Sea & Sun

Woohoo! Heading to the beach this weekend~ yep finally truly get to welcome the Spring! Mom & I are headed to Sandestin, Florida. Thankfully Marcus has a very good friend who owns a house at Baytowne. It is a precious cottage! I cannot wait for the seafood & shopping! Pray for sun! Anyway, I will be updating on our adventures when we get back!

A weekend in the country... redneck country...

Okay, now I am from small town USA. Actually SMALL TOWN SOUTHERN USA. Meaning that the terms "country" and "redneck" have floated in & around my vocabulary since I opened my eyes to this world. I have had many redneck moments in my life, I am quite proud of the endearing way the term is used in Camden as well as when it is used purely to explain crazy actions by a male or female who live in the country. I am also very proud to have grown up in a rural community. Camden is truly rural Alabama. You cannot get to a mall within an hour, you cannot find a Wal-Mart without crossing multiple counties & truly putting some mileage on your car, you cannot find a true fine dining establishment nor will you find anyone who does not know you or your parents or some form of kin. That being said there are many pockets of "country/rednecks" all around this great state & the rest of the US. This past weekend I was introduced to not only a large number of these great people but also introduced to a past time that I knew existed, but had never witnessed: Dirt track racing - no I'm sorry - Knockout Racing. Let me start from the beginning:

We spent the weekend in Shelby County, Al. Wilsonville & Columbiana really. Kerry (Marcus' best friend is no living in that beautiful house I posted below in the slideshow & it is gorgeous!) We went up on Friday night & just watched a movie & relaxed. Saturday was lunch at PaPaw's (one of the BEST bacon cheeseburgers & onion rings I have ever eaten) then Marcus & I went to the Galleria for Regan's "Libby Lu" birthday party. Holy Crow! Lets just say that the store in the Galleria is not big enough for a bunch of little girls, their parents & extended family to view a party. Regan had a great time & that is really all that matters, but I will say Libby Lu needs a bigger location. (see pics below of the girls all dolled up). Marcus & I shopped a bit in and out of the party - found a great new purse btw :) Then we headed to the Summit to meet Kerry for dinner at The Tavern. The day was BEAUTIFUL! We ate on the patio & people watched. I had a great Watermelon Martini - ooh so good. Then we headed back to Columbiana for "the Races".

Okay - this is an oval red dirt track. The infield is grass with 4 light poles to help light the track. There is a press box (about 2 stories high) the bleachers are on one side & at the end of the track you can pull your truck up & watch on the tailgate. The turn embankments are at a pretty steep angle with a cement wall at the top then a wire cage that climbs above the bleachers to protect the spectators. The opposite side of the track is merely a drop off. (no caging, no wall, it just drops off the hill) A wrecker, ambulance, & four wheeler sit on standby in case they are needed.

The first few races are super modified & time trials. Now these cars really are race cars, they are sponsored monte carlo's & such that travel everywhere to compete. It was interesting to watch, then you have different categories. There was one that one just Ford Pintos on the track racing, then one was just old Camaros. But then there was the event. The 50 Lap Knockout Race. This race was what people came to see, this race is what got people off the bleachers & against the wire fence. ANY car, ANY car can enter. Just make sure you don't want that car to survive. They do not have a Caution flag for this race, it is no holds barred. There was a cadillac, a pinto, a cavalier, a camaro, a lumina, a mazda if it runs & you want to drive it for $500 dollars then come on down. There is no glass in the cars, the drivers are people like you and me only with helmets on & the object is to be the last man standing - knock every one else out of the race & you win. Literally KNOCK everyone else out. It is basically a demolition race. Rubbing, bumping, slamming, is allowed.There was a point where the 37 car a maroon mazda type thing actually was pushed off the track, disappeared over the hill & when the ambulance & wrecker went to check on him he wasn't even there = no car, no driver. 3 minutes later he re-entered the track from another direction!!! YEP! The craziest though was yet to come. A white lumina actually went into the embankment & flipped upside down 2 times then land up right & even with the front end hanging on for dear life continue to race. YES CONTINUE TO RACE!! He did eventually T-bone a green car, the lumina then caught on fire. No one was hurt. I watched back quarter panels fly off, tires roll across the track, multiple car fishtailing around the turns. A small white cavalier won the race. IT WAS CRAZY. People were shouting "TAKE HIM OUT!! HIT HIM FROM THE SIDE" madness - total madness. It was fun in the "scary, exhilirating form of spectatorship" I now though have a great deal of respect & belief that all the rednecks I grew up with are actually of a higher IQ than previously thought & some choices I questioned before were actually brilliant ideas compared to what I watched grown men do Saturday night. Anyway, a few pics below (the one with the two cars behind the light post is right after the white lumina T-boned the green car & right before the lumina caught fire) Sorry for picture quality this was with my cell phone:).

