Yea, Mon!

Last Friday morning at 6:00 A.M. (yes that means we got up at 3:30 A.M.) we actually caught our Delta flight without any problems to Jamaica for some fun in the sun with old friends.  

One of George's friends, Chad 

got married to his sweetheart on Monday. Chad was also a part of our wedding and a dear friend, so it was obvious that we were going to Jamaica to witness the nuptials.  

We had such a fabulous time...all you need to know is there was sunshine, a beach, good friends and a swim up bar.  Yep, my week was perfect!!

Our "Ocean View" room...hmm....

The wedding site

Matt's ready!!


The trouble makers

Kendra and Chad



Chad, Matt, Justin, George and Chris

Chad and George at our wedding in '07

We had some not-so great entertainment and some fabulous entertainment.  Check out these guys and their mad talent on the steel drums sporting some Michael Jackson!!!  I was seriously fascinated by them!  The sound quality isn't great, but you will get the idea.
 

*Disclaimer....I do not know the lady in the blue, but she is hilarious*

Such a great time and I hope to get back somewhere warm soon with the hubby!!

6 Happies for a Monday

So I have a top 6 going on in my life right now and want to share!

1.       The Civil Wars “Barton Hollow” -best $8 I’ve spent in a looooong time. Simply amazing.  You can buy it here

Find Them Here!

2.      Blueberry Martinis from Alchemy Restaurant in Midtown-Suuuper yummy, you will thank me later!

3.       Girlscout Cookies… I’ve already eaten 3 boxes of Tagalongs and 1 box of Samoas.

4.      JCrew Spring Tees-I have bought like 5 different ones and they are on sale!  Perfect for this time of year

5.      All my pregnant friends and their new babies!  Got to meet Savannah’s new edition, Elsie this weekend and celebrate Beth’s up and coming hunk, Bo!

6.      GCB on abc-it stands for Good Christian Bitches and there is nothing Christian about it, but it’s hilarious!!

Here are 6 happies for a Monday!

MBA...Almost check...Yep You Heard Me Right!

I cannot even believe I am about to start my last class in my MBA.  I sure know why they save this one for last because it's going to be a doozie!  However, I am so grateful that I work for a company that values continuing education and will pay for it!!  THANK YOU FEDEX!  My background is in education and had a really hard time finding a job outside of teaching that would put it to use, so I went into sales right out of college.  I liked it and was good at it so took another sales job at FedEx.  Knowing nothing about business other than what my friends did and talked about in college, it was imperative that I get a masters in business.  Me, Katherine...a masters in business.  Sounds like an oxymoron, but I couldn't be more proud of myself to bite off something this challenging for me and accomplish it.  Well, ask me again in May if I accomplished it...surely to goodness I will though!

Seth Wood

I have been slacking on writing a bit lately, but this post is sure to make your ears happy.  I have a friend that I went to middle and high school with who has stolen my heart and my ears lately.  I recently noticed an interesting post on his Facebook that grabbed my attention.  I always knew he was into music and talented.  In high school Seth would walk around with a guitar…all the time…at least once a week.  He would make up a song about you as he greeted you in the hallway or just try to cheer you up by playing a few quick notes.  So, seeing this post about his music career, didn’t surprise me.  I wandered onto ITunes and sure enough…..Seth Wood “Abraham.”  I of course downloaded it after I previewed only a couple of songs because I knew it was going to be good. 

Couple months later, I am still listening to his tracks.  I hate to see that it was produced in 2009...two plus years I’ve been missing out!  I noticed on ITunes it recommended some artists you might know if you liked Seth’s music such as The Civil Wars, Mumford and Sons….all things fabulous is what it should have said.  I dare you to download the whole album…after all he is an aspiring artist so you better not copy it…and listen to “Amy.”  If you don’t fall in love with that song tonight, then I give up.  So there, my gift to you on a Wednesday night.  

Link to ITunes to purchase:   http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/abraham/id306891655

Music = My Obsession

 It is no surprise that I am obsessed with music.  I live to talk about it.  I love talking about artists, music lyrics, the meaning of albums and all that weird stuff.  Some of my earliest memories are wrapped around music and how it had such an influence on my life.  My first memory of music was a tape by the Miami Sound Machine, “Primitive Love.”  God what a great album!  My favorite tune was first the “Uh Oh” song or formally called, “Falling In Love” (Uh-Oh). My parents hated that I loved that tape because I would sing “Uh oh Uh oh” all the time.  They always thought I had tipped my juice cup over on the carpet or slammed my finger in something.   I’m pretty sure I was about 3 years old when I fell in love with Gloria Estefan.   the "Uh-Oh" song for all of you who haven't a clue! The next album that I played on repeat was Dolly Parton’s 1982 Greatest Hits.  Let me tell you…that title doesn’t even tell you the half of how great those songs were!   “Here You Come Again” is a song that I still catch myself still singing. Dolly  Then the big one came.  I’m trying to remember the first time I heard her and honestly I can’t tell you.  The album says 1987 and it couldn’t have been too long after the album was released that I became seriously infatuated with….the one...the only….if you know me then you know….DEBBIE GIBSON.  I have absolutely no shame that I sang Debbie Gibson songs at the end of my driveway for years.  I have no embarrassment that I had the hat, tights/skirt, denim jacket and sang “Lost in Your Eyes” at a pre-school talent show.  I am absolutely not scared to tell you that I have every album by her in addition to the official “Out of the Blue” VHS.  I can also tell you that I have mastered a Debbie Gibson dance move.  I love the girl and still get butterflies in my stomach when I hear her. I'll give you my all time favorite Debbie Gibson song...Foolish Beat

