April's New Car

My daughter-in-law, April, drove in this morning with this new vehicle ! It is really pretty and has so many options, it is unbelievable. It has a voice-activated navigation system so you just tell the car where you want to go and it takes you there.

It also has voice-activated other things such as you can tell it to find a jazz station under the entertainment menu or tell it to turn on the air conditioner, etc. - it is truly a technological marvel.

And speaking of technological marvels, this is the first picture I have taken with my camera phone and then transferred it to my computer so I could put it on my blog. Now considering my limitations, THAT is a technological marvel !

Wonderful Time of Year

There is no event I enjoy more than having all my family at Christmas. Everyone was here this year at the same time - that allowed us to enjoy all the things we like most. One night was singing, playing games, laughing and joking - then there were the church services that are so special at this time of year. The family brunch and gift opening on Christmas day was a new tradition (brunch instead of dinner) that we liked so much, we decided to do it again next year. My extended family consisting of about 40 people gathered at our house on Christmas afternoon for more eating, laughing, talking and catching up on family events that we may have missed during the year.

I am thankful for my family and all the joy they bring to me. I am truly blessed !

Famous Movie Quotes

This year's Official Oscar Poster is made up of quotes from movies which have withstood the test of time and have become household sayings among many of us. Some of my personal favorites are :

"If I forget to tell you later, I had a really good time tonight."

"What we have here is a failure to communicate."

"You want the truth ? - you can't handle the truth!"

"Here's looking at you, kid."

"And to think, I gave him to you."

"Mama always says, Stupid is as stupid does."

"Fried shrimp, boiled shrimp, shrimp gumbo, shrimp scampi, shrimp kabobs, shrimp creole, coconut shrimp, barbeque shrimp, shrimp cocktail, grilled shrimp, and I guess that's about it."

"And I'd like to get you something for Christmas, too, Clark, something really nice."

"It's Christmas, Audrey, we're all in misery."

Do you have some favorite movie quotes that are repeated around your house? If so, let me hear from you.

My $.02 Worth

I am going to jump right into the middle of the Christmas tree controversy and give my opinion.

First, let me assure you that I am more liberal minded than most people you know, and definitely more liberal than most people of my generation. I pride myself on being non-prejudicial in regard to everything - sexual orientation, racial differences, gay marriage, abortion, religious differences, and all the "hot button" topics of today's society but the current hoopla over banning Christmas trees in public is just over the top.

Think about it - if we have to take the word Christmas out of everything we say, we will just become one big blob of confused mess around this time of year. I do not believe Jewish people, Muslims, or people who celebrate Kwanza or subscribe to the teachings of the Dahli Lama or any other religions other than Christianity really take offense to Christmas trees, Santa Claus, and the other trappings associated with this season.

To Christians, Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Christ, but there is also more to it than that. It is a time when all people celebrate family and friends. It is a time of love and respect and redemption and renewal and remembrance and sharing and expressing love and appreciation to everyone who is a part of our life. It is a time when the cares of the world can be temporarily put aside while we watch the glow of happiness on the faces of children who have just received a visit from Santa Claus, or the twinkle in the eye of a nursing home patient who is sitting listening to a group of children singing Christmas carols to them.

I think we should just "chill out" and enjoy this wonderful season of love,joy, sharing and giving. There are many battles in this world worth fighting - homelessness, world hunger, child abuse, the AIDS epidemic, drug abuse, poverty, and the list goes on and on, but a battle over Christmas trees is not one of them.

They're Multiplying !

Imagine my surprise when I opened the program which listed the orchestra members who are accompanying our Christmas musical presentation and the first viola player listed was named Susan Hawkins ! That makes four that I know. I've already had people tell me they didn't know my Susan played the viola as well as the piano. It's confusing !

Speaking of the Christmas musical, we spent several hours practicing yesterday and we rehearse with the orchestra for the first time tonight and the presentation is tomorrow night. I still get chill bumps when I sing The Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah and now I am going to get to sing it with a professional orchestra. That will be awesome !

