Ahhh yes - another wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Jim & I went to his parents house in Daphne, AL on Wed afternoon & just got back around noon Sunday.
The house was full of company, but it wasn't the same without R & P and their boys who have recently moved to Wisconsin. We missed them immensely & it will never be the same without them there. There were lots of phone calls though!
Like always, Jim's mom cooked WAY too much yummy food. I feel like I have to eat every 2 hours now since that is what I did the past few days! Jim smoked 3 turkey breasts & also fried a whole turkey - YUMMY!! He does such a great job. We watched lots of football, ate, visited and just enjoyed relaxing.
Speaking of football - how 'bout those Mizzou Tigers!!!! Can you believe they are #1 in the nation now? At least in all the polls but one. The BCS rankings have not been released yet as of blog "press time". They let Kansas come back in the 4th quarter & it was a little too close for comfort, but we pulled out the win. What an exciting year of football this has been.
Jim & I got all suited up in our running clothes, got our water ready & gels & iPods, took off & it started raining. Neither of us were in much of a mood to run 10 miles in that weather, so we will try it again tomorrow night when the forecast is only cloudy - not thunderstorms.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Sunday, November 18, 2007
National Peanut Festival
I missed my normal Sunday blogging last weekend, as Jim & I went to Dothan, AL to visit his sister & family for the weekend. We planned the visit to coincide with the National Peanut Festival, which Jim used to attend faithfully when he was growing up there. He had told me so much about it, and of course, I am very familiar with fairs & such growing up in Missouri & showing sheep. I attended many a county & state fair!!
Jim & I had SO MUCH FUN that weekend! We really enjoyed the company - had so much fun hanging out with ALL of them!!! We got in Friday night later than we would have liked (I had to work later than I wanted) so we just talked for a while that night & then went to bed. Saturday morning, W & T left early to go set up chairs at their church for the parade & Jim & were in charge of getting his nieces (ages 15 & 18) up & ready in time to go to breakfast at 8. SUCCESS! Jim cracked the whip & we made it in time! It was a pancake & sausage breakfast (yum!) & we enjoyed it immensely! All you can eat - but for whatever reason, I can never eat more than 2 1/2 pancakes.
After breakfast, we went to the parade which lasted for 2 1/2 - 3 hours. Because it is the PEANUT festival, right after the cops went through which are usually first, there was a cement truck which I thought was odd, until I noticed what was happening! The cement truck was dumping out a stream of roasted peanuts in the street & folks (with bags in hand) rushed out there & picked up as many as they could as fast as they could! I have never seen anything like it. And of course, I had to join in the fun, putting peanuts in my shirt (holding the tail of it to make a make-shift bowl). I looked down the street & there were people as far as the eye could see all getting their peanuts. Next year I'll be prepared & take a bag like everyone else who had obviously been to this rodeo before!!! So much fun!
After the parade, we went back to W & T house & watched the Mizzou game (# 3 in the country!!!!) along with the Auburn game & also met the boyfriend of our niece (we approve!) Then that night, we went to THE peanut festival. And here is where the pigging out begins.
I don't know why - but there is something glorious about fair corn dogs. I don't even like hot dogs really, and definitely don't buy them or eat them EVER during the year. But for whatever reason, I just don't think there is anything better than a fair corn dog. In fact, I think this all began with me back in the days of the Missouri State Fair when I would show sheep every year. There was always a corn dog & fresh lemonade stand that was set up right by the sheep pavilion. We'd hit that place up at least twice during the fair - it was tradition & I loved it.
At any rate - after downing 2 corn dogs & a fried Snickers bar (oh yeah - words can't even describe!!!), we decided to check out some exhibits which we really enjoyed ( but the sheep were gone, only goats). Then we headed to the Midway & W, T & I watched while the "kids" - Jim & his nieces rode some rides that made me want to hurl just watching them. Merry Go Rounds make me nauseous, so there was no getting me on these things.
Sunday, we got up, T cooked us a wonderful breakfast complete with biscuits, grits, bacon & eggs. We also had lunch there & then headed back to Destin. We had a Ton of fun and hope we can make it an annual tradition.
Jim & I had SO MUCH FUN that weekend! We really enjoyed the company - had so much fun hanging out with ALL of them!!! We got in Friday night later than we would have liked (I had to work later than I wanted) so we just talked for a while that night & then went to bed. Saturday morning, W & T left early to go set up chairs at their church for the parade & Jim & were in charge of getting his nieces (ages 15 & 18) up & ready in time to go to breakfast at 8. SUCCESS! Jim cracked the whip & we made it in time! It was a pancake & sausage breakfast (yum!) & we enjoyed it immensely! All you can eat - but for whatever reason, I can never eat more than 2 1/2 pancakes.
After breakfast, we went to the parade which lasted for 2 1/2 - 3 hours. Because it is the PEANUT festival, right after the cops went through which are usually first, there was a cement truck which I thought was odd, until I noticed what was happening! The cement truck was dumping out a stream of roasted peanuts in the street & folks (with bags in hand) rushed out there & picked up as many as they could as fast as they could! I have never seen anything like it. And of course, I had to join in the fun, putting peanuts in my shirt (holding the tail of it to make a make-shift bowl). I looked down the street & there were people as far as the eye could see all getting their peanuts. Next year I'll be prepared & take a bag like everyone else who had obviously been to this rodeo before!!! So much fun!
After the parade, we went back to W & T house & watched the Mizzou game (# 3 in the country!!!!) along with the Auburn game & also met the boyfriend of our niece (we approve!) Then that night, we went to THE peanut festival. And here is where the pigging out begins.
I don't know why - but there is something glorious about fair corn dogs. I don't even like hot dogs really, and definitely don't buy them or eat them EVER during the year. But for whatever reason, I just don't think there is anything better than a fair corn dog. In fact, I think this all began with me back in the days of the Missouri State Fair when I would show sheep every year. There was always a corn dog & fresh lemonade stand that was set up right by the sheep pavilion. We'd hit that place up at least twice during the fair - it was tradition & I loved it.
At any rate - after downing 2 corn dogs & a fried Snickers bar (oh yeah - words can't even describe!!!), we decided to check out some exhibits which we really enjoyed ( but the sheep were gone, only goats). Then we headed to the Midway & W, T & I watched while the "kids" - Jim & his nieces rode some rides that made me want to hurl just watching them. Merry Go Rounds make me nauseous, so there was no getting me on these things.
Sunday, we got up, T cooked us a wonderful breakfast complete with biscuits, grits, bacon & eggs. We also had lunch there & then headed back to Destin. We had a Ton of fun and hope we can make it an annual tradition.
My sweet husband
I thought this deserved its own post...
Jim picked me up from the airport from my trip to DC this week, as we wanted him to have the truck here in case we were able to sell it (we were!).
When he picked me up - he had a bouquet of pink miniature roses laying in the front seat for me! What sweetheart I have as a husband!!!
Jim picked me up from the airport from my trip to DC this week, as we wanted him to have the truck here in case we were able to sell it (we were!).
When he picked me up - he had a bouquet of pink miniature roses laying in the front seat for me! What sweetheart I have as a husband!!!
A New Member of the Family
No babies....a new (used) car.
I was in Washington DC last week for work & Jim was successful in selling our truck outright, so the car purchase became a priority this weekend. We had decided that we wanted an SUV (not a big one, but a mid-size). Because Jim is driving so much for his job, he has adopted our other girl (the VW Passat) as his vehicle, as it gets good gas mileage. So this vehicle would be mine & I got to pick! It has been since April of 2002 since I had a new vehicle, so needless to say - I was excited!
I don't know how many of you have heard of CarMax, but we will probably never buy a car from anywhere else again after having such a great experience this time. Basically, they only sell vehicles (trades) that pass a multi-point checklist (certain amount of miles, age, dings, wear & tear). Those that pass muster are those that they sell, all others get auctioned. And they offer no-haggle pricing, which is at least $1,000 under Kelley Blue Book value. And you can search nationwide for whatever vehicle you want that fit your criteria and have it transferred to the nearest location. After dealing with them and getting the whole scoop on their business model - look out for this company - they are doing all the right things.
So back to the new purchase! We located 2 vehicles that we were going to decide between - Jim had gone there earlier in the week while he was in Jacksonville, FL for work & looked at them but didn't drive them. One was a black Acura MDX & one was a black Honda Pilot. After driving both - we chose the Honda Pilot (it was unanimous!). I am loving it & enjoyed the 5 hour drive back in my new car. Of course, now I need to study up on the owner's manual so I know what all it can do. Jim drove it last night to Wal-Mart & played with the voice command feature - CRAZY! You can tell it to change the temperature to 70 degrees inside & it does!! Or tell it what radio station you want - and it goes there! It's like I have my own buddy in the car :)
Other than driving 10 hours yesterday to get a new car, Jim has been smoking the Thanksgiving Day turkey breasts today (and some ribs for us to eat tonight). Ahhh the smells from our house today - heavenly!! Jim does such a good job with the turkeys & he enjoys it so much. Thanksgiving is his favorite holiday - so I just really enjoy him loving this time of year!!
We had our long run of the day - 8 miles - felt good, but I had to go to the bathroom the whole time....too much information I am sure - but it did add an interesting element to the run!
I was in Washington DC last week for work & Jim was successful in selling our truck outright, so the car purchase became a priority this weekend. We had decided that we wanted an SUV (not a big one, but a mid-size). Because Jim is driving so much for his job, he has adopted our other girl (the VW Passat) as his vehicle, as it gets good gas mileage. So this vehicle would be mine & I got to pick! It has been since April of 2002 since I had a new vehicle, so needless to say - I was excited!
I don't know how many of you have heard of CarMax, but we will probably never buy a car from anywhere else again after having such a great experience this time. Basically, they only sell vehicles (trades) that pass a multi-point checklist (certain amount of miles, age, dings, wear & tear). Those that pass muster are those that they sell, all others get auctioned. And they offer no-haggle pricing, which is at least $1,000 under Kelley Blue Book value. And you can search nationwide for whatever vehicle you want that fit your criteria and have it transferred to the nearest location. After dealing with them and getting the whole scoop on their business model - look out for this company - they are doing all the right things.
So back to the new purchase! We located 2 vehicles that we were going to decide between - Jim had gone there earlier in the week while he was in Jacksonville, FL for work & looked at them but didn't drive them. One was a black Acura MDX & one was a black Honda Pilot. After driving both - we chose the Honda Pilot (it was unanimous!). I am loving it & enjoyed the 5 hour drive back in my new car. Of course, now I need to study up on the owner's manual so I know what all it can do. Jim drove it last night to Wal-Mart & played with the voice command feature - CRAZY! You can tell it to change the temperature to 70 degrees inside & it does!! Or tell it what radio station you want - and it goes there! It's like I have my own buddy in the car :)
Other than driving 10 hours yesterday to get a new car, Jim has been smoking the Thanksgiving Day turkey breasts today (and some ribs for us to eat tonight). Ahhh the smells from our house today - heavenly!! Jim does such a good job with the turkeys & he enjoys it so much. Thanksgiving is his favorite holiday - so I just really enjoy him loving this time of year!!
We had our long run of the day - 8 miles - felt good, but I had to go to the bathroom the whole time....too much information I am sure - but it did add an interesting element to the run!
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Eight Mile
The run this morning was great! Right along the beach, the water looked so turquoise blue, nice breeze, lots of butterflies. It was nice! For whatever reason, my feet fall asleep consistently between miles 3 & 4. I can't explain it & have not figured it out via the internet either. The good part is though, I can walk for probably 1-2 minutes and then start running again & they are completely fine. It's not my shoes, I have switched up shoes (ones that I used to do the 1/2 marathon last year, and train in) and my feet still do it. But after I start running again, I am feeling good!
