Yes, I know. It's been a while since my last post! I apologize. Between working two jobs, sewing, and just having fun with our family and friends, I haven't had a good opportunity to blog this week. Tonight I am laying...or is it lying?....here watching Little Women and decided to blog a bit. So here goes...

Last week, I joined some family friends on a fun adventure. MSU Bid Day! One of the best days of a college freshman's life! Mary's grandaughter, Catelin, was going through "recruitment", aka "Rush". When it came down to the last day, Mary asked us if she should go. I immediately spouted out, "Yes. Of course! And I'll go with you!"

So begins our fun filled journey! Ha! We met Mary's brother, a professor on campus, at Barnes and Noble. He walked us through the clock museum while we waited. You just never know what you'll do when you are with us! Ha!

Then, it was time for the festivities! I encouraged Mary not to tell Catelin we were coming....to surprise her! She wanted so badly to call her as the time got closer. So, Jean and I took her phone away!

As the crowd gathered at the amphitheater, the sororities started piling in. Ready to receive their new members! I couldn't help but take a picture of my Chi O group while we waited. It's a loyalty thing I suppose.

The actives went wild as the new members lined the ampitheater ready to run to their new "sisters." When all the sororities were accounted for, the new members ran to their new home. There were girls EVERYWHERE!

Mary, Jean, and I made our way through the crowd of parents, friends, tons of guys sitting on trucks, and dogs until we found Catelin. She was so happy!

Catelin and Mary

Me, Jean, Catelin, and Catelin's cousin

Mary, Catelin, and Jean

While the new members met up with their sororities, we walked our way to the last house on the row....the Phi Mu house...to meet the girls when they ran to the houses. There was what looked like a parade route as all the girls walked through the streets lined with college students...mostly guys. So funny! When the girls finally made their way to the house, we took pictures and pictures and more pictures.

I'm pretty sure Dustin and his friends used us as an excuse to come over there. Ha!

Dustin and Kyle

We visited with Catelin for a little bit and met some of her new friends before letting her go enjoy the day as a new Phi Mu sista. Oh, the pink that was EVERYWHERE! It's a good thing I like her. That's all I have to say! Ha!

New friends

New sisters

New home

Another Corinth girl pledged Delta Gamma on Bid Day. Catelin and Allison are roommates. I know they will both be so happy and were so pleased with the outcome of rush. I hate we didn't get a picture of them together!

Allison

Alright, girls! The fun starts here! Take it all in and enjoy every minute of it!

Now, back to the three of us who stood in the HOT sun, walked all over campus, took pictures, and walked back all over campus! Let me just say that we needed a COLD drink for the road before we left!

Why?

See for yourself! Gross!

It was worth every drop of sweat though! A fun day! Brought back all the memories of my Bid Day!

When Life Hands You Lemons...

During our fun-filled week last week, Russ's parents' freezer also went out! Yes. Everything inside was thawing. This called for a very large cleaning out process. If you know Russ's mom, then you know that she loves groceries. I woke up that morning to all kinds of frozen, thawing goods on the kitchen table and shelves surrounding. It was a little traumatic for a bit. But....

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade! So, what else would we do with all those thawed filets, hamburger patties, pork, etc.? Why, grill it, of course!

Grace and Jenny came by for a quick visit to show us their buys on the tax free weekend. So, Grace helped me make salad, dressing, and twice baked potatoes for the sides while Jenny did a little more shopping.

I'm thinking that Grace is quite the helper and an AWESOME cleaner!

I make my twice baked potatoes with ranch seasoning, sour cream, butter, cheddar cheese, and bacon. Russ's mom cannot have some of that, so I saved two for her to fix for her diet.

It was a beautifully HOT day, and the guys grilled without complaints! I even bought some asparagus for Russ to grill. He happily grilled away!
Mmmmm...made me want to kiss the cooks. Well, at least the one I'm married to!

Now, that's even better than lemonade...don't you think!?

Toddlers in Tiaras...

...or something like that!

One of the things I love about being back "home" is how close we are to family! Last week, Jenny and Jeff dropped Grace off at Russ's parents' house so they could visit a family member in the hospital out of town. Russ had not gotten home from work yet, so Grace and I entertained ourselves.

How? Makeovers of course!


Once I did Grace's make-up and French braided her hair, it was picture time. Take a look at these glamor shots! Ha!

Help! We cannot breath!

I can almost hear it in the background..."Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!" I am also thinking that I should have done a make-over on myself before taking pictures! Yuck!

