New Year.... New Blog Post

Oh WOW!! Where have I been ?

This seems like a pretty good time to do a new blog post, don't ya think? So, let's get started, shall we.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday Season, if in fact there are any readers still checking in to this seemingly abandoned blog. Hi Dad !!

My year ended with a rush of many, many different emotions. Starting with my return journey from the East Coast the week before Christmas. I was able to spend some time with Geoff just days before Christmas in Elkton, Maryland. However, my trek back to the Southland left much to be desired. I encountered several traffic delays en route, which is common during the Holiday Season. But I can tell you that I never want to spend that much time in Washington DC, ever again. 150 minutes to travel a mere 30 miles. But the most anxious moment of the journey was crossing the Susquehanna River near Perryville, Md. There are warning signs on both sides of the river bridge warning of high wind gusts. I have felt the force of the gusts and tend to get a little nervous on a windy day. That day was exceptionally windy.

Having an empty trailer, I was hoping to find a heavy load to hide beside as I made the crossing. No such luck, but at least the wind was blowing me towards the middle of the bridge and not to the outer wall. To prepare, I slowed and watched as cars began to make erratic maneuvers ahead of me and that is when I noticed the trucks tipping to one side. I slowed even more as I began to fear the worst. I watched as the trailer in front of me lurched and swayed to the left. Then ever so gently, the tires on the right side began to rise into the air... This happened several times and thankfully, he never toppled over.

NO !! That is not the actual truck I witnessed. But how would you like to see that happening in front of you. My experience was with a trailer only rising about a foot off the ground, but that is still 12" too much !!

After all the delays and dastardly daredevilish demonstrations, I finally arrived back at the yard just before midnight, to find that my battery in my car was dead. The plant was closed, only 2 other souls on the premises. Luckily, I was able to get one of them to jump off my battery and I scurried home to bed. Too much excitement for one day. But the next morning held no reprieve. The battery was dead again, a battery just purchased 15 months before. I was able to hitch a ride, battery in hand, to the AutoZone where I had purchased it, and they handed me a brand new one. Once the new battery was nestled snug under the Pony Car's hood, I trotted back over to the store and had the alternator tested. Sure enough, bad diode! And I was expected to be in Bama for the Holidays. There was no way I was going to spend the Holidays at home alone. The dealership did not have one in stock, so my only option was to get a rental.

I did make it home for the Holidays and was pleasantly surprised by about 5" of snow on Christmas morning. We had a blast and a few arguments while we commenced to building the biggest snowman these parts had ever seen. Not really sure about that last statement, but we like to think he was. In the end, our Snowman stood at 8' and made the evening news (on the weather report) !!

So, I think that about wraps up 2010.... Or the best shot I am prepared to give it at this moment. I am really out of practice with this whole blogging thing, sheesh! But it is late, and I have work to do tomorrow....Oh, that reminds me...

Think I will save that for the next post.. Stay Tuned, I promise I will be back !!!

Happy Fathers Day

The Wonderful World Of Disney

Thought I should try to get a few of my photos posted from last weeks vacation. You know, before I forget.


While I thoroughly enjoyed my little adventure into the enchanted and magical realm of Disney, I think I have come away with a valuable realization. I don't ever have to go back. I mean, for the price, I would do just as well purchasing a season's pass to Six Flags because there are only 3 rides that I even care to ride.

First and foremost, when it comes to roller coasters, the Animal Kingdom's Expedition Everest was the top choice.

The normal standby time for this ride is 2 hours.....But with a little help from the single passenger queue, I managed to ride to my heart's content. Or, until I was so queasy from the continual G forces. It has a few surprises for the newcomer, such as the twisting and turning backward slide through the darkened mountain. Also, for entertainment value, once inside the mountain, a video is projected onto the rocky wall depicting the Yeti and his brutal attack on the very tracks you are sitting on. Of course, even better than that, is the exhilarating drop and the corkscrew action.

