My final "first" of 2014

Today when I drove through Chick-fil-a to get lunch and my last peppermint chocolate chip milkshake, the person in front of me had paid for part of my meal. Seems like a a great way to end my year.

Day 365 My year of firsts

Lu Ann Cahn's book "I Dare Me" starting this year long journey of "firsts". I was so excited to have Taylor join me and as I look back at my year of "firsts" the ones we shared were the best. The blog, our whitewater rafting trip, the Escape game, decorating the tree for Fantasy of Trees and our 1st Annual Christmas cookie baking day to name a few. This year has been a struggle at times. Do you know how hard it is to find something new to do each day? Well take my word for it, it is hard. There were times when Taylor and I would copy each other because we couldn't think of anything. It is easy when you are on vacation and there are times when "firsts" fell in your lap but most days you really had to work at it.

I read some new authors, watched some new television shows, saw some plays and they were all fun but the best things I did this year were the ones I did for other people. Buying someone's order at the drive thru, purchasing a present for someone off the baby registry at Toys R Us and doing some volunteer work. It always makes you feel good to do something for someone else. I have to mention the quilt I made (and the two I helped make) for the Medal of Honor recipients. This turned out to be so much more than I thought when I signed up. It was such an honor to do it and they were so appreciative. I shared the experience with my Mother and that shared experience made it so special. This is a memory I will always treasure. 

Looking back at our blog, I have smiled, laughed and cried a little. It has been a fantastic year, but sad things have happened. I lost a friend and that broke my heart. I have had success and failure but I never gave up. Some of my first are silly and some made me very uncomfortable. But I learned new things and I became more confident in myself. Doing a first everyday makes you step outside your comfort zone....A LOT. I know that going into 2015, I will continue to try new things. I like adventure. I like, how at 55, I am willing to continue to learn more about the world and myself. I will continue to use "firsts" as a way to be a better person and not allow fear to rule my life. I will continue to journal. It helps me remember as I get older and my memories don't come as easily.

One thing I noticed about 2014, I was sick a lot. So that makes me more determined and excited to start our adventure for 2015. This new year is going to be about being healthy. I will let Taylor explain, but I am definitely going to be healthier and back in the gym in 2015. 

I hope everyone who reads this blog tries to have a "first" at least every month. You won't regret it.

Day 364 New craft - knooking

My next to last first was knooking. That it is knitting with a crochet hook. Not sure it will become a permanent addition to my bag of tricks but it is an interesting concept.

Day 363 Doing something you said you should do

You know how after eating dinner out, the waitress asked "Do you want dessert?" You want to try one of the desserts because they look delicious but you are always too full. So you say, "We should come here sometimes and just eat dessert." Well tonight I did it.

Day 362 The Red Tent

Lifetime Television made a two part series based on the novel "The Red Tent" by Anita Diamant. I read the book and LOVED it. My friends said the Lifetime series was excellent but I hadn't watched it. I wasn't sure I would like it. It is so scary when they make a movie out of a book you like. My friends were right. It was beautifully done. Such a powerful message of strong women.

Day 361 Drove home from Charleston

Today we drove home from Charleston. I drove the entire way in my new car. Not an exciting first but between getting off the ship, finding our luggage, getting to my car and then driving home I was too exhausted for anything else.

Day 360 Afternoon Tea

One of the activities the ship offered was afternoon tea. I had never tried it so we decided to try it. It was so relaxing. I had green tea - one cup with regular sugar and one with brown sugar. The brown sugar was delicious.

Day 359 Sun bathing

Christmas Day in the Bahamas. The ship was docked in Nassau and we were stuck on Board. It was the only sunny day we had so I spent a couple of hours sitting in the sun. I have never done that, but I liked it. I didn't stay any longer because I felt bad leaving Marian in the room alone on Christmas Day. A great way to spend the holiday though.

Day 358 Sunny from Serbia

Today was Christmas Eve. The ship was docked in Freeport. We made the decision not to go ashore. We went up to play trivia and we were the only people there. The young lady who was leading the game was named Sunny. She is from Serbia. We spent a lot of time talking to her. She wants to be an actress and signed up to work on the ship to get a Visa. She is delightful. We had a great time with her. She knew we had already won the ship on a stick so she brought us medals to win. Around three o'clock we headed back to our room. Marian had an upset stomach and we forgot to bring any medicine so she decided to ask the doctor for something. They quarrientined her for 24 hours. She couldn't leave our room and could only eat boiled rice, toast and water. They would not even allow her to order room service for me. It was crazy. I felt so bad for her. It was a horrible way to spend Christmas Eve and most of Christmas Day.

Day 357 Trivia Win

One of our favorite things while sailing is playing trivia. The ship sponsors activities all day and we love the trivia games. Last time we sailed it took all week to win. Today we won on the first day. I actually beat Marian. That seldom happens.

Day 356 Hot Stone massage and Fire and Ice pedicure

Today we boarded our Ship - the Fantasy, Carnival Cruise Line. It was a painless boarding. Charleston harbor is small and Carnival is the only cruise line there. The first thing we did after boarding and dropping our carry on luggage in our room, we headed up to the spa. The spa always offers deals each day. Today's special was for a hot stone massage. I had never had one so we booked one. I also needed a new pedicure since my nail polish had chipped. The pedicure they signed us up for was called a fire and ice pedicure. It used the hot stones also. The massage was wonderful as was the pedicure.

Day 355 Theatre and Prison

Today brought a few firsts. We wondered around downtown Charleston, visiting the market and some of the stores. We found a Tervis store and bought one to use on the ship. They had tops that used straws which I really like. My sister had made a reservation for us at a mystery theater. It was a small place. The show was delightful. They had the audience participate. It was less mystery and more humorous. Another part of the show was guessing the names of the detectives whose pictures were on the wall. My sister got all of them, of course. Then we went to do the tour of the old prison. We had wanted to do the tour last time we were in Charleston but we didn't have time. The tour was supposed to be scary. It was only because you were in this old building standing in total darkness. The tour guide kept turning off the flashlight. What was really cool about the place is that it is a college now. Back when Hurricane Hugo devastated Charleston, the town discovered there were very few people trained in repairing historic buildings. The town started the school to train people to fix and maintain these buildings. Isn't that awesome? The tours help support the school and they use the prison as on site training.

Day 354 King Street Grill

Today we drove to Charleston, South Carolina for the beginning of our holiday vacation. I always wanted to use the week the University is closed to take a trip but I always chickened out. You know you are supposed to stay home or visit family for Christmas, right? But having the week off every year it was so tempting to use that free week to travel. Last year I came close but chickened out. My year of first convinced me to do it. So my sister and I booked a five day cruise to the Bahamas. We decided to spend two nights in Charleston first since we were sailing from there. Tonight we arrived in Charleston and needed a place to eat. We decided to try this Grill. It turned out to be a sports bar. The food was good though.

Day 353 Thunderclap

I had never heard of Thunderclap until today. I got an email from the LGBT group I am a part of. They were encouraging everyone to go and support a petition to Urge Tennessee businesses to join Equality Means Business Free so Tennessee jobs and markets are open to LGBT people. What a great cause!

Day 352 Christmas Carol

Tonight I went to see A Christmas Carol. It was a new interpretation. For the first time, I hated it. There was very little staging. The ghost of Christmas future was weak. I actually feel asleep 4 different times.

Day 351 new dessert

Today at work we had a potluck for lunch. Lots of delicious food. Someone made a dessert. I am not sure exactly what it was. They were white chocolate balls with brownie inside. Wow they were so good.

Day 350 HR Class

Today I went to a class about HR procedures. I am not the person in my office who does HR but they could not go so I was in the class as a substitute. I was pretty confused most of the class but I got the information for the office. I hope I never have to do that again. Lol

Day 349 Elevate app

I read in the USA today that Elevate was the number one app so I downloaded it to see what all the fuss was about. The free app allows you to take three "test" a day to train your brain. The object is to keep your brain sharp which is important as we age. It is a great app. If you pay, you can play more games but it cost more than I am willing to pay so I will keep doing the three free games a day.  I struggle with the remembering name game and the math games but hopefully playing them will help me in those areas.

Day 348 Microwave bowl holders

My Mother gave me a fabric bowl that you use when you microwave a bowl of something. It keeps you from having to hold a hot bowl. It also works for holding a pint of ice cream. My sister, Marian found a pattern for it. I decided to give two each to my coworkers.  They turned out well. I had to watch a YouTube video to understand the pattern but I did it.

Day 347 1st Annual Christmas cookie bake

Taylor called me last month and told me she thought it would be fun to have an annual cookie baking day. I was all for the idea. I love hanging with her and I love to bake. We came up with some cookies we wanted to make. I put all the recipes in a book that we can update each year. We started early Saturday morning and cooked all day. It was fun and I can't wait until next year.

Day 346 Party mix in a crock pot

I saw a recipe for making chex party mix in a crock pot. My daughter, Taylor was coming up tonight for the weekend and it is a favorite of hers. So I decided to try the crock pot recipe. It turned out great. And it was super easy. You still have to stir every hour but it is easier to stir in the pot. Next time I am going to add bagel chips though.

(Taylor here - this was delicious!!) 

Day 345 Apple Pie

The apple is my favorite fruit. But I hate them cooked unless it is applesauce. Tonight was my Christmas party at work. I decided to try a bite of apple pie. I thought maybe my taste buds had matured. Well I was wrong. I still hate cooked apples. My one bite of apple pie was my last. I will stick with my raw Apple.

Day 344 Velvetta cheese sandwich

Growing up my favorite meal was a Velvetta cheese sandwich. I could eat it for every meal. Today I needed some Velvetta cheese for a dip I was making so I made myself a sandwich. I have not had one in years. It was so wonderful. I did use wheat bread but it sure was yummy.

Day 343 Coupon book

You know how you go to a restaurant and they ask if you want to buy a coupon book to support their charity of choice? Well I was in Arby's today for lunch and they wanted me to buy one and for once I said yes. I never would have done that but I needed a first. I will do it more now. It is an easy was to give.

Day 342 C J Box

Today I finished a book by a new author, C J Box. My Mother recommended him. He writes about a warden in Wyoming. It was a good first book. I will definitely read more.

Day 341 Brunch and a movie

Today I had brunch for the first time at Take Five. I had beignets and they were delicious. They had a caramel apple flavor. Yummy. Then we went to see the latest Hunger Games movie. It was good but I felt it was just a filler.

Day 340 Craft show

Today I went to a craft show. I heard about it this summer and was looking forward to it. I liked some of it but it was smaller than I thought it would be. That was disappointing. I really liked that you picked up what you wanted at a booth and pay for it at the door.

Day 339 Glitter toes

Today I got my pedicure. I decided since it would be the one I had for the holidays to go with a red with glitter in it. Now I am not a glitter person but you need to go big for the holidays. I tried to take a picture but the glitter doesn't really show.

Day 338 Retiring

No I'm not retiring. I wish but that is at least 7 years away. For the first time though someone who works for me is retiring. Lucky her.

Day 337 NPR book list

Did you know that NPR has a list of the best books of the year? I didn't. I found it today while playing around on the internet. I wrote down the name of a few books to try next year. I like to try new authors and I keep a list of ones to try. I was excited to find this new avenue of discovery. So my first today was discovering a new list of good books. I also learned what Yik Yak was. Then I discovered a thing called knook. It is knitting using a crochet hook. I have ordered a "learn to knook" kit. Today was all about discovering new things.

Day 336 Giving Tuesday

I did not know there was a Giving Tuesday but apparently it has been around for a couple of years. It was developed in response to Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. So today I made two donations. One was for the guy who delivers our mail at work and the other was at my quilt guild meeting. The one for the guild will go toward three different charities. It always feels good to give.

Day 335 Walmart receipt

A friend at work asked me if I had used the Walmart program where you got a gift card if a product you bought was cheaper at another store. I said no since I try not to shop at Walmart. But this weekend we shopped at Walmart so I entered our receipts on their website. It takes a couple of days before they let you know if you get any money. I didn't spend much so I don't expect to get any money back but it is an easy way to make a little money. We shall see.

Day 334 Mexican Train dominos game app

Today was a busy day. Lots of catching up on chores. So I downloaded a new app for playing Mexican Train dominos. It is fun to play and maybe I can hone my skills.

Day 333 Mexican Train Dominos

After spending the day shopping with my sisters and mom, we headed back to the house. Mom taught us Mexican Train dominos. It is the game all the senior citizens love. It was a fun game. We had a blast playing it.

Day 332 Celebration of Lights

Tonight the city of Knoxville had their Celebration of Lights. It is when they light their Christmas tree and turn on all the lights downtown. My Mother, sister and I went. We went down a little too late and had to watch the fireworks from the car but the lights were beautiful. It was extremely crowded and the lines to get the free hot chocolate and to toast marshmallows were extremely long. We had fun though.

Day 331 Pumpkin Cake

Today is Thanksgiving. I only had part of my family here. My sweet daughter could not be here but my son and his family came. The dessert my daughter-in-law, Keri brought was a pumpkin cake. It was the first time she had made it and it was delicious! I had never tried pumpkin cake but I am a big fan of the one she made.

We also went to see our tree at The Fantasy of Trees.

This picture is my niece, Jen and her daughter, Reagan.

It is a great picture of the tree.

Day 330 Altered a crochet pattern

I was crocheting a sweater for a young woman I think of as my other daughter. I did not like the way the ribbing was done. I tried it the way the pattern was written but I did not like the way it looked so I made my own ribbing. It turned out so cute.

Day 329 Sitting next to the Chancellor

Today at my Exempt Council meeting, our guest speaker was the Chancellor of the University. I was sitting there before the meeting started talking to a friend when someone sat down beside me. I turned around to say hello and it was our guest speaker- The Chancellor. Quite a shock for me. We exchanged a few words of greeting and then the meeting started. I have never been that close to him. He was interesting.

Day 328 Friend sick

Today I found out a dear friend's husband is very sick. This is the first time I have had a friend's spouse this ill. It is scary.

Day 327 Free tickets

Today was day one of handing out free tickets to the Fantasy Tree. We got 21 free and I am enjoying sharing them with friends and family. Some of them have never been so I am giving them a first.

Day 326 Fantasy of Tree decorating

The day arrived. It was time to put all of our hard work on our tree. Taylor joined my sister Marian and me and we set off to decorate our tree. I dropped them off with all our stuff and went to park the car. The place was well organized but the trees were close together. I felt bad for the lady next to us. She was all alone. It took us three hours. I cannot imagine how long it took that poor woman. I think our tree turned out pretty. We had a couple of people comment on our homemade ornaments. Here are pictures.

Day 325 Grocery shopping

Today is the Friday before thanksgiving. I needed to do my grocery shopping. I was going after work and dreading it. Then I thought why not go at lunch. So I did. It went really fast. I stopped by the house and threw the cold stuff in the frig and back to work. It would have taken forever if I had done it after work. Thanksgiving shopping during lunch is the way to go.

Day 324 Opening mail

Today I opened mail at work. Doesn't sound like a big deal but since we handle all the invoices for the entire athletic department, it is a big deal. We have a challenging time coming up next month. One of our employees is going on family medical leave for twelve weeks. That means someone has to pick up her jobs. We have switched things around and I volunteered myself to open mail and code the invoices so they can be entered into our financial system for payment. Both are new chores for me and they will be challenging.

Day 323 Changing directions

Tonight at my fiber art meeting we were playing with colored pencils on fabric. I really did not like where my piece was going. It looked terrible. So I flipped my piece over and started again in a totally different direction. That direction was so much better. I have discovered I prefer abstract over realism.

Day 322 Driving in the snow

Today my first was driving my sweet Cheyenne (yes I named my car, another first) in the snow. Granted there wasn't much snow but it was her first time in it. I love my car. Have I told you that? This is the first time I have loved a car. She is so much fun to drive.

Day 321 Grilled cheese and soup

Today was supposed to be my monthly office lunch. We started out with 9 people at 10 and by 11:15 we had dropped to four. We changed restaurants but the four of us still went. We hit one of my favorite places, Jason's Deli. It was the one my son helped open. I always get turkey on a croissant. Today I noticed a new item on the menu (at least I had never noticed it) grilled cheese and tomato soup. I swapped out chicken noodle for the tomato. It was delicious. It really pays to try something new.

Day 320 Sew a dress

Today I sewed a dress for the angel topper that will sit atop my Fantasy of Trees tree. I made the dress up. No pattern. It was not perfect, but it will work.

Day 317 Day of problems

Today was all about putting out fires. Each fire presented a new first because I had to decide how to handle each problem. Many of them required me to learn something new. Learning something new always makes your mind sharper. I hope I never stop learning and never stop wanting to learn.

Day 319 Curved piecing

Today was day two of my quilt class. We learned curved piecing today. I learned a lot and was pleased with how much I got done.

Day 318 Quilt class

I took a quilt class today. I won't tell you the teacher's name because I am not going to be kind. I love her patterns and she is an extremely talented designer. But......I have never heard a person talk about how many famous people they knows more. I promise she mentioned over fifteen people. She knows: The Beatles, Arlo Guthrie, Colby Bryant, Steve Wozniak, a sheik, Walt Disney, Richard Branson, Johnny Depp, Michael York and the list goes on and on and on. She attended cooking school, writes romance novels on top of having an IQ two points shy of Einstein. I promise the woman did not shut up all day. I have loaded my IPad with lots of music so I can put ear phones on tomorrow and shut her out. What a day.

Day 316 Lots of first

Today I had three first. First early in the morning the CFO of my work called and ask me to come up for a meeting. Second I was invited by the same CFO to a celebration of our yearly audit. That was interesting. It was me and six men. They were all about pro football. I don't follow pro football. I left after having one beer, which was another first. I had an unknown beer. It was good. Lol.  My last first was seeing the play "4000 Miles". I had clue what this play was about so I almost didn't go. Glad I did. It was really good.

Day 315 Carolina Ale House

Tonight I tried the Carolina Ale House restaurant. I had dinner with my niece and nephew and their sweet baby Reagan. It was my first time meeting her in person. She is every bit as cute in person as she is in person. We had a great time. It is so fun spending time with them. Such a wonderful young family.

Day 314 Tree topper

I am in panic mode here trying to get everything made for the Fantasy of Trees tree. Tonight I started working on the topper. It is going to be a rag doll angel. Tonight I put her face on. I found a package of iron on faces at Joann's. It took two faces before one stuck, but she has one now.

Day 313 dinner with friend

Tonight a friend, who I had not seen in a while, asked if we could get together and talk. Since I am still trying to not eat out, I packed a sandwich and some hummus and went over to her house to visit. It was fun to catch up and I enjoyed my little picnic.

Day 312 No eating out

I have gone a full week without eating out. I decided I was going to try to eat at home more. It is better for me and cheaper. It has been challenging but I am proud that I have gone all this time without eating out.

Day 311 Refuse medicine

Last week when I went to the doctor, she prescribed a medicine for me. The pharmacy did not immediately have the medicine but it arrived today. When I went by to get my monthly medicine for my thyroid, I refused to pick it up. I had looked up the medicine online and I thought it was a waste of money.

Day 310 New job responsibility

My boss surprised me today with a new job responsibility. Without my knowledge he had gotten me approved to sign travel documents. I had no idea he was working on that. It was a nice surprise.

Day 309 PA

I went to see a physician assistant today. First for me. I really liked her and she was as every bit as knowledgeable as my doctor.

I am going to go ahead and publish these. Taylor has reached a point in her life where she needed to take a break from the firsts. It is hard to do a first each day but it is harder on young people I think. There lives are harder due to work stresses and life. As you get older life becomes simpler in many ways. You settle into life.

Day 308 Health scare and Election Day

I had a little health scare today. It is probably nothing according to the doctor but she is running a few test to make sure.

I've (Taylor) voted before but I don't believe I've ever voted on Election Day. And I stupidly waited until an hour before the polls closed. I stood in line for 45 minutes! But I voted :)

Day 307 Talk up a book and taking a stand

I love to read. I enjoyed it growing up but I feel in love when I read "Gone with the Wind". I have read a lot since then. I mean a lot. There was a time at work when my job was not super busy and I would read at work. I could finish a book a day. Today when I went into the library to return two books and pick up one. I told the librarian that I highly recommended "Leaving Time" by Jodi Picoult. I don't know what possessed me to do it. She had not read it. I hope she does. It is amazing.

Last night was the start of me taking a stand for myself in a situation I've not beena fan of for a bit. It ended tonight with still being stuck doing something I don't enjoy but having a new outlook on it. So sometimes being nicely told to suck it up and deal is the best thing for you. 

Day 306 House of Cards and gun range

Today I started watching the Netflix show "House of Cards". I have always been fascinated by political shows. "West Wing" was one of my favorite shows. This one stars Kevin Spacey. His character is a real bastard. Makes you wonder if Washington is really like that?

Today josh wanted to go to a new gun range he had heard about that is located in Woodbury. The adventure started off with a much longer than anticipated trip to Walmart and then driving the wrong way to Woodbury. The wrong way ended up leading us on a 1 hour trip through streets nobody would ever want to go down. I told josh that if I didn't know him I would have thought he was taking me somewhere to kill me and hide my body. (Yes morbid thoughts. But you didn't see these roads!) anyway he had about 30 minutes of shooting before it turned too dark to see and we had to head home. 

Day 305 Quilt in book and mentoring

Today was very special. There was a reception for all the quilters who made quilts for the Medal of Honor recipients. I went so I could thank Kit, the woman who organized the whole thing. I was surprised when she gave us gifts. We got pictures of the quilts we made plus a book. The book was specially made for us. It has pictures of a the quilts and who they went to. It is spectacular. I am so honored to be in there three times. Here are pictures of the three quilts I worked on.

Today I officially became a mentor to our new drive thru director. I passed my title on and now I'm just here to help coach him on what to look for and how to evaluate the data. I'm pretty excited about this phase :) I've never really me toured anyone in my work setting based on my experience. 

Day 304 Forgotten first and jacket

I know I had a first today but I waited too long to blog about it and now I have forgotten what it was. That is a first. I always remember. If it comes to me, I will change this. But for now my first is that I forgot my first.

Have you noticed a trend where all of my posts tend to deal with work? I think I've asked that before, but that's where my life revolves around. At least that's true the last 2 months. 

Today is not a very exciting first but we got new jackets in for our outside drive thru team. I fell in love so I decided to order my own and I even got my name out on it :) 

Day 303 Budget and 5 year anniversary

Today I made a budget. I went and found out exactly how much I owed on my credit cards and my APR. My plan is to have everything paid off in 5-7 years so I can retire. It is good to have a plan.

Today was my 5 year anniversary with josh. It's hard to believe it's been 5 years already! 

Day 302 Voting and Santa

Voting is a regular thing for me. I take my ability to vote very seriously. Taylor will tell you I preach voting to everyone. When the kids were young, I would take them with me. I feel it is our duty as citizens to vote. I always vote because of the people running. This time I voted because of the amendments. Tennessee is a red state and I am very much a blue state person so the people I vote for seldom win. I do vote republican, if I think the person will be a responsible representative and not just vote party lines. This election we are voting for governor and one senator. Both incumbents are running and I am sure they will win easily.  But there are four amendments on the ballot. Amendment one is especially important. If it passes, abortion clinic will become so regulated they will not be viable. Tennessee will basically outlaw a woman's right to control her own medical decisions. I went to vote today to vote no. I did not care about voting for anyone or anything else. I voted on everything but I went for the amendment. The advocates for voting against amendment one are urging their supporters to not vote for governor. There is a loophole in the constitution that says an amendment has to have a certain percentage of the votes cast for the governor to pass. I do think it would be funny if the amendment passed but their incumbent governor lost because they did not vote for him. Would be even better if the amendment and the governor were defeated. 

I would definitely say my momma has always made it known she's an advocate for your voting right. 

Today I booked a brand new Santa for our store. When I started with CFA they'd been using the same Santa for a number of years. That guy retired at the end of last season so I was on a mad hunt for a new one. Well today, I officially booked a new Santa :)

Day 301 No mirror and Halloween costume

I was home sick today so going all day without looking in a mirror was easy. I did run out to get food and I am sure I looked a mess but who cares. I needed food and decided going without checking to see what I looked like was okay. Too often people put too much emphasis on looks and not on what a person is like on the inside.

So I'm 27. I couldn't tell you the last time I dressed up for Halloween. We had a trunk or treat fall festival at work tonight so it was the perfect excuse. Normally I don't dress up for my work events. Mo usually like to try to keep it professional, but I figured why not? Let's have some fun! So I dressed up as Rosie the riveter. And apparently it was a great idea because 2 other girls dressed the same! But the absolute highlight of my night was getting to see the Merino's. I haven't seen them in so long. They're my usual Thursday night church date night. And since I've been missing church I've been missing them as well. It was so great to get to catch up with them and see Zac all dressed up! 

The three Rosie's 

And Spider-Man stole my heart ❤️☺️

Day 300 Pivotal Living and prayer

Pivotal Living was offering a $12 fitness band. The deal was highlighted on USA Today and the Today show. You pay them $12 a year, they send you a band and you get their app. I thought it was a great deal. I have a Fitbit that you attach to your clothes but I don't like it. I wanted to try a band but didn't feel I could spend another $100 on a fitness tracker. I will let you know how the band works if they actually send it.

I'm not usually one to ask for thoughts or prayers for myself. For my family and friends, definitely. Tonight my small group leader emailed me letting me know the group has missed me since I've not been able to attend in a while because I've been working so much. I emailed her back and asked for her and the group to pray for me. I've been dealing with a lot of stress and anxiety lately. Hopefully that will help! 

Day 299 American Graffiti and lunch at my grandparents

There are all these classic movies that I have not seen that were released during my lifetime. One of them is American Graffiti. For some reason I have never seen it. I decided to watch it this afternoon. I was not impressed. In fact, it was boring. The music was good though.

This afternoon we went over to my grandfathers for lunch. Dad had picked up bbq and we all are on the patio. As many years as they've lived in that house I've never eaten on the patio. 

Day 298 Ultimate grilled cheese and hanging with the ex

It's the Bama v. UT game! My Dad and brother came in to town and we all met, along with momma, at a bar called latitude 35 on market square. I had an ultimate grilled cheese with sweet potato waffle fries. The grilled cheese had cheese, applewood smoked bacon, and Grannie smith apples. It was really good!

Here is a picture of my brother, my dad and myself on the field before the football game. It was nice having a family filled weekend :) Mom and I had a good time together at the game too even though UT lost. 

I also want to wish a very happy 3rd birthday to my nephew Bryson!! I miss you! 

It was so nice having both of my kids home. I got to take advantage of them coming to see their Dad. It was fun hanging out before the game. I cannot remember the last time the four of us did something together. We had a great time.

Day 297 Sick and Willies

  Today I was feeling pretty bad. I went to work but when it was time to return from lunch I just couldn't do it. I called my boss and went home. I have never done that - call from lunch and say I cannot come back to work. I am glad I did. I took a nap and that made me feel better.

Today after work I headed home for the weekend. When I got home, mom Aunt Mary and I went to dinner in Seymour to a place called willies. I had the tortellini. It was rather tasty. A nice change to what I usually have in the boro. 

Day 296 Homeless and new schedule form

The University offers free classes for employees. A new thing they have started are lunchtime talks. I signed up for one about homelessness. I am always uncomfortable when I meet a homeless person. I don't know whether I should give them money or just walk away. One of our university police officers gave the talk. It was very informative. First - don't give them money. It encourages panhandling. Second - Knoxville has excellent services for the homeless. So good in fact that other cities buy their homeless bus tickets to Knoxville. He suggested we buy them food or just direct them to our shelters. I am so glad I went and learned more about the homeless.

Another scheduling post... Indeed. It is my life lately. Well I was taught a new way to do the schedule that will hopefully make the process even faster. That's about all I'll say about it. 

Day 295 Naples and perfected apple chai

There is a restaurant here in Knoxville called Naples. It has been here since before I moved here in 1981. It is an Italian place which is one of my favorite types of food. I had never eaten there until today. Today we had our monthly lunch there. It was delicious.

I promise this is my last apple chai post. My original at home version of the delicious Starbucks drink was not that great. Not as sweet and "fall" tasting. Last night I had josh pick up some apple juice. I was afraid to put apple juice in my kuerig instead of water but I gave it a try. Sure enough, that's what I was missing!! I'm so excited to finally have figured out how to make this yummy drink at home! 

Day 294 Bella Andre and Vimeo video

Today I started reading a book by Bella Andre. I had never heard of her but she was highly rated on Amazon. The book is the first in a series about the Sullivan family.

So there's this website that houses a bunch of videos. To me it sounds similar to YouTube. We're using it for work where all of the directors upload the video of themselves describing a certain list of things. Well tonight I made my first Vimeo video! Unfortunately there is a limit to the storage space so my video didn't get to be loaded :(

Day 293 New pedicure place and New Meal at Smashburger

Yes, once again I have tried a new pedicure place. This one was recommended by a friend. I was nervous about it though. It was an Asian place which I have always avoided. But I really liked this place. They give you a packet with your tools. If you bring it back, you get $3.00 off next time.  I think I have found my new pedicure place! It has been a real journey this year.

After working late (shocker 😉) I decided to pick up some dinner for josh and I. He had the day off again but neither of us were in the mood to cook. So I headed to smash burger to get some dinner. I always get a regular burger with cheese, ketchup, and grilled onions. This time I decided to give their grilled chicken a try. It was actually pretty yummy buy the chicken was the size of my head! 

Day 292 Gigi cupcake and sleep

I got home from visiting Taylor to find Gigi's cupcakes at my house. A friend who said at my house while I was gone left them here as a thank you. I am not a big fan of cupcakes from stores usually but this one yummy. 

Who doesn't love sleep? I know I do but I don't get nearly enough of it with working so much lately. Josh was off today and literally all we did all day today was sleep. We had some football games on the tv but we literally just slept all day. The only other times I've ever done that was if I was sick. I did this simply because I was so exhausted. 

Day 291 Big Smo

Most people don't know who Big Smo is. If you're like mom you'll ask "what's a big smo?" Big Smo is a country rapper from Shelbyville. We were in bell buckle today for the craft fair and we stopped to each some lunch right outside of Big Smo's new restaurant there. Apparently today was the grand opening. So of course Big Smo had to come! Everyone was so excited to see him. I did get a glimpse but I didn't get a picture of him but I did of his store.

I will share this first. I had no idea who Big Smo was but we were outside the store when he was there. The crowd was quite excited.

Day 290 Fall Fest and elephants

I've (Taylor) been to many school fall festivals since working at Chick-fil-A. Many of those were outside in the cold. Thankfully this one was all inside throughout the entire school. I've never seen a fall fest like this. It was so well organized with face painting, cake walks, and much much more. It made me wish my school had a fall fest. Maybe they did and I just didn't remember them.  

