I Love Pictures

I love pictures.

I love to take pictures and look at pictures.  Especially old pictures.  Oh the memories these pictures bring!  I recently rearranged my home office and found a ton of random old pictures.  Each one of these pictures brings so many memories flooding into my mind.  

This is Disney Work during 10th grade (so...spring of 1998).  Oh the memories I have of that trip and those girls. 

This was the beginning of my senior year of high school and the weekend before my 17th birthday.  The five of us (and one set of parents) traveled to Atlanta to see 'NSync in concert.  Yes...we were boy banders.  That night, after the concert, these four girls surprised me with an impromptu birthday party and tickets to see The Backstreet boys that following November. 

And back to the band trip of 1998...Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida.  I think we rode that log ride about 20 times.  And my brother was so tiny there in front of me.  He turns 24 this year.

I'm going to say this is 1986.  I am the big one in the back.  The little ones are my 2nd cousins on my dad's size.  One now lives in Atlanta with her look-a-like baby boy and the other lives in Knoxville.  Beautiful girls.

San Francisco - 1989.  We were visiting my dad's niece and her family who lived outside of SF at the time.  Her daughter was the blonde in the picture above.  From left to right - My dad's older brother and one of my favorite people, his hilarious wife, my dad, mom, baby brother, and me up front.

My cousin K and I (check out my lace tights).  K is one of my second cousins on my mom's size.  His mom was one of my grandmother's younger sister.

One of my favorite pictures.  Although any picture that includes me with my Pawpaw is a favorite.  This is my cousin Kim and I with our Pawpaw on Christmas Eve (85 or 86).  We love/loved this man and he loved us.

My pawpaw and me. Oh the love.

San Fran. Same visit as above.  My cousins J and B.

My dad with my cousin Kim and I (I'm on the left..his right).

At my grandparents' house - 87?

Me, my cousin Kim, and cousin Melissa.
We were always put together because we were so close in age.

A Merry Little Christmas

We began our Christmas a week early with a dinner with close friends.  This is the third Christmas we have celebrated with Amanda, Big N, and Little N. We also invited my cousin K and her friend C.  We had a huge spread of traditional holiday favorites.  We had homemade mac n cheese, dressing, green bean casserole, corn casserole, hashbrown casserole, ham, and rolls.  It was delicious.

Little N had a plateful.  It is so hard to watch him grow up.  Our first Christmas together, he was only a year old!  Time flies!

 I was extremely proud to duplicate my mom's chicken and dressing (minus the chicken).  It was my first attempt and a complete success.

We played Harry Potter themed Scene It.  Nicholas loves Harry Potter.

 Bobby shared his wand with Nicholas.  It made his night.

We had lunch on Christmas Eve with Hubs' aunt and her family.  We gathered at her house for another spread that included chicken and dressing, turkey, honey-glazed ham, green beans, and rolls.

 I have always loved this decoration that she hangs in her hallway.  One year, it might go home with me.

 I use almost the same decoration at home and I love this look.  Her tablescape was very festive.

Christmas Eve night is always spent at my parent's house.  We choose a food theme and chow down. In the past we have had a Mexican buffet and Chinese buffet.  This year, we chose snacks and had a HUGE variety of food including taco dip, meatballs, chicken fingers, taquitos, and so much more that I cannot even remember!

 Hubs was posing for the camera.

 My brother joined in on the posing.

 Layered Taco Dip.  Amazing.

 My parents' house is decorated top to bottom.  I love it. 

We enjoyed a busy Christmas weekend with lots of family time, food, and laughs.

Family Bonding

This weekend was my grandmother's family reunion.  I'll post more about the reunion later but I wanted to share three photos I took with my phone during the "entertainment" portion of the event.  My family has a serious addiction to karaoke (ing?).  My parents have a whole set-up complete with a sound board, multiple microphones, and speakers.  My dad, who is normally sort of quiet, can bust out in song with the best of them.  I love that we all enjoy this together...even if I am not always willing to jump up and sing.

 My Dad...the Karaoke King.
His set-up includes a rolling case to house the mixer and sound board.  It has an attached microphone and a removable desk (seen here) for the computer.  I love it.

When I posted this picture on Facebook, I titled it "My mom is cooler than your mom." 
And she is.  Way cooler.  

My dad and Hubs have a few songs they sing together. 
Their most performed song is Elvis Presley's "Promised Land." 

True Family Bonding.

Swimming Coby

Hubs and I hosted a cookout this weekend.  We borrowed my mother-in-law's kiddie pool for Amanda's son and nephew to play in.  After the boys finished, we let our baby play in it.  Coby, our almost 11 year-old dachshund, had been interested in the pool all afternoon so we let him play for a few minutes and I caught some of it on camera. 

We are booked!

Carnival Elation (courtesy - http://www.carnival.com/)

I cannot express my excitement for this trip.  Hubs and I enjoy traveling but generally we are 5 or so hours from home.  This cruise will be a whole new experience.  We booked 5 rooms last night.  In total, we have 11 people in our group - Mom, Dad, Hubs, Me, Brother, Brother's BFF C, Parents' friends P,M,A,K, & N.  It is going to be a blast!  We will be visiting Cozumel and Calica.  Just to be off the ship in another country is very exciting!  Now we just have to wait for August to get here!

