Mardi's Life

Happy New Year

2006-01-01T11:04:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from Mobile, AL

2005-12-24T09:37:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving

2005-11-27T16:59:00.000-08:00

We decided about a week before Thanksgiving to leave town. I know it may sound selfish but we did not want to deal with family crap. We booked a trip to Dune Allen Beach outside of Destin. It was wonderful. We actually took my baby dog this time and I think that she had more fun than the rest of us put together. It was the first trip that Gavin had been on in two years because of his grades. It was great to have everyone there. We got a turkey from Popeyes and made the rest at the house. I did not want to come home.

Wanna Bee at a Alabama vs Auburn Party?

2005-11-27T13:25:00.000-08:00

On Saturday the Wanna Bee Club had a Football party for the big game. We are split about half and half in this rivalry with a couple of undecided. We had lots of great food and lots of great beverages. Even though Alabama lost we had a blast and are making plans to do it again next year.

Madison turns 5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2005-11-21T14:59:00.000-08:00

On Sunday we went to my best friend Catherine's house for my baby neice Madison's big 5th birthday. They had a birthday cake jumping thing and a clown. It was great fun.

Christmas Tree Lighting

2005-11-20T12:46:00.000-08:00

On Friday we had the official Christmas tree lighting downtown in Bienville Square. There were lots of booths selling things from food to hot spiced apple wine. There were many different acts that sang Christmas Carols Santa Claus was there and our new mayor Sam Jones light the tree for the first time. It was a lot of fun. I wish I could have taken more pictures but it was dark and I need a big flash for my camera. Maybe I will get one for Christmas.

Halloween

2005-11-12T08:04:00.000-08:00

The Saturday before Halloween we went to my friend Lesleigh's house for a Halloween party. We were also celebrating Dorothy's 40th birthday. I won the costume contest but I don't have any pictures of me right now I am waiting on someone to email me the ones they took. I will add them when I can. Anyway it was a wild party. When we left we went back to Dorothy's house and enjoyed the hot tub before passing out for the evening.

Anniversary Trip to the Mountains

2005-10-22T19:15:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday night we left to go to Tennessee. We drove until midnight and checked into a hotel in Chattanooga. We were not going to be able to check in our cabin in Townsend until 5 the next evening so we decided at the last minute to stay in Chattanooga so that we could spend the day there.

We got up on Friday morning and my main goal was to go to the Chattanooga Moonpie Factory. When we finally found it they said they no longer do tours. That sucked but I took some pictures in front of the factory. Next we went to see the Chattanooga Choo Choo. After that we went up the mountain to see some underground caverns. It was a little hot that day but when you walk into the caverns it is so cool. It was like natural air conditioner.

We left Chattanooga around 3:30pm and headed to Townsend. It was a good thing we left earlier than we had planned because we got lost. We finally found the rental office which was actually the Tipton's house. Luckily the cabin we had rented was not that far because it was getting late and we were exhausted.

The cabin was so cute. It was just basically one big room and a bathroom. There was a whirlpool tub next to the bed and a hottub on the back deck. You couldn't see anything around but woods. It was great. We used the hottub about three times a day.

On Saturday we were watching the news to see what tropical storm was doing. We decided that we would stay an extra day since we were going to get the remnants of the storm on Sunday and would not get to do much. We decided to take a drive up the mountain. We drove up the road into the Great Smoky Mountain Park for a long time. When we got to the top we kept going and within a couple more miles the sign said welcome to North Carolina. We decided to turn around and go back. Four states in two days was more than enough.

On Sunday we got up and decided to go to hike up to Laurel Falls. The forcast was calling for rain. We drove toward Gatlinburg and it started raining hard so we decided to go into town and eat. After lunch we drove back toward the falls. It was still raining but not hard and we decided what the heck lets go for it. We hicked up to the falls and were totally wet by the time we reached the top. Luke loves waterfalls and proceeded to get in and feel the energy. On the way back to the cabin I looked back at the mountains and saw a rainbow. Perfect ending to a wonderful day.

On Monday we got up early because we were going to rent a little cart and drive into Cades Cove and then go tubing. Well we rented the cart and drove to Cades Cove. We had planned for it to take about an hour but we ended up having so much fun that we were gone over three hours. We never made it tubing.

On Tuesday we left about 7am to head home so that we could take our time. We made a lot of stops. When we got back into Alabama I saw a sign that I had seen many times before but never really paid attention to. We decided to check it out. We drove tow miles into Gadsen to Noccalula Falls and it was worth the short detour. The falls were beautiful. We will have to go back there when we have more time. We arrived home around 5:30pm and Gavin and Frolic got home about 6:30. I was very glad to see them but I wish we could have packed them up and headed right back to Tennesse. Oh well back to work.

