We had a nice relaxing time doing nothing, riding the golf cart around the island, soaking up some beach time, and eating. What I have just described are the pillars of maintaining a happy life. We realized we were pretty much created to live at Fripp.



Back in the real world, people kept getting older. Our co-worker Jay had a birthday. We faked him out and pretended all we did was get him a stale muffin and a re-used balloon.






Thankfully I found some that did not glow in the dark. And since I had not bough new tennis shoes since the 8th grade, my feet are especially happy. I try not to buy more than one pair over the course of a 16 year period.





And that brings us to last weekend! I had the great honor of joining Kimberly, Josh, Sophie and their family at the March of Dimes (March for Babies).




We walked for Graham and Lilly, their sweet twins, who were born too soon in January of 2011. Now their little miracle sister, and my current obsession, gets to join in!

On Friday morning I had my follow-up appointment with my surgeon. I really liked this doctor for reasons not limited to the fact that his first name was Jean-Claude. Doesn't that just sound like the kind of bad-A guy you want slicing you open?

He's actually a mellow, calm doctor and made me feel at so ease that night of surgery. I also really liked my anesthesiologist, who really put me at ease if you know what I mean.  I loved him as well, for obvious reasons. (I got nothing but love for the dealer of the drugs.)

Dr. Jean-Claude took a look at me on Friday and said everything seemed great recovery-wise. I was ordered take it easy and not to pick up anything over 10lbs. He also restricted me from swimming in ponds until my incisions heal.

Apparently I look more south-Georgian than I actually am.

I got out and about a little that day and had lunch with Moesha. Then it was home to meet up with my aunt Deanna and her little sidekick Jayce who had come into town to prove that laughter is the best medicine.

Even though I was still walking around old lady style, the show had to go on. Daddy was in a play and Mama, Marsha, and I went to see him Friday night! He did great as always!

Plus, I had on real pants! It was a big night for both of us.

Awesome iPhone shot of the marquee. I blame the drugs.


We sat in the balcony, and Moesha brought in the big dawg camera and got some great pics!




Saturday I revisited this area for most of the day.....


But on Sunday I was back up and going to see Alan in his second big performance of the weekend. He was singing a duet at church that morning.


Jacye was so excited to see Uncle Alan perform. Uncle Alan is like, the man. Jayce also was mesmerized by the orchestra and sat like a little angel the whole service. His hat made the men jealous and the ladies swoon.


Daddy and Lisa sang "Glorious Day" by Casting Crowns.






As the preacher said afterwards....that just about sums up the gospel in one song.

Little groupie.


He likes his godmother a little bit too, I think.


After church we had lunch, took naps, and then went for an afternoon dip in the pond. :-)

I had this idea recently that I should start a blog.

Then, somewhere in the back of my mind, I had this faint memory of already having done that once before.

Guys - what in the world? I guess I took a blog break?!

Things have been pretty run-of-the-mill around here, really. Still working hard and playing hard. I'm afraid the lack of blogging has not been in place of lots of fun events and no time to document. I fear it may be that I am getting less fun and more boring and losing the ability to write long stories about un-entertaining things.

That being said, there have definitely been good times and there is much left undocumented (a little thing called Christmas, for example), but we're going to start off with more recent events.

I guess my body thought if it rebelled a little bit, it could get some facetime on the blog. So last Sunday morning, I woke up with intense stomach pains that lasted all that day - to the point that I didn't even want to open my computer to catch up on any shows (obviously, very serious). The pain was unrelenting and unlike anything I'd experienced, and it lasted all Sunday night and into Monday.

On Monday I thought it had eased off a little and debated going to the doctor. But, upon WebMD's advice to "seek professional help immediately" (after I entered in that the pain was in the right lower abdomen), I decided perhaps a doctor's visit was in order.

That visit led to me the hospital for a CT scan which then led to the diagnosis of a burst appendix, which then led me to an emergency Appendectomy at 7:30pm Monday night.

Just another manic Monday.



This was right after they wheeled me to my room, post-surgery. I was greeted by Mama and Daddy of course, and also Marsha and Sean. Moesha snapped a few pictures which are a little rough and in black and white because...yikes. I am holding my dad's phone because he decided it was a good time to try and figure out why his phone won't send emails (???).

Parents. We just have to love them.



I also found out that while they went in for my appendix, they also found a baby in there!



Because the surgery was so late at night, I stayed over in the hospital (on the pediatric floor, hence the baby cage). Nurse Debbie did a great job and I was very well taken care of. The surgery had gone off without a hitch, and by the next morning I was walking around (albeit like an old lady) and even felt like eating a little something for the first time in 2 days.



