We Did It!!

I had an amazing time.  Matt had an amazing time.
And if everyone isn't lying to us - they all did too.

I don't know how many that were there will check this blog now, but if you do - Thank you for coming and making our day!
If you have pictures, I'd love to have some copies. 

Sarah B. Gilliam has some pics up on her blog.  Please pay no attention to my man-hands in the ring shot.
Thank you Sarah, Sara Beth, and Melissa - it was great fun!
http://sarahbgilliamphotography.blogspot.com/2010/05/laura-matts-show-at-cannery-ballroom.html
http://sarahbgilliamphotography.blogspot.com/2010/05/ringger-hudson-review.html

A real blog update about the house progress, complete with pictures will be coming soon.
And now....
Back to regularly scheduled programming (life, just a little sweeter.)

P.S. I was thinking that I'd change my first name to Ringger to avoid confusion...

Volunteer State

I'm so proud of Matt.  Usually I'm the one that takes care of our charitable causes but not this time. 
Matt made the decision last week that we do in fact have the time to volunteer.  There is no reason that we shouldn't.  We're young, able-bodied, and our house is fine. 
On Sunday, we headed over to ArtHouse, the East Nashville volunteer epicenter, to give some time.  We were sent to a house on Moss Rose which backs right up to the Cumberland.  I cannot even describe the war zone that we drove into. 
The houses were spray painted with "X"s from being checked for humans. 
The roads and grass were covered in dirt from the river being over them and then receding.
All the houses were being demoed: carpet pulled out, drywall cut out from belly button level down, kitchen cabinets gone, bathroom cabinets and sink torn out, couches, chairs, cushions, mattresses, TVs - All thrown into the front yards to be picked up by Metro garbage pickup.
Matt got a couple of pictures but even these don't really show the severity of their situation.

This is the front part of the yard. 

The remainder of the yard all the way up to the house is covered in stuff to be taken to the dump.

Obviously, Matt was moving when he took this picture but you can get the idea.  The back yard of this house was the Cumberland River.  Water made it half way up the walls inside the house.

We're still on the water conservation effort.  Both Davidson and Williamson counties are running off of one water treatment plant...which means showering every other day at the most, only unmentionables in the laundry, no shaving, and really adhering to the hippie saying, "If it's yellow, let it mellow.  If it's brown, flush it down."   The word on the street is that we'll have to continue for at least another week and possibly longer.

"Flood beards" like this are popping up all over town.

Nashville Floods.

It's serious here.  People are dead and I bet much of the nation has no idea what's going on b/c there is no national coverage.

This article says it best:
http://www.section303.com/we-are-nashville-4366

Here is a link to some photos:
http://www.wkrn.com/global/story.asp?s=12409920
And here:
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/05/flooding_in_tennessee.html?camp=localsearch:on:twit:bigpic

Matt and I came out fine with just some basement flooding.  Nothing a few 5 gallon buckets, a shop vac, and some heavy lifting couldn't cure.  Our biggest problem right now is the mandate to cut water usage by 50%.  Small potatoes when others have lost their homes, their cars, their loved ones. 
I know at least 2 people personally that lost their homes and are now in search of another.

Keep Nashville in your thoughts and if you have an opportunity to volunteer or give to the RedCross, please do so.

In other wedding related news, the Hampton Inn on 4th and Korean Veterans made it through without any damage that I know of...The water did make it up to 5th Ave. but downtown is a bowl and Korean Vets is on the upper edge of the bowl.  If anyone went another direction and booked the Hilton downtown on 5th, they will be closed indefinitely.  Let me know if you need other options.

See you in a couple weeks.
--Laura