La' Berry...La' Happy

I feel like a lot of my posts lately are about sugar.

Because life is sweet?

Yes, let's go with that.

This past weekend was very relaxed and chill. After my exciting recliner night on Friday, I spent the rest of the weekend hanging out with a few fun people and doing a great deal of nothing.

Yet, amidst the nothing a dream was realized.

But first, a little bit of back story.

When I was a little girl, I took dance. I actually took it for about 8 or 9 years even though I was only cute doing it for about 1 of those years. And while I do still have some "moves," none of them are really ballet-esque in nature (which is unfortunate for those who have to witness them from time to time...a little grace could go along way).

One of my fondest memories of my dancing years had nothing to do with what happened in the studio (those memories, I am trying to forget). No, my favorite part of taking dance was what would happen right before the weekly lessons.

My best friend from growing up also danced, and my mom would always take us on the designated day. She would pick us up, usually from my grandparents house where we had been hanging out after school, and take us by a local yogurt store before we had to head to class.

It was there that my intense love of frozen yogurt (or as I said, "yogrit") was really realized and fostered.

As I said, 8-9 years into my career, the leotards stopped fitting and I turned in my tap shoes. We would still frequent the frozen yogurt store, but eventually it closed down. The Boro would go on to host many different ice cream stores throughout the years, but never one like that - I always longed for our little hole in the wall yogrit store of olde.

This past September, we went to visit Marlee in Athens and my love was once again ignited.


She took us to a new frozen yogurt store that I am sure all of you big city people are more than familiar with....or at least familiar with the concept.


Yogurt isn't what it used to be. This ain't no TCBY (although my love for such is deep and far and wide and unconditional). It's like a new, healthier yogurt craze? I don't know, but it was SOO good.


I am sure during that trip we all probably said something along the lines of, "We really need one of these at home."

But did any of us look into this cash cow and open one??? No. Because we are dumb.

Thankfully, smart people still exist and it was my GREAT pleasure to find out last week that a new frozen yogurt store - La' Berry - was opening in the Boro!


Marsha, Tara, and I went on Saturday. This is actually one where you serve yourself AND your own toppings and weigh it at the end. I had heard of these before, but I thought they were just an urban legend.

Needless to say, I was overcome.


You may notice I went straight up candy for my inaugural La' Berry experience. I had no time for fruit.

I was immediately transported back in time to being a little girl wearing ballet slippers and eating vanilla yogrit with m&m's with my mama and my bff. But this...this I did not even dare to dream.

We had so much fun sitting in La' Berry eating our yogurt and talking. TFran was there.


We also met up with one of our college girls, Becca, and a friend of hers (He's a boy! But be cool about it). And I'm pretty sure I saw everyone I know.

People have gone mad over the froyo.


And it's safe to say we could definitely be put in that category. Seeing as we went back Sunday after church. Jake "made" us.


I had some sense about me on Sunday, thank goodness. I did my signature chocolate chip, strawberry, granola combo. So pretty, relatively healthy, and SOOO good.


Do ya'll have a frozen yogurt place? What is your favorite yogurt/topping combo??

The Bible, the girls, and the cake balls

I am so happy to be coming to you live from underneath a blanket. In a recliner. In front of a TV playing TiVo'd episodes of Friends.

I have been dreaming of this moment since the alarm went off this morning.

Though I'm pretty sure my deep and abiding love for this night of solitude ups my loser status a couple of extra points, I am so content right now. It has been kind a crazy couple of weeks. Work of course, but lots of fun stuff too. Nights with some very lovely people, college girls Bible study, and even a little mother of the groom dress shopping thrown in for good measure.


I know the people-person within me won't enjoy this solitude for too long, but for now it is just right.

In the meantime, here's a look back at a more extroverted time in my life (last night).

Marsha and I are so excited to get started back up with our darling college girls. Due to some scheduling conflicts, we weren't able to be a part of it last semester. Thankfully, we still logged many hours with our dear girls, just not all together - and not in a Bible study setting.

