These Times In Which I Live

iGet2Give 2010

2010-12-12T19:07:00.010-06:00

It's not about me...it's about HIM...and them. The Spirit of Christmas lives within each of us everywhere we go and in everything that we do. It is waiting to be shared at just the right moment and with just the right people that God places in our path.

Today has been a "Spirit of Christmas" kind of day. It all started 7 days ago...on Monday. 5 of us friends went to one of the best events in NW Arkansas. (We went last year and knew this to be true after attending many others throughout the year.) The event is fittingly called "iGet2Give." The premise of the event is to gather with other women and receive really nice gifts. The only caveat is that you cannot keep the gifts...the gifts MUST be given away to someone who really needs them. It's designed to provide us an opportunity to either pool our gifts or individually give them away. This year, the 5 of use pooled our gifts because it just seemed to be the right thing to do. We had fun Monday night talking, planning and wondering who our "lucky" family would be. Little did we know that God was already at work and we were in for a great surprise! Here's the story:

On Monday afternoon, Jazmin went to the Pharmacy to get some NyQuil. She ran into a lady that she had not seen in over 2 years. It was the mother of a young boy that played on the same soccer team as her son, Will. They had been friends during the season of soccer when their boys played together, but soon lost touch after the season was over. Seeing each other after 2 years was a surprise and yet a blessing. After a quick conversation, Jaz learned that this lady had lost her job and was raising her 3 boys on her own. Jazmin didn't think much about it at the time as she was in a hurry and went on about her business...she had to pick us girls up for the iGet2Give event...

After the event was over and we all were at our own homes, Jazmin was wrestling with an uneasiness and just couldn't shake it. At 2:30AM that night, we all got a text from her stating that the friend she ran into at the Pharmacy earlier that day just wouldn't leave her mind. She couldn't remember her last name and didn't have her phone number. What was she to do? How was she to get in touch with her? These thoughts went over and over in her head all night long. The next morning when she was getting her kids ready for school, she asked them if they remembered this family. Her daughter did and ran to get her school yearbook because she thought that one of the boys had been in her class that year. And, sure enough, he was and there was his name...right next to Melissa's. Bingo! After a few phone calls, Jazmin was in touch with her long lost friend.

During their conversation, Jazmin learned why she had this family so heavily on her heart. Times were tough and money was very tight in their household. Christmas was just not going to happen for them this year. There was no money for the basics, much less gifts!

After a few phone calls and texts between the 5 of us, a plan was in place and resources were being tapped. Within 24 hours, we had planned this family's Christmas blessing. We are all vendors and we were able to add to our gifts that we received on Monday night and make quite a robust gift.

Through the contact that we had with the Mom this week we learned that she went to church for the first time 3 weeks ago. She has visited a few churches in the meantime looking for the perfect church home. She was motivated to get to church for her boys when she learned about a program at one of the local churches that focused on Fatherless Boys. Her 3 boys fit in very nicely and the program was targeted for a family such as hers. A void in their lives will hopefully be filled through the Love of Jesus!

Hallelujah!

Today as we gathered at my house to wrap and put together all of our gifts, our conversation kept going back to the fact that the Spirit of Christmas doesn't come in the gifts...it comes in the GIVING of gifts. Doing for others who (for whatever reason) cannot do for themselves. Isn't that the essence of exactly what Christ did for us?

Here are a few pictures of this GIVING:

Jazmin, Paola, Michele, Courtney, & me

Our gifts that we "won" to gift someone else

Courtney wrapping an outfit for the 7 year old

Michele stuffing the Oscar Mayer Wagon with all sorts of goodies treats!

Jaz, Paola, & Courtney filling a Rubbermaid tub with household items

The NIV Study Bible that I purchased before knowing that she had just started going to church.

We all signed the blank page of the bible with words of encouragement and love

Our 4 gifts turned into the richest of blessings!

Santa's Sleigh

The Girls with Andrea

me, Courtney, Michele, Andrea, Paola & Jazmin

After spending a good portion of the afternoon with Andrea and her boys, we learned that she had seen a whole lot of "life" that I hope none of us every have to. But as you see, her face has a beautiful smile and she is not bitter. She is humbled and thankful. THAT is only a gift that God can give.

We have all exchanged phone numbers. We plan to keep encouraging her and holding her accountable to the things that she has asked of us.

*Note - the picture in the background was painted by her Grandmother. They are a Native American family and are proud of their heritage. The artwork in her house was all painted by her grandmother and Andrea was very proud to show us her work. She died a year ago and was the reason (we think) that Andrea had to quit her job.

Of this I am certain. We are all called to be the hands and feet of Christ. We are to listen, trust, and OBEY the nudgings of the Holy Spirit that is in each of us. That is the Spirit of Christmas...every day.

Look for Christ in Christmas this year.

It's Been A While! We've GOT To Catch Up!

2010-07-25T12:34:00.013-05:00

I cannot believe that it's been since MARCH that I have posted! Oh my(!) where has time gone? So much has transpired between March and July...I will hit the high spots in this post, but know that there is so much more to tell! God has been faithful and has blessed me and my family and friends with so much fun and excitement this summer. Words nor pictures can tell the whole story.

Weddings are as common in the Sullivan family as eating and breathing. In my last post, I had just returned from Las Vegas from a business trip. During that trip, my cousin Savannah got married out there and I was able to attend. Small blessings. It just seems fitting to pick this post up in May at another Sullivan wedding. This wedding was magical and so beautiful! My cousin, Kendra, married Michael Paul Wallace on Orange Beach, AL on May 22. The WHOLE Sullivan family attended...thus, the "magical" element of the wedding. The one thing Kendra wanted was to be surrounded by ALL of her family and friends. God granted her wish. Below are a few snapshots from my camera.

Kendra & Michael Paul

Bubba & Kendra...look at the relaxed smiles. A beautiful bride and a beautiful day!

I love this picture because Leah's face just says it all...excitement! Bettye Hill (lady in coral dress) not only decorated, but directed the wedding. She is an amazing lady!

The boys...MP was a little nervous, I think.

I love this picture...it's one of my favorites. I was very fortunate to have my friend, Heather, at the beach with me. She currently lives in Germany, but was in the states for summer vacation. Her photography skills are incredible. She took this picture.

The ceremony setting...doesn't get any more perfect than God's scenery at the beach.

We have all laughed and enjoyed this picture so much! Emma is rocking the sunglasses and hat. We call her "Miss Hollywood" because her whole persona changed when Sarah put the sunglasses and hat on her. Callie is trying to make conversation and Emma is so stoic while she listens. Wonder if this picture indicates their personalities to come??? Such adorable and cute little girls!

As customary at every Sullivan function, there is a tailgate and BBQ grill somewhere nearby. I cannot tell you how long or how many men sat on this tailgate while Dad cooked ribs, hamburgers, steaks and whatever else anyone wanted...oh yeah, the "Uncle Leonard sausage"!

This is the first night on the beach. We ALL enjoyed just sitting and walking on the beach together. Even Chris was happy to be there :)

I love this picture of Stephanie and Callie.

Callie was a flower girl in the wedding. She will not wear anything on her head for more than 2 seconds...she thought it was funny that Elliott was wearing her flower halo...priceless.

Callie thought that the little birds that run up and down the beach were so funny. She wanted to ME to run and chase them while she "rode" along...

My sister says that the conversation transpiring between these two is going something like this:

Kale: Can you believe these people are our family??

Callie: No joke! They are crazy!

Kale: Reckon we ought to take this to the FloraBama?

Callie: Yes! At least we'll be around "normal" people...

The next family event happened in June when sweet Emma Claire was christened at Meadville UMC. The weekend together was so much fun and the babies enjoyed Barbie's pool...

Callie gets all crazy around water. She is literally trying to stand on her head here...

Callie loves to go under the water!

Miss Hollywood is taking in all the attention and commotion. She is such a laid back diva in the water.

Christening service for Emma Claire Stebbins...she is paying close attention!

The Sullivan/Joseph/Stebbins/Smith families

also including "Miss Mae" and her husband, Jamie

Callie is taking care of Emma

"Come on Emma, pull it together! We've got to pose and smile for all these cameras!"

July 4th weekend was a wonderful and sad weekend. It was lots of fun hanging out at the lake and grilling with friends. It was bittersweet in that it was the last time we'd get to hang out with John & Melissa Niegbruegge. The moving van arrived on July 5th and took them to Boca Raton, FL. Gosh, I miss them terribly!!!

Tonya & Shawn Beckwith, Steph, John & Melissa Niebrugge

The weekend after July 4th, Mom's Sunday School class hosted a Grandparents Shower for some very dear family/friends...Bob & Susie Kimbrough. Their oldest daughter, and one of my good lifelong friends, Holli is expecting the first grandchild...a boy. I am so glad that I was home this weekend and was able to enjoy the celebration!

Bob & Susie Kimbrough

Barbie - the "ice" cream queen...she takes her job seriously

Judy McGehee, Mom, Janet Spring

(3 of the hosts)

The best part about coming home to Meadville is the early morning "hang out." All of us usually drink our coffee on the back porch and we now watch the girls play. Callie did not come down this weekend, so I got to enjoy Emma with 100% attention. She is getting so big and such fun!

Emma LOVES the Little Tykes swing. It's been the best $15 investment!

This rainbow was such a welcomed sight! The storm that I drove through headed home to Arkansas was very tornadic with torrential downpours. It was raining so bad that I was forced to exit in Conway and wait out the storm. I saw this double rainbow...God's promises are faithful!

This past weekend, the Football Family celebrated summer birthdays. It was such a fun time together as we haven't seen much of each other over the summer. The added bonus was that one of my very best friends, Crystal, came for a visit. We had such fun hanging out and shopping. We also were able to hang out at the lake with Lori & Derek, 2 good friends here in Rogers.

Steph, Lori, & Crystal floating around in "Lori's Cove" on Beaver Lake.

Crystal & Steph at dinner at the River Grille in Bentonville

The Football Family! What laughs and good times were had by this crew!

Vegas-Baby!

2010-03-24T21:02:00.004-05:00

Sometimes God just can't help Himself but to make us laugh. I believe that he does this to let us know that he does have a sense of humor and can do anything He wants.

Last week found me in Las Vegas...on a work trip. A few days before I left, my Mom told me that Savannah and Jarrett would be getting married on March 17- St. Patty's Day. The irony is that I would be out there on a work trip when everyone else would be back home...and I couldn't have planned the timing any better. However, due to the meeting schedule of my trip, I was not going to be able to make the 5:00 ceremony...but God had other plans. My meeting ended at 4:15 and dinner was "on our own." Yes! I was going to be able to make the wedding! I ran upstairs at the Bellagio and literally threw on a dress and finished dressing in the taxi. Of course the Chapel of Flowers was on the opposite end of the strip as my hotel, but what is last minute opportunity without a little drama! I felt like I was in a tv show or something...ha! BUT, at 5:05, the taxi wheeled in the parking lot and I slid into the pew right before Savannah was to walk down the aisle! Whew! Thank you Jesus for making things just work out inspite of ourselves!

The only pictures I was able to take were on my Blackberry...of course I forgot my camera in the hotel because I was in a rush. But nonetheless, I was able to document the occasion! Don't they look beautiful?

The weather in Vegas was perfect! It was in the mid-70s all week and the sun shined gloriously all day long! It was such a welcomed thing after NO sunshine in Arkansas for many, many weeks. The highlight of my trip was the helicopter ride through the Grand Canyon. Thank you Maverick Aviation (Henderson, NV) for an awesome experience! If you are ever in the Vegas area, I strongly encourage you invest in this adventure. It's the ONLY way to see the Canyon (oh, and Hoover Dam/Lake Meade, also...)

On Friday when we landed in Rogers, we learned that we were in for a big surprise over the weekend....yep, a snow storm. And snow we got....INCHES of it! Some reports said 12 inches, others said 7 inches. Either way, the first day of spring was spent indoors in front of the fireplace. Actually for me, it was spent in bed with fever. I had was I've lovingly coined "the first cousin to the flu." Miserable. Absolutely miserable. Here is the front of my house...I snapped this picture when I DROVE to my mailbox from my garage. Yes...I was sick and didn't have the energy to walk to the mailbox...don't judge...you would have too.

See...God likes to make us laugh. He'll do anything from allowing for a cousin to make it to a another cousin's wedding to snow on the first day of Spring. It is so good to know that God is always making life interesting...

Honduras

2010-03-05T20:43:00.008-06:00

Honduras. The poorest country in Central America and 2nd poorest country in the Western Hemisphere - Haiti is the 1st. Talanga, Honduras is a city of about 25,000 people and is the hub of 4 major highways in Central America. One of those highways is the Transamerica Highway that runs from Bogota, Columbia to Alaska, USA. Thousands of pounds of cocaine are dropped in this city each week. Drugs, Aids, and drug inflicted disease are rampant. In spite of this fact, the average family income for 1 month is $40. The people in this country are poor. The people in this city are poor. They may not have much, but God is there. He went ahead of this mission team and prepared the way. The harvest was ripe.

On February 6, 77 North Americans met in Houston and headed South to the country of Honduras. All walks of life. All ages. One belief: God is...

This mission team had never been to a city in Honduras before. There were many things to learn and experience that were different from the remote village life. The main difference: The rise of the middle class...and I use that term loosely. While most of the people in this town were literally dirt poor, there was a % of people who did have some means of a better lifestyle. We did see flat screens, cell phones, and Internet capabilities in some homes as we walked the streets. Several of us on the team were able to walk into the town center to an Internet Cafe and send a message or two on Facebook! Very much an unexpected treat...Cost was less than $1 for 1 hour (10 lempire).

Below are a few pictures. I am working on a slideshow, but truth is that I am still processing. There has been so much to absorb that words are still hard to come by. But for the sake of journaling, here is a snapshot of a few aspects of the week. I have focused more on the Meadville crew that went as those stories are the ones I know best. However, each person has a different perspective and remembers different things.

It is unique to be able to serve alongside my parents and others that I have known my whole life. On this trip in particular, I picked up a few medical "skills" and was able to contribute in a way that I had not ever before. Needless to say, I had a blast stepping into my parents world for a few days. I definitely can say that they have taught me all that I know...at least in the clinic on a foreign mission field.

The first picture is a typical house in the city. Notice the dirt floors. What you can't see on the right is stucco (white wall material that you see) counter with an iron flat area that is used for cooking...I guess the best visual is that of a griddle that is set into the counter. There was no running water in this house, but next to the griddle-type cooking area was a sink that water was manually hauled in and filled.

Funny story about this next picture. Dad had been seeing this man ride through town on his donkey. Everytime he would try to catch him to get a picture. FINALLY on Wednesday, the man stopped outside the clinic and Dad went over to him. He got a picture and Dad gave him some money (don't remember how much, but it wasn't much...) to thank him for letting him take the picture. The man descended the donkey to let Dad ride. Dad didn't take him up on the offer, but we all got a good laugh out of it. The young lady int he red/white shirt is one of our translators who saw Dad talking to the man. She went over to make sure he didn't get into trouble...ha!

Bro David. He was in charge of the tent services during the day. He is hard at work in this picture. I have to say...he ROCKED the house! I've never really had an indepth conversation with David before this trip. We sat together on the bus going somewhere and we really had good conversation. This guy is truly a man of God...in a very cool way.

Shoe Ministry. This team gave out 1800 pairs of shoes. Ms Anita went to Dirt Cheap and loaded up her husband's truck FULL of shoes and shipped them down to Honduras. If ever there was a woman who could make shopping a ministry, it's Ms Anita. Below is Ann Barrett helping a man try on a pair of new shoes. This was Ann Barrett's first mission trip ever. She worked in the Shoe Ministry and she would tell you that it changed her life.

Rice & Beans. Ms Sandra Clay headed this ministry up this year (not pictured). Her team gave out over 6000 lbs of rice and beans. Pictured below are (L-R) Randy Randall, Dr Walter Rose, and Jim Woods - all of Indianola, MS.

Church Dedication. This trip was the first time EVER that the whole team was able to attend the Church Dedication on any trip. This Construction Team was amazing. They built the walls and put on the roof in 3 days. They worked so fast that they were able to go to the Hospital on the 4th day and do some repairs there. God was amazing through those men!

Here's the "rest of the story" about this church. The small congregation that belonged to this church have prayed for FIVE years that they would be able to purchase land to build a church. F-I-V-E years! God used our team to answer their prayer. In my opinion, this team went to Talanga for them specifically. He wanted to show that congregation that they are precious in His sight and that He cares for them. Their ministry is powerful and God has blessed them in some pretty cool ways. This church building will be a launching pad for their ministry. I'll never know what all they accomplish and how many lives they touch, but I do know that God used the construction team in February 2010 to help affirm their ministry.

Bro David leading the Dedication. Love the pulpit!

Pharmacy. Mr Jimmy is on the left. Johnny Mc is on the right. It was Johnny Mc that shared the fact that he never thought he'd be in Central America mixing "kool-aid" with Jim Jones. This team had so much fun in the Pharmacy. Mr Jimmy is now the official Pharmacist in training and is the best bottle filler and pill counter any foreign mission team has ever known :)

Medical Clinic. This is a snapshot of 1 station. Doc Gabbert is on right and my Mom, Sue, is in the center. Susan Gabbert is working the door in the background.

This clinic saw approx 3000 patients in 3.5 days.

This is Nelson. He was the official "gatekeeper" into the clinic. He was evidence that you just never know who you will meet in the places that you go. Nelson was born in Peru and was raised there until his late teens. He then moved to the swampland better known as South Louisiana. He lived down around New Orleans for a little over 30 years. His wife is Honduran and last year they moved to Honduras where he began working with BMDMI as a translator. He had a cool accent: Peruvian, Cajun, and Honduran. He was an interesting character and I am so glad to have met him!

On the first full day of clinic, Doc G made a friend. This young girl has Down Syndrome. She was a precious and sweet young lady. However, she was no fool...she immediately figured out that Doc had goodies (candy) and she is asking for some in this picture...

An At-large clinic picture. You can see the 4 tables/stations in this room. There was a doctor and nurse practitioner at each table. Doc G and Mom on the right. Dr Prosser and Linda Fay in the back. Dr. Alfredo (Honduran Dr) on the left - can't really see the table, but it's there - and Dr Carey and Glenda on the left front.

Play-time! This is SuperBowl Sunday. Doc Carey and Dad are jamming to "Let's Get Crunk" in preparation of the Saints playing later that night...you just had to be there fully appreciate this. They were singing and dancing and rapping. The Honduran patients thought they had lost their mind...

Susan and THE newborn. This little newborn was only 23 days old. Susan was the first to get to hold her. She was absolutely precious!

Mom with a little boy. Best we could figure, this little guy was about Emma Claire's age. He was full of personality! When the cameras came out, he put on a show! We got to see this cutie twice...once with his Mom and then the next day with his Dad. Both days he was happy and full of enjoyment for the entire medical team!

A typical mode of transportation. We saw this man specifically and a bunch of others traveling through town on carts pulled by oxen. There were also quite a few that were pulled by Brahmans...strange. Especially knowing that the Sullivan family and many others pay good money to have a Brahman herd and would never have them pull a cart of any kind...

This is a picture that I took for my work folks. Being in the CSD (carbonated soft-drink) business, this picture was funny. Only in Honduras would you see CSD's protected by a machine gun toting police officer.

The picture below may resemble a Honduran woman, but to me it's the very face of Jesus. Here is why: On this day, I was working outside taking blood pressures. It was so very hot and I was not having the best day. To make a long story short, one minute I was taking blood pressures in an orderly line of patients waiting to get into the clinic. The next minute, I am in a mob crowd. Two women from the local church walk by and help Nelson regain control of the crowd. Right after things settle down, this lady walks out of the clinic and comes directly towards me. She taps my shoulder and as I turn to her, she embraces me tightly. She kisses both cheeks and speaks to me softly. I couldn't understand her, but I didn't have to. I saw Jesus right in her face. There were tears in her eyes and knew that she was God's messenger to me at that moment. Needless to say, the rest of my afternoon was quite different from before.

Hospital. There are a lot of pictures at the hospital. And I will be glad to post them on the part 2 entry. But I just love this picture. It was impromtu and no one is really posed. This was taken at the top of the viewing tower. We could see out across the valley for what seemed like miles. It was beautiful and peaceful. Honduras is a beautiful country with all the farmland, mountains, and natural habitat. This watchtower gave us the birds eye view.

The Meadville Crew headed for the airport. This is our parting shot from the Mission House. We were all tired and sad to see the week come to an end.

Funny. We thought David was straight-laced and very "preacherly" on this trip..until I ran across this picture that someone took. There are quite a series of shots on this event, but I have to say...that David is full of surprises! He enjoyed riding a Honduran Horse!

As I close this post, I'll end with what I said at the start. It is amazing to serve alongside my parents. To step out of my business world and into their medical world is a blessing beyond description. As I look back over the years, they have served humanity with their lives both domestically for a living and internationally for servanthood. God has blessed our family. I cannot wait to see what the future holds. Maybe one day we will get to experience this as a whole family...grands included.

Snow Days

2010-01-31T18:41:00.007-06:00

This past week, Northwest Arkansas was struck again with ole man winter. The first week of January, school was out for a full week (5 snow days) and then again last Friday (snow day #6). The highs last week were in the mid-50s and then Thursday, a front moved through and the high was only 32. Later that afternoon a storm moved through that had everyone a little scared. Talk of power outages and severe ice covered roads had everyone talking and going "the extra mile" to make sure everything was okay. Mercifully, God had mercy on us and even though the weather was severe, we kept power and had awesome snow to play in while we were stuck at home. Here are a few shots...the deepest measurement in the cul-de-sac was 7.5" I only had 7" in my yard.

Snowman building fun....thanks Olivia for building it!

Snow Angels

Sledding on "the hill"

Snowball fights are great!!

Headed home....exhausted!

Gemini

2010-01-18T00:41:00.002-06:00

I am not a big astrological sign person, but I do indulge myself every now and again. Today has been a very lazy day spent in front of the TV and my laptop. In one of the many Internet articles that I read today, I ran across the "What exercise plan fits your sign?" The plan for Gemini (the twin) fits me to a "T":

Gemini
Gemini needs a buddy to support any lasting lifestyle change. You will be smart to set up a "Resolution Blog" to share your experiences and receive much needed feedback to keep you motivated. For you, a walk around any busy neighborhood can make exercising a breeze. Gemini is curious and will benefit from reading food labels. A powerful resolution in terms of weight loss and overall health would be to refuse to buy anything containing high fructose corn syrup.

Note: (1) I do not workout unless someone goes with me. It is a weakness that I have identified about myself and have had to come to terms with it. (2) I read most all food labels on the food that I buy and (3) I have purchased VERY few products with high fructose corn syrup as a top 5 ingredient in well over a year...

Coincidence? maybe.

Christmas & the Cotton Bowl

2010-01-03T21:46:00.010-06:00

Christmas this year has come so very quickly! It's hard to believe that we are ending the first decade of the 21st century. 2010 is sure to be a memorable year...I cannot wait to see what good things are in store!

There is a Sullivan family tradition of having your family picture taken in front of the Christmas Tree at my Mamaw Sullivan's house. Everyone expects it and is eager to get it over with! However it gets done, these pictures have become priceless. looking back over the years and appreciating where we've been and what we've done can be realized in just one picture...lots of memories. So..without further ado, here are this year's pictures We were only missing 2 grandchildren this year: Tara and Chris.

The Leonard Sullivan Family

Leonard, Elain, Susan, Sanford,

Anna Rose, Betty Jane, and Leonard Talbert

The Bo Sullivan Family

Kelsey, Trae, April, Kamryn, Chase, Blaine, Brandee, Chuck, Bo, Deborah Ann, & Savannah

The Steve Sullivan Family

Stephenie, Steve, Sue, Sarah, Elliott & Emma Claire

The Bill Sullivan Family

Bill, Teresa, Elizabeth, & Josh

The Triplets: Isaac, Isabella, & Ian

The Rex Sullivan Family

Brian & Kayla, Brett, Charles Verne & Vista, Rex, Brett & Jasmine, Kolemyn Grace

The Pat Sullivan Family (missing Tara)

Patrick, Tasha, Pat, Tanya, John Paul

The Tasha Sullivan Scott Family

Josh, Sawyer, Sydney, Tasha, Sadye

The Cindy Sullivan Roberson Family

Tim, Skye, Cindy, Scott, Summer & Kale

The Judy Sullivan Oglesby Family

Bubba, Judy, Kendra, Leah

Mamaw Sullivan & Emma Claire

Emma & Isabella

THE big news on the Sunday after Christmas was the news that both Trae & Scott killed deer! Trae got a nice sized 8-point and Scott got a very interesting 16-point. We do not know where this deer came from as no one had seen him before on the Trail Cams. This deer is quite popular around the Heartbreak Hotel because 1) it's a 16-point and 2) it has palmettoed tynes. Come to find out, this palmettoed characteristic is found in only a few geography pockets in the U.S. One of those is the deep, "coastal" South.

Trae (8-point) & Scott (16-point)

The infamous 16-point

This year was Chris and Stephanie's year to spend Christmas with her family in Alabama. We missed them on Christmas day, but I was thankful to have had some time during New Years to spend with them.

Callie's "big" present this year was a rocking horse given to her by my Mom and Dad (their grandparent names are still TBD...). She LOVES this horse...especially when Chris rocks it for her. She cannot quite get it to go as fast on her own...

Callie loves her Aunt Steph!

Candid of me and Emma Claire on Christmas night...

This year, I was fortunate enough to have been offered Dr Pepper tickets to the Cotton Bowl. Ole Miss received the bid, Dr Pepper was a corporate sponsor, and the Directors knew that being from Mississippi I might enjoy going. And they were so right! I think that Mom was the most excited to go, but everyone else was pretty pumped too. Mom's first cousin, Jeff, lives in Dallas. Since Sarah and Chris did not want to go to the game, we invited Jeff and his sons Doug & Ben. We had such a good time and really enjoyed getting to hang out with family AND watch a really intense ballgame.

Jeff, Doug, Kelly (Doug's wife), and Ben

Dad, Mom, & Me

The Crew

we were the ONLY Ole Miss fans in our section and the sections to either side of us...talk about sticking out like a sore thumb! Blue & Red really did not mesh well with bright orange and black!

The trophy presentation after the game

2009-12-19T13:09:00.004-06:00

Yesterday, my office had it's annual Christmas lunch at PFChangs. We all had a great lunch and a good time! One of the "activities" during lunch actually required some pre-work on all of our parts. The activity was to describe in a couple words or a sentence every person in the office. It was tough to find a few extra minutes to jot down a few thoughts about my co-workers as we are all so busy right now, but we all participated and found that it was worth the effort. I just had to share some of the descriptions of me...

1 - Willing to go the extra mile
2 - Delightful
3 - Southern Charm
4 - Southern Firecracker
5 - Dedicated
6 - Fun-loving, Very Smart, Kind-hearted
7 - Energetic
8 - Professional (seriously??)
9 - World Traveler, Good Southern Girl, Involved in Community
10 - Organized, Quietly funny (me? funny?...an oxymoron)
11 - Mississippi Mafia (this is one that made me laugh out loud several times!)
12 - Southern through and through
13 - Vertically challenged (no duh!)
14 - Focused and Energetic
15 - Giving

What this activity taught me was that when you work with people day in and day out, it's very easy to forget to encourage them and tell them what you like about them. I (along with a lot of others) work in an environment where it's more common to focus on what you don't do or didn't do correctly, than the positives. We all had a good time laughing together and enjoying the positive words. I encourage you to exercise an activity of telling others what you like about them!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Season!

2009-12-06T12:44:00.005-06:00

Merry Christmas everyone! As I look back over the year, it's hard to believe all that has happened in the last 12 months! Our family has had a very active year and is one that we'll never forget. We've been blessed beyond what we deserve. This time last year, we were overjoyed with the birth of the first granddaughter, Callie. This year, we are so happy to have another baby to celebrate over, granddaughter #2, Emma. Having babies around really make the Christmas season more alive and fun. During Thanksgiving, Mom decided that she wanted to send picture Christmas cards with her Granddaughters on them (only...). So, we dressed them up and staged a set. We (the adults) had so much fun! Callie is such a funny little girl...she's always laughing and is such a ham! Her personality is in full swing. Emma is just 2 months old, but she is full of personality already! This girl knows what she likes and isn't afraid to let you know.

Here are a couple of shots of our Christmas photo shoot:

Callie loves playing and making other laugh with her. In this picture she is trying to dance on a bench outside. There was music playing and she just couldn't sit still!

Emma is a girl that knows what she likes! In this picture, she was telling us that she did NOT like the hat (even though we thought it completed her outfit and that she needed to wear it....in the end, she won)

Callie is already entertaining Emma. Emma isn't quite sure what to think of her cousin, but she's trying to keep up...

I had NOT A CLUE how difficult it was to get a good picture of 2 babies! At the end of the hour long photo shoot, there were 2 pictures that we were pleased with enough to feel like we were successful. So...here's little Sue and little Elliott:

Good picture #1:

Good picture #2:

This is an ornament on Sarah's tree. I just liked it and the way this picture turned out.

Every year my Grandaddy Joseph's side of the family goes to Lake Bruin for Thanksgiving. We (the entire Joseph family) has been doing this for 12 years! We all look forward to it every year. If we do not get to see each other throughout the year, we are guaranteed to catch up over Thanksgiving. The house is old and big. The women sleep on one side and the men on the other. Kids just fall where they may. On Thursday evening as the sun started to set, we were outside by the bonfire. I noticed how pretty the sun had made the horizon over the water and old boat houses. I happened to have my camera and snapped this picture. I love it...I've watched the sun set for years, but never had taken a picture of it...

Here is the Joseph family that was at the lake this year. We are always missing a few, but we've learned that you have to get the picture when MOST everyone is available! It's so fun to go back through the years and see the SAME picture year after year. Kids grow up, the "young'uns" are now the "old'uns" and some have even gone to meet Jesus. Family. What a journey!

Emma Claire, et al...

2009-10-19T20:30:00.007-05:00

This past weekend I met my new niece, Emma Claire. She is so sweet and tiny! It's easy to forget how small newborns are, but it's hard not to fall head over heels in love with Miss Emma! Below are a few pictures (of the 200+) that I took this weekend.

Emma LOVES her swing. She would rather sleep in it than her own bed!

Talk about relaxed...

Emma's hands are always around her mouth! Wonder if she'll be a thumb sucker???

Attitude! She didn't appreciate the photo shoot as much as I did...

On October 27, my sweet Mamaw Sullivan will turn 86! Since I won't be in Meadville for her birthday, I made her an early Halloween/Birthday cake. Mamaw loves Halloween and she has always dressed in costume and made it as fun as possible for us growing up. Growing up, I remember her recording "scary" sounds with her own voice on a cassette player so that she could play it when we were walking up to her house! I don't think there has been a Halloween that has gone by that she has not worn her best witches hat and switched out all the lights...even at 86! So...in celebration of her birthday AND Halloween, I made her a witches hat cake. She absolutely LOVED the red velvet cake with black chocolate icing.

On my way out of town, I stopped in Jackson and met my brother and niece, Callie, for lunch. (Stephanie had to work and was missed!) Callie is 11 months old and is FULL of tricks and personality. When I first got there and held her, she immediately gave me a hug...it was THE BEST! She is such a sweet little girl...cannot wait until she can talk and we can hang out more! Below she is demonstrating her best rendition of "Patty Cake." Chris and I both were laughing histerically and she was loving every minute of it!

Callie will be interested in photography OR she's just really into "bling"...Or maybe she just wanted her favorite aunt :0) Either way, she REALLY wanted my camera.

EMMA CLAIRE STEBBINS

2009-10-06T22:12:00.004-05:00

EMMA CLAIRE STEBBINS

born on October 6, 2009

8:10 p.m.

6lbs 15oz

19.75 inches

Time

2009-09-30T23:06:00.003-05:00

Time...it has been a long while since my last blog post. I promise you that it is NOT due to lack of topics, but rather lack of t-i-m-e! These last couple of months has been one big blur...filled with travel, work, work, and work! I promise that the next post will be filled with really exciting and BIG news...stay tuned!

Couple things before I have to scurry off:
1 - God is good...all the time!
2 - You must read the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan. It will change your life.
3 - Yes, the rumor is true: my house IS on the market, but I am NOT moving out of town. Just trying to be faithful to God and reach a few goals.
4 - It's official...I'm going back to Honduras in February. Mailed my check today. Please start praying for this trip. Lots of political unrest down there right now...

Stay tuned...more to come! (and it will be worth it...)

~SS

Junior League New Member Retreat

2009-08-12T21:33:00.010-05:00

For many people, August is "back to school" time. For me, it's "Junior League New Member Retreat" time. This year, I am a New Member Trainer and I am so excited! I normally do not request an In-League placement, but this year I was ready to lead our new members and feed off of their excitement and energy. I need it. This past year marked my 7th year anniversary with the Junior League and I have/had hit somewhat of a 7-year itch. However, if rejuvination is what I was in need of, I certainly found more than my fair share of it with the GREEN group! These ladies are absolutely FAN-TAS-TIC! They are extremely community focused and highly motivated to help others in need...no reservations. Just these women alone can move mountains others never thought possible. I am anxious to see what is in store for them over the next few years...

The Queenly GREEN Group...L-R

Back: Amanda, Shelly, Acacia, Christin, Amanda, Beth, Leslie

Front: Shannon, Lesley, Megan, Steph, Amber

The crazy, fearless Trainers
Cara, Steph, Shay, Christin

One cool thing that each trainer gets to do is decorate their table with a theme in their color. The four of us worked to coordinate our colors so that we all could work together a common theme throughout the year. We quickly settled on the jewel tones. Each one of us is the color of a precious gem: emerald, ruby, sapphire, & amethyst. By the end of the year, the ladies will all become diamonds.

Being from Mississippi, I found a golden opportunity to become the "queen" of something, so I took it...my table was inspired by the Sweet Potato Queens. Each lady was given a white satin sash, shiny green star with their name on it, a HUGE diamond ring, green beads, green star sunglasses and a margarita glass...and, of course, their green Junior League t-shirt.

Here are a the other tables:

Cara's BLUE team - all decked out in the Hawaiian Luau complete with blue lei's and goblets

Christal (Purple team) went the wine/goddess route. These ladies were complete with their own personalized wine glass and olive leaf headdresses

Shay took the Hollywood Starlight Theme (Red Team)

The ladies worked very hard during their New Member Project. They did a lot of grunt work, but their efforts will enable the That's My Bag Committee to do their job much easier and more efficiently. The TMB committee functions out of a storage unit. Their purpose is to provide overnight bags to kids (ages birth-17yrs) who are removed from a situation and are entered into foster care. Most of these kids are removed due to a drug infested home or abuse. They are often removed with nothing more than the clothes they are wearing. In the bags that the Junior League provides, each child receives a full set of clothes, toiletries, a book, stuffed animal and anything else that is available in our storage unit. Due to the overwhelming generosity of others, the storage unit had gotten overcrowded and impossible to find anything. The efforts of these New Members will allow the TMB committee to spend their time delivering bags instead of digging through the treasure hunt of a storage unit. Here are some "action shots"

All 44 new members (and their trainers) after a job well done!

A Weekend of Surprises

2009-08-09T20:37:00.002-05:00

Wow! Where has the summer gone?? Life is busy as ever and the days keep rolling on...

Last weekend was a very special weekend. What started out being just an "ordinary" visit with my family, quickly turned into extra special! I love sweet surprises.

The weekend started with my eventfilled drive down to Mississippi last Thursday. Rain had not fallen from the skies in a while and, of course, the day that I plan to drive South the floodgates of Heaven literally opened up and poured down heavily! By the time I reached Memphis, tornado warnings/sightings were everywhere and the Weather Service was strongly ordering motorist to get off the road. I had already planned to stop in Southaven, but as the weather worsened, Dad happened to call and advise that I stay the night with my Aunt & Uncle in Germantown. So, I called them both at home and on their cell phones. No answer. Odd. Original plan resumed...stop in Southaven. Wow(!) is all I can say. By the time I made it across the bridge, through the construction, the rain was raining like a hurricane. Crossing the Mississippi state line, I could not see the hood of my car! By the merciful, gracefilled provision of God, I made it to the Drury Inn in Southaven. It seemed that every other motorist on I-55 had the same plan...The lobby TV was turned to the local new station and the meteorologist was covering the severe weather. As I familiarized myself with the map, I realized that the tornadoes that he was talking about were in Collierville! Had I started driving out to Germantown when I wanted to, I would have been IN the tornado! Thank goodness God intervened and drove me to Southaven instead! I did finally talk to my Aunt and Mom talked to my Uncle and they were fine, so that was a huge relief. After waiting out the tornado for about 45 minutes, the storm finally passed and I was able to get back on the road and head South. *Sidenote: Facebook is something amazing! I had weather updates coming into my FB page faster than I could hear it from the weather man on TV! A big shoutout to Kevin VanNorman for keeping me updated all the way to Canton that Thursday night!

I left Arkansas about noon that day so that I could have dinner with Chris, Stephanie, and Callie. The storms and heavy rain had diminished my hope that I would make it. But, again, God is faithful. By the time I arrived to their house, they had just gotten their power back. Dinner was cooking in the oven and we were able to eat dinner together! I didn't get to see Callie that night, but that's okay as I would have her all to myself the next day :)

On Friday, my Uncle Robert was discharged from University Rehab in Jackson! A literal walking miracle. And, yes, he walked out of there. Life for him is going to be hard in the coming months, but each day is a new day and one day all will be well again.

