August

August has also been a busy month. As of Tuesday, we are officially one month away from the wedding, and the reality is beginning to hit us.

Ben and Mandy have found their first home. It's about twenty minutes away from us but in the area of other church families, so they won't be alone. It's a cute little duplex that reminds us of the place that we were living in when Mandy was born. Last weekend, Dad helped Ben put in some new fans in the place, and Mom and I helped Mandy wash and unpack her dishes and other stuff that she got from her wedding shower (we finally have a hallway again). This weekend, we're planning on moving Ben into the place, and then over the rest of the month, we'll slowly be moving Mandy's stuff into the rental. Ben and Mandy have also bought their first car: a pretty blue minivan. Mandy has always had a fondness for minivans (a combination of it being the car she first learned to drive and her own desire to have children), and she's excited about it.

Earlier this month, we had a musical night at the church, and all of us participated to some extent. All three of us sang two songs in choir (Mandy's an alto, I'm a soprano, and Seth's a tenor), but alas, no one seemingly recorded the choir singing, so there's no video or sound of it. I did, however, record the two pieces that Mandy performed with some friends: the James Bond theme and Boccherini's "Night on the Streets of Madrid." Both videos are up on facebook, so check my wall for them. It was an enjoyable evening.

The day after the musical night, we had our first wedding work day at the reception area. The guys painted, put wood posts in concrete, made wood cake stands, etc... while the girls focused on the mason jars and lanterns, which are looking very pretty. We got quite a bit done. Things took an interesting turn when towards the end of the work day a storm decided to blow in. Everyone began running around in a panic, trying to get the electric tools indoors and cover up the freshly-painted pallets. We were successful, but afterwards we all looked like drowned rats. That same day, we joined Ben's mom for dinner at a Mexican restaurant, as we're experimenting with places for the rehearsal dinner. The place had excellent food, but the acoustics were poor, so we're still looking around.

College has also officially started back for me. It's a bit strange only going in to school for an hour every other day for one class, but I'm happy to be back in the classroom and have some semblance of a schedule. I'm taking World History Part 1, and so far I can't complain (except for the class sessions about human evolution).

School has also started back up for Mom and Dad. Mom is teaching science and music appreciation, and Dad ended up with the history class (there was only enough interest for one, so I'm not teaching this year). However, I have got myself sort of a part-time job for the "school." Because there's a lot of younger students under the age of ten this year, I've been called upon to be a babysitter and lunch supervisor, and it's a paying job. Today is my first day, so I'll have to let you know how it goes.

On a side note, Jayne the kitten is doing well. He has overcome his shyness and has turned into the sweetest, cutest thing ever. He is very playful, and it's entertaining to watch him chase dead leaves or even poor Pooky in play. He's also getting fatter and not looking like the scrawny little thing that he used to. Watching him play or have "evening crazies" is definitely a sign that he's doing well.

That's all I can think of for the moment, though I'm sure I'm forgetting something. I'll post again if I forgot anything.

The Coming of Jayne

The Cunningham house is a big magnet. One, in particular, that seems to attract animals. Hence why we've had so many over the years and why sometimes our neighbors' animals like to hang around. All of us were reminded of it this last Sunday.

Sunday morning started off like any other. Dad woke us up, and we had our usual breakfast of eggs, sausage, and smoothie. Then we all began getting ready for church. I was doing my hair when someone (I believe it was Seth) suddenly announced that a little kitten was on our porch. Curious, I went outside. Indeed, it was a kitten. A rather tiny one. At minimum I guessed it was about six weeks old. It was skittish and rather vocal, going round and round the porch crying. However, we had to go, and we figured that it would probably wander off by the time we got home.

We were wrong.

We came home, and the kitten was sleeping on the porch. It saw that we had arrived and resumed its crying. We figured that the kitten smelled Pooky's food (we keep his food on the table to keep other critters from getting into it) and that was why it hadn't left. Taking pity on it, we put it on the table. The kitten immediately began to chow down like it hadn't eaten in several days. Afterwards, it checked us out, sniffing us and becoming less skittish. I noticed that the kitten felt awfully thin, a sign of recent malnourishment, and there was a debate over the kitten's gender.