*Please do note that I truly had a great time & would actually attend this event with Marcus & Kerry again, now I will know what to expect - which will help. It really was a great time, I found myself smiling at the concept & realizing that in my teen years there were some guys I would have cheered on if they had gotten behind the wheel, would have gasped in horror as they took a turn too sharp, & would have scolded on their idiocy with all the love in the world had they participated. No matter what type of redneck/countrified persons I encounter they all make it worth getting up & smiling about. :)

Rambling....

Thank goodness the weather is showing signs of Spring again. It felt like we lost Spring for a little while... anyway, we have a busy weekend coming up. Our niece Regan turns 5 this weekend & there is a party planned for Libby Lu in the Galleria - yep bunch of little girls getting makeovers! It actually should be a lot of fun. We are going to spend the weekend in Calera at Kerry's house starting on Friday. Peanut will love the mini-vacay.
Next weekend is the first of our beach trips! YIPPEE!!! Marcus is actually going to go to Talledega with my Eric, Mindy, Dad, & the twins. Mom & I are going to Sandestin (I also hope that Nina will be able to go with us - we are working on logistics right now). I cannot wait!! Thank goodness for friends with beach houses. ;)
Also - Twilighters out there - all these teasers are awesome. I am hoping that the tidbits from the movies will keep me occupied at least until book 4 comes out. ;)

New Pics from the Ballet Studio scene of Twilight...

If you click on the pics they will open in High Resolution.

Courtesy of Twilight Lexicon, Entertainment Weekly, & Summit

Twilight Set Report Update

For my TWILIGHT fans another interview video of the cast, this one was shot by MTV. This segment I truly feel helps me with Robert Pattinson as Edward even more. Kristen Stewart IS Bella. 100% as are the rest of the cast.
Either way enjoy the video. (THIS VIDEO IS ALSO AT THE BOTTOM OF MY BLOG FOR YOU TO WATCH OR YOU CAN CLICK ON THE LINK)

http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?id=1585325&vid=224215

They are currently on break from filming but will begin again on 4-21.

New Traditions..

Football - Springtime. I know such an odd conundrum created by the two words but here in Bama country it means excitement, anticipation, sunshine, & family fun. A - Day allows a great many fans to preview the talent that could be seen the following Fall. It also creates a day that is used to introduce young fans to the history, the majesty, & the love of Alabama Football. This year in my house it was no exception!

Nina, Keith, Jon, Anna, Christian, & Jessica came down from Atlanta.

Rob brought Regan from Birmingham.

Marcus & I, of course, hosted the weekend.

We ALL went to the scrimmage. I found myself walking a campus I know very well, but I found myself answering questions that I had not thought about in years. The kids are curious & excited to walk the grounds of a place that their uncle, aunt, mother, father walked & loved. They enjoy seeing all the Crimson & White flags on the lamp posts, they get so excited to hear the fight song or someone around them yells ROLL TIDE! Their eyes light up as they see a Fraternity house their father lived in or the beautiful Quad filled with people playing touch football, tag, or just walking around enjoying the beautiful weather we had on Saturday. It was great to see them clap & holler when the players hit the field & to hear them ask questions as the game progressed. Granted the hot sun & early arrival we had to make to ensure seating did make them tired & a little bored before the scrimmage but they had a great time. It was a day that I will always remember & will cherish... I am glad to have been a part of creating a wonderful memory & hopefully a new tradition for all of them.

