We have returned from Colorado and it was an injury free week praise the Lord! We go out at 8:30 in the morning and dont return until 3:30 or 4 in the afternoon so you can imagine that my legs are on fire by the end of the day! We usually eat in at night and watch movies, and this year we have been watching "Las Vegas" seasons. (That is a pretty good show by the way. ) Also we have been watching episodes of "The Office" which is the greatest show ever.

(this picture has nothing to do with Colorado. it is in our back yard two weeks ago. awesome.)

The only semi-injury was today when me and Ash were going in and out of trees. There are paths through the trees that are pretty narrow and are probably more for skiers but snowboarders can make it ok. He was ahead of me and I was trying to follow him but on one path I chose not to at the last minute. It was too late to turn and so I totally hit a tree head first and fell back into like waist deep powder snow. Thankfully I had my helmet on so hitting the tree didn't hurt, but digging myself out of snow almost made me have a heart attack. Seriously, I thought I was in good shape but obviously not.

So, we leave tomorrow but we come back to Aspen next weekend with my cousin and her husband for a few days. Hopefully another injury-free week will be in the forecast. Here are some pics from the week:

this is Ash winding in and out of the trees--he really scared me when he would do that!~



me going through a tee-pee but trust me I did hit the stupid thing several times.

sorry-i dont know how to rotate it. Leslie-you can help me with that.


me and Ash

me, Ash, his two brothers and Jennifer (sis-in-law)

We go back this weekend so I will put more up! Have a good week!

Back in Colorado....

Here I am in Beaver Creek, Colorado for another family vacation with Ashley. We love to come up here and do some serious snowboarding for a week. This hopefully will be an injury free week since 2 years ago I was laid up with a compression fracture! Maybe this year I will get the nerve to do some jumping or some rails. I went through a tee-pee last year after several collisions into the tee-pee. It is always encouraging to sit and watch little 3 year olds on skis go through the tee-pee like it was nothing. Anyways, I digress...

Last week before I left I took a kickboxing class. This is like five steps up from Tae-Bo for sure. I took this class with a teacher who is just starting out so it is only me. I told him I was athletic and that he didn't need to take it easy on me. Well, he didn't and I almost died! I could barely work the next day! I did however feel like the "Million Dollar Baby" in her opening training scenes. I have gloves and am totally pounding on this guy. It was awesome! I will keep you updated cause I may join the cagefighting or something!:)

Happy 2008!

Literally, Kelly forced me to update and I confess I had forgotten how to login correctly. Give me a break, I have my hands in peoples mouths all day and talk to them as if they can talk back. Why do hygienists do that?

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Years! Mine was especially good because my whole family was together for several days including all three grandchildren. It was so good to see Lainey Hope who is just a couple of months older than Bennett. Here she is with her beautiful mommy Kim.

We had a family portrait made for my parents for their birthday/christmas present so that is always fun. Mom made all the guys wear red sweaters. Just the guys. Red sweaters. Kind of like when the boy had to wear the bunny suit in "The Christmas Story" that is on 24 hours over Christmas. But they survived and it turned out great. (sorry this pic is so bad! )

We also got my nephew Palmer the Wii. Has anyone played that? That is totally awesome! I was sweating so bad when I played boxing. I felt like I was playing the Italian guy on Mike Tyson's game. Very empowering. Like Tae-Bo on crack. Wish we could have had this for our famous Siggie workouts after club that year. I am terrible at bowling but this was no surprise. Palmer just wanted to create people, but that in itself was really fun. So, hats off to the Japanese for getting us off our rear ends and getting some exercise.

Well, I better go see if Bennett needs his Aunt Mere to give him kisses. They are leaving tomorrow and we are so sad. We have had so much fun with everyone and will miss them terribly!

One more thing-I already talked to Leslie about this but go see the movie "Juno". It was the best movie I have seen in a long time. Also, the book that I just finished was "The Pillars of the Earth" which was fabulous and my new favortite cd that I can't get enough of is the "Hairspray" soundtrack. Does anyone else like any of these? Tell me yours too! I need a new book!

