December 29th

I have one name for you...a name that brings fear, hives, and anxiety to most...

Chuck E. Cheese

That's right, fellow child pleasers, the place "Where A Kid Can Be A Kid" and the place where some genius adult discovered the need for Valium.

I've visited this establishment on two occasions. The first dreadful experience was some years ago, and the second was last night. After my first visit with twenty kids and a singing mouse, I swore I wouldn't return. Oh, the things you'll do for your offspring.


My mom, Leslie, Creo, and Gabriel accompanied Ellie and I to Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate Miss Ellie's birthday. This was our family celebration (though we truly missed the rest of our family), but her actual birthday party isn't for another week. That was the key in making it a great time! Seriously, a 5 to 1 ratio in a place like that is definitely the way to go. We had a blast. Games, pizza, birthday cake, presents...no hives, headaches, or anxiety attacks. It was fabulous. Going on a Tuesday night could have been the smartest decision I've made in a long time.

I couldn't very well blog about it without adding a picture of her favorite ride there. A girl after my own heart! She was so stinkin' precious! Yay for birthdays!!

A Little Christmas Spirit

Ahhhhh, Christmas....

The season that brings out the angry shopper in us all. It's crazy! Wait, let me rephrase that... Women are crazy! I will admit I do occasionally run across a few tragically chosen males sent by their wives (against every manly instinct in their body I'm assuming) to complete those last minute tasks. I only say that because I always catch them in random stores like Bed Bath & Beyond or La Gourmet Chef looking completely dumbfounded. Believe me, I say a silent prayer for each of them for having to endure such madness. That's got to be true love.

They just look so meek and mild, like a little lamb that has lost his flock....only the discovery channel version where the lamb is about to be destroyed by crazed wolves with shopping bags. As a women, if my man hands me a shredded bath towel with someone else's initials on it, I'd find true romance in the effort that went in to getting out alive with that towel. So thoughtful.

There's just something about the holiday shopping deals that provokes this strange form of rage. A quality that seems to lie dormant the other 11 months of the year. Wonder why that is?

Me? Oh no, not me. I'm of course referring to every other woman on the planet. I would never be caught cutting someone off, giving fellow shoppers that dirty don't-mess-with-me-or-this-tinsel-will-be-used-as-a-weapon look, or snatching the last cashmere scarf off the shelf before that little person dressed like an elf could grab it. By the way, I find that wrong on several levels. Santa's got this huge workshop all to himself up north, but yet he sends his "little helpers" south to grab all the good deals. Hoarder.

Overall I'd say my shopping experience this year has remained rather mild. Tolerable and surprisingly successful (I'm thinking that's mainly a result of my online shopping). I've almost finished too! I finally picked up an item for my mother last night that was apparently sold out in every store north of Savannah, but I snagged it (nope, it wasn't that cashmere scarf either).

The other present I haven't received yet is for my sweet sweet boyfriend, Gabriel. I have high hopes that his gift will be arriving sometime today...I hope, I hope, I hope. I mean, what kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn't have a killer gift for my honey on Christmas Day?! We all know he deserves it.

That's one thing I find extremely important during these shopping escapades...a constant. Someone that regardless the horrible shopping language you may use or the snappy (often times intolerable) attitude you maintain, they remain the same lovable person you fell in love with years ago. Now that, my friends, is the truest of love....and I should definitely find one of those guys. ;) hehe... Just kidding, baby!

Seriously, a special thanks is in order for the vast efforts Gabriel has put forth in taming the shrew. I think I've actually learned quite a few things from my Gabriel! How could I not though? The person I spend the most time with is inevitably going to rub off on me. Luckily I have a sexy, thoughtful, responsible boyfriend to share such qualities with...well, that and a three year old (I try to take more qualities from Gabriel than Ellie, but the occasional temper tantrum fights its way through ;)).

Life is good, Christmas is going to be wonderful, and the company I'll be keeping will be no doubt memorable...as most Davis Christmas festivities are.

Merry Christmas!!

Welcome To D-Deck...

I can't bare to let my lack of writing short the significance of these precious vacation moments I have stored in my cognitive bank. I feel I'll be referring back to these for years to come.

