Happy 4th of July!

I believe this is by far my favorite holiday.  It brings back so many good memories for me from childhood.  Every 4th of July when I was younger, my grandparents would have the Haughton Family Reunion at their house on the lake in North Carolina.  It would be all of my cousins, aunts, uncles, and some other extended family.  I used to look forward to it all year because I got to spend some extra time with my cousins I didn't get to see as much as I wanted to.  My Dad's side of the family is very large, with 6 kids (including my Dad), and 13 grandchildren.  My aunt adopted 3 more children which raised that number to 16 when I was in high school.  We would set up camp in my grandparents den downstairs with our sleeping bags and watch movie after movie, play pool, play hide and go seek on their land, pick blackberries, freeze our butts off in the pool in their poolhouse until your lips turned blue and you couldn't feel your legs, water ski, tube, and just visit.

On top of all of that, my very favorite memory is my Paw Paw's fireworks show.  We would start the evening out with a huge dinner.  Then we would have the "kid toys" of sparklers and other small relatively harmless fireworks toys that we could set off:  the white things that you can throw on the ground that make a pop noise (I can't think of what they're called), the helicopters, spinners, etc.  After this and once it was dark, we would move around back towards the lake.  They have a large lawn leading down to their dock and boathouse.  My grandparent's friends would come over and all of us would set out chairs and blankets.  Boats would be in the cove set up for the show as well.  My granddad would blast Patriotic music from the deck which included several John Philip Sousa marches.  My favorite:  Stars and Stripes Forever. 

I just love Patriotic music.  On top of just the beauty of the music, it reminds me that there are thousands of American soldiers fighting to protect our life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.  This year marks 235 years that we have been an independent nation.  A HUGE thank you to all our troops overseas fighting for our country and freedom. 

Today, we have enjoyed smoked ribs that Michael made all morning which were excellent, beautiful weather (though it is very hot), and just relaxing.  Tonight, we will hopefully see a fireworks display because I LOVE fireworks.  I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday and remembering our troops who make it possible for us to celebrate this day.  God Bless America!

A Family Tradition

Every summer, we have a family tradition called Girl's Weekend.  It is me, my mom, one of my aunts, my grandmother, and 4 of my girl cousins.  It is something I look forward to every year and is always a good vacation.  My aunt and uncle live on the lake in Chattanooga, and we spend the weekend floating on the lake in the "Fun Station" and drinking brandy slushies.  We usually take a boat ride to dinner on Saturday night and play cards late into the evening or watch movies. 

This year was a little bit smaller of a group, but just as fun.  It was only me, my mom, 2 of my cousins, and my aunt.  We played multiple games of Phase 10, ate plenty of sweets, and just had fellowship.  I truly cherish this time I get to spend with my family.  I love the city of Chattanooga.  There are so many good memories I have of going there growing up for family events and holidays.  When I drove in Friday evening, the sun was setting behind the mountain and reflecting on the river.  It was so beautiful and I felt strangely nostalgic.  It reminded me how much I miss seeing my family regularly!  Riverbend (Chattanooga's music festival) was going on downtown by the Aquarium and Alan Jackson was playing Friday night.  If you have never been to Riverbend, you must go!  It is so much fun and the stages are right on the river.

Some of my cousins with me at my Rehearsal Dinner. I didn't take any pics from Girl's Weekend :(

Sunday was Father's Day.  Happy Father's Day to my Grandfather and father-in-law and all the dads out there! 

My Me Maw and Paw Paw at my wedding.

It's been a while...

Today, I began week 5 of Couch to 10K.  I ran 2.5 miles straight without walking.  That is a first for me!  I couldn't help but give myself a little pat on the back for that one.  I know, small potatoes to some of those out there who regularly run 4+ miles/day, but still... By the way, I feel like an old person with my joints aching.  I groan when I stand up from the couch, but it is a good hurt if there is such a thing. 

On a side note, I begin a photography class at South Alabama the beginning of April.  Just a little over a month away and I am so excited!  I tried to do the Joy of Love online photography class/blog, but my computer was broken the greater part of February.  There really wasn't a way to upload photos and keep up with it daily, so I kinda let the ball drop on that one. 

Lastly, I think we have finally found a church that we both really love.  After visiting for a few Sundays, we finally visited a Sunday School class.  We had lunch with a couple of the couples after church and really enjoyed talking to them.  It feels so good to finally have a church home for the interim while we are down here in Mobile, as well as some couples our age that we can get to know.  Hope everyone has had a wonderful Monday and rest of the week!

Hayley

Blogger world, help?

Okay, I am about to pull my hair out from frustration.  I am trying to go through the step-by-step process from kevinandamanda.com's website for downloading custom fonts.  I have created the hostwebs page, but everytime I click on the file manager icon, it won't work!  I have restarted my computer, and it still won't work!  Any help or suggestions is greatly appreciated.

Free Online Photography Class

http://www.willettedesigns.com/?page_id=2780

Hello, Again!

It has been a VERY long time since my last blog.  I have been busy and my computer has been broken, so I have had no way to blog.  In the next week or so, I will upload some pics from our trip to the Glendale for the National Championship game.  War Eagle!

For my New Year's resolution, I didn't really make one.  I kind of did the usual:  eat healthier, work out, spend less money, blah blah.  I have decided to run in a 10K and possibly a 1/2 marathon much later this year.  That is my new goal.  I had knee surgery about a year ago and have not really run much since then.  I am a little worried that I will do alot of training and then my knee will act up and I won't be able to do it in the end.  So, I am taking baby steps and following Danny Haralson's Couch to 10K program.  For week 1, you alternate run/walk for 1 mile and then stop.  I know that sounds like a little, but I was tired after that!  Isn't that sad?  I know in 10 weeks I will look back and be like "Wow, just a mile?" 

Enough for now.  I promise to be back more frequently.
Cheers, Hayley

Who would have thought?

So, while I was working out today I decided to be lazy and get on the bike.  I reached for a magazine and my choices were Forbes magazines, an InStyle I had already read, an old People I had already read (I'm a celebrity gossip junkie) and a few other boring looking magazines.  So, I decided on a Southern Living.  I had been wanting to try some new recipes out on the hubby and thought I'd take a looksie.  Boy, was I impressed.  I always associated this magazine with people of my mother's generation, but I am hooked.  I think I might even subscribe.  You know the dynamics of your life have changed when you get excited about buying cookware, vacuums, and looking at recipes instead of going shopping for trendy clothes.  Well, I still get excited about that too, but that's a whole 'nother thing.  Back to cooking- there was a recipe for a twist on Tomato soup with pimento cheese sandwiches.  Anyone who knows me knows that I always eat grilled cheese with my tomato soup so that I can dip it in the soup.  I am also a fan of pimento cheese but am deeply loyal to my mom's recipe.  I decided I would try a combination of both recipes and can I say "WOW!"  Michael loved it, so I think we've started a new tradition with our tomato soup:  pimento cheese sandwiches. 
Here's the pimento cheese recipe I used:
block of extra sharp cheddar cheese
Pimentos
Mayonnaise to taste
Pinch of sugar
Dash of worchestershire sauce (taken from new recipe)

Cheers, Hayley