Suzy Homemaker, in the Making

My blogging is sort-of, almost picking up. I blame the message boards on The Nest. I'm addicted to them! I never really got into The Knot boards. I think most of those brides were just a little too stressed for my liking. Anyway, since I've been on The Nest boards so much, I've come away inspired for decorating and cleaning. Cleaning has never really been my thing ("But Mooooom, if everything's on the floor, I know exactly where it is!" and "I'm just going to be sleeping in my bed in a few hours"). But, being halfway done with my break, I have done some deep down cleaning in the apartment and decided it's much more time-effective to sacrifice 15 minutes of my freetime after work to clean than for it to build up until I can't stand it and have to find 2 hours to clean. That sounds a little reminisent about my childhood Saturdays...hm. I'm still deciding on a schedule, but I think I'll have a clean week and and off week (mostly since Adam already does grocery shopping and I do laundry every 2 weeks). I'll let y'all know how that works.
Another thing I've been inspired, partly by The Nest but mostly by the excitement is decorating. There's only so much I can do in our apartment both because of paint rules and our lack of an extension ladder for some of our walls! We plan to begin the pre-approval process in Feb. and get an agent about that time too and then begin hunting to buy by the summer. Then the decorating begins! Sherwin Williams, look out! I'm keeping some of my ideas for paint and furniture on a document in Pages (Mac's version of Word), but I'm limited by the color palatte. I look at pictures on The Nest and in the occasional magazine, but all of those rooms look like "magazine rooms." Who really lives there? They seem extremely minimal, yet overly cluttered. There's never any personalization. How does anyone live in a room without pictures of loved ones or the random knick-knacks you pick up on trips? Anyway, I'm excited about decorating. My goal is to make out home personal, yet classy and adult. We're both pack-rats, so some major "purging" will be required of us both. We're also very heavily furnished by band-me-downs so I (I think we) am looking forward to doing some furniture shopping and get some grown-up stuff. That's in my document as well!
One more and I'll be done. We did our shopping on Saturday, spending a few gift cards and Christmas money. We got some amazing deals! I'm not quite done, as I still need a pair of black casual shoes and I want to get us some ornaments for next Christmas. We got 50% off at Hobby Lobby for wrapping paper and a timer for our lights. We went on to Old Navy where I got 2 pairs of dress pants and Adam got some t-shirts and jeans all for $80. Adam got dress pants and 2 pairs of shoes at the mall while I got several tops and a top that will be my trendy outfit (the rest of my closet is basics). I loved second Black Friday!

Really Black Friday

I always thought Black Friday was THE shopping day of the year. Crazy low prices, mob crowds, general insanity. Since the economy is so bad, retailers are reportedly having a second Black Friday today with even lower prices just to get people in the stores and spending money. I won't be joining the crowds, mainly because my goal for today was to not get dressed. Sounds weird, I know, but I have 2 weeks off for Christmas Break and today is literally the first day I had a choice about getting dressed. We're planning on going shopping tomorrow anyway, so I'm staying in my pajamas today. This is all beside the point. I have, however, been searching high and low for a trench coat. I have pea coats, but wanted something longer for dressier occasions. I had thought something just rain proof, but found one at Gap.com that was wool that had the exact style I wanted. It was $140 originally and when I found it Tuesday, it was marked down to $109. Adam and I have a ceiling of how much we spend without consulting each other and this just barely exceeded it anyway. I showed it to him and he liked it as well. Reports of sales were coming out, so we decided to wait until today. I was nervous, since I'm so small and my size is the first to run out (a separate rant for another time). I looked at it after Christmas festivities and it was down to $99.99! When I woke up today, the price held steady and my size was still available. Adam had already given the go ahead, so I put it in my shopping cart. I started to check out and on a whim, decided to Google Gap coupon codes. Sites will list all codes websites are accepting and can get some good deals. I found one for 25% off your order over $100, which, including tax and shipping, I was! My order total came to $86.90. That's just over half of the original price, plus it's a wool trench coat. Amazing! We're heading out tomorrow to spend some of our gift cards and money as we both need work clothes. I think we're going to stop and check out Christmas decoration sales. Stuff like sets of ornaments and lights, nothing major since I don't want to get a bunch of stuff that won't work when we buy a house.

