Ice-pocalypse and Earthquake

For anyone who knows the South, they know that every few years we get a snow that will shut down the state for a day or so. However, having [b]two[/b] storms in one winter is pretty much unheard of, even for Georgia's crazy weather.

Like the previous storm, people knew in advance that it was coming. But this one was predicted to be different: more ice, less snow. A day in advance, the governor declared a state of emergency, and people began stocking up early. On Tuesday the rain would start to fall (the temps were in the mid 30's) but was more like sleet. GGC closed down early, and people quickly hunkered down. On Wednesday, we had a mixture of ice, show, and rain all day. Everything was white, but it was mostly frozen ice. So no snowman or snowball fights this time (though further north there was more snow). Still, Wednesday we were content to sit at home and relax. We had a surprise visit from Ben's former roommate John, who walked a few miles, and we spent the afternoon playing Monopoly with him before he returned home before the weather turned worse. Thursday, the roads were still icy, so we stayed home again. However, because things were beginning to melt, Ben and Mandy did venture out to get some buns for hot dogs (the store shelves were pretty empty. They ended up buying sandwich rolls instead). That night, a few of us tried to use Seth's boogie board to try sledding/ snow-boarding, with some funny results (thankfully no one was hurt). By Friday, the roads were largely clear, so we were able to leave the house. School, much to my surprise, was closed again, so I pretty much only had one day of school that week (and our schedule was thrown off-kilter again... for the second time).

We're thankful that this time people knew to stay off the roads, so there wasn't another transportation disaster like last month. We're also thankful that we didn't lose our power or that the ice didn't cause a lot of damage (ice around here can be very dangerous). Also, we are thankful that we had enough food to last us most of the week without us going out. We had enough for the six of us (and for John for one afternoon), and Mandy even made gluten-free cupcakes one afternoon (which were eagerly devoured by everyone. They were delicious!). Also, even though we were squeezed, Mandy and Ben spent most of the week at our house because of the roads, and we weren't sick of each other by Friday (when they went home); I guess it's because we're used to living in small quarters anyway, but I'm thankful that things went so smoothly.

On Friday, we had a surprise. Mom, Dad, and myself were sitting in the living room and watching a movie (technically I was on my laptop with my headphones on, occasionally glancing up at the screen because I'd seen the film before) while Seth was in his room. Around 10:23, Seth saw that his bed was shaking like crazy while the rest of us did not notice anything out of the ordinary. Within two minutes, people on facebook were talking about feeling an earthquake. The quake was a 4.4 and came from South Carolina while people as far south as Atlanta could feel it. Not everyone felt the quake, but quite a few people (like Seth and Uncle Josh's family) did notice it. Mom and I are bummed that we did not feel it, as such things aren't overly common in Georgia (even though we do have a faultline running through half of the state and which runs not terribly far from where we live).

So, needless to say, things are rather exciting around here. I must say, there's rarely a dull moment being a Cunningham and living in Georgia :)

"Snow-pocalypse" 2014

You've probably heard on the news about a snowstorm hitting the South earlier this week and wrecking all kinds of havoc there. I can tell you, it is true.

For the past month or so, we've had some very cold temps (a high of 28 degrees during the day is NOT normal down here) but no snow. By last Sunday or so, we knew that some snow was heading our way, but the temps outside were in the 50s (which is tropical compared to the last few months). Monday was another beautiful day, but everyone at school was buzzing with the approaching snowstorm. One of the English faculty even called it the "snow-pocalypse," which my Medieval teacher borrowed in class.

Tuesday came cold and cloudy. I had no school that day so I sat in my room and did homework, constantly looking out the window for any sign of the promised snow. The snow flurries came about two hours earlier than predicted, and they grew thicker. Mandy came down to spend the afternoon with me and Mom while her hubby was teaching. Now around this time, things started getting a bit treacherous. When we went to the store, we noticed a lot of cars on the road, which Mandy speculated was from people leaving work and school early. Ben's afternoon classes were cancelled, but traffic and snow led to it taking him about four hours to make a journey that normally would have been about forty-five minutes to our house. Seth also took well over an hour to make a journey of similar length, as he left work early too.

