Clue at the Birmingham Railroad Park

Birmingham has recently had an amazing addition to its downtown area. The Railroad Park Is 19 acres of park, playgrounds, skate parks, ponds, water falls and walking trails.

It officially opened a couple of months ago and I have wanted to go check it out for a while. I just haven’t made the time…

For the past several Thursday nights, The Railroad Park (@railroadpark on twitter) has shown movies. This past thursday they showed CLUE. I have never seen this movie before, so I made plans to park my rear on a blanket in the park and watch it!

I really enjoyed seeing everyone hanging out on blankets, walking the trails or biking in the skate park. We even saw 3 people doing the “Thriller Dance” on one of the bridges!

This gigantic blow up screen was a pretty neat way to watch a movie under the sky…

I can’t wait to go back one afternoon and take more pictures…. this is what I got on thursday.

Fun times!

Right now I am waiting on my friends to show up… we have pumpkins to carve, football to watch and chili to eat. I love love love this time of year and the people who make my world a happy place.

-m

the pumpkin patch, cotton candy and cows

I spent Sunday afternoon at The Old Baker Farm (for the second time this month). I went a few weeks ago with my cousin and picked my 1st pumpkin of the season.

This time I headed back with Steph, Jason and Madalyn. We had a great time traipsing all over the pumpkin patch. Madalyn really wanted a white pumpkin like I had gotten last time, but that section of the patch was picked clean! (SO glad I got mine last time!). We found orange pumpkins, and green pumpkins and gigantic pumpkins. Ms. Mad decided on a cute little yellow one. Then swapped it out for a cuter yellow one that I don’t have a picture of!

The Old Baker Farm has 2 of the cutest baby cows I have ever seen. I could have spent all afternoon petting their soft little noses and taking pictures of them.

To keep Madalyn awake and non-cranky she got a sugar-rush treat of cotton candy. By the time we, um, I mean, Madalyn finished it, our hands all looked like this:

and our mouths all looked like we had eaten a few smurfs…

I ended up staying and making another round through the patch and the farm with some other friends that showed up later. I had such a good time making memories with my sweet friends and their beautiful children!

-m

Too much to do. October should last longer.

I am so damn giddy that it’s October. And before I know it, it will be over and I will be sad!

Last night I was looking through the pictures from the Halloween party last year. It makes me giggle to think of how excited we all get about dressing up. Many of my friends have been prepping for their costumes for months now. BMFK started growing a mustache. Dave has been growing a massive beard. We don’t take this holiday lightly folks.

Currently I am planning to attend a Zombie Parade, hit a haunted house or two, dress up for a Firefighter Halloween Ball, go to the pumpkin patch again at least  twice, plan a pumpkin carving party, and figure out what to wear to a couple of parties. And I would kill an innocent man to load up in the car with my fool friends and go to the Zombie Apocalypse in Atlanta. I really wish I could be dressed up every day. Zombie style. I am sure the folks at work wouldn’t mind.

I can’t wait to have a second to edit and show you a couple of decent pumpkin patch pictures from my Saturday with Amanda. Go check out her blog (like, NOW) for her amazing pictures.  We had so much fun and she captured the day perfectly!

For now you get repeats from last year…

happy pumpkin: (* i just realized I included this pic 3 blogs ago… sorry for the repeat! )

A Zombee and a zombee killer:

for the record, fire pits and drunk people don’t mix well…

more PUMPKINS!

I should apologize now for the next 26 days of blogging. It will most likely be strictly about my most favorite time of year!

-m

I love zombies, pumpkins and october

I super-duper-big-bubbly-bloody-heart  October.

I will…

want to dress up every day.

watch dozens of bad horror movies and zombie movies.

help my aunt decorate for Halloween. It’s her favorite too.

attend Halloween parties.

make pots of soup to eat as the weather cools.

have multiple costumes. but might not bee able to top this one..

go to the pumpkin patch. at least twice.

trick-or-treat (I hope).

watch Hocus Pocus for the millionth time.

eat my weight in those orange and black candies that everyone hates.

enjoy the weather and time with friends.

have the urge to craft and cover everything with candy corn.

eat too much candy corn.

Carve pumpkins with the kiddos

visit Party city a dozen times to figure out what I want to be.

wait til the day of the party to actually decide.

go to sloss or atrox to laugh at the scariness.

reminisce about Halloweens gone by. (god almighty I love these people)

take a million pictures. (though that’s a given any time of year!)

I LOVE OCTOBER!

-m

Some (or all) of my favorites from the zoo

All of these were taken at the Birmingham Zoo. The zoo has come a long way since I was a kid and is growing more. I enjoy it more and more every time I go. This also crosses #85 off my list.

Here are some more pictures from the day. My first set was posted here if you want to check those out.

I was only planning on posting the 2 that I loved the most. Then I started looking and couldn’t leave out the others that I liked the most too!!

The Gorillas were so much fun to watch. I really could have sat right there all day and watched them fight and chase each other! Amazing animals!

This guy posed for me for a while. I liked this shot the best.

This is my friend, she does not live at the zoo. But that little monkey with her probably should!

These last four (I know, I said 2! I have changed my mind again!) are my top picks from the day.

I couldn’t get a good shot of the whole animal, but I like what I did get! 

I was super proud of this one since it was in a dark room through glass… I think I lucked up on the settings and it just worked. Plus I have a thing for beautiful snakes.

This one is included because I think it goes nicely with the next one of her napping mate.

My absolute FAV from the day. I am actually envisioning this one printed out and framed in my one day house.

I just loved the colors and how peaceful that beast seems. I adore his paw hugging the back side of the rock. When I look at it, it reminds me to slow down and relax. Aren’t naps the BEST!?

-m

my google calendar is a rainbow of fun

 I am a pretty busy girl. I stay busy so that I don’t completely go insane. In the process of staying busy, I am completely insane!

I started using the calendar on google a few months ago. I am a huge fan of an actually paper planner in my purse at all times, but I am trying to get away from that. Eventually I will own a smart phone and it will be right there at my fingertips.

I like that you can set up separate calendars to show different types of events. Currently I have 8 different colors that represent 8 different items through out my month…

Makin the Moolah                 Birthdays and Anniversaries            Fun Stuff – Friends

Fun Stuff – Kiddos                  Hatred and Anger (aka workouts)    Other

Photography                            Roll Tide Roll

 

My calendar is PRETTY. And packed! I like it that way

Did you notice none of those say “sit my happy ass on the couch and do nothing”? I am horrible at that!

Mainly it’s packed with makin the moolah, and fun stuff.  I work all day and then cram my afternoons and evenings with awesome people and great times.

I am actually excited to be adding more “Hatred and anger (aka workouts) to my days. Don’t tell Mike,  but I actually enjoyed walking 4 miles in the torrential down pour Sunday night. I feel better already and can’t wait (did I say that out loud?) for the next workout. Even though my legs hurt like hell, I am liking it.

And most importantly my Saturdays are soon to be filled with friends, food and football! I am pumped about  September 4th. Not only do I get to celebrate the 2nd annual M&M day with my great friend Mandy, but we get to yell and scream at the tv while Bama plays ball.

The rest of this week will be working the 2nd job, a baseball game and cheep beer, working out, volunteering for BAAM!, listening to great music and maybe a trip to the Museum of Art.

Next week will be a little slower til I fly out on Thursday to visit my friend Ben. I can’t wait to spend a few days in a new city with an old friend. My camera will be well used that weekend!

I am excited to be doing new things, meeting new people, and enjoying the life I have.  I am finding it easier to express myself. whether it be through this blog, talking to a stranger, making new friends, or scribbling out my thoughts on a random scrap paper. I am finding it easier to keep my head up and enjoy the good things in my day-to-day life. As I read back through this, I laugh because I was frustrated with life when I started typing, but look at all the good and fun stuff I have going on…that makes me happy.

-m

whirl wind weekend complete

So I think I posted a couple of days ago about how crazy my weekend was going to be…

zoo… check

hanging out with old and new friends… check

house hunting… check

engagement party… check

baby baptism… check

maternity session… check

movies… check.

whew…

I have about 600 pictures to sort and edit, but here are a few from the zoo:

My favorite 4 year old

If I were a frog, i would toadally (sorry) rock this lilly pad.

oh I love the color of a parrot

and I promised a friend his otters. I was supposed to otter-nap them, but failed.

I have so many more to share! I just couldn’t go to bed with out quickly putting these out there! I am planning a better zoo blog, since it marks one off my 101 list!

-m

Patron, popcorn and zombies Speakeasy style

yes sir… that’s my plan for this evening! You can’t go wrong with tequila and zombies… right? You should come too!

I will be here:

Watching this awesome zombie flick: (even though  I have seen it 100 times!)

“There’s a girl in the garden”

( Shaun of the Dead photos from here and here )

drinking this and eating that:

Hopefully hanging out with my zombie loving friends.

oh and just for fun… here is a picture of me as a Zom-BEE…
that’s right I am funny!

Man I love Halloween… Is it October yet?
-m

goonies revisited

When you combine people, $1 beer, movies, and popcorn…

You end up with loud drinking people trying to watch a movie on a sheet on the wall,  while throwing popcorn at each other.  And wearing popcorn bowls on their heads.  At least that’s what you get with my friends! Brett and Rosalind wore them well!

http://melissagay.smugmug.com/photos/865453363_kUvUa-L.jpg

http://melissagay.smugmug.com/photos/865453500_vbMow-L.jpg

http://melissagay.smugmug.com/photos/865453750_5G4Yi-L.jpg

http://melissagay.smugmug.com/photos/865453896_3dKnL-L.jpg

http://melissagay.smugmug.com/photos/865454086_Rbnxw-L.jpg

But it was fantastic to hang out with Jenny, Barry, Kris, Brett, Roz and Wayne. Though I am to old to drink on a work night!

-m

so looking forward to goonies night…

I am sure i will have pics to post from this one later.

I am leaving work. Driving 45 minutes home, walking the dogs, showering, driving 45 minutes back to “the city” and drinking a beer. with my friends. while watching The Goonies. in a bar. It’s gonna be fantastic.

after a weekend of blah and days of more blah, i am ready to kick back and enjoy some laughter with my bestest besties. I am even looking forward to the hangover tomorrow. Atleast it means I have done something besides mope around, cry and sleep.

so YAY! for goonies and beer and Speakeasy. George Cowgill, you are the best bar owner ever.

-m