Buffy Babbles

I'm baaaaccckkkkk.....and blessed

2011-04-05T18:10:00.000-07:00

I know all of my faithful readers- both of you - have left me because it's almost been a year since I last blogged. I thought today would be the perfect day to return.

I cannot put into words what I've experienced in the past 8 weeks. I'll let pictures and videos tell you. If you want to be blessed, take time to watch the videos.

Reading and studying this with an AMAZING small group. If you haven't read it, I would highly recommend it. It is very challenging and convicting, but can change your life.

This song was introduced to me by a friend....WOW...especially the part about this is our temporary home. Have you ever thought of that?

Speaking of temporary home, can I leave out this?

I've been challenged about what to do with the blessings I abundantly have.

What are you doing that matters?

This is my favorite - you can't see anything on this. This was recorded last night and will be aired on CBS on April 22nd. I would watch it if I were you. Just listen for now then you can watch the emotion at the end of the month. I think this is what it's all about....how great He is....That on the cross my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin.

I've been watching the OWN network a lot lately - good channel - highly recommend it. Last night, I watched a show about Oprah herself. I will leave you with a few thought provoking quotes.

1. God can dream a bigger dream than you can ever dream for yourself. What would You have me to do?
2. To whom much is given, much is required.
3. What is real, what is lasting, is who you are and what you were meant to bring. What is the gift you were meant to give?

Kymulga Grist Mill photo shoot

2010-08-08T13:30:00.001-07:00

I'm in a new photography class, and I have an assignment based on light. I decided to try a location that I had previously seen in someone's engagement pictures. Here are my latest and greatest!

Kymulga Bridge - if I've listened to the old stories right, my PawPaw was born near this location and my great grandfather used to work at the mill!

The back of the grist mill and the Kymulga Dam

The grist mill, the dam, and the bridge

The dam and the bridge

CMA Fest Day 3

2010-07-06T19:47:00.000-07:00

My intention is to post a blog every day until I get caught up with my life...stay tuned. Today brings Day 3 of CMA fest. This day started with a group of us from the Carrie Underwood fan club volunteering at the 2nd Harvest Food Bank in Nashville. We sorted and packed 4000 pounds of food while we were there...and let's say we had a blast doing it!

The group

Me, MaryLee and Kristen

Working

Part of the warehouse

This is a video that 2nd Harvest did of us while we were there...I know I'm a dork!

Here is a video just to show you what a great time we had!

After that excitement, I headed to get in line to meet Trisha Yearwood. She was being so wonderful and taking time with everybody in line...however, I had tickets to the CMT Awards that night so I didn't have the time to wait. I called one of my friends who has loved Trisha since she was little and gave her my spot in line. She was kind enough to get me an autograph!

Celia and I headed to the CMT Music Awards as soon as she got home from work. What a blast! I loved getting to see how the award shows work..plus Carrie took home 2 awards, including the biggest of the night! I'll let the pictures do the talking!

Hank Williams Jr.

Lady Antebellum wins

Faith Hill and Taylor Swift

Paula Deen

Kix Brooks wins

Miranda Lambert

Luke Bryan wins

Jamey Johnson, Little Big Town, Kate & Kacey

John Mayer

Martina McBride

Leann Rimes

The other side of Leann Rimes

Reba

Keith Urban wins

Carrie performs

Carrie wins..and gets a kiss

She thanks me...and her other fans!

I'm getting tired of posting so I know you are getting tired of the pictures...there are many more pictures from the CMT awards...let me know if you want to see them!

Day 4 brings meeting artists and the first day at LP field!!

CMA Fest Day 2

2010-06-23T19:24:00.000-07:00

It took me a while to blog about Day 2 huh....well...let's just say I've been to 3 MORE country music events. I think I'm all done with that until October, so maybe I can get caught up on this blog!

Day 2 may have been the most exciting day of the week in terms of what I go to do. Carrie had her fan club party that day. The party started at 3. We got in line at 11:30 in the Tennessee summer heat...dedication huh? It was actually fun! I got a chance to visit with people I don't see that often and make new friends!

Here are some of those friends!

Me with Marylee...we look sexy in that Tennessee heat huh?

Party of the crazy group that kept me entertained all week!

Don't ask! I'll blame it on the heat!

My new friends!

The autographed lanyard we got when the doors finally opened at 2. (We were in line since 11:30...however, some people spent the night starting at midnight the night before!)

The fanclub party was amazing. Carrie did an acoustic set for the 800 of us in attendance. She and Nan Kelly, GAC host, then did a question and answer session....hilarious! Then she did a karaoke type contest with some of her songs. The winner received a round trip/hotel/tickets/meet and greet to a concert in the city of their choice! Keep in mind...this party was FREE!

Carrie singing "Undo It"

Question and answer session

Carrie with Nan Kelly

Her expressions

After the fanclub party, my group headed to eat. While we were in Subway, we saw Mike Fisher, Carrie's fiance! Here is part of my group with Mike!

After dinner, we headed back to the venue to see the Grand Ole Opry. Unfortunately, the Opry house was damaged in the floods so the Opry was held at the Municipal Auditorium. I miss the Opry house, but it is only a part of what makes the Opry so special. It was an incredible night! I got to upgrade to front row seats right before the show...thanks Lisa! I met 2 great ladies while up there.

These ladies met at a fanclub party 30 years ago, and have been coming to CMA Fest, or Fan Fair as many call it, since then. They kept me entertained throughout the show!

First up was Bill Anderson!

The Band Perry followed Bill

Mandy Barnett was next. Im still not sure who she is...I asked the ladies sitting next to me...they told me she was a nobody...who knows!

The SEXY Josh Turner. I love his smile!

Trisha Yearwood

Little Jimmy Dickens

The show closed with 30 more minutes of Carrie Underwood.

Singing "Jesus Take the Wheel" with "How Great Thou Art". If you've never seen a video of her doing that...You Tube it...it's amazing!

As if you couldn't tell, it was a great day!

Up Next: Volunteering at Second Harvest Food Bank and the CMT Music Awards!

CMA Fest Day 1

2010-06-14T17:47:00.000-07:00

I have just enjoyed the most exhilarating, amazing, fun, yet exhausting (who knew having fun could be so exhausting??) weeks of my life....CMA Fest. I LOVE country music....it feeds my heart and makes me happy. Spending one week fully immersed in country music is my idea of a good time....so that's exactly what I did. I did so much, that I will have to break this blog up into multiple posts....so we start with the beginning.

If I can, I visit my favorite cupcake place, IveyCake when I go to Nashville. This is the loot this time!

I also got to visit with one of my favorite Nashville families. Betty has an amazing heart...if you ever get the chance to know her, do it...you won't regret it! Here she is with 3 of her 4 children.

The first event on agenda was the City of Hope Celebrity Softball game. Country music’s biggest stars go to bat in the fight against cancer every summer at the Nashville Celebrity Softball Challenge. Celebrating its 20th year, the event helps raise funds and awareness for City of Hope's lifesaving mission. Hailed as the unofficial kickoff to the CMA Music Festival, this high-profile game features country stars, athletes and celebrities taking the field to represent team sponsors Grand Ole Opry Live and After MidNite with Blair Garner.

I am for the Opry....because Carrie is on that team. Here I am ready for the game!

The Band Perry

Mallary Hope

Jason Aldean signing my poster

Whitney Duncan

Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher walking to the field

Stephen from Love and Theft

Justin Moore

Julianne Hough

Carrie Underwood

Carrie's reaction when they introduced Mike

Look at her legs....girls, wouldn't you love to have legs like that?

Mike Fisher

Wedding shower for Carrie and Mike

The ultimate souvenir from the night...my signed hatch print by many of the country music artists!

Last but not least...yes, I LOVE country music and am very star struck, but this group of people is the reason the trip was so fun! Thanks guys! Looking forward to next year!

I almost forgot...I made the local news at this event.

To see the video, go here and go to around the 0:57 mark!

Next post: Carrie's fan club party and the Grand Ole Opry

Brainwashing...

2010-05-27T16:14:00.000-07:00

Nah....the kid just knows good music when he hears it! Ben watched himself dance in the video from my post yesterday, and he started singing this little bit of "Undo It" just from watching the video! Watch for yourselves!

I just love this kid!

Moved by the music

2010-05-26T20:10:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been moved by music? Tonight during the American Idol finale, Carrie sang her new single "Undo It." Ben, at my "brainwashing" some would say, loves Carrie. He was moved by her performance! Watch!

How about that split at the end? Maybe his mama should sign him up for So You Think You Can Dance! ;)

The Final Goodbye

2010-05-16T13:57:00.000-07:00

Luther Wallace Burton, my Paw Paw, went to meet Jesus this afternoon. He was born March 13, 1917 (he and my sister share a birthday) and died today May 16, 2010. He was 93 years old! My Paw Paw was a funny man...he made me laugh a lot! He made many, many things out of wood....some of which I still have....rolling pins, cooling racks, paper towel holders, a kitchen set for me and my sister, a small table and chairs that I'm now using for my Godson, toys, baskets, picture frames...anything you could want! He could cook some good cornbread and hush puppies among many other things! He was a HARD worker! He had the biggest garden until he just couldn't walk anymore. He would raise more vegetables than he and my Maw Maw could ever eat...he would just give them away! He loved his little church, Ironaton United Methodist Church! He also loved my Maw Maw dearly. He hasn't been the same since she died 3 1/2 years ago. Though I will miss him, he still lives on. I can see him in my Daddy and my brother...it's crazy because sometimes they'll do a little something and I'll say "Wow, you are just like Paw Paw!"

Today is also the day I lost my final grandparent. I was blessed enough to have all 4 of my grandparents until I was 23 years old. I was blessed to have at least one grandparent until I was 30 years old. It feels odd to have no living grandparents anymore!

Here are some pictures of my Paw Paw:

Paw Paw with me and Celia

Paw Paw and Maw Maw - he wore overalls ALL the time!

1986: He used to smoke a pipe. The story of why he finally quit is another funny one!

Paw Paw with my cousin Cody. See the cast....he almost cut his thumb off doing some woodwork!

We spent most Thanksvings at the Burton side. Here is Paw Paw helping to set the holiday table.

Daddy with Paw Paw and Maw Maw

Thad looking at Paw Paw Ford. He loved Fords....I sure wish somebody would fix up this old truck!

2008

Making me laugh

PawPaw....you are missed! We are sad for us, not you, for you are no longer suffering, and you got to meet Jesus today!

Has it been a year?

2010-05-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

One year ago today I sat by my Granny's hospital bed and witnessed her take her last breath. Though she was 91 years old, and lived a full life, it's still hard to believe she's gone. I miss her.....I always will.

Granny, here's to you, celebrating your one year anniversary of the day you got to meet Jesus face to face! Know you live on in all of our hearts! I'll see you again someday!

Letter from Heaven

To my dearest family, some things I'd like to say
But first of all, to let you know, that I arrived okay.
I'm writing this from heaven. Here I dwell with God above.
Here, there's not more tears of sadness; Here is just eternal love.

Please do not be unhappy just because I'm out of sight.
Remember that I am with you every morning, noon, and night.
That day I had to leave you when my life on earth was through.
God picked me up and hugged me and He said, "I welcome you.

