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!
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
A Post-Surgical Post
So, first of all, I'm alive and I guess that's the most important thing. I had a busy week at work and otherwise last week and didn't post as much as I had planned. Then, I had knee surgery and I'm using that as my other excuse as to why there was nothing posted. My surgery was last Thursday and in addition to being somewhat busy or incapacitated since then, I also haven;t much felt like picking up a computer - time off from work will have that effect on a person. So, here I am to catch you up on everything before the onslaught of Christmas activities begin.
My surgery was last Thursday and I had to be at The Surgery Center at the wee hour of 5:30 a.m. My dad picked me up that morning and took me in. I got signed in and was back in pre-op ready to go within an hour's time. My dad stayed with me until they took me back. We had a prayer just the two of us and then my surgeon prayed as well which I thought was great. I obviously do not remember one thing about the surgery, but I do remember the attempt to wake up from the surgery. I got extremely sick such that a gown change was necessary. I don't remember the last time I felt that nauseous. I was so sick, in fact, that they moved me to a room for about an hour (maybe two) so I could recover. I was given plenty of anti-nausea medication and by the time I left I felt 100 times better than I had earlier.
My dad took me home but first we stopped off at the drug store to get my medications filled. We both napped in the den after getting home and at some point my friend Candy came by to drop off a Steak-Out gift certificate so I could have some yummy dinner during my recovery. My dad left at some point during the day to take a trip up to Tennessee to buy some country ham - I realize that sounds kind of hilarious, but it's true. Our friend Naaman stopped by to check on me and Pippa while my dad was gone and other than that I think I slept the whole time.
That evening my friend Amber brought by some food for me to have for lunch the next day and not long after she left, Nick and Kristina brought dinner. They stayed to eat with us and then Paul and Leah stopped by to visit and they ate dinner too. The next thing I knew my cousin Jessica and my grandmother came by with some soup and all of a sudden we had an impromptu party of sorts. It was good to visit with everyone and it was so nice of all of them to stop in and check on me. Everyone left about 9:00 p.m. and I fell asleep soon after. About 10:00 p.m. I told my dad I was going to bed and he was shocked because he thought it was early still. When I told him what time it was, he was even more shocked. He ended up going to bed too. He stayed the night with me to make sure I didn't need anything which was very nice.
Friday morning my dad cooked pancakes and was then on his way. My friend Kristen came by with lunch and a movie and while she was at the house, DirecTV came by to set up my new DVR system - I bought myself a new TV for Christmas. While the guy was here, he opened up the new TV box and it was shattered. So, Kristen graciously drove me to Target to exchange it for one that wasn't shattered. Thankfully they had the same one in stock. We got back to the house and Paul arrived not long after to fix my glass door and he helped move TVs around and get them set up. Then both Paul and Kristen went their separate ways and I enjoyed my new TV. That evening Christy stopped by with some dinner and stayed to visit for a while.
Saturday was rather uneventful, although I did get to take my bandages off and shower for the first time since surgery which proved to be an exhausting task. That afternoon, Leah and I went to The Living Christmas Tree at First Baptist Church which was really nice. We both enjoyed it a lot. She also brought me some soup for dinner which I enjoyed when I got home.
Sunday my cousins Chris and Amy picked me up for church and we enjoyed a nice Christmas service and then went out to lunch together. That evening I braved driving for the first time since surgery and met some friends at the theater for "The Hobbit"/ I still have an annoying cough which is worse at night so I'm sure I got on all their nerves with my coughing but they were kind enough to not say anything.
On Monday morning, I got up early, showered and then went to physical therapy. I had very little pain since the surgery, mostly just tenderness by the time Monday rolled around. The physical therapist was impressed with my mobility and gave me an at home routine and sent me on my way. He told me there was really no need to come back unless I started experiencing pain. I go back to the surgeon next Monday to get my stitches out which I'm looking forward to because they are starting to itch. Thankfully I keep them covered with a waterproof bandage and so I just scratch the bandage for a little relief.
