Brief Blurb about Birthdays

Among all the chaos of a busy schedule filled with school, work, social events, and Bible studies, so far we've had three birthdays this year.

Mandy turned 18 back in February. Her birthday party took place (I think, if I remember correctly) a week after her actually birthday. Bethany had a very nice setup for the party, putting up balloons, mix-matching the plates and bowls, and even having a basket for people to put their mobile devices in (so people would interact and not be more interested in their phones). We enjoyed bean soup with various toppings for dinner, and we had quite a large crowd of people in the living room. After the meal, the guys cleared the tables and took them downstairs, leaving us with enough room for the games. The "games," actually, was one large game with several small games underneath; this made it more entertaining and kept people's interest up. Everyone, except for the game host Ben C., was divided into four teams. And then, each team was told of a specific challenge that they had to compete for, so each team volunteered one person. Some of the challenges included who had the smallest feet, who could solve a certain math problem, racing from the kitchen to the stairs crab-walk style (we posted Alex at the stairs to prevent any tumbles; this race got a bit crazy, and I actually got a large bruise when one of the contestants accidentally crashed into my leg during the race), and a paper plane challenge. We were all very much entertained, and we all enjoyed it. Next, it was dessert. Bethany made a delicious strawberry cake with homemade whipped cream for the topping (Mandy always asks for strawberries for her b-day cake). Then, because it was getting late, it was time for presents. Mandy got gifts such as a little notebook and candy, Converse shoes (she was ecstatic to see them), a sketch of her and one of the other party guests (a beautiful and realistic drawing... it's hanging in our bedroom for all to see), a neck scarf, and a micro-camera lens for her camera (a gift from a few of her friends).

Mom celebrated her birthday about two weeks ago. The weekend before, the church bonfire and dance was cancelled, so I saw "Hunger Games" earlier in the day and then in the evening Dad, Mandy, and I went shopping for Mom's birthday presents. The next day, we gave Mom her presents: a new Bible, an otterbox (a protective case for her iPhone), an iTunes gift card, and a nice mug from Starbucks (the real nice kind that has excellent insulation). She's also been enjoying her new Kindle, and she's been having Mandy use it to read "1984" for school. A few days later, Mom and Dad went out for dinner together at a nice restaurant.

Seth's birthday is still in the process of being celebrated. I can't believe he's 20 years old; it's rather frightening to think of how old we're all getting. Seth has received one of his presents (the music stand and the light thingy for it), and he's been using it a lot (much to Mandy's relief because he was always borrowing hers when he practiced his double bass). Actually, on Sunday evening, Seth and Mandy did some duets of hymns we enjoy (Mandy did melody, and Seth did bass), and they sounded good. I imagine at some point later this year, Seth may join the musicians at the front of the church, though where he's going to sit is another question because that double bass is enormous. Anyway, Mom and Dad have bought Seth's gift but for some bizarre reason, it has yet to arrive, despite supposedly being in Lawrenceville for several days. Mandy and I haven't bought Seth's present either because we've been so busy, but we are planning on going shopping for him very soon. Seth is also planning a get-together with some friends, but he's having a few issues with it because of the scheduling of a new Bible study for the young men at church; nonetheless, we're hoping to have it later this month.

It's scary to think that my birthday is next and that I'll be 23. Yeah, very scary; I don't feel like 23 or like I'm even in my 20s at all. I'm not making any big plans for my birthday... unless something comes up. I think the older you get, the less inclined you are to celebrate because you've done it so many times before. Besides, right now I'm more focused on looking at potential colleges than thinking about my birthday. Right now, I don't have any plans to return to GGC; I've not been impressed with the classes and the offered courses, and the school's got other problems too that I am not particularly fond of. So far, I've been looking into other colleges where I could double major in history (I prefer actual world history i.e. histories that most people don't know about, like Africa or Asia) and English (I'm preferring something where I can focus more on writing because literature isn't my strong suit and because I want to work some more on my actual writing). So far, the list is small; Dad and I have been trying to see what works out and which one I should apply for, but so far there's a problem with all the options (such as I don't want a USG school because they have way too many unnecessary requirements before your major, the school's too far, etc...). Right now, it's just a matter of praying for wisdom and guidance in picking a school.

Thieving Cat

Our little black cat Boo turns eleven this year. We think she's going deaf because she doesn't seem to hear us sometimes, and she's showing signs of getting old. Within the last few months this cat has turned from sweet into irritating. Why? Because she is turning into a food thief.

Maybe it's because of the new cat food that we bought to keep our cats from puking or that's healthy for them, but whatever the case, lately Boo has not liked it. She has had a chronic cold for a while, and it has caused her to lose some weight (and she was already small to begin with). So, once a day, Mom gives her some wet cat food with an egg yolk mixed in; Boo loves it, and so do the other cats, who will gladly finish whatever she doesn't eat. Boo now has loved it so much that whenever someone is in the kitchen fixing a meal or getting a snack, she'll follow you in and stare at you, acting like it's time for her to be fed. It gets quite irritating when she's staring at you and you're getting a piece of dark chocolate.

