Concussed Part II

There isn't much I can say about waking up the day after your first time skiing. Pain pretty much sums it up I think. I guess that's normal though, after you spent the night before beating your body against the side of a mountain.

So we're ready for day two on the slopes! We wake up, grab some breakfast and then head to the slopes! Joining in on the freak show was Judson, who was smarter than I and decided to spend the day watching rather than skiing. Not us though, Lauren, Paul and I were off again to conquer the mountain.

I do have to say the conditions Saturday were so much nicer. There wasn't any snow blowing in our faces, the temperature was warmer, and the sun was just glistening off the snow. Perfect day for some ski action.

What a blast! I was doing so great. You would never guess that I was the crazy person rolling down the mountain just the night before.

In congruence with the Friday night twilight ski, we had our "apple cider" flask full to keep us warm and to assist with any unsuspected anxiety that may sneak up on me. Although, seeing as how my skiing efforts were really starting to pay off, the flask was just adding to the fun. So we're just movin' on up to new slopes; having a great time. Then, as mid-afternoon approaches, I look at my ski buddies and say, "Ok y'all, let's hit the big one from last night!"

What a rush! It was so great! Yes, I actually made it down on several occasions...without falling! I was so proud. Lauren and Paul gave a few shouts of excitement before we headed back for our last trip.

How 'bout a little explanation about why this was my last trip down the mountain....

Lauren, Paul, and I lined up for the ski lift to take us to the top. Another guy, we'll just call him Joe for reference purposes, was headed to the top as well. Seeing as how this was a four person lift and he was all alone, we coaxed Joe into riding up with us. After a little chit-chat and a few good laughs, we start approaching the top of the mountain. Lauren politely asks Joe, "Which way are you going?" Joe, who was meeting some of his friends at the top, informed us that he was headed down the right side of the mountain.

I found myself mildly intimidated by his statement, mainly because his decision to head down the right side meant he had to cross in front of me to get there. Under normal circumstances, proper chair lift etiquette might state that all chair lift parties must exit the lift together and then worry about which way they want to go.

My thought process during this quick conversation was that I would wait a few seconds and let him off first. That was nice, right? That way Joe could just get off the lift and head straight for the right side. Yeah......

A few seconds in ski-lift-time can be a really long time.

So there I am, sitting on the lift and I see Lauren, Joe and Paul get off the lift. It isn't until now that it comes to my attention I am about to get left on the lift...alone. So what do I do? Seriously, what would you have done?

I jump off the lift, which was suspended a good five feet in the air, and land on my skis for a brief second before the momentum actually catches up. My skis went forward and my butt hit the snow. That would have been ok if the momentum wasn't such that the whiplash motion sent my head to meet the snow as well.

Spell it with me now...c o n c u s s i o n

That's right, not only did the sobering knock in the back of the head have me seeing stars, but it also had me questioning what the heck I was doing on the top of the mountain! Time, at this point, had no relevance and the throbbing I was feeling (and hearing) faintly resembled the sound of horses' hooves cantering about on my head. That seems like an accurate description seeing as how all I could mutter out was, "Hey guys, have we been riding horses today?"

Surprisingly enough, Lauren and Paul were able to contain their laughter (I'm thinking only because they actually saw how hard I hit the snow/ice) and helped me ski to the bottom of the mountain.

Ahhhhh, never a dull day out with the Davis girls!

Skis...Check! Concussion...Check!

I should probably just go ahead and preface this post with an age-old comment (which is perfect for this discussion): If you can't laugh at yourself, then who can you laugh at?

Skiing: a sport in which participants must travel on skis... hmmmmm....

Snow is a funny, funny thing. Having been born and raised in the south, I can only think of a few select times that we actually had enough snow to play in. I'm not talkin' that ice/sleet stuff that we manage to get every year, I'm talkin' the beautiful, white, fluffy snow that you see in pictures. You know, that snow that's ideal for skiing. So, you can imagine my reaction when myself and three others decided to hit the slopes a few weekends ago in North Carolina.

Aside from being consumed with excitement, I have to say I was dealing with an extreme amount of anxiety. There's just something dreadfully intimidating about standing at the base of a snow covered mountain with your feet strapped ever-so-tightly to two long pieces of wood. Ok, so the standing part wasn't near as intimidating as the feeling I got when the the infamous words came out of Paul's mouth, "It's ok, Evelyn. It's really not that hard, just point your skis downhill and go with it."

Hmmmm...

"And go with it" just doesn't seem like the last words I want to hear before I die. Ok, ok, so we were just heading to the bunny slopes...which brings me to the first of many questions I still haven't found the answer to. Why would someone stick the bunny slopes at the bottom of a steep hill? I'm sure there's some angry little man somewhere nearby just peeping through the woods at the (for lack of a better word) beginners bustin' their tails just trying to get to the bunny slopes.

So there I go, completely clueless as to how I was going to manage this, but somehow staying on my skis and reaching the bottom. I'm thinking, "Not bad, not bad. I actually might be able to make it through the weekend without breaking anything." So after getting a brief lesson from Ski-Pro Paul, who glides like a penguin across the snow, I decided it was time to give the bunny slope a go.

I should probably add a little background information on the scenario in which we experienced that Friday night. After renting our skis, arriving at our cabin, throwing on our ski clothes and heading to the slopes, we made it for the twilight skiing. Sure, sounds fun right? Skiing in the dark while they're making more snow...so exciting, huh? Yeah, that's what I was thinking too. Not really all it's cracked out to be. So anywho, we arrive at the slopes and decide beer and some shots are only going to make this experience that much better! So we hit the bar in the lodge and then the slopes...which brings me back to the bunny slope incident.

I'm in my skis and headed for what looks like a conveyor belt, but for skiers to ride on. There comes question number two, "Who sticks a conveyor belt in the snow and expects you to actually ride on it, WITH skis on?" Like other experiences in my life, a little alcohol and my inhibitions are out the window.

I approach the conveyor belt, skis pointing up the mountain, and I step forward to gracefully ride to the top of the slope. Not so much. There was nothing graceful about whatever it was I was doing. One ski made it on the belt and the other was left squandering behind (with my leg still attached to it I might add). In a naive attempt to balance myself and reposition my skis, I managed to plummet off the right side of the belt (which was conveniently a snow covered ditch about two feet deep). At this point there isn't much I can do except laugh. Lauren, who is bent backwards laughing at her sister, tries to get out an, "Are you ok?" Paul, who is the most encouraging person I think I've ever met, minimally contains his laughter long enough to help me back on the conveyor belt.

Ahhhhh, an excursion to the top of the bunny slopes. ha

At this point I'm thinking, "Holy crap, this is going to be a long trip!" We Davis girls don't just give up though. Nope, that would be too easy. Instead, after three more runs down the bunny slope the most interesting thing happened. Words of mild courage came out of my mouth, "I think I'm ready for the real slopes now."

Dun, dun, dun....

Excited about the sudden change in pace, Lauren and Paul decided we should probably get on the ski lift closest to the bunny slope. They saw no need in taking off our skis and climbing to the top of another hill in order to reach the next ski lift, when there was a lift right next to us. Sounds good to me. So, still somewhat agreeable at this point, I line up for the lift with Lauren on one side and Paul on the other.

What a nice ride, I'm enjoying my rest and the somewhat dark scenery when I start to realize the lift ride is really taking a bit longer than I expected. On top of that observation, I start noticing the incline at which we're traveling at this point. Still oblivious to the idea that nor Lauren or Paul really knew where we were going, we finally reach the top and I hop right off the ski lift. I'm thinking, "Ok, this isn't going to be so bad...at least I made if off the lift."

Then I hear it, words that sound a bit like uncertainty coming from Paul. Personally, I cannot think of anything less comforting that the sound of uncertainty (borderline fear-for-my-safety) coming from the person teaching you to ski...at the top of a mountain! So I look over my left shoulder and all I see is the edge of the mountain. Lauren who is fearless, just pushes right off and heads down. It's apparent, as I watch her instantly disappear off the edge, what I was about to deal with.

That's right ladies and gentlemen, we had taken the ski lift to the highest point. I take one look at Paul and say, "Nope, I can't do that." Of course his reply is, "I'm sorry, I didn't know we were going to the top. It's ok, I'll help you down the mountain." What else was there to say except, "No seriously, I can't go down that." Then he goes about fifteen feet ahead of me (or below me considering the circumstances) and stops. He throws out a, "See, I'm right here. You'll be fine...promise."

So there I go, all the while thinking I'm going to die and a bit relieved we visited the bar before heading up the slope again. Of course, I ski a bit then panic that I'm going too fast and plop right down. Then up...ski...then fall again. This continued for about six good falls and then I decide, "Ok, I can do this." So I brace myself for what could possibly be my last trip down the mountain, and I head downhill.

