will be coming to Knoxville for a few days this week and we can't wait. -Tina

Tough Week.

This past week has been a challenging one. One of the expectations of what I do for a living is to be "on call". This involves carrying a pager and cell phone, responding to and dealing with any issues that arise after hours/weekends. This is in addition to working 10 to twelve hour days this week. A new expectation is the "on call" person also works the Saturday they are "on call". I do not like "on call" weeks. I like them even less now that working a Saturday is involved. In theory, if we work a Saturday, we are suppose to get the following Monday off. Not this week. We are being visited by the State for two weeks beginning tomorrow for an Annual Review. I guess these have been very unpleasant experiences in the past. I will hold my opinion until after it is over. Saturday was longer than it should have been. I visited nearly all my houses (9), plus one more. Tina and the girls went to Asheville for the day, while I worked.

This past week we moved of two residents, one to another agency. I have mixed feelings about this. I spent alot of time with this resident giving medications, shopping and scheduling staff for the home. When staff were not available, I worked there myself. The move was a relief and a sad day all at the same time. I received a nice letter from a family member thanking me for all I did to support this individual. I will add this to my portfolio.

The second resident moved to another apartment due to some safety issues. The new apartment is in a quieter and safer part of town. Both required my assistance to move.

I am glad to have this week behind me. I am confident that even being reviewed by the State, this week can only be easier. We shall see. -Norm

Mitchell Gets a Pet

We have been looking for quite a while for another dog. Mitchell was so happy when Samson was here, so we've been looking for another pet; a pet for Michell.

I found Annie through Craigslist. She was an american eskimo mix. She was being fostered through a private group that rescues abused animals, rehabilitates them, and then finds them a home. After corresponding with Annie's foster mom, we decided to have a meet and greet at the dog park. There is a great off-leash dog park that is also home to a disc golf course that is just a few miles from us.
It was funny. Once we got to the que area we reluctantly took Mitchell's leash off. I think even he didn't know what to do; he just stood frozen for a moment. Soon he was running and chasing the other dogs including Annie. She obviously has the ear marks of an abused dog; she acts like every meal is her last, she cowers if you raise your hand and prefers you not to pet her head. But she was very sweet. After about an hour of watching the dogs play and asking a bunch of questions, the girls both excitedly told me they wanted her. While there, one of the other dog owners handed out lemonade. Now this was not ordinary lemonade. This was his Great Aunt Fannie Mae from August GA's recipe. He told us there was a secret ingredient and everyone took turns trying to figure it out. He told us he had to take the recipe to his grave and that just fueled the fire of speculation. I think I figured it out but didn't tell; who am I to go against the great Fannie Mae.

Everyone congratulated us as I announced we would take her. Her foster mom was teary eyed (is that a good or bad thing!?). We took her home and she has done great. We have to be careful not to make sudden movements or loud noises, and I don't think Mitchell will ever eat again. But she is doing well and the girls just love her, Mitchell....I think the jury is still out. -Tina

Call It Almost Gone.....

This weekend has been quite busy. Late Friday night I had to do my monthly 3rd shift visits. This requires me to visit nine residential homes and monitor staff. I must fill out an unscheduled visit form to document my findings. I started at 11:00 Pm and finished at 3:00 Am. Saturday morning Tina had to work. I mostly just lounged around. About noon, the girls and I started to take apart the wall that separates our dining area and the living room. We've wanted to open it since we've moved in. I finally got the courage to start tearing it up.
Mitchell, our dog appears to be lonely and needing a buddy. After I got all the sheetrock and dust up we went to the new Union County Animal Shelter. The girls found a dog they would like so we filled out an application. We are waiting to hear.

Last night, I went to hear The Hinsons. Back when I was in junior high and high school I enjoyed the music of the Original Hinsons. Ronnie, Kenny, Larry and Yvonne Hinson made up the original group. They are probably best known for their song "The Lighthouse", said to be the most recorded gospel song in history.

These days the group consists of Bo Hinson (Ronnie's son), Kym Calvery (Ronnie's daughter), and Shawn McDougal. It was a trip back to my roots, but to the tune of modern country. I hadn't seen the Hinsons in probably 27 years. While in California, I would at times take my mom to southern gospel concerts when groups would come through the area. While not a big country music fan, I did enjoy last night's concert. In my opinion the best song of the night was "I'm Still Here".

