Happy Thanksgiving!!

Thanksgiving is my FAVORITE holiday!!! Growing up we always went to Mamaw Outlaw's and had enough food to feed an army ( a large kitchen and dining room full to be exact.) My Smith grandparents would come there often too. There would be around 90 people there, and the routine was as follows: Show up, say the blessing followed by what I thought was WAY too sentimental of a speech from someone or multiple people about family and how blessed we were to have each other (as an adult it means WAY more to me now, and I am one of those sentimental talkers), stand in line, have a competition to see who could pile their plate the highest (Daddy usually won), have a discussion over "if there aren't any chicken and dumplins left when I get there, somebody's gonna die"), eat, watch football, fall asleep on the floor (surrounded by at least 30 others, mostly loud snoring uncles) wake up, eat again, MAYBE play a little football or run around on the farm, go back for desert, pack enough leftovers to last until Christmas, go home, have a snack and fall into a sugar coma!! Occasionally there would be some sort of singing, fashion show of old clothes found upstairs that belonged to the aunts, OH, there was always an art project to frame and put on the wall, and there was one year where my cousin Eddie and I took a video camera out on the farm and made a completely embarrassing and funny as hell video!! I miss that!! I miss Mamaw and her love of flowers and rocks and all things in nature, her out of tune singing of "Tennessee Waltz" and "Old Rugged Cross" and how she never said an unkind word. I miss seeing how she and Uncle Richard would joke with each other. I miss climbing the Magnolia tree with them watching from the ground. I miss seeing her red car go by our house at what I thought was really fast. I miss Nannie an her practical jokes, cooking, laughter, and kisses. I miss how she would laugh so hard she would wet her pants, and how that was always Daddy's goal. I miss her rubbing my hair, taking me fishing, and making crickets "spit tobacco" before putting them on the hook to be eaten by brim. I miss her wearing panties on her head so her hairdo from Patsy would last all week. I miss how soft her skin was and how I would fall asleep rubbing her ear or arm. She had the best arms!! They were soft and jiggly. I miss their smells: a mixture of makeup, "older lady perfume", and powder. They each had a special smell. I miss that. I miss home: the cotton, the way the air smelled so fresh (unless the crop duster had just sprayed chemicals), the way you could see for miles, fireflies and bats in the summer, Foshe', deer and raccoons and rabbits and fox, and how the plowed soil felt so cool and soft. I do miss my grandfathers too. Papaw died when I was 10, so my main memories of him are of riding horses and how he let me put a baby chicken on the kitchen table. I can't believe he let me do that. I would die if someone did that to my table. Grandad was a quiet man, but he loved taking us fishing, for rides in the jeep, or on the tractor. He'd take us riding around the catfish ponds, and we always had a pole ready for some fishing. He would take us out to see the new baby cows. He tried to teach me to drive a stick shift, but I was only 6 and very short. He was very patient with me. He was fun, then he became a homebody. We made him mad one Thanksgiving because we decided to go to "the boat" (gambling boat) for Thanksgiving dinner instead of cooking and cleaning, plus we could play a few slots. He was MAD! He didn't go. He stayed home all alone. We had Thanksgiving dinner at the boat and it was TERRIBLE. I'm not picky, but it tasted like spoiled green beans, and nasty stuff!! We laughed so hard! We were so determined not to cook that ONE year, and the food wasn't even fit to eat. He hated the boat. He thought Nannie was "addicted to the nickle slot machines." I miss that. See, I have become that sentimental aunt. Sorry I wrote so much. It's going to be a tough holiday season for me since I won't be able to go home this year. I miss home. Love, Shannon

Daddy's Poem

To Daddy's Little Girl, Shannon
On Her Wedding Day...
October 11th, 2008

She came to us, a bit of a surprise,
But when I saw her, I couldn't believe my eyes.
She was such a beautiful little fart..
She, at once, stole my heart.

She was the youngest and smallest, by far..
But mess with her and she would go to war!
(Dana and Joey probably carry a few scars from those times.)

She was Daddy's girl and spent a lot of time on my lap..
to read, play, talk or just take a nap.

She grew up dancing on stage and had no fear..
Her Nannie Smith, always on the front row,
grinning from ear to ear.

The memories of her trips to Tara are dear..
Fun times with the family and varmits are clear.
Duck hunting with you, Sandy and the Aussie's was a big hit!
Also, you, Mom and the critters catching crappie in the bar pits.
Our hunt, when Jigger treed his first squirrel was special...
Also, seeing Jigger and the baby fawn on the lodge floor,
where they were nestled.

Robert, we hope your a member of our family for many a year...
Give us half a chance and we'll love you,
Of that, have no fear.
Be kind and gentle and don't ever treat my daughter bad
or, I'll "out with my knife and cut off your nads"!

May God you both on this special day and always.

