" I ain't nothing but a winner" The Bear

Looking up to Bear Bryant, how could I not be competitive? Being a middle child, how could I not be competitive? With me playing sports, how could I not be competitive.

If you know me at all then you know I am competitive. I don't like to lose, I don't like being told that I can't do it, I LIKE... no I LOVE to win. I know, I can admit, it's not my best trait. I am working on it..

Thinking back I am not sure when it started. I mean I don't know if as a baby I had to crawl faster than the other babies, I don't know if I had to win at Candyland, but I do remember.......

I jumped out of our 2 story window as a child to prove to a boy that girls can do anything that boys can do ( I jumped.. he didn;t... point proven)

Treading water for over an hour because my sister said I couldn't for 15 minutes.

Being devasted because we lost the volleyball game to go to districts my senior year of high school.

My friends would not want to be on my team in Pictionary because I would yell at them when they were not paying attention. ( I know not the friendliest thing to do)

Watching every Alabama football game and gloating after every win and feeling every defeat like I played the game myself.

Jumping hurdles in the county track meet to get extra points for the team and almost killing myself because I had never practiced hurdles before.

Being competivie with myself and I was always trying to see how fast I could accomplish a task.

Timing myself to see how how fast I could complete a word search find.

I am not sure where I get this competitve spirit, and I call it a spirit because yes at times it is like I am possessed, for as I have gotten older I have tried working on it. I try to convince myself that I don;t have to win at everything, ok I am still working on this one.

But it does not help that my husband is just as competitve. I think that is one of the things that attracticed us to each other. WE met playing beach volleyball. And to this day we still love competing against each other. And I must admit that my oldest son also has the competivite spirit. He loves to challenge me to arm westling and pushup contest ( which I am happy to say that as of now I can still beat him at both... but not for long). When he was five and playing Bible Bingo at church and won he pointed to the other boy and said " in your face". That was a great opportunity to teach him a lesson in graceful winning. It also opened my eyes that I needed to learn that lesson as well. Now don't get me wrong, I am not cured . I still like to win but I can be more gracious about it and if I lose ( and that is a big "if") then I know its not the end of the world.

I jumped, he didn't...... Point proven

Growing up I was a tomboy. I wanted to do everything that the boys would do. I loved climbing trees. I loved riding skateboards down the steepest hill. I loved playing kick ball, basketball,tag, you name it. I did not like it if someone said I couldn't do something. I would love to prove them wrong.

One of my best friends was a boy. We were insepeable and would play all over the neighborhood until the street lights came on. We had no fear. We would ride our bikes all the way to the Piggly Wiggly( we were maybe, 8 years old) by ourselves. We would challenge the big kids( 11-12 yr olds, including my big sis .. who was also a tomboy) to football and foot races.

But the bravest thing we ever did was hang out at the "haunted house" at the end of our street. You see there was one of those huge white colonial southern plantation house in a cul-de-sac at the end of our street. There was a rumor around the neighborhood kids that the place was haunted with the demon attack dogs that lived in the attic. But it was also known that they had a trampoline that they let kids jump on. This added another level of excitement because my mom didn't allow us to jump on trampolines( of course that didnt stop us). Well one day we were there and we went into the house( I can;t rememember why but I will say to use the bathroom). WEll curiosity got the better of us and we made the long climb up the stairs to the door at the top. Just as we were leaning in to open it... we heard the most ferious barking. I have never ran down a flight of stairs as fast as I did that day.

We may have been best friends and did everything together but we fought like brother and sister. And most of our fights had to do with who ran faster, play harder, or was most daring. And no matter how many times I beat him he still teased me about being a girl and how boys are stronger and braver. Well one day I had enough and wanted to settle the argument once and for all. I bet him that I was brave enough to jump out of my second story window( ok... now I see that I was stupid enough) . ANnyways we made a bet to prove a point that girls can do anything that guys can do, My friend finally said I will if you will..But you go first. So I did.. I jumped and he didn;t.. Point proven. From that day on he never teased me about being a girl again.

It was 1980 something......

My husband and I like talk about what it would be like to grow up during a different decade. He is fascinated with the 20's ( cool cars and suits) and I always thought the 50's were cool ( who didn't love Happy Days)..but now that I look back on it. Growing up in the 80's was pretty "rad".

