Let the Games Begin!

It would not be Christmas Eve without family, the Christmas Eve service at church, games and our annual family picture just before midnight! We had to wake Wayne up! And it looks like Swayzee is going to sleep next!

Merry Christmas Eve!

Hope you are having a Merry Christmas Eve! Unfortunately Wayne could not wear his red Christmas sweater this year! It was over 70 degrees! However, Wayne and I still wore red! It's a tradition after all!

Neeli enjoyed singing Christmas carols with her sister, Swayzee! Isn't this funny? They really look like they are singing, all bundled in their scarves! And Nova, she was delighted to get the same size candy cane bone as the big girls! She chewed on it forever, and I can hardly believe that she did not get sick!

"Tis the Season

Be Jolly by Golly! Hope you have a Merry Christmas!

If You Liked It...

Then you should have put a ring on it... Oh-o Oh-o Oh-o! Okay, that was another inside joke! Melissa and I traveled to Memphis this weekend for our quarterly girls' weekend - at Leigha's house! Yippee! Although it is so hard to find a weekend that we can all get together it is so worth it! It was so much fun to stay up late chatting (yes, I did stay up til 1pm), shop til you are broke, eat til you are stuffed and go to a Baptist church (sorry Wayne - some people like to clap at church)! I love you MelBel and Leigha-bug, and I cannot wait 'til the next girls weekend!

145" of FUN!!!

Today Wayne finally killed a big buck - and he found it (inside joke)! It's his first big deer - he scored 145"+! And man is he excited! It's really a cute story... Wayne was headed duck hunting at Lambert with Clint and his dad - no surprise there! He decided to take his 45-70 and walk around a bit when the big boy jumped from the brush and ran for his life! Wayne had not been shooting too well that morning (at the ducks) but somehow managed to shoot the big boy in his hiney. Of course, there was no more running in store for the big boy after that - and I think that made him pretty upset! When Wayne made it over to him big boy tried to get him! So Wayne stepped back a couple of feet to shoot him. Smart Wayne, he is getting better at this deer hunting thing! The guys finished out the day by killing six ducks. Wayne still had trouble shooting a duck though!

It's a Northside Sun Christmas!

Tonight was the annual Northside Sun Christmas Party! It's the most wonderful time of the year!!! Wayne and I pregamed at the Agnew's house! Then we headed to Schimmels - the drinks were great! It was my third Christmas Party, and I promise it gets better ever year!

These are the wonderful girls that I worked with (Katy, Misti, Holly, Emily, me, Lauren, Ginny) minus our ad manager, Melanie! What can I say - I heart my job!!!

My Hair!!!

I am loving my new hair!!! Thanks to my friend Maghen I am rocking it as a brunette! Even Wayne likes my new hue! Yippee!

Hair Help - Please Vote!!!

Okay Ladies! I am going to get my hair done on Wednesday! And here lately I just cannot decide how I want my hair! Each time I go to the salon I end up with totally different hair! So, I need your help - both with cut and color! I have attached some photos of my hair through the years - shortest to longest with color varying. Please leave a comment and let me know which cut and color you like best!

Photo 1: Shortest hair with streaks of blonde

Photo 2: Not so short hair with thin blonde highlights

Photo 3: Medium length with side bangs and more blonde highlightsPhoto 4: Bit longer with long bangs and even more blonde Thanks for helping!

Kreativ Blogger Award

Yay! I received a blog award! My super creative friend Emily graciously gave me the honors! Sorry it has taken me so long to blog about it Emily!

Basically, the award requires that you blog 6 interesting facts about yourself and then tag 6 friends to do the same!

Some interesting facts about me:

1) I am totally OCD about organization (kinda like Emily)! It doesn't matter if it is my pantry, my closet, the garage, etc! Everything has to have a perfect spot! And I cannot function if an item is not exactly where it is suppose to be! For instance, I have a book on my coffee table! Each night we eat at the coffee table. After dinner I have to put the book and surronding items exactly in there spot before I can move onto watching tv or whatever.

2) I absolutely love animals! When I was little I wanted to be a vet, but I really should just live on a farm. In all seriousness I want a pot belly pig named Cecil, a dog of every breed, a mini-horse, an aquarium, etc. Anytime I hear of an animal that needs a home I want to volunteer! Animals are just so entertaining - maybe I have seen too many animated cartoons!

3) While on the subject of animals, Wayne suggested that I also list my impressive list of animals that I have successfully hunted! Myhusband would hunt anything, so lucky me has had to chance to hunt lots! My current list of kills includes dove, duck, deer, geese, and frogs! My favorite type of hunting is dove followed closely by frogs! I also like duck hunting, but it gets really cold! And deer is my least favorite bc you have still, quiet, and bored!

4) My secret wish is to be the Governor of Mississippi! I have a bit of an obsession with politics which is a result of my volunteer experience with the Southern Women in Public Service Conference (SWIPS) in college. Of course, it grew from there! For me, it is amazing how a small group of people (politicans), can be such a catalyst for change! I love it!

5) I am a retired pageant girl! Ha! I was Miss W 2004 and Miss Houston North Central 2006, so I competed in Miss Mississippi two times! I had so much fun with it! And I met some really incredible people! But I am retired!

6) I am highly allergic to cats, poison ivy/oak, and ants! So, I basically carry benadryl everywhere I go! To this day I cannot pet a cat without it resulting in a swollen red face - this is partically difficult bc Wayne's family has a cat! And every time Wayne goes to hang deer stands he brings back poison ivy! Although you would hardly know that he has it I make him wear long sleeves to bed for a week. Nonetheless, I have it all over me in a matter of days! I cannot remember a year when I did not get poison ivy! And then there are the ants! The word just makes my skin crawl - just one could bit my foot and it would swell like a watermelon!

Well, that is enough about me! I am going to tag Leigha, Katy, Shelley, Mary Martha, Lori Beth, and Jenny Lynne as recepients of the Kreativ Blog Award! Have fun girls!

My Baby Girl!

Oh how I love my lil black girl! Is she the cutest thing you have ever seen? With all of the recent updates on Neeli and her hunt tests, I thought Nova needed her 15 mintues of fame! Nova is now fully grown - she weighs 17lbs! But when her hair starts to fro (Wayne calls it fluffy) you would swear that she weighs 30lbs - she is so cuddly! On a typical day Nova wears her pink MSU collar, but she also likes to wear her pink scarf. She is also getting used to wearing t-shirts - of course, she and Neeli have a matching wardrobe! She always has the most adorable somber expression, but when you talk to her she opens her mouth like she is going to talk back or when you say kisses she licks you - how sweet! She is still going with me everwhere - except for work! Her favorite place is Chick-Fil-A bc they give her a treat! And she really loves her big sister, Neeli - she could play with her for hours! She still sleeps in her kennel during the day and at night (we learned our lesson when we let her sleep with us)! Needless to say, I love her to death! She makes me smile! You should come by to visit - she will welcome you with her excited pee!

Remember to Vote!

Election Day is finally here! I can hardly believe it! After 2 years of political advertising, I am so glad that this day has arrived! After standing in line for 1 hour and 45 minutes, I was able to cast my vote in the most historical election in our nations history! Yes, it was hot! Yes, I was regretting wearing 5 inch heels! Yes, the poison ivy on my arm got hot causing it to spread! Yes, I was mad to learn it only took Wayne 3 minutes to vote! But my voice was heard, and I got a free chicken biscuit at Chick-Fil-A! Life is good!

Congrats Neeli!

Neeli competed in her first AKC trial this weekend - she ran in the Senior test! Going into the weekend Wayne said he would be happy with one pass, but Neeli does really well under pressure! She passed both days! Go Neeli! She will have to pass three more AKC Senior tests to earn her Senior AKC title.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween is my favorite "fun" holiday! I just love dressing up! Apparently I have rubbed off on Wayne bc he was very excited about dressing up for Halloween this year! In fact, he decided that we should go as one another. He would be a beauty queen, and I would be a baseball player! After searching Jackson for white baseball pants, I realized that dream would not become a reality! Nonetheless, Wayne still wanted to be a beauty queen! And I dug through the costume closet and found a cute 70's disco girl costume!

And, of course, we went to a Halloween Party at Lake Caroline that John Polles was throwing! Jamie & Josh (cowgirl and cowboy) and Anna & Andy (pregnant Barbie Basset and partly cloudy with a chance of rain) joined us for the preparty at our house!

We had a very fun Halloween! Hope you did too!

Boys Vacation Trip - North Dakota!