The circus was being held at my work today. They had three elephants and they were right outside my window. I got to see them unloaded from the semi, fed and then washed. It was fascinating. I watched them all day. Fortunately it was a slow day at work. 

Day 289 Lunchtime movie and homemade apple chai tea

I was without a car today so I had to eat at the restaurant down the hall. I decided to get some privacy while I ate so I took my earphones and watched a movie while I ate. It was like being in my own world. Very relaxing.

So I've become obsessed with the apple chai tea from Starbucks. I had hoped I had figured out how to make it at home. My attempt was an awful fail :( I used a chai tea and apple cider K cup but it wasn't nearly as sweet as I wanted. My next idea is to use apple juice instead of water. 

Day 288 The Miracle Worker and cookie party

Tonight I went to see the play "The Miracle Worker". I have seen the movie but this was my first time to see the play. The actors did a great job. I enjoyed the performance very much.

Today I got to take cookies to an elementary school for a cookie party. The class that I took the cookies to for the party had won the cookie party by having the most attendance at one of our spirit nights at the store. They were all so excited. I can't explain just how much I love my job when I get to see smile on the face of a kid. 

Day 287 Not Watsons and Dustin Lynch

Today my Mom was stopping in Knoxville after visiting the Bush Beans factory with her senior citizen group. My sisters and I met them on Market Square for lunch. We all decided to try the newest restaurant called Not Watsons. The name comes from the store that once inhabited that spot. The food was delicious. The service was a little slow but I think they were surprised by the crowd size. I want to go back for dessert. They have a cupcake with candied bacon on top. Interesting.

If you're a country music fan you probably know who Dustin Lynch is. He's a local (well as local as an hour away can get to mboro) boy so it really shouldn't have surprised me. But Dustin showed up in our store this morning. A coworker of mine is a huge country fan and she even got her picture made with him. He seemed a little awkward about the entire thing so I didn't push getting a picture made with him. Plus I looked like poop since I only had a meeting at work this morning. But here is rach with Dustin. 

Day 286 Milkshake for dinner and rain jacket

I don't have milkshakes very often. I don't know why. I love ice cream. Today I had a horrible day at work. Coming home nothing sounded good for dinner. I knew I was going to have some comfort food. Ice cream came to mind. So off to Chick-fil-a for a chocolate milkshake. I don't think I have ever had one from there. It was delicious.

I suggested to mom after hearing about her first that she mixup the flavors! Most people don't know you can. But try a chocolate cookies and cream shake, or a chocolate and strawberry together (for a chocolate covered strawberry milkshake - yummy!!). My first for the day isn't very exciting for some but I bought my first official rain jacket. It's rained here for what feels like years (maybe just a week or so) but I have nothing cute to keep warm and dry. So off I went to tjmaxx for some retail therapy (my week last week was awful!) I found the cutest Jessica simpson rain jacket. It's essentially 2 jackets in one which makes it even more amazing! Now I'm hoping for rain so I can wear my cute jacket lol. 

Day 285 Forever and Titans suite

Today it poured all day. Wasn't a fit day to be outside so I stayed in and read and caught up on some TV. I watched a new show called Forever. Interesting concept. The main character is centuries old. He cannot die. Currently he is working as a medical examiner. Quite intriguing.

Today we went to the Titans game. We have really good seats but a guy josh deployed with was at the game and said he could get us in a box seat. So at half time we moved up to a suite. I'll say this, they're fancy but I almost fell asleep it was so boring. People were more concerned with chatting than watching the game. At least in our seats you're in the middle of it all. I definitely prefer our seats. But the suite would be nice if it rained lol 

Day 284 Closing the store and new purse

Today I was supposed to go on a date with josh. There was a free outdoor Dave Barnes concert in Nashville that I've wanted to go to since I found out about it. It turned out josh was off so we decided to go. He has been working 3rd shift this week so he laid down for a nap around 11 and told me to wake him up when I was ready to go. Well we were 4 people short at work tonight and I didn't feel like josh really wanted to go. So unfortunately I bailed on my date I was really looking forward to with my husband to go to work. This was the first time I've ever worked a shift on a Saturday and even more the first time I've ever closed the store. I'm still really upset that I canceled on my husband because when he woke up he said he was actually really looking forward to going and spending time with me. Have I mentioned it's been a very long and emotional week? Again when I got home I cried because I was upset with myself.  

I went to a quilt show with my friends today. I needed a new purse and thought I might go looking for one this weekend. This particular quilt show has a boutique which sells things made by their members. I found a purse. I did not think about getting one but all my friends were yelling at me to come look because it was perfect for me. It was.

Day 283 University Women's Club and Apple Chai Tea

The University where I work has a club for the salaried women and faculty. Since I am now salaried, I was invited to join. I was hesitant because I am so uncomftable around people I don't know but in the spirit of my year of firsts, I decided to join. Today was my first lunch meeting. The speaker was our new basketball coach's wife. It was a nice lunch and I made a point to talk to everyone at my table. This year has certainly pushed me to go outside my comfort zone on many occasions.

Today a coworker made a Starbucks trip and I ordered my usual fall drink - pumpkin spiced latte. Another coworker got an apple chai tea. I've never had chai tea but I was very intrigued when she said it tasted like apple cider. That was seriously the best drink I've ever had. That will be my new staple drink and the best part is that it's cheaper than drinks I normally get! 

Day 282 Mobile banking and running the store

Today I (Lynn) tried mobile banking. I belong to a credit union so it is not an app which sucks but it is really cool. I doubt I will use it much but at least I know it is there if I need it.

My life revolves around my job. Or at least this week it sure does seem to. It's been a really hard week and a really hard day. A day of non stop crying unless I was working up front in the store. It definitely didn't help that it poured all day long. But today while the majority of our shift leads were in a meeting, I was in charge of the entire store. I had to take care of when people clocked in, clocked out all whole bagging for drive thru and front counter and deliver food to our guests. To say I was more than ready to see that time end is an understatement. It showed me I could do it but I definitely don't want to do that much more. 

Day 281 Gym with sisters and doctor

Tonight I talked both of my sisters into joining me at the gym tonight. I hope this will become a regular thing.

Today I went for a yearly physical at the doctor and to see if I could be put on a different medicine that hopefully won't cause so many migraines. Well everything checked out perfect excluding the fact that for the first time the doctor told me I'm officially fat. And a lot of snag I've been dealing with (sleep problems, heart burn, acid reflux, etc) are all related to being far. Not what you really want to hear. 

Day 280 Gingerbread pop tart and La Bella Pizzaria

Gingerbread is one of my favorites. My sister, Marian was shopping over the weekend and discovered Pop tart now offered a gingerbread flavor. Knowing my love of all things gingerbread, she bought me a box. I had some for breakfast. They were pretty good.

Those sound delish! I, like my mother, love gingerbread. And I love poptarts so I'm pretty sure i would love those! 

Tonight I tried a new delivery place (that's what happens when you don't have a dinner date, you don't have time to wash dishes let alone cook and you're doing work). It was called La Bella Pizzeria. And it was pretty yummy. I had a ham and pineapple calzone. Definitely glad I found another delivery place :) 

Day 279 Download pattern and best friend is preggo!!

Today I found a quilt pattern that I wanted to purchase. Taylor's best friend is pregnant and I want to make her a quilt. I thought I was buying a pattern that would be mailed to me. Nope, it was a download. How cool to have your pattern immediately? I cannot wait to get started.

I've had to hold in the news that my best friend is pregnant since the beginning of August and I was finally able to announce it to everyone I know! Since meeting Jess she's always said she never wanted kids and the last year or so she's started to get the baby itch and she finally got pregnant! I can't wait to welcome this sweet baby boy and spoil him wrotten! 

