Everyone has a story...

Every generation has their where-were-you moments. For my grandparents, it was the bombing of Pearl Harbor. For my parents, it was the death of such figures as JFK and John Lennon. For my generation, it was the explosion of the Challenger (although most of us were pretty young when that happened - I was only 5) and 9/11. They are those moments that are frozen in time, where you can remember exactly what you were doing and all the vivid details and emotions associated with it.

Until three years ago, my generation hadn’t really witnessed the damage that Mother Nature could do. We heard tales of Hurricane Camille and the devastation she caused on the Coast. Then came Katrina. She came out of nowhere – everyone was so focused on Ivan that Katrina churned unnoticed, quietly building up strength until she slammed ashore early that Monday morning three years ago today. She shocked us all, and many of us are still recovering.

I won’t get on my soapbox about all the media coverage of New Orleans and not the Gulf Coast. Both of the coastlines of Louisiana and Mississippi were hit hard from that storm. They just felt the storm’s fury in two totally different ways. Nevertheless, it was a horrible thing to experience. As a region we came together and shared stories about personal resilience and hope.

There was a cat that went missing hours before the mandatory evacuation in New Orleans. His owner looked everywhere before leaving, but finally gave up on the hope of finding him. Months later, the two were reunited as the traumatized but still alive cat found his way home. He was hungry and dirty but happy to be home.

There was a house in Pascagoula that took on five feet of water from the storm surge. When the couple who owned the house returned, all of the furniture had been shifted into different rooms. Nothing was broken, but everything was ruined. End tables and dining room chairs had just gently floated around the house. The drawers were still filled with salt water and seaweed. The newlyweds, both born and reared in Jackson County, rebuilt but vowed that just one more storm would likely change their minds about calling the Coast home.

There were babies born, vacations cancelled and 50th birthday plans put on hold. But life went on. It was by no means an easy adjustment for many, but what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, right?

So today, on the third anniversary of the storm we won’t forget, I wanted to take a few minutes to reflect. Mother Nature can be a force to be reckoned with, and once again she’s at the forefront of our minds as we watch the day-to-day progress of Gustav. Let’s just hope that we all learned some hard lessons during Katrina, and we pray that we won’t have to go through that ever again. But if we do, I’m sure we’ll follow Governor Barbour’s lead and hitch up our britches to help our neighbors. It’s just in a Southerner’s nature to be hospitable. We may not welcome a hurricane, but we sure welcome a challenge.

Here we go again

This week has been busy at work with all of us gearing up for Hurricane Gustav. This will be my first experience with hurricane preparedness working with the state, and if it happens like they're predicting, it sure will be a whopper.

I really can't imagine going through what we went through with Katrina all over again. That was three years ago this Friday, and even up in Vicksburg we felt her wrath. Scary times. Maybe this guy won't be as bad, but I guess you can never be too prepared for something like this. I know my parents are stocking up in Hattiesburg, and all of my friends down on the Coast seem to be playing the waiting game to see what the storm's next movement proves to be. It's really an awful feeling.

Lucky me will get to spend my Labor Day weekend on storm patrol at work. It's times like these when I really wonder why in the world I chose to go into the communications field in the first place. When Katrina came I was working at the newspaper and was literally out storm-chasing a few hours before the worst of the weather came through. We were out at Eagle Lake tracking down some "refugees" (that's what we called them before it became more politically correct to call them evacuees) and Brian the photographer and I were having to drive off the road to avoid falling trees. It was horrible. When we finally made it back to the paper, the whole office had shut down and gone home. Power was already out, and it was only like 2 in the afternoon. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening hunkered down in Lauchlin's basement for our own hurricane party. Then the next four days were pure hell as we endured the sweltering August heat and lines at the gas stations. It was just awful. I know we didn't have it nearly as bad as a lot of people, obviously, but the fact that it was that bad THAT far inland was amazing. Fingers crossed this one won't replay the same way.

Anyways, if you don't hear from me for a few days, I'm probably stuck in my cubicle writing press releases about storm stuff and answering questions from reporters. I know you're jealous. In the meantime, I'll just say a little (or big) prayer that this storm will pass us right by. I don't think any of us are ready to go through what we went through three years ago. I don't think we'll ever be.

With this ring...