So we are pumped to be back in the Bible study game!

Thursday afternoon Marsha and I were discussing (via the tele) the evening, what the plan was, what she was cooking for supper, etc. Subsequently, she expressed a desire for me to make cake balls for/with the girls. She asked if that was something I'd be interested in doing.

I was confused. Was that a rhetorical question?

Once I got out to her house she already had the cake baked, and I set out to find a partner to help me in this, the most life-altering baking experience one could ever hope to be a part of.

My choice was pretty obvious.


While supper finished cooking, Kayla and I set out on a cake rolling mission. We aren't afraid to get our hands a little dirty in the quest for complete sweet tooth satisfaction.


We did a yellow cake mix because Marsha doesn't like red velvet. (I know. If she didn't know all of my secrets, I would have defriended her already. A dislike of red velvet is definitely a grounds for dismissal.)

Thankfully, Ansley- who lended her hand to help clean out the remnants in the cake bowl - assured us that the yellow cake/cream cheese icing mixture tasted juuust fine.


Yes, the process is messy. But there really is no need to wash one's hands.


I stuck the cake balls in the fridge to chill and then it was time to eat! Marsha made this chicken casserole thing. (This was one of the two that were prepared...college women do not play.)


Oh my.

You actually do a layer of Doritos on the bottom.


I know, it seems weird, but once you mix up cooked chicken, cream of mushroom soup, and Rotel then layer it on top - you will be sold out, never to return to Doritos-less cooking again.

You can't tell from the picture, but I think you, um, add cheese on top as well.


"Did someone say cheese?" -Phoebe Jenay Hagan


The girls digging in.


Megh loves it when I take her picture.


Our girls!

Meghan, Becca, Ansley, Emily, Kayla, Anna Kelley, the other Jenna, and Carolyn.


Cute as they can possibly be.

After we ate, we all piled into the den and did a little introduction to our study. I am SOOO excited to be doing Kelly Minter's No Other Gods.


We mainly just kind of chatted about the study and I think we're all looking forward to getting started on Week One.

After we were finished, I pointed to Kayla and said, "You. Kitchen."

We were about to embark on the last leg of our journey to life completion.


Unlike the common, everyday Almond Bark I usually use for cake balls, Marsha had some Ghiradelli chocolate she allowed us to use. Sometimes I wish we could marry chocolate.

Things got a little crazy during the dipping phase.

It kind of reminded me of this.


And I ended up looking like this.


Not pictured: the chocolate that somehow got all in the back of my hair. How? Why??

A small price to pay.


And so so worth it.

Cake balls make everybody so happy! (Except for Phoebe who had to come to grips with the harsh reality that she can't have chocolate.)


After all the cake balls were dipped, we still had some chocolate left. Obviously we could not let a single drop perish, so we started pulling things out of Marsha's pantry and fridge to dip.


Peanuts, pretzels, peanut butter, and pineapple (ick). I want to like pineapple but it's just not in the cards for me. Marsha is convinced that I HAVE to like it (this from the woman who doesn't live red velvet - go figure), so to simmer her down, I tried some.

Yeah, still no.

"I still think you could like it," she said.

My eyes rolled.

"Marsha. I just DRENCHED it chocolate and I'm still not a fan. Let's just cut our loses on this one, and oh can you please hand me another cake ball."

The rest of the evening was spent around the counter telling stories, solving riddles (notice the phone laying there - we had to call Marlee to help us), and taking part in some sugar-induced hysterical laughter.


All the makings of a great night!

Just a thought

"A laugh is a smile that bursts."
~Mary H. Waldrip~



This post brought to you by:

Larsen's Thought of the Day
Risa's Jayce-pic of the Day
an intense enjoyment of quotes
a supernatural love for the featured babe
a wink
and a smile

A whole lot of words about a whole lot of fun

When Faith emailed me a while back and told me that she and Chad were planning a little getaway down in my direction, I was thrilled.

