Thursday, September 29, 2011

"Alsome"

When we saw Downtown Franklin completely blocked off by police cars last night, Sean and I  suspected widespread criminal activity. Had we owned a 12 year old girl, we would've known it was an actual case of Bieber Fever spreading throughout town.

Bieber filmed a Christmas video on Main Street causing 10 million screaming tweens (and 3 adult homosexual males) to flood the DTF in layers of scarves and skinny jeans. Video evidence of the plague can be seen here:


Legend has it, high pitched squeals from the crazed fans were heard for miles around. Decibel levels reached 165-170, the same as a space shuttle launch.

News of last night's Bieber invasion came to me via text message from my "Little."

Hey watz up u can c dat im not @ skool cuz i went 2 c justin bieber last night n i stay intil 1 this mornin
im bout 2 sent u some pics n some video it was alsome
it waz nice like a every christmas present so dat waz gud

At least she knows how to spell Justin Bieber's name correctly...



Monday, September 26, 2011

Picture Pages!

I present to you, dear readers, a showcase of some recent snapshots.

Here I am with ONE THIRD of my basil plant. That's right - there are 2 more outrageously large branches still hanging out in the garden. This bunch here made 4 jars of yummy pesto. I almost forgot to mention my pesto is vegan gluten free organic pesto, retailing at Whole Foods for just $99.99 per jar.


Sean's cup overfloweth with excitement about the start of football season. Specifically college football. We invited John & Bethany to watch the 2nd UT game of the season at our place (Sean and John's Alma Mater), and Sean got in touch with his Martha Stewart side. He iced these cookies on his own. Aren't they sweet?
Sean's allegiance to The Volunteers has been shaken up a bit by his new employer (a much more prestigious university with less tacky colors). We spent a recent Saturday afternoon cheering for the Black & Gold, and cheering for new jobs.



Sunday, September 25, 2011

C'mon Get Happy

August was great and then, not so great. Kind of all at the same time. Does that make sense? It was crazy, busy, fun, good, happy, bad and sad. I realize regular life includes all of the above, but August felt incredibly intense. Come to think of it, so does September.
Some August Highlights:
.I resumed weekly visits with my "Little Sister"
.New tenants at the Yellow House, which involved lots of cleaning and a mild amount of stress
.Wedding showers, dinner with new friends, visits with my grandmother, traveling for work, daily sessions at the gym in preparation for our trip to The Beach...

...and then, of course, there was the actual trip to The Beach itself.

Somewhere in the middle of it all, Sean received a long-awaited job offer, I was awarded Employee of the Month title, and then we found out Murphy has doggy lymphoma. We celebrated with each other, and cried with each other. The highs have been high, and the lows...well, they're a bit stinky.
Here we are at the end of September, and I now have a big case of The End of Summer Blues. The browning of leaves, the freezing 70 degree temperatures, and football - they grab my heart, rip it out, and stomp its ass on the ground. Each year I try to fight it, and fight it HARD. I'm seriously considering the purchase of a sun therapy lamp. Now more than ever I have to make a conscious effort to stay focused on the positive - things like making a giant pot of chili, a new season of Parenthood, date nights with Sean by our fire pit, and my favorite holiday Halloween.

I can't help but shed a small tear as I vacuum pack my bathing suits into the storage bag. And I'll be shedding actual tears when it comes time to say good bye to our sweet pup. I guess the fact that I'm here on earth to experience sadness and cry a little bit is a Good Thing. It means I'm real. Means I'm alive, and I can't complain about that.





Flying into Fall

The series premier of Pan Am just aired its first 5 minutes, and of course, we are tuned in. Would you expect any less from Mr. Sean P. the Pilot? I don't know if I'll be able to get past the cheesy dialogue, and I'm not sure the rest of America's viewers will be able to either...

Speaking of flying, though...Sean is eager to return to the cockpit. I expect he'll be back in the air in a matter of weeks, continuing towards his instrument rating.

Back on the ground, we just returned from our annual visit to St. Louis to see our friends The Jensens. It couldn't have been a more beautiful weekend weatherwise. We welcomed the first days of fall relaxing with good friends, which is exactly what I needed to help combat The End of Summer Blues. Sarah planned a special TV Themed costume party to coincide with our visit. I just so happen to love parties AND costumes. It was so much fun, and I especially enjoyed meeting the rest of their St. Louis friends.

Thurston and Lovey Howell

Marge Simpson and Jimmy Neutron

and Dr. Who

I'm already looking forward to our next encounter with these crazy kids. See you in the Spring!!!

It's back to work tomorrow, and back to our normal routine. Only, this Monday will be a Fall Monday instead of a Summer Monday, and I'm not so thrilled about that. As part of my battle against the End of Summer Blues, I have plans to treat myself to some retail therapy. I'm also working on plans for the halloween party. My copy of this year's Martha Halloween has already been skimmed and tagged! I really want our guests to enjoy it, which means I need to keep the fun coming, and add new and exciting elements each year. But no pressure, right?