This is my little spot on the web where I get to talk about whatever I want to. I tried keeping a journal once before on this site, but decided it was too personal to put out there for just anyone to read. I recently did some checking into what other people were doing with their personal web sites. I found that many sites have a page just like this one where they air their complaints, likes, dislikes, just about anything they want to talk about. So here I go again... something for the true voyeurs out there who want to further peak into my life.
12/10/2006
My hubby bought me a new cpu for Christmas, so I guess I have no excuse to not update my site, except we are so busy these days with work and Liz's activities. Last month she got her decided black belt in TaekWonDo, and past testing to become a tiger team member. All of that is great, but now we spend even more time at the studio. An old friend from Texas got in touch with me recently. I haven't heard from him in ages, but was so glad when I did. I'm already trying to figure out how to get him to Atlanta for a visit. :) Heya Bobby, I AM talking about you!
09/17/2006
Our family is finally settling into the Atlanta area. We bought a house in Woodstock, less than 1 mile from Till's parents. Liz is continuing Taekwondo, and we are adjusting to life in the fast lane. Till and I both have jobs much more demanding than what we had in South Carolina. For better or worse, this is where we have landed.
07/30/2006
A great deal has changed in the last year. The family is relocating to Atlanta for better job opportunities, and to be closer to Till's family. Till and I had our 1st weeding anniversary, and Till and Lizzie are now probationary black belts. I don't have much time to update this site. But I'll do what I can.
07/05/2005
It's been a while since I last updated this site. Wedding was wonderful. Honeymoon even better. Spent one night in Savannah. We stayed at the Gastonian in their honeymoon suite which was fabulous. Savannah is a beautiful city and I can't wait to go back for another visit. Next we drove down to Orlando and stayed at the Royal Pacific. We did Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, Epcot, MGM, Magic Kingdom, and Discovery Cove. My favorite was Discovery Cove. We got to swim with the Dolphins. :) We've got some great photos that I hope to put up soon. Just hard to find the motivation to sit at my desk and work on it. Lizzie is in Texas until August. It's good that Tillman and I have the time to ourselves. We still have thank you cards to write, and shopping to do with our registry gift cards. Hope to get those things done soon. Oh yeah, I still need to get my drivers license changed... so much to do...
05/02/2005
19 days until the wedding. We've got a few things left to take care of but most of it is ready. April 23rd we went to Atlanta for a wedding shower Tillman's mom was hosting for us. To my surprise my mom and dad were there and hosting the party too. They planned it all along keeping my parents' involvement a big secret until we got there. It was a wonderful treat to see them there. This past weekend I went to meet Marcelle for drinks at the Olive Garden. She surprised me a bachlorette party. My girlfriends from work were there along with a couple of other friends. I got a couple of nighties, some body lotion, cologne, a bottle of sparkling wine, and a Victoria's Secret gift certificate. YAY for me. Marcelle has been such a good friend to me. I owe her big time. We went to the Art Bar after dinner and had a fun girls night out. I'm starting to get very excited about the wedding, and honeymoon... :)
01/02/2005
Liz and I got back yesterday from our trip to Texas. It was bittersweet to go home and see what's changed, and what's stayed the same. Tillman came up for a couple of days. He spent most his time fixing my parents' computer, and helping me with my sickly cat Janie, whom we had to put to sleep. I found Janie about 10 years ago in the parking garage of the building where I worked in Houston. I left her at my parents house when we moved to SC cause I thought she'd be unhappy cooped up in another apartment. She was at least 12 and liver disease was ravaging her body. It's a hard thing to put an animal down, even if they are suffering. We buried her in the back yard next to our beloved dog Buffy. As for the rest of the trip... I ate at my favorite restaurant Tokyo's twice and went shopping every day I was there. My mom and I looked and china and crystal patterns. Nothing I saw compares to the Dresden china and rose crystal that she has. But I got some great ideas to share with Till.
12/24/2004
I just had my site transferred to a new hosting service. This one has tons more space for me to add photos and music. We've been very busy the last two months; my 35th birthday, Thanksgiving in Atlanta, Tillman's birthday, Christmas parties, Christmas shopping... plus Lizzie's activities. She is now a green belt in Taekwondo.
