Touchdown!

You ever have a good day? 

The kind that makes you lie in bed at night and just smile as you stare off towards the ceiling in an attempt to fall asleep?

Or perhaps the kind of day that makes you run that extra half mile on the treadmill as sweat runs between your eyebrows?

Wait, is it the morning you walk into your workplace and realize the office is only open a half day?

1.  I believe it's all of the above.
2.  I believe that day was mine today.

And to top it off, my not-really-adopted-nor-blood-related-sister-in-spirit gave me a grand laugh. 

Yes, she's wearing a high school football helmet.  I have that affect on her and lately she's gone through Rach withdrawals, so the insanity was bound to come out.  Or maybe the bottle of Mt. Dew about a half hour before this had something to do with it, too.

Despite the real reason behind her putting the helmet on her oh-so-fabulous new hair cut, I'd like to think that I had a little something to do with it since normally she acts much more grown up and less like a teenage girl dating the quarterback. 

I'm pretty sure neither of us were ever in that position, which is a shame.  Those would have been some lucky quarterbacks!

Random doesn't even start to cover it

My best friend could indeed kill me (or at least wish she could strangle me) after reading this.

You see, the past few days here in Mayberry have been a bit... haphazard.

Unsystematic.

Accidental.

Capricious.

Erratic.

Arbitrary.

Impulsive.


You get the idea.  Nothing has seemed to go on as it should.  It's like the world has turned a strange degree off on its axis and now I'm paying the price for the routine my life has been stuck in.  Why might you ask?  You'll see....

First, it was the price of gas.  It fell by a nickle and this girl did her Friday dance on a Tuesday.

Then, it was the remnants of an unexpected text message last Wednesday morning.  I was at the height of my bronchitis-induced-antibiotic-steroid-inhaler high and received a text from an old friend I hadn't talked to in a while informing me he was in town.  You see, he normally works in a city an hour and a half away and has been known to send me the ever-so-unplanned text from time to time and never respond to my response.  That makes sense, right?  Perhaps that's one reason we aren't better friends. 

Anywho, we went to lunch and whatnot and as we were catching up, he tells me about a date he blew and I told him about the most recent code names.  As soon as I refer to another guy as "Slick" he looks bewildered and says "You dated a guy named Slick?" No, no, no. Then I had no choice but to let him in on my top secret naming process of guys who spark my interest.  Although that's probably not top secret anymore since I put it on the internet, but that's alright as long as I leave real names out of it.  And telling him about it might not have been the brightest idea, because he looks at me and smiles with his dancing brown eyes and says "What's my code name?" Like I'd tell him his name even if he did have one!

Moving on to more random fun was a Christmas party Thursday night that I almost didn't get to go to. You see, my grandfather (who will be 92 in six weeks) had a fall so I was on the way to the ER instead of happy hour.  Come to think of it, that might have been a good thing.  But on a bright note, his hip isn't broken as originally believed.  Again, I did the Friday dance on an undesignated day.

Then Friday rolled around - this meant dinner after work with my family at a restaurant a few miles outside of town.  We had so many people, we ended up having two tables and sharing their party room with one business' Christmas party. However, when my nephew's diaper needed changed, I had to go back to the main restaurant's bathroom since it was the only one with a baby station.  And wouldn't you know that in this one night in this one restaurant I ran in to three of the code names. 

Yep, this girl DEFINITELY needs to get out of this town.

December the First

Upon my discovery of today's date, hands went into an immediate shock, my chest palpitated, and my bottom lip was clinched under my petite teeth.  It left me with nothing else to do but figure out everything to be done not only by the time Christmas rolls around, but by the time the ball drops in 30 days and a few hours. 

Oh.  Dear.  Goodness.


23.  How did it get here so quickly?  I swear that it seemed like yesterday I was at the beach with my toes in the sand, recuperating from a 12 hour, all night drive to the Gulf so I could be present when my sister said "I Do" to her beau.  I believe perspiration was in the equation.  That's the opposite of the hoodie and wool socks I'm decked out in now.

11.  My tree isn't put up.  And it probably won't be until Christmas Eve.  Call me Scrooge, I don't care.  But on a bright note, I was able to successfully listen to a minute and a half of "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" before I had to turn it off.  That's marked improvement. 

7.  Christmas to me is more about the baby in a manger the rest of the world seems to forget than some caribou with a birth defect of a fluorescent nose.

96.  What percentage of gifts should be bought by now?  Based on my friends' facebook statuses, they're all done. Oops.

47.  Because I'm at maybe 7 percent done.  Maybe.  And six of that seven percent is for the bundle of joy who won't be here until February.  No, I will not spoil this niece.  Ha! Who am I kidding?  There is no hope.

82.  I'm a procrastinator if you hadn't noticed.  If anyone has any suggestions on what to buy my mother, feel free to share them.  Pretty please. 

35.  I've been writing November 1 on everything today.  Phone messages.  Checkbook register.  Notes to coworkers.  My best friend's birthday card.  I blame the fine tip blue ink pen in my hand.

63.  Perhaps I'm still under the influence of my prescription medications currently combating this bronchitis.  Do we need a recap of yesterday?  Falling asleep... while walking.... then falling down.... in heels.  Embarrassing.  Today I was asked if I was driving by half of the Sheriff's Department.  When I replied "yes" they immediately asked if I was under the influence of prescription cough medicine.

59.  That would explain why I can't count tonight.  But wait, I haven't had that cough medicine in over 24 hours.  Why can't I count yet?

74.  Perhaps I'd better go lay down. 

114.  Is Christmas really 3 and a half weeks away??

Say whaaa?

I'm drawing a blank.

I have no idea what to talk about today, and I actually have more than enough time to share a few words with you guys. 


Well, Mayberry is doing well, kinda.  It's asthmatic bronchitis season for yours truly, meaning shots, antibiotics, breathing treatments, steroids and cough syrup.  Yippee! Lucky me!  Although today it did take a funny turn when I accidentally took too much cough medicine and had to call for a ride home.  Did I mention that I live 3 blocks away from my work?  Yea, that was embarrassing. 

So needless to say, I've been knocked out cold the majority of the afternoon and in fact didn't know what day it was when my slumber was startled awake by my sister telling me I needed to eat something so I could take my medicine.  It's nice to have people looking out for me, but I was in the middle of the hardest sleep in recent history.  Boy, it felt wonderful, and was much needed after last night's attack of insomnia which resulted in 3 and a half hours of sleep before I was suddenly staring at the ceiling until daybreak.

With all that said, I think I should catch some more zzz's. 

I'm going to now take a lesson from my niece and hit the hay... not literally, of course, because then I'd really be in a pickle of allergic despair. 

* Note to self: No more cough syrup.

Recently, I was asked about the code names.

Is there a new one?  Any cool stories to update y'all about?  What in the world prompts my name giving?  Do they know I call them these things?

1. No, but there have been a couple since we last spoke on the subject.
2. If I get around to it, I'll let my truck tell the story.  (Don't worry, it's PG-rated)
3. It really depends on how they rub me, how I meet them, or what kind of mood I'm in.
4. One does.  He's cool with it.


So here goes....

My other mother is one of those people who I can tell everything.  She's been in my life as long as I can remember.  She's been my Sunday School teacher, my mom's best friend, my confidant and my role model.  She just gets me.  Well, she is completely responsible for the naming some of them.  And over the past year, she has named about three four.

A couple of the old ones still hang around and pop in from time to time: LT, Mazda, and BD actually wished me a Happy Thanksgiving, and Jose got married a few months ago.  But wait, there are more to add to the list of code names: 2629, Slick and Z.  In no certain order, they were a roughneck country man with a heck of a personality, a closed minded small town guy with no personality, and a hot shot boy with a knack for being perfect eye candy. 

Don't worry, they're all out of the running. 

However, if a funny story pops up, I'll consider filling you in.

Pre-Thanksgiving Thoughts

So tomorrow is Turkey Day.  The day we can eat and eat and eat and eat without (too) much retribution, unless you count the copious amount of dishes stacked to the ceiling in the kitchen sink.

And while I'm sure every family has their own holiday traditions, mine is more of the 'we see/talk to each other regularly enough... so lets just eat' kind of people.  Don't get me wrong, they don't all live in Mayberry anymore, but we remain close.  And with my grandmother's grandkids getting married and having their own families, we realize that there are years when so-and-so can't make it because she's with her husband's family and vice versa.  It's actually a routine that makes pretty good sense: one year they'll spend Thanksgiving with us and Christmas with the significant other's family and the next year it's just the opposite.

Ok, I'll stop rambling about family visiting practices now. 

Back to what I was originally posting about... just a few of my thoughts (but when have my thoughts ever been few?)

1.  Shouldn't holidays be a time to rest and be with loved ones?  All this stress of having the turkey brining at the right temperature and having enough apples to make dumplings for 17 and a half people has really affected my sleep these past few nights.

2.  How long and at what temperature is a turkey supposed to brine?

3.  When did I start using words like "brine'?

4.  Is my camera charged up to take 137 pictures of my niece and nephew in their adorable Thanksgiving attire?

5.  Will my cousin from Arkansas steal my camera to keep me from posting pictures of him on facebook?

6.  Speaking of pictures, will my brother-in-law be wearing that hideous Tennessee orange attire he likes so much?  That orange does not photograph well.

