"F*^!K the Po-Po"......

....or so says Corey Smith.  I usually don't agree with him and his song, but I kinda feel that way this afternoon after a State Trooper gave me an almost panicattack on the way home!  I was cruising along after leaving the school, driving down the side road by CACC, and I see him parked at the walking track.  Well, he pulls out behind me (I wasn't even speeding I don't think-- going about 40 mph, and there's no posted limit, so who knows but 40 seemed reasonable).  He catches up to me as I'm sitting at the stop sign trying to turn onto 280, and gets right up on my rump-- I mean, it was so close it might as well have been car rape!  If he had seen me get that close up on someone I'd have gotten a ticket right then and there!  Well, anyway, I FINALLY get out onto the highway and proceeded to put the cruise on 63 in a 65 (I didn't want to seem too nervous, ya know?).  He followed me, at about a car's distance, ALL the way from Childersburg to Sylacauga.  When I changed lanes, he changed lanes (You get the picture).  It was completely senseless harassment.  If the best thing he had to do today was terrorize me, taxpayer dollars could have funded something better.  And yes, I know and understand that all cops are not like this, but they should have stricter personality screenings in their hiring process so that the power-trippin m0fos that give good cops a bad name don't get hired in the first place!!!

Inspiration

Today I've been listening to Katy Perry.  Particularly, this album:

I always, always love her music.  There's something about it that makes me smile, and I think her lyrics are usually pretty creative.  But out of all the songs on all her albums, I have to say that "Firework" is my favorite so far.  Have you ever payed attention to the lyrics?  If not, you should.  They are incredubly uplifting and inspiring, and for this reason I've posted them below (Enjoy!):

Firework

By: Katy Perry

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag

Drifting through the wind

Wanting to start again

Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin

Like a house of cards

One blow from caving in

Do you ever feel already buried deep

Six feet under screams

But no one seems to hear a thing

Do you know that there's still a chance for you

'Cause there's a spark in you

You just gotta ignite the light

And let it shine

Own the night

Like the Fourth of July

Cause baby you're a firework

Come on show 'em what your worth

Make 'em go "oh! oh! oh!"

As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby your a firework

Come on let your colors burst

Make 'em go "oh! oh! oh!"

Your gonna leave 'em all in awe-awe-awe

You don't have to feel like a waste of space

You're original, cannot be replaced

If you only knew what the future holds

After a hurricane comes a rainbow

Maybe a reason why all the doors are closed

So you could open one that leads to the perfect road

Like a lightning bolt, your heart will glow

And when it's time, you'll know

You just gotta ignite the light

And let it shine

Just own the night

Like the Fourth of July

Cause baby you're a firework

Come on show 'em what your worth

Make 'em go "oh! oh! oh!"

As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby your a firework

Come on let your colors burst

Make 'em go "oh! oh! oh!"

Your gonna leave 'em all in awe-awe-awe

Boom, boom, boom

Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon

It's always been in you, you, you

And now it's time to let it through

Cause baby you're a firework

Come on show 'em what your worth

Make 'em go "oh! oh! oh!"

As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby your a firework

Come on let your colors burst

Make 'em go "oh! oh! oh!"

Your gonna leave 'em all in awe-awe-awe

Boom, boom, boom

It's even brighter than the moon, moon, moon

Boom, boom, boom

It's even brighter than the moon, moon, moon

I Drive Like a Cullen...

......which means I want NEED a Volvo!!!  Since Saturday's are supoosed to be about shopping (duh), but I'm not going anywhere today (but we are having a BBQ later-- YAY!), I decided to peruse the internet world of cars.  I've priced and compared SUV models from Ford, Mazda, Honda, Toyota, Audi, Lexus, Chevy, GMC, Mercury, and finally it dawned on me to try Volvo (thanks to my cousing Nathan who informed me that they're now made by Ford, which I had my heart set on until I realized that to get the one I wanted it would cost me as much as a luxury brand).  See, it seems that in the world of SUV's and crossovers that pretty much all of them fall in the $30,000-$40,000 price range; and, while the seemingly cheaper brands carry completely stripped down 4-cylinder (who wants that in an SUV?) editions for $30,000, by the time you add in all the necessities (yes, in this day and age cruise control, automatic windows & locks, and auxiliary outlets ARE necessities) you might as well buy a standard Volvo. 