It's good to have you back again; you were missed while you were gone.
As for your dearest family, they'll be here later on.
I need you here badly, you're part of my plan.
There's so much that I have to do, to help our mortal man"

God gave me a list of things that he wished for me to do.
And foremost on the list, was to watch and care for you.
And when you lie in bed at night the day's chores put to flight.
God and I are closest to you...in the middle of the night.

When you think of my life on earth, and all those loving years.
Because you are only human, they are bound to bring you tears.
But do not be afraid to cry: it does relieve the pain.
Remember there would be no flowers, unless there was some rain.

I wish that I could tell you all that God has planned.
If I were to tell you, you wouldn't understand.
But one thing is for certain, though my life on earth is over,
I'm closer to you now, than I ever was before.

There are many rocky roads ahead of you and many hills to climb;
But together we can do it by taking one day at a time.
It was always my philosophy and I'd like it for you too;
That as you give unto the world, the world will give to you.

If you can help somebody who's in sorrow and pain;
Then you can say to God at night..."My day was not in vain."
And now I am contented...that my life was worthwhile.
Knowing as I passed along the way I made somebody smile.

So, if you meet somebody who is sad and feeling low;
Just lend a hand to pick him up, as on your way you go.
When you're walking down the street and you've got me on your mind;
I'm walking in your footsteps only half a step behind.

And when it's time for you to go...from that body to be free.
Remember you're not going...you're coming here to me.
-Anonymous

Beach photo shoot

2010-05-01T05:06:00.000-07:00

I went to the beach this weekend to work at a PT conference to help my company recruit. You can never take a child to the beach and not take his or her picture...here is the result. I must say before you look at them that my camera is "broken." It measures light inconsistently which makes it near impossible to get the correct exposure. I will be sending it to Nikon in the next week or two but I suffered through frustration to get these images! (ie...don't judge!)

My favorite!

We went to eat at one of my favorite childhood places. It really held up to the memory. This bird came within 5 feet of us. Celia, this is for you!

Somewhere over the rainbow...

These next ones were taken later in the day. The haze was think and TERRIBLE, and it began to rain just as we were getting in the car! Not my best, but cute anyway!

Done!

History was made

2010-04-18T20:19:00.000-07:00

Carrie Underwood won ACM Entertainer of the Year for the second year in a row...she is the FIRST female EVER to do this....and I'd hate for you all to forget that I'm a fan! At the end of her speech she said, "Thank you fans. Fans! Fans! Fans!" She would've been talking to you if you were a fan! ;)

Here is her performance from the night!

Easter celebration at Auntie's house

2010-04-03T10:06:00.000-07:00

I wanted to buy Ben a Easter "basket". I know I went a bit overboard, but I couldn't help myself because I love this kid! This is his Easter present from Auntie.

Playing with his favorite item of the lot, Mack, the truck from Cars.

Cars overload?

Hunting Easter eggs at Auntie's house because it was raining outside

My neighborhood sponsored an Easter egg hunt today. They had it inside the model home since it was raining. The Easter bunny was there, Dr. Ballooney made balloon animals, a lady painted the kids faces, there were lots of sweets, and of course, there were many hidden eggs. I normally wouldn't go to this type of stuff kid free, but of course, Daphne was more than happy to let Ben participate!

The Easter bunny

Ben's puppy dog face painting

Feeding his balloon dog his cookie

Vain? Nah...just self confident and loving!

This kid ate candy, cupcakes, and cookies for lunch!

What a fun day it has been playing with my godson! I know, and he will know that the real reason for Easter is to celebrate our risen King! I'm going to my church service tonight! Thank you Jesus, for you what you did for us. Thank You for loving me more than I deserve or could even imagine! "Up from the grave He arose!"

Happy Easter to all!

Cute? Handsome?

2010-03-31T17:25:00.000-07:00

I think so!

Ben, my godson, won a contest to be on the front of the "Birmingham Parent" magazine. Here is his cover!

What do you think? ;)

Sunrise at Weiss Lake

2010-03-25T18:12:00.000-07:00

I spent last weekend at my parents' house which is on Weiss Lake. I typically like to try to sleep late when I'm there because I know I don't have chores to get up and do on Saturdays like when I'm at home. I slept on the couch in the basement Friday night. There are a lot of windows down there so I told myself that when it got daylight, I would go back up to my room upstairs because it has blinds and curtains. Well...I woke up at daylight and saw this.

Taken with my iPhone at 6:45 in the morning

I realized that this was too pretty to pass up so I ran upstairs and got my real camera. These pictures don't really do justice to the beauty I saw that morning! Enjoy!

Last but not least, my Dad was outside that afternoon and he yelled up for me to get my camera because he saw these ducks....Daddy, here are your ducks!

"Play On" Day 2 and 3

2010-03-16T12:19:00.000-07:00

Before I launch into this post, I must say that I believe that the happiest people in this world are people who are passionate about something. I know we should first be passionate about God. However, what else are you passionate about? For some it is their cause. For some it is a sport or a sports team. For some it is their child. For others it is their job. For me....I guess you know!

Also, the Spirit magazine that Southwest Airlines puts out had this to say:
"People who spend money on experiences like sporting events and concerts rate themselves as feeling happier than when they purchased material things like clothes and cars, according to a 2009 study by San Francisco State University. “The happiness you feel from buying something like a new car wears off after a little while, and then you’re looking for the next best thing,” Lyubomirsky says. “Experiences can provide happiness through memories. They’re renewable, so you’re less likely to adapt to them.”
$ Go to the movies.
$$ See your favorite band perform live.
$$$ Splurge on a weeklong, all-inclusive resort vacation."

So...say what you wish...I'll even laugh with you...but I'm happy!!

Day 2 of my trip took me to Albany, NY. I said I would not take as many pictures this night as the night before...I didn't take AS many, but here is the result!

Sons of Sylvia

Cowboy Casanova

Wasted

Temporary Home

Just a Dream

All American Girl: By the way...did you know this song is a make out song? Well neither did I, but apparently the 2 sitting next to me thought it was!

I Told You So

Last Name: "Ring on my left hand just appeared". Bling!

The famous truck!

Sing along!

What Can I Say with Ash Clark from Sons of Sylvia

I put this one in because I would kill for those arms and legs!

Day 3 took us to Providence, RI. Believe it or not, I took ZERO pictures that night. I wanted to watch everything that was happening and take it all in. I did manage to get a couple of videos. These aren't the best quality because Carrie is more just a glowing figure, but you can get my point.

During "Songs Like This" she mashed in "White Liar" and "Single Ladies"!

This is a video that was actually taken in Reading, PA of the whole truck scene so that you can get an idea of what goes on during this show. I did not take it, but watch it!

That does it...I can't wait until the next time! Yes...I'm seeing it AGAIN! ;)

Play On Day 1

2010-03-12T06:01:00.000-08:00

Birmingham people, mark your calendar for June 12th. Then, do yourself a favor and buy yourself a ticket to see Carrie Underwood's "Play On" Tour. I guarantee you that you won't see a better show or hear a better voice in country music right now!

I had the opportunity to see the first show in Reading, PA last night from second row dead center. I know you all know that I'm a huge Carrie fan...BUT, biased or not, that was the best show I have EVER seen! One guy I was with commented, "That was a religious experience." He is right in more ways than one...Carrie Underwood had church up in that building! She sang "Temporary Home" and "Jesus Take the Wheel" with "How Great Thou Art" at the end. I have no words to describe it!

I read an article before I went to the show in which Carrie said they were going for broke with this show....to quote an American Idol day Carrie quote, "She knocked it out the box!"

That's the best review I can give for now. All I can say was it was beyond incredible. Let a few of my 700 pictures speak for now.

Sons of Sylvia opened along with Craig Morgan. The lead singer of Sons of Sylvia used to be Carrie's fiddle player!

Cowboy Casasnova

Rocker Carrie

Look at the amazing set she had...yes, she's swinging! Singing "Just a Dream"

"Temporary Home"

"So Small"

Carrie brought the Opry with her!

She even played the piano!

Yes, ladies and gentleman, she flew on a truck through the arena!

"Jesus Take The Wheel"

"What Can I Say" featuring Sons of Sylvia....oh the emotion in this song!

After 24 songs, it's over...Whew! Wow!

To leave you...my favorite part of the show!

Thank goodness I get to see the show again the next 2 nights!

Mr. GQ

2010-03-07T18:07:00.000-08:00

Today was a beautiful day, and Ben was in a great mood! I decided it would be a good day to practice my camera skills....so this is the result. This kid should be a model!

Without further ado...my Godson, Mr. GQ!

If any of you modeling agencies need a cute 2 1/2 year old who will slightly follow directions, I can put you in touch with his Mama! ;)

Imitation is the best form of flattery!

2010-02-08T16:53:00.000-08:00

I wish I had thought to post a blog like this before my sis did...but since she said it better than I could, I'll just link it!

Check out this post....love what we did to this envelope!
http://celiawrites.blogspot.com/2010/02/envelope.html

Follow up to the goose egg

2010-01-22T18:19:00.001-08:00

I've had fun making up stories about how this happened! You all know, though, that this is what is left over from the goose egg from the previous post. This is my first "black eye".

Auntie and Ben time

2010-01-17T19:02:00.000-08:00

I love spending time with my little buddy. Recently, he has decided to wallow on me....though I don't mind at all! He also like to use me as a human jungle gym, and sometimes we rough house. Here are a few pictures taken the past couple of weeks.

He stretched out on me to use me as a couch while he watched "Max and Ruby" on TV

Here we are watching a video on my Iphone...he decided to lay on me verses sit by me!

He also likes to climb in my lap, or anybody's lap for that matter, and say "Scratch back Auntie" or "Scratch tummy Auntie." Of course, I mind...I'm spoiling him for sure. I feel sorry for his wife one day. He'll expect his back or tummy to be scratched and his head to be rubbed whenever he wants it!

Like I said earlier, sometimes we rough house. He likes to climb up my legs and slide down. He likes me to throw him in the air and play helicopter. This picture shows what happens when I'm not careful! He didn't do it on purpose. I was "bench pressing" him while he was in a sitting position....he lost his balance and fell backward...my head caught him! Nevertheless, we have a blast when I spend time with him, goose eggs and all! I sure love the kid!

PLEASE VOTE!!

2010-01-06T14:56:00.000-08:00

I entered a contest through CMA Fest called "Unwrap, Upload, Upgrade." They chose the top 5 videos and the public gets to vote. They list the grand prize as "One (1) first prize winner will receive two (2) Gold Circle floor seats, and VIP Behind-the-Scenes Tour experience, two (2) CMA Music Fest prize packs that includes music, T-shirts, and more." It is, in my opinion, a country music lovers dream!

Well....my video is in the top 5!!! I sent in the video I posted on the last post of Thad opening his metal detector. PLEASE go to http://cmafest.com/2009/vote.aspx and vote. My video is the top video, "Nerd Alert". Please rate it, and only it, 5 stars, sign in at the bottom and hit submit! You can vote once a day through January 15, 2010.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE vote and send it on to your friends to do....it's only 9 days...you can do it!! Thanks in advance!

