Out of order.

Welp. My computer.

The one that is a standbuy... 

Because the other one already bit the dust.

Died.

Stinks.

O well.

So I will be missing for a while....

Don't forget about me...

I have to finish my story...

But, of course

 ALL my images are on my p.o.s. computer!

Vrooooooom.

Back on the highway, we were!

Finally, to Jacksonville Beach.

I thought for a minute... 

We had already had several sweet treats!

But boy was I wrong...

These last few post... 

are describing a lot of the 

"dirty little secrets" of my husband.

But one part of him that I really truly love...

is his interest for things out of the norm.

When I met Michael.. 

he had a Nissan 300 ZX.

It was his pride & joy.

Pristine condition.

Beautiful RED.

Always clean & waxed.

A police magnet to say the least.

It wasn't just any car...

It held a lot of memories,

Gave my husband the "Sports Car Ego"

& well is now the burden of several big dents.

Dents large enough to total it!

You get the point.. we no longer have 

the "little red Z..."

Have no doubt though in the next couple of years... 

if either one of us have anything to do with it...

we will have a new "little red Z".

If we don't get fired from our jobs that is!

What does this have to do with our trip you ask?

Well on our way to Jacksonville we passed a Nissan dealership.

In NC it is very rare to find more than 1 or 2 Z's on the lot.

This one... had probably 20!

We had to do a U-turn, 

cancel our hotel because we were nearing the check-in deadline 

(but not sure if it was clean enough to stay & needed to approve first) 

drive through the car lot & look.

What did we see?? 

Plenty of Z's...

There was one extra special Gem on the lot though...

A Nissan GT-R!

Two men... got giddy like little school girls.

For shits & giggles...

they had to convince the guy to let them sit in it.

Done.

That wasn't enough fulfillment though..

Next, they convince the guy that they need to drive it.

3 cars were moved out of the showroom

to make room for this beauty to leave the lot.

Did I mention the car cost well over a 100 grand???

& was handmade by 5 employees

or that there are only a couple produced a year?

It does.  All of the above totally accurate statements.

Do we have insurance high enough to cover the cost 

of this car if it gets wrecked on our test drive?

We don't.

O well.  Who could resist.

So we take it for a spin.

 

 

0-100 on an exit ramp!

The car rocked...

Heads turned when we passed other cars on the highway.

We were the first people to take the zero mileage car out of the lot.

We got 8 miles to the gallon.

Ha.

Totally worth...

watching my dad with a stain on his shirt

(from being in the same clothes.. in the car for 2 days)

pretend he had a bank account

big enough to buy it 

for his wife for their anniversary... 

Just to drive it!

The boys talked about there experience for days...

& on to Jacksonville we go!

To be Continued..

Next post about our time in Jax...

Yum. Yum.

We were on the road for several hours!

Still trucking along with no snags...

So, we were pleased!

But wait.

My husband has this love affair with Pralines...

O, and beer.

Well, maybe I should rephrase.. 

anything super sweet & terribly unhealthy :) 

It is a wonder we are not little round beach'd balls.

He spoke of them... 

& didn't have to do any twisting of the wrist 

to convince my dad (the master of specialty sweets) to stop the car!

Before I knew it... 

We were taking a little detour to the River Walk in Savannah, Ga...

So that we could grab lunch with some friends 

& get my hubby some...

Praaaaalines!

Our first stop, Moon River Brewing Company

A pretty sweet place...

Michael had a flight of beer, & I had my favorite Whitt beer..

(anyone that is a *r.l. (real life) friend knows about

 the Hickory Hops Brew Fest...

& well the Whitt is what got me!)

For lunch, I had the Lowcountry Crab Melt...

Grilled Texas toast topped with fresh (real) blue crab in a mayonnaise-based salad and Monterey Jack cheese, smothered with a creamy Parmesan sauce and baked to a bubbly deliciousness!

 Next, we made our way to the River Street, wandered around, 
& then visited River Street Sweets!

 

  

 

 

 

We Walked out of the shop with about 10,000 more calories...

A box of Pralines, Some Bear Claws & Sugar & Spice Pecans.

Laney sure enjoyed the sugary, sweet, smells!

Next stop, Jacksonville Beach, FL!

To Be Continued...

	$9

Pralines... & Whitt

Continued...

We wake up.... In Walterboro, 

Still to this day... not sure where that is?

We thank god for getting us through the Helluva night....

SAFELY!

We pack our bags quickly... & get ready to head out the door.

@ this point we were 24 hours behind schedule 

& wanted to get to Jax. Beach! Quickly...

