Georgia Surprise!

My Mom thought it would be fun for us to surprise my Aunt Tina for her 60th birthday... so we hopped on the midnight train/plane to Georgia..and since almost ALL our relatives live in Georgia....the SURPRISING began!

First stop to see my Aunt Kathy at Berry College. We couldn't remember which building she was in, on campus, so I called my Dad and he led us right to her. The first thing she said was, "No wonder my brother was so weird on the phone!" SURPRISE #1! Uncle Mike also works at Berry College so SURPRISE #2... no one knew we were coming, so this was lots of fun!

Berry has such a beautiful campus, so we took a little drive to see the Old Mill.

I was in Georgia 2 years ago, right before I had my Lapband removed. I was so skinny and unhealthy and feeling quite sick, so I had to put this BEFORE and AFTER in. Kind of cool to see the difference in the colors of the trees. The first picture was in June of 2007, the second in November 2009.



This is the Frost Chapel, isn't it beautiful?

Look closely, the roots are growing straight out of the ground.
Yes. This is all on the Berry College Campus, it is huge and absolutely breathtaking!
LUNCH BREAK - Krystal Hamburgers Worthington's grew up on Krystal Hamburgers. When we moved to Utah in 1978 I knew there were no Krystal Hamburgers and no Little Debbie snack cakes (at the time) I was for sure I would DIE! (As you can see I did just fine, filling up on Crown Burger and Mrs. Backer's Bakery)
Krystals are small hamburgers on a dinner sized roll. They've been around since 1932. "There's nothing like the steamed-in onion flavor of an all beef patty topped off with mustard and a pickle!"

Aunt Kathy gave us the keys to the old house in Lindale, Georgia. With my grandparents in a nursing home, their home is up for sale. So sad to see it go, but it is time. Aunts, Uncles and Cousins have been fixing it up and it is on the market along with 4 acres of land for the astounding price of just $119,000. Let me know if you are interested!




Freshly painted and newly tiled Bathroom
One of the bedrooms
Looking into the living room
From the living room looking toward the front door. Through the double doors is the dining area. Check out those gorgeous, shiny hardwood floors!
Papa has several fig trees near the house. We picked some and took them for Papa and Muriel. I tasted this one, but decided I'd rather eat a fig newton cookie instead.

When we were walking the property I found this dead scorpion. I kicked it out of the way and realized.... SURPRISE #3
It wasn't so dead..................


Then we were off to visit Papa and Grandma Muriel. They looked so great and seemed in really good spirits! SURPRISE #4

Papa turned 89 years old this year!
"Uncle Andy just lives 11 feet away" from Papa. He was out of town though, so we didn't get to see him.
We were POOPED by this time. Had some dinner at Bill's New York Pizza and headed over to Aunt Tina's house. I called her on the phone and told her I was calling to wish her a Happy Birthday and wondered what she was doing? We knocked on the door and she said, "Hold on, there's someone at the door!" SURPRISE #5... it's US!!! After a short visit we were headed to our hotel for a good night's rest... we were POOPED! We've been up for over 24 hours! So tired!!

The next morning we woke up early and decorated Tina's house. SURPRISE #6

SURPRISE #7 - Tata Tina (that's french for Aunt) has never had a professional pedicure before...after 60 years, we figured it was about time!
I miss my Piggly Wiggly... I wonder if that is why I started collecting pigs when I was younger?
After a long day of pedicures, shopping and eating we headed back to the house for SURPRISE #8 - Uncle John and Aunt Leslie flew up from Florida for the Birthday weekend!
3 Siblings together again - Joan, Tina & John. Pepe (Grandpa Martino) passed away in 1996 and Meme (Grandma Martino) passed away in 2002.

