In the name of education

Unfortunately my state association has, once again, decided to hold our state meeting at the fabulous Sandestin Beach Resort located in Destin, FL. I tried to suggest a different location, but alas no one listens. So in the name of education we are outta here.

Stay tuned for some blogging from the beach!

I am....I said

Those four words can only mean one thing! You guessed it! Tonight is Neil Diamond's turn on American Idol. Now come on, who doesn't put their arm around their neighbor and sing at the top of their lungs on the chorus of "Sweet Caroline"?? Or is it just me?





It's hard to believe but we are now down to the Top 5. This week brings us to each performer singing two songs. And whose songs better to sing than the flashy Neil Diamond. Yes, I am truly excited, no sarcasm here folks. I mean, come on, 26 albums later he must be doing something right.....ummm, except for that hair and those shiny shirts. So let's get to it.

Jason Castro, aka Dread "Money Talks" and "September Morn"
Oh dear, out comes the ukulele again. *sigh* Yes young man, money does talk, it's telling you to wash that nasty hair. Must have been a September morn when he last washed those things!

David Cook "I'm Alive" and "All I Really Need is You"
He could sing "Material Girl" for all I care, the dude rocks. WINNER. Game Over.

Brooke White "I'm a Believer" and "I am..I said"
Ok, I BELIEVE she should stop....bring out these guys: No one else should ever sing that song. How about starting that song in a range she can actually sing next time?! Blah, blah, blah.....at least she got the words right this week.

Sweet Little David Archuletta "Sweet Caroline" and "America"
Great, the little boy is singing two of my favorites. Don't ruin them for me kid. I'm trying to control myself from a sudden Sweet Caroline outburst. Did anyone else think he was dressed like "Where's Waldo" or just me?

Syesha "Hello Again" and "Thank the Lord for the Night Time"
Farah Fawcett just called, she needs those wings back. Can somebody remind me why they sit on the floor barefooted and sing? YAWN! Maybe song #2 will be better. Ok, I am finding myself clapping with her. Sorta has a High School Musical feel to it, I like that.


Ok, and now a little personal message to our dear sister Paula (bless her heart). Stay outta the pills before you go on stage. After is fine, but NEVER before. Never. Hey, you never know who's reading. She obviously got my memo regarding the sausage casing dress.

Now for my always wrong predictions:

Top 2: The Davids
Bottom 2: Jason and Brooke
Leaving: Brooke

Check out some other Top 5 reviews over at BooMama's blog. Now, does anyone else care to join me at iTunes for a Neil Diamond download party?! WOOT!

Frankie Says Relax

Well, folks, this one will go down in the record books. Tonight I played host to this month's GNO (Girls Night Out). What started out as an Over the Hill theme suddenly became an 80's party. Much to my excitement!

What transpired was a mix of "Over the Hill" meets 1985. Most of the gals showed up in 80's dress, but all in black. There were side ponytails, jelly bracelets, big earrings, BIG hair, a banana clip, and even a set of deely-boppers. Remember those? And as always, there was plenty of good food and friends.

I had to carefully chose my clothing ensemble. My typical 1980's dress was always preppy. Izod shirts, Bermuda shorts, Pappagallo purse and belt, and the shoes were always top siders (I think the kids call 'em Sperry's these days). Oh the good ol' days. Soooo, for my super spectacular 80's theme night, I went for the opposite look. Something a bit more Pretty in Pink-ish. You know, Molly Ringwald-ish.


And for the record, I've NEVER had BIG hair.

By Wednesday afternoon, I had my look complete. All the way down to my spectacular shoes-- and I might add, MOST uncomfortable shoes. I didn't remember that about the jelly shoe.



Check out my GNO friends (sorry girls, the world SHOULD see this):






The night would not have been complete without an Over the Hill / 1980's dessert.



Compliments of the hubby, we had good 80's CDs playing in the background. There were plenty "I love this song" moments, followed by singing and chair dancing-- you know, when you dance while sitting in your chair. We ended up the evening with a rousing game of 1980's Trivial Pursuit. Really.




It was too much fun and almost brutal. Anyone else remember that Janet Jackson played Willis' girlfriend, Charlene, on Different Strokes?? At one moment, we even broke out into a bea-yoooo-ti-ful rendition of "We are the World". You all just thought in your head "we are the children"....I KNOW you did.

I'm a little surprised that some of you doubted my ability to blog this event before morning. No names will be mentioned, only a photo, which she also said I wouldn't post:



Don't worry, sister, the sunglasses mask your identity. :-) Until May's GNO, ROCK ON!

Fab-U-lous

Cost of two tickets to High School Musical on Ice: $56.00





Cost of one High School Musical icee in souvenir bottle with bonus koozie: $16.00






Cost of 4 little girls singing and bop bop boppin' 'til the music stopped: PRICELESS!

Out with the old

and in with the new....hopefully sometime soon. Teeth that is, the front ones of our little princess.

The saga began about four years ago when she experienced a traumatic event. Imagine a 2 1/2 year old at full speed vs. a copy machine sorting tray. Yep, the princess lost this battle, fair and square. She was immediately escorted by her daddy for the ceremonial first (and hopefully last) trip to the emergency room. The oral surgeon wired the teeth and we all hoped for the best.



Six weeks passed. *sigh* We celebrate her 3rd birthday by having the front right tooth pulled.



Almost seven months passed, and the remaining damaged tooth wound up just like its neighbor. At the mercy of the oral surgeon and his pliers!



Because she was so young, we had the option of replacing the teeth with a partial. That just didn't seem right:



We decided it wasn't that big of a deal. After all, they will eventually come back. She learned to eat apples and corn on the cob by using the left upper teeth. Our dentist assures me the new teeth are there and they will come in. Whether or not they suffered damage from the trauma remains to be seen.

Fast forward to last night when the princess bumped her mouth on a friend's head (yes, she is an accident waiting to happen). The tooth was already loose, but this sealed the deal. After much ado, and wailing and gnashing of teeth, literally, the tooth finally came out. The tooth fairy brought her the ceremonial Sacajawea gold dollar and all is well.



This afternoon she informed me, "it's not really comfortable when I smile, so I have to put my tongue in the hole where my teeth go."

Whatever makes her happy and flash that beautiful smile!

These are a few of my favorite things

Today when I got home from work, I was greeted by a small brown box on my doorstep. It even had my name on it. After prying through all the packing tape, I was most excited to see a bow topped box with this written on it:



I knew immediately who had sent me this little box of joy! My little sister. Through the years we have been connoisseurs of many types of candy. We are experts, if you will. So, instead of having 40 pink flamingos placed in my yard, she opted for the sensible sugar filled gift!

I don't know if any of you are like me, but as I saw different pieces of candy I had various memories pop into my head. Take a look in the box with me, if you will:


Ok, who remembers these little jewels? Why did we think they were so cool?? Anyone remember the ones wrapped in paper, and when you blew on them it looked like smoke was coming out. Did we have a Surgeon General in the 1970's?


GUM! I have loved bubble gum for as long as I can remember. I could make some pretty huge bubbles and even make a double bubble. I always wanted to enter one of those bubble blowing contests. You'll be glad to know that Bazooka gum is still hard as a brick, it tastes exactly the same, and Bazooka Joe cartoons now reside on the inside of the gum wrapper!


This is a little menagerie of some old classics that I still enjoy. Especially the tootsie rolls! I'm not too familiar with the Walnettos.


Cinnamon candy has always been a favorite of mine. Anyone remember the cinnamon toothpicks??? And the Hot Dog gum I had forgotten about. We used to see who could keep the Atomic Fireballs in their mouth the longest before taking it out.


These precious items remind me of my age and that they could ruin my dental work! So I will proceed with caution and abort if necessary.


These couple of items will have to be consumed by someone other than me. I have never cared for the root beer barrel, and I have NO idea what this pipe shaped gummy thing is. Something tells me it's licorice.....*gag* That reminds me of those horrible Good N Plenty candy my dad tricked me into trying (real funny Pop).


These candies make me think of my childhood Halloweens. I vividly remember enjoying a good candy necklace. And you never see Charms Pops suckers anymore. My favorite flavor used to be the blue one!


So, I had to save my favorite things in my goody box for last. I used to eat my weight in Lemon Heads while I was a candy striper at Brookwood Hospital when I was about 13 years old. Fun Dip and I go waaaaay back. I really like the packs with three flavors, like the good ol' days. Who else remember Zotz! I have not had one of these in years, but this is on the all time favorite list. The fizzy center is as good as I remember. Last but certainly not least, the wax lips. I think I got a pair of these every Halloween and loved chewing the wax as much as sporting them. I think somehow that won't be the same.

A few that were left out of the mix but should be included are: big SweetTarts, Spree, and Wacky Wafers. Thanks, sis, for the groovy gift. Would anyone like to comment about their favorite candy? Thanks for sharing my goody box with me!

Eat your heart out Angelina Jolie!

Birthday Review

Today was the day, the BIG 4-0! I think I had more dread when I turned 30, for some reason. 30 came and went, my thyroid died and life went on. I have embraced 40 and decided it's just another number.

So for today's birthday recap.

*I woke up at my usual before the crack of dawn time and headed to work. I was welcomed into the OR by these ALL over the place:




Courtesy of my good friend, Mel. I laughed until I cried and everybody in the OR got a kick out of them. Even the urologist I worked with today left me a special message on the ballerina photo. Click it to read it! Ha ha ha.

