Freedom Weekend Aloft 2010

Joey, Me, Brooks, Rory

Holla... :-)

On the swinging bridge

( Mel, Lacy, Meredith, Melissa & I)


Mel & I

Hazel, Me, Mel, Melissa & Meredith

Hazel & her FINANCE, Jarrett

Joey & Rory

Brooks & I

Melanie & Kyle

Luke Bryan :-)

Melissa & Meredith enjoying hearing the voice of Luke...Live!

This little girl made some dancing friends!

Celebrating Freedom Weekend Aloft in SC was a great way to start the Memorial Day weekend...especially since I had an awful tummy bug for the better part of the week and was all cooped up. Since I was feeling much better on Saturday morning, I decided I'd head to Greenville with the girls (Mel, Meredith, Lacy & Melissa) to grab lunch and shop before heading to Simpsonville to take part in all the Freedom Weekend Aloft festivities (namely, the Luke Bryan & Joey & Rory concerts). The last time I was in downtown Greenville it was night time and Brooks and I had dinner and danced at the Wild Wing Cafe. I have to say that experiencing the city in the daytime is much better. It is truly a beautiful city with many neat dining establishments . Great shopping opportunities abound whether you are looking for a gift, a treat for yourself, or a treat for your pet, it's all in downtown Greenville. The entire city is dog/pet friendly and a good many of the little shops have water bowls sitting outside the door for your pets. Many of the restaurants boast signs that read "pet friendly". In my opinion, Greenville is an amazing place. It even has it's own park with waterfalls and a swinging bridge!

After a fun-filled afternoon of shopping, eating, and strolling in the park, we headed to Freedom Weekend Aloft. When we first got there, there were threats of storms in the area, so they were not admitting and were sending people back to their cars. Well, there was only one problem. We didn't have a car. That's right. Lacy had dropped us off b/c she wasn't planning on staying for the concerts. So, we all just looked at each other and told the attendant we didn't have a car to go back to and she replied, "well, would you like a notepad?" Om, someone please explain to me how a notepad helps in this situation! Too funny! Luckily, we did have a few rain jackets and some umbrellas; So, we just pitched a palate on the ground near a treeline and then it began to sprinkle. Just great, here we are bedded down like dear and there's a thunderstorm looming. GREAT! Needless to say, the possibly of us seeing Luke Bryan was looking pretty slim since this IS an outdoor amphitheatre. Sometime within the next hour, Brooks & Kyle arrived as did Hazel & Jarrett. By that time, the attendants were letting folks in and we were stoked! Although it was sprinkling off and on and the hot air balloons didn't fly, we still got to hear (and meet) Joey & Rory and Luke Bryan. So much fun!

Meet, Dixie

Sweet, Dixie

Mel & I

(with our new puppies, Dixie & Flo)



Dixie & Flo just kickin' it

Dixie's first meal at home...

she wasn't really a fan of dry dog food with milk on top

At first, Dally would just glare at Dixie

Dixie loves to go for rides in the truck!

Dixie meets Dally

When Brooks came home one afternoon about three weeks ago and asked "Do you want to go look at a puppy with me?", I replied, "Sure". That's how we ended up with our new puppy, Dixie (we also picked out a puppy for our friends, Kyle and Melanie). She's a mix between a Blue Healer and an Australian Shepard and she has the innate ability to round-up about anything (e.g. our Golden Retriever, Dally and the chickens in the yard) but mostly she's meant to be a cow dog. Ever since Brooks has owned cattle, I've listened to him go on and on about how he wants a cow dog and now he's got the sweetest little cow dog around. Altogether we rent about 50 acres where we keep most of our cattle. Brooks goes to check the cows everyday RELIGIOUSLY whether they need to be checked or not!!! Now, little Dixie goes wherever he goes which reminds me of one of my favorite childhood nursery rhymes called Mary and the Little Lamb. Dixie has took off chasing after the cows on a few occasions now. This is hilarious to me b/c she's such a petite little thing and I wonder what she thinks she's actually going to do once she catches those cows! LOL

Let's Celebrate Mom!

Mother & Son

Our cousins...Marti & Ty
(are they not PRECIOUS?)



Our cousin, sweet baby Drew

Marti & I

That's just what we did this past mother's day weekend...as we do each year, I suppose. Only this year, we celebrated with Nanny, her children and grandchildren. We had a blast seeing everyone, playing kickball, picking honeysuckles, and playing cards (with Marti). Too fun!

Brooks and I are so proud to have our moms in our lives. God has blessed both of us with kind, nurturing & selfless mothers. We count our blessings for the two of you and we love the both of you very, very much!

Ahh...Just What the Doctor Ordered...

A pedicure! It seems almost silly for me to be blogging on a subject such as this, I know! However, in my defense, the last time I had a pedi was right before my wedding four years ago. It's been so long b/c I refuse to spend $ on things such as this...and since I got a free visit for a pedi at new teacher orientation, I figured I better take them up on the offer. To make it even better, I got to share my pedi experience with one of my best gal pals, Britt. Afterwards, we did some shopping and then some eating at the Mexican restaurant in town. What a good way to end a stressful week! So, call it silly if you will...but it's the little things in life that I appreciate and look forward to.

As The Old Adage Goes...

If you don't use it, you'll lose it! And it seems I've lost it! When it comes to tennis, that is! I played my first tournament in like FOREVER and it didn't go THAT well. I played with one of my FBLA students, Lorena, who I am super proud to know and to have the privilege to play tennis with from time to time. She and I just entered to have fun and that we did! We lost 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. Boo! Oh well. I have grown to like doubles but singles is more my cup of tea. I feel that singles is where I really make my mark. So, it is my goal to play more of the sport I love so dearly and to "get back into the swing of things" so to speak.