Garbage pail kids cards were my generation's pokemon cards. Pacman and frogger were my generations X-box. Cabbage patch kids were my generation's tickle me elmo. I still remember the stories of women fighting over these little dolls in the stores at Christmas.

MTV actually showed music videos and we watched them all day and into the night.

Big hair, bangle bracelets,jelly shoes and parachute pants we all the rave and wearing them all together was even better

Madonna and Michael topped the charts.

Everyone was asking " Who's the Boss? Mike Seaver had all the girls hearts fluttering. And Bill Huxtable was the ideal family man

Everyone was dancing to the Breakin soundtrack.

HeeHaw was a show people loved to watch, even if they wouldn't admit it.

Every girl felt grown up when she got to wear Love's Baby Soft.


We all LEARNED how to walk like an Egyptian, what would happen if you feed a Gizmo after midnight, that the Duke boys were the coolest rednecks on TV , who we were gonna call and we all wanted to be a member of the Brat Pack.

We all wanted to KNOW just what was a monchi chi chi and if they were in dead soft and cuddly, why smurfeete was the only female, just what was Willis was talking about, just exactly what a Fraggle is and where was the beef?


We just HAD to find out if Weebles wobbled but they didnt fall down, if there really was a place where everyone knows your name, if the Rubix cube could be solved and if Hanz and Franz could really Pump you up


Thinking back I loved the 80's. It seemed like a more innocent time. The music was fun , the clothes a little crazy, but the times a lot simpler. If you grew up or was around in the 80's then you can relate to this post and actually understand what I am talking about. If not then you ,missed out on a great decade and may be reliving it with the oldies station, or 80's night for Halloween( kids are still dressing up like Madonna or Michael). I hope you enjoyed this Blast from the Past and please feel free to share your favorite 80's fad, fashions, or song.

Don't make me pull over"

When I was a child, going on a road trip was one of my all time favorite things to do. And we went on quite a few. I loved the anticipation of counting down the days until it was time to leave. I loved the excitement of packing for the trip. I loved being so excited the night before that we would hardly sleep. I remember begging our parents to let us sleep in the car so we would be ready to go. Of course they wouldn't agree to that but it didn't stop us from sleeping in our clothes , shoes and all. Hey,I didnt want to miss a minute of the trip by sleeping in and having to get dressed. I wanted to be ready!!

My mom started the " fun bag" tradition . We would each get one bag( a back pack, favotite canvas bag, you name it) And we could fill it with all kinds of fun things to do. Mine was always packed with books ( it was a requirement from my daddy... he said it kept me from talking the whole trip), crossword puzzles, markers, paper, a deck of cards, and of course MadLibs. Now rememeber, this was before DVD players in the car, before I-pods,and before handheld game systems. My sisters and I could keep busy for hours with just a few pieces of paper and a pen. We would play tic-tac-toe, hangman, car bingo, the license plate game, the dot/box game( rememeber the game that you put dots all over the paper and took turns trying to turn them into boxes) Loved that one. Well anyways, we loved playing games. And when we got bored with that we would pull out the Cassette tapes ( yes I said cessette) and play our favorite road trip music. We knew all the words to the Alabama Greatest Hits, The Oakridge Boys and even the Statler Brothers.( any other times we hated listnening to my parents "old" music, but there was something about those songs when we were on the road. But our favorites were Daddy's Hands, Fishing in the Dark and Sweet Home Alabama.

Now this may sound like it was always a good time and we all got along great, but you have to remember there were three girls trapped in a car for several hours at a time. Trust me there was fighting. Before we got the minivan the biggest thing we fought over was who would get to sit by the window. Someone had to be in the middle. We also fought over what music to play, how it was not fair when someone won a game, and of course the common " She's touching me". My mom would say to us the usual... stop that, leave your sister alone and when she had HAD ENOUGH ( as she would say) we would hear.... Don;t make me pull over. Which was always just an empty threat...Until one time I guess she had FINALLY REALLY had enough and she pulled the car over.. It was NOT fun.. Let me just say that on future road trips.. She would only have to say " Don't make me pull over one time and we would straighten right up. Trust me it was better to have to be the one to sit in the middle than have my parents pull the car over.

