Happy Birthday Aiden!!!

I had given a call to my dad, Mike, to check up on him. He was doing well and was out for lunch with my sister and her kids. So, I got to wish Aiden, who is now three, a Happy Birthday!!! Also talked with Summer and Tate who told me about their Christmas.

Back to Work

Only for a day! Now, I'm back on vacation. But this time at the house.

Back in Town

Got back in town by mid afternoon. Rested until I heard from my Dad, Steve, who was in town on his way back to SC. We had not eaten so we met him at the Cracker Barrel for some dinner. Then, headed back to our place to chat for a little while. Got to give me him his Christmas gift to open!!!

The Day After Christmas

We ended up sleeping in this day! I think I was finally worn out from all our activities. Had a late brunch. Portia made pumpkin pancakes and a root beer syrup. Took a afternoon nap. Woke up and chatted with Rachel and Gordon who were back in town. Headed out to dinner at Tomato Head with everyone. It was a neat and trendy little place which happen to be located very close to the theater we planned on going to that night. Gene and Portia came with us to see a movie, Did you hear about the Morgans ?. This movie had Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker. We all agreed that it started out very slow, but it later picked up with some funny parts. Our movie rating: Not a great movie, but okay! Went back to the house, chatted some more around the fireplace before heading to bed.

Merry Christmas

Woke up Christmas morning to see that Santa had left a boot print in the fireplace! Portia and Gene made us breakfast - sausage, eggs and biscuits. After breakfast, we started getting ready to go over to Leisa's house. Got to visit and exchange gifts with Leisa, Steve, Elisabeth and Eli for a little while. Then, we headed back over to Gene and Portia's place. Exchanged some more gifts too. Portia had made some yummy appetizers, meatballs and spinach/artichoke cheese dip, for us to snack on while she prepared for dinner. Sipped on some red wine and then a crantini especially made by Portia. Leisa and Eli came over briefly. Of course during this time, Michael showed Leisa some old videos of Elisabeth that were too funny. By early evening, I had made all my phone calls to my family. Not long after that our dinner was ready - Chilean sea bass, grilled vegetables and homemade mashed potatoes. Yummy! With full tummy's, we settled down on the sofa to watch a movie as the day came to an end.

Merry Christmas!!!!!

Christmas Eve

We got up to get ready to board the dogs. They were so excited, so they must of known they were going for a car ride! Got the car all loaded and were ready to get on the road, but the husband was missing his wallet. After we tracked it down, which was in his office at work, we were finally able to get on the road to visit with some of my family. Picked up Chick-fil-a to eat with Mike while we chatted with him for awhile. Then, we headed to visit Chris who had my niece and two nephews. They were all so excited! The kids had gifts for us that they wanted up to open, which was very cute. They (my niece) made her uncle a keychain and her aunt a bracelet. We let the kids open the gifts from us and of course that meant we had to play. So out came the play dough!!!! After we finished we headed to my sister's place to drop off her gifts and to visit with her before heading out. She gave us lots of pictures of the kids which I can't wait to put in frames. About 4pm we were finally on the road for our final destination. The weather was really windy and the roads were slick from the rain. Once we got out of the wind gusts the ride was a lot less stressful. Made it to Knoxville around 8:30pm and were ready to eat some dinner. Portia had a roast with potatoes and carrots. Yummy! Later on Elisabeth arrived from her event and we watch old videos of Elisabeth and Michael. Portia also made some yummy pomegranate cosmopolitan - strong but good. Only needed one of these and I was going to sleep well!

Elisabeth's MTSU Graduation

Friday afternoon we headed to Murfreeboro, TN for Elisabeth's college graduation from Middle Tennessee State University. Upon arrival and changing for dinner, we headed to Elisabeth's place to check it out and take a few pictures before going to dinner. We had dinner at B. McNeels with some of her family and friends. Afterwards, we headed back to the sports bar in the hotel for a few more drinks and festivities! I headed to bed by midnight, but others were up much later. Graduation was a 9am in the morning. Parking was insane and the weather was cold and rainy, but we made it in time. Ceremony lasted about two hours and then we got to see the new graduate!!!!! Took a few family photos before she had to head to Atlanta for a wedding.

HR Holiday Breakfast

Went into work for the HR department holiday breakfast. Even though it was my off day and the weather was really bad, I was glad I made the effort to attend for it was really good. The theme was around the American Idol and the different departments sang holiday songs which were judged by the HR Director, his assistant and someone from training. Many laughs that morning!!!!

Comp Holiday Party

Our department party was at the boss's new house. He had his awesome cheese dip, cookies, brownies, holiday petit fours and some Grinch drink. We played a round of Dirty Santa and we do not hold back when it comes to stealing someones gift! Many laughs there!!!

Shopping Together

This weekend my husband and I got to do some Christmas shopping together. Not done, but got a good start. It was nice having him along to help me and drive me around cause the traffic around the mall was CRAZY!!! At the mall, we were about to enter Belks where we could hear loud music playing and some woman yelling into a microphone. Turns out Steve Madden, the shoe designer, was there to sign autographs if you purchased his shoes!!!! I wish we had the time to be a part of that madness!!!

Holiday Party

My husband's branch and another branch held their holiday party at our house. This was technically the first party we have ever hosted since purchasing our home. We had a nice turn out of guests. There was fajita bar, ham, turkey, fruit, vegetables, cheese/crackers, desserts and drinks. After eating, there was a brief game of Dirty Santa played. My husband was thrilled to take the Krystal's gift card from one of his employees!

Painted By U

For our Christmas gift, our boss took us to Painted By U to paint our own ornament. It was a neat idea and something different. I did a large ceramic ball shaped ornament which I painted red with green polka dots. Hopefully, it will turn out pretty!!!!

