Butterflies

Our boss let us leave early, so I came home to find a large package at our door! I dragged it in and saw that it was addressed to my husband. Turns out it was something he ordered for me . . . the butterfly art work that I have been wanting for sometime now! It is so pretty. I can't wait to get them on the wall! Picture to come soon.

Saying Goodbye

Today was my last day to work with Linda before she retires. It was very sad to say goodbye. I will have to operate under the code of "What would Linda do?" as I take on her area to support.

Leadership

I'm excited to announce that I have accepted an opportunity to be apart of the BSHRM 2011 Leadership Academy!!! I can't wait for the session to start in January.

Eye Problem: Pt 2

Tuesday morning I noticed slight redness in my eye. By the end of the day it had gotten worse and was starting to hurt just slightly. After work, I stopped by the doctor's office but there was not a doctor in that day, so I would have to come back in the morning at 8:45am. Throughout the night my eye continue to worsen with the redness increasing along with the pain. My husband had made me an eye patch so I could walk around the house and not be impacted by the light sensitivity. By 8pm, I decided just to go to bed hoping that 8:45 am would get here sooner. Around 2 in the morning, I awoke with my eye watering. I got out of bed to get some tissue to wipe my eye/face. I pondered whether or not to look at how bad my eye looked. I flipped the bathroom light on and instantly was in pain and shocked by my eye. Seconds later, I fainted. As I was on the floor trying to recover from this, the noise from my fall awoke my husband. He said, "What are you doing?". I replied, "I just fainted!". Then he said, "Well, get back in bed!" I'm going with he wasn't completely awake to comprehend what I said. I quickly searched the floor for my new eyeglasses and was glad to find them in one piece. I got back in bed to a more alert husband who tried to assess my eye condition. Shortly after being back in bed, I realized that I need to go to the restroom. My husband got my sunglasses so the lights would not cause me more pain. And we used the light from a cell phone screen to light up the room in an effort to not have as much light. I was thankful that he stayed wake with me as I was starting to become very worried about the severity which in turn was stressing me out big time.

I think we were at the doctor's office by 8:30am. I wanted them to see me first. The doctor determined that the iritis was back. At one point she had me reading the eye chart with my bad eye, no glasses. As I was reading the line, she replied "Where are you?" I guess I was making up my own letters with my blurred vision! Solution consisted of a strong dilation that last for over 24 hrs and a steroid drop every hour for the first few days, then one to every two hours for three days and then every three hours until my next appointment on Thursday.

Use a sick day and tried to catch up on some sleep that I missed out on earlier.

Note to self: Don't read Webmd prior to going to bed when you have something wrong, as it may scare you to death and or cause lack of sleep!

Weekend Before Christmas

We planned to visit with Mike at his place. It was a pretty day. Looked at all the new stuff and talked about all his future plans for around the house. Had the nice surprise to see Cara & Summer too! Summer ended up coming over to our house while her mom did some shopping. We treated her to a trip to Barnes & Noble to get some books. Then came home to watch the Eclipse Movie. Afterwards my husband and Summer headed out for some late night ice cream!

Summer
Kelly & Cara

Our Christmas Card

The Johnsons

Holiday Parties

I had multiple parties to attend this year. And I made yummy and festive pretzel treats!

Board Meeting

I have participated in my very first board meeting. It was very exciting and overwhelming at the same time! I have also volunteered to be on a planning committee for their 25th anniversary event. Looking forward to helping accomplish their goals.

Holiday Activities

Between the issue of fraudulent activity of $300 with my debit card in November, my costly eye problem in December and being worn out from work with me taking on new responsibilities we have been very behind in all our Christmas activities this year.

And even my blogging has been impacted!

Eye Problem: Pt 1

The middle of November I noticed my eye was a little red. I had some left over drops from the spring when I had an irritation with my eye. The drops helped for a while and then the redness would come back. One December morning I woke up with pain in my eye (it hurt to move my eyeball) and decided I needed to go see the doctor. Turns out the redness was not the same issue I had in the spring, this was a case of iritis. This lead to me getting a strong dilation drop that lasted for 24hrs on multiple days, plus a steroid drop that started out with an hourly usage and by the end of my treatment four times a day. Also resulted in my husband driving me everywhere because I could not wear my contacts and my eyeglasses were no longer strong enough for me do any driving. I now have a new pair of glasses!