And even though I am all grown up , I have never outgrown my love of road trips. I love playing the same fun games with my boys. ( Actually before we had kids ,I subjected my husband to play them.) And even though he rolls his eyes a week before our planned trip when I pull out my favorite backpack and fill it with all my fun games, I know he loves those games as much as I do. And I am proud to say , so do our boys. We took a trip last summer and we didnt have a DVD player, Ipods, or handhelpd games ( well actually my oldest had his PSP,but he hardly played it) They preferred my old fashioned games. Makes a mama proud. And I have to admit, there was fighting, and whining and complaining, but I was smiling as I shouted out... Don't make me pull over.

Random Quote

"Every redneck girl wants a cowboy to sweep them off their feet"

Follow the Yellow Brick Road....

Remember the days before cable television and VCR, DVD and BLueray players. ( well if you were born before the 80's that is). Remember the days that if you wanted to see a movie you either had to go to the theatre to see it or wait for the "_Debut Network Broadcast Premiere". And if you wanted to watch a movie again you had to wait for the next year for the " Annual Network Broadcast Premiere"

Well one movie that was an annual event in our house was the Wizard of Oz. My mom knew every year when it would be coming on. On those night we would eat dinner just a little early. We would get our baths and jammies on just a little early. The blankets would come out, the popcorn would be popped, and on those nights the "coke"( which in the south means any soft drink)would be poured and we would wait with anticipation for the black and white image of Kansas to appear on the screen.

We would sing " Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my" for weeks after. I would practice my cowardly lion impression.... Put 'em up, put 'em up! Which one of you first? I'll fight you both together if you want. I'll fight you with one paw tied behind my back. I'll fight you standing on one foot. I'll fight you with my eyes closed"

Although we knew most of the lines and could sing every word of every song, it was exciting and new everytime. And to this day those nights watching that movie is one of my favorite memories. ITs the little things... its the tradition...it's the memories we made.

Church has changed but God hasn't

Growing up I would go to church with my granny on Sundays. Her rule was if you were at her house on Sunday mornings you went to church. And I was there on plenty of Sunday mornings after a sleepover with my cousin. My granny attented the same church for most of her life. My daddy went there when he was a boy(My granny would walk there every Sunday rain or shine with her kids in tow) and later married my mom there. My aunts and uncles were married there and when the time came, we said goodbye to my pawpaw and my granny there.

I loved going to church with my granny. I did not love the panty hose she made me wear. I loved going to Sunday School and hearing the stories about Jesus. I did not love getting in trouble for passing notes to my cousin during the preacher's long sermons. I loved dropping coins in the offering plate as it was passed by. I did not love all the little old ladies commenting on just how much I had grown. I loved hearing my granny sing along to the Hymms. I did not love when my stomach would growl as i thought about the supper waiting back at granny's house while we were waiting in line to shake the preacher's hands..

But the main thing I loved about going to church with my granny, was the closness I felt to her. My granny LOVED going to church. My granny LOVED playing praise music during the day. My granny LOVED Jesus. And the more I learned about Jesus, the more I understood why my granny was so special, why my granny was so loving, patient, humble, and self -sacrificing. Why she never gossiped, complained, or wanted more. She was happy with what she had. She raised 10 kids in a 3 bedroom 1 bath house. She took in nieces or nepherws when they needed a place to stay, she would feed the homeless when they had nothing to eat and she would cook supper every Sunday for over 40 relatives. I can see now that my granny was a living testimony of the picture of Christ. She did not preach to you, she did not pass judgement if you didnt attend church, she lived her life the way the Bible instructed and in that I beleive she was planting seeds by being an example. Her life and the way she lived was her testimony.

And now that I attend church with my own family I have not only learned that the closer I am in my walk with Jesus, the closer I am to seeing how she had "it" all figured out. I have not only learned that I can find that same peace that she had about her..... I have learned that church may have changed over the years but God hasn't.

Signed, MOM

My mom was a stay at home... but don't say that she didn't work, don't say that she didn't have a job. Don't say that she just stayed at home...

My mom worked 24 hours a day, my mom had multiple jobs: chef, housekeeper, nurse, counselor, referee, chauffeur, interior decorator, repairman, you get the point. My mom drove all over town carpooling my sisters and I and our friends to every event and activity that we signed up for. And between softball, basketball,dance, gymnastics, , volleyball games, track meets,pagents, school plays, etc. ,there was ALOT of driving around.

