End of an era

I got a phone call today from my friend Lauchlin telling me she's leaving her job at the newspaper. Finally, after 4 1/2 years there, a little over one without me even being there, the time has come. In the good old days when I first moved to Vicksburg, the two of us became inseparable - partly because she was the only other female reporter at the paper (well, the only one I really had anything in common with), and partly because we lived two blocks away from each other.

Long story short, we spent many a night talking on her front porch until the wee hours of the morning, then working through our hangovers the next day at work "under pressure" of looming deadlines. EVERY day was a Friday back then. Or at least that's what we pretended.

It's not that I wasn't friends with other people at the paper. There were plenty of people we hung out with, but only the two of us shared the burden of an impossible editor at the time, and our desks were right next to each other. Those were good times and good memories.

When I left the paper last year, she threw me an amazing going-away party, and I think we all celebrated a little too much that night. I even have video to prove it. Don't worry, Lauchy, I won't share details of the "shake it like a Polaroid picture" mishap. :)

I'm soooooo happy for her and so proud of her for making the big leap! It's tough leaving that place, mainly because of all the good people and good memories you leave behind. But the two of us are living proof that friendships don't end just because of a career change.

Anyways, I just wanted to share some of my very fond memories of our days at the newspaper. And someday we really will write our screenplay about it. We know that it'll make it to the big screen because obviously everybody wants to know what life is like at a small-town daily newspaper. Or at least we'd like to think so... :)

Home Sweet Home

Today marks one year to the day that we moved into our house. It's been a fun year. We've made the best of living in Jackson, and we're really enjoying it. There's a lot more to do than there was in Vicksburg, and we've actually been doing it. It's such a nice option!

We've done a lot to our little house in a year - we've built a deck, painted three rooms and a bathroom, gotten new kitchen appliances and planted some flowers. Of course there's still PLENTY left on the to-do list, but I guess it might be boring without one. We've still got a while to do it all. After moving in the heat of summer last year I know I don't want to do it again ANY time soon.

So cheers to a year in Jackson for us! It's been a year full of good changes, and here's to many more fun memories in the lime green house. :)

Over the river and through the woods...

This weekend my parents and I drove to Decatur, Alabama, to go visit my grandma. She moved into an independent living facility there in December, and this was my first time to go see where she lives. It's not that we haven't TRIED to make the trip... it's actually been canceled twice before (once for snow here in January and once for a nasty case of bronchitis Grandma came down with in March.) It's a five-hour drive, which means it's almost more time spent in the car than actually there for the visit on a regular weekend like this one. But it was such a nice visit, and it was so good to see Grandma.

My grandpa passed away last May, and it was very hard to watch Grandma try to put closure on it. I think the only way she was finally somewhat able to do so was to move to Decatur. She and Grandpa grew up there, only houses away from each other. They had talked in recent years of moving back, but then Grandpa got sick, so they stayed in Hattiesburg. But most all of their family (siblings, at least) are there, so it was a natural next step for Grandma to make on her own.

Her apartment is so cozy, and she really seems to be happy there. She looks great, walks almost a mile a day and is enjoying spending time with her sisters. It's hard having her that far away now, but it's good for her, I think. Hattiesburg just has too many sad memories for her right now. I have no doubt she'll come back for a visit one day, maybe just not anytime soon.

While we were in Decatur, she wanted us to visit with all the family there - her sisters Bet and Carol (who both have also lost their husbands in the past couple of years) and Grandpa's sister, Addie, and her husband, Raymond. It was good to see them all, even if the last time most of them saw me was either at the funeral or when I was 10. I used to make that trip with Grandma and Grandpa every summer when I was young, and being back there this weekend was like déjà vu.

It was hard to say goodbye last night when we left her apartment, but I know we'll make the trip again soon. She's a strong woman and a force to be reckoned with when she makes up her mind. I've been very proud of her this past year and can only hope some of that strength and courage is in my genes, too. :)

We're Beach-Bound!

It's official... we just booked our condo for Destin! Of course, the trip isn't until September, but I'm already excited, and there's nothing better than looking forward to a few days of sunshine and relaxation a few months away. :)

It will be both our summer "fun" trip with Ben and Tina and our annual vacay with the family. Can't wait! The more, the merrier! It's actually pretty neat because my parents started going down to Destin years ago (when I was a baby, I know, but maybe before I was even around) with their friends, Gene and Alice, and my grandparents and their neighbor friend, Betty. So, it's almost like a new generation of friends and neighbors this time around.

I'm sure you'll hear WAY more about it the closer it gets, but it's on the calendar now, and that's all that matters. Now, I've got almost three whole months to get in bikini shape, so it's time to step it up. Gym, here I come! :)

We Be Jammin (kind of)

So we headed out to JubileeJAM downtown Saturday after having a few cocktails at Katherine's house as a pre-party. We might have started a little too early because by the time the cab came to pick us up from Katherine's we were all well on our way to a super fun night. :)


Here's a pic of our crazy crew at the beginning of the night. Derek and Jessica are fighting over the turkey leg Mike talked about eating ALL day long. Don't ask what Katherine's doing. I'm not really sure...

Here's another one of us minus Katherine, Jessica and Mike (they had VIP passes so they weren't with us the whole time) and plus John and Susan.


We did manage to listen to all of Old Crow Medicine Show and spend a lot of time waiting in line for the porta-potties. I tried to wait it out to catch a bit of Three Six Maffia, but no one else seemed that interested. If only Cassidy had been with me! :) We called it a night about 10 and capped the night off with late-night at IHOP with Ben and Tina. Yum, yum, I know.

