Mixed Christmas

Hey friends!  Did you all have a happy Christmas?   I hope you all were able to spend time with your families and soak up the warmth of the holidays.  We had a mixed Christmas.  We had both a lot of fun and also a healthy dose of real life.  I'll start with the bummer stuff and then move on to happier things.

My parents were planning to come out here to see us and to spend Christmas in Asheville, NC.  All that changed last Saturday when my dad was scraping snow off his car, slipped, and broke his wrist and hip.  He has since spent a week in the hospital, had a 7 hour surgery, and will be spending the next 3 to 5 months in a rehab center.   My dad is doing as well as can be expected and we hope that he will recover quickly, but this was a big reminder to me of just how quickly life can change.   If you're the praying kind, please remember him in your prayers.  If you're not, give it a try and mention my dad.

Even though we missed spending time with the folks, we still had an awesome time in Asheville.  We had the best BBQ I've ever had in my life, we toured the biggest single family residence in the country, we gorged ourselves on handmade European truffles, saw 2 movies, spent Christmas Eve in a charming B&B, and woke up to an unexpected white Christmas.  So minus the bummer about my dad, we had a wonderful Christmas and we are so grateful for the blessings in our lives, most of all for our families who mean the world to us.

We love you all and wish you the very best in 2011!

A few weeks ago Jameson gave me a tour of his job site.  

It was like watching Mega Builders live.  Very cool. 

One morning I went outside and saw my car cocooned in a 1/4 inch of ice.  I got inside, rolled down the glass window and took a shot of the ice window. 

Best darn BBQ to ever crossed my lips

The homes in Asheville are perfect.  I want one. 

The Biltmore Estate.  This place was all decked out for Christmas.  It was definitely one of the coolest places I've ever seen. 

Family, Turkey, & Jazz

What a season! The last two months have been filled with family, trips, and holidays and we have loved it! I got to go home for Halloween and see my fam, Jameson and I took a trip to Atlanta to watch the Jazz scat all over the Hawks, and Jameson's family came in last week for Thanksgiving and an early Christmas.  Oh and we rearranged our condo to accommodate our new flat screen!  The time has flown and now I can't believe the year is almost over.

I hope ya'll are having as much fun as we are and if you're not then you should come down here.  Seriously, there's just something about the South that makes life feel a bit more grand and a lot more genuine.   So come on down.  We'll put you up and I'll make you pancakes!

Be sure to check out my new blog beautifuleveryday.blogspot.com.  It's just a little project I'm working on.

Me & Natt on Halloween.  

We thought Jameson would be in mortal peril wearing a Jazz jersey in DT Atlanta, but there were lots of Jazz fans, some more obnoxious than others, so we blended in. 

Yahoo!  We won.

We went to Dollywood last week and got stuck on a ride.  At first I was a little scared, but pretty soon all the blood settled at the back of my head and then I couldn't really feel anything so that was good.  Eventually they pulled us out on the catwalk.  Thanks for the memories Dolly!

Dollywood was actually a ton of fun.  

Fall for Me!

Happy fall everybody!  Autumn is in full bloom here and I'm loving it.  The leaves are just starting to change, the air is fresh and crispy, and Halloween (the best holiday of the year) is just a few weeks away.  The only thing I don't love about this particular October is that I turned 30 last week.  I'm not one of those women (yeah I can't say girl anymore, I'm officially a woman) who's always lying about her age, but 30 is just so... I don't know, but I'm not thrilled about it.


Besides that minor chronological hiccup, Jameson and I are happy and healthy and trying to experience everything Tennessee has to offer.  I just found out that there's an elephant sanctuary west of Nashville where an elephant named Tara and a yellow lab named Bella are best friends!  I watched this whole special on Animal Planet about unlikely animal pals and found out about this dynamic duo who live a few hours away.  Well it's like 5 hours away, but I think the drive would be worth seeing a elephant and a dog who love each other don't you?  I'm going and Jameson can come if he wants to.  


Speaking of furry friends, I have made a few of my own.  Although we're not allowed to have a dog in our condo, I'm not giving up on my need for canine companionship.  A few weeks ago Jameson and I visited the local animal shelter and became volunteer dog walkers.   Because they are overflowing with unwanted puppies, (how that's true, I have no clue) I can get a new puppy every day of the week!  Yes I have to take them back after a few hours which is really hard, but it's better than no puppy at all.  I take them to the park and try to teach them tricks.  It doesn't work, but I love it!  Last time I dropped one off I spotted two new puppies that were begging me to play with them.  I don't think I'm ready for two at a time, but I'll probably try it anyway.  It's remarkable how happy puppies can make you feel. 


I hope you're all doing well and loving life.  If you're not, spend a day with a puppy.  I promise you'll feel better.

I named this guy Blue.  He looked just like a pound puppy.  Remember those?

This was the first guy I took to the park.  He was super fat.  

So cute.

The UT game.  It was fun until it wasn't.  We got rained out. 

Our friends, Matt & Sarah.  Matt works at Kiewit too.

Hiking in the Smokies.  Why do they always look  so smoky?

This was at Clingman's Dome.  It's a tower at the highest point in Smokies.  It was really beautiful.

Where have all the rednecks gone?

Hey friends!  How do you like the new look of my blog?  I decided to go super girly, because the truth is, I am super girly.  I hope you are all having a fantastic summer.  It's hard to believe it's coming to a close, but that's fine with me because fall is my favorite season and Halloween is my favorite holiday!  Jameson and I already have tickets to the first University of Tennessee football game and I'm itching to break out all my fall decor.  It's still 90+ degrees outside, but my mind has moved on to fall.

We have been extremely busy since the last post; Jameson turned 27, we took a trip to Atlanta (which, by the way, was not at all what I thought it would be.  I think I need to head to Savannah to satisfy my romantic antebellum visions of hoop skirts and lemonade on the terrace), but best of all Jameson and I got to participate in a southern tradition few will get the chance to enjoy.

Up until now we've encountered just a handful of the honky tonk folk we expected when we moved to Tennessee.  A lot of people down here don't even have accents.  We were starting to think all the movies and TV shows that filled our minds with redneck folklore were full of it, but 2 weeks ago we were invited by our landlord, who happens to be the nicest guy on the planet, to the mecca of all things white trash where we discovered where all those rednecks have been hiding, NASCAR!  Nestled in the hills of the small town of Bristol, TN lies a mammoth 160,000 seat stadium known as the fasted 1/2 mile in the world.  We had to park about 1/2 mile away and walk through literally thousands of camper trailers and mullets to get inside, but once we found our seats and the race began I admit I caught a bit of NASCAR fever.  Watching those cars speed around that tiny track with deafening power that rattles your chest was one of the coolest feelings I've ever experienced.  I'm not saying I'm ready to put a couch on my front porch and a confederate flag on the grill of my RAV 4, but there's a lot more to the sport than I thought and being there is nothing like watching it on TV.  It was awesome and I'm so glad we got to go.

We are looking forward to this weekend as we are headed to Alabama to see Jameson's sister for the holiday.  I hope you all have plans to party this weekend and that you are all safe and happy.  Happy Labor Day!  Do we say that?  Happy Labor Day?  Well I guess I do!  Hey if any of you need a laugh and haven't seen this already, watch this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzNhaLUT520 then watch this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMtZfW2z9dw.

Yay! Our first fish, we let it go, it was dumb.

Didn't catch anything, but it was fun.

This is from our balcony, we get one of these every night. 

It was so loud, so incredibly loud.  At night I can still hear the engines!

So remember how I said we've only run into a few Billy Bobs, well here's one.  

Yes that is a beer coozy around his neck and he is complete with pink crocs. 

 He runs the marina by our condo and I can't understand a word he says.

I bought this chair for $15 on craig's list. 

Voila!  I'm trying to be handy and crafty.  Pretty good for my first run, no?

