First Day Back

I went back to work today. When I got there this morning, I thought that I was really ahead and didn't have that much left to do. How quickly that changed!

I was lucky enough to get an ActivBoard for my classroom. It's supposed to take the place of my whiteboard, and I can use lessons that I've created on the computer. While I'm really excited to have one, I'm not so excited about the changes I've had to make to my classroom. Since the board has to be mounted on the wall, I've lost some of my front board space, and I've had to rearrange what was left. However, I'll be getting the cork board that I've been begging for for years, so that's a good thing. I'm sure that was clear as mud...

Marc has to finish moving everything for me tomorrow, since we don't have time (or shall I say YEARS) to wait for a work order to be completed by the school system. Don't you love bureaucratic red tape? Hopefully, everything will be finished early tomorrow morning, so I can finish setting up my classroom. I have so much to do!

Back to Work...Almost

Our school faculty is having a meeting today to discuss the upcoming school year. During these meetings, we usually get our classroom list, schedules, and first week procedures. It seems like I dread this meeting every year, because I don't like the unexpected. You never know what you're going to find out. 

I always say a quick prayer that God will give me the students who need me...the kids I'll be able to help the most. I also ask that I'll be able to accept His plan for the school year and not get bogged down with scheduling complaints. It may seem silly that I worry about stuff like this, but it's how I'm going to spend the next 10 months of my work life. I just pray that everything goes smoothly.

Now, off to the meeting!

Magic Burger and "Whoping Bats"

Marc and I met our friends, Scott and Kristi, for dinner at Bridge Street on Friday night. On the way there, Marc had to make a little pit stop at Best Buy. He wanted to see if they would match a competitor's sale price on a Garmin Nuvi. They said they would, so Marc ended up buying one. 

Yesterday, he was itching to try it out, so he mentioned taking a little ride. We hopped in the car and headed toward Attalla where there is this little place called the Magic Burger Drive-In. We discovered Magic Burger about a year ago while we were out geocaching. We made a few stops on the way (see an interesting one below), but we got there in time for lunch.

Marc ordered a Magic Burger with everything:

And a foot-long hot dog with relish and onions and other stuff:

I ordered a small cheeseburger with only ketchup:

And we split a large order of onion rings:

Can I just say that these were the best onion rings that I have ever tasted?!?! They were sooooo good! Definitely worth the drive!

While we were eating, a squirrel decided to join us. Marc threw it a couple pieces of his bun, and that's all it took for him to invite the rest of his squirrel friends.

This squirrel kept an eye out for a few minutes, then...

decided to snag a piece of bread.

On the way to Attalla, we stopped at this little junk store on Highway 431 called Little Lots. We had always wondered what they had, but since they have really weird store hours, they were never open when we were driving by. Well, today they were open, so we perused the junk for a little bit. We came across a cart filled with "Whoping Bats." Not sure if that was supposed to be whopping or whooping, but either one would have been equally hilarious!

On the way back, we took some back roads to play with our Nuvi. It was really awesome and got us safely back home. 

Time Warp

This morning I had to run to Wally World to pick up a few things. On my way home, I thought I had entered into some kind of time warp, because they were playing Christmas songs on the radio. That's right...Christmas songs...Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree to be exact.

Apparently, I wasn't going nuts. The radio station was running some kind of Christmas in July promo, and they were playing Christmas songs all day. Now, I love me some Christmas songs, but hearing them five months early? That is more than even I can handle. Now, only 153 more days 'til Christmas...I think.

My Friend

I ventured out alone again this morning. Well, I wasn't really alone. This time I brought my new friend, the Garmin Nuvi, along with me. 

Marc's dad let me borrow this little gem, because he knew I wanted to scope out some new stores. I went all the way to North Richland Hills, about 30 minutes from Fort Worth with lots of highway/interstate changes. There was a Garden Ridge store there that I wanted to check out, and the Nuvi led me right to it. And I was able to get back to the house without getting lost. I really need to get one of these for myself!

Here's a Great Big Texas Thank You...

from an Alabama girl! 

I just wanted to say thank you to Rex Benson from the Ol' South Pancake House. I took him up on his offer and enjoyed a German pancake on the house. It was my last day in Fort Worth, and I couldn't resist fitting one more in! Of course, it was wonderful as always! 

We'll be back for Thanksgiving, and I'm already looking forward to my next little bit of German heaven!

