Battle of the Bricks

If you've ever lived in a neighborhood, you've probably had to deal with the homeowners association. All the nit-picky rules of what you can and can't do. I know, in the long run, it really is for the good of the neighborhood (even though I'm still miffed at getting a letter for leaving my trash can out too many days!). I mean, I would hate to come home to find the neighbor has painted their house bright blue and put pink flamingos in the yard!

I live in a townhouse which means that the houses are connected and we share a a strip of grass that has bushes in it. This is what the grass strip is supposed to look like.

This is my grass strip on the good neighbor's side. This neighbor is so sweet. She just got engaged and will be moving, so I'm nervous about who's coming in.

The other side is a different story! I can't figure out who/what lives there. So far, I've seen a young, big, hairy, gruff, wife-beater wearing, slightly balding man with what seems to be his father. Equally as hairy, gruff and balding. But I've also seen other people frequently coming, "working" on stuff in the driveway, and talking really loud late at night. They drive a big, blue windowless van. [Think kidnapper van] And they also have this atrocious white LOUD white truck. It literally sounds like a fleet of 19 wheelers comin' down the otherwise quaint street.

Their garage is jam packed with work stuff. They seem to be in the construction type work. Because of this, both of their obnoxious vehicles are parked in their driveway most of time, if not blocking the street. The problem with this is that both of the vehicles, side by side, don't exactly fit on the driveway. This means that they are partially parking on the grass strip. Bushes and plants don't tend to grow well if they have a semi parked on top of them.

I guess bubba and bubba jr. got the bright idea to widen their driveway! This is what the grass strip on the other side now looks like:



But it doesn't stop there...they decided to brick their front stoop too!


I must say that it does look good, BUT who, in their right mind, thinks that it's ok, living in a small neighborhood community, to widen your driveway or redo your front stoop?!?!

I decided it was time to do something! I called the manager of the HOA and he said that I was definitely NOT the first person to call. Many calls had already been made and they have called the neighbors and sent a certified letter (which I saw sitting on their freshly redone stoop yesterday). My main concern was the grass strip. I am now left with nothing but dirt! I asked if the neighbors would have to replace the bushes. He said that the neighbors would be billed and, I'm guessing, the community would replace the actual bushes.

So stay tuned!

911

Have you ever called 911? I have...today made #3.

#1: I was driving home from church one day and saw an elderly man walking. I could tell he wasn't just out for a stroll because he was dressed up (not in jogging clothes) and he was walking on a street that only serious runners visit. No sidewalks. I didn't think there was any harm in it, so I called 911 and just told them they might want to send someone to check it out.

I realize now that I should've stopped, myself, and asked him if he was ok. Anyways...I hope he was ok.

#2: This one was a little weird. I called 911 on a bullfrog! OK, let me back up. I had gotten an email (thanks, mom) about a new scam theives/murderers were using. They would put a tape recorder of a baby crying or a puppy barking on your front doorstop. The ploy is that you would go out and check on it, then, WHACK! They get you!

So, I kept hearing this "barking". It was constant. I was by myself and it was about 10:00 at night. It wouldn't stop. I thought for sure I had been targeted by a thief. I called my sister who lived around the corner to see if I could stay the night with her. Thankfully, she obliged.

I got in my car, turned it on and opened the garage door. As soon as I could tell my car would clear the door, I put her in her reverse and high tailed it out of there! Once I got there, I called 911. The man on the other end was very nice, but I could tell he was probably rolling his eyes incessantly. I explained about the scam I heard and asked if they could send someone and check out my house. They did and called back a little while later saying they didn't find anything.

A few days later, I heard the SAME noise again!! You have got to be kidding. This time it was earlier in the day, so I poked my head out to see if I could see anything. To my amazement, it was a green frog! I felt like a complete idiot!!

#3: Today, I was driving up and down a major highway near where I live and I saw a car up on an embaknment with all the doors open and man who appeared to be passed out laying across the front seat with his legs hanging out the door. I passed him 3 times and every time, he was in the same position. I thought that maybe he had pulled over and was waiting for someone, but the fact that his car was up on an embankment made me think that maybe he was in an accident. So, I decided to call 911.

