A friend a co-worker of mine sent me these funny photos. I hope you enjoy.

Thanks so much Linda Goodwill. Sure made me laugh. I draw like this.

Hello EVERYONE!

So, here's what's up. I have been trying to win a canoe on paddling.net for as long as I can remember. So far, no luck. They have these sweepstakes you can enter daily and win a canoe and an outfit which includes paddles, vests, etc. So the canoe they are giving away this sweepstakes is a canoe I am REALLY wanting. It's a Bell Yellowstone. So, everyone please keep your fingers crossed for me and I hope I win! Woo Hoo, wouldn't that be exciting? I know my chance is one in a million probably but I'm still very excited.

It's noon already and I'm starving. I can't wait to eat. I'm craving TB today. Mexican Pizza with soft tacos. Maybe I'll throw in some nachos with that. I sure do love to eat.

Anyone remember the Sir Mixalot song "I like big butts?" It's playing right now and I'm jamming. Good ol 80's music.

Tomorrow's when we leave for the dog show. I'm getting so excited. I'm going to take a late lunch tomorrow and then keep the kids here at work until we leave. It will cut down 1 hour of drive time so we don't have to go home first. Tonights packing night. Many of you have probably never packed for a dog show before. Packing for a dog show is like leaving the country for months. You need 2 sets of crates if you have dogs that like to chew. 1 set is left at the arena and the other set is left in your car and is left for the hotel. Lord knows packing 3 sets of crates would be stupid. Then you have the dirty bags so you can pickup after your pooch. Treats, food, cameras, leashes, chairs.....Ahh the list goes on. Each trip I try to find something I can do without but I still haven't found that one thing. Luckily our next show is here in Memphis so all I'll need is crates, chairs, treats and cameras.

So we heard some news about Berwick. I only heard a little bit since Jason met with him around 10:00 and I haven't seen him. So, once I find out more info I'll share as much as I can :-)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIM!!!!!!!!!!!

A birthday poem just for you. Written by my sister Stacy.

Roses are Red

Violets are blue

You’re Kim, tis a poem

Of birthday wishes for you

Each year there is one

Day that is your own

Where good tidings are given

And candles are blown

With family and friends

Honor your day

Gift, blessings and cash

All are given away

So dearest Kim

Take heed what I say

From Jason and I

Have an amazing Birthday

******WARNING, THIS BLOG CONTAINS HIGHLY OFFENSIVE MAT'L******************

Today is a Memphis bashing day. Never in my life have I lived around so many stupid people. For instance today on the news they had to make an announcement that 911 is not to be used to get lottery numbers, scores of games and directions to places. It is for emergencies only. Uhh, what planet are you from? DUH!!!!!! So, since this is happening all the time they have developed a website specifically addressing why one would call 911. They are also going to educate the public (or so they say) using billboards. That only works for people who can read!!!!

http://shelbycounty911.org/

Then, on the way to work, Jason gets a call from a contractor they have hired to do some work at his work. Seems the contractor thought it would be ok to leave a bundle of conduit on the steps to the warehouse overnight. Hello......Memphis is ghetto. Why on earth would you leave some expensive stuff just laying around outside!!!!!!

Jason also told me yesterday he was fixing some printers in the warehouse. He used a screwdriver to unhook them from the conveyor belt and then laid the first one on the cart he was using. He laid the screwdriver next to it. Seconds later when he turned around, it was gone. Why does anyone want to live here? Do they know how horrible this place is? How dangerous? How stupid? Do they know that their are tons of other places accross the US that are so nice?

Sorry for the venting. Sometimes I just get so frustrated with this area I just can't help it.

If I didn't have to come into Memphis every single day I think I would be ok.....

So, in light of today's blog, my sister has graced us with 2 of her poems she has created for me just for this entry.

The first is to the music of the Wizard of Oz

We’re off to see the gangsters

The low down gangsters of oz

We hear if you make eye contact

They pop a cap in your noz

Because of the others they kill

Memphis really makes me ill

It does, it does, it does, it does, it does

Because of the stupid things that it does

We’re off to see the gangsters

The low down gangsters of oz

The next poem is to the music of Crazy by Buck Cherry

You’re crazy town

But you kick me harder when I’m down

When I dream of moving far away

Scratches all down my car I don’t want to stay

Hey, Berwick never looked so good

Cause when I’m in Memphis I’m in the hood

It’s ghetto from block to block

Spend more time talking to the cop

You’re crazy town.

