Italy Girls Reunion

Every summer we have a "reunion" for our close knit group of 8 girls that were a part of the semester abroad in Ariccia, Italy in Spring of 2005. Everyone is now spread out all over the country; Kristen on the East coast in Charleston, Kristi way up in Utah, Jenny down in Louisiana, Netherland in Birmingham, Ashley W. in Auburn, Ashley S. in Huntsville, then me and Katie in Atlanta. So getting every one's schedule to comply for a weekend together is a bit of a challenge and unfortunately this year Katie and Ashley S. were unable to be there, and we missed them both dearly. However...this year we had two BABIES to add to the mix! Sweet little Evie Ward and precious Trey MacNeill. These two cutie pies were born 6 days a part in February, making them four and a half months old for their first experience with the "Italy Girls."

My Italy Girls are a blast! We've rocked out Charleston and Shreveport in the past, and this year we brought it closer to our roots, (no- not Italy, I wish!) and a little more tame, and reunited in Auburn to reminisce our college days. Friday night was fun at Mikata Japanese Steakhouse and board games after dinner. Saturday morning we strolled down College Street, taking tons of pictures in front of beautiful Samford Hall, did a little shopping at J&M and Auburn Art, then headed to Niffers for some lunch. Fried pickles, corn nuggets, queso and the endless bucket o' chips, not to mention burgers all around! We all loooove Niffers! One other "memory" of Auburn couldn't help but creeping in...the summer heat. We were melting out there, and the having the two babies with us was a good excuse to drive around the rest of campus instead of walking in 98-degree weather. It's mindblowing how much campus has changed since four years ago, when we left. The new Colisseum is amazing. Maybe our basketball team will win some games this year since they now have an immaculate arena in which to play. There is a new Student Union too, and fresh bricked dormatories all over campus. Auburn will always have a special place in my heart, and while it's sad that it's not exactly how you remember it, it is truly a beautiful place! Danny's going to have to fight hard for our (future) children to be Clemson fans because I will be buying Aubie clothes from Day #1.

On top of all the great memories shared about Auburn, we Italy Girls can pick up right where we left off from last time. We've gotten to know everyone's parents and siblings, and in the last year there were three new husbands added to the group. Therefore quite a bit of time was spent catching up with everyone while the babies napped. When they were awake we loved playing with them and learning from Kristi and Ashley, two wonderful moms who I will be calling a lot whenever it's my turn. Jenny's hubby, Jason, was kind enough to escort us ladies this weekend, taking pictures at our every demand, which is a lot, and helping pack/unpack strollers and carseats. We are hoping to get everyone, spouses and boyfriends included, on an Eastern Carribbean cruise next June, which would be an absolute dream!

Laredo's Saturday night

I returned to Atlanta Sunday night to go with Dayton, Pam and Christina Postell to see Kellie Pickler open for Rascal Flatts in concert. We were surprised to see it was their 10 Year Anniversary Tour! Gosh, we're old. They did a great job and the four of us really enjoyed it, but what really made it a fantastic evening was the great people-watching we got to do in the large country crowd! I can't believe I forgot my camera battery charging at home, you would have been amazed at what we saw.

Father's Day Weekend

I can confidently say that my dad is the best! As usual, he has demonstrated his selfless nature and his love for me by sacrificing his time and helping out with something he knows is important to us. Not only did he fly down in December, on his birthday, to help Danny and I renovate our kitchen, but this weekend, Father's Day, he came down to embark on another project. The Bathroom. He arrived at 8:00 on Friday morning and labored all day while we were at work. Saturday morning started early, at 5 am, and the construction lasted until midnight, when we figured our neighbors would kill us if they heard the tile saw any longer. It was a hard night's rest (which included my late night run to Kroger to use their bathroom) then back to work from 9am-5pm Sunday. I am extremely thankful that my dad and Danny get along so well and I enjoyed watching them work together all weekend. I am lucky to have two handy men willing and able to tackle these projects! They're both amazing.

We did take a break to treat my Dad to lunch at Uncle Julio's, a "must" every time he comes to visit (except on his birthday when we were working around the clock for the entire length of his visit), and then enjoyed a Father's Day dinner at The Linenger's in Alpharetta.

To summarize our project: we re-worked the plumbing to move the faucet up at arms reach, put in a new toilet, and re-tiled the floor and the shower. All of this took quite a few trips to Home Depot because literally everything that could have leaked or needed a replacement part did in fact require something we didn't have. Our new vanity top will be ready on Tuesday, the tub is being resurfaced Wednesday, then it will be time to paint (color will be determined once I see the top installed), tack up some trim, and enjoy our new bathroom!

Here are a couple pictures...stay tuned for the completion!

Before:

Progress from this weekend:

FINISHED!!! 7.11.10

A little Father's Day side note to the renovation. Our family dog, Rascal, is 14 years old, and while I'd like to believe he will live forever, he's showing some signs of aging. I could go on and on about dear old Rascal, and anyone that has ever met him knows how special he is. But this year for Father's Day I decided to give my dad a little keepsake of our delightful Mutt. For the first time since high school I picked up my pencils and started drawing. Are we too old for handmade gifts?

It was kind of funny, when my dad went to open his gift, I'm sure he felt the frame under the paper and thought it was a picture from the wedding. So then he turned it over to see Rascal and just started laughing...and said "I knew it would be my favorite kid." Haha!

Pretty Patty

Patricia Parris
June 21, 1935 - May 29, 2010


As I said in my last blog, Danny's grandmother passed away Saturday. These few days have been extremely bittersweet. For the last several years her mind had been anxious with Alzheimer's disease, and now she is in the comfort of our Lord and perfect in mind and spirit. However there are quite a few people who will continue to miss her here, evident by the supportive group of family and friends who have surrounded the Linengers over the last few days.

Danny delivered the eulogy at her funeral yesterday. He did an excellent job reminiscing on his family's favorite memories of Grandma, and described examples of her strongest qualities: selflessness, supportive, faithfulness and joyful.

Danny's mother was an only child, therefore Brad, Danny, Craig and Dawn were always Grandma's four "babies" and their love for eachother was so great. Grandma lived near them and even in their house for most of the kids' lives, got to take part in all sporting events, birthdays, holidays, family vacations, etc. While this makes losing her very difficult, the part that stands out most in my mind is how blessed they were to have her nearby for so many years!

I titled this entry "Pretty Patty" because that was her nickname at Plantation South, the assisted living community where she had been for the last year, up until April, when Debbie & Greg brought her back to their house to care and spend more time with her. I think her nickname was so fitting as ever since I have known 'Grandma', she has always had manicured nails and beautiful curled white hair. And even though she wasn't able to converse or know what was going on in the room, she always sat with everyone, a big smile stretched upon her face, looking so pretty like a true Southern lady.

Obituary, guestbook, and Alzheimer's Assoc. Memorial info at http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/atlanta/obituary.aspx?n=patricia-b-parris&pid=143247834&fhid=5305

Nashville

Danny and I spent Saturday in Nashville for the wedding of my high school friend, Leigh Ann, to her fiance, J.D. The wedding was at The Scarritt Bennett Wightman Chapel on Vanderbilt's campus and the reception at a fun restaurant called The Boundry. I was happy to take Danny to the city of Nashville, as most of our previous trips have kept us in the Brentwood area. Leigh Ann's wedding was a great time, full of dancing, good food, and catching up with a bunch of old friends. I really miss my high school group, and since my parents moved far away, I rarely get to see any of them, so I was thrilled to be able to spend the evening celebrating with nearly all of them! We even hit up SATCO on the way home, an old late night hang out.

And speaking of food, I think it's always necessary to embrace nostalgic restaurants when traveling "back home." We took two detours in downtown Chattanooga, both on the way to Nashville and the way home, to Sticky Fingers (for Danny) and to Lupi's (for me). I had somewhat forgotten about Lupi's, which is a little pizza place our tennis team used to go when we were in town for the annual tournaments. It actually holds great memories because that is the place we used to kick off freshman initiation each year, girls all dressed up in funny costumes! Lupi's has the biggest and best calzones imaginable. I got so excited telling Danny about them, and he did not believe me, but when that huge calzone was placed in front of him and he took the first bite, he quickly agreed! SO GOOD!

The Memorial weekend was saddened with the passing away of Danny's grandmother late Saturday night. While her health had been impared for quite some time with Alzheimer's, it never seems that you are ready for such news. Please keep your prayers with Danny and all the Linengers for the Lord's comfort. Patricia Parris's viewing is this evening from 5-8pm at Crowell Brothers Funeral Home in Norcross. The funeral is at 11am Wednesday at St. Benedict in Duluth.