Even though I am a coaster fanatic, I realized very quickly that I can only handle 7 back to back rides. Of course, in a 7 day period, that ended up being a number in the dozens.

Also a treat was the view while climbing to the top. Here you can just barely make out Epcot (to the far left) and The Hollywood Tower of Terror at the Hollywood Studios (formerly known as MGM)

And speaking of the Tower of Terror, that is the best ride of all. Hands down !! I think I could ride that one over and over all day with only food and restroom breaks. But, I do have a little secret for making that ride even more enjoyable. It is an elevator style ride that propels and drops repeatedly at random heights.

There are 21 occupants seated on a single ride, and one of the things that I could not resist doing was my Wicked Witch laugh while proclaiming "I'll get you my pretty" Actually had a few folks believing that was actually part of the soundtrack for the ride. Of course, the room was dark at the time, so no one noticed it was actually me. Got a few screams out of that. Another stunt we liked to pull..after the ride was finished, my brother and I would lean forward and get as close to the elevator doors, so when they opened we could frighten the attendant with loud shrieks. That didn't work so well, as I am sure we are not the only ones to ever do that.

But my favorite stunt of all.....When told to securely fasten my safety belt....I er, um..would scoot forward in my seat before cinching it down. This allowed me more room to wiggle around and play with gravity because me arse had more airtime than those who were properly secured in place.

Then there was the Rocking Roller Coaster. It was actually pretty cool. 0 to 60mph in 2 seconds, and then spiraling and flipping through a blacked out room full of neon signs and objects. But not worth the 2 hour wait.

The food was not as spectacular as I remembered. The walking was even worse. My feet swelled every night and took up to 6 hours to stop hurting, only to wake up and do it all over again. Missed all the fireworks, and the shows I watched were not as brilliant as I had anticipated.

It was great to get away from the truck for a week, but I am equally as grateful to be back at work.

I know you probably expected a better post, but work is calling, so I will include more pictures at a later time *crossing fingers*.

Oh Happy Day !!

It is about time, but I think my truckin luck has finally turned around.

After spending a fabulous Friday getting pampered, I made a quick visit to see my nephew and help celebrate his birthday.

Did I mention that I also swapped out my mattress? In conjunction with getting the alternate seat in the truck, I seem to have eliminated ALL sources of pain. No more back, leg, knee, sciatic, swelling, numbness. All of it gone without so much as a trace.

On Saturday, I decided to leave out early to meet up with a friend. When I got to the yard, I inspected Frankentruck and noticed that he had a new set of shocks all the way around! But I also noticed that there were new airlines running from the valves to the bags !! I made my way through a very ferocious storm in South Carolina, and it did not take me long to realize that the truck was no longer slipping and sliding around. I went through several storms that day and never broke traction one single time. I am happy that I have the new shocks, but honestly I don't think they were the answer. I had mentioned checking the lines for debris, and waaalaaaaa, I got new lines. I think that is what solved the problem, whether it was debris or just crimped, I am not concerned. It is finally repaired.

So, I left out Saturday to meet up with a friend, as I said before. Someone I do not often get to see, so that was a nice distraction.

As for today, I am running a different route, so I do not have the hectic pace of the New England run bearing down on me. I was finished with deliveries at 12:30 and will not resume them until 8:00am tomorrow. With only 200 miles between stops, I have managed to enjoy a quiet afternoon reflecting on the wonderful weekend, the wonderful repairs and the wonderful lack of tension I feel in my shoulders.

Watch Out. I am on the verge of once again becoming irritatingly happy!!

In the Beginning...

I really do not know where to start, because of all the topics I listed on the last post, well, they all relate to one another, so Maybe I should do this by the day instead of the trying to separate the different topics... Yeah, That sounds good

DAY ONE ( Florida Vacation )

As you should be aware, I headed to the Sunshine state for a 5 day get-a-way. The weather was wonderful most of the time. It was overcast for most of the stay, so sunburn was a minimal risk. I did get cooked on the final day, but I was too busy kayaking to pay much heed to the telltale signs that I was slow roasting. On the second day, I ventured out early and joined the multitudes that were making use of a pedestrian traffic only route through the community and ended up traversing the sand dunes of this little island retreat. The run was great, although I am still much slower than the average runner. My legs were fine all day!! ( Keep this statement in mind throughout the following posts).

Of course, while staying at a tropical destination, you must indulge in the catch of the day, or in my case, a huge bucket of steamed everything. Crab, shrimp, mussel, oyster, crawdads, clams, and some new potatoes to top it off. Ummmm, yummy!! In fact, it was so delicious the first night, I enjoyed another bucket the second night. LOL

While the vacation was a nice reprieve from every day life, I have come to the conclusion that I no longer know how to relax. Seriously, I just spent an entire 8 days away from the truck, but my demeanor and attitude have not adjusted at all. There is, of course, several reasons for that.

First, I shall mention that while my legs felt divine the day of my run, they were swollen like water balloons the entire trip (except the ONE DAY). In fact my legs have been aching ever since I got into Frankentruck (but that is another post) So, the entire vacation seemed to be overshadowed by my anguish over just what exactly is happening to my body. The only way I seem to get any relief from the sciatic nerve and hip and knee pains, is to lie down on my belly. That does not lead to a very productive day, and you cannot drive while lying face first....Grrrr, needless to say the only thing left to do was endure. Oh yeah, I totally forget about the aches and pains while I was out row row rowing my boat! Did I mention how much I enjoyed the kayak..Ha HA, you would have thought I was in a competitive race the way I was slicing through the salty waters. That is a hobby I need to become more involved in!!

I should also mention the little adventure we had whilst parasailing... LOL....I am sooooo mean!!

I have been wanting to go parasailing for quite some time, and thought this was the perfect opportunity to do so. Of course, all adventures are best when shared with someone, so I loaded up my two nephews and one's girlfriend. I was going to ride with the youngest nephew, while the other rode with his girlfriend. Once we hoped aboard the boat, the first mate began preparations. Me and Asti Spumante(not his real name) were first, and after a brief trip around the bay, we were submerged in the water before being reeled back onto the boat. Next up was the Kiddo and Miss Ashlee. They had instructed the first mate that they were not to be dunked into the water. But I had alternate plans for them. So after another bayside boat ride, the captain asked if I wanted them dunked...." Well, of course, I paid for it so I think they should abide by my wishes. In fact, you should probably just let them soak for a bit!!" While slowing reeling them in, the first mate dropped them low enough to skim their toes across the top of the water, that is when I busted a gut laughing. Ashlee knew she was in trouble!! They were submerged and then dragged for several seconds...... Afterwards, everyone was in good spirits, even the victims of my little prank. You see, I think Ashlee really wanted to get dunked, but Kiddo is growing up and he had teenage things on his mind...Oh well, hope he forgives me!!

So yeah, all in all, it was a good trip, but I seem to need to learn how to relax again. I am going to practice this on the coming weekends. Hopefully I will have more non-trucking adventures to report in the future.

The Things We Do For Love

During the course of the past several weeks, I have been able to remain at home until Sunday before heading out on each week's new journey. These new routes have suited me well! But, with living in such close proximity to my niece, I am also required to make sure and tell her GoodBye before I leave town.

Last week, her tender little heart was broken! When she had awoken that morning, a tiny amount of snow had blanketed the ground.. You should be aware that this is only the third time in her life she has ever witnessed snow first hand. Wanting to experience the fluffy white goodness for herself, she begged to be able to miss Church, this one time... Her requests denied.....

When she arrived home a mere 3 hours later, the ground was no longer fluffy or white. Needless to say, she shed quite a few tears that day.

2 hours later!!

This morning, I received a phone call from her asking if I could possibly wait for her to get home before I headed out...My intentions were to leave while she was gone. But I could hear the first sniffles and imminent heart break in her voice, so I sit here waiting for my best friend to come home...A hug is all she needs and then she will send me on my way... Yes, I will see her again within a 4 day period, but I seem to remember a time in my life when I would also cry over a departure, even though I knew that person would be back soon!  Who knows.....she may outgrow me one day, so I gotta get all the loving while I can!!

Quick Updates

First things, first.....

As you know, I get the pleasure of delivering in New England almost every week. There are certain benefits that come with the territory. For instance, oh, about this time every year Mother Nature puts on her finest dress and struts her stuff. She is quite a show-off.I haven't noticed her looking quite this lovely in awhile. I missed capturing the peak of her fall foliage display this year. But, trust me, she was absolutely breath-taking. I still managed to capture some of her lingering charms and put together a little video for your viewing pleasure.

and now for the updates

Running~

• 2.34 miles in Bristol, Pa. Is it possible to get freezer burn on your ears? Time to buy winter gear.
• 2.13 miles in Glastonbury, Ct. Never could get warmed up. Legs were screaming in resentment.

Truck Repairs~

Would you be surprised if I told you that my Truck was not repaired? No big deal. I was told to swing back by my new favorite shop and let the day shift mechanic have a look at it to confirm the first diagnosis. When I got there, he had left for the day. It was only lunchtime, so I was surprised. But these things happen! Maybe next week!

Relaxation~

I had the time and opportunity to spend a weekend with my SIL and the kids a few weeks ago. My Brother was only present for a moment as he had other obligations to attend to. The highlight of the weekend was Karaoke Night! SIL's Mother came over and we all had such a wonderful time letting our hair hang down.

This weekend, I am attending a little gathering at the other Brother's house. I don't think I have been over there at all this year ?! So, it is long overdue.

The Big Move~

This weekends trip is also a great excuse to load up some of my unused items laying around the homestead, and put them into storage over in Bama. Storage being in my Father's attic. I find that I need a little incentive to get on the ball about transplanting myself back over that way. With the economy, the election, and the uncertain future that lies ahead, I have been a bit fearful of making any big decisions or drastic changes. So, I figure that if all my of belongings meandered over into Bama, I would begin to miss them and eventually follow them into a new life. Kind of silly, I know. But I do love my job! I just want more out of life, and it is not happening in my present location. I know everything will work out once I do make the big move, but I am very fearful of leaving my beloved New England route. I suppose it is just the fear of the unknown holding me back and Yes, there are trucking jobs all over the place. But my dedicated route has been very kind to me, and I don't want to get caught up in something less enjoyable. But it is like my Brother said to me, " You will ALWAYS be able to find a reason to NOT leave." Hmmmmm, you know, he has a point there!

So, I guess that should cover it. Hey, did you notice anything? It seems like perhaps, just maybe, my anger has subsided a little bit. Yay!! for me.

The Sunshine State

I just spoke with my SIL last night and got an unexpected treat.

I have been invited to spend next weekend in Florida.

Yes, I am going down for Labor Day, but why not make the most of a golden opportunity, right?

So, now I get to take two vacations on the Gulf Coast...within a three week period.

I am also thinking that I may use my paid vacation week (I finally earned one after the trucking co swap out erased all my accrued time) for just that... A week away from it all....

Getting Away From It Allllllllllllllllll

I just confirmed my reservations.... Now to go shopping and pack my bags....

I am heading to Florida for a weekend getaway. 3 days in the tropical paradise with no Big Trucks in sight!!

Actually, Labor Day weekend, I am meeting my oldest brother and his family for a weekend excursion!! I cannot wait...

When The Cat's Away

Here is a little video my brother and I worked on this past weekend..



Hope you enjoy!

A Girl After My Own Heart

Just thought I would post a few photos from last weekend's adventure....



