Looking Around

One of my favorite quotes, sayings, whatever you want to call it goes:

Sorrow looks back
Worry looks around
Faith looks up.

I have been spending too much time looking around lately. I'm a worrier by nature, but have been especially so lately. And I find, naturally, that when I spend so much time worrying and "looking around", I don't have nearly enough time to look up. This is not what my Heavenly Father wants for me. He doesn't want me dwelling on things I have no control over. He doesn't want me so caught up in my own mind that I'm not focusing on my relationship with Him. It's so much easier to brood, and dwell and sigh a lot and wonder if this is the plan He has for me than to realize that it is EXACTLY the plan He has for me. Even if I don't get it. And don't like it. I'm not supposed to. My human nature tells me that I should, but I'm not promised roses and sunshine throughout my time on this earth. That's not the deal. Jesus didn't get that. So why on earth would I, sinful, flawed me, expect to? Human nature. The constant struggle to realize that it's NOT all about me. It's all about Him. I pray and pray that His will is MY will - and I don't think it's wrong to pray about/ask for things I want. He wants to know the desires of my heart. I just can't expect that they are always in line with His plans. That is a hard pill to swallow. It's big and tastes gross and needs a lot of water to get it down. Or a lot of faith.

So all that to say, I'm going to start spending more time looking up. And in keeping with the season, being thankful.

I'm so thankful for:

A loving, supportive family
Prayerful friends
My solid-as-a-rock, not to mention, handsome, husband
The coming Advent season
My grandmother's turkey and dressing!
Time with aforementioned family
The armful of love that is my dog
Leaving work early
Faith
Hope
and Love

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I pray it's a blessed one for you all.

Happy Birthday, Peyton!

Today is our nephew, Peyton's, birthday. So of course we have to give him a little blogger birthday love in honor of his big day.

And not only is it his birthday, it's his THIRTEENTH birthday. Big stuff. Peyton, we hope you have a great day and we'll see ya soon!

Love ~ Ty-Ty and Jennifer

PS - Yes, that's a UT hat he's wearing, but we try not to hold that against him. :)


PPS - You might find some more flattering pictures of our handsome nephew over at his family blog, linked on the right, but we're all about posting the most embarrassing pictures we can here at The Dojo.

MckMiracle

You may have noticed the new button "MckMiracle" button on my side bar. Look at me, getting all fancy! I have been following this blog for a while and want to encourage you to jump over there and read all about this family and their little miracle baby. "MckMama's" faith is inspiring and I've been so blessed in reading some of her posts. I'll let you read all about her and her family yourself.

We all have dark days and times in our lives - I know I do. Sometimes it's impossible to understand why things happen. And I constantly have to remind myself that I may never understand, no matter how desperately I want to. My job is to trust completely in my God and His goodness and mercy. And while sometimes, a miracle happens, sometimes, one doesn't. But that doesn't change who He is. This is a struggle for me to understand from an earthly perspective, but I cling to it and know in my heart that He has "plans to prosper and not to harm me, plans to give me hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11). Amen!

Country Road

One of the many blessings in my life is having a wonderful family - both mine and Tyler's. Not only are Tyler and I big fans of each other's families, they also seem to be big fans of each other too. So, it wasn't weird to me that Tyler, myself, my mom & dad, and his mom & dad packed up a van and took a 12 hour road trip to West Virginia to see the Auburn Tigers take on the Mountaineers. It was, however, weird to almost every other person I told about it. I was met with incredulous looks, much questioning, and finally astonishment that I was, actually, telling the truth.

We had a great time, apart from the 34-17 loss and Tyler's losing battle with car sickness. Or, I guess I should say, van sickness. The drive up was lovely - West Virginia in the fall is beautiful.

This is New River Gorge. Isn't it pretty?


















We stayed in a little town called Shinnston on the way - it's about 40 minutes outside Morgantown. Lots of fresh air, beautiful countryside and even a pet cow.















This is Sharlyn. She likes grass, head scratches, and long walks in the pasture.















This is where we stayed in Shinnston. Can't you just taste the fresh air?

