Sunday, November 30, 2008

Rammer Jammer...

It just don't get no sweeter...





Saturday, November 29, 2008

Sweeeeeeet...

Does it get any sweeter? I just have to say that in their pitiful little 6 year run they never could beat us, a struggling program, by more than 10 points :) Our “over-rated”, “young”, “new program”, “shouldn’t win but 6-7 games this year”, etc, team … just put a BEAT DOWN on their expected “contention” team!! A SHUT OUT beat down … zero, nada, zilch, D.E.N.I.E.D.

But hey, at least they did get the 7 they wanted - I am so proud for them!! They wanted us to be #7 and by golly we delivered, I’m sure they’ll be thanking us all year for it :) Heeheeheeeeeeeeee… I FREAKIN’ LOVE IT. ROLL TIDE ROLL BABY!!!!

Iron Bowl…

It is finally here!! Iron Bowl Saturday. It is a day that most everyone in the state of Alabama looks forward to for 364 days. Whichever team wins starts immediately thinking of a repeat next year. The losing team starts thinking of revenge. And then of course there is that thing called “bragging rights”…

This year is a HUGE game! Auburn has won the last 6 in a row – and they are so proud, I used to roll my eyes at that considering our history of ‘runs’ on them; but then I realized they have so little to be proud of… I guess I can let them have that little thing. However, I’m sick of hearing it. Being proud is one thing, running it in the ground is another!!

The Tide has so much at stake in this game- keeping our perfect season in tact, our #1 ranking, and the continuing shot at a National Championship. And of course, ‘Rammer-Jammering’ those 6 fingers :) I’d probably feel a lot better about the game if so many Bama fans I know were not so cocky about it… that makes me nervous! But one thing is for certain, no matter who you pull for – the Iron Bowl always proves to be a GREAT game.

ROLL TIDE ROLL



Friday, November 28, 2008

Feeling down…

There are a lot of things in life I don’t understand. One thing that has always puzzled me is how people can be sometimes. I am far from perfect, with probably more flaws than the average person. But one thing I have always tried to do is treat people kind and with respect. When I love, I do it unconditionally. I work very hard not to be a busy body – even with my children; especially with my children actually. I try to look beyond the obvious and see the good in everyone. I accept people as they are and respect them for being that person, regardless of what others think.

Please don’t mis-understand, this is not a post about my goodness. It is about my confusion. I guess I’m just trying to make sense of a few things tonight. I feel like the nicer I am, the more loving I try to be, the worse off I am. I guess the way I feel sometimes, like tonight, is that no matter what – it is never enough. And I probably shouldn’t care, but for some reason… I really do!


Thursday, November 27, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving…

I hope everyone has a blessed day remembering all that you have to be thankful for!


Just a few of the many things I am thankful for:

~God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit
~Healthy children, grandchildren and husband
~Loving extended family
~Wonderful friends
~Blessed home
~America

Like I said… that is just a small drop in the huge bucket of thankfulness ~~~ I know you all have these same basic blessings to be thankful for. If I got into the personalized list, it would be too long and take away from the simple beauty that is “Thanksgiving”.

Enjoy your day and eat lots of yummy turkey and treats :)

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

How true...

Facts are facts and will not disappear on account of your likes.
--Jawaharlal Nehru


Really, think about it. That is one of the most true statements ever!! Wouldn't life be so much easier if everyone just understood that and lived by it :)

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Happy Birthday…

To my baby boy :) Wow, do I feel old today or what, lol. I am so proud of you Bull, and I love you very much!!

He loves this child more than life itself…




















More handsome than ever…














I’ve never seen him as happy as he was at that time…




















Forever Young…

















Sunday, November 23, 2008

What is Alabama Football...

It is Wallace Wade.
It is Bear Bryant.
It is Gene Stallings.
It is this man in charge.
















