Not a Good Year for Roses

Now you see them...

And now you don't! These two unruly climbing roses were removed and systematically disassembled for disposal. Back before Christmas a friend from work with extensive gardening knowledge and skill generously offered his time to help remove and relocate some plants in the backyard. I hope this gives me a reason to weed and attend to other areas of the yard. Stay tuned for the "after" pictures or come to visit.

Turducken 5

Cousin Eddie made an appearance, along with this handsome gentleman in his festive apparel.
Grandpa Pate's punch bowl held a custom batch of egg nog, complete with freshly grated nutmeg.

Another year, another nagging doubt that I should punt on Turducken without Jeff and Erin, but clearer heads prevailed. It came together with the help of Ryan and Liz preparing the stuffings. The turkey fought back when one of the bones broke and stabbed me in the finger. In the end, we won the battle, many familiar faces appeared and lots of good food was consumed. Merry Christmas, Vicksburg!

Flashback: Thursday Night Football

It was cold, they lost by two, but played decently in the 2nd half. Here's hoping CJ and the boys see a lot of endzone today. GO TITANS!

Deck the House

Didn't manage a Christmas card this year, but the tree is up, and some holly was scavenged from the backyard. Planning to hit the after Christmas sales for decorations.

All Play and No Work

Unless you count my "work-cations" I never really post much about work. Yesterday they actually let me play in the lab a little and I thought I would share. Lots of partners in crime here, from left to right, Jay, Shelby, me then Nick. Photo credit goes to Al. Wish the experiment was as successful as this photo shoot.

More fun in Middle Tennessee

From breakfast at Noshville, we made a stop at the Army Navy Surplus store, to consider the purchase of gas masks and insulated coveralls, but mostly to kill a little time before we picked up Jenny at Vanderbilt. Griff, ever vigilant, tried on some flak jackets to wear around Hinds County. After picking up the smartly dressed hospital administrator and headed to a "trailer" for lunch, while enjoying a tribute to Dr. Ned Mitchell and the time he spent here while living in Nashville. Greg even showed up toward the end, but was not available for a blog appearance.

Playing Tourist in the Music City

Armed with advice from Nashville experts, may sights were seen over a 24 hr period. Breakfast at Noshville Delicatessen, mine involved an omelet, bagel, bloody mary and pickles! These house special pickles were spectacular, so good that I even brought a quart home with me.

Thursday Night Football and Beyond

Back in October, Griff convinced my brother, Rod, to give up his Colts-Titans tickets. Not sure how he did it, since he had known him all of 5 minutes. Grudgingly, he decided to let me tag along. It was cold, as you would expect for a December game, and despite the loss, we had fun. Met up with the Birkofers before the game, and I was sorry to hear I had missed the next installment of shenanigans up in Section 317. Titans lost, despite a resurgence in the second half.

It Comes around Every year

Life is good no matter the age. What an amazing year it has been, looking forward to another fun-filled 12 months! Thanks for checking in on me to see what's happening.

Congratulations to my BFF

The news we have all been waiting for, Griff finally did it--he and Ginny are engaged! I didn't want to do it because they were at a Memphis game, but it is the only picture where he is smiling (that I could steal off her Facebook page).

Stay tuned for a Mississippi engagement party annoucement.