Genevieve Cranberry Book Society

What is the Genevieve Cranberry Book Society and how can I get in? These are some questions that may be going through your mind.  Well, the answer is this.  It is a book club comprised of by Annie, Jiffy, and Me.  Our hope is for it to be a fun, exciting, rich community of like-minded readers who love the written word—from classics to contemporaries and everything in between.  This might a bit ambitious description considering we just selecting our first month of reads.  We will pick two to three books for each month and plan a date for discussion.  At each meeting, we will serve treats to complement the book. I have a compilation of foods from around the world.  Sound familiar?  I must confess, our inspiration came in part from "The Finer Things Club" on the Office.  Through a little research on the subject, I have discovered our book club suggestions should come in three categories to satisfy different reading styles.  


According to litlovers.com the monthly picks should be separated accordingly...


   A Lighter Touch: book selections that delight,
   inspire or offer hope. Use these as jumping-off
   points to share your personal experiences.

   Wonderfully Written: book selections to engage
   you on a deeper level and stimulate both literary
   and personal discussions.

   Great Works: books that have stood the test of
   time. They often challenge us with a complex,
   sometimes darker vision of humanity.


Our club has sparked an exciting new interest for reading and hopefully will encourage others that take-up the hobby.  

Ferry Berry

I'm becoming more technologicaly inclined by the day!  Today my dad took me to get my very first blackberry.  In the Verizon store, I watched the newest James Bond and was in awe.  After much debat as to whether I would ever to able to figure out the little technological device, I decided I would give it a try.  My thinking was I could be completely connected to my work, friends, and family's network.  Just what I need, right? 

Once I got home, I immediately get up gmail, facebook, twitter and the work e-mail setup is still in waiting.  Not sure as to if I will be able to complete that one since I think it's going to need an enterprise activation.  The company's pretty peculiar on the access from certain devices.  As to wether this technology at your finger tips craze will be a lasting phenomenon or just temporary fix, for now I think it's pretty cool.

Mush! Mush!

Well, it's official.  Rollerblading season is here!  The fall weather is quickly approaching and with that comes the cool fall air.  It's not as enjoyable to rollerblade if it's too hot outside because of all the guards, pads, and helments my husband forces us to wear.  This is the perfect sport to challenge me and Matteo not to fall and kill ourselves and give the dogs a change from their usual walk.  It ends up being us holding on for dear life while the dogs charge full sprint ahead.  Today was Keb's first experience with the rollerblades.  Marley is a seasoned professional with the blades because we broke him in as a young pup.  

Matteo and I looking stylish in our safety gear.

After being pulled around the park feeling like I was leading a pack of sled dogs, the activity turned out to be a total success.  The only negative was that it began to pour down right before we were finished.  Both dogs are passes out not in the living room and should be worn out for the rest of the evening.  Mission complete.

Today I got the day off and those are always the best.  After working at least 50 hours a week, it's nice to have a day of rest to look forward to.  I was able complete my lists of highly important tasks, such as finish the newest season of Desperate Housewives with Annie, play with the pups, and take a nap with the husband.  Now to top the day off I'm taking some tips from Sandra Lee and making a berry cookie cobbler.  

Quite delicious I must say!

Don't get the wrong idea though.  I'm defiantly not a cook by any means.  It's just a special treat to end the day and the keywords to her recipes are SEMI-homemade. Yum!

Labor Day: Less Labor More Relaxation

What a relaxing day off!  I got to sleep in past my normal 4:00 am wake up and enjoy the day with the husband, Annie, and Ben.  This was the first day in a while that Matteo and I both had the day off.  We had big plans to bike the Virginia Creeper trail but woke up to a rainy morning.  Looks like we will have to save that adventure for another day.  Instead we all headed to Kingsport for a Labor Day cook out.  We had a blast chowing down on hamburgers and brownies.

Giving Marley goodbye kisses before I left for the weekend.