Living it up . . .

The Monday after Thanksgiving my husband noticed several hundred dollars pending to come out my account. Sadly, it wasn't because I had been out shopping! By the time I got to work the Fraud Dept was calling me to notify me of suspicious activity. Turns out that someone had made a copy of the debit card, got my PIN and was withdrawing cash from an ATM in a grocery store in Las Vegas!

Christmas Tree

We got our tree put up this weekend. Since being in our house I have been wanting to change the look of our tree. This year I finally did it. Instead of an assortment of color on the tree, I wanted to do a color that would match the room we use. Cream & gold color ornament balls are now on the tree. I picked some of our unique ornaments that match to add to the tree. Picture to come soon.

Next Level

I'm taking my volunteering to the next level. I have been voted in to be a part of the Board of a non-profit organization!

Iron Bowl

Watched the Iron Bowl game from home. At the end of the 1st half UA was winning 24-7. But AU came back in the second half to pull off a win over UA 28-27. Ending with a 12-0 season!!! Now off to the SEC Championship game . . . WAR EAGLE!!!

P.S. I need an Iron Bowl game score t-shirt!!!

Happy Thanksgiving

We did Thanksgiving at our house again this year. My dad and former brother-in-law came over to eat with us. All turned out well and on time!

AU Football

I am very excited that we are 11-0 this year! Now all we need to do it pull off a win against Alabama in next week's Iron Bowl! Sadly, I am at work that day. Hopefully we will be able to watch the game on the tv in the conference room. I'm pretty sure it will be an empty floor that day with minimum phone calls.

I did it!

I did take the first step that may put me closer to being able to get a Petro's orange flavored sweet tea anytime I want!

So they say . . .

Change is good.

Visitors

This past weekend our friends, the Fly family, stayed with us. It was very cute to see Addie playing with Auburn & Jasmine. And I was glad that Jasmine was fairly well behaved! We met up for dinner with the Needham family after we check out their new house. Had a nice dinner at the Mexican restaurant. The next morning we had breakfast at the Egg & I with James' old college roommate and his wife. Had a great weekend visiting with everyone!

Pansies

We were both off one day last week, so we went to a nursery to pick up some pansies. We ended up with orange/blue and orange/white color combinations for our front planters in support of our football teams. Then I have some dark red ones for the planters on our back deck. Just a few snapdragons for the large planters sitting on our deck. All the extra flowers will be planted in the yard, hopefully not to be eaten by the deer.

Moss Rock Festival

Saturday we attended the Moss Rock festival which had artists and eco-ideas. It was a chilly but a beautiful day. We parked at the Regions Met and road one of the buses over to the event. Been a long time since either of us had been on a bus! Stopped by to say hello to my stepdad's former wife. She and her husband had a tent on the artist side. Had to walk the event twice to be sure we caught everything. There was pottery, photography, painting, jewelry and so much more. Even saw the electric Tesla Rooster car - very cool. I ended up purchasing a pair of wooden earrings that were painted. Very cute and different. I can't wait to wear them! We had a great time and I look forward to going back again.

Book Signing

I knew Condoleezza's book was coming out in October. I had been talking about wanting to purchase it and was considering waiting to put it on my Christmas wish list. I had even told friends and coworkers it would be neat it she did a book signing in Bham. One day I ran to Moe's for lunch and while waiting in line I picked up the Black & White newspaper. While reading through it and eating lunch, there is was . . . info about her book signing!!! I knew I had to be there. So I called and got more info and went to get the book. I left work early Thursday so I could get in line for a ticket number. After an hours wait, I was able to get a ticket. Then on Friday afternoon, I attended her book signing of Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family. I was ticket number 3! This was so exciting!

Chirp

We love the show Modern Family! This week's episode "Chirp" was about the character Phil trying to replace dead batteries in the smoke detectors and the sound getting to him. So you constantly heard these things chirp. At the family reunion the smoke detector in our room was chirping. I didn't notice until I was ready to go to bed. I went down to tell my husband who was up playing poker with others. Some how my request got lost in translation. He thought it was a statement where I thought I was asking for him to fix. Needless to say, at about 2:30 am I awoke to Ben & my husband trying to remove the smoke detector! I understand all to well about that chirping noise getting to you!!!

