Facebook Fun: ABCs of Me

Posted on Facebook in 2009
Directions were to answer the question or put your first reaction to a word.....


A 
- Available: not since 1992 
- Age: 32 
- Annoyance: people who smack their food/gum 
- Animal: sometimes 

B 
- Beer: gross 
- Birthday: May 16th 
- Best Friend: my husband 
- Body Part on opposite sex: arms 
- Best feeling in the world: sleeping in 
- Best weather: fall nights 
- Been in Love: still am 
- Been on stage?: unfortunately 
- Believe in Santa: yes! 

C 
- Candy: m&ms 
- Color: red 
- Chocolate/Vanilla: chocolate 
- Chinese/Mexican Food: Mexican 
- Cake or pie: red velvet w/ cream cheese icing 
- Continent to visit: Australia 
- Cheese: Colby 


D 
- Day or Night: Day 
- Dancing in the rain: why not? 

E 
- Eyes: blue 
- Everyone has: a need for love 
- Ever failed a class?: close, thanks Amy! 

F 
- First thoughts after waking up: just five more minutes! 
- Food: if I don’t have to cook it 

G 
- Greatest Fear: ladders, heights are ok if I’m not on a ladder 
- Goals: be the person God sees 
- Gum: = toothbrush @ work 
- Get along with your parents? yes 

H 
- Hair Color: red 
- Height: five foot eight 
- Holiday: Christmas 
- How do you want to die: gracefully, not whimpering 

I 
- Ice Cream: mint chocolate chip 
- Instrument: french horn, but only in middle school band 

J 
- Jewelry: overflowing, need another armoire 
- Job: part-time office manager @ YMCA 

K 
- Kids: 2 
- Kickboxing or karate: karate….. wax on, wax off 
- Keep a journal?: no, but started several. Trying the blog thing. 

L 
- Love: yes 
- Letter: email 
- Laughed so hard you cried: too many times to count 

M 
- Milk flavor: natural 
- Movies: sci-fi, action, adventure, chick flicks, kiddo cartoons… 
- McD’s or BK: McD’s 

N 
- Number: random. 

O 
- One wish: new car 

P 
- Pepsi/Coke: coke 
- Perfect Pizza: Papa John’s pepperoni & mushroom 
- Piercings: pierced ears & have enough earrings to wear a different one every day of the year 


Q 
- Quail: bird 

R 
- Reason to cry: sad movie 
- Reality T.V.: only dance shows 
- Radiostation: 104.7 the Fish 
- Roll your tongue in a circle: why? 
- Ring size: 7? 

S 
- Song: right now? Rock What You Got –Superchick 
- Shoe size: 9 
- salad dressing: Ranch 
- Sushi: eww. 
- Skinny dipped? no 
- In the shower?: why yes 
- Strawberries/Blueberries: strawberries 

T 
- Tattoos?: no 
- Time for bed: 10ish 
- Thunderstorms: good sleeping weather 

U 
- Unpredictable: never. Always. 

V 
- Vacation spot(s): mountains, beach. Wish: Ireland/England/Scotland 

W 
- Weakness: Dr. Mall 
- Worst feeling: migraine 
- Wanted to be a model: yes, until I tried it 
- Worst Weather?: hot & humid 


X- X-Rays: teeth, neck & back for chiropractor 

Y 
-Year it is now: 2009 
-Yellow: Sun 

Z 
- Zoo animal: orangutans

What doesn't kill us....

I think it is safe to say that 2010 started off pretty crappy and quickly went downhill before finally rebounding in September and ending (soon) on a pretty decent note.

January: my dog died. unexpectedly. violently. and I was the one who found her.

March: my Papa died. expected. peacefully with a romantic twist. but difficult to watch my dad grieve and deal with jerks for family.

May: my Grandma died. expected. peacefully in her sleep. but too soon after I finally began to understand her. relate to her. proud to be like her. and painful because my Daddy was again hit with loss and had to deal with the ugly truth about his brothers.

May through August: Russel is sucked into camp life just as I really need some stability and support. but extended family came to the rescue.

September: the turning point. Skydiving. adrenaline rush. a kick in the "bum" to appreciate life and a reminder that we have to live it. and the libido boost didn't hurt either.

October: realized how much weight I gained over the past year, but not really motivated enough to do something about it.

November: normally by this time of year I am listening to Christmas music and have checked off several names on my shopping list, but I still am not really into it yet (in December).

Now: I can still feel the "funk cloud" around. but I am going to kick its "bum". I have committed to one too many things recently because the idea of them made me excited, but I am determined to see them through. I am more in love with my husband now than ever before. looking forward to our annual anniversary trip. despite knowing that I need to lose weight (mainly for health reasons although my doctors don't seem worried yet) I am becoming more comfortable with my body (for which my husband is very appreciative). and I am still pressing on. determined. confident I will win. 

A Georgia Peach learns how to make Sweet Tea.

I was skipping through the Covington News website when I stumbled upon an article that not only made me laugh, but I identified with. The woman describes herself as "Not from Here" (even though she was raised in Alabama, her momma n' them were from New Jersey) and wasn't raised on our sweet elixir, but confesses that she has fallen in love with our traditional beverage: Sweet Tea.

I, however, was born and raised in Georgia. In fact, I am a 7th generation Georgia Peach on my Daddy's side. But when it came to the cooking in my childhood home, my Momma's Northern ancestors were a strong influence on how we prepared certain things. It wasn't until my sixteenth year, however, that I learned we didn't make real Southern Sweet Tea. (um, what?) It only took one sip of my now mother-in-law's nectar to open my eyes to what real Southern Sweet Tea tasted like. And it wasn't until a few years after that enlightening experience, watching her create that heaven-sent yumminess, that I understood how even the slightest modification to the process could change an elixir fit for the gods into nothing more than a flavored beverage. (I will confess here that we did a lot of steps wrong in the process, as you will see, but for the sake of the metaphor work with me.)

I grew up making "sweet tea" from Lipton Instant Iced Tea (gasps!) and artificial sweetener (the horror!) in cold water (well, I never!). How was I supposed to know that true Southern Sweet Tea could only be made by steeping the tea bags in just boiled water in a pot on the stove, dissolving the sugar in the still hot liquid, and leaving it to sit for a while before serving over a glass of ice?!? That's just not how I was taught. But believe me.... the product is worth the work. I had always wondered why just adding sugar to the "iced tea" (read unsweetened) they served in fancy restaurants never tasted right. It's because the sugar won't dissolve properly in cold water genius!

It was a true moment of revelation!

So, if you are "Not from Here" and are ever in a fancy restaurant that doesn't serve the best beverage that the South has to offer (and believe it or not there are some in the South like this, though for the life of me I don't see how they stay open) do not be surprised if a true Southerner in your party looks aghast. And please, whatever you do... do not tell them to just add some sugar to it. It is not the same. And you will receive a look from them that says either: "Bless your heart, you're not from here are you?" or "The Hell you say!"