HOT-lanta!

Atlanta is only 4 hours from Nashville. I know this because I Google Mapped it before I moved to Nashville to see how far away the closest IKEA was. Billy and I decided that we really needed a fun getaway so we decided to take a little romantic rendezvous there. (Atlanta...Not IKEA!)

One of my second favorite things next to IKEA is Priceline. The Nazarene in me always feels a little guilty about using Priceline because it's pretty much gambling. OK...not really. But I do feel like I'm living dangerously and putting $40 on the line and never knowing what I'm going to end up with. It's an awesome way to stay in a 3 or 4 star hotel for super cheap.

I had never been to Atlanta...but can I tell you? It is one of my favorite cities now. I completely fell in love with it. Or at least move the IKEA to Nashville and that would suffice.

We felt very pampered in the Downtown Hyatt along with lots of suckers who probably paid full price. (Hee...hee...) We explored local flea markets, pizza joints, shopping, Historic Decatur, and the famous Varsity Drive-In. I highly recommend all of the above.

Visitors!

Sorry about the lack of bloggage! I have some catching up to do...

Our first KC visitors were Micah and Leslie Smith! We had an awesome time showing them the sites. They also surprised us with tickets to see our fave comedian Jim Gaffigan at the Ryman. (Hot Pocket!) We totally had a blast.

My mom and little sis, Heather, also came to Nashville for their first official visit. And of course the little muffin you see above, my nephew, Remy. I dare you to find a cuter baby.

I went from August to November without seeing them. That's like a decade in Donna-years. I, also, felt like it had been an eternity. We've probably gone that long without visiting in the past, but we always knew we were just 3 hours away. It's different now with a few more states in between us. It was great to have some girl time and relax around the two people who probably know me best.

By the way, thanks for all of you who were praying for my grandma. She is doing great! In the words of my grandpa, "She's back to her old self!" and we love that. She is still undergoing radiation therapy as a precaution, but her most recent scan showed no sign of a tumor left. Praise God!

New Jobs

I am no longer unemployed! Yay! I just finished my first week as a 3rd-4th grade ELL "Push-In" teacher in Metro Nashville Public Schools. I am working with 8 students who are in 3rd and 4th grade who are English Language Learners a.k.a. English as a Second Language students. I have 3 students from Somalia, 2 from Kenya, 1 from El Salvador, 1 from Puerto Rico and 1 from Mexico. I have two 1-hour reading sessions when I pull them out of their classroom. The rest of the day, I am going between both grade levels and supporting the teacher and students in the regular education classroom. It's such a blessing to have a teaching job...but one that is WAY less stressful than managing an all-day kindergarten class. Even though I loved my kindergartners...I miss those little munchkins!

My second job is an independent distributor of Shaklee products. (See previous post) I would love to talk to you about these products if you're interested! You can visit my personal Shaklee site at www.shaklee.net/tennessee.

I'm also working a few hours a week as the assistant to Don Chaffer of the band Waterdeep. Don and Lori have become great friends of ours and moved to Nashville from KC just a few weeks before we did. I am a longtime fan of their music. If you don't have their latest album, Pink and Blue...you should! It is a super fun album with melodies I have become addicted to. They are amazingly talented people and have some other great things in the works. Stay tuned to www.waterdeep.com.

Please Pray!

These are my grandparents, Roger & Sara Williams. They are two of the most important people in my life and are the foundation of my family. Last week, we found out that my grandma has a brain tumor. We are hopeful that it is not cancerous and that it is operable. She has an appointment on Thursday, 10/8 at the Mayo Clinic. Please pray that God gives the doctors and surgeons there wisdom. My grandma knows Jesus and is an amazing prayer warrior. She has peace and faith in the midst of this scary situation. She is a beautiful, vibrant, fun, energetic and active woman of God. We pray that she can be healed and return home to the people and life she loves. Thanks for praying!

Going Green

Hey, friends. So...I'm up to something new. I am now an independent distributor of Shaklee products. Ever heard of Shaklee? It's the #1 Natural Nutrition Company in the U.S. I love what the company stands for and believe in the products so much, that I have decided to sell them.

"Going Green" does not only mean recycling, conserving water, and driving a hybrid car. Green living can really have a huge impact on the health of your family. Many household cleaners and personal care products that we use everyday can be contributing to common health problems. Your shampoo, for example, might not be as safe as you think it is! Not to mention that bleach you are using in your kitchen! Shaklee are proven safe for your family and safe for the environment....and they are proven to be more effective than many green products you will find in stores. All products have a 100% money back guarantee. You can return anything you are not satisfied with...no questions asked!

Please click here to visit My Shaklee website and see what you think! I'd love to talk with you more about making your home safe and investing in your health! It's all about prevention!

My Porcelain Perspective

Some people might call it a "staycation". A vacation at home away from work and other bothersome things....like showering, eating, getting dressed, and stepping into daylight. You could also think of it as an intense detox, rapid weight-loss program. A stomach boot-camp, if you will. I just call it food poisoning. Not fun, people. Not fun. I lost 8 pounds in 4 days and logged in 72+ hours of HGTV...which happened to be the only channel that did not nauseate me. It's amazing how much food there is on TV when you're trying to avoid seeing anything resembling food. I do not wish that upon anyone. However, Billy was the best nurse and diligently took care of me and brought me Gatorade and US weekly.

This is a picture of my first outing back among the living. We went to Arrington Vineyards (owned by Kix Brooks) which is about 30 minutes away from Nashville with our friends Luke & Rebekah. It is a gorgeous area of land where you can do wine tastings, listen to live music and pretend to fit in with incredibly fancy people. We brought our own picnic dinner and just sat on the hill with the other peasants and enjoyed the beautiful scenery and music. Wineless, but free. It was soo relaxing and fun. Yes...I did shower.

Yeah...I'm crafty

Several of my friends have had birthdays recently. I love remembering birthdays and sending cards and gifts. Mostly because I know how happy I feel when people remember my birthday! It's September 25th, by the way. (Wink!) Funds this month are extremely tight, so I had to get creative with cards, mix CD's, cheap candy etc. Here are a few of my recent creations.