My Birthday!!!!!

I had a WONDERFUL birthday this year! I knew Justin was up to something, but I wasn't sure what. Since my birthday fell on a Tuesday this year, I wasn't expecting anything over the top. Boy was I wrong! Justin surprised me with a limo ride to Stinky's Fish Camp in Destin!!! Me Justin, Meg, Nutt, Mitch, Lesley, Ray, and Mary all rode down and ate dinner. We had a great time. I can not express my appreciation for having such a wonderful husband and great friends!! They all sacrificed their Wednesday morning for me, such troopers!!

It was really just the beginning of a great week. We are carving pumpkins a Lynseys tonight in preparation for Meg and Nutts party, then Party/Shower on Friday night and Costume Party/Shower Saturday night for Sonny and Emily, not to mention hanging out at Opp Fest for a little while Saturday morning, crossing my fingers for an Auburn win and still trying to figure out my costume!! I told yall October was a great month!!

Art

In September, Tara Dalton started an art class once a month at the LAAC. So far it has been so much fun! It has rekindled my creative side. When I was younger we did arts and crafts all the time. My Grandmother and Aunt are wonderful artists. Before this class, I had not done any painting in years. Next Friday I'm going to my Grandmother's in Opp and we are oil painting. I'm very excited. Oil is her favorite, so I hope to learn alot. The hardest part for me is just getting started! Next month we are painting in honor is Woodie Long. Below is what I have done so far.

October!

October is one of my favorite months. Football, Fall, cooler weather(even though its actually a kinda hot today)homecoming, Halloween, scary movies, carving pumpkins, the fair, and of course, My Birthday! Our October has started off quite eventful. Last weekend we went to the CF Walk in Crestview and had a great turnout! We also went to Kat and Chris's wedding. Eventually I will post pictures!

In other exciting news, Justin and I got a Kindle! I've been wanting one forever. So far, we have both enjoyed it and would recommend it. As convenient as it is, some books i will just have to buy the hard copy, I like putting them on my bookshelf!

Here is an update to my reading list:
The Help - very good
The Lost Symbol - Great read, but the ending was a little disappointing. I was afraid it would hard to live up to his previous novel, The Davinci Code
Outliers - a very cool nonfiction book

I'm currently trying to decide on a new book to start. I've had my eye on the new book about John and Abigail Adams, but I've also been in the mood to reread The Name of the Rose...decisions, decisions.

Current Reading Selection

So I have started to notice that it has been a couple of weeks and I have had nothing exciting to post about, so I have decided to post random things about me and my little life.  We will start things off by exploring my library and random obsession with books:

I am currently reading a series of books called 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians'.  They are technically in the 'young reader' category, but are still very good.  I have always been interested in Greek Mythology, and the series is centered around Greek Mythology characters and storys.  They are not the same caliber as Harry Potter (which I believe will be hard to ever beat!) but good for lighter reading.

My book reading topics are constantly

 changing.  The last couple of months I have been reading fiction:

-The Twilight Series (Don't get me started, I was obsessed for a good month)

-Reread the Harry Potter Series (In preparation for the new movie release)

-Currently, Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Previously, I was on an American History Kick:

-John Adams by David McCullough (very good, highly recommend)

-His Excellency, George Washington

-Benjamin Franklin (I'm actually only about 1/2 way through it)

I'm considering rereading The Time Traveler's Wife, but several friends have asked to borrow it, so it might have to wait.  I am looking forward to the movie!

Oh, and this post would not be complete without telling my all time favorite book, 'The Name of the Rose'!!

Last Wednesday Justin and I left to go to North Carolina to stay with his cousin Ryan.  We picked my brother up in Auburn and stopped and stayed with my friend Alissa in Greenville, SC.  We made it to Raleigh, NC the next afternoon.  That night we went to a Durham Bulls baseball game.  On Friday, we drove to Wilmington and rode the boat, fished, and hung out until Sunday night.  We had a great time!!

Sacred Harp Singing

Justin and I went to a Sacred Harp Singing at the church he grew up in, Red Oak Baptist, this past Sunday. For those of you who are not familiar (neither was I), it is a type of singing that is acapella and is referred to as shape note singing. "Shape note" music means that the notes are printed in special shapes that help the reader identify them on the musical scale. Each of the four shapes is connected to a particular syllable: fa, sol, la, and mi. Its hard to explain without hearing it for yourself, so I have included a video! It is a dying art that is a old Southern tradition, started in the 1800s.

Sid

I never thought that a dog could be so human until we got Sid. Its odd, so my of my friends that have just had babys tell storys and I'm like 'weird, that sounds exactly like Sid' or 'Sid does that too' so I am now convinced that if I can raise Sid, a baby will be no problem! (J/K!!)

This picture was taken by Ray on the way home from the office. Sid always obeys traffic laws :)