Ok seriously this time. My New Years resolution is to blog more and keep up with the world through this technology. This is my goal. Talk to you soon!

I'm Back,,,

There are truly no words to thank everyone for the outpore of threats and viscious emails and phonecalls that I have received about my lack of participation in this blog world. For the 2 or 3 people I have left, I will hopefully quench your thirst for more of my boring but sometimes interesting world.

So, since the house has been built (over a year) Ash and I purchased his dental practice. The day we went to sign the papers, I was thinking "No big deal-in and out in an hour max." Almost 3 hours later, and hearing words that I had no clue if even the lawyer knew what he was talking about-we walked through the doors new owners and heavily in debt. (big downside) But so far Ash is doing great and we are still married. (big plus)

My oldest brother and his wife Kim welcomed their second child-sweet Lainey Hope. She is a lump of love! She melts in your arms when you hold her. Her big brother Palmer is still sinfully adorable and also will melt your heart. Kim looks fantastic and so does Randy!

My other brother Travis and his wife Kelly are about to welcome their first child-Bennett Mitchell who should pop out to say HI in late August or first of September. Mom and I went to visit for a baby shower last weekend in Washington D.C. Kelly and Trav got so much stuff! She opened presents for 2 hours straight! Unreal! So much cute stuff!

The trip home was the trip from you know where. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 9:40 but did not leave until after 1 in the morning. So, to kill the almost 4 hours in the airport, I went walking with my IPod. Trying to make good use of time and energy. Oh-by the way-Ash and I have been on Weight Watchers for awhile now! More on that later... We are doing great with it too! Anywho-I digress. So, I walked around the airport to stay awake. All the gift shops were obviously closed so seriously there was nothing to do. Mom was wrapped in every single blanket she could find and reading about the latest scandel with Brittany Spears and her mom. (they should just make up by the way)

So, the flight was really bumpy but we landed and I was in bed at almost 4:30. But dont worry-it was all worth it! :))))

Last night, I got to hang out with some of my old high school friends. We are having our 10 year reunion this October! I cant believe how much we have all changed. Shout out to the girls! HOLLA!

OK. Well, thats all for now. I warned you that this was boring! I will try to update this more-I promise!

Pictures of the house

so finally--i know you all have been anticipating my triumphant return to the blogger world, and here I am. Even though everyone now has moved on to the "My Space" stuff, but to those 2 or few faithfuls out there, i will now attempt to post pictures of my house.

here is the front view. our lot is long and narrow and a Charleston type home was the only option we had actually.













here is our view from the back porch.












there are Ashley's toys.














our view from our dock. not to shabby.












now i hope you all enjoy--sorry it took so long.

love to you.
mere

My hopes come crashing down

ok, i know i havent written in awhile, and everyone has all but threatened me to write something so fine!!! Here is a little something--

First of all, a quick shout out to Leslie's dad--Papa Tom and his full recovery. You are in my prayers and I love you very much!!

Ok, so as of today my house is not going to be ready by May 26th. People told me to expect this of builders and that the standard "2 week rule" will come into play. But, since we are so behind already I thought surely my builder will be on time!! Come on Mere!! Wake up and smell the tile grout!!! our new date is June 15th. Two weeks later. unbelievable. How hard is it to adjust a few drawers and finish painting a few walls??? I wanted to be in to throw a lake party for my birthday, which is May 21st in case you were wondering. (The mail is running slow, so go ahead and get those cards in this week!! :)

I would show you pics of the house, but I am too bummed. I might later. Plus our workers went on strike......of course. Never saw that one coming.