*My little brother sent me and my twin sister a super special e-mail, straight from South Korea where he and his wife are currently stationed:

I MADE THIS FONT BIGGER SO Y'ALL CAN SEE IT.

I'M ALSO TYPING REEEEAL SLOW, SO'S Y'ALL CAN KEEP UP.

THIS LOOKS LIKE ONE OF THOSE READER'S DIGEST BIG PRINT VERSIONS LIKE GRANDMOTHER MATTHEWS USED TO READ.

BUT I'M JUST TRYING TO MAKE IT EASIER SINCE I KNOW Y'ALL ARE, WELL, A BIT "AGED" NOW.

ON THE BRIGHTER SIDE, Y'ALL CAN PROBABLY GET A DISCOUNT AT PO' FOLKS OR THE PICCADILLY.

SO GO ON, TREAT YOURSELF! YOU DESERVE IT!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

LOVE,
CONSTANTINE
(YOUR BROTHER)

Umm, thanks bro, your time is coming. And I got 7 years to plan it. Perhaps you can come visit me in the old folks home next time you are state side. Oh yea, could you bring me some tennis balls for my walker?

*My BFF from college Teresa sent me a most hilarious e-card:



Somehow I dodged a slideshow with all my crazy college photos. She owes me, remember?


*Tonight we drove to Birmingham for dinner at:

Followed by birthday dessert to take home from:





*I got all the usual family phone calls, called my twin to wish her a happy birthday and opened all the cards. For my birthday finale, the kids and hubby sang "Happy Birthday" to me over a candle-lit piece of cheesecake. Then we all stuffed our face! A perfect ending to a perfect day.



It was a wonderful day and one that I won't forget too soon. Unless, of course, I wake up with amnesia tomorrow. I tried to gracefully enter the 5th decade of my life and perhaps I succeeded. Thanks to the Lord for life and health and a beautiful family.


Note: I was not crazy and did not get up at 4:21AM to post my birthday video. That was a symbolic number of the time I was born. I preposted with that time last night. I might be old, but I'm not crazy!

Happy Birthday to me.....

Tagged by a bloggy friend.....

I had no sooner got it out of my "mouth" to The Queen B, thanks for not tagging me. When my other bloggy friend Cindy clearly tagged me. So, I will play along with this little game because I have nothing to post about today. It's April 14, the day before tax day. But most importantly the day before the big 4-0!! Are you all sick of hearing about my birthday yet? Don't worry after tomorrow it will be over....I pinky swear.


What was I doing ten years ago (1998): (does Cindy actually think I remember)
*Working in the trauma/surgical ICU as a staff nurse and loving it
*Living in Tuscaloosa and starting to look for a house
*Talking about starting a family
*I was 10 lbs lighter
*Wearing a shoe 1 1/2 sizes smaller

5 things on my to-do list tomorrow:
*Duh, didn't you read above, it's my birthday (insert fanfare music here)
*Go to work
*Dinner with the family
*Open cards and gifts
*Have some spectacular dessert

5 snacks I enjoy:
*My most favorite snack is natural popcorn with white cheddar salt
*Ice cream....current favorite is Ben and Jerry's Creme Brulee
*Apples with peanut butter
*'Nilla wafers dipped in ice cold skim milk
*Anything chocolate, especially dark chocolate

5 things I would do if I were a billionaire:
*Tithe
*Pay off my student loans
*Hire Dave Ramsey to do my financial planning
*Give back to my first alma mater--Judson College--because they gave so much to me
*Let my child take horseback riding lessons-- see previous post

5 bad habits:
*not getting enough rest
*not exercising often anymore
*fussing at my kids for things that really don't matter in the grand scheme
*not spending enough time in God's Word
*obsessing over clutter

5 places I have lived:
*Born in Mobile, AL-- home of the Greek side of the family
*Birmingham, AL-- the early 80's
*Decatur, AL-- in the middle of 11th grade-- ugh
*Marion, AL-- home of Judson College--where women are women and men are guests
*Tuscaloosa, AL-- been here since 1990 and hope to stay forever

5 jobs I have had:
*Surgeon's scrub-- thought I wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon
*Analytical chemist-- one summer during college, the wire rim glasses were fab
*Paramedic-- yes, it was a fun job
*Critical care nurse--loved it but had to move on
*Nurse Anesthetist--glad I moved on

Well, there you have it. All the excitement you can stand to read in one day.
I will ceremonially tag my bloggy friend Scott, because he is too funny for words most days, and I don't see where he has been recently tagged. Sorry pal. And this will be futile, but I will tag my little sister Nicolette. She is a full time teacher and mother of 3 boys, and has a blog but has a hard time getting in going. Perhaps this will help. Or not.