Christmas in pictures

2009-12-25T14:21:00.000-08:00

I had a great time with my family this Christmas. I'll let the pictures and video do the talking!

Our Christmas PJs

We ate breakfast for dinner on Christmas Eve. We tried a new recipe...chocolate gravy!

The best Christmas gift my family could ever get!

My parents' new house doesn't have a fireplace, so this was my Mama's way to improvise!

Present time

Have you ever seen someone get so excited about a metal detector??

Watch here to see the full reaction!

Nerd Alert!

Celia

Daddy

Thad

Mama

Country Rock Band

When you go to Celia's house, she won't let you use paper towels because "they are bad for the environment".....hence the towels

Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T18:23:00.000-08:00

O Holy Night is my favorite Christmas song! I came upon this version tonight. Pretty awesome! Be sure to pause the song in the previous post before watching.

Merry Christmas to all!!

Time flies!

2009-12-22T19:58:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Christmas is this Friday. It really feels like we just celebrated it not too long ago. It's amazing how fast time goes as you get older! I attended my church's Christmas service last night. One thing that struck me was a quote in the introduction...it said "Christmas isn't just a holiday....it's a love story." I have never thought of it like that, but it is so true. One of the songs that was performed to help that point was "You're Here" by Francesca Battistelli. Take a listen to this very moving song...

Here are a few decorations from my house this year!

My Auburn tree

This is a gift from my realtor, Gina McGlaughlin...it's an everyday decoration!

I won't get to see Ben again until after Christmas, so I let him open his gift early. Look at my cute godson!

Playing with his new toy with his Auntie

However, he thought this way was more fun!

Thad gave Ben a gift too...I must say...he LOVED this present far more than what his Auntie gave him! The little dude LOVES buses...and Thad too for that matter!

I hope you are all enjoying the week leading up to the celebration of our Savior's birth!

Are You Ready???

2009-12-15T18:35:00.001-08:00

I AM!!! The first leg of the tour goes March-May of 2010....I have tickets to 4 different shows....YAY!! Don't fret...you'll get reviews and pictures!

A "Church" lesson

2009-12-13T12:04:00.000-08:00

I love the series that we are doing at church right now. It's called "Live, Laugh, Love." Today the preacher talked about joy and laughter, and we laughed a lot during the service today! If you are looking for a church home in the Birmingham area, let me know because I go to a great church!

HOWEVER, the purpose of this blog is to tell you about a conversation that I heard sitting in my seat waiting on the service to start this morning. The seating at my church is stadium like. These two middle age (54 and 62 years old...how do I know you ask...stay tuned) women were sitting directly behind me. These women were talking loud enough that people several seats around would have no problem hearing...hence how I heard their ages. Apparently, both of these women have been married multiple times, and found it appropriate to discuss their sex lives, or lack there of, in church (in earshot of others mind you) this morning!

WARNING: explicit discussion ahead

These two women discussed how one of them had never had an orgasm (the 62 year old) though had been married 3 times, and the other one (54 year old) wanted to BE with Keifer Sutherland....I know she had been married twice...not sure if she was currently married. The 62 year old women told how last night she had a dream about being intimate with her neighbor...then they laughed and commented that maybe it was a vision. (OOOOKKKK!!!) The 62 year old said that all her husband ever does is pat her on the arm and say "Goodnight Honey", and then went on to comment that she would have sex if somebody would just try.......REMEMBER....all of this was a discussion going on at church!

However, the thing that struck me the most was this comment. The 54 year old commented that she didn't know if she knew what true love was. She said she had cared about her husbands (plural) but she had never had a true love, and I quote, "where you hunger for the person you are married to." The 62 year old agreed that she didn't know true love either. (Remember she had been married at least 3 times).

I find this sad. I am single as you all know. Don't get me wrong, I would LOVE to be married....to MR RIGHT, the one God has planned for me....but, I would rather be single all of my life than be middle aged and feel the need to have a conversation like this. I want to know real love, and I don't want to settle just so I can say "Im married." I have heard many people say negative things just because I'm 30 and single...even my Granny called me an Old Maid for crying out loud...but I tell you...I'm happy, and I would much rather be in my position than be married in a ho-hum type of relationship...just so I could have "Married" as my status.

Please, ladies and gentleman....if you NEED to have this conversation, do it over the phone or in a private setting....not in church of all places!!

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T16:13:00.000-08:00

I am sitting on the couch watching football with my family feeling full and blessed. Can I just say that I love my family, and I love spending time with them! In the past, we have had Thanksgiving at my aunt's house. Due to changes in the family this past year, my mom and dad decided to host Thanksgiving. There were 14 people that shared a meal this year. My mom, with minimal help from my brother, prepared the meal, and it was delicious! The dressing was as good as my grandmother's, and the apple cheese was amazing too. Paula Dean's mac and cheese recipe is always a hit, and my dad grilled the turkey and ham...Is your mouth watering? Mine would be but I'm stuffed to my eyeballs from eating it all! My job of the day...photographing so I could blog!

Mama - the chef

The spread

Dessert table

My other job - taste tester...I tasted raw dressing to make sure it was seasoned right, raw mac and cheese just to check on it, and purple hull peas to make sure they were done

Aunt Glenda and Celia - If you know my GG, ask her if she likes Irish coffee!

Me and Celia - this is a holiday tradition...always trying to get a pic of us...this is the best we could do

Daniel and Uncle Milton

Thad and Aunt Janice

Don't ask!

Diane and Stephanie (Stephanie is my cousin Daniel's wife and Diane is her mom)

Aunt Janice and Justin

Daddy and Uncle Billy (his brother)

One of my favorite things that the women in my family do is sit around at the table and chat after we eat....here is today's scene

Laughing at the stories

Cooking lessons - Stephanie wanted to learn how to cook apple cheese like my mom and aunts, so Aunt Janice taught her!

The Burton men after lunch

My cousin, Cody or "James" depending on where he is

Happy Thanksgiving to all! Hope you had a great day!

Oh what a night!

2009-11-16T14:55:00.000-08:00

I went to Nashville (yes, again for those of you asking that question!) this past weekend. Carrie was to perform at the Grand Ole Opry, and this was the first performance there since the new album came out. I found out earlier last week that she would be signing the new CD for the first 80 people to buy the album from the Opry store. I have my first 2 album signed, and I thought it would be awesome to have the newest one signed. I convinced the friends that I was with that we should camp out in front of the store overnight in order to assure that we were in the first 80 to buy the album...of course they agreed! We made it to the Opry Originals store in downtown Nashville around 11 pm on Friday night. (Keep in mind that the store didn't open until 10 AM the next morning!) Though it was 40 degrees outside, and we had to "sleep" (an overstatement) in our chairs or on the concrete with nothing but a Snuggie to cover up with, it was well worth it!!! Let me make a side comment that the advertisement for the Snuggies to be worn outside didn't mean it would warm you in 40 degree weather!

Here are Michelle and I after one of the street vendors gave us his last 2 bouquets...he was ready to go home...I think this was nearing 2 AM!

I would love for you to watch the video of what transpired as the night progressed. You will not see me in this video because I was behind the camera...watch until the end...I think you might be amazed!

Notice Carrie and her assistant's faces as Lisa was giving her the money!

So...I'm sure you figured that since I camped out, I got a voucher to meet Carrie...indeed I did. I posted a video a few posts ago of Ben kissing Carrie. I talked to her about it, and gave her the copy of the video....and got my CD signed!

I know you all think I'm crazy, and I'm ok with that! Each of us has something that we like to do...our "thing" if you will. Mine just happens to be going to concerts, especially country concerts...especially Carrie Underwood concerts. Here is another reason why. Look how she really listens to you when you actually get a chance to meet her! (I'll forgive all of you who are rolling your eyes!)

On to the Opry....I have seen the Opry several times not, but never at the historic Ryman...what a treat! The lineup was amazing. They streamed it on Myspace, and they hoped that 20,000 people would watch...I believe over 90,000 people watched...pretty cool huh! Here are some of my pictures from the night!

Jake Owen

Martina McBride

Rodney Atkins

And, of course, Carrie Underwood

My sister

2009-11-11T16:23:00.001-08:00

I must say that my sister is quite the character...she cracks me up! Her latest blog post dated today 11/11/09 is proof of that.

Please go check it out!!! http://celiawrites.blogspot.com/

Before you go read, I must note that she is NOT a Carrie fan!

Temporary Home

2009-11-10T19:26:00.000-08:00

I've been posting a lot of videos lately, but I've been so busy moving in, organizing, working and playing that I haven't really taken any pictures.

This song is one of my favorites off of Carrie's new album "Play On." See what you think!

BTW....She will be signing the album on Saturday, and I'm taking a poll. I REALLY want this album cover signed because her first 2 are signed. Should I wait in line all night to get a voucher or just skip it???

Enjoy the video...I'm interested to know what you all think about the song! Make sure to listen to the whole song...it's great!

Kellie Pickler on Ellen for Halloween

2009-11-02T20:50:00.000-08:00

Watch this.....it WILL make you laugh!!

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T19:33:00.000-07:00

Today has been a fun day. First, Auburn won....WAR EAGLE! I have hope that we can beat Georgia and hang with Alabama...we shall see. It was a good way to start the day. I also had my first, and only, trick-or-treater at my new house! (See below) This evening, (after a YUMMY salmon burger from Baha Burger) I went to a fall festival at a church in Alabaster with Daphne, Ben, Stephanie, and Kate. (Of course I couldn't go by myself since I don't have kids!) They had a great set up for the kids. There were lots of games, activities, and candy! I think everyone had a great time.

My first trick-or-treater at my new house!

Snow White

Snow White and Aubie pre fall festival

Auntie and Ben

Cake Walk

This picture makes me laugh. This is Stephanie and Daphne looking over into a jumping ring watching their children jump!

The group

Aubie's favorite part of the festival - the lollipop!

Snow White's favorite part of the festival - the pony ride

Peace out from Aubie and the cow - hope your day was as good as mine!

Moved In

2009-10-27T08:15:00.000-07:00

I'm all moved in, but I'm still trying to get settled in...that'll take a while, but a big thanks goes out to my family, especially my sister, who helped me get most of it done! If you need a "professional organizer", call my sister...she's good! I'll post pictures when I get it all set up!

Food for Thought

2009-10-20T19:32:00.001-07:00

Watch and listen....it's NOT Carrie related!! ;)

What are you doing?

War Eagle!

2009-10-19T15:49:00.000-07:00

For the past 12 years (since I graduated from high school...doesn't that make me sound old!)I have gone to AT LEAST one Auburn home game a year. This year is no exception. I might have chosen the wrong home game to go to (we lost), but it's always nice to actually be in the experience! I LOVE Auburn win, lose, or draw. I really think my blood must run orange and blue! If you are in the Auburn family...you understand....it's really a family, and I'm proud to be part of it!

The team praying around the AU prior to the game.

Thad being Thad...BTW...it was COLD!! I think Mother Nature forgot to give us fall because she skipped right to winter!

The view from our seats

Trooper Taylor...if you've been watching Auburn football at all this year, you know about this guy!