The boys (and Neeli) had a great time on their hunting trip to North Dakota! It was Wayne and Neeli's first pheasant hunt - they walked alot! They also did some duck hunting - of course!

Girls Vacation Trip - Gulf Shores!

The girls (and Lee) had such a wonderful time on our Girls Trip to Gulf Shores! And we all have tans to prove it! The weather was beautiful, the food was delicious, and the conversation was fun! And, of course, what would a Black Family Vacation be without games? We played put-put golf (I won!) and several games of nine hole game (after a very long walk to find a deck of cards)! And since it was a girls trip we also shopped! I can hardly wait for next year! :)

My First 5K!

Today my friend Amy and I ran in our first 5K - Run for the King at Smith Park in Jackson! I must admit that I was a bit nervous, especially since I have not trained outside. Not to mention, my training came to a hault on Tuesday bc of my crazy work week. Either way, we rose early and headed downtown to run!
A 5K is 3.2 miles, so we set a personal goal to finish in under 35 minutes. It was more challenging than I imagined - I had not really thought about hills or an unsure route or my old tennis shoes. But I was so proud to finish in 31 minutes and 30 seconds. Yay!
I am already looking forward to my next 5K. My new goal will be 30 minutes!

Z is for Zany!!!

How could anyone characterize me as zany?

zany (zA'nE)

n. A comical person given to extravagant or outlandish behavior.

adj. Ludicrously comical; clownish.

I think that I will take it as a compliment!!! :)

Happy Birthday to ME!!!

Well, it's official! I am 26 years old! Today was a wonderful day - I really enjoyed my birthday falling on a Sunday! We had lunch at AJ's Seafood after church - delicious! And, of course, I had my Sunday afternoon nap! But we also did the normal birthday stuff - cards, presents, cake, etc. And I probably sang Happy Birthday to myself 25 times! Ha!

It's A Wedding!

Wayne's mom, Dean, and I went to Daniel and Kimberly's wedding today! It was a beautiful and fun service. The recessional was Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours by Stevie Wonder - cute! Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Tackett!

HR Neeli...

Wayne and Neeli traveled to Grenada this weekend to compete in a hunt test! Neeli passed both days! Go Neeli! Even better, she has accumulated the 40 points required to earn the title "Hunt Retriever"! So, she now has letters before her name HR Maggy's Super Black Benelli. I really am not sure who is more excited, Wayne or Neeli!

Visiting with Kailee!

My mom (aka Nana) and I had a wonderful weekend with my niece, Kailee Marie! She is growing so fast, and she is so smart! And, of course, she still looks exactly like my brother, and she has his personality - she never meets a stranger! She loves books, laughing, and playing with Nova and her toys!


At first she was not sure about me taking photos of her! But you can see, she warmed up to it very quickly! Here she is doing her fake laugh!


Once I got her going, she was cracking me up! She knows how to be entertaining! Isn't she a doll?

Y is for Yogurt!

Okay - I did it! I offically shopped for organic groceries at Kroger! Actually, I had fun! My friend Amy joined me, and she was a big help! My favorite discovery was organic yogurt tubes! Although I eat yogurt nearly every morning, I had never eaten it out of tubes. However, Amy conveniced me to get it a try! So, this morning I had my first yogurt tube - I had blueberry! It was delicious!!! And it is so nice to not use a spoon! You should give them a try!

Our Retriever!

The Kearney Park Hunt Test was this weekend! Neeli did such a great job running her first "seasoned" tests (the middle level of a hunt test)!
On Saturday Wayne had to work the "finished" test (the highest level of a hunt test), so Neeli ran as the "test" dog! Wayne was nervous she would act crazy, but she was perfect! Too bad it did not count toward a PASS on "seasoned" water bc Neeli did not pass her water test - I think it was bc I was not there! She likes for her mom to cheer her on! She did pass the land with ease. However, she has to PASS both to get a ribbon.
So Sunday, Wayne did not run her as the "honor" dog! :) Good job Wayne! She aced the land test and did great on her water test as well! So, Neeli has her first "seasoned" PASS and received a beautiful ribbon! Go Neeli!!!

X is for Xtreme Nutrition!

