Monday, August 30, 2010

SISTERLY

What a fun weekend! I was all over the place but enjoyed it.

Saturday afternoon, I bought new running shoes. Yes, it is officially time for me to start running. I have had 9/1 circled on my calendar now for a while. Anyone want to run a race together? Mercedes Half? Look at these bad boys:
First of all, they are pink! Yes! Second of all, look at the new lace technology they've come up with - sideways laces. Do you feel dizzy looking at these? I kind of do. But they do hug my feet better.

Sunday afternoon, I met my friend Missy to see the Switch. It was a cute movie and I happily forked over my money to see Jennifer Aniston.

Then Sunday night, I headed to Vandy's campus with some friends where I found this guy:
Look familiar to any of you? Yes, I was at a sorority house for ALUMNI night. My life has come full circle. This week is "sisterhood week" (did we have that?) and to kick it off, the alumnae were invited to the house for ice cream. Free ice cream? Sign me up. It was actually pretty fun. I don't think I've ever been in a sorority house before - is that weird? Update: I just remembered that my senior year I spent the night with my friend Katie who was a Tri Delt at Ole Miss. Should an Ole Miss sorority house be the ruler by which I measure sorority houses? Probably not. Vanderbilt's are small; only six or so girls live in it. Guess who is dying to become house mom now, by the way? Alas, they just got a new one. Oh well, maybe next year.

Anyway, we started comparing housing stories since there were girls from other chapters there (if any of you readers can share your experience with sleeping porches in the comments, I'd appreciate it) and it brought back great memories from my time at Berta Dunn under Gladys's watchful eye. Afterward, some of the women went out for drinks. We are trying to get a young alumnae delegation going, since there are so many of us in this town. CPS and EMW - you are coming with me next time!

Then of course I came home and watched the Emmys. But I thoughts some of you would get a kick out of that gleaming Golden Lion. Happy sisterhood week!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

SEPTEMBERED

September holds a lot of promise. Here's some fun things I am getting to do!

On September 1, I am getting my haircut. Y'all know how I feel about that.

The next day, my mom is coming up for the last Brooks & Dunn concert ever. I managed to get a ticket as well, and in the same row which I may or may not regret.

The next weekend, there are several things going on.

I just found out about the Italian Lights Festival. As if unlimited wine for $15 isn't tempting enough, there are also games such as a meatball eating competition, a pass the platter neck-to-neck relay (where you pass a sausage, meatball, onion, eggplant and a tomato one at the time using your neck and chin), and best of all, GRAPE STOMPING. Can you just see it? Teams of two (one to stomp, one to help) get 20lbs of grapes and 3 minutes to stomp. Prizes for most juice of course as well as "best style of stomp." Are you kidding me? The possibilities are endless! The problem is this is also the same day as a few other events, including the LSU/Vandy game and a big giant tailgate that afternoon. Maybe I will go to the Italian festival Friday, the game/tailgate Saturday and then Sunday, I have the Nashville Challenge, which I have already told you about! My team looks really strong and it's not too late to join us.

Contemplating a trip to AU for the Clemson game on the 18th - anyone else going? And then the last full week of September, I have tickets to see 9 to 5 the musical and cannot wait! I've heard it's great and I even got a discount on great tickets. Yay, me. Also, that week is premiere week, which means new episodes of all my favorite shows: Glee, Modern Family, SNL, the Office, etc. Then that weekend MB gets married and before you know it, it'll be October!

What are you looking forward to in September?

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

MARCELLED

Meet my new friend, Marcel:


"Guess what I wear as a hat? A lentil."

The genius Jenny Slate (aka Tina-Tina Chaneuse, car horn/alarm clock/doorbell entrepreneur) from SNL is the voice behind this shell. Speaking of, tomorrow marks one month until SNL returns!

