step up

Last night after the UTC Tap Party at Big River, David, Patty and I went to the Step Down show on campus. David and I attempted to go 2 years ago, but it was so raunchy we left after 2 acts. This year was much more appropriate, and we had a good time. Yes, their eyes look glazy because they were laughing so hard. Not only were the shows pretty good, but the crowd we were sitting among provided us some good quality entertainment as well.

Now, Friday! Yay! The rest of our October is even busier than the first half was... We're just trading out out-of-town time. David is off to the men's retreat, then I'll be in Knoxville, then... the best part... BOSTON to see GREG! Lots to look forward to in the next few weeks!

weekend in Ctown

Last weekend I had the rare opportunity to spend time alone with my parents! I don't think I have done that since high school, and it was so so so nice. People always say you begin to appreciate your parents more as your grow up, and that has certainly been true for me lately. I had been looking forward to our time together so much, and it did not disappoint!

One of the reasons for my visit was for my mom to host and Initials, Inc. party Saturday! It was SO fun and quite successful too! It was great to see a lot of sweet friends and meet some of my mom's friends. I've really been LOVING selling Initials, Inc. lately and I'm excited to have lots of parties between now and December 11 (the deadline to get Christmas orders in). Let me know if you want to host a party or order something :)

Harley stayed home with David (who had a fun-filled "man" weekend without me), but of course Bella got lots of good snuggle time in!

My parents have been busy little bees lately. In the past two months they have done so much work on their house and it looks amazing. I took lots of pictures that I won't show here because my brother doesn't know most of what they've done :). Here is a teaser pic though...

Gorgeous hardwood floors in the downstairs! Man they look good, and my parents have worked really hard with the guy who did them.

Lastly, other than cleaning, moving furniture and organizing stuff at my parents' house, we went to the other McKellar girl wedding. I could not believe I was actually at Laura McKellar's wedding, but it was beautiful and so fun to be there.

After looking through the pictures from Katie's wedding, it looks like mom wore the same dress to both :).

Uncle Greg and his brother bought traditional Scottish attire when they researched their heritage a few years back. The kilt is actually the official "McKellar" plaid, and Laura wanted them both to wear it to the wedding. Uncle Greg (in addition to sky diving and motorcycle riding) plays the bagpipes. In a band. His instructor was part of the ceremony and another guy from the band was the DJ. He wore a kilt too.

Laura looked like a princess!

The lasso ceremony.

Mr. and Mrs. Billy Dierdorf

 

best friends

The whole fraternity gang again!

Love my pretty momma!

I left the wedding shortly after the ceremony so I could drive back to Chatty, and I was actually a little bummed to leave my parents. We had a great time together, and I can't wait for our next chance to do that!

nuts about peanut butter

recent things that make me happy

HayHay won her soccer game.

Jodi, Anna, Theresa, me, Wendi, Sarah, Allison, Jill and Andrea (missing Saskia)

Book club on my screened-in porch! One of the most fun nights in a long time. We talked about The Help, which was a fabulous book that spurred really rich discussion. It is set during the nascent civil rights movement in Jackson, Miss., "where black women were trusted to raise white children but not to polish the household silver". The most interesting part of our group conversation was the diversity of perspectives. Only three of us were raised in the South and the rest are from Michigan or other northern states, and one girl is from Holland. It's so fun getting to know these new friends, and book club has been a great way to dive right in!

Mary Shelton (and Pat) were in town! We got to hang out with them after church, and she is always a breath of fresh air to me. I miss her so much while she's at school! Come home, MS!

 John, David, Lynn, Dr. Leppart (family friend from Memphis)

Patty turned 17! Whoa! Remember when he turned 16? and 15? Wasn't that just yesterday? Sheesh.

We accomplished one of our unofficial goals for this year- celebrate remember each of the Bryant kids' birthdays! We even got each of them a present! Woo hoo! I'm really horrible with birthdays and birthday presents (case-in-point: I forgot/was late on David's grandma, dad and nephew this year... yikes. Granted, David did too!), so tacking these four was a pretty big accomplishment.



sally

Last weekend, we had so much fun with our dear friend Jordan and his girlfriend Emily. They came from Lexington for the weekend, and they couldn't have picked a better time to visit. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, and Chattanooga was fun of fun activities for us to enjoy.

Friday, David took Jordan & Emily to the Baylor/McCallie game while I was home with my book club (more about that later). Baylor won the game, and they had a good time (so I'm told). Saturday was so fun. We started out at the Rock City Enchanted Maize, which was mostly fun because the weather and company were so enjoyable (ironically, last time Jordan was here, we did the Rock City Enchanted Lights).

Later that evening, we made our way to Coolidge Park to hang out. It was SUCH a gorgeous night, and we had a blast relaxing in the park. Also, as part of the River Rocks festival, they set up hot air balloons all across the park. They intended to put on a show, but it was super windy and the plans changed. Regardless, we loved watching them go up, and we were plenty entertained by the sights.

We LOVED getting to see Jordan (aka "Sally"... it's a long story), because it isn't often enough that we're all together. We also LOVED getting to meet and know his sweet Emily. They are a precious couple, and we can't wait for them to come back!!

photo booth with Kate

give the gift of life

My dad has always instilled in us an understanding of the importance of giving.

My dad gives a lot.

Over the years he has built countless Habitat houses and wheelchair ramps, spent countless hours vising with hospice patients, driven thousands of miles transporting little old ladies to their Wednesday luncheons and driving to help with disaster relief efforts with UMCOR. But above all those acts of service, the one thing my dad feels most passionate about is blood donation.

As soon as I turned 18 it was my turn in the chair. Not only does my dad feel strongly about blood donation, but platelet donation is his favorite.

He has given platelets 278 times.

The kicker is that dang advanced prostate cancer. When he was first diagnosed he was banned from giving for 5 years after he was cancer free. Now, the stupid cancer is back and he's unable to do one of his favorite things- give platelets.

So now, because he can't, I give platelets. Not as often as he did and not as often as I should, but when they call- I say yes. It's a laborious process (for me, at least) that takes 2+ hours, but it is well worth it to save lives- and to make my dad proud.