What can I honestly say about this photo that it doesn't already say on its own?

Oh wait, I know....TRAUMATIZING!

Funny how that works. Any normal viewer may think, "Well that's refreshing... Even though they have huge orange life vests on, they still look like they're having fun."

Not so much. The words fun and life preserver don't really belong in the same sentence (unless of course you're speaking in reference to a floating chair, a drink tray of some sort, or really any other resourceful non-life-threatening purpose in which life preservers are sometimes used).

The infamous muster drill....

So, I understand the concept behind the muster drill, but nothing quite says lifesaver like three mildly intoxicated adults and a screaming two year old. Given my emergency management experience, I think I could do a pretty sufficient job creating a few pre-drill rules for the passengers:

Rule one: Know what time the muster drill is scheduled.

Rule two: Limit your alcohol consumption to one drink (if any) before the drill. Scratch that, you should AT LEAST have one drink before the drill.

Rule three: Small children should be locked in a cabin while you attend the muster drill. (This is for both their safety and the sanity of others of course.)

Rule four: Be prepared to sweat profusely while standing in line for a ridiculously long period of time...with an abnormally large life vest around your neck.

Rule five: If you're claustrophobic you should not participate in any muster activities unless there is an actual emergency (and even then I would question heading to the deck areas).

See, that would have been the smart way to approach such an event. Inform the guests with the need-to-know facts and leave the rest out.

Looking back to our cruise experience, this event flashes hazard with every sense of the word.

Let me add some insight for those of you who seldom take a cruise. A muster drill (also sometimes referred to as a lifeboat drill or a boat drill) is an exercise conducted by the crew of a ship prior to embarking. It includes all pertinent information directly related to proper emergency departure from the ship. You know, an effort to prevent such events as those that occurred during...let's just say....the Titanic for example. I can't really think of anywhere in the Caribbean that thousands of passengers are going to freeze to death, but I'm pretty sure shark bait is the first on my list.

Sure, slap a life vest on and jump on in. I'm thinkin' not so much.

I don't really know about you, but when a boat that's carrying over 3,000 people takes a nosedive to the deepest part of the Atlantic, the last thing I want to be doing is trying to figure out where D Deck is located. Naturally, I want to find the nearest bar, possibly even the engine room in an effort to huff as many fumes as possible to help soothe the ever chaotic circumstances.

Protocol...that's how they run these things. March 'em in, line 'em up, show 'em how it's done, and send 'em on their way. Though, I don't recall anyone demonstrating the appropriate being-eaten-alive-by-a-shark technique.

Both of my sisters, their significant others, myself and Ellie were all stationed at the same deck. Who knows if that actually helped the situation or would hurt it in the long run.

So, the drill is in full swing. We're lining up on the deck and Ellie at this point is completely devastated...and when I say devastated, I mean I was that mom with the screaming kid. Yep, that was me.

For starters, the ship wasn't even scheduled to leave port until 10:00pm. This means that the muster drill was at approximately 9:30pm, which just happens to be the normal bedtime for the offspring.

So she's miserably tired, hot, and antsy like normal toddlers around this time. Luckily, like I mentioned before, the adults had already downed a few brews before the whole thing started, so I was pretty calm and collected about the whole thing (hints the smile I'm displaying in the picture above).

Just a quick question before I continue...

How many of you new mothers have been forced to strap an oversized life vest on your child...while she's screaming? Anyone? Well I have, and there's just no pretty way to do it. Then, once you get it on, one of the crew members has to come by and slap a wristband on your child so she doesn't get shipped to the wrong deck if something were to happen. I can only imagine the thoughts streaming through her head at this point.

She's yanking the wristband off, pulling at her neck and screaming like someone is about to throw her overboard (which I'm sure that thought crossed several minds by this point).

In the split second that she actually caught her breath, Ellie looks up to me with the most pitiful, tear filled eyes and says, "Hold me, Mommy." So of course, like any good mother would want to do, I try to pick her up to comfort her in this traumatizing moment.

What happens next? Like any good mother, she slips out of my hands, onto the deck, and then into the water.