Chris Todd

As a bonus picture, on Sunday I went to the pumpkin patch with Daphne and Ben. She wanted to be able to experience it with him, so I went along to take the pictures. Here is my favorite picture of the bunch...couldn't he be a model???

The result of time spent with Auntie!

2009-10-13T07:22:00.000-07:00

Ben has the flu! He's much better today, but he still can't go back to daycare yet. Daphne needed to go to work, and I didn't have any patients today, so I offered to keep him for her. This is the result of time spent with Auntie!

I think we have a miniature Carrie fan on our hands!

By the way, ITunes released "Mama's Song" today which is on Carrie's upcoming album to be released on Novemeber 3. GO BUY IT! It's awesome!

Watch this video of Carrie giving an interview about the song...you can also preview the song because it's playing in the background.

Friday night luck

2009-10-04T16:56:00.000-07:00

I decided this past Monday that I wanted to go to the Opry on Friday night. Luckily I found GREAT tickets pretty easy thanks to my fellow fan club members! The Grand Ole Opry joined the fight against breast cancer with “Opry Goes Pink” with the help of Opry member Carrie Underwood flipping the switch on the Opry’s red signature barn backdrop to pink. Also appearing as a special guest announcer was one of America’s favorite morning news program personalities, ABC’s Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts, herself a breast cancer survivor. However, what made me REALLY want to go was the announcement that Caitlin Lynn of the duo Caitlin and Will would be singing their song "Address in the Stars".

Carrie flipping the switch to turn the barn backdrop pink

Jimmy Dickens was there sporting his pink suit!

Jo Dee Messina

Caitlin Lynn - PLEASE check out her music. This chick can sing! "Address in the Stars" is a very touching song! She wrote this song in memory of her aunt who died of breast cancer.

Here is the official video of the song...WATCH!

Terri Clark

Robin Roberts from Good Morning America was the guest host for Carrie's section.

A couple of my favorite pictures of the main artist from the night.

Carrie singing Cowboy Casanova on Friday night. Thanks for the video Todd!

After the show, about 10-15 people got a chance to hang out with Carrie near her bus. She signed autographs and joked around. We actually got to visit with her for about 15 minutes. I love how "normal" she acts....but I guess she started out just like you and me!

Carrie with her bodyguard

The fence separated us....she looks like she is in jail!

My autograph from the night

What a great last minute trip! I get to do some pretty cool things don't I?

VOTE VOTE VOTE

2009-10-02T13:29:00.000-07:00

Daphne entered Ben into the BabyGap Casting Call contest. There are two ways to win: "fan favorite" and judges choice. The "Fan Favorite" wins a vacation! The judges top 20 are flown to San Francisco for a professional photo shoot. The contestants are then narrowed down to the top 5 and voting begins again! Help them win fan favorite by going to this link, registering, and voting daily until November 17, 2009.

How can you not go vote for this cute little face?

Make sure to vote once daily so that this sweet boy and his mama get a well deserved vacation!!

Weekend of fun

2009-10-01T05:26:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I got to spend a lot of time with my family and friends...just how I like it. I, of course, took a few pictures, so I wanted to share.

Last Friday night, some of my family and I went to watch my 15 year old cousin, Sam (whom I adore!), play football. He is in the 10th grade at Pell City. They played in Talladega which is where most of my family is from. He is a wide receiver/kick returner. They didn't throw any balls his way, but he did catch a punt return and ran it back for 10 yards. We were very excited!

My family that went with me to see Sam. Thad, JJ, GG, Celia, and Justin\

Getting ready for a kickoff return

Sam - isn't he cute?

Saturday was Ben's birthday party at Pump It Up. To read more about it, go Daphne's blog. I will say that I think it was as much fun for the adults as for the kids. It was awesome to see all the people who came out to show their love for him...that kid is really loved, but how can you help it? He's so lovable!

Here are a couple of pictures I think you will enjoy!
Celia and Kayla going down the big slide

The birthday boy happy after his ride down the slide

Getting ready to go down the slide

Ben didn't open presents at his birthday party because there was a lot going on....however, he snuck and opened this one. This was what Unc and SuSu gave him...he loved it!

I gave him a tricycle and a horn! Hope he loves it!

I spent the rest of Saturday watching football with my sister and brother..it was great day!

Ben's actual birthday was Tuesday. Daphne invited to me to go to Chuck-E-Cheese with them. He has gotten tired of me taking pictures of him recently. He yelled "No" and ducked a few times to get out of the camera path!! However, I think he had fun with the few rides he rode...I had a GREAT time playing the games!

Ben riding with Chuck-E-Cheese

LOVE this game!

The birthday boy with his Auntie...not sure why he is pulling on my neck like that. I tried to take another picture, but like I said, he said "No" because he is tired of the camera right now!

Ben and his mommy playing another one of my favorite games!

Ben with the talking Chuck-E-Cheese...he loved it...I think the kid will love Disney World!

The weekend and the beginning of the week were fun! Now, everybody around me has the flu. Thad has been lying on the couch for 2 days! My voice sounds like a man this morning....I don't feel bad though. I've quarantined myself to my room in hopes that my immune system stands up to the test!!

Happy 2nd Birthday Ben!

2009-09-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

I have a fun blog from my weekend ready to go, but I must interrupt that regularly scheduled post to say "Happy Birthday" to my favorite 2 year old!! I can't believe Ben is 2...he is growing up so fast! I've had a lot of fun spending time with him since he's been home with his mother! Here are a few of our moments together!

Happy 2nd Birthday big guy! I hope your next year of life brings you even more blessings! Your Auntie loves you to the moon and back! I'm lucky to be your Godmother!

Purpose

2009-09-14T19:12:00.000-07:00

It's been too many days since I've last blogged!! Before I begin to fill you all in, I'd like to take a moment to ask my readers to pray for my aunt and my cousins. My uncle passed away suddenly last Thursday night. He was only 68 years old. Please pray for comfort and peace that passes all understanding during this time for them.

Thomas Dwight Grimes
September 17, 1940 - September 10, 2009

House Update: I continue to go by my house often. Things are really moving along. I have a fireplace, cabinets, countertops, tile, hardwoods, appliances, landscaping and it's painted on the inside. I get more and more excited each time I go by..I can't wait to move in!

The front with the new landscaping as of 9-13-09

The kitchen...LOVE the blacksplash!

Shower (unfinshed) in master bath

Master bath

Labor Day weekend: I spent the weekend with my family at my parents' house for the holiday weekend. Daphne and Ben stayed with us for one night so Ben could enjoy the "doat", and one of my aunts stayed the whole weekend. (GG, you should have been there!) We had a blast! I always eat so much while I'm there...my brother and mother can cook up a storm! We took the boat and jet ski out one last time for this season, and somehow we seemed to talk my mother and JJ into getting into the tube...Mama hated it, JJ loved it! I have pictures...ladies, if you are reading this, forgive the one picture...my audience needed to see it...if you object too much, let me know and I'll take it down! We also watch Auburn play the first game of the season...so far so good I would say. I'm really interested to see what the rest of this season brings. So far, I can proudly yell WAR EAGLE!

Ben sporting his Auburn gear

Proof of the entertainment that I got to pull in the tube behind the jetski...they look a little scared don't they!

Now on to the real purpose of this post. I got the chance to attend the taping of CMT Invitation Only: Carrie Underwood this past Saturday...amazing, but that's beside the point. She sang a new tear jerker of a song called "Temporary Home" which was about how Earth is just our temporary home. That song coupled with the sudden death of my uncle really got me thinking and got my emotions stirred. I did a lot of driving this weekend between Nashville and Talladega, so I had a lot of thinking time. Have you ever been inspired to be the best you that you can be? I was this weekend, but where do you start....I realized that you must begin on your knees! Start today, this moment, being the best person you can be...the best YOU that you can be! I'm pretty excited about my new journey. I've also been praying about and considering my "purpose" for several months now...I tell you the answer hit me like a ton of bricks on my way home on Saturday night. Let me tell you how refreshing it is to finally realize what your purpose is in life. I feel mine is a tall order, but I know if I stay on my knees, it will be so easy. Are you being the best you that you can be? If not, why not start today? Tomorrow might not be available, as proven to me this past week. Do you know what your purpose is? If not, find it....I can assure you that it makes all the difference!

Carrie in Ravinia

2009-09-01T18:58:00.000-07:00

I know I said my next post would be about my Grand Canyon trip...I just can't bring myself to photoshop all of those pictures yet...I will post in due time. However, I have plenty of pictures that don't need to be photoshopped from my adventure this weekend.

I took a trip to Chicago thanks to my friend Cynthia who gifted me part of it for the big 3-0! We went because Carrie was performing one of the few times this year. Once I got there on Saturday, I met up with my friends Cynthia and Michelle . When we got into town we ate at this place called Ed Debivic's which is a place in downtown Chicago with a 50's atmosphere. The servers are deliberately rude, but it is great! They are also dressed in the oddest attire...one of the servers reminded me of Mama from "Mama's family". They even dance in the windows and on the counter for you! After eating, we went down to Navy Pier to look around. We didn't get to do much downtown because our real purpose was to see Carrie.

Sunday, we spent time with other Carrie fans. I met some great people. I'm so lucky to know people all over the country (especially since Carrie is touring again in 2010, and I will need places to stay!). It's also great to know people who love Carrie like I do..I know many of you think I'm crazy...but it is really so much fun! If you would just try it once, you would see what I mean!

The concert was great! We had 4th row seats, but because of the setup of the pavilion, we were next to the stage. This venue was called the Ravinia Festival. It's a place where they have concerts all summer, but most of them seem laid back. A security guard told us before it started that you couldn't stand up. Some security guards allowed pics and some didn't. The nice one standing next to us let me take some (quickly so they may not be the best quality or the perfect exposure) which I am thankful for. You never know what befriending someone might do for you! ;) Thanks Mr. Security guard!

Carrie was on fire! Her vocals get better and stronger every time I see her. You can always tell what kind of mood she is in by the chatter between songs....she was in an awesome mood. She is really quite funny! Since most of the venue were season ticket holders, they weren't there just to see Carrie like we were so they weren't as into the whole concert. Towards the end of the show, we couldn't stand it anymore, and stood up to sing and dance. Carrie and the band noticed us, and we got a a little love from them!

After the concert, some of us headed back to our hotel to hang out for a while. I haven't laughed as much as I did that night in a long time. We were thoroughly entertained by my friend Renee who loves Micheal Jackson! My stomach and head hurt after we were done because I laughed so hard.

I know this is more than you want to know, but I had to record the events for myself! Carrie is releasing her 3rd album "Play On" on November 3rd. PICK IT UP!! She is also doing a HUGE tour next year for the album. I plan to go a lot, so if you want to go with me and see what I mean...just let me know!

Enjoy my pics! Maybe one day my pictures will get good enough and someone in the Carrie camp will hire me as their concert photographer...wouldn't that be awesome!

Ed Debivics

Lola, our server, dancing on the bar

The Sunday lunch crew

Miss Carrie Underwood

Singing "Jesus Take the Wheel". Before she started this song, she said "I don't know where you are in your faith, but listen to the words to this song." It's so cool to see a celebrity like her share her faith like she does in ways that people can understand and not just through words!

