Kickball - First Game

George and I are playing in a kickball league... you heard right, kickball. I bet the last time I even thought about kickball was in 3rd grade. Our first game of the season was last Thursday and it was amazing! Our opponents scored 7 kicks on us in the first inning, and we lost with the overwhelming score of 9-3. We couldn't have cared less about the score though. We knew that we - The Sons of Pitches - were the coolest team out there. I mean what kind of people take kickball so seriously that they have tryouts for their team, regimented practices, strict dress codes, and BUNT when they are up to bat? Not people that can be on our team.

Here is the kickball scene at George Ward Park on Thursday nights. Come out and watch tomorrow night for a fun time.

What determination...

Look who I found... Nicole playing for the yellow team.

MD'10

For those of you who don't know, MD = Memorial Day (weekend). It is one of the best holidays in the world and most of the fun happens on Lake Martin. My parents have graciously allowed at least one day of the celebration to take place at their house and any friends who are in town are invited over. It is a day filled with swimming, boating, diving, jumping, zip-lining, flipping, and lots of laughing. I pretty much can't sleep the week before because of the excitement.

Although the ideal MD would consist of sunny skies and 85 degree weather, we have proved over the last couple of years that rain and lightning is NOT a deal breaker. 2005 was our inaugural MD celebration, so clearly the 5 year anniversary had to top them all regardless of the weather. Sun-bathing was replaced by socializing, cruising on the San-Pan was replaced by tubing in the rain, jumping off Chimney Rock was replaced by riding Hallie's zip line, and we added in a game of flip cup. This may or may not have escalated the wildness intensity of the party. Put it this way, I did feel the need to apologize to my parents and all the neighbors the next day. In retrospect, I would say that it was a fun day for everyone. If I remember the quote correctly, I believe it was the "best day of my life" according to one person in attendance. Thank you mom and dad! I already can't wait for MD'11!

Jessica Toland Sanford

This beautiful little lady tied the knot with the handsome Mr. Ryan Sanford a few weeks ago, and although this is belated, I thought I would share a little from their big day. Jessica is one of my best friends and one of the funnest people I have ever met. Everyone loves her and wants her around to make a good time an even better time. There are not enough words in the dictionary to tell the tales of our friendship. I was honored to be a part of such a special time and was pretty much consumed by warm feelings the entire weekend!

The ceremony was held at First Baptist Church in Alexander City and the reception was at Five Star Plantation. I didn't do a great job of taking pictures, so I have borrowed a few from Hayden, Ali, and Hillary.

The gorgeous bride

The first dance

The reception scene. I was just fully embracing the celebration.

Happy One Month Anniversary Sanfords!

We've Got Babies

Birds, that is. A little momma bird has made a tiny nest in one of our hanging plants. We have caught her flying in and out of it over the last few weeks, so I got up on a ladder to see what she was up to in there. By golly, if I didn't find some baby birdies. It is a miracle that we found it and have stopped watering the plant. Bless there little hearts, we could have drowned them. I love them because they remind me of my great-grandmother, Nana. For some reason I always associate birds nests and baby birds with her. I think she must have always had some at her house.

I have named the one in the front Beas the bird, in honor of our friend Marye Beasley. It just seemed right.

Check. It. Out.

Our yard I mean. Can you tell what is different?

If you guessed the grass, you are a genius. It is new and improved! Before, our yard consisted of a hundred different types of grasses/weeds and mostly dirt. I don't have many "before" pictures because I always tried not to get our grass in pictures. George and I (G mostly) tilled up all of our old yard and laid brand new emerald zoysia sod. I think it is just fabulous. We had some great help from our friends, the Cobbs, and from Pierce during our yard weekend. Here are some pictures of our hard work...

Other than our grass, we have done a couple of other less intense landscaping projects including a raised garden. Needless to say, we are pretty proud of our work. Here are some of the finished product...

Hole-in-One

Well, I have done it. I shot a hole-in-one. I was playing golf at Timberline Trail just South of Birmingham on Saturday. The second hole on the course is a 126 yard par 3. I was the first one to tee off and pulled out my 9-iron; the original Ping Eye. I've never purchased a golf club in my entire life as I am a Stegall and our elders practice the discipline of filling up their garage with clubs while their wives aren't looking (much to the benefit of we younger Stegalls). It should be noted that the clubs are older than I am and were originally owned by my grandfather in the late 1970's.

After my club selection, I went through my pre-swing routine and let it rip. I struck the ball clean and knew it felt like a great shot. Little did I know that it would end up being the best shot of my life (thus far!). The trajectory and direction looked perfect. Distance was suspect but yet to be determined.

The pin placement on the green was in the front middle. A bunker protected the right side of the green and an elevated lip to the front. I could see the pin but not the cup due to the elevated lip. After the ball landed, we talked about how it might have gone in and I thought to myself that there was no way. John Howell thought otherwise and walked up to the elevated ladies tees, where he could see the entire green. After John notified me that he couldn't see my ball, I started to walk/jog towards the green. I get up there and no ball. I peaked into the hole and their it was, my Titelist ProV1 #4 golf ball. I of course went nuts.

My fellow golfers/witnesses were John, Brandon Owens, and Brent Botsford. It was a great outing that I will remember for the rest of my life.

Green Thumb

If you want to see the prettiest pansies in all of Birmingham, you must come to our house! It won't be long before we have to replace them with summer flowers, but for now they make me very happy. George knows that flowers are my favorite and has watered them every morning. What a lucky girl I am! I hope we have as much luck with the vegetable garden.