Apr 30, 2011

America's Next Top Cat

Dear this thing my maid calls BLOG World,

I am Tinker Bell, I am a beautiful BEAUTIFUL calico coated Puuuurrrrfect feline.  I am currently waiting for my big break into the entertainment world.  While my maid...mommy is away from the computer, I thought I would post some of my artistic talents for you all to enjoy.

Here is my first portfolio photo, this is what I like to call, serious...

The following is a video of my servant, I mean my mother trying to attack me with "The Claw"....she thinks I like to play this game, but she's so wrong.  As you'll see in the end I win the fight.  I wanted to show off my drama/action/adventure acting.



Tinker Bell - Played by me...Tinker Bell

The Claw - Servant # 1 (also known as Amanda or mommy)
Location - Living room of my palace


I thank you all in advance for your undevoted attention and support. 


***No, I was not harmed in the making of this video***



Lazy Saturday

It's never a lonely day when your fur-babies want to be close to you :)


Flower on my left and Tinker Bell on my right

Apr 29, 2011

Debris

This is a map of central Alabama in case anyone was curious, I wanted to show the distance of how long the big tornado traveled and the comparison of where it started to where my family lives.


The following is a list of items my family found in their yard after the storms Wednesday night. Like I said in a previous post, my family lives in Pinson which is metro-Birmingham. Tuscaloosa is approximately 60 miles from Birmingham. A customer of my mom's had family find a checkbook in their yard from Tuscaloosa - they live in Gadsden which is 104 miles from Tuscaloosa.

My mom's yard:



-A piece of video vcr tape
-Black roof paper (several pieces)
-A strip of shredded paper (from a shredder) like a credit card offer.
-A piece of an insurance form
-A receipt from Smoothie King in Tuscaloosa
-Several chunks of yellow insulation
-A leaf from a house plant
-A pine frawn
-Pine bark
-Pine needles with insulation and leaf pieces embedded in it
-Pieces of wall paint
-Limb with leaves from either house plant or tree
-Splintered pieces of wood, not sure if from tree or house
-Some type of paper with foam backing




This photo is over an uprooted tree from a heavy thunderstorm that came through early Wednesday morning before the tornado's came into Alabama.



The death toll keeps rising, it's so sad to hear about all the lives lost and of course people and families without homes/businesses. There are some pretty amazing/heart wrenching photo's coming out in the news right now.






This is what's left of a Hobby Lobby:



We'll never understand nature's fury.....

Apr 28, 2011

Alabama

This year has been quite a record breaking year in terms of weather.  I've never liked tornado season, but who does??  For the last month and a half it seems we're having severe storm after severe storm on a weekly basis.  Some of my family lives in Pinson, AL (metro-Birmingham) so for any of you who actually watched the news/weather yesterday...you know Alabama was hit pretty hard with multiple tornado's.  Tuscaloosa was devastated with a 1/2mi wide tornado.  That same tornado stayed grounded all the way to Birmingham, Gadsden and on into Rome, GA.  By the time it got to the city of Birmingham it was approx 1 mi wide.  Parts of the cities damaged were literally leveled, wiped out.  The death count is rising and I'm sure will continue to rise as they have rescue crews out looking for people during daylight hours. 


The photo's I've already seen are unbelievable.  Luckily my family was unharmed even though they were directly in it's path, per the weather predictions. Mother nature is surely pissed off at something. I've decided I DO NOT like spring anymore.





Apr 26, 2011

Stylish Blogger Award


Here's the rules:

1. Link back to and thank the person who gave you the award
2. Share 7 things about yourself
3. Award 5 stylish blogs you read
4. Contact them and let them know you've given them the award!


A super big THANK YOU to Rachael @ The Best Things in Life Aren't Things for passing the Stylish Blogger Award to me. Not only did Rachael and I attend the same Elementary, Middle and High School – we both LOVE Disney!! I stumbled upon her blog a little over two years ago and have been an avid follower since! She has a beautiful family and I always enjoy reading her posts.

7 Things About Me



*I like The Twilight Saga series. It’s the love story that captured me, not the vampires or werewolves. While I have seen all the movies, the books will always be my favorite.


**I worked at Victoria’s Secret in the Mall of Georgia for 1 month in 2003. I hated it, the employee’s were very snobby, the wardrobe was uncomfortable and hot – we always had to wear a black jacket with pants/skirt and closed toe shoes. The most awkward part of the job was sizing women for bra’s…some women were just a little TOO comfortable with strangers.



***Even though I own cats, I haven't always loved them. In fact, the first few pets we had were always dogs (except for those two kittens that ran away when we lived in Grayson). I always thought cats were anti-social and mean. That statement is still mostly true, but you never really know what a cat can give back until you own one (excuse me...until one owns you). I got Tinker Bell in 2004 from a co-worker and instantly fell in love with her attitude and personality. A few months later, I got Kitty Kitty from another co-worker but kept her outside. A year later, Kitty Kitty surprised us with three cute little boys - I did the proper thing and got her fixed as soon as the kittens were old enough to be weened. Tinker Bell rubbed off on my mom enough that she ended up adopting one of Kitty Kitty's kittens :) . You can't just have one though....currently my mom has Kitty Kitty and two of her sons, Rambo and Lexy. Hardy and I have Tinker Bell and Kitty Kitty's other son, Flower.


****I have double-jointed thumbs.




*****I love Disney World. I can’t explain why, I just do. If I could live inside the park or at one of the resort hotels, I would. I tear up every time I visit Magic Kingdom specifically. Hardy and I once rode The Haunted Mansion 4x's in a row and Spaceship Earth 3x's in a row (we just asked the ride attendants if we could keep riding and they let us!) . I wish they sold lifetime passes; I would have taken out a loan for it a loooong time ago J. Before I die, I would love to visit all the Disney locations (Disneyland, Tokyo Disney, Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland). Hardy and I are hoping to go on our first Disney cruise later this year on their brand new ship, the Disney Dream.


******I don’t like actual strawberries but I like the strawberry flavor?? I know, I'm weird


*******For the last three years I have volunteered at a haunted house in Dahlonega, GA. Putting on the costumes, make-up and playing a character is a lot of fun, it’s exhilarating (and tiring) to scare people.
 
 
I'm passing the STYLISH BLOGGER AWARD to:
 
 
 
 
 

Apr 25, 2011

Monday's Top 10: Concert Experiences

***Let me start by saying - I LOVE MUSIC, always have and I'm pretty sure I always will. There have been times over the years where I've grown to love particular bands in a way that would make people think I'm crazy. I wouldn't consider it obsession but maybe infatuation?!? I can't help it, when I love something, I'm just a real big fan. I have been blessed enough to attend many many concerts in my short life.

***A huge THANK YOU goes out to my mother firstly for allowing me to even listen to music, as I know there are a lot of people who can't. Also THANK YOU to her paycheck as it so kindly funded the many concerts of my youth - I love you! These concerts were located at but not limited to: The Masquerade, The Tabernacle, The Cotton Club, Philip's Arena, Lakewood Amphitheater and the Roxy. Some were even out of state concerts but I can't recall all the venue's.

~Disclaimer~
If you elect to check out any of the following bands, please note that some require PARENTAL ADVISORY: EXPLICIT LYRICS.

10. Britney Spears

Go ahead, laugh out loud....go on, you know you want to. This was my list of concert EXEPERIENCES ok?!? Christmas 2008, Hardy got my tickets to see Britney Spears on her "come-back" CIRCUS tour. I have always been a fan of Britney, obviously more so in my younger days. I always wished I could dance like her...never happened. The only thing I knew to expect at her concert was for her not to sing. Odd, right? Most of the time people pay to HEAR people perform. For as long as Britney's been a performer, it's no mystery that she can't sing and dance at the same time. Although, in recent years it doesn't appear she's dancing enough for singing to be completely ruled out. At least the back-track didn't skip and cause a Milli Vanilli moment. Her dancing was cute and the set was really cool but the BIG show topper was the rude gay guy behind us. He was at the concert with a group of approx 7 girls and they were all plastered. He eventually spilled his drink on me, yep...all down my back. Hardy said a few choice words, as did I but we chose not to beat him up because there were still 7 girls with him and we didn't want to be arrested for a "hate crime". Unfortunately it totally ruined the show for me once this happened, I wasn't able to enjoy anything after the fact. I have seen Britney Spears live: 2009.

9. Linkin Park

I got to see them live right as One Step Closer was being played on the radio. They were still too new to have a huge following, but popular enough people knew the lyrics to their music. I had gone to this particular concert with Hardy, he wanted to see the headlining act - HED (PE). I was proud to have known more lyrics than my rock star loving boyfriend at the time :) . After Linkin Park's set, I took a break from the packed house and sat near the t-shirt booth. I was approached by an older gentleman who asked who I was there to see, I said Linkin Park was the only band I knew of, he said he was actually their bus driver and he'd previously toured with Slipknot...etc etc. I didn't believe him but after talking for a little while, he disappeared and came back 15mins later with a Linkin Park poster signed by the band. I was in shock. I guess I still have no way of proving it's validity but he would have worked hard to duplicate that many signature's in a short period of time. He then walked me over to the audio engineer's box and introduced me to Amir and Bobby of the band Orgy. They were actually playing a show the following night in Atlanta which I also had tickets too. I scored several autographs in 1 night - unbelievable!!! I've seen Linkin Park live: 2000.

