Teen Talent

We spent Sunday evening at a talent showcase where Ryan’s little sister, Melissa, was participating with her church group in different drama categories for both the Middle School and High School students. Their show will eventually be taken on the road to Nashville, TN to compete against other teens from various church groups. She was singing, she was acting, she was dancing, and she was GOOD!  I was so impressed with her abilities and stage presence. Even though the showcase started at 6pm on a Sunday, during the playoffs, I was so impressed with the work and dedication of this  church community which is providing these teens with a platform to cultivate their craft. There is a lot of inspiration and hope to be drawn from watching teenagers who are really good at something AND who are working to build on that talent through the avenues that are available to them.

“Juney bug”-Status Update

Yes, I’m calling Junior, “Juney Bug” now. Poor goat. Hank gets “Big Sexy” and he gets stuck with this horribly effeminate nick name. It's shit like this that could, quite possibly, be what’s behind his overly zealous need to delve so far deeply into Rut that he repels people with a single wiff of him. It probably also explains why Jr. has to attempt dominance over Hank at all times, even though he fails miserably. Moving on….

Ryan took Jr back to Kannapolis the Wednesday before New Year’s Eve to have his leg evaluated for what would be, the very last time. He had developed a little sore spot so the vet was inclined to not even bother with a soft wrap for his last couple weeks of recovery. So, he finally has his cast off and even though his leg looks a little crooked, he runs around on it like a champ. I think it gave him a little too much extra confidence, though. As soon as the opportunity presented itself, Jr had Hank engaged in yet another battle that would not go his way.

New Years Eve

Well, today is Snow Day #2. I’m pretty sure I’ve been in my pajamas for almost 48 consecutive hours now and feel very little remorse. Over the course of the past two days I’ve managed to do a ton of laundry, ate breakfast in bed, shoveled the driveway, finished reading Dress Your Family in Corduroy And Denim, ate lunch in bed while watching music videos, played in the snow, learned how to work my video software at a very amateur level, edited and organized a ton of photos, did yoga, and of course, monitored my work email. It’s been like a mini vacation, but one that forces you to stay home and catch up on all the rest and relaxation you always complain about needing, but that there is never a good time for.

So, New Years Eve…..

We went to Georgia as we normally do, but instead of hitting Greg & Lisa’s annual NYE party, Tom got us tickets to The PunchLine in Atlanta. I had never been to a comedy show before so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I had sort of imagined a struggling comedian with awkward delivery and poor stage presence, but I was totally wrong. There were two opening acts, one being Flip Schultz, and one headliner, Dale Jones. I can’t remember who the other opening act was, probably because he fell more in line with my original vision and brought more crickets than laughs. Dale Jones was a semi-finalist from season 6 of the Last Comic Standing and was hilarious and crazy.
After getting our laughs in we went to dinner with Ryan’s dad, sister Madison, uncle Joe, uncle Mike & his partner Joanne. We were finished with dinner well before midnight. Now, this is where things get interesting. NYE is not really one of those occasions that you can really fly by the seat of your pants. We had already ended up dining at a desolate Mexican restaurant instead of the rockin’ bar and grill across the street which had been our original destination of choice. Given our current location and the likelyhood of finding a respectable establishment to bring in the New Year, we focused on the next best choice which would really only have to meet a modest set of criteria. Booze and some music. Oh, and of course, some coverage of the peach drop. Now, when you’re desperate and find yourself setting the bar this low, you are bound to end up with wild success. Why? Well you really don’t care where you are. You are more concerned with who you're with and just having a good time. The name of the bar is Rudy’s and it’s a biker bar. And a honky tonk. In Georgia. And it reminded me of home. Enough said.

Our Snow Day!

Sunday.

This pretty much sums it up.

2011 Goals.

I’m not much of a resolution person because I believe in trying to be awesome all year round, but I do think it’s a good idea to lay down a few goals for motivation purposes. Normally I wouldn’t share this type of info, but I think that if I put them out there for everyone to see, and by everyone I mean the six people that read this blog, then I will be more likely to execute.


* Resurrect our backyard deck that has been mutilated since the Daytona 500 in February 2010. Note-do not remedy a boring race with alcohol and home improvement projects.

* Plan NY & Bama trips. I need to see and spend time with my Nana and Grandpa and will possibly try to make that trip in the spring. (if it’s not still snowing-gasp.) We would also like to make a trip to Ryan’s dad’s lake house over the summer.

* Start referring to Hank as "Big Sexy". He is striking enough to call for such labeling.

* Read more. I plan on backing off from the memoires, autobiographies, and published essays that I’ve been reading and getting back to reading more fiction. I’m planning on starting with The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. I didn’t choose this one based on the title alone, although it probably would have been enough for me. 

* Write more. It’s therapeutic to communicate and I’m beginning to prefer blogging as my medium. Words in print are far more permanent and concrete than those that are spoken. I like to think about what I want to say and how I want to say it in order to accurately document my life at any given time. For instance, I can look back at this in a few years and wonder, why the hell did I ever want to call Hank, “Big Sexy??”

* Prepare for and run a 5k in the spring. This one’s for fluff. I’m capable of doing this now, but still need to find a race to participate in.

* Plant a garden. I’m thinking small at first. Tomatoes, cukes, onions, lettuce, green beans, etc. Luckily Doreen is a Master Gardener (for real, she’s certified) and will be able to help me manage growing in red clay.

* Save for a new camera. I’ll only be saving this year because I won’t allow myself to buy anything until I complete the next goal.

* Learn the ins and outs of my camera and expand my overall knowledge base of photography. I love photography and want to be better at it.

Get It!!

Unfortunately, the only photo I’ve taken so far in 2011 is this cell phone picture of Ace who looks exactly the opposite of goal oriented. He is about half way through the drive from Atlanta to Charlotte and is jammed in the back seat of a 2-door Honda Accord with Chico’s crate which is taking up all the space.
Talk about motivational imagery…

2010

This year has been pretty special for me. Getting married was the obvious highlight and the proudest moment of my life. My husband provides me with constant inspiration to be a better person. I’ve grown into my own skin more and more this year and have put to rest a lot of different fears and insecurities and have continued to develop personally.
As a team, Ryan & I are starting to figure out where to invest our time, which direction to go, and how we want to live our lives together. Planning the wedding in the first half of 2010 left us very little time to focus on much else but that. It was totally worth all the hard work though! Check out our Style Me Pretty feature...

http://stylemepretty.com/2010/11/09/north-carolina-lakeside-wedding-by-smitten-photography/ 

The wedding also brought us closer to our families, emphasizing the importance of nurturing those relationships, and all that we have to gain from doing so. Now, with the wedding behind us, we’re beginning to map out what we want our future to look like and what we need to do to get there.

Chico turned 7 years old this year. It’s crazy to me how old we’re both getting. His personality still continues to amuse and delight me while turning everyone else off and I wouldn’t have it any other way. He apparently knocked a tooth clear out of his mouth at some point during the year, but remained fairly drama free otherwise.
Ace had a pretty big year in 2010. He no longer inhabits the garage while we are away. We finally figured out that his chewing and destruction were all a direct result of being pissed off that he was forced to deal with secondary accommodations. He & Chico now stay together in the house without incident.
Hank was, and is, a bad motherfucker. I couldn’t be more proud of my boy. He definitely took his looks to the next level this year. I can’t wait to see what the next year brings for his horns. On a side note, he is intolerant of the snow and barely attempts to g out in inclement weather.
Jr. became slightly more aggressive during rut this year and is still trying to heal his broken leg. He continues to successfully bust out of his pen in an attempt to find freedom and start shit with Hank. Even in his more aggressive moments he’s still just a big sweetheart.
Ryan and I look forward to ending and starting another year in Georgia together and we couldn't be more excited about it. The anticipation of all that’s possible is definitely something to celebrate.

Happy New Year Y’all!