Now I've seen on facebook some northerners wondering why the South tends to lock up when it snows. The problem is this: when the snow first started falling, the temps were not below freezing though the snow was sticking. As the temp began to drop, things began to freeze, and that is when the roads are dangerous. Because snow is rare down here, Georgians don't know how to drive on snow or ice, and they are unprepared too (few plows, few tire chains, no salt, etc...), which doesn't help. So, when people in Atlanta started leaving the city to go home early, things quickly got out of control as snow continued to fall and the temp continued to drop.

Because the highway was looking too treacherous, Mandy and Ben opted to spend the night with us instead of taking the risk. We went outside for a little snowball fight then built a litle snowman (which Ben called "Winston Churchill" because it had a stick cigar in its mouth). It was a bit tense, though, looking at the news of people being stranded on the highways (we knew a couple of people who were in that situation), and it was a relief when things began to clear up on Wednesday. However, it was still icy and the temps still remained close to freezing so not much had a chance to melt. Thankfully, Ben and Mandy safely made it home on Wednesday afternoon, and friends and family also made it home on Tuesday and Wednesday. Because of icy roads, most schools (including GGC) were closed down, so that gave me a day off from school.

Today, things warmed up, and some of the snow has melted while most roads are clear for safe travel (except for a few icy patches here and there). The temps are supposed to go up, so the snow will probably be gone by Saturday.

So, needless to say, it has been an interesting few days. And it will be even more interesting when we figure out school schedules because we lost a few days.

Christmas 2013

We had an excellent Christmas this year.

The festivities began, as usual, with visiting Grandpa Mike's the Saturday before Christmas. We had a good time, but it got a little tense towards the end when a debate turned not-so-friendly. Thankfully, there are no hard feelings.

Then on Christmas Eve, we got together at Uncle Jason's. We had plenty of food and conversation before we opened up the presents. Because there are so many grandkids, this year the older ones participated in a Secret Santa gift swap. Then the fun of annual White Elephant gifts began. We had rusty horse shoes, an enormous tacky Christmas sweater, a Left Behind tape, and a Fez among the gifts. During a lull in the conversation, it was decided that we would have some singing. So Uncle Jason brought out a speaker, hooked it up to an iPad, and then used karaoke on youtube for the lyrics. I sang first, doing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." We also heard "Jingle Bells," "Silent Night," "Joy to the World," and then a hilarious and memorable performance of "Jingle Bell Rock" by Uncle Josh (he's quite the performer, and everyone was nearly crying by the end of it). After several hours of fun, we then went home. Mandy and Ben followed us, and they spent the night with us, wanting to open presents with us and spend Christmas Day with us.

On Christmas morning, I again was reluctantly dragged out of my bed by Mandy so that we could open presents. I was pleased with the gifts that I bought everyone and am very happy with what I received, which included some history books (perfect for a geek like me), musical CDs, and clothes. Then Ben's mom Kelly arrived, and we had breakfast. I had my own Udi's gluten-free cinnamon roll and a crust-free sausage quiche while Mom made homemade cinnamon rolls with bacon (she got the idea from a guy at church) and normal quiche. After breakfast, we opened Kelly's presents and then settled in for a nice, relaxing Christmas day. This included games on the Wii, Boggle, a movie quote game, plenty of food, a British version of monopoly (complete with British accents and some rather intense competition from Ben and Kelly), a game of Sorry, some napping, a movie, and plenty of chocolate (which someone later learned was not a good idea). It was a good day, and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

The day afterwards, Ben and Mandy came back down and spent the entire day with us again. In fact, there were quite a few days where they would come over and hang out for several hours. We enjoyed being with them, and we're thankful that they enjoy being with us.

