Iggy and Llama continue on...

Hey all, Gris here…my first time to type in a blog!

I hope this reading finds you all in high spirits and great anticipation for the soon to come springtime!

Im usually the 'picture taker' while Sub is the 'blogger', but here's my good try…

So we have officially named and labeled our vehicles. We decided on calling the new Subaru the 'llama' for a few reasons. After climbing Mt Leconte, we learned that llamas were the main way that they transported luggage up to the cabins atop. They also do this in Peru. So, since llamas are travelers, hikers, and luggage carriers, we named the White Subaru "The Llama".
For the 1000$ 98 Green Subaru with 200 thousand miles and counting, Lauren named "Iggy". It is named after an Iguana. Good Tree Crawlers and all wheel drivers. Its the 'work truck'.
We ordered decals of a llama and an iguana and tagged our vehicles. :)

We are newlyweds at work in the Noog! We are both inside workers for the most part, giving us a greater appreciation for the outdoors. Its a transition in process, and we will cherish our afterwork playtime and date night / weekends more, now that we are hard at work during the week.

This past weekend, we went to Ocoee to mtn bike - what a beautiful place! Then we went on an 11 mile hike on the Cumberland Trail , with seattle like scenery and ending at a beautiful waterfall…Tennessee has hidden gems you would never think were here.

Monday we went to an Imagine Dragons concert in Nashville with our fellow transplant friends, Dustin and Rachel. They are a great couple and blessing to us. We had a blast.  It is really encouraging to have people who are in the 'same boat'.  Dustin and I are hard workers and it's such an encouragement to have a friend who has a vision and business experience.

                                                   Imagine Drangons concert live in Nashville


We have been working on a door for a lady, completely stripping it of all paint and stain, and refinishing it. What a task! But thankful for my sailboat restoration experience, I have exuberant patience.  We are definitely ready to finish it, though. It gets a little tough going to school in morning, then immediately to work, then after work… work.

Come on hands, hurry up and finish door, and Come on springtime, bring flowers forevermore!

Well, as an old AA member used to always say.. "You feed a brown cow Green grass you get White milk, that's the Amazing Grace of God - That's just the way It is." -Dan

                                         Give yourselves a big hug from us and Stay tuned.. :)

Like a storm rolling in...

It's pretty amazing that in one week Chattanooga went from being covered in snow, schools and businesses shut down, to 63 degrees and spring like conditions with bountiful sunshine, blue skies, and birds chirping. It is as though our lives follow this pattern of nature. One week we both went from having ample amounts of free time to having too much to do. It was last Tuesday, the day before the snow storm rolled in that things started to change for us. Gray had started school already and was busy working on projects for school and side jobs. He got a call after school on Tuesday with a job offer at Architectural Surfaces- the same place Dustin works. This job would be from after school until 4:30, then after work he works on his projects. The same Tuesday I got a call from a dental office with an opportunity to fill in for a hygienist who is going to be out for back surgery. I would fill in for 3 months, with the possibility of a position even after she comes back. So, within a day our lives and schedules changed quite a bit. I am still waiting to hear back from the dentists as to whether or not I get the position, but Gray is definitely a busy man. Like the storm rolling in and the next week the sun coming out, things can change quickly from quiet to loud, cold to warm, dry to wet, from a little to a lot. This is the pattern of nature and the pattern of our lives. It's the way God designed things and its all part of the adventure of life. Gray and I are excited for the spring, this means more bike rides and hikes and longer days! We imagine ourselves meeting at a trailhead and hitting the single track after work or doing a trail run and watching the sunset together. We will see what the weather will bring, in nature and in life. But one thing we do know is this, "whatever the weather may be we will weather the weather together."- T Berry. 

p.s. - I got a call last night while visiting with friends and immediately shoved Gray out of the booth to answer it. It was the office I interviewed with… I got the job! I start in about a week. God is Good. :)