Friday night, Mom, Stephanie, and I went to the Natchez Food & Wine Festival. All I can say about that is WOW! It was a fantastic event! There were restaurants there from all up and down the Mississippi River. Great food, great wine, great fun! You will definitely want to go next year!

On Saturday, my Mom's family all went to Mamawgran and Grandaddy's to help get their house settled with Robert's arrival and lifestyle. We (and when I say "we", I really mean Tom, Dad, Chris, & Elliott) moved all the wood working machines out of the shop and set up the "gym" that Robert will be using for his physical therapy at the house. We also celebrated Mamawgran's 75th birthday and Mamawgran & Grandaddy's Anniversary. LOTS to celebrate that weekend and we are ALL very aware of just how blessed we are. I wish I had pictures, but I forgot my camera in Meadville...

After we got back to Meadville on Saturday night, we were admiring all the work that Sarah and Elliott have done on their new house when Trae walked over to say hi. He was beaming from ear to ear and as excited as a kid! We asked what was up and he replied that "Kamryn is being baptized tomorrow at Bude FBC." We all joined in the excitement and are so proud! Trae has prayed for a solid year that Kamryn would accept Jesus and come into a real relationship with Him. (Last year Kelsey was baptized and Trae rededicated his life and was also rebaptized the same Sunday). It is amazing to see how God has worked in their lives. Amazing Grace! So...given the unexpected event, I HAD to stay and bear witness to this life-changing profession of faith. Below is a picture. I am proud to say that Kamryn's family took up THREE pews at Bude FBC...she knew we were there and represented well!

Of course what blog of mine would be complete without a couple pictures of Miss Callie. Below's picture shows her 2 bright and shiny teeth.

This picture is of Callie crawling. She pulls with her right arm and pushes with her left foot. She is actually taking a photo op break in this picture below, but if ever we wondered who she looks like, the below pic will tell you...

EUREKA!

2009-07-27T20:47:00.007-05:00

Last Sunday, my friend Jazmin and I were sitting at lunch after church. During the conversation we were asking what the other was doing for the rest of the day...neither had any plans that were too exciting. SO, we decided to hit the road...didn't really have a plan, just loaded up and started driving...should we go hiking? Eureka Springs? Branson Outlet Malls? Oh the options were endless. As we were sorting through the pros and cons, we decided to go to Eureka Springs as she had never been there before. So, off to Eureka Springs we went. We drove an hour literally over the river, through the woods, and around the mountains. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon! Here are a few pics of the day...

Christ of the Ozarks. It was hand carved by the same architect that carved Mt Rushmore. This statue is on the grounds of the Great Passion Play and overlooks the city of Eureka Springs.

This is Jazmin. She just bought a "fancy' camera (the same one as I have) and she was practicing. She took a good shot and was celebrating a little here...

One of the streets in downtown Eureka Springs (also known as little Switzerland)

This is the window display of a shop downtown...notice that it was a Christian clothing store! Check out "Jesus is my BFF"

The BEST place in Eureka to practice taking pictures is The Crescent Hotel. It is has beautiful grounds and a very full, colorful history. Check it out here.

Jazmin and her husband, Eric, adopted a little boy in 2007. We took Tommy along with us for this trip and we enjoyed him so much! He turned out to be a good subject for photographing...you can tell he's very camera shy...lol!

These are some of my favorite stills...

Last week was one for the books. You've heard of the "raging hormonal witch"? Imagine that x100 and you get the idea...by Friday, I was at the very end of my rope. There wasn't anything that I could do to pull me out of my bad attitude(!)...until Jaz called. She was pulling together a few friends to head to the lake. I told her I couldn't go because of my workload that needed to be finished, but she reminded me that there was a reason that I get off work at noon on Friday's in the summer..."it would be alright" to take a few hours off and go to the lake. And how right she was! The lake was just the attitude adjustment I needed....here are a few action shots...

Eric pulling the Melissa on the tube with the other girls along for the ride

"Spotter" Will

Francene and her twin girls, Emily and Elizabeth

The girls patiently waiting on the tube for their turn in the water (didn't want the boys to get to the tube before them!)

Eric having "Eric time" after the kids were completely worn out!

YouTube

2009-07-24T12:58:00.003-05:00

Here are some videos that you absolutely have to watch if you have not already...

Celine and Elvis

Wedding

Nail Salon

June Birthdays

2009-07-14T21:55:00.005-05:00

June is the birthday month that never ends...There are 3 of us that celebrated birthdays in June, but we were all so busy traveling with vacations (and work...) that we've not had a chance to celebrate! We haven't seen each other since Memorial Day! Since celebrations were LONG overdue, we decided to "do it up right" and went to a very nice dinner at River Grill and then Aloft for a nightcap. Little did we know that we were crashing a Bentonville HS Alumni Reunion! The big woofers on the patio should have been our first clue that we were entering a private party, but we ignored them and kept walking in...we were offered nametags as we entered (we declined them) and did our best to blend right in. After many "people watching" laughs we decided that we should get out of there while we could and decided to end the night at JJ's...a very cool spot with live music and a fun atmosphere!

The girls at dinner (yes the guys came, but we didn't a group shot of them...ha!)

L-R: Julie (June 26), Jazmin (June 24), Me (June 10), Courtney, Kelly

Kara (and Jim) met up with us later at Aloft.

The Fourth of July

2009-07-11T15:50:00.010-05:00

My Papaw, Verne Sullivan, was born, raised, and lived his whole life in the white farm house on the Homochitto River in Meadville, MS. There are many acres of farmland along the Homochitto in which his children learned to hunt, fish, farm, and "play." Family was important to my Papaw and he did his best to instill that value in his own children and grandchildren.

As the Sullivan family grew, two holidays became of utmost importance: Christmas and the Fourth of July. On Christmas night, all Sullivan's all gather in the little white farmhouse on the River. On July 4th, everyone gathers at the River underneath a pavillion that my Papaw ensured was complete before his death in August 1992. The first July 4th that we enjoyed the Pavillion was his last holiday with us.

Surprisingly, every Sullivan faithfully continues with the tradition of Christmas and July 4th. This past July 4th was the best in years. The day was very hot, but underneath the Pavillion a cool breeze flowed making the outdoors not only bearable, but enjoyable. Below are a few candids that I hope you enjoy as much as we did making them...

Kale and Callie looking festive in their patriotic headwear and leis. (Callie was giving hers the taste test...ha!)

Kamryn and Kelsey immediately headed to the riverfront to check upon arrival

Skye and Erin (Summer's good friend from Jxn) indulged in yummy rice crispy treats

Dad provided entertainment for all the babies...seemed to be well received by all within earshot

Callie loves hats...

Kayla flashing a big smile as she is headed to the river

Cooper (Tara's younger son) striking a muscle pose

Kolemyn Grace (Kayla's daughter)

Kale

Sawyer (Tasha's baby boy)

Cool Man, Grant

Mamaw Sullivan with Isabella Ann (youngest triplet)

The COOKS grilling the traditional chickens with the infamous Garlic/butter sauce

Sadye (Tasha's middle child)

Uncle Bill and Isaac William (Triplet #1)

Josh Iles and Isabella

Ian Knight (Triplet #2) sleeping away in the middle of all the action

Bill, Elizabeth and Issac

look-a-like cousins: Judy and Patti (Perrott)

Callie

(she loves eating ice and bananas in her nifty little net pouch)

Kale had just enjoyed his first chocolate cupcake

What July 4th is complete without a stolen watermelon??

Dad and Grandaddy Joseph raided the watermelon patch in a secret location on the River

Gotta make sure that they picked a good one :)

New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia

2009-07-08T21:19:00.008-05:00

Gosh! How many states can a girl visit in one week??? In my last post, I had been in Mississippi for my niece's (and 2 cousins) baby baptisms. I flew from Mississippi to New Jersey for a work trip. Our mission was to see as much Snapple product in the states of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania as possible. We not only saw a TON of Snapple, but also New York City! We had a lot of early mornings so that we could get to the city as soon as possible at night. We saw a lot of NYC in a very short amount of time! There is no way to share all of the pics with you, but trust me when I tell you that there was very little that we didn't view, experience, or drive by (ha!). We were only in NJ/NY for 3 nights...

Day 1: Times Square and Roof Top Bar
Tuesday was travel day. The 4 of us arrived at Newark, NJ by 3:00 and headed to the hotel to literally drop luggage and head to the city as quickly as possible. We were sitting on the Roof Top Bar at 230 Fifth in record time taking in the sights. Here is the view....

As we were walking back to the car, we passed a church that had a black iron gate around it. Tied on the iron were yellow ribbons...breathtaking. Each ribbon had 2-3 laminated cards with the name of a person serving overseas. Speechless.

As we were making our way to Times Square, we passed the Macy's Flagship store....it was like the Heaven's opened up and a light was beaconing us....too bad I was with 3 men who would not let me stop :(

Day 2: Ground Zero - The Freedom Towers

When we were talking about this trip, we all unanimously voiced that we could not leave NYC without visiting Ground Zero. We walked all around it for about 2.5 hours.

First sighting of Ground Zero...We were walking up to the area, but the barricades and fencing prohibited our view.

We found a raised crosswalk where we could peer down on where the action was happening...the area was HUGE! There really aren't any words to describe the emotions and realizations that we all experienced at this sight. I cannot imagine what it was like before construction started. I tried to imagine standing on a nearby sidewalk when the towers fell...there just are not words. We all were silent for most of the "tour" around the area. I believe that it is about 3 city blocks square (?)
We finally found the Fire Department across from Ground Zero. It has been nicely renovated and a bronze memorial on one full side of the building.

Here is a peep into the firehouse where the trucks are parked.

Part of the memorial along the side of the Firehouse

The other part of the memorial

Not exactly sure where this cross was located in relation to Ground Zero, but it did face the area on the side of the Federal Building. This gave me chills as it still had part of the debris on one side of the cross.

On our way home, we had to drive through the Financial District and see "The Bull." You'll notice that it seems to be "daylight." It was actually about 11:30 at night and the park right behind The Bull was host to a movie scene (The Scorcer, I think...) Really cool to see a 1920's Roadster parked nearby with all the movie equipment...

Day 3:

The last night of our NYC visit, we ate dinner at The Carnegie Deli. Afterward, we wanted to see our favorite TV networks since most all of them have street views into the studios. One wanted to see Fox, another wanted to see ESPN Sports News, and I wanted to see the Today Show. We had a great time trying to find all of the studios and really got to see a good piece of Manhattan on foot...ha!

PHILADELPHIA: Kenny Chesney Concert

Friday:

We worked our way down from New Jersey/New York to Philadelphia, PA. The reason for our trip was to go to the Kenny Chesney Stadium Concert. Can't really go into the Hows and Whys, but it was a work trip....I promise :)

On the recommendation of my good friend and neighbor, we had dinner on Sixth Street in downtown Philly. It is a very different sort of street. Kind of like Bourbon in NOLA, kind of grungy like Seattle, all sorts of cultures collide on this street. It goes without saying that we were a little surprised that Philly would have such a cross-cultural scene in it's downtown area...but we walked and walked taking it all in. We finally found our restaurant on the other end of the street (thank goodness!) and had a great experience! I am drawing a blank on the name of the restaurant, but it was some of the best Italian I've had in a while. It's in an old historic building and has a dinner theater in the basement. Very cool place...definitely not like the other end of Sixth...

Saturday:

If you have never been to a KC Stadium Concert, it is an experience that is unforgettable! People start showing up in the parking lot by early morning. They haul in sand, tiki torches, tents, more sand, grills, baby pools, and anything else that is not nailed or glued down! There is a competition for the best tailgate party as the winner wins front row tickets. For a lot of people, that is motivation enough to work very hard to create unique and interesting tailgate parties! I had NO idea that the state of PA had so much sand....ha!

There were people from everywhere! I even ran into some guys from MISSISSIPPI! They had driven up from Meridian and donned Mississippi State gear! (don't have a picture, though). They had a great tailgate...Mississippi style, of course. They had filled the bed of the truck with water and then spread sand all around the back and into their tent. They brought their own stereo equipment and had a DJ! They really went all out...

Here are a few pics that I can share from the concert:

An early shot of the stadium parking lot.

After we made the parking lot round and checked on a few things, we decided to go sight-seeing in the historical part of Philly (downtown). First thing on the agenda? You guessed it...the Rocky Steps. These are the steps leading up to the Philadelphia Art Museum. Sylvester Stallone made them famous in his training scenes in the Rocky movies.

The State House. Did any of you watch the John Adams Series on HBO? Well, if you did, this building should look familiar. Continental Congress met here (and a whole bunch of other historical stuff that I cannot seem to remember right now). There are 3 buildings on this site, but I couldn't fit them into one frame.

LUNCH!! Pat's Philly Cheese Steak. The best in town! In case you ever need to know, here's how you order...(cheese wit)

The Concert:

The order of the concert was Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Montgomery Gentry, Sugarland, and Kenny Chesney. Because we were doing other things, I did not get to see Lady A or Montgomery Gentry, but I could hear them. I did get to see Sugarland, Miranda Lambert, and Kenny. All were terrific. The energy in the stadium was electric...have not seen anytihng quite like it. Great fun!

Christian Bush from Sugarland. He's good at interacting with the crowd while he's performing.

Miranda Lambert. A really good pre-concert show!

In between performers, I found my friend, Megan! I directed her wedding reception last June! Small world! She lives in Baltimore and had come up with some girlfriends for the concert. They had sandbar tickets....lucky girls!

And last, but not least...the reason we all trekked to Philly....

As I look back over this post, I realize that there is a lot of "white space". I saw and did so many things that there is no way to document it all without it taking days to write. Hopefully these highlights help paint the picture that I had a blast and loved every minute of the trip! Each day was packed and I had very little sleep (early mornings...and very late nights). What an incredible experience and I cannot wait to go back to NYC!

Sounds like life to me....

2009-06-23T16:59:00.013-05:00

In the last 12 days, there have been a lot of exciting times and included in those 12 days are my 32nd birthday, high school graduations of 2 cousins, Uncle Robert's horrendous life-threatening wreck, and a triple baby baptism. And in there somewhere, I have held a more than full-time job. Sounds like life to me....

This blog entry will be the "mega blog" of all blogs. As most of you may know, I have purchased a new "grown up" camera and I enjoy it more than I should. So....enjoy the pics and forgive the amateur flaws. Events are chronological:

Birthday: I look forward to my birthday (June 10) every single year with more anticipation than the year before. Strange? Maybe...

Have you ever seen a white Iris? I had not and I just fell in love with them in this arrangement (front left) The arrangement on the right was sent my my parents and the gerber daisies (my everday favorites) were given to me by my team at work. I really love flowers, and I was not disappointed!

I've blogged about my friend who has a pre-teen daughter who is starting to really enjoy baking. Erin baked me these muffins for my birthday breakfast and made a card to go with it. They left them on my doorstep....so sweet and yummy! (muffins were blueberry)

GRADUATION 2009:

It is not uncommon for there to be multiple Sullivan graduates in any given year, but this year there were NO Sullivan graduates and TWO Joseph graduates! I cannot believe these 2 great cousins are actually old enough to graduate! I am so proud of the young man/lady that Craig and Stacy have become. Both are enrolled at Ole Miss this fall and plan to pledge (won't give away their secret until later as to which one they have chosen....)

CRAIG THOMAS JOSEPH

Briarcrest Christian School

Germantown, TN

Craig-man lined up and ready for the graduation march!

Craig receiving his diploma from the Headmaster

Uncle Tom, Aunt Andrea, Craig and Steven (reverse order) after the ceremony

The entire family in Memphis AFTER graduation...about to enjoy BBQ from Wild Hog at Tom & Andrea's house! (yours truly is never in any pictures because I am the photographer!)

The Joseph family waiting for Craig's name to be called...glad everyone is paying attention! (L-R)

Robert, Steven, Lisa, Tom, Andrea, Mamawgran, Grandaddy, Mom, Dad

(Drew & Laura Eidt and Donna, Andrea's parents and sister, were sitting right behing my parents)

STACY BROOKE JOSEPH

Myers Park High School

Charlotte, NC

This smile says it all.....

So proud!

The Joseph's waiting for the ceremony for 650 students to begin...

Robert, Ashley, Mom, Dad, Andrea, Tom, (Ron and Brenda Smith, Stacy's step-dad and Mom)

Pre-Graduation Dinner on Saturday

Ashley, Me, Stacy

Mom & Dad

(Dad asked me to count before I snapped the picture...guess he wanted to be candid...LOVE this picture!)

Tom & Andrea

Robert, Mom, Dad, Tom, Andrea, Ashley, Patsy, Stacy, and Me

Joseph Family after a fantastic meal at Village Tavern

(wonderful outdoor patio restaurant in downtown Charlotte)

After Graduation on Sunday afternoon, Robert, Mom, Dad, me, Stacy, and Ashley enjoyed the Charlotte Symphony in the Park. It is a wonderful evening of picnics, live bands, and then the Charlotte Symphony. We had a wonderful time relaxing and enjoying just being together. Ashley is always a ham and I thought that this picture was so fitting of her personality....this reminds me of the Parent Trap movie scene when the twins are under water playing a trick on their soon to be step-mom...ha!

Ashley Barrett Joseph

ROBERT

Stacy's graduation was on Sunday, June 14. The next morning, we all headed to the airport to make our way back home to Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas. Robert had driven so that he would have a vehicle to run errands, take care of some business, and hang out with the girls (he came a few days before the rest of us). So, on Monday, he started driving to Mississippi instead of flying with the rest of us. He usually takes his time driving and this trip was no different. He broke the trip up into 2 days of driving. On Tuesday evening, when he was in Port Gibson, he hit the bridge on the Natchez Trace that crosses Hwy 18. He was airlifted to University Medical Center in Jackson, paralyzed from the chest down. He had fractures on C4-9 vertebrates and had to be put on a ventilator. In an instant, his life changed forever. Today is the 1 week anniversary of this accident. Today, he was taken off the ventilator and was able to breathe on his own. His legs moved involuntarily, but we are greatly encouraged! As he comes to our mind, please say a prayer for him. Pray for healing, guidance, and acceptance of God's second chance.

Robert and the girls (Stacy & Ashley) at Stacy's graduation on June 14.

Infant Baptism

This past weekend was a very special time for the Sullivan family at large. THREE Sullivan children were baptized at Meadville United Methodist Church: Callie Rivers Sullivan, Charles Verne Herring, and Kale Sullivan Thomas. They are the children of Chris & Stephanie Sullivan, Brett & Vista (Sullivan) Herring, and Scott & Summer (Sullivan/Robertson) Thomas. Adding to the speical meaning of this weekend is the fact that these children mark another generation of Sullivan baptisms at MUMC.

