Why Southern Small Town Life is Great

When we moved to Jasper several people asked, "How do you like living in a small town?" Answer: WE LOVE IT! We were both born and raised in small, rural, towns but moved to the city for a few years while we were working on our education. And although we loved the convenience and culture of urban areas we've found there are many reasons to love life in the small town. Here are some of our favorites:


1. It only takes about 5 minutes to get anywhere in Jasper (the downside is there just aren't that many places to go!)


2. Wal-Mart is never crowded no matter what time it is. I used to dread going to Wal-Mart like going to the dentist for a root canal, but here its never that bad. Sure, they still need to learn to open more than 2 registers at any one time but that's just the Wal-Mart phenomenon. At least no one is pitching a fit in line or running you over with their cart.


3. Small-town, Southern people are infinitely more polite than anywhere else in the United States....lots of maam's, sir's, darlin's, sweetie's, honey's, and sugar's.


4. Housing is MUCH cheaper here....you get a lot more for the money! We hope to buy a house in the next few years and about fell over when we scanned the real estate ads. It was a nice change from big city prices!


5. There are no traffic jams (could be due to having only 3 stoplights in town) and road rage is kept to a minimum (at no point is the speed limit higher than 45 mph within Jasper city limits). There's also a smaller chance that I'm going to get lost while driving somewhere. My GPS (Gertrude Garmin) isn't seeing as much action as she did in Kansas City.


6. The waiters at local restaurants know you by name and can usually remember what you order. For example: At Rafael's they know I always order Chicken Slouvaki with Cucumber Dip on the side. The waitress doesn't even have to ask me anymore! I love it!


7. I know my postman's name (Paul) and the sweet little lady who own's the drycleaners knows Kevin and has his order ready when she sees him walk in. What service!


8. Locally owned shops have unique items and low prices. I can get a Marion County Warriors t-shirt at Maximum Sports (on the town square) for $7. I can go to Hammers and get anything (really, I mean anything) for CHHEEAAPPP.


9. The sweet tea is perfection (ask Kevin!) and we lay claim to come of the best cooks anywhere. About once a week Ms. Maudie cooks for some of the older folks in town who can't get out and she always bring a plate over for Kevin and me (its a pastor perk). Her meatloaf may be the best thing I've ever put in my mouth...this is coming from someone who usually feels that the word "loaf" is bad news when attached to "meat." People here take eating seriously and since its our main hobby we fit right in.


10. We've made so many friends that we're getting to know well because life is slower here...people have a little more time for each other. For example, some of my little church girls were in a wedding on Saturday and they came by the house just so I could see them all dolled up with their hair curled. A weekend never goes by that we aren't invited to dinner with a family we know, out to look at Christmas lights, or to one of our kid's sporting events or school plays. Very few rush off after church on Sundays. Everyone sticks around a while to talk and catch up on the week. If your car breaks down, you need a new doctor, dentist, or hairdresser, or your house needs fixing there's always someone who "knows someone" that can fix it for you.


We realize small town life isn't for everyone but we like it. We like it because we're loved by the people here and we love them back. Come see us and you can experience it yourself.


Now we know why Andy loved life in Mayberry,


Mandy

We're Bad at Taking Vacations

Back in November Kevin and I had planned to go and visit Dollywood with some of our church folks during the Christmas season because its beautiful and we hadn't ever been. So we set the date for the weekend of December 19th and were anxiously awaiting a few days off in Gatlinburg. Our friends had heard rain and cold weather were coming and decided not to go but Kevin and I were determined to have a couple of days of relaxation.

We left home last Friday morning and the rain was pouring so hard all the way to Knoxville we couldn't hear ourselves think! Once we got past Knoxville the rain turned to dense, wet, snowflakes. Gatlinburg was beautiful in its white winter-wear; however, a semi had jack-knifed on Ski Mountain Rd. and we were unable to get up the mountain to our condo. Making the best of winter's cruel joke, we rented a hotel room on the main drag in town and went in search of dinner. I usually make fun of Kevin for packing everything we own "just in case we get stranded" I have to admit I was glad he packed my gloves and snow boots! The snow kept coming and we had about an inch on the ground by dinnertime.

Our dinner at the Brass Lantern was disappointing (sadly misused plastic greenery, over-cooked steak, and funky tasting Diet Coke). And just as we were paying for the overpriced fare the power went out ALL OVER TOWN...not so much as a "Don't Walk" sign flickered anywhere in sight. All the shops shut their doors for the night and the place was completely deserted! You would think they'd never seen snow before. AND IT WAS ONLY AN INCH! I was more than a little annoyed that Mother Nature was winning with so little effort.

