Good 'Ole Athens

The sleepy little town of Athens, TN served as our place of retreat this weekend. Jon was born and raised in this little town and I moved there to be with my dad when I was 12. Over the weekend I attended the DPA Bridal Fair at Springbrook Country Club. I was reminded that although it's a small city, it does have a lot to offer if you know where to look.
For example, Mayfield Dairy Farms. Yep, it's the home of Moose Tracks. My husband worked at the Mayfield Visitor Center during summer vacations dipping icecream and giving tours. You can go to Mayfield and get a free tour of the plant and stop off at the icecream shoppe for your favorite scoop or novelty item. On the way out you can even get your picture taken with the famous cow, Maggie!
Athens' downtown area is quaint and very charming. There are several boutiques located there. My favorite places to browse are the antique stores where you can find vintage jewelry (my favorite), furniture, and china. Other great finds include The Prissy Closet and Greeks Bearing Gifts. And if you want some of the best cupcakes you've ever tasted, The Bakery on N. Jackson would be happy to oblige. Their strawberry icing is to die for! My mom gets all her cakes from them and they do an awesome job with themes. Also on N. Jackson St. is The Gallery hair salon where my husband's family has gotten their hair cut by owner and operator Rose Farr for over a decade.
You will also find several locally owned restaraunts in Athens. My personal favorite is Mexi Wing! Yes, it's mexican cusine and they have wings! You can choose from several flavors. I always get five mild and five bbq. Delicious! I've been told the lemon pepper wings are great too. And Mexi Wing has done so well that they have two locations. If you want mexican food, Athens is where to get it. As if two Mexi Wing restaraunts wasn't enough, Athens is also home to Monterreys. And guess what? There are two of them also! I usually get either the chicken chimichanga or a chicken quesadilla. If you were lucky enough to have a pass to leave campus as I was in highschool, you know the jealousy the scent Monterray's provoked in your peers when you came to back for fifth period. Now, If mexican isn't your thing, you can also find great American flavor at Jenkins Grille & Market. (Townsfolk just call it Jenkins) They have great chicken salad and I usually go for the Super Club Sandwich. YUM. Another favorite I have to mention is The Country Patch. It's a served buffet of good old fashion southern soul food. Can you say mac 'n cheese, please?
But, Athens isn't just about locally owned restaraunts and boutiques. Like any town, they have their politics and gossip. The big fish, little pond symdrome is rampant. And as with most small towns, people keep record of "who's who." You can't go to Wal-Mart without running into at least two people you know and you can be sure that if you get stopped on Depot Hill for speeding, the cop giving you a ticket will be one of your best childhood friends. Community plays a big part in the charm of Athens. If you look at the 2010 Parks and Rec calendar you will see family appropriate activities such as: Kite Day, the Soap Box Derby, Relay for Life, School's out Pool Bash, Bark in the Park, Pumpkintown, and Old Fashion Christmas. Also, there are several area churches which plan a lot of activities for the community and reach out to those in need. For example, when living in Athens, we attended Woodward Church of God which was known for it's Women at the Well Ministry along with other various missions works.
As I said, Athens served as our weekend retreat. Outside of contemplating on the city itself, I came back to Knoxville thinking about how glad I am to be a southern woman. This weekend I was treated to several things southern that normally wouldn't strike my attention but for some reason I recognized these ordinary rituals for what they are, special. Upon entering my in-laws home I was welcomed with homemade pecan pie and chocolate chip cookies. At breakfast the table was overflowing with biscuits and gravy, bacon, and eggs. Saturday brought a sunny day of tossing football and swinging on the porch and an evening game of checkers, in which I lost twice. Sunday my sister and I went to the Bridal Fair with our soon to be sister-in-law. I had the chance to catch up with several old friends in the space where I attended school dances and dinners almost a decade ago. Where else but a small town do you get the chance to do this?
After highschool I followed my sweetheart to college at The University of Tennessee. We earned degrees and my husband has a promising career. We were married five years ago and now have a one year old son. Knoxville has treated us well, it's where we live our life. I have actually now lived here longer than I lived in Athens. But when we are visiting Athens for the weekend and our friends ask where we are going, I tell them we are going home.