It is not Bobby Bowden, Phil Fulmer or Dennis Franchione.
It is the Rose Bowl.
It is hearing Keith Jackson call an Alabama game.
It is watching George Teague running down Lamar Thomas in the 1992 Sugar Bowl then rewinding it and watching it again.
















It is hearing the first notes of Sweet Home Alabama.
It is the desire to beat Auburn at any competitive event that exists.
It is a houndstooth hat.
It is being "Dixie's Football Pride"
It is having enough pride to fight for your school but having enough class not to.
It is cheering the same amount for a first down on second and 6 as on fourth and 1.
It is watching Cornelius Bennett give Notre Dame quarterback Steve Beuerlein a concussion on that October day in Birmingham in 1986.
It is determining who you are going to date & marry by which team they swear allegiance to.
It is beating Florida in the SEC title when everyone said the game in "The Swamp" was a fluke.
It is watching The Bear on the jumbotron before a game in Bryant-Denny Stadium and almost seeing him leaning against the goalpost in the end zone.
It is right behind God and family.
It is spending a day at The Bryant Museum and still not seeing everything.
It is cool crisp autumn Saturdays where you can smell football in the air and feel it whenever there is a slight breeze.
It is watching The Bear get number 315 against Auburn.
It is watching The Bear get number 323 against Illinois.
It is hearing Paul Kennedy do the play-by-play when Van Tiffin kicked the 52-yard field goal against Auburn in 1985.
It is remembering the feeling of the upper deck at legion field rumbling due to feet stomping.
It is knowing how many days until the start of a season year around.
It is driving down Colonial Drive to see Bryant-Denny Stadium not the sorority girls.
It is getting chills up and down your entire body whenever you hear anything about the 1992 Sugar Bowl and the pride you feel because that night tradition ruled.
It is hearing The Bear's voice and having all the hair on the back of your neck stand straight up because you know no matter he said, it was something special.
It is hearing The Million Dollar Band play "Yea Alabama" and knowing it just does not get any better.
It is imagining hearing Penn State Quarterback Chuck Fusina ask Alabama linebacker Barry Krauss "How close is it?" and hearing Krauss say "About an inch, you'd better pass" right before fourth down during The Goal Line Stand in the 1979 Sugar Bowl.
It is almost coming to tears whenever Alabama loses to Auburn or Tennessee.
It is The Kick. It is The Goal Line Stand. It is The Desperation Block.
It is purposely not wearing any clothes with the colors orange and blue.
It is the Third Saturday in October.
It is not needing an alarm clock on game days, you sit bolt upright in the bed long before the alarm goes off because you know that it is a gameday, you can sleep after the bowl game.
It is walking into a stadium and knowing Alabama will win the game no matter who they are playing because is just the way it is supposed to be.
It is the saying "Offense wins games, Defense wins national titles."
It is the Bear Bryant 'A'.
It is getting to the stadium hours before the game just to be there.
It is walking into another team's stadium and having those fans hate you because you are from Alabama.
It is the pride that a father has when he brings his children to a game so they may cherish the tradition.
It is the hit by Roman Harper in 2005 against Tennessee that meant everything.















It is beating LSU in Baton Rouge.
It is hearing the crunch as a linebacker dressed in crimson and white hits a running back dressed in orange and blue.
It is the pride you take in being every team's rival.
It is pulling for any team that is playing Auburn.
It is pulling for any team that is playing Tennessee.
It is singing Rammer Jammer period.
It is wishing both teams could lose when Auburn plays Tennessee.
It is knowing that the SEC Championship is a birthright.
It is being respected and feared at the same time.
It is holding up four fingers at the end of the third quarter.
It is not caring about a Heisman Trophy.
It is knowing what "Mama Called" means.
It is whipping Auburn 31-7 in Jordan-Hare Stadium when nobody picked you to win.
It is NOT "The Jungle".
It is The Catch.
















It is having 21 Southeastern Conference Titles.
It is having 12 National Titles.
It is more than I can ever mention in this list.
It is class.
It is tradition.
It is Alabama Football.