I love you very much,
Daddy

Here It Is

Here is the recipe for the marinated olives (Aceitunas Aliñadas). I scaled it down for about a quart but it's easy enough to double or even quadruple. Also, feel free to adjust of the seasonings. If it's too much lemon, just half it, but the lemon flavor mellows greatly after a couple of days. Also, try throwing in some diced pimientos for color as well as black olives. I think next time I make them for myself I may add some red pepper flakes. Anyway, just click in the image below for a larger image of the recipe.


Love you all and enjoy,
Shannon & Robert

It's Official! We Have Our Wedding Pics...

They are Awesome! Carrie did the best job. We are going to post them on Picassa so that you all can print what you like.

Here is the link Official Wedding Photos.

Some of our Favorites are:

If you like Carrie's work, we would most definitely recommend her. She is a true professional and perfectionist that goes above and beyond. She truly has an amazing eye for shots. We would be more than happy to put you in contact with her.

Love you all,
Shannon & Robert

Helping Others

In this very difficult economic time, we have been amazed and left speechless at the blessings given to us by our family and friends. Because of that I feel compelled to write about a couple who gives selflessly and with faith not often seen. They don't know that I am writing this, so I hope it is OK. Their names are Mary and Wayne Lopusnak and they run a thrift store, outreach and ministry called His Storehouse Outreach in Zephyrhills, FL. It isn't big, but it does BIG things!! They started out collecting food and toys for the holidays, and now have gone WAY beyond that. They are the most humble and quiet people you would ever meet. Actually, I didn't realize what all they were doing until I visited their website www.hisstorehouseoutreach.org They do so much for our community day to day. They have over 400 hungry and needy families who need food for the holidays and Mary's answer was, "I know we'll get what we need." What faith!!! And it does happen EVERY YEAR! I love these people and I love what they do, but I'm not asking that everyone necessarily help them. I am asking that if you can, find a place in your community that helps people and that you are sure where your donations are going and what they are doing with the donations. These people can make a small donation go a long way because they aren't paying a bunch of executives to sit behind desks. They do it all themselves! They may not be easy to find because they don't toot their own horns. For that reason, I'm writing and trying to get the word out. Thanks for all y'all have done for us!! Love, Shannon and Robert

It's Here, and Mama Approved!!!

We have had so many comments and compliments about our music at the wedding and rehearsal that we had to do it. The official soundtrack to our wedding is a seven CD set and Mama is still dancing. We really want to add some extra CD's of things that we cut as well as stuff that may have been too heavy for the reception. It ranges from blues, old school country, zydeco, Caribbean, remixes and revamps. We even have some different things such as Bhangra/Reggae and Reggae remixes of 80's tunes.

So far the CD's are as follows:

CD 1: The Ceremony
CD's 2-6: The Party
CD 7: The Requests and Dedications
CD 8+?: Songs We Wanted

Love, Shannon & Robert

Transitions

OK, there have been a few new transitions integrating our lives, but all has gone exceptionally well. Katie, Misty and Pippin get along strangely amazing. Work schedules are the true test right now. Unfortunately for me, after 12 years of working Monday through Friday, this is a little different. Also, add the fact that my shift at work may be opening (4am or 5am) or closing (2pm to 11pm). The management staff is great about giving you the time you need after a rough few days though. In hindsight, I would not trade it for the world. I work for the best people and we have the best crew. In some ways I feel guilty getting paid working with the people and customers I do. Today is a great example, a man who asked me last week to help him pick out a cantaloupe, cause he could never get it right, asked me to help him again after the last one we picked was great. In the past few months I have had some great relationships with my customers. My neighbors as well as my regulars, always make may day seem more special. But Shannon and I still need "Our Time". Her schedule and mine are not mixing well right now. I am sure that after the next few weeks everything will level out.

Four Weeks!

Time is flying!! We have been married 4 weeks to the hour right now!! Today is the first day off Robert and I have had together since returning from the honeymoon! His schedule is variable 8 hour shifts from 4am to 11pm 7 days a week. We haven't seen a whole of each other in the last 4 weeks, so we spent the day together (going to banks to change my name, going to Sam's to change my name, and cleaning. Isn't that ROMANTIC!!!) We have gotten a lot accomplished today, though. We are going to a movie tonight.
Other news, I think we are expecting baby dwarf hamsters any day now. One is getting REALLY fat and they have been "going at it" like 2 drunk monkeys since before the wedding. We'll see. We may be giving furry presents for Christmas along with wine!

Love y'all, Shannon and Robert

Hoops, Hoops, and More Hoops!

Today it hit me how many places I have to go to change my name. I took care of the driver license, car tag, voter's registration, and social security office last week. Today it was the water/sewer company, phone, electric, cable, gas, insurance, nursing license, Lowes, and credit card!! I still have the banks to deal with! I tried to do that today, but you can't do that in the drive thru AND they close at 4 pm Monday through Thursday. Oh hell, I just remembered I need to go to Sam's Club and change that. Every time I turn around, I think of another place that needs my info! Some places want a copy of the marriage licences, driver license, and a pee sample, some don't care, as long as you aren't changing your FIRST name!! Go figure. I may change my name weekly on the one's that don't care. I think I'll be Shannon Billbow next week! I'm finding it amusing! I've waited so long to get married, that this isn't making me crazy, it's fun testing my memory. If anyone thinks of anything else I need to change, let me know. Mama, I know Alison is going through the same thing, so pass my list on to her, and get her list for me!! Love y'all, Shannon

News!

