Halloween at the Grizzlies.......a month later

Yes, I know that Halloween was almost a month ago, but I have some great pictures of Shawn in his Flash Gordon outfit. Grizzlies opening night was vs. The San Antonio Spurs, sadly the Grizz lost, but Shawn did an amazing job with the game presentation. I wish you could all see the video to see just how amazing it was, I was so proud of him. All of his hard work and late nights at the office really paid off. I'll have the video with me in Cali for Christmas and Seattle for the Steele wedding, so some of you will actually be able to see it!

Shawn as "Flash Gordon" with "The Hulk" the PA announcer

One of the best parts of opening night was Michael Buffer doing the line-ups. For those of you who don't recognize his name, he is the boxing announcer that is famous for saying "Let's get ready to rumble!" Shawn kept him being there a surprise from everyone, not even the coach or players knew he was going to be there!

Shawn with Michael Buffer (pre-game)

If your team is playing the Grizzlies in Memphis, be sure to look at center court where the players check in.......you'll be sure to see Shawn sitting front and center (Especially is you have HD!) If you paid for the seats that he sits in, they'd be over $300 per game/per seat!

Cold Rain in Memphis

We had our first really cold and rainy Sunday here in Memphis. That means one thing at our house; Chili! I like to wait to make my chili until it's nice and cold. There is something about hot and a little spicy chili that temporarily makes the cold go away! Hilly Chili (as Shawn and others like to call it) is one of my specialties. I've been making it since the 7th grade! We love to eat it topped with cheese and sour cream. My mom loves to eat it with Frito's on the side or in the bowl! For the past couple of years now, I've added jalapeno corn bread muffins as the perfect side!

If you'd like the recipes, I'd be happy to share!

Happy Thanksgiving

Gobble, gobble, it's official, I have 3 full Thanksgiving dinners under my belt. I cooked for four hours on Wednesday. It was so great to get most of the cooking out of the way and be able to relax and only worry about the turkey and mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving.

This year we had brunch on Thanksgiving morning. Bridget made her mom's Monkey Bread. It seems to be a mid-western thing. I'll tell you what, it was better then hot cinnamon rolls from Sweet Affair! We also had an egg bake and Bellini's (an Italian drink...white peach puree and champagne!)

Once brunch was over, it was turkey time. Shawn rinsed and cleaned the turkey. He later carved it. I had all the food hot and ready at the same time. I think that's one of the main reasons I love cooking on Thanksgiving. There is something about the challenge of getting every thing hot and on the table at one time that I love. This year I even made a pumpkin pie from scratch. For those of you who know my cooking style, baking is something that I rarely do!

Thanksgiving is also a great day to really take a minute and remember the things that you're thankful for. This year, like most, I am thankful for good health, great friends and of course my loving family!

Viva Nashvegas!

Last weekend, Shawn and I headed over to Nashville with our friends Mat and Bridget. We got in Friday night and had dinner at a great Italian restaurant downtown. Saturday we got up early and headed to the Vandy/Kentucky football game. If I didn't know better, I would have thought we were in the middle of KY. There were Wildcat fans all over the place. I'm pretty sure the stadium was 75% UK fans.

After the game we went downtown to the Nashville Predators game. It's crazy, but it was my first NHL game! Hockey isn't really my favoriate sport, but I have to admit from the 2nd row and a game that went into overtime then a shootout it was exciting!

Until next time! Much Love from Memphis!!

Get your blog on! Hillary finally Blogs!

Hi All- I figured after almost two months of having a blog it was time for me to actually write something!!

I guess the hardest part is figuring out where to start, so I'll just give a quick summery of the past year in Memphis and beyond!



February '07:





Shawn's 29th Birthday: Bluefin Sushi with our good friends Mat and Bridget









In the middle of Feb. I went out to Cali for a long weekend and finally met Marlene's baby, Ellie! I had a great weekend catching up with family and all of my girlfriends from high school that still live in the Creek!





March '07






NYC here I come. The best part about having Katie living in NYC is that I always have a free place to stay and more money for shopping! It was great to spend a long birthday weekend in New York with my sister and some of her NY friends! We had a great time including our first opera at the Met and a birthday dinner of our favorite food......pizza!








I also love to wonder around the city and take pictures.

April '07






Shawn and I went back to Orlando to spend a long weekend with our friends from the old stomping grounds. It was so nice to see them and catch up. Living in FL was great and we really met some amazing people! The two things I really miss about FL are our good friends we made and being close to the beach. It was also always a nice treat to meet up with family when they were in town for Disney World or a conventions!




May '07



One great thing about being back in Memphis is we have a ton of cool cities within driving distance. One of our favorite destinations is New Orleans. We've been there twice since Hurricane Katrina, and when we go there now, we feel like we're really helping the city get back on its feet. If you haven't made a trip to NOLA you need to go. The unique food, culture and music make for a trip that you won't forget! Be sure to stop at Johnny's for a poo-boy!














The NOPD mob deep on Vespa scooters. This cop asked me if I wanted my picture taken on it, so I said yes! The cop actually took this picture for me right in front of another one of our favorite restaurant, ACME Oyster House!



Memphis in May:
Memphis in May is a great tradition. The first weekend of May is Music Fest. It is a three day music festival on the Mississippi River in downtown Memphis. This year we were there for all three days. We saw some great bands, a few of my favorites were: John Legend, John Butler Trio, Wolfmother and Kenny Wayne Shepard! We always have friends that come from all over to stay with us on this crazy fun weekend







Sunset on the Mississippi in May. Hey, it's the best we can do here in the middle of the country.







The second stage of Memphis in May is the World Famous BBQ Festival. This is a great weekend to hang with friends on the river and eat some great BBQ! The Grizzlies put together a team. In this picture we are standing on the second level of the "tent" they made!








July '07







Shawn and I spent our "summer vacation" in Cali. We started our trip in Hermosa Beach where we stayed with one of my college friends. We had a great 4th of July in Hermosa! The next day we started our baseball run with a trip to Dodger Stadium......PS the Dodger Dogs are totally overrated!



Next stop NorCal and an A's game with the girls (and Shawn and Jason!)

We had such a great time taking BART into Oakland and watching the game from better seats then we had purchased. The girls and I chatted about all of the fun times we had going to A's games in high school and sitting in my dad's company seats right behind home plate! Those were the days!







A few days later, Shawn and I headed into SF for the MLB All Star Home Run Derby. We didn't have tickets, but my gut told me to go to the ticket window to see if they had any last minute tickets. They sure did, and we were able to attend the Derby with our friends Phil and Travis! We had an amazing view from the 3rd deck at AT&T park (at least I think that's the name now!)



Sept '07




The Yeend crew headed to Playa Del Carmen Mexico. It was the first vacation that we had been on together since Hawaii some time in the mid-90's. The weather, hotel and water were incredible. It was so nice to get away for a long weekend before Opera and basketball seasons start. If you get a chance, head to the RIU Palace Riviera Maya! The service, food and drink were just as great as the pool volleyball and reading on the hammocks or poolside.









This was the view from my dad's hotel room. Not bad huh?!?!

Did I mention that this place is all-inclusive! What's not to love.


Well, I've blogged so much that my fingers are starting to hurt! I hope you all enjoyed my first entry. Blog on Bloggers!

Love, Hill