Bring It! A Trip to Huntsville

BRING IT!
I use to say this all the time in college... In fact this is what my t-shirt said every year we played intramural football! Handwritten with a sharpie of course!
This is one of my FAVORITE pictures and definitely my fav. of Maghan, Cort, Tara, and I!
PS.. check out that black under our eyes and try to tell me we are not cool!
Hard core I tell ya!
BRING IT!
Maghan, Cort, and I all had Spring Break the same week, so we decided to take the trip to Huntsville to see Tara and her sweet baby girl Katherine!
We meet at Rosie's for lunch.. They all said it was awesome. This was my first "Rosie's experience" and I must admit it was very good!
Cort and I

Tara, Maghan, and Addison

After eating we headed back to Tara's beautiful home and talked and talked..
Addison slept and slept.. She finally woke up and played with Katherine awhile.

Maghan, Tara, and Cort in Katherine's nursery

If that baby does not look EXACTLY like Tara...

Me with Katherine

Maghan holding Addison and Tara holding Katherine.
Addison and Katherine kept holding hands it was so sweet. Cort and I were busy taking a million pictures and calling the girls names!

Tara and I

It was a quick trip and it flew by...
We had so much fun together in college and are so blessed to still keep in touch and be such good friends!

Mac's Birthday Dinner

After Mac's game we all headed out for his birthday dinner. Where did we go? Well Old Bay Steamer of course... Now not to diss Old Bay Steamer.. It is very good, but this is where he has picked to go for years... No No..I am not complaining! When he was little he would always pick Golden Corral. So as you can understand, I welcome Old Bay Steamer!

After we got back to the house I was showing Mac the pictures that I took and he said "Yea I know in about a month I will check your blog and read.. Mac's Birthday and Baseball.."
WOW.. You know you are ALWAYS behind in your blog when your own brother is giving you a month before you post something!
So HA! This ones for you Mac... Not even 2 weeks later.... HA.. you said a month...
I am trying to keep up better with this, but its hard when you take as many pictures as I do!
(inset violin music now)
anyway... back to the subject.. Hello ADD remember me!
Happy 18th Birthday Mac!
18 years has FLOWN by and I have loved having Mac in my life more than I can explain. What a great little accident, I mean surprise.. I mean Blessing..
Yep that's it..Blessing!
Here's to the best OOPS that I know!
I love you!

A Little Baseball On Your Birthday!

Monday, March 15th Mac officially turned the big 18!

I spent the day laying out by the pool and reading my book. Then I picked my Momma up and we headed to the baseball field (Daddy met us there). After Mac's game was canceled on Friday night, I was glad to hear the game for Monday night was still on. And how funny that they were playing Lee Scott (a school from Auburn).
Even though the day itself was beautiful, it was a little windy and by the time the game started.. it was cold!
My camera hates taking pictures through the net. It has no clue what to focus on.
Mac during warm-up

Once the game started I went over to the corner, where there was an opening in the net.
Mac about to hit!

Mac on first base and getting ready to run to second

Here is Mac running into home base!

FWB won and Mac had a great game. Not only did he score, but he caught 2 balls to get the guys out.
His last catch was huge....FWB was winning, but Lee Scott had bases loaded with 2 outs. Mac caught the ball, which ended the game!
Oh yea.. that's my boy!
Mac is a lefty (like me) so I had to go over to the other side (opposing team's side) to take my pictures. There was a not very nice mother that had her tailgating chair pulled right up to the net. One time when Mac was hitting she asked, "Does he belong to you". I smiled and said, "Yes, he is brother. He does belong to me". If you know me well enough then you know the special relationship we have...
I love him very much and Yes, he does belong to me!

Happy 18th Birthday Mac

It always works out great that our Spring Break falls around Mac's Birthday. So I always go home and spend a few qualities days with the family. On Friday, I had some errands to run before leaving which included swinging by Olexa's to pick up Mac's cake. I busted my behind to make it to Destin in time to watch Mac's baseball game on Friday night only for it to be canceled. Oh well... I was just proud of myself that the entire cake made it all the way to Destin.. I wanted to eat the entire thing, WOW just think how many P90X's it would take to burn that off.. that was the ONLY thing that kept me from chowing down.. that and the fact it was Mac's cake not mine...
Mac and I (me begging to go ahead and cut the cake already)

Mac with his presents
Mac went ahead and opened his gifts on Sunday, March 14th...