Shops at Grand River

Sunday afternoon we headed over to Leeds to check out the new outlet store. It was crazy due to grand opening events, but is was a beautiful day to be walking around outside. Looking forward to going back for great deals.

Deer Playing

Early Saturday morning my husband saw deer playing in our back yard! I wish I had been able to see them.

2nd Thought

Now that I think about it, Auburn was technically a run away - he left us!

Lost

Monday evening at feeding time, my Auburn did not eat. I took him out via the front door to see if he needed to potty first due to us being home all day. Meanwhile my husband let Jasmine out the back door when she did finish eating. Both dogs came back into the house via different doors. Auburn was still not interested in eating. I went back to uploading pictures in our computer room. Came back out about 20 mins later to see if Auburn had eaten. He had not nor could I find him. In my search, I discovered that our gate to the deck was not locked from earlier (our back door had been open all day for the dogs to enjoy the beautiful weather). We immediately starting looking for Auburn outside. My husband found him very quickly, not sure where nor do I really want to know because he was not in our yard. I was in pure panic mode and could not think straight. Just glad the nightmare was brief!

Family Reunion

The creek
Mountains

Kelly & Michael

This weekend was my 8th trip to the annual family reunion in Gatlinburg, TN. Arrived in the burg by 10:30am Friday morning. Elisabeth and I headed out for the Pancake House for breakfast while the hubby headed out with his dad for a little family fishing. As we walked down, we noticed that Alabama fans were already out and about in full force. Got seated by noon and while in line Elisabeth decided she no longer wanted pancakes but instead wanted lunch. Luckily, they do serve lunch! Some guy even stopped at our table to comment on the fact that she was eating a burger - I wonder if he had already hit the bottle! Elisabeth quickly replied that she was a local and that she was allowed to not eat pancakes. Finished up and headed for shops. Looked at some cool boots - we both want a pair, hint, hint! After walking around we headed back to the cabin to be on hand to greet family arriving.

It really was a beautiful weekend to be outside. Not too hot and not too cold. A group headed to the playground. Later on after lunch a few of us headed to the burg for some mini golf. After that Michael and I headed back so I could catch the Auburn vs LSU football game. We ended up winning and it was awesome - War Eagle!!! After that game was the UT vs UA game. This one didn't go so well, but I think all were prepared for a loss. A late night card game started and I headed to bed.

Sunday, we packed up and said our goodbyes to family members. On the road by 11am and the traffic was heavy. Our 5hr road trip turned into almost 7hrs just due to traffic. Glad to be home and hit the bed early.

Bike Tour

The Bike Tour was downtown this morning.

Big Bike
Bike Pen

Kim, Kelly, Jeni, Paula

Denise, Mary Anne, Kelly, Mike, Kim

Red

Saturday night we went to a late night showing of the movie Red. It has several great actors in it, my favorite was Bruce Willis! Pretty good, so I would recommend it to my friends.

Auburn Football

Today I watched Auburn defeat number 12 Arkansas! It was an awesome game yet again. The constant scoring back and forth was stressing me out. Worried that it would come down to the last minute, but the 4th quarter was nothing like that!!!! Final score 65-43 - highest scoring game in the SEC history. Now 7-0 in our season this year!!! I was totally wishing that I could of been throwing some toilet paper tonight, WAR EAGLE!!!!!

Lunch with Mike

Today I met my stepdad, Mike, for lunch at Cracker Barrel in Trussville. I was early so I sat down to send a text that I was sitting in a rocker out front. While doing this, I had an elderly lady ask if I could work a camera. It was a group of Red Hat Society meeting for lunch. I told her I would and the next thing I knew I had five cameras! Finished taking their group photo and was greeted by my dad. Had a nice time talking with him over lunch. BTW, it was just as crowded on this Saturday as one would typically see on a Sunday!

Plans

I had an informal meeting for something that I am looking into being a part of in the future. Hopefully, I am selected and I will be excited to tell everyone!!!!