I must have gone ten more feet before managing to make a ninety degree turn to the left. For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of experiencing skiing (or a black diamond), let me enlighten you on what a ninety degree turn going mach three down a mountain will do to you. I'm pretty sure my tail end hit the snow first, then all I could really see was snow and my skies going different directions over my head. The only word that comes to mind is tumble, and that's putting it lightly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I must have heard you wrong. You meant stay ON your skis....Ok, that makes sense."

Ahhhhh, good times.

Well, I actually made it to the bottom in one piece. Face covered in snow and water...which was a mixture of face-plants into the snow and the snow from the blowers blowing in my face the whole way down. So, Paul hooks us up with some goggles and we're off to try it again.

I, with my knees still shaking and a death grip on my ski poles, head toward the ski lift for the intermediate slopes. Lauren and Paul truck along right beside me with nothing but words of encouragement, "Don't worry Evelyn, this one won't be near as bad."

So we ride the ski lift up and I actually manage to make it down the slopes several times without falling. I was doing pretty good for myself. Aside from the few ice patches that resulted in loss of control and a quick fall, I think I was really getting the hang of it.

Note: Never get cocky when you're attempting a new sport.

So Lauren, Paul and I decide to go down the same intermediate slope a few more times before calling it a night. We get on the lift and make our way up to the top. I wasn't really aware of this, but did you know they have a little "lift shack" (I'm pretty sure I just made that name up) that someone sits in so that they can stop or slow the lift if needed? And you would think that since they're paying someone to work that little shack they would actually stop the lift if....let's say...three people pile up underneath it. Yeah, that's what I was thinking too!

Lauren and Paul try to prepare me for our (awkward cough) lift dismount by telling me which way to turn so that we all make it off ok. In this particular case we needed to make a hard right off the lift to what I would now call the "safe zone"...b/c apparently there are lots of unsafe areas when getting off the ski lift. I'm thinking, "I got this. All I need to do is make it over there without knocking Paul or Lauren down."

Sounds pretty easy, right?

As we're proceeding off the chair lift, I'm not exactly sure what I was thinking about. Whatever it was it obviously had nothing to do with getting off the lift safely. I hop up and with one not-so-swift motion I manage to take Lauren and Paul down with me. Unable to contain my laughter, I just sit there. I glance over to Lauren, who is holding her head with a confused look on her face, and manage to get out a, "Sorry, Lauren." She just looks back at me and says, "Ouch, one of those poles in front of us must have hit me in the head."

About that time, out of nowhere, the ski lift chair smacks into the back of Lauren's head. As Lauren assumes the fetal position, I hear Paul say, "Holy crap, the chair just knocked Lauren in the back of the head....twice." Being the insensitive (somewhat tipsy) sister that I am, I reside in the snow consumed with laughter. It wasn't funny that Lauren was hurt, or that the lift chair was still swinging from left to right, but more the fact the chairs were still flying by...one after another.

Finally pulling it together, I lean over and ask Lauren if she's ok and all I get in return is a, "Do you think you could move over!" So I try to move to the left, but given our positioning that particular maneuver just wasn't happening. Paul pulls me out of the way and then Lauren to safety. (I'm thinking his calling should have been a lifeguard rather than a doctor given the dragging technique he used to get me out of the way.) In retrospect, with my huge blue ski suit and immobile body, I'm sure I looked like the beached whale of the scenario. The analogy fits quite nicely, seeing as how I needed a crane to assist with getting me back on my feet.

What a tough one though! Lauren gets up, shakes a little snow off and heads down the mountain like a pro. We decided to do another trip down the slopes and then called it a night. We figured we had done enough damage for one night.

It's Electric....

Growing up, I was (for lack of a better word) obsessed with horses. Seriously, every afternoon and every weekend from the time I turned eight, I was at the barn riding or caring for my horses. I loved it. Plus, I had several friends that had horses too, so we would all ride together and just have a good ol' time.

There was a period of about a year or so that we kept the horses at our house. I should probably give some background info on where I live. Our house is on the side of a mountain. That's right, not a place for horses, but it just happened to be that there was an adequate amount of space behind our house that my dad cleared and fenced for the horses. It really worked out great having them right there. We would ride down to the river and spend the day swimming or fishing...ahhhh, good times.

So anyway, back to the story. Dad chose to fence this area with an electric fence. Good thinking, less time and money spent fixing this area up when the truth of the matter was we weren't keeping them there forever. He did a bangin' job on the fence work I might add. Dad's so great, fixing this up for me so the horses could be close by. Definitely a Father of the Year award recipient!! Though, I'm thinking he gave me a little more credit than was due. I'm guessing he assumed I had learned my lessons with electric fences due to previous adolescent games at the barn.

Have you ever touched an electric fence before? Sure, as kids, we would always dare some idiot (usually me at any given point) to grab the fence for ten seconds and see how many shocks you could take....if you're interested in a good laugh, that's the way to go! We always shared a laugh or two at someone else's expense.

Time to throw in that side note: no one individual should have more than one bad experience with an electric fence of any sort, unless you happen to work for a power company.

Electric fences are funny things. They don't give a constant shock of electricity, just a shock every second or so (at least the ones I've come into contact with work that way) like.....bzzzt.....bzzzt.....bzzzt...and so on.

So there I am, alone with just the company of my two horses. I'm sure they were pretty pissed at me, taking them from the nice fully green pasture and sticking them in a space a third of the size with a tenth of the grass...I would have been pissed. They showed no ill will towards me, they trotted right up to greet me just as they always did. So I did what I normally do, went to crawl under the fence so that I could jump on the back of one of them and ride around for a bit.

Something that morning gave Evelyn the bright idea to pull her hair back with a metal clip on the top of her head. That's right ladies and gentlemen, I'm a genius. I bend down to crawl under the fence and the clip meets the electric wire. BZZZZT....and I'm down for the count. There aren't many things like being electrocuted (with roughly 600-1000 Volts) from the very top of you head to the ends of your toes.

As I sat paralyzed for a few seconds on the ground, I'm sure I had the most dumbfounded look on my face. I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out what had happened. First I was standing, then I was crawling, then I was on my back looking up at the sky...and somewhere along the line I was wondering if I could still even move my fingers and toes. Seeing as how this wasn't my first experience with the electric fence, you would think I would have recognized the signs of a good shock. I didn't though, I was so confused.

So I resided on the ground for a good five minutes...ummm...let's just say gathering my thoughts. I can remember looking over to the horses and seeing a distinct look of satisfaction upon their faces. Something along the lines of, "Hah, now you know how it feels! Idiot!"

Stroller 101

Offspring make for some rather interesting moments I must say. As a first-time mom, I think I had what most would call preconceived notions about the things my child would do. How naive was I? She's only two months shy of turning two and I'm already finding myself saying things I never imagined I would need to:

"Stop putting your face in the water! You know you can't breathe like that."
"Shaving cream is not the same as whipped cream, so stop eating it."
"We don't pull the dog's tail, ears, or poke her in the eyes."
"Chew your food before you try to swallow it, please."
"I told you she'd throw up if you kept spinning her like that."

Yet, it seems I am not the only one that thought things with children might go a little differently than planned. Surprisingly enough, baby stroller manufacturers and I share this ignorance.

Let me just say that I have a Baby Jogger that a neighbor gave me after Ellie was born. I'm assuming he did it because he was tired of seeing me struggle on my afternoon runs with the regular not-made-for-running stroller. Either way, this thing was an awesome gift...these strollers are like $200+ new. For those of you who don't know what a Baby Jogger is, it's a stroller with bicycle tires (sounds ridiculous I know), but it makes the run with the little one so much easier.

So anyway, let me tell you a little bit about this Baby Jogger. Hard core is putting it lightly! It's so handy when you live in the mountains...no casual run is taken without conquering several hills along the way. Plus, Ellie loves going with me. She is an outside girl for sure, so she's in heaven riding along with me in her little chariot. This thing has brakes and everything! They thought of it all! Oh, and did I mention there is a wrist strap too?

That is where my question comes in....

How safe is it really to have a wrist strap on that bad boy? Yeah, yeah, yeah, perfect for reassurance that the baby isn't going to roll away without you attached to it. Key words...without you attached to it. I can personally say that there are several instances I can foresee Ellie being a whole lot safer strapped in a metal stroller tumbling down a hill, than Ellie, me, and the stroller tumbling down the hill. There's just something wrong about that.

This wrist strap of death is attached to the handlebar of the stroller. It is made out of that serious a-knife-can-hardly-cut-through-me vinyl that all outdoorsy people find essential for any activity. Don't get me wrong, I think the strap is a great idea if you are a strong man that weighs enough to actually stop the weight of the stroller and the baby combined. Me? I'm thinkin' not so much.

