Thirty One and Having Fun!!

Yesterday was my 31st birthday. I have absolutely loved being 30 so 31 was not a hard birthday for me to embrace, unlike some of my friends. I wanted to bring in 31 in style. My dad, Scotty and my sister and I spent the day in Atlanta seeing the sights. I can honestly say I have never been up so early on my birthday before, at least not since I can remember. We headed out of town around 6:30am and our first stop was the Georgia Aquarium. It was great fun but we were all a little disappointed because we thought it was going to be so much better than the Tennessee Aquarium. It was fun none the less. Here are some pictures from the aquarium:


first picture of the day and first picture at 31...I don't think I look any older!

jellyfish....cool from behind the glass, not so cool when they sting you in the ocean

the Muslim dauphin (Teri)

the retarded shark (me)

Then is was on the World of Coca-Cola museum. I have been a long long time ago but it has changed quite a bit. You get to see how coke is made and view all the past logos and stuff. It was fun to me....I mean come on, coke is the number one most recognizable name brand in the world. Highlight of the day was probably getting to sit on the couch from American Idol Season 4. I love that show! The tour also included a 4D movie experience that was a lot of fun. At the end of the tour you got to go to the tasting room and try 64 different varieties of coke from around the world. I wasn't brave enough to try them all but the ones I tasted weren't too bad. They had a special holiday blend that was chocolate mint flavored and I LOVED IT!! I wish they would bottle that for sale. I also got a bottle of coke as I was leaving that was made and bottled on my birthday. Cool ugh? I thought so...

Me and my pops just chillin on the American Idol couch

Last but not least was a little walk through downtown Atlanta's Underground mall. I got a homemade peanut butter cup from a fudge shop. Honestly I think Reese's does them better. I also took a little time out to take some pictures with a random statue on the street. I have managed to keep my blog kid friendly but some times you just have to be true to yourself so I am finally going to post an "inappropriate" but funny picture from my birthday adventure...

this is me and my new friend


this is my dad and Scotty


I had a FABULOUS birthday and hope it's just a sign of what is to come this year. Thanks for making it a great one! I loved my road trip and all the birthday calls, text messages and facebook messages I received. I felt very loved. THANKS!! Here's to looking forward to year 31!

A Blast From The Past

I was able to reconnect with my friend Angela the other day. We were best friends all through middle and high school and then lost touch when we went to college. The last time I saw her was about 6 years ago. She had just gotten married. Now she has been married for 6 years and had a 4 year old son and a 2 year old daughter. It was go good to reconnect but wow it was a lot to take in playing with her kids. Joel looks just like her brother so I felt like I was just watching Jonathan in a child form. And every time I heard one of them call her mom I would just look at her and say "that is crazy!"

Thanks to the world of facebook I have been able to reconnect with lots of old friends and its been wonderful!

my friend Angela and her babies

this is Joel Vincent (4) and quite the handful

this is Neely Rene (2)

Unpredictable Weather

So I thought maybe going home to Alabama would insure me some more predictable weather than what I was experiencing in you Louisiana....not so much! One day you wake up and its in the upper 70's and the next day it's back down in the 40's. No wonder everyone is sick this holiday season. This picture is a prime example of what I am talking about. I wish it was a full body shot because you would see that I was wearing flip flops while I had this ridiculous snow cap on. My sister wanted me to buy it so bad but I would never have a reason to wear it. In fact I almost passed out from having in on my head just long enough to take some silly pictures.

A Rockin' Good Christmas

Christmas has been good to the Thomas family! We went to the Christmas Eve Service at church with mom and came back to Dad and Scotty's to eat dinner. It has become a Christmas tradition to eat baked oysters and they were yummy...all 50 of them! The presents were a plenty. I got a new crock pot, bath towels, a subscription to Rachel Ray (yay), an Auburn coffee mug and more.

Here are some pictures of my sister Teri and I posing around the tree. It doesn't take much for us to entertain ourselves.

Rocking Around the Christmas Tree


Springville's Next Top Model


the yummy oysters!

Then it was on to Teri's to spend the night with mom. We snuggled up in our PJs on the couch and watched The Holiday (one of my favorite movies). After failing to convince them we should open presents since we were still up at midnight we all went to bed so Santa could come. We decided to spend Christmas Day with Mom and not be rushed this year. We finally ate breakfast at 10:00am when I got the homemade cinnamon rolls finished. They were so good and it was a good thing because they were a mess to make and I even set the smoke detectors off cooking them. Oops! After breakfast it was present time. I pretty much got a new wardrobe from mom and Teri and mom pulled the ultimate surprise after convincing me I wasn't getting Guitar Here World Tour. As you can see in the pictures...I was just a "wii" bit excited! Mom layed down for a Christmas nap while Teri and I rocked out in the living room. I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!

this would be the reason I didn't see a Rock Band size box under the tree...tricky!