All parties... were pretty excited... I might add!

We opened the door to go load the car & what do we see?

Sunshine & NO snow.. well a tiny little bit.

Where in the world did it go?  

Were we imagining the night before?

No way.  

 

After making a pact that we were not delirious...

& really did encountered a terrible snow storm the night before...

(the one that knocked the fog lights off... 

& destroyed the front end of the bmw) 

We packed the car,

Took a few pictures,

& tried to get Laney May...

To relieve herself in the white stuff.

(She is NOT very fond of that!)
(& she is also NOT relieving herself in this picture.)
I would be *chawed* if I caught that on photo.

After about 20 min. of a crazyfreakoutrambunctiousDOGfit....

She was tired of playing in the cold, wet snow 

& ready to get on the road.

 The roads... Clear!

Sun was out & travel conditions...

Great!

We were on our way to...

Savannah, Ga!

For some Pralines & "Whitt" beer of course!

Continued...

Slippery... and Slidey..

So, to continue on our journey....

We planned to leave Hickory, NC on Friday morning to head to Jacksonville, Fl..... 

Things came up... as they ALWAYS do in our family, 

So we didn't get on the road until rush hour.

 

The two men involved decided that despite weather forecast
Calling for LOTS of snow along the east coast
That we were going to take the only non-4-wheel drive car
Our two families own.  

 The logic that we would beat the weather 

& not see very much of the white stuff on the way to...

Sunny Florida.

 

We cram as much as we can fit into
My dad's small bmw & hit the road. 

I planned to use the 7-hour travel trip to snooze,

Read a couple magazines, catch up on twitter, etc....

Laney on the other hand, had different plans in mind.   

She wanted to crawl around on my lap, 

Lick the windows, howl at odd things we passed, 

Jump from the front to the back...
To see if the view was any different ya know...

To be honest, I didn't mind... 

It was nice to have another female on board...
 Even if she barks & walks on four legs!

Little did I know... 

We were heading for a real adventure!  

 We drove through Charlotte...
A little of the white stuff falling...

But kept trekking.   

We got to Columbia...
Were covered in the white stuff… 

6 inches... or more to be exact.

The boys said, "ahhh, we can do it...
We will soon run out of the snow!   

Lets keep going."  So we did!  

 Next thing I know... 

We are sliding across a bridge
To avoid from hitting the car 

That was rammed into the guardrail
& blocking both lanes of traffic.

Before I realize what is going on,... 

My husband jumps out of the drivers seat
& turns over the reigns to my dad. 

Michael leapt over to the car stuck to try to help.   

All I could picture in my mind....
All the worst scenarios.

 

You have heard before of the friendly man that leaves his car 

To help others during torturous road conditions
& and ends up being knocked off the bridge to death
@ 4 levels above solid ground. 

 

I know... terrible, demented thoughts....

I just wanted off of that bridge!  & Quick!!

After a little time & a few extra prayers... 

They get the car moved enough that 

Others can pass by & we continue on our way.   

@ This point traffic is moving really slowly.   

We have been on the road 5 hours & gotten nowhere. 

  So,... we start comedy hour in the car, 

Take pictures of the scenes outside, 

Call our family to warn them
Of the mess we have gotten into.
Stop @ subway in ghetto'ville for dinner,
Lock all windows & doors...
Decide it is smart to keep driving!

 

  

2 hours later we are sitting in the same spot.

  After 7 hours in the car... only traveled 200 miles.... 

A hundred cars flipped or in a ditch,
People stranded left and right....

We make it to WALTERBORO, SC.

Have you over heard of this place?  I sure hadn't!!

Nonetheless, I begged we stop for the night!

My dad agreed, probably in fear that
I would be a pain in the %$# until we did.

 

Luckily, we found a pet friendly Best Western
& plopped for the night.... 

Besides the 4 hours without power
& the slimey cold shower, we were in business!

 

To be continued...

Too many things..

I might have to just start a list...

Or better yet,  
I might do a post a day this week... 
on our previous fun adventures.

We'll see how it goes.

So, two Mondays ago, we visited family in Hickory.  
My husband's grandmother passed away on Sunday two weeks ago. 
We got the news on Sunday morning & 
the services were planned pretty quickly.  
Michael's grandmother had Alzheimers 
& for many years we have been 
unrecognizable to her.  She has been non-verbal 
& in a regulated home for almost 6 years now.  

Her death was completely unexpected, 
but in a way was such a relief.  
We feel so much comfort knowing 
that she is now in heaven & in a much better place. 
Although, we hate seeing family members & friends 
under those circumstances...
it was great getting to spend time with family... 
we normally only see on Christmas eve.