I can see it now, Ellie and I enjoying a nice refreshing evening run. The weather is beautiful, the wind is blowing, and the sun is just setting on the horizon. I'm running and bustin' my tail as usual, while Ellie is just smiling as the wind brushes her hair oh so softly. Then out of nowhere (b/c I am terribly clumsy 90% of the time) I trip over nothing and it's down hill from there...literally. Can't you just see me? No bueno! Out for a run and returning with knees, elbows and head marked by the asphalt kiss of death. Maybe they should include a warning label: If you're that idiot that falls going UP stairs, you're not qualified to operate this piece of machinery!! DO NOT ATTEMPT!!!

I complain about it, but the sad part is that I still wear it. Yep, that's right, I still put that strap around my wrist and hope for the best. I confidently admit there haven't been any accidents thus far (I'm knocking on wood as I type this), but knowing me I'm sure there will be a follow-up to this post confirming my strap phobia.

A Little Fall Fun

I am still completely enamored by the fact that somehow over these last three days it has turned into winter in good ol' D-town. I'm pretty sure I was just in a bathing suit like two weeks ago (though, I'm still not sure exactly what I was doing in a swimsuit in October). Either way, it wasn't long ago that our nice, southern, vaguely-resembling-hell, 100+ degree, 90% humidity weather was lingering around these North Georgia mountains. I read a cute little, southern bashing, email the other day stating: Georgia seasons consist of almost summer, summer, still summer and Christmas! I think that did a pretty fair job of depicting our climate up in these here hills (sorry, I couldn't resist).

Surprisingly enough, we had our first freeze warning of the year this week. That's right, breaking news for every local news station within the 50 mile radius. Oh yes, that's just one of the many pleasures of growing up in a small town. Another pleasure....small town festivals!! Yep, this weekend was the annual Gold Rush festival in Dahlonega. There are two great things about Gold Rush...people and food. You have to remember that an event such as this generates the same amount of excitement in all the locals. So you see, people you haven't seen in years come out of the woodwork to mingle amongst the Gold Rush crowd. And the food....seriously, I wait anxiously all year for a gyro from Gold Rush...mmmm...I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. Needless to say, it was a great weekend!

How 'bout a lil photo of the fam from the glorious Gold Rush days...

It was a busy, busy weekend. Actually, the whole month of October has been crazy busy come to think of it. No complaints from me though, I've had a blast. Last Thursday was a blast too! Just the start to a great weekend I needed. A friend and I went to see Zac Brown play at the Tabernacle. We had a great time!! The night really wasn't anything spectacular, but sometimes I guess those are the best nights.

Now we have Halloween coming up!!! YAY!!! I foresee an update on those exciting plans coming soon! :)

October

This is really random, but as the new month rolls in I thought I'd take the time to evaluate how I'm beginning this October:

• Single (which is a great thing)
• Still a mother (which is an even better thing)
• A student (which is getting better)
• A friend (which is teaching me just how much fun I can have while being all of the above)

Oh, and a patient...which is teaching my wallet more of a lesson than anyone.

So, as a preventative care measure, I thought I would go to the doctor for a check-up after those several fainting episodes I experienced the last two weeks...I'm such a hypochondriac, gah!! That's how I feel though, going to the doctor when I'm not even sick. Mom says, "Better safe than sorry."

Anywho, I have a very thorough doctor. You know, one of those that if something is wrong with you she's gonna find it; one that even if you don't feel like anything is wrong she's still probably going to find something after she finishes the million tests.

Seriously, I went home yesterday poked, scanned, stuck, rubbed, monitored and lectured (not in any particular order). It appears the symptoms, however mild they may be, caused a little bit of a ruckus. Personally, I think I'm just one of those girls...you know, passes out occasionally and maybe a little numbing of the hands (the perfect date material). ha

So, now I'm on a heart monitor for a few weeks in addition to several other tests coming up. Can we say lab rat? I'm thinking this is going to be a lot of fuss for tests that a going to come back negative. I should probably throw in that the preventative care idea was implanted into my thought process solely by my mother. Who knows though, maybe I'll thank her later.

For those of you who haven't ever been on an event monitor, let me just tell you about this thing. It's a beeper (haven't heard that one in a while have you?) with three wires that attach to your chest. One wire on the right side of my chest and one on either side of my rib cage under my arms. Yes, it looks completely normal (awkward cough). I'm only the one person that still looks like they carry a pager on their hip (for those of you that are still doing that...it's not cool). Wait, I take that back (not the "cool" comment, but the pager on hip thing). I guess there are some healthcare professionals somewhere that still need a pager, but I'm sure even their hip accessories aren't the size of an 8-track. The first thing I said when I saw it was, "You want me to do what with that? Wear it? Are you serious?"

I know, I'm shallow right? Good health is much more important that appearance. Yeah, right! I should have just strapped an old computer monitor to my back for a few weeks. Then at least people wouldn't be like, "Hey Ev, what's that? A pager?" Instead, they would be like, "Hey Ev, I love the monitor! How long do you have to lug that bad boy around?" See, much better!

Nah, I'm just full of it today. The monitor really isn't that bad...hardly noticeable actually (to anyone else that is). Me, I'm just learning to deal with all the wires. No biggy though, just a temporary annoyance.

Well, October is lookin' good thus far!!! Some fun things planned: Trick-or-Treating with Ellie on Halloween night and several parties for myself on the weekends around the big occasion. Love me some costume shopping! It's always an interesting experience, so I'm sure I'll be posting about that soon enough.

Nail Horror

I feel I should start by stating the obvious: Women love gettin' their nails done. Yep, it's just one of those body maintenance things that is (1) relaxing and (2) enjoyable both during and after they're done. In most cases anyway....

Mom and I decided to indulge in a little "me" time yesterday and get our manicures and pedicures together. Mom ended up having to work later than planned, so we ventured to a new nail salon closer to her office. For those of you avid nail maintenance individuals such as myself, you know how timid you can be about testing out a new place...it can be dangerous.

So there we are comfortably relaxing in our nice massage chairs while our feet start soaking...ahhhhh! Then the nail technician approaches and asks, "what color you like?" As I happily reply with a french pedicure, she smiles and begins the hour-long process. Under normal circumstances you can sit back and relax, enjoy the massage and practically fall asleep. Chin (my nail lady) has a misconception about American women I think. It seems she believes pain is a plus during this experience.

My feet hate me right now! They look pretty, sure, but every step after that was a reminder of our ghastly experience. Chin, with her nail tool that strangely resembled a metal toothpick, went to town on my poor toes. After the first one I thought, "Ok, man-up Evelyn! You can do this." Once she finished my right foot I was hesitant to even bring the left out of the water. Seriously, she grabs my leg and says, "You put foot here!" Timidly, I did as I was told. Hey, I was frightened of what might happen if I didn't...she was holding a weapon you know.

I made it through the pick-of-death and on to the scrubber. Those feet scrubbers aren't normally the most enjoyable things, but the problem I usually face (it tickling me to death) was far from the havoc I went through this time. Chin took every bit of anger out on my innocent appendage. I'm talking I have never seen a 90lb Asian woman work a scrubber in such a manner. My relaxing massage turned into pure torture as my body was taut and beginning to sweat (a normal response to pain).

With my fingers clinched around the edge of the armrests and my back as straight as a board, I glanced over to see if my mother was enjoying her pedicure more so than I. I don't think I can even explain the look on her face. Eyes pinched close, legs drawn, and a simple phrase murmured in my direction, "This doesn't feel good." About that time, her nail technician looks up at her and says, "Ok, give me foot. I not hurt you."

Mom relaxes and allows her to continue. Overall, mom was pleased with the remainder of her visit. Her nail tech must have redeemed herself somehow, because Chin felt no need to ease-up on my feet. So I did what any woman in my position would do, I gave one swift kick (ka-tow!!) and back flies the little lady! :) Kidding of course, I sat there like a push-over would and let her mutilate my precious toes.

She finished the pedicure and on to the hands. I questioned whether or not I should request another technician, but at this point I felt that might be rude (and hey, my feet were killing me...why not add my hands to it?). She sat me down at a nail cubicle and really did a great job on my nails. Maybe feet just aren't her thing; I can understand that.

Then the strangest thing happened. Apparently this nail salon concludes your visit with (what most would normally call) a shoulder/back massage. Chin, with her tiny hands and surprisingly thrustful punches, proceeded to...well...I guess massage my back. Have you ever see WCW? Yeah, wrestling. You know, where they jump on the guy laying on the ground, landing with their elbow on the guys stomach....it was kind of like that, but my back.

After three good whiplashes, I held my hand up and said, "Ok, ok, that's good...thank you." Chin, with her hair falling in her face from the crazy energy it must have taken to do whatever it was she did, brushed her hair back and smiled with a, "Tank you! You come back!"

