Vino Anyone?

There is a neat little winery down the road from Montgomery and Jason and I have been wanting to visit it for a long while now. Today was a lazy Saturday for us and Jason suggested we go. So, we loaded up Eli and headed to Clanton, Alabama home of The Winery on Main. Clanton is 45 minutes from Montgomery and is in Chilton County, which is best known for it's peaches. In fact, if you're driving on I-65 between Montgomery and Birmingham you'll see a giant peach in the sky, which is the water tower in Clanton. Not a lot going on in downtown Clanton today, but we did find a locally owned Southwestern grill and enjoyed a great meal of quesadillas and steak before going next door to the winery. (yes, the winery is downtown -- this ain't exactly Napa). We tasted a nice sampling of intense, robust reds and light, fruity blends. We both liked the same red and the same fruity so we got some of both. The red is a Henry VIII and is a bold blend of Syrah, Cab, and Viognier. The fruity is the Prince of Wales, a Blackberry Merlot. (yes, I liked the names too)
Eli just had milk, a nice 2007 vintage, light with a hint of cream.

Eli & Santa

Charlie Wilson's War

Jason and I just got back from seeing Charlie Wilson's War. It was my request and I thoroughly enjoyed it. We think it's the first movie we've seen since we saw We Are Marshall last Christmas (excellent movie, by the way). For this girl who used to go to movies most every weekend, that is quite a long time! I loved the movie, it was just what I wanted it to be. Of course Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, and Phillip Seymore Hoffman were extraordinary. The movie is about a liberal US Congressman from east Texas (Hanks) who, along with a conservative millionairess (Roberts), and a CIA operative (Hoffman) fund and orchestrate a covert war between the Afghan mujaheddin and the Soviets who had invaded Afghanistan during the Cold War. Based on a true story, Charlie Wilson's War is an entertaining and informative look at contemporary history. Some Reagan administration officials have criticized the movie for its linkage of the CIA backed, Congressionally funded Afghan war against the Soviets to the rise of the Islamic extremists who carried out the attacks of 9/11. I might have misunderstood this, but based on an article I read I think the movie producers cut out a portion of the movie that overtly linked the two events. In the final cut, there is just a quick reference at the end of the movie when Hoffman tells Hanks "we shall see" what the long term implications are of their actions in Afghanistan.
This movie is a prime example of why I love the study of history. Historical events are inextricably linked, like it or not. It was difficult for the players in the 1980s who were trying to halt the spread of Communism to imagine the jihadist influenced terrorist attacks of 2001, however, from the vantage point of history we can see the link fairly easily. Thus we are encouraged to think of present events in terms of future consequences because of what the past has taught us.
I must add one caveat to my ravings about Charlie Wilson's War. It is rated 'R' for a good reason. Having worked in DC for several years, I can attest that the language used in the movie reflects everything I heard on Capitol Hill. I told Jason it made the movie more realistic to me but it was bad. Beyond that, it made me really miss DC. My experience there was life changing and has not since been matched. It is a place of power where the impossible can happen, and often does. Cheers to the exciting life inside the beltway and cheers to Charlie Wilson's War.

Christmas Morning 2007

It is sleeting outside, so Hugh & Grant are enjoying one of their new dvds and Eli is napping. We had a wonderful Christmas morning. Grant got up first, Hugh was close to follow. Eli didn't wake up until almost 8:30 so we started without him. He was tired from his big day yesterday. We ate cheese biscuits and blueberry muffins and opened our gifts. We will have a relaxing day, the boys will play with their toys and Jason and I will enjoy having all of our family together. My folks will probably stop by later today to see what everyone got. Then tonight Jason and I are going to go see the movie Charlie Wilson's War. A tradition my girlfriend April and I always had was to go see a movie on Christmas Night. So, that was my request. Eli is going to stay with his grandparents while Jason and I have a Christmas night date. It's supposed to be a good movie, I'll give my review tomorrow. Here are some pics of our fun morning!

Hugh got a set of golf clubsGrant got a bb gun
Josey got a stuffed reindeer
Eli got a ball
Jason got some tools & Ronda (not pictured) got some beautiful gold plumeria earrings!!!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve afternoon we all took Eli to get his picture made with Santa Claus, he loved it! Everyone keeps asking me "did he cry"? I guess that is a normal reaction for babies when they see a crazy old man dressed in red with a big white beard reaching for them. Eli did fine. He and Santa posed like professionals. Afterwards we went over to Starbucks and everyone enjoyed a holiday beverage. Jason had a White Chocolate Mocha, I had an Eggnog Latte, and Hugh & Grant each had a peppermint hot cocoa. Eli was happy just to be there. Then we went to our service at church, which has become a tradition with our family. We sing, hear a short message then each family goes down front to take Communion with one of our church ministers. They have about 6 ministers down front so it goes quickly, as there are always a lot of people there. While we wait on the other families, Jason and I always reflect on our year. We are always overwhelmed with how blessed we are, and how each year keeps getting better for us. God is so gracious. After church we had a delicious supper at mother and daddy's and exchanged gifts. It is always a fun time there! On our way home, we stopped by a house in our neighborhood that does a HUGE Christmas display in their yard, music going, the whole nine yards. They had even started a small bonfire and were letting everyone roast marshmallows. We took a picture of H&G with their Mr. & Mrs. Claus.
Well, two of our three boys just got up so we're off to open presents!!!!! MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas Eve!

We sure hope you all are having a wonderful Christmas Eve. We just finished our traditional Christmas breakfast of red & green chocolate chip pancakes. Now we're watching cartoons before getting ready to take Eli to get his picture made with Santa Claus! This evening we will go to a candlelight service at church, then to my folks' house for supper and a gift exchange.
You'll be glad to know Hugh got a good night sleep last night. I think he wondered what I was doing waking him up in the middle of the night to check on him cause he was sleeping just fine! His head is sore today, but he's not complaining or in a lot of pain. We'll just keep taking it easy and have a relaxing day.
Eli is napping right now, resting up for his big meeting with Santa this afternoon. Wonder if he'll remember meeting Santa at Shoney's last month?! I'll make sure to share his first Santa pic. with you.

FORE!

Hugh and Grant were at the driving range with Jason this afternoon and Hugh walked into Grant's 7 iron. Hugh told his Daddy, "Grant put a hole in my head". Sure enough, it was a pretty bad gash. Jason took Hugh to the ER and it took three layers of stitches to fix his head. In fact, you could see all the way to Hugh's skull. Praise God the CT scan indicated all was well beyond the cut. Hugh is home now, cuddled up on the couch watching movies with his contrite brother. He requested we grill steaks for supper, so Jason is getting that ready. Then we'll have Christmas cookies and hot cocoa for dessert. He has to take it easy for a couple days then go back to the doctor next week. Here's a picture of Hugh at the hospital then both boys at the house.