I am a lover of all seasons. In the winter, I love winter the most. In the fall, I love fall the most. In the...can you see a pattern?! I guess it's a good thing; to love where you are when you are there the most. Hmm. Deep thought for the day, eh?
Today, I love summer. I have had some wonderful summertime evenings recently, and I wish I could bottle them up and save them forever. A few weeks back I went with a group of friends to the drive-in. We sat in the back of the truck, loaded down with blankets and friends. Perfection.
Curtis, a friend of mine was house-sitting a fabulous home in Green Hills for a couple weeks; so I spent plenty of time over there relaxing by the pool, grilling out, chilling out, and enjoying friends. I'm tellin' ya, bliss. BLISS. There's just something about a warm, balmy evening, a refreshing and fun pool, grilled food, cold beer and good friends. The perfect combination!
A few weekends ago we (Jenni, Katie, and Katie R.) went canoeing; which was SO much fun! I even brought a disposable waterproof camera. How awesome is that?! My computer unfortunately isn't reading the disc that has the photos right now, or I would have some pics to share. We found this great sandbar to stop and have lunch, and the current was rushing pretty strong; so we took the cue from the other boaters and donned out life jackets and floated down the river. Me and my waterproof camera were having such a great time snapping pics that I didn't even see the large rock coming up. Yep, my little knee smacked right into it! OUCH! I think I said a curse word. Or two.
Father's Day weekend I was supposed to go to Kentucky, and I did, but under different circumstances. I won a local radio contest to see Jamey Johnson and Justin Moore at 4th Street Live in Louisville, KY. The bonus? Going to see it in a tour bus. Yep, that's right. Katie went with me, and we joined a few other winners and radio personalities and headed on up to Louisville for the night. We had a BLAST! Great people, fun times on the bus, met and hung out with Jamey and Justin; saw the show from perfect seats (thanks Andie!!), and had the perfect weather. It was a late, late night, but well worth it. We returned to Nashville about 2:30 in the morning, and I went home to sleep for a few hours before getting up and driving BACK to be with my dad for Father's Day. Crazy, I know, but it was worth it.
My sister and I went with my dad to the Shelby County Flea Market for a morning of browsing endless rows of junk. It's a place we used to go to all the time growing up; so we thought it would be fun to return. I bought $20 worth of classic 80's records! Michael Jacksons' Thriller, Styx, The Carpenters, Def Leppard, The Sound of Music Soundtrack, and countless others. I'm looking forward to playing them!
Saturday afternoon my sister, Grandmother and I drove out to Leitchfield for my brothers' wedding shower. It was so cute, and they got tons o' stuff for their new home! What I love about the shower the most was that it was a fire station! How cute! The back side of the fire station has a general room, kind of like a reception hall. It worked perfectly for us! Sam (my brother) took us back to his new apartment to show it off, and it looked awesome! I'm so proud of my baby brother.
Sunday we took dad to The Cheesecake Factory for lunch; he had never been! My older brother joined us, and we were so glad to all be together at one time; it's rare these days! We ended the night by joining my mom and her husband for a late evening Father's Day dinner with him. I loved seeing the sun set over the south...so pretty.
I'll miss this...
I would have posted photos for each event, but I dropped my NEW iPhone last week and I took it to the doctor today to have it's face replaced. I'll post photos later...
...for new iPhone's! Yesterday I walked into an AT&T store...and walked out with an iPhone. Having been a dedicated Sprint subscriber for the past 10 years, I felt a sense of cellular freedom come over me. No more unnecessary fees, no more Sprint calls late at night, no more nonsense!! As soon as I got home I synced, installed, downloaded and uploaded for hours on end.
You see, my iPod was stolen (my fault, really. Left my car unlocked.) about a month ago. I had been toying with the idea of an iPhone, but couldn't gather myself to switch carriers and get all fancy-schmancy. But, when my monthly cell plan was becoming astronomical in price; I decided it was time. And why not combine both phone and iPod? Cheaper in the long run...since all of my family and close friends are on AT&T (free chat time!).
So far, I'm loving it. All the bells and whistles, all the time consuming yet addicted apps (Paper Toss, anyone?!), it was a good and fun investment.
Here's to you Apple, thanks for creating the iPhone. :)
Take a look at this amazing light show; made using dorm lights in a building!
