Looking Forward To Spring Break!!!

I'm excited to say I have a Spring Break this year again!!! Last year I started celebrating Spring Break with Nicole, so we decided to do it again since we had so much fun. I really need a break since people are getting crazier (see previous posts.) I'm looking forward to some fun and much needed relaxation. My back is feeling better, so I'm hoping we can do a lot of fun things. Robert is in the beginning of Chiropractic visits. He has quite a bit of spinal disc degeneration too. We are 2 old sad cases. He is in the initial stages where you go from feeling way better, to feeling like someone has beat your ass!!! Robert thinks that he has been a part of the WWE (on the losing end) since Dr Burns is so strong and seemingly "jumps from the third rope" when adjusting him. I keep assuring him it will get better and he believes me.
I'm getting a bit of a farming bug. I really want to start a garden. I guess I'm an old Mississippi lady after all. We have a Topsy Turvey and are growing tomatoes. I love me some "As seen on TV" stuff!!! I'm looking at growing more herbs, cucumbers, onions, garlic, etc. We will see how this all works out.
Have a great week, and stay away from crazy people. Love, Shannon

St Patick's day!!

Happy St. Patty's day everybody!!! I wore my green shirt with bejeweled shamrock and Celtic cross shirt from the Christmas Parade (Christmas around the world was the theme.) I also had an Irish Princess crown. My coworkers had no idea they were in the presence of royalty!!
After 7 years and 3 months of working at the same place, I have come to the conclusion that people are getting CRAZIER!!! Not good, funny crazy, I mean YOU NEED TO BE MEDICATED!!! crazy!! I'm not sure if it is stress from the poor economy, or pesticides and hormones in food, or mad cow, or alien abduction, or WHAT, but at least the population of people I have to deal with are getting definably more insane. I'm not talking about our patients either. Generally they are the sane segment of the family. Whatever the cause is, I hope it comes to an abrupt end soon or I'm going to lose my mind. Pray for my sanity and the sanity of those around me!! Thanks!!! Now go drink your green beer!!!

Love, Shannon

Millionaire, Parade, Mexican, Japanese, and Casino

This was the first weekend that Robert and I have been off together that we haven't gone to a wedding, or a funeral since our wedding in October. It has been really nice. Our "original plan" was to go either to Venice, FL or Orlando for the weekend to get away. Friday night we went to see Slumdog Millionaire, which was really good. Saturday morning we woke up and had to decide what to do: I had a float in the founders day parade in Zephyrhills that we needed to be on or we could scratch that and leave for wherever. We decided to do the parade since I knew there would not be a lot of people in it. We had 8 people on our float including Robert and me. I'm glad we went. After the parade we ate at a wonderful Mexican restaurant and talked about where we wanted to go. We decided on renting movies and hanging out at home.
After a much needed nap, I heard LOBSTER VOICES. This puzzled Robert until I explained that "Larry the Lobster" was calling me. Meaning: I NEED TO GO TO HARD ROCK CASINO TO PLAY LARRY THE LOBSTER!! We went to one of our favorite Japanese steakhouses "Yakamoto" and had a wonderful meal and headed toward the Hard Rock. Well, Larry the Lobster wasn't good to us, so we moved on to another game that looked like Wheel of Fortune, but I'm not sure what it was. It was fun and good to us. We doubled our money, so as it turned out our meal only cost us about $18. Not bad for a night out!! We came home and watched the movie "Fireproof" which was very good. The acting wasn't good, but the concept was very good for a married couple. It makes you stop and think about the things you should do for each other and how you should love each other instead of getting so aggravated.
Today I'm not sure what we are going to do, but I know we have another movie to watch "Nights in Rodanthe." Yes, I'm making Robert sit through a chick flick. Cher says the beach house reminds her of our wedding. It looks really beautiful. Anyway, it has been a wonderful weekend together even though we didn't go anywhere. Have a great Sunday!!

Diving With Sharks.

It's so funny Shannon mentioned she never thought about sharks when she was 30 feet down on the Sea Trek. There are truly two kinds of people. Those that are freaked out be things swimming by them and those that just appreciate the wonder that they are experiencing. Shannon is one of those that I think truly appreciates and respects what she sees while diving. I would love more than anything to continue diving with her. I just had to post that I would like nothing more than to experience her learning more about and diving with the incredible array of life many never get to see in the wild.

Ready For Another Cruise.

