Well, I read Kel's blog and decided to write down a few of my favorite Travis memories. get ready.
1. We used to build so many forts in the living room, it was insane.
2. you can hardly find a baby picture of me that doesnt include Travis in it.
3. he wore braces for most of my adolescent life.
4. he used to fix his hair before he went to bed .(i'm talking gel, mousse, hairspray, the works)
5. he wore so much cologne to school most days that i had to rolll the windows down just to breathe.
6. we drove 15 miles an hour on the interstate to school one day in my dad's old truck. he still drives 15 mph to this day.
7. he drove all the way from Abilene to watch me play my last game at my high school. that was such a surprise and so awesome!
8. i do admit he has the most amazing voice. The next American Idol?
9. i followed him to ACU because i missed him like crazy, and it turned out to be the best decision of my life.
10. he drove me to Hendrick's Hospital in Abilene like 3 times in one year.
11. He finally asked out Kelly and she FINALLY said yes.
12. He was a rebel ONCE, and voted for Gore. (oops!)
13. he knows more history than any normal person should.
14. he was the most amazing basketball player and the most humble.
15. i also admit he has gotten funnier lately, and the boy can dance.
16. he has put up with me when he didnt have too.
17. he loves the Lord with all his heart and always puts others first.
18. we will be Braves fans till we die.
19. he and I will always love to ride four-wheelers.
20. he makes a mean milkshake.
21. he sang perfectly at my wedding, and he was the tallest person there.
22. through the worst season ever, he is still a Vols fan.
23. through 4 years of college, he never once helped me move in or out of dorms or apartments. thanks for the love. poor JP did all the heavy lifting!
24. he still lets me come into his room on Christmas morning to wake him up. Now i have to knock!:)
25. even though he is the middle child, he is the most normal one in our family.
i love you Trav--you the best brother ever and I am so blessed that you are mine!
love your most favorite sister-
Mere
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Stressful Holidays Ahead
ok, i need some advice from all the "married longer than 3 months folks" out there. the holidays are upon us, and it seems now that since i have gotten married that I can't spend every holiday with the Speck family. I understand comprise, and I am ok with it, but there are 2 brothers and their wives, a new husband and his family, and my new husband's 2 other brothers and their wifes' family.
we always go to Memphis for Christmas, after Santa come to our house. well, this year we will be at home since my brothers and their wives are coming into town, but that leaves out my grandparents and uncle, aunt, and cousins of whom i have always celebrated christmas with! we wont be having the "fluff" this year!!! ( the fluff refers to this cranberry, whip cream, marshmallow side dish that mom always mixes up and it actually gets bigger throughout the day.) anywho, my cousin Courtney and I have never missed a fluff get together. i might have to meet her halfway inbetween Nashvegas and Memphis for some fluff.
why are holidays so stressful i thought this was supposed to be a good thing with both of our parents in town. its the immediate/extended family where things get tricky. i am looking forward to Jan. 1 already!! actually not since it is on a Sunday. no offense, but i would rather christmas and New Years be on any other day than Sunday. PLus the fact i get less time off work when it is on a Sunday. this is all beside the point,,,
i am thankful for family, and that i do have to worry about where to go for the holidays. i love each and every family member i have and will fight to keep the traditions alive!!!! i feel like i am going into battle,,,,
ok. well, if anybody has advice, let me know. its my first time to not be with family for every holiday and I am a little bummed, but overall ok.
thanks to all my peeps.
we always go to Memphis for Christmas, after Santa come to our house. well, this year we will be at home since my brothers and their wives are coming into town, but that leaves out my grandparents and uncle, aunt, and cousins of whom i have always celebrated christmas with! we wont be having the "fluff" this year!!! ( the fluff refers to this cranberry, whip cream, marshmallow side dish that mom always mixes up and it actually gets bigger throughout the day.) anywho, my cousin Courtney and I have never missed a fluff get together. i might have to meet her halfway inbetween Nashvegas and Memphis for some fluff.
why are holidays so stressful i thought this was supposed to be a good thing with both of our parents in town. its the immediate/extended family where things get tricky. i am looking forward to Jan. 1 already!! actually not since it is on a Sunday. no offense, but i would rather christmas and New Years be on any other day than Sunday. PLus the fact i get less time off work when it is on a Sunday. this is all beside the point,,,
i am thankful for family, and that i do have to worry about where to go for the holidays. i love each and every family member i have and will fight to keep the traditions alive!!!! i feel like i am going into battle,,,,
ok. well, if anybody has advice, let me know. its my first time to not be with family for every holiday and I am a little bummed, but overall ok.
thanks to all my peeps.
Saturday, November 12, 2005
Day 2 in D.C.
