It's Here!

Well, it seems the flu has hit the Schnaare household (would that bee the Schnaarehold?) I just sent Matthew to bed and he was all shivery. It's not even 9:00 yet! We're crossing our fingers that he feels a bit better in the morning. The guy hates calling in sick, especially since they just had two days off because everyone else had the flu! Great timing!

I've been checking out some other friends' blogs and stealing ideas. (Thanks Matthew, Eric, and Amanda!) Keep your eyes open for new additions like links to other sites and my word-bank!

A Winter Day Off

Today was a big day: I actually got to go "off the mountain" for a few hours! (That's a big deal around here since I spend most of my time studying! The only time I've left campus this month was one Saturday when I went with some friends to buy a book case from Wal-Mart!) Matthew was able to go shopping with me in Chattanooga, because school was canceled. Why? Was it a snow day? No! The schools were closed because the flu has hit Tennessee! It's a bummer for all the people who are sick, but it was nice for us to have a little field trip. We went to Kohl's, Target, and Starbuck's. Big day, right? :)

You see what passes for excitement around here! But really, it was a great distraction from all of my reading. The weather was beautiful, the sun was shining, and it was a balmy 48 degrees! It still doesn't feel cold enough to be January, but I could get used to it! The "southern folk" down here still think I'm crazy for not wearing a coat all the time, but I love it!

Greek Procrastination

I'm taking a break from my Greek homework. I've got Greek coming out of my ears!

I thought I'd mess with my blog a little. Here is a picture I took in our backyard this summer. We have lots of cardinals and lots and lots of squirrels who love our bird feeder. (Thanks again, Marie and Anna!)

Speaking of squirrels, here's a true story. I'll even use visuals, so I can practice adding pictures!

When Matthew and I moved to Tennessee, we bought a washer and dryer set. The day that Home Depot was delivering them, I went into the laundry room to make way for the delivery guy. Now, as you just read, we have a ton of squirrels around here that love our bird seed:
Well, I thought the laundry room was a good place to keep the extra bird seed, since it was a concrete room, and it should be safe from any pillagers. That is, except for the hole in the wall for the dryer vent. (I've never owned a dryer before!) So I walk in the laundry room, and no kidding, this squirrel jumps out at me from behind the bag of bird seed, and is totally flipping out. I scream and get the broom. (Yes, I was that housewife with the broom and the screams!) I finally coax it out of the laundry room, then out the porch door, and he runs for safety. I go back to the laundry room, and bang on the door: "Is there anybody else in there? Come out now, before I get the cat!" Nobody answers, so I figure it's safe. But, no kidding, as soon as I walk in, Squirrel #2 jumps out, ricochets off the walls, and finds his way out the dryer vent hole. Luckily, he (or she) was the last one, but they must have been there a little while, because they had tried to chew their way out of the room:

Yes, those are real tooth-marks!

Well, with the help of some friends up the street, we finally got the washer and dryer installed, and it's been laundry heaven around here ever since. But I'll never forget the day I had to fight two squirrels for the right to wash my own clothes without buying a roll of quarters!

I love happy endings!

Well, I hope you all enjoyed my silly little story. Tune in next time for more silly stories from Tennessee. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a bit of Greek to translate!

Testing...Testing...1,2,3

I'm so excited! I've never done a blog before! This is for all my friends and family back home in Cheesy Wisconsin who would like a more informal update while I'm at seminary in Tennessee. (Hence the play on words, seminarian + Anne = seminarianne.... Get it? Hmmmm...)
Stay tuned for pictures, stories, and general trivia about living in the South. For instance, did you know that to say "Bless his (or her) heart," isn't always a nice thing to say? Neither did I before I moved here! Oh the things you learn! :)