Its Been A While... No?

Just thought I'd check in with the blogverse...

I have SO much talk about, but first I'm going to visit a couple of my favorite bloggers to see what's new in their world.
After that it's all about me :)

Happy Birthday, Mr. Bear!

oh, my beautiful bobby! you are a year old today, but you've had my entire heart since the beginning of eternity. i can't imagine my life without you and your sweet, sweet smile.

I LOVE YOU

It Really Does Work

Go read the reviews of the infamous 3 wolf tee-shirt here.
The people who are saying it has changed their life... I believe them.




This guy is the evidence.

Father's Day is just around the corner.

I highly recommend getting your dad one of these if you want to be the best child ever.

It Is Impossible to Have a Bad Day When This Happens...

I hope you are all having an amazing Tuesday!

One Of My Favorite Days...

Happy 61st Birthday!

MOTHER

you are totally my favorite person and

you are still the most beautiful woman I have ever seen

have fun this week and don't worry about the poopy dog

i've got him under control

(which is why it took me so long to write this)

Happy Birthday, Vicki!

i'm glad you were born

(my life would not be near as interesting without you in it)

I love you so much!

Don Fajah is 78!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

a girl couldn't ask for a better step-fajah

Sometimes...

even work can be fun!

The Webb Tragedy

If you live in Knoxville, then you've probably seen or read the coverage regarding Erik and Sara Webb.

This is not a post to defend Erik, in any way, for what he did. It was absolutely senseless- the horrible act of a sick and desperate man.

But even though what he did was indefensible, I stand by this conviction- he was a good man. His kindness and generosity were always so evident to those who knew him, and anyone that had even one conversation with him knew how much he loved his children.

No, his actions were wrong- so wrong there are no words for it. But he was a friend, and I still think of him as such.

I am shocked and heartbroken.

Please pray for the family and friends of Erik and Sara, who will never be able to understand why this happened.

In Memoriam

These heroes are dead. They died for liberty - they died for us. They are at rest. They sleep in the land they made free, under the flag they rendered stainless, under the solemn pines, the sad hemlocks, the tearful willows, and the embracing vines.

~Robert G. Ingersoll

I Laughed So Hard I Snorted...

...when Raina told me that, not only did she buy a tiara for her wedding day, but that she wore it around the house all day.

Even Knoxville Rocks

Be sure to check out Tara under "You Must Love Them Too" to see her Dixie Pixel blog. She took pictures of my friends, Adam and Amanda, on their wedding day- and I've been slightly crazy (seriously, almost stalkerish- on her blog) about her ever since.
If a lobotomy is ever performed and I decide to tie the knot again, she's the one I'm going to!

It is, in fact, possible to spend hours and hours looking through her amazing pictures... I know this for a fact:)

Have a fantastic Friday!

How Strange It Is...

... that sometimes when grasping for the right words console a friend, you end up saying the very thing that is a comfort to yourself.

And even stranger that you didn't know it hurt in the first place.

Reason I ♥ My Parents #347

Stepfather: Do you like the pork sauce?
Me: I don't know, it tastes funky
Stepfather: Don't say that word at the dinner table!
Me: No, funky. Funky! Fun-ky. Like Funky Cold Medina
Stepfather: Funky coumadin? I've had some funky coumadin...

Mother: I think we need to start doing activities together. I've signed us up for a couple of classes.
Me: What kind of classes?
Mother: Garden Club and shooting practice at the Gun Club.
Me: Of course. That makes perfect sense.
Mother: Don't get smart with me. A pretty garden is just as important as learning to protect yourself.

My life would be absolutely boring without them...

Bad Blogger! Bad, Bad, Blogger!

I'm a bad blogger, and I need to be spanked!

Wait... This is not that kind of blog.

I need to be punished.

I need you all to tell me how bad I am.

How I've let you all down.

How i act like I don't care.

That will make me feel better.

My May Year's Resolution is to be a better blogger.

Because truly, I don't necessarily miss writing, but I do miss you.

I miss my blog girls and my couple of blog boys.

I love you all!

P.S.

Emma, how I've missed your pretty pictures.  I just gave the world's biggest sigh!

Amanda, How I've missed your words, so clever that they cant be described by such lame words as clever.

Jenn, Your cards make me happy (even the yellow ones)

Please don't hate me too much after my ridiculous absence!!!

