Juggling July

The month of July was extremely busy! A trip to the beach, birthdays, baseball, concerts and much, much more I'm sure I didn't take pictures of. The weekend after we returned from the Family Reunion was the Bass Masters Tournament in Montgomery. While I'm not all that interested in the fishing part of this, I was interested in the FREE concerts that came along with it. Leon and I went down to the Amphitheater on the Alabama River (downtown Montgomery) and enjoyed a free concert by Jason Michael Carol. If you're not familiar with him, he is a country artist who is popular for his songs like Livin Our Love Song, Alyssa Lies, Where I'm From, and several others. Although the evening was a typical sultry summer night, the concert and the setting were wonderful. Watching the concert and the boats drive by on the river are a great combination. Not to mention, the sunset over the river is always a brilliant display of colors.



Chris about to blow out the (trick) candles.


Also in July we celebrated my brother, Chris' 22nd birthday and my Pawpaw's 75th birthday. Mom had everyone over to her house for dinner, cake, ice cream and presents for Chris' birthday. For Pawpaw's birthday, Grandma had everyone over to her house to celebrate. In case you were wondering, birthday's are a HUGE deal in our family! Plus, it gives us a good excuse to all get togther.

Pawpaw opening his gifts.



Georgiann and me.



Somewhere around the end of July, I went to dinner at Crockmier's with my beautiful Aunt Georgiann and a couple of her friends. We enjoyed drinks and dinner and listened to the band for a while and had a great time chatting and catching up. We also went to the Alley Bar afterwards to listen to the band they had playing. There weren't a lot of people out so we decided to go home early and call it a night.

Maddox Family Reunion



Top Left (Great Aunts & Uncles):
 Joann Maddox (Grandma) Ken Maddox, Sr. (Pawpaw)
Uncle Jim, Uncle Bill & his girlfriend,
Uncle Gray and Aunt Margaret Edwards, Aunt Jenkie,
 Great Great Aunt Carrie



When you hear the words "family reunion," what comes to mind? For many people it's seeing cousins that you have no clue who they are or how they're related to you or seeing an Aunt that tells you "my, look how you've grown", or an awkward conversation with a relative (stranger) or maybe even an ugly t-shirt with a tree across the front touting your family name. Well, in the Maddox family, that is NOT how our family reunions typically go. In our family, we have a reunion the third weekend of every July. And when I say EVERY July, I mean EVERY July. This summer was no exception. Even the oil spill in the Gulf couldn't keep us away from each other



Leon enjoying the beach!



 So, in July, like clock work, the Maddox family congregated in Panama City Beach, FL, to catch up on every one's lives over the past year (all though most everyone keeps up with each other anyways over the phone, email, Facebook, newsletters, etc.) and to reminisce about the years gone by. Thursday, July 15th, was the start of the mass migration of Maddox family members to the beach. And when I say mass migration, I mean over 100 members of our family, all in one location, for an entire weekend. And yes, I do know almost every one's name or I can at least tell you who they belong to. To help clarify things, my  grandfather, Ken Maddox, is one of eight children. Six of these children are still alive today and this is who our family reunion is comprised of. My grandfather, his siblings, and all of their children, children's children, and so on. You get the picture.

 

Family gathered in our condo Thursday night for dinner.

 Now, back to Thursday. The majority of the early arrivers spent the day soaking up the sun on the beach and keeping an eye out for tar balls or any sign of oil. Keep in mind, this was in the middle of the devastating oil spill. Thankfully, very little reached Panama City Beach and didn't interrupt our fun. After a long and scenic day on the beach my Mom and a few other family members cooked dinner for those who were there in our condo. We enjoyed a delicious dinner of bar-b-cue,  ribs, homemade mashed potatoes (I made these) boiled peanuts, fresh peaches, and a whole lot more.



My sister, Catherine, helping our first cousin, Brody,

swim to his Dad, Greg.

Friday consisted of pretty much the same thing. Everyone enjoyed another glorious day basking in the sunshine on the beach or laying out by the pool. Those who do not enjoy the heat or sun as much spent their time inside at the Hospitality Room playing cards, domino's and talking about their favorite past-times. For dinner Friday night everyone went to their favorite local restaurant. Leon and I went with my family to Shuckums, a local oyster restaurant Leon wanted to try. When we arrived the restaurant was extremely busy, so we sat at a table outside, hoping to beat the rain. Well, we almost did, but right before the waitress was about to bring our food, it started sprinkling. Thankfully, we were able to get a set inside Shuckum's Party Shack before the bottom fell out of the clouds. Once inside, and dry, our food arrived and it was delicious and well worth the wait. The entertainment was pretty good too. There was a local DJ playing a lot of fun music and a few softball teams in town for a tournament decided to try a little karaoke as well. After dinner, my aunt, my self and several of my cousins decided to dance along to the electric slide. This was a lot of fun and gave us something to laugh about later.


