DIVA Knoxvegas

Hey, Hey, hey- we're live and comin back 'atcha from good ole Nashville, TN (well, technically Franklin since I'm at work). I am back from what I fondly call, Wedding World, otherwise known as 5 days in Knoxville consumed with Heather and Jacob's wedding. The happy Bride and Groom are currently in Lake Tahoe enjoying their honeymoon. It was a beautiful wedding, and I had a great time getting to hang out with Heather nonstop for a few days. Of course, there is never an event without some kind of funny stories to accompany it whenever I am involved.

First you have "Big Eric" Rodgers (one of the Urshers), who became the King of Bunting and Tulle at our big decorating party Friday morning for the reception. I guess because he is tall he got to help Leah (one of the "helper girls") hang swooping tulle over the windows, but I secretly think he enjoyed working with the netted fabric. When it was all said and done, Leah gave him an extra piece of tulle and he proceeded to tie it around his head, announcing to everyone that he was Tu-Pac. (Side note: Heather knows the exact date our Machiavellian rapper was shot. You can take the girl out of the ghetto but you can't take the ghetto out of the girl.) So being the punny person that I am, I said to Eric, no, you're Tulle-Pac! He enjoyed his new title thoroughly. :o)

The bit of drama that followed me to K-town was involving the music in the ceremony. We get to the rehearsal Friday night and this is going to be the first time any of the 3 Bridesmaids/singers get to practice with the pianist. So the pianist finally gets there and I walk up to introduce myself, and she says to me, do you have the sheet music for your song? No, I say, trailing off, as the reality hits me that she doesn't have it either and the wedding is tomorrow. Long story short is that there are irresponsible people in the world, there was a mix-up about who was supposed to get music to whom, and that I didn't get to rehearse my song with Janna until less than an hour before the ceremony on Saturday! As a self-proclaimed control-freak, and a perfectionist to boot, I was a teensy bit stressed about singing. Add onto that that music is something that is very important to me, and you can imagine how much I was freaking out over the whole ordeal. As it turns out, Janna had music for one of the three songs she was supposed to play for us the day before the wedding, but you know what? Everything turned out ok. Kentucky even beat Louisville without me watching the game on Saturday. I did my best to forget about it until my reporter came to the room where we were getting ready to give me the winning game details and made me a very happy girl. :o)

I know there are many more humorous stories that I could regale you with, but I am still lacking in the sleep department and have a ton of work to catch up on this week before more days off for the holiday (yea!). Besides, yall are just glad to have me back, right? I could write about what I had for dinner last night (meatballs, potatoes, salad, and vegetable pizza at our small group Christmas dinner) and you would still read it and comment on it. Or maybe not.

Horror of all horrors!!!

Oh.....my.....gosh. Ohmigosh! They took away my Yahoo LaunchCast radio! Someone give me a knife because I am going to kill somebody. (OK Sorry that was way drama.) But yeah, apparantly I have exceeded my monthly 800 song limit, which I didn't even know existed. You guys don't know how much joy my customized radio station brought to me every day at work!!! I was like, "Gosh I wish I could connect this to my car radio, etc." I have spent a lot of time customizing it with just what I want (seriously, you guys gotta try this thing!) Hence the shock and disappointment.

So I can either: 1) Sign up for the $2.50/month LaunchCast PLUS and get commercial-free, higher quality, unlimited song skipping, etc. or 2) Listen to the pre-programmed stations without customization and with commercials and low quality sound. If I sign up for PLUS, I get a 7-day free trial during which if I cancel I don't get charged. I have 7 days of work left before I return in January. SO I have a plan!!!! I'm going to use the 7-day trial for free and then cancel. The next time I am in the office will be January, at which time I'll have 800 more songs! Give it up Emily - I'm the resident genious!!!

On a totally unrelated note, it's holiday time at the Diva Domain, so us operators will be in and out of contact with you, our favorite people. Currently, our Queen Diva Amanda and Diva-In-Training Emily are out of town, leaving yours truly to (wo)man the blog. Amanda's best friend Heather is getting married in Knoxville, and Emily's best friend Elisa is getting married somewhere in Texas ("My Best Friend's Wedding"!) They both have fabulously fun dresses they get to wear too! And they both look great in them, watch out single groomsmen ;)

Yuck, the rice I had at lunch has given me a headache and a bad taste in my mouth. TMI? I don't care.....it's back to work I go though. Happy Thursday everyone and happy birthday to Laura!

Soundtrack to Your Life

Well, my computer's having issues and I haven't been able to read comments for post comments for a couple days, so let me say that I have been loving your blogs Amanda. Emily.....we're calling out to you.

Now for the fun stuff. This is actually one of those e-mails that you fill out and forward to your friends, then ask them to return it with their answers. So ya'll either post a reply with your answers or e-mail them to everyone you know and join in on the fun!!!

SOUNDTRACK TO YOUR LIFE:
Opening credits: Live Like You Were Dying - Tim McGraw
Waking up: Feels Like Today - Rascal Flatts
First date: My Stupid Mouth - John Mayer
First kiss: On A Night Like This - Dave Barnes
Falling in love: The One - Gary Allan
Seeing an old love: Comfortable - John Mayer, then Stay Gone - Jimmy Wayne
Heartbreak: My Immortal - Evanescence
Driving fast: Carry On - Pat Green
Getting ready to go out: Yeah! - Usher
Partying with friends: Dixieland Delight - Alabama
Flirting: I Take That As A Yes - Phil Vassar
Walking alone in the rain: All By Myself - Celine Dion
Going Home: Home - Tim McGraw
Missing someone: I Will Remember You - Sarah McLachlan
Playing in the ocean: Wide Open Spaces - Dixie Chicks
Summer vacation: When the Sun Goes Down - Kenny Chesney/Uncle Kracker
Fighting with someone: Did I Shave My Legs For This? - Deana Carter
Acting goofy with friends: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
Traveling: Champagne High - Sister Hazel
Thinking back: Life's A Dance - John Michael Montgomery
Feeling depressed: Bring On the Rain - Jo Dee Messina
Christmas time: O Holy Night
Falling asleep: Please Remember Me - Tim Mcgraw
Closing credits: The Dance - Garth

This film was one I had really been wanting to see. Ever since Johnny Depp catapulted back into Hollywood with Pirates of the Caribbean he has gained more and more respect as an actor, and has the choice roles to prove it. His portrayal of playwright JM Barrie in Finding Neverland was moving, from the Scottish-twinged accent, to his mannerisms, to his honest face in which I was completely engrossed. Acting-wise, two of the younger actors made the movie for me. First the youngest of the Davies children provided great comic relief, and then newcomer Freddie Highmore who played Peter Davies was heartbreakingly wonderful. As a member of the audience you felt his resentment for losing a parent, you rejoiced in those moments when he reverted back to acting like the little boy that he was, and you cried with him as big tears welled up into his innocent eyes. I was pleased to find out today that we will be seeing more of little Mr. Highmore as he will be playing alongside Johnny Depp again as Charlie in the upcoming Charlie & the Chocolate Factory.

Without giving away too much of the plot, I want to share a few scenes of the movie that made Finding Neverland so magical to me. Yes, the acting was incredible, but the direction, cinematographer, producers- whoever, that saw certain moments to draw out in the film, made the film come alive to me. The best example is in the scene just after the Davies family has dined with Mr. and Mrs. Barrie. Mrs. Barrie closes the door and says, "well that was dreadful," meanwhile you see around to the other side of the door where Mrs. Davies' mother says the same thing. Then Mrs. Davies disagrees- and around the other side of the door Mr. Barrie objects to Mrs. Barrie and says he had an enjoyable time. Back and forth the shots go, from the family walking down the path away from the Barrie house back to inside the Barrie house with Mr. and Mrs. walking up the grand staircase. The scene culminates with each of their side-by-side bedroom doors opening. Inside Mrs. Barrie's room we see a bed. Inside Mr Barrie's, Neverland.

At one point Peter and "Uncle Jim" Barrie are seated directly across from one another in the room, and their legs are crossed exactly the same way, only opposite from one another. This was a great visual representation of how the two characters, despite their age difference are very much alike.

Even the manner in which JM Barrie meets the Davies family for the first time is cleverly shot. He sits on his park bench and opens up the newspaper only to find a carefully cut hole where the review of his play had been. The character proceeds to hold up the newspaper to examine the hole further, and it is through this hole that we see the Davies family in the distance playing in the park from the viewpoint of Mr. Barrie.

Ever since befriending Thomas, the theater and film aficionado in high school, I have learned to pay closer attention to details such as these, and I'm all the more delighted by movies because of it. The Golden Globe nominations came out this week and our beloved Johnny Depp has been nominated for best actor for Finding Neverland. (Have you ever stopped to think how odd it is to have a 40-some-odd man going by Johnny? Somehow Jonathan or John Depp just doesn't have the same appeal though, so I guess he's bound to be Johnny until he retires from moviemaking.) Joining the nomination for best actor are several others including best picture (drama) and best director. All that to say, Bradley and Borders both gave it 2 thumbs way up.

Finding Neverland

AB FAB WEEKEND!

So can I just say how much I love Mark Wills and Clay Walker? My Launchcast radio has recently brought this to my attention. There's a Jeffrey Steele song called "What Hurts the Most" that I really like and I just found out that Mark Wills cut it on one of his albums. So among all the birthday goings-on on Friday, I failed to check the blog before I skipped out of work at 3:00. Thanks for the BD blog Amanda Jane, and the comments from the blogees. I'm running to the TV every couple minutes trying to catch the live Scott Peterson sentence. Ya think he's a little nervous right now?