Saturday, November 22, 2008

Deep thoughts...

I love reading interesting thoughts and sayings, ponderisms, etc. I think this is one of my all-time favorites:

First learn the meaning of what you say, and then speak.
--Epictetus

We could all learn a lot from that one sentence. But I have to ask... who the heck is Epictetus???

Here are a few of my favorite ponderisms (I have pages of these things, maybe I'll post a blog later of several favorites):

~How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?

~Why is it that people say they 'slept like a baby' when babies wake up like every two hours?

~Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?


Finally…

G’pa saw my blog!! How exciting… I got to give him a tour of my page and read him some of my posts. He wasn’t quite as excited over seeing it as I was at showing it to him; but I think that’s just a “guy” thing :)

Basically he laughed at me, rolled his eyes, and walked away shaking his head – pretty much what I expected :) I love that man!!





Thursday, November 20, 2008

Happy Birthday...

I love you Kristin!! You just keep getting more and more beautiful :)





Wednesday, November 19, 2008

My crazy thoughts…

Somehow on the drive home today my twisted mind – going around in circles as it usually does – landed on John Mark Stallings. I think it started by me thinking of family birthdays that are coming up. Then my thoughts went to Ella’s birthday that just past. From there I drifted to the fact that she was born on 9-11, and how we choose to think of her being born on Bear Bryant’s birthday. Of course it wasn’t hard to combine and/or transfer to Alabama Football since it is always in the forefront of my mind lately. Anyway, somehow that combination took me to John Mark and the fact that he passed away this year on my birthday. See, this is how my crazy mind works (and it never seems to shut down)… thus the title of this post :)

At any rate, I’ve continued thinking about that special young man. I’ve heard and read so many times things referring to how the Bear is smiling on us this year, etc. But I can’t help but think how happy sweet John Mark is over this year’s season. My hope is the team has not forgotten how much he loved them – and I think it would be so fitting if this phenomenal season was dedicated to him. How sweet is this… he told his father last year that his favorite Alabama coach was Nick Saban. Too funny!

"There weren't any lives he (John Mark) touched that weren't made better by his influence," said Linda Knowles, Stallings' secretary at Alabama. "He loved life, and he loved Alabama football." UA Athletics Director Mal Moore said in a statement Saturday that "for someone who never played a game or coached a game, I think John Mark may have touched more Alabama fans than any other person ever did."*

In Tuscaloosa, the family played an instrumental role in growing the Rise School of Tuscaloosa, an education program for children from birth to age 5 who were born with disabilities. Established in 1974 by the federal government as a demonstration program, Rise experienced its biggest growth in the early 1990s thanks to a capital campaign led by Gene Stallings and the University of Alabama. The building that houses the Rise School is called “The Stallings Center”. The equipment room at UA was named “The John Mark Stallings Equipment Room” in 2005.*

In my crazy thoughts, I think this wonderful 2008 season should be in his honor/memory. And if Coach Bryant truly is smiling down on the Tide, I guarantee you that John Mark is standing beside him cheering us on much more enthusiastically.

*Birmingham News archives



If I only had a brain…

That wasn’t fried, maybe I could think of something great and wonderful to post about. But since my brain feels pretty much like mush right now I’ll instead just say how tired I am!! But, the ‘thon was cut short to 2 days so I’m leaving a day early and heading back to the office this morning. Can’t say I’m excited about that, but I am happy to not be sitting in the food court of a mall all day today.

Oh, I would like to give kudos to Hampton Inn’s. I always stay at an HI when I travel for work because of the quality of the hotel for the rate. Ha, I made myself laugh with that last sentence… I stay because of these unbelievable beds!! All down bedding and mattress covers, you literally just sink into it; including 6 pillows that vary in softness. They call it Cloud Nine - good name!! But it sure makes it hard to get up early when you have to work :)


Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Funny dogs part 2...