Here are some details about our Fun Ship.

Total Staterooms - 1,021
Decks - 10
Passenger Capacity - 2,052
Total Crew - 920
Officer's Nationality - Italian
Ship Size - Large
Tonnage - 70,367
Ship Length - 855 feet
Registry - Panama

An Evening with THE Red-Headed Stranger

Ok.  So many he's not really a red head anymore.  It's more gray and white.  But the man can still play a guitar like no one else. 

Hubs and I gifted my parents and Hubs' dad with tickets to see Willie Nelson at the Alabama Theatre.  First, I LOVE the Alabama Theatre.  My high school graduation was held there.  I remember feeling so special to be on that stage in that magnificent venue.  Second, my dad has always been a big fan of country music.  I'm not talking about new stuff but old (what he calls "real" country music).  I grew up listening to Willie Nelson, Buck Owens, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, etc.  So seeing a country icon in person is pretty amazing.

Willie Nelson wrote so many songs from country to rock to gospel and recorded numerous hit songs.  He wrote Patsy Cline's "Crazy" and made a HUGE hit out of "Always on My Mind," which happens to be a favorite of mine.  I also love Elvis' version of the same song. 

At the concert, Willie sang short versions of those songs that made him famous as a songwriter.  He also performed a great rendition of "Mommas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" and of course, "On the Road Again."  Willie is about 77 years old so he didn't always sing out but rather he spoke some of the lyrics but his guitar playing was still prime.  The show was dubbed "Willie Nelson and Family."  I think he calls his band his family because some of them have been playing with him for 30 years (or more).  The band did include Willie's 79 year old sister, Bobbie, on piano (she was amazing) and his 22 year old (yes you read that right), Lukas, on guitar and vocals.  Lukas and his band, Promise of the Real, opened the show.  To me they are a mix of country, rock, and blues.  Very unique and fun to watch.  Lukas' band is actually playing at WorkPlay in April.

Forgive the picture quality.  Lighting was horrible!

Willie Nelson and Family

I was so proud to share this evening with my parents and will now be able to say I saw a music history icon in person. 

A Family Who Sings Together....

My parents really got into karaoke several years ago.  I was so shocked the first time I saw my shy dad get up on stage and sing.  It was so out of character. But I loved it.  They have a great time and have met a lot of friends.  A couple of years ago, my parents set up their own karaoke system in their house.  This has become a centerpiece for most of our gatherings. 

My dad's side of the family are such wonderful, fun people.  We decided to have a get together without it being a holiday (WOW!).  A bunch of us gathered at my parents house a week or so ago and had a blast.  I love hanging out and watching everyone have fun.  They sing everything from old rock and roll to country to gospel. 



My Dad and his brothers.



All The Ladies.




Growing up too fast!
My "baby" cousins.



He cracks me up!
Ethan always has a microphone in his hands.



Three Generations.



Rhythm, pitch, tone...who needs it!



My Dad and his great-niece.



Oldest Sibling and Youngest Sibling.

Even Hubs got in on the action.

Wordless Wednesday

My Pawpaw

Me and Pawpaw

Today is my grandfather's birthday.  He passed away in 1996 after an extremely short battle with lung cancer and I miss him everyday.  For the past several years, I mark his birthday with a small donation to the UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center.  It is a disease we share - along with my mother - and it feels good to honor him in some way. 

In addition to the chronic illness (meant in jest), we also share a love of John Wayne movies (a trait he passed to my mom and then to me) and Grapico.  Unlike my younger brother, I cannot share his love of dill pickle flavored chips.  My PawPaw owned cows and pigs (Big Momma) and lots of tractors.  He always had a tan line because he spent his entire life working outside.

In all seriousness, I was barely 14 on October 18, 1996 but I can remember so many details like it was yesterday.  Isn't it strange how you can't remember what you had for dinner last weekend but some things are permanetly stored in your memory.  I remember my dad's voice that morning.  I remember the dress I wore.  I remember holding my cousin's hand during the service.  I remember my mom's sadness. 

And it is strange how something so tragic can happen yet the world keeps turning.  We have to keep living.  Call me crazy or a lune or whatever but I feel like everyday that goes by we can still see pieces of that loved one.  When I'm quoting El Dorado or when my brother leans against wall with his arms crossed or seeing my mom smile.  Life goes on but everything we learned and loved from that person goes with us.  Our hearts are no longer complete but they keep beating. 

Until we meet again...

“Talk low, talk slow and don't say too much.” - John Wayne

Snow Storm!!!

I think we ended up with about 2 inches or so of snow this weekend.  The snow was topped with a nice thick layer of ice . It was a beautiful day and having a day off of work made it even better!!

Our road was covered in snow/ice/slush.  It was very slippery.  I was definitely glad to stay home.

 

Our old weinie dog does NOT like the snow.   He is not a fun sport at all on these days.  But, we "borrowed" my in-laws puppy (yes...he is only a puppy), Merlin, and he is a blast.  He loves to chase things - snowballs, tennis balls...it doesn't matter.  He loves to eat snowballs.

 

Isn't he pretty?  He used to be scared of cameras but I think we are winning him over.

Merlin waiting for Hubs to throw his tennis ball again.