Dinner With Steve & Ellene

My Dad, Steve, and Ellene were passing back through Alabama on their way to Atlanta. We met up at the Macaroni Grill for dinner. Then headed over to our house so they could see our Christmas Tree. Got to show them the video from Summer's Christmas Concert too.

Christmas Concert

My niece was in the school Christmas Concert on Sunday. As a member of the band, the beginner group, she played her clarinet. With the use of the video camera we were able to see her very clearly performing her part for the four different songs performed. Glad we could make it and we are very proud of our her!!!!

Salon

Saturday afternoon I had a hair appointment. As the stylist was wrapping up, she wanted to try a new technique with one of the new toys, aka a really fancy curling rod. This technique with this fancy tool gave my hair a wavy look that is currently popular.

Tree is Decorated

Saturday morning, I finished the lights on the tree. I had actually started this during the week but ran out of lights and didn't get back to them until the weekend. Then, I was able to move on the best part - adding all the ornaments as Christmas music played.

Back to the Hospital

I found out Thursday that my step-dad was having to be readmitted to the hospital due to an infection with his hip replacement. After work on Friday, my husband and I headed to the hospital to visit with him for a little while. Luckily, one of his Christmas gifts had arrived and I was so excited about it that I took it to the hospital.

Christmas Tree

Sunday afternoon we picked out our Christmas tree from one of the local Boy Scout troops near our home. Now I just need to find time to decorate!!!

Surprise

I got a call from my dad, Mike, to say that he picked up some wine for Mikey's mom to sample. She has been talking about learning how to make some wine. He brought her some Alabama muscadine wine and a blackberry wine to try. To our surprise he also had gotten my husband and I a really nice humidifier for our basement. Looking forward to see if this help with our mold issue in the basement.

New Moon, Again

Sunday we arranged to meet my sister, her friend and my niece at the movies to see New Moon. My husband and mother-in-law also came along to see the movie. This was my second time to see the movie. I still believe that Twilight was better, but I enjoyed the movie. Looking forward to seeing the next one this summer!!!!!

2012 - The Movie

Saturday night, Longchai and I headed to the movies to see 2012. It was pretty good. It reminded me of the Day After Tomorrow movie.

Iron Bowl

This year they moved to Iron Bowl to Friday. Of course, I was at work! Thankfully, Jack had a radio at his desk and gave me updates. My husband also called when Auburn scored so quickly. Got home in time to watch the last half of the game. Auburn didn't win, but we put up a good fight and Alabama definitely had to work for the win!

Thanksgiving

This year we had Longchai come in from St. Louis, MO for the week of Thanksgiving. I believe this is our first Thanksgiving with her as a married couple. My husband took off Tuesday and Wednesday to do most of the food preparations, as we were hosting lunch at our house for my family. He did a wonderful job making nuts & bolts, meranges, truffles, breakfast casserole days before the turkey day! On Wednesday night we had a slight mishap. Michael likes to do a brind for the turkey. Usually we put the turkey in a bucket in the fridge, but this year he switched to a bag. I was outside with the dog's potty break, but when I came inside I found an upset husband (lots of cuss words), tons of water (maybe four gallons) and a missing mother-in-law from the kitchen (later to be found in her room). Apparently, when they went to put the bird in the fridge the bag popped open and that was the start of a HUGE mess!!!! I'm not sure how may towels, paper towels and swiffer wipes I used to clean the kitchen floor and the basement, but never again will we use a bag!!!

Thanksgiving Day was a lovey day. The weather was great. Most of the prep work was done. The house was clean. Table was decorated with my new "pumpkin" colored linens. The turkey was done on time. Mike was the first to arrive. He along with Summer's help made pumpkin pie, pecan pie and his awesome dressing. Then, Chris arrived. Jasmine was out on the deck and was so excited to see Chris pull into the drive. And finally Cara, Summer, Tate and Aiden arrived. We ate around 1pm.

After eating, the kids were outside play with sidewalk chalk, balls, and running through the yard. Thanks to my sister for capturing such great pictures of the kids. Not to long after we finished eating, Steve and Ellen arrived. Due to change of plans they were passing through from South Carolina on their way to Louisiana. This is probably my first Thanksgiving with Steve as an adult. Glad they were able to stop by due to the circumstances.

Later on in the evening, Summer and Tate got on our computers. Summer was checking her social networking sites. Tate was typing and playing some games. Tate did tell us to be quite due to him trying to concentrate on the game! Aiden was getting the dog toys out of the basket. Michael and Chris were playing games in the living room. At some point in time, I remembered that I had those rubber band bracelets. I gave them to Summer, who was so nice enough to share them with her little brothers. They were a hit with the kids. Tate asked me to get some more. I will have to see what I can find to give them for Christmas. I think we wrapped up the festivities around 7pm, which was good cause my husband and I had to work the next day.

New Picture

Ordered a new picture for the kitchen.

Book Signing

Well, the instructions were to arrive before 4pm or you will forfeit your spot. We even asked Books-a-Million to make sure that was correct. I worked a half a day and then headed to the mall. I had lunch with my husband in the food court, before he had to head to the airport to pick up his mom. After he left the waiting began. The event was from 4:30-7:30 pm. I did go outside to see if I would see Sara Palin enter the building but I never did and I didn't anticipate seeing her tour bus either due to her being in NC earlier in the day for a book signing. While, I waited I chatted with several different people. My husband and his mom, who is visiting from St. Louis, came to the mall to see me for a little while. Unfortunately, I did not get my Going Rouge book signed by Sarah Palin. They stopped at armband number 1300 and mine was 1338. I was sooooo close!!!! I didn't cry, unlike others, but it was overwhelming to stand there all those hours and to not get her signature. They did pass out a pre-signed signature that one could put in the book. All said in done, I was back home by 8:30 pm ready to eat some dinner and go to bed - my feet were hurting by this time!