Serves Them Right !

Whirlwind Weekend

This past Thursday night, my daughter and I flew to Texas, spent Friday and Saturday packing and moving a family member out of her house she had occupied for about 40 years. Then all three of us packed liked sardines into her car with her beloved cat, and made a 16 hour car trip to Atlanta, arriving around 9:00 p.m. The final leg of the trip was my drive from Atlanta to Fort Payne last night. Needless to say, it was a long weekend but we accomplished everything we set out to do and it was a good feeling to have that major task behind us.

I think it always helps us to appreciate others when we see how hard other careers can be. I definitely would not want to be a professional packer and mover ! Although I'm told I'm pretty good at it.

One Benefit of the Blog

During the school year, 1991-1992, our family hosted an exchange student from Finland and had a wonderful year with him. Several years after that he came back to the USA for a brief summer at a University and we saw him again but about 5 years ago, I lost contact with him and had tried, unsuccessfully, to find him. I had searched the "find people" services many times and had tried to find phone numbers through international phone information channels.

Yesterday, out of the blue, my daughter got a comment from him on her blog and he had tracked her down . Thank you, blogsphere, for helping us find our long lost friend !

What About Those Multiple Ceremonies ?

Four months ago today, I published a post about Pamela Anderson and Bob Ritchie (Kid Rock)planning to get married in four different places around the world. They only made it to three of the ceremonies - ditching the Michigan location at the last minute.

Today, I read where Pamela filed for divorce less than four months after the marriages - guess having multiple ceremonies isn't the answer after all.

Things to be thankful for ....

While our Thanksgiving holiday was not without some stress, for the most part, it was absolutely wonderful ! We had some sickness of extended family members which caused some changes of plans and unexpected trips and rearranging of schedules but despite all that, here are the things I enjoyed:

1. Thanksgiving day with my family - eating, talking, laughing and did I mention eathing ?

2. A raucous game of Balderdash which left us with sides hurting from laughing so hard.

3. Shopping on Friday with my girls - yes, I know it's insane but I'm one of those who loves to hit the stores the day after Thanksgiving and stand in long checkout lines with the other go-zillion people who have the same idea of shopping that I do.

4. Eating at Bonefish Grill with my family on Friday night. Wow! I have eaten there many times and have never had a bad meal. (Sorry, Heidi, I can't remember the names of all the food I ate but it was wonderful) Of course, the company could not have been better.

5. Putting up my Christmas tree and outside decorations certainly put me in a festive mood. I sat in the living room last night watching the twinkling lights, looking at the fire and listening to Christmas music .

I'm thankful for holidays and thankful for my family who brings me so much joy !

Think About It

In Dakar this week people waited for days to get bread and water.

People in Zimbabwe have been waiting for weeks to get life-saving vaccines for their children.

In South Africa, people walked for days and stood in line for hours in order to vote.

In America, people camped out for days, stood in line, shot other people who were in line, and robbed people at gunpoint, to get a Play Station 3.

It's sad. We need to be better than that.

Happy Birthday, Eric

My son-in-law Eric is celebrating a birthday today. I credit him for getting me into blogging - a pasttime I thoroughly enjoy. I credit him for making us laugh with his one-liners, for being a good sport , for being a loving family member to us, and for being a good husband to my daughter. Can't ask for much more than that in a son-in-law. Happy Birthday, e, hope you have a great day !

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

THE GOOD : Auburn beat Alabama 22-17 for their 5th straight win over their main rivals. The game was exciting, the weather was beautiful, we had tons of fun with our awesome family and friends, and for Auburn fans, it couldn't have been better.

THE BAD: Our Fort Payne football team lost to Athens in the playoffs 41-7. Fort Payne had lots of turnovers and certainly didn't have a good night Friday night.

