by Luke Thomas
You know what Memorial Day means – crank up your barbecue and turn off your weekday alarm, because a long weekend calls for celebration from the SAM fam. From trips near and far, to a hometown demo-day, our employees celebrated the hard-won freedom that many have given everything to protect.
Print Buyer and Media Assistant Hayley Winkler took advantage of the sunny skies and travelled to Grayton, Florida to spend a long weekend with college friends. The best part, she said, was enjoying the simplicity of no agenda – just a beautiful beach and a bevy of besties.
“With all of us living in different cities, we only get to see each other for weddings and the like,” Winkler said. “For once, our only plans were what time we were getting on the beach and whether the Corona was cold!”
That’s not to say the trip was without surprises. Winkler got to meet Jack Del Rio, head coach of the Oakland Raiders.
Display Marketing Coordinator Kyle McDonald also crossed the ‘Bama borders over the weekend. He and his wife travelled to Knoxville, Tennessee to visit his sister and hike House Mountain. The more than 2,000-foot high mountain is known for its gargantuan sandstone boulders and its spectacular view from the two peaks. Several mountains and plateaus, including the Great Smoky Mountains, are visible from its summit on a clear day.
Closer to home, Assistant Art Director Holly Jones and her newly-adopted pup spent their first Memorial Day together. Her new companion, Lady Edith Jones (or just Edy), joined Jones for two lake parties on Logan Martin Lake. The two took lots of boat rides, ate BBQ chicken, and made some new doggy friends.
“I fell hard for her the moment I saw her sunbathing in a little wagon at the Mutt Strut, a local 5k for Hand in Paw,” Jones recalled. “I adopted her one week later.”
Jones describes Edy as usually very calm, with an affinity for sunbathing, squirrel chasing, and sleeping in the dirty clothes basket. Her favorite activity is going for car rides.
“She usually just sits in the passenger seat and stares at me,” Jones laughed. “I can’t believe a family gave her up, but I’m so glad they did because I got her. She’s an absolute doll.”
(You can follow Edy on Instagram by clicking here.)
Senior Media Buyer Casey Quattlebaum had a weekend of adventure without having to go far at all. She and her husband used the time off to start demolition on their kitchen remodel.
“Our house is old, which is what originally attracted us,” Quattlebaum said. “I love the charming arched doorways, hardwood floors, and 100-year-old trees. But the kitchen had to go. Character is one thing, 60s mauve checkerboard tile and an iceless refrigerator, not so much.”
For the next few weeks, the Quattlebaums will be hard-pressed to find a dust-free corner of the kitchen, but they’re sure the finished product will be worth the wait.
All around Strong, employees stayed busy celebrating with loved ones and finding new thrills. Comment below and let us know how you spent your Memorial Day weekend!
I enjoyed my memorial day weekend spent at the lake with friends in Scottsboro, AL!