Black Light

Today was very interesting to say the least.  A couple months ago Cassie and I planned that on November 14, we were going to go to Birmingham to visit the Civil Rights Institute.  So, in the words of Nicole C. Mullen, that's just what we did.  It was interesting, gut-wrenching, educational, sickening.....  That's one part of history I've always been into and interested in.  I've said many times that one of my "heroes" is Martin Luther King Jr. and how I would love to have the chance to sit down and talk to him.  We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the museum which was a big bummer cause there was a lot of really neat stuff in there.  But we did get a picture of the building right across the street- 16th Street Baptist Church.

It's the church where there was a bombing back in the sixties and four little girls died.  We were right where so much history took place.  This church also was the place that hundreds of school age kids gathered to march for their rights.  It was during that march where the police turned the water hoses on them and also brought out their attack dogs.  There was a park right across the street where a lot of the action took place and they had a few statues there, like this one.

It really gives you a lot to think about, going through a place like that.  Then while I was taking a picture of this statue, a guy comes up to us on a bike and asked us if we had taken a picture of the church yet and proceeds to tell us how his brother was there during the march.  After buttering us up for awhile he mentions that he's homeless and wants some money to stay at a mission.  Long story short, we then found ourselves driving to this mission in downtown Birmingham to see if this guy was for real.  He rode his bike and we met him there.  We ended up talking to the manager of the mission for a long time about helping people that God puts in our paths and listening to his testimony.  Cooper was a cocaine addict but after hitting rock bottom and having nowhere to go but up, came to know the Lord, changed his life, has been sober for five years and is now in charge of the mission.  Wow. 

Then, turns out that my friend from Jamaica, Maria, just happened to be in Birmingham this weekend.  She's the principal of the CCCD school in Kingston that I go to each year.  She was there for a deaf conference and called me up to see if she could stay with me while she was here.  It didn't work since B-ham is 1 1/2 hours away, but it did work out to take her out to supper.  It was really fun to see her outside of CCCD and when she wasn't under all the pressures of work, accomodating the team, taking care of the kids etc. etc.....

After a tasty supper at O'Charley's we took her back to her hotel and went to visit Trent.  He's my one connection in B-ham and since I don't really know my way around I thought maybe he could come along and tell us where to go.  But one of our phone's wasn't working or something and he didn't get any of my four phone calls/text messages.  Finally, after we had already eaten, we made contact and decided we'd still go over and say hi for awhile.

We were back on the interstate at 9:30 and thanks to Cassie's mad driving skills we made it home in record time.  We won't disclose exactly what that record was though:)  So, there's our day.  Like I said- very interesting to say the least.  But it was a good day. 

Welp, tomorrow is potluck day at church.  Thanksgiving potluck- very yummy.  I have to get up in the morning and make my potatoes.  Sure hope they turn out!  I keep trying to think of a smoothe way to end this but it's just not coming to me.  So, good night!

My Dear Friend:)

I have this friend.  Her name is LeaAnn.

  I promised her that if she read AND commented on my blog, I would dedicate a post to her.  Oh the things I will do to get people to comment!  But really, she is a dear friend.  Actually, she's my second cousin.  I always knew who she was because of family reunions and stuff but I never really talked to her.  She's about six years younger than me and back when I actually went to family reunions, that was way too far out of my age group to play with.  Come to think of it, I think we were all kinda snotty to each other.  We hung out with our first cousins but never really interacted with our second cousins until we were older.  Anyways, onto LeaAnn.  About four or five years ago she was going on the same Jamaica trip that I was.  I remember thinking that she was my second cousin who was younger enough that I was sure she was still probably had some growing up to do.  It really boiled down to the fact that there were a lot of new people going that I didn't know and they were all in high school and I had a bad attitude about it.  But, she proved me wrong.  We had a great time and ever since then have gotten to be better and better friends.  Now I hang out with her on a regular basis when I happen to be in Illinois!  So, LeaAnn, here's your post, I'm sorry I thought you weren't grown up yet, I love being with you cause you can always make me laugh, I'm glad you come to Athens sometimes, I think you need to go to Jamaica again, and I think you rock at nintendo!  You're the coolest!

Welp, there you have it.  My dear friend:)

Cry of the Orphan

Tonight we went to Nashville (actually Franklin, TN) for the Cry of the Orphan concert.  It was basically to raise awareness of orphans in the US and around the world.  Talk about wanting to adopt like five kids right then and there!

Nicole, Jena and Amber came down from IL/IN for the concert and it was good to spend some time with them.

Mark and Bekah were there too but I never managed to get a picture of them.  One of my favorite parts was the Children of the World choir.  The kids in the choir were from Uganda, Nepal and one or two other places.  China by the looks of it.  They were really cute though.  I tried uploading a video but it was taking much too long for my liking so I cancelled the upload.  So you get a picture.