Power!

This one is blurry, but I love how she is looking at Mark, the bass player. The mic stand kept falling over, and eventually she just told them she didn't need it anyway because her guitar playing messed up their pretty stuff, but, here, I think she was trying to figure out what to do!

I love how she feels her own music!

Rocker Carrie

I'm always hoping for a shot like this...she makes faces all night, and I finally captured one!

What a night! I'm serious...if you want to go with me next year, just let me know! I can almost promise you that you will thank me! I think I may have a contest soon...it'll be called "guess how many live Carrie performances that I've seen"...anyone care to take a guess?

Vegas Baby!

2009-08-24T20:17:00.000-07:00

Vegas was a blast! It was a great way to ring in my 30th birthday. No need to explain...I'll try to let my pictures do the talking! Enjoy!

We got into Vegas late Thursday night (really Friday morning) so the first thing Celia and I did was go skydiving on my actual birthday. You've seen the pictures of that adventure! This is my shirt as a souvenir!

We walked A LOT while there. Transportation will break you if you ever decide to go! After we finished skydiving, we walked back to our hotel. I took pictures of a lot of the casinos because they are an attraction in themselves. Here are a few.
Mandalay Bay

New York New York

MGM Grand

Bellagio with the water fountain show

Famous ceiling in lobby of Bellagio

Paris

Last but not least was our hotel, Caesar's Palace...very nice!

After walking the strip for a while, we went to have dinner at the Bellagio Buffet....YUMMY! It was so good we went back for breakfast on Sunday.

Waiting in line

Yummy!

After dinner, I played the slots...with only $20 but walked away with $20 less...it was fun though....the suspense of "can you hit it big" hangs on the whole time!

We also went to see "O" that night. VERY VERY good show!! I had a fun filled and jam packed birthday, but that's just the way I wanted it...it was definitely a day to remember. The next day was spent at the Grand Canyon...pictures and post to come next. We spent the last day of the trip exploring more of the strip, saw an impersonation show, and went to the top of the Stratosphere for a night view of the strip. Here are a few more pictures.

The famous Vegas sign

A few more casinos
Luxor

Inside the Venetian

The Stratosphere

Night View of The Strip from the top of the stratosphere

American Legends Show at the stratosphere- Carrie Underwood, Tim McGraw and Brittney Spears??? I think they need work! Their show definitely does!

As usual for trips for me, we played hard. I always need to rest when I get home from my vacations because I like to see and do everything there is physically possible to do! I think we did as much as we could. This last picture shows how we all felt on our Monday flight home.

Thanks girls for going on my birthday trip with me! As I say about everything I do....if you haven't been, you should go!! Vegas is a lot of fun! Up next....Grand Canyon post...

I went skydiving....

2009-08-20T20:15:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I took a trip to Vegas to celebrate my birthday. It was a fun filled and packed trip, so I will have to break the experience up into multiple blogs. One of the first things I did when I got to Vegas was go skydiving. I wanted to jump out of plane on my actual birthday...and that I did! I'll tell the story through my pictures.

Here I am all suited up waiting my turn...I look pretty calm huh?

Mike, my instructor, walking me to the plane. This guy has jumped over 13,000 times!

Their brand new, perfectly good, airplane in which I would leap from!

Excited, yet VERY scared!

We were very high....can you see how far away the ground is?

Psyching myself up to jump

And we jumped!

I believe I can fly! ;)

This is how I really felt!

I must give a side story now. I easily get motion sick...you know, I can't read and ride in the car and I can't ride the rides at amusement parks without getting sick. I have no idea why I didn't think this would happen when I jumped. I read on a facebook status update from the day we jumped that the desert winds decided to visit the day we jumped...so, there was a lot of turning and spinning after the parachute opened so that we could get to our landing strip. This, of course, stirred up the motion sickness that I am prone to...and I puked, in a ziploc bag, in the air. I don't think that this is an uncommon thing because all the guys carry these bags in their pocket to protect themselves and the jumpers from what might happen. If you look closely in this next picture, you can see what the winds did to me!

Landing and still puking!

And it's over...don't I look good, especially since I was just sick, and happy. To take a quote from their facebook page, "At Skydive Las Vegas, you'll free fall at 120 MPH and then enjoy the quiet and peaceful views of Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, the Colorado River, the Las Vegas Strip and the entire Las Vegas Valley." Thanks Mike!

What a way to start the morning of my big birthday! After it was all over, I will say that the free fall is incredible....I don't know if we really hit 120 mph, but it sure felt like it...maybe the parachute part would have been better minus the desert wins...who knows, but one thing is for sure...it was a ONCE in a lifetime experience for me, and one check off the bucket list! Welcome to my next 30 years!

Oh yeah...thank goodness for ziploc bags!

Today is the day...

2009-08-14T05:00:00.000-07:00

...that I turn the Big 3-0! Over the past couple of weeks I have really been pondering life, my life. I have really had a great 30 years. I have nothing to complain about at all. I have had so many blessings, so many things to be thankful for, known so many wonderful people, gotten to experience so many things, and learned so many lessons. All things, good and bad, have shaped me into who I am today. I've been thinking about where I want to go from here...what I want my next 30 years to look like. In order to do that, I've reflected back, and I would like to take this opportunity on this day to list some people, blessings, experiences, opportunities, and lessons that I am thankful for...those that have made me, me! This list in not exhaustive and is in no particular order!

1. I am thankful that there is a God and that I know Him!

2. I am thankful for my salvation. I know that I may or may not have 30 or more years on this earth....but I know where my eternity will be spent!

3. My family - I have a great and wonderful family. We surely have our quirks and problems, but I have always been supported, loved, and provided for. I know where I can turn if there is no where else to go.

4. My grandparents - I must list them separately. I was lucky that I had all 4 of my grandparents until I was 23 years old. I still have 1 grandparent left...he is 92...can you believe it? I have so many memories of the time I spent with them. They all went through a lot and came out on top! I love to hear something, see something, or smell something that remind me of them because it's always a happy memory and a happy moment. I am saddened for those who don't get to know there grandparents or have the love from their grandparents like I did. It was surely a rare gift that I am so proud of!

5. My old friends - How nice is it to know that you have people you can count on that have been your friends for years! I have had friends come and go in my life, but how refreshing are those relationships that are old and comfortable. How refreshing is it to know that there are people out there who you can pick right back up where you left off with even if you haven't seen or really talked in 5 years. How awesome is it to know that you have at least 1 friend that will walk on fire for you! You all know who you are!

6. New friends - I have made some new friends over the past couple of years. I am so thankful for those uplifting friends that inspire you to be a better you! Again, you know who are are!

7. I will also say that those friends and relationships that were lost or just slipped through the cracks taught me lessons and shaped me. I am saddened that I have lost friends, but sometimes it's for the best.

8. Auburn University - WAR EAGLE! Those 4 years that I spent there were amazing. I met so many people, did so many awesome things, learned so many important lessons, and began to grow into my own. I love that place. It would take too long to tell you all about my time there.

9. The Auburn Wesley Foundation - This was the Methodist campus ministry at Auburn. This is where most of my friends were in college. This was a place, and organization, that helped me to grow closer to God than I had ever been in my life. This was a place that was a comfort to me. I learned to love deeper through this place. I am forever grateful.

10. Physical therapy - I love what I do. It's awesome to have a career and a job that you love. I have met so many people doing what I do. I always say that everybody has a story and a lesson to teach you if you take the time to listen. I have heard horror stories, heard some of the most romantic stories, seen sad stories, and rejoiced in happy stories through the people I get to meet. How awesome is it that I literally almost get to meet at least 1 new person a day....and not only that, I get the opportunity to help someone, make someone feel better, and possibly improve quality of life for people on a daily basis...can it get better than that?

11. The summer after my freshman year at Auburn, I along with 3 other girls traveled around in a van to different towns all summer putting on VBS for churches through the Wesley Foundation. When we pulled into town, we never knew where we would be sleeping or where our meals would come from (of course they all had it worked out), but we just trusted that it would be provided for us as we provided for them...and it always was! Simple lesson in trust.

12. The summer after my sophomore year at Auburn, I got the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Honduras where we began building a church and did some VBS for some children....WOW!

13. The summer after my senior year at Auburn, I spent 3 weeks in Venezuela. We slept in hammocks under mosquito nets those 3 weeks...comfortable I might add. We were given the task of building a medical clinic and doing some short term medical care. We also had the opportunity to share the Gospel while we were there. It was so amazing to hear the stories of how far people had to walk to get to where we were just to get some basic care. It showed me how we take what we have for granted. While there, I had the opportunity to ride in a dug out canoe down a river to an truly indigenous village and spend the night....very very eye opening! We then traveled to the rainforest to hike to a beautiful waterfall...WOW again! It seems you go on mission trips to help others, but you always come out just as blessed!

14. This past year, I got to go to Africa to see a family be "born". I saw a mother and son born thousands of miles apart become a family instantly. I met a baby that had been through more in his 14 months than most of us in America go through in our lives....and I've seen him overcome and grow into an amazing little boy! That was a truly amazing experience!

15. Church of the Highlands - I've been going to this church for a year and a half. I joined this year. I cannot even use words to describe how great it is....if you live in Birmingham, and don't have a church, please try this out. You won't be disappointed!

16. I have gotten the opportunity to see parts of the country that I never thought I would. My first clinical rotation in PT school was in Portland, Oregon. Daphne got assigned to a place in Washington State right outside of Portland. We loaded up my mom's car and drove out there. On the way we got to stop at Mt. Rushmore and Yellowstone among other places. We also go to visit Seattle, the West Coast, and San Francisco while there. That was a fun 8 weeks for sure. I got to see SO much of this beautiful country, and gained a love and respect for traveling. I learned a lot about physical therapy, and I learned that I really do love home. I love to travel, but there is nothing like coming home!

17. I'm pretty sure that if someone who knows me was asked about me, Carrie Underwood would be mentioned. Going to Carrie concerts is a hobby for me. I love hearing her music! I have also met some pretty cool people doing this. (I've also met some very "interesting" people too, but have always been entertained!) Though I'm not sure that the world is any different by me being a fan like I am, it makes me happy and refuels me, in turn, helping me be the person I need to be!

18. The circle of life - I have been around to hold babies less than 24 hours old, seen families born, attended weddings, and been present when someone took their last breath. If that doesn't mold you and make you, I don't know what can!

If you are still reading at this point, I'm pretty impressed! I could go on for a while, but this post has gotten incredibly too long. I just felt I needed to take a moment out of my day to say I am blessed...who could argue with that after reading the above. As I read back over my list, it seems like everything up there has to do with relationships....my pastor would say relationships are what life is all about! I am thankful for my first 30 years because it has been more than I've deserved. I am on a mission to make the rest of "my dash" be something that I'm proud of...be something that makes a difference in this great big world.

Bricks and Shingles

2009-08-11T18:05:00.000-07:00

I think all the bricks and shingles are up at my house now, but it has been raining today so I didn't get to take pictures of the finished project. Here are a few pictures of the process.