During the course of the weekend, we dug out an old skateboard that had been abandoned, and commenced to displaying our mad skillzzzzzzz Z.



It seems that Jordan already had the moves and was strutting his stuff.




Bri-baby, on the other had, needed a little coaching After a few pointers, it wasn't long before she had some definite skate boarding babe action going on!!



Towards the end of the event, Bri-baby coaxed me into proving just how crazy I am and convinced me into come down the hill on the board, but I had to abandon ship rather quickly, as disaster was imminent.




OH, and here is just another good looking dude, in a good looking car!!

Happy 26th Birthday

Last week my niece discovered just how old I really am and it disturbed her. "It just can't be!" she exclaimed. So it was decided that I am unofficially 26 this year.

Last Monday was my , ummm, 26th birthday and it worked out very nicely for me. I was on a short run through Alabama so I got to stop in at Dad's house and have dinner with my SIL and two nephews. They bought me a T-Shirt with the caption " I am not SHORT, I am Fun-Sized!!"

How True!

My mother sent me a box of Bath and Body Works goodies!! Yummy, and my Dad bought me some books on one of my wish lists!! Score!! My other SIL, knowing how much I love candles, bought me a collection of Yankee Candles. And to finish the week out, there was a family gathering at my Mothers' to celebrate all of the May Birthdays...

I purchased an MP3 player for my nephew, and I fear we have created a monster... He was delighted with it, as it is his first, and could be heard singing U2 for several hours on end. Not to mention the brownie points I scored with him!

Yes, I missed my beloved New England route, but as an alternate course, the Bama run worked out quite nicely...

I am doing it again this week!

Trigger Happy

Well, I thought it was those pesky exhaust fumes that were making me so irritable, but it seems that I am wrong. My exhaust leak was fixed with the turn of a screwdriver and yet I am still just as short fused as ever.

And everything is causing me to want to go ballistic. Stupidity, ignorance, redundancy, playing dumb, making excuses....... Everything....

I wish I could figure out what is causing this angst, because it is getting on my nerves along with everything else..

As a matter of fact, this past weekend we had a family cook-out during which I got a little mouthy on more than one occasion. Two of the people who took the brunt of my wrath are very emotional and probably got their feelings hurt, although I did not intend for that to happen.

Usually, I am pretty good at keeping myself in check....... But recently, nah, I just let er rip....I hope this tirade ends soon, because I feel really horrible for being so critical. It just isn't me.

I Pity The Fool.....

Yes, we are in a recession, but remember The Alum Co thrives on natural disaster. With no major hurricanes in the recent past, we are definitely experiencing more of a decline than other industries.

With freight slowing into Florida, JH (whom I will now refer to as Mr. T, because he IS an angry black man) normally grabs the Philly-Jersey route if only for a week or two. Last time, he damaged his truck by running into a toll booth. Millions of drivers pass through these booths daily...Why he couldn't is a mystery to me. He has been driving 20 years. But I digress......

So when Mr. T takes that route, it's regular driver, AA, opts to run my beloved New England run. I do not begrudge him of this, AA that is.

Word on the street is that Mr. T has been banned from Florida, for behaving like a belligerent idiot to one of our top accounts. With that in mind, I may not see NE for awhile..

Here's hoping he will piss someone else off, and soon!! He has received warning that if he is called in on one more time, he is gone (like a freight train), fired, terminated....Adios!!

The bright side to this tale is that with my touring of the Southern States this week, I will promptly land at my Father's House on Monday evening.. Just in time to celebrate my birthday. Woot Woot!! My Sil and Nephews will be joining us for dinner out on the town!!!

Ooooh, the Shame

I love my oldest Brother.

He is a JackAss... (don't worry, I tell him that personally!) and (He already knows this)

You cannot tell him anything! Because everyone is wrong, except him.

Here is an excerpt from a recent conversation....

Bro: They put a guard rail in the middle of the interstate

Me: Do you know why they did that?