We received the wedding DVD and 700+ photos from Marcus and Lorraine yesterday! I was on call, so Robert waited for me to get home last night to view all of them. They are amazing! It was so neat to watch the wedding DVD and see things that happened, that I had no idea had transpired! The communion wine (grape juice) spilled just as the pastor and guys walked out, and with the most amazing grace my brother-in-law took the communion cup, got it to Lorraine, who run up to the house just as I was walking up the aisle, filled it with wine and made it back before my brother-in-law walked up to sing and handed it off to the best man. It was so smooth that you could not tell it wasn't planned that way! I was unaware of the whole thing! I thought it was interesting that the blood of Christ was real wine, and said "Wow, that is real wine!" when we took communion. Robert said, "There's a story and I'll tell you later." Happy little accidents taken care of by people who love us! Lorraine also informed me that an older lady sporting a string bikini decided to set up here sunbathing station right in front of the table and wedding area, meaning she was going to be in ANY and ALL photos. Lorraine was going to let her know that she was about to be in many photos, but she moved as everyone started coming in and sitting. If anyone got a picture of this woman or the 80 year old man in the speedo thong, please let me know! I would love to photoshop these people into all future special occasion photos! I think it would be a hoot!! I was in shock at all of Lorraine's photos, and how she was EVERYWHERE! She must have run up and down stairs a thousand times to get shots of the party from the top floor and in the middle of the action! I am forever indebted to her and her girls!
In other news, my wonderful supervisor Traci is leaving to get a job with our company closer to home. She lives about an hour away right now. I am very sad about that because she is the best and most laid back supervisor I have ever had. That left an opening as supervisor, so with many reservations, I applied. I wanted Traci to stay, so I didn't want to take it, but like it or not, she has to be closer to home as her son gets older and more active in after school stuff. I have been with hospice for 7 years now, and I love my patients. The one-on-one care and visits are my first love, but I have to think about my family, and this is the best way to work if Robert and I plan to have a family. We are going to wait a couple of years before starting a family, but the timing of this change is good for us. It will also be an excellent teacher of patience for me, which will come in handy with children, if we are blessed with them. I have patients who want me to have babies ASAP so they can see them before they die, but I have told them they have to hang on for a couple of years, or they will get to see them before I do when they get to heaven. We don't want to rush because once you have them, you can't send them back, and we have to be prepared for paying childcare! I start as supervisor at some point before Dec. 1st. Thank goodness Robert works at Publix, which has excellent benefits and lots of room for advancement. They are very family oriented. His move to Publix has been such a blessing! The people there are so sweet! It was very difficult when he was laid off due to the slow economy exactly one month before the wedding, but it was the best thing that could have happened to us!
Thanks again for everything! We love y'all!
Shannon and Robert

Marcus is the best Man-of-Honor, ever.

Alright, I know Man-of-Honor is not a traditional thing, but I'd be damned if I would not let Marcus be a part of our wedding. I actually gained a brother out of the whole arrangement. I do not know what we would have done without his guidance. I just got done adding the cookbooks Marcus gave us for our wedding gifts to my database. (BTW, the Brennan's 1964 cookbook is truly over-the-top!) Marcus is such the man! I had to put all the personal notes he wrote on 3x5 cards, into the database so that we will never forget, not just why, but the personal reason he gave us these amazing finds. WE will always cherish these wonderful finds. We now HAVE TO SEND YOU, Marcus, the Gasparilla Cookbook from Tampa. I just loved seeing Alexandrea and Isabelle reading their books and kicking back just before the wedding and then both of them jumping in with all the help in setting up both days. Thank you all for all that you did for us for our wedding.

1970's in Brandon Florida!

Oh my!! We went to the funniest party last night at Denis and Lisa's house (friends of Robert) who were at the wedding. They love to have themed parties and they go ALL OUT!!! They find everything they can that makes the house look like the theme, as well as costumes for themselves. Last night was "The 70's." They had all the posters of the "cute guys" and "hot girls" of the 70's (ie: Andy Gibb, Shaun Cassidy, Ponch from Chips, Scott Baio, Farrah Fawcett) as well as vinyl records and covers of the music of the 70's, clothes, macreme owls, suspended plant holders, an orange rotary dial phone, wooden spoons, velvet glowing pictures, console tv's, etc. I was amazed at what all they found! When we arrived Denis was Bjorn Borg, a 70's tennis star with really tight short white shorts. (He had multiple costume changes.) When we left, he was a disco dancing groovy man. Everyone looked awesome, or "groovy!" Here are a few pictures! Hope y'all enjoy! We had to leave early because Robert had to work early this morning. We forgot about daylight savings, so he was an hour early!! I can't believe we forgot!