Nerd alert.

Ok, fellow nerds. I know you're out there too. And I know you are just as excited as I am for the release of the new Harry Potter book. A side note: on the last one, Cody and I finished reading it within 10 minutes of each other and we called each other right away to discuss (and maybe cry a little... well, that was me, I guess).
ANYWAY, if you haven't already (and I'm sure you have), go immediately to Amazon.com and preorder it. They just lowered the price to $17.99, which is crazy low, and they almost always ship it to you so it arrives the release date (July 21st). Can't wait. Nerd alert. And it makes me happy.

Wine o' the week

According to the website...

Grape varieties: Tempranillo and cabernet sauvignon

Color: deep red with violet-cherry tint

Bouquet: deep and elegant aromas, intensely fruity with hints of ripe raspberry complemented with a fine note of oak

Palate: well-balanced and structured, showing plenty of fruit and spice. Complex and elegant with a long finish.

That's a lot of fancy talk for something that's got a good fruity (NOT sweet) flava with a real kick (the spice). All that for around $8. Don't forget that there isn't only merlot and cabernet when you're looking for a red wine. Experiment with other (sometimes better!) varietals, like this tempranillo (this other wine o' the week is a good one too). Be adventurous! And, hey- it's cheap, so why not? :)

It's my mama's turn!!

Today is my wonderful, amazing, terrific, incredible, fabulous, beautiful, super-woman Mama's birthday!! May is a birthday marathon month! To celebrate, we went to Melissa and Greg's house for some tasty tasty eatings. Melissa cooked dinner and I made the cake. My mama enjoys it when her girls cook for her (can you believe it?). Here are some pictures from the evening...

Here's the cake I slaved away on... Italian cream cake. Mmmm! That's three layers, people. I was proud. :)
Dinner was followed by the most intense show of manliness I've ever seen with the boys. They played jacks. That's right. Jacks. PS, my dad is a total ROCK STAR at the game. It was a little hilarious to witness this whole thing. Good job, fellas.
Out on their front porch was this little friend. If you can see it, that's a big frog Melissa keeps by the front door. On top of it is a little, live frog. She said it just stays there and sleeps all day. I think it's quite amusing. It wasn't at all bothered by us walking in and out and taking pictures of it. Ha!

In other news...

Thursday, we had our school's athletic awards banquet. Normally that means the coaches stand up and announce the players' names and pass out certificates. Very exciting. This year, however, they totally blind-sided me and awarded me coach of the year! They called my parents and had them turn in some old pictures of me, and they did a DVD montage of my life. Made me BAWL my eyes out. At the end, they had a picture of me in my sombrero, saying "Adios Senorita Ross!" It was the sweetest thing. Ever. I was completely surprised- and my entire family was there to watch it. Kristen was in on it too (thanks, Miss Kristen!). They also gave me this beatiful bouquet of roses and crystal vase. It's my first crystal anything. :) Very sweet of them. It's going to be so hard to leave here...!!

To Kat: Ditto All Around!

Dear Miss Kat-
Happy happy Floridian birthday, friend!! It's hard to believe I haven't known you my whole life... it sure seems like it! Love, love, love you! Have a great (sunny day)!

Happy Birthday to my Chandle!

Dear Chandle,
How I love thee. Let me count the ways. One one-thousand.... Two one-thousand... Hope you're having an awesome birthday!! Much much l-to the-ove!

PS, and you are the wind beneath my wings.

What do we think?

I think it's kind of awesome.

Rock.on.

The rock show was everything I ever imagined on Friday. We had a great time. Ol' Roddy sang every song I knew... We sang & danced. We waved our arms in the air for "Forever Young," and sang "Maggie May" at the top of our lungs. He was "in the round" so our seats were great.
He had some ladies singing backup and doing little dances. I decided I can TOTALLY do their job. I might be hitting the road. I wonder how one gets that gig....

After the show, we stopped by Kat and Karl's to see the crew. This picture makes me laugh. Today's Kat's last day at work- tell her congrats! :)

Have a good week, everyone!

On Page 6 (like the gossip column!)

I've waited so long to say that. Click here to see why. YES.

Little Rock's a jumpin' place.

On tonight's agenda... I'll be at the Rod Stewart rock show extravaganza with the entire fam. Including Jeremy and Greg, who have no idea how much fun they're about to get themselves into. Pictures will be included with the recap. Hot legs.