So, we debated what to do and trudged back to the car through the slush so we could see if our hotel had electricity. Unfortunately, our room was like a cave...cold and pitch black. No one knew how long it would take to get power back because a tree was down somewhere in the national park. Instead of waiting out the cold we reluctantly packed up by flashlight (yet another handy item Kevin insists on keeping in the car) and headed back to home-sweet-home in Jasper. After an unsuccessful hunt for ice cream (Hush! It IS an appropriate comfort food regardless of weather) and a 20 minute detour to a Cleveland Starbucks we made it home by 10:30pm and got to sleep in our own bed.

Oh well, it was a good try. Next time - to the beach....less chance of snow. But then again they do have hurricanes.

I hope your holiday travels are more successful. We're headed to Georgia on Wednesday....and it better not snow!

Mandy

P.S. No pictures....because we weren't there long enough to see anything picture worthy...and it was dark. Really dark.

The Hamburger Chef

Have you ever wondered if you might be the owner of a secret talent that not even you know you have? I don't have any glaring talents so I kind of always hope one day I'll wake up and be able to draw beautiful, life-like pictures, sing like a female version of Josh Groban, or craft Martha Stewart right under the table. I'd even settle for being able to solve the Rubics Cube or complete an entire crossword puzzle in the Jasper Journal in ink. I'm still looking for secret superpower...however, I have discovered Kevin's hidden talent (other than mopping - he is wonderful at mopping and vacuuming)....

He is an AMAZING hamburger chef. Now anytime we're having burgers for dinner he takes over the kitchen. All I have to do is put the french fries in the oven and get out the ketchup! This all started recently when we had watched one too many episodes of Man vs. Food on the Travel Channel and he watched the host attempt and succeed at eating a cheeseburger with 12 patties and 12 pieces of cheese (Yes, its his backup plan if this pastoring thing doesn't work out). While some might think eating that much is just plain ridiculous it actually makes for some interesting late-night television. Anyway, the inspiration was instantaneous. Immediately after that Kevin decided to try his hand at being a Burger Artist and while the results were delicious...the initial burger making process was hilarious. I really never thought I'd have to explain that using the actual lid for my skillet is much more beneficial for the cooking process than laying a cookie sheet on top of the pan. Then again I have to remember that in cooking years he's still a baby. :) I don't have his recipe exactly right (because its different every time and we don't measure stuff very often) but we'll give you the gist and you can try it at home with your own unique twists:

**NOTE** We're not responsible for any accidental weight gain or broken New Year's resolutions created by the following recipe.**

1 lb 80/20 lean ground beef

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Big dash of hot sauce (or more if you like it spicy!)

Big dash of worchestershire sauce

Form your beef into 3 big patties (or in our case 2 Kevin-size ones and 1 - Mandy size one) and put your skillet on medium high heat so it sizzles when you put the burgers in. Let it sear well on both sides then turn down the heat and put a lid on your skillet for about 5 minutes. Add your favorite toppings and some french fries and you'll be set! Enjoy!

Expecting a call from Throwdown with Bobby Flay any day now,

Mandy and Chef Kevin

O Christmas Tree...

The Monday after Thanksgiving the Christmas tree went up. This is our first year to actually have a tree and I was determined it would be a real one. Mom always has a real one and I love the way they look and smell. However, I'd have to drive to at least Chattanooga to find one with no guarantees of finding anything better than a Charlie Brown special. So, I went ahead with this cute little fake one loaned to us by friends. Its only about 5 1/2 ft. tall so I can reach the top. It turned out pretty! I had no idea we had at least 5 "Our First Christmas: 2005" ornaments. (Its a good thing or our tree would be naked). I had fun pulling out the ornaments because I remember when I received or made most of them. My favorite is a red ball ornament I made at Brownies when I was six....its definately covered in multi-colored glittery, six year old handwriting. I don't have many other decorations in the house, but the ones I do have I love!


We also had snow last Saturday. I was surprised because that's unusual around here...AND...I thought I left that all behind in the great Midwest. It wasn't much and it was all melted by 10am...kind of pitiful really. The kids around here get so excited. It seems so unnatural to me to not grow up playing in the snow on snow days. Not to mention, their snow man making skills are just plain sad.



I hope you're enjoying the holiday season. We're approaching the 3rd Sunday in Advent and Christmas is less than 2 weeks away! All of our Christmas shopping is done as of yesterday and it feels good not to have to rush at the last minute. I decided this year that I would not stress over gift buying because the fabled "Perfect Gift" simply does not exist. Instead I'm enjoying the Christmas movies on the Hallmark channel, listening to Christmas music, and searching for good holiday recipes. I hope you are able to take some time and relax this season too. May we not get so busy in our going that we miss Christ in his coming.



