Catch up!

Sorry it has been so long since I have updated the blog. Emily was doing a good job of keeping it updated, but now that she is with you, someone has to keep her updated as well!

While Moon was in Texas, I had four days off school and Julie came to meet me on that Friday. I was surprised when I heard her pull in the driveway because I had never heard the sound of the vehicle before! Much to my surprise, she showed up in the little Geo Metro Josh had bought and fixed.

Once I found out that the car has a weight limit, I decided I should be the one to drive to lunch and to get our hair and nails done!

Julie and I went to see Lisa so Jul could get a haircut and a pedicure. I was only going to get my hair highlighted, but I also ended up with a pedicure. I wish I would have taken a picture of Julie's toe because she has a rhinestone horseshoe on her big toe. It is kind of difficult to see what is on my toe, but in the spirit of Halloween, I have orange toes with black tips and a spider and spider web on my big toe. I love my little spider!

The most interesting thing, however, that has happened recently is my little trip to the Emergency Room. Monday night after Moon and I had come home from eating dinner, I was going to work on my lesson plans for my observation. Well, I had some really bad cramps in my chest, which I had gotten before, but I figured they would go away like they had so many times before. Moon thought I was working on my lesson plans and little did he know that I was fighting with these cramps. After about an hour, Moon found me rolling around on the bed trying to get the cramps to go away. He wanted to take me to the ER, but I told him that I have had this before and it would go away. A few minutes later, I was running to the restroom and get rid of everything I had had to eat earlier. That is when Moon got really scared and we decided to go to the ER. Once I got there, the cramps were not much better. When the ER doctor came in to talk to me, he automatically thought it was my gallbladder. He ordered an ultrasound and sure enough he was right. I had actually had gallstones for 7 -8 years, but I was always able to get rid of the cramps. This time, the stone was so big, it was blocking the small tube at the end of the gallbladder not letting anything pass through causing me to throw up my dinner. Well, I didn't have to stay the night at the hospital, but I got up the next morning to meet with the surgeon and I had surgery that afternoon. The surgery went well and everything is better. I feel good - I'm just dealing with all the leftover gas that is in my stomach from where they blew my stomach up with gas during the surgery. I have four incisions; three horizontal 1/2 inch and one vertical 1 1/2 inch. It's hard to believe they removed my entire gallbladder from a little incision! Oh, and by the way.... they had to go through stomach MUSCLE to make my incision from my belly button. You didn't think you'd ever hear that from me, huh?!!

Afternoon of surgery

October 21, 2008

My belly button sticking its tongue out!

The morning after surgery - October 22, 2008

The Black Panther Strikes Again

Hello again!

This is Abbey and Moon's cat, Boo, who has an odd personality but is lovable nonetheless. Lately we have had a pack (or peck...ha ha...pun intended) of wild turkeys roaming our neighborhood (28 on this day). Boo is enthralled with them... or just hungry... and stalks them (she's very sly)... and then tries to fly to catch them when they fly away. It is very amusing, to us at least. I had caught it on video but it doesn't seem to want to go through... so I am posting some pictures we took, too.

Spooky!

Hello all!

As most of you know (or all of you know), Abbey is a teacher with really cool ideas. Especially when it comes to decorating her door for the holidays. Well, since I will be out of town soon, Abbey asked if I would help her get a head start on some of her ideas. "Sure," I said. Ever since then, I have been stuck in the house, elbow deep in construction paper, scissors, and tape. But I think the time paid off. First, we created a Thanksgiving table with a feast on it. We didn't take a picture of that....sorry. But the best one so far, is the October one. It is a spooky house that Abbey is going to let her kids make pumpkins to help decorate it. Now since both of those have been finished and lamenated ( I made her do it), I will be starting on the Christmas one where jolly ole Saint Nick is in a little bit of a quandry. He's stuck! Anyway, I just wanted to share the house with everyone. Also, Sid the Spider is on there, too! Enjoy!

Two Big Things in Two Very Fast Days

Hey everyone!

