What I Learned this Weekend

This weekend was a rush! My good friend P got married to her love CE.  It was a wonderful and magical weekend; however it was hot!  We had a great time but I learned a lot…and when I mean I learned things, I really did!!! I am mimicking one of my favorite bloggers (Cassie), but I love lists! I like to make lists a lot and I like to read things about lists. I’m a list freak.  So in the spirit of lists, I have made one that details all of the things that I learned, I hope you enjoy!

What I learned this weekend:

1.      Spray Tans are tricky!

Don’t laugh, they really are! If you are unsure about how to stand, make sure to ask, or be like me, and watch several YouTube videos.  But don’t be like me in the fact that I watched the wrong kind of spray tan video that showed 4 different stances.  The mystic tan only has 2! I prepared myself all day in anticipation of the tanning extravaganza!! When I got into the room I remembered everything I was supposed to do.  I put the barrier cream on my hands and feet so that the tan wasn’t too dark there. I put my hair up in the shower cap so that it didn’t smell.  I was feeling really good at this point.  As I stepped into the booth, I was ready.  The voice came on and said “please position yourself, tanning will begin in 5-4-3-2-1”…the burst of color startled me, but I was ok.  I was standing awkwardly, but I knew that I was getting maximum coverage.  Then the voice said “please turn, spraying in 5-4-3-2-1”.  I scrambled, I forgot how I was supposed to stand.  Were my arms supposed to be up, or out, or in front, what was I to do.  I panicked and put my arms out like a policeman said, hold it right there.  Well guess what, that wasn’t right! As I toweled off and looked around the room, I noticed signs everywhere showing you how to stand.  I put my clothes back on, walked out, and went to Kroger.  It was there, standing next to the Velveeta that I noticed “The Great Divide”.  Not only did the tan look wonderful on the top of my arm, the tan stopped there.  In my rush to get into position #2, I forgot that the backs of my arms had to be sprayed.  Needless to say, all weekend I did not “raise the roof” because if I had, the “Great Divide” would have shown! So yes, spray tans are tricky!!!

Can you see the Great Divide? It had not darkened too much at this point.

2.      My feet are crazy!

Heels plus dancing means I suffer for days! I know this fact; I say this fact to myself all the time.  However, when it comes down to it, I always pick the shoes that are cute, not comfy.  Well on a day that I had to stand, walk, and dance, the comfy shoes should have been a top priority.  As I got dressed, I was so excited because I found these amazing wedges that matched my dress perfectly.  I mean the Greek gods could not have picked out shoes to match a dress any better.  Anyway, I wore them to pictures, then as the day heated up, they got a little uncomfortable.  When I walked down the aisle to read my Bible verse, I was a little shaky, but alright. When I was escorted out, I knew that it was getting worse.  By the time the cake was cut and the band had started, I thought I was going to die.  But, I pushed on.  I danced and danced; I even danced some more.  Walking to the car proved to be miserable.  But if it were even possible, getting out of the car an hour later at my house was impossible! It was like coals were lit under my soles.  I had to peel the shoes off just to walk to my door.  I’m finally better, but it was just yesterday (Tuesday) that I made the recovery.  That’s 3 flipping days!!! I’m old and my feet are crazy!

Ohh, Ahh, Ouch!

3.      I’m a sweater, the end!

No, I’m not a piece of clothing! I sweat.. the end.  I have tried pulling off the, oh I’m not sweating, I’m glistening.  But all that is, is a load of bull! My grandfather was a sweater, my mother is a sweater, and I am a sweater.  Even if it isn’t hot outside, if I am doing something that requires minimal effort, I sweat.  I could never be one of those cute girls in the gym that is sweating, but still they look mostly dry.  No, I’m one of those people you see whose face is the color of a tomato and looks like she just got out of the shower.  You may walk past me and judge how gross I am, it’s ok, judge away! I have always been this way and my friends have accepted it.  On my bachelorette party, a good friend made me wear this terrible hat. By the end of the night I wanted to take it off, but my friends made me put it back on because I looked like such a hot mess.  This wedding was no different.  The fact that it was outside, made it worse.  I started sweating before the wedding, but just a little.  I blotted it away and was fine.  By the time my feet started hurting, and after the dancing, I was gross! I heard a while back that you could inject botox into your sweat glands and you wouldn’t sweat anymore.  But if I was to do that, I would get poisoning because it would take so much botox just to stop me up! So I need you all to know this fact…I sweat…the end!