Monday, August 23, 2010

WALDRONED

Last night, the newlyweds Erin and Adam hosted me and Evan for dinner. This was my first time to their home and I was so glad their air-conditioning unit straightened up and didn't keep us from carrying out our plans.

Immediately when we walked in, I smelled something REALLY delicious coming from the kitchen. Erin was making one of her mother-in-law’s dishes called Mississippi Lasagna. She forwarded me the recipe so I can have it and of course, share it with all of you!

4 cans 8-pack crescent dinner rolls
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb pork sausage
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 can tomato paste
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1 tsp parsley flakes
1 garlic button, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
dash of pepper
1 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Package of sliced mozzarella cheese

In a large skillet, brown the beef, sausage and onion. Pour off the fat and add everything but the cheese. Simmer 5 minutes. Meanwhile, open two of the cans of crescent rolls and unroll/spread out evenly on a large cookie sheet. Once the meat sauce is ready, spread half of it on the rolled dough. Spread a layer of the cottage cheese, sprinkle the parmesan cheese and then cover with mozzarella slices. Next layer is the rest of the meat sauce. Finally, unroll the other two cans of crescent rolls and lay on top of the meat/cheese layers. Pinch the ends together until the top layer completely covers your meat and cheese. Cook about 25-30 minutes at 350º or until crust is brown. Delicious!

In case you skimmed all of that, picture lasagna with no noodles, in between two layers of crescent roll dough. HEAVEN. She whipped up a little salad to go with it and we were all stuffed!

Afterward, we decided to play Cranium WOW which is some souped-up version of regular Cranium, neither of which I’ve ever played. Naturally, we played men boys vs. women. Erin and I had a strong lead right out of the gate and then got royally screwed by the Cranium gods. True story. First of all, I accidentally said aloud the word I was supposed to puppet Erin into guessing, and even though she didn’t hear me, at the risk of being called a cheater I drew a new card. The word I accidentally said? Sprinkler. The new word I drew? Barista!!! REALLY? How do you mimic a barista without making any sounds? SO UNFAIR. Then, after some really challenging trivia questions, the boys get asked what “Mi” stands for in the song “Do Re Mi” from Sound of Music. Evan and Adam are both singers. They could not have drawn an easier question. "Mi, a name I call myself!" they boastfully sang in unison. Gag me. Then Adam had to sculpt string cheese without using gestures, except he completely gestured the pulling of the cheese (the "stringing" if you will) and no one agreed with me. Grrr. Anyway, had it not been 10:45 pm when the game ended, we would have gone for Round 2 right then. But we decided to pick it up same time same place next week.

Thanks so much for having us over, Waldrons and Tallulah! I am so glad you are finally up here Erin! I had a blast.

Friday, August 20, 2010

SURVEYED

Don't have much more to report today. This week has been crazy busy and it's not over yet. So I'm being a lazy daisy and stealing a survey from Brooke. Y'all have a good weekend!

1. How often do you go over the speed limit? All the time. But I get scared easily so seeing just one cop looking for speeders will slow me down for a while.

2. Do you dance like crazy when no one is looking? All the time. Why do you think I installed that mirror in my living room?

3. If you were going to be stuck on a deserted island, which book, which movie, and which CD would you take with you? To Kill A Mockingbird, Home Alone, Michael Jackson's Greatest Hits.

4. What did you get in trouble for when you were a kid? Not very much. One time I colored on the wall... I remember that being a pretty bad day.

5. What really gives you the creeps? Sharks. Seeds. Dogs where you don't expect to find them (i.e. work)

6. What was your favorite toy when you were a kid? Barbies, Barbies and more Barbies.

7. You run into a friend while shopping. Where are you? Target.

8. When you fall asleep, are you usually on your side, your stomach, or your back? Always on my right side.

9. If fat or calorie intake wasn't an issue, what one food would you eat the most? Cookie dough.

10. If you could hire one of the following, which one would it be? Driver, chef, maid, or stylist? CHEF. Duh.

11. What movie have you watched the most? Home Alone.

12. What kind of perfume do you wear? Chanel Chance - every day. Everyone needs a signature scent.

13. What was your favorite sitcom growing up? Do I really need to answer this?

14. What were you doing the last time you had a really good laugh? Playing the Game of Things with some girls after a glass (or three) of wine.