I just wanted to touch base real quick about two big events that happened the last two days. The first occurred when Mom and I drove up to Ohio to watch and participate in the Tommy Brown (our late uncle) Memorial Football Game between the Fitch Falcons (Whoo!) and the Chaney Cowboys (Boo!). Mom was the one who got to hand the trophy over to the winners this year, and lo and behold, Fitch won! Mom got to give the trophy to Danny (her nephew, my cousin) who was a senior this year and also a captain on the team! It was great being able to see a lot of the family in the short time we had there, and they all came out to support the game.

The next day, Mom and I drove home in time to make it to the Demolition Derby to watch Moon race his car. The night before, he had some trouble with the car when his shifter messed up and then he got hit hard enough that his hood bounced down and hit his distributor cap and broke it and the distributor along with it. (I sound like I actually know something about cars, but I have no idea about what I just wrote means except that Moon was not finishing the derby that night!) Anyway, he worked on it early the next morning and had it in running condition for the derby that night. He was in the third heat with a bunch of sturdy, older model cars but he showed them what a little car could do! He ended up being one of the heat winners and got a spot in the final! As a heat winner, he was awarded a trophy and some other goodies. He was in pretty bad shape after his heat because he had taken a pretty good beating. With that added to the damage left over from the night before, he had a few things to mend before the final started. As they were lining up for the final to begin, Moon comes flying into the arena and completes two donuts in the mud before he parks his car. Let's just say the Staff and firemen on the outside of the ring weren't thrilled to be covered in mud...twice. The crowd loved him though. His car was by far the one in the worst shape in the final, but he gave all he had until a lucky shot broke his back axle, pulled his back passenger wheel from under the car, and left him spinning his other three tires and getting nowhere. He ended as 11th overall...but he beat Hillbilly and the guys that liked to target Moon didn't get very far either. The winner of the derby was a chicken who hid more than hit, but we didn't care all that much. We were so proud of Moon and still are. He had one of the biggest grins on his face, but today, he still has the grin but he has the soreness, bruises, and tiredness that come after a personal victory! He did a great job and had a lot of people to support him. Here are a few pictures of the derby and what remains.

Catching up!

Hello Mom and Dad and everyone else who reads this!

Sorry it's been so long since we have posted anything. Well Moon, Abbey, and I went to Ohio to share the 4th of July with our family up there. The fireworks were pretty good this year like they usually are, and I got some really cool pictures of them and of the kids with the sparklers.

Moon came back that weekend so he wouldn't miss work while Abbey and I stayed in order to visit New York City a week later. New York was awesome. It was also hot, smelly, noisy, and big. We had a lot of fun! We got to see the Empire State building, Statue of Liberty, Central Park, Trump Tower, Ground Zero, Little Italy, Chinatown, Times Square, 2 Broadway shows (both excellent - Altar Boyz and Avenue Q), Rockefeller Center, and Coney Island along with a few alleyways. Our feet hurt everyday, but we got really good tans, especially on the way back to Ohio. (Pictures of the trip coming soon.)

Aunt Tish drove us back to Tennessee just so she could decorate Julie and Josh's house with tiny animals hidden in various places. They weren't as amused as we were! We found out today that Aunt Tish also hid a few of the little animals in our house, and we have only found 1 to Julie and Josh's 38. But we have a lot fewer in our house than they has in theirs. [:

Abbey is excited about school starting August 5. She will be teaching 5th grade. She has been to her room several times in order to decorate it for the kids. She has some really cute ideas for study centers.

The Wilson County Demolition Derby is August 22, and Moon is preparing for the ride. The car is almost finished. Just a few things need to be painted on it and a few things need to be tinkered on under the hood. What they are, I have no clue.

I have an interview for ETSU PT school on August 2. Wish me luck! I bought a new shirt, but I am not sure exactly what I am going to wear yet. I will have to do a fashion show for Abbey to figure out which outfit looks best.

Hope all is well with you guys. We will be talking to you soon. We love and miss you!

What a stick!

It's been a while since I have posted a blog, but at least I have something interesting to share and I am not just rambling on!

I was sitting in the computer room looking up directions to some properties Moon and I are interested in when Moon decided to go outside and put chemicals in the pool. He started to get frustrated with me for putting a stick on the side of the pool, but instead of saying anything, he was just going to move it. When he reached for the stick, it moved off the side of the pool and into the yard. The stick was a snake! After the "stick" moved by itself into the yard, Moon thought I was playing a joke on him and thought it was a fake snake. It wasn't until the head started to move toward him that he knew it was real! He called me to grab my camera and "come look what fell off the side of the pool!"