Day 278 Mitered corner and Chef Wangs

Today I was working on a round robin quilt project. It belongs to my friend, Kathy. I added some appliqué but I wanted to add borders to two sides. These two sides needed to be mitered or it would have been ugly. This was only the second time I tried mitering borders and the other time was so long ago, I don't remember doing it. I think it turned out pretty good.

I'v lived in murfreesboro since August of 2005 (holy cow 9 years!!) and I've never once been to a very popular Chinese buffet called chef wangs. Tonight after a very exciting day (to be announced later) a bunch of us went to dinner there. I must say I'm not a fan of buffets. Let alone Chinese buffets. For some reason the thought of mass producing Chinese food makes me want to hurl. It was pretty good but I probably won't frequent it for that reason. If you like Chinese buffets you'll probably love it. 

Day 277 Alphas and New Brush

Today was a lazy Saturday so I took an easy first. I watched a couple of episodes of the Syfy show Alphas. I wanted to see it because one of my favorite characters, Sheldon Cooper,  has a melt down when he finds out they cancelled the show after one season.

So I've had the same hair brush since my early years of high school. I had seen a "wet" brush that is apparently safe to use on wet hair. And since I rarely dry my hair anymore (I just sleep with it wet and straighten it in the morning if I don't wear it curly) I wanted to try it so I could brush my hair while it was wet. I must say, it worked amazingly. And it was really awesome using while drying my hair today. I'm pretty pumped about it :) 

Day 276 Long Island ice tea and Live Auction

Today's first for me was trying a Long Island ice tea. I believe I tried one back in the 80s. I forgot how yummy they are. Sure was nice after a very stressful week.

Tonight we had a booth set up at an Alzheimer's fundraiser. One of the events they featured was a live auction. I've never seen one before and it was pretty awesome! 

Day 275 ABC Fashion Show and Pets for Vets

Tonight I (Taylor) got to take food and the cow to the YMCA After Breast Cancer fashion show. This event raises money for the program housed at our local Y. Women who have gone thru chemo, had their breasts removed and much more are able to be a part of ABC. The program offers a free wig bank, physical therapy and numerous other things. It truly touched my heart to be able to be a part of this event. 

I was sent an email from an author I read about a special offer on all ebook sites. It was 12 books by various author each one featuring a military aspect. All 12 books were $1.99 and all the proceeds went to Pets for Vets. This program helps provide pets to veterans. I may never read most of the books but it was a great cause.

Day 274 Recipe chain letter and New Website

I do NOT like chain emails. I always just delete them. Today I got a recipe chain email from a friend. You send one recipe to the first person on the list. Then copy the email, erase the name you sent one to, put you email on the list and send it to 20 people. You blind copy everyone so I decided to do it. I was lucky only three people declined my offer. I have only gotten five recipes but still I did it. Probably will never do it again.

Haha momma! I totally am not going to continue the chain bc I, like you, hate those things. 

Tonight I discovered and new website full of healthy treats. The site is called Protein Treats by Nicolette. I can't wait to try some of these!!! 

http://www.proteintreatsbynicolette.com

Day 273 Take 5 and Ebola

There is a new resturant downtown. It has a unique menu. They have 5 appetizers, 5 entrees, 5 white wines, 5 red wines, 5 cocktails, 5 craft beers and 5 domestic beers. It was expensive but the food was good and when they bring your check, they bring you a cookie. How  can you not love a place that gives you a cookie. The place is called Take 5

No, I (Taylor) do not have Ebola. If I did I probably wouldn't be typing this. For the first time, I genuinely don't understand why the US has deployed troops to Africa to fight a deadly/infectious disease. I've never really formed my own opinion about deployed military personnel (excluding when josh was gone but that was only for selfish reasons) until today. Yes, I'm going to get political. And if you know me at all you know I can't stand politics. But please, explain to me how it's a wise decision to send our military men and women into a country with such an awful disease for them to "fight" it. How do humans effectively fight this? I truly don't understand.  

Day 272 Ledgers and Kale

Part of my job responsibilities requires me to reconcile our income account ledgers. This process has always taken me two to three days. Today I did them all in one day. Go me!

I've bought kale many times to try kale chips with. Unfortunately I never got up the nerves to make them. Tonight we were out of lettuce for a salad for dinner so we are kale instead. I'm not sure I loved it. It make me want to gag a bit and it has a very strong flavor. I have a big bag to figure out what to do with it so it doesn't go to waste. 

Day 271 Xfinity App and shopping trip

As a subscriber to Comcast, it seems I have access to an app. This app allows me to watch TV shows on demand and download movies. So I got the app. I actually used it to watch the first episode of The Blacklist. Good way to keep up with shows I have to miss. All my shows occur on the same day at the same time.

Tonight I went shopping for some groceries. I bought some fresh herbs that I've never bought before. I bought cilantro, thyme, dill, and a few others. We'll see how they go in my recipes this week! 

Day 270 New Coffee and Townsend Fall festival

This morning after a meeting with my drive thru team at work I went to grab coffee with one of my coworkers/friends at a local coffee shop. I'm a huge fan of pumpkin spiced lattes. This shop had their own fall coffee that had pumpkin cinnamon and white chocolate. It was absolutely delicious! 

My friend, Carol asked if we would like to accompany her to the nearby city of Townsend's Fall festival. I had other plans for the day but changed them so I could hang with my friend. It was a great day. Lots of crafts, good food, wonderful music and time with a friend. The best part of the day was being with Carol and my sister, Marian but I also loved the music. They had several tents set up and musicians were jamming. Awesome!

Day 269 Real Water and new author

At my health coach meeting last weekend the coach made a comment about alkaline water. One name he mentioned was real water. When I was picking up a smoothly at smoothly king this morning I saw a bottle of the water. I I picked it up for later. It didn't taste much different but I will say this. It gave me a less full belly feeling. Like he mentioned and like I often feel, regular tap or bottled water can leave you filling like you have a fish bowl full of water in your belly. This water doesn't feel like that. It was a bit expensive though. 

I tried out a new writer today - Laurie Breton. The title of the book was "Welcome Home". It was a great book. I couldn't put it down. It told the story of a young woman and her journey through life. She is a songwriter along with her best friend. He is also a guitar player who is a member of her soon to be husband's band. I believe I will be reading more of her stories.

Day 268 Retirement seminar and post it note app

I attended a retirement seminar today. It was very informative. The best part - I learned I could retire today. It was very exciting.

Tonight I discovered the post it note app. If you know me you know I love 2 things. Office supplies and kitchenware. Bring post its to my phone? Heck yes! I can't wait to start using it! 

Day 267 Meeting and Starbucks app

I had a really important meeting at work today. (Lynn) I came up with a really valid idea and actually had the guts to say it out loud.

So I've had my Starbucks app for a while now, but today (after receiving 3 bonus stars) I finally reached the gold level. What comes with that?? Free drinks every 12 stars!!! Yes, I'm a dork because I'm so excited about it. 

Day 266 Warehouse 13 and training

I have discovered (Lynn) that I like SyFy Network shows. I guess I am a geek. My latest discovery is Warehouse 13. I like that you learn a bit of history while watching all that adventure. 

I did my first official training tonight at work. Every front counter team member working tonight I was in charge of training/retraining on lemonades (which I had never made before), tea, and all ice dream items. I was a bit nervous but very excited once I realized I had taught every single person there at least 1 new thing! 

Day 265 Wash car and bid day

Tonight I washed my new car for the first time. It had gotten some sap on it. We have this tree that is really sappy during the Fall. I am determined to keep my new car sap free.

Today I went to my first Kappa Delta bid day as an alum. I've been out as a collegiate member for 5 years (holy crap!). This is the chapters first bid day in their new chapter house as well. It was so cool seeing the new house and I must admit I'm totally jealous of it! 