Which leads me to this beauty....

This is the 2011 Volvo XC60-R, and in 1 1/2 years (when Wes finishes paying off his car), it will be mine.  I want it just like this one too-- metallic black with all the sporty details (which come standard in the R edition).  It also has TONS of other fabulous standard features (which would drive the Fords, Chevy's GMCs, etc into the above $40,000 range).  For example, I get 5 year warranty, 5 year wear and tear warranty, 5 years roadside assistance, bluetooth ready, sirius sattelite radio, climate control sensors, one touch automatic windows, front, back and side air bags, city safe technology that helps you break in stop and go traffic, and so many more that I could go on, and on for a WHILE. 

And the best part about the whole she-bang?  This beautiful baby comes in at around $38,000, which is the price prior to negotiations, of course.  Dealerships always lower prices, the hard part will be trying to convince them that I'm willing to walk away from it, when in reality I'd go buy it today, right now, full price if I could.

So, in about a year and a half, I really will "drive like a Cullen..."  :)

What I Ate Today

• Breakfast:  Nutrisystem Breakfast Burrito, 16 oz. coffee, 2 Tbs. Coconut Creamer
• Lunch:  Nutrisystem Chicken Fajita Melt, 1 c. steamed Brussel Sprouts, water
• Snack:  1 c. scrambled egg whites w/1/4 c. shredded cheese, 1 c. steamed Brussel Sprouts, water
• Dinner:  Nutrisystem Glazed Chicken w/Wild Rice & Green Beans Almondine
• Snack:  1 Tbsp. Sunflower Seeds
• Dessert: Nutrisystem Ice Cream Sandwich

Another successful day! :)

What I Ate Today (thanks to Nutrisystem!)

• Breakfast:  Nutrisystem Breakfast Burrito (black beans, eggs, peppers, whole wheat tortilla = yummy!) & a 20 oz. coffee w/fat free hazelnut creamer
• Lunch:  Nutrisystem Steak & Cheese melt (kinda like a hot pocket), navel orange, & Jell-O Chocolate mousse (only 60 calories, but oh, so good), water
• Dinner:  Nutrisystem Ravioli Formaggio (3 cheese ravioli w/possibly the best tomato sauce I've had outside of a sit-down restaurant), Sauteed Spinach (cooked in 1/2 Tbs. of extra virgin olive oil, garlic salt, & pepper), water, & vitamins :)
• Dessert:  Nutrisystem Ice Cream Fudge Bar, water

So, in all it was a pretty darn good day.  I had forgotten how easy, and tasty the Nutrisystem food is!  Its nice because you can add in veggies and fruit, and occasionally a protein or dairy.  By ordering the food, you also get a webpage on their website that comes complete with message boards, a food journal, counseling, tutorials, and tons of other resources.  Its like Weight Watchers online, but they go a step further and send you food. 

Things I Don't Like

So far this week:

• Rebuttal Speeches after State of the Union addresses...now I know that sometimes the rebuttal will come from a person that I support and agree with, in which case I still feel this way.  I think that when our Nation comes together to listen to our President (even if its someone I don't like) that that is a time of togetherness and support...the time for debate should be suspended for that night.  People should be given time to really consider what he (or one day she) has said.  The arguments can (and should, because that is the spirit of democracy) resume the next day.  No rebuttals, no commentators, just the President and the People.
• ADD, which I have found ways to cope with over the years (namely procrastination), but I have WAY too much on my plate right now to procrastinate, but I don't know how to function any other way than through short, intense, bursts of energy followed by days of unorganized distractions.  I've always been able to pull things together when it counted, but right now every minute counts, and its just too much for my haywire brain to process!!!
• Skin Problems, which thankfully I've never really had before now, have popped up.  Stress is making me breakout, but that's not really the worst of it.  I'm going to the dermatologist today (first time in my life) because I have this weird, penny-sized round spot on the back of my neck that stays reddish pink and scaly.  Its been there for a little over a month, but instead of getting better, its getting worse (Can I say scared?).  Please say a little prayer for me if you're reading this before 3:30 (which is when I have my appointment.
• Paperwork could probably go into the ADD category, but its such a big problem right now that I feel like I'm drowning.  Excuse the edu-speak I'm about to go into, and skip this section if you could care less about teacher stuff...OK, you were warned, so if you're still reading I assume you wanna hear it:  I have an IEP to amend, a behavior goal to change, a behavior plan (which I wrote one draft of already this week) to edit, signatures and dates to enter, forms to annotate and close, papers to grade, grades to enter, copies to run, tests to create, progress reports to run, and pageant forms and programs to work on (and this is just the stuff I have for work-- this does not even BEGIN to count all the stuff I have to do for my grad classes!
• Fundraisers are the last thing on my list this week because I have mixed feelings about them.  I know how important they are, and its always fun to buy stuff, but it seems like that as a teacher there's always some kid selling something for some club or organization.  I can't say no to all of them and I can't say yes to all of them.  This leads to an agonizing internal debate, and sometimes seeing kids looking very disappointed (which I hate extremely dislike).

Weigh-In Wednesday

I did something brave yesterday!  I've done it before...and it worked...I just didn't stick to it (I'm bad about that!).  Actually, come to think of it, I did TWO brave things this week-- First, on Monday I weighed in here at the school for Scale-Back Alabama.  I'm part of a team of 4 that's competing against other teams, not just at our school, but statewide as well.  I'm embarrassed to tell you the results of the weigh-in, but since I'm being so brave this week I guess I'll whisper it to you...if you promise not to tell... (238 lbs).  OK, moving right along away from that awful HORRIBLE subject, you need to know about my other brave thing!  I joined Nutrisystem.  I ordered all the food, and I'm even more excited about it than I was last time because now they have frozen foods to choose from too that I just KNOW are going to be yummy.  Besides, I liked alot of the food last time I did it, so this time I knew what to order and what not to order (which I'm sure is going to help).  My food should be here in 4-10 days (I thought that was a rather ridiculous delivery window, but whatevs).  AND, to make it even better is the fact that I'll have less to do by eliminating cooking from the to-do list while I'm working on these grad classes that are KILLING me.  Which, may make you wonder about my dear husband, and what poor Wes will do during this time of no cooking.  Well, lovelies, never fear!  A) He knows how to cook, and actually enjoys doing it.  B) He is on a diet too, but doesn't enjoy many of the same diet-y foods as me anyway, so this just works better.

Anyway, as I re-read this I realize that I ramble.  I'm not changing it though.  I like that it sounds just like how I would've said it.  That said, have a HAPPY HUMP-DAY!!!!

Heavenly Highway Hymns

     Wes and I had a conversation last night about the beauty of this little book and the wonders within its pages.  As more and more churches move toward praise hymns, and projector screens are used to display lyrics even when hymns are being sung, we believe that the South is slowly losing an important tradition-- the natural musical inclination of its children.  Most people my age, and certainly those from past generations, can pretty much all relate to the memory of following along in the hymn book at church.  I learned the following from that experience:

• Words mean something...they're not just symbols.
• Those funny looking shapes above the words are the language of music, and you can learn to read them too, just like words!
• Words can and sometimes do move with rhythm and at different speeds, and you can set a mood through that arrangement
• The more you notice about the spacing of the notes above the words, the more sense the whole thing makes
• It's important to follow along with the reader (in this case the song director) or else you'll get lost, and tracking with your finger help

     As a teacher, who happens to teach reading, I realize how much "following along" helped me grasp the concept of print at a very young age.  I also mourn the fact that music education isn't more present in our schools, but know that I picked up on ALOT of musical knowledge just by looking at that "Heavenly" book all those years.