Here is evidence I do dance, in case you were wondering.



Saturday a few of us decided to be adventurous and when on a jet ski tour. Leon and I shared a jet ski, along with my Mom, Randy, Catherine, Aunt Georgiann and her kids. We had a BLAST!!! This was the best part of the entire trip! We spent two hours cruising around the intracoastal waterways, darted out into the Gulf of Mexico where we saw a couple of dolphins up close and then went to Shell Island. If you've never been to Shell Island, I highly recommend it. Shell Island is a pristine, untouched island with crystal clear water, sea shells every where and beautiful views in every direction you turn. This is what the beach should look like! After spending about thirty minutes their, we jumped back on our jets skis and rode as fast as we could the rest of the way back. Mostly because it started storming and we wanted to beat the rain. This is something Leon and I both loved and hope to do again next summer when we return.

Aunt Georgiann and her youngest son, Josh,
dancing at Shuckums.



Everyone gathering together for dinner.

  

Aunt Jenkie leading the line at the pot luck.



After our adventurous day, we all returned to our condo and got ready for our potluck dinner. Now, usually we have a catered dinner, but this year we decided to try something different and went or a potluck dinner. My grandfather brought boston-butts and fried chicken and everyone else was responsible for bringing a covered dish for their family. Well, this was one of the BEST ideas ever, because we had more than enough food to feed our entire family twice. We ate and ate and ate some more until we couldn't hardly move.  After dinner is one of my favorite times. This is a time were all of the brothers and sisters get a chance to stand up and talk about their memories or favorite things about our family. One of my favorite stories is the one my Great Aunt Margaret's husband, Grey Edwards, always tells about how he wanted to marry Margaret. It's always very sweet and touching and so very refreshing to hear someone talk about genuine love. Another one of my favorite times is when my Uncle Jim gets up to speak and he usually makes some reference to my PawPaw and then they start arguing (discussing) about who is telling the story correctly. It's just one of those things that you have to be there to see but it is always so funny to see the interaction of sibling, no matter what age they are. Also, any time my cousin Buddy talks is humorous. He is so full of spunk and life and always has great insight, wisdom and a funny story to share! Before we wrap up for the night, we all join hands together and sing the song "Blessed Be the Tie That Binds" (which we also sang at our wedding at the end of the ceremony) and, what else, but the Auburn Fight Song! Can I get a big Waaarrrrr Eaaagggllleee! Hey!  If you're wondering why, the majority of our family members have all attended Auburn and that is where all of my great aunts and uncles attended college. My Great Uncle John, not present due to illness, also played football for Auburn.




Randy and me listening to everyone talk.

 

When Sunday arrives it's time to pack up everything, but not before a quick Sunday morning service and prayer. This is the root and foundation of our family. We are proud to say that we are Christian's and love the Lord. I love my family and I hope that everyone who reads this can feel the love we have for each other!

I'll leave you with a few more pictures from our exciting Maddox Family Reunion.

Chit-chat before dinner.



 

Me with my beautiful Great Great Aunt Carey, who lives
in Washington state. And yes, she is my great great aunt, she is
my PawPaw's Aunt.



Great Uncle Jim and his Granddaughter, my cousin, Carley.



 

Me, Aunt Georgiann and Cousin Carol.





PawPaw and Me.



 

Leon and me at dinner at Shuckums.



  



Everyone listening to Aunt Margaret and Cousin Buddy talk.

 

Catherine and me at dinner.





Leon and the young guys waiting in line for food.



Penny Piper Brasington

 

Penny at home after being boarded this summer.



 I recently realized  I have not done a single post on my precious Penny! So here goes. Penny is our miniature dachshund (weenie dog) who now is 1 1/2 years old and a healthy 17 pounds (not so miniature). She thinks she is a person, and we treat her like one. Sometimes we believe Penny thinks she is a cat because of the funny way she sits on the furniture. Penny has more personality and is a great entertainer. Her favorite things to do are play with all her toys, preferably a tennis ball or her rope. She also enjoys going for a nice jog or walk and don't every ask her if she wants to "go for a ride," because she will expect you to take her for a ride in your car immediately! She is the friendliest dog you'll ever meet, although she will bark at you when she first meets you, but that's just her natural reaction. It only takes her a minute or two to warm up to you and if you rub her belly, you'll be her new best friend. She also loves other animals and does not discriminate. She loves dogs, cats, birds, and any other animal that will play with her. Here are a few pictures of Penny from recently.    