I think i should live in a city like D.C. for several reasons. Here are a few:
1. Only the trendiest people live here in this posh city. 'Nuff said.
2. Anyone who knows me would know i love to walk, and so here everyone walks everywhere.
3. There is a Starbucks on every corner.
4. Two of my fabulous family live here in this fabulous city.
5. At one corner are my favorite stores: Tiffany and Co., Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, J. Crew,
Jimmy Choo, Pottery Barn, and of course Starbucks.
6. I personally do not own a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes, but I will try anything once.
7. They need more Republicans here.
8. When I step out of Trav and Kel's house, I feel like I am on "Dawsons Creek."
As much as I love this city life, I will always be a Southern girl.
In Tennessee, Nashville more specifically, people say hi to you when they pass by on the street.
In Nashville, sweet tea is always on the menu.
We also have Purity chocolate milk, even though we just welcomed Blue Bell into our homes.
We have the Vols and the Titans, who combined have a total of 6 wins this season. A bit disappointing, but we still love them anyway.
Its hard to beat the good southern food.
We are building a house on the lake so we can wakeboard everyday. how cool is that?
Last but certainly not least, I met the love of my life here in Tennessee and that alone is my most favorite reason of why I love Nashville.
Peace in the middle east,
Mere
1. Only the trendiest people live here in this posh city. 'Nuff said.
2. Anyone who knows me would know i love to walk, and so here everyone walks everywhere.
3. There is a Starbucks on every corner.
4. Two of my fabulous family live here in this fabulous city.
5. At one corner are my favorite stores: Tiffany and Co., Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, J. Crew,
Jimmy Choo, Pottery Barn, and of course Starbucks.
6. I personally do not own a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes, but I will try anything once.
7. They need more Republicans here.
8. When I step out of Trav and Kel's house, I feel like I am on "Dawsons Creek."
As much as I love this city life, I will always be a Southern girl.
In Tennessee, Nashville more specifically, people say hi to you when they pass by on the street.
In Nashville, sweet tea is always on the menu.
We also have Purity chocolate milk, even though we just welcomed Blue Bell into our homes.
We have the Vols and the Titans, who combined have a total of 6 wins this season. A bit disappointing, but we still love them anyway.
Its hard to beat the good southern food.
We are building a house on the lake so we can wakeboard everyday. how cool is that?
Last but certainly not least, I met the love of my life here in Tennessee and that alone is my most favorite reason of why I love Nashville.
Peace in the middle east,
Mere
Friday, November 11, 2005
Day One in Washington
MY LEGS ARE DESTROYED!!
I have walked about 10 miles today in Washington and I have no feeling in my lower extremities. Travis had the day off and took Ash and I on a tour of D.C. I had been here for their wedding in 2000 and for my 21st b-day,(for those of you who were there, that was a memorable experience! ) and so I was looking forward to the refresher course given by my elder brother. We started our day at this bagel shop, which from here on out will be called the "Bagel Nazi". I was slow to figure out what i wanted for a snacky and he was screaming "NEXT!!!!" We then went to Starbucks, where you always feel at home no matter where you are visiting. Thus, we had fuel for the journey. Here we go....
before i go on, my brother has a leg span of either a cheetah or gazelle, and so as he is gliding through the city, i am basically sprinting to keep up with him. he took us to the National Museum of Archives (for the unpatriotic--this is the home of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights, and where "National Treasure" was filmed) ok, it wasnt filmed here, but now you get a mental picture of where we are located.
From there we went to the White House to see where George lays his head at beddy- bye time and got some great shots. (pictures--that is. by the way, not a good idea to yell "snyper" in front of the White House. Ash yelled it when i tripped on the sidewalk, caught my balance, but looked behind me to see what it was that caused my trip. you all know what i am talking about because you do the same thing. Ash said "Did a snyper get you?" no, dear.
I have walked about 10 miles today in Washington and I have no feeling in my lower extremities. Travis had the day off and took Ash and I on a tour of D.C. I had been here for their wedding in 2000 and for my 21st b-day,(for those of you who were there, that was a memorable experience! ) and so I was looking forward to the refresher course given by my elder brother. We started our day at this bagel shop, which from here on out will be called the "Bagel Nazi". I was slow to figure out what i wanted for a snacky and he was screaming "NEXT!!!!" We then went to Starbucks, where you always feel at home no matter where you are visiting. Thus, we had fuel for the journey. Here we go....
before i go on, my brother has a leg span of either a cheetah or gazelle, and so as he is gliding through the city, i am basically sprinting to keep up with him. he took us to the National Museum of Archives (for the unpatriotic--this is the home of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights, and where "National Treasure" was filmed) ok, it wasnt filmed here, but now you get a mental picture of where we are located.