And we did actually go to a football game, so I GUESS I should post some pictures from that. As much as I'd like to forget it.















Smiles before the game. Poor saps. We had no idea what was about to happen.















I think this must have been the first half, since everyone is still smiling. Or maybe they're just putting on a brave face. Oh look, Tyler's trying to get in the picture. Ham.















West Virginia has a lovely stadium, though. And some cold weather. And a fast offense.

On the way home, we stopped in Jonesboro, the oldest town in Tennessee. What a great little town. Very Southern Living.

The Block is Back

Can I tell you how much I used to love New Kids on the Block? Let me count the ways... I genuinely used to believe that if I could just MEET Jon, we would be happy together forever. Even if he was 11 years older than me. And I was 10. Oh, the crazy daydreams of my youth. And yes, Jonathan was my favorite. I realize I'm in the minority there. I bet your favorite was Joey. Or Jordan. I liked my quiet, shy Jon. I was quiet and shy too. We were a perfect match! And then he had to go and date Tiffany. Jen's dreams = crushed. But honestly, I loved them all. I had the buttons, the pins - I was part of the loud fanfare.

Well, imagine my delight upon hearing of the NKOTB reunion tour. I immediately recruited 2 of my most fanatical friends and we jumped on the Ticketmaster* pre-sale. I looked and looked for all of my old New Kids memorabilia, but could find nary a t-shirt and therefore had to go dressed like a normal person. I never thought I would stand out by NOT wearing giant buttons, day glo and leg warmers. Luckily, my friend Rachel had her awesome New Kids jacket, so I was cool by association.

And let me tell you - the Kids did not disappoint. It was the most fun I've had at a concert in a long time. They are still great performers, they looked great and they sang every single old song I wanted them to. I have shin splints from jumping up and down. And people, shin splints = wicked fun.

Here's my rundown of the guys, 15 years later:

Donnie - Still likes to be a little "gangsta" and so wore a sideways hat and sparkly track pants with a watch chain. Excellent. Also is a big fan of his butt, as he kept having the camera zoom in on it and asking the crowd how we thought it looked. Well, if you didn't have baggy gangster track pants on Donnie, perhaps I could tell you. He's a ham and I heart him. And he sang Cover Girl. All is right with the world.

Jordan - After almost having a heart attack upon hearing he hurt his leg and may not be performing, I was delighted to see that he brought his A game to the concert. Still sings a wicked falsetto. And, no lie, he performed what I like to call the "Jordan Special" - white shirt, unbuttoned, fan blowing, solo. He did EXACTLY the same thing in 1990. Awesome.

Joey - Joey looks a little like my brother. It's totally weird. But he's still cute as a button. And the man can sing. And he did a little interpretive dance duet too - way to branch out, Joe. And thank you for making all our dreams come true by singing "Please Don't Go Girl" again. Sniffle.

Danny - He has HUGE muscles. He did back in the day too. It's nice to see these last 15 years have been good to him. He can also breakdance - you go, Danny. And his face has changed, so he doesn't look as much like a monkey as I used to think.

And to save the best for last, Jon - Oh, Jon. It was so nice to see you again. Thanks for coming to the ATL. Sorry things didn't work out for you and Tiffany. I have a special place in my heart for Jon, which is why it pains me to say, he's the most awkward and uncomfortable looking of the 5. He was MUCH better than their debut performance on the Today show, but he got little camera time on the big screen last night for good reason. But I like to look past the superficial and choose to believe that he's the nicest, sweetest of the 5, so he's still my favorite.

The low of the evening: not having my camera. It said on the ticket they were not allowed. LIE. Everyone had their camera. So I had to rely on my lame Blackberry camera. High of the evening: Laughing hysterically because I couldn't get over the fact that I was actually at an NKOTB concert again, at age 29, and it was like I was in the 5th grade all over again.






























PS - I did not buy their new album on iTunes today. That would be completely dorky and ridiculous. And my favorite song on it is not Summertime.

*Ticketmaster, I hate you and your stupid fees.

