Zoo & Car Show

On Friday afternoon we went to Wet n' Wild @ Emerald Pointe. It was great fun but unfortunately we couldn't take any pictures of the rides. We went from about noon until 4:30 p.m. and the weather cleared up and got sunny with temps. probably in the low 80s.

I had fun playing with all the animals. I can't tell which cat this is. Weezer was a lot of fun to play with because he is so young and has lots of energy.

Weezer trying to get the toy. I stayed up later than everyone else playing with the cats who never ran out of energy.

The Iverson's house where we stayed from Friday, July 13 through Sunday morning July 22. It is shaded nicely so it is hard to tell what the weather outside is really like. It also made it easier to sleep in. The week was a blast and went by way to fast.

Here is a rare picture of the whole family. This is at the Ashboro Zoo on Saturday afternoon. The weather was great for the adventure. It was low 80s for the high and low humidity. Notice Carrie's Red Sox shirt that she got earlier in the week. It is a jersey for Jason Varitek. Boston, New York, and Toronto have all won 3 straight games.

Two rhinos from up close.

Here is the long distance view of the rhinos and elephants. The zoo is very spread out with lots of animals to look at, and too many 2 see in 2 hours time.

I liked the 3-D pictures on the walls. There were lots of different ones.

A different pictures of polar bears.

In the shadows behind the rock stands a black bear. He was pacing nervously along the whole time and it was hard to get a good picture of him.

Here is the rock Grant climbed on and and others attempted!

After the Zoo on the way home we spotted a Car Show. It was my first one to see since August in Mt. Vernon last year. There were tons of nice cars. How is this for my dad's next station wagon?!

This was of special interest as the Iverson's used to have a car very similar to this but one year different.

Another classic car with nice whitewalls.

An American muscle car, just my personalized car on Need for Speed Carbon we played during the week at home! I'll be hopefully posting more pictures of the 2 week trip north earlier this summer later this week. Today I've spent a lot of time signing stuff for Hamilton County for Hardy Elementary.

Job Hunt Over

This week has flown by here at Carrie's parents in Winston-Salem, NC. I will still be here until Sunday morning when we drive back to Highland and I pick up my car and drive back to Collegedale. I accepted a job at a public elementary school in Hamilton County called Hardy Elementary. They have around 670 students and the school looks fairly new. I will be starting sometime next week. After the Interview at Orlando Junior Academy they offered me the job of Physical Education and After-School Sports Director, but I decided to stay closer to family and friends and move back to Collegedale. I am excited to be teaching at the elementary level. I did part of my student teaching at Wolftever Creeek Elementary which is also in Hamilton County and really enjoyed the age level and the enthusiasm the students have. Look for another post later with pictures of the school and gym. When you walk in the front door of the school, you see the gym right in front of you through glass doors. The trip from the Nashville Airport home last Thursday night to Interview on Friday morning was definitely worth the time.

Baseball Fun

Here are 3 cats on top of a bookshelf that is at least 8 or 9 feet off the ground. They can jump pretty high. The only name I know is Wheezer in the middle. There are 8 cats and 2 dogs here that have been a blast to play with.

I got to Carrie's parents on Friday, July 13, and here is some great entertainment with the PS2. Carrie and Grant are battling away on the Need for Speed.

Taco Bell before the game, where I only had a drink before and then 2 bean burritos after the game.

During the 1 1/2 hour rain delay at the game Carrie and Grant and I went down and saw how the teenagers who were playing the game entertained themselves during the delay. Probably the average age of the players was around 19. They fielded terrible and combined for 5 errors, 20 runs and 30 hits. Johnson City (Cardinals) played Burlington (Royals). The game was classified Rookie League, which is below Single A League.

Our seats at the beginning of the game, where we stayed for a total of about 2 innings. I caught a foul ball and so did Grant during the game down the foul territory on the right field line. Then we played catch with the baseballs we caught and one of the balls rolled right into the dugout! No one would get it for us so Grant yanked open the gate and went in and got the baseball back!

Before the game Carrie showed some pictures to Ken, Jaclyn, Stephanie and Renee. It was a lot of fun to see the Fords all together. I hadn't seen Ken and Renee since last summer at Nosoca eating out. It felt almost like a family reunion! We went shopping before the game for a little bit at the outlets.

I went shopping with Carrie this afternoon in Winston-Salem. I found some nice jerseys, but I haven't bought them yet anyway. And Carrie finally has a Red Sox shirt now! To find out whose name is on the back, call her and ask! Look at the sky after we finished shopping.

This is right before the first pitch of the game. Ken noticed I wasn't wearing a shirt from Canada. Just for the record, I wore a Toronto shirt on Saturday, a Blue Jays shirt Sunday, and now another Toronto shirt today! Carrie says I probably have one Canada shirt for every day of the week.

Here are Jaclyn, Stephanie, Grant and Carrie down the right field line watching the game and waiting for a foul ball. The Royals ended up edging out the Cardinals 12-8. I was cheering for the home state Johnsin City Cardinals. Before the rain delay, they were behind 7-0 after only 2 innings. And they actually climbed back within 9-8 before falling behind. Since I've gotten here we have also gone to Stone Mountain sliding down the rocks and plenty more fun stuff I don't have pictures to show on the blog. I will be staying here until Sunday, July 22. I have been home in Collegedale a total of 1 night since Sunday, June 24. It has sure been a fun and relaxing summer. Look for a terrific blog update from my mom on Sunday, July 23, as they will be getting back from their cruise on that day.

2 Country Tour in Progress

Well, this time I don't have any pictures to post because I haven't been home since June 24 and I won't be back to Collegedale again until July 22 at the earliest. I also left my camera in my car at Highland!! I went to visit Carrie at Highland from Sunday, the 24th, through Thursday morning, June 28, when Carrie drove to the airport early to fly to Buffalo, NY. I met my parents there and we walked around Niagara Falls before driving up to Toronto, ON. We were in Toronto and Oshawa from Thursday evening until Monday afternoon when we left. We went to Centre Island in Toronto Friday and took tons of pics. of the Skydome and Air Canada Centre and CN Tower (which will be posted later). Then on Saturday we drove to Oshawa and hung out all day and went to a picnic on Lake Ontario Saturday night. Then Sunday, Canada Day, we went to Monica Strom's wedding and reception and then stayed at Curtis's that night.
Then on Monday afternoon we drove down to Plymouth, MI, in time for my dad's birthday on Tuesday, July 3. So we had over relatives and had a nice birthday lunch after dad, Grandpa and I went golfing 18 holes! We were ready for lunch after that. Yesterday we went shopping and to Aunt Anne's for a grilled lunch and today we are about to head to Comerica Park for an Indians vs. Tigers game. C.C. Sabbathia vs. Justin Verlander in a match-up of 2 potential starters for the A.L. All-Star team in the All-Star game on Tuesday in San Francisco. I'll put up pictures later after I get back from the tour. I will be going to Family Reunion in Kalamazoo, MI, for the weekend and then flying early Monday morning to Orlando to interview at Orlando Junior Academy until I fly back to Nashville on Thursday. Then Carrie and I are going to her parents place in Winston Salem for about a week. What a fun trip!