Easter Weekend 09

What an EASTER!!! Friday started with breakfast at the Original Pancake House with Anna and Chip (my dear friends from home/high school). They were just in town for Thursday night but decided to stay Friday night so they came over and we grilled burgers with what I like to call "Topping Heaven." These burger topping included but were not limited to: sauteed mushrooms and onions, bacon, jalapenos, cheese, onion, lettuce, tomato, pickles, mayo, mustard, ketchup, BBQ sauce. It was FABULOUS! Most of all it was fabulous to catch up with Anna and Chip. What a week full of fabulous friends, first Jacquie, then Anna & Chip.

Saturday, Rick cleaned the garage, and moved all the tools used in the kitchen project from the house to the basement. We are making room to move all my stuff out of the storage unit that is costing a fortune. Saturday night we went to dinner at Kate & Chris' house. They have 3 pups, a Pomeranian, shihtzu, and shorkie (shihtzu/yorkie). Lilly was overwhelmed by the pack of dogs, but she loved it! It was so much fun, and we found someone just as picky about food as Rick. Never thought that would happen. Kate and Chris' house was just precious and the food was great. (Sorry no pics from that)

Sunday we got up and went to church with Rick's brother and family. Here are the Andrew and Claire and their new puppy, Lucy. She is adorable. More about that later. Don't the kids look adorable?

Rick and I before church.
Scott, Katie, and the kids before church.

After church @ Trinity, which was beautiful by the way, we went to Rick's Uncle Bill's for Easter lunch with more family. I had never met Uncle Bill, because usually I am in Little Rock for holidays, so it was a pleasure to meet more of Rick's family. Bill's house was fabulous, there is a creek running in front that you can hear moving, and coy fish ponds. I also got to meet cousin Robert, his wife Trish, and their adorable little boys Landon, and Reed. I spent most of the day playing with 3 1/5 yr old Landon. We are best friends. I hate I don't have a picture of them, little blonde haired blue eyed boys. I wanted to take them home. The only pic I took is the one below of Rick and his dad. All in all a very BUSY Easter weekend. Sunday night we were exhausted.

Haisley's Birthday @ Crestwood Tavern

We had a girls night at Crestwood Tavern for Haisley's birthday last Tuesday. We had a great time, little chilly outside, but nice. The Tavern has had some updates since last time I was there. Everything changes when you move out of the ole neighborhood. My dear, fabulous friend Jacquie just so happened to be in town for work so she joined. Jacq and I have been friends since we were like 5. I just adore her and it was SUCH A TREAT to play with her. So fabulous night, celebrating Hais birthday and old friends.

I swear it is spring despite the scarves and coats.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAISLEY!!!

Andrew's 9th Birthday

Last Thursday we went to a family dinner for Andrew's 9th birthday @ KOBE. This was Andrew's request, and he LOVED it! He got lots of fun gifts, a Sponge Bob's greatest hits CD that he LOVED, tickets to the dinosaur thing at the BJCC, water balloon hot potato, $, a book, a hermit crab, some other toys, and last but not least, a rocket. Rick and I got him the rocket and I am pretty sure Rick was more excited than Andrew. When I asked Rick for ideas he got so excited and started researching rockets, reminiscing about his days of building and playing with rockets, he even told me he would have to show me some of his old rockets, they were "awesome" he says. So, we had a great family dinner, and as you can see Andrew racked up.

Friends of St. Jude @ Redmont Rooftop

Friday we went to a benefit for the Birmingham Chapter of Friends of St. Jude @ the Redmont Hotel's new rooftop bar. What a view! It was an awesome place to have events, or just for happy hour. It was a little cool Friday, but will be really nice in a few weeks. It was a fun event, great location, and for a good cause.

Kate & me

Kelly & Erick

Brett "Healty", me, & Rick

Bridesmaid dress #10

I got my 10th, yes I said 10th, bridesmaid dress in the mail. The funniest thing is I still have probably 5 good friends that are not married, so I feel like I will probably top out at 15 dresses. I do have to admit, I LOVE being a bridesmaid, and I am quite the pro these days. I love the pageantry, the tradition, and the honor of being a part of such special day in a couples new life together. Not to mention how special you feel that they WANT you to be a part of that special day, and they will remember you being there for the rest of their lives. By the way, yes I still have all the dresses. I remember Traci and I playing dress up in our mom's old bridesmaid dresses all the time, so I guess I am saving them for Lilly to play dress up.