Since I don't have much to write about today I'm going to copy and paste a funny joke my mother-in-law sent me. Thanks Carol. It was hilarious.

NEVER SAY TO A COP

1. I can't reach my license unless you hold my beer. (OK in Texas)

2. Sorry, Officer, I didn't realize my radar detector wasn't plugged in.

3.Aren't you the guy from the Village People?

4. Hey, you must've been doin' about 125 mph to keep up with me. Good job!

5. Are You Andy or Barney?

6. I thought you had to be in relatively good physical condition to be a police officer.

7. You're not gonna check the trunk, are you?

8. I pay your salary!

9. Gee, Office r! That's terrific. The last officer only gave me a warning, too!

10. Do you know why you pulled me over? Okay, just so one of us does.

11. I was trying to keep up with traffic. Yes, I know there are no other cars around.. That's how far ahead of me they are.

12. When the Officer says "Gee Your eyes look red, have you been drinking?" You probably shouldn't respond with,"Gee Officer your eyes look glazed, have you been eating doughnuts?"

MONSTERS.......

Although we didn't go canoeing this weekend we still had a great time. On Friday we met with a realtor about our house. Although he didn't give us the bright and cheery news Jason and I was looking for we still decided to use them because of their honesty. He basically said that our house could be a hard sell because it doesn't have an expandable space. Plus, all the other realtors said we could sell for mid to high 150,000's. These guys said we would have to sell under that. Since we'll be on a time frame and I do not want to be stuck in this place all by my lonesome we decided starting on the low end would be safe for us. We will not get the return we would like but right now that's not the most important thing for us.

Saturday we woke up and headed over to Chris and Carie's to work on the Jeep. Hints the name Monsters...... Anyway, I went shopping and hung out with Carie while the men worked outside on the Jeep. It's coming along really good and is going to look very sharp once it's done. They didn't get it all lifted and finished but the front end is finished. I cannot wait to ride in this thing and go muddin. It's going to be awesome. Saturday night Brent and Lea joined us for dinner and games. It's so much fun getting to know people you do not know that well. Brent and Lea are so nice and I've really enjoyed getting to know him. Lea is from Germany so it's fun to listen to her accent and also learn more about Germany.

On Sunday I stayed at home and worked on the house while Jason went to Carie and Chris's. I did laundry, mowed the lawn, washed 4 out of 5 dogs. After washing all the dogs my back sure is sore. I cannot wait to get a house where I can install a raised tub. All the bending really does a number on me. But, they all look fresh and clean and beautiful. After I was finished with all the chores I settled in and started watching Season 4 of Felicity. I really enjoy this show. It's about a girl graduating high school and following a guy to college all the way in NYC. If you haven't seen it before I highly recommend watching it. At 5:00 we went to dog class. Since we have a show this weekend we all worked on a course. I am really feeling confident in Chase and I believe we'll do really good this weekend at the show. She's been working better on the table, which is good. We only need 1 more qualification to get a title so lets keep our fingers crossed. After class we went to Fire Stone Pizza. I have never eaten their before but it was AWESOME! I think this may take the place of my favorite pizza place the Brick Oven. Umm, it's making me hungry just thinking about it.

Gurrr......I've tried 3 times to upload the photos of this weekend and they will not load. I'm about to give up on this blog stuff........

If you're dying to see the Jeep just send me an email and I'll email them to you. You won't be disappointed.

































































Sam wanting to eat Casey















The finished beast submitted by Carie & Chris

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!!

I forgot to write something yesterday. I didn't realize it until last night when I got home. Sorry for all you blog readers. I have failed you.

So it looks like our fun canoe trip is rained out this weekend. I'm bumbed out because I was really looking forward to it. Oh well, we'll just postpone the trip to a later date. Since we're staying home this weekend we'll be spending the weekend with Carie and Chris and working on the monster jeep. I had planned on taking before and after photos of the jeep however Chris got a little ahead of himself and went ahead and changed the front bumper. Chris what was you thinking? The Jeep transformation in as important to you as it is to me! LOSER.