8-7-09

8-8-09

Dining room with vaulted ceiling

In other news, August 12 would have been my Granny's 92nd birthday. I miss her so much! Happy Birthday Granny....hope you have fun celebrating with Jesus!

Practice photo shoot

2009-08-07T19:19:00.000-07:00

Let me start by reminding everyone that I in NO way want to be a children's photographer. I do have some things in mind, but taking photos of children for money is not one of them. Now that's out of the way, I took Ben to Botanical Gardens again today to practice what I've been learning in my light measurement class. I took a million pictures because that boy is ALWAYS on the run, but I did get a few good ones, I think. I still have a long way to go! I can't seem to get the brightness that I want. Erin, if you are reading this...I'd love some suggestions. Photography friends...please feel free to critique and give me suggestions. These photos are not photoshopped...I still need help with that! By the way....blogger is blurring the pictures for some reason!! Click on the picture to see it larger and unblurred. Without further ado...here is my handsome Godson!

Beginning of August update

2009-08-03T19:47:00.000-07:00

I must interrupt this scheduled blog by posting a couple of pictures I took on a field trip with my photography class. We went out to Botanical Gardens to get some "real life" experience with light measurement. We spent a little time at the Water Lillies. These are a couple of my favorites from that class.

I hope my loyal readers aren't getting tired of the house update. I went by yesterday to check things out. Things are slowing down (maybe because of all the rain we've gotten), but here is the latest and greatest.

Siding going up on the garage...the rest of the house will be brick...which was out there...hope I have a few pics of it in a few days!

On demand water heating system...no hot water heater so the water only heats as you need it.

Tub/Shower in the guest bathroom

Beginnings of the fireplace

Doesn't all of that look great! Just in case you are wondering, I am celebrating all month long for my big 3-0! Want to join me?

10 days of progress

2009-07-26T15:55:00.000-07:00

My house is really coming up. I go by there every day or so to at least look, but most often to take pictures so I can have a record of the progress.

7-17-09

7-18-09
This is the view I get from my apartment complex!

7-21-09

7-23-09
Windows and doors go in!

7-25-09
I went inside yesterday to take a few pictures.

The garage

Standing at the front door looking into the living area.

Standing in the master bath looking into the master bedroom

One of the other bedrooms

Something I love about this house is the long hall from front door to the back door that goes out into the garage. It gives the house an open/larger feel. This is a picture looking from the garage to the front door.

As you can tell, things are really progressing....I can't wait to see what it looks like when the sheet rock goes in!

Having fun with Auntie

2009-07-25T19:13:00.000-07:00

Daphne got a new computer that has a program that takes your picture like you are in a photo booth. Here are Ben and I having fun with that program!

Next post: An awesome week's worth of progress at my house!

The framing goes up!

2009-07-16T18:26:00.000-07:00

As I rode through my apartment complex parking lot, I noticed some framing going up at my house...so I went by to take pictures of course! These were taken on my cell phone. I'll definitely have to get better ones with the real camera tomorrow or so.

Here is my progress!

This is the side you will see when you approach the house.

Trying to get more of a front view.

This is coming up on the opposite side of the house....probably won't see this view often.

Foundation

2009-07-15T14:31:00.000-07:00

My new apartment overlooks my new subdivision....so I can see the progress on my house daily. I am happy to report that my foundation has been poured! I am on the way!!

Today has reminded me of Matthew 7:24-27
24"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

I am so thankful that I have the foundation of Jesus....though I'm getting a physical foundation poured today in which my house will be built, it is much safer knowing that my life's foundation is built on the rock of Jesus...I hope yours is too!

World's Best Realtor and Progress

2009-07-10T20:11:00.000-07:00

I sold my condo today! I closed on it early this morning, and I'm very thankful. I never thought that we could close on time, but I have the world's best agent, and she made it happen! If you need an agent in the greater Birmingham area, you MUST use Gina Trent and her mother Mary Allen of Allen and Associates. Gina is awesome, and I wouldn't want anybody but her in my corner when it comes to buying or selling a house! She really stands up for you, is available at all hours of the day and night, quickly responds to your needs, and is very experienced! I promise you that she will get the job done....she has done it twice (soon to be 3 times when I close on the house I'm building) very successfully for me!

Now that I have sold my condo, I am moving into an apartment for a few months while my house is being built. I also have a great company building my house! I got an email today updating me on my progress. My foundation should be poured on Monday! I also went this past week to pick out all of my cabinets, floors, colors, faucets, etc....it should be awesome! I leave you with the latest picture of my house!

Happy Weekend!

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-05T14:17:00.000-07:00

To celebrate his official citizenship just in time for the 4th, I had a mini photo session with Ben so that I could practice using my camera again since it had been a while. Here is the best picture of the bunch! Isn't he just a doll?

I spent the holiday weekend with my family at the lake. I love going there! It can be as busy or restful as you want...but it's always fun, and there is always a lot of food! My dad grilled out on Friday so we could have it all weekend. Look at this meat...I think it's probably a vegetarian's nightmare!

Putting the barbeque sauce on the meat...my mom makes the best barbeque sauce!

Desserts abound! My dad has been talking about my MawMaw's pineapple upside down cake for a while. He decided to make one. This is the first cake I've ever known him to make...though he claims he has made one "sometime" in the past!

My mom's 4th of July cake

We went down to the water for the fireworks show. It was a great end to a fun, sun, family, and food filled day!

By the way...this is my 100th post! I hope you all are enjoying reading my blog!

Need a good laugh...

2009-06-28T18:05:00.000-07:00

Watch this! You don't even have to have the sound on...start watching about 1:09 and again 4:49!

This makes me laugh out loud!

Sugarland

2009-06-26T18:31:00.000-07:00

Last night I got the privilege to see Sugarland in concert. I got tickets through the fan club....WOW...5th row aisle. Steve Kellog and the Sixers along with Billy Currington opened for them. If you missed the show, you missed out! I have never seen that amount of energy and joy come from a band or artist as I saw last night...even in as many different concerts as I've been to in the past few years. It was an incredible show! I wasn't able to take my nice camera in, but the Sony point and shoot pulled through for me! Enjoy!

Steve Kellog and the Sixers

Billy Currington

Sugarland

One of Jennifer Nettles's crazy faces!

I love country music because of groups like Sugarland!

Plugging Musicians On Call

2009-06-24T20:13:00.001-07:00

As I said in my last post, I won an autographed Kenny Chesney guitar from Musicians on Call. I checked out this organization after a couple of emails with their marketing manager. It seems like a pretty cool organization.....check it out and donate if you feel led!

I'll post a picture of my guitar when I get it! I hope you all are having a great week!

The fat lady has sung

2009-06-16T18:31:00.000-07:00

It's official...my vacation is over! I had an amazing and fun time the whole week I was off! Sunday was the last day of CMA Fest, and they really put on a show! I had a great time dancing, singing, and visiting with those sitting around me. As a side story, two younger guys sat in front of us. We learned a lot about them while chatting with them waiting on the concert to start. They had just gotten back from Iraq 3 weeks ago. Their job in the military is to clear buildings by going through each room that they enter....talk about scary! One guy had what appeared to be callused hands. I asked him what he did in the military because his hands looked like he was a hard worker. He told me that he had gotten burned in Iraq. The truck he was riding in caught on fire. He grabbed the hood of the car when he jumped out, and it burned both of his hands. The calluses were actually scars. I just have to say thank you to our armed forces out there! I don't think we realize what goes on day to day to protect our freedom!

On to the show...Jack Ingram opened the show on Sunday.

Heidi Newfield played an acoustic set.

Montgomery Gentry...who are slated to be the newest members of the Grand Ole Opry...played next.

Miranda Lambert followed. I like her. I don't think she gets as much recognition as she should, but she's good. I particularly like her song "Famous in a Small Town".

John Rich came out in a full length fur coat...did I mention that it was 90 degrees during the day?

Cowboy Troy and John Rich

Taylor Swift was the most popular of the night.

Ok..I admit...I'm not a big Taylor fan. I will say that she is an amazing songwriter, and is multi-talented with her instruments. However, I think she is dramatically awkward when she performs. I hope these next 2 pictures prove my point. Have you ever seen the classy ladies of country music like Faith Hill, Martina McBride or even Reba head bang?

Sugarland was the surprise guest of the night. I can't wait to see their full show at the end of the month!

Kenny Chesney closed out the show and CMA Fest. Speaking of Kenny...I got an email today that I won an autographed guitar signed by him from Musicians on Call...how cool is that?

So...it's over. I'm back to my daily routine. I had a wonderful time, and I can't wait until my next adventure!

Friday's fun

2009-06-14T12:27:00.000-07:00

Friday was as eventful as the other days! I met my friend Betty and her family for breakfast at the Loveless Cafe. It was an awesome visit. That is a pretty cool family if you ask me, and I'm thankful that I had a chance meeting with Betty back in December! Be sure to check out her blog by clicking on her name! Her husband took a pic of us...I'll update the post when I get the picture!

After breakfast, I went to Martina McBride's fan club party. I am not a member of her fan club, but I was asked to go by my friend Cynthia who won a chance to go...and could bring a guest. It was really neat to hear her do some of her old stuff, and be about 50 feet from her. I've been able to rub elbows with a lot of country musicians this week. It's nice to finally realize that these celebrities are just normal people (that make more money than me) instead of being Miss Star Struck like I used to be. My perspective has changed...and it has made me appreciate my life!

Martina at her fan club party

Before the big nightly concert, I went to rest at my sister's house. Daphne and Ben came to town to hang out with some people they knew who had also adopted. They stayed with my sister to save money. I hadn't seen Ben in about a week since I've been in Nashville celebrating country music...that little kid missed his Auntie! (His Auntie also missed him!)

Look how cute we are!

The lineup at LP Field was full of the newest, hottest artists. Luke Bryan opened up the show.

Two of my FAVORITE bands played next...Little Big Town and Lady Antebellum. I posted pics of LBT from the Opry so check out Lady Antebellum!

Jake Owen followed.

I hadn't seen The Zac Brown band until Friday night...WOW...these guys are gonna go a long way!

We left after The Zac Brown band (I heard Kid Rock and Martina sang together after I left) because I had tickets to a Songwriter's Round in which Jason Matthews, Luke Laird, James Slater, Karyn Rochelle and Jonathan Singleton played some of their songs and told the meaning behind them. It was a pretty cool little show to raise money for Musicians on Call. My favorites of the night were Karyn Rochelle and Luke Larid.

Karyn Rochelle has written songs for Kellie Pickler and Trisha Yearwood among others. The girl can sing in addition to writing songs!

Luke Laird co-wrote 2 of Carrie's #1 hits including "So Small" and "Last Name". He has also written for Tim McGraw, Jessica Simpson, and Rascal Flatts just to name a few. The dude is talented....and cute too! Don't you think so? Too bad he wouldn't be interested in a girl like me!

I finally made it home around 1:00 AM! I have been going nonstop the whole time I have been in Nashville...that, of course, is how I like to do vacations. However, I needed to rest, so I took Saturday to do that. I'm sitting around waiting on time to pass so I can go to the last of the shows tonight. There is a 50% chance of rain, so who knows...but stay tuned because I'll tell you all about it in the next post!

