Tennessee Gathering, Day 3

Heather:
Highlight: Sleeping late. Or rather, laying in bed late. Once people started stirring at 6 am, it was a little tough to continue sleeping.

Highlight: Taking a shower with my Highly Organized Shower Kit. I thought of this BEFORE we left and got it all planned - a nice little kit of soap, shampoo, and such that one could blithely grab up while still wrapped in early morning mental fog without having to search through disastrous suitcases for needed items.

Lowlight: Forgetting to bring my towel along. Nuts. So much for my Highly Organized Shower Kit.

Highlight: A sweet person (Mary Kate, maybe? I couldn't see over the shower door) went and got my towel for me! Thanks, nameless one!

Raquelle:
Lowlight: Getting up and feeling fed up with the mess. Like, we're talking SERIOUS DISORGANIZATION trying to cram ALL THAT STUFF into an itty bitty 2-foot space. I can guarantee the dorm was designed and built by GUYS. I gave up. Just leave the mess a mess. Whatever.

:trips over pile of clothes:



Highlight: Using my lovely iron and ironing board to iron my clothes. See last entry. Don't want to look like I'm wearing shriveled-up saran wrap that accidentally got sent through the dishwasher, which happend to me JUST the other day and I pulled out this wrinkly messed up glop of goo and I'm like, who stuck the SARAN in the DISHW----

Heather:
We got it, Raquelle, we got it. Chill.

Raquelle:
:offended: I was just TRYING to EXPLAIN.........

Heather:
Well, STOP.

Highlight: Breakfast. Did we mention that they actually COOK the eggs the TN reunion instead of serving you runny gloppy goo? Very cool.

Raquelle:
GHASTLY LOWLIGHT: I was coming down the stairs and Josh came along behind me, deliberately singing, "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.........." I covered my ears and ran screaming in horror. :shudders: Terrible song. (It's a Southern thing, ask me later, trust me, you'll get an earful.)



Highlight: Jason C. stopped me briefly. "Ah, Raquelle," he began, "I know that when you all travel, you bring everything but the kitchen sink. My dress shirt for tonight is terribly wrinkled. Is there a remote possibility that you brought an iron that I could borrow?"

Hey, am I smug or what? Did I bring an iron? Of COURSE I brought an iron! :buffs nails airily:

(Jason has seen our set-up at reenactments, he knows whereof he speaks when he says we bring everything but the kitchen sink. :D)

I magnanimously offered to just iron the shirt myself, since Jason S. had already conned me into doing his too. But remember guys, next year it's $5 per person, unless you manage to be very ingratiating and can sufficiently bribe or flatter me. :D :D

Heather:
Highlight: Wandering into the girls' bathroom to brush my teeth and getting involved in fixing Beth Ann's hair for the day. Whereupon, approximately six girls immediately made appointments for me to do their hair for the dance that night.

Highlight: Greg and Jason S both insisting I needed to come and play softball. For a dippie blond with no skills in sports, that was kinda nice.

Highlight: Charging into the girls' dorm to get my tennis shoes and being informed of A Plot. Involving water balloons.

Entertaining Moment: Racing into the bathroom and discovering forty-leven girls all trying to fill water balloons at the sinks. Sometimes they didn't properly gage how much water a balloon would hold. Then an Instructive Moment ensued, wherein we all mopped water off ourselves and the walls.

DISCLAIMER: I was only asked to be the photographer. I did not, in any way, shape or form, participate in bringing, filling or launching said balloons.

Raquelle:
DISCLAIMER: (assumes Sergeant Schultz voice): I know nnnnnnnnnnnothing, I see nnnnnnnnnnnnothing....

I am totally innocent.



Guys, all I've got to say is watch your back when Emily and Trisha are around. Not only did they craftily have the foresight to bring the balloons (1,000 of them--yes, 1,000) they brought a nice big cooler to keep the balloons all happy in. Devious. I would never do something like that. Ever. Of course not.

And that whole thing about me feeding chocolate to the perpetrators when they got done filling the balloons? Yeah, I did it, but only because Emily and Trisha pinned me to a wall and THREATENED me. It was scary. I'm innocent, I swearz. You GOTTA believe me...



I'm thinking at the next reunion I'm gonna have to start taking bodyguards around with me. Emily and Trisha are one scary combo.



Heather:
Major Highlight: Riding in somebody's convertible PT Cruiser over to the softball field. We were following the Infamous Jeep, now loaded with only a moderate number of people. (Reports say that the park police had a talk with them the first day about how nine people are not supposed to fit in one jeep.) Riding in a convertible PT Cruiser with the top down with a bunch of friends with a, y'know, decisive driver is FUN.

Lowlight: Watching the whole crew start to turn the wrong way.

Highlight: Me saying tentatively, "Don't we go the other way?" whereupon someone in our car stood up and hollered at the Jeep, "TURN RIGHT!" So we did and arrived at the softball field without mishap. Am I an awesome navigator or what? :pats self on back:



Lowlight: Getting cold feet about actually playing softball in front of :gasp: EVERYBODY. What if I COULDN'T HIT THE BALL? What if I tried to run and tripped over my shoelaces and fell flat on my face? What if I tried to catch the ball and landed flat on my back instead, as Kamon so picturesquely did the day before? (I think he did it on purpose though.) WHAT IF I LOOKED LIKE A TOTAL BLOND IDIOT OUT THERE? These, and other penetrating questions filled my mind as I looked at all those hefty guys lining up for the teams.

Raquelle:
I didn't have any such penetrating questions. I just didn't go. Simple. :purrs: The only job I think I could handle in a baseball game would be umpire, because that involves being The Last Word, which is always cool.


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Heather:
Highlight: Having a good friend like Sara who said she'd do it if I did it. I'm SURE the guys were thrilled to have TWO goofy blonds playing.

Entertaining Moment: Watching Kamon and Jason S. choosing teams. I wish I could remember all the funny remarks. Sara ended up on Kamon's team and I was on Jason's. We decided that we sorta canceled each other out that way.

Highlight: Hitting the ball BOTH times I was up at bat! YEEHAW! I didn't hopelessly embarrass myself!

Highlight: Catching the ball the only time it came towards me in the outfield. YEEEHAW. Another non-embarassing moment!

Entertaining Moment: Facing Ben Paul as pitcher for the other team. When I was up to bat the first time, there was a great deal of hilarity going around about whether I could hit the ball. Ben had a good time pitching some goofball throw that had the ball arcing way up and then bouncing down at my feet. I rolled my eyes and politely asked if he could put it across the plate the next time. Whereupon, he solemnly promised to get serious (yeah right) and threw me good pitches after that.

Raquelle:
Okay, wait. I know I'm rusty on my baseball knowledge, but why was he throwing you GOOD pitches? I thought the whole point was to throw you something you couldn't hit?

Hopelessly confused. Whatever.

Heather: Yeah, but the pitcher IS supposed to put the ball over the PLATE. See?

Major Highlight In A Blond's Life: When I was up to bat the second time, Jason quietly asked me to hit the ball towards first base. I bugged my eyes and assured him I would if I could but made NO promises on my skill. However, Ben and I gave each other some cheesy grins and understood each other. Whereupon he gave me some good pitches and dadgum if I didn't hit that lil ole ball right towards first base! I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT. Cool.

Highlight: Watching the actual good players during the game. And the entertaining players. Like Kamon.

Lowlight: Our team lost. But Jason is an awesome coach. Really! I think everybody had fun.

Lowlight: Having to quit for lunch.

Highlight: Riding back in the Allison girls' car. You will not be surprised to know that they had bluegrass music playing.

Raquelle:
Awright awready enough the thports-thports-thports. You all had fun. Marvelous. Let's get back to the interesting part now.

Highlight: Finding my pwecious widdle sewing box amid my mess and bringing it down to the dining hall to work on a lace-and-froo-froo Civil War era breakfast cap and visit with people. Oodles of fun, you have no IDEA.

Highlight: Chatting with Mrs. Ferrar and Jo the Merry while working on my cap.

Lowlight: The youngest three Ferrar girls looked bored and lonesome.

Highlight: Dominos (dominoes? dominoze?) are a marvelous antidote to boredom. I fetched mine poste-haste. I also fetched what few shreds of chocolate I had remaining after The Perps (Emily and Trisha) starved and tortured me for it. Only one measley grocery sack full left. Alas. But I shared, like a good friend.




