Over the past month I have played a good bit of cards and I forgot how much fun you can have with a simple deck. A few weeks ago my mom and I had a drink or two and ended up playing ‘Go Fish’ and ‘Snap’ for at least an hour or two. We laughed and talked through the whole game and actually had a really great time.

Then this past weekend on my amazing girls trip in Savannah we ended up playing cards twice and I think we were all surprised how much fun we had. We actually giggled and talked as a group more during our games than any other part of the trip.

So let it be known..

Playing cards have been around since the 9^th century and with a cold beer in one hand and cards in the other it's easy to see why

With my birthday coming up this Friday I will start reminding people that I don’t like to be surprised in any shape form or fashion. The worst is at a restaurant and they all come over and sing around some excuse of a dessert. I’m not even a fan of surprises that involve a large gift or a a surprise trip…this actually hasn’t happened to me but the thought of it gives me nausea. But with all this said I do consider myself always up for anything…just as long as I have some time to digest it. Hmm did I just describe a plot for an anxiety commercial!?

My Worst Nightmare

But what I do love about birthdays are the cards. We never really give or get big presents for any occasion in my family but cards are never to be missed. Big ones, small ones, handmade ones, ones that don’t make sense but they all make me smile. The old lady in me keeps cards around about a good month after my birthday has passed, maybe I will get one like this in the coming days...

Cute Papyrus card

So let it be known…

If the waiters come out to sing on my birthday I will be livid but get me a card I’ll love you forever

So in a few days I will be….GULP….26 years old. In recent years this number started to scare me and I wasn’t really sure why. But after a glass of wine I started to think about it and I realized when I was a little girl 26 was the age that I decided I was going to be married and have my first baby. It’s funny how when you’re a little girl and you plan out your life it all seems so easy. But it also doesn’t help that at my Alma Mater, AUBURN (war eagle!), you are considered an old maid if you aren’t married or with the one you are going to marry by, at least, 26. Now do I really think I'm going to end up single forever? Not at all but just in case I decided to have a little look to see if I do end up an old maid what type of company I would be in.

Coco Chanel

Queen Elizabeth

Miss Piggy

So let it be known…

That on the closing days of my 25^th year it finally clicked that my childhood dreams are just that, childish

Habitat for Humanity

This past weekend I volunteered for Habitat for Humanity and I have to say it was one of the most pleasantly surprising experiences I've had in a long time. I have done charity work before but something about this was different. Trying my best to get up at 615, which is hard any day but especially on a Saturday, forcing myself out of my comfy I have to admit I kind of wished I didn't volunteer and this feeling grew when we arrived at the site in a part of town that was the worst I've seen in Atlanta yet. But that all changed when I signed in and the cutest little girl ( a Pippi Longstocking look alike) was asking us to sign her scrapbook, I presumed she was from the high priced Catholic school that was helping us build. About 20 minutes past and the building leader asked us to gather around and meet the family we were building the house for....to my shock it was Pippi Longstocking and her Mom. The family made a short touching speech (the things this woman overcame was amazing) We learnt that her Mom had to work everyday on their house, have no debt, a saving account, proof she could pay her mortgage every month on time and take 200 hours of financial planning. I had several conversations with the future homeowner and she was so happy and bursting with pride. This home was her dream! She didn't notice everything negative about the area that I sadly did. Or maybe she did notice it but it didnt matter because she was going to continue to live life in HER new home!

At 10am once the foundation was down we started laying the floor

Noon, we had the floor down and put up the first wall. I can't remember the last time I was so giddy!

All the flooring and two walls in a matter of hours!

So let it be known...

It might be a little late to give something up for Lent but that morning I gave up feeling bad for myself

Bring on the drums

Last night my friend Meredith brought over her husband's Rock Band, a game I only had one short and bad attempt in the past. After a few beers and several pieces of pizza or was it several beers and a few pieces of pizza?!? Anyway I some how ended up on the mic. I love the mic but the mic does not like me...mostly because it displays my tone deaf voice loudly. I secretly wanted to play the drums because if I really was in a real rock band I would definitely pick to be the drummer. I ended up trying one song on the drums and failed terribly.

Drum Controller


This just didn't make sense I love the drums and drummers. One of my favorite drummers is Tommy Lee, from the famous hair band Motley Crue. I don't know what it is about him but I always had a little crush on him. This crush changed about two years ago when my father told a story over dinner. The conversation started over how I was a bad newborn in the sense I never slept and was always fussy. The conversation continued when it was mentioned that it didnt help we had a noisy neighbor, that my Dad referred to as "that drummer". 'The drummer?" I asked. Well long story short it was none other than Tommy Lee.

1986

For any fans when my Dad confronted him about the noise and he was very polite and apologetic. Years later my Dad actually helped him and his then wife into our golf club, see above for a picture of the happy couple.

So let it be known...
You loose 'crush' status in my book if you wake me from my slumber and you definitely loose 'crush' status if you and my Father have already had words.

Yesterday I came across a very well known billionaire's address. His address was simply his name and the island. I know for a fact he has a lot of amazing places to call home all over the world, so it got me thinking if I was a billionairess where would I want my many residences to be...

Maldives

Definitely worth going half way around the world for!

Chalet in the Alps

Great place to catch up on some yodeling

Quaint penthouse in Manhattan

Petworth House, England

(my mother's ancestors once called this place home)

....wondering if the deer are included?

Townhouse in Paris
(La Rive Droite of course!)

Luxury in the bush of South Africa

So let it be known...

Money can't buy happiness but it sure can buy a nice pile of bricks!