This morning at Crossings, Mark gave a great talk. God has a big "kabot". As His creation we are small, but to often decide we do not need to trust him because we feel we are self sufficient (bigger than God). Trust/faith plays such a big part in the life of a follower of Jesus. This was a very good and much needed reminder. The talk was followed by a time of worship. Like I said, it was great.

Following Crossings we went shopping and had lunch at Sam's Club, EarthFare, Borders, and World Market. Today has been kinda weird for me. My bearings have been off all day. I went the wrong way on Kingston Pike while going to Crossings. Went the wrong way while going to World Market and then to EarthFare.
Thankfully, I am home now and not going anywhere. -Norm

A Look at K-Town

Norm invited us downtown to a concert at the visitor's center. It was a bit nostalgic; when we first visited Knoxville, this is where we came. A great blue grass band was playing (yes, I have some love for blue grass) as we mapped out our visit. This time, Dishwater Blonde, a Christian blues/rock band was playing. They host these concerts Monday through Friday at noon in the Visitor's Center and they are always packed; it's called the Blue Plate Special and showcases local bands of different genres. After the concert, I got the notion to check out Old City.

Old City is an area smaller than downtown and has more local stores and is less commericial. It's eclectic; looks a bit like the French Quarter/Ireland towns (I told you it was eclectic). Once we walked from downtown to Old City, I found some great looking stores and restaurants. My first find; Magpie's. I remember Magpie's from an article written about Knoxville by the New York Times. We walked into a storefront with the on-site baking visible, beautiful display cakes not to mention a cold case to drool over. As we were choosing our cupcakes, a customer entered pointing to the mini cupcakes. He told me to watch out for them; they were dangerous. After trying a cupcake sample I understood what he meant; they were fabulous.

Cupcakes in hand, we left the store. I noticed across the street Old City Java. Along with Magpie's, it was voted Best of Knoxville. We ordered some drinks and dived into our cupcakes happily chatting. The coffee house had a great vibe, very art house-y. As Grace, Hope and I were sitting being silly, I noticed Norm (too late, of course), driving by. We finished walking around Old City and headed back downtown.
It was Farmer's Market day, but I could only stare since I decided we would just stay here for the day. We started just walking around and discovered the East Tennessee Historical Society Museum. A sucker for museums, we checked it out. It was fun with a pharmacy/soda fountain and a trolley. We left and discoved little parks and squares and historical houses that were really cute.
Hope was going to participate in a improv acting class held at the main library downtown. While she joined the class, Grace and I checked out the library. After she was done, we left and went to Market Square. Market Square was hosting a Shakespeare in the park and a troup of actors were performing Merchant of Venise. I called Norm to join us. We enjoyed the play but were starving so we went to a great local restaurant; Tomato Head. Obvisously an Italian restaurant but is also know for vegetarian/vegan organic foods. It was great. We all had a great day learning for about our little K-town. When we got home Norm told me HE had gotten some cupcakes from Magpie's. Great minds..... -Tina

Wanna Play Disc Golf?

I recently discovered Disc Golf (a.k.a. Frisbee golf). There are three courses here in Knoxville and they are all free to play. I have driven past one of them at least once a week. Sometimes more often than that.

While trying to learn more about this game, I discovered my friend Mark and his sons play. I joined them for the first time a week ago. I wasn't very good, but it was great just to be there. I agree with Mark, it's not about the score, it's about community.

Prior to the game, I purchased an Innova set of discs that included a Leopard fairway driver, Shark mid-range driver and an Avitar putter. I've read about a couple more discs I'd like to buy. The discs average about $10.00 each. Some are more, some less.

If you have never played I would encourage you to give it a try. It is good exercise, challenging and great to be outdoors. It seems there are courses all over the country most of which are free to play. Morningside, Victor Ashe, and Admiral Farragat are the three local courses. We played 18 holes at Morningside. Soon, I would like to try Victor Ashe. The first hole is throwing across water. I've heard players frequently misjudge that hole and have to go swimming. -Norm

Here's a link on how to play.http://www.disclife.com/whatis.shtml

Tina's Birthday

My birthday is July 7th, but I was sick on my birthday. So when I got the Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday, Happy Anniversary calls, (I not only share my birthday with my dad-RaChael and Buck's anniversary is the same day-RaChael said it's because she has a poor memory for dates, and that's why she got married on our birthday) I kind of think of my birthday is our family's all-purpose day. Anyway, when the calls came, I announced I didn't know what they were talking about-it was not my birthday. After some long pauses, I explained that I could not possible be sick on my birthday therefore, it must not be my birthday.

