Proceed with Caution

Turns out listening to 102.1 the edge with windows down leads to too much fun!

Examples:

1) We left the house to start our night out at 8:00 pm on a Saturday night!

2) We stayed out in a way to loud restaurant til 1:00 AM!!

3) We decided to just pick up and go to DALLAS to see Black Swan cause that's the only place it was playing.

Or listening to 102.1 the edge causes you to pull your head out of your booty and realize you're not as domestic as you think you are...... Either way its been a blast and I hope that we keep a little crazy.  ; )

Jammin out from the edge

So now its Christmas season and the peace of Thanksgiving is soooo last week - now is the time for pure madness, long lists and goin off the rails on a crazy train!  However this year I'm trying so hard to play it cool  ; )  Its only December third and we'd already had a sister conference call for intervention and delegation.....I called it on myself so thats a healthy step I think ....right?

I find myself overwhelmed with fun ideas, great projects, long lists that are all self inflicted.  No one else knows that I wanted to knit everyone a scarf for a themed group pictures - so if it doesn't happen its only my brain that is sad.  Hubby is being such a great help this year listening to my ideas and boldly crossing off projects with little to no explanation other than - girl your losing it, and even offering to take some of the less insane projects on himself!!

This year we got Christmas up "a week late" by December 3rd so really not late at all - and the world didn't end and in place of putting it up I had some really great times enjoy other things than decoration madness....

All that to say  I'm trying to do better, take deep breaths, focus on reality, and keeping my red wine close.

On a completely separate note while the weather has been nice hubby and I have been having a BLAST driving around with the windows down jamming out the 102.1 The Edge.   I have never been good with remembering artists but I know when a song comes on that I love.

I usually listen to pop and country and oldies - but The Edge is bringing back old songs from high school like the Beastie Boys, Linkin Park, Smashing Pumpkins, Cake and so many other old high school loud, angsty, teenage drama songs.

Singing out loud with the windows down and the volume scandalously high is such a fun thing to do - I'd recommend you try is soon!! Just don't do it too long or you'll affect your hearing  ; )

Pure Joy

Things lately have seemed to be pretty even keeled and I am loving it and focusing on enjoying every moment, but trying to be mindful that life can change on a dime.... Sounds a bit bleak written out - anywho!

We have an amazing small group Bible study that we meet with once a week and one of the ladies there Becky Siegrist owns C1 DESIGN & PHOTOGRAPHY at http://www.c1design.com/ and she offered to take everyones pictures for Christmas as her gift to us - and WOW we were all blown away by the amazing work that she did!!!

I mean Josh and I aren't terrible looking people by any means if I do say so myself : ) but she captured the love and joy and that is a gift!! See how great she is and how cute we are?! I even got to wear a tiara - that ladies and gentleman is a excellent evening! 

As a side note Josh always teases me about wrinkling my nose when I laugh (in a good way - he said its the top 3 reasons he married me) seriously 30 years old I don't think I've ever seen it captured on film.

Giant Blueberry

This weekend Josh and I got to go with all my sisters and their gentleman callers to a blast of a camping trip in Turner Falls.  The weather was AWESOME, company even better and once we went the right way on the road we found the falls.

If you knew me 10 years ago I was crazy hella fun! and now ..... sometimes I feel like I'm turning into an agorophobic (fear of leaving the house).  I come up with the best ideas ever, get all excited, and the crippled by reality, planning, fear?  Not sure what it is but I have noticed a change. The "old" me never would have been "proud" of myself for deciding on Tuesday to go camping on Friday....... but only going for one night cause 2 is too much....

Anywho the camping was a BLAST if I didn't mention it - and I'll have to remember that next time I really love an idea and then try to talk myself out of it......

Once a month is good right?

Josh had a BFF forever in high school and most of college - he was so close to him that some joked they should just get married.  Josh and Nick did a lot together for a long time, but part of growing up is making new friends, new interests, and guys don't stay in touch like girls do.  Nick married an AMAZING women Chelsea who is open, honest and real.  The type of girl you'd love to hate but just can't because she's just too darn cute! All of that to say that a year ago Nick was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma and Chelsea has been great at blogging the progress, feelings, emotions, difficulties and sharing their struggles.  She writes with dignity, candor, and lets you know whats going on.  I greatly admire her and often wish I could be more honest like she is.  We get to see each other very infrequently but I love the time we do get to spend together and look forward to reading her posts.

I had the rare chance to get together with her and Nick last Friday, and walked away deeply desiring to be more authentic in my life and in talking about my struggles.  Then I came across this blog about The disease called "Perfection" and wham!  The conviction was even greater!!

