My in-laws arrived from TX last Thursday to gift us with a mini-van,  a 2003 Dodge Caravan.   My father-in-law woke up one morning and told his wife that he had a dream about it, and he felt like God was saying, "Just do it."  We already have 2 cars in good working order, but we couldn't say no.  Our old Suburban drinks gas like I guzzle coffee, so we are attempting to make the transition.  It's a quirky van, though.  The locks and the alarm system are super-sensitive.  If anyone happened to be at Parkway Drive-in on Saturday night, yes, that was us causing the commotion.  Apparently, you can't have any doors open and the radio going at the same time, otherwise the alarm begins to sound.  Lights flashing, siren- the whole nine yards.  Very embarrassing.  Needless to say, my husband yanked a wire and put an end to the drama, but the darn thing reset itself so now it's my fun to deal with.  But I'm complaining.  It truly is a blessing.  And I'll be much more grateful when we figure out it's quirks.  

Took a trip to Chattanooga (my kids love that city) with the in-laws as they were on their way out of town, and while we were gone, our Internet mysteriously disappeared.  We were online before we left, and we could tell that we were getting Internet with our modem, but nothing was happening.  Life without e-mail?  I thought I was going crazy for a few days.  Several times I walked into my room, sat down at the computer, and attempted to log on, only to remember that the darn thing wasn't working. After an entire week, my hubby discovered that for some reason, we had 3 firewalls, and they were conflicting, resulting in life without the Web.  I can live without my cell phone.  I can live without an iPod.  But no Internet.  No Way!

Took an autumn hike with my parent's and the boys today.  What was to be a pleasant 3-mile excursion ended up being almost 5 miles.  Joe (6) was the ultimate trooper.  No complaints at all.  But little Ben (3) and Gabe (7).  Man, you would have thought we were marching through the Sahara.  Little Ben kept asking when we were gonna get to the hotel.  And Gabe just whined.  Incessantly.   My great-grandfather is buried in the Old Sugarlands Cemetary, near the Visitor's Center in the Great Smoky Mts. National Park, and the youngest 2 boys had never been there.  We took an alternate route that my folks thought would be easier and quicker, but they miscalculated and it was way longer than we anticipated.  So my Dad hiked back to the car, which was parked on Cherokee Orchard Road, and my Mom and I hiked with the boys along the river, back to the Visitor's Center.  We spotted 3 bears and several funky salamanders, so it was worth it, but it was a long day.

The boys new bedroom (converted from part of our attic) is almost complete.  Living with lots of drywall dust and piles of construction junk outside, but we'll survive.  We just might have a bit of privacy when they move upstairs.  But I have enjoyed the closeness.  When someone wakes up at night, I don't have far to go.  When they move up, though, it will be quite a trek to comfort someone in the middle of the night. 

Beginning Construction in Attic of House 

Our Autumn Display

Incline Railway in Chattanooga- that's Joe hidden  under his hat

My husband after the ride on the Incline Railroad-   it must be genetic

Point Park- on Lookout Mountain, Chattanooga,

Outside the Chattanooga Choo-Choo Hotel

Creative Discovery Museum