This weekend was RhondapaLUza and it was ab fab! The Acorn was SO delicious - big thanks to the roomies for buying my dinner! I heart ya'll! We went to Bar 23 after dinner. We had good conversation ("V!!!") but the place itself wasn't too energetic. I wanted to go to Tin Roof next so we stayed there till the wee hours. Ari and Brett met up with us there. And as we concluded yesterday at lunch, the lead singer is a dirty old man!!! And his guitar has multiple STD's. I was presented with a hot pink "Birthday Girl" button which I wore with pride, announcing to strangers "It's my birthday!" The dirty old man and his band did sing to me and another birthday girl though. Saturday the roomies and I saw Finding Neverland, which was good. I think that AJ and Em liked it a little more than I did though. Does anyone want to go see Ocean's 12 this week?

Saturday night was our BBC Christmas party and it was a lot of fun! I walked away from the gift exchange with a TERRIFIC horse on a carousel that plays music, which I definitely intend to regift at my white elephant party on Friday :) The food was fabulous; thanks to everyone who contributed! The Drennans' home was huge and gorgeous. Mr. Drennan took several of us on a field trip through their back yard to peek into the house of their neighbors, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. Unfortunately Tim walks around with clothes on. Just kidding just kidding! We didn't see them. (Wow....death penalty for Scott Peterson.)

Sunday afternoon was the Penthouse Holiday Extravaganza . (Why can't I ever come up with the fun names for stuff we do??) Alas, more good food, fun, and fellowship! But, I don't think we had enough sweets there. Will ya'll PLEASE bring more desserts next time? Same goes for the BBC Christmas Party....there just wasn't enough. Oh there's more I could elaborate on but my hands hurt and I have GOT to get some work done around here!! Peace out.

so much to do, so little time

Believe it or not, I am actually busy at work today (don't pass out or anything- I'm alright, really).

The weekend flew by, as they usually do, and I'll leave the big stuff for the Other Authors to blog about or comment on.

Yesterday Mike said something in his sermon that I thought I'd pass along for those non BBC members. Christmas without Christ is just 'mas, and 'mas just isn't a very good reason to buy things for people. I know we hear things like that over and over during Christmastime, but it's true. We need to be reminded because we are forgetful people. The Israelites had to be reminded over and over that God was in control and that was even with Moses seeing the burning bush, parting the red sea, and God showering them with manna to eat! How much more forgetful are we who are bombarded with electronic distractions, and not-so-tangible signs from God?

A funny thing happened (on the way to the forum) last night at our Christmas concert. About 10 minutes before we went on, our music minister Dennis looked at me and said, "Amanda, did Vikki talk to you about doing the first verse on I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day?" And I laughed and said no, learned the words on the spot and sang it in the concert last night. It was good that I didn't know ahead of time because I would have worked myself up over 4 lines of a Christmas carol. But the reason Vikki hadn't told me about the solo was probably because I missed dress rehearsal on Friday night. And why did I miss dress rehearsal? One, because it was Rhonda's birthday, and two, because I was aggravated that I hadn't been asked to sing anything for the concert, honestly. Feeling under-appreciated, I felt no remorse in skipping the final run-through of our concert. What a terrible attitude to have, I am ashamed to say, but then what a humbling experience came out of it. At the last minute last night I said to God, ok, I can't change my attitude from what it was, but I can change how I present myself to the congregation. No matter what the circumstances, my job is to sing in worship to God. I don't know how well that was communicated, but as I was falling asleep trying to finish my chapter of the Purpose Driven Life last night, I read a verse included in the text that said, if you are using your God-given talents then you are doing God's will. So often I feel trapped in my 20-something life and wonder, what am I doing with my life, what am I supposed to do with my musical abilities?, and then small moments like the Christmas concert solo happen.

I don't really know why I am telling you all this, except to be as real and honest as possible with you all- my friends and family, and perhaps the random onlooker, and say no, I'm not perfect by any means. For all conventional purposes I'm somewhat of a hypocrite even. I do things I know I shouldn't and say things that aren't reflective of what I claim to be- a follower of Christ. But I think that's the point- that none of us are perfect, we will all mess up, and God continues to swoop in and save us from our messes, and wipe the slate clean all over again.

Heavy stuff for a Monday, I know. We are all recovering from our respective weekends, and mine really was a blast. The Penthouse Pets did our Christmas yesterday, and may I just say, I love my pink Pilates mat, brooch, and macintosh-scented goodies (there's that word again!). Too bad I didn't get to use the mat this morning in lieu of coming in to work early to make up for all the hours I will miss this week. If possible, we'll be comin' atcha live from Knoxvegas later on this week as Weezer gets ready to wed Cubby. For A-DOR-able pictures of them, click here.

This day in history

A little history lesson for the day- my AP US History teacher in High School used to begin class every day with a "Today in History" brief- Jenni, if you're out there- "I've got Bacon Hands!!"

So on this day, December 10th

1830: Literary-acclaimed poet Emily Dickinson was born in Amherst, MA

1869: Wyoming becomes the first state to adopt women's suffrage

1898: In France, the Treaty of Paris is signed, ending the Spanish-American War and granting the United States its first overseas empire.

1948: The United Nations adopts the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, marking the birth of the modern human rights movement.

1980: our beloved Penthouse Pet Rhonda Maureen Walsh entered the world

RhondapaLUza has officially begun, complete with the newly-traditional chocolate chip birthday pancakes at 6am (Say NO to Pilates!). The fun will continue well on into the evening with dinner at the trendy Acorn restaurant and outing to follow. Join me in wishing our Birthday girl a happy day!

RhondapaLUza

Emily let me thank you again for creating that term. For those of you who DON'T live with me, "RhondapaLUza" is the collective term for my birthday weekend and all the activities that it entails. You can check out the weekend's schedule at www.rhondapaluza.com

Just kidding....that would rock though wouldn't it?? Can I get a tiara to wear out? Or a sash? Or a button that says "Kiss me it's my birthday?"

Christmas Songs!

Christmas music- I just can’t get enough of it! The season only comes once a year, so I guess that’s what makes Christmas songs such a novelty. I decided to give you all a little insight to me, as if you don’t get enough of it on here, and list some of my favorite Christmas songs:

1. O Holy Night- Luciano Pavarotti
2. O Holy Night- Celine Dion
3. 12 Days of Christmas- Mickey Mouse & Co.
4. Blue Christmas- Elvis Presley
5. Magazine Angels- Joe Diffie
6. O Holy Night- Joe Diffie
7. O Holy Night- Josh Groban (Have you figured out what my favorite Christmas song is??)
8. O Holy Night- UK Christmas Collage, 2002, Norman Reinhart soloist (my future husband)
9. Mary Did You Know- Michael English
10. Breath of Heaven- Amy Grant
11. Hallelujah Chorus- any choir that stays in-tune
12. Dominic the Italian Christmas Donkey- Lou Monte
13. Christmas Time is Here- Alvin & the Chipmunks
14. O Holy Night- Cartman from Southpark
15. Carol of the Bells- there's a version Mom has on cd with this really good choir
16. Little Drummer Boy- not sure who sings this fav, but mom has it on cd (same cd as #15?)
17. Christmas song from Love Actually that the washed up pop singer has out
18. Hark the Herald Angels Sing- Mariah Carey ( I know, I’m ashamed)
19. Jesu Bambino- Luciano Pavoratti
20. 12 Redneck Days of Christmas- Jeff Foxworthy (I haven’t heard this one on the radio yet
this year- what gives?)

And finally, My Least Favorite Christmas Songs:
1. Simply Having a Wonderful Christmastime- Paul McCartney (one of his few musical flops)
2. Hey Santa- Wilson Phillips (I guarentee that if you shop in the mall this Christmas season
you will hear this song! It’s so terrible it’s funny.

Now enlighten the rest of the group with your favorite or non-favorite Christmas carols.

Wassssssssssssail!

So the highlight of my night was my visit to Starbuck's. I know that there are lots of people who go to Starbuck's every day, but I live in a bubble, so it's a treat for me when I get to to there. I can't justify spending as much for a cup of (insert favorite drink here) as I could spend on a meal. And obviously, winter is the best time to visit Starbuck's. Por que? The caramel apple cider of course! It's the best week ever! It's fantabulous! It's the COOL-est! It rocks my face off! It's A-mazing! Iloveit Iloveit Iloveit!!!!!!!!!

You know how some companies are carbon copies of each other? Like DSW Shoes and Off Broadway, or Coke and Pepsi, or Pizza Hut and Pizza Inn? Well, my company (Logan's Roadhouse) has a copycat too, called Texas Roadhouse. Although they have a few more restaurants nationwide than Logan's does, WE were around first. Logan's has been a top competitor in the steakhouse market in the Nashville area for years. But on Monday.....Texas Roadhouse opened up in Hendersonville. We don't have a Hendersonville location, but we are very close in both Madison and Gallatin. It wasn't a surprise - we knew they were opening there. They are our competition, of course we follow their development schedule. But it's like they've moved onto our home turf! But hey, we ain't sweatin' it. Another very interesting point is that just about their entire management team at that location used to work for us. But alas, such is business. There's always competition and it drives you to be more proactive and secure your customers while attracting new ones. That's the challenge of my department, and that's fun to me. We get to be creative to find ways to stay fresh in the minds of our guests. Keep it KICKIN'!!!

Do you know...

Ok, I’m starting to hear grumblings from the loyal readers… time for some new random commentary on life.

Last night was Kairos. We had communion and Mike talked about the Resurrection of Christ- very interesting in this time of year when most people are only concerned with proclaiming Christ’s birth. It definitely refocuses your attention on what the birth was really all about, and why Jesus was ever born. Yes, we celebrate Christmas to celebrate the birth of our Savior, but also to remember the point is that He came to save us, and that’s what the crucifixion was all about. I will never be able to explain things the way "Uncle Mike" can, but in short, to use a cliché term, Jesus is the reason for the season.

Kairos was also especially fun last night because I ran into this kid named Brett Mayo whom I went to middle school with! We’re talking ghetto, first-avenue south, drug-needles on the track, Cameron Middle School where I suffered through 5th and 6th grade before making the transition to MLK. Brett and I played in the orchestra together (yeah- we were really cool kids back then), and as it turns out, he was also a voice major in school. Coincidentally, he’s also not using his music degree in the slightest. (Will somebody tell me why no one ever talked me out of this major in the first place?) (sigh. I know. Everything happens for a reason and God is going to draw on my music background for something at some point, and I’ll need to be thankful for that useless major then. Until then God, I’m waiting patiently… yep… right here…) As it turns out though, Brett’s roommate was also there, a kid named Justin Schott who also went to Cameron who I don’t remember much about except that he had a horrible yearbook picture. He’s turned out quite attractive actually. Brett also mentioned the name Brian Humphries in passing. I said, "Brian Humphries, as in the Brian Humphries I know that went to Cameron?" And before I thought twice I exclaimed, "I had the biggest crush on him in 5th grade! He was my square dancing partner in PE and I was so excited!" Ok, TMI, I know, but it was 5th grade, come on. Brett got a huge kick out of it at any rate.

What followed next was a fabulous game of "Do you Know" where two people make a people-connection- say, from middle school, or you know someone with their same major who went to their college, so you say, "do you so-and-so," and they exclaim, "Yes, I love her! She dated my roommate," or "we had such-and-such class together." This game is fun for me, because I get to remember old friends that I’ve lost touch with, find out what they’re up to, or in some cases, get re-introduced to people I never would have thought about ever again (I mean, Justin Schott, what the heck??) Maryah walked over at one point, and she also went to UT (where Brett had gone to school) and so the game got even more fun. I found out through the course of this that Maryah is living with a girl I graduated from Brentwood with, and she and Brett knew some of the same people too. It just goes to show what a small, small world we live in. (Isn’t that Soooo Cracy??)

Upon arriving back to the Penthouse, I was enticed by the yummy smelling Wassail Rhonda Lu made (Wasssssssssaaaaaail), and the three of us stayed up way too late having our nightly "hall meeting" and trying to decide what to do this weekend for Rhondapalooza. Get excited. It’s going to be fun. And the Brooch just might have to make an appearance. ;o)

Weekend Update

OK I have a new favorite, and I'm not even Alison Krauss. It's my LAUNCHcast radio from Yahoo! If you guys have not discovered this, you are missing out. (I have to give Miss A credit for being the first to tell me about this though.) You begin by choosing your favorite artists or genres for your personalized radio station to begin playing. Then as the songs play, their title/artist/album is displayed. You can rate the 3 of these, and the higher you rate the artist, the more your station plays him/her, and the higher you rate the album, the more tracks from it that are played, etc. You can also tell it what to play in other ways. There are 30-second commercials every few songs but I barely notice them anymore. You can also listen to the John Mayer Fan Station, or the Jazz Holiday station, or the Big Hits of the 80’s station. Anyway, it’s great and I look forward to sitting at my desk more now! Go to www.launch.yahoo.com to get started! Geez, you’d think they were paying me huh?

For the first time since I’ve moved to my new desk, the temperature in my room is above 60. Ha, you think I’m kidding. I wore 2 pair of socks last week and used my space heater. Today I wore a cardigan AND a pea coat, and it’s finally comfortable in here so I’ve taken the extra layers off. It’s a rainy day today. Blah. And it’s supposed to last through tomorrow.

Wow...what an exciting weekend I had! About 3 hours beforehand, I got tickets to go see Martina McBride’s Christmas Show on Friday night. It was really really good. Then I went home and crashed while watching Friends with Amanda. Emily was out of town all weekend (tear.) Saturday Amanda’s parents came over to watch the UK b-ball game (which we won’t mention) while I cleaned a little, washed clothes, and wrote Christmas cards. My crazy friend Ashley was coming into town from Memphis for a holiday party, so I went to eat with her at Las Palmas. I don’t know why people say their margaritas are so good because I wasn’t that impressed. Then we went back to her hotel and watched the first half of the Tennessee-Auburn SEC championship game. I can’t believe that the college football season is over. Very sad. Next year...gonna be FSU’s year. I told Amanda that she’s gotta get me into basketball, and yeah I’ll be a UK fan by default.

Saturday night was one for the record books. Rhonda, 18. Amanda, 69. No people, not that, but you’re getting warmer. (Hotttttter?) PS - Once you go tall, you never go back. So Miss A and I went to Tin Roof and had an uber-fun night! I will allow Amanda to expand on that if she chooses. One person we saw there was Adam, the cutie patootie that Emily knows, who was SO just that into her, but she never heard from again. So I walked past him, made eye contact, glared, and kept on walkin’! He gave me that I-know-you-from-somewhere look, and I just pray he figures out where he knows me from. Jerk. Grrrr. Guys, don’t mess with our heads. If you like us, be nice to us, get our number, and be a man and call us! If you don’t like us, just don’t be nice to us in the first place. The worst thing is the “nice” guys who actually aren’t interested in you back, they are just NICE. Maybe you should try the #1 pick-up line of 2004: “Hey, nice broach.” Way to seal the deal Benji :)

Happy St. Nick's Day

"The Stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there..."

Has anyone else heard of this holiday before? I have never met anyone outside my family that celebrates it with the exception of some family friends. Here in the U.S. I think celebrating St. Nicholas Day is limited to Catholics in the Ohio Valley region. Mom grew up catholic, and so we've recognized St. Nick's Day all of my life. In true Catholic fashion, I had no idea why we celebrated this day until I hopped onto google this morning and did a search. I mean, I knew the basics, that St. Nicholas was a catholic saint, a derivative of our modern day Santa Claus, and that if you left out your stocking (or shoes if you're in Holland) you would receive treats in it, but other than that I was ignorant of why St. Nicholas is celebrated. So if you care to be educated, click here or here .

So what did we learn?
-Well for one, today is a Feast Day, meaning it's ok to have eaten the Panera Cinnamon crunch bagel for breakfast, snack on the mini M&Ms that were in my stocking this morning, have the chocolate brownie from Ann Wade's mom for desert after lunch, and generally eat bad stuff today, because I'm eating it all in honor of a saint!
-Two, St. Nicholas is the patron saint of un-married girls! Hel-LO, I could have used this information years ago! Now I know why I'm still single- I haven't been pleading my case to St. Nick. Well that is all about to change!
-Three, I always have found it interesting that the feast days for a saint are on their death day and not their birthday. In Nick's case he wasn't martyerd the way many saints were, but that's not the case for many saints.
-Four, St. Nicholas gave his gifts at night because he didn't want to take credit for the giving. Instead he wanted God to get the glory for blessing those in need by giving anonymously. What a display of the adage, it is better to give than to receive. This story served as a gentle reminder to me, that when I give gifts this Christmas season is it to glorify myself- wow, what a creative shopper am I, and what a thoughtful gift I bought for that person, or am I giving because I truly want to bless others?

For years now I have enlightened friends on my family's St. Nick's Day stockings tradition. The Penthouse Pets diligently set our alarms to 5:45 this a.m. so we'd have to time to do stockings and still have time for pilates. (I feel so Gweneth Paltrow saying I do pilates now! Although "do" is maybe not the right word choice. "Attempt" is more like it! My body is not so flexible after just waking up at 6 a.m. every morning!) So thank you St. Nick for the pink ornaments, candy, and other goodies! (My goodies. My goodies. my goodies not my goodies.) That was a little shout-out to Em and Rhonda. Speaking of goodies though- have you ever payed attention to Christmas song lyrics? The word Goodies is all over the place! It's kind of annoying once you start to notice it. Kind of like Laura noticing car attennas when she is driving and then it's like they're everywhere! All you see when driving down the street are antennas. I dare you not to look at the attennas today. In the meantime, eat all you want in the name of St. Nicholas today, and join in our Christmas countdown: Only 18 days to go!

cringe-worthy phrases

Ok, I have given my roommates plenty of chances to blog both yesterday and today. Rhonda’s all whiney because she supposedly wrote a really long one but in the process of publishing it, it got "lost." Uh-huh. Sure. And Em is apparently too busy doing her Job to write anything. You know what I have to say to that? Some of us just have our priorities in order! Blog first. Work second. I really am looking for a new job- this one bores me to tears so I have to entertain myself by entertaining you, the loyal or happenstance reader. But I enjoy it, so no complaining. (or not much anyways.)

Today is a beautiful sunny Friday here in Franklin, TN. I just got back from getting my Baja Burrito fix with fellow SOGWEAW members Ari, Rhonda Lu, Angela, Emmy Sue, and Jennifer (Ali Joy, we miss you! Come back to us!). Mmmmm was it good. We took pleasure in making Emily blush by repeatedly using her least favorite phrase in the world:

"Man, that just hit the spot!"

