I'm a proud daughter

Today my parents are being inducted into the USM School of Mass Communication Hall of Fame. I could not be more proud of them! Not only is this my alma mater, I'm also a Mass Communication graduate.

They’ve been huge supporters of USM since their own graduation from there in the late ‘70s, and they've hired many a USM graduate or intern as well as doing plenty of work for the school themselves throughout the years. Here’s the write-up that will be in today’s program:

Rick and Beth Bice, '78 and '77, established Bice Advertising Inc., in 1978 aiming to provide creative advertising, graphic design and multimedia for clients. Their work spans more than 30 years and includes local clients such as Southern Miss, the City of Hattiesburg, the Area Development Partnership, South Mississippi Electric Power Association and Hattiesburg Clinic. The firm has won numerous awards and honors, including nods from the regional and district American Advertising Federation. Rick was named Graphic Designer of the Year in 2005.

I’m proud to be a Bice today and always, and I wish them the biggest congratulations on their great success! I can't think of two people who are more deserving of this honor. Love you both!

The Great Frozen Turkey Fiasco of '09

Late yesterday afternoon I headed to Kroger to take advantage of the incredible turkey sale that ends today. Frozen turkeys for 37 CENTS A POUND when you spend $10… now that’s a pretty good sale. I’ve never been one to bargain hunt to the point where I’m literally fighting over the item that’s on sale, but I found myself in that exact situation yesterday.

There were about eight people crowded around the frozen turkey bin. I had to weasel my way into a spot where I could stand on my tippy toes and reach down to pick up these turkeys to find one that was the perfect size. I was picking them up and throwing them back in the bin, then picking them back up and throwing them back in the bin again. The other turkey hunters were doing the same thing. Just when I had picked up turkey #11 or 12 and finally decided on one that I thought would work, the Kroger man brought out two more boxes full of frozen turkeys…

“What size are those?” all the turkey hunters asked in unison. Then they all left their prospective spots at the turkey bin and swarmed around the Kroger man, picking out turkeys from the box before he could even unload them. That’s when I had my chance… I picked up one in the corner that was the EXACT size I wanted.

I hurried to the register, feeling like I was on Supermarket Sweep fighting my way through the crowds in under a minute, keeping an eye over my shoulder to make sure no one stole the turkey out of my basket. (I really did feel this way, I’m not exaggerating.)

Moment of truth… an almost NINETEEN-POUND turkey for $6.97. Totally worth it… All the other turkey hunters were left with 13- or 14-pounders while I got the King Kong of frozen turkeys. Bring it on, Thanksgiving... I’m ready for you.

Too early for Holidayitis?

It’s not even Thanksgiving yet and I’m already suffering from teeny tiny bit of Holidayitis. Not that it’s a bad thing… We already have about 15 presents wrapped and ready to go under the tree as soon as we can put it up! I’ve wanted to decorate for the past two weeks!

I don’t know what’s gotten into me, but I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE this time of year, and it never seems to last long enough for my liking, so I’ve decided I’ll just start celebrating the holidays before Thanksgiving. It’s not like I’m the only one… all the stores already have Christmas decorations out, and the music channels on television have been playing Christmas music since midnight on Halloween. Now that’s a wee bit too early, I think, but whatever.

We have a very busy December planned this year, and the good news is that starting this week, I won’t have a full 40-hour work week until the beginning of January! Just another reason to love the holiday season… :)

Dream Interpreter Needed!

The past three nights I have had THE STRANGEST dreams, and I’ve remembered every detail in the mornings when I wake up like they really happened. Here’s a recap…

Saturday: Derek and I were on vacation in the mountains with our family friends Carl and Tricia… We went to this resort where it snowed inside and we took Christmas card pictures. There were two little puppies there that needed adopting. We kept saying they were Border Collie mixes, but they looked like really fluffy Golden Retriever/Chow mixes. The dogs were already named (like the little stuffed Pound Puppies used to be) – Carl and Tricia’s brown one was named Caramel and our yellow one was named Biloxi. Then I woke up.