From there we went to the White House to see where George lays his head at beddy- bye time and got some great shots. (pictures--that is. by the way, not a good idea to yell "snyper" in front of the White House. Ash yelled it when i tripped on the sidewalk, caught my balance, but looked behind me to see what it was that caused my trip. you all know what i am talking about because you do the same thing. Ash said "Did a snyper get you?" no, dear.
we went to the Washington Monument, (the big pencil), the WWII memorial, Lincoln Memorial, and got a hot dog one of the 24 stands outside the monuments. cool thing though--while we were at the WWII memorial, 3 big helicopters went over us. they are the ones that carry Bush to and from the WHite House. that was neato.
second to the last stop was the Smithsonian museum of American History. this was a great eye-opener to remember the freedom is not free and never has been. When we left there it was almost dark and we were meeting Kelly for dinner at 6:30, but we had one more stop to make our tour complete. we had to go see the Jefferson Memorial. Problem was that is was about a mile from where we were at. i was gung ho--Ash and Trav mumbled under their breath, but we carried on. We made it there and back to meet Kel in about 45 minutes. not bad.
so, after a good meal to reenergize us and 3 desserts (this was my idea!), we walked back to see the White House at night. Maybe they will have another White House Christmas special with Nick and Jessica Simpson. One can only dream.
well, time to lay my weary head down for a few hours before Day 2 comes. Tennessee plays Memphis tomorrow, maybe we will actually win this one. Again, one can only dream.
goodnight--sleeptight.
Friday, November 04, 2005
Shower Techniques
ok,
sorry i haven't written in awhile, i just feel there is nothing interesting in my life these days. i could tell you about the stories of different people with amazingly disgusting teeth that come into my office, or tell you about how my husband uses the space in between his teeth as the perfect home for a straw, but you dont care about that do you?
for those of you who know me, this may come as a shock. i have been sneezing my head off for a couple of days now. today i woke up to my right eye being swollen and i am very tired. so, my cold season has officially begun and will last until usually end of March only to come back mid-April for the spring allergies. does anyone else sneeze as much as i do? everytime i go into one of my fits that has 10-12 sneezes, Ash is like "Mere--quit doing that!". um, ok Ashley. make your tooth grow back. you cant right?? neither can i!!! geez. men.
saw that movie "in her shoes" with Kandace the other night. great movie, great company, and a fun girls night out. we ate 2 baskets of chips at chili's before the movie. for those of you who havent seen it, cameron diaz and her bottom are shown frequently throughout the movie. halfway through it, kandace goes "i wish i looked like her." kandace is almost 6 feet tall, long flowing blond hair, gorgeous figure and face, and has the most amazing personality ever. i wanted to throw my popcorn tub on her head. she would have looked gorgeous with popcorn in her head anyway. good friends are few and far between, and i know we are so thankful for the good girlfriends we have in our lives.
quick palmer (my adorable nephew) story. kim said he picked up a picture of me and said " i love Aunt Mere." and hugged the frame!!!! are you serious!! how freakin cute is that!!!!!
ok, well i have to go back to bed because my head feels like it is going to explode from all the snot in it, but before i go i want you to read this email ash sent me about the differences in men's and women's shower techniques and let me know if this is true for you. it is for me.
love to all.
> *How To Shower Like a Woman: > >
Take off clothing and place it in sectioned laundry hamper according to >lights and darks. > >
Walk to bathroom wearing long dressing gown. >
>If you see husband along the way, cover up any exposed areas. >
>Look at your womanly physique in the mirror - make mental note to do more >sit-ups/leg-lifts, etc. >
>Get in the shower. >
>Use face cloth, arm cloth, leg cloth, long loofah,wide loofah and pumice >stone. >
>Wash your hair once with cucumber and sage shampoo with 43 added vitamins. >
>Wash your hair again to make sure it's clean. >
>Condition your hair with grapefruit mint conditioner enhanced. >
>Wash your face with crushed apricot facial scrub for 10 minutes until red. >
>Wash entire rest of body with ginger nut and jaffa cake body wash. >
>Rinse conditioner off hair. >
>Shave armpits and legs. Turn off shower. > >! Squeegee off all wet surfaces in shower. >
>Spray mold spots with Tilex. >
>Get out of shower. >
>Dry with towel the size of a small country. > >Wrap hair in super absorbent towel. >
>Return to bedroom wearing long dressing gown and towel on head. >
>If you see husband along the way, cover up any exposed areas. > >
>*How To Shower Like a Man: >
>Take off clothes while sitting on the edge of the bed and leave them in a >pile. >
>Walk naked to the bathroom. >
>If you ! see wife along the way, shake wiener at her making the 'woo-woo' sound. >
>Look at your manly physique in the mirror. >
>Admire the size of your wiener and scratch your butt. >
>Get in the shower. > >Wash your face. > >Wash your armpits. >
>Blow your nose in your hands and let the water rinse them off. >
>Fart and laugh at how loud it sounds in the shower. >
>Spend majority of time washing privates and surrounding area. >
>Wash your butt, leaving those coarse butt hairs stuck on the soap. >
> Wash your hair. Make a Shampoo Mohawk. >
>Pee. >
>Rinse off and get out of shower. > >Partially dry off. >
>Fail to notice water on floor because curtain was hanging out of tub the >whole time. >
>Admire wiener size in mirror again. >
>Leave shower curtain open, wet mat on floor, light and fan on. >
>Return to bedroom with towel around waist. >
>If you pass wife, pull off towel, shake wiener at her and make the woo-woo' sound again. >
>Throw wet towel on bed. >
>If there is anyone among you who did not laugh at the truth behind this, there is something so very wrong with you. >Have a great day! And, "woo woo"!!! >
sorry i haven't written in awhile, i just feel there is nothing interesting in my life these days. i could tell you about the stories of different people with amazingly disgusting teeth that come into my office, or tell you about how my husband uses the space in between his teeth as the perfect home for a straw, but you dont care about that do you?
