Hilarious Video

For all you cat lovers out there:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMXCuW9LDps

Absolutely hilarious.

Around Here

Nothing big has been happening here in Georgia. Last weekend, though, was busy. Dad and Seth went on the annual Father-Son campout in Winder. They've gone every year for seven years. This year was not as cold as usual, thankfully, and they had a good time. That Friday, Mandy went over to a friend's house with a few other girls to spend the night. That left me and Mom to do whatever. First, we went to a little shop to alter my bridemaid's dress. It was cheap, I must say. Only $85 to hem the dress and fix the sleeves. I should get it by November 10th, so I'll be sure to post a picture of it. Then, we ate Zaxbys for dinner and rented "The Ring" and " The Notebook." We watched "The Notebook" first. I have never cried out loud in a movie before, so this was the first time I had done so. Mom was crying too, probably because I was, even though she'd seen the movie before. After we had calmed down, we put in "The Ring," a horror movie without the blood and gore. I had seen about half of it before, but it had been with a bunch of teens who wouldn't stop talking so I couldn't understand the movie. This time, I understood it, creepiness and all. After finishing our movies, I hung out in the living room with my laptop while Mom studied for her biology test that she is actually taking today.

On Saturday, Mom and I woke up earlier than usual to go pick up Mandy and then go to church. Brittny Greer's wedding is quickly approaching, and Saturday was the wedding committee meeting. This is when a whole bunch of ladies get together to volunteer to cook some of the food, help set up, decorate, or clean up, and what rooms will be used for what during the reception. We spent a few hours discussing the wedding. Then, Mandy went home with the Greers because they had invited her to spend the night. Mom and I spent a few hours cleaning up the church before going home for lunch. That evening, Mom and Dad decided to go out for a date night. They went out to dinner and a movie, leaving me and Seth at home. I turned on America Top 40, where they play the top 40 songs in America. For the first time, I listened to it in entirety. Talk about booooorrrrrrrrrrring. I was all "music-ed out" by the time it was over. Well, around nine or so, Dad called and said his car wasn't starting and that he and Mom were walking home. They arrived forty-five minutes later, earlier than I expected them to. Then, they had to go back out to get some brief shopping done.

Needless to say, we do have the car fixed. Dad thought it was a bad battery, but he learned it was only a bad terminal that cost only $4 to fix. So, that was a relief. However, I think that several cars are conspiring. On Saturday, Mom had to take the Greer ladies from the church to their home because their car died. I heard a few other cars have been dying lately as well. Conspiracy, I say.

After being away for two nights, Mandy came home on Sunday afternoon. She looked exhausted during church and also that afternoon. Dad and Mom told her to take a nap, but she never did. It was Sunday afternoon when I discovered something cute. Mandy has her favorite cat called Trouble (whom she affectionately calls Baby or Bubba Dubba). She scolds him whenever he does something bad. For example, yesterday, he was watching two butterflies and was ready to pounce, but Mandy caught him. She attempted to explain to him that butterflies are pretty, but Trouble just swatted at them. It was funny to watch. Also, later, Mandy challenged Trouble to a race. She told me that they do it often and that he usually wins. The cat won, as usual, but it was cute to see the two run from the front yard and to the back deck.

The weather is turning cooler here. Nights and mornings are chilly and require sweaters. I am reluctant to put my faithful tevas away, so I am trying to see how long I can stand cold feet until I put on the heavy winter shoes. Afternoons are pleasantly warm here. The leaves are changing color, and it is beautiful. Mornings are a joy when we have to get up and leave our nice, warm beds. Dad and Mom refuse to turn on the heat yet, so it's c-cold. Speaking of cold, on the radio this morning the talkshow hosts were talking about using persimmons to tell what kind of winter we'll have. According to those who use persimmons, which I would suppose to be the old-timers and country folk, if the seed is shaped like a knife, it means a bitter cold winter. If it is shaped like a fork, it means a mild winter. But, if it is shaped like a spoon, it means wet snow. Well, the oldtimers are supposedly saying that the seeds this year are shaped like a spoon. That means snow, maybe. I do hope we get snow. It would help make up for the lack of rain here. And then, we rarely get snow here. I'd love a snow day when I get a break from school and when I can play in the snow. Hmmm.... maybe a blizzard like the one of '93. But... I suppose we'll have to wait to see if this comes true because the coldest months are January and maybe February.

