Weekend Review and A Not So Manic Monday

First, I have to apologize for my rant about floral bedspreads, and this is why... My bedspread is floral! How could I forget that?!?! I see it everyday! However, it does not have quilt backing!!
Anyway, this weekend I had planned on staying home and laying low. Middle of last week my cousin, Brad, calls and asks if I want to go to the Florida-LSU game. Well of course I do!! What southern girl doesn't want to go to a football game?! Granted, it wasn't Auburn, but Florida does have a nice campus and stadium. The stadium is nicer than Auburn's, but what I don't like is they do not continually run the scores of the other games that are being played. Auburn has a whole screen dedicated to this. That is my only beef with Florida. It was really hard to keep up with the AU KY game! I managed through friends though! Brad's two cousins, Brandon and Colton, went with us. It was their first Florida, and college, game. They were pumped up!! I'll admit, I even got into the Gator Chomping too!! Here are a few pictures from this weekend.

Brad and I sporting the Gator Gear

The boys being good sports while I take their pictureThe UF Band in the shape of FloridaBrad clapping so fast his hands look like "jazz hands" on acidHere is where the boys lost me...they saw Gator Mania...I saw Payless Shoes, Buy one get one deals...I love me some shoes!!!Brad got his son, Barrett, this helmet cap but he wanted to break it in for him!!

I would have to agree with my dad about UF, it is a pretty campus. I received a 75% paid academic scholarship to anywhere in the state of Florida when I graduated high school. I, being the real dummy I am, did not take it. I knew what FSU was like and I just was not interested in UF so I followed family tradition (everyone but PawPaw...who actually graduated from UF!) and went to Auburn. A few years ago dad went to UF for a board meeting and when he got back he was quick to tell me that if he had seen that campus when I was getting ready to go to college, that is where I would have been going!

My first day back after being gone for almost a week was not too bad. I definitely made the right decision when I hired Kim. He has been great and I do not know what I would do without him! Well, I do know...I'd be working till 7 or 8 pm every night like I use to just to stay caught up with things! Tim, on the other hand, gave me nothing but grief today. Not only did he schedule a burn for Wednesday, when he knows I have a meeting and cannot come to see the only true excitement I get out of my job, he straight up gave me hell about a new computer program I am trying to get set up! Just kidding Tim, you were great today in your ever-so-cleaver "come meet me so we can talk about Wednesday's burn cause I know that you are ready to get outta the office" call. He's right! This country girl does not handle staying indoors all day very well! By 2pm, I'm looking for any reason to get out of the office!!

The next post will probably be about something Fall-ish. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE FALL!! The shoes, the clothes, the snugly weather, the football, and there's no humidity so my hair doesn't fro! LOVE IT ALL!!! So, Happy Fall Y'all!!

Where's Bentley? That little hell raiser is back from Blountstown. He was a country dog for about a week and a half and he still hasn't quite got back into the groove of apartment living. Honestly, I haven't either and I've been here a year! When I open his cage he's like a bull coming out of the shoots. He's a little psycho, but I love him non the less...I do love me some crazies!! And for a little flash back to Fall of 2006, Bodacious (Bo, my absolutely gorgeous yellow lab) and his Halloween pail. He loved this thing!! Bo's life was cut short at the ripe age of 18 months. I know he looks huge in this picture! He was about 112 pound of pure love for me! He was in a fight with a pitbull...it wasn't pretty. He was missing from my house one night when I got home from work and unfortunately I drove up on the fight while I was looking for him. Somehow, during the fight, his diaphragm was punctured and his internal organs were beginning to float through...huge mess. Bo had to be put down a few weeks later. When you don't go home to anyone but a lovable lab and all of the sudden that lab is gone, you definitely feel a void in your heart.

GACE...and a bug bite on my face!

