Don't Whine Over Swine

Really now....the Center for Disease Control is estimating that 36,000 people will die this year as a result of the flu. That calculation was made before this swine flu notion spiraled out of control. Remember the bird flu scare not so many years ago?

While they both are a reality, I remain convinced that the overreaction to the latest strain of the flu is simply a distraction from more important issues, as well as an opportunity for the current administration to swoop down and save us all...and if you believe that will happen, let me sell you my vacation home on the lovely coast of Mexico.

Back from Visiting Mickey

Cody's back home -- they got in EARLY yesterday morning...and they brought with them trophies for Best in Class for concert band, jazz band, and percussion ensemble. Way to go, y'all!

Off to Orlando

Cody left for Festival Disney tonight (music competition at Walt Disney World). I probably worried him to death with all my reminders, but if you know Cody, there could never be enough reminders. The ACA band competes Friday morning -- both concert band and jazz band. He's excited because he'll be playing with his band director's $2500 trombone. Hope he doesn't let the slide get away from him...

Two Thumbs Up

Movie recommendation of the week has to be Slumdog Millionaire. Couldn't figure out what all the hype was about at the Academy Awards, but after watching it, it seriously deserved every one.

She Dreamed a Dream

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luRmM1J1sfg

Get the tissues ready and watch this video from Britain's Got Talent. (Sorry you have to follow a link...embedding has been disabled on this video so I can't put it directly in the blog.)

There is no doubt folks were not expecting what this lady delivered. Watch their faces in the beginning and how, less than three minutes later, they realize what Susan knew all along...there is hope for us all if we're just given a chance and then make the most of the opportunity!

Tea Party Signs

Here are some of my favorite signs that folks were holding up at tea parties all around the country yesterday:

Don't Spread My Wealth - Spread My Work Ethic

Don't Tax Me, Bro

Obamanomics - Not My Cup of Tea

You Are Not Entitled to What I've Earned

We Owe, We Owe

For those of you waiting on a tax refund from the state of Alabama, we send our payment in today so that should help out some...we always wait for April 15 when we have to pay. Makes us feel like we're sticking it to someody! The real truth is I try (yes, on purpose) to get in the traffic jam at the main post office so I can get some of those Chick-fil-a coupons for free meals.

Leftovers

Today was a pretty long day and I sure wasn't looking forward to cooking dinner tonight. Since I've been back at Curves I've been paying alot of attention to food and I am getting sorta tired of even thinking about it, much less preparing it. So, I was so excited when I remembered that both of our parents sent home leftovers from Easter. We had a wonderful assortment of dishes and no one left the table hungry. We even had two types of cake for dessert!

Curves, what Curves...? (No, I didn't eat any cake.)

Happy Easter

Biscuits But Not Much Baseball

We went to our first game of the season tonight -- for a little while at least. The torrential rain eventually made them suspend the game. There weren't many people there for a Friday night game. Come on Montgomery, don't start this crap already.

The night wasn't a total waste, though, because Cody participated in an onfield game in the second inning. He had to put on this oversized flashlight costume and run from centerfield to the finish line at home plate. (We have begged him to do one of those games for years now and he wouldn't. I guess it was the two bouncy, blond Biscuits Bunch babes that convinced him to do it. Go figure.) Yes, he won, and we were standing up screaming like he'd just gotten a gold medal in the Olympics.

¡Enhorabuena!

(That's congratulations for all us non-bilingual folks.)

Cody was inducted into the Spanish National Honor Society this morning at school. I am proud of his hard work in school this year and I am especially happy that he can kinda tell us what the servers at our favorite Mexican restaurant are saying when they do that speed talking thing to one another.

Continúe el buen trabajo, Cody.

Are You Out of Your Mind?

So, Cody just turned 16 and already he thinks his freedoms are greater than they are. A recent conversation went like this:

Cody: "Mom, we are thinking of playing paintball Friday."

Me: "You are? That'll be fun. Where?"

Cody: "We'll probably go to Dothan. They have some great courses."

Me: "Dothan?"

Cody: "Yes, Dothan. We were thinking we'd get a hotel room or just sleep in the car and come back Saturday."

Me: "Are you out of your mind?"

And he was serious, y'all.

On Our Front Porch

Opening day is right around the corner and to celebrate the return of the boys in butter and blue to Riverwalk Stadium, here is our flag of the month.

It's a Homerun

Now that Cody's birthday has passed I can share some more of my good fortune with y'all. We are going to D.C. for vacation this year and since we like baseball, I thought we'd go watch a Nationals game in the new stadium. Didn't really matter to me who they were playing. So when we found out the Red Sox would be in town (Cody's favorite team) I frantically searched for ticket options. No such luck -- seems the Red Sox series is what they call a 'premium' series and to score a ticket you had to enter into a lottery where they randomly chose entrants for the opportunity to purchase tickets. Being the sweepstakes lover I am, and the nature of the booty on this one, I entered...and was chosen!!!!! Cody got Red Sox tickets for his birthday and I have another win under my belt. It's a homerun all the way around!

Happy 16th Birthday, Cody!

Doesn't seem like so long ago that you were pedaling like Fred Flintstone to make your green tractor move along the driveway and today you're ready to drive for real. You're growing up so quickly, my son, that I hope you remember as fondly as I all the days of your life that have brought you to this day. I am proud of the young man you've become and love you more today than ever! Happy birthday, sweetie!

On Our Front Porch

This one is more flag of the day than flag of the month. Birthdays are extra special days at our house and we celebrate inside and out. In honor of the birthday boy, this will fly on our front porch today. But check back soon for the flag of the month.