Flashback Friday -- The Cook

This week's Flashback Friday picture takes me back to somewhere around 1979-ish. And it will probably get me a little bit of trouble.....which has never stopped me before.


At this time, my family lived in Hoover, AL in a split level house on a cul-de-sac. Just looking at this picture reminds me of so many things. Even though I was only 11-ish, I can remember spending weekends working in the yard, camel crickets always in the basement, getting out of bed in the middle of the night for an electrical "fire", and watching the United States hockey team win the "Miracle on Ice".

But none of that is what this picture is about. It's about the person in the picture.






Yes, ladies and gentlemen, standing amidst the 1970's kitchen decor is my Momma. This is a picture of my mom in her "element"....the kitchen. During my childhood, my mom always served up three square meals. I'm not talking about Hamburger Helper either (thanks, Mom). Of course, this is not the place I'll talk about her making me sit at the table until my slimy and disgusting beets were gone.

She always served a good breakfast before school....one of my favorites being honey buns warmed in the oven. She packed a mean lunch in the Tupperware lunch box, which was often not complete without a note on the napkin saying "I love you". If my memory serves me correctly, she had a rotating dinner menu.....a dish she called "Rancho Beans" was another favorite of mine.

If you look closely in the photo there are a couple of other items in the photo that remain in my mom's kitchen to this day. Through the years, the tea pots have been replaced, because they are used on a daily basis. Her tea is always fresh, not too sweet, and decaffeinated only!

My favorite thing in that photo is the cookie jar, just to the right of the stove. Inside, my mom's chocolate chip cookies.....voted the "Best on Earth", by her family! Throughout my years in school, those cookies were requested for every classroom party. Mom, continues to keep the cookie jar full every time we go home.


Thank you Mom, for feeding me such great meals except the beets. You are so much more than just a great cook. You are a wonderful Mother in EVERY aspect of life. I love you dearly and hope you have a wonderful Mother's Day!!

All four kids of the Best Mom on the planet, circa about 1980.

Flashback Friday -- 20 years, really???

This weekend I am going back to one of my favorite places of my past.....my college campus.

It's hard to believe a Baptist women's college in the middle of NOWHERE, Alabama would play such a pivotal role in my life. It's the place that changed me forever! I walked on campus a shy, introverted girl and graduated a more confident, independent young woman.

Y'all I graduated from college in June 1990.....TWENTY YEARS AGO!

*gasp* *choke* Somebody call the doctor.

This weekend is our annual Alumnae weekend, and, as usual, my college peeps and I are getting together.

In honor of my *cough* 2o *cough* year reunion, I present to you......my Senior portrait from 1990.





I will rebuke any comments regarding my highly fashionable, at the time, she-mullet. Thankyouverymuch.

Flashback Friday-- Anchor's Away

This week's Flashback Friday is dedicated to someone that is very special to me, who lives on the other side of the world. Literally.


Meet my little brother, Constantine:






We should have recognized early that he would end up in the military:





See Constantine. See Constantine as a "plebe" (freshman) at the Naval Academy in 1996:







See Constantine meet Walter Cronkite on the USS Constitution:





See Constantine graduate from the Naval Academy in 2000:




Constantine has been stationed in Japan and South Korea approximately 7 of the last 10 years. During that time he married a wonderful Japanese girl, Aki.

This week we got the news that he will be coming back stateside for his next tour. He will be stationed in the Washington, D.C. area! I can't tell you how excited my family is. We certainly look forward to having them a little closer to "home".

I sure hope they like visitors!




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Flashback Friday-- March Madness

I've decided that Friday will be the day I flashback to the past. If you feel inclined to join in the fun, I hope to have a cute button and Mr. Linky up for next week. If not, I'm not ashamed to party alone.


In honor of March Madness, this week I bring to you some photos from my high school days. May I interject here the 80's were certainly the best decade....like totally.

Many of you are probably not aware that I was a basketball super star player back in the day. I began my basketball career in 9th grade and actually played on scholarship my freshman year of college. There was no WNBA in the mid 80's so I decided to retired my high tops and have a little fun playing intramural ball.

True story: The one and ONLY time I scored a basket in the wrong goal was at my college's Parent's Day celebration. The President of the college referred to me as "Wrong Way" in front of the entire crowd. Ummm, yea.


Oh yes, back to why we are here. I'm not sure words are needed for these.....

Yep, that's me front and center, #12.
This was either '83 or '84

Senior year, 1985, sporting the basketball mullet.

I attended Christian high schools, and we had the privilege of wearing tents culottes. Ya' know, so the nice boys wouldn't be distracted by my hot legs. Or maybe there was a verse in the Bible that says, "Ye shall cover thine basketball legs with excessive fabric, which shall be called culottes."