8. Orgy

I know, they have a filthy band name, but the music was good and the singer was hot, at least at the time I thought he was. I think I'm starting to sound shallow, but honestly...I loved the music as much if not more than the appearance of the band members. I think I attended every Orgy concert with my friend Dannielle Boyd (Mclane), it was a great time. It's a shame they split up because I really enjoyed their tunes, it was rock/industrial with a hint of pop in some songs. Nothing lasts forever though, regardless of what it is.  In fact, Danielle Barthen, Azra Muftic and I actually made up a dance to their cover of Blue Monday, with the help of my mom. In 2000 we performed it at the Central Gwinnett talent show. We were put on first, which killed us!! I still think we did ok but being picked first really threw us off AND to top it off, whoever was running the sound TOTALLY ruined the first part of the song. Do any of you Central alumni remember that?? I've seen Orgy live: 1999, 2000, 2001.

7. Jimmy Buffet

Once in a life-time opportunity is the way I looked at this. The tickets were expensive considering the seats we got, but we bought them, we went and we conquered. We had no idea people tailgated the entire day of the show though. When we arrived, the parking lot was FULL of people grilling out on the back of their trucks, drinking under umbrella's, walking around in hula skirts, taking shots, singing, screaming, acting crazy...it was a party all on it's own. Parrot Heads take their man seriously. When Mr. Buffet finally started his show, the entire place was up and dancing..it was a really cool experience. There was no barrier between the audience, every one old/young, big/small, black/white...we were ALL dancing and having a good time. I've seen Jimmy Buffet live: 2005.

6. Van Halen w/ Sammy Hagar

Sammy Hagar is a great great great front man. He has so much energy and he interacted with the audience the entire show. He was constantly sitting on the edge of the stage, shaking hands, signing autographs and just smiling with the audience. I personally like him better with Van Halen than any other singer. He proved himself to me any way. I've seen Van Hagar live: 2004.

5. Wednesday 13

Go ahead, scratch your head, I'm positive you've never heard of him. But he's a GREAT musician with an awesome talent. He is also the lead singer of the band Murderdolls. I was introduced to them by Hardy of course. They're musical style is Alice Cooper/Rob Zombie-ish. Most of his lyrics consist of horror movie related theme's, death, zombie's, Edgar Allen Poe, Vincent Price. It's all quite catchy and comical - if you like that sort of thing. He's from North Carolina which to me makes him even cooler since he's from the "south". He even has a song titled Rambo, how cool is that? I have seen Wednesday 13 live: 2008, 2009.

4. 30 Seconds to Mars

I first heard about 30 Seconds to Mars when their song The Kill came out. Upon further research I discovered the lead singer was actor Jared Leto (hottie in the middle). I bought their first two albums and instantly fell in love. Their music was so different from what I had listened to before, it just peaked on an entirely different level for me. For Christmas 2006, Hardy got me tickets to the Taste of Chaos tour featuring 30 Seconds to Mars, as soon as I opened them, I cried. I felt like such a baby. I don't know why certain things strike a chord in me and make me so emotional, but this gift did the trick. The week of their concert I actually got slammed into by a Fed Ex truck so we had to drive Hardy's car - - he was sweet enough to let me paint GOING TO MARS on his back window. We had general admission tickets, so I had to stand for almost 3hrs just waiting for 30STM to come out, when they finally did - - what did I do? I cried...like a blubbering baby. I was trying to sing every word to every song in between wiping tears from my eyes. After their set, they set up a table to sign autographs for fans - - Hardy and I hopped in line, got their autograph and called it a night, it was a cattle call so we didn't get any picture's with them :( . For Christmas 2010, Hardy surprised me again with tickets to see them. We went in January and it was EPIC. They really know how to put on a show, it's amazing to see them live. I have seen 30 Seconds to Mars live: 2007, 2011.

3. HANSON

I couldn't NOT list them as a favorite concert. Hanson was the first concert I actually consider as "My first concert". It was in my prime obsession time with them...when I actually thought I had a shot at marrying Taylor Hanson (Thank God, although he did marry a brunette from Georgia, they have 5 kids!!). I remember trying to get tickets the morning they went on sale but never could get through the phone line's. Ironically enough, I ended up going to the Hanson concert with a girl named Jayne that I met through a Chorus Festival, I can't even remember what school she went too but we talked and talked about Hanson the entire time we weren't up on stage singing. I think I spent like $80 (of my mom's money) on memorabilia, a lanyard, hat, t-shirt, program, pin...oh dear. It was a BLAZING hot day - July 5, 1998. I enjoyed it so very much and it made me love them even more, of course. I have seen Hanson live: 1998, 2000, 2004.

