Whew! Catching Up...(check pictures below)

It has been WAY too long since my last post! There has been so much craziness since my birthday week. I went to Knoxville on business, ran into some snow flurries on the drive back, then 3 days later saw some real snow in Atlanta! Crazy!
Eric, Mindy, Marcus & I saw George Strait, Sara Johns, Little Big Town & a surprise visit from Kenny Chesney up in Birmingham on the 17th. It was so awesome! The music was very impressive, Little Big Town harmonizes like no other group! Sara Johns really surprised a great deal of people in the arena, she is absolutely beautiful & has a great country voice. George, oh George... the man has 55 #1 hits, he could have played all night without running out of songs... he is still such a cute man. There happened to be an audience member that popped in on Amarillo by Morning ---- Kenny Chesney! Great show.
Friday the 18th Mom & I headed up to Atlanta to see Nina & family. It was so much fun. Friday night we got in, had a wonderful meal & just messed around. Talking, laughing, playing the piano... lets just say it has been a long time since I sat at a piano and actually played real music. Anyway, Saturday was the big day. We had a tea time of 2:30 p.m. @ Tea Leaves & Thyme. This place is adorable! I have read about it in Southern Living, Southern Lady, Tea Time, all these great magazines speak so highly of the establishment. They are right. A traditional tea, full with tea sandwiches, scones, lemon curd, tarts, oh goodness the food is so awesome! We put on big hats, gloves, lifted a few pinkies, wrapped mink on our shoulders & enjoyed a girly day. Then of course what do a group of girls do after tea? Shop! We explored Woodstock & found the town to be delightful!
Sunday was the day of relaxation & fun. Nina & I surprised mom with a movie: 27 Dresses. (I had seen it when it came to Tuscaloosa as a sneak peek & loved it!) The three of us then headed to a couple stores & back to the house.
After a rousing game of Disney Scene It edition 2 with the kids (ME & ANNA WON!! WOOHOO!!), we watched some football & headed to bed (my sister & I watched the oddest Cheerleader movie: Bring it On 3 - In it to Win it!). Monday morning came early & mom & I were out the door, heading back to Bama! Poor Marcus had been at the house snowed/cold in for the weekend, so needless to say I was very missed.... What a whirlwind few weeks...
DON'T FORGET TO CHECK ALL THE PICTURES BELOW IN MY SLIDESHOWS!

BIRTHDAY WEEK!!! EXTRAVAGANZA!!!

Well it has been a wonderful birthday week (those who have talked to me know that I sound like my head is stuffed with cotton & my voice is low and whispery = MARCUS GAVE ME HIS COLD!!) even while I have been sick. This year it started on the 3rd & for the first two nights Marcus was still tired from being sick so I was easy on him. Saturday night mom & dad came up and dinner out was great. I love when mom & dad come to visit us, there is just something about being able to enjoy being with your parents. Mine are so cute. They are still so much in love, it radiates from them; of course dad constantly pinching mom on the rear or nibbling on her ears is a good indicator, there is also that understanding between them. It is beautiful to be in their presence. Sunday morning mom made us breakfast & because I seemed to be feeling better Marcus & I were to keep our plans for a day of shopping in Birmingham!!! WOOHOO!!! I have been saving & planning for the past two weeks. We hit DSW & World Market - shoes & food, life is good. :) The Summit of course was next and let me tell you Oh, how I love to shop after the holidays = SALES SALES SALES!!! White House Black Market was waiting for me... the stuff I got was awesome!! An amazing dress that is so fun, outgoing & just spontaneous!!! It is this precious bubble dress with a black & white graphic print, scoop neck, & a smooth silk fabric that falls so sweetly!!! Then I got all these tops, pair of pants, some shoes - all on sale. Plus if you go during your birthday month you get an additional discount. Then there was Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, Restoration Hardware, Metropolitan Deluxe, JCREW, BCBG, oh they all had something for me... then the best of the rest: COACH!!!! Yep Marcus sat on the big comfy couch while I scoured the store for a purse I have had my eye on since November. The patent gallery limited edition in chocolate. I HAVE IT NOW!!! They even had the cutest iPod case for my iPod & a new wristlet. Ohhhhh.... it was fun. I started to get really tired so we packed up & headed to CPK for some yummy pizza & spinach dip... oh was it good. Monday morning I woke up sick as a dog from all this sinus - yep on my actual birthday I was miserable! Marcus made me the sweetest dinner of steak, potatoes & salad then he gave me an adorable birthday cake! Butter cream with marble cake (the chocolate marble is so rich... dangerously rich). Marcus gave me a card & a gift card. (still more shopping - YEA!!) I still have 2 birthday days left (purely because of being ill & Marcus felt bad because he had been sick when the week started).

So I am 27. Yep 27 times around the sun. Hard to believe sometimes that I am my age, but really I don't feel older, nor do I feel that much different. Thankfully I have always thought of age to be so relative. Birthdays are very important to me purely because they are that one day, that one 24 hours where seriously the world revolved around you years ago. It is a symbol of being alive to celebrate a birthday, it makes the journey so very interesting to look forward to another year, another age, another learning about ourselves & the world we live in. They represent the beginning of our life journey, they make us reminisce about past birthdays & those yet to come, they mark our travels, our wisdoms, our maturity or immaturity, they give us a depth that would not be there had we not paid recognition to our moments alive. Plus I get to wear a crown all day, look silly with a hat on, blow out candles, be told to wish, eat cake, get presents, hear from old friends, family members, coworkers, make memories & cherish the old ones... what could be wrong with celebrating growth? For me - nothing.

Have you got a little Captain in you?

