How Happy Am I?!

Christmas music is playing on the radio!!! WAHOO! I am one of those people who loooves Christmas music...the earlier it starts, the better. One year in college, Peach 94.9 (whatever it's called now, I don't know) started playing the tunes on Halloween. My mom and I share this love of all things jingle bell rock -- we've been known to pop in Christmas cds (and tapes!) in the summer!

I am all about celebrating and enjoying Thanksgiving and not skipping over it to Christmas, but Christmas songs are good for my soul and just put me in "the spirit" of happiness, even during the season of thanks. As soon as the Christian station starts their tunes, I will go back and forth between the two stations and have 24-7 tunes for the next 6 weeks. Yes, I am slightly obsessed. Hard to believe Christmas is 6 weeks from today, huh?

On the way to meet Brooke for lunch, I heard Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree. Then, I heard it an hour later when we were leaving lunch. I think that is people's biggest complaint about 24-7 Christmas is the repeats. I feel their pain (sort of), but don't think I didn't enjoy rockin' around that tree the second time as much as the first.

Tis the season!

This boy is ONE!

Happy Birthday, Pearson!!

You are one year and one day old and such a little joy. Miss you! xoxo

This little guy (my nephew) cracked us up, a couple months ago, sitting on Mom and Dad's kitchen table. We were playing papparazzi and realized every time the light would go on, right before the flash, Pearson would squint his eyes and pull his head back to prepare for it. That little grin! He did it over and over, the exact same way every time. It. Was. Hysterical.

Thank you for making us laugh and smile, Pearson Tucker, we love you!!

Happy Fall, Y'all!

Whoa! Where did September go?! I feel like I've been saying that about every month recently. Maybe that means I'm getting old... Speaking of, my birthday, I mean MONTH, is in full swing. I've had a family party, a friend party, lots of fun lunches and dinners, and (dun dun dunh!) way too many desserts. Wow. I love birthdays!!

Last week, my friends were sweet enough to go out with me for a Mexican fiesta! It was lots of fun. Then Tuesday, I passed the birthday crown to BRITT for her special day... she kicked off her month-long celebration with a fun night at Bees Knees. So now we're both the birthmonth girls! Did I mention we looove birthdays??

I'm still recovering from the romping in Athens Saturday. I knew there was too much pre-game hype. Shouldn't have blacked out. Besides the actual game (if you can even call it that), Athens was a blast! I stayed with Natalie who's finally back in Georgia (yay!) and has a beautiful home in 5 Points, and we had a yummy lunch together at Zim's Saturday. Friday, I went on a date with Frank and Terri to our favorite restaurant Last Resort. Salmon & grits + black bean crepes + Gorgonzola bleu cheese + good company = a little slice of Heaven. After a great dinner, we met great friends at East West to catch up. It was such a fun weekend!

As for the game, if we're going to lose to somebody, I'd rather lose to Alabama than anyone else. RTR. (love ya, MB!)

There's a touch of fall in the air this morning, and I. Love. It. Now that another September's come and gone, I'm ready for crisp fall days, pumpkins, and good football. Thanksgiving will be here before we know it. And I'll try to blog again before then. I mean, how can this be the "coolest blog ever" if I only blog once a month. Right, Faris?!

Super pumped about the VP debate tonight. 9 pm - don't forget to watch!

The girls at Vallarta's -- Happy Birthday, Pagina!

Yay Jack!

Charlsie, me, Britt -- Happy Birthday, BRITT!

sweet Curran -- he took me to Bees Knees for my bday

me, Terri, Katiefrye, Brooke, Ad, MB

Britt and me Blacked-out, Faris Whiting-Out

all friends in the end... Roll Dawgs!

beutches

So, it's been a while…I’ve written plenty of blogs in my head but haven’t had time to get them down on screen. But when my SIL – and author of the broadway blog – called me out for slacking as much as her, I said enough is enough. I've got at least a couple good blogs in me. Today I'll tell you about a good walk interrupted.

I had just started jogging down my street the other day when I got to a four-way stop. I, of course, don't trust traffic to see me, so I slowed way down in time to see this woman NOT stop, look quickly to her left, completely ignore ME on her right, and scoot on through the stop sign. Her ignorance went all over me this particular day and before I even realized it, I yelled out, “Um, there's a stop sign!”

She kept going, but I noticed as I ran through the intersection (I say intersection, but it’s really just a mildly busy neighborhood 4-way) that she was on her brakes. Nice of you to hit your brakes, lady. Better late than never. No, really.

I'm halfway up the block I hear this hey, Hey, HEY! (Yes Mom, I can hear what's going on around me, even with my ipod.) It's the woman! I keep running, yank my earbuds out and answer politely, "Yes?"

She was quite the thug and says, "What'd you say to me back there?" I don't understand her the first time, so I say, "What?"

Thug girl: I said, What’d you say to me back there?
I reply very sweetly, "I said, there's a stop sign."
Thug girl: That's why I stopped.

Still running, I coat my answer with sugar – aka sarcasm – and say, "No you didn't."

Then. She. Yells. Be-utch. Um, I didn't know that was a two syllable word or that it had an E in it.

Normally, I wouldn't post profanity, but the way she said it was shocking then and continues to shock me today. It was actually quite hilarious. And rude, vulgar, trashy, and inappropriate.
She drove away and I just shook my head in disbelief that this woman acted so horribly in MY neighborhood. Not hers. Mine.

I thought about calling in her tag number and reporting her for reckless driving, but I didn't want her to come find me in my sleep.