After Christmas, Dad decided to replace the tile in our kitchen. This meant removing the fridge, the dishwasher, and the stove all out of their positions and being unable to use the dishwasher or the stove for a few days. It was tricky, but we managed it. Mom even showed off her skills by making fish tacos and slaw without using the stove or oven. Our new tile is gorgeous, and Dad did a good job on it. We also replaced our dishwasher with a new one, which is far quieter than our previous one (which sounded like a rocket about to take off and which forced us to turn up the TV really loud just to be able to hear anything).

Now Christmas has ended, and we are more or less back on a normal schedule. I started school back this week and am taking three classes: World History 2, a Medieval class, and a Modern European history. It is strange to be in two upper-level classes where I don't know anyone but everyone seems to know each other, but I'm sure I'll get used to it. It is nice, though, because this semester three people from church are attending and I see two of them whenever I go to class (our first classes of the day are right next to each other). I'm looking forward to more of the classes, especially the Medieval one.

Oh, and a brief note. This week we saw the coldest weather in Georgia for several years. The temperature dropped to a high of twenty five degrees with a low in the single-digits (we were all bundled up inside the house. Mom made a box for Jayne and Pooky outside, which both really liked). Yeah, brr.... but we made it. Forty-five degrees, which is normal, feels balmy after the temps earlier this week. On the plus side, the cold killed the bugs, so hopefully summer will be relatively bug-free (at least, as much as the South can be).

Thanksgiving... and Some Sorrow

In general, we had a good Thanksgiving this year.

Our celebration began the Friday before the actual holiday. For as long as I can remember, the church has held an annual Thanksgiving dinner. A few select people bring the meat while everyone else brings rolls, side dishes, casseroles, stuffing, gravy, desserts, etc... The decorations from Mandy's wedding (namely the table clothes, some of the tea lights, and the LED lights) were used for the decor, and they looked lovely. After the meal, people stand up and say what they are thankful for. It was an enjoyable evening.

Six days later, we had the clan get-together at Uncle Jason's. There was plenty of food to go around, and we enjoyed the conversations and the laughter. We even sat down and watched Ben and Mandy's wedding video, which we enjoyed. Especially the reception part, which was several clips of what happened during the reception (like the cake-cutting and the dancing). We stayed there for several hours before we went home.

However, when we got home, our joy disappeared. Our oldest cat Boo (who had recently turned twelve) was acting strange. She was not moving her back legs, and she was moving very sluggishly. About five minutes later, it was clear that was dying. We gently laid her on a towel and stood around her. Her breathing became very slow, and the only movement we saw was occasional twitching. Mom and I were emotional messes as we stood there, but Mandy was sweet to pray for us (we had texted her and told her what was happening) and Dad helped comfort us. Time passed, and Boo was no longer moving; we couldn't detect any breathing or any heartbeat. Dad and Seth moved her to the garage, and the next morning Seth buried her. We've known that Boo has not been in great health, and we suspected that she might have had a thyroid problem though the vet said she didn't. It was a tear-jerking twenty minutes for us. That night was even sadder when Boo's oldest son Oatmeal, who usually snuggles with her, began crying and yowling, like he knew something was wrong; he seems to have gotten over it, but I don't think the cats yet have figured out that Boo is gone. Still, we are thankful for the time we had with Boo. And we're thankful that she gave us two kittens Oatmeal and Trouble.

So, here's to you, Boo.

On a more light-hearted note, we got our outdoor-only kitten Jayne fixed the other day. It was a quick procedure, and Jayne was given a clean bill of health, and so we brought him home and let him run around the house. The anesthesia must have muddled the poor kitten's brain because he went absolutely crazy. He kept chasing the other cats around (much to their annoyance), and he even snuggled with me, rubbing himself all over me and making me laugh because his whiskers tickled. Thankfully, he has gotten better and is back to his normal self. It was sweet, though. Our other outdoor-only cat Pooky appeared rather sad when he realized Jayne wasn't there; it's been sweet to watch the interaction between the older-cat Pooky and the rambunctious youngster (which reminds us of the relationship between Shadow and Chance in "Homeward Bound"). Otherwise, Jayne is back to playfully wrestling our hands and stalking Pooky when the older cat is walking the yard.

