Christmas has come and gone yet again

It boggles my mind how fast the holidays go by. One day, you're picking out your Halloween costume, next thing you know you're ringing in a new year. Gosh! I sound like an old person. Speaking of old, I am officially closer to thirty than twenty now. I turned the big 2-6 last Thursday. It was probably one of the best birthdays I've had. Bryan came up and made me a giant cupcake! It was vanilla with vanilla frosting and sprinkles. Unless you're completely oblivious, I kinda have a thing for cupcakes. It was so thoughtful. We went and had dinner and then went to my friend Brett's house where a bunch of us gathered and ate the cupcake and then went to Sassy Ann's a fun bar in a victorian house. It was 80's night. What a great night!




Bryan and me on my birthday



Bryan opening his Christmas present (we couldn't wait any longer!)
Me reacting at the autographed Springsteen LP Bryan got me


Blowing out all 26 candles on my giant cupcake (yes, I got 'em all in one shot)

Hats off to hats!

Okay, so I love hats! I have a dressmaker's form in my room covered in them and hatboxes full of them as well. So, here's my question: Why don't more people wear hats? I don't mean baseball caps or taboggens. I'm talking Kentucky Derby widebrims, Jackie O pillboxes, buckets hats, berets, fedoras, I can go on and on. So I am single-handedly going to try to bring back the hat. I got this hat from Banana Republic in black. Opinions??

Crazy little thing called LIFE

DZ Alumnae chapter (Hester Freeman on the far right has been a member for 75 years and is 101 years young!)

At the "Big House"

Me, Iris and Larae and our pumpkins

Okay, I've gotten wrapped up in this crazy thing we call life. However, now I am sick (gotta go to the doctor and figure out with what) and I have time to catch up on my blogging...

I got to visit my good friend Shannon and her girls (who are the cutest in the world, and yes I am biased) for fall break. It was so much fun, I got to go to a game in the "Big House." So, now I get to mark something off my bucket list! I want to see a game in every major college football stadium, and now I can mark off the biggest one! I love the fall and I think it is absolutely gorgeous right now. The drive through eastern Kentucky on the way to Michigan was something straight out of a Thomas Kinkade painting. Since then, I've stayed busy with school. I've also become involved with the Delta Zeta alumnae chapter here. Quick side note: alumni is for a mixed group of men and women, alumna is a single woman and alumnae is a group of just women. This is one of my pet peeves. I've continued to knit even though I don't have as much time for it now. I'm making a baby blanket with a really cool checkered pattern (no, this is not for me).

I'm ready for colder weather. I like scarves and hats. I also really want to wear my leather jacket I got in Italy. I think when I wear it with my big sunglasses and given my dark hair, I could pass for an Italian. There's a reason my blog says "and random thoughts!"

Geneaology

So, I am taking a class in American Civil War history. It's fascinating. My teacher knows so much and has all these neat anectdotes. Anyway, that got me interested in joining the UDC (the United Daughters of the Confederacy) I started tracing my family's ancestry. My mother's maiden name is Stovall. I can trace our family all the way back to Bartholomew Stovall born in Surrey, England in 1665. Anyway, I can prove my great, great uncle was a Confederate veteran! So, now I can join the UDC. I also can prove my great, great, great, great, great grandfather, Bartholomew W. Stovall was a Revolutionary War vet. So, I'm going to join the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) as well. They have a chapter at UT. Anyway, I find all this ancestry "stuff" fascinating. Oh, Bartholomew W.'s great, great nephew was Marcellus A. Stovall, teh Confederate general. Neat, huh?

It's Fall Ya'll!

Well, fall has fell. It is October 1st and my favorite month of the year. It is absolutely glorious outside. It's about 65 outside, air is off, window open and it just makes me so happy. Midterms are next week, so that means I've made it through my first semeter at UT. Hooray!

This weekend my friend Ranee got married at the Stanley Hotel (inspired Steven King to write the Shining and Dumb and Dumber was filmed there) in Estes Park, Colorado. It was absolutely beautiful! Here are some pics:

Me and the bride

Me and Bryan

Me, Ranee and Casey

Casey's son Hayden (he loved my finger)

The aspens turning yellow

Rocky Mountains

Over 2 miles up

Bryan and his snow ball

Pretty trees

I'm a redneck woman?

Spent the weekend at Bryan's in Mississippi. This is what happened...

Football Season

So I am so glad it's football season. There is nothing like getting up on a crisp fall morning, putting on a hoodie with your team's logo emblazed on it and cheering them on to victory while eating a bowl of chili or drinking a cup of hot chocolate. Oh, wait, that's right... IT'S 90 DEGREES OUTSIDE!!!! I am so SICK of hot weather! Now, I can't say that I prefer cold to hot weather because I don't. Nor, do I prefer hot to cold. I'm never satisfied. Come March, I'm ready to wear sundresses and shorts. Come September, I'm ready for coats and scarves. I watch the weather for a "fashion forecast." However, I do like fall best of the seasons because I love orange and red, pumpkins, leaves crunching under my feet and knowing that the Holidays are just around the corner.

On another note, I just booked my trip for spring break! I'm going (with Bryan, too) to Florida and we're staying on the beach outside of St. Augustine and going to Disney. That'll be perfect because it'll be March, so I'll get a little taste of sundresses and shorts for a week.

GO VOLS!

Over a month, yikes!

So, it's been awhile since I've posted. It has just been so darn busy lately! I started school on the 20th and I love all my professors. My classes are awesome and I find myself looking forward to them. So, on the 21st, Bryan and I went to Nashville for the Springsteen concert. It was a great show, we had a blast. Bryan actually came up the weekend before and stayed the whole week in Knoxville. It was nice to get to spend so much time with him. I came home on my first day of school and he had dinner on the table, so sweet! Anyway, we spend the rest of the weekend doing touristy stuff. We went up to Pigeon Forge and went to the outlets and then we went up to Gatlinburg and walked around, took pics in a photo booth, rode the lift to the top of the mountain, stuff like that. We also went to the Civil War battlefield of Chickamauga in Chattanooga. We're both history nerds,s o we really enjoyed that. Friday, our family friend, Ed and his girls Larae and Iris stayed over on their way to DisneyWorld. It was great to see them all the girls have gotten so big! They can tell you all the US Presidents in order, which ones were assasinated and all the states.

Bryan and I on the lift at Gatlinburg. Iris forgot her sleep mask, of course I had a spare!

Iris showing Bryan how to play the Leapster. Me ready for the Yankees at Chickamauga

This past weekend, my friend Tilly and I met up in Nashville and flew to L.A. for the UT vs. UCLA game. We had a blast! UT lost, but it was still a fun weekend. We didn't really make any definite plans besides the game, so we just did whatever whenever and it was probably the best trip I've ever had out there. So, now I'm back to reality and I have to books to finish before class tomorrow, and I've got to go to work (oh yeah, I got a waitressing job in a bar/restaurant by campus, it's really late hours but I'm learning to adjust) in a few hours so I better get back to the books.

GO VOLS! We thought the restuarant needed some UT pride





Malibu Pardise Cove, drinking out of cocomuts.

VIVA KNOXVEGAS!!!

Well, I am officially here (Knoxville, that is). I arrived Friday without any problems, that is until I got here. My car battery decided to die right outside of the clubhouse of my new apartment. I don't want to get into the long story, so let's just say I got in town at 4pm and by 9, I was just getting my car unloaded. Ugh.
Anyway, the moving truck gets here tomorrow, as well as my new washer and dryer. So, I will be spending the rest of my week unpacking. If I get all this accomplished I am going to reward myself by going home (Memphis) for the weekend. Yes, I know I just moved here but what else am I going to do? Besides, I want to see my new fella.
I am also super excited because 1. I am seeing Bruce and the other guys of the E Street Band in 18 days and 15 minutes. WOOHOO!!! and because 2. My friend Tilly and I just booked a trio to L.A. Labor Day weekend to see UT play UCLA at the Rose Bowl. Yes, that is the same weekend Kyle is moving in, and no, I did not do that on purpose. :)
Again, super excited to see Bruce!!! I think Bryan and I are going to have a great time. Ok, well now I get to go bask in one last evening of not being surrounded by boxes...

