Basketball and a Baby

Yesterday, I went to my first NBA game - the Memphis Grizzlies vs. the Chicago Bulls at the FedEx Forum. Although the play was a little sloppy, it was still exciting!

Charles and Matt Dillon decided a while back that we should spend their Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday watching basketball. Matt, Mary Ann and Nathan came to the house a little early so I could have some play time with Nathan...

He has grown so much, but is still such a happy baby. We had the best time buzzing our lips! And Charles and I (with our appreciation and respect for Peyton and Eli) found it so funny that when their new Oreo commercial was playing, Nathan let out a cry for no apparent reason. It was just one little cry and then that was it. We think he shares our feelings for the Manning boys; however, his Mom and Dad (who live in Oxford and enjoy Ole Miss football) disagree with us.

After a little play time, it was time to head to the game. Mary Ann had to miss it because she was visiting a friend's child in LaBonheur (thankfully she should recover just fine), so it was just Charles, Matt and I.

After a little bit of an adventure trekking through three states and over the Mississippi River bridge, and thankfully no speeding ticket from the Memphis police, we finally arrived at the Forum...


Here's one of Charles and Matt outside the Forum...

And one of Charles and me in our seats -- we had really good seats...

Prior to the game, Kareem Abdul Jabbar was awarded the National Civil Rights Museum Sports Legend Award...

Then the Bulls and then the Grizzlies were announced...
and several Grizzlies Elvis were there to pump up the home crowd...
then the teams huddled up for a final review of the game plan and pep talk...and then tip off...As it was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, many sports players shared messages of their respect for him and a tribute (photograph montage with clips from his speeches) was put together and shown...and a New Orleans Jazz Band played "We Shall Overcome"...
Boyz II Men sang the National Anthem and provided fun half-time entertainment...

The women behind us really got into the performance!!

Finally, an action shot...

We all had a really fun time, and I think we all agreed the highlight of the evening was when the Grizzlies Grandmas and Grandpas performed their routine! It was too funny to see the 3 old men and many, many old women REALLY getting into it!!



The Grizzlies won.



After the game, Mary Ann and Nathan met us at O'Charley's for a bite to eat, and Nathan really enjoyed the sips of sweet tea he was given -- definitely, a Southern baby!

Snow...

in South Mississippi.
Charles' mom called this morning (from Hattiesburg) and said that they had about 2 inches of snow. I really wish a little of it would find its way to Hernando!!

Lunch with Mama

Today Mama came to eat lunch with me (or take me out to eat, I should say). I have been having headaches and just the dropsies lately, so she brought me the most beautiful roses to cheer me up and help me feel better...

My new phone's camera or the lighting in my office or something washed these pictures out, but the roses are the most beautiful light pink color - one of my favorites - and they smell so good!She took me to Guadalajara, so you know lunch was great! After lunch we stopped by the Pink Zinnia and found a couple of cute things -- we always do! Her visit and the roses definitely did the trick; I felt much peppier this afternoon!!

Also, I found the cutest picture frames...

I saw them in a magazine and was able to order them online from Town Toiles. I love toile so they are perfect for me. I was able to get the Chicago and New York frames -- they'll be perfect for pictures of Charles' (Chicago) and my (New York) 30th birthday trips!!

A touch of Spring...

The weather in the Mid-South has been sporadic lately. It has been Spring-like for a couple of days and then Winter-like for a couple, and even though it is definitely feeling like Winter out, I decided to bring a little Spring into the house...
I just couldn't resist these purple iris for the coffee table... and this hyacinth for the breakfast table...
It smells so good! They are the perfect pick me up in the middle of winter!

My little helper...

Today I finished putting all our old pictures in albums - which took a lot longer than I anticipated due to all the old pictures we had accumulated in the picture box, completed the 2007 scrapbook and organized all of my scrapbooking supplies in their new tower - which has wheels for easy moving!

Toula has been interested in these projects from their beginning, and today she decided to help me out...

Thankfully, those projects are now complete so that I can make progress on my next project - organizing the spare closets...

Weekend Update

Well, no such luck that Toula would forget about her adventures in the dining room...
Saturday, Charles and I decided to have a date night, so while I was getting ready, Charles kept an eye on Toula. After being a good bunny for most of the day, she decided she was ready to explore some more.
She hopped into the dining room...behind both sets of draperies and along the other side wall... and then into the kitchen to see what she could find...at which time Charles told her she had to come back into the living room area...
so, she scurried along...
she wanted to take a little stop and chew on the basket, but Charles said no to that...so back into the living room she went...

After taking a look at what "my little Toula" had done, we put her in her home area, and left for our date night. I have been wanting to see Juno for some time now, so we got to go. It was really good! After the movie, we ate at On the Border. We had a lovely date night diner and a movie!
We also stopped at Target so that I could pick up some boxes and picture albums. I have been on a organization kick, and yesterday I decided to tackle our box of pictures. I have gone through and put them in order and have about a third of them in albums now. Once that project is finished, I'll be moving on to the spare room closets - that will be a chore!
While I plan to work a little more on the picture project tonight, I will have at least one eye on college football. I can't believe I'm about to write this, but GEAUX LSU!!

The adventures of Toula Willoughby...

Although Toula does not like going to get a pawdicure, she certainly feels her oats after getting one. Toula has never really enjoyed the hardwood floors; they had always been just something she had to cross in order to make it to the living room rug where she could run and play. Well, last night she decided to get brave and go exploring. After running for a while, she usually goes under the couch for a rest, so I didn't really think much about not seeing her in the living room. Then all of a sudden I heard a rustling that sounded as if it was coming from the dining room. I went to check it out and there Toula was amidst the puddles of our dining room drapes. I quickly sent her back to the living room (we don't want any more baseboards and especially no dining room furniture to be confused for a new chew toy). However, a little while later, I heard the same rustling. Of course, this time as soon as I set foot in the dining room, she scurried to the living room. This apparently turned into somewhat of a game for her because we repeated this process several times. One such time, she got even more adventurous, and I found her just sitting in the kitchen.
She knows that she is not supposed to go into the dining room, so, hopefully, we won't be taking any more pictures like this one!

Charles takes Toula to the vet...

Toula has been in need of a pawdicure for some time now, so Charles decided to take her to the vet this afternoon. Unlike me, Toula does not like manis and pedis. When I came home from work today, Charles told me that I would not believe what my little Toula had done this afternoon, and then he showed me this picture...


How pitiful!!

Apparently, Charles closed the door to her home and got out her traveler (she knows when this happens, it's vet time). Toula then jumped on top of her home and burrowed under the towels. When Charles pulled the towels off of her, she jumped down and ran to her bed where she tried her best to hide!! After all that, Charles said she was a really good bunny at the vet. Of course when they got back home, she was still a little perturbed, so she went to her home and pouted for a while...but Charles soon coaxed her out with a treat.

Charles got a treat today too. I had to carry a court file back to Batesville and have an order filed, so I picked Charles up on my way and we and Mama and Jerry enjoyed a delicious catfish dinner at Country Catfish - the perfect end to Charles' Christmas vacation.

Hello 2008

Happy New Year!!

Charles and I had a nice and quite New Year's Eve celebration at home and enjoyed watching the ball drop in Times Square. Before we settle in for the Tournament of Roses Parade and then football, football and more football, I thought that I would share my resolutions and wishes for 2008. I resolve to eat in more, eat healthier, lose weight and complain less and hope that we will be blessed with a Baby Willoughby. We hope that this year is filled with health, happiness and peace for you all.