Back to Mississip

I am heading back to Mississip today! I am going to Hattiesburg to visit a few friends, get a haircut, and pick up my bridesmaid dress for the wedding I am in July. Friday morning on to the coast for Ashley and Lindsey's wedding festivities! I am so excited, can't wait to see all my high school friends! This is going to be like a reunion.

Getting Ready for Lamar

Yesterday I went for a drug test, then for a physical. All part of the pre-employment screening for Lamar. Only 2 weeks until I start! Sad to say I was actually a little worried about the physical, I am TOTALLY out of shape! But I PASSED! YEAH!

LAKE TIME!

Traci, Johnny, Rick & I went to Rick's family's lake house at Inland Lake Sunday and it was fabulous! The weather was perfect. When we got there Rick's parents were there, so we got to visit with them for a little while before they headed home. We sat in the sun for a little while, Rick cooked a Boston Butt, and RELAXED! DD, Duffy, & Zoie came up later that afternoon and as you can see in this pic Lilly thought she had found a new mom, and DD did not disagree!

And Bernie took quite a liking to Traci! He followed her around EVERYWHERE!
Monday, Jordan came to meet us via a stranger's boat? We went to the dam to pick him up and he wasn't there, so we decided we would wait a few and come back later. Next thing we know he has hitched a ride from a stranger. I LOVED THAT! Well, after Duffy & Rick did some wake boarding, and Johnny gave it a shot, it was time for TUBING! My favorite! Jordan & I went first, and I forgot how much fun it is! I laughed so hard I cried. Then Jordan decided we needed to jump from tube to tube. He had gone to see the new Indiana Jones movie this week and I am pretty sure he thought he was Indi. He jumped into my tube, then back to his, then he decided I needed to do it. This was all fine and dandy, but I refused to jump back, so I made him go back to my tube. He was less than impressed by my skills, and he gave up.
I begged Rick to tube with me, and he was not interested. Then he started feeling guilty because he's not going to the wedding I am in this weekend in Mississip, so on to the tube he went! After one of our falls we tried to kiss and it looks so cute in this pic, but about 1 second after this my tube was completely upside down! Didn't work out so well, but everyone else got a good laugh! That's all that matters.
One of the ropes broke so that was the end of tubing! We grilled some hotdogs and it was time to pack up! I had a GREAT time guys!
Jordan, DD, & Duffy

Sheryl Crow Concert

Traci came down from Nashville Friday night and we went to the Sheryl Crow concert at Oak Mountain Amphitheater. Sean Mullins opened for her, and it seemed like Sheryl would never come on stage! The weather was PERFECT, and the concert was a blast! Great way to start the holiday weekend. Rock on Sheryl!
After the concert and a few minor pit stops, we went to Oak Hill to meet Rick and Johnny (who I had heard all about but never been around!). Johnny and Rick work together, and I had met him once a while back but very briefly and for some odd reason I can't recall the meeting. Needless to say I was very excited to meet this mystery Johnny (again)! The 4 of us had a great night!

Bernie Comes to Play!

Lilly is having a sleep over with Bernie Samford this weekend! James and Abnous are in Miami for her birthday celebration, so I offered to keep Mr. B. Lilly isn't used to the attention taken off her, so we shall see how this goes! So far he loves her car seat! Welcome to our world B!

TRACI QUITS SMOKING!!!

My best friend from birth, Traci, sent me a message yesterday that brought tears to my eyes! She is going to QUIT SMOKING! You guys do not know how much this mean to me! I had a pretty bad day Wed, and when I got this news Thursday, I teared up! Traci has smoked since high school, and it DRIVES ME CRAZY! Here is my list of issues and facts on Traci smoking.
1. It is totally annoying for a non-smoker to have a best friend that is a heavy smoker.
2. It smells horrible!
3. Road trips are zero fun with a smoker.
4. Traci couldn't get enough out of a regular cig, so she started smoking 100's.
5. I want my best friend to be around forever.
This list could go on FOREVER, but I will stop there. Anyway, Traci went to the Dr. this week and got a script for Chantix, that is supposed to help her stop. I have been on her to quit for YEARS, well basically since she started! This is the best news I have heard in a very long time. So for those of you who know Traci please let her know how proud we all are of her efforts! One last thing, back in college Traci had a bit of a negative attitude, and some of us decided she didn't like anything but cigarettes, things that were free, and black. She wanted me to make sure everyone knew that she still LOVES THINGS THAT ARE FREE! Good luck Traci, I am SO SO SO PROUD OF YOU!

