Hangout Festival 2012

I feel like I start every single post with the same sentence, but geez it's been a busy past few weeks! There has been a LOT going on around these parts, but today I'm going to focus on my weekend at The Hangout Fest. I'll be honest...a recap of that weekend will be much more entertaining than my typical schedule of feeding Charlotte, playing with Charlotte, selling billboards, cleaning, laundry, changing diapers. You know how it goes.

Back to the fun stuff...

The weekend of May 18th, 19th, and 20th, I ventured down to the local beach (shoutout to Gulf Shores, AL!) for a weekend of fun in the sun. Two of my best friends from college were in town and let me tell you--excitement was abound.

My friend Lindsey flew in from Brunswick, GA by the way of Charlotte, NC after lifting off in Jacksonville, FL. Now I'm not sure who decided you need to go north before heading due west, but let's just assume someone at Delta headquarters was pissed off about our weekend of sisterhood. Nicole, my former roommate and partner-in-crime bestie, also made the not-quite-so-long trip from Prattville, AL and we all met up at our beachfront condo.

I've been to a few music festivals in my day and there is a checklist of things you should and should NOT do. Apparently it is vital that every concert goer wear a pair of Wayfarers, preferably of the Rayban variety. I admit it, I'm guilty, too, but my saving grace is that I've had mine for over two years now so I beat the bandwagon. Take that young hippie wannabes!

Secondly, if you are able to or someone in your party is able to---girls MUST sport a braid. Sorry, Linds, don't wanna call you out because the braid was super cute, but you know it's true. :) I probably would have had one too if I hadn't been the one doing the braiding.

Don't wear inappropriate clothing. I saw one chick with furry white boots on her obviously sweaty feet. It was 100 degrees with lots of walking and lots of people. See the flip flop rule for future reference. At one point Lindsey said, "It looks like everyone is 20 years old and just stepped out of an Aeropostale catelog." True dat, sista. True dat.

This was a couple of hours before some Yankee shuttle-bus passenger called us old and decrepid.

We saw the Red Hot Chili Peppers (on my personal concert bucket list), Dispatch (one of my faves-google "Flying Horses" or "Bang Bang" for some good tunes). Michael Franti sang a fabulous version of "Ganga Baby" before we settled in to hear Dave Mathews Band on Sunday night.

Ahhh..Dave. It had been a while, but I wasn't disappointed. Listening to "Big Eyed Fish" and 'Song 41' with two of my best friends almost made me feel like I was 20 again-riding around Troy, AL looking for something to get into. Nicole and I speant a LOT of time in my old Pathfinder, listening to DMB and talking about our man situations. We went to Bonnaroo together back in 2003 for my 21st birthday so it was only fitting that we did Hangout Fest together, too. It makes me realize just how much a song can take you back to a certain time or place. Makes you suddenly remember a funny story you haven't thought about in years.

THAT was the highlight of my weekend. The festival was good and the music was wonderful, but it was spending time with my gals and reminiscing that brought me the most happiness.

Or was it Lindsey asking my cousin if she could buy a roll of toilet paper for $1?

Let me tell you a little bit about us three gals back in college. We were fun! We were the party! We were the girls dancing in front of the stage, singing at the top of our lungs, and loving life. We are still those girls...just a bit more subdued. I'm not sure if any of us have seen 3 am (other than feeding a baby) in quite some time.

Yet somehow one of us can still lose an article of clothing before the end of an evening.

About Us

Today I'm linking up with Kelly's Korner to do a little "About Us" post. I have a lot of really fantastic girlfriends in my life, even though I don't get to see them quite as much as I would like now that Miss Priss has arrived. But that's okay-it just makes our time together even more special! When I first graduated college and moved to Mobile, I was MISERABLE. I had no girlfriends and I was almost three hours away from my family. However, H and I learned to rely on each other and in the long runit really brought us closer together. As we get older it just gets harder and harder to meet new people. Maybe we are too comfortable with our current situation, or maybe we are a little shy or afraid of rejection. Finding friends is a lot like dating-sometimes you have to go through a few crazies to get to the good ones!

If you are just visiting from Kelly's Korner, here is a little background info on life in the Hysterical District.


FAMILY
Our little family consists of Me (Tiffany), H, and Charlotte, our 10-month-old little gal. We also consider our two dogs family as well. We have Charlie, aka Chuck, our chocolate lab and Lois, the mutt. H and I got married on St. Patrick's Day 2007 on Dauphin Island, AL.

BACKGROUND ON THE HYSTERICAL DISTRICT
We live in one of the historical districts of Mobile, AL. Our house is actually 100 years old this year. I'm currently planning a birthday party for her. We like to jokingly call it the "Hysterical District" because, ya'll....these folks be crazy up in here. I'm not sure if it's the heat and humidity or  all the drunken Catholics, but this town has some stories to tell. Personally, I love it! I fully believe that life is way more fun if you just embrace the crazies. Put your Boo Radleys on the front porch and be proud!

INTERESTS
My husband enjoys golf, fishing, and watching football. Or basketball. Or baseball, bowling, tennis, lacrosse, competitive basket weaving....he just likes sports. I enjoy reading, writing, drinking wine on my porch, boating, floating, parties, brunches, and just having a good time. Most of the time you will find me, H, and Charlotte either hanging outside or grabbing dinner at one of our favorite restaurants around town.

CAREERS
I am an Advertising Account Executive. It's a fun job, and I work with some of the best people around. Our office is a zoo and you have to be somewhat insane to work there. Insanity is a requirement-it's in the handbook. H works for a steel company. He works in the warehouse, but I'm not sure exactly what he does. All I know is he brings home a paycheck. Yay!

That is a little background history on our little family if you are just stopping in. If you're ever in the area and not a complete lunatic, look me up! Maybe we could get together for a drink and become "friends who met online"!

The DVR as a Metaphor

A few nights ago, as H and I settled in to watch a few of our favorite television shows, we both realized something that was pretty profound:

Our DVR is a good metaphor for our marriage.

I know that sounds completely silly, but hear me out before you judge! We both love the DVR. As two members of the "working class" neither of us have that much time to dedicate to our must-see TV. Or at least not when it is regularly scheduled! So, like millions of other people across the world, we rely on the DVR to make sure we don't miss out on the greats like "Gone With the Wind".

Or "Real Housewives of Orange County".

When it comes to my section of the DVR, you will find a plethora of different shows and movies. I might record "Teen Moms" on MTV, the critically acclaimed "Downton Abbey" on PBS, and a documentary about child soldiers in Botswana all in the same day. I am a Gemini-which is the sign of the twins, or multiple personalities. I like a mixture of so many different things at any given time it almost seems like there is a pageant-obsessed, 14 year-old girl working on a book report operating my remote.

H on the other hand, is different. His viewing habits are much easier to monitor and follow. He enjoys major sporting events, sports talk shows, documentaries about sports icons or historical sporting events, sports news....notice a trend here? These recording traits match up perfectly with the real-life H--a sports enthusiast who is stable, predictable, and completely uninterested in the drama.

As we began to watch our shows that night, I mentioned to him that I had deleted quite a few of his old recordings. There was no need to save the National Championship Game so he could watch it for the fifteenth time.

After I'm done watching a recorded show, I immediately delete it. I'm embarrassed enough to admit I watch "Dance Moms" in the first place, much less to add that I sit through marathons on a Saturday night once everyone is asleep. We need to free up space for future recordings!!!! Likewise, I also discard of things pretty haphazardly in real life. I'm not a sentimental person AT. ALL. Objects and things don't have much meaning for me, so I don't have much trouble tossing things after I'm done with them.

H, however, is the total opposite. For instance, he refuses to let me throw out a hockey puck from his elementary school days back when Mobile was the home of the Mystics. True story. Not sure why he needs that puck or why he wants to relive the glory days of Bama's win over ------- (because I can't even remember or care less), but both live on in our home. One just lives in the drawer next to the fridge and the other takes up valuable space that I will need for "Texas Women".