Not only that, but Boo lately has been getting bolder in trying to steal food. A long time ago, the family discovered (the hard way) not to leave any bread products out, even if they are in a bag, because Boo will try to steal them. Recently, now it's been meat or anything else she can get her paws on. Last night, Mom set some scallops in the sink to thaw so that we could have them for dinner. I was in the kitchen and putting shrimp on skewers when suddenly I looked over into the hallway, and I found Boo and her son Oatmeal were gnawing on something. I realized it was a raw scallop. I moved to pick it up and throw it away, but Boo growled and took off with the shellfish. She and Socks battled for it under the coffee table, and I didn't interfere again.

Today, Boo is at it again. She gnawed through the plastic wrap that's covering the tilapia, and I'm pretty sure she touched the fish. I'm going to have to warn Mom about that when she gets home. In the meantime, I've covered the package with a metal pan so that Boo can't get to it.

I swear, I don't know what the cat is up to. She's never been this bad before, and she's only getting bolder in her old age.

On another note, we received news this week about Seth's job. Last summer, Dad's company Radiant was bought out by NCR. Dad's not been formally offered a position yet (as far as I know), but it's likely that he's going to stay. Seth, on the other hand, has been rather iffy because manufacturing (where he works) is going away or is being moved to Columbus (which is on the other side of Atlanta and a few hours away). This week, we learned that Seth will be let go in either September or October. He and Dad have already been talking about other employment opportunities either within NCR or in other companies. However, it is good that Seth is staying in so long because several other people in his division will be let go over the summer, so that means he will likely be one of the last ones to leave. Still, he's got work until early fall, and he's still staying pretty busy at the moment as the move takes place; keep him in your prayers as he begins considering new employment and which direction to take.

Adventures in Bad Weather

So, yesterday we had a bit of a run-in with some bad weather in Georgia (and elsewhere). For us, the worrying started earlier in the day when the storms started hitting Kentucky, and there are people in the church who have kin up there. Then there were reports of storms from Alabama. Our sister church has connections to a family in Alabama, and they were hit hard last year, resulting in a death of a neighbor; ever since then, a man from our church has been helping the families rebuild their homes, and others have often contributed help as well. So we spent the afternoon praying for those in the path of the storm.

The weather indicated that north Georgia would be hit by the storm, but we weren't sure how much we would be impacted. Dad and Mandy made plans to go to Uncle Josh's for the evening, so Mom, Seth, and I stayed home and hung out. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. We had some rain, and lightning occasionally flashed. Sometime around 9 PM we learned that we were under a tornado watch (which quickly turned into a warning). I started watching weather.com, and some ladies on facebook were giving updates on where the storms were. Mom and Dad started texting each other, and we learned that Duluth (where he was) was in the thick of it. Mandy later told us that everyone (Uncle Josh's entire family, Dad, and her) went down into the basement and stayed in Noah's room for a while. From what I understand, the tornado was about five minutes away from them, though it (or another one, reports are sketchy) may have been closer. Then, via facebook, I learned that there was another tornado (or it might have been the same one; I haven't been able to find out how many tornadoes were in Gwinnett County last night) was in Suwanee, near the Mall of Georgia (which is about fifteen minutes away from us). About ten minutes later, our town was declared as being in the clear of bad weather. But now it was our turn to worry about our family and friends to the northeast, towards Jefferson and Winder, as the storm headed that direction. As far as I know, we haven't heard from them, though I've seen people on facebook or gmail, so I'm supposing they're all right. When we went to bed later that night, it started raining heavily and lightning grew more frequent. And now, this morning, it is cold and very wet.

In short, it was a rather interesting night. With texting about tornado warnings, facebook posts, and listening to a weather program, it was a bit stressful. But, otherwise, we are doing fine. I'm thankful for the Lord's protection last night, especially towards those who were closer to the bad parts, like Uncle Josh's family. As I lay in bed last night, I thought of one of the hymns we sing in church (which is based off of a psalm); one of the lines says "the lightnings flash at His command; He holds the tempest in His hand." It was very encouraging to think about how the weather is completely under God's control and how He protects His people, even in bad times.

Career Direction

For the past few weeks, I have been praying to God for wisdom in what career direction I should take. I have been talking with Dad, and he has suggested that I become a paralegal, which would mean two or two 1/2 years of college at another college outside the county. However, today I finally received a manuscript from a Christian publishing company that I will proof so that they can see if they want me to become an editor. I am going to do the proof-testing, continue praying for wisdom, and see what comes out of it.