After I took a few pictures, Moon wanted to know what we should do about it, so being the clever person I am, I said "Call Mr. Coley or Coy. They'll take care of it!" Needless to say, Coy came down and took care of what I thought was about a 4-foot snake. (He was long and FAT!) Coy was our hero for the day and after he slayed the snake, I made him hold it by the tail so I could take a picture. (Look at how big the snake REALLY was! And it's missing its head!)

April Fools' Day

From E~

As school is coming to a close (only a month left), and tests and projects are piling up my roommate and I decided to play a small little April Fools' joke on a favorite professor of ours. Let's just say that our professor is a sarcastic male, is not a big fan of pink (or any bright color for that matter), and has been used by another favorite female professor as an example for not liking hugs (it's an inside joke that would be hard to explain on here, sorry). Anyway, my roommate and I recruited two other female friends and decided to "decorate" his office/hallway for AFD. We collected hot pink and pink camo wrapping paper, pink balloons and streamers, and made signs to put up everywhere. Luckily, the security guards know and trust us because they didn't seem at all bothered when they caught us decorating after hours in the science building. Actually, they just laughed and told us to have a good night. Well two hours later, after a fellow classmate came to witness the mischief taking place, we were finished with the pinkness. We had a lot of fun and took several pictures that night.

The story doesn't stop there, however. Early the next morning, I received text messages from several friends asking if I had anything to do with the professor's door. I claimed ignorance and also that I was still in bed, which placated a few but others had already known of my plans and congratulated me and my band of mischief makers for doing a wonderful job. As I came into the building that morning, I went to peruse our handiwork acting as if this was the first time I had seen it. It worked. The professor asked me a few questions about it, and I feigned ignorance again. Though I did show my amusement as had many other students, teachers, and staff members (several took pictures and one professor actually hugged the victim). The day went on without the four culprits being caught until 5pm that night.

I was preparing to go with a club I am part of to do some service work when the victim asked me to come look at one piece of the decorations. He pointed to an 'E' within an acronym JECA and told me that it was my name. (Truthfully it was, it was the first initial of all the culprits' names- just to help him out). I tried to feign ignorance again, but the coop was up. Apparently, the witness to our mischief the night before was offered extra points if he gave up the culprits. He did, and after cornered, one of our crew confirmed his answer.

Luckily, our professor wasn't angry, but actually enjoyed the attention because no other professor and a joke played on them that day. He kept the balloons to pop when he was frustrated, the heart cut-out labeled "what's missing", a sarcastic hug sign, and finally edited another sign and gave it to the female professor who nurtured our mischievious side. (Sign originally read: "Hug Department: Always Open" and was changed to "Hug Department: Closed due to bankruptcy"). Everyone got a kick out of the joke and it was a great stress reliever for those involved. I think we did a pretty good job!

I met John Rich (from Big & Rich)!!!!!

On my last day off, I went with my friend Susan on a catering job for a photo shoot. I met John Rich from the country duo Big & Rich! He is a really nice guy-- he is shorter than me and pencil thin. I made him a ham, spinach, green pepper and onion omelette with salsa and habenero sauce for breakfast and steak, chicken and shrimp fajitas for lunch. I didn't have a chance to get a picture with him but I did get my picture taken in his vintage Smokey and the Bandit TransAm!
If the vet thing doesn't work out, I told Susan that I wanted to become a member of her Enchanted Kitchen catering team. She has worked with a lot of country artists like Garth Brooks, Martina McBride, Montgomery Gentry and Brooks & Dunn. (Kix Brooks is one of our large animal clients at the clinic) It was fun-- if I meet anyone else famous, I will post some more pics.
Love you guys!

Love, Julie (the vet/caterer to the stars!)

Julie and Josh got a hot tub!

Julie and Josh were really excited about their tax return, and with the money, they wanted to buy a hot tub for their house. Well unfortunately, their return wasn't as large as they wanted, so our ever loving aunt decided to send them a starter kit. And, wow, Julie and Josh are on the box! Thank you Aunt Tish!

