Let Me Shed A Little Light On The Subject...

So the electricity went out for over an hour today. When planning to actually work, it caused quite an inconvenience. My roomies and I ended up having a Nerts fest. We played until our eyes really hurt from squinting in the dark. When we finally decided it was just going to be nap time and got snug in the beds, then the lights came back on. Figures... I was quite amazed at how upset I found myself getting about the electricity. Am I really that dependent?!?!

So a few freebies this week, that some of you might like...

This Tuesday (Dec.2), Team Green is holding an free info meeting about composting and local food. It is actually being held at Lipscomb. Tuesday from 6 to 7pm in Burton. Check out Team Green's website for more info.

On Thursday (Dec.4) at Brook Hollow Baptist Church, there will be an Internet safety course from 5:30-7pm. I think this is such a great thing especially for parents. As a teacher, I am overwhelmed by how my students use the Internet at such a young age. Parents might be quite surprised to learn what their children do on a computer when they are not looking.

It's back to the books and billions of papers to grade before Scrabble Sunday begins!

Meet Me At The Loveless

I have a list of things I have been wanting to do in Nashville. Today, Tiffany and I headed out in search of the perfect Southern lunch/breakfast. We went to the Loveless Cafe.

The Loveless was opened in 1951 as a motel on Highway 100. Mrs. Loveless' cooking was so good that they opened up dining rooms for good Southern cooking. Her biscuit recipe is world famous and remains unchanged even today. Today, the motel is closed, but the restaurant has grown to the big demand. There are little shops surrounding the restaurant where you can buy Loveless Cafe items including the hams and "got biscuits?" t-shirts. Personally, I love the Curious Heart shop that has lots of interesting ins and outs, plus a nice Christmas selection.

I got some yummy steak and biscuits. The hashbrown casserole was amazing! Cheesy, cheesy goodness. Yankee opted for fried chicken, mac and cheese, and sweet potatoes. She passed on the Southern greens. She is becoming cultured in all things Southern. ;)

All in all, a perfect Saturday afternoon outing. If you are in need of some good eats and have a little time to spare, I would highly recommend the Loveless.

Boulevard Bolt

So a couple of weeks ago, I had this brilliant thought that I should run the Boulevard Bolt on Thanksgiving. Tiffany agreed to run it with me because well, she is just fabulous like that. A nice 5k on Thanksgiving. Strong.

I signed up on the last day possible online. While on the website and after registering I noticed that it was not a 5k race. Indeed, it was 5 miles! I told Tiffany she needed to register right away, leaving out the little detail that it was 5 miles. I gave her all the information after she signed up. She really is a good friend. ;)

So at 5:45am this morning, we woke up and headed to Belle Meade. While jumping around, freezing our kahunas off, I noticed a very nice looking guy walking in our direction. I smiled. He smiled. I smiled even bigger. He passed and I looked at Tiffany. Take a guess who it was.... (a clue) Think 27 Dresses and Benny and the Jets.... JAMES MARSDEN! Talk about good motivation to run.

It was cold and I thought my ankles were going to snap when we first started running. We ran into several old friends. It was a beautiful course and of course doing anything with Tiffany is fun. I will say I was glad to see the finish line.

Results: Finished at about 10 minute miles. Knee is now killing me. I saw one of the best looking men alive. (People magazine agrees with me!) I completed my first Boulevard Bolt... another Nashville tradition to check off my list.

Thankful

I have so much to be thankful for, so here is just a few that I am especially grateful for this year...

Emily and Jakson coming to visit. She extended her stay until Dec.20! yea!!!
Having a job that I love, am challenged, and feel purposeful all at the same time.
New friends from Inversion and Intentional Community group.
My India blanket. (Can't tell you how much I love this blanket and only got it thanks to the encouragement of friends... thanks!)
Starbucks with Tiffany and "Hot Nick"... makes for a great afternoon.
Seeing a little green dot beside names of friends on Google Talk. (Even though we may not talk, it makes me smile just knowing we are doing similar things and might be all the way across the world.)
Moc slippers.
Christmas trees. (yes, I put ours up yesterday!)
Having a God that has blessed me beyond all belief and loves me when I am beautiful and when I am ugly.

I am thankful for this little blog that allows me to document my life, share with (and hopefully encourage) others, and helps me keep up with people.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

#1 of "152 Insights Into My Soul"

Extreme Home Makeover makes me weep. Not tear up, not cry, but weep.

The Miss Becomes Mrs.

My childhood friend, Lauren got married this weekend. It was so special to be a part of her big day. I seriously remember her drawing sketches of her wedding dress in elementary school and then to see her walking down the aisle in almost exactly what she had drawn so many years ago... wow.

Lauren is quite the Disney fan. She and Kyle are tromping around Disneyland Paris right now. Her wedding even included Disney touches. Hidden Mickeys could be found through out flower arrangements, food, etc. During the final prayer of the ceremony, all of us in the wedding party pulled out Mickey Mouse hats to wear down the aisle. Can you guess what song they kissed to? "Kiss the Girl" of course!

Lauren and Kyle, may you live happily ever after!

Love Him!

He is just too adorable! Really.

doing nothing

Sometimes the best kind of girls nights are the ones where you can just kick your feet up and do nothing...

Tonight was one of those kind of nights.

perfect.

