February 21, 2006
So here we are in Tennessee and it is beautiful. And a tad bit cold.
We had a crazy trip out here. We were supposed to fly out of Ontario airport (Ontario, CA not Ontario Canada) at 8:10 AM on Saturday. We arrived there around 6:30 AM and discovered that our flight had been cancelled due to weather issues in Dallas (we had a lay over there). We were rescheduled to fly out at 2:30 PM. We actually left Ontario at 3:00 PM or so which means we had a little more than 8 hours to hang out at the airport. No where to go, not much to do. We know that airport very well. Lots of walking/strolling and doing all we could to entertain Ethan.
So, we left at 3 PM and arrived in Dallas a little over two hours later. Our flight leaving Dallas was also delayed, so we got us some Starbucks and pizza and hung out. A little bit before our flight was to leave, we ended up plugging in our laptop next to this couple with a little one of their own and made some new friends. They live in Nashville and we may end up meeting them for lunch this next weekend when we head back over there. They were very cool…maybe too cool for us, but they seemed to like us. We discovered they were Christians and had a ton to talk about with them. The girl is in a Christian band I was vaguelly familiar with quite a few years back. It was very cool.
We finally boarded the plane to Nashville around 10:30 PM Dallas time (8:30 PM California time). We then proceeded to sit on the plane for over an hour as the plane was de-iced. I have to say at this time that my son is a trooper. He was awesome. He hardly fussed the whole day and was a great sport. He was so happy and good for the hour we sat there, hardly moving and then fell asleep right as the plane took off. He cried a few minutes at one point, but man. He was SO GOOD. I must also mention that our dear friends Eric and Tisra Fadely were waiting for us in Nashville. We were supposed to arrive there at 5:00 PM Nashville time. We got there at 2:15 AM. We were leaving California when we were supposed to be arriving in Tennessee. Eric and Tisra were awesome. They are awesome. They waited and waited for us. Eric spent an hour waiting at the airport for us, took us back to their place, and got us settled. They missed church, made us crepes, and were just so wonderful. We are eternally grateful. Their house is lovely and their children adorable. We got a little time to visit, but we are very much looking forward to next weekend when we get to spend a little more time together.
Eric drove us back to the airport Sunday morning and we picked up our rental car…initially a silver Dodge Neon. They inspected it, we loaded it up. We drove three feet and someone stopped us and told us we had a flat tire. We waited another 1/2 hour, got upgraded to a Hyundai Sonata and finally were on our way to Knoxville.
Two hours or so later, we arrived in Clinton, Tennessee. Andrew welcomed us to their cute little place. I forgot to mention. There was snow. We actually saw some snow fall when we got to Andrew and Pam’s place. Very cool. It isn’t too cold, really and it is so beautiful here. So spacious and simple. I like it. Everywhere you look, there is something pretty. We have eaten at Cracker Barrell, Big Ed’s Pizza, and Hard Rock Cafe Gatlinburg. The food is very different here. People’s habits seem different here, too. We have explored Knoxville, Gatlinburg, and the Smoky Mountains. Ethan is adjusting well and loves his uncle, auntie, and their dog Abby. We are finally catching up on sleep and enjoying ourselves very much. It is so cool to see where Andrew and Pam live and to be here.
Tennessee is the place to be:)
February 17, 2006
We will be in Tennessee tomorrow. Can’t wait. The little one has a bit of a cold, but his spirits are still high. He is just as wild but has a lot of snot to go with it. Hoping it will be better by tomorrow. I have a backpack full (and I mean full) of toys and treats. We could not fit one more cheerio. I am hoping it will keep him happy and quiet for the ride. I guess that I am most worried that he will want to walk around the plane socializing the whole time. I am not worried he will be loud or crying. He is just so friendly and busy. Two hours (we have a lay over in Dallas) of a little kid telling you hi and flashing an adorable smile, will that get old? He could do it, I think. He may even share his cheerios. Be back soon.
February 5, 2006
There is a lady at church that was pregnant the same time that I was pregnant with Ethan. We just found out yesterday that she is pregnant again. It kind of shocked me. I think it was only this last week that I discovered our kids aren’t babies any more. They are toddlers. They are little boys. I think that was what really shocked me. I always thought I would have several kids and that they would be two years apart. That would mean it was time right now. To get pregnant. I can’t even imagine. I mean, I know it wouldn’t mean that I would have Ethan where he is right now and then another little one on top of that because Ethan will be a totally different kid in 9 months. I just can’t imagine it. I just don’t feel quite ready. I don’t know what we would do with another kid. We have no room. I don’t know that our moms would be as willing to watch two kids while I worked. We are just making it as it is with this one. It is crazy to think about being pregnant again, but I imagine I will really warm up to the idea sometime in the near future. Ethan will have a brother or sister, I am sure of that. I am just not sure when.
February 2, 2006
I am having a difficult time figuring out what to do here.
We have this chair in our living room. It is a nice chair. It is comfy. It is blue. Our sweet little kitty has ruined it by scratching three of the four legs of it. We have never made it seem like it was ok for her to scratch the furniture. We still yell at her every time she does it, but for some reason she thinks it is ok to scratch away. Probably because for everytime we yell and make a loud noise to get her to stop, there are 20 other times we are not around to yell or make lots of noise and she has gotten away with it. Anyway, the chair looks like crap. The outer material is shredded in several spots and the stuffing and foam are showing and coming out with each additional scratch. Ethan has also tried on several occasions to assist the kitty in her efforts to ruin our chair by picking at the stuffing.
So, I don’t know what to do.
I typically do not like the look of slipcovers. Also, our chair appears to be a little wider than any of the slipcovers I have looked at. They are also pricey.
I really don’t want to make a slipcover, either. It could also be pricey and could turn out very ugly. It would also take a lot of time to put together and I think would be more frustrating that worth it with the finished product.
I don’t want to get it reupholstered, really. Again, pricey and most likely, it will be destroyed again. (NOTE: Kitty has a huge kitty condo to scratch at. We have tried to redirect her needs to scratch, but she still insists on the chair. The condo is just for sleeping in.)
Same with a new chair.
What to do??
Shane thinks I should buy some patches and patch the thing. I think this might look trashy. But, it already looks pretty trashy as it is.
Any ideas??
(Maybe we should just get rid of all the furniture and sit on the floor.)