Whew! I've been gone the past four weekends in a row; talk about EXHAUSTING! As tired as I was, I wouldn't have had it any other way. I enjoyed every second of it!
Mother's Day weekend I went to Kentucky to visit my family, and had a great time. I spent Friday night with my dad in Louisville, caught a quick breakfast with my grandmother, then saw Star trek with my dad before heading down to Elizabethtown for the remainder of my time in Ky. Went fishing, Mother's Day picnic...it was wonderful.
The following weekend I flew to Washington, D.C. to visit my dad and family. We didn't have an agenda (which was nice!), just attended all the kids softball practices, games, etc. We played so much catch that my arm hurt for a week! Weak, I know. :) We toured a civil war era plantation: The Chatham House. Being a history nerd, I loved every second of it. I took tons of photos, and deemed it my new favorite place to get married. Wait, I think I need to find a man first! We had a great time looking back into the civil wartime, and exploring all the grounds had to offer. I flew back late Sunday night..and was back at work early the next morning.
Former statue pedestal in the gardens over looking the river.
Katie, Jenni and I on the beach
Tiffany, Sam, Stephanie and I
Tiffany and Sam, to be married on July Fourth!I hope you are enjoying this fabulous weather as of late, and are experiencing everything life has to offer!
This morning I decided to venture out and create a healthy alternative to the ever-so-delightful- sugary frozen treats. It was incredibly simple, actually!
I used two containers of low fat, organic blueberry yogurt, and mixed it in a bowl. Then I gently blended the organic mixed berries (Raspberries, blueberries and blackberries) with a hand blender. I didn't want to puree them; I wanted to have some texture in the yogurt once frozen. I mixed the two together , and WOW! what great color the fruit brought. Very rich...I wanted to eat it right then!
I used 2oz Dixie cups for the freezing, and I was out of popsicle sticks...so I used toddler spoons for the handles. Just popped those in the center of the cups, and in to the freezer they went!
This past weekend I traveled to my hometown of Louisville (and surrounding areas), KY for Mother's Day weekend. Whenever I'm in the area, I try to visit as many people as I can, and it gets a little crazy. This weekend I decided to not see any friends, but give all my time to my family. How rewarding it was!
I drove in late Friday night, and spent the late evening with my dad. Saturday morning my sister and I took my Grandmother out to breakfast for Mother's Day. I had not seen the new development of Westport Village; usually when I'm home visiting I don't have time to see all the changes to the city! It was so quaint, full of unique boutiques and restaurants. We ate at this fabulous place called "Wild Eggs", which was so different, but completely delicious!
I caught a matinee of the new Star Trek with my dad-and I LOVED it! Being a child of a sci-fi fan dad, I grew up watching all the old ST's with him. I give it a two thumbs up! After the movie, I drove down to Elizabethtown, where my mom and her husband now live. They are in a beautiful farm house temporarily (major damage to their home in the winter ice storm), but we had a fabulous time. Fished, cooked, laughed, cried, sang...we had a wonderful time.
Sunday I was walking back and forth setting the picnic table outside, and it struck me. I miss Kentucky. I looked down at myself and thought how I would never dress this way in Nashville....boots thrown on, jeans haphazardly halfway tucked in or halfway down my leg. Old faded jeans (ok those are a must no matter where you live!), white button down shirt, my hair was all windblown from driving home in the truck. I looked down at myself and I realized how incredibly comfortable and at home I felt. I was in my element.
So WHY am I moving? Well, I know that it's what I'm supposed to do next. I can't describe it, but I just know. I am secretly hoping that my next destiny is to move to a county home in the south....haha.
All in all, I had a wonderful weekend celebrating my mom and grandma. All of my siblings and I bought my mom a beautiful silver diamond necklace, mom loved it. :) Hopefully I'll have some photos up tomorrow.
In the past month I've celebrated my 25th birthday, had family visit from out of town, stayed in a hotel, purchased my first pair of bon-a-fide cowboy boots, went to a new restaraunt, saw three concerts, packed my apartment up to move...and the list goes on. Can you see why I haven't posted?? :)
My 25th birthday party was held at Arrington Vineyards, and what a bash it was! Every Spring and Summer, on the weekends; AV hosts "Music in the Vines", a free live music venue. And WHAT a venue!! A spectacular view, amazing music, and the fabulous wine....oh the wine...