Yes, I paid (and even left a tip) for that whole thing. I can still see her standing at the door of the salon as I'm trying to run (more like limp) to my car. She's still just a wavin'.

**Note to self: Stick with the salons you know!

Hide-and-Seek

Having siblings is a wonderful thing. Lauren and I were reminiscing the other day (as we so frequently do) about some of our adventures throughout the years. Being the youngest of three girls really puts things into perspective for you. I mean, growing up you have the usual actions that tag you as the youngest: hand-me-downs and a push-over attitude (mainly b/c everything through adolescence was handed to you), but somewhere on the third child disclaimer there must have been some fine print stating: Official guinea pig as needed.

Man, we used to love playing hide-and-seek in the dark. I can remember getting the whole neighborhood together on the weekends right at dusk to start playing. Ah, good times! Though, the most memorable hide-and-seek moment comes from a game between just us Davis girls. This was last year...ok, kidding. I must have been about 8, Leslie was 10, and Lauren was topping out at 13. Old enough to know better.

In accordance with our aberrant adolescent attitudes, we decided against taking the game outside. Instead, we had brilliantly come to the conclusion "inside has way better hiding spots!"

There were always rules (we were way too bossy not to have rules):

1. Upstairs only
2. No turning on the lights
3. Switching spots permitted if the occasion calls for it

So, off go the lights upstairs and there we are, Lauren and I, coordinating our hiding efforts as quickly as possible. Leslie, who was named It right from the get-go (we weren't always the nicest to Leslie...but we love you now! :)), resided in one of the four bedrooms upstairs counting to fifty.

I should probably add that Lauren and I were inseparable growing up. I wanted to do everything she did. So, when it came time to find a hiding spot Lauren was the go-to girl. We scurried around for a good ten seconds before testing the first spot. Shower...no good, b/c the water inevitably got turned on at some point during the hunting process. Under the sink...no good, nowhere to hide all the stuff already under there. Closet...no good, dead giveaway. Behind the door...no good, you're trapped once she suspects the spot. Then Lauren whispers a brilliant idea into my ear, "Evelyn, we're going to hide you in the dryer! It's empty, you're tiny...it's perfect!"

With my perma-grin shining ever so brightly in the dark laundry room, I climbed right in with no other objection except, "Don't forget about me, ok?!" Lauren, in a hasty rush to find her own hiding spot, secures the dryer door and hurries off. After a good five minutes pass I realize that I have the perfect spot! Not only has Leslie not found me, but I've kept her looking for five whole minutes (give or take some time...dryer time goes a lot slower than normal time).

Then, as my cognitive timer strikes the ten minute mark, I start to question my decision. A number of things begin to run through my mind at this point: Am I going to run out of air in here? What if someone turns the dryer on? Are dryers made to open from the inside? Am I going to die in here? Not to mention I had a mental picture of a dog being stuffed into a microwave before exploding (too many scary movies). Driving myself into an eight-year-old ball of dryer fear and fury, I kicked the dryer door open and poked my head out gasping for what I thought was my last breath.

Yes, I did overreact...as most children do, but I'm happy to report none of my fear-induced questions became reality. Although, that would have probably made for a better climax to my story: Then out of nowhere I heard footsteps approaching the dryer...getting closer and closer. Before I could say or do anything I hear the control nob to the dryer clicking past the first cycle and on to the permanent press cycle...dun, dun, dun. With one flick of the wrist I was 75lbs of tumbling flesh headed for a permanent press.

Oh well! I like my ending pretty good seeing that I was the innocent victim experiencing it.

Anyway, to better understand the consequences to these dryer actions, you must understand my parents. Mom and Dad had purchased a new dryer some years before this incident. During their perfect dryer selection, they decided the most user-friendly door would be one that opened like an oven door. So you see, in order for me to climb out of the dryer I had to sit on the door itself. In my opinion, I think there should be a weight limit posted on the dryer door...you know, for situations such as these that may arise.

I think it's obvious at this point what happened...I broke the door. In my defense, I didn't actually break the door off the hinges, I just warped it a little (generously speaking). Ok, so we may have had to rig the door closed with a three foot long piece of wood lodged ever so tightly between the handle and the door jamb for years after that, but a small price to pay for a daughter saved from being dried alive if you ask me.

Needless to say, we got quite the lecture from Mom: "You three are so selfish, you don't think about anyone but yourselves! Just wait until you have kids and they destroy everything you own! See how you like it!" Do to my PG-rated blog, I'm of course leaving out the profanities that were thrown around in that lecture. In retrospect, we deserved it...and a good beating.

I think it is of utmost importance to explain why it is I was left in the dryer for so long. It seems Lauren didn't have enough time to find an adequate hiding spot (due to the time it took to stuff me in the dryer I'm assuming). So, upon the completion of Leslie's counting, Lauren was found and tagged almost immediately. Then, our parents informed us it was time for dinner, so Lauren and Leslie headed downstairs to eat....without me. At least their priorities were exposed early in life.

***Oh, and I forgot to mention that we, the wonderful daughters that we are today, did in fact purchase a new dryer for the folks. This one has a door that opens to the side...just in case. :)

A Conscious Effort

The saga continues! A short break in the action due to a minor syncope episode I had last Monday, but I'm back now! Apparently, dehydration can do some rather interesting things to the human body. You see, I've never really been an avid water drinker. I think about it a good bit, but it turns out that isn't quite enough to maintain homeostasis....who knew? Needless to say, my water drinking negligence came back to haunt me last week.

I woke up last Monday, later than usual, feeling surprisingly well considering the weekend I had. So, I headed downstairs for some coffee and morning convo with the fam. As I'm chatting it up with my mom I start feeling a bit woozy...never a good way to start the week off. So, rather than coffee (I saw no need in jump-starting my heart at that point) I decided to head back upstairs for my shower.

As I reach the top of the staircase my legs get weak and my mouth starts to water. You know the feeling, that oh-crap-I'm-about-to-be-sick-right-here feeling. Worst feeling ever! So I think to myself, "Ok, just make it to your bed and you can sit down and catch your breath." I make it through the door just far enough to flip on the light, then I collapse right there on my bedroom floor. Not kidding. The next thing I know I'm waking up to my mom and sister standing over me going, "Oh my gosh! What happened! Your lip is bleeding! Are you ok?!" Given their panic state, the hard surface, my cold sweats and a bustin' head, I kinda figured out what happened (I should have been a detective). The only thing I could think to do at this point, amongst my confusion, was assume the fetal position.

As I began to regain somewhat of an alert cognitive state, I realized they were talking to me. The only response I could think to give was, "Yeah, I'm good...I just thought I'd chill down here for a while." What a weird morning. Anyway, I took a few minutes to get it together and then resumed my normal getting ready ritual before heading into work. I humbly admit that I still have some war wounds that I'm recovering from: a mild case of carpet burn on my chin (try explaining that one with a serious look on your face), a slice in my lip (apparently I bite on my 5+ foot journey to the floor), and a small knot on my forehead from the end of the bed.

Reluctant to engage in a visit to the doctor, I spent my week recovering from what I've determined was a case of dehydration (since I'm an MD and all). Out all night Friday, sun all day Saturday, and drinks again Sunday night...who wouldn't be dehydrated, right?

CPR

Ah! The pleasures of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. One comment can probably sum up the outcome of my CPR class this week...

Lord help the innocent bystander that is held subject to my heroic CPR efforts.

I'm certified though! :)

This is Henry...he's my CPR buddy (fyi, he resents the idea that most call him a dummy). Let me tell you a little bit about Henry. He's a 32 year old male (obviously, I don't know many females named Henry), Caucasian (well, a pasty tan color), he enjoys long walks on the beach, romantic comedies, the occasional beating of the chest and a light shock if the occasion calls for it. That's right ladies, he's a keeper!

About the class... The actual certification is part of the my class requirements, so it was nice that they took a night to teach the CPR rather than making us attend another class elsewhere. I have come to the conclusion that they do it for kicks. I would...you should have seen some of the people in there.

We started off as usual, video and simple instructions. Did you know that over 900 adults in the US are killed everyday due to sudden cardiac arrest? That's right, we as individuals could be the deciding factor between life and death. That's awesome! I'm doing CPR on everyone, just for the slight chance that I might actually end up saving someone. So, family and friends beware! If you decide to grab a peaceful afternoon nap and wake up to me and my resuscitator mask hovering over your airways, I would consider yourself warned and move as quickly as possible towards the nearest exit. :)

The class covered adult, child and infant CPR. In addition to those stimulating lessons, we also covered first-aid for choking. You guessed it, the infamous Heimlich. This not being my first lesson, I'm sorry to report that I am lacking a funny story for that one. However, I do have an interesting interjection from the past that I will share.