Pack Rat, River Rat, lately I'm both

It's been awhile since I've updated this. That's because I have been so busy lately! Friday, I'll be heading up and moving out to Knoxville. I've spent the last week packing. Here's my question, how in just 25 years did I accumulate so much stuff?! It's ridiculous! I knew it was bad when the guy giving me a quote on moving expenses, thought I had roommates moving out as well. Anyway, I put off packing this weekend to go rafting down the Spring River in Arkansas. Yup, yours truly went camping. It was a lot of fun! But, now it's back to reality. Luckily, I've pretty much gotten everything wrapped up and am getting ready to roll. I have a Memphis "Bucket List" of things to do before I leave town. Last night was BBQ, tonight is Grisanti's (my fave Italian) and tomorrow is Beale Street. I'm so excited for UT, but I am going to miss Memphis. I've always loved it here. Guess I'll just have to move back after school's done, right?

Psychologically deconstructed?

That was the phrase used by Katie Holmes (aka Joey Potter) on Dawson's Creek. Now, you're probably all wondering what I was doing watching Dawson's Creek. Well, I couldn't sleep this morning and apparently that's what is on at 4 in the morning. Anyway, back to this phrase "psychologically deconstructed." I never really watched the show, but I know it's about a group of high school kids living in a small town in Massachusetts. Well! They must have one heck of a school system there! No one I went to high school with ever spoke like that. I mean, seriously! I wish for once they'd come up with a show that was a little more realistic. No one in high school talks like that, right? Or maybe I went to school full of dumb kids and other schools across the nation were the basis of Dawson's Creek. Nah!

Ah! The life!

I'm house-sitting for my good friends the Candys. I'm spending the week (when I'm not packing) laying in their pool, sipping iced beverages and listening to all my favorite tunes. Life's pretty rough, huh?

Jen's pool lounging tunes:

All I Wanna Do, Sheryl Crow

Baby Hold On, Eddie Money

Big Girls Don't Cry, Frankie Vallie and the 4 Seasons

Sherry, FV and the 4S

California Girls, Beach Boys

California Sun, Rivieras

Changes in Latitudes, Jimmy Buffet

Ignition, R. Kelly

Escape (The Pina Colada Song), Ruper Holmes

Hollywood Nights, Bob Seger

Hot Child in the City, Nick Gilder and Time Machine

Hurts So Good, John Mellancamp

Into the Mystic, Van Morrison

Jack and Diana, Mellancamp

Janey Don't You Lose Heart, Springsteen

Let's Hang On, FV and the 4S

God Only Knows, Beach Boys

Make it Big, ""

Wouldn't It Be Nice, ""

Fun Fun Fun, ""

*I mean what's a pool without the Beach Boys?

The Long Run, The Eagles

Peaceful Easy Feeling, ""

Radio Nowhere, Springsteen

Random, but if you know me, you know that's how roll!

On the road again, I just can't wait to get on the road again

Actually, I am over being on the road. I really don't want to see the inside of a car for a really long time. Friday, Mom and I got up and headed east. We drove to Columbia, Misouri. Got up, took a side trip to Quincy, Illinois and saw my grandma then continued on to Memphis. Then, Sunday we (including my friend, Rachel) drove to Knoxville. By the way, Libby was with us the whole time. If anyone hates the car as much as we do at this point, it's her.

So... after 2 days (and about 1000 apartment complexes), I found an apartment. It's really cute! It's 10 minutes from campus, so it's not in walking distance but that's probably for the better. I think I'd get tired of being around a bunch of 18-year-old, first time college students, getting ready for their keggers. We also learned that there are cheap apartments that are really crappy, or new, nice apartments that are really pricey. But, fortunately for me, mine isn't too expensive. Poor Libby, had to ride in the car through out all of the apartment search. We didn't leave her in the car for too long, but she's never been a fan of the car ride. Not, your typical dog. We would try to walk her as much as possible and eat out on the patios of places so she could be with us. She always attracts a lot of attention wherever she goes.

So, that's it. I found me and Kyle an apartment and will be saying so long to Memphis on August 1.

You can't start a fire without a spark..