I watched our honeymoon video tonight since Robert was at work. We had such a wonderful time and saw so many beautiful places. It was a relaxing week for us after so much hard work. I'm ready to go again. I want to go snorkeling again and would love to learn to scuba dive. I never once thought about sharks when I was in the water, which is amazing because I get freaked out by sharks. I'm keeping an eye out for good deals since it seems like people aren't traveling much. I'm not sure we will be able to do it, but it is always fun to look. I have pictures from the wedding and honeymoon at my desk to try to calm my soul. I hope everyone has a great week! Shannon

Wish We Were Still In Miami!!

I can't begin to explain how much fun we had in Miami the weekend of Tracy and Chad's wedding. It is terrible returning to "real life." We were able to see our family and friends that we haven't seen in a while. I know everyday can't be a party, but it sure seems like it can when you are there!! We are going to make Cher come over here so we can have another "girls night out/bachelorette party." Robert's idea was put names in a bowl and draw to see who gets to be the bachelorette. I think that is a great idea.
I had a new experience today. I had to do a deposition. I've been a nurse just shy of 15 years, and this was my first depo. Thank goodness it wasn't against us. I don't think I was helpful at all, but at least it wasn't a bad experience. They were nice to me. Thank goodness for Debbie (our risk manager) and Cher. They helped me so much and were so supportive. I think I will be calmer if it ever happens again, which I hope it NEVER does. I'm looking forward to sleeping well tonight since it is over.
Have a great weekend!!! Love, Shannon

A Wedding, Three Birthdays, and No Funerals.

We took a long weekend trek to Miami for another Pezoldt wedding. Three down, two to go. Chad, the baby of the Pezoldt crew, was married to Tracy in an amazing and beautiful ceremony at the Deering Estate. All I can say is WOW!!! Tracy looked like a real version of Cinderella and Chad looked, well, HOT!! They are such a gorgeous couple. I've never seen Chad so composed, calm, happy, and proud. The day was beautiful, the people were beautiful, the food was good, and the party was purely Pezoldt. Pezoldt should be a new adjective!! There is NO party like a Pezoldt party!!! These people don't sleep, EVER!! When they meet you, they suck you in, and you too become family. This sentiment was repeated at every table at the reception. I am not blood or marriage related to the Pezoldts, but I am related to them by love and the way they take you in. You see, when my sister married a Pezoldt, my whole family became in laws of the Pezoldts. It's hard to understand until you experience it. I guess Pezoldt could be a verb too. You see, when my sister married Clint, all of us Outlaws got, well, Pezoldted. (meaning adopted, sucked in, and made family.) They all love life in way not often seen. They also love each other in a way that is so heartwarming. They also love friends, and lots of them. They love having them around all hours of the day and night!!! They will stay up talking to anyone who shows up at the house until the sun rises the next day! It is wonderful, and wonderfully tiring. I can't hang anymore. I stayed at Mama P's all the time when Dana first moved to Miami, but I am a light weight and can't stay up like they can.

Anyway, back to the wedding. Tracy had the most angelic and adorable little girls as flower girls, and the cutest little guys as ring bearers. There was one little guy who was especially dapper, if I may say so myself. He stayed the whole time and danced until the music shut off. Maybe he kept dancing after the music stopped. He is a dancing machine!!! He gets it honestly from both sides of the family. I was going to take the kids back to the house since I wasn't expecting to stay long (with the bad back) but there was no leaving until we were kicked out by the cleaning crew. It was so much fun. Montego, one of Chad's buddies, and his wife were there with their little baby (less than 6 months) and mom had the baby in a cool swaddle sling dancing around. That baby was so good. He was either sleeping or smiling the whole time he was being danced around. Fun was had by all!!
As for the 3 birthdays, we had Nicole, Robert and Clint all celebrating birthdays within a week, so it was a special time all around.
This was the first wedding Robert and I have been to since we got married. It was nice to sit back and think, "It took a lot of work to do all of this. Thank goodness we don't have to do it again." Also, it was nice not to have to do the single girls/guys thing.
We wish much love and a lifetime of happiness to Chad and Tracy!!