'I don't get it. Where's the milk?!'













"Kid . . . You're askin' the wrong guy."










"Touch de duck... I keel you."













"Look . . . I was thirsty man, deal with it ."













Funny dogs part 1...

"So Dad left when he found out about Mom and the Panda."












"It was only a little pee, why the 30 minute timeout?"











"This stupid bird's about to get a snot bath."











"Oh, this part of the movie always makes me cry"










Sunday, November 16, 2008

History made…

Write a new page for the history books baby – Jimmie Johnson has done something only one other has accomplished in 60 years of NASCAR … he is the Cup Series Champion for the 3rd consecutive year!! Wow! I know I said this in a previous post, but it deserves to be said again – truly an Amazing Feat!!

No matter if you are not a fan of NASCAR, or if you are but not a fan of JJ, you have to respect such talent and perseverance. From not only him as a driver, but also his entire team, crew, and of course Rick Hendrick and the entire Hendrick Motorsports organization. Congratulations to all of them!!

And I would be amiss if I didn’t mention Carl Edwards. What a run he had in this 2008 season!! Last night he came in 2nd place in the Nationwide Series Championship losing by only 21 points. Tonight he finished in 2nd place in the Sprint Cup Championship losing only by a margin of 69 points. Congratulations to him also for such a great season in both series; I know it has to be two nights of heart break to come so close! And the really sad thing is he actually won both races this weekend…
he's really a good, stand up guy!! But in the end - non compares to the driver of 88 :) I'm...

This is a story…

About a little ice chest. A small, red & white, durable cooler that I purchased for myself. I even wrote my name inside the top of it. I’ve had it for about 3 years and I love it.

But every single time I get ready to use it, I can’t find it. And every single time it’s the same thing… I fuss, I threaten, basically; I pitch a royal fit about my cooler not being where it is supposed to be. And yet – next time I need it; it is once again M.issingI.nA.ction.

Inevitability it will either be in Cookie or Bull’s truck, or in the boat, or somewhere in the yard… you get the picture. I have to get it, scrub it clean and once again I have my precious little red cooler back in its rightful place with its rightful owner. All clean and pretty – did I mention this thing is durable!!

Today however, I was all ready to leave to go out of town and of course my cooler was no where to be found. And no one was home to tell me where it might be. GRRRR!!! Their saving grace is I have a frig in my room and don’t actually need it – this time.

Now you may be asking yourself ‘why don’t I just buy another one’. I’m sure you’re probably even thinking ‘it’s just a cooler and they aren’t very expensive, etc’. But in 31 years I’ve purchased at least 2 dozen of my own and I made a vow to myself with this one that I would protect it against all evil, ahem, I mean men, lol!!! This time… it’s personal :)

*Side Note: This last race is going down to the wire for the Championship… it is SO EXCITING!! And I’m sitting in a hotel room starving, but can’t leave to go get something to eat because there are only 80 laps to go and I wouldn’t miss a minute of this thing :) Oh… they are going full throttle!!!! HeeHee!! Gotta love it! I hope there isn’t anyone in either of the rooms beside me since I just blasted the sound on the TV :)


Today’s the day…

Of the last race of the season. The end of the 2008 Sprint Cup Series. It is a sad day for me :( I freakin’ love NASCAR, falling second only to Alabama football in the world of sports. And it is no secret that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is my man!! I want to adopt him, seriously – he reminds me of my kids so much. If you’ve never watched or read any of the stories about him you should, he’s a great young man.

But even though Dale ran in the top 3 most of the year and easily made the chase (thanks to his move to Hendrick Motorsports in ‘08 – which will include the great Mark Martin in ’09, YAY), he was quickly out of the running for the Championship. Really most of the chase contenders were out quickly except for two… Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson.