Defying Gravity

Tyler and I are headed to The Fabulous Fox Theater tonight, to see Wicked with our friends Brenda and Jo. This is the second time I'll be seeing it and I'm super excited. It's an amazing show. Does anyone else get choked up when they watch a really amazing play/musical even when it's not sad? No? Yeah, me neither.

The first time I saw it was in NYC with the original Broadway cast. My sweet husband surprised me with tickets. I don't know how he knew I wanted to see it so badly. It couldn't have been because I had been obsessively looking for tickets for months before we went to New York. And it definitely couldn't have been because I kept complaining that they were sold out and that the only tickets I could find were outrageously expensive. I think I shrieked in our hotel room when he told me he had gotten them. Maybe I cried a little. It's all a blur. Score one (or maybe a few more) for Tyler.

It was amazing on Broadway and I have no doubt it will be amazing here at the Fox. Also, I just love going to the Fox. It's such a cool venue - it used to be a mosque and it is beautiful. And not a bad seat in the house.

Side note: I've also read the book by Gregory Maguire. I recommend the musical. Which is odd, because I most always think the book is a thousand times better than the movie, musical, etc. This book was HARD to get through though. It was certainly compelling and interesting, but a little hard to follow and honestly, kind of disturbing. Read it and see for yourself though!

Now, I'm off to see the Wizard...

Have you

Yearbooked yourself yet? Too funny.

The Next American Idol?

Apparently, Tyler has a whole second life I don't know about. If it wasn't so funny, I might be offended.

I don't need no stinkin' laptop

I am blogging from I75, on the way to see the fam. Don't worry - I don't blog and drive. I had no idea my trusty blackberry was capable of such a feat though. Look at me, so technologicaly savvy.

Tyler is engaged in a rousing rendition of "Take The Money and Run." Oh awesome - now it's "Don't Stop til You Get Enough.". Tyler impersonating Michael Jackson - even better!
His commitment to the performance is impressive. And he's going to kill me when he reads this.

I must say, blogging is a much better way to pass the time than listening to talk radio. I'm kind of like a techno geek truck driver. Instead of my CB radio, I have my CrackBerry - which, incidentally, could also be called a "CB" - to communicate with. 10-4, good buddy.

Over and out.

$40.92

A pretty cool thing happened at the grocery store yesterday. Rarely will those words come out of my mouth, as I LOATHE going to the grocery store, so take note!

Tyler and I have recently put ourselves on a pretty strict budget so we can save up for desperately needed carpet for our house. I know - boring right? If we're going to budget, shouldn't we be saving for something fun like a trip or shopping spree? Nope. Carpet.

So, adhering to said budget, we had $41 left over this month in our "grocery stash" and no more groceries to buy. Hooray! I could put this toward our savings, I thought. Or use it to actually go out to dinner! I am a super-budgeter I thought to myself.

Then I got an email from our church saying that one of the ministries we are partnered with is in dire need of groceries for families in need. Ahh, how the best laid plans are often changed. I was definitely being led to use that money for a different purpose now! The grocery list was for a family of four for a week, so I knew that I'd probably just need to put what we had left toward the total, as when I buy groceries for Tyler and I for a week, it's never only $40. Imagine my shock and delight when I got to the checkout line at Kroger (and after the cashier telling me I must be REALLY hungry), and my total was $40.92. I have exactly 8 cents leftover.

My, how the Lord does provide!

Sweet Baby Myles

We were able to visit a dear friend of mine a few Saturdays ago and meet her new little boy. He was born in May and "may" I say - he has the most amazing eyelashes I've ever seen?? The pictures don't do them justice, but I am totally smitten! It was so great to see my friend and meet that sweet little baby!




Who are you strange lady and why are you taking my picture?











Love his expression in this one











The Burns photo op with Myles, who is clearly tired of the paparazzi.

In the middle of the night...

...Tyler apparently goes walking in his sleep.

I woke up at 6 this morning and Tyler wasn't there. Checked the bathroom - not there. Checked downstairs - not there. Started to get a little worried because usually if he's up that early, he's one of those 2 places. So I walk into the guest bedroom and who's sprawled out on the bed, looking around like he has no idea where he is?