While the men are busy working on the Monster Carie and I plan on having a little quality time together. I always enjoy my quality time with Carie. She's crazy like me.

On Sat and Sun we are having dog class to prepare for the show next week. So, that should be exciting. Hopefully it doesn't get rained out.

Look at that form!!!! This photo was placed at a joke to see if one person is really reading my blog :-) You know who you are! He He He!

Anyway, last night I tried something new. It's called speed mowing. We didn't get home until around 6:30 last night as the sun was setting. I needed to mow tonight since we'll need to start packing for our trip this weekend. So, I mowed the front yard at the highest speed it would go last night. Funny thing is the yard slants toward our house so at some points I was really flying. I have to say, it was so much fun!

Tonight is dog class. Since we'll be gone this weekend Tammy's letting us come during the week to another one of her classes. I'm really excited. I really like going to dog class. I'm going to miss it when we move. By the way, I did locate a house last night in PA that would be perfect. I'm a bit nervous though because the house is so big. It's over 2,000 sq ft. But, it has a room that I could call our dog room. I could also do agility in it. The room is about 20 X 30. Not to mention the house has a awesome view of the mountains. Need I say more? On the down side, the people decided to paint the kitchen and the trim on the outside of the house a HORRIBLE blue color. I mean horrible. So, that will be one of the first things that gets painted if we end up in this house.

Now about this weekend. We're going to canoe the Harpeth River outside of Nashville with a few friends of ours. Currently it's scheduled to rain all weekend which will postpone our trip :-( but we're hoping for the best. We'll probably canoe about 16 miles on Saturday and Sunday. I'm really excited.

I do not have much to write about today. But, I do have several prayer requests for everyone to pray for:

1. Jason's dad. He's sick and we're hoping he gets better
2. Jason's mom. That she'll remain strong during this time
3. Stacy. She's looking for a job in Cincinnati. Please pray she finds one. Hopefully in the graphic design field
4. Mom and Jack
5. Randy Luna's wife. He's a co-worker and his wife is very ill.
6. Jason and I about the PA relocation
7. Me, I'm in contact with a lady in Bloomsburg that has an office manager position available. She knows our situation and I think is willing to wait until we move.

This weekend was nice. Jason and I got a lot of work done on the house. On Friday after work I started working on the garage. I got a little work done but decided I was bored. I called Carie and Chris to see if Jay and I could come over. Inviting ourselves to peoples house is always fun. Of course they said yes. I knew Carie wasn't working on her thesis so I figured she wouldn't mind. We headed over around 7:00. When we arrived Carie MADE me go to Sonic for ice cream. Shame on you Carie! Tilly and Sam went along for the ride while the men worked on ripping out the floor in their bathroom. After they carried the floor out to the road we all sat down and watched Bringing down the House. I had never seen it. It was quite funny.




















Saturday it was off to pickup Interseptor for the dogs. Man that stuff is expensive. After that we stopped by porter paints and was going to have someone come out to match the paint on our ceiling. He said over time it would change colors so we really needed to repaint it. Not what we wanted to hear. But, we purchased the paint and Jason went to work. I worked on cleaning and laundry. That evening we set up an agility course and worked the dogs. I got a call from Tammy asking why we didn't come to class. With everything going on I totally forgot it was class. Oh well..... Then we came inside and watched Flight 93. For those who have not seen this movie I highly recommend it.

Sunday we visited a new church called Longview Point in Hernando. It was a really nice church. They spoke on the role of the wife. He was actually kind of funny too! Afterwords it was off to Brick Over for lunch. I love this place. Around 5:00 we met with a realtor. She told us what we could list the house for and then told us everything we would need to have completed once the house was listed. So much to do. Jason and I are planning on listing the house next week. Right now we are meeting with realtors to see which one we want to use. We have one more left to interview and the appt is on Monday. Whoops, I didn't realize I scheduled it on Prison Break day!!!! What shall I do???? Anyway, once we meet with him we'll then decide who to go with and place the house on the market. I'm both nervous and excited.

I've Got WORMS!