We had heard that their was a new restaurant in town, so we all wanted to check it out. The food was fabulous and the ambiance was wonderful. Tata Tina kept saying she didn't feel like she was in Adairsville! I forced everyone to order some dessert. Coconut Cream Pie and Pecan Delight. As we started pulling out the cameras and flashing some pics, we joked that Aunt Leslie might accidently just finish off the pie... oops? where did it go? We had everyone laughing! It was lots of fun!
What a nice picture of the remaining Martino clan! Mom has tricep tendonitus, thus the arm sling. OUCH!
Tina & Mike Culberson

The next day, Sunday, November 8, Tina's BIRTHDAY!!! After a little persuasion we convinced Tata Tina to take a ride with us all! On our way to Blue Ridge, Georgia we stopped at this Apple Barn. The aroma was amazing! Apples! Apples! Apples!


I couldn't resist taking a picture of this...
Tata Tina & Uncle John on their way back from buying boiled peanuts & pork skins! I don't understand the phenonmena of the peanuts or the skins.... they both gross me out. There are stands every few miles on the roads to buy all the boiled peanuts and pork skins you want....or don't!
Just seeing this picture makes me start dry heaving... moving on.....


Once we reached Blue Ridge it was a cute little town, similar to a mini Park City Main Street. My favorite store was the Christmas Store. This is the Whoville Tree and I LOVED IT!! Notice how the top curls over?
For Lunch we enjoyed some French cuisine.... Uncle John and Mom enjoyed some Crepes, while I loved my Asparagus Quiche and (not so french) Chicken Tortilla soup!
We didn't realize it existed until we got there, but they have a Blue Ridge Scenic Railway. It is a 4 1/2 hour trip and would have been lots of fun, but we weren't ready to invest that much time... maybe next time. It looked similar to the Skunk Train in California or the Heber Creeper in Utah.
Erin and I were in one car and Mom, Leslie, John and Tina were in the other. On our way home, I experienced my first ever SUN DOG. It was really cool! Something I had never seen before and didn't know existed until Erin told me what is was called.

Once we got back to Adairsville, we were going to take Tina for her birthday dinner to Olive Garden, but then my Mom reminded me that The Cracker Barrel would have FRIED OKRA! Yum-O! I HAVE to have fried okra while I'm in Georgia or my trip would NOT be complete! Cracker Barrel did not disappoint! Mmmmmmm! Fried Okra! Yahoo! Here's what it looks like:
Fried Okra

They brought out Coke Cake for Tina's birthday and it was delicious! Yummy, warm, thick chocolate frosting! The waitress, Jenelle, didn't know why it was called Coke cake, it just was. Apparently, it does have Coca Cola in it: Coke Cake Recipe from Cracker Barrel

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TINA!!!

Halloween

Parker wanted to be Mike Myers from the horror movie series Halloween. I didn't want ANY of that. The week before Halloween John recorded Pee Wee's Big Adventure on TV for Parker.... and then Parker decided PEE WEE was IT!!! People were surprised how much Parker resembles the character. Parker was a perfect Pee Wee! His voice is getting too low to pull off Pee Wee's obnoxious sayings like: "I know you are but what am I?" "I'm TRYING to use the phone!" " I don't make monkeys, I train them!"
TEQUILA!!!

Dex decided he wanted to be the Godfather for Halloween. He definitely can pull off the "mobster" persona! "Youse gonna be livin' with da fishes, Capeche?" "You can get far with a smile, but you can get farther with a smile and a GUN!"

This was my FAVORITE costume for Halloween 2009. Mrs. Harper is always creative! Swine Flu...

Edward was my date for Halloween. Are we cute together?

Brace Face No MORE

Parker got his braces OFF today!!! Woo Hoo! He was sooooo excited. He was very careful for the last week to not eat things he wasn't suppose to (never stopped him before) but he did not want to prolong their removal by popping off a bracket...AGAIN!
The appointment was schedule for 8:30 am and Parker was ready to go by 8:15 (it only takes 5 minutes to get there, so I made him wait a little longer).

June 2008-Before Braces

After

September 2009 Last few minutes of Braces


Allllll Gone! It was weird seeing his white teeth down the hall, while I was in the waiting room!