Day 264 My Mom turns 80 and new phone

Today is my Mom's birthday. She turned 80. She called me a few weeks ago and said she was feeling down about turning 80 and all she wanted was a birthday card from all her children and grandchildren. I decided to take that idea and make it bigger. I had my sister steal her address book. We copied it and sent letters to everyone in it asking them to send her a birthday card. She ended up receiving 100 birthday cards. When she got the first few, she was mad at me, but after I reassured her I did not force anyone to send a card, that everyone wanted to do it, she got excited. I cannot believe my Mom is 80. You would not know it if you met her. She looks and acts much younger.

So everyone is hyped up about the new iPhone. Well I got a new iPhone but I only upgraded to the 5s. But I'll say, I'm still super pleased with it even tho I didn't get the brand new one! 

Day 263 New Foods

Today I (Lynn) was at a friends house showing them how to make Lemoyne stars. Everyone brought snacks to keep us fortified while we sewed. Someone brought pepper jelly which they pored over cream cheese. I had never heard of it, so I tried that with a cracker. It was a little sweet for me. I liked the hot kick at the end though. Then I tried salsa verde over cream cheese. That I liked much better. Nice and hot.

After buying my asparagus last night i got josh to grill it up tonight. It was bacon wrapped so definitely took out most of the nutritional value but I didn't hate it! They say you get new taste ifs every 10 days so maybe I can get mine to like asparagus. 

Day 262 Quilt show and new pick up at the store

I know you are asking yourself, how can a quilt show be a first for Me (Lynn). Easy, I went by myself. A local quilt was having their show this weekend. I had to go today because I am busy tomorrow. Marian would not go with me but I wanted to support these ladies. I talked myself out of it a dozen times but I made myself go. It was a nice show. Small but there were some beautiful quilts.

Tonight I (Taylor) went to the grocery store to pick up some stuff for dinner. I had been watching food network most of the day so I was very inspired. And with food I don't normally like. So I picked up some asparagus. I've never bought let alone eaten it so this could be interesting. 

Day 261 New food choice and really pissed customer

This whole project is about stepping outside the box and trying new things. Tonight we had dinner at our usual place - Shoneys. Taylor will confirm, I eat there often. It is close to the house so convenient. I always get the same thing - a burger or half pound dinner. Tonight I got something different - baked spaghetti. It was good. Doing something new each day does not have to involved some huge deal. Small changes are good too.

Today was my first real experience dealing with a highly upset customer. I'll spare you the details and confusing story.. But we'll just say I, along with 2 others, were called a liar. It got me a little heated but I eventually calmed down and realized it wasn't my fault she got so upset. 

Day 260 The Lost Highway and New Way to Hang Up Clothes

Tonight I went to see "The Lost Highway" a play about the life of Hank Williams. I have always loved his music and I drove by his house all the time when I grew up in Nashville. Plus he died after spending the night here in Knoxville. The performance was great. I did not realize he was only 29 when he died. How tragic. Funny thing happened. There was a much older woman sitting behind us. She spent the entire night talking to Hank. And she did not use her indoor voice. The funniest was when she told him how hot he was.

Tonight I (Taylor) found a video on a new and quick way to hang up shirts, tanks, and dresses! Brilliant I tell ya! Check it out:

http://askannamoseley.com/2013/09/how-to-hang-clothes-like-a-genius/

Day 259 Below Deck and Nielsen survey

Tonight while home I (Taylor) decided to watch a new show I've never seen. Below Deck.. It's awful. Seriously stupid and I feel like I wasted an hour of my life I'll never get back. Please, don't ever watch it. 

Today I took the Nielsen survey. Hopefully I will be picked to be picked to be asked what I watched. This was the first step. 

Day 258 New quilting joint project and new music

Wednesday is my next meeting of my Fiber Art Chicks. We have begun a new project. We each made a twelve inch block. At least we were supposed to. Anyway since our last meeting we were to take the block we had and add something to make it measure 15-20 inches. I had my friends Christine's. I added four butterflies and a couple of borders.

Today during lunch at work I was educated on tons of music and artists I've never heard of from a coworker. He would randomly burst out in song between customers. I'll be honest, I couldn't even begin to tell you what the artists names were because they were so bizarre but it was a fun lunch shift! 

Day 257 Cards Against Humanity and Long Island Medium

Tonight we went to have a pot luck at Mandy and Andy's house. After dinner and dessert we played Cards Against Humanity which is a crude, grown up version of apples to apples. We definitely had a lot of laughs. I would definitely recommend it for adults who like apples to apples 

It was a recovery day for me after a hard week of working the quilt show. I needed an easy first so I watched a few episodes of Long Island Medium. I want to believe there are people who can talk to those who have passed but I have a hard time believing things I have not experienced myself. 

Day 256 Loading out the show and Xfinity app

Today we helped take down Wendy's booth. The way it works at the show, you are not allowed to get in line to load your vehicle until your booth is completely packed. We hurried and packed up the booth and then called over the AQS rep who gave Wendy her place in line. She went out to the truck and waited for her turn to pull up to the loading dock. We waited inside with the stuff. We were lucky, we only had to wait 30 minutes. Wendy has waited as long as four hours before.

Tonight while at the MTSU football game I downloaded the xfinity to go app to try to record the UT vs Oklahoma game for josh. It unfortunately was an epic fail and got deleted before the night was over. 

Day 255 Room Service and store opening

Today was day three of working the quilt show. We were pretty tired so opted for room service for dinner. First time I have gotten room service in many years. It is a nice treat.

I've never experienced what it's like to open the restaurant in the morning. I didn't know what went on and how it all worked. This morning I got to experience that since I had an early morning delivery. 

Day 254 Fabric Opinion and fitness challenge

Today while working the booth at the quilt show, a woman came in asking for an opinion. She was looking for some fabric. A purple and violet. She asked me which ones I would consider match those colors. I picked two pieces of fabric and she bought them. Nice to be trusted.

Today I signed up for a fitness challenge at work that will last 2 months.We'll get to sit down with a fitness/life coach and then we'll get reevaluated again in 2 months.  

Day 253 Sticky Fingers and grand openings

Today was the first day of working the Chattanooga Quilt show. It was fun working the booth and helping Wendy out. I saw lots of friends from Knoxville and met lots of new people. After we finished working we met a friend, Karen, Wendy and two of Karen's friends for dinner at a place called Sticky Fingers. It is a BBQ place in downtown Chattanooga. The food was okay but the company was fantastic. We laughed and had the best time.

After an application process and background check, I got my confirmation email that I can now officially apply for grand openin teams! 

Day 252 AQS set up and Yes, schedule again

Today I (Lynn) arrived in Chattanooga for the AQS Quilt show. This is its first year here and I am helping my friend Wendy with her booth, Stipples. She hand dyes fabrics. This afternoon we helped her set up the booth. We got most of it done and we will finish tomorrow morning before the show opens. Should be a fun week.

Well, my first day alone on the schedule was this afternoon. As I told a couple of people, it's like the biggest and most difficult puzzle I've ever had to put together. I spent about 1.5 hours and only got through the front of house for lunch. This is going to be interesting and very challenging. 

Day 251 LGBT meeting and Truett Cathy

I (Lynn) had my first LGBT meeting today. I must confess I felt out of my element. Most of the people there knew each other and I knew no one. I am glad I agreed to be the Exempt Council rep. I know I will learn a lot.

We got word this morning that the founder of Chick-fil-A passed at the age of 93. I unfortunately never had the chance to meet Mr. Cathy but his hard work and dedication has built a business that truly cares about the employees and the community surrounding each store. I honestly wouldn't be the person I am without Chick-fil-A and that's all thanks to Mr. Cathy and the business he has built. I've never truly been impacted by someone I've never met before. 

Day 250 Publix and Panera

A new Publix near my house opened. I have never been inside one so my first today was grocery shopping at Publix. It was a great experience. I love their deli and bakery. I believe I will be shopping there from now on. Plus since you enter and ride an escalator up to enter, when you leave they have this cute little escalator for your cart.