Highlight: Playing dominoes with the three Ferrar girls and several other cronies. We had a Highly Delightful Time and played until lunch time.

Heather:
Lowlight: In the lunch line, we were only allowed one cookie apiece so as to save enough for the dance that night. They even posted Bob to guard the cookies. He looks ferocious. Scaree. :iz dutifully scared:



Highlight: Bob, at my request, picking out the BIGGEST cookie for me. If you can only have one, you might as well make it count, sez I.

Raquelle:
You really did that? Gosh, what a greedy-gus.

Heather: You only get to live life once, y'know. Unless you're a cat. If I were a cat, I wouldn't be so worried about getting the biggest cookie, see?

Highlight (I think): Eating lunch with Stacy. He complained that last time I never did bother to eat with him, so this time Raqu and I made a point of sitting down across from him to badger him through the entire meal. When he started fussing at us about our tag team teasing, I pointed out that we were just doing as he asked and sitting with him at a meal. "I DIDN'T MEAN BOTH OF YOU AT ONCE!" he hollered. Man, some people don't know a good thing when they have it.

Highlight: Stacy (and cohorts) are always having fun "advising" Raquelle and I on our (non) love lives. So Raquelle and I decided to turn the tables and "advise" Stacy. "See," Raquelle said conspiratorily, "You need to flirt with all the girls so the ones who really like you will get jealous and hang out with you more." Stacy rolled his eyes and observed, "WHAT do you think I'm DOING right NOW?" Hmmm, good point.*

*Disclaimer: For those who don't know us or Stacy personally, we were JOKING. Stacy's just a nut, that's all.



Raquelle:
Highlight? Jason trying to hook me on metal--AGAIN. Didn't work. Never does. Gotta give him points for optimism....








Heather:
Devious Highlight: Wandering outside with my camera to be ready for the Great Water Balloon Caper.

Hilarious Highlight: Watching the moms keep a straight face and asking all the boys to line up for a group picture. The guys all went over to the railing to line up, whereupon we insisted the picnic tables were in the way and they needed to come closer to us (and, ahem, the balcony).

Highly Entertaining Moment: Watching the girls open fire from above with the water ballons. You never saw so many guys move so fast!



To their credit, the guys reacted very quickly. About half of them stormed towards the door to the balcony to race upstairs and return the attack. The other half started catching the balloons and throwing them back.

Reminder of Disclaimer: I was only asked to be the photographer. I did not, in any way, shape or form, participate in bringing, filling or launching said balloons.

Raquelle: I know nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnothing, I see nnnnnnnnnnnnnnothing........



Julie managed to get the second half of the Great Water Balloon Caper on video - here it is.



Heather:
Lowlight: As the guys slowly reassembled and the girls came laughing down from the balcony, the guys reminded us of something we sorta, er, forgot. There was a WHOLE 24 HOURS LEFT of the event in which they could get even. Oopth.

Raquelle:
Hey, I coulda told the girls that. But did they ask Raquelle, the Great Tactician for advice? Nooooooooooo. They just TIED me UP and STOLE my chocolate at GUNPOINT! FOUL FIENDS!!!!



(Do you like how the story is getting more and more embellished each time I tell it?)

Heather:
Highlight: Mom, Dad and I decided to go find some waterfalls and take a picture of them. After all, you can't go to Falls Creek Falls State Park and not get a picture of the FALLS. Since most of the group was going hiking/swimming/picture-taking at the falls too, we all sorta migrated together in forty-leven vehicles. Katie and Rachel Allison rode with us.

Highlight: Hiking to the overlook of Cascade Falls. Wow, what a drop! I am a dutiful person so I didn't even CONSIDER jumping. :makes no remark about other people's goofball maneuvers around 70-foot dropoffs:



Highlight: The swimming hole at the bottom of Cascade Falls was beautiful - and we couldn't resist taking our shoes off and wading for a while. If we'd realized how nice it was, we'd have brought swim suits.

Lowlight: Having to hike back UP to the top of the cliff to get to the swinging bridge that takes you across the falls to get to the hiking trail that takes you over the river and through the snow to Grandmother's house we gooooo.....

Whoops, sorry, got carried away there.