I’ll bet she’s cringing just reading those words! Apparently there is some off-color implication there that I’ve never read into, so surprisingly, that’s one phrase that doesn’t bother yours truly. Now if we’re talking about penetration, cutlets, or slicing then that’s a different story. Are Emily and I alone here in having those phrases that make us cringe? For example, the phrase "loosey goosey" flew out of my mouth a few weeks ago with Laura, George, and Ari in the car. I don’t know if I’ve ever said that in my life, but for whatever reason it just popped out and I immediately regretted it while the words were still on my lips.
"What did I just say?" I thought to myself.
"What did you just say?" The others said aloud.
"Did you just use the phrase loosey goosey in a sentence?" Yes. Yes I did. But what an odd saying, don’t you think? Holt one time in college said she "had too many irons in the fire" and I just laughed at her. Who says that? And another favorite non-favorite phrase of mine is "For Pete’s sake."

Come on, I know I’m not the only one here. Enlighten the rest of the reading population so we can decide for ourselves on these anomalies of the English language, and then proceed to make fun of you for thinking these are weird sayings. Oh yes: and then we’ll make sure to say them every time we’re around you. Now doesn’t that just hit the spot?

World AIDS Day

I have to admit that AIDS was not something I ever thought much about before I went to South Africa. Here in the states it's far-removed from most of us. We see it as a preventable disease, are well-educated about how the virus is contracted, and are fortunate enough to live in a wealthy country where drugs and treatments are available. Not so in Sub-Saharan Africa. There, AIDS is not a social problem. It's not attacking just the homosexuals, and drug users; it's affecting entire families, towns, and countries. In the small community of Masiphumelele, where we vistited in Cape Town, the total number of people infected is close to 1 in 4 or 5 people. And that's just the people they know about. Once infected, the HIV virus can lie dormant for years, so there are likely many more sick than we currently know about.

The world is trying to respond to the AIDS pandemic, but it's just not happening fast enough. The most important stage in stopping the spread of the HIV virus is educating people how it is contracted, and teaching abstinence and safe sex. People in South Africa are terrified of people finding out that they have AIDS. They either will not get tested for the virus because they themselves do not want to know, or else they are tested, but keep it a secret when they are found to have HIV. Families and communities will cast out the infected from their homes and society, much like the leppers were social outcasts in Biblical times. Rather than risk the shame that comes from admitting one has the dreaded HIV virus, they keep it a secret and meanwhile AIDS continues to spread. This is not just the case in South Africa, but in many parts of the world. We can help by either providing funds for education, or going ourselves to teach those who will listen. Wake up America and get involved. If you have an opportunity to give to an AIDS fund please do so. It's not just an African problem. It's a world problem.

random question for the day

So while eating my lunch in the breakroom today I heard a most interesting analogy. Now first let me preface this by saying that I work in Franklin which is south of Nashville, and so the majority of the employees live even farther away from the city; either farther south or farther west. Now I consider myself an educated person- I very nearly majored in english- and so I cringe inwardly (and probably sometimes outwardly) when I hear grammatically incorrect phrases being slung about with a thick southern accent. This of course is a regular occurance here among employees. You'll hear people say things like "We was right there when that fire broke out." and "Yeah, I seen that in the paper." But today I had to laugh to myself when one lady made the astute observation that the Tractor Supply Store was a Country Boy's Wal-mart.

Now I always thought Wallyworld was a bit country and redneck itself, and only in recent years has it become so commercially widespread. But heck, I grew up in Nashville,TN and thought Wal-mart was hick-ish! I only recently discovered the brilliance of the Wal-mart Supercenter in college, and still prefer the trendy Target any day! It struck me as funny because to her, Wal-mart epitomizes the city, while to me, it epitomizes the country. So pray tell then, Miss Co-worker, what exactly classifies as a City Boy's Walmart??

Back in the saddle again

It’s a dreary Tuesday morning here in Nashvegas. I can’t seem to shake the urge to run home, put on my pjs and climb back into bed. (Cuddle Party anyone?) But the long weekend was great. I went from here to Indiana to Nashville to Knoxville and back home by Sunday evening. A whirlwind tour for sure, but darn it, there were just so many people who wanted to see me that I just had to oblige.

Thanksgiving was excellent. The best part of the meal for me is always after everyone’s finished eating. We sit around at the back porch table (yes, I got to sit at the Big Table this year!) and listen to my uncle Jerry tell stories. He has a knack for telling stories in a way that even if we have heard them over and over, they’re just as funny. (You should hear him tell the one about Chris taking a taxi to school everyday when he was little!) Thanksgiving night was a tame one at the Pumper with Ryan bartending. Frank Mafia wasn’t there though- I have to admit I was a little disappointed!

Friday night was MLK (that’s Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet High School for Health Sciences and Engineering if you want the full name) reunion night in Nashville as Daniel Robert and I went with ex-boyfriend Andrew and his girlfriend to Boundry.

Saturday was up to Knoxvegas to drown ourselves in a sea of orange, but I must admit- the best UT-UK I have been to in a while. If you didn’t hear, UK lead the entire game and lost in the last 38 seconds. A real heartbreaker for sure, but I was just flabbergasted the whole time that we were winning for that long. This is a team that I think has the 114th rated offense/defense in the entire country, and they came within seconds of beating the Vols at home. Just by luck I got to sit right next to the UK band in the one tiny corner of Blue in Neyland Stadium, so I enjoyed myself up until the very end. The rest of the Knoxville trip was spent consumed in Wedding stuff. Heather, Angie, Jacob, and I took a coupla "Vision Trips" as Heather called them, to the church and reception place to get decorating ideas. We also educated Jacob on the miraculous wonders of Toulle. That sweet boy made 3 trips to JoAnn’s fabrics in one weekend, bless his heart. (Have you ever noticed that Southerners use the phrase "Bless his/her heart" when really all they mean to say is, "what an idiot." It’s just a polite way of insulting someone really.) We shopped till we dropped for decorations and such till Queen Diva Angie and I made the 2 ½ hour trek back home.

Now it’s back to the grind. UK’s football season is officially over, but basketball season is well under way. Get ready to be edumakated on the Kentucky Wildcats as they prepare to take on UNC Saturday after beating Tennessee Tech tonight. Ok, back to my real job. A girl can’t make a living blogging, you know.

Look Who's Blogging Too!

Hello world! It is I, Rhonda Lu! I crawled out from underneath the mound of turkey and dressing that I got caught in over Thanksgiving. I really think that the reason I've been hungry this morning (depsite eating breakfast) is that my stomach got stretched out over the last 5 days. Or maybe Scotch has moved in ;)

But yes, I'm back and blogging with a vengance. Amanda gave me the selfless opportunity to be a contributor on this blog and I waste it. I know that if I wasn't a contributor I'd constantly whine about stuff I have to say and nowhere to let it fly.

Thanksgiving was pretty good for me. I ended up getting a plane ticket on Monday to fly on Wednesday - the folks were just too scared of the traffic for me to drive, so I wasn't going to argue. Did any of you know that the Dallas airport is on the way from Nashville to Little Rock? I didn't either, but Delta Airlines has now educated me. They also educated me in Lost Luggage 101. My bag did not accompany my body on the flight back to Nashville last night. I'm still praying that it will turn up - yeah there was stuff inside that I really want, but nothing that was *absolutely* irreplaceable. I'm trying to be hopeful here.

I think that my favorite thing I put in my mouth this Thanksgiving was Dirt Cake that my sister-in-law made. Have ya'll ever had this? with crumbled up Oreos so it looks like dirt, and you serve it in a planter with a hand shovel? Very witty creation but OH MY DAD it's soooooo good!!!! PS- My grandmother makes the best dressing on the planet. (and the best homemade sweet pickles too, although that's not holiday-ish I just had to let you all know.)

My daddy got a deer on Thanksgiving. Yes, my family is from Arkansas and all the men hunt. It wasn't anything record-breaking but it was a nice 6-point. My brother got a 9-point last weekend and broke his own record of the biggest deer the family's ever killed. My dad said it was one of the biggest shot in Arkansas this season. You don't know how proud these men are of their deer....it's like meeting a celebrity....you take pictures of the deer, of you with the deer, of your kids with the deer, you make reprints and enlargements and you have them all with you next weekend when you're back with the boys to hunt some more. Then you take the celebrity deer's head and mount it and display it in your garage, office, or (if your wife is cool/crazy) your living room. But I have left out the best part....of which I will spare you the gory details. It's the morbid side of me that calls this the "best part." They hang the deer up and they skin him before they store the meat. As a kid (and the kids still do) we got to stand outside and watch this happen. It's not something that they make a sideshow out of or anything like that...it's not even a big deal to these guys cuz they've been doing it since they were teens. It's just the first thing that has to be done to the deer and I remember watching it as a kid. I almost went outside to take pictures of my dad skinning his on Thursday but I didn't. Yeah, you're welcome :)

Thanksgiving Eve

In keeping with our Thanksgiving-Eve theme, I thought this was pretty funny.

The day is dragging by so slooowwwwly that I am ready to denounce pink as my favorite color just so I can leave. I know. It's that bad. I have wasted an unbelievable amount of time today, just daydreaming about 4 days of no work. So where will everyone be? Well, I'm glad you asked. Ari's already off to Indy, Lana will be in Hop-town but back in time to work Friday a.m. I believe- btw, it's her 24th birthday today, so happy birthday boofer- we love you. Rhonda Lu is at the airport as we speak, getting ready to fly home to Arkansassy, and Emmy Sue is one of the few (the proud, the marines) still stuck at work like me. Her Thanksgiving will be spent here in Nashvegas b/c her family is in town. Michelle of course is still in Hong Kong- hope you get some turkey (today, since you're 13 hours ahead and it's already Thanksgiving there!). And Jenni will be stuck in Pennsylvania taking care of the people who cut themselves with the electric turkey carver or are otherwise sick.