Me: "Tyler?"
Tyler: "Hello?" - like he was trying to figure out if anyone was out there
Me: "What are you doing?"
Tyler: "How did I get here?"
Me: "Um, no idea."

He still doesn't remember anything about it. Did someone secretly drug him? He's never done this before. I hope he doesn't make a habit of it, because, while it is funny, it's also a little freaky.

Note to Tyler: Stop being freaky sleepwalking man. It scares your wife.

8-8-08

I am LOVING the Olympics so far this year. What perfect timing too - exit So You Think You Can Dance, enter The XXIX Olympic Games. Thank you, programmers - you continue to make the usual television wasteland that is summer, infinitely more bearable.

The opening ceremonies were brilliant. Say what you will about China, but they know how to put on a show. Bejiing, you had me at hello with all the synchronized drummers. And I was riveted throughout, watching the Chinese movable type (I always thought Gutenberg invented movable type - clearly someone was asleep during History class), watching the giant LCD screen unroll as dancers moved across it like it was a giant Magnadoodle, the synchronized Thai-Chi, and seeing the torch lit at the end, complete with bajillions of fireworks. I think it was the most spectacular opening ceremony I've ever watched.

And does it get any better than the 4 x 100 Men's Freestyle Relay last night?! Jason Lezak - you sir, are a clutch performer. I know Phelps is the big story this year, with the quest for 8 gold medals, and I love Phelps as much as the next person - but oh my, I was Lezak's number 1 fan last night for the last 100 meters of that race. FOUR seconds faster than the world record. Unbelievable.

And only slightly less satisfying than seeing Team USA celebrate their win, was seeing the reaction of Team France when they realized they got the silver. My my, Alain, perhaps you should stick to training instead of smack-talking.

I'm super excited to see Phelps swim the rest of his events, to see Dara Torres swim in her FIFTH Olympic games, and to watch Team USA kick some major gymnastics booty. Not to mention all the human interest stories that always make me cry - I mean, the 33 year old Russian-turned-German gymnast and her son? Sniffle. Yao Ming and the little 9 year old earthquake survivor? Hiccup.

The games have begun, and I couldn't be more excited.

P.S. I Love Your Wardrobe

So, I finally watched the movie P.S. I Love You. And while I wasn't crying uncontrollably and remembering why I love both Harry Connick, Jr. and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, I was wishing that I had the exact same wardrobe Hillary Swank does in this movie. I try not to covet things too much, but good grief, every single outfit she wore in that movie was amazing. Except maybe the boxers and suspenders when she was in her downward grief spiral. And even that was cute in a broken-hearted, losing her mind kind of way.

I actually googled the movie to see if I could find out where the clothes came from. Um, Chanel and Dianne Von Furstenberg. Big surprise.

So, if anyone ever wants to nominate me for What Not to Wear or any sort of makeover show where I can get my hands on the money to afford said wardrobe, please, do not hesitate to do so. Below are some of my favorites.


LOVE the coat.







Love the whole thing.












Love the hat.












This is not the best picture, but awesome black dress.












My FAVORITE dress. I heart it. A lot.

Georgia On My Mind

I'm feeling like I need to make up for a previous post, which made it sound like I don't like my current home state. Though I get really frustrated with Atlanta sometimes, as a whole, the state of Georgia is pretty cool and has a lot of beautiful places.

I was thinking of this as I was listening to Ray Charles's "Georgia On My Mind" the other night. It's one of my favorites. So how can I not like the state that is part of one of my favorite songs?

Here are the images it conjures up in my mind:

Being barefoot
Dirt roads
Being barefoot ON dirt roads
Sweet tea
Lightning bugs
Corn fields
Porch swings
Big oak trees
Lazy summer afternoons
Designing Women (I know, that's random, but good grief, that show made me laugh and this was its theme song in its later years).

How I wish I could live more of my days like I was caught in this song. Simple, relaxing, still and easy-going.

Twilight

Okay, so, I realize I am pretty obsessive and nerdy when it comes to books. And so this will make me sound even more so. But I have to confess, I might have a tiny crush on the main character in the latest book I'm reading.

