How The Grinch Stole Christmas The Musical

This past Saturday my parents and I went to Nashville for the day to see "How The Grinch Stole Christmas The Musical." The Grinch (the original cartoon one that is) is probably my favorite of the Christmas classics. My mom gets me a Lennox Grinch figurine every year for Christmas and I just generally love the story. So, when I saw that the musical was coming to Nashville I decided to go and asked my parents if they'd like to come along as well. Mother said yes, my dad said no and so I bought two tickets for me and my mother. Then my dad felt left out and so I bought him a ticket too. Long story short, the play was this past Saturday and the three of us went. 

We left Huntsville around 10:00 a.m. and headed north. We anticipated the traffic to be slightly insane around the Grand Ole Opry and it was; but, we found a restaurant close by and were able to enjoy a nice lunch before making our way over tot he Opry House. After lunch we had about an hour to spare before the show started and it took almost that long to get the two or three miles from the restaurant to the venue. We were having no luck finding a parking spot; so, my dad dropped me and mother off at the curb so we could get the tickets from Will Call and he went off to find a spot to park. Mother and I got the tickets and left my dad's at Will Call for him since we didn't know how long it would take him to find a place to park. As luck would have it, he found a spot pretty soon after dropping us off and actually beat us to the seats. We were in the balcony and the Opry House has a wheelchair lift that took some time to get to and use. 

The show started on time and overall was good. It wasn't as wonderful as I had pictured it in my head. Since I am a lover of the original, I don't like much deviation and this show had a lot of musical numbers that were not in the cartoon. Overall the story was the same, but I think I was anticipating it to be an acted out version of the cartoon as someone narrated and it wasn't like that at all. Also, I was either very tired or it was very slow in some spots because there were times when I thought I might fall asleep. I'm glad we went though because we did all enjoy the outing and it was nice to do something Christmasy that we haven't done before. 

When the show was over, we headed back to the wheelchair lift and had to wait on some other folks before mother had her turn. We finally made it outside and were soon on our way home. Ya'll when we got on the interstate to head home, you would not believe the amount of traffic trying to exit at Opry Mills for shopping. I bet the traffic was backed up for five miles or more. It was nuts. This is why I shop online, my friends. 

We made it back to Huntsville around 6:30 p.m. or so and called it a night. We had originally planned on going to a concert at the library but by the time we got back, we were all tired and ready to go home. It was a fun day and I'm glad we were able to enjoy some family time together doing something Christmasy. 

Favorite Things Brunch 2015

As mentioned in my last post, the 2015 Favorite Things Brunch was held this past Saturday. Erika, Kendra and Candy all made an appearance again this year and we welcomed back Amy who hasn't been able to join us the last couple of years. We kicked off the festivities around 10:00 a.m. and had a delicious array of food. Erika brought the most delicious cinnamon rolls I've ever put in my mouth. Kendra brought Grape Salad from Chicken Salad Chick. Amy made a French Toast Casserole and Candy brought a hashbrown casserole. I made some breakfast "muffins" which had hashbrowns, eggs and turkey sausage. All the food was super yummy. 

First on the agenda was eating - of course - and then we spent the next couple of hours talking. I had to run out at noon to pick up my produce basket from Plentiful Produce, but the girls stayed at the house and kept the conversation going while I was gone. Pip spent the morning outside and barked for quite a while until she knocked the glass out of the back storm door. Thankfully I was able to pop it back in and shut the main door and she didn't "say" much after that. 

When I got back from my produce run, we began the favorite things gift exchange. I gave each of the girls a set of measuring cups and a measuring pitcher from The Pioneer Woman's new product line available at Wal-Mart. I bought a set for myself as well and here is a quick review. At a first glance the set is cute, but if you look closer, it does appear to be cheaply made, which is why it is for sale at Wal-Mart and not Anthropologie. My gut tells me these are designed after the ones offered at Anthropolgie because the Pioneer Women herself has featured on her blog and raved about the sets available there, but they are not up to snuff when doing a side by side comparison. Moving on...

Erika gave each of us a bag of goodies. If you know Erika, then you know she is a lover of QVC and so our goodie bag had a lock and lock container and a candle from QVC as well as a hand soap from Bath and Body works - all of which will be put to good use. Kendra's gift to us was a plug in wax warmer. I have a larger counter top one that I use quite often, but this one is a smaller version and plugs directly into the wall. She also gave us a cranberry scented wax melt to use with it. Candy gave each of us a cream eye-shadow from Mary Kay. It is her favorite eye shadow and she picked out a color she thought we would each like. My color is neutral and I've worn it almost every day this week which is really something considering I never wear eye shadow. Last, but not least, Amy gave us each a pack of post-it notes and highlighters because let's be honest, who doesn't love some new school/office supplies?

After the gift exchange, we enjoyed a little more conversation and wrapped things up around 1:30 p.m. or so. It was so fun to get together with these girls who I've known for years and years and years. I love each of them dearly and am thankful we are always able to find time to spend with each other during this very busy time of year - that's my favorite thing of all. 

Galaxy of Lights

It's hard to believe it, but Thanksgiving is next week and Christmas is just around the corner. I've finally managed to knock a dent in my Christmas list. Thank goodness.

Typically, I don't do anything Christmas related until after Thanksgiving, but this past Sunday night I made an exception. My cousins and I and a couple of friends went to the Galaxy of Lights at the Botanical Garden for one of the walking nights. Every year I say I'm going to go on a walking night and never end up making it. They have a couple of nights were dogs are welcome - maybe one year I'll be brave and take Pippa to enjoy the holiday spirit. I've participated in the Fun Run the last couple of years and have enjoyed it so much. Walking the Galaxy of Lights is so much better than driving. You definitely get a better perspective and are able to take it all in so much more I think.

The gates opened at 5:30 p.m. and I think we all got there around 6:00 or 6:15. Since I'm a member, I got a ticket for a free hot chocolate and a cookie, but I gave it to my cousin Anna because she had mentioned hoping there was some hot chocolate and she's pregnant. So, we'll be treating her with special care for the next few months, starting with hot chocolate.

