merry christmas

Between Nutcracker, Covid, working with Sally Sue, and an unusually busy
work season, this Christmas has come and gone in a flash.

One family tradition is that my Dad gets to pick the meal, as our day
is divided to celebrate his birthday in the evening. 
This year was spaghetti & turkey meatballs at my house.

My house is far from perfect (peep the bookshelves) but I'm going to enjoy
coming home to this cozy tree for a little bit longer. 

#pondproject - frozen

Just a little photo to document the freeze.  I'd say this is day 5 of the pond being frozen?  It got above freezing for a few hours, but otherwise, it has been in the teens and 20s.  I was out of town when the pond froze, but the water must have been very still, because it's almost like glass. The shallow end of the pond is frozen to the bottom, about a foot deep! 

Close up of the reflections of the trees in the ice.  This quite possibly will end up at the background on my phone.

I hate the cold, but at least it's pretty! 

#snOMG

SNOOOOOW!  It's about time that we were rewarded for all this cold with a little white stuff :)  It's not a lot of snow, but it's just enough to make for pretty pictures.

So without further adieu, let me take you through my day!

10:00 am - Ombre' finally made it to Chattanooga!

1:00pm - Snow in the parking lot. After a successful trip to Armando's.

2:30pm - Still at work, more ombre'.

5:30pm - Driving home. The benefit of staying at work is empty roads.

6:00pm - Snow in the driveway!

Animal tracks, my place feels like a zoo sometimes.

I can't bring myself to lock my shed.  Bunnies need a place to stay warm too.

Doesn't it look so pretty now that it is painted?

This rhododendron is cold, but should be ok.

There will not be a bonfire tonight.

My front yard.  I am a little sad the pond decided to thaw out yesterday.

I know the roads are going to be horrible tomorrow, but I'm enjoying the snow while I can. :)

Update 1/29/14:  Here is what the pond looked like this morning on my way to work.

travel #2013 - huntsville speedway

I didn't realize it tat the time, but my trip to Huntsville Speedway this past Saturday may have been my last hurrah for my year of travel. (map)

Funny how unexpected expenses do that to you.  Regardless of how long my travel plans will be on hold, I can't believe I'm saying this, but, I'm glad I got to go to Alabama.

Oh, Alabama.

It's not quite a 2 hour drive to Huntsville Speedway.

Alabama is a beautiful, if not sometimes comical place to visit. We took the back way to the track, and let me tell you, it's been a good year for corn in Alabama.  It was tall and thick, and ready to be picked.  This area is still pretty rural, so not much had changed in the 10 years since my last trip to Huntsville.

The track itself is in a fantastic spot.  It backs up to a mountain, and as the sun sets it's absolutely gorgeous.  It seems odd to talk about the nature setting at a race track, but trust me, when you're sitting on metal bleachers at the peak of summer waiting for the show to get started, you appreciate the view.

Huntsville Speedway itself is near the top of my 'Best Tracks to Watch a Race' list.  It's short, just a quarter mile - which for you NASCAR fans, is half the size of Bristol.  Your car has to be set up to turn.  It's an action packed little track, and it's small enough that you can see everything from the stands.  The concessions and bathrooms are well laid out, so even though there was a decent crowd, I never had to wait in much of a line.  'Beer Barns' are located on both ends of the grandstands, and there is a family friendly section of seating in the middle.  Traffic isn't too bad, so everybody leaves happy.

The fans are always a great part of the 'experience' of a night at the racetrack, and as you can imagine, the great state of Alabama does not disappoint in this arena.  Close your eyes, and think about what race track hairstyles and fashion might look like in Alabama.  I can say with 95% confidence that someone who fits that description was at the track this weekend.

No crazy hair in this picture, just a cool sunset.

Along with the fashion, it's always fun when you realize you're sitting next to a driver's mamma, or girlfriend, or drinking buddy.  And you always know, because they are vocal in their support during a race.  I'm guilty of it myself, and it makes zero logical sense, but during a race, fans go into a WWE mode and feel like they must be heard over the roar of the cars.  If payback is deserved, you will hear about it, and probably see it on the track.  It's part of what makes going to the racetrack a cultural experience.