The past few weeks have gone by SO fast! I've been to Auburn the past three weekends and this week I went to Lake Lanier for the Georgia Association of Code Enforcement (GACE). I admit that there is about 10% of my brain that is straight up scatter brained and unorganized, and unfortunately that is where "book room at lodge for conference" fell. Ugh! Those who know me well or have traveled with me know that I am a complete hotel nazi! The mere fact of sleeping where 100's...maybe even 1000's of strangers have slept is enough to make me freak. I mean, I will even take Clorox wipes to wipe down the bathroom if it is a little sketchy. Anyway, since I missed the deadline, I still tried to reserve a room at the lodge since that is where the conference was being held. Negative ghost rider. ALL BOOKED! What an unwelcoming adventure I was now faced with! I was left with one other choice at that particular exit...dum dum dum.....Comfort Inn and Suites. I quickly googled them and promptly looked at the pictures. Especially the bedspread. This, folks, is where I draw the absolute line. I prefer duvet covers. Why? Because they are easily removed for washing purposes, that's why. The absolute worst is the floral bedspread with quilt backing underneath. My reasoning for this is because everyone needs to shed their epidermis. That's right, your dead skin. I imagine that every time this backing rubs up on someone stranger's legs, their dead skin flakes off and is now stuck in the backing waiting to touch YOU! Ok, that's enough of that...my skin is crawling just thinking of it.

Tomtom, who I've named Richard, ever so faithfully helped me arrive at my destination (remember later on how happy I am with Richard now). Great job Richard! I don't know where I'd be without you, seriously, no clue! I parked in a parking spot close to the hotel building and I walk to the back to start unloading my car. Ever get the feeling that you are being watched? I sure did! I turned around to see 3 rough looking men staring at me. Oh Shit, I think to myself, this should be entertaining. Well, I don't let it show that it bothers me so I be-bop on into the lobby where it's more rough looking men. Was DMX having a Rough Riders Reunion that I was unaware of? I didn't see any "Welcome DMX-RRR to Lake Lanier" so I'm guessing NO! I checked in and found my room. It was on the third floor, of a three story building. In the back corner. By the fire escape. Where no one can hear you scream. Now, I know this is a little dramatic, but I am very cautious of my surroundings...my job has enabled this characteristic of mine even further, so yes I am going to be a little dramatic about where I am staying for four days and three nights. I got to the room, finally. after walking down what seemed like an endless hallway. The bedspread, while not floral, was still nasty. I was not staying here!

To speed up the story, I finally found a hotel two exits up. Was it any better? You tell me!

While it was the worst, I sucked it up for safety reasons. What good are nice accommodations if you're dead or missing? I may be dramatic at times, but I am still VERY level headed and reasonable! Regardless, as you noticed in the title, I woke up one morning with a bug bite on my face! I am SO hoping that this is from something that bit me while I was walking to my car and not a bed bug!

The conference was really good. I aced my test of legal tactics on the first day and the second day held non testing classes of FEMA and Supervisory Skills. It was in these two classes that I met the CE for Pelham (just up the road from T-Ville). She is hilarious!

Anyway, here are some photos from the Lake...

This was the beautiful sunrise I saw every morning!

This is my FAVORITE! Just image a beautiful spring wedding here! I say spring, however, I'd love a fall wedding. The one drawback to being a farmer's daughter is, if you want your dad to be at your wedding, don't have it during harvest season! However, I think daddy would be totally fine if I just came home one day and said 'I'm married.' Mom, however, would NOT!!

This morning after closing sessions, I headed back to Thomasville. I was missing my daddy so I called an talked to him for a bit. We keep our conversation short, but we manage to tell and say everything we need to in few words. It is what works for us. It's days like today when I am very jealous of my brother who gets to see and talk to him everyday.