We ended the fun-filled weekend with a trip to Hattiesburg to visit my fam for Father's Day. We finally were able to see all of my mom's redecorating and meet the new cat. It was a nice afternoon for sure and the BBQ that we had for din-din was delish.




Now I'm fat and happy and ready to retreat to the couch for the evening and rest up for another fun week of work. I'm ready for another vacation already. :)

Start of a new tradition

So Derek promised me that we would start having a weekly "date night" to check out all the restaurants in Jackson that we haven't tried. I guess last night turned out to be our first "date" even though that wasn't really the original plan.

We decided mid-afternoon that we wanted to have a drink after work, so we rounded up most of our usual Wednesday night drinking crew and headed up to the Bulldog. It's always tough to turn down the bar food they have up there when your stomach starts to growl, so you almost always need to have dinner plans in place beforehand. We usually follow up a visit to the Bulldog with din-din at El Vaquero down the street, but since we just did Mexican last week, we decided to branch out a little.

After going though the short list of options right near home, we decided to try Steamroom Grille. Now, this is a place that's great for luncheon meetings, but not one I'd really pick for a nice dinner out. But, hey, it's right by home, so why not give it a shot? So off we went - Ben and Tina, Derek and me, and Katherine on our "date."

I think we were all very pleasantly surprised. Our waitress was great, the food was delish, and I'm sure the bottle of wine and other toddies didn't hurt with the overall satisfaction, either. So Date Night Number One gets an A+ in my book. I think next week will be Derek's pick (although I'm not quite sure how this one ended up being my pick), so we'll see what he might have up his sleeve. I think I'll be okay with wherever as long as he's the one paying. :)

I'm not getting any younger

So, we've had a busy few days, and I'm totally worn out. Thursday night we went to La Cazuela for Katie's last night in the "big city." She and Neil moved back to Vicksburg in January, and she just got a new job over there, so she will no longer have to deal with the 45-minute commute with this $4 a gallon gas. Lucky girl.

It was a family affair, so to speak, with Melanie and Trey and Jane Reynolds, Derek and me, Katie, Meredith, Katherine, Drew and Kristin, John and Ben. We had a good time and all drank our fair share of margaritas and beer outside on the deck. It was soooo hot, and it's only June. Ugh...

Jane Reynolds was in good spirits, despite the heat. She chowed down on her cheese quesadilla, and then it was off to bed. She's gotten so big!

We told the waiter it was Katie's birthday so she could get her complimentary tequila shot. We figured she could suffer through her last day of work feeling like crap. She didn't argue with us, either. :)

It ended up being quite a late night for a work night, and I, too, suffered through work on Friday. I just can't hang like I could a few years ago. Friday night we went to eat dinner with our friends Josh and Lauren and then played some games and had a few drinks at their house. Then Saturday afternoon we went out on the Reservoir with Drew and Kristin and their friends Elizabeth and Blaine. It was a fun day on the water. It was hot, of course, so we drank more beer and Derek tubed for a while. I'm pretty sure he's hurting a little today. :)

So now I'm tired, and the weekend's over, and I'm wondering where it went. I hate that feeling. And tomorrow it's back to the grind. It was a fun and social past few days, though. The only downside is that drinking three days in a row like the good old days just isn't as easy as it used to be. :)

Like a fine wine

I've heard it said that women mature and only get better like a fine wine. Of course I agree. :) But I also think the same can be said about friendships. Some are great while they last, but were probably never strong enough to really have an effect on you. But then there are a few that you just enjoy so much that you never want them to end. And they probably never will. Those are the friendships that you just can't imagine your life without. They're the ones that hold too many memories and too many secrets to let go.

I met up for a short visit over drinks with my best friend last night, and after almost 15 years of friendship, there's not much we don't know about each other. We've come a long way from the OG days in junior high and high school. She's a big girl now living in the big ATL, and I miss her soooo much. When we get together (and it's really always been this way), it's like we've never let more than a day go without talking. We pick up right back where we left off... reminiscing about old times, reliving funny moments and, of course, gossiping (that's what we do best) about where everybody is now and what they're doing. We're quite a pair.

I must say that I've been feeling a little down lately. I don't really know why, but it was a definite pick-me-up to have a good visit with her and catch up on the time we've lost.

So, if I had a glass of fine wine in front of me right now, I'd make a toast. Here's to the friendships that always bring a smile to your face. Cheers!

Too bad now I'll have to come up with a different toast for her wedding one day. :)

Dog Days of Summer... Already

Wow, it's been the first really hot weekend we've had so far this summer, and today is only the first day of June! The Mississippi heat will just suck the life right out of you. It's the kind of heat that stays with you till bedtime, when you're finally able to truly cool off a few hours after the sun goes down. The animals were perfectly content staying inside the house today to share the air-conditioning. Ugh... I dread the temps in July and August.

Our weekend was pretty laid-back. Last night we grilled burgers with our neighbors, then went for a quick night swim at a friend's house. Today we checked out the Briarwood Pool down the street. It's part of our Northeast Jackson YMCA membership, and it seemed like a great way to cool off after leaving the gym. It's really almost a trip back in time. Snow cones are 50 cents there, and it reminded me a lot of swimming out at the Elks Lake pool when I was young. It's good to see that places like that are still around, especially right down the street!