We have had a busy week!
Last Saturday we went to the Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt football game! I bought tickets for Jay’s birthday back in May and game day finally came! Our friends and fellow UT graduates Daniel & Allison and Brandon & Katie came on Friday to stay with us and go to the game. We all had separate seats but we still had a great time! And, we had great seats!
Neyland Stadium with its new upgrades
The Pride of the Southland Marching Band
The Salute to the Hill
Running through the "T"
The band during the halftime show
When I decided to buy football tickets for Jay, I was really kind of methodical about which tickets I got. I wanted to get him tickets to an SEC game, against an opponent we could possibly win against but would put up a good fight, and I didn’t want it to cost me an arm and a leg. And the Vanderbilt game fit perfectly; tickets were fairly cheap, we had great seats, and it was such an exciting game! We were on the edge of our seats for the whole game!
Jay and I at the game
It came down to overtime; Jay and I were hoarse from yelling so much, and Jay was so worried I was sure he was going to have a panic attack. But Tennessee barely edged out Vandy and squeaked by with a win!
Of course we were on cloud nine until this Saturday when Tennessee lost to Kentucky…who they had beaten for 26 years straight! Looks like no bowl games for us this year.
And, then it was Thanksgiving! We were super excited to have Mom come and spend a few days with us! It got off to a rough start with her flight being delayed for 4 hours (thanks Allegiant), but all in all it was a fantastic few days. Thursday morning was all about the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Dog show, and football in the afternoon. Thanksgiving dinner consisted of a 12lb all-natural turkey from Earthfare, mashed garlic potatoes, corn, gravy, stuffing, yeast rolls, wine and sweet tea, and homemade pumpkin pie cheesecake! It was all so good, Jay and I are still eating leftovers.
After dinner I took Mom on a drive around Wears Valley so she could see the mountains (her flight came in after dark Wednesday so she missed them). And Friday, we went to a few antique stores in Wears Valley and the craft fair in Gatlinburg. I wasn’t impressed with the craft fair, and Gatlinburg was pretty crowded. We drove though the park on the way home, but no bear sightings. The weather for her whole trip was really very good; it got to freezing overnight but reached the mid 60s during the day. Not bad!
Yesterday, Jay and I went and got our Christmas tree. We have it set up in the living room in front of the windows. I was originally nervous about putting it up, since this is Smokie’s first Christmas tree. I was positive he was going to climb right up to the top of it. But he had surprised me again; other than swatting at the low branches and rolling in the skirt around the base of the tree, he’s behaving himself! Of course there are no low ornaments for him to get to, but I’m shocked nonetheless. I say that now and the tree will probably be on the ground tomorrow.
Other interesting facts about Smokie…he’s the only cat I know who is not scared of a vacuum cleaner. Seriously, you turn it on and roll it towards him and he just looks at it. He hasn’t made any attempt to tear up the furniture; he sticks to his scratching post. And he doesn’t mind sharing.
Smokie and Raine
…Or, rather he doesn’t mind taking Raine’s bed for himself, whether she’s there or not. Jay and I have started calling him “Master Kitten,” because he pretty much owns the place.
I have been hired back on at UPS for the next month as a driver helper, and I’m hoping I’ll have another job lined up very shortly. I have an interview for a place in Pigeon Forge tomorrow and I have applications out at area labs and hospitals for jobs in a lab setting. Hopefully something will finally work out!
And the weather here is getting cold! Rain today and possibly up to 4 inches of snow tomorrow!
