Pickin' and Grinnin'

There's a Hailey family holiday tradition that goes a little something like this: it's not Thanksgiving until someone plays the banjo. Last year it was Uncle Rick playing in Grandma's bathroom. (?). This year it was Uncle Jim playing on his back porch. Clearly we're a big bunch of hillbillies.

Aside from the killer ten hour drive each way, the trip to Missouri was most excellent. I haven't seen that side of the fam in, oh, at least 15 years, so the reunion aspect of it was a warm fuzzy. Everyone called me Kari Jo (yeah, yeah, whatever) and I got to spend a lot of time with TequilaDad, which I think you all know by now that I'm a big ole daddy's girl. (Hi Pops! Love you!) Amazingly, only about ten minutes of that time dealt with the dreaded "what's wrong with you/why don't you have a boyfriend for crying out loud/your standards are too high" line of inquiry. Trust me, Dad, that ain't the problem.


TequilaDad lays the smack down.

One thing I like about the South is the overachieving way they name their towns. We went past Paris and Frankfort, plus Cairo and Hayti, which they pronouce “Kay-row” and “Hay-tie.” Huh. I think I liked Effingham the best though. I'd just love to say I live in Effingham. It would make me laugh every day. Effingham! Ha!

Anyhoo, some of the most interesting places in the South are just plopped right down on the side of the effing highway. Take Boomland. It's this big warehouse-sized truck stop-slash-souvenir shop where they sell some of the craziest shit you've never seen. Like a lifesize, fully groomed and possibly formerly breathing cocker spaniel.

Meet "Lucky"


Behold... the Wall of Trolls


Are they for oddballs or just odd? We will never know.


This is just . . . I don’t know. I mean, wow.

On the Home Front
My baby sister drank her (ahem) FIRST BEER EVER on Saturday night as she turned the big 2-1. I'm sad to say that TequilaMom was on hand for the sloppiness that followed, even pulling off to the side of the road to accomodate an aborted hurl session. Happy B-day Annie Bell! I love you!


Me and the birthday girl in our matching "Chanel" shades.

Memo to Notre Dame: you suck. That is all.

R.I.P., Doggie
Wilbur and Maizy's momma died on Thanksgiving. We don't know what happened to her, she was just dead in the barn when Dad went out to feed her. Poor old Shelby dog. Sniff. She might have been a lousy mother but she was still a good puppy dog. I'm gonna miss that crazy mutt.