Lowlight: Walking across the swinging bridge after Dad. Dad has this thing about making swinging bridges, er, swing. Scary. But it's genetic, his dad does that too, I think they can't help themselves.

Highlight: Taking pictures from the swinging bridge... note Mrs. Reynolds waving to me down there.



Lowlight: Starting the hike up the ridge to go see the REAL falls. Half way up, I sat down. "This is as far as I'm going," I declared. Dad went a little farther and realized it was going to get really steep... and we had to get back for dinner... so we decided to skip it.

Highlight: Crossing BACK over the swinging bridge BEFORE Dad. :D

Raquelle:
We interrupt this nonsense with the Interesting Part, which is what *I* was doing.

I didn't go hiking to see the falls, partly because I didn't realize how nice and pleasant it would be. Hiking in the scenery and dabbling ones' toes in the water is bully fun. Clomping forty miles through hot buggy underbrush and saying, "Oh look, there's a SNAKE!" and "Why didn't I remember my BUG repellent?" (which is how most hikes go) is not. So, being the prim little girl that I am, I stayed back. Me and Joy Gardner and Jolie and Catherine hunkered down on a couple of bunkbeds and proceeded to solve all of the world's problems. Didn't take very long, pretty soon we started working on Mars. That took longer because that's where the guys hang out and guys are just..............odd. We had a Very Bully Time.



Highlight: Remember what a Great Tactician I am? I had strategically (and correctly) calculated that about an hour before supper everyone would return from hiking and sportsing and take over the showers. So, with much wisdom and forethought, I seized the quiet afternoon hour to wash my hair and redo it for the dance that evening so that I wouldn't be one of the luckless mortals vying for a mirror and plug-in at the last minute.



Highlight: My popularity suddenly increased the closer the evening got, when the GIRLS started wanting to borrow the iron. I instantly had lots of friends and was magnanimously glad to share with them all.

Heather:
Highlight: Arriving back at the dorms tired out and being served a yummy taco dinner! Did I mention we had some fabulous cooks?

Raquelle:
I was standing by Kamon in line for dinner. He was muttering things under his breath about girls who throw water balloons.

"You know," I suggested, "you guys could come off looking really good here. If you heaped burning coals of fire on our heads and got all the girls chocolate and flowers, you would seriously come out on top."

"That would be cool," Kamon admitted in his usual bland Tennessee drawl. Then he added with calm satisfaction, "But what we have planned is Way More Cool."

Uh-oh.

Prior to this, there had been a few lame attempts by the guys to plant plastic cockroaches in strategic places to scare the girls, but we girls saw right through that. Yawn. Gotta get up pretty early in the morning to fool US.



Heather:
Lowlight: Bolting my dinner and charging off to clean up and change for the evening. I wanted to hurry because I'd picked up a few more hair appointments to do! LOL

Highlight: Putting on my new dance dress. Unlike my darling sister, who loves to do things the hard way, I chose a simple pattern for my dress and made it in two days. :smirk:

Raquelle:
Yes, but my dress was more fun and....*cough*.....MUCH foofier. A lot of angst went into it--especially when I wrecked seven yards of tulle (that's netting, for the uninitiated) by a stewpid slip of the scissors. I HATE TULLE. Also, there was the time when I designed the first set of sleeves (the pattern was sleeveless, I had to make my own sleeves). The sleeves came out looking like an explosion in a corkscrew factory and made me CRY. :sniffle: But the end result was Dretfully Fun to wear. I felt bootyful.



Heather: Don't forget to give a cameo appearance to the sister who painstakingly unraveled all that corkscrew-explosion at the last minute so you could redo your sleeves. :ahem:

Raquelle:
Well, yeah, there was that. Luvs 'oo, sissy. I owe ya a mocha frappe. Wait, I just got you one today. We're clear. Don't ask for another one.

Heather:
Highlight: Helping folks with their hair. I had a BLAST! I believe I've found a hidden talent. Or maybe a hidden mania. Or maybe just something that shoulda stayed hidden. LOL Anyway, we had curling irons, hair spray and all manner of hair ornaments spread out in the bathroom as everyone did their "do."



