45

June 6, 1965

Today is my mama and daddy's 45th wedding anniversary.  They are such a loving inspiration for our family and although I've said this before, I'm gonna say it again.  I believe the example they have set for us over the years is the reason my brother, my sister and I have such strong, happy marriages today.

Daddy taught me how to drive and bait a hook, Mama taught me how to pray and how to cook, I've learned a bazillion things from them but I believe it was the love, commitment, compromise and the sticking together through good times and bad that has made me a good wife for Larry.  I learned that by watching them.

Happy Anniversary, Mama and Daddy!
I love you both as big as the ocean.

Peace, Love and TEA

It was bound to happen. Two of my favorite things, coming together for the common good.

Peace and sweet tea.

I've been a good girl on SB and I've been drinking my tea with stevia and I'm gonna keep doing that but I stopped by a store out by the college tonight on my way to class to get some gum 'cause yes, I DO chew gum in class, and I saw these cans of tea! I just loved the artwork and at just 99 cents each, thought they'd be a cool (and cheap!) blog talky.

Things I've Learned In The South

My mommy sent me this. I thought it was hilarious!!

Things I've Learned In The South A possum is a flat animal that sleeps in the middle of the road. There are 5,000 types of snakes and 4,998 of them live in the South. There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 of them live in the South, plus a couple no one has seen before. If it grows, it'll stick ya. If it crawls, it'll bite ya. "Onced" and "twiced" are words. It is not a shopping cart, it is a buggy! (AMEN!!!) "Jaw-P?" means, "Did y'all go to the bathroom?" People actually grow and eat okra. "Fixinto" is one word. It means, "I'm fixing to do that." There is no such thing as lunch. There is only dinner and then there is supper. Iced tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you're two. We do like a little tea with our sugar. "Backwards and forwards" means I know everything about you. The word "jeet" is actually a phrase meaning, "did you eat?". You don't have to wear a watch down here because it doesn't matter what time it is. You work until you're done or it's too dark to see. You don't PUSH buttons, you MASH 'em. "No, Jew?" is a common response to the question, "did you bring any beer?". You measure distance in minutes. You can switch from heat to A/C in the same day. All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, grain, insect or animal. (Or Act of God, like our FLOOD Festival in Montezuma!) You know what a DAWG is. You carry jumper cables in your car - for your OWN car. You only own five spices: salt, pepper, Tony's, tabasco and ketchup. The local papers cover national and international news on one page but require six pages for local high school sports and motor sports and gossip. You think that the first day of deer season is a national holiday. You find 100 degrees Fahrenheit a bit warm. You know all four seasons: Almost summer, summer, still summer and Christmas. Going to Wal-Mart is a favorite pastime known as "goin' Wal-Martin'" or "off to Wally World". You describe the first cool snap (below 70 degrees) as good vegetable soup weather. Fried catfish is the other white meat. We don't need no dang Driver's Ed. If our mama says we can drive, we can drive, dag-nabbit. You understand these jokes and forward them to your Southern friends and those who just wish they were from the SOUTH.

One More Thing That Makes Me Happy...

...year-round is Poppyseed Chicken! I love it. Cooking it, eating it, sharing it. A girl I used to work with just begged me to make it every time we had some kind of meal or party at work. It's always a hit. I haven't been making it since I've been doing South Beach because it requires Ritz crackers and crackers are a no-no on SB. BUT I found some All-Bran multi-grain crackers at Kroger when I was there today and they have 5g of fiber per serving! Awesome!! So I got 'em and tried them with my usual Poppyseed Chicken recipe and they worked great!! See??

I stopped by the farmer's market on my way home and picked up some things, too. They were just overrun with yellow squash and sweet onions and this is what I did with some of those tonight. Yum yum!! I added some bacon and cooked 'em in olive oil. Slap yo' grandma.

I've got about two weeks left in this first quarter of college. I finished up my online algebra class yesterday, praisesweetbabyjesus, and I'm getting out of there with a B+, I think. I'm not sure how to figure averages. They take 40% of this and 20% of that so I'm just not sure. It's a good B, though.

In other South Beach news, I've lost 45 pounds now. These past two pounds have been SO HARD to lose. It's taken me about two weeks. Larry told me that I'm digging into pounds that have been with me since high school now and they're not too happy to be leaving me. That makes perfect sense.

Oh, but they sho'nuff are leaving me. It's been 25 years since high school. I am so over them.

Summer Happies

Since this weekend is the official unofficial beginning of summer, I thought I'd list some summer things that make me happy.

My birthday

Flip flops

Lightning bugs

The beach

Daisies

Ice cream cones

My clothesline

Fresh fruits and veggies, specifically homegrown tomatoes and the Chases' sweet corn!

Going to the movies on a HOT HOT day

Sammy, this fat little lizard who lives under my front step.  I never see him 'til summer.

What are some of your summer happies?

It Knows My Name...

...and it's screamin' it right now.

As soon as this quarter's over, I'm there.

It Ain't Ogre...Til It's Ogre

I love that tagline!

I took a much-needed break away from quadratic equations and parallel circuits this afternoon and went to see the new Shrek movie, Forever After, in 3D. This is supposed to be the end of the Shrek story and if that's true, it was a great way to end it.  It was hilarious, heartwarming and downright ridonkulous!  I love these movies and the fairy tale feel they all have.  I love that true love's first kiss solves everything.

It really does.

By the way, I want these babies for my very own.

Felicia, Farkle and Fergus.

Nom nom nom.