Dogs and Decorations

During the night last night Brandon and I woke up to the howling of coyotes. Well, actually, Brandon woke up, then woke me up to listen with him. It's not unusual for us to hear coyotes and on occasion see them, just as I did one morning on my way home from the gym about 8 months ago.
This morning we stopped by my mom and dad's house to give hugs and kisses to my Grandma who was headed back to Rock Hill. I guess I still had coyotes on my mind, because as we started to turn onto Wright's Ferry I stopped. I said "Oh my gosh...there is a coyote. HE's HUGE!" And Brandon said, "What? Go that way, let's go see him!"
As we got about 20 feet down the road (in the opposite direction we needed to go) Brandon says "That's not a coyote, that's a german shepard."
He was right. Whoops....
Coyote-

German Shephard-

They are kind of similar....right?


I spent most of the afternoon putting up our Christmas lights! I can barely sit still waiting for it to get dark so I can check them out. Pictures will be posted if they look okay!
I think I finally talked Brandon into getting a real Christmas tree...even if it's just a little one. When we got married we did not register anywhere because we both felt like we did not need any more "stuff". So...some great family friends threw us a party last Christmas, kind of like a late reception for our wedding. They asked people to bring us an ornament for our tree. Which I thought was really clever and creative. So now we have like 100 ornaments....and it would truly seem ridiculous to NOT get a tree...even if we will spend most of the holiday season in Chicago.

Happy Thanksgiving

The Ryan and Bice family gathered this afternoon to celebrate Thanksgiving!!
This year's holiday was topped off with the extra seat at our table, Grandma Ryan or Grandma GG, as she is also known! The GG, of course, for Great Grandmother. And she surely is great! My Grandma will celebrate her 90th birthday in January and is as sharp and healthy as she was 20 years ago! She is a lovinng Grandma to 7 grandchildren(not including those brought in by marriage) and 6 great grandchildren! She is a true blessing in my life and one of the many things I am thankful for each and every day! It is always fun just being around Grandma, but I really like to listen to her tell stories about herself, and her marriage and about my dad and his sisters growing up. Today Grandma told me a little about when she and her sister played basketball in high school. She played in 9th, 10th, and 11th grade and was a guard. High school only went up to 11th grade then and it was not until the year after she graduated that they changed it to 12 grades. I was surprised to hear that she was a basketball player, but I suppose I should have known. I hope one day my children will be interested to hear the stories my parents tell! Today was definitely a day to be thankful for!

Brandon and I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving holiday! Sending all our love to those we were not able to see today!

Counting blessings!

Yesterday Brandon and I, joined by my mom and dad, and about 200 other volunteers at KARM, handed out Thanksgiving baskets and turkeys to the needy in our community. This is an event we have participated in for several years. Not only do you distribute the baskets and turkeys, but generally you help the recipients with these items back to their car. It gives you a chance to talk to the individual or individuals and connect on a more personal level. Sometimes you learn a little about their lives or what circumstances brought them to where they are today.

Working at Second Harvest we have seen such a shift in circumstances this year and this shift ties in directly with many of the stories I heard yesterday. ANYONE at any given moment can be just one pay check away from needing assistance. Whether it be an auto repair or medical bill, one week you can be fine and the next you might need a little help. Approximately 75% of the individuals we help at Second Harvest are working poor. People who get up each day, go to work, and do the best they can to support their families. And sometimes...that's just not enough.

There are many blessings in our lives. Ones that I hope I can learn to acknowledge on a regular basis. I am thankful for a husband who is supportive and makes me laugh, for a family that loves me regardless of my faults, and for friends who listen even when I babble! And I am thankful for the opportunity of service yesterday. I am grateful for the chance to connect with people I may not normally meet, for the fellowship of volunteers, and the gift of a family meal by KARM.

Please remember this holiday season how lucky we are for the blessings in our lives! And don't forget to tell those you love how much they mean to you!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

It goes like this....

Here is a little background into Brandon and I!

Brandon grew up in a little town south of Chicago called Essex. He is the oldest of three children, with two younger sisters Sara and Lindsay. Brandon grew up playing sports, but I think his favorites were baseball and football. He dabbled in basketball, but that was apparently enough to hold the reigning H-O-R-S-E title between us. I have yet to win a game of H-O-R-S-E against him, which disgraces me.
Brandon went to Eastern Illinois University and graduated with a degree in Accounting. In his words he "graduated in the half of the class that made the top half possible."
In 2005 Brandon moved to Knoxville, TN to continue working with his childhood friend at Metal Solutions. This business has since grown to recently include Knox Recycling.

And...now for me! I grew up here in Knoxville and am the younger of two children. My brother Matt also resides in Knoxville and is married with a son! I graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in Religious Studies and a minor in geography. I currently use neither in my occupation. I have worked at Second Harvest Food Bank for just over two years. It is a job that I feel good about every single day!

Brandon and I started dating in October 2006.
This picture is from the first time he met the extended Ryan family!

I found him to be my perfect match in almost every way. But, best of all, he makes me laugh! And I like to think I make him laugh. When we got married, he said "I DO" in his Christopher Walken impression (which isn't very good!) The picture below was taken at that moment!

Here are some of my favorite photos from our wedding!







Brandon and I are lucky enough to have a bond that started out extremely strong...and it continues to grow!
Some time in the future we plan to grow our family, but for now, we are the proud parents of Noah and Dixie, our fur babies.





So...there you have it...the Bice's in a quick nutshell!

Blog in progress!

Hi to all our loved ones and friends! Brandon and I will be working out the kinks in this blog shortly and posting a new blog very soon! So please stay tuned!