Nothing really new.....

I know folks check our blog to see what is going on. Well there are no new posts because there is really nothing new to talk about. No word on my last two exams to be a licensed architect. Shawn's football team won their first game, unfortunately they were not so lucky in their second. It was a great season opener for his kids and it was an exciting game to watch. Tonight is game three, we all have our fingers crossed, might be another close one. The University of Tennessee football team started out with a bang, losing to UCLA. It looks like it is going to be another tough year to be a Vol (Volunteers) fan, at least for football. Next weekend I am going to Norwich's Homecoming, first time since graduating in 2001! This will make two trips there in a year. I will get to meet up with Granny and spend some time with her. Pa's name is getting engraved in a memorial wall so we wanted to be at the dedication and attend the football game in Pa's memory as well. Keep checking back, hope to have some exciting news soon!

Just waiting on two more!

My First Ground Breaking

It has been a while since I have posted anything because I have been in a marathon sprint to finish up my architectural exams. I took the last three in the last two weeks! Feels good to be done, even if it may only be for 6 months. If I fail any tests I am not allowed to retake the exam for 6 months, not sure why they do that. Now I have my free time back! What do I do?! Sunday evening we attended the ground breaking for one of the churches I have been working on, Holy Family Catholic Church. You will see me in the photo third from the left moving some dirt around. It was fun to be out there and share the excitement that the church has for their new Fellowship Hall to be built.

Are you sitting down?

Marcy is engaged!

She and Andrew took a trip to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC and he popped the question Saturday night. All of us are excited! His two little girls were more anxious then the rest of us for this day to come.

Congratulations!

Feline Dentistry Lesson

Below is an x-ray of Maurice's teeth from his surgery today. During his yearly exam it was mentioned that his teeth were looking bad (gingivitis) and he needed to have them cleaned. I finally forked over the money to do it about a month ago and come to find out that was just the tip of the iceberg. Maurice has something known as FORs, I can not even begin to tell you want the stands for in medical terms. It is a disease that is being researched heavily as it happens in 60% of ALL cats. Basically his teeth are disintegrating from below the gums and working up. In the x-ray below you can see a tooth of his that has just about disintegrated completely, the "fuzzy" looking tooth to the left in the image. The roots of the other two teeth are "fuzzy" meaning that the decay has worked its way up to the gum line and is causing pain for Mo'. When all his surgeries are said and done (yes, multiple surgeries) he will only have his front teeth left and maybe his upper canines. First prognosis was only four teeth would need to come out but that was only based on a consultation visit and exterior appearance of his teeth.

A celebration of life in Vermont

Marcy and I sat with Pa looking out over his view of Norwich after his service. It is a beautiful spot and it is comforting to know that Pa is home. This past weekend we made a trip up to Vermont to Norwich. I had not been back since the day I graduated, seven years ago. We made this trek north for Pa's memorial service which turned into a celebration of friendship, family and memories. I want to THANK everyone who has supported us through this and who continue to do so. We were fed well and taken care of in every way possible. We are surrounded by wonderful friends, old and new, and a loving family. Pa was (and is) a very loved man and he loved everyone just as much. Continue to share stories of those we have lost and make sure to make memories to cherish forever! In our travels we were able to spend a day in Boston and see some old college friends of mine along the way. Shawn and I landed in Boston the night of the big parade celebrating the Celtics big Championship. We did not see any of the celebration just the remains of some confetti in the streets, a banner on the capitol building and all the

souvenirs that you may want (or don't want) in green. We were able to take a Duck Tour through Boston, I had never taken a Duck tour so we thought it would be nice to see more of Boston in a short time by riding around the city rather than walking.

Cherokee Rugby 2008 Bowl Champs and State runner-up

The South-Doyle rugby team had a very successful year. This is the fourth year of the program and continuing to improve each year. This year we moved up a classsification and competed in the Bowl Division in the SMAC (Smoky Mountain Athletic Conference). We won our division defeating Catholic 35-5 in the championship game earning us a seed in the State Tournament in the Plate Division. We defeated Brighton Storm 24-5 in the semi-final game. We played Coffee County Barbarians in the Championship Game losing a hard fought match 12-10. The team is already working this summer to be better next year practicing 3 days a week and playing in a 7's tournament.