I've Been Shown Up.

A few weeks ago, I made a post about my new pool. While watering some of the plants along my fence the other day, I happened to peer through the slats of the fence into my neighbor's back yard and was shocked by what I saw:



Upon closer inspection (with a ladder), this is what I saw:



Now, for a refresher, here is a picture of my pool:



It seems as if I have been shown up.

"M.J." Lives!!!

As I'm sure most of you know, June 25th marked the 1 year anniversary of Michael Jackson's death. June 25th also marked the birthday of one of my awesomely crazy co-workers, Steph G. In a previous blog post, I mentioned how Steph G., along with her sidekick Steph A., are quite possibly the biggest M.J. fans that ever lived. As you can imagine, Steph G. is less than thrilled to have to share her birthday with the anniversary of the death of the King of Pop.

This past Saturday, I traveled to the Stephanies' hometown of Arab, Alabama to celebrate Steph G.'s birthday with her family and friends. What Steph G. didn't know, but what the rest of us knew, was that M.J. was going to make a brief return from the grave for her party. The stage was set with a Michael Jackson Thriller Jacket cake:



And sparkly glove cookies:



And then the moment we had all been waiting for--The Return of Michael!!!

















Here's a video of "M.J." performing "Jam":




And here's a video of "M.J." performing "Thriller":




"M.J." put on a great show, and to say Steph G. was surprised is a bit of an understatement. Happy Birthday Steph G.!!!

Look at Those Lines!

Something about cutting my grass at a diagonal is just so fulfilling to me. In fact, it is so pleasing that I'm pretty sure I have a big smile on my face as I push my non self-propelled push mower in 100-degree heat. Yes, I admit I do have a problem.

Flower Power

A couple of months ago, my mom and I (but mostly my mom) undertook a big back yard landscaping project. Over the course of one weekend, my back yard was transformed from this:



to this:





Other than the two trees along the back of the fence and a few little annuals, everything that my mom planted in the back yard was transported here from her yard in Mobile. She explained that I would save a lot of money by using the surplus of perennials from her yard. In all honesty, I think she didn't want me to invest a whole lot of money in plants when there was a strong possibility that I would kill them...

I don't have the best history with plants. A few years ago, I decided I wanted to decorate my apartment with a few potted plants. So my mom started me out with two of her own plants. I thought I was caring for them appropriately and providing them with all of the water and sunlight they needed. However, when my mom came to visit me a few weeks later, she was horrified by the condition these two plants were in. She told me that she was going to have to take the plants back home with her to put them in "Plant ICU". Luckily, she was able to resuscitate these two plants, but she has never offered to let me take them again.

After my mom planted all of the flowers in my back yard, I asked her if she thought the plants would survive. Always the optimist, but also keeping my past history with plants in mind, she said the plants probably had about a 10% chance of survival.

So you can imagine what a state of utter shock I was in when the first plant budded out and bloomed a few weeks ago. And many more of the plants have followed suit. See for yourself!





















I think these plants have beaten the odds. Who knows, maybe I have a green thumb after all!

I Thought My Dog Was Perfect

After running some errands this morning, I came home to find the door to my garage looking like this:





And then I found my sweet little perfect Colby looking like this:



While I might have been able to look past the shifty eyes, the paint chip in his hair was a total give-away.

I guess my dog isn't as perfect as I thought.

A "Thrilling" Shout-Out to the Stephs

As we approach the first anniversary of Michael Jackson's death, I would like to take this opportunity to flash back to Halloween Night 2009 (aka Thriller Night) and give a shout-out to two of my crazy co-workers, Stephanie and Stephanie. The Stephanies are quite possibly the biggest M.J. fans that ever lived. They learned and prepared their interpretation of the Thriller Dance with a dedication and determination that you wouldn't believe. They spent weeks preparing their Thriller Dance, which culminated with the big debut on Thriller Night. I was one of the lucky ones who got to witness this momentous occasion. And now, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the infamous Thriller Dance, Steph-Style:



M.J. would be proud.

My New Back Yard Pool!

There is one thing about apartment living that I miss this time of year:



This is the pool at my former apartment complex. During my four summers at this apartment complex, I spent many a summer day lying by this pool, soaking up some rays. It was heavenly.

Now that I no longer live in this apartment complex, I do not have access to this great pool any more. A few weeks ago, I put on my bathing suit and tried to soak up some rays while lying on a beach towel in my back yard. It just wasn't the same.

I explained to my mother the loss I was feeling by no longer having access to a pool. My mother had a wonderful suggestion. She told me that I should put in a pool in my back yard! And much to my surprise, she even offered to pay for it! The purchase has been made, and the installation went much quicker than planned. And now, here is my new back yard pool:





You are all welcome to come over for a swim. But only one person at a time, please.