Now, if you don’t follow racing let me inform you that Jimmie Johnson is in a great position going into this last race today to make history. If he finishes at least 36th or better, he clinches his 3rd straight Championship, tying Cale Yarborough’s record as the only other driver to ever be a three-peat NASCAR Champion!! Amazing Feat!!

But watch out JJ – your teammate, Dale Jr., is coming after that trophy next year :) And I’m ready for February 7th … bring on the “Shootout” at Daytona and let’s get the ’09 season started!! I’m especially ready for the weekend of April 26th … ‘Dega :) Nothing like the roar of those engines going full throttle as they pass the Tri Oval Tower at about 185 mph; especially with Jr. leading the way :)



The Little Red Hen… (a somber tale of the reality to come)

Once upon a time, on a farm in Virginia, there was a little red hen who scratched about the barnyard until she uncovered quite a few grains of wheat. She called all of her neighbors together and said, 'If we plant this wheat we shall have bread to eat. Who will help me plant it?

'Not I,' said the cow.
'Not I,' said the duck.
'Not I,' said the goose.
'Not I,' said the pig.


'Then I will do it by myself,' said the little red hen, and so she did. The wheat grew very tall and ripened into golden grain. 'Who will help me reap my wheat?' asked the little red hen.

'I'd lose my seniority,' said the cow.
'Not I,' said the duck.

'I'd lose my unemployment compensation,' said the goose.
'Out of my classification,' said the pig.


‘Then I will do it by myself,' said the little red hen, and so she did. At last it came time to bake the bread. 'Who will help me bake the bread?' asked the little red hen.

'That would be overtime for me,' said the cow.
'I'd lose my welfare benefits,' said the duck.
'If I'm to be the only helper, that's discrimination,' said the goose.
'I'm a dropout and never learned how,' said the pig.


'Then I will do it by myself,' said the little red hen and she did. She baked five loaves and held them up for all of her neighbors to see. They wanted some and, in fact, demanded a share. But the little red hen said, 'No, I shall eat all five loaves'.

'Excess profits!' cried the cow. (Nancy Pelosi)
'Capitalist leech!' screamed the duck. (Barbara Boxer)
'I demand equal rights!' yelled the goose. (Jesse Jackson)
The pig just grunted in disdain. (Ted Kennedy)

And they all painted 'Unfair!' picket signs and marched around and around the little red hen, shouting obscenities.

Then the farmer (Obama) came. He said to the little red hen, 'You must not be so greedy'. 'But I earned the bread,' said the little red Hen.

'Exactly,' said Barack the farmer. 'That is what makes our free enterprise system so wonderful. Anyone in the barnyard can earn as much as he wants. But under our modern government regulations, the productive workers must divide the fruits of their labor with those who are lazy and idle'.

And they all lived happily ever after, including the little red hen, who smiled and clucked, 'I am grateful, for now I truly understand.' But her neighbors became quite disappointed in her. She never again planted, reaped, or baked bread because she joined the 'party' and got her bread for free. And all the Democrats smiled because 'fairness' had been established. Individual initiative had died, but nobody noticed; perhaps no one cared...so long as there was free bread that 'the rich'* were paying for. *defined under our new modern government and free enterprise as ‘the working class’

EPILOGUE: Bill Clinton is getting $12 million for his memoirs. Hillary got $8 million for hers. That's $20 million for the memories from two people, who for eight years repeatedly testified, under oath, that they couldn't remember anything. IS THIS A GREAT BARNYARD OR WHAT?*

*Personal thought… wonder when we get to share in that wealth??


Saturday, November 15, 2008

Can I please…

Hear a ROLL TIDE ROLL!!! I said… ROOOLLLLLLLL TIDE ROLL!

11 – 0 That’s right, undefeated! #1 in the Nation. #1 in the SEC West.

1 regular season game to go… bring on the kitty cats
1 SEC Championship game to go… bring on the shoe/purse material
1 Bowl game to go… bring on whatever you got for us

This 2008 Alabama Football Season is nothing short of phenomenal :)