How adorable is this movie? Ratatouille!! Disney & Pixar did good with this one. I wasn't so sure about the characters being rats. (I did NOT like Valiant, didn't think the birds made good characters) These were hilarious, fun and lovable rats though. I loved the characters, the plot, the setting, everything! I think this one has the potential to become a Disney hit for sure! Guess we'll see how the rest of the world takes to it. I loved it !!!

Summer Reading
Part 1

I am going to start this as saying it's part 1. Since June isn't even over yet, I am sure there will be more parts to follow! If you know me, you know I spend my summers reading like crazy!! Although this summer has been BUSY so far, I have had tons of down time to read. I just finished book #21 of the summer tonight. (Yep, I said TWENTY-ONE) Needless to say, I also read VERY fast!! That's close to a book a day. So here ya go. My book list of best reads so far this summer, here goes! Top 5 with explanations, then "the others".


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#5 - "Maximum Ride 3: Saving the World & Other Extreme Sports" - James Patterson
Of course any book by James Patterson rocks my world. He has one (of my top two) favorite writing styles with his super short chapters. You can not put the book down, because each chapter is only 3-5 pages long, keeps you soooo into the story. This is the 3rd in the series about the "winged kids" that is written for the teeny bopper clan. I love the stories though and think they are a super read! He is by far my favorite mystery writer EVER!!!! Several of his books are movies and there will be a TV series about his "women's murder club" books this fall!!! If you've never read his books, try one!!!!



#4 - "Summer Sisters" - Judy Blume
I just found out in the last month that Judy Blume has four novels written for adults, who knew? Her older children's books are fantastic. This was a SUPER book about two friends and their summer adventures from when they are young until they are 20something. It kept me guessing and I could NOT put it down when we were on vacation!! Kinda... "racy" if you will, may shock you a little, but worth it!!




#3 - "The Last Summer of You & Me" - Ann Brashares
I love Ann Brashares who wrote the "Sisterhoood of the Traveling Pants" books!! Those are big time favorites. They are written for a teeny bopper, young adult age group - I LOVE them though!! Cheesy, but cute and sweet! This is her first 'written for adults' novel and it was fantastic. It's the story of two sisters and their best friend, who is a guy, and their adventures during the summer at the summer homes on Fire Island. How the friendships grow and change over the years and what happens when they become young adults. It's a GREAT book!! WOWIE~




#2 - "Lean Mean Thirteen" - Janet Evanovich
The only reason that this book is #2 and not #1 is because it's the 13th in a series. It's awesome, made me laugh out loud more than once. The language is horrible, but you have to adore Stephanie Plum, Morelli, Ranger, Bob the dog and what about Grandma?!!?! I wish they'd make these into movies, what a HOOT that would be! Janet Evanovich is amazing and I count down days until her new books come out. I tried to save the #1 spot for a newer book that I didn't know what the story was going to be about and I found one.



#1 - "Baby Proof" - Emily Giffin
Thanks Misty for introducing me to this author through "Something Borrowed" and "Something Blue". Emily Giffin is my favorite "new" author of the year. (Much like Mary Kay Andrews last year) I LOVED this story, the characters are a hoot (think "Sex in the City"), keeps you guessing what will happen (and wishing), several great plots going on and I love her writing style. I am totally in love with this book! I think I'll read it again this summer!

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Here are 'the others'.

Judith Bowen - "Men of Glory" - These were Harlequin romance books. there were 8 in the series and I read them all.
Lynnette Kent - "The Scrapbook" - Another Harlequin. She's one of my favorite 'trashy romance' authors and this one was awesome!!! It's about a Navy family and it's a flash back kind of story.
Catherine Coulter - "Born to be Wild" one of Mom's authors.
Sandra Brown - "Ricochet" one of Mom's authors, ok mystery.
Richard Paul Evans - "The Christmas Box" for about the 5th time.
Richard Paul Evans - "The Christmas Box Miracle"
Danielle Stee - "H.R.H" one of Mom's authors.
..and 2 more Harlequins that I can't remember..

June 12, 2007
8 Fantastic Years

On Tuesday Andy & I celebrated 8 fantastic years together! Crazy how fast time flies. On one hand, it seems like just the other day that I was in high school or college. On the other hand though, it seems more like 28 years of marriage rather than 8 and it's hard to remember life before we were married!

I am blessed to be married to my favorite person in the world and my best friend! I'm 100% positive that we were made for each other and God knows what he's doing!

Andy also did GOOD and bought me the Peacock Vera Backpack, how sweet is he?
See my previous blog tribute to my Vera obsession,
this makes 8! And yep, this was a picture from Disney.
We didn't take one last night when we went to dinner
or came home to watch "Everybody Loves Raymond"
DVDs. He he he.... Old, boring, married people ..
that's us!!
We are going to St. Thomas next month though!

44 Days & Counting!

Guess who is returning to St. Thomas in July? You guessed it, the Tanners! We couldn't have been more shocked to learn that Andy is 1 of 5 people from the Georgia National Guard invited to attend a conference in the Virgin Islands. How amazing is that? I want even begin to tell you the deal that we're getting, you wouldn't believe it. We're going for pretty much nothing! (However most of you know because I've went on and on and on about it!!) We're staying at the Sugar Bay all inclusive Resort! It's only for 3 nights and Andy is going to be in the conference most of the two full days that we're there...NOT ME!! We fly down at 10:00AM on Monday, July 23rd and will be soaking up island sun by 2:00 that afternoon! We've been talking about it being the most gorgeous place we'd ever been and wondering when we'd be able to get back!! Here are some pictures from our last visit as we get excited about the next~ (The first picture is where we will be staying this time!)

Another Survey:
Are you kidding me? Giving in to peer pressure, as usual!
You guys know I can't pass one of these stupid things up!
Plus, it lets me put off cleaning just a little while longer..
..so here goes~

1. When’s the last time you ran?

Are you kidding me? Ran?

2. Do your jeans have rips, tears, and holes in them?
On the bottoms, because they are too long .....

3. What are you dreading right now?
Cleaning!!!!

4. Did you celebrate 4/20?
Did I miss something?

6. Favorite ice cream?
I'd rather have an icee or smoothie. Chocolate though when it's ice cream.

7. When was your last doctor’s visit?
Last month.

8. Do you get the full 8 hours of sleep a night?
Not during the school year work week, otherwise YEP - I LOVE to sleep!!!

12. If anyone came to your house on your “lazy days” what would they find you wearing?
"Play Clothes" - shorts and a t-shirt

14. Have you ever been on your school’s track team?
Are you kidding?

15. Do you own a pair of Converse?
Nope.

17. Do you eat raw cookie dough?
Yep

19. Don’t you hate when the radio ruins good songs by playing them too much?
Not really, I'm usually hooked on it and don't get tired of it for awhile.

21. Do you watch Trading Spaces?
Use to watch it ALL the time, not so much anymore.

22. How do you eat oreos?
Dunk 'em in milk!!

23. Have you ever stayed online for a very long time waiting for someone?
Nope, but I do check to see who is on my instant message list when I'm on.

24. Are you cocky?
About some things I guess

30. Could you live without a computer?
Seriously? Not for long I hope!

31. Do you wear your shoes in the house?
Never!!!

33. At what age did you find out that Santa wasn’t real?
He's what??

34. How many phones, house phones and cell phones are in your house?
3 House Phones & 2 cell phones

35. What do you do when you’re sad?
Cry, read, watch sappy movies....

36. Who would you call first if you won the lottery?
Andy

37. Last time you saw your best friends?
My closest ones, week before last -
My oldesst ones, about a year ago

40. Who or what sleeps with you?
A hubby, a dog, sometimes a cat and way too many pillows
(and currently a Winnie the Pooh stuffed animal that Andy bought me on our trip, yep... I'm SERIOUS)

AND NOW MOVING ONTO FORTY FiVE OUT OF NOWHERE…

45. Is anyone on your bad side right now?
Kinda

46. What jewelry are you wearing?
None (took my rings off b/c my hands were dry and lotioned up earlier)

47. What’s the first thing you do when you get online?
Check email, look at IM list, the farm, friends blogs

49. Do you watch Grey’s Anatomy?
Never miss it!!

50. How do most people spell your name?
Correctly, other than my great aunt who spells it Monaca....
Then there's the other friend whose known to spell it Moncia - and she's known me for 20+ years

51. Would you wear a boy/girlfriends clothes?
Yep, was known to steal them forever. Hubbys tshirts, yep!

54. Where do you work?
I'm semi retired! he he he .. Preschool 3 hours a day, 4 days a week ...
Off for TEN WEEKS, woooo whooooo

56. What are you doing tomorrow?
Hanging with "the wee one", going to stay with my still "on bed rest" Mom

57. Is Justin Timberlake becoming the next Michael Jackson?
I don't get it?

58. Favorite name for a girl?
I like all these new "different" names or boy ish names for girls!
Grace is a favorite these days too

59. Favorite name for a boy?
Family names: Lee, Cole, Roy, William,

60. Will you keep your last name if you get married?
Nope, didn't. Not even using the initial.

61. Your favorite restaurant you don’t get to eat much at?
Angelos & Captain Andersons - once a year at the beach
Tokyo's Japanese - b/c it does scary things to my stomach

62. When is the last time you left your house?
Yesterday to take lunch we cooked to my parents

67. Do you return your cart?
Yep, drives me NUTS when people leave them everywhere!!!

69. Do you have a dishwasher?
Yep, can't imagine living without it.

70. What noise do you hear?
TV, Mom on the phone yapping away, Gizmo snoring

71. Would you survive in prison?
Doubt it!!!

72. Next concert you hope to go to?
I'd like to go to ANY one I guess, it'd have to be with friends though. Andys such a stick in the mud about that kind of stuff.

73. What was the last thing you ate?
Pop Tart & diet coke

74. Who was the last person you said “i love you” to and meant it?
Andy this morning

75. Who is the youngest in your family?
My house, that would be me - he he he
My immediate family, only child - that would be me
My extended family - that would be Dylan on my side and Layla on Andy's side

76. If all of your friends were going on a road trip, who would be the most likely to over pack?
Me for sure, I like to pack for ANY thing that MIGHT come up!

77. Do you know anyone with the same name as you?
Not personally, use too....

78. How many shoes do you own?
No idea, not as many as most women though. Shoes aren't my thing, if they feel good I wear them until they fall apart. Now purses, that's another story-

79. when was the last time you ate peanut butter?
Last week. I like to eat it by the spoon full!

81. What service is your cell phone?
Cingular

82. What’s for dinner?
Salmon patties and biscuits (welcome to the South 'Yall)

83. What’s the last thing you purchased?
Groceries - Saturday night -

84. Do your siblings ever pay for stuff for you?
Don't have any, but my parents sure do!! (see only child comment, he he he)

85. Where is your cell phone?
Laying here beside me, I couldn't remember Grandma's new phone number.

86. Is your phone on vibrate or ring?
Ring and LOUD

87. What brand are your pants right now?
Um .... n/a

89. Did you eat breakfast this morning?
Yep, answered this somewhere back there

90. Do you like marshmallows?
Yep, roasted over a campfire are the best!! I'll eat them anyway though: plain, in or on something! New faves are ones with chocolate in the middle that my friends brought me from Japan!

91. What irritates you most on the internet?
When I am typing something and it quits without me saving.

92. What brand is your digital camera?
Which one? Minolta is one and I can't remember the other two.
I'm saving right now to buy two more though: A biggie Nikon and a smallish Sony.

93. Do you watch movies with your parents?
Yep, mostly with Momma though .... we go to the movies ALOT

96. What song best describes your life right now?
Not sure?

97. Do you own expensive perfume/cologne?
Nah, I wear Victoria Secrets and it's not really expensive. I want a bottle from France ....EPCOTs France that is, but we didn't make it over there this time. Next trip, I am planning on it though!!!

98. Are you taking college classes right now?
Nope, thank heavens that part of my life is done!! I could be interested in going back again (though I do have my bachelors thank you very much), but don't know if I could sit through classes again.

101. Do you like sushi?
No way, no how, cook my fish please!!

102. Do you get your hair cut every month?
HA!!! No way. (and my Mom is a retired hair dresser) I'm always stuck between keep the short hair style or let it grow and put it up. Let it grown and put it up is winning again right now!!

103. Do you go online everyday?
FOR SURE, my computer stays online 24/7 and I just go in and out of the room. (or currently check it as it sits here on the couch)

MORE Pictures
These are from my phone!
(I'm thinking they look familiar to Dad & Misty)

Us at the Pool

MGM

1 out of oodles of bunnies @ EPCOT
(they were at every park and our resort)

I told ya I love this guy, here's a poster of him!

Mickey Waffles - Yummo!

YUMMO! Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich, the way it SHOULD be done!
Fresh choc. chip cookies, chocolate ice cream!
HOLY COW!!
I could only eat half.
And Misty, for the record... I'm guessing even more than a
gazillion WW points! You were more than right!!

My innter brat comes out!
I don't wanna go!!!!!!!!
WHY are we not staying through the holiday weekend?
Remind me please?!?!

The Pictures~

At the Poly, right after a HUGE meal @ O'Hana!!
Our #1 Favorite place to eat in "all the world"!

On the "Great Movie Ride", gotta love it!
My sweetie hubby bought me a prize too, see my favorite bear
there in the picture?!?!

Flower & Garden Festival, which is awesome I might add.
We missed most of it though. The only time we went to EPCOT was
at night, all THREE times!! Oops~ We never got to see all the cool stuff.
We ran out of time SO FAST!!

Friends whom I adore and can't wait to go back with again!
Right Guys???!!!??
(are they gonna shoot me for posting a picture of them?)
The only one I have of all of us is one I'm buying that the
photographer took. Why didn't we ask someone to take more
of us?! Duh~

#1 Reason I MUST buy TWO new digi cameras!!
This small cheap one always takes blurry pics, I hate that!!
I want a "biggie" one too. Guess I outta stop traveling and save?
Singing in the Rain~

I love Kelley, yes I do. I love Kelley, how 'bout you?!
Finally, we get our dates together!!
Out of 5 pics, this one is the "least blurry".
And later I say, crap... I didn't take one with Tom too!!
Why didn't you say "HEY, WHAT ABOUT ME?" boy??

My FAVORITE purple friend!!
I am 100% obsessed with FIGMENT, no doubts!
I didn't get to visit him this time though, he was always gone at night.
I also regret not getting the $7.99 ON SALE back pack at "his store". Ugh!
Why don't I just go ahead and buy these things?!

Guess that's me? Chicken First Class!!

Andy & Mr. Ed!
he he he

Bus Loads of Kids, Senior Trip Teenagers and Long Lines
OH MY!!!!

Wednesday afternoon we headed to Big River Grille @ the Boardwalk when Andy returned from his golf afternoon. He had fun and saw all sorts of wildlife to add to the list. (We'd already seen oodles of bunnies all over the resorts and parks and a raccoon) He saw 2 gators and 2 deer. Gotta love the wild life~

Met Amber & Jonathan for dinner, that was fun! I hope we continue to make a habit out of that! Better than the last trip when I made ya sit on a curb with me for 45 minutes huh??!!