So I (Taylor) love panera. I went there to eat before I had to be at work. I decided to try something new and got a southwestern chicken flatbread sandwich. It definitely wasn't my favorite. I would assume if you could get it on a salad it would be better but I didn't enjoy the mixture of ingredients very much unfortunately. 

Day 249 Brussels sprouts and chocolate pedicure

Tonight josh and I went to our friends, the Merino's, house for a cookout. We were in charge of the chicken and they did the sides. One of the sides Christina made was Brussels sprouts (and just an added bonus I didn't know Brussels sprouts had a a at the end of both words!). I've never tried them before so I figured why not. They actually weren't that bad. Christina said she has another way that's even better to cook them and I can't wait to try them that way! 

Today I made appointments for my sister and me to have chocolate pedicures. It was part of her birthday present. When I got in the room I was informed they had run out of supplies for chocolate pedicure but they were sure I would be okay. They would make it nice. I needed a pedicure bad or I would have have walked. My sister said she was ok with it but I was so angry. They never offered any of their other special pedicures. It was such a disappointing first. 

Day 248 Air Supply and Extra Hot coffee

I actually had two new things today. I went to lunch with friends at a place called The Coop. They specialized in different types of chicken salad. I had a grilled chicken, pesto and provolone panini. It was yummy. After work I took one of my sister (it was her birthday) to the fair for a dinner of fair food and a concert by Air Supply. They have been in the business for nearly forty years and they still sound great. We had so much fun. 

Yesterday while talking with beau, we got on the subject of coffee and how we order it from Starbucks. He said ordering it extra hot would change my life. So that's how I ordered my coffee this morning. Extra hot definitely is they way to go. My coffee stayed hot so much longer than it normally does! 

Day 247 Nice to everyone and Fantasy Draft

Today was a crazy day at work. I had not had time for a first. On the way home I had to stop at Krogers. The people at this Krogers are always impolite. I made it my mission to be extra nice to everyone. It worked. Everyone was nice back. It was the best experience I have ever had at that store.

Josh and I have done a few drafts together the last few years. I must add I've beat him every year we've played. And I probably just jinxed myself for this year. Every year I have him help me draft but this year I did it all on my own :) we'll see how it goes this season 

Day 246 When the Game Stands Tall and Schedule

Tonight I joined a friend in watching "When the Game Stands Tall". I love movies based on true sports stories. This one was exceptional. So inspiring. It makes you want to be a better person. I highly recommend this movie.

I've mentioned the schedule as my first a couple of times. This go around I actually officially witnessed the hard work it takes to make a schedule. I sat side by side and helped make next weeks schedule for work. Definitely a lot of work! 

Day 245 Show and Tell at guild and Drive Thru Director

Tonight was our quilt guild meeting. We always have show and tell. This year of first I did a show and tell but I showed something I had crocheted. Tonight I showed something I quilted. It was easier to show my crocheted item. I am more confident about my skill at crochet. I got good feedback about my quilt though. It was the one I talked about in yesterday's post.

Today I (Taylor) officially took over as interim drive thru director at work. I'm excited about this new adventure in addition to my marketing and scheduling responsibilities. 

Day 244 Small Quilt and Saved by the Bell

Friends of mine (Lynn) want to learn how the Rapid Fire Lemoyne Star ruler works. The ruler was designed by Deb Tucker and is easy to use. I designed a small wall hanging that my friends can make. I will be teaching them later this month. I cannot wait to share this with them.

Tonight they showed a tv film on lifetime about Screech's perspective of the life on a saved by the bell actor. It was definitely weird and I'm not sure I enjoyed it. I like my 90s shows kept in the 90s. 

Day 243 Letters for Mom's birthday and UT Game.

My Mom called me a couple of weeks ago and asked a favor of me. She is turning eighty this year and wanted to receive a card from all her children and grandchildren. That put an idea in my head - why not ask everyone we know who knows her to send her a card. So my older sister got a copy of her Christmas card list and my other sister and I addressed envelopes today to send our request for cards. I hope it works and she gets lots of cards.

Tonight josh and I went to the UT v Utah State game. We had an absolute blast, but this was the first time We had ever sat in Mom's new season ticket location in the end zone. And it's the first time I've actually sat in the end zone. Looking forward to (hopefully) a great football season. GBO! 

Day 242 Sewing labels on Medal of Honor quilts and Pfunky Groddle

Today I (Lynn) went over and helped sew labels on the Medal of Honor quilts. This quilt project for the Medal of Honor recipients is so amazing. So many quilters coming together to honor our veterans. I am honored to be part of it.

This morning I went to the new location for the pfunky griddle. If you'll remember, I went to the one in Nashville as a first but they just opened one in Murfreesboro. This could be a bad thing for me. 

Day 241 Late night work and brownie with cream cheese icing

So tonight, I (Taylor) started my first night working at the store. We're trying to figure out why there is a difference in our night crew and day crew. So our directors are decided what nights they want to work. I'll say this, it's definitely different than a morning/afternoon shift! 

Tonight I tried a new dessert - a brownie with cream cheese icing. It was yummy.

Day 240 Gameday app and jury duty (yes, again!)

Today's first was to download the Tennessee Gameday app. I tried to do it on my IPad and couldn't find it. I was getting frustrated. I found every other school's but no UT. Then I thought...maybe it will only show up on my phone. I mean, after all not many people haul an IPad to the stadium. The app is supposed to work in the stadium and with the televised game. We shall see on Sunday when the Vols kick off a new season. Go Big Orange!

A previous post of mine (Taylor) is talking about jury duty. Well I got summoned again but this time in Murfreesboro. So I went and sat through jury orientation this morning and was there for 2.5 hours. Only to get out of jury duty because my job doesn't compensate you for missed work. Was definitely an interesting experience! 

Day 239 New Reports and Trivia night

Today I (Taylor) had our weekly directors meeting and part of my responsibility was to pull a bunch of data. I had no idea where to start so I had one of my coworkers show me. It's amazing how much data is at our disposal to truly help understand trends in the business. I was fascinated for hours with all the numbers!

Tonight a group of ladies from work went out to dinner and trivia night at a local bar. I had never played trivia like this. Each round was 3 questions with 3 categories. We got to bet 2, 4 or 6 points on the 3 questions. The questions were hard but we did ok and our team name was great. reVOLUTion. (We all work in at UT) It was a fun night.

Day 238 Learned something new in a meeting and pizza

Today I (Lynn) attended my Exempt Staff meeting. An interesting item was on the agenda. The Ag Extention Agents at the University are concerned because they are required to investigate animal abuse allegations. This puts their lives and their family's lives in danger. I had no idea this occurred. It was eye opening to learn this. 

Tonight I went to dinner with a group of coworkers and my operator. We went to mellow mushroom which seems to be the place to go on outings like this. I'm not complaining. I love pizza and I love mellow mushroom. Or waitress made a suggestion on a pizza called Thai dye. Everyone raved about how delicious it was ove we got it so I tried it even though I didn't like the majority of what was on it (the only pizza I would eat was gone after 1 round of people eatif). I picked off cucumbers and tomatoes leaving pizza and come curry Thai sauce. Safe to say I don't like curry Thai sauce. I thought it was awful!! 

Day 237 Beyonce (again) and no TV

Yes, I'm (Taylor) taking back to last night for my first. I've been dealing with one of my worst migraines today so I needed a super easy first today. So I decided to download the Beyonce album on iTunes tonight. 

The title may be a little misleading. I watched TV but we never turned on the TV in the living room - all day. I have gotten involved in watching Big Love. It was recommended by two of my friends. So I watched it first thing in the morning while getting ready and then once I got home I watched while sewing. Marian worked late and continued working once she got home so the TV in the living room was not turned on all day.  That is a big deal around here. Our living room TV is always on. Sometimes even when we aren't home. (We forget to turn it off.)