Tales from the Trail

So, this tale is about a week old but I think it's worth the wait.


Bryan, being the supportive boyfriend that he is has encouraged me every step of the way on my weight-loss journey. If it meant going walking in the apartment complex with me, cutting back on (gasp) wine or getting take out from Doc Green's instead of KFC he was there to do whatever helped me. So, when I wanted to get out of the house last Sunday he suggested going hiking! I had not yet done my "cardio" for the day and we decided this would be a fun way to workout together.

He knows of a hidden piece of the Chattahoochee Nature Preserve in a Buckhead neighborhood that has great hiking trails so we headed over there. Evidently, there are several "Buckhead Bettys" who feel as though it belongs exclusively to them, but the "poor folk" go anyway. :-)

So, we go hiking. It isn't until we get there that I realize I forgot water bottles and I am wearing my oldest, most worn-down pair of tennis shoes. (Hint: The "worn-down" shoes will be important in a minute.)

We've been hiking for about 45 minutes when Bryan decides to play Boy Scout Extraordinaire. We go OFF THE TRAIL. I, being the trusting girlfriend that I am, do not realize we are going OFF THE BEATEN TRAIL. When I do recognize that we are NO LONGER ON THE PATH, it's because I see:

a. lots of snake holes in the ground.
b. an old hobo campfire.
c. a weird rock cave with more hobo remnants.
d. all of the above.

If you guessed D--- YOU'RE RIGHT!!

It took Bryan seeing the snake holes and a DEAD END for him to admit we needed to get back on the beaten path. Did I mention that the entire time we were traveling OFF the path, we were headed downhill? A very steep mountainous-like downhill?

Remember that little "my shoes are old and worn" tidbit I shared with you earlier?? This is when it gets to be important. We begin to CLIMB our way back UP this mini-mountain, surrounded by snake holes, briars and baby trees. There is nothing for me to hold on to. At a certain critical point, I had to grab onto Bryan's hand so he could pull me up. When I went to do so, I slipped (remember my shoes) and he - let - go - of - me!

I rolled down the mini-mountain. I slid down the mini-mountain. And, because my shoes were crap, I could not stop myself as I traveled unwillingly down the mini-mountain.

Evidence of Abuse. Photo 5-B-8.

Thankfully, no major damage was done. I cried. A little. My hands looked like they belonged to a 5-year-old who is learning to ride a bike. I have a gnarly bruise on my knee. Unfortunately for Bryan, I have turned him into DFCS for girlfriend abuse/neglect. I have applied for a foster boyfriend. Maybe my time in foster care will teach Bryan to take better care of me. Maybe I should just go get new shoes.

Notice the lack of band aids. Or booboo bunnies.
Photo 5-B-9.

:-)

DISCLAIMER: Bryan and I have 2 different stories from that Sunday. He claims he did not let go of me. But he doesn't have a blog. So there.
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On a fun side note, my best-faraway-friend Kari found a site that lets you test your vocabulary skills and donate rice to countries in need through the UN. Go play!

Oh Where, Oh Where Did My Little Blog Go?

I am embarrassed to admit it has been WEEKS since I last blogged. I'm even more ashamed of the fact that I haven't been taking many pictures even though...

• I went home for a weekend! My aunt is in the final stages of restoring our family's grist mill. The Francis Mill Preservation Society held their second annual Bluegrass and BBQ fundraiser. I came home to help with the fundraiser and spend some time with my family! I did get to see my FAVORITE boy in the whole wide world --- BOONE!

• 

He tried very hard to blow up a "bloon" on his own.

(Note: Any references to other small children being my "favorite" are null and void. I have recognized the error of my ways and I know that only children I am directly related to should be referred to as "my favorite.") :-)

• Bryan and I visited his grandparents - Nanny and Pa - at "The River" for Bryan's birthday. We had a fantastic weekend spending time with his family. His Dad and cousin Tracy came with us. When we left on Sunday, we were all a couple pounds heavier from Nanny's awesome cooking.

• I took two of my favorite former students out to dinner. Every time they have something to celebrate (all A's on a report card, a big project, getting accepted into advanced classes) we go out for a special dinner. Most recently, I took Dayra and Estefania to The Cheesecake Factory. YUM!

Happy AND Smart!

• There have been TWO Fab 5 birthday celebrations! Sherry and Michelle are both a little older and smarter.

