Manager's Meeting

Every year my dad's company has a managers meeting where all the managers as well as the corporate employees come to Atlanta for a conference. On Saturday night they always have a really fancy dinner and give out awards etc. This year, my dad is retiring (after 29 years) so he wanted my whole family there. My dad has been a really big part of why the company is where it is today and the company has been a huge part of his life as well. Naturally, the decision to retire did not come easy and has been a source of mixed emotions for him and my mom. I could not be more proud of him. He has worked so hard and it makes me happy that he has finally come to the place in his life where he can start to do some things for himself.

Softball Party

Yesterday was Madison's end of the season softball party at Buffalos. It was interesting to see all the girls in regular clothes. You get so used to seeing them in uniform. The girls had so much fun sitting together and being silly. At the end the coach said something nice about each girl and gave them their trophy. I can't believe the season is over. I don't know what we are going to do in our free time now.

Rattlesnake Mountain

My parents have a cabin on Fort Mountain (in between Elijay and Chatsworth) and we love to go stay for the weekend. We call is Rattlesnake Mountain for two reasons. 1st: When they were building the cabin they found several rattlesnakes on the property. 2nd: When we were little my dad used to tell us these stories about "Rattlesnake Mountain" every Thanksgiving. He would make up these adventures that these kids had at "Rattesnake Mountain" and he would continue the story every Thanksgiving. He would usually tell it on the way home from the mountains at night. It was always so scary!!

Dave and I love to go to the cabin and sometimes we will go for several weekends in a row. We have gone for the past two weekends. The leaves are absolutely gorgeous this time of year up there. There are so many colors surrounding you.

We usually hike some when we are there and also ride 4-wheelers. They have 18 acres of land so if you pass the house (which is a really scary, steep, rocky road) there are several switch-backs and at the bottom there is a stream and a waterfall. We have built a couple of decks down there with a fire pit. Our newest addition is an amazing rope swing. It is so much fun!! So here are a few pictures from our weekend.

4th Grade Performance

Madison has been learning how to play the recorder this year so the other night at the PTA meeting the 4th graders had a performance that mixed singing with playing their recorder. Madison ended up standing in the worst place possible on the risers and we could hardly see her. Oh well, we were still proud!!

Halloween

Madison was a ladybug this year for Halloween. She has gone trick or treating with her friend Ivey for the past several years. Ivey lives across the street from Dave's parents. Last year and again this year, the parents of another girl in the neighborhood offered to drive the kids around in the back of their trailer with bails of hay and lights, the whole 9 yards. So Madee and Ivey did that again this year.

Dave and I stayed at the house and waited for trick or treaters. This year we decided to scare the kids when they came to the door. The houses that had scary stuff were always the best!! So, Dave hid under a tarp by the walkway. When they kids walked up he would growl and try to touch their leg from under the tarp. The kids would scream and then go to walk up the stairs to the front door. But I hid under the stairs in a black cape and a Jason mask (hockey mask). They would still be recovering from their scare when I would let them see my face (the hockey mask) and try to grab their leg from under the stairs.

Most of the kids really liked it but we had this one kid that didn't quite appreciate our love of a "good scare". He came walking up (his mom was waiting in the driveway) and passed by Dave. When Dave growled at him he screamed so loud and high pitched (it was like a scream in a movie). Then he tried to run up the stairs and I reached my hand through the steps. He just froze and started screaming over and over again. Then he finally ran away crying!! I felt horrible!! His mom ran to meet him and told him it was o.k. that it was Halloween and that what it is about. She had to hold his hand to get him to go to the door. Then the mom says to her son, "It's o.k. honey it just some teenagers boys playing around." Ouch!! Then to make it worse Dave (who had come out from under the tarp at this point) says, "Actually that's my wife" and points under the stairs.