Back in the Saddle.....

I think I came into this world with a love for horses. For as long as I can remember I have been infatuated with them. I was one of those little girls who had a small collection of plastic play horses and several books about horses. I even remember going to a place called Bit and Spur Riding Camp when I was about 9 years old. I STILL have the little t-shirt I got from that week at camp, the horse books and my plastic horses. My love for horses was rekindled when I attended Judson College. They have an equine (horse) science program there also. I began taking riding lessons as a sophomore and by the time I had graduated I had competed in several local shows and won several ribbons....which I also still have. I'm not bragging, I'm just saying. I actually graduated with a minor in equine science. Not that I was going to use it, but you just never know.

Today we were invited by friends to visit them at the barn while their girls were riding. You know I was all over that, as well as my kids. The little princess said, "I like horses mommy because you rode them." So we spent a couple of hours at the barn watching our friends' ride and after their lesson they gave the kids an opportunity to ride. After each of them took a couple of turns riding, we walked around the barn and looked at all the horses. We even got a biology lesson when one of the horses relieved himself while we were standing beside him. The princess ducked and looked under the horse and said, "eeeewwwww, what's he doing?" Nice. Thanks Mr. Ed, your timing couldn't have been any better. And the son got a HUGE 3rd grade boy kick out of the horse pooting loudly while running around in the pasture. Fabulous. That will be lunchroom conversation tomorrow. Guaranteed.

Of course, now the princess has her mind set on riding horses like mommy did. We'll see what Dave Ramsey has to say about that!

Here's a few photos of our fun day at the barn and a bonus video of the princess riding.



She coordinated her t-shirt just for the occasion:


My new friend Gus, the dalmatian that thinks he's a chihuahua:


First time alone on a horse and she refused to walk, she insisted on trotting!

Celebrate good times......come on!

There's a party goin' on right here
A celebration to last throughout the years
So bring your good times, and your laughter too
We gonna celebrate your party with you

I had a super spectacular fun day today. The hubby threw me a not-so-much surprise 40th birthday party for my upcoming big day on Tax Day. You see, I instructed him a couple years ago that he was to throw me some sort of birthday bash for the BIG 4-0. I even put a friend in charge of him to get the task done-- see ladies, if you want something done, you have to put a woman in charge of it! Thanks for the help Penni.


I guess there were about 25-30 people there and I am so thankful to have a great group of friends who shared this special event with me! I even got some "happys", which is what I call presents! I got gift certificates to some of my favorite places....Target, Starbucks and The Globe restaurant. And I also got several other fabulous "happys". Woo hoo.

I'd like to go ahead now and thank all the major greeting card companies for making birthday cards for the 40 year old so freakin' funny! I almost had a bladder control problem on a few of them. I should probably scan a few in during my spare time.

Besides my friends being there, the other two highlights of the party were the delicious cake and my super terrific slide show--- which I will share with you on my OFFICIAL birthday. So, please, do what is necessary to subside your excitement while awaiting the release of the video. I mean, don't you want to see a 40 year highlight video of someone you don't know at all?? (sorry, family and dear friends, I have discovered that you are not the only ones reading this)

So, I'd like to say thank you to my dear hubby for throwing me a wonderful party and again to all my friends for coming! I love you all!!

Swap and Hop......Part Deux

Lysa TerKeurst is once again hosting a Swap and Hop. She is teaming up with Karen Ehman, author of a new book "The Complete Guide to Getting and Staying Organized". The theme of this swap and hop is "organizational challenges". Wow. Good one, Lysa. Too bad everything in my house is completely organized. Move along folks, nothing to see here. *smirk*

As I have shared before, I am quite the type A personality and would love for things to be just perfect in my home, but alas it just ain't gonna happen. Things are clean but most of the time cluttered. I keep telling myself it's fine and everyone else lives like this, right? Can I get an amen?

Our most challenging area that lacks organization right now would be our storage room. We have been in our house for about one year now and our storage room still looks like, well, a storage room crammed full of junk. We actually bought a few pieces of the Rubbermaid FastTrack garage system which I LOVE. However, because there is so much stuff in there we could not put up the whole system. What good is that you may wonder? None!

It is quite a large space and has great potential for being an organized haven. But we just can't seem to get it together enough to make it happen. The thought of sorting through it all is just so daunting. Where are the folks from TLC's Clean Sweep when you need motivation?? Road trip to Alabama anyone, to help a bloggy sister out...Karen? Lysa? Or the organizational book would be awesome too. Plus, there might be pictures....I love books with pictures!

Now for the shaming show and tell. Notice, if you will, the stack of empty storage containers just piled up together in the last photo. Yea, I can't believe I'm sharing this with the blogging world.