10/16/2004
I've been a very bad girl and haven't been keeping my website up to date. We've been incredibly busy. Labor Day weekend was spent in Atlanta at Dragon*Con. Lizzie had a slumber party for her birthday in September. I went to another training class, this time in Dallas. Lizzie tested for her yellow belt the morning after I got back. Also, we attended the 2nd weekend of the North Carolina Renaissance festival in Charlotte. Like I said... very very busy. I just put up pics of Liz and my trip to the Edventure Museum. I hope to put pics of Dragon*Con and the renfaire up very soon.
8/28/2004
Just got back from a training class in Denver, Colorado. It's beautiful there. I had a lovely view of the mountains from my hotel room. One thing that really slowed me down was the altitude. I've lived at sea level for so long... I had a hard time catching my breath up there. Even so, I'd like to go back sometime and visit Pikes Peak.
8/22/2004
Went to Charleston Saturday with a girlfriend on mine from work, Tracey. We met her sister for lunch down at the market, and shopped most the day. I bought a knockout bright blue opal ring at one of the local jewelers, and found some great sales along the shops in downtown. It was a great time. Hope we can go back very soon.
7/31/2004
Tillman is so sweet to me. He surprised me with roses again, as an anniversary present for meeting one year ago. Of course, I was a total idiot and didn't get anything for him. I think I might be in the dog house for that.
7/22/2004
We are nearing the end of Lizzie's 2nd week back from Texas. I think everything is finally settling back to normal. Having my parents in town was great. I hadn't seen my dad in over a year, so it was really nice to have him here. Of course, he and Tillman got along famously. The first excursion we made was to Biltmore Estates in Asheland, North Carolina. Biltmore was once the home of the Vanderbilt's, and I think it is the largest home in the United States. It was lovely. The house, the gardens, the conservatory, and the winery were exquisite. My parents spent the week touring various sites in Columbia, and taking Lizzie to all kinds of exciting places like The State Museum, the Art Museum, Edventure, and the zoo. The following weekend we traveled to Atlanta to visit Tillman's parents. I think Liz really liked having four grandparents under the same roof. She went to 6 flags with a girlfriend Sherelle from next door while the grownups got together and did grownup stuff. Kay, my mom, Tillman, and I went to Kay's church and met the wedding planner, Heidi. She was incredible, and gave us some excellent ideas and information to start our planning. I'm already so grateful to have her helping us. Everyone seemed to enjoy their time, and I'm glad things are turning out so well.
7/09/2004
Lizzie comes home tomorrow. I think Till and I made the most of our time alone. We went to the renfaire and bought my wedding dress, went to the Art bar, happy hours, out to eat, shopping, and the movies. We saw Man Apart, Chronicles of Riddick, Harry Potter, Dodgeball, Fahrenheit 911, Spiderman 2, and I can't remember what else. Getting the house in order from the move was another task that we accomplished (and it was no small task either). Liz's room looks awesome, if I do say so myself. Till was very helpful with that. Pictures of her room to be posted soon! It was great having the time together, but I'll be glad to have my baby back home. My parents will be visiting for the week, then we are all going to Atlanta to meet with Till's parents next weekend. I'm keeping fingers crossed that all goes well the next 10 days.
6/05/2004
Till and I went to the GA Renfest today for closing weekend. We viewed the wedding reception area and talked to the wedding coordinator Nora about the services they offer, I expected the space to be a little more elegant then it was, but then I realized that it could easily be touched up with flowers and decorations. They do offer a nice location, especially for a small intimate gathering like what we are planning. There are a couple of places to check out in Columbia before we make a decision. The best part of the trip came together when I found my wedding dress. I'm having it custom made from one of the merchants at the faire, Casta Diva. I'm looking forward to getting that in.
5/31/2004
Tillman, Lizzie, and I are official house mates as of today. We finished moving the last bit of stuff from the apartment, gave it a good cleaning, and turned in the keys. I'm so relieved that the move is over. Now the fun stuff begins. I get to rearrange the kitchen, and make him pack away all his bachelor day wall hangings and figurines. I'll be replacing Urd as the goddess in his life... ;) And I get to give him crap about all sorts of stuff. This is going to be great! On another note, Liz went to Texas yesterday with her grandmother. She will be there a whole 5 weeks. It will be so nice to have time with Till, and be able to unpack without the supervision of a 6 year old.