We had a great time walking, talking about baby names from A to Z and other things and just enjoying each other's company. The night was cold, but not freezing and so it was perfect for a night walk to enjoy the lights and sounds of the season.

I'll be doing the Fun Run again this year on December 1, but there are a few more walking nights before then. This Friday, November 20 thru Monday, November 23 are the last walking nights. November 23 is a dog night so if you're not a dog fan, I wouldn't recommend going that night. After these last few walking nights, the driving nights start.

Galaxy of Lights is so fun and festive and has become one of my favorite activities of the Christmas season. Check it out if you have a chance!

The Last Stretch of the Semester

Hello party people! I've been scarce the last few days and it's likely to be the case this week as well. I've been busy as a bee but with nothing very exciting to report. I've mostly been busy with school work. In fact, I had to miss the first round of the high school football playoffs last week because of school. The game was moved from Friday to Thursday because of forecasted thunderstorms on Friday and I had a live class session that night. Thankfully MA won without me having to be there to pull them through. 

I'm finished with me mini-class, but have my final in my other class this week and so, I've been studying and reading and studying and reading and I don't know if there's much more room left in my brain for information. My final is on Thursday of this week and I've cleared my evenings from all the fun things I had planned in order to read and re-read and re-read again. I've got an A in the class right now and I really don't want to lose it. 

After my final this week, I have two more chapter quizzes (the final oddly enough doesn't include the last two chapters) and then I have my group project yet to go which I'm certain will be a disaster. My group doesn't seem to work too well together based on last week's exercise. So, fingers crossed we will work out the kinks and get our project turned in on time and then, praise the Lord, I'll be done until January. I registered for classes last week and am taking seven hours next semester - two regular classes and one mini-class. Since I usually don't have too much going on in the winter months, I'm hoping it won't be too overwhelming. 

In other news, Christmas is right around the corner and I've done very little shopping which is extremely unusual as I am typically finished with all manner of Christmas shopping by now. For one, I have no idea what to get my mother; so, mother, if you're reading this a list would be nice. Mother is the hardest to buy for because, unfortunately, she doesn't do anything or have any hobbies because of her illness. I've gotten her one thing so far and that's it. So, mother, send a list! I've bought a few things for my dad, but most of the items on his list are things that could possibly be on sale Black Friday. So, I want to read the sale papers and see what I can find before making any purchases. Then there's Justin and I have no idea what he wants so I have yet to buy him anything. We drew names for Parker Christmas, but now some people are not coming and others cannot remember who's name they drew and so I have a feeling there might be some rearranging of the names and so I don't want to buy anything just yet in case I have to redraw. I have purchases my gift for the favorite things brunch this year and really, that's about it. I really need to step up my game. Thankfully, there's Amazon for all the things I need to order but don't want to leave my house for. 

As for me, the one thing I want this year is for my favorite chair of all-time to be re-upholstered, but I haven't heard back from Santa on the decision. I did go by the fabric store this weekend and picked up some samples and wrote down pricing, etc. I've got so many samples to chose from I don't know how I'll ever decide, that is if I get to decide. The re-upholstering is rather expensive so I'm waiting to see what Santa's offer is. At any rate, it may take a while for me to determine which fabric choice to go with. 

Well, I guess that's it for this rainy Monday. I don't know about you. but I'm tired of rainy Mondays. Here's to hoping the rest of the week is crisp, cool, and sunny!

Since Christmas and The Last Post of 2014

The problem with Christmas break is that I'm not keen on picking up a computer while I'm off work and also, most of the days are all the same and so there's really not a lot to write about. Alas, I figured I needed to churn out one last post for 2014. Can you believe this is it? The last day of 2014? I hope it was a good year for you and your family.

I never got around to posting anything about Christmas, but we had a good one. On Christmas Eve, my parents hosted their annual breakfast and we had some new faces and old faces in attendance. That evening we had Christmas with my granddad and then went out on the town to look at Christmas lights. Unfortunately, it was raining and so we weren't able to make a scheduled stop at the Tinsel Trail.

Christmas Day I went over to my parents' house around noon and the three of us had Christmas together. Justin wasn't able to join us because he is once again at The Way and had not been there long enough to get a pass home; but, we still had an enjoyable time despite being a family member short. I think everyone liked their gifts, or at least I hope so. That evening around 5:00 p.m. my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandmother came over for Parker Christmas. We had dinner, watched the little kids and my grandmother open presents and played a game of Dirty Santa which was basically a gift card exchange. However, in a turn of events, we actually drew names for next Christmas which I'm really excited about because Dirty Santa has become kind of boring and I look forward to seeing what gifts people will choose for the name they drew. The rules are no gift cards and you have to come up with a gift without asking the person what the would like. So, it should be a fun and interesting exchange of gifts.

The day after Christmas I went out with my dad to check out the after Christmas sales and pick up some door prizes for our New Year;s Eve Party. We also knocked out some other errands including having one of my tires repaired as I had a nail or screw in it from my grandmother's new neighborhood where they are still building houses.

Saturday I ran some more errands and saw "Into The Woods" which was okay but not as good as I had hoped. I loved the music though. Sunday was church and that evening my dad and I made a quick trip to Pulaski and back. The grandfather of a friend had passed away and we went up for the visitation. While we were there we ran into some other people we know from the area because as it always turns out, we can't go anywhere without running into someone we know.

Monday I stopped by the grocery store and went to see "Unbroken". I also picked up some shoe bags for the back of a couple of doors and wow, what a great decision that was. I can now see the bottom of my closet and close the door and I can also see all my shoes. This decision came about because I recently came across two or three pairs of shoes I forgot I even owned and they had been buried in the deep dark depths of my closet for so long that they had mold growing on them which is unfortunate because they were great pairs of shoes. I should not have this problem again as I can now see all of my shoes.

Tuesday I put away the Christmas stuff and got the house back in some semblance of order. I went to a late lunch with my sweet friend Pat and we were able to catch up on all that is going on in our lives and at the church  I used to attend. Then I came home and watched copious amounts of football while preparing some dishes for the New Year's Eve Party.