2. CREED

They have always put on a great show. I have never been disappointed. I first saw them at Music Midtown in 2000, it was right around the time With Arms Wide Open was popular. I was taken aback by their performance, it was full of energy and the best part was - it was positive. Scott Stapp didn't feel the need to cuss between every song to make himself look cool, he was just natural. His vocals were great and they really got the crowd involved. I realize some years later he fell off the bandwagon and started drinking, thus leading to the band breaking up. They re-formed in 2008 and went on tour in 2009, I was apprehensive to see them at first, thinking it wouldn't be the same. Live Nation had a special sale for $11 so I jumped on it and we went to see them for Hardy's birthday. They did NOT disappoint. It was great to see the entire band together again, Scott's vocals were just as I remembered - wonderful. In fact, I teared up a little during some songs because the lyrics just really hit home. I have seen CREED live: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009.

1. Mötley Crüe
 
My most memorable was 2005 - This was their first tour back together with all four original members (Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx, Mick Mars and Tommy Lee) in over 5yrs. In fact, Hardy had never seen the REAL Mötley Crüe together. For this particular show, we bought VIP tickets - at $400 a piece. We got a tour of the backstage area, meet and greet with the band, photo with the band and tickets guaranteed within the first two rows. We got the band to sign some photo's and spoke for a moment or two. I even told Tommy Lee that Hardy and I had met at one of his solo shows in 2000, he mentioned it to the band and Nikki Sixx asked when the Mötley wedding would be. Even though they weren't considered my favorite band at the time, I was definitely star struck. We didn't get our tickets until after the meet and greet, but it was worth the wait. We ended up with front row and center - I have never had better seats for a concert than on this night. I have seen Mötley Crüe live: 2000, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010 and we have tickets to see them again this July. My husband is obsessed if you can't tell.

Apr 23, 2011

Happy Easter!

Wishing you all a very Happy Easter.



Isaiah 26:19 ESV
Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.

Apr 22, 2011

Trivia Thursday's!


I've mentioned this before in another blog, I think.  Since late January or early February, Hardy and I have been going to play trivia at Rick Tanner's in Buford (At the intersection of Atlanta Hwy/Hamilton Mill).  The food is really really good, our service is always awesome (Thank you Susy Q) and of course Trivia is the best part.  We like to think we'll do better the next week but we never get further than 3rd place and after halftime we always start losing :(



Trivia is FREE and they have them set up all over metro-Atlanta (you can visit www.teamtrivia.com to find a location near you).  There's actually a restaurant in downtown Flowery Branch that offers it but we like the atmosphere at Rick Tanner's so much we keep going there.  I would love for ya'll to join us sometime!!!  I feel like even if we don't do well, I still learn something knew every single week.
 
 
Q & A's from previous trivia games:
 
What are the four largest land mammals?
Giraffe, Elephant, Rhino and Hippo
 
What President is shown wearing a jacket on Mt. Rushmore?
George Washington
 
Which Fonda is in The Godfather III?
Bridgett Fonda
 
Name 8 of the 13 one word movie's that Robin Williams starred in:
These were our answers: Flubberd, Aladdin, Jack, Hook, Awakenings, Toys, Robots and Jumanji
 
What US State only has three counties?
Delaware
 
What is the last word in The New Testament?
Amen
 
What are the two main ingredients to succotash?
Corn and lima beans

Apr 20, 2011

WILW


I'm loving our house, even though we've been here almost 3yrs, it's still hard to believe it's ours.
I'm also proud to have the American flag in front - it was under $5 at Home Depot!!


I'm loving the spring weather (as long as we stay 80* or below)


I'm loving that in 2.5 weeks Hardy and I will be celebrating our 1yr wedding anniversary!

I'm loving the evening walks Tabitha and I have started.
(Like how the bird is on the dogs head Tab??)


 
I'm loving that Pirate's of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides will be out in 1 month.


I'm loving that Breaking Dawn Part 1 is only 7 months away.



I'm loving Lady Gaga's new album even though it's not out yet, she's my guilty pleasure.


I'm loving how clear the iPhone takes photo's...


A day to remember

Twelve years ago today 13 people were murdered, 24 injured and 2 committed suicide at Columbine High School.