7.  I share the same view as Leigh Anne Tuohy when it comes to the University of Tennessee.  And I'm not apologizing. 

8.  I will apologize if my apple dumplings aren't as awesome as they should be, though.

9.  There is no excuse for untasty baked goods to come out of my kitchen.  Ever.

10.  Is that being overly critical?  That's ok since I'm talking about myself, right?

11.  Good.

12.  My grandma makes the BEST homemade rolls ever.  They're sourdough and I'd jump hot coals and snowmen for them.

13.  But it won't snow this Thanksgiving.  The high tomorrow is supposed to be 63 degrees.

14.  Hopefully I won't get funny looks if I show up to my grandmother's with apple dumplings, sweet potato casserole, and flip flopped feet.

15.  Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!

The last month in pictures

 1. This is the view from my office for the past couple of months. 

2.  And this is the view from my four wheeler.

3.  Don't forget the view from under my truck.

4.  Or the view from my favorite streets of one of my favorite cities.

5.  Or the view from church on Sunday. (Note: this is NOT in Mayberry)

6.  But right now, I'm loving the view of the radio.

The best view of all.

Have you noticed that I like my hometown... a lot?

It's gorgeous in the fall.

There's just something about a cut cornfield that gets me...

The cool, crisp air.

The captured colors when I trip while trying to take a picture.

 

And the vast amount of leaves that will fall very soon.

Hey, there are red trees, too!!

 

 

But who can forget the best view of all?

Sic 'em on a chicken

Are there any Zac Brown Band fans in the house?

Because I think they're the only ones who might understand the title of tonight's post.  But if you hang in there, you will, too.


Moving on....

I will attempt to summarize the last 3 days in fifty pictures or less.  Give or take a dozen or two.

FRIDAY NIGHT:

 

This is my sister.  Not biologically.  Not legally.  Not by marriage.  But we get each other.  That's all there is to it.

Her mother-in-law had a birthday shindig up at the barn Friday evening and I was able to partake in the celebration.  When I say celebration, I mean karaoke.

Lots of karaoke = Lots of fun.

But I had a sore throat by 11:30.


SATURDAY NIGHT:

Bonfire time!  A friend of mine had a few people over, an array of food, fireworks and some homemade wine.  Oh, and her fiance built a massive bonfire but some silly blonde (me) failed to snap a picture of it before the it was lit.  But the thing was easily 10 feet tall before it went up in flames.

Sadly, the late night Friday made this girl incredibly sleepy, so I was out just after the fireworks.


SUNDAY MORNING:

I'm driving to church, and what do I see?

A chicken.  On the main highway.  In town.

Now don't get me wrong, I grew up collecting eggs from my grandfather's hen house and see chickens plenty out on the county roads, but seeing them loose in town is definitely a rare experience.  And to be honest, I chuckled about this during our church service.

Speaking of which, church was extra-fun today.  Why?

'Cause we had church outside downtown.  Look at all those back row Baptists hiding in the shade!! 

But wait, there's more...

If you feed them, they will come.  Another Baptist philosophy.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON:

In a small town, you know everybody.  And when one of those people you know passes away, going to the funeral home is like going to Wal-Mart.  No, I'm not talking about spending more money than anticipated, I'm thinking more along the lines of never knowing exactly who you're going to see.  

Exhibit A:

 

 

Exhibit B: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2fyUZ5eCsg&feature=youtube_gdata

Yep, there's that chicken again.

Small Town Friday Night

If you've been reading this for a while, you know how I feel about high school football.

 

Well last week was my teams turn to take the field in pink since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  (Come to find out, it's Pastor Appreciation Month, too, but that's a completely different story.)

But for me, the most interesting part of a high school football game in Mayberry isn't what goes on when the ball snaps.  It's these guys up in the press box.  

 

Like most home games, I watched the game with some of the best play-by-play guys in the business.  Please forgive the photo from last season, it's my favorite.

These guys are pretty awesome.  But so is football.

And this is what halftime means to me - grabbing the guys food.  Lots of food.

Don't freak out, those "ribs" are ribeye sandwiches, not a slab of baby backs. But they're still delicious as ever!  

The only problem when it comes to food-fetching is that I never have enough hands to carry all of them.  And for future reference, when you spill a man's nachos, he gets kinda irritable, so carry carefully.  

 

And we find fun photo ops when we get a little sleepy during a time out.  That blue blur is Coach P (another play-by-player) trying to avoid the picture. Thankfully, Dave was more than happy to accommodate my shutter finger.

And after the game, everyone shakes hands in good sportsman-like fashion.  But next is my absolute favorite part....

The team walks to the home bleachers and sings the school song.  It gives me goosebumps every time...

Now please excuse me while I try to get the fight song out of my head.