Yes, that title might scare some of you but I'm only quoting it because I have Dumb and Dumber on the brain. Last night and today I have found myself reciting several of my favorite lines:

"You sold our dead bird to a Blind Kid?"
"Feels like you're running at an incredible rate Harry!"
"I've Got Worms. That's what we're going to call it. We specialize in selling worm farms"
"Mock, yeah, Ing, yeah, Bird yeah, yeah, yeah"
"Hey, there's some people that need a lift, pick'em up"

Anyway, maybe tonight we'll watch that movie and laugh like we normally do. There are several more lines in that movie that I just love.



























This weekend Jason and I are working on the house again. Jason got some information from his company, not the formal letter yet, but they did say it would be coming sortly. So, we're going to meet with some realtors this weekend and possibly put the house up for sale late next week. So, we have tons to do. We've got to clean out the garage and shed and put some finishing touches on the inside of the house. The inside is mostly completed which is really nice. Then we have to clear out a little more space to add 2 more crates to the garage for Sam and Tasha. Those 2 have never had to be crated so it should be interesting. I'm sure they will hate me. Oh well though. :-) I'm getting so excited. I just pray that we're moved before it starts to snow in PA. I can't imagine moving in the snow. Let alone having to learn to drive in it again. Jason and I are going to try to find a winter sport. We've talked about doing skijorning (sp?) but we'll need another dog for that :-) We've also talked about snow shoeing. That would be tons of fun. If we are moved before Thanksgiving Jason and I have also discussed taking our first trip to NYC. I'm dying to see the Christmas Tree at the Rockifeller Center. After that, will probably be our first trip back to Schroon Lake to visit our family. It's been 3 years since we have been to Schroon Lake. Way too long!!!!!! I'm sure Shirley, Robert, Mike and Gracia will welcome us. They better (he he he).

Well next week is our canoe trip with all our buddies here in Memphis. I'm getting so excited about it too. We will be canoeing the Harpeth River outside of Nashville. I'm sure I'll have several photos to share :-)

Everyone have a wonderful weekend!

I am very tired today. I could almost just lay on the desk and go straight to sleep. I think I'm coming down with Bronchitus again, which sucks. I know I need to go to the doctor and get some meds, a shot, and a breathing treatment again but I just don't want to. I'm so subborn. I do not like going to doctors at all. Luckily I have an inhailer from last time that seems to be helping a little bit.

On a positive note, last night Jason and I went to Mi Pueblo for dinner. Umm, it was so good. I got the usual 2 beef tacos and a basket of chips. Umm....My mouth is watering again. We got home around 7:00. I really didn't feel like staying inside but I didn't want to sit outside so I decided to start mowing the grass. I always have to be doing something. I only got 1/3 of the backyard done before I couldn't see any longer. Tonight I'll finish the rest. I really enjoy mowing the grass. It's a time for me to relax. Chase loves to follow me while I'm mowing. She has learned to follow me on the left side of the mower instead of on the right. It's so funny. She's running along (I mow at high speeds) and her tounge is hanging out the whole time.

Yesterday I also purchased a new video editing software for my computer. It's by Magix. I'm really looking forward to working with it and making more home videos. My next home video will be of our canoe trip we'll be taking next week. I've been using Windows Movie Maker, which is standard with XP. It's not a very stable program and I have problems with it skipping or freezing before continuing onto the next video clip. So, I'm very excited about testing this new software out. I'm going to experiement with the video footage from our Buffalo Canoe Trip with Jacob and Trish. We'll see what kind of fun things I can come up with :-)

By the way Carie, with all the problems I've been having with this blog I downloaded Firefox and have been using it. I was able to get the photos to upload quickly without any problems however, now I cannot get the spell checker to work. I'm a horrible speller so this should make my blogs very interesting.

This weekend Jason and I went over to Carie and Chris's. While the men worked on Jason's Jeep I stayed inside and watched the Tillmeister and Sam. Carie was at a baby shower until around 2:00. I watched all sorts of TV and also played on the computer. Once Carie got back we watched a movie and sat around and talked. Carie is the coolest person EVER. Oh by the way, the guys needed to head to Auto Zone for some additional parts. Jacob had arrived so Chris and I piled in the back of Jacobs truck with not one but 3 dogs. It was so much fun. I'm such a hick. I think everyone was laughing when they drove by. Sure wish I had a photo.

