Random Thoughts

This week has been a whirlwind... I can't believe that tomorrow is Friday {normally the week just drags on and on, but not this week}. Instead of my What I'm Loving post or post about once certain thing, I thought I'd fill you in on the last few days all in one random post. Try to stay with me :)

My first chiropractor appt was Tuesday and it was Heaven. Should have gone sooner!

Found these little gems in a bin at Wal-Mart for 97 cents. They're so good! The next box will hang out in the frig for a while before I eat them though; I think they will be even better cold!



A fan similar to this helps Amos and me stay a little cooler at night. Couldn't live without it right now! It's July. In Mississippi!




Amos has had some nasty sores pop up and this stuff really helps!

 * I may or may not have *accidentally* turned off my frig at our house.
* It may or may not smell like a dead animal... in my house... it's nasty. Beyond nasty. Thank God for moms! Mine is going to clean that mess out!
* Amos is getting better at taking his vitamins and that really helps this mom out! You try forcing 3 big pills down a 190lb dog's mouth after he shuts his jaw- it's like steel!
* It's hot. Too hot. But I found this on the world wide web and now I will shut up:
“I was going to complain about how hot it is... then I realized: 1.) It isn't 109 degrees; 2.) I'm not 5,700 miles from home; 3.) I'm not dressed in a full BDU uniform & helmet and carrying 70+ lbs. of gear; and 4.) There is very little chance that anyone will shoot at me or that I might drive over a bomb in the road today! Thanks to all who serve!!”


* I must clarify that it is 109 degrees in MS, BUT you get the idea!! I'm sorry, I'm just one of those people that like to make sure things are explained. Fully.
* I'm going shopping this weekend with Kayla. I hope to find/buy a few things!
* Saturday night, a friend is having a 30th birthday party. Chad is the funniest guy you will ever meet. He has me in tears every time I see him {I cry every time I laugh}.
* The weight gain/loss thing is annoying me.
* Chloe starts school in two weeks. I am in awe. Yesterday she was still a tot in diapers running around with her mullet!
* I hope Brad gets to come in this weekend. 1) I want him to be able to go to Chad's b-day party. 2) I don't want to drive an hour to Jackson, TN, shop all day, then drive an hour home only to pack up and drive two hours to Nowhereville, AR. 3) Brad would rather come in town than stay in his tin-can.
* I've been helping my mom's church with VBS this week and I'm exhausted! We go straight home after work, change, then straight to church. If I keep going downhill, by Saturday morning I will need a swift kick to get out of bed!
* Amos still hasn't stopped shedding.
* I'm not liking the fact that Big Brother is already making me nervous! Hello! It's only week 2! I'm not happy with the fact that Jordan didn't put up Brendon and Rachel. That "red haired hyena" drives me nuts! That's Whitney's nickname for her :)
* Tomorrow is Friday!! I go back to the chiropractor! It's only 75% awkward. I know him. Knew him in high school. We were good friends. I used to pet his hair {true story, the boy has the softest hair!} and sit next to him on school trips. Oh, and we went to Prom together. I {the senior} took him {the junior} and it was fun. Anywho, awkward! But it was nice too.
* Want me to keep going? No? OK, fine, but I have a dozen more points I could use...
Happy Friday Eve!

B is for Brad

Are you sitting down? I'll give you a second to pull up a chair, sit down, and get ready...

Back yet? Ok, let's start. This is going to be long and boring and redundant, but here goes!

February 2011, Brad is talking to his CFI {certified flight instructor}, Thomas. Brad met Thomas in April, 2008 and they've been working together ever since. Thomas mentions that Brad should call up one of his old students. Brad gets the name and we find the guy {the internet is such a great thing for stalkers...}. Brad calls him up and the guy {Andy, maybe?} and is told he should come to Arkansas to meet him. Brad goes to Arkansas on January 30 and meets the guy. They hit it off so Andy calls around and takes him around to meet a few men "in the business" {the crop dusting business}. This turns into a job offer for Stokes Flying Service in Earle, Arkansas... in THREE weeks.

We immediately went into overdrive trying to figure out exactly how this is going to work {sidenote: what is this, exactly?}. In fact, we're one month into this "journey" and we'll still trying to figure things out. The major topics are: work, housing {current, AR, and future}, living in general??

Our first order of business was to clean out the Hinkle House. Yes, if Brad is going to be moving to Arkansas to work then I'm not staying in Hinkle by myself {with Amos, of course}. So, on Monday, January 31, Brad and I start cleaning out the house. This might not sound bad to some, but my loving husband is a pack rat. Yes, a pack rat. He had Christmas cards from his high school days along with a dozen or so pens/old baseball cards/pencils/notebooks/crap stuffed in every single drawer. This should have been taken care of sooner, but you see... Brad moved the junk straight from his parents's house to his rental house and straight from there to the Hinkle House. He thought he'd eventually go through it all, but eventually never made it here! So, we start with the living room and work our way completely around the house {living, master, bathroom, guest room aka Brad's junk room, and kitchen}. We either throw things away or put them together to load up in tubs and store.