Sike! I might be a new mom, but I'm not that bad. I will say though, it is physically impossible for one human being to hold another human being (child or full grown) when both are wearing those life vests. Not a pretty sight.

Cruisin' Through 2009

I can't quite say whether the lack of posts is due to a serious case of writer's block, or the fact that 2009 has been an insanely hectic year thus far. Though, I can't very well shy away from the fact that I have been known to procrastinate a time or two as well.

It's funny how an eight month gap sounds like a long time, but yet it really does seem like yesterday that I was writing about a ski-induced concussion. It's so cliché, but time really does fly by. Gah, so much has happened since then. I took a trip to Chicago...mostly business, but fun. I went to Las Vegas...which was all fun, but not near long enough. I've also been spending a good bit of time with my sister in Knoxville, some much needed sister time that I've been neglecting. Last but not least, we just returned from an awesome cruise.

When I say awesome, I mean nothing less of the word. This was our first family vacation in years. Yeah, we've had trips here and there together, but never the whole Davis clan. So what better way to contain a crazy group of eight individuals than to stick them on a huge boat in the middle of the ocean? "I'm on a boat!" Yeeaaahhhh, that's what I'm talkin' about.

I would normally say that the adventure started once we left the airport, but so many memorable moments occurred before the actual flight...I just have to include them for future reminiscing purposes.

As a female and mother of an [almost] three year old, it's understandable that a nine day vacation would call for a mass amount of luggage. I did pretty good though, I managed to get all of Ellie's and my own stuff into my one suitcase. Yes, it took a forklift to maneuver that bad boy, but I was pretty stoked that I was only going to have to pay to check one bag even if it was a little over sized.

A little over sized...now there's an understatement.

Lauren strolls in the house around midnight Friday night only to find me laying on my suitcase trying to get it zipped. Actually, it took a bit of coercing from Judson to take out quite a few things before I could close it.

coerce (v.) , -erced , -ercing , -erces . To force to act or think in a certain way by use of pressure, threats, or intimidation; compel.

And by that I mean he really had to coerce me. I wasn't very happy, in my tired state, that I was going to have to unpack and repack yet again. Several comments I vaguely remember making:

"Do you understand what you're asking me to do? You're taking away the things that make me ME!"

"No Judson, not those shoes! They're my favorite!"

"Thanks so much guys, I'm that girl standing in San Juan with a case of Red Bull and a pack of Ellie's Pull-Ups ready for the vacation."

Good times. :) So anywho, Friday night was spent getting those last minute things together....zipping the suitcase, downloading some new jams to my iPhone for the plane ride, getting my carry-on full of Ellie's stuff, etc. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep that night. I still can't decide if it was out of stress or excitement that I woke up every hour on the hour. I was like a little kid before Christmas. Ahhh, who am I kidding? I was like myself now before Christmas.

I don't know how things go at your house before a big vacation, but as fun as the Davis family can be is just about as stressed and chaotic as we can be too. Think about it, four women, three men, and a two and a half year old all getting ready to leave the house by 9:00am. Don't ask me how we did it, but we actually were pulling out of the driveway by 9:15am. Amazing I tell you. The only thing running through my head was a sound that faintly resembled that circus tune...do do do-da do-da do do do.... yeah, it was craziness.

We finally made it to the airport! As I was casually dragging my luggage, my daughter and my carry-on behind me, we decided it would be better if we all just put our stuff together and took turns going through the baggage check line. Smart, smart decision I must add. We Davis women all have our own agendas you know, so we all headed our separate ways....leaving Ellie on baggage-watch-duty.

What can I say, I'm a terrific mother....

Kidding, kidding...she was totally supervised at all times (yeah, by the airport security cameras maybe).

No, seriously though, this is how it went: Mom and I went to check our bags in one line, Leslie and Creo checked their bags in another, Judson and Dad were still parking the cars, and Lauren and Ellie sat on the remainder of the luggage waiting for our return.

Side note: Pack each person's luggage separately.

I seriously thought I was doing better by packing Ellie's stuff with mine. Not by a long shot!

