Guess What Day It Is!!!

It's Hump Day Y'all!!!  I'm so off schedule, yesterday was only Tuesday and I thought tomorrow (today) was Thursday.  Long week.  Very long week.  Fortunately, we have no major plans this weekend (other than hitting the Hopkins season opener).  I'd like to clean-out my closet and re-organize a bit.  It's supposed to be in the low- to mid-50's today; hope the weather holds out for the weekend!  

Southern Living magazine just published a list of bloggers to follow in 2015 (see link below): 
http://www.southernliving.com/travel/bloggers-to-follow-2015  Some of them I had already been following (I love when that happens!  makes me feel like "ha!"  I knew something before you did!!!), some I'm looking forward to following, some I won't be following at all  (sorry folks, but the gardening blogs just don't do much for me.  I do not have a green thumb at all.  I can keep a houseplant alive but that's about it).  

Yesterday T-bone had head shots taken for Miss Amory 2015 with the ever talented Mr. Blake McCollum.  Blake did her Miss Metro Jackson head shots last year but this year the session was part of her Miss Amory prize package.  She's been a busy pageant girl the last couple of days . . . last week she and her director Bo finalized her evening gown, head shots yesterday and this weekend she'll be crowning the new Miss Metro Jackson!  Her new evening gown is spectacular and I was so, so sad that I couldn't be there to help her shop but I'll be in Oxford in a few weeks to spend some time with my girl!  

KJ is continuing to be spectacular  -- she's still playing club volleyball two nights a week with tournaments on the weekends and she's luv, luv, luving high school lacrosse practice the other 3 nights.  She's exhausted but loving it.  And, she made the honor roll again!  She's taking all honors classes and is officially a two-sport Varsity athlete.  I am SO proud of this girl!  

The other night Cosmo & I saw "Whiplash" with the incredibly talented JK Simmons.  
Cosmo wasn't sure what to expect and I knew only a little bit about the movie.  It was great and JK Simmons was phenomenal.  He's a very underrated actor (who didn't love him as Juno's dad??  And what about those Farmers Insurance commercials??)  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2582802/?ref_=nv_sr_1  I love awards season and always keep a list of movies, particularly independent movies, that sound interesting.  I do the same with books, too.  If I see a book review in a magazine or someone mentions a book, I write it down.  

Speaking of books, here's some info regarding the soon-to-be-published book by Harper Lee: http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-31127009  Still not sure how I feel about this.  Listen, I love a great book just as much as the next person but do feel that some things should just be left alone (that 3D Jaws movie always comes to mind!).  "To Kill a Mockingbird" is beloved and I just don't want the second book to be panned and torn to shreds by critics.  

#MyMississippi

Back in MD after a wonderful, wonderful trip to MS!  Despite a rocky start with my luggage on 4th of July, we still had a great trip and couldn't be prouder of T! 

I cannot even begin to describe how professional and organized the Miss Mississippi pageant is.  Everything is top-notch . . the production numbers, the costumes, the choreography, the girls are treated like rock stars throughout the week and are very well cared for.  T's hostess mom was awesome and extremely protective of her two girls.

Sunday was her official check-in and Monday evening was the parade through Vicksburg followed by an autograph party at the Outlet Mall.  The weather in Vicksburg was perfect the entire week and the parade was so much fun!  T's two little princesses, Lydia and Sterling, were super sassy and T absolutely adored them!  One of the great things about the Miss Mississippi pageant being in Vicksburg is how the whole town gets behind the pageant.  Everywhere we went people asked if we were in town for the pageant, asked what our daughter's title was and followed it up with a "good luck" or "I'll cheer for her!"  Wednesday Cosmo, KJ and my parents all arrived and prelims started that night.

T had evening gown Wednesday night, swimsuit Thursday and ending prelims on Friday.  T wore a red, strapless, mermaid style gown with a layers of ruffles on the bottom -- KJ said she looked like a flamenco dancer!  It fit her like a glove and I love the color red on her!  The gown was very elegant, timeless, classic and totally T.  She also had on-stage question that night and did great!  Interestingly, everyone else's questions were about their platforms so they were able to give thought out responses.  For some reason they asked T about lacrosse so her response was a little more impulsive.

Thursday morning was another autograph party, this time in at the Coca-Cola Museum in Downtown Vicksburg.  Contestants were situated at various stores on Washington Avenue and the public popped in and out to talk to the girls and get to know them.  From there the girls had lunch with the Rotary Club at the Country Club.  Thursday night she totally rocked swimsuit.  Poor Coach!  He had never seen her bouncing across the stage in a bikini and looked at me and said, "Holy Shit."  It was pretty funny!  Honestly, I thought she should have won swimsuit prelim.  She really did look amazing.  Some of the girls were very muscular with extremely broad shoulders, T is definitely fit and athletic but more feminine.

Friday afternoon the Dew and T's best friend Tana arrived in Vicksburg and we had dinner at a Mexican restaurant before heading to the Convention Center.  T did an amazing job with her talent and the audience was clapping along.  She tweaked her routine a bit since I had seen it last and added a split and a few other moves.  She hit all of her turns and I really thought she had a shot at possibly winning a talent prelim but then the girl after her totally nailed her lyrical dance.  She was the clear winner that night.



All week I kept thinking that T was holding her own against the veterans and more experienced contestants and I was right.  Saturday they announced the top 10 and a little later in the evening they announced scholarship winners.  She placed 14 out of 41 girls.  Now, that may not seem great but this is Mississippi.  EVERYONE has participated at a pageant at some point in their lives!  The top 10 consisted of several returning contestants and even a couple of Miss Mississippi's Outstanding Teens.  These girls have been competing for years and most have pageant coaches in addition to their pageant directors, most have had vocal lessons or choreographers assisting with their dances, trainers to get their bodies in shape and unlimited budgets when it comes to wardrobe.  Some of the girls even had specially prepared meals brought in for them all week.  T joked around and said Tana was her trainer!  They worked out together almost every day.  T's directors were awesome and helped her with mock interviews and wardrobe selection, T said she taught herself how to walk in evening gown and how to pose for swimsuit.  She had a make-up lesson from the MAC counter at the mall in Tupelo before she left for the pageant and her hair and make-up looked amazing all week.

After each night of competition there was a visitation for the families to meet with their contestants and Friday and Saturday nights were cocktail parties at the casino.  That was a lot of fun because the Dew and Tana came to those and we really got to spend a lot of time with Taylor.  The Dew likes to dance so he and T hit up the dance floor each night. 

T had an amazing week in Vicksburg.  She met some wonderful new friends, learned a lot about herself and I think she'll be back next year!  (if she wins a local pageant!).

#MyMississippi

Wow!  Can't believe it's been almost a full month since I've blogged!  We've had such a busy, fun summer so far.  We had some lax friends visit us, our dearest friends in the whole world from Cincinnati visited us and then we were off to MS for the pageant! 

I flew into Memphis on 4th of July.  The flight was fine however I didn't see my luggage until late Sunday, July 6.  Apparently my luggage never made it off the plane despite it being a direct flight from BWI to MEM.  My luggage went on a nice little vacation to Orlando, Charlotte, somewhere in New England (Manchester, NH perhaps?), back to BWI and finally to Memphis.  Southwest did made special arrangements for my luggage to be delivered to me in Vicksburg despite it being out of their normal delivery range.  Unfortunately, the delivery service truck was involved in some type of shoot-out in Memphis and had all of it's windows blown out in a hail of gunfire.  Can't make this stuff up people.  So then I was told that they would get my luggage to me Tuesday.  At which point I totally blew a gasket and had to threaten a few people at Southwest with bodily harm.  Or, as my family would say, I "went all New York."  You do not want New York Valerie to come out to play.  Alabama Valerie is fine, even Maryland Valerie is OK.  New York Valerie will cut a bitch. 

We spent 4th of July at the lake house of one of T's friends and shot off some guns.  You know.  Typical 4th of July in Mississippi!  T, the Dew and I had a nice dinner in Oxford and Saturday morning we headed to Vicksburg for her first day of rehearsals.  Saturday night T got to meet her two princesses and on Sunday we had to check her in at the Convention Center.  I can not stress how impressed I've been all week with this program.  So far, everything has been extremely organized.  After check-in, I delivered her pageant items to her dressing room where I was assisted by a great group of helpful Boy Scouts.  After that I had to deliver the remainder of her luggage to the contestant's hotel where I was also met by Boy Scouts who helped unload the car and carry her luggage to her room.  I didn't have to lift a finger! 

Last night was the parade in Downtown Vicksburg followed by an autograph party at the Outlet Mall.  So fun!  I wish the parade could have looped around again and go through the town twice!  The girls all looked amazing, there was some awesome convertibles and T's little princesses are the sassiest ever!  The city of Vicksburg really gets behind the girls and everywhere I go someone asks me if I'm in town for the pageant and if so, what's my daughter's title and I usually get a "I'll say a prayer for her" or "I'll be sure to clap extra loud for her!" 

