The Higginbotham's Blog

New Years Eve/Day

2012-01-31T08:00:00.002-06:00

I'm skipping my birthday post on purpose....we will circle back around to that momentous occasion shortly. For New Years Eve, we had a great time! David played in Huntsville and we ended up staying the night over there. We were joined by some of our awesome friends and danced the night away. So much fun!!!

Then on New Years Day, we zipped to church and then over to the boat harbor for the annual Polar Bear Jump. I think I have mentioned it before, but David is doing a fabulous coffee table book for the Decatur Morgan County Chamber of Commerce. He's been documenting all the wonderful events that happen in our area as well as just some awesome photographs of things we have here. Being Mr. Photographer of the Year though, we couldn't take a photo from the shore for this event....no, no my friend. We have to get a dry suit, and get in the water. This day could also be called the day I almost lost my husband....Trying to swim in that suit plus hold a camera up in the air, focused and shooting fabulous pictures=very difficult. So needless to say, David earned his badge of honor that day, getting in freezing water, all in the name of a steller photo!!

The aftermath....

Christmas Morning

2012-01-25T17:19:00.002-06:00

Have I told you how much junk we accumulate on Christmas. I say "junk" with the best of intentions. Its all really great stuff, but we don't need another material thing. It always bothers me when people ask me, "What do you want for Christmas", and I can't come up with a thing. With that being said, we started off Christmas morning with the gift exchange between the hubs and myself. Santa also brought Wilson some treats as he had been a very good pup this year. On a side note, if Santa had to sit up at night with Wilson during a thunderstorm, he might leave switches and ashes in his stocking...I digress. On to the presents...

I saw this stuff called "Monkey's Butt" at Duluth Trading Company where I had bought some other gifts for David....I needed $10.00 more for free shipping, so I bought a little Monkey Butt...

And just what every runner needs.....

Wilson jumped for joy at the sight of his stocking....

And licked his lips at the contents...

Then we headed over to Vick's for Christmas with the fam....

Another fabulous Christmas in the books! Great time with family and friends!

Holidays with the Higginbotham's 2011

2012-01-13T08:24:00.001-06:00

We have lots of holiday festivities during November and December and since its the middle of January, I thought I would do just a picture post of some of our fun!!

Thanksgiving Tree Decorating....

Bobbie's 70th Birthday Party

Micah's Birthday and Gingerbread House Decorating....

More to come....Christmas!!

Caroline's Wedding Weekend

2011-12-26T15:37:00.002-06:00

Everybody knows that when the Phi Mu Superfriends get together, its gonna be a good time. Well, I will say that Caroline's wedding weekend was one of my favorite times EVER with the gals...and their hubbies/significant others as well. We stayed at the most fabulous place EVER in Destin. Its called Henderson Park Inn and I recommend it to ANYONE looking for a great place to stay. To tell you how nice it is, they have a big refrigerator with candy and cokes in it....and its all complementary. (I really showed my hillbilly side when the lady told us this...) When we walked into our room, this is what we saw...

After having a complementary candy bar, we got ready for the rehearsal dinner. It was fabulous and Kent's father was a hoot giving a toast to the fabulous couple!

Uncle Dave and LuLu played a little with the camera...

Breakfast at the Inn each morning was absolutely to die for. The chefs there prepare you just about whatever you want and it is top notch....

After breakfast, we took a walk down the beach with John Robert and Lindsey...then we took a little swing. That was right before Kent's Dad permanently disfigured us in a rare swing accident...

Then we headed out to the wedding...

It was a tad windy... :)

If there is a dance floor...watch out....

The open mouth photo thing really took off..

Love this group!!!

Awesome weekend! Can't wait to do it again with Lindsey in March and Ann Taylor in April!!

Catch Up!!

2011-12-24T15:27:00.002-06:00

Hellooooo!!! Anyone out there???? To say its been awhile since I updated the ol' blog is an understatement. I'm going to have to combine several post into one as today is actually Christmas Eve and I am still back in the beginning of November with posts. Here goes....

We had a few more fabulous tailgate weekends down at the quad and some of the lovely superfriends joined us! By this point in the season (towards the end) I am about done with football. I really like going and seeing everyone, but it is absolutely exhausting driving down and back in the same day, hauling food and chairs to the tailgate and especially the late night games. I will say however, that this year was the best as far as we have ever had logistically. We had a parking pass this year that was literally one block from our tailgating spot, so it was super nice to get to park in the same spot and not have to get into town 5 hours early to get a space.

For LSU weekend, we spent the night with cousin Joy in Birmingham. We got to play with Alex which was a lot of fun too! Minus the big loss that weekend, it was great!

For those of you that don't know, I have kind of a big birthday coming up on the 29th...I would like to request that everyone wear black that day in mourning for me...yes, I will be the big 3-0...For my gift, my fabulous and I do mean fabulous husband took me out for an early dinner back in November to give me my gift. For those of you that don't know, I have been saving my pennies for many years now to build a house on the river...my hubby gave me the rest of the money I needed to start the building process for the house, so we are currently working on getting the house up! WAHHOOO!! We had a fabulous dinner at Conner's and then had the check presentation. :)

Coming soon....Caroline's wedding weekend!!!

The Phi Mu Superfriends Take California

2011-11-06T16:01:00.002-06:00

A couple weeks ago, I hopped on a plane to fly across the United States to meet up with the superfriends! Caroline is getting married in November and we had her bachelorette party in California. It was an awesome trip! We toured several wineries, went to Pier 39, and basically saw a lot of San Francisco! I love these trips that we all take. We may not see each other for months at a time, but when we are all together, its like we are still meeting up each night at the Phi Mu house in Tuscaloosa! I love my superfriends so much and am looking forward to all the weddings and bachelorette parties we have in the near future! Here are some shots from the trip!

This was our view from lunch of Alcatraz...

This cheese tray was absolutely amazing!!

Okay, so for those of you that don't know, the lion is Phi Mu's mascot. Sir Fidel is his name...look what we stumbled upon at one of our winery tours!!! We about died!

The lingerie shower!!

What a great trip! I look forward to our next one!!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!!

2011-11-04T08:19:00.002-05:00

Yes folks, that is right...BOW Weekend! For those of you that don't know, Outdoor Alabama sponsors Becoming and Outdoors Woman twice a year. Its a wonderful weekend with all kinds of classes taught by some of the best experts around! This is like my 5th time to go and I wouldn't miss it for the world! I have made such great friends there and have such an awesome time at the event. This fall, I took Waterfowling, Archery (repeat, I loved it so much I took it again), Squirrel Hunting and From Field to Table. Now most of these classes are about hunting of some sort, but there are plenty of classes that don't have anything to do with dead animals for those that don't have a strong stomach!

This is Stewart showing us some of the different items used while duck hunting. I have never been duck hunting but I am going to give it a try!

On a side note, David always wonders what actually goes on at these events....

For squirrel hunting, we went out early in the morning and rustled up some squirrels. Then they taught us how to clean them and cook them. We had squirrel dumplings and brunswick stew made with squirrel. Pretty tasty!!

Next was archery which I loved. This is the 2nd time I have taken the class because I enjoyed it so much the first time!

Here are my fabulous roomates! We have become great friends over the years and I look forward to seeing them each time!

My final class was called From Field to Table where they teach you how to prepare an animal that you kill or catch. We did fish and a deer. I was excited to do the deer so that I wouldn't need help when I shot one on my own. Its very in depth though but pretty snazzy.

If you are interested in BOW, either attending or finding out more information, let me know!

Austin's Homecoming 2011

2011-10-11T10:37:00.002-05:00

Its hard to believe that my little nub is in high school...and went to his first homecoming...with a date! Kill me now! I will say that I really liked his little date though. She was a cutie and so sweet and well mannered. We decided to do a few pictures of them before the homecoming festivities started so we headed off to the Old State Bank Building. Please excuse my non professional photos. I tried to get David to come, but he had a paying gig...so I lost out on getting free professional photos made.

How many cameras do we need???

Love this one!

David's 33rd Birthday!

2011-10-03T20:51:00.003-05:00

I just realized that it has been almost a month since I have had a post on here. Things have been rather crazy at the Higginbotham House. In the midst of the craziness, we celebrated David's 33rd birthday. He got lots of awesome new clothes from Banana Republic and Mountain High Outfitters...to see his big present, you will have to keep reading...

Yes I made him hold up all his presents...

And drum roll please.....

A trip to Washington DC!! He has been wanting to go and see all the museums and such. I on the other hand would rather poke my eyes out with a spoon, but it's his birthday, so Washington, here we come! (**Sidebar**-after speaking with one of my co-workers about her recent trip to Washington, she said I would actually like the museums..that they are not the boring kind of museums.**)

After presents, the birthday boy wanted a little breakfast at City Cafe...

Later on that evening, my mom had a little party for David at church with several of our friends...check out the gift that my mom gave David...

For those of you keeping score...that would be a woman's jacket. Funny story...my grandmothers birthday was that weekend and my mom had everyone's presents in her car. she brought in the wrong present and when David unwrapped his, this is what he saw....

He was confused when he saw the tag, and even more confused when he pulled it out. Vick about died of humiliation and we all got a huge laugh out of it. I think he wore it well though!

Happy Birthday to my fabulous husband!!!

Back to School Fun

2011-09-05T18:53:00.002-05:00

A couple days before school started, "Aunt Vicki" kept the Higginbotham kids for a fun filled day. I don't know how she packs so much into a day, but by the time we met up with them for a little bowling, they had already gone swimming, played basketball, did some sort of craft, had a picnic at the park and then headed to the bowling alley. We met up with them for a boys against girls game. If memory serves me correctly, we each won one game. Great way to cap off the end of summer!

Time for a little husband vs. wife face-off...

Someone got a strike....and someone didn't....

Smith Lake Anniversary Trip 2011

2011-08-31T17:42:00.003-05:00

A couple weekends ago, we celebrated our 5 year anniversary with a weekend trip to Smith Lake. Don't get me wrong, I like the lake, but you know my real love is the river. I love the people, the murky water, the smells...it is just like my 2nd home. However, the lake was nice too. Getting to see your feet in the water was different. The people there were nice, but still, not like our river neighbors. Anywho, enough about that. We stayed at a fabulous house in Arley and had a big swim pier and boat house. On Friday night when we got there, I decided to do a little fishing. Now, unless I am eating the fish that I catch, I do not kill them. Or after this trip, I try not to kill them. Each fish I caught had totally swallowed the hook. Each time I performed surgery on the fish, gently trying to remove the hook. And time after time, I would throw the fish back in the water and **PLOP** they would float to the top. Super sad. So on Saturday, we swam and relaxed most of the day and then we headed out for our fancy dinner at the Arley Lighthouse. Also known as the only place to eat. When we pulled up, we almost missed the restaurant because it looked like one of those out buildings they sell at Lowes. We died out laughing and went in anyways. The thing about places like that is usually, they are the best places to eat anyways. So, after a lovely dinner, we headed back to the lake house and enjoyed the rest of the evening. A great anniversary was had by all!! :)

A Little River Fun!!

2011-08-12T08:17:00.002-05:00

Friday nights in the summer are one of my favorite times. First, for obvious reasons, you are done with work for the week and have the WHOLE weekend ahead of you which is nice. But secondly, we have a little tradition out on Sugar Creek with my fabulous neighbors. Once everyone gets off work and out to the river for the weekend, we hope in the boat and take a sunset cruise up usually into Tennessee. It is so nice and relaxing and the perfect way to start off the weekend. Here are a few shots from one of our outings...

The other weekend, the Neely's had their grandchildren out at the river, so we took the jet ski out there to ride them around on. Of course, it rained off and on all day, so we did more sitting inside than playing on the water, but everyone got a turn so that is all that matters!

I know that summer is winding down and it makes me a little sad, but fall is just as beautiful on the river as well!

Steven Graduates from SERT

2011-08-05T12:50:00.002-05:00

A couple weeks ago, Steven graduated from the SERT program at the courthouse. SERT stands for Student Emergency Response Training. We are very proud of him for all his accomplishments and how active he is in the community. I unfortunately had a conflict that night, so David went to his graduation for me. Way to go Steven!!!

Beltline Softball

2011-07-23T14:23:00.002-05:00

Both David and I are playing on the softball team for church. The girls play on Monday nights, and the boys play on Tuesday nights. We have had a great time so far this year playing. The girls have already started their tournament and the guys will start this week. I will have to post pictures of the girls team later, but here are some shots of our guys playing a little ball!

4th of July at the Sugar Creek

2011-07-13T14:19:00.002-05:00

This year, we had our first family event out at the river. My fabulous brother-in-law put the finishing touches on the dock so we could have the party out there. We cooked out and swam until we were all wrinkled like prunes. It was a fabulous day, minus the heat, and the thunderstorms. We had to duck inside for a few minutes, but overall, we had great weather. We had the canoe and jet ski out there for everyone to enjoy and they both got used all day. Here are some shots of the day!

Here is Cole and Uncle Dave heading out for a ride....

Two little river rats..

David and Cole again....giving us their pageant waves.

We convinced Gina to take a ride...she looks thrilled. :)

David and his Dad.

Easy Rider...

Cole and Hayden

Me and Steven

Thunderstorm #1 of 2

No need to unload the grill...we will just cook it redneck style in the back of the truck.

Happy 4th of July! A special thanks to all our wonderful men and women in the service that allow us our freedom and a special day to celebrate!!

The Higginbotham's Take Rome

2011-07-11T22:18:00.002-05:00

In June we had the opportunity to go to Rome and photograph a wedding at the Vatican. David will have more on his blog about the actual wedding once the picture can be released and I will put some of those on here as well. Traveling that far with all the photo gear made for an interesting trip. Imagine the clown cars you see at the circus, because that is what we looked like getting out of our vehicle with all of our gear. We had an amazing time, the wedding was perfect and then we stayed a few extra days to see the sights. I am so glad that David and I are alike when it comes to traveling. We both love to travel and see new places, however, about 3-4 days away from home is about our limit. I guess we are little homebodies. :) If you ever get the opportunity to go to Rome, I say take it. It is truly beautiful and there is so much history there that you will be amazed. Here are some of our snap shots...the fabulous pictures will come later. :)

This was the view out of our room. It was beautiful and we ate breakfast in that courtyard each day...more to come on the breakfast later...

The Spanish Steps...right outside our hotel.

David laughs at me for photographing my food...but I like to remember what I ate!

Treve Fountain

The breakfast at our hotel was amazing...I still think about it often. :)

Sugar Creek Fish Fry

2011-06-30T09:03:00.005-05:00

Last weekend, my neighbors got together out at the river and had a fish fry. The food was absolutely wonderful and all caught out on the creek! We had more fish than we knew what to do with and sides out the wazoo! The Neely's hosted us all at their house and a great time was had by all. I made a Texas Cavier for the first time that turned out absolutely amazing. I will have to put the recipe on here sometime soon because it is worth making for sure!! Here are some shots of the party!

The Phi Mu Superfriends Take Mexico

2011-06-16T16:33:00.002-05:00

I am so behind on blogging now, I don't think I will ever catch up. On Memorial Day weekend, the Phi Mu Superfriends took a cruise to Mexico for Lindsey's Bachelorette Party. When it comes to weddings and bachelorette parties, we know how to throw them. If you will recall, my fabulous Superfriends took me to Las Vegas for my Bachelorette Party. We also added a few new friends to our group while we were there. Lindsey had two friends from Texas and her high school friend Emily come with us as well. To say we had a great time is an understatement. It was all very familiar to being back in the Phi Mu house and also our little house on Lake View Drive in Tuscaloosa. I hope we continue to have these fabulous trips for weddings or whatever reason. Here are some shots of the cruise!

Me and Ginger....roomies again!!! :)

For the life of me, I can't remember what song we were singing...I just know we were SINGING....

Lindsey had to go all over the boat to find boys with all of her exes names....then give them a heart with their name on it....it was SUPER fun!

Lovely Mexico..

The girls became expert black jack players.... :)

In true Phi Mu form....we needed a gun group shot... :)

I'm not sure about this one...there was a little confusion if we were doing a "regular photo", "Cute face photo", or "Surprised Photo...."

Can we say windblown?

The last night, Lindsey and I had a little private dance party....great memories there!! :)

Happy Birthday Steven!!

2011-06-15T18:21:00.003-05:00

I cannot believe I am writing this post....my little nub is 14. I know....it seems like only yesterday he was learning how to walk. Steven has been a true joy in my life. I know if I love my own children half as much as I love him, it will be amazing. (And on a side note, I will need to get a 3rd job....) All in all, Steven is a wonderful young man who is very mature for his age, and pretty much stays out of trouble. Lets hope it stays that way. :) Many kids his age do not have good social skills, especially when it comes to being around adults. Steven can walk up to any group of adults and blend in the conversation effortlessly. *He gets his conversation skills from his aunt and grandmother.* Anyways, enough about him for now....we celebrated with a family lunch at Rosie's after Steven had been at Van Tiffin's kicking camp for the morning. We got to see Van, Lee and their entire family in Rosies as well after the camp which was a nice treat. So, here are some shots of the lunch! Happy Birthday Steven!!

The End of an Era

2011-06-04T08:55:00.003-05:00

Wednesday May 10th was a hard day for the Higginbotham's for many reasons. The main reason though was that my grandmother, Mamoo, was losing her job. She is 81 years old and has worked at Freds in Athens for 41 years. The store closed its doors on May 10th. I was in Athens for work that day, so I stopped by to see the ol' store one more time. Most of my childhood was memories of going into Freds to see Mamoo. She and that store went together like peanut butter and jelly. If you have a Decatur Daily account, you can go here to read the article they did on her.

Steven's Confirmation

2011-05-30T21:43:00.002-05:00

On Mother's Day, we had the great privilege of going to St. Pauls to watch Steven in his confirmation ceremony. We are so proud of him and his decision to be a Christian and couldn't be happier in the young man that he has become. After church, we all went to the park for a lovely picnic lunch and had a great time. He recently got his hair cut a little shorter than normal and I think it makes him look so much older. He is already old enough, so looking older may make his ol' aunt here go into shock. Way to go Nub!! I am so proud of you!!

The Great Toradoes of 2011

2011-05-22T15:50:00.002-05:00

I am so far behind in my blogging this is extremely old news...however, I need a record of it so bear with me. During the last week of April we had some of deadliest outbreaks of tornadoes that our country has seen in many years. Our area was severely damaged, fortunately though we didn't have any damage. David's parent's house had a few trees down but nothing major but their neighbors just down the street from them did not come off so lucky. We went out to there house to do a little clean-up work and then went to see David's old boss' house. The directions he gave us was to look for the house with the Lexus holding the garage up. Sure enough...there it was, the Lexus holding up the garage. We toured the inside of their house and it was crazy. Parts of the house looked fine and others had been torn completely off. David also went one day and did some clean up work with our Disaster Relief Team at Beltline Church of Christ. We are all very fortunate that our lives, and homes were spared, but there are many friends and neighbors who were not so lucky.

Easter Weekend 2011

2011-05-09T22:06:00.002-05:00

We started off Easter weekend with a concert in Birmingham. We went to see Johnny Lang...who David is a big fan of. However, his concert was a little disappointing. He did a lot of that super long intro's, a little bit of a recognizable song, then really long endings on all of the songs. Not necessarily our cup of tea, but his albums are amazing.

The next morning was Easter Sunday, so the Higginbotham's woke up to a visit from the Easter bunny....someone was a little excited about their goodies!!

The Easter Bunny could not locate either basket this year....so he left us Easter Piles....

After church, we headed to the in-laws for a little lunch and egg hunting...(****note to self when I am old and gray and reading this, Kate had to go to the ER that morning and that is why she was not in her Easter attire****)

Then we headed to Mamoo's to eat yet again....we took a tour of the old barn and found some really cool stuff we are going to use in our river house...more to come on that later....

FIshing with the Kiddos

2011-05-05T18:33:00.003-05:00

During the Higginbotham kids spring break, I took off work one day to take them to the river. ***Please note that the Pierce children were invited, but their mom said they had to clean the garage....boooorrrring!!!*** Anywho, we took off to Walmart to get our supplies for the day including Barbie Fishing poles. I really thought the kids would maybe fish for about 30 minutes and loose interest, so I had lots of other activities planned. Well, little did I know that they all loved fishing. I literally had to pull them away from the pier after 5:00 to take them home. We only had one small hook incident during the whole day, so I count that as a winner. We feasted on hotdogs and smores as well for lunch and then we were back at it! Everyone caught at least one fish and Kate caught 6....she is just like her aunt. :) Funny story...at the beginning of the day, Noah caught the first fish. I told him that he needed to kiss the fish before he threw it back in the water or he wouldn't catch anymore fish. He wasn't too wild about the idea and declined. As the day went on and his sister started catching multiple fish and kissing them before throwing them back, he decided their must be something to this....so, he was kissing her fish....Steven and Vick joined us later in the afternoon as as well and we all had a fabulous day!

Oh How I Long For A House...or at least a toilet

2011-04-26T21:39:00.004-05:00

We spent one of the first nice nights of Spring out at the river and did a little camping. Now, I am the biggest outdoors woman around, but even I would love nothing more than to pull up to my cabin on the river...not my tent. However, I know all good things come in time and we will eventually have a house there. The hard part is done, the lot, the clearing and the dock. Slap a house up and we will be finished! Anywho, we decided to do a little fishing, cooked some hotdogs and the other typical camping stuff. I did a little night fishing and David enjoyed the stars on the dock....

The night was not as restful as I had hoped. We left Wilson at home after his last camping expedition where he would not lay down and stood on our heads the entire night, keeping both of us from getting a wink of sleep. So, we thought this time, we would be in the clear with him sleeping peacefully at home. Well, note to self....camping in the winter and camping in the spring are two different situations. You see, for all of you non outdoorsy people, let me explain Mother Nature to you. You see, in the winter, a lot of the creatures/animals, etc. are a little more subdued. Maybe hibernating, or just not really operating at 100%. In the Spring however, they are up and awake and letting the world know it. I have never in my life heard so many noises that I couldn't identify. You would think the peaceful sound of the frogs and crickets would lull you to sleep which usually does me. However, about every 10 seconds there was some screeching sound that would almost make you wet your pants and then some animal noise that sounded like an old car trying to start. Needless to say, there wasn't much sleeping on our parts. So, as soon as the first light popped out of the sky, I was out of the tent and on the dock for a little morning fishing...

I caught a little bass and felt terrible, but I had to go wake David up to take my picture with it. He did, but his words to me were, "Next time, bring that back to me on a biscuit."

If you will remember from one of my previous BOW sessions, I took an outdoor dutch oven cooking class. So I of course came home and bought all the necessary tools for dutch oven cooking outside. I have the little charcoal starter thing, but I have never had it work quite right for me. It never really gets the charcoal going. So, genius here decided to give it a little help. I had one of those fire starters and I broke off a tiny piece....I mean tiny, like the size of a box of matches. So I put it under the charcoal starter and thought that might give it the little boost it needed to get started. So, I did that, set my timer and then went back to fishing. Well the next thing I knew, I was looking back as flames were shooting up out of the charcoal starter like a forest fire was about to erupt. I went running back there, kicked the starter over and tried to put it out...

Thank goodness David had the camera to document me almost burning the lot to the ground. Anywho, the plan for breakfast was scrapped and we went to Sportsmans Park for a delicious pork chop biscuit, so all was not lost. So now you can see my desire for a house, an inside toilet, a stove...but like I said before, all good things come in time. Lets just hope its quickly before I do some real damage out there!

Jimmie's Surprise 70th Birthday

2011-04-26T21:31:00.002-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, we threw a surprise birthday party for David's Dad at Casa Blanca. They are local celebrities there, so we thought it would be the perfect place for the party. So after much planning/stalking and lots of misunderstanding from the Spanish speaking staff and myself, we pulled it off. I am known there as the loco blanca senorita, or for those of you that are not bilingual, that would be Crazy White Lady. Anywho, the party was great, had wonderful food and lots of good fellowship...

Marc Broussard Concert

2011-04-11T07:09:00.002-05:00

For Valentine's Day, I got David tickets and Meet and Greet passes for the Marc Broussard Concert in Birmingham. It was on a Thursday night, so after work, we zipped down to Workplay in Birmingham. David is a big fan of his, and I listen to his music some, but after this concert, I really like his music. He is extremely talented and so nice and down to earth. He invited David to shoot pictures of him backstage at another concert and so I am sure we will be heading out to another one soon. Here are some shots from the night...

He did a special acoustic performance for some of the crowd....

BOW Weekend

2011-03-30T08:05:00.002-05:00

This was my 3rd time to go to BOW (Becoming an Outdoors Woman) which is sponsored by Outdoor Alabama. It is literally two of my favorite weekends a year! This time, we had to deal with rain, which was the first time we have had bad weather, but it was still so much fun! I took Pistol I, ATV Handling, Fly Fishing and Mountain Biking. I did pretty good in my pistol class, coming in 2nd in the Top Gun competition...I of course was disappointed as we all know, 2nd place is the 1st place looser. Still a blast though. One of these days hopefully I will lighten up and not make everything a competition. (Not counting on that any time soon though!) ATV Handling was also a blast. They taught us the basics of riding ATV's, servicing them, changing the oil, etc. We got to go riding through the rain which was pretty fun. Fly fishing was a skill that I have never had before. It was fun, but a whole lot of work. I think I will stick to regular fishing. Before the session was over I thought my wrist was going to snap in half from all the movement back and forth with that giant pole! Last but not least was my Mountain Biking class. I know David was glad I took it because I have never known how to change the gears on my bike when I am riding it and they taught us that. They also taught us how to change a flat tire which was pretty neat as well. Once again, BOW was a success. I absolutely loved it and got to meet back up with some of the wonderful friends I have made there over the past year. I can't wait until October when its time to go again!!!

Gatlinburg CYC Trip

2011-03-24T07:14:00.004-05:00

Back in February we went to Gatlinburg for a little mini vacation. We left Wednesday after work and came back that weekend. It was absolutely fabulous. We stayed in the most awesome place....Mountain Glory 2 It was the best cabin we have stayed in up there. The location couldn't be more perfect. You felt like you were in the middle of no where, but literally you were 5 minutes from either Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg. It had an awesome hot tub that we stayed in for the majority of the time and the view was beautiful. We played pool, ate way too much and just had a blast. I highly recommend staying at Mountain Glory 2 if you are ever in the area. It will not disappoint!!

We goofed off a good bit in Gatlinburg....watched taffy being pulled, which is a must for Gatlinburg, ate at delicious restaurants and shopped till we dropped. I haven't been to the mountains in several years and it was really nice and a much needed getaway. We also went up there to hear Justin play at the CYC conference which was really cool. His group did a great job and the kids all really loved it! Here are some shots from the weekend...

Here we are eating....suprise suprise!!

We went to the arcade for an afternoon of fun!

Back at the cabin....this should be on awkward friends photos.... :)

Maybe this one too....

So happy to be here....except Justin

Justin playing at CYC

He forgot his slide, so he bought a shot glass to use instead...very crafty...

Ski Trip with Steven

2011-03-14T17:44:00.002-05:00

A couple weeks ago, Steven and I headed out on a ski trip after one of his soccer games on Friday night. We were going to Cataloochee Ski Resort in North Carolina and had a long way to drive. I am like an old lady and can't drive at night if I am sleepy because I will end up in a ditch. So, Steven promised he would help keep me awake for the drive. By Madison, he was snoring so loud, he was fogging up the windows. Anywho, we finally made it there and got ready for some fun. I have never been skiing before and wasn't nervous about going until my friend Micah went 2 weeks before us and broke her tailbone. I kept imagining me and him up there and me breaking something....who would drive home??? I am glad to report there were no injuries. I only fell once and got the hang of it pretty quickly. I did order this awesome ski suit that drew quite alot of attention because of its color. My motto has always been, if you dress the part...you can probably do it. So, my outfit looked like a real skier, so hopefully I fooled a few people!! It was a great time and awesome to spend time with my Steven!

Baby Alex is here!

2011-03-02T16:56:00.003-06:00

My cousin Joy just had her baby boy a few weeks ago and we made the trip down to Birmingham to visit them in the hospital. Joy did such a good job of not telling his name throughout the ENTIRE pregnancy. It just about drove us all crazy though because we couldn't get anything monogrammed! You know us Southern Women....we need the babies name on EVERYTHING! He is so precious and was quite the big boy weighing in at over 9 pounds. Here are some shots of that sweet baby!

Valentine's Day 2011

2011-03-02T16:51:00.002-06:00

We had a pretty low key Valentine's Day this year which was just what I needed. Steven's first soccer game was that night and I went to that and got home just in time for a romantic dinner prepared (aka, picked up) by my lovely husband. It was delicious and served on the fine china!! He got me a BEAUTIFUL diamond dinner ring which I will post pictures of when I get it back from the jewelry store after being sized. I got him tickets and backstage passes to the Marc Broussard concert which he is really excited about. So all in all, great night!

We also celebrated with our Sunday School class and had an awesome time. We played Minute to Win It and David came in 3rd place!! Here are some shots from the night...see if you can tell who was cheating in these photos... :)

The Great Dock Building....

2011-02-17T08:43:00.002-06:00

For any of you that know us, you know we are not handy people. David and I don't possess natural construction skills to say the least. So, what do we do when we need to build a dock? Employee the skills of our construction talented family. Child labor??? We are for it....unsafe working conditions??...no problem for us....frigid cold??...put on a coat and lets get to work! Our family will probably not want to see us for about a year after all the togetherness we have had the past 3 weekends. I will say that the Lord blessed us on the first weekend with freakishly high temperatures. So, we were out in the mud digging holes in 60 degree weather which was really nice. That night when we got home, we doped ourselves up on advil and went to bed at 8:00. Then we headed out the next day to do it all over again....here are shots from the first weekend...

Little lunch break....

Weekend two was awful. I mean, awful...that white stuff in the photos....yeah..that is snow. BRRRRR!!!!!

We are getting close to finishing!! More photos to come!!

Hunting at Bubba's

2011-02-04T09:40:00.003-06:00

A couple weekends ago, Bubba had invited David and I down to his hunting camp for the weekend. So, we loaded up after work on Friday and headed down south. When we got there, we unloaded enough stuff for a week, and settled in for the night. The alarm went off bright and early at 4:30 and we all headed out for the morning hunt. We saw a turkey and a one deer as we were getting out of the shooting house, but nothing after that. So, back to the house we went for a yummy lunch and a quick nap. The Saturday afternoon hunt was much more eventful. As we walked to the shooting house, we jumped a doe and a buck...before we had even sat down, we saw 3 more doe coming down the hill. This house had alot more action than what we had seen before. Of course, just my luck, it starts getting dark and boy do the deer start coming out. At one time, we had at least 5 deer on the field in front of us. I was trying to decide which one to shoot!! However, mother nature was not on my side because it was a little too dark in my opinion to take a safe shot, and I wanted to make sure that I didn't shoot a small buck on accident. So, we decided to call it a night and not shoot anything, with hopes of seeing more in the morning....no such luck though!! We didn't see squat. But all in all, we had an awesome time with some great people and wonderful fellowship! The deer beat us one more time!! :)

Just call me Nancy Kerrigan

2011-02-04T09:35:00.004-06:00

Back in the day, when our ice rink was only opened during the cold months, I took lessons. I would love to find some of the pictures from then because nothing says cute like a tutu on ice. Anywho, I haven't been ice skating in forever! We invited the Millers to go out and off we went to Point Mallard. I had a ball!! And talk about great exercise...it is awesome! Justin and Micah had fun as well...and as you can see, Justin is the next Nancy Kerrigan....

The wall was his best friend that night. We rounded off the night with a second trip to Longhorn Steakhouse for desert....we just ate dinner there before we went to skate, so we looked like total fatties going in there for a second time that evening. It was a great evening and a good time was had by all. :)

David and Micah getting "checked" into the glass...

The Great Blizzard of 2010

2011-02-04T09:20:00.004-06:00

For those of you keeping up, yes, I am really behind in my blogging....considering its February 2011 and I am still in 2010. At least my post will be different from everyone elses though!! :) Anywho, we had a HUGE snowstorm here in Alabama. For all of my northern readers, please disregard some of my comments related to this snow storm and try not to spit out your coffee when I tell you we were almost shut down for an entire week for 8 inches of snow. I know, I know....ya'll had like 8 feet, but its all relative here. If you came down to Alabama say, in June, when we are getting into the high 90 degree temperatures, we wouldn't laugh at you for having a heat stroke...moving on....so we played in the snow for days and had a ball. We went to one of the biggest hills in Decatur, which I cannot name, because we could possibly go to jail...but we had a blast! I did a little redneck snowboarding, on boogie boards which was all we had, but they did the trick.

We took some photos out in the snow and played with the pup a good bit. We hung out with the Claborns for most of the day on Monday and did a little redneck tubing...

I was dying to see what the river lot looked like, so I braved the roads and ventured out there! It was beautiful as usual!

Lots of deer tracks in the yard...

All in all, the snow was great. I was ready to see it go though. That's why I live in Alabama...snow isn't really my thing...I prefer it to be 90 degrees in the shade. From what the ol' timers are saying we will have another big snow storm before spring! For once, I hope they are wrong!

The Quote Board

2011-02-01T20:47:00.002-06:00

We have a quote board on our refrigerator that has been the source of many a laugh at the Higginbotham house. You pray that something you say isn't stupid enough to make the quote board because if it is, it will be up there for a year. I am going to tell a few of the stories behind some of the sayings on the board...some will just have to remain private at the Higginbotham House....

"Honey Glazed Chicken Legs, that's my dancin' name...." Anna
-This quote came from a trip to church....I love to read cookbooks, yes, cookbooks. I was in the car, flipping through some recipes and reading the titles out loud to David to see if he thought they sounded good. When I read this one out loud, I added a little to the end..."Honey Glazed Chicken Legs....." "That's my dancin' name." And boom! Just like that it was on the board!

"Kevin makes Vick look like a computer hacker." Anna
-I had a boss that literally couldn't check his email. Computer illiterate would have been a complement for him. My mother on the other hand, wasn't too far behind him in her knowledge of computers. I was at home one night telling David a funny computer story about him when the words, "Kevin makes Vick look like a computer hacker," came out of my mouth. Boom....quote board.

"You can't kick a gift horse in the mouth..." Anna
-I have a real problem with mixing up parts of old sayings. Literally, I do it all the time and David gets a big kick out of it. One night he was telling some story and my very serious response was, "Well, you can't kick a gift horse in the mouth..." He about peed in his pants...and reminds me quite frequently of my misuse of that quote...boom! Quote board!

The next one, I think should be left to the Higginbotham's....but you could put it together if you want..

And lastly, "Wilson is looking old, he needs just for pups." Anna
-Just for men is made for the old guys with gray beards...just for pups could help Wilson with the whiting around his face...

Looking back on this board, I just realized that David doesn't say anything worth writing down... :)

New Years Eve 2010

2011-01-23T19:55:00.002-06:00

This year, we decided to head to the Embassy Suites in Huntsville for their New Years Eve party. We have never done anything like that, but it looked like fun. We got a package that included a night stay, breakfast buffet at midnight and in the morning (bonus) dinner by Ruths Chris and then the band Juice was playing. It was so interesting to me to stay at a hotel 30 minutes from our house, but it was really nice. We got there around 3:00, did a little swimming and then took a nap in our room. Then we got all fancied up and headed downstairs. The food was AMAZING! They had everything you could want. Deserts as far as the eye could see and some giant hunk of an animal leg that David tore into. We met some really nice folks there as well and had a dandy time dancing 2010 away. I will say this, if you ever need a place to stay, this Embassy Suites was the best. The staff there was so over the top nice, you almost felt like you were in Disney World. I highly recommend them!! So, if you need a little escape, or to get away from your spouse for the evening, Embassy Suites in Huntsville is the place to go!

This is what you look like walking through the halls of the hotel trying to find the pool when you forgot your flip flops.

My 29th Birthday....whoop whoop!

2011-01-20T19:40:00.003-06:00

This year, I had an awesome birthday! It started out with a day at the spa at the French Door. It was absolutely fabulous!! If you ever need to relax, that is the place to go! Then, David and I headed out to Nashville. We ate dinner at our new favorite place in Nashville (recommended by David's brother and wife) Stoney River. They have the most awesome coffee filet. I mean, it is to die for! We then went out to BB Kings and listened to a band and the off to a piano bar and I actually stayed awake past midnight! I know...crazy right! The next day, David gave me a shopping spree to Bass Pro, my most favorite store on the planet, and my plan was to buy a new rifle. I have major anxiety for some reason when it comes to purchasing a rifle and can't pull the trigger...pun intended. The one thing I have learned is that everyone and I do mean everyone has their opinion on what is a good gun, what is the worst gun ever made and what gun they wouldn't shoot a robber with if they had to. All in all, this adds up to anxiety on my part. So, long story short, I didn't buy a gun there...but I still had an awesome time and picked up a few other essentials while in the store. After we got back from Nashville, we had a little celebration with my mother as well with my traditional strawberry cake. I have had that same cake for every birthday since I was born and it is my favorite. So, all in all, my 28th year was awesome, and I have even bigger plans for 29!!

At Stoney River...

BB Kings...

The Big Bang..

Bass Pro...David trying out a new tent...

Birthday dinner with Vick...

I can't shoot it!!!

2011-01-17T16:01:00.002-06:00

I went hunting with Ray and the fellas a couple weeks ago. It was my first deer hunt of this season, and my first time to hunt all by myself. I finished my hunters safety course so I was ready to be let loose. One day I will write a post about that course and the guy calling me Barbie in the class...he was a real jerk...anywho, I digress. So we headed out for an afternoon hunt. Ray took me and dropped me off at "Honey Hole" and I positioned myself in the shooting house for the afternoon. Note to self though, next time I will bring a book or something for those times in between when you see something...if you are that lucky. Back to the story...so there I am, looking out, when I see a deer through the trees, coming my way. Now, I have heard of people getting the shakes when they see a deer. I of course was so cool and collected, I didn't experience that. Well, that is a lie. I started shaking as the deer walked out. And I mean, really shaking, like, thought I would blow my own foot off shaking. Its a weird mix of excitment, terror and reminding yourself to be so still that you barely breath. So, whats a girl to do out in the woods by herself, shaking so hard the tree stand is moving??? Bring out that yoga breathing. I KNEW one day it would come in handy. So, I closed my eyes, started my yoga breathing and then calmed myself down. I opened my eyes and saw this huge doe standing perfectly in front of me where I could have blown here from here to China. I bring my gun up...put the crosshairs right on her chest and prepare a shot. Well, then I notice she is not alone...I raise up from the scope to see her baby staring back at me. Yep, her baby, and a little baby at that. So, now I am having the internal struggle of should I shoot her or not...I start weighing my options...

1. The baby surely would be fine....it far enough in the season for it to survive on its own....Pro 1
2. Its a deer, it doesn't have feelings like we think it does, and there are too many deer, and this baby could possibly starve from overpopulation if I don't shoot the mama...Pro 2
3. I can't imagine shooting the mama and watching the baby run off all alone and be scared in the dark woods by itself....Con 1
4. I would be in therapy if I shot this thing in front of its mother.....Con 2

So, I decided not to shoot it...and they stayed in front of me for almost 40 minutes. It was the coolest thing I had ever seen, getting to be that close to them and observe them in their environment...well, a few seconds later, I get a text from Ray....

Ray-"Have you seen anything?"
Anna-"I have a mother and her baby in front of me..."
Ray-"Shoot the mama"
Anna-"I can't shoot the mama with the baby in front of it!!!"
Ray-"Yes you can...shoot the mama!!!"

We go back and forth for awhile and I decide to still not shoot it. Over all, I was very happy with my decision. Did they tease me about it?? Of course, but I know my day will come....Patience is a hunters best friend.

Christmas 2010 Part 3.....yes, its still going

2011-01-13T09:22:00.002-06:00

Christmas morning after opening gifts at our house, we braved the snow and headed two blocks over to my moms house. Every year, we do a Christmas puzzle, but the one we had last year took us into July before it was finished, so we did not do one this year. It had 1500 pieces in it and almost caused a family feud. That thing was from the devil!! We have decided that we are a 500 piece kind of family....so we will at least know from now on. Anywho, we opened gifts, had a delicious breakfast and then headed off for more of the days activities. Here are some shots....

This is the puzzle that almost divorced us all....

Spaz...

There is a story behind this photo....Vick got David these flashlights that you wind to power them...well, he took them out and began winding them. With a confused look on her face, she said..."Oh...thats how those work..." She thought they were wind powered....like Gone with the Wind...So, here they are powering up the flashlights...

Christmas 2010-Part 2...Our House

2011-01-07T19:35:00.002-06:00

Christmas morning we woke up to a white Christmas which was awesome. I immediately hollered to David who was still in the bed..."There must be like 3 inches of snow out here!!!" He told me I was wrong....till he got up...told you so!!! Anywho, we exchanged gifts. We buy each other waaayyy too much stuff. And that is all it is...stuff. But for now we enjoy buying each other things, so there you go. Check out the loot below...

Can we say nerd....and yes, he wore that out already.

Insert crazy eye, for my picture with my new mug....

David and his new kicks..

When people asked me what I got David for Christmas I couldn't ever answer...so my typical answer was, just a bunch of nerd stuff. I don't know what half of the stuff o his list was, but it makes him happy, so if he is happy, so am I!

This thing is the BOMB...its a chefs mat and its got this gel in it, so when you are standing in the kitchen cooking, it is super comfy instead of standing on the hard floor....

I got new GreenPans by Chef Todd English which I am super pumped about, and some kitchen equipment!! Makes my heart happy!!!

I just realized looking back at these photos that we look stoned....we are not, just excited about our presents...

David has made fun of my "buddy" shoes for the past 2 years...they were not real UGGs, but I loved them anyways...he bought me the real ones and I love them too!!

Here is the pup getting his stocking...

And this is my most favorite picture from Christmas...David in his new goggles...

We then decided to go play in the snow with the neighbors for a little while before going to my mom's house....

Christmas 2010-Part 1 of.....who knows how many

2011-01-06T18:25:00.003-06:00

Like everyone, we have lots of fun holiday traditions. On Christmas Eve we head off to the ol' ball and chains parents house where we meet up with David's sister, brother and their children. It is always really fun and we have delicious food. This year was no different. Then it is time for the presents. Its so hilarious to me how each year, the kids will be sitting at one table and the adults sit at another. Of course, they fix all the kids food first, so they are done eating before we really even sit down. Then starts the stream of children one at a time over to the adult table..."Is it time to open presents yet?" "No, not yet..." (See 3 minutes later) another child enters, "Is it time to open presents yet?" "No, not yet..." This cycle continues until the adults are worn down enough to go open presents. Then we move on to another tradition that is pretty cool. The Higginbotham's are cool enough to get a real live phone call from Santa. Every year...I know, you are jealous. He talks to each of the kids, updates them on where he is and all that good stuff. Its pretty awesome. This year, Santa was so good he made Aunt Melinda cry...

And my gift made her cry...

Come to think of it, Melinda cries a whole lot. :) (Just kidding sister in law!!)

Anywho, here are some shots from the wild bunch at the Higginbotham's house....

Reindeer ears...

All the kiddos with "Aunt Vicki"

Gina will kill me, but this picture sums up the gift opening time that night....

Tess was super pumped about her pillow pet....and on a side note, why can't I think of stupid crap like that and make millions of dollars????

Who is that on the phone??? Santa!!!

Kacen wanted to take some photos of Uncle Dave and Aunt Anna...

And last but not least, Twas the Night Before Christmas...

Meg's Shower and ABS Homecoming

2011-01-04T16:05:00.002-06:00

A few weeks ago, my mom, Meghan and I hosted a shower for one of my dearest friends and college roomie, Meg. It was great. It was a very intimate group of people and we gave her an ornament shower which was pretty cool. When you get married, you don't think about your first Christmas tree and how much it cost to buy all those ornaments from scratch, so this party did the trick. We had great food, and excellent company! Here are some shots...

Moving on to Homecoming....we went to see Cole and Noah play basketball at Bible School and it just happened to be their homecoming. Cole was in the leadout for the 7th grade class and so we had to see that! He did really well, but you could tell he had no desire to be there. And to make matters worse, good ol' Uncle Dave embarrassed him....see picture below...

But that is what Uncles are for right??? Maybe one day he will find David's humor funny...and maybe so will I. :)

I know you can't tell what this is...but it is Davids temporary drivers license that he taped to the ceiling in the gym when he was there decorating for a banquet in like 1995 or something. And it is still there...

Tacky Christmas Party

2010-12-30T19:53:00.002-06:00

I was in charge of our class Christmas party this year at church, so we decided to go with a Tacky Christmas Party theme. I have always enjoyed those parties and we have lots of fun. We also played a few games, one of which was called 2 lies and the truth. You had to write down two of the worst Christmas gifts you were ever given, plus make up one and people had to try and guess which was the fake gift. It was hilarious and there have been some people who got some really awful gifts over the years! I would try to caption all of these photos, but I think most of them speak for themselves...David was in full Dwight Schrute mode all night long and just in case you don't notice, his eyes were not open for any of his photos....strange, I know....

Carrie's Baby Shower

2010-12-27T20:12:00.002-06:00

The same weekend we had Joy's baby shower, I helped host a shower for one of my dear high school friends, Carrie Sanders Hart. We had the event at Curry's downtown and had delicious food and she got some wonderful presents. A great time was had by all!! :)

Joy's Baby Shower

2010-12-24T09:24:00.002-06:00

So my cousin Joy is having a little boy in February and over the holidays we got together to give her a little shower while they were up here for Thanksgiving. We had a great time and she got lots of cute things! Baby Jo (they are not announcing the name) is already loved very much! His Aunt Anna is his favorite person already though. Someone will have to teach the boy how to hunt and fish.... :)

The Iron Bowl

2010-12-13T14:50:00.003-06:00

What can I say, the best thing about the Iron Bowl this year was seeing my girls. The worst thing....well, you can guess. I am one of those people that would rather get my brains stomped out than to loose by a point. I hate loosing by a point. If I am going to loose, prepare me by beating the snot out of me for the first 3 quarters! I won't go into details of the game, you all saw it, but it sucked. The end. Here are the highlights of the day though!

Tailgate fun!!

The girls in front of the Phi Mu house!

We thought this was a good idea at the time...

LOOOVE this one!

The Great Dryer Shortage of 2010

2010-12-13T14:45:00.003-06:00

Hello faithful readers! Did you know that there was a dryer shortage just a few weeks ago?? Yes that is right...there was not a dryer to be found in North Alabama. And so what naturally happens? Our dryer breaks. So we set out on what turned out to be the great dryer hunt of 2010. When we first started looking for a dryer, we had a price range in mind that we wanted to spend. By the time it was over, price was out of the question...we just a wanted a dryer...any dryer. From what I was told, a large number of these big stores use one main warehouse that they get their dryers from. Well, due to black Friday sales, there were no dryers. This was literally the Monday after Black Friday and I couldn't get a dryer before December 22nd. December 22nd???!!! Seriously, I about died. We had to use our friends dryers and after an embarrassing incident that will not be mentioned on this blog, I decided we would just buy new clothes instead of using someones dryer. I finally found a dryer, but we had to wait a week to get it, but since the other dryers wouldn't be here before December 22nd, a week sounded great. So fair well to the lovely dryer we once had....you will be missed.

RIP Dryer..

Spencer Black Memorial Run

2010-12-13T14:35:00.002-06:00

I am so far behind in blogging, I may need to take a week off to catch up! Anywho, David participated in his first 5k race a couple of weeks ago. I am so proud of him for this awesome accomplishment! Also, a friend of ours, Erica ran in this race as well and it was her first also! I would like to make a note that after I finished, I had to sprint half a mile to the truck to get the camera and then back to the finish line to get David crossing it. I HAD to have a picture of him crossing the finish line of his first race but I thought I was going to have a heart attack getting the camera! Also, Vick and Steven participated in the one mile fun run. Steven was going to run and Vick was going to walk. When they blew the whistle though, David and I about passed out as we watched Vick run by us. And then she kept on running....I about died!! I got 3rd place in my age division which was nice, so it was a great day for us all! We decided to then go to Luvici's for lunch after the race. We were about to get out of the car and David said..."Are you going to wear that inside??" He was referring to my medal...and yes, I did wear it inside. :)

Getting all geared up!

Here he comes!!!

Me and Vick...please excuse me looking like death...this was after the race, and the 1 mile sprint to and from the car!

Our friend Erica! I just barely caught her!

Getting my medal

Bama Game

2010-12-06T20:49:00.002-06:00

Its been so long ago now, I don't even remember which game this was...whatever the game was before the Iron Bowl...anywho, it was lots of fun. Got to meet up with my girls before the game and had a great time tailgating. I will throw in this little disclosure though....at this point in the season, I am done. I mean, real done. I am tired of driving 2.5 hours each way to the game. Sitting in either the blistering heat or freezing cold and I have had my fill of hotdogs and hamburgers. Now, don't get me wrong, I always have fun once I am there...but thinking about going down to Tuscaloosa at the beginning of each week makes me want to throw myself in traffic. I guess if we were loaded and had once of those fancy condos by the stadium it might not be so bad. I'll tell Santa to put that on my list for next year! Roll Tide!

Ladies Night Out!