Then we headed to MGM for some Muppet action, Little Mermaid viewing (never had seen it before, pretty cute), One Man's Dream and a Tower of Terror drop! (or two)




Thursday the resort got to nuts status. Funny how that happens. We had enjoyed it and not had any problems until then. The ball teams came in by the bus loads and it got pretty rowdy. The parks were the same way. We went to Animal Kingdom and it was "like a zoo"! We rode Dinosaur, got a fast pass for Everest and road Kali River. (First time on that, we were prepared with hats and plans for a short day) We had lunch (yep, in our wet clothes) and then road Everest before heading back. I have to say that Everest was just as fun as we'd remembered, though it made me even more "woozy" than the 1st time!! It's worth it, but I have to take it S L O W and low key for a little bit after!! (I'm getting so OLD)

Spent the last afternoon by the pool.*sigh* Then got ready for dinner @ Olivia's. YUMMY just like before!

We hit 3 parks in a day, first time we'd done that. After dinner we went to MK for SpectroMagic. It's my favorite part of the day and we'd missed it up until that night. After that we caught the monorail and went to EPCOT for some extra magic hours. (We did 4 nights of Extra Magic out of 6 while we were there. Never stayed the "full" time, but got a few extra hours and rides in for sure!) We rode Test Track again and Imagination. (I know, I know... I can't get enough of the little purple guy!)

By the time we left Friday morning, the resort was at miserable status. The lines for food were unreal and the kids everywhere were a little unruly. If we'd have stayed, we'd have complained about some stuff for sure. We sure made our All Stars stay, JUST IN TIME!!!

Our ride down was 7 hours, home was 10!! Ugh!!! I hate when that happens! There was a boat that had come off of a trailer on the Florida Turnpike and had traffic stopped for over an hour. The smoke around Valdosta (35ish miles both ways) was horrible!! Then we hit south Atlanta traffic coming in, about 6:30, on a Friday of a holiday weekend. Double Ugh, ugh, ugh!!!! Whew- We were GLAD to get to Dallas, Georgia for darn sure!!

Great trip though, tons of fun visiting with friends from all over the place. We're ready to go back, but aren't sure about the summer trip. The crowds the last few days reminded us of why we LOVE going in the OFF SEASON so much!! I am not sure we can take horrid crowds with triple digit temps as well. We'll see ... We ARE looking forward to the visit in September along with the Disney Cruise AND the October race weekend!! Can't wait for those~

Quick Disney Update

Ok, so here is the short version! Well, you know me ... as short as I can be for now.

Saturday - Arrived and checked out All Star Sports. We like it better than we thought we would. Cute decor, great pools, great food selection. Went to "The Crab House" for dinner, seafood buffet, thank you MISTY! Went to EPCOT for checking out refurbished Mexico ride (so disappointing) and Soarin'. (Which we still LOVE so much!)

Sunday - Breakfast with the whole gang and then Magic Kingdom. We rode a TON of stuff! It was hot, but not to the melting point yet. Perfect day. The crowds were not bad either, 20 minute lines were the longest. GREAT!! Here's a pic of me and the little one. More pics to come.



We went back for swim time and then returned to the Magic Kingdom for extra magic hours until the kiddos were too pooped to pop! Great day with friends!!

Monday - The gang spent the morning at the pool. They headed to downtown Disney and we headed to MGM for dinner @ Mama Melrose's and then met up with Kelley & Tom! Yay for friends!! Did some things at MGM that evening.

Tuesday - (friends left) Threw on a hat and headed to the Magic Kingdom. We rode a few things, including Splash Mountain... Where FINALLY Andy Lee got as SOAKED as I always do! He finally says "hey, I didn't know what the fuss was all about." Now... he DOES!! We returned for dry clothes and lunch, then hit the pool. Went to O'Hana for dinner, YUMMO! Our #1 fave place. And, for the record... don't knock the "new" menu until you've tried it. Sad the pineapple & caramel is gone, but have you actually tried the bread pudding with vanilla bean ice cream and hot caramel topping. HOLY CRAP!?! Went to EPCOT for extra magic, rode some stuff.

Wednesday - Slept L A T E .... I headed to the pool, where I spent FIVE hours!! Love hot weather, cool pool, ipod and good books! Andy played golf. He should be back soon and we're off to meet Amber for dinner.

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There ya have it. Yay for all sorts of different friends to hang out with. Yay for short lines and no crowds. Yay for hot enough to swim, but not melting temps. Sad for only one full day left. Yay for already thinking of another summer weekend trip and looking forward to for sure trips back in September and October!!

Relay for Life






The picture is blurry, sorry!

Relay for Life proved to be a wet event this year. Our preschool team was prepared for a night of fun and walking for the cause. We arrived to sunny skies and hot weather conditions. Within an hour we were watching the clouds move in. The thunderstorms arrived with a bang, literally. For 2 & 1/2 hours we were under the METAL covered horse arena with thousands of others. It was a hot and dusty situation for sure! We enjoyed each others company and awaited the events start.