This is before the sweating got too bad!

4.      Birds can get you on a roller coaster!

This is the last, but most important thing I learned this weekend.  Let me set this up for you.  My family takes a trip every summer together.  I have told you how crazy we all are, but we love each other.  My 1st cousins are like my sisters (and brother, Russ) and their children are like my nieces and nephews.  So this year everyone went to Disney, everyone but my family (mom, dad, husband, and me). They were really bummed that we couldn’t go, but took off anyway ready for fun.  Everyone decided to go to Universal Studios one day and ride some of their roller coasters.  Now you need to know how my family is…we fight over front row seats.  It doesn’t matter if one of the “kids” wants to ride in the front, me and my older cousin will fight for it.  You need to know this because while telling the following story, please remember, it could have easily been me that pushed my way into the front.  So while riding this amazing coaster, a bird decided to make a run for it..and what do you know hit my 7th grade cousin.  Upon instant death, the bird stuck with him for the rest of the ride.  Obviously the gforce of the roller coaster does not allow for something to be thrown off once it has impelled you.  So imagine riding for 3 minutes with a bird…a dead bird stuck to your stomach.  (Sorry, I had to stop and have a panic attack to finish writing this!) My family is calling him a bird slayer and having a grand ole time laughing it off.  BUT, if I were there, the medics would have to peel me out of the seat, clean it up, and take me to the emergency room for some zanax that flows through an IV.  I love roller coasters, but I believe I will stay off of them from here on out.  Who knew that birds could get you up there!!

I hope that you have learned as much as I have this weekend! Happy (late) Memorial Day to everyone, especially the men and women who fight or who have fought for our freedom! We owe you!!!

When Did this Happen?!

For the past week or so I’ve been working with some friends to plan our 10 year high school reunion.  It has been a blast coming up with ideas and I know more fun is to come, but… and I mean a big butt, when did I get old enough to be planning a high school reunion!!!!??? It seems like just yesterday that I walked across the stage and graduated, but in the same sense, it seems like millions of years ago.

I don’t feel like I’ve changed that much, but is that necessarily a good thing!? I mean when I was 18 (well I was actually 17 when I graduated) and I thought about what the next 10 years held, am I where I thought I’d be? No! I was going to be famous! I was going to be thin! I was going to have everything and then some! Well here I am, 10 years later and guess what…I have none of that!

Ok, so don’t think I’m saying all of this to sound bitter or depressed…I’m not!! It’s just funny how so many things can change in 10 years.  I wanted to be famous.  Really? Why? What was the point? So everyone would know who I am and what I do?  I mean I love me some Kardashians, but I do not want their life!!! I love the fact that I can take out the trash, with no bra, no make up, and no shame and no cameras catch me! I love the fact that I can gain a little weight here and there and it’s not plastered all over the cover of People! I love the fact that I had some serious relationship fumbles along the way and nobody had to know except for me!!! So I’m ok with not being famous!

I wanted to be thin…ok, don’t judge me! Who doesn’t want to be thin?! Oh wait, that’s right, you, you thin pretty girl who ate 3 baby carrots for lunch and feels full! Give me a break!!! 3 baby carrots just ticks me off! (I know there is some Taylor Swift song stuck in there somewhere!) So yes, after 10 years I still want to be thin, but I’m ok that I am full figured: there’s more to go around!! ;)

Lastly I was going to have it all!!! How simple it seems, especially to a 17 year old.  Having it all at 17 is not what having it all is at 27.  The younger me would say a nice car, a huge house, handsome husband that is a millionaire, and people bowing down at my feet.  The old me, the me that is now, would laugh in this girls face! What does it mean to have it all now!? Well….a handsome, wonderful husband that loves me no matter what, a house that is full of laughter, a car that gets me to my job, a job that is fulfilling and that helps others, and a heart that bows down before my God. So yes, I do have it all…just not the way I thought I would. 