A little history: My Great-Grandparents, Herbert & Margie Kate (Cain) Babington, moved from Franklinton, LA to charter the Bank of Franklin, where he was a VP and she was active in teh community and started many organizations. They chose Meadville UMC as their home church. They raised their children: Herb, Mary Ann, and Margie Townes in this church. Herb and Mary Ann married and moved away, but Margie Townes married Verne Sullivan and also chose their home church as Meadville UMC. They raised their family in this church and each one was baptized there. Their children are Bo, Steve (my Dad), Bill, Rex, Pat, Cindy and Judy. Each of these married and raised their families in Meadville, but only my Dad kept MUMC as a home church. When my Mom and Dad had me, Chris and Sarah, we all were baptized as infants in MUMC. Now, Chris has a daughter and he and his wife, Stephanie, have chosen to come from Canton, MS to baptize Callie. Even though they do not live in Meadville and attend MUMC regularly, they claim it as their home church because "there just isn't any church in Jackson like it..."

Recently, Vista and Brett have moved from Oxford and have chosen MUMC as their home church. Summer and Scott live in a Chattanooga, TN surburb, but chose to have Kale baptized in MUMC because of the special family meaning of this church and the awesome opportunity to share this special day with other cousins. I am so glad that they did!

Here are a few pictures from the weekend:

Saturday:

Kale and Callie

Kale wasn't real sure about the "green stuff" and Callie just loved it

Callie examining a flower in Sue-Baby's flower bed...wonder if she will be a future gardener like her Mom and Grandmothers????

I absolutely LOVE this picture...Callie is just kicked back resting on Chris' legs. She doesn't have a care in the world and was watching Kale and the rest of the crew

It's near impossible to get this many babies coordinated for a picture, but I tried!

The babies and their parents: (L-R)

Vista, Brett, Charles Verne

Stephanie, Chris, Callie

Summer, Kale and Scott

The cousins and Mamaw Sullivan

Vista, Charles Verne, Callie, Chris, Mamaw, Summer, Kale

You will notice that the girl cousins had boy babies and THE boy had the girl

Callie's family (L-R)

Pete & Tina Robertson (Stephanie's parents from Huntsville, AL)

Stephanie, Chris, & Callie

Mom, Dad, me, Sarah & Elliott Stebbins

Tim & Cindy (Sullivan) Robertson

Summer, Kale and Scott Thomas

The Herrings:

Cliff/Clint (twins that I can never tell apart...)

Niki, one of the twins girlfriend (sorry, cannot remember whose!)

Vista, Charles Verne & Brett

Myra & Howard

I failed to get a picture of Uncle Rex and Vista, Charles Verne and Brett...he snuck away before I could get a photo! BUT he was there and very proud!

Callie has learned that pulling paci's out of other baby's mouths is very fun! Kale didn't think so...

(Callie doesn't take a paci, but prefers to play with hers...and everyone else's)

MONDAY:

I got to keep Callie on Monday ALL BY MYSELF! It never happens where I am able to do that, so I jumped at the opportunity! We had so much fun hanging out!

An added bonus to an already wonderful day was that my friends Lorrie and Crystal brought lunch out to me in Canton! I was SO excited to see them and am so thankful that they would take time out of a busy Monday to visit me! They were only able to visit for about 2 hours, but I am so THANKFUL!

Callie loves her swing outside on the porch. She fell asleep in it twice and on the 2nd time, I just had to snap a picture....

Notice that she has her "bracelet" and had been playing with her paci...

TRIPLETS:

Monday afternoon, Stephanie and I took Callie to meet the Triplets. These are the new babies of Josh and Elizabeth (Sullivan) Isles. The Triplets were born on April 28 at 33 weeks. They all were home within 4 weeks of birth. AMAZING! They are now 8 weeks old and have doubled their birth weight. Their original due date was June 20 (this past weekend) and they weigh 8, 7.5, and 5 lbs. They so sweet and tiny...see for yourselves:

Isabella Ann

She never cries and is SO GOOD!!

Ian Knight

He decided to yawn real big just as I snapped the picture. Guess he wanted us to see his tonsils?? Such a sweet boy!

Isaac William

He "wants to be an only child" according to his parents. He is independent already...definitely the leader of the bunch.

TUESDAY-SUNDAY

This week, I am in New York, New Jersey, and Philadelphia. I am working up here, but already having a great time! Tonight, we spent the evening at 230 Fifth Avenue on a rooftop bar and then walked Times Square and had dinner (at 10:00) at a local NYC pizza by the slice place. Loving the city already....more to come on this trip later.

Birthday Celebrations

2009-06-07T11:31:00.002-05:00

The 2nd week of June has always been a busy week in my family. My Dad (8th), cousin Savannah (9th), and me (10th) have always had to shared the week of birthday celebrations! In the last few years, we've added my sister-in-law, Stephanie, to the list as her birthday is on the 7th. So, yes, you are reading this right...we celebrate birthdays in my family June 7-10 without missing a beat. I don't know why my birthday is such a big deal for me, but I look forward to June 10th every single year with more anticipation than the year before....maybe because I don't have another day that is more personally special?? Maybe....probably....

Since moving to NW Arkansas 2.5 yrs ago, I have been blessed with 2 more friends to add to the week of "Birthday Celebrations." Michael is on the 6th and Richard is on the 11th. So now, I celebrate June Birthdays June 6-11. WOW!

This past Saturday night, "the birthday people" went out to celebrate our birthday week....we went to Theo's down on Dickson (Fayetteville for you non-NWArk folks). If you have not been to Theo's yet, it is the best place to go when the weather is nice or when it's not...just perfect! After dinner at Theo's we ended the night at Willy D's, the favored piano bar that is always a good time.

Here are a couple of pics from last night....

The Birthday People: Richard, me, Michael

The whole crew hanging out on the patio at Theo's waiting for our table:
Ashley, me, Holly, Michael, John, Melissa, Richard, & Liz

Today was THE Day...and an update

2009-05-28T20:03:00.009-05:00

Well, today was "the day." Let me explain...last Friday, I planted Mandevilla in one of the corners of my fence. When I finished, I stepped back to admire my work when something caught my eye and nearly scared me to death! This is what I saw...

You might imagine my surprise to see 4 wide yellow mouths staring at me. This bird's nest is eyelevel in my fence, but hadn't noticed it before. I had noticed while I was planting my Mandevilla that a bird kept circling around me, but didn't think much about it at the time...until I stepped back and saw her babies.

I have been obsessed with these baby birds ever since the discovery. Every day I have gone out to the fence and checked on them and have been amazed at how quickly they have grown. Tuesday, I took another picture because the babies had gotten so much bigger....

It has been fun watching them...until today. Today when I walked by the nest, it was empty.

Here is Mama Bird watching me plant the Mandevilla....guess she was making sure that I didn't harm her babies.

Some of you have *jokingly* asked about my proverbial green thumb. I am PROUD to report that everything is still growing and alive. Here's the proof:

The garden....YES! I can taste the fresh veggies now...

Remember the infamous snapdragon that keeps coming back in a different location that I blogged about a few weeks ago? Well, here it is in full bloom. Isn't it pretty?? This picture doesn't do the bright "neon" colors justice.

My big pot of zinnias and the white "filler" that Mom gave me (can't think of what it's called)

My Dahlia that I just knew wouldn't make it...is in it's 3rd blooming rotation

Here is the area that I was struggling with what to plant. I am proud to report that I planted a white Confederate Jasmine (thanks, Mom). I cannot tell how it's doing, but it has not wilted or turned brown....we'll see what the future holds.

*sidenote: I am a little concerned about it's future potential because my yard is nothing but clay and rock. Of course I doubled the size of the planting hole and filled with compost. I planted according to the instructions...only time will tell.

My yard has become a peaceful place for me. Yes, you read that correctly...it is quite the turn of events of the long history of the worlds most dis-interested/worst gardner! I have always detested working in the yard. I had no interest in it as a kid or as an adult. I turn, I never could keep anything alive. (I was the girl that couldn't grow ivy!) But despite all my gardening shortcomings, I've always attempted to grow flowers. It's what Southern ladies do in the spring...you just grow flowers. Whether it was at my apartment in Mobile or my condo in Boise, I always tried. I would start out with good intentions, but by the end of the summer, everything had long been dead. Since moving to Arkansas and having a "real house", I always have made sure my front flower bed looked good..whatever it took. Truthfully, it was about all I could handle. Looking back, I was just not interested in caring about it before. However, this year it just clicked. Growing something just seemed to come naturally. I was so eager! I couldn't buy enough to plant. I made about 5 trips to Lowe's and Home Depot to get things and every time bought more flowers, whiskey barrels, or something to plant! Call is maturity, coming of age, nesting, or just plain ole stress, but either way I LOVE gardening this year. It relaxes me and makes me happy. The truth is, I really don't care if anyone else sees it or not. Yes, I would like for others to enjoy it, but at the end of the day, it is mine and I am excited to see it flourish. I feel like I have accomplished something...and I can see it with my own eyes.

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

These were the bright and shining faces of my first patio guests. Let me explain...on Saturday night of Memorial Day Weekend, a few neighbors came over for a cookout. I had big plans for the adults sitting on the patio and the kids playing in the yard. Well....thanks to a storm coming up right when we were about to eat, the kids stayed on the patio and the adults stayed inside. Not exactly the way I had planned it, but it all worked out in the end. Right after this picture was taken, ALL of these kids played out in the rain and got soaking wet. It was so fun watching them play and have a good time...despite the rain and soggy ground.

On Sunday night, another group of friends came over for dinner. My camera never made a debut, but towards the end of the night, we all found Tommy sitting on my side table "talking" on the phone. Oh he had a great conversation and we all had a good laugh. You can tell from the picture that he really enjoyed being the center of all our attention...never phased him one bit!

Darius

2009-05-27T21:29:00.003-05:00

My company is the main corporate sponsor for The Amp, a summer concert series in NW Arkansas. Last Friday night was our "team night" and we were treated to a not only our regular VIP passes, but backstage "meet & greet" passes! This concert was none other than the one and only Darius Rucker, AKA "Hootie" from Hootie & the Blowfish. I have to admit that I had very low expectations of this concert and almost didn't go. However, I had already invited 3 friends to go with me AND it was a beautiful day/evening and certainly didn't need to be wasted. I am so glad that I did go because it was THE BEST CONCERT! He played a little of everything...from Hank/Merle/David Allan Coe to classic Hootie and the Blowfish to Prince. He closed the concert with Purple Rain...

The picture below is from the Meet-&-Greet. We went through so fast that I barely remember getting a picture made (Thanks Heather!).

Bailey, Wendy, and Me

Ashley is missing from this pic...don't know where she was!

We were enjoying the beautiful evening outdoors at the Amp...good friends, good food, good music, good weather. Just doesn't get any better than that!

Springtime

2009-05-13T19:23:00.008-05:00

"In the springtime, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." ~ Margaret Atwood

Over the last 21 days, it has stormed here everyday! I feel waterlogged and have almost sprouted webbed fingers and feet! But somewhere in there, I got the wild hair to give my backyard, patio, and flowerbed a little "lift." It was actually spurred by my trip to Mobile... the afternoon I landed in NW Arkansas, I headed straight to Home Depot and bought flowers. The following week, I "shopped" online and found the perfect swing, chairs, tables, and rug. After feeling the tug all that week, I finally went to Lowe's on Thursday afternoon (in between rainstorms) and bought 4 whiskey barrels and vegetable plants. Realizing I over bought on vegetables half way through planting, I went back and bought 2 more whiskey barrels and even more flowers! Vegetables that I planted: 4 tomato, 2 crooked neck squash, 1 straight neck squash, 2 zucchini, 2 green bell pepper and 1 red bell pepper. In a few weeks they will either be vegetables or victims....we'll just have to wait and see!

The swing has only been hung a week, but I have spent more time on my patio this week than I have in the 2.5 years I've lived here! Oh, I cannot wait to see what the summer has in store!

Here are a few pics....enjoy!

Back Patio

(tables will be here shortly...)

The Garden

Dahlia's and (something else that I can't remember)

are planted in between each whiskey barrel of vegetables

closeups of the Dahlias

Zinnia's

Red Gerber Daisy (my favorite)

The birdhouse...need advice on what to plant behind it...suggestions???

Front yard - and street view of the garden on the left.

You really cannot appreciate this. It took me TWO days and TWO electric hedge trimmers to "tame" this jungle!

This snapdragon was planted 3 summers ago in a different spot...it keeps coming back!

1 of 3 planters across the front of my house

close up of "filler" flower. (that's what the tag said...)

Zinnia's (by MEK)

The highlight of my trip to Mobile a few weekends ago was visiting my friend, Mary Elizabeth's, art studio at her home. She is an AWESOME artist and her paintings just have that certain pop of color. Check out her blog, Painting A Day.

April Catch Up

2009-05-02T13:51:00.011-05:00

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind! Work is keeping me very busy during the week and the weekends have been extremely full....work hard, play harder! This post will not be in chronological order as it will be long and there are certain things I want you to see should you only have a quick minute. No event was any less important than the other, but the "leading story" is just very special and I don't want you to miss it.

When I was a graduate student at The University of South Alabama in Mobile, I had the good fortune of working FOR and WITH 2 extraordinary women: Gina Hedberg and Barbara Wooley, respectively. These women are blessings in my life and I am so thankful for them. Gina was the "key" to my social life in Mobile as she sponsored me for Junior League and got me into triathlon mode (and introduced me to Melissa, another incredible friend). Barbara was the essence of grace and a Mobile Southern Belle. She was a beautiful person both inside and out. She and her husband, Larry, provided me and my friends many nights of Mobile Symphony and Mobile Ballet tickets (the good ones!). She was generous when she didn't have to be and truly loved people. She was a strong Christian woman whose faith was steadfast and unshakeable. Just after I graduated from Graduate School, Barbara was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. She was a valiant foot soldier and went into remission about 1 year later. Oh, how we all cheered and celebrated God's goodness. It wasn't even a year after Barbara's remission report that the cancer came back with a vengeance. She fought bravely for 3 years solid. There were many ups and downs, hills and valleys. Barbara's faith never wavered. She always had that brilliant smile on her face and ALWAYS realized the positives. Although we who knew her and loved her were devastated, she knew where she was going should cancer not let her go. This assurance sustained her and gave her the most tremendous grace. I aspire to be more like that...and I am healthy!

During Barbara's 65 years on this earth, she and her husband, Larry, were avid supporters of the fine arts in Mobile. They were active in various charities. They gave freely of themselves and their resources. Barbara made her mark on Mobile. She made a big mark on me. Barbara died last winter (2008). The world definitely lost one of it's brightest angels. I don't remember what kept me from going to her funeral, but I know that I have always regretted it. I needed closure to completely accept the fact that she was really gone. Last month, March 2009, her husband, Larry, and 2 sons, Dane and Heath, immortalized Barbara. They erected a statue in her honor in the University of South Alabama's Women and Children's Hospital's Memorial Gardens. It's a wonderful sanctuary in front of USA Women and Children's Hospital in Mobile. The park is full of bronze statues that represent not only those who have lost their battle with cancer, but those who have had hand in the advancement of cancer research. I strongly encourage you to drive/walk these grounds the next time you are through Mobile. I promise you that it will be a blessing. While I was in Mobile last weekend, I made it a priority to visit Barbara's statue. It was beautiful! She stands at the front door of the hospital under the big oak tree in a small garden of colorful flowers....just as she would choose. Barbara was always gardening. Who knew that visiting the simple statue would bring me such closure and peace. Yes, I was sad, but I cannot think of a better way to remember such a wonderful person. Here are a few pictures:

Barbara, me, Gina
This was my graduation dinner at The Bakery in downtown Mobile (Dec 2002)

Barbara was always laughing and making other laugh, too.

Barbara and Me.
This is exactly as I remember her. Big smile, perfely manicured nails, and big heart

These pics were taken with my Blackberry...sorry for the poor quality, but I left BOTH of my cameras in NW Arkansas.

Front view of the statue

Under the big oak

Back of the statue looking towards the front entrace of USA W&C Hospital

Footstone

DOMINOES BALL

The sole purpose of my trip to Mobile was for the Dominoes Ball. The quick history of this Mardi Gras organization: Dominoes are closely associated with the Knights of Revelry (KOR) Mystic Organization in Mobile. KOR parades on Fat Tuesday and have their ball the first Friday night after Easter (Easter Ball). The Dominoes do not parade during Mardi Gras and they host their ball the 2nd Friday night after Easter. These are the only 2 Mystic organizations that host their balls after Fat Tuesday. (No organization can parade or host balls during Lent...ruled by the Catholic Church).

My friend, Melissa, was the Dominoes' Leading Lady this year. This is the highest honor bestowed on any Mystic Organization. For the ball this year, Melissa chose a Studio 54 theme. How fun it was to throw back to the Disco era! The ball was held at The Country Club of Mobile. The Tip Tops played until the wee hours of the morning and were awesome! They even dressed the part with big afros, wild costumes, and the perfect music. Here are a few candid of the night, but here is the link to all photos on Facebook. (Professional Pics are not yet available)

Melissa and Gary - the first dance
The dance floor was surrounded by all the members of The Dominoes while The Leading Lady lead the first dance of the evening.

Melissa, Gina (wearing her traditional Domino robe), and me

Melissa and Gary dancing

Melissa "singing" her heart out with the Tip Tops

*side note: just after this photo was snapped, a few of Melissa's friends were pulled on stage to be "back up". My worst fear was realized when the band leader had pulled my by the hand up front and center to DANCE a solo. There is not enough alcohol anywhere that would have made this fun for me.....later I realized that Melissa had put the band leader up to it....all I can say is that payback is a B****!

Me and Phillip

Gina and Mary Elizabeth

(both donning their traditional robes)

Just after Melissa and I went through the Memorial Park to see Barbara's statue, we went to dinner at Ed's Shed on the Causeway on the Bay. I couldn't help but take this picture of the sunset. It was so beautiful. It was good to be "home" in Mobile.

April 18. Aloft Hotel. Kara and Kelly's birthday party. This is the party that they had planned for themselves before the "surprise party" Easter weekend. Here are a few candids. All I will say about this is that a GREAT time was had by all!

Julie, Me, Courtney

Kara, Jenn, Allyson, Julie, Me, Courtney

Kara's favorite birthday present :)

Kelly & John Branca...playing pool and winning!

Company Party and Jason Meadows. Dr Pepper Snapple Group was awarded the Vendor of the Quarter for Q4 at Walmart Corp. This is a huge honor...especially considering our competition. (if you think real hard for 5 seconds you'll know who that is...) Everyone in our office has been working extra long hours during this "Relay/Mod Season". I've always known that this season of the Walmart calendar was rough, but living it is a whole different story. Long hours, 7 day work weeks, minimal sleep, and STRESS! The Senior Management decided that we needed a night out to celebrate all that we have accomplished as a team with our customer. So....they invited Jason Meadows to NW Arkansas to host a private concert. DPSG sponsors him corporately, so this was not that big of a request. The loft space above the Wine Cellar on Dickson Street in Fayetteville was turned into a casino and concert hall. Fun times!