Dr. Spurrier gives the kids a bag of candy after they get their braces off. Parker almost had the entire bag finished off before we left the parking lot! He enjoyed a KitKat first...them some tootsie rolls (bracket popper-offers..we know first hand!)


The next day we went back to get Parker's retainer.

This is Dr. Spurrier...he's SO nice!

My! How they've GROWN!

Sitting here in front of the computer...all is quiet. Knowing they aren't downstairs still asleep makes me a little sad. My babies are growing up and school has started again. Besides the fact that my boys are so stinkin' cute when I see their new shoes in the first picture, I remember getting a new pair of tennis shoes (I never played tennis, why'd we call 'em that?) for school and wearing them when they were all stiff and clean and you wanted to wear your most favorite new outfit (boys don't wear "outfits" as John always tells me) for the first day of school.

First Day of School - August 23, 2004
5 Years Ago
Parker 4th Grade
Dexter 1st Grade
Yellowstone T-shirts from our summer trip

Back to schoool - August 24, 2009
Parker 9th Grade
New shirts from Dad's trip to South Carolina

Back to schoool - August 24, 2009
Dexter 6th Grade



Dex loves his new "back pack". He said this one makes him feel so grown up. When I hugged/kissed him goodnight, last night, he stopped and just looked at me. I asked him, "Can you believe you are in the 6th grade? Do you feel like you are growing up too fast?" and He said, "Yes! I don't want to get old."

Something I NEVER thought I would see

In the last few weeks I have received 2 of my greatest compliments..."Do you have artificial nails? When did you get your nails done?" These are so wonderful to me because I have been a nail biter for 38 years!!! These are my VERY OWN nails! On my birthday this year I decided to stop the habit....3 months and counting. I think they look so pretty, and I'm proud of myself! I've done it on my own without any promise of reward, like going to Disneyland. My boss tried to cure their daughter of nail biting by taking her to Disneyland. She said as soon as they got there...chomp, chomp, chomp... she still bites them.
One reward is that the boys, especially John, LOVE me scratching their backs and arms now too....well, it's a reward for them, not me.

Worthington Wednesday #2

Worthington Wednesday we were staying at a time share in Jeremy Ranch!

We headed up to the Olympic Park Museum first.

7 Man Bobsled
Ella wouldn't turn around because she was SCARED TO DEATH by this hanging over head...






Then it was up, up, up the chair lift to the Alpine Slide. One of the highlights on the way up, were the bras and underwear we saw in the trees. It was funny that a few of the cousins decided to write about that in their journals!




















All 7 Cousins slept over at the condo. Kids everywhere and of course they ALL wanted the top bunk of the one bunk bed there!
I YI YI! We tried to watch the movie, Stardust... 7 different kids, I want cheetos, now I want chips, I don't want this, I want a cookie, can I have more chips? It's a wonder that only Grace got sick! Grace started throwing up at 3am and every 20-30 minutes after that. Thank goodness Erin was able to take care of her. (It would have been a barf-fest if I was involved) Erin said Grace is "the best thrower-upper EVER!" She made it to the toilet every time and pulled back her own hair. She's only 4 years old! Poor thing. The rest of the kids eventually woke up and headed down for breakfast. Grace was a trooper but still didn't feel good. So Kristien drove back up and took her home. She threw up 3 more times in the car. Poor Gracie was really sick. I think just a 24 hour thing. Thankfully, no one else tossed their cookies!

Worthington Wednesday #1

My awesome sister, Erin, decided that it would be a great thing to get all the Worthington Cousins together each Wednesday (for the summer) for some sort of Activity. She bought them journals and each week they write a few sentences about the things they did.

The first week they decorated their journals and wrote in them. Played around at the house and then we went to Sprague Library, checked out books, and took pictures in the rain. Pictures to follow soon....

Stay at the Flamingo

I loved our room!





View from our room of the 2 separate pools...the one on the right was open for everyone... the one on the left, the Topless Pool, or 21 & over only.

Viva Las Vegas

John had a 3 Day conference for work in Las Vegas this year, so when the opportunity to go with John came up, I was ready!

