Go Gamecocks!!

I'm a proud University of South Carolina fan and alum today. Our baseball team won the College World Series and brought a National Championship trophy home today. It's an amazing day to be a Gamecock!

Proud to Be.....

I consider myself many things that I am proud to be:

Wife
Daughter/Granddaughter/Niece
Sister
Aunt
Mommy to Kira & Sophie
Friend
Christian
Sister of Beta Sigma Phi & Tau Beta Sigma
Professional Woman
Avid Book Lover
Movie Line Connoisseur
Gamecock Fan


But I found a shirt that says what I'm truly most proud to be:

Yep- I am pretty awesome if I do say so myself!

Hope everyone had a happy Monday and an even better week!

Lights! Camera! Favorite Movies!

Hello friends! I've been crazy busy with the new job duties and am sorry to have neglected my blog. I mentioned in my inaugural post that I love movies. Hubby and I used to go to the movies every week for the first 2 years we dated, but we don't do that as frequently as we once did. However, Blockbuster Online and our personal DVD collection are enough to keep us entertained. I recently counted, and we have almost 300 DVDs in our collection. I guess you could say that books aren't the only thing that I like to buy.

I'd like to take this blog to share a few of my all-time favorite movies and what they mean to me:

American Beauty- Kevin Spacey exploded on the screen as a married father in the throws of a mid-life crisis. I remember going to see this one in the theater and wondering if I should really be laughing at poor Mr. Spacey's character and his life. This movie is a black comedy in every sense of the word. Excellent acting by Kevin Spacey, Annette Benning, and Thora Birch! We were also introduced to some classic movie lines (and I do LOVE a good movie line!). "That's my wife, Carolyn. See the way the handle on her pruning shears matches her gardening clogs? That's not an accident. "

The Goonies- My childhood would not have been complete without this movie. I remember getting it on VHS when I was a kid and being over the moon excited. I would watch it almost every day. I think it was the sense of adventure it provoked within kids that made it so great. I remember thinking the group of misfits on the screen were people that I'd have given anything to hang out with and have an amazing Goonie adventure. This movie allowed kids to dream and launched the career of some famous actors: Corey Feldman, Josh Brolin, Sean Astin and Martha Plimpton. I had heart palpitations when I recently read there will be an anniversary edition coming out on DVD in November. That DVD will so be in our ever-growing collection! "BABY RUTH!"

Coming to America- My absolute favorite Eddie Murphy movie EVER! How many crazy characters can Eddie play in one movie and make me LMAO?! A whole lot!!! "Give a hand to my band, Sexual Chocolate. They play so beautiful, don't you agree?"

Sixteen Candles- What child of the 80s doesn't adore a Molly Ringwald movie?! This one is classic. It was pretty much any teenager's nightmare to realize that your family forgot your birthday. That would be a nightmare for me now. And who can forget the cast of characters that Molly encounters in this one: The Geek, Long Duk Dong and the outrageous grandparents. "Dong. Where is my automobile?" "Oto-mo-biiile?"

Airplane- This is the movie that started the spoof genre in my humble opinion. Future spoofs disappoint compared to this one (with the possible exception of the Wayans' Brothers infamous spoof movies). Airplane is just plain hilarious without being gross or vulgar. It contains witty humor and non-stop laughs. It also provides me with MANY beloved movie quotes that I've been known to use religiously.
Reporter: What kind of plane is it?
Johnny: Oh, it's a big pretty white plane with red stripes, curtains in the windows and wheels and it looks like a big Tylenol.

"Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit drinking. (smoking, sniffing glue, amphetamines)"

Alas, I could go on and on, but I won't- maybe in another post. These are just a few movie classics that I'll always count among my favorites and would want with me if I were stranded on a deserted island with a DVD player & TV. Like that would ever happen!