ALSO... the Riverfest lineup has been announced. The highlights for me are as following:

Friday
9:00 p.m. Pat Benatar (my love is a battlefied, you know)
Saturday
7:00 p.m. GEORGE CLINTON & THE P-FUNK ALLSTARS (flashlight!)
9:30 p.m. LL COOL J (mama said knock you out!)

In celebration of all this fun, what are your TOP 5, all-time favorite concerts you've attended?? Go.

Wine o' the week

This week's wine is my sister's signature Voga Italia's Pinot Grigio. It has a "full & rich taste with ripe apple & pear aromas and delicious, juicy flavors." Very good for these warm, sunny days that are coming up! Plus, the bottle looks way cool. It has a screw-top cap, & Melissa's step-kiddies say it looks like shampoo or perfume. Luckily doesn't taste like it.
Visit Voga's website here. The fun thing about Voga is it comes in two varieties: red or white. This is the white. The red's called Quattro (it's also pretty tasty, although I like this one more). Costs around $10.
If you have a wine you love that you want me to sample (that's the best part!) and share on here, let me know!

Mmmm, mmm good.

You may or may not know that I am on the South Beach diet (hush!). I am through with the tough phase (see? you didn't even notice I was missing carbs!), and am snugly in phase 2. I have no idea if I'm losing weight because I have a sincere hatred of scales and will rely instead on how my clothes fit and how I feel. So far, I've felt really good! Here's my favorite breakfast. It's an Almond Energy Shake, and it is deeeeelish. Try it. It really makes you feel great in the morning- it's amazing.

1 cup of vanilla low-fat soy milk
1/2 c. fat-free vanilla yogurt
6 oz. silken tofu (it's just to make it more shake-like- there's no taste at all, I promise. Good protein!!)
1/4 c. roasted almonds (I wash the salt off)

Blend it all up, and mmmmmmmmm mmmm! Seriously an energy booster. And tasty.

Ole.

First of all, a very happy berfday to Miss Brooke today! I had a fantastico time at her casa on Saturday, and some tasty tasty food was enjoyed by all. Happy birthday!
Second of all, Friday I spent the longest 45 minutes of my life in the dunk booth from hell. Yes, I wore the sombrero. Yes, it was hilarious. No, the dunk tank was NOT fun. I never spent more than 2 seconds up on that seat. The kids were allowed to just run up and hit the button. Over and over. And over. And there was dish soap in the water, which abolutely got in my eyes during the repeated, uncalled for dunking. Don't get me wrong- I'm a good sport! I don't mind if they miss all 4 shots at the bullseye then run up and hit it. Especially if they paid for a shot! Cheaters never win.

Nor do teachers who volunteer for this stuff, apparently! Here is the back of my leg today from that seat. OUCH.
Ok, done complaining now. Have a great week, all!

Why I volunteer myself for these things, I'll never know.

This is where you'll find me this evening at our school's carnival. That's right. I'm going to be the target for 45 whole minutes, and I'm so very thrilled.
I am going to wear a sombrero.
I am extremely sore from a cardio sculpt class I went to with Kat & Audra. I think it might be hilarious to see me crawl up on that seat after being dunked. Wearing a sombrero.

Wine o' the week (in a box???)

Yes, I know. Wine people are not supposed to enjoy wine in a box. You're supposed to be snobbier than that! However, sometimes it is quite delicious. This week's wine is Hardy's shiraz in a box. It's the purple one up at the top. Visit Hardy's website here.

According to this, here are 5 reasons to buy wine in a box:

1. You get more bang for your buck. Premium wines come in 3-liter boxes (the equivalent of about four bottles) and sell anywhere from $15 to $25 a pop. Do the math — you’re getting a good deal on a good wine.
2. There’s no pressure to polish it off in one night. Unlike a bottle, which goes bad within a day or two of uncorking, boxed wine lasts about four to six weeks.
3. You can drink it now. Forget about the whole let-it-age thing — boxed wines are meant to be drunk within a year of being made.
4. It’s transportable. Because it won’t shatter, boxed wine is perfect for picnics, the beach, and tailgates. Take the oxygen-tight bag out of the box and bring it backcountry camping.
5. You have a reason to use that carafe. A pretty decanter filled with red wine looks so good on your table.

