So, we went to this cabin...

... and Brian almost died. Oh, and we spent the weekend in Gatlinburg! Us, The Baughmans (and Kelsen), Brian, and Becky went out to East Tennessee for a few days to get away from it all. It was quite the experience, since this happened right when we got there:



Poor guy made a valiant effort to back down our insane driveway, but the curve at the end got him. Luckily our tow truck driver had apparently seen this before and yanked the Honda from the brink of death... and Brian from the brink of having to buy a new car. What a way to wake up in the morning!

So we went on to the Gatlinburg Aquarium. Pretty exciting place, full of, well, fish. And sharks. And freakishly huge crabs. And jellyfish that Kelsen wanted to take home.

Our weekend was spent eating way too much, especially on fondue night that did NOT include me singing my eyebrows off (this time). We had a good round of laser tag, Uno, a stressful game of Battle of the Sexes, and a nice stroll through downtown to purchase fudge for Brooke and taffy for me. Kelsen was so good all weekend, too, and I'm pretty sure Brian wanted to take her home on Sunday. She was a pure source of entertainment all weekend long!

Alas, all good things come to an end, and usually quickly. Brooke and I spent Sunday going through Ripley's Believe it or Not and the Moving Theater in downtown before eating at her favorite: The Log Cabin Pancake Shack of Something. I dunno, but it was good old fashioned greasy breakfast! Hopefully we will triumphantly return next year, plus one more Baughman... but next time we'll find a more Brian-friendly driveway.

Namaste!

Hey, Stranger!

Greetings all 3 people who read our blog! It has been awhile... all Brooke's fault for not making me update faster. So here is a recap of what has happened since last June:

Kelsen Baughman was born.

Ayden Gambill was born.

Landon Roper was born.

Ridge Thompson was born.

Liam Bolling was born.

And that was about it. Brooke, as the main page says, got her a new job at Metabolic Research Center here in the Boro, so her long tenure at NHC is coming to a close. Of course, that means her long drive to Columbia/Lewisberg is also coming to a close, and Brooke's car is very happy about this prospect. It will be an exciting new direction for Brooke's career (yay, change!!).

Tyler is still working at MTSU, still advising, and still going to school. But he has started some fun new research on students with the Tennessee Hope Lottery Scholarship, and hopefully that will lead to a fun dissertation (and I should learn how to spell that before I start it). Driving to TSU is still not fun, but as long as my bulletproof vest holds out, I'll be good.

In other news, it has snowed more in Tennessee this year than the last 5 years combined I think. Which is great, except snow in Tennessee makes people even crazier than usual, so next time I hope it snows enough it will just keep them all inside. Props to the Baughmans for our first real sledding experience... check out Brooke's Facebook for those pictures!

The next year should be busy, with Brooke's new job, Tyler's classes, and trips planned to Gatlinburg, Destin, and POSSIBLY the Bahamas on a cruise... yes, we are addicted to them now. Hopefully it won't be too busy for Tyler to post stuff, but this has definitely taken up my time:

BABIES BABIES EVERYWHERE!!!!

So let's break this down:

June: Sam and Dave's mystery child

August: Morgan and Jesse's boy

September/October: Wendi and Alan's boy

Recently born: Amanda and Jerry's son Matthew, Rachel and Bryan's son Cross

Others forthcoming: Brooke's cousin, Brooke's fifteen or so coworkers that are pregnant, and a couple other friends.

So, yeah, that is a lot of kids soon to be running around. This will drastically alter life as we know it! Now the annual Titans kickoff game at Toot's will require a bigger table! New Year's Eve and Super Bowl parties will require children's food and entertainment! Cats and dogs living together, MASS HYSTERIA!

At least we still have a few other couples that are in the same boat as us (the boat without children's life preservers)... so Brooke and Chad, Brian and Becky, Greg and Christina... wow, is that about it?

Oh, and while I'm posting random thoughts:

1) If you don't know how to use a self-checkout machine at Wal-Mart, don't use it... and that's all I'll say about that.

2) If you blatantly run a red light, and you impede me, expect a horn blast. And you lose the right to give me the single finger salute when YOU break the law!

