Archive for the Just Another Mary Monday Category

I Could Have Won $278 Million, and Instead I Did This…

On January 25, 2022 / Just Another Mary Monday

Where did January go? This month was at once 6.5 years and 30 seconds long – right? As we head into February, let me bring you up to date on my very eventful year-end. For years, I’ve been writing to you on Mondays and calling my musings “Just Another Mary Monday.” But this one isn’t about just another day, it’s a story about a most extraordinary day – December 4th, 2021. Had I known, I would have purchased a lottery ticket because I had good fortune in more ways than one. It was a sports,

High Jumping to Conclusions

On August 6, 2021 / Just Another Mary Monday

Friends, do I need to remind you how much I love the Olympic Games? You might remember my favorite Olympic moment or my dreams of being an Olympic athlete. My passion for the games has not subsided; in fact, check out my most recent purchase – a pair of Team USA Nike Air Max shoes. As always, my family and I have spent the past couple of weeks watching the Tokyo Summer Games with great interest. We’ve cheered for the athletes, marveled at their skills and accomplishments, and waited for inspirational moments like when Mary Lou

Will the Real GOAT Please Stand Up?

On February 15, 2021 / Just Another Mary Monday

It’s no secret that I’m not a Tom Brady fan, and if you’ve been a reader here for a while, you’ll know that I can give you 10 reasons why! He lies, he whines, he cheats, and just all-around gives sportsmanship a bad name. And of course, who could forget Deflategate? Of course, Tom Brady is on my mind because last week was the Super Bowl and now I’ve got one more reason to hate Tom Brady: everyone keeps calling him the GOAT. But I’ve got this to say about that: He’s not my

Oh Buoy, Here We Go Again…

On June 29, 2020 / Just Another Mary Monday

You may remember our first trip out with our pontoon boat last year, where my husband Dale (aka Flip, The Goat Killer) made a fast turn and flipped over the boat. It was enough drama to last for, well, at least a year. But, no. 2020 arrived with other plans. We’re just halfway through the year, and the events of the past six months sound like a list of unspeakable horrors: the COVID-19 pandemic, lockdowns, economic recession, job losses, fires, earthquakes, riots, locust attacks…and yes, Chapter Two of The Nicholas Family Boat Trips. Fatigued

Eating for the Food Network Is Harder Than It Looks

On November 12, 2019 / Just Another Mary Monday

For my family, road trips typically mean meals at well-known chain restaurants like just off of the highway. Coke, burger, and fries? Yes, please! During our trip to Crater of Diamonds in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, though, I decided to switch things up a little bit. Guy Fieri brought his show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives to Wilmington, NC, and showcased a few of the crown gems in our local restaurant scene: Something Fishy (one word: seafood), Ceviche’s (for fancy Panamanian fare), and Copper Penny (can’t-go-wrong bar food). Knowing that we were going to be passing through any number

Diamonds Are Forever, But Bodies Aren’t!

On October 21, 2019 / Just Another Mary Monday

I had so much fun the last time I went to Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, I planned another trip this past weekend. This time, instead of taking my niece, I decided to bring along my hubby, Dale, and our good friends, Crimson and Joey. We were looking forward to spending a full day digging for diamonds in the great outdoors, but our plans were almost foiled. Last week, before the trip, I started experiencing excruciating back pain. Turns out, it was my sciatic nerve acting up. As I nursed it with heat and ibuprofen, wondering if

Bigger Is Better

On October 7, 2019 / Just Another Mary Monday

Recently, Dale and I swapped out our 48-inch TV in the living room for a 65-inch TV. If you’re a member of a TV-loving household in the golden age of Netflix, Prime, and Hulu, you know what we did next: we moved our old living room TV into our bedroom, swapping out our good ol’ 32-inch for the 48-inch. It took us a while to afford the bigger screens TV. When they first came out, our budget looked more like this: But over time, prices dropped and now I’m far from alone in my

Stranger Things Have Happened

On July 22, 2019 / Just Another Mary Monday

Cable, satellite dishes, and even TV sets are slowly vanishing from American homes. They’re being replaced by tablets, desktop computers, game consoles, Rokus, and even cell phones. Almost everything can be streamed on any kind of screen. At our house, we use the Amazon Fire TV stick. Thanks to smart televisions and internet access, we have access to several different streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu. It’s amazing how these streaming companies have changed the way we consume entertainment. Little kids no longer know what a commercial break is. And, phrases

Shots ‘n Showers

On June 24, 2019 / Just Another Mary Monday

As most of y’all know by now, I’m a proud mama to two wonderful young men. My oldest, Denver Jr. (grandson to Denver and son to Denver Dale), turned 21 yesterday. It’s amazing how the milestones keep flying by – it feels like just yesterday Denver got his driver’s license, and a moment later, he was graduating from high school. While some mamas would be worried sick the night of their son’s 21st birthday, I wasn’t because he spent the day with me and Dale. Denver and Dale stayed up late on Saturday night,

My First Weekend of Camping Capers

On June 10, 2019 / Just Another Mary Monday

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I am not your typical sleep-in-the-woods-camper. I’m a glamper. This year, I thought Dale and I had all of our bases covered for a camping trip we’d both love – especially with the purchase of our new (to us) luxe camper. But, of course, our first trip with the camper went about as well as our previous adventures. On Friday, we arrived at our campsite around 7:00 pm to learn the entire campground was without power. Our camper has no generator, we could only turn