This particular dress is for my step-sister Carrie's wedding in Little Rock, AR, April 25. This will be Rick's first trip to ole Arkansas, and we are looking forward to all the festivities.

HORN ISLAND DREAM: A Gulf Coast Novel

Let me start by saying I am not big on reading. I know, I know, really horrible thing to say, and pretty embarrassing, but there is a reason I am making that point. I just finished this book, another embarrassing fact since I am good friends with the author, and it is WONDERFUL! I do not really enjoy reading, just can't ever really get into it. Well, this book got me! I loved it and it really sparked my interest in reading. The book is ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!!!! I strongly suggest that EVERYONE read this book.

Here is what the back cover reads:
Eight miles off the Mississippi Gulf coast, Horn Island, whose tree lines are visible from shore on clear days, casts its spell over a sixteen year old loner, Jimmy O'Connor, who dreams of the mystery and adventure the island seems to promise. But the island might as well be a hundred miles away, and its distance is only one barrier Jimmy faces in this coming of age story. He must also work to find his place in this blue collar community where Horn Island Dream is set, a coastal town blessed with both natural beauty and industrial resources. That tension, between nature and industry, between art and business, as well as the barrier island's mystery, becomes a backdrop to the questions Jimmy has about his own identity, questions he feel increasingly compelled to answer after he discovers a secret about his long-deceased father. In his search for truth and experience, Jimmy finds surprising clues in the wisdom of two strangers: the artist Walter Anderson and a mysterious mentor. Anderson's visions, vividly depicted in his Horn Island Logs, and the keys he needs to begin unlocking the mysteries of his own identity, and help reveal a path he never could have imagined.

So, with that said, go out and get this book! Seriously, this is my mom's favorite book EVER! She reads non-stop, and just can't stop talking about this novel. She brags and brags about Wes all the time. She is such a big fan that last year when Wes and his wife Jacquie, came to stay with my parents and I at our lake house in Hot Springs, AR, he brought her the manuscript for his next novel (not to be shared WITH ANYONE, and now she is rubbing it in my face). She cried she felt so honored. So, in exchange, she had a mutual friend of hers and ole Jimmy Buffett give Mr. Buffett a copy in hopes he would love it just as much and send it to a publisher. Sad to say we have heard nothing from JB, but it was worth a try. Sorry to keep rambling about this, but I am really passionate about the book. If it can spark an interest in reading with me, everyone should love it! Let me know if anyone reads Horn Island Dream.


Oh, you can google it, and find it at Amazon.com or somewhere else online.

New blog design

I am looking for a new blog design, any ideas? Help! What do you think it should look like? I also need a tag line. I pretty much need a complete makeover, and I am depending on your input. BRING IT!

Orange Beach March 09

We went to Orange Beach this past weekend to stay at Rick's friend Pappy's place. We started Friday @ Lulu's because my mom insisted. The food wasn't fabulous, but we had a good time.

Lulu's

Later that night Mary came to meet us at the Wharf. We had a blast, and were SO happy to see her.

Saturday morning we went to breakfast at Tacky Jack's, and let me tell you....BEST BREAKFAST EVER!!! Best omelet I've ever had, over looking the water, mimosa, what more could I want? We even went back Sunday morning. YUMMY!!!

Good realxing weekend.

Will & Lilly love to stroll...

I babysat/played with my little friend Will last week, and we had so much fun. I took Will & Lilly to Homewood Park, and they rode in the stroller together. I just thought it was so cute, I had to share.

Grass update

WE HAVE GRASS!!! The grass Rick planted a few weeks ago has started to show! Seriously a month ago, this was very hard dirt, and now look. Lilly is going to love playing in the new grassy area, can't you see her excitement in the pic?