We got home & had a HUGE surprise for the kids... Marcus has a friend who owns one of those gigantic moonbounce things & well we borrowed it for the weekend & had a ball! The kids played & played & played. We had cake & cookies (all Bama themed of course) & grilled out. It was such a wonderful weekend.

Nina & I even got to talk face to face about the Twilight books & get each other all excited & nervous about the final book. It is truly an obsession & I am glad to have her to talk to it about.

Late Saturday night the adults stayed up til 2 a.m. playing cards & laughing at our own little idiosyncracies of card playing. I had so much fun. Being able to just sit & spend true quality time with Nina has been so therapeutic. It is wonderful when your sister is truly your friend. Enjoy our pics...

Scenes from the Upcoming TWILIGHT movie!

OMG!! Entertainment Tonight has an exclusive look at the scenes shot for TWILIGHT. (this is a great example of how they are having to make some adjustments in order for the book to translate well onscreen) IT IS SO AWESOME THOUGH!!! I cannot wait until December :)
Click on the link below to watch the video!
http://www.etonline.com/news/2008/04/60435/index.html

Party!

Well my Pampered Chef party went very well! I had a great turnout & the food was awesome! For those of you that could not attend, I did take some pics of the food & such. I do hope that for whatever I have next that I will see some of you :) enjoy!
(the cake was Chocolate ganache with chocolate cake & chocolate mousse on the bottom layer - the top portion was a strawberry cake! YUMMY!)

Complete little circle of addicts :)

My sister finished the series. 3 books = 4 days. Yep she is done, she is hooked. Possibly a little agitated that I got her addicted to something that we will have to wait 4 months to have the end to... :) now I won't suffer alone. Marcus has also finished the series 3 books = 1 week. He is also now addicted.... yep misery does love it some company. I am ecstatic that they both enjoyed them so much. I am surprised Nina was able to finish what with me constantly checking in with her to see what part in the books she was at. It was so much fun though. I rarely "share" my books with people, in the sense that I love many books but I don't always push others to read them. This series though was a bit different - the love story took my breath, my imagination, my heart all in one full swoop. I found myself like all the other Twilighters, in love with the characters. I also found that my own husband has "Edward" qualities. I love that. The fact that I had never noticed them before made me a bit ashamed, but I also love that I am aware of them now. He also has a great deal of "Jacob" qualities. I find that I am luckier than Bella in that I get to have both worlds. She had to make a choice. Though to be honest considering her connection to her true love there never was one to make. It just was as it is supposed to be. Anyway, my circle of addicts is fairly complete - I have just got to get my mom to read the series ;) - I hope that any of you out there pick them up. Give them a try, open your mind & heart & enjoy sure to be classic love story....

pins & needles

OMG! My sister has finally purchased book 1 in the TWILIGHT series... thank goodness I need someone else to talk to about the book (don't get me wrong Marcus has enjoyed the series, but I have become such a fanatic/nerd that it blows him away - plus he likes to tease me about how the series may end *YECH*) Nina is so far enjoying them & I must say that I AM THRILLED!!! I so need a girl to really dissect these with :) I know I am crazy - if only she could read faster - I am on pins & needles until she gets through with book 1 then I will be the same way when she gets to books 2 & 3! :):):):):)

