The Noe's: 2007

Friday, December 28, 2007

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve we went down to Clarksdale and went to Mass with my family, even though my parents pulled a Christmas with the Kranks and had skipped out on a week long cruise! We couldn't miss Christmas Eve because it is Papaw's birthday. We did the usual- went to Mass then stopped by my friend Tracy's to see the cutie pie and swap gifts.

I have deemed Brady the cutest kid on earth! He is precious! I think he has his mama's beautiful eyes!

Next stop, Aunt Jeannie's... you can't beat eating with Italians! Raviolis and good food galore! Papaw with his birthday cake and a votive candle...interesting choice for candles...

Below top left, all the grandchildren and one great granchild Jeremy...Top right: Jeremy with his antlers on, bottom left: Claire and I, bottom right: Brett and Hannah (she had REFUSED to smile for pics and Brett told her she couldn't have our present until she did so he finally got one smiling picture out of her...what a way with kids..bribe them!)

More family...Top right: Aunt Joan and Aunt Terry, Top Right: Papaw reclined talking to Brett, Bottom left: mass chaos, Bottom Right: Christina with Jeremy

It was a fun night, we didn't get home until after 1 am!

Birmingham Family Christmas

Brett's Aunt Linda always hosts Bham Christmas at her house. She cooks a ton of food then orders in BBQ on top of everything. We play Dirty Santa and have some cocktails. This year Brett's cousin Julie had a friend come take professional pictures of the kids and some family photos to give as presents to grandma. I snapped a few while they were posing.

John Simmons and Owen and the brothers and sisters:

It was Grandma's birthday the following Monday so they had a cute cake there for her. They did Crimson and White because she is a HUGE Alabama fan!

Julie is pregnant with her second boy and due in February. I think she is precious! I hope to be that small when my day comes! Top left: Grandma, Julie, and Linda- 3 generations (or 4 if you count the little one) Top right: Aunt Kim, me and Gail, Bottom left: Brett, Uncle Johnny and his Dad, Bottom Right: Brett and his Grandma

If you remember earlier posts, I made personalized stationery for all of the ladies. When we swapped happies, Linda had a cute container with lots of goodies including an airplane bottle of Crown. Julie's friends had come by with their sweet baby Jack. He was playing with the bottle but we thought it was cute because he looks like he is seriously contemplating making a drink!

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Home Away From Home

Last training session in Atlanta, Mom, Dad and I flew over to Birmingham/Calera the Sunday before and scoped out office locations. The flight was really pretty, the clouds were endless!We found some good prospects for office locations and I showed them around the area. I have been worried about renting vs building etc. After a zillion calls,I have found a really nice strip mall with a good price that will be completed by March/April so I am thrilled! After Birmingham, I got them to drop me in Atlanta and got to skip the dreaded 7 hour drive...

This is my training class, Group 20, the future State Farm agents of the Southern Zone!!

(I don't know what is on the picture but that is my fave Ralph Lauren sweater and while it may looked stained, that is on the photo!)

Here is my hotel...pretty much where I live during every othe week. If you go back to earlier posts you can see that Hyatt Place's website is pretty true to reality. I love staying there, it is like living in a cozy loft apartment all week. From what I hear it is much nicer than the other hotels people are using!

Well, this is where I have been spending half my life lately... lots of studying, testing ,watching embarrassing video of yourself in class, and other fun times...it will be worth it soon!

Awwwww..how cute!

There is hope for my children yet! I wasn't the cutest baby and really didn't get much hair until I was over a year old..not cute at all! On the other hand,I cannot get over how precious my hubby is!! Or how I have never seen most of these pictures! I hope our children look just like him..melts my heart...I had to share!

The classic "red" baby pic

Amber dressed him as a girl

Fun with Food

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

In Loving Memory

Charleston - DONNA FAYE RIPPEE NOE, 55, born February 9, 1952 in Tallahatchie County, MS, died Monday, December 17, 2007 at the home of her sister. She was a medical receptionist. Survivors: one daughter, Amber Noe Troglen of Cantonment, Florida; one son, Brett Eugene Noe of Southaven; one sister, Neva Dean Reece of Charleston; three brothers, Gerald Rippee of Water Valley, MS, Leslie Rippee of Oakland, MS and Doyle Rippee of Nashville, TN; one grandson, Braden Kyle Troglen. Services will be at 2 p.m., Wednesday, December 19 at Womble Funeral Home Chapel. Interment will be in Magnolia Gardens Cemetery at Paynes. Memorials requested to: Rally for Cure, American Cancer Society Tallahatchie County, 3928 MS. Hwy. 35 North, Charleston, MS 38921. Womble Funeral Home 662-647-2712

Last Monday, Brett's mother lost her 16 month battle with cancer. She was dearly loved and will be missed so much! We spent the few days following the service going through her belongings and came across so many funny items and pictures. There were so many good memories along with tapes of every music awards show, Amber's beauty review tapes,hundreds of post it notepads, highlighters and pens, every card her children gave including one that Amber made that she wrote a poem that started out my mother likes to eat steak... :)

She was a strong willed, good humored, selfless, caring, funny, and smart woman. She loved her family, crossword puzzles, George Strait, coffee, Keith Urban, bath products, Estee Lauder Beautiful perfume, movie and tv trivia, country music, Johnny Depp, fountain drinks, girdlebuster, Rafferty's chicken tenders, doing her nails, baths, awards shows, Sonic, soap operas, margaritas, flip flops, rum and coke, the beach, warm weather, summertime, planting flowers, the dollar tree, Lafonda mexican restaurant, Elvis, music, Scrabble, ice cream, Dancing with the Stars, children, powerball tickets, funny sayings, sarcasm, coloring her hair, sunbathing, doing laundry, and jewelry.

Here are a few pics from her childhood: