A Day on the Lake

Craig and I spent Saturday afternoon at Warrior's Path State Park putting our kayaks to good use. We parked at the center of the park and paddled all the way to Fort Patrick Henry Dam and back... over 7 miles in all! Thankfully, we managed to get out of the water just in time for the rain to begin. All in all we had a great time and enjoyed taking in all the scenery!

Kentucky or Bust!

This weekend Craig and I went to the Blue Grass Stakes horse race at Keeneland race track in Kentucky. We spent Friday night at my aunt's house in London, KY and then traveled up to Lexington the next day for the races.

Craig and I on our drive up to Kentucky... what an awesome view!

My cousin Chuck gave Craig and I a tour of the city and of the UK campus on our way to the race track. There were 10 races for the day with the Blue Grass Stakes being the 9th. Some of the horses that ran in the Stakes will be running in the Derby this May.

We had seats in the Equestrian Room, which was wonderful since the temperature was in the 50's for the day.

My Aunt June, Mom, and Dad at our table.
Checking out the horses in the paddock.

The horses being paraded to the starting gate.


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Unfortunately... the horses were faster than my camera!

We had a blast and we even left with more money than we went with... which is more than can be said for most of the others who were there!

My Radio Debut!

I am very excited to report that this past Tuesday I made my radio debut! I was given the opportunity to do a little PR work for my new job and give a 30 minute interview with DJ Tiger Books on WCQR 88.3. It really is amazing how quickly the 30 minutes flew by. Thankfully the interview was pre-recorded rather that LIVE! I must say that the high point of the interview was when I mistakenly said "numberous" instead of "numerous" when I was trying to answer one of Tiger's questions... it was hilarious! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the Tiger decides to edit that out. Other than that little flub I think I did pretty well for a first-timer!

In addition to the 30 minute interview I had to record a 30 second promo. The promo was basically me introducing myself, Habitat's mission, and telling people what they could do to get involved. I got it done in ONE TAKE... which Tiger said never happens!

Anyway, the station will begin airing my promo every day, multiple times a day starting on April 13th. The full interview will air on April 19th at 6 a.m. If for some reason you're up that early on a Saturday and you're in the area you should tune in and check it out!

Crafty!

This weekend I decided to dust off the good ole' sewing machine and make use of some fabric I had lying around. I decided to make a bed for Sydney. I think the project turned out wonderfully... Sydney most definitely agrees!

What a happy boy!

The Newest Leonberg!

Craig and I FINALLY decided to get a dog! We have been debating this decision for many months now. With my new job and reduced work hours we figured that this was as good a time as ever to expand our little family.

Saturday, we found this little guy at the Hawkins County Humane Society. He is an 8 week old Australian Shepherd mix. We decided to name him "Sydney" in honor of his Aussie roots. We were so lucky to find him... he truly is a WONDERFUL puppy! He doesn't bark, hasn't had a single accident in the house, doesn't chew excessively, and overall is a VERY calm puppy! Plus, he is just beautiful! We are so happy to have him!


It's amazing how quickly I feel that my quality of life has increased over the past week. I'm not sure if it's the new job or the new puppy... perhaps a little of both. No matter what has caused the change I feel so much more relaxed and much happier each day!

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Weekend Visit...

This weekend my mother-in-law, Craig, and I traveled to Clarkesville, TN to visit Craig's cousin Heather and her husband Grant. Neither Craig nor I had seen Heather since she was about 13 or 14, so we were really surprised to see just how grown up she has become. Heather is a little over 7 months pregnant... she and Grant are expecting a little boy who they plan to name Kayden. Both Heather and Grant are in the army (Heather is hoping to be discharged in another 2 weeks). Grant will actually be going to Afghanistan in another 4 weeks... just shortly before Kayden arrives. We had such a good time visiting with them... although the trip was WAY overdue. We are so excited for them and we hope everthing works out well for their growing family.
We spent Saturday night in Nashville in order to break up the 5+ hour trip home. Sunday morning we did a little sightseeing. Craig's Mom even got kissed by a bum (who she gave $10)... definitely worth the trip! Here are some of the sights.

New Job!

Most of you know that my job at Youth Villages wasn't exactly up my alley. Well, I am happy to announce that I have been offered a new job through Holston Habitat for Humanity! Beginning February 27th I will be their new Family Services Coordinator! I am VERY excited about this position and the many opportunities that I will have with this agency! Plus... no more working 60+ hours! This will definitely be a nice change.