In a past post I talked about my moms creativity in the kitchen.. Well it didn't stop there. One way to describe my mom is "creative". She could make just about anything. If we wanted a fort, she would CREATE an elaborate fort. If we needed costumes for the school play she would CREATE pieces worthy of Broadway. If we wanted "Strawberry Shortcake" on our walls, she would CREATE lifelike decorations to depict any character we were into, if we wanted pancakes, she would CREATE Mickey Mouse faces complete with chocolate chip smiles.. And her creativity didn't stop there. Her mark was on every room in the house. Her mark was on the landscaping in our yards, her mark was on paintings that hung in our living room. My mom was crafty.

But another word that comes to mind when thinking about my mom is loving.. She loves being a mom. Growing up I felt LOVED when I would find encouraging notes in my lunch box signed by MOM ( and the O was always a smiley face with curly hair). Growing up I felt LOVED when my mom sat up with me all night, singing me little songs, when I had yet another bad ear infection. Growing up I felt LOVED when my mom cheered me on at gymnastics and volleyball games. Growing up I felt LOVED when my mom would make my favorite dish for dinner when she knew I had a bad day. Growing up I felt LOVED when she welcomed my friends in and treated them like her own. Looking back I know I was LOVED when my mom enforced a curfew earlier than my friends. Looking back I know I was LOVED when I would be grounded for talking back. Looking back I know I was LOVED when I was expected to do my chores. Looking back I know I was LOVED when I was taught "old fashioned values". At the time I thought my parents were being strict, now I see that they were being LOVING parents who cared.

And now that I am a mom myself, I can only pray that when my boys are grown and they look back on their childhood, that even if I am not remembered as the most fair mom, even if I am not remembered as a perfect mom. I want to be remembered as a LOVING mom, just like I remember my mom today.

You had me at Roll Tide!!!!

These two words mean so much to me... they stand for pride in a rich tradition, they stand for Saturdays with family watching football, they stand for precious memories of timewith my daddy. If you don't know this already "Roll Tide" is the battle cry for Alabama Crimson Tide fans. You had to know that there would be a football post ( and probably more) in here . I am from Alabama after all . And in the state of Alabama, college football is a religion. I mean we really didn't have much else ( there's no pro teams), except maybe Nascar. But I never did catch the Nascar bug..

But I did catch the football bug. Some of my first words spoken were Roll Tide. Some of my earliest memories were sitting on my daddy's lap watching the BIG game.. And any game with Bama playing was BIG. But the biggest of all was the Iron Bowl. Alabama vs. Auburn. What a tradition. In Alabama you were brought up having to pick one of the two and My dad taught me early on to loath the colors orange and blue. And to this day I still can't combine those two colors. My daddy taught me all about the " Bear", Bama's and one of college football's greatest coaches. My daddy taught me several of Bear's famous quotes. My daddy also taught me that his lap wasn't the best place to be when Bama scored a touchdown. ( Let's just say I didn't stay on his lap) My daddy taught me the joy of watching your team win the game of the year. My daddy taught me how to overcome the feeling of defeat when you lose the BIG game as the last seconds ticked away. My daddy taught me alot about himself on those Saturday afternoons. He always jokes that you have to " start em young... and raise em right" So some may call it brain washing. I call in good parenting. It created a bond with my daddy like no other. We still watch as many games as we can together. And when we can;t get together we still talk on the phone before kickoff and everytime Bama scores. It wouldn't be the same if I couldn't here him shout " ROLL TIDE"

All of the things that my daddy taught me growing up, I( or I should say we) have handed down to my boys. And they are experiencing some of the same joys with their PawPaw. They love going to his house on game day and cheering on the Crimson Tide. He taught each of my boys to say Roll Tide before they turned one. They love watching all the movies about "The Bear". They love hearing stories about Bama's greatest games. They love learning about their PawPaw too.

Some tease me about the passion that I have for the game, but it is who I am because it is who my daddy is. Once you get it... you got it... There's no turning back.. And who would want to. Roll Tide!!!

" Show class, have pride, and display character. If you do, winning takes care of itself" ( Paul "Bear" Bryant)

And if this is true.... my daddy is a winner!!

Random Quote

Watch your thoughts............... for they become words.
Choose you words....................for the become actions.
Understand your actions.......for they become habits
Study your habits....................for they will become your character.
Develop your character..........for it becomes your destiny.

