Grayson

SPOILER ALERT!! Don't read this post if you don't want to see graduation photos and want to wait for the actual announcements to come in the mail before you see them. BECAUSE...it's just wild to me that this is actually happening with the oldest of my 'little kids' and I'm still wrapping my head around the whole getting ready to graduate / leave home thing.

But other than that, it's fun to post the photos of this handsome young man.

So the dashing photo above was the official yearbook photo, and then we had Bailey Fuqua take some others at The Factory here in Franklin. I thought they turned out great! I won't share them all here, but here's a few of my favorites...

 

Awwww...my two little pups.

 

 

Grayson with his bro, Davis Fuqua

 

AND NOW...

And then to top it all off, I came home last night and found this in my yard...nothing like driving home a point.

The time has come...(and I'm not sure I like it).

WICKED

So for years, I've been hearing from friends about how FABULOUS the musical "Wicked" is...well, I finally got to go see it for myself! I 'happen' to give Steve tickets for Valentine's Day -- with the stipulation that one of them be for me - haha. (More about that HERE)

It was playing at TPAC, and we got group pricing by going in with a friend from work (Briana Lutes); we were able to get good seats at a great price!

Before the show even started, I bought the soundtrack and a magnet for my collection. HA!

I really didn't know what to expect -- I couldn't imagine how they would do a 'pre-quel' to the legendary "Wizard of Oz," but they pulled it off. It was fun, inspiring, and the music was AWESOME!

I listened to the soundtrack (with the original Broadway case including Idina Menzel) non-stop in the car for days. One of my favorite, motivating parts from the song "Defying Gravity" goes like this:

"So if you care to find me

Look to the western sky

As someone told me lately

Everyone deserves a chance to fly!"

GREAT SHOW!

Brad Paisley

It's about time I blog about my FABULOUS first time to see BRAD PAISLEY in concert! Steve gave me tickets for Christmas, and I anxiously anticipated the concert, which was February 23, 2014.

I have been a Brad fan since I heard a song off a very early album called "Didn't Have to Be" which blew my mind, made me cry, and I just had to know who this writer was. His songs make you laugh, cry, think; they're romantic, in your face, tongue-in-cheek, patriotic, etc. He just has a great way with words! And his guitar playing...don't even get me started! I think I have every album he has recorded since then, and although I listen to him all the time and I've seen him perform many times on TV, I have never gone to a concert!

We had pretty good seats, and if my camera would have been better, I could have gotten some real good photos! His wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley was sitting down a few rows from us in the 'guest' section. But my camera wouldn't zoom in the low light well enough to capture her and their two boys, Huck (6) and Jasper (4).

His opening act was Chris Young, who was actually really good, too! Have heard several of his songs on the radio, but don't follow him much. Brad said a couple of times he is one of the "nicest guys I've ever met."

The concert was really ALL I thought it would be. Brad is just a phenomenal entertainer. He is a FANTASTIC WRITER first, then an ELITE GUITARIST, and a good singer...in that order. But I must admit his singing is pretty darn good, and has gotten better over the years. I enjoyed every single minute of the concert!

HE ROCKED HIS GUITARS!!

Of course, the visuals were what would be expected of the top male country entertainer...AMAZING!

I was on my feet with the rest of the crowd almost the whole time, singing along to every word.

At one point, he and a few of his band members came right out in front of us -- right by where Kimberly and the VIPs were sitting, and a did a few numbers there. Now THAT was cool!

Another WILD SCREAM inducing moment was when the music started for "Remind Me" (a favorite of mine), a duet he does with Carrie Underwood. And when she walked out and sang with him, the crowd just went CRAZY! It IS Nashville, after all, and stars just hang out around here to sing at other people's concerts. We're cool like that. (Again, wishing my camera was better.)

 

FANTABULOUS show! I will be going to see him again.

Oh...and Steve got me this great book last year, if anyone wants to borrow it. It's a fun read, and will make you love Brad as a person as well as an entertainer!

Yeah, we're pretty much like this now, Brad and me.

Spring Break - Destin

(No, this isn't actually me)

So about three weeks before Spring Break (week of March 15), Gordon & Michelle Bennett invited us to join them in a condo they had reserved in Destin, Florida. At first it was a "No, we really aren't beach people" response, but somehow it turned into "Hey, I guess that might be fun!" It will be Grayson and Hannah's LAST spring break of their high school careers. And, even more than FUN, I thought it might be a chance to actually RELAX. So, we went!

I haven't bought a swimming suit since 1996, when we went to Hawaii with Ambest! Okay, can I just say that the swimsuit purchase expedition was one of the most miserable, humiliating, disgusting, and financially shocking experiences of my life thus far. But I ended up with a granny dress I could wear on the beach. It was the first and only one I tried on, and it was 20% off (and still ridiculously expensive), it fit well enough, it had plenty of fabric, and I quickly BOUGHT IT and left the store to mourn in private.

It went something like this:

 

'Nuff said...

It rained on Sat/Sun/Mon, so we amused ourselves at the Condo by watching "Frozen" like 12 times, cooking, playing games and we went to the Outlet Mall nearby on Monday.

 

 

And while there, I was lucky enough to find some CROCS that I think I can actually still wear to work, even with our new Hitler-esque dress code. They're comfy & soft like my other CROCS, but they look dressier like sandals. The only way Hitler will know they're not regular sandals is if he comes up and makes me take them off and looks at the manufacturer. (Michelle got some Crocs too, we're both believers!)

 

 

LOVE the colors in this one! So bright and vivid...

View from our bedroom balcony

We FINALLY got to go down to the water on Tuesday...it was a beautiful day!

Whitney & Jon & Isla & Elliana Swift; Hannah Bennett, Madison Penrod(?), Grayson, Tyler Nabrotzky & Sam

 

 

My FIRST time to sit and relax on the beach...

 

 

 

 

 
Michelle and I walked up the beach and back several times, and called it exercise. But it was really a chance to people-watch and visit out on our own. Haha

 

At the end of our 8th floor condo, the police had set up a temporary "Spring Break" station, and they were arresting underage drinkers, and those who were old enough but displaying public drunkenness. It was interesting and SAD TO WATCH them bring these young people over, talk to them, let them make a call, then take their cell phones away and put them in the back of the paddywagon to go downtown. UG...you know those parents were getting a phone call they did not want! And that place was hoppin' the entire time we were there!

 

 

 

The "Grandmas" took Elliana on a few of our walks...

 

While we were on a walk, we saw this guy and his 'best friend' getting ready to go out and SURF or BOOGIE BOARD or whatever. We watched them all the way out into the deep water. It was pretty cool to see that brave dog! You could tell this was not the first time they  had done this...

Jon, Isla, Whitney & Elliana Swift; Grandma Michelle & Elliana; Madison,
Hannah2 (whose family was staying just up the beach from us) and Hannah

 Spencer, Tyler and Sam dug holes under Madison & Hannah's towels when they would leave for a little while. Then they'd cover them back up with the towels hoping the girls would fall in the holes when they came back. Um.....it never happened.

 

 

Elliana, Isla, Jon & Whitney Swift

Sam, Grayson & Hannah 

MY SPOT

 

A couple of evenings we took the kids to a place a little ways up the beach called THE TRACK. It had arcades, race cars, mini golf, and a bunch of other activities. That was fun, but of course my crappy camera didn't do well on any of the action shots, so I'm not posting any here.

 

Tyler, Spencer, Hannah, Madison, Sam and Grayson

 

AND NOW, IN THE BIZARRO CATEGORY...

 

One day while we were on the beach this couple came up not too far in front of us. They had two 'tweener' age kids who ran and played in the water. They were Asian, so maybe this is a custom for them, but the man then dug a real shallow trench, rested his head on a towel outside at the end, laid down in the trench, and spread his legs. Then the woman put a hat on his face, covered up his legs and arms with sand, put her backpack on his stomach, and SHE LAID DOWN ON TOP OF HIM between his legs. They just laid there like that for a pretty long time!

 

 

It just looked so strange! People were walking by on the beach, taking pictures, snickering...and we were too, so I can't comment on that. After awhile, they both just got up, called their kids, and left.

 



The water is just so beautiful...love it!



 

I must admit I had a hard time just SITTING ON THE BEACH for hours at a time doing nothing. I only ended up going down there two of the four days we could go. It just felt weird. But I'm sure if we went more often, I could get used to it. But I spent a little time in the condo organizing photos, working on some RS stuff, and just relaxing that way. And yes, getting those types of things done does relax me.

 

 

My FAVORITE SUNSET photo from the trip

Tyler, Spencer, Grayson & Sam

Me & My Boys

 

Madison, Tyler, Grayson, Hannah2, Hannah, Spencer & Sam

 

Yes, it's blurry, but the only one that's half-decent.

Look at the BRILLIANT colors of the water in this one!

 

 

Another WATER COLOR WONDER!
 

 



Our view out the balcony on the other side of the Condo:

 

 

 

The plan was to get a great FAMILY PHOTO sometime while we were down on the beach. But the boys didn't want to wear khakis and a polo to the beach (heaven forbid), so we ended up just stopping by the roadside directly in front of our condo on our way back out of town. They turned out okay...well...nnnyeeeahh...  probably won't be using them for the 2014 Christmas Card.

 

Harris Crew

Best of FRIENDS!

 

 

Bennett Crew

Swift Crew
 

The TEENAGERS

ALL IN ALL, we had a great time!

 

And although we could see dolphins way off in the distance, we didn't even run into sharks, gators or scary things like this:

 

 

 

So, I guess now I understand why people have believed for years that: