Out With The Old...In With The New!

It's hard to believe that 2008 is over. I am looking forward to 2009, each year my life just gets richer and happier. I am so fortunate to have wonderful friends, an amazing family, healthy kids, and a husband who truly is my knight in shining armor! I don't count my blessings often enough...I think I just made my New Year's Resolution. I want to be truly present and aware of how blessed we are. I want to make sure that when 2009 comes to a close that I have more happy memories than bad and that I nurtured the relationships that I have with those most important to me.

So, Goodbye 2008. Thank you for the great memories and even the bad ones, those are the ones that teach you who you are.

Talkin' Turkey

We are lucky to be invited to my sister's in-laws for Thanksgiving dinner. This is a new tradition that was started about 3 years ago. Charlotte is a gracious host, makes delicious food, and her home is so beautiful. She sets an amazing table and I always feel like I have stepped into a Southern Living magazine when we are there. The only bad thing is, that we never have left overs at our house. Last year I decided that I would just start making a turkey for us so that we could have it for dinner one night and then enjoy leftover turkey sandwiches for the rest of the week. This year I thought why not make the full Thanksgiving dinner. So I bought a turkey and all the fixings for our favorite trimmings. Many of you know that I read Pioneer Woman daily. I used her recipe for dressing, and Gwynneth Paltrow's recipe for sweet potatoes...yes I said Gwynneth Paltrow. Who knew Gwynnie was so domestic? You can sign up for her blog newsletter at http://www.goop.com/ Meanwhile, here is the recipe for the potatoes, I'm sure she won't mind me sharing.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Maple Syrup, Orange and Spices

* 3 3/4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled* 1 1/4 cup real Vermont maple syrup* 1/4 cup vegetable oil* 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves* 1 large orange* 3 star anises
Preheat the oven to 375º F.
Cut each sweet potato in half horizontally and then cut each half into 1/3 planks (about four slices per half depending on the size of the sweet potato). Lay the sweet potatoes in a single layer in one large or two medium baking dishes (two 13 x 9 dishes will do the job).
Mix the maple syrup, vegetable oil, cinnamon and cloves together in a small bowl. Peel off four large strips of zest from the orange. Cut the orange in half and squeeze the juice into the bowl with the maple syrup mixture. Pour this mixture evenly over the sweet potatoes, nestle in the strips of zest and the star anise. Bake for 45 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are soft and saturated.

The only change I made was that I sliced the potatoes into rounds. The reason for this is that some of my happiest memories are of being at my Mam-ma's house. Thanksgiving at her house was no exception. I still miss those days but am so thankful for the memories that I have of her. Her friend Audrey always joined our family for dinner and she always brought sweet potatoes. They were sliced into rounds with the most delicious, sticky, syrupy stuff all over them and marshmallows roasted perfectly over the top. I haven't tasted any better since then, and I sure have tried! I am sure every time I have tried that Audrey and Mam-ma are watching and saying to each other "Oh Lord, look at that, poor thing doesn't know what she's doing!" and they would be right. But these potatoes were pretty darn good, just not "Audrey" good. I also didn't use the star anises, I don't know what those are so I felt free to leave them out.

I hope you and your families have a great Turkey Day. I hope each of you have the fond memories of Thanksgivings past that I do and that one day, your children will look back and feel the same way!

Kupkakz...not Kool!

I took my daughter and some of her girls to this new place called Kupkakz, it's new in town and we thought it would be a fun place to go celebrate her 14th birthday. I mentioned it to a friend of mine and she said she had gotten one of their cupcakes and that it was dry. I figured it must have just been an off day for them and didn't give it much more thought. We go in around 2:00 on a Saturday afternoon. By this time, about half of their cupcake selection was out and they told us they would not be replenishing. A couple of the girls were bummed because they wanted the Pretty in Pink and that was one of the kinds they were out of. I also thought both workers were pretty rude, I guess rude isn't the word, just BLAH. I had a group of girls and we were obviously celebrating something and we didn't get ANY small talk from either employee. Not a "is it your birthday?" or "looks like you girls are out having fun", nothing. When one of the party goers was being dropped off, her mom came inside. She asked me if I had ever tried one of the cupcakes and I said no. She said, "I had one the other day and it was really dry, I am going to give them another try." All the girls got their orders and she and I got ours too. We sat down and started in. "How's yours?" she asked. "Dry", I said. "Mine too", she replied. Neither one of us finished our cupcake and my daughter threw half of hers away. She has quite the sweet tooth, so that was saying something. I doubt we will be visiting again anytime soon...it's not like they asked us back either! I think if they are charging $2.50 for a dry cupcake that is on the tiny side, they need to do some tweaking to their recipes and possibly think about some customer service training.

The trip to the mall afterwards was much more fun!

Long Time No "See"

DAAANG! It's been awhile huh? How ya been? If you've been anything like me, you've been busy. I know we all say we are busy, and I know that busy is relative...but I can say that I have been busy and not feel one bit guilty about saying it to someone who may be busier than me.

I am working on my National Boards and I knew it was going to be a lot of work, so I can't claim ignorance. I thought I would wait until Drew was driving so I could at least just be a taxi for one. So, since he started driving last March, I applied for the scholarship to do NB. I wasn't really sure if I was ready, but I filled out the app and figured, if now is the right time, I will get it and if it isn't, I won't. Well, I got it. Hence the funfilled trip to Ardmore this summer for preparation. Well, even then I thought, I can totally do this. I am just feeling overwhelmed with all the stuff hanging over my head. I wasn't prepared for feeling guilty every time I do something fun because I should be at home researching, analyzing, reflecting, writing, etc... I have always had meetings to attend for work or booster clubs, you know, all that fun stuff. Now I get to add NB meetings to that, and there are several different groups that have meetings that I need to attend.

I could really go on and on, I guess I am venting! I would drink wine, but I have an early meeting in the morning...go figure! Oh, yeah, and one after school too. BUT, all that said, I could never be doing this without the help of my hubby. He is picking up the slack for me. I will be the first to admit, this cannot be an easy task. I am a FREAK about the house and the laundry. I am the person who cannot sit and enjoy a show if I look over and see dust on the coffee table. I don't mean like I am thinking "I'll dust after the show", I mean like I am seriously looking at the dust more than the show. I try to fight it because I know I will be made fun of around here for getting up and taking care of it. But, I always lose the battle. I will dust so I can relax. I guess you are thinking that my house must be a immaculate after reading that. Sad thing is, it sooooo isn't cause I really am the only one who sees those FREAKING SHOES THAT HAVE BEEN UNDER THE BARSTOOLS FOR LIKE EVER!!!!!!! Now I am one to look for the silver lining and here it is. Billy is starting to keep the house in such a way that I don't completely lose my mind. I mean, he is on it. Truth be told, he's probably scared of me. I can throw a heck of a fit and in case you can't tell, I am teetering on the verge of a full fledged temper tantrum!

I Always Thought It Would Be Fun To Live in Another Era...

...I don't think I could have pulled off the hair!

Where On Earth Does the Time Go?

Cliche', huh? But no, I really do need someone to answer this age old adage!!!! I just got Drew's school pictures back and was thinking about putting the new one in our nifty frame that holds a pic from all the years he's been in school. I went...wait this can't be right. IT'S THE LAST SPACE AVAILABLE!!! The next one is the big space that is for your Senior Pics. I am not believing it. I can so clearly remember getting his 1st Grade pictures back and not really loving them. He wasn't really smiling, more of a "scared to death" smirk. I toyed with doing retakes but my fear was that they could potentially turn out worse and those are what I would be stuck with. All these years later, that picture is my very favorite. He looked too cute for words and I thought my boy was so big, getting his first "big boy" school picture and all. I guess next year is the true "big boy" school picture! I can't believe how time flies.

I started looking at Hallie's too, thinking I better enjoy this while it lasts, cause it really doesn't last long. As I looked at each picture it took me back to where we were and what we were doing each year. I have watched her grow from that precious little girl that everyone said looked like Cindy Loo Hoo from the Grinch Who Stole Chrismtas to this beautiful girl that I know will become an amazing woman!

I hate a cliche' as much as the next person, but really...WHERE ON EARTH DOES THE TIME GO???

I don't really have any digital pics of them when they were much younger than this, honey that was before digital! Well hell, I guess it's been longer than I realize!

This Really Happened...

RING RING RING...

