Please Welcome Anna Kate

Bobby's sister Aimee had her second daughter this weekend and we became an aunt and uncle again! Woohoo!! Or shall I say future Aunt Sam! But, Hope just calls me Ms.Sam. Either way we were super excited and spent most of Saturday at the hospital and were so excited to meet her and be with Bobby's family. He just loves Hope and will love Miss. Anna Kate as well. The picture below is her just after she was born Saturday night. They put some lotion on her face after she was cleaned up so she looks a little greasy but she's adorable. So sweet!! Another one to spoil!

Pampered

Last night our neighbor Jennifer had a Pampered Chef party. Originally I had decided not to go because of my budget, then we talked about it and I decided that it would be money well spent for the amount of time I spend in the kitchen and because I do enjoy cooking. So away I went to my first Pampered Chef party. I think my mom has mad one before and maybe even my grandmother, but I have never been in attendance. We do have a few items however because they have been passed down to us and Bobby purchased a few grilling items from someone at work. Needless to say my opinion going into it was that it was over priced and not really the basics. But... I was turned into a believer and purchased a few items. Plus, I even signed up to host a party!! (In May) We'll see how that goes. The item I am most excited about is the micro cooker. It is basically a microwave steamer. I'm pumped because we steam a lot of veggies and this will make it so much easier!! I love how they come up with new things that make home cooking great!

Grooming Visit For Not

The puppies were groomed Saturday and they looked great! It was a wonderful birthday gift to have clean pups... but that only lasted about 24 hours because then it rained like crazy Sunday. AWESOME!

They look like sad pups, but they aren't. They are very happy pups, but those darn Beagle eyes make them look sad.

You Only Turn 27 Once

This weekend was officially birthday weekend for me and I couldn't have asked for more. Bobby and my mom (more Bobby) planned a great bowling party with my best friends and family. It was really a great time. I enjoy bowling and we wanted something that was fun and would cross the ages as we had my grandparents, Bobby's niece and our friends. It really worked out. We even made awards, "Princess Bowler," "MVP," "King Pin," and "Real American Bowler." Hope was given the Princess Bowler, Teddy MVP, Brandy King Pin and Robyn Real American Bowler. I got killed in all 3 games we played, but it was fun and great to have everyone there to celebrate me getting older (blah!) Pictures below:

Office Re-Model

Over the last week or so we've been re-modeling our office. We have gone from stark white walls and navy carpet to cream walls and a patterned carpet. What a difference. You walk in our office now and it feels more "homey" and a lot more inviting. Additionally, the office is a lot more presentable for new and prospective clients. As long as we can keep the clutter to a minimum we'll be good. They even redid the kitchen. My office feels very "comfy" these days and it really does help with productivity in my opinion. Office view below, but it doesn't look like you can really see the color in these. Nonetheless, you can see where I spend the majority of my day...

St. Patrick's Day - AKA March 17th

St. Patrick's Day has several important meanings, one of which is one of my favorite people's birthdays. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Jackie! I hope you enjoy it and live it up! The other meaning has something to do with Ireland, Green Beer and pots of gold at the end of rainbows. All of which are OK with me. We had the honor of being invited to the Pizza household last night for their traditional St. Patrick's Day dinner. It was great and my first time to eat corn beef and cabbage. And what a dinner it was. Johnny spent the entire day cooking and preparing. We had the best corn beef, which I was a little scared of at first and great cabbage. I'm not sure that I have ever been somewhere on St.Pat's day that actually serves corn beef and cabbage. It was a great treat and something that has inspired me to make this dish next year and join in the celebration. I hope you all had a great St. Patrick's Day.

Picture Session

These are our cute babies. We couldn't ask for much more!

Passing The Time

Every morning and every evening I have the pleasure of sitting in traffic. I am sure if you read this blog you are aware of how much traffic and I do not get along. But, we have developed a love/hate relationship. If I can get some good tunes and maybe a call or two on my phone I'm good to go. But, yesterday the radio was not on my side and the rain made my commute home a good 2+ hours. AWESOME! I started to play games with myself while sitting in the parking lot knows as 285 West. I made up stories about the people in the cars to my left and right and the trucker behind me. Then I noticed the license plate on the little red convertible Lexus in front of me. I notice plates a lot lately because sometimes there isn't anything else to focus on. This plate said MRSBJ. At first I read it as Mr. SBJ, then I realized it could be MRS. BJ. WHY would anyone want Mrs. BJ on their license plate?? So I had to know who was driving the car and I really wanted to pull over and ask them what they were thinking. So, I merged to the left and tried to get around a few cars to pass the Lexus. Come to find out there was a very attractive woman driving this cute little car with the terrible plate on the back. She looked normal and well dressed, which from my car passing by is a good assessment in my opinion and about all I knew/know about her. I started to think about the scenarios to how that plate was designed. Did she decide she would be Mrs. BJ or did her husband/significant other. Was she really Mrs. Brain Jones or Brett Jordan... or OMG Mrs. Bobby Johnson! I would be Mrs. BJ!! I quickly decided I would go with Bobby's "real" name in all references to Mrs. anything. I would have to be Mrs. Robert Johnson in the effort to avoid being Mrs.BJ.

