Tuesday, July 22, 2008
MIA
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Old Glory
Happy 4th of July!!
P.S. I would just like to point out the majorly feathered bangs, coupled with the ultra sassy pose.
Honorable Mention - Ansley
Ansley, The Mover and Shaker
“Ambition is a dream with a V8 engine.”~Elvis Presley
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Honorable Mention - Emily
Emily, The Mastermind
"Everything that I decide to do means something, otherwise I don't do them."~ Celine Dion
26 Tidbits:
Obviously Celine
Watched CSPAN as a child (therefore missed out on every Disney movie, yet somehow we are still great friends)
Very texture-oriented person
Dancer
Wonderful Aunt to little Dave
Can't stand a liar
Loves her friends deeply
Obsession with cars
Theologian
Only speaks when she has something to say
Broad vocabulary
Would be a hippie, but thinks things through too much
Tunic and hoodie lover
Advice guru
Fearless (except for things with peanut butter or shrimp)
Will buy new hair products based on the bottle
Dancing with the Stars
Hates to pack/unpack
Should have been born in Italy
Hates to wear black
NBA fanatic
Always drives the boat (figuratively and literally)
Future WEGP Advisor
Loves to argue, but only when it's a fun argument
Claims she looks nothing like her family (truth: she looks like her mom)
Never falters on her beliefs
ELABORATION:
Em is without a doubt a unique person. Other than my Mom, who Em is very much like, I've never met anyone else like her. She is a melting pot of personality, knowledge, and skill. She gives some of the best advice I've ever received. She is truly talented in that. The quote at the top could not be more perfect for her. To say Emily loves Celine Dion is a huge understatement. I was fortunate enough to experience Celine's show in Vegas with Em. She loved every minute!The show was simply amazing, I do have to say. But the quote also fits so perfectly because Em doesn't second guess her decisions. When she decides something, she follows through with it, simple as that. I think this partly is because before she makes a decision, she thinks about it from every angle, dissecting every piece of information she can. She is incredibly intelligent, as proven by her words, that most of us have never heard before, that she interjects into every day conversation. She loves her friends and family and she would do anything for them. She has an ambition to do great things in life, and she no doubt will for sure do it because she is so dynamic. She's a fun-loving person, too, which makes her even cooler. Em and I are great friends. I only hope I complement her as well as she complements me.
CLASSIC STORY:
Over the years I have accumulated many a memory with Em, but this one is one of my favorites. I mentioned that we went to Vegas together. It was MLK weekend during our Junior year of college. She and I were walking through the Bellagio casino, on our way to see "O", when we noticed someone who looked strangely familiar. He was passing us in a very casual manner. Being the Southern women that we are, we kindly smiled and said hi as he was passing by (because somehow we knew him, and it would be rude not to say hello.) The minute he passed us, it clicked with both of us who he was, Scott Caan from Ocean's 11, 12, and 13! We just casually spoke to a celebrity! And how ironic that we saw him in the Bellagio casino. We felt like we were in a movie. We decided to go and walk the strip that night, but it was unusually cold for Las Vegas, in the teens I believe, so the next night we decided to bundle up in our room robes and stay inside the hotel. We were wandering around on our floor when we ran into Mr. Caan again, only this time he was going into his room, only a few doors down from ours! We ran to the room and got Em's camera and decided to do some scouting. We never saw him re-emerge from the room, but we did catch up with some interesting fellows from Great Britain. I videoed and Em interviewed. The guys were making conversation and talking about our accents. They were getting a bit fresh, and something very strange happened. ONE TRIED TO UNDO HER ROBE! Are you kidding me, Em gave him a glare, I shut off the camera, and in unison, we tromped back to our room. Creep.
This story is just one example of our double trouble nature. Needless to say we had a great time in Vegas, but the truth of this story is that when you are with Em you can always plan on having an adventure of some sort. We have had some amazing times, and I attribute them all to Em's amazing unique self.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Honorable Mention - Bo
Bo, The Practical Optimist
"Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did."~Newt Gingrich
Honorable Mention - Mom & Dad
Mom & Dad, No Description Necessary
"A child's job is to test her boundaries, a parent's is to see that she survives the test."~Dr. Roger MacDonald
26 Tidbits:
10 on Mom:
Dancing with the Stars
ANYTHING with George Strait
Witty as can be (I have fallen victim to the quick wit before)
Power shopper
Master trip coordinator
Cruises while listening to Jazz Cafe
Oldest child (Always wants to make everyone happy)
Destin
The Grand Floridian
Has been known to make up words like ump-teen (meaning "a lot")
10 Tidbits on Dad:
Master Golfer
NEAT FREAK
Anything to do with building science
Dead shot (in sporting clays of course)
Loves to give people surprises
Chilling at the beach
Boat captain
Loves to teach people things
Sam Cooke (and all oldies for that matter)
Hardly ever gets stressed out, pretty much goes with the flow
6 Tidbits for Both:
The Wash House Restaurant
Master daughter nickname makers (hot rod, petunia, tina, bets, bug, lily, sis, etc...)
Having fun is their speciality
Biggest Auburn fans in the world
High School Sweethearts
SUPER loving/wonderful/caring/fun/cool parents
ELABORATION:
I chose the verse at the top because my parents always say I was a difficult child to raise. I thought it was fitting. Even if I am that way, they are really good at being parents. I should probably explain why I am doing theirs together. While they are very different and unique in their own personalities, my parents are still a unit. A very tight knit unit. They have been married for 33 years. My family is extremely close and we know probably just about every detail of each other that you can possibly know. Seriously the best way to describe us is that we are just tight!
They are both meticulous but in very different ways. My Mom is meticulous when it comes to details. Rocks beware, because none of you will be left unturned. She knows how to dig out every single detail of every single thing. It is an amazing quality, because she is always on the ball. It's impossible to argue with her because she's not one step ahead of you, she's 15 steps ahead of you. She has a natural ability to help keep everyone else on top of things, too. Which is so helpful to me because I'm not always that way. Mom is good at enjoying life, and her number one priority is to spend it with the people she loves the most. She's hilarious by the way. She has that really smart dry wit humor. And if you do something that lends itself to her witty phrases, be prepared to fall victim to her antics. No one minds, though, because she has you in stitches, laughing so hard.
My Dad, on the other hand, is meticulous in the physical aspects of life. He is the very definition of a neat freak. Everything has a place, whether in the house, in his office, in his car, and even in his appearance. "Cleanliness is next to Godliness"...yeah, that kinda neat. But you would think a person that tidy would be a bit uptight, which could not be farther from the truth about my Dad. He is "cool as a cucumber" you might say. He has a pretty low-stress personality and an adept ability to always see the big picture. He never really gets frazzled, even though he has an unwavering drive to work hard. He has a hard time sitting still, even on the weekends. He's always either out in the yard or doing work around the house. He handles work and life like a champ. My Dad is hilarious too! His humor is different from my Mom's, but still keeps everyone laughing all the time.
My parents balance each other so well. I can only hope that one day I have a marriage like theirs. Like I said they were high school sweethearts. He was the Key Club President and she was the Key Club sweetheart. He asked her to Homecoming on the first day of school their junior year of high school...she said yes...and here they are! Their names even rhyme...Trey & Kay. You can't get much cuter than that. They just fit.
CLASSIC STORY:
You can imagine over the years I have accumulated a number of favorite memories with my parents. They are very unique, special people, and we have fun no matter what we are doing. I used to love it when we would get lost, like say if we were visiting a city that we didn't know well, because my parents wouldn't get frustrated, they would just get funny. That humor I was mentioning. Yeah, it would come out then. SO many of my favorite memories also happened in Disney World. It is not only my favorite place to be, but it's also my parent's. And of course the numerous trips to the lake and the beach.