Derek finally has a new wedding ring now after losing his in the lake last month. I know a ring is just a symbol of marriage, but to me, it's very important. I know some people don't wear their rings, but I just think it's so classic. I feel a lot better now that he has one again. And it's not like it really mattered, but he had already lost his tan line!

So, as cheesy as I am, I insisted that I say my vows again to "bless" the new ring. I didn't pull out the vows from the wedding book (I actually did that a few weeks ago before Derek decided the first replacement ring was too heavy), but I said them from my heart, and that's all that matters. It's an outward symbol of an inward and sacred love. Gag me, I know, but it's true.

So somewhere somebody may be wearing a ring right now that I "blessed" a few weeks ago, but maybe that will just bring them luck. And somewhere on the bottom of Eagle Lake sits the original ring that we picked out for Derek to wear for the rest of his life. Maybe that plan didn't work out so well, but it's okay. He's only been a month without one, and in the grand scheme of a lifetime, that isn't that long at all.

Now once it gets a few scratches on it and loses its brand new shine, the new ring will be as good as old. :)

Blah, Blah, Blah

I feel like I’m in a rut, and I think it’s the Olympics. Last week I watched them for a few hours almost every night, and a couple of times I even waited it out until the medal ceremony and cried when the National Anthem played for whatever country won gold, especially if it was us.

I’ve been very proud of Michael Phelps and all of the men and women gymnasts (this is all I usually care about watching), but there’s really only so much I can watch without feeling like I’m stuck in that stupid “Groundhog Day” movie with the same scenes playing out over and over. Haven’t I seen this same competition before? It’s made me lose my sense of what day it is. All of the weekdays are running together, and I can’t even keep up with the U.S. medal count, except I know we’re winning.

When I was a little girl, I remember HATING when the Olympics were on. They must have been on earlier in the summer then or we went back to school much later (which I know we did – I can’t believe summer ended almost a month ago for kids now), but they were on ALL day long, and it seemed like it was all that was on any channel. Now, of course I’ve grown to respect and appreciate the event much more, but it still gets old to me after about a week. I have total admiration for these athletes who train for years and years for these two weeks, but I almost feel like there should be a separate channel, not NBC, dedicated only to covering all the Olympic events.

Some people want to watch all of it. Some people don’t. I fall in between, but I’m ready for this two-week stint to be over for this year. I’m sure I’ll be excited for it when 2012 rolls around, but for now I’ve had to make do with ridiculous Lifetime movies like “Confessions of a Go-Go Girl” and re-runs of “House Hunters” and “Family Guy.” Thank goodness for some salvation from the new season of “The Hills” and “Sunset Tan.” And I thought badminton as an Olympic sport was absurd. :)

Our favorite Belhaven B & B

We spent the majority of this weekend at our favorite Bed & Breakfast in Belhaven. It was a lovely weekend getaway. Actually it's our friend Katherine's house, but it's a beautiful old home in one of our favorite parts of Jackson. She lived with us for three months last fall while her house was being renovated, and it's proved well worth the wait. This house is gorgeous, and it's nice to have a house closer to downtown where we feel totally at home.

We started the day yesterday with our second "pool party" of the summer, and then last night we ventured out to the Bright Lights, Belhaven Nights event right down the street. It was basically a small street festival with local music, artists' booths, food and beer vendors. It was a nice night to be out, and after we walked around for a bit, we ended the night with dinner at Keifer's.

For those of you who aren't familiar with it, that area is really like a step back in time. Parts of it date back to the late 1800s, but most of the houses were built between 1900 and 1940. It's where Eudora Welty lived once upon a time, and now it's home to a lot of young, artsy families. It's just a cool place to live. Maybe we'll call it home one day, too. :)

World Traveling and Wedding Planning

My friend Cassidy is moving to Japan this week to teach American kids at a military base over there. She's always been a teacher, but recently she's been ready for something a little different, and... Voila! A big change came her way.

Her contract is for two years, and she'll be home for the summer and maybe for a few days during Christmas and spring break. We said our goodbyes last night, and while it's sad to think that she's a million miles away and that now we'll have to schedule our phone calls because of the 13-hour time difference, I couldn't be more excited for her. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for her, and maybe if I'm lucky, she'll even start a blog to share her adventures with everyone back home!