As I started traveling back toward ATL (Hell), Richard and I began to have a heated discussion. Richard eventually became Dick and I began to yell. I am not one to yell at any person, but I will yell at a device. Especially if that device is telling me to "Stay Left, Stay Left" and then suddenly yells at me to "Exit Right! Exit Right, now!" What the crap, Dick? Obviously, you can't see the 6 lanes of traffic I do! I only had in one contact today (not real sure where the other is...I put it in, or at least I went through the motions of poking my eye so I thought it was in) and I could plainly see this was about to turn ugly quick! Dick proceeded to begrudgingly tell me alternate directions. Basically, he told me to get off at the next exit and turn around. Wow...what a concept. Ugh. Anyway, I am now home. There were only a few state troopers to be seen, but since this is GA and not AL, I'm not too worried about it. I am still unsure if that AL trooper meant I was to never come back to AL or he, in particular, never wanted to see me again in AL...I'm gonna go with the later part. :)

Where's Bentley? He is staying in Blountstown with my Aunt and Uncle. They were nice enough to take him in while I was gone. They are awesome. God has blessed me with a great family!

As days go by...

Yes I realize that I haven't blogged in a month...a lot has been going on...

On August 25, 2010, Heaven gained one awesome angel. After my last post about my grandfather, it was a few days later that he went to be with his Heavenly Father. That week I did two of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. I watched my grandfather take his last breath with his wife of 52 years holding his hand and his family surrounding him, and I spoke at his funeral. I miss him SO much. I still cry for him everyday (and I'm not a cryer), sometimes a couple of times a day, but I know that he's in a better place. I just can't wait to see him again! I see him in my dreams almost nightly; I never knew how bad this was going to effect me, but it has been really rough. I just put on my brave face and get through the day at work, but mornings and nights when I'm alone, it hits and it hits hard. Mom & Dad, it may be Thanksgiving before I come home...just not ready to do that yet because it won't be the same without him there. This picture of us was taken at a banquet for my brother when he was chosen as Peanut Farmer of the Year for the state of Florida. My brother is an awesome farmer and I know that he learned so much of it from my grandfather and my dad. He had to, because you don't learn how to farm from text books...it is truly something that is passed down generation to generation.

One thing I had to look forward to when I got back to work was a practice burn with the TFD!!! I LOVE THIS!! I really cannot fathom any adjectives that would do my emotions justice in regards to this!!! I like to think it's a way for me and Paw Paw to bond. He helped start the Volunteer Fire Dept at home...although, realistically, he helped put something into place to help prevent or put out fires....I like to start them and watch the flames engulf everything that surrounds it. It consumes structures like an empty stomach consumes items on a sweat and stop station (that's what I call food buffets). Guess the saying is true...Firemen keep it hotter! Side note: I said that to my Aunt Cathy and she was quick to inform me that my well drilling uncle would have no problem putting out those fires. LOL! And a special shout out to Tim...I think we make a great destructive team (although I think he gets concerned about how much enthusiasm I have for fire!)!

Last weekend, I traveled to the Loveliest Village on the Plains. That's right, WDE Baby!! It was great to be back on my old stomping ground. It has changed so much from last year when I was there. I'm ready to go back this weekend, and next!

Monday night I cooked Shrimp Creole for my cousin Ashley's birthday. It was good...I was really nervous about it though! I deleted my pictures I took with my camera phone because Ash took some with her real camera...I still haven't found my cord to my camera since I moved...a year ago! ugh!

Anyway, Bentley is doing great. We are almost house broken...I have also found that he LOVES carrots! Here is his preciousness waiting for a carrot!

So, that sums up the life of this Auburn loving, emotional wreck firebug this past month!

Grandpa, Tell Me 'Bout the Good Ole Days...

I heard this Judd's song on the way back to Thomasville tonight after being home this weekend to see grandfather. The following lines in the song are "Did lovers really fall in love to stay? Stand beside each other come what may? Was a promise something people kept, not just something they would say? Did families really bow their heads to pray? Did daddy's never go away?" I am very certain that PawPaw would say yes to all the above. Through thick and thin, good farm year and bad, he has been with my grandmother for over 52 years. As a great christian man, we all bow our heads to pray. Hearing my grandfather pray is one of the greatest sounds my ears have ever heard...as well as hearing him sing in church. Sure, he sings to his own tune and beat, but that's what I like to hear.

