Strange Coincidences

It's been an interesting weekend. I didn't really have anything on the agenda for this weekend which was a big relief since I have been super busy the last two weekends. Plus, we wrapped up the quarter at work on Friday and I was just ready to go home and turn my brain off for a while. I was in desperate need of unplugging and unwinding.

Friday night, I didn't do anything but lay on the couch. I think I may have watched one or two shows I had recorded during the week, but by 9:30 I was bored and had been dozing off and on and just decided to go on to bed. Please do not be jealous of this exciting life of mine.

Saturday morning, I went to see Jersey Boys at the movie theater. It was okay, more of a rental than a see it in the theater type. The music was good, but other than that it was just kind of meh which surprised me because usually Clint Eastwood directed movies are great. I was the youngest person in the theater by a long shot. I still had a nice time though, as going to the movies solo and getting away from it all is seriously one of my favorite things to do.

I think it was actually before I left for the movie, I was outside with Pippa and my neighbor Tina walked over to talk to me. She told me that a friend of hers had backed into my fence on accident a few days ago. Apparently the friend had seizures and had had a seizure before getting into his truck to drive and therefore didn't even realize he had hit my fence until she told him (she saw him do it). Hey, I didn't even notice anything had happened and I haven't had a seizure. Anyway, I told her it was not a big deal because I'm planning to have some of the fencing replaced where it was hit anyway and really there's not much damage at all and it wasn't all that big of a deal.

Fast forward to Sunday afternoon, my neighbor's friend called his insurance company and they are going to pay for the damage to the fence. It was super nice of him to call because honestly, I wasn't even that concerned about it but I appreciate him doing the right thing and taking care of it. This works out really well because when the insurance company pays for those repairs, I can have my back fencing repaired and the fencing and gate replaced in the front and just pay the difference. So, maybe it was a blessing that he ran into the fence since I've been wanting to take care of this anyway. The Lord works in mysterious ways, y'all.

I also took a trip out to visit my brother at work on Saturday, but I think I'll save this for a separate post because I can often be very wordy about nothing in particular and I'm quite sure I can be wordy about paying him a visit.

On Sunday, I went to church, out to lunch and then the the grocery store. I made it home just before it started raining. There were thunderstorms and rain all afternoon which was a perfect napping environment except that The Pip jumped on and off of me the whole time I laid down.

Sunday evening, I went by Target to get a couple of items that I knew Publix wouldn't have and as I was walking out, I saw a display with Cokes and Diet Cokes. I don't know if you have seen them, but the Cokes, Diet Cokes and Coke Zeroes all have "Share a Coke with..." and then a name. I was looking to see if there was a Natasha (if any of y'all see one, please get it) and I kid you not, there were three bottles on a shelf and the three names were Erika, Kendra and Justin which just so happens to be the names of two of my best friends and my brother. Life is crazy at times, don't you think?

Thursdays In Huntsville

I don't really have much of anything to write about today. I've been keeping busy but with nothing very interesting, or at least not interesting enough to write about. I will say the summer has been a nice break. I've spent very little time watching TV which I should honestly practice more often. I need to get in the habit of reading, a hobby which I once loved and somewhere along the way stopped doing.

I did want to mention Greene Street Market again. I've been four or five times this year and it's always so much fun. If you love in Huntsville, you should definitely check it out. It takes place on Thursdays from May through October from 4-8 p.m.

Last week, since I was told to stay out of the gym by the doctor, I went with Jackie and our friend Leah. We met at my house at 6:00 p.m. and headed out. Leah and I got some Piper and Leak Summertime Chai Tea to start things off. We also got some homemade popsicles and while standing in line we ran into Erika who had purchased a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Last Thursday was also the Arts Stroll for the month of June so we walked around downtown and perused the various crafts.

We made our way back to Greene Street and Leah and I got some Kettle Corn and Jackie tried some weird pro-biotic drink called Kambucha. I'm probably not spelling that right, but I'm too lazy to look it up. Before the night was over, we stopped by Big Spring Park. It was a gorgeous night and thankfully it wasn't unbearably hot.

I stopped by again tonight to get tea and kettle corn and I also picked up some sunflowers because they were so pretty and I thought they might brighten up the house. I also grabbed some dinner from Food Fighters. They are usually a food truck, or bus really, but they set up a tent at Greene Street. I had the brisket, mashed potatoes and coleslaw and it was really quite delicious.

Huntsville has so many wonderful things to offer and Greene Street is just one of those. Be sure to check it out before the season is over.

The Pip's First Birthday

As mentioned in my last post, The Pip's birthday was this past Saturday. She is now a one year old dog, or seven depending on how you look at things (human years vs. dog years and all that). We didn't do anything to celebrate. I think I mentioned I tried to put a birthday shirt on her and take her photo but it didn't work out to well. For one, the shirt was way too big and for two she wouldn't sit still. The shirt says, "It's my birthday and I'll bark if I want to." Maybe next year it will work out. In honor of Pippa's first birthday, here are some photos of her from the first year of her life. You may have seen most of these before, but I'm sharing them again because, why not?

This photo was sent to me by the owner of Pippa's dog mom. She was about three weeks weeks old here. Clearly she looks terrified because the person holding her is wearing a Barner shirt. 

These next couple of photos are from when Pippa was five weeks old. Jackie and the kids and I went out to Hazel Green to look at the litter of pups and decided that Pippa would be the one I would eventually take home. We liked her Brindle coloring and she seemed relatively calm. Clearly she was putting on a show for everyone. 

The next two photos are from August 16, the day she came to live with me. She weighed 10 pounds and was still rather little. Those first few months were interesting/trying. 

She started to grow and the hound in her began to come out.

Pippa became a good snuggler/pillow. 

She learned that hanging out with children at Fall Festival can be exhausting. 

She graduated from puppy training, although I dare say she should probably go back for more. 

She learned that all the good stuff comes from the stove. 

Here she is on the day of her first birthday. 

She's turned out to be a pretty good dog. Happy first birthday The Pip!

Another Weekend, Another Wedding

It's hot, y'all. There is no doubt about it, summer has officially arrived. The days are hot and sticky and you start sweating as soon as you open the front door. Summer in the South - some things never change. I will say, though, that I am surprised by the amount of bugs there are this summer. I've always heard if the winter is very cold then the bugs won't be bad; but, that does not seem to be the case this year. Seems like there are more beetles this year than I have ever seen. I'm thinking I may need to get one of those bags that catches the beetles. I suppose that doesn't have much to do with what I've been doing, but I did want to mention it so thanks for hanging in there with me and my random moments. 

The weekend for me started with a Friday night grass mowing. I had not mowed in almost two weeks and it was time that the yard be tamed. I got started about 6:15 p.m. and finished up close to 8:00 p.m. My ankle was rather swollen (because of my leg) by the time I was done with the yard work. So I spent the rest of the evening with my foot propped up on a pillow so the swelling would go down. I did this while laying in bed. Yes, I was in bed by 8:30 p.m. on a Friday night. Please do not be jealous of my rock star lifestyle. 

On Saturday morning, I was up by 6:00 and spend the morning cleaning and doing laundry. It was The Pip's first birthday and you would think I might have done something fun or crazy with her; but, no. I did try to put a birthday shirt on her and take her photo, but that didn't work out too well. So, I just told her happy birthday a lot. I don't think she really cared one way or the other. 

In the late afternoon, I got ready for my friend Katie's wedding. Jackie and I know Katie from church and so we went to the wedding together since neither of us were fortunate enough to have an actual date. The wedding was sweet and simple and short which is probably how most people like it. The bridesmaids dresses were beautiful and Katie looked gorgeous! Her dress wasn't my style, but it looked great on her. She was a beautiful bride. 