I was released around 11 on Tuesday and then camped out here for the remainder of the week.



I had quite the set-up.



And besides realizing the hard way that you do EVERYTHING with your abs - I got along great.

I was sent sweet texts from sweet people and was given sweet cards....



My dear sweet Kimberly brought over a really cute and smiley baby, as well as the most thoughtful get-well gift.



I had Nurse Deb hooking me up with essentials and making sure I had comfortable attire available as needed.





Most of my time was spent laying down hugging a pillow watching the Cosby's. (I have gotten hooked on them after needing a show where all the characters STAY ALIVE.)



I also made use of my sweet gift.



Good ol' Sean brought me lunch on Thursday, and Becca joined us! Dear little Becca is still recovering from having her tonsils out, but ate her she first solid food that day!



I had to document this heavenly moment.

Poor Becca is the queen of surgery, having had her gallbladder removed earlier in the year and now her tonils (plus surgery on her nose at the same time to fix a deviated septum).

I wouldn't have survived all that, I'm just letting you know.

I couldn't let her have all the fun so I had my appendix out, however, that is where it ends. I'm not following in her footsteps. But I will always be the first to rejoice when someone can eat sandwiches again!

She also brought me flowers because it is her love language.



This weekend, I've just been taking it easy with a couple of really cute visitors...







...and I head back to work tomorrow!

Despite what this blog might show, our beloved Eagles are still going strong! I think I failed to post Daddy's videos for the past couple of weeks. THE SHAME. I will likely go back and post all the week's videos that I missed, but like our men in blue - I am forging ahead.

My trip to Athens last month did nothing but make me crave more time in The Classic City. November's visit was all about this...



But last weekend's trip was for an entirely different purpose. I handed in my blue and white pom poms for these babies...



Marsha and I had the honor of taking wedding pictures for a dear friend from Statesboro who now lives in Athens. Road trips with Moesha are always fun, and this one was extra special as it landed us in the city where this cute blonde girl (pictured here in the middle of a Kerr Brothers sandwich) can be found during the school year.



Marlee attends the University of Georgia, and we went down Thursday night to get some extra time with our fave little bulldawg. Mar Mar is a ZTA at UGA so as an added bonus, Marsha and I were thrilled to be offered the guest room at the ZTA House for our first night in Athens!



Marsh has stayed at the ZTA house before, but this was my first time and it did not disappoint! As a ZTA guest, you will be greeted with a house full of sweet girls, a wonderful and hospitable House Mom (Hey Ms. Becky!), delicious meals, and even a snack closet like this one at your disposal.




Needless to say, Ms. Becky and the staff take very good care of these Zeta ladies.



In conclusion, Hotel ZTA is definitely the way to go. :-)

One of the many perks of our stay was seeing the house decorated so beautifully for Christmas! We were in awe! I took a bunch of pictures and told Ms. Becky I would post them and share the ZTA Christmas love.

The whole thing was straight out of some Sorority House edition of Southern Living. It all started at the front door.



Once inside, we saw that the gorgeous entryways were a theme throughout the entire house.








Also sprinkled through the house were beautiful holiday displays. Everything from Christmas trees and nativities to angels and Santa.











Personally, I was most impressed by all the special touches throughout the house. No corner was left unturned!






















Oops, I lied. The amazing Christmas trees impressed me most!













Clearly, this is the most beautifully decorated house in the history of sororities! Ms. Becky and her team did such a great job!

Only the best get crowned, and only the best decorators could make a house so warm, inviting, and Christmasy!



Staying at the house was definitely one of our favorite parts of a very fun weekend in Athens!

Once upon a Thanksgiving Break, a little girl came home from college.

She was cute.



But also sexy.



During the break, her family and friends did their best to keep her entertained. But even still, sometimes she found herself bored and not knowing what fun thing to do next.

She was confused.



And hungry.



Then she had an idea..."Cookies!"



She found an old sugar cookie recipe that had been used once or twice.





She enlisted a few folks to help make her dreams come true. Her friend Jenaynay was there to offer assistance, of course, and then there was Aunt Tricia.



They conned her into cleaning off the counter for them. "Do we just put soap on the counter and then put the flour ON the soap?" they asked. (Bahahaha - sucka)

Tricia cleaned the counter like a boss and then helped them find the rolling pin and get the counter prepped with flour.



Even flour is not safe from a photo bomb.



Christmas cookie cutters - check!



Dough made of lots of love (and butter) - check!



Cute/sexy Bakerella and her handy assistant - check and check.