Funny thing, let me tell you something about checking bags...If you normally fly Delta (which I've done several times in the last six months), you pay $15.00 per bag unless it's over fifty pounds and then you pay an extra fee for the overweight. Not a bad deal if you ask me. But when you fly AirTran to San Juan with the same suitcase packed full, you pay over $100. No bueno! Oh well, by the time we finally made it to the ticket counter I would have paid anything to make them take the bags.

(My sister's fiancé, Judson, and I at the airport)

Stoked, stoked, stoked!! We were all so excited about the trip! On top of that, even the flight was fun because it was Ellie's first time on a plane. She was so precious! Good thing she was, because the rest of us looked ridiculous trying to lean on one another to grab a nap between Atlanta and Puerto Rico. I don't really consider a nap helpful when you wake up with a stiff neck and the whole right side of your face numb. Don't ask.

Ahhhhh, arrival in Puerto Rico.

Yay! So we made it to San Juan. We gathered all of our belongings and headed to the taxi line to get a ride to our hotel. Once again, the circus theme song danced along in my head as we tried to coordinate our baggage claim and taxi service. We all managed to keep track of Ellie which was an accomplishment in itself, but somewhere along the way Leslie's bag was mysteriously misplaced. Luckily after a few minutes and some help from the airport security we found it.

(The search is on for Leslie's Bag)

Our hotel was beautiful. Our rooms were nice, contemporary and really spacious...which we managed to clutter up in no time at all.

(Part of the fam in San Juan)

Well, our original plan was to fly down on the same day the cruise departed (Sunday), but after a month of planning with one of the Radiologists we work with, we decided to spend Saturday in San Juan. This doctor is originally from there, his brother is actually the mayor, and he was beyond excited about taking us to dinner and showing us around while we were there. Great idea, huh? Only if you aren't planning to have a four hour dinner.

Oh geez, that was quite the obstacle with Ellie. Great, great food, but stressful for everyone. So, about 11:00pm I took Ellie back to the hotel room...and they were still on drinks and appetizers when I left. I didn't even realize dinners COULD last that long.

So midnight rolls around, I'm asleep with Ellie and I'm suddenly woken up by Judson's skinny finger eagerly tapping me on the shoulder..."Evelyn, Evelyn, wake up! You're coming out with us! Get up!" I of course jump right up and I'm still in my evening wear from dinner. Yep, that's when I remembered we had planned to go out once they finished dinner.

Have you ever woken up not knowing where you are, only to look down to find you have a nice black dress on, high heals, and a phone in your hand? Probably happens all the time, but I was beyond confused for a few short minutes.

I have the best parents in the world! They kept Ellie while I met back up with Lauren, Judson and all the other people they had met while I was gone. Fun, fun times! Apparently, our hotel was THE PLACE to be. Both the lobby and club were packed all night. Man, I'll tell you one thing about Puerto Rico...the party never stops. I seriously think people were still partying when we were headed to the pool later that morning.

After a late night/early morning, Lauren and I got up and headed down for some poolside breakfast before gettin' our tan on. They had a fresh breakfast buffet that looked great after the long night we had, so we sat at a quiet little table on the patio. I'm not sure how familiar you are with the wildlife of Puerto Rico, but let me just tell you about these birds that were lurking around the patio. They looked like crows, could quite possibly have been a crow, but a little more elegant and a little less I'm-going-to-gouge-out-your-eyes. That's what I thought at first anyway.

Naturally, these birds were hanging around to catch any crumbs that might be on the patio...like what most pigeons, seagulls or other avian related animals that prey on small children would do in this instance. As I sat with my plate in front of me I realized I was in immediate danger. There I sat...staring...eyes agaze on this jet black, red eyed, razor sharp beaked bird staring directly back at me.

It's one thing to have this happen to you in a normal state of mind, but it's quite another to have this happen after a night of drinking.

The bird continued to stare at me, then my food, then back up to me. I of course (because I find some sort of weird humor in the whole thing) pick up my fork and gently pierce a strawberry, moving it slowly to my lips without losing site of this little black demon. I felt as if I was in some sort of typical old western about to engaged in a gun draw....crumbs blowing by like tumbleweed.