3) If you injure yourself and need assistance, I'm proud to say my litte brother can now save your life. Well, pending his national test, but he just aced his EMT course at MTSU.

That's all. Heading down to the homeland soon (Florida) to give Brooke her FIRST EVER BEACH VACATION!!! I can't believe she is almost thirt- I mean, at this age and never gone on a Florida vacay. That's a changin though!

Update!

Well, I'm a slacker, that is all I can say. So after our blog hiatus, here is an update! I'll post pics soon of our cruise to Mexico, but that was the highlight of the year thus far. We spent a five days on a ship and got to see the Mayan Ruins in Cozumel, which are a-maz-ing. More on that later. Tyler has been working like crazy as registration for current students is underway at MTSU for the fall, so his calendar has been packed. Brooke had yet another state survey, this one at Oakwood, which means she has done two state surveys in three months... most people only get one per YEAR. And not only that, her Oakwood center had ZERO deficiencies, meaning they couldn't find anything wrong with what they were doing... which NEVER happens anywhere in the state... so, yeah!

This past weekend, Russ and Brooke's dad came up from Lexington to help us, Dad, and Greg sod our backyard. For those of you who have seen our backyard, you know it was a mud pit thanks to Ole South's non-commitment to our contract. So, we took matters into our own hands and knocked it out in a few hours.

Pre-Sod:

The jigsaw puzzle in progress:

Proof I helped:

Yeah, grass! Now Cornhole won't be so dirty!

So come on over and let's cook out!

Valentine and Baby Days

So ever the sneaky one, I managed to surprise Brooke the day before Valentine's Day with her day of romance. I had the day off work for doing taxes, car tags, etc., but I also managed to find time to cook lasagna from scratch, spread rose petals across the house, buy flowers... make the house all pretty. Brooke came home and I treated her to a nice dinner, then we watched "The Holiday," which she has been bugging me to watch for weeks, months even. It was a good evening, and I think the last time I saw her as I've been doing Wizard of Oz every night since...





The day after Valentine's Day, Brooke went with Amy Heckman down to see Rachel, Bryan, and their new baby, Cross McAlister (I hope I spelled that right). He is a cute little thing with a full head of hair. And as expected, Brooke wants one of her own now. Check out these pictures of Cross while I get a paper bag...

Signs of things to come???? Maybe...... who knows??

Twenty Years Later

So i don't know who all has heard about this story, but I thought I would share it:

Christie and Bobby Baskin Found

When I was in the second grade, these two children were abducted by their grandparents. Unsolved Mysteries did a big story on it, there were sightings over the years, but for 20 years no one really knew where the Baskin kids went. Their grandparents gave them new names, Jennifer and Jonathan Bunting, homeschooled them, and eventually both kids went on to college and careers.

Can you imagine being in your late 20's (like me) and going to work one day like any other day, only to recieve a phone call from across the country from a detective telling you that the people you know as Mom and Dad are kidnappers and actually your grandparents? Everything you held to be true in life would be shattered in an instant! It would be like Jim Carrey running into the wall in The Truman Show.

I really pray for both the Baskin/Bunting kids and their true parents. I doubt there will be a teary embrace the first time they meet, the parents are complete strangers in the children's eyes. They are all victims in the situation, and the next few months I am sure will be incredibly difficult. However, how many stories like this end up even close to positive in the end? Too many times bodies are recovered or the case is never solved. They Baskin kids are alive! If nothing else, everyone who has been working and following this case over the years should be elated that they are simply okay.

This is all completely random, but rarely does a story as big as this hit so close to home... the person I sat next to in second grade is kidnapped and found two decades later! Wow...

Murfreesboro Has a Snow Shield

So all day yesterday we heard it is going to snow and be icy. This morning I wake up to hear that Rutherford County and Murfreesboro City Schools are closed. Of course, MTSU doesn't close for anything. It starts sleeting a bit, and I get a little excited about some winter weather. And then this happens...



Notice how the snow line breaks around the Boro perfectly, so that the south and north are getting snow, while we bask in 34 degree weather and wet conditions with no snow. And I already cancelled class, so I can't take that back.

I quit...