And when she emailed that they wanted to meet up on Thursday to eat with Howie and Mandi AND then spend the day with me on Saturday, I was BEYOND thrilled.

The plan continued to blossom, and when it ended up that Chad and Faith were going to come up to see ME in the Boro, my mind was completely blown away with excitement.

And THEN, when I found out that my dear friends were going to be brave enough to spend the night at our house Saturday night.....well, you can just imagine what happened.

I could barely get ahold of myself.

We all had so much fun on Thursday night, and I could not wait for Saturday to arrive. It finally did, and by that time all the Tysons were pretty pumped! Deb and I had cleaned up, Big Al was at the grocery store in preparation of a Saturday night meal, and I could barely wait for them to arrive.

Faith met Mama at Beth Moore this past April, but she had never met Al - and Chad, of course, had not met either of them. But let me tell you - from the moment they walked in the door with their cute selves and their smiling faces and their unbelievable sweetness - you truly would have thought that we had all known each other forever and been hanging out for years!

Immediately my parents loved them!

After they arrived, we all stood around and laughed and talked in the kitchen for the longest time (this is a famous Tyson practice). Chad and Al took turns cracking us up, and basically I just stood there and thanked the Lord for all the fun ways He brings friends into our lives.

After a while, Faith, Chad, and I loaded up so I could take them on a little tour of the Boro. We rode around and looked a little bit of the GSU campus...


...and drove around downtown a bit so they could see our quaint little city with it's small town charm.


(Don't worry, I would later ride them thru the ghetto just so they could get the full effect. After 2 days in Savannah they felt right at home on the mean streets.)

(And also, I did not take the pictures above as I was too busy driving and talking and saying things like, "And this is the Subway where I eat lunch.")

One place I did want to take C&F was Vandy's! This is a Boro landmark and the restaurant my family owned for the first 22 years of my life. Plus, it is dang good.


Faith and Chad had eaten a late breakfast, but they found it in their hearts to split a BBQ plate. I think they are officially Vandy's fans. The food was amazing and the company was even better.

After we ate, I took them by the hospital where I work and gave them the grand tour! Bless their hearts. They were sweet to humor me and to genuinely want to know more about the crazy little world I live in from 8:30-5.

After visiting the WW, we went back home to hang out some more. We sat in the living room and talked with Deb and then Alan got home and started cooking our meal!

I thought it was so funny because earlier in the week when we were talking about what to cook, Daddy suggested Shrimp Casserole. Well it turns out when I posted about the beloved casserole around Christmas (we always eat it on Christmas Eve), Faith's little ears perked up and she wanted to know more about this alleged casserole and all it's glory.

It was as if the Lord had put the desire of Shrimp Casserole in her heart (stomach), and little did she know he would fulfill that desire just a month later.

This is what dreams are made of, people.

While the casserole cooked, the inevitable happened.

Big Al struck up the karaoke machine! (Another staple in the Tyson home.)

Thankfully, Chad and Faith were not only willing to participate, they exhibited an excitement that we can only hope to find in all of our house guests here on Tyson Lane.

This picture cracks me up. Picking out what songs to sing....these are very serious decisions that can change the course of one's life forever.


"Midnight train to Georgia?" -Faith

"Sweet Caroline?" -Chad

Faith got us off to a great start. Um, girl can SANG! Faith went head to head with the other Faith (Hill, that is) and I'm here to say - our Faith blew her out of the water.


Tim McGraw was loving it.


This picture makes me so happy. You cannot beat a good duet by two crazy kids in love.


I brought up rear with a little Dixie Chicks, There's Your Trouble. Because really - you can see I love you, you can see she doesn't but you just keep hoooooldddddinnnnggggg on....

I did not take any pictures of our delicious meal (only had eyes for the shrimp in that moment), but here is a pic from my last encounter with this masterpiece in a casserole dish.