Memories

2005-10-22T19:02:00.000-07:00

My grandmother has moved in with my father because she is getting really old. We are selling her house and it has been a very emotional endeavor. Her house was kind of like a storage unit. Everyone in the family stored everything that they wanted to keep but had no room for at her house because she was not going anywhere and had the storage space. It has taken forever to go through all of the stuff there and we are not done yet. I realized while going through all of my stuff that I have kept so many memories. I have every picture, love letter, flowers, ect that every man that I have ever dated seriously has ever given me. Do you think that is strange? I have everything you can think of from my first 'boyfriend', the first person I ever did, well you know, with. We were together for two years, three months and two days. Why do I remember that? There things are my life and I am not willing to give them up. I was reading old love letters and they were so funny. The things that you think are so serious when you are 15 or 16 seem to be so silly now. Then my second fiance' (I have had 7 or 8). His love letters I thought were so poetic and romantic and I can see how I thought that at the time but I think now when I read them and think how could I have been so silly. I have got to scan some of these old pictures and post them here. I will try and do that in the near future.

So my question is how many of you have kept your memories?

Hurricane Wilma

2005-10-22T18:55:00.000-07:00

This is the worst storm in history. It went from a Tropical Storm to a Category 5 Hurricane in less that 24 hours and it had the lowest pressure ever. Great, that is just wonderful. The storm is tracking right now toward the area of Miami where a friend of mine Vicky lives. Vicky is a really cool lady from Bulgaria that is a terrific photographer. You can click on the title of this story to see her website. Anyway, everyone down here on the Gulf Coast is watching this storm very closely because we all know these things can change course at any time. I pray that it does not affect anyone but I also pray for the people that may be in its path.

My baby Frolic's New Bathrobe

2005-09-25T18:56:00.000-07:00

Spring Storm

2005-08-22T18:59:00.000-07:00

The view from my front porch after an overnight thunderstorm.

My Silly Dog

2005-08-21T19:00:00.000-07:00

Gavin threw a treat and it landed in Luke's shoe. Frolic was determined to get the treat.

4th of July

2005-07-24T19:02:00.000-07:00

Well I know I have been slacking on updating my website. It has been a really crazy month. Anyway, on the 4th Gavin and I went to my friend Dorothy's house for her annual cookout. Her grandson had a big waterslide that they brought over. The kids enjoyed it but I think the adults enjoyed it more.

Hurricane Dennis Part III

2005-07-11T19:03:00.000-07:00

On Saturday the storm was down to a category 2 but we knew it would stregthen since it was over the warm Gulf of Mexico waters. We boarded up the house except for the windows with the a/c units. Luke went downtown to help board up his boss' resturant and house and secure the clubs. After Gavin and I did all the preparations we could I settled down on the couch to watch the Hurricane coverage. I knew we would have to get up early because they were saying we would start feeling the effects around 7am so I went to bed about 10pm.

At around 12:30am Luke came in and woke me up to tell me it had been upgraded to a category 4 storm.

Hurricane Dennis Part II

2005-07-08T19:05:00.000-07:00

OMG the latest update has this storm at almost a Category 5!! We are still going to stay in Mobile but I am not looking forward to it. I have to go fill up my car with gas and buy beer and we will be all set. We will board up the house tomorrow and pray. It is at 150mph winds and 938 mb pressure and it is still not in the Gulf of Mexico. That means that once it hits those warm Gulf waters it will get even stronger.

CATEGORY 4
Winds: 131 to 155 mph

Damage: Extreme; almost total destruction of doors, windows. Some wall and roof failure. Major damage to lower floors of oceanfront buildings. Evacuations up to 6 miles inland. Pressure 27.17 to 27.90 inches accompanied by a storm surge of 13 to 18 feet.. Hurricanes Andrew, Hugo, and Hazel were Category 4 storms.

Hurricane Dennis Part 1

2005-07-07T19:06:00.000-07:00

Here we go again. Cindy was no big deal but this one is scary. It is already a category 2 and will be at least a 3 when it makes it here. Mobile is once again right in the middle of the cone so we are already making preparations. Max, Amy email me and I will send you my phone number. I know last time several people were trying to get in touch with me and if we get a direct hit then the power could be out for up to two weeks so no internet access. I will be able to IM on my phone a little but it costs extra so I try not to use the service too much. I have also got to research but there is a way that I can post on my blog from my phone. I can't post pics of course but could at least maybe do a play by play and post pics later. I will look into that over the next couple of days. Well at least this time we have all the wood to board up our house unlike last time we spent $600 buying wood. When we took the boards off the windows after Hurricane Ivan we marked each one so that we would know which window it was for. Luke cut each board to fit so this time all we have to do is pull out the wood and screw it to the house. I will go to the store tomorrow for supplies like water, candles, batteries, oh and of course beer. On Saturday if it looks like we are going to get clobbered then we will start boarding up and get ready to camp out in the hall on Sunday.