On Sunday Jason and I worked on the house. Not many people that read my blog have been to my house. Jason was given a projector about a year or so ago. We use the projector as our TV. Since Jason and I wasn't sure if we would like the projector we have been using a queen size white sheet as our screen. The sheet has been tacked up on the wall for a long time. Well, since we may be putting the house up for sale we decided it was time to take the sheet down and put the projector away. It was a tragic event but I think we'll make it. We also needed to find a place for his 4 foot speakers. We ended up moving those into our bedroom. So, there is not a TV in the living room anymore. NO MORE MOVIE MARATHONS!!!! How sad. Our house is bare now.

A funny thing happened last night. It was around 9:30pm and I was letting the dogs out for their final potty break. I opened the door to find a snake on the patio. I never used to be afraid of snakes until I moved to the south. Just never know what's poisonous or not. One of our dogs squeezed out on the patio and was following the snake. It ended up going underneath the hot tub. So, using my wits, I pulled out an old garden hose to move the snake out from under the hot tub. Meanwhile, Jason cracked open the door and scooted the snake out the door. I wish everyone could have seen us. Jason was using a paint roller to scoot it out while I was standing on the hot tub cover with a garden hose. We couldn't find anything else on such short notice :-)

PRISON BREAK WAS AWESOME! I had to add that :-)

Here are a few photos taken this weekend.


This is the coolest Hummer ever! It's a Southaven Fire Truck

Beautiful Sam

Jason and Chris working on the Jeep

Good Ol' Tilly

So I read my good friend Carie's blog today. She said that I'm a distraction. That's not the first time I've heard that. :-) Thing is, I like to distract Carie. She's just so much fun! Carie, I know your working very hard at getting your thesis completed. So, I'm going to try to be a Good Tonya and not call you all the time to hang out :-) Beware though. I hear our men are getting together and working on our Jeep this weekend. Which means, I'M COMING TOO! he he he. I'll be nice :-) If you want to check out Crazy Carie and Chris's blog here it is.
http://monkeys-in-flight.blogspot.com/
Carie mentions on her blog the big Jeep renovation. Jay and I will be helping out. Actually, Jay will be helping Chris and I'll be the photographer. I'm a big hick so I'm really looking forward to seeing the Jeep go from Little Jeep to Big Buff Jeep! I can't wait to post those photos. By the way, Carie and Chris are huge Jeep fans like we are. They own 2 jeeps also. Check out our offroading adventure. An adventure it was too! We sure do need to do this again.
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/tonyamckenna/album?.dir=3785&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com/ph//my_photos

As for the weekend right now we do not have much planned. We're going to work on the house for a bit. Jason's planning on going over to Carie and Chris so the men can work on our Jeep. I'm going to tag along even though Carie will be at a baby shower. Who knows, maybe I'll just stay home :-) Although I'm sure Tilly would enjoy Aunt Tonya visiting. Afterwards I'm hoping to visit with Trish and Jacob and look at the photos they took while they were in the Northeast. On Sunday we have dog class. We normally have it on Wednesday's however since it's getting dark early Tammy has moved class to the weekends. Hey Tammy, if you're reading this, we need to have another Doggie Fun Day soon.

Did you guys know I'm multi-talented? Well today during lunch Jason and I went to Sonic to get some ice cream. Seen as it was in Memphis it took FOREVER to get it. So, by the time my banana split came I had to head back to work. I didn't want to waste my beloved ice cream so I created a napkin table and ate while I drove Jason back to work. You ask, what did I do with my spoon while making turns? I put it in my mouth. :-) I'm sure I looked hilarious but hey, it worked.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! :-)

Today is a lazy day for me. Honestly, I just do not want to do a thing. Last night was dog class at Tammys. It was tons of fun. Crazy Chase did a great job at the course Tammy had laid out. I think she may be starting to slightly calm down and focus on the commands that I'm giving her. The dog show in Franklin is just a few weeks off. Since it's cooled down a bit now I can start training outside again. FINALLY! Tonight I plan on taking an issue of our Clean Run magazine and picking out a course to work. Chase really needs to start working on the weaves again. It seems like forever since she's been through them.

By the way, my post yesterday about the job in Berwick. I talked to the lady. The job is at a Retirement planning office (Kind of like Fidelity). She didn't give me the name of the company since she is just a recruiter. Anyway, she said my resume is exactly the type he is looking for. She submitted it to him for review. She also asked me about timing. I told her right now they are planning everything but we expected to possibly move by mid-December. For those who know this has been going on since last Thanksgiving. So, mid-December may be a stretch. His company may also be stringing us along and have no intentions of hiring him. Who knows.....