The Tasting Room (aka The Lodge) sits atop a grand hill that overlooks the countryside of Williamson County. So beautiful. The vines were not "leafy" just yet; that's what you get when you have a vineyard in Tennessee! My family came down from Kentucky, and my friends all came with yummy food....I couldn't have asked for a better birthday celebration.
Everyone brought cameras, the scenery was too beautiful not to capture! Enjoy these snapshots from various friends..
The Tasting Room (the Lodge)
AV kegs flanking the gated entrance to the Vineyard
My one and only request: IveyCake.
Sweet little Emerson!
The whole crew...minus a few who had already left.
What a fun and fabulous night!!
The John Boat Experience
It was summertime in the hills of Kentucky, which meant my brother and I were outdoors. It was either be outdoors under the shade the woods provided, or indoors where central A/C was a foreign object and we could quite possibly get sucked into the attic fan in my brothers' room. The fan pulled air so hard through the house, it was scary!
After wandering around one afternoon, my brother Scott and I asked my mom for some help on finding something to do. I'm sure it sounded something like this: (thick Southern accent here) "Mama, we're BOOOOORED!". This particular day mom's idea was for us to carry our little john boat down to the "pond" and go "canoeing". We, of course, thought this was a FABULOUS idea; and quickly ran to the barn to dig out the boat. I'm sure it was buried under all kinds of interesting things in there....I'd rather not think about it.
So, here we were, two little kids struggling to carry this metal boat over our heads and down the hill to the "pond". After what seemed like FOREVER (and I'm sure was only a handful of minutes), and a few drags through the mud, we were here. Our afternoon of bliss. Our boating adventure. We quickly hopped in the boat, so excited to be on our way to expert boatmen. Boatwomen. Boatkids. Aquatic Professionals. Whatever.
We're paddling, paddling, paddling; then all of the sudden "crash! smash! nails on a chalkboard noise! (cattails scratching the sides of the boat)." It seemed that our "pond" was nothing more than a glorified puddle. A sinkhole filled with water. A hole in my heart. But we were not dismayed! We simply reversed positions, and "STROKE! STROKE! STRO"-crash! smash!...we had now arrived at the north end of the "pond". Again, we were not dismayed. we reversed positions, and continued on our journey through the muck.
I'm not sure how long we continued this back and forth process, but eventually, our trusty john boat began to fill with water. Being the girl in this situation, I began to panic. Even though our "pond" wasn't really a pond, it was oddly deep and over my head. As my heroic brother was so frantically trying to bail out the water, I was concerned with getting my feet on dry land as soon as possible. Being the sweet brother he was, Scott paddled enough to get me to the bank just before the unthinkable happened. The trusty john boat sank, and took my brother down with it! While the entire time this tragedy is happening, I was screaming bloody murder for my mom. Soon enough, Scott's head popped up from under the nasty greenish brown murky gag-me water.
He was standing up, his feet stuck in the mud below the waters surface. Ol' Trusty John Boat was stuck in the mud below the water as well. My mom came running, and helped pull my brother out of the mud. I'm sure my dad came home that evening, driving up the dirt road to our house, and was perplexed to see the corner of a familiar john boat sticking out of a really big puddle.
He never asked what happened, and I never returned to the "pond".
Got 30-40 minutes? Live near a park? Want to be active and enjoy the outdoors?
Well, have I got a little present for you! I thought I would share my workout today; so simple and effective! Having a best friend for a personal trainer; I've learned a few good things over the years. One of them is how to have a quick, yet effective and enjoyable workout. Did I just say enjoyable workout? I did.
Items you will need:
Park with a picnic table (Or backyard, whatever works for you)
Beach towel (or yoga mat)
Water
Medicine ball (I used a 6lb today, it's the only one I have)
iPod
Start by warming up with a light jog for 2 songs. I'm BIG into having a good playlist to work out to, and also use it to judge my time by.
You can do the following exercises in any sequence, but I prefer to alternate legs and arms.
Here is what I did today:
20 Walking Lunges w/ medicine ball (MB) over head (be sure to keep your arms straight, and sit down through your butt.)
20 Incline Push Ups-use the end of the picnic table and place your arms shoulder-width apart. For a harder workout, scoot your feet farther away from the table. Be sure to keep your back straight, don't let your lower back and butt sag towards the ground. This can cause back pain!
20 Sit Ups w/ MB. Find a flat spot on the ground and use your towel (or yoga mat) to lay on. Grasping the ball between your hands, be sure to keep it directly over your chest. Let yourself feel the additional weight as you sit up. Do not strain with your neck; let your muscles in your core do the working!
