The Craziness of It All

Lately, in particular this past week, things have been rather crazy, and quite a bit has been happening.

Last week was very busy for us. On Monday, Mom and Mandy were busy running errands and meeting with one of the musicians who will be playing for the wedding, and then we had company over that night again. On Tuesday, Mandy went to work while Mom and I cleaned the church and then went to my eye appointment (my eyes are healthy though they have slightly declined since my last appointment two years ago), where I got to pick out some new frames (I really like them, and they have Mandy's approval). After the appointment, we picked up Mandy from work and then drove almost two hours to rural northeast Georgia to see a friend perform in an opera (he's a classically trained vocalist who's currently going to college to major in singing). It was our first experience at the opera, and our friend did well (despite having a cold). Then we drove back home in the dark, which was quite an adventure of its own; we got a bit lost and ended up on gravel roads in the woods and passing by some weird place that looked like a Chinese cult (at least that's been the running joke). We managed to get home safely. On Wednesday, we three spent the majority of the day in Cumming and the surrounding area (it's north-west of us by about thirty or forty minutes, depending on traffic). I had a tutoring session, and Mom and Mandy met with the wedding coordinator. Then we went shopping at a local outlet mall, as Mandy was looking for clothes for her engagement pictures. We met Ben up there and then had dinner at Steak n' Shake before going to the Bowmans' for prayer meeting. We spent quite a few hours with the Bowmans (much like we used to last year), and we thoroughly enjoyed it, even though we left closer to eleven thirty and Mandy had to get up early for work the next day. On Thursday, Mom and I cleaned and cooked in preparation for Seth's birthday dinner that evening. On Friday, we three met up with three of the Bowman girls for lunch and went shopping for potential bridesmaids dresses before going to a birthday party. Then on Saturday, Mom and I finished up the church, and then Mandy and Ben had their engagement photo shoot with the photographer. So, yeah, it was a whirlwind week for us.

There are a few updates on the wedding though not too much at the moment. Mandy has been working on the music with our vocalist friend (who will be singing for the wedding and who may be accompanied by some of his singer friends), and she has found several pieces that she likes. Mom and the other ladies (those who are coordinating different parts of the wedding) are currently working on a date for them to go see the church and the reception property so they can get some ideas and figure out how to best organize things. The search for dresses for the bridesmaids is still going on. Mandy found one dress on Friday that she thought was only ok and wasn't overly fond of, and our two on-line attempts have not been successful either. The job is complicated because we have bridesmaids of varying shapes and sizes, and it is tricky trying to find something that will look good on everyone. As I said, Mandy and Ben had their engagement pictures taken on Saturday by the photographer Angelina (she's a friend of a friend, and she will be doing the wedding). A few pictures have been posted on the girl's photography page, and I may share one of them for those who haven't seen it yet. From what I understand, Mandy was very happy with the photo shoot, as Angelina was good at making their poses look natural and capturing the two without making them look wooden or too posed. Also, the honeymoon location has been picked and the place (I believe) reserved. Because the location is well-known to many people in our family and in the church, there have been jokes going around about people vacationing down there at the same time as the honeymoon taking place.

Also, before I forget, Mandy's job situation has changed. Instead of going in for two full days a week, she will be going in for a few hours everyday, which is giving her an extra hour or so total.

A final thing that's been going on around here is the weather. After weeks of cold rain and dreary clouds, I think spring has finally arrived. We are having much warmer weather, which means breaking out the summer clothes and finally being able to thaw out. Flowers are blooming, and the leaves are coming in. The birds are back and are singing their merry songs. However, this good weather has been accompanied by the arrival of Georgians' most dreaded enemy: pollen. Everything is coated with a thin layer of yellow dust, and on certain days even the air looks yellow. And now we have people we know who are reaching for allergy medicine and will be for the next month or so. I think even the pollen is impacting us five this year, though it generally hasn't in the past; last week, Mandy kept sneezing, and I've had a sore throat too (don't think it's related a cold I had recently). So now we're eagerly awaiting for the air to clear up so we can wash the cars and windows because frankly doing it now would be a waste of time.

So that has been a summary of what's been going on around here.

Update on the Wedding

Some of the big pieces of the wedding are starting to come together. So far, we have the following:

- A date. September 27th.