Spring Cleaning

2005-05-15T19:17:00.000-07:00

Work, work, work. This weekend for a change I have nothing going on! I know it is amazing. No parties, no meetings, nothing. Well Luke has been wanting to have a garage sale to get rid of a lot of stuff we have around the house that we don't need. It is amazing how much stuff you accumulate in just five years. Yesterday Gavin and I started going through things in the storage room and one closet. Look at all of this crap. We still have tons of stuff to go through today. I bet this whole room will be full of stuff by the end of the day. We wanted to have the sale before we go to the mountains next month but there is not a weekend that is free until the weekend after we get back. So I have entered that weekend on my calendar. Hopefully nothing else will come up I really don't want all of this crap in my dining room for months.

Uglystick and Fishbone

2005-05-14T19:21:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday night I went to Monsoon's for a concert. Our own local guys Ugly Stick opened the evening. Ugly Stick is one of the most popular bands in the area. They rocked the house. Then the lead band took the stage. Fishbone was amazing. Yes the real Fishbone. Many of you may remember them from back in the last 80s, early 90s. It was the best concert I have seen in many many years. They played for several hours to a packed house. Everyone who is anyone in the bar and music scene in Mobile was there. That of course can be a bit scary. Needless to say I took the next day off from work.

Ugly Stick takes the stage.

Weaver serves up drinks.

Fishbone came to jam.

Noel (center) the owner of Monsoons's and friends.

Some friends from a bar around the corner.

My baby Luke taking up money and watching for trouble.

Don't try this at home!

Tim of Ugly Stick and his lovely lady, Catlin who works at another local watering hole.

Mother's Day

2005-05-08T19:29:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day. I did not have a very good day. My son turned 13 a month ago and has turned into a typical teenager just that fast. As I posted last week he now has a girlfriend. He has also become very social over the past few weeks. He stays on the phone all the time and is always out riding his bike in the neighborhood with friends. Last night at about 9 my husband finally decides to take Gavin to get me a gift. He asks Gavin if he has any money and Gavin starts complaining about spending his money on a gift for me. Well then he comes and complains to me and I told him to just forget about getting me anything. Well later when I went to bed he had made up my bed and put a small stuffed animal on my pillow. I thought that he felt bad about hurting my feelings until he came and asked me if I was going to take him to see his girlfriend this morning. He was only worried that he had upset me because he thought he wouldn't get to do something he wanted to do not because he was worried about me. Well needless to say he did not see her today. I had every intention of trying to take him to my dad's church this morning so that he could see her for a little while until he acted like that. Well when my husband got home from work this morning at about 3am he woke Gavin up and took him to get me a gift. When I woke up Luke went and got Gavin. He came in and handed me the gift and said Happy Mother's Day under his breath. I opened the gift and then he walked out of the room and left to ride his bike and I haven't seen him since. Oh well, I guess he is growing up and he is changing and doesn't know how to handle all the changes. I just miss my little angel.

Blu Bistro

2005-05-08T19:23:00.000-07:00

Luke and I went to Blu Bistro today for Mother's Day brunch. This is my friends resturant that opened last September. It was wonderful as always. There was a big crowd and lots of kids. Normally there are not too many kids at this place. It is a southern cusine fine dining resturant. A nice place to go and have a romantic evening with someone special or a great place to take friends or clients.

They will be opening for lunch starting June 6th. They are working on their own website and you can see the wonderful menu there.

Blu Bistro

Mountain Trip

2005-05-07T19:31:00.000-07:00

Luke and I are going to the mountains for our 8 year/2 year wedding anniversary next month. I rented this cabin for us. It has a whirlpool tub next to the bed and a hottub on the secluded deck. The cabin is in Townsend, Tennessee right by the Smoky Mountain National Park so there will be lots of fun things to do. I can't wait. I will have lots of great pictures when I come back.

Tipton Cabins

My baby is growing up

2005-05-02T19:38:00.000-07:00

Well you can all see what I was doing this weekend by my prior post. While I was swarming with my friends my son was on a bus trip with my dad's church. (My dad is a Methodist minister.) They went to Valdosta, Georgia to a water/theme park and then to a Chrisitan rock concert. This morning he tells me that he now has a girlfriend. A GIRLFRIEND!! He was just a baby the other day and now he is 13 and has a girlfriend! What happened to my baby. I am happy for him and this is a whole new road that he is going down with his life but I want my baby back. boo hoo hoo I guess this means I am getting old. No never mind that is a crazy thought. I guess this means he is getting older. He showed me this picture and said "She is wearing my hat. I don't let anybody wear my favorite hat." He also said that when they were at the concert and it started to rain and it was chilly so they wrapped up in a towel to stay warm. I just can't belive my little sweet baby boy has a girlfriend. Oh well I guess I should be happy for him. I am happy for him but it is just strange for me. I can't belive he is growing up on me. Oh he has her picture as his wallpaper on his computer. For Gavin to put a girl on his computer it must be love.