Even with John in meetings from 8-4pm everyday, I had a blast! One of the highlights was accidently walking on to a movie set in front of Planet Hollywood. Jonah Hill and Russell Brand were filming the movie, "Get Him To The Greek". I spent more than an hour just hanging out and watching the scene they were filming. Chatting with people and people watching are 2 of my favorite activities!

Jonah Hill
has been a ton of movies like Superbad, Knocked Up, Evan Almighty and in the Night at the Museum 2 (opening May 22)

Russell Brand is a british actor/comedian that you may know from Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Bedtime Stories.


After walking around for 4 hours in the morning in the 99 degree heat and having lunch I went back to the room and slept....for TWO & HALF HOURS!! It was AWESOME!!!

Later that night John and I went to see one of the shows playing at Planet Hollywood, Tony & Tina's Wedding. It was cute and interactive! It was fun having the family members sitting at your table and talking with you. Frank Marino, a famous Las Vegas Drag Queen stopped by our table too! Pregnant Bridesmaid + Gay Brother + Father of Groom with his stripper girlfriend + drunk bride + nun + cheating boyfriend of a bridesmaid = A big FAT Italian Wedding. It was great fun, plus they fed us dinner and served wedding cake for dessert!





After the show, we were walking down the escalator and with my keen celebrity eyes, I spotted Jonah again. I quickly handed John the camera and said, "TAKE MY PICTURE!" I asked Jonah for a quick pic and here's what I got... not bad! Thanks John!

Old Mother on Mother's Day

Yesterday was Mother's Day and I just wanted to write down this quick little memory.

In Sacrament Meeting, each Mother's Day, the Primary Children sing songs to their Mother's. In 2007, Parker turned 12, but not until the end of May (after Mother's Day), which meant, he was still in Primary and GOING to sing to me. Parker HATES to sing! Right after the sacrament, Parker headed to the bathroom and didn't come back until AFTER the singing... that was SO Parker!

So this year, I pleaded with Dexter with my puppy dog eyes to sing to me for the last time, and how his brother had broken my heart and I'll remember it until the day I die....

Dex went up on the stand, sang to me, made eye contact, smiled and even pointed at me when they sang "That's my Mother!"
BTW, one of my favorite lines is "Baking Bread All Day Long, Could be someone else's Mom" (Yes, in my case!) I wish I would have stashed my camera and recorded it!

That was my last Mother's Day Program from my Primary aged son! *tear*tear*sigh* My kids are growing up!

Here's another little Ditty from Dexter...
Last week during Testimony Meeting, Bro. Jim Woodward was bearing his testimony. He is a grandfather now and watching several of their grandkids while the parents are out of town.

He said, "I am remembering raising my own kids and would like to honor all you young mother's out there."

Dexter leans over and says, "He's not talking about you Mom, cause you're old."

Later, as the same man was finishing up, he said, "So again I would like to honor all the Mother's young and OLD..."

Dexter pokes me. Gives me the look like, "did you hear that?" "NOW, he's honoring you!"

I still love him.

An Easter Story by Dex

The Easter Bunny and his army of ducks, rabbits and chocolate bunnies were marching to Santa's castle because the Easter Bunny was going to overthrow Santa Claus and make two Easters!

Little did the Easter Bunny know, Santa Claus was vacationing in the Amazons.

When the Easter Bunny got to Santa's castle, he destroyed the castle, only to find 50 elves had stayed behind. The elves flew off on the reindeer. In the rubble of Santa's castle, the Easter Bunny found a note saying: "I'll be back in September! P.S. I'm in the Amazons!"

So, the Easter Bunny went to the Amazons, only to be met by the harsh traps and attacks from the natives, elves and creatures. 500 Chocolate bunnies went in... Zero came out.

Seeing he was outnumbered, the Easter Bunny surrendered.

The End

This story came along with illustrations.... This was a keeper!!!
What a boy I have!!!
Watch out Steven Spielberg!