Love,
Shannon and Robert

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope everyone is having a great day!  As Robert said, this should be the best Valentine's for me since I don't have to worry about everyone asking if I got engaged!!!  I can't believe we have already been married 4 months!!  It's gone by fast and been pretty crazy.  We have been through what could have been the "in sickness" part the last week.  My back pain escalated to horrific Thursday night.  I almost went to the ER, but as a nurse I am very aware that you don't go to the hospital Friday through Sunday because you don't get care and you just lay there and run up ridiculous bills.  So I stayed here and rocked and cried all night.  Robert is so wonderful to me.  I feel so bad for him because he felt so helpless because he couldn't stop my pain.  I went to the chiropractor Thursday and then got a deep tissue massage, which my sister-in-law said would hurt like hell afterwards, but would get better and help the following days.  Well, she was right.  Thursday night was my hell.  I couldn't walk.   Friday was bad until late in the evening.  Today is better.  I have numbness in my right outer leg and foot, but that is SO much better than pain.  I can deal with this.  I was getting worried that I would be like that forever and I wouldn't be able to go to Miami this coming weekend.  If I keep getting better, I should have no problem.    We will be celebrating a wedding, 2 birthdays (Robert and Nicole), late Christmas and Thanksgiving, and Valentine's Day all in one weekend.  I can't wait to see my family!!  It's been over 4 months!! I'm excited!!!  Love, Shannon 

Web marshall's at work!

I thought this was pretty humorous today.  We have a web Marshall (I'm not sure if this is a PERSON or a COMPUTER SERVICE or what!!  I picture a person staring at a monitor and going, "oh hell, Shannon just wrote something inappropriate."  to which I say, " You should have heard what I just said."  I don't mince words, but I do watch what I write in emails and on pagers at work.  I've been blocked for pornography many times when I looked up something in WebMD, Mapquest, and the yellow pages.  I'm not sure how they get porno out of that, but to each his own....  Well, today I wrote the word "spank" in a text message to a home health aide.  The context was "Bob (who is very unsteady and a fall risk) got in the shower without anyone to help him.  You need to spank him and tell him not to do that again."  (Bob is a very feisty old man who would love nothing more than to be spanked, but will have to make do with verbal threats to fuel his "fantasy")  A message popped up that said, "Web marshal blocked due to inappropriate language Level 5 use of the word "spank"  I'm not sure if level 5 is low or high, but I'm pretty sure I've said Level 1 or Level 100 dependent on what the scale is.  You've got to love big brother!!!  Love y'all, Shannon

Getting Better!

I must say I had my doubts about how much a chiropractor could help me.  I am amazed that I am so much better than a week ago!  My back is so much better, although me co-workers don't think so because I am moving so slowly.  My walking problem is because my muscles in my right leg are so sore from guarding the hip and back and walking on my toes.  I have an occasional catch when I turn over in bed or stand up.  God forbid I sneeze!!!  That is the worst and I think I'm going to die every time I sneeze!!  I'm hoping to be ready to boogie in time for the Miami trip!  I can't wait to get in the hot tub!!  I hope that anyone who is having back or neck problems will try a chiropractor.  I think even Robert is becoming a believer since I'm doing better.  He has been so wonderful to me!!  He is a wonderful husband!!  He waited on me like I was a queen.  I'm so fortunate!!  Shannon  

Gasparilla

I set my DVR to record the Gasparilla parade today.  We had Laura's baby shower today at the Olive Garden and it was a blast. I would not have been able walk around the parade anyway since my back and leg are still giving me some problems.  It looks like it was VERY crowded.  I didn't see any of Chad's bachelor party crew on TV and I haven't received any calls to bail anyone out, so I'm assuming all is well with the wild boys.  Another reason I set the DVR was to see if the woman (Gail) who was calling out the floats was sober this year since she was completely drunk last year.  Well, she was sober.  I guess she learned her lesson last year.   I'm using this weekend to rest and heal in order to be ready for party weekend coming up.  Everyone have a great weekend.  Shannon

My first experience with a chiropractor.