They eventually started the relay inside under the arena with the Survivor's Walk, amazing for sure!! Then we walked as a team for a few laps, along with all the other teams... in the little circle of the arena. After some laps of trying to keep walking inside, we decided to call it a night. While we were all prepared to just walk outside in the rain, it was still lightning. The dust and crowds inside made it miserable to continue. Our team had already planned to leave at midnight and at 9:30 we packed up in the rain.

Our teams goal was $2,500 and I am proud to say that we raised $3,500!! Preschool families as well as our own friends and family made a huge contribution! We thank everyone tons for giving to the American Cancer Society!! While it might have rained out our long walk, our contributions will help make a difference!!

The end of the school year is near. Only 8 days left of this one. Amazing, seems like only a few weeks ago I wrote my "New Crop" blog about my new little friends. The year goes by so quickly. This has been an awesome year. This group of kids is the youngest group as a whole that I have ever had. That being said, they may be the sweetest! The parents have been one of (if not the) best group ever. They are amazing volunteers and many of them have become my very good friends. They have been there for me through some major things in my life this year. I have called on them for volunteers more so than ever in the past, putting them to work in the classroom often! The group of Moms have become my pals in a big way.

I sat down this past week to write individual letters to the kids about the year. The letters are just one of the scrapbook pages in the 44 page book that they will get! (Thanks to the help of some wonderful Moms who helped me this year) It's amazing to see how far some of them have come and how much they have changed. Crazy what 9 months can do. They've grown physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually. As excited as I get about the summer (and that is VERY excited), it's still hard for the year to end and say goodbye to the group! We've laughed together and cried together. We say I love you daily and we mean it whole heartedly!

I'm amazed when I think about one who came in my room not being able to recognize a single letter and is walking out the door knowing them all, capital and lower case. I am thrilled that another walked in the door very shy and without talking very much, he's going to walk out the door with a bounce in his step and tons of new friends and experiences behind him. I'm thankful that after days and days and days, that led to weeks and weeks and weeks of working with one little friend on shapes (that most kids know when they get to me, but this little munchkin had a mental block with) that friend walks out the door knowing them all finally. I could go on and on...

I'm thankful that every little friend walks out the door writing their first and last name, writing numbers & letters, being able to cut on lines, knowing rhyming words and opposites, following directions, knowing letter sounds, some being able to do simple addition, a few who are reading....

The thing I hope they all walk out the door with is the understanding that they are special, learning and school is alot of fun, they must always be kind and that they are loved. They are loved by family, friends, teachers and most of all a loving God! If they can remember those few simple things, I have done my job!

Today seems to be one of those days... I miss my Grand Daddy so much it hurts. There are so many times every day that I think of things I want to tell him or ask him. More often than not, the past two weeks I tried not to think of him as much as I could. I still can't think of him without the tears, I know it'll get better. Then of course it catches up with ya... and here I sit. This evening I sat on the front porch tonight watching the squirrels play, thinking about all the times we sat on the front porch at his house .. just being. Often when I called he'd say he was "just watching the world go by". Somtimes it's nice to sit down for a minute and just watch the world go by. I wish he could sit on the porch and watch it go by with me~

Do you listen to Christian music? I know most of you don't. There is this song by Mark Harris that rocks my world right now. I have to either turn it off or pull over when I'm driving, sends me into a tizzy. Here it is though, beautiful words.....

Wish You Were Here
-Mark Harris

I wanted to tell you how closely Ive kept
The memories of you in my heart
And all of the lifetimes that we've had to share
Live even though we're apart

But dont cry for me
'Cause I'm finally free

To run with the angles
On streets made of gold
To listen to stories of saints new and old
To worship our Maker
That's where I'll be
When you finally find me


No dont you be weary cause waiting for you
Are wonders that you've never known
Just hold on to Jesus, reach out for His hands
And one day they'll welcome you home

And that's when you'll be
Finally Free
Finally Free

To run with the angles
On streets made of gold
To listen to stories of saints new and old
To worship our Maker
That's where I'll be
When you finally find me

I wish you we're here
I wish you we're here


And all of the dreams that you treasure
Will soon come together
And that's when your sorrow will tomorrow
And you will rise again

To run with the angles
On streets made of gold
To listen to stories of saints new and old
To worship our Maker
That's where I'll be
When you finally find me

I wish you were here
I wish you were here

Ray Rocks

Finally, the Tanner's hit the town. If you know Andy, you know he HATES going to Atlanta. He refuses to go downtown for anything. Finally, after years of searching, I found a reason that he would go!!

We have been watching "Everybody Loves Raymond" now since the fall, non-stop! He got 3 seasons worth for Christmas and then 2 more for Easter. It's what we watch every single night. If we are out of DVDs, we watch it on TV. We're obsessed.

You can imagine my TOTAL EXCITEMENT when a few months back, while randomly surfing online (see it does pay off) I found that not only was Ray Ramano coming to Atlanta... Brad Garrett (who plays his brother Robert) was coming with him! Can it get any better? My parents were game for a night on the town and we were set! (Yeah see: Misty & Tracey... you missed it. I tried to tell you!!)