And on that happy note, hope your hump day is excellent. Have a great afternoon. And I'm spent.

The Annual Cobble Gobble

With yesterday's blog prematurely promoting Christmas, I thought it best to backtrack a little and give Thanksgiving it's proper due credit. After all, I get irritated with the stores rushing the seasons and putting out Christmas decorations in October, and here I am, ignoring Thanksgiving to blog about Christmas. My work week is thisclose from being done thankfully (pun intended of course), but the rest of the week will be a whirlwind of activities. Tomorrow after work Laura, dad and I are heading up to Cannelton, IN to spend Thanksgiving with Papa (my mom's dad) and my aunts, uncles, and cousins. Mom already left for Indiana today and will be calling us every hour on the hour to give us last minute instructions of what to bring. The holiday should prove to be fun and entertaining, complete with mom ruining some kind of Thanksgiving dish (last year her sweet potato casserole was a huge hit {insert crickets chirping here}). In all fairness though, while she is notorious for burning the rolls, the food is always wonderful- my grandfather just usually finds something to complain about. I myself don't ever eat sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing, pumpkin pie, or (gasp) Turkey, but I somehow still manage to find enough food to stuff my tummy with for days. The one food I do look forward to eating every Thanksgiving is my aunt's scooped out potatoes. Those go quick, so if you think you might want 2, better grab them both on your plate during the first round.

Let's see- what other Thanksgiving traditions do we have? Used to, I'd watch the parade all morning. Now that I'm old enough though, I go with Papa, my dad and uncles to either Yaggie's or Bear's for a drink before lunch. It's not so much about being guys and drinking beer, as much as it is the women getting them out of the house and out of the way so they can cook. I never have helped out much in the kitchen on Thanksgiving. My grandmother (The General) always had everything under control, and now mom is the same way (aptly nicknamed Little General). The phone will ring all morning as everyone coordinates what time we're eating, and we all snack on honey baked ham throughout the day until everyone arrives. I am looking forward to using the adorable Publix Pilgrim couple salt & pepper shakers that were new to Thanksgiving last year. Mom and my aunt Lisa cook, and depending on how many people come for Thanksgiving every year, it's always a toss up as to who gets to sit at the Big Table.

All the years when I was little, and even some recent years, Laura, myself, and our cousins Ryan and Eric were always stuck at the kids table. No matter how old we get, there are always those older than us. With 13 cousins on that side of the family it's no wonder. This gave us plenty of opportunities to be loud, spit drinks of our mouths from laughing so hard, and generally get in trouble somehow, so I guess I can look back and appreciate the separation from everyone else with fondness.

The Cannelton trip will comprise of catching up on the latest family gossip, and should also include a trip to the notorious Pumper. Last time I brought back a bottle of Frank's hot sauce unknowingly. Let's see what I can come up with this time.

In the meantime, Happy Thanksgiving. "Now you say Happy Thanksgiving Back."
"appy Thanksgeeveeng, back." Aside from any otherYou've Got Mail quotes, if you've got any fun Thanksgiving traditions or stories to share feel free to share with the rest of the group. Angie's best friend Megan has what they call the Cobble Gobble every year. Her last name is Cobble, hence the Cobble Gobble. They even give out an award every year called the Grand Gobbler that goes to the person who had the best attitude, ate the most food, played the best in football, etc. The best all-around, if you will. Ross and Monica on Friends had the Geller Bowl every year. What traditions do you have?

the weekend, etc.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas… at least at my house it is. I spent the day with Momma and Daddy B, pulling out boxes and boxes of Christmas decorations. I know it’s a bit premature, but this weekend after Thanksgiving is going to be spent in Knoxvegas watching the Cats lose- I mean play against- the Vols. Basically we were decorating around my schedule that allowed me to be home yesterday. We blasted an array of favorite Christmas CDs (I don’t care what you say- Give me my Celine and Amy Grant Christmas CDs and I’m ready for Santa Claus) and made several trips up and down the stairs while I tried my best to convince my mother to put up the artificial "Blue Tree" in the kitchen this year. The Blue Tree used to go up every year in our living room and was decorated with white and blue lights, and UK and BHS ornaments, aside from our regular Christmas tree in the den. Last year mom was Bah-humbug and decided not to put the Blue Tree up, and I didn’t push it. But this year, I have Christmas spirit abounding, and am determined to have that tree up somewhere!! I’ll tell you what I DO have, thanks to the Blue Tree though. When we bought the artificial tree that would soon become the traditional Blue Tree several years ago, it came with what the box labeled as "Bonus Tree" that was around 2 feet tall. Not "A bonus tree" but just "Bonus Tree." So ever since then, the inanimate tree has always been called Bonus Tree. For example, a typical conversation around my house would have been,
"Hey mom, where are you going to put Bonus Tree this year?"
"Bonus Tree is going in the kitchen on the side table."

We tend to have several household items that are named this way. I own a step ladder known as Skinny Mini, and there’s a certain way you have to say the name in order to have Skinnnnnnny Minnnnnni handed to you. My family also has a big barbecue brush that is actually labeled on the handle as Barbecue Brush in big letters. In order to obtain this coveted brush, you must yell the name Barbecue Brush when you want someone to get it out of the drawer. Yelling is the equivalent of the big printed words on the side of the brush. Come by my house- you will be entertained for sure.

This year however, the Bonus Tree legacy has been passed down to me. Emmy Sue and Rhonda Lu, get ready, because you don’t know what you’ve been missing! Christmas just isn’t Christmas without Bonus Tree.

In other weekend update news, the Cats won their season opener- Kentucky fans everywhere are saying TGIBS (Thank goodness it’s basketball season), and back in the NFL the Titans actually won a conference game. Jenni’s Suckeyes pulled off an important win against Michigan despite the coaches calling me and asking me if I wanted to borrow one of the flashy cars from the car dealers up in Columbus. Sorry Jenni- it’s looking shady for OSU right now. And did everyone see that awful NBA brawl? Just crazy! What a disgrace, but for a non-NBA fan like myself it got me interested!

The movie night at the Penthouse went great Sat night. It was good to finally see Elf since I’ve been quoting the previews for a year now!

And finally, Ari and I went to see the IMAX Polar Express last night with Laura, George, Mom, & Dad. Bradley and Bryant give the film 2 thumbs up. I can’t imagine seeing it in a non-IMAX theater- the effects were great. After getting over the initial giggles of laughing at each other in the funny 3D glasses, we settled in to enjoy a heartwarming tale of a young boy on a journey of self-discovery. Actually dad did bust out laughing on occasion after looking at Mom in her 3D glasses. He apparently thought he was sporting them much better than she was. We walked out of the theater all warm and fuzzy until dad ruined the moment and said what little Bobby really got for Christmas was probably a box of rocks. The Polar Express. Go see it. In the meantime, get back to work you slackers. Who’s excited about a 3 day work week? Well definetly not me. I love my job. Cheers.

In the Pink

Oh Joy, Oh Rapture! I stumbled upon something great just now and thought I'd better share. For what could be better than combining Target' (French pronunciation of course denoted by the apostrophe substituting for an accent) and the color pink? The two teamed up for a good cause! Target' has a new line called Target Pink that comprises of all rose-hued products, and a portion of the profit goes to breast cancer research. This is a cause that hits particularly close to home as a good friend of mine lost her mother to breast cancer this past year. I challenge everyone to find a cause and give back to others during this holiday season. Remember the old adage, 'tis better to give than to receive unless it's pink items, and then I'd rather receive. I made an addendum to the old adage- hope you don't mind. :o)

smarter than the average bear

Let me just take a moment from my busy (ha!) day here at the good ol’ B&J and talk to you about a great American citizen and current crush of one Penthouse Pet. (and I’ll give you a hint- it isn’t me or Rhonda Lu who’s a smitten kitten). Yes, that would be Miss e.e. borders… kind of like e.e. cummings, only not a poet.

Hunter Taverner Hillenmeyer is a Nashville boy currently playing in the NFL. Since he went to Vanderbilt and Emmy Sue got to meet HTH at a Vandy conference in Chi-caaaago, she has been a Chatty Cathy non-stop about this kid. Her and her family have come up with a plethora of reasons why she and HTH are meant to be, aside from the fact that he’s smart (a double major at Vandy!) and good looking of course. Let me enlighten you:

-He’s from Nashville, Emily’s also from Nashville
-Hunter went to a private school (MBA aka. Momma’s Boy Academy), Em went to a private school
-He went to Vanderbilt, Hello!, Emily works at Vanderbilt.
And my personal fav:
-his name has nine syllables…. Her name has 9 syllables!!!

(I’ll pause for a moment while you count out the syllables.)
(And go ahead and count them in your own name as well. Rhonda has a grand total of 5 and I have a boring 6… guess it’s not meant to be with me and HTH.)

But the aforementioned cutie patootie played a crucial part in the safety in last week’s game of the Titans and the Bears and helped Chicago pull out a win. While we were sad that the Titans lost yet another game, we were happy for our Nashville Native doing well for his team. As newspaper & radio personality Brad About You says, there’s always a Nashville connection.