Armband for Book Signing

This morning I headed to the mall to get a numbered armband for the Sarah Palin book signing which is taking place on Monday afternoon. I got one, but according to the store her team is only guaranteeing the first 600 people. I'm not in the first 600 group, so I'm in the group of 400 who might get their book signed based on time and schedule. I will be keeping my fingers crossed that I make the cut tomorrow!!!! This is my first attempt at a book signing event.

Friday

I took the day off from work. Slept in a little. Got up and starting getting ready for my day of shopping. Right before I got ready to leave, I took the dogs out to potty. As I was outside with Auburn, I had a man approach me from our drive way who initiated the conversation with a "Well, well, well are you the lady of the house?". He was a little creepy and I didn't like the way he approached me. Turns out he and his crew were doing work at our neighbors house and he wanted to see if he could grind up two of our tree stumps. I wrapped up the conversation with him and returned back to letting Auburn potty. To my surprise, I see a man with this equipment come from the back of our neighbors yard, along their fence and into our yard via my flower beds!!!! He drove this machine up through our yard to get back to the front yard of our neighbor where he was hired to do work. As he passed through our yard this old man gave me a wave as I stared in disbelief as to what I was seeing. If wasn't like he accidentally came into our yard. He clearly was in the wrong yard, but I guess it was the easier route to get where he needed.

I did make to the mall by midday. It was decorated for Christmas and the holiday music was being played in the stores. I got a few ideas for Christmas as I walked around. Picked up a few items that I needed for myself.

When my husband got home, we headed out to the Macaroni Grill for dinner. We were pleasantly surprised to see one of our missing bartenders, due to health reasons, was finally back to work. The usual crowd was there too. We did meet two new people that we had not spoken to before and had some interesting conversations. He was in the navy at the time of WWII and was a local tv personality in the Bham area for a number of years. While we were dining we got to hear the fireworks being put off for the Lights Up event to kick off the holiday season at the shopping center.

New Moon

Thanks to my husband, I got to see New Moon on Wednesday night in an auditorium with only one other person! It was awesome and very true to the book. However, to me it didn't have the same vibe as the first movie, yet maybe that is the difference you get with a new director. Can't wait to go back and see it again this weekend!!!

I just can't wait . . .

until I can see NEW MOON!!!!

Tulips

Sunday, I finally got around to planting those tulips I bought. With the help of my husband we planted about 20 bulbs in one of our flowerbeds in the backyard. Hopefully, they have all been planted properly. Can't wait until this February/March to see how they will turn out.

Thanksgiving Preparation

Saturday we spent part of the day organizing the house and getting the guest bedroom ready for our Thanksgiving guests. Already moved the kitchen table into the formal dining room and added the extensions. Tested out my new holiday tablecloth and napkins which are a pumpkin spice color. Still need to determine what I want to do for a centerpiece - candles, flowers or both. Overall we got a good start on our big "to do list". Next Saturday and Sunday I will focus on some heady duty cleaning before the arrival of Longchai on Monday afternoon.

The Boss

Congratulations to my husband for being promoted to Branch Manager!!! Best wishes for you in your new role.

Do I look pregnant???

Here lately I have noticed I that I have gained some weight and have been joking to my husband that maybe I'm pregnant - which I'm not. This week I went to the food court to get an egg sandwich for breakfast. As I was checking out the lady asked me, "If I was one of her pregnant ladies?" I told her that I was not. And to myself I was thinking, "I'd like to return my egg sandwich!". Turns out she was wondering if I was one of the ladies she had been talking to that was pregnant and should of had the baby already thus she was wanting to see a picture of the new baby. Apparently the length of my hair reminded her of this person.

Sunday Afternoon Visit

We road up to my dad house to visit with him for a while. My sister, her kids and Chris were also there. It was pretty nice day. Got some pictures of the fall around his house. This visit the kittens were more friendly and out playing. Dad still doing well and on his way recovering from his surgery.

Mama Deer and Babies

I almost forgot, that Saturday morning I was looking out the front window to see if the roofers had arrived yet. As I did so, I saw the mama deer and her two babies walking along our driveway and eventually crossed the street. I knew these were around, cause at night when I take the dogs out I could see three sets of eyes staring at me.

New Roof

New Roof

Old Roof

The work for replacing our roof began today at 7:30 am this morning! The dogs barked for the first hour and now its just an occasional bark. Jasmine can see their shadows as they climb up the ladders, so she is set on watching them even with the blinds closed! Auburn has gone back to his normal resting spot on the old sofa. Its almost ten and the new shingles are being carried up now. I am so excited and I can't wait to see the final product. Keeping my fingers crossed that we picked the right color for the new shingle.

Book Tour

I found out that Sara Palin's book tour will bring her here to Birmingham, AL. I am definitely interested in getting her new book signed! I hope with the time frame of the event that I can make it happen.

Hospital Visits

My dad, Mike, had his hip replaced this week. Been traveling to the hospital to visit him after work. So far he seems to be doing really well with his recovery.

Just . . .

needs this week to be OVER!!!!

Halloween

Well, I had no real plans for Halloween. Originally was going to go to the UT vs USC game, but changed my mind during the week. My husband did go and invited Lars to go in my place. Turns out they had rain at the game, really glad I didn't go, but I missed a awesome half time show from the UT band and the first time the players wore black jerseys since 1922. I stayed at home and read on the sofa with the kidos curled up with me. Next year we need to dress up!!!

Grey Bar

Upon leaving La Paz, we headed out to the Grey Bar. One of my co-workers had family who were going to be playing at the bar that night. Great music and nice atmosphere, so we will have to make sure to go again sometime soon! Now that the hubby has finished school we have so much more time for fun activities - we have a social life again!!!