While in Columbus, Leigha and I stayed with Melissa! It was like a huge slumber party - we had so much fun! Melissa is an esthestican so she believes in "all natural" skin care and nutrition, so we began with a day at the spa then Melissa treated us by preparing an organic dinner - we had spaghetti! It was so entertaining and educational to shop for organic food and learn all of the benefits (even though it is a bit more expense)! And, of course, the food was wonderful!!! So, I have decided to try it myself (but I am not going to tell Wayne)! I am going to start with organic milk, yogurt, chips, salsa, and boxed lunches. I will let you know how it goes!!!

W is for the W!

This weekend I traveled to Columbus for the Lockheart Preference Party - my social club! I was honored to serve as the Preference Party speaker - it was so great to recount all that Lockhearts mean to me and reminisce on all our fun!!! Also, I enjoyed seeing some of my favorite W girls and meeting all of the potential Lockhearts! Go Lockhearts!!!

Although I was the speaker, my favorite part of the Preference Party will always be the skit! Our skit is Alice in Lockheart Land! And it is adorable! This is me with my friend Lydia, the cat!

V is for Victory!

Wayne, Neeli, and I traveled to Winnsboro, LA this weekend so Neeli could compete in her very first HRC hunt test! She competed in both a land test and a water test on Saturday and Sunday, and she passed each day! Go Neeli! She now has 10 of the 100 points she needs to become a Hunt Retriever Champion (HRCH).
Can the believe the size of these ribbons? I am not really sure what we are suppose to do with the ribbons, but we had to take a photo.

Neeli loves water, and the water portion of her hunt test was her favorite! You can see that she is very serious! I was scared that I would distract her (she loves her momma) so I hid behind the bushes! :)

In addition to the hunt test, we decided to stay in Monroe Saturday night. Luckily we made arrangements about two weeks ago bc all of the hotels were booked. Of course, we had to sneak Neeli into the hotel, but she loved it! We had dinner at Mohawk Tavern - it was great! And Wayne watched MSU get beat - not so fun! As usual Neeli slept on the bed with us and when we woke up the white bedspread was covered with black fur!!! Oops!!!

Sarah Palin for VP!!!

Okay! I am going to be really honest. When I learned of the announcement that Sarah Palin would be John McCain's VP, I wanted to cry! I thought that Republicans had lost any chance we once had at keeping the presidency. However, after a bit of research, I must admit that I am quite impressed with her. First, she is the mom of five (Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper, and baby Trig). Her oldest son, Track, is in the military and will soon go to Iraq. Her youngest son, Trig, who is four months old, has downs (you should read the reports of her response to suggestions that she should abort). Second, she has been the governor of Alaska since December 2006, and she was previously the mayor of her hometown. (So yes, she does have more executive experience than Obama and Biden combined.) Third, she is a true conservative (anti-abortion, right to bear arms). Fourth, she has a plan for our oil crisis (dig in Alaska). Fifth, she is not scared to go against the grain (the press calls her a maverick, but I think she just has common sense - something that is missing in DC). Lastly, she is a former beauty queen and is known as the "hottest governor"! Honestly, there are countless points I could make about why she is an ideal choice; however, I do encourage you do to your own research and let me know what you think!

My Alma Mater

I look back fondly on my years at the W! In fact, it was the best years of my life!!! Although I will always refer to my alma mater as "the dub" it is apparent that the university will soon be called by another name. And honestly, I am fine with that!
According to the Dr. Limbert a name change will define the current student as both male and female as well as assist with enrollment and retention. What I do hope for with the name change is that the university is looked upon in a more positive light! It is what it is - a small private school experience at a public school price, a place rooted in tradition, a university where opportunities are endless, somewhere where everybody knows your name! For me, the W was a ideal fit! Maybe the name prevents others just like me from giving the university a chance?
Either way, I love the dub!
Next weekend I will be traveling to good ole Columbus to take part in rush, where I will be the Preference Party speaker for my social club, Lockhearts! I can hardly wait to see my favorite group of girls. And to be on the campus that I hold so dear to my heart!

One Word...

Answer these questions with one word ONLY! It's fun! Just try it!

