Realizations

  Just a couple of things I was thinking about when I was getting ready this morning….

 

1.  Who the hell wants to be a President?  Like I said, as I was getting ready this morning, I was listening to the Today show and Matt Lauer was interviewing Presidential nominee, McCain.  Matt is grilling McCain on issues such as the war, gas prices, the economy and on and on and on.  Of course they were very reasonable questions.  Do you think people are overreacting to this whole gas thing?  Is it sad to you that people are having to choose between buying food and filling up their tank to get to work? 

  Now I’m not saying anything in the way of how I am going to vote.  To be perfectly honest, I think this time around I’m going to have to decide between the lesser of the two evils.  But that is not the point.  The point I’m trying to make is that I can’t believe that someone actually wants to do this…run for President.  Why?  Think about it for a second.  You get blamed for EVERYTHING, you are under 24/7 security because somewhere out there there is someone who wants you dead, when times are tough (like now) people look to you for the answers and the list just keeps going.  If you take a look back, you can see the toil it does to these past, present and future Presidents.  Look at Bill Clinton for example.  You take him while he was running for President and then fast forward 8 years and you can see him go from a vibrant, articulate man to an old, white-haired scandalous one.  Now, I am not a Clinton fan, but you have to say that I’m right.  And of course he is not the only one.  Pretty much every President is the same way.

 

  

 

  So, my question is “Why?”  You don’t get paid anything more than maybe what a national news anchor makes.  Actors make triple the salary.  Of course you get this for the rest of your life for 8 years of service, but is it worth it?  I personally don’t think so.  If someone came to me today and offered me to be the leader of our nation, I would have to thankfully decline. 

  So, although I don’t respect many politicians, or the Presidential candidates, I will have to admire the courage and the tenacidy they have to put themselves through to become elected.  I don’t know why, but I’m just glad it ain’t me.

 

2.  People sometimes are what they seem.  I won’t go much into detail, but I’ve realized that if you really start listening to your instincts, without jumping to too many conclusions, you can see people for what they are.  You can tell if they are manipulating you, using you, lying to you or all that the opposite.  Nothing particularly happened to me, but it was something I was thinking about.  People aren’t all that complicated.

3.  That it is possible to turn something you love into a career.  I just didn’t think that could happen but maybe to a handful of people on this Earth.  I learned this over the past week while talking with my photographer for the wedding.  It’s still amazing to me how this woman from a totally different background turned her passion into a business.  And succeeding!!  That is the most awesome part!

 

  So, the bottom line is this…do what you love, trust your instincts and by God, be glad that for better or worse, there is someone who wants to do the dirty work!

 

Progression

  So, I feel fairly confident that I am moving right along with the wedding plans.  I already have a DJ, reception venue, chapel, and caterer already booked!  Now I have two more things to place a check next to…a photographer and a baker!

  Joe and I met with our photographer on Monday and she is simply awesome.  She is exactly my age and I was so impressed with her already supurb portfolio.  I mean, because come on….28 is still young!  Well, at least in my opinion it is, so of course I am so amazed she transitioned so well from the corporate world to photography.  We are so thrilled to have her.  If you’re interested, you can check out her website at

 www.brooketurnerphotography.com

 

  Check out her blog and slideshows.  I’m so excited to have one of these especially!

 

  The baker we chose works out of her house in the Northeast area and is pretty neat because her last name is Williamson and when I told her that would be my married name, she said her daughter’s name is Paula!!  So there will be 2 Paula Williamson’s that I know roaming around Columbia!!  It must be fate!

  We sat with her for about an hour and created a wedding cake!  I think it is going to be a mixture of class, fun, romance and tradition, if I do say so myself.  Joe and I worked together in coming up with what we wanted and here is a picture of the beginning stages.

 

 

  The stand it is sitting on is the stand we will be using!  The picture doesn’t do it justice as it needs to be polished and such, but it is gorgeous!!  I did work from a picture I found in a magazine, but I will leave it a suprise!!

  To keep my mouth watering, I’ll post a few morsels that we were allowed to try…

 

Who knew?

       

 

So this past weekend was a relaxing one since this was the first weekend I didn’t have to go out of town in I don’t know how long.

  So on Sunday, Joe and I took advantage of the beautiful weather and decided to take some pictures around 5 Points that I’ve always wanted to take, but never did.  I felt like a tourist and not a local that has lived here for a little over 10 years!!  All I was missing was a fanny pack.

  It started off at the normal spots, and Joe suggested we hit the Saloon for a beer and listen to a little country music.  We walked in and no one was around…no patron, no bartender…no one.  We did hear music in the back, so we followed the noise and lo and behold, there was an outdoor bar and deck in the back.  I have never known there was such a thing.  Turns out we were crashing a Ho-Down party, but the hosts were very gracious and asked us to hang out with them.  Everyone dressed the part and was very friendly.  I promised I wouldn’t post anyone’s faces on my site, but I couldn’t resist getting this!

