Sunday, August 29, 2010
Addison Marie
As we grow in TN, we are starting to sleep better!!! Ha! Addison has slept all night 2 nights in a row. Of course it was the nights, I was on duty! Yeah, I really lucked out. I hope that she sleeps all night for Scott too. It is hard to believe that Addison is growing so fast. She finally has teeth. Her bottom two teeth came in Friday afternoon. I noticed them right away when I got home from work. Her little smile is just super cute! Also, she has started eating baby food and is doing really well. She is very LONG! I think its funny how long she is because I am so short. Her daddy is really tall though! Her skin is so white and fair, but it's beautiful. Her eyes are still blue and her hair is getting lighter everyday. Also, her hair is starting to fill in and her bald spot is almost completely gone. The best part is that her hair is coming in curly. She has some hairs that are curly and some that are straight. It's really cute how its coming in. She is also at a cute play stage. She plays on her mat and moves all over the floor. She doesn't crawl yet, but gets around! She also throws everything you put in her hands. And she is fast and strong. It is obvious that she gets her athletic skills from me because she is tough and coordinated. She will be crawling any day. She is starting to talk too. I swear she has said "hi". She is not as loud as Charlie but vocalizes well.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Its BRISTOL, baby!
Ha! Ha! We had a blast... Scott & I left the house early on Saturday morning at 6:30 to head towards Bristol. The morning was beautiful, in fact it wasn't even hot outside. The fog was rolling over creeks and the air was all misty... We really enjoyed our road trip. Scott and I were able to talk and enjoy each others company. It was funny how we both had so much to say, as if it had been so long since we had spoke, but yet we talk everyday. I think it was the simple fact that we were alone. Able to be ourselves and enjoy the moments. We had wonderful conversations and laughed the entire way to the track. It was a little over 4 hours of a drive. We met up with my cousin Brian and his wife Melinda a few exits before the race track so we could park together. It was so awesome to see family. Scott brought his grill so we cooked hot dogs and hung out in the parking lot all day. Scott's cousin Josh and his wife Dana met up with us too! It was so much fun. They also had a real friendly couple with them too. It was a party! Of course it rained a little bit, but not too much. I've learned to carry an umbrella so we had that. We were lucky the rain came early enough and passed through... I wish I could describe Bristol. Everything about it was amazing. As we were driving in there were people sitting in lawn chairs on their front porch selling parking in their yard for $20!! Ha! At the time I thought how silly and gave it the natural capitalistic high five it was worthy of, but didn't fully understand it and wouldn't for a few hours...
As we make our way in our view is just a sea of campers, trucks & trailers! The place was just full of high flying confederate flags, camouflage of all colors, and tints of hunter/TN orange as far as the eye could see! Everyone was loud and everyone was proud... Everyone had their own driver that they were sure was going to win and everyone for sure was there to have some fun!!
In true tailgate fashion our bellys were full and our beer and rum were gone so we headed up to the track. In true Sarah form I was nervous about my hair and that TN sun was finally peeking through the now clear blue skies... So I put my husbands ball cap on, we grabbed our shoulder cooler and were track bound. We hopped on the 1st bus we saw and were shuffled into the crowd of true NASCAR fans! You know what I mean... Bright, neon colored displays of their drivers number on their shirt and/or hats as they waited in line for free stuff. Ha ha! We picked up some BBQ sauce, I got a hat for my father in law and 4 red, white and blue hand towels!! We made our way over to the SPEED channel's booth where we stood behind Kyle Petty and if I wasn't so short I would have been on TV...
After a long walk we made our way up to the track and after I climbed up those stairs... I saw it. I saw the fastest 1/2 mile in the world!! It was awesome! The embankments on both sides were amazing. All I could think was RAD!! We all took pictures of ourselves in front of the speedway and finally felt anxious for the race to start. As we found our seats I wondered about the 'fly by'... The opening ceremonies were fantastic. The driver introductions were hilarious as they were stirring up the fans for some shit talking! They did a wonderful American flag presentation and recognized the sacrifices of our troops. Then of course they did the fly by during the National Anthem. Hearing/seeing that live just gives me chills. As the most famous words in NASCAR were said 'gentleman start your engines'... Wow it was loud!! That was the loudest sound I have ever heard! It was incredible. I even had head phones on!! Scott still can't hear a word I am saying!! 'Deaf'initely the coolest track I have ever been too and it was a great way to spend some quality time with my husband.