10 years have flown by.  I am still that silly girl who talks too much and has a big group of friends. I have set goals and actually achieved them! But, I am not the same person I was, and those changes are subtle. So I’m happy with subtle, because that is something that I was never good at being!

Congratulations to all of the graduates this season and congrats to the BHS class of 2002…we did it, what ever that may be! 

  Take a walk down memory lane with me....these were from my annual, sorry!




BHS Class of 2002

 


My composite picture



Mother's Day

Ok so here's the deal...I'm terrible with remembering things! You can ask anyone that knows me, if I don't write it down, I totally lose it! I have been planning on writing the sweetest, most heartfelt Mother's Day post for about 2 weeks.  But as I stated above, I forgot to write it down.  So on Sunday (which was Mother's Day) I woke up, went to church, fixed some food (I will get to that later) and went to my cousin's house for a MD lunch.  As soon as I walked into her house, the thought washed all over me...the blog...my post...my mother! So for my mother reading this, I'm sorry, all of the things said below were meant to be read on Monday, not Tuesday after the fact!

When you look up mother in the dictionary, you find a few things. One: a female parent; two: a woman in authority.  How can such a simple definition really describe what a mother is? Well I'll tell you, it can't! My mother is so much more than that! But looking at the definition I will attempt to do what so many teachers taught me years ago...read between the lines.  Female parent: that she was, or is.  When my dad didn't want to get his hands dirty because he loved me too much, my mother loved me enough to discipline me.  Because of that I am pretty well adjusted, follow the rules (most of the time), and know that when I have children I will instill the same values in them.  She was a parent in the sense that I knew she would take care of me, no matter what, and love me just the same (and trust me, there were times where I'm sure she didn't want to love me). She was the woman in authority! If you know my family, then you know this is true.  However, she gets a bad wrap because as head strong as she is, my dad pretty much has her right where he wants her! Ha!

Like I said, the definition is missing a lot.  Ally, supporter, healer, know-it-all, nurse, psychiatrist, homework Nazi,  money tree, kind hearted, and most importantly best friend.  My mother is awesome.  Just imagine how awesome I am, and double it! All of my humor, wit, and sarcasticness (that's not a word, I know!) comes from her.  She is funny and sweet, sentimental and true.  She is a mother and no definition can describe what mothers truly mean to each and every one of us.  So, albeit late, happy Mother's Day to one of the best mothers in the world!!!

Now, here is something that I am super proud of...but first I must tell you why! When my cousin asked me to bring a veggie and dessert to Mother's Day lunch I of course said yes. But when I hung up the phone, my mind went into a whirlwind.  As my husband says, I tend to turn everything into a project, and I love to bake.  So....dessert became a project.  I found a wonderful recipe for Pink Lemonade Cake from Better Homes and Gardens magazine.  The cake was on the front of the mag so I knew that this was going to be a show stopper! I worked so hard on making it exactly like the directions said and got great use out of my Kitchen Aid mixer!! But as I put the last of the the frosting (which was to die for) on the cake, I knew something was missing.  I got out my piping bag, tinted the icing pink, and went to town.  I have to say, the cake looked good...but it looked like I was announcing that I was having a baby girl...

That's right, ooh and ahh at this wonderful masterpiece! I am available for all baby showers! So yes, the cake was a show stopper, but not in the way I wanted it to be.  "Happy Mother's Day mom, here is the cake I slaved over....what....no I'm not pregnant...don't cry!" Yeah just another moment where I have let my family down by my lack of progress in the baby department!

You wanna know what the real show stopper was though, my green beans.  I don't have a picture of them, but imagine a casserole dish filled with green beans and sprinkles of bacon on top!!! I'm giving you the recipe so you can be a show stopper too!!!

