Two (very different) Goodbyes

As soon as you guys read these two names you will probably exit out of my blog and never return again...but the first goodbye is to Michael Jackson.  Now I have never been a huge fan (although recently I have been remembered just how many of his songs I love to sing to) but Randy and I got to see an amazing tribute show in Mexico, that seemed more like a concert for the not-dead-but-living-in-Cancun superstar.  This guy (we never saw him up close) had MJ down to a "t"--the look, the voice (only talking, he lip synched the songs), and especially the dancing.  It was one of those strange things to realize that your brain still remembers every word to songs like "Thriller", "Black and White" and the infamous "Will You Be There" from Free Willy...I could just picture Joshua Jackson holding up his hand as Willy jumps over him to be freed into the ocean...haha.  Here's one of the videos with a solo (Randy asked me to not overwhelm you with all of them):

On a much more personal note, we had to say goodbye to our first couple-friend moving out of Memphis.  The great thing about Med/Dental school and our apartment complex is that we have met many friends and had some great memories from dinners and especially game nights.  The bad thing about making friends in this condition is that it is inevitable that everyone will move at one point, and most likely to different areas.  Russ and Heather are the first, and they are moving to Knoxville for Russ to finish his medical rotations.  They have two cats, and although them and Jack didn't get along as friends, our love for cats has made us close.  We've had road trips to Nashville, barbeque with them at Central (they were actually the first to introduce us) and Jerry's as of recently.  They have become very good friends and it is going to be so weird without them.  I know Heather will miss trying to help the girls win on game night, they will both miss little Jack, and we will miss them!  We wish them the best...

Hartmans in Mexico

Beautiful, beautiful sunset at the resort on second night.

Randy finally opened up a coconut, which was perfectly ripe.

The buildings at the Grand, where we stayed.

Beach shot.  Not the prettiest day.

          Rainbow over the ocean after the rain...God's gift.

This past week, Randy and I jetted off to Cancun, Mexico to stay at the all-inclusive resort, Moon Palace.  We had planned this trip back in the spring, and it was such a blessing, and a perfect way to celebrate being married for a year (well, it's actually this coming Sunday).  We knew we wanted to go all-inclusive because of how happy we were with the Sandals that we went to in St. Lucia for our honeymoon.  What we didn't know, however, was how much nicer this place was going to be.  If anyone is wanting to plan a trip to Mexico, I would definitely recommend a Palace resort...they have one in most of the big traveling spots in Mexico.  

When we arrived to the resort (we stayed in the Grand section...the whole resort has three sections plus golf villas, all of which are huge) the bell boys took our bags and handed us pina coladas and two flowers for me.  We got our room keys and walked into an awesome room...decorated so modern, clean, and relaxing.  We were pretty amazed at how nice of a room we got- there are pictures of it in the slideshow.  Right off the bat, we went to the little Mexican restaurant by the pool and ordered chips, guacamole, and chicken fajitas....and we just sat in paradise!

Here is what our daily schedule consisted of- breakfast (we woke up pretty early, like 8) at one of the buffet restaurants (one morning we had room service)...three of the six days we worked out (looking back I wish we had made this a daily ritual)...back to the room to put on our suits and lather on the sunscreen...go to either the pool or beach...dry off for lunch, a different restaurant each day...more pool, then the best part...siestas (that's a nap) before dinner.  We had a lot of fun choosing which restaurants we would go to for dinner.  Our favorite (and the only place we went to twice) was Los Caporales, the mexican a la carte place with live music.  I guess it makes sense that mexican food might be good in Mexico.  I looooved getting the queso fundido (cheese dip with chorizo) and loved eating Chicken Mole too (chocolate is in the recipe, need I say more?).  I also discovered that I am quite fond of Sangria...red wine, lemonade, and fruit.  I want to try making it here at home if Randy will ever let me spend the money for it :).  We also loved the oriental restaurants, mainly because I could eat all the sushi I wanted.  Randy liked the meat they served, like beef skewers with all the different sauces for dipping.  After each meal (which consisted of complimentary appetizer, picked appetizer(s), salad/soup sometimes, main course), the servers always loved to bring out their "no calorie" menu...of desserts.  That joke never got old to them!  They brought out a plate of desserts that you could eat, then let you pick which one you wanted to order...so by the end you were really eating about four desserts a night!  Those of you that know me well know that I am very passionate about food.  I really took advantage of the all-you-can-eat, but was wise with my decisions.  I made sure to pick the chef's signature dishes as much as possible to try new things, and it was delicious.  One of my favorite meals was coconut grouper with spinach mashed potatoes at El Caribeno.  Randy got the roasted lamb leg that night which was delicious too.  The room service deal was pretty awesome too, ordering mini cheeseburgers and cheese quesadillas before our siestas.  To explain to you how much I ate, I was in one of the best shapes of my life before the trip, and gained four pounds in no time! (It was worth it) 

The entertainment at night was awesome.  We went to a Las Vegas show, Caribbean show, and Michael Jackson show.  The Las Vegas show and Caribbean show were like watching 'Dancing with the Stars' in person, with elaborate costumes and dances like the Salsa, Samba,  Tango, Mambo, etc.  The MJ show was definitely the best, and Randy has requested a whole post about it so that I can post the videos he so eagerly took.

The downfall of this trip, which didn't bring our spirits down much due to everything else we were able to do, was that we didn't get to snorkle, something we both LOVE to do (and hopefully will get certified to scuba dive one day).  The beach was also very full of seaweed on our particular beach, but still pretty to look at.  The seaweed didn't stop us from taking a try at windsurfing and also going kayaking.  We also got to go to Wet-n-Wild, the waterpark in Cancun.  The slides were a lot of fun, and Randy and I definitely got our workout that day running up all the stairs.  The best slide was one that was a twisting tunnel slide that shot you out into what looked like a toilet bowl and after spinning around, finally "pooped" you out into the pool below.  We participated in a relay competition in the wavepool with a paddle and one person tube...and were on our way to winning in the finals but I was nice and didn't clobber the kids that were in the way (the other guy had no mercy and won the race).  Back at the resort, we used the mini golf course and had lots of fun together.  

Everywhere we went was just gorgeous...the colors of the beach in contrast with the white sand, the many tiki huts around the turquoise blue pools, the palm trees, the scenic views when riding on the golf carts, even the views out the windows at restaurants.  We had some really fun people-watching too, since this wasn't a "couples only" resort.  I have never seen more tattoos in my entire life...it became a game to see who could spot the best tattoos.  The workers were extremely nice and all had a great sense of humor.  We really enjoyed talking to our waiters each night, and hearing the live music...saxophone, piano, harp, banjo, guitar, violin.  It really was such an amazing trip, we were so spoiled, and the best part was that it was just us...

If you want to see more of the trip than just the pics above, you're in luck..here's the slideshow.

Time for a Change

Well, before I make a GIANT post about our trip to Mexico, I'll have to clear up the whole brunette thing.  I thought what would be better two days prior to leaving the country than dyeing my hair??  Randy has always wondered how I would look as a brunette, and I have just hated the dirty blonde that had started to take over lately....and since my cousin is a hairdresser, I trusted her to make the switch.  It's gotten a little lighter than what you see here (she did a more temporary dye in case I hated it) and I think I like the lighter version better....but, Randy and I BOTH think it is here to stay!  As my mom so politely stated, "If you're not going to be getting sun anymore, than I like this color better with your skin"...or something like that.

Oh, and one more thing before the Mexico post...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PHYLLIS!!  Hope the day was wonderful, wish we could have been there... sorry to call you during church to wish you a happy birthday :)

A Belated Father's Day Note

My Father's Day dedication is a little late, but only because I had the joy of being with my father on this Father's Day.  Randy and I rode with our friends, Russ and Heather, to Nashville on Friday night.  Saturday morning we went to Center Hill lake for a picnic with the whole family.  We set up picnic tables, played cornhole, ate really, really good burgers, and got to go out on our boat and wakeboard on the beautiful waters of Center Hill.  Other than being insanely hot, it was perfect.  We had to leave earlier than we would have liked to go to a Southern Supper in honor of my cousin, Will, and his new wife, Maggie, who got married a couple of weeks ago at Martha's Vineyard.  Think good food, a beautiful pool, and tons of hydrangea blooms in a picturesque backyard.  On Sunday we went to church with my parents and then had a Father's Day meal with my dad.  The only thing that would have been better is if we could have spent time with Randy's dad too.

