Small mountain

Driving back to the Tri-Cities from the vicinity of Asheville, this small mountain beside the Interstate attracts my attention each time. It is so cute! :3

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Train

I had been at my parents' house caring for them for the better part of a year, with only a couple of very brief visits in-person with Don. We talked on the phone for HOURS every night, and exchanged text messages throughout the day, but it wasn't the same as seeing his smiling face and feeling his touch. Then Mom acquired another Urinary Tract Infection and was hospitalized. Dad and I had been up there, spending about eight hours a day visiting her, and eating our lunch at the hospital. After lunch one day, I wandered outside to smoke and decided to call Don while I was outside. Several cars rolled past me during our conversation, as this is a popular time for family & friends to visit patients. One of the cars looked just his BMW and I spoke into the phone, "OMG, there comes a car that looks like yours!" Next thing I knew, the car rolled to a stop and I saw the great love of my life grinning at me as I stood there, dumbfounded! Never let it be said that this wonderful man has no idea how to transform me, through an incredibly romantic surprise, from a woman into a babbling idiot — he certainly did it that day! *swoon* We retreated into a very quiet, private corner of the hospital's cafeteria, got some food into him, and spent some time talking. Then we went upstairs to spend some time with Mom & Dad. Shortly before supper was scheduled to be delivered, we went back downstairs to his car to wind up the all-too-short visit and say our goodbyes. What a FABULOUS day this was! :) The hospital's cafeteria had a odd 'railroad' motif for their decor, possibly to entertain children who are visiting there. The train mural — with working light! — shown in the photo, below, reminds me of that wonderful, romantic visit.

©2012 Tiffany Reed

OPI

Don's car broke down on the Interstate near Fountain Inn, SC, not far from Greenville. I went to meet him and keep him company while we waited for the mechanic to arrive in the tow truck. Oxidized Polyethylene Industries, Inc. was right across the Interstate from where we were waiting, and I snagged this shot because of all the pretty lights. We sat there for quite some time, maybe a little over an hour, I think, because the tow trucks were backlogged. After the tow truck driver got Don's BMW going again, we were hungry so we hit the next exit for Pecan Waffles at Waffle House. It was crazy, but it was a little more time we had together! :) By the way, Oxidized Polyethylene Industries (OPI) is not the company that makes the fabulous nail polish — they make chemicals for use in the plastics industry.

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Plantronics® Explorer™

This was the Bluetooth that Don bought for me on eBay, just like the one he had, the Plantronics® Explorer™ 560.

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Food in Kingsport

There were/are so many good restaurants in Kingsport! The ones that come to mind, where we actually ate, are: Molcajetes (Mexican), La Carretta (Mexican), Cocula (Mexican), Milano's (Italian), Amato's (Italian, now closed, sadly), Pal's, Chef's Pizza, Fisherman's Dock, China Wok, Broad Street BBQ, Bone Fire Smokehouse (BBQ), Moto Japanese, Cheddar's, Rush Street Grill, Woodstone Grill, The Little Steakhouse... I am sure I am missing a couple. One place where I never ate was Purple Cow, but Don buzzed-through there sometimes to get their authentic Reuben Sandwich, which he loved! And then there are all the places in Johnson City! But that is for another day. LOL

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Pecan Waffles

Don loved the pecan waffles at Waffle House. We only went there two or three times because of his diabetes, but it was certainly a treat for him when we did. :)

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Sunset in the mountains

The sunset I saw in the mountains, driving back to Kingsport to care for Don.

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Décor

Dawn has a good sense with decorating, as shown by the greenish bulb in this salt lamp, perched on a bed of marbles. So simple, but so cool!

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Sillas

The chairs at Pelancho's Mexican Restaurant in Knoxville are so festive and cool!

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Moonbeam & Moondancer

We came up with names for the kitties. The one on the left was Toni's favorite, and was dubbed "Moonbeam" because of her mostly-white coloring. The tabby was my favorite and I called her "Moondancer" because of this timid little forwards-and-backwards "dance" that she did whenever she approached someone, which was adorable. The cats hung around so much that we started putting out some food for them occasionally. That is, until the management of the apartment complex sent out a memo advising all residents to stop feeding the stray animals. So, other residents must have been doing it, too. LOL

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Cars & cats

Toni made this photo at Miller Crest. The red car is hers, the green car is mine, and the two kitties are strays that hung around the apartment. We wanted to keep them, but couldn't, because of the stiff "pet fee" that the apartment complex charged.

