¡Feliz cumpleaños a mi esposo increíble!

Shawn celebrated his 28th (¡qué viejo!) birthday on Friday October 17th.

Doesn't that look like the face of someone who just turned 28?! Yipes!

We had great food, great fun, and great laughs with family & friends on Friday night, and then Shawn and I went out on Saturday for some "just us" time. On Friday we ate dinner at our fav Mexican restaurant in the area & ate bday cake. Our plans to go to the Homecoming football game were put on hold due to weather, so we all went back and played Taboo. I just want to make a plug to the Burnette's - they are amazing ;^)

Shawn took complete advantage of a special occasion, like most men do, and soaked up the birthday attention for all it was worth calling the entire weekend his birthday! How convenient! Just when I thought I was done treating, the occasion had only just begun.

Remember that when I turn 26 this year Shawn!

So, like a good wife, on Saturday I took him shopping in Norcross and to Malibu Grand Prix Fun Park. We went to the batting cages and hit a few, then it was off to an endless number of stores.

I mean hey, a girl's gotta enjoy herself, too, right?!?!

We had a fantastic time celebrating another year of a blessed life!

Enjoy the pics...

Our friends Rachel & Anthony joined us at "La Fiesta" for some good Mexican cookin'!

Shawn & his big sis' Heather posing for the cam. Heather preparing take-out for her dog at home.

Us. The pics look the same, but they're different, I promise.

Shawn opening his new Fossil watch from me & a musical card from his other sister Laura. He was jammin' to Tito Puente.

The amazing staff surprised Shawn with a cake (that I bought...no time to bake) after the yummy dinner. Picture 1 - Hmmm...what do I do now? Picture 2 - Oh yes...blow the candles out.

A Stone Mountain Fall

Shawn and I went to Stone Mountain on our day off last Friday. It was a beautiful fall day full of new experiences and adventures, and a great way to spend a day without work.

Here are some pictures to highlight the day.

Posing in front of the beautiful stone. There is actually a picture carved into the mountain, but you probably can't see it in detail...gorgeous!

The SkyHike was a great adventure. There are three levels of crazy obstacles that you have to complete as you're suspended from a bungee. We also competed in a huge, completely vertical rock climbing wall.

It was great!

Posing in a pumpkin patch. I love Fall!

I loved these pictures with the leaves hanging low from the tree.

We could see a great view of the mountain from there.

Yes, you guessed it. I was chosen to compete in a pie eating contest! Did I win?! Of course not. Do you see the big man sitting next to me?! Yipes!

We decided to hike to the top of Stone Mountain. Here are some pics of the view. We made it to the top just in time to see the beautiful sun setting on the Atlanta skyline. It was a gorgeous site!

Victory! We finally made it to the top just in time for the sun to set on our fantastic day.

Stone Mountain Park ended up being a great day-long getaway with a romantic end.

We definitely suggest visiting the park in the Fall to capture the leaves changing and the cool breezes.

Cebollas

Spanish food lesson number one: "las cebollas" means onions.

Photo dowloaded from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pieceoflace/

Onions have been on my mind since yesterday evening mainly because I can still smell them underneath my fingernails. YUCK! Can anybody relate?!

While I love the taste of onions, I absolute dread having to prepare them to cook. I was in the mood for a simple, yummy dish that I absolutely love for dinner last night (it's basically a concoction of sausage, potatoes, spices, and yes, you guessed it, ONION), but the experience turned into tears, sniffles, odor and more tears! Even when I avoid eye contact with them, they make me cry like a baby! And even worse, I feel like I carry the smell of onions with me for the next couple of days like they're embedded in my skin or clothing or something. I've tried everything BUT wearing rubber gloves - running water over them while I peel and chop them, looking behind my back (which leaves my fingertips pretty vulnerable), washing my hands repeatedly after I'm finished...nothing works. I think garlic ranks right up there with onions.

Do any of you "Martha's" out there have any suggestions for making onions my "amigas"?

"Amigos(as)" means friends.

It's been bothering me all day (and it bothered Shawn all night...poor thing!).

The Great Outdoors

Okay...brace yourself...are you ready for this?!

Alisha Louise Stratton went camping!

**gasp** Catch your breath...I still am.

Shawn and I went on the 2nd Annual Stratton family Camping Trip last weekend in Helen, GA (I wanted to capitalize it to make it more official). While I was up and ready for the challenge, many people just couldn't believe that I of all people would go camping in the great outdoors. As one person put it, "You look like you belong on the East Side of Manhattan." Thanks, I guess? Well peeps, I proved you all wrong! We had a great time in Unicoi State Park for a couple of days. We slept in a tent (with an air mattress no doubt), we biked through the mountains (they were more like hills, but my thighs and butt are calling them mountains), we walked through the "German" streets of Helen (more like Confederate flag country...scary!), we cooked and ate outdoors (except for the meal we bought and brought...fried chicken & sides...mmmmm) and we most importantly spent quality time with the Stratton family (dominos, cards, Putt-Putt, etc.). Oh...and I'm not sure if you're familiar with the Old Time Photo shops, but we got one of those pictures taken, too! It was so much fun getting dressed up and posing on an old-fashioned bar, and we figured it would be a nice addition to the family photos we have at the house (Shawn as a "wanted killer" and me as a "town..."), well you know what. It started off pretty inexpensive, until they suckered me in with the "old-fashioned" matte and the "old-fashioned" picture frame...which I fell for...but it looks great!!

The most exciting events of the weekend for me were my hunting and shooting workshops. Yes, I shot some guns and hunted (dummy animals, of course) with a bow and arrow. I know my family is reading in disbelieve, so these events can only be proven by pictures. Take a look!

**Disclaimer: I do not hunt, nor do I believe in violence or the torture of animals**

Alisha skeet shooting: 2 for 5, which is not bad for my first time ever.

Shawn taking aim at the skeets, with much better results.

Alisha target shooting. Not only did I slaughter Shawn's score, but I also beat some of the teachers!

As one woman put it, never make her angry. Yay me!

Shawn's bow & arrow results. Let's just say that the wolf is dead.

And yes, Shawn slaughtered my score in the bow & arrow competition.

Can we say...competitive?!

We had a great time last weekend, and we look forward to the 3rd Annual Camping trip.

We love you, Stratton family! Thanks for everything!

Dad Stratton, me & Shawn at Ruby Falls

Me, Jack (nephew) and Shawn taking a breather on the hike back from Ruby Falls.

Me and Shawn make it to the falls and stop for a quick pose.

Surrounded by leaves (and warning signs for rattlers).

**pssst...Hill family, when is our camping trip?!** YIPES! LOL!