Other plates I noticed last night were a few that started with BVI, to me that means British Virgin Islands. Probably not planned or intended to make you think that, but those made me smile. Then there was a T ROD 8. I wanted to ask him in his little Geo, why 8 and what happened to 1-7. My favor was MSTHNG and H8THIS. I really will notice plates a lot more now and might even try to get mine customized the next time I renew!

I did a search for a few pictures online since in the rain last night my camera would not have made out any of the plates really well and those are to the above right. Enjoy and take notice of the "vanity" plates (as they call them) around you. It might give you a little glimpse into the type of person that is driving the car.

Love Like Crazy

This morning on my way into work in the rain, I turned my radio to XM 11, the country station. If I am just not in the mood for morning talk radio on our local stations I can always find some good tunes on XM. The song that was playing when I hit 285 (the worst road in my morning commute) was Lee Brice's song "Love Like Crazy." I have heard this song many times before but never really listened to the lyrics well enough. Today I cranked it up and realized that it was an amazing song about Love and really embodies everything I feel about the four letter word that makes and brakes people L O V E! The chorus is the best part and how I aspire to love:
be a best friend
tell the truth
over use i love you
go to work
do your best
dont out smart your common sense
never let your prayin knees get lazy
and love like crazy

I think Love is sometimes a mystery to people who have really never felt it. But, once you do and you know its real and reciprocated then life is good and you couldn't ask for me. This song is really a great work of country music and even though I wasn't feeling well this morning it really put me into a great mood. I found it on YouTube and have it below, its not his official video, but it makes the point and the song is great. Enjoy and remember LOVE LIKE CRAZY!!!!

Spring Table

This weekend I was inspired to make my own table arrangement. I'm not really sure what got me going, but I had an idea and wanted to just do it. So, I did! I took a bowl my sister gave us for Christmas and filled it with the floral foam, Oasis, and then added flowers. I picked up new Spring place mats and napkins as well. We were all set for the dinner we had Saturday night and I think it looked great!

Our Babies Love The Snow

It's amazing to me how they like to play in the snow but hate the rain. Hines has no problems rolling around in the freezing snow and getting covered in the fluff, but he won't go outside when its raining. Go figure!

Blog

In a conversation earlier this morning I started thinking about what a blog really is. What it means to me and how other people see them. For those who don't blog and are more private people they don't understand and its hard to explain. But, I thought I would try. A blog as defined by the all mighty Wikipedia : A blog (a contraction of the term "web log")[1] is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability of readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (Art blog), photographs (photoblog), videos (Video blogging), music (MP3 blog), and audio (podcasting). Microblogging is another type of blogging, featuring very short posts

I like this definition as it really defines a blog and I view it as a personal way of expression. Much like some people write, or play music, I blog to express myself. Wikipedia goes on to say: The personal blog, an ongoing diary or commentary by an individual, is the traditional, most common blog. Personal bloggers usually take pride in their blog posts, even if their blog is never read. Blogs often become more than a way to just communicate; they become a way to reflect on life, or works of art. Blogging can have a sentimental quality. Few personal blogs rise to fame and the mainstream, but some personal blogs quickly garner an extensive following. One type of personal blog, referred to as a microblog, is extremely detailed and seeks to capture a moment in time. Some sites, such as Twitter, allow bloggers to share thoughts and feelings instantaneously with friends and family, and are much faster than emailing or writing.

I personally strive to capture the moments in my life and share them with people who care of matter, even if "those people" only consists of me, myself and I. With that I blog on and hope everyone will understand a little more now, WHY I blog. Self expression in my opinion is one of the best things a person can do to contribute to their lives and the lives of others.

March Madness Family Style

So March is a busy month in the Phillips Family. We have 4 birthdays and there is always a lot going on. We start the month off with Jamie on March 3rd, then Randy on March 10th, I'm the 22nd and Chris is the 28th. We just love to celebrate birthdays so its a busy and fun month.

This weekend we celebrated Jamie's Birthday with family dinner at P F Chang out at the Mall of Georgia. It was really a great dinner and my sister hopefully had a great time. I had some really cute pictures of her blowing out the candles but she didn't like them, so I won't post them at her request. But, we got to see little Jolie and Bobby and I just love her! Bobby really is great with kids which makes me ecstatic.