Rescued

Tonight I have been watching the news coverage of the Chilean miners being rescued. Out of 33 miners, I got to see 29th-33rd being pulled up from the mine. Wow, what an amazing story!

3 Day Weekend

I spent most of it in bed sick. Bummer.

Did find enough energy to watch AU's game and was glad we pulled off a win, it was a nailbiter. Was also glad to see that UA lost their game.

Seriously

I have the worst luck! I got disappointing information. I'm stuck in a reoccurring pattern, I could of predicted the outcome just based the past events :-(

Happy Birthday . . .

to me! This year is my 32nd birthday. Had to work that day. I had one friend treat me to lunch at Moe's, my favorite place. Another friend gave me a gift card to O'Henry's which is my favorite place for potato soup and salad. Later on we all gathered for some yummy Strawberry cake. Throughout that day I got phone calls, email and facebook messages with birthday wishes! Came home to a sweet card and a AU cookie cake from the husband. Plans to go to the Marcaroni Grill during the weekend. It was a very nice day!

Mums

Stopped at Home Depot to use my coupons for their mums. While there picked out new concrete pots for the front of the house. We got two of the mums planted this evening. Looking all fall now!

Lunch With Amy

Saturday afternoon I met up with our friend Amy to have lunch at J Alexanders. I have not seen her in almost a year. They have recently moved which puts them closer to get together to do things. Had a great time chatting with her and looking forward to getting together again! Also, this was my first trip to this restaurant so I would like to go back sometime for dinner.

Animal Print

Animal print is in this year, so I have had my eye on a cute pair. This weekend I had a birthday card with some money arrive from my dad, Steve. So, I now own a pair of leopard print heels. I can't wait to wear them to work!

Chomp

One day last week Kim, Jeni and I headed over to the mall for lunch. While eating Kim had asked which Florida was UA playing this weekend. I replied that it was the Gators and I hoped that they win as I did a mini version of the chomp! Then Kim threaten to leave me at the mall! Back at work us AU fans did the chomp around Kim. Unfortunately this weekend her team beat them and I'm sure she had a good time texting me every time her team scored a touchdown. All in good fun! Atleast my real team won, WAR EAGLE!!!!

Butterfly

Butterfly in herb garden.

What's New

Last weekend I went to visit with Mike. He built a deck and another rock wall. It was a beautiful fall day so we got to spend it chatting on his new deck.

Evergreen Week

Last week was Evergreen Week , which is time that management takes to celebrate and recognize their employees. It kicked off with a food drive for a local charity. The winning team would win a "Beat the Traffic" ticket. The Comp & Executive Comp team won!!! Compensation brought baby pictures in and we spent the week trying to guess which was which. Actually kinda difficult on some. Wednesday was our Comp & Benefit Tailgate Party. The managers were treating us to hot dogs and everyone was bringing snacks to go along with our all day partying. We also got to wear blue jeans that day, which is a rare treat! Thursday was the Amazing Race. I partnered up with Kim for this event. We had challenges and clues to locate along with over coming detours (some planned as a part of the game and one not) in and around the building. Lessons learned: (1) eight tootsie rolls are too many to put in your mouth at one time & (2) the physical location of the county courthouse versus the federal courthouse. Overall, it was the best event! Then, Friday morning we had our HR Department breakfast. It was a great week!

Declined

I didn't get the job :-(

The Town

Sunday afternoon we watched The Town movie. It was better than I expected and I did enjoy it. Loved Ben Affleck in the movie too!

Railroad Park

Sunday morning we headed downtown to check out the new Railroad Park that had open the previous day. It was 19 acre green space designed to celebrate both the industrial and artistic heritage of the city. Of course, the trains are visible as they drive pass the park, hence the name! We walked the entire trail checking out everything there. Two cute playgrounds for kids, skateboarding site, pavilion and water features. It was great to see recycling bins located in the park. It was educational to see the history timeline displayed at the main entrance. Not being from Bham, there were many events that I was not aware of prior to reading. Really neat how they incorporated recycled bricks into brick walls around the park. Also loved seeing the park rangers riding green Regions bike as they patrolled the park! Looking forward to visiting on my lunch break and eating a boxed lunch from the vendor. Will have to come back and post pictures later.