Steven Curtis Chapman was one of the main men behind the evening- it was held at his home church.  Also there to sing a couple songs was his good buddy Geoffe Moore.  Jim Daly from Focus on the Family talked and so did Dennis Rainey from Family Life.  They pretty much all just put out a plea for people to open their hearts to adoption and supporting orphans in some way or another.  It did start to get a little long after awhile but it was really a neat evening and I'm glad we went.  Here's Steven.

Not a very good picture, I know.  It got a little emotional when he talked about his daughter.  He said there were a couple songs he thought he'd never sing again after she died but.... to make a long story short, he sings them now.

After the concert we went to Famous Dave's.  Cassie had never heard the likes of such a place.  The poor girl.  But it was quite tasty!  Welp, off to work again tomorrow.  Last week went really really fast.  I hope this one does too.  Have a great day y'all!

Homecoming

I love homecoming weekend!  It's really one of my favorite weekends of the whole year.  Basically we sit at listen to bluegrass for a really long time which isn't my favorite, but we have some really cool people come down and listen to it with us which is really really fun.  And that was a really long sentence.  Anyway, the weekend started out with me making banana bars for Saturday night.  My mom had told me just how to make them and the frosting.  The bars turned out beautifully but I was having some serious issues with the frosting.  Something was way way wrong.  I decided to start over but was out of butter.  So I said "Okay, I'll go over to the preschool, grab a stick of butter, come back and call my mom to see what I did wrong."  I grabbed my keys and when we walked out the door there was this car coming in that I didn't recognize.  So we stood there with dumbfounded looks on our faces until it pulled up to our house.  The door opened and out hopped my mom!  I was completely shocked!  I had not a clue that she was coming.  It was a great suprise!  She came down last minute with three other people from Roanoke.  Ususally dad comes too but because of harvest and loading out hogs early Monday morning he just couldn't.

We had a group of friends coming that weren't supposed to get in until at least midnight so we stayed up waiting for them.  They got in around 1, then I talked to Katrina until almost 4!  Liiiiiitle bit tired on Saturday!  Saturday the guys that came went to the Jack Daniels distillery for a tour and us girls headed to Quizno's for lunch.

After lunch we were on our way to Mark & Bekah's to hang out with her and her sisters when we realized it was Halloween and the only appropriate thing to do was to go trick or treating!  So in the 10 minutes we had between lunch and their house we all found some sort of costume.  I was a walrus and LeaAnn was Mother Mary...... or a Muslim.  Take your pick.  I didn't get a picture of everybody's costume though.

After playing Scattegories, Speed Scrabble and some old school Nintendo, we went to the Tennessee Fellowship Center where our bluegrass fun began!

One of the groups that was supposed to come had to cancel because their lead singer was in the ER.  So we threw a few of our own groups together.  It was really fun and turned out to be my favorite homecoming since I've been here.

I also had a chance for some quality bonding time with Katrina, Leah and Emily.

Sunday of course was church.  116 people were there:)  Went to Sweet Peppers Deli ( my new favorite resturaunt) for lunch where we attempted to play Scrabble with our lunch letters.  (They give you a letter instead of a number)

A great weekend indeed.  And I really can't think of much else to say.

New Neighbors

As of today I'm feeling really safe!  I've never really felt unsafe but now I feel like I have extra protection should something sketchy ever happen in these parts.  Look who moved in next door today!

City of Athens police man.  Chris and his wife Mallory.  I plan on taking a meal or something over to them in a few days once they're more settled.  I want to be a good neighbor and I want to get in good with the cop in case he would ever stop me!

??????????

On my last post I had an anonymous comment from someone who said they liked my shoes, shirt vest and of course me.  It totally sounded like my mom but when I asked her about it she denied having anything to do with it.  So clearly, the most logical conclusion that I can make is that I have a secret admirer.  SURELY that's the case.  Right?  Oh, it's just so exciting;)

My Weekend

Costume Party- had the girls from church to our house as well as Cassie's old roommates.  Here's the group shot

And here's me, dressed up as Cassie.  I was going to dress up as an egg but then Saturday morning had this idea instead.  I found a curly wig at Wal*Mart, and while she went and got the pizza's for supper I raided her closet.  No, I do no own a pair of bright orange shoes.  Only Cassie.  As well as the piano belt, orange shirt and bright pink vest. 

Sunday we had a weiner roast/going away party/Extreme Makeover: Home Edition party.

Ryan and Hope Stoller have lived in the Tennessee Fellowship center for a little over two years now.  For some reason, God has led them back to central IL.  We are all really really sad about that and we're going to miss them and their kids like crazy.  They are one cool family and their kids are so cute!  But that was our reason for a going away party.  Not sure when they're leaving though.  The EM:HE party was because Kerwin worked on the house they did in Philo, IL and so we all wanted to watch it.  I love that show.

Then tonight we went over to the church to make the beds we have over there for people to stay in.  I was walking down the hall and found this

A black widow spider.  After defying death and trapping it, we had a small funeral and then flushed it down the toilet.  Glad I'm not the one staying in the church this weekend!

Okay, my camera is acting up.  When I cut it on it says that the memory card is protected and I can't do anything with it.  (These are all Cassie's pictures.)  Any suggestions?