Saturday at the Races

We went to the Lone Star Park horse races with my father-in-law on Saturday afternoon. We always go during each trip, and I have to admit, it's really fun! We always sit at the same table and everyone who works there knows my father-in-law by name. We eat lunch there...they have an amazing buffet...and, and we watch the races.

Now, I know we're not supposed to gamble, but we always bet a few dollars just to make it more fun. I'm talking the minimum bet that can be made, no harm if we lose it. Anyway, I have noticed that there are a lot of people who bet a lot of money...hundreds...on each race. If they win, well, good for them, but these are usually people who don't need the money. If they lose, it's no skin off their back. My feeling is that I work really hard to make my money, and I have a hard time letting it go, especially if I'm not going to have anything to show for it. But since Marc's dad paid for everything while we were there, I didn't feel like there was any harm in spending what was equivalent to a dinner out.

My betting strategy is to go through the book and pick out names that mean something to me. I've had some pretty good success that way. The one bet that Marc won was when he accidentally bet on the wrong horse. He won $5.20, and he was so proud of himself. He even held on to that $5 until the next day. 

We had a really good time, and it was fun spending time with Marc's dad.

Where Friends Meet to Eat

First of all, I would like to apologize for not bringing my camera on this particular outing. I thought we were just going to grab a quick lunch and head back to the house.

Marc and I started to get a little hungry this afternoon. Instead of having a turkey sandwich at the house, I told him I wanted something like Chick-fil-a or Jack in the Box. Just something to hold us over until dinner time. 

As we were driving down the street, I mentioned how this place called Kincaid's Hamburgers always had a crowd. We debuted about whether or not to go, since neither of us had ever been. Finally, we decided to throw caution to the wind and try it out. Boy, I'm so glad we did!

Charles Kincaid's Grocery and Markey started in 1946 in the cultural district of Fort Worth. In 1966, O.R. Gentry, Kincaid's meat cutter, bought the business and started making hamburgers on a used grill. Word spread through Fort Worth that these were some awesome hamburgers. Eventually, counters and picnic tables replaced the market, and Kincaid's became a hamburger grill. Apparently, this is a little Fort Worth gem that we just stumbled upon.

Marc ordered a small hamburger with everything, and I ordered a small cheeseburger with only mayonnaise and ketchup. We also ordered a plain hot dog, a corn dog, and an order of onion rings. (We had to have things to sample, right?) The girl who took our order wrote it on a white paper bag, and we grabbed a seat at one of the picnic tables to wait for our name to be called.

A few minutes later, we had our order. My hamburger had to have been one of the best I have ever tasted. It was so good! Marc liked his burger, too. The onion rings were outstanding, and the hot dog had a really good flavor. Neither one of us really cared for the corn dog. 

I'm so glad that we found Kincaid's Hamburgers, and I can't wait to go back!

Mmmmmm...German Pancakes

This morning, Marc took me to the Ol' South Pancake House in Fort Worth. It's become a Texas tradition, and we always try to eat there at least once during our visits. The first time I went, I ordered pancakes, even though my father-in-law urged me to get the German pancakes. The thought of lemon, butter, and powdered sugar on what was basically an egg crepe sounded disgusting. However, when his pancake arrived at the table, I took a bite of it because it smelled so good. It was love at first taste!

Now, every time we go the Pancake House, I order my own German pancake. It's the only place I have ever found that makes them. Like I said above it's basically an egg crepe, with a little bit of butter and powdered sugar on top. Then, they take lemons and microwave them to soften them and bring them to the table:

Then, they press the lemons to juice them and pour the juice over the crepe:

Next, they mix the lemon juice, butter, and powdered sugar on top of the crepe:

And they fold it up into a nice little package:

And, now you have a wonderfully delicious German pancake:

Like I said, I haven't been able to find these anywhere else. Doesn't it look absolutely scrumptious? 

On My Own

Today, I ventured out on my own in big ol' Fort Worth! I managed to go to several places, and I didn't get lost. I'm so proud of myself!

We went to a great Tex Mex restaurant last night. Being that I wanted to fit in with my surroundings, I enjoyed an adult beverage...a frozen margarita swirled with sangria. (Yummy!) Since I don't drink that much, it hit me hard and quick, and as soon as I got home, I hit the bed. I didn't wake up until almost 9:00am. It probably didn't help that I was exhausted and hadn't eaten much yesterday.

By the time I woke up, everyone was gone. So, I decided that I wanted to head to a few stores around the area of Fort Worth where my in-laws live. Before shopping, I stopped at Chick-fil-a cause a girl's gotta eat, and I needed shopping energy. Then I went to Garden Ridge and looked around there for awhile. I ended up buying a wooden "M," a new soap dispenser for the kitchen, and a pillow for the bedroom.

After Garden Ridge, I went to World Market. I absolutely love that store, and the nearest one to home is in Birmingham. I looked at all their interesting stuff, but I didn't buy anything. Then, I went to Hulen Mall. I was going to the Dallas Cowboys pro shop to buy a window cling for my Honda, but I couldn't get one. Their computers were down, and they didn't know how long it would be before they came back up. I plan on going back before we leave.

After Hulen Mall, I decided to head back to the house. Everyone was home by then, so we hung out for a while and then ate a nice dinner. It was a really good day, and I'm so proud of myself for not getting lost in Fort Worth! Yay me!

Relaxing...Hawaiian Style

I caught Marc playing the ukulele the other morning while we were waiting on everyone to wake up. I thought is was really cool that he was playing the ukulele while wearing a "tropical" shirt. I love it!

Of course, once he caught me taking pictures, he insisted that I stop! I just continued anyway. 

Searching for another song:

Play on, baby!

Golf for the Boys

Al, Marc, and Cody played golf yesterday while CJ and I went shopping. It turned out to be a really nice day for it, not too hot with a little bit of a breeze. Marc didn't take the camera with him, but I did take a few pictures of the view from the house.

This is the tee box for the 14th hole. It's right outside Marc's dad's house. I love watching people come up to tee off.

This is the 13th hole, I guess. I'm not too golf savvy, but this little area sees a lot of action. In fact, you can see someone driving up on a golf cart.

They must have played hard yesterday, because the guys were relaxing when CJ and I got home. Marc said they had a great time!

Shopping for the Girls

Yesterday, CJ and I headed out to do some shopping. We started off by going to a nearby mall, because I wanted to check out their Disney store. I didn't find anything, so we headed to Grapevine to check out the mall there. It was a lot like the Opry Mills mall in Nashville. That probably no coincidence, because the Gaylord Texan is pretty close by.

We went to Neiman Marcus, Rack Room Shoes, The Disney Store, and a few shops. We both found some really cute flip flops at Rack Room. I bought two pairs, and CJ bought one pair. She also found this really pretty rug at Neiman Marcus that was marked down to only $335. We're talking about a $7000 rug, so that was a great deal. Since it was a clearance item, we got the measurements and are probably headed back over there today.

After leaving the mall, we headed to Downtown Grapevine. They have a lot of really neat stores down there, too. We stopped in several furniture stores, and then headed further into Dallas. After eating at the Cheesecake Factory, we went to a store called Mecox, but it was closed. So, we headed straight across the parking lot to Restoration Hardware, one of my all-time favorite stores. As soon as we walked in, CJ spotted some gorgeous Christmas ornaments that had been marked down to $1.00 and $1.50. She bought all that they had...we're talking almost 100 ornaments. You can't beat that deal!

While we were in Restoration Hardware, it got really stormy. We decided it was a good time to head back to the house. It was a fun, and exhausting, day of shopping!

Good Morning from the Longhorn State!

Marc and I woke up in beautiful Fort Worth this morning! We left our house yesterday at 5:30am heading to see Marc's dad and stepmom. After making stops for breakfast, lunch, gas, and potty breaks, we finally got to Fort Worth at about 6:00pm. Pretty good timing if I may say so myself! I did all the driving, except for about the last 30 minutes. I had finally had enough and handed the keys over to Marc. 

One gripe about the drive here: Do people really think that the left lane is just to drive in? When my wonderful parents were teaching me to drive, I was taught that the right lane is for traveling, and the left lane was a passing lane. You drive in the right lane until you come up on a car that you need to pass, then you switch over to the left lane to pass the car, and then return to right lane after you have passed. Am I the only one that was taught this? (I know that Athens and Scottsboro drivers are taught just the opposite, but I digress.)

I lost count of the number of cars that were driving in the left lane without a care in the world. They were just cruising along, enjoying the scenery, and impeding the flow of traffic. I just don't get it! I came to the conclusion that the further west we went, the worse it got. Louisiana and Texas drivers were the worst offenders. And don't even get me started about people who wait to the last second to merge into the right lane when the left lane in closed for construction, even when there was a sign two miles back that said to merge. I found out that they get really ticked when you won't let them over. The audacity of some people! Do they really think they are more important than the fifty other cars they just passed? I just don't get it!