So there we are, myself and several fellow waitstaff members socializing during some down time. This was when I worked at a local bar/restaurant on the weekends, so we always had a good time joshin' it during the slow lunches. Anywho, a friend of mine was the only one of us that had a table at the time. He had a two-top: man and women (both of which were pushin' eighty) and the man had moseyed in pulling his oxygen tank directly behind him. They were quite the cute couple. Chad had delivered their drinks, and their food came shortly after. As we continued our mindless discussion about whatever interesting event took place the night before, Chad noticed the man at the table slightly coughing and looking a bit scared like he may be choking. To add to the scene, the wife was rapidly tapping him on the back (I'm assuming to add some sort of relief to the situation...still not real sure). Chad's face turns white and looks at me with a "what do I do" look on his face. I of course said, "Don't just stand there, go see if he needs help!" At the time I could see that the man was not fully choking, but he was indeed having some difficultly chewing the abnormally large bites he was taking. Chad, on the other hand, obviously couldn't see the situation during his mission to heroic status. He immediately grabbed the man's shoulders and said in a loud, very stern voice of panic, "Are you ok, sir? Are you choking?"

Side note: One key step we learn in these classes is to wait a few seconds to give the victim a chance to reply.

I think he must have gotten caught up in the excitement of it all, b/c he grabbed the old man from behind, strategically placed his foot on the bar stool across from him (for extra leverage), and began what looked from afar like two foreign creatures preforming some sort of exotic mating ritual...one creature considerably older than the other mind you.

That image will forever be burned into my memory bank. This odd experience continued for, I would say, seven good thrusts before the man could squeeze out a, "Stop! Stop! I'm ok!" About that time, Chad sets the fragile old fella down on his chair, wipes the beads of sweat from his brow and hands the man his oxygen mask. We, as onlookers, casually brought our mouths back from the "holy crap" position they were in and started looking for something productive to do before the couple noticed the audience. Before leaving, I did hear Chad say, "Is there anything else I can get for you?" I can only imagine the look of fear on his face after that experience.

Like most events in our lives, there was a valuable lesson learned here: Always be sure the person you're saving needs help! If they don't, just move really quickly before they can say anything.

Weekend Escapades

I thought I would take this post to talk about the Labor Day weekend I had. I should probably preface with the fact that not every weekend goes the way this one did. Normally, I bask in the idea that I spend at least half the weekend being responsible, but something happened...it must have been all the holiday excitement.

So, how about we start with Friday? The obvious occurred: work and a little bit of play. I did the normal routine of up at 4:15am and off to work, but after work my sisters and I had some big plans for dinner and drinks with an old friend (a previous babysitter actually). We had so much fun catching up with her! I have to throw in that she had a huge impact on our molding process as individuals. Although, I won't say she's completely to blame for the wild women we have become today, but she had a lot to do with it. ;)

So after partying with Kim Friday night, my sisters and I headed out. Not really sure where to go, we defaulted to Wild Bills. (Side note: We have recently decided to change that default) Not enjoying ourselves to the fullest of our ability, we decided to leave after one song, half a beer, and $45 to get in (don't ask what we were thinking, b/c we weren't really). Actually, at the time we thought it was a great idea. A little honesty for you dedicated readers, most of our great ideas are alcohol induced decisions. So there we were, seriously jammin' to some hip hop and headed to the ATL for the remainder of our Friday night. Leslie (our party animal of a sister) just couldn't muscle the 30/45min ride down to the club; she was out cold by the time we finally parked. Without further hesitation, Leslie eagerly insisted that we leave her there to sleep while we went on in. With three hours left to party, Lauren and I had our night cut out for us! What a blast we had too! Lauren, I couldn't have asked for a better night!!

Yay! There we are! This was somewhere between our 6 Red Bulls, the fun girls we met, and T...who was a hottie! :) The picture is a little fuzzy...as was the night!

Friday night turned into Saturday morning real quick as we closed the club and headed back home around 5:00am. No, it doesn't normally take us two hours to get home, but apparently the directions on Lauren's iPhone can be (awkward clearing of the throat) pretty tricky to read. I still love you, Lauren!

I should probably add that there were several promises made prior to our Friday night out. Lauren and I promised (cross my heart and hope to die style) that we would get up and help Leslie paint her house first thing Saturday morning...regardless what time we crawled through the door that night. So we did just that! We were up and ready to paint by 9:00am. Sleep is really overrated, you know?

I can tell you from personal experience that proper ventilation is essential when you're painting. The word vegetable comes to mind. Seriously, I was a mess. 3.5 hours of sleep + 6 hours of paint fumes = some really bad singing coupled with some seriously bad dance moves...in the middle of the day...covered with white paint. An out-of-body experience to say the least, but we got it done!

Just a few of the many high points (pun intended) from our day of painting:

1. A biscuit and some Red Bull.
2. "I've been in the same spot for an hour now...have I painted this crack yet?"
3. Bel Biv DeVoe, Paula Abdul, and our new CD.
4. More Red Bull.
5. "It's club Apple...bring your computer, Matt!"
6. "No, we're in no condition to try and play volleyball with pros!"

I knew we must have been high when Lauren and I decided it would be a good idea to head back out to Atlanta again Saturday night. So, we got ready and made our way down to SHOUT for drinks and some awesome sushi! Mildly comatose from the day and night before, Lauren and I filled up on some much needed nutrition and headed upstairs for some mingling. How much fun did we have?! Good times. Then over to the club for some jookin'. Yes, that is one of my new words from the weekend! Some other interesting things:

• Texting under the influence never ends good.
• Patrón does improve the situation (and often times the company).
• You can pay 1/2 the parking fee if they only give you 1/2 a spot (half meaning that you have to physically crawl over to the passenger side to get out of the car).
• "I wish he would have just taken a pee on my leg, it would have been a lot quicker than that whole territorial thing he was just doing."
• If her hair looks fake, chances are it is..."but you can ask if you want."
• The curb won't give!
• "Lauren, exactly how close am I to that BMW?"

Yeah, so sometime amongst all of those educational experiences, we decided to head to a bar in Buckhead to meet up with some friends. So, north we went! After wrapping it up in Buckhead, Lauren and I were D-town bound. After a quick stop by the Waffle House in Dawsonville (aka D-Vegas), we finally pulled in the driveway about 5:15am. Once again, loving my bed by this point! Needless to say, Sunday was spent sleeping....

ALL DAY!

I think I might have made it out of bed twice for some much needed H2O, but other than that it was sleepy time for the E! Poor Lauren had to drive back to Knoxville, but she seemed pretty ok with it (ah, who am I kidding? I was passed out when she left). She did make it back safely though! Overall, I would have to say we had an amazing weekend! Time with family and friends...it doesn't get much better than that!

Aerodynamics

So, I started thinking last night (which is never a good idea) about some of the experiences I had with one of my old roommates. It's crazy how you forget all the funny times. If you're anything like me, your memory is shot! I have a few specks of memory from significant points in my life, but overall I would classify my memories as lost, vetoed, or even irresponsibly misplaced due to too many parties. Though, I do have one that stands out. One terrifying, life-changing moment that remains a vivid memory...I thought I would share it with you.

My best friend, and roommate at the time, and I were on our way home from one of our many nights out. On our way home at 10:00am in the morning mind you. Yes, driving without any sleep does sound like a bad idea...now. At the time the idea was brilliant. You know, you get that feeling of, "Ok, I'm done being here and I'm ready to go home, get a shower, and be in my bed." So that's what we did. This was a few years ago and I was driving my 2001 MR2 Spyder convertible (very cute car by the way) that only sat approximately a foot off the ground...give or take some space (hey, I'm a female...those statistics are irrelevant to me). Anyway, she and I were jamming out to some overrated hip-hop, as usual, not paying much attention to our surroundings. We decided to take a shortcut to our house rather than staying on 400 the whole way. So there we are, top down and making our way north towards Forsyth County. Our shortcut turned into a not-so-shortcut once we proceeded to get behind a geriatrically driven four door sedan. Paying no mind to the 20mph decrease in speed we continued with our chatting and piercingly bad singing. Then, out of the corner of my eye I see what looks like a groundhog running abnormally fast towards the highway. Living in the country, I see groundhogs all the time. They spend their afternoons grabbing some grub near the highways or observantly perched on their hind legs peaking over the kudzu all attentive to any danger that may arise. So you can understand my surprise when I see one hauling some serious butt towards a highway. My pulse starts to race as the furry, fat-rolled marmot continues it's course towards the road. My thoughts at this point (considerably slower than normal) didn't even reach my mouth; before I could mutter a word the rodent was in full motion and headed straight for the car in front of us. Within seconds the groundhog collided with the back rear tire of the sedan. The car didn't even jerk. The couple probably didn't even realize what had happened, but us on the other hand...we were in trouble. I was immediately informed of my copilot's awareness of the groundhog as she clenches the door handle and the right side of my seat all in one terrifying motion. I, with my hands firmly at 10 and 2, squeezed the wheel and tensed up my entire body. Have you ever seen a groundhog fly? No? Me either until now. The speed from the vehicle and the speed from the groundhog must have amplified the reaction, because the groundhog was instantly propelled into the air. I remember thinking, "There is no way that is a groundhog!" But it was, and it was headed helicopter style towards us. I am not even kidding. All that we could see coming towards us was snout...tail...snout....tail. I didn't even swerve (there was no time). Luckily, given the aerodynamics of the rodent and the limited height of my car, the groundhog flew right over the top of the convertible and into the grass on the opposite side of the highway. I don't know about you, but seeing the underside of a flying groundhog was definitely on my things-to-do-before-I-die list. Needless to say, the lack of sleep and alcohol consumption the night before coupled with our little groundhog incident resulted in an extreme case of the shakes for the both of us. So, I pulled over for a few minutes of recuperation before continuing our journey home.