The reception was in the South Ballroom at the VBC and there were 500-600 people in attendance. They had a buffet with  plethora of food, all of which was quite good. Jackie and I mingled amongst all our friends and never really stayed at any one table for long. We stayed until the cake was cut and served because, as you probably know, I am a lover of cake and this cake was worth the wait. Very moist and delicious. 

After the wedding, Jackie and I hung out on the front porch to people watch and then ended up going over to our friends Jonathan and Caley's house so we could hold their sweet baby for a while. We love spoiling that baby! It was another busy but fun Saturday spent with people I love. A big congrats to our friend Katie on her nuptials. I wish you all the happiness in the world!

The Week's Happenings

It's been a busy week this week, y'all and also a little unusual because I haven't been able to do some of my normal activities.

Sunday night we had another softball game and another loss and I did not even have fun playing. I was in a bad mood and so were some other people and it just did not make for a fun experience. Not to mention that I fell on my wounded leg which caused the wound to bust open and become extremely disgusting.

Monday night I went to my women's Bible study group where the aforementioned wound was examined by various and sundry ladies who told me I needed to go see a doctor and so I did just that on Tuesday morning. The doctor never used the word infected, but he did use the word "concerning". My ankle and foot had also begun swelling the night before and so that was also cause for concern.

The doctor gave me a Tetanus shot and some antibiotic cream and told me to do a wet to dry bandage and change it three times a day. He said if it wasn't better in a couple of days to call him and he would call in an oral antibiotic. He also told me to keep my foot elevated and to take the week off from working out and softball which freed me up for family dinner on Tuesday night.

So, Tuesday after work, I headed over to my Aunt Linda's house for family dinner and enjoyed the food and more importantly, the company and also some leftover wedding cake. I could have stayed all night talking to my family, but my foot was extremely swollen and I was so very tired and so I headed home around 7:45 p.m. I was in bed and pretty much asleep by 9:15 p.m. and slept all night.

Wednesday was work and church which was nothing out of the ordinary. Thursday was a big day at work and in the evening. Some time last month I threw my business card in the fish bowl at Zoe's Kitchen and last week I found out I had won catered lunch for 10. So, I was blessed to be able to treat my team to lunch Thursday afternoon. We had steak and chicken kabobs, hummus and pimento cheese with pita, a large salad and chocolate cake. They even brought cups, ice and tea. It was all super delicious and it was nice to be able to have conversations with my team members that didn't involve work.

Thursday night, Jackie and our friend Leah came by and the three of us went to Greene Street Market and then walked around downtown perusing the Arts Stroll. We stayed out for a couple of hours and just enjoyed each other's company and the nice evening. It was hot but not blazing. We ran into lots of people we know, most from church, including Erika and Leah's in-laws.

I've still got yard mowing to do for the week which I hope to get knocked out on Friday night and then there is another line up of activities to keep me busy through the weekend which will hopefully make for some good blogging material. Hope everyone has a nice weekend!

A Wedding Celebration

Saturday was filled from start to finish with activity and there was little time for rest. It was my cousin Anna's wedding day and it was also the day before Father's Day which meant that in addition to my normal household chores, I also had Sunday lunch to prepare and had to stop in time to get ready for the wedding reception. Anna was married in a very small church that had no air conditioning and so just a small group of people were invited to the wedding. 

The Pip was ready to get up about 5:00 a.m. I guess since we get up at that time during the week she decided the weekend should be no different. It worked out well though because I was able to get started on the cleaning and the laundry and start cooking and preparing for Sunday lunch. Early on in the morning I realized I was out of dishwasher detergent and an emergency run to the store was in order. I was brave and decided that since the store was less than a mile from the house I would let Pippa stay out of the crate while I was gone. I was back home in less than 10 minutes and I'm pretty sure she just stayed at the window the whole time I was away. She (thankfully) didn't tear up anything. 

