Sparky, We're Not In Bama Any More....

So, we made it to LA for the National Championship game after, thankfully, an uneventful journey from down South. The plane was loaded with crimson and houndstooth and well, it was just plain exciting.

The Mr. looked at me in Atlanta and said, "You do realize we are going to California for a football game, right?".
Well hell yes I knew that...did you think I spent all those countless hours in the cold, hoisting tents and toting TVs' to Tuscaloosa to NOT come all this way for a football game? I guess it is a little absurd, when you think about it, but not nearly as absurd to me as the things we did back home just to "go" to a football game.

I digress...

So, at LAX, after grabbing our bags and being shuttled to the rental car company, we picked out the perfect car for our sunny California journey...a silver Dodge Charger, which we decked out with Bama flags on the windows and a "Sweet Home Alabama" magnet on the side. Now if that's not redneck, I don't know what is.

It was about then that I realized we were a long way from home because the nice Mexican man who let us out of the parking lot had never heard the term "Roll Tide", and seemed utterly confused as to what the hell we were doing with all that red paraphernelia on the car.

Then I noticed Ryan Seacrest on a billboard, advertising his radio show, and realized that Rick and Bubba were no match for this place. ( For the record, I cannot stand Rick and Bubba)
After an hour in LA traffic, we were on to the hotel where a slew of Bama fans were waiting in the lobby. It was like a homecoming...total strangers just talking up a storm and well, just being plain old friendly, the way we do it down South.

The Mr. inquired about a good place for dinner from the concierge and was directed to an "Armenian Chicken" restaurant. Honestly, I haven't a clue where Armenia is and with that said, I'm not about to eat chicken from there. Yep, if it ain't Popeye's, Sparky, we're not in Bama any more.

The Mr. and I opted for a long drive instead of dinner, and ended up on Hollywood Blvd., followed by the Sunset Strip. And while I'm no movie buff, I have to say, I was blown away when we stopped at a red light facing the gates of Paramount Pictures!

By this time, the Mr. was hungry, and therefore incredibly unpleasant, so he stated that we should eat at the Denny's ( yes, Denny's) on Sunset, just so we could say we had. I can't honestly say that's something to be proud of, given that the only other Denny's I have eaten at was on the Beltline in glorious Mobile, Alabama....I mean it's not like we travel the world looking for Denny's.

I declined, but as we passed, we noticed the Denny's was closed and a movie was being shot inside. The production trailers and lights were booming, and with the back door opened on one, I saw someone having their hair and make-up done. Yep, this ain't Bama....nobody at Denny's where we're from even wears make-up.

So, no pics this morning, it's only 6:30 here and I have been awake for two hours. I'll blame it on the time change, but I have to say, I'm also just silly excited. We may be a long way from home, but it's gonna be a good day for the Bama nation...I just feel it.

ROLL TIDE ROLL!

The Grammar Nazi ( a.k.a. Mother )

Mothers are wonderful. They do all kinds of things for you that you know they wouldn't really care to do if they hadn't birthed you. They clean stuff, mend stuff, bake cakes, and... oh wait...just kidding. That's what maids are for!

My mother has dabbled in those activities, but her favorite thing to do for me is correct my grammar. It's just how she shows love. She's a "wordy" kind of gal, which may explain why I could read at three and never studied for a vocabulary test once in my life.

Spelling test? Make a "B"? Never happened. In fact, we had a semi-standing agreement that if she forgot to sign my spelling study sheet on Thursday night before the test on Friday, I could just forge her name. Of course the forgery didn't stop there. It's the whole "give an inch, take a mile" thing.

But grammar, the bain of my existence, well, that was a different story. Lay versus lie? Still can't get it right. Comma placement? Umm, no clue. When to hyphenate? Who cares?!

I'll tell you who cares...she does. I know she does because she just called to say hello, make small talk for a brief second, and then let the grammar parade take to the streets . My last post was chock full of errors. I apologize. I hope you all enjoyed it just the same. She could not understand why in God's name I did not hyphenate "three inch" heels. Why in the world would I use the "%" sign as opposed to spelling out the actual word?

In fact, she is now a follower on my blog. Her name: "Ms. Gramma Check".

Cute. Real, real cute. Is that a play on words smarty pants? Oh wait, that's called a "pun" in literary terms.

Pardon me. Or as she likes to say, "Edit, edit".

Roll Tide Roll

Football season is upon us. Yeah! Kinda.

I like the idea of football season, but in actuality, it is really an arduous task for me. First of all, I went to Alabama and in case you hadn't heard, football is kind of a big deal there. Which also means being there, in Bryant-Denny with your little red and white shaker is, too. And so is the all important game day fashion, which has eluded me lately. By the time Saturday rolls around, the thought of dressing up in my newest frock and wearing three inch red crocodile heels just exhausts me. I do it Monday through Friday and well, it's hellish. I wore jeans to Tuscaloosa yesterday...JEANS!

Why you ask? Well, it was the start of a new tradition in the Jensen household - big time tailgating...I mean generator, flat screen TV, and the damn Weber grill tied to the back of the car. Let me illustrate...



Perhaps you have noticed that it is dark outside in this photograph. That's because it was 5:45 in the morning..on a Saturday...and on a day in which our local weatherman called for a 90% chance of rain. So, on the off chance we might luck out with the 10% chance of decent weather, the Mr. spent 24 hours prior to this photograph packing tupperware containers, pattying hamburgers, tearing the TV off my bedroom wall, and then tying it to the back of our car on a newly purchased tailgate apparatus for the drive to Tuscaloosa. And as you can see, he had company in this mission below.



And boy were they proud. She's pretty happy, too. I mean she even has "Big Al" cookies for us at 7:15 in the morning.



Notice I am not to be found on this scene. Why? Because I was a) wearing jeans, b) wearing glasses, and c) just counting down the minutes until we uncorked the champagne for Mimosas. That was going to be the highlight for me, I just knew it.

So we get to Tuscaloosa, find a great place to tailgate, which is now officially "ours" until the end of time according to the Mr., and then we proceed to unpack. It all spills out of the car with ease and we have little trouble making this year long dream a reality. We ate , I got sleepy, made the Mr. turn on the car so I could have air conditioning, and then I napped. Only to be awakened by what? A torrential rain. Imagine that? We didn't score on the 10% off chance this would not happen. This is the Mr. after said event:



Yep. Soaking wet and apparently confused by his beer.

Once the rain stopped the humidity set in and it was a little sauna-esque. I changed into dry clothes...(you didn't really think I was wearing jeans did you?) and trudged to the game with a roll of paper towels in my purse. I was not about to sit on a wet stadium seat, nor was my purse going to do the same. I probably looked a little silly drying off everything around me, but well, it's certainly not the first time.

We made it back afterwards, took everything down, dried it off, and packed it all back into "Big Red" for the ride home. For some reason I always have to drive us home, which is a real treat. For there are always two backseat drivers telling me exactly how they would be driving if they were in command. Of course, I don't listen and instead turn the heat on full blast and roast them until they shut up. It's a favorite trick.

Nesxt stop: Homecoming Game against South Carolina. Ya'll come on down if you want. We'll be the ones at Bryant and Sixth at about, oh , 4:30 in the morning.

Musings on Labor Day

I don't really get Labor Day. It's kinda silly, but I'm not complaining. I'm a banker after all and we take all the silly holidays...umm, Columbus Day? But like I said...I'm not complaining.

So the long weekend was a good one. Friday night we had my Dad and Lyn in town to get ready for Laura's party. Saturday was all party, all day long. And yesterday, was just plain fun. The Mr. and I enjoyed a nice lunch, followed by shopping, and more shopping, and then being lazy at home. For him, this meant scrutinizing the Bama game one more time thanks to DVR, and for me, it meant breaking out the monogramming machine and my new sewing machine to get started on something exciting...what that is, I'm not sure.

Today, my Mom and I spent some time running the thrift/antiques circuit and listing out latest treasures on Ebay, which really is my ABSOLUTE favorite thing in the world to do. This was followed by more sewing and monogramming, and now, this.
The Mr. leaves very soon( try 6 hours from now) for a week of work in Charlotte, NC, followed by two more weeks away. I hate this part...

So, I'll be here, just doing what I do..but I'll keep you posted!!!

Laura's Surprise 40th Party

My sister turned 40 today and we celebrated with a surprise party last night, Mexican style!!! She's getting old, that girl...