Because we were celebrating and the travel distance between Rogers/Bentonville and Fayetteville, DPSG "shuttled" us from our front doors to the venue. No one ever mentioned what we would be picked up in, but we all assumed it would be a paddy wagon or 15 passenger van.....you can imagine my surprise (and my neighbor's) when this sweet ride backed into the culdesac. (Thanks Shelley for the pic!)

I was the first to be picked up, so I had a good 2 hour ride in the Hummer before ever getting to Fayetteville. FUN TIMES! However, my friend, Greg, patiently waited for me to arrive. He lives in Fayetteville and met me at the party.

me and Greg

Okay...those of you who have known me for any length of time know how I am always talking about "the Babington nose." My Mamaw Sullivan inherited it from her mother, (Cain family, actually) and she has passed it down to my Dad, Uncle Pat, and Aunt Cindy. My Dad has passed it down to me. I have always known that I had a big nose, but it wasn't until someone snapped this candid of me at the Company Party that I realized just how big it really was....all I see in this picture is Mamaw Sullivan's profile....family genetics, gotta luv'em.

Don't ask what I am trying to do here, but it's obvious that I am TRYING to dance....

Surprise Party & Easter

2009-04-12T21:28:00.005-05:00

This weekend has been long anticipated for a couple of reasons. If you have been following my blog for any time at all you know that I have a "Football Family" here in Arkansas. This group of friends was formed as a means to get together every weekend and share a meal, watch a little football, and just hang out. We rotate houses every week. Now that football season is over, we don't get together every Sunday, but we get together often! One thing that I LOVE about this group of friends is that we all come from varying walks of life, life experiences, ages, backgrounds and perspectives. But one thing that we all have in common is that we love each other and like to have a good time! This coming week (Apr 14 & 18) Kelly & Kara turn 40. We cannot believe that they have reached this life milestone already! Of course, we couldn't let this occasion go uncelebrated without a little twist and an element of surprise....so....we decided to throw a little surprise party just among our group of football friends. The funny thing is that the girls thought that no one was going to throw a party for them, so they planned their own for next weekend! Little did they know.....

The plan: Everyone meet at Ross and Courtney's (5 doors down from one of the birthday girls, so this could get a little tricky). Jim and John were to take the girls to a cystic fibrosis fundraiser in Fayetteville (there was no CF fundraiser, but charity events are a dime a dozen up here this time of year, so they would never know the difference). Jim was to text Courtney when he left the house and headed over to John & Kelly's (birthday girl #2). Courtney was to wait 2 minutes then call Kara and ask her to come over and check out an outfit that she was wearing to an event that night.

The surprise: All of the football friends would be standing in the kitchen when Kara and Kelly walked in the house. Jim and John had arranged for a car service to take us all down to Fayetteville to a piano bar that we love, Willy D's.

The result: 2 VERY surprised birthday girls! They LOVED the evening and had a blast! Actually, we all had a great night (and Easter morning came WAY TOO early....)

The tiaras

The birthday cake made my yours truly...Butter cake with vanilla buttercream icing.

Courtney talking to Kara...hoping she takes the bait :)

Kara walking in the kitchen....she was the first through the door

Kelly right behind Kara. Priceless face.

Jim & Kara, Kelly & John

(the men were so glad that everything worked out so well!)

The girls:

Courtney, me, Kelly, Kara, Julie, Jazmin, Heidi

The men:

Eric, Steven (Mike's brother visiting from Iowa), Mike, John, Ross, Paul, Jim

The Football Friends

Loading up and heading to Fayetteville...watch out Willy D's!

Kelly & Kara playing along with the piano guys....

Easter Sunday

This morning we awoke to torrential rains and thunderstorms. If it weren't Easter Sunday morning, I would have just continued to sleep all cozy in my bed. However, I could not do that on THE Sunday mornings of all Sunday mornings! I braved the elements and headed to church for 9 a.m. service. Much excitment and anticipation welled within me as to what the service would bring...especially after last week was so awesome! I hate to say this, but I was sadly disappointed this morning. The service was rushed, no traditional music/hymns. There was a lot of upbeat rockin' and rollin' of new songs. Where was "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" or Dolly singing "He's Alive"?? I even turned to the Christian station on XM AND radio....no dice. Bad music selections for this most wonderful Sunday of the year! This is NOT the way I was hoping Easter Sunday would go. Needless to say, by the time I got out of the service, I was soaked from my trek inside, disappointed by the service (which lasted 30 minutes!), and lack of suplimental music from the Christian radio stations. Bad start to a supposedly good day. Mercifully, I met my neighbors for brunch at Crabby's. AWESOME meal with 2 awesome families! Day is looking up.... Football friends lunch at Kelly's at 1:00. I am so looking forward to this time with my Arkansas family. With each passing hour, the day is getting better. By the time I left Kelly's at 5:00, I am in a great mood and the day has been wonderful. God is so good to me.

I struggle being away from my biological family during the holidays. When this day didn't get off to a "right" start, I really started getting sad. Being tired from lack of sleep from the night before, the tears seemed to come too easily. By noon, when my parents called, I was a basket of raw emotion. The one thing that I am most thankful for is that my Football friends ARE there and that we all have only each other during the holidays. None of us have our family close by and we take seriously leaning on each other. God is good to me!

Tonight as I post, I realize that I have had a fabulous weekend! Even though today didn't get off to the greatest start (or the one I anticipated and expected), God had a divine day planned for me. It's all about perspective and managing expectations. I expected today to go one way and God wanted it to go another....He wins!

The absolute best 5 minutes of today was when Erin showed me the dessert that she made for us today. She is 12 years old and LOVES to bake. She is really doing a lot of things on her own these days and I am so proud of her! (especially since I gave her a cake baking lesson one night....) Here is Erin and her strawberry cake. (strawberry is my most favorite cake EVER!)

Erin and the best strawberry cake

VACATION!

2009-04-05T17:40:00.007-05:00

Have you ever gotten to the point where if you didn't take a vacation, you felt like you were going to lose it?? Well, welcome to my months of February and March! I have been working 7 days a week and 12+ hours a day. It's called "Mod Season" in the Vendor world of Bentonville. I LOVE my job, but the time does come when one needs a nice break...no Blackberry, no Internet, no computer, and more importantly...no meetings! About 2.5 weeks ago, a good friend of mine called and asked if I wanted to take a trip. Immediately I said "YES!" So...after a little research, we decided to go to Williamsburg, VA. Both of us have wanted to visit there for some time and there was no time like the present to take action.

Day 1 - Monticello.

The first day in Williamsburg, we decided to drive up to Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, in Charlottesville. It was only a 2 hour drive up the interstate and with rainclouds looming in Williamsburg, it seemed to be a great idea. Our plan seemed to be working until just before arriving in Charlottesville when the rain found us. Undeterred, we arrived at Monticello. The scenery up the mountain was breathtaking. Monticello sits on the very top of a mountain and if you've spent much time in the mountains, you know that when it's raining there is fog. Fog had settled all around Monticello and we could not see the town below and all the sites of the gardens. Despite the rain, Monticello was a highlight of the trip. A few things that I learned:

1 - I love European Parque floors.

2 - European window shutters that fold in/out on the INside of the window is a wonderful thing...and quite elegant. It's also a lot nicer looking than American blinds.

3 - Mulberry Row - the "road" around the grounds Monticello was a major industrial development in the days of Thomas Jefferson. There were woodworkers, nailsmiths, blacksmiths, gardeners of both produce and flowers/herbs and a smokehouse. These things were originally started as a means to provide for the residents of Monticello, but quickly became a source for the town surrounding it. These trades quickly became a way to financially support Monticello, also.

4 - Thomas Jefferson was a very interesting man. He had very detailed journals and business ledgers, but was no manager of money...odd, I know. He was in great debt when he died.

5 - Thomas Jefferson's book collection was the beginning of the Library of Congress as we know it today. His book room at Monticello is breathtaking....

After a full afternoon at Monticello, we drove back to Williamsburg for dinner. My friend, Mary Anne, has suggested that we have dinner at Barret's, downtown. We "happened" upon this restaurant as we were driving around and went right in....In a word? scrumptous! This restaurant was amazing. A definite "do again" place. The crab cakes were 2nd to none...and I know crab cakes!

Pictures at Monticello

Day 2 - Williamsburg - the Revolutionary City.

This is the very center of downtown and is closed to motor vehicles. It is 100% period style: houses, dress, actors acting a typical day, stores, taverns (restaurants), carriages, etc all in period style! It was like literally taking a step back in time and living it firsthand.

Here is the link to the pictures....words fail to describe this experience and pictures speak best.

Williamsburg I

Williamsburg II

Williamsburg III

Day 3 - Jamestown Settlement
This was my least favorite day. Jamestown was where the FIRST settlers landed in the very early 1600's (1607?). When I think of early American History, I automatically think of the American Revolution Era (1700's). The 100 years before that when the settlers first came to Jamestown, life was tough and strict under British rule. The main takeaway for me was understanding the conditions in which the early settlers traveled and survived just to have the hope of a new world. These flagships were small and carried men, women, and children shoulder to shoulder across the icy Atlantic seas for 4 months! At best, these conditions were inhumane. Actually seeing the ships replicated in actual size and layout, really hits home the understanding of what our ancesters were hoping for...

Jamestown Pictures
Powhatan Indian Site Pictures

Day 4 - Yorktown

This was the "I wish we could stay longer" place. Yorktown is quaint as it sits on the Bay and hosts all sorts of boats...sailboats, mainly. There is a small beach and a riverwalk that hosts the cutest shops, restaurants, and museums. Yorktown was pivotal in the American Revolution as that is where Cornwalis surrendered to George Washington.

At Yorktown, we went through a very interesting Museum: The American Revolution Victory Center. At this museum, we walked along a timeline that started in the mid-1600's and ended at 1777, a year after the Declaration of Independence. This timeline helped bring all that I had seen in the days prior full circle. It was quite fitting that I had started my "tour" in the home of the man who wrote the Declaration (and actually saw the desk in which this great document was created) and finished it at the "end" while experiencing all the happenings that brought this great country to and through that point.

Yorktown Pictures

Today, I am back at home. I have just cleaned my kitchen from lunch where I was surrounded by all my "Arkansas Family" today. I feel rested, energized, and thankful. Today has been good.

Before I close, I just want to reflect briefly on Palm Sunday. It's the day that many years ago, Jesus rode through the city as people waved Palms. They were excited that Jesus had come. Palm Sunday is the start of Holy Week...the days leading up to Easter that represent Jesus' arrest, crucifixion, death, and Resurrection. Everything in the Christian life pivots on Easter. Without the happenings of this week, Christmas and any other Christian event would be unmeaningful and unimportant. In this single week, God brought all of his promises to light and gave each one of us hope. Hope for a future, hope that we are loved and hope that we each have a divine plan. I don't know about you, but I have been too busy. Too busy working too hard, too stressed and many other excuses to fully reflect on this season as I should. How can I be too "anything" NOT to reflect and be thankful for all that God is and has done for me?? I am blessed. I have a fantastic life. I am healthy. I have friends who love me. I have family who love me. And I take it all for granted. This week, I will be thankful. This week, I will mediate. This week, I will be all that I can be.

...and next Sunday, I will celebrate!

The picture at the beginning of this post is my favorite picture of the week. Such a simple daffodil and yet so beautiful. Someone (i.e. Mom or MEK) should use this in a painting....???

Below are the rest of my favorite pictures:

Guardsman at the entrance of the Govornor's Palace

Shoes of our "House Guide"

A tree at Monticello...so foggy and misty that everything was in a haze.

Cross monument at Jamestown representing the first settlers of this first city in the New World.

MIssissippi Family

2009-03-25T21:16:00.006-05:00

This past weekend was the world's quickest and shortest trip to Mississippi! But, how could I miss the baby shower for my cousin who is having TRIPLETS??? This is a first for the Sullivan clan....many prayers are already being lifted for Josh and Elizabeth. One was answered last Thursday when Josh was matched at UMC for his residency! This means that they will have family nearby to help with the babies. God is so good! Elizabeth is feeling fantastic and looking great. The babies are growing and on target.

One of my very best friends in the entire world moved back to Mississippi from Portland last summer. It is SO wonderful to be able to see her when I come home, now. Lorrie and her youngest daughter, Hannah, spent Saturday in Meadville hanging out with their favorite friend...ha!

The sweetest time all weekend was when I met Charles Verne. He was born on Wednesday to Vista and Brett. Isn't he sweet???

The best surprise of the weekend was when Chris brought Callie to Meadville. Stephanie had to work all weekend in Jackson, so Chris decided to drive down with the baby. Mom had a wedding in Natchez Saturday afternoon, so Sarah and I had her all to ourselves! This picture was taken of Mamaw Sullivan and Callie at Elizabeth's baby shower. I just think it's the sweetest picture.

Another Arkansas Saturday Night....Gala style

2009-03-15T17:25:00.004-05:00

This past weekend was a wonderful event...The Children's Museum Gala. My friends, Gina and Courtnie, are well connected to this organization and invited all of us to attend the Gala. Charity events are a dime a dozen here in NW Arkansas, but very few are as formal as this Gala. We all have been so excited to have a reason to get all dressed up. This night out has been a long time coming and we were not disappointed! The "icing on the cake" was that our table was front and center. Thanks to Jason, Courtnie's husband and chair of the gala. We had the best seats on the house to watch the dancers perform. The entertainment for the night was Dancing with the Stars. Local "stars" have been practicing a dance with a local professional dancer. There were many unique cha-cha's, mambo's, fox trots, waltzes, etc....I don't remember who won, but I know that we had a good time watching them dance!

Traditionally before any event, we all meet at my house beforehand. This weekend was no exception. Here are a few pics of us before we left the house.

Courtnie, Courtney, Steph, Julie

Ross warming up and getting ready to get his groove on.....

Jason & Courtnie

We didn't get to see Jason until the night was well underway. He did a great job at the Gala!

Courtney & Ross

Julie & Brian

As you probably noticed, I did not have a date for this Gala...it's a long story and not worth repeating. However, I have THE BEST friends and I ended up having a GREAT time with them. This night was a big step for me, though. I did something that I really wanted to do all by myself and did not let the appearance of things stop me. I had a great time with really good friends. I love you all!

Arkansas Saturday Nights

2009-03-08T20:15:00.004-05:00

There are a lot of catch-ups in which I need to share pictures. However, I will only post about 2 here as I need to get back to work! Here goes....

This past Saturday Night, my Arkansas family went to Monte Ne Chicken (pronunciation: Monte'-Nay). This local restaurant is about 20 minutes from Rogers at the lake. Monte Ne is family owned and has been around forever! There is only 1 menu option: fried chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, whole-kernel corn (my fav), white bean soup, homemade bread with apple butter and cobbler for dessert - all served family style. This place is amazing...it's the only country restaurant I know that requires reservations and after eating the delicious dinner, I understand why!

The group (L-R and clockwise)

Courtney, Jazmin, Tommy (baby), Jason, Melissa, Carson,

Will, Keaton, Ross, Eric, Courtnie, and me.

Too cute not to post! That Tommy is so cute! He was not very happy and when I pulled out the camera to take a "fussy picture", he perked right up with a big cheezy grin...too cute!

This picture says it all....Keaton LOVES fried chicken and he was in Heaven!

A few weeks ago was girls night out. My favorite band, Boom!Kinetic, played at George's in Fayetteville. A co-worker hooked us up with a table and we had a fantastic night! The only person missing was Courtney as she loves them as much as me. In case you've not heard B!K play before, they are an 80's cover band and are awesome! They always have a vast crowd follow them wherever they play. If they come to a town near you, go hear them!

Ashley, Sarah, and Lindsey

Wendy, Steph, Nancy

Jazmin & Steph

A Wonderful Weekend at Home

2009-03-01T20:12:00.005-06:00

This past weekend, I went to Meadville for a whirlwind visit. Thursday night I spent the night in Canton where I got some sweet one-on-one time with my niece, Callie. We, of course, had a nice little photo shoot the next morning so that Aunt Stephie could play with her camera :) On Saturday, my cousin Vista, had a baby shower where a good many Sullivan's attended. It was nice to get to visit with some of my aunts and cousins that I don't always get to see when I come to Meadville. (I also got to see friends and others that I haven't seen in a while). Here are a few pictures from the weekend:

Elizabeth & Vista

Elizabeth is expecting triplets (Ian, Isaac, and Isabella) sometime between the end of April and mid-June. Vista is expecting Charles Verne any day now. We are all anxiously awaiting the arrival of these babies! The Sullivan crew is exploding this year!

The Sullivan cousins at the shower: (L-R)

Stephenie, Stephanie, Kayla, Jasmine, Elizabeth, Vista, Leah, Kendra, Tanya & Tara

I LOVE this picture of Aunt Judy and Callie. Callie was laughing and verbalizing loudly!

Stephanie and Callie

I think this is the only picture I have taken of the 2 of them!

Callie is currently the very center of attention and LOVES IT! She'll do anything to make us all act like fools. She certainly pulls "entertainment duty" very well...

This is Callie's favorite place...the changing table.

Sassy (the dog) and Callie were just introduced. Both are getting used to each other in this picture. Result? Callie LOVED Sassy and Sassy was ok with her. Whew!

You can't really tell from the look on Callie's face, but she was laughing and talking to Papa Steve. Oh how she loves him....right after this "conversation" she fell asleep on his shoulder and woke up crying when he laid her down to nap. He held her for about 1 hour (her naps are usually about 1 hour at a time).

WAY TO GO, CRAIG!

2009-02-24T14:25:00.002-06:00

Craig, my cousin that is a Senior at Briarcrest Christian School in Collierville, TN placed 5th in the State Finals for Wrestling. My family never imagined that Craig would choose wrestling as his "career sport", but we are so very proud of him. He is a well rounded young man and is a superb athlete across multiple sports (football, baseball, wresting, and basketball). His school won the state title for wrestling last weekend in Chattanooga. Link to the article is below.

Congrats, Craig-man!

Article

Mardi Gras 2009

2009-02-22T14:39:00.002-06:00

Well....it's that time of year again....Mardi Gras! This year's party was yet another success with lots of good friends, themed "get-ups", Creole cuisine, King Cakes, and my infamous hurricanes (that I do not drink...). Here is the link to the few pictures that I have. Everyone really stepped it up this year...enjoy!

Mardi Gras 2009

Tagged...again!

2009-02-19T21:37:00.004-06:00

I've been tagged (thank you, Mrs Barbara!). The instructions were to post the 4th picture in the 4th folder of your computer. This should be interesting.....here it is:

This picture was taken in August '08 at the 80's party. It was hosted by my friends, Jen and Darren, at their home. This party was SO MUCH FUN! Who knew the 80's could actually be enjoyed in 2008??? Lots of good memories with really good friends.

