Look Dave, It's S-NO-WING!

That's one of my favorite lines from the Chipmunk's Christmas CD. Well, Saturday turned out to be a fun day of snow and self-induced lock-in. It was funny because both Justin and I were out when it was snowing and had our "lock-in" once it started melting...which the roads could have become icy. Anyways, our neighborhood had a home expo, which I walked to in the snow. It was great. I love walking in the snow. After that I took Lucy on a stroll. She was okay with it until it became sleet, so she was getting a little wet and probably cold. People in our neighborhood were making snowmen and having snowball fights. I love the since of community you get walking down our streets. When Justin got home we went out for lunch and decided to go downtown to see if the Capitol was pretty in the snow. Since most of downtown is concrete, metal, stone or glass, there wasn't a lot of it. There were a few domes that collected snow, but overall the white buildings disguised it. Our lock-in turned into a movie marathon. Lucy loved it because she slept in our laps for hours. She is such a sneaky stinker ;) I took some pictures before the snow melted. It was dreamy...pictures don't do it justice.

Our HouseLeigh's houseJustin throwing a snowball at me...

An Annual Event?

Guess what? We went to the Monster Truck Jam...again! Ha! This past weekend Hannah, our friend from TX, came to scope out Faulkner, so she stayed with us over the weekend. We had a few options, but she thought the Monster Truck Jam would be a perfect Saturday night event. We agreed and headed off.

It really is a cultural experience. It might not be the type of culture you expect at a "cultural event," but it is cultural none-the-less. How often do you get to see people who never come to the "city" make a debut at the Coliseum (our local arena)? How how often do you get to see beer, nachos and cotton candy served at a family event? How often do you see people proudly wave their Grave Digger pennants in the air? I'm telling you, it's great.

Justin, Hannah and I chose to get the most out of our experience. As with most cultural experiences, one should fully immerse themselves and try to blend in. After a quick trip to Wally World, we were well on our way. Hannah and I had on Lynyrd Skynyrd T-shirts and Justin had his cowboy work boots, Carhart pants, Mississippi State hoodie sweatshirt and cammo Chevy hat. (He only had to purchase the hat--the rest he owns...) Step one, check...We all looked great and blended in.

The second step is to allow yourself to feel a part of the culture. Now, I wouldn't recommend beer or a chaw of tobacco (although Justin did fake one), but you must come into the experience with excitement, just like everyone else. Talk freely about your love of Grave Digger and Big Foot. Then once the show begins and the master of ceremonies has commenced the show, holler with excitement and joy! Choose a truck you'd like to see win and give them your all. Now, the best activity is the "Cyclone." The Cyclone is where the truck spins in a circle...it is amazing. Grave Digger, as we saw last year, is the best. Who knew truck driving actually required talent and training. You can easily spot the novice drivers. Now there was one guy who hadn't been driving very long and during his time of the Cyclone competition, he just drove around the arena and didn't even try. I could not believe "Big Crunch" didn't even attempt, once again novice flashes in my mind. I know it's time to fully embrace my experience. I look around, tilt my head back and holler, "Go Home Big Crunch! Go Home! Zero...yer nothin'...GO HOME!!" Even some of the locals gave me a glance. ahem...Step two, become part of the culture, check.

[I'll try to add a video here]

Step three to enjoying the show, is people watching! Talk about some serious mullets, WOW! Business in the front, party in the back. There were some major parties going on! I love watching the kids too. They get so excited and squeal with delight in their redneck draw. After the show one little boy ask, "Diddy, can we call Granny and tell her about the race?" He had to share his excitement with somebody! One side note, I cannot believe all the parents who bring their kids with NO earplugs. After last year, I made sure to pack extra plugs and guess what...the little boy sitting next to Hannah had NO earplugs and was terrified by the noise. What are these people thinking? AND people bring their babies...I'm talking babies. Those that can't walk, feed themselves or even hold their heads up! That's irresponsible!! Okay, back to the good stuff. The other people I like to look for are those who were forced to come. For example, there was a girl who sat behind us. She was dressed for a casual date, looked nice and pretty. She was there with her boyfriend or maybe even husband...somewhere in the range. She refused to even look at the arena! It was hilarious. She would look in the opposite direction and do the long blink. I know she was thinking the entire time (1) he's gonna pay for this, (2) I hope no one I know sees me here, (3) this is so redneck! I really wanted to tell the sweet girl that guess what, you really have a lot of fun if you'd just let loose. We're not redneck either, but you have to appreciate it for what it is! Be confident that (1) you are not a redneck and (2) who you really are! She really missed out on a great opportunity all because of her embarrassment. Step three, check.

Anywho, we had a great time with Hannah and were so happy to have a little bit of TX in AL! Hannah, please come visit us again!!!

Don't ever graduate

College that is, not high school. I wouldn't give you 2 cents for those days...

That's what we tell our friends who are still at State (which are fewer and fewer--we're all growin' up!) Justin and I had such a WONDERFUL time at State and the UCSC (University Christian Student Center). My experience there makes me believe that a Christian College education is not essential, which was a former belief of mine.