Now i'm back home in Knoxville for my first UT game of the year.  I'm so glad to be back sitting in my mom and dad's living room watching Oprah with my sister.  The Black Eyes Peas are on the show today, and they just had an awesome performance where they choreographed a dance for the whole audience.  If you get a chance, Utube it!  I love them by the way... Great CD.  Anyways, I get the day off today and then get to go spend a day at work in Turkey Creek on Friday for "Business College."  Tomorrow will be a big day where I get to learn about all the responsibilities I will be taking on when I report to my new position.  I am feeling combination of excitement mixed with anticipation.

Once I make it through the day on Friday, it will be time for the big UT game on Saturday.  I can't wait to see the new revived energy at Neyland Stadium that has come with the change of staff, not to mention the improved Jumbotron.  Rachel and I are headed out tonight to pick-up some new UT shirts to show our support for the Big Orange.  The games are always so much fun, and I hear they have made several improvements to the stadium.  There is even a Starbucks!  I will be able to get my daily near lethal dose of caffeine and my dad can chow down on his 10 smokey dogs. It's a win-win!  Go Vols!

Welcome Home Annie!

Annie has finally moved in!  This has been her 1st week here, and it has been full of trips to the movies, watching our favorite TV shows, and dinners out with the guys.  Annie also has a new best friend.  His name is Keb, and he is my chocolate labradoodle.  It's pretty hilarious to see Keb laying with his furry arm around her. 

 I know this picture is ridiculous, but I just had to add it.  I NEVER put clothes on the dogs, but this was a shirt of Matteo's that I shrunk with my wonderful laundering skills.  Don't worry; It was only on long enough to get a picture.

This past weekend I was off work, and I wanted to take full advantage of it.  Matteo and I went on a hike on Buffalo Mountain Saturday morning.  It was so nice to go outside and get some fresh air.  

Another exciting visit this week was from Jiffy!!  She got to come back to Johnson City for a camping trip with the Olivers.  Unfortunately, it rained on Saturday so the ground was all wet and mushy and it would have been impossible to start a fire.  We had to revert to Plan B... The Drive-In!!  Always a great option.  We got to see GI Joe at the State Line drive-in.  It was such a fun night, and I am hoping Jiffy will come back again soon from Knox Vegas.


Now as for the working life...
I am now well into my 4th week of my transition from college into the real world with a little process called "business college" for the company I am working for.  It has been lots of fun so far.  I am getting to meet lots of new people and cram as much information as I can absorb into a 6 week time frame.  It is challenging me to work at a high speed, take on many responsibilities, and be able to create a work/ life balance.  It is so exciting to invest in my own career and see that all that hard work from college actually is paying off.  


Matteo is finally getting to work in the hospital, and he is loving it!  No more boring classroom.  He comes home every night with a new story to tell about some crazy procedure he has seen that day.  It is some very long days, but he is getting to see so many fascinating things and experience what it's like to actually participate in the hospital.  Right now he is in his surgery rotation at the VA and Johnson City Medical Center.  I think he would have gone crazy if there was another year of school and tests.  I am very interested to see what he likes best and where he will end up!

Marley welcoming Matteo home from work

Why Blog...

This is a very exciting thing... My first blog ever. I think it this it will be a fun creative outlet to document what is going on and my comments on various topics. I am embarking on a new chapter in my life. I have joined the real world and am training for a job I think I will love. A blog will be a way to connect my working world with my family world and hopefully create something entertaining along the way. I read a marketing book last semester that placed a large focus on blogs. The name of the book is *Personality Not Included; Why companies lose their personality- And How Great Brands Get It Back. The book is written by Rohit Bhargava.
I became truly fascinated as Bhargave uncovered the reasons behind why I love brands with unique personalities. He also provides wonderful examples along the way. The book created a desire in me to own my own unique business someday in the future. It also created a more urgent desire to start building the Brand of Me. What better way to do this than with my very own blog. I hope those that read it will find it humorous, enlightening, and creative. My hope is to find a way to develop a "brand," use my personality, and take that brand from good to great. I want to understand how to use personality to stand out, and focus on something that is more than a signature. I have a passion for marketing and figured this could be a way to develop that into something that is unique, authentic, and talkable.



Well, here goes nothing....