Now back to that $20! The law of supply and demand... Economics always WINS and yeah to capitalism! We sat in that 'FREE' parking lot for over 2 hours before we moved an inch!! It honestly took us 2 1/2 hours to get out of that 'FREE' parking lot! Now I know those people who paid $20 to park in someone's front yard did not wait 2 1/2 hours to leave, LOL!! We didn't check into our hotel room until 3AM! Ha, it was crazy... We actually weren't sure if we were going to spend the night or not, but at this point we had no choice. It was also pouring rain. And I mean pouring, ya know that TN 'the bottom fell out' kind a pouring rain! I bet I called over 20 hotel rooms from Bristol to Knoxville looking for an available hotel room! I finally found 1 heading East on I-40, rather than West, towards home. It was only about 7 miles out of the way, but in the middle of the night in the pouring rain, it was perfect!! It was a great hotel too. We were very comfortable and it was the perfect way to end an awesome day! We can't wait to do it again! It was wonderful to see family... Thanks Brian for the tickets. We are on our way home now and can't wait to see those beautiful girls! Charlie Mae and Addison stayed home with Ernie and Janette and I'm very excited to hear about their weekend. I hear they went to the Wilson County Fair!
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®
As we make our way in our view is just a sea of campers, trucks & trailers! The place was just full of high flying confederate flags, camouflage of all colors, and tints of hunter/TN orange as far as the eye could see! Everyone was loud and everyone was proud... Everyone had their own driver that they were sure was going to win and everyone for sure was there to have some fun!!
In true tailgate fashion our bellys were full and our beer and rum were gone so we headed up to the track. In true Sarah form I was nervous about my hair and that TN sun was finally peeking through the now clear blue skies... So I put my husbands ball cap on, we grabbed our shoulder cooler and were track bound. We hopped on the 1st bus we saw and were shuffled into the crowd of true NASCAR fans! You know what I mean... Bright, neon colored displays of their drivers number on their shirt and/or hats as they waited in line for free stuff. Ha ha! We picked up some BBQ sauce, I got a hat for my father in law and 4 red, white and blue hand towels!! We made our way over to the SPEED channel's booth where we stood behind Kyle Petty and if I wasn't so short I would have been on TV...
After a long walk we made our way up to the track and after I climbed up those stairs... I saw it. I saw the fastest 1/2 mile in the world!! It was awesome! The embankments on both sides were amazing. All I could think was RAD!! We all took pictures of ourselves in front of the speedway and finally felt anxious for the race to start. As we found our seats I wondered about the 'fly by'... The opening ceremonies were fantastic. The driver introductions were hilarious as they were stirring up the fans for some shit talking! They did a wonderful American flag presentation and recognized the sacrifices of our troops. Then of course they did the fly by during the National Anthem. Hearing/seeing that live just gives me chills. As the most famous words in NASCAR were said 'gentleman start your engines'... Wow it was loud!! That was the loudest sound I have ever heard! It was incredible. I even had head phones on!! Scott still can't hear a word I am saying!! 'Deaf'initely the coolest track I have ever been too and it was a great way to spend some quality time with my husband.
Now back to that $20! The law of supply and demand... Economics always WINS and yeah to capitalism! We sat in that 'FREE' parking lot for over 2 hours before we moved an inch!! It honestly took us 2 1/2 hours to get out of that 'FREE' parking lot! Now I know those people who paid $20 to park in someone's front yard did not wait 2 1/2 hours to leave, LOL!! We didn't check into our hotel room until 3AM! Ha, it was crazy... We actually weren't sure if we were going to spend the night or not, but at this point we had no choice. It was also pouring rain. And I mean pouring, ya know that TN 'the bottom fell out' kind a pouring rain! I bet I called over 20 hotel rooms from Bristol to Knoxville looking for an available hotel room! I finally found 1 heading East on I-40, rather than West, towards home. It was only about 7 miles out of the way, but in the middle of the night in the pouring rain, it was perfect!! It was a great hotel too. We were very comfortable and it was the perfect way to end an awesome day! We can't wait to do it again! It was wonderful to see family... Thanks Brian for the tickets. We are on our way home now and can't wait to see those beautiful girls! Charlie Mae and Addison stayed home with Ernie and Janette and I'm very excited to hear about their weekend. I hear they went to the Wilson County Fair!