That brings us to today, New Year;s Eve, December 31, the last day of 2014! All in all, 2014 wasn't a bad year. I wouldn't say it was a spectacular year, but it certainly wasn't bad. I traveled as far west as I've ever been back in March when I went to Hawaii with my dad and brother. I took a few road trips to Louisville for the PGA Championship, to Gatlinburg for a girls weekend, to Memphis for a Pearl Jam concert and to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl. I saw the beginning of some great new friendships and the end of some older ones. I attempted to play softball after many years of not playing, and wrote my 1,000th post back in February and the fewest amount of posts since my first year of blogging - go figure. I threw out the first pitch at a Huntsville Stars game ( in their last season no less), I saw Sarah Palin speak and Pippa turned one and has grown up and settled down quite a bit. I worked the polls (five times this year), ran some races, and had knee surgery. Really, when I look back, I guess a lot happened in 2014.

I hope 2014 was good to you and your family and more importantly, I hope we all have a very good and fun 2015! Happy New Year, my friends!

Favorite Things Brunch 2014

The past couple of years, some of my oldest and dearest friends and I have had a "Favorite Things" Christmas party. This year, instead of having a party on a weeknight, we had a brunch. Our friend Kendra recently moved to Nashville for a new job and so we decided to do brunch this year so that she could continue to join in the festivities. The brunch was this past Saturday and we started around 10:00 a.m.

Totally random side note - The Rocket City Marathon was earlier that morning and the new course is about three blocks from my house. I had every intention of going out and cheering on the runners, but because I've been battling this sinus/cold/lung disease lately I decided to stay inside my warm house instead.

Each of the girls brought a dish for our brunch. Erika made delicious cinnamon rolls, Candy brought grape salad and Kendra made a hashbrown casserole. I made a sausage egg and cheese casserole and some hot cider. We enjoyed our meal and spent most of the morning catching up. Erika and I hadn't seen Kendra since she moved and were anxious to hear all about how things were going for her. She and Candy are sisters and undoubtedly talk more often.

Later on during our visit, we got to the "favorite things" part of the brunch. You may have read about our party before, but if not, we each buy something that we love (our favorite) that costs $5 or less and give it to the other girls in our group. Erika gave us all monogrammed key chains. Mine was crimson and white (naturally) and Candy and Kendra's had the colors of that other team. Kendra gave us all her favorite hand soap from Bath and Body Works (Raspberry Meringue) and some Lindt Chocolate and Peanut Butter Truffles. Candy gave us all $5 gift cards to Chicken Salad Chick and I gave the girls a set of coasters shaped like the state of Alabama which are made out of carpet remnants. Erika's were Alabama colors and Candy and Kendra got orange and blue ones. All of the gifts went over well and we were all pleased with each other;s selections. We have done much better in recent years than we did the first year when the majority of the gifts were some form of lip balm.

The girls packed up their goods and headed separate directions around 1:00 p.m. We had a good three hours of visiting together and enjoying time with each other. This is one of my favorite parties of the year and I'm thankful to some of my favorite people for making it so much fun each Christmas season!

Even More Christmas-ing

I suppose you could say that my Christmas celebrating is now in full swing after this past weekend. In addition to Friday night's party and Saturday's parade, I did more Christmas celebrating on Sunday and Monday. 

Sunday night I had Christmas for my ninth grade Huddles group. I'm not sure if I ever mentioned it, but I am a ninth grade sponsor at my church and the program is called Huddles. Basically I serve as a mentor and friend to the kids in the group and am there to provide them support, advise, whatever they need. It's proven to be a little more difficult than I thought it would be because man am I ever so out of touch with the teenage generation. With time, though, I hope to grow closer to these kids and get to know them better, it's just taking longer than I expected to break the ice. 

At any rate, we had out Christmas party on Sunday night and it was at the home of one of the youth ministers. I missed church that morning because I am feeling terrible again and was basically miserable and wanted to go to the doctor (which unfortunately didn't open until noon). So, despite feeling terrible, I managed to pull myself up by the bootstraps and make it to Huddles which was an accomplishment in and of itself. Yes, I wore the Christmas tutu again because I thought the kids would think it was funny and I also wore and ugly Christmas sweater as it was encouraged. Sadly, none of the kids wore Christmas attire, but I was saved by two other Huddle leaders who also dressed up in goofy clothes. 

We had a yummy meal and then played a game of Dirty Santa, once again using gifts from our home. This time around, I brought a card game that had never been opened and was laying around the house and I came home with a "Whimsy Alarm Clock" which was a purple cat. I can assure you this gift will be recycled at some point, maybe soon. The evening ended around 6:45 p.m. and I made a very brief stop by Publix before going home and going straight to bed. 

Monday night was our last women's Bible study of the year, and y'all, after a whole year of studying the book of Ruth, I can finally say "it is finished." Although we each enjoyed the study, I think we are all glad to move on to a new study in January and hopefully the next one won't last the whole year. The night was hosted by The Rieders and the men's group came as well and we had a Christmas potluck if you will. As is often the case at church gatherings, the food was good and so was the fellowship. After we ate, we split off into separate rooms and conducted our studies, wrapped up things a little before 9:00 p.m. and called it a night. I have enjoyed these nights with the girls as it has allowed me not only time to learn more about the Bible, but has also helped me develop closer friendships with these women and I'm so thankful for each of them,

Y'all this is just the beginning of December and it has already been so busy! I have something on the calendar pretty much every day and night from now until my surgery next week. So, there should be lots to write about provided I find a few minutes each day to sit down and start typing. If your month is anything like mine then you are running round crazy as well and I wish you luck and fun in your journeys!

A Christmasy Weekend

Friday night was my first Christmas party of the season. It was with my Sunday school class at church at it was a blast! The party was held at the home of my friends Stephen and Lauren who have a beautiful new house in West Huntsville.