Today I had a wonderful pedicure.  I went to this salon back in late February/early March when I came into town for Orientation.  The stylist who did my toes also does the hair and nails for the reigning Miss Mississippi and the panel of judges this week. 

Tomorrow Cosmo, KJ and my parents arrive.  T has her interviews in the morning and Prelims start tomorrow evening.  She has evening wear Wednesday, Swimsuit Thursday and Talent Friday.  Thursday she has another autograph party and lunch with the Rotary Club at the Country Club.  Thursday's autograph party will be fun because my parents, Cosmo and KJ have never seen her in her sash and crown.  My parents haven't seen her since Christmas so I'm sure there will be a few tears of pride.  Both of my parents are big cry-ers!!! 

Torch Relay

Usually I love Sunday's but today I'm not a happy camper.  I just don't want this weekend to end!

Saturday we drove to my nephew's lax tournament and got to spend quality time with both sides of my family.  The drive was lovely and the weather was spectacular!  Not only was Mr. B playing, but my youngest cousin John (who's 8 weeks older than KJ) was playing in the tournament as well.  So, I got to see my mom's baby brother and his wife and watch John play.  As an added bonus, my dad's baby brother drove up from NJ to spend the day with us so I got to spend some time with him (I hadn't seen him since my brother's wedding 11 years ago!).  Mr. B played well and played a LOT.  This season he's been playing long pole but will also go in as a middie.  He's so super fast I personally prefer him as a middie or at attack but he really likes being on defense.  They played 3 games basically back-to-back and by the end of game 3, he was pretty much done.  He got some words of wisdom from The Legend / The Guru / Champ and we're trying to talk his mom into letting him go to Coach Cos's Hustle Camp (or, at the very least, attend a local camp in MD where he can get some stellar instruction from a professional -- Georgetown, Hopkins, Loyola, Maryland, you name it).  I don't think his mom is ready to let him go to a sleep-away sports camp just yet.  Very weird to watch my brother coach and my nephew play instead of Coach and one of the girls.  I guess he's passing the torch.  After the tourney we all had dinner and just relaxed and caught up.  On the way home, we stopped at Jimmie Cone for some dessert (natch).  

Today I got some things done around the house while Cosmo and KJ did some shopping.  They originally went to the mall but ended up at the outlets by the National Harbor.   http://nationalharbor.com/  Cosmo needed some spring clothes and new sunglasses and naturally KJ got some stuff, too.  I put away my china and crystal we used for Easter dinner, I did a shload of laundry (shit + load = shload) and organized my closet a bit as well as one of the linen closets.  

T's evening gown competition dress came in this week and she is so super excited!  The fit, the color, the silhouette are all perfect!  She said it is ever so slightly long and she'd like to have a sliver taken off the bottom.  She said when she walked she had to kick it out a bit and she doesn't want to have to deal with that on stage.  She is so incredibly pleased with her wardrobe for the pageant and she made some great selections!  She looks best in jewel tones and didn't even bother looking at anything pastel.  She had to have a royal or navy blue gown for the opening number (she went with royal blue), she needed a gown with a train for the parade and went with a dusty blue strapless high/low dress and her swimsuit is emerald green.  She's been packing up her stuff the last couple of days and said The Boy will help her move across campus next week to her new dorm for her May and June sessions.  It's a bit of nuisance but not a big deal.  

Summer loving

You know things are serious when your daughter e-mails you requesting a family conference call for later in the day!

T called last night to discuss her summer plans.  I've kind of always known in the back of my mind that she probably wouldn't be coming "home" (wherever that is!) for the summer but last night confirmed it.  She's got to stay in Mississippi for her Miss Jackson/ Miss Miss commitments so she might as well take some classes, too!   But even before Miss Miss, I didn't think she'd come home; I knew she'd want to stay in Oxford for the summer.  And I was fine with it.  I really am (the only thing I'm really having a hard time with is the fact that sophomore year is almost over and she'll be a JUNIOR in the fall!!  When did THAT happen???  And, on top of it, KJ will be a high school FRESHMAN!!!  Impossible!).

I'm glad T's flying in for Easter, though!  Cosmo and KJ haven't seen her since Christmas; I at least got to see her end of February/beginning of March when I flew in for orientation.  My parents will be here for Easter and I think Cosmo's niece and husband will be joining us too!