Michelle's Birthday Mafia

• I have been spending LOTS of time with a certain almost-2-year-old. Recently, we spent some time trying on Thomas' favorite new toy - an enormous blonde wig!

• 

I know, you're all jealous and you want to borrow it now. Too bad. Thomas says no.

Devoted

As my family has now expanded to include a boy (besides Daddy) for the first time ever, I found myself becoming reminiscent...

August 25, 2007

My sisters and I have a Christmas tradition of watching the movie White Christmas. Most of the time, it involves lots of begging and pleading on my part - they aren't always as enthusiastic as I am. :-) What they don't know, is that I only want to watch it for one reason.


There is a scene in the movie where Rosemary Clooney's character and her sister are performing in a restaurant/lounge/bar. They sing a song called "Sisters" - You've probably heard it before. I love to hear us sing it together. Every time I sing, hear or think of that song, I think of my sisters.

Kadee

Jennie

Nattie

Time for a confession - I've had a hard time accepting that my family will never be the same again. There will be holidays where the six of us won't be together. Kadee and JP will have to divide their time, share themselves, and eventually start their own family traditions. I'm sure Jennie and Chris will soon join the marry-ed club too. Nattie and I? Who knows... :-)


What I realized this weekend was that none of these things will change how my sisters and I love and care for each other. I know there are things about me that probably drive other people nuts My sisters are able to overlook them, immediately forgive me, and gently help me recognize how I need to change. I can trust that my sisters will always keep my secrets, make me laugh when I can't stop crying, and drop everything to come to my rescue. We will always be able to answer a phone, pack a bag, drive in a car or fly on a plane to get to one another. Being married just gives us something else to talk about. :-)

Sisters, sisters

There were never such devoted sisters
Never had to have a chaperone, no sir
I'm here to keep my eye on her

Caring, sharing

Every little thing that we are wearing
When a certain gentleman arrived from Rome
She wore the dress and I stayed home


All kinds of weather we stick together
The same in the rain or sun
Two different faces but in tight places
We think and we act as one, ha-ha

Those who've seen us
Know that not a thing can come between us
Many men have tried to split us up
but no one can

Lord help the mister
who comes between me and my sister
And Lord help the sister
who comes between me and my man

 I love you, Lulas.

My Favorite Things About Summer

1. Graduating!!! That's right!! I am finished with my Master's degree. I could not be more excited. I'm taking a year off to recuperate, but I'll go back to UGA for one more degree next fall.

Aderhold Hall... my Athens home.

2. My new hair!! I have found my favorite place - 313 Salon, Spa and Boutique. If you're ever there, ask for Georgia to do any coloring you need. Ashley is my favorite scissored stylist. The prices are really reasonable, and I love their complimentary parrafin waxes!!

A view of the back.

Sexy hair requires a sexy face.

3. My new favorite boy!! Thomas is a little boy I started babysitting this summer and he is so much fun.

Isn't he the cutest?!

4. Hanging with the girls! Between days at the pool, nights at Atkins Park and our trip to Destin, FL I have loved our time together. I am not ready to go back to work!!

At Graffiti in Destin, FL

5. Time at home with the fam. I recently spent 5 days at home and it was possibly my favorite part of summer. I haven't been home enough this year, and it was so nice to go home and do family stuff for awhile. I'm looking forward to Kadee's wedding in August when we'll all be together again.

At Kadee's Waynesville shower.

Eskimo nose!

Missin' JB!

6. Harry Potter!! Not only did movie #5 come out, but so did the final installment of the Harry Potter series. I am a happy Muggle. I haven't read the last book yet (I'm re-reading Book 6 first), so avoiding the news and web sites with possible spoilers has been a little tricky.

Such a good movie!!

7. Weight Watchers. I am back on the weight-loss bandwagon and trying hard to lose and keep it off. I am down 1 size and 12 pounds from my heaviest weight. I'm not going to meetings - just doing the program online, but it's working!!

8. Keeping with the weight loss theme, my personal trainer!! His name is Roger Scott and he is fantastic! I couldn't do it without him!

9. Time with Bryan! With grad school, work and babysitting during the school year, its hard to make time for each other. Summer means fun outdoor excursions, lunch dates and movies on a weeknight! :-) He recently my date to my high school reunion.