 

I just don’t know…

  What’s that line from “Steel Magnolias”….”You know that I’d rather chew my lips off than speak bad about anybody….”.  Weelll, the same is true for me after recently seeing this video!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/24664786#24664786

  So…many…words…thoughts….come to mind!! Where do I even begin!?!  Now, I must confess that during my formative years I loved NKOTB (my fiance used to look like Joey when he was little which initially drew me to him in 5th grade!) so I feel like I have the right to comment.

  First, on a positive note, I must say they all look really good.  Time has done them well.

  Now to the good stuff!!  Really?  Were they really trying to sing?  It was awful!!  Take away the fact that I now realize all of their songs SUCKED, but they SUCK at singing!!  I wasn’t sure if Jordan was wearing glasses because he was crying from the realization that he sucked, or if Donnie was wearing a hat to cover up his embarrassment.  If those weren’t the reasons, they should have been.

  Secondly…the dancing!!  Really?  Did they really try to dance?!  These men were dancing like they were 15!!  I about fell out of my chair, I was laughing so hard.  And then Jon!!  Oh poor Jon.  He was, is and will always be the dork out of that group (and that is saying a lot).  Watch when they take off their jackets and it so sad to see how he takes his off and all the while I can’t help but think he should be behind some computer figuring out the alternative fuel situation right now…not dancing around and trying to sing awful songs!

  Lastly, I will  make fun of the fans.  You can’t talk about NKOTB and NOT make fun of the fans.  These girls who are my age that went back home to their closets and pulled out anything NKOTB, hot pink and can be confused with George Michael’s wardrobe, are still giggling like their back in 1991.  I know I have a picture of my friend Leah and me when we were about 10 outside a hotel where we stayed when we went and saw them.  I’ll have to rummage through my closet and post it!

 

 

 

They’re here!

 

  Awwww…after much anticipation, the three little birdies are born!!  Last night, on the way to Shannon’s for Cinco de Mayo, Joe pulled up a chair, while Mama Robin was on a grocery run, and when I peeked quickly (for fear Mama Robin might catch me then nosedive into my skull) I saw three of the ugliest things you ever have seen!!  But they were so ugly they were cute!  They had little fuzz ball heads, their eyes were closed and their mouths open, but they didn’t make a peep. 

 Then when I went home for lunch this afternoon, I could hear them from as soon as I stepped out of my car.  I so badly wanted to take a quick picture, but Julie’s comments about the flash from my camera blinding them stuck, so you’ll just have to guess as to what they look like….really ugly, tiny gremlins!!

  On a side note, I think we did the Mexican culture proud by celebrating Cinco de Mayo with festive tacos and margaritas.  More importantly, Leigh didn’t burn down the house!

 

UPDATE:  I couldn’t resist…I had to know what they looked like!!

 

           

Why I love Cola town

  Saturday was the Kenny Chesney concert.  After many weeks of waiting for the big day, it finally arrived!  My sister, her husband and some mutual friends drove down from Myrtle Beach to enjoy the day with us.  We spent minutes planning our KennyGate and came up with a packed car full of beer, burgers and buns. 

 We settled in our spot, pitched the tent and started cracking open the Miller Lites.  After meeting some of our extremely interesting “neighbors”, we noticed that our grill wasn’t working, so those wonderful people lent us theirs.  The new grill was on top of the old one, depicting grandma’s house with that old clunky TV with another smaller one on top.  It was class all the way!

 Once we finally were able to slop some potato salad onto our plates, was when we noticed the sky getting darker and the wind picking up.  In a split second, we were holding on to our plates, beer and pretty much our clothing, the wind was so strong.  But that didn’t stop us from drinking our beer!

 When it was finally time to go in Billy Brice, we were catching Lee Ann Rimes sporting a Gamecocks jersey paired with some high, high black heels.  I have to say, DAMN that girl looked good!  I kept bugging Joe asking him how they got the jersey to not ride up on her, but he was busy drooling (even though he says she looks like a man), so I just assume the Gamecocks football team loaned her one of their jerseys and she is so “short” that it was long on her.  Anyways, I’m rambling.  I just want to know!

 Then Kenny finally made his “grand entrance”.  Grand not because of all the video, lights and fans…grand because he broke his foot on the way up!  That didn’t make any difference to him.  He kept on going, wincing between sets, but still pulling off an awesome show.  I was very proud of us for cheering him on, and I think he genuinely appreciated it.