15. What was the very first concert you ever attended? The Judds? NKOTB? I don't remember actually.

16. Who is the fourth person on your missed call list? Mi madre.

17. How long does it take you to get ready in the mornings? Less than an hour.

18. When is the last time you went to the mall and what did you buy? I went to the Limited because I had a nice coupon. And I got a cute little Tshirt.
19. Ever go to camp? Quite a bit. Church camp, smalltown horseback riding to the creek and back camp, aaaand U! And I are here, C! To cheer and cheer, A! All night and day, U C A! cheerleader camp.

20. Do you collect anything? Wine corks.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

CHALLENGED

Every day on the first day of school, my mom would make a scavenger hunt for us to complete when we got home from school. From the kitchen, to the bathroom, to the laundry room, to the basement, to the gerbil’s cage, to the deck, to the fireplace and back to the kitchen we’d run, eagerly anticipating finding whatever prize awaited us after the final clue. It was one of my favorite traditions that she installed in our family.

While today is the first day of school at the Loveliest Village on the Plains, and elsewhere I’m sure, that’s not why I tell you this little tale. Allow me to share with you what I’ve signed up for!

"Challenge Nashville is a one-day urban scavenger race, taking place on September 12, starting and finishing at Paradise Park (editor’s note: that’s a bar). Adults of every age, ability, and medieval guild are encouraged to participate.

During the challenge, teams of two or more individuals will run helter-skelter around the city in a frantic race for cash prizes and personal pride, with a first-place reward of $200. Not only will participants have to solve strands of interconnected clues that would test the deductive powers of even the most seasoned consulting detective, they'll need to plot spatiotemporal stratagems (editor’s note: what’s a stratagem?) while exploring undiscovered corners of the city. Although being physically fit is a plus, quick wits (editor’s note: GOT IT) and wise planning will ultimately determine the winners. Participation in the challenge gets contestants a clue packet, race-number bib, and T-shirt, and fees also help toward contributions to partner charities and the prize pool.

After the race is through and winners determined, all participants are invited to partake in an after-party and awards ceremony. Challenge participants can partake in drink specials and music while additional prizes, such as best costume, are announced. Proceeds from the race will benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee. A challenge that's equal parts fun, charity, and adventure is hard for even the most spicily seasoned cynic to resist."

Is that not the most fun thing you’ve ever heard of? If so, check the web site because they are doing it in other cities (cough Atlanta). I cannot wait! Right now, my team AKA Team Awesome consists of me, Erin, a client-turned-friend named Katie and this just in: MB is in too! We are still accepting members on Team Awesome, so if you’re in Nashville on September 12 and want to play with us, let me know.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

HARMONIOUS

Well kids, guess what mama did?

I signed up for Freeharmony.

I know, right? Take the plunge! Get out there! Do you, bro!

The only little problem with this? FreeHarmony can't find any matches for me! None. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Cue the sarcastic applause. How messed up am I, that using a personality profile test, and a match radius including both my current AND home state, there's not one single match for me? Did I break the thing? Surely all the cylinders aren't firing. I'm not that damaged... am I? I think I will delete my profile and start again.

I'm a little hesitant to join "the other free dating site." It still stings even when the commercials come on, which by the way is ALL THE TIME, so I'm not sure how long I'd last while actually trying to write a profile for myself. Even though I could easily fix it so he and I wouldn't match up, I'm just don't want to even go there.

Maybe I will just become a nun. I always did like Sister Act.

Monday, August 16, 2010

GRIPPED

So, seriously. You guys have overwhelmed me. Not because you've all officially unlurked yourself - that I can handle. Bring it on! Rather, I'm overwhelmed because you're all so NICE.

You may think I'm being "real" but there is still SO much of me that I don't write about. So very much. I feel like I need to qualify all of these kind e-mails and comments with a reminder that while I have been sharing some, I am not sharing everything, and I am far from perfect. Some of your comments are hard to accept for that very reason. But they are appreciated.

I also want to let everyone know that there's good news - we've all had our heart broken. Yay! Maybe I should change the name to Sgt. Lindsay's Lonely Hearts Club Blog. But trust me, weather and heartbreak are the great equalizers. You can't run from either one.

Back in 2004, when I was dealing with the 3D's (Divorce, Death and Dumping someone then questioning that decision - quite a cocktail for one semester), Max Lucado seemed to have the gentlest way of speaking the truth. "A Love Worth Giving" was a great book about relationships. I think I need to reread it. "Traveling Light" is a good book about baggage and burdens that we do not need to bear. Tonight, I'm going to pick up this book:
Because I think I need to brush up on my grace. It's easy think you understand grace when you're living in your parents' house, packing for your upcoming missions trip and your biggest offense in life is getting a detention for skirt being "too short." A full ten years later, I need it re-explained to me. Have any of you read this book? Any of you want to read this book?

So in summary,
1 .Thank you all for the flattering but undeserved words of affirmation;
2. We could start a singles column in the comments section;
3. Max Lucado rocks.

Friday, August 13, 2010

CHECKED

You all are so nice. Really. All of the e-mails and comments have been SO overwhelming and encouraging and inspiring. I am glad so many of you like my writing, like my story and can relate to what I'm going through. It really is so amazing how even when you feel like you are the ONLY ONE in the world going through whatever, it's almost guaranteed that someone out there feels the same way. I promise I am not as sweet or great as y'all think I am. But the encouragement is much appreciated.

When I was in college, anytime I got a nice e-mail, I'd print it and save it. I had a file for e-mails, cards, notes, anything inspiring or sweet or encouraging that was sent to me while I was in school or the few years after. When I moved, the filing cabinet that had that particular file in it went into C's storage shed. I have been going through the files to purge old documents and condense things a little. I am quite the saver when it comes to important (or really NOT important) documents! But that file of cards and notes and printed e-mails is absolutely priceless and was the first one I went through. I think I will print some of your comments and e-mails and add them to it.

Last night I started condensing and weeding and sorting again and came across the file from my former checking account. I had a BLAST going through the incredibly detailed account register, looking at where I spent money and to whom I wrote checks, and taking a walk down memory lane. Here are some of my favorites - see what you think:

Trip to NYC for Spring Break - lots of fun!

Sorority dues...what a fun semester!

Guess something went wrong somewhere... but at least I paid this fine! What an exemplary Executive Board member I was.

Woohoo - first time to see Clay Aiken in concert! Money well spent!

I had to get photos made to get a head shot for Miss Homecoming campaign. Good thing I absolutely LOVED the photo I used.

I loved buying T-shirts in college! How many things do you still wear that you bought nine years ago?

My sister and I paid for my mom to go on a cruise with her best friend. What a great surprise!

One lovely bridesmaid's dress for one lovely wedding.

And cue the counseling sessions...

Security deposit for my first apartment in Nashville... très horrible! Seriously. It's a wonder neither JB or I got shot. Evan did lose his wallet once though. Poor guy - he came over to do laundry to avoid spending money at the laundromat, then lost his wallet in the process. Fail.

Tickets to see Melinda win Miss Alabama. Again, more money well-spent!

Ahh memories.

Anyway - thanks again folks. You guys have made me feel like a million dollars and I do not deserve it. I am working on responding to everyone, so bear with me.