James' 30th Birthday

Friday night we met up with friends at La Paz over in Mountain Brook for James' 30th "surprise" birthday party. Got to catch up with the Needham family, Sam and of course James and his family. Great time, wish we were all closer so that we could get together more often!

Elisabeth's October Visit

Got a call that Elisabeth wanted to come and visit with us for the weekend. Met up with her after the dinner party, so it was kinda late. Skipped volunteering Saturday morning due to being up so late. Watched the UT vs UA game, headed to Pablos during half time and then went back home to watch the remainder of the game. Man it was almost an upset for UA!!! The three of us were jumping up and down in the living room due the last seconds of the game. Had a nice time with Elisabeth and glad she came to see us this month!!!

Dinner Party

Went to my husband's work dinner party. Food, drinks, games and fun times!!! This was the first event that I got to attend and it was nice to meet some of his peers.

Family Reunion - Sunday

Sunday is the departure day. Of course the sun would be out on this day. Went over for breakfast. No long after that all the goodbyes had to start. It was great seeing everyone again and hated that so many were unable to attend this year. Good thing most are now on Facebook for us to keep in touch more often!!!

Family Reunion - Saturday

Snow in the Mountains.

Making Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin Carving

The Johnsons

Mini Golf Crew

The Pumpkin.

Bear Crossing

Baby bear reaching for berries.

Both up by eight and of course it was still raining. When Gene and Portia arrived at the cabin they treated us to some hot chocolate and it was just what we needed with all this rainy and damp weather. Early morning a group headed to the aquarium. Michael and his dad headed out to Clingmon's Dome and New Found Gap to get pictures of the snow. They even brought some back for show! After lunch Portia had some activities for the kids due to everyone having to stay indoors with all this rainy weather. There was pumpkin carving that several took part in, which was designed by Hayden. Elle and Lillian made pumpkin seeds. Christian and Henry helped with the tornado science creation. Later on Theo, Elle and Lillian played with pink playdough that Portia made. I joined in on the playdough activity too. Several headed off to play indoor mini golf, including my husband. I stayed behind. I had just stepped into the restroom when I heard Susan tell me that Michael was calling for me because there was a bear. Several of us went running down the street to catch up with the mini golf group in the car that spotted the bears. I finally got to see my first bear in mountains after six years!!!! They really do exist. I hope we got some good pictures of the mama bear and her little cub. Even saw them climb up a side of the mountain. Back in the cabin, I was asked by Lillian if I was a Johnson. I replied, "yes". And then she told me, "I thought you were because you have long blond hair just like me". Too cute! Just before dinner, Emily and Theo went over to the other cabin to get Theo's jacket. In a few minutes, she came back because there was a bear at the cabin door! Next thing you know there goes a combination of Johnsons & Jacksons out the door to get pictures of this bear walking around the cabins!!! So exciting :-) Once again it was a chilly dinner out on the porch, but this night we did have a lovely pumpkin carving for a centerpiece thanks to Roy! After dinner we sang Happy Birthday to Gene whose birthday will be on Monday. Roy told us he wasn't coming next year if we were going to celebrate Gene's birthday again!!! The rest of the evening was spent watching the children play and chatting with the adults.

Family Reunion - Friday

Michael got up early to meet Kevin and Christian for breakfast and they headed over to Magic Quest to play. We got to the cabin just before noon. Not long before other family members began to show up. Some of us even got to eat sausage balls with nuts and bolts for lunch - yummy!!! Not long after that we had Henry, Christian, Elle and Theo playing in the creek which was roaring loudly with all the water flowing this year. Once the kids were dry we all headed to the playground and added Garreth and Trevor to the group. Theo referred to Trevor as "Treasure", too cute. Got lots of pictures of all the activities going on at the playground. With the rain it made the dinner meal slightly chilly, definitely needed your jacket before one went out on the porch. Smaller group this year so was somewhat quite thus later on in the night there were several laptops out among the crowd!!! At this hour there is a small group playing poker, but as for me I am about ready to get to bed.

Pigeon Forge: Day 2

Old Mill Square

Kelly & Michael

Deer at Cades Cove

This morning we got up early and ordered room service. It was still raining and was going too continue the rest of the day, just lovely. Today was the day for shopping. We started at Walmart to pick up some drinks for the reunion, of course there was beer in the purchase. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to purchase cause we unknowingly had expired driver's licenses!!! I thought you only had to be over the particular year to purchase alcohol, expired license or not, I'm still over 21 years old. Both in our thirties, we will have to recruit family members to purchase our alcoholic beverages for this weekend. From, there I hit the Scrapbook Supercenter!!! I picked up about $30 worth of paper that I know I will not find back home. Then, we went to the Christmas Place. It does seem weird to be in October and looking at Christmas decorations, but I must admit that we bought a wooden reindeer for our living room!!! Next stop was the Old Mill Square. We looked at beautiful pottery pieces, that we may have to go back to pick up a piece for our kitchen. The hubby picked up some honey at the Old Mill Kitchen store. Then later in the afternoon we drove out to Cades Cove, the eleven mile scenic loop, in hopes to see some wildlife. Bears in particular!!! Of course it was still somewhat raining, but we did see deer, turkeys, squirrels and horses. Never saw a single bear.

Pigeon Forge: Day 1

This morning the kids were dropped off early at the vet due to Auburn having to have some dental work. Got the call back that all was good, so shortly afterwards we were ready to get on the road. As we started out we saw the Jimmy Johnson trailer on 459. Got some neat pictures before it got off on I-20. Stopped at the Cracker Barrel in Fort Payne for a late breakfast, i.e lunch. We had rain most of the trip - Yuck. Got into Pigeon Forge late in the afternoon. Scoped out places to shop for day two as we tried to decide what we wanted for dinner. Ended up at the Smokey Mountain Brewery. Split a pizza and the hubby sampled some of their beer. Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel to hit the swimming pool. Need a good nights rest to get ready for all this shopping!!!!