Yeah, I make stuff. 

Give it to me straight

Hey guys, so here's the deal I've been secretly harboring a desire to get into interior design for a long time, but  I don't want to go back to school and I don't know if I'm at all talented in this arena so I've put together some "virtual rooms" and I really want to hear what you think.  What do you like, what don't you like, and what would you change or are they so awful that only a blind dog would take up residence in one of these rooms?  I have an idea that would allow me to design without going back to school, but first I want to hear the opinions of those I trust the most.  So let me hear it and give it to me straight, there's no point in being nice this time, just be honest.  Click on the pic to get a bigger view then email me or make a comment here on the blog.  Thanks a million!

So when are you coming?

It's hot and sticky outside, but I have no complaints.  I still absolutely love it here in East Tennessee.  To report on the natural phenomenon I mentioned in my last post, the firefly show was absolutely awesome.  To get to the show we had to drive through Pigeon Forge which is more amusement park than a real city.  There are independent roller coasters, go cart tracks, and laser tag arenas on every street corner and a million pancake houses and random water slides all over.  Why, you might wonder, is this little town turned family version Las Vegas?  Because it's home to Dollywood!  That's right Mrs. Parton has created an all around family fun adventure just 45 minutes from my house and people come by the thousands to enjoy it.  It took us an hour to go about 15 miles because of the traffic to Dollywood.

 When we finally reached the visitor center where we were supposed to pick up a trolley to see the little critters, Jameson and I realized we were totally unprepared.  There was a massive crowd waiting in lines 100's of feet long armed with camping chairs, flashlights, and bug spray.  But it was worth the 2 hour wait and hunger pains we endured as we entered what seemed like a ride at Disney land.  We found a fallen tree in the woods to sit on and waited for dark when suddenly small blue lights (girl fireflies) started floating toward us.  Then just as suddenly a million little white lights (boy fireflies) started flashing in the bushes like mini paparazzi trying to get a perfect shot.  Their lights burst all at the same time and then stopped in unison.  It was completely dark for a few seconds and then they started all over again.  It was totally surreal and I'm so glad we got to see it.

I just returned to Tennessee last week after I flew to Utah, packed up all my stuff into a 26 foot Penske truck, and drove for 3 days with my dad.  Despite being terrified of each other's driving skills, my dad and I had a great time.  He's the best.

For the 4th of July Jameson and I drove down to Chattanooga where we met up with his family. We had a blast.  Every time we hang out in a new city down here, we fall in love with it.  Downtown Chattanooga was awesome.  It had a friendly family feel with cool old buildings and super clean streets.  We ate at really cool restaurants, had fabulous home made ice cream and we hiked into a mountain and saw the country's tallest underground waterfall.  Next time we're going to check out Rock City which as you can guess has lots of rocks formations which will satisfy the geology geek inside me.

Knoxville is another great town although we're so in love with a specific area of town called Market Square, we haven't ventured far from it to experience the rest of the city.  Market Square has a really cool urban indie vibe with lots of organic restaurants and home grown shops.  And though Jameson or I are neither urban nor indie, we love to eat their hippie food and shop their hippie shops.  There's a general store there where you can buy old school candy by the pound and every time we go Jameson and I stock up on about 5 lbs of candy to last till the next time.  And there's another little place where you can sit out on the street and eat home made crepes with bananas and nutella or with berries and fresh creme.  I'm telling you folks, Tennessee rocks and you really need to come and see us.  Just wait till I get our condo put together and then come and play with us.

I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July and that you took a moment to realize what a great country we live in.  Let's all do our best to keep it that way and pay attention to whom we're voting for this November and especially next time the presidential office is up for grabs.

Here we are looking out from Lookout Mountain.  That's my 4th of July cardigan. 

 I've worn it 3 years in a row. 

Ruby Falls, very cool

I made these little headbands for my nieces. 

 Yay for me, I make stuff. 

My sister's dog, Chewy.  It's not normal how much I love this dog.  