THE UGLY: After the Auburn/Alabama game, as Auburn players and coaches tried to enter the tunnel going into their dressing room, Alabama students pelted them with cups, full bottles of water and other trash items. As Auburn's David Irons reached to shake a police officer's hand, an Alabama fan hit him in the eye with a full bottle of water, prompting him to have to be treated by team doctors for a serious eye injury. Now if that's not UGLY, I don't know what is. To be fair, all Alabama fans are not like that but it doesn't take many instances of poor sportsmanship to ruin the reputation of a school.

Great Football Weekend Ahead

As you may have guessed by now, I am an avid football fan - particularly high school and college (not so big on the pros). Anyway, my two favorite teams are playing this weekend. Tonight, my high school alma mater is playing its 12th game of the year - all of which they have won so far. First time since 1935 they have gone undefeated and they are now in playoffs. Go, Wildcats !

Secondly, tomorrow I will be traveling to the Iron Bowl in Tuscaloosa to cheer my Auburn Tigers to victory. If we win, it will be our 5th straight victory over the Tide. Win or lose, it promises to be a great day with family and friends! War Eagle!

Would have taken a picture but . . .

Unfortunately, my cell phone does not have a camera on it but I was in the drive-through line at the bank today and the new truck in front of me had two bumper stickers: The one on the left said, "God Loves You." The one on the right said , "Welcome to America. Learn to Speak English or Go Home."

Seems to me, one would have to subscribe to one of those beliefs or the other - not both at the same time.

First Family Member Goes Hybrid

My brother Charles came by yesterday to show me his new Toyoto Hybrid. He drove 49.9 miles on his first gallon of gas and claims that in-town driving gets around 60 MPG. The car automatically switches from gasoline to electric when in the idle mode so when stopped at traffic lights or in busy traffic, you are not using gas.

It's a pretty cute design and I'm sure sooner or later we will all be driving cars that do not use gasoline at all - just a matter of time.

Thanks, Tiger

Saturday, after 20 years of representing Auburn University's school spirit, golden eagle Tiger will retire. Tiger has served as War Eagle VI since 1986, soaring over the football stadium at the beginning of home games in a spectacular display of grace, beauty and elegance.

She was honored by the 2002 Winter Olympics Committee in Salt Lake City when she was asked to fly over the opening ceremony of the games.

Earlier this year, Auburn veterinarians diagnosed Tiger with skin cancer and she has since undergone surgery and radiation therapy. In 2005, she was honored for her contributions to Auburn and the state of Alabama by being inducted into the Alabama Animal Hall of Fame.

Tiger's successor, War Eagle VII, will take over at halftime Saturday after Tiger's last flight.

Thank you, Tiger, for making Auburn fans feel so much pride. Job well done.

Favorite Movies

I love going to movies and it is almost impossible to pick out favorites - there are so many I like but there are some which I have watched dozens of time each and still enjoy them. Here are my top 15 picks:

1. The Sound of Music
2. Back Street
3. Titanic
4. Gone With the Wind
5. Pretty Woman
6. Notting Hill
7. Forest Gump
8. Christmas Vacation
9. The Prince of Tides
10.The Notebook
11.An Officer and a Gentleman
12.Driving Miss Daisy
13.The Shawshank Redemption
14.Sleepless in Seattle
15.One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Hard to Believe

A news article today claimed that a 23-year-old woman in Washington state went to the hospital with a severe stomach ache and left there with a full-term baby boy ! She said she didn't have any idea she was pregnant.

Having experienced pregnancy three times, I have some questions about it :

1. Did she notice a large bulge on the front of her body ?
2. Did missing 9 months of "you know what" give her any clue that something
was wrong ?
3. What about the smell of food cooking sending her flying to the bathroom to
throw up ?
4. And even if she missed all those clues, after about the 5th month, a baby
starts moving around inside - initially giving fluttering feelings which
ultimately turn into full-blown, blatent, hard kicks to the ribs commencing
about the 7th month and continuing for the duration of the pregnancy.

Do you think after all that she just figured she had eaten some too spicy chili dogs ?

Check Out This Clock

This is a fascinating clock.