On a competely opposite note, I just finished reading "THE DaVinci Code". That is (besides the Bible and some of my Babysitter's Club books) one of the best books I have read. We are doing a study on this book at my church and I wanted to read it before the movie came out. If anyone else has read it,,let me know. I would love to talk about it. I can see how unbelievers could believe this to be some sort of the truth, and that is one of the main reasons why I wanted to read it. Also, so I could know where they were coming from and be able to discuss it rationally before I got my Peter the irrational apostle groove on and start smackin people around! :)

So, now Ash and I are stuck in our apartment for what seems like FOREVER!!! to no avail, this is not the end of the world. NOw after a few weeks when Alias is over, that will be the end of the world!

ok, i hope this tides my fans over for the next few months!

love to all,

Growing Pains

I feel like I have aged 10 years in the past week.

For the most part, Ash has done most of the house planning stuff. I have picked out faucets with him, and we did doorknobs and deadbolt together for the most part. The big things up to this point Ash has done and I have really cared because I trust him. Well, these past several days I have been working on cabinets. Kitchen and bathroom cabinets. This has ultimately made me want to throw myself in front of a semi-truck.

I dont know anything about measuring, countertops, etc. I just pick out the color, and so far I have gone over budget on everything. (this should not surprise anyone)
Today I met with the cabinet lady at our new house and talked about the kitchen and then she moved to the bookshelves in the great room. I was clearly not prepared to talk about bookshelves in the great room, therefore I began to panic and start crying on the inside. I stink at this house junk!! I have no idea what I am doing!

After work, I met Ash at his office to see some guy about life-insurance and disability. About hhmm, 45 seconds into his presentation, I was thinking about cabinets and about which scrubs I was going to wear tomorrow. All of his mumbo-jumbo, I could not understand what he was talking about. Every once in awhile, he would look at me for approval, to which I would just smile and nod. (I knew there were some hidden M&M's somewhere in the room we were in, and if I could just get to them before he saw me I would be in better shape. )

Lucky for me, Ash is really smart and can handle all this junk. I told the guy that this was all grown-up stuff and I felt to young to do this now. He promptly reminded me of my age, (thank you Mr. Mumbles) and that I did need to be prepared. geez.

so, i feel better after venting my house and insurance problems. Please keep me in mind Friday and I have to make decisions on bathroom vanities(colors), tile, hardwood floor color, fabric, and now bookshelves all before 2:00. If anyone wants to fly to Nashville and do this for me, you have my nod of approval. :)

Vacation in Colorado

so we are at the end of our snowboarding vacation and it has been uneventful as far as injuries go. some bumps and bruises are about it, so you can all let out a sigh of relief.

here are some pics of the week:


this is me snowboarding with my trusty helmet. safety first!











ash and I at lunch in the warming house

after a long day, its good to just sit and take in the view.

me and Ash

sometimes i still have trouble getting off the lift and have to hold on to him for dear life!

ok, tomorrow we come back home. it has been a fabulous vacation! no broken bones this time!

i finally can send pictures!

ok, again i am sorry for the sporadic posts, but i am obsessed with the Olympics and so i watch the games all the time! at this moment, the ice dancing is going on and so i have some time!:) i do love snowboarding, and well, thats about it. GO USA!

ok, Ash and I are in the process of building a house and it is the most stressful thing ever. it is our first 6 months of marriage and we are doing something that will give us a test of true love. we were picking out doorknobs and finishes the other day and i thought our 6 month run was about over. thank goodness we agreed to disagree, and I won the battle but lost the war for a ridiculous home entertainment center. but i have pics of the house and its progress, and so i will try to post them. also a pic of me with my red hair.

holy cow!!! kelly just walked me through this whole picture thing so now you all can share in the wonders of building a house. here are some more: this is our fireplace and our contractor Dave.

ok and now the Mere with red hair :::drumroll please:

me getting my ghetto lips on right?

ok--i am totally spent and womens snowboard cross is about to come on, so i gotta go!! love to all and please pray for us as we go to Colorado next week! pray i dont break yet another vertebrae snowboarding!! one day, you guys will be watching me at the Olympics and there is no telling what color my hair will be!!

