Dollywood!

By the Fountain...

At the Entrance...

Today I went with Mark and his kids to Dollywood, and I realized why I haven't been in so many years. I don't like amusement park rides. I have trouble with motion sickness, and getting into a contraption that spins me around and makes me dizzy on purpose is just plain silly. Anyhow, I had a pretty good time just watching. I did ride a log flume type thing that got me wet, and tried a different type of attraction where I was harnessed into rock climbing gear, and got to climb ropes and stuff. I liked that one! We stayed about 5 hours and the kids rode all kinds of things. Just as I got in line to ride the ferris wheel, they closed the ride. There were thunder storms in the area, and the rides were shutting down, so we decided to head home. We got caught in a pretty vicious storm, but we sat it out in the car and were able to get home safe and sound. Maybe someday I'll get to go back again. Then I'll ride the ferris wheel.

Storm Damage

Last night we had a BIG thunderstorm with hail and high winds blow through our area. Mark and I were at Melba's place, dumping her garbage, when her lights flickered and went out. The lights came back on, then flickered out a couple more times. Finally, they came back on and stayed on. It was after midnight before Mark and I left for home. When we got home, our power was out. The reason? A neighbor's tree fell across the power lines. The power company says they won't get out here to fix it until Saturday. That's three more days!!! It's a good thing we have a generator.

What Are Those Splotches?

See those red splotches on my leg? That's cellulitis. It's a skin infection caused by a bacteria. If left untreated, it can get into the blood and cause sepsis, which can be deadly. This is the second time I've had cellulitis in less than 6 months. Both incidents seemed to stem from an injury to my leg. The first time I ran into a cabinet door; this time I hit it with a chair leg. Nothing happened for a week, then, suddenly, the red blotches appeared. I thought it was a blood clot, but an ultra sound proved otherwise. This can be treated easily with antibiotics, and I've been taking them, so I should be good as new in ten days.

End of an Era

I love this picture!

Fun pictures of my class this year.


Today marks the end of an era. I was released as an Early Morning Seminary teacher. I've been teaching since 1996. I will finish out this year, which is only 2 more weeks, and then I'll be done. I was called to be the second counselor in the stake Young Women's Presidency. I was in the stake YW presidency for a few months back in the 80's, so I'll feel right at home. Plus I know many of the girls from camp. So, in short, I'll still have 3 stake callings, I'll just get to sleep in until 5:30 now.

Hailstones

Last week we had some very strong thunderstorms and a few tornadoes go through the area. We are ok, just lost a little siding. Here's a picture of some of the hail.