10 Single Leg Squats-lightly holding on to the end of the picnic table, sit down as you would sit in a chair. Feel your you glutes burrrrrrrn (at least mine do)! Be careful not to hold too tightly, rather grasp lightly and let your leg do the work. Switch legs after 10 reps.
Repeat workout as many times as you like. I did this workout 5 cycles today, and finished with a brisk walk around the parks' trail. Be sure to stretch!
My playlist for today:
Dancing Generation-Matt Redman
Bigger Than My Body-John Mayer
Miles to Go-Dave Barnes
These Days-Rascal Flatts
Up and Away-Dave Matthews
Sovereign Hands-Hillsong
Back At your Door-Maroon 5
Angel-Jack Johnson
Yes-Coldplay
Now some thoughts on Twitter....
Twitter has now become a verb. To "twitter", or more recently shortened to "tweet"; means to update your status. What is status you ask? Whatever the heck you want it to be. My status today (on facebook. I don't know how to sync the two...) was "Stacey just saw a Segway roll by. Nice.". You can tweet about whatever you want, share a link, a photo, etc. The funniest of it all today was someone's tweet of this : "...let me know if you do a tweet up. i'll join and invite my tweeps aswell."
Let me break it down for you: a tweet up is speaking of a meeting, or joining together of people. Tweeps is a description for the people (aka Twitter'ers) who follow one another.
Clear as mud? I'm glad we had this talk.
Tweet ya later.
After years of dreaming, hoping and wishing I could attend a Brad Paisley concert, my dream is becoming a reality! Thanks to a good friend (and his good friend) for incredible seats at a ridiculous price! I'm super excited, we're talking ever since Brad came on the country music scene I've been dying to see him live. He is an incredible guitarist, songwriter, and just plain funny. Opening for him is Darius Rucker (more commonly known as the Hootie and the Blowfish frontman), whose country debut cd was pretty good! I'll admit, every time I play his cd I'm taken back to the "Hold Myyyyyyyy Haaaaand!" days...
Also opening for Brad is Dierks Bentley. While I enjoy his music, I'm not a super huge fan. I do like his new single out on the radio right now though "Feel This Fire". All in all, I'm super excited and can't wait for Saturday! Good times to be had!
See below for yourself :)
I'm a girly girl. However, I don't keep my toenails painted year round. In fact, as I sit here typing, my toenails have the remnants of last years' pedicure still on them. Don't worry, I plan to fix that this week. The warm weather and my addiction to flip flops is my incentive to get a pedicure.
I like country music. Always have. Have tried to deny it at certain times, but have given myself completely over to it. I think it's the stories the songs tell. Some remind me of frog-giggin with my brother and the neighbor boy when I was 10, the others make me wish I was "the girl" in the songs. Some may say it's wrong to get swept away in a song. I say they are wrong. Be swept away. Favorite one right now?
'Cause there ain't nothin' like the sound
Of a cooler slushin' on the bed of your truck
And ain't nothin' like the sound of real country music
C'mon, turn it up
And I love to hear the whippoorwill sing any night
And the crickets out in the woods
Ooh, don't it feel so right
Don't it sound so good'
"Sound So Good, Ashton Shepherd"
I like my Mac. Alot. Although I'm not very technological, I love my Mac. I may not know how to sync my Twitter feed and Facebook updates, but I love my Mac. I also like having a cell phone. I may not take photos with my phone, upload them to TwitPic which is synced to my Twitter feed which then uploads to my Facebook, but I love my phone. I may not care too much for texting, but darn it I have a super cool 'whooshing' keyboard that pops out and everything. I'm fancy. In my world. Only to me :)
I'd like to consider myself a safe risk taker. Ironic, I know. But I like to take a risk, get a rush, but have investigated it beforehand. Maybe it's my lack of free flowing funds that keep this in line for me; I have a feeling if I had all the money in the world I'd blow it left and right on fun little risks. I like to travel. I like going to a city that I don't know much about (other than transportation and where my hotel is!), and just walking around. Seeing the sights, smelling the smells of something unfamiliar. There are moments in my life when I stop, think about the last time I experienced something unfamiliar, and decide right there to change it. My next unfamiliar adventure? Driving to Alabama. I spent some time in my childhood there, but haven't been back in ages. I think I may take a little trip to the coast and be with my family. This could be interesting. And unfamiliar. But fun.