Well, I guess it is time to admit that I have been having back pain constantly for just under 2 months.  I know!  I'm a nurse, so I should have done something weeks ago, but honestly, I HATE DOCTORS!  (No, not the one I work with, or any I am friends with, but any doctor that is looking at me as a patient.  My blood pressure goes up and break into hives! Seriously!)  Anyway, my pain escalated to the point where I couldn't move and I started crying at work and all the way home yesterday.  I didn't want to go to my family doctor because I knew that they would put me on a bunch of muscle relaxers and pain killers that I wouldn't take, so I had Robert call and make an appointment with a chiropractor close to home.  Dana had a lot of success with her back in the past, so my pain led me there.  At this point I would have downed a quart of motor oil if someone told me it would help my pain!!  I could barely walk yesterday and this morning.  I had an appointment yesterday where they did a lot of x rays and muscle/nerve tests and range of motion tests.  I had to go back this morning for the results.  As expected the results were not good.  My neck doesn't have the curve it should and where my lumbar and sacrum meet (basically the top of the butt crack) has degenerating discs, which is causing nerve pain from my right butt cheek down my leg to my knee.  I also have muscle spasms and very tight muscles along my spine.  I'm putting ice on the hip and the chiropractor adjusted my spine this morning.  I can walk now, slowly, but I'm walking.  My pain has gone from a 9-10 to a 4, which is nothing short of a miracle to me!!  (My blood pressure was really high yesterday from the pain.)   I have been in so much pain and so cranky that poor Robert has been catching my wrath.  I know he's glad I'm feeling better.  I think he was scared of me!  Anyway, I will be going back 3 times a week for a few weeks and will have a followup assessment to see how the spine looks.  I'm so glad I did this!  I should have gone 20 years ago when this started.

Super Bowl!

It lived up to its name!!  I am so glad it was a nail biter.  I was afraid that the highlight was going to be when Bruce Springsteen nutted the camera!!  I wanted Kurt Warner to win because he is such a good guy, but it was fun to watch anyway!!!  My brother has always been a Steelers fan as long as I can remember, so congrats Joey!!!  Well, I've got to try to sleep after all this excitement!!  Goodnight!!!  Shannon

Casino!

Well, we went to the casino and got there early enough to play a little, see a lot (and I mean A LOT) of hooker clothes, and lose a little money (very little!!!)  Every skank in Tampa was out and showing IT ALL!!  Lord have mercy!!  They weren't even wearing pretty slutty clothes.  When we left the entrances were blocked (I assume for fire code limits.)  It was fun and good to be able to go out together.  Well, everyone have a wonderful weekend!!!  Love, Shannon

I forgot to add one other thing:  I don't understand why some women feel the need to wear heels so high that they can't walk in them, or that make them walk like they have 2 peg legs!!!  Some of us (and I am including myself in this) WERE NOT MADE WITH BARBIE FEET THAT MAKE US WALK ON OUR TIPTOES OUR ENTIRE LIFE!!   Agony and sexy don't mix!!  My suggestion is slightly lower heel and more swagger!!    

I may have lost my mind.

Last night I had the sudden desire to go to the Hard Rock Casino.  Since Robert had to be at work at 4am, we sidelined it until today.  It hit me this morning that this is going to be a crazy night to go since the SuperBowl is in town, and it is probably going to be packed!!!  We are going to play "big" tonight if we can get in (ie. nickle slots, Larry the Lobster.)  We haven't been in a long time and I love to walk around with all the lights and sounds.  I'll let y'all know how it goes.  Shannon  

Christmas is over.

The tree is down.  Once again it's hot outside.  I can't fool myself any longer.  Now the house seems so empty and much less "Martha Stewart-ish!"  I will survive though.  Robert sent me a link for a toy that he found that we need for meetings and such.  It is called the screaming monkey slingshot.  It is a monkey slingshot and would come in handy at our meetings when people are talking, not paying attention, or get long-winded.  Love, Shannon

PS- I guess Pippin found her hidden cornbread because it wasn't there when I moved the tree. Thank Goodness!!!  

I think today is the day!!

Today, January 25th MAY very well be the day that we take down the Christmas tree.  It's not a definite yet, but it is a possibility!  I've made the first step in getting the ornament boxes out.  I'm not exactly excited about it, but Robert made a remark about it being time.  He is right.  

We had a birthday party for my crazy friend KC last night at her house.  It was a lot of fun.  One of our co-worker's daughters brought her massage table and chair and did massages.  It was wonderful.  Traci hid bottles like Easter eggs all over the house.  It was good to get together again.   This weekend was way too short.  Tomorrow is time to get back to work.  Everybody have a great week!!  Love, Shannon 

Tomorrow.