If she wasn't my sister, I would steal him.

Southern Heaven

It's raining here today, which I love.  It was sunny yesterday, which I loved.  And it's supposed to thunder and lightning all afternoon, which I will love.  It's official folks I love Tennessee!  It's absolutely beautiful here and there are so many things to do.  I have already planned our entire summer with day trips, camping trips and Atlanta trips.  When we're not day tripping, we'll be canoeing, swimming or wake boarding on the lake right outside our balcony.  Yes, you need to come here and enjoy this place with us.

So this lake right outside our condo... it's a dream.  On sunny days the water is deep midnight blue and when it's stormy it's green grey like pistachio pudding.  It's shaped a lot like Lake Powell in that it's not just a big round hole with water in it, but instead it's a long winding body of water with skinny fingers that have crept into little valleys and around small hills making tiny little islands.  The lake is totally surrounded by trees and on a foggy day like this one, I can pretend the trees are pines and that I'm in Alaska.

Not too long after we got here, we discovered a family of turtles that live right below our balcony. The dad, aka Tennessee Ted, is the biggest and the rest of his brood have been given other T names.  They're super cute and we love hanging out on our balcony watching them watching us.  The other day as Jameson and I were driving home I spotted a huge rock in the opposite lane.  When the rock started moving I realized it was Ted!  With cars zipping over and around him at 50 mph, he was sure to be squished. Ted was in danger of making Tennessee Tina a widow.  I screamed at Jameson to pull over and I jumped out, stopped traffic, and picked Ted up making all the lake water from his shell come splashing down onto my feet (at first I thought it was pee, not funny).  Then with Ted in my hands I ran back to the car and we all drove to the lake shore.  Jameson put Ted back in the water and we watched him swim home.  We felt like heros.  It was awesome.  Yes, I know it probably wasn't the same turtle that lives under my balcony, but in my head it was Ted.

This weekend we're going to watch the synchronized firefly show.  There are only 2 places in the world and only 1 week in the year when all the fireflies light up at the same time and turn off at the same time and it just so happens to be in the Smoky Mountains this weekend.  Those of you who know about my love for fireflies can appreciate how epic this will be for me.

We're very happy here and feel blessed that of all the places Jameson's job could have taken us, we were sent here to southern heaven.  Love you all and hope you're having a fantastic summer.

Our nephew, Camden, came to see us last weekend.  

He gets lots of love from aunt Geicha and uncle Munson.

This is what happens when Jameson is in charge of changing diapers.

Yup, that's cute. 

From the Rockies to the Smokies

Let me begin this post with an apology.  I apologize to those who followed panamajane and were cut short at the bat cave.  My blogging had to take a turn on the back burner for awhile, but it is with great pleasure that I introduce my new blog, Smoky Mountain Jane!  Jameson was recently hired at Kiewit Power Constructors and we've been relocated to the Smoky Mountain area of Tennessee.

You may be thinking that because of our new locale this blog will lack the adventure and excitement of panamajane, but never fear.  In my short week of being a Tennessee resident I have met with just as many colorful characters, seen just as breathtaking landscapes, and come upon just as many strange situations as we did in Bocas del Toro.  And we can't understand these people any better than the indians on Bastimentons!  Trust me, this place will provide plenty of material to entertain you with (with which to entertain you - that's for the grammar nuts).

In case you're wondering where we've been since we returned from Panama, we spent a little time in Utah with my family and some time in Iowa with Jameson's family.  Coming home to snow and ice was an unwelcome shock, but consistent running water, refrigerated meat, and an environment free of biting flies made the cold almost worth it.  Even though we miss the beaches and beauty of Bastimentos, we're so happy to be back in the states closer to all of you.  

So thank you for visiting and check back soon as we are off to Knoxville this weekend and are sure to have some crazy run in with a local.  Have a happy day!

Jameson reconnecting with Bodie

Jameson reconnecting with the quad

Jameson reconnecting with Landon