Macaroni Grill During the Day

Monday we met up with my Dad, Mike, who was on business in the Bham area. We decided to go to the Macaroni Grill. When my husband and I walked in the bartender we know gave us a hard time by saying "What are you guys doing hear? You do know it's daylight, right?". Had a nice time chatting with Dad and looking forward to getting back to his house to see the recent changes.

Couples Retreat

Sunday the hubby and I headed to the movies to see Couples Retreat. I guess I'm turning into a movie snob or my husband, cause it was just okay. Had some very funny scenes, but didn't hold my attention at times. But I did leave with some cool New Moon cups!!!!

Robin Williams

Tonight we headed to the BJCC to see Robin Williams' comedy tour "Weapons of Self Destruction". He was absolutely hilarious!!! Loved the fact that he started out with Bham & Alabama specific jokes for the first ten minutes. Think one of my favorite local jokes was when he mention that we had the Allman Brothers and a Gun Show going on at the same time!!! I had so much continuous laughter that I left with a headache, but it was soooo worth every minute!!! This goes down as one of the best events that I have been to thus far!

Turtle Rescue

On my way home today, I saw a small box turtle in the two lane road. I parked my car at a nearby church and ran down the road to quickly move the turtle out of the road. I successful placed it back into the woods and hopefully it continued in the direction that I sent it!!! I wish I had not forgotten my cell phone today, otherwise I would have posted pictures.

31st Birthday

I had a great birthday even though it was my first day back to work after being on vacation for three days! My co-workers treated me to a yummy AU cookie cake. Had birthday wishes on facebook and voicemail messages from friends and family. Got home to see that my husband had a butterfly cookie cake, a New Moon poster and two very sweet cards waiting for me. Thanking my wonderful husband for the AU football tickets and the Robin Williams comedy tickets which were also a part of my birthday celebration!!!!

Auburn vs Tennessee Game

We headed out of town on Friday for the AU vs UT game. Stopped by Leisa's house for a little while, before heading into Knoxville to have dinner with Gene at the Chop House. Saturday afternoon we headed back to Leisa's house to hang out and to celebrate Eli's eight birthday party. Steve had cooked some awesome pork tenderloin on the grill! We have got to learn how to make that ourselves.

Around 6pm we had to bolt from Leisa's to get on the road for the game. Thanks to Leisa's cousin's husband, we had great parking right next to the stadium. So we made into the stadium with about 45 minutes to spare. Game was scheduled to start at 7:45pm. I so love the night games! It was a clear and cool evening too. The game quickly went to Auburn's favor as Tennessee was just not having a good night that is up until the fourth quarter when they started playing better. Or at least catching the ball. Final score was 26-22 and I left yet another AU vs UT game as one Happy Auburn Fan!!!!

Sunday morning we got to see Portia who had been out of town. We had a nice breakfast with a Happy Birthday table cloth and plates as a part of my pre-birthday celebration. I was even thrilled to finally see the wild turkeys, all seven of them, walk across the yard before we left!

Finally, A Day Off

Today we both took the day off to get some things done around the house and in the yard. It was a beautiful day too.

October

Early this morning, 12 am, my husband awaken me to wish me a Happy Birthday Month!

Happy Birthday Dad!!!

Sunday we headed up to spend the day with my Dad for his birthday. Took a yummy cookie cake and my sister got some outside flowers and fruit trees for his place. Had a great time visiting with everyone!

Rough Day

Saturday, I was off to volunteer again. My first rider was getting over being sick, but so was still her friendly self. My second rider was not having a good day and resulted in her lesson ending early. My third rider was having a great day, but the horse is so tall that it has fast movements which wears me out! I was sweating in the middle of the lesson. Taking a break from volunteering for the next three weeks due to some plans we have in place.

Evergreen Week

This week was Evergreen Week at work! Our department had several nice treats throughout the week ranging from breakfast, lunch, snacks and fun afternoon activities!

Under the Weather

Last week I was dealing with a sick husband. Luckily it was not the swine flu. Doctor gave him some shots and medicine to take to help him get better. My husband did try to tell me that the doctor told him to rest and to watch lots of football! By the end of this week we are only dealing with the nagging cough.

UT vs UCLA

At the Game


After the Game

My husband traveled back to Tennessee for the UCLA game. This time Elisabeth was going to be attending the game. I think I watched the last five minutes on TV. In the end, UT ended up losing the game. I believe Michael and Elisabeth headed to the bar anyways! I guess it's too early to mention that maybe we should of purchased some tickets to the Auburn football games.

First Day of Class

Saturday was the first day of class in the Fall Session. As soon as I arrived, I got to groom one of the horses. In the first class, I worked with the same little girl from the summer session. In the second class, I was partnered with a new young girl. Finally, the last class I was partnered with a little boy who was riding one of the taller horses. That meant faster steps for me!

UT vs WK Game

Special Sign From Gene & Portia

Back of Game Day Shirt

Elisabeth, Michael, Kelly

It's Time

My husband purchased University of Tennessee season tickets from one of our friends. This weekend was UT's first game of the season against Western Kentucky. This was my first time to attend a UT football game where Auburn University was not their opponent. Prior to the game we met up with Elisabeth in the Market Square Village and she walked with us some of the way to the stadium. Our seats were really convenient and easy to get in and out when needed. It was neat to see UT's football players run through the "T" formed by the band and hear the fireworks go off whenever they scored. However, it seemed very weird to be at a college football game and not hear Eye of the Tiger or to be able sing along with the band and fans. During halftime we got to meet up with our friends James and Piper. By the end of the game the Volunteers beat the Hilltoppers 63-7.