I generally avoid talking about politics.  I am middle of the road politically, so it is best for me to stay away from this subject BUT I can't help but reflect on people I have met in my life and how they would feel about the historic significance of tomorrow's inauguration.  I met a man in Indianola at a nursing home who was somewhere in the age range of 120ish, but he couldn't be the oldest American because he didn't have a birth certificate.  You see, he was born of slaves, so he wasn't "counted".   He was amazingly sharp, could tell us in great detail about growing up and loved sharing his story.  He was blind and a diabetic, but he had a memory that amazed me.  I sat by him, as a young nursing student, listening to him for as long as our schedule would allow.  I can imagine that he is smiling and so proud of the significance of tomorrow.  I think of a former patient of mine who recently passed away.  He was one of the youngest Tuskegee airmen.  He lied at 14 saying he was 18 years old to fight for a country that didn't think of him as an equal, but he put his life on the line for our country.  I can imagine that he is very proud of this country.  I think of Philip (the one armed janitor from our school) who was so sweet to us, and how it would break my heart when he would say "Yes,sir or mam" to all the kids at our school.   He always smiled, so I'm sure he is really smiling right now.  We live in the most wonderful country in the world and I am hopeful that it will continue to get better.  God bless everyone.  Love, 
Shannon

It's cold!!

It's REALLY cold!!!  It is going to be below freezing tonight!!  That is just one more reason to leave our Christmas tree up!!  Yeah!!  It is way colder now than it was Christmas.  We were  sweating and in shorts Christmas day.  I can't imagine being in Minnesota where it is below zero!!  

Well, it looks like the Bucs are in for a new coach.  It is time!  Maybe Coach Dungy will come back! He just retired from the Colts to move back to Tampa!  He was a great guy.

I'm watching the news, so I'm not having flight of ideas!  

The lingerie bowl is going to be held at a "nudist resort" not far from me,( Calliente) during the Super Bowl.  It's gonna be bad if it is cold as crap!  

 I can't imagine running around in panties when it is this cold!!  

Everyone stay warm this weekend!!  Love, Shannon

Today is January 13th.

Tomorrow is Mama's birthday!!! Happy Birthday Mama!! We can't wait to see you in February!!!  Now, to the OTHER reason for my post.  It is January 13th, and I can't seem to bring myself to take down our Christmas tree.  There are several reasons that it is still up, among these: it is too pretty to take down, it is too depressing to take it down, I like it, I'm too lazy to take it down, I don't know where I'm going to put it with all my stuff and Robert's stuff in the garage, It's going to look empty without it, and lastly: I think Pippin "buried" a cornbread muffin behind it and I'm not sure if she ever went to retrieve it.  This is by far the latest I've ever left any tree up.  Usually I wait until Jan 6th-ish.  I think I'm going to make it a "multi-holiday/multi-season" tree.  I'm not 100% on that decision.  I'm hoping I'll get a burst of energy and enthusiasm and decide to take it down, OR maybe I'll come home one day and it will be in it's box!!  (I'm just joking!!  I have very old and fragile ornaments and I'm a control freak about them!!  I'm having flashbacks of Dana and Clint's Christmas/housewarming party where Clint tried to straighten the tree and ended up breaking all but 4 of Dana's old ornaments!  Dana was pregnant and I thought all three of us were going to have heart attacks!!  That doesn't need to be repeated!  I hope someone else still has their tree up!!  Love, Shannon

Tampa: Center of the world!

Well, Tampa is about to be in the spotlight with the Superbowl coming soon.  We also have Gasparilla going on the weekend before and after.  I can remember the day when I would have been right up in the middle of all the festivities.  Parties, beads, pirates, and fun, fun, FUN!!!  And CROWDS!!!  Stinky, drunk, puking, obnoxious mobs of gropey people!  I'm not up for it right now.  I'm not sure if it is a phase, or if I have, I dare say, grown out of this type of stuff!!!  I love to have fun, but I like to have fun with people I know in wide open areas, on my terms.  Yes, we grope each other, but I know these people!  If you doubt it, see bachelorette pics from earlier post.  

It's no longer fun to be packed elbow to elbow with strangers and wondering "who just grabbed my ass/chest/monkey???"   It's not a "old married woman" thing either.  I haven't been to Gasparilla in 4 years since my friend Johnny came down.  I had fun.  We put beads all over cars and had a blast.  The older I get the more I hate driving around drunk people.  Anyway, I will be enjoying the festivities from my home, with my cloud pj's on and not crowded!!!  Maybe someday I will get back in the party mode, but not this Gasparilla!!  Love, Shannon

Gators win.