After all the obsessions with those ladies, I also have a craving for 60s and 70s rock that grows stronger every year that I get older. (PS Happy birthday Janis Joplin today...she would have been 69). When I was growing up my parents always listened to music.  Little did I know at the time, that they were creating a monster in me and embedding this love for music into my soul.  For years and years we would go up to our rec room and listen to albums.  One of my favorites that I could always convince my Dad to crank up was Derrick and the Dominoes', “Layla.”  The real version, not the Eric Clapton unplugged…I mean electric guitar, drums and the whole crew of Derrick and the Dominoes.  (I know we differ on this Taryn!)  I said for probably 10 years, my first born daughter would be named Layla.  Those were some good Friday nights. ~Layla~

With all of that being said, I feel like I know good music.  I probably lost a few voters with the Miami Sound Machine and Debbie Gibson, but in all seriousness, I know it when I hear it.  My original thought for this blog would be to write about Memphis, but honestly that hasn’t panned out too well.  However, I have a Memphis post!  There is a band coming Saturday night to Brookhaven that you have to check out.  They are a personal favorite.  One of my friends asked me today how I know them.  After I thought about it, we go way back.  I followed this band around since I was 16.  Yep, 16.  I used to have to drive my friends Ashley and Lindsay to see them because they couldn’t even drive yet.  We would all meet up at Wings to Go in Franklin to listen to the John Sutton Band.  Wings to Go was a tiny place with only a few tables, but we would cram in there.  MD, Kyle, Dave, Zane,  Jenny, Ashley and myself were regulars.  We LOVED JSB.  Not only does JSB bring back such great memories to me, but John is an incredible musician.  I highly recommend checking them out at Brookhaven Saturday.  They come to Memphis a couple of times a month, so if you like him (which you will if you like Dave Mathews, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Jimi Hendrix, or JSB originals), then you can start coming to all the Memphis shows with me!  PS: if you live near Franklin they play at Buganut Pig a lot.  I have included some links for them so you can check them out!

http://www.johnsuttonband.com/

Here's a little tune to help get ya ready!  So Fine

(Just for old times sake!)

The Shivley's

My dear sweet Anna Banana got married this weekend.  We had the most amazing time in Union City.  Marcy and Anna make such fun of the big UC, but I’ll tell ya…every time I’ve been…I’ve had a blast.  Anna was a beautiful bride, if that surprises anyone.  I mean seriously, could she be any prettier?  I am so excited for her and Trell.  Poor Trell and the fact that it took them 8 years to get engaged was the joke of the weekend. They are perfect for one another.  They know everything about one another…probably more than Anna or Trell would like to know!  It was so great getting to spend the weekend with their sweet families and all my friends!  WINNING!!  Congratulations to Anna and Trell!!

Probably my favorite dress!

Everything was so wintry...gorgeous!

My lovies

Wish

I have had the most amazing day…too amazing not to share.  As I have mentioned in a previous post, I went through Make a Wish training this summer.  I learned during that time how much of a commitment and how important it would be to be totally available during the wish granting experience.  I thought I had decided to wait until after I got done with school to dive into this…until two weeks ago.  I got an e-mail from the volunteer coordinator that she needed two people for a 17 year old girl’s wish.  As a “wish granter” you go and meet the child, find out what their wish is, fill out a bunch of paperwork and help plan how you’re going to tell them that their wish is coming true.  She convinced me that I could handle it with all that I have going on and I caved!  Boy am I glad that I did.  I met the most amazing young lady tonight.  Unfortunately I cannot tell you all the things that make this young woman so amazing, but I will try and give you my biggest take-aways. 

What if you were told you had one wish…anything at all, what would you wish for?  What if you had no money or distance restriction, what would you wish for?  What if you were about to go through a life changing transplant….that might work or might not?  This young lady’s wish was really just about being with her family.  She asked to go somewhere that a lot of kids ask for, but it wasn’t about the place…it was about her Dad that has traveled hundreds of miles to stay with her and be her support system as she undergoes treatment.  She could tell that this is something he wanted them to do together...just him and her.  We have to ask her for two wishes, her second one was more about her, but it was the sweetest wish.  It was so simple and would seem so attainable for you or for me.  But for her, it’s a wish of a lifetime.  I cannot describe the feeling I have about this girl.  I barely even know her, but I know that she is amazing and that I will never forget her wish or her story.   

Hopefully in the next couple of weeks, we will have the funding ready and her trip booked!  I can’t wait to plan how I’m going to tell her!