So, we are in the great state of Texas for a few days. We really don't have anything special planned. We're just going to hang out with the family and relax for a little bit. Maybe a little shopping, some German pancakes...We'll see what happens!

More Disney Charms

My sweet, sweet husband bought me two new Disney charms a few days ago, and they came in the mail today! They are so cute! He bought me a Tinkerbell charm:

And a Mickey Mouse charm:

He is the sweetest husband in the world!

Lunch at Victoria's Cafe

My Bunco group got together last night for our July game. We had a lot of fun, and I actually won something! I picked a black makeup bag filled with goodies like a pop-up brush/mirror, emery boards, nail polish, and lip gloss. I love stuff like that!

Last night at Bunco, Diane invited me to go to lunch today. So, we went to Victoria's Cafe. It is a very girly place, and even though Marc indulges me every once in a while and goes with me, it was nice to be able to go with someone who could appreciate it. Diane had a chicken salad croissant with potato salad, and I ate a club sandwich with their yummy strawberry pretzel salad. It was a really nice lunch, and I'm glad that Diane and I got to spend some time together getting to know each other a little better.

Today's Adventure

Today's adventure was to Humphrey's, which downtown in Washington Square. Marc and I bought $50 worth of gift certificates for $25, and they came in the mail yesterday. So, we decided that it sounded like a good place to grab some lunch.

We began by ordering chips and salsa, which was a big basket of red, white, and blue corn tortilla chips and a cup of freshly cut tomatoes, onions, jalapeno peppers, and cilantro. The chips were really good, but the salsa was just so-so. It just wasn't juicy enough for us. So, we ordered a side order of onion rings (I have an obsession with onion rings lately...) and they came out piping hot. They were very, very good! And they came with some stuff they call "O Sauce" that was out of this world yummy!

Marc ordered the tilapia with crab stuffing. It was two good sized pieces of seasoned tilapia with a crab cake on top. They were served on a bed of wonderful mashed potatoes and covered with a lobster cream sauce. The dish also came with steamed green beans, which Marc really liked. I ordered the fish and chips, which came with spicy slaw. Both entrees were awesome!

We were really happy with our lunch! The service and the food were both great!

A Shopping We Will Go

Yesterday, Marc and I decided to go to Belk at Parkway Place to look around. We'd been to the store at Madison Square and the store in Guntersville, but this was the first time we'd gone to the new store. Let me tell you, that had to have been the best shopping experience we've ever had! Everything was so neatly organized and easy to find. And all the associates were so nice and helpful! Nothing like the Madison Square and Guntersville stores.

I bought several work pieces and Marc bought a nice shirt and a pair of shorts. I also got a great deal on a pair of Merrell shoes! They rarely ever go on sale, but they were 25% off yesterday, and I got an additional 10% off. I was so excited! I didn't get to bring those babies home, though. They didn't have them at Parkway Place, so they're being shipped from the Cullman store to our house. It will be like Christmas in July!

That's Not Cheese!

Surprise! Surprise! Marc and I went to see yet another movie today! It was a toss up between The Love Guru and Get Smart. We chose to see Get Smart, because it had better reviews and a funnier trailer.

It was an okay movie. I don't remember ever seeing the Get Smart TV program, though. I think I would've liked it more if I had seen it. I didn't get a lot of the jokes, and Marc got tired of trying to explain them to me. Steve Carell was hilarious! But then again, when isn't he? He totally made the movie!

After the movie, we decided to grab something to eat at Steak and Shake. It was the first time we'd eaten at the one in Huntsville. The onion rings were awesome!

We finished our lunch and headed over to the mall. I was searching for shorts for our Disney trip, but I ended up leaving with a pair of Bermuda shorts, a pair of work pants, and a polo shirt. Marc bought another one of his great golf shirts. Oh, and we each bought a pair of sandals. And I didn't buy one pair of shorts for Disney! (I did, however, find some later tonight at Walmart for $5.00!)

We had a really fun day and got a lot accomplished! Yah us!

Hancock and Wall-E

Marc and I went to two really good movies this week. We went to see Hancock today. 

It was an action comedy, so I really didn't know what to expect. But, it had Wil Smith in it, so I figured it couldn't be too bad. Marc had been wanting to see it since it came out on Wednesday. So, we decided that today was a good day to see it. It's about a super hero, whom everyone hates because he's so violent. He works with a public relations guy to better his image. It kept my attention the whole time, and it had a really good ending. Oh, and I loved his super hero suit!