He's 18. And a vampire. Actually, he's like 110, so it's not THAT bad. Right? Right.

I always get attached to the characters in my books. I fall in love with their stories, get caught up in their fictional lives and honestly care what happens to them. Tyler doesn't get this at all. I've actually only ever seen him read one fiction book the whole time I've known him. He thinks I'm a little weird. I think he is too. We're both right.

And I think he might be a little worried that I'm a bit too attached to the aforementioned vampire. But, I kid you not, this is one of the most mesmerizing characters I've read in a long time. And oh boy, the love story between him and the human girl he's in love with will make you SWOON. That's right, I said swoon.

So, I'm not playing around when I say you should rush out and get this book as soon as you can. It's actually a series of 4 books, but the first one is called "Twilight". You will love it. One of my fellow blog readers read the whole book in one day. And it's over 500 pages long. It's THAT good.

And the bonus? They're making it into a movie. Let the obsession continue...

Happy Birthday, Savannah!

It's our sweet niece's birthday today and we wanted to send her a shout out in the blog world. She's clearly awesome, as you can tell from the Auburn shirt she's wearing. Savannah, you'll thank us later for posting this picture of you. Happy Birthday! We love ya.

~Ty-Ty and Jennifer

KISS

Just some Friday fun - too funny not to share! Happy Weekend!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1uHWyQHMK0

Morpheus and the Bee

Is it just me or does Laurence Fishburne play every character he's given exactly the same? We watched Akeelah and the Bee a few nights ago. All I could think of the entire time was that Morpheus was teaching an 10 year old girl how to spell, and that at any moment he would begin explaining the Matrix. It's the exact same delivery - every time. I swear.

Bible Trivia

I'm sure some of you have heard Tyler's infamous Bible trivia story. Only he can tell it as well as it should be told, but suffice it to say, it involved Noah, the F word, and a hearty dose of parental discipline. If he ever wants to be a guest blogger, I recommend that be his first post. It's high comedy.

So, when we were visiting his family this weekend, we brought Bible trivia back with us. This was prompted by my daily reading of the Bible and wanting to see if my knowledge of it was increasing. FYI - it is, but it is nowhere near where it should be if I ever wanted to play competitive Bible trivia. Luckily, I don't.

However, high comedy again ensued on the following exchange between Tyler and I as we were playing on the way back home.

Me: Why did Moses remove his shoes before approaching the burning bush?
Tyler: Because his feet were hot.

People, you couldn't pay me to write this stuff. We both laughed for about 5 miles - I even cried a little.

Home Sweet Home

There is an area in my life that is severely lacking. That's right, there's only one. Pretty impressive, right?

I seem to be missing the gene that motivates one to decorate their home. I have lived in my house for 3 1/2 years now. It looks pretty much the same as it did about 6 months after we moved in. Don't get me wrong - it looks lived in - we have furniture, we have pictures - but aren't I supposed to have the walls all decorated and curtains hung by now? I thought it was cool that I didn't have curtains because I have wooden blinds, but was informed by a friend that I really should have them. Oops. And I have great plans for artwork for the walls, but somehow, they are still blank. Except the downstairs - the place people actually see is pretty fixed up. I'm fooling everyone. MWAHAHA!

I admit part of this is due to my own laziness. But the other part, I think, is my hesitance in putting down roots here. I miss my hometown, I want to move back one day, and so it makes me feel less connected if I haven't invested a lot. Which is a little ridiculous, actually. Why would I not want to feel at home in the city I've lived in for oh, 7 years now? It is, in fact, my home after all. I'm perfectly happy here and if I ever do move away, I would miss it terribly (mostly I would just miss all my friends terribly). Or maybe all of this is just an excuse for me to be lazy. It's very possible.

But really, as long as it feels like a home, does it really matter if it doesn't look like a "house"?

However, I hereby declare that I am going to start making a concerted effort to "spruce up" the place. My role models will be: my friend, Kristin, who after being in her house for 6 months, looked like she had been there years longer and my sister-in-law, Melissa, who is a decorating rock star. As Chicago would say "You're the inspiration."

I knew I could get an 80's reference in this post.