I thought this might assist with that mental picture!

Identity Update

There have been some changes to the identity theft situation I experienced last weekend, so I thought I would do a short update. Another piece of valuable information to those of us naive, somewhat illiterate, bankers who miss the fine print...apparently my savings account is somehow directly linked to my checking account. Excuse me, what? Could you please repeat that information and slap an IDIOT sign on my forehead?! What do you think I'm am? Yes, I know that I can access both accounts from the ATM, but...

Ahhhhhh man....

Wait, what is that huge light? And that distinct "ding" sound I hear? Oh, nevermind that's my light bulb going off. Don't mind the flickering, it hasn't been used in some time so it takes some warming up.

Does this mean he got into my savings account too?

That's right ladies and gentlemen, the thief made out with $200 more of my money. Luckily, the bank only allows for a max withdrawal of $200 in a 24 hour period at an ATM. That could have gotten real bad, real quick seeing that I have well over $200 in savings. Gah! Makes me ill just thinking about it. So, I have to head back over to the bank again this afternoon to fill out more paperwork.

Although, there was a glimpse of hope for human honesty yesterday and I was lucky enough to experience it. On Wednesday nights I have a class from 6:30pm-9:00pm and the instructor always allows for a 10min break. Well, I'm not much of an avid breaker, but yesterday I thought a little caffeine might help with my tired state. So, several of my classmates and I headed down to the vending machines. After inserting $2 for my Dt. Coke, I sluggishly grabbed my refreshment and made my way back up to class. I only made it about five steps before hearing one of my classmates say, "Hey, you forgot your change!" My heart leapt with joy...no, I'm not cheap (even though I do think $1.25 is a little steep for a Coke), I was just pleasantly surprised by her honesty. The only thing I could think to say (overly exaggerated I might add) was,"Thank you SO much! I really really appreciate your honesty."

Given the awkward, rather scared look on the girl's face, I then realized my reaction may have been a bit much for three quarters. I'm sure I came across as an extremely gracious penny pincher, but I took the walk back to class to explain my reasoning for such a response. Of course she completely understood then, but felt compelled to throw in a "maybe next time you should try to remember you card." Genius! Why didn't I think of that one?!

So that's my story. I felt like maybe reinforcing the fact that honesty IS appreciated would help my matter in some future karma retrospect.

Up the Creek...

I'm not sure I can even find words to explain the Friday night I had. A learning experience to say the least. There are some things in life you have to go through (several times it seems) in order to come to a realization of...I'M AN IDIOT!!

Believe me, there wouldn't be enough space on my blog to try and explain all of it. Ok, so there is probably enough room, but not near enough self-confidence to share my experience. However, I can say that I have managed to discover several things about myself: 1. I'm not above taking a cab when the circumstances call for it...regardless the company or the cost, 2. I can now say I am a victim of identity theft, and 3. Sometimes I allow my pride to make decisions for me that I would otherwise rethink.

The whole weekend wasn't bad. Saturday was spent in recovery mode and Sunday I helped my sister and her boyfriend renovate a house they will be moving into soon. I have to say, Friday night wasn't really even bad until the clock struck 2:00am. Ah, time is still healing that wound and my pride.

Anywho, let me elaborate on that #2 of discoveries listed above. Words of advice: PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU'RE DOING, regardless the time or how much you may have had to drink. Some things in life are free...identity theft isn't one of them!

You see, it's a funny thing. The ATM prompts for a "would you like to make another transaction" and if you are on the phone, your hands are full, AND you're trying to catch the cab before they leave you, it makes it a little difficult to remember to grab your card. Right? Please say you might have done the same thing if you were me. Plus, I was ALONE...a cute female that is alone in Atlanta during the wee hours of the morning can make any girl rush through an ATM transaction. Not to mention a suspicious guy walked up behind me during this whole deal, so my mind was on getting my money and getting back to the car as quickly as possible. Luckily, I have an awesome bank! Out of the $500 charges that were made, I'm only out about $100.

So, you can see how waking up Saturday morning with a message from the Fraud Department at my bank could only add to the mayhem that already consumed my Friday night. I got through it though. The guy was really nice and even threw in a, "Well at least you weren't driving drunk" comment. There is hope for mankind.

I do have a special thanks to give though. This girl is awesome.

Though her matchmaking skills sometimes don't work out like originally planned, her personality is one of a kind! Seriously, even at 2 in the morning she is still as sweet as can be! I wasn't exactly sure who to call during the whole fiasco, so I called Jessica and she stayed on the phone with me the whole time. That takes some serious commitment...listening to me yap about the crazy night (and yell at my cab driver on several occasions). You're the best, Jess! :)

Precious Ellie

So, it's been a few days since I've had an opportunity to post. This one will be pretty short and sweet itself. Kinda random, but I just wanted to share this little video of Ellie I took over the weekend.

She just makes me melt. She's getting so big! That's her new thing right now, saying "I don't know" and "No"...which I can foresee not being near as cute when she gets a little older. It sure is cute now though. :)

Lesson Learned

Let me just start by saying....who had the bright idea to have a concert on a Wednesday night? Those of us that can afford to go to a concert work during the week. My next question, what was I thinking actually going to the Wednesday night concert? What can I say, life is too short not to indulge in the simple pleasures like AWESOME concerts!

So, a friend and I went to the Jack Johnson concert at Lakewood last night and had a blast.

There we are, enjoying a little JJ and some darn good seats (which is a completely different story). The downfall...parking. Which leads me to my next question. Who builds an amphitheatre without thinking parking through? Are there even any answers to these mindless questions?

So, we sat in traffic forever, but that's going to happen regardless the parking situation. The real thing that gets me is the small forest we had to park in a mile away from the place. Yes, we did pay $20 for that spot next to the big oak. Who knew there were still trees in Atlanta? And gravel?

No complaints from me though, the show was well worth it!

There's nothing like getting home at 3:00AM on a week night. You know, your hamster just doesn't work quite as hard when it hasn't had the adequate amount of sleep. The wheel is there and the hamster is alive, but there isn't the slightest hint of activity. The repercussion of three hours of sleep.

I must say, that type of lifestyle takes some serious practice, dedication, major conditioning and a whole lotta Red Bull. Yeah, I remember the days...working in a bar until 3am, going out after work and then finally crashing for a little mid day shut-eye before doing it all again. Ah, the memories. Thank the Lord I don't live like that anymore! Nope, just the occasional night out for me...which I appreciate so much more now.

So, not properly conditioned for these circumstances, you can imagine how I was feeling today. Aside from the slightly blurred vision, clammy skin and the occasional cold sweats, I've been dealing with a bit of disorientation. I managed to run into my desk three separate times before 9:ooAM this morning. I've been working there for two years and never randomly collided with my desk. Not this morning though, in a two hour time span I did it not once, not twice, but three times. We know the importance of "wet floor" signs and "do not enter" signs, but who knew I needed a padded suit to make it through the work day safely. The recovery period just isn't what it used to be. Lack of sleep mixed with a mildly aggressive hangover = an interesting morning to say the least.

So, ladies and gentlemen, what can we take from this educational experience? Tylenol is your friend...take it with you to work!

Good Stuff

A million sperm and she was the fastest.

Just kidding! My baby girl is a genius...I have proof! This next picture was taken before she was even a year old. You can't tell me she isn't just like her mommy!

And this last pic she's only 6 months!

LOL Oh man, she's such a doll! Just looking at these old pictures makes me laugh. She has been so much fun!

Well, my week is shaping up quite nicely. I have class tonight, a concert tomorrow night, and some shopping with a friend planned for the weekend. Sounds pretty good, huh?! I'm probably going to be pretty tired by the weekend, but it will be worth it!