Happy Hump Day! Sorry my blog was in such a large font yesterday. I spent most of the day trying to make it smaller but it didn't work. So, I gave up :-) Tonight is dog class at Tammy's. We're still preparing for the show coming up in 3 weeks. I'm getting so excited. I don't have that much to write. Jason and I was lazy last night. We watched a movie and then watched the Metallica S & M, disc 1 on DVD. That was awesome. Jason did take some really good photos of the kids playing last night.









































So cute and innocent....Hah.

Oh, I almost forgot. I did get a call last night from a lady in Berwick asking if I had found a position yet and if Jason and I was still moving. I haven't talked to her yet but I'm going to call her during lunch. Jason and I still do not know the timing but I'm just trying to get my foot in the door right now. I would love to stay with my current company. I have discussed on several occasions with my boss Brian how I would like to transfer. Only problem is the office is over 1 hour from where we would be moving. Which really would make it hard to transfer. If I didn't have to deal with the winter months in the north I would consider driving that far. Brian is still going to help me find a position somewhere. We'll see :-)

The Big Adventure......

All I can say it wow. What an adventure this weekend was. As you all know Jason and I had planned a trip with our friends from Ohio to the Smoky Mountain National Park. We got a call from Amy on Thursday night stating that she had an interview with the Edgewood School district. If she got the job she wouldn't be able to go with us. Although I was VERY sad about the possibility that they would not be going with us but I was EXTREMELY excited for her since I know how much she hates her current job. Well on Friday I took a day off work. I got up at 6:00 and left at 6:30 to take Jason to work. With all the dogs in tow I dropped him off and then headed to the kennel to drop them off. After dropping them off I headed back home to look over the map and try to find plan B just in case Amy and Scott couldn't make it. About 30 minutes later it was off to get gas at Sam's and pick Jason up. After picking Jason up we were off. We stopped in Jackson, TN for lunch around 11:00 or so and called Amy. SHE GOT THE JOB!!!!! YIPPEEEE!!!!! I can't wait to hear about how well her first day in the new school will be. But, after hearing the news Jason and I had to decided what we would do. Would we continue to the Smoky Mountains, head home to Ohio, or just head home to MS. After about an hour we decided to just continue with our plan to go to the Smokies. We arrived around 5 - 6:00 pm. The weather was beautiful and our campground was really nice. I had picked a spot by the Little River. We pitched the tent and started cooking our meal. After dinner we decided we would go ahead and go to sleep so we could get up early and start hiking. We arrived at the trailhead for the AT pretty early and got started. The weather was nice and we both looked really forward to the long hike to our first shelter. About 3 miles into the trail it started to rain. At first this was ok, we just kept on going, but then it started to pour. We got out our rain covers, rain jackets and our rain hats to cover ourselves up. After about 20 minutes of the downpour we both started feeling pretty miserable. We stopped so I could catch my breath and we discussed just heading back. This is the first backpacking trip I have went on where after 3 miles I was just physically exhausted. I think numerous things contributed to my exhaustion but I became pretty miserable. At this point I started to feel like the people I read about on these Everest websites. I know Everest is no comparison to the mountain we hiked but this was MY EVEREST! They always talk about having the feeling "Should I continue and risk getting injured" or "Should I turn back". At the time we only had about 2 miles of the trail left but honestly, I knew I couldn't make it any further. So, after a few minutes in the downpour just standing and thinking we both decided to go back. There was another trailhead entrance about a mile from where we stood. I told Jason I knew I couldn't make it back the 3 miles we had hiked so I said a prayer. I asked God to either have someone waiting at that trailhead so we could hitchhike or have a ranger there that could help. Not 2 minutes later we ran into an AT Trailrunner. We told him our situation and he told me to sit a few feet in from the trailhead and have Jason head back to pick up the Jeep so I wouldn't have to walk. At this time I was so weak that my legs were just shaking and I could hardly stand. So, Jason left his pack with me and started back toward the Jeep. I sat in the pouring rain and once again I prayed for Jasons safety and for the rain to stop. I promise again, not 2 minutes later the rain started to die down. So, I sat, all curled up trying to stay warm and waited. It didn't take Jason long to get back to the trailhead with the Jeep. At that time we discussed going home, however, I truly didn't want to leave. So, we headed to Cherokee where I knew there was a Big Boy restaurant waiting for me. Big Boy is one of my favorites. So, we drove and discussed what our plan of action would be. Would we find a spot in a campground again? Would we just head home? Would we find another shelter that didn't have a long hike to and hope a spot was open? Or, would we find a gas station outside the park where we could sleep in our Jeep. We stopped at a visitors center and pulled out our map. Low and behold we found a trail that would take us directly to the shelter we had reservations at and it was less than a 1 mile hike to get their. So, we decided that's what we would do after we ate lunch. Big Boy was AWESOME! As I knew it would be and we headed back to the trail. We hiked less than a mile to our shelter. When we got closer and closer to our shelter we heard a radio. NOT A GOOD SIGN! It was playing Pink Floyd, which is one of my favorite bands, but when your backcountry camping you expect peace and quiet. Once we go to the shelter there were 2 guys standing outside, beers in one hand and a cigarette in the other. They were obnoxious. We looked inside and noticed both had 24 packs and some of it was already gone. We unpacked everything and sat for a while listening to the music and then talk really loud. I was annoyed so I never talked to them. I ignored them the whole time. But, Jason was kind and talked a bit to them. Within the 2 hours we stayed at the shelter they consumed another 5 beers and then turned on the TN Game. BORING! So, now we're listening to football, which I hate, listening to 2 guys totally drunk (another annoying thing), and I was starting to feel uncomfortable being in the shelter. No one else was arriving and I was the only girl sitting there. I told Jason about how I didn't feel like staying in the shelter was safe. They were pouring beer outside our shelter which is a bear magnet and just annoying the crap out of me. So, we decided that we would pack everything up, lie and say I wasn't feeling very good and head back to the car. At that point it didn't look like it was ever going to clear up. So, at 6:00pm on Saturday we decided to head home. We filled up outside the park and started the 7 hour drive back to Mississippi. Around 11:00 we were just outside of Nashville and both of us was getting really tired. I told Jason I knew I wouldn't be able to drive because I would fall asleep and he was feeling the same so we stopped at a rest area and decided to sleep for a few hours. We woke up at 3:00am and started driving again. I-40 is one of the busiest interstate I have ever been on however, this time of night NO ONE was out. We arrived home around 5:00am and went to sleep. We knew we had to get up around 8:00 so we could pick up the furkids but both of us needed a few hours of sleep.