This gun's for hire (c'mon! everybody!) even if we're just dancin' in the dark.

I can't believe it's been almost two weeks and I have yet to comment on seeing Bruce in Paris. Well let me just say, it was FAN-TAS-TIC. I've never seen an audience with so much energy, and his matched ours. He sang for almost three hours and didn't stop once. He sang my favorite song, Atlantic City, which made me extremely happy. For those of you who don't know this, Bruce wrote Blinded by the Light, which is sung by Manfred Mann. Well, in the show he sang Because the Night. I instantly recognized it, but I knew it was sang by a girl. I figured it must be like Blinded by the Light. Sure enough, that's the case. It was a nice surprise and added to the long list of great songs he has written. Anyway, it was unbelievable and really hard to put into words.

A funny thing happened on the way back to the hotel. We were sitting on the Metro, when an announcement came over the speaker in French and everyone got off the train. Unlike, America they don't repeat the announcement in English. So, we get off the train not having any idea what we're doing. We hear some guy and mom goes "Hey! You speak English!" He replies,"Unfortunately I don't speak French." Well, it turns out we just had to get on the train on the other side of the platform. Anyway, we continue talking to the guy and his wife who are from Phoenix. I joked and said I had to go all the way to Paris because Springsteen never comes any where near Memphis. He said, "Well you know he's coming to Nashville in August, right?" "WHAT?!" The tickets went on sale the next day at 10am eastern time. We were going to be on a train from Paris to London. What's a (wannabe) Jersey girl to do? Well, when I get back from Europe I have an e-mail from my friend Bryan. "In case you didn't know The Boss is coming to Nashville and I have floor seats. Want to accompany me?" AAHHH! So, excited!!! Probably the sweetest thing anyone's done for me. So, on August 21 (my dad's birthday) I am seeing The Boss in the Music City.

I'm an oldie!!!

Tonight my dad and I went on our nightly Starbucks run. As my dad was flipping through the stations "Glory Days" catches my ears. "That's a good song," I say and surprisingly he leaves it on. I say surprisingly because to me the distinctive, raspy, Jersey-accented voice singing about the good ol' days of high school baseball while brilliantly strumming the guitar sounds like a little piece of Heaven on earth to me. I know to my dad's ears it's just another liberal, war-protester* and it doesn't matter how talented the person is, if he doesn't agree with him, he's not going to listen to them. ANYWAY, I was surprised he left it on. Maybe her secretly likes "The Boss," or maybe he was just being nice. I'm pretty sure it was the latter. As I'm mentally singing along about going down to the well and drinking til I get my fill I notice something. No, it cannot be. The radio says 105.1 But wait, that's the OLDIES STATION!!! That's the station that plays The Supremes and the Beatles and the Beach Boys. That's the station that plays music from my parents' generation. Sure, the music from their childhoods should be considered "oldies." It's all at least 30 years old! But, not from MY generation! I'm not old! I went home and did my homework, and sure enough "Glory Days" came out in 1984, I was 2 years old. I'm only 25 now. How can this be?! So, that's it. I'm an oldie now. Apparently, 80's music is now classified as oldies right along with Martha and the Vandellas and Elvis. Great...

*Please note that I am not a liberal nor a war-protester, nor do I agree with them. However, I am a little bit better at distinguishing between the artist and the idiot celeb** who didn't even finish high school, yet somehow knows more than me about this stuff. The exception to this is Tom Cruise. He is a pinhead and I will not give him a penny of my money.
**Please also note, that I am not solely referring to Bruce. I think most celebs are idiots.

Pay Toilets and $5 Cokes (fried and unfried)

Well, I am back from my grand tour of Europe. I have a new found appreciation for this great country we call home. Don't get me wrong, I had a wonderful time on my trip and we'll never forget it. But, I am so thankful to be an American citizen. So, now I am back in "Greality." I'll be here another week before going home to Memphis. Then I am packing up and moving further east to Knoxville. I believe I am still jet lagged. I actually believe it's not so much the jet lag that's catching up with me as much as the getting up every day at 5:30 and being on the go til midnight for two weeks is. You have to pay to use public toilets over there. Granted, they're a lot cleaner than the ones here, but it's kind of a pain.