We enjoyed lots of great finger foods and even better fellowship with friends. Most everyone wore their tacky Christmas sweaters and I also brought out the Christmas tutu. I figure I may as well get as much use out of it as I can. The main event of the night was a game of Dirty Santa which we played with gifts brought from our homes. I wrapped up an unused key chain and came home with a mug full of Christmas candy so I feel like I did really well. The craziest gift was brought by one of our children's ministers. He picked up off the road and wrapped in a box a dead possum. That's right folks, a dead possum. Needless to say, it was the most interesting/hilarious point of the night. I laughed so hard I thought I might burst.

The party was fun from top to bottom and such a fun way to kick off the weekend and the holiday party season. I am so blessed to have these folks as friends and brothers ans sisters in Christ.

On Saturday, my parents picked me and Pippa up for the Christmas parade in downtown Huntsville The parade hasn't been all that great in recent years but this year it was taken over by a local radio station instead of the television station that has hosted for many years and so I was hoping it might be revitalized and better than it has been as of late.

We set up out chairs but didn't go outside the car until the parade was about the start. The wind was blowing hard and it was rather cold out. My dad, in fact, bailed early on and went back to the van with Scout, my parents' dog. Pippa started shivering too and so I decided to take her back to the van and when I got back to the street, my mom headed to the van and then Santa came and it as over. Yep, the parade lasted about 30-45 minutes and was not even remotely good. There was only one band!

We got every human and dog loaded back in the van (Pippa in the front and me in the back by the way) and went back to my house where I put The Pip in the crate and left Scout in the bathroom with the gate closing him off so we humans could go get something to eat.

We ate at Five Guys and then came back to the house to discover that Scout had maneuvered his way out of the bathroom. Pippa was barking like crazy, I'm sure because she was upset that Scout had free roam and she did not. My dad grabbed up Scout and they were on their way.

The good thing about taking Pip to the parade is that she was rather tuckered out and spent the rest of the day being lazy which was a-okay with me as I do enjoy a lazy afternoon and evening. Every year I hope for a better parade. Who knows, maybe one year I'll be pleasantly surprised.

Galaxy of Lights 5K and Fun Run

So far the month of December has been full of activity and there are no signs of slowing down any time soon. On Monday and Tuesday of this week, I spent both nights at the Galaxy of Lights at the Huntsville Botanical Gardens for the 5K and the Fun Run.

Monday night was the 5K and I participated in place of one of my cousins who ended up having to be out of town for a work. Another cousin, Lauren was running and it was her parents who had signed up but had to be out of town and so I went in one slot and a co-worker of hers went in another slot. Per usual, my plan was to walk. For one, I hate running and for two, my knee and leg have been in immense pain over the past few days.

I met Lauren at the garden and the race started at 6:30 p.m. about a mile in, I wasn't even sure if I would be able to finish, that's how much pain I was in. I was in the very back of the group with a couple who were no doubt in their 80s and the woman even asked me if I was okay when she passed me. I wasn't, but I smiled and said I was. At the 1.5 mile mark I thought I was going to bail, but I toughed it out. I did send Lauren a text and told her not to worry about waiting on me because I was going super slow and I didn't want to keep her from getting home at a decent hour.

I ended up finishing around one hour and eight minutes and then had to walk what felt like another half mile to my car. When I got home, a hot bath was on the agenda to soothe my aching legs and feet and hopefully help offset the pain that would come the next day.

Tuesday night I was back for more. It was the Fun Run which was only 1.6 miles. I had gotten up a group of girlfriends to participate so there was no way I was going skip. I met the girls there at 5:30 p.m. and we entered the ugly sweater contest and the run started at 6:30 p.m. We all walked and I managed to keep up despite the fact that I wanted to scream with each step.

When the walk was over, we went to the pavilion for the door prize drawings and sadly, not one of us won a prize - not even the ugly sweater prizes. Lauren, however, did go home with a whole pizza, so it wasn't a total loss. It was a fun night and it was so good to catch up with everyone and I'm so thankful they all decided to do the run/walk with me. Last year I did it solo and while I had fun, it was a much better experience with some of my favorite people and I'm hoping everyone will agree to do it again next year.

Christmas Tree Woes and More Reasons Why I Loathe Wal-Mart

Earlier today I was thinking, "what should I write about next on the blog" and I thought oh yes, I'll write about the Galaxy of Lights Runs that I did this week. Then this afternoon when I got home, I remembered I had not yet regaled the tale of Saturday and all of the craziness that came with it. So, please allow me to share the story with you and I do hope it gives you a laugh or nine.

Saturday morning, I got up early, as usual, and started some laundry and cleaned the kitchen and then watched a little TV. I was confined to the house because I was covering for someone at work and had to make sure some things were taken care of Saturday morning before I could leave the side of my computer. I made a few work calls and thought I wouldn't be able to leave to run errands until closer to 11:00 a.m., but, as luck would have it, we were ahead of schedule and so by 9:30 a.m I was done with all manner of work for the day and so I changed clothes and left the house to take care of business.

As luck would have it, it was Small Business Saturday and I just so happened to need to stop by some local businesses and purchase a few things to complete my Christmas list. I also made a purchase or two for myself because 'tis the season. I made it home by noon with hopes that I wouldn't need to leave again the rest of the day.

After I ate lunch, I began to drag some of the Christmas decorations out of the shed. You may recall that last year I only put up a small tree because I didn't want Pippa to knock over a big one and break all manner of ornament. This year, however, I decided to bring out the big tree once again. So, I did and I plugged it in only to discover that the only lights working on the tree were the top strand. Needless to say, I was not happy.

In case you don't know me, and I suppose most of you do, I am the type of person who, once I've decided to do something (like decorate the tree), I will do it, no matter what and so I couldn't just sit there without a tree since I had decided I was going to put the tree up. Since I had left The Pip in the crate earlier in the day to run errands, I decided to take her with me. So, I loaded her up and off we went to the new Wal-Mart. I decided if I could find a tree for $100 or less, I would buy it.

