The Past Few Weeks and Frozen Head State Park

I know it's been a while since I last posted something that detailed our lives here. August was an absolutely an insane month. It began with the beach which can read about in an earlier posting. Then we went to Charlotte to visit Catherine, John, baby Jack, and puppy Sophie. We had a fantastic time with them. Jack is a very sweet baby. It was also the first time I saw Michael with a baby, and he is a natural! However, the night before we left Charlotte, I received the unfortunate news that my Grammy had passed away.

Thus, off to Chicago for me to be with my mom and aunt to help with funeral arrangements and just to be with them. A couple of days later the family started to arrive. Now, most people simply have to arrange for the funeral, yet, because my Grammy did not believe in organized religion. She believed in God just not through a set church. Therefore, I planned the funeral service with help from Erin and Joey. It was seriously one of the hardest things I had ever done. We had a graveside service for Grammy that ended up being nice. The day was a perfectly warm summer day. One she would have loved. I led the service while Erin, Joey, and Michael read Bible verses and spoke about our grandmother. I never thought that I would have to do something like that, but I did, and my mother and aunt thought it was a wonderful ceremony.

After Chicago and a day and a half a home, we set off for Virgina. There we dropped off Erin at UVA for college. I know its crazy but leaving her there really made me miss college. I think it was the small dorm rooms. But seriously, there's something about a college campus. Plus, it was cool being somewhere that Thomas Jefferson built. Since we were all the way up there, we went to visit my Grandma Ruth for a few days. We took her out to dinner with my parents, Aunt Elizabeth, Pat, Uncle Dave, and Toni. It was a wonderful evening with my family :). On our way home, we stopped to Kelly and her three boys in Bristol, VA. Not only was it wonderful to have a break from driving, but it was great to see them. She lives in Qatar with her family so seeing them was a treat. Kelly also taught me how to knit! I currently knitting a scarf for myself and a Christmas present for Michael. It's slow going, but I'm getting there.

Once we were home from VA, Michael and I were able to get into a routine of daily life or working out, eating well, and job searching which is going. I don't want to say too much for fear of scaring something away.

This past weekend has been fun. We went to the club to watch UT win its season opener against Western Kentucky. On Sunday we took a family hike in Frozen Head State Park. It was both Manga and Michael's first hike in the USA. Manga could not have been more excited. She ran around everything. The woods are very new to her with all kinds of new smells and sights. A few times she caught the scent of some sort of an animal, but being the good girl she is, Manga never strayed very far. Furthermore, she rolled around in the mud and thought the whole experience was simply amazing. When we got to the car, Manga flopped down and fell asleep which she has also done for all of today. Tomorrow I will have an energized puppy again, but for now, she is still tired.