On a related note, I have been posting things here about the novel "War of Magic" that I started working on in April of last year. Last week, I made the decision to halt any further work on the novel. I am not happy with it, as I find it too meandering and disjointed, I am not connecting well with my characters, some editing problems, and a few other reasons. I have, in the meantime, re-connected with a novel series that I will have been working on for five years this May; I am currently working to see if I can indeed salvage it and find a way to finish the story in just two books instead of adding a third. I am still considering publishing one of my stories through createspace, but I am not sure which one it will be and am reluctant to self-publish without good feedback from other people.

Life around here continues to be busy. Mandy's birthday celebrations are next week (I can't believe she's going to be eighteen), Dad and Seth are continuing work, and Mom and Mandy are continuing to juggle school and various social events.

What's Up?

Well, we've been rather busy around here for the past few weeks.

The biggest event took place over most of last week. Our sister church Chalcedon had a modular that was for seminary students, but it was open to the general public for free. Mom, Mandy, and I went to a good majority of the lectures, as Dad and Seth had work or did not want to make the trek to Cumming because they had work the next day. It started with two lectures on Monday evening, and then between Tuesday and Thursday there were eight lectures a day (with breaks for lunch and dinner), and then Friday ended with two lectures. The series was well-done, and I learned quite a bit about church history and theology, including heresies that I had not known much about or about church fathers that I had never heard of before. We also had the opportunity to meet people from other churches in the denomination. I think I'm finally beginning to put faces to people, namely those from Chalcedon. It was a very fun and enjoyable week, but it was also tiring, given the hour-long lectures, waking up early, and then getting home late. However, I believe we've fully recovered and are now back on our normal schedule.

Then we've had a few other minor things come up. Two Fridays ago, I went back to the coffee shop with my friends to sing karaoke. We had a good time, and one of us suggested that we start making it a monthly occasion to socialize. And also, Mandy's birthday is coming up in a few weeks, and so there have been plans for her celebration; her best friend Bethany is planning a party (Mandy knows the invitation list and the location, but otherwise Bethany is keeping her in the dark about everything else), and then we're planning on having a dear family from our church join us for dinner on Mandy's birthday. Mandy is also working to help arrange a formal dance at church in March, which we're looking forward to.

I think that's all that's been going on around here. I'll try to update when something comes up.

My Pretty Book

I got my book from createspace today! If I were to publish it through createspace, this is what it would look like.

Cunningham Christmas 2011

Well, Christmas this year has come and gone. It has been a very good one.

For us, Christmas sort of began on Thursday the 22nd. Seth, Mandy, and I myself went to the theater to see "Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows" with some friends (I'll be posting a review of it on the ramblings blog soon), and we hung out with them on Thursday evening while Mom and Dad had a date night with "Mission Impossible 4."

On Friday, we had a hectic day of wrapping last-minute gifts and preparing food. In the evening, we went to Houschton to celebrate with the family there. We ate supper and then opened up our presents. Grandma Linda was sick and could not be with us, so we did a nice little surprise for her: we piled into the cars, drove a few miles down the street to her house, and then brought her some supper and sang her some Christmas songs on her front lawn. After serenading Grandma, we went back to the house and just hung out. I played a few Christmas songs on my guitar, and then Mandy, Gabe, and Noah played a few tunes together. We all had a good Friday evening together, and then we went home.

Because Christmas fell on a Sunday this year, we opted to open our presents on Saturday the 24th. So on Saturday morning, we woke up and opened presents. We got gifts of new gloves, a double bass stand, a book of traditional Irish songs (guess who got that one... hehe :) ), new clothes, a Zelda video game for the Wii, and much more. After presents, we had our annual breakfast of quiche and then straightened things up before going to Grandpa Mike's house. We spent most of the afternoon there. The adults talked upstairs while the kids played in the downstairs basement; I got into a Tetris tournament with Seth, Noah, and Gabe, and it was quite entertaining.

Dad and Seth both had Monday off, so we decided to run some errands and spend time together. We did a few returns- exchanges for clothes that were too big. Note to self: never go to the Mall on December 26th. The place was an absolute madhouse, stuffed to the gills with people. You'd think Christmas hadn't even happened yet with all the sales and the throngs of people in each store. After doing our errands, we went to the theater to watch "Mission Impossible 4." After the movie, we went to Longhorn's for dinner, as Dad got a coupon from work. We had a good time together there, enjoying the food and each other's company.

On Tuesday, Seth went back to work though Dad also took the day off. We spent most of the day cooking and cleaning, as we had company over that night. We also a good time with them. Today, I had an impromptu get-together with some friends, which we all enjoyed, even though it was only for a few hours.

Also, on Monday I completed my current draft of my novel "War of Magic." On Tuesday, I did the necessary work on createspace to get the copy. However, I unfortunately misunderstood the nanowrimo prize, so I only was able to get one copy, which I did have to pay for. So, I will not have five copies like I thought I would get. Still, one copy will be fine for now. I should get the book by the end of the week, and I'll try to post a picture of it when it arrives.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable Christmas week this year. I've posted pictures of some of the events on facebook.