As for the race itself, it was great.  There was a respectable number of cars present for the Rocket City 100, and they were all close in speed.  There was a lot of racing, and cars moving up through the field.  The team we went to see (my dad drove for the owner on occasion, and the last race I actually went to I spotted for this team) had a car driven by the awesome Chris Whorton, who technically led every lap of the race.  He was challenged for a while, and it definitely got 'racey' for a few laps, but the car owner has track championships at Hunstville spanning four decades, and there was little doubt that Chris would win this race.

So congratulations to Chris & Rick, it was fun to be back at the racetrack!

#tearfest2013

Before I get to heavy into this story, I want you to know that it is a happy story.  Parts of it are sad, and the waterworks were full blast this past weekend, but the tears were all happy tears.

So let me tell you an amazing story.

My cousins in Virginia are the cousins I am closest to.  Our moms are sisters, and even though we lived two states away, we saw each other every summer growing up.  There are 4 of them, and their family is nuts...in the best possible way.  They are laid back, welcoming, and above anything else, they go with the flow, or as some would say, roll with the punches.  All four of my cousins have distinct personalities, and this story is about the youngest of the group, Raleigh.  Her personality is the most laid back of them all, and I'll be honest and say that she is the most normal,grounded, and toughest of them all. (She was dropped & stepped by her siblings more than a few times as a child.)

When the oldest of the four cousins got married, Raleigh was introduced to a cousin of the groom, a special guy by the name of Lon.  He knew then that he was going to marry Raleigh.  Never mind that he was 28 with a girlfriend, and Raleigh was 17.  Lon has always been a very class act, so as fate would have it, his relationship did not last much longer, and he waited. Then, on Raleigh's 18th birthday he asked her father if it would be ok to date his daughter. He was polite and respectful, and my uncle said yes.  And as it says on their wedding website, they have been inseperable ever since.

Here's where the tears start.

**I'm going to preface this by saying my details may not be 100% accurate.  This is the version of events that I choose to keep in my mind. The only detail that really matters to me is that Lon & Raleigh got married this weekend.**

Twenty six months ago Lon was working and involved in an explosion.  He was in rural Virginia, in a place where there is normally no cell phone reception.  This is where the miracles start happening.


So somehow, someone was able to call 911, somehow there was a clearing in the woods close for helicopters to land, somehow there was morphine available very quickly, and somehow Lon was sent to the AMAZING burn unit in Richmond, where he would become a semi permanent fixture.  I can't imagine what that day was like.  A friend of a friend was working at the hospital when Lon came in, and all I've been told was that it was bad.  I'm not sure of the exact percentage, but Lon was burned over 90+% of his body.  He was wearing a welding helmet & boots, so his face & feet were the least burned.  It takes an amazing person, and an amazing team to survive that. Somehow that is exactly the group of people that gathered in Richmond. Somehow he survived.

I'm not going to talk much about the next 20 or so months.  All that matters is that Lon got the nickname Superman, his dog Cassie passed the therapy/service dog exam with flying colors, Raleigh graduated Suma Cum Laude from Virginia Tech, two families came together (and added A LOT of extended family), and Lon proposed to Raleigh. (That would be #tearfest2012 if anyone ever wants to hear that story.)

Fast forward to this past weekend.  Lon & Raleigh got married, and I don't think I have ever seen a happier couple. Everything was perfect.  The weather, the well placed shade, the breeze.   Lon has always been a quiet guy, but his face lights up when Raleigh is in the room.  This weekend , he was more animated that I have ever known him to be.  They were both so happy and excited, and I can't imagine ever being part of a more joyful celebration. in a more perfect setting. The seated ceremony was performed by the chaplain who was on duty when Lon arrived at the hospital after his accident.  She met Raleigh that night, came to know Lon through her eyes, and was able to see their love firsthand as Lon began his recovery. There was not a dry eye anywhere near the ceremony.  Their vows were powerful, and included enough humor to keep the tears to a steady stream and not a noisy flood.  After the ceremony, the bridal party came forward and formed a half circle in front of the newly weds.  A pair of silver Nike's had been discretely placed behind Lon's chair before the ceremony. Before they were even dating, Lon had been looking forward to the day that they would walk down the isle together as husband and wife.  After his accident, there was no question that they would become husband and wife, but no one knew if the whole part of the dream would come true....It did, and it was amazing. Raleigh had her dress altered so that the skirt detached, and  the two of them received a standing ovation as they took their first steps, together and on their own, as husband & wife.  Again, not a dry eye anywhere close to the ceremony.  You could not help but feel the love and support of everyone present.  The reception was a celebration, and merely a formality of joining two families that had already become one. The family present also included Lon's doctors and nurses from the hospital in Richmond, as well as the rehab facility he spent time in. The best part about the reception was how perfectly normal it was.  For me, having not spent much time with Lon & Raleigh in the past two years, this fact made me exceedingly happy.  I didn't know what to expect, and what I saw was exactly what you want to see for your cousin - a couple undeniably in love, surrounded by people who will help them move mountains. So the reception had the typical toasts and tears. There was the traditional cake cutting & face stuffing of cake. The first dance was a mash up of Kelly Clarkson's "What Doesn't Kill You" & a slow country song that was also ridiculously appropriate...everybody cried. The father daughter & mother son dances bought even more tears. I even cried happy tears as Lon removed Raleigh's garter.  When one of my cousins started calling this wedding #tearfest2013, he wasn't kidding...but they were all tears of joy and celebration. One of the coolest things about this wedding, more so than any other that I have been to, was the clarity of the foundation that was laid.  I have never been witness to a stronger foundation for a marriage, or two lives going forward.

So yeah, I cried like a little girl, but can you blame me?

Photo credit: the pictures are all iphone pictures, some are my own, and some are from my sister, the good one's are my sister's.

#travel2013 - denver

This time last week I was in beautiful, and unseasonably warm, Denver, Colorado.  Today I am back at work, cold, and watching it sleet in Chattanooga.  Yuck.

I had never been to Colorado, and I was thrilled to have the chance to go visit friends in Denver.  I stayed in the 'hipster' part of town, so everything..food, laundry mats, shopping, a two story goodwill, more shopping, movie theaters.... was walking distance close.  That's something I'm not used to, but it's really nice.

I'm going to do something different in this post.  It's going to be a lot of pictures with captions.  I think this will be a little more fun, and easier for me to do while I'm at work. (shhhh)  It's also going to make it easier to pin the pictures I took of things I couldn't bring home.  (double shhhh)

Probably the best part of my trip.  I went to visit a musician, but did not expect to hear him play.
The best thing in the world is seeing your friends excel doing what they love.
I'm completely spoiled to have so many friends who fall in this category.

I love meeting new people, especially artists.  Sitting in on this jam session made me happy.

Since I stayed with musicians, we went out to see live music too.  We hit up Cervante's for
their 10 year anniversary show w/Motet. The good thing about having musician friends is
they know how to pick out good music.

One of the guys had two fantastic dogs.  Bentley looks and acts like a cat.
He's shy, but once he gets to know you he's a cuddler.

Weezer (100 lbs of love) was OK having me around, but he never quite gave up his spot
on the couch. He just chilled on top of me instead.

The neighborhood I stayed in was neat. Lots of houses with cool architectural
 details and fun colors. There was a lot of personality, and I liked it.  This is
what I walked past getting to the shops on South Broadway.  The rest of the
pictures are from the shops here.

Yarn Bombed!  The shop beside this tree sold new clothes made from vintage fabrics.

Such a shame I took a picture of the booze and not the food.
The food at The  Hornet was so good I ate there twice, lunch & brunch. 

I'm not sure how I feel about this edition being in a vintage bookstore.

This little guy would have found it's way into my luggage if it we're $95!!

L-O-V-E these clear, stemmed, cordial glasses.

Lots of fun and funky handmade jewlery.

So much of what I saw belongs in my house. This belongs in my living room. 

This belongs over my kitchen sink.

This belongs in my kitchen.

These belong on my porch. For my smoker friends. Because I'm a good hostess.

I'm not sure where, but this just belongs, if it works.

Love these chairs.  I'm looking for something like this for a desk.

This belongs outside, above my future outdoor dining room table.

This belongs at the head of my dining room table.

The end