Let me start by saying I am NOT a Gator fan, as a matter of fact I am a Mississippi State Bulldog and secondly a Seminole fan, but I am a Tim Tebow fan.  How can you not pull for a young guy with such character, who spends the off season doing mission work?  He is a good man and an excellent role model for young athletes and young people in general.  We need more people like him.  I'm so glad for him that the Gators won.  This young man shows such promise in so many areas.  I can't believe I'm happy for the Gators, but that is the effect this guy has on people.  When he graduates, I probably won't be so happy for them again.  Have a great weekend!!  Love, Shannon

Great Movies!!

We watched "The Bucket List" last night and it was wonderful!  I love Morgan Freeman not only because he is a Mississippi guy, but also because I remember him from Electric Company and he makes me want to hug him.  He reminds me of my Mama's stories about her Uncle Allen and Aunt Rosie, an elderly black couple who lived in front of my grandparents house and let my Mama get away with murder.  They loved her so much and let her bring sick baby chicks into their house (much like I did at my Papaw's house) and let her brush their hair, even though she pulled their hair in attempts to comb it.  Anyway, "The Bucket List" was an excellent movie for anyone who wonders what they would do if given a terminal diagnosis.  I know because of my work I am drawn to these types of movies, but Robert agreed.  We also loved "The Notebook" which is an excellent look into dementia.  Since Mamaw Outlaw had dementia for many years (around 20 years) it really stuck a nerve with me.  I've heard people say that it is unrealistic because of the ending, but that type of ending does happen on occasion.  It's happened once with my patients, and 3 times that I know of during my 7 years in hospice.  I don't want to give it away.  

I'm usually very anti-Hollywood's version of the elderly, the dying process, and death itself because of the way it leads to unrealistic expectations that people grasp as "the truth."   Any movie that makes us want to live every day as the gift it is has my vote as a good movie.  On the flip side, I'm not so sure I will be able to see "Marley and Me" because I hear it is a real bawlin' and squallin' movie.  I miss my labs Sandy, Babe, and Booboo.  Love, Shannon and Robert

PS- I forgot the last movie we saw in the theater Australia!  It was amazing!!  The child in it was such an amazing actor and was adorable!!!  It is a "must see."

I Love Mail!!

Today was an especially rough day at work.  I got yelled at by 2 different patients about issues I had no controll over.  I was expecting it to be rough.  Greg (my office manager) lets us wear blue jeans only around the holidays (just before or just after a holiday) so I asked Wednesday if today (Friday) was going to be a  blue jeans day.  He said I could come to work naked if I wanted to as long as I came to work since it was going to be "really bad" today.  I showed up in my cloud pj's instead.  Everybody thought I had lost it, and that was BEFORE the Sh** hit the fan!!  Anyway, when I got home I had 2 wonderful things in the mail.  The first was our photo book from Walgreens that has some of our favorite wedding/honeymoon pics in it.  If you have never done this,  I suggest you go to Walgreens.com and make a book of favorite pictures.  It is VERY reasonable and so much fun!!!  The second thing I got in the mail was an RSVP for the wedding from Robert's cousin Brian and his wife Lori.  Now I'm not sure if it has been lost for the last 4ish months, or if Brian and Lori are playing a prank on us (they are very fun people) but I can only imagine where that card has been in the last several months if it's been "floating around."   Those 2 things made me smile and made my day so much better!!!  I hope 2009 is treating everyone well!!!  Love, Shannon and Robert

Happy New Year!!

Well, 2009 has arrived and I managed to sleep right through it!!!  Yesterday was super busy as usual for the day before a holiday.  Tomorrow promises to be more of the same.  The beginning of the year also promises to be busy with management courses, projects for work and face to face interviews with every patient.  Because of this, we decided to get a laptop, which has become my new best friend!!  I love it and can't imagine what I did before we got it.  Robert loves it too!!  It's awesome to lay in bed and type, or play games, or sit on the couch and do work.  This thing ROCKS!!  It is so fast and easy to work on!  I hope everyone has a wonderful and healthy 2009!!!  Love, Shannon and Robert

Christmas Already!!

