Oceanfront property in Tennessee?

What a day! I'd like to go ahead and throw out a request, and if anyone has any gopher wood they'd like to throw into my "build an ark" pile, please feel free to contribute... GEEZ!

I drove up to Nashville last night to spend the weekend with my little sister, Cindy, while my mom and step-dad headed to Chattanooga for the weekend. I went to sleep last night thinking "we're going to have some bad weather tomorrow, probably some severe storms, maybe a tornado warning or two". Apparently, I missed the "don't forget to bring your canoe" memo when I was packing!

Clay called me this morning around 7am to tell me about the flooding that had already happened in Brighton. He had been getting calls with the Fire Department all morning, but couldn't get out of the neighborhood because the water was too high!


Here is our neighborhood... not nearly as bad as most in the area, but not good!


Lucy Kelly Road - Clay couldn't get through to get to the fire department to help with all of the calls this morning. He even called the guys who were at the station, and they couldn't get the fire engine through it either.


"Just keep swimming, just keeping swimming..."


Yeah, pretty glad we picked up our prescriptions on Thursday afternoon!


Hope we don't need anything from AutoZone anytime soon...


And Covington now has their very own AquaDock, just like up at Yellow Creek on Pickwick... yikes...

When there was a break in the rain, he finally got there and the Fire Department had flooded (they moved to City Hall for the day), Highway 51 had been shut down, and when he went up to Covington to check on his car that is for sale at the bank, Walgreens, Gateway Tire, AutoZone, O'Reilly's and pretty much everything in North Covington on the East side of the highway was flooded! (Not just in the parking lots, but in the buildings.) Apparently, the National Guard in out and about in T-county with rescue/recovery/etc, but with just under a foot of rain (and 6"-9" more expected in the next 12-24 hours) I guess they are needed! Thankfully, the only damage we've had at our house was a minor leak in the kitchen (my newly painted one kitchen, boo!), which will require a bit of new sheet rock, mudding, painting, etc. But that's nothing in comparison to all of the people who've lost their homes around us today.

Nashville's been pretty crazy too. Cindy and I got out to do some shopping this morning and it wasn't too bad... but after hearing the tornado sirens as we were trying on some things at Anthropologie, we decided to call it a day. Coming back, we started seeing alot of the flooding. By the time we got back to the house, we were hearing the reports of parts of all of the interstates being shut down. It's a MESS!

Anyhow, now, we're just all hunkered down. Cindy and I are hanging out, hoping that my mom and David (my step-dad) make it back from Chattanooga tomorrow, so that I can head back home (assuming I-40 around Waverly is actually open at that point); Clay is trying to catch some rest, so that when the next round of severe weather comes through in the middle of the night and he inevitably gets more calls from the FD, he'll at least be somewhat rested; and I'm honestly considering the ark idea... or at least investing in a good solid funyak!

Home again, Home again

We've made it back home after another weekend in Nashville. This month is full of Nashville weekends, which is A-OK with me! Of course, every weekend we're up there, it makes it that much harder to head back home. Don't get me wrong, we love our house and enjoy Brighton and T-County, but I guess Nashville will just always be truly "home". We're ready to make that move for sure, as soon as the time is right. (Which we sure hope is sooner rather than later!)

This weekend, we headed up to Middle TN for another Rotary conference for Clay and I went to see a college friend and Phi Mu sister of mine get married. It was really good seeing some of the girls that I haven't seen in quite a while. Plus, I got to get a haircut from Davida (who has been cutting my hair since I was about 7 or 8, and always gets it just right) so I'm a happy camper.

The great weather the past couple of weeks has REALLY gotten me in the mood for summer. I really just can't wait to get out on the water at Pickwick with our friends Jim and Jade. We've had some great times in the past 7-8 years with them out there and I'm sure this year will be no different!

On a different note, I'm a little sad today... a year ago today, we were pulling into site 1506 Cottontail Curl at Fort Wilderness at Disney World right about now... What I would give to be doing the same thing right now. I miss me some Mickey right now


Our little WDW Home

Happy New Year.... yeah, it's April...

Well, I always claim that I'm going to do the whole blog thing. I'm really going to try this time. I think it would be good for me. And honestly (oddly enough), now that I don't have access to the internet all day everyday at work, I think I might actually be a little more apt to carve out the time to do it! Plus, I'm hoping that maybe a commitment to a decent blog will encourage me to actually take my camera with me when we go, wherever we go and TAKE PICTURES ('cause no one likes a blog with no pictures... it's like facebook with out the "face", seriously?)

