we're taking our streets back! so THERE!

If you are an Alabamian reading this post, you likely share my same frustration with the current promotion by the state to "take our streets back". For those of you who are not aware, this week, our major highways (aka, for those in the Montgomery area, interstates 85 & 65) are being highly patrolled by state troopers. What is the point? Well, they claim that this is a targeted effort to accomplish a couple of things: 1) to help reduce the number of highway fatalities, which we have had several of over the past couple of months, and 2) to catch the druggies who apparently speed down the highway instead of creep along our neighborhood streets ("they" say that drug busts are commonly made by the routine traffic stop). So is this promotion on anyone else's nerves but mine? I don't usually blog about current events, but this is frustrating to me for several reasons:

1. This may help with the number of highway fatalities we have THIS WEEK, but what happens after this week is over? Everyone goes back to speeding.

2. If you want to really catch people speeding, DON'T ADVERTISE IT. Hello - everyone's driving slower because we have known about this for weeks now. (Ok so apparently EVERYONE isn't driving slower, because I have seen people pulled over...which makes me want to roll down my window & yell, "You idiot! Have you been living under a rock for the past month?" I digress.)

3. When drivers see someone pulled over by a trooper, they freak out & slow down to 30 miles UNDER the speed limit. Ok, people. You are allowed to actually drive the speed limit. Seriously - on my way home yesterday, several people were pulled over on the OTHER side of the interstate, so the traffic on my side slowed to a crawl of a whopping 40 mph in a 60 mph zone. Stop freaking out when others get pulled over!

What do y'all think about this "taking our streets back" promotion? Do you think it's going to do any good, besides collecting money for our state from the 6,000 tickets that were apparently issued yesterday? I personally think it's a political promotion to make it look like the state government is trying to do something about the speeding on the roads. Here's a novel idea - maybe crack down on speeders ALL THE TIME instead of just one week??

seriously...

...Vote for Toby. You have till Friday at 5:00. You know you want to vote for this precious face...

vote for Toby!!

If you’re at Eastdale Mall any time this week or next week, please stop by the Montgomery Humane Society’s pet photo contest & cast a vote (or two, or three…) for our dog, Toby! It’s just $1 to vote, & you can vote as many times as you want. The winners will be featured in the Humane Society’s calendar next year. Be sure to vote for #107 because there is more than one “Toby” in the contest (the photo has our name underneath it also).

Vote for Toby!!

first stuff

Thanks for the tag, Amanda! I'm jumping on the bandwagon...

First Memory: Hmmm...I don't remember stuff from when I was 2 or 3 like some people do, or at least I don't think I do. I remember when I was 4, riding my big wheel.

First Real Kiss: I was 17 (yes I was THAT old) and I'm not saying who it is because several of you know him. :-)

First Concert: Acappella. At Vaughn Park. I was in 6th grade.

First Love: First "love" = same as first kiss. First REAL love = Baron. (AWWWWW)

First Crush: This boy who was in 6th grade when I was in 4th. His name was Wes.

First Thing you Think of in the Morning: Can I hit snooze one more time??

First Book you remember loving: Goodnight Moon

First Question you'd ask in heaven: I think of stuff all the time that I'd like to ask, but when I get there, I'm pretty sure I'll be in too much awe to be asking questions.

First Best Friend: Kelly Turner & Hillary Pruitt

Last Time You Dressed Up: When I was in Mark & Lindsay's wedding.

Last Book You Read: Right now I'm reading The Dead Zone by Stephen King

Last CD You Bought: Uhhh....I don't know cause I don't really buy CDs anymore.

Last Time You Cried: Earlier this week.

Last Movie You Saw: Anaconda, earlier today, but not the whole thing.

Last Time You Told Someone You Love them: Earlier today, to Baron

Last Funny thing you did: I do so many funny things that I can't even think of one. :-)

Last Thing You watched on TV: Anaconda. But the last TV show I watched was The Dog Whisperer.


I hereby tag anyone reading this who hasn't done it yet...

happy birthday!

On this day, one year ago, a new life was born. I would like to take a moment to celebrate the 1-year birthday of my rubber band ball. Look how much he has grown in the past year!

(my baby on the day he was born)

(my baby today! wow, my camera phone is a lot better than my co-worker's who took the pic last year...)

For those of you who haven't been reading my blog for the past year, you can check out the story of my rubber band ball and how he came into this world. Click here and scroll down to read about my previous loss and the birth of this new life.

Happy Birthday, Rubber Band Ball! I hope that one day you can be as big as your brother. God rest his soul.