Little Blue Box

I had a wonderful Valentines! Jon brought me flowers at lunch and at dinner we exchanged cards and gifts. He got us a new camera. He told me that he had already taken a picture with it. When I turned on the display it was a picture of a Tiffany box and when I looked up he had it in his hand. It was very sweet. He got me the prettiest bracelet! Then we had sushi and watched "Letters to Juliet." It was perfect. He did very good!

Beautiful day at the park

Oh, how I love crazy east, TN weather! We had a beautiful weekend of 60+ degree weather. After a fun day of shopping Saturday we decided to make Sunday a real "day of rest." I packed a picnic and we headed to Victor Ashe park. Our dog loves going to the dog park so we went there first. I believe I counted over 30 dogs. We definitely weren't the only ones with the idea to spend the afternoon at the park. When Jack was done playing, we took Jareth to the playground to swing and slide. He loves to swing! He laughs so hard when we push him. After he seemed to have had enough we found the perfect picnic spot and enjoyed our lunch. Then, we kicked the soccer ball around and laid in the sunshine. Thank you east, TN for such a lovely break in what has been a very cold winter.

Send me to the beach!

No, I'm not complaining that it's winter. I love the snow, fuzzy sweaters, boots, and cuddling up with a blanket and my baby boy. Winter doesn't bother me. What bothers me is how long it's been since there was sand between my toes. I'm complaining that it has been 8 months since I've seen the ocean. That's almost an entire pregnancy! Anyone who has been pregnant knows that's a heck of a long time. I'm jonesing for the smell and taste of the beach. You know what I'm talking about. The smell of suntan lotion, the taste of salt on your lips from a dip in the water, and knowing later that your going to eat the freshest oysters and shrimp you can possibly get.
It's so relaxing, the beach. Once you step in the sand the world goes away. Your biggest worry is whether you packed enough snacks and suntan lotion. All that matters is the sun and the water. That's what I need. Just one day at the beach would do it for me. I wonder how much a round trip ticket to Miami would be? All I would is my beach bag. My swimsuit, sunblock, a towel, sunglasses, and flipflops are all I'd have to pack.
Okay, the kid is asleep so I'm going to check on flights....

Merry Christmas baby boy

Although this was technically Jareth's second Christmas, we celebrated it like it was his first. Last year he noticed the lights on the tree but otherwise wasn't much interested. This year however, he was in awe of the brightly colored wrapping paper, the light up snow village, the musical train he had recieved last year, and all the sparkly ornaments on the tree. He watched with the wonder only a one year old can have while I wrapped presents. He wanted so badly to "help" and didn't understand why he wasn't allowed to touch the scissors. I couldn't help but laugh at him. He also couldn't understand why he wasn't allowed to play with the pretty ornaments. I quickly moved them up the tree after finding one in the floor with its hook missing. I did buy and set aside a few pieces of decoration that he could play with. He was given a musical snoopy and piano last year so that was put in his room where he could get to it and push the button that made it play. He loved to dance to the music. I also put a little table tree in his room with a few hardy disney ornaments on it that he could reach. The family tree however was only allowed to be touched when mommy and daddy were right with him because of the hooks and them being breakable. He was really into the decor.

The weekend before Christmas we went to Alabama to visit nana and popaw, Jareth's great grandparents. Everyone was there but one. Aunt Lynne passed away just before Thanksgiving and it was hard not to have her with us. She had gotten Jareth one of those farm sounds toys. I'm glad he has something from her.
We had a great weekend! The food was amazing as always. There was Turkey and dressing, nana's giblet gravy, dana's deviled eggs, mom made sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, and mac and cheese. Jareth enjoyed the sweet potatoes most along with the mac and cheese. After dinner we opened gifts. The river of presents seemed never ending. Jareth is one spoiled little boy! I don't know what in the world I'm going to do with all these toys! If we weren't planning to sell the house I would turn one of the rooms into a massive play room. After gifts were done Jareth and Evan played in the new Toy Story ball pit that Evan got. They were so funny in it! And boy, did they play rough! We had a really good time. The weekend ended with Jon's and my trip to Nashville to see Garth Brooks. GREAT weekend.