for those of you who know me, this may come as a shock. i have been sneezing my head off for a couple of days now. today i woke up to my right eye being swollen and i am very tired. so, my cold season has officially begun and will last until usually end of March only to come back mid-April for the spring allergies. does anyone else sneeze as much as i do? everytime i go into one of my fits that has 10-12 sneezes, Ash is like "Mere--quit doing that!". um, ok Ashley. make your tooth grow back. you cant right?? neither can i!!! geez. men.
saw that movie "in her shoes" with Kandace the other night. great movie, great company, and a fun girls night out. we ate 2 baskets of chips at chili's before the movie. for those of you who havent seen it, cameron diaz and her bottom are shown frequently throughout the movie. halfway through it, kandace goes "i wish i looked like her." kandace is almost 6 feet tall, long flowing blond hair, gorgeous figure and face, and has the most amazing personality ever. i wanted to throw my popcorn tub on her head. she would have looked gorgeous with popcorn in her head anyway. good friends are few and far between, and i know we are so thankful for the good girlfriends we have in our lives.
quick palmer (my adorable nephew) story. kim said he picked up a picture of me and said " i love Aunt Mere." and hugged the frame!!!! are you serious!! how freakin cute is that!!!!!
ok, well i have to go back to bed because my head feels like it is going to explode from all the snot in it, but before i go i want you to read this email ash sent me about the differences in men's and women's shower techniques and let me know if this is true for you. it is for me.
love to all.
> *How To Shower Like a Woman: > >
Take off clothing and place it in sectioned laundry hamper according to >lights and darks. > >
Walk to bathroom wearing long dressing gown. >
>If you see husband along the way, cover up any exposed areas. >
>Look at your womanly physique in the mirror - make mental note to do more >sit-ups/leg-lifts, etc. >
>Get in the shower. >
>Use face cloth, arm cloth, leg cloth, long loofah,wide loofah and pumice >stone. >
>Wash your hair once with cucumber and sage shampoo with 43 added vitamins. >
>Wash your hair again to make sure it's clean. >
>Condition your hair with grapefruit mint conditioner enhanced. >
>Wash your face with crushed apricot facial scrub for 10 minutes until red. >
>Wash entire rest of body with ginger nut and jaffa cake body wash. >
>Rinse conditioner off hair. >
>Shave armpits and legs. Turn off shower. > >! Squeegee off all wet surfaces in shower. >
>Spray mold spots with Tilex. >
>Get out of shower. >
>Dry with towel the size of a small country. > >Wrap hair in super absorbent towel. >
>Return to bedroom wearing long dressing gown and towel on head. >
>If you see husband along the way, cover up any exposed areas. > >
>*How To Shower Like a Man: >
>Take off clothes while sitting on the edge of the bed and leave them in a >pile. >
>Walk naked to the bathroom. >
>If you ! see wife along the way, shake wiener at her making the 'woo-woo' sound. >
>Look at your manly physique in the mirror. >
>Admire the size of your wiener and scratch your butt. >
>Get in the shower. > >Wash your face. > >Wash your armpits. >
>Blow your nose in your hands and let the water rinse them off. >
>Fart and laugh at how loud it sounds in the shower. >
>Spend majority of time washing privates and surrounding area. >
>Wash your butt, leaving those coarse butt hairs stuck on the soap. >
> Wash your hair. Make a Shampoo Mohawk. >
>Pee. >
>Rinse off and get out of shower. > >Partially dry off. >
>Fail to notice water on floor because curtain was hanging out of tub the >whole time. >
>Admire wiener size in mirror again. >
>Leave shower curtain open, wet mat on floor, light and fan on. >
>Return to bedroom with towel around waist. >
>If you pass wife, pull off towel, shake wiener at her and make the woo-woo' sound again. >
>Throw wet towel on bed. >
>If there is anyone among you who did not laugh at the truth behind this, there is something so very wrong with you. >Have a great day! And, "woo woo"!!! >
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