Sunday: Derek and I went to dinner with our friends Wes and Elise on this pirate ship. It was like a pirate ship out of Mario Brothers with the ominous music in the background and cannons firing. But once you got inside, it was like Long John Silvers. The food there was really strange, and I think it made me sick. Afterwards, I left to go volunteer with the Miss America pageant, but it was like the pageant was combined with the Grammy Awards, because I was a backstage “costume changer” for Beyonce. But I woke up before I met her.

Monday: We were running late for an island bachelorette party, so we decided to take a private jet. My friend Claire decided she could fly the jet, but we’d have to fly Santa-style through the snow when we let the top down and the jet turned into a sleigh. We made it to the island after an overnight flight. But then what I thought was a bachelorette party was really a new season of “The Bachelor.” I was the only one who was married, so I left everyone else there and took a train (it was in the air like the Monorail at Disney World) back home. Then I woke up.

I told you they were strange! Anyways, just thought I’d share my subconscious thoughts with you. I’m sure a dream interpreter would have a great time telling me how crazy I am…

Happy 71st and 26th!

We had a pretty quiet weekend as we're still trying to get totally well from these colds we've had all week. We had a few friends over Friday night for some fall deck-sitting, and Saturday Derek went into work for a couple of hours while I had a "me" day complete with a mani/pedi and 90-minute massage. It was FANTASTIC.

We hit the road to Vicksburg late yesterday afternoon to grill steaks at Katie and Neil's in honor of Mamaw's and Ryan's birthdays. It was a bit calmer than last year's Magnolias and Moonshine night at the VFW, but it was fun just the same. Ryan Hadley was as cute as ever and was pretty patient about waiting until after dinner to eat birthday cake.

She did get a little upset when Uncle Derek told her it actually wasn't a birthday party for her but for Mamaw and Ryan instead. Poor little girl... January 9th is just right around the corner. :)

Today we slept late, and Derek did some early Christmas shopping while I went to Pilates. Homemade chicken and dumplings and the Saints game were also on the agenda for this afternoon, both of which I'd consider a definite success.

A quiet weekend was just what we needed after last weekend's fun. Happy Birthday, Ryan and Mamaw! Now we just need to rest up some more for the holidays... :)

Oh, Friday, long time, no see...

I'm so glad it's finally Friday!! This has been quite a week... I stayed home sick on Monday and am finally feeling close to recovered today, but then I passed whatever germs I had to Derek, so he stayed home yesterday with my germs AND a stye in his eye. It's been a sickly week at the Grey house. At least the week's almost over!

I'm looking forward to a NINETY minute massage tomorrow (thanks, Mom and Dad, for that fabulous Christmas gift last year!) and it's coming at a perfect time. Work has been slammed with swine flu business lately, and I'm ready to relax.

We plan on staying pretty close to home this weekend and taking it easy. Last weekend was fun, but I think I am still in recovery mode. I just need a little peace and quiet and some R&R. Weekend, here I come...

Boo!!!

It was a dark and stormy night... and the perfect way to kick off the Halloween weekend! Friday night we made impromptu zombie costumes and braved the stormy weather to go to a party in Belhaven.

I let Derek do our makeup and “bloody” us up to look like real zombies. Who knew sticking wet oatmeal on your skin and coloring it with fake blood looks like fresh flesh? Nastiness… Now we know the true secrets of Hollywood makeup artists. :)

Our ripped and muddy jeans were perfect for the rainy weather, and our costumes were a total hit! I know this because no one really wanted to stand that close to us at the party. I think they were scared we’d bite a chunk out of their arm or something. It was fun to be scary for the night!

It wasn’t until Saturday that we debuted our REAL Halloween costumes… Ringo Starr and Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds!!!

We were pretty pleased with ourselves, and our idea proved to be real a crowd-pleaser, too. Derek beat out some really good other ones to WIN the best overall costume at the Crawdad Hole. Yes, he won $60 cash! Here's Ringo making his acceptance speech...

Then later on at Sportsman’s, we WON again the couples’ costume contest, winning ourselves a free bar tab for the night! It was a very successful Halloween, I would say. We had a great time, and our costumes paid for themselves, plus our night out! Can’t beat that! Our hard work paid off... now we just have to step up our game for next year! :)