Many more premium wine brands are starting to put their wines in a box occasionally. It's not just Franzia anymore (eeew.). PS, Chandle and I totally had a box of wine in the fridge at Mansard Apartments, for when we got home from those "long, hard" college days that were so stressful... HA!
Hardy's costs around $20, and you get four 750ml bottles of wine. That's a good deal. Don't be afraid!

After all this time...

She's finally done it. Go and visit my favorite Jaime over at her brand new blog! Miss Jaime takes great pics, so I'm expecting fabulous things from her (ya hear that, Jaime??)! Also wedding details galore!
Oh, and enable your comments section! :)

Wine- why not?

THE GRE IS OVER. THE GRE IS OVER. Hallelujah. Seriosuly. I have no clue how I did. By the time it was over, my brain was completely finished with all the thinkin'. There were times where I know I did great, and other times I didn't have a clue. But I guess that's how they design it, huh?
That night, I went with some lovely friends to the new wine bar, Crush. Look at me! I went downtown! I know, it's crazy. It was nice there- not real condusive to larger groups though. I recommend it for a date night- good wine and (I hear) good tapas. Fun night, though!
Sunday I spent allll day just relaxing and recovering from the GRE. I watched lots of Twin Peaks Season 2. It was fantastic and SCARY. Loved it. Have a good week, all!

Sorry to do two Parker posts in a row, but...

Every so often, we wonder what Miss Parker does all day... and occasionally she comes inside smelling a bit like a camp fire. Well, this week, we figured out why. Turns out she likes to take little naps ON TOP OF the fire pit. This picture is taken from inside the bathroom window after she was discovered.
Whoops! She heard us!
... and we were caught. But it was too hilarious.

SAME EVENING... I was studying for the GRE (notice the notecards, Mount people), and she jumped right up and made herself comfortable on my butt. That's right. Guess I was in her seat. She's lost her Pooty mind.

I'm taking the GRE tomorrow. I'm nervous and OH so ready to have it over with. It's consuming my life. I will need a big drink afterwards. :)

We bought her a present....

+
= good, clean summertime fun!

Uh huh.... we bought her a lifejacket for water fun. We've taken her swimming, and she LOVES it. This is just for safety aboard the jetski (you heard me) and various boatcraft. She's going to have the best time ever. Hers is orange and has a handle so you can pull a Pooty out of the water if need be. Safety first, I tell ya.

It's Easter Monday

...which means that I am not at work today (reason #376 it's good to work where I work). The weekend was grrroood. Friday was Jaime's bday celebration (complete with Tinkerbell hats). In the picture- Katie, me, Jaime, Ryan, Holly, and Cora. We had a potluck (mmmm!). Saturday we went to see Cory Brannon at White Water. The show started off pretty rough (he is definitely off the proverbial wagon now- whoops!), but once he got warmed up, it was quite enjoyable.

Easter Sunday consisted of sunrise service and a quite tasty breakfast with the folks. It was awfully early, but very nice. :)

I have less than one week to prepare for the GRE now. It's the psychology GRE, which means it is 220 questions on everything I ever learned (or didn't quite absorb) in college. I have a study guide, and about 400 notecards. I will be studying every night this week. My goal is to not have much to do Friday so I don't have to cram and can go to bed early. It's in C-town on Saturday morning. So be thinking of me... I will be consumed by Freud, Jung, and the whole gang this week. That's a whole lotta theories!
Wish me luck. I'm a little scared.

My inner geekiness is happy.

When we got in from Florida, I saw what I've been looking for... the R2D2 mailbox! Have you heard about this? It's to celebrate the 30 year anniversary of "Star Wars," and Little Rock has 3 of them. One of them apparently is at the airport! I had been keeping my eyes peeled for them...
ALSO my "Twin Peaks Season 2" has come in. CAN'T WAIT to start watching it. Yes, I'm a happy girl. My sister got me season 1 for my 21st birthday, and it took this long for the second season to come out. It's about dang time. For reals.
And a HUGE huge happy birthday to my lovely Jaime, who celebrates this weekend. Happy birthday!! :)