On Monday, we bought some kitten food for the kitten, and it seems to be doing rather well. It doesn't feel as thin anymore, and he's becoming more active, moving around and being less vocal (unless he's hungry). Dad has forbidden us from making it into an inside cat, so the kitten stays on the porch, where we feed it and give it water. And we gave it a bath and some treatment for both fleas and worms; it seems otherwise healthy. The kitten is also quite the purring machine. He loves to be picked up and held, and he is definitely a people cat. Whenever we go outside, he likes to come up to us and get some attention.

Mandy has fallen quite in love with the kitten. Despite her own dislikes of some of our own beasts, she is completely enamored. At first, she and Ben were going to adopt it, but circumstances have changed and so that won't happen. Still, Mandy loves him, and it's cute to see her holding him.

Throughout the week, we debated the kitten's name. Most of the problem stemmed from the fact that we weren't sure about a gender. To solve that problem, we picked a gender-neutral name: Jayne (named after Jayne from the TV show "Firefly"). We now think Jayne is a boy, but we're not absolutely positive. We probably won't be for a few more weeks.

So now we're back up to six cats.

July

Sorry for the lack of posts. We've been busy, and our internet has been rather spotty. Hopefully, we're switching our service providers tomorrow, so maybe it will be more consistent in that area :P

Anyway...

Things have really been picking up for everyone, especially the past month. The wedding preparation is also speeding up. Earlier this month, most of the ladies of the church got together to look at the plans that the coordinators so far have done. The ladies are beginning to buy and gather up mason jars, Christmas lights, burlap ribbon, flowers, etc... for the decorations. We've also taken Mandy's wedding dress in for alterations and visited a flower wholesale shop to figure out flowers for the wedding party (the flower lady has also made a "rough draft" of Mandy's wedding bouquet). We finally also ordered invitations and finished the website. We sent out the invitations this week, and the first RSVPs are coming back, which is exciting. We're now just under sixty days to the wedding, and reality is starting to hit in. Mandy and Ben are starting to look for a place to live.

And, almost a week ago, Mandy had her wedding shower. The other maid-of-honor Bethany, a bridesmaid Caroline, the wedding coordinator, and myself put on the shower at the coordinator's home. We had a tea bar, all kinds of food, flowers, and presents stacked all over the stairs. Over sixty people (a mixture of family and friends) attended. Mandy was real excited to open all her gifts, and most of them are now either lining our hallway or filling up Ben's living room until they find a place. Pictures from the shower have been uploaded by Bethany on facebook, and both Mom and I shared the link to it on facebook. We've got a few more showers for Mandy happening in August and September, though I won't have as much involvement in those.

In late July, the guys (Dad, Seth, and Ben) took a trip with Jake B. and Uncle Josh and his older two boys to northern Minnesota, close to the border of Canada. They left on a late Thursday afternoon and drove for twenty-four hours, stopping for gas and food and to switch drivers. Then on Saturday, they paddled out into the Boundary Waters, which involved them walking a mile with the canoes and packs on their backs, and then rowed across various lakes to their campsite. And so for the next six days, the guys did serious primitive camping (no running water, no toilets, no showers, etc...). They went fishing and cooked their own fish on three different nights. They took exploring trips (and on one excursion Ben and Jake nearly got lost) and had all sorts of adventures. However, Friday proved to be their most challenging day. It started raining the night before and was still storming when they woke up the next morning. That meant they had to pack up everything in the pouring rain and hop into the canoes for a several-hour trip across the lake. At one point, it got extremely difficult with the strong winds and large waves, leaving the guys absolutely soaked in 48 degree weather. But, God be praised, the guys safely got out and back to the car. They then met up a group of boys from church who visited the area this week, went to a local restaurant for the best beer, burgers, and fries that they'd ever had, and then began the 24-hour trip back to Atlanta. They also safely made it home, despite the car threatening problems, the threat of running out of gas in the middle of nowhere, and accidentally ending up on the wrong side of town because of bad highway traffic. We ladies met our men at the church and then they came home for a shower, clean clothes, and a delicious meal. They all had a great time, and we've enjoyed hearing about their many adventures.

Other preparations that have been going on is for school. I start up GGC again in a few weeks, and I'm ready to get back into a regular schedule. Mom also starts teaching science and music around the end of the month. Dad and I are also on a list of potential history teachers for the Geneva at Home program; nothing's been decided yet, as it depends on how many history classes are needed, but hopefully we'll know for.

So, yeah, we've been busy. I'll try to do better at posting updates.

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.