Walking

My husband and I are trying to squeeze in a walk in the evenings. Man, we have some hills in our neighborhood!

If I had . . .

a million dollars! Every morning I drive past some pretty homes. One of the houses that I always look at is now up for sale. Too bad its listed for 1.6 million dollars! Wow, but it does have a pool.

Nice

I saw a Ferrari this morning!!!! It was so pretty and had a sweet sound as it drove past me on the Red Mountain Expressway . . .

Staycation Day 4

Today we ran a little slower! Took the dogs out to play late in the morning. Man it was hot, where did that cool weather go? Afterwards we ran to Hoover to run some errands. Michael needed a UT color mat for his football picture he wanted framed. I picked up a frame for one of my old sorority pictures. Then we headed to Moe's for a little lunch. Then off the the mall as I searched for small AU & UT flags for the front yard. Found the Auburn one, but will be waiting for them to order the Tennessee one. Got home and put the flag up! Looks good and now we are displaying team spirit.

Jasmine ready for her toy. . .

Catching it in the air. . .

and on the ground!

Auburn walking to see me.

Running for his ball.

Moonflowers

Nine Lovely Blooms
Close Up of Three

Just One

Staycation Day 3

Wow, what a day!

Today we planned to look at the antique stores located in downtown Birmingham. The first place on the list turned out to be in the Pepper Place Market, which is somewhere that neither my husband nor I had ever visited before. Turns out this is the location of the early 1900s Dr. Pepper Syrup & Bottling Company and Martin Biscuit Company. We visited shops. My favorite was the General Store which had Alabama made food, pottery, jewelry and gifts. I am totally going back for some Christmas gifts this year. Also, hope to attend the farmer's market one of these Saturdays.

The last antique shop on our list may just be a winner for us. We have been searching for a buffet/sideboard for our formal dining room that will blend with our current dining table. This has been a challenge. My husband actually liked this piece first and it has grown on me. All we know is that it is an English oak buffet and that it is currently 50% off the asking price. It is unique and we are pondering our options.

Our evening plans were to attend The Cocktails In The Gardens event held at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. This event was located in the Hill Garden area. Music performed by Hunter Lawley. We drank wine/beer and sampled on some yummy hors d' oeuvres - mini pulled pork sandwiches, Kobe beef sliders, mac & cheese tarts, herb marinated chicken & tortellini, mini grilled cheese sandwiches, grit cake and olive and fruit pie shooters. Picked out a lovely butterfly necklace from the gift shop before leaving. We had a great time and would love to attend another event in the future!

Meanwhile, we had the Auburn & Mississippi State football game recording. As soon as we got home we started watching the game. Had me worried there towards the end of the 4th quarter, but AU pulled it off with a win of 17-14.

After that I switched over to the season premier of the CW's Vampire Diaries!

Dr. Pepper Company Building

Martin Biscuit Company Building

The General Store

English Oak Buffet

Cocktails In The Garden

Staycation Day 2

We have been spoiling the dogs this week. Usually we put them up at night, but this week we have left them lose and of course they sleep in our room. We got them a little off schedule with potty breaks with our running around that day. Thus, at 3am my little Auburn started pacing in the hallway and then walks over to my side of the bed and goes into repeat mode. I got up to take him out and of course Jasmine wanted to go too. Might as well take her then. Needless to say, I slept in this morning! By the afternoon we were headed to Trussville to check out an antique store. As we pulled up, I asked if the place was an old school. My husband informed me that it was an old nursing home. Interesting. Saw some neat pieces but didn't see what I was looking for which be a buffet or a sideboard. On our way back we ate lunch outside in the Cahaba Village - Newks for me and the Noodle House for Michael. Stopped in Whole Foods to see if they had the wine my dad told us was on of his favorites, but didn't see it. Next stop was the Pottery Barn at the Summit. Michael actually saw a buffet that he liked, unfortunately it was mahogany and would not match our decor. Oh, well. While looking at this piece, we did notice that they had empty wine bottles staged in the decor, one of which happened to be the kind we were looking to find for my dad! Beef tips and rice for dinner as we watched The Killers movie on tv. We actually enjoyed it!