School Is Over

Yeah!!! My husband finished his last class on the 31st for his B.S. in Finance. I am so proud of his accomplishment of this goal. Our plans are still up in the air about participating in the graduation ceremony, which is in Phoenix, due to all the other plans we already have in place. But, I still think we should celebrate in Vegas :-)

I love my husband

He figured out how to setup my cell phone for facebook, twitter, myspace, and blogger which is how i'm typing this right now.

New Phone

I finally got a new phone!!! My sweet husband went and picked up my new pink Sanyo-2700. I am so excited to be able to check email and social sites during the day. Got a few of my favorite ring tones added. Now, I just need to finish figuring out how to use all the cool features :-)

Fall Kick Off

I signed up to volunteer for the fall session although I had to do so only as a back-up volunteer due to our busy schedule this fall - football games, birthday parties and family reunions. This Saturday was the Fall Kick Off where we get to meet the team, instructors and parents. Looking forward to the days that I can go and volunteer!!!

Macaroni Grill

Friday night we headed out to the Macaroni Grill which is one of my favorite places. Over the past year we have gotten to the point where we prefer to just sit at the bar for our meal rather than wait on a table. Since we have been doing this we have gotten to know the bartenders and some of the other regulars also dining at the bar. It neat to walk in and have people wave at you!!!

This Week . . .

was really busy!!!

Memo

I did not get the memo today . . . .

Episode 10

This week's episode had me laughing at some of the scenes, much unlike the previous week. I can't believe there are only two more left!

Power Outage

I can't believe our power went out 15 minutes into tonight's episode of True Blood!!!!

Shopping

Took Friday off to do a little shopping. Found one cute skirt and jacket set for work and another skirt that will be good for the fall. Also, I finally dropped off our shower curtain to be monogrammed.

And the Diet Begins . . .

My husband is starting his diet and healthier eating habits. Guess I am on board too with him being the cook in the house.

Pool Time

Headed out to the pool by myself early Saturday morning. Hubby had to go into work. It was nice until there was a "contamination" in the big pool. They had to close it down in order to clean and thus had to opened up the lap pool to everyone. Got about two hours of pool and sun before I decided to head home.

Instant Message

On Friday, my niece sent me an instant message on Myspace. This was a first. In doing so, one of her IMs stated that she was glad they added this because it was so much faster than email!!! Too funny.

HBO is Back!!!

We were in the process of switching our service from Direct TV to AT&T's new U-Verse program. They finally rescheduled our installation for this week. Unfortunately for them, they were here from 12:30-6:30 due to old phone line complications. But, as soon as we were all set up my wonderful husband called and added HBO to our line up. Awesome!!! We are now caught up on all the action from season two of True Blood.

HBO Series

My husband borrowed the True Blood - Season One DVDs from a friend. Big mistake, I think I am now hooked on the show. Unfortunately, the second season has already started and we canceled our HBO back when the Sopranos ended. I have been reading the brief write up on the internet, but it has left me wanting to know what is going on with everyone. I think we need to add HBO back asap!!!!

Saturday & Swimming

No volunteer work, so early Saturday we headed out to the pool. To our surprise it was not crowded at all. I got to enjoy the lap pool all by myself!

News

Friday, I had an exciting email in my inbox!

Gone With the Wind

I love this movie! Whenever I run across it playing on t.v., I have to watch it even though we own the DVD. My husband has never watched this movie. On Thursday night I started watching it half way through, while my husband was doing something on the computer. Then, he started tuning into what was going on in the movie. Around the scene leading up to where Bonnie has her accident, my husband was trying to take the dogs out. He comes back inside and was completely shocked to see that the little girl died. I believe he later said "Man, there is some drama in this movie!"

Stranger at the Door

I came home today to find a stranger at our door. There was someone else parked on the street near our driveway. Due to their location, I was unable to make the turn into my driveway. I went down to the end of the street to turn around and by the time I got back they had already moved on to the other houses.

Difficult Times

It's unfortunate that certain things have taken place this week. It could lead us towards some potentially difficult times if things don't turn around.

2007 Car Accident

The Beginning - May 2002


The End - March 2007

In March of 2007, my beautiful 2002 metallic blue Firebird was totaled when a Dodge Ram truck ran a red light downtown. I got home yesterday to find mail relating to the legal paperwork that I need to complete. Apparently, my insurance company now has an attorney to try to recover the funds from the guy that hit me. Well, the paperwork are questions this guy's attorney who wants me to answer in 30 days. Some of these questions have no relevance!!!! I can't believe this, I even had a witness to the accident for the police report.

Last Day of Summer Class

Today brought the end of the summer session for my volunteer work. Got to help in all three classes. It was a hot one again today. At the end of class, I got a volunteer t-shirt!!! I can't wait to wear it. Sounds like the fall session starts sometime in September.

Lesson Learned on Getting Burned

I have learned a very valuable lesson this week and I will not allow this to happen again in my future. I now have a clear direction for my goals and I am taking a very aggressive approach to accomplish in the next 6 months.

Almost the End

The summer session for my volunteer work is almost coming to the end. Today, I was a side walker in the first two classes and for the last class I got to be a horse handler who gets to lead the horse around. It was a beautiful day here, so all the classes went on one long trail ride. At the end of the third class, I had to wash down the horse, clean the hooves (had some help here), spray down with fly spray all before releasing the horse into the pasture. Afterwards, I convinced my husband to go with me to get a cherry limeade from Sonic. It was totally what I needed!!!

A/C

Worked most of the day with no air on the 16th floor in a suit!!!! No fun.

The Bachelorette Reality Show

Every year I seem to get sucked into watching this show. Last night one of the dates had a picnic and dinner at the hotel we stayed at for our honeymoon - Hotel Hana Maui. Where they had the picnic was not far from the sea cottage we stayed in during our trip. That episode brought back great memories and makes we want to go back for another visit even more! Five year anniversary sounds great to me!!!!

View from the sea cottage


View from the sea cottage

Man, What a Week!

This week at work was absolutely packed with all kinds of activities. I am really glad the weekend is here. I did get up this morning to go volunteer. I ended up being a side walker in each class session (there are three classes). I really wanted to go swim this afternoon, especially since it may be raining tomorrow, but I think I should just stay home to relax instead.

Happy 4th of July

My husband and I made it to the pool by 10am. It was actually more crowded than I had anticipated. Guess everyone wanted to get their laps in before eating a ton later on in the day! I managed to swim for about 20 minutes and even tested out my new goggles. There was one lady who asked my husband if he was Spanish (he gets that all the time) and she even asked if I was. Wow, I could see her asking about him, but me? That must mean I have a pretty good tan going on!!!

Later on in the evening we headed over to the Wardens for their 4th of the July cookout. Man was there a ton of food. I had a hamburger and split half a kabob with my husband. We had a great time hanging out with everyone.

Barking Dogs

Friday night I went to bed early, probably around 9pm, because I had plans to be at the pool by 8am to swim laps. Around 10pm, I was awakened by Jasmine and Auburn barking loudly. I quickly figured out what was going on . . . Fireworks! This went on until 11:45pm, barking dogs every time fireworks went off. The problem was that a neighbor two doors down was putting these off, so it was really loud in our quite house all ready for bed. Needless to say, by 12am I was wide awake, checking facebook, with a headache.

Additional Responsibilites

Well, someone is leaving our department. In the shift of everything, I will be providing compensation support to two additional lines of business. Both are new worlds to me, so this should be a nice challenge to learn about the jobs that are utilized in these areas.

Horse Handler

During my Saturday volunteer schedule, I was able to step in and be a horse handler for a rider during a class due to a shortage of volunteers trained for that task. I lead the horse in the direction needed as the instructions for the class change. It was awesome! I so miss being around horses and especially owning my own. Maybe in the future . . . . a Palomino would still be my choice.

Three Year Anniversary

June 24, 2009 marks three years of marriage and about eight years together as a couple! We took the day off from work, slept in late and just spent quality time together which we had not been able to have due to work and school schedules. I feel really blessed to have found such a wonderful person to spend my life with and I look forward to all the exciting stuff to come in our relationship.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Michael and I headed out to the movies late Tuesday night to catch the showing of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. It was AWESOME!!!! I think we both are planning on seeing this movie again at the theater. Also, the soundtrack has a group that did a cover of the 80's song "Burning Down the House" which I absolutely love. It is now on the myspace page!

Father's Day

Mike, Chris and Aiden

Aiden, Chris and Summer

This year we made plans to treat Mike to lunch at Cracker Barrel. Chris, Summer, Aiden, Cara, Aunt Bobbie, my husband and I all joined for the occasion. Afterwards, we headed to Mike's house to hang out for a little while. Later in the day Michael and I placed calls to Gene and Steve to send Happy Father's Day wishes and we were pleased to hear that their cards had arrived in time!

One Busy Saturday

Got up early in the morning for my volunteer work. Man it was hot! Helped out with barn work and also was a sidewalker for two riders. Came home and got ready for the pool. My husband and I stayed at the Y for a couple of hours. No sunburn this time for me! Then I came home to rest for a while before I headed out to the theater to see The Proposal. It was really funny. Afterwards, I worked on my scrapbook until I got sleepy.

Hot, Hot, and Hot

It is so HOT here! I don't even want to go outside with this humid weather.

Grocery Shopping

Between Michael's school work and my painful ear issues this weekend, we had gotten a little behind on our grocery shopping. Tonight we headed out to Walmart and to our surprise it turned into a scavenger hunt due to their remodeling! I starting singing "Where could it be now ?" as we wondering looking for some items.

Blah

I had to take the day off sick to visit the ENT doctor and of course I have an ear infection. Got my prescription filled and have been resting most of the day. I let Auburn and Jasmine sleep on the bed (typically not allowed) with me while I rested and watched the movie Australia. Pretty good movie, kinda long, and had me in tears but it did have a happy ending.

Summer Session

I signed up to volunteer with Special Equestrians for the summer. Today was the first day, unfortunately we had some storms. Oh, well! We got to do two out of three classes.

More Swimming

We got up early Sunday morning so we would be ready to hit the Y when they opened. We both enjoyed laying out in the sun and swimming some laps off and on for several hours. I so love to swim! I can't believe I have been away from regular pool access for this long of a time frame.

Swimming

We finally joined the Y earlier this week. My swimsuit arrived Thursday and it actually fits! So this Saturday, I headed off to use their swimming pool with the goal of burning some calories, getting exercise along with some much needed sun. (Note: Last year my sister called me Casper because I was so pale).

The Hangover

We went to see The Hangover and it was hilarious!!!!

Aunt Bobbie's Visit

Our Aunt Bobbie, who lives in Indiana, is in town visiting for about a month. Me met up for an early dinner at the Cracker Barrel to catch up on what has been going on with everyone. Also got to see my sister and her three adorable kids. Afterwards, we headed Mike's place to check out his new house and property. Later when the sun went down, Mike entertained us by playing some classical music on his keyboard. This is when Tate told us he loves Beethoven, that he watches it all the time!!!! Too funny.

Memorial Day Weekend

Elisabeth was scheduled to be back in the states on Friday night after a semester in Spain. We decided that we would head to Knoxville to surprise her on Saturday and spend the rest of the weekend with family.

We got in late Friday night and chatted with Gene, Portia, Rachel and Gordon for a little while. During that time Gene got a call from Elisabeth stating that she was in the car headed to Seymour and that she would give him a call later the next day after she had time to sleep.