A bad day

two blogs in two days, Jesus is really coming soon! :)

Ok, well my day started off with a bang. I was blow drying my hair and I knocked off a vase that was mounted on my wall with a fake hydrangia in it. It of course shattered onto the floor, but i continued to blow dry my hair because i was almost done anyway. Ash stumbled in in all his morning glory to see (squinted) if i was okay. I told him i was fine and this was all a dream. (he is really gullible)

So, ok the first hour of JAN. 18 was not good, but how much worse could it get?

I go to work early because it snowed here and i wanted to be a good hygienist and prepare for the days teeth that awaited me. I made coffee for all to share, and then went to do some things. I came back to the kitchen and the coffee was EVERYWHERE! i apparently did not put the coffee pot all the way in the holder thing and the stream of coffee never made it to the pot. So, a royal mess was made and I frantically tried to clean it up lest I become the office joke. The coffee had also soaked my new coat Ash got me for Christmas, that is gortex material, but still smells like coffee. The coffee finally got cleaned up with the help of 10000 paper towels, but my jacket kept leaking. I had to literally wring out my coat to get it to stop. finally, i just put some paper towels under my coat so it could drain. so now my North Face smells like Folgers Strong blend.

Lunch time comes around, and Ash informs me he got a new flipper. The tooth on the retainer thing? remember? now he has two. This new one is way more comfy he says. now on my bathroom counter are 2 retainers with 2 teeth on them. i KNOW i did not sign up for this August 20, 2005.

I go after work to meet Cilla and cant find my keys. I have my boss almost break my window to my car because i am "sure" they are in there, when someone comes out and says she found them in the trash. nice Mere. My boss just rolled his eyes and laughed. somehow, i still became the office joke.

So, I am home now thankfully with no more screw ups for the day. I am sure all these misfortunes are a direct result of my hair color. this never happened when i was blond. people understood when i messed up. now it is a shock!

But, who is the one person who can make this all better? Ash of course. My sweet husband told me he had a present for me. Jewelry? Ann Taylor gift card? shoes? no girls!! better!!1 what cna be better???

HOW ABOUT A CASE OF HARIBO GUMMI BEARS!! THATS 48 BOXES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

haribo gummi bears are the best gummi bears ever. their texture is priceless. you can buy them at walgreens or target, and they are in a gold box or bag. please go and enjoy.

how sweet is he? a patient of his sells candy at cost, and so he got those plus some Jelly Bellies for me! i am so excited! I plan on devouring them immediatley!

so the day ended well, but i am still going back to blond tomorrow. i will try to take a picture of the Goth that is my hair for you all to see!

Blondes really do have more fun,,,

OK, I did it. Finally.

I colored my hair brown/red. I am no longer a blond. It happened Friday and some friends of ours called it "spicy hair." Not quite sure, but I think there is a compliment in there somewhere. BUt, and no offense to all my homegirls with the brown and red hair (Leslie, thats you and only you!), but I think i have been feeling sad these past few days. I dont know if it is the dye, or the whole persona. I just cant get into it. Of course Cilla, with her ever-loving comments said "Your hair doesnt know what color it is!") thanks mom. #1 supporter of everything i do.

I think i am depressed because I miss the blond Mere. I have tried to be more serious, more funky, more trendy with this new hair, but I just cant get into it. I have lost my edge, my wit, and my euphora.

So, i have made the decision after watching the Golden Globes last night and seeing Reese Witherspoon looking ever so fabulous, that I want to go back to my "natural" color. As my lovely sister in law told me--"I love your blond highlights!" Some are still el naturel, but again, there was a compliment in there somewhere. Seriously, I think Kel was telling me the blond Mere is what we are all used too, so why mess with perfection? :)))))) (see, the humor is starting to come back!)

ok, done deal. Thursday is D-DAY for my hair. I am going back to blond!!! yea!!! I feel better all ready!

thanks for the pep talk everyone. sorry i stink at writing blogs. i get carpal tunnel syndrome from digging into peoples mouths everyday.

peace in the middle east.

