Monday, March 29, 2010

Happy Birthday To YOUUUUUUUU !!!

Hey, look who turned 49 ... again !! :-)

Happy Birthday, Mom !!


Come on, girl ! You can do it ! Blow out those candles !



Oooooh, what did you get?


Do you like it ??


Do you really, really like it ??? Happy Birthday to the greatest mom ever ! We love you very, very much ! ... now come on and let's go get our hair did !

Rattlesnake Rodeo in Opp, Alabama

What's the old saying? "When in Rome, do as the Romans do?" Well, this weekend marked the 48th annual Rattlesnake Rodeo in Opp, AL. Why I felt compelled to go, I'll never know?


This event was like any other fair-like, festival-like event. Plenty of local vendors displaying their many talents... such as leather making and cow-hiding? And... "dumb-ass" sign making. Apparantly Lower Alabama has a large number of dumb asses and well, they need alot of signs. (just an observation....)


And racoon-tailing.
So, does one still wear these tails on hats?


OH! Never mind ... one now wears them on one's behind.




Oh, look! Lower Alabamians love Jesus and their Confederate Flag! (Is it just me? Anyone else see the irony here?) LOL!


Ah, and look ! Something fun for the kids ... smokeless cigarettes with ash that falls from the end! ... train 'em young !



The cuisine was at it's finest !! I had a hard time deciding between the shark-a- bob and the alligator-on-a-stick but alas the lines were too long so I settled on a turkey leg.


Now on to the main attraction! Diamondback Rattlesnakes.
They had three "heats" throughout the day. The racing rattlers were placed in this large tin can. (I suppose to make 'em good and angry --- I'm sure they're hot in there ?)
Then the handlers would pour them out onto the middle circle.

The "MC" would call the race -- much like being at the Kentucky Derby! Several spectators were placing bets with one another and shouting out "Go Squeezer" and "Come on Chopper you can do it"!!


But in the end, it was "Killer" that won the heat and by a landslide !
( the snake's name is Killer - 'nuff said.)


Killer smile :-)
Well, what can I say ? God bless America with all it's craziness !!! LOL

Friday, March 26, 2010

Welcome to our family !

It's Spring, and with that comes the birds and the bees. Pun intended !


Did you know that the male Wren, will make up to a dozen nests for his love interest?


And then, she, in turn will pick out which nest is her favorite and will decide where to live. (as well it should be)



Apparantly, Momma liked this nest the best ! Who knew that our ordianary Boston Fern would house a family of 6?

Friday, March 19, 2010

All A's Celebration !

Jordan made all A's again on her report card .... but she didn't know it. Last Friday was the end of this 9-weeks period and according to the school's website, she had all A's and a B (89.72) in Math. But when I checked it again on Monday, the Math teacher had added a homework grade that Jordan made a 100 on and it pushed her to a 90.1 on her report card giving her all A's. Since she was at Pee-Paw's we decided to surprise her.


Jordan's favorite place to eat in the entire world is any Chinese Buffet. Loves it !! She could eat Chinese twice a day for the rest of her life.


Here she is trying to tantalize me with a crawfish .... uh, no thanks !



So, after dinner, I gave her the print out of her final grades. It took her a minute to get it.


Here she is literally saying "I don't get it?"


And here she's saying "How did that happen?"... lol

At the beginning of the year, we told her that whenever she made straight A's she could get something special. And what was that something special she wanted ??? UNLIMITED TEXTING --- HA HA HA HA Tshombe had called TMobile earlier that day and had her phone changed to unlimited texting --- she was so surprised and full of joy that she had to start texting her friends the good news right away !! lol
Good job, Boo !

Spring Break at Pee Paw's and Mrs. Elly's


It's Spring Break week for Jordan. And my dad (her Pee-Paw) wanted to spend a few days with her. So, since he was coming from TN, we met half way at the Riverchase Galleria Mall in B'Ham. Wow! What a mall !!


Beautiful sculpture at the entrance of the Winfrey Hotel that has it's own entrance into the mall.


Great food court complete with working carousel.



And, of course, what mall would be complete without an elevator ? I mean, really.
So, Dad and his wife (Mrs. Elly) came and got Jordan and took her for a few days to TN where she played with their new puppy, Olivia and visited the Aquarium in Chattanooga. I asked Jordan several times to take pictures ..... but she forgot. Oh, well, glad she had a good time.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Spring Is In The Air...... along with a few other things



YAY !!!! SPRING IS HERE !!!


