Whew!

The summer is slipping by! We've been pretty busy and not able to post. Now the amount of events and pictures to share is overwhelming... where to start....
Two weekends ago I went to Nashville with some teachers for a conference. I had never been, so I was pretty excited despite the fact that it was work. I decided -unintentionallly- to start off the trip with a bang at the airport (Yikes, I'm not sure you can actually say "bang" and "airport" in the same sentence...). Going through security I noticed my bag being backed up through the machine again and then the guy asked me if it was mine. I said it was and then he asked me if I had brought a knife. I'm sure the look on my face on that moment was what saved me from being labeled a terrorist (not that I'm sure I look like one otherwise, but you get the point). I told him no way, and he replied with a kind of laugh, "Oh yeah you did, you brought like a steak knife or something." I couldn't believe it when he pulled out a huge steak knife! There are no words to describe what an idiot I felt like. It was a knife I used at school in my classroom- on fruit, etc.- not on the kids ya jerks, I knew what you were thinking. Anyway, they were really cool about it and just sent me on. Needless to say, for the rest of the trip my coworkers nicknamed me "Blade". Nice.
The rest of my trip was good. We stayed at the Gaylord Opry Land Hotel, which is incredible and overwhelming and confusing as heck. I had to use a map or ask for directions to navigate my way around that place. We learned a little, refreshed a lot, and I got to know the other teachers much better... maybe some too much better.. ;). I had my first pulled pork sandwich and saw the Grand Ole Opry. It was fun to see, but not all I expected Nashville to be. Here are some pics of my trip.








mmmm...my sandwich
Inside the Gaylord

... and this isn't even half of the place!
This is Divine. Her hands and feet are both on stilts and she "stalks" around hiding in the greenery, then she creeps out. You could walk right by her and not know she's there! Creepy!








Last weekend we went to visit Steven's parents and help them paint the living room. We had a nice visit and the room looks great. Then on Sunday there was a swim party at the Tigners'. Good barbeque, water balloons being launched at my husband, and grown men doing cannonballs and making a whirlpool... you don't get much better than that! I had some awesome pictures of the guys suspended in air right before their can opener or belly flop, but I somehow lost them in the transfer from camera to computer... very sad. We'll just have to do it again!

How cute is he?!
This is a horribly unattractive picture of my husband, but somehow I know he'll love it!