Me: Hello

Mom: What are you doing?

Me: Cooking dinner, getting ready to take Hallie to tumbling.

Mom: Ok, well I am going to take Drew to get his ears pierced ok?

Me: No, that's not ok.

Mom: Why?

Me: Because I said no and he doesn't need his ears pierced.

Mom: I know he doesn't need it done but he wants it done. I am going to take him.

Me: No you are not, I am his mother and I said NO.

Mom: I am YOUR mother and I said YES.

Me: That is going a little far, if you take him I am going to be really pissed.

Mom: Well, give me a good reason not to take him.

Me: I said no.

Mom: That's not a good reason. You think of one and call me back.

Me: Ok mom, I have to go now but DO NOT take him to get his ears pierced.

Mom: Ok, bye.

In walks Drew and says "did you talk to Nana". I said, yes and the answer is NO.

Needless to say...I changed my mind.

The BIG Game

Hallie cheered at her first game as a UNION cheerleader. She has cheered before but this was the first year the girls actually had to try out for school cheer. She has had a great time already and they've only just begun...you should sing that last part if you want it to sound how I really want it to.

All the girls don't have their uniforms in yet so they had to wear shorts and t-shirts that matched. They got lots of cute matching outfits, but I would have loved to have seen them "all suited up!" Hopefully soon though. Of course they looked adorable anyway and they did a great job keeping us pumped up. All the parents thought it was funny that the cheer moms were sitting right in front of the cheerleaders, which was pretty far from where the football watchers sit. So, basically the girls are cheering TO us. Kind of funny since we are already just glad to watch them cheer.

First game was in Jenks, next one in Broken Arrow. Mama wants a home game, but the girls like to ride the bus to and from the games. Here are some pics Hallie took while on the bus ride...

She is so lucky to have such a good group of friends. They are always up to something and always having fun. Even in an old stinky school bus!

4 Day Week

Since today is Labor Day, we are just looking at a 4 day work week ahead of us. Last week teachers in our district had a 4 day week with the kids but we had "professional development" on Friday. Usually these PD days aren't too bad, you get a break from the daily grind with students, you get to see teahers from other buildings that you know etc... Well I dare say that this particular day most of us would have rather just been at school! We are learning a new reading program and the whole day just gave me a headache. Really. I am not easily shaken (or strirred, for that matter) that is the perfect saying because all that could have made me feel better after that training was a martini. A Flirtini from ITR to be more precise. However, I was too tired, irritated, flustered, overwhelmed...you feelin' me here? Hallie, Mom, and I ended up going shopping. We went to TJ Maxx to return a cute purse I had gotten and enjoyed for about a week. I noticed that a piece of the trim had fallen off. I am a bit of a purse snob and this particular purse was not a "brand" I would usually carry. However, the cute factor was such that I didn't even care. It was a green patent leather tote type bag. The perfect green for Fall, I might add! Some may have even argued that you really couldn't tell that the piece was missing unless you were really inspecting it. But folks, as I stated before, the purse snob in me just couldn't do it. I could get over that it wasn't the "it" brand, but the fact that I had it such a short time and it was falling apart just would not do. Maybe the purse snob thing is warranted. Hmm, something to think about. Anyway, it was bye, bye bag cute bag and hello old trusty bag. I had packed it away nicely in it's dust cover too. Thinking how I would be enjoying my new bag for some time and I didn't want my old bag to get dust bunnies in it until I was ready to use it again. Well, needless to say that didn't last long. Moral of this story is, next time you really really want that pricey purse you can argue that no matter how long you carry it, the thing will not just start falling to pieces. You will save money in the long run because you won't have to keep purchasing new, less expensive bags. Thank me later girls, because I know you have said that at least once to yourself and probably have said it out loud to anyone who might scoff at your more expensive purchase. Now you can totally back it up. Use me as research, cite me as your source! I'm really just here to help a sista out.

Who Woulda Thought...

I really never saw the resemblence...but you be the judge.

August 21, 1963

August 14, 2008

Maybe it's just me, cause I know these two. I mean REALLY know these two. I never saw it, maybe I wasn't really looking for it. But here it is, and I TOTALLY see it. Do you, or am I crazy? I doubt that "cool dude", circa 1963, standing in front of his first car could ever imagine the love he would feel or the relationship he would have with the other "cool dude" circa 2008.