Best of Luck Em on your quest to becoming an NFL wife!!!

the faith of a child

Last night I jumped into the land of teenager-dom and babysat for a lady from church. I was strangely looking forward to watching her two boys, ages 2 and 5, which I guess means I’ve gotten soft in my Old Age. Used to, you couldn’t PAY me to babysit- literally- I hated it. But last night was fun. I read to Micah, helped both the boys color, and my favorite- we watched Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer! Funny how those clay-mation mouths don’t fit as well with the words you’re hearing like they did when you were a kid. Both of the boys were in bed by 7:30 and that left me to find something on TV for an hour and a half till Rachel and David came home. Let me just say, there is Nothing on TV on Monday nights! I watched part of the Swan, and part of the Cowboys-Eagles game (Eddie George vs. Jevon Kearse- both former Titans… Please come back!!!).
Anyways- while putting Benjamin to bed, I asked him what he wanted to pray for that day. He said he would tell me his best parts of the day- the things he was thankful for.
"Ok," I said.
"I’m thankful for breakfast this morning," he told me, "and for getting to watch Rudolph twice, and for bedtime."
I couldn’t help but laugh to myself- I have never heard of a child thankful for going to bed- especially when they have a babysitter! But as I drove home last night I thought about his funny prayers, and how honest and simple they were. When was the last time my top 3 things to be thankful for during a day were a yummy meal, getting to watch a movie, and getting to sleep? I was reminded that we are told to come to God with the faith of a child, and how the simple things we take for granted are actually gifts from God we often fail to recognize. It challenged me to stop before I went to bed last night and thank God for the blessings of that day. Maybe our lives are naturally going to be more complex than 5-year-old Benjamin's, but there are still many simple gifts within a day that we too can be thankful for before we go to sleep at night.

and you can quote him

"I probably could have used a better choice of words, but I am distressed when people are shooting off guns and throwing fruit at our players." - Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan, at a press conference after the Nebraska-Oklahoma game Saturday.

For the whole story, click here.

beavers to build animal kingdom empire

nuff said.

doggles

This is just something random to perk up your Friday. What will they think of next?? Actually, there is something out there called Bow-Lingual that we were going to get for our 2 dogs at home. I need to get a picture of Stockwell on here- now That is blogworthy- and he has a funny story to go with his odd-shaped body.

But anyways- Bow-lingual is this device that you hook to your dog's collar and program in what breed he is. For mixed breeds, you put in the size of his snout and shape of ears and some other characteristics, and it matches your dog to the closest breed. The thought is that different breeds have different inflections in their voices, similar to a person from China speaks differently than a person in Norway.

Why Norway, you may ask? Well I just don't think we give enough credit to the Norwegians personally. I mean, granted, they got the 1994 Olympics, but what else are they known for?
So you put this device on the dog's collar, and then there is a separate monitor that you look at, and it translates your pet's barks, growls, and basically any verbal noises they make. Our dog Stockwell is part human I think, and we swear that sometimes the dog is speaking English, his funny noises are so conversational. But the scientists that developed Bow-lingual have done research that supports the idea that different pitch frequencies of the noises dogs make are equivalent to the emotion they are trying to communicate. Pretty amazing stuff, really.

Now who's excited about the weekend? I am! I am! My "best-friend-Heather-from-home" is coming in town this weekend for her Bridal shower that Ang and I are throwing, and a bunch of us are going to see cutie-patootie Dave Barnes tonight at Vandy. Also, the Battle of the Losers is taking place in the SEC this weekend. That's right people, get excited. It's the Vanderbilt-Kentucky game. This you will remember, is the one where I insulted our QB last year in front of his parents who happened to be sitting in front of me. Oopsy! Let's see if Kentucky has any shred of dignity left in their team... And in the meantime, November 20th can't get here fast enough. (That of course is when the Real UK Wildcats take the floor.)

In other news, Ari has got me curious about ebay (I was CUR-ious!) and so I put in my first bid ever yesterday. Unfortunately, I am not ebay savvy yet, and lost all 3 items I bid on. There is an art to this I have found. More to come on this later. Happy Friday!

CMA wrap-up

Ok, since Rhonda Lu’s busy with last minute details for her Vacay to the Bahamas and Emmy Sue was in Chi-CAAA-go till today, I guess it’s my civic duty to provide readers with a brief wrap-up of the CMA awards, unplugged. If you want lists of full winners and losers, and non-biased reporting get on msn or yahoo and read to your heart’s desire. But here on this site, expect nothing but catty remarks and wholehearted opinions. (Ok, I’ll try to be nice)
I will also admit that my 100% attention was not devoted to the CMAs this year (not like last year, Rhonda Lu- it’s officially our one-year-of-hanging-out anniversary) (yes, I just wrote that- bring on the cheese). Anyways- I went back and forth from watching the show- anything that Rhonda deemed important and called me in to watch- and getting other things done around the apt after Kairos last night. So off the top of my head:

My major bone to pick is with country artists who are anything but country. Montgomery Gentry thought they were at a rock show the way they grabbed the mike stand and slung it around, all the while screaming this rockin’ song that, sorry Jeffery Steele, was not country. It’s not that I don’t like the song, but what is the deal with country music trying to be more rock and roll? Why not celebrate the difference of genres rather than blur the lines between them?

Along those same lines: Big & Rich? Please.

Brad Paisley & Allison Krauss: loved their performance, although we think Allison may have been a wee bit intoxicated when they went up to accept their award.

Dolly Partin had on so much eye makeup that you couldn’t see the whites of her eyes. And there’s no way those things were real. Her eyelashes I mean.

Poor Kenny Chesny's speech got cut off after he won entertainer of the year- stupid CBS- but the guy had a great year, and I’m happy for him. Rhonda isn’t convinced his album should have won, and I’m not convinced either, but I agree it’s good for what it is: a fun, beachy, youth-reminiscing album.

Rascal Flatts sounded great singing their new song. It was simple and right on, with piano, acoustic guitar, and the three of them singing vocals.

Brooks & Dunn I do not like for personal reasons. Bring back Vince as host.

Hooray for Tim McGraw for winning song of the year. If I could have held onto the Boy for a little longer I could have seen Tim perform in concert this summer in Nashville. Ah, summer love. But Tim looks spectacular in all black. Such a slimming choice.

Julie Roberts… puh-lease. This is a fine example of how money makes the world go ‘round in the Nashville music industry. She’s had, what, one song out? And already is doing Titans commercials, getting front page articles on the Tennessean, nominated for the Horizon award, and performing on the CMAs. This is due to the A&R people putting way too much money in promoting her, meanwhile leaving less of that money to go towards promoting other artists on the label. Sure, she’s pretty, but she can’t sing! Minor details, of course, for the studio wizardry. It’s much more difficult these days to make someone look good than sound good, and that’s the sad reality.

But… Sarah Evans looked beautiful and sounded good too. So the talent is there! It is possible to have both. But hers was one of the best-sounding performances. So yay Sarah.
I think that’s enough to round out the evening. I’ll leave other devoted country fans to comment on their faves or disappointments, and the rest of you to scratch your heads and listen to your pop/rock/alternative.

a slight emergency

So yesterday afternoon, the boredom and mid-afternoon munchies hit while sitting at the office. I had eaten a healthy lunch and decided what would make my Case of the Mondays go away would be something chocolate from the snack machine. Now I know what you're thinking.
"Amanda, didn't you replace your cravings for chocolate with cravings for tofu?"
Not yet. We're still working on that.
But seriously, I have not made a trip to the snack machine since that fateful day when I consumed enough calories for 2 small children on my fudge brownie snack. Today was a new day though. I just needed something small to tie me over till dinner. So I muster all the courage and self control I can find buried deep within my empty desk drawers, and I head for The Machine. As I open the door and turn the corner to where the snack haven is, I let out a gasp in my inner monologue. My worst fears have just been realized, and The Machine is gone!
After standing there with my mouth gaping open, I investigate a little bit and find out that the snack machine has been temporarily unplugged and moved due to the re-carpeting of the room over the weekend. What's a girl to do? "I can't work in these conditions!" I exclaimed. But there was nothing to be done.
Helpless and defeated, I slumped back to my desk and ate the pineapple cup I had in my desk for food emergencies such as this, all the while wistfully thinking of how much more satisfying the chocolate would have been compared to my room-temperature pineapple. Dena said perhaps that was God's way of telling me I didn't need any chocolate. But what does she know? She's probably talking crazy from staring at her desk thermometer all day.

stranger things

Well the birthday celebration is finally over. It culminated in the big Girls Night Out Saturday night, but first let’s back up to Friday night. In lieu of Vanderbilt’s homecoming game on Saturday, they sponsored a pep rally/concert that was open to the general public (for a small fee of course). Brad Paisley performed and Los Lonely Boys opened up for him (Los Lonely Boys is Spanish for… THE Lonely Boys). Up till now, I haven’t been too crazy about their song that’s out, Heaven. It’s one of those that gets stuck in your head. But aside from most of their songs sounding the same (Blues/Rock with a Tex-Mex flair) the Boys can Sing. I’m talking 3 part, a cappella (Acapulco), harmony. "No prerecorded stuff here" the lead singer quipped.

B-Rad Paisley was fantastic. I’ve never considered myself a BP fan, but people change- UT lost this weekend- Stranger things have happened. The guy is a phenomenal guitar player, and is just so darn cute. He was very personable with the crowd, and seemed to appreciate the youthfulness of the audience. I however was not so excited about the drunk Tri-Delts in front of us- and I mean RIGHT in front of us- who were screaming and dancing and generally ignoring the principle behind the personal bubble of space. I guess it’s another testament to turning 24, but I tried to remember being that age again and acting like an idiot in a public place. But hmm, nothing comes to mind. (Perhaps that’s the problem) but I digress.