Today I haven't done much of anything other than nap and watch TV. I have HBO for free for the next three months and so I decided to watch Game of Thrones - I'm already on the third season. I think my brain is on Game of Thrones overload. It's been a rainy, stormy day so really it's good that I didn't have anywhere to go or anything to do. I had made a stop by the grocery store the day before after therapy so there was no need for me to get out and fight all the holiday traffic.
All in all, the road to recovery has been very easy. I was blessed with some many people checking in on me and making sure I was doing well and bringing me yummy food to eat. I was well taken care of by my family and my friends and I am so grateful to all of them for their help and most of all their prayers. I don't think I could have asked for a smoother recovery from knee surgery.
My surgery was last Thursday and I had to be at The Surgery Center at the wee hour of 5:30 a.m. My dad picked me up that morning and took me in. I got signed in and was back in pre-op ready to go within an hour's time. My dad stayed with me until they took me back. We had a prayer just the two of us and then my surgeon prayed as well which I thought was great. I obviously do not remember one thing about the surgery, but I do remember the attempt to wake up from the surgery. I got extremely sick such that a gown change was necessary. I don't remember the last time I felt that nauseous. I was so sick, in fact, that they moved me to a room for about an hour (maybe two) so I could recover. I was given plenty of anti-nausea medication and by the time I left I felt 100 times better than I had earlier.
My dad took me home but first we stopped off at the drug store to get my medications filled. We both napped in the den after getting home and at some point my friend Candy came by to drop off a Steak-Out gift certificate so I could have some yummy dinner during my recovery. My dad left at some point during the day to take a trip up to Tennessee to buy some country ham - I realize that sounds kind of hilarious, but it's true. Our friend Naaman stopped by to check on me and Pippa while my dad was gone and other than that I think I slept the whole time.
That evening my friend Amber brought by some food for me to have for lunch the next day and not long after she left, Nick and Kristina brought dinner. They stayed to eat with us and then Paul and Leah stopped by to visit and they ate dinner too. The next thing I knew my cousin Jessica and my grandmother came by with some soup and all of a sudden we had an impromptu party of sorts. It was good to visit with everyone and it was so nice of all of them to stop in and check on me. Everyone left about 9:00 p.m. and I fell asleep soon after. About 10:00 p.m. I told my dad I was going to bed and he was shocked because he thought it was early still. When I told him what time it was, he was even more shocked. He ended up going to bed too. He stayed the night with me to make sure I didn't need anything which was very nice.
Friday morning my dad cooked pancakes and was then on his way. My friend Kristen came by with lunch and a movie and while she was at the house, DirecTV came by to set up my new DVR system - I bought myself a new TV for Christmas. While the guy was here, he opened up the new TV box and it was shattered. So, Kristen graciously drove me to Target to exchange it for one that wasn't shattered. Thankfully they had the same one in stock. We got back to the house and Paul arrived not long after to fix my glass door and he helped move TVs around and get them set up. Then both Paul and Kristen went their separate ways and I enjoyed my new TV. That evening Christy stopped by with some dinner and stayed to visit for a while.
Saturday was rather uneventful, although I did get to take my bandages off and shower for the first time since surgery which proved to be an exhausting task. That afternoon, Leah and I went to The Living Christmas Tree at First Baptist Church which was really nice. We both enjoyed it a lot. She also brought me some soup for dinner which I enjoyed when I got home.
Sunday my cousins Chris and Amy picked me up for church and we enjoyed a nice Christmas service and then went out to lunch together. That evening I braved driving for the first time since surgery and met some friends at the theater for "The Hobbit"/ I still have an annoying cough which is worse at night so I'm sure I got on all their nerves with my coughing but they were kind enough to not say anything.
On Monday morning, I got up early, showered and then went to physical therapy. I had very little pain since the surgery, mostly just tenderness by the time Monday rolled around. The physical therapist was impressed with my mobility and gave me an at home routine and sent me on my way. He told me there was really no need to come back unless I started experiencing pain. I go back to the surgeon next Monday to get my stitches out which I'm looking forward to because they are starting to itch. Thankfully I keep them covered with a waterproof bandage and so I just scratch the bandage for a little relief.
Today I haven't done much of anything other than nap and watch TV. I have HBO for free for the next three months and so I decided to watch Game of Thrones - I'm already on the third season. I think my brain is on Game of Thrones overload. It's been a rainy, stormy day so really it's good that I didn't have anywhere to go or anything to do. I had made a stop by the grocery store the day before after therapy so there was no need for me to get out and fight all the holiday traffic.
All in all, the road to recovery has been very easy. I was blessed with some many people checking in on me and making sure I was doing well and bringing me yummy food to eat. I was well taken care of by my family and my friends and I am so grateful to all of them for their help and most of all their prayers. I don't think I could have asked for a smoother recovery from knee surgery.
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
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!
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!
Monday, December 15, 2014
Downton Abbey Screening
I feel like I'm way behind on posting because last week was completely insane for me; but once again I say better late than never.
So, last Tuesday, I met up with some of my favorite gal pals at the US Space and Rocket Center for an early screening of the first episode of season five of Downton Abbey. Yes, that's right, old world met new world right here in Huntsville. You may be wondering why the Space and Rocket Center was hosting such an event. Well, as a Smithsonian museum, the Space and Rocket Center feels a duty to share historical information and films, etc. and decided to preview this episode in conjunction with Alabama Public Television.
I found out about the event through a co-worker who knew of my love of dressing up as the Dowager Countess. She had heard about it on the radio and sent me the information. Not only was it a screening, ,but period attire was encouraged and so I knew I would once again bring out my costume. May as well get some wear out of it more than just at Halloween. Leah was kind enough to go by and pick up tickets for our group. The screening was free, but tickets were required and the event was "sold out".
We decided to go to the 6:00 p.m. screening and so I took my costume to work and changed before I left. As you can probably imagine, I got a few interesting looks as I walked out the door looking like I just stepped out of the early 20th century. We met up about 30 minuted before the screening so we could get good seats. There were eight people in our group and three of us dressed up - me, Candy and Leah. In all, I would say about 1/3 of the people in attendance dressed up, including quite a few gentlemen who donned tuxedos and looked quite dapper.
The episode was so wonderful and I was sad when it ended. I'm so looking forward to the new season. After the viewing, tea and scones were served but we skipped out because Erika had prepared luncheon for us at her house. Me, Candy, Leah and Amber went over to Erika's and enjoyed chicken salad, strawberry pretzel salad, cheese and crackers, and fruit. We enjoyed visiting with each other but didn't linger long as the night was already getting late.
It was such a fun evening and I think we are all grateful to the US Space and Rocket Center and Alabama Public Television for hosting this event. I look forward to attending more events like this in the future and I think my friends would agree.
So, last Tuesday, I met up with some of my favorite gal pals at the US Space and Rocket Center for an early screening of the first episode of season five of Downton Abbey. Yes, that's right, old world met new world right here in Huntsville. You may be wondering why the Space and Rocket Center was hosting such an event. Well, as a Smithsonian museum, the Space and Rocket Center feels a duty to share historical information and films, etc. and decided to preview this episode in conjunction with Alabama Public Television.
I found out about the event through a co-worker who knew of my love of dressing up as the Dowager Countess. She had heard about it on the radio and sent me the information. Not only was it a screening, ,but period attire was encouraged and so I knew I would once again bring out my costume. May as well get some wear out of it more than just at Halloween. Leah was kind enough to go by and pick up tickets for our group. The screening was free, but tickets were required and the event was "sold out".
We decided to go to the 6:00 p.m. screening and so I took my costume to work and changed before I left. As you can probably imagine, I got a few interesting looks as I walked out the door looking like I just stepped out of the early 20th century. We met up about 30 minuted before the screening so we could get good seats. There were eight people in our group and three of us dressed up - me, Candy and Leah. In all, I would say about 1/3 of the people in attendance dressed up, including quite a few gentlemen who donned tuxedos and looked quite dapper.
The episode was so wonderful and I was sad when it ended. I'm so looking forward to the new season. After the viewing, tea and scones were served but we skipped out because Erika had prepared luncheon for us at her house. Me, Candy, Leah and Amber went over to Erika's and enjoyed chicken salad, strawberry pretzel salad, cheese and crackers, and fruit. We enjoyed visiting with each other but didn't linger long as the night was already getting late.
It was such a fun evening and I think we are all grateful to the US Space and Rocket Center and Alabama Public Television for hosting this event. I look forward to attending more events like this in the future and I think my friends would agree.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
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!
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
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.
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.
Monday, December 8, 2014
Another State Championship and Expired Diet Coke
Last Thursday morning about 6:30 a.m., my dad and I jumped in the car for what was my final road trip of 2014. We headed south to Auburn for yet another Madison Academy state championship game in football.On a side note, my first and last road trips of 2014 would be to football games. Go figure.
As luck would have it, we didn't time things too well for rush hour traffic and hit it in Birmingham on the way down. Once we were through Birmingham, we stopped and grabbed some breakfast at a Jack's which I must say have a much lighter and flakier biscuit than Hardee's.
We made it to Auburn some time after 10:00 a.m. and found the parking lot where the Super 7 folks were supposed to park and quickly made our way to the shuttle. We were dropped off at the stadium and I had already purchased our tickets so we went straight in and found a seat. The sun was beaming down on us and it was hot as blazes. My dad wanted to move to the opponent's side because they were in the shade, but I looked up and noticed some smart people were sitting under the overhang, which put them out of the direct sunlight and so we moved up there. We were also blessed by a breeze and so things were looking up.
The game started at 11:00 a.m. and the Mustangs were quickly up 14-0. I can't even remember what the score was at the half, but MA was still up by two touchdowns and we were not really concerned about the outcome. We visited the concession stand at the half and please let this blog post serve as a reminder to me to never ever again buy a Diet Coke from an Auburn concession stand. On the way down (yes, this is how my Diet Coke loving brain works), I remembered that I had a bad experience with purchasing soda the last time we were in Auburn for the state championship. The experience was so bad that I thought they sold Pepsi products. However, after this year's half time experience, it all came rushing back to me. I ordered a Diet Coke and a popcorn. The Diet Coke tasted horrible and they poured me another and it still tasted bad so I asked for my money back (which they gave me along with some attitude). Then I remembered that this same thing happened the last time - I had a bad tasting Diet Coke and ended up with water. At first I thought it was because I was drinking out of a Barner cup, but now I believe that the fountain soda had expired. So, I bought a bottled one, and had a feeling ti was expired too because it had a "Share a Diet Coke with" label on it and Coke hasn't made those labels since the summer. I tried to find the date but couldn't see it clearly because it was faded. Long story kind of short, I made it back to my seat, took one sip and knew it was expired. I finally found the date hidden beneath that fist sip and it had expired on October 27. So, I marched back down the stars, and traded it for a water. Let this be a lesson learned. Y'all, I'm serious about my Diet Coke!
The second half was a runaway and the Mustangs ended up winning by a score of 70-34. When it was 67-34 my dad said he was ready when I was, which I thought was crazy, After driving all the way there, I wasn't about to leave until the trophy was handed out. So, we stayed.
When the game was over and the trophies passed out, we made our way to the shuttle line which was ginormous. We waited about 10-15 minutes and not one shuttle had come and there were three lines of people and tons of people in front of us in each line. I didn't think the parking lot was too far away and thanks to my good sense of direction remembered how to go. So, we decided to walk. It took us about 20-25 minutes to get to the car and I think both of us had screaming knees when all was said and done.However, it was a much better plan than waiting for an hour or so. No pain, no gain I guess.
We headed north to Birmingham and stopped off at my favorite, The Fish Market on the way home, although this time we stopped at the one on 280 rather than the one downtown. After dinner, we began the rest of the journey home, once again hitting the rush hour traffic on 280, which makes me even more thankful for my commute. We finally made it home a little after 7:00 p.m. both tired from the journey but with another state championship! Congrats to the Mustangs!
As luck would have it, we didn't time things too well for rush hour traffic and hit it in Birmingham on the way down. Once we were through Birmingham, we stopped and grabbed some breakfast at a Jack's which I must say have a much lighter and flakier biscuit than Hardee's.
We made it to Auburn some time after 10:00 a.m. and found the parking lot where the Super 7 folks were supposed to park and quickly made our way to the shuttle. We were dropped off at the stadium and I had already purchased our tickets so we went straight in and found a seat. The sun was beaming down on us and it was hot as blazes. My dad wanted to move to the opponent's side because they were in the shade, but I looked up and noticed some smart people were sitting under the overhang, which put them out of the direct sunlight and so we moved up there. We were also blessed by a breeze and so things were looking up.
The game started at 11:00 a.m. and the Mustangs were quickly up 14-0. I can't even remember what the score was at the half, but MA was still up by two touchdowns and we were not really concerned about the outcome. We visited the concession stand at the half and please let this blog post serve as a reminder to me to never ever again buy a Diet Coke from an Auburn concession stand. On the way down (yes, this is how my Diet Coke loving brain works), I remembered that I had a bad experience with purchasing soda the last time we were in Auburn for the state championship. The experience was so bad that I thought they sold Pepsi products. However, after this year's half time experience, it all came rushing back to me. I ordered a Diet Coke and a popcorn. The Diet Coke tasted horrible and they poured me another and it still tasted bad so I asked for my money back (which they gave me along with some attitude). Then I remembered that this same thing happened the last time - I had a bad tasting Diet Coke and ended up with water. At first I thought it was because I was drinking out of a Barner cup, but now I believe that the fountain soda had expired. So, I bought a bottled one, and had a feeling ti was expired too because it had a "Share a Diet Coke with" label on it and Coke hasn't made those labels since the summer. I tried to find the date but couldn't see it clearly because it was faded. Long story kind of short, I made it back to my seat, took one sip and knew it was expired. I finally found the date hidden beneath that fist sip and it had expired on October 27. So, I marched back down the stars, and traded it for a water. Let this be a lesson learned. Y'all, I'm serious about my Diet Coke!
The second half was a runaway and the Mustangs ended up winning by a score of 70-34. When it was 67-34 my dad said he was ready when I was, which I thought was crazy, After driving all the way there, I wasn't about to leave until the trophy was handed out. So, we stayed.
When the game was over and the trophies passed out, we made our way to the shuttle line which was ginormous. We waited about 10-15 minutes and not one shuttle had come and there were three lines of people and tons of people in front of us in each line. I didn't think the parking lot was too far away and thanks to my good sense of direction remembered how to go. So, we decided to walk. It took us about 20-25 minutes to get to the car and I think both of us had screaming knees when all was said and done.However, it was a much better plan than waiting for an hour or so. No pain, no gain I guess.
We headed north to Birmingham and stopped off at my favorite, The Fish Market on the way home, although this time we stopped at the one on 280 rather than the one downtown. After dinner, we began the rest of the journey home, once again hitting the rush hour traffic on 280, which makes me even more thankful for my commute. We finally made it home a little after 7:00 p.m. both tired from the journey but with another state championship! Congrats to the Mustangs!
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