We intended on trekking to Hickory on Thursday night 
so that My dad could take my husband to the Race in Daytona.  
To save on gas & the stress of traveling I-40 
multiple times in one week...
we decided to stay in town with my parents.

I always LOVE getting to spend more than a weekend there.  
To top off the excitement of a little break from work, 
spending time with mom & dad, & being out of Raleigh for a little... 
I got to spend a rediculous amount of time with my niece & nephew.  

It was heaven! 
Not that I wished sickness on my sister... 
but she had a respiratory infection while we were in town.  
The downside..., 
we didn't get to spend ANY TIME with her or our b-i-l,... 
but, we did get to take the kids off their hands for a couple of days 
& wake up to their sweet little voices.

We enjoyed bath time, morning cartoons, snacks after school, family night suppers at church, movie nights, lots of laughs ... 
 
Overall good quality time 
& so much food for my soul.

I think from the looks of it... 

Hannah loved it & her Aunt B. did too!

It was just what I needed!

Getting to know YOU...

Hey Hey..It's Sunday!

Time for a little funday..Getting to know YOU action..

To play..Grab the questions..copy them..answer them.. 

Go to Mannland5.com and link on up..

It's as easy as easy gets..

& don't forget to leave me a note 

in my comments if you join .

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The questions..

1. How often do you wash/change your sheets?

2. When is your birthday?

3. Have you ever met a bloggy friend in real life?

4. Brad Pitt or George Clooney?

5. If you could change one thing about your body what would it be?

6. How often do you wash your hair?

7. Do you have pets?

8. How many social networks do you belong to..if you had to give up one, what would it be?

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1. How often do you wash/change your sheets?

Let me start by saying.... 
I should totally change our sheets more often... 
but needless to say.. I guess I am lazy when it comes to that.  

I probably change the sheets about every two weeks... 

or umm when there is too much dog hair 
or umm they stink.  

Gross, I know!

2. When is your birthday?

 May 8th!  
This year I am going to celebrate my birthday in FRANCE! 

It may be the best birthday celebration yet.

3. Have you ever met a bloggy friend in real life?

Well.... I have several bloggy friends that
I knew in real life before bloggy world.  

As for many of my daily reads though... 
I have never had the opportunity to meet

them in real life!  If you are in Raleigh,.. 
or NC for that matter... Lets meet!

4. Brad Pitt or George Clooney?

Brad Pitt for sure.. 
but leave Angie @ & bring Jen along. 

Not a fan of "brangelina"!

5. If you could change one thing about your body what would it be?

My THIGHS.  
Period.  
They suck.  

They are BIG, flabby 
& have always been so unglamorous.  

I HATE THEM W. A PASSION!

6. How often do you wash your hair?

I used to be the every stinkin day kinda girl... 

but over the years,
the gray hair, numerous color jobs, & the length 

have made it so ungreasy these days... 
it kinda rocks!  

I hate to say it, cause it kinda gross's me out.. 

but sometimes I can go three days 
without a little shampoo action!

7. Do you have pets?

Yes, 
just one though... 
unless you consider my husband in that category.  

We have a pocket beagle, 
her name "Laney May"

& she is the little furry love of our life!

8. How many social networks do you belong to..if you had to give up one, what would it be?

Facebook, Twitter, Linked In 
& I guess Blogger if that counts.  
I would totally give up Linked in.. if I had to choose one.  
It'sCareer oriented & totally not as FUN!

Because I wanted to....

 I just took a little hiatus... 

Why?

Well, I wanted to...

I needed a little outdoor time

I needed to clean a little

I needed some extra rest

I needed to get together with friends

I wanted to eat (constantly)

I needed to read everyone else's blog

& not update my own

I needed to take the dog to potty

I needed to organize our pantry

I needed to put up clothes 

& unpack from our latest get-away

& then pack again for my upcoming one

You get the point right?

This is my blog & I make the decisions...

Right?

 

So, now that the weekend is coming to a close...

& I have gotten a lot of that list accomplished

In a couple of hours I plan to...

(Once we get back from 

getting a few cold ones 

with friends @ a local brewery)...

Of course...

Catch you all up with our recent

happenings for the past two weeks.

They have been busy ones!  

So fun.  So stressful.   

But overall, So... Fun!

So for now... 

Get ready! 

In the mean time,

that is what I will do as well.
(Ab ripper x makes you nice & stinky)... 

Our friends probably wouldn't appreciate 

Our raunch...

If we went as we are now!

See you later!

Wordless Wednesday..... +

The usual Wednesday post + a few extra's...

These pictures are of something GOOD.  

Good & Expensive.

The quality of the pic... not so good.

O well.  Forgive me.

I will explain this gibberish in more detail...

when I have a few minutes to breathe.

For now just enjoy the beauty before you.

I am slammed, overwhelmed, stressed, & exhausted, 

Go ahead and throw in...

whatever other words you choose to use 

when describing the feeling of...

getting hit by a semi. 

That's me!

*except I'm not a sqwooshed pancake.

We had a unexpected, not as planned weekend of fun & adventure... 

I can't wait to do a little recap.

In the meantime, let me apologize... 

I have missed the past two "Bachelor Recaps"! 

I have watched the episodes & am so flabbergasted.  

I will get back to my thoughts on the season 

once I finish the other listed items of business.

Now, for Semi- Wordless Wednesday...

Very Exciting News!

 

I am overly joyed.... to tell you all about it!

 Until' then... 

Sophie, We will see you in May! 

  

  

Gentlemen....

Start Your Engines...

This weekend, My dad & Michael went to the Race in Daytona.  

Yes, it is was on Valentine's Day...  I know! 

You see 28 years ago... 

My dad started this tradition of leaving my  mom on not only Valentines day...

but, February 14th  just so happens to be their Wedding Anniversary as well.  

Where do you think he went?

You guessed it!  

For the entirety of their marriage...

He has gone to the Daytona 500 to spend time with his guy friends.

She is one Lenient wife!  He is one CrAzY huband.

This year my dad decided to include my husband!  

It all started by my dad pulling my husband aside one Sunday afternoon & saying,

"Can you convince Rebekah to let you get away on V-day?"

He had it in the bag.

You see, last year....

I spent Valentine's Day in Seattle with my best girl friends.

Of course he could get away with it one year.

I am afraid though, that this is going to become a recurring trend!!

I enjoy spending Valentine's with my husband... 

but I think it is so important for my husband 

& his father-in-law to spend time together. 

We live a couple hours away  from our parents so

that doesn't get to happen very often.

I think we both felt kinda privileged for Michael 

to be included in this yearly trip...

How special it was that my dad enjoys being around him 

so much that he would want to drive 9 hours in the car 

& a whole weekend at the race track together.

Even with his business buddies, Wow.

It is a really great feeling to know that my parents 

care as much about my husband as they do me!

Actually, it is wonderful to know that they think of him as a son!

I know, without a doubt that we are LUCKY!

They have one more "once in a lifetime memory" down in the book!

& we  are so thankful for the relationships we have with our loved ones.

Getting to know you...

MannLand has a little Getting to know YOU action going on!..

To play..Grab the questions..copy them onto your blog..answer them....put your link in on MannLand's blog and let the Sunday Fun begin!

Let's rock and roll!

The questions..

1. How many piercing's do you have?

2. I love the sound of.....?

3. Favorite city?

4. Colts, Saints, or could care less?

5. Frozen yogurt or ice cream?

6. Favorite appetizer?

7. What item in your closet currently makes you the happiest?

8.Favorite facial moisturizer?

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1. How many piercing's do you have?

Mmmm.. hang on let me count!  2 in one ear, 3 in the other, a nose stud, & belly button .... what's that? Seven Piercings, wow!

2. I love the sound of.....?

Rain hitting the tin roof .. like @ our mtn. house.  I wish I got to hear that noise a little more often.

3. Favorite city?

Copenhagen, Denmark is my favorite so far.  I have several top seconds... but am so in love with Copenhagen.

4. Colts, Saints, or could care less?

Could care less... although, I was cheering for Peyton Manning.

5. Frozen yogurt or ice cream?

Neither?

6. Favorite appetizer?

Guacamole, buffaloe'd shrimp, crab dip

7. What item in your closet currently makes you the happiest?

My trendy cowboy boots

8.Favorite facial moisturizer?

Mmm.. don't have one.  Still haven't found one I love.

On Your Marks... Get Set...

We are on the GO!

My dad, Michael, & I are on our way to Sunny Florida,

I am going here...

and...

They are going there...

We will be spending the "Hallmark Holiday" apart...

Can you guess why?!

... I'll share that in my next post...

Pray for safe travels for us please!

Wordless Wednesday.....

On this day 26 years ago.....

Happy Birthday 

Joanna.....

All of us here in NC are wishing you the best year yet!

We love you & miss you soooo...  much!

Can't wait to celebrate with you in March, xo