This took all week plus he started cleaning out our shed/storage building. Basically, our idea was to clean out {donate, trash, give to family/friends} as much as we could. We'll basically only move necessities to our new place {more on that in a minute- who am I kidding? That will be another post!} and leave our house "staged". One reason is that I dont like empty houses. I have to see furniture in them if to get an idea of the layout and size. An empty room does me no good! Secondly, have you checked prices for storage lately? Wowzer! We're not sure how long it will take the house to sell so why not have free storage and help out potential homebuyers?

Let the calendar days begin:

February 5, Brad and I drove over to Earle, Arkansas to meet his new boss and to drive around the town. Our original plan was to buy a camper/trailer and move it to a nearby campsite. There were two to chose from. The first looked like it came from a scary killer movie and the second was almost as much as our monthly mortgage payment. This didn't start out well, but... we go meet Mr. Stokes {Denny} and he drives us around to show us the "town". We drive and drive and drive and get history lessons on pretty much every field and town we passed. I lost count of where all we went! We finally drove around his hangars. This man is very wealthy and has been in the business for a while. He told Brad that he could put his trailer next to one of their hangars... for free! Yep, no rent, no power bill, no water bill. The only "catch" was that Brad would have to keep an eye on the place since there are thieves around. Brad can handle that so we marked that off our list {our very long list}! Next we drove to Wynne {hello, fastfood and Wal-Mart!} and ate lunch at Mazzio's Pizza. Then he took us back to our truck. Brad and I did a little more driving around just to get a feel for the place and then it was back to MS {and hills and curves}!

February 7th, we rented a storage building and filled it about half full with storage tubs {seasonal decorations, hunting gear, etc} from the shed.

Yes, people, things do happen fast for us! :) We just move on along. No sense in taking our time with anything. Of course, we also had a 9 week engagement!

February 11th, Kenny, Brad and I drove around looking for FEMA trailers. We figured that would be better/bigger than a regular camper and we were right. Those things are nice {ugly on the outside though} and is all he needs. The bedroom has room for a queen, although I'm not sure a queen would really fit. It also has a built in night stand and tiny closet. The couch makes a bed and then he has a booth with a kitchen table, full size sink and microwave plus a 3 burner gas stove AND a pantry/closet, room for 2 twin size bunks and then the bathroom. The bathroom is tiny and it realllly makes me feel for the people that lived in them after Hurricane Katrina. The shower is tiny! Think about the thousands of families that lived in them! Sorry, off track... so we find one in Booneville and buy it! So, Fema Lema gets moved to Hinkle and before long I'm inside and sanitizing and cleaning and freshening up.

February 12th, Brad introduces me to what is known as "the dump". SHOOOEEE that place was a sight to see. I had no idea, no idea at all. Everyone should go at least once. We had several things to haul off. {I'm sure people think we had a junky house with a junky shed and junky porch, but that's not the case, I promise!} One friend met us on the road and called to say how much we resemble The Clampetts. Wasn't that nice? :)

Thursday, February 17th was Brad's last day with Taylor Heating & Air. He had worked there full time over 10 years and this summer would have been his 21st summer. Yes, he was 9 years old working in the summer carrying tools and supplies. {Maybe this next generation should take a hint! It's not child labor, it's work ethic!}.

February 18th... well, that's the day Brad drove the big white Dodge pulling Sweet Fema Lema and I drove Brad's red truck to Arkansas. We hauled her over and set her up. We made two trips to the hardware store {yes, a small, dark, dusty and musty hardware store} and two trips to the next biggest town, Marion. We stayed the night in Lema and I drove home Saturday. Brad had to WORK! Afterall, that's why we moved him over there! They let him off Saturday afternoon and he came home. We did a few last minute things around the house and he left out again Sunday.

February 26th, I drove over and we celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary in Wynne, eating at a crab-leg buffet, Kelley's. More on this later. I'll do an actual post about our anniversary! Brad came in with me the next day so he could fly Snoopy {our plane} to AR. Mr. Stokes is going to let him keep it there for free and use it as a ferry between his hangars and his plane dealership in Hayti, MO. Yes, the man is partner's in his own plane dealership.

February 28th, we celebrated our anniversary again at McDonald's. Actually, in the drive thru. I had the best Big Mac {happy anniversary to me!}. I'm sure Brad was thankful when he asked "what do you want to eat for our anniversary tonight" as he picked me up that I said "a BIG MAC". :) I'm a cheap date.

He's been in twice since then and we've just done random things and tried to get our to-do list finished up. On March 15th, he came in and met with Thomas for the last time for a while. They had one last lesson, then on March 16th, Brad took his Commerical Pilot License Exam and passed!!!! Whew! So let's see... Private Pilot {check}, Instrument Rated {check}, Commercial Pilot {check}. Next up is the Spray Certification. That is next week, I think. Basically they sit in class all day and then take a test.

I'm sorry, would you like to know what Brad is doing working in Earle, Arkansas? I guess I should have put this at the beginning, but my mind isn't working right these days. I have no idea why?! :):) Brad is on the ground crew. Think of it like a pit crew for NASCAR. The plane come flying in and Brad does what needs to be done then the plane flies off. This happens about 100 times a day. They have four planes going right now. Sometimes they all work the same hangar and sometimes they are in different places such as Earle, North Earle {this is Brad's hangar}, Crawfordsville and Parkin. You can't start out flying so you basically start out at the bottom and build up. Right now he's learning the ins and outs of auger trucks, mixing chemicals, plane mechanics, etc... Since this is a seasonal job, he will work there from February to November. We'll know then what his next step will be. So, don't ask until then! HA! You wouldn't believe how many times we get asked and the truth is we just do not know yet. He may or may not get hired on as a pilot with Stokes. He might get a job in MS or another town in AR, who knows?! I sure don't. I'm just playing it by ear... of course, I would tell you more, BUT... that would be under "C is for Cassie", now wouldn't it? :)

I've been typing this on and off for a couple of days now. I refuse to proofread it as a whole so look over the ramblings and misspellings {since spell check isn't working} and please know that I only capitalize and use an apostrophe when I want and not when I need too...

Happy Thursday!! I never thought this day would get here!

2010 Flood

This is going down Hwy 72 in front of Russell's

One of our shopping centers: Belk, JcPenney, Maurices, Bookland, etc... and our friend Chad's Allstate business
Another shot of Allstate and Belk
Inside KMart- notice things floating down the aisle!

Another shopping center

This water was filled with snakes!

The water actually got higher- high enough to go over the hoods of the trucks. See the lights on the trucks? They were shorting out. People could see lights flashing and hear the horn!

McDonald's drive-thru! Residential area- that's someone's deep freeze floating down their driveway.

Vacation 2009 Pictures

Just a few of the 160+ picture I took on our 1125 mile journey!

On the train in Dillsboro

Part of "The Fugitive" train wreck

The prisoners' bus

The Dog Bakery!

Our train

Brad and his Cheerwine

A wall of bongs in one of the "gift shops" in Cherokee... A sign was posted informing people that they were for tobacco use only!! What??

Standing at Waterrock Knob

Our attempt at a picture; no, Brad wasn't mad

The stairs that we walked up going to the top of the mountain... also known as the place where I saw the SNAKE!!!

The chair lift going up the mountain to Ghost Town

On our way up! Can you see the fear in my eyes and the laughter in his?

Brad rode that!!

See?!

Out over the side of the mountain!

On our way down... down... down.

Still going down! All the way down!

Almost there!! Can you see the relief in my eyes?

Vacation 2009

I just noticed this will be my 50th post. Really? Wow. I had no idea.

Since I love lists and breaking things down, this is how I will attempt to explain the last week or so. Let's face it; you should be used to it by now! :)

Monday- work then home to pack and clean and work on the mounting stack of laundry. (Side note: it's totally not fair that men can pack one tiny bag to last a week when a girl has to pack three bags). Brad packed his things up and I tried packing my clothes, bathroom necessities, shoes, coat, blanket, pillow, medicine, snacks, drinks, etc... Some days I think it would be nicer being a guy. It was a late night for me, but I was still excited!

Tuesday- more work then rushing home to finish packing the last few things for the trip. Brad and I loaded the truck and headed out. He wasn't feeling too well (darn Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever) so I wasn't sure how far we would make it. The weather wasn't cooperating with us. It rained on and off almost the whole way. We made a stop at a really nice gas station (seriously, it was like a high end gas station- who knew they existed?) that just happened to have a Dunkin Donuts. Brad ordered plain black (yuck) and I ordered their white hot chocolate. Just for the record, I will never again order that from there. I order it at the local coffee shop and sometimes at Starbucks, but not DD. Not anymore. After our caffeine fix we were back on the road. We had planned on driving past Nashville to Lebanon (which is right past Nashville), but we made it to Cookeville which is about half way between Nash and Knox. which is really close to Sevierville and Pigeon Forge! We crashed in our room for the night and woke up Wednesday morning bright and early.