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Monday, August 16, 2010
Wilson County Fair...
Charlie Mae had her first taste of the fair, and she loved it! Friday was the opening day and we went Friday night. When I asked her what her favorite part was she replied, "PIG RACES!" Ha! Ha! I'm not kidding! She was picked out of the crowd at one point too and sponsored pig number 5! It was a sight to see. This was our first experience with pig racing, but yes we had fun. We took her through the animal exhibits and she saw cows, ducks, turkeys, chickens, and just about any animal you could think of. To me, of course it was just a smelly mess. The fair is so not my style and the animal exhibit is my least favorite. She had a great time though and that is all that matters. It was a really, really hot night. We were all miserable. Especially Addison. She does not like this heat at all. Charlie Mae wanted to go on the Ferris wheel, but we didn't take her. She might have us convinced that she is big enough by the end of the week. She still has some tickets so she has a few more rides she can go on. She did however go on the carousel, the Bumble Bee, (which is like Dumbo), and she played a going fishing game as well. She also rode a little horse, or I guess it would be a pony. It was pretty big for a pony, so I'm not technically sure what it was. She did however pretend to lift up her imaginary hat and say 'yeahhaw partner, I'm a cowboy!' This made her daddy very proud, and would have made her Uncle Nat proud too. In fact she told me, "too bad Uncle Nat missed that". She has only rode a horse a few times and it has been with him. She had a great time.
I went back on Saturday with my new BFF Maggie. We had a blast. We actually went to the Ms. Senior Wilson County Beauty Pageant. That was adorable. It was so cute to see those women get up there on stage and model their fancy dresses and display their talents. There was 6 contestants and they were all adorable. I would go into detail about how hot that day was, but I'll spare you. I will say however that the pageant was outside, in the middle of the day and it was so humid that it actually started to rain about an hour after it was over. In fact we were still at the fair when as the TN folks said, "the bottom fell out". Now I wasn't sure what this meant, but I did know that I was soaking wet! My strapless sundress, (because that's what you wear to the fair) was see thru and soaking wet. I was dripping. I have been caught out in the rain 3 times in my entire life now and 2 times have been this summer in TN. The first time was in the south too. Scott and I were on vacation a few summers ago with Nat and Leslie and we were in New Orleans. We had just done a Mississippi River Boat tour and when we got off, "the bottom fell out". We had to run to our hotel in the pouring rain. We could see the streets flood and the entire city was basically floating. This was just a few months prior to Hurricane Katrina. I will never forget that trip for several reasons. Although those details are FUN, this is not the venue to reminisce. I will say, it was a lot of rain. Saturday night was just like that. We were actually walking out because we could tell it was going to rain. Here when you hear thunder and see lightening, it actually is about to rain. It is a fair warning. We just weren't fast enough. It was so funny. I was pushing Charlie in the stroller in my dress and flip flops, and Scott was carrying Addison. I kept telling him to just head to the truck to get Addison out of the rain, but he wouldn't leave me. He knew I would float away, hahaha!
I will say, TN is a very nice place. Everyone I have met here is extremely kind and nice. People are very polite. Everyone is always trying to help me out and everyone is so thoughtful and just kind. People are constantly giving me directions. When I see someone they ask me how I'm doing and then wait for me to answer. More and more people are asking me if I'm from around here and when I tell them California, it's always fun to see their reaction. I have met some pretty great people and I know I am making some lasting relationships. Especially at work. I love my job, the company is great and the opportunity for success is huge. The people are amazing and so friendly. I feel so lucky to be apart of this organization. Today I was able to shadow a team member on a few appointments in Nashville, which is just so cool. I love Nashville. I think it is a great city. It is so urban, but country at the same time. It's small enough, to learn your way around fast and big enough to see something different each time. They have some pretty awesome shops and fun dining as well. I can't wait to take Scott out to a few cool bars I have found, that I know he will love. I just love how much character this place has. It is so different from what I am use too. Now, I just need to learn how to relax. I am already high strung as it is, but stick me in a room with some Tennesseans and you'll think I need to do a few shots of patron! It's all good though, we are all having fun. I am learning so much and I am just so excited. This job is definitely a positive in the Tennessee Experiment for sure!
