My Fifth Graders Will Really Understand This

Yesterday I walked into the very cluttered yet wonderful store, Bed Bath and Beyond, to return an orange decorative pillow- it had a tear. While I was distractedly waiting for the kind saleswoman to finish the exchange, squeezable key chains caught my eye. Naturally I picked up the rat because my mind instantly went to Disney/Pixar's Ratatouille. I squeezed the smiling gray rodent and what came out? None other than the script from from our beloved alien friend who does the "I like you" routine. My mouth dropped open and I looked at the people around me to see if they were as appalled as I was that someone stole those awesome words! (No one seems to care. In fact they avoided eye contact because I might have appeared slightly strange at caring so much about what a stuffed rat was saying.)

Regardless of the wrongness of this event, it made me think of my amazing fifth graders. Here is the link for old times sake. :) You are special. You are loved.


http://www.chriscummins.com/like/

Sunday Driving

A friend of mine suggested that I "get lost" in Tennessee in order to find cool things and get to know the area. Here are some pictures of my Sunday drive. I found a great quiet time spot! By the way, I think I found a church!!

Buffalo Bills and the Bluebird

Buffalo Bills is a popular spot in downtown Nashville. I recently went there with friends and met a girl who I hope to become good friends with. She has mad foosball skills and taught me how to twirl a pool cue like a riffle color guard style! Yesterday I went to the world famous Bluebird cafe to get tickets but they were sold out. However, the guy let me sneak in to the current show. I met a woman whom I had met during a songwriters conference and listened to amazing music! :) I am getting the feeling that this is a "small" town. :)

Meet Smudge!

I adopted Smudge from PetSmart through Nashville Cat Rescue. She is quite the princess but has a compelling tale. On Christmas Eve last year, she was a month old and all alone. She found the only warm place she could, a car engine. She crawled inside to brave the Nashville cold. But someone started the car engine! Luckily she fell out or else she would have been killed. A good Samaritan took her to an emergency clinic. She lost most of her left ear. However, her personality is that of a cat that doesn't know she has lopsided features! :) She loves to stretch out (I think this is because she has been in cages most of her life) and be picked up to see what she is missing on the upper level of things.

I promise I won't turn into the crazy cat lady who only talks about her cat, but I did want to introduce you to Smudgy!

Before and After Photos

Here is the link to check out the before and after photos of my TN Apt. There are details lacking, but I love it! :)

http://picasaweb.google.com/carolyn.rose.miller/BeforeAndAfter

Thunder storms in July

Internet has been a bit tricky lately as I am at the mercy of free Wi-fi. :) However, I am now sitting in the beautiful club house window watching the light sprinkle of rain and roar of distant thunder. TN weather is a trip!

I adopted a cat today. Her name is Smudge. You know pictures will be coming very soon. I have always been a little leery of being the single girl with a cat, but now I can't wait to have this new little addition to my new living space.

I am almost done with the last box and the next time I post I will give you a tour! Thanks for sharing in this with me!

Ohhh, that was NOT so distant thunder just now . . . FUN!

Before Pic of My Apt

Things you don't see in Signal Hill, CA

As I walked through the dimly lit streets of my new neighborhood, I came across a few things that perked my interest, scared me, and made me smile. Let's start with the smiling part - lightening bugs. Last night was like a scene out of Disney's animated Robin Hood, you know the part when they are walking through the forest and falling in love and the lightening bugs softly accent the moment? OK, so this moment was minus the foxes and cool love song. Ah, but the falling in love with The Creator of that moment was absolutely real. :)

Let's now talk about the bats. These winged creatures sporadically fly around in such a jagged fashion that I wonder if they are in a huge hurry or about to crash land somewhere. They really aren't as scary as I would have thought.

I did jump when I heard a very strange sound suddenly erupt among the reeds of the small pond. I still don't know what it was. . . do you think ducks snore?

At last we come to a creature that has become dear to my heart and unfortunately I am well acquainted with them. Those who know me best can already guess. SKUNKS! This east coast variety seems a lot less threatened by humans. He didn't even lift his tail or hiss at me. Of course after I saw him, every log or darkened lump in the grass became another one. Welcome to Tennessee, Carolyn. :)

Graceland

Where do you have to go if you stop in Memphis? Graceland baby! Krissy left with arms full of souvenirs for her family and I left with a head full of knowledge about Elvis' amazing and tragic life. The morning started with getting lost trying to find a Starbucks. We ended up at a total dive of a diner that had the BEST BREAKFAST EVER! After Graceland (headphone tour and everything) we drove the last leg to Nashville. I love where I am living! It is gorgeous, no stunning! Pics to come soon! Hope you enjoyed the road trip as much as we did. I will miss Krissy dearly as she experienced a whole bunch of firsts with me here. I miss you all!!

Tuesday, Day 4

I have a new favorite song of the moment by Reba McEntire and Justin Timberlake called "The Only promise That Remains." Krissy is playing it on her iPhone right now. It has been on repeat. Check it out! :)

The traveling has gotten much easier. Krissy wisely suggested that we push on to Memphis rather than stay in Little Rock, AR, but not before we made a stop at Benihana's! Delish!

We finished Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince! Krissy is dying to know what happens in the last book. Don't give it away!! :)