     As for how this relates to Southern Culture in general, is that alot of these hymns are part of our heritage.  It makes me sad to think that future generations might not ever know, "When the Roll is Called up Yonder," "When We All Get to Heaven," "Precious Memories," "How Great Thou Art," "Victory in Jesus," and all the other wonderful hymns that are being sung less and less.  Furthermore, the South has always been a wellspring of musical talent, respected even on the national stage.  Many of those artists first learned to love music and developed their talents in churches that taught the congregation to sing in harmony (which the old hymns emphasize).  They also, as I pointed out in my list of things I learned from hymns, learned alot about music in general from this practice (Every church-raised child knows that there are verses and a chorus and how they make up the structure of song-writing).  In fact, many famous musicians openly cite their backgrounds in church as their primary reason for falling in love with music.

     Now, of course, the Bible simply commands us to, "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord." Psalm 100:1.  And, I am a firm believer that God accepts any and all forms of worship as long as it is the worshiper's intent to give HIM the glory.  It is not my intent to speak against contemporary Christian services, only to ask churches not to abandon my beloved hymns.  My husband and I are both pretty liberal, progressive people, and yet we agree on this....surely there are others even in our age group or younger that feel the same way!  We should speak up, and ask that it not be assumed that all young people prefer the more modern styles.  It seems that I have a choice...go to church with people my own age and hear mostly praise style music....or go to church with a slightly older crowd and sing hymns.  It shouldn't be this way....the services (traditional and contemporary) should be combined, with aspects of both existing interchangeably.

Borrow From Peter to Pay Paul?

That is how the old saying goes, right?  I think so... Anyway, that's about the only shopping that's been done this Saturday.  I got my refund check from grad school this week--woohoo...right?  I mean, it makes sense to take out loans that are fixed at 6.9% to pay off credit cards that range in interest from 10% to the high teens (Don't ever get a Zales card unless you just absolutely have to, which we definitely fall into the HAD to category since we looked everywhere before finally finding a wedding band that complemented Wes's grandmother's vintage ring, but still, it was unwise financially--glad that's over!).  Anyway, I feel better, because in essence we now owe ALOT less money (we only have 2 more cards to pay off), but it still seems weird to pay off debt by taking out loans...even if the numbers add up in our favor.  Dave Ramsey would be so disappointed :(

I Have a Dream...

          Today, our country celebrates the life and accomplishments of a great man-- Martin Luther King, Jr.  I admire Dr. King, not because he was black when that fact alone should have condemned him to a life of repression (which he rose above and became very well-educated and successful).  I don't admire him because he was a minister (although his faith and service to God is an admirable quality).  Nor, do I admire him because of his beautiful speeches (however, the "I Have a Dream" speech gives me chill bumps every time I hear it). 
          Although all of those things would be reason enough to admire this man, the main reason that I count him as a personal hero is because of his self-sacrifice.  It is the one quality that he (along with many admirable others throughout history) posessed that I realize I may never attain.  Yes, I am well-educated and successful (I hold a Bachelor's Degree in Collaborative Education from the University of Alabama & am working on a Master's in this from Jacksonville State).  I may never be a minister, but I do have faith (large quantities of it, as well as a passion for studying religion).  And, as for words and speeches, while I may never have the chance to share my thoughts on such a large stage, I do have a way with words (I love reading & writing, and have written my own poems, songs, papers, reflections, blog entries, etc.).  However, despite all of these accomplishments, the quality of self-sacrifice is still out of reach.  Perhaps it is only something that can be understood if one becomes the champion of a cause they feel is greater than themselves (perhaps this is why this quality is present in many parents as they advocate for their children, or why it was evident in Dr. King and others as they marched across the South inspiring people to change their world for the better).  Whatever the reason, it is a quality that I year to posess.  It is something that all my heroes held in common-- my Gran, my parents, MLK, Jesus, America's Founding Fathers, etc...--and yet I haven't yet discovered how to embrace this admirable trait.