Saturday was a gorgeous day in Middle Tennessee, and was spent at a voice lesson, hiking with the roommates at Radnor Lake, and watching football. Kentucky Football is getting more and more embarrassing to watch, by the way. 62-17? Come on Cats- I don’t care if it Was Georgia. (Is it Basketball season yet? That’s the only time I claim to be a true Kentuckian.) Sat night me, Emmy Sue, Rhonda Lu, and Jannelle were Trendy-Mindys (to use an Angie-ism) and dined at the ultra-hip Virago. Katie made an appearance and hung out for a while in between studying for her Orals and Writtens. I passed on their famous sushi but was brave and tried a bite of Em’s.

After dinner we met up with Ari and her crew at Johnny Jackson’s and danced the night away. Thankfully the Scary Larrys decided to stay in for the evening, so we were able to have a good time dancing with each other and not have to worry about "rescuing" each other. Sunday morning came early as it always does after a JJ night, but the loss of sleep was well worth our night on the town. Thanks Em for the ponchos… and I swore I’d never wear one. Oh well, stranger things have happened- Ariana was actually in town on a weekend!

4 More years

Now I know what you're thinking... but this is not about bashing W or lamenting Kerry (whom I did vote for) (hey, I'm 2 for 2 voting for presidential candidate Losers!)

But I did think it was high time we brought some intelligent conversation into the divadomain which is usually only concerned with anything pink, inside jokes, and random observations. Now that the election is over, I just have a few comments to make.

The exit polls have shown that people voted primarily on the candidate whom they felt had the strongest moral values. Moral issues outweighed the economy, foreign policy, and the war in Iraq, all of which were proven to be major factors for voters. This is amazing to me, and shows the real character of the American people. Being the first election post September 11th, these results show that the people of the United States agree that while neither candidate was perfect, or even ideal, that what matters most is that you have a president that stands firm on what he believes is right and wrong. Maybe this voting on moral character is a reflection on our country's own moral stance, and spiritual awakening of our nation post September 11th. Bush may not have made all the right choices during his 4 years, but at least he doesn't waver on what he believes. Now I am not naive enough to believe that Bush has always made the best decisions for our nation- he is president because he is a politician, and you aren't a politician without "working the people," and implementing the "I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine" theory. But at least we can always look at his Christian faith to gauge where he might stand on an issue, whether we believe the same as he does or not.

Here's what's discouraging though: the exit polls have also shown that with all of MTV's and star-studded voting campaigns that young voters- ages 18-24- had the same voting percentage this election as we did in 2000. What gives? If you or someone you know didn't vote this year, you have 4 years to redeem yourself and get out there and get to the polls. There is no excuse in this age of information to not have an educated opinion about politics.

"We gon party like it's yur birfday..."

Well, everyone...the day has come. No, not election day, but the Diva's birthday!! Our lovely friend/roommate/sister/daughter/African Queen is turning 24 today. So quit working, and leave her a birthday message!! Happy Birthday, Amanda Jane!!

Come on Ride the Train...

"The Soul Train"

This weekend was one of the best I have had in a long time. We had our singles retreat down in Alabama, about 2 hours away. I saw my first real-live cotton field, came face to face with a bull (there was a fence between us- I learned my lesson with the baboon- one can never be too careful!), and was tempted by the Chu-Chu’s Buffet in Athens, AL (not really). We passed this fine establishment on our way down, which served American, Chinese, and Mexican cuisine. Um yeah, I’ll have a taco with some chow-mein and a side of fries please. As Lou-Ann from the hit movie SHAG would say, Ga-ROSE!!!

As luck would have it, Chu-Chu’s seemed to be the recurrent theme of the weekend, only a different kind of Choo-Choo. That’s right people, one of my random, spur-of-the-moment ideas actually paid off! Rhonda Lu, Emmy Sue, and myself won the prize for best group costume at the retreat with our train costume. The chuga-chugas and the train whistle is what set us over the edge I think. It was great. And then when we were announced as winners, our favorite master-of-the-music JillyMae hooked us up with some old-school Quad City DJ’s so we could Come And Ride The Train.

Once we arrived in one piece Friday night (only Emily and Ginger can appreciate the validity of that statement), a bunch of the girls piled into one of the cabins to watch SHAG where we cracked up at my boyfriend in the straw hat, and realized that Buzz has a striking resemblance to Vanilla Ice (Ha. Lar-ious). Something else funny worth mentioning was that a picture of my mom and I when I was little was up in all of the cabins. This was of course back in the day when we were both American Indians, and before I started using SPF 30 every day and dying my hair blonde.

Aaron Loy did a wonderful job leading worship this weekend (notice I said wonderful, Emily) (I decided yesterday that wonderful is an adjective that gets often neglected so I’m making an effort to use it). Aaron Bryant told hilarious stories, and then introduced related scripture passages and broke them down into very simple, yet poignant thoughts about God and our relationship with Him. All of the verses we looked at this weekend were already familiar to me (you can never go wrong with Romans) but Aaron was able to communicate them in a fresh new way that I appreciated hearing.

Girls, what am I forgetting to blog about? There were so many fun, funny, and memorable moments that I can’t seem to get them all down. At any rate, I stopped traffic in the cabin when Vann asked me about who I voted for, Emily gained the respect of everyone with her booty-liscious dance moves, and Rhonda and the rest of the SALT team did a great job with everything being so well-planned and organized. The most fun of course was getting to hang out with my 2 roommates whom I never see (hall meetings don't really count!). Oh yes, the Twix are ours!

Guest Appearances

Hi everyone! Today at the office, we have a sumo wrestler, a disco diva, the scarecrow, a tourist, a pimp, Snoop Dogg, a cowgirl (yours truly), and a chef (oh wait....that's not a costume).

Yep, it's Halloween costume day at work! My manager was supposed to be a fellow cowgirl but she stood me up!!! One of our company values is "Yeehaw!" (long story) so I told our executive team that I was dress up as the Yeehaw Value for Halloween, hehe. Brownie points much?

My friend Rick's sumo wrestler costume actually has a fan running inside of it to keep him "inflated." Betsy is the scarecrow and she has gone ALL OUT, it's so cute! Tonight is our office Halloween party for families (and non-families) but I am missing it because I am going on the church retreat - but hey that's okay! Christmas parties are just around the corner. ("...and you don't OWN the phrase 'Around the Corner'!" movie quote trivia.)

The smell of permanent marker is moving through the office thanks to my efforts to "make" my OTHER Halloween costume. Nope, I can't tell you what it is. You never know who might be reading this and then it would ruin the suspense. And I hate it when people ruin the suspense. I will just say that we're "on the track" to winning the costume contest....MWAH HA HA HA HA!

But yeah this stench is really getting to me. You know there's people out there who like that smell to but they mus' be crazy. I do like the smell of gas, and paint, and matches just after you blow them out. I don't like fresh cut grass, coffee, or white-out. or Sharpies. (not to be confused with Shar-pei's)

What are some funky things that you people like the smell of? or hate the smell of?

I heart I Heart Huckabees

This movie is a must see if you like off-the-wall, quirky movies. The acting is superb and the characters are perfect in their roles, which is why I found it laugh-out-loud funny. That, and I am able to laugh at the ridiculous existential philosophies that they try to adhere to in this movie. I can appreciate the humor in this, knowing that my faith in God spares me from ever having to go through what the characters do in this film. If I have any takers, I'll go see it again. And just to whet your appetite, here are a few quotes I found that might spark your interest.

Albert Markovski (Jason Schwartzman): Nobody sits like this rock sits. You rock rock. The rock just sits and is. You show us how to just sit here and that's what we need.

Dawn Campbell (Namoi Watts): I'm in my tree, I'm talking to the Dixie Chicks and they're making me feel better.

Albert: We're not in infinity we're in the suburbs

Tommy Corn (Mark Wahlburg): We'd all be heroes if we stopped using petroleum

Dawn: You can't deal with my infinite nature can you?
Brad Stand (Jude Law): That is so not true. Wait. What does that even mean?

Albert: I torched your jet skis
Brad: And my house???
Albert: No, just the jet skis. It spread to the garage... and then to the house.

Tommy: What are you doing tomorrow?
Albert: I was thinking of chaining myself to a bulldozer. Wanna come?
Tommy: What time?
Albert: 1, 1:30
Tommy: Should I bring my own chains?

Time to get Political...

Disclaimer: this entry strays far from the cheerful randomness you normally look forward to reading

I may be preaching to the choir here, but this is just a friendly reminder to go out and vote. This election will go down as one of the most heated political races in our nation's history, and the next president will have a tremendous impact on how our country's future will be shaped. How cool will it be to look back and say that we voted in this election?

But time to get un-pc, because this is my blog. I voted for John Kerry on Monday. Not because I especially love Kerry, but moreso because I don't like Bush. Many people down here in the Bible belt are aghast when I say that. Bush is a Christian they say! And yes, while no one can know just how much he's actually living this statement out, and how much of it is just political acting, I do appreciate and admire the fact that Bush has brought spirituality into the forefront of politics again, where it should be. So if Kerry, the non-Christian, as some may see him, is elected, does that mean God lost or made a mistake? Of course not. God ordains every leader in our country, and it is far beyond our comprehension to understand the Big Picture of God's plans.

We cannot know a candidate's heart. We cannot see inside his head and know if he is lying or not. But we can look at the facts we are presented with.