P.S. I will be posting updates on Traci's progress.

My Week

HAPPY FRIDAY ALL! Sorry for the lack of post, haven't had much to talk about and haven't had a computer. Not much going on here, unemployment is getting the best of me. I lost it Wed. and started crying. Can't stand not doing anything!!! Then Thursday, my new sales manager called and said I needed to bring back the MOUND of paperwork they gave me to fill out, so they could get my email address set up and order my business cards. So now I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! FINALLY! I also got good news from 2 friends from home, but those are post in their own. So life is looking up. Since I have had nothing better to do I have started walking/jogging with Lilly everyday. I HATE to exercise, so this has been a challenge, but I know it is good for us both. This pic is Lilly just before we went on our daily outing.
Lilly LOVES these cruises around the neighborhood, and never shows any sign of exhaustion. But when we get home it is and entirely different story! She spreads out on the floor and will not even look at me when I call her name. Then she sleeps the rest of the day! She has a HARD life!

Blackberry Messenger

For those that have a Blackberry, this is the best thing ever! It is an instant messenger for blackberry users and it is SO fast! Oh, and is cost nothing. You don't use any of your text messages, nothing. Some of the old BB's do not have this but you can download it. So if anyone has a BB, let me know so we can chat!
Here are the friends I already chat with, Richard, Traci, Lizzy, Justin Marie, Abnous, Boogie. Still waiting on Rachel Waters to figure it out.

Weekend

Oak Hill

The guys and their wine.
Stephen got a butterfly drunk.



Pretty laid back weekend in Bham! It was my first weekend in town in a month, so I was excited about the idea of a low key weekend. Friday I went to Oak Hill with Rick, Matthew, and Stephen for dinner, and a few drinks. We were home by 10 which was nice. Saturday afternoon I went to a wedding with Rick here in town. As soon as that was over, we were off to the lake! Weather was beautiful Saturday, too bad we didn't get to enjoy it too much. Katherine, Mack, James, Abnous, and Walker were all at the lake when we got there. There were also 5 dogs! We played a little catch phrase, watched SNL, and went to bed early again. Sunday we woke to rain. Walker, Katherine, Mack, and 3 of the dogs left pretty early, and we added Duffy and Stephen. FINALLY the sun came out and we got to soak up some rays. All in all a fabulous, laid back, relaxing weekend. I will post pics shortly.

LIFE

Nothing exciting going on here! Rained all day yesterday, not very nice out today. Lilly is at the groomer, so I am really bored. We are going to Rick's sister-in-law's sister's wedding tomorrow at 3pm here in Bham, then heading to his lake house! YEAH! I will post pics of Lilly's new do later today! Hope everyone has a FABULOUS Friday, and weekend.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALLISON

Today is Allison McGuire's Birthday! So those of you who know her, don't forget to let her know you are thinking about her! Hope you have a FABULOUS day Allison!

Visit with the Rayburns

Sunday night after a VERY LONG weekend with the girls, I headed to Fairhope, AL to spend the night with my friends Chris, Joy, and Macie Rayburn. They are the sweetest family! Little Macie will be 1 tomorrow, and she is precious! We went and sat by the pool, then Chris grilled us some chicken that was FABULOUS! I do have to admit they probably think I am the most boring person ever since I fell asleep on the couch before we even ate dinner. I did however wake up after my little cat nap and visit with them after the baby went to sleep. They are such wonderful people and I am so glad I finally got to visit there cute house. Thanks for your hospitality Rayburns, I LOVE YOU! Oh, and next time I promise to be more fun.

And the Bachelorette Party Ends

Don't ask questions, because there are no answers!

FLORA-BAMA

Here are a few interesting sights from the Flora-bama.

This man had a rat tail, it was pulled back by a rubber band, and he thought it was a good idea to take his shirt off!
Just a quick shot of the bras lining the ceiling.
Oh, and this man was the life of the party! We called him Libba's dad, and she loved him!!!

Ash Bachelorette Day 2

Day 2 started with a breakfast casserole Anna & Mel cooked for everyone. Then a few of us headed to the pool, and the rest to the beach.