Have a great weekend, you lovely people. I know I will.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

REAL

Thanks for the support yesterday. After I posted, I enjoyed e-mailing back and forth with a few of you about feeling "behind" as well as losing weight and how it's a different animal in different lives. (Side note: I've added an e-mail address in the column to the right. Feel free to reach out!)

I feel like you people like it when I am an open book. Do you? A lot more people are reading now that I am being a little more vulnerable and honest in my posts, whether I'm talking about losing weight or losing boyfriends. I don't want to keep dredging up the past, but if you've talked to me recently then you can tell that I am still feeling the effects of the breakup in lots of different ways. But the thing about me being honest is that I want to know who I am being honest to.

Let's make a deal. I'll continue being real, if some of you be real too. I want to get to know you. How'd you find this blog? Where do you come from? And why do you keep coming back? You tell me your story, and I'll keep telling mine.

"How will you make it on your own?
This world is awfully big, and girl this time you're all alone.
But it's time you started living,
It's time you let someone else do some giving...

Love is all around, no need to waste it,
You can have a town, why don't you take it?
You're gonna make it after all!
You're gonna make it after all!"

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

HEALTHY

I saw this article on another blog I read and it really spoke to me. It's from a website called Healthy Mind, Fit Body (both of which I am working on).

"When you are attempting to do something big in your life, whether it’s to start a new business, lose 75 pounds, or simply being a more positive person, it is so important to not be attached to the outcome.

I know I used to have a huge problem with being way to attached to outcomes. Not achieving my goal times in swimming would bring me down. Not earning “enough” money would lower my self esteem. Not having the life I wanted would stress me out!

It is a hard thing to do, but once you accept this idea of non-attachment, life flows a lot more smoothly.

Let’s say you are the person that wants to lose 75 pounds. You jump on this new low carb diet full force, and you lose 3 pounds the first week. The next week you lose 2 more. The following week you don’t lose any weight. “That’s it! I’m going back to pizza!” you proclaim out of frustration. This is exactly why diets don’t work, and why they are always attached to an often immediate outcome.

Instead, a good way to look at it is- I’m changing my lifestyle to health. I am going to eat as healthy as I can most of the time, and I’m not going to step on the scale daily. If I change my eating lifestyle to a healthy one, I know I am doing the best thing for myself that I can. The results will show eventually, and I will be growing as a person and not be filled with stress and anxiety over it.

Try it out with some smaller things. Give someone a compliment today and don’t even worry about their reaction. Do it because you want to brighten their day! Non-attachment is one of the keys to maintaining a relaxed, happy life, as opposed to basing everything you do on someone else’s standard."

I'm working on losing weight. Recently, someone at work noticed and asked how much I'd lost. I said "oh I don't know, I don't really use a scale. I use a mirror, ha ha." He looked me up and down. "Thirty pounds?" ...... really? No. No sir, I have not lost 30 lbs. But I appreciate the vote of confidence, I guess? The point of this story speaks to my goal. I don't have a specific number in mind... I have a specific shape in mind! And whatever number that is, so be it.

This little lesson applies to more than just weight loss though. The last line in the second paragraph about getting stressed out about "not having the life I want" REALLY hit home. You can probably guess why. Some days I look around my small apartment, count how many baby gifts I am purchasing and wonder how I got so... behind. That's how I feel. Behind. Some days I blame him, some days I blame myself. I wasn't in a big fat hurry to have "the life I want" with him, I just felt secure and content knowing it was coming. And more importantly, I had found someone to share it with. I would have waited quite some time. He was enough. Now that even that hope has been taken away, I feel extra behind.

Regardless, I am where I am and it is what it is. I can only make choices that improve my quality of life TODAY. And let the outcome take care of itself. Can I get an Amen?

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

POINTY

Sorry for the blogging hiatus. I’ve been in a funk over the past few days, stemming from a couple of things. Yesterday, before I got out of bed, I specifically prayed to have a good attitude and therefore a good day. Both of those lasted about two hours. Oh well. Today's a new day, right?

