Greycation Part 1

I'm blogging live from the beach at Fort Morgan, Alabama. As we speak I'm watching the waves roll in and drinking a super cold beer. Gotta love technology...

We got down here Friday night for a fun, family-filled week with all Derek's siblings and families.

We've had a fabulous time so far with beautiful beach days (despite the threat of Tropical Storm Debby yesterday), a fun dinner out at LuLu's, bushwackers at sunset at Tacky Jacks, a birthday party for Frances, and some family fun in the hot tub playing tea party with Ryan Hadley.

Here are a few pics from the first half of our "Greycation"... More to come when we get home in a few days.

Frozen in Time

I shared this on Facebook last week, but I thought I would say a little more about it on here. My dad sent me this photo of my grandma from the early 1940s and me from 2003. The chair she's sitting in has lasted about 70 years at this point. If that's not amazing, I don't know what is.

It's just a cool photo collage... we were probably close to the same age when these photos were taken. I know my grandpa was at war because his photo is on the table beside her. She looks like she's straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting. The photo of me was taken the weekend we moved me into my little Vicksburg apartment. I was worn out but enjoying the soon-to-be solitude of a 300 square foot space that was mine and only mine for the first time ever.

That one chair has been all over the south and now resides in my guest bedroom in Jackson. It's been recovered and awaits yet another recovering one day in the future, but it's a really interesting piece of furniture and Bice history. I'm happy to have somehow inherited this family heirloom.

If only furniture could talk... it would have DECADES of secrets to tell. ;)

Family Time on Father's Day

Nothing beats a great Father's Day celebration that spending time with both my family and with Derek's family. Our house in Jackson was the middle ground yesterday, and we really enjoyed it. We stuffed ourselves with a late lunch and visited until almost 5. Love my (little AND big) family!

It was a fun family day with the Greys/Ferrells/Bices/Thompsons. :)

Christy's Baby Shower

This weekend I got to spend some great, quality time with some good friends from college as we celebrated my friend Christy and her soon-to-be baby boy, Jackson. It was so much fun to see old friends, laugh, talk about old times, and catch up. I love these girls, and I'm so excited to meet baby Jackson in just a couple of months!

After the shower those of us who stayed in Hattiesburg went for drinks and dinner at Keg and Barrel. We met up with even MORE old friends and just had a great time.

I cherish my girls' weekends so much, and they become less frequent with the addition of babies and added miles that separate us. As Christy once put it, our girls' weekends are like chicken soup for the soul, and I couldn't agree more.

Until next time, we have some great laughs that will last us a while! My love tank is full. Ha!

Memorial Day Weekend

What a WONDERFUL Memorial Day weekend!

We headed straight to Eagle Lake Friday afternoon and spent Friday evening and all day Saturday playing in the water, relaxing at the top of the hill, and just enjoying the weekend.

Saturday evening they held a fish fry benefit for a family friend who's been battling cancer, and my favorite band, (and our wedding band) The Chill, played right there at the top of the hill. It was such a great day, and the benefit was a success. Good day to be at Eagle Lake for sure. :)

On Sunday we hit the road pretty early and took it easy until late afternoon when we rode out to Katherine and Paul's nice new house on the reservoir. We grilled some burgers and chicken and then took their pontoon boat out for a sunset cruise. It was so pretty and nice to be out on the water.

Yesterday was work day around the Grey house. We restained our storm shutters on the front of the house and spray-painted some patio furniture for the deck. It was HOT to be doing outside work, but it was nice to check a couple of things off the to-do list.

It's always so nice to have a long weekend, but it makes it that much harder to get back in the swing of things on that dreaded Monday-kind-of-Tuesday.

And, of course, we are very grateful to all the men and women who have have sacrificed for our freedom. It's easy to forget the real reason for the holiday, and we need to always remember that all gave some, and some gave all. God Bless.

Bless Her Heart

We gave Izzy a bath last night for the first time in all 10 years of her precious life. It was quite a site. YES, I had to take a picture in the middle of the trauma... it may never happen again, and I thought it would bring a smile to your face this morning.

And for the record, once she dried off and got over her grudge, she sat in my lap for the rest of the night and purred. No hard feelings, just a few scratches. :)

Good Music, Good Weekend

We enjoyed some GREAT live music in Jackson this weekend - Wilco played downtown at Thalia Mara Hall. We had some friends come in town for the show and we saw so many people we knew it was ridiculous.

Definitely a super fun night! Glad Jackson is finally getting some good music. Did you hear Elton John is playing here in September? Amazing!

Sunday morning I hit the road bright and early to spend Mother's Day with my mom. We visited with my grandparents and ate lunch at 206 Front in downtown Hattiesburg. It was a lovely visit, but unfortunately I do not have any photos to share.

It was a great weekend!