Alabama 2015 (Part I)

I'm loving this going to Alabama every year thing.  But one of these days, it will probably stop happening.  I mean, it's pricey to fly with lots of kids.  And we now have to buy 3 tickets every time.  Plus, it's super-long days.  For us and the kids.  It's like we're carrying a ticking time bomb, ya know?  The kids could explode at any second.

But we haven't reached that point yet.  We went this year, and it rocked.  As always. 

We woke up bright and early (like 4 a.m.) to get going.  Truthfully, our alarms were set for like 4:15 or 4:30.  But Corbin is a good little alarm clock, and he woke us up at 4.  We got him fed and put him back down in our room to sleep while we got the rest of our stuff packed and then got Lynnaea up and fed.  She's such a little trooper.  She was super-excited.  My mom picked us up and dropped us off at the airporter.  It was still dark outside, and Corbin isn't known for doing really well in his car seat when it's dark outside.  But apparently he doesn't mind traveling, as long as he can be held.  Since it's not required that he be in a car seat on the airporter, I just held him.  He even fell asleep for the last half-hour of the ride.  Awesome kid.  Then we got to the airport, and Lynnaea was helping to roll one of our bags (the lightest one).  Such a cutie.  I wish I'd have gotten a picture.  But we were pretty heavy-laden with luggage and such.  We got checked in, got through security, and stopped at the play area in the airport to gather our wits about us, change diapers, use the restroom, and let Lynnaea burn off some energy.  Then we headed to our gate.

This was us right before boarding our first flight in Seattle.  It should speak to how we feared it would go.

But our kids are awesome.  Corbin got fussy once on each flight for maybe 5 minutes.  Then he fell asleep both times.  He enjoyed eating carrots and apples mid-flight from those squeezy pouch things (which are awesome).  Again, I wish I'd have taken pictures.  He was the happiest kid when eating those things.  Julie and Shayla picked us up at the airport.  We got Chick-Fil-A on the way to Julie's house.  Then we visited for a bit and then hit the hay.  The next day was Veterans' Day, so Julie was off work, and she fed the baby.  Look at that cheeser!

It was a relaxing day, and all I had to do was pick up the rental car and go to Costco and get formula.  Lynnaea spent the day chasing Julie's cats and playing with Callen and Shayla.  To say Lynnaea was in heaven is probably an understatement.  And that means we were too...  

Due to a mistake on my part, we didn't end up going to Tuscaloosa on Thursday as originally planned.  Instead we went on Friday.

 So that meant we just drove in and ate lunch with these two fabulous ladies, and then drove right back out, since we had a big shin-dig planned at April's house that evening!

 I love Annie and Virginia.  Love that they always make time to see me when I visit.  They are wonderful.  We ate at The Blue Plate so I could introduce Jeremy to the "Meat and 3" type places in the South.  Yum.  Corbin enjoyed mashed potatoes.

 Then we went to April's and started our plans for our 80s Cartoon party.  It is so cool when you have friends that didn't even know each other, and then, because they move within 10 minutes of each other and you come to visit frequently, they meet and they end up liking each other and now we all hang out!  And do awesome stuff like this.  So...  I was Rainbow Brite.  Corbin was a Ninja Turtle.  Lynnaea was supposed to be my Twink, but she refused to wear the costume and only would don the head-band later.  Julie was Jem and Shayla was Jem's sister Kimber.  April was an 80s gal, while Greg was a Nintendo Controller ;).  Bennett and Callen were Mario and Luigi.  It was so much fun!  We had themed food, of course.  But you'll have to check out my foodie blog for that, if you're interested.

 Here we are again.  All about the 80s.

 Aw, best friends.

 Here is little Twink.  That stinker.  She'd have made a super-cute Twink.  I guess when you're 2, you just don't understand the importance of the 80s and theme parties...

We spent that night at April's house.  Always such a nice time.  We got to hang out with two babies!  Then we headed to Dothan.  We stopped on the way and met up with a friend from Panama.  She was one of my Young Women leaders back in 1997/1998.  And now I look like the older one!  Heavy sigh.  But it was so awesome to see her again. 

 Spit-up on my shirt and everything ;).

We got to Dothan, did some shopping.  Then pretty much settled in.  We went to church on Sunday, but I had assumed all was the same as usual.  Well, you know what they say about assuming...  The times have changed.  You either go at 8:30 or at 10:30.  And we showed up at 9.  Yay us.  So we ended up attending 1st Ward meetings, and I was only able to catch a few people from 2nd Ward.  But still good to see who I was able to see.  And then I still got to hang with Stacy and Becky for a bit on Tuesday, and did Firehouse Subs with Karen on Monday.  All wonderful times!

We met up with Anne at the mall one day in Dothan and Lynnaea rode the carousel.  Twice, much to Jeremy's chagrin.  Anne totally gave Lynnaea the money to ride a second time.  Sweet Anne.  And sweet Lynnaea :). 

I didn't do pictures of it, but I also hung out with Donna a bit at Troy Dothan and helped make a Christmas Book Tree.  And talked mosaics.  Donna can still make me laugh a lot. 

Okay, I think I'm going to split this post in 2.  I wasn't originally planning to, but I have decided I will.  I get too wordy, and then the time flies.  But it's good.  I want to record stuff.  So, I'll post more later (who knows when :/...) about the rest of my awesome Alabama Trip!

Help! I Need Somebody!

...Not just anybody! I need someone who knows how to remove weird junk (possibly spyware) from computers! And even if you don't know how to do that... Click on the link and listen to the Fab Four sing my blog-post title :).

Basically, something called Alpha Antivirus showed up on my mom's computer Thursday night and is causing issues. Several attempts to do a system restore have failed. We are on to another step. I'd just love to know where the stupid thing came from, because I am always very cautious about the sites I visit. I was in the middle of trying to look at April's wedding pictures on facebook when everything went haywire. Blech.

Anyway, as promised, I am finishing up telling you about my latest trip. On Thursday, the 15th, I had to head to Birmingham. I woke up early to pack and to spend a bit of time with my dad, a.k.a. the eBay addict :). My dad drove me to rent a car and I was on the road to Birmingham by 10:30. It's always sad to leave my dad. I wasn't in a rush to get to Birmingham, since April and Greg were working and Courtney was at school. So I moseyed (is that how you spell that word?) along and jammed out to my mp3 player, because the rental had the auxiliary jack. I stopped in Montgomery to get a bite of lunch, and then continued on my merry way up to Birmingham. It's a good thing I wasn't in a hurry since I drove straight into a huge rainstorm. I haven't driven in rain like that in years. We had to slow down to 35 on the interstate with windshield wipers going full blast. Crazy.

Anyway, I found April's new house and still had plenty of time, so I headed up to the Summit (where they have done a ton of new construction), and got a giftcard for April and Greg from the Cheesecake Factory. Plus I walked around Bed, Bath, & Beyond (I love this store) and gabbed with Julie on the phone. Then it was time to head back to April's, since I knew Courtney would be home. But on the way, I spotted Old Time Pottery and decided I needed to stop in there :). So I roamed around that store for a while -- it is huge, after all -- and then finally made my way to April's. Courtney gave me the tour of their new place and introduced me to all of the cats. Then we just hung out. Greg came home and left again to do pre-wedding stuff. So Courtney and I went to Sonic to get a treat :). Then I got a shower and we vegged on the couch until April got home. And mostly we just hung out and watched Jeopardy episodes and an episode of a show called Freaks and Geeks that looks like a good show, though it only lasted one season. I turned in sometime around 1:30 in the morning. The next morning, we got up and went for me to return the car. Then we headed into the heart of Birmingham and ate at The Original Pancake House. Oh my gosh we got so much food. I couldn't finish all mine and I even gave one of my pancakes to April! We got a group picture by a guy who was just sitting around. Who proceeded to ask us if we had any money to spare. Ugh. Oh well.


We spent the remainder of the day doing pre-wedding stuff. We went by Publix to pick up flowers and other goodies for our snackie night. We went to the wedding venue to look it over and imagine how things were going to be the next day. We went by the (in)famous trailer hotel and I finally got my picture!! (This one's for Julie :)):

Does that not just look like a two-story trailer!?!?

We went to another Publix to pick up the wedding cake. And then, after taking all the stuff to the house, April went to get a pedicure while Courtney got a manicure.


We stayed up late again doing more wedding things. We got all the table centerpieces done, we ate junk, we watched tv shows about Bridezillas... We went to bed after 1 in the morning again.... We didn't have to wake up super-early the next morning, but it was wedding day, so you know it was going to be a busy day. We started out by having all of us girls get our hair done at a Paul Mitchell academy near Birmingham. It took us a lot longer than we thought it would. And I heard a million times from the girl who was doing mine that my hair is so fine. That was awful. I don't really want to hear those things. I've been having a hard time dealing with my hair issues for over a year without it being brought to my attention (and to everyone else's who is around me in that salon). Sigh. Anyway, here was my result:


We rushed down to Alabaster so April could get her make-up done. It looked really good and we still had enough time :). Even in spite of the hair place getting us behind schedule.


On the way back to the house after this, April found a New Kids on the Block collector's card that she'd been saving for me. It got donated in some books that were donated to the library and she saved it for me :). It's of Jordan. hahaha... We ran to the house, picked up the clothes we needed to change into and then headed to the wedding venue to set up. I think we did a great job with the set-up. This is just one picture, but if you click on it, it will take you to more pictures.


Interesting tid-bit... That little pink book in front of the sock people... April got it from a donation to the library where she works. I had seen that book at HLML once. It came across my desk in tech. services. I'm not sure if "I processed that book," but I know I saw it :). It's so adorable. It's all about love. I even used a quote from it once for a photo album I made. The quote says: "Love comes softly, but you know when it's there. Because suddenly you aren't alone anymore, and there is no sadness in you." Loved that quote.

Oh, and here is a sample of the book centerpieces. I think they were really cute. April and Greg really had great ideas!


Here is the wedding cake:


And here are me, Courtney, and April before going to change:


The girls all went to the hotel to change and get ready. April was absolutely beautiful and her dress was perfect! We headed back to the venue and the wedding went really well. It was so nice and beautiful. I'm so glad I was able to be there for it. Here are me and April:


After the wedding, April and Greg went to the hotel and April's parents took me back to April's. That night, it was just me and the 6 cats. I watched tv and read and just enjoyed the night. I turned in again at about 1. I slept in until 9:30 on Sunday and hung around the house. April and Greg stopped by to pack for their honeymoon and so we all visited for a while. Then we all left at the same time and I head to Tuscaloosa. I got to Virginia's house and we visited for a while. Then we headed off to Swen's to get some food. Which was totally delicious, by the way :). Viriginia and I watched Better Off Dead -- a classic 80s movie that I hadn't owned until this last trip to Dothan :). And we ate Publix brand mint chocolate cookie frozen yogurt. Because I am convinced you can't get enough of that stuff :) :) :). And then we gabbed and visited some more. We went to sleep around midnight -- well, and I talked to Mary for about an hour also. The next morning, we got up and I took Viriginia to campus, since her son took the car to school earlier. Then I took my car and parked it at the Insitute building, since I can't park on campus anymore without getting a ticket. Boo. I visited with Annie and Le and saw a few other people I used to work with, including Loretta :). She is still so sweet. Several people asked me if I'd go back to work there. At about 11:30, Annie, Le, Sharon, Virginia, and I all went to lunch at the Ferg. And we visited and laughed and talked, and it was really nice :).


I soon had to leave and head back to get my car. I stopped in and said hello to everyone at the Institute building, and then had to make my way back to Birmingham. I stopped by Edgar's Bakery and bought a few treats. Including a Hello Dolly bar to send to my BFF -- to remind her of the weekend of the trailer hotel :). I even was able to mail it to her before I flew out on Tuesday! I got back to April's and just hung with April's mom and Courtney for the night and read. And on Tuesday, April's mom as so kind to take me to the airport. We had an enjoyable chat (oh, I rode in a Hummer -- a very bumpy ride!) on the way. All my flights were on-time. I mostly read on the way back. I finished Deja Dead at April's, so I started The Time Traveler's Wife. I'm moving right along with it. For the first time, I think I can say I liked the movie better than the book. It's not a bad read. Just a lot rougher than I thought it would be as far as sex and language.

Anyway... So, it's been back to life as usual. I've been working since my return. I had a Relief Society training meeting on Thursday night. So yeah... Nilla life as usual :). Oh, and thanks to Becky and Stacy for the cute 80s-looking stationary that made them think of me when they found it :). So they sent it my way :). Too funny!

[Jeep] Wheels Keep on Turnin'

You know it... A song-title post. Here is the song I intend to have come to your mind. However, my mom pointed out that this song could come to mind as well. The latter wouldn't fit as well as the first. So, just stick with the first :).

I spent a week in Alabama. Yay :). Then I spent a week driving from Alabama to Washington. And memories were made. Oh yes. Memories were made. First off -- thanks to everyone who hung out with me. Especially those of you who travelled to do so :). JULIE. Loveya lots girl :).

Okay, so as I mentioned in my previous post, the morning of the 15th arrived with snow. Enough snow to stick on the ground. Enough snow to pile up about 3 to 3.5 inches. Enough snow for Donna to call me from Atlanta to tell me that I should check my flight status, since her plane leaving was delayed 2 hours. Enough to get my figurative panties in a wad and stress me out. I needed this trip like nobody's business. I just needed a break from the everyday. (And thank goodness I have a job where I can go in and tell my boss I bought a ticket to go to Alabama for 2 weeks -- and he says, "Okay."). Because I bought this ticket about 3 to 3.5 weeks before I actually went. So, I'd been scheming and keeping it quiet for some time :). I had hoped to surprise a bunch of people -- including Julie. But that didn't quite work out. It's okay, though. It was still really an awesome trip. But anyway, I digress (are you really surprised?). So anyway, my flight was to leave Seattle at 11:20 p.m. or something like that. It was the best I could do to get the maximum amount of time in and get the good price -- and it not already be sold out. That's the problem with trying to go anywhere at Spring Break. Things sell out fast. Anyway, so I opted to not even put in my contacts on Sunday. I didn't think my eyes would be particularly appreciative of 48 hours of contacts. Though my mom was originally going to take me to the airport, the snow kind of changed those plans, and she ended up paying for me to take the airporter. The snow stopped and melted by around noon or 1, but the wind was howling. The good news is that the airporter was pretty empty, and so was the airport. I had no problems getting through security, though I will admit I was very concerned they might confiscate my Forks dirt. I'm serious. They didn't even bat an eyelash :). My first flight from Seattle to Chicago was packed. Seriously packed. Ick. And, since it was all that was left when I bought my tickets, I was in a middle seat. But, it wasn't too terribly bad. I tried to sleep a lot. You know what's embarassing? Sleeping on a plane with your head back -- or at least for me. Because my mouth falls open and I know I look ridiculous. Oh well. As long as I don't drool ;)... Turned out the girl sitting on my right was also an Alabama graduate, so that was an interesting coincidence. Then I flew from Chicago to Birmingham, on a much emptier plane -- in fact, I had a whole row to myself :), where April and Courtney picked me up :)! Yay!!! April took the day off, and Courtney was on Spring Break. So our first stop was a place called Courtney's, where we at breakfast. And took a picture, of course :). And forgive my hidesousness. I look so bulky in this picture. But whatever :).


After this, we went to April's and I unloaded all my stuff. I actually packed smart -- everything in 2 carry-ons. (You'll find that I made up for it with my Alabama shopping spree :)). And then we ran to the Dollar General (which doesn't exist up here), so I could get contact solution and toothpaste. Darn airlines... We also had to get a couple more odds and ends for our exciting party menu ;). We went back to the house and watched episodes of The Office (thanks to Brad and Tarylyn for letting me take them to AL!!!). I was exhausted. I couldn't keep my eyes open. And I dazed quite a bit. How pathetic. Hahahaha... But seriously, I couldn't help it. After my little catnap, we worked on some of our menu items :). I also got my shower and did my best to get into my "Pam" persona. You know -- button-up blouse, plain skirt. Very plain ;). And April worked on her "Angela" persona, and Courtney on her "Kelley" persona. Because our theme was The Office. And it was so awesome!


So thanks to all of you who helped me come up with hilarious (very hilarious) menu ideas!!! To include bacon (from when Michael stepped on the grill and grilled his foot) and jell-o with a pen inside (and it was so perfect, the pen April had said, "Dwight"). Oh, and Greg, April's fiancee (congrats April!!!), came and did his best "Prison Mike." So we ate our fabulous meal. And, I'll give you the run down of our menu. You should take a look at all the pictures if you want a good laugh, because we had little flyers to go with every item that included the quote from the episode we got the food from, as well as a picture to go with it :). We had a great time. But here's the menu, followed by the complete tablescape:

• Peanut Butter and Jelly (Pam Beasley & Jim)
• Grilled Cheese sandwiches
• Bacon
• Strawberry yogurt
• Dwight's Faux Beets (cranberry sauce, because who eats beets?!? ;))
• Salt & Vinegar chips (not Herr's, as they aren't sold here or in the SE)
• Surprise Inside Jell-o
• M&Ms
• Kit Kats
• Angela's Kitty Litter Cake
• Grape Soda

We watched more episodes of The Office, and ate our meal. And I fell asleep again. Good grief. But then we played The Office trivia game, which April's future mother-in-law gave her for Christmas. It was fun, even though I lost :(. Greg won, which is why he was getting awarded his "Office Olympics" prize of a yogurt cap necklace :).

And though we were totally exhausted, we continued on with karaoke -- in honor of Andy (from The Office). And it was fun. And addictive. Courtney took a few pictures of me singing (and I scored pretty darn well, if I do say so myself! I guess all the file-room singing has paid off!), and I really have a big mouth!

And of course, April and I sat and gabbed until like midnight. Never mind that she had to work the next day, and I had to get up to be ready for when Virginia got there... But it was so fun. And it was great to meet Greg. He's fun, and I'm so excited and happy for April :). And yes, this means I'll be back in October, even if only for a day or 2, when they get married (now that they have officially set the date) :). And P.S. I'm super-white.

Virginia drove to Birmingham to pick me up from April's, and we stopped by a Chik-Fil-A for breakfast, because they don't have one here in WA. Well, technically they do -- at the University in Seattle. But it's not exactly convenient. So, I enjoyed me some chicken minis. And we got our first cow picture of the trip - to go along with our cow theme :).


Then we made it to Tuscaloosa, where we hit Dirt Cheap and I spent like $32 on clothes. But I got some awesome deals, so I didn't feel too guilty. Brand new jeans, capris, and shorts (all Levi), and a brand new eyelet skirt (black and white) for $8 each. Believe me, I'll get my money's worth out of them. Plus, I needed clothes for while I was on vacation :). Had to pack light for the plane trip, remember? Then it was time to meet up with Annie at Mugshots! I had wanted to try Mugshots before I left Tuscaloosa, but they had a bad food rating then, so we didn't go. So, we went this time :). And I tried the fried dill pickle chips. In the South, you can fry anything -- including twinkies, which I have sadly never had the opportunity to try :). But anyway, these were awesome:

And of course it was awesome to see Annie and laugh with her and Virginia. I miss these days :). And, it's always good to catch up on the gossip in cataloging. Always very interesting, even if it does make me feel sad for those who are still under the tyranny of the new department head. Blech. Anyway, thanks Annie! For coming and eating :)!

After lunch (and I was stuffed, even though I only had a bowl of soup with my dill pickle chips), we dropped my stuff off at Virginia's, and then ended up hitting America's Thrift Store, where I bought even more stuff! But I got some awesome deals. I told you I went on a mini spending spree :). Here I am wearing all new clothes (I took this picture for the new clothes, not to be vain ;)):

That night, after settling down, Virginia and I enjoyed Publix brand Mint Chocolate Cookie frozen yogurt. They also don't have a Publix up here. And let me tell you... that is some of the most delish stuff I've ever tasted. And better for you than ice cream (which means you can eat more ;)). So, we hunkered down with our troughs of frozen yogurt and our cows and watched The Private Eyes, which is an oldie, but a goodie :).

For roadtrip purposes (when it was time to head to Dothan), cow held the speaker, so we could hear my mp3 music :).

Virginia and I just gabbed the whole way. It was an enjoyable ride. And since Virginia hadn't ever been to see the peanuts, we stopped by the Visitors' Center to take some pictures:

And of course, we hit Chik-Fil-A again :).

Thanks so much, Virginia, for taking me to Dothan on the way to your mom's, even though it wasn't really "on the way"!!! I really enjoyed it!!!

And of course, there was hanging with the Juliebean. How I wish it had been longer :(. But, I think we enjoyed the time we had, and I'm soooo glad that she came up from FL to hang out with me!!! So, we packed our time with memories. Yummy food (including the chocolate chip cheesecake bars. YUM) and Apples to Apples.


Some famous moments:

• "That guy's a dork!" "Hila, he's blind." "Oh."
• "Picking your nose" is exquisite -- so is "spit"

And of course, there was hanging with the Shay Shay. What a pretty baby! And So happy!!! She warmed up to me pretty fast, so that was cool :). She laughs and giggles, and is such a laid-back baby!



And Alysha is, of course, growing like crazy. She is quite beautiful. So here we are, 4 beautiful girls:

And another of pretty Julie and pretty me :):

The best thing I like about hanging out with Julie... Well, one of them at least... is that it doesn't matter how long it's been since we've talked or seen each other. It's like no time has passed. We always have the best time together, no matter what we are doing. And we always manage to make fabulous memories that last forever :). So while this Juliebean visit was bittersweet in that it was so short, it was an unexpected one -- much sooner than either of us thought would happen -- and we made the most of it :). So, Julie and I went to eat at Atlanta Bread Company before she headed back for Florida.


Loveya girl! And can't wait for the next time!!! (Which is so going to be sooner than later :)).

Oh, really quick... This is the main reason this whole trip happened:

My sister bought this from my dad, so he wanted me to help him drive it out to WA. I know I probably swore I wouldn't do that trip again. But it's funny what you end up doing :). So, that's the main reason I went to Alabama so soon after leaving -- much sooner than I had ever anticipated. Oh, and that's why I changed the lyrics for my song-title post to be "Jeep" wheels :).

After saying goodbye to Julie, I had a few errands to run. One of them was to swing out to Troy Dothan and say hi to Donna. It didn't matter that we'd seen each other just a few days before :). We had a nice visit, and as a perk, I found out they closed up the fountain and put in Hector... So you know I had to take pictures :).


By the way, do you notice how beautiful the weather was in Alabama? If the weather would stay that way all year round, it would be PERFECT. But anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed the perfect Spring weather while I was there :). Flip flops for me the entire time!

Then it was off to HLML to visit everyone there. Kristin was working, and so we ended up getting to go to lunch together. Thanks Kristin!!! We went to Things N Wings, which has corn nuggets (fried corn fritters, essentially). These are fabulous!

Also, shocker of all shockers... They got new carpet in the Children's Room! Seriously! I thought I'd never see the day... Turns out someone donated the labor and the carpet. And so, it smelled like new carpet, since it had just gotten put in the weekend before. And so Kristin and I had to look shocked (because I know I was :)!


I got to see a lot of other people, including Julia-Ann, Nancy, Charlotte, Becky, Anita, Hilda, and my first boss from Troy: Julia. What a wonderful, though brief, visit :). Because before long, my dad was there to pick me up so I could help him with some stuff before we had to drive to Montgomery to get my mom. Meanwhile, Kristin found a couple of books for me to have. Totally 80s books :). The Wuzzles. Thanks Kristin! You rock! and so we made a swap... I took her up some oreo truffles (I'll tell you about these later) and she gave me books :).

So that night, my dad and I drove up to Montgomery to get my mom. It was the Jeep's first long-distance trip. And it handled awesomely. I'm slightly jealous of my sister's awesome new car. It's a sweet ride. My mom got in fine, and we got home sometime around midnight. And I was tired. For the record :). I got very little sleep on this vacation. But for me, that's what vacation is... I make memories. No time for sleep :).

On Saturday, I got up early. Like at 7 in the morning. Because Tammy was coming to pick me up so we could hang out while she went to Target to get copies of Twilight for Stacy, herself, and someone else. We got to Target at opening time, and it turns out there wasn't a rush on the movie, as was anticipated. And so, though I said I wouldn't, I so continued my spending spree and bought the movie. Hahahaha.... Then we went by Chik-Fil-A and got breakfast and took it to Stacy's where we attempted to surprise her with my presence. Didn't work so well, though it was probably comical to see me hunched down behind the tire on the other side of Tammy's vehicle when Stacy insisted on coming out to the car to get something out of one of her boxes that were in Tammy's backseat... Stacy was suspicious that I might be showing up, partly because of a dream she'd had and partly from Tammy's "suspicious" actions (according to Stacy). Either way, it was neat to try to surprise her and show up for the Twilight party :). Of course, the party wasn't until much later, so meanwhile, Tammy took me home, where I went with my mom to run errands (like buying sustenance for the upcoming cross-country trip). And we swung back by the library for my mom to see people, and I was able to visit with Glenda and Julia-Ann a bit more. Then it was time to pick my dad up from work for his lunch break. We told him we wouldn't need the car, so he took it back to work while my mom and I made oreo truffles for me to take to the Twilight party that night. And okay, so I learned a very valuable lesson -- about why my truffles in August turned out to look like sherbet-covered blobs. Water-based food coloring is not a good idea. It changes the consistency. And I was horrified. And quite upset. So, Mom to the rescue. While I worked on the chocolate ones, she walked to the grocery store close by and got crisco and almond bark. One of these would work :). We tried the Crisco first, because that can thin it out. And we salvaged the white chocolate. Pretty gross, huh? Trust me, you don't want to know how much Crisco we put in those oreo truffles. As though they weren't unhealthy enough without it :). YIKES. Then it was time for me to shower and get ready for the party. Tammy came and picked me up, and I met Ginger, who was also going to the party. Of course, this was a pajama party, so I was wearing lovely pajama pants (that can't be mistaken for everday garb), as were Tammy and Ginger. And wouldn't you know it... We had to stop at WinnDixie to get a few last-minute things... And so we all went in. We figured there's power in numbers... And hoped that people would figure there was a party going on or something if 3 of us were wearing jammies :). Not saying we didn't get some looks, of course.... And of course, with us looking like this, you know the register we go to has to decide not to read Tammy's check (though it worked the night before...), so we stand there for about 10 minutes while a manager has to come, etcetera, etcetera. Oh, the hilarity. We made it to Stacy's, where we helped her with the finishing touches, though honestly, she'd done a fabulous job all on her own. And little by little, everyone arrived. Here's the tablescape:

Of course, there are pictures of the individual food... But you can choose if you care enough about them to look :). Let's just say it was all delicious and fabulous. And we laughed... a lot. We played a trivia game that Christina and I had created. Turns out the questions were easy for everyone. I so would have failed if I'd have been playing. But it was fun :). And we laughed soooo much. Kira took about 10 minutes of film (yes, Kristy, that's why she wasn't "taking" the picture and was just "standing there." :)), which I would love to get my hands on... I am sure it is absolutely hilarious.

Here are the things I brought for everyone from Forks:


It was neat to see everyone's reactions to the Forks dirt. So fun to do that for my friends :). Worth every embarassing second at the Forks sign :). And those fangs... Those were a hit! And full of spit, in the end. Here's Kira working on getting her fangs to glow -- the hard way:

And here's after they figured out the easy way :)


And here we are... Just a bunch of fun-loving girls. (Back: Ginger, Tammy, Lyndsey, Crystal. Front: Kira, me, Kristy, Stacy)

By the by... Those fangs were way hard to keep in my mouth. And it was really gross how much spit got on them. YUCK. And it was also gross how plastic-y they tasted. But oh how we laughed :). Oh, and I'm wearing my "Real Vampires Sparkle in Forks, WA" shirt, with sparkles on it :). And they totally match my multi-colored pj pants...

Here we are looking "normal" :).


And finally, a goofy one, without the fangs -- the plastic ones, at least:

Around 11:00, we finally settled down enough and decided it was a good time to start the movie. So, here we are, getting comfy:

And so we laughed some more... What a wonderful evening. We left around 2 in the morning, and Tammy took me home. And again, I took a picture of myself. Sometimes I think I seem vain when I do this. But mostly, I was seeing how well my camera could capture how tired I was - and looked!

So, some highlights...

• non-toxic sparkling grape juice (or do you mean non-alcoholic, Kristy?)
• "please stop talking about your life; it's making me sad!"
• "stacy, I flushed, but it didn't go down"
• "I peed a little" "you better be joking! I just washed these carpets!"
• "bless the food to be yummy and fill our tummies."
• snort!

What a wonderfully fun night. I'm so glad I was able to be a part of it :). Thanks so much Stacy! And to the rest of you lovely ladies, thanks for the memories!!!

Sunday morning came far earlier than it should have :). Considering I had a really late (or early) night... So my mom and I went to church after taking my dad to work. It was great to see everyone and to chat a bit with Karen. I was sad we didn't have more time together :(. After church, I ran some oreo truffles up to the library for Kristin, and then I went and picked up some cross-stitch stuff from Donna. Who also packed a Road Trip Survival kit for us. Have I mentioned that I have wonderful friends??? Check this out:


Donna has always been so incredibly thoughtful. Thanks so much, Donna! Everything was wonderful, and well-enjoyed. But mostly thank you for your friendship :). It means the world to me :).

After leaving Troy, I picked my dad up from lunch. Then I took him back to work, and ended up heading over to Kira's old house to pick up the girls' clothes she had for Christina. Of course, there was far more than I had even imagined! So, my dad is actually UPSing it up. But it was so nice to visit with Kira for a couple of hours -- that went by far faster than 2 hours really should. But soon it was time to go back and get my dad from work, so I had to say goodbye to Kira. But I so enjoyed visiting with her.

That night, I packed and got everything ready to go. Of course, we got a late start the next day. We were all dead-tired. And we slept until 7. Even then, I still looked like I'd been punched in both eyes. Man I was exhausted. I still put in my contacts though. So, we finally got on the road (after stops at the post office and Wal-Mart) at about 10. Which kind of killed our time. But I guess you have to go with the flow (which I'm so not good at doing ;)). It was beautiful weather. We stopped in North Alabama for lunch, and it was quite pretty. So, I took a picture under these trees:

And we ate lunch:

That night we made it to Marion, IL. I drove the night hours, but we all shared the driving. Let me just say that Nashville at rush hour wasn't so fun. I was very tense. Hahaha... By day 2, we made stopped in Quincy to see my grandmother, whom I haven't seen since 2004. I talked to her and tried to keep conversation going, but it was quite obvious she didn't know who I am -- or who my mom is either. I think she recognized my dad, but didn't really understand that he is her son. It really is sad to see that. But regardless, I did my best to talk to her about random things. Like food :). That's always a good subject. And we mainly just spoke in Spanish.

Though it would have made great sense to take the same route we took in August, and therefore we might have made it in 4 days (especially with the travelling Nazi -- aka ME), the fact was that we'd checked the weather. And things weren't looking so hot on the Northern routes. So, we shot back down to I-40, and picked that up in Oklahoma City. So by Tuesday night, we were in Big Cabin, OK. And then we met up with Elka in Elk City, OK and enjoyed her company for lunch, which was neat. Also got to meet her youngest, and he is adorable. Absolutely adorable.

On Wednesday - Day 3 - we made it past Albuquerque, NM. And that is one massive city. And I was driving. And it was night. And I was so tense. It was chilly there, and I was very hot by the time I made it to the other side of the city. Hahahaha... But, we made it. Here I am at one of our rest stops in NM:


We stopped at about 9:00, and I can't even remember where we were. But there aren't a lot of exits with hotels in NM. At least not where we were. Grants. That's where we stopped. Man, that was bugging me, so I had to look it up. Day 4 started out with a bang. If you will. My dad and I bickered for the first half of the day while my mom drove. Quietly. Because that's what she does. Hahaha... By day 4, I was pretty much done. But then, after lunch, we all were laughing again. And so, we made it to somewhere around Los Banos, CA by about 8:30 that night. And I learned that Happy Cows do not come from California... But Smelly Cows do. I do believe those 10 miles of stench before the huge cow farm could easily compete with ew-stank. It was that bad. Ugh. We only had a short trip on Friday (well, compared with the 13 and 14-hour days we were pulling up to that point), because we stopped at my Aunt Sue's house in OR. Here we are at a rest stop near Mt. Shasta in California, where I fed the bluebirds bread:


It was neat to see their lovely cabin on the river and to visit her and Uncle Ernie. And to sleep in not-a-hotel :). I slept like a rock. And it felt good :). Of course, it was back to getting on the road the next day, but not before we took a group shot :):


I drove the rest of the way home. Which took about 7 hours. Which is almost as long as it took me to write this post ;). Okay, maybe not. But, it did take me over 3 hours. But, I hope you enjoyed it!!! I know I enjoyed re-living my Alabama trip :).

Love to all!!! Miss you all already (those of you down in Alabama -- or Florida -- or Oklahoma, etc. ;)).

And I'm probably missing tons of details... But, it's all good.