Wine o' the week

This week's wine is Viansa's 2004 Athena. Here's the description: crafted with 100% Dolcetto grapes, a varietal native to northern Italy, our "Athena" Dolcetto is a fruity delight and a friendly spring and summer wine with notes of raspberry, strawberry and sweet cherry. This wine has an inviting high fruity-ness and low tannin, with a soft and supple mouth-feel, making it ideal for early consumption. This is a remarkably food friendly wine as well as a good "bridge wine" for those just learning to appreciate red wines or even of white wine aficionados. We recommend chilling "Athena" slightly before serving for added enjoyment. "Athena" is an apt symbol for Viansa and this Viansa wine. She is the Goddess of many of our virtues. Our ancestral mythology honors her as the symbol of wisdom and victory for her efforts toward making the world a better place. Many people associate red wines with aggressive characteristics, but this fruity and deceptively friendly wine is, like her, not to be judged by its exterior.
It costs about $20, and it is quite tasty- not at all heavy. Good for this time of year!

Visit the website here.

I love a mixed tape.

I'm about to sound like an old lady here, but I gotta tell you, I'm a little skeptical of this whole iPod thing. I won't lie. I agree they're convenient. They're easy. They're tiny. They hold a lot of songs.
Whoo hoo.
I miss mixed tapes. Those days when you sit by the radio, waiting for Casey Kasem to play your new favorite jam. Tape in the deck, record button AND pause pushed down so you can catch it right when it starts. You could also dub tapes. Which means you sneak into your sister's room, steal her Samantha Fox, and put it in your fancy dual-deck tape player to copy it. Ahhhh the good ol' days.
I have to say, Karl made me my first mixed CD. It was freshman year of college (he was so high-tech), and I believe it included some Tim McGraw and if I'm not mistaken.... Kid Rock's "Cowboy." I was in awe of this new technology and knew I HAD to have it. The next year, I get a new computer with a burner (I was the cooooolest), and Napster quickly became my new best friend. I downloaded every song I ever knew. I burned cds for everyone around me. Themed cds, random cds, best hit cds.
No one beats Chandle with a themed mixed cd. No one. She should enter competitions.
Now, it's 2007, and I haven't had my own computer with all my stuff since senior year of college, and even then I used Chandle's most of the time (she had the most music). I am completely behind with the technology of music. I have not BOUGHT a cd since Radiohead's "Hail to the Theif," and I did that purely out of novelty. How does one download music now? Is it Limewire? iTunes? I don't know how to do it. And I don't own an iPod. For some reason, they highly frustrate me.
Cody tells me I'm wrong and should invest. I'm resisting. HOWEVER, Cody did make me a fantastic mixed CD (archaic, I know. Shut it.) last night, including but not limited to: Justin, Christina, Brittany, Ace of Base, the Cardigans, Fergie Ferg, and Sinead O'Connor. I love it. I shall listen to it till it plays no more. Which it inevitably will, cause it's a CD and not in a little iPod.
I love a mixed tape.

Spring Break '07 (whoooo!) has drawn to a reluctant close

The spring break '07 extravaganza which was Florida is sadly over. We got back yesterday afternoon, exhausted from staying up all night the previous night (we gave up the hotel the last night because our flight left at 6 a.m. and the airport's a good 30 minutes away). I'm fully recovered now, however, and wanted to share these fabulous photos.
We stayed at the Sandestin Resort, which was seriously amazing. It was very nice. A tram drove you around everywhere because it's stinkin' huge (they'd even take you to the grocery store. And the bar- yes). We stayed near what's called "The Village" (pictures 11-13), which had a bunch of restaurants and places to hang out. The streets were closed, so everyone just walks around. We had access to a grill on the pool patio (right out our door), a fridge in the room, and a blender. Everything we needed!
Turns out they didn't start the snorkeling tours till April, but they told us where to go, so we bought our own gear and ventured out there. I have to admit I was a little terrified, due to the whole breathing under water thing and the fact that there were little jellyfish all over the place. And yes, of course, I got stung by one of those little suckers. Not too terribly bad, but not enjoyable either, ya know? So that brought the whole "underwater adventure" thing to a close for me, but it sure was fun while it lasted! Doesn't mean I wouldn't fight the waves at the beach. :)
The sunsets were gorgeous every night. The pina coladas were plentiful. It was (honestly) one of the best vacations I have ever been on. And the company wasn't too bad either (thanks for letting me tag along, baby). It was awesome.