Bah Humbug!

I'm itchy.

I'm coughy.

I'm runny.

I'm achy.

I'm scratchy.

After three days of this I've had just about enough, now. Flu, or whatever you are, you may go away. I have New Year's Eve plans. But my mama says I can't go if I'm not better. (Apparently they're the boss no matter what age you are.)

And I have to finish taking down all this Christmas stuff! Which makes me sad. I wish I could keep enjoy my trees (plus it takes hours to pack all this up!). But mama also says its bad luck to leave your trees up past New Years.

So bye bye Christmas....

My den Christmas tree (the real one, that smells so so good when I come home from work)

And all my precious Christmas cards! (I vote everyone do picture cards from now on--I love them!) And all this Christmas china? Let's take a vote...I dont really have to put this up yet, do I?? It's gonna break my heart, only 30 days to enjoy this really! Booo! My Owl Tree of course, whooo knew there were so many flippin' owl ornies out there!?? (which will have to be upsized next year after what I got this Christmas, sheesh!) And where do I appreciate colored lights the most?? On an orange and blue AUBURN tree of course!! (Also getting upsized, this guy fell over on me this year he was so heavy!)

So, until I get the energy to load the last of the Christmas boxes, I will continue to drink my Tussin from the bottle and pop cough drops like Skittles. But for the record, I am sooo over Chick-fil-A's chicken noodle soup (which is usually excellent).

Anyway, enough complaining from the sickly, hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas, and celebrated that Holy Night of Christ's birth with the ones you love. I know I did! And I hope you have an equally special and safe new year, too!

Bowling and the Jolly Trolley!

What a fun weekend! Friday night I went bowling with some dear friends of mine....and though a few of the girls were pretty dang good (if fact, they embarrassed the CRAP out of me!) we had more fun just hanging out and chatting! Oh, and taking some very serious-face bowling pictures of course!

But believe me, these silly boys were determined to have a good game! Just look at them contemplating their next move! -------------------------------------------------------------------

After a lazy Saturday, Sunday was filled with a great church service, TONS of shopping, and then a fun, AND FREEZING ride on the jolly trolley (pulled by Snowflake, the white Chevy of course!) at Callaway Gardens! So much fun! This sweet guy tried his best to keep me warm (but failed, even he couldn't fight 35 degree weather!).

I pulled out the trusty point-and-shoot digital, and tried my best to capture the show, but these Fantasy in Lights just moved a little too fast!!

I finally caught a toy soldier with my shaking hands!

And a beautiful swan!

And mean ol' Jack Frost who would change the pretty tulips to ice right before our very eyes! And butterflies! When the ride was over, it was a mad dash to find the nearest hot chocolate stand!! But I wouldn't trade riding in that jolly trolley for anything, bundling up with blankets and snuggling and listening to carols, and Snowflake narrate of course! You can't beat it! And after warming up and before leaving, I even managed to snag a hug from Rudolph!

Bunko...or is it Drunko?

Just kidding, Mom! I have NO idea where that name came from! But I do know that this precious group of girls means the world to me! And I look forward to my dru..ahem..bunko night every month because its totally loud, and full of chaos, and multiple conversations at the same time, and (rarely any dice rolled!) good food and drinks, and my best friends! And on occasion, yes, we actually do play bunko. :) But in December, we have a Dirty Santa Party, and Saturday night Aimee hostessed this year's (in the pouring down rain with a toddler and 2 month old she handled it like a champ!!). The entry table was picture perfect with our invitation set up, and champagne flutes and frozen cranberries ready for you to make a special cocktail!!

And around the corner Ashley brought a DELISH peppermint punch (with peppermint schnapps, peppermint icecream, ginger ale, I might be missing something....but man please! It was perfect!

Oh geez, and then dinner! Pork loin, roasted new potatoes, zucchini boats, corn casserole, mac-n-cheese, and green bean casserole! And for dessert....see that red velvet cake...holy cow. And there was a rediculously good parfait of sorts from Brandi to fill up the other half of my plate too!

Now once the food had settled, and all the girls found seats, it was time for some Dirty Santa....and with these girls...it is just that! ha! Here's the new "pjs" sweet Kristy got, and she's holding the bottle of wine that I got called "Tease Me Reisling"!!

But don't judge us all, there are definitely normal presents too! Like this precious serving tray I tried to steal from Aimee, but another little hooker stole from me!And of course, as soon as the guys caught wind of what was going on in the next room, they wanted to play with the toys.....surprise, surprise....who doesnt love some furry handcuffs, right? It was a great party, with some of my favorite people in the world, who have made Columbus really feel like home, and I love yall dearly for it!

Brandi, Lisa, Jenn, and Aimee

Ashley and me

Lisa and me

Christmas Wishin'

Sunday was a day I've been planning for several weeks. I look forward to this party every year. I sit on the advisory board for the Make A Wish Foundation, and with the help of three other wonderful volunteers, Haley, Tanya, and Terri, this year's party was yet another true testiment of what dedicated people we have who love Make A Wish, our wish kids, and community outreach.The volunteers (post party) with the BEST SANTA EVER (de-suited) taking 5 from cleaning!

The panic always begins with the invites...we send about 60 out each year, that's an invite to every family of a wish child who has had a wish granted in the recent few years. Add their immediate family members, and the headcount could really grow! And of course you never hear back from everyone....so you wait and wait and wait....or in our case, you call and call and call! As of Saturday morning, 24 hours pre-party, we had 111 RSVPS!! How exciting! And oh, how many people!!