My good friend Kati - we were college and "real world" roomies! :-)

10. House Hunting! Bryan and I are looking for a house in East Atlanta. We have lots of friends down there, and there is always something fun to do on the weekend. Our lease is up in December, so I'll keep you posted!

Shock and Awe...

The Gruesome Twosome @ Fernbank's Planetarium

I know, I'm becoming a regular blogger again! :-)

Bryan and I were planning to take EIGHT of my students to Six Flags on Wednesday. However, an 80% chance of thunderstorms put that on hold, and we managed to get four of them to opt for Plan B!

My own Fantastic Four: Denise, Esthela, Alex and Emily

Pink-Toed Tarantula: Glad it's in a glass box.

Budget Frog: Can you see his eyes above the water??

We went to the Fernbank Science Center (which is free!) and watched a REALLY dumb planetarium movie. Had a picnic lunch at Fernbank, complete with Doritos, Little Debbies and Capri Suns - Mama would be proud!

Apollo 6 Command Module

Right before the Planetarium... We had no idea how boring Hercules could be. :-)

Everybody took turns getting "eaten" just before lunch...

Afterwards, we drove over to Atlantic Station and took the kids to see the new Fantastic Four movie. Unfortunately, this is where I stopped taking pictures. :-)

I'm still waiting on a CD of photos from our trip to Destin. In the meantime, I'll do my best to keep blogging. I have TWO WEEKS left of grad school. It's almost over!!!!!

1,000 Barefoot Children Outside... Dancing On My Lawn!

I think of this Phish lyric every time I go to Lakewood (HiFi Buys) Amphitheater. Michelle, Sherry, Nikki and I were there on Tuesday night to see The Fray! The last time I saw these guys they were opening for Ben Folds (remember Nic?) and they have absolutely exploded on the music scene. Unfortunately, being on the lawn means I don't have a camera smart enough to take good pictures from far away. However, I did get some fun shots of us!

The band had these really cool lanterns that dropped down from the top of the stage.

Michelle and Abby: Summer Gal Pals

We are fun.

We also aren't afraid to ask other people to take pictures.

My favorite part of the night is that my girls became true Fray fans. They'd heard the radio songs (Cable Car, How to Save a Life) but didn't have the rest of the album. It was an awesome show!!

Lovin' me some Fray.

Today's Letter Is...

F!

F is for... FAILING!

I have not been a good blogger. I know I have a lot of "catching up" to do, so I'm going to get started with pictures and notes about what's been happening in this hot-mama's life. :-)

F is for... A FAB 5 nephew!

Nikki had our new addition on the last day of school, May 25th. He is already spoiled rotten by all FOUR of his aunties. And his mama.

Aunties, Mama and Baby Tyler

Tyler Haas Wold

F is for... Fingernails!

Yes, you read correctly. Fingernails. I found one IN MY COLESLAW at the Steak and Shake on Barrett Parkway. You want to know when I found it? After I'd had about 5 bites and I CRUNCHED on it.

Gross.

It was acrylic. It came from our waitress, who hid her broken fake thumbnail for the remainder of our visit.

Double Gross.

Our entire table ate for free. But for some strange reason, no one was hungry after I found the nail. I took pictures for the sole purpose of putting them on my blog. Aren't you glad I shared??

F is for... 4th of July!!

We gathered at Fab 5'er Claudine's house for the evening. We had an awesome dinner of grilled chicken, hamburgers, strawberries, corn on the cob and Claudine's yummy pasta salad.

Bryan's plate... Not mine. :-)

Bryan played Bocce ball with the boys while the girls took turns holding our favorite new little man... Tyler! He's six weeks old and the most precious perfect thing ever.

Bocce ball!

My new favorite boy...

Even Bryan took a break from Bocce ball to hold Tyler! :-)

Claudine... The hostess with the mostest!

We decided not to go to the Marietta Square, but rather act like eight year olds and bring out our own sparklers!

Mike and Bryan. Note the projectile spit up spot on his shirt...

Tyler already has great aim! :-)

Michelle and I acting out our favorite Harry Potter scenes...

"Expecto Patronus!"

I am lovin' the beard. :-)

I also love that he is still sporting the spit-up spot.

It was a great way to spend the 4th. The next morning, we met at Nikki's and set off for Destin!! Next post... Fab 5 Summer Tour '07 in Destin! There's a beach, 5 smokin' hot ladies, a baby and our favorite Manny! :-)