Work and Rodeo's......

Guess in some ways they have a lot of similarities....I mean in both there are clowns, bulls, thrills and spills! No this is not some profound analogy of the two - that's just the only title I could think of that describes my week and weekend, then when I got to thinking about how funny the two sounded together - I started thinking maybe they aren't so different after all. So, this week in the midst of the M word (that's merger - for those new to my blog)...we found out who our manager will be. The old Regions comp manager will be the new manager in the new Regions - makes perfect sense doesn't it? Ok - when Regions m'd with Union Planters - the Comp Manager came over from UP...so the Regions Comp Mgr moved to another position in HR. Then, the Exec Comp Mgr, who was from UP, was "displaced" so that Comp Mgr came back into Comp doing Exec Comp. So, he has a lot of COMP experience and will be the new mgr over Base/Variable Comp in the new Regions. I know him, like him and feel things will be fine. He was actually part of my decision to come to Regions in the first place even though I knew I would not be working for him...he was instrumental in helping me make my decision. So, I feel good about him and the fact that he will be working for a former SouthTrust manager who has been at Amsouth. So, that's one less unknown in this cake we are baking......now if we can get the rest of the ingredients we might know what kind of cake we are making....until now I've just been worried about pre-heating the oven! I say that to say that we know we have a job just not doing what or working for whom and it's like knowing you've got to make a cake but not what kind or how....so you're just standing there at the oven waiting to start it pre-heating!!! I know - I'm goofy....but that's the way I feel. I just hope our cake doesn't go flat and personally I prefer carrot cake to german chocolate; so let's just keep the coco"nuts" out of this recipe! So, next on the agenda is I got my Yukon back - yeah! I am no longer in the racecar, I mean Grand Prix and the new has worn off the girls and they were ready to have our car back. So, I'm on my way home later than usual last night because I had to go to Trussville to pick up my car. I pass by a home which has a few horses and one of them is out, grazing by the side of the road. I called my sweet hubby and asked him to bring a lead line - to which he replied "you're kidding - right?" and I said "no, I don't want this horse to get hit and no one is at home here"...so off he comes, kids in tow and I try to play Roy Rogers (just kidding). It was dark and this guy was not thru grazing....pinned back his ears and took off. I got his halter briefly and he immediately pulled back and went up with his head, so I let go. I am not into playing "cowgirl" especially with strange horses...so I called the Sherriff's Dept and left it in their hands. I did find the number for house thru freeality.com and called later. The horse had been captured and was safe and sound. I was relieved! I am also very thankful to my husband for coming down there for me....he didn't have to do it and I know he was getting ready for a tournament (by the way he came in 2nd - whoo hoo!) So, with that rodeo behind us....we were off to a "real rodeo" on Saturday. We got up bright and early Saturday morning to head to Hidden Creek Ranch near Vincent / Vandiver. Jessie went to horse camp there this summer and LOVED it. They were holding their 2nd Annual Dusty Bottoms Rodeo for kids ages 2 - 15. We did not pre-register and weren't exactly sure what all it involved. When we got there, I made an executive decision that we would not participate or compete this year but watch for a little while and then embark on other activities. The lineup showed it would be a long day at the Dusty Bottoms Rodeo and it was MUDDY....so the two combined did not seem appealing for an entire day. But we watched long enough to know that we will be back next year and with horses in tow for them to participate. While we were there, Jessie got to ride a mechanical bull - well you can only imagine what that has led to....I got pictures and will have them posted later. She also enjoyed watching the roping events and told me how she wanted to practice roping! We were heading to The Hitchin' Post for a b'day party and she told me she wanted to look at the roping dummies when we got there and the ropes! Lord - help us, I can just see Shelby being roped, Reed being roped, Blackie being roped and heaven forbid I make her mad! Once at Hitchin' Post, we checked out the roping dummies and ropes. Mr Cedar was there and he advised us on that aspect and he is going to let her borrow a rope for calf roping and give her some pointers. She also tried on a really cool pair of new boots from the John Deere line which have brown bottoms with pink uppers and are toooooo cute. We are going to see if she can get those for Christmas! We had a great time at Hitchin' Post and they are in full swing for their rodeo next weekend. We were worried we weren't going to get to see too much of their 1st Annual Rodeo because the girls are in a wedding next weekend....but the rodeo doesn't start until 8:00 each night so we will probably get to see plenty of action. If you are looking for some fun, come out to Kimberly, Alabama to the rodeo OR you could just go to work for a company in the middle of merger - it's all about the same!