The Mountains

I had a great trip to the mountains (except for the stomach virus at the end)! On the way to the mountains, I thought it would be fun to go on a scavenger hunt, so I made one up the night before. It is amazing how fast the trip went on the way up there! It was a lot of fun, too! I will attach a copy of the list and some pictures.

Scavenger Hunt
To help pass the time until we get to our cabin, here is a list of items to search for!
Take a picture of all the items you find.
Good luck and be creative!

“Camp Discovery” sign
Scrapbook Warehouse billboard
Fork in the road
1234 in consecutive order
Caney Fork River
TTU sign

Construction cones
South Carolina license plate
Mile Marker 373
JFG Coffee Warehouse
Another state’s license plate other than SC
Motorcycle
Area of water other than previous

Falcon
3 yellow vehicles
Knoxville Zoo
“Next Rest Area” sign
Ma and Pop store
Church
DollyWood sign
Wal-Mart
Traffic Light #2
Old Model Car
Sports related billboard
“See Rock City” sign
Dixie Stampede
Cows
V W Beetle
“Emergency Stop” sign
North Carolina
Water fountain
Aquarium sign
Barn
Holiday Inn
Construction barrels
UT sign
Weigh Station OPEN
Exit 407
American Flag
Kangaroo
State Park sign
Murphy’s Donkey (homophone + another name for donkey)

We didn't do many practical jokes to one another. On Tuesday night I knew that someone had done something in our room, but I wasn't sure what it was, so Alison and I spent some time looking around to make sure everything was still in tact. I checked the hair dryer for flour, the bed for anything foreign, etc. As far as we knew, everything was just fine. It wasn't until Wednesday morning that I figured out their joke. As I was straightening my hair, I felt a sting on my thigh, but I thought nothing of it until I felt a second sting. I unbuttoned my jeans and when I pulled them down, there was a wasp in there! I had been stung twice! I told Alison and told her all I knew was that vinegar and baking soda helped with bee stings. She was racking her brain and then told me to put deodorant on it. That's when it hit me - they had taken our deodorant! After Alison went downstairs and told them what happened and finally told the girl we knew she took it, we got the deodorant back and it helped with my wasp stings. I offered the deodorant back to the girls, but they didn't want it after that! I had never been stung by a wasp before, but now I know that deodorant helps! (And the redness and bumps stay around for a while. I still have the bumps and sting marks!) Anyhow, it was fun and I'm glad that we went. (But I am also glad to be home!)

Oh, Boy! (or Girl!)

When we went to Julie and Josh's for Easter, we did not know we would be visiting the Brokeback Aquarium! Julie was under the impression that both of the turtles were male but now we are not so sure... Josh was concerned about how "stiff" the top turtle's tail was once all was said and done.

Easter

For Easter this year we did not have our traditional Easter egg hunt. We pondered the idea, but we knew it would not be the same, so we did without. We did have a nice time, however. We all went to Julie and Josh's since Julie was on call and we ate dinner and played Wii. And the best part of all was that Julie was not called out!

Catch up!

Hello! I just want to catch everyone up on all the things that have been going on. I haven't been very good at updating the blog, obviously, so I have to go all the way back to Allie's birthday! She, like Max, got her own special treats. She started off with a pig's ear and then got a Munchy bone which Boo tried to take from her!

As everyone knows, March is a busy month for our family. Although we did not get to celebrate as we usually do, we did celebrate both Emily's and Moon's birthday.

Emily was very good to Moon and made him a homemade cherry pie! It turned out wonderfully! Moon also had a chocolate cake since we had 14 people over!

I kind of kept mom's tradition on St. Patrick's Day. I did not make anything green for dinner, but I did make a green pancakes for my class. I did not tell them what I was doing and when I handed out the first batch of pancakes, I told them they could eat them. No one said they didn't like them or wouldn't try them, but they were a little hesitant. Everybody ate two pancakes! I asked if anyone knew what they were and one student said pancakes, but I told them it was actually leprechaun food to which one little girl said "It does kind of taste funny!"

And now the last thing I want to share.... Since it has been so nice outside lately, we have taken the dogs for several walks. We were just walking them in the pasture, but Emily called the Braziers and they said we could walk in their fields. Mom, I thought you would enjoy seeing Max having a good time on our walk.

And just because I like this picture....

I will update the blog again after Easter and my trip to the mountains.

Take care! I love you! ~Abbey