She has to stay to make sure all her residents are out of the dorms after this semester ends and then that Monday she'll start classes.  I think the May session is kind of quick, only two weeks or so and then she might be able to come home for Memorial Day and go right into summer session which will end up around her birthday.  From there she'll be in Vicksburg for the pageant and after that will, hopefully, be able to relax by the pool for a couple of weeks until she has to be back in Oxford for Rush workshop and CA training.  Busy, busy girl and she wouldn't have it any other way!

Miss Miss

Still recovering from my trip to Mississippi.  I flew out a week ago and landed in Memphis with no problems.  T picked me up right on time and we went and had spray tans.  I was a spray tan virgin and only agreed to it because I needed to wear dresses over the weekend and my legs were Casper-the-Friendly-Ghost white.  Like, glow in the dark white.  It was interesting to say the least.





After our spray tans we went out to dinner at our favorite restaurant in the Square, Boure`.  http://citygroceryonline.com/restaurant.php?boure  T's friend Tana joined us as well as T's new friend, J.  After dinner J's friends were playing at the local dive bar, Frank & Marlees http://www.frankandmarlees.com/.  The band was really, really good and we had a fun time.  Tana picked me up on her way home from the library and I spent the night on her futon.  And I am way too old to be sleeping on a futon.  T picked me up in the morning and we had breakfast at our favorite breakfast spot, http://citygroceryonline.com/restaurant.php?bbb  After breakfast we had to pick up a few items on the square and then we headed to Vicksburg for Miss Mississippi orientation.






Friday night was a meet & greet and all of the local contestants had photos taken (they also took photos by college -- there were a TON of Mississippi State girls and 9 or 10 Ole Miss girls), were interviewed by the local radio station and received all of their costumes for the July event.  I also got to meet T's  directors and several of the other girls and their mom's.  Afterward we all went out for dinner at a Mexican place and had a lot of fun. 








Saturday morning the girls had to be at the local YMCA for rehearsals.  I went back to the hotel for a little nap and then had an amazing massage and pedicure at a cute little salon in Vicksburg.  The tech who did my pedicure also does the hair for the pageant MC's and had some funny stories to tell!


After my spa day I had to stop at the local mall and buy a short sleeve shirt.  It was almost 80 degrees in Vicksburg and although I had packed capri pants and my cute new sandals, I didn't have the right shirt to wear.  T had to be back at the mall that evening for the little princess crowning.  It was very cute and I got to meet T's "teen" (she's Miss Metro Jackson Teen and works with T's director as well).  It was also the first time I got to see T in her crown and sash. 






Sunday morning we had to be back in the auditorium for a long, long day of meetings and information.  I also like to refer to Sunday as "Miss Miss Boot Camp."  Holy cow.  There was a lot of information.  It's all good though.  They talked to the contestants and parents about expectations, social media, judging, etc.  There was a lot of great information but I think it was a wake-up call for some of these girls. 






That night we drove back to Oxford and had dinner at http://www.oldvenice.com/.  I had never been there but T loves the artichoke dip and the lobster ravioli.  It was delicious.  I spent the night in T's dorm on a futon cushion from one of the girls down the hall.  T has her own room and a loveseat that would have been horribly uncomfortable for even someone only 5 ft. tall.  When we woke up to go to the radio station for T's show, it was snowing like crazy!  And it snowed all day.  I walked across campus to get T's car in front of her dorm while she went to class and had to stop at the campus bookstore to buy some gloves.  It was 18 degrees in Oxford.  It was 21 in DC.  It was actually warmer in MD than in MS.  We had lunch at the AOPi house and I finally got to meet T's big, Anna.  When I was in Oxford in November, Anna was terribly sick with the flu.  I also met a couple of the girls T is going on Spring Break with.  Very nice group of girls. 






T's friend drove up to Memphis with us so T wouldn't have to drive home from the airport alone.  I sat on the runway for a along time for de-icing and barely made my connection in Cincinnati.  And by barely I mean they were paging my name for final boarding.  My flight from Memphis arrived at Gate 3.  My connection was at Gate 32.  I was walking briskly and when they paged me, I started to run.  In heels.  A sweet little old man driving a golf cart saw me hustling and told me to hop on!  If it wasn't for him, I probably would have had to spend the night in Cincy.






It had snowed here all day Monday so rather than drive all the way home from the airport, I just spent the night at my hotel.  I had a hard time falling asleep but when I did, I slept great!  It was weird getting ready in the morning and just walking downstairs to my office!