"Get up, stand up ..."

Sunday concluded a big weekend for me -- a trip to Knoxville.

I like going to Knoxville because I get to see so many people. And this trip was no different. Papa was tired from working half the night, so mommy drove us there. It was weird to see him in the back seat napping with me. Never happens. But mommy did a good job of getting us there.

We made a quick stop by Misty and Dwight's house to drop off Macy, then headed to El Charro -- mommy and papa's favorite Mexican restaurant in Knoxville. We met up with papa's college buddies Jeremy, Clark and Travis, as well as Travis' fiancee Erica. I remember meeting everyone a long time ago except for Jeremy; this was our first introduction. He's pretty funny because he can talk my language. We had a great time at the restaurant -- caught up on what's been going on, talked a little football, etc.

From there it was off to Nana's house, and it was like Christmas. She got me a choo-choo train, some clothes and a walk-behind toy that I can push once I learn how to walk. Speaking of, it's almost like I can handle that now. I've realized I can pull up and sit on my knees, so there's not much to that. How much more can there be, ya know?

Anyway, I had a great time playing with Uncle Matt and Nana with my new toys. Nana's friends Tammy, Katie and Brianna came over, and so did Uncle Mark's fiancee Kinsey. So we had a full house and it was great. I, of course, was the center of attention.

From there we picked up Rene and headed to Golden Corral to meet Jane and Papaw and Ray. Great time hanging with the family, although from what mommy and papa said the food at the Corral was a little rough. I doubt we'll be going back there. I, meanwhile, had bananas and some of my Graduates puffs. So no complaints here. Again, I was passed around the table and got to hang out with everybody there -- a common thing these days.

Finally, we headed back to Misty and Dwight's house, where I crashed. I didn't even get a chance to hang with Lyndsey or Ashland.

Sunday I did get to chill with my girls for a while before we headed over to Jane and Papaw's house. I was so tired from the previous day that I slept most of the time, so it's all kind of blurry. Sometime after that we made it back to Atlanta -- again, slept.

I wrapped up the weekend with a big ol' healthy portion of mashed potatoes and carrots. Um ... yeah.

Can't wait for this weekend when I get to spend it all with Memaw and Paw Arnold.

Hudson W. Pate

What a week

It's Friday, right? Wow, this week has flown by, but it's also been rather busy.

On Sunday I went to church, came home and napped with mommy while papa worked then went back to church for Church Conference. Apparently I stole the show by interrupting Pastor Jamie, but nobody really cared.

Tuesday night was rough. We went to eat with our friends Jason and Kati and we stayed out a LITTLE too late. I mean, 8:45 ... come on moms and pops. I let them know that I wasn't too thrilled. Still, I had fun seeing the Gardners again and catching up. It was odd, though, because a lot of random strangers started talking to me: the lady at the table next to us, her friends, our waitress. And oh yeah, I met a girl. Her papa introduced us. She's a little older than me, so I don't think it will work out. I doubt I'll ever see her again.

Thursday, mommy and papa must have learned from previous mistakes. We met up with our friends Rachel and Nathan -- this time at 6:30. That worked better for me. And again, we had a blast just hanging out and chatting. Of course, none of them gave me a bite of the chocolate lava cake. Thanks.

So that brings us to here, Friday. This weekend I'm headed to Knoxville to see some folks and hang out with Nana and Uncle Matt. Looking forward to it.

Oh yeah, this week I learned I like black beans. I discovered bread and realized I could probably eat a whole loaf. Well ... maybe just a slice.

Meantime, here's some random pictures of ... guess who?