The Craziness Continues...

Things have not slowed down for us Cunninghams. Back in May, we predicted a busy schedule throughout the summer, and so far that has been the case, especially with the planning for the wedding.

New stuff has happened wedding-wise. The different coordinators for flowers, food, decorations, etc... have gotten together and are starting to brainstorm. The ladies are getting excited, dealing with an outdoor wedding at night (which means plenty of experimentation with lights), and I look forward to seeing what they come up with. The bridesmaids dresses have finally been found, and some of the girls (including myself) have already got them. They are very flattering on all figures and cost less than $100, which is what Mandy was shooting for. Some girls are already buying their shoes, which will be lace Toms; Mandy did not want her bridesmaids to pick out and wear shoes that they would never wear again, so she opted for Toms, which have no heel and which will definitely be worn after the wedding. The save-the-dates have mostly all been sent out, and invitations will be following shortly. It's been a challenge to find good invitations for a good price, but we found a good deal and some pretty invitations at David's Bridal (and they've got a sale going on) so hopefully we'll get them taken care of next week... if Mandy would be home for longer than a few hours.

Mandy's life has become quite hectic. Even though she is no longer employed, she has still had plenty to do. Between jazzercise (an exercise program she's been attending for the past few months) and various social gatherings with friends (which includes spend-the-nights... after all, those things are going to be ending in September, so she's enjoying them as long as she can), there's rarely a day where she's home all day. Last week, she spent half the week in North Carolina with friends (her last visit there) and came home, only for the next day to spend most of the day away from home and then spend the night with friends and then the next morning drive up to Virginia for the annual family conference this week. So, yeah, her life's been rather crazy.

Life for the rest of us is largely normal... except for wedding planning. There's still some weeks where we're rushing around to get stuff done and then other weeks where it's very laid back. This week was fairly busy, as Mom and I had to do various shopping, clean the church, and then help out at a rehearsal dinner for some friends of ours; today we're going to said friend's wedding.

It looks like I will be going back to college in the fall, Lord willing to finish my major (I'm considered a junior, which is rather exciting). GGC is still the closest and cheapest option, but I will only be going part-time and taking one class; if I find a job (which I've been looking for the past few weeks with no success yet), then I may take more in future semesters. I went to orientation, which I found boring since it never really introduced me to anything new at the school, but walking around on the campus did make me a bit excited and ready to go back to school. Right now I'm messing around with financial aid, but I'm happy to report that I may be able to pay everything out of pocket; hopefully financial aid will lessen the burden and enable me to save for the winter semester.

Another thing that's going on is that I'm also considering publishing my novel "The Changelings' War." I started it last year and have been working on it ever since then. This is the first novel that I have felt genuinely happy with (i.e. doesn't need a gazillion rewrites to fix the story; the current drafts are more polishing than anything else), and I've been looking for feedback for it; so far it's been positive from folks. I'm thinking of publishing it via amazon's self-publishing program, namely their kindle one; I think it would be easier for me to get the word out through a cheap electronic book than a more expensive hard copy. And there's still plenty of potential for sequels, prequels, or stories set in the same universe, so this more than likely wouldn't be a one-time thing. But, we'll see. I'm still waiting on feedback from a few people. I'm hoping to publish it before the end of the year, but I'll keep you updated on whether or not I do.

May Showers

May has been a rather hectic month for us so far. And complete with plenty of rain showers and brightly blooming flowers to go with it.

Two weeks ago, Mom and Dad drove up to Chicago and spent the week there for their anniversary. They had a good time touring the city with its various museums and sightseeing locations. On Friday, Mandy, Sunny, and Grandma Linda flew up there, and on Saturday they all went to Dad's cousin's wedding before driving back on Sunday. That was an odd week for us kids as we managed the house by ourselves. God was merciful and protected us during that time. It was also a good time for Mandy and me to learn about managing the house without either of our parents directing us. Saturday, in particular, was my big day. I prepared two casseroles and then scrounged around for a yummy dinner, and then on Sunday I was more or less in charge of prepping breakfast and the casserole for potluck and getting Seth and me to church on time. The other odd part about it was that it was the first time I had had a birthday with most of the family not there. I saw "Iron Man 3" with Seth and a friend on Friday night, and then last week we had my birthday dinner (I chose steak and grilled veggies. My attempt to create gluten-free churros was not successful unfortunately).

Last week was also busy. On Wednesday, we got up early and went to Tallulah Gorge (north Georgia) with some of Mom's science students and a few others. The day proved to be cloudy and cool, but the worst part was the rocks. In the past, the group has gone in drought conditions, which meant that the rocks were completely dry; this year, however, we have had a very wet spring (hence why Lake Lanier looks full again) and so several of the rocks were slippery. This required delicate maneuvering and plenty of sliding around on our rears. Things went fine until we were about halfway down the Gorge at a rock face called Oceana Falls. This rock face was wet and slippery, and we were told that if you fell into the water below you would have to either swim downstream to get out or have some friends pull you out. Two people slipped and fell in (both were unharmed), but another person fell in while trying to help someone else and unfortunately destroyed his cell phone in the process. Mom, who was at the back, heard about the first person falling in and tried to hurry up, but she ended up sliding and hurting herself (a cut hand, scratched arm, and bruises elsewhere). After our little adventure there, we reached the end of the Gorge and stopped for lunch. By then, the sun came out, and some of the braver kids decided to use the sliding rock but all of them came out freezing. Some people lay down in the sun to dry/ warm themselves, and it was a rather pleasant hour. Finally, it was time to make the trek back. Oceana Falls, again, proved to be interesting because we had to slide upwards and across to get across the rock face. Mom and I were the last ones to get across. Our fears of sliding in were not helped by the fact that two hikers trying to cross slipped and fell in. However, thanks to God and to two gentlemen in our party, we safely made it across. After that, we returned to the stairs, but by this time several of us were exhausted from scrambling over the rocks all morning and part of the afternoon. Mom and I again took the rear and slowly made our way up the stairs, but two of the boys were kind enough to bring us some water and to accompany us up the stairs. Despite an eventful trip, no one was seriously hurt, and most of us have recovered from our ordeal.

Then on Friday and Saturday Seth went camping and caving with some friends from church. While he was on his way home, he was in a bit of an accident. He was getting off the highway when his tires lost grip on the wet road (it had been raining like crazy earlier that day), and he slid into someone else. No one in either car was hurt, which we are very thankful for, though there was a bit of damage done to Seth's truck (nothing insanely serious. He just needs the dent fixed and some touch-ups on the paint).

And then, this morning we received word that Cunningham grandkid #15 was born (no other news at the moment). This makes 12 cousins for me, Seth, and Mandy.

So, yeah, it's been rather crazy around here. And it's only going to continue. Mandy's recital is Saturday, then we've got the big wedding meeting with several of the ladies, an upcoming formal dance at the church, and then the family conference (only Mandy is going this year). Then I've got a college graduation to attend (for some friends) and then orientation for college (I failed to get out of it. I'm pretty certain they're forcing me to do it because they want my money and not because they want me to understand the campus... even though I've been on the campus several times before and am no stranger to how it works).

Well, gotta run. Babysitting cousins is calling me.

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.