On a lighter, happier note, thanks to some time well-spent at the YMCA and a referral credit (thanks Kate!), I have almost reached the capacity of points allowed (10,000) in the YMCA rewards program. What can I buy with my points? TOO MUCH. Here’s what I’ve narrowed it down to, after eliminating 14k pearl earrings and a portable DVD player:

A handful of DVDs that I would like to own but don’t: Ratatouille, Up, Wall-e, Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead… you know, the classics.

I also found The Game of Things, which is SUPER fun!

I also found a 6-piece Calphalon bake set, which would also be a good purchase since I am ramping up my culinary skills. It has two 8” cake pans, a muffin pan, a loaf pan, a cookie sheet and a 9x13” cake pan. But I already have a cookie sheet and a cake pan, and how often would I use the other items? More often than I would watch the DVDs?

I can get both the bake set AND Game of Things, or the bake set and a DVD, or the game and two DVDs… decisions, decisions! I also have an Overstock.com gift card in my wallet that I haven’t used. I could get one DVD with that…This feels like the Price is Right. Eric – help!

Thursday, August 05, 2010

PRANKED part 2

Here's another prank for you, this time courtesy of my college years.

When I was a Camp War Eagle counselor in 2004, among many fun pranks, jokes and general silliness that permeated our group of counselors, there was one prank I managed to steer clear of the whole summer: the Mystery Pooper.

After the fact we learned it was an alliance of poopers and not just an individual acting alone. They didn't reveal themselves until the end of the summer, when they snuck off to do a group photo, complete with "appropriate" poses, and the other 40 of us standing around noticed. What wouldn't you notice about a group of five boys, arms around each other, squatted down like they were on a toilet?

Thanks a friend I like to call a deadbolt, our bathroom never got hit. I think we might have been the only ones. That may be my proudest accomplishment of the summer.

Wednesday, August 04, 2010

QUICKIED

Dear Bare Escentuals,
uhh.....Sign me up?
Love,
Lindsay

Tuesday, August 03, 2010

STATUED

Today I have a really funny story for you, courtesy of my teenage years.

My house got rolled a few times in high school. It was the basketball team same crew of boys every time. You might think, “oh, they were just flirting!” Well of course they were, but not with me – with my dad. It drove him CRAZY and 90% of why they would do it is to get a reaction from him. He chased them in his car; ran up the street in his boxers in the middle of the night after one straggler; one time he found a receipt in the bushes, showing all the toilet paper bought at Winn-Dixie the night before, and called the house where I knew they all were spending the night because the kid’s parents weren’t home. He threatened to go review security tapes at Winn Dixie and press charges if they didn’t wake up, come back, and pick up every square. Twenty minutes later, a van with six tired boys pulled up to our house. It was a windy morning, so there was TP all up the street and in our neighbor’s yards too. They had their work cut out for them. One guy thought he could burn the toilet paper out of the tree, which seemed like a good idea in theory, until it feel onto the dead winter grass and caught part of our yard on fire. Oops.

My mom didn’t mind the toilet paper. What she hated the most was the ringing of the doorbell in the middle of the night. My grandfather used to work in law enforcement and she said every time the doorbell rang, it made her think someone was coming to deliver bad news. Please also keep in mind that my and my sister’s bedrooms were upstairs and I am a very heavy sleeper. Every night the doorbell rang and chaos ensued, I slept through it. Every single time!

Except this time. This particular stunt was targeted at me and the ironic part is that I wasn’t even home the night it was executed. Jury’s still out on where I was (it’s been a decade!) but I wasn’t at home.

One peaceful summer night, my parents awoke to the frantic RINGADINGADINGADINGADINGADING of the doorbell and orange flashing lights. They looked out their bedroom window and found a 7-foot, 300-lb man wearing a huge hat, holding a large shovel, and planted firmly at our front door. There was also a road barricade or two in the front yard. Mom called the cops while Dad thundered to the front door. “WHAT DO YOU WANT?” he kept yelling. “WHO ARE YOU and WHAT DO YOU WANT?” The man would not answer. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?!?!?"