By the end of the day we all ended up at the beach, and it was the PERFECT day! The weather could not have been any better. Oh, but the jelly fish were out in full force! BOO!
Jacq & I at the beach.
With all our tan bodies we all got ready and had a little honeymoon shower for Ash. Once again Anna & Mel out did themselves by making Ash's getup out of a pair of the groom's old carhartts. WOW!
This was the beginning of the end for our bachelorette. Everyone but Libba and I went to The Hang Out, which was the last stop for Ash!
Then everyone minus Ash and Courtney came to meet us at the FLORA-BAMA! I must say this place never ceases to amaze me! We entertained ourselves in true Flora-bama style......and things got interesting.

Ash Jones Bachelorette Day 1

I left Bham about 8:30 am and headed to Orange Beach, AL to meet the crew. Went straight to the Flora-Bama at 12:30pm when I got there!

We had an adult beverage or 2 and went to BELLA LUNA, to meet Jacq and check in. Needless to say, we don't travel light. This is the bachelorette with the first load to the condo!
We all settled in, and Anna headed to the grocery store. We were all really confused when she came back with the grocery cart to our 6th floor condo!
The place we stayed had 4 pools. This was the one we spent most of out time in since the rest were freezing. This was perfect! About 3" of water, booze, laughter, and good friends!

After the sun went down and everyone made it safe, we ordered pizza and spend most of the night catching up. It was so fabulous. These girls are the best friends a girl could ask for, and being around them always reminds me how luck I am to have such wonderful people in my life! I have been friends with most of them for 15 years, and adore every single minute I have spent with them!

Dinner @ Brio

Rick and I went to dinner @ Brio Thursday night and it was FABULOUS! I had the LASAGNA BOLOGNESE AL FORNO, and when they brought it out it was HUGE! I was almost embarrassed. The plate was at least 2 feet long. Enough food for at least 3 people. I loved this place, and would highly recommend date night there.

I GOT A NEW JOB! I am no longer with the Stewart Organization, and I have now accepted a job with LAMAR Advertising. I could not be more excited!!! You are all going to think I am nuts but I have always wanted to work for Lamar. For those that do not know Lamar is a billboard company. I have always wanted to sell something that I believe in and billboards I totally believe work. I don't know about you but I read almost every billboard I pass. These days you can fast forward through commercials, no one listens to the radio due to CD's and XM radio, no one reads the newspaper anymore, so billboards are the answer for advertising these days! I seriously can't wait to start! This is a GREAT opportunity to take over a set client base, and the previous account executive will still be working there so if I have any questions, he will be there. I start in June, so I am unemployed for the month of May. PLEASE call me if you need me to dog sit, babysit, have lunch, watch a movie, ANYTHING! I am losing my mind already, but this opportunity is totally worth it! Oh, and I have to give some credit to my fabulous friend Bonnie that works for Lamar in Hattiesburg, MS. She emailed the guys here and got me the interview, so I totally owe her a happy. One last thing, I will be the only female sales rep! I love that! Come see me for all your billboard needs!

Bonnie's Blog

I have told you guys about my friends Bonnie & Blaine that I adore, and their baby Reese. Well I talked her into starting a blog! So you guys must check it out! It is mostly about baby Reese, but Bonnie is a trip, so I am sure it will be pretty funny! ENJOY

http://thetyrones.blogspot.com/

Atlanta Girls Trip 2008

Saturday Shay, Traci, & I headed to Atlanta to visit LIZZY BEARS! Jess was the original coordinator of this girls trip but got sick at the last minute. We started with mimosas right outside of Atl, then Lizzy's pad to primp, dinner at Georgia Grille, our usual hot spot 5 Paces ( where we sat in the same booth as last year, and did not get up all night but for bathroom breaks.), after that it was on to The Hole in the Wall! Wow, what a night, this was the only pic I was allowed to put on the blog, I was threatened by death if any of the others made it up. Sorry, the others are way more fun! We had a BLAST as always when we go visit Liz. THANKS LIZZY! And we missed you JessiD!

Kate's Birthday @ The Wine Loft

Stephen & Kate
Matthew, Rick & Me
James & Abnous

Another Thursday With Traci

Traci had to come to Bham for work Thursday night and wanted to go have a few drinks. So we went to Oak Hill then Innisfree, where Derek Trucks of the Derek Trucks Band, was just hanging out having a few beers. You know me, I had to snap a shot. I'm sure he thought I was nuts, but oh well. We had a GREAT time. Traci and I just chatting about life, work, boys, family, for hours. It was perfect! I love you Traci!