Friday & Saturday

Well, yesterday & today was a rumbling rush of activities... Friday night we went up to Birmingham to shop & enjoy a good meal. We of course went to World Market - yum! Now Saturday night was quite a bit of fun. Marcus' friend Alix had a Christmas party at her house, everyone was ever so nice & there was a good bit of laughter which always makes the day a treat. The food was amazing, Alix out did herself! Yummy goodies of all kinds, loads of recipes that I need to get from her. :)

Schedules at the holidays... WHAT IS THAT??

okay here I am - December 10, 2007. Now we are 14 days from Christmas, schedules for activities are pretty much made. We factored in some down time just for us, set up the families for the days we will be visiting, work & try to keep our sanity. Yeah all that typed looks nice, but the reality is the holidays have a tendency to make their own schedules. Kind of like that saying "if you want to see if God has a sense of humor, tell him your plans & hear the laughter". This past fall has been such a whirlwind. We have worked quite hard to make sure we slow down. Yeah - we have failed thus far :)
So this coming up weekend - our supposed "calm" weekend-we are swamped. Friday evening we have plans in Birmingham - dinner & to finish Christmas shopping. Saturday morning I will be baking - holiday goodies for neighbors & a few friends. Evening - dinner with friends. Sunday, oh Sunday - right now it sits upon the cusp of being a lazy day. Cross your fingers my friends, cross your fingers. As for the holiday schedule well that was quite simple to begin with but due to work schedules & travel schedules this Christmas will be quite different than what I am used to... hopefully I will keep a portion of my sanity, at least enough of it so that I don't open the door in my underwear (REFERENCE: In the Land of Women on DVD - grandma rocks!)

The BIRTHDAY WEEK!!!

Woo hoo! It is here... the Birthday week. For those unfamiliar this is how birthday week works:


Definition of Birthday Week – one entire 7 day week, the birthday boy/girl does not have to do ANY chores, is allowed to choose the complete menus of his/her choice for each day (take out is included), gets a gift each day, no nagging or fighting, & are basically treated as a king/queen.


We started this years ago when we were dating. Course when you don't live together it basically means you get a gift a day & taken out to eat or have some special snack. Marriage & cohabitation make it a very intense week at least for the non-birthday goer. The funny thing is, we love it. You know that your week will come so doing those things for the other person is not laborous, not demanding, just fun. Plus the whole of the week is really what we should do any way: no nagging/fighting, treat each other like kings & queens. The gifts each day can range from a back rub, to a DVD or to just going out of your way to do something that the other normally does & take that one thing off their to do list for them.

This year has been nice. Marcus has had some specific dinners requested so I have been hard at work on those, the chores are not bad either (you know I love to clean). This weekend the family came up to see the birthday boy... two great meals & lots of love from everyone. It was very nice, I think Marcus had a good two days (a bit more hectic than he expected, but still good days). He is 28. crazy, huh?

Weekend Activities

Well Saturday December 1st was another concert evening (we are really racking up a large number of concerts this year). The usual gang - Eric, Mindy, Marcus & myself. We saw Gary Allan & Keith Urban at the BJCC. It was unreal. Gary Allan was a bit intoxicated so his 45 minute performace was a bit peppered. Keith Urban on the other hand began around 9:10 p.m. and played until midnight. I have liked his music before, but after watching him play his instruments, hearing his voice sound just like a CD, and the way he enjoys performing, I really like his music so much more now. His set up was awesome almost intimate at times. For a performer to make it seem like only 1/3 of the audience is there due to attention to detail and acoustic performances is impressive. NO major fancy lighting, just band, big screen & the music. He even jumped off the stage & wandered into the audience (to the utter dismay of his body guards), dedicated a song to his wife, & played alone at the piano. Oh by the way, he is also HOT! lol. Probably one of the most attractive men I have seen in real life. (I hope you enjoy the pics...)

On sunday, 12-2, we had the Agee Christmas/Thanksgiving bash in Arlington, Alabama. It was interesting. This year we did it in a church, a bit colder & not as family-warm as usual. Even though there are so many of us, being crammed into a house is a better setting (BTW usually about 80-120 of us are together for Christmas & Thanksgiving). We ended up with nice gifts (we play Dirty Santa) I got a Vera Bradley umbrella, Marcus got a Craftsman Shop Vac. Seeing grandma Agee is always the best part. She is such a sweet woman, how she has survived this growing family, well who knows! :)

Thanksgiving...

Well another Thanksgiving has gone. We went to Camden, of course, and enjoyed some of the best cooking around. I unfortunately got very sick on Friday afterwards, we think maybe it was just the rich foods. I was awful all day and finally on Saturday was no longer vomiting & nauseated. Of course a new wave of nausea hit Saturday evening while watching a certain football game... but anyway. So we threw the twins a Auburn/Alabama birthday party (for anyone who doesn't know, Coy is Bama, Colton is Auburn) It was so much fun! Nina & her kids were in for the week so the house was full! Hannah got to come as well with Mindy so it was like the beach trip from the summer all over again! They are all so sweet & we really are glad to see them so much now. I think it is important as cousins that they stay as close as possible. I have got a slew of pictures to get from Mom from the party & as soon as I do they will be posted. The twins got some good presents & seemed very excited about everything. They are growing up so fast... 10 years old. WOW! I easily remember their births... they were so tiny! Can you believe it.. Christmas is just around the corner!

