The Weekend that Was

1.  I had a marathon photography day on Saturday with three sessions!  Lots of sweet families.

2.  I am now addicted to The Vampire Diaries.

3.  Sunday afternoon spent going through old home movies with my Dad made my heart feel good.

4.  Had a conversation with my aunt where the words, "My butt came in but I haven't tried it on yet," were spoken.  Apparently there are such things as butt pads that you wear over your underclothing to give you definition.  That is all I will ever say about that topic.

5.  Top of the River has quite possibly the best fried pickles in the world.

6.  Hubs and I fell in love with Sourdough bread.  It makes for a GREAT BLT!

7.  We watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.  I knew it was only part 1 and I read the books so I know what happens but it still left me longing for more.  I had no closure!

8.  The "little" cousin that I used to try to carry around and pretend she was my own personal baby doll is now a beautiful 22 yr old woman.  It is fun to be friends with her as an adult and hang out.

9.  I loved hanging out in the backseat with my "niece" Ava on Saturday night.  She talks 90 mph...too bad it is all baby talk and I can't understand a single thing.

10.  I am starting this Monday (three day workweek) with a creme filled Krispy Kreme doughnut.  Don't judge.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra comes to town

Last year, the Hubs bought us tickets to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.  I had no idea what to expect and I was floored.  If you like great rock music, fantastic musicians, and fire - then the Trans-Siberian Orchestra is for you.  They put on a fantastic Christmas show full of amazing songs complete with a full orchestra that included electric guitars, horns, drums, and an amazing string section.  It is full of high energy, tons of lighting effects, and (again) fire! 

This year, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra is coming to the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Arena on December 11th (with two shows).  Hubs thought it would be a great Christmas surprise to take his parents (huge 80's rock fans).  We are going ot the 3pm show but they also have an 8pm show.  It is definitely worth it and an experience to remember.

Tickets are still available at all major ticket outlets include Ticketmaster.

The Weekend That Was

The Weekend in 15 items or less -

1.  We went to Nashville (another post to come).

2.  I had Steak & Shake for the second time in my life.  To steal a phrase from Amanda - It was Divine!

3.  Apparently anytime we are on "vacation," the hubs and I have internal alarm clocks for 7am.

4.  Grocery shopping after being in the car for hours is not a good thing.  We bought junk.

5.  I was completely ecstatic on Saturday when I realized that the new Harry Potter movie comes out in less than one week.

6.  Intoxicated strangers who have to take their shoes off to walk down a side walk is completely hysterical.  (It's ok..she had a DD and help walking).

7.  Bought some fabulous new jeans at Maurice's at The Shops at Grand River.  They are perfect!! 

8.  I wore my knock-off cowboy boots when we went "out on the town."  I felt like a million bucks.  And nobody knew that I only paid $25 for them at Academy. 

9.  If I tell Hubs to please be careful not to get stuff on his brand new pants...it's like I just doomed him.  Or it could have been that McRib (nasty) he was eating while I was driving us up I-65.

10.  If you put diamond studs with a Carhardt brand baseball hat and Bass Pro Shop tshirt, you can totally look like a million bucks. 

Bosh

I want to share with you a little story.  Growing up, most children have an imaginary friend. I was no exception. When I was young (3-4 yrs old I guess), I had an extra special imaginary friend named Bosh. Bosh was my best friend. He went everywhere with me. I made my parents make Bosh a plate at mealtime and kiss Bosh goodnight. My memories of Bosh are kept alive by ALL of my family members - apparently I had such a strong belief in Bosh that random family members still ask me about him.

Bosh was my height - so about 3ft. I don't think he was a young boy but rather old because he had a job - he made nails (as in the kind you use with a hammer).

 

Bosh - age unknown

Being an only child at the time, Bosh was very real to me. It's pretty crazy that my favorite childhood memories are of my imaginary friend. My pediatrician assured my mother than my "friend" was perfectly normal and I had a very active imagination. Amen to that.

I'm not sure when Bosh went away. I don't know if he hung around until my baby brother was born or if he left when I started kindergarten. But, I thought I would share a moment of my childhood - my friend Bosh.



Heads Up!

Amanda is giving away a $25 giftcard to DressBarn!  The contest runs through November 15th!  You can also read a little about our shopping experience at the new DressBarn at The Shops at Grand River last week. 

Crazy About Wings

Hubs and I love hot chicken wings. Hubs can handle really hot ones but I'm more of a lightweight. Since we had wings for dinner tonight, I thought it would be fun to rank our top three wing joints around Birmingham.  Be advised - when we consume wings, we do not worry about calories.  Do wings even have calories? :-)

 1.  Buffalo Wild Wings
We were actually really loyal to Baumhowers but decided to try BWW one night.  That was all it took!  BWW has a HUGE selection of sauces.  I chose a mild version.  Great quality chicken and the sauce was so good.  For a side (because in the South you have to have a side dish), we had potato wedges with cheese.
 

 2. Pizza Hut
One Saturday, Hubs found an iphone app for Pizza Hut.  He ordered wings and pizza straight from his phone.  It was a great experiment as it discovered some GREAT wings.  And really convenient.  Tonight was Hubs' turn to cook since I had class until 7.  He ordered pizza and wings and PH did not disappoint!  Again, I have to stick with the mild.  And those last few left in the sauce almost did me in but man they were fantastic.