- Locations for the wedding and for the reception. We found an affordable, pretty church that is big enough for our guests for the ceremony, and it also has enough space for the reception if it is rained out. The reception will be on the same farm that has hosted the church's Memorial Day picnics, 4th of July parties, and informal dances. We are coming up with ideas for how to upgrade the reception from Memorial Day fare. Dad has come up with some good ideas, and he has also made suggestions that would remove a lot of burden from the church ladies, as we have participated in enough weddings over the years to see how they work.

- A photographer. Mandy knows a girl who is a photographer, and she likes her pictures so she asked her to do the wedding.

- A dress. Mandy picked out her dress on Friday, and today she bought it. It is very beautiful. Dad has not been allowed to see it, as Mandy's "first look" will be with him and not with Ben (she doesn't want Ben to see her before the ceremony).

- We know when the engagement pictures are being done. When they have been taken and edited, we will be sending out "save the dates."

- We are making music playlists for the reception. We've got music to play before the dinner and then dance music. The dance music is rather varied, and I think the dance floor is not going to be empty or full of stiff dancers. We've got disco, oldies, some swing, etc..., and it is sounding great so far.

We also are getting ideas for the menu for the reception, and it will be heavy hor d'ourves with some appetizers beforehand. Mandy is also figuring out what music she wants the musicians and the singers to perform, and she is also deciding on which dress her bridesmaids will wear. I am the guinea pig for the dress one, which is admittedly frightening because I don't like buying clothes without trying them on first and this dress will come from on-line.

So, it is rather coming together, and it is rather exciting.

Possum and New Cello

A few interesting things have happened in the past week.

Over the past year (probably closer to two), we have banished our cat Pooky from the house because he kept spraying inside (despite being neutered). So, on a table on the front porch we have two beds (one is covered and is used more in cold weather), a bowl of water, and a bowl of food set out for him. Sometimes intruders have proceeded to steal Pooky's food, and last week we had a nighttime visitor do it. Mom and I were watching something on netflix when, for some reason, we looked out on the front porch. Pooky was sitting in his bed, and a nasty-looking possum was eating from his food bowl. The possum really seemed to be enjoying the food, and Mom and I watched with interest (and laughter) as we saw him picking up food with his paws and eating it almost like a human would. And the whole time, Pooky was sitting there with a look of "what is this thing doing on my table? Owners, get him out of here." The possum licked the bowl clean and then proceeded to walk around the table in an attempt to find a way down (which caused Pooky to hiss at him, so the beast did not move his way again). The possum eventually found his way down, and we cleaned out Pooky's bowls and filled them for him again. It was a rather humorous incident.

Today, Mandy got a new cello. She discovered that her current one (sometimes known as "Jasper") was not of very good quality and went to her music store for an upgrade. With her cello teacher's approval, Mandy now has a performance cello. It was a beautiful instrument, and it is very loud and has a good sound in comparison to "Jasper." Mandy has been completely stoked (maybe ecstatic is a better word) all day, and she spent over an hour playing various hymns on her new instrument, which sounds amazing.

Preparations for the wedding are still going on. All of the bridesmaids and groomsmen have agreed to be part of the party, and all of the little cousins have been asked to join us. We have visited a potential location for the wedding and reception, but we are also formulating plans for other locations, one of which will require quite a bit of logistical planning but may be worth it than choosing another location. At the moment, a bridesmaid dress has been picked out, but we are waiting on one of the maids of honor (Bethany G) to order it so Mandy can decide if she likes the color or not and to figure out what the groomsmen will wear. We have decided that the wedding will be on a Friday night (for various factors), and at the moment it looks like the wedding will be towards the end of September (because of the availability of two of the musicians). Slowly but surely, we are getting a better idea of what this wedding will look like.

Yes!

Big, big news on the Cunningham front. Lord willing, we will be having a wedding coming up later this year! Ben took Mandy out to dinner last week for her birthday, and he proposed. She said "yes," and so now we have the first Cunningham grandchild who is engaged.