New Year's in Indiana?

Well, another successful Christmas and New Years has gone by and this year has already started off just great!
this is my first Christmas and New Year's as a married woman, and that is the obvious HUGE highlight of 2005.
Some lowlights of 2005 include:
Ash's house burning completely down on Jan. 26, 2005
Me breaking a vertebrae in my lower back on Feb. 11 while snowboarding in Colorado
The pathetic season of the Vols
The ridiculously slow rate the framers are taking with our house
The movie "Elizabethtown"

So, this year Ash and I went to ski for the weekend at Perfect North Slopes in Indiana. That's right, I said INDIANA! . We were driving to the "slopes" (aka - a bit larger than a hill) and it was green grass all the way until randomly there was some snow on this hill. It was a little weird skiing in 50 degree weather with other people skiing in jeans. (Just a note for everyone, please don't ski or snowboard in jeans. you look silly. ) Thankfully, I did not get hurt this time around, but hopefully Colorado won't get me again!

We slept in Saturday and met up with some kids from our church youth group that night around 8:00 for some night skiiing and to watch fireworks. We ended up snowboarding until 3 in the morning!! I am a SPECK!! I am not used to staying up this late! :) (shout out to my brother!)

We quit early yesterday to go snowtubing which totally freaked me out, but I know Ashley loved watching my eyes basically pop out of my head down the hill at a very fast rate!

To end our fun vacation, we ate at Abuelos!!! (i think i misspelled it!! Sorry to my fellow Abileneans!) I loved taking Ash to one of my favorite college restaurants in the middle of Lawrenceburg, Indiana.

Overall, Christmas with my family was absolutely perfect. New Years in Indiana was every girl's dream! :) I am truly blessed!

Stay tuned for Christmas pics of my nephew Palmer!!

I'm Back,,,

Sorry to all my 5 fans out there about my negligence towards my blog. I was told by one of my fans that if I didnt write soon, i would be "kicked off the island",,,and so i thought i better write something!
.
I dont know how it is where you are, but here in Nashville, there is a controversy on calling "Christmas" by that name this season. It seems that some people are offended by this term and would rather it be called "holiday season." People get offended these days by anything. I'm not saying anyone is right here, but let me tell you what I witnessed today after church.

I was in line at Target with 65% of the people in Nashville buying last minute gifts for my adorable nephew, when the woman in front of me started to yell at the cash register girl. Apparently the girl told her "Happy Holidays" and the woman yelled back to her that it was her right to call it "Christmas". But to me, no matter what you call the day, there usually has some kind of Christmas spirit and joy that goes along with it. This lady was lacking any sort of cheer, and i told the girl that she did fine in handling that situation. The girl pretty much ignored the lady yelling at her and politely handed her the change. NO "Christmas" cheer was spread to that girl.

But in this mass-marketing world, have we lost sight of the true meaning of the day? I wonder if God looks down at us and thinks to himself "They missed the whole point." There is a girl in our young marrieds class who told us about a tradition her family always does on Christmas Eve. They always make a birthday cake for Jesus and sing songs to him. I thought that was really cool. SOme people laughed at the thought, but it does make sense and it is special.

And of course, being the cake lover that I am, I asked "What cake does Jesus like the most?" She told me "white cake." that figures.

I love Christmas. I love the carols at church, the family time, and watching "Christmas Vacation" at least 3 times that weekend. My favorite carol is O Holy Night. I always get chills when i hear that being played or sang. I know we all have our family traditions, some old and some new. We all have great holiday memories and not-so- great memories. There is probably nothing we can do about the mass marketing of the retail world. But we can remember the true meaning and pass it on to others.