This is my sweet little baby boy Gavin.

This is his new girlfriend Lindsay. She writes her name Len Z. So cute.

WBC Summer Swarm

2005-05-01T19:39:00.000-07:00

After months of planning we held our annual Summer Swarm for the Wanna Bee Club. All but one member was in attendance. We 'swarmed in' our newest member Dorothy. This makes our membership full. So all of you out there who want to join you are out of luck. We held our party at Charlotte's house again this year. We ordered two cases of champagne and everyone brought anything else they wanted to drink. Tammy and Craig made two gallons of really strong Hurricanes for everyone. They were great. We started with sausage and Hooters hot wings and the first case of champagne. Dorothy arrived at 5:00 right on time and a little while later the swarming ceremony began. Because of a tragedy Jennifer had to leave so Dana filled in as our bee. We presented Dorothy with the official organization bracelet and recited the pledge. She accepted membership. We had hamburgers for dinner and most of the other case of champagne along with the hurricanes. We had a terrific time. This is my favorite group. We have the best ladies in Mobile.

New Orleans Trip

2005-04-19T19:44:00.000-07:00

Wow have I been busy. As most of my frequent visitors are aware I just started a new job a little over a month ago and I have a side business that I started in January. Well this month was tax deadline as well as the end of the first quarter so I have been swamped. I know that I have been neglecting my site but I am going to try and get back up to date.

It has been close to a year since Luke and I have been out of town. We usually try to go about three times a year for a weekend trip at least. Well Luke has been wanting to go to New Orleans before it got really hot so a couple of weeks ago I told him if we were going we had to go now.

I booked a room at the New Orleans Grand Palace hotel and we packed. I had planned to take off half a day on Friday but when I got to work my boss said he needed someone to pick up a check two hours on the other side of New Orleans so off I went. We made it to our hotel about 3:00pm and checked. While we were checking in we found out that the French Quarter Festival was going on that weekend. What a treat. The hotel on the other hand was no treat. When we got to our room it was filthy. We went downstairs and told the people at the desk that our room was not clean and there were no towels and that we were going out for a while could they send someone to clean it. We arrived back at the hotel about four hours later to discover nobody had been to the room. I went back to the desk and they said the maid was gone and they could move us to another room. Well, we moved a floor down and got a suite so that was great.

The hotel was out on Canal street past the interstate but the trolley runs out there now so we bought a day pass every day we were they so we could travel back and forth. The next morning we got up early and began dressing. When I was about half way through drying my hair the power went off. I called the office and they said they would send someone up. Half an hour later I gave up and put my hair in a clip and told Luke let's go get breakfast. On the way out I stopped by the desk and told them we still needed the power turned back on. Later that afternoon we returned and there was still no power. I went to the desk once again and was told that we would have to move again across the hall. This was getting crazy.

To back up a little bit. We were only suppose to stay Friday night and Saturday morning we told them that we were going to stay and extra night.

On Saturday we went and ate breakfast at The Corner Oyster Bar and Grill. It was good but it took a long time to get our food. What was crazy to me was how many people were in there drinking at 9:00 in the morning. After that we went to the French Market to shop. Luke and I both got some great sunglasses. We had lunch at a little place that we had not been to before. I can't remember the name but it was really good. After that we decided to ride the ferry across the river to Old Algiers. There is not really a lot to do over there except the Mardi Gras Museum so we just rode back. The quarter was packed with people in town for the festival. It was a lot of fun. We went to our favorite restaurant for dinner The Gumbo Shop.

That night we went down to Bourbon Street. I am not a big Bourbon Street person but there is one bar way down at the far end that most tourist don't venture to. It is the oldest bar in the United States. Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop has the best Hurricane's in the world. We stayed there for a long time and Luke had his picture made with one of the guys that plays there all the time. Come to find out this guy played with Fats domino for over 20 years.

The next morning we slept in as last as we could and then got up and check out of the hotel. The lady at the desk said you are prepaid and I said ok and we left. I was prepaid for the first night but not the second. Normally I would have said something but after all the trouble we had I kept quiet. So we got the second night free. We loaded up the car and left it in the parking garage and headed back to the quarter. We went to get coffee and beignets for breakfast from the world famous Cafe du Monde. We strolled around the French Quarter for a while longer and headed home.