25 Random Things

2009-02-09T15:33:00.003-06:00

I FINALLY have created my 25 Random Things List...after being tagged several times. This is a hard list to make! Enjoy!

1) I love all genres of music, However, I truly LOVE Motown.

2) My first car was a Ford LTDII – the Jefferson County Memorial Hospital car – complete with sticker letters on the driver & passenger doors and across the trunk. I had that car until the September of my Sophomore year of college. (yes, I scraped off the letters, but you could see the imprints!) This car had no air conditioner and only the rear speakers worked.

3) I am single – and over 30. It’s been a very long journey to get me to the point where I am truly okay with it. Just recently I realized that it’s other people that have the issue. I once heard someone say that “The knight in shining armor doesn’t always come riding up on a white horse and sometimes he doesn’t come at all. We each have our own journey and must make our own way.” I cannot remember the lady’s name who said it, but she played Marilla in Anne of Avonlea (although the quote didn’t come from that series).

4) I am a very successful in my career and work for a Fortune 500 company. I have extremely high expectations of myself. There is so much that I want to accomplish….

5) I grew up in a small Mississippi town with only about 500 people. There were only 8,000 people in the whole county. I have a subscription to the county’s newspaper that is published every Wednesday. I LOVE Meadville and am so thankful that I grew up there. It is still my home…and always will be.

6) There were 84 people in my graduating class. I was an honor graduate and graduated in the Top Ten.

7) Growing up, my family raised Braham Cattle. My brother, sister and I showed them until we each graduated from high school. I was the Mississippi Junior Braham Association’s Braham Queen my Senior Year of H.S….crown, leather sash and all!

8) I love my friends…every one of them. Some of these friends are my family and you know who you are. I care deeply and am extremely loyal…hopefully you know that already.

9) I have lived in 3 different states within the last 6 years: Alabama, Idaho, and Arkansas. Of the 3, Idaho was my favorite. But there are redeeming qualities in the other 2! I would move back to Alabama without hesitation and I currently live in Arkansas where I have a great life.

10) I have 26 first cousins on the Sullivan side of my family. We all grew up within 10 miles of each other. 21 are girls and 5 are boys. I am the 4th oldest.

11) My priorities are straight: God 1st, Family/Friends 2nd, and Job 3rd. This is a daily battle to keep straight!

12) Traveling is one of my most favorite “hobbies.” So far I have been to more International cities than domestic ones. I want to go to Italy next, then Greece, Austria, and Australia. We’ll see if that happens….

13) Music is my therapy. Music reaches places in my soul that my mind and body cannot. It is the best form of expression to me.

14) My favorite places on this earth involve an ocean and sand.

15) When I was in college, I lived in a trailer park. What I learned: a) never say what you will never do, 2) God works in mysterious ways and you never know what is next, 3) The greatest blessings are unexpected, 4) Those 3 girls are my very best friends to this day. They are my sisters. The experiences from that time were life changing. Heather, Crystal, Lorrie, and I will always be TPT…Trailer Park Trash (ha!!). And I wouldn’t change it for anything.

16) I am a band geek. I started playing the flute in 6th grade, flag captain in 10th grade, symphonic winds at Copiah-Lincoln Community College, and marched in the Auxiliary in the Pride of Mississippi at The University of Southern Mississippi. To this day, a drum cadence makes my hair stand on end…especially the Pride’s cadence!

17) For every season in my life, I have a TV show that I am addicted to…they each have struck a lasting chord with me just when I have needed it (you may see why and tell me if you do): When I was in Graduate School it was Designing Women, Boise was Oprah and the Paula Deen Cooking Show (for the Southern influence and dialect), Arkansas was Reba on Lifetime, the last few months was Boston Legal, and this past weekend is Murphy Brown. These shows make me laugh and provide a comfort in some way.

18) I love to throw parties (and I secretly love to cook). Providing a place for my friends to gather and have a good time brings me the greatest joy. My annual party is the Masquerade Mardi Gras Party – Always on the Saturday before MG. It is a themed event complete with costumes and dress up. I am amazed that so many people NOT from Mardi Gras areas get so into this….maybe they come for the Hurricanes?

19) One day soon, I hope to visit NYC, Washington D.C., and Boston. I’ve never been to those cities and I really want to.

20) Mission work is near and dear to my heart. I have traveled internationally to Central America on Medical Mission Trips with my family, Summer Missions as a junior in College to San Francisco (10 weeks), and am an avid volunteer at different shelters in NW Arkansas through the Junior League, a women’s organization.

21) My favorite quote: “Our lives are filled with simple joys and blessings without end. And one of the greatest joys in life is to have a friend.”

22) I demand and expect excellence from all those around me. There are high expectations OF me and I expect those same things of others. Because of this, I am often disappointed. But in the same breath, I am very proud of my friends/family and love them unconditionally.

23) Photography is becoming my new favorite passion. I have recently purchased a Canon Rebel XSi and am still learning how to use it! I am always open for learning opportunities and “shooting.”

24) The older I get, the more I realize how much I depend on the acceptance of others. I am a people-pleaser. People disappoint me, I disappoint others, but the Lord is good and never disappoints at the end of the day. I am constantly working to depend on God more than myself or anyone else.

25) My favorite books are biographies and "brainless" story lines.

2 Day Catch Up

2009-01-30T19:14:00.006-06:00

On Wednesday, day 3 of the ice storm, I decided to take a walk around the neighborhood. Cabin Fever was settling in and I needed some fresh air. Here are a few shots that I took.

Fence on the side of my house

Neighbor's front yard (they live on the corner of an intersection in the neighborhood)

Same neighbor's side yard.

This morning, I ventured into work. I left at 8:30, but feared that the ice that had melted yesterday during a few hours of sunshine would be "black ice" this morning....it wasn't a great drive, but it was beautiful and I enjoyed seeing a few things in route to the office --- that is only a mere 3 miles away. The sun had not come up yet and the view was breathtaking. I was listening to High Road's record and the song, "The Love of God" was playing. Sarah's "country" voice was perfect for this morning....I got chills.

Field across the street from my neighborhood

Road leading down to the office. You can see my building on the left. The Interstate is on the right (can't really see it)

As the sun came out today, the ice started to melt....and with it, the vehicles would slide backwards on their own...a little scary, actually as there are cars BEHIND that vehicle!

The Sun Will Come Out.....TODAY

2009-01-28T12:40:00.007-06:00

The last 2 days have been dreary, cold and a little frightening...layers and layers of ice coated NW Arkansas Monday and Tuesday. Finally at 8:00 last night, the freezing rain and sleet turned into snow. The storm has passed. About 60,000 households are without power. Springdale, AR is officially declared as a disaster zone. There are more downed trees than upright ones. Powerline poles have snapped in half everywhere. Somehow, my neighborhood has been shielded from all of this. I have power, gas logs/appliances, cable, Internet & phone. God has been good to me.

Here are a few pics from my house. I've not ventured too far from the driveway. There is still a very thick layer of ice beneath the new snow. I can hear it crack sometimes when I walk. The only vehicles that I have seen driving in the neighborhood are 4-wheel drives and Jeep Wranglers. No one is working in an office....at least no one in my neighborhood!

Neighborhood shot: looking South

Blue Sky...a welcomed sight today!

The kids are loving this weather...."sledding" through the streets.

You can't really tell it, but these icicles are about 2.5ft long

My fence on the side of the house....just thought this was cool.

You can tell that the sun is slowly starting to melt things today....this should show you just how much ice has been accumulating

The mess known as my front flowerbed...the tree fell over on top of everthing!

The infamous berries that I keep snapping pictures of....this is the true proof of the ice progression since Monday.

Isn't it cool how the ice and snow hits everthing on top, but can leave things green underneath? This is the tree that fell over....nothing snapped, broke or cracked in the bark. I think it may be salvageable???

3:00 update

2009-01-27T15:40:00.001-06:00

The Ice Storm

2009-01-27T09:26:00.004-06:00

Well....I have complained recently about how NW Arkansas has had no "bad weather". We always have had several "snow days" by now and until yesterday, we have had none. Well....be careful for what you wish for! I, along with several other co-workers, were supposed to be headed to Miami this morning for a Market Tour. I have never visited Miami, so I have been exceptionally excited about this trip.

Yesterday at 1:00 everyone from our office was sent home due to icy roads. School was dismissed at noon. This storm rolled in faster and worse than expected. I have been glued to the weather channel and Delta.com watching the flight status. All flights at XNA were cancelled...except Delta #5111! Can you believe it? In fact, it STILL says "on time." So, this morning I was up bright and early trying to put together a game plan...there is NO WAY I could make it to the airport. In fact, the car service called this morning to cancel my pick-up. They couldn't even get cars deiced enough to get in them...much less on the road! Needless to say, I did not leave for Miami this morning and am currently re-scheduled for later this afternoon (and that flight is not looking very promising...)

Here are a few pics from my front door. I cannot get out on the concrete because it is so slick! One thing I have realized, though, is that these pictures do not even begin to truly depict reality....But for now, it's all I've got....
As I type this, the power is blinking. I am hoping and praying that the power doesn't go out. But if it does, may God bless my gas logs and gas oven/stove!

Looks are deceiving...that is a solid sheet of ice!

Grass.

Think I need gutters?

1/2 in of ice on these plants....at least that's what it looks like from my eye.

Happy Birthdays!

2009-01-19T11:12:00.002-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY COURTNEY AND CARSON!!!

Yesterday was my good friend, Courtney, birthday. Her son, Carson, has a birthday on Tuesday. This family is a dear family to me and one that I am so glad to have in my life! Thanks for your friendship and being "family" to me.

Girls night - Aloft Hotel

L-R front: Jazmin, Courtney, Steph

L-R Back: Kelly & Kerri (Jaz's friend in town from Ohio)

Paint The Town Red

2009-01-17T21:56:00.002-06:00

Last night kicked off the season of Charity Events in NW Arkansas. Those events are a dime a dozen this time of year it seems, but they are fun nonetheless. This event, Paint the Town Red, is the most casual of all the events and it benefits the Heart Assoc. Dr Pepper was a big sponsor this year and was well represented...

Ashley, Courtney, Steph, Leslie

Courtnie & Jesse

Ashley, Steph, Courtnie & Courtney

in front of Ashley's NEW mantle in her NEW house

Wednesday morning I opened the garage to leave for work and as I looked in the rear view mirror, this is what I saw.....it was NOT supposed to snow this day! In fact, there was 0% percipitation in the forecast....welcome to winter in NW Arkansas!

Evolution of Dance

2009-01-09T16:58:00.000-06:00

You've got to check this out:

Evolution of Dance

Christmas Holidays

2009-01-02T15:03:00.008-06:00

It's hard to believe that Christmas has already come and gone. It always goes by in a blur due to hectic schedules, parties, cooking, family visits, etc. This year, I was determined to enjoy every single minute. (and thanks to my new "grown-up" camera, I captured alot of moments!). Below are a few highlights of my 10 days in Mississippi. Yes, I actually had 10 days to catch up with family and friends all over Mississippi and Alabama. I am glad to report that I got almost everyone visited.

Christmas Eve is when I arrived in Meadville (by way of Canton to pick up baby girl and her Mom...could not wait to get my hands on my new niece!). As always, Christmas Eve communion at MUMC is special to me and I hope to never have to miss it. It's just the "official start" of Christmas festivities to me. I always look forward to catching up with my church family, also. After church, we went over to my Grandparents house in Natchez for dinner. Mamawgran and my Aunt Lisa set a wonderful dinner tablescape (wish I had a picture...) and prepared a fabulous meal. Instead of exchanging gifts with everyone this year, we decided to spice it up a bit and have a "Cajun Christmas". This is also known as White Elephant. We had a great time with good belly laughs...the best was when Dad got the candle sconces. (And thanks to Aunt L, he didn't have to keep them).

Grandaddy and Mamawgran Joseph with Callie

(just thought this was a sweet picture with them...)

Mom and I decided to give Stephanie and Chris a more meaningful Christmas gift this year: staying up with the baby at night so they could catch up on much needed sleep. They were very excited about the opportunity to get several hours of uninterrupted sleep. So, on Christmas morning, I walked into the living room (where Camp Callie was set up) and saw this sight.....Aren't they sweet?

I am happy to report that Callie slept a full 7 hours that night.....and I don't think it's happened since.
Christmas Day is always very full and busy. Mom cooks lunch for whoever shows up. We usually have about 20 or so people. Later in the afternoon, we all head down to the River for Christmas at Mamaw Sullivan's. It is always wall to wall people - some are blood kin and some are not. All the same, it's a great time and lots of people! This year, I stopped counting at 75. One tradition that was started by my Aunt Teresa was having each family's picture taken in front of the Christmas Tree. Every year it's a dreaded feat and this year it was my responsibility (thanks to my new camera??) Here are some highlights. I tried to put one picture of each family....since so many of you ask just how many people are in my family.....here goes, from oldest to youngest.

The Leonard Sullivan family (Papaw Vern Sullivan's brother)

The Bo Sullivan family

The Steve Sullivan Family

The Bill Sullivan Family

(missing: Josh and Elizabeth Sullivan Isles)

The Rex Sullivan Family

The Pat Sullivan Family

(individual family pics are below, after all others)

The Cindy Sullivan Roberson Family were not present. They spent Christmas in Bridgeport, Alabama where their daughter, Summer and her new son, Kale, live. They did not want to miss Kale's first Christmas!

The Judy Sullivan Oglesby Family

The Tasha Sullivan Scott Family

The Tara Sullivan Foster Family

Here is Callie in her reindeer Christmas suit. The slippers were way too big, but she was surely cute!

After Christmas at Mamaw's, I pulled Callie duty. She was a dream and we had a lot of fun about 2:00 that night...after she slept for about 5 hours.

After days after Christmas Day kind of all blur together....So....here are what I know are highlights.

My best friends from College and I always get together during the holidays and any other time I come home and have time. This year at Christmas, Heather was in Germany and not able to be with us....BUT, Lorrie's daughter, Shelby, got to tag along and she was so much fun! We decided to do something "girly" with Shelby, so we went to get pedicures and Shelby got a "manicure". It was so much fun to spend time with the girls and see Shelby have the time of her life! Here are a couple shots:

Lorrie (L) and Crystal (R) relaxing in the pedi chairs

Shelby letting her fingers dry after getting them painted and decorated....in PURPLE. She picked out her favorite color....

The weekend after Christmas, the Ocmond's came up from Thibadeaux, LA to hunt. They are a family full of chefs and we always look forward to eating anything they cook. This time, they brought us TWO trays of homemade chocolates (red velvet cake balls, turtles, millionaires, etc...). Below, they are shucking oysters on our back porch. Yes, I was in heaven with the FRESH oysters. They made their own cocktail sauce and it was better than anything I'd ever tasted. YUM!!!

Deano and Mr. Ockmond shucking oysters....we were eating them faster than they could shuck.

Dad giving the EasyShucker a try....

I went to Mobile, AL for New Years. I love my friends down there and never get to see them as often as I like. Since I had time this year, I was able to drive down and spend 1 night with them. Here is a picture we took at lunchtime at my favorite burger place, Butch Cassidy's. It's a total dive, but the best hamburgers around. That night, we went to Corinna's for a dinner party and rung in the New Year with a little Barry White and Disco music. Those pictures will not be blogged.

My cousin, Dana Joseph Ard, had a baby girl 2 days after Callie was born. Her name is Addison and we got the 2 of them together after Christmas. Hopefully they will be fast friends as they get older. Aren't they too cute????

Addison Reese and Callie Rivers - both are 1 month old

As I write this, I am still in Meadville. Tonight is shaping up to be fun as I am in for a new card game. I hear that it's intense and will surely have a story to tell when all is said and done. I am driving back tomorrow in the wind and rain (and possibly ice). Say a prayer and will "see" you in a few days.....

Name That Christmas Carol (Quiz)

2008-12-23T11:15:00.002-06:00

I LOVE WORD GAMES! Hope this helps you get into the Christmas Fun...if you're not already!

Remember, do not cheat and do not scroll to the bottom until you have given this game a fair effort!

Name That Christmas Carol (Quiz)

1. Quadruped with crimson proboscis
2. 5 p.m. to 6 a.m. without noise
3. Miniscule hamlet in the far east
4. Ancient benevolent despot
5. Adorn the vestibule
6. Exuberance directed to the planet
7. Listen, aerial spirits harmonizing
8. Monarchial trio
9. Yonder in the haystack
10. Assemble, everyone who believes
11. Hallowed post meridian
12. Fantasies of a colorless December 25th
13. Tin tintinnabulums
14. A dozen 24-hour Yule periods
15. Befell during the transparent bewitching hour
16. Homo sapien of crystallized vapor
17. I merely desire a pair of incisors
18. I spied my maternal parent osculating a fat man in red
19. Perambulating through a December solstice fantasy
20. Aloft on the acme of the abode
21. Slumber in ethereal quiet.
22. Hey there! The announcing celestial beings carol.
23. O greetings of ease and happiness.
24. On commencement of Yuletide my honey bestowed upon me.
25. Decorate the passage with branches of evergreen sprigs.
26. Once upon a misty night prior to Christ's birthday.
27. Ooh, celestial body of marvel, celestial body of strength.
28. With a vegetable stem smoker and clothes fastening snout.
29. It's a fluff-ball sphere in the cold season.
30. Come on, come on, come on, get moving.
31. O scared darkness, the asterisks are brilliantly shimmering.
32. It's fixin' to appear extremely similar to December 25th.
33. Small children with their optical aids entirely illuminated.
34. Loyal buddies that are important to ourselves collect closely to ourselves again.
35. Boppin' while circling the tannenbaum...
36. Royalty of royalties always and always...
37. O approach, y'all devoted happy and victorious...
38. Urban walkways, congested walkways, trimmed in a festive manner...
39. Ah! The atmospheric condition beyond is terrific...
40. Percussion instruments jingle, are you harking...
41. Remarked the evening breeze to the tiny sheep...
42. Wishing your dates be gleeful and intelligent...
43. Harmony on the planet, kindness to Homo sapiens...
44. Hop in the sack, hide your noggin, since the fat man comes this evening...
45. Ourselves bid yourselves a joyous Noel and a cheerful neoteric 365 days...