He tells me there is no need to delete shows to make room for future recordings because the DVR will just delete the oldest stuff to make sure the new stuff gets recorded. He flies by the seat of his pants, not worrying about the little things in life. I fret and worry that an episode of "Beverly Hills 90210" from 1992 will get deleted to record one of Arnold Palmer's classic golf rounds. I like to plan and know that what I want will be there when I want it. But in the end, is it really that important if something doesn't go exactly the way I planned?

Just as we do in real life, our DVR will meet in the middle on a select few shows that we not only enjoy, but bond over. "Mad Men" gets us talking about the generations before us. "Modern Family" will have us laughing over the mundane household issues that can sometimes drag us down. "Doomsday Preppers" leads us to those "what if...?" discussions about government, foreign threats, and mental illness.

And if we're really lucky, we'll stumble across a recording of "Super Troopers" to remind us why fell in love to begin with.

5 Years

Saturday, March 17th, will be H's and my 5th wedding anniversary. Slightly amazing, if I do say so myself!

Overall it has been a really wonderful five years. I'm not gonna sit here and tell you that I have the perfect husband, and he certainly doesn't have a perfect wife. I've cooked terrible meals, washed his wallet on multiple occasions, and even left his truck unlocked the night his golf clubs were stolen. He makes me listen to basketball games on the radio, leaves his spit cups everywhere, and even if my life depended on it I can't get the guy to put his close inside the clothes hamper as opposed to on the floor next to it. Sometimes I want to kill him and hide the body. Sometimes he wants to be married to Beyonce.

But....he also lets me pick the restaurant every time we go to dinner. And he has been known to peel the heads off my shrimp or crawfish because it kind of grosses me out. (At least until I've had enough beers to forget there are little accusatory eyes looking at me) He buys me tampons if I need them. He makes me laugh like no other person in the world.

We get each other.

And I'm so lucky to be married to my best friend.

A Photo Session (Finally!)

Charlotte, Charlie, Lois, and I made the long trek home to Kinston this past weekend. H had to work all weekend so we decided to get out of town for a little while and escape what would have been a very boring and LONG two days.

Instead we spent a wonderful weekend with my parents! (Aka "Mimi" and "Granddaddy")

Our main purpose for the trip was because Charlotte had a photo shoot on Saturday with Hannah Seay Photography. Let me be the first to admit it...I am a terrible mother. She is my first child and the light of my life, yet I have never had any professional portraits made of her. Epic fail. Professional photography is just so expensive these days! Plus it has been really difficult to find the time to have some made. I know, I know...my excuses are terrible. I just couldn't bear the thought of having some cheesy/trailer-park photos made at Sears or Walmart where the lighting is godawful and the background is straight out of 1987. (Because that's really all we can afford) I would rather just have the regular ones I have taken with my camera.

But ya'll. Hannah Seay Photography was such a wonderful experience I'm wishing I would have done it 5 months ago! I haven't even seen the finished, edited project but the first shots just off her camera were enough to get me excited! First of all, she had live bunnies. You can't lose when you've got live bunnies. Add my adorable Boopsy in her pink smocked Easter dress with those live bunnies and you've got more cuteness than you can handle!

She obviously hasn't been to wardrobe yet, but you can see the excitement in her face. I was really worried for the bunny's welfare because I know she gets to be "Little Miss Grabby Hands" when it comes to the dogs, but she was (thankfully) a little hesitant. She loved them in the cage. She loved them from her viewpoint in my arms. But once it was just her and the bunny, she wasn't quite sure she was a fan.

Fortunately she did not let her fear ruin the shoot. Total professionalism, even from the smallest member of our family. Take note, Bravo! I'm still waiting on my reality series contract.

After the photo session, my mom, dad, and I took Charlotte to the park for a lovely afternoon walk. That kind of weather makes me thankful I live in South Alabama.

Please remind me of this statement about mid-July when my hair has been frizzy and curly for a month straight and I have boob sweat.