A couple of funny things happened on the run today. There were lots of people out & about this morning as it was just beautiful out (and still is). Lots of dog walking, jogging, walking & biking alongside the beach. From a distance, I could see a girl probably my age walking her dog and then I saw the dog plop down on the grass alongside the jogging path. As we past by her, I could hear her coaxing him to get up to get going again. I thought it so funny because I would have rather been laying on the grass enjoying the view too! :)
Another funny thing is the fact that it must be the Butterfly Convention this weekend, as there were monarch butterflies EVERYWHERE! Jim & I have mastered the "bob & weave" to avoid getting splatted in the face.
The strangest thing though? Both of us laid down after a big carb-loaded lunch to take a nap, each of us with a kitty beside us. Neither one of us could fall asleep?! Crazy. I actually fell asleep for about 5 minutes & thought I had been asleep for an hour. I guess a 5 minute power nap is just fine too! I was awoken by a kitty jumping down & meowing as the neighbor cat streaked across our back yard & disturbed the peace in our house!
A couple of funny things happened on the run today. There were lots of people out & about this morning as it was just beautiful out (and still is). Lots of dog walking, jogging, walking & biking alongside the beach. From a distance, I could see a girl probably my age walking her dog and then I saw the dog plop down on the grass alongside the jogging path. As we past by her, I could hear her coaxing him to get up to get going again. I thought it so funny because I would have rather been laying on the grass enjoying the view too! :)
Another funny thing is the fact that it must be the Butterfly Convention this weekend, as there were monarch butterflies EVERYWHERE! Jim & I have mastered the "bob & weave" to avoid getting splatted in the face.
The strangest thing though? Both of us laid down after a big carb-loaded lunch to take a nap, each of us with a kitty beside us. Neither one of us could fall asleep?! Crazy. I actually fell asleep for about 5 minutes & thought I had been asleep for an hour. I guess a 5 minute power nap is just fine too! I was awoken by a kitty jumping down & meowing as the neighbor cat streaked across our back yard & disturbed the peace in our house!
Redundant yet Consistent
Jim & I just read each other's blogs that we just posted & decided we need to coordinate beforehand, so as not to bore our regular readers. It was actually funny how similar our last posts were!!! Read mine titled "Crazy Week" and then move on to his titled "Life on the Road".....
Guess it is true what they say - Great minds think alike! :)
Guess it is true what they say - Great minds think alike! :)
Crazy Week
I missed my weekend blogging last weekend, as Jim & I were in Orlando for house hunting. We did find a beautiful wonderful dream house, but then slept on it a few nights and decided that we would be much smarter to move to Orlando & rent for a year before we bought a house. As much as we hate to move twice, and as anxious as we are to get back into a house, we think this is the best decision for us right now. When we were moving to Mobile, AL - we had a similar situation, where we did a whirlwind house hunting trip for 2 days & then bought a house. If we had lived there a bit first, we probably would have bought somewhere else. We did feel really bad that the real estate agent took a weekend out of her life to show us around & then we didn't buy anything, but we feel good about our decision. So now on to searching for a rental! There are actually some really nice houses for rent, going for a little more than we pay rent now in Destin, so that is what we're going to do. Anything to stay out of an apartment!!
Now on to the vehicle situation....
Now that Jim is on the road a lot of the time, driving to Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, Pensacola, etc - we have switched vehicles. He is now driving my VW Passat & I am driving his rough 'n tough Chevy Silverado extended cab pickup truck!! :) At first, he refused to let me drive it, as there is just something wrong with little 'ol me driving such a big thing. But I finally convinced him it just made too much sense, with me driving 13 miles to work each day vs. him driving about 500 miles. My car gets better mileage of course!! This is a short term solution, as we are hunting for new vehicles for me. Both of our cars have over 100,000 miles on them, so it's time to trade. We do want to drive mine til it dies though!! So yesterday we went to look for SUVs for me. There are a couple that we really like, but definitely have a favorite. We're going to drive it tomorrow & then see where it goes from there. Once we decide on the winner, we'll go to Carmax to purchase it - they have Awesome prices there (economies of scale, right Jim??).
Now we are letting our yummy pancake breakfast settle before we go on our run for the weekend. Today's mileage is EIGHT miles. But we are running along the gulf, which is a gorgeous run, smells great, lots of awesome condos/houses to gawk at and just a pretty relaxing run. As Robert announced on his blog this week, we are training for a marathon again. I didn't think I'd EVER want to do it again after the marathon in Feb 2005 (# 196 on that list), but now that I have a training buddy who is so far injury free, I am excited! We'll see if we both stay healthy. We plan on traveling up to Green Bay, Wisconsin in the spring of 2008 where we'll get to visit Jim's sister & her family in their new home, as well as run with Robert, our brother-in-law.
Mizzou won AGAIN! In fact - they KILLED Colorado! WOOHOO! Jim & I are enjoying this season for sure, and with them being ranked in the top 10, they are actually on TV here, down in SEC country!!
Other than that, good news with lots of my friends - J & S are having a girl! A & O are going to be first-time parents! K & F are having a boy! A & J just had a boy! N & B are expecting twins any day!! Lots of babies....
Please pray for Pam as she goes to defend her dissertation tomorrow. From there, she goes to Honduras for her second Operation Smile trip.
Jim & I are headed to Dothan, AL next weekend to visit his other sister & family for the World Famous Peanut Festival!!! I haven't been to a fair for years, and this is apparently a big one! Jim of course used to go every year when he was growing up. I am looking forward to a good 'ol fair corn dog slathered with mustard, chased by a funnel cake! Good thing I'm running 20 miles per week!
Now on to the vehicle situation....
Now that Jim is on the road a lot of the time, driving to Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, Pensacola, etc - we have switched vehicles. He is now driving my VW Passat & I am driving his rough 'n tough Chevy Silverado extended cab pickup truck!! :) At first, he refused to let me drive it, as there is just something wrong with little 'ol me driving such a big thing. But I finally convinced him it just made too much sense, with me driving 13 miles to work each day vs. him driving about 500 miles. My car gets better mileage of course!! This is a short term solution, as we are hunting for new vehicles for me. Both of our cars have over 100,000 miles on them, so it's time to trade. We do want to drive mine til it dies though!! So yesterday we went to look for SUVs for me. There are a couple that we really like, but definitely have a favorite. We're going to drive it tomorrow & then see where it goes from there. Once we decide on the winner, we'll go to Carmax to purchase it - they have Awesome prices there (economies of scale, right Jim??).
Now we are letting our yummy pancake breakfast settle before we go on our run for the weekend. Today's mileage is EIGHT miles. But we are running along the gulf, which is a gorgeous run, smells great, lots of awesome condos/houses to gawk at and just a pretty relaxing run. As Robert announced on his blog this week, we are training for a marathon again. I didn't think I'd EVER want to do it again after the marathon in Feb 2005 (# 196 on that list), but now that I have a training buddy who is so far injury free, I am excited! We'll see if we both stay healthy. We plan on traveling up to Green Bay, Wisconsin in the spring of 2008 where we'll get to visit Jim's sister & her family in their new home, as well as run with Robert, our brother-in-law.
Mizzou won AGAIN! In fact - they KILLED Colorado! WOOHOO! Jim & I are enjoying this season for sure, and with them being ranked in the top 10, they are actually on TV here, down in SEC country!!
Other than that, good news with lots of my friends - J & S are having a girl! A & O are going to be first-time parents! K & F are having a boy! A & J just had a boy! N & B are expecting twins any day!! Lots of babies....
Please pray for Pam as she goes to defend her dissertation tomorrow. From there, she goes to Honduras for her second Operation Smile trip.
Jim & I are headed to Dothan, AL next weekend to visit his other sister & family for the World Famous Peanut Festival!!! I haven't been to a fair for years, and this is apparently a big one! Jim of course used to go every year when he was growing up. I am looking forward to a good 'ol fair corn dog slathered with mustard, chased by a funnel cake! Good thing I'm running 20 miles per week!
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