Friday, Friday, woo-hoo Friday
I love Fridays soooooo much!!!!
Puppy Love
I didn't want to get a dog. I have been trying to discourage Austin from wanting a dog and dreading the day we had to get one. But, in doing research on different breeds of dogs I have fallen head over heals for a cute little dog called a Coton De Tulear. They are adorable and they have great personalities and they are smart and they don't shed and they have very little health problems. Now, I want one sooooo bad!!!! The main thing that is bad is that you have to brush them daily to keep their hair orderly. But, if anybody knows how to deal with a lot of hair, it's me!! Of course, it sounds like there are not too many places to get one, so I'm doing research on that. And the price may be too much. This has been the first time I have been really excited about getting a dog. Here are some pictures I found of them on the internet. Aren't they cute?
Molly
Our familly dog, Molly hurt her leg. They are hoping it can get better, but they may have to have surgery on it. It is very sad. My mom loves that dog. :(
A down weekend...
It was actually a pretty slow weekend. We ate dinner and played with Ethan at my parents' house Friday. Saturday we picked out colors for my desk at work. Then Austin hung out with Jake and the boys to play video games while I went to my parents' house. And on Sunday we went to Austin's grandmother's house for a nice visit. Then we watched the Golden Globes last night.
Guess who...
My mom sent me this picture. Guess who it is!
I.Q., what's that?
Okay, we've finally done it. We gave in the other night and watched the show, "Newlyweds" on MTV. It is about Jessica Simpson and her husband Nick from 98 degrees (I don't know his last name). Austin wasn't thrilled about watching it, but we both had a good laugh. It's funny how celebrities and really rich young people don't really know much about anything normal. There is something so funny about watching Jessica Simpson get totally confused about buffalo wings not really being buffalo and trying to argue that she's seen pictures of buffalo with wings. And Nick out in the backyard battling bees! It is entertainment at its lowest, but entertainment nonetheless.
My mom's cows
My mom is cutting out cows. I don't know why, but I'm glad she's having fun. She is going to get them laminated today so she can do something with them. It is very therapeutic to have an art project. I will start to worry if she starts cutting out pictures of Steven Tyler like my grandmother, though.
By the way, if anyone has any tips on growing orchids, let me know. Mine are doing well, but I may need to transplant them.
2222222222222222222222TWOSDAY
I'm in a weird mood. I'm totally bored at work today. My last day of work is Ashley's birthday, February 13th. I know these next few weeks are going to go soooooooo slooooooowwwwwwwlllllllllyyyyyyyyy. Anyway, not much to say today. I got to see my nephew on Sunday. He was cute and funny as usual. He has named me, "B". We don't know why he calls me that, but it is pretty funny that I'm his Aunt "B".
History of where okra come from - From my Search Query Report
These are things people searched for that brought them across my website:
• okra pictures
• how to make fried okra
• fried okra images
• allergies to okra
• king plow arts center wedding ceremonies
• southern living @ home party
• atlanta restaurant bachelorette party dance
• norm macdonald conan courtney smith
• becca marilyn monroe impersonator
(probably my favorite)
• alan thicke wedding pictures
• photo of fried okra
• liz jones
• history of where okra come from
(Hmmm... Grammar?)
• explicit movie
• pop swater
(What????!!)
• fear of cockroaches
• laughing with courtney thorne smith
• southern living home party
The rise and fall of Looney Tunes
We had to run up to Ingles just a few minutes ago and I saw a "Chia" Daffy Duck. Why in the world did someone think of that? Daffy Duck doesn't even have hair! Then I looked it up on the internet and there are apparently more of them - Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Taz and Tweety. First of all, Elmer Fudd is bald and second, why would it make any sense that Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny, Taz and Tweety would have green stuff growing out of their heads? It is truly Looney.
Big Fish
Well, we went and saw
Big Fish last night. It was wonderful and beautiful and if you don't cry, you have no heart. I don't want to give anything away so I'll just say that it really makes you think about life and the people you know and love.
I have a migraine today. I hope it will go away soon because I feel like crap! I guess I bit my lip last night because I had some dried blood on it this morning. It was really gross. And something else gross is all of the dead animals I see on the way to work. I must've passed at least 5 or 6 racoons and about 4 possums. Anyway, random thoughts...
Movie Review
I couldn't think of anything to write about today so I decided to review some of the movies we've seen recently. Here they are:
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest A Great movie! Jack Nicholson is fantastic in it. Kind of a downer, but parts are just hilarious.
The Grinch B+ Jim Carrey was great as the Grinch. Not many people could've played this role. Sets were really cool. Makeup cool. Dumb song.
In & Out D- A few funny parts, but don't bother. Terrible script and acting for the most part.
Underworld B- Not Bad. If I was going to be an immortal, I would definately be a Vampire.
Seabiscuit A- I liked it. I love to see the little guy win.
Lord of the Rings A Great. A little long, but I keep reminding people who say the end drug on and on that the main battle in the book,
Return of the King happened about 1/4 of the way into the book and most of the book was made up of the aftermath. So if you think about it, they actually cut it down a good bit.
Bad Boys 2 C+ Funny. Not great, but very entertaining. It made us laugh a lot, which is good.
We're going to see
Big Fish tonight. I hear great things about it. I'll let y'all know what I thought tomorrow.
My News
I'm such a blabber mouth. I can't wait - I quit my job yesterday! I am going to start my own freelance business with the help of my husband and my in-laws! It will be called Liz C. Jones Design. This is going to be such a great opportunity. And it will be a much smoother transition when Austin and I do decide to start a family. But that won't be for a little while still... Austin and I are still enjoying being married without children right now. And we'll probably start with a dog first, then move on to children.
Winnie's Funeral
Here are some pictures from the party after my Grandmother's funeral. Does it look like we're having too much fun? It helps to laugh and try to have fun during hard times. It makes life easier to live. (excuse the poor photography and glare of the flash)
By the way, I will write about my big news tomorrow!!!!
This is what my cousin Matt said about my grandmother:
Nana was always at her best on Christmas. It was a time when her trademark generosity really shined.
Our family loves everything about Christmas. But what we really looked forward to was the food because Nana always made sure that everyone got their favorite dish. When you consider that we had about 10 people, at least half of whom were picky eaters, Nana's tradition to provide everyone's favorite meal led to some really interesting spreads.
I remember one Christmas morning about 10 years ago when Nana and Poppy's enormous dining room table was filled, not with a turkey and potatoes, but with Spanish rice, Spaghetti, a Honeybaked Ham, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Macaroni and Cheese, Olives, and Dunkin Donuts.
It wasn't traditional in the Norman Rockwell sense, but these elaborate Christmas lunches were our tradition.
As funny as these meals might look to an outsider, I think we all remembered that Nana knew how to make everyone happy, and she wasn't afraid to bend the rules a little bit or buck tradition to do it.
As a kid, I always recognized Nana's unorthodox approach to Christmas as rare and as something wonderful.
She wasn't like most adults I have known in my life. She liked chocolates as much as me; she let me watch what I wanted on television and she and Poppy would always take us grandkids to do things we wanted to do.
She once took me to a magic shop and bought me a whoopee cushion. She took me and Elizabeth to the petting zoo at Stone Mountain. She and Poppy would take us on the cable cars to the top, and buy us cokes if we got thirsty.
I think she did these things because she liked doing them as much as we did. Nana had something rare and innocent about her that most of us lose as adults. Nana had the ability to see the world through the eyes of a child, with innocence and curiosity and genuine enthusiasm.
I think Nana's childlike perspective was in many ways a gift. It shined through in her artwork.
Some of Nana's original paintings depict her with various clowns. My dad once asked her why she paints clowns, and Nana looked up at him and said, "I always wanted to be one."
She never got to be a clown, but Nana could make us all laugh. She had a rich sense of humor and a hearty laugh that is a legacy in our family.
One of the gifts that Nana has left us is our ability to laugh in the darkest moments. This, she passed down to my dad and Trisha, and they passed it down to me, Caroline, Elizabeth and Rebecca. I'm sure that Rebecca will pass it down to Nana's great grandson, Ethan.
I bet if Nana were here today, and saw all of us mourning her loss, she would have something funny to say to cheer us all up and break the tension. We can bet that, after the rough times Nana experienced toward the end, she is finally laughing again in Heaven.
Getting Better
Well, the funeral was very nice. The viewing was at a funeral home in Stone Mountain. So many people showed up to show their support! It was wonderful. The actual funeral was yesterday morning and it was the coldest it's been in a long time. I think it was 26 degrees when we got out of our car. Very cold, considering it was in the upper 60s this past weekend. My cousin Matt spoke at the graveside service. He really captured her personality perfectly in the things he said. It was wonderful. Anyway, after the funeral people came over to my parents house. People brought so much food!!! I just feel so lucky to have such wonderful family and friends. That's what life is about! Here is my grandmother's obituary that my uncle Doug wrote:
It was a beautiful Saturday...
and my grandmother died. It was horrible and natural. We were there with her. My mom and my uncle held her hands as she passed away. I loved her and I'm glad that she is at peace now.
I'm Back...
Well, I'm posting from my new laptop!!! A gift from my wonderful husband and his wonderful parents. We had a fantastic Christmas! I also have a fabulous new coffee maker that I got from my parents. Anyway, I will post some Christmas pictures once I get them all loaded on this computer. We also had a great New Year's Eve/Day. We went to a birthday/New Year's Eve/houswarming party at my sister's house. She is 23 now! Hard for me to believe! Anyway, big changes are ahead for 2004... stay tuned!!!