I considered that I might be to "southern" its not polite to speak of such things in mixed company.  Things that happen in the privacy of your home should remain that way.  Things should be discussed between a husband and a wife. My mother and grandmothers generation I dont' think really talk about problems too much.  Things are the way they are and that's how it TI Tis...... but how much have I benefited from others realness,  how much do I long to peel back the curtain and see if other husbands straggle out of bed at noon on Sunday to plant on the sofa and watch football all day? How much do I long to be able to sit down and "veg out" without feeling like I should have the house company ready - even if no company is coming.  Who else has depression in their house, anyone else feel like a failure for ordering takeout cause they are just too tired to cook? Does anyone else get Bored!?

The very few times I write in my personal journal - I even lie there so that when I read back I'll remember the good stuff - talk about crazyness.  If I can't be real with myself then wowza.......

Life is hard. It is messy and complicated. I wouldn't trade it for anything!

At the end of the day I am blessed to be married to a man who loves me, a God who forgives me and listens to the crazy - I am honest with Him..... and I'm surrounded with amazing friends and family. 

I just have to remember that if the creme bruele isn't perfect and the blankets aren't folded with all matching edges - probably don't need to yell at the hubby that everyone will think we're less than perfect and don't have it all together..... cause they're probably squabbing about something equally inane and too busy to notice my folds!

W but decidedly not southern

I am a shabby chic kinda gal - no question - but the conference that I'm at is at The W Hotel - Midtown, most decidedly un-shabby chic.  So super modern I think they may have spacecraft hidden away somewhere.  I am for sure not cool enough to be here!

They change the door mats in the elevators for each time of day:

The have a guy that goes around and creases the pillows so they are all the same - I'm a fluffed pillow kinda gal.....and the check in is so sleek and small!

The bar is right by the lobby and has very low seating fun funky furniture - I felt a little cooler having a drink in there - it helped the bar tender was a really cool chick.

Then theres where i had breakfast - I found a really cool restaurant, figured out how to get there, drove through the ghetto, didn't get lost and now its closed this week!! So we made our way back - not getting lost, saw a pastry shop, found parking downtown and when we walked around to the front -  it was out of business!!! So we made it back to the hotel and ate in the ultra cool, odd place....good natural light....

The entry way has cool lights too - I want a 10 story house so I can have one.  Anything less than 10 stories really loses the effect ; )

The bedroom has a strange headboard..... I am not a modern, cement, metal, barbed wire bed frame kinda gal

The South

A long time ago I started reading a book series by Eugenia Price about the city of Savannah, Georgia.  It is beautiful, amazing historical fiction following the settlement of Savannah from the beginning settlements to the Civil War.  She paints such a picture of the area and captures the hopes, dreams, struggles and desires of the founders in a way that I've always been in love with the area.  I've felt a connection with the dreams of building something better, creating a legacy.  So when I had a chance to take a quick road trip to Savannah from Atlanta I decided to defy logic, jump on the chance, drive the 4 hours down there and live a dream I've harbored for over 15 years. 

And then there I was! Although it was quite a bit different than the pre civil war pictures I had in my mind - it was still pretty amazing. The history, architecture, raw brute strength of the river damns, the actual buildings that housed titans of industry.  The watch towers that people waited for ships to return to harbor from months at sea.  The counting houses, the trees draped in moss, the salt bayous, light houses, the rivers, the ocean, brick streets, parks in the squares, fried green tomatoes and Tybee Island, it was all amazing and a heck of a lot to cram into 5 hours of site seeing!!

Best part of all - I'm skinny on in the Atlantic Ocean!

Shoulda stayed on the Atlantic ocean cause once I finished dinner at the impenetrable "The Lady and Sons" restaurant featuring Paula Dean's cooken'  - and as she told Oprah "Honey I'm your cook not your doooctottooorr." And DANG her cooken' proved that was true.  I looked at her menu and said - ehhh I can see that at home no biggy....but I got in without a reservation and so I thought what the hey - well DANG I had the fried green tomatoes, light and delicious, then the crab soup - pure butter and cream with a slice of crab to make it "healthy" and as a glutton for punishment I added pecan pie with ice cream - DANG.  Needless to say - should let the street bouncer keep me out. 

Seriously - you have to check in with the hostess on the street - if you have reservations - you get a card, and are told to go through the Paula Dean store into the waiting lobby where another hostess will validate you have a card and seat you as it is available.  If you don't have reservations and I didn't - you can wait on the curb / sidewalk until you are summoned to the hostess stand, handed a card for the bar area, then you go in a separate door, hand the hostess your card, go up an elevator to the 3rd floor where you can dine in the nearly empty but apparently very exclusive bar with full menu..... Crazy times.  Not looking forward to my next cholesterol reading!