When I came by it on the way home, the car was still there, but the doors were shut and the man was gone. I hope everything is ok!

So, have you ever called 911?

The Best Day of the Year!

Every once and a while, I think about maybe, possibly doing something different with my life. But it's THIS day that reminds me I'd be nuts to leave the teaching profession.

TODAY WAS THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't get me wrong, I truly do love my job. I can't imagine doing anything else, but there is nothing like the end of May knowing that I will have 2 and a 1/2 months off!

It's funny, because during the summer, I feel like I "rejoin" the human race. For 10 months, teachers are cut off from the outside world. We go to work before banks, post offices, and most stores are open. We don't have the luxury of "running out" during our lunch break. And by the time we leave to go home (after 4:00) all the businesses are closed.

It's going to be so nice to run to the bank whenever I want, see what Martha Stewart is cooking up, and especially not have to set my alarm :)

So, back to the last day of school. One of the perks of being a teacher is definitely the Christmas and end of the year gifts. I did pretty good this year:

This does not count the homemade fudge pie, the enormous German chocolate bar, or the box of mint chocolate pieces. It's a miracle I'm not 500 pounds after 6 years of teaching!

Note to parents of middle schoolers - A gift card is the BEST gift!!

My roomie, Amber, and I like to compare our gifts. She teaches 2nd grade and she always racks up!! This year, she got tickets the Fox (a landmark theatre here in Atlanta), gift cards for dinner, money for parking, plus a few other random gift cards! Ahhhh...the perks of elementary school.

Anyways, stay tuned for what I'll be doing this summer!!

Race for the Cure...year 2!

What a fun weekend! I walked in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. I did it last year with my friends and so it's kind of become an annual thing! This year, we decided to do the 1 mile fun run instead of the 5K. One reason is because the 5K was a killer! (For me anyways! There were some in the group that could've easily done it again) Second, we had 2 pregnant chicks! But lastly, and quite possibly the best reason, is for the Expo at the end of the race. There's this whole area where different businesses have tables set up and they give away FREE stuff!! Last year, by the time we got there, most of the freebies were gone. This year was great! We got ice cream, bagels, cups, bags, coupons, bandanas, keychains and more!

Aside from me and my friends walking in it, we also invite our mothers...being Mother's Day and all :) It's really a fun and special time.

I was kind of worried because when I was getting ready to put on my shoes, this is how my day started:

Ay yi yi!

But it turned out to be a wonderful day. Here's some pics of the race:

Only if...

...I had money, eye for design, and the ability to make it happen, would I try some of these cool things!

Wedding Weekend

This weekend I went to a wedding of some friends from my youth group. It was beautiful! I was worried because it had rained most of the morning/afternoon on Saturday and it was supposed to be an outside wedding! But thankfully the sun peeked through and it turned out to be a beautiful evening.


It may be hard to tell in the first picture, but the girls dresses were all different. They were all navy with a turquoise ribbon, but different styles. The girls were given 3 choices and could pick something that complimented them the best. Genius!

Take note brides: not all dresses look good on all people!

Another cute thing that I've read is becoming a new trend is a candy bar. You take a bag and fill it with whatever candy you like!

Theirs was in flower pots to go along with the outdoor theme.

Then, because I make cakes, I always try to get a picture of the cake to get ideas. I like how they mixed shapes with this one.


It was a fun night where we got to catch up with old friends! Did you do anything exciting this weekend?

The Lion King

I got to check off something of my "All-the-Things-I-Want-To-Do-In-My-Life" list. I went to see the Lion King!! Amber, Brandon and I bought tickets back in December (I think!).

It was amazing! Here's a little pre-show pics:



How excited are we to be here!




Of course, we couldn't take pictures during the show, so I just downloaded some:




It amazed me how e-v-e-r-y move was choreographed. I've been in my fair share of plays and performances, but I can't imagine the work that must go into it. I just literally sat there with my mouth open!