(scroll down for answers)

(keep going)

(almost there)

ANSWERS:

1. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
2. Silent Night
3. O' Little Town of Bethlehem
4. Good King Wenceslas (or some say Jolly Old St. Nicholas)
5. Deck the Halls
6. Joy to the World
7. Hark the Herald Angels Sing
8. We Three Kings
9. Away in a Manger
10. Come All Ye Faithful
11. O Holy Night
12. I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas
13. Silver Bells
14. The Twelve Days of Christmas
15. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
16. Frosty the Snowman
17. All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth
18. I Saw Momma Kissin' Santa Claus
19. Walking Through a Winter Wonderland
20. Up on the Rooftop
21. Sleep in heavenly peace... "Silent Night"
22. Hark! the herald angels sing... "Hark the Herald"
23. O tidings of comfort and joy... "God rest ye merry gentlemen"
24. On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me... "The Twelve Days of Christmas"
25. Deck the halls with boughs of holly... "Deck the Halls"
26. Then one foggy Christmas Eve... "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer"
27. Ooh star of wonder, star of might... "Star of Wonder"
28. With a corncob pip and a button nose... "Frosty the Snowman"
29. It's a marshmallow world in the winter... "It's a Marshmallow World"
30. Giddyap, giddyap, giddyap let's go... "Let is Snow"
31. O Holy night, the stars are brightly shining... "O Holy Night"
32. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas"
33. Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow... "The Christmas Song"
34. Faithful friends who are dear to us, gather near to us once more... "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
35. Rockin' 'round the Christmas tree...
36. King of Kings, forever and ever... "Hallelujah"
37. Oh come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant... "Oh Come All Ye Faithful"
38. City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style... "Silver Bells"
39. Oh, the weather outside is frightful... "Let it Snow"
40. Sleigh bells ring, are you listening... "Walking in a Winter Wonderland"
41. Said the night wind to the lamb... "Do You Hear What I Hear"
42. May your days be merry and bright... "White Christmas"
43. Peace on Earth, goodwill toward men... "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day"
44. Jump in bed, cover up your head, 'cause Santa Claus comes tonight... "Here comes Santa Claus"
45. We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year.... "We wish you a Merry Christmas"

RESULTS:
34 - 45 Correct - You don't need any Yuletide spirit!
21 - 33 Correct - You could use something in your stocking!
0 - 20 Correct - Are you the grinch??

Ugly Christmas Sweater Party

2008-12-21T13:41:00.003-06:00

Here they are...the pictures from the infamous traditional Annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Party. Check out the links to the pictures:

Ugly Christmas Sweater Party - Part 1
Ugly Christmas Sweater Party - Part 2

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Tour of Homes

2008-12-16T18:16:00.003-06:00

I have seen this concept on on several blogs and think it is fantastic! With all of us living here and yon, it is a great way to share our Christmas Deco and sentimental pieces with our friends. So, here goes my house:

This is my entry way table with my Santa's. Each one was given to me by either a friend or my Mom. My favorite is the Pickenpaugh Santa made by Merry Pickenpaugh in Madison, MS. (Mother of my cousin, Brandee) I keep waiting for her to make more so that I can expande my collection....so, if anyone sees them, please let me know!

These loaves of bread and ornaments were "favors" given to my "Football Family" last weekend when I hosted. The bread is something that I enjoy making (and they supposedly love eating) and the Fleur de Lis is representative of my favorite NFL team, the Saints, my infamous tradition of the Annual Mardi Gras Party, but most importantly the Trinity. Christmas is an appropriate time to remember the development of this.

This is my Christmas Tree in the front windows of the house. You cannot see the lights, but I assure you they are on!

My mantle. Each year I do something different. To me, the house is not decorated until my mantle is illuminated. I love this part of my house. My Mom painted the painting about 2 years ago. It's a 50" canvas. Sitting in my living room at night with nothing but the mantle and Christmas Tree lit is very peaceful.

In the Kitchen I have a Christmas Card Tree that holds all my Christmas Cards that I receive throughout the season. I love it more and more as the cards start to fill in the spaces. It reminds me of my friends and family that love me enough to share a $.43 stamp! I am trying to figure out how to preserve them each year, so if you have any suggestions let me know!

This is the guest bathroom. These snowmen were given to me by my friend, Courtney. She LOVES snowmen and for whatever reason she gave me these 3 that were hers...

This, above all other Christmas decorations I have, is my favorite. This Nativity set is so very special to me. It was handmade by Prudence McGehee of Meadville. The set is complete and it only displayed in places where I know I (or anyone else that visits) cannot bump or knock over. It was a limited edition that is no longer made. I love this set because I know its creator so well AND it reminds me of our creator who made us all!

Gumdrop Trees. Each year I strive to make something festive and edible. I am usually hosting a party and want something "new" to serve. This year, it's the gumdrop trees for the Ugly Christmas Sweater Party. Gumdrop Trees are a tradition in my family that was started by my Grandaddy Joseph. As a kid we would make these with him and those particular memories are so strong this year. I just had to make them. I hope they will travel well to MS...if not, guess we'll just have to recreate them :)

I hope that each of you have a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed, Happy New Year!

Gumdrops

2008-12-14T20:18:00.003-06:00

Every Christmas I try to make something that is both festive and edible. Last year it was the peppermint cake on the cover of Southern Living. This year, it is gumdrop trees. When I see gumdrop trees I always think of my Grandaddy. He LOVES gumdrops and taught us as kids to love them, too. He will never admit it, but he loved making gumdrop trees just as much as we did. He always made his first so that we would have a "model" and then help us make ours. It was a special time for me growing up. It's funny how you take those moments for granted. I didn't realize just how special those memories were until I was grown. Funny, isn't it?

This weekend was "company party" weekend. Kraft's party was Friday night and Dr Pepper's was Saturday night. In keeping with custom, I held the Kraft Pre-Party at my house. The girls did make-up and jewelry before the guys arrived. The only difference this year was that I didn't get all gussied up (as I now work for Dr Pepper)...but it was fun to be with the others and help them get all glammed. Here is a picture of them right as they were walking out the door to go. What you don't see is me and 2 other neighbors dressed down and about to make the gumdrop trees :) Melissa, John, and Shelley were making funny faces in the background (I didn't get a snapshot as my camera battery died...go figure!). Aren't they a good lookin' bunch???

L-R

Eric & Jazmin, Ross & Courtney and Brian & Julie.

My company party pics are off-limits right now as I am not sure how they all feel about making the blog. Since it was mostly my managers and senior management in the pictures, I don't think I need to chance that possible career suicide.

I did, however, make it to church Saturday night before the DrP party. In a word? Heaven. The service was perfect. It got me deeper into the "real" Christmas Spirit. It was just what I needed after a quite emotional and stressful week. You can check out this link to hear the sermon. (click on Saturday Night) It was on Joy. (The Joy candle was lit on the Advent wreath). I do wish that Fellowship had recorded the entire service as all of you would enjoy it. The music team arranges each piece and they do such a nice job breathing life into common hymns and songs. It is indescribable. However, to get a taste of what it's like you can listen to Casting Crowns and Travis Cottrell's Christmas albums.....but Saturday night was better than that.

Today my day to host Football. I made a big pot of my Aunt Carolyn's Chicken-n-Dumplins. They turned out really good, but not near as good as Aunt C's! Even the kids ate them up....I was stunned!

I hope that each of you have a great week. May each day bring you deeper into the "real" Christmas Spirit.

Quotes

2008-12-08T10:02:00.001-06:00

I heard 3 quotes last week at a business meeting that have really stuck with me. Thought I'd share them with all of you:

If everything looks like it's under control, then you're not going fast enough. - Mario Andretti

Most people don't recognize opportunity because it's dressed in overalls and looks like work - Thomas Edison

In today's business environment, "Big fish don't eat small fish, FAST fish eat SLOW fish." - unknown.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-05T10:38:00.007-06:00

What a week! I cannot believe that Thanksgiving was over a week ago and I am just now posting about it. This week has been absolutely crazy busy!

To highlight my Thanksgiving, I will simply say that it was one of the best yet. Not only was my first niece, Callie, born, but I also got to have a quality visit with my extended family at the Lake. This year was the "off" year where those that rotate between our family and in-laws went to the in-laws. So....for those of us who were at the Lake, we really got a lot of one-on-one time. It was great!

Another great bonus to last week was the early arrival of my cousin's daughter, Addison. As I was going home to Meadville on Monday (before T-giving), I stopped by the hospital to see Dana, my cousin. She felt that when she went to her Doctor that morning, that she would not go home, but rather stay at the hospital. So, about 6:30 when I stopped by to check on her, I was met by Dana's Mom, Patsy, running to the lobby to get the rest of the family. Baby Addison about to be delivered. It was neat to hit that "perfect timing" mark. I'd never been to a delivery before. It was a very special moment to witness Chris (Dana's husband) walk out with the brand new Addison Reese!

Speaking of babies...which seem to be the ongoing theme...I got to meet my "new" cousin, Kale. He is the 6-mo old son of my cousin Summer. They live just outside of Chattanooga. Because of the distance, none of us had met him before last week when they came home for Thanksgiving. He's such a cute baby boy! For those of you that know my Uncle Tim, know that Kale is the spitting image of him.....

This week has been so harried. It was attributed to EVERTHING happening within the last 5 days. The few days after a holiday are always crazy at work, I had "double-header" buyer appointments yesterday afternoon, bought Christmas for a single-parent family that my friend, Sarah, and I support each year, planned a Sustainer Cocktail Party for Junior League that is tonight, AND went to the Casting Crowns Christmas Celebration (tickets bought a while back when I had NO idea that this week would be so busy!!). Needless to say, I will be very happy when the party if over tonight and I can "crash and burn" until Monday. Seriously.

Here are a few links to pictures. I just can't choose which ones I want to use here, so I'll just use them all! Enjoy -

Note: I have never linked to Snapfish before on this blog. If you don't have a log-in, it's worth creating one as I LOVE to use their service to develop pictures.

Thanksgiving 08

Just A Few More...

2008-11-25T10:35:00.006-06:00

These were taken on Sunday, Nov 23...the day Callie and Stephanie came home.

Mom & Mamawgran made the linens and covering for the bassinet. This bassinet was used with me and my siblings, my cousins Stacy & Ashley and now Callie.

BABY PICTURES!

2008-11-24T09:47:00.004-06:00

Here she is...Callie Rivers Sullivan

BABY GIRL IS HERE!

2008-11-22T01:04:00.001-06:00

CALLIE RIVERS SULLIVAN
was born on Nov 22 at 12:11a.m. at River Oaks Hospital. She weighed 7lbs and was 19.75". Mom and Baby Girl are doing great!

Mike Huckabee

2008-11-21T23:04:00.003-06:00

Here lately it seems that I have had a lot of exposure to authors. As of late, I have been mesmerized by politics and have gained somewhat of an interest in them. Mike Huckabee has been on my radar since I first moved to Arkansas. He was the Governor for 10 years and people in this state LOVE him. So, it is no surprise that when he authored his latest book, he paid his respects to his neighbors and constituents. Tonight, I got to meet him, shake his hand and have several copies of his latest book signed. He is every bit as personable in person as he appears on TV. He looks much younger in person, also. There is kindness about him that just radiates. Here are a few pics....

Baby Girl

2008-11-21T21:12:00.002-06:00

Baby Girl is on her way....Stephanie's contractions just started. Pray that it is not too long of a night ;)

The Elf Dance

2008-11-20T11:39:00.003-06:00

For those of you who know my friend, Gina, you know that she is just always full of something....today, she was full of creativity. The link below is something she created on JibJab for me and our other friend, Melissa. (We used to do Triathlons together and have remained friends all these years).

I needed a good belly laugh today and Gina pulled through! Hope you enjoy....

The Elf Dance

2008-11-16T18:16:00.002-06:00

I have been "blog tagged" by my friend, Haley, so I'm playing along! The rules are as follows:
1. Link to the person who tagged you. (Haley is already there!)
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random thoughts about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know he or she has been tagged.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is posted.

Here are my 6 random thoughts...
1. I cannot wait to learn to use my new "real" camera...anyone have advice?
2. I am very interested in politics....Sarah Palin inspires me. Maybe one day this Corporate American girl will be in office.
3. Life is too short to live with regrets. I need to try harder to do better.
4. I don't eat eggs. I have learned this weekend that some people think that is wierd?
5. I need to get an exercise routine underway...the cold weather makes it quite difficult for me to get motivated!
6. I never leave the house without the bed made, dishes put away or in the dishwasher or my cell phone in hand.

I tag anyone who wants to participate.

Cycles & Sandi

2008-11-11T12:47:00.003-06:00

Cycles....seems that my life is made up of cycles. Right now it seems that my life is in the cycle of dealing with change. Change is the one constant in life, but isn't it nice when things stay the same for a little while? Just when I get used to something, it changes. Just when I make a really good friend, he/she moves. Just when I think that I am on the right track, I'm not. Just when I think everything is "as it should be", I realize that I am living in a dream. In the midst of all this impending change right now, my soul thirsts for something calm, comforting and familiar. The unknown is sometimes more daunting than it should be...especially when you're a Christian and have faith that everything is okay. It's hard to keep focus of that. As I see people around me moving into different stages of their lives and how mine may or may not compare (yes, I know we are not supposed to compare ourselves with others...). But, it's almost impossible not to take a hard, honest look at yourself when everyone and everything around you seems to be changing. For me, It has been in the last couple of weeks that I have thirsted for the ever-comforting familiar. Music always gets me back there...don't know why, but it does. It goes directly to my soul and strikes a chord like no other. Whether is an old country song or a hymn, music is the channel of the familiar.

All of my life it seems that I have been drawn to the music of GOOD Christian artists. In particular, Sandi Patty. For whatever reason I ran across the Sandi Patty website the other day. Did you know that she has released a new album AND a new book? I enjoyed her book, Broken in the Back Row, but I haven't enjoyed her last few projects all that much. After listening to the sample player, I realized that the "old Sandi" has returned in this latest project. PayPal had a hard time keeping up with how quickly I ordered the new release! UPS delivered my order last night and when I loaded the CD player this morning, you should have seen me wailing in the car...the drivers of the passing cars must've thought I was crazy. It is really good stuff!! It's Beethoven meets John Williams good. It's been a while since Sandi put out such a great record. Click here for a sample of Songs for the Journey. I hope that you enjoy it half as much as I did.

In the end, all that matters in life is that we followed Jesus to the best of our ability. May each of us have faith and never lose the connections in our souls of the familiar in this ultimate life-changing journey.

Tozer Quote

2008-11-10T13:07:00.002-06:00

I ran across this today and it just slapped me silly across the face. The more I sit and actually think about this, the deeper the analysis. I haven't been pleased with what I have found, either. May you have better insight...

Whatever comes into your heart and mind when you think about God is the most important thing about you.' -- A.W. Tozer

Christmas Music

2008-11-07T11:01:00.004-06:00

Christmas music and Halloween weekend typically do not go hand-in-hand, but last week when I was in Wal-Mart I passed the Christmas music display. I love good Christmas music. It's my favorite season of the year and I wish it lasted more than just 3.5 weeks. As I was standing in front of the display, I picked up FOUR Christmas albums that I knew were to be "winners". I purchased them (rather impulsively, I might add) and immediately loaded the CD changer in my car...in the parking lot! Did I mention that the date was Oct 29...right before Halloween?? Crazy, I know. On Oct 30, I was driving down to Mississippi (9.5 hour road trip) and the thought of listening to my FOUR new Christmas albums just got me all excited about the time on the road. Now, I've trekked this trip many times over the last 2.5 yrs that I've lived in Arkansas and have gotten pretty creative on how to keep myself entertained. But on this trip, I listened to my FOUR albums the entire time, specifically the Casting Crowns Christmas Album, Peace on Earth. If you do not have it, BUY IT! It's the best $13 you'll spend this year on Christmas music. Here are the links to my Four albums:

Casting Crowns Christmas - Peace on Earth (favorite)
Faith Hill - Joy To The World
Brian Setzer - Christmas Rocks
Amy Grant - Christmas Collection

One thing I realized after the 20 hours of road-time Christmas Music Fest: this music lifts my spririts and brings an immediate peace over me. Maybe it's my hectic, stressful, fast-paced lifestyle that desires something calm, or maybe it's that I truly understand why this music exists. Either way, "It's the most wonderful time of the year" and I hope that you are getting into the spirit, too.

Merry early Christmas!

The Morning After

2008-11-05T15:03:00.005-06:00

For many people, last night was devastating. (God knows that Facebook was a livewire of emotion!) For many others, it was a time for celebration and the anticipation of "change." I am not one that enjoys debating politics, but I do find myself playing devils advocate in many conversations. Both presidential candidates understood that "change" was needed in Washington. Both brought their best action plans forward to obtain it. Only 1 walked away the winner. As with any race, there is a winner and a loser. How we embrace our wins and losses determines our attitude and is ultimately a reflection of our character. With that said, I wish I could tell you that our Christian communities and friends have responded to this Republican defeat with grace and dignity. Surprisingly, it's quite the opposite. With responses like this across the country, we should stop and pray for ourselves. If you voted, then you did your part. If you did not vote, then what right do you have to complain about who was elected?

Below is an article I found on msnbc.com this afternoon. I found it "spot-on" with today's high emotions. Starting right now, may we embrace the change that is coming to us and learn from our mistakes so that we will not make them again.

The good news is that God has been/IS/will continue to be bigger than anyone or anything. Have faith that His will was done last night...even though we may not understand it right now.

May each of us begin to recover and move forward as united Americans.

Weathering the post election storm

VOTE '08

2008-11-04T15:14:00.005-06:00

Here is the voting line that I stood in for well over an hour before making it to the front door. This picture was taken at 7:15a.m. this morning (doors opened at 7:30). Totally worth the wait. We each should take pride (and patience) in exercising our civic duty.

Around About the Meadville Way

2008-11-03T17:46:00.009-06:00

Those of you who know me well, know that when I go home to Mississippi, it is a whirlwind and every single minute is jammed packed...lots of early mornings and late nights. And for the last 2 years, every trip home has been for an "event" and not "just because." This trip was no exception! The purpose of this trip was for a Grandparents Shower for my Mom and Dad. Baby Girl Sullivan will be born the week of Thanksgiving (parents: Chris & Stephanie). My sister and I decided to give a Grandparents Shower for Mom and Dad, but because it was such a "different" event, we kept it to just a few close friends and family. However, after the fact, we should have invited so many more people because it was SO MUCH FUN!!! More on that later...

Bonus' of the weekend included: quality time with my cousin Jasmine running errands in Jackson, a very "beneficial" trip to Gail Pittman, lunch with my Mamaw Sullivan to celebrate her birthday, a trip to MUMC Annual Bazaar that included West Side Burgers by the infamous Mark West, and the triple added bonus was seeing Ms. Anna after many years of her living on the East Coast!! (Check out this site for more on the MUMC Bazaar as you will want to make plans to attend next year!) I also got to spend quality time with Ben and Cindy in which I was gifted with a Homochitto Wompas Cats Cycling Cap that was monogrammed with my name on it!!! Serious motivation for getting in shape for the MS Ride next year (150 miles...)

Here are a few pics from the weekend:

I am "powering up" for the shopping adventure in Gail Pittman

(and ultimately a VERY full day ahead)

Ms. Anna just arriving to MUMC...isn't she beautiful???

Yes, I made this cake....

Mom and Dad trying to unscramble baby words at the Shower

Look at the concentration on Mom's face...