But, I have a dream....a dream that I, along with many others in this world, will take up the cross of self-sacrifice.  A dream that we will discover how we, individually, can each do our part to change the world for the better.

I leave anyone who reads this post with a few questions...In what ways could you sacrifice something in your life for the greater good?  Dr. King had a talent for oration and inspiration that gave an entire people and generation a voice.  What are your talents?  How can you "dream" for the world?

Excerpt from "I Have a Dream"

By: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.

Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,

From every mountainside, let freedom ring!

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.

Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.

Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.

Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that:

Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.

From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

                Free at last! Free at last!

                Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!



Missing My Man

I really, really miss Wes.  I haven't seen him since he came home Thursday night because he had a work trip to Kentucky this weekend.  They made it back Sunday evening just in time for him to hunker down in Marshall County at his parents' house, and now he's snowed in and stuck on the days that we're both out of work.  To make matters worse, Sylacauga got absolutely no snow.  We don't have ice realy either, so that makes it better, but there's nowhere to go because all the surrounding areas have winter weather problems. 

I guess the bright side is that I have all the time in the world to work on my grad classes....so I don't suppose I should be complaining.

On a separate note, Auburn is about to pay Oregon in the BCS National Championship.  I won't say "it," but I will say Go SEC!!!

Guess I'm gonna go watch some TV now.

Things I Liked In 2010

I want to do a re-cap of all things good in 2010 (I know, I know, this should have been Tuesday's post, and Wednesdays are supposed to be weigh in's-- I promise I've been going to the gym and loyal to my vegetarian diet--and Thursdays are supposed to be Things I Don't like, but I started this post Tuesday, and just was too tired to finish it because we started back to school).  After deciding to make this list, I was a little overwhelmed because, fortunately, 2010 was a very good year for me!  I struggled with just how to go about tackling all the good, and ultimately have decided to break it down by month.  Soooooooo here goes:

January:  

This was the first full month in our new house!  We moved in right before Christmas.  This pic is the only one I have, and my brother took it from his phone.  I realize now that I really need to take some pics of it!

~I went shopping for my wedding dress!  It was far less exciting than I thought it would be.  I spent 4 hrs. in a dressing room being squeezed and pinched and thoroughly weighed down by pounds and pounds of various fabrics.  In hindsight, however, I wouldn't have traded the time with family and friends for anything in the world :)

~THE Alabama Crimson Tide won their 13th National Championship...ROLL TIDE!!!  We watched the 'ship over at our friend Kristen's parent's house.  Her dad has this huge taxidermy/various other man activities workshop, and they watch all the games in there.  We had shrimp boil and all kinds of other goodies.  As a bonus to all of that, it snowed that night and school was cancelled the next day!

 

February:

~Wes and I attended Eric and Heather Collins' wedding at the Guntersville State Park Lodge on Valentine's weekend.  It was beautiful, and we had a wonderful time!

~That same weekend it snowed!  School was cancelled again, which was extremely exciting.  Wes's sister, Kacie, and I made snow angels, had multiple snowball fights, and attempted a snowman that was an epic fail.  Come to think of it, it snowed ALOT in 2010...



March:

~This was a busy, busy month!  I conquered my first end-of-the-year IEP meeting, and wrote ALOT of IEPs....yay for me!

April:

~I turned 24!  Of course, that really isn't all that exciting...especially since I don't even remember what we did (if anything) for my birthday.  Still, as always I thank the Lord for blessing me with another year of this "crazy, tragic, sometimes almost magic, awful, beautiful life!"