Staycation Day 1

This week my husband and I are both out on vacation, however it will be a staycation this week. Day one started with a trip to the eye doctor. We were both well over due. Turns out according to the doctor, I'm a reliable test taker! Due to my poor vision I get to take additional tests and pictures (referred to my husband as video games) which causes our trip to take about two hours. Next stop, Green Valley Drugs for lunch. Yes, lunch! I had never been here to eat but I had coworkers talk about going. I believe this place has been in business since the 60's. Ate the cheeseburger and fries and ate a little of my husband's chocolate malt - yummy. From, there we headed over to the Antique store in Hoover. I'm looking for either a buffet/server or a china cabinet to go in our formal living room. Saw one piece that looked neat, but didn't wow me. Not sure if it is because I have my heart set on hanging these two butterfly prints and this furniture would of been too tall. Nonetheless, I love looking at furniture and did see neat items. Final stop, Alabrew in Pelham for my husband to check out. He is looking into making homemade wine and they have the supplies needed. Looks like the starter kit is about $80. Sounds like an item to add to ones Christmas list!

Fabric Store Hopping

I have been hopping from one fabric store to another! We bought some UA pink & white fleece but had the hardest time finding a pink to match for the other side. Went back this weekend and still no such luck and they were out of more UA fleece at the location on 280. Headed over to the Hoover area to check out Jo-Ann's Fabric store for the first time. Wow, there was a ton of material! I even found the shade of pink fleece that I needed. But they had no UA material. So, we went to the Hancock's Fabric store around the corner and found what we needed. So, I am now making three UA fleece blankets to give as baby shower gifts. I hope the families really enjoy, as it was painful for an Auburn & Tennessee fans to bring that team spirit logo, aka crap, into our house!!!!

BTW, September is National Sewing Month!!!

Labor Day Weekend

No big plans for us this weekend, other than taking it easy. We grilled steaks and asparagus to go along with our baked potato. Enjoyed a nice glass of red wine too as we watch the When in Rome movie on tv.

Momma & Baby

Sunday morning, the dogs and I were sitting out on the deck. Auburn started barking and when I looked up, I saw a momma and baby deer passing through the yard. This was probably the smallest baby deer that I had seen in a long time. Wish I had my camera!

I see you

I had just let Jasmine out to potty and I sat down on the stairs connected to our deck when I noticed a deer staring at us in the backyard. I quickly coaxed Jasmine to come back inside, for had she seen it she would of chased after it. I went inside to get the camera. As I walked closer to snap a picture, we really need a zoom lens, it saw me and casually walked into the woods.

Cow

Wednesday at work we had the Chick-fil-la cow make an appearance! Passed out coupons for some free stuff. Love that!

Oneonta vs Susan Moore

Tuesday night we traveled to Oneonta for the JV football game, so we could see my niece cheer again. Got there just in time for the game. Unfortunately, I wore the wrong color shirt and thus looked like I should of been sitting on the other side of the field! We sat with Aiden & Chris for most of the game. Moved closer to get a few shots of my niece and their half time routine. So glad we could make it to the game!

My Sweet Baby

Auburn

Flowers

I have no idea what these flowers are which have recently bloomed. They seem to bloom late evening and last through the morning. This is the most I have ever had at one time. Probably because it looks like a potential weed and we more than likely pulled it! The weather has been so hot, that I am way behind on weeding our numerous flower beds.

New Look

Today we attempted to recover my bench. And it was a success! I have an Ethan Allen desk with a bench that is over twenty years. The new fabric is black with little gold dots. This is my attempt to blend the fabric with my tiger print chair in the formal sitting room. I was the design expert and my husband was the worker bee. Overall, we are both pleased with the results.

Old material . . .

and the new material!!!

Dinner with Mike

My dad, Mike, wanted to take my husband and I out to eat to a nice restaurant. Shula's was the place. The two of us had never been to the restaurant with is located in the Wynfrey Hotel. Got dressed up and headed over there for our seven o'clock reservation. We started with a bottle of Duck Horn wine - dad's favorite since he was living in LA. The barbecued shrimp as the appetizer, bread, and salad. We each had a different cut of stake. I went with the filet mignon. Then we all split a yummy chocolate cake. The food was wonderful and had a great time chatting with my dad. A night to remember!