A Week of Randomness

Another week has almost ended (thank heavens!) and I'm ready for the weekend. It's been a busy yet good week. Enjoyed a lovely day off on Monday while Hubby had to work. Boo hiss! I did find time to stimulate our nation's economy (Yes- Barnes & Noble was visited and books were purchased. It is still cheaper than crack!) and I got my FREE Spicy Chick-Fil-A Chicken Sandwich. It was decent but a little more spice than I like. Sophie the Pug begged for a bite but had to settle for pieces of waffle fries instead. Don't want to even THINK what such spicy goodness would have done to her tummy.
Started my new job on Wednesday. Two days in and I feel like my brain has reached it's threshold of memory capacity. That or I just don't have a damn clue. I'm leaning toward the second option. One positive is that my work days fly by now. When you have trouble remembering that you needed to visit the bathroom an hour ago, that is a whole lot of busy. But the people I'm working with and advocating for have been very supportive and encouraging. It is making it all worth while.
All the stormy mess we've been experiencing this week left us a mess. HUGE limb fell out a tree last night and we had to clean it up. And Hubby tried to tell me that crash last night was something on the TV. Bet he'll listen to me next time! Hubby with a chainsaw is sort of like Texas Chainsaw Massacre without all the gore and wearing of a human skin mask. I just stayed out of his way until the limb was chopped up. If I'd been manning the chainsaw, limbs (the human kind) would have been lost- so thanks to Hubby for his chainsaw prowess. I forgot how rewarding yard work can be after a long day at work. It's a great way to de-stress.
Heading to the 'Burg on Saturday for some doggone fun at Bark in the Park. Sophie the Pug is super excited! She loves seeing other dogs and acting all superior to them. Pugs have that kind of attitude and you just have to deal with it. She thinks she is superior to us, too.
Hope everyone is having a great week and has plans for a lovely weekend.

Another Fun, Frivolous Friday

I'm just rolling back into town after attending a conference at the beach this week. Thought my experience there would provide fodder for an interesting and riveting blog post. However, no such luck. So, in honor of nothing special, I decided to share a little more about myself by recycling a classic chain letter thing that circled the globe on Facebook. Check out my musical tastes- but please don't judge!

What does your music library say about you?

*Put Your iTunes, winamp, mp3 player or whatever on SHUFFLE
*For each question, press the next button to get your answer (no cheating!!)
*You must write down song/artist even if it doesn't make sense
*Include any comments in parenthesis


1. What do your friends say about you?
Love You Out Loud- Rascal Flatts

2. How would your coworkers describe you?!
The Real Slim Shady- Eminem (After I assume my new job duties, this will probably be pretty accurate!)

3. How would you describe yourself?
I'll Go to My Grave Loving You- The Statler Brothers (it's important to like yourself b/c that's the one person you'll always be stuck with)

4. What do you like in a romantic partner?
You Mean the World to Me- Toni Braxton (Hubby is the center of my universe and the feeling is very mutual!)

5. How do you feel today?
End of the Road- Boyz II Men (It is Friday after all!)

6. What is your life’s purpose?
Shriner's Convention- Ray Stevens (Don't think so...)

7. What is your motto?
She Went Out for Cigarettes- Chely Wright (Smoking is not something I advocate, m'kay?)

8. What do you think about the most?
Do You Remember These?- The Statler Brothers (I do like to reflect on the past.)

9. What are you going to do on your next vacation?
Mother and Child Reunion- Paul Simon (My annual shopping trip with Mom is coming up this summer)

10. What do you think of your first love/date?
Flowers on the Wall- The Statler Brothers

11. What is your life story?
Poor Unfortunate Souls- The Little Mermaid (I've known a few of these in my time.)

12. What did you do yesterday?
Watch the Wind Blow By- Tim McGraw (I was at the beach enjoying the ocean breezes)

13. What do you think of when you see the person you like/love?
Video Killed the Radio Star- The Buggles

14. What describes your wedding?
Go- George Strait

15. What will they play at your funeral?
Need You Tonight- INXS (I have no idea what to even say about this one.)

16. What is your obsession?
Lot of Leavin' Left to Do- Dierks Bentley

17. What is your biggest fear?
Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off- Joe Nichols (I don't get drunk in PUBLIC for a reason. LOL)

18. What is your biggest secret?
Best I Ever Had- Gary Allan

19. What is your biggest turn-on?
The One- Gary Allan

20. How do you describe your friends?
I Found Someone- Michael Bolton (I'm blessed to have the friends I do in my life. They have saved me time and time again. Some have come and gone, but the ones who stuck around are the ones who matter.)