Wedding Bliss

2005-04-04T19:45:00.000-07:00

On Saturday night Luke and I went to Harriet and Ashley's wedding. These are friends of Luke's and Harriet works for the local underground newspaper. She is a very unique person and although her wedding was traditional in many ways she had some interesting additions. The wedding and reception were held at Magnolia Manor, a historic house in Downtown. When we arrived there were people at the guest book table taking pictures of all the guests. They put the pictures in a book and then you signed in next to your picture. I thought that this was a really cool idea. She had a full bar and a beer and wine bar. A band for the reception and tons of wonderful food. The ceremony was a little late starting because a lot of the guest all arrived at 5 and were trying to get to their seats. Leave it to a bunch of bar people to be running late. The bridesmaids where dressed in t-length black dresses that were very elegant. Both of the bride's parents walked her down the isle. The minister was very quiet and you could not hear most of the ceremony. He was so quiet that when he asked the crowd to recite the Lord's prayer everyone was whispering like they were afraid to speak up. The bride's dress was very beautiful and elegant. At the reception there was lots of food. One of the most lovely cakes I have seen topped with a chocolate magnolia and lots of adult beverages. However, she had a table setup just for the kids with things to keep them entertained and their own tray of PB&J sandwiches. At the other tables she had burners and trays setup to make your own smores. This was a really interesting idea.

We stayed until late and then headed downtown and met up with Luke's brother and some other friends at a local bar. It was really late when we got home and with the time change on top of it we did not wake up on Sunday until almost noon. Wow, it has been a long time since I slept that late.

Happy Easter and Happy Birthday

2005-03-27T19:46:00.000-08:00

Happy Easter Sunday to everyone. The day started out hot, humid and overcast but by early afternoon the breeze started to blow and the sun came out making it a beautiful day. I got up and checked my email and my friend Polly had sent me a cute Easter tag.

We got dressed and went out to lunch. We had to be at Catherine's at 1:30 so we stopped my Applebees by her house. Gavin got a honey barbecue chicken sandwich which was good and Luke got country fried steak. I ordered blue cheese steak and I couldn't eat it. That had to be the worst steak I have ever had. Well they didn't charge us and I knew I would have cake and ice cream soon.

I can't believe it has been a year but it has. Mia will be one in a couple of days and Catherine decided to have a small family party for her today.

When we arrived the kids were finishing opening their Easter eggs filled with money. Madison got some new Barbie skates and a Barbie patio table and chairs.

The birthday party was an Easter theme. Catherine got a big cake and a little cake for Mia from a cake shop in Grand Bay. The artwork matched the plates and napkins.

The baby's cake started out really cute. But later is looked a little different.

The $20.00 birthday hat was not a hit with the birthday girl.

But she got over it and dug in.

The cake was nothing but crumbs in the end but Mia had a blast and we had a blast watching her.

Wow, so far we have come. I met Catherine when she was 14 and I was 16. She never wanted kids and I was not thinking about anything like that either way. It seems like yesterday we were wild crazy teenagers. Now we are both married with kids and careers. She and her husband own their own restaurant and my husband and I are talking about starting our own bar. It is amazing how quickly things change. I am just glad we are still friends. HMMMM I will have to pull out some old pictures and post them from back in the day. Catherine with her bleach blond hair and me with my punk hairstyle short on one side and long on the other. Fun, fun times.

Fairhope Arts & Crafts

2005-03-21T19:48:00.000-08:00

On Saturday morning we got up and decided to go across the bay to Fairhope, AL for the annual Arts & Crafts festival. There was a lot going on this weekend and the weather was perfect. Mobile held the Azalea Trail run in downtown and huge crowds gathered to cheer on the runners.

We made it to Fairhope and parked by some beautiful flowers. Fairhope is a cute little colony town and they plant flowers all over their city. Fairhope is located on Mobile Bay and Fairhope pier is one of the main attractions. Downtown is full of cute little shops and this was the setting for the festival. We ended up not buying anything but we had a great time. When we left we traveled down the street to the pier and enjoyed the view for a while and then went a little further down to Pelican Point to see the damage from Hurricane Ivan. Pelican Point bar is another local landmark to a lot of people. It sustained a good bit of damage in the hurricane and from the looks of things I don't know if they will ever open again or not. It doesn't look like anything has been done in the way of repairs and it has been over six months since the storm.

We made it back to Mobile about 3:00pm and I was really tired from all of the walking. Luke laid down and took a nap and I did a few things on the computer. That evening we went to Blu Bistro to check out the new menu and then headed home to watch movies.