It was an AWESOME show! Opening for them was the guy that plays Ray's friend Giani on the show, surprise! Brad Garrett was awesome and honestly, my favorite. He was hilarious and I'd LOVE to see him again! Ray was a hoot as well, just a little more ... um...calm. (and wholesome) Ray brought home videos to prove just how "based on his life" the show really was, it was great. It was total stand up though, no talk of the show until the end. The all came out together and talked about the show, answered questions from the audience which was very neat and then showed some "unseen before" bloopers from the show. It was a perfect evening!!!

The laziness that was spring break-

I had very big plans for spring break. I wanted to stay home as much as possible, clean, scrapbook, read trashy romance novels and watch way too many chick flicks! I am proud to say it was a huge success!! My house was cleaned, a TON of school scrapbook pages were done, I read 3 trashy romance novels, I watched 4 chick flicks..twice each and got a few other things in as well. I visited family, went on a "personal yard sale" of a friend's teacher loot, went to a birthday party and took my GrandMother on errands.

Gizmo thought it was so exciting that he couldn't stand it.... couldn't stand to keep his eyes open that is!!



Kitty Witty was so worked up...that he just had to sleep off the craziness~

And some neighbors heard we were having so much fun (being lazy) that they decided to join us on the front porch for fun! (and naps)



There you have it, spring break comes to our house. It's over before we know it and we're on to the end of the year count down!! Yipee~

Cancer Stinks:

So there is a couple that was part of our Sunday School class. We have only been "back home" (at the church we grew up at) for the past 6 months or so. Only attending Sunday School a hand full of times. We'd been told about this family when we were there and continually updated through friends, church and a website.

Why was this family so special you ask? Because although she was about the same age as me... she was battling cervical cancer. While I am out working on scrapbooks, watching movies, having fun with my preschoolers, playing golf, going on vacations and enjoying life... she, the same age as me, is fighting a battle for her life! Ugh! I just HATE the stuff!!!! Cancer stinks, it's evil, cruel and has no rhyme or reason.

I know they are making great strides in how to prevent it and ways to treat it. But... it's just not enough. Too many people, young and old, end up with this stupid junk!

She was my age and this morning, after 16 months of fighting cervical and breast cancer, she left behind a one year old little boy, a four year old little girl who has cystic fibrosis and an amazing husband...as she went on to heaven.

I have never met her, but understand she was a HUGE woman of faith. She knew where she was going and although didn't want to leave her family behind, she was at peace knowing she'd soon be with God. She had an amazing spirit up until the end I hear.

How in the world people survive that don't believe in heaven is beyond me. Beyond me! How do you say goodbye to someone if you don't believe that they are going to meet God and that you will see them again? How, how, how can people cope? How can you look at a new born baby and not know that it's a gift from God? How can you look in the sky at a rainbow or stand on the beach and admire the handy work of God and think it all just happens on it's own? How can you look at your life and how blessed you are, not believing in a God to say thank you to?


Unbelievable that there are still people who don't believe -
Thankfully I am surrounded by friends and family who do -

And for the record cancer stinks and I hate it!

The last to follow this time.... Here goes-

1. What time did you get up this morning? 6:55

2. Diamonds or pearls? diamonds, are you kidding??

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? The Shooter - Saturday night
Wild Hogs - Sunday afternoon

4. What is your favorite TV show? Grey's Anatomy, Gilmore Girls, What About Brian, Days of Our Lives, According to Jim, reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond

5. What did you have for breakfast? Strawberry yogurt

6. What is your middle name? Susann

7. What is your favorite cuisine? Any! I love food, does junk food count as a cuisine??

8. What foods do you dislike? Sushi, collards, turnips

9. Your favorite potato chip? any, you're talking my favorite food group....Funyuns

10. What is your favorite CD at the moment? a mix that I made.... "Feb Faves"

11. What kind of car do you drive? Dodge Durango "Beastie"

12. Favorite sandwich? grilled cheese

13. What characteristics do you despise? people who try to hard, just be you

14. Favorite item of clothing? any play clothes, a t-shirt from my best friend's wedding that the wedding party got, has a hole, dirty spots that wont come out and is super thin now.....andy HATES it!!!!

15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation,where would you go? Hawaii or back to the Virgin Islands...owww, or Castaway Cay ........ annual passes to WDW though, so love there too...I want to see Greece someday.....and Alaska-

16. What color is your bathroom? master bath : pink & green (I hate it, counter tops had a pale pink tint as did floor when we bought it, going to change soon....i love pink and green, not these shades though..... ugh!) guest bathroom: purple's

17. Favorite brand of clothing? brand? are you kidding? what does Goody's, Kohl's & Target carry and on sale???

18. Where would you want to retire to? St. Martin or St. Thomas.....he he he.... we talk about Ocala Florida though-

19. Favorite time of day? work days: 4:00ish late afternoon, done with what "needs" to be done... waiting on Andy to get home, usually being lazy....reading, watching TV, playing a game with the wee one

