So much to say

Oh Dave Matthews your song puts it best, yes I have so much to say! Where to start...so much has happened since I've blogged last, this will be an epic entry. I shall begin with an abbreviated weekend update featuring the highlights. Friday I was treated to dinner at Oxford's finest Downtown Grill and saw the new X files movie. The movie is odd, eerie, and sometimes gruesome, but I guess that is the point. Saturday night I was lucky enough to have dinner with Ms. Rebecca Bertrand and finance Smitty Smith (pictured right) at Taylor's most popular restaurant Taylor Grocery (pictured top left). We traveled to Taylor in Rebecca's spacious new altima and arrived to a moderate crowd. Rebecca placed my last name on the waiting list and the hostesses seemed to be not amused. Not knowing I was with Smitty and Rebecca I overheard the hostess angrily saying,"that is Smitty Smith, his last name is not Bottoms, that is ridiculous". The hostess attended high school with Smitty and apparently was not the biggest fan. I quickly corrected the frustrated hostess and told her my last name was in fact Bottoms and no it was not a joke. After a stroll in the art gallery next to the Grocery and some talk time on the large porch we were seated in Taylor. Being Taylor experts, we all ordered the grilled catfish except for the newcomer who ordered fried... rookie. Anyway after a wonderful dinner we walked out to the car and quickly noticed a horse and carriage offering tours of the booming town of Taylor. How could we refuse? The tour features the southern living home, the new restaurant owned by Emeligh's in Oxford, and multiple churches. Although most of the scenery is beautiful, the owner and operator of the horse and carriage was the most entertaining. Colorful stories ranging in topics from the role of women in society to contraptions to trap horse manure unfit for the ears children and really most adults were freely told. So after the unique ride we left Taylor and went to City Grocery (pictured right) to enjoy more summer nightlife in Oxford.

On Sunday my saving grace Michelle traveled to Oxford to help her daughter pack and start her new life as an adult. All Sunday was spent packing up my bedroom and organizing my house. Yesterday was... wow quite a day. Michelle and I went to my new work (home of the tigers) and looked at my room. After a brief trip to Walmart to get cleaning supplies we went back to the Junior high and began to tackle the beast. The cleaning was unlike anything I had ever done. Some parts of the room had not been cleaned since the 1950s and the previous teacher left everything he had ever used! After several hours cleaning, sorting, and throwing away we began to hang posters, create bulletin boards, and really make the room my own. I am really proud of how my room looks now and am actually excited to start my job and do more work! After literally 9 hours of working in the classroom Michelle and I exhaustedly traveled back to Oxford and worked more on packing in my house. Around 7pm we could take no more and had to take a break for Mexican food and margaritas. After a much needed break we went back to the house and packed up the rest of the kitchen and as much breakable things as possible. Around 10pm we were at our breaking point and out of moving boxes so we stopped and began watching Knocked Up on HBO. Wow, what a day. I wish I could report that we were totally finished, but this is not the case. Although Michelle left Oxford this morning as I left for work, there is still much work to be done in the Turtle Creek estate, but I am more confident than ever that it will be finished. Lets hope anyway...



Focus on the Family: Ben (pictured right) is almost out of yankeeland! He is scheduled to leave Kansas City in the next week and he could not be more excited. His temporary Kansas City family left last weekend and told him he was to leave too. Poor Ben has been sleeping on the couch at a friend's house while he finishes his summer league. Although he really wants to be done, Ben is always a team player putting the success of his team first. In fact just 3 nights ago he ended a shut out show down at the end of the game winning the game for his team and prolonging his stay in Kansas City. There's no "i" in team...

Well that is all I've got to say. Enough right? For Natalie's News this has been Natalie-Corinne.