Watch out Paula Dean..

The Kid in Us All

So I truly believe that Christmas brings out the kid in us all. Obviously some more than others. I am the only one in my family who still begs to open present early. In fact when I roll into town for the holidays I inspect all the presents under the tree to see which ones are mine. I just can't help myself. This year the kid in me was looking for a particular shaped box...a Guitar Hero World Tour box to be exact. I knew it wouldn't be under dad's tree. I love him but he doesn't understand my love for such games and thinks they are a waste of money. That's okay because I have the life changing gift of TiVo under his tree. I haven't seen a box big enough under mom's tree either but am hopeful it might appear for my birthday.

With or without Guitar Hero...I absolutely love the anticipation of Christmas. Lots of good stuff under the tree, lots of good food on the table. And this year I plan to spend most of the day in my PJ's...hopefully behind a drum set :) I am even attempting to make homemade cinnamon rolls Christmas morning.

I hope this Holiday Season finds the kid in you! Have a very Merry Christmas and I pray that 2009 holds nothing but blessings for all of those who follow this blog!

New Haircut

I always get a wild hair right before the holidays to do something different to my hair. Not sure why because my family can be a little critical when they don't like the new look. Usually it's a do it yourself color or cut by my roommate but this time I went and had it done. I think it turned out pretty well...we'll see what the critics at home have to say.

City of Lights

Tucked away in the state of Louisiana is a city called Natchitoches. You may recognize this place from one of my favorite movies of all times...STEEL MAGNOLIAS. Natchitoches is known for its Christmas Festival which was featured in the movie when Arnell said, "no body move, I lost my contact!" The festival runs every weekend in December. Vendors line the Cane River selling gator on a stick, chicken fingers, meat pies, funnel cakes, etc. The river bank and all of downtown is decked out with lights. Its a quaint little place. On Friday and Saturday nights they have a fire work show. Last year was my first experience at the Christmas Festival so I insisted that Elizabeth and I take this kids this year. We had a great time walking around, eating and watching the firework display. Bailey was a little frightened at first but she got used to the loud noises and enjoyed all the pretty colors. It's been a great tradition that will carry on if for no other reason because I love gator on a stick and its one of the few times a year I can get it. The lights are great too though!

Christmas Card Photo

I will preface this post with a confession that I am a ridiculous pet owner. Ever since I got Matti I have treated her like a child which means that I feel compelled to send Christmas cards with her photo in them. I know its crazy and I am not sure why I even do it because she never wants to cooperate in the process. Here are some attempts we took at Thanksgiving. I have also included a photo of me and my Christmas tree. As part of the embracing of my home in Louisiana I have a Fleur De Lis tree...I love it!

for good or for bad...this was the winner!


this was attempt number 1....not sure what to think about being on the table!


this was our final attempt and she did not like being on this bridge!

GALA 2008

Every year at Christmas, Union Board hosts our GALA extravaganza! It is a time honored tradition for students because they get a catered meal...they get to dress up...and if they have had their eye on someone all semester they usually work up the nerve to ask them to Gala. It's lots of fun for the staff to sit back and watch. This year GALA fell right in the middle of finals so it was humorous to watch students walk around for days in grubby clothes with bloodshot eyes and then come to GALA in suits and formals. The entertainment is always a treat and this year was no exception. This year Dr. Aguillard, Dr. Guilbert, Dr. Quarles, and Tim Johnson sang in a quartet and they were fabulous. In fact I have been walking around for days singing their little number.

My first GALA I was asked to emcee the event so I had to go all out with my attire. My second year I just sat back and blended into the background. So for year three it was time to make a grand entrance again! I must say we accomplished our mission and I had the funnest date of the night. I was escorted by none other than Alex the Wildcat...our mascot. Peoples' faces were priceless and everyone wanted to know who was in the suit. Sara and I were Beauty and the Beast of GALA. Here are some pictures of the evening.



Me and Alex


Amy and Cory


Sara and Peter...they got engaged that night!

The Greatest Show on Earth

I have finally embraced life in Pineville. One thing that has helped tremendously is doing things in the area when they are in town like the Pecan Festival and the CIRCUS. The Ringling Brothers Circus came to Alexandria last week for the first time in 35 years and needless to say I was a little excited. The other great thing about living in Pineville these days is getting to experience life with Bailey and Jesse. I feel justified in doing things like going to the circus when I have a child escort. Elizabeth and I had a girl's night out and took Bailey. Of the three of us I definitely had the most fun and I am okay with that. I hope I never lose that kid at heart spirit. There were two things I was disappointed with....the three ring circus was scaled down to a one ring circus. The price you pay to be a small venue. And the second was the high priced cotton candy. I paid $10 for a bag of cotton candy...I guess they thought that was a deal since it came with this great hat you see above. Made for a great photo opp and it was a sweet treat that isn't on my diet these days (don't tell Rob).

