Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Happy Spring!
I am so ready for spring this year. More so than usual. We had a few days of nice weather, but back to cold for Nashville this week. Maybe when it's pretty and warmer I will be motivated to update my darn blog! :)
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Interim at St. Cecilia
So what exactly are they teaching the girls these days at SCA? Zumba, Manners, and Cake Decorating!
Jordan's Cake:
Morgan's Cake:
Jordan's Cake:
Morgan's Cake:
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Jordan Turns 16!
And celebrates with 16 presents for 16 years! Actually she got 17 presents since she got her belly button pierced. I really had no problem with her getting her belly button pierced, but I wanted to do it at a reputable, clean location. So I went online and did something I normally scoff at - I read all the reviews about all the tattoo parlors in our area. I chose the location that had the most positive reviews and appeared to be clean. But it was located in a seedy part of town. I figured that was because all tattoo parlors were located in shady areas!
When we were ready to go, my mom and dad were a little worried about us two girls going there alone, so we decided to make it a family affair. Mom, Mindy, Dad, Jordan and I set off. I had made an appointment, but when I got there, a sign was on the door that they would be back in 45 minutes. No time was listed as to when they had left, so who knows how long they had been gone. Apart from the empty beer cans and cigarette packs in the drive, and the fact that it was clearly a residence, not a place of business, I was willing to wait - after all, it got the best reviews! But the family wasn't, and this time, I'm glad it didn't work out.
I ended up taking Jordan to a location in Midtown - a much more respectable location. The family didn't accompany us this time, which was a good thing because this was a way cool place. We would have looked like total nerds! The guys in the shop were fabulous, and there were awards all over the walls, so I felt pretty good about it. Jordan was a trooper, even though I know that it hurts like hell!
Lesson learned: When deciding on venues based on reviews, remember the audience giving the reviews. After all, what do a bunch of tatted up / pierced up people know about the kind of establishment I was looking for?!
When we were ready to go, my mom and dad were a little worried about us two girls going there alone, so we decided to make it a family affair. Mom, Mindy, Dad, Jordan and I set off. I had made an appointment, but when I got there, a sign was on the door that they would be back in 45 minutes. No time was listed as to when they had left, so who knows how long they had been gone. Apart from the empty beer cans and cigarette packs in the drive, and the fact that it was clearly a residence, not a place of business, I was willing to wait - after all, it got the best reviews! But the family wasn't, and this time, I'm glad it didn't work out.
I ended up taking Jordan to a location in Midtown - a much more respectable location. The family didn't accompany us this time, which was a good thing because this was a way cool place. We would have looked like total nerds! The guys in the shop were fabulous, and there were awards all over the walls, so I felt pretty good about it. Jordan was a trooper, even though I know that it hurts like hell!
Lesson learned: When deciding on venues based on reviews, remember the audience giving the reviews. After all, what do a bunch of tatted up / pierced up people know about the kind of establishment I was looking for?!
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Reason 5,372 Why You Should Never Procreate
I work with two young, fun single girls who are obsessed with finding men, settling down, and starting a family. It's become the office joke now that I can give them at least one reason every day why they should never procreate. And I must say, they are pretty convincing! Here's just a few most recent reasons.
Yesterday, on MY birthday, Jordan forgot and didn't even wish me a happy birthday. She made up for it, though, when she thoughtfully brought home THREE ferrets. [Yes, I marched her right back out of the house to the pet store to return them.]
About a month ago, we had a houseful of kids. As usual, they were playing "grab ass" (my dad's favorite term for kids horsing around) when one of the boys decided to light the gas fireplace. Without opening the flu. Turning the gas to full steam while he looked for a match. The explosion was so loud, I seriously couldn't fathom what had just happened. When the girls started screaming and the smoke detector started going off, I knew it was worse than that thing I couldn't imagine! I ran downstairs in my nightie - who had time for a robe?! - to discover I still had a house. One of the boys smartly turned off the gas, but I didn't know that and with my adrenaline rush I thought I was turning it off (later discovering I had actually turned it on again!). I seriously thought I was going to have to take the boy to the hospital, but when I looked at him, he had only singed his hair (body, head, and facial) and it just looked like he had a bad sunburn. Then I noticed the gas smell, and realized I turned it on and it had been running for like 10 minutes! Nothing like a little carbon monoxide poisoning to end the evening! [I told my work girls that this reason was good for a whole week at least!]