Bro: NO

Me: So if you have an accident in the middle, you don't cross over and run into oncoming traffic.

Bro: But now I can't turn around if I need to

Me: It is illegal to make a U-turn in the median

Bro: Well, I am not driving 20 miles to the next exit just to turn around.

Me: But it is illegal, have you not ever noticed the sign stating 'Authorized Vehicles Only'?

Bro: So, who is authorized?

Me: Police, firetrucks, ambulances.....

Bro: I wish I could pay an extra hundred dollars to get a license that allowed me to drive 100 mph....

Me: You don't really turn around in the median do you?

Bro: Only when I need to!

He commutes 150 miles miles to work and does not have a clue! With all the crazies out on the road, it breaks my heart to know that my own flesh and blood is one of them!!

Good News

Well, it seems that my depression seems to be lifting somewhat.. Maybe it helped that I finally got a good cry out of me this past weekend.. It just seems that I have no tears left in me anymore and so it gets harder and harder to vent.

In other news, In the past few weeks, I have not been able to run my beloved NE route at all. When freight slows down, my load is the first to get grabbed up by someone with more seniority than myself. Therefore, I have been running a tad bit closer to home, but my work week has consistently been extended to six days as opposed to my normal four... I have blown out 2 tires, had 2 loads shift, lost a trailer arm due to bolts breaking, been DOT'ed and "shut down" and supposedly blown a Turbo....which resulted in many many many hours of delays and one afternoon sitting on the shoulder of the highway waiting for help. I do not think the Turbo is blown because there were none of the usual symptoms present, but there was indeed five gallons of oil coating every inch of my truck along with about a mile stretch of highway, so yeah, there was definitely something wrong with the truck.

I was also hoping to make a short trip to Bama this month to see the kids, but that has been put on hold. My only weekend free this month was not a good weekend for the folks I was going to visit so, I will try again in March... I will just have to send a goodie box because I already bought valentines and birthday presents for the intended visit. :(

My diet has not been so kind to me this go-round. I can't seem to jump start the loss, BUT... I did quit smoking, and so far without any weight gain... It has been 2 weeks!! I have done very little running during the month of January (5 miles for the entire month, which I believe I did the first week) I pretty much spent every day off sitting in seclusion with my blinds drawn. February is going to be better. I have already logged ten miles in just the first weekend!! So things are looking better on that front.

And just for the record, I am sitting here blogging because I had yet another load shift and it is undeliverable. They will reload it in the morning and I will begin my deliveries on Tuesday. I only made it 80 miles before I had to turn around and bring it back.

Well, Tom Petty is on, so I must go enjoy the halftime show (I am not a Pro Football Fan, but all of my customers are either Patriots or Giants Fans and they would be severely disappointed if I could not exchange banter over this particular event. Besides, that Tom Brady sure is a looker!! and the commercials are usually pretty good too, but Iron Bowl, it is not!!

Oh yeah, spell check is not working so if you find any errors... Get Over It!!

I Want to be a Spelunker!!

My final days of being "unemployed" are drawing to a close, and as one final treat during the holidays, I was invited to join my brother and his family in Chattanooga for some site seeing.







Although we found NO noogas to chat with, we did have a lovely adventure deep inside the heart of Look Out Mountain.







I have been wanting to spend a day in Choo Choo for quite some time just to soak in all the tourist attractions, but could not convince anyone to go with me. So, I could not refuse the invitation.







I will definitely have to make a return visit in order to catch all the attractions that I missed, but I will have to wait. We did however make the plunge into LookOut Mountain to catch a glimpse of Ruby Falls..

This small crevice was the actual size of the cavern when discovered.. It measured in at barely 2' tall, Of course, it was later excavated to allow for tourism.

This formation is known as Cactus and Candles!

This was one of my favorites.. The south end of a north bound donkey...