Grace's Justin Beiber move

After our silly poses, it was time to pull out the big guns! Or at least Granmomma's curling iron and Velcro curlers! I think the last time I used Velcro curlers was at my own grandmothers house. Every grandmother should have a set. Seriously.


Then, she found a nice spot to pose again...


You would think she likes all this attention or something, wouldn't you? Ha! We had a great time just us girls!

The girls and Farley

Of course, when Russ came in, he oooed and ahhhed over the new look. Then he and I went on a mini-date. I didn't see Jeff's reaction when he walked in, but I'm sure it was something like, "I will never leave you with your make-up hair-do aunt again!" She looked like a little teenager.

So, maybe this should be called Teenager look-alike in Tiara!

Bunco Crasher

That's me! The official Bunco Crasher in town! Need a sub? Never fear....I am here! Ha!

Last week, I subbed for Jenny's bunco group. Actually, we didn't even know if they needed subs when I showed up. But, luckily, they did! Yay! Of course, the next day at lunch Teri and Mama greeted me with, "So, I heard you cheated on our bunco group last night!" Small towns! Word gets around fast! Ha!

Bunco was held at Alesha's lovely home. We ate a delicious meal and I'd love to say we visited and had deep conversation. But, honestly, we were too busy watching the wedding going on across the lake! We almost cheered when it was over, but we decided that might not be too classy. Ha! I did win a "Big Bunco" at the beginning of the night. I got to wear the coveted Mardi Gras necklace for a little bit.

At least until...

Jenny rolled her "Big Bunco!" She wanted to make sure I PUT IT ON THE BLOG. So, this is a picture of her Big Bunco.

Karen, Brenda, Heather, and Lisa

We had a great time...as every bunco group does...laughing and talking and yelling, "Big Bunco!" or "Game!"

Carla, Wini, Rhonda, and Denise

Each table was well supplied with Skittles, Jelly Beans, or M&M's! I particularly loved the Skittles!

Take one...with Skittles in our teeth!

It has been fun getting back into my hometown society and catching up on the 8 years I've missed!

Take two...Alesha, me, Jenny, and Jamie

Thanks, girls, for a fun night and letting me crash your party! I had a blast!

Joyridin'

Last week was chock full of activities with friends and family. While Russ is away at work, I usually eat lunch with my parents and some of their friends at Mike's or Borroum's. During one of those lunches, Yaya Teri told me that she was taking a trip to Memphis to take her mom to the doctor. I was invited, and I took them up on it! Yep. A trip to the doctor never was so fun! Ha!

After Mama Ann's appointment, we plugged in our next destination into our GPS. Tuesday Morning it was. We shopped around a while there before heading to Sonic to get a drink. While at Sonic Russ called after work. So, we decided to go ahead and meet him for supper. It's a good thing we stopped for drinks because an hour and a half later....we finally met Russ at On the Border where he was already seated and halfway finished with an appetizer.

Some of the conversation in between Sonic and On the Border:

Me: (after directing Yaya Teri to turn left) "Stop right where you are. Turn around and go the opposite direction."

Me: "What if I told you that I was wrong and we should have gone the original direction. Hahahaha!"
Teri: "I'd turn around!"

This next part is in unison:
Teri: "Which way?!"
Me: "Turn right!"
Mama Ann: "Turn left!"
Teri: "AUGHHH!!"

Teri: "Are you sure you are taking us to On the Border and not Gordman's?"
Me: blank stare
Teri: "OMG!"

Russ: (on the phone) "What are you passing?"
Megan: "A brick wall."

Me: "Oops! On the Border was right by Sonic. You know, the one we were at about 45 minutes ago! Turn around and go back where we came from."

So, we arrived! Only after joyridin' around Memphis!

Mama Ann and Yaya Teri

Russ and me

After supper, the girls stopped by Gordman's...which was also right by this On the Border. All I can say is fab-u-lous! Yes, it was. I'll be heading back to that place again!

Thanks for a fun road trip Yaya Teri and Mama Ann! When's the next appointment?

If You Call it Business...

For those of you wondering about my mother's recent commercial shoot, she was preparing to launch her new website to help families go green and take control of their own income. My mom and I are customers and reps for a wellness company, Melaleuca. Melaleuca is a company that encourages people to simply switch stores in order to save money and detox your home. My family and I have used Melaleuca's products for eight years now, and we would recommend their products to everyone. The great thing about this company is that we are not only making our home safer for our families and better for the environment, but we have been able to earn a little extra income at the same time. Whether you need an extra $100, $500, $1000, or more...Melaleuca has a way to do that. Simply by switching stores and telling others! You don't sell anything!