One thing that is sure to keep her busy while she's gone is that she's getting married in July and still has a lot of planning to do. She was able to get most of the major things taken care of before she left, but she still has plenty of small details to work out while she's overseas. At least most of it can be done through e-mail, and she's got a trusty matron of honor back in Mississippi to help out if need be. ;)

So, to Cassidy, because I know you'll read this, good luck, HAVE FUN and take it all in one day at a time! Try not to stress and try to take LOTS of pictures! I'm so proud of you for doing this, and I can't wait to plan a trip to come visit. I'll see you in June when you're a few weeks away from becoming Mrs. Parker! Love you.

This Old House

It seems like lately we’ve had to spend money right and left on this house of ours. Well, the bathroom re-do was just something we wanted to do, but since then we’ve had to get one of our glass panes in our door replaced (that was our fault – not the house’s. We were locked out and figured that would be the easiest thing to fix after the fact. We were wrong and learned our lesson), and just today we had an electrician come and replace the breaker that runs the dryer in our laundry room. It’s been weak for a while and will trip every now and then, but Sunday when it tripped, Derek tried to flip it back on and it sparked. Not a good thing…

The electrician actually laughed at how old our breaker box was. But, much like the bathrooms, it’s original to the house circa 1950ish. Trust us, we know it’s old. Nevertheless, 20 minutes and $100 later, the guy was done and the dryer is working again.

Geez… if it’s not one thing, it’s another. That’s just the price you pay in an old house. I still wouldn’t trade it for the world though. Don’t get me wrong, new houses are wonderful, and everyone has their preferences. New houses are usually easier to maintain, but for me, I just love the idea of a house having a history. Plenty of memories have been made in that house by people long before us, and I just think it makes the house smile.

I laugh at my mom when she says things and places have “good energy,” but there’s just something about older houses that I’m drawn to. Maybe it’s the fact that by living in one, you’re taking a thing of the past and adapting it to your modern needs while still enjoying its character, or maybe it’s the idea that these walls have seen families through happy and sad times for many, many years. Whatever it is, it’s special. And if only these walls could talk… :)

Summertime and the livin' is easy...

What a wonderful weekend.... it was almost cool outside (well, definitely not as miserably hot as it has been here recently), and it felt like the beginning of fall. I guess it's right around the corner. Friday night Derek and I had one of my favorite "date nights" with burgers on the grill that we ate al fresco, followed by some deck-sitting with a few drinks and some good music. It was a great way to end this crazy week.

Yesterday the Greys invited my parents up to the lake, so we enjoyed a nice, breezy afternoon on the boat and some great ribs and grilled shrimp with fresh corn on the cob, salad, baked potatoes and peach cobbler for dessert. After our bellies were full, we took my parents to Chotard for the true lake experience - one that I'm sure they won't forget anytime soon.

Eagle Lake is definitely one of my favorite places in the world... It's a nice escape for a day or two, and it's so great to get away and just relax. Here's a few pics and a video of our fun on the water. Both Mom and Dad decided to tube, and I think they're a little sore today from it, but you're only young once, right? :)

And here's a pic of our family complete with both sets of in-laws. We had all had a full day of fun, as I think you can tell from Gary's face in this picture.

I have a love/hate relationship with Sundays because while I love having a lazy afternoon to recoup from the weekend, it means that the fun's over and Monday's a day away. Oh, well. For now I'll just have to remember that the next weekend is only five days away. :)

The time in between...

I know this is random, but I am so super ready for the fall TV lineup. Tonight is the season finale of "So You Think You Can Dance," and while I'm excited to see who wins, I hate that it's ending... even more so than "American Idol." I'm not a total reality TV junkie, but those are two shows that I've watched pretty much from day one. Maybe I'm a dork, but I guarantee you that in a room full of 10 strangers, you could bring up one of those two shows and start up a pretty decent conversation. And it's not just me! Derek's the one who sets the DVR up to record the whole season. We're big fans. We also watch "Design Star" on HGTV, which also just ended. So, needless to say, I'm ready for some new shows in my life!

I know summer is a time to get outside and enjoy the extra daylight and all, but down here it's just entirely too hot most days. It's not too bad when the sun sets, but on most normal nights, I'm in my pajamas by that time. We're not nearly as bad as some people I know who haven't yet discovered DVR and won't commit to any plans their favorite show is on at the same time, but we do enjoy a few shows here and there as a nice guilty pleasure.