Christmas Lists...

Last post I eluded to my famous Christmas list. (you know the picture book, bound & ready) Well I happen to know that my nephews (Coy & Colton - Eric's 10 year old twin boys) are definitely without question related to me...
Not only are their lists detailed but they even asked for a few things that I have on my list!!! You don't need to know what duplicates :) but I will say that they have great taste, their lists are elaborate & fun, & I really think I might have underestimated their genius! They not only made the elaborate lists, but they separated them for each set of parents & grand parents... therefore no duplicates. GENIUS!
Gosh I love'm! :)

Happy Holidays!

Well it is official the season is upon us! Really it was here last week, but the Monday before Thanksgiving is definitely my realization point. Turkey Day, the feast of Americans day.

Last weekend as I perused the Galleria & various other shops Thanksgiving & Christmas was everywhere. The rush was in every storefront, Christmas music piped through clear & static-y speakers, Christmas trees were lit & decorated, Thanksgiving platters anointed every shelf, and kids were selecting their prized favorite gifts. You cannot help but feel it, even those moments where it is too hot in the south and you honestly think that winter is merely a figment of some Yankee's imagination. The preparations of Christmas are one of my favorite activities as a human. My car is filled with the music when I sit behind the wheel. 96.5 out of Birmingham plays Christmas music 24/7 from 11-17 through 12-26 every year and my iPOD is loaded with my favorite selections. I already have my two trees up (though at a risk of not being too annoying I did at least decide to wait to put up the outdoor decor until AFTER Thanksgiving)

It is just so fun to search out the perfect gift for someone. To see that one thing that makes you go: _______ would love that! It always makes me smile, shopping, searching out the prize, finding it & realizing - nope this isn't what I want to give him or yes a perfect fit. There is such satisfaction. I also, being the Princess that I am, revel in making my Christmas list each year. I search high & low for the items I want then take pictures or post pictures of them to a booklet or folder. Marcus gets a copy & I get a copy. I am lucky to have someone who really wants me to give him a big list of options - meaning he is guaranteed I will like the gift & also still makes it a surprise as to which one he chooses... so wonder what I will get... :)

The Pulleys!

We were blessed to have the Pulleys down from St. Louis this past weekend. Tracy, Mike, Isabel & Gibby (the dog) arrived on Thursday night (11-8-07) and in a whirlwind blew through Tuscaloosa. I told Tracy that she needed to come in a few days early or at least hide out an extra day so that they can have a vacay day from their vacations! Whew were they busy! Friday night was dinner at Pepitos with Cheyenne & Aubrey. Poor Marcus had to work late & was unable to attend. Dinner was good, the company was better. It is so good to see Isabel. She has grown so much in the last year. Being able to see this beautiful little girl who was SOOOO tiny & delicate at our wedding and is now a true little toddler bustling around the room getting into mischief is such a blessing. We explored the new Alumni Hall store at Midtown, awesome Bama gear for anyone interested.

By the way, Gibby & Peanut hit it off well. Actually a little too well. Lets just say two boy dogs who are a bit confused as to the intimate details of sexuality. :) To be honest over the weekend, they began good friends & I can tell you that our Peanut really misses his newfound friend.

Saturday was Lacy's wedding in Birmingham - Mike, Tracy & Isabel got all gussied up and headed out for the festivities. Marcus & I hung out at the house (watched a terrible Alabama game) and babysat the dogs. Poor Gibby thought his parents had abandoned him, he missed them so much! You know me & cooking, I had to make a big meal for when everyone got home so of course went to the store & stocked up for some good eat'n! Tracy developed my menu already with a favorite of hers: hashbrown casserole so I was ready for some comfort food. The trio came in a bit tired, but obviously the event was a great deal of fun! I wish Lacy & her new husband all the best!

Sunday morning the trio headed out to do another round of visits - this one much easier - church; the gathering place that so makes it easier to see many people in one swoop! Mike had offered to make lunch - his special Chicken, Broccoli, & Onion pizza - let me tell you it is SOOO good! After lunch we all kind of chilled for a bit, then got dressed to go explore around campus, get some pics & afterwards plans for dinner at the Martins. Dinner was a blast, so good to see Cheyenne, Aubrey & Olivia (she is so precious). We were worn out once we got home, I know Tracy & Mike had to be utterly exhausted! What a trip, though I know that it was so much fun.

It was such a good visit. I so cherish everytime I get to see Tracy, and this one was even more special. I really got to see Tracy the mom (and no Tracy not the "shushing" mom) with Isabel. Her parenting skills are wonderful, she handles things with such grace & with a caring hand. I already knew that Isabel had a great mother, but to see her in action, to watch her with this beautiful little girl & to see that little girl light up at mom & dad, well it is awesome. I hate that they are so far away, but I know that the distance does make us notice these things more, does make us appreciate the whirlwind trips, the 'no soda in the house' moments, the 'shushing', the hugs, the laughter, everything... I cannot wait until the next visit - though it is our turn to head north & play houseguest!

(I have a few photos, there are more that I will put up as soon as I can get them off the camera)