Penny making friends with my Dad and Lori's dog, Jackson.
"David meets Goliath"



Leon and Penny LOVE each other!



Penny naping on the arm of the couch.



 Penny with her favorite toy.

Penny learned to love the lake!

Pretty Penny



 





Hodgepodge of Happenings

Hodge podge (noun) - jumble - a collection of things that do not belong together.
      I felt "Hodgepodge" was an appropriate title for this blog since there is not a common thread to tie most of these events and pictures together. Life in general is like a hodgepodge of people, circumstances, blessings, accidents, events and so much more. But when you put them all together, it creates the hodgepodge of our lives.


Nate realizing who all was in on the surprise.

 Over the summer Leon and I stayed busy visiting our friends and family. Our first fun event was a surprise birthday party for Leon's friend Nate at the Biscuit's baseball game. Nate's 25th birthday was in May and his sweet girlfriend Amy decided to surprise him. She was very sneeky and Nate didn't suspect any thing. Amy told Nate they were going to the Biscuit's game, but that it was going to be just the two of them because no one else was able to go. Little did Nate know, that when he walked to their seats, his parents, and several friends were there waiting to wish him a very Happy Birthday! He was completely surprised! But, that's not all. During one of the breaks betweening innings, Nate got to go out on the field with Big Mo (the mascot) and have the entire stadium sing Happy Birthday to him! I think Amy earned extra brownie points and girlfriend of the year and every one had a wonderful time!

The following are a few pictures from several other events in May.



My cousin, Clint Justice, Prattville H.S. c/o 2010.


 

My poor car after being rear-ended at a red light.



Penny, doing what she does best, hanging out!

Also, during the month of May, we went to the lake a few times with our family and friends. One of our most fun trips was to Lake Martin with our friends Dave and Ashley Corwin. Dave's parents live on the like and were kind enough to invite us up on several occassions. On this particular occassion we loaded up the boat on a bright and sunshining afternoon and headed over to Chimney Rock (this implies the shape, no need to explain this).



Chimney Rock (photo courtesy Wikipedia)



 If you're not familiar with "the rock" let me try to explain it to you as best I can. In the middle of the lake there is a small rocky island  with some rather large rock "cliffs". These cliffs intice the local daredevils to climb up and take a leap off the ledge and for the artist in you, spray painting the rock is a favorite as well. Now, for those of you not quite daring enough to jump off the top of the roughly 60 foot tall rocks, don't worry, "chicken rock" is only about 20 feet or so high and offers a more comfortable landing than that of actual chimney rock. But, as you can imagine, chimeny rock is quite a draw for people from all over. I think it is like the Sirens, in Gullaver's Travels or maybe it's Homer's The Odessey, that draw you in and call out your name so that you can't resist their temptation. Because there are every type of person imaginable jumping from Chimney Rock. It's a great place to anchor your boat and watch all the "brave" people take a leap into the lake and also listen to grown mean scream like little girls!



The boys "enjoying" some tubing!



Ashley and me showing them how to ride the Viper!



Now, one of my favorite things to have while on the lake, or anytime for that matter, are boiled peanuts! Yummy! It makes my mouth water just thinking about it. There is a boat that drives around near chimney rock that sells ice and, you guessed it, fresh, hot boiled peanuts. So of course, we got a few bags and enjoyed as we floated around in our "diaper" life jackets. After swimming around for a while we did notice it the sky starting to cloud up a bit. Well, it didn't take longer to also notice the approaching wall of rain heading our way. We packed up the boat and made a mad dash back to the Corwin's house. Despite our best efforts, we did not beat the rain. And when I say rain, I mean rain. Cats and dogs and buckets full of rain! Of course, by the time we made it back to the house the storm had passed and we were able to take out the Viper and have a little fun! Now, the viper is a tube and not just any tube. It is a highly durable, three person tube that you sit in and hold on for dear life. I'll lt the pictures explain the rest. Needless to say, we were bounced around and thrown around like little rag dolls, but we loved every minute of it! Thank you to the Corwin's for such a wonderful time. We couldn't ask for better friends!





Helen, Georgia...Our One Year Anniversary Trip



Helen, GA

Love comes and often goes

In one door and out the window

Until one day true love finds its' way

And in your heart it's here to stay.