I think someday when I am older and have time and a roundabout to cruise me through town I'd love to go on all the historical tours of the town and breath all the history of the area - just not too deep cause the morning river smell reminded me of burnt hair..... still a dream was lived and who can put a damper on that!

And as a teaser for something in the future:

Gotta do better

This whole once a month update thing is a bad habit! Plus I probably leave out a lot of stuff...... 

Biggest non news ever - Josh and I are now sharing a google calendar! I LOVE my paper planner, flesh and pen is my thing, but hubby loves his technology - A LOT.  I've had to learn its a man thing.  He loves changing phones, trying out new programs, getting the latest blue tooth.  Me - if it ain't broke it don't need fixen'.  Even if it is broke I'm too lazy to fix it/update it/learn a new way to do it.  So now you know, and I am sure can sleep much easier at night now.  ; )

Since Josh helped make August literally almost a birthday month for me I'll start on August 7th for the Family Olympics Part II and then slowly post from there!

This year due to location and time changes it was a smaller event than last year but ran much more smoothly - and although my team came close - it was no cigar.  However we totally were the best dressed.  Josh, Gail and I had a great time making the shirts together.  Craft time is great time!!

We were the Anchors Away Team - Like the USS Winner
from Left to Right: Buttercup, John, Magnus Victor, Wampinator, Fisher, Momma Amy, Head Honcho 

Go TEAM!

They were leftover gym clothes!

The events were a mix of Minute to Win It events and Olympics: so we had dodge ball - so fun! sled pull, swim laps, battle beam, cookie eating thing, ice bucket thing, board walk, and dinner. 

This was the board walk - we lost so bad!! Can't do it with Crocs on - have to be barefoot dad!

This one was the most humiliating - you had a bucket with ice in it and you had to get the ice with your mouth then spit it into the bucket.  Everyone ran out of ice and had to get a refill and then the ice was melting which made total count a little hard - but team gym clothes won quiet handily..... Maybe we were just so blazen hot we melted ours?

The cookie thing you put a cookie on your forehead and then you have to eat it without touching it with your hands or having anyone else help you - it was the funniest part of the night no doubt!!!

Wolf Pack Continued

You probably know this but hubby and I have known each other/dated/been best friends since high school - so like a super really long time - already close to half our lives! So fun and wild to think about!

The longevity is the key here because every year Josh and his family go to Michigan for the 4th of July and usually stop in Indiana because it is a mere 7 hours around the corner and pick up loads of fireworks that would make a Texas Rangers home run show look kinda lame.  However in my many many years I have never been blessed enough to be privy to this extraordinary eardrum shattering event.  I am a Texas girl - give me some sparklers, black cats, roman candles and snap pops and I am a way happy camper.

Last year they didn't get the fireworks cause we flew - but Josh raced to the store at 9:00 pm on the 4th and got me a variety pack that had all the good stuff you can buy at a grocery store. 

I was raised on - it made my 4th and I had them all to myself which had never happened before in my life - ever! Everyone else sat back a bit sour because nothing I had could blow off my hand or cause a fire 10 houses down if they misfired - but I was in heaven - a little color, a little snap and a whole lotta fun!

Well this year - oh my word - they drove up as previously discussed and bought man fireworks that I wasn't allowed to be around and bought me girl fireworks that once unpacked was about 1/2 that I wasn't allowed to be around - holy moly they went crazy!

In the words of Joe Dirt we had "whistling bungholes, spleen splitters, whisker biscuits, honkey lighters, hoosker doos, hoosker don'ts, cherry bombs, nipsy daisers, with or without the scooter stick, and one single whistling kitty chaser"

And my "girly pack" was insanely full of lots of things that go boom sparkle.  I tried setting off a few things and then they fired down the beach and exploded in a very unsettling manner and then Josh helped me out. Look at all the fun stuff I got and got to help set up and off.  It was all for me!

It doesn't look super impressive sitting there on the beach but great scotts alive it made a crazy show! Josh looked like he was in a war movie!

It was all laid out on the beach in rows and rows and then in the complete dark Josh and his dad worked from the outside in lighting them all off - it was awesome heart pounding, ear drum shattering entertainment and we had the best show in the beach. Oh did I forget to mention that lots of families all up and down the beach did this so we had almost an hour of panoramic amazing fireworks to enjoy and then when it was over more stars to see than a planetarium video!