20. Where were you born? Austell, GA

21. Favorite sport to watch? SEC football baby!! go dawgs~

24. What laundry detergent do you use? Tide

25. Coke or Pepsi? Coke.... though randomly i crave pepsi just to be different for a day or two

26. Are you a morning person or night owl? night owl, i don't understand those "other people"

27. What size shoe do you wear? 7

28. Do you have pets? 3 dogs, 1 cat and a fish

29. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with everyone? nada

30. What did you want to be when you were little? astronaut or a sea world animal trainer

31. Favorite candy bar? baby ruth, yummo

32. What is your best childhood memory? family & friends

33.What are different jobs you have had in your life? working with Dad at the carlot, odd jobs - the mall - Kmart - admissions office @ Truett McConnell - day care - pre k teacher

34. What color underwear are you wearing?...well hang on.... pink...

35. Nicknames: peanut (my Paw Paw called me that) Shorty (by my Dad) and there's another I'd rather not share!!

36. Piercing? 2 in each ear....

37. Eye color? super duper dark brown

38. Ever been to Africa? no, but wouldn't it be amazing

39. Ever been Toilet papering? yep, but stayed in the car... our house was done so many times and my dad would get HOSTILE.... i would have NEVER done it to anyone, always chickened out....had my own house done a few times too.... i just don't get it.....

40. Love someone so much it made you cry? oh lordy yes

41. Been in a car accident? a few, one nutty one that was super scary after wards.....

42. Croutons or bacon bits? croutons

43. Favorite day of the week? friday - love it.....

44. Favorite restaurant? anywhere, i love food, but hate decisions

45. Favorite flower? tulips....love 'em

46. Favorite ice cream? mint choc. chip .... or any "ice" kind from Brusters ... i'd rather have an icee to drink though-

47. Disney or Warner Brothers? are you kidding? do you know me?

48. Favorite fast food restaurant?McDonald's (hiding my head to admit that)

49. What color is your bedroom carpet? tan (just priced hard wood floors again yesterday)

50. How many times did you fail your driver's test? nada

52. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Target without a doubt.... can I take 2 and go to Michaels as well?

53. What do you do most often when you are bored? what do you think.... look at this long thing i filled out and you are reading.... i stay online.... I do like to read, watch tv or movies, scrapbook and do other crafts though.....

54. Bedtime? 11ish

55. Who are you most curious about their responses to this questionnaire? nada

56. Last person you went to dinner with? Andy Lee of course, Fire House Subs last night

58. What are you listening to right now? the wee one eating cereal and watching "Gilmore Girls"

59. What is your favorite color? RED no doubts

60. Lake, Ocean or river? Owwww.... hard..... don't know..... lake is so fun...miss the cabin, glad Daddy still has the boat up there, love to camp - beach trips are so much fun though...nothing like hearing the waves and soaking up the rays..... but... i so love the mountains and a cabin on a stream (or camper) can't decide....sorry

61. How many tattoos do you have? nada, nothing i'd want to have on my body when i'm 65 and saggy....

62. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? i'll ask God one day and let ya know

Grand Daddy - Part 2

(at the cabin at the lake about 4 years ago with my Dad and Grandmother)


My Grand dad was a hoot. He was a "pastor" for over 20 years and though he taught me that God loved me, God would take care of me and all sorts of other things about the Lord.....it's all the other craziness that I remember first. It was ironic at the funeral home that half of the people there were from churches he'd pastored and wanted to talk about he had ministered to them in times of sickness, sadness or death in their own families. How he was always there for them and helped them in their struggles. While that is comforting and an amazing legacy, it was the other half that I related to more. The half that told me stories of hunting dogs, pranks as a youngster, teaching someone how to smoke (enough to make them sick to be sure he wouldn't do it again) and his sly sense of humor.



I'm not sure how his sense of humor was the day i said my first cuss word...to him of all people..i decided to share my Mom's favorite word when.. as patting him with my hands on both cheeks, it's rumored my exact words were "Momma says our chickens have been shittin' in our yard"... he he he...oops.

I didn't ask my Gdad to preform our wedding, I wanted him to be just my Gdaddy bless his heart... he was a long winded one... he was asked to say an opening prayer though....and got his FULL 15 MINUTES of words in........

Gdad was a bird hunter. He always wanted me to have a shot gun and that sent my Mom into a tizzy for sure (never fear, I am the proud owner of a collection now). He wanted to take me hunting and I would BEG my Mom - who wouldn't have it. I would stand on the back porch of their house and wait for him to come in and be totally entranced as he'd take the dead birds out of his hunting jacket pocket and lay them out for me. Then, as any little girl would (ha) I would stand there and watch while he would de-feather, cut, gut and slice up the birds!! I'd of course anxiously await Thursday night when Gmother would cook fried quail for supper! (welcome to the south - yall)

Andy ended up with a bird dog for a couple of years and he went with Grand Dad hunting. One of GDads last trips hunting as a matter of fact. Andy said as they FLEW through downtown Powder Springs (where the speed limit is 25 - he always drove fast) he was terrified they were going to get pulled over. (No worries though, he talked his way out of tickets ALL the time. He'd pull the "you know I am a pastor over at Mt. Vernon Baptist Church"...those boys were always suckers and let him go)!! Andy said they'd pull up to the side of the road, near neighborhoods and Gdad would say "I use to hunt here all the time"...of course that was 25 years ago and way before the neighborhood. GDad would make Andy get out (who was scared again) and off they'd go...let the dogs out...shoot a few times out beside a neighborhood and get in the truck and be off again..... Good grief!!