Dreams... While You Sleep

The last few nights I have been dreaming like crazy. In fact, I'm not really sure how much sleep I've actually gotten. When I dream a lot it seems like my mind doesn't stop and I wake up tired. My body is rested but my mind is done and its only 7:00 a.m. Thank goodness for coffee. Last night's dream I actually had twice. I don't know if that has ever happened to anyone but I actually remember dreaming the same dream twice. I woke up around 4 when Bobby's alarm went off and remembered my dream at that point and then fell back asleep to the same dream. It was the oddest thing, I dreamt that we were both attorneys and that we had a case against each other. It was back and forth and finally he won. Not sure if I dreamt the dream twice to try and change the end or if I just really enjoyed it. Either way, I am convinced that I dream about the things I am thinking about when I go to sleep. Last night I watched the Deep End on ABC, one of my new favorite shows and I think I translated that into my dreams. Regardless, my mind just never stops.

Moving on to the Deep End. (Not that my dreams aren't interesting enough) This is a new show on ABC about lawyers and it really has sparked my interest. Not that I need another show to follow, but I really like it. I have to admit I caught the first few episodes online, but they were great. My favorite character is Addy, played by Tina Majorina. You remember her from Napoleon Dynamite, Alice & Wonderland and one of my all time favorites Corina, Corina. I loved that movie growing up and when we had our Nanny Mrs. Patty I used to want her to take us to the place where we could order breakfast in our cars and have them bring it to us. It was great.

Now she is all grown up and playing in Deep End. I would recommend it to anyone who like a combination of Law & Order with Gray's Anatomy. Or if you ever watched Boston Legal... this is a less racy version of that show and all the characters are great. It comes on Thursday Nights @ 8:00 on ABC, just before Gray's.

La Familia

Family, as defined by wikipedia (the new version of the truth as it stands online)
is "a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity or co-residence. Although the concept of consanguinity originally referred to relations by "blood", anthropologists have argued that one must understand the idea of "blood" metaphorically and that many societies understand family through other concepts rather than through genetic distance." I bring this up to explain part of my argument in an early morning discussion. For some reason this morning the topic of family and who is included was debated on Cascade Drive.

I have to agree with the anthropologists, whomever they may be, and say that your family is who you understand it to be. For me it is more than just my blood relatives, its my friends and those I love and care for. This would extend to my cousins' wife's' parents and even the parents of some of my friends whom I am close to. To me the family is what you make it and you get out of it what you put in. No, no family is perfect and sometimes there are those you don't want to claim, but who is to say that you aren't part of the family. Terrible!!

To be honest I would say Bobby and I are family and that Sadie and Hines are our children. They are puppies but I care for them as they are my kids and consider them an extension of who Bobby and I are. Is this wrong? Not in my opinion it's not. Even the black sheep in the family are your family, even when they aren't blood because you are defined by those around you and those you associate with. And at the end of the day all you have is your family and while my interpretation is a bit broader than others, it works for me and keeps me safe and happy. I sleep well knowing there are a bunch of people blood related and not that love me and consider me to be part of their family.

Should you want to do more research of your own on the term Family feel free to check out the Wikipedia full explanation HERE.

Back In Action

The pups are back in actions these days and back to their peppy, fun loving and hyper selves. We had both the pups fixed this past Friday and thought we would be picking up 2 lethargic beagles, but not so much. We should have known better than to think that taking away their reproductive organs would hold our two babies down. In fact, they are happier than ever and seem really unaffected. The vet was shocked at how well everything went and just asked that we keep them from opening Sadie's stitches and that we try to keep the movement to a minimum. Movement to a minimum??? Have they met Sadie and Hines?? Nonetheless, Mommy and Daddy did our bests Saturday and Sunday to keep them calm. But the weather was amazing and we spent the entire day outside in the yard. No one got hurt so we did well and really they no worse for the ware.

It's a Zeta Weekend

This weekend was Zeta Alumni weekend and state day. Its the one time a year that everyone from all Georgia chapters come together for an alumni reception and then State day. This year my alumni chapter along with the North Metro group were in charge of organizing the day. Since I am no longer President I was relieved to not have to really be in charge but just be a worker bee. For once I could come and go with little to no responsibility. Friday night was the alumni reception at Social Vinings, which is one of my favorite places in Vinings. Their tapas are great and the sushi is rather good too. My favorite things they have however are the deserts. They have fried oreos and small ice cream cones that are to die for and the best part is they are small portions so you don't feel as bad eating them!! I just loved catching up with everyone and really getting to know more of my sorority sisters.

Some of my favorite Cobb Alumni ZTA ladies. Kaite, Megan and Cheryl. Its amazing how we all went to different chapters but seem to have a lot in common.

Our entire chapter. Gotta love our diveristy and yet we always have a great time. At state day with all the collegates, Miss Georgia was in attendance. She is a Zeta and was there to speak and show her talent. The girls loved her and she was really sweet.