21. What would you do with a million dollars?
My Favorite Mistake- Sheryl Crow

22. What is your opinion of sex?
I Want My Goodbye Back- Ty Herndon

23. What is your biggest regret?
Rhythm Nation- Janet Jackson (I regret that I am not as good a dancer as Janet Jackson. I apologize for embarrassing my friends with my horrific dance moves over the years.)

24. What would you rather be doing right now?!
Colors of the Wind- Pocahontas

25. What will you post this list as?
I Think I'm in Love with You- Jessica Simpson (courtesy of the Dawson's Creek Soundtrack Vol. 2)

The King of Country Music (and the greatest performer EVER!)- George Strait

Life is Full of Change and Crazy People

The times they are a changin'. Since my last post, I've been offered and accepted a new position at work. It will be an interesting change of pace and some additional work stress, but it is a great opportunity. I'm excited about what the future holds. Now, I don't usually discuss my professional life on my blog, but I had to share my news.
Now, on to the real reason reason for my post. Why must crazy people be part of my life? I'm not talking about the crazy people that entertain me either on purpose or by simply being their crazy self. I'm talking about the psycho people that continue to call your house and leave nasty messages one day and then call the next day and want to apologize for whatever they've done to prevent you from returning their call. Yep- our house became plagued with these kinds of calls for several days recently. It's like this: dude, if we wanted to to talk to you, we'd call you back. Obviously if you leave a nasty & borderline threatening message on our voicemail, Hubby and I are pretty much NOT going to give you air in a jug much less a return phone call. Get a grip & lose our phone numbers!
So here's a word to the wise: If you call and issue vague threats to either Hubby or me, we will not return your call (no matter how much you beg us to do so) and we will laugh at your sorry, pathetic ass for however long we find the situation amusing. And we'll tell our friends about it as we all get a good laugh (at your expense of course).
Be good to each other & don't abuse the telephone!

My Name is Suzanne, and I am a Book-A-Holic

I've always known I had an addiction. Ever since childhood, I have loved books. I remember going to the school library and running to a favorite section to find something new & exciting to read. Back in those days, I usually preferred a good Nancy Drew mystery or biography about a famous American. In 25+ years, my tastes in books hasn't changed much. I still love a good mystery/suspense plot and enjoy reading about the real life stories of others. In fact, I'll read almost anything- fiction, horror, true crime, mystery, biography, etc. About the only thing I won't read is a Harlequin Romance novel. I read enough VC Andrews in middle and high school to make up for my lack of appreciation for the romance genre today. I thought I'd share a few of my favorites.

The Last Time That They Met by Anita Shreve: This was the book that made me fall in love with this author. The "oh-my-gosh-did-I-just-read-that" ending is one thing that makes this book great (in my opinion). It's one book that I'll often pick up and just read the last 2 pages and say "Wow!" every single time. But the ending isn't the only good thing. This is a beautiful story about love, loss and coming to terms with the decisions that shape our lives.

Anything by Anne Rule: Anne Rule is the queen of the true crime genre. Her well-researched books on crimes that boggle the mind are hard to put down. She makes it her mission to write the full truth- from court proceedings to interviews with the victims' families and friends. I was thrilled to get the chance to meet her at an Atlanta book signing a few years ago because she is a gracious lady.

Anything by Stephen King: King is the King when it comes to the horror genre. I make it a mission to own anything he writes (with the exception of his sci-fi stuff) and buy it in hardback as soon as it hits bookshelves. I'm really proud of my Stephen King collection in our home library.

The Falls by Joyce Carol Oates: A beautifully written novel about love and loss that revolves around Niagara Falls. Written with some historical accuracy, Oates paints a picture of a tormented woman who copes with a tragic loss on her wedding night.

That's just a few of my must-reads. I could go on and on about my favorite authors and books, but no one wants to read a novel on a blog post. Let's just say that Anne Rule, Mary Higgins Clark, Stephen King, and select others have taken the place of Nancy Drew on my preferred reading list and the bookshelves in my home. And when my husband rolls his eyes because I come home with yet another bag of books from Barnes and Noble (my own personal heaven on Earth), I can only say this: It's cheaper than crack!