2010-11-30T15:54:00.002-06:00

My "Southern Women" post got me a little behind in my normal blogging, but I a sure most of you don't mind. And if you do, oh well...its my blog. :) Anywho, a couple weeks ago, I was in charge of Ladies Night Out at church. I love to plan parties, events, or any other reason to get together, so this was right up my alley. I called in my partner in crime, Jackie Grimsley from The Casual Gourmet in Decatur. She has become like family to me as much as I am in her shop. We put our heads together and put together an idea to do an event where she would bring holiday appetizers for us to try and then give us the recipes AND explain how she gets everything to look so fabulous! I mean...who does that??? She is awesome! She also had a few little games where we had to guess what was wrong/missing from the table. Of course, no one could figure it out. The whole point of the game was to show us that no one can tell if something is missing or wrong on your table, so quit freaking out about it! All in all it was a great night and we all walked away with some great recipes and lots of laughs!!

Southern Women-Cooking

2010-11-23T08:55:00.002-06:00

This post could actually be an entire book. In the South, we LOOOOVE food. Good food too! Not that fat free, no gluten, vegan crap. I mean real food. Cooked with bacon grease, fried or smothered. To be quite honest I haven't cooked bacon with anything that didn't turn out spectacular. It really should be its on food group. I digress....you see, food here is a reason to get together. We use it to celebrate life, death, holidays and football. You will not find a better spread of food than at an SEC tailgate on the quad at Alabama. We know how to eat!

Oh, and if there is a birth or death in a family, well, here comes the food. New moms in Alabama probably don't have to cook for the first 3 months of their child's life! Same goes for funerals. Many times you will here at church or some other social gathering..."Did you hear that Sara's grandmother passed away....I need to get a casserole to them." There is something comforting in not only being the recipient of the casserole, but also the one who prepared it. A lot of times, you don't know what to say when someone has a death. However, being able to walk in with a piping hot meal normally says all you need to. It says that you love them, and that if they need anything to call.

This year for the first time, I prepared Thanksgiving....ALL OF IT! I had Buzzy and Theresa over for a Thanksgiving meal and we had it all...from Turkey through pecan pie, I crafted it myself. Now, this was the first time that I had ever made a turkey and wasn't real sure how to do it. So, I called in reinforcements...John and Melinda. They gave me an awesome recipe and off we went. It took me, David, a flashlight and a "which end is the butt and which end is the head" discussion to get it finished, but finished it was, and it was beautiful if I do say so myself.

If you are interested in Southern Recipes, I highly recommend two cookbooks. Cotton Country Cooking, which was put together by the Junior League here in Morgan County, and White Trash Cooking. Yes, I am serious...White Trash Cooking is amazing. I will say though, you may have a hard time up north or wherever you are grabbing an opossum, or shooting a squirrel off your porch. I guess you could just use chicken... :)

Southern Women-Extra-Curricular Activities

2010-11-14T19:50:00.003-06:00

Ahhh.....Southern Women and their hobbies....where to begin. One thing about being a Southern Lady is that just about anything goes as far as hobbies are concerned. We will find any reason to get together. From playing Bunco to throwing Baby Showers, we have lots of reasons to get together. As long as their is food and friends involved, we will find just about any reason to socialize. Most of these gatherings are centered around some sort of event, like I mentioned before, a baby shower, Bunco game, or SEC football party. If you want to get right down to it, they are just organized gossip sessions. You better be in attendance because we are usually talking about the one who didn't make it to the event. Here is another little "Southern" tip for you. You can say anything you want about anybody as long as you add these three little words to it. "Bless Her Heart." Those three little words change downright mean, spiteful comments to sounding like genuine concern for someone. For example you could say, "My gosh, Sally Smith has gained about 40 pounds!" That sounds kind of mean don't you think. Try this on now... "My gosh, Sally Smith has gained about 40 pounds, bless her heart!" Much better huh? That whole "bless her heart" thing works wonders, so try it on for size next time you are wanting to say something ugly about someone. Anywho, back to our extra-curricular activities. Like I said before, Southern Women, especially myself like to dress up all nice and spiffy. We can go to the fanciest events, gala's, fundraisers, etc. and then turn around and put on some camo, or our nice blue jeans to head off to the PBR semi-finals. (For those of you not familiar, that would be Professional Bull Riders). Here are David and I at gala....

And then here we are a couple nights later at the PBR Finals in Atlanta..

The point of all this is, in the South you can do just about whatever you want for your activities. From the nicest black tie event, to a down in the mud rodeo, we are up for it all. That is the beauty of living here...it really doesn't matter. And if someone has a problem with it, they are just a big ol' fat butthead.....bless their heart.

Southern Women-Fashion and Culture

2010-11-07T16:08:00.003-06:00

This will be an eye opening post to several of you not from here. Fashion and culture is a big thing down here in the south. From matching your children for Easter Sunday, to wearing dresses and heels to SEC football games, to hunting attire, we know how to dress. I'll start with football.

Football here is a huge tradition. Oh, and on the day of the Iron Bowl, this state basically shuts down. Now, I had the privilege of attending THE UNIVERSITY....for the few of you that don't know, that is The University of Alabama, or The University as we call it because its the only University worth mentioning. Anywho, I remember countless football games in the scorching sun and blistering cold where we paraded ourselves out to the game in the finest Southern Couture. Don't even think about not wearing your team colors, oh, and houndstooth is a must. See examples below...

We even dress our little ones up in their school colors. So, comfort or not, we will be dressed for game day, heels and all!

Hunting/outdoor attire....now, this is a new couture for me. I am getting more into it, especially this year, but I consider myself a pro already. What I have decided so far is, just because you are in the outdoors doesn't mean you have to dress like a hobo. Case in point...my BOW event held a couple weeks ago. They all made fun of me for wearing my pearls, especially while firing large firearms, but hey, what do you expect? Take note on how the pearls actually bring out the camoflauge...

Please note that in order to lure a prospective deer to you, your nails must be perfectly polished, and you must apply just enough "Big Sexy Hairspray" so you neon orange hat doesn't sit directly on your head.

As far as footwear, when out in the wilderness, you must have proper shoes on. My favorites are my river boots. Snazzy enough to keep the snakes away...and lure the fish in!

So the moral of this lesson....always be prepared in the woods, water or wherever you may be. Dress appropriately for all occasions...and don't forget your pearls.

Southern Women

2010-11-06T21:06:00.002-05:00

I interrupt this normal blog for a few posts about Southern Women. For those of you that read my blog and are not from the South, I hope this will give you a little glimmer into what we are really like here....the picture above has absolutely nothing to do with my post, but I just like it....well, I take that back. It is very "Southern" for sure...

The other day, we were riding in the truck (of course) when David made the following comment. "You are beautiful, sexy, redneck and trashy, and that is why I love you." Thank you...I think???? That coupled with my recent re-watch of "Sweet Home Alabama" starring Reese Witherspoon has put a weight on my heart. A weight to try and justify to you folks not from around here about this freak culture that we have in the South. No, we are not married to our cousins, and we don't re-live the Civil War every weekend like most people think. I think we, especially Southern Women, are a delicate mix of everything that is right in the world.....I will be breaking this post down into a few different sections. Tonight, we will start with language. We will move from that to fashion/culture, extra curricular activities, cooking and then on to anything else I deem appropriate for this venture. Or, I may get sick of it midway, and punt the whole concept. Its my blog and I can do that if I want to....

The Southern accent is something that is marveled by many, despised by a few and rarely imitated correctly. Any time that we travel outside of the South, I am amazed at the language barrier that I face with most people. They often say stupid things like, "Just say something....anything, I want to hear you speak!!" Other times, there is just total confusion. Case in point. When I was in Las Vegas for my bachelorette party a few years ago, I went up to a lady to get change for a $20.00 bill. After exchanging the normal, "Hello, how are you's?" I asked for change. She replied with an "Excuse me?" "I need to get change for this" I repeated again. She looked like I was speaking another language. I could understand her perfectly, I mean, we sounded the exact same. After several more failed attempts, I finally wrote down on a piece of paper what I was saying. "Ohhhh....you want change!" "Yes" I took my change and went on with my evening. Rather odd, I thought, but you would be surprised at how many people can't understand a Southern accent. I think about those goofy sounding Cajun's on "Swamp People...." I wonder if that is what I sound like to other folks?

Anywho, on our latest trip to Las Vegas, the photographer that took our photos kept commenting on our accents as well. You get to the point where you try to not even speak, for fear of being ridiculed. Well, anyways, he made a comment to me about my sweet little Southern accent and how he bet I could get anything I wanted just by asking...come to think of it, it does have super powers that way. Lets say I am trying to get out of a ticket, or need a little customer service with a product I have bought. That sweet Southern drawl has its advantages. I don't know how anyone with a northern accent could sound sweet...even if they needed to! :) I digress, the point is, I love this accent, wouldn't trade it for the world. And if you are going to try and fake a Southern accent, don't even bother. You just sound stupid.

Halloween Hoots...

2010-11-04T10:20:00.002-05:00

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays of all times. I don't know why, but I just love seeing all the little kiddos dressed up and coming to the house. Well and on a selfish note, its a reason to finally have 5 pounds of candy in your house without people looking at you like you are a tons-of-fun. This year, the Darnell's graciously hosted the Trunk or Treat at their house on Saturday night. They have an awesome farm and lots of room for all the children, both big and small. I had the great pleasure of teaching some of the kids and their parents as well how to make Smores. Yummy!!! Those are in my top 5 as well. Nothing like biting into that gooey marshmellow and having it stick to your face, hands and hair. Anywho, here are some shots from our eventful evening!!

Rabies, air mattresses and dog hair...oh my

2010-10-26T09:51:00.004-05:00

This past weekend, we decided to do a little camping out at the river lot. Now more than ever, our desire to have an actual house is real....I am all about the outdoors, don't get me wrong, but it would be so much nicer to not have to spend 5 hours packing all the things you need for one overnight trip. Anywho, we had a large time non the less.

One thing that struck me as sad a little is my faith in David and my ability to put things together. I really wanted this to be a fun trip, with no stress, so I started off early trying to read the instructions on putting the tent up. Wasn't a real fan of the whole "no picture thing" so I went to Academy. They had these tents that you literally throw up and they pop out...boom, you are done. However, upon reading reviews of them, they are less than desirable trying to fold back up to fit in their ever so cute bag. P.S.-Why do these tent manufacturers jam these tents into these tiny bags where there is no way the average person would every be able to fit it back in there? I digress...we got the tent up with no problem and started off the night with some yummy hotdogs from Kansas City Steaks...which are the bomb....in case you ever want a gourmet hotdog.

We then had a few smores....well, we had them, Wilson really wanted one..

Then David had to get a shot of me with my black teeth from the chocolate and the marshmallow all over my face....Wilson moved on to the whole "possessed" look, hoping to get a bite...no luck though.

We sat around the campfire and nerd alert David (love you dear) brought out the ol' Ipad. In his defense though, he downloaded some kind of star tracker application, and no, not like celebrity stars, but the ones you see in the sky....it was pretty awesome. You hold it up and it shows you exactly where all the constellations are. We took it out on the dock too for a spin and it was awesome...so, thank you nerdy husband for that. :)

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the whole rabies thing...we were sitting around the fire when we saw this....

Well to be honest, not this exact fox, but I didn't have the camera ready. He walked right up behind us, so the thing obviously had rabies....or it was just really brave...then he trotted off into the neighbors yard. Thank goodness we had our guard dog there to protect us.

Now is when the fun begins...getting in the tent. We had this grand idea to absolutely exhaust Wilson during the day. Which I successfully did. We were literally having to wake him up during dinner. We thought he would sleep like a baby in the tent...well, no such luck. I think this was the most frustrated we have ever been with him. He wouldn't settle down, would stand on your head, back, stomach, wherever...and so we got no sleep. I would have put him outside the tent but I was afraid he would tear the tent to pieces trying to get to us. So next time, Wilson is not invited. Speaking of an enjoyable night...the air mattress we had deflated about once an hour...so that was awesome as well. The next morning when we got up, the dog hair in the tent looked like we had scalped Wilson. Talk about a fun clean up! But all in all it was a great trip. I cooked us biscuits and breakfast casserole, the neighbors came over to eat and then we headed out. No matter what, no sleep or anything, being out at the river is just awesome....I'll take that any day over sleeping in my nice bed at home!

Guided Fishing Trip-Mike Davis Outdoors

2010-10-25T07:13:00.002-05:00

So for my anniversary, my sweet husband got me a guided fishing trip with Mike Davis Outdoors. I know, I know, most girls wouldn't like it, but I absolutely LOVED it and couldn't wait to go! We scheduled our tour with Mike for Columbus Day, because obviously, David would be off work. For some reason though, the health care world doesn't recognize Columbus Day, and it actually snuck up on me! Anywho, we headed to Nashville Sunday night and ate the most amazing dinner at Stoney River. Now, David is normally the huge steak person. Me, I like steak, but its not do or die for me. However, after eating their coffee filet, I am totally hooked. It was hands down the best steak I have ever eaten!

The next morning, we headed to Gallitin Tennessee to meet up with Mike. It was a beautiful day for fishing and we had a ball. We started out fishing for the little guys, to create some interest, then moved on to the big boys. Here is David with some of his prize winning catches....

Here I am....bringing home dinner....

David caught one of the minnows...

This is Mike Davis...I highly recommend him for a fabulous day on the water!!

So David's next career, in case this photography thing goes south, will be professional fishing. He already has the interview down after a big catch! Check it out!

Gover Reunion 2010

2010-10-19T08:46:00.002-05:00

For those of you that don't know my mother, she is the queen of family reunions. She is always putting one together, which is a ton of work, so that our family can all get together and see each other. Most of the time, we only see these extended family members at reunions so, its nice to get together. I feel like by the time I am her age, family reunions will be hosted over Skype or something like that. Who knows though!! We had a beautiful day for it down by the river at Rhodes Ferry Park. Great time, great food and lots to discuss with family! Here are some shots from the day!

Me and Steven....who looks like a grown man...

The Reunion Queen....

Stevi and Brandon's Baby Shower

2010-10-11T20:15:00.002-05:00

On Friday night, we went to Brandon and Stevi Price's baby shower. It was so nice and everything looked super cute! It was a couple's shower which made it even better and it was really low key and enjoyable for everyone. We had awesome food, some intense discussions, complements of Grant, and got to catch up with family and friends. A fun time was had by all!!

Courtney is showing off her awesome baby wrap...granted, I walked around with my hand under it all night for fear that the baby was going to fall out...

Me and baby Willow....

Love this...it says "My brother is a chocolate lab"

The Birthday Celebration Continues!

2010-10-06T18:09:00.003-05:00

On Tuesday, David's actual birthday, we went down to Rick and Bubba for the show and then out to lunch with them afterwards. It was a super fun morning! To make it even better, one of David's lifelong hero's was in the studio that day....

He was running the 40 yard dash thing that they time for all the different mascots and such. Oh, and they brought yummy McDonalds food as well, so that was delicious....I tried one of the smoothies and it was really good!
Another great birthday for Mr. Higginbotham is in the books....

The big 3-2

2010-10-05T17:26:00.003-05:00

So David turned 32 a week or so ago, so I am obviously a little behind in my blogging. I know, I know, how have you survived without an update from the Higginbothams???? Even though 32 is not a "big" birthday, I still like doing fun stuff for the ol' ball and chain. So, I decided to do a little surprise party for David with his high school friends. The on Tuesday, we went down to Rick and Bubba and had lunch with them after the show. I obviously needed a little help with getting David to the surprise party, so Justin and Micah volunteered to help. Micah and I had a fake meeting after church and Justin and David rode together and we were going to meet up with them after we got finished. Well, we "faked" a flat tire so they would have to come to Magnolia street which is where the Casual Gourmet is and the party was being held...so Justin calls to let us know that after we sent the text message about the flat, David immediately changes, in an obvious panic, out of his church clothes into some old ratty clothes to come to our aid. The conversation with Justin then went something like this..

Justin: He's changing out of his clothes....
Anna: Well, stop him!!
Justin: I don't know how to without him knowing
Anna: Well this is great, he is going to look like a hobo at his party...
Justin: (Laughing) This is toooo good!

So, David shows up with his "Above the rim" shirt, which I am pretty sure is at least 15 years old, and holy blue jeans on. We all got a good laugh out of it.

Livin' life "Above the rim...."

Rick and Bubba post to follow!!

Has it really been 10 years??

2010-09-29T10:22:00.002-05:00

This past weekend, I celebrated my 10 year class reunion. Mind you, this was the first time that I have seen most of these people since the day we threw our graduation hats in the air at ol' Decatur High...David kept asking me if I was having anxiety about going...and to be honest, I may have had a little. I was always going to go, but it is kind of nerve racking to walk into a room of your old classmates. I got along well with everyone in my class except for one girl. The movie "Mean Girls" yeah, it was based on her. She was the only person I didn't really care to see. Its always nice though when you get the last laugh, and I of course did. I will just keep that little jewel to myself though! :) Here are some shots of the night...

You're doing what?

2010-09-21T07:29:00.002-05:00

This weekend, I had a few extra hours, so where do I go? To the river of course! Wilson and I packed up and headed to Sugar Creek for a few hours of fun! I called one of my neighbors to ask if I could borrow his canoe and he said of course! That is the thing about my lovely neighbors at the river...everyone is so nice and always willing to invite you over for a burger, or a boat ride! Anywho, so my other neighbor Galen was out working in his yard when Wilson and I arrived. I told him that I had talked to Bobby and I was going to be going for a little canoe ride....

Galen: "You're doing what?"
Anna: "Going on a little canoe trip.."
Galen: "With Wilson?"
Anna: "Well of course..."
Galen: "Do you think that is such a good idea?"
(Insert Wilson doing the crazy run in circles around the yard and jumping back in forth into the mud)
Anna: "He will be fine, he will settle down once he gets in the boat..."
Galen: "Well alright, but just be aware, my boats out of gas, so I can't come get you if you flip over."

There is the confidence you like to hear before you put a 70 pound lab in a super unstable canoe. But just like always, Wilson surprised me and sat there like a champ. And thank goodness for that because even if he shifted his body weight from one leg to the other I thought we were going to tip over!

We then did a little fishing when we got back and caught a bass! I was trying to get some size perspective on the fish so I held it up to Wilson's head to take a picture of it for David....

Then he decided he wanted to see what bass tastes like...don't worry though, he just barely licked it and then we put it back in the water. I'd say we had another successful day of fun on the river!!

Putt Putt Fun!

2010-09-19T20:44:00.003-05:00

Friday night, we picked up Steven and headed to play a little putt putt. I haven't played in at least a year, so I was really excited. In case you all have forgotten, I am extremely competitive. However, with my young impressionable nephew with me, I tried to not act like a psycho, so I totally tuned it down. Well, until David tells Steven, "Dude, don't let her lose or she will totally get ticked!" So much for making a good impression. I played it off and told him David was just teasing. And, surprisingly enough, I came in 2nd place, and wasn't bothered by it at all. We had a good time and that is all that matters. My whole, "2nd place of the 1st place looser" mentality has to go when there is a youngster around! :)

This would have been a perfectly good picture if someone would have not decided that we have too many "normal" pictures....

Penn State Weekend

2010-09-14T21:19:00.003-05:00

This past weekend, Alabama played Penn State in Tuscaloosa. It was a pretty cool game considering the history of the teams playing each other. While we were tailgating, a HUGE rain shower dropped out of the sky onto the quad. You could hear the screams and see the rain coming towards us. By the time the storm hit us, there were people under our tent that I didn't even know. We were all boxed in there and let me tell you how stinky we were. I bought this super cute dress to wear to the game, and I will spare you the details, but it doesn't do much for a sweaty body. I will be leaving that dress at home until the weather is cold... :) We even got to see some of our family before the game for my Aunt Patsy's birthday and anniversary celebration. However, note to self....do not plan any activity to be held at or around Tuscaloosa on a game day. It is absolutely insane and everyone was late getting to the party due to the traffic. We had a great time though seeing everyone and celebrating with our family!

Labor Day...

2010-09-08T21:38:00.002-05:00

This Labor Day we didn't do anything too exciting....we decided to have a little picnic down by the river which was really nice. So we hopped on Buzzy's golf cart and took off. Wilson of course had a large time swimming and we just relaxed a little. There is something about holidays and being at the river that just goes together like peanut butter and jelly...or maybe that is just my idea of a good holiday. Maybe, fingers crossed, next year we will actually have the shack built at the river and can stay there! :) Anyone want to contribute to the fund?

First Bama Game 2010

2010-09-06T15:23:00.002-05:00

Saturday, David had a wedding, so me, Steven and my mom headed to Tuscaloosa for the game. We have a group that we tailgate with every year, so we met up with them, set our stuff up and wandered around for a little bit. Several of the Phi Mu Superfriends were going to be at this game, so we all met up as well. It was so nice to see everyone and we had absolutely beautiful weather for the whole day. Enjoy the photos!

Uh oh....I think I tore something

2010-09-01T20:34:00.002-05:00

Saturday, me, Micah and Justin ran in the Killen Founders Day Run. Now, Micah and I have been running together in the mornings at 5:00...yes, it was her idea, not mine. Running at 5:00 makes me feel like I have a hangover all day...but its good to have an accountability partner. (That makes me sound like an alcoholic....) Anyways, Micah had told me that this was a flat run, which makes me happy. I am not a fan of hills...I know they are good for you, strengthen your legs, etc., but for me, they make me feel like I am running to my death. I can't breathe, my legs burn...I'll spare you anymore details. Well, we started off this run and there was the big hill....so I am thinking to myself, surely this must be the only one. Nope, not even close. As the race went on and I passed yet another hill, and then another, I silently cursed Micah....oh, and speaking of my faithful running partner, yeah, she took off like a jack rabbit at the beginning, so my goal was to just keep her in view. Well minus feeling like I was having a heart attack, it worked out pretty good for me. I had my lowest time ever for running at 5K, and I got 2nd place in my age division....so thanks accountability partner, for pushing my boundaries...and my heart rate... :)

Weekend Fun!

2010-08-31T16:29:00.002-05:00

David purposefully took some time off in August, so we have been doing lots of fun stuff together and the weekends have been really nice. He and Justin played at the 3rd Friday event downtown a couple of weeks ago which was really fun.

Then the next day, we headed out to the river lot and took the jet ski for the first time. I was going to drive him up the Elk River into Tennessee like I had done a couple weeks ago with our neighbors out at the river. Well, obviously, I had amnesia or something because we took off on the jet ski and hit a dead end twice. Its pretty hard to find a dead end in the river, but I managed! After a little fishing, we decided to call it a day because there was a storm coming and we got the jet ski up just in time before the storm hit. I can't wait until we have everything settled out there and I can just leave all that stuff at the river! :)

Anniversary Fun

2010-08-27T15:31:00.002-05:00

This year, we celebrated our 4th Anniversary. We took the trip to Vegas and then on our actual anniversary, we were in good ol' Decatur. We started out the morning with me getting up entirely too early to fix my husband breakfast in bed. I felt like I had a hangover for the rest of the day, but it was worth it....for him. :)

After a nice long day at work, hangover included, we went to JW's Steakhouse for dinner. Dinner was great and they give you a discount for your anniversary for however many years you have been married. That was really nice and it was a great dinner as well. If for some reason, Jody Whitt or any other member of his family reads my blog, please apologize to Jody's sister, whom I insulted by asking if she were his mother. Yeah, insert foot in mouth....sorry about that! She tried to make me feel better by telling me she was 8 years older than him, but I still felt like crap. Especially after she had just complemented my outfit....so obviously, to reciprocate her niceness, I insult her with that lovely comment.

We also ended up getting each other the same anniversary card which was a hoot to me. We either have the same sick sense of humor, or are just destined to be together forever...who knows... :) The inside of the card says, "Till I Croak..."

Las Vegas...the Final post....whew

2010-08-27T11:11:00.008-05:00

If I wasn't so lazy, I would have put the whole Vegas trip in one post...but honestly, you wouldn't have read the entire thing right?? Anywho...I will sum this up as quickly as possible with the great corn story...I know I mentioned that this trip was pretty pricey. And not intentionally so. We had talked about going to Jamaica for our anniversary but didn't want to spend that much money...well, we should have just gone there. Not that we didn't have an awesome time, we did, but it was a little more expensive than I was anticipating....anywho....we went to La Reve which was an awesome show. I mean, expensive, but well worth the money. Before the show we went to dinner at Craft Steakhouse. It was recommended by everyone we talked to. The waiter comes out to tell us about this fabulous corn dish that is the chef's specialty tonight...he went on and on and on about how insanely delicious this corn was and how it was a delicacy. So, I said, give me the corn...sounds like a plan...here it was...

Does that corn look familiar to you? Well, it should if you are from Alabama. After tasting the corn I told David, and the waiter the following....

Waiter: So did you LOOOOVE the corn????
Anna: Well, it was good, but I hate to burst your bubble....
Waiter: (Insert confused look on his face)
Anna: You see, back in Alabama, we eat this all the time. This is nothing more than some Green Giant Niblet corn sauteed with some green onions....you can get this at any pot luck, church supper, or covered dish...
Waiter: (See same confused look on his face as before)

The moral of the story is, I paid $30.00 for a side of Green Giant Corn...but overall the dinner was wonderful and I recommend Craft Steakhouse if you ever are in Vegas...

These photos sum up the rest of our trip....

Vegas....Part 2

2010-08-23T06:30:00.002-05:00

Like I said before, David rented a convertible for us on our trip, and we decided to take off to the Hoover Dam since neither of us had ever seen it. It was really nice driving out there. However, on the way back it was hotter than....(you can fill in your own sentence here....) We had a really good time there and it was neat. Its so amazing to me that they dam was built so long ago and without the technology that we have now. Pretty nifty huh? After heading back, we had to get ready for our photo shoot. David surprised me with a photo shoot for our anniversary while we were out in Vegas. John Michael Cooper of AltF took our photos. We had great time taking these photos....we went out into the desert and then to a dry lake bed and then on to the strip. Super fun! I will post them once we get them back. Anywho...more to come later!

This was David showing off his fabulous photography skills....his hand was in the picture on accident...

Enjoying our first In and Out burger...delicious!!

The next set of photos are things we watched other people doing while they were taking their photos of the Hoover Dam...so, try to implement these awesome poses next time you are taking photos of yourself in front of a historical landmark....

Our photo session....

Vegas....Part 1

2010-08-18T17:42:00.002-05:00

This past week, David and I went to Vegas for a little anniversary trip. We had an awesome time in an awesome city. Vegas is one of those places everyone should go at least once if you get the chance. Its really like another world out there! Anywho, on to the photos....

We flew over some awesome scenery including the Grand Canyon! Here are a few shots of that...

We got to Vegas, and after a minor hitch with the rental car, we got to our hotel. David had specifically reserved a convertible for our trip. They said they didn't have any, even though we had already reserved and paid for one, but what do you do. I was fine leaving in a prius, but not my David...normally, I am the fit thrower, but this time, he was determined that we were going to have our car. (He actually didn't have to throw a fit, but I think would have if the need would have arose). So we jetted off to the hotel for our first gourmet meal...

In case you didn't notice the first gourmet meal was McDonalds and Sbarro....after getting up at 3:00 in the morning, the first thing you see is a must have!

That night we went to see Terry Fator who was a hoot and a half. We really enjoyed his show.

We rounded off the evening walking down the strip and watching the light show at the Bellagio....it is so neat to me! Note to self though for those of you going to Vegas....everything looks like it is really close together....it is a mirage...and not like the hotel...I advise you to wear some flip flops and take your cute shoes in your purse!! :)

More to come....including the gourmet corn story! :)

Hello my name is Anna....and I have an addiction

2010-08-16T06:35:00.002-05:00

It is never a good sign when your husband says, "Anna, why are there 3 huge boxes from QVC on the front porch?"

Think quickly, must think quickly..."Ummmm.....I'm not sure, must be something I ordered for you?"

Yeah, he doesn't fall for that one. I once again have fallen prey to QVC's fabulous marketing ploys and bought some more dishes. For most of you that know me know that I LOVE dishes. I mean, I almost have an unhealthy obsession with them. I can never have enough of them. So, when I discovered the Temptations Line through QVC, it was like they were giving free crack to addicts. I had to have them. And every new configuration of dishes they introduced, I had to have as well. Normally, the UPS man and I have a little deal....if you see the husbands truck, come back tomorrow, or meet me at the end of the road so I can discreetly put my packages in my jeep and sneak them in at the appropriate time. :) But alas, that did not work this past week. So welcome to our home you fabulous set of new dishes. You will love it here!

2nd Annual Cougar Lane Cookout

2010-08-09T16:41:00.002-05:00

This past weekend, we had our 2nd Annual Cougar Lane Cookout. It was so much fun! We brought in the heavy duty fans to keep us all cool and it really wasn't that bad outside. Like I said last year, I feel very lucky to live on this street. We have such great neighbors and all get along and watch out for each other. When you think about it, things like our cookout are rare these days. Most people don't even know their next door neighbor, much less everyone on their street. We all help each other out, watch each others houses, kids, etc. and it has been a great street to live on. Every time we think about moving to a bigger house, I stop and think about what kind of neighbors we might get. Probably not ones as good as the Cougar Lane Crew!

A Little River Fun

2010-08-03T14:12:00.002-05:00

On Saturday, Buzzy, Theresa, Bobby and myself went out to the lot. They had not seen it since we had it cleared. We had also had a storm that went through out there that week, and there was some damage to houses and garages on our road. We had to make sure the Mexican Condo was still standing, and I wanted to check on my camper as well. Well, once we started up the hill, our trip was quickly cut short. There was a tree across the road. Super....so, I am going to go back this weekend to check on everything and just hike it up the side of the hill. Should make for a great workout!! Then on Sunday, we took the jet ski out. Now, remember the trauma of my boat, having to sell it due to the engine being messed up...well, our temporary fix was to buy a jet ski for this summer so we could decide what kind of boat we wanted for next summer and do some research. Don't get me wrong or anything, I like the jet ski, but I am not attached to it the way I was to my boat. Also, David and I are like a bunch of old farts when we ride it. Most people love to jump waves and can't wait for the river to be all choppy. Us?? Nope, we want to ride on smooth water. Waves? Yeah, we slow down for them. So Sunday, I should have known when we were trying to put it in and we couldn't hardly get if off the trailer because of all the waves coming in that it was going to be rough. We put it in, rode less than 5 minutes and decided that we didn't care for getting our brains beat out. We put it up and went to Point Mallard instead. I know, I know, just call me Evil Canevil! All in all, it was a great weekend though! Lots of fun river time which is what I love the most!!

The Phi Mu Superfriends Beach Weekend

2010-08-01T07:36:00.002-05:00

Last weekend, some of the Phi Mu Superfriends took off to the beach for a much needed vacation. To say we had fun was an understatement. We laughed, cried, bought friendship bracelets (yes, we are 12) and soaked up the sun. I will forever be known as "Old Lady Higginbotham" for not being able to stay up past 11:00. Excuse me for being an adult!! :) Lindsey and Ginger were raring to go and stayed up later than I did both nights. I guess they will have to drop me at the old folks home next time on there way out! We got down there Friday evening and had a wonderful dinner at Tacky Jacks...

Oh yeah, the lady taking our picture said "Work it girls!!" And obviously we did!

Then we headed back to the condo for a little hot tub action and the super secret presentation of the friendship bracelets. It was a hoot. And the teenagers in the pool thought we were high or something I'm sure.

The next morning Lawren joined us for a day at the beach and it was so much fun. With this being the first time that she has seen Lindsey since she got engaged she brought her a huge box with all things wedding in it! It was precious! Oh, we then had another ceremony for Lawren's friendship bracelet. She was waaayy too excited about it. :) (In case you were wondering that was a real cheerleader jump with excitement.

It was an awesome day on the beach for sure, beautiful weather, and no oil to be seen.

While we got ready, Lawren took a little cat nap

Then it was off to another wonderful dinner and we also did some major damage at the outlet mall. Thanks again to Ginger and her parents for a WONDERFUL beach weekend! Can't wait to do it again!!

I'm sorry...this must be a joke.

2010-07-28T22:33:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago, I got this e-mail that I assumed was spam. Or at least, if it wasn't spam, than it was some sort of like elaborate Arbonne scheme. The e-mail said something like, "You've been selected as one of Huntsville's Hottest Young Professionals." So I hollered, yes, I said hollered, out to David to come look at this. What I hoot I thought. They must think I was born yesterday. The conversation followed like this:

David: "Wow, you won!!!"
Anna: "Won? I haven't won anything, this is just some sort of joke."
David: "No, I nominated you and all these editors vote on it and you won! That is awesome!!"
Anna: "I'm sorry, I must have just blacked out or something. You did what??"
David: "I nominated you for this a few months ago. That is so cool!"
Anna: "Cool?? Cool is not exactly the word I am thinking right now, divorce sounds more like what I am thinking...I am going to kill you!"

Anywho, after calming down and as David says, "Seeing the positive," I read a little more into what this exactly was. We were suppose to show up at the Embassy Suites in Huntsville for a photo shoot. Now, my next problem. Obviously, I am married to a photographer. And rightfully so, I have become a photo snob. What that means is that I think everyone elses photos of me are crap. Could it be that I look like crap? Of course not!! :) There is obviously something wrong with their photo skills. :) Anywho, I was a bit nervous about taking these, especially with someone I didn't know. Long story short, it turned out well, so I can't really complain. Granted, David's photos would have turned out much better, but I can't really be picky. :)

Flashbacks Fun!

2010-07-27T17:42:00.002-05:00

David was asked to come do a guest appearance with the Flashbacks for a concert in the park in Huntsville. Most of you know that David played with the Flashbacks for 8 years before his photography business became too much for him to keep playing. It was a really nice night and I enjoyed myself as well. Its nice to hear him play....just not every weekend, both nights! :) They are such a talented group and are very entertaining!

I had to post this kids mullet....if this is your child, I'm sorry. Actually, I take that back, if this is your child CUT THEIR HAIR!

Fencing Fun!

2010-07-25T22:06:00.002-05:00

Well, the river lot is cleared and the driveway is in. However, it is just a dirt driveway at this point. If you smell something burning, that would be the smell of my checkbook...its been on fire lately, and desperately needs to cool down. So, instead of going ahead and putting either gravel or concrete on the driveway, my brother came up to help us with another idea. We put this silt fencing up that will hold the dirt in place as long as we need it to until we decide to move further with the project. We rented this enormous machine and had an afternoon of fun putting it in. Now, maybe someone will buy my first lot so I can start building my house....anyone??? Anyone at all?? :) www.sugarcreeklot.blogspot.com

P.S.-Have I ever told you all how much David hates snakes....I mean, like more than most people I know. During a lull in the work process, he was showing me step by step on how he would kill a snake if he saw one. (That is if he didn't run off like a girl screaming....) Just kidding dear... :)

For all of your snake killing needs....call David Higginbotham Photography

We also found lots of treasure while cleaning up. This appears to be someones shoe, and a jawbone of some sort. I am thinking about saving all this weird stuff and putting it in a shadow box for inside the cabin...

Wet Dog 2010

2010-07-19T22:35:00.002-05:00

This was my 2nd year to compete in the Wet Dog Triathlon in Decatur. I was more relaxed this year because I knew what to expect, but I has more nervous about the weather than last year. Normally, I have no problems at all running in the heat. I can run in the middle of the day and be fine. But this year, something was different. I had been sick for about 3 weeks, on two rounds of antibiotics and steroids, so that might have had something to do with it. But I could barely run, even early in the morning when it was not really hot. I prayed for a break in the weather, and God delivered it on Saturday. It was overcast and cool, which was awesome. I improved my time about 7 minutes from last year, so I was really pumped. Can't wait to do it again next year!!

I'm a proud member of the NRA

2010-07-16T09:40:00.002-05:00

Last week I received a letter from the NRA. They got my name off the Bass Pro Shop mailing list (for people who spend way too much money in there). I normally would have trashed one of these type letters, but for some reason I opened it up. When I started reading it, it seemed like a normal letter asking for your membership. However, as it went on, it began talking about the state of our country, our liberties that are being threatened and how our government wants to take away our right to bear arms. It talked about jeopardizing our hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreation which I love and enjoy, and pleaded for my membership to stand up against the government and say NO!! By the time I finished reading the letter I was so fired up I could have punched somebody in the face. I proudly mailed my dues in and am now a card carrying member of the NRA. I urge you, even if you are not an outdoorsman, hunter, or gun owner to consider membership anyways. You never know when you might need to own a gun and it may be too late to get one then.

Check out this website for more information. And you get a $25.00 Bass Pro Shop gift card for joining, which is the cost of the dues, so its basically free to join!!
http://www.basspronraspecialoffer.com/

Kansas City Steak

2010-07-13T19:54:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago, I got one of those flyers in the mail that was from Kansas City Steak Company. I normally toss them, but for some reason, this one caught my eye. I don't remember the specifics, but it was something like 4 steaks, 4 stuffed potatoes, 2 sole stuffed filets, 16 gourmet franks, 20 steakburgers and there were a few other things. Plus a set of knives (bonus!!) and a tote bag or something. (Like I need another tote bag). It was like $49.99, and after figuring the math it was like a super deal because we could eat like 20 meals off of it. So, I thought, what the heck, and I ordered it. The worst thing would be we wouldn't like it and it would be like a bad night of dining out at a restaurant. Well, David cooked a steak burger the other night and said it was really good, but tonight was our first night to eat something together. We had the stuffed sole and baked potato tonight and it was delicious!! I was really impressed with the food. Especially since we just stuck these two items in frozen, you didn't even have to thaw them. So bravo to Kansas City Steak! I will let you know how my other items are!

River Lot Fun!

2010-07-09T08:46:00.002-05:00

On Monday, David and I headed out to the lot to grill some hotdogs and do a little fishing. Most of the time when we go, we always shoot a text message to see if any of David's family in Athens wants to come. They are always having ballgames, or other activities so it never really works out. Well Monday it did. Both David's brother and sister and their families came. So we had a little impromptu 4th of July cookout. We grilled our hotdogs and then I was going to try out my new dutch oven and bake a cobbler in it. After that, the kids decided to do a little fishing and then take a swim. I did not realize it, but for some of them, it was there 1st time in the river swimming....hurt my heart a little bit. After the initial comments of "Are the snakes going to bite us" and "I cut my finger, its going to get infected" and "Ewww...this mud is gross" we managed to have a good time swimming. We are going to have to de-sissify those children! :) (I think I just made up a word!)

Vick's Surprise 60th Birthday

2010-07-06T18:43:00.002-05:00

Friday night I hosted a Surprise 60th Birthday for my mother. Everyone was so concerned that she would know something was up....only David knew better. He kept assuring us that there was no reason to be alarmed, that she would have no idea, not notice anyone's cars, etc. Well, for once, he was spot on. :) (Just kidding David) We walked in and she had NO IDEA! The shrills were a hoot...

She was so excited, she didn't know who to hug first....

Then there were some tears of joy....

Then the fun began...we had old photos, lots of delicious food, and Braswell's Hair Skin and Body came in and gave everyone manicures. There was lots of laughter, lots of hugs and plenty of fun! I had a great time too come to think of it!

River Lot Progress...WAHOOO!!

2010-07-01T20:21:00.002-05:00

Well 9 months later and one firing of a contractor, here we are...

We are almost finished with clearing the lot and I LOVE IT!!! I told David Monday night when I got home from looking at it that it made me tear up...today was his first day to see it and he said he understood why it would make me tear up. It is so beautiful and I just love it out there. I can't wait for all the fun times we are going to have!

Stay-cation 2010

2010-06-28T21:55:00.002-05:00

Well, thank you BP for ruining our tiny break of a vacation that we had planned for last weekend. After much debate, should we still go, should we not, where should we go instead, we decide to do a little stay-cation. So, we started out Thursday night with Paul Thorn, who is one of our favorite musicians over in Huntsville. David got to take some portraits of him backstage which was really cool, and I tried to hold a light and manage to get a photo of David taking a photo....not the best, but I did the best I could..

Then we decided to do a little boat shopping that weekend....yes, I know, I am still recovering from the loss of the Bayliner, so there may not be a boat any time soon, but it doesn't hurt to look a little...we still don't know what we want...its between a deck boat and a pontoon....any thoughts from you other boaters out there?

Then we went to the Bass Pro Shop, where I of course was in heaven, and bought a few things, including some new cookware for me. I bought a Lodge Cast Iron cooking DVD, and then was feeling froggy, so I bought a bunch of the cookware to try out my new outdoor cooking skills with....more to come on that.

Then we took a little impromptu canoe trip...right out of our own backyard almost....there is this drainage ditch in Point Mallard that leads out to the river, so we put the canoe in there and took off. And yes, I was the redneck riding in the back of the truck holding the canoe that was waaayy too long in there...

We also went to the movies twice, saw Iron Man 2 and Knight and Day over at Bridgestreet...then we finished off the weekend with Longhorn Steakhouse and a sore throat and earache for me...but man we had a good time!

Zoo part 2....

2010-06-25T12:48:00.002-05:00

Continuing on with the day we saw lots of cool stuff...giraffe's, elephants, tigers, etc. It was hotter than two dogs in heat, but we still had a great time.

This is Justin and Micah pictured in front of the rarely seen Ford F150...what a day for us to see that in the wild!

Do Justin and David love the zoo??? Yes they do!

Not sure about this pose...

Or this one...

This next photo has a little story...like I said, it was boiling lava hot, so most of the animals were not doing a whole lot....like this leopard....

So I decide to go get in the bushes next to its cage, shake the trees and yell, "Hey Leopard!!!" This is what happened...

Yeah, I am pretty sure he wanted to eat me after I woke him up from his nap...

Tickle tickle....

The next part was my favorite...I love petting animals, any type animals...Justin wanted to know why we were going to look at animals like what we have in Athens...he's a party pooper....we went anyways!

David is in a goat gang...this was his initiation picture...

Staring contest.....GOOOOO!!!!

Nashville Zoo 2010

2010-06-23T21:01:00.002-05:00

Sunday afternoon, we headed up to Nashville to use some passes I had gotten from Radio Rewards on WDRM. On the way up, Micah was driving, and accidentally got a little too close to this biker couple. When we looked back, the lady had thrown her hands up, but we didn't think much of it. Well, on our way off the exit, flashers on for the bathroom and all, this couple drives by as we are getting out of the car and either yells, "I'm gonna kick your a**" or "You can kiss my a**" We couldn't really hear everything, but either way it was a hoot. I kept waiting for them to stop so we could have a good old fashion Tennessee beat down, but they kept on driving. Anywho, so we got to the zoo....

And it was boiling lava hot...but we pressed on....

Then we decided to have a little impromptu fashion show in the gift shop....

A few more shots of the couples...

Then it was off to the bird cages....I decided I wanted to feed them, but was a little apprehensive once I actually got in the cage....it is a strange feeling to have birds fly down on your arms....despite my awful faces, I really did enjoy this, and so did Justin....

If you close one eye and hold your mouth just right, the birds will come to you...

Part two tomorrow!!!

Party, Party, Party!!

2010-06-23T07:56:00.003-05:00

This past weekend, we rocked out 3 nights in a row! We started off Friday night at Gina's for a delicious steak and shrimp dinner to celebrate all the Summer birthdays! It was a lot of fun and the food was excellent....

Then on Saturday, we had a Surprise Welcome Home party for John. He started his new job on Monday in Decatur and we are just so excited to have him back here!

Then Sunday morning we headed back to Athens for breakfast at Cracker Barrel with the family again....in case you are counting, that is 3 days in a row of togetherness....needless to say, we won't be seeing everyone again for at least 6 months! :)

We headed out on another venture after church on Sunday...hmmm...where did we go??

Game Night

2010-06-21T06:54:00.002-05:00

Thursday night I joined some of the girls for a game night at Stevi's house. It was a hoot and and half....and I came home sweating. I was sweating because we were playing that game where you have to get your team to guess what word is on the little disc thingy and there is this insane timer that is beeping loudly and very quickly as your time runs down. It was pretty intense, but a whole lot of fun! My team came out victorious, if you want to consider everyone looking at the time, realizing it was 10:00 and heading home. :) We are getting old! Its funny to see how everyone describes their word....like for instance, I got Cynthia Nixon, from Sex and the City...for some reason, I drew a blank on who she was, so I was trying to get the girls to guess her last name, saying it was a former president, big scandal, large nose....well, that actually describes several of our presidents, so they didn't guess it! Anywho, game night was a success and I can't wait for the next one!!

Coach Saban's Camp 2010

2010-06-18T08:53:00.002-05:00

For Christmas this year, we decided to get Steven a gift certificate to attend Coach Saban's Football Camp. He was really excited about it and we got to go watch them practice this week as well. It was 9 million degrees outside, but watching him on the field at Bryant Denney was totally worth it. There was a voice going over the loud speaker hollering at the boys and telling them what to do...it sounded like some sort of psycho to me, and it was....it was Coach Cochran, the strength and conditioning coach at Bama. He is the one that holds his hand up the entire 4th quarter with 4 fingers up...

I snuck out to go find Steven's helmet that he traded in for a BAMA helmet because his Cedar Ridge helmet was hurting his head. He told me he left it at the practice field...
If you haven't ever been to the practice field down at BAMA, its locked up like Fort Knox. But, being the determined Aunt that I am, I decided to make my way in, probably in not the most legal way. Well, thank goodness a little frat boy equipment guy came to my rescue...and actually let me in the building, the legal way. We searched and searched for the helmet with no luck finding it. I did however get to meet some really cool people while I was in the "high security" facility. Everyone I met kept asking me how I got in there, but I didn't tell!! :) I got to walk around in the locker room, weight room, coaches area, and lots of other cool places I probably shouldn't have been. Thank goodness Meghan called to say that Bryce, the 3-year-old, had found Steven's helmet in the lost and found bin at Tutwiller! So, I left my new found friends and headed back to meet up with everyone. I know Steven had a great time at camp and learned a few things as well!

Bravo to Kroger!

2010-06-17T06:53:00.002-05:00

Last weekend, I was doing a little grocery shopping at the ol' Kroger when I came upon these lovely treats...

What is that you say? They are some delicious portabello mushrooms stuffed with spinach, onions, tomatoes, and feta cheese. So, I picked them up, baked them for the allotted time and dug in...YUM is all I can say. I will say, they were in the grill section and they recommended that you grill them, but they also gave instructions for baking them. For some reason, I am terrified to light the grill myself and David wasn't at home. Yes I know, that seems stupid, but I have always been afraid that the gas will have been left on, or there be some other issue that I might not be aware of that could be a HUGE safety hazard. And no, that doesn't mean I want David's face to get blown off, its just that he knows what to look for and I am just really cautious with that stuff. Anywho, so I gobbled these treats up and was really surprised at how delicious and healthy they are for you. So next time you are at Kroger, swing by the grill section and see if they have any. :) Oh, and the pan, is a Pampered Chef stone, so that is why it looks like it is covered in tar....the darker they are, the better they cook!!

Bath time!!

2010-06-14T19:16:00.002-05:00

If you didn't know any better, you would think Wilson hated the water...he loves to swim in the river, get sprayed by the hose, or jump in puddles....however, when it is bath time, he looks like someone just mentioned going to the pound to him. He always looks so beat down when I give him a bath. David got home mid-bath and snapped some photos of the poor pitiful thing. I made a deal with him....if he could somehow quit stinking, I would stop giving him a bath...we will see who holds up their end of the bargain. :)

Suzie's Show

2010-06-13T21:40:00.001-05:00

This past week, David and I were on Suzie Wiley's show for a wedding special. He was the featured photographer, and I was the co-host/wedding etiquette expert... :) Which basically meant, whatever I felt like was an appropriate answer was given, correct etiquette or not! Anywho, we had a blast on the show minus the whole getting up at the crack of dawn thing. If you missed it, I'm sure its on Youtube somewhere...we may actually upload it one of these days. Oh, and I'm not quitting my day job either... :)

Goodbye My Love.....

2010-06-11T07:01:00.002-05:00

Wednesday evening was quite possibly one of the saddest days I have had in I don't know when. That's when the $4200.00 mistake was really a reality. As most of you know, I am an avid boater. I LOVE my boat probably more than I even like most people. :) It has been my baby, my first big purchase by myself and my source of joy for 5 years now. To make a long story short, this past winter, the boat was not winterized properly. When we went to put it in the first time this summer, we realized something was wrong with it. Several diagnosis later, we realized that the engine block was cracked and the motor was totally useless. A new motor would be $4200.00 and it didn't make financial sense to put a brand new motor into a used boat that was an older model like the Bayliner. So, Wednesday, I put my baby on Craigslist to see what would happen. An hour later, I got a phone call from a man that said he had cash in hand, ready to buy it. IT all happened so quickly, I didn't really have time to process it. However, when I hooked up the Bayliner to take her to meet her new owner, the tears started...and I'm not talking about droplets, I am talking waves of uncontrollable tears. I got to the Holiday Inn, where Justin and Micah were meeting me, so I wouldn't be alone when the transaction occurred, and it just got worse. I was hysterical...and I don't get hysterical. I think I freaked both of them out, and the guy that bought the boat from me surely thinks I am nuts. He said, "Ma'am, are you sure you want to do this....are you okay?" Hmmm...well, let me think...of course I am not okay, but this was the lesser of the evils. So, we made the transaction and I told him to let me drive away before they left so I didn't have to watch him leave with my baby....Later that night at church, Justin told David, "It was like watching Superman react to cryptonite....very disturbing..." And, to be fair here, I know that this is just a boat, a material possession, and we were very fortunate to have it. I know there are people who are selling everything they own to pay for a sick child's operation....I know its not that big of a deal in the big picture of life. But that was my baby....and now she is gone. We had some good times, and I hope her new owners love and appreciate her as much as I did...