Walker and Dalton

I had such a wonderful weekend! I got to spend Friday with Felicia for her last night here, which was fun as usual. Then, Saturday morning Mom, Dad and Felicia left for the long ride to Kentucky.:( That's where they were meeting Jack rather than having to drive all the way to Indiana. I'm sad Felicia isn't here anymore, but it makes me excited about the next time we get to spend some time together!

So, it was just Ellie and I at the house. It's always a breath of fresh air to be home alone. Not that I don't LOVE having family around, but sometimes it's nice to not have any plans...just to enjoy the weekend. That's just what we did too! Jessica, Corey (her husband), Dalton and Walker came over to swim with us Saturday afternoon. We had such a good time. We got some sun, played in the pool, ate lunch and just relaxed together. Let me just say those little boys are so precious! I have some pics to share too...

This is Walker...he is such a ham! :) He has the best personality. He's four and so much fun! My arms are still sore today from picking him up out of the water all day. We had such a blast!

This is little Dalton! He's two and SO freakin' precious! He would just laugh and laugh when he was in the water. Ellie got such a kick out of having them there too. Definitely something we'll have to do again soon!

Ellie went to stay with her dad Saturday night, so I had the night and house to myself the rest of the weekend. I think I got more done in one day than I've managed to get done all year. It was so nice! I have to admit by Sunday evening I missing my Ellie and ready for her to get back home. Yes, I enjoyed having the day for myself, but I missed my little munchkin'.

The Dark Knight

Can you say BAD?!! Holy crap, that movie was awesome!. My niece and I went yesterday afternoon to see what all of the fuss was about and we came out of the movie lovin' every minute. I wouldn't say it is a replacement for my current favorite, Transformers, but I would definitely say it breaks even. I waited until about a week ago before seeing Batman Begins and I thought it kicked some serious movie-going butt! I was actually wondering how they were going to make the sequel just as good, but they did!! Two enthusiastic thumbs up! :)

Party Time!

I have been meaning to post about the birthday party Ellie went to for three weeks now, but I kept forgetting. It was a party for two precious little boys, Walker and Dalton Young. Their mother, Jessica, has become a really close friend of mine. She and I both work at the hospital, so we get to brag to one another about our little ones all the time. :)

Jessica had their birthday party at a water park in Gainesville and it was so much fun! That's the place in the picture above. It was cloudy, but we were lucky it didn't rain for their big day. Man, those kids had a blast. Walker, who was turning four, didn't slow down once. He was running around the whole time enjoying himself. It was too cute! I wish I had some pics of him. I do have some sweet shots of Ellie though (of course :))...

She is such a mess, I could just eat her up!

She was pretty timid at first. I think all the adults, kids and water fountains caught her by surprise. It didn't take her long to warm up though. Here's a little video of her playing...so cute!

Rocky Top

Yep, headed to Knoxville for the weekend! Ellie will be with her father this weekend and rather than missing her at home, I'll be missing her in Tennessee. We are going to have a blast though! Felicia, my niece, is going with me to visit Lauren. Even though I love my time alone, it's going to be great to have a traveling buddy...and who better than my precious niece?!

See, my brother and his wife are headed back to Indiana today (tear), but Felicia will be staying with us another week! :) I don't think I have mentioned much about Felicia thus far. She's ten and the youngest of my brother's girls. He has one other sixteen year old, Elizabeth, who didn't have the chance to come visit this go around. Hopefully soon though!

So anyway, I have a cute story about Felicia. Ellie has been SO taken by her this whole visit. The first night they arrived Ellie was crawling up into Felicia's lap begging for her attention. It usually takes Ellie a day or two to warm up to new people, but not in this case. She's been following Felicia around this whole week...it's so cute!

On Wednesday, when I got home from work I asked Dad how the day went with the grandbabies. He smiled and said great. Then, he proceeded to tell me earlier that morning Felicia had taken Ellie upstairs to play with the toys in Ellie's room, but Felicia came back down a little later alone. Of course Dad asked where Ellie was and Felicia just replied with a, "She was falling asleep while we were playing, so I put her down for a nap in her crib." I just thought that was so precious. Here is a girl who is the youngest, so she hasn't really had to "care" for anyone. She can barely reach Ellie's crib as it is, but she took the initiative to tend to Ellie's needs regardless. I just thought that was so sweet. I guess I just look at it like I was the youngest and at ten I probably wouldn't have done the same.

We have a fun weekend ahead of us. Lauren and I are taking Felicia to see the new Batman movie and to do some other fun stuff. I have to say, I think I'm more excited about the movie than she is. I'm pumped! Seriously, we watched Batman Begins last night and it was AWESOME! Where have I been? I can't believe that was the first time I watched it. I can honestly say it won't be the last time! I'll let you know how The Dark Knight goes. :)

Adios July!

This is for those of us who can't seem to find time for a social life during the week. Who said Myspace and Facebook weren't cool? I have to admit there are downfalls though. It makes it pretty difficult to come up with an excuse as to why you haven't kept in touch with certain people...not that I would ever do that (awkward cough).

So anywho, it's Thursday again and the last day of July! Am I the only one who feels like this year has taken off and left me squandering in the dust? Seriously, I feel like catching up would require Christmas shopping and plans for the New Year celebrations (which probably isn't a bad idea to start thinking about). Like all things, there is a good side to it. Fall is just around the corner! My favorite time of year and it will be here before we know it! The small town festivals, the amazing weather, the changing of the leaves...it's all so, ahhhhhh, beautiful! I crack myself up sometimes.

Plans for the weekend? Funny you should ask. I was thinking about a trip to Knoxville to visit with the sista for her birthday! Wow! See, too much time on the computer results in random conversations with yourself; posted for everyone to read. Then we call it blogging. ha Sure, sure, hurry and think of something to call it so we all don't look like a bunch of crazies. Too many thoughts to not write them down...yep, I qualify that as a little crazy. The distinguishing factor: are they thoughts or voices? Hmmm. Blog, that's the best they could do? I would have gone with online asylum. I think that has a nice ring to it.

Have I mentioned that I love to laugh?! There are few things better than a good laugh. At someone or with someone, whatever. Just kidding, I keep my laughing with other people to a minimum. ;) Seriously though, I find humor in some of the weirdest things, but it's great! And I am not talking about a small giggle or smirk kind of laugh, I'm talking about a bust out I-almost-wet-my-pants laugh. It always seems to be at the most random times too. The middle of a meeting, church, driving down the road. Yep, I'm that girl. Really off topic, but just thought I would throw that out there.

Speaking of funny, this is too much!

I better get to work. Only one more day until the weekend!! Yay!

BIRTHDAY GIRL!!

29 years! Just thought I would take the time to wish one of the best sisters in the world a "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!" I must admit I am a little bummed that I cannot be in Knoxville, TN to celebrate this wonderful event tonight. Maybe this weekend!

If you haven't had the opportunity to meet my sister, I'm afraid you are missing out. I can't think of any description I could post on here that would even begin to capture her personality. She sees what she wants and gets it. She wants a good time and makes one. She's always smiling, always laughing, and always a bit mischievous. She's successful, driven, determined, caring...a Davis for sure! :) Her personality is the kind you crave when you're deprived of it and cherish when you're graced with it. She's a wonderful sister and best friend. I'm so proud to be her sister and I can't wait to celebrate 29 more years with her!

Here's more about Lauren if you want to get to know her!

Tuesday Workload

I thought this was appropriate for the week I'm having...and it's only Tuesday! It always amazes me at how quickly people will push work off on another person. Accountability people! Not only is it put off on you, but then you get hassled about when it's going to be done. That's on top of everything else you're already doing. Funny how that works.

Just a little venting today. What kind of person would I be if I didn't take the time once in a while to complain. Love my job...still learning to like all the people I have to work with. :)

Surprise Visit

There were some pleasant changes in the family visit this weekend. Yesterday, to our surprise, in addition to my brother, his wife, and his little girl, my Aunt and cousins (who brought their husband and girlfriend too) showed up to visit. It was so good to see everyone! Talk about a full house. We spent the day out by the pool visiting and catching up on what seemed like forever. Then, we grilled out and enjoyed a feast that mom and dad prepared for us all. You don't realize just how much time has passed until you start rehashing those old memories. We all had a great time and I am so happy that they all had a chance to see Ellie too!

There never seems to be enough time for family. Everyone stays so busy with their own lives; trying to squeeze in a visit or two during those spare weekends. Actually, if we really waited for "spare" weekends we would never see family. I think that goes for everyone though. Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and put everything off one more weekend (work and play) and just enjoy the company.

Speaking of work, it's back to work today! Monday is always a bit of a struggle for me...probably for everyone. I get up with all good intentions, "Today is going to be a great day and week!" Then I get to work and realize just how tired I am. It's good though, I'll wake up for Tuesday! :)

I better get to it!