I think most of my favorites (except for The Hills, which comes back on in a couple of weeks - yay!) start back up in late September. That's also right around the time that Derek will be gone on a business trip to Arizona AND the week or so leading up to my birthday. What a treat for me to have the TV all to myself for a few nights to watch all these two-hour premieres AND celebrate (or cry, depending on my mood) the big 2-8 all in a 7-or-so-day span! Of course I'll miss hubby, but I won't complain about not having to share the couch with anyone else but the cat for a few nights.

And with the beauty of DVR, he can watch them all (the Housewives, Greys, and another new favorite, Pushing Daisies) when he gets home and feel like he didn't miss a thing! And just to be generous, I'll probably even let him enjoy the entire experience like I did by not interrupting his couch time. Now that's true love. :)

Derek's 26th and a mini family reunion

I apologize for not writing in a while, but last week was pretty busy as I did last minute birthday shopping for my hubby and we got ready to head down to Dauphin Island for Derek's cousin Joey's wedding... so here goes the recap. There will be a lot of pics, so just bear with me.

Thursday night we went out with some friends to (where else) the Bulldog for drinks to celebrate Derek's big 2-6 a few days early. His actual birthday was Sunday, but since we were going to be out of town, we thought we'd just make it a four-day celebration by kicking it off on Thursday. It also didn't hurt that we were both off on Friday. After the Bulldog, Derek, Katherine, John, Will and I went to Que Sera for some live music and what we thought would be some good raw oysters. The music proved to be great, but the oysters not so much. We had a good time regardless. Here we are on the patio, then here's Derek taking his pre-birthday birthday shot. Ugh... makes me want to gag just thinking about it.

So Friday we woke up feeling not so great, even though we were home at 10:00 on Thursday night. We got packed and jumped in the car with Derek's parents to head down to Dauphin Island. As I mentioned before, it was Joey's wedding weekend, so we had the pleasure of catching up with Derek's grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins and more cousins. It really was a mini family reunion, especially since we really only see everyone at weddings these days.

Friday was a rainy day, so once we got to the beach, we just got ready for dinner and headed over to PawPaw Billy and MeMe Lou's house. They retired to Dauphin Island years ago, and I can't think of a better place to be. It's so quiet and laid-back down there. We went to dinner at the Country Club, and then we headed back to our hotel to meet up with everyone else. We decided to find a bar, and lucky for us, there was one right across the street. It was called the Oar House (which was pretty clever, we thought) and it was built like a treehouse. They had some decent live music and cold beer, so we stayed out for a while just catching up with Uncle Rusty.

On Saturday, we headed to the beach when we got up and moving. The beach was packed, and the sun was super hot, so we only stayed down there for a few hours. But what a great place for people-watching! We actually saw a real mullet, complete with the blue jean shorts to make the look complete...

Here are a few more pics of our fun in the sun... Ryan Hadley eating Fritos on Aunt Katie's towel and Gary putting the finishing touches on his sand castle.

Saturday night was Joey's big event, which was held on the pier overlooking the ocean. It was very beautiful with the sun setting and a nice breeze keeping us all from sweltering. Here's a pic of the happy couple.
Here are a couple more photos from the wedding and the reception... the Grey kids (minus Ryan), Ryan Hadley with Uncle Derek, and Derek's mom with her brothers and sisters. As you can see, I was a little camera-happy this weekend, but aren't you glad I gave you plenty to look at in this blog? :)

After the wedding soiree, a big group of us headed back to the Oar House for a bluegrass band that was SO MUCH FUN! They were great, and we had two tables right at the front. And lucky for Derek, apparently the first weekend in August is a popular time because the band sang happy birthday to about five people. Here's Derek enjoying his moment on the stage. Ha!

After the bar closed, Derek and I decided we'd head to the pier to share the birthday bottle of champagne Katie bought him. We sat up until about 3 a.m. talking with Derek's aunt and uncle about what life was like when they were growing up. We had such a good time, but by that time we had been celebrating Derek's birthday for what felt like 72 hours, so we called it a night.

Even thought his actual birthday was spent riding back from the beach, I think he had a good weekend, and it's always good to see family, regardless of the occasion.

So cheers to Joey and Angela as they enjoy their first week as newlyweds, and cheers to Derek for growing yet another year older! A good time was had by all, and I think we should do it again soon - maybe not the birthday or the wedding part, just the reunion part... :)