Twas the Night Before Christmas REMIX

Twas weeks before Christmas and all through the apartment all the creatures were stirring...ESPECIALLY THE MOUSE!!!

So this morning started off like most mornings but quickly became more of an adventure than I bargained for. I got up and let Matti out to take care of her business. When she came back in I settled into the couch with my oatmeal to ease into this fine Wednesday. Not long after I sat down Matti joined me, which is her usual routine when I am on the couch and especially when I am eating.(see previous post). Suddenly she began digging in the corner of the couch. Again, this is not unusual. Sometimes her bones or toys get stuck in the crack and she digs until she gets them or until she gets spanked for digging and I get them out for her. This morning she was digging with much more intensity than usual and my spanking her was not enough incentive for her to stop. I pulled back the cushion just enough to see another fury little critter who was also struggling to wake up this morning. For those of you who don't know, I have had quite the mouse problem lately. This little guy that my carnivorous dog had now trapped was lucky or not so lucky #11. Gross ugh? He had obviously gotten into the poison I had out because he was not on his "A" game when it came to escaping. I would like to say at this point that I courageously grabbed him by the tail and disposed of him but NO. I called on my next door neighbor and early morning hero, Eric, to come get the mouse. Before Eric arrived the little guy did get a second wind and made a run for it and sadly enough I almost demolished my Christmas tree trying to run from him. Matti stopped him though and slung him around a little bit before Eric put us all out of our misery.

Our ladies Bible study group talked about hospitality yesterday but this is one thing I can honestly say is NOT WELCOME IN MY HOME. I hope all his friends got the hint when he didn't come back this morning and they will stay the heck away!

Beggars

So what would a meal be like without our little (and some not so little) four legged friends begging for anything and everything you would willingly give them from your plate? They love table food so much they don't even realize that the things they are lucky enough to get are the things from our plate we didn't like or were too full to eat. And why do we give in when we know it's really not good for them? Because they are so darn cute. Don't believe me....see for yourself!

This is my dog, Matti...who obviously wasn't content with her cottage cheese.


This is Lucy....Teri's dog. The not so gentle giant!


This is Roxi...my dad's dog who could balance herself for hours waiting for food.

Look A Likes

I finally got to meet Allie Michal Taylor while I was home for Thanksgiving! I cannot get over how much she looks like Brandon. For those of you who know Brandon and Marissa you will see what I am talking about. She is precious and has the funnest personality. I know she has been Brandon and Marissa's sanity since Gabe passed away. She is quite the sweet heart and is going to have her daddy wrapped around her finger...she already does. Just wanted to share at least one of the pictures I got of her during my visit.

Signs of the Promise Land

There are a few things that I get excited about when I make the seven and half hour road trip from Pineville to Birmingham. Gas stations with crushed ice fountain drinks, Chick-fil-A that doesn't require me to go into the mall to eat and drive thru STARBUCKS! Amazingly enough Clinton, MS...home of Mississippi College, has all three on one exit. I was also a bit excited by the falling gas prices on this holiday adventure home.

I must share of my funniest travel adventure this go around. Matti is such a great travel companion. She never has to go to the bathroom, she doesn't eat or drink and she doesn't have an opinion about the music we listen to. Really the only time you know she is in the car is when you go over a bridge because it freaks her out. Well I discovered something else that freaks her out...the car wash! I stopped at a gas station and fill up and without thinking pushed the button to purchase a car wash. The minute I got back into the car I knew this was a mistake but wasn't about to waste my money. Needless to say if ever want to cause a dog to have a nervous breakdown put them in the car and take them through the car wash. Matti was happily laying in the back but that quickly turned to pacing the back and hunkering down. She tried to get down behind my seat but when she was unsuccessful she jumped into the floorboard of the front seat and just whined. It was hilarious to watch and the only thing I regret is that I wasn't able to capture it on video. Here are the few pictures I managed to snap.

The calm for the storm...aka the car wash


Matti hunkered down in the back


Matti hunkered down in the floorboard

Adventures in Babysitting

Its been a few days since I have blogged and I realized that with the last entry being "we survived day one" it might appear that we didn't survive day two, three and four. Bailey, Jesse and I are alive and well. I had a blast being fun Aunt Kabes last week. Bailey didn't learn any new vocabulary words which equals success in my book. I was deceived by Elizabeth who told me Jesse would only poop every other day. That kid pooped every other diaper. We managed to get out and run several errands, have several chocolate milkshakes and wash the car. Okay, I didn't wash the car, Quinn did, but while he washed Elizabeth's car Bailey washed her car. It was precious. Here are few pics of our last couple of days before Granny came to get them. I have to admit that about thirty minutes after they were gone I found myself being sad and missing them already. They won my heart over (not that they hadn't prior to this adventure).