I'm coming to the realisation that I don't really like clothes shopping. How on EARTH did that happen? I'm constantly asking myself as well. I'm not sure. I'm realizing that it's not as much fun anymore. Again, maybe it's the lack of free flowing cash that's changing my life. Maybe this is a good thing? Nah. I hope my love for shopping is simply being stowed away in the back of my heart for a time being, and will resurface when the time, (and free flowing cash) comes.
I have about thirty pairs of high heels that I don't wear anymore. Part of that is my job change; I went from a corporate environment to a laid back atmosphere that involves kid spit and a lot of snuggles. But I miss my heels. I only wear my black patent leather point toe stilettos anymore...no time for the others. They miss me.
I miss home. Yes, I'm home now, but I'm talking about the home in my memory. Sad thing is I won't ever experience that home again. I drove back home last year, only to find the farm of my memories was crumbling away, one crusty paint layer at a time. That, and the current owners painted the original green tin roof PEACH. Yes, peach. I'm not sure why. I've always thought in the back of my mind that I'd buy that place back one day. I think I may. Lots of memories in that barn. Friday night parties, hay loft adventures, my brother almost dying from bee stings when moving hay, my first cigarette smoke, the carvings from the 1800's builders in the walls. The smell of of tobacco leaves in the dirt. The overgrown cattle stalls. The scary ice house. The memories are endless, and I miss them.
I love warm weather. I'm not sure why I live in a climate where it gets cold. Oh, I enjoy the cold. For just a few days. Then I'm over it. Maybe a trip to a northernmost state will change my mind; since I've never really experienced true snow. Except in the "blizzard of 1994", when it snowed 12" in my hometown in Kentucky. We jumped off the roof of our house into a snow pile. We walked to the store. I thought I was cool and walked off of the road, only to be completely submerged in a snow drift up to my chest! I love the water. Lakes, creeks, waterfalls, the ocean, I love it all; and want to live by a body of water someday. And own a boat :)
So there you have it. Just a little bit more about me. Enjoy the sunshine today, I know I am. :)
This past week has been quite the week! Full of its ups and downs, that's for sure. I have been battling a upper respiratory/sinus infection for 10+ days now. We're talking a sore throat that has not let up! It feels like I'm swallowing glass every time I swallow. PAIN. I woke up this morning to PINK EYE! What the heck?! I haven't had this since I was a little girl. The doctor said that it is stemming from the infection in my system. I was sent away with an armful of drugs, hopefully I'll be feeling better soon.
Over the weekend my car was hit. Nothing major, but a few scratches and dents. SO glad it wasn't anything worse, and that no one was hurt (I was not in the car). So, that's never fun...then on Monday I went to have my tires rotated and balanced (been feeling some shakiness when I'm over 50 mph), and was told that I need all new tires. Mine are shot, and ready to blow out. Again, what the heck?! So, I'm in for a big purchase in the coming days; and I'm super excited. Can you tell?
We we re supposed to go cold camping this weekend, but we canceled at the last minute due to the weather. As always with TN weather, we totally could have gone. The rain stopped midday, the sun came out, it snowed overnight...how fun would it have been to wake up to the snow! I had all the food packed; heck, I even bought my fishing license!
So, those are my series of unfortunate events; luckily there were plenty of good times this weekend to counteract all the bad. :)
Because we didn't go camping, we decided to go for a late night bowling adventure. We got to the alley about 12:30 AM, and left by 2am. I bowled my best ever game of 106! And what's a late night without IHOP? So off we go to eat pancakes in the middle of the night. Because we didn't go camping, we decided to "camp" inside at Trish's. Every came over after their late sleep-in; piled on the couch and watch Jack Black movies. We even had a Wii intermission, which we found out that I dominate at Wii boxing HAHA! So random, but so fun.
Sunday I visited Grace Chapel with Jessie and Greg; and LOVED it! Saw a few people that I haven't seen in a while, had a great lunch with the Breeden's and Ecrement's...I loved it. After lunch we decided to catch a matinee of Taken (see preview HERE) , which was incredible! We hung out at Starbucks for awhile before going back to Jessie's and watching Changeling. Not sure what I think about that one just yet. The cinematography was odd, and the plot was a little slow. Can't believe it was up for Oscars! Monday night was Mike's birthday party before he goes back to Iraq (so sad :( ), so we had dinner at Moe's, then to see a movie.
