We Are Officially Rednecks

Friday night we went to a Monster Truck Show at the Dixie Speedway.  Something I NEVER thought I'd do.  Living in Georgia, there is always the "stigma" of being a redneck.  The South in general has that attached to it.  Though being from the North, to some, is just as bad.

Anyway, both my boys are in Scouts.  The Scouts said the Pledge of Allegiance at the show, so we sort of "had" to go.

I was SO not looking forward to this.

But lo and behold...it was actually kind of fun. (Don't tell anyone!).

First they did donuts:

They they jumped over cars.

But the best part was when the boys got to say the Pledge of Allegiance in front of everyone:  I always get emotional when the Pledge and the National Anthem are sung at events. I'm a proud American, albeit one with a red neck!

Teresa

Humpy Day or Wed Nes Day

When I was learning to spell the days of the week, I put the word (in my head) in a certain way so I would remember the spelling.  Wednesday to hear it should be spelled Wenzday.  When I kept getting F's because I "used my phonics", I resorted to the literal translation.  Wed Nes Day.  Wow!!  I was impressed.  I told all my classmates!!  Lookie here, this is all you need to do.  Wed Nes Day.  Maybe one or two used my incredible discovery, but the rest of them used good old fashioned "memorization".  Whatever, losers!!!

When I was in high school, I took typing (on a thing called a typewriter for you twenty somethings).  It was electric (good ole Ben conveniently discovered it when I was a young girl).  The teachers put a piece of cardboard over the keys so you couldn't "peek" at what you were typing.  (We were the future secretaries of the world after all).  To practice while not in class, I used to (and this is weird confession moment here....thank God I don't have any followers to actually read this) I would "type" my conversations.  Not on a pretend typewriter, but casually walking from class to class and keeping my hands down by my side, anything I might be saying in conversation to someone I would "type".  It was subtle, so no I was not "that weird girl who types when she walks thru the halls".  As weird as it was, it helped my WPM (words per minute) go up to over 100 at the time.

To this day however, I remain a rebel and I rest my wrists on the keyboard.  I know...I am OUT OF CONTROL!!  : )

So we're off to another day here.  10 days til my get away to VA.  I have a meeting tonight and tomorrow (I'm a community association manager for homeowner and condo association communities) and I have night meetings with the Boards of those associations.  At least having the meetings fills my days and they won't drag out like waiting for Christmas used to when I was a kid.  Did you know that time actually came to a stop in the late 70's right before Christmas?  It's true, because every December 24th for probably the entire 70's decade, time halted and EACH SECOND WAS AN HOUR.  FACT.

Am I rambling here or what?  I just don't want to leave yet and go to work because it's drizzling here and everyone knows with rain comes STUPID PEOPLE who insist on either driving 1 mile per hour (in the left lane on the highway) OR eleventy billion miles per hour.  Doncha hate stupid people??  Or really dislike them?  And what defines stupid?  Of course we all have our thoughts on this and our own threshold of "stupid".  We also all have "stupid" moments.  But there are people out there who are constantly stupid.  I seem to encounter these people on a regular basis.  The ones that walk in the middle of the store aisle REALLY SLOW and absolutely don't move when you SQUEEZE by them.  Or the people who, though there's NO ONE behind you, pull in front of you and drive SLOW.  Then throw their hands up when you honk/flash your lights/wave at them with your middle finger.

Or the people that call you to complain about living in a community with a homeowner's association (because you know a gun WAS held to their head to sign on the dotted line and buy that home).  Why CAN'T I let my grass grow as tall as I want?  Who are you to send me a politely worded letter to mow?  They take it personally as if the form letter which we send for "violations" is full of cursing/slander and threats.  It can't be more nice "Hello beloved Homeowner:  We'd just like to bring to your attention that your community's covenant state blah blah blah.  On a recent drive through it was noted that your grass is 5 feet tall and your house cannot be seen.  We kindly ask that you mow.  If you've already done so, then THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH AND MAY THE GODS SMILE ON YOU.  If you cannot mow your jungle lawn within 10 days, please contact our office and let us know when it will fit into your schedule."   It's really just like that....but the calls I get.  OMG.  They act like the letter said "listen you idiot, your frickin grass is overgrown. Go out and mow it you worthless piece of ***t!!"  While that's what I'd LIKE to say sometimes, it's no where near that.  So I calmly asked the screaming lunatic homeowner on the phone "how would you like me to enforce the rules in the community that you chose to live in?".  Usually they tell me to worry about the people that don't pay their dues (wow, really??? I never would have thought of going after those people...hmmmmm...why didn't I think of that?  Wow!  I could create a whole industry of people who go after deadbeats....wait a minute....WE ALREADY DO).

Happy Wed Nes Day ya'll!!  : )

Teresa

Odds and Ends

Hello ya'll (this from a Yankee born, southern raised girl):

Hope everyone is having a great weekend.  Hubby and I are on the countdown to our "get away".  Two weeks from yesterday, he and I are off to Virginia to meet up with my best friend (31 years and counting) and her hubby sans children.  Hubby's two oldest boys are "babysitting" for the week.  Kind of nervous, but they're both good kids and responsible.  His oldest is 19 and youngest is 17, so I think we're good.  Should I think, or know???  Hmmmm....