Fast forward a week to Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve and Day in Athens at Jon's parents house. I ended up cooking Christmas dinner. It was good practice. I have a feeling it will fall into my hands from here on out unless we want take out. We had glazed ham, corn casserole, squash casserole, green beans, smashed potatoes a la Liz, and rolls. For dessert I made a yummy crock pot cake. Jareth loved the corn casserole! Then it was time for gifts. Jareth got legos, a bear and embroidered blanket, some light up Pumas!, coloring books, and blue jean diapers. : ) He spent most of his time playing in his toy box but he did help open his presents. The next morning we woke up to a white Christmas! It was beautiful and of course after breakfast we took Jareth outside. Then we went to the Walker family brunch. We celebrated Danyell's birthday and ate, again. They are a really fun bunch to be around. They are basically family to me. It was nice to spend a little bit of Christmas with them.

To sum it up we had a wonderful holiday. Jareth had a Christmas that I for one will never forget.

Re-Post from Pregnancy Blog

Going back for a moment. This was written August 2009 on Musingsofapregnantlady.blogspot.com

Something Sweet


Jareth has been very active the past couple of days and yesterday the sweetest thing happened. He rolled in my stomach putting his entire back out front and pushed so hard that I could feel him top to bottom. Using my fingers I traced up and down his back and gently rubbed him. He stayed there for about a minute and then rolled away. his back seemed to be about the size of my hand. :O)

Hello Russia!

According to my stats, someone in Russia viewed my blog! That's exciting! At least to me anyway. : )

Have I said lately...

how much I adore and apreciate my husband? I mean he's handsome, sweet, strong, giving, funny, and intelligent. And after 4 1/2 years of marriage and 10 1/2 of being together he still calls everyday to see how my day is going. It's such a simple act but it means so much. He stays incredibly busy at work but when he has to run an errand or has a second to spare, he calls me. He could take that time for himself but instead he wants to see how I am and tell me he loves me. It just proves even further that he's the one. He will always be the one.  I could keep going but it may nauseate those who read this.

A Memorable Thanksgiving

Memorable for two reasons. My sweet Aunt Lynne passed away sometime monday evening before Thanksgiving. My sister called me Tuesday morning to give me the news that she had died. I was in shock. I couldn't believe it. She was a very sweet and kind woman and will be greatly missed. She was just 42 years old. Another reason this will be a memorable holiday is because I got to introduce Jareth to my great aunt and my great, great aunt. Other than my grandfather, my great aunt Jan is the closest thing I have to my grandmother who passed away and will never meet her great-grandson. It was an emotional reunion. It was so nice to spend Thanksgiving day with her.
The holidays can be a happy time and also rough time for families. We mourn the loss of loved ones and wish they could be with us. But this too brings us a chance to remember the good times we shared with them. This honors them more than anything. This Thanksgiving I am most thankful for the memories I have of holidays with my family and also the memories yet to be made.

Enjoy each moment.

Remember how time used to drag on in grade school? It always seemed like summer would never get here. A year seemed so long, too long. Now, it's much too short. Jareth is already one and I'm about to start pulling out Christmas decorations. Two years ago I was waiting to get pregnant. Then I was waiting for the baby to come. Then it was Thanksgiving, followed by Christmas, birthdays, and vacation. I think of Dr. Suess' "Oh, The Places You'll Go." It seems that life revolves around events and has become a waiting game. A year seems to be summed up in birthdays, holidays, and summer vacations. As soon as one event passes we count down the days 'til the next. It's easy to forget how precious the days in between are. Everyday there are precious moments to be seen. Like right now, Jareth is asleep on the living room floor. He laid down on a blanket we keep on a chair in the corner and fell asleep watching the electric fireplace. I watched as his little body went from restless to still and his breath went from sporadic to regular. Such a sweet moment that could have easily been overlooked. Time won't wait for you to catch up. We have to learn to enjoy every moment, not just the big events in life.