Happy Holidays!

Mandy and Kevin

Tree and Nativity

The stockings were hung by the flatscreen with care, In hopes that Saint Nicholas soon would be there....(ignore the vitamin commercial)

First Snow

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wow!...look at that...I'm only 1 week behind. Holiday miracles really do happen! Last week we celebrated Thanksgiving in the Knight household. This year was our year to spend it with my family, but instead of us traveling to Indiana - my family made their way to Jasper this year. We thought it might be fun to try something new and it was really nice not to be the ones on the road for the holiday. Mom, Dad, Kate, Lee, and Jacie arrived at about 1pm on Wednesday and stayed until Saturday morning. Wednesday afternoon we spent getting settled in and doing a little hiking at Foster Falls and down the Fiery Gizzard Trail (I KNOW...that's the best name for ANYTHING you've ever heard. What can I say...we do things up right here in East Tennessee). That evening we all went to dinner at Rafael's...the local pizza, pasta, burger/anything else you could want restaurant (Don't knock it til you try it...). Thursday morning we started cooking. A friend of mine smoked our turkey (I wasn't brave enough to cook my own...baby steps folks) and another couple in the church had brought me a delicious Honey Baked Ham so the meats were taken care of. Lee, Jacie, and Mom helped fix all the trimmings and by 12pm it was time to dig in. I didn't get any pictures of us stuffing our faces...partially because that's not flattering and because I was too busy shoveling it in myself. After we could hold no more (we didn't even have room for pie until the next day...GASP!) it was nap time. Once our food had settled we went back up to Foster Falls to hike off some of that turkey and stuffing. We had no idea how out of shape we were until we were hiking back up...yikes. Lee was in heaven...he LOVED hiking. I fully expect he'll grow up to be a forest ranger, Smokey the Bear impersonator, or environmental forestry engineer (lets hope for the last one).

Although she liked climbing rocks in the woods, Jacie had been waiting for Friday to roll around because that was the day we planned to visit the Chattanooga Aquarium where she could see Nemo and Dory from the movie Finding Nemo. The aquarium is great for both the young and young at heart and we all had a good time....That would be a terrible understatement for Jacie....it made her day! Lee and Jacie (okay, the rest of us did it too) petted and fed sting rays and sharks. They had a great time in the butterfly house too. I was just trying to capture those elusive Kodak moments and make sure no butterflies were harmed in the process. When I put Jacie to bed that night I was playing with her hair and as she was drifting off she was still telling me, "I love giant turtles, and fish with pink fins, and the sharks....". When we got back from the aquarium Lee and Dad headed back to Foster Falls without us girls to climb things and stand too close to the edge of cliffs...(you know stuff that would give Mom a heart attack). That evening we played several games of Uno Attack (I was the proud winner of at least 2) whick included healthy doses of heckling, harrassment, and good-natured ribbing. Let's face it...board games aren't much fun otherwise. Everyone was worn out by the time we went to bed. Saturday everyone got up for breakfast (Jacie gets up at 5:30am so it doesn't take long before we're all up :) and then they headed back home. The Thanksgiving holiday was great...I would definately do it again! We missed seeing all the rest of the family (grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, and my sister Emily and her family) but sometimes its nice to shake things up. They (and you!) are welcome to come visit any time...me casa es su casa. We hope you are having a wonderful holiday season with your family and friends! Check out our Kodak moments below.

Next post....the Christmas tree.

Love to all,

The Knights

Kate and Jacie....they got their fair share of the pretty genes.

I said pretty genes...not smart ones. Just kidding...Nurse Kate is the brain in the family.

He's a 10 year old boy...what did you expect when I said "Say cheese?"

Lee and Jacie: typical sibling behavior. Someone is almost always screaming and hanging on for for dear life....unfortunately its usually Mom :)

My tiny kitchen staff....my apron covered her whole body.

She makes a mean Green Bean Casserole

Lee: excellent at chopping celery but he draws the line at onions

Anything that resembles a chicken leg is fair game at the Knight house

Favorite post-Thankgiving meal activity

Foster Falls from the overlook

Dad is up on the rock and Jacie is the pink spot on the right..you guessed it...she was headed up to see Dad. No way.

It was way easier going down than coming up

Jacie - Wii Fishing Champion of the World. She can work that thing better than I can and she doesn't know how to read yet.
Petting the sharks and sting rays

Must be sweet

Is that the face of excitement or what?!!!! She had been walking up to EVERY butterfly just waiting for one to land on her....made her day.
He may not show it but Lee was as excited as Jacie when one landed on him

I think the crab was bigger than Jacie

Checking out the fish