However under that hunting vest or jacket and pants, were his typical "Sunday" clothes. Every day of his life, until 2 & 1/2 years ago when he got sick, he wore dress pants and a white shirt. If he was going to work outside in the garden that provided us with more food than we could eat or sometimes give away too - help Dad with rental property work - cut the grass on his lawnmower going faster than you've ever seen anyone cut grass, while missing huge spots - hilarious - plant flowers, paint, whatever... he'd always have on those "Sunday" clothes under a pair of painter overalls or some other get up..

Here he is fishing with Dad and I one day...it was a HUGE experience just getting out to this little lake, it was FREEZING cold and the wind was blowing, but ... gotta love him... look how he's dressed...that tiny little fishing pole is one that I bought him for Christmas...he hadn't used one in his entire life other than a cane pole when he was little...I got him a little one with a push button and had to teach him how to use it...sooo fun




Picture at my parents wedding, which took place in my Mom's parent's home...funny...no one but my Dad has big smiles, cracks me up.. my Gdad NEVER smiled in pictures...he would give a "smirk" in a few, but most were the serious face...funny because he smiled all the time




When I came "home" from the hospital, Mom & I actually came to her parents house for a week...here is Gmother & Gdad when they came to visit... I know beyond a shadow of a doubt (because I was told more than once) that Gdad prayed for me every day...from before I was born until the end when he couldn't do it anymore....that's a hard thing to loose, how many people could say that? how blessed am I??!!!


Here is my 2nd Christmas, a baby doll from gdad... every year of my life I got a stuffed animal or baby doll from my gdad, unwrapped...laying on his bed in his bedroom, i had to go in there and get it....this year i got a purple care bear....the first year he had cancer, I got two (the only year ever) it was a barbie doll and a baby doll...you'll notice the pipe hanging out of his mouth...he smoked cigarettes when he was younger, switched to a pipe and stopped when he was called to be a pastor....lung cancer took both of my Gdads from me and a father in law...you guys who still smoke, PLEASE STOP... I love you!


Here I am with him Christmas of 2005
Here is one from a fishing trip that just he and I took to a little pond on the land of a family friend. We had so much fun and it was hilarious. He wasn't a big fisherman, but sure wanted to be. Why? Because Andy loves to fish and I had taken it up to spend time with him. It's not my favorite thing mind you, but something that I could do and spend time with Andy. Grand Dad found out that I was fishing more and the next thing I knew he had fishing trips lined up for me all over the place. We went from pond to pond, both of us pretty much stinking at it... but enjoying the time together!! You'll notice the fishing attire he has on, again!





I wish I had a picture of him on the phone, why don't I have one like that? He was on the phone ALL of the time. You could NEVER get through to their house, the line was always busy. I never had to worry about calling him though. Since I was old enough to talk on the phone, he called me every day of my life. If we were out of town, that was about the only reason he wouldn't call. Now..these conversations were SHORT!! He wanted to touch base daily, but not "lolly-gag" around. In college, he called every day. My room-mates began to get the idea with his 30 second calls. Then I got married and Andy was amazed... He calls daily, but for less than a minute, cracked him up. There are days when we'd talk longer, but more often than not he was just checking in. He didn't say goodbye either, EVER on the phone!! He would talk, you would talk, he would talk and if you thought of something else to say...SORRY, because he was usually done and there would be a statement and a click ... hilarious! It's funny that anyone whose been around my house long, knows about the phone calls from Grand Daddy...I miss those already~

How could I not mention duck tape, the man thought it could fix ANYTHING. I have never seen such and have to laugh just thinking about all the places I've seen it over the years. Too many to think about mentioning!! Canning food too, the man would put anything in a jar that would fit! He was Chief Jelly/Jam/Perserve maker, pickle pickler and pepper canner. Our shelves here are full as I speak and GDads bedroom has a book shelf in it that is filled to the brim! There were trips to the "dime store" as a kiddo and trips out to lunch from work as a grown up. There was the fact that he carried me until "your feet drug the ground" so I am told as I grew up and I would say "tote me, tote me"..he would. There were hours spent watching hunting shows, hunting home videos and animal planets funniest videos. There were rides to look at Christmas lights, time spent shelling peas on the front porch and rocking to "watch the world go by".

When I moved home from college I rented a house from him, just 1/2 a mile down the road. He worked so hard in getting that house ready with help from Mom, Dad and me of course. He painted, cleaned, bought me new appliances and worked his 70something rear off. He LOVED having a garden and with TWO houses to plant one at... he was in heaven already. My back yard was HUGE there and he filled it with a HUGE garden! I kept reminding him there was no way in the world we could ever eat or give away that much food. I'm pretty sure that's why after a few years, I still don't eat corn on the cobb!! We had a good time together though-

I could go on and on, but know that I better wrap it up. I miss him so much it makes my heart hurt! I hope this gives you just a glimpse of the quirky (I never did get into his sly, boyish sense of humor...and that "huh huh huh" sarcastic laugh of his) and amazing man that was my Grand daddy. He was something else that's for sure! Thanks for sticking with me through the memories.....