Still no

Well, it is Friday and my word for the day is Hallelujah.

This week getting back into the swing of things has proven to be extremely non-productive (well except work where they pay me to be productive).

But personally, my living area is a disaster, I still have not unpacked from ATL (living out of a suitcase at home is fun!), and I have barely attempted and ATL recap post (shame) which hurts me deep inside.

But, so it goes.

Here are some random Friday thoughts until I can get my life together.

1. My grandmother fell Monday night and broke her hip. She is in the hospital and doing pretty well considering she is 88 years old, already suffers from dementia, had surgery, and has pulled together every bit of fiestiness she has ever possessed in her whole life (and that is saying a lot).

But really, who can blame the woman?

Let's just say, she is not a happy camper. And I have cussed more this week than I have all month just telling stories of what she has said in her broken-hip state.

For example.

One day this week I was up at the hospital and my parents and I were all gathered around her bed. She was, shall we say, voicing some of her concerns, and a sweet little old man from the church came in.

He wanted to pray, which was just precious, so we all joined hands around the bed and he said the most darling prayer. When he finished, he scooted on out, and when the door closed behind him we looked back at my grandmother - half expecting her to comment on how nice that was for him to stop by.

"Well," she said sternly. "That didn't do a DAMN thing."

Um, no offense Lord.

So my parents have been up at the hospital all week being awesome and reminding me how blessed I am to have such amazing people to raise me.

We are hoping for Iris to get out in the next few days and start rehab on her hip. Prayers for her - and my dear parents - are greatly appreciated.

Because, contrary to Iris' belief, we feel that prayers actually do a damn thing. :-)


2. I have loved reading all the ATL posts and just keep thinking that at this time last week the fun was just beginning.

I really had the best time and could not have asked for anything more. My plan (ha ha ha) is to get my little recap up today (ha ha ha).


3. I have mentioned a time or two recently that Jillian Michaels is my trainer these days.

We started with the Shred and then added the 50 minute workout a month or so ago. And to my surprise, I am still alive to talk about it.

I was going pretty strong leading up to ATL and then, well, ATL happened and I did not work out nor eat anything that did not include grease, cheese, or chocolate.

I was kind of worried I would have a hard time getting back in action, but it has gone ok this week. It was tough the first couple of days but the main overriding feeling is that I am starting to get tired of doing the same old thing.

Somewhere in Athens, GA, my bff Meg (and original Jillian inspiration) received an ESP message and texted me (unprompted) the answer to my situation last night.

M - "Hey you should try Jillian's last chance workout DVD."

J - "Really?? Is it good?"

M - "I like it. It's 35 min so its kind of in btw Shred and 45 min ones. I was just ready for a change."

(We have always been of one mind).

J - "Oooooo sounds good. At Walmart?"

M - "Yep, $9.00"

J - "BOOYAH"

M - "How much weight have you lost?"

J - "I've really only lost like 10lbs. It's just shifted."

M - "You mean more muscle"

J - "Yes. I am a beast."

M - "Whatever."

I love that girl. And I thank her from the bottom of my triceps for being my Jillian dealer.


4. Earlier today we had a fire drill at work and I got to pull the fire alarm!

It was unnaturally exciting for me.

The safety officer came in and said, "There is a fire in this hallway. What do you do?"

My first thought was, "RUN FOR MY LIIIIIIFFEEEEEE!"

But instead I acted very professionally and smart and said, "I have no idea."

She then told me to pull the fire alarm. "I actually get to pull it!?!?!" (Back to unprofessional and dumb I go!).

So then I did and a childhood dream came true. 26 years of walking past fire alarms and being forced NOT to pull them, and here I was.

First a blog meet up, and now this.

All of my dreams are slowly but surely coming true.


5. It's Friday!

Hallelujah, indeed.

The day after

Yesterday I made the trip home from the ATL (recap to come later).

The drive really didn't seem that long, and thankfully I had my trusty GPS friend (or I guess I should say "mate", as she is British) along with me. We sailed on into the Boro without even a hint of a problem.

(Except for the realization that the fun weekend was over and work was knocking on my door in the morning.)

But I chose to ignore such realities and enjoy the rest of the day off because I feel in those situations denial is the best policy.

I texted Marsha to see if she had lunch plans and ended up at the Pita Pita ordering some pitas for us to enjoy.