The Expendables

Friday night my husband went to the movies to see The Expendables. It was a nice butt kicking kind of movie. Gotta love all those guys!

Round Two

Took place this week . . .

Passing Through

My Dad & Ellene were passing through Bham as they were making their way from SC to LA. We met up at the Cracker Barrel for dinner. Got to catch up on some things before they got back on the road.

Oneonta vs Hayden - JV Football Jamboree

I got a text from my niece Friday afternoon asking me if I had plans on Saturday. Turns out she was cheering in a Jamboree taking place at JB Pennington High School located in Blountsville (aka over an hour away from me). My husband was scheduled to work, so I made the trip on my own. I kinda knew where I was going, but I Mapquest it anyways to be safe. Turns out Mapquest was wrong!!!! Luckily, there was a women stopped on the street that was able to point me in the right direction. Made it there by noon. But, silly me forgot to bring any cash!!!! Thus, my former brother-in-law had to come pay my way in ($10, really???) and buy my water. The game was late getting started and it was hot, hot and hot! It was one of those days when you stand up and it looks like you peed your pants because you have been sweating so much. Nonetheless, I got to see my niece cheer and that was the best part no matter how hot it was that day. I am so very proud of her and wish the best experience for her this year!!!

Summer

Summer

Squad Lineup

Cheering!!!

Direction

Looking at changing my direction. Time will tell.

Breakfast . . .

with mother-in-law, Longchai, who happen to be passing through the state. We met her and Jack at the Cracker Barrel for breakfast. Had a nice chat with them before they headed back to Missouri.

Happy Birthday Grandma Cassady!!!

My Grandma Cassady turned 90 on July 29th! Gave her a call that day to give her birthday wishes!!!

Salt

Went to the movies to see Salt. It was a spy movie, which I enjoyed.

Litton's for Lunch

After the burial services for Mr. Turner, we headed over to Litton's for lunch. This place is a restaurant, market and bakery. I had a bacon cheeseburger that was really great! If we had not eaten so early in the day, I know I would of been able to eat more of the burger! We must go back again!!!

Surgery

Not only did we drive to Knoxville for a funeral, but also to stopped by to see my mother-in-law before she headed back for a scheduled surgery. We made it in time to see her, but she was already started on what the doctor referred to as "happy juice". We chatted with her for a few minutes. As we were leaving, she told us she would not be going to Splash Mountain with us!

Mr. Turner

On Monday, July 26th we traveled to Knoxville to attend Mr. James Turner's services and funeral. Mr. Turner worked as a driver for my husband's grandfather's company for 40 plus years. His "Home Going Celebration" was really nice. There were several special remarks from organizations that were important during his lifetime. Aunt Clara was one of those speakers to reflect back on memories of Turner with the family. At the end of the service, Aunt Clara, Allen & Francis, Gene, Michael and I all met at Ruby Tuesday's for a late night dinner.

Work

Well, I have had two major tasks in the past few weeks that I have gotten behind me. Now, I would like to relax!

Thursday's Hawk Sighting

As I was taking the dogs out for their evening potty session, I saw the hawk sitting on our neighbor's fence. As our dogs headed down the steps, it flew off towards the woods.

Monday's Hawk Sighting

Monday evening, I noticed that the hawk was back in the tree. Then, I saw there was a baby rabbit in the field. I thought maybe the hawk was waiting for the rabbit to come out further before it could swoop down and get it. I waited about 10 minutes and watched as the hawk fly down to the ground and then back to the try no where near the rabbit. Maybe he was not hungry, but what was he getting from the ground? After waiting, I took the the dogs outside to potty and the hawk flew off.

Spain vs Netherlands

Sunday, I watched the World Cup final match between Spain and Netherlands. Not a single goal during the match, but during the overtime match Spain finally scored. Which led to Spain's victory. Glad I was pulling for them!!!

Hawk

Sitting on the neighbor's fence.
Eating something.

Flying away.

Back in the tree.