Bailey with a mild case of static head


Jesse demonstrating his new word, UP....while eating his mac-n-cheese and five fish sticks!


Jesse playing with tupperware...I lost count of how many times I put it all back up!


Bailey helping make pizza...she is so domestic!


Bailey washing her car

We Survived Day ONE

Just to give you some insight into the title of this entry, my friends Billy and Elizabeth left last night to go to Maui for their five year anniversary. I volunteered to keep their precious kids while they are gone. I have officially taken on the role of fun Aunt Kabes to Bailey (2 1/2) and Jesse (1). Dinner, bath and bedtime went well last night. To ease some tears of the initial shock of mommy and daddy leaving, Bailey got to take a bath in mommy's big tub. She also got the promise of something she loves....a milkshake. After getting to sleep in this morning (sleeping in being 7:30am) we ate breakfast and colored turkey pictures.The first thing Bailey said when she woke me up this morning was "I want a milkshake!" After Jesse woke up from his morning nap we took a trip to Target and to the mall for lunch. Yummy Chic-fil-A! We all had chicken nuggets and fries and then Bailey got her promised milkshake. Apparently they only have one size, which is 20 oz. and she drank the whole thing. After lunch and a stroll around the mall it was time to head home for a nap. Both kiddos slept for two hours so I snagged a nap as well and then we made a quick trip to Michael's to make use of some coupons we found in the paper. After we got home it was dinner time so I cooked a taco ring and refried beans. Surprisingly enough Bailey ate all her dinner. Jesse is always a good eater so it was no shock he ate a whole bowl of beans and a piece of taco ring (we'll probably regret the beans tomorrow!). Now we are just playing before bedtime.

This update is really for Elizabeth's sake so that she can enjoy her vacation having seen evidence that her children are alive and well. I even used my kid filter today so that Bailey didn't learn any new words she shouldn't know. YES! I have a kid filter Elizabeth. The pictures below are just of Bailey but I promise Jesse is still here and kicking. Pictures coming soon of the little guy.




This is Bailey's version of helping set the table. We didn't have 20 dinner guests but if we had there was a plate for all of them.


Bailey enjoying her chocolate milkshake!

ALL IN A DAYS WORK

So you would think that after working in Residence Life for three years that nothing would really surprise me but oh how wrong you would be. These kids never cease to amaze me with the things they come up with. Take for example this past week....I had to confiscate paintball guns because students were shooting at the walls in their rooms and all over their buildings, as well as cars all over campus. Then only two days after that I got a call from maintenance that someone had pooped in the sink in the bathroom. Now why you gotta poop in the sink when there are three fully functional toilets that you had to pass to get to the sink? Gross me out. Even worse was that our poor housekeeper refused to clean it (as she should) but something had to give so Andrew and I put on our rubber gloves and got to the dirty work.

It's not always trouble that catches me off guard...it's the funny things too. For example this Sunday night after our RA meeting we were standing outside the BCM and Sara very calmly asked if Justin and Cody could assist her. I wasn't expecting what came next. Apparently Sara had put her leg through the guard rails and then couldn't get it back out. The guys tried pulling on the bars to give her a little wiggle room but to no avail. You know why they pay me the big bucks? After twenty minutes of Sara being stuck I tried the ole "soap it up" trick and out the leg came. I got a good laugh at Sara's expense. And then there is Eric and Brandon! I love days like today when without planning it they wear similar outfits. Brandon loves it but Eric hates it so he always goes home to change. Eric just needs to realize that they are soul mates and come to grips with it.

All the above reports were documented by the camera on my iPhone so enjoy!

Heartbreaking News

Two years ago this December my friends Marisa and Brandon welcomed a small miracle into their family. Marisa found out early in her pregnancy that baby Taylor had a pretty significant heart defect. Brandon and Marisa named him Gabriel which means strong man of God and he has lived up to his name from day one. Just days after he was born he had the first of three surgeries to repair his heart. Gabe has been a fighter and has done better than any of us could have imagined. Gabe's last surgery would have to be done once he turned three. Sadly, Gabe passed away this morning. He went into cardiac arrest suddenly and unexpectedly while at home with his daddy. Gabe was a precious gift to our family for the two years we got to have him!

Please keep Brandon, Marisa and his little sister, Allie as well as the rest of their extended family and friends in your prayers. I cannot even begin to imagine the pain and the loss they are experiencing right now.





Brandon, Allie and Gabe at Halloween