For my birthday, Morgan and Carson wanted to take me out to dinner to Red Robin. Isn't that sweet? They invited Jordan and Nicky. It was supposed to be a surprise, but they couldn't keep it secret. Which was ok...until the bill came and they realized taking everyone out to dinner was a little more expensive then they could afford. Happy $60.00 birthday dinner to me. (If I was going to give myself a $60.00 birthday present, it most definitely wouldn't have been dinner - it'd have been a new pair of shoes!) And because I didn't want a whole meal to myself, I didn't even get the burger I wanted because I had to share with everyone else!
Those are just a few of the most recent reasons I've given the girls at work why they should never procreate. What I don't tell them, though, are all the reasons you should procreate (which somehow outweigh those reasons that you shouldn't). Like...
Singing along to the radio in the car with the girls
Our dinner-table conversations
The notes they write me when they are apologizing for something
The sheer fun we have in our house of 3 girls
Sharing makeup/clothes/shoes with much hipper persons than I
Decorating the house for holidays
Celebrating when they make the honor roll
And the list goes on! I guess when it's all said and done - YOU SHOULD PROCREATE!!
Yesterday, on MY birthday, Jordan forgot and didn't even wish me a happy birthday. She made up for it, though, when she thoughtfully brought home THREE ferrets. [Yes, I marched her right back out of the house to the pet store to return them.]
About a month ago, we had a houseful of kids. As usual, they were playing "grab ass" (my dad's favorite term for kids horsing around) when one of the boys decided to light the gas fireplace. Without opening the flu. Turning the gas to full steam while he looked for a match. The explosion was so loud, I seriously couldn't fathom what had just happened. When the girls started screaming and the smoke detector started going off, I knew it was worse than that thing I couldn't imagine! I ran downstairs in my nightie - who had time for a robe?! - to discover I still had a house. One of the boys smartly turned off the gas, but I didn't know that and with my adrenaline rush I thought I was turning it off (later discovering I had actually turned it on again!). I seriously thought I was going to have to take the boy to the hospital, but when I looked at him, he had only singed his hair (body, head, and facial) and it just looked like he had a bad sunburn. Then I noticed the gas smell, and realized I turned it on and it had been running for like 10 minutes! Nothing like a little carbon monoxide poisoning to end the evening! [I told my work girls that this reason was good for a whole week at least!]
For my birthday, Morgan and Carson wanted to take me out to dinner to Red Robin. Isn't that sweet? They invited Jordan and Nicky. It was supposed to be a surprise, but they couldn't keep it secret. Which was ok...until the bill came and they realized taking everyone out to dinner was a little more expensive then they could afford. Happy $60.00 birthday dinner to me. (If I was going to give myself a $60.00 birthday present, it most definitely wouldn't have been dinner - it'd have been a new pair of shoes!) And because I didn't want a whole meal to myself, I didn't even get the burger I wanted because I had to share with everyone else!
Those are just a few of the most recent reasons I've given the girls at work why they should never procreate. What I don't tell them, though, are all the reasons you should procreate (which somehow outweigh those reasons that you shouldn't). Like...
Singing along to the radio in the car with the girls
Our dinner-table conversations
The notes they write me when they are apologizing for something
The sheer fun we have in our house of 3 girls
Sharing makeup/clothes/shoes with much hipper persons than I
Decorating the house for holidays
Celebrating when they make the honor roll
And the list goes on! I guess when it's all said and done - YOU SHOULD PROCREATE!!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Diving Board Safety 101
When the guy came to install the new diving board at my parent's house, he left behind a safety DVD that "must be watched before anyone uses the diving board." Ok, I rank directions like those right up there with reading the user's guide for your toaster. At any rate, we all laughed at how stupid it seemed, and no, we didn't watch it.
I guess the joke is on us!! (See pictures Morgan and her friends took one day at the pool below.)
Seriously - teenagers don't think! Truth be told, they look a lot like me and my friends did when we were teenagers at the pool! :)
The best part is that my dad actually witnessed them playing "grab ass" [dad's favorite term for monkeying around] at the pool, but didn't say anything to them because he didn't want them to think he was spying on them!
I guess the joke is on us!! (See pictures Morgan and her friends took one day at the pool below.)
Seriously - teenagers don't think! Truth be told, they look a lot like me and my friends did when we were teenagers at the pool! :)
The best part is that my dad actually witnessed them playing "grab ass" [dad's favorite term for monkeying around] at the pool, but didn't say anything to them because he didn't want them to think he was spying on them!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
A Little Hard Work Pays Off!
So it's been a while since my last blog - over a month to be exact. It's not that I haven't had anything to blog about - it's just the opposite - I've been too darn busy! I've been traveling some for work, Morgan graduated, we had Mother's Day, Morgan's birthday, and a trip to Six Flags over Georgia just to name a few things that kept me from blogging last month. Anyways, things are finally settling down (as much as they ever can) now that it's the summer, so I finally had time to tackle a big job that's been hanging over my head: my deck.