I wrote this poem when I was in my twelfth grade English class and for some reason it has always stuck with me. I felt like sharing it with you since this blog is all about Leon and my anniversary trip to Helen, GA. If you're not familiar, geographically speaking, with Helen, GA, don't worry. It's a little mountain town about an hour or so north of Atlanta. It is very cute and quaint, resembling an old German town. All of the buildings reminded me of little gingerbread houses. I swear Hanzel and Gretel were going to come walking around the corner at any moment. Many of the restaurants, pubs and bars served German food and drinks and all of the locals were extremely friendly and helpful.  

Leon in front of our cabin.

All of our goodies we bought the first day.

While we were in Helen we did a lot of fun things but also took it easy. With no real schedule or any where we had to be we truly enjoyed this trip. We arrived on a Thursday evening and after getting settled into our cabin (http://www.blueridgecabinrentals.com/) we ventured into Helen, about five minutes down the road, to explore the town. Since it wasn't quite the weekend yet, and this was in April, so it was still the off season, most of the shops were closing down for the evening. We ventured into a few shops to see what local things we could find. First we purchased a couple bottles of wine from a local winery as well as a six pack of beer brewed in Georgia from the local grocer and I couldn't pass up the fragrant soy candle. Leon's weakness was some yummy beef jerky. Needless to say, none of this made it home, except the candle. We enjoyed every bit of it during our stay. After our shopping spree we stopped by a cute little pizza place, Nacoochee Village Tavern and Pizza, and enjoyed a yummy pizza before heading back to our cabin for the night.



This picture does not do Anna Ruby Falls justice.

Now, if you know me, you know I enjoy being outdoors. So, Friday we decided to head to Unicoi State Park and take a little hike to check out Anna Ruby Falls, not to be confused with Ruby Falls in Tennessee. (Here is a little history on the falls if you're interested http://georgiatrails.com/trails/annaruby.html) The hike was fairly easy (on the way down) and only about a mile up and back. The trail was paved and had several resting areas along the way and was easily navigable for the young and old a like. The view at the top of the trail was of the gorgeous Anna Ruby Falls, double water falls! Well worth the short hike. Later on we went and played putt-putt at a very cute putt-putt course and then ventured to one of the local German restaurants for dinner. I had some kind of weiner-schnitzel and Leon had a German version of a hamburger. The food was pretty good, just not something I would want to eat everyday. While at the restaurant, Leon asked for a Coors Light. Well, to our surprise, Coors is apparently a Jewish beer and the German restaurant did not carry Jewish beers. Our waitress was nice enough to explain this to us. So, Leon tried a new German beer and was just as happy with it.

Saturday we stopped by the local winery, Habersham Winery, to taste some wine and then went into the Nacoochee Village Antique Mall. The Antique Mall was in this beautiful historic home and every knook and cranny was filled with every type of antique you could imagine. It was like taking a step back in time. Next, we walked across the street to the Nora Mill Granary Grist Mill and Country Store. This was a neat experience because they still grind corn on the original 133 year old French burr stone. I love history and greatly enjoy getting see things like this in person. We also visited the Jumping Goat Coffee store next door and sampled and bought some delicious coffee.

 

After the coffee store we made our way into town and you could tell the weekend had arrived. The streets were packed with people, cars and horses and carriages hauling all the tourists around. We went through all the cute shops and bought a few more things and then enjoyed a big lemonade and just sat around and watched the people go by for a while.

Our trip to Helen was a wonderful vacation and a great way to celebrate our first anniversary together. If you ever get a chance to visit Helen, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! If you'd like to see more pictures of our trip to Helen follow this link (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2102470&id=45100738&l=b27013f776) to my album on Facebook.



Leon feeding the fish at the grist mill.





Weddings and What-Nots

 

When the weather turns warmer and the feel of summer is near, that's when you know wedding season is almost here. I love going to weddings! They're such a wonderful celebration of love, life and the passion and dedication that two people have for one another. On May 1st, my childhood friend, Kelly Barnes, married the love of her life, Adam Himel. Despite the gale force winds at the ceremony on the terrace of the Capitol City Club, everything was beautiful! We enjoyed a cocktail hour and a delicious dinner, followed by a great band and lots of dancing. Kelly and Adam now reside in Auburn and I wish them much happiness and wedded bless in their future!

A few weeks later Leon and I watched our friends

Courtney Dean and Thomas Corum get married in a beautiful outdoor ceremony at the Dean family's 100 year old farm. Courtney arrived in an antique horse drawn cart and walked down the aisle to meet her groom where they said their vows under the towering pecan trees. The reception was a delicious home style, bar-b-que meal, complete with watermelon! The weather was great and the happy couple was so in love!