Why the change you ask?
(1) you have an opportunity to evanglize to non-believers--there aren't too many of those at CCs
(2) you were challenged by different beliefts, but the UCSC was there to reenforce the Truth
(3) Perry Jinkerson -- College Minister
(4) College sports!!!!!!!!! Ha! The real deal, not glorified HS.

Now, I don't recommend a State school for high school seniors who are not "Bibically grounded." There are many temptations, but if you've been *raised right* and most importantly, made the decision for yourself that you'll serve God no matter what, then you'll do quite well! I can say all this since I was forunate enough to experience both worlds. I loved my time at Faulkner too!

Another factor at State...we were newly weds! Bliss.

Justin and I loved our time there so much and truly enjoyed seeing a lot of our school buddies at a wedding last weekend. It was so good to see Richard, Lindsay, Brad, Dustin, Perry, Amie, Daniel, Bethany, Carli, Eric, JohnT, Anne, Scott.

We were able to stop by and see Mama and Daddy too! We hadn't been to their house in over a year! It was good to be back at their home. I got to see my kitties too! Mac and Gilbert are 9, almost 10 years old! They're twins. Mac is named after Mark MacGwire-they showed up at the time he was making is homerun record. And Gil is named after "Gilbert" from the Anne of Green Gables series. After having Lucy for a year now, I got use to petting hard and rough. I had to remember how to pet cats. I love them so much! They are such sweeties; I love the purr box! Since it was so cold outside, they got to come inside. They LOVE the fireside rug.

Birthday Girl

Justin and I both celebrate our birthdays right around Christmas. Neither of us care for that, but what can we do about it? Instead we soak it up while we can!

Last Friday I celebrated my birthday. Justin did a fabulous job of making me feel special. He woke me up with breakfast in bed. He had just run down to a local bakery and purchased one of my favorites...a huge cinnamon roll! He put a candle in it and even sang!! By the time I got to work Daddy, Grandma and Mama had all called...I was well on my way to feeling quite special.

breakfast in bed...don't look too close.

Justin and I went out for lunch at a local greasy spot, Hamburger King. We had wanted to try it out several times, but it's only open for breakfast and lunch on weekdays. After I got home from work, I got to open all my wonderful gifts and then it was off to dinner.

My card from Lucy...the front said, '"woof" (Mama)'

We had dinner at Michael's Table. It is a gourmet restaurant with a Greek flare. It was okay, everything need salt, white wine and garlic. But dessert rolled around and redeemed the entire experience. Leigh and I devoured a most delicious, warm, mocha bread pudding with chocolate ice cream on the side. Justin had a super piece of white chocolate cheesecake. The day was fab and I really appreciate everyone (family, friends) and especially Justin for making me feel special!

So I think...

...I've finally caught up.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

New Year's Eve we hosted a party. We played games and ate. With the exception of the Murray's & Mark, we made it until 3:30. We played some mad Nert's!

New Year's Kiss

We look intoxicated, but it's only sparkling grape juice and the midnight hour.

Old folks don't usually stay up that late.

George, Leigh, Mark, Justin, Eliot...we shot off confetti.

Kim was there too, she was the photog.

Me and Ashley

Lucy's BFF

Copper and Lucy decided to go for a joy ride earlier this week.

Copper is the Capitol Heights Casanova...even though they've all been fixed,

all the neighborhood girls are crazy for Copper.

Our Official Christmas Picture

Christmas Part II

Justin's family joined us the Friday after Christmas. We celebrated with lots of food. Justin's mom is the dessert Queen. I know that I gain weight--I skipped weigh-in this week. After a tasty brunch we opened gifts. Justin's family has a special tradition when opening gifts...each person takes a turn, opening one gift at a time. Whether the consider it a tradition or not, I'm not sure, but I do. It allows you to get a good look at all the gifts and the joy that comes with each opening. It was good to have all of Justin's family. Kama and Stew even made it this time! We got to play a lot of games during our time together, which is so fun. Mr. Sidney and I didn't even trash talk once!!

Here are a few pictures from our Christmas...

No place like home for the holidays

Justin and I were excited to spend our first Christmas at home this year! My parents, sister and cousin Rachel all spent it together. It was a leisurely day. We spent most of it in our PJs!! We opened presents at our house and then strolled down to Leigh's for Christmas brunch. We played Beyond Balderdash (which I received for Christmas) for a few hours, forgetting what time it was. So we ended up eating a late supper. Here are some pictures from the weekend.

BTW- if you know how to create a collage, please let me know...even if I don't know who you are. It would save me a lot of time! Thanks!

Oh, yes, this was Lucy's first Christmas too! She loved her stocking full of goodies. She pulled out all her toys and goodies and lined them up in the living room. It was hilarious! She hasn't stopped playing with all her toys since.

my cherry pie...isn't it cute!

Birthday Boy

During all the craziness of the Christmas House Tour Justin celebrated his 26th birthday. Unfortunately I was not able to devote the amount of attention to the festivity that I normally do and did not make a cake. Instead, he had a cake from a local caterer that my sister one at the Church Christmas party. It was perfect timing. I got Justin a hammock he wanted. It's made of parachute material and meant to be used while you are hiking/camping wherever you would like it to go, such as over a cliff. Here we are trying it out. We weren't scared...we're pretty adventurous when it comes to outdoor activities...