Worth the Wait?

2009-06-13T08:40:00.000-07:00

Thursday marked the official beginning on CMA Fest despite all of the activities earlier in the week. One of the activities that people look forward to is getting to meet their favorite artists at the convention center. People spend all night in line in order to make a mad dash toward the ticket line of whomever they want to meet...then they must wait until the designated time to meet their favorite. I hoped that I could get to get my picture taken with Carrie and also meet Caitlin and Will who won "Can You Duet" last summer. I think you stand in line more at CMA Fest than you do at Disney World! The doors of the convention center opened at 10:00. I succeeded in getting a ticket, amongst chaos, to see Carrie at 1:00. As soon as I got my ticket, I made my way over to meet Caitlin and Will...they were very nice! If you haven't checked out their music, go listen on ITunes!

Here I am with Caitlin and Will

After I met them, I had time to kill so we checked out the other things in the convention center since it was pouring rain. I saw this mechanical bull...that you could ride for free no less...so I thought Id give it a try. What fun!

Of course I got thrown off after a short ride!

I got back in the "waiting to meet Carrie" line around 12:00. I must say...all these lines are definitely worth the wait. It's fun to meet the others in line who are as excited as you are! My turn came, we had a quick, but engaging conversation, and I got my picture made with her. I will tell you that she is truly happy. Happiness exudes from her, and it's infectious when you are in her presence. Everyone who walked away from that booth was pretty happy and excited!

I am thankful to my new friend Shayla for capturing a couple of pictures of our brief conversation.

Don't we look engaged in conversation!

The picture I had been waiting for

Doesn't she just look happy to you?

After all the excitement of the morning, I picked my sister up, and we went to LP Field for the nightly concert. We, of course, waited in another line to get in because Reba was doing a sound check.

The show opened with Brooks and Dunn

Reba came out to sing "Cowgirls Don't Cry" with them.

Reba did a small set after Brooks and Dunn finished.

After Reba performed 3 songs, management came on stage to tell us that we would have to leave the field because the weather was supposed to get bad. They told us to wait in the concourse under the seats. So we waited....for 2 hours...for the weather to start and then end. Celia and I were definitely entertained by a couple of people I had met waiting in line to meet Carrie. I laughed to my sides hurt at them! At midnight, they pulled us back into the stadium to finish the concert.

Daruis Rucker welcomed us back with his 3 hits along with "Family Tradition"

Darius was followed by Dierks Bentley

Rascal Flatts and Juliane Hough skipped out on us; however Brad Paisley closed the show. We didn't leave the stadium until after 2 AM. Waiting was the name of the game Thursday, but Im not sure if it could get any better than this...I'm having a blast!

Futsey, Cupcakes, and Softball

2009-06-12T14:52:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was a fun day too....they all have been! I went to visit my friend Linsey whom I haven't seen in over 5 years. She and I went to Auburn together, and were great friends in school. It is so nice to visit with a friend and it still be easy after 5 years. She has a 2 year old son who is adorable! She tried to teach him my name all day, so when I got there, she asked him to say "Buffy"....he said "Futsey"....and he called me that the whole time. I had a blast with them, and it was so nice to catch up!

Here is Mr. Jake. Look at his beautiful blue eyes!

Since I was in Franklin, I decided to treat myself to one of my favorite Tennessee guilty pleasures...don't they just look delicious!

Wednesday night, I went to the City of Hope Celebrity Softball Challenge. The Grand Ole Opry played After Midnight With Blair Garner to raise money for the City of Hope which is an independent biomedical research, treatment and education institution, who is the leader in the fight to conquer cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening diseases. There were many country music stars and Tennessee athletes there to play. Many of them also signed autographs for the crowd. It was pretty cool to see many of the celebrities in one location. Below are a few of the pictures I took that night.

Josh Gracin

Darius Rucker

Juliane Hough hoping she'll get a hit!

Josh Turner

Chuck Wicks

I'm sure you are all waiting to see if Carrie was there...of course she was! Here are a few of my favorite pictures!

This is her reaction after hitting a double!

A coworker attended the ACMs in April in which Carrie won Entertainer of the Year. She brought me back the program. I was able to get it signed at the softball game by passing it through a couple of nice helpful people! Here is my program...see what you think!

In case you were wondering....the Grand Ole Opry team won!

Peace out for now...there is much more to tell so hang in for the next post!

It just never gets old

2009-06-10T05:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a GREAT day! It started at 5:30 in the morning and ended right after midnight, but I got to do so much fun stuff. I already posted about going to Carrie's party. After a short rest, I went back to the Opry for the free plaza party. Kate and Kacey Coppola from "Can You Duet" (If you watched that show, they were the duet that Naomi Judd was so mean to), and songwriter Jeffery Steele performed. He has written songs for Rascal Flatts, Montgomery Gentry, Faith Hill, Craig Morgan, and many more. Kate and Kacey signed autographs and talked to fans for a while after their performance. I watched them interact with people while waiting in line to go into the Opry, and they seemed like very genuine people. I actually got a chance to chat with them between the Opry shows. We discussed how mean Naomi was to them...I was very impressed with their friendliness. I will definitely have to check more of their music out.

Jeffrey Steele

Kate and Kacey Coppola

I don't care how many times I get to go to the Opry or how many times I get to see Carrie perform live, it just never gets old. I love it! The Opry lineup was full of big acts tonight. Jimmy Dickens, Lorie Morgan, Trace Adkins, Charlie Daniels, Little Big Town, and Carrie were all there. I had a great time, of course...how could you not with a lineup like that! I finally figured out how to work my camera in manual mode in the darkness of a concert . My pictures turned out amazing...I'm in love with that camera! Here are a few of the many...See for yourself!

Trace Adkins

Charlie Daniels...yes he played "The Devil Went Down to Georgia"...that dude can play the fiddle!

Little Big Town - they are in my top list of favorite artists...I said it before when I reviewed the back in December, but they harmonize beautifully and can work and engage a crowd as good as it gets!

Little Jimmy Dickens came out to kiss Carrie. She is only 5'2"ish....look how far she had to stoop so he could kiss her!

ACM Entertainer of the Year...Carrie Underwood

Her famous nose scrunch

Today I am meeting an old college friend for lunch, the heading out to the Celebrity Softball Challenge. Stay tuned...

Carrie Underwood fan club party

2009-06-09T13:11:00.000-07:00

I am in Nashville for the week to spend a lot of time with my country music "friends". Today I attended Carrie's annual fan club party. You may make fun of me if you wish, but I had a blast! Carrie did a 10 song set of songs that she rarely performs including Alone, How Great Thou Art, Sweet Child of Mine, Voices Carry, Stand By Your Man, and Home Sweet Home...just to name a few. She then did a question and answer session, and ended with a give away section for those who could finish her lyrics....in which she started a song or verse, a capella I might add, then had some of the audience finish. My friend, Danielle, won the grand prize! I love these parties because I feel like we get to see a little bit of who Carrie truly is and not just performance Carrie. She is truly very humble and appreciative of those who work hard for her along with being hilarious! Here are a few pictures from the party. For all of my photography friends...I had to take them in automatic because I couldn't get manual to work for me no matter what I did...don't judge the quality of my pictures on this post!! ;)

Hitting the high note in "Alone"

Question and answer session. You can see CMT's Lance Smith in the background. He was the host for the party.

My friend Danielle gets a hug from Carrie after she won the grand prize.

They had a display of some of Carrie's many awards. This is one of her Grammys.

There was also a display of some of the clothes she wore in some of the videos. This is the "Before He Cheats" outfit.

Lots more excitement to come...stay tuned!

Ellen interviews Kellie Pickler

2009-06-06T17:45:00.001-07:00

Kellie Pickler always gives the funniest interviews! Watch this video from 6/5/09. She is hilarious!

Take 2

2009-06-03T16:51:00.000-07:00

We went back to Botanical Gardens today. The light was perfect...the subject was cute....but he was EVERYWHERE!!! I am telling you today that I will NEVER be a professional children's photographer. I do NOT have it in me! However, I think that I got a couple of better shots today.

Look who we ran into today.

We saw Jyl and family. Those children of hers are SO cute!

Enjoy Mr. Cutie!

Mr. Mischievous....the dude ran EVERYWHERE!! Here he is taking off!

He enjoyed drinking the water on the fountain!

Botanical Gardens photo shoot

2009-05-31T17:25:00.000-07:00

Ben was dressed really cute today so I talked Daphne into going with me to the Botanical Gardens so that I could practice my camera work. After today...I realize I need a lot of work! I will say that we didn't go at the right time. The light was uneven and the clouds came and went making it difficult to shoot in manual! And....if you have never shot in manual, I will tell you that is difficult to shoot non-caucasian skin....especially when dressed in white. Below are the "best" (if you can call them that) few of the day. I think we are going to go again around 6:00 on Tuesday in a non-white outfit to try again. I want to get good at taking pictures, and practice makes perfect, right?

Do any of you photographers out there have tips to improve my pictures? I did find today that increasing the ISO helped his skin color look more true than anything else I did. I'm open for any ideas!

The NEW word of the day

2009-05-28T17:04:00.000-07:00

BLESSED

Yesterday, I was stressed....today I realize how blessed I am. Yesterday was cured by a little exercise, some great encouragement from friends (did you see the awesome comments my friends left me??), and prayer. I feel much better today, and, like Holly said, will take it one day at a time!

In other news:
1. I did put a contingency contract on a lot to build a house last Friday. I'm pretty excited. I have prayed that it be the right thing, and if not, the Lord will put up a roadblock. So instead of being stressed....I need to trust and be blessed!

Here are a couple of pictures of my dirt for the time being.

2. I have been spending a fair amount of time at my parents lake house riding the jetski, pulling people on tubes, playing ping pong, eating, and just enjoying the serenity. It's so peaceful and fun at the same time.

Here are some pictures from the past couple of weekends.

Memorial Day fish fry

3. While at the lake for Memorial Day, Celia, Daphne, Ben and I went to check out Little River falls so that I could practice some of my camera skills....here are a few of the pictures.

Little River Falls

I didn't know that there would be a good place to take pictures of Ben or I would have made Daphne dress him cuter....but he's cute anyway huh?

So...as you can see from just the pictures above...I am very blessed, and need to quit complaining about being stressed! Thank you all for your kind words and prayers!

The word for the day

2009-05-27T14:14:00.000-07:00

STRESS

I had a long post planned out to tell you all about what's been happening in my life and show you pictures. However, my work has just gone through an audit which has caused increased processes and added stress. We also learned yesterday that Obama, my favorite president ever, is trying to cut $38 billion out of home health care in the next few years, which will significantly affect my job and how much money I make. I put a contract to build a house last week...which I planned to tell you all about....but now I'm scared. If I cant keep my job and at the current level, then I wouldn't be able to afford it. The reality of being laid off hit home in my family today too.....sooooooo....I am THANKFUL I still have a great job.....but am nervous about the future...will I be laid off in a year or two? If so, how will that effect the decisions I make today? So... now I must go continue on the process of my couch to 5K program to try to de-stress!