I left The Pip in car (obviously) while I went in to Wal-Mart. I parked by the Garden Center since that's where the trees are and discovered that the entrance was locked and I had to walk around to the front of the store. I went back to the trees, found one that I liked fairly well for $89 and found it on the shelf. There was only one with white lights and it was on the very top shelf. I asked a worker to help me get it down and she said she would and then disappeared. After waiting a few minutes, I found a ladder, climbed up and got the tree down for myself. Another customer stood beside me and told me she would call for help if I fell. She also kind of held on to my back while I walked down the ladder with a jumbo boxed tree in my hands. Thankfully, no one was injured in the process.

I returned the ladder to it's rightful place and made my way to the cashier where I discovered that the tree was actually on sale for $62 which made it an even better bargain. As I was leaving the store, carrying the tree over my shoulder, the woman who was supposed to have helped me was concerned I was going to report her for not helping and went into a long dissertation as to where she had disappeared to. I told her not to worry about it and try my best to get away quickly because I was ready to get home and get to decorating.

When I got to the car, I had to put Pippa on a leash and let her out of the car so I could let part of the back seat down in order to fit the tree in the Rogue. I finally managed to get tree, dog and human in the car and on the road.

Once home, I unloaded the dog and the tree and immediately began to set the tree up. I got the last part assembled only to discover one of the strands would not light up. I was less than thrilled, as I'm sure you can imagine. So, I boxed it back up and attempted to call the Wal-Mart in Hampton Cove to see if they had one of these trees there. Since I knew that I had gotten the last one at the new Wal-Mart.

I waited on the phone for probably 20 minutes and no one in the Garden Center would ever pick up. So, I put Pippa in the crate, loaded up the tree and took off. I got to the Hampton Cove Wal-Mart, unloaded and carried in the tree and returned it. They credited back my money and I went back to the Garden Center to see if they had that model with white lights and miracle of miracles, they did. I loaded it in the loudest shopping cart of all-time and started to make my way to the register when another tree caught my eye. This one had a price of $99 and was a lot prettier than the one I was about to purchase. It had more of a pine look about it and I decided I had rather have it instead.

However, there were no pine trees to be found in a box. That model had apparently sold out and the man who looked like Santa Claus who was working outside said a lot of people had been looking for it but they didn't have any more and so I asked the Santa look alike if I could buy the display. I mean, at least I knew all the lights were working. Santa told me to talk to a woman named Meghan. To abbreviate the next 10 minutes I spent trying to locate and get an answer out of this Meghan, the conclusion was yes, I could buy the display.

Of course, no one volunteered to get the tree for me and so I walked to the middle of all the trees on display which is where the pine was, unplugged it, lifted it over my head and walked out of the middle of the trees to place it in my obnoxiously loud shopping cart. There were two ladies in the way though and I couldn't get to my cart and so I walked, literally, all the way around the Christmas section of the Garden Center carrying a seven foot artificial tree over my head until I reached the cash register. I only knocked down one other tree in the process, which the two ladies picked up for me. They also brought me the loud shopping cart which I couldn't get to before.

The cashier scanned the barcode hanging from the tree, I paid and then loaded it up in the noisy shopping cart because heaven forbid anyone that works at Wal-Mart actually help a customer with heavy lifting. I managed to get the tree to my vehicle and shoved it in and made it home without going postal on someone. It was truly a Christmas miracle.

Once home, I opened the door to discover that Pippa was not in her crate, but sitting in the chair by the front door. Clearly in my haste and frustration to get out the door and back to Wal-Mart, I had not really fastened the door to the crate like I thought. Thankfully nothing was harmed or peed on in the great dog escape. I managed to get the tree up and decorated and the rest of the Christmas decorations out and the floors vacuumed and mopped before 5:00 p.m. which was my goal once I realized what a fiasco I was in. I then took a long hot bath and more or less crashed on the couch. I seriously felt like it was 10:00 p.m. and it was more like 6:00 p.m. I had no words for the exhaustion I felt.

The remainder of the night was spent watching football and also cleaning and wrapping presents to distract me from what was a disastrous first half. By the time the third quarter rolled around, I decided to just lie down on the couch and watch the game and try to relax which was kind of impossible since Alabama wasn't playing so well. Finally, the game got turned around for the better and I was able to enjoy the final quarter and the nice victory over our rival. Once the game was over, I went straight to bed, illuminated by the light of a Christmas tree.

I realize the tree looks kind of crooked here. I promise it's not. I was laying down when I took this photo and I'm too lazy to get up and take a new one.

The First Christmas Gift of 2014

I'm starting with a post about the second half of my weekend rather than the first half because that's the thing that's easiest to write about and I need easy today because my brain isn't functioning on full steam today.You'll find out why in this post.

A couple of months ago, I got an email about advanced ticket sales for James Taylor in Nashville and immediately thought that it would be a good show to attend with my mother. I felt like at some point I had heard her mention that she would like to see him in concert. So, I sent her an email asking her if she would like to go and if so, then I would take her as the main part of her Christmas present. She said she would and so I bought two tickets for the show, which was this past Sunday, November 9.

I picked mother up for our adventure a little before 3:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. When I got there, she, my dad and my brother were all in the driveway - it looked like some folks were happy to get rid of mother for a few hours, I joked. We headed north and the first stop on our agenda was The Cheesecake Factory. Mother wanted to eat there and so I had looked up earlier in the week where it was. I knew there was one at Green Hills Mall, but wasn't sure if that was the only one. According to their web site there is one in Franklin but I'm here to tell you it was no where to be found and when I put it in my GPS it didn't come up. The only one it showed was the one at Green Hills, so we got back on the interstate and headed to Green Hills Mall.

By the time we got there, everyone else had to. It looked like we might never get in there were so many people standing about. We got out name on the list and in the meantime, we picked out and bought slices of cheesecake to take home with us. I had noticed a Carrabba's within walking distance and so I looked it up on my phone, called and found they had no line. So, we made another change of plans and went there to eat so we wouldn't have to wait. It worked out really well because we had a great meal and still got a piece of cheesecake.

