Archive for the Just Another Mary Monday Category

Paper or plastic? If your shopping habits are anything like mine, it’s a question you answer several times a month. The question I’d prefer to answer is: “How would you like your groceries bagged?” Grocery cashiers and baggers are generally hardworking people, and I’m sure they watch the mandatory training video on ‘How to Bag Groceries’, but I feel like many of them could use a refresher. I try not to be too picky – as long as the eggs aren’t broken and the bread isn’t squished – but lately even that seems like

I love to fish, and I’d be lying if I said I’d never been tempted to call in sick to go fishing. But having a fishing buddy around the office can make that grueling eight hour wait until fishing time seem a little more reasonable. So when our newest hire, Cody, mentioned a love of the sport, I thought there was no better way to get to know our new dispatcher than to take him out fishing. That Friday night blessed us with good weather, so we headed to the local pier at North

The games have begun! It’s no secret that I’m a sports nut, and few things are more exciting than the whole world coming together to engage in sportsmanship and goodwill. On Friday, Rio de Janiero kicked off the Summer Olympics with the 2016 Opening Ceremonies. My favorite events? Swimming, diving, track events and gymnastics. I’ve been an Olympics nut for years. One of my all time favorites? Gymnast Mary Lou Retton receiving a perfect 10 for her vault in 1984. Or remember 1996, when the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics team “Magnificent Seven” won their first

A few Saturdays ago, my husband suggested a relaxing evening of fishing with our youngest son and a few friends. We’d leave the house at 4:30, drive 50 minutes or so to the dock, and have a few hours of fishing while the sun set. Earlier in the day, we went out to buy bait and tackle. As we parked the truck in front of the bait shop, I heard a suspicious rumble. I raised an eyebrow at Dale, my husband. “Does that sound like thunder to you?” I asked. He assured me it

If you spend any time on Facebook, you’ve probably encountered Rick Lax. And he has probably read your mind. Don’t believe me? Think of a superhero. Any superhero. Now watch the video and see what happens. I’ll be right here waiting when you’re done: What do you think – does Rick Lax have the power? Did he get inside your mind? Lax bills himself as a ‘deception expert’; he uses sleight of hand, fast talking, and other impressive, but mundane, means to make people believe he’s more than meets the eye. Rick says, “You

You know what’s disturbing? Watching a group of clustered children and adults holding their phones up and shouting “Zubat! Zubat!” while pointing at something that isn’t there. I knew that one of three things was going on: 1) I’d gone crazy (possible) 2) These people had gone crazy (well, one of them was wearing an Auburn shirt!) 3) There was a new craze sweeping Alabama and I wasn’t in the know! (How dare they?) Never one to be left behind, I decided to investigate. And, yep, you guessed it – Pokemon Go! Turns out,

Worse than Jury Duty, if you ask me. Worse than the dentist. That’s right, recently, I had to lace up my big girl shoes and go to the DMV. Forget the jokes and stories – even legitimate research has been done to find out just why people hate the DMV so much. Taking a driver’s test, registering a vehicle or simply getting identification. These processes seem so easy, and yet? They never are. The DMV is nearly always a source of headaches, with long lines and impossible paperwork requirements, making each trip a full-on

In my house, Friday nights are Family Game Nights. It might sound very Brady Bunch – one big happy G-rated family gathered around the kitchen table enjoying amicable quality time. I assure you – Game Night is brutal. I’ve written before about my highly competitive spirit. Let’s just say that the apples don’t fall far from the tree. My husband, my two boys, and even my niece are all exceptionally competitive. Our favorite go-to games are Yahtzee and UNO. We drop our real names on Game Nights, referring to each other by our card

Ahh, July 4th weekend. I don’t know about you, but as a pool owner? I spent mine poolside. For me, a day bonding with friends and family over cannonball dives and bomb pops is the perfect way to say “God Bless America.” Today I’ve got my very own pool, which is a wonderful asset, so long as I remember to keep out algae (and bears). But what if you don’t have a pool? I remember as a kid in the summer, the pool was the Holy Grail. If you, or your neighborhood, didn’t have

Two weeks ago, I traveled to Texas to meet with some of our shipping customers. You expect big things when you travel to Texas – ten gallon hats, Texas-sized steaks, and summer temperatures that are off the charts. I suppose, on some level, I was expecting armadillos, too, but I wasn’t ready for the Texas-sized silliness surrounding them. See, they’re known by another name down there – Texas speed bumps. These funny-looking creatures have a bad habit of crossing the road really slowly, causing them to get hit by cars on a fairly regular