So, tonight my parents and I went to the Greeley Stampede. This is the big rodeo/concerts/carnival that comes to Greeley every year. We went just to eat junk for dinner. I had a fried Snickers for dinner. It's actually pretty good. Then, I saw the sign for fried Coke. No, you're not hallucinating, it did say fried Coke. Of course, I had to check this out. What it was, was these fried donut things that had Coke in them. Then, they put them in a cup, pour a little Coke on them and top with a sprinkling of powdered sugar and whipped cream. I won't lie, it was pretty good. Of course I didn't finish it because that would be gross. Not that eating that in the first place after eating a fried candy bar isn't. Oh well, what can you do?

Tomorrow is the 4th. I hope everyone has a fabulous holiday. Let us remember what the holiday really stands for. For those of you who aren't sure, let me remind you: We're celebrating the birth of our country and the glorious freedoms we have. It's not just a day to get drunk and eat hotdogs.

Clochards comme nous, nous étions bébé né à terme.

Translation: Tramps like us, baby we were born to run.
I'm going to see Bruce in Paris!!! YEA!!!!! I'm so excited! His European audience is supposed to be huge, and apparently his concerts over there have tons of energy and nothing like anything you've seen before. I absolutely cannot wait. I might be slightly more excited about this than the trip itself. I said slightly!

Use your head for something besides a hat rack!

That's what my mom used to tell me and Kyle when we'd do something dumb. Well, even at 25 I have these moments. Around Kansas City, my mom asked me if I grabbed my passport. My face must have turned white as a sheet. Yeah, I left it in Memphis. Fortunately, I have wonderful landlords (and friends), Chris and Anna, who went to the house and got it for me. Anna overnighted it to me, and now I am sitting here watching Sweeney Todd waiting for it to arrive. WHEW! I'm glad we realized it early on! I didn't, however, forget the tickets to the Journey concert I'm attending next month in Denver. I guess it's obvious where my priorities are, huh?

I'm so fortunate to have friends like Anna and Chris. Anna was my kindergarten and third grade teacher. Even with the move to Colorado, we always stayed in touch. Anna and Chris both are so good to me. I've been quite spoiled, as they take such good care of me. Most people would have found it so scary to move across the country by themselves, but I have been so blessed with friends who treat me like I'm part of the family. The Candys are wonderful friends as well. I lived with them when I first moved back to Memphis. They always treat me like I'm just another daughter. Even now, living in my own house, I still go over there and I feel like I'm visiting my own parents. It's so nice to feel so loved. Anyway, I'm not sure why I went down that rabbit trail. Good grief, I really am my mother. :)

So, my mom arrived in Memphis Thursday afternoon. She immediately had to come with me to my hair appointment. Yes! I have short hair again! (I'll post a pic at some point) Anyway we spent the next two days getting stuff ready for the trip and packing. I decided to take a few things to CO to store in my parents' barn that I don't want to take to Knoxville. AKA,my china. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my china (it's Autumn by Lenox, so pretty!) but I don't see me and Kyle eating off of it. Anyway, we left Sunday morning at 8. We rolled in to Windsor at 2:30 Monday morning. We drove straight through, I don't recommend this and will never do it again.

It is nice being back in Colorado, visiting friends and spending time with my parents. But I gotta tell ya, there is no place like the South. That, to me, will always be home. The view of the mountains is spectacular, but it's so dry and brown here. There's nothing like driving down Belvedere (a street in my neighborhood) and seeing all the crepe myrtles blooming and the trees arching over the street. That's more my scene. Libby, on the other hand, loves being here. She runs all day long in the backyard with my parents' dogs. By bedtime, she's worn out. It's quite entertaining.

Well, that's all for now. I've gotta go down some medicine. I think I'm getting sick (sore throat, drainage, all the fun stuff!) and I refuse getting sick before my grand tour of Europe.

I finally succumbed to the blog trend...