Wednesday- we just happened to pick a motel that was right across from Cracker Barrel (accident? I think not); had a great big breakfast and we went back on the road. We made it to Sevierville (Bass Pro Shop) right after they opened and almost no shoppers inside. Of course, it was early Wednesday morning so why would a lot of people be shopping? Brad found a few things and I ended up with a brown Columbia fleece jacket. I can't wait to wear it. We left there (after what seemed like an eternity) to go to... Smoky Mountain Knife Works. For those of you that don't know... it's a huge, huge, huge building filled with knives and manly things. Luckily, they've added a ladies part that has things for the home, kitchen/food, and odds and ends to keep you occupied while your husband is off spending a large amount of time drooling over knives. Surprisingly, he didn't buy anything- he found several things though; so did I! After Bass Pro and SMKW (both manly stores), we went to Tanger!! Yippee for me! We parked and started walking. Both of us ended up with a couple of bags and tired feet! We stopped at Corky's for a quick meal and then headed to Maggie Valley (MV) (and this). I don't think it's that many miles, but it took two hours to get there- winding up and around mountains and curves. We quickly checked in and unloaded.

Thursday- Brad's favorite MV restaurant is closed on Thursdays so we found a place to eat called "Country Vittles". It was really good and I was stuffed. We left there and drove to Bryson City where we boarded a train! We took a tour from Bryson City to Dillsboro through the mountains. It was so pretty! We passed the spot where "The Fugitive" was filmed when Harrison Ford's prison bus collides with a train. I have pictures! We had a 90 minute layover in Dillsboro so Brad and I walked around and ended up at a cute little dog bakery! We told the owner about Amos and he gave us a free dog treat- a huge peanut butter bone dipped in doggie safe chocolate and covered in sprinkles. How sweet! We walked in and around a few more stores, stopped for lemonade and a homemade pretzel then loaded the train again. On our way back to Maggie from Bryson City, we stopped at a gas station so Brad could get something to drink. He found a "Cheerwine"-- apparently another favorite thing of his. It tasted almost like a cherry Dr. Pepper to me; I wouldn't want to drink a lot of it- too sweet. Next stop was in Cherokee and we shopped and got plenty of fudge for the trip back up the mountain. We then stopped in Waterrock Knob. It's an area where you can pull off the main road and have a great 360 degree view of the mountains. It wasn't crowded at all so we had room to move and look and take pictures. They even have a trail where you can walk up the mountain to the top to get a better view. There's a small area at 0.2 mile marker then the big one is 0.5 miles away from the parking lot. We thought we'd go all the way to the top, but that didn't happen. First, I think I had some sort of asthma attack (I need to look into that). I finally got that over with and then we see a SNAKE slithering it's scary little self around the path. There was NO WAY I was climbing the rest of the way after seeing that. I think Brad got mad (ok, I know he did), but I didn't care. He could go without me-- I was going back down! He ended up coming down with me and I really hate we missed the great lookout point, but that think freaked me out!!! We walked around the nice paved area and then drove back. We made it back to Maggie in time to eat at Brad's favorite dinner restaurant- J. Arthur's. We stuffed ourselves with cheese sticks, bread, salad, steaks and turtle pie. My "well done" steak was still bleeding so luckily I didn't have to eat it and ordered dessert. Why didn't I send it back? Because I was full and I knew Brad would eat it later. Y'all, that turtle pie was SO stinking good. It would have been better if I wasn't so full, but Brad and I split it. I should have taken a picture... One night we went to a miniature golf place and I'm pretty sure it was Thursday night OR Friday night. Either way, I ended up winning! I'm still not sure how that happened seeing as I haven't played putt-putt since Brad and I played together in Panama City in 2002!! For my prize I got a Nehi peach drink. I LOVE peach drinks, but Stewart's stopped selling them. I found this one at the golf place and had to have one. It was yummy (when I drank it the next day!)

Friday- Brad and I went to Joey's Pancake House for breakfast. This was Brad's favorite place to eat when he was younger and would go to MV every year. I'll admit, it was pretty darn good (and super fast too). We had the best service we've ever had at a restaurant- super friendly and helpful. I ordered pecan pancakes and cleaned my plate. I won't even go into telling what all Brad had!! Afterwards, we braved Ghost Town. It's an amusement park on top of a mountain. The only way to get there is to ride a chair lift up a mountain. I've been on the chairlift in Gatlinburg; it was the baby version compared to this one. It looks like you go straight up... and you pretty much do! I was a baby and kept my eyes closed most of the time with my hand firmly squeezing Brad's leg and threatening him if he talked about how high up we were or giving me any details. I have a few pictures of that too! Brad rode the roller coaster that goes out over the mountain (the cliff hanger coaster) and we walked around the "ghost town" and saw a gun shoot-out and a bluegrass band perform. We also rode the scenic train around the "town". Brad used to go to Ghost Town every year as a child, so it was nice for him to be able to go back there and enjoy it like he was a kid again! We acted like kids most of the time we were gone! Ha! After riding the chair lift back down the mountain we went to a few of the local shops before going to eat Mexican for supper. It was delicious and hit the spot!