I thought this pic was hilarious! Marcus & Kerry went hunting this past weekend & posed for this picture. They are two peas in a pod, it was so good to see Kerry & Landon (Kerry's nephew).

As you can see the boys had a good time...so it still has to be asked: Have YOU got a little Captain in you?

Eating Cake....

There are moments when we retrace our steps, when we meet an obstacle and wonder how we got to that point. Curveballs are what most people call them. Those bumps in the road of life that we laugh about years down the road. But the first moments we encounter those bumps are not so funny. We seem to look up & down, to react at first rather than inspect. We flip out or calmly sit & leave the world for a second. Our minds don't want to face the challenge, they prefered traveling along life's highway with cruise control & barely breaking for the stop signs. But oh when one of those walls springs from the ground, looms over us with such disdain & creates shadows in what was a bright open day we find ourselves a bit scattered. Then our thoughts collect & we retrace. We retrace steps, motions, thoughts, intentions, whatever piece to the puzzle we feel is important we clambor through it. I have frantically searched my mind & memory on multiple occasions. Asking myself "How did this happen? Why did this happen?" I am the queen of constant bubbly personality, but the darkness enfolds even me a good deal of the time. That moment of confusion about the path is one that I do not enjoy, but for some reason over the past 7 years I have truly begun to embrace a philosophy: "no matter what path I took to get to this very moment, I am here for a reason. I need only to breathe, to look around, & find purpose in my next step."
That is not exactly the most comforting or even the best outlook sometimes, but I stay true to it just the same. I know that I may have made mistakes & those mistakes were in some ways really horrible; but the fact that I am now alive, able to have another moment makes the lesson from the mistakes so worth it. Imparting that 'wisdom' to others is daunting to say the least. There is one particular person in my life who tends to really dwell on hard times, to beat himself up when he makes a mistake, sometimes beating himself up to where he loses sight of the lesson, but focuses on his negligence instead. There are many times that the mistake is much more minor than he thought & then there are times where that mistake made such an impact that it weighs on his mind to this day. It hurts my heart to see him torture himself with some things, it is not a trait I envy at all. My easier going outlook seems idealistic & fantastical to someone of his downtrodden tendencies. I guess we balance each other, he is the realist - to a fault, I am the idealist - to a fault. We work well in a great many situations, but on this topic it can be very trying to my psyche. I want to help to be uplifting - he may think that I don't understand the consequences, that my light hearted response is too light, too naive - that isn't true. I know the bad side, the possibility of a harmful outcome, but I also know that if the worst does occur one of us has to be hopeful. It is a scary job to be the one who sees faith & hope in everything, but if it helps him make it through the hard times, then my job is like eating cake - sweet of course and you always remember how good it is....

Presents - Presents - PRESENTS!!!

Okay, Tracy fussed at me for not listing in detail what we got for Christmas so here goes:
From Marcus-
Diamond & Amethyst ring - GORGEOUS!! It is white gold, very vintage-art deco setting with cutouts & pave diamonds. The Amethyst is emerald cut about 2.5 carats (if you had to measure in carats).
DVDs - Because I Said So, Catch & Release, Jeff Dunham's Spark of Insanity (he is a hilarious comic)
Games for Wii - Mario Galaxy
Gift Cards - Ann Taylor Loft & Target
From the Parents (both sides)-
Beautiful blouse
Pots & Pans (we never got any for the wedding & it took me forever to pick out a set I liked)
Earrings, Necklace
Money
From family (drew names - Erica got mine) -
Pier 1 Imports gift card
Bath & Body Works stuff
From Friends & Co-Workers-
Flemings Gift Card
Ruth Chris Gift Card
Cypress Inn Gift Card
Olive Garden Gift Card
Barnes & Noble Gift Card
Visa Gift Card
Target Gift Card
Suncoast Gift Card
Ann Taylor Loft Gift Card
Bow Regards Gift Certificate
Some specialty alcohol
Photo Album

Okay so for any of you that know that I do a huge shopping trip for my birthday, well lets just say I have the gift card area covered this year! :) Christmas was very nice, but crazy hectic. Falling on a Tuesday this year was awful. We drove to Camden Christmas Eve, spent time with Marcus' family, then drove to my parents, spent the night and all day with them.
For the first time ever, I felt like Christmas still has yet to come. I miss the days of being able to spend the before days with my mom - baking, shopping, etc. It really bothers me that I was not able to figure out a way to do that this year! I will definitely take that into consideration with my holiday-day usage at work next year!
Anyway, we did enjoy every moment we got to spend with everyone! We are back at work tomorrow...yuck. But I am counting down to my BIRTHDAY WEEK!!!!! WOOHOO!!!

An Early Christmas...

Well this morning was mine & Marcus' Christmas. We had not really planned to have Christmas so early this year, but due to company coming & traveling to Camden, it was the only day we would have that is just us... So we opened presents! I got so many beautiful & fun things! Marcus does such a good job every year of knowing me so well (now I know I do give him a 'gift book' to select from, but he does choose a few things on his own too). I found him some great gifts, things he had listed & things he was surprised about. Mostly we spent the morning eating cinnamon rolls, curled up on the couch talking & playing with Peanut. I cooked an elaborate spread for lunch (not traditional mind you): Home Fried Chicken, Corn Casserole, Rice & Gravy, Green Beans, Salad & rolls. YUM!!! We really just had a nice very quiet day...This evening we went out to Outback with JR & Fran for dinner. It was so good to see them, they both look great. I always enjoy being in their company. Marcus & Jr can be apart for long periods of time & when they see each other, they slip right back into their comfort zones. It is nice to see Marcus with one of those friends. They are the best type of friend we can have.

Well, the new week is beginning... so much to do in the last days before Christmas. Pray for good traffic, good weather, & great traditions...

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!)