~We got an $8000 check in the mail for buying our house.  I wanted to frame it, but that wouldn't have been practical, so I took a picture instead.

May:

~I finished my first year as a teacher......and got hired back for this year.....woohoo!!!

June:

~I married my loverly Wes McClendon on June 12, 2010.  Here are a choice few of the many wedding pics:

~We left immediately after the weekend for a week long stay in Hilton Head Island, SC.  While there we went to Savana one day, the island lighthouse, took a dinner cruise around the barrier islands, rode bikes everywhere, spent 2 days on the beach, and I got a spa day while Wes got a golf day.  Then, to top it all off, on the way back we drove through Atlanta and ate at the Varsity (which Wes had never been to before).

1st Day at the beach!



On our carriage tour of Savannah, GA.



Our last supper on the island.



At the top of Hilton Head's lighthouse.



                                        

The entrance to greasy yumminess and American nostalgia.  If you've never been to the Varsity, get there quickly.

July:

~We took a trip to Six Flags with Kacie and Dillon.  It was fun, but sooo terribly hot.  Ironically hot considering how cold and snow the winter was!  Also, Wes's power steering light came on when we were at the car for lunch so he and I had to drive to an autoshop with no power steering in 6 lanes of Atlanta rush hour.  Fortunately, it started working again before we found a place to pay....whew!

August:

 ~I started my 2nd year as the 7th & 8th grade special ed teacher at Childersburg Middle...I LOVE my job!  I also love the people I work with, several of whom I also am lucky enough to count as personal friends.

~I started grad school online at Jacksonville State University.  If I don't screw anything up, I will have a Master's degree in Collaborative Ed 6-12 by summer 2012....woohoo!!!

September:

~Our litte miniature dachshund, Bella, turned 1 on September 30...and she's still SO tiny to be full grown!  Spoiled rotten!

Bella Grace

October:

~Fortunately, I work in a county that's economy revolves around a Nascar race.  And one of those particular races falls on Halloween weekend, so all the schools are closed the Friday before and Monday after said race.  We took advantage of this and went to Gatlinburg that weekend to see the leaves.

November:

~Thanksgiving 2010 was as wonderful as ever.  We went to my Uncle's for lunch on Thanksgiving day, and Wes's family had their's the night before at his parents house.  Its kinda frustrating having in-laws that live 2 hrs. a way, but we're figuring it out.  No hurt feelings yet due to a missed get-together, so that's good!

December:

~I finished my first semester of grad school with all A's...yay me!

~We added a new member to our family.  He's a dappled standard dachshund that is exactly 1 year older than Bella.  We named him Ingram because he has thick, strong legs like Mark Ingram, he's red and white like the Crimson Tide, and as a bonus Ingram is a German name (fyi dachshunds are German dogs).

Ingram

~We had our first Christmas as a married couple, and he did good!  I got a snowflake charm from Pandora (perfect since it was the first white Christmas in Alabama in decades), an engraved 1st Christmas ornament, a $100 gift card to Anthropologie, a $50 gift card to Barnes and Noble, an Aveda spa gift certificate for a facial and massage, a $25 itunes gift card, a whole bag of red apple and buttered popcorn jelly bellies (my faves), and 3 different flavors of Ciao Bella gelato (which you can only get at World Market and are amazingness).  However, I did sadly realize a day too late that I took absolutely no pics.  Its sad, especially since we had Christmas Eve at our house with all my mom's family and Wes's parents and Kacie came and stayed with us.  Boo me for not taking pictures!

~We had a pre-New Year's Eve party at our house on the 30th.  It was a huge success.  Good times for all...but I won't blog any details on that subject... ;)

~New Year's Eve we went to Eric and Heather's house in Helena.  We partied there until 11, when an Excursion Limo (aka awesomeness) picked us up.  We rode around in it, went to a bar for midnight, and drove around downtown in Birmingham until it took us home at 2 am. 

Well, that's all folks....

Here's to auld lang syne!