And now, on we go to Christmas. Some of our Christmas shopping is already done, which is unusual for us, but that means a lot less running around the week of. Tonight, we got our Christmas tree, and Ben and Mandy helped us decorate it; we also had our yearly tradition of eating out (Five Guys instead of the usual Zaxby's) and watching "A Christmas Story."

But, before Christmas comes, there is still other things to be done. I've got my history final on Monday, which means the end of the semester for me (I'm sad that it's gone by so fast, as I've enjoyed the class). Then Dad and Mom have their own classes to finish up. I'll actually be substituting for Dad next week, which will be a chance for me to see how I like teaching history; I'm both nervous and excited about it.

Winter Approacheth...

Cold weather has finally hit us. We had our first major frosts this week (which has been a relief because I think it killed off whatever has been bothering my sinuses for the past month), and now we're pulling out our coats, jeans, long-sleeves, and warmer blankets. And it looks dreary outside. The bad thing about winter in Georgia is that just about every green thing is dead, so everything is brown in color. Hopefully we'll get some snow this winter and brighten things up a bit (as long as it doesn't shut down the state for a week).

October and November have been very busy. You would think that things would quiet down after the wedding, but no, they haven't. Dad and Seth still have work. Dad and Mom are still teaching the Geneva kids one day a week while I am still functioning as a supervisor for the younger group. And I am also still in school. It's so hard to believe that the semester is more than halfway over and that I only have a month left; I have really enjoyed this history class. I am pleased to say, however, that I will be returning to GGC for three classes next semester; between my own funds and HOPE, I can pay for it out of pocket without resorting to student loans. So far, I am planning to take World History Part 2, an upper-level class on Medieval thought and life (I've lately been fascinated by the Medieval time period), and religion (though I would like to switch out religion with another high-level history class that is being taught by my current professor. Hopefully an opening appears so I can switch).

By now, we've adjusted to Mandy being out of the house. Slowly but surely, we are moving her stuff out of my room, and I am re-organizing it. We still Mandy a few times a week. Because of Ben's teaching schedule, on those days she tends to come down and hang out with me and Mom; sometimes we just hang out and do things like help write her thank you cards for her wedding gifts, or sometimes we go grocery shopping. Mandy and Mom have taken up knitting lessons from a lady at church, and so on those nights Ben and Mandy join us for dinner and then Dad and Ben will hang out and talk while the ladies learn how to knit.

The rest of November will continue to be busy for us. Last night, I organized a bunch of people to go see "Thor 2" (and we want to take Dad to see it soon), and today a few of us went to go see our cousins' Christmas ballet performance. Next week, the church is having its annual Thanksgiving dinner, and then the week after that is Thanksgiving proper, which will be celebrated by the extended clan (including Ben, Mandy, and I think Ben's mom). Dad is brewing his annual Christmas beer, and soon Mom will be baking Christmas cookies. Goodness... is Christmas only next month? My, how this year has flown by!

Oh, and keep an eye on Mandy's facebook page. A little something will likely be posted by the end of the month, so look out for it :)

The Big Day

Well, it has come and gone. Mandy is now a married woman, and we are all adjusting to life on the other side of the wedding.

Rehearsal took place on Thursday at the church. We did a run-through of the ceremony, which went well, and then headed over to the restaurant for the rehearsal dinner. Everyone was given options of what they could order, and we enjoyed the meal and some dessert samplers. Then came the speeches. A few people, including myself, gave speeches, and Ben then gave gifts to his groomsmen. After that, everyone scattered. Bethany G. spent the night with us, and we did a little "Just Dance 4" on the wii.