When I was younger, I would probably have been described as a "daddy's girl".  Always riding in the middle seat of his beaten up truck and falling asleep on his shoulder once the sun hit, I oftentimes was his little helper.  I remember summers where I would help him build decks or shingle roofs.  My job consisted of handing him the tools when he needed them.  As I got older, we became huge lovers of the lake and enjoyed going even when no one else would.  The cold month of November didn't even stop us one year.  With all of our similarities, it is easy to say that I looked up to my dad a lot and we were very close.  It was, however, a bit of a struggle once I got to high school that all of the guys I knew wanted to be my dad's friend, which usually meant it would be "weird" to date his daughter.  He also was an excellent track coach while I was a runner, and everyone assumed I would be good, but it was quite the contrary.  It was probably not a surprise to most people that I followed in his footsteps in pursuing his own career: an art teacher.  What is so ironic about how much I love my dad is that he was quite disappointed in my birth if I remember correctly.  He wanted a son pretty bad...and after trying to turn me into a boyish shot putter, I think he decided to embrace the fact that I would not become a boy or even a tomboy.  Last year, I saw the humble and emotional side of my father as he had to "give me away" to Randy, a yankee who does not like Nascar.  As hard as I know that it was for him, we both knew that I would always be his little girl, the big cheese.  

A father is such an important role in a family, and I believe my father made us the family we were through his strong faith and dedication.  There are so many correlations between our heavenly Father's love and our earthly fathers' love, and I am thankful that I have seen this firsthand.  

I also have my Pa (my mom's dad) who has a huge faith and lots of love for his four grand daughters.  He amazes me with his health-he skydived several years ago!  Unfortunately I never met my dad's dad, but my Lulu married Mac, who has stood by her side and shown much love for our family over the years.  I also have my new father-in-law who I like to call 'D'.  He travels all around the world and appears to be a genius (even though I'm not quite sure what he does).  He is one of those selfless people, always helping others, and I've been able to see him as a leader at their church.  The best part of having him for a father-in-law is that we share the same love for food!  What could be better than that?

Happy Father's Day to you all...

LOVING my Job!

(All those reading this that are currently working, please don't hate me.)

I have recently discovered how teachers end up teaching for so long after enduring so many days of just barely staying alive.  The answer to the mystery of teaching is simple: SUMMER.  Just when you don't think you can handle one more inappropriate comment from a middle schooler, you get to choose your own daily schedule and go on vacations while the county still mails in the paychecks.  I have to admit, it feels pretty good....really good.  And, at the same time, I do think I have deserved it!  I know that other teachers feel the same way too, and that anyone who is not a teacher despises us during the summer months.  I would probably despise us too.  

Anyways, I will be going back to work the first of August so I have to live it up while I still can.  The best part of June has been that Randy is off too!  Our days consist of TV, movies, laying out at the pool, and playing with Jack.  After gorging ourselves at the lake, Randy decided we should do something productive, so we have been doing a workout five days a week.  For the first time since high school (and even then I found some way to cheat) I am lifting weights and using the actual "machines" that are in the weight room.  I'm so proud of myself!  I still fear I might get "big"...even though both Randy and my dad say that won't happen.  Our friend Heather has started to do the workout too and we were saying how we wish we had taken 'before and after' pictures...or maybe not.  In addition to all that, I've also gotten to read more than usual which I have enjoyed.  I finished Marley&Me and have now started the Shack.  If anyone is reading this that has a fun beach read suggestion, I will need one when we go to Mexico!  

And, of course, I have to share my favorite picture of our handsome son, Jack.  Randy and I joke that he would be worthy of a kitty calendar with this shot!

Pina Coladas: Tim's Ford '09

Summer would not be complete without a trip to Tims Ford Lake.  

Since I was about 12 or so, my family has been extreeeeemely blessed to get to spend time at my Mom's boss' lakehouse.  We have watched it transform over the years, too.  What once started out with a couple bedrooms doubled in size, then more boats were added, and now a whole separate house AND tree house (not just your ordinary tree house) have become part of this amazing space in Winchester, TN.  