My deck is very nice and large. When I first moved in, the owners had several varieties of flowers/plants/vines (not sure which as I am no gardner!) that were prettily growing up the posts and draping nicely over the rail. As I said, I'm no gardner, so they pretty much haven't been touched for two years. For those of you who are gardeners, I think you can see where this is headed. Long story short, my deck had become the Amazon! I didn't want to be out there because you could hardly move without the vines touching you. There were birds constantly in and out of the mess. And there were bugs! About the only thing I was doing anymore out back was using the grill. It was time to take back the deck!
Nicky helped me out (thank God - I could not have done the pruning myself, the stalks were 2-3 inches thick) and together we put in about 4 hours to get my deck looking beautiful. It was 92 degrees and humid as h***, but we accomplished:
- Cut away all the overgrown plants (including some not associated with the deck, and weeding the tubs the plants originate in) We found two birds nests and other unidentifiable objects hidden in the brush. The mess left behind was pretty gross.
- Pressure washed the deck and patio furniture (ok, the pressure washer I borrowed from my dad was crap, so pressure wash really means Nicky power sprayed the deck the old-fashioned way while I used the scrub brush on my hands and knees to get the stuck crap/stains removed)
- Removed the old broken table umbrella
- Restrung the party lights (although we did lose a few strands I will have to replace due to all the chopping at the brush!)
- Spruced up the place with s few potted Petunias and a cute little pillow
The deck looks awesome! I am very pleased with the end result and have already gone out there twice (even though it's 100 degrees and hot as Hades) since we finished it. It was backbreaking work, so today, I'm treating my sore muscles to a day at the pool!
Enjoy the final product of our labors. (I didn't think to take a before picture, as that would have made this after picture really impressive!)
My deck is very nice and large. When I first moved in, the owners had several varieties of flowers/plants/vines (not sure which as I am no gardner!) that were prettily growing up the posts and draping nicely over the rail. As I said, I'm no gardner, so they pretty much haven't been touched for two years. For those of you who are gardeners, I think you can see where this is headed. Long story short, my deck had become the Amazon! I didn't want to be out there because you could hardly move without the vines touching you. There were birds constantly in and out of the mess. And there were bugs! About the only thing I was doing anymore out back was using the grill. It was time to take back the deck!
Nicky helped me out (thank God - I could not have done the pruning myself, the stalks were 2-3 inches thick) and together we put in about 4 hours to get my deck looking beautiful. It was 92 degrees and humid as h***, but we accomplished:
- Cut away all the overgrown plants (including some not associated with the deck, and weeding the tubs the plants originate in) We found two birds nests and other unidentifiable objects hidden in the brush. The mess left behind was pretty gross.
- Pressure washed the deck and patio furniture (ok, the pressure washer I borrowed from my dad was crap, so pressure wash really means Nicky power sprayed the deck the old-fashioned way while I used the scrub brush on my hands and knees to get the stuck crap/stains removed)
- Removed the old broken table umbrella
- Restrung the party lights (although we did lose a few strands I will have to replace due to all the chopping at the brush!)
- Spruced up the place with s few potted Petunias and a cute little pillow
The deck looks awesome! I am very pleased with the end result and have already gone out there twice (even though it's 100 degrees and hot as Hades) since we finished it. It was backbreaking work, so today, I'm treating my sore muscles to a day at the pool!
Enjoy the final product of our labors. (I didn't think to take a before picture, as that would have made this after picture really impressive!)
Friday, April 23, 2010
Check out Jordan's New Teeth!
They only cost me $5000.00
Braces - who knew they'd be so expensive! And all she had was the normal treatment, nothing fancy, done in 18 months. The trouble - my insurance at HCA only covers orthodontia after a year of employment, and Jordan had the braces put on when she was still on my Kohler insurance. So, basically, I got stuck with the entire bill!
Morgan is in them now - I made her wait until the insurance was in effect. But even still, hers will end up costing me about $2500.00 since insurance only covers half. What a rip!
But well worth it - Jordan's smile is beautiful!
Braces - who knew they'd be so expensive! And all she had was the normal treatment, nothing fancy, done in 18 months. The trouble - my insurance at HCA only covers orthodontia after a year of employment, and Jordan had the braces put on when she was still on my Kohler insurance. So, basically, I got stuck with the entire bill!
Morgan is in them now - I made her wait until the insurance was in effect. But even still, hers will end up costing me about $2500.00 since insurance only covers half. What a rip!
But well worth it - Jordan's smile is beautiful!
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