One of the best days of my life... I was finally able to hold this perfect little guy! My nephew Jakson. I think my heart almost burst when I was able to hug my sister Emily and Jakson. I had not seen Emily since June 07 and it was the first time to meet Jakson. I have missed her like crazy. It was a happy day.
My cup runneth over...

The Not Quite Marvelous Monday

Today was more of the typical Mondays most people have. I guess I have been overwhelmingly blessed in that my past Mondays for a couple of months have been, well, marvelous. Today not so much...

It all started when I checked a grade on an assignment I turned in this weekend. I got a D! When reading the professor's comments, I was confused about what happened. I emailed her and then checked the work when I got home tonight. I am not understanding what I have done wrong. Agh.

Then, the weak stomach was hit.

When walking back to the classroom after lunch today, I learned that a student was going to be sick. I told her to RUN! She ran, I ran, and the class ran. She stopped before reaching the restroom, turned around in my direction, and projected vomit. I am talking major air! I did okay until the smell hit. I was able to grab the trash can before I was sick, but my students still saw and were completely grossed out. Teachers don't throw up. Ha.

After school, I went to Davis Kidd to buy the next book for our teacher read-aloud series. Super Fudge was requested by the entire class so being a considerate teacher (and thankful the vote was unanimous) I went to make the purchase. Upon leaving my grad class, I happened to flip the book open and saw the first 42 pages were missing. Back to Davis Kidd. The kids will be excited tomorrow so it will be worth it.

This weekend I tried to be productive and get work done early because of a certain event taking place tomorrow (I will blog on later...) I even did my Saturday paper for next week! (WOW!) I was feeling super good until I went to class tonight. Not only did I discover it wasn't due this next week, but the week after.... The teacher informed us that because he is "a nice teacher" he was canceling the assignment. And that ladies and gentlemen, is yet another reason why I do not do work ahead of time.

It is now 10pm and I have lots I could and probably should be doing, but I am going to turn in early and try to get over this not quite Marvelous Monday. (It really wasn't a BAD day, but def. not marvelous!)

I have waited for almost a year and half for tomorrow.... Really.

Bachelorette Party

A night out of good clean fun, celebrating the future Mrs. Lauren Gregory! The perfect kind of Saturday night.

(yes, my hair is a different color now... a little dark for my liking...)

Cuteness

Things like this make me think I have the best job in the world!

(from our program last night)

Quote

"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today, is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door and deny him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable."

(Not sure exactly who said this... it was stated in my class on Monday night)

Puzzled.

A word association game...

Long Division.

Shoot me.

We spent 3 hours working on understanding this concept today. In the end, everybody went home with headaches and still puzzled. (Teacher and students.) So much, for my fun day with totem poles and mammals...

But... that means totem poles and mammals tomorrow! :) Yea!

My Feelings on Fall

The perfect kind of Saturday morning...
Fall is here.
I am a happy girl!

A Little Mystery...

In Yichang-esque fashion... a mystery in honor of an important day

It did not make the news. There was no coverage on Oprah, CCTV 9, or on Anderson Cooper 360. The girl did not get to make a guest appearance on Gilmore Girls or West Wing. However, this day in the girl's life would go down in her history book.

The girl probably began the day as any other. Maybe a phone call from Detroit or a sweet surprise from her pal down the hall. She would carry on teaching class just as normal. Maybe have lunch at her favorite street vendor and grab a cup of milk tea. Her evening might be spent with a houseful of Rice family and friends. It is hard to say because I am on the other side of the world.

Little did this girl know what an impact she was making on the world. A girl from a small town in Indiana who was now living in a small town in China, was doing the extraordinary. She was adding joy to all of those around her. In a time when the world was changing, people scurrying through their days, the economy crashing, and an election that rocked the world... it was on November 10th that this girl was the center of attention. Everybody wished they could add joy to her life the way she had added joy to theirs.

History was made... another age bracket checked. The girl grieved a little. However, when thinking about how blessed her life was, she could not help, but smile. The Halloween parties, treks around different countries, solving of mysteries, treacherous trips to Wuhan (and now Kunming), and the pleasure of Sharing with others... what a past couple of years. However, this fortune teller in America thinks that something great is upon the girl. This next year will hold great adventures and tales. All of that can wait though because today alone is special.

In this post of "What is it?", I hope you figured it out. Shout it aloud! Hip, hip, hooray...

It's Kim Gaugler's Birthday!

Happy Birthday Gaudy. Hope your day is extra special! You are missed.

A Surprising Singer

Tiffany, Christina and I went to the Grand Old Opry tonight. The Opry was at the Ryman and we had to stand in a super long line. Why all the fuss? See video above.

That's right, Kevin Costner performed at the Grand Old Opry. He wasn't terrible.

We also got to see Randy Travis, Billy Currington, Craig Morgan, Vince Gill, Josh Turner, and Riders in the Sky.

I am not a country music fan (tonight confirmed that once again!), but it was a fun night out. And when you see Kevin Costner, it is a great night!!! :)

My Two Cents

Not saddened by today's outcome.

Hopefully, this will be a good "change we can believe in".

That is all I have to say on the matter.

Halloween 08

On Friday night Lucille Ball, Amy Winehouse, and the Dark Angel hosted a fabulous Halloween party! A total of about 60 people came through the doors. We ate, played a game, and of course danced. The costumes were amazing! I think the winner would have to go to the A-Team who made an entrance, sacrificed their hair, and just generally were great. Already have my costume picked out for next year. Only 363 days to go!

Hope you had a fantastic Halloween!