The rest is delicious history....

Even though Thanksgiving was over on Thursday, there was one more little turkey coming to town on Saturday.



This little hunk of love spent his Thanksgiving in Florida with his other side of the family, but it turns out the Boro is right between Atlanta (his home) and Florida (his holiday destination).

This geographical scenario is definitely to our benefit because it means the little guy stopped in on his way down to Florida at the beginning of the week AND on his way back home at the end of the week.

Every week should be book-ended by Jayce.

There wasn't a whole lot of time to do much with this smart little character, but I think we all know when you are 2 - there are few things more fun than bathtime. So a rub-a-dub dubbing he went!



Baths are especially fun when you are surrounded by three women whose sole purpose in that moment is to crack you completely up.



"Y'all are cray cray!" he says.



Jayce is not only adorable, but always thinking about his sugar-addict family members. He made these with his Gam-ma in FL and brought some to share with his fan club.



If you are thinking it is just too cute to eat, you obviously don't know us at all. You will find nary a person in this house who spares sugar for any reason.

But it really was cute. Just like it's little baker.



Debbie, in particular, can be easily won over with anything even remotely cake-like. Although I am pretty sure Jayce is in no immediate danger of needing to earn his love. (Nephew obsession is a real thing, y'all.)



While Jayce and Deb bonded over sugar, Jayce and Alan also shared a personal moment when Big Alan did a torch-like pass of his coveted karaoke microphone. 



He wants to be just like Uncle Alan. One day when he's grown with children of his own, I feel sure he will come home at Christmastime with a "present for the family." Just like Alan did with that karaoke machine all those many years ago.

Thanks again, Daddy, for that selfless gift.



Later we snuggled on the couch, and Jayce and I bonded over PBS kids....



...and a never-ending supply of Honey Buzzers. The love of TV and off-brand cereal is my legacy to my godson.



Come back soon, buddy boy!

We had a great Thanksgiving!

It turns out that my boss is really into letting us off early from time to time, and she really enjoys doing so on the day before holidays. She was out on Wednesday, but emailed us that morning to let us know we had to leave at noon to "start our holiday early."

I am very big on respecting and following authority figures, so I complied without hesitation.

Getting off early gave me time to run a few errands, pick up some lunch, and head out to the Hagans for some fun.

The normal Hagan gang was there but with the additions of Justin who has been in town for the week and BeccaBrown who was stopping by to play before she headed to ATL for the holiday.

Ever since Marlee got home last week for Thanksgiving Break, this has been a familiar scene.



Those who settle Catan together, stay together.

We also found a box Valentine's Day Funfetti cookies to make! (Holiday spirit and what not.)



Later that evening I left the Hagans and headed to the Tysons to await the arrival of Matthew and Larsen. They were joining our Holiday Gang which consisted of Big Al, Deb, DD (Deb's sister), and Ashley (Alan's brother).

While we waited, this happened.



Cream cheese, cheddar cheese, mayo, bacon. So much to be thankful for.

Matthew and Larsen arrived safely and we all hung around the kitchen talking until it was time to go to bed.

The next morning, Thanksgiving was in full swing and I found these ladies involved in a very pinteresting activity.





Turkeys everywhere!





In our family, the boys reign in the kitchen. My dad had taken care of the bulk of the menu, but Matthew decided to throw a dessert into the mix.



This is a popular scene in our kitchen.

One Tyson man in the middle of the cooking process, the other Tyson man close by "observing."



All the while offering suggestions and inching closer.....



And closer.....



......just in case any "help" is needed.



Meanwhile the girls can be found here.





Orginally we were going to do a Thanksgiving late lunch, but we switched our eat-time around to a dinner time hour. Matthew, Daddy, and Ashley struck up an afternoon golf game which made them very happy.





This also made Larsen, Mama, DD, and I happy because it gave us time (pre-food coma) to catch a movie (a long-standing Tyson holiday tradition).



After the movie it was back to the house. Two happy sistas, post-Breaking Dawn and pre-best meal ever.



When we got home the boys were already back...



....and this was awaiting us.



As always, my compliments to the most amazing chef I know. I have no idea how he does it, but I vow to live my life reaping the benefits every time he does. :-)



We were so happy to once again have the smiling faces of dear friends Jo, John, and Kay around our Thanksgiving table!



During the holidays, there is so much to be grateful for.

The time off of work is great.

The food is great.



(So great.)

But, of course, the best part is always the people.











Ok, enough hugging. Time to eat!







