Moving

Moving is a very interesting process. Each move for us has consisted of three phases.

The first phase in the process is the Cleaning/Selling phase. It consists of going through closets and drawers, totes and boxes looking for items that need to be thrown away or could be sold at the yard sale. Looking at each item asking questions such as- When was the last time I used this? Does this still work? Does this still have all the pieces? Is it still valid (coupons, etc.)? Once you sort through all the places in your house, closet, garage then you look to see what you've accumulated and labeled as "junk" that someone else might find useful and pay you for. Granted, they aren't going to pay you but one-fourth of the price that you paid for it, if you're lucky. However, the yard sale motto is "something is better than nothing".

Once the Cleaning/Selling phase is complete, then you can move on to Packing. This packing phase is typically organized and consists of packing items that you still use but not necessarily on a daily or maybe weekly basis. This is seasonal clothing and holiday decorations. It consists of photo albums, books, pictures, and movies. It is the stuff in the closet that was not deemed junk but remains in the closet. It gets packed neatly in a box. That box is taped and clearly labeled.

However, the closer the moving day comes the quicker you move to the third phase which is PACKING. Now PACKING is different than packing. This is crunch time. Everything must be moved and it must be moved NOW. It does not matter that you are putting books in the same box with your pots and pans. It was all in the kitchen, right? It doesn't matter that part of the box has kids toys and the rest of the box has adult clothing. It all belongs to someone that lives in the house, right? Yep, PACKING is the final phase...the most stressful phase....the phase that almost puts people over the edge and starts them thinking "Why are we moving again?"

Apparently, if I'm typing a blog about moving then I'm obviously in the packing phase and not the PACKING phase. Yes, the boxes I packed last night are taped up, they are like items, and it is clearly labeled. I have about five more weeks to be moved and I'm trying to get things organized and spaced out. I know that the PACKING phase will come but I'm hoping to minimize the effects for me, Jason, and the boys.

Family Weekend

This being our last weekend before football season starts and every Saturday is booked from now until November, we decided to head out for a night and have some family time. It seems that the only time we are able to really have family time is if we get away. So, we loaded up and headed out of town as soon as Jason got off work on Saturday at noon.

The boys were glad to be away and truthfully so was Jason and I. We've basically been going nonstop for weeks now between football practices, Vacation Bible School, church website meetings & Bible studies, school starting back, Fair Board committee, PTO member for the school, work, home, laundry, selling a house, buying land, yard work, getting ready to build a house, planning a move. What is that old saying, "If you want something done, then give it to someone who is busy." Well, that has been our motto lately.

So, we headed out to just have some family time, some fun with each other and to put everything else out of our minds. And we were pretty successful. We made it to Pigeon Forge and went to the Comedy Barn. It's been many years since the last time that Jason and I went there. We really enjoyed it...laughing until it hurt. The boys weren't all that impressed. It is however as I explained to them - sometimes you do things that you don't necessarily enjoy because someone else in the family does enjoy it. Being the parents, we do that often. I think it was good for our kids to do it once for us. They did think it was silly when Jason got picked to go on stage and be part of a skit. (Got that on DVD by the way!).

After the Comedy Barn we went and rode go-carts. That got rained out but the tickets we purchased are good for any day. Perhaps we'll make it back up there this fall and be able to use them then. On to a lovely dinner where we played Tic-Tac-Toe and other games on the Kids menus. We had a great night sleep then up yesterday morning for a day of fun. While Jason and I got ready as well as bags packed up, the boys played their Nintendo DS games. Then on to breakfast and to Splash Country. This is Riley's most favorite place on earth. Yesterday was not the best day to go to Splash Country from a weather perspective. The sun never really did break through the clouds and it didn't get hot temperature wise either. However, from a crowd perspective it was perfect. We were able to go on the rides without hardly any wait in line. We enjoyed time with the boys talking and being silly. I got lots of pictures of them as they played and swam in the water.

We headed back to Sparta and each napped at different times on the way home. And only one fight in the car....towards the end of a trip....over a DS game. I would like to insert that Jonah took his nap after this fight (must have needed it, huh?). We also stopped in Knoxville and ate at the Mellow Mushroom. I'd eaten there once before but none of them had. It wasn't busy and it was something different for us.

The best thing was the time that we enjoyed just the four of us. All in all...a perfect family weekend.

First Warriors Game

Well, the first Warrior game was last Friday night. And boy were we ready for it! We've been eagerly reading the newspaper all during the off season workouts, the scrimmages, the football camps, etc. to find out how the team was doing. However, the first game is a big test.

Jason, the boys, and I loaded up for dinner at El Tapatio and then off to the first game of the season. Excitement filled the air. We all had on maroon and gray clothing, our Warrior stadium seats, and our parking pass & season passes. We are true Warrior fans! Made it to the stadium about 10 minutes before kick off and was able to talk to some friends. When we walked through the gate, we were handed a card roster along with a full season schedule that was made by a local bank. Very nice. This I can keep up with until I know which number goes with which name.