So, where to begin? This week has been pretty good so far. We celebrated Clay's 28th birthday yesterday! He's made out pretty well, checking out with a leaf blower from his mom, a table saw from yours truly, a gift card from his grandparents, and some assorted cash gifts as well. There are some other things that still haven't made it to him in the mail, so I won't divulge them yet =).

But, my favorite gift that he has received has to be from my mom... we're taking Clay and my step-dad, who's birthday was on April 1st, to see "A Prairie Home Companion" with Garrison Keillor at the Ryman Auditorium on Saturday. I'm SO pumped! A gift for him, that I get the benefits of too, haha! I grew up listening to NPR, "The News from Lake Wobegon", "Guy Noir: Private Eye" and many others so I think it's gonna be great. Plus, I can never resist an awesome weekend in Nashvegas.

So, hopefully I'll have pictures of the whole crew, me, Clay, my mom, David, and my little sister Cindy, rockin' out downtown Nashville, the Ryman, and whatever eatery we decide to hit up after the show after this weekend!

I don't blog well... it's a tested and proven fact. Maybe someday soon?

=)

NEW JOB NEW JOB NEW JOB! What's that? OH YES... I have a NEW JOB! Well, I accepted one and turned in 2 weeks notice today. So, sit down, crack open a nice cold beer, appropriately tempatured(I made that word up) glass of wine, or favorite mixed drink (or just a coke if you prefer) and celebrate my liberation with me! I'm gettin' OUTTA HERE!

"The new job? what is it?" you ask? Ah yes... I will be the Assistant Director for the American Heart Association under the Regional Directors for Jackson, TN & Desoto Co./Oxford, MS. P-U-M-P-E-D PUMPED... yup, that's what I am! I hope I just brightened your day (if nothing else, you know you don't have to listen to any more rants about the current job)!

Here's my advice...

Here's my advice...

If you are in college, major in something so specialized, that they have to give you a job with your degree. And try to like it too. Don't go with something that "is just so helpful in every industry"... it's a lie. Promise.

Told you so

I told you I would end up writing a couple of these and then being worthless. But in my defense, it's been a crazy past few months.

First and foremost: I'm on the job hunt... so if anyone knows of anything in the greater Memphis area or would like a copy of my resume to hand out to, oh, let's say everyone you know... just let me know. I've got a job, but it's time to move on, and quickly... I'll leave it at that.

Things I want to say:

- I think it's sad when people who are still in school are so desperate to get out. I completely understand the whole wanting to move on thing, believe me. But there are so many people who are so obsessive over getting out, that they miss what's there. And it's sad. Because they will either a) realize later on what they missed and be sad or b) never realize they missed anything and not be as good of a person as they could've been. It doesn't make me that mad, just sad for them.

- Girls should never make decisions based on what their gay (literally, as in a boy liking boys) best friend thinks he might do. It's dumb and it will ultimately screw a lot of things up for them.

- People who think they are inherently better than other people because they make more money, are worthless human beings. It's pathetic, and I know entirely too many of these type of people. (Hence, frantically searching for a new job).

- My bedroom is blue now... it's a pretty amazing color of blue, with gold/tan-ish curtains and comforter. I'm kind've in love with it... and will be even more in love with it in a couple of days, since we have a ladder now and can finish painting the top two inches up to the ceiling =)

- My puppies are extremely cute. They are little demons as well. It's said that to break up a dog fight, you should pull out their back legs. Don't let anyone tell you this... you'll just get tangled up in the mess... (also, don't introduce new toys right before you leave to go out of town or around feeding time... at least if you are hanging out with my dogs. There will most likely be bloodshed... probably theres, but quite possibly yours too).

- I probably need to get the rest of our Christmas decorations down. I can't play the "it's still the 12 days of Christmas" card anymore. Now, it's just a little bit of laziness. A lot of stuff has been put up, but the tree is definitely still up (albeit, the decorations have been taken off... it's a matter of disassembling the tree and getting it to the attic). In my defense, I was sick all of the week of New Years. It's coming down tonight or tomorrow one though. So that's good.

- My feelings on the Vanderbilt Men's basketball season so far? THRILLED! I'm hoping we bust into the top ten after this week. Went to the UMASS game and am headed to the Georgia game in February. True love for a college team NEVER goes away.

- My birthday is in less than two weeks. So, not much shopping time left. Just ask if you need suggestions. Just kidding! (I mean, unless anyone would like to get me anything... I'm not opposed).

- If it weren't for gmail and gmail chat, I might hurt myself.

And I guess that's all I really have to say. Hopefully I won't suck at this quite as much now. But, I'm not making any promised.