So I just called my people looking for dramatic reaction. I got a few good responses. :)

Can you believe summer is over?! Well, at least according to the Memorial Day – Labor Day calendar. The season technically doesn’t end until after my birthday, the last official day of summer. I eeked out a summer birthday by about 12 hours, which is quite appropriate for this girl of summer. But I’m supa excited about the fall!

Happy Labor Day!!

and goooOOOO Dawgs!

I get by with a little help from my friends... John Lennon

In the last month or so, I've had two wonderful weekends with my girls. The kind of weekends that take you back to college...where you get ready together, do dinner, go out, eat lunch, lay out at the pool, eat lunch, get pedicures, and REPEAT.

The first weekend was in Atlanta in June and was based around seeing the movie Sex & the City. The power of friendship, love, and forgiveness were central themes of the movie and couldn't have been more true-to-life. It brought back lots of memories from Sunday nights in Athens, making dinner and watching the show with the girls.

Then, two weeks ago, everyone came to our neck of the woods for sweet Mollie's wedding. It was supa-fun. We painted the town rouge Friday night then danced the night away to Liquid Pleasure Saturday night. Saying good-bye after lunch on Sunday was such a let-down! Oh, how I wish all my peeps lived on the same street of some fabulous city!

It was such a treat to have that much together time with friends I don't get to see nearly enough. The quality time spoiled us all and made us sad to part ways. I am so thankful for dear friends. Some people can count their best friends on one hand -- I need more than ten fingers to count my dear, best friends. Truly.

Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of sweet friends!

w/ Ash and Suz @ JCT Kitchen

w/ Terri, Adrienne, Suz, Ash, and Mary Ann
w/ Ad, Brooke, and Laura Frances

w/ Terri, LF, Adrienne, and Mary Ann ~ the dude behind us was wearing a mullet wig, until I took it off

w/ the beautiful bride

w/ LF and Brooke. Do I look like a jr. bridesmaid??

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work. If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?" Ecclesiastes 4:9-11

It's Official...

I have a black thumb! My co-worker Kim and I got these plants on the same day. A guy (we think the dude we met at dinner the night before who goofily smiled and stared at us while we at the hamburgers he made us and told us if he had a million dollars he still couldn't afford to be our boyfriend because he rides a bike to work... but that's a whole 'nother blog) dropped them off at the station, along with some strawberries. We didn't eat the strawberries, but we happily let the plants brighten up our neighboring desks.

I've tried to really nurture this plant and its three sweet blooms, because I recently killed the one on the other side of my desk and was forced (peer pressure!) to throw it away. Somebody said this is something that needs to be planted outside, so it really had no chance under the fluorescent lights. Who knows - I'm certainly no botanist. But if that's the case, then why are Kim's blooms still in tact, and mine (on the left, clearly) look like that?!

In other news, my photographer and I were dancing in the truck in the parking lot tonight. To Boyz II Men. Motown Philly, anyone? We were doing some serious car dancing with the doors open and the music blasted. Why? Because we work in news, and we have to do crazy things to maintain our semblance of sanity! I heard Vernon start laughing and I looked over and saw our general manager walking out to his car, laughing and shaking his head. He must think we're nuts and wonder if he was paying us for that performance. He never leaves that late or walks out that door... just my luck! Oh well... Boyz II Men ABC BBD. Out.

**Morning-after Note: I can tell left from right, but apparently not well. My plant is on the right...clearly.

Happy 4th!!

I looove the 4th of July. Like as much as some people love Christmas. I've just always been a summer girl, and the 4th is the epitome of summer to me. It is family, friends, bar-b-que and sunshine. It is the celebration of everything America -- freedom, apple pie, red white and blue. It is fireworks, water, and the Peachtree Road Race. The 4th is like Christmas without the commercialism or the pressure to buy presents and go to a million parties. And there's usually beach time on or around the holiday.

Brooke and I escaped this week to the St. Simons. She's a nurse and works odd schedules like me, so we are partners-in-crime when it comes to randomly getting away. We spent our days in the reality-free-zone aka Sea Island Beach Club -- laying out, walking on the beach, and hunting shark's teeth. We were very grandmotherly at night and went to dinner and then... bed. Only after catching up on our tv online. Brooke and I are very good beach buddies. It was the best!

Introducing little Anne Eliza Johnson...my newest niece. She is a tiny sack of sugar with the world's sweetest feet and hands. She also has some pretty fantastic eyes, although she was not very interested in showing her aunt p her baby blues. Her beautiful mother and one of my best friends Adrian came to the beach to meet me. Liza is absolutely precious!

Our first day on the beach, I saw a really tall guy running down the beach and said to Brooke, "I think that's my cousin!" So I chased him a little bit and sure enough it was Clarence. May seem odd that I wasn't sure if it was my relative, but I haven't seen him in forever. I've run into him and his cutie-pie son, Clay, a couple times over the last few years at Georgia games, but I have not seen the beautiful girls -- wife Lu Anne or daughter Chandler -- since Chandler was in an infant seat! We had dinner at one of our mutual favorite ssi spots -- Bubba Garcia's -- and caught up on the last decade. It was lots of fun!

I have always loved Clarence. He and his brother were my idols when I was a little girl. They were (and obv still are) very tall, handsome, and went to UGA. They would put me on their 6'4"ish shoulders at Christmas and toss me around...I thought they were the greatest! In fact, when I was young and bratty (imagine that, right?!), I would get mad and scream, "I don't love anybody but God, Jesus, and Clarence and York." They were UP THERE in my book!

Clay, Chandler, Paige, Lu Anne, Clarence

Now I'm in Atlanta with the fam, and we are cooking out tonight. Yum! We'll top off the night with some fireworks and maybe a DQ blizzard if we're feeling really crazy. Then, another fabulous 4th will be on the books. Happy Birthday, America!