The next morning, we woke up and began the last preparations. One of the girls who volunteered to do the bridesmaids' hair came over and did prep on our hair to make sure it wouldn't be frizzy. Then I went off to college (I had originally intended to skip class that day, but unfortunately jury duty summons prevented that from happening). After class, I joined Mandy and Bethany G., and we drove up to the church. Here, for the next several hours, the bride, her bridesmaids, the ring bearer, the flower girls, and the bell ringers prepped themselves. We had two makeup artists and two girls doing hair, and I was happy with the way mine turned out. Everyone looked beautiful, especially the bride. Then the photographer and her sister/assistant took pictures of the bridal party and, when the groom's party was ready, of them too.

Mandy and Ben had decided months ago that Ben would not see her before the wedding. So, an hour or so before the ceremony, Ben was blindfolded and was led in to talk to Mandy. They talked for a few minutes before they returned to the rooms. Then began the waiting period. Everyone was ready, but we all wished that the ceremony would start soon, especially when we still had two hours to go until it happened. It seemed like forever before we were finally told to leave the room and get into position. The church happened to have a screen that we hid behind in the hall, and we hid behind it until everyone had been seated.

Then the processional began. Everything went well. Our youngest flower girl grew fussy and did not go down, but our shy ringbearer made it down with his father's help, which was a great relief. Then the room went quiet. The music began to play, and everyone stood up as Mandy entered the room on Dad's arm. I turned to see Ben's response at his first look, but my emotions got the better of me so I didn't look again.

The ceremony went well. Bethany G. and I divided up maid of honor duties so that she held the ring and I held Mandy's bouquet (which was quite heavy... or at least it seemed that way to me). I grew teary-eyed at several points during the ceremony, but Mandy was calm and collected, speaking loudly and clearly (and in one instance, in a strong Southern accent) so that everyone could hear her. The two took their vows, exchanged rings, kissed, and then were pronounced "Mr. and Mrs" before walking back up the aisle. As soon as I had returned up the aisle and was in the narthex, the tears that I had been holding back all throughout the ceremony were unleashed; thankfully, the best man and Brittny B. were there to let me cry on their shoulders. Once I had collected myself and touched up on my makeup, then the party returned to the sanctuary for pictures. Family ones were taken first, and then the party, bride, and groom went. The photographer was very quick and made everything look and feel natural, especially from what I've seen of the few pictures she's released so far, and I look forward to seeing the rest.

After pictures, the party headed over to the reception area. As Seth and I came down the hill, I gasped at the sight. The place was covered with Christmas lights, all of which were on. The pavilion was well-lit, and jazz and swing music was playing. It was beautiful. Simply beautiful. Dinner was beef brisket and ham (some of which was on rolls), a hashbrown dish, pasta salad, fruit, and cheese, and then Dad served homemade beer while several people contributed to the dessert table, which was several cakes.

Then the bride and groom arrived. They had their first dance together, and then there was the father-daughter dance and mother-son dance. Then it was time for the cake cutting. For months, Ben had been threatened that he would shove the cake in Mandy's face, so when the time came, Mandy hesitated with this look of "Ben, don't you even think about it" and Ben was like "what?" Of course, Ben shoved it on her face, but he was sweet and cleaned her up afterwards. He didn't do the same with the groom's cake (red velvet cupcake), as Mom warned him beforehand not to get that red dye on her wedding dress. Then the rest of the fun began. The music came on, and people began dancing. There were big crowds for Cupid Shuffle, Macarena, and for Haddaway's "What Is Love?"

Then it was time to toss the bouquet. Mandy threw it, but it flew over the crowd and landed on the ground. The girl who did some of the bridesmaids' hair eagerly grabbed it first. Then Bethany and I helped Mandy change out of her wedding dress and into her going-away dress. The groomsmen, meanwhile, had gotten their hands on Ben's yellow truck and pretty much destroyed it, using seran wrap to cover the doors and putting shaving cream all over, and then there was toilet paper and stuff hanging out the back; inside, they hung Hello Kitty dice from the mirror and put a Barry Manilow CD in his CD player. Everyone got into position, and the bride and groom left the reception under the light of sparklers. Then, they were gone.