All in all, the positive WAY counteracted the negative this weekend :) Now let's hope I can kick this pinkeye super quick and get back in the swing of things...hope your weekend was fabulous as well!
The key to any great workout is great music. Even having a "power song", if you will. My power song would have to be "Breathe Into Me" by RED. You know the moment in your workout when you are tired, want to go home, bored with your w/o..etc. I wish I had THIS! It's perfect!
I'll be honest, it was hard to get motivated to the gym tonight. I wasn't feeling so good, had mountains of laundry and....HAVE YOU BEEN OUTSIDE? It's cold! Really cold!
But, I overcame the cold, the ickiness and ran my little heart out.
Here's what kept me going:
Green Light-John Legend
Summer of 69-Bryan Adams
Spotlight-MuteMath
Good Morning Revival-Good Charlotte
Staple It Together-Jack Johnson
Keep Your Hands to Yourself-The Calling
Better-Brooke Fraser
Annie-SafetySuit
Hide-RED
Viva la Vida-Coldplay
The Moment-SafetySuit
Free Fallin-John Mayer version (GREAT cool down song!)
Saw this video, thought it was incredibly creative; and wanted to share! Enjoy!
A friend 'tagged' me on Facebook to do this, and thought I'd share. Kinda funny!
Here's how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
1. What's my mood like right now?
Human-Jon McLaughlin
2. How's tomorrow going to be for me?
Call Me When You Get This-Corinne Bailey Rae
3. What kind of person am I?
Crazy Little Thing Called Love-Queen
4. Am I loved?
The Fever-Garth Brooks
5. How can I achieve my highest potential?
A Foggy Day (in London Town)-Michael Buble
6. What should I do with my life?
Fight for Your Honor-Chicago
7. Is everything really going to be alright in the end?
Better is One Day-Kutless
8. What is my best quality?
Making Memories of Us-Keith Urban
9. How does my social life look?
Body Language-Queen
10. What's the meaning of life?
If I Have Not Love-Matt Redman
11. What do people think of me?
This Time-John Legend
12. How crazy am I?
Eyes-Rogue Wave
13. Where will I be a year from now?
Here Is Gone-Goo Goo Dolls
14. What is my fondest wish?
Fool for Love-Jonny Diaz
15. How did my parents meet?
The Maker-Dave Matthews Band
16. What will I dream about tonight?
Home-Shaun McDonald
17. What should I be working on right now?
Goodnight Goodnight-Maroon 5 (No joke! I need to be asleep right now! ha ha!)
18. What's my roommate up to currently?
Time Alone-Phil Joel
19. What did I do last weekend?
Tell Me Bout It-Joss Stone
20. Describe me.
You and Me-Plain White T's
21. What does my music player think of me?
This Is Your Life-The Killers
My coffee with its patriotic sleeve. "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself - nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance."
- Franklin. D. Roosevelt
I woke up today excited. Excited that knowing history was being made in my country today; and I was determined to watch as much of the Inauguration Ceremony as possible. Being a history nerd, I LOVE this stuff. Watching all the diplomats, politicians, previous Presidents file through and being honored was so interesting to me. I was anxious as President Bush came through to take his seat, and even more nervous when President Obama was being announced as well. Seeing the small red box in First Lady Obama's hands was...so cool. (I can't think of the right words here) Knowing that THAT Bible was President Lincoln's; and she would be partaking in a ceremony watched by the world. I agreed in prayer while Rick Warren prayed, I was embarrassed and nervous for President Obama when he stumbled over his words while being sworn into office (who wouldn't be nervous??), cried when Aretha Franklin sang, and felt honored to be a citizen of this country.
I'm totally one of "those" who tears up at every National Anthem, at the patriotic videos before the movies, whose heart swells when I see attention on a flag, and thinks back to those who have served so faithfully for my freedom. I think of my father, who has served for 20 years in the military. My cousin who served two tours in Afganistan and Iraq, and who made it home safely. I think of my young brother, and his desire to serve and protect his country with such a tenacity; that he's pursuing every option available to him.
It's a great day in America! A New Day. New President. New hopes, dreams and plans to see those fulfilled. How can I not be proud to be an American?
OK, let me start off by saying this Xterra is only available for purchase by the manliest of men (or women). My friend, if it was possible for a vehicle to sprout chest hair and a five o'clock shadow, this Nissan would look like Tom Selleck. It is just that manly.
It was never intended to drive to the mall so you can pick up that adorable shirt at Abercrombie & Fitch that you had your eye on. It wasn't meant to transport you to yoga class or Linens & Things. No, that's what your Prius is for. If that's the kind of car you're looking for, then just do us all a favor and stop reading right now. I mean it. Just stop.
This car was engineered by 3rd degree ninja super-warriors in the highest mountains of Japan to serve the needs of the man that cheats death on a daily basis. They didn't even consider superfluous nancy boy amenities like navigation systems (real men don't get lost), heated leather seats (a real man doesn't let anything warm his butt), or On Star (real men don't even know what the hell On Star is).
No, this brute comes with the things us testosterone-fueled super action junkies need. It has a 265 HP engine to outrun the cops. It's got special blood/gore resistant upholstery. It even has a first-aid kit in the back. You know what the first aid kit has in it? A pint of whiskey, a stitch-your-own-wound kit and a hunk of leather to bite down on when you're operating on yourself. The Xterra also has an automatic transmission so if you're being chased by Libyan terrorists, you'll still be able to shoot your machine gun out the window and drive at the same time. It's saved my bacon more than once.
It has room for you and the four hotties you picked up on the way to the gym to blast your pecs and hammer your glutes. There's a tow hitch to pull your 50 caliber anti-Taliban, self cooling machine gun. I also just put in a new windshield to replace the one that got shot out by The Man. My price on this bad boy is an incredibly low $12,900, but I'll entertain reasonable offers. And by reasonable, I mean don't walk up and tell me you'll give me $5,000 for it. That's liable to earn you a Burmese-roundhouse-sphinct
There's only 69,000 miles on this four-wheeled hellcat from Planet Kickass. Trust me, it will outlive you and the offspring that will carry your name. It will live on as a monument to your machismo.
Now, go look in the mirror and tell me what you see. If it's a rugged, no holds barred, super brute he-man macho Chuck Norris stunt double, then contact me. I might be out hang-gliding or BASE jumping or just chilling with my ladies, but I'll get back to you. And when I do, we'll talk about a price over a nice glass of Schmidt while we listen to Johnny Cash.
To sweeten the deal a little, I'm throwing in this pair of MC Hammer pants for the man with rippling quads that can't fit into regular pants. Yeah, you heard me. FREE MC Hammer pants.
Rock on.
Wow, it was one busy Holiday Season!
I enjoyed every moment of it though...well...except for the 6 hour drive to Kentucky in a terrible storm! I met up with my family for an early Christmas in Gatlinburg, TN. We enjoyed the hot tub outside, a little east TN mountaintop skiing, SHOPPING, and of course tons and tons of laughter. My siblings CRACK ME UP!
We had the biggest surprise (well, we found out about a week beforehand), but my youngest brother Sam proposed to his girlfriend, Tiffany. Who would have thought that the youngest sibling would get married first? Christmas Eve we all headed in our different directions; me on my way to my dad's in Louisville, my other siblings to their significant other's, and my oldest brother in Virginia. My dad and I enjoyed some long over-due Daddy-Daughter time; which we thoroughly enjoyed! Christmas was low-key, brunch, gifts, Grandma's, etc. I loved it.
I headed back home to TN on Saturday night, just enough time to rest up and get packed for my New Years trip to Chicago with Trish! We had a great time, FROZE myself to death (what can I say, I'm from the south!), shopped, laughed, coffee'd it up and had a blast. We rang in the New Year on the shore of Lake Michigan with hundreds others, huddled together against the cold. Fireworks shot out over the Lake, it was beautiful. After we got back to our hotel, we changed and went down the the hotel's Bistro/Bar. It was so cool, all decked out and had a live jazz band. We enjoyed a late New Years drink then finally turned in around 2am.
As soon as I got back, I launched right in to 2009! It's crazy to think it's 2009! I have such an anticipation for this year (as do many of my friends), and an expection for it to be WAY different than last year. I'm going to try new things, conquer old habits, and LIVE MY LIFE. I'm planning a early spring/summer cruise with some friends, and hopefully a trip to Europe in the fall. I'm excited to meet new people, and do new things. I can't wait! I wish I could describe my excitement further.....
Sam and his Finacee Tiffany
The crew