As I look back on what has been a very eventful year for us, I can't believe 2008 is almost over. It started out, well, BORING! We had a little party with Bobby, Laura, Mike, Jeanne and Mikey, ate a lot and shot a few fireworks. (Disclaimer: The company was not boring, I was just very tired and went to bed really close to 12:01am). I have to laugh because I've always wanted this romantic, wild and crazy New Years, but when it boils down to it, I JUST CAN'T HANG!!! For me it was ANOTHER holiday without a ring, knowing that I would be interrogated when I returned to work. The first half of the year was mostly uneventful with a lot of hard work, putting down wood laminate floors, new carpet, and house stuff. Then June came and all hell broke loose!!! I just realized I have never told the proposal story!!! Here goes: We went out for Mike's birthday (6-7-08, easy to remember) to Leroy Selman's. We weren't sure if we were going to be able to have the party that night or the next weekend (or so I thought) so we waited to hear from Jeanne (who usually calls when she leaves Dade City to give me plenty of time to get ready.) We were supposed to meet at 7:45pm, but the phone rang at 7pm AND THEY WERE ALREADY THERE!!! I had just gotten out of the shower, my hair was soaking wet and I was pissed!!! Rewind about 2 hours and I had gotten a call from a friend of mine asking if I was engaged, etc, so as you can imagine, I was double pissed!!! I was late (which I have OCD which prevents this from ever happening) and I've just had an aggrivating conversation for the umpteenth time, I'm wet and nowhere near ready! Somehow I got ready in about 15 minutes, put on a very cute dress, and got it together. Oh, I was triple pissed because Robert was supposed to plan a date day for us, and we MOWED AND EDGED THE YARD!!! Anyway, we arrived and ate like we were starving!! The food was outstanding as usual. We had a blast! Then Mike's cake came, and it was PINK, PURPLE AND WHITE!! Mike is not a pink kind of a guy, so all I could think was "He's not going to think this is funny!!" Then they put the cake in front of me, yet another mistake (I thought)!! Then I read it: "Shannon, Will you marry me?" It had Cinderella, the castle, a glass slipper, and a huge play ring with a heart shaped diamond. I always wanted to get engaged in front of the castle, and I always said that if a man gave me a heart shaped diamond, I would barf!! I was SHOCKED!!! I turned around and Robert was on one knee with my ring in his hand!! I cried!! Then I realized everyone was in on it and a part of it, which was really cool!!! I've never had a suprise anything!! It was amazing!! As soon as the shock wore off, the planning began!! The frenzy was fun, exhausting, and absolutely the most memorable thing I could wish for. Four months of planning, dress shopping, beach house hunting, hotel hunting, cruise shopping, cooking, making decorations, invitations, programs, music lists, showers, gifts,...... It was one unforgettable whirlwind!! In the midst of which Robert had to switch jobs and I was informed that my supervisor would be leaving and I applied for and was hired for her position. One change at a time would be nice, but we have to change everything at once!!! I guess that is what God had in store for us. The wedding was everything I had wished for. The cruise was so restful and addicting!! 2008 will be remembered for a lot of negative things because of the economy. It will also be remembered as a very historic time with the Presidential election, the Olympics and Michael Phelps,  but for me, I will remember it as "our year." It will always be great year to me!! Ups, downs and everything in between!!! I only wish I could have spent any part of the holiday season with anyone in my family!! That makes me sad, but I'm going to make the best of it and pray that we can all be together in February in Miami!!!
We hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas and may 2009 find you happy, healthy, and richly blessed!!! We love y'all!!!! Shannon and Robert (Pippin, Katie, Misty, Chip and Dale)

Busy Weekend.

We made a quick trip to the Tennessee/Georgia/North Carolina border for Robert's Grandmother Kimsey's funeral. We left Friday morning and returned late last night. We were able to make the visitation Friday night. Thank goodness the bad weather was gone for the trip. It was very cold up there, but no snow or freezing rain. I was able to meet some of Robert's family and friends that were not able to come to the wedding. Robert sends thanks to everyone for their support. Nannie was his last grandparent and even at almost 40 years old, it is hard to absorb the thought of not having a grandparent. His cousin Tammy sang at the funeral and she has the voice of an angel. The Okeechobee Kimseys were there, and they are hillarious!!! Kelly and I left a note from "Swedish twins" on Uncle Lex's truck with lipstick and perfume and my cell number on it saying that we thought he was sexy and we wanted him. I'm not sure if it took him a day to work up the nerve to call, or if he was just making me sweat, but he finally called last night. I was so afraid that it blew off his truck and some Ducktown guy found it!! The 813 area code gave us away. Well, it's back to work tomorrow. I put up Robert's Christmas village today and I'm working on Christmas cards. I can't believe I'm just now doing Christmas cards!!! I had mine out by the end of November last year!! I'm a slacker or just busy!!
Love, Shannon and Robert

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