After dinner we headed to Bridgestone Arena and found a good parking spot that really couldn't have worked out any better in my opinion. Our only concern was that mother's wheelchair battery might not last the night. Some cobble surfaces cause the battery to drain faster than normal and she was losing juice; but, we managed to make it inside and find our seats with no problem.

The seats were great. We were close to the stage and elevated above the row in front of us. I don't think we could have asked for a better location. We got settled in and people watched until time for the show to start. Start time was slated for 8:00 p.m. and it got started a few minuted after that. The majority of the crowd was around my parents' age I would say and so thankfully, they were the type that preferred to sit throughout the show rather than stand the whole time.

James Taylor was really quite humorous and we often laughed at his commentary throughout the night. For someone like me who mostly attends rock-and-roll shows, it was definitely more subdued than I'm used to and that caused me to chuckle to myself a time or two. Mr. Taylor and his band played for three hours and it was really a great show. He played a lot of his hits and also some new songs (which sound like the old songs, he said and it's true). It was just an overall great show. Mother really enjoyed it too which is great.

We got back to the van at 11:13 p.m. after some concern about the battery dying on the way, we thankfully made it with enough juice to get mother into the car and buckled in. We got on the interstate and made one stop for gas in Franklin before finishing the journey home. I think I pulled into my parents' driveway about 1:30 a.m. and was home and in bed 20 minutes after that.I was up at 5:00 a.m. for work and did my best to function on about three hours of sleep. Needless to say, I was glad to see 4:00 p.m. roll around so I could go on home and sleep.

I'm glad mother and I got to spend this time together and have this memory. It was a great way to kick of Christmas giving for 2014!

This Is What I've Been Doing

Well, I'm alive, in case you were wondering. I've been on vacation from work since December 23 and I've hardly even opened my computer which makes blogging difficult. Also, Pippa makes blogging difficult, and so I've just not blogged, but I guess you a,ready knew that.

I had a nice Christmas; it was nothing over the top or exceedingly spectacular or dramatic. On Christmas Eve, my parents hosted their annual breakfast. That afternoon I baked a cake, and then that evening we upheld our annual tradition of going out and about to look at Christmas lights. Our first stop was Galaxy of Lights thanks to a pass given to me by the lady I teach with at church on Wednesday nights. We then drove around some neighborhoods and ended at the Tinsel Trail in Big Spring Park.

Christmas morning was spent opening presents with my parents and brother after which I returned home to finish up cooking. We met with all of my dad's side of the family (at my parents' house) at 3:00 and ate dinner and opened gifts and played dirty Santa and for a change, people actually stuck around for a while and visited with one another. It was like a Christmas miracle of sorts.

The rest of my time off has been spent napping, clearing out the DVR, and going to the movies. Other than that, I haven't done a whole heck of a lot. I've consumed massive amounts of buttered popcorn to the point where I think I need a break from it for a while. I did manage to hit some after Christmas sales and get some bags and wrapping paper for next year and even managed to make it to the gym; so, it hasn't all been a time of laziness. Although, I will say this break from work was much needed and I hope to feel a little rejuvenated when I return.

I don't think I ever mentioned it, but a few months ago my dad and I bought Sugar Bowl tickets; this was before any of the teams were announced. Our intent was to sell the tickets to turn a little profit; but, alas, not all investments are good ones and we have had zero luck selling our tickets, even after lowering the price and lowering the price again. So, now I'm headed down to New Orleans on Thursday to watch the Sugar Bowl live and in person. I've never been to a Sugar Bowl so I'm hoping it will be a fun trip. I also didn't want to spend this money, but I also don't want the tickets to go to waste and you only live once, or YOLO as the kids say these days.

So, that about sums things up for me. I apologize for the lack of blogging, but I have enjoyed the break of just being away from it all even though that's been in my own house.

Christmas Decorations for 2013

We've reached the middle of December and I haven't done a post on how I decorated for Christmas this year. Not that it's a requirement, but usually I write a little something about it. I took a few photos early on but have yet to post them so I thought I would take the time to do it today since I did nothing last night but visit the gym. 

I think I had mentioned earlier that I didn't put up my large tree this year and I am ever so thankful that I made that decision after The Pip's wild adventure on Saturday. I cannot even imagine what would have happened if that tree had been up and she had gotten into it. Instead, I bought a small (4 foot) tree at Wal-Mart on Black Friday. It's pre-lit with white lights and was a great price. I placed it on top of the cabinet in my den and put a few of my personalized and most favorite ornaments on it. So far it has been safe and The Pip hasn't knocked it over or pulled it off the table, but there's still plenty of time for that before it is put away until next year.

As for the outside of my house, I did the same old thing I always do - white lights around the porch with two green wreaths with red bows (compliments of my Aunt Linda) on the front columns. I replace the bows every year as I buy them when they go on sale after Christmas. It's a classic look and I love it. The only thing I  would really like to add are C9 lights around the rooftop; but I like the old C9s not the new ones and they don't sell the old ones any more so I don't know if that will ever come to pass. Still, I think it looks good as it is and I'll probably keep the same look for years to come. I did get new lights for the porch this year as some of my lights were not working. The new lights are a lot brighter and look better than the old dim ones.

I also bought a small led tree for my bedroom. It changes colors and is really quite lovely. I didn't put any ornaments on it, but I turn it on at night and love to watch the lights change from red to green to white to blue.

Those are all the decorations at Hacienda Nat this season. I made the decision to not put out my favorite decorations of all - my Lennox Grinch pieces. I did not want to risk having any of the pieces broken by The Pip and I believe it was definitely the right decision. Perhaps next year, or the year after I will be able to put them out again; but, until The Pip settles down, decorating will be minimal.

We Shut Down Santa's Village

Back at the beginning of the month, one of the local news stations had a deal where you could buy a Santa's Village pass for half price. The pass admitted five people and was $12.50. I bought one and also told Jackie about it and she bought one too. We then decided that Monday, December 16 would be a good night to go. The weekends at Santa's Village are always packed to the brim with people and so we thought that it might be less crowded on a Monday night.Well, as you probably read in my last post, Ashlyn has the flu and so that meant Jackie and the kids would not be able to go on Monday night. So, I asked Erika and Kendra to come along with me and they graciously agreed. 

