We had a great time visiting Jonnett, Scott and Jane a couple weekends ago. We're hoping to see them again soon, maybe in Clarksville for an APSU game. We also need to have a euchre rematch next time we get together, as Chris fessed up on the way home that he and Jonnett cheated, obviously making their "win" null and void.

This past weekend, my folks, Joy and Mark came down for a visit. The furniture they brought us looks great and we are so thankful they were willing to lug it from IL to TN. We all had a great time hanging out and were pleasantly surprised by APSU winning their opening game.

Saturday was devoted to supporting the APSU Governor's Own Marching Band (GOMB) and our favorite and most lovable "Interim Director of Athletic Bands/Interim Assistant Director of Bands/Adjunct Tuba and Euphonium Professor" at the first game of the season. Chris did a great job and I'm so proud of him!

Looking on as the GOMB performs their tailgating show.

Chris was able to spare a few seconds before the game for quick photo with his loving nyfi.

The "tunnel" where the football team enters the field.

The girl in the black shirt is one of Chris's grad. students.

Here comes the director!

Let's Go PEAY!!

P.S. Don't forget to check out Chris's school website linked below. His email and phone number are listed and his picture and bio will hopefully be coming soon.

On the road again!

We will be doing more traveling over the next few weeks and are so excited to spend time with family and friends again. We mentioned in our last post that we would love to have some visitors as well, and I'm happy to report that we're booked solid for the next couple months! Here are the details.

Our first trip will be taking us back to Memphis to visit Scott, Jonnett and Jane during the last weekend of August. We can't wait to catch up with them and see how much Jane has grown since we saw her last Easter!

The following weekend mom and dad will be coming to visit. They'll be our first guests to stay in the guest room and not have to sleep on an air mattress. They also come bearing gifts. We will be inheriting a larger dining table, side table, and hutch from Joy and Mark that did not fit in their new place. Finally, a place to put all the china and crystal we received at our wedding. Now we'll be able to use these lovely gifts that have been in mom and dad's basement the past four years.

After mom and dad depart on Monday (September 7th), we'll be doing a quick clean of the guest room for our next visitor. Frank (Chris's dad) will be arriving later that same day to spend some time with us during the week. Chris and I will be at work during the day, which will give Frank some quiet R & R time. In the evenings we can all hit the gym together, and maybe do a little grilling for dinner afterwards.

We'll be leaving Thursday night of that same week to visit Nick and Liz. (It's a big week for us. If you're keeping tabs, we're up to September 10th.) So far, the plans as we know them include the boys going on a paint ball outing Saturday morning and a get-together with their friends later that night.

Later that week Chris will be hosting our friends Dave Dick and Anthony Williams for a trombone recital at APSU. Dave and Anthony were D.M.A. students with Chris at the University of Memphis and became close friends of ours. We're happy they've made APSU a stop on their concert tour.

A couple days later (September 19th) we'll be heading up to Normal, IL to watch the APSU vs. ISU football game. It should be especially exciting as the APSU Governor's Own Marching Band will be accompanying the team. We can't wait to finally tailgate at ISU without being in a uniform of some sort!

The ISU trip will be our last road trip for a while, but the excitement doesn't stop there! The next weekend Chris's cousin Christina will be moving in with us for a while as she makes the transition from L.A. to Nashville. We'll do our best to ease her through the culture shock of living in TN.

Well, that should cover things for a while. We'll be sure to post pictures of our upcoming adventures.

Love,
Jill

Summer 2009

Our summer is once again coming to an end. Time to get back to the grindstone and bid farewell to our lazy days. Though we did spend a considerable amount of our vacation time at home preparing for the upcoming school year, the summer was quite memorable overall.



Our first trip at the end of May was to celebrate Joy and Mark's upcoming wedding with Joy's bridal shower and a BBQ to get to know the bride and groom's family and friends. Six weeks later we were back in Chicago for the big day. It was a beautiful wedding and we are so happy for them!



In June, we headed east to Gatlinburg, TN to celebrate Chris's 30th birthday. It was especially exciting as it was our first get-away since our honeymoon! We had a wonderful time hiking, white-water rafting, and exploring the little town of Gatlinburg.


After Joy and Mark's wedding in July, we drove up to Lansing, MI to visit our very first niece, Claire! We were amazed by her tininess and loved every minute of holding her.



We finished up our travels in Kansas City, MO where we enjoyed watching movies and hanging out with Thea Demi. We especially enjoyed going to see the new "Harry Potter" movie...again!



Now that we have settled back down in Clarksville for yet another year, we've spent even more time getting ready for school. Chris is quite busy making arrangements for a brass conference he is heading up, and practicing for his next recital in November. He is also working on getting registered to substitute teach on the days he is not working at the university. This year will be incredibly busy for him, but hopefully just as rewarding.



Jill has been working on lesson plans, getting them fine-tuned for another year of middle school general music. With any luck, this might be her last year as a general music teacher. The band director at her school is planning to retire at the end of this school year after 34 years in the same classroom, and the principal has indicated she would like Jill to switch to the band position.



It was great visiting family this summer and we would love to have some visitors of our own! We now have a guest room, and should you find yourself in TN, please stop in for a few days. Our door is always open!