The rescue

While Team Oakley was in Columbia, TN, running errands,  and getting a bite to eat...

When we came across quite the predicament...

He had lost control of his truck just seconds before we drove by. He was fine, but as Michael so intelligently put it, "I think he's stuck...."

Anther friendly neighbor pulled up to see if they could help, and Michael was there as well. 

Michael climbed in back to weigh down that side, and the other truck and cables and started to tow. 

And volia! Like nothing happened the fellow said thanks, we all got to our appropriate cars, and went on like nothing happened. 

It was quite the adventure, and we are glad it turned out as great as it did.

Thanks for sharing it with us!

Team Oakley 

Our new friend Scamper

So anyone who reads our blog knows that Team Oakley (especially Michael) has a love for kitties. So when Beka was driving into their driveway one day, and saw a tiny kitty scamper under the porch, her heart broke. We left food out for weeks, and saw the tiny fuzzy one a few times after that. But when it started to get cold, we stared to worry for this little thing, who we affectionately named scamper, as it kept scampering away from us when we tried to go near it. On a very cold morning, Beka was in the kitchen fixing breakfast, saw in her front window a tiny little scamper face. She bundled up and headed out for a rescue. It took hours of slowly getting close, scaring it, it scampering away, and coaxing it back, but Beka was able to coax her way close enough to pet scamper, and it was over from there. Scamper was her best friend! Michael came home and joined in the love. After the initial jitters, scamper as loving, playful, and very curious!

The little guy was checking out Michael's new toy.

Scamper was a calico, all white with back and orange blotches, as if a painter splattered them all over. 

After becoming friends, Michael got scamper into a carrier, and we tried to find a vet around town that would see this little bundle on short notice to make sure it was healthy enough to play with our two kitties in the house. We could not find one on the weekend, so we set up a little apartment in our bathroom, and waited until monday to get a kitty check up. 

It amazed us to see how affectionate this little stray scamper was! It was nothing but snuggles and love from this little fuzz ball, who seemed very grateful to be in a warm room with some fresh food and water!

Michael's parents came over to see the new little surprise, and they fell in love too. 

Scamper was quite fond of them as well :)

After an eventful weekend of cat capers, we got scamper into a vet and got her (which we were not sure if it was a he or her before) de wormed and a flea treatment. And as much as we would have loved to keep her, we felt two playful cats were enough (Beka especially felt this way, Michael would love to have 10!). Michael's sister, Rosanna, has one cat already, but is away from it the majority of the day. She took Scamper (who she later affectionately named Cali) as a playmate for her other cat, William. Cali loved Rosanna from the moment they met, and was quite fond of her fiancée, Cassidy, as well. 

It was quite the adventure, and it was an adorable one as well.

Thanks for sharing it with us!

Until the next one,

Team Oakley

Chili cook off and cute kiddos

Team Oakley was on a day date the week before Halloween, and we stumbled upon a festival in Downtown Franklin TN. It was a fall and Chili cook off festival!

We did not get to try any chili, but the smell in the Franklin Square was amazing! 

Though we were not aware of the fair, we were so happy we came across it! We are going to go for sure next year!

Along with the incredible chili scents wafting though the crisp fall air, there were many cute little things (munchkins and pups) dressed in all sorts of fun costumes. 

There were so many people there, and so many fun costumes! 

Princesses 

Super heros

This tall monster...thing...

caterpillar and lobster

My favorite of the show...the sweetest cupcake ever! 

And there were many fun things for the families to do. 

It was a terrific surprise for Team Oakley, and we can't wait to dress up and attend next year! Maybe Beka will even enter some chili in the cook off...we will see...

Until the next adventure,

Team Oakley

Carving pumpkins!

It's pumpkin time! It is a long standing tradition in both Michael's and Beka's family to find and carve pumpkins in the fall. This year team Oakley was counting down the days until they partake in one of their favorite past times!

Despite the fertile farm lands here in middle TN, we could not find a pumpkin patch! Beka lived up the hill from one in CA, and Michael lived closed to a few as well, and we both were gratly disappointed to not have a local farm to search and pick our own. So in lieu of a patch, we went to a super market and picked out our favorites. We chose pie pumpkins. 

We selected our tools, prepared our place, and got started! 

Michael had a little extra help on his :)

Beka drew on hers (an idea she had for weeks.... get it... pumpkin pie?) then she got to cuttin' out the guts! 

Scrappy just kept popping up to see the action! He was very curious with all the laughter, sights, sounds, and smells. 

This is how Beka's final design came out to be. Not exactly what was in her head, but still fun! 

This is what Michael's finished masterpiece looked like.

Beka: what is it:?

Michael: I don't know....

And even though we were done carving, Scrappy did not want the fun times to end :(

Here is the carnage. Beka separated the guts and the seeds for some good baked fun. 

If you soak the seeds and in water for about 10 mins, it separates the seeds and the pumpkin. 

After the carving, most people put a candle into their newly gutted pupkin, and enjoy the view...But Beka is not most people, and she could not wait to bake down those pumpkins into something wonderful and tasty. 

She halved them and preped them for the oven. 

They were baked until very tender, mashed, and eventually used in a wonderful pumpkin chili. 

She also baked the seeds. One half was savory with oregano, thyme, garlic salt, and season salt. The other was sweet with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and sugar. 

It was a wonderful day full of tradition, laughter, kitty friends, and cooking. What else could you ask for in an adventure?

Until the next one,

Team Oakley

Tornado season

Something that team oakley has not become accustomed to here in the south: Tornados. With the changing of the seasons, especially summer to fall and winter to spring, the weather is crazy! Last Tornado season was the flooding of Nashville, so whenever the rains come a'porin, we get scared!

This last set of storms came strong! The sky was black with the doom of impending storm.

It rained, it poured, and it blew part of our tree down!

Michael was home when it happened, and it just missed our bedroom window and the overhang on our front porch. No one was hurt, but it was a pretty gnarly reminder of the power of the weather.

It was quite the adventure, and we are sure as we live out here more, we will most many more weather stories!

Until the next one,

Thanks for reading!

Team Oakley