Ninety percent of my memories of my grandfather are from our farm in Alabama. We spent our summers in Dutch Bend and I have very vivid memories of that wonderful place that I will cherish forever. Riding the four-wheeler everywhere and going fishing or to the weird and scary cemetery that was in the middle of the woods. I never liked to go there alone, because it was spooky. Sometimes, PawPaw would go with me and we'd look at the grave stones from the early 1800's. We'd pick wild plums as we went across the very crooked bridge going over to the fish pond. I swear we only made it over that thing on a wing and a prayer! I remember sitting at the dinner table at my grandparent's trailer and leaning back to touch PawPaw's bald head as he sat in an old black vinyl chair that had duck tape all over it to cover up the rips and tears. He'd just laugh as I would touch his bald head and would tell me every time that he's always been bald cause he fell in a fire when he was younger. I guess that's true, I never questioned it. My favorite memory is from when I was in middle school. I, like all other middle school girls, stayed on the phone constantly. However, the main rule was if someone beeped in for my parents I had to get off. Especially if PawPaw called from Dutch Bend to talk to daddy. If PawPaw was up there, he called every night. I'd answer "hello?" and he'd say in his abrupt voice "let me talk to Brett" I'd simply say "OK." The person on the other line, which was usually Natalie, Amanda, or Ashley, probably never new what happened until they received the tone of silence from being hung up on. However, one particular night, he had just called to talk to daddy, so I knew the phone would be free. Yes! I thought, I can get back on the phone...only to have it beep again. Geeze, I thought..."Hello?" "Stacey" I heard in that familiar voice again. I said "hang on, I'll get daddy." Then he said what I can still heard today, clear as can be "No, I called to talk to you. I realized I haven't talked to you in a while so I wanted to see how you are doing."

As PawPaw continues to age, I still can see him as the gruff grandfather that I grew up with. He has changed over the years, and I'm sure Heath and I see him completely different that the other grandchildren (they have no clue), but as I tell my grandmother "he's my pawpaw!" no matter what he does! When I was still living in Walnut Hill, he'd tell me I needed to move away to a bigger city for more opportunities. One day, he stopped by my house to check on me and I had the classifieds out on my coffee table (I can't remember from where) and he saw it. He looked at me and asked if I was moving. I told him if I could find something decent I wouldn't mind moving away. His piercing blue eyes looked at me and he said "I know you need to, but I'm sure gonna miss you."

In January 2006, PawPaw wrote a little article and submitted it to our church's news letter. Of course, I kept it like I keep everything else of sentimental value, so I thought I'd share it.

"Thoughts of a Farmer"

In 1968, I began farming in Lowndes County, Alabama in a community called Dutch Bend. The land I farmed was on a creek bottom and had a very strong smell when it was plowed up after laying there all winter under water sometimes and wet all winter.

In March, and April, the trees and vegetation growth on the hills and along the creek would "come alive" from the winter's dormancy and it was my privilege to smell the greatest fragrance coming from those trees and plants as they put on new leaves and flowers that foretold another year of life.

As I worked my way across those fields, I was very aware of God's Creation. African Egrets (cow birds) would follow my tractor all day long searching for frogs, insects, and any other object they could swallow. Deer would graze along the edge of the hills and next to the creek. Some days I would see turkeys as they searched for food along the tree line and if I was real lucky I might see a gobbler strut and show his feathers as he tried to impress his lady friends.

God's creation was all around me in the day as it was no different at night. My mobile home was under a huge oak tree and I would sit on the deck at night and gaze into a night sky filled with the brightest stars a person could ever see because there was no man made lights around. you could feel that you were the only person on earth looking at a star filled sky that had no end. A full moon, coming up over the tree tops will be a memory that I carry forever.

A thunderstorm at night would turn that night sky into the darkest foreboding sky a person could ever see. Thunder in the bottom was very loud. It would roll down the creek bottom like a drum roll without end. It was just fade away. Lightening was very crisp and bright, breaking the night sky into many pieces before the sky would turn black again. The rain would be very loud on my mobile home and I would be happy or sad. It depended on what stage my crop was in.