Saturday- We went back to Joey's for breakfast. This time I had regular pancakes. Still yummy. And Brad? Well, he's a growing boy. Ha!! The weather was raining and foggy so we decided to get off the mountain and go back to Pigeon Forge. We went back to Bass Pro and SMKW for Brad to pick up the things he was drooling and eyeing for the first time we were there. Then, my darling, sweet husband took me back to Tanger! I ran back into a few stores I had found things in and ended up with another bag and a nativity scene. We also went to another store I was dying to go into and then we went to eat at an Italian place. It was expensive, had bad service, and the food wasn't worth it if you ask me. We drove back to MV and headed to bed.

Sunday- we packed up and then headed to Joey's. I won't even embarrass myself any further on food. After that we were headed back home. We made a stop in Cherokee to restock on fudge and taffy (that mostly Brad ate). Back on the road...we made good timing despite a wrong turn or two (we were trying a new route). We stopped outside of Huntsville and ate then drove on get Amos. He was pouting at first, but then he was so happy for us to be home and for him to be home. He was spoiled Sunday night! I worked on laundry (Side note: how much laundry can two people create in 5 days plus new clothes they bought?? 8 loads) and unpacking then I rested.

Monday- Brad had to work (I didn't... thank you Mr. Columbus!) so I had to wake up to wake him up! He was off to work and I was busy spoiling Amos, doing laundry, working around the house, making a grocery list, and trying to catch up on my DVR'd shows. I went to the grocery store then home to unload, pick up Amos, and head to mom and dad's. It was nice to go home and visit (and eat grilled burgers) and see Chloe (and the rest of the family). She was excited to hear about the train ride and even more excited to get her happy I bought her from Ghost Town. It was a horse (her favorite thing at the moment) and a t-shirt with horses on it. I also brought taffy and fudge for the family. I got to visit with them then it was back home. One of the things Brad bought from Bass Pro was a jerky gun (similar to this) so he made deer jerky last night while I got to catch up on tv, internet, and rest. He's so sweet. Afterwards, he grabbed the remote and turned on football. I went to bed! HA!

Tuesday-next month- I'll spend this time catching up after being off work for so long.


I tried to link to all of the places and things I wrote about. If I skipped something, let me know! I'll try to post pictures tonight.

Trying not to sound whiney

I'm not certain where I left off last time, but I'll try to get you all (ok, my two readers) up to date :)


I have been putting in a lot of extra hours at work recently. Too bad everything is confidential and I can't share with you exactly what I have been doing! Last week is almost a blur to me... luckily I depend on my daily planner. I don't know what I would do without it! Thursday after working to 7pm I ran home to watch Bones! I was so thrilled about the season premier, but it wasn't what I was hoping for. I know that once those two get together then there really won't be anywhere for the show to go, but still!!

Friday was a rainy mess. A lot of the streets were flooded and cars were stalling out. I (being completely insane) was determined that Amos was getting a bath from the vet so we braved the flooded streets and he smelled so much better Friday afternoon. Brad and I went to Taylor's Escape to eat after work. I love that place! Then we went home and I got caught up on some of my dvr'd shows after cleaning most of the house. It was nice relaxing for once!

Saturday, we slept late (8am!) then I got started on laundry and Brad cooked pancakes! Later he decided we should go to Tupelo. There was some sort of "Sportsmen's Bonanza" that Brad wanted to go to. We walked around for a bit and quickly got tired of all the cute little kids running around blowing duck calls in our ears! Brad bought a "Scentlock" bag to put his hunting things in when he goes to Arkansas. That thing was half price! Woohoo! We also got food... ha! Brad got three types of jerky and something called "Cowboy Candy" (candied jalapenos) and some type of salsa that had habaneros and pineapple and mango. Think about that combination! In reality, it really is good! I got a jar of sweet potato butter. It is absolutely delicious! In fact, we had a meal Sunday with rolls just so we could eat the butter; although I fear I'll be eating it with a spoon straight out of the jar soon. Ok, back on track, we left there and went to the APO for Brad to check something out and then headed to the mall to eat. Brad and I are indecisive and I'm picky and it's so much simpler to eat at a food court so we can both get what we want. We walked around a bit then left. I'm so mad at myself because I've been begging to go to Bath and Body Works for two weeks now and I finally get to the mall and forget where I wanted to go?!?! After the mall, I wanted to go to Hobby Lobby. Brad was kind (or stupid) enough to go in with me. About three minutes into it he starts getting antsy and ready to leave. I reminded him I kindly walked around the duck call bonanza for far longer than we would be in HL. I found several (and I mean several) things in HL I wanted but I used self control {that and the fact my hubs was with me}.

We drove back home and I went grocery shopping. Who doesn't love grocery shopping on a Saturday?? Kidding... Not one person in their right mind would say they loved it! I hope not anyway! It's crowded. It's loud. It's a hot mess.

