A beautiful day

I woke up early on Saturday morning to take my car over to the Toyota Dealer for routine maintenance as the mileage on my car climbs due to frequent trips to Knoxville. After I dropped my car off, mom picked me up and were soon joined by dad and Amy at the ihop on Lovell Rd. for a breakfast feast. It was at this point that Amy and I realized that we had done the unthinkable: we forgot mom and dad's anniversary! Our waitress overheard our conversation and at the conclusion of our meal she brought out a chocolate chip pancake wrapped around ice cream with whipped cream and sprinkles on top as a free anniversary dessert. It was delicious, but did not make up for our error. Next year we will do something truly special.

After breakfast I went to Kohl's to get a dress shirt for Easter (and a tie to match!) and then followed Amy and mom around briefly as they too were looking for new Easter apparel. I picked my car up on our way back towards my parents' house as it was ready far earlier than predicted. I drove home for a minute or two and then met Elizabeth and Dustin at Fudrucker's to finalize some wedding business. It was really good to see them both, and I realized how much I miss hanging out with them since I've left town, etc. With a contract signed and a deposit collected, I picked mom up at the house and then we drove out to Amy's to meet up with her and Samus. We all piled in the Altima and headed downtown for some walking and potential shopping at the Mast General Store. The weather was absolutely perfect as it had been for the two previous days as well. We walked down the street to see and hear many different things. There was a street preacher barking out the truths of the Bible on the corner across from Market Square. I usually try to listen for a bit when I see this, but due to time constraints, we kept walking. Also, becasue the puggle doesn't know then meaning of the word wait (or hold on, sit still, be patient, etc...but then she wouldn't be a puggle would she?). We ventured into the Mast General Store where we were introduced to the store's mascot, an overweight pug named Jupiter. I had to chuckle to myself as I wondered if the dog was named Jupiter due to it's immense size or due to its astrology sign. I will have to just wonder as it would be rude to ask such a question. We perused around the store for several minutes, but most of my time was spent in the lower level with the hiking supplies and outdoor apparel. I showed great restraint and did not purchase anything, but believe me when I say that I wanted to purchase a lot of what I saw. After leaving the Mast General Store, we continued our walk down the sidewalk towards the Tennessee Theater in search of the bricks in the sidewalk that bore the namesake of all my grandparents. We eventually found them and then made our way back to the parking garage, stopping along the way to take some pictures for Amy's facebook page and carrying Samus over the grates in the sidewalk as she is deathly afraid of falling in.

We stopped briefly off at G-mom and Papa's to say hi and let them visit with the puggle. Then we made our way back to our respective homes to do various tasks. Mine included laundry, picking up stuff at Walgreens and then making a traditional trip to McKay's. I had some CD's to sell back and was curious to see what new treasures had come in. I was tempted to purchase a book on the Golden Age of Advertising featuring page after page of ads from the 50's and 60's, but I realized that no one ever comes to my apartment so why would I need a good coffee table book for people to look through? I passed on the book this time, but if it is there next time I go, I will probably not be able to refrain. I made my way back home and waited there for a bit grabbing some food and awaiting a phone call from Hickey to let me know when I could begin helping his "friend" move. I eventually made my way back over to Amy's around 7:30 to play some Wii Sports with Amy, Laura, and Jon. It was such fun, and every time I play I realize more and more that I will eventually have to buy my own Wii so I can play whenever I want. We played a variety of games until 10:15 when Hickey called to say he needed my help moving the big stuff.

I drove down to the "friend's" apartment which was conveniently located on Pleasant Ridge not far from Amy and Jon's house. We loaded up several large pieces into Hickey's truck and prepared for a trip out to John Sevier Hwy to unload it's contents. I rode there with Hickey's "friend" and was introduced along the way to a group called Rehab. They are basically a mix of Papa Roach, P.O.D., and Linkin Park. I loved several of the songs and will undoubtedly purchase the album sometime soon. We arrived at our destination and unloaded everything without any major problems. There were some tight spaces to carry things through the halls, but with Hickey and my vast moving experiences we handled it quite well. We dropped Hickey's truck off and realized we were hungry so we next found ourselves at the ihop on Merchant's Dr. I never thought I would be going to eat at an ihop twice in one day, but it was well worth it. Hickey and I spent the majority of our time making his friend laugh uncontrollably. We also were surprised when we saw Clay, Amber, and another friend of theirs walk in to sit at the table next to us. We told jokes, were way too loud, and probably annoyed the staff at times, but when you are at ihop at 1:30am what do you expect? We departed from there and I went home to crash. It was the first time in a while (with the exception of my Charleston trip) that I have been up past 2am. I must now sleep to be awake to fully experience Easter Sunday!

Meditation of the day: Psalm 27:7 "Hear my voice when I call, O Lord; be merciful to me and answer me: