Monday Night at BJ's

On Monday night, I met up with friends Erika and Candy for dinner and a couple of hours worth of catching up in conversation. It was a great night. I always love spending time with these two ladies. 

We met up at BJ's Brewhouse which is a newer restaurant at Bridge Street. It opened back in the summer and we had planned on going for our friend Kendra's birthday. but the wait was incredibly long and we settled on Cantina Laredo that night. BJ's has a pretty extensive menu and before arriving I had settled on having a burger. Burgers are one of my favorite foods and it sounded so good to me and that is exactly what I ended up ordering. It was delicious! One of the best burgers I've had in a while. In fact, it was so good I got another one the next night since I was headed out that way for an Agape meeting. On Monday I got fries with the burger. The fries were shoestring fries and were really good. On Tuesday I got a Caesar salad as my side item and ended up eating only a few bites. I am a weirdo in that I can taste the preservatives or whatever is used on bagged lettuce and to me it makes the lettuce taste terrible. There is a definite difference in the taste of a fresh head of lettuce than bagged lettuce and the lettuce on the Caesar salad tasted like it was bagged lettuce and I just did not care for it. 

Erika, who had actually been to BJ's a few times already ordered the salted caramel mini pizzookie for an appetizer and a Caesar salad and an individual deep dish pizza. A pizzookie, in case you are wondering is a hot cookie that comes out in a deep dish pizza pan covered in ice cream. The mini size is an individual serving. They also come in regular size for those who like to share. Her pizza looked and smelled wonderful and it was half price because we ordered during happy hour. Candy ordered the fish tacos. They looked delicious and she ate every bite; so, I have no doubt they were every bit as good as they looked.

After Candy and I finished our dinner, we also ordered a pizzookie. Candy got the salted caramel and I got pumpkin. Don't judge me, pumpkin haters. I've loved pumpkin flavored things since I was a kid, long before the pumpkin spice fad became a thing. We both really enjoyed our pizzookies. Just warm enough and the ice cream on top was perfection. I would definitely recommend this dessert. 

We had a great night spending time with each other and catching up on our lives. I'm so thankful for these friends! As for BJ's, I think we would all give it two thumbs up. Give it a try the next time you are out that way!

2015 Maple Hill Cemetery Stroll

This past Sunday was the annual Maple Hill Cemetery Stroll presented by the Huntsville Pilgrimage Association. This is always such a fun event. I actually haven't been the last few years and I was so glad I went this year. The afternoon was beautiful and it's always fun to learn more about Huntsville and enjoy some great storytelling. 

My friends Margaret Anne (who is from Huntsville) and Lauren (who is not) went with me this year. Margaret Anne actually arranged us all going. Lauren and I got there right at 2:00 p.m. when it started and MA met us a few minutes later. Before MA arrived, Lauren and I went to the graves of Goldsmiths and Schiffmans and also Milton Frank. I don't remember these folks being portrayed before and I had an interest in them for a variety of reasons. The Goldsmiths and Schiffmans have a football field and a school named after them (thanks to their generous donation of properties) and Milton Frank was a renowned football coach at Huntsville High and has a football stadium named after him. He was only 57 when he died - so young! His "wife" was visiting his grave so she was doing the storytelling, not him. I asked her how he died, but she said she didn't know as she had not come across that in her research. 

Since Lauren had never been to the stroll before, we let her pick the most of the rest of the people we visited. We did stop by John Hunt (founder of Huntsville!) who was being portrayed by MA's former history teacher at Grissom. He actually retired a couple of years ago and now she teaches in his place. He did a great job and was very animated in his storytelling. 

We made a stop by one of my favorites, Miss Howard Weeden. She always has great stories to tell and the lady that portrays her does a fantastic job complete with accents as she tells the stories of the slaves she painted. 

One of my favorites this year was new to me. It was Reverend "Saint" Bartley Thomas and his wife from the Primitive Baptist church. He was a black minister and baptized over 3,000 people in Big Spring in the 1800s. Here we were also treated to singing by the Saint Bartley Singers and they were so good! Everyone clapped and some people sang along and this group got the biggest round of applause by far. 

Since Lauren loves cows, we had to make a stop by Lily Flagg so Lauren could learn all about the 1,047 pounds of butter and about as many gallons of milk she produced in one year. Lily went to the 1892 World's Fair in Chicago and when she got home, her owner Samuel B. Moore threw her a big party with 50 different kinds of cake and Lily was at the front of the receiving line. 

We left the stroll a little after 4:00 (it ended at 4:30) and headed home. We didn't even put a dent in all the people being portrayed. There were 72 characters this year and about 10,000 people showed up to learn about our city's rich history. If you've never been before (or even if you have) be sure and put this on your calendar for 2016! It's one of the best ways to celebrate and learn about Huntsville! 

Computerless, New Hair and Other Weekend News

I was without a computer over the weekend (kind of) and so no posts until today. So, I guess I'll start with the computer situation. 

I am the owner of three laptops, which, considering I am one person, is yes, a bit excessive. Laptop 1 is about 8-10 years old (I'm guessing) and operates on Windows Vista. It's been a great computer, but is super slow and weighs probably 10 pounds. The only thing I use it for these days is music downloads. It holds my iTunes and is my only method of updating my iPod. Yes, I need to back that up because otherwise I'm losing a lifetime of music. I may have just had a small panic attack at the thought of that. 

Laptop 2 was acquired in 2011. It was actually won in 2011. I won it from a blog I used to read. It's a smaller laptop and has been the one I've primarily used since I first got it. It started experiencing some hardware issues earlier this year and is basically kaput now. Thankfully my friend Matt can pull everything off the hard drive for me because again, no backup. 

Laptop 3 was bought earlier this year, just a few months ago in fact. The aforementioned Matt had it over the weekend to clean up some pop ups I was getting that came installed on the computer because they were driving me crazy. He was also going to install Windows 10 for me, but that didn't happen because I'm in a queue; so, it will happen some time, just not some time soon. 

However, now it's Monday and Matt forgot to bring my computer back to me at work and so I'm going to be forced to use the old beast (Laptop 1) to try and get this post posted. It might take me three hours to post it, but I'll give it my best shot. If you are reading this on a Monday night or Tuesday morning, then you'll know it worked. I'll also be sending Matt a reminder to bring Laptop 3 back because I've got schoolwork this week for which it will be needed. So, that's the story of the laptops. First world problems, friends. First world problems.  

As for the weekend, Friday night I met my parents' at the MA game. That's right, parents. I'm pleased as punch to say that my mom got out and joined us on what turned out to be a cool evening. Mother has been getting up and out more at the direction of her doctor and I think she's looking better and hopefully feeling better too. So, keep up the good work of getting up and getting out, Mother. It makes me proud! The game wasn't the most exciting, but we did stay til the end because Colbert County played their hearts out and gave MA a run for their money. I think the final score was 20-13. 

Saturday morning I did some exciting laundry and finished the last two episodes of season four of Homeland. 

Y'all, I have never screamed and gasped out loud so many times in any other movie or show as I did in season four. I know I've mentioned on here before how much I love this show. I don't have Showtime, so I never get to see the seasons until I purchase them and they arrive at my house each September. I said I wasn't going to binge watch this season. I usually lock myself in my house on a Saturday and watch all 12 episodes; but, this time I limited myself and watched one episode a night until the last half of the season and it quickly went to two episodes because I couldn't stand the cliff hangers. All I know is this season was the best since maybe season one and clearly I feel like I missed my calling. There's no doubt I should have been a CIA agent. Wonder if it's too late? 

Late morning I went to the salon and had some red and dark brown highlights put in my hair, which, of course, two people noticed. Hey, that's okay, I notice, and I am happy with it. I'm still getting used to the new hair style I've had for a few months now which one person noticed. I'm beginning to think I blend in with the walls. Can't decide if I like it or hate it. There are more layers and it's shorter and harder to style. It's hit or miss on whether it looks decent. 

After the hair appointment I went up to Monte Sano for the Monte Sano Arts Festival. There were a ton of people there and I had been warned that the traffic was terrible. So, I parked a mile away from the park and walked in. There were lots of vendors and some really nice selections, but it was hot as all get out and so that's exactly what I did - got out. After 45 minutes or so I made my way back to the car, picked up a pizza from Big Ed's and went home for the night. We will not make mention of any Saturday football games. 

That pretty much sums up the weekend. Sunday was church and Sunday night dinner with the cousins which, as always was a great way to end the weekend festivities. I've got a busy week on the agenda just taking care of work, school, and personal errands such as taking Pip to the vet and mowing grass and then this coming up weekend is full of activities which are sure to make for good blogging material. Until next time...

Slide The City 2015

If you live in Huntsville then you probably heard that this past weekend an event took place called Slide the City. Slide the City is basically a giant slip and slide that is set up on a street in the middle of your city. They go to different cities and this year they came to Huntsville. I was rather excited when I saw that Slide the City was coming to Huntsville and bought my ticket back in June before the prices started going up. I knew I would want to slide more than one time, but not all day; so, I bought a triple slider pass for $25.

Finally, the day arrived and this past Saturday my cousins Anna and Lauren and I headed downtown. I was the only one who was going to slide. Anna and Lauren were there for moral support and to hold on to my personal belongings. (Thanks, y'all!) The slide opened at 11:00 a.m. for VIPs and at noon for those of us who did not buy a VIP package. We arrived downtown a little after noon and I found the end of the line to begin my journey to the top of the slide. After about an hour and a half in line, it was finally time to slide. I went down the right hand side because Anna and Lauren were standing on that side and they wanted to get pictures. Unfortunately, there wasn't as much water going down the right hand slide and so I kept getting stuck. They had volunteers along the way to help push people along who got stuck. So, it was fun, but not as wonderful as I had pictured in my head. In fact, I didn't even make it to the end and was laughing so hard, I just gave up and got off the slide. 

Anna asked if I was going again to which I replied, "no." I was not keen on standing in line for an hour and a half two more times and Anna had ridden with me so I didn't want to keep her from being able to go home; so, the three of us left. Lauren suggested I keep my wristband on and come back later in the day when the Bama game was on and that maybe the crowd would be smaller or even try and come back on Sunday. When I got home, I watched the end of the Auburn game and when it was over, I drive back downtown to see if the lines were any shorter - they were not. So, I decided to just go home, shower and call it a day as far as slipping and sliding down Huntsville streets was concerned. 

Sunday after church I went to the grocery store and then home to eat lunch and when I was checking Twitter, I saw that there was a mention that the lines were short for Slide the City. I confirmed that since I hadn't used all my slides on Saturday I could use my wristband on Sunday and quickly changed into my swimsuit and headed downtown. What a difference a day made! The lines were incredibly short and I was able to slide three times in about 30 minutes. I went down the middle slide which Lauren had determined the day before had more water on it and made it to the bottom all three times without getting stuck or needing help. It was so much fun!

I'm so glad I went back on Sunday to finish out my slides. It made the $25 spent totally worth it and redeemed my experience from Saturday. I'm so glad Huntsville is bringing events like this to the city. People seem to enjoy these types of events and everyone seems to be having so much fun! Huntsville is such a fun place to work and play and I'm glad to call it home! 

All photos below except the last one courtesy of Anna. 

Cancelled in the Park

The 2015 season of Concerts in the Park kicked off at the beginning of June with a really great group called Unknown Lyric. I had big plans to go but all my friends backed out on me and I didn't want to look like a loser sitting by myself so I didn't go. That particular night it rained and the concert got pushed back by 30 minuted because of a quick rain shower that passed through. 

The next week I had other plans which got cancelled because of rain and was going to head down to the park instead, but the concert got cancelled too...and it never rained downtown. The third week I was in Boston, in a coat in the middle of June and that was just fine by me. 

Finally, this past Monday, I made it to the park for the concert. This particular night was the one I was looking forward to the most because it was military night and the US Army Materiel Command Band was playing and there were going to be fireworks after the concert. I met my dad at the park, we set up our chairs and went and got some dinner from the food trucks. 

As soon as we got our food, and sat down in our chairs, a lady from the Arts Council came onto the stage and said that the National Weather Service has issued a thunderstorm warning and that it was supposed to rain at the park in the next 15 minutes and so everyone needed to pack up and head home in the interest of safety. Y'all, I was so disappointed!

Instead of leaving, my dad and I just sat in our seats and ate our dinner and talked about this, that and the other. We actually ended up sitting there talking until about 8:30 p.m. That's right folks, we sat under a tree, in the park, in the nice cool summer night and not one drop of rain fell in the park. The concert was cancelled for no reason at all, but at least I got in some good conversation and quality time with my daddy. 

Around 8:30 p.m. we parted ways and about 15 minutes after I got home as I was cleaning up yet another mess made by Pippa, the doorbell rang. It was my dad and he had lost his phone and wanted to know if it was in the chair he had been sitting in. It wasn't. So, we headed back to the park with my big lantern in tow to look for the phone. Thankfully, I spotted it right away, without the help of the lantern I might add. Just call me eagle eye! 

Concerts in the Park supposedly continues on Monday nights through July and August. Maybe one day this summer I'll make it to the park and the show won't get cancelled. 

Food Trucks, Meetings, a Cookout and a Housewarming

I've had a busy week this week and haven't had a lot of time for blogging. So, I'll try to finish up the week with at least one, and maybe two posts before heading into the holiday weekend. 

The weekend kicked off with a visit to my grandmother's house. She is having a garage sale in the coming weeks and wanted all of the family to go through the sale items in case there was anything we wanted. I took two very old plates and an old candy dish that had been my great grandmothers as well as some crocheted pieces and two crocheted blankets. There were also two chairs that belonged to my cousin's other grandmother that I loved and have since committed to buy because I can't get them out of my head. They will probably go in my shed for a while because I have no where to put them, but I didn't want to regret letting them go so I've claimed them as my own. 

Last Friday was the second food truck rally of the food truck "season" and I ventured out with my friend Christy. She had never been before and so she wasn't sure exactly what the night would hold. As expected, there were thousands of people out and about. After I got a tea from Piper and Leaf, we decided to stand in line at the Food Fighters bus for some brisket nachos. Getting to the window to place our order didn't take too terribly long (maybe 20 minutes), but actually getting our food was a different story. I feel like we waited for an hour to get our order, but in all honesty, I didn't time it so I have no idea how long it actually took. Thankfully the company was great and the wait gave Christy and I time to catch up as we haven't seen each other in a few weeks. 

The food was worth the wait as the nachos were very yummy and satisfying. We found a spot on the steps leading up to the YMCA and sat there to eat. While we were eating and talking a very drunk or high guy came over and interrupted our conversation. We were polite and obliged him in conversation for a bit and were grateful when he finally decided to move on to something (or someone) else. When I got home, I watched the season finale of Grimm and y'all, it was so good. If you are not watching this show, then please catch up over the summer. I think it's available on Amazon Prime (not sure about Netflix) and it is definitely worth watching. I watched season one right before season two started and have been a huge fan ever since. 

Saturday morning I met a friend for breakfast and then went to the ALANA meeting for the spring quarter. ALANA is the Ladies Association of Agape of North Alabama and I serve as the liaison between the group and the Agape Board. The meeting this month was held at Chase Park which is where I formerly went to church. They have built a new auditorium and it was the first time I have gotten to see it and it is absolutely gorgeous. I should have taken a picture of it. I was seriously so impressed and actually very surprised that it was so nice. I also snooped around opening all the doors in the new annex to see what was behind each one and in the process set off the building alarm. In my defense, one of the doors that should have been locked was not. 

On Sunday after church, my class had a cookout and devotional time on Monte Sano mountain. It was the first time I had been there in a long while even though it's all of six miles from my house. We had a great afternoon together eating and fellowshipping and planning activities for this year. That evening, there was a housewarming party for my friend (and one of our children's ministers) Matt. He just bought his first house and is in need of everything and so a party was in order. Matt received a lot of bath towels and a few kitchen items and gift cards. The house is in South Huntsville and is very cute. 

As I was leaving, my friends Margaret Anne and Grayson invited me over to watch Game of Thrones and just as we were leaving a torrential downpour came and we got drenched. It did not, however, put a damper on our viewing party. I left when the show was over and immediately went to bed when I got home. It was an eventful and fun weekend! 

Jay Leno In Huntsville

Last Thursday night, I ventured out with my parents to see Jay Leno at the Huntsville Hospital Foundation benefit. My dad bought our tickets back a few months ago and I had been looking forward to it for a long time. The show started at 8:30 p.m. which may seem late, but they had a dinner beforehand which we did not attend. 

My parents picked me up about 8:00 p.m. and we drove the five minutes to the VBC where the traffic was beyond ridiculous. All the handicapped spots up front were taken, which was not surprising and so my dad dropped me and my mom off and went to the parking garage across the street where it took him close to 30 minutes to get in and get parked. Apparently there was only one line open to get in the garage and thousands of people trying to park. We made it in just as the show was getting underway. 

We had great seats, but as soon as we got settled, we realized we couldn't hear a thing. The audio system was terrible. In a city full of engineers, you'd think the VBC would be able to find someone who could set up a decent sound system. The volume was bad and the microphone kept popping. Only pockets of people were laughing and those pockets varied throughout the night. I never saw anyone in the upper sections laughing. We were downstairs and no one in our section was laughing; most people were just checking their phones. I read and heard that even people sitting on the floor (who paid large sums of money to be there) couldn't hear.

In addition to the terrible sound system, Mr. Leno was also holding a microphone and he held it down low, far away from his mouth most of the time. If he needed a microphone to hold, you'd think they could have put a lapel mic on his jacket and just given him a dead mic to hold. Call me crazy, but that seems logical. Mr. Leno also talked fast at times and seemed to mumble at other times, neither of which helped the situation. 

My mother went to guest services at least twice and they told her "the engineers are working on it," but the sound never got better. It was so bad that for the one hour Mr. Leno spoke, I could hear the talking, etc. from the concession stand area behind us over what Mr. Leno was saying. I caught maybe five jokes. It was very disappointing. 

Mr. Leno ended his routine right at 9:30 p.m. but first he auctioned off a few trips to California for a personal tour of his garage (where he collects motorcycles and cars) that went for $7,000 a pop after which there was a mass exodus to the parking garage where not all the exits were open and so we had to wait in the car until the traffic thinned out before making our getaway. Needless to say, it was a very disappointing experience for something I had been looking forward to for a long time. Hopefully The Huntsville Hospital Foundation and the VBC will take the negative feedback and improve on it for whoever they bring in next year.

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.

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.

My First Food Cooperative Experience

I don't know about where you work, but where I work, the company is pushing for everyone to get healthier. It seems to work. I've noticed a lot of people have lot weight and others are taking the initiative to eat better and exercise  more. I even recruited some co-workers to join my strength training class at the gym. 

We have a girl at work whose sole responsibility is to help us get healthy. So, she schedules classes and food demos and health fairs, etc. to encourage us in our quest to be healthier. A couple of months ago, our challenge for the month was to eat more fruits and veggies. I didn't even turn in my results because they were not even on par with the amount I was supposed to be eating. During the campaign, however, she told us about some local food cooperatives who offer fresh fruits and veggies each week. I made a mental note of it because I had thought about trying this out but had never taken the plunge...until last week. 

My diet lately has been nothing to brag about, and so, in an effort to force myself to eat fresh foods and actually cook something good for me rather than frozen pizza or nachos, I decided to order my first food co-op box. I went with the Plentiful Produce Group because the price seemed reasonable and it was a 1/2 veggie and 1/2 fruit box. I ordered by the deadline and picked up my box at the designated location this past Saturday. 

I really had no idea what to expect and so when I picked up my box, I was amazed at how much food was inside. I had seven sweet potatoes, seven green bananas, four huge red bell peppers, six tangerines, four apples, a bunch of kale, a pound of strawberries, a pound of green beans, and three pounds of broccoli florets. The lady who was handing out the baskets said that we were also supposed to have gotten pears in our box but the pears were bad. Seriously, so much good food and I got it all for $21,50 ($20 plus $1.50 handling fee). 

Before the weekend was out, I had eaten two of the sweet potatoes, all of the green beans (which were the best I have had in a long time), one bell pepper and most of the strawberries. I have hardly put a dent in all the good food because my schedule has been insane this week and I've not been at home in the evenings. I was, however, proud of myself for eating better, fresher, and local food. 

I was so happy with the basket that I went ahead and ordered one for this next week as well. I probably won't order every week because being a single person it is hard to eat all that much food, but I do plan to order often because it is a good motivation to eat well and cook more. 

If you live in Madison County and are interested in a local food cooperative, check out Plentiful Produce. 

11th Annual Liz Hurley Ribbon Run

This past Saturday was the 11th Annual Liz Hurley Ribbon Run and it was my fifth year to participate, or maybe my sixth. I've honestly lost count. At any rate, I participated again this year and it was just as much fun as every other year. 

The race started at 8:00 a.m. and I drove over to my cousin Lauren's house at 7:15 a.m. to meet up with her and Anna and some of Lauren's Co-Workers. We all walked from Lauren's house to the race start which was about a mile away. I think everyone but me ran all or at least some of the race. I walked the whole thing because for one I hate running and for two I'm having problems with my knee still. So, I just strolled and took it all in, as they say. 

The citizens of our fine city were out along the streets as they always are and were just as enthusiastic as ever. One of the streets was decorated with balloons and wooden cut outs of pink ribbons. It looked especially festive. As always, there were tons of tutus and other outrageous outfits along the way, including one man who was dressed from head to toe in pink - even with a pink wig and pink bra. This is one of the funnest races of the year and I love that everyone lets their inner crazy shine through. I, once again, wore my pink tutu. 

When I finished the race, I didn't expect to see anyone I knew at the finish line. I figured everyone would have already begun making their way back to Lauren's house. However, Lauren, Anna, Anna's husband Randy and a couple of others were waiting for me at the finish line and cheering on my last few steps. It warmed my heart, especially since just a few steps before seeing them I was thinking to myself how nice it would be for someone I know to be cheering me on for a change. I secretly always hope someone in my family will show up and cheer me on at a race, but my family likes to sleep late. It was so nice of them to wait on me and my slow-paced self. 

After crossing the finish line, I circled back around to the group and we journeyed back to Lauren's house where we went our separate ways for the day. It was another successful Ribbon Run and a great way to spend a beautiful fall Saturday morning. 

Family Outing at the Botanical Gardens

This past Monday, I had made plans with my parents and my mother's caregiver Ada to go to the Huntsville Botanical Gardens to see the Scarecrow Trail. I had recently won some passes and wanted to take advantage of them while the Scarecrow Trail was up. The plan was to meet there at 5:00 p.m. and take in as much of the garden as possible before dark. 

As luck would have it, there was a wreck on the Parkway around 11:15 a.m. and it knocked out the power in the area of town where I work, including our building. After an hour or so of sitting around in the dark, upper management made the decision to send us all home because even after power is restored to the building, it takes another two hours for it to be fully restored and operational. So, we were sent home and even paid for the day which was very nice! I called my parents to see if they could meet at the garden sooner than 5:00 p.m. since I had the afternoon free. They could and we met up a little before 3:00 p.m. to tour the gardens. This ended up being a blessing in surprise because beginning in October, the garden actually closes at 5:00 p.m. so we wouldn't have been able to take our tour if we had kept our original plans. 

Oddly enough, none of us had ever toured the gardens before. We had all been there for at least one wedding and during the Galaxy of Lights, but as far as actually getting out and strolling around and taking it all in, none of us had done that before. The Botanical Garden is very nice and very spacious. I honestly had no idea how large it was. My dad was very impressed. He loves flowers and landscaping and kept saying over and over how nice it was and he even ranked it the second best Botanical Garden -second only to the garden in Victoria, British Columbia. 

The Scarecrow Trail was not as impressive as I had hoped but some of the characters were well done and comical. It started raining when we were on the far side of the garden, so mother headed back to the main building to take cover. My dad and I ventured over to the butterfly house before leaving and I think that was my favorite part. We spent some time there before heading back to the main building and the car. The nice people at the garden gave us passes to come back on another day since we got rained out and didn't get to spend as much time at the garden as we would have liked. That was incredibly nice of them.

After the trip to the garden, we stopped at Captain D's for an early and probably not very nutritious dinner, but it was still good. It was a successful and fun afternoon thanks to the power going out at work. If you live in or are visiting the Huntsville area, be sure to check out the Huntsville Botanical Garden. It makes for a very nice outing any day of the week! 

Food Truck Review: Bigfoot's Little Donuts

In case you've been living under a rock, Huntsville has recently had an influx of food trucks - some good, some not so good. I've tried a handful of them and overall have had good experiences. Generally speaking, I find that the food is more expensive than a brick and mortar restaurant and the portions are a lot smaller, meaning if you are super duper hungry, you might still be hungry after you eat. 

There are a lot of trucks I still have not tried, but have wanted to and hope to sometime soon. The problem is that most of the time, the only time I see these food tucks are on days like the food truck rally when the lines are astronomically long.  So, it's better to catch these rolling restaurants throughout the week rather than at large events where there are swarms of people. 

Bigfoot's Little Donuts is one of the newer trucks that I wanted to try and recently I had the opportunity to do so. They set up shop in South Huntsville close to where I work on Wednesdays and Thursdays each week and one recent Wednesday, I crossed the highway to stop in and pick up a dozen of their little gourmet donuts.

Bigfoot's has two types of donuts, the regular are cinnamon and sugar or powdered sugar and the gourmet are the regular donuts with some type of topping. On the day I went the gourmet choices were cinnamon bun, lemon and raspberry creme. I got an assortment of the three. The cinnamon bun was the cinnamon and sugar doughnut with creamy icing drizzled on top, the lemon had a lemon icing drizzled on top and the raspberry creme had some sort of raspberry jam and the creamy icing on top. 

The doughnuts are very small and thin and taste similar to a funnel cake. I knew they were going to be small, but was, for some reason, surprised at how small they were, they were basically bite sized. So, while I had intended to share some with my co-worker Jessica, I actually ate the whole dozen. I'm not even ashamed to admit it because they were good and I like to have a full belly in the mornings to start my day. 

The creamy icing and other toppings had a great taste and really complimented the otherwise plain doughnuts; although I have no doubt that powdered sugar or cinnamon and sugar would also be good. The doughnuts are $3 a dozen for the "regular" flavors and $4 a dozen for the gourmet version. If you can't make it to South Parkway on a Wednesday or Thursday, be sure and try to find them at one of the local events in town, it will satisfy your sweet spot and you are supporting one of our many great local businesses! 

Monday Concerts in the Park

This past Monday evening, I finally made it out to Concerts in the Park for the first time this year. I have, of course, been in years past but had yet to make it out this summer. For one, I have Bible study every other Monday and night and then I guess my nights off from Bible study have also been busy with one activity or another. Jackie and I had planned on going a couple of weeks ago, but that particular day we both had exhausting days at work and decided not to go which worked out well because it ended up being rained out that night. 

Anyway, this past Monday, we finally got it together and made it out to the park. My dad came out too which was nice because he doesn't venture out much these days, or so it seems. My dad and I made it to the park about 6:15 and Jackie and the kids got there soon after. We set up at "our spot" which is under a magnolia tree and the weather was actually quite nice and it was comfortable and pleasant sitting outside. Our friends Paul and Leah and Leah's dad Kit also joined us and as it happened, Paul's parents sat close to us as well. 

Jackie brought food for her and the kids and Leah brought us sandwiches and a lot of other goodies and we even had watermelon from Paul's mom Lynn. My dad and I lucked out because we didn't bring anything but we ate really well. So, thanks to everyone for feeding us! I actually wasn't that hungry before the concert because I had participated in a wedding shower at work at the end of the day and indulged in goodies there. I took cash with me in case I wanted to get something from the food trucks but my friends were super generous in taking care of us for the night.

We all had a really nice evening talking and catching up. My dad and Paul talked about Madison Academy football quite a bit which was just fine with both of them I'm sure. At one point during the show, the chair Troy was sitting in broke and he fell through to the ground. Thankfully he was not injured and so it provided us with quite a few laughs. 

The Huntsville Concert Band played first and they treated us to quite a bit of John Phillip Sousa due to it being close to the Fourth of July. I am actually a lover of John Phillip Sousa and was pretty fired up when they started playing Stars and Stripes Forever. It will certainly get you in a patriotic mood. The second band that played was Rocket City Brass and they were just kind of mediocre, but still there were children dancing and everyone seemed to be having a really nice time. 

The concert ended around 8:00 p.m. and we all packed up our belongings and made a stop by Paul and Leah's Five Points Farm before heading our separate ways. Concerts in the Park only lasts a few more weeks and I hope to go the Monday nights we don't have Bible study, especially the last week when the US Army Material Command Band plays. If you have a chance, check it out, you'll be glad you did.

Concerts in the Park Schedule for the Remainder of 2014

July 14: JED Eye, Radio X

July 21: Unknown Lyric, .45 Surprise

July 28: Disc Oasis, Groove

August 4: The US Army Material Command Band 

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 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!

And I Don't Even Like Goat Cheese

Saturday was a rather eventful and somewhat strange day. It went by so quickly. Seriously, one minute I woke up and then next thing I knew it was 7:00 p.m. The day started with laundry and a little cleaning and then I headed out to meet my cousins and my dad for breakfast at Galen's in New Hope. We met up around 8:00 a.m. and enjoyed some really yummy breakfast. It was my treat because my cousins (Chris and Benny) were moving a picnic table across town for me and my dad because he's my dad and goodness knows he's paid for my breakfast enough times in my life. 

We wrapped up breakfast shortly after 9:00 a.m. and headed to South Huntsville. Would you believe that it was my first time down Hobbs Island Road? As long as I've lived in Huntsville, I've never driven Hobbs Island (or ridden down it that I can recall) from New Hope to South Huntsville (or vice versa). It's a really pretty drive and there are some lovely homes along the way. Who knew? 

My co-worker had received some new patio furniture for Mother's Day and so she was getting ridw of a picnic table that she had and as it turns out I have actually wanted a picnic table for a while, but never taken the plunge to buy one. To make the deal even sweeter, the table was originally came from our church and so it has a nice story/history to go along with it. Since I don't have a truck and can't lift a table all on my own, my sweet cousins agreed to help me, and let me add that it was raining which makes their deed even nicer than if it had not been raining. 

We managed to get the picnic table back to my house and unloaded by about 10:30 a.m. and then we parted ways. I ran inside, let Pip out for a quick second and then ran back out the door to take care of a couple of things. 

My first stop was the grand opening of the Belle Chevre Cheese Shop at Clinton Row in Downtown Huntsville which was scheduled to open at 11:00 a.m.. While I was at the food truck fiasco on Friday night, the folks from Belle Chevre were out and about announcing the grand opening and inviting everyone to come out. They told us the first 100 people to come to the opening would receive a year of free cheese. For those of you who do not know, Belle Chevre is in Elkmont, Alabama (about 45 minutes from Huntsville) and they hand make artisan goat cheese. The company has really grown in recent years and I actually first found out about it when reading a Southern Living magazine back around Christmastime. Since I'm not one to pass up a good opportunity, I went downtown, noticed the line wasn't too long, found a parking spot, jumped out and got in line and was one of the lucky 100 people to get a year's worth of free goat cheese. 

To be honest, I'm not sure I've ever had goat cheese prior to Saturday; but since everyone has been raving about Belle Chevre, I figured it must be the greatest thing since sliced bread. We got a cheesecake sample while in line and I noticed it had an aftertaste that reminded me of the great outdoors, or goats and that had me a little leery of what the cheese may taste like. When I finally made it inside (about 30 minutes after opening), I grabbed a tub of coffee flavored goat cheese to try on my morning bagel. When I got to the counter, I tried the pimento cheese which was good, but then had that aftertaste. I took home the coffee cheese and tried it for breakfast on Monday. I managed to stomach about half the bagel. On Tuesday, I gave it another go and ate maybe one third of the bagel. I've come to the conclusion that goat cheese is not for me, y'all. The aftertaste is very, well, goaty, and I don't really care for it at all. So, I'll be finding someone or multiple someones to share the remainder of my year of free cheese with because I will not let it go to waste. 

When I left Belle Chevre, I headed to Publix for my weekly shopping trip. I ended up going to the downtown Publix (the new one) because I didn't want to drive over to my regular Publix on Whitesburg. As a result, I have determined that the downtown Publix is not for me and will only be used for quick grab and go runs. I felt like a nervous wreck the whole time I was there because I had no idea where anything was and I backtracked about 10 times and I truly hate backtracking at the grocery store. Miraculously, I managed to eventually find everything I needed and I was also able to register for all the giveaways that I missed on opening day. I also registered for the daily prize which is given away every 30 minutes (you must be present to win) and noticed there were no entries in the box so I felt pretty confident I would win and I did. The prize was a chocolate dessert cup which did not have a goaty aftertaste was was quite delicious. 

I finally made it back home and unloaded and put away the groceries and then laid down on the couch with The Pip and napped for a couple of hours. The rest of Saturday was spent cleaning, cooking for Sunday potluck, and doing laundry, all while wearing an apron. I looked at myself at one point and had never more felt like my Grandmamma than I did in that moment...and that's not a bad thing. Overall, it was an interesting, adventurous, and tiring day which equals a successful Saturday in my book.