Aside from the spectacular show, the other highlight was the almost cat fight that broke out. In the row in front of us sat a grandma, grandpa and their grandson. He must have been 8 or so. After the intermission, a lady and her daughter (probably 15 or so) had moved to the row right in front of grandma. They had not previously been sitting there which made it obvious those were not their seats. Well, that wasn't gonna fly with grandma. She leaned over and told the lady "Those aren't your seats". The lady just ignored her and continue to sit there. By this point, mind you, the show had started again. So grandma went to get an usher! The usher (who may have been all of 18 years old) came over and told the lady she needed to move. The lady continued her stubborness and refused to move! This went on for probably 10 minutes while I'm stretching my neck every which way to try and see the show! I guess the daughter got fed up because she eventually got up and stormed back to their original seats (I guess). Then a few minutes later, the lady consented and stood up to go back to her seat, but not before she turned to the grandma and called her a very BewITCHing name!

But other than that...a fabulous night! And what topped the night off was knowing that Amber and I had taken the next day off work and got to sleep in :) For me, that was till about 8:00. Hey, that's 3 hours longer than I normally sleep!

Wonderful Creator

I came across this video at Pink Paper Peppermints and it gave me chills.

I truly believe that God CREATED us. We didn't just happen, we didn't evolve, we didn't spontaneously form. We are the result of an almighty designer who took intricate care in fashioning each and every one of us.

Being a science teacher, that tends to go against the grain, but after seeing this video it's obvious that a caring creator loves us so much...right down to our laminin!

Giveaway!

One of my friends, and fellow Lee U. alum, is having a bloggy giveaway! She's giving away a $15 ITunes gift card and a t-shirt. Go leave her a comment, but make sure you mention you got there b/c of me! Contest ends Monday.

#5!!!

I'm going to be an aunt for the 5th time! My sister told us in January that she was pregnant. She is due Sept. 2.

...but today I just found out that it's going to be...

a NIECE!

I am thrilled! I just know she is going to be a stinkin' cute little mess :)

Spring Break

I'm on spring break this week! Woo-hoo! Most people go to some luxurious, far away destination with sunny skies and warm breezes. I went a little north of there...ALABAMA.

Some of very best friends, Derrick and Chrissy moved there a year ago this summer. Derrick accepted a children's pastor position at Metro Church of God. Chrissy is living her dream being a stay at home mom.

She recently became a mom for the second time when she had little Christopher Hudson about 2 weeks ago. They already have a 1 1/2 year old, Ella Grace.

I haven't seen them since Christmas time when they came to visit, so since I had some time this week, I planned a little trip to the great state of Alabama.

If you've ever driven from Atlanta to Birmingham, you know what an awful drive it is. Boring and bumpy! So, in an attempt to make the time pass by a little more efficiently, I thought I'd let you in on my journey:

Got my shades...


...the cruise control set...


...my ipod...



...and the open road ahead of me! Thankfully, it was a beautiful day!


One of the highlights of the trip was the Talladega Speedway! I know all you NASCAR fans are super jealous of me!



OK...so they're not the greatest pictures, but have you ever tried to focus, zoom, steady all while trying to drive?!

Finally made it! Here's some shots of the kids:






There weren't many shots of Hudson because really, all he did was sleep and eat. He is such a good baby!

Me and Ella


One day, we took the kids on a walk. Hudson didn't make it. As you can tell, he had other plans.



While I was there, I also got to catch up with an old college friend, Jaime.


It was a great trip! I miss Chrissy and Derrick. I used to see them practically everyday. When they lived here, they were literally 5 minutes away. Right around the corner! I guess I was a little spoiled! Thanks for letting me spend some time with you, Skeltons! I love and miss you very much!

The ride home...not so great! Here was my view for a good part of the trip:

They had highway 20 down to one lane. Ugh...

Step by Step

Thanks to my tax rebates from Uncle Sam I just paid off 5 credit cards!! What's even more amazing is that all 5 credit cards went into the shredder! Ouch!