My brother's friend owns the place and took my order, which ended with him not charging me for the drinks and chips - which then ended in me being glad to back in my small town where (cue Cheers music) everybody knows my name.

It was a sweet moment indeed, and a far cry from the encounter with the crazy Varsity waitress in Atlanta that took it upon herself to inform all my out of town friends (many of whom had been in GA for about 30 minutes) that they were probably going to be killed on the streets of ATL within the hour.

(It was in that moment that I was really kicking myself for my decision not to give everyone a complimentary stun gun when they stepped off the plane.)

Anyway, I scooted out to the Hagans where I remained the rest of the afternoon laying on Marsha's couch catching up with my friends Guilianna & Bill and Tori & Dean.

At one point I went down stairs to steal some candy, and I ended up with my head in the back of my car grabbing the bag of Animal Crackers I had taken (along with lots of other fun snacks, btw - this will be important in a minute) with me to ATL for the hotel girls if we needed to partake.

I got back upstairs and Marsha looked at the bag with question marks above her head.

"What are those?" she asked.

"Animal crackers!" I answered. "I got snacks and stuff for our hotel room this weekend."

"And you got animal crackers?"

"Yes," I answered unsure of why she was so concerned.

"Wow, your kids are going to hate you one day."

I then explained that HELLO there had also been Oreos, Reese cups, chips, etc., but she still pitied my unborn children for the fact that they will have "that mom" who gives lame snacks like animal crackers.

Speaking of kids, hers got home after school and the piled up on the couch with me (and Phoebe who was so excited to see me she peed all over the floor and walked in it - ain't it great to be loved?) and just cut up and acted the fool for the remainder of the afternoon.

At some point we took part in Phase 10 tournament in which I only dominated for a short time. I was soon obliterated in a way that could only be reconciled by an extremely large helping of Mexican 7 layer dip and Hint of lime Tostitos.

When it got to be about 8 I was convinced I was delirious from so much weekend excitement and so little sleep, and I decided it was finally time to go home.

I got home and talked with Al and Deb about the trip, gave Daddy a big AMEN when he commented that it was too bad I didn't live in the same town with all my ATL friends, and then spent the rest of the night downloading pics, reading emails, and watching the new Guilianna & Bill (since I was up to date and all).

Like an idiot, I went to bed too late - only to wake up this morning and sell my soul back to Jillian Michaels. Now it's back to work, life, and reality.

Looking forward to a short week and to recapping ATL here sometime before 2011. :-)

Happy Tuesday!

A guideline

Busy Week 101

(Alternate Title: ATL Prep)

1. Make an ongoing to-do list.

There doesn't to be a rhythm or reason to it. Just keep a note pad by your side and write out all the various thoughts of "oh yeah and I need to _______."


Please note - writing the correct day on your "To Do TODAY section" is optional. If you find yourself labeling Wednesday's tasks under the header"THURSDAY" just grab a red Sharpie, make your correction, and move along.

2. Get your car washed.

In the event that you are planning to stuff your car full of cute friends and ride them around the town over the weekend, it is a great idea to clean out your nasty, packed-to-the-gills-with-junk vehicle.

This will ensure that your friends don't look inside and say, "Um actually, I'm ok. I think I'll walk."

(Dirty car seen parked in back behind Kujo).


3. Take a moment to save the world, one teen girl at a time.

A great way to do this is to have Bible study with a bunch of crazy little high school ladies.


They are sure to give you a mid-week helping of energy (or perhaps make you more tired - you never know) with their 90 mile an hour conversations and discussions about Prom, school, God, clothes, etc. (List not in order of importance).

4. Get one last dose of culture.

This can be done in a variety of ways. For example, going to see your dad's dress rehearsal for the play he is starring in while you are gone.


This will help your emotional stability if you have tears in your heart because you can't be there to actually see it with a studio audience.

5. Pack


Or at least lay your empty suitcase in the floor as a glaring reminder that clothes are not optional at your weekend event (no matter HOW secure you are after reading SLI).


And this concludes our lesson.

Go forth and prosper in all the busy moments ahead.

All about Jayce (and those who love his cute little face)

There is not enough time and not nearly enough words to describe our fun weekend visiting Larisa (Mommy), Joel (Big Daddy), and DD (Nana).