Mid-morning I managed to get a small nap in and then got back to it until I took a break a little after 1:00 p.m. to go get my nails done, using the gift certificate Jackie's parents gave me for Christmas. I came back home a little over an hour later, took care of some more things around the house and soon enough it was time to get ready for the big party. 

The invitation to the reception said 6:30 p.m., but I am perpetually early and I got to Mooresville about 6:00 p.m. Anna's reception was at The Dance Hall and the parking was on the main highway and golf carts ran back and forth from the cars to the dance hall. It was also a short walk away and so I just walked, enjoying the evening stroll as it wasn't too terribly hot out. 

I ran into the wedding party as they were walking to the church and was able to pass out hugs and handshakes before the ceremony. I also got to see Anna before she headed to the church and she, of course, looked gorgeous. I made my way inside the dance hall and was quickly greeted by Sydney who was there with her parents, new baby brother, and her grandmother (my dad's sister) and so I sat at the table with them. 

The serving line started around 6:45 p.m. or so and all of the food was delicious. There were a lot of choices and it was all so good. When Anna and Randy came into the reception, the party really got started. There was a live band and no one had been dancing until the bride and groom arrived. Sydney and her gang left pretty early on and my Aunt Linda sat at the table with me the rest of the night. The table was right by the dance floor so we had a good view of all the shenanigans. I ended up dancing with my cousin Chris and y'all, I danced until I was covered in sweat. It was a blast. Everyone seemed to be having so much fun. I think we all could have danced for a couple more hours. 

Anna and Randy left the reception around 9:30 p.m. and I left soon after, hitching a ride to my car with Chris and Amy and Aunt Linda. I was home a little after 10:00 p.m. and you would think that after all that dancing I would be able to sleep the night away, but it was just the opposite. I actually tossed and turned and was in and out of sleep all the while having visions of dancing at the reception in my head. I guess I wasn't ready for the night to end. 

A big congrats to Anna and Randy who are such a fun couple! I wish them all the happiness in the world!  

Greer before the wedding

Anna and Greer before the wedding

Anna and Randy's first dance

A blurry photo of Chris leading the dance line

Anna and Randy dancing their way out of the reception

Blue Plate Broadway 2014 - A Grand Performance

It was another busy weekend and I feel like I went non-stop from the time I left work Friday until I closed my eyes Sunday night. Friday afternoon, I left work around 5:00 p.m. and made a trip by Publix to pick up some items I needed for Father's Day lunch. I ended up buying a Styrofoam cooler and a bag of ice to keep all of my frozen and cold items frozen and cold because I wasn't planning on going home right away. 

After the Publix run, I made a stop at Taziki's for some hummus and pita to have for dinner and I then drove to Huntsville High School where I ate that dinner in my car before watching the 2014 Blue Plate Broadway show. You may recall that for the past three years, Troy and Ashlyn have gone to a performing arts camp each summer called Blue Plate Broadway and at the end of the week-long camp, the children put on a performance of the songs and dances they learned. It is always such a fun week for the kids and the performances are amazing. 

This year was no exception. The show was the best one yet. I cried multiple times throughout the show because of how proud I was of these two kiddos. They are really growing up fast and becoming their own independent grown little people and it has been such a blessing to be a part of watching them grow. Both Troy and Ashlyn had solos in the show and they did so great. The show was hilarious and fun and just an all around good time. Jackie told me that on the second night at the end of the show, they announced that half of the proceeds were being donated to a girl named Lindsey who was a junior counselor. Lindsey is blind and has been a part of Blue Plate Broadway for the last three years if not more. Since her text books need to be in braille, they are more expensive than regular textbooks and so I have no doubt that the donation was a big help to her and her family. I've gotta say I'm kind of glad I wasn't there for that announcement because I would have squalled like a baby. 

After the show, I headed on home. The kids' paternal grandparents and aunt were in attendance and I didn't want to take away from that visit so I told Jackie to pass along my congratulations. I went home and straight to bed for I had a large day ahead of me on Saturday and needed a good amount of rest before continuing on with my weekend.