5/22/2004
Today was Lizzie's jazz recital. She has been taking class at Southern Strut in Irmo. It was disappointing compared to the past recitals in Beaumont. The dance school did not have any rehearsals at the theatre before hand, and it really showed in the performances. Not sure if it is because the dance school is larger, and thus focuses more on class performances of the older students, or if they are like that all around. The school did advertise two evening shows (Lizzie's recital was the first one of four for that day). I prefer the way Marsha Woody's school handled recital rehearsals and performances. Seems there is more thought put into the show and a more professional attitude. I must say, however, that Lizzie's class did an excellent job, and her teacher Miss Jenny choreographed the better dances of the first show. Here is a pic of Liz on stage:
5/20/2004
Yesterday my yummy fiancé surprised me with Tori Amos' new DVD release Welcome to sunny Florida. The DVD is her live concert in West Palm Beach on 9/4/2003, only a week after I saw her in Charleston. It's a lovely memento of what I experienced first hand. It also contains a cd of unreleased material... very Tori. Till and I watched the concert footage today, and I found an extra treat in her version of Crucify, one of my favorite Tori pieces. I love my man so much cause he knows the most perfect things to do for me!
5/09/2004
Ah..., Mothers Day. Lizzie woke extra early (about 7:30), and was so excited about making me breakfast in honor of my special day. Angel food cake topped with whipped cream and a strawberry was my treat. Till gave me a cute, somewhat risqué, card and took us to my fav Mexican restaurant El Chico's for lunch. Later Liz and I went shopping, and then to see Ella Enchanted at the movie theatre. All in all, it was a nice day.
4/23/2004
Lizzie went to the dentist today and had 4 (yes 4!) teeth removed. My poor baby. Actually, the dentist commented on how good my girl was, and brave. She didn't cry once, until she removed the gauze from her mouth outside the dental office and looked at her reflection in the window. She was so concerned that her friends would laugh. Personally, I'm glad it's over, and that she's not in pain. Hope we never have to do that again.
4/18/2004
Tillman proposed to me this weekend! We are now engaged to be married. Best of all, he picked the perfect ring for me, an interpretation of the LOTR Nenya ring in white gold, created by Badali Jewelry Specialists, Inc. He had the stone replaced with an exquisite diamond given to him by his mom. Take a look at the ring on the jeweler's website! We also went to the Atlanta Renfaire this weekend and took tons of pictures with the new digital cam. I'll eventually have them posted on this site, as soon as I can get copies from Till.
4/9/2004
Tillman and I took Liz to Carowinds today. Till was a little disappointed cause the lines were extremely long for the big name extreme rides, and they both broke down at some point during the day. But he did manage to turn my girl into a roller coaster junkie. They started with a small ride called The Runaway Reptar, then progressed until she was begging to get on the Carolina Cyclone. Of course, I'm sticking to the kiddy rides. Liz and Till can have all the heart racing, stomach dropping fun they want on the roller coasters.
4/8/2004
Tillman got his red belt tonight. He's really excited about it. At this rate, he should be a black belt by August. Here he is during the ceremony:
4/3/2004
Tillman tests today for his red belt. Hope he does well. Yesterday morning Till surprised me with a Sony digital camera. It's awesome! The picture quality is excellent and it's much smaller than the digital Till has. I can't wait to try it out at the Atlanta Renfest. We took lots of pictures last night, trying to get acquainted with the features, Lizzie and Sammy being our main targets. I'll post those pics at some point, just as soon as I post Liz's pictures from her slumber party in January. :)
3/29/2004
I'm making a log entry tonight, mainly to apologize to myself for not keeping my website more up-to-date. I've got about 4 photo sets to add to the site, but have been too distracted to get to. Distractions, beyond day-to-day living, have been mostly from watching DVD box sets of series that Tillman has been introducing me too. Series include Farscape, Firefly, Alias, Babylon 5, Angel, The Shield, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I've enjoyed almost everything Till has introduced to me. My least fav is Buffy. I really like Angel, and the vampire storyline... but Buffy gets on my nerves. The whole school girl drama queen thing is too much. So..., I promise myself to update the site with photos and new music soon, but maybe not too quick while I'm watching Babylon 5. I'm at a very pivotal point in season 3... :)
3/28/2004
Last night was date night for Till and me. We saw 50 first dates (cute movie) at the theatre, dined at Outback Steakhouse, then cruised downtown to The Art Bar. I love our date nights... wish we had more of them.