Luckily, circa 2008 guy doesn't know a life without circa 1963 guy. I have to say that they are the peanut butter to each other's jelly, the peas to each other carrots, you know what I mean? If you aren't getting it, if you have ever seen these 2 together, you would totally be getting it.

It's weird for me to think that my little boy may have another cool guy circa "I can't count that high" that he will put before himself and love like he doesn't even know is possible. I only hope I am around to see it.

Doritos for Dinner

It's been a couple of days since my last post. Have you missed me? It's sure been an adjustment getting back to a schedule. It's hard to believe I wrote a couple of weeks ago about how I was ready. I always forget how difficult it is to adjust. I wonder how I have time to go to work? It certainly does interfere with all the other things I need to do and those that I just want to do. Somehow it always works itself out. So until then....AAAAGGGG!

So, the poll that I put up told me that you would like for me to share recipes. I have been thinking of which ones to start with. I was talking at lunch with a friend and she told me she made a Mexican Chicken casserole. It reminded me of this one. It's different because it uses cheese flavored tortilla chips instead of plain. Now anything that gives me an excuse to eat Nacho Cheese Doritos is a winner in my book! Even more so if I can actually call it dinner. So here it is...

Jalapeno Chicken Casserole

10 oz. pkg frozen chopped spinach

2 T butter

1 large onion, chopped

2 green onions, chopped

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped

1 can cream of chicken soup

8 oz. sour cream

1 t ground cumin

12 oz. pkg. Nacho Cheese Doritos

6 cups of chopped cooked chicken, chopped

8 oz. pkg. shredded cheddar

Drain the spinach well. THIS IS IMPORTANT. When I use frozen spinach I let it thaw and really sqeeze it out, usually with a tea towel.

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the chopped onions and the jalapeno. Saute until tender. Remove from heat and stir in the spinach, soup, sour cream, and cumin.

Layer half of each: chips, chicken, spinach mixture, and cheese into a greased 9X13 dish. Repeat the layers.

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Just watch for the cheese to get all melty and bubbly.

Don't be afraid of the jalapenos kids. If you don't like hot food, just be sure to get all the seeds and the white ribs out of the pepper. That's where all the hot stuff lives. If you remove it, you just get the good pepper flavor. Remember, there is a difference between hot food, and spicy food. Another note here is that I have made this using a rotisserie chicken or even canned chicken in a pinch. I don't really like canned chicken all that much so I try not to use it ever except in my easy chicken pot pie... ooooo I will save that one for another day.

MMMM that sounds yummy! I can't wait to make this one again. I have so many recipes in my file that I forget about them sometimes. Of course, something will always jog my memory. Thanks Kimmy, you reminded me of this oldie but goodie.

Be sure to let me know if you try it and how you liked it.

Day One Down

So today was the first day of school. The kids were actually really good, I kept waiting for them to wake up! School bell rings early and when you are used to sleeping in, it's rough. I am not one to sleep in really, I like getting up early. The kicker is, once I am up, I prefer to not GO anywhere just yet. Coffee, e-mail, Regis and Kelly...you get the idea huh?

You know the saying "you learn something new everyday?" Let me share with you what I learned today. I guess people get "First Day of School" presents. This all started innocently enough. My neighbor teacher had some flowers and a balloon bouquet that her parents sent to her. She is their "baby", mind you she has been teaching for going on 30 years now! So I am thinking how sweet that is that she got this stuff for going back to school. So, we are walking to lunch and I comment on another partner teacher's cute shoes. She proceeds to tell me that these were HER first day of school present. WHAT???? Have I missed out on 14 years of first day of school presents? She said "I felt like Cinderella, when I got out of the shower, there were my shoes." These were some great shoes and the story goes on...I won't bore you but let's just say her hubby went to some work to make sure she didn't get the shoes for herself before he could give them to her on this day. So, I ask my remaining partner and guess what??? Since her husband is also in education, they BOTH get a back to school present. I am really not believing I knew nothing of this until today.

Guess what? I think I may be getting a "2nd Day of School" present.

Bowling Bash

Me and the Birthday Boy

Who thought of these, really?