All in all, it was a great weekend that just went by way too quick! If you're in the market for photos, I highly recommend Hannah Seay Photography. She is a wonderful, sweet, reasonably-priced professional photographer located in Enterprise, Alabama. I just can't say enough nice things about her or her work! It truly takes an artist to take good photos, and Hannah is certainly that! If you need any kind of photographs-wedding, senior portraits, family, etc-please give her a call or check out her stuff on her website at http://www.hannahseayphotography.com/ 

Mardi Gras Recap

I'm not exactly sure how Father Time manages to make it happen, but it seems that while the minutes tend to creep by the days can still simultaneously fly. I look back and think "Wait! What happened to February?"
In case you live under a rock, Mardi Gras ended last week. Instead of the typical bang it likes to end on, my Fat Tuesday went out with more of a sigh. I didn't fall into my bed fully clothed and exhausted from a day of walking the streets of downtowm Mobile, catching moonpies and drinking warm beers from my purse.

Instead I spent it with Charlotte buying a new television for the upstairs playroom/guest suite.

And that was just as wonderful. Plus I felt much better when I finally returned to work on Wednesday.

We did manage to squeeze in some adult fun that weekend thanks to my wonderful parents. They made the long trip to see all of us. (I'm totally delusional-they just came to see Charlotte and spoil her rotten!)

On the Friday night before Fat Tuesday we went to a Mardi Gras ball in Fairhope. It was the Maids of Jubilee soiree and it was F-U-N. We almost didn't make it because someonewhoshallremainnameless realized at 6:15 that night he had somehow managed to lose his tuxedo pants. I know what you're thinking and trust me--I don't know how you lose your pants either. Thankfully, after my breakdown and tears of anger and frustration, dear H went and rented some tuxedo pants for the evening.

Having a gay man feel you up is a small price to pay for making your wife incredibly happy.

While we had a wonderful time, I realized that the best part of a party is usually the morning after when you all get to sit around in your pajamas and giggle about the antics from the night before. I think our conversations went something like...

"And that's when Hannah decided to ride in Waylon's car seat the whole way home!"
"I can't believe I walked all over Fairhope barefooted and I don't have grocery-store feet!"
"So I just shoved a couple of taquitos in my pocket and walked away"

Or my personal favorite..."Tiffany, I think I lost my jacket and cumberbund last night."

To which I can only think at least he didn't lose those rented pants.

Saturday we went to Biloxi for the evening. I've only been away from the babe for one night, so not seeing her for two nights was really tough. I could hardly concentrate on my crab legs and vodka tonics at the casino. But don't worry...I managed. ;) We lost too much money, stayed in a cheap hotel, and had a wonderful time. H was even able to make a Waffle House run at 2 am, just like back in our college days.

It was wonderful to get away, but it was even better to get home. It's amazing how much you can miss the little gal when 8 1/2 months ago we didn't even know her. My how times have changed. And my how exhausted my parents were!

Charlotte did a number on them and I'm still not quite sure they've recovered.

Happy Lenten Season to you and yours! Laissez le bon tempes roulez--at least until next year!

11 Things!

Yay! My friend Hope did this on her blog and tagged me with the idea, so of course I had to jump on the opportunity. Like I mentioned previously, I thoroughly enjoy it when another blogger gives me a topic to write about. I love when someone else does half my work for me!

Here are the rules: 1.) Post 11 random facts about yourself. 2.) Ask 11 questions you wish to know about your friends and 3.) Tag 11 people (or as many as I know with blogs) to do this same project on their blog

Or something very similar to that as I can't copy and paste like a normal human being in the 21st century.

Here we go--hang on to your panties ladies!

