July 4th Weekend
Hi friends. Juicebeats here.
July 4th was an incredible weekend for me and my family. We started off the weekend by leaving work early on Thursday July 3rd to have our company picnic with hamburgers and hot dogs at the Cove off Northshore. I was able to spend some extra time with my son also.
July 4th is a celebration of independence for our country, but it is also significant to me because it is my Dad's birthday. We started the day with brunch at my parents' house, and of course, I brought my camera with me to capture a few pictures of my dad receiving his present-- 4 generations of Messings in a big 16x20 frame.
After hanging out and going to the pool, I went by my in-laws house because we were also going to celebrate Carla's/my mother-in-law's birthday while her sister and brother-in-law were in town for the night. Her present from us was pictures of the grand-kids that I took a few weeks earlier at the UT Gardens.
Later on that night of course we had to see the fireworks and play with sparklers.
Saturday July 5 we went to the pool to take Jaden swimming for the first time. I think he is really going to like the water.
All in all, it was an eventful holiday weekend with friends and family. I hope you all enjoyed your 4th as well.
Juicebeats
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Juicebeats' 30th Birthday
Hello friends. Mrs. Juicebeats here.
You didn't read that incorrectly. I'm Staci, Jason's wife, and I have taken over his blog to tell you about an amazing weekend that we had celebrating this awesome husband, father, photographer, and producer.
It's kind of a rule of thumb in our household that a birthday is never only one day, so I saw to it that Jason had a fun-filled weekend planned without having to think about it himself. His birthday celebration began on Friday when we went to Brazeiros with his family. If you've never been to this restaurant, it is quite the experience. Basically, you start off with a delicious salad bar filled to the brim with everything from fresh cheeses to artichokes to pasta salad. Jason always enjoys the fresh grated Parmesan atop the fluffy cheese biscuits served at the table. Once the real part of the meal begins, you are given a card with a red side--for stop--and a green side--for go--in order to signal to the servers whether you want to continue eating the varied and tasty assortments of meats they carve tableside. The Brazilian steakhouse has been a favorite of ours since it opened in Knoxville, but it was a particularly special experience this evening to dine with his aunt and uncle, grandmother, two cousins, godmother, parents, and in-laws (my parents); of course, baby Jaden and I were also in attendance. The food was great, but the company was even better. We ended the night with their delicious chocolate mousse cake, compliments of the house as a birthday treat for Jay.
Saturday started with a delicious breakfast--if I do say so myself--made by yours truly for my hubs on his special day. Last year, we started a new tradition that is so true to who we are as fun loving adults...playing laser tag. It was off to Laser Quest for us and a couple of friends and family members that afternoon to really get the good times going. We played one game and then spent some time shopping before finishing out our last two games. What Jason would tell you about this experience is that I was the loudest person in the arena during play and that he dominated every game. What I would tell you is that he is a camper, but we won't mince words since this is, after all, a post celebrating him. His reign as laser tag king, sadly, continues another year.
What Jason didn't know about Saturday, and that I had planned for a month, was a surprise party for him at Barley's downtown with all of his friends. As I checked the RSVP list repeatedly over the past few weeks, I could not believe how sweet his friends were to signal that, yes, they would be in attendance despite the distances some would have to travel to be here. He had friends and family in attendance from Huntsville, Nashville, Memphis, and Atlanta. Some of his best friends from high school who live locally even showed up at Barley's. After lying to my husband for weeks about the fact that none of his friends could make it for his birthday due to other obligations, the moment finally arrived to show him just how much everyone actually cared. As he walked into the room, a look of utter shock and complete surprise overtook his face, and I felt thrilled that all of my planning and deceit had actually paid off. The gluttony took over; we stuffed our faces with some of the best pizza in town and prepared for the rest of the evening.
Of course, there was no other place we would rather go to cap off Juicebeats' 30th birthday than Latitude 35, our favorite spot, especially significant as a place of celebration to us (as we spent the evening after our wedding there). We danced (including a new dance move Jason invented called the skateboarder) ; we sang; we laughed (at each other and others), and we all considered ourselves lucky to have such an amazing friend to celebrate. Just as he felt so blessed to have friends and family take the time to honor him this weekend, I know we all feel just as blessed to have him in our lives.
Mrs. Juicebeats
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The Masters
Hello friends Juicebeats here,
This year's Masters tournament has me pretty bummed that my favorite player (Tiger Woods) is not playing this year due to injury.