1. Where is your cell phone? desk
2. Where is your significant other? work
3. Your hair? blonde
4. Your mother? silly
5. Your father? busy
6. Your favorite thing? exercise
7. Your dream last night? hilarious
8. Your dream/goal? politics
9. The room you're in? office
10. Your hobby? scrapbooking
11. Your fear? fear
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? home
13. Where were you last night? home
14. What you're not? bored
15. One of your wish list items? yurman
16. Where you grew up? jackson-ish
17. The last thing you did? emailed
18. What are you wearing? brown
19. Your TV? HD
20.Your pet? hyper
21. Your computer? SLOW!
22. Your mood? happy
23. Missing someone? Leigha-bug
24. Your car? Pearl
25. Something you're not wearing? socks
26. Favorite store? Turkoyz
27. Love someone? Wayn-o
28. Your favorite color/shade? Pink
29. Last thing you ate? Salad
30. When is the last time you laughed? now
31. Last time you cried? yesterday

Progress! I finished my first race!!!

Yay! I can hardly believe it, but I finished my first race! Thanks to my wonderful friend Katy, who encouraged me to enter with her, I ran in the Surviving the Sizzle Night Run at the Reservoir. I ran the two mile in 22 minutes with a bit a walking. The event supports the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

U is for Uhhh!

Okay! I have to be honest - I have gained a good bit of weight since Wayne and I got married. Wayne is much more understanding than the above cartoon, but it has really has started bothering me (and my clothes which I feel that I am abusing every day when I am getting ready). So, I am going to do something about it!

Yesterday I made a commitment to stop drinking sodas (thanks for that idea Shelley). Today I joined the gym (thanks for that idea Whitney) and had my first workout in six months. And tomorrow I am going to start a food diary (thanks for that idea Carrie Underwood). Yay!!!

I will keep you updated on my progress!

T is for To the Beach We Go!

Wayne and I just returned from a much needed vacation to Destin! Granted, it was not long enough, but it was great to escape with our friends! Five couples headed to the beach on Thursday and we stayed in an adorable home on Crystal Beach.

Group picture of us and our beach buddies (Dustin and Amy, Brad and Brittany, George and Tammy, Kevin and Kelly). Some of the highlights of our trip were transforming our private pool into a whirlpool (I have a boo boo on my knee), bean bag toss on the beach (a tiny crab attached my big toe), and Stinky Gringo!!!

Yay! These girls just wanted to have fun! We had tons of fun laying out on the beach, shopping at Destin Commons, and just being girls!!! :)

This is the guys and Kelly! On Saturday they went on a chartered deep sea fishing trip and caught the biggest catch of the day! They had so much fun! And Kevin did a wonderful job of cooking the red snapper and amberjack for dinner!

I heart the beach!!!!

It's A Girl!!!

My dear friend, Mary Martha, is having a baby girl soon! Honestly, Miss Rani Emeline could be here any minute. Even though my college girlfriends are spread out all over the place, many of us traveled to Vaiden on Sunday for a baby shower! It was so great to see Mary Martha glowing and tour her new home. It was also wonderful to hang out with some of my favorite girls and our latest addition, Andrew Brown.

S is for Slide Show!

I am always in search of new accessories to put on our blog. Many of you have the cutest slide shows, so I decided to try it out myself! I had lots of fun putting it all together! It is the perfect way to share all of our favorite photos. Warning... It is only photos of Wayne and I! Check it out on the footer of our blog. And let me know what you think!

R is for Removing the Clutter!

Okay! I love some organization, and a big part of it is decluttering! So, everything that I do not want that is in my house I have moved to the garage. Wayne hates it bc he thinks the garage is part of his man-space! After the failed garage sale, Wayne has gotten on the bandwagon to help me declutter! It has been lots of fun! He started with putting a few items on ebay and has now moved to craigslist. He would never admit it, but I think he is really having fun selling things! Plus, I told him that he could have all of the profits! So far, he has done really well! Soon I will have the world organized! :)

Q is for Quality Time!

Wayne and I had a weekend full of quality time together! It was so wonderful! We went on walks together, swam in the community pool, watched movies, played with the puppies, rode around on the ranger, had dinner with friends, etc. It was so great to have a weekend to ourselves!

P is for PARTY!

Today we had a Birthday Party for my niece, Kailee. I can hardly believe that she is one year old! The theme for her party was DOTS! It was so adorable! We let her eat her cake with her fingers, which she loved! But she had icing all over the place.

I love this kid! She makes me smile! And she is so smart! She says "Hi there!" and dances - she is my kinda girl! She looks exactly like my brother, and she has my personality! :)

I had to include this photo - how could you not love these rolls? Although she is one year old she is already wearing 24 month clothes! She also really loves hats -she gets that from her daddy! Isn't she adorable in her dots?