We celebrated my birthday on Saturday. Norm and I went to a local farmer and bought tomato plants and then bought pepper, squash, mint, eggplant and zucchini plants to grow in our garden Norm finished constructing. Yes, I know how late in the game it is, but I wanted to try my hand at it before fall planting. Norm had to hurry and get it done, so we could catch the rainfall.

I have been completly jonsing for sushi again. I had purchased the special stuff to make it, but just hadn't tried to do it. Why not on my birthday. For my first attempt I made very simple rolls: California rolls and Smoked Salmon rolls. (Hope made herself some spaghetti) Okay, so they weren't as pretty as the rolls at the Stir Fry Cafe, but they turned out wonderful. I am inspired and am excited about expanding my menu. So good.

Afterwards, we went to a drive in movie theater to see Meet Dave and Wall E. The girls had never been to a drive in movie and I think Norm and I were first married when we saw our last one. So we made homemade popcorn (you have to-it's a part of the fun), grabbed my store bought cake (sad, I know) and headed for the movies. It stopped raining on the way which was good. We got a good spot. Nowadays, you just tune in your car radio to the station to hear the movie. This I am sure is much more cost effective, but I missed the clunky speaker you hang from the window. Next week they are playing Journey to the Center of the Earth. Hope announced we would be seeing this one as well. Forget the fact that she was at the premere and that we saw it just yesterday-hey, at least we still have our 3-d glasses. It was a lot of fun.

Happy Independance Day!

We decided to go to Pigeon Forge for the 4th of July. It was hosting its 18th Annual StarJam (whatever that is). It sounded like fun so we traveled all of 30 miles to the birth place of East TN's queen, Dolly Parton. What should of took about a 30 minute drive, didn't. Little did we know this was a big event. And of course, we thought we would be the only ones attending and the park would be super easy to find since we've been there once before.

After creeping in the car for a very long time (and having to ask for directions-I guess the en masse of people didn't tip us off), we found it. It was a stunning sight; about seventy-five thousand people showed up for the event. It looked a little out of place. For anyone whose hasn't been to Pigeon Forge it is like Branson MI. For anyone who hasn't been to Branson, it is like a country-fied Reno but with no gambling. Ok, a better description would be a big, long carnival with more shows. Sorry if anyone loves Pigeon Forge. It is also the gateway to the Smokies. There, I said something nice.

The reason we decided these firework show over the one in World's Fair Park in Knoxville was simple: the bands. The bands we saw were Ace Young (no idea-I don't watch American Idol, but I saw American Idol under his name-I drew my own conclusion), Metro Station, Boys Like Girls and Good Charlotte. If you don't know these bands, ask a teenager. They were great. Anyway-hold on to your mullet-Paris Hilton was there!!!! I asked Hope and Grace if they knew she Paris Hilton was-they didn't know-I have done my job. She, incidentally is dating one of the band members from Good Charlotte. I know this because it was in the Knox Newspaper. Oh, and one of the band members in Metro Station is Mylie Cyrus' brother-that I know from Hope.

After the concerts, we were a little concerned; the clouds looked pretty wet (I am getting to know clouds better now). Come to find out they had to postpone Knoxville's fireworks an hour due to rain. What was really funny was the bands kepy saying "hello Knoxville!" This didn't sit well with the crowd. The fireworks (I understand were the biggest in East TN) were great. They were synched up to the radio station that put on the concerts so you could hear it well. Of course it wouldn't be Tennessee if they wasn't a tribute to the UT Volunteers (They play the UT Volunteers song while orange and white fireworks were displayed-inspiring) and course Dolly wished us a happy fourth and sang the Star Spangled banner (may I remind you she has a statue). All in all it was spectacular.