Sunday, Brad and I went to my mom's church for their Homecoming. They had a family from a neighboring church to sing and they were wonderful! Afterwards, we ate in the fellowship hall and the food was wonderful! A good friend of the family made these potatoes that were absolutely delish! In fact, Brad attempted to copy them later that night. We stuffed ourselves and went back home to rest. See, early Sunday morning I let Amos out to run around and later called him back in the house. I was mixing some things to make this dessert dish for homecoming and Brad was helping when all of a sudden Amos started getting sick. in the house. in the kitchen. more than once. I'll spare more details but apparently our goofy dog ate mud then followed it down with muddy water. That runs us late then I run into the bathroom to blow dry my hair when I see a tiny looking blue/green fireball come from the hair dryer! Needless to say "someone" was not having a good hair day at church. That plus the fact it's rained since Labor Day!!
After a short nap, Brad decides he's going to cook. Why stop him? He cooked deer minute steaks plus those potatoes I talked about earlier, plus he cooked come carrots in cinnamon. AND we had rolls with sweet potato butter!! Y-U-M! We invited the Wilhites over and I made the apple blueberry crunch for dessert.

Monday I took the laptop to get cleaned. Apparently we got some sort of Trojan and $80 later it was fixed. I worked even more and then went back to the grocery store to get a few things I forgot Saturday. I left there and met Brad at the airport. Since the plane is officially his and he now has insurance on it and we had a freak afternoon of no rain he wanted to take it up. He flew "in the pattern" (basically he flew circles around the airport) checking things out and he safely landed. He was like a kid in a candy store. I took pictures, but haven't uploaded them yet. I'll do that this weekend... maybe... that's a whole other story to tell.

Tuesday was more work then Kayla was sweet enough to volunteer to help me out at a college/career fair at Corinth High School from 530-730 that afternoon. It was a terrible turn out, but I think we had fun being out of our houses and routine.

Wednesday was busy too with errands and the usual. I started making coffee Wednesday morning and noticed two wet spots on the ceiling! I quickly added something to Brad's to-do list for that afternoon. I stopped by Kirkland's after work for some quick retail therapy. What did we do before they opened? That little trip made me feel much better then I picked Amos up and we headed home. Brad got home shortly after and repaired the roof (now we have to do something about the big brown spot on our ceiling)! I made shrimp and chicken Alfredo for dinner/supper and then we crashed on the couch. I finally got to watch House's season premier. It was ok, but I'm excited for next week! Brad has been sick for a few days so he didn't care what I was watching.

That brings us to today! Yay! Are you still paying attention? Do you care about today? :) Brad went to the doctor this morning and got two shots (one antibiotic and one steroid) plus three prescriptions for more antibiotics, steroids, and an ointment. They did blood work and they're going to test for Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever! We should have those results in a few days I would think. Now, I'm about to leave for lunch (my second lunch in two weeks! :)). My grandmother and her twin sister's birthdays are tomorrow; my niece's 4th birthday party is Saturday (her birthday is the 29th) and then my sister's birthday is Sunday. Bookland/Hallmark will love to see me coming today! :)

If you made it to the end I want to thank you by sharing a recipe that was in our newspaper yesterday.

Hot Fudge Pie
1 stick margarine
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup plain flour

Melt margarine; add rest of ingredients. Pour into pie plate and bake 25 minutes at 325 degrees. Enjoy! I haven't made it yet, but a co-worker did and said she scooped it out as soon as it was done and covered it in ice cream and it was delicious. I'll be making it tonight if at all possible!

Whew!

Ok, sadly, I had to read my last post to even know where to begin on this one. You have really missed out on some things that have been happening lately. HA!