Addictions

I am always amazed by music. How it captures a moment, how it defines a feeling, how it can incapacitate the ability to breathe at times & then how it allows me to feel happier than I imagined or how it allows me to indulge in a good cry. Lately I have been reading & re-reading a book series. Those of you that know how deep I get into a story will probably just roll your eyes & hopefully smile at my idiosyncracies, but for those of you unfamiliar with my addictive tactics... well understand that my heart, my mind, my soul puts so much of itself into things I hear or read or write. It can be very overwhelming for me & those close in my circle. Lately due to this series I am reading, music has flown at me from every direction. Songs that before I loved just for their lyrics or melody now are connected to the series & it is my own personal movie soundtrack for my imagination. Anyway all of this babbling is because this post is going to involve lyrics. (BTW: for those who don't know I LOVE alternative music:) )The 2 songs that are just on constant repeat in my mind are listed below - I also added them to my music player at the bottom of my blog if you want to hear them. But with these songs, the words & the melody can exist together or alone.... anyway - my addictions are strong in this sense so bear with my madness :)

#1 Red Jumpsuit Apparatus: Your Guardian Angel
When I see your smile
Tears run down my face I can't replace
And now that I'm stronger I've figured out
How this world turns cold and it breaks through my soul
And I know I'll find deep inside me I can be the one
I will never let you fall
I'll stand up with you forever
I'll be there for you through it all
Even if saving you sends me to heaven
It's okay its okay its okay
Seasons are changing
And waves are crashing
And stars are falling all for us
Days grow longer and nights grow shorter
I can show you I'll be the one
I will never let you fall
I'll stand up with you forever
I'll be there for you through it all
Even if saving you sends me to heaven
Cuz you're my, you're my, my true love, my whole heart
Please don't throw that away
Cuz I'm here for you
Please don't walk away,Please tell me you'll stay, stay
Use me as you will
Pull my strings just for a thrill
And I know I'll be ok
Though my skies are turning gray
I will never let you fall
I'll stand up with you forever
I'll be there for you through it all
Even if saving you sends me to heaven
I will never let you fall
I'll stand up with you forever
I'll be there for you through it all
Even if saving you sends me to heaven

#2 Boys Like Girls: Hero/Heroine (THIS IS BEST IF YOU CAN HEAR THE ACOUSTIC VERSION)
It's too late baby, there's no turning around
I've got my hands in my pocket and my head in a cloud
This is how I do
When I think about you
I never thought that you could break me apart
I keep a sinister smile in a hole in my heart
You want to get inside
Then you need to get in line
But not this time
Cause you caught me off guard
Now I'm running and screaming
I feel like a hero and you are my heroine
I won't try to philosophize
I'll just take a deep breath and I'll look in your eyes
This is how I feel
And its so surreal
I got a closet filled up to the brim
With the ghosts of my past and the skeletons
And I don't know why You'd even try
But I won't lie
You caught me off guard
Now I'm running and screaming
I feel like a hero and you are my heroine
Do you know that your love is the sweetest sin?
And I feel a weakness coming on
Never felt so good to be so wrong
Had my heart all locked down
And then you turned me around
I'm feeling like a new born child
Every time I get a chance to see you smile
It's not complicated
I was so jaded
And you caught me off guard
Now I'm running and screaming
I feel like a hero and you are my heroine
Do you know that your love is the sweetest sin?

Spasms of thought...

Hello! Well it is April 1, 2008. How insane is it that we are truly now moving through Spring? I just cannot get over how fast this year seems to be passing by.

I am loving that the weather is more spring like just about every day (I say just about due to the small cold snap yesterday & rainy outcast today -though Mother Nature's little ditty "April Showers..." might just be on the money sometimes)

We have been oh so lazy lately. Last weekend was crazy lazy days! I mean holy crow I am not sure if we moved at all! The laziness was what we needed though. We read all day Saturday & napped most of the evening. But a quick trip down to Brent for lunch with Mom, Dad, Eric, Mindy & Hannah was most definitely the only time we left the house on Sunday :)

This weekend I am having a Pampered Chef party (to any of you that read this know that you are all invited so swing on by) Marcus has seen right through my Pampered Chef "ruse". It is merely an excuse for a Pretty Party he says.... yep he says right! LOL. Any reason for cake, goodies & good friends is reason enough for me!!! He of course is content in knowing that there will be oodles of food so he is fine with me having one :) Hopefully I will see some of you there, those of you that cannot attend I will post pics when it is over!