 

 

 

 

Happy Birthday, Sister!!!

The Best Laid Plans...

Yes, it's true, the best laid plans of mice and men oft do go astray.

It has been a week since I last blogged and while my intentions ( the "best laid plan" part) have been to be a frequent updater, brimming with fun and new things, life just hasn't worked out that way ( the "astray" part). It's been a busy week to say the least, so here's an update since last Tuesday:

- Last Tuesday sucked. See previous entry.

-Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday followed suit. I was sick most of those days, but trudged through the work week until one o'clock on Friday when I could take no more. I came home, made my own chicken noodle soup, and soothed my soul with a few helpings while watching Judge Hatchett in my room. When I say I made my own soup, I mean I really made it, like from scratch. Not my "good" Paula Deen recipe ( mouth watering yet, Jensen?), but more like something my Mom would have made and tried to pass off as "real" soup ( broth, can of peas, egg noodles, and a boat load of pepper).

- Saturday I felt better. Good enough to go to the driving range with the Mr. and hit a few golf balls. Only a few though, as my athletic streak was short-lived (big surprise there)and the heat made me succumb to my normal antics. That means complaining that it's hot, describing every inch of misery to the Mr., and well, acting like a seven year old. He's used to it.

-On Sunday I slept late...nine o'clock. Whoa. And then I decided to clean out a closet, which is always a big mistake when you have company coming in just a few days. I can't ever seem to "organize" ( i.e. throw it all back in the closet) in the same way. The highlight of the day was the Mr. making homemade French Onion Soup which was divine. Apparently the Jensen's are some soup lovers.

-Monday came and went like all Mondays do. However, I will add that this Monday seemed to last a lot longer than most. Perhaps it was the 12 hour workday? Or the fact that I decided to bathe Bitsy at midnight? Or the maybe I was still tired from all that cleaning out I did on Sunday?

And here we are, another Tuesday. My Wii is still broken, my husband collected a piece of crappy furniture from our even crappier old neighbor which is now in my guest bedroom, and to top it all off, I have to do it all over again tomorrow.

Next post: Something Shiny and Fun, but potentially fictional...:)

The Little Things...

People often say it's the little things that matter. I think they're referring to little things like hugs and kisses, sunshine and teddy bears. You know, the good things ( well, sorta...I personally cannot stand stuffed animals).

I like to think it's the little things that will turn a perfectly lovely Tuesday into a living hell. But that's just me...I'm a little more "glass half empty".

So, I get up this morning and rush off to an incredibly long-winded meeting at work, which lasts just short of 4 hours. This is followed by another "one-on-one" meeting with my boss in which we discuss, well nothing exciting, unless of course you like balance sheets and human resources. I leave there and head straight to the office with no lunch, only to spend the remainder of the day entertaining some recent college grad who is interning at the bank. Small talk sucks.

By 3:00, I want to eat my arm ( no lunch, remember), so I run out for a quick bite...egg salad sandwich. Of course, there is absolutely no time to eat at a table or while stopped, must eat on the go and make the most of my 10 minute respite from the office. So, I pull back into my parking place, chomping down on the last bite of my sandwich, only to find that half of the egg salad is on my brand-new navy blue suit, purchased just yesterday. And when I say all over, I mean buttons are covered and the sleeve looks like a bottle of mustard. Lovely.

I make the most of the situation and run back in to finish my gig and behold!...a package arrives. And it's for me!!
I knew all along what it was, but having the mailman drop something in your hands never gets old. I opened it slowly to reveal my new Wii game, Wii Active. Allegedly, it's the best and most fun workout ever, so I thought I'd get it and see. At last, a highlight to the day!!
I come home, change clothes, run an errand or two, and come back home with excitement comparable to a kid on Chirstmas morning. I break open the package, get help from the Mr. turning on the TV ( I mean I know how to turn on a TV...it's all that "Input" business and "Video 1" that always gets me), and hit power on my Wii.

And guess what? Nothing happens.
Is it plugged in? Yes.
Is it brand spanking new? Yes.
Should it work? Abso-freakin-lutely.

But it doesn't. It's dead. So, I stomp off and cry...yes, I really did. Why? Because it was just one "little thing" that pushed this girl over the edge.

Move over sunshine, the clouds are rolling in....