Check out this scripture and you will get one of those "Ahh-ha!" moments:

Isaiah 1:1-18.
I won't write the whole thing, but you should read it. God talkes about the different feast and celebrations and meaningless offerings. this is kind of sad at the start, but towards the middle you can see how God wants us to come with sincere hearts to bring Him gifts. (like the wise men) And in verse 18 where it refers to "white as snow", that sounds like Christmas.

God is not impressed with all that we have made of this day with all the shopping, and fruit cakes and traffic. Have we missed the point?

This is such a special time of the year to be with your loved ones, but let's not lose sight of the greatest gift we were given from God.

And remember to bake baby Jesus a birthday cake! (figuratively or literally!)

merry CHRISTmas!

SEC Bound

this past weekend was my first ever trip to the SEC Championship football game. Now, of course we all know the Vols are not one of the 2 teams there because they had the crappiest season ever. This year it was LSU vs. Georgia, and so my husband was thrilled we got tickets. he was like a little kid--it was hysterical. i worked some Saturday morning(bummer) and then we left for Atlanta. I was planning on wearing my orange UT sweatshirt, but took it off before we went into the stadium. i was neutral and wore a black sweater. Ash had a red polo shirt on and was barking the whole time for the Dawgs. I was watching UGA, the mascot bulldog the whole time. i must admit the atmosphere was unbelievable and the fans were outstanding. there was a little section or 2 for LSU and then the rest was black and red. Georgia rolled over LSU to lead them to victory and a great night for Ashley. We then stayed the night at his brothers place in Atlanta and hung out with them most of today. We were talking about the fun weekend with the win and visiting family and how great things were when,,,,,,

we got a flat tire. all the wind was let out of our sails. then it began to rain. So, in the pouring rain, Ash changed the tire and then we went to eat at Shoneys. All we wanted was some strawberry pie, but they were out. so, things took a drastic turn there towards the end. so, now we are home, but Ash has a SEC title and a bid to the Sugar Bowl. He had a great weekend overall!!

ok, my favorite show "Grey's Anatomy" is on,,,,,gotta go!

love you all

Ode to Travis from his Sister

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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"!!! >

bye bye sweet tooth,,

i know the title is misleading, but i am not talking about desserts. even though, last night at the dental womens meeting, all the ladies were size 2 with 3 kids, and several numbers in their accounts. i stuck out like a sore thumb to say the least. but, i was inducted,,,the hazing was minimal. no suntan panty hose or yellow skirt spank you very much.

quick sidenote,,,,the chinese backstreet boys video that Kelly sent me,,,is that for real? i saw it on the Today show this morning. are they being serious? someone enlighten me please.

ok, back to my sweet tooth. i am referring to number 25. that is on the bottom in the middle(remember to count from the upper right to left, and then lower left to right,,everyone do that now,,,1,2,3,4,)

ever since i can remember, i have always had this yellow spot that takes up most of the tooth. i used to think it was corn that somehow magically got inside my tooth, but last year figured out that there was no corn actually IN the tooth. it was an intrinsic stain that probably occurred in some kind of fall that i took as a child. some kind of trauma happened to sweet Mere. hhmmmm,,,it could either be Randy or the gypsy kid we all know as Travis. sure he looks sweet, but you didnt know him back when.

well, i finished early today and asked my boss if he would fix it. i have always been self conscious of my tooth and have never really come out of my shell. i tend to be introverted most of the time, and so i thought i needed a change. so, as i watch Alias on TNT, Mark (my boss) numbed my lower chin and began to chisel my tooth and put white composite on there to match the other teeth. my lips felt huge and i was drooling everywhere, but he was nice and just wiped my chin. i think i heard him laugh too.

so, 26 years later, i have a new tooth to help me get back into the big world where i belong. i came home to my hubby who had just bought a pizza for us. he laughed as i could barely eat my pizza because the numbing still had not worn off. in fact, as i write this now, i am drooling down the side of my face. it is all worth it though.

everyone have a great day! me and my new tooth have some smiling to do!! (cheessssyyy!)