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Carmen

Carmen also worked at the hotel where I worked. She worked the Front Desk during the daytime hours and handled most of the reservations. We also kept up with each other on MySpace, back in the days when I used that site.

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Bluetooth

Don tested a couple of different Bluetooth devices before he settled on the Plantronics® Explorer™. I think he made this self-portrait with one of those test-devices so he could see how it looked in his ear. I am so thrilled to have the self-portraits he shot. And Don really liked his Bluetooth devices. :)

©2012 Tiffany Reed

The Nomadz

This photo of The Nomadz, swiped from MySpace several years ago, is included here because Don and I saw them SEVERAL times over the years. They played at "Twilight Alive" in downtown Kingsport, at the "Blue Plum Festival" in Johnson City, and we saw them one of the several times they performed at Woodstone Grill between Colonial Heights and Kingsport, a great spot to catch live, local music. The young man on the left is the son of the gentleman on the right. All of the guys in the band are good musicians, and it was always a treat to hear them play! If you do an online search for them, note that there is another band using the name 'The Nomadz' out of Toronto, Canada. Here are some links to help: Nomadz on Myspace Nomadz on ReverbNation

©2012 The Nomadz

Greg & Tiffany

I think this is probably the best photo, ever, of Tiffany. Beside her is Greg, a longtime friend of hers. Greg was always just a friend, never a romantic interest, and shared a similar view of spirituality and life as Tiffany had. Don and I invited the two of them to dinner a few times, and we had a great time visiting, dining, and drumming together.

©2012 Tiffany Reed

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Tiffany

Tiffany (a.k.a. "Tiff2"), holding a friend's baby. I always liked this photo of her, made by the baby's mother. I'd like to know more about the mysterious man in shades, in the background... LOL

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Dilly's

Dilly's Curiosity Shop is, in my opinion, the coolest shop in all of Kingsport! The young couple who run the shop are wonderful people. This shot was snagged from their website before it was replaced with the updated photo that's there now.

©2012 Dilly's Curiosity Shop

Michelle

Michelle often drummed with us at Big Sisters. She, Tiffany, and I also drummed together at Metro-Kiwanis Park one time, which was a wonderful thing. We found a lovely little spot in the trees overlooking the monument, and enjoyed good energy, good company, and good drumming. Michelle was a self-described "tomboy" because she liked to work on cars. This was her pride-and-joy, a car that she had souped-up herself, turning it into a more powerful machine than when she bought it.

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Amanda, with King

There was a shop in Johnson City called "Big Sister's" which hosted a weekly Drum Circle. It was at that Drum Circle where I met Tiffany, Michelle, Big Dave, and many other cool people! Amanda was one of the owners, and a way-cool person, herself!

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Old Glory

American flag, dramatically on display at the James H. Quillen Medical Center, on the campus of the Veterans' Administration facility in Mountain Home, a section of Johnson City, TN. This was a frequent sight when Toni and I visited the VA for her appointments.

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Angel

When Wendy passed, she was in a public park. Her fiancé, Frank, told me later exactly where it happened. For some reason I cannot explain, I wanted to see it. So, I loaded a map of the area on my computer, located the park, and switched to an aerial photograph of the area. All of the things Frank described to me, in great detail, were clearly visible. Then I zoomed in to 'the spot' as Frank had described it to me, between two trees near the back of the park, next to the clearing beside the woods. What I saw sent chills down my spine. See the angel...? That is the spot where Wendy's spirit left this earth. Sure, sometimes we make ourselves see things, contort them to fit what we want to see. But sometimes I think they are there, nonetheless, and all we have to do is look and believe.

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Remembering Wendy

Wendy Wendy & Frank Obituary (click to enlarge)

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Silliness

And there was lots of silliness — and Silly String! — that weekend. :D

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Crown

The menfolk were crowned by the womenfolk. LOL Don looks so good in this photo! Don't forget that you can click on the photo to see it a little larger and clearer.

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Friends

seated: Asilinn, Wendy. standing: Don, Frank, Marci.

©2012 Tiffany Reed