Happy Mother's Day!

thank you ...

for giving me a chance when you weren't supposed to

(and sorry for almost killing you)

for keeping a journal about our childhood

for staying at home with us

for eventually going back to work

for swim, ballet, and piano lessons

for telling me i was pretty

for saying "i love you" 42 times a day

for being strong when you had to be

for supporting me- always

for taking me in when i was desperate and broken

for making me better

for being the best role model that i know

for being the best mom in existence

you mean the universe to me!

You Must Read...

Just a few of my favorite lines (the book is filled with them!):

It's a thing about fog. Doesn't matter when it comes, it smells like April. Birdie was born April twenty-second. Every time it fogs like this, I tell her, Happy birthday, love.

At once I took a fierce chill. A sob rippled up my throat and I couldn't do a thing about it. It sure is one thing to say you're at war with this whole world and stick your chest out believing it, but when the world shows up with its crushing numbers and its predatory knowledge, it is another thing completely. I shut my eyes and rocked.

But here, let me finish quickly. Swede, who would know, says drift is the bane of epilogues...

I Am So Old

I know this because I still hurt.

Sometimes I Forget I'm 28...

and do something like this. My body hurts.

Weekend Recap

SATURDAY & SUNDAY

Raina and I went man v wild. Okay, we went hiking. It was an easy hike trail at first, about 2 miles and most down hill. The second 2 miles- well... that part blew. I tripped once and fell on my face (or would have if my baseball cap bill hadn't stopped the impact) but it wasn't as bad as it sounds. You see, the hill we were climbing was so steep that I literally fell 15 degrees down. Didn't hurt at all! I do have the most spectacular farmer's tan this world has ever seen. I have to keep it covered up lest I provoke everyone's envy.

SUNDAY Sister and I did a different (and better to my way of thinking) kind of exploring. Boutiques! There is the most charming little store in Jeffersonville, IN called Gatherings. It was like I woke up in a dream... it was the most perfect little place, filled with tons of things to make me happy and little treasures hiding all over the room. If I could rent space in Gatherings to hang out in for hours on end, everyday- I'd consider it money well spent.

SUNDAY NIGHT

Sister and I drove to the University of Kentucky for the Jason Mraz concert and we both bought adorable t-shirts. But alas, I'm afraid that my love affair with Mr. Mraz is over.

He has a man claw on his right hand. Not kidding. Lord Voldemort's nails have nothing on this kid! Its really, really disturbing.

Have a Great Weekend!

i'm on my way to sister's!

last time

i suck molasses from
magnolia blossoms
and beckon him to come.
a tear escapes his eye
for the comfort of mine
while inside me a tree unfurls.
it branches up arms and down legs
and i name the fruit as it grows
strong in the pink shade of dusk.


Well, I'm not going to sundown tonight. I got caught up in Paradise Alley and didn't do my laundry or pack for this weekend. Sigh. I'm most upset because rumor had it I was finally going to meet Lenina there... It would have been like a (very, very small, quite possibly the smallest ever) bloggers convention.
Have a fantastic Thursday night for me. I'll be sitting around the house moping...

I really love...

...getting flowers at work!

senatobia

refuge is at my grandfather's feet

where between sips of beer
and swatting flies his
fingers play piano
across his belly.
the problem, he says
is you don't listen.
i watch the peacock clock
tick away time while he
whistles a lullaby.
take a seat baby girl
and pats his lap with
weathered hands that
helped to raise me,

my cheek pressed against

the sun-warmed buttons

of his overalls.

stop crying for your father,
devil's got a daddy complex
enough for the world


Dreams are fantastic, aren't they? I've been having a bad daddy week, and then this dream surfaces and puts everything back into its perspective. My subconscious is so smart...

Confessions

I only took this picture of my stepdad so I could take a picture of the 1/2 naked guy behind him.

I still get this excited about Gone With the Wind

I love late night dance parties with Vicki

My sister and I are incapable of just having a casual drink together.

But we blame our parents

For all my talk, I really am afraid of taking a hit.

I'm not a fan of this band

I still dress myself, and I still make mistakes

**In case you can't tell, I've been cleaning out my storeroom. Sigh.

Q and A

Miss Emma has tagged me for a little q & a! Since I'd do just about anything she told me to do, here it is...

RULES:

1. Respond and rework: Answer the questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own.

2. Tag other un-tagged people.

What are you wearing?

My "Missy-Elliot-look-a-like" purple velour pants and a Rolling Stones tee. Comfy!

What would you like to learn to do?

I would love to learn how to fence. There is something ridiculously sexy about swords.

What did you have for dinner?

Lamb Chops. Not the puppet.

What was the last thing you bought?

A photo with Rachel complete with re-enactors from Gone with the Wind production at the Fabulous Fox Theatre!

What are you listening to right now?

John Prine. Thanks for the CD, Bryan!

What is your favorite weather?Beach weather is definitely my favorite!

What is on your bedside table?

A lamp, my journals, To the Lighthouse (only because I haven't reshelved it), 1 picture of me and my friend Marida, 1 of me and my sisters on my 22nd birthday, and 1 of my parents on their wedding day. Oh, and a bottle of water, because dehydration is the number one killer of women (who are stuck in the desert for more than 3 days without a drop to drink).

What is the smallest gesture that makes you happy?

When strangers smile at each other for no reason.

Which actor/actress do you think is similar to you?

I asked my sister and she said Catherine Zeta Jones. She was probably trying to make me feel better...

What is your most challenging goal right now?

To not be too rash. Its very hard for me not to throw caution to the wind in one particular aspect of my life (Sorry to be cryptic! I'll explain everything before too long!) but right now slow and steady is the best way to go. It is so hard for me to do! I'm not used to curbing my spontaneity!

What is a fashion style you can't stand?

Forever 21's Shop by Outfit. Basically they've taken all their sale items and coordinated them badly. It isn't edgy or stylish. It's lazy and repulsive.

Favorite vacation spot?

Considering I only have one vacation spot I'll have to say Fort Morgan. After all these years, I'm still in love with the Gulf Coast.

Name the things you cannot live without:

books music air water shelter

(in that order)

What would you like to get rid of?

My old handbags that are coming apart at the seams. I can't though... too much sentimental value.

If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?

I'm totally going to Italy with Emma!

What language do you want to learn?

I really want to conquer Chinese just to prove to myself that its possible. Then Klingon as a conversation piece.

What quality do you dislike most in a a person?

Its a rather nasty tie between arrogance and hypocrisy.

What countries have you visited?

Jamaica, England, France, Switzerland, Germany and New York City

What is your all time favorite movie?

Yet another tie for the girl who can not commit: Gone With the Wind and 39 Steps

What's you favorite quality about yourself?

My generosity... even if it is to a fault sometimes.

What is your favorite quote/saying?

It used to be, "peace out, bitches". Now I guess it's, "really? I mean, really?" or "brilliant"

Say one random fact about yourself:

I can't pass up the chance to buy a toothbrush. I'll even charge it if I don't have any cash. Totally compulsive and I have no idea why I do it!!!

What is a charity that is close to your heart?

DogTown. If you haven't heard about it, check it out here.

What are you most afraid of?

Not following through on my dreams.

I am tagging my sister to welcome her to the blogtastic life, Lenina to see what she says, and California Jen because its a great way to get to know her!

Too Much Bedtime Reading

Last night I had a dream that I had to learn Occlumency in order to sleep. Snape (only it was a really hot version of what I think Alan Rickman is really like) was trying to get into my head but I had to keep him out so he wouldn't know that I'm stalking Gary Oldman. Not Sirus, mind you, but the actor. I was sweating bullets.

No more HP&OP after 8 p.m.!

Hating the Hiatus

I really despise not having blogger at work, but I'm going to do my best to post more when I get home at night!

Now it's time for the recap... Sigh.

Thursday

Sundown in the City

**I've had these two ridiculous blemishes on both sides of my face for a week and I couldn't figure out where they cam from until I posted these pictures and realized my bumps are where I wore stickers all night. Note to self, stop wearing stickers.

Friday

Tornadoes ripped through the southeast. My family survived, cause that's how we roll!

Saturday
in atlanta

Pizza at Fillini's Pizza... mmmmm!

Sunday

I got my much needed face time with Mr. Bear. I love this last picture because it looks like he's taking time to smell the roses.

Of course, I had to change his diaper shortly after this picture... which did not smell like roses.
*******

Monday kicked off the busiest week for me at work so I haven't done anything remotely exciting. Except when I talked Raina into starting a blog. I can't wait!!!

*****
Last but certainly not least, I have to give a love-filled congratulations to Maggie May! I am so thrilled for you!!!