But 4 volunteers with little checkbooks could not have made this happen alone! Because this is not a MAW fundraiser, MAW Headquarters cannot support this activity financially. Which means ALL party supplies, foods, decorations, location fees, door prizes etc. is either out of pocket, or donated. So, we knew it was time to bat those eyelashes (or beg!) and get some things free! And we certainly (like always) felt the love.

Like the Columbus Civic Center, check out that space above! We had room to spare, it was nice and cool, and who knew it would come with three handymen to help us out setting up and breaking down! (Though I think they were secretly hoping for BBQ too--which we served them in heaping spoonfuls!) This is our third year using this space, and as long as they keep renting a room for free I plan on coming back! It's perfect!

The next shout out has to go to Jeff Robinson, and Robinson Paving Company, who bought ALL the food for our party! He not only showed up with tons of BBQ, potato salad, brunswick stew and sweet tea, but about 40 pounds of chicken fingers from Publix as well! Oh, and did I mention there was a Christmas tree hanging off the back of his truck he had donated from a tree farm, just waiting for us to decorate!! Thanks Jeff!! You're definitely on Santa's good list! :) (He's gonna kill me for this pic, but he deserves props for all he did--sorry, you do!)

So the BBQ came from Macon Road BBQ, who also significantly discounted the order, thanks Mr. Starling!! And so you know, a wish kid, no older than 6 or 7, came up to Jeff and said "Mister, I'm pretty partial to Mike and Ed's, but this stuff is pretty good. You can bring Macon Road BBQ from now on!" What a spread!

We had so much BBQ we had to give all these yummy desserts their own table! Which was fine by them...the cupcakes and pretzels (made by yours truly) and other sweets (from our other precious volunteers) were all delicious for sure....

But surely couldnt outshine these precious cookies from Columbus Corner Bakery, each hand decorated and sprinkled with love and best wishes!!

CCB has been so good to MAW from day 1, I cannot buy a cake or cookie from anywhere else....it's a good thing they're goodies are so tasty!!

Now. Talk about a thank you. We loved the food, the drinks, the desserts, and a roof over our heads--without a shadow of a doubt. But there is one thing the kids loved to pieces.

They watched out....

They did not cry....

They did not pout....

And we told them why!

This guy came to town!

The MAW Foundation's mission statement is to bring "hope, strength, and joy" and if this joyful fellow didnt do it, I don't know who could! It was so much fun to see the kids (young and old! :) come to whisper to Santa their wishes!

This is Robert, whose big brother, Ty, is a wish kid from a few years past. He's a mess, and he loves his big brother, who is suffering from an awful disease, Juvenile Huntingtons, of which there is no cure. Ty is a hugger. His is the first I received at the party. He makes me smile. So does his precious kid brother.

Jacobi, oh Jacobi. What a sharped dressed man. And may I say he knew it, too! He strutted around the room all day, knowing his tail looked too too cute in his black dress pants and tie! I'm pretty sure he dressed up for me.... There is no telling what he said to Santa. All I know is the guy in the red giggled the whole time. Jacobi is going to Disney World in January, and can hardly wait!!

Jaden (that bundle of love AKA trouble) with the spikey hair on the right was kind enough to share Santa with his sister Jordyn on Sunday. I wonder how much he shares at home..... :) He was on his feet all day! Singing us Christmas carols, hugging our necks, and just going non-stop! Its refreshing to see what sometimes is hard to imagine as happy kids because deep down there is a sickness rumbling, as joyful...so fullspeed is what I love to see! Jaden will currently tell you he has "no idea what he wishes for!" We're still working on this little rascal!

Little Daniel's face in this picture I love! His daddy has convinced him to come up to see Santa, but he has put his foot down! So Daddy takes a picture with Santa instead, while Daniel looks very very sad. Back story: Daniel saw Santa Saturday and has asked why he is working on Sunday, instead of going back to work on his list! Oh my little angel! Sweet Daniel, who is fighting Leukemia like a champ, wished big to go to Disney World and fly there in a plane like his daddy does! And his wish was our command in November, he had a blast! Everyone loved Santa for sure, old and young, BIG and small! Thank you Danny, for sharing your time, your heart, your love of children, and your Santa suit with us!

As always, the party was a huge success, despite us nervous volunteers. There was a lot of love, hugs, and even a few tears. It always feels amazing to see my wish kids after granting their wishes, a reunion of sorts. So from MAW and my wish kids, and my own family to YOU, in our favorite words to say.....

BEST "Wishes" and Merry Christmas!

If Only Football Games Were 58 Minutes Long....

Ahhh! We had 'em! We really, REALLY had 'em! Which just goes to show, records don't mean squat when it comes down to the Iron Bowl. Man please, those Tigers played their tails off, and I've never been so proud. Win or lose. It was one heck of a game.

And one heck of a tailgate. Cold. Early. But AUsome. It started around 9:00 with me stirring up some chili, baby!

And snuggling with these lovely ladies (and daydreaming about the two peanuts in girlfriend on the right!!).

And then it was game time, where I met up with my stadium buddies Haley and Lenzie, where it was hi-fives for three straight hours!!

After the game, it was back to the tailgate for round two of chili (Lord help me) and lots of hugs and dragging our feet before packing up. Which is pretty normal, but I don't think anyone wanted to say goodbye especially on the last game of the season, boo!

Leah and I warming up under our toboggans! Brrrr, it got cold!!

It's Great to be an Auburn Tiger. Win or Lose. Man, I'm sad the season is over. Who's up for a basketball game?