"Feels like somebody's watching me"

Yes, the title of this blog entry was stolen from an old song. But, its very appropriate. Over the last couple of months a little "bug" has been hanging around. A week or so ago she called me out for reading her blog. Funny really since I had only read it a few times, but for what she called me out on, I did not do. The best part is that she really thought I cared enough to "comment" about her. The truth is that my own insecurities lead to me find her blog and read it. But, those have been more than erased and with recent events I have decided to not live another day worried about anything. In an effort to vent and share with the world my frustration I write the paragraph to follow.

So, I thought I would write this subtle or not so subtle entry to simply say move on. Texas is rather far away but with today's technology its too easy to stay in touch. And I'll throw out a hypothetical as well for those who might read this and not know about the situation. Hypothetically, if you had tried to break up with someone several times but they put themselves into the hospital or made themselves really sick each time and finally you were able to end things, would you want to be friends?? No is the answer to that. If you had to think about it you should evaluate your relationships in general. Honestly, the feeling sad for someone only lasts so long . No one cares about who you've met or who you are working for or even when you are in town. In fact, over the last 2 years you've been indulged enough. Yes, there were a few years you shared together and I'm sure you both have taken a lot away from that. I might even go as far to say that you he might have loved you. Love is a strange thing and it changes as you grow. You can love someone but not be in love with them. Hopefully you are both better for your relationship. But, Happiness is what you make of it and if you are holding on to things no matter how small you should let go, erase phone numbers and emails and really just get over it. Life is too short. Stop following my blog and enjoy your life, I am sure there is someone out there for you, I really do believe that.

Ok, done venting for the day... Sometimes girls are crazy and I know this first hand, I'm not without flaws myself. But, there comes a time when people need to grow up for real.

Catching Up - Week in Review

So a lot has happened over the last week or so... were to start?? The overview is Mama Mia, Snow covered Marietta, a fun datenight on the square, visit to Athens to see my cute sister, Valentines Day and the pups are home!! WOW, what a week.

First, Bobby's mom took all the girls to see Mama Mia and it was great. I haven't seen the play or the movie and this was a great production. It was a bit unclear if we'd get to go since it snowed that night before, but we braved the weather and headed down to the Fox for the show. My mom, Mrs.Johnson, Aimee, Sara and I went down for the afternoon showing. I love my family and am so greatful to have such a wonderful group of women to go see plays with.

SNOW came to Marietta again this past weekend and it stuck. The first time we got back weather it was really ICE camafloged as snow. This time it was the real deal - white and powdery. My only complaint was that the pups were still at Man's Best Friend and they didn't get to see the back yard covered. But, it was beautiful. Not the best to get around in, but it was fun to see. I would have loved to have a White Christmas, but a White Valentine's Day is just as good. The house looked so cute covered and I didn't mind walking to Waffle House to grab breakfast. In fact, it was a morning adventure that Bobby and I actually enjoyed. The pictures are beautiful and below

Eventhough it snowed and I wasn't feeling great Friday night, we took a trip up to the square while the snow was falling and had a date night. We saw Bobby's friend Bert play at the Strand and then had sushi at our favorite little place on the square. It was fun, but cold.

Then Saturday after Mama Mia and the snow melted we headed to Athens to see my sister. We made sushi and went to see the movie Valentines Day. It was a lot of fun. Jamie did really well with her California Roll and I made a bagle roll. It was our first time really making sushi and I think it went really well. We stayed in Athens Saturday night to hang out a little more with Jamie and to see Zoey & Pierre too! Loved every minute of it and can't wait to go visit again soon.

And finally, THE PUPS ARE HOME!!! I really really missed those little bundels of joy. They did very well at Man's Best Friend and are not perfect, but getting close. Love them so much and can't wait to really get into their training and have perfect pups!!!! Sadie and Hines are home :)

Quickest Super Bowl Ever

So we were planning to go to Sarah and Joseph's to watch the game last night and a few things came up so Bobby ended up going into work and I stayed home to do a few things around the house and watch the game. I really thought it started at 7, so when I turned it on at 7:05 hoping to still see Carrie Underwood start things off, I was shocked that the 1st quarter was almost over. But, I did watch that second quarter and see the Saints go into half time down by 4. Something magical must have been said in their locker room because they came out with a little more fire under their butts than the Colts. We were pulling for the Saints all along, but it was nice to really see them when. Of course the commercials were a focus this year as always, but I was really less than impressed and maybe I missed the good ones. I didn't actually see the one below but I heard about it and think its possibly the funniest one I've seen so far.



Overall I was glad the Saints won and the game was over and done by 9:45, with plenty of time for Undercover Boss. LOVED it and will make it part of my Sunday viewing, along with the new season of Amazing Race.

Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend. Only one week and counting until we pick up the pups. I can't wait!!!