Thursday, Lori and I decorated at church. We set out some nice fall flowers in the urns and put the wreaths on the door. Two other ladies had already finished so much when we got there!
Friday was almost a date night for us. We tried out the Shrimp Boat Cafe in town. They have a variety of seafood such as crab claws and alligator meat. Don't worry, they have catfish and chicken too! Afterwards we went home and crashed. Brad forced me to watch 3:10 to Yuma. Luckily I found a magazine to read and played on the Internet. If I'm going to watch a Western, I would prefer an action packed one or at least something that holds my attention. This one? I was yawning 10 minutes into it.
Saturday was busy (as usual). I met my mother and some coworkers at the Green Market downtown and shopped for a bit; had new tires put on my car; grocery shopped, and attended a benefit for a friend's father. I left my house around 9:30 that morning and got home 12 hours later.
Sunday was worse. Brad found a plane in Nashville, TN so he called the man to schedule a time (we were hoping for Saturday, but we weren't so lucky). We pulled out of our driveway at 6:30 am Sunday morning. It was DARK, people... dark. We dropped Amos off at my in-laws' and headed North. We drove about an hour northeast of Nashville- almost the Kentucky line- to a tiny little town named Lafayette, TN. It's a tobacco farming community and it is one sad sight. We drove down this one road and almost every house had a "For Sale" sign in the yard. Every back we passed had several cars that were apparently repossessed. At every intersection there were auctioning signs. It was so sad.
What I found odd was that every house was either a newer mobile home with a nice drive and landscaping or a newer home. We did see a few old houses, but most looked new. We also saw a lot of barns that looked identical. Later we found out that they are identical because they are all used to cure the tobacco. Back to the original train... the newness of the town (is "newness" a word?). The main street was freshly paved; there was a brand new Wal-Mart supercenter; there were brand new fast food restaurants- Hardee's, KFC, Long John Silver's, etc...; the banks even looked new. BUT 75-85% of the houses are for sale or being auctioned off due to foreclosure.
Back to the plane... since we got there so early we stopped for an early lunch and a walk around Wal-Mart to stretch our legs. You see, Brad is not one to stop on a 4 hour drive- even if you really, really have to go! The walking was nice! We got to the hangar and met with the mechanic and the owner. The plane is identical to Snoopy... long white snout with black nose. Brad checked it out, liked it, and offered to buy it IF our aero-mechanic approved of it. We drove back from Lafayette and the owner flew the plane down to the Corinth airport. Are you getting tired of reading yet??
We picked the guy up and drove him to Pickwick to his sail boat and dropped him off. We picked Amos up and headed straight for home. So, we left our house at 6:30am and got home 15 hours later.
That leads us to Monday. Monday was spent trying not to fall asleep at work plus trying to get the financing straight and the plane checked out. We figured the man would the plane down a few days or the next weekend-- not the same day-- so we weren't really prepared. Everything on the plane checked out and Brad left out about 6pm driving the man back to Nashville. I went to Bunco after work and got home about 11 that night. I stayed up until Brad got home at 12:30. We were in bed before 1 and I was back up at 6.
Now we're at Tuesday when I got up at 6am. Needless to say, I drove straight to the coffee shop after dropping Amos off this morning. I slurped that puppy down after I added a few packets of Splenda. I'm still trying to stay awake today. I'm praying that the cleaning fairy showed up at my house! I mean... we haven't really been home since Friday night. Ha! One day I think we'll be boring people, but not now... that's for sure.

Oh, Big Brother will be on tonight!!!! Bones comes back on Thursday and House starts Monday!! I can.not.wait.!!!

I think this puts you up to date, but I had no less than ten interruptions while typing this so there is NO TELLING what I just typed or how bad I will leave you confused. Leave a comment and I'll try to clear things up... right after I have another cup of coffee or caffeinated beverage.

Oh, another thought-- Prixie had around 1200 miles added to her this weekend. I'm sure we broke in the new tires!!

Oh, I forgot my camera Sunday so I have zero pictures of Lafayette, TN and all of the tobacco fields.

Rest? On a Weekend?

Wow! Did anyone else have such a busy weekend that they actually went to work Monday to rest?

Friday was low-key. A friend of Brad's bought an airplane and had it delivered to the airport in Corinth. Larry, the friend, and Brad took it up for about an hour that evening. Afterwards, we went to Ruby Tuesday with a friend to eat. One bad thing about living in a small town is that there is only one restaurant still serving food at 9pm or after-- and that's Ruby Tuesday.

Saturday was fun too. My grandmother, mother, sister, niece, and I loaded up and went to Memphis for a little shopping trip. I spent more money on Amos than I did myself. He got new treats and a cute treat jar plus a new 50lb bag of dog food, a bed, and a new toy! I ended up with a black pair of pants, a top, and a dress. We were in Memphis a lot longer than we had planned but we had a great time. I ended up losing my sunglasses, but it's ok- I only buy cheap ones because I'm terrible about losing them! I got back home just in time for Pug, his son, Tyler, his daughter, Haley, and Brad to get home. Pug took the kids swimming and Brad had been in Tupelo flying. We decided against going to the Tuff Truck :( but we grilled out instead. There's nothing like Brad's famous grilled burgers, rotel, baked beans, chicken wings, and boudain to keep people happy! Ok, I do NOT eat boudain- I only buy it. I don't even touch the stuff when it's not in it's original packaging. Saturday was the first time I got to hang out with Haley- that girl is a hoot!

Sunday was family day at my mom's church. All the cute little kids from VBS were there to do their presentation. Afterwards we ate then the kids got to jump on a bouncy thing and eat snow cones. We left from there and went to a baby shower for one of our cousin's. Kelly's little boy, Zachary, was born prematurely so we didn't get to have her a baby shower before he arrived. I missed out on the 2nd baby shower I was invited to for the day, but we went over to the couple's house last night so I could give our gift and check out all of her little baby goodies.

I will spend this afternoon and tonight cleaning up from the guests, the cookout, and my usual weekend cleaning. I hate cleaning, but I'm so glad that our AR friends got to visit!