The Jenkins Five

I thought I would give some background on my family that I grew up with... My parents met fell in love and started a family... Family being the key word here..... Family has and is important to my parents and I knew early on just how important it was. I have two sisters, one older and one younger, so yes that makes me the " middle" child. I grew up with a daddy that worked crazy hours to provide for his family, that got down in the floor and played with us, that not only told us he loved us but showed us with the little things( like leaving Valentine's gifts on our pillow when we got home from school)... I grew up with a mom that stayed home, drove us to every softball , dance, gymnastics practice, that was room mom and stayed up late to bake 100 cupcakes for the Bake Sale, that made our Halloween costumes( you get the point) she was always there for us. I grew up with sisters that hung out with me, I shared rooms with, I laughed with and I cried with. These are just a few examples.. I have hundreds that continue to present day for I am still just as close to my family today.

Not only did we have a strong family unit of five, but I grew up REALLY knowing my aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins. And there were plenty of them. My dad grew up with 5 brothers and 4 sisters ( Yes that is 10 kids) and they all went on to have at least 30 total kids ( my first cousins). And all of these relatives lived in the same town. So I grew up with my aunts and uncles being like 2nd parents to me,. I grew up with my cousin being my best friend. I grew up with my granny being my inspiration.

So now you can see why family is so important. Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter to name a few were reserved for family. Sunday afternoon at my granny's at least 30 or 40 family members would gather every week for supper. My parents planned family game nights, family weekend getaways and familty fun time. My friends would rather hang out at my house than go anywhere else. So you can see what family means to me and why.

It is a good testament of what my childhood meant to me by just writing this blog. These memories are precious to me. The people I write about here are precious to me.. Family is precious to me. And it inspires me to instill this same family traditions, this same family honor, this same family love with my own " Family of Five"

"Who are The Jones' and why do we have to keep up with them anyways"

Growing up , one thing that stands out about my mom was that she was very frugal. Well now I can see that she was frugal, then I just thought she was cheap. But joking aside, my mom knew how to save a buck, or two, or three... you get the point. One of the first times that I realized just how frugal she was is when I discovered that the cereal that she cleverly disguised in her Tupperware was not the same cereal that Toucan advertised on TV, but in fact it was some knockoff called " Fruit Rings". Really, cheap cereal, that was how my mom was going to keep the family in budget. But mom didn't stop there. She was the master of disguise in the kitchen.. She could take SPAM ( yes we actually ate that stuff) and BBQ sauce and turn it into "cuisine." She was the mom that popped popcorn at home and put it in her reused Ziploc( I mean generic) baggies and snuck it into the movies ( and that was before it cost an arm and a leg for popcorn). She was the mom that could make a whole different meal with a few leftovers. She was the mom who made gallons of Koolaid while we envied the kids who got Capri Sun pouches. We were not poor by any means, and looking back I see just how blessed we were. I now see that all of these little sacrifices, these resourceful ways my mom saved money, is what helped make it possible for her to be a stay at home mom. I joke about it but I do see that my parents worked hard, sacrificed "things" and lived frugally to show us what is really important in life. We did not get gifts and toys throughout the year but birthdays and Christmas were a big deal. We didn't eat out weekly but special dinners at the Bonanza Steakhouse were a big deal. We didn't take extravagant vacations but family fun weekend getaways were a big deal. My parents showed they loved us not with things but with their time and their sacrifice. So if being a " Jones" would erase all of that.... I am happy to be a Jenkins.

Why bother taking the Christmas lights down when you just have to put them back up next year.

I don't know if it is because I was born 4 days before Christmas or because of the traditions that my parents came up with or that I was almost named Christmas, but it is my favorite time of year. And Christmas was always such a big deal in our house. Before the Thanksgiving leftovers were put away the Christmas decorations came out. And my parents went all out. Lights, santas, 3 ft candy canes, Manger scene, wreaths,candles in the window,animation figures in the yard , you get the idea. My dad preferred the traditional decorations with a green tree decked out in all our homemade ornaments and tinsel. However, my mom, being the artist that she is liked to experiment with unique, artsy looks. One year in the early 80's she decided to decorate the tree to match the living room. Normally this would be fine but our living room was black, silver and glass. The sofa's were black velvet with silver and glass end tables. Much to my dad's horror my mom found a silver Christmas tree that spinned when turned on. And she decorated it with black and silver balls. Luckily for daddy she still put his traditional tree up in the family room....