After you make the 2/5 mile trek into the cavern, you are finally able to view the namesake of the attraction. Ruby Falls... It was not as grande as I had anticipated... But I think I lost some of the awe just simply because of the structured tour that we were on.

Now, don't get me wrong.. It was indeed very beautiful. But I would prefer to be spelunking with a small group in an unstructured environment.....

Game Called On Account Of PAIN

I Have been doing wonderful on my latest attempt at gearing up for the big run. Yeah, I know, it is 5 months away (no, reason that I should not be ready). Sometimes I get a little rushed and don't stretch as well as I should. Sometimes I don't cool down as long as I should. So, this go round, I decided to do it the proper way and actually get the results I am striving for...

I have streeeeeeetched, and I have cooled down . I alternate running and walking so as not to over do it.

I get to Bama this weekend to spend just a little extra time with the Bro and his Family. We break out the new Wii to play a little friendly game of bowling.. See, last weekend, while playing against Asti Spumanti, I finally developed a technique that guaranteed a strike every frame... I wanted to show off my new form....Instead, on the first roll of the first frame...

I pulled my hamstring!!!!

Seriously pulled it... The Bri-Baby has to help me in and out of my shoes and I have learned to hobble with grace and finesse in the past few hours.... The muscle is screaming from the butt all the way down through the back of my knee, but what is feels like is someone played a good round of frogger on me arse.

I even brought all my running gear so I could continue my efforts while out of town, but I think I am going to have to pass for now....

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Well, I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.







Mine was just as wonderful as always. I got to spend four days in Huntsville with the brother's family and his in-laws. That is always a treat.







On Saturday night, we went out for an evening without the children in tow. It was a delightful experience, as I got to dress up a bit more than normal.







Sunday we ventured down the road a bit to spend the afternoon with the Mother in Law's family. That was also a treat. I did not have intentions of attending this function, but when I found the Bri-Baby whimpering in a corner, I changed my mind. She told me that she was sad that she had to spend the afternoon away from me. So, I changed my plans and tagged along. It turned out to be quite an experience. My brother and I ended up out in the yard playing tag with about 15 kids.







Monday (Christmas Eve) , I picked my mother up for some last minute shopping (not my fault someone else had already purchased the exact same item) and lunch... There is always a moment or two spent with her and some heart felt topic of conversation... I wish I could do something to put a big smile on her face! Alas, it was par for the course. Monday evening (back at the ranch) after happy hour and a lovely pork tenderloin dinner, we commenced to opening presents. woo hoooo. We finished out the evening playing with the new Wii gaming console.





Christmas Day...... We commenced to playing the Wii again, had breakfast and passed out stockings, to which I have my own hanging on the mantel in Huntsville ( BIG SMILE). G even cross stitched a little reindeer on it for me last year. And then we were off.....





I headed to Russellville, Alabama to visit my oldest brother and his family. There we spent hours bowling and golfing..... (on the Wii) and it was so much fun.. Family time is awesome, and I do not get enough of it. Soon though, very soon!





The next morning (today) I was up at the crack of dawn to head home.





I will actually head back that way Saturday to spend another night in Huntsville before heading to Tuscumbia to have Christmas Dinner at my Father's house.





You know, I felt very loved this week. And it felt really good. So here is my display of the gifts I received this year..

Look !! Two new reindeer for my collection, Thanks Sammie!!

Wii Would Like To Introduce ...

Over the Christmas Holidays, it seems the big must have item is the Wii game console.



After spending a little time with playing with the Bri-Baby and Wonder Boy on their new game console, I ventured over to the oldest Brother's home and spent several hours competing with Asti Spumante and family. This is the most awesome interactive gaming console I have ever played with and now I want one too.



But the purpose of this post, my friends is to introduce you to my oldest nephew and my oldest brother. You see, you are able to create your own characters to use on the Wii system, and these two characters could not have been more realistic in appearance.



Check it out, Rick.... I can not stop laughing!! OMG.... it looks just like Bobby Jeff......