I love the trees that are just a bloomin' .....



And the birds are just a chirppin' ....



And the bees are just a buzzin' .....




And the lawnmowers are just a cuttin'....


And the butterflies are just a .... just a?...... flyin? flittin?
Anywho, with every good thing, there's always a little bad -- kinda like good and evil or yen and yang or Batman and Robin. Wait. What?
Anyway.... onto the "dark side" of Spring....

POLLEN !!!! .... all over the place filling our lungs with muck and gore and wreaking havoc with our sinuses .... thus we really know it's Spring when....


We can't go 24 hours without Zyrtec and Kleenex.



Lots and lots and lots of Kleenex !
Happy Spring Everyone!!

Southeast Alabama United Nations Model at Troy

Jordan was selected out of 64 students to participate in this year's Mock United Nations at Troy University. She was on a team of 7 students who represented China. They made a flag; prepared a 30 second introduction in the Mandrin language; dressed in the native attire; wrote a 4 minute summation and a resolution entitled "A RESOLUTION TO ENSURE THE PREVENTION OF AN ARMS RACE IN OUTER SPACE".

They began this process in December. Our team met 3 times and the kids were to learn their resolution inside and out to be able to defend it.


There were 4 teams that went from Jordan's school. There were 44 teams from 10 different middle schools accross Southeast AL that participated in this event. They met at Troy University in Troy, AL to debate their resolutions. They began at 8:00 am on Thursday morning and didn't stop until 2:00 pm Friday afternoon. Each country presented their resolution in Committee at which point the judges voted favorable or unfavorable. If the vote was favorable, the team then presented their resolution in General Assembly where all the other countries got to ask the delegates questions about their resolution such as "Why should the UN fund your resolution and not the others?" or " If your resolution is passed, how would it affect the rest of the world?" and on and on.

China's resolution made it through Committee and General Assembly. There was also a mock "world crisis" between India and China where India had bought a satellite from Japan and shot it down without permission from the UN. China and India had to write a resolution on the spot and defend it before the UN General Assembly.


The China Team won. They won the award for best resolution and defense; and Ike ( the eight grader in the back row) won best male delegate ...... he was their secret weapon --- I believe Ike will grow up to be a politician .... or lawyer... or at the very least a great used-car salesman. The boy could sell icemakers to Eskimos --- get my point !! Great debator ! Great job you guys !!

Here is China's resolution....



Introduced by: Carver Magnet School Representing: China

Subject: A RESOLUTION TO ENSURE THE PREVENTION
OF AN ARMS RACE IN OUTER SPACE

The Southeast Alabama Model United Nations
Recognizing the common interest of all nations in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes,


Reaffirming the will of all nations that the exploration and use of outer space shall be for peaceful purposes and shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interest of all countries, regardless of their degree of economic or scientific development,

Realizing that the advancement of an arms race in outer space would present a grave danger for international peace and security,

Emphasizing the importance of strict compliance with existing arms limitation and disarmament agreements relevant to outer space,

Stressing that the growing use of outer space increases the need for greater transparency and better information on the part of the international community,

1. Reaffirms the importance of preventing an arms race in outer space and the eagerness of all nations to contribute to that common objective;

2. Calls upon all nations, in particular those with major space capabilities, to contribute actively to the objective of the peaceful use of outer space and of the prevention of an arms race in outer space;

3. Recognizes the growing diversity of views on how to strengthen transparency, confidence and security in the peaceful uses of outer space;

4. Emphasizes the necessity of further measures to prevent an arms race in outer space;

5. Urges nations conducting activities in outer space to be transparent with such activities.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Jordan's 6th Grade Spring-Fling School Dance


Where has the time gone? Wasn't it just yesterday that I brought this bundle of joy home from the hospital??? Yet, here she is ... two days later.... all grown up at the ripe old age of 12.
And about to go to her first school dance.


She's excited !!! (I'm nervous.) All I can see is her standing there in her prom dress -- or is it her graduation gown? Time is flying by..... I snap out of it .....


And tell her to have a fabulous time and not to get too "jiggy with it" !!! She called me right after the dance and said she had a wonderful time --- she was hoarse --- and said she needed a bath 'cause she danced the night away ....... and so it begins.