Aunt Edna, Uncle Earlie, Mamawgran & Grandaddy doing their best to name baby items for each letter of the alphabet

Sharyn, Cindy, Judy and Mamaw Sullivan reciting Nursery Rhymes

No telling what is transpiring among these 4:
Lisa, Sarah, Elliot, and Chris

The "Big Bottle Prize" Winners: Dale and David Cox
They won 2 out of the 4 word games
("Big Bottle" was a calf bottle filled with candy...yes, the one used in the Children's Sermon on Sunday at MUMC)

Family Group Pic:
Uncle Earlie, Dad, Grandaddy, Mom, Mamawgran, and Aunt Edna

Seriously....putting together a Pack-n-Play is NO easy task these days...
It took Joddie and I over an hour to assemble this piece of work!!! This is one mack-daddy of a Pack-n-Play, though. It will sing, rock, vibrate, give off a light show, and entertain baby in one place.
My cycling cap...wasn't it nice of Ben to have my name put on it??? Guess I am committed to the MS Ride next October....aye, aye, aye!

Quote

2008-10-30T13:35:00.001-05:00

God doesn't give you the people you want, He gives you the people you NEED.
To help you, to hurt you, to leave you, to love you and to make you into the person you were meant to be.

CONGRATULATIONS!

2008-10-27T18:20:00.008-05:00

CONGRATULATIONS, SARAH & OMAR!!!! They got engaged on Saturday at the Wisconsin Badger's Homecoming....Jumbotron and all....We all have been patiently waiting for Omar to pop the question. (and Sarah said yes....). Jen B, Bonnie (Omar's sister) and I could not let the occasion pass to "trash" Sarah's house as a surprise when she and Omar got back from Wisconsin on Sunday night....

Other fun things happening this past weekend included Shelley teaching me how to work with fondant (stay tuned for future project...) with the help of Eloise and Isaac, her two youngest children. Isn't the cake we made adorable?? We really didn't have a plan, it just created itself....

Eloise ready to help with the "play-doh"

Isaac doing his part EATING cake

Yeah...that's a "bow"

The magical chef, herself....Shelley!

TAH-DAH!

The whole cake....

Saturday was a very "BIG" day in NW Arkansas....Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Ole Miss Rebels. This was the first game the teams matched up since AR lost their head coach to Ole Miss. Emotions were running high....However, my good friends, Liz & Richard Esch are part of a wonderful tailgate group known as Hogtropolis. They are always so gracious to invite me and a few other friends.....GOOD TIMES in Fayetteville!

L-R: Richard & Liz Esch, Steph, Melissa Niebruegge
Back L-R: John Niebruegge, Holly & Michael Vavricka

Front L-R: Erin Johnson, Steph, Matt Johnson

Back L-R: Mike Duley, Adam Roscher

Survey Says!

2008-10-23T17:25:00.002-05:00

A friend sent this my way and I thought it quite interesting. It's always fun to get to know your friends and acquaintances a little better....you just never know what you're going to find out! So, here goes....

The first questions deal with friendship:

1. Do you have the same friends since childhood? Not very many…but a few. My best friends came during college and graduate school. But, I have friends all over....and love them, every one!
2. What do you value most about your friends? Honesty. They know my faults and love me anyway.
3. Are your friends sounding boards? Everyone who knows me is subject to be a “sounding board”….it just depends on what is going on when you see me.
4. What is your favorite activity to do with your friends? Everything! From shopping to movies, cooking dinner or dining out, concerts and ballgames, rodeos or livestock shows…just about everything is more fun with a friend or 2, or 3...5...10...20!

The others concerned things I value and don't value.

Six things I value:

1. My faith - It is my center.
2. My family – because they have to love me and I want them to be happy with that. Where else do you learn to like all God’s children??? If you've ever met my extended family, we're all one of every kind!
3. My friends – I choose them and they choose me. There’s a reason and season for each one.
4. Hard work. Nothing feels as good as the rewards from honest, hard work.
5. Honesty. Everything is better with true honesty….no matter how difficult.
6. A good day at the spa. You just have to treat yourself every now and again.
7. Gail Pittman, Grapevine pattern – I added this one because she is not going to be manufacturing my pattern anymore and I LOVE IT! (hint....)

Six things I don't value:

1. Lying, cheating and stealing - nothing good ever comes of these
2. Disloyalty and Inequality. To God, Country, Others, and Self…
3. People who aren't "real". It goes back to honesty….be who you are and like who that is!
4. Ignorance. Everyone should have an education...no matter the sacrifice. It is worth it in the end!
5. Those that recklessly take advantage….of a system, person, thing, or situation
6. Lastly and certainly not least, those who consciously use religion for evil and not good!

I now pass this survey challenge on to: Amy, Jill, and Joddie...and MEK if you have time....

You've GOT to see this...

2008-10-21T16:33:00.003-05:00

This video is very clever! Talk about "country boys" and making do with what you've got. This is totally something that would happen on the Sullivan Farm in Meadville. Check it out Mesko Farm Creekboarding.

Just so you know, the creator of this is a professional weightboarder. His sister is one of the analyst on my team and they are from Mena, Arkansas.

Another Great Weekend!

2008-10-20T19:22:00.004-05:00

There seems to be a redundant theme right now...work hard during the week and play hard on the weekend. It has been 2 years since I've had company from "down home" and who could have guessed that not only would my parents and grandparents come visit this month, but also my Great Aunt and Uncle from Baton Rouge! It was so good to see them and visit without a lot of other folks around (you all may know what a large family that I have...on BOTH sides)! Uncle Earlie had an Army Reunion in Branson last week and they were glad that they could slip in a visit with their favorite great-niece :)

Saturday afternoon, after my Aunt and Uncle left, I got a nice surprise of having the WHOLE day to myself! I had no obligations to schedule my time. So since the weather was absolutely wonderful, I called my neighbor and we went for a walk and then a late lunch with our other friend, Sarah. It so nice to actually get to sit outside, not be in a hurry to go anywhere and just visit. Blissful. I later went to Hobby Lobby to explore the world of Fondant....stay tuned for my next project :)

Sunday was my day to host Fantasy Football. The League is made up of friends that I have had since I moved to Rogers. We all moved here about the same time and most everyone moved here with Kraft. We rotate hosting duties every Sunday and it's a beautful thing. Some of you may wonder why I am in Fantasy Football since I am typically not a NFL fan, but rather a college football nut. Well, I enjoy these friends that are in the League and wanted to participate. But since I am not a NFL kind of girl and wanted to particpate in this FF League, I was in need of a bookie to get my team up and running. There is only 1 person that I know that I would call to help with such a task....a 7-year old football genius. Keaton can tell you stats on every player and, in fact, most of the men ask Keaton football advice! Amazing. Sunday morning is the deadline for picking the week's lineup, so Sunday mornings usually go like this: Keaton - gets up, pours his chocolate milk and logs onto Yahoo! Sports to pick the week's lineup. Steph - call Keaton around 11:00a.m. to see how the "pick" went. So far, we are 4-2 and Keaton is doing an awesome job! We are in 2nd place (1st place is Cloyd's Crushers - Keaton's Mom/Dad). I'm telling you, this kid is SHARP! Since this Sunday was my week to host, Keaton called and asked if he could help me cook. He came over we had a ball! He decorated cookies and cut vegetables. Good times!

Aunt Edna Young and Uncle Earlie getting in their car to head home
Bookie/Chef Keaton

Keaton's Favorite Cookie..black cat with all kinds of stuff on it

Celebrity Sightings...UPDATED!

2008-10-11T15:10:00.004-05:00

It is only 3:00 on Saturday afternoon and I have already had a very FULL day! Today has been long anticipated as it has been dedicated to having breakfast with Nicholas Sparks. Nothing else seemed to be any more important than hearing one of my favorite authors speak AND actually get to shake his hand. The signature on his newest book was just a bonus and lasting momento of this day. I learned a couple things about this author: First and foremost, he is a Christian. He spoke a little bit on how he believes that everyone has a "mission" or "purpose" in life. He believes that his is coaching track and field at New Bern High School in North Carolina. It's a high school full of "under-privaleged" kids who fall well within poverty by all weights and means. His team is #1 in the state and #1 in the region most years. That is a lot to be said of an ex-pharmaceutical rep turned book author who has a passion for track and field athletics. Second passion of his life is a small private school that his family started a few years ago. It is a christian school with AP subjects from 6th -12th grades. He started this school for those students who needed a more advanced education and could not get it in the area. Nichalas Sparks is quite a neat guy! He if well aware that God has gifted him with the opportunity to make his place in life better...for himself, his family and his community. He takes this seriously. Below are a few snapshots of the 4 of us who went to "Conversations with Nicholas Sparks" this morning (sponsored by Rogers Public Library Foundation). On a side-note, Heidi has been looking forward to this for a long while....this has completely made her year! (Thanks for the tickets, H!)

The second celebrity sighting today was Paula Deen and her husband, Michael. She was in town today for several reasons, but at 11:00 a.m. this morning, she was signing books at the Pleasang Grove Road Wal-Mart. To say the line was long, is the biggest understatement of the year! The line wrapped all the way around the store and then started widing within the "departments" of the store! Wow! There was NO hope of me getting her autograph in my cookbook, so I just snapped a couple of pictures and then went on my merry way. And just in case you were wondering, she has a limit on her signings: 1 book per person and only 600 books per event. I don't think the people in the line fully understood that or at least they were hopeful that she would have mercy on them?!?

The third celebrity sighting was Harrison Ford. Wal-Mart HQ had him come to the Saturday Morning meeting today. I am sure he was a more on his agenda that just that, but who cares! I physically did not lay eyes on him, but someone who went to the SMM today said he was there and briefly spoke...I couldn't be everywhere today, so 3 out of 4 isn't quite so bad!

The fourth, and final, celebrity sighting today Joe Nichols. On a whim, my friend Jen B and I decided to go see Joe in concert. He is a Rogers, AR native and was in town for a 25th anniversary celebration of a local radio station. For this concert, tickets were only $25 per person and general seating in the new Arvest Ballpark. We had no idea what to expect...and as my Dad often says, "Blessed is he who expecteth nothing for he shall not be decieved". This was a good practice for me as I had no expectations of this concert. I knew that I liked a few of Joe Nichols songs, but really couldn't name very many (and I listen to country most of the time). The opening act was a guy from Southern Arkansas and he was REALLY good. He kept the crowd informed of the Hogs score throughout his performance and that was VERY good crowd control. You should've seen all the people with headphones listening to the Arkansas/Auburn game during the concert. (SEC football here is a true religious experience). When the Hogs finally won, there were severals rounds of "Woo Pig Sooie" calls and, of course, the fight song lead by the opening act himself! Only in Arkansas.....Finally at about 8:45, Joe Nichols took the stage. He is absolutely CUTE and a wonderful performer! The radio does not do his voice justice at all. His voice is deep, strong, and amazing. I definitely like him better in person than on the radio!!! Because this concert was general seating, Jen and I decided to sit in the Handicap seats on the deck. It was the perfect place, too. Down below we could see all the walks of life sitting in the seats...and trust me, there were ALL walks of life. On the deck where we sat, the line dancers and two-steppers danced...most were very good! True entertainment all around....dancers, people-watching, and good music. Doesn't get much better for a Saturday night in Arkansas. Oh - the weather was absolutely perfect, too! It was breezy, a bit cool, and beautiful!

Hope that your day is jam-packed and full of fun!

Nicholas Sparks signing MY book!

Heidi, Steph, Shelley, and Kelly with freshly signed books in tow

Heidi having her book signed...this picture will surely go in a frame.

Paula Deen and her husband, Michael

Laughing all the time....

Oh Where To Begin....

2008-10-06T13:09:00.007-05:00

The last seven days have been nothing short of a blur...and lots of fun! I have been in five states and two time zones in the last week. I left out on Monday headed to Atlanta, spent a few hours in the market and then flew to Orlando that afternoon and stayed until Wednesday morning. I then flew to Dallas and then back to NW Arkansas Thursday morning. Lots of early morning flights and late nights. I was all around so much working on a special project. It was an ambitious schedule to accomplish all that was required, but I did it in record time!

Wednesday night, my parents and grandparents came to NW Arkansas to spend a few days/nights with me. They were eating breakfast when I finally arrived on Thursday morning. They came because Mom had a CEU class at the Chateau in Branson. When you mention Branson to my grandparents, they are fully on-board for a road trip! We had a great visit and "mini-vacation" (if you can call it that) in Branson. I had to work all day Thursday and Friday, but at least I was able to work remotely and spend time with my family. It's been two years since they last visited and it was GREAT to have them visit again!

A few "highlights" of my week include: a rainy trek to Kennedy Space Center in Florida (didn't even get out of the car it was raining so hard...couldn't even see the launch pad!...will definitely have to return one day), Tour of Southfork Ranch in Parker, Texas, Dinner with my cousin, Jeff at Pappadeaux's in Dallas, time with family in Branson, and celebrated the 1st birthday of Tommy Taylor. This young boy is all of ours...or so we think! He was adopted by a wonderful family who has become family to me over the last 1.5 years. Pictures below....

SouthFork Ranch - Parker, Texas

It is MUCH smaller than you think....the outside of the house is the only "original" part of the house used in the TV Series, "Dallas". Lots of wide-angled lenses and "tricks" made this seem like a 50,000 acre ranch and 5,000 sq/ft mansion!

Mom, Dad, Mamawgran and Grandaddy outside of the Chateau-on-the-Lake in Branson

Football Sunday....pic of the girls helping Tommy celebrate his birthday while gabbing and cheering on the NFL for the sake of our Fantasy Football League (my team is currently 4-0!)

L-R: Steph, Kelly, Courtney, Kara, Julie

Tommy....cake never tasted so good.....

GIRLS TRIP!

2008-09-28T15:43:00.008-05:00

Sometimes, you have to get away with the girls. Nothing is quite as fun as a full day of shopping, good food, shopping some more, playing in make-up and a good night out on the town with good friends. Five of us girls planned a girls overnight trip to Kansas City that would be filled with "everything that made us happy." We were minus two friends who had last minute schedule conflicts and they were missed very much!

Kara, Steph, Julie, Kelly, Jazmin

In the hotel lobby waiting on the shuttle to the Plaza

Some of us "played" in Bare Escuentals while others "played" at Tiffany's.....

I cannot tell you what was so funny.....BUT.....here's proof that we laughed A LOT!

Jaz was IN LOVE with the queso at Baja 600....
Candids in the lobby.....
Jaz and Julie sporting their new purchases of the day....jewelry and bags

We are now all home safely, somewhat sleep deprived, but headed to watch football at the clubhouse!

Friday Night Lights

2008-09-23T20:34:00.002-05:00

It has been quite a while since I have been to a High School Football game. I had forgotten how exciting it is...especially when you have a vested interest in one of the players. Last Friday night, I went to Memphis to watch my cousin, Craig, play Defensive Back for the Briarcrest Saints. It was his Senior Homecoming where he played very well and was credited with a very important fumble in the 3rd quarter. I am very proud of him! Check out this handsome dude...if my camera was better I could have gotten a better action shot, but I'll just have to use what I have right now.....

After the game, my Grandparents, Mom, Dad, and Aunt Lisa were finally in town and waiting on us at Tom and Andrea's house in Germantown. We had a very nice weekend visiting, shopping, and watching lots of SEC football!! You've not experienced football until you watch it with my Aunt Andrea....love it, love it, love it!

My Uncle Tom has just finished his outdoor kitchen. He added a stone fireplace complete with a TV. It just doesn't get any better than watching football outside in front of a nice fire kicked back in a comfortable chair. I've not had such a good Saturday in quite a while.

The Women

2008-09-13T10:23:00.002-05:00

Round up your girlfriends and head to the nearest theater to see The Women...it is funny and makes you glad to have girlfriends who love you! You will find yourself somewhere among these women.....

PICTURES!!

2008-09-05T21:05:00.004-05:00

Okay...I think I've figured out how to link you to my pictures. These albums are found on my Facebook page, so feel free to check them out there, too.

When you click on the album, the pictures will show as thumbnails. Be sure to click on the 1st picture to enlarge and then advance the album by clicking "next" at the top right of the page.

Enjoy!

Germany Day 1

Germany Day 2

Germany Day 3

Germany Day 4

Germany Day 5

Heather's House and Saturday Market

Day 5 & Home

2008-09-04T16:18:00.002-05:00

As I type this, I am finally in NW Arkansas....I do not have jetlag and feel very rested. Amazing after being awake for 24 hours before finally getting to sleep in my own bed last night!

The last day of my trip to Germany was a very relaxed one. We had hoped to visit the Gutenberg Museum in Mainz, but time just ran out before we could make it across the river.

This was the day that we had to return the BMW Convertible. We were very sad and drove it all around town until about 5 minutes before it was due back. We savored every minute for as long as we could....I don't think there was a road in Weisbaden that we didn't drive down at least 2x.

Lunch was at a cafe on top of a big hill that overlooked the city. It was very peaceful and beautiful. The weather was nice and we were able to sit outside. The perfect spot for reflection and peace.

After lunch and returning the rental car, we went to downtown Weisbaden and shopped for several hours which was a lot of fun. I got to see a Apotheke (Pharmacy), department stores, boutiques and several grocery stores.

Being in the grocery industry, market visits are a priority to me so that I can see what innovative products they sell and product mix on the shelf. I was impressed with the variety of pastas, meats (sausages mostly), and Organic items. The 1 thing that really left an impression on me was that the eggs were out of refridgeration! In fact, there were 2 varieties: 1) in a carton sitting on a shelf in the dairy and 2) individual eggs in a large basket will chicken coop "dirt" still on the outer shell! Now, I used to work for a cheese company and understand that Kraft Singles can sit out of refridgeration for 10 days and still be okay, but I also know that it's not real cheese. Eggs on the other hand are a completely different story....Needless to say, if I lived over in Germany, I wouldn't buy the eggs....

The other big change that I saw in the grocery stores were that there were no grocery bags. Europeans force the carbon footprint by not providing plastic or paper sacks for customers. If you want a grocery bag, you have to bring it yourself...and you cannot take the grocery cart out to your car in most stores. A perfect example of this was a grocery store in the basement of a department store (cannot remember the name of it to save my life). The store was very high-end and the groceries were at a premium price and offering. YOu had to carry whatever you purchased...as American's we are spoiled by conveniences such as shopping carts in the parking lot.

That night, Heather and I enjoyed looking back through all of the pictures and talking about our favorite moments. There was something in each day that stood out to us - each having a different experience - but what a blessing to have a good friend to share a trip like this with! H and I have traveled many places together and always seem to have the same idea: see as much as you can in all the time that you have. We travel well together because of this same philosophy, but we have 2 completely different viewpoints of our experiences...and I wouldn't have it any other way. I am richer because of her friendship.

All of our pictures are still being sorted. I have posted most of them on Facebook, so if you have a FB account be sure to check them out. I am still trying to decide how I want to post them to this blog....if anyone has a suggestion or recommendation, please let me know.