All of the above was written with one thought in mind. On page 209 of the Baptist Hymn book is a song "My Lord is Near Me All the Time." Each time we sing that song my mind flashed back to all the things I've talked about. I've touched God's Creation, "I've heard it in the thunder, saw it in the lightning and felt it in the rain."

Little did I know that during this period of my life God was preparing me for what was to come later in life. I was growing in spirit and faith by His wondrous works all around me. As I lay in the hospital in Birmingham, AL, I knew that "My Lord is Near Me All the Time."

God is near us all the time. I know that I become to busy with the everyday things and forget that, but I am well aware of it tonight because as I type this blog entry, it is storming outside my window...how wonderful it is to hear the thunder, lightning and rain as I typed this. Nothing else could have made it any more perfect!

I love you PawPaw!!

Soaking up some sun!

Because I have an awesome co-worker who lives in the subdivision next to me, I don't have to do the gross public pool thing. Bentley and I spend both Saturday and Sunday at the pool with them. At first, Bentley was a little sketchy of the water, but then I taught him to swim the same way my parents taught me...you get in and you sink or you swim! However, today he did almost sink. He was goofing off on the edge and fell in. It took me a little while to get to him! It's been a bad week for him...I also dropped him on his head on Friday...oh well!

Where is he now??? Asleep!

Bentley

Last weekend, Bentley was brought to Georgia! At 6.5 weeks old, this little Scottish Terrier has already found his way into my heart... before I get to enthralled into his cuteness, here is what the other dogs in my life have to say about him...

JR and Brutus (Ashley and Joseph's puppies) are thrilled that there is another pup around. Brutus has taken Bentley under his wing and trys to hug and squeeze him to death...literally, we have to watch him! JR is more of an observer and will eventually come around...hopefully!

Oscar (Ashley and Joseph's older dog) is just happy I have some other poor sole to drag around Cherokee Lake in the afternoons...this picture was from lap two (one lap is about 1.25 miles) and he had enough!

Dixie (Heath's dog) has yet to meet him, but I think the note says it all! :)

Now on to his preciousness...so far he has been a good little dog. Hasn't whined too much and we've only had a few little bathroom oopsies...otherwise, he has been really good about going outside. Although it could be my neat freakness of taking him out every hour so he doesn't have an accident! Here are a few more pictures...

I think he dreams of being "Wonder Dog"

"Mommy wears me out with this 'lets go outside and pee pee thing'"

Back in Black...cause I have too much grey...

Yes, that's right...another birthday has come and gone! Number 27 is in the books! This was my first birthday in GA and my awesome cousin made it wonderful...here is a sneak peek of that lovely evening in Georgia...

Ashley had a gorgeous table scape complete with a fresh arrangement of flowers! Absolutely beautiful! She and I share a passion of cooking and cookbooks...well, its really more I like getting cookbooks and she likes to cook... I'll cook on occasion, but it's no fun when you're cooking for one! Anyway, she cooked Grits a Ya Ya from the Pensacola Jr League cookbook and my grandmother's recipe for pound cake for dessert which was topped with home made whipped cream and strawberries and blueberries. Even tho Rachel Ray annoys me, I'm going to quote her "Yum-O!"

As if that wasn't enough, she surprised me with a wonderful gift bag of the following...

A robe and cosmetic bag with my initials (you all know I love my initials! My mom did a great job naming me...my initials monogram beautifully, I think!) and as a gag gift, a new brush...Ashley hates my old brush (notice I said old because I don't use it anymore since I have this one!) Just because it didn't have any knobs on the ends of the bristles and it would scratch you if you weren't careful, she didn't like it! I thought it felt good on my scalp! Anyway, it was a great night and Ashley, thank you again, I love you!

You can see more pictures from this night on Ashley's blog www.j-and-abryan.blogspot.com