For now, we are aiming for the wedding to take place sometime in September (though it could be earlier, depending on several different factors). At the moment, we are getting advice about planning and deciding on a few details. Like the colors; Mandy is deciding what her bridesmaids and the groomsmen will wear. Or the location of the wedding and the reception afterwards (we're aiming for two different locations, but it depends on other factors that will hopefully be solidified sometime next week). Mandy is also trying to get all her cousins to play some part in the wedding (except for the baby coming in June), and we will soon know for certain how many will be involved.

It is a very exciting time for us, especially for Mandy and Ben. We have enjoyed watching their relationship blossom, and they have been an encouragement to me as I watch their various interactions. We look forward to this next upcoming stage of their relationship, and we pray that it would be pleasing to the Lord.

Of Music

A few notes on the musical front (pun not intended) and a glimpse into crazy Georgia weather.

First, Seth's double bass is on its way to becoming a permanent addition to the church musicians' section. A few Sundays ago, Seth had his audition to see if he could join the musicians on Sunday night (Sunday nights are usually when some of the newer, younger musicians play so they can get used to playing with the more experienced musicians and in front of a crowd). He passed, and so last week he joined the musicians on Sunday night. He and Mandy played bass together, and, my, it sounded beautiful. That double bass is a loud, deep instrument, and we could hear Seth very clearly on the songs that he was able to play (he can't do songs with a lot of sharps or flats yet, and Mandy herself is learning to do that). Seth got many compliments afterwards, and we are very proud of him.

Second, Mandy is now something of a cello teacher. A few weeks ago, she began teaching a boy from our church who has been interested in the instrument. Mandy is enjoying teaching him, and her pupil is enjoying the lessons; apparently, he plays his cello all the time, which reminds us of Mandy when she first started out.

Georgia weather is rather bizarre, especially in the wintertime. This winter has been colder than last year, which will be good for the bugs, but we still have a few days where we don't need jackets and where we can wear sandals. Yesterday, we had our first big storm of the year. There was concern that we would get tornadoes and strong, damaging winds, but most of that was further north; God was good to our friends and acquaintances who were in the direct path of the storm. Thankfully, we only got some large downpours and some strong winds, and now today is bright and sunny, like it wasn't storming yesterday.

December

It's been a busy December for us. We've spent it baking cookies, doing Christmas shopping, and celebrating Christmas in a few different ways.

Our first real "Christmas" celebration was about two weeks before Christmas. One of the leading musicians at church had suggested a private Christmas music recital, and Mandy, of course, was invited to participate for a few different songs. About a week or so beforehand, it was suggested that Seth join in for a song at least, so he and Mandy spent some time practicing via duets. It was Seth's first public performance, and people loved it; several people asked when he will be joining the rest of the musicians on Sunday morning, but that won't happen for a while yet. Mandy also did very well on the pieces she did with the others. You can find a few of the videos on my facebook page.

On the Saturday before Christmas, we had our annual family get-together with Grandpa Mike. Our group was smaller this year because several members of Uncle Josh's family were sick. We enjoyed some lunch and talked. Mom and I had to leave early because we had to clean the church, but Dad, Seth, Mandy, and Ben stayed for a few more hours.

On Christmas Eve, we got together with Grandma Linda. Again, some of Uncle Josh's family was not present, though a few members did come. We enjoyed some dinner and then opened gifts. Then we played a new game, where you had to think of a word and then get people to guess what word it is based on what it rhymes with; some of the younger cousins proved to be very smart at this game. Afterwards, we drove home in a rather dense fog and, as is our Christmas Eve tradition, we were allowed to open one gift. Then we (which included Ben) sat down and watched a movie.

As is Mandy's tendency, she woke me up at 8:30 to open presents. Ben also came over, and there were gifts for him as well. We all got new clothes (my favorite are the various scarfs I got and also my arm warmers), and I also got three books (two of which are about Medieval culture, and I'm almost finished with the longer one). Other gifts included a new wallet, a game for the Wii, and some other practical stuff that we needed. After presents, then we had breakfast. We had our annual quiche, but this year we also added muffins (which included gluten-free ones since I could only eat half of the quiche- I'll explain why in a minute), bacon, and sausage. Then we spent the rest of the day chilling out, reading from our new books, playing Lord of the Rings Trivial Pursuit, and watching a movie.