To me, I see jobs going overseas, I see men and women being killed for a cause that hardly any Americans understand,much less agree with, and I see the world exposing us for the wealthy terrorists that we are, disguised in sheep's clothes. I will admit that I am not the most informed of voters, but I can look our nation and our world and see the state it is in today compared to 4 years ago and see that there is a Big Problem. And not everything has to do with September 11th.

I also realize that what I say here is not going to change the way most of you are going to vote, but I just thought you'd like to know where I'm coming from.

things I have learned from baseball and other ramblings

Alright, so Beckett bit the big one this year, and with Pudge gone, the Marlins just couldn't pull a repeat, so now I along with most Americans are watching the Cardinals take on the Red Sox for the world series. 2 games into it, this is what I've learned.

1. Those are Socks on the field, people!
2. Johnny Damon would actually be an attractive guy if it weren't for the long hair.
3. Even a shoe can be a billboard for advertisment.
4. Jimmy Fallon is an idiot and needs to wear a coat when it's 40 degrees outside.
5. Everyone knows by now who your Daddy is, Pedro

Stay tuned for part 2 of the top 10 after a few more games. I'm sure I can come up with some better observations than those. Anything's more entertaining these days than watching the Titans play.

Onto to tirade number 2. Why is it that women crave chocolate? Why not celery or tofu or anything else healthy? I think it's a cruel joke or else punishment left over from the garden of Eden. Men will be forced to toil and women will go through painful childbirth, and oh yes, they will all crave chocolate on a regular basis. Thanks a lot Eve.
Usually I can resist these cravings, but today i gave in. I wanted chocolate. I needed chocolate. So I perused the office vending machine and decided upon a pecan fudge brownie. About 3/4 of the way through the brownie I made the mistake of looking at the Nutrition Information. Ha Ha What a joke! They should call it the Stuff-you-really-don't-want-to-look-at Information. 9 fat grams I read... ok, not horrible I tell myself. 27 carbs... wow, that's alot, but ok... and then the dreaded clincher... serving size: 1/2 brownie. Are you freaking kidding me?? I just consumed 18 fat grams for a mid-afternoon snack?? And let's not even count up the rest, ok? It was then and there that I decided that I'm only craving vegetables from now on. There's got to be some kind of hypnosis that you can undergo that erases the word chocolate or french fries from your brain. Until then, I finished the brownie, and boy was it good!

Where have all the bloggers gone?

What ever happened to Paula Cole? That woman had a talent for putting out whiney, annoying songs. First it was Where have all the Cowboys Gone? And then it was the infamous Dawson's Creek theme song, I Don't Wanna Wait. Dawson, I love you. I loved your show. Any weekday that I'm not working, you can be sure that at 9 and 10am I'll be tuning in to TBS and watching the reruns, but you can also be sure I'm muting the tv during that blasted theme song.

But really, Where have all the bloggers gone? (They know who they are.) I give them the keys to my little world, and I come back in town, and this is how they repay me? Come on girls, I know you have interesting observations about the world to make. And I know it's not because they are so swamped at work because we have had sogweaw emails flying all morning. (If any bosses are reading this, of course it's not YOUR employee sending the plethora of emails... it's just all those Other people out there.) But seriously, any time you feel the need to blog, you just go right on ahead.... any time now... Buehler?...

And Finally, can I just say how thrilled to bits I am, that fellow BHS alum Jenni, SA buddy Roger, Hong Kong-transplanted Michelle, and Massage therapist extrordinaire JillyMae, have recently joined the blogging world? This makes 6 total blogs that have come about in part due to the Fabulous Divadomain. With all this influence I have over others, I think I should run for president! George W, here I come!

Thermostat Wars

Ok, time to vent for a sec.

You have all heard about my sweet coworker who refuses to say Bless You when someone (namely Me) sneezes. Well now it's time to let you in on the hilarity of our silent battle over the temperature of the room in which we work.
For starters, I am extremely cold natured. (Anyone in South Africa with me can vouch that I whined about being cold the entire 2 weeks) Mostly it's not the actual temperature of a room that makes me miserable, so much as it is the cold air blowing directly on me for an extended amount of time. I want the AC to come on, do its thing, and shut off (and all this should happen in 5 minutes or less). Unfortunately, the AC in this building it seems likes to run for an hour or more at a time. So I sucked it up and brought a space heater to put under my desk, which has helped tremendously. Some days I have it on all day, and others I don't even turn it on. When I leave for lunch, I turn it off. This brings me to Dena.
Dena is extremely hot-natured. When we first started working in this office together, we compromised on the thermostat and set it on 73 degrees, and I agree this was more a compromise on her part than it was on mine. Now we don't have a thermostat in our office anymore, so we can't regulate the temperature like we used to. And Dena retaliated by bringing her own little fan from home to sit on her desk.
So it's not unusual for the AC to be on, my heater going under my desk, and her fan blowing on top of her desk. It's like a mental battle of wits, because I know our heater and fan are canceling each other out, keeping the room at the exact same temperature it was before we turned on the devices.
Well now after returning from South Africa I find out today that she has brought a thermometer from home, to regulate the temperature in here, I kid you not. If it gets over 72 degrees- that is her maximum threshold for comfort I believe- then she will ask me to turn my heater off. She hasn't done it yet, since I just noticed the thermometer today, but she did make mention of, she's fine until it gets over 72 degrees. But the Temperature Police herself leaves her fan on all the time for one, and second leaves it on when she goes to lunch, and third leaves it on in the afternoon when she leaves work only because she is too scatterbrained to remember to turn it off! So what does Amanda do? She writes a cute post-it-note to Dena from the Fan and puts in on the base of the fan that says Dear Dena, please do not forget to turn me off when you leave in the afternoon. I get tired from running all night. Love, your Fan And what does she do the next morning? She laughs and takes the post-it-note off and throws it away. Sure enough that very afternoon, Dena forgets and leaves the fan on! Argh!
I laugh about the whole thing, because in retrospect it's not even that big of deal, but her bringing the thermometer, I just Had to laugh about and share with you.
I hope this blog finds you warm and toasty or cool and comfortable wherever you are, depending on your personal temperature preference.

stop blog & roll

Hooray! The Penthouse Pets are finally under one roof again (I got back last week, but then Em was gone for the w/e). So the three of us celebrated last night by piling onto Emmy Sue's bed (for a bed party of course) and watched Rhonda Lu's favorite movie, 8 Seconds. Rhonda is a country girl at heart so I can see that the bull riding, cowboy hats, country music, and terrible southern accents (did I mention they were terrible?) would be right up her alley. Em & I amused ourselves by trying to figure out if Luke Perry was left-handed or not, judging by his reflection in the mirror in one scene of the movie. We even went so far as to act it out (No Amanda, you're the reflection, so that would be his left hand) until Rhonda scolded us and ordered us to pay attention. The best parts of the movie were when Luke Perry had his shirt off and wasn't talking (remember those horrible accents I talked about?), and I'm ashamed to admit that I did cry at the end (although I tear up at previews these days it seems). I think we all 3 shed a few tears though, esp. during the live footage in the credits of the real Layne Frost .
But back to reality. After agreeing that it was a little chilly in the apt. I jumped up to turn on our heat (for the first time) and then flipped on the living room tv to check up on the Red Sox- Yankees game while Rhonda and Em were still bawling their eyes out in Em's room (that may be a slight exageration, but seeing as how I'm telling the story, and I wasn't in Em's room at this point to fill in the blanks, that's how my version goes). All of a sudden our smoke alarm starts going off. I prob. jumped 10 feet in the air and then started pacing around the room completely panicked. I start to go over to the front door to feel it and see if it's hot, but then the other 2 roomies ran into the living room at this time and we're all shouting at the top of our lungs:
Me: Is that the fire alarm??
Rhonda: I smell smoke!
Emily: I think it's just the heater!
So here we are, the 3 of us freaking out, and I'm thinking, this is not happening- our apartment building has caught on fire- what do I grab to take with me? But by this time Em, the level headed one of the bunch is fanning the smoke alarm and calming us down. She said the maintenence people said that this might happen first time we turn our heat on.
"Oh." was Rhonda's and my response.
At this point the alarms have stopped going off, so the situation becomes funny as we realize how we've just freaked out over nothing. Emily re-enacts her stop drop and roll action down the hallway, and we're laughing so hard that we're near tears again.
On a happy, non-funny note, but exciting just the same, the Red Sox went on to beat the Yankees last night in 12 innings and 5+ hours. crazy.

A sampling of SA pics

our mascot

The Wildebeest tribe

south african sunset

Amy & I at our tent

dominant male lion of the pride

day 3 elephant siting

Momma & daddy Rhino

day two elephant siting

God's beautiful creation

Lanscape from the bus

Jackass Penguin on Robben Island

Leslie, my new friend/Afrikaans teacher from Muizenberg

"Big John" Diago from Muizenberg- a bouncer of sorts, but a man with a heart of gold

a group of us standing in front of the Indian/Atlantic ocean at night- depending on who you ask. Thanks, Uncle Edsil, for bursting my bubble

The Queen Diva has returned!

Yes folks, Amanda is back from South Africa!!!

Emily and I were able to be at the airport this morning when she arrived. They had a safe flight and no luggage got lost (not hers at least)! Mama B was there with us as well. The Queen Diva was clothed in all pink, even her rubber band she had her hair pulled back with. She looked fabulous for having been travelling on plane and bus for 31 HOURS! She deserves an award folks - I cannot fathom (CANNOT FATHOM!) travelling for that long.

While we await the first post from our fearless leader, feel free to post her a welcome home message.