Mac with the outfit we got him for his birthday... Yep, he thinks he is cool!

I made him smile to a real picture...

Momma and Daddy got Mac a few things which include this white oxford shirt

And this gift was to go with the oxford...

Cuff Links...
But not just any cuff links..
These were made from the seats at the original New York Yankees Stadium. To the left is the card of authenticity which tells which seat was used to make these cuff links. Now that is pretty cool if you ask me!

After opening presents and Mac tormenting us for days and days.. We FINALLY got to cut the cake... and YUM YUM YUM was it worth it..
If you have never had a cake from Olexa's you are missing out. Olexa's is a cafe in Mountain Brook that also caters. It is a wonderful place to go have lunch.. but save room for dessert (the BEST part).. They serve REAL buttercream wedding cake... YUM! You can order a cake and they decorate it anyway you like (Mac's cake looked great)... Well worth it people..
These days I ask myself...
Is eating this really worth it......
the answer to that question when it comes to Olexa's cake is...
YES most DEFINITELY!

Laura's Baby Shower

A few Saturdays ago, I attended a baby shower at Bethany's house. The food was wonderful and everything was decorated so cute. Bethany made this cute banner with Blair's (Laura's little girls name) on it! It was so cute and such a good idea!


Laura and I

Laura opening the gift from me... It was a soft, pink piggybank! I had never seen a piggybank like that before and I loved it.. Hopefully Blair will too!

I also got her this pink polka dotted photo album..

Cortney was one of the hosted...

Congratulations to Laura! We are excited to meet Blair!

Honoring My Granddaddy!

February 27, 2010....
My Granddaddy Barton would have been 100....
He died February of 2003! Just a little more than a month before my wedding! He was one of the most wonderful men I have ever met and he loved me very very much!
My daddy's oldest sister, Aunt Nancy, is wonderful when it comes to family. Family Memories, Family Heirlooms, she has it all under control! She organized everyone to met in the middle (our house) and have lunch on Saturday, February 27th.. In honor of My Granddaddy!
Aunt Nancy (oldest sister), My Daddy (the baby), Aunt Marion (the middle sister)
Michael and I... (this is Michael's "I love taking pictures" face)Daddy, Mac, and MichaelMac, Momma, Daddy, and Me (looking into the sun)It was great to get our family together and remember a man that meant so much to all of us!
I have said for many years now and will say it till the day I die...
Those stories...you know the ones... the ones that your grandparents have told you a zillion times...like the story of how my Granddaddy and Grandmother wrote letters to each other during their courtship.. I would give anything to hear him tell that story one more time..
or any other of his wonderful stories...
I miss him (and his stories) very much!

The Park with our Doggies

A few Sundays ago it was starting to feel nice outside. Not warm, not sunny, but nice enough to take the doggies to the park and not freeze. So that is what we did, we headed over to the Helena Intermediate School and let the dogs have fun..and yes we even had some fun ourselves.
Kenzie and I
I LOVE this picture of Michael and Shug. It is my favorite of the day!
Michael getting some love from Shug!

As the dogs were roaming and having fun, Michael and I were on the swings. Of course I needed a good picture for the blog....
Take 1: SO Hard Core swinging on the swing!

Take 2: Can you please just give me a smile?

Take 3: Well.... I just have no comment!

Take...... I think he was tired of me taking pictures of him swinging....

Michael decided to take Shug down the twirly slide... Please look at my poor puppies face.. I do not think this was his favorite thing of the day.

First and Last time going down the twirly slide...

He just wanted to get down..

While at the park, Kenzie spends most of her time digging... Meaning we spend most of our time telling her, "NO"!

We had fun spending time together and letting the doggies run some energy off. They were in much need of a bath when we got home and they slept well that night...

I am ready for REAL Spring Days, with some sunshine this time please!

Girl Night Out.. February 2010

We had our GNO at Superior Grill and celebrated Meghan and Sarah H.'s birthdays..Of course we had a blast and stayed forever and laughed.. ALOT.....We missed the girls that could not make it, we will catch y'all next time..

I must tell you...I really love these girls bunches... They are the true meaning of great girlfriends..

Rachel, Maghan, and Whitney

Me, Ashely, and Sarah H.

Hey girls... I am thinking it is about time for another Girl's Night.. Where to this time?