Billy's party was a lot of fun. We went to Riverlanes, where they have done an area called the VIP room, and really why would WE not bowl there? We are total VIP's, that's just how we roll! PARDON THE PUN. No really, it was a neat area that has some nice sofas, some big screen tv's etc... I know that am not a good bowler, knew it going in. However, I had an all time low score of 20. I mean, how is that really even possible? You know how it's possible...they're called gutter balls. I was the queen of gutters all night.

Back at Deb and Tony's we had a great time. Played a fun dice game and just hung out. It was fun to see some of the people we don't get to see often and of course we had fun with the folks we see all the time too. When I talked to Deb about how late we thought the party would go, we figured it would all be over by midnight. I usually turn into a pumpkin by then anyway. Well the old adage, time flies when you're having fun applied because before we knew it it was 2 in the AM. Once I saw that, I was running inside to help straighten up and I couldn't get out of there fast enough. No one could believe how late it had gotten. Guess that means we were all having a great time, but still...SORRY DEB! Hope we didn't wear out our welcome.

Simple Tastes

MEET MR. EASY

If you know me, you know I like to cook. Tonight we are getting together with some friends to celebrate Bill's birthday. We are going bowling then back to our friend's house. They were so sweet to offer their house since they have a pool. We could all come back to my house, but without the pool, it wouldn't be nearly as fun. I wanted to get some food together to take to their house so it would be there after we bowl. I got a sandwich tray from Sam's, made some yummy corn dip, and put together some Jezebel Sauce to serve with cream cheese and crackers. I asked Bill if there was anything else he would like to have since he really didn't get much input as to what I was serving. So he thinks for a minute and do you know what he said??? "LITTLE SMOKIES!" I give the man a choice of anything he wanted me to make and this is what he comes up with. See how easy he is to please? Thanks for being EASY honey! Funny to think if he said that same thing to me it would take on a whole new meaning, huh?

I can spend a really long time preparing a great meal and my kids will complain about it for some reason. I can open a box of Hamburger Helper and they think I hung the moon. Bill will eat just about anything, as my dad says: "He makes a cook feel good." I will keep trying to sophisticate their palates, simply because I enjoy the cooking, not because I care if they like it or not!

And in case you were wondering about the Jezebel Sauce...

Jezebel Sauce

1 18 oz jar Apple Jelly
1 18 oz jar Apricot/Pineapple Jam

(They actually do make this and it's Sam's Choice brand)

1 5 oz jar Horseradish

(you find this in the refrigerator section)

1 T black pepper

3 T dry mustard

Combine all ingredients and pour over a brick of cream cheese. Serve with assorted crackers. I like it with Wheat Thins or Triscuits.

This makes a big batch and it keeps in the fridge for quite awhile. Save your jelly jars and store what you don't use in them.

This sounds strange, I know. Try it, and I promise you people will love it. They will bug you all night about that ingredient they just can't put their finger on...it's the horseradish. Tell them, or not, it's your recipe now!

Also, don't forget to take the poll at the right of the page. It's up to you if I include more recipes.

Starting Fresh

The new school year is upon us. This time of year always brings about mixed feelings for me. When my kids were smaller it was really hard to think about going back to work and doing all the things to get ready. I know there are people who believe that teachers walk out of their classrooms on the last day of school and then walk back in on the first day and start anew. These people are what you call ignorant. I am not calling them idiots or any other ugly names, to be ignorant just means YOU REALLY DON'T KNOW. But, now that I am telling you, you will no longer be able to claim ignorance, therefore I can call you ugly names the next time. The start of a new school year is a time of lots of planning, preparation, organizing, furniture moving, money spending...I think you get the idea. So, anyway, I really used to HATE this time of year when my kids were small. Truth be told, it would stress me out beyond belief! Of course, every year gets easier. The kids grow up, I have more experience in preparing, a little more time on my own to devote to the task at hand.

I am a lucky girl to be working with the people that I get to work with everyday. I have an unbelievable team, a boss that respects our differences (encourages them), a beautiful building to work in http://www.unionps.org/index.cfm?id=272. I can tell you that I have worked in different schools in "better parts" of town and I would get a knot in my stomach just walking in the door. It just wasn't a place that I felt connected to at all. I got out of there the first chance I could and haven't looked back. Lots of folks think I am crazy, as they live in that "better part" of town and they know the area that I moved to. They just can't imagine why in the world I would want to do that. I will tell you why. The people that you spend day in and day out with can really make or break your day. If you are in an oppressive place, you can become part of the problem yourself. When I walk into my building you can just "feel" it's a happy place. People genuinely want to be there. We enjoy each other, even spending time together outside of work or simply sharing our personal lives with each other.