Arkansas Green Beans
5 cans of green beans
1/4 cup of Butter
3/4 cup of Brown Sugar
7 tablespoons of Soy Sauce (I use the green kind, less sodium)
1 1/2 tablespoon of Garlic Powder
5-10 slices of Bacon, cooked and crumbled

Preheat oven to 340 degrees.
Cook your bacon. I used 5 pieces and it was plenty, but you can never go wrong with more bacon!!!
Drain and wash your green beans. I drain them and then run water into the can twice and drain that.
Empty green beans into casserole dish and spread crumbled bacon on top.
Melt your butter in a separate bowl, mix the brown sugar, soy sauce, and garlic powder together.  This mixture should be slightly thick.  I had to spoon it over my beans, but I'm particular.
Cook your beans, uncovered, for 40 minutes. 

These will make you want to slap yo momma, but I didn't since it was Mother's Day

Again, happy late Mother's Day to all of the mothers, aunts, grandmothers, cousins, friends, and ladies out there!

Not as Good as I Once was!

Have I ever mentioned that I once was a fun person?! No…never? Well I was! I mean I use to have a great time, let loose, get crazy, all that jazz! However, in the past 3-5 years my life has sloooowed down a lot! It’s not that I don’t love my life…because I do…I absolutely love my life, but I’m in my late 20s and not my early ones anymore…so I’ve slowed! And I have fun, lots and lots of hard core fun…but not like I use to do back before work, marriage, and the real world. I don’t go out on the town, mainly because it’s either really young people or much older ones and the 25-35 age range has no place, and I don’t stay up past 12:00 EVER!

With that said, this weekend I ventured out and tried to be that same fun person again. Guess what? I’m not as good as I once was, but I’m as good once as I ever was.  Now I know that what I just quoted is an amazing Toby Keith song, but it also sums up my weekend.  I learned that I can go out and have a ball, but I pay for it the next day. I will explain later what I mean by that!

My dear friend P. had a Bridesmaid’s Brunch and Bachelorette weekend starting Saturday morning.  We had a lovely brunch at an adorable bed and breakfast in Corinth.  I think in picking this place, P. had great taste (I had my Bridesmaid Brunch there too)! We had great food and her aunts and cousins are so sweet! After we ate, played some games, and said our goodbyes we headed out for Nashville, TN! We were all pumped! It was going to be the time of our lives and we were going to toast P. in a big way in the Music City!



At the BM Brunch



By the time we arrived and got dressed, it was time for another type of wedding shower! My friend got some beautiful classy appropriate nice stuff (Haha) and everyone was ready to go out. We had a scavenger hunt prepared and we broke into teams.  Can I just take a moment to say that I obviously love doing totally inappropriate things, because this was right up my alley! Some items were: find a bald guy and rub his head, kiss a stranger, get 4 quarters to help pay for the wedding, find someone with the same first name as the groom, and find someone with an accent.  Those were just a few! But everyone had a blast doing it!

We ate at an awesome place, Puckett’s Grocery and Restaurant.  If you ever go to Nashville, try it out because I think almost everyone in our party (16 people) loved it! After that let’s just say we went out on the town and painted it not only red, but every color you can think of! Because of some confidentiality clause, I can’t disclose any of the happenings after dinner.  But it was fun, I partied like a rock star, and most importantly my friend had a great last fling before the ring! I will tell you that pizza does not get delivered fast in Nashville at 3:00 in the morning.  Also waking up at 8:30 the next morning is for the birds (and we all know how much I hate them)!

Thus with all of this said I will tell you why I can do it once, but only once in a while.  Surprisingly, I woke to no headache or tummy troubles; however I had a runny nose and a raspy voice.  I will attribute the latter to our air conditioning unit working GREAT! It would either be as cold as Antarctica or as hot as Hades, we opted for Antarctica and I got a sexy voice from it!  As proud as I was to find that I had no head or abdominal woes, I did find that my legs were like Jello.  Obviously dancing the night away was not as good of an idea as I originally thought! In addition, taking a shower at 3:30 and not drying my hair does not do wonders for me either.

All is well though; after a 3 hour drive home, a hot shower, and some sleep, I’ll be back to my old boring self by Thursday! …Maybe Friday, I don’t want to push it. Toby Keith has apparently been out with a bachelorette party in Nashville on occasion because his lyrics are so true!

This is the best representation of how I was feeling Monday morning!