We also went to see Wall-E earlier this week. It was another movie that Marc really wanted to see. I figured it would be really boring because all the previews I had seen made it out to be a love story between two robots that didn't talk. However, it was about a lot more and turned out to be a cute movie. The only thing I didn't care for was that it seemed to have an environmental slant...global warming, pollution, etc. Nothing like a good old movie to brainwash the little ones. Anyways, we both really liked it.

These are two movies I definitely recommend! Two thumbs up!      

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July!

We had a really relaxed day! We slept in late and chilled around the house for most of the day. Marc watched some movies, and I made these cupcakes for a party tonight:

Late in the afternoon, we went to Scott and Kristi's house for their annual 4th of July party. We had hot dogs and hamburgers and all the usual fare. Everything was so good! There's something about eating with a crowd of people that makes hot dogs taste so much better!

After we ate, the guys (and kids) starting shooting off some of the fireworks like bottle rockets and toys. One of the kids brought one of those little airplanes that moves a couple of inches when you light it. After it did its thing, all the guys started trying to figure out how to strap a bottle rocket to it and send it flying through the air. Do men ever really grow up?

A little before this picture was taken, Kimberly kept asking for a cookie because she said she was still hungry. Of course, her parents told her no because she hadn't eaten much of her dinner and had licked all the icing off of one of my cupcakes. So, they told her to give Marc her sad face and maybe he would let her have one. It was the cutest sad face I had ever seen, complete with a pouty bottom lip. So, Marc "snuck" her in to give her a cookie, and she tried to "hide" behind him while she was eating it. Too cute! So by the time this picture was taken, she was on a sugar high and telling Marc what to do! She has him wrapped around her little finger!

She caught a lightenin' bug and was really proud of it!

Since I recently got a new camera, I was really interested to see how the "fireworks" function worked. So, I lit a sparkler and gave it a try.

I thought this picture was really cool because it shows the sparks hitting my hand. Ignore the chubby fingers, please.

I also took some pictures of the fireworks that were happening in the neighborhood. I was really happy with how they came out.

At about 9:00, we decided to leave the party and head over to Bridge Street to see if we could catch the end of the fireworks. We pulled off on the Bradford Road exit, which was packed with cars. In fact, there were cars parked everywhere, even on the median on Research Park Boulevard...or Rideout Road, depending on how long you have lived here. There were even cars pulled off on 565, which I thought was really stupid. Anyway, I took some pictures, and then we left because we didn't want to get stuck in a traffic nightmare when everyone decided to leave at the same time. 

So, it was a really nice relaxed holiday! Can't wait to do it again next year!

I'm Done with Hospitals!

My dad finally got released from the hospital yesterday, so I was looking forward to a worry free day. Marc was going to play golf with Adam, and I was going to chill at the house...some alone time! My plan was working out until I got a call from Marc at about 10:50am.

I didn't hear the phone ring the first four times it went off, but I did hear the 10:50 call, so I called Marc back. It took him a few rings to answer the phone, but when he did, I knew something wasn't quite right. He answered the phone right after he quit vomiting, so he was out of breath. Marc never vomits, so I had to wonder what was going on. He told me that he wasn't sure why, but that he had gotten sick while he was on the golf course. I asked him if he needed me to come get him, and he said yes. A few minutes later, he called back to tell me that Adam was going to town anyway, so I could just meet him at Home Depot. 

When I got there, Marc looked really, really bad. He was pale and his lips were white. I finally got him to eat a little bit of candy, because I thought maybe his blood sugar was low. We then headed to the doctor's office to have him checked out. Well, they sent us straight to the emergency room. The ER was surprisingly not busy at all, so they called Marc back really quick. They ran a bunch of tests, including blood work, an EKG and chest x-rays, and he talked with the doctor. Apparently, he was severely dehydrated and had heat exhaustion. 

So, two bags of fluid and six hours later, he was released. He was starving, so we ate dinner and Chili's and then headed home. Right now, he is fast asleep, and we are DONE with the hospital!

Freedom!

My dad was released from the hospital today. When I talked to my mother, they were at CVS getting his prescriptions filled. He was thrilled to be out! They are leaving for their trip to Florida tomorrow morning!

They Found Something!

My dad's cardiologist came in this morning and said he thought they had found a suspicious spot on one of the arteries. Apparently, it was in an area that made it difficult to see. So, Dr. Cash ordered another heart cath this afternoon to get a better look.

There was indeed a small blockage in one of the arteries, but they're only going to have to treat it with medication. No stints! Hopefully, my dad will get to leave the hospital sometimes tomorrow.