Kitchen Update: Fan transformation

OK, so we looked everywhere for the perfect fan for the kitchen with no luck. This is what we were looking for: it had to be small, we wanted black blades, and brushed nickel/stainless hardware. We could not find this anywhere, they were all too big or had the wrong color blades. So, Rick decided we should just paint the perfectly fine fan we already had. Here is the fan before.....

We took it down, took it apart, and cleaned it all up.

After......

We painted it just they way we wanted. IT LOOKS FABULOUS!!

I have to say, I did not think this was going to work out. Thought it was a pretty bad idea, but it really turned out perfect! The best part....TOTAL COST WAS $7!!!! Oh, and I got totally addicted to spray paint. Wanted to paint everything, Rick had to stop me. So what do you think? I am pretty proud.

Tanner came to town....

My dear friend from college, Tanner, was in town for a banking class so I got to meet him for an adult beverage last week. Long story short, Tanner married a friend of mine from high school, Katherine, and her sister lives here in Bham and is one if my best friends here. SO, Tanner, Rachel, Tom (also a friend from High school and now dating Rachel), and I went to Jackson's last Wed afternoon. It has been SO beautiful outside, and they have a fabulous patio. It was so GREAT to see Tanner and catch up (I hate you weren't there Katherine!). I just LOVE LOVE LOVE catching up with old friends. It reminds me of the good things life is all about.

Rachael & Tom

Tanner & me.

Rick's "minor" foot injury.

Rick rolled his ankle Monday playing basketball, and said it was a minor injury, no big deal. Does this look like NO BIG DEAL? The picture really does no justice for how bad it looks. The blood moves around in the foot every day, and changes colors. This is the most insane injury I have ever seen. Oh, and he was whats the big deal, I just tore a few ligaments. Oh no big deal just ligaments Rick. Geeze. I have been taking a lot of pics, I will keep yall posted on this.

St. Patrick's Day @ SOHO

Tuesday, Rick, Brett "Healthy", and I went to the big block party at SOHO. BOO, it was a mess. We went to Jackson's and it was complete ciaos and so packed. You had to fight for drinks too, but we made the most of it as always.

Rick, Johnny, & Healthy

Rick & me

Me, Rick, and my new friend Kate!

While we were celebrating....

We ran into Sarah (in town from Jxn, MS) and Kelly.

And my new friend Kate! She went to high school with Rick, and I just recently found out that she also graduated from Ole Miss! Love her!

1 YEAR LATER....

Our first date.

This weekend 1 year ago was my first date with Rick! This has been the most amazing year of my life. I just adore him and couldn't be happier. For those that don't know, Rick and I were friends for 2 years before we dated. Then some of his friends that I knew also (James & Abnous), told me to come out with them and Rick, and I did't think twice about it. By the end of the night I realized we had been set up. He says he figured it out right away, but it took me a while. The rest is history.

So, to celebrate Rick took me to Highlands, where I really enjoyed an Orange Thing, as you can see below.

Dinner was fabulous too. I broke my no fish north of the gulf coast rule, and had some halibut. It was awesome. We had a great time, talking about the past year, and looking forward to the next year. Happy Anniversary to US!!!

1 year later.

Andrew & Claire's Talent Show

Friday Rick, Katherine, Mac, & I went to The Edgewood Elementary Talent Show. Claire did a exercise/dance routine with her Daisy troop. Katie had the difficult task of organizing these 25 kindergarten girls, and they were really entertaining. Claire is the one in the pink, front row, pretty close to the middle.

Andrew did some karate with a few friends from his karate class. He also broke a piece of wood with his foot. We were pretty impressed.

Here they both are after the show. Andrew was not letting that wood out of his sight, he was so proud.

Claire's "Fancy Nancy" Birthday

Sunday we went to Rick's niece Claire's birthday at Woodland park. She was VERY specific when telling us what we could get her....A Razor scooter. So that's what we got, and she was pretty excited. All the little girls dresses in "fancy" clothes, there were some high heels, feathers, tiaras, etc. They all looked precious.

Look what I found!!! One mom brought her Shihtzu puppy and I tried to explain to Rick how cute and sweet it was, and tell how Lilly needed a sister. He didn't budge. This little baby was so cute, she loved giving kisses, it was the sweetest thing. Needless to say Rick could have cared less and no puppies coming home with us anytime soon.