Steps to an impressive fireworks show:

1. Buy copious amounts of fireworks

 2. Set up base camp

3. Set up fireworks

4. No women allowed

5. Light in pitch dark but don't run

6. Enjoy the awesomeness

7. Once supplies are exhausted search for more

Boys Perspective

A very well known fact is that I grew up with 3 younger sisters and that I knew nothing about boys at all - they horrified me.  They ran around the pool!, threw things, yelled, played in the dirt, shot things, used a farmers Kleenex, punched, kicked and pee'd off my porch!

Then my sister got married and I got nephews.  They were horrifying boys, dirty and loud and very much not like sisters - but then a funny thing happened..... I started adapting and realized that they were boys and boys were loud and dirty and fun. A total brain shift but now I just wanna eat em' up with a spoon. 
Here are my cousin (and his sister my cousin too - but a girl, wonderful, great nurse in training and AWEsOMe even if she's a jayhawk! ) and nephew - aren't they just gobbleishous!

I had the pleasure of a family reunion recently and my nephew who is 5 got a hold of the camera with my cousin who is 6 or 7 - not only are they completely adorable but its fun to remember what it was like to have the viewpoint of a 5 year old.   I remember when I couldn't see over the glass or the counter at a buffet - same from when I was 5 to now!

The boys were losing so bad - therefore uncle josh wasn't happy

My nephew's dad Ricky - happy about losing graciously ; )

My sis Gail and Daddy - check out those guns!

yummy 5 yr old feet self portrait by Fisher ; )

Searching high and low for special pictures

The one thing that I learned during the family reunion weekend was that 5-7 year old channel some weird energy and watch too much TV or rap videos or something - cuase where else would they learn these nonsense moves?  Getting giggy with it nanana na na na na naaa - seriously will smith wasn't even rapping when they were born - but hey got his moves!!

And that ladies and gentleman is what I have learned in my short 1 year of being a aunt - and I can't imagine how much more I have to learn and grown when my turn comes to being a parent.  The heart has a unimaginable capacity to grow and I hope mine grows to the size of King Ranch!

All food all the time

I love cooking and making good food with my favorite friends and family.  I love dining in way more than dining out most of the time. Saturday night we were going to go out with my Grandma for dinner but decided to stay in a grill some steaks.  It was only girls and I was scared to man the grill without some skilled manly professional - but Josh gave me some great coaching tips over the phone and I gave it my best shot - I must say they turned out pretty dang good!

Plus I was super excited that we only had 4 people for dinner so I could use my china!! Add some candle sticks and we had a real purdy dinner with some special ladies!  My sisters thought I was ridiculous for setting such a table - but you gotta eat of some sort of plate right? and everyone looks lovely in candlelight. : )  Something tells me guys don't throw together a BBQ quite like this......

After spending some time with my mother in law over the 4th of July weekend I realized how big of a difference there is between a cook and a baker.  I say this because she is a cook - very precise, exact and makes the most awesome anything that she decides to make - when I reach a size of ungodly proportions - just know it's her wonderful breads, cakes, cookies, pies and other delicacies! Me I'm a throw it together and guesstimate kinda gal.  Working with her on a few food prep projects it struck me how precise she was and how much I must rankle her with my "it looks about right ... I think"  Then I was considering it and realized there are probably a lot of us in life that are more bakers or cooks and we get annoyed with the other person for being to exact or too loosy goosy..... but to have a well rounded meal you need cooks and bakers - hows that for deep and kinda weird?

So on a cooking tip for the day: here's an example the recipe I sent my mom - I wanted to make some basil salsa and found a recipe online for it - but I didn't have all the ingredients or the right measurements for them so this is what I came up with - exactly as I sent my mother - it is awesome by the way:

1 large tomato (about to go bad so needed to use it quick)
1 package of grape tomatoes (on sale for $1)
1/4 of small onion (could probably do half - not sure why I was so chincy)
1 inch off the top of a bunch of cilantro
1 clove garlic (last one in the kitchen....)
1 roasted polbano pepper for a little heat (out of jalapenos.....)
1 cup not packed of basil leaves (all i had left from my wonderful mother)
salt , pepper
2 Tablespoons of red wine vinegar (I have 2 bottles of this if you need one?)

It just kinda cracked me up - additional endeavors I have undertaken since being abandoned are:

Boiled peanuts - a southern specialty i tried in New Orleans and had to try making some - they are good if you like mushy peanuts.....

 

And pickled okra - I do love me some southern dishes!

 

So if you wanna enjoy some southern cooken' come on down to McNabb Cafe - I'll even whip up some shrimp and grits for ya!!