Busy, Busy, Busy...

There has been so much going on this past week that I haven't even had a chance to blog on all the fun! Where should I start? I know I mentioned before that we went to the Corey Smith concert and had a BLAST, but I thought I would add another pic just to reminisce a bit more on all the fun we had.

Needless to say, we were all due for a good time. Time away from drama and work; time with the sisters...and that's just what we got! It's funny how one good night can make you miss spending time with two other people so much. It's good though! It makes me that much more excited about our next adventure together! :)

So that was last weekend. Then on Thursday I had plans with several girls I work with to go watch Kurt Thomas play at The Vinings Inn in Atlanta. We had so much fun! Here is a pic of us with Kurt. We took ton of pics, but I thought this would be cute to share!

Yes, I did have to struggle through work on Friday after going out that night, but it was worth every minute! Now, it's Saturday morning and there's a full week ahead of me too! Lauren and Judson are back in town to celebrate Lauren's 29th birthday! We're due for cake and presents tonight which is always fun! Her birthday really isn't until July 30th, but she couldn't get off work to come home. I am hoping things will work out so that I can spend next weekend celebrating with her in Knoxville!

There's something else I'm super excited about...my brother is coming into town tonight with his wife and daughter!! Jack and his wife will be here until Wednesday and Felicia, his youngest daughter, will be staying with us for two weeks! It's going to be great! The last time I had an opportunity to spend time with them I was going into labor. I don't remember much after being admitted to the hospital, so this visit will be much better I'm sure! :) Well, I better get to cleaning for the company!

Rub-A-Dub-Dub...

Right out of Whoville! Isn't she a doll?! You know you've got it bad when someone could do just about anything and you would still gush about how precious they are. I say that only because it is really out of my element to feel that way. Ok, maybe not to feel that way, but expressing those feelings toward another human being really hasn't ever been my style. I know, I know, I should take more time conveying those feelings to the people I love. Believe me, I am working on it.

Regardless of how cold I may be to others, Ellie just warms my heart right up. Yep, I can feel a little ice breaking off each time I look at those beautiful blue eyes. I guess God does have a plan: beautiful baby....check, happy mother...check, cold heart warmed over...double check!! Just kidding. I really shouldn't be so hard on myself all the time. If the world didn't have people like me we would all me mushy, love-sick puppies wandering around aimlessly. Ok, maybe not that bad, but you get the point. I think it balances out in the end.

Ramble, ramble, ramble...where am I going with this? Hmmm....what is it that I am trying to say? I guess just that we should remember everyone is different. Actions and reactions to events are always going to depend on the individual person. Where one may cry another may laugh; not because they are ruthless, but because they see things from a different perspective. I guess sometimes we could all benefit from a new perspective on things.

Wow, I have successfully taken a post about a cute bath time photo of Ellie and turned it into a lecture...minus two cool points for me! I better get to bed before this gets any worse. :)

Wild Weekend!

What an amazing weekend! Lauren came home to visit Friday and it was on from there! Friday night Leslie, Creo and I met Lauren and Judson at the tattoo place just one town over. Yep, I got myself some ink! I went by the place about a week ago and had an artist (JP) put the picture I had in mind on paper; he did a great job. So, I waited for both sisters to be in town and we headed for the tat! I have two short clips that Lauren took I thought I would share...

Aren't those fun?! So anyway, I got the tattoo and I love it! Then, on Saturday we had a concert to get ready for! Not just any concert...Corey Smith! He's my favorite! We got everything together and headed down to Chastain Park for the show. Our plans changed a bit as far as company goes; it ended up being Leslie, Creo, Lauren, Judson and myself, but I wouldn't have rathered it any other way! We had SO much fun!

I better get to work...I'll write more soon!

Over the Top!

Can we say slacker?! Seriously, I haven't posted in over a week! That's what happens when school starts back and stress settles in. I'll work on it though. :)

So what's new and exciting? Hmmmm.... The Corey Smith concert is this weekend and I can hardly sit still I'm so excited! He may not call himself a genius, but I do! If you haven't heard him, check him out!

The weekend is looking great already and it's only Tuesday! Leslie and Creo are going to the concert with me and Lauren and Judson are coming home for the concert as well...excitement level just went up ten points! Cara (one of my best friends) and her new hubby Greg are going to be joining us for the party too! Oh man, it's going to be off the hook! Yes, I just said that.

Other than the concert, I have a quick update on the little one. Ellie is great as usual, but she had an accident today. I should be more specific, she had a run in with the trashcan. Oh yes, I got home from class tonight about 9:30 and she was just drying her tears. Apparently, she hasn't quite learned the rules of gravity yet.

A quick mental picture for you....on our porch there is a leather couch with tables at each end. Beside the small table to the left of the sofa my dad keeps a mid-sized (fairly small) trashcan angled in the corner. The only real access to this trashcan is over the side of the couch. Yep, that's right....

Ellie was sitting on the couch, playing so diligently with the pens, paper and such that were on the side table, when her attention was snatched away to the small calendar residing on the window ledge. You know kids, once they get their mind set on something they just lose focus of everything else (including balance). As she reaches over to the ledge, she slips on the slick leather armrest and goes HEAD-FIRST into the trashcan! Oh man, mom said she had no choice but to pull Ellie out by her ankles. I have to add that Ellie isn't the smallest of the 18 (almost 19) month olds that I've seen. Nope, she's a good 28 pounds of pure disaster running around the house. So anyway, mom pulls Ellie out of the trash, all the while Ellie is screaming hysterically from her little trashcan somersault.

I walked in about the time GiGi (my mom) was pulling the ice pack off of Ellie's forehead. Luckily there were no broken bones or concussions, but she does have two large bumps on her head. Both are long knots shaped familiarly like the side of a trashcan. I wish I had more than this one picture to share with you, but between the crying and laughing this was the only shot I could get.

Look at that knot on her noggin!!! Head-first into a trashcan and still smiling, that's my girl! :)

July 4th Weekend

What a wonderful holiday weekend! We went to Knoxville to visit my sister and had a great time. It is always nice to spend extra time with the whole fam. This first picture is of Ellie in her July 4th dress! Wasn't she a doll?! Let me just say that dress only lasted through dinner. Little Ellie had a huge accident in her pretty new dress. Yes, you heard me correctly...poo all over the place. For those of you who have never experienced such a grotesque event, let me enlighten you.

It's a funny thing...kids and their bowel movements. They can just keep that stuff to themselves until the next thing you know you're up to your elbows in nastiness. You think I'm kidding? I wish. I do have to say it wasn't THAT bad since it was my own daughter, but had it been anyone else I wouldn't have been able to do it.

So, we were enjoying our nice 4th of July dinner at The Olive Garden. They seated us in a private room because there were eight of us (or maybe they knew the fate of our night already). We enjoyed a great dinner, wine and conversation. Little did we know that while we were enjoying the atmosphere, Ellie was destroying the ozone layer with her own fireworks. That's right, I took her out of her highchair so that she could walk around the table while we continued our conversations. Well, she hadn't began her little escapades then, instead she waited until she was down doing her own socializing before relieving herself at the same time.

She was walking around the table and who did she pick to surprise??? Uncle Judson! Oh yes, he picked her up with an, "Awww, she wants to sit with me." Next thing we knew he was saying, "Ummm, I think someone had an accident..." followed with an "ALL OVER MY LEG!" Oh man, it was so funny. Judson stood Ellie up and had a huge brown, pure liquid, spot on his freshly pressed khaki shorts.

Needless to say, Lauren and I rushed her to the restroom and, to our surprise, Ellie had messed all the way up the back of her diaper and into the cute July 4th dress. Oh, and it didn't just go North. Nope, those cute sparkling red and blue sandals adorning her precious dress were now adorned with something I can assure you I didn't pay extra for. Lauren and I thought, "We can handle this...we're pros!" Sure, sure. So what did we do? Yep, we stripped the baby butt naked in The Olive Garden restroom and washed her in the sink. Hey, desperate times call for desperate measures.

Luckily, I always keep a spare outfit in her diaper bag for times such as these. Though, I never thought I might need to keep a hand-held pressure washer in her bag too. Wonder if they make those? Hmmm. ;)

Well, we managed to get Ellie all cleaned up and the outfit and shoes washed out. We even made it to the fireworks early! She wasn't in her red, white and blue, but she was still precious.

This next picture was taken outside Lauren's apartment before dinner.

Ah, our night out together. Finally. It has been too long since our last night out together. It's always a good time with the Davis girls. Those of you that have brothers and sisters that you are close to know what I mean. It is fun to go out with friends, but nothing like spending the night out with you sisters! Too much fun!