Top 5 things we have learned about the new loft.

Ok, so now that we have been here for a few weeks, there are somethings that we have discovered that are vastly different from our old house. (You may notice, that most of these Ada has been a key figure in them.)

1. If the dead bolt is not locked then Ada can open the door and get out. You will not know this until you hear the door slam shut. Prior to running out after her, make sure you unlock the door handle or you will be locked out.
2. This building requires more keys and door codes to enter than Fort Knox, but hardly none to exit, therefor, grab your keys on your way out to chase after Ada.
3. There is not a pantry in the kitchen, and the only place to store the food is under the island. This means that everything is eye level for Ada and she can go get what she wants when she wants it. (Like cheerios at 7am and bring them to you in bed so you have a wide awake baby and a box of cheerios as your morning wake up call.)
4. The knob to turn the shower on is a pull up on top of the faucet in the bathtub. This is easy access for Ada. So it's very entertaining for her to turn the shower on and off while waiting for her bathwater to rise.
5. The sun is bright. Our wonderful huge windows face west and at sunset we eat supper with sunglasses on. They are also an odd size which makes finding window treatments difficult.

As we continue to live here I am sure that there more things we will figure out. So far it's all been a fun learning experience!

Veterans Day

"In war, there are no unwounded soldiers."
-José Narosky Quotes-

We all went to the Veterans Day parade here in Knoxville. As always, I got emotional during the National anthem and Taps, but was able to hold it together for the rest of the festivities. Ada loved waving to all the people in the parade. I kinda wish she was old enough to understand the importance that this day holds for me and Adam, but at the same time, her innocents is just as joyful.
We were able to get small flags and she somehow knew what to do with them right off the bat. She loved waving them, then handing them to me, then getting them back and waving them again. I was worried that she wouldn't like the bands of the firetrucks, but she just waved, danced, and looked at them saying "wow" over and over again. Never did get scared. It was a great day. It was a great parade.

"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave."
-Elmer Davis Quotes-

Hello Knoxville!

Ok, grab a cup of coffee, this is going to be a long one.

So, I have been without internet for about 3 weeks now, and of course this has been the craziest 3 weeks to date. A short recap for those of you who are completely clueless on the details of the Johnson's life this past month, well, we moved to Knoxville, TN. Now, for a bit more detail on the ins and outs of it all.
We still have our house in Fayetteville. It has yet to sell or rent but we have our fingers crossed, of course, if it doesn't do something soon, we may be moving back to NC. Adam is working for Slamdot here in Knoxville selling websites while trying to get his new business, Bingham Johnson, up and running. I am in the process of trying to get into UT in January. I have an appointment next week with the admissions office to see what kind of red tape they can cut through to get me in. After talking with them and looking at our situation, we have decided that going straight into UT and taking an easy semester is better than me going to a community college first. Keep your fingers crossed, prayers and good vibes coming this way that all goes well!!
Now, about our new place. Guess what everyone...we live in a downtown loft again!! We are in The Emporium Lofts, which are only a few blocks from the UT campus and the World's fair park, not to mention the river as well. Ada and Bentley seem to be adjusting well to it all. Ada loves the elevator and the very long hallway we have that she can run up and down in. Surprisingly there are several children in the building. We know this, not only from seeing them coming and going, but apparently all five lofts on the 4th floor (directly above us) all have children and they all play in the loft directly above us during the day. Starting about 8:30 in the morning we hear the "thump thump thumps" of little feet running. We have gotten a kick out of it so far. I hope that once we get a little more settled and feel a little more adventurous, we will meet the 4th floor community and join in on the action.
Adam and I have enjoyed being able to load Ada in the stroller and go for a walk every night. We have set off in a different direction every time and have yet to overlap anything. So far we have discovered that there is not a shortage of coffee shops, pubs or restaurants downtown, and as an added bonus, very very few chains. There is also the historic Tennessee theater that is literally a few blocks up the street that is still in operation and has advertised several acts that we would love to see, i.e. Bill Cosby and the Imagination Movers (Disney kid show for Ada). We have already found a building that we want to buy and convert half of it into a home for us. It even has a little yard, the only problem is that it's 2.5 million and that is a "bit" out of our price range at the moment.
As we settle in more and discover more things, I will keep you all posted. I have added a few pictures of Ada picking out pumpkins for Halloween. We will change our numbers soon and I will send them out. If you have not gotten our new address yet, let me know and I will pass it along too.