Christmas Day

2005-01-06T11:27:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning my parents and my brother came over to see my son Gavin open gifts. I had coffee and muffins for everyone. It was really nice. We all got wonderful gifts and it was a great Christmas. Later we went to Luke's mom's for Christmas dinner. My favorite Christmas memory this year was on the way back to Mobile. I was driving and it began to snow. YES, snow in Mobile county. It was so cool. I pulled over at a gas station and we got out and watched the snow for about 15 minutes until the sleet started again. I tried to get some pictures of the snow but it was not that much so it did not show up on film but it really was snowing. I think that Gavin got some pictures with his new camera that I will upload later. I hope everyone else had a wonderful Christmas. We had planned to not have a Christmas tree this year because Mardi Gras is so early and there is a money issue but Christmas Eve I had to have a tree and all the lots were closed so we ended up getting a fake tree (which I hate) but at least it was a tree.

Christmas at Catherine's

2004-12-20T11:29:00.001-08:00

Last night we went over to Catherine and Michael's to let the kids exchange gifts and for their Christmas party. Usually we just get together with them and a couple other people but this year they decided to have a big party. They invited family, friends and all their employees from the resturant. It was a lot of fun.

Christmas at Haley's

2004-12-20T11:29:00.000-08:00

Luke had a Christmas party after we left Cathrine's last night at one of the bars he works at.

Christmas at Lesleigh's

2004-12-19T11:30:00.000-08:00

Gavin and I went out to Lesleigh's house for a Christmas party and played dirty Santa. We spent the night at Dorothy's.

Christmas Lights

2004-12-17T11:31:00.000-08:00

I dropped Gavin off at my dad's church for a lock in today and then I drove around and took a few pictures of the Christmas lights.

Christmas Party Party Party

2004-12-16T11:32:00.000-08:00

Wednsday night we went out to Kim and Nick's house for a Mexican themed Christmas party. All the food was mexican and really good. They were playing dirty Santa but we had to leave early so Luke could go to work. It was a good party while we were there. Jimmy Buffet's Christmas album played in the background and beer and wine flowed.

Happy Birthday Madison

2004-11-29T11:33:00.000-08:00

Sunday we went to celebrate Madison's 4th birthday. It was a lot of fun and I always enjoy seeing the kids.

Happy Thanksgiving

2004-11-25T11:37:00.000-08:00

Up until yesterday we had no idea what we were doing for the holiday. I can not cook so we were not eating here. hehehe Luke had said that we were going to mama joe's (his mom's) but I could not get him to call and find out what was going on. My best friend Catherine had invited us to join them since it was the first Thanksgiving that Michael was going to be able to be at Thanksgiving dinner since they had been together. He is a chef and has always had to work but since they opened their own returant he was closing for the day to spend time with his family. Well by the time Luke called and found out that his mom was not doing Thanksgiving at her house it was too late to call Catherine so it was looking like peanut butter and jelly at the house. Needless to say I was not happy. Luke did not want to go to my parent's house because of a certain family memeber that would be there but finally I talked him into it. Mainly because I was already mad at him for screwing up plans. It has been years since we had a family Thanksgiving. When I was young we had a big family dinner. My parents have an old historic house and a big dining room table. When I was young we had to dress up and we used the good china and silver and the whole family came over for dinner. I have wonderful memories of my childhood holidays. After my little sister past away in 1987 we stopped having big family dinners. I really miss it. My dad is now a minister at a Methodist church in what I consider the redneck part of town and although it was nice to all be together again it was nowhere close to the old days. My grandmother always cooked Thanksgiving dinner in those days was prepared by my grandmother. My mother is a yankee and her version of food is very different than that of the southerners. My grandmother has gotten very old and is unable to prepare dinner now so my mother, (who has never cooked a whole Thanksgiving dinner before) prepared the meal. My grandmother helped her in preparing a few items but the dinner was strange because it was a mish mosh of southern and yankee. I do have to say, although most yankee things I don't like, my mother makes the best apple pie in the world. All in all it was a wonderful day. Any day that I spend with my dad is usually a wonderful day. Anyway, I hope everyone had a great holiday.

Alabama vs Auburn

2004-11-23T11:37:00.000-08:00

Saturday was a fun but very very very sad day. We went to a football party at Kim's house. Nick and a bunch of his friends were there. There was lots of great food and I made my famouse Moonpie desert and decorated it for the day. The game started out all Alabama and by halftime we were all excited. I don't know what was said or what that Auburn team did during half time but in the second half it was all them and to our disapointment Alabama lost. Oh well.

Fun Filled Saturday

2004-11-14T16:36:00.000-08:00

On Saturday morning I got up and went to a meeting brunch with the Wanna Bee Club. We met at 12:00 at TP Crockmiers and had a wonderful time. Around 3:00 we adjorned to another bar to meet Gary.

I had to leave at 6:00 to meet Luke and go the a Queen and Emblem party for one of my Mardi Gras organizations. We went and had a wonderful dinner at Blu Bistro and then went over to the party. All the drinks and food were free and it was a lot of fun. When the Queen, Emblem and President started opening gifts it was taking so long so we decided to leave and go downtown. (You will have to click on the title link to see these pictures.)

Zig and the Zigtones were playing at Monsoons and we enjoyed the show. A lot of our friends had come out to see them play.

Date Night and Garage Sale

2004-10-24T16:35:00.000-07:00

Luke and I don't see each other as much as we would like so when he has a night off from work we have date night. I was so looking forward to going to Blu Bistro last night for dinner. I got home from work after a horrible week and was about to get in the shower. Our reservations were at 7:00. Luke was in a really bad mood and started a fight with me over something petty. I was so mad I told him I was not going to dinner and listen to crap after the week I had had. Gavin and I left and went to the mall to look for costume stuff for Halloween. I called and told Catherine that Luke was being a but and if he was in a better mood we would come at 8:30. We got back to the house about an hour or so later and he seemed to have calmed down so I told him that I was going to get in the shower and that I had changed the dinner reservation if he still wanted to go. We got to the resturant and Catherine seated us. She recommended a bottle of wine and we ordered an appetizer, backed brie my favorite. It was nice and we talked to Catherine a lot. Michael even came out of the kitchen to speak to us and some other patrons for a while. We were there until after they closed and had two bottles of wine. I was a little dizzy when I stood up.

The next morning I had to go and help with a garage sale we were doing for a fund raiser for my room in one of my Mardi Gras organizations. We did really well and exceeded our goal. Frankie was too funny trying to sell the people stuff. She even tried to sell some stuff to the mailman. (You will have to click on the title link to see these pictures.)

Later that night Luke and I decided to ride downtown to Monsoons for a couple of drinks.

The Funeral Service

2004-09-22T11:56:00.000-07:00

We had the funeral services for my Great Aunt Liss today. This is one of the hardest funeral I have ever been to. I think that I was probably closer to her than anyone living. She was 97 years young. She passed away on Tuesday last week right before Hurricane Ivan hit. I think it made things a lot more difficult because we had to wait over a week before we could even begin to have any closure. Liss lived with my grandparents or rather they lived with her when I was growing up. When my parents, my sister and I went on vacations she came with us. During Mardi Gras she stayed with us while my parents went to the balls. I stayed with her on the weekends all the time. We were really close. I miss her so so much. Yes, she lived a full life. Full of sacrificing for others. She was a wonderful woman and loved by everyone that new her. Unfortunately, she outlived most of her family and friends. I miss her so much. My best friend Catherine, who just opened the restaurant I talked about last week, was at the services. After the service we went at got lunch at TGI Friday's and then went to the restaurant and had some wine. I did not want to gone home and have time to think. It was a really tough day. I had a picture of her blown up to display at the service. It was when she was young. She was really pretty. My husband took it and picked it up for me and now he can't find the original. That is why there is a delay in posting this blog. I was planning on scanning her picture but oh well.

Blu Bistro Grand Opening

2004-09-11T11:57:00.000-07:00

Last night Luke, Gavin and I went to the grand opening of Blu Bisto. My best friend, Catherine, and her husband, Chef Michael Blucas are the proud owners. The restaurant features fine southern cuisine. Michael has definitely outdone himself with this menu. It was absolutely wonderful dining experience. Catherine chose all the wine selections and they were superb. The dining room is reminiscent of a New Orleans style bistro. Perfect lighting and beautiful background music lead you into another world.

We ordered a bottle of Rabbit Ridge and sat back to enjoy the surroundings. For our starters I chose the baked brie in puff pastry with cranberry orange glaze and Luke decided on the seafood gumbo with shrimp, crab and smoked sausage. The gumbo beyond compare and the baked brie (one of my favorite dishes) was divine. I could eat that everyday for the rest of my life and I would be a happy lady. For the entrees we both had the pan seared eight-ounce USDA choice filet mignon with herb butter. Luke added the sauteed mushrooms. The waiter told us he could provide us with steak knives but the chef proclaimed the steaks to be so tender they could be cut easily with a butter knife. This was in fact the truth. The filets melted in your mouth. Luke said he was drunk on taste. Gavin had the pan roasted breast of range chicken stuffed with conecuh sausage and smoked gouda stuffing. This delectable dish was a perfect smokey blend to stimulate the taste buds. The spinach madeleine, yukon gold mashed potatoes and garlic herb cheese grits were perfect accompaniments to the main courses. Although we were completely full and relaxed we had to try the creme de broule. The perfect encore to a perfect evening and meal.