 3.  Baumhower's
We really fell in love with wings after a visit to Baumhower's.  Baumhower's was our favorite restaurant for quite a while until we ventured out and tried other wings.  I love the mild and Hubs does extra-extra hot.  And, because we have to, we order their Triple Play Cheese Fries with lots of ranch.

Sweet on a Cure

This week marks the second annual Sweet on a Cure to benefit cancer research at the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center.  I am a big supporter of UAB - especially cancer and diabetes research.  This fundraiser is such a fun idea and a great way to get people out to their favorite resturants.  Visit the Sweet on a Cure website for a complete list of participating resturants and bakeries.  Simply purchase their featured item and proceeds go directly to the UAB CCC.  How sweet is that!!

You can learn more about the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center here or visit them via Facebook and Twitter.

A New Addition

Tink is very photogenic.

We have a new addition to our home.  My husband (in his infinite wisdom) researched and then bought a seven week-old cockateil.  He named her (we aren't even sure it is a her) Tinker.  When she is not screaming at him, she is very loving.  Kidding.  We actually think she was quite spoiled as a little hatchling so she loves to be hand-fed and she is extremely social.  She wants to be on Hubs shoulder all the time or on his laptop.  She will tolerate me if she must.  Her wings are clipped so thankfully she can only coast down towards the floor and not fly up towards the celing fan.  Her new home is a custom built mansion designed by Hubs and his dad.  She has toys, seeds, real birdy food, veggies, and bells (which she has just learned how to use).  Already, Hubs can whistle from the other side of the house and she responds. 

There is one tiny issue with this new baby bird.  The dog is very interested in her.  He has calmed down now that she has been around a few weeks but at first he was a bit obsessed.  We are about 98.5% sure that he will just check her out and go about his business but this isn't a risk worth taking.

25 Things

1.  I LOVE to take pictures.  If I could, I would walk around with my camera 24/7.

2.  I use sarcasm way too much - especially with my mother-in-law.

3.  My dog is a grouchy weinie dog who LOVES cheese.

4.  My husband is addicted to the carpet.  He vaccums more than anyone I have ever met and steam-cleans the carpet more than once a month.  I am grateful (and spoiled).

5.  I do not like to write with blue or black ink.  I prefer purple.

6.  I love to wrap presents.

7.  I enjoy cooking but absolutely love to bake.

8.  I hate folding clothes.  It is my number one most-hated chore.

9.  I'm scared of the dentist.

10.  I'm not a big hugger.  I don't mean it rude...I'm just not touchy-feely.

11.  My family owned horses when I was young.  Those horses are my fondest childhood memory and I miss them all the time.

12.  My dad is a huge Elvis fan.  I know all kinds of random Elvis facts.  Until about the age of 7, I thought Elvis was a family member who never came to Christmas dinner.

13.  My grandfather was the same about John Wayne.  Even now, my cousin and I can quote movie lines back to each other.  "He was limpin when he left..."

14.  My favorite movie of all time is Gone with the Wind.

15.  I love to read but never nonfiction.  I read to escape the real world.

16.  Even though I have an iphone with an entire keyboard on it, I am still a horrible texter.  I have mispelt "Walmart" so many times that now it auto-corrects to say "Walnart."

17.  I love road trips but getting my husband to sit still in the car for more than an hour is not easy.

18.  Turning 28 was hard for me.  Not sure why.

19.  My mom is cool.  She owns leather pants.

20.  My husband bought a bird.  The dog hates said bird.  I'm still on the fence.

21.  I love hot chicken wings.  We have them entirely too much.

22.  I had my highlighted for the first time in my life this year.  I went blonde.

23.  I love the movie Pride & Prejudice (with Keira Knightly).  I love Mr. Darcy.

24.  A & I together own an embroidery/monogramming machine.  Now I want to monogram everything!

25.  I am extremely spoiled by DVD seasons of shows and watching shows online.  No commercials ever!

My Universe

Over the last year, I have enjoyed reading various blogs on family stuff, crafts, being frugal, etc.  The one thing I notice is that the extraordinary women are all moms.  Being a married women in her late twenties, I notice the lack of blogs from those without children.  Just wait  - I LOVE kids and I hope to have them one day but not today.  I have other priorities right now - mainly completely my college education.  I thought about and then was encouraged by a friend to start a blog from the "married without children" perspective.  My sweet friend (A) just launched her blog Mommy Working for the Weekend and is very active in social media with regards to these other mommy-friendly blogs.  I just adore this friend and her family.  I treat her son like he's my own little nephew and have thoroughly enjoyed watching him grown from a sweet baby into an active and handsome little dude.  The only thing I can't relate to with A is her thoughts, feelings, and fears regarding motherhood.  I thought it would be nice to jump on her coat tails and tell my stories. 

I married Bob 6 years ago.  We were so young but that didn't stop us!  We live in a small town but both work in the "downtown."  We are crazy busy all the time.  I own a side business with A that sells gifts, jewelry, and monogrammed items.  I also have a photography business that I LOVE (way more about this later).  We camp and hike (although not recently).  We are also the "Humans" for a 10 year-old weinie dog named Coby.  We have a cast of characters in our lives that are unforgettable.  I hope to share a laugh or two about our lives as well as the view of being "Aunt Mel" (not really) to some pretty awesome babies.