I guess I am at a point in my life that a new school year isn't going to send me over the edge because I have to leave my babies and go to work. Heck, they have left me home alone all summer! They have much better things to do than to hang with mom...unless of course they want something. It's a time of getting back to a schedule, which believe it or not is usually a welcome change. It's a time of reconnection with friends at work. It's new crayons, freshly sharpened pencils (with brand new erasers!), notebooks that have yet to be written in. It's funny that all of those things never get old to me.

Don't misunderstand me here, I will be grouchy, tired and stressed out. It only lasts long enough to adjust to the change.

Now these are cute...

...I don't care who you are. Family joke, if you are laughing, that was meant for you. If you aren't well then, I wasn't talkin' to you ok? I got this for my birthday. What is "this", you ask? It is a personalized stamp made by a company called Three Designing Women. You should totally check their stuff out, let me make it easy for you:

http://www.threedesigningwomen.com/

I have had my eye on one of these for ummm, years I think. I ran across them in a gift shop once and it struck my fancy. Well, I will just say these stamps aren't cheap...and I am ok? This item falls into the category of Things I Want, but Would Never Buy for Myself. Hey, I should just start keeping a list of things that fall into that category cause there are lots. Don't you hate when you want something really bad and then someone says "What do you want for Christmas?", or "Your birthday is coming up, what do you want?" Cause everytime someone asks me that I can't think of anything that is in my above mentioned category. Ok, sorry...back to my stamp. My dad and I were in Ardmore, OK (don't ask!) and we went to this little shop called The Cloverleaf http://www.thecloverleafboutique.com/ Now THAT was a store. Their motto is "spirited shopping"...and it was! So it was close to my birthday and as we were shopping I saw these stamps. My dad said, if I wanted one he would go ahead and order it and it would be here in time for my birthday. So we did and HERE IT IS. Now many of you, including my mom and dad, are wondering, why do you want this? And my answer to you is...I DON'T KNOW! I just knew I wanted one from the first moment I saw them. I had to wait mind you, but now I have it and I am very happy.

Well I have had it about a month now and have stamped random things CAUSE I CAN, but nothing really useful. The stamp looks really cute on the seal of an envelope and it makes me happy when I use it so, look for it if you get mail from me. But then I had a vision...no, I didn't eat the worm out of a tequila bottle...this was a creative vision. And if you know me at all, I would be more likely to actually eat the worm, than be creative in a crafty kind of way. I didn't inherit that crafty gene from my mother. I inherited the impatience gene from my father instead. What that means is that I have enough of her in me to think of really cute stuff that would probably make me rich, but more of him in me that won't allow to actually execute my plan because I end up tearing the thing up because I am mad that it isn't easy to do. UNTIL YESTERDAY, I had a vision, I bought the stuff and I made those cute note cards.

Please don't ask me why my pictures are sideways, as I am asking myself that right now. Rememer that gene I inherited from my dad...well this post just about didn't make it cause I have been trying to figure out why in the *&%$#&! when I go to upload my photos, they are going the right way but when I click DONE, this is what they look like. I am also saying a few choice words, a gene I also inherited from my dad. SO...thanks to my dad I am impatient, have a potty mouth AND I have the stamp I have always wanted!

THANKS DAD!

Update: Did you notice my pictures are going the right way? If you were reading that part and couldn't figure out what I was talking about, well then you read this post AFTER my dad fixed it for me.

Also, while I was at my dad's house I had him give me a few pictures of our shopping spree at The Cloverleaf. See for yourself the "Spirited Shopping"!

You really do have to see it for yourself!

Destin

I am sure you were on the edge of your seats waiting for my blog posts from Destin. Well, my new laptop proved to be pretty useless to me while we were gone. Our place (which was AWESOME, by the way) had no wireless access. Plus, when we went down the street to the place our friends were staying to use their wireless, I never could make anything work. Note to self: don't wait til the last minute to get a new fangled gadget! I am more comfortable with my old desktop computer that won't even turn on half the time. I will get better with my new Dell Studio and will come to love it even more than this dinosaur I am sure. But...give me a little bit to play and learn.

So, back to the trip. If you have never been to Destin, all I can say is GO...GO NOW! It was beautiful, and tons of fun. The kids had a great time and there was something for everyone. Drew and Hallie parasailed and I didn't get one picture. Can you believe that? We went out in the water on this banana boat thing that a guy pulled by a Sea Doo. I have experience with Sea Doos and should have had him put my camera in the storage compartment until we got out to the boat. I didn't think of this until we were back on dry land and my babies were on the ground safe and sound. I think I must have been a little nervous about sending them up. They had fun and it was neat to watch. Truth be told, Hallie enjoyed it more than Drew did. He looked a little green when they came down, but he won't admit it!

Everyday was filled with sand, sun, and SEAFOOD. I ate seafood every chance I got and even got it fried most times. Fried seafood here in Tulsa is a HEAVY coat of batter with a small piece of fish in it. I never order it because of that. Now in Destin, it was fresh fish, big pieces, with a LIGHT coating of crispy batter. I could have eaten it until I was sick...wait, I think I did. One night I got a crab leg feast and I was picking those damn things forever. Everyone was done with their dinner and I was still picking away. I think they were grossed out (kind of like when my Mam-Ma would suck on a chicken bone) but I didn't care in the least.

It was great to be there with friends. We met my friend Caron and her family there. Caron and I have been friends since we were 5. I can't believe I can say that I have been her friend for 32 years. We have been through the best of times to together...and some of the worst. This qualifies as one of the best.

Anyhoo...I won't bore you with the details. I'll post pics. You know the old cliche', a picture speaks a thousand words! That'll save me some typing.

The Final Countdown

We are taking a road trip to Destin on Saturday. We have been counting down for several months, plenty of time to get prepared. Now that the time to go is upon us, guess how prepared I am? You got it...NOT SO MUCH! I have yet to pack or do much of anything else. I should be at least cleaning the house so that I don't come home to a mess on top of all the laundry we will have. But, here I am talking about it, but not getting to it.

Dad came over this morning and I made Hallie's favorite breakfast; Pancakes! Since we had a visitor, we also made turkey sausage and eggs. Have you ever had turkey sausage? I have used it to cook with several times, but never in place of regular sausage. It was just ok, I don't think I will be making it into those sausage patty things again. It was too white to fake you into thinking you were eating sausage. At least it was nice and lean and since dad liked it, he got to eat all of it he wanted and not clog up his arteries. After he left, the dogs enjoyed the leftovers.

Oh yeah...another thing that I have to look forward to when we get home from our vacay is that I have to get 2 fillings. I went YEARS without ever having any problems with my teeth. Now it seems like every other time I go to the dentist, I have to get something done. Is this what happens when you get old? I guess this goes to why I hate going to the dentist now. I mean, I never used to mind it. I didn't get why people were such haters of going to the dentist. Well, now I totally get it. Mind you, my dentist is great. She has massage pads in her chairs (they even heat up so during the winter that's nice), she has a big massage chair in the waiting room too. I guess that is to relax you before you even get in there. Another awesome thing is that you can get a PEDICURE while you get your teeth cleaned. Is that the best???? I am very ticklish, so they have to go easy on my pedi so I won't be thrashing around the chair. I think this is a genious idea, cause while I may feel like skipping my dentist appointment, you can be sure that this girl isn't going to miss out on a free pedi!

Off to pack. Bonus is that I got my new laptop and I will be taking it with us to the beach. I bet you are counting the minutes for pics!

Talk soon!

This is the first, hopefully not the last!

Well this is a first for me. Many of my friends are bloggers these days, and I was feeling a bit out of the loop. I have been putting this off because of course, I want MY blog to be the cutest, wittiest, absolute greatest blog ever! Let me tell you, everyday I become more discouraged because I run across some great stuff out there. So, while I am not a "just do it" kind of girl, here I am, just doing it. Hopefully my little blog will only get better and better as I figure out things along the way. And, I guess it might be fun to see how it changes as I get more proficient, huh? Just agree with me, it'll make me feel better.