Waking up and eating a home cooked breakfast, followed by a mid morning boat ride, tubing and wakeboarding...lunch, afternoon lake run, then more amazing home cooked food and being lazy on the couch.  That pretty much sums up the time spent at the lakehouse over the years.  This year's trip consisted of my mom and dad, Randy and I, and Jodi and Matthew.  We had such a great time.  Of course, it wouldn't be a Tucker vacation without a few glitches, and we did experience a few minor misfortunes this trip.  Yes, the gas cap sank down to the bottom of the lake and the tip of the boat got chipped, but worse things could have happened.  One part of the trip that Randy introduced was the daily pina colada (non-alcoholic of course).  Every day was the same- "Who wants a pina colada?"  He put blueberries, strawberries, basically any fruit we had in the drinks, and they were delicious!..hence the title of this post.

One day we were there was unfortunately cold and not a great day to be in the water.  Instead, we went into town.  Downtown Winchester has lots of old-town charm with old buildings, the "square", and little stores and coffee shops people have really fixed up.  And there is also Hammers, an auction-type store that we have been to each summer for cheap clothes, tools, and homemade jam.  This year I also found a fabric/art store that is in a building that was the first gas station in Winchester.  

Other than wakeboarding, which everyone participated in except Mom, we also got to tube (Randy is much more of a risk taker than me on those things) and we got to play on the old rope swing in one of the coves.  The only thing we didn't get to was taking the boys to jump off the bridge into the water...guess we'll have to wait until next year.  We also did the usual dinner boat ride to the marina to eat seafood.  Of course, everyone ordered seafood except Randy who had a burger.  I'm still convinced he'll come around one of these days.

I'll stop rambling now with a simple but true statement:  I think going to the lake is as good as it gets.  Honestly.  Yes, I still want to go to Hawaii and Italy and Scotland and Australia and.... but give me the lake and I am perfectly happy!  (and I think I'm starting to turn Randy into the same type of lake lover as the rest of my family)

'I Do's' in the Park

It is now officially summer.  All of the hard work and teenage crap that I have dealt with all year seems absolutely worth it when realizing that I now have a little more than two months OFF!

On Friday night, Randy and I headed to Nashville for my Aunt Sandi's wedding.  On Saturday, my mom, dad, sister, and Randy, and I all head out to Edwin Warner Park to set up for the 5 o'clock nuptials.  When we arrived at park #11, a Korean church was having a cookout and playing games.  Because we had already gotten a late start, it was not a good thing to find someone in our territory.  Thankfully, my mother is very good at being in charge and getting what she wants.  All it took was a flash of our park permit and the group was gone--slowly, though.  

The wedding consisted of a little more than 30 of Jack and Sandi's closest friends and family.  It could not have been a prettier day for a wedding (much cooler than the day Randy and I got married) and everything went extremely well.  My cousin Autumn (Sandi's daughter) made the cake which was very yummy.  We did have one tablecloth set on fire when it blew up onto the candle, but that was easily fixed with no harm done.  As the reception was winding down, Randy, Amber and I decided to go wading in the Little Harpeth River.  As we were trying to walk through the extremely slippery moss-covered river, my dad thought it would be funny to throw a log into the water.  This was no ordinary log, more like a giant tree stump.  Needless to say, I got soaked (somehow Randy and Amber did not) and was also covered in slime on my backside.  

A year ago I would have just let it go.  But now, I have a husband who stands up for me...my partner in crime.  Randy told me quietly, "we'll get him back".  About thirty minutes later, as my dad is just lounging in a chair with family, Randy hands me the gatorade ice bucket and my dad gets SOAKED.  You would have thought his track team had won another state championship.  It was pretty sweet revenge, and fun entertainment for all those watching.

As Sandi and Jack left, we decided to send them out in style by throwing leftover m&m's in place of birdseed or bubbles.  One landed in Randy's shirt pocket.  

A quaint and personalized wedding in the park, Congratulations Sandi and Jack!

(my camera battery died like 15 minutes into the wedding so I didn't get half the shots I wanted)