Happy Birthday Granny!

Well it is Labor Day, and I am off from work today, so I am going to make a great effort to get caught up on the blog for the 3-4 of you who actually still read it (I think just family members at this point). I am going to work my way backwards on all our trips, starting with this weekend. We were in Knoxville Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday we met James' sisters and their families, where we visited one of our customers' newest locations, in Knoxville (Newk's). We all had a nice dinner of pizzas, salads, and sandwiches, and then all bowled for a few hours. Everyone had a lot of fun hopefully.

James and I were staying out in West Knoxville, and our hotel was surprisingly quiet that Saturday evening. That's because everyone staying there was at the University of Tennessee's home opener. UT won 50-0 against UT-Martin. Smooth sailing for the first game of the year for the Vols. Sadly it was not on TV, so we weren't able to watch any of it. The next morning we ate at the cute little place below, Mimi's Cafe, which was decorated inside as though it were an establishment in New Orleans. Very cute. The food was good as well, and we brought home a free package of their gigantic homemade muffins, because James did a phone survey while we were still sitting in the restaurant.

But Sunday afternoon was the real purpose of the visit with the family, to celebrate the 93rd birthday of James' grandmother Juanita. I put James to work right away once we got to his parents' house, digging up bulbs which his mom said I could have. I brought home iris, daffodils, peonies, and day lilies, as well as tomatoes and green peppers from their garden. We brought home a few antiques from their shed as well, which we plan to clean up and display in our own home. Then it was time to eat!! James' mom Carol fixed a wonderful dinner for all 12 of us, which included chicken casserole, baked pasta, okra, beans, and lots of great food which we all enjoyed.

Granny received a lot of nice gifts, including gift cards, candles, CD's, and a spinner for her garden. We all indulged in coconut cream pie, red velvet cake, and ice cream while we sang Happy Birthday and of course, MANY MORE for Granny! After that, everyone went outside to pick pears from the trees in the yard (I plan to make pear sauce with mine like I did the last time I brought home my bounty.) The weather was gorgeous, in fact they had a record low in Knoxville that morning, 52. Fall is definitely coming soon. And the Truan house is a perfect place to enjoy it with everyone.