Last Name

2009-05-19T18:05:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, I do home health physical therapy. I get to meet many people and hear many stories throughout my day. I heard a great story today that I thought I must share....no names will be shared to protect privacy...just the awesome story.

As I was treating my patient today, his wife was telling me how much my patient's (her husband) family didn't like her. When I asked why, she told me it was because of the way they got married. I asked her to tell me the story.

She told me that her parents were abusive even after she graduated high school. She worked in a diner in a small town in rural Alabama. One day, after she had been hit the night before, he and one of her friends came in, and they chatted for a while. The very next day, he came back to the diner and asked her to go to Florida with him. She said the only way she would go to Florida was if she had a piece of paper saying they were married.....so he said, "Let's get married." The very next day they went to the court house to get married. (Remember that this was just 2 days after they met!)

It was at this point during the story in which he looked up at me and said, "And I didn't even know her last name!" (That line sounds like it would make a great song!)

She continued the story by saying the person at the courthouse asked him, "What is your bride's last name?" He turned to his soon to be bride and said,"By the way, what is your last name?"

She explained that they got married to get her out of her parents house. She said they made a deal they would stay together for 3 months to get her established in the world, then they would get a divorce. That was 43 years ago...and they are still together!

I love this story for 2 reasons. The first is just the pure romance of it! The last is a silly reason, but thanks to Carrie Underwood, it makes me laugh....he didn't even know her last name!

Rememberance

2009-05-14T14:20:00.000-07:00

Today has been one week since my Granny passed away. I know she was 91, and I know she lived a full, blessed life, but that doesn't stop me from missing her....I probably always will. I'd like to post 2 different things today. The first is the you tube video of "I Bowed On My Knees and Cried Holy" which was one of her favorite songs and was played during the funeral. It is a very moving song for sure!

The second thing I want to post is a poem that my aunts asked me to read during the funeral. It was hard to get through, but I think it was very appropriate, especially since it was Mother's Day weekend.

A Mother's Walk

The young mother set her foot on the path of life. "Is this the long way?" she asked. And the guide said, "Yes, and the way is hard. And you will be old before you reach the end of it. But the end will be better than the beginning."

But the young mother was happy, and she would not believe that anything could be better than these years. So she played with her children, she fed them and bathed them, taught them how to tie their shoes and ride a bike, and reminded them to feed the dog, do their homework, and brush their teeth. The sun shone on them and the young mother cried, “Nothing will ever be lovelier than this.”

Then the nights came and the storms and the path were sometimes dark. The children shook with fear and cold. The mother drew them close and covered them with her arms. The children said, "Mother, we are not afraid, for you are near. No harm can come to us."

And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and the children climbed and grew weary and the mother was weary. But at all times, she said to the children “A little patience and we are there.”

So the children climbed and as they climbed, they learned to weather the storms. And with this, she gave them strength to face the world. Year after year, she showed them compassion, understanding, and hope, but most of all unconditional love. And when they reached the top, they said “Mother, we would not have done it without you.”

The days went on, and the weeks and the months and the years, and the mother grew old and she became little and bent. But her children were tall and strong and walked with courage. And the mother, when she lay down at night, looked up at the stars and said “This is a better day than the last, for my children have learned so much and are now passing these traits on to their children.” And when the way became rough for her, they lifted her, and gave her their strength, just as she had given them hers.

One day, they came to a hill and beyond the hill they could see a shining road and golden gates flung wide. And mother said “I have reached the end of my journey and now and I know, the end is better than the beginning for my children can walk with dignity and pride with their heads held high and so can their children after them.” And the children said “You will always walk with us, Mother, even when you have gone through the gates.” And they stood and watched her as she went on alone and the gates closed after her. And they said “We cannot see her but she is with us still.”

A mother is more than a memory. She is a living presence. Your mother is always with you. She is the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street. She is the smell of certain foods you remember, flowers you pick, and perfume that she wore. She is the cool hand on your brow when you are not feeling well. She’s your breath in the air on a cold winter day. She’s the sound of the rain that lulls you to sleep and the colors of a rainbow. She’s your birthday morning.

Your mother lives inside your laughter and she’s crystallized in every teardrop. A mother shows every emotion…happiness, sadness, fear, jealousy, love, hate, anger, helplessness, excitement, joy, sorrow….and all the while hoping and praying you will only know the good feelings in life.

She’s the place you came from, your first home and she’s the map you follow with every step you take. She’s your first love, your first friend, even your first enemy. But nothing on earth can separate you. Not time, not space…not even death!

Sara C. Clark...My Granny

2009-05-07T20:45:00.000-07:00

Today the world lost an amazing woman and heaven gained an angel. My Granny, born August 12, 1917, met Jesus today around 2:15pm. Words cannot express how much I loved this woman or how much she meant to me.....I also have no doubt about how much she loved me. I saw her several times this week, but we had our last conversation on Saturday. In the past few years, sometimes she confused me with my Granddaddy's cousin, Dot. When I first went in her room on Saturday, she, of course, thought I was Dot. However, after we talked a little, and as I left, she knew who I was. I was kissing her and telling her how much I loved her. After I told her that I loved her, the last thing she ever said to me was, "I have always loved you Buffy." That I had no doubt. She had unconditional love....for all of us. I think all of her children and grandchildren knew that without a doubt. What an amazing gift to have! I feel sorry for those out there who never knew the love like my Granny gave to us.

My Granny was a beautiful woman inside and out. Take a look at some of her pictures from her younger years.

I made it just in time to be with her as she left us today. She took her lasts breaths peacefully. I'm not sad for her because she gained heaven, but I'm sad for me. I miss her already, and she hasn't even been gone a full day. I miss hearing her laugh, I miss her picking on me about not having a boyfriend, I miss her cooking, I miss her stories, I miss her cussing at me because I locked her oven and she didn't know how we would ever get it unlocked, I miss her defending me when the phone operator said that the kids in the house were being mischievous, I miss holding her hand, I miss her love....let's just say I'll miss everything about her.

Granny, I know you are in a much happier place. I know you met Jesus today. I know you got to see Granddaddy and Dan today. I know you probably even told God that he should send me my husband! I am happy that you are where you will never hurt or cry again. I am happy that you are in a place where you can walk and run. I'm happy that you are with our Lord. I will see you again! I miss you, and I love you as much as you loved me....I always have and I always will!

From the mouth of the elderly

2009-05-03T20:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon, I went to the nursing home to visit my grandmother. It was a very emotional experience for me even though I work with the elderly every day. However, I must blog about a 1 sided conversation that was held on my way out. Many of the residents were lined up in the hallway looking out the front door. I'm sure they were entertained by those coming in and out. As I was headed down the hall to the door, one cute little lady, whom I assume, by the way she asked, had some dementia, stopped me and asked, "What is your name and what are you doing here?" I must explain what ran though my head. I was a bit emotional after spending time with my grandmother, and I had on scrubs because I had worked earlier in the day. I could only imagine what she wanted me to do because, in my head, I thought that she thought that I worked there. So...instead of trying to explain through tears that I was just visiting and didn't actually work there...I kept on walking. As I pushed the front door open, I heard her say to those sitting around her, "Well....I guess she doesn't know either!"

I needed a good laugh, and I sure got one!

Photography Class

2009-04-26T17:07:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned before, I started taking a photography class at the beginning of this month. I bought a digital SLR camera back in March. (I was helping to stimulate the economy!) I decided that I need to know how to use my new camera out of automatic mode, so I searched and found a class at Birmingham School of Photography. (All you Birminghamiams out there....I HIGHLY recommend their classes!) The class is awesome, and has really taught me how to take pictures in manual mode only. My teacher does not allow us to use automatic mode any longer! I wanted to post a few pics from each class assignment to start documenting my progress.....feel free to comment and suggest how I might improve if you know anything about photography! I'm taking a Photoshop class next month....I bet my pictures will really improve after I know how to use it!! I know this blog is photo heavy, but make sure to look at the last pictures because I think they are the best!

CLASS 1

CLASS 2

CLASS 3

Last but not least is my favorite shot of the month!!

There you have it....a month's worth of learning. Stay tuned for further pictures as I continue this journey!

Waiting

2009-04-21T15:26:00.000-07:00

If you are waiting for anything, this is an awesome song!

30? Who is excited about turning 30?

2009-04-16T11:28:00.000-07:00

Today, I am officially excited about turning 30! Crazy huh?!? I know! Actually, it's not that I'm excited about turning the big 3-0 which happens in 4 months.....I'm excited to celebrate turning the big 3-0!

I recently decided since I am single with no kids, that I MUST celebrate the big day in a BIG way so I wouldn't be depressed. I convinced Celia, my sister, and Daphne, my best friend, to actually go to Vegas on the big day. Let me just tell you that we will be doing it right! We are staying at a nice place, skydiving over Vegas on my actual birthday, going to see "O", taking a day trip to the Grand Canyon, and doing the touristy Vegas stuff there is to do....the good Lord willing of course!

I also decided since it is such a big birthday, that I needed to celebrate the whole month! So...to top it off, my friend Cynthia is gifting me part of a trip to Chicago to see none other than Carrie Underwood at the end of August. Holy Cow!! I'm so excited!! You know what would make it the best birthday ever....if I won a Meet and Greet and got to chat with Carrie during my birthday month!

Watch out August! I'll be celebrating in a big way! Hopefully I'll have great pictures and stories to post after the celebrating is over!

Up From the Grave He Arose!

2009-04-11T18:37:00.001-07:00

When I think about the sacrifice that Christ made for you and me, I can't help but be moved. This perfect man, and we all know that He is/was the only perfect man, was beaten and tortured and nailed to a cross to die a death that you and I would never be able to take...all so we could spend our eternity in heaven. That is love! That is perfect love. But what is so amazing is that He rose. In the words of Robert Lowry, "Up from the grave he arose; with a mighty triumph o'er His foes; He arose a victor from the dark domain, and He lives forever, with his saints to reign. He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose".

Today, I saw Easter reflected in a little boy about 9 or 10 years old. Many of you who read Daphne's blog, also read mine so this story will be a repeat....but for those of you who don't read both, I must share this experience I had today.

I went to Oak Mountain with Daphne and Ben for Ben's first Easter Egg hunt this morning. There were tons of plastic Easter eggs scattered in a field. Kids and parents alike took off running picking up the eggs as fast as they could. Ben was not in a hurry. He picked up a couple....then he was more interested in playing with a twig he found. After it was all over, we put two of the eggs back on the ground to stage some pictures. This young man walked over to Daphne and said to her, "He didn't get many eggs did he? I'd like to give him some of mine." He then proceeded to give Ben a few of his eggs, including one of the larger ones. Daphne thought the little boy was originally coming over to try to pick up the eggs we had placed back on the ground, yet he came over to sacrifice for Ben. I cried watching the event take place. Most of the kids, and parents, out there were trying to get as many eggs as they could for themselves, yet this young man was willing to share with one who had less. It was a really touching moment for me!

Ben hunting eggs

I saw this next quote posted on someone's facebook page. I'd like to leave you with it.

To fall in love with God is the greatest of all romances;
To seek him, the greatest adventure;
To find him, the greatest human achievement.

Happy Easter to all! Thank you, Lord, for your sacrifice!