Unusual Weather

I mentioned last week how dry it is in Georgia. Now, it seems as if the sky can't make up its mind on whether to rain or not. We've had many cloudy days with sometimes no rain. Today was even stranger. Mom was dropping me off at GGC this morning when we noticed the sky was a yellow/ amber color. I noticed that there were dark clouds moving in from, I think, the West. It was creepy to see. My algebra teacher Mrs. Barron later told me that we had been under tornado watch earlier. That's was weird. A tornado in late October? I don't think I've ever heard of that before. But now, it's raining hard. I can hear it through the open window and screen porch door. Now if only it would rain like this over Lake Lanier for a week. I read a report that says the lake has dropped fifteen feet because of the drought. If it'll just rain for a few weeks, maybe we won't have to worry about losing water.

Seth and Mandy have returned safely from Tazewell, Virginia. When they came home, Mandy looked as if she was about to drop dead of exhaustion. According to her, she went to bed late and woke up early every morning that she was there. The kids had a great time in Virginia. They went on a long hike, watched a woodchuck get skinned, played pranks on each other, and lots of other fun stuff. I wish I had pictures to post, but Seth and Mandy forgot the camera. They're both glad to be home, enjoying Mom's homecooking and the privilige of showers.

Oh, here is one funny incident that Mandy and her friends Megan and Bethany took part in. There were near the sheep pens when the gate accidentally came open. The sheep started chasing the three, especially a black sheep with a unique "baa." The girls escaped safely, but when Mandy told me and Mom the story, Mom burst out laughing and continued to do so for a while. A couple of the boys played pranks on the girls, jumping out from behind the bathroom at night and even donning a horse skull and bones and frightening them. There are many other stories as well, such as throwing a woodchuck tail and foot at one of the boys. The teachers also have stories, such as cleaning out the car after the trip (which apparently smelled terrible, since the kids had only had one shower and were in the fields most of the time). It is nice to have Seth and Mandy home again.

Dry, dry, dry

Things are about to get serious here in Georgia. We have recently learned that Lake Lanier, our major water supply, has about three or four months worth of water left in it because of the stupid mistakes of the engineers and also because of the lack of rain. It's been cloudy lately, but there has been little rain. This morning, there was a downpour, but I don't know how long it lasted. Everything is looking brown, dead, and bleak with the cloudy skies and trees that are turning brown and ugly. It's been getting cooler lately, cool enough to wear capris and a sweater, so no-sleeve shirts are out of the question.

Seth and Mandy left on Tuesday morning for Virginia. It was hilarious on Monday night after the memorial service we attended. Seth and Mandy needed boots, so we went to Wal-Mart to get some. We found a type to get, and they looked more like black rain boots. Mandy looked horrified at the thought of wearing them. To appease her, she was allowed to draw pink flowers on them. It's been very quiet without Seth and Mandy in the house. They should be back sometime on Friday.

Joining the Craze

Well, four of us Cunninghams have joined the biggest on-line social craze of 2007: Facebook. I had heard people talking about it, but I wasn't really interested. On the ladies' retreat last weekend, Mom and I heard people talking about facebook and how cool it was. After we got home Saturday, I signed up. Then, Mom signed up, then Mandy, and then Seth. It is the coolest thing! You can put videos up, throw food at your friends or send them gifts, add pictures, or even have a pet! I think we'll be using Facebook for a while, hopefully. But, I will still update the blog as frequently as news comes.

Seth and Mandy will be leaving for Virginia tomorrow with the Geneva students. They are busy packing and buying clothes. They got to sleep in today (lucky!). The house will certainly be quieter without Mandy's liveliness. They'll be returning on Friday evening, I believe.

Promised Pictures

Well, the camera found its way back to me after being in Mandy's locker at school. So, I have the promised pictures of the recent youth group gathering. And, there is some news around here. Mom took her midterm yesterday for biology class. Tomorrow, she and I are going to Helen for the church's annual ladies' retreat. On Tuesday, Seth and Mandy are driving up to Virginia for the school retreat. They were supposed to leave on Monday, but a recent death in our church has changed that. There are many busy weekends coming up as well. Closer to the end of the month is the church's annual father-son campout that all the boys look forward to.