Jason and I made our way up to our seats. This was the first game that we let both Jonah and Riley go down to another area of the bleachers and sit with some of their friends. Luckily they were in our section just at the bottom. They kept coming up to see us to ask to go to the bathroom, to get something from the concessions, etc. We did have one minor incident. Riley picked up a bottle of the body paint on his way to the concession stand and got it all over the side of his game jersey. So, we had to take off his game jersey and wash it out in the sink. I was so aggravated that he picked up trash off the ground. Why would you pick up trash? Did not get a satisfactory answer on this. Thank goodness that he had on another shirt underneath the jersey. And thank God that the paint came off the jersey. And of course you know that the only time that the Warriors scored, Riley and I were just coming out from under the grandstands. We missed it. Oh well....they will score again this season.

It was showing rain on the radar and the wind was picking up so Riley and I headed to the Tahoe during the third quarter. I had not packed ponchos or an umbrella and was not in the mood to get wet. We listened to the game on the radio and Riley played the Nintendo DS. Jason and Jonah endured and it ended up just barely sprinkling. The location of our parking spot was enough that I could still see the scoreboard and part of the field. I will have to say that the radio announcers did a great job with the game.

This game was the first chance to see what the new head coach and his staff had been working on with the team. Definitely caught glimpses of greatness! I believe it is going to be a good season and we'll watch some exciting games. Go Warriors!!!

A Few Of My Favorite Things

In the movie "The Sound of Music", Julie Andrews sings a song called A Few Of My Favorite Things.





Here are a few of my favorite things -

• A date night with Jason



• Doing something new with the boys like going to the zoo last weekend



• Watching the boys play ball (games not so much the practices....)



• A cook out with friends



• A Saturday with no plans



• Time to read a book



• Holidays with the family



• University of Tennessee football



• Girls Nights (or just lunch!)



• A new friend request on FaceBook



• Time just to browse at a bookstore



• Going for a new hair cut and color



• A family members birthday (or my own!)



• Hearing from an old friend



• Getting something in the mail that isn't junk or a bill



• Having a pedicure



• Sitting on the beach and listening to the waves



• Finding a good deal or something on sale



• Auctions



• A great worship song



• Sleeping in late



• Singing Christmas carols



• Holding a newborn baby


• Getting a great picture (so hard to do with very active boys!)

Well....I said it was just a few of my favorite things....

My name

When I finally decided to make the leap from putting thoughts in emails to actually trying a blog, I had to come up with a name. I thought about when my mom named me. She said that she searched hard for a name that wouldn't have a nick name. She went through college year books and found the name Melanie. Try as she might, she could not come up with a nick name. However there ended up being a show on television just a few short years after I was born about a restaurant called "Mel's Diner" and you guessed it....my nickname became Mel. My mother hated it at the time because Mel was a man. But....it didn't bother me. And now my own mom calls me Mel.
Throughout the years there have been a few other nick names added. My dad calls me MG (short for my full name Melanie Gean). My best friend in high school called me Mellie. One of the guys at work calls me Melvin. I've also been called Smelly Melly, Water "mel" on, Melanie Felony (this one doesn't make any sense since I've always been a goody two shoes.). My brother's nick name for me was "Princess" but he used that mainly when he was mad because I was going somewhere and he wasn't. I believe the words were "The Princess always gets her way!"

When my husband Jason and I started dating most people called him by his name. However there were some friends that used his middle name, Argo, and another group of friends that called him Ray Ray. Still not sure where that came from? And after we'd been to a couple of family gatherings, I had to ask why some of his uncles called him Jake instead of Jason. No good answer....they just always did.

Now...I have two sons - Jonah and Riley. I never did think about whether they would have nick names or not. I assume at some point everyone has a nickname. However, I don't think that my oldest son Jonah has ever had a nickname. He's always called Jonah. Sometimes he mistakenly is called Noah since it is a more common name than Jonah and sound similar. But, it is not a nick name. But my youngest son Riley has had many nicknames for his young five years. We started out with the nick name Rooster. This came from the fact that he was up at the crack of dawn ready for the day. That name was eventually shortened to Roo. From there we added Ri. Since we've started playing sports and there are either multiple Riley's (boys and girls) or Briley, Bailey, Kylee, etc. we either use Ri or use his full name, Riley Austin. The other day he decided that he wanted to add a second name which I informed him was known as a nick name. He said that he wanted to be called Piglet. This actually is very appropriate since he can sometimes remind you of Piglet - he is a little small, cuddly, and has a lot to say but sometimes gets all tongue tied trying to say it all.

So...maybe some names are prone to nick names....or maybe some personalities are. Not sure which one is the case but either way....you can call me Mel.