We did a day trip to Chattanooga with turkey and all the trimmings in tow.
Early Thursday morning we picked up niece Danica from the airport, then headed straight north. Heather looked quite uncomfortable, and she happily gave us free rein in her kitchen for the day. Immediately after dinner, she was quite ready to have that baby. Any day now, Peep!
On Saturday, we gave Danica the grand tour of Atlanta. Unknown to any of us, the big game of rivals GA Tech and UGA took place at the very same time that we arrived downtown. We ogled, gape-mouthed, at the spectators enjoying their pregame tailgate parties; tents and piles of trash included. All we really wanted to do was get to Centennial Olympic Park. We did eventually, along with half of suburban Atlanta. After getting our fill of every variety of Coke's beverages at World of Coke, we proceeded on to that bastion of high taste and healthfulness, The Varsity Drive-In, home of world famous hot dogs! And hamburgers! Southern-style! Loaded with grease!
Later in the evening, we took in a candlelight tour of three of the historic antebellum plantation homes of Roswell, decorated for Christmas. It was cold and drizzly, but fun. Next stop, supper at Cracker Barrel, another southern institution. I'm sure by now Danica has had her fill of southern-ness.
This past week was Homecoming Week at KSU. Student Government, as a student organization, participated in the various competitions throughout the week. I helped make the banner, ran in the three-legged race, and played the part of Lumiere (the candlestick in Beauty and the Beast) in a lip sync. Overall, Student Government won fourth place.
Fortunately, the competition was held indoors, so we avoided spending the day in the 35 degree weather. It was held on stage in a 300-seat auditorium in a beautiful marble building. Competitors came from all over the US - California to Texas to New Jersey and Maine. Most were in the top two Amateur piping levels in the US, so the field of playing was fairly level. Each competitor was allowed about an hour in the tuning room before being escorted on stage in front of three judges and an audience. The pressure was intense; one little slip of memory or finger, and a competitor would be eliminated. David played beautifully, but he ended up not placing. Even so, his performance was one to be proud of.