One thing that REALLY gets under my skin is....some how, to this day, people are more interested in 4/20's relationship to pot than they are of the live's lost.  It really shows how immature people are.

I am also late on posting from Saturday.

Four years ago April 16th, 32 people were murdered, 25 injured and 1 committed suicide at Virginia Tech.

Apr 19, 2011

I'm gonna have to face it...

To the tune of Robert Palmer's Addicted To Love

♫ I'm going to have to face it, I'm addicted to blog's ♫


Attn: Tabitha - as I'm typing this, I'm thinking of you too :)




I think I can officially admit that I am addicted.  110%.

Every day, more than once...I check blogs.  I finally linked to all the one's I like to read on a daily basis so all I have to do is go to my blog and then start clicking from there.  It sounds so creepy to admit, but I don't mean for it to.  It keeps me from watching TV, isn't that good for something? 

It is a vicious cycle though, once you read one, you somehow manage to hop from one blog to another, to another, to another and eventually you're not only reading blogs by people you don't know - you're reading blogs by people in other countries!! 

I just want to say THANK YOU to all my fellow blogger's for blogging openly.  You somehow keep me sane, entertained and always waiting for more.  I have also turned several non-blogging friends into blog addicts...I know, I'm so bad.

Apr 18, 2011

Monday's Top 10: Movie's

So I thought I would start a new "Monday" blog topic This week I'm going with MY top 10 favorite movie's...


10. Twilight

Yes, although some people may think this would be my automatic favorite movie, it is not.  I actually think it's a horrible adaptation of a book to film.  It is, however, not the worst movie I've ever seen and I have watched it a number of times, over and over, by default it makes the list.  I do like to look at Robert Pattinson.

9. The Notebook

Ahh yes, a believable love story - right?!  I do love this movie, the acting, the story..it's all perfect.  I still cry any time I watch it, call me a sap.  Plus I'm a southerner, how could I not like a movie based in the south?

8. Teen Witch

Oh yea, I LOVE this movie, another cheesy childhood favorite.  I always wanted to be a witch after watching this, even though I knew it was never possible.  I thought Robyn Lively was so beautiful with her red hair.


7. Pirate's of the Caribbean: At World's End

What we thought was going to be the end of Captain Jack Sparrow - I'm in luck since there's another one due out May 20th!  There was a lot of cool things filmed in this movie, the upside down water, souls floating in the water, the huge battle, Will becoming Captain of the Flying Dutchman.  Most importantly of course - Jack Sparrow :)


6. A Nightmare on Elm Street

Ok, so here's where I become a weirdo, right?  I LOVE horror movies, always have, always will.  It's only natural that one of my favorite would be a horror movie.  I relate all to well with the theme of the Nightmare on Elm Street series...nightmare's.  For as long as I can remember I've had nightmare's!  But these movies are perfect.

5. Peter Pan

Well #1 this is a Disney classic, #2 it has Tinker Bell.  No honestly, I wish there really were a Never Land, and NO - not Michael Jackson's Never Land.  Mermaid's, pirate's, lost boy's...uhhh hello?!?  This basically equals my idea of heaven!  I've always wanted to fly anyway, you know...without an airplane.

4. Toy Story

This movie will always hold a special place in my heart.  I used to watch it nearly every day with my younger brother Trevor.  It reminds me of my childhood, his childhood...being siblings, it's great.  When I watched Toy Story 3 I actually cried at the end because Andy's story reminded me so much of Trevor's.  Although Trevor is only 15, he's grown up so much.  Disney truely outdid themselves with this series...it's beautiful.

3. Beetlejuice

Like with The Neverending Story, I also had Beetlejuice on VHS and played it to death.  Kind of odd that I would love a semi-scary movie at such a young age but I did! I wanted to be Winona Ryder's character so bad, I wanted to draw a door with chalk, knock on it three times and end up on the other side.  Of course, this movie provided a lot of one-liner's that I still like to quote :)

2. Pirate's of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Umm what's not to love about this movie??  Johnny Depp + Orlando Bloom as pirate's??  I actually didn't see this until it came out on DVD but from the first time I saw it I was in love.  I have seen both sequels on the day they premiered just as a loyal fan would AND I do plan on seeing the 4th installment when it's released on May 20.

1. The Neverending Story

I realize watching this movie now, how corny it is...but it was and will always be my favorite movie of all time.  I can remember replaying the VHS over and over.  I still tear up when Artax drowns in the swamps of sadness, the wolf, G'mork still scares me.  Of course, I still find Falkor an adorable luck dragon.  To this day I will quote lines from this movie.  It is a childhood favorite.