My daddy always went with tradition... He always read Twas The Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve ( and still does to this day), set out cookies for Santa, went looking at Christmas lights on Christmas Eve, had a big Christmas dinner at my granny's house with all my aunts, uncles, and cousins on Christmas Day and hanging stocking on the fireplace... Only problem is we didn't have a fireplace. But that didn't stop my daddy. He turned a bar into a fireplace( complete with fake bricks, fake logs but real stocking. That we proudly hung on our "fireplace" and pretended to warm our hands on. My parents went to no end to have a traditional family Christmas. Many years later when we moved to Florida, our house had a real fireplace. But as irony would have it ,that first Christmas it was 85 degrees. But that did not stop my dad. He was determined to finally have a real fire on Christmas Eve. So my first Christmas in Florida I remember all of us sitting around in our shorts with all the ceiling fans on, sweating , but we were happy to do it just to see how happy my daddy was to finally get his real fire in his real fireplace on Christmas

Random Quote

" Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives, is the perfect preparation for a future only He can see"

- Corrie ten Boom

" Well,we can't name her Christmas"

I was born Christie Dale. I never liked my middle name growing up. You may think I was named after that famous race car drive, I was born in Alabama after all. But no, I was named after my father, my daddy. You see my parents thought I was going to be a boy, or hoped( they already had one girl). If so I would have been named Roger Dale Jenkins Jr ( Praise God I was a girl, sorry daddy). But I was born on December 21st. My parents were all set to take me home on Christmas Eve but i still didn't have a name. My mom really wanted to go home before Christmas and joked to my dad " Well we can't name her Christmas and that's when they came up with Christie. And mom made it home before Christmas and I arrived home in a stocking to start my life.

It's funny my parents always had a time naming their kids. My oldest sister's name is Catrina, although my mom wanted her to be named Sabrina and we call her Tina. You see my mom was out of it after she had her first daughter and my aunt came in and told my mom that they needed a name for the brith certificate. My mom said Sabrina but somehow my aunt heard Catrina ( or maybe she liked Catrina better and made up this whole story). So she went home as Catrina. She was so tiny that my grandmother called her Tiny Tina and it just stuck. We have since dropped the Tiny part but I will always call her Tina even though she announced that she would start going by Catrina in High School. She will always be Tina to me.

Three years after I was named after my daddy ( I will always be the son he never had), another girl ws born into the family and my parents had the task of coming up with yet another girl's name. My mom wanted to name my younger sister ,Misty Dawn, but my dad veteod that idea. He said it sounded like a dang weather report. So they named her Amy after my granny and I think Tina aka Catrina should have been Sabrina came up with Michelle for her middle name.

And that is how my sisters and I got our names. And my dad never did get a Roger Jr....

Front Porch Swings and Backyard BBQ's

I grew up in the south, Alabama to be exact. It's funny when most people think of the south they think of rednecks, slow talking, Nascar loving, marrying your cousin kinda of folk, and yes I just said folk. You know what I am talking about, We have all heard the countless redneck jokes. But if you grew up in the south you know its about families that not only love each other, they actually like each other, freshly brewed sweet tea, Sunday supper ( the meal that replaces lunch and dinner), loving the USA, praising God, sitting on your front porch swing at dusk, and backyard BBQ's on the weekend.

I grew up as a middle child( more on that to come) between two sisters and with parents who were loving but strict and taught me the true meaning of the word family. And to this day I am closer than ever to my parents and my sisters are my best friends. Growing up we were a family who loved, fought, and at times struggled but in the end we were a family that laughed. I love telling stories about my childhood. And that is what has led me to start this blog. Plus I thought it would be easier than starting a book. So take off your shoes, grab a glass of sweet tea, and sit back and enjoy as you venture into my past in the heart of Dixie.

My First Post

It took me so long to figure out how to create this Blog ,that my first post will probably be short ( and I say probably because I do have a tendency to ramble). That also means there will be run on sentences and most likely typos. Anyways ( see I told you I ramble). I have decided to start this Blog because I think it will be easier than writing my book that my husband keeps telling me I should write. You see , I was raised in the south with a big southern family with very funny stories that my husband now knows by heart ( he has been to enough Family reunions) He keeps telling me that I need to write them down. So I think I will start off with a blog and if I can get enough stories on here,and people actullay enjoy reading them, who knows...... but for now this is all you get.. Stay tuned for my first real posting.......