The last real part of our break happened today (December 31st). I spent part of the day at the movie theater and then with some friends for a late lunch. Later in the afternoon, we (which again includes Ben) hung out with Uncle Josh's fam (they're finally feeling better) and had dinner. And now we're back at home enjoying a relaxing New Year's Eve. Tomorrow will be the last day of the break, and then it's back to our normal schedules.

Now, about the gluten-free thing. For about a month now, I've been avoiding foods with wheat and gluten with them because I am seeing if it has anything to do with my long-term sinus issues. Ever since July or so, I have had several issues like headaches, migraines, ear pain, and sinus pain. After three trips to three different doctors with no results, my mom suggested that I ignore wheat. Ever since then, I have been feeling a lot better; most of my symptoms have disappeared, and I've felt more energetic, among other things. So, ever since then, I have done my best to avoid wheat/ gluten. This, of course, is not always the easiest thing to do. Especially when we go out to eat because very few places sell good salads or even grilled chicken. Potlucks and eating at other people's houses has also been tricky, especially when I can largely only eat meat, vegetables, and fruit. Still, the results are worth it for me.

So, it's been a good year for us, and we've seen a lot of changes. We've seen Dad and Seth adjust to working for NCR. We've seen Mandy graduate high school and start courting Ben. We've seen quite a few people start courting (and in a few cases, get engaged). We've watched our family grow (and it will continue to do so next year). We've seen a lot of work done to the house (which we're still working on). We've seen Mandy get her first job and Seth being accepted back to NCR. I wonder what will happen next year.

November

November has been a very hectic month for us. Every single weekend (i.e. Friday and Saturday) we have had something going on. The first weekend was the church's annual ladies' retreat, which Mom, Mandy, and I attended; we enjoyed ourselves there, as we always do. The next weekend was another church wedding; I raise my glass to Mom because she was on her feet for sixteen hours that day, helping prep and doing things in the kitchen, not to mention the cheesecakes she decorated and helped serve at the reception, and then because she and I cleaned up the disaster- zone of a church afterwards; she did an amazing job. Then the next weekend was the church's annual Thanksgiving dinner; I made a batch of delicious rolls, Mom did potatoes and stuffing, and Mandy made a cake; it was another lovely event that we all enjoyed, especially hearing the testimonies of other people on how good the Lord has been to them this year.

Last weekend was Thanksgiving, which we celebrated at Uncle Josh's house. This year was more special because we had Ben and his mom and then Sarah (Gabe's girlfriend) join us for the festivities. Ben, as I have said before, fits right in with the Cunninghams, and his mom seemed to really enjoy herself in our company; Sarah also fit in very well too. We enjoyed plates of delicious turkey, ham, stuffing, gravy, potatoes, different varieties of rolls, green bean casserole, and then various desserts. We stayed there for several hours. Mandy left to spend the night with Sarah, and Mom left in the late afternoon; so Dad, Uncle Josh, Ben, and I sat outside around the fire and talked for a little before the cold (and hunger) drove us back inside the house. It was a good Thanksgiving, and I have uploaded pictures from it on facebook.

We have exciting news about Seth. A few weeks ago, he learned that NCR was willing to bring him back on to work in another division at the same location where he had worked, so he went up there for an interview. They said they would hire him back on as a full-time employee with all the benefits, but for weeks they did not say anything. This week, they called Seth back and asked him to start next week, which is very good news.

As for renovating the house, I have yet to get pictures because we are not fully done. We have painted half of the living room and dining room a dark green (a color of which Mandy approves- she is our color stylist who tells us what color would look good), and Dad and Seth spent several long, painful hours on their hands and knees tearing up our old beige carpet and putting down pergo (it's sort of like hard wood, but it's not real wood). The pergo has been laid down, but we are still working on putting up the new baseboards and staining them. Next up, Dad has plans to re-do the floors of both the utility room and the kitchen (both of which will require some logistical maneuvering), but we probably won't do those until the spring or summer.

I have been looking into other options for either further schooling or certification. I have a couple of ideas, but I still need to discuss them and figure out which one would be best for me. Two weeks ago, Mandy and I went to a church family's home; while she looked after two of the kids while the mom and her oldest were out running errands, I helped tutor one of the children in her schoolwork. I have only done this once because of Thanksgiving and other things, but I am hoping to start back up again next week because I found myself enjoying it.