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! :)

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!

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!

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! :)

Tim McGraw!

What an amazing performance! Great seats, great company....a GREAT night! Even better than I expected I think. Halfway To Hazard was amazing! I was really impressed. They border more on a country/rock band than anything; a really good band to throw in the mix! Jason Aldean was awesome! Check out the picture of him. A Georgia boy at heart and you can really tell when he's playing at home. He did a really good job. Definitely a crowd pleaser.

Then there was Tim! Aside from the fact that he is the ultimate eye candy, he was jammin' last night! Even during his new songs that nobody knew, he still rocked the crowd! I think the venue has a lot to do with it too. Lakewood (HiFi Buys Amphitheatre) is the best place for concerts! It is outside and it isn't a huge place, so every ticket is a good ticket. Not like ours last night though! We were in the front section; row T from the stage! It was awesome! We had some really fun people behind us too, which always makes the concert more fun.

A short post I know, but I'll try to add more pics of the show later.

Concert Time

Yep, we are going to see Tim McGraw tonight! I am just full of excitement! Josh and I purchased these tickets back in December...talk about anticipation. It has been about eight years since the last Tim concert I attended. Too long! I am sure the concert is going to be great!

Accompanying Tim tonight will be Jason Aldean and Halfway To Hazard. I am not that familiar with Halfway to Hazard, but Jason Aldean has done nothing but impress me! There is no doubt in my mind it will be an amazing concert. I will be sure to let you know how it went! Can't wait...only 14 hours to go!

More FB Pics

June already! I cannot believe half of 2008 has already passed. It is going to be Christmas again before we know it! I do have some fun stuff planned for the next few weeks. Josh and I are going to the Tim McGraw concert next Wednesday...supa excited about that! Then, a friend of mine is getting married June 14th and we all know how fun weddings are! The 4th of July is just around the corner which is exciting. Plus, I just got tickets for the Corey Smith concert July 19th...that's going to be a BLAST!! Then Lauren (my oldest sister) has her birthday on July 30th! So, that is the fun stuff we have planned; the rest of my time will consist mostly of classwork and real work. I guess all of that work makes the playtime more fun! I often times find myself wishing I had more time to play with Ellie though. Delayed gratification, remember? That is what I keep telling myself. I do take time for her, but I think every parent wishes they could have a little more time with their kids...at least while they are little, cute, and mute. ;)

So, Josh took some adorable pictures of Ellie on our Folly Beach vacation and I thought I would share them! These are too cute!

Lauren, the green outfit is for you and Judson...I thought you would appreciate that.















These pictures were taken during breakfast on Saturday morning. This was shortly after she spit up all of the orange juice she guzzled down. If you look closely at her shirt you can still see what's left. One of the many pleasures of having a toddler...lots of messy clothes!


Look at those eyes! Makes me melt. Don't ask me how I got such a beautiful little girl. What can I say? God loves me! :)


Can you say bored?! I have to say this series of photographs that Josh took are by far my favorite. I am hoping to get these framed together at some point (whenever I have some free time). I just love them! Thanks Josh!

Hmmm...how do I explain this one? Well, if you blow air out of your mouth with your lips closed; making the sound of a big truck...that is what she is doing. Her noise doesn't sound much like a truck, but I am hoping that gave you some sort of an idea. I am actually making the sound right now as I type in an attempt to better explain it. Not so great with those descriptive details yet. Sorry.

Well, that is it for now. I have more to post, but no time! Maybe this afternoon!