3/23/2004
I gave Till his tickets to the Britney Spears concert tonight. He was thoroughly surprised... especially given the fact that I told him before that he couldn't go. I think I've made his all-time favorite girlfriend list tonight. YEAH for me!
3/20/2004
Till and I have an anniversary today. However, he is in Atlanta this weekend so we aren't able to spend it together. I did manage to come up with a couple of gifts that I hope he will love, and show him how much he means to me. I plan to give them to him when he gets back. I'll keep you posted on his reaction. I suspect he will be surprised and pleased.
3/18/2004
Tillman did it again. He totally surprised me today at work with a dozen beautiful red roses. He is absolutely scrumptious!
3/17/2004
The Arwen dress Tillman bought me came in this week. It's absolutely beautiful! I can't wait till the Atlanta Ren faire to show it off. The lady who made the dress does excellent work. She made a cloak and shirt for Till that are quality pieces. If you're interested in taking a peak at some of her work, you can visit her site at www.audreycarol.com. I also got my review this week at work. It was a good one, as I expected it to be. But I got a really nice surprise when my boss told me that they were giving me a small bonus, even though I hadn't been there a full year yet. That was really nice. Of course, I've already got it spent on a few new things for Lizzie, myself, and a little surprise for Till.
3/13/2004
I just posted some photos taken from Thanksgiving. Haven't had much to write this past month. Till is away at a Karate tournament in Chattanooga this weekend. Liz and I had planned to go, but the ice storm back in January ate up some vacation time, so we stayed behind. We have plans to make two trips to Atlanta over the next couple of months, and possibly a trip to Boston for Till and me. Life's been extremely good to me over the past 6 months. Hope my good fortune last a while longer.
2/16/2004
It's been a frustrating day. Weather forecasts predicted an overnight winter storm for my area and Liz's school closed for the day, following the example of city offices. Of course her school was one of only 5 other places to close, and... no storm ever developed. I thought I was going to have to take another vacation day, but Till came in on his big white horse and saved the day. He stayed home with Liz so I could go to work. Liz and Till spent the day going to IHOP, going to the movies theatre, and playing a Sponge Bob video game on Till's Xbox. Isn't he wonderful? Don't know what I did to deserve such a great guy... but I'm glad I got him all the same. The issue with Liz's school has really motivated me to find alternative care for such occasions. We can't spend all our vacation time like that.
2/15/2004
For Valentines, Till and I went to Sun Ming for dinner, then to the Art Bar for drinks. Liz spent the night at Marcelle's, so we had the whole evening to ourselves. It was the best Valentines I've had since.... well... before Lizzie was born at the very least, if not ever. Unfortunately, Till had to go into work this morning to rebuild the exchange server. That cut our time a little short. But it was still one for the memory books.
2/13/2004
Tillman gave me my Vday present a little early. Without going into too much detail... the items were from Victoria's Secret, and very sexy. He also got me a long red night shirt to sleep in. He knows how much I dig wearing comfortable clothing around the house. Like I've said before, he is the absolute best boyfriend I've ever had.
2/12/2004
Tillman sent me a dozen red roses today at work as an early Valentine's present. I'm such a lucky girl. My coworkers were all jealous. He's the absolute BEST boyfriend I've ever had.
1/29/2004
Liz and I just survived a horrendous ice storm here in SC. I found myself Monday night, while trying to keep warm in a $65.00 hotel room where the electricity just went out, wondering why in the world did I decide to move so far north from SETX. My boss got a laugh out of that when I told her, after returning to working two days later. I think she understood the irony, considering she's from Florida. Hopefully, next winter will be easier for me.
1/18/2004
There are a million reasons why I love my boyfriend. This weekend, he pulled out all the stops to make it a special two days. First, he had a beautiful bouquet delivered to me at work on Friday. Then he let out a second surprise that he had booked us a suite in downtown Columbia for Saturday night. It was wonderful. He took me to dinner at a lovely Japanese restaurant, then for drinks at the Art Bar, then to the hotel. The room had a fabulous Jacuzzi which we took full advantage of. :) Tillman even set up candles and a basket of candies by the tub waiting for me as a third surprise. I have the best, most romantic boyfriend.
1/15/2004
It's taken me a while to make an addition to the blog. We've been so busy. Lizzie was in Texas for New Year's so Till and I spent the festive evening at his house with his roommate, his roommate's girlfriend, and some other people who stopped by. It was a very nice evening. On a sad note, I got some news from my old co-workers at the refinery. Vic Sessions passed away this morning. Apparently, he had been diagnosed with liver cancer in October. He was a great guy and will be sorely missed. News like this makes me take a deep breath and think about how much I take life and good health for granted. It was only last Christmas that I learned of a classmate's passing due to breast cancer. People dying young is so unfair... yep, it was a very sad day today.
12/30/2003
It was a great Christmas. Lizzie loved her Bratz toys, clothing, and bedding. Tillman got me several collector dolls I had asked for, including the Arwen and Aragorn set. He got me three feline beanie buddies to add to my growing collection, as well as Arwen hair jewelry, a corset, a red velvet shirt dress, and a few cd singles from my favorite artists. Liz and I got Till several items from his Amazon.Com wish list, including the Firefly box set which I've enjoyed watching so far. He also got a Jerkin and belt for his Aragorn costume. Mom came up Christmas day and took Liz back to Texas with her to visit for the week. That means Till and I have the week of New Years to ourselves to plan whatever we want. YEA!
12/17/2003
Till and I went to see ROTK tonight. Of course, it was an incredible film. I knew it would be. Tillman has had Lord of the Rings on his brain for the past month, so I'm glad he got his fix. For his birthday, which was this past weekend, I got him a LOTR cake, and two related books he had been talking about. Tillman's favorite of the 3 films is ROTK. Mine is Fellowship. I can't wait for the extended version to come out. There are some scenes in the movie companion book, and the playing card game that we could not place in the movie. I suspect we'll be waiting till next Christmas for the last film to come out on DVD.
12/06/2003
Trying to get ready for the holidays... This year, Liz is all about Bratz. She wants Bratz dolls, a Bratz jam box, Bratz phone, Bratz journal, Bratz Safe, Bratz bedding, Bratz sleeping bag.... need I say more? I got smart this year and had Lizzie create a wish list of items we found on the Toys R Us website. I then created a spreadsheet with links to these items from Toys R Us, Target, Wal-Mart, Kmart, and EBay auctions. I found that each store had sale prices that change on a weekly basis. Also, the price online is not always the price at your local store. Although I actually spent more money on an item I won at eBay auction, I saved a bundle on the other items by checking my links every few days for sales. For example... Liz's #1 item for the year is the Big Bratz Yasmin doll. It was going for about 99.99 at all the stores, except Kmart where it was 109.99(??). One day I looked up my links and found that Target has the doll on sale, with free shipping, for 79.99. Of course I ordered it right away. I would have to say, Target has been the best for deals and over all reasonable prices this year. They definitely get a thumbs up from me this year.
11/23/2003
I heard some great news tonight from the tele! Sarah McLachlan performed her new single on the Ellen Show (Oxygen network). She says she'll be starting her album tour this summer. I can hardly wait. It will be my fourth time to see her in concert. Lucky me, lucky me...
11/18/2003
Just added pics to my site of Tori Amos during her concert back in August. Check them out! She is my favorite artist.
11/12/2003
My birthday is tomorrow. I'm turning the big 34. My boyfriend showed me another really cool movie link...
http://www.themoviebox.net/trailers/harrypotter3/
I love Harry Potter. So does Liz. Can't wait to see this one.
11/05/2003
Just saw a trailer for Shrek 2. It looks pretty funny. check it out at
9/17/2003
Getting ready for the NC Renfest, which starts the first weekend of October (YEA!). Liz's birthday is in 2 days, and I have sooo much to get ready.
9/6/2003
I'd write a bunch of witty, smart things today, but Lizzie is pestering me to play on the PC, so I guess I'll have to save it for another day...