One infamous story sticks out in my mind that pretty accurately portrays my family. My grandparents used to live on Wolf Bay, down near Orange Beach. My parents and I made it a tradition to go out on the boat when we were down there, and many times we would go shrimping. (If you've never been shrimping, this is my plug for it. It is SO much fun). When you go shrimping, you pull a huge net behind your boat. Porpoises follow the boat, and when you pull in the net, they swim to the boat. You empty the net into a big tub and see what all you've caught. You catch all kind of things. It's so cool. On this trip, I was probably 7-yrs-old, a particular age where I had a reputation for being quite the drama queen. Well, this time we were shrimping in Wolf Bay, and our net got hung on something I assume on the bottom on the bay. I played it cool for a little bit until....a barge started coming. Now I didn't mention that a channel runs through the bay and barges pass through there regularly. The barge starts to blast it's horn even though it's decently far away. All the while, Mr. Fix It, or Trey the Toolman as I like to call him, is trying to save the net and get us free. I, clearly, start to panic. Give me a break, water was starting to seep into the boat, and I was in no mood to play chicken with a barge.
"We're sinking!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are all gonna drown!!!!!!!!!" I shriek. My Mom is multi tasking by trying to calm me down (she was giggling under her breath), trying to help my Dad, and trying to keep calm herself, because it was a little nerve-racking. She has this amazing panic mode though. She and my Dad. Neither of them ever really panic actually. The barge continues to tell us to move in it's bellowing voice, "PLEASE MOVE OUT OF THE WAY, PLEASE MOVE OUT OF THE WAY, PLEASE MOVE OUT OF..." You get the picture.
Finally, we cut our losses, quite literally. Dad cut a chunk of the net off the boat so that we could get away. It was scary for a little bit, but now it's just the perfect story that's been told time and again. It was worth it, simply for story value. All in all, my parents are great. They love me as much as parents can love a child and they put up with my craziness. Like for example this story, or when I locked my keys in Haley Center and they brought me an extra key, or when I left my cell phone in my parents car before they drove an hour and a half away from me. They are just great in every way! Thank you & Love you Mom & Dad!
Honorable Mention - Riley
Riley, The (Organized) Free Spirit
Rap music
ELABORATION:
The quote at the top reminded me so much of Riley. Just the other day, she and I were talking about living in the present, and she was mentioning how there is no point in worrying so much and getting flustered over things that you have no control over. "Just be happy!" she said. I don't think she realizes what an inspiration that is to people. Because she doesn't just speak those type of things and make them idle words, but instead she lives this philosophy every day. You will be hard pressed to find Riley when she is not smiling. She is a naturally happy person, and she just makes you want to be around her. I mentioned laughter in things that identify her. This girl LOVES to laugh. And she has the kind of humor that is genuine and contagious. Riley has the coveted quality of being able to laugh at herself, which makes you like her all the more. She is not one to argue with you, but she is not a push-over in any sense either. She has a way of giving her opinion that makes you appreciate the fact that she said it, instead of making you feel like she is running you over.
CLASSIC STORY:
One of my favorite qualities about Riley is how candid she is, which brings me to one of my favorite stories involving her. It was a random weekend our senior year in college and we were at a cookout. We were all sitting around talking. I'm pretty sure that the boys outnumbered the girls like 6-3 or something. Somehow Riley started talking about different things that she had going on in her life. She was so open and honest about how she felt about different things and different topics. The guys looked flabbergasted. It was clear that they rarely found a girl who would give them a straight up honest answer about anything they asked. The cookout soon became an information session. When Riley left, the guys could not stop talking about her. They were absolutely enamored with her. So I thank Riley for being a visionary in communicating with the male persuasion, and simply speaking her mind.
I think that this story is simply a testament to the kind of genuine, heart-felt, candidly wonderful person that Riley is! I am blessed to be one of her friends and to get to spend time with her daily!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Honorable Mention - Katie
Katie, The Loyal One:
"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view." ~Harper Lee
Medical Things
The fact that she LOVES to be first (therefore the reason why she is first on the blog)
Honorable Mentions
Wishful Thinking
I arrived home on Friday to see roomie RT walking into our building. I waved enthusiastically and pulled into to park as well. She was already well on her way into the apartment, so I didn't question the fact that she didn't wait for me so that we could walk together. I got into the apartment and found KM, other roomie, who we were supposedly going to dinner to celebrate, milling around "getting ready to go." RT was doing the same. I was told earlier in the day that RT no longer had to baby sit and that the three of us should go to dinner to celebrate KM passing her nursing exam, but that it was a surprise for her as to wear we were going.
In true blue "I know where we're going, and you don't" fashion, I kept badgering KM, asking her where she thought it might be and if she was excited. She was kind enough to follow along. RT came into the living room and announces that she got our reservation pushed back to 7. Sounds good to me! I say. So we continue to chat and catch up on the day. RT has also changed into more casual clothes. Apparently she needed to run by her parents house before she came back to get ready. I thought nothing of this, and assumed she was being truthful. I also ask RT what I should wear to this place, considering I had never been.
"What is BS's (boyfriend) favorite dress on you?" she asked.
Instinctively I exclaim, "WHY? IS HE COMING?!?!"
She plays it incredibly cool and explains that no, he's not, she just thought it might narrow the choices a bit. I knew in my mind not to get my hopes up for the possibility of him coming because I knew he was leaving early in the morning to go on a trip. There was no possible way for him to be able to visit, and it was not going to be possible to see him until 4th of July weekend, if that. (I should mention at this point that I have not seen him in 2 weeks).
So RT leaves to go to her "parents" house. About 15 minutes after she left, some one bangs on the door. I was so startled. I walked over to the door, and upon realizing that I am not nearly tall enough to see out of the peep hole, I wimpily ask "Who's there?"
"Hello?"
I knew in a nanosecond who was on the other side. I threw open the door and literally attacked him! He was leaving until Sunday and had kept it a secret! He and my roommates completely kept me off of the trail. I had no clue that he would be coming.
In reality, RT did have to babysit. BS was the one taking me to dinner and we were going to Bottega's which I was SO excited about, and rightfully so I might add. Afterward we went to see Wall.E....it was ADORABLE! One of the cutest funniest movies I've seen. Please go see it, even if you are cynical about animated movies. On Saturday, we bummed around, went to Johnny Rockets, drove around, went to Target and then came back to the apt.
RT, BS and I decided to go to the driving range. SO much fun! and might I add, I am so SORE still today. But the weather was perfect and if you ever get started then you get hooked. The three of us met KM at Cracker Barrel (which has become a tradition for when BS visits). And then we sent BS on his way. He had to be back to a catch a plane early Sunday morning ::sigh::
But the two days were so wonderfully unexpected, and I was thankful for every minute!
The rest of the night, KM and RT and I rented "Diary of a Mad Black Woman." If you have not seen it, then you don't know what you are missing. (For those who have seen it, the part where she and Madea destroy her ex-husband's house may be one of my favorite movie moments ever. Madea's quotes when she encounters the mistress are priceless)
Sunday was perfect as well! I went to church with KM and RT. After which RT and I joined her parents for lunch. And then I went home and CLEANED! I love a clean place and I am quickly becoming a neat freak in very aspect of my life. I didn't used to be, but it's slowly but surely becoming that way. My apartment is SPOTLESS right now. I love it.
Then Mom and Dad came to visit! We hung out, drove around town, looked at potential cars (fingers crossed) and then they took me to one of my favorite restaurants ever...J.Alexander's. Absolutely delicious! So my weekend was fabulous, and now I have leftover steak kabobs for lunch today. Clearly my weekend revolved around people and food, my two passions (sad? maybe.)
So what I need now is car suggestions...anyone?