This afternoon I spotted a hawk in a tree in the backyard as I was looking out the kitchen window. Got my husband to get the camera. As we went outside, I saw it fly from the tree but towards the ground near the neighbor's yard. I didn't see where it landed but my husband noticed it sitting on the neighbor's fence and was able to get a few pictures from a distance (we totally need a zoom lens). I'm pretty sure its a hawk, just not sure what kind. Afterwards, I have seen either the same hawk or another one flying in and out of the yard landing on the same tree. I saw it fly to the ground and try to eat something. Got as close as I could to try to get some pictures, but it saw me and flew off. As it was eating something on the ground, I could hear another one in the air or woods calling. So, I have seen a hawk four times in a three hour period on that same tree perched for a hunt. As of 3:30pm, I think it's on to me!!!

An Eclipse Novella

Picked up the Short Second Life of Bree Tanner which is an Eclipse Novella. Finished it in less than 24hrs and loved it! I enjoyed how this filled in information to the sage from a different view. Would be interested in reading similar novellas of the Twilight collection.

Eclipse - 2nd Round

Headed back to the movies on Saturday night to watch Eclipse for the second time. I did enjoy it just as much as the first time I saw it!

Dinner at Macaroni Grill

It's been a while since we have been, so it was a nice treat to dine at the Macaroni Grill on Friday. My husband wore his Spain soccer jersey. Our usual bartender is a soccer fan, unfortunately he is planning to pull for the Netherlands. Chatted with some of the regulars on Friday. One of the regulars was telling us about his son being on O'Reilly. This also lead to some discussions about military, politics and the oil spill. Turns out one has an 81st birthday at the end on the month, which happens to be on a Friday therefore we have to remember to go out to eat that night!

And this . . .

post is just for MICHAEL!!!! Smile :-)

Gladiolus Blooms

My first gladiolus blooms were peachy pink in color. They seem to be blooming one at a time, so does not look like I am going to have a vase full of them! But if they keep this rate up, I will have one new flower per week for the house.

Lenox Dolls

I got a surprise phone call from Grandma Cassady! She wanted to let me know that she is going to be sending me some of her Lenox dolls (figurines). I can remember admiring these figurines during my youth when I would visit with her. Now, that she is almost 90 yrs old it was nice to hear that she remembered my fascination with her collection. Many thanks to her for such a wonderful gift and I know we will enjoy.

Happy 90th Birthday to Grandma Cassady!!!!

July 4, 2010

This year for the 4th of July, we headed to the pool at the Y. I swam my "laps" and my husband read his book and slept. Stopped by McCallister's for lunch before heading home. We both got a little red from our pool time. For dinner my husband grilled filet mignon and shrimp skewers to go along with our asparagus and baked potato. Of course, I had to have my favorite red wine to go along with my meal. It was a nice and relaxing day for me and I'm also glad to the Monday off too.

Did I really just do that???

I work on a badge secured floor. Typically, in the mornings I have my badge in my purse and I just hold my purse up to the reader to get in the door with all my stuff. Then I put the badge on for the day. This morning I walked in the main floor of the building to the elevators and actually held my purse up to the elevator's up and down buttons and then proceeded to swing my purse back and forth trying to get those buttons to light up!!! Only as I thought to myself, "why is the up button not lighting up?" did I realize what I was really doing. Hoping that the people approaching from my right and left did not see what I was doing, I quickly pushed the up button with my finger!

Dreaming

I've only been at work two days since returning from vacation, so is it too early to be thinking about another vacation???

Eclipse

Monday night I got to see the Eclipse movie!!! Loved it and thankful that I got to see it early and while seated in an empty theater. I'm sure I will be back to see it again this weekend!

PCB Vacation - Day 5

And the vacation ends . . .

PCB Vacation - Day 4

10th Floor Pool

Our spot to lay out.
Main Pool View From 21st Floor

Main Pool

Main Pool

Yep, this day was spent all day at the pool. I was at the 10th floor pool by 9am and the hubby by 10am. He left around noon to pick up beer and rib baskets from Pineapple Willy's. Made it back to the room just in time for the USA vs Ghana soccer match. Ate lunch and watched some of the game before taking a nap. Woke up from my nap ready to hit the pool again around 5:30pm. This time we started out at the main pool and worked our way up to the 10th floor pool. Stayed until 8:30 pm and saw some of the water and light show on the way back to our room - they were playing Christina Aguilera songs this night. Had turkey sandwiches and chips on the patio while we listened to the beach and Saturday night activities.