Afterwards we hung in Pigeon Forge (the carnivel city that never sleeps). This morning we woke up to rain. -Tina

Sweet Carolina

Our nephew David, was getting married on June 28th in North Carolina. Our 21st anniversary was June 27 so we decided to make a weekend of it in Raleigh, North Carolina. We drove up Friday and the next day while the girls slept in, Norm and I went to a farmer's market. It was huge! The biggest I have ever been to and had great produce. We bought some beautiful eggplant (the girls' new favorite meal-eggplant burgers), peaches and blueberries. We got back back and got ready for the wedding.

Now the directions were a little dubious; turn left at the propane tank on 65W. We got lost wouldn't you know (hey, we weren't the only ones) and were late. Well, we made it for the pictures at least. It was great seeing David, his new bride Lila, Norma, Richard, Michael and Hallie along with Richard's Uncle Bob and Aunt Sis. It was more humid and hotter than Knoxville but not too bad.

Before we left Raleigh, we went to an old fashioned pharmacy soda fountain just like the Andy Grifith days (we even visited the Andy Grifith statue-the show was based on the area around Raleigh-remember Barney getting a job in Raleigh?)

We also visited the Museum of Natural History which was terrific along with the Musuem of History that housed the Musuem of Sports. We saw a replica of the Wright Bros. plane and Richard Petty's car is on display.

We had a great time and could have spent more time there. When Norm told one of his coworkers we were going to North Carolina they said it looked like East Tennessee; they we sure right-very pretty. It's great have a little family close by. -Tina

Hollywood.....in Knoxville?

Each year Knoxville hosts a red carpet Hollywood movie premiere as a fundraiser. This year the movie was Journey to the Center of tne Earth. It is the first ever made live-action 3D movie. It stars Brendan Fraiser (Mummy movies, George of the Jungle) and Josh Hutcherson (Bridge to Teribethea, Zathura).
Going to church at a movie theater, we tend to be in the know about upcoming events. As soon as Hope spotted the poster she decided she wanted to go. For the next week after she bought her ticket she tried to convince her friends to go. Unable to persuade the parents, she was perfectly comfortable going it alone (I was not so comfortable).
The sold out premiere seven hundred ticket event was held at the Pinnacle 18 theater that houses 3 IMAX theaters along with regular theaters. I suprised Hope with a cut and style for the big night. When we arrived we were greeted by police and were only allowed to enter the parking lot by showing the pass. TV news crews, radio stations along with a live band joined the throng. After walking down the red carpet, Hope went in to enjoy a catered dinner.

After dinner she was able to greet the stars and was able to get a seat in the first row. The stars along with the director spoke about the film and then they showed Journey to the Center of the Earth. Afterwards they had six drawings and wouldn't you know Hope won a $50 gift certificate.

Hope made friends with the girl sitting next to her, but the real highlight for her, came after everything was done. I had asked someone in charge how long would the event be; he told me 9:30pm; he was mistaken. I got a text from Hope at 9:00pm asking us where we were. Panicked, I texted her back and go over there as soon as I could.
In the meantime, while Hope was waiting, Josh Hutcherson came out and struck up a conversation with Hope. They talked about his movie he just finished filming (one of her favorite book series) and he told us where he lives; incidentally, he lives about 3 1/2 hours north of us in KY. So when I drove up expecting an angry teenager instead I got a beaming girl. She could not have had a better night. -Tina

What A Hoot!

Last night was a fantastic night and a reminder of why we moved to eastern Tennessee! It is Honda Hoot time in Knoxville! I have been riding my Honda Reflex and have enjoyed the company as the roads have been filled with bikes. Not just Hondas, but all brands of bikes.

Last night was The Hoot Bike Show at World's Fair Park. We went down and strolled around looking at bike after bike. They were beautiful!

I am posting a number of pictures to help you get an idea of how many bikes there were. I just wish my friend Bill could have been here for this. I would have even barbequed a couple hot dogs for him.

There were bikes all over downtown Knoxville.

The headquarters for The Hoot is at Chillhowee Park, not to far from where I work. I heard on the local news that last year's event brought in 16,000 people.

The promoters were hoping for 20,000 this year. Haven't heard how close they are to that goal.

It seemed that during last night's event when bikes would leave even more would come in to replace them. The promoters did a great job of organizing this show and keeping things moving when bikes had to leave.

One of the most interesting bikes we saw had to be this one. It is a Honda Reflex, the same model as I own, only this one has some added features.

I don't think these were added by the factory.

Hope took a video of the fireworks at the end of the Bike Show. -Norm