The last few years have been disappointing for him as far as majors go aside from the off the course issues. I am one of many that started playing golf when he became a professional and have been enjoying the game ever since.
A few years ago I was able to go to the Masters with a few friends of mine. If you have ever been to Augusta for the Masters, than you know how beautiful that course is, and I got to see almost all of the players.
I watched as they practiced shots and took notes on what parts of the course to hit and how fast the greens were; I also observed as they had a little fun skipping the ball across the water for the fans on hole 16 . I had a great experience seeing these things up close, but my favorite memory wasn't of the actual play or seeing the players up close. My favorite memory was how I was able to get into the course.
Here's the story...
My friend Andrew had 2 passes to get into the tournament for 3 of us to go. Andrew knew a secret spot to sneak in, so he could get in without a ticket. My friend Jon and I were going to go into the front gate with the tickets and meet him at the gift shop. This was the plan. The Masters has an extremely strict policy on cell phones, so when my friends and I pulled up and parked, we left our phones in the car so we would not have to get stopped by security and have our phones taken away. When we met up at the gift shop, I handed Andrew my ticket so he could get on the course as I was finishing up a transaction at the gift shop. Jon had gone with Andrew taking his ticket too, leaving me without one. When I started to meet them on the course after paying for a couple polo shirts, I was immediately met by a security guard asking where my ticket was. I instantly went into panic lie mode. "Oh my gosh, sir, it must have fallen out of my pocket." He let me look around for a second before saying to me," Come with me." He brought me into the security office (Masters' jail). I sat there for a few minutes trying to think of what to do. I couldn't call my friends because they both didn't have cell phones. I didn't have another ride or anyone else I could talk to for help. I sat there in Masters' jail for about 30 or 40 minutes until I noticed through the window the bathroom right next door to the security office. I asked the security guard if I could go to the restroom. He said yes and followed me to the door. The restroom had 2 doors, an entrance and an exit about 20 or so feet on the other side close to a pathway to get to the course. This was my chance. As the security guard wasn't looking, I bolted out the exit door down the path and on to the course before he even knew I was gone. I finally found my friends on the course after hiding and trying to blend in with the crowd. I told them what happened, and Andrew immediately gave me back the ticket. I attached the ticket to my jacket, so it would be seen just in case the guard came looking for me. Nobody came, but I swear I heard one of the security guard's walkie talkies on the course say black male 6'2" may be on the course.
Each year when the Masters approaches, I think about my trip to the tournament and how lucky I was to get to see it in person.
Juicebeats
Bonfire with Friends
Last night I had the chance to hang out with a few of my friends. We grilled out and made a bonfire. We cooked steak and BBQ chicken, but little did I know that after 2 hours on the grill the chicken was still under cooked. Good thing I didn't eat too much of it before realizing it was still raw. It was nice to get out of the house after being cooped up for the last month since the birth of baby Jaden. I took my camera (of course) and took some long exposure photography. Here are some of the pictures I took from last night.
Our Gracious and Loving Grandma's 80th Birthday
Our Grandma Helene Messing's 80th Birthday
January 28th, 2014, My grandmother Helene Messing turned 80! We gathered as a family at Copper Cellar for brunch to celebrate her wonderful 80 years. My grandmother is the sweetest, kindest, and most generous lady ever...hands down. She has 6 grandchildren, including myself and 1 great grandson. She is always there for us whenever we need her and cooks the best meals anyone could ask for. She has everlasting love for all of us. I Love you Grandma!!!
In other news on the same day...While my sister was in town for our grandmothers 80th, I spent some time with her and my parents at their house. We found out my dad looks like Mandy Patinkin when he has a beard.
My Dad
Mandy Patinkin
The Big 3-0 Evan's 30th Birthday
Evan Turned 30!!!
Evan getting ready to blow out the candles
Surprise... Evan had his 30th surprise birthday party this weekend hosted by Madeline, Caroline, and Ashley (his "sisters"). The set up was his "sisters" had planned to make him dinner for his birthday. As we waited for him to show, I actually text him just before and asked, "What you up to tonight?" He replied, "Wanna drive to New Orleans?" I told him, "Let's go!"
We saw his car pull up the road, and then, we all piled into the living room as he walked in. He was ready to eat homemade pizza that his "sisters" prepared. As he walked through the kitchen and saw the cake on the table, he looked over to his right and was completely caught off guard by a big "SURPRISE!" He had no idea.
Evan's surprise face
We all had a blast, and it was good to get out with great friends for a while.
Here are some of the photos from the night...