And who else...hmm, let's see...there was someone else we got to see....it's on the tip on my tongue...


Oh YES! Who else by the star of the show himself - BABY JAYCE.

This babe is as precious as humanly possible, and we spent the entire weekend looking, holding, kissing, squeezing, and basically absorbing all the cuteness firsthand.

I probably gained 10lb just from all the baby sugar.

In his 12 days on earth, Jayce has become more popular than most people hope to achieve in their entire lives.

Take a look at all of his devoted admirers.


















I think safe to say we are all SMITTEN.

And I would like to entitle the next group of pictures, WHO CAN BLAME US?






























And I must now conclude this post due to heart explosion.

The End.

A message from the babe

My Debster and Jenna Babe are finally here! They kiss me and hold me a lot - and rumor has it I am (and I quote) "the cutest baby in the history of the world" (end quote).

All I know is I am having the time of my life!


(All 10 days of it.)

Love,
Jayce

Thursday Thoughts

I'm trying to be like my friend MeganTree today and do a Thursday Thoughts post! She is so smart and has the best blog ideas, I tell you.

So here we go. A bunch of random, not riveting info coming your way.

1. To be honest, Thursday Thoughts is not quite accurate as today is actually my Friday. Woohoo! I accidentally almost said, "Happy Friday" to someone earlier. Yikes that could have been detrimental. I mean I keep saying it to myself, but to say it to someone still living in Thursday is just mean.

Couldn't you just imagine their face lighting up forgetting it was actually NOT Friday - and then the shock and horror as they realized the truth.

You can't play with a person's mental calendar. It can be tragic.

2. The reason it's my Friday is because after work today to go see my cousin and her BABY! SOOOO exciting! I am just counting down the hours til 5! Actually first I'm counting down to 1:30pm (lunch), but then the Baby countdown is ON.

I NEED BABY CHEEKS. And I need them now.

3. I bought a GPS last night. I have been thinking about it for a while, and decided that it was time with all these upcoming trips out of town.

I love it so far! I went out and sat in my car last night at midnight searching for satellites and setting the voice to a delightful British woman.

It's like driving with a little friend from England in the car with me.

And I know this because I GPS-ed (is that a verb yet?) my way to work this morning.

4. I got to be a BIG GIRL this week and write a fat check to get an issues with my car fixed. The weird part was that I was SO excited to do it because the problem had been worrying me in a SERIOUS way. It felt so good to get it taken care of and know I'm safe on the road.

Lord help me, I think I'm grown.

Also helping to make my car-fixing experience a joyous time was the new place I took it to. They were SOOO nice.

The deal was that every time I accelerated (which, if you drive, you know happens from time to time) I heard a huge BUMP noise from somewhere in the depths beneath me.

Basically it sounded like the engine about to fall out.

And as someone who does not even know how to change a flat tire, you can imagine the stress it caused me.

It is a long, dramatic, Lifetime-movie kind of story about how I couldn't make a decision about how to proceed. The old car place was diagnosing it as a problem that would cost many thousands of dollars, and um, no.

I was not buying that.

Literally or figuratively.

So I took it to a new place on Wednesday and they called back immediately with an answer that actually made sense at a quarter of the cost.

And that was the moment I fell in love with a car man named Mickey.

Actually, it was when Mick called me back and told me he was SO sorry because when he had quoted the price to me earlier, he had forgotten that Wednesdays are Ladies Day - meaning I would be getting $50 dollars off.

And I am going to just end this story there because it doesn't get any better than that.

5. Actually one more story about the car. One explanation that was given early on for the car bump was that I needed a new rear.

And every time they said it, before I started crying because of the $$$ flashing in my head, I would laugh.

"Miss Tyson, you need a new rear."

I wanted to say, "GAH, I know it's big, but Jillian and I are working on it!"

Because I am mature.

6. I got my hair cut last night and it looks fab. I just texted my hair guy Patrick and told him in no simple terms that he is thebomb.com.

It is going to be a sad day in Mudville when he moves off to bigger, greener pastures.

7. ONE WEEK TIL BM IN ATL. I think that's all I need to say about that.

8. A sweet girl named Annie emailed me yesterday and attached was this picture of a toy her child recently received in a Happy Meal.


DOES THIS HAPPEN TO REMIND YOU OF ANYTHING???


I laughed so hard. And then I cried remembering when the Holiday Aligator Turtle ruined Easter.

Happy THURSDAY to you all!

Saturday

The busyness of the weekend has bled over into the week so I am just now able to post about the goodness that was Prom on Saturday. There were so many things slated for that day, but there was nowhere I wanted to be more than out at the Hagans helping Marlee get ready for Prom!

I do heart Prom, I can't lie.

I don't even have that great of memories of my own Proms. I mean, they were fine, but there is just something about the hair, the makeup, the dresses - it's just never gets old.

Plus, it has become a tradition over the past few years to go out and help Marlee get all glammed up, so it is just fun fun fun.

Marls texted me before I went out to the house requesting that I bring her some Subway for lunch (my word, I have the raised the child right), so I picked up our food and headed their way.

When I arrived I found that Marlee was already in the beginning stages of the getting ready process. Fresh face, hair full of curlers. Phoebe was not sure what to make of it all.


You can tell she is planning her escape should a brush get near her.

I have to show you this adorable picture of my godchild, Phebes. Once the dog realized there was food being consumed at the table, she had it out for my chips.

This is her "saying please".


Doubt it, Phebes, but thanks for using your manners.

After we ate it was back to Marsha's bathroom (aka Prom Prep Headquarters) to work on hair and makeup.


While Marsha revisited her missed calling as a hairdresser, Marlee kept constant correspondence with numerous friends and fellow prom-goers.


Checking out the final product. LOVED it. Moesha's got talent.


Our dear and hilarious friend, Meghan came over to consult on hair and also apply the Prom make-up.



Notice Phoebe taking it all in. She can't believe her mom is growing up so fast.

Jake just sat there being cute and thanking the Lord he is not a girl.


I soon sent him away once we heard Marlee's date come in. "Jake! Go give Matthew the brotherly 'I will kill you if you touch my sister' talk."

Before Marls went to put on her dress, she gave us a shot of her granny booty. Nothing like tucking your button up shirt into your mama's sweat pants to get you in the mood to be beautiful.


SO HOTT.

Pretty soon it was time for picture taking. You may remember that Marsha is a photographer so you can bet there were no typical "prom poses" being orchestrated.

She is more of a "couch underneath a tree" kind of artist.


Everyone workin' hard for the money.


Hard work that always pays off! Here is a sampling of Marsha's finished products. SO Amazing.


The brothers watching the whole thing unfold.


Marlee's older brother, Justin, actually models professionally in New York, so his input was very valuable to the photographic process. And his quick wit and funny comments were very beneficial to my laughing process.

Pictures of pretty people ahead.



How bout that dress?


A far cry for sweats and a grandma booty.

Every day that passes, Jake gets one inch taller than me.


After Marsha finished her picture taking, Marlee went to join all her friends riding together in the "Party Bus." Limos are so 2000, didn't you know?

The huge group!


TFran taking pics.


I always make Tara let me take a picture of her cool mirror sunglasses. I can't resist. And I love that you can see all the kids on her camera screen. That was a total accident on my part, btw.

It is a shame no one cares about these kids on their big day.


One last shot before they loaded the bus, and I hightailed it to the Wedding! I heart her.


It was about a 20 minute drive to the Wedding and when I got there the location and set up took my breath away! It was perfect!


(P.S. This pic was taken after the wedding. There were no less than 500 people in attendance so these seats were completely filled).

The groom waiting for his bride to make her way down.


This is the only picture I got of Amber....isn't that pitiful?? But, she was a GORGEOUS bride. Beautiful, happy, gracious, and so thankful.


The Tysons!


Deb and her BFF Nancy, mother of the groom.


Al and his BFF Don, father of the groom.


I heart them all a great deal.

After the wedding, it was back to Prom.

The kids were supposed to be there about 9. Marlee goes to a private school, so they actually announce all the couples as they come in and they walk down thru all the parents.

Us lowly public school kids can't quite relate.

But it is really cool how they do it and fun to see all the kids and let's be honest, all the dresses.


Inside Prom.


Marsha and I hung around so she could take pictures. It also gave me an opportunity to show all those children how to properly do the Roger Rabbit.

We also got to see someone we know get PROM QUEEN.


I've never known royalty before.


(Queens are not to walk, but to be carried from place to place.)

A completely fun day from top to bottom!