OK, so after looking at my friend Leslie's blog I decided I needed one. Although, this is just one more website for me to check, I figure this is the best way for people to see what all is going on in my Tennessee life. Now, my facebookless friends will also be in the know. Moving on, so much is changing in my life. My mom is getting into Memphis today. Hooray! I love it when she comes to visit. Call me selfish, but I love having her all to myself. She and I are leaving Sunday to go back to Colorado. She was nice enough to come down here to help me drive back. I know you're all thinking why drive? Gas prices and the long trip don't seem worth it, right? Well, this way I can take back some stuff to keep at their house and some stuff I don't want to move again. Yes, I said the m word. I have been accepted to the University of Tennessee at Knoxville for graduate school. For those of you who have known me for awhile, you all know I have always wanted to go to UT. So, half-way through this semester (at U of M) I decided why not go there now? I have nothing in my life holding me back, so I went for it. I got the letter a lot quicker than I expected, so when I saw it in the mailbox I was pretty excited. I was even more excited when I read that first line that said: "Dear Jennifer, It is with great pleasure to inform you of your acceptance to the University of Tennessee." Poor Libby (my dog), I think she was a little scared of all my screaming and jumping up an down. So, mid to end July, I am making the move across state to "Knoxvegas." I'm also super excited because my little brother, Kyle, is coming with me. He's going to establish residency and then start undergrad there. Yes, we're going to be roomies. AND, to add to that my friend Rachel is going there for her masters, as well and so is her boyfriend. We're all so glad that we'll know people when we get there. Of course, we're mostly excited about being there for all the football games. Florida and Alabama are both home games, I absolutely CANNOT wait!

Another thing that I am super excited about is a week from tomorrow my mom and I are leaving for a 3 week trip to Europe!!! AAAAHHHH!!!! We went there before on a school music trip, but this time is going to be a lot better. We're going to London, Brussels, Amsterdam, Rhineland, Cologne, Lucerne, Innsbruck, Venice, Rome, Florence, Tuscany, Pisa, Nice ,and Paris. Oh my goodness, I absolutely can't wait. My mom and I've always wanted to do a "Grand Tour" of Europe and my daddy was so sweet to surprise us for Christmas. It was really cute. Christmas day, I didn't get up til almost 8. This is was a monumental moment in Heckman family Christmases because normally Kyle wakes us up at 6. Anyway, Kyle wasn't even up yet I actually got a shower and was dressed to open presents. This is the first time I have ever done this in 25 years. Anyway, once Kyle got up, Dad was being really weird about the presents. He said we had to do it in a certain order, and he had his in the library instead of under the big tree in the living room. We all said why couldn't we do our stockings first like we always do and he said OK. Kyle and I each had a camera memory card in our stockings. I asked him if they'd work in our cameras. He said I'd have to see and gave both of us a box. I remember thinking to myself, great, I already have a digital camera and I just gave Kyle one for graduation, not 6 months ago. I kept this though to myself. Yes, he gave us each a digital camera, but not just any digital camera. A professional Canon Eos, with the big, interchangeable lenses and "stuff." Wow, Dad really went all out. It then dawned on me why we'd need a camera. I asked him if we were going on a trip. He handed, me, Kyle and my mom wrapped shirt boxes. At this point, we are all frantically ripping them open trying to figure out what's going on. Kyle got his open first and starts screaming "I'm going to Kenya! I'm going to Kenya!" Of course, this gets me even more excited and when I open mine, I see it's a manila folder with my name on it. Inside, there's an itinerary starting June 13 with London. Of course, I start screaming and then my mom gets excited wanting to know where she's going and she sees we have the same itinerary. "In a nutshell," (as my mom says), Mom and I are going to Europe and Kyle and Dad are going on a photo safari to Kenya and Tanzania in August. The funny thing is that I kept telling my dad I wish we could just all go on a trip instead of exchanging presents. My point being, I have enough "stuff." Little did I know, he'd been planning this for over a year. My dad never ceases to amaze me. If we end up taking a laptop with us, I will try and blog on the trip so everyone can see what we're up to. If not, I'll try to make up for it when I get back.

So, it's going to be a crazy summer. I get to Colorado on Monday, we leave for London on Friday, we get back June 30, then it's the 4, then I have a concert (Journey at Red Rocks!) then my brother's birthday, then back to Tennessee to find an apartment and move. WHEW! There's never a dull moment...