I started chewing on the strawberry with an intense stare that could have burnt that little creature to a crisp. Then he starts to sway....yes, I said sway. He's shifting his weight back and forth on his skinny little legs like his anxiety was getting the best of him. He looked as if he might jump the gun, but he seemed to be holding his position. I then decided that my best line of defense in this scenario was the fork I was holding in my hand (hey, this thing could have been rabid for all I know...I had to take precautions). So I slid my hand around the fork handle, forming a fist around the utensil and ready for anything that might come my way.

Then I heard something, it was Lauren approaching the table.

Mistake #1: Never lose eye contact with the enemy.

I turned for a split second and the bird charged. Out of the corner of my eye I could see what looked like a ten foot wingspan (and yes, I was hugely hugely mistaken). I immediately jerked to the side and bent over my armrest as if I was going to dive under the table. For some very odd reason things look so much larger in my peripheral vision.

Yeah, so that thing wasn't anywhere near me. In my semi-panicked state, I realized I had misjudged the bird's size and flying direction. As I was catching my breath and repositioning myself back in my chair, I looked behind me only to see the bird ever so eloquently perched on the back of a nearby chair with a smug little grin. Some might suggest the grin was merely the way his beak naturally lay, but I know better.

Lauren asked me if I was ok and I of course answered with a, "Holy crap! Did you just see that bird?" With an amused smile on her face, Lauren replied with an, "Ok, Evelyn...how 'bout you sleep at night." I don't care what she or anyone says, that bird was gonna fight me for my breakfast. I could see it in his eyes... he backed off only because he knew he couldn't take Lauren and I both on at once.

To give all of you gentle readers a better idea...

...pure mayhem.

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! :)

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. :)

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!

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. :)

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!

Family Matters

I just realized that I have not taken the opportunity to talk about my family yet. What kind of person does that make me?! I know I have mentioned Ellie quite a few times, but I left the rest of my family out. So, here is a little Davis Klan background info for ya!

I am the youngest of three girls and I have a half brother who is the oldest; topping out at 42. Lauren, the oldest of the girls, will be turning 29 on July 30th. She is the one standing in the middle in the picture above. Lauren is currently working in Knoxville, Tennessee, but you never know where she will be next. She is an anchor/reporter for the CBS affiliate in Knoxville. That's right, I do know famous people. Lauren graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and has worked in the news industry ever since. Click here for her full bio! No, she hasn't given me a deal on UGA alumni tickets yet (hint, hint), but I still love her! You send her off to work and what happens? It's Vols this and Vols that...shame on her for forgetting her roots. ;) I guess it all comes with the territory.

Leslie is my other sister and just as wonderful. No fighting now, I love you both equally (that's what my Mom would say anyway). Leslie just turned 26 and she works for the same hospital I do. She makes a lot more money than I do, but I am attributing that to age. Ok, so it might have something to do with the fact that she has a Bachelor's in Biology and a Master's in Public Administration. Nah, it's totally an age thing! Yes, Leslie and I are still living at our parent's house. Hey, you have to save while you can. Leslie is working towards medical school where she wants to study plastic surgery. Fun, Fun! Speaking of that, she actually has her MCAT this Friday. Yikes! Friday the 13th! Maybe not the best day to choose to take the HARDEST TEST OF YOUR LIFE!! (Just kidding Leslie...no worries:)) She'll do fine though. She never lacked in the smarts department.

So, those are my sisters.

The oldest of the Davis siblings is Jack. I am such a bad sister, I don't even have a picture of Jack on my computer. I will try to get one soon! We do not get to see him as much as we would like, because he lives in Indiana. We shoot for annual visits, but sometimes time just gets away from us. He has two beautiful daughters and a new wife. I haven't had the opportunity to meet his wife yet, but she sounds sweet. Hopefully we can coordinate some sort of visit in the near future.

Ah, Mom and Dad. Aren't parents great?! My parents, Jack and Laurie, are coming up on their 32 wedding anniversary this year. Actually, it is tomorrow. Wow, 32 years! Now that is an accomplishment. Believe me, I say that with the deepest sincerity. Ellie's father and I did not even make it through the first year after she was born. Mom and Dad made it through all of us, and then some. My hat goes off to them and all of their hard work.

I guess that is it for now. I could hardly sum up my family in one post, so I am sure you will read more soon!