Mom said the police were telling her to stay calm and not open the door. “He’s going to kill us with that shovel!” “Are you sure it’s a shovel?”

We have bay windows on either side of our front door and if you’re really stealthy you can peek through the blinds and get a good look at who… or what… is standing on the stoop. Still on the phone, Mom quietly tiptoed up to the window, peered through a crack in the blinds, and in the darkness of night recognized this guy:
I think he used to be smiling, now he just looks stunned. He probably went from smiling to stunned that very night. If you’re not from Birmingham then you may not recognize the statue. This portly chef has been welcoming customers to Edgar’s Bakery for years. He used to stand outside the store but for obvious reasons, now he remains locked up inside after hours. He’s cute in the daytime, but in the middle of the night on your front porch, not so much. See his right hand? It used to hold that very sign, turned horizontally and stuck on a pole that came up to his shoulders. AKA, a shovel.

The next day when they were moving the chef, my parents noticed that the pranksters had scratched or carved YEARBOOKS? into his "shovel"/sign. I was the yearbook editor my senior year, and due to circumstances out of my control, the books were later than normal arriving. We all got them, I just think we seniors were already out of finals if not graduated before they arrived, with nothing better to do than steal statues I guess.

Mom called Edgar’s that morning to let them know we had their chef and they were so grateful to come get him. I’m not sure that anyone ever got punished or caught for the Grand Theft Statue. I feel like at the time we figured it out but I can’t think of who it was. Or where I was the night this all went down.

I bet you’ll never eat at Edgar’s without thinking of this story. Next time you see that guy, tell him my family says hi. He should remember us – after all, he did spend the night at my house!

Monday, August 02, 2010

PARTIED

Made a quick trip home for the weekend—woohoo!

First stop – Mom’s office. I never go over there when I’m home, and since I was getting to town before she was off for the weekend, I thought it'd be nice to surprise her. Good thing I did, because look what I found:
Keep in mind this woman has been working and parking in this lot for more than 20 years now. I told her friend/boss that it was a good thing I came by, because someone really needed to fuss at her for that. Done!

We ran errands at the Summit for a while – bought some jewelry, got a link taken out of my watch, poached some sweaters from high schoolers, the usual. By “poached some sweaters,” I mean we were in Gap and these two girls and their mom had been eying the last of the XS sweaters in white, which were on mega-sale (more than half-off)! But after they each tried it on, they hung it back up on the rack apparently. I picked up a medium one to buy, which inevitably meant my mom wanted one too. I was showing her the difference between how the XS sweater hung on her short frame compared to the medium one, which just looked ridiculous on her. So she decided to take my advice and get the last XS. We really didn’t know the girls hadn’t taken the sweater to the register until one of them ran back to the rack and realized the XS was gone, gasp and all. Oops. Mom literally HID in another section until the girls were gone. You snooze, you lose? See you at Christmas, mega marked-down Gap sweater!

After shopping, I got my favorite dinner at my favorite restaurant:
And then I took Mom back to her ill-parked car, where we saw that the yard guy also had thoughts on her parking job:
Hilarious, right? He had blown all the leaves in the parking lot right up to her car.

The next day, we ran a few more errands until it was time to take this beautifully wrapped gift
To this incredibly cute girl (the adorable handmade bunny that she's playing with was what was in the pretty box):
Who was having her very first birthday party! Her mommy, also known as my amazing friend Kathryn, did a great job with the special occasion.

Afterward, we rode out to see the tail-end of the pageant in which a family friend of ours was competing (and won first runner-up, woohoo), and then called it a night.

After church at my “favorite” church in Birmingham, I headed back home.

Thanks Birmingham! See you in another three months!

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