Friday Five

Friday Five for this week has me thinking what I want to share. Food is on my brain at the moment- imagine that? I'm always thinking about food. And since we are on the subject (excuse me for using "and" to start a sentence) the annual Slugburger Festival is this weekend. (This was the only info I could find!) Can't wait! We always go on Saturday night with Kenny & Jenessa. It's a tradition we have had since Brad and I started dating. This year we've moved it to tonight (Friday). Brad and I have plans tomorrow- more on that later. Normally we all get slugburgers and sit on the courthouse steps to eat and watch people. The slug fest brings out a variety of people-- some good, others bad. After that Brad and Jenessa ride a few of the rides and Kenny and I walk around. Yes, you read that right- Brad and Jenessa and me and Kenny. See, Kenny and I aren't "ride riding people" but Brad and Jenessa love too-- it all works out well if you ask me.



On to why we had to reschedule-- tomorrow night Brad and I will be meeting our Sunday school class at a family restaurant. We have been trying to get together since Christmas- yes, I know it's July. Afterwards, we plan on going bowling. I'm still processing this. I am terrible at bowling and I'd rather not make a fool out of myself in front of everyone, but I think it might be fun. Although, one girl won't be able to bowl-- she's expecting twin girls in six weeks!! I might keep her company on the bench :)

Sunday should be interesting. Brad and a fellow pilot, Charles, are flying out of Tupelo some time around 8am going to McCrory, AR then flying from there to Tunica, MS, then back to Tupelo. Both guys have their private pilot and they are building their hours for their commercial. Brad has about 70 hours right now and needs 250 to get his commercial. After they get back, Brad then has an appointment with his instructor, Thomas. Brad will be working his instrument rating that afternoon. He basically has to be able to take off and land the plane without seeing outside- only using his instruments. He has these "cool" shades he gets to wear, except his are black.

I plan on doing the regular wife thing this weekend- shopping, grocery shopping, cleaning, laundry, etc...

I almost forgot!!

Friday Five- Five Things That Have Happened This Week

1. Tuesday night was our monthly Bunco session. We met at Ashley's house this time... I love her house and she has the cutest little girl, Hallie. I also won "Most Buncos"! Go me!

2. I had to take Amos to the vet's office Wednesday. He has a serious ear infection in his left ear. He has been making weird noises this week- noises I've never heard him make. Noises I would imagine sounds similar to what dinosaurs used to sound like.

3. I bought a CD this week. Quite possibly the first one I've bought in over a year. It's Beyonce- her Sasha Fierce CD. I bought it with the gift card I got for winning at Bunco the other night.

4. I just had my first vanilla Coke from Sonic -- Not quite sure what to think. Either they somehow messed it up or I don't like it. It doesn't taste like vanilla or coke.

5. Hopefully, Brad and I will finish our guest bedroom this weekend. We need to trim out the window, hang the rods, valances, pictures and finish the bedside table. I am so excited about this.
If you've made it this far, I applaud you. I hope you have a great weekend!!

I hope you have a great weekend!!

Friday Five

Happy early Independence Day!!

I thought I would change things up a bit. My very generous boss is letting us close the bank at 3pm today!!

Friday Five: Below are my 5 favorite places to eat
1. Outback Steakhouse- their blooming onion, Aussie cheese fries, salads, steaks, etc... yum!
2. Papa Johns- I always get the pepperoni with extra pepperocini and garlic sauce.
3. Pizza Grocery- it's a local place similar to Old Venice. I usually order something different every time I go- although their JB Special pizza is my favorite.
4. Taylor's Escape- another local place. They serve steaks, chicken, bbq, ribs, etc... I always get their grilled chicken with a sweet potato and a salad. They have good steaks too!
Last but not least...
5. Baskin Robbins- ok, so I can't really "eat" there, but I have a serious love for ice cream. I swap between their chocolate chip cookie dough and their pralines-n-cream.

That's it for today... Can you tell I'm hungry?? Since I get to leave work at 3pm today I didn't feel the need to eat lunch while I was out; I'm regretting that now!

Have a fabulous Fourth of July!!

Small Town Living

I had three errands to run on my one hour lunch break today. I leave work, hop in the car and start driving to my first destination. I come to a 4-way stop and make my complete stop, take my foot off the brake and start applying it to the gas pedal when a truck hauling a trailer pulls out in front of me. The man didn't even do a "pause-and-go"!! This aggravated me, but I've come to realize that there are very few people in this town that know what '4-Way Stop' means.

So I follow the man to the next stop light. It's red so I'm sitting there waiting on it to turn to green- it does, but the man doesn't go. I can see that he's texting or doing something on his cell phone. I wait as long as I can then I blew/honked my horn. There was a police officer next to us, but I did it anyway. He still doesn't go; then the car behind me blew/honked his horn. The man still didn't go. Then the guy just lays on his horn. Apparently the goofy driver has hearing trouble. Finally he looked up and started going after the light changed to yellow. I

'm not sure what the police officer could have done, but I was thinking he might do something! After that I went to Sonic and got my sweet tea! Things are much better now.