Summer Reading

With the absence of most good television this summer, except of course, So You Think You Can Dance (and The Closer), I've had a lot more time to read. Also, I went on vacation for a week, so that helped too. Here are 2 excellent books I've read so far this summer.


The Shack by William P. Young
I'm going to have to read this book again. There's so much I missed and so much I want to go back and re-read. It's the story of Mack and his struggle with his faith and coming to know God, Jesus and The Holy Spirit. It's one of the most challenging, gut-wrenching, uplifting books I've ever read. Young has a gift for writing in a relatable, kind of folksy, way. It's like he's just a good friend, telling you a story, which made me feel the emotions so much more and understand the story in a completely different way. It caused me to re-examine my faith and look at it a different way, which is always good thing in my book. No pun intended. Well, maybe I sort of intended it. :)

Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos
This woman is an excellent writer. She is hilarious, relevant, touching and she clearly loves movies, which immediately made me love her, of course. It's an unconventional love story that's both sweet and bittersweet, filled with laugh out loud moments and "I'm not crying, I've just got something in my eye" moments. She really knows how to tell a story and I was riveted and entertained from the first sentence. Clearly, this is a completely different book than The Shack and I was glad I had chosen it to read afterwards - it was just what I needed.

Other books in the wings right now:
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
A Wife After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George
The Bible - I've never read the Bible completely through and so I've gotten a little schedule that breaks it out for me to read in a year. I'm on day 11 and I'll tell you, the Old Testament is way more fascinating than I thought.

It's shaping up to be a busy summer of reading - ahh, love it.

Hilton Head

Vacation this summer was to Hilton Head, SC for a week. I haven't been in forever, but we used to take family vacations there when I was younger, so it was nice to go back! Tyler and I went with my parents - who were going for a wedding anyway, which we in turn managed to get invited to as well and so we turned it into vacation. Score!

We stayed in Sea Pines, close to Harbour Town, where the big red and white lighthouse is. We had a lovely, relaxing time. We rented bikes and rode all around - GREAT bike paths, and it was nice to ride to get some breeze going because it was HOT down there. We also rented kayaks and went on a tour through the sound. That was fun, but I need to brush up on my kayaking skills, which, up until that point, had been, well, none. But after plowing into numerous people and not being able to remember how to go left and right, I finally got the hang of towards the end of the trip. Of course. I'll just have to practice some on the 'Hooch here in Atlanta. Tyler and my dad, however, were pro's at it.














Me, making sure I have a wide area all to myself, so as not to run into or otherwise annoy the other kayakers.














Dad, laid back, resting from his effortless paddling and kayak manuevering. Show off.














At the beach - yes, we probably are the 2 whitest people there. And combined, I think we have more freckles than stars in the sky. And Tyler, before you yell at me for posting a picture of you at the beach, please note that per our agreement, it is not a full length shot. Thank you very much.


It was so nice to have a week off work and to spend time with the folks - who I don't get to see that often and miss terribly. I was able to read 2 books while we were there, which was awesome, as I am a total book nerd. And I discovered the deliciousness that is Blueberry Cobbler Coffeemate Creamer - thanks Mom! I know, it sounds gross, but try it, it's deceptively delicious.

And with that, we come to the end of the trips planned for this year. It's kind of sad, but also nice to know we'll be home for a while! I do love looking forward to vacation though - so now I will get excited about our 4th of July trip to Huntsville to see Tyler's family. Hooray for swimming pools and fireworks!

Dance Fever!

So, summer is fast approaching, which means one thing: all my favorite tv shows are on hiatus. Also, it's 800 degrees outside. And humid.

However - there is one sparkling oasis in this hot, humid, tv show-less time of year. And it, my friends, is called: So You Think You Can Dance!












That's right - I admit it. I LOVE this show. I get excited when I hear the theme music. I can't wait to see the next Wade Robson dance. Will the breaker be able to ballroom dance? Can the contemporary dancers bring the funk to hip hop choreography? What will Cat Deely wear this week? It's television GOLD people!