In fact, I believe we were the Blessed Dispensers of All Things at this event. To the sickies, we dispensed liberally from our traveling apothecary. To the bedless, we dispensed bedding. And to the I-Lost-Something-Or-Others, we dispensed all manner of Something-Or-Others.

As we were working on hair, someone was fiddling with their outfit and said, "Does anyone have a safety pin?"

"Yes, we do," I reported. Whereupon, someone (I forget who) said, "You girls are just like our MOTHERS! You bring everything we forgot!" LOL

Raquelle:
Highlight: I picked up a few hair appointments myself, along with being the Official Lending Tree, as Heather said. I forget who it was that said, "The Sheens are like the go-to people for everything!" I felt special. Awww.......



May I herein remind you that sometimes it pays to bring everything but the kitchen sink? :smug: It's simple. My rule of thumb for packing is:

1. Bring it. Whatever you leave behind will be the one thing you DESPERATELY need. (If you don't believe me, try leaving something behind next time. Trust me.)

2. Bring extra, because everyone will want yours.

Wait, that was two rules. Does that make it two rules of thumb or one rule of thumbs?

Heather: Depends on if you're counting rules or thumbs. And in case you're wondering, you have two thumbs.



Raquelle: Anyway, I curled someone's hair (I believe it was Allison's), sprayed Julie's hair, put Elizabeth's up in a bun using my last four clips, lent a pair of knee-high's, lent a handful of safety pins, lent my lipstick and eyeliner, and dispersed brushes, combs, hairspray and curling irons with royal liberality.



Highlight: Throwing on my own dress and gussying myself up last minute. Thanks for helping, Mom!

Highlight: My dad set up our sound system stuff AGAIN. Thanks Dad!

Note: Now we just need to keep the masses' sticky fingers off of it.



Highlight: The gaggle of girls mincing their way to the dance floor. Everyone looked so pretty!



Heather:
Highlight: We were standing around, visiting with folks and taking pictures when Greg and Clayton suddenly raced up and absconded with our fans! Turns out they were planning their third picture with them. Am I the only one who thinks it's weird that guys need girls' props for their photos?







Raquelle:
Highlight: Sonia announced the first dance! I looked around expectantly but the guys standing near me had all vanished purposefully, one of them practically cutting me off mid-sentence. This is nothing new for many dance events and I tried to resign myself to being a wallflower. :pathetic little sigh:

Wait a minute? What's all the laughter? What's all the hooting and clapping?

I pushed away from the wall to go see what the ruckus was. OH MY GOODNESS! Kamon was right - it WAS cooler. The guys had each chosen a GUY for their partner, giving all the girls the cold shoulder, and were sanctimoniously and smugly making the ECD hands-four all down the line. REVENGE!!!! Nyah nyah!!!!



What a riot, I 'bout laughed myself sick.

After the laughter died down and the guys Made Their Point, they ditched their male partners and opted for the girls instead. They didn't really want to dance with GUYS of course. Are you kidding??????????




Heather:
Highlight: I had lots of fun, both with calling dances and dancing dances. I love to dance, because it's fun to move purposefully to good music. I also love to call, because it's fun to watch an entire roomful of people do exactly what I say (or try to). It's the hidden bossy side of me.

Raquelle: You mean the NOT-hidden bossy side.

Heather: Quiet, poopsie, it's MY turn to write.

Highlight: Every time I decided to sit out a dance, I got asked to dance anyway.

Lowlight: This made my feet HURT.

Highlight: But I never had so much FUN making my feet hurt!

Highlight: The Fleming family, who lives in the area, came by for the evening and brought a huge tray of yummy crackers, cheese and meats. I went over and loaded up, both hands full.

Lowlight: Jason S. asked me right then to dance the Physical Snob. What the heck to do with the chow in my hands? Jason, fortunately, sensed my problem immediately and was full of kind concern and helpful advice. "Eat it, eat it, stuff it in," he commanded. "We gotta get in line for this dance."

Lowlight: Trying to follow Jason's advice. Let's just say it wasn't ladylike. But hey, we got in line for the dance!

Highlight: Dancing the Physical Snob with someone who knows how to look really snobby. Maybe it's that upper crust Virginia snootiness?

Raquelle:
Highlight: Did I mention I had this terribly foofy swishy dress?