I went back on Saturday with my new BFF Maggie. We had a blast. We actually went to the Ms. Senior Wilson County Beauty Pageant. That was adorable. It was so cute to see those women get up there on stage and model their fancy dresses and display their talents. There was 6 contestants and they were all adorable. I would go into detail about how hot that day was, but I'll spare you. I will say however that the pageant was outside, in the middle of the day and it was so humid that it actually started to rain about an hour after it was over. In fact we were still at the fair when as the TN folks said, "the bottom fell out". Now I wasn't sure what this meant, but I did know that I was soaking wet! My strapless sundress, (because that's what you wear to the fair) was see thru and soaking wet. I was dripping. I have been caught out in the rain 3 times in my entire life now and 2 times have been this summer in TN. The first time was in the south too. Scott and I were on vacation a few summers ago with Nat and Leslie and we were in New Orleans. We had just done a Mississippi River Boat tour and when we got off, "the bottom fell out". We had to run to our hotel in the pouring rain. We could see the streets flood and the entire city was basically floating. This was just a few months prior to Hurricane Katrina. I will never forget that trip for several reasons. Although those details are FUN, this is not the venue to reminisce. I will say, it was a lot of rain. Saturday night was just like that. We were actually walking out because we could tell it was going to rain. Here when you hear thunder and see lightening, it actually is about to rain. It is a fair warning. We just weren't fast enough. It was so funny. I was pushing Charlie in the stroller in my dress and flip flops, and Scott was carrying Addison. I kept telling him to just head to the truck to get Addison out of the rain, but he wouldn't leave me. He knew I would float away, hahaha!
I will say, TN is a very nice place. Everyone I have met here is extremely kind and nice. People are very polite. Everyone is always trying to help me out and everyone is so thoughtful and just kind. People are constantly giving me directions. When I see someone they ask me how I'm doing and then wait for me to answer. More and more people are asking me if I'm from around here and when I tell them California, it's always fun to see their reaction. I have met some pretty great people and I know I am making some lasting relationships. Especially at work. I love my job, the company is great and the opportunity for success is huge. The people are amazing and so friendly. I feel so lucky to be apart of this organization. Today I was able to shadow a team member on a few appointments in Nashville, which is just so cool. I love Nashville. I think it is a great city. It is so urban, but country at the same time. It's small enough, to learn your way around fast and big enough to see something different each time. They have some pretty awesome shops and fun dining as well. I can't wait to take Scott out to a few cool bars I have found, that I know he will love. I just love how much character this place has. It is so different from what I am use too. Now, I just need to learn how to relax. I am already high strung as it is, but stick me in a room with some Tennesseans and you'll think I need to do a few shots of patron! It's all good though, we are all having fun. I am learning so much and I am just so excited. This job is definitely a positive in the Tennessee Experiment for sure!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
My 1st week at Tennessean Media Group!
Thursday night is here and as I sit to write this update I am just taking a breath from a very busy week. I have been going non stop since Monday morning at 5:00AM. I don't need to be at work until 8:30, but I have been nursing Addison from 5:00-6:00 before I get ready. I truly have had an amazing week. My training schedule has been non-stop and very busy... But I love it!! I'm having a blast. I'm learning so much and I'm so excited about this opportunity. My office is in downtown Nashville, in the heart of the city. Its an older building and it is very large. There are several parking lots and I'm in the closest, plus I have my own parking space! I have a name badge with my mug shot on it! I have to scan it to get in the building. I have a corner desk that everyone keeps telling me to personalize, but if you know me, you know I won't do this! Ha! Hang a calendar? I'll never change. LOL. I'm sure I'll get settled in eventually. I should at least take pictures of my beautiful girls! The building itself is pretty cool. I was able to take a tour & I actually saw where the paper is printed. That whole portion of the building had a strong odor, very strong. It was a combination of the paper, ink & machines. On my 1st day I sat in on a news meeting and heard what was going on the front page of the paper. There is a cafeteria, & a gym. The training manager is pretty awesome and I've enjoyed my time with her. Its a great feeling to not only learn new concepts, but to realize how much I already know is amazing. It has restored my confidence and has just affirmed that this is a good fit and a great transition for me. The company itself promotes from within and everyone I interviewed with has been there for such a long time. Its a great feeling to hear the encouragement and feel the support. I know I'm still in the honeymoon state, but I'm very optimistic and happy!
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®
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