So last night, they picked the top 20. And I must say, I was kind of disappointed that they didn't make the Vegas auditions last a little longer this year. I feel like I didn't get to see enough dancing or enough of the competitors. Mia Michaels KILLED some of those dancers last night with her contemporary piece - they were running on fumes, but still. Her choreography is ridiculous - and I mean that in a good way. My favorite dance ever was her park bench routine from Season 2. I might have cried a little bit.

Part of the fun of watching this show is watching it with Tyler. He DOES NOT get the contemporary dances and I love them. He's convinced he could do them just as well as the dancers on the show because really, all they're doing is "rolling around on the floor". I would advise you to ask Tyler to show you his contemporary piece to the "ER" theme song and then judge for yourselves who is more talented.

These dancers are amazing and so fun to watch. It's a million times better than American Idol, with the added bonus of not having to watch them gaze awkwardly into the camera.

One thing I don't like about the show? Mary Murphy's screaming. Seriously.

Savannah

We went to Savannah, GA for Memorial Day weekend with our super cool and very funny friends, Brenda & Jo. Here's a list of the highlights:

• Upon arrival, we discovered our hotel had caught on fire, and therefore, had been evacuated.
• Due to the aforementioned fire, we were put up at the Westin across the river for one night. Sweet accommodations and delicious free lemonade.
• Insert "Price is Right" loser theme song *here* when we arrived the next day to our room at the Hilton. Three words I would use to describe it - dingy, outdated, wet.
  
• My favorite t-shirt slogan of the weekend: "Too tired to drink. Too drunk to work." Classic. This was spotted on the beach at Tybee Island, worn by a girl no more than 18-20 years old.
• Tyler's inappropriate comments
• Jo trying not to laugh at Tyler's inappropriate comments
• Brenda's inappropriate picture-taking.
• Walking around Savannah. It was hot, but it was lovely. Savannah has a great historical district.
• The tour guide on our trolley ride around town. He had a perfect southern accent, with just the right amount of Southern snarkiness to go along with it. He reminded me a little of Beverly Leslie from Will & Grace.
• Visiting the Savannah Candy Kitchen every day. Watch out for those caramel apples though.
  
• Pizza from Vinnie VanGoGo's.
• The Cupcake Emporium
• Our waitress at The Crab Shack. There were about 487 other things she would have rather been doing than serving us. We think we unknowingly offended her. I blame Jo. :)

It was a great trip. We had such a fun time walking around, eating & relaxing. Next year, we're going to Italy, kids. Start saving. ;)

Wedding Fun

A dear friend of mine got married this past weekend in my hometown. It was such a fun weekend, filled with lots of laughter, a few tears (but happy ones), and lots of delicious food. If you haven't been to Monell's in Franklin (there's one in Germantown too, I think) - oh boy, you are in for a treat. You will be so full you might have to be rolled out, but it's totally worth it.

The bride was beautiful, of course, and I have to give props to both her and the groom for writing their own vows. The thought of this makes my palms sweat. On top of everything else to be nervous about that day, this is just the icing on the cake. But it was so sweet and they both did wonderfully, with minimal crying!

My cute little brother was also the bartender at the reception - complete with Cocktail-style moves and everything. I was so proud. :) And, we had endless amounts of fun with the bubbles, and just in general, as you can see below.























Oh yeah, Tyler was there too. :) Looking handsome, as always.

Mornings with Lily

So, our dog, Lily, is not the hugest fan of getting up and going outside in the morning. She sleeps under a chair in our room, and will pretty much ignore every cajoling word that comes out of my mouth until I adopt the stern get-up-or-you-will-pay-dearly tone to my voice. You'd think by now I'd go right to that tone, but I like to believe that the sweet one will work one day. Poor, deluded me.

Here is the reaction the sweet, kind tone elicits:










Please note that she does not even open her eyes to acknowledge my voice.

Here is the reaction when I start going into the stern, you-better-listen-to-me tone:














I like to call this her "I'm sorry - did you want something - I really can't be bothered" expression.

It probably doesn't help that I'm laughing most of the time because her reluctance cracks me up so much. And a side note: If Tyler is the one talking to her, she will immediately get up. Apparently, I'm the pushover. Go figure.