INTERRUPTION!!! And now, from your ONLY decent talk radio station, WD40, we bring you the LATEST 2010 election coverage!





















The excitement was almost too much for some people. Some just remained on the fence. Others started ANOTHER thread about Ron Paul in the "Politics and Government" subforum.

Raquelle
Lowlight: I was dancing a (crowded) version of Road To Spencer when suddenly pandemonium ensued. The dancing stopped! Popping and hissing noised filled the air! What the CLUNGE??????????????

Oooooh, those horrible finkish guys! Silly string? They DARED to interrupt a FORMAL DANCE with SILLY STRING????

Let's be clear. I have it on good authority who thought this up. Take a good hard look at him. Emily and Trisha, next year you know who to go after, okay? Stop holding me up for chocolate and pick on this character:





Item: I was in a "parable" skit once where I was the designated Victim Of Unkindness, manifested in nearly an entire can of silly string being sprayed all over me at close range. This made me feel like an old pro at the stuff. Drawing upon this pro experience--and also being serendipitously close to the open door--I simply whisked up my skirts and vanished outside. Poof. Nyah nyah nyah, missed me, missed me!!! Thbthbthbthb!!!!

:iz smug:

I know the guys are dying for a reaction, so I refuse to give them one. I mean, any more than I already have. All I gotta say is, if you try it next year, for the sake of the silly string dust that gets caught in one's HAIR and on one's RUFFLES, save it for the practice dance not the real one. No really, okay? For the other girls, I mean. Remember, it MISSED ME. Nyah nyah nyah, missed me, missed me! Thbthbthtbthb!!!!!

Highlight: Wasn't it funny that the GUYS then had to spend the next 15 minutes sweeping up the mess they made? :D




Heather: Alright, Blog Hog, let somebody else get a word in edgewise. Or even lengthwise.

Highlight: At the break in Road to Spencer, while the guys were cleaning up, the youngest Ferrar girl came over and emphatically reminded me that I had PROMISED to dance with her and it was now TIME. So, um, I did the second round of Road to Spencer with her. :D

Highlight: While waiting for Road to Spencer to start again, Little Miss Ferrar pointing to every unattached gentleman and saying, "Go tell that man to dance with my sister." It's nice to know that when I retire from bossing the world, there will be someone to take my place. :D

Raquelle:
Highlight: Calling dances and BOSSING TEH VORLD!!!

Heather: Waitwaitwait, that's MY JOB. But you can help. :iz magnanimous:

Raquelle: :ignores Heather:

Highlight: Did I mention my deliciously foofy dress?

Lowlight: Losing my balance and stepping backward on my deliciously foofy dress and tearing a big dangling gash in the netting layers. :sigh:

Highlight: I had half-expected such a thing, knowing both the nature of the fabric and the nature of myself. So (naturally) I brought a Very Thorough Sewing Kit with me. Foisting the calling of the Virginia Reel off onto Heather, I whisked into the girl's dorm. With some help from Emily, who happened to be on hand, I tacked the tear back together. Thanks Emily! But really, you owed me, after beating me up for my chocolate.

Highlight: Emily and I ate some MORE chocolate.

Highlight: My makeshift fix worked beautifully and the tear didn't show.

Highlight: I whisked back into the dance hall and caught most of the Reel with Nate F.

Highlight: HSAers are cool. Thanks to all of you who graciously danced with the trio of "younger sister" Ferrar girls.

Lowlight: The last dance. *sniff*

Highlight: Hanging around jabbering forever and a day.

Lowlight: Going back to the dorm, trying to get organized in my MESS. Hey, that's how this day started....

Lowlight: I had KP the next morning, which would cut into packing time.

Lowlight: After wandering around aimlessly in the dorm trying to brush my teeth, find my slippers, and eat a snack, I finally made it to bed around 2:00 a.m.

Heather: I didn't bother with any such nonesense as trying to get organized in the dorm. I just threw on some comfy clothes and wandered down to yak with whoever was on the patio. Raquelle kept popping down and saying, "HEATHER! It's time for BED!" But hey, it was the last night so I figured I'd just stay up as late as I wanted and sleep in the car on the way home. So I did.

End of day: Crashed into bed at 2 a.m.



Stay tuned for Wednesday...........maybe.