Our guests, who seem to love food as much as we do (this is key to friendship), were so cute and sweet and appreciative of the meal. We had the casserole, layered salad, corn, bread, and these little jalapeno poppers.

As Chad and Faith would say, Oh bless.

After we ate, it was back to the karaoke (obviously).

Big Al in his natural state.


Chad was kind of holding out on us at first, but he got up there and blew us all away with a highly acclaimed rendition of Sweet Caroline.


The parents absolutely loved it.






Mi amiga, Faith, channeled Enrique Iglesias to let Chad know that she can be his hero baby. She will stand by him forever.




OH my lands - the kicks are coming out! That is an Extreme Fun indicator.


Seriously these people can sing. Faith Yearwood and a beautiful version of Walkaway Joe for our listening pleasure.


There were many songs sung by all members of the crowd that night, but our friend Chad really brought it home with an unforgettable performance of I Will Survive.


There were hand motions....


....and dance moves you have never even seen.


He should definitely think about going on tour.


Obviously, we had SUCH a fun night. I will never forget it and have been laughing to myself ever since they left about all the funny things that happened.

Like I said earlier, my cute friends were brave enough to agree to spend the night with us and go to church with us on Sunday!


One of the reasons I thought that would be fun was because Big Al was actually singing a solo in church on Sunday.

(Chad and Faith got a preview of the song Saturday night!)

My dad has been in the choir for about a year now, but had never done a solo. And while the man has gotten on every stage in every room he has ever been in for his whole life, this particular performance was a really big deal to him!

We were so all so excited and it was so sweet to have our guests there to worship with us and see Big Al on stage.

In the program....no turning back now!


Ok, I just have to say - I know he is my father so I will think he does great no matter what, but he did SOOOO good!


I was grinning from ear to ear the whole time and taking pictures, and singing along (I knew every word - let's just say I had heard it a time or two leading up to this day). People were even clapping along (much to Chad's joy)!

One of my favorite parts was seeing all the choir so excited. The choir backed him up on different parts, and you could just tell it was the kind of song that was fun to sing. And I think they all enjoyed seeing ol' AT up there.

Watching Bill Coen, the minister of music for FBC, was also making me laugh so hard. My dad loves Bill and Bill gets a huge kick out of Alan - so throughout the whole song he just had the biggest smile on his face. It was precious.




Chad looked over at me during the song and said, "I ate dinner with that guy last night!" LOL.


Way to go, Daddy! I will miss hearing you practice this song EVERYday over the loud speakers in our living room. I'm sure the neighbors will have the same sentiment.

After church, Chad and Faith had to get back on the road home. We were all SO sad to see them go!

I'm telling you, Al and Deb are sold-out fans.

That makes 3 of us.


It was kind of sweet at the very end of the service, Bill got up and was closing everything out. At the end he said something like, "You know - you could be sitting next to someone today that has never been to this church before...and you never know - you could be sitting next to lifelong friends."

I leaned over to Chad and Faith and we were all smiling and I whispered, "I think he's right!"


Chad and Faith, we LOVED having you. Please come back soon! Al, Deb, the karaoke machine, the cats, and I miss ya'll already. :-)

After we parted ways, I went with Mama, Daddy, and the Gramster (who C&F also got to meet!) to drown my sorrows in yet another southern home-cooked meal at Fordham's.






My pretty mama!


I just have to say how thankful I am for parents who open up their home willingly and excitedly and without question when their daughter comes to them and says, "Um, hey guys, my friend Faith - you know, I met her on the Internet - well she and her husband are in Savannah...can come over Saturday and also they spend the night with us? And also, will you feed them and we can sing karaoke and supply them with some good old-fashioned fun?"

They both gave an immediate yes at the time, and they loved every minute of having them here! (It didn't hurt that Chad and Faith were the best, sweetest, most hilarious guests ever...in case you haven't picked up on that.)

Gram and Al portray how we feel about the whole deal....


Cannot wait til next time!