Melaleuca's products range from our EcoSense line of cleaners, detergents, and antibacterial products to our Bath and Body line of lotions, soaps, shampoos, and toothpaste to our prescription line of over the counter drugs like cough syrup, allergy medicines, and more to our Vitality for Life line of vitamins that are out of this world and carry a 90 Day Challenge guarantee to our exclusive mineral makeup line. Don't you buy these things anyway? I'm assuming you all shave, shower, and take a bath.

Last week, I joined my mom and Rhonda on a trip to Atlanta. They called it a business trip, but it didn't look like that to me! Ha! They went to help a new customer get started in her business.

Melanie lined up friends to come hear about the company from my mom and Rhonda. Her friends became customers of course...because it makes perfect sense. To save money. To be healthier. They helped Melanie see how easy it is to sign people up. And that was it! Does that sound like a hard day of work?

At night, we enjoyed supper together. The last night we were there, we ate at Bahama Breeze. The band just so happened to be playing a Jimmy Buffet song, and our Jimmy Buffet fanatic, Rhonda, led us in motions.

We had a great time! If you looked closely...you may be able to see the huge rip in my pants between my legs! Don't ask! Just know that I couldn't go change and I went that way all night! Time for a diet I guess.

For those interested, my mom's website is up complete with her finished video and her email. If nothing else, you should hop over and see her finished video. You know...the one we spent an hour on to get 13 seconds of usable stuff!

http://financialhope4families.com

info@dsusansmith.com

It's All About Your Roots

No matter how far you go or how hard you try, you always come back to your roots! At least that's the case for Chelsea. Chelsea's dad served as the music minister at my home church for years. They have since moved to Kentucky where Chelsea has grown into a woman...an engaged woman at that! Chelsea and Dustin, my brother, were close in age and were always supposed to "get married." At least that's what Dustin once told Mama: "Mama, I have to marry Chelsea. She said if I didn't she would punch my lights out." There are also other memories of them running through church and continuing as they ran through a glass window or the time they continued running until they knocked the 10-12 foot door down in the sanctuary. Yes, these two were trouble. But, it seems as though they will not be married after all. Ha! Chelsea is engaged to a nice guy, Phillip. Several of the church members who worked closely with Mike and knew this family well decided to have a "hometown shower" for Chelsea and her family. My mom hosted the event at her home. The plan was to enjoy one more party in her back yard before the grass died. Ha! However, it rained all day Saturday and the party complete with 60 guests was moved inside. That's okay, though. My family has great friends!

Several of the hostesses came over as early as an hour and a half prior to the party to help set up, clean up, set out, and prepare the home for an INSIDE party.

The food table

Wedding materials still in use!

Some ladies gifted with talent provided lovely flowers for the food table and dining room table. The food that everyone bought was set out nicely all over the kitchen, and the guests mingled as they came in.

Suzy, Karen, Danny, and Mama

Daddy and Phillip solving the world's problems

Mama welcomed everyone, we presented the couple with a piece of furniture that will always remind them of her roots, Daddy prayed, and we all ate.

Seating was an issue since the 60 guest party was scheduled to be outside and inside. But when you have such a great church family, you never have to worry about logistics! We fend for ouselves and make ourselves at home. We are with family, after all! Some stood as they ate and visited...

Mrs. Mary and Melinda

Some were creative with their seating arrangements...

Karen, Cynthia, Evan, and Courtney Ann

And some were lucky enough to find a seat at a table...

And, in case you have been reading my blog and STILL are amazed by my family and our antics, I thought I'd do it to you one more time! I mean, everyone knows that this is normal at a bridal shower, right?

Ahh...yes. I love my church family! It was noisy. And, I loved the noise. It was the sound of a family loving each other, gathered together for one of our own, and enjoying the evening.

Allen Woodhouse, Mrs. Foster, Mike, and Mr. Fitts

Me and Jeremy

Courtney Ann, Chelsea, and Amy

Russ came in straight from work

And after the party...

Well, let's just say that I don't have the only crazy family in this group!

Yes, Chelsea found my mom's dress up closet! I'm not sure what Phillip thought about the whole night, but I know one thing for sure. We broke him in good, and he now knows Chelsea's roots! Ha!

Congratulations Chelsea and Phillip! We miss the Crook family, but rejoice in this exciting adventure you are on!