Several of Michael's family and friends were there to celebrate the opening as well as many others from the area. I would recommend anyone visiting this area stop in for dinner and enjoy some fine southern cuisine and hospitality.

Labor Day Fun with Friends Part 2

2004-09-06T11:58:00.000-07:00

Steve and Dorothy were having a Labor Day cookout on Sunday. Luke was not able to go with us because he had to study. Gavin and I loaded up the car and headed that way about 12:00 noon. We stopped at Bruno's and the deli manager gave us a free cake. We bought sodas, beer, chips and dip. There was a good crowd there including Dorothy's sisters and Lesleigh's mother. It was Lesleigh's birthday and Dorothy had a cake for her. We got Peggy to stop at the store and get the candles. We cooked out, ate and drank until night. Peggy and Dorothy decided I did not need to drive especially with Gavin and so we crashed there. Monday morning we woke to a beautiful morning. Hurricane Frances was now a tropical storm and was in the Gulf of Mexico. We were getting a wonderful breeze from it and it was nice sitting in the back yard drinking coffee.

We got home about 10 on Monday and I worked on my other website most of the day. I am trying to get away from posting personal pics on that site and trying to build it up as more of an information site. I eventually would like to offer travel packages and other things for people interested in coming to Mobile for Mardi Gras.

When I check my email last night Polly had made me this great tag. I am still trying to decide where to use it.

Labor Day Fun with Friends

2004-09-04T11:59:00.000-07:00

Teresa called about 1:00 today, Tammy and Craig were in town from New Orleans. The guys were going to play golf and they were going to our new favorite bar. Charlotte was meeting them there. We were there for a while and Peggy came and so did Dana. I was like a mini WBC meeting. We did talk a little about having another party at the end of the months. We are going to call it the WBC Open Hive and invite people outside of the WBC group. I think is will be fun and interesting. The only problem we have right now is a location. We don't have a bunch of money to spend on this and most places we would normally go will be packed due to football season. Well with just a few weeks to go we will figure out something I am sure. If anyone can pull a party together quick it is this group of ladies.

We stayed until the evening and then were invited to Teresa's house for dinner. I went and got Luke, Gavin and Frolic and off we went. We listened to the Alabama game and ate. Craig is a wonderful cook. After dinner and the game we adjorned to the backyard and built a fire (it was only 85 degrees outside but there was beer involved) and laid around on blankets watching the stars.

50th Anniversary Party

2004-08-29T12:01:00.000-07:00

Some of my good friends Raymond and Sybil celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Saturday night at the Magnolia Ballroom at Brookley Field. Their children gave them a wonderful and elegant party.

Dogtrack

2004-08-09T12:01:00.000-07:00

Friday night Luke and I went to the Dog Track. He had never been and I had not been in several years. Nothing much is happening this weekend so it was something different to do. We had dinner and bet on a few races but we didn't win anything. We decided to leave and go to the house and watch movies.

On Saturday we had back to school errands to run. Blah Blah Blah Well I did get a new computer YEAH!! The one I had was dying very slowly and kept crashing. Now I can work on my sites from home so I will have more time.

Sunday I had rehersal for that skit again. Well I am just holding a backdrop so me and the other backdrop holder drank while everyone else practiced. Gavin (my so) went with me and watched the smaller kids swim while we were busy. We stopped at Olive Garden on the way home. I made it home just in time to see Six Feet Under on HBO. I love that show.

And today nothing much happening for me. It is the first day of school for my son. He is going to my dad's after school this year and he lives waaaaaay out. It will take me almost an hour to pick him up and get home.

I am ready for fall when we have parties every weekend. The summer is so boring.

Audit

2004-08-07T12:05:00.000-07:00

Well thank god this week has ended. We are doing a big audit at work out of town. Everyday this week I have had to get to work at 7:00, ride an hour and a half in the car with my bosses, work in silence all day on audit workpapers and then ride an hour and a half back in the car with the bosses. The earliest I got back was 6:15. Well at least I will get overtime.

Alaskan King Crab Legs

2004-07-27T12:02:00.000-07:00

I have been supper busy at work this week. We have deadline for payroll taxes coming up on Monday and my bosses and I are going out of town next week to work on an audit so everything has to be ready for that and transfered to the laptop. There is just not enough hours in the day. I will probably end up working on Saturday to get everything finished.

Tonight I went to Wintzells for happy hour with Peggy, Amanda and Mellissa. They have all you can eat king crab legs for like $15. I had never tried them before. They were wonderful but I don't think I really got $15 worth because I could only eat one plate. We stayed there for several hours eating and drinking and then rode over to the Executive Lounge for some more drinking. I know I will regret it in the morning.