When I was eight something very exciting happened – we moved to Knoxville to the same house that Mimi and Papa live in now (at least for the next few weeks until they move to the lake house)!  I can remember being very sad because I had to say goodbye to all of my friends in Indiana, and I was nervous about moving to a new place and having to make new friends and start a new school.  Some of you have moved, so you probably know exactly how I felt!

There were several things that I remember being very different in Knoxville.  First of all, it was the first time I had ever taken the bus to school, because in Indiana we walked.  Uncle Allen, Aunt Leslie, and I all had to walk from Mimi and Papa’s house up the BIG hill (it seemed even bigger when I was eight), and DOWN the big hill to the highway to catch the bus at the neighborhood entrance!  Mimi would always have to rush us out the door to make sure that we had enough time to get to the bus stop before we missed it!!  Although I missed my old friends, we were lucky because there were a lot of kids in our neighborhood to play with, so we spent a lot of time outside and exploring in the woods next to Mimi’s house.

I was in the third grade, so I went to Mt. Olive Elementary school (that is the school that is right across from Mimi and Papa’s church).  My teacher’s name was Mrs. Grigsby, and I remember thinking that she was the oldest teacher I had ever seen!  She had very white hair and was not very tall, and all of the kids thought she was mean!  She was never mean to me (at least not that I remember), and I remember that she spent part of every day reading out loud to the class – I’m pretty sure that Charlotte’s Web was one of my favorites that she read.

Let’s see – I am 41 years old now, and was eight years old when we moved – so how many years have Mimi and Papa been living in the house you are sitting in now?  Did anyone get it right??  That is a great many years – ask Mimi and Papa to tell you their best memories of living at 3222 Jonathan Way!!  I hope you all are having a great week!