1.) I go to fairs for one purpose only--fair food. I don't ride anything that drops so I'm content to wander around with my funnel cake, candy apple, giant corndog, grilled corn, and nachos.
2.) I can pinch the snot out of you with my toes.
3.) Sometimes I just sit on my couch and completely ignore the Jehovah's Witnesses when they come calling. I have pretended to be asleep and/or deaf because I feel like it would be rude if they saw me get up and run away.
4.) We have hardwood floors throughout our entire house. Sometimes when my feet get dirty or gritty, I wipe my them off on my Chocolate Lab, Charlie.
5.) I am deathly afraid of heights. I can barely breathe if I get over about 5 ft off the ground. And I have to take mood stabilizers before I can get on an airplane of any kind.
6.) I would love to run for city council, but I'm afraid I couldn't handle the bad-mouthing and mudslinging that comes along with political office. I know you can't please everyone all of the time, but I can't stand knowing someone is mad at me or doesn't like me. I have a complex.
7.) I have seen every single episode of Beverly Hills 90210. Dylan McKay was the greatest thing I had ever seen. I may or may not have a thing for bad boys.
8.) I used to lay in the pasture at my house and let the calves lick the bottom of my feet. I will always be a country girl at heart.
9.) I wrecked my dad's truck trying to roll up the window so the kitten I was bringing home wouldn't jump out. Oh yeah...I was 12.
10.) I can't stand belly buttons. They all gross me out, even my own. H likes to try and poke his finger in it and it drives me INSANE!
11.) My favorite meal of the day is brunch. Preferably eggs benedict with crabmeat hollandaise and an IV of mimosas. This must all be consumed while dining outside and listening to live music. Bliss.

Now...here are my answers to Hope's questions!

Do I prefer the lake vs the ocean? Hmmm-I guess I will go with the ocean, or in my case, the Gulf because I just love the whole atmosphere of the coast.

What is my favorite season? Fall is my favorite season. It's the onset of (thankfully) cooler weather after our sweltering, humid summers, football begins, the air is crisp, leaves are falling, crops are being harvested....the list is endless.

Do I talk to strangers in restaurants, stores, etc? You betcha! I could talk to a brick wall, so of course I welcome discussions with strangers about almost any topic under the sun. You never know who could be standing behind you in line. I'm hoping whoever it is has a private plane and wants to be BFFs.

What is my favorite movie? It's like asking me to pick my favorite song!! I just can't choose one because it all depends on my mood, but I guess the movie I never get tired of watching is Gone With the Wind. LOVED Scarlett and Rhett, and I thought Melanie really was a mealy-mouthed twit.

Do I prefer silver or gold? I prefer platinum.

If I could drive any vehicle, what would I drive? This is probably such a typical answer, but I am in love with a Range Rover, white and chrome with tan leather interior, of course. Unfortunately I have too much sense and not enough cash to make this a reality.

What is one quirky thing I do? I don't think quirky is a word I would use to describe myself. I am completely, 100% normal. But I do have to "Eeny-Meeny-Miny-Moe" my fortune cookie and I MUST be the first one to pick from the selection. Even though I don't eat fortune cookies.

Do I arrive early or late? Sigh. My goal is to always be early. In reality, I am usually the last-second or a few minutes after type of gal. I rely on the fact that most normal people realize they need to wait for the stragglers before starting-whether it's a wedding, funeral, recital, meeting, etc.

Do I eat breakfast? Yep. Sometimes it's only a pack of crackers, but I always try to eat something.

Am I a tidy person? I wouldn't exactly say I was tidy, but I am very organized.

What am I thankful for? I'm so thankful for so many things it should be a separate post altogether. Most of all, I am thankful for a healthy, happy baby and family. We are beyond blessed to have experieced few troubles thus far in life, and for that I am eternally thankful.

Last but not least, here are my questions to you. (Lindsey Adkison, I expect you to do this on your blog if you and your computer are done with your little lover's spat)

Are you a dog or cat person?
If you could take any vacation and go anywhere, where would you go?
What is the one food you would need on a deserted island?
What is the best book you've ever read?
Would you consider yourself a romantic?
How would you describe the perfect date night?
Do you believe in love at first sight or does love have to grow and develop between two people?
Do you prefer shoes or handbags?
How many times have you been skinny dipping?
Have you ever tried a really crazy food, and if so, what was it?
If you could have picked your own name, what would it have been?