After that, people started leaving. Seth and I went home and got there around midnight. The next day, we returned to the reception area to help clean up and organize the place.

In the end, it was a beautiful event, and we are overjoyed to have Ben as a member of our family. The two got back from their honeymoon to Florida on Saturday, and both had a good time and are now settling into married life. Mandy is still moving her stuff out of our bedroom, but soon it will be reorganized with her stuff gone. I think we're all getting used to the idea that Mandy is no longer living with us, and reality has definitely sunk in.

A few pictures from the photographer have been released, but we are eagerly waiting for the rest. We also had a few guys filming the ceremony and the reception, and we're also waiting for that.

At this point, I would like to join the rest of the family in thanking the many individuals, both male and female, for their contributions to making this wedding happen. To our coordinator D, who was so sweet to help us organize things and to host certain wedding-related events. To the flower lady T, who did a beautiful job on the flowers for everyone. To the reception decor ladies R and B, who did an amazing job at organizing and planning everything and for creating a beautiful reception area. To M, who built the floating lantern thingy on the pond, which only made the place look more beautiful. To the food ladies E and J, who helped us create a menu that would be easy on the ladies so that they could enjoy the wedding and not be stuck in the kitchen all the time. And to the numerous other people who helped with decorating, being parking valets, shuttling people back and forth between the reception and the parking area, the men who served the beer to the crowd, the men who managed the music, the musicians who performed, and so many others. It has been a testimony of love to us, and we have been deeply touched by the love and friendship they have shown to us over the years.

Last Week!

And now we are in single digits. Today was day three until the wedding! It is definitely approaching.

This last week means that things have definitely picked up wedding-wise. Mom is constantly calling or e-mailing the leading ladies who are working on the wedding, and Mandy's been talking quite a bit with her bridesmaids and other important people.

On Friday (day seven), we had Mandy's last shower at one of the bridesmaid's house. We had a fun time giving her a few gifts and hearing/sharing wedding stories (some weren't wedding-related, but they were hilarious). On Saturday, we had the bridesmaids' luncheon, which was a decent-sized crowd. Our wedding coordinator, who threw/hosted the event, got a nice, southern-style restaurant to open for only us, and we had a yummy menu to choose from (Mom, Mandy, and I all had delicious shrimp and grits with peppers and onions). After that, a few of us went over to where the guys (and a few women) were sitting up at the reception location. That day happened to be pouring rain (and this isn't a mere drizzle. This is like a steady, constant, heavy rain that lasted for several hours), but the guys were real troopers, hanging up Christmas lights and wire, setting up pallets, and arranging hay bales in the rain.

Monday (day four) happened to be a rather hectic day. On Saturday evening, to make sure that we got everything done, I came up with the idea of writing down a list and marking off items when they completed. Part of our list required us to drive over to Athens (which is over an hour away from our house) to visit a few stores. It was a long ride, and we got a bit of cultural education in the process. On our way back from Athens, we stopped by the reception area, where the lights and electricity were being tested. Seeing the lights come on in the dark was stunning, and it made us very excited. We were concerned that there wouldn't be enough light, but last night convinced us otherwise. It was a good time for us to test things out, but we had to leave because it was getting late.

Today (day three) was also busy. We had to do quite a bit of shopping (I can't recall leaving Costco with two full carts), and there's still more to be done tomorrow. Again, we have our trusty list to help us. Hopefully things will slow down a bit by Thursday before the storm hits on Friday.

We've been keeping an eagle eye on the weather. So far, it looks like Friday will be just perfect: no rain and good temperatures. Which is a relief.

And so, onwards we go!