These are the days...

This weekend has been the one that the holiday season was made for. As has become our tradition, we got dressed up and went out to dinner at nicer restaurants we don't typically eat at. This year, we decided to try out the Nagasaki Inn. We ate at the hibachi grill, which is always exciting (fire!). If you're in the Lexington, KY or Evansville, IN areas, check it out! Afterwards, we went looking at Christmas lights before heading home.
Us before dinner



Today, Adam checked the weather as we laid in bed before church. At 9:00 AM, we had already reached the high for today at 20-some odd degrees. The temperature would start falling before hitting a low of 7. Yes, 7. As in 7-ones. As in a single digit, an odd number between 6 and 8, 7. BRRRRR! After church, Adam cooked a pot of chili and I built a fire. Whenever we buy a house, one of the requirements is quickly becoming "has a fireplace." Other than that, we've been fairly lazy, save for a few chores like ironing (which I should have done last week when I did laundry). I'm looking forward to the 2 weeks of sleeping in, watching movies, and playing Wii Fit. Adam is looking forward to everyone being back from their vacations!

Mom and "Death" during Franklin's "Dickens of a Christmas"


"Father Christmas" and "Charles Dickens" with my dad, me, and Adam

Charlie and Barbara in their Christmas outfits

Christmas Questions

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper
2. Real tree or Artificial? Real. Nothing beats the smell. Plus, we got a good one this year that hasn't shed yet.
3. When do you put up the tree? varies. We usually get it the first weekend in December and put it up the following week.
4. When do you take the tree down? whenever there are more needles on the ground than on the tree!
5. Do you like eggnog? I don't know that I've ever had it.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? a dollhouse
7. Hardest person to buy for? Dad and Adam
8. Easiest person to buy for? Mom. If all else fails, add to her several collections
9. Do you have a nativity scene? I will after Tuesday's craft night!
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail. Who e-mails Christmas Cards?
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? at the time, clothes
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? A CHRISTMAS STORY!!!!!!
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? whenever I see something I really think the other person will like, be it in July, January, or December
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? probably
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Puppy Chow
16. Lights on the tree? Yes.
17. Favorite Christmas song? I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? We typically travel to one of our homes
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? Yes.
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? I grew up with an angel, but we have a star
21. Open presents on Christmas Eve or morning? Morning. The end.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Traffic/crowds of people
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? hand-crafted
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? ham and...anything I don't have to cook
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Peace on Earth...or a Wii Fit

Defying Death and Disappointing D-2 Football

There's this stuff up here in Kentucky. When it gets real cold, it starts to fall from the sky. It's white. We don't really get that down in Alabama, especially not in December. Yeah, it snowed today.
I remember asking my admissions counselor at Transy how much it snowed, after seeing those fabulous "Emergency Snow Route" sign. She assured me that they may get a few more days, but it wouldn't be any different; the signs simply showed which roads were plowed first (THAT should have been a tip-off: plows?). My freshman year: the second time Transy EVER canceled classes because of a snow/ice storm. The other was for Indian attacks. Yeah, no different my big toe.
Anyway, no one really saw this HUGE mass of snow heading for us, so there was no pre-treating the road with a salt-water mix. No salt. Not even sand (what they sometimes use in AL). We did not know ANY of this today.
We woke up with big plans of depositing a check and getting gas, then finishing Christmas shopping by hitting up Lowes, the mall, and Target, before getting lunch and a Christmas tree. As we ate breakfast, it began to snow ("Hey, look. It's snowing!") By the time we were done, the sidewalk was covered (but we couldn't really tell), as was our parking lot. We ventured out anyway. The parking lot wasn't too bad, but there were definate slick spots. What surprised me was that Clearwater (our street) was just as covered, only it was packed down by cars instead of melted. As we made the turn onto Tates Creek, my car slid some, but nothing too bad. Now, let me interject, Tates Creek is one of the major "arteries" running through Lexington that feeds into downtown, thus is part of the snow route. It should have been one of the first cleared, but it was just as bad as the neighborhood road. We made it to the gas station and watched as wreck after wreck was narrowly avoided. We were finally able to cross to the bank and deposited my check. I then made the executive decision that the safest place for us was at home. There were 2 wrecks on our way to the bank and one on our way back. Everyone was creeping, yet still sliding. Southern or not, that's not safe! We stayed in and watched football (I'm glad Bama lost, but sad that Florida had to win) and napped. We did venture back out in the evening for dinner and to get our tree. The snow had mostly melted from the streets, so I felt much better. Plus Adam drove!
We have a fairly busy week this week, ending with a trip to Franklin for Christmas #1. We were sort of hoping for a reason to go to Florence that Saturday, but UNA had to go lose. It's probably for the better. I'm not sure either one of us REALLY wanted to sit in the car for another 4 hours, plus a football game on top of Christmas. We are sad they can't play for the title at their home stadium. Maybe next year.

Facebook Status Messages

I "donated" my Facebook status message to, what I feel, a worthy cause. But that means I don't want to change it. So, here's all of my other potential status messages:
Angie Applegate is ready to NOT see political commercials (thank YOU Mitch McConnell AND Bruce Lunsford).
Angie Applegate saw her first Christmas commercial! And can't believe it took this long!
Angie Applegate got free Starbucks today, but passed on free Krispie Kreme.
Angie Applegate received a big bag of M&Ms because she's "been working so hard."
Angie Applegate got an "I voted" sticker!!!!!!
Angie Applegate successfully voted in Kentucky (with their crazy electronical voting machines).
Angie Applegate hopes she doesn't catch the stomach virus that is circulating the second grade class.
Angie Applegate is excited for Franklin, first Thanksgiving, and the Vandy game!!

Reruns

It's rerun week on TV, so I had a little time to update. Our October has been crazy. There's 4 days of it left and we're booked through then! We went down to Franklin to visit my parents, who are Vanderbilt football season ticket holders. Dad bought the tickets specifically for the Auburn game. At the time, it was a good purchase. In retrospect, neither team has done much since except stink! We had a great time at Game Day and wandering the campus, though. The next weekend, my parents came to Lexington for their first visit to Keeneland. We picked the hottest weekend of the whole month, but had a great time nonetheless. We took them out for Pazzo's, too. Always a good choice.
The NEXT weekend was Adam's 10 year high school reunion (he's SO OLD) in Maysville. We went up there and showed off wedding pictures to his parents and grandparents and visited with his high school friends. It makes me glad I've still got a few years before I have to think about that! We did at least manage to make it through another trip there without getting interrigated about when they're getting grandkids. Thanks Ryan, for not having a girlfriend!
Those were the "busy weekends."
On our first "off" weekend, the young adults at church decided to go on one of Lexington's ghost tours of downtown this last weekend. Adam and I have gone on two in past years, so we had heard a lot of the stories. When we hit our alma mater, we threw in a few bonus stories to our group (such as the Phi Mu president of 1961). We hit the 'Ho afterward for milkshakes, even though I'm not quite sure why because it was FREEZING outside. We plan on going downtown with everyone again this weekend, for the re-enactment of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video. I went in college, but Adam hasn't seen it. It's become a big deal, so I'm excited. We've also got some shopping plans for Saturday. I could quote "Old School," but I'll spare y'all :)
We wrap up our plans with another trip to Franklin for the Vandy/Florida game, and this time I'll proudly don the black and gold. And cheer against Florida, even though it goes against everything my mother taught me. This is football though. I think she'll understand!

P.S. I think most people who were worried have already been reassured, but just in case--yes, Adam's job is safe. We don't know where the buy-out will lead, but there will always be a need for his position. We just hope it continues to be needed in Lexington! The economy hasn't affected his job too much, other than extra hours on the phone reassuring people and trying to figure out what to tell the brokers to tell their clients and a few policy changes. Pray that it stays that way!

I'm not quite sure why no other media article hasn't made the following connection: Supposedly Jamie Lynn Spears is pregnant again. Other reports say no. The affirmative reports say Jamie Lynn didn't know you could get pregnant while breastfeeding. BRITNEY SAID THE SAME THING! How was she not listening to that? Oh right, she was barely in middle school then. They don't listen to anything. Still...

P.S. Why are people not more surprised Franklin got fired? Props to Tuberville for not sticking it out like he tends to. I don't have high hopes for the rest of the season, but this is a start.

Excitement and disappointment

We had a pretty exciting weekend. We drove down to Nashville and visited my parents, who are Vanderbilt season-ticket holders. They bought those tickets specifically for the Auburn game, not knowing how good Vandy would actually be. We bought into the hype and got up reasonably early (though not busting down the doors at 7 AM) and headed over to ESPN's broadcast of GameDay. Once we got parked, getting to the location was an adventure in itself. The only reason we found it was that we got there right aroudn the time Lee Corso was picking teams. We heard what we thought were cheers. Either there were that many Auburn fans, or they were actually boos. Either way, Lee Corso...not my favorite person. We hung around while they taped a segment to air at half-time (you might see my arm) and then wandered around as the guys signed autographs for the volunteers and the crew tore down the set. We went searching for water, while greeting other fans with a hearty "War Eagle!" I knew the Tiger Walk would be taking place at some point and begged (ok, not really BEGGED, but politely asked) to see it. We found out it would be around 2:30 and figured out where it would be. We hung out in the shade for an hour and then scouted out spots. It was amazing! I know why other SEC teams ripped off our idea. It's pretty awesome standing with all the other fans, cheering and chanting. My parents both high-fived Tommy, while I tried to snap a picture. That was hard since I couldn't see who was coming, so he was in front of me before I realized what was happening! Either way, it brought me back to my days as a UNA Bleacher Creature and we did the same thing as the players lined up to take the field. We grabbed a quick lunch/bathroom break and headed back to the stadium to get our seats. The first quarter was awesome, even though our view was pretty bad with all the tail-gaters still streaming into our section. We were in the middle of the Auburn section, except for a few obnoxious Vandy fans. After the first quarter though, we unraveled. We gave the game away in penalties (81 YARDS) and deserved to lose. Disappointing, yes. Made worse by the fact that Alabama won (though barely) against UK. It's not all a wash though. I'm glad that Vandy is having a great season. It's their time. We're heading back down next month as Vandy fans for the Florida game. I'll gladly wear black and gold that time.
After the game, we headed back to Franklin and stopped for dinner at Famous Dave's. A Vandy couple sat in the booth behind us and as they left, I told them good game. They graciouly reciprocated and wished us a safe trip. This is also why I love Nashville. In all of our wandering around campus, a Vandy official (he was wearing a neck badge) welcomed us. That doesn't happen everywhere down here, and I'm glad some people haven't lost their Southern hospitality. WAR EAGLE!

Politics (but not religion)

I have refrained thus far from vocalizing my political picks. Part of that is the fact that this link is posted on Facebook. One of my co-workers is friends with me on Facebook. Blogs and work don't mix. However, I don't intend to be talking specifically about any person. I also feel like the teachers are slightly more liberal than I give them credit for. I still take the cake, but they seem open to some of the "liberal" tendencies. Therefore, my official endorsement is for Obama/Biden. Yes, I realize Obama has no "experience" in leadership. Neither does McCain. He never served as anything more than a senator, same as Obama. Palin doesn't have leadership experience either. She was mayor for the second largest city in Alaska...with 9,000 residents. My hometown is bigger than that. And it's tiny. She's the governor of Alaska...how many residents? As governor, her short-comings are too long for me to list (otherwise I'd be here until my bedtime tomorrow).
Essentially, this election boils down to 2 pairs of candidates with no experience. Both promise change, one is in the position to bring it. One has a real plan to help middle-class America. The other promises 4 more years of the status quo. I hate status quo. I think Nashville residents are a little tired of status quo. Vote change, vote Obama.

Brown Thumbs

I've never fancied myself as the "gardener." I enjoy seeing beautiful flowers, but am not willing to put forth time and effort towards the actual growing process. I kept a plant in middle/high school, but that was enough of a commitment. I left it in the care of my parents when I went to college and it has since gone to plant heaven. My mom isn't the best at keeping plants either; she kills cacti. So I wasn't surprised to come home and see the pot, but not the plant. I will also admit I didn't leave "Philemon" in the best of health anyway, so it's not Mom's fault (I love you)!
When I moved into my own apartment I made the goal to keep a plant. I would water it regularly and watch it grow and brighten up the boring off-white walled room. I researched the plants available at my local Wal-Mart and corner garden center. I considered the needs of the corner and bought a plant accordingly. I also got potting soil, a pot, and a collection tray for the water overrun. I carefully planted it and watered it regularly...a little TOO regularly. I noticed gnats flying around the room. I emptied the trash, cleaned the kitchen, and made sure all food was put away. The gnats were all over. I finally noticed they seemed to gather around my plant. So, I did what any young college grad would do--I put "gnats in a plant" into Google to see what would come up. Sure enough, that can happen when you over-water a plant. I tried not watering it for awhile, to let the soil dry out to no avail. I went to Lowes and bought some spray. That cured the gnat problem, but made my plant sick. When I gave it water again, the gnats came back. Finally, I took the whole plant, pot and all, put it in a garbage bag, and threw it in the dumpster. So much for my green apartment.
When we moved into this apartment, I decided to take another stab at growing plants. I considered the needs of the space and got 2 small plants for our bay window. After some frustration, figured out a watering schedule and both are thriving. Then, Adam came home with a pot of 3 different plants for Administrative Assistants Day. One I knew as a philedendron, easy. Another is what I think is a peace lily. At least I identified it! I still have no idea what the other one is though. All of our plants are doing very well, except for one. The peace lily does what I call "fake dying" and it drives me crazy! I try to remember every couple of weeks to water the plants. Mr. Peace Lily doesn't like that. So like a 4-year-old, it gets dramatic. It limps over the side of the pot and goes all wilty. Guess what happens when it gets what it wants? Pops right back up and even gets a flower or two. Who knew raising plants is this difficult?

Supremacy of SEC Football

SEC flexing its football muscle
League is No. 1 in America,and there's NoT a No. 2
MIKE BIANCHI THE ORLANDO SENTINEL

HOOVER, Ala. - The two friends played hooky from work and drove an hour-and-a-half from Anniston, Ala., on Thursday just to stand in a crowded hotel lobby and catch a five-second glimpse of Alabama football coach Nick Saban.
"There he is! There he is!" squealed Lindsey Bagley as she jockeyed for position to get a better look at Saban and his entourage briskly walking through the lobby.
"Roll Tide," yelled Beverly Tidwell on cue.
Welcome to the Southeastern Conference, where pre-season media conferences draw more fans than a Duke homecoming game. On Wednesday, it was Florida quarterback Tim Tebow who received the rock-star reception from giddy fans here on the outskirts of Birmingham. On Thursday, it was Saban. For the three days of SEC Kickoff 2008 - a media feeding frenzy attended by coaches and players from all 12 league schools - the Wynfrey Hotel turns into college football's version of Woodstock.
Now ask yourself, what other conference can turn Birmingham into Hollywood? And in what other conference do nearly 800 media members show up to listen to SEC supervisor of officials Rogers Redding give us a dissertation on the nuances of the 25-second clock?
You want passion and interest? In what other league does a football coach show up for a pre-season media gathering and get served with a subpoena from a disgruntled booster from another school? That reportedly happened Thursday when Tennessee Coach Phil Fulmer arrived in Birmingham and was served a court order that required him to appear in the libel and defamation suit of disassociated Alabama booster Wendell Smith. Not only that, the subpoena was supposedly served by a process-server posing as a Tennessee fan.
"This is not the place for that kind of thing," Fulmer said evasively, denying he had seen a subpoena. "The great fans that are very passionate about the Southeastern Conference aren't interested in that kind of B.S. "And I would have some other choice words if there weren't so many cameras in here."
But there are so many cameras in here because the nation can't get enough of imagery and pageantry of the SEC. This is the league that has the defending Heisman Trophy winner and the defending national champion. This is the league that draws the most fans and makes the most money. This is without question the No. 1 league in college football. And there is no No. 2. If the SEC is the King of Hearts, everybody else is the Six of Clubs.
Coaches traditionally use college football as a steppingstone into the NFL. Not here. In fact, the NFL has now seemingly become a steppingstone into the SEC with two coaches - Saban and Arkansas' Bobby Petrino - leaving pro football voluntarily to immediately return to college.
"I don't know that it can get any better (than the SEC)," said Saban, who left LSU to take a job with the Miami Dolphins and then bolted the Dolphins for Alabama. "Sometimes, you have to go someplace else to fully understand that."
Of the 12 coaches in the SEC, five - Saban, Urban Meyer, Steve Spurrier, Les Miles and Phil Fulmer - have won national titles. Yet another - Auburn's Tommy Tuberville - probably should have after his team went undefeated a few years ago but didn't get to play for the title because of the idiotic BCS.
Average salary for SEC coach: About $2.5 million per season.
Average expectation for SEC fan: National title. [and nothing less]
Typical reaction if you get paid $2.5 million and don't win the national title: FireCoachFulmer.com (Motto: "You can't spell 'Phillip Fulmer' without three L's!")
Seriously, what does it say about the strength of the SEC when Spurrier didn't even make a bowl game last year?
What's it say about the dominance of the SEC that it has won back-to-back national titles and recorded seven bowl victories last year - the most in the history of college football?
What's it say about the wealth of the SEC that it already makes more television money than Oprah yet it is close to starting its own TV network?
We now interrupt the regular flow of this column to rush you back to the hotel lobby...

War Eagle!

HOW MANY SEC STUDENTS DOES IT TAKE TO CHANGE A LIGHT
BULB?

At VANDERBILT : it takes two, one to change the bulb and one more to explain how they did it every bit as good as the bulbs changed at Harvard.

At GEORGIA : it takes two, one to change the bulb and one to phone an engineer at Georgia Tech for instructions.

At FLORIDA : it takes four, one to screw in the bulb and three to figure out how to use the other to prime a keg.

At ALABAMA : it takes five, one to change it, three to reminisce about how The Bear would have done it, and one to throw the old bulb at an NCAA investigator. [I would argue it takes at least 1,000 to reminisce about how Bear would have done it]

At OLE MISS: it takes six, one to change it, two to mix the drinks and three to find the perfect J. Crew outfit to wear for the occasion.

At LSU : it takes seven, and each one gets credit for five Semester hours.

At KENTUCKY : it takes eight, one to screw it in and seven to discuss how much brighter it seems to shine during basketball season.

At TENNESSEE : it takes ten, two to figure out how to screw it in, two to buy an orange lampshade, and six to phone a radio call-in show and talk about how much they hate Alabama.

At MISSISSIPPI STATE : it takes fifteen, one to screw in the bulb, two to buy the Skoal, and twelve to yell, "GO TO HELL, OLE MISS".

At AUBURN: it takes one hundred, one to change it, forty-nine to talk about how they did it better than at Bama, and fifty to get drunk and roll toomer's Corner when finished.

At SOUTH CAROLINA : it takes 80,000, one to screw it in and 79,999 to discuss how this finally will be the year that they have a decent football team.

At ARKANSAS : None. There is no electricity in Arkansas.

Football

I've seen this posted on several other blogs and felt the need to pass it along.

Planning for the fall football season in the South is radically different than up North. For those who are planning a football trip South, here are some helpful hints.

Women's Accessories:
NORTH: Chap Stick in back pocket and a $20 bill in the front pocket.
SOUTH: Louis Vuitton duffel with two lipsticks, waterproof mascara, and a fifth of bourbon. Money not necessary - that's what dates are for.

Stadium Size:
NORTH: College football stadiums hold 20,000 people.
SOUTH: High school football stadiums hold 20,000 people.

Fathers:
NORTH: Expect their daughters to understand Sylvia Plath.
SOUTH: Expect their daughters to understand pass interference.

Campus Decor:
NORTH: Statues of founding fathers.
SOUTH: Statues of Heisman trophy winners.

Homecoming Queen:
NORTH: Also a physics major.
SOUTH: Also Miss America .

Heroes:
NORTH: Rudy Giuliani
SOUTH: Archie & Peyton Manning

Getting Tickets:
NORTH: 5 days before the game you walk into the ticket office on campus.
SOUTH: 5 months before the game you walk into the ticket office on campus, make a large financial contribution and put name on a waiting list for tickets.

Friday Classes After a Thursday Night Game :
NORTH: Students and teachers not sure they're going to the game