The Newest Cunningham

Well, the long wait is over. A new Cunningham was born on October 1st to Uncle Jason and Aunt Nancy. It all started late Sunday night. Uncle Jason called Dad around midnight to inform him that they were going to the hospital. However, he also said that the baby's heartbeat had been irregular, so there was some concern. Dad informed us Monday morning on what had happened, and nothing new had been reported. Around 9:30 AM, Dad called me at school and told me that the baby had been born safely and both mom and baby were doing well. A name had still not been chosen yet, but we did know it was a baby girl.

Later that day, Uncle Jason sent us a picture of the newborn, and we were eager to go see her. After Dad cut one of Seth's lawns, he decided that we would go and visit. Mom got home just as we were about to leave, so she went with us. When we arrived at the hospital, Uncle Josh, Aunt Sarah, and the girls were there visiting as well. We cooed over the baby and how pretty she is. She looks like neither of her parents, but there are traits of her three sisters in her. And, we learned the name: Audrey Mae Cunningham. A very southern name. And since, I did find the camera, I have a little picture of her.

A Busy Week

We Cunninghams have been busy this past few days, which is why I have not posted. Last Friday, we had the Price family over for dinner. They stayed until eleven, and we had a good time. Cliff spent the night with Seth. On Saturday, it was youth group meeting at Buford Dam. Mandy and Bethany are now old enough to attend, so they were thrilled about it. We had a great time. It was pleasantly windy outside and not too hot. The boys played frisbee and football while the girls had fun with Eden and Lydia, two adorable toddlers and the daughters of the youth group leaders. Then, the boys went down to the river. They skipped rocks and had throwing contests. Then, we went back up to the grass and played kickball until everyone scattered to help get ready for lunch. We enjoyed burgers and chips. After lunch, we had a short devotional and sang. Then, the fun began with the cellphones. Cliff Price is the best person I know who can imitate all kinds of accents and all types of voices, and he can think of the funniest phone calls. So, we dragged Cliff into making a couple of prank calls to some people from church. He did some hilarious ones, even pulling one on Mom, claiming to be selling some new energy drink. We all laughed so hard at the calls, and we tried not to burst while he was talking. After cellphone fun, we went on the other side of the river to goof off. Cliff and Ben Greer climbed a tall tree, and we were careful not to get in their path, or we'd get tormented with acorns or twigs. Bethany Greer got pushed into a small creek so the lower half of her pants were wet. Also on Saturday, we rented a carpet cleaner, and Dad cleaned the carpets. That night, he and Mom went out for dinner and a movie.

Monday college classes were interesting, to say the least. My English teacher Mr. Lilly asked us if we had read the homework assignment over the weekend. I was the only one who had read it. The teacher then shooed everyone who hadn't read out of the classroom and said he was disappointed and also that reading was a part of their grade. So, it was a small English class. We talked about forming a thesis from the essay I had read, and he complimented me on my work and for doing the homework. So, I feel proud, but it does feel a little uncomfortable to be the only person doing the assigned work. On Friday, we had our midterm Spanish exam, which took four people, including myself, less than thirty minutes to finish. My algebra midterm is on Thursday. So far, I'm not totally happy with my grades. I have a 79 in English and a 76 in computer, and I probably have an A in the GGC- "How to be a good college student" class. Seth and Mandy are excited because they only have one week of school left before they go up to Virginia for the school retreat. I'm still jealous because they get a break and I don't. Oh, well. I went on two student retreats, a trip to Callaway Gardens, and a ten-day eastern coast trip over two years. I should at least begrudge them time to shear sheep and chop down trees. Ha! At least they'll be camping and I'll be in a warm house.

Sad to say, I would post pictures of what we have been doing lately, but my camera has formed a bad habit of disappearing from me. I have pictures of the youth group meeting, but I did not transfer them when I should have. My bad. Well, I will post them as soon as the camera stops playing hide-and-seek with me.