Saturday morning Michael and Gene worked on building a sandbox from Christian's visit in June. I look a tour of the garden, the property and the new honey bee hives. Sometime around the lunch hour Michael and Gene headed over to pick up Elisabeth from her mom's house. When they got back to the house we listen to Elisabeth tell us all about her time in Spain and other countries she was able to visit. That evening, we ended up dining at a Mexican restaurant so that Elisabeth could order in Spanish for all of us. She did a great job! Afterwards, we picked up Elisabeth's friend, Melissa, and headed back to Leisa's house. Leisa was getting stuff ready for their cookout on Monday. Steve was practicing some chicken wings and shrimp on the grill - we sampled what he had. Eli was out in the yard playing with his dog. Leisa made me some sweet tea, which I desperately needed! Then, Elisabeth brought out the chocolate from Switzerland. That truffle was amazing!!!! I have got to see if I can order some off the internet.

Sunday we all slept in late and had a nice breakfast around eleven. Then it was picture time, Elisabeth talked about her different photos from her travels. Later on he went back to Leisa's house for a few and then headed to the mall for a little shopping. I ended up getting the cutest red shoes for work! Then, we were back at Gene and Portia's house for the grilling of the hamburgers!!! We all had dinner outside and afterwards had a reading of a story from one of Gene's books. Portia made wonderful chocolate covered strawberries for desert - yummy! Then it was down to the basement for ping pong competitions! This went on for several hours. The last ones standing were Michael and Gordon. Everyone else went to bed!!!

Monday, Memorial Day, Michael and Gene loaded up the table saw into the truck we rented so that we could take it back with us for some of our future home improvement projects. Loaded up everything, said our goodbyes and got on the road. The vet was closing at noon, so we were booking it on down the road to make that deadline. Luckily, we succeeded with only minutes to spare. Now Michael, Jasmine and Auburn are all napping on this sunny holiday.

Fitness

My husband and I went to visit the YMCA this weekend to check out the facilities. I'm really looking for somewhere to swim. I grew up with a swimming pool at my parents house and then lived in apartments with a pool during my early adult life, so now that we are home owners I need to find a place to swim. The other options for us to ponder are Gold's Gym and the Country Club. Looking forward to getting back to swimming laps!

Wolverine

Okay, so with my recent volunteer work on Saturdays I have gotten behind on viewing new movie releases. This weekend, I finally made it to the theater to see X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It was really good. I could probably stand to see it again, but I need to see Star Trek which came out last week and then Terminator Salvation which comes out this week.

Birthday Planning

My birthday is in October and we typically go to a Auburn/Tennessee game when they are on the schedule. They have always been in September or October. This year we will be going to Tennessee to see the game which happens to be a few days before my birthday. Well, now we will also be going to see Robin Williams just after my birthday when he comes to town. I am sooooo excited!!!!!

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

Sunday, my husband and I headed out to the Rave to catch a viewing of Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. I love Matthew McConaughey movies!!!! This one was really cute and had some funny moments which I could hear my husband laughing at too.

Volunteering

The spring session ended on Saturday for the organization that I had spent time with volunteering. I really enjoyed helping out and I have decided to sign up for the summer session. I hope I have just as much fun - I know it will be HOT!!!

YWCA Flower Sale

The YWCA holds the annual Mother's Day Flower Sale. Since I have worked at the bank there has always been a place set up at the courtyard of the downtown location. This year I purchased beautiful pink calla lilies. I'm going to keep them in the house for a few days and then try to plant somewhere in our backyard.

Transfer

My husband had requested to transfer to another branch in the area. He found out today that it will be approved and he will make the transition in a few weeks. There were numerous factors, but the best will be the proximity to our house. I'm am so jealous!!!

Cinco de Mayo

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!!! Michael and I headed out to Pablo's to take in all the activities. It was covered up with people! Music inside and a dj from the radio station outside on the patio. We ordered some drinks and sat at the bar to take in all the action. We never were able to get any chips and salsa or even order food it was so crazy. We ended up leaving at 9pm to go to the Macaroni Grill to get some food. I think we are getting old!!!

Storms

Auburn in the basement
Jasmine in the basement

Fog after the storm

Hail

Close up of the hail

I left the house to go to volunteer. My entire trip there I never heard one thing on the radio about bad weather approaching our city. As soon as I walked into the barn the tornado sirens started to sound. Of course the classes were canceled for the day and I immediately headed back home. I think it was about 20 minutes before it really got bad at our house. Enough to where I felt like we needed to head to the basement. I took the dogs down with me. Auburn got into his cage where as Jasmine did not, so Auburn moved into the bigger cage. Michael was still upstairs and so this caused Jasmine to run up and down the basement stairs. When the storms did hit we had a huge hail storm with tons of wind and rain. I can't recall seeing hail come down like this before. It was all over in a few minutes and of course we headed outside to take pictures!

Kevin

This weekend Kevin was in town on business. Michael got to hang out with his brother Friday and Saturday during Kevin's down time. Saturday night we ended up grilling out for dinner and afterwards the guys played video games and later attended a late night showing of the Wolverine movie. As for myself, I worked on my scrapbook and headed to bed early due to being on the schedule to also volunteer for three hours on Sunday.

Peonies

I am in heaven!!! My peony plant is in full bloom. I have 28 buds. This year I have been cutting and bringing them inside for our enjoyment. They smell wonderful. I have even taken some to work for my coworkers to enjoy too. I am on a mission to get some more to plant.

Finally, I got a car!!!!!

This week we took the plunge and finally got me a new (used) car to replace my Firebird that I lost in 2007. In the interim I had been driving my 1994 Honda Civic, which was my car from high school. We tried to fixed the a/c on the Honda back when my Firebird was totaled, but after about $1500 of work it never really was at a 100% of functionality. I endured this for two summers in the notorious Alabama heat. Looking back, I really don't know how I managed. Nonetheless, I now own a 2006 Dodge Charger!!!!! Pictures to come soon.