It's convention time in Tennessee...for the AIA anyway

I am right in the middle of the state AIA convention. AIA stands for the American Institute of Architects but if you are reading my blog you probably already knew that. Anyway, the convention started for me Tuesday night with a reception for people that helped put the convention together. Wednesday night was the host chapter party which I chaired. It went well but I am already exhausted. Exhausted but still not sleepy enough to stay asleep for more than 3 hours at a time. Yes, I am still having sleep issues.

Again, I am digressing. What I am trying to say is that I am busy right now and owe anyone keeping up with this blog some postings. Hopefully this weekend I can sit down and post about the new dog, a tour I went on of the Alex Haley farm/Children's Defense Fund retreat and about the convention in general. Yesterday was very informative about general business practices. I think today focuses on design but I forget. Oh well.

Jacene

Dog Picture

If you want to see a picture of Lucy you will now have to wait a little while. They have taken down the link to her and I will need to take a photo of her tonight...after a bath. :)

DOG!

John, Angie and I went shopping. I wasn't really intending on buying anything today but of course I broke down and did. I now am a proud pet owner. We went to Young-Williams Animal Center and shopped around after a disappointing experience at the Golden Retriever Rescue event at Turkey Creek's Petsmart.

We looked at big dogs and small dogs and puppies but we chose "goofy". That is her shelter name and since she didn't really respond to it today I am changing it and she will be "Lucy" starting Monday night. We bought everything to start her out except a crate and a dog house which will be purchased tomorrow. I have found out that starting costs for pet ownership are more expensive than I thought. It will be over $800 in start up costs and that is with a super cool vet telling me what to buy and what not to buy. Yikes.

Here is a link to view a picture of this 4 year old, 40 pound, peculiar looking mutt.

Quick Post

Today my sister and I helped clean out my Mom's closet. We will have to return to finish the job but we packed up 19 kitchen trash bags and took them to Goodwill. There were 4 bags of trash as well. It took 3 1/2 hours to get that much done. Whew.

Here is a little tid bit about me that not many people know and probably should if I ever offer to help you do this...I don't caulk well. I get more caulk on the surrounding surfaces and my hands than I do in the area to be caulked. If I am helping you do something around the house, make sure it is not that.

As I write this, there are multiple parties in the neighborhood with live music. I live in a hipper place now than where I was (west knox vs. fountain city). West Knoxville, hip? Who would have thought it? I am not hip enough to attend the parties but I can listen to them. :)

Tasty treat after a hard day

Yesterday was a long day. It started with Church and ended with rum cake and tv watching with friends. In between those events, throw in Father's Day and the last bit of moving/cleaning from the old house in between rain showers. I didn't even make it to Sears to buy the hedge trimmer.

Oh, as for the picture...I came home from dropping off my Dad's truck (which he has graciously let me use this whole time in moving) and was just planning on cleaning myself up and watching a movie. I checked my email and had an invite from friends that live in the new neighborhood to come to dinner and visit with them. I had been meaning to meet up with them and last night they caught me at a good stopping point since I wasn't going to be productive around the house at all.

The company and the food were excellent. I was also introduced to a new t.v. show that may make me upgrade my cable package so that I can continue to watch it, "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria" on BBC. I am a "Sound of Music" nut so this was right up my alley. A whole bunch of women trying to be "Maria" in Andrew Lloyd Webber's production of the "Sound of Music".

I was driven home around 10:30pm because we realized it was too dark in the neighborhood to walk back home...it wasn't because of the rum cake. :) Next time I will bring a flashlight and leave an outside light on at the house since I still have trouble finding it. I am such a newbie to the neighborhood. All in all, yesterday was a very good and productive day.

The yard

I have come to the realization that I am going to have to mow the yard every week. This is not a "keeping up with the Jones'" type thing, it is just that the yard is growing so fast I can't keep up. Honestly, the back yard could probably stand to be mowed more often than once a week but that is insane. This week it took 2 hours (40 minutes for front and side, 80 minutes for the back) to mow which is much better than the course 0f 4 hours last week...there was some stopping to wash out the underside of the mower and then let whatever engine part dry that I shouldn't have gotten wet. This week it only died twice in the back yard due to high wet grass. I went r...e...a...l...l...y slow and that helped a little. I had to refill the gas tank twice.

If you missed it, just check the previous postings to see what sort of river washes through the yard during big thunder storms and you will know why the back yard stays wet more than most yards. I still haven't quite figured out where I should stop mowing and where the neighbors should start. I have been eying fencelines and treelines where the property lines should be but I have a feeling that the previous home owner just mowed over to both neighbor's driveways. Not me, buddy.

I also don't know what to do with the sticks and such that are picked up out of the yard. In the City you just put them at the curb and trucks would come by once a week and pick it up. Now what happens? I still haven't called to set up trash pickup. I am taking advantage of my last week of City services and taking the trash to the old house. This week I need to call...maybe they will pick up my brush too.

Tomorrow I am going to go buy hedge clippers like I have been meaning to do for 2 weeks and I may even attempt to use the weedeater that I bought and am terrified of. In a couple of weeks I am suppose to do an oil change on the mower, according to a coworker. I am not even sure if I have the correct tools to try this.

I have several owner's manuals to catch up on...garage door opener...vacuum...mower...weedeater. Rivitting reading.

I love Kidkraft

I have a new favorite company, Kidkraft. During the moving process I flaked out and moved John's play kitchen in a pickup truck without tying down two ends (I secured one end) and without taping doors shut and making sure everything that can move was secured.

I head out and hit a bump or something on the interstate enough that the whole thing tips toward the tailgate. I see something move and think it is just the door on the "microwave". Come to find out, it was the plastic sink insert. I didn't realize this until I got to the house and saw that everything but the kitchen sink made it there. I told John later and he cried about it. I told him I would try to find a replacement sink and order it.

A few days later I poked around the internet and couldn't find any place that sold parts so I contacted Kidkraft directly and explained what I was looking for. They were super cool and said they had some still in stock and would send one to me...for free. No joke. I love this company. I had no idea anyone did anything for free anymore. John is happy, I am thrilled and the kitchen will be functional again!