Due to our many visitors, we currently have a daybed set up in the dinning room. Matthew found this to be particularly convenient at the conclusion of his meal.



After dinner we cleaned up, the sistas took a trip to the red box,  and then we had a visit from Jeffrey (our fave Texan)! The rest of the night was spent being thankful for memories of field trips/country music videos gone by, you tube videos, and intense laughter.

And eventually....we were all like this.



I could post after post about what I'm thankful for this year. Family, friends, health, my job, and a million things in between.

I think my mama summed it up perfectly in her blessing this year. And she said it best when she concluded with these sweet words to the One that gave it all...

If you watched my dad's video from last week, you know that the Eagles (and subsequently the Tysons) went on a little road trip this past Saturday!



Every four years, our Eagles take on the Dawgs at Sanford Stadium.

8 years ago, I cheered on the Eagles as young and spry college student at GSU. That year I loaded up my car and headed to Athens with these fun, spirited people:



4 years ago, I cheered on the Eagles as a recent grad school graduate of UGA. That year I returned to my beloved Athens with all these lovable people:







This year, I am like, a grown up or whatever, and cheered on the Eagles as a proud staff member of GSU! And this year, I hitched a ride with these fellow fanatics:



I took Friday off of work and Al, Deb, and I hit the familiar road to Athens around lunch. If only I could record what happens on a Tyson road trip...I'd be rich and could take my private jet right into Athens-Clark County airport for all future match-ups.

Once we made it to Athens, my parents took to the downtown streets. I took to a different street...the one that leads to Target. I had some time to kill before meeting up with my very favorite thing I got out of my two years in Athens...my girl MEG! What a hottie.



This girl and I clicked instantly back in 2006 and thank goodness we did so we could live through the next two years of education with some sliver of sanity. We kept the sanity alive by being SO completely hilarious together. We were like our own little stand-up show in the University of Georgia School of Social Work (or so we've been told).

Megan picked me up, and after she extracted herself from my dead-grip hug ("I can't let go"), we took on the night 2007-style with Mexican food, lots of good conversation, a trip to Old Navy, and a night filled with laughing at ourselves and each other. I miss that girl!

Saturday morning we were up and going early in order to tailgate for the 1:30 game!

The weather was so incredibly perfect - sunny and chilly. Perfect football weather and perfect weather for walking through Athens to the tailgate.



I was walking with Alicia, Matt, and Tom - and our route took us right by the stadium.



Alicia and Matt.



Old roomies posing! Alicia and I were roommates for one year at GSU, and then we both came to UGA at the same time and got to be roommates again for those two years.



It wasn't windy or anything.

We made it to Myers Quad and the fun began! Lots of red, but sprinkles of blue representing.



My favorite tailgating buddy.



They gave me life and a love for those Georgia Southern Eagles. Their work here is done.



We may have been miles and miles away from Paulson Stadium...but looking down at this, it sure felt like home.



As Connie said, "You can take the people out of the tailgate but you can't take the tailgate out of the people."



Leeshy-poo and Matt. Couple divided.



All the girls. You may notice a sprinkling of red and black amongst the vibrant, beautiful blue, white, and gold. It's okay. We're all friends here.



Pretty soon it was time to make the hike back to the stadium!

Obviously, our hearts belong completely to Paulson, but as my dad said - "You just about can't beat Sanford Stadium." In other words - we don't like you right now, Bulldawgs, but your little set-up here sure is purdy!



We found some family members down by the hedges before the game!

My aunt DD and the Debster.



Ris and me! Larisa loves the dawgs so much her hair turned red.



I got to sit in my favorite stadium scenario. (In between my parents and behind Connie and Tom.)

Conster had the pom flying high as the Eagles ran out.



The game obviously had highs and lows and we watched and cheered and yelled and high-fived and yelled some more.

Big Al watched intently as the Eagles did something great and amazing and beyond the expectations of all those in red and black.



Later, Tom looks on during a situation that could have gone better for our Eagles.



During the hard times, we looked to this random boy who thought he was on the Athens edition of So You Think You Can Dance. The Dawgs may have ended up winning the game, but this kid really stole the show.



Stadium pic tradition. Gotta have it!



Half-time Diet Coke tradition. (Added popcorn this time cause this is UGA, baby! Gotta go all out.)



In the end, the Dawgs put a pretty good hurt on us, but as usual GSU showed up, made big and exciting plays, and have a lot to be proud of as they took on the number 4 team in the country.

2 of the most beautiful fans in Sanford that day!



More tradition....singing the alma mater with the fans after the game.





See y'all in 2016!

Not much time to chat...we're Athens bound!