I had some chili left over from Friday night and so I told the girls to come on over around 6:00 p.m. and we would have chili for dinner before heading out to see Santa. In case you were wondering, yes, I stopped by the store and bought some Saltines before going home to warm up the chili. Erika got stuck with some last minute work and arrived about 6:15 and we then ate dinner. We left the house about 7:15 to go to Santa's Village and found a parking spot very close by which was a good sign that the place wouldn't be too crowded. We walked in with no problem at all and the village was more like a ghost town as there were hardly any people at all there. 

Our first stop was the toy shop where we colored a candy cane ornament and played with wooden toys and had our picture made with Frosty the Snowman. Some children came in after we started playing with the toys so we decided to let them play instead of us, I guess it was the right thing to do. 

 

 

Next up we had our picture taken in the snowmen cutouts where we put our heads in the top of the snowmen and then we ventured over to Mrs. Claus' Kitchen where we decorated gingerbread men cookies.

We then got in line to see Santa Claus. The line wasn't too long and seemed to be moving quickly. It was maybe a 15 minute wait and so worth it because we got to have our photo taken with the jolly old fellow and we told him we had been really good this year to which we replied, "You expect me to believe that?" Why yes, Santa, yes we do. 

After visiting with Santa, we peeked in the windows of the Elves' rooms and did the ice maze. We then ran across Mrs. Claus who was reading a story. We then had our photo taken with her and told her we were having such a good time and that we might have a better time if some Egg Nog were to be made available. Sadly, there is no Egg Nog at Santa's Village. 

 

 

We walked through the print shop admiring the decorations and then wrote a letter to Santa. We deposited our letters in the mailbox to Santa and then made our way to the blacksmith shop where we watched the smithy make a couple of nails, one of which Erika got to keep since she has a birthday this week. 

 

 

Finally we had our picture taken on the sleigh because no trip to Santa's Village is complete without the sleigh photo. 

 

 

We stopped off to look at the reindeer and then went by the gift shop where, yes, I ended up buying a few items. At this point it was 9:00 p.m. and Santa's Village was closing up shop for the night; so, we took our leave and headed back home. It was one of the funnest nights I have had in a long time and I'm so glad we were able to do this. Christmas can still be magical for us big kids too!

Second Annual Favorite Things Christmas Party

Monday night I hosted my closest girlfriends for our Christmas party. Since last year's favorite things themed party was such a big hit, we decided to do the same thing this year. In addition to the favorite things, we also decided to wear our tacky Christmas sweaters and that was a big hit as well. As you may recall, last year's party was somewhat of a bust as there were only two attendees (other than myself) for the longest time and then a third joined us. So, this year, I emailed everyone back in the summer and asked them to save the date, circle it on their calendars because I wanted everyone to be there. 

The party was slated for a 6:30 p.m. start and there were to be five of us, including myself, in attendance. I had planned to leave work around 4:30, but it was closer to 5:00 before I managed to make my escape which means I was rushing around like crazy trying to get everything done. In the meantime, I received a text from Jackie saying she would not be able to make it. She was not feeling well and had spent the afternoon at the doctor's office; so, we excused her with sadness. 

Everyone else arrived right on time and I finished things up in the kitchen and we soon began to eat. I made Little Smokies in a Blanket and Buffalo Chicken Dip. Erika brought Chicken Salad. Kendra made chocolate-caramel brownies and pickle roll-ups, and Candy brought Rotel Cheese Dip. All of the food was yummy and we stuffed our bellies until we could eat no more. Isn't party food the best?

We sat around talking about this, that and the other, just enjoying each others company when Candy received a text from her husband about her oldest son. She had told us earlier in the night that she had taken him to the doctor earlier in the day because his stomach had been aching for a few days and the doctor sent her home with basically no medicine and I won't get into all the details because you didn't bargain for all of that when you logged on here today. Long story short, Candy's husband called a second time and her little one had gotten very sick and she left so that she and her husband could take him to the hospital. 

Before Candy left though, we quickly exchanged our gifts. First, I drew a number for the door prize which went to Erika. She received a Downton Abbey Christmas ornament which was very lovely if I do say so myself. As was the case last year, we were asked to spend $5 or less on each person in the group, getting everyone the same thing. Since I love cooking, I gave everyone a set of ceramic measuring spoons, the same ones I gave away on the blog earlier this year. Kendra gave each of us a $5 Starbucks gift card, an excellent choice if I do say so myself. From Erika we received a package of her favorite cotton swabs to use on our faces as well as a little bag filled with all manner of manicure items (file, buffer, polish remover cloths) and a candy cane ink pen. Candy loves Yankee Candles and so she gave us all an adorable Christmas votive with a Yankee candle inside. Believe it or not, no one brought lip balm as their favorite thing!

After we all opened our gifts, Candy left us and our party was once again like it was last year, with the three of us (me, Erika and Kendra) hanging out; maybe one year we will all be able to get together without interruption of sickness. Despite the fact that some of us were absent (but there in spirit) and others had to rush off to their sick babies (who will hopefully be feeling better soon), we still had a fun night. I'm very thankful to have this great group of friends in my life. God has truly blessed me with wonderful friends. 

Because of how crazy the night was, I only managed to get one picture - of Erika with her door prize!

A Christmas-y Weekend

Last Friday night I went with Jackie and her family to see Mr. Grumpy's Toy Shoppe. The play was presented by the Academy for Academics and Arts which is where Troy attends school and he was in the play. Every student in the school has a role in the play. Troy is in fifth grade and all the fifth grade students played astronauts and did a singing and dancing number. 

I loved the little children especially - the boys played toy soldiers and the little girls were dollies and they were all so adorable. I guess the play could be considered a musical since there were songs in all of the acts. The most touching moment of the play was when all the special needs children came out dressed in costumes from Mother Goose Land. It was just precious.

The play was fabulous and all of the children did a fantastic job! I love that everyone in the school was included in the play. It was one of the best shows I have seen at Christmas and I really, really enjoyed it!

On Saturday morning, Jackie came over and we gathered up all manner of blanket, chair and Pippa and headed out to the Christmas Parade. The parade didn't receive much publicity this year, but I had looked it up late last month and made plans to attend. We arrived at our spot at around 11:40 and the parade was slated to start at noon. We sat there freezing our tails off and waiting for the excitement to begin. 

Pippa was pretty rambunctious at first (no surprise there) but settled down after the parade started. I don't know if she was scared of the loud noises or just freezing, but The Pip spent the rest of the parade in between mine and Jackie's chairs shivering. 

After sitting out in the cold for about an hour and a half, we moved our frozen bodies to the car and watched some of the parade from the car with the heater on. Pippa was in the backseat with the blankets shivering still. After the Huntsville High Band passed us, I decided to check out the list of parade participants and discovered there were no more bands coming through so we decided to leave. 

The parade was super disappointing this year, and I had really been looking forward to it because the theme was A Charlie Brown Christmas and that is one of my favorite Christmas specials. There were only two high school bands (Huntsville and Lee) and a couple of middle school bands and the rest were just people in cars driving by and waving. It was the worst it has been in a long time. Even the "Rev it Up!" lady wasn't there! I found out later that a lot of bands and other participants cancelled because it was cold. Weird, I know. 

Despite the disappointing turnout, we still had a good time waving at people and listening to the few bands that actually did show up. Here's to hoping next year's parade will be a lot better! 

Galaxy of Lights Fun Run 2013

This past Tuesday night was the first annual Galaxy of Lights Fun Run and I am so glad I participated because it was such a fun night! I found out about the Fun Run when I picked up my packed for the Liz Hurley Ribbon Run earlier this year and I registered almost immediately. Last year was the first time the Galaxy of Lights 5K was held and the response was so overwhelming that they added the Fun Run this year which was a shorter course for those who might prefer to walk, stroll, skip or jog... in other words, people like me!

The run took place at the Huntsville Botanical Gardens at was slated for a 6:30 p.m. start. They had pictures with Santa at 5:30 p.m. and a tacky holiday sweater contest at 6:00 p.m. I had planned to go to the gardens right after work and in my rush that morning I forgot to grab mine. So, Meri was kind enough to grab one from her mom that afternoon and bring it to me. It was a sweater vest that was very festive, but sadly, not festive enough as I did not win a prize for my tacky sweater. 

We lined up at the start a few minutes before 6:30 p.m. and then the run was underway. There were four spots along the route where you could stop and sing and be entered for a door prize and so I stopped at each of these spots and did a little singing. I have never walked the Galaxy of Lights before and I must say it was so much better than just driving through. I had planned to walk the trail at dog night the week before with Jackie and the kids, but it was cold and raining and so we elected to stay in the warmth of my home instead. There was music playing all throughout the course and it was such a fun environment and it was really nice to be able to enjoy the lights while walking rather than just seeing them as we zip past in a car.

I finished the 1.7 miles in about 35 minutes, stopping along to sing and take a few photos. After I crossed the finish line, I snagged some free pizza, chocolate milk and an ice cream sandwich  because the last thing I wanted to do when I got home was fix dinner. I also wanted to stick around for the door prize drawings which began at 7:15 p.m. There were 70 door prizes so I had my fingers crossed. 

First they announced the winners of the tacky sweater contest which I already mentioned I did not win and then they began the door prize drawings. As luck would have it, my number and name was the first one they pulled out of the box! I won dinner and a movie for two at the Monaco! I was so excited (and still am) because there are a lot of great movies coming out in the next few weeks and I do enjoy going to the movies, especially for free! I stayed for the remainder of the general door prizes and also for the prizes for the singers, all of which were great. The prizes included movies, dinners, and spa treatments. I don't know if the 5K race has door prizes as well, but the prizes at the Fun Run were fabulous! 

It was a fun, fun night and I'm so glad I participated. I'm already looking forward to doing it again next year! 

The Heritage Ringers Holiday Concert 2013

It's been a busy week at work and socially as well and I am way behind on the blogging. Hopefully I can write up some posts over the weekend so I won't be so far behind. I started this post on Tuesday and am just now getting around to finishing and posting it. 

One of my favorite events of the holiday season is the Heritage Bell Ringers Christmas concert which takes place the first Monday of December at Trinity Methodist Church. I circled the date on my calendar this year because I missed it last year and as luck would have it, the day of the concert was also my co-worker and friend Meri's birthday. So, I treated her to a free concert - what can I say, my generosity knows no bounds. I also took her out to dinner though so I'm not a total cheapskate.

 

The concert started at 7:00 p.m. and we met for dinner at Newk's at 5:45p.m. We were enjoying visiting with each other outside of work so much that we had each eaten about half of our salad before realizing we had the other person's. I had ordered Blue Cheese dressing and Meri had ordered Ranch and when we realized the mistake, we just switched salads and went on eating.

 

We had planned on arriving at the church at 6:30 p.m. so that we would be able to get a good seat. Our co-worker Maria was meeting us there as well. We all arrived at the same time and quickly found a seat towards the front. Meri and I were close to the youngest ones there, especially considering various assisted living facilities were bringing people in by the busloads.

The three of us talked amongst ourselves prior to the start of the concert and at one point I laughed so loudly that it echoed throughout the sanctuary. The concert began a couple of minutes after 7:00 p.m. and it was a really enjoyable show. Sadly, they did not play Sleigh Bells this year which is always my favorite at this show. They did, however, play a medley of songs from Charlie Brown Christmas and those were my favorite this time around.
 
The show lasted about and hour and 15 minutes and was very enjoyable. It was attended by a nice number of people as the sanctuary was quite full. Meri, Maria and I all enjoyed it. Next year, if you live in Huntsville,  mark your calendar for the first Monday in December and enjoy the wonders of the handbell concert. It will not disappoint!