Photo Link for the Fall Ball

I hope this link will take you to pics of the Fall Ball...be warned there are a ton as I am collecting them from everyone who took pictures. http://tonyahall.shutterfly.com Let me know if it doesn't work!

The Fall Ball has come and gone...

The much planned for "Fall Ball" has come and gone. I had hesitated to call it our "first annual" because I just knew after my husband missed a day of fishing and all the work that went into it...he would say NO WAY to another Fall Ball. But last night he surprised me and said something to the effect of we know things we will do different for next year and I said, "so that means there is a 'next year' ?" and he said "yeah - I had fun and we can do it again". Yippeeee- I just knew he would be wanting to kill me by the time the day was over but he was a real trooper in all the prep work, setting up, saddling the pony and running the hay ride....which was a huge hit. I told one of the mom's that I was going to owe him big time for this one and that he would want to fish every Saturday for six months after this day!!!! But I truly think he had a good time. We certainly would not have pulled it off without the help of our families who all pitched in to set up and keep things going. I think at times I felt things were a little more chaotic and less organized than I had 'planned' for them to be....but I think everyone had a great time. One of the dad's said he thinks this will be talked about for a long time. Shelby's pony, Blackie, was also a real trooper as I walked him probably 200 times around the round pen. He has not been ridden in at least a month and when Shelby does ride him - it is not for very long. I should have had a step stool out there to help the bigger kids get on him....I did not know I could lift that much weight....my back is telling me today that I shouldn't have. I am so glad Blackie is not spooky....because a baby was on him with her Mom holding her to pose for a picture. Someone outside the round pen decided it would be cute for the baby to put on a cowboy hat and threw it in to us....it landed right on Blackie's head and slid down his nose. There are many horses that would have flipped them out so I am so thankful for that not happening and safety for us all! The games were fun as all the kids enjoyed the cake walk, bobbing for apples, hunting thru the hay for candy, a ball toss and a duck pond. I had a great time even though I didn't get to mingle too much. I am just so thankful God has blessed us with the setting, the friends and the means to do something like this.....I will post pics as soon as I have them. Looks like I can safely call it our "First Annual Fall Ball"......

Well this weekend we will be hosting our "Fall Ball" at our home. This was my "brainchild" that I dreamed up last year but had to put on hold until we actually had a place to host it. So, we have invited the girls classmates, ball team, family friends and our extended families to our home for the Fall Ball. This "ball" will consist of games, hay ride, wienie roast, smores, pony rides, etc. Also, my friend Kim is going to hold Micah's one year old b'day party at the same time....with her own guest list. We will know a lot of people on her guest list from church and from knowing her family. So, the crowds should mingle well. For me and my family, we are doing this in lieu of other fall festivals, halloween costumes, etc. The invites told everyone to put on their best "western duds" so we are attending in western attire....maybe others will follow suit. I did help Kim get Micah a cute overall outfit with a broncing horse embroidered on the front and we got her daughter, Maggie, some overalls off of ebay as well. We have been having Crafts 101 as we adorn her overalls with some horsey fabrick and fringe on the pockets. Maybe this will be an annual event for our family. At any rate, wish us luck - I will update and post pictures later!

Pics from Chattanooga

this is of "the girls" outside the aquarium: this is "the girls" and their "Chaddy" after he weighed in: that's my girls!: this is Shelby and Chad on stage:

It's the Little Things....

Thanks to my boss, I was able to get off half a day and get a headstart on our drive to Chattanooga. The girls and I were heading up there for Chad's weigh in on Friday. The first weigh in was Thursday but Jessie wasn't out of school until Friday. So, we loaded up and were on our way. The girls were really excited - they love 'quick trips' and act like we've really gone somewhere. We went to Chad's Triton Gold tournament this summer in Florence, AL and the hotel had a great pool...the girls were in heaven and you'd have thought we really went some where. The girls and I made a day trip to Chattanooga two years ago so Shelby was 2 1/2 and she really didn't remember a lot of details from that trip. We arrived at Chad's hotel Thursday evening and settled in. Chad was laughing at how giddy the girls were and commented you'd think they were in Disney World - told ya - it's the little things! Chad had a decent day of fishing on Thursday and weighed in at approx 9.15 with four fish. This placed him around 22nd place out of 146 boaters. This is the Regional tournament for the BFL and he had a nice showing in the points this season. It was a nice follow up to him winning the points in the Mississippi Division on basically unknown waters to him. He got up bright and early for the tournament this morning and I told him bye, love ya, get 'em in the boat, all the loving things a fisherman's wife says.....and got directions to the weigh in before I turned over to try and sleep in some more!!!! The girls did actually sleep in but then were pestering me about going to eat breakfast. I told my little hoggly wogglies (jk) that we were not going to make the 10:30 cutoff and that we would get them something for lunch on the way to the aquarium. Got directions from front desk to the aquarium and made it there with no problems. Got great parking and headed in. Shelby was much more interested in the exhibits this time and at one point looked up at me with those big brown eyes and said "this is the BEST day of my life"....she can really melt me! Again, she showed me 'it's the little things'. She was dying to get to the "sharks" but at the first sight of one...she was thru! Hate we couldn't squeeze in the IMax Shark movie - she would have really had a fit! I took plenty of pics of the girls and will post later. After leaving the aquarium complex, we headed across the river to North Shore. Chad and I visited Chattanooga on a quick weekend trip when we were dating and I gave him a hat as a 'souvenir' from the trip from a store called Choo Choo Fish and Fly. It was well worn and has been retired. I was hoping I could replace it...but no luck, the store is closed! The girls and I browsed the shop windows and got ice cream from Clumpies. We then headed to the pedestrian bridge over the river and the girls loved that. After that trip, we went down to the riverside park and rode the indoor carousel, then walked around the park. They had a blast and I had fun just watching them....it's the little things. We got to the weigh in site and waited for a glimpse of Chad. When we finally saw him, he shook his head and I knew that wasn't good. He weighed in one fish and I knew that would not put him in line for a check that would pay to the 24th place. I was disappointed for him but as I would tell his parents later....all the guys there fishing this weekend had to qualify and fish well all season to get there, so they are all good if not great fisherman and it's a tough tournament when they are all this good. Several of his friends got checks and in his usual style he was very happy for them! We left to head out and grab a bite to eat before hitting 59 south to the Ham. One parting thing about the tournament, was that Shelby and Jessie ran to see him when he was getting ready to weigh in and much to my surprise, Shelby had already decided she was going to weigh in on stage with him. Jessie sat next to me and said "I wish Chaddy had more fish...I wish he had made the cut" and I could tell she meant every word......at the same time I watched Shelby go on stage with him and his one fish. She could have cared less one fish or five as he held her up there and told the weighmaster her name.....she was with her Chaddy and that was all that mattered......I was glad we were there....it's the little things! We love Chaddy and I love my girls!

Get Rid of a Bad Cold?

We've all heard someone talking about the cold they just can't seem to get rid of.....just can't shake. We've probably even been there, done that ourselves. I will have to say I have a case of the "cold I just can't get rid of"......but my ailment is in the form of some people in my life. A few of these have seemed to pop up when I least expect them to...in some of these cases I try to get out the chicken soup and go on.....while there's another who I don't think I will ever be rid of for matters beyond my control. Chicken soup doesn't seem to work on one of my colds....I would say I'd try something toxic but that wouldn't be very Christian like, so I digress - I'm sure there's a lesson in here somewhere but I keep asking God what part of the lesson have I missed in all this time. Let's see, so far I've studied bitterness, unforgiveness, resentment, love thy enemies, pray for your enemies and finished with passing grades. Guess I am going for my Master's now? I am currently studying that I am a new creation in Christ and that old things have passed away (2 Cor 5:17)....... We all know even when someone passes away there is a memory that is left.....so the scripture doesn't say it's going to kill the memory it just says those things are gone when we are new in Christ. I struggle with that because I want to rid myself of the cold, the virus, the bug and even the memory of being "sick". However, I am realizing that if I never remember being sick, I won't appreciate being "well".....and that if I forget about the sickness, I won't pray for it to stay away or pray for a "cure to be found". So, I'll struggle on with my various colds that won't go away.....the ones that seem so resistant to antibiotics....I'll pray that my attitude I discussed in a previous post will become "more contagious" as I said and that my attitude and Christ like mind will be the cure and the antibiotics for these colds!

Accomplishments

So far this week I have: ~Collected more items for the class basket for the fall festival ~Committed myself to work a booth for an hour at the school's fall festival ~Submitted our volunteer interest form for the Ronald McDonald House ~Worked on scheduling dinner for the families there ~Sent out invitations to over 50 kids for our Fall Ball ~Attended the company's shareholder meeting where merger was approved ~Introduced myself to the CEO to thank him for his genuine compassion and concern for an issue near and dear to my heart (no sarcasm behind this, true story) I will never hear the name Jack Moore and just think of a CEO...I will always think of someone who took the time for me and a family he didn't even know! ~Made the appointment to get my Yukon fixed ~Made Dr's appts for the girls ~Met Shelby's former preschool teacher for lunch with Shelby ~Met up with my bestest friend from high school thru myspace (see honey - all that nighttime computer time is not in vain?) ~Scoured the internet and sent out numerous e-mails to secure assistance for an issue "near and dear to my heart". Paid off - YEAH! ~Had at length discussion with my 8 yr old on why bad things happen and about her worries over people possibly dying, people being sick, animals dying, God's role or no role in Hurrican Katrina, discussed her question of did her Daddy know Jesus, how good things can come out of seemingly bad things and how I am struggling with kids being sick when they haven't even begun to live. Not too much going on..............Jeremiah 29:11 "for I know the plans I have for you".........

and They Lived Happily Ever After......

We’ve heard that famous closing to many fairy tales before.....this weekend we were part of our own little fairy tale as Sandy and Ryan (my husband's brother) got married. They were high school sweethearts and tied the knot this weekend in a beautiful outdoor wedding. The locale was perfect and the weather could not have been better. The wedding took place at the lake home and private lake of Temple and Lucy Tutwiler. Additionally, Lucy's parents - The Brower's - opened up their newly built home on the lake for the bride and bridal party to get dressed in. They could not have been more gracious hosts! On Friday evening we had rehearsal and dinner by Sal's Restaurant. YUMMY! Then on Saturday, we arrived at the Brower house shortly after noon and I began dressing both my girls for their roles in the wedding. Shelby was one of two flower girls and Jessie was one of eight honorary bridesmaids. Chad was one of 8 groomsmen and there were 7 or 8 traditional bridesmaids. The Brower house was a flurry of activity with makeup artists on hand from MAC and Aware Cosmetics doing makeup and finishing touches and bridal party running around preparing for pictures. Once we were all dressed we shuttled up to the Tutwilers house where we would make pictures. The former tennis courts would be the site of the wedding, which was now adorned with white chairs, mums, tulle and a great arbor built by Mark and Ryan. Pictures began with a planned point where Ryan and Sandy would see each other for the first time. At this point we all gathered outside the home under the portico....Ryan's back was turned and the front doors were opened for Sandy to step outside. Ryan was told to turn around and see his bride to be. She was absolutely beautiful and Ryan's face told everyone he thought the same thing. Pictures began and then drama began.....I mean, what's a picture perfect day for a wedding going to be like without a little drama? We were in the back yard, with the lake serving as the backdrop, taking more group photos. The photographer was posing some groomsmen and she stepped into a hole....when she did just about everyone heard snapping like twigs cracking under her feet....except it was not twigs...but her foot. SIDE NOTE: In true professional style, she pulled herself together and took as many pictures as she could until backups could arrive. Additionally her husband and mother arrived to take her to the hospital. Even after back-ups were there she was still taking pictures and left the reception totally in the hands of the back up. With my prior stints as a wedding photographer, my husband was wanting me to let her know so I could help as needed. I conceded and told her and was handed a camera to go take candid shots! They eventually needed that camera back and needed me for some family photos so my stint as photographer was over - whew. I know weddings are work and I felt so badly for her! Back to the wedding, to prepare for the beginning of the wedding we had to shuttle back down to the Brower house where a true Cinderella carriage was waiting to carry Sandy and the flower girls to the wedding site. This was the moment Shelby had been waiting for - she was beside herself. The carriage was being pulled by a smokey Percheron and knowing the size of our horses, she could not get over the size of his "feet"....quoting Shelby! I got back up to the house to await their arrival....the director cued them to make their way to the house - Sandy's dad, Chuck, took the radio and told Sandy he had a full tank of gas and could get her out of there (joking of course) but he was breaking my heart as I watched him knowing he was about to send his baby down the aisle. So everyone could see the carriage coming and began to stand for the bride. They made their entrance in grand style and I took my seat up front by slipping down the side. Shelby lasted most of the wedding but her feet had hurt her all day and she came to sit with me near the end of the ceremony. I took her ballet shoes off of her and she exited the ceremony with Chad and with her shoes in her basket! The reception was filled with BBQ, dancing, fruit and wonderful cakes. Shelby's feet must not have been hurting too badly at this point because she danced with several people....her favorite partner was Charlie, Sandy's brother. She told us it was supposed to be a secret that she was dancing with him! In true Jessie style, she acted like a perfect young lady throughout the day.....her long blonde hair had slight curls, those big blue eyes and her pretty pink dress...she made a great honorary bridesmaid and made me so proud to be her mama! A few pictures are below. I left a post on Sandy's myspace site and told her how she did look like a princess who was marrying her prince...carriage and all...but that I hope they always keep Christ as King over their lives. They have a great start and I certainly do hope they live happily ever after! ps. even though they did miss their flight on Sunday morning!

Pics from the Wedding