Sunday what a lazy day......

After picking up the kids we drove home and slept some more. We woke up around noon and decided to watch a movie. We also wanted to get together with some friends of ours we knew was home for the weekend. So, Jason and I watched Take the Lead, which was WONDERFUL. I know I'm a big tom boy and all but for some reason I really like ball room dancing. Weird isn't it? I told you I was very weird. Carie and Chris came over around 6:30 - 7:00 or so and brought cousin Tilly over to pay with the kids. Kenzie just loves Tilly. They really enjoy making out. We played with the kids for a while, Carie made some Chex mix and the guys sat and talked about Chris's new project. Chris and Jason are going to be working on Chris's Jeep Wrangler next week. Adding a lift kit, huge tires and other things to make it look AWESOME! After the mix was done we started watching The Sentinel. Around midnight they headed home.

Now it's Monday and the day has went really good so far. We slept in until around 8:00 and watched the MTV VMA's we missed on Thursday night. After that Jason wanted to go for a hike somewhere so we decided to go downtown Memphis to the Riverwalk. Once again, we called our buddies Chris and Carie and they decided to meet us downtown. We walked a bit around the city with Tilly and Kenzie and then decided to have an early dinner. After dinner it was off to Maggie Moo's. Now it's 6:30 and I'm waiting on Prison Break to start. I'm really excited to watch it tonight. One thing I'm not looking forward to.........WORK TOMORROW.....

Now, for a highlight of some of the photos taken this weekend.

The River we camped by on Friday






This poor little boy was so scared of Tilly


Kenzie drinking from my hiking bladder


Carie, Chris and Tilly joining us for our walk downtown