My dad is about 2 miles away so I KNOW we're all good.

While in VA we'll be heading to Colonial Williamsburg and Gettysburg as a foursome and then for 2 glorious days, my BFF and I are off to Lancaster PA and SHOPPING and then I think we'll SHOP and then, to wrap things up, I think we'll SHOP.  We haven't seen each other in over a year so I'm SO looking forward to this.  Her and I clicked from day one.  Have you ever known anyone like that?  We are so comfortable together and no matter how long it's been since we've seen each other or spoken, it's just like we've never been apart.  We kid each other and say we should just become girlfriends and get it over with (no offense intended in any way shape or form).  We've been to romantic get aways such as Put In Bay OH which if you've never been has been called the Key West of the north.  We've also journeyed to Niagara Falls.  Last year I went and visited her in Seattle (she moved to VA shortly after) and we made our way to Forks Washington (which is the home of the Twilight books).  We went to all the spots made famous including La Push aka First Beach:

Purty isn't it??

Anyway, her and I have been through a lot with each other.  Divorces, miscarriages, marriages, teenage anxst, you name it!!!  I'm really looking forward to seeing her again:

When her and her hubby are working, my hubby and I will be headed off to Washington DC. He's never been so I'm looking forward to taking him around. Then we he and I have one more day where we'll be on our own.  I'm hoping to be able to go to Leonardtown MD where I was born.  I was only about 2 months old when we moved back to TX where I great up (that and South Florida).

All of this sans children.  While I love my boys more than anything in the world.  And while I know I"ll miss them within hours of leaving, my hubby and I RARELY have alone time.  My boys are always with us because their worthless, POS real birth father never calls or sees them (are you sensing some bitterness there?  Hmmmm, I'll have to work on that won't I?).  So unless my sister and her hubby have the boys over for a sleep over with their cousins, hubby and I are always married with children.  While I wouldn't have it any other way, it's nice to have some alone time.

Anyway, Friday night was one of those rare outings.  Hubbie's youngest (Tyler) was with us so he babysat while hubby and I went to dinner at a charming spot known as 52 Bistro.  If you live in the Atlanta area, GO THERE!!!  They offer coupons on Restaurant.com.  We got a $25 certificate for $5!!!!!  $37 (appetizer, drinks and two entrees).  With the $5 for the certificate, we had to put out an additional $17 for the meal, tip included.  Regardless, the food was AWESOME!! The atmosphere, charming.  It's in the heart of downtown Alpharetta if you'd like to venture there.

Last night we broke in the hubby's father day present, a fire pit.  The boys and us roasted marshmallows and told ghost stories (note to self:  don't tell too scary ghost stories, cause the boys insisted on windows and blinds being closed, locked down and for us to check the room for hands that might crawl up the bed - thanks honey for scaring the bejesus out of them!!).  And I never knew my hubby was such a good story teller!!  I'll have to brush up on my skills.

Today is a lazy day...finishing up laundry, cleaning out my closet so hubby can finish installing shoe racks for me.  I'll be browsing the blogs and I think I'll drag out my rug hooking stuff to finish up a project from about a year ago.  My friend Michele (above) is an incredibly talented hooker (rug hooker that is).  So another bonus while up there will be to strip (wool that is) and maybe come up with some pattern ideas.

I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday!!

Toodles!

Teresa

Date Night Afternoon

My husband and I went on a date...but not at night...we went in the afternoon.

You see I have 2 kids from a previous marriage to a low-life, scum sucking, pitiful excuse of a human being (oh....was that my typing voice?  Oops!  My bad).  They're 8 & 10 and both boys.  My husband also has 2 boys, 17 & 19.  The 19 year old lives with his mom, but the 17 year old, Tyler goes back and forth.  This weekend is our weekend with him. 

As you may have noticed I oh so subtly pointed out how worthless my ex is.  He doesn't see his children on a regular basis.  He once went 3 years without contacting them.  Let's not go there.  Anywho...we rarely have alone time.  So when we come across a day where all the chores are done and we have free time....we grab it and wrestle it to the ground and lasso it up and put a rag in it's mouth so it can't holler for help and we GO FOR IT!!

Today, we went for it at the North Georgia Premium Outlets.  My wonderful hubby and I went to Pottery Barn Outlet and Restoration Hardware (MAJORLY expensive) and the Coach outlet.  I'm surprised we didn't have to purchase something cause I must have drooled on everything.

I was quite proud to see though in the Pottery Barn outlet, these lamps for $75:

And here's my $10 Goodwill lamp ($5 for the lamp and $5 for the lampshade:

Yipeekayay!!!!

Ain't it purty?

Now if only I can transition the beautiful white couches (of course not marred by 4 boys and 4 dogs) and spotlessly clean rooms.  Though I realize they don't portray a "realistic" lifestyle, it is certainly something to dream of and reach for, right??

Anyway, I'm thankful that my hubby is the kind of man who is willing to let his wife drag him to all these types of stores "just because" and he doesn't complain at all.

I hope you all have a fabulous Labor Day Weekend!!

Teresa