 But what I also remember besides the crowd, the music, the drinks…was the town.  Right when the sun started setting I looked all around me and saw my town.  Joe even looked at the skyline, turned to me and said “You know what?  That’s our city.”  I knew exactly what he meant.  I looked at the tower at my old station I worked for and thought of all those memories.  I looked at the State House and the college dorm where I spent many a night wondering if I would ever fit in to such a “big city”.  I looked at the place I rushed the field when we finally won a game after a breathtaking catch.  I looked.  And as I looked, I realized that this is home.  Though there have been bad times and great times, no matter what, this city is my home.  I don’t see any other place where the people are nicer, the faces familiar and the support of its citizens to push through broken “bones” and put on a fantastic show!

   

 

  

 

 

  

   

So long!

  I know, I know…it has been a while since I have blogged.  To catch you up, I’ve been busy planning for a wedding, trying to plan to make a garden and in the meantime, having a blast with family and friends!

 Now that spring is finally here, I’ve been noticing all the little things about this season that makes me smile….the flowers that bloom, the runners on the street, the festivals, the pollen that makes me sneeze, the hum of lawn mowers of owners who can’t wait to make their yard the best on the block, afternoon rain showers that can lull you into a cat nap….but what I really love are the birds. 

Birds in my neighborhood are crazy.  You know how birds are supposed to only chirp in the day?  Well, we have some insomniac birds who go all night!  But, I have to say it is all worth it when one day I went to water my Wandering Jew (yes, that is actually the name of the plant), and when I took it down from its hook, I noticed a perfectly constructed bird’s nest.  I quickly put it up worried that I may have broken the cardinal rule of bird’s nests by just looking at it and feared the mother would never return. (There’s actually a story at my last place where a bird built a nest right outside my living room window, and the bird sat and sat and sat never moving until one day I think she got tired of me staring and stalking her that she flew away…no birds or anything!) 

So anyway, I put the Jew back up and waited patiently.  Fortunately I did not have to wait long before I saw this pretty little robin fly out of the nest as I opened my front door.  I called to her quickly explaining that I loved having her as a guest and to please come back.  She wanted none of it.  So, I tiptoed to my car and went on my way.  When I got home that evening, I could see her from the end of the sidewalk.  She was there!  She didn’t leave me!

 Well, unlike my other experience, this bird couldn’t seem to stay still.  Granted, we have to walk right past her when we come in the door, so this causes the apparant flight to the neighbor’s yard.  But over the weekend, we noticed that at night, she wouldn’t move…even if we stood right next to her.  She did, of course, give us the “stink eye” and dared us to try anything, but she didn’t move! 

While she went away, to probably pick up some take out, I had to get a chair and camera and see what it was she was busy working on and inside was this….

Happy St. Patty’s Day!

 

Just wanted to tell everyone Happy St. Patty’s Day!  Guess that was evident in the title….anywho, hope everyone is happy and healthy, and 2008 be the “luckiest” year yet!

P.S.  My first attempt at Sheppard’s pie to honor the holiday.  It tasted much better than it looks!

                                                     

I’m engaged!

 

  Ok, so it’s been a while, but it’s been crazy with moving and such that I haven’t had much time to fill you in with all the goings-on.  Anyway, I don’t like to get too personal on this blog, but just wanted to let you know.  It was sweet and perfect and now I’m going to be really busy!!  That is all!

For every future birthday, Christmas or whatever present…

  Ok, so it’s kind of slow today and when that happens I can only get into trouble.  Joe thinks it’s amusing that when I have these said slow days, I come home with new ideas and crazy antics which always somehow either drag him to some “womanly” event or costs money.

  Well, today it will cost money…but it’s worth it!!  As we are counting the days until we move into our new home, I’ve HGTV’d, TLC’d and Google’d an entire imaginary scenirio of what our place will look like.  My whole idea of wall decorating, besides the new paints I’m waiting to purchase, will be photography.  As I’m not a huge “art” fan (by “art” I mean paint art) I do love me some black and white pictures.  I’m going tomorrow to check out some historic pictures of Columbia that I will purchase, matte (?) and frame myself and be oh so pleased that I came up with this “brillant” idea. 

  I thought I was done.  Ohhh, no!  Of course I came across this self-taught BRILLIANT photographer whose pictures took my breath away, because I realized this is EXACTLY the pictures I’ve always wanted, always wanted to take, and yet for some reason could never find.  If I was to be a brilliant photographer I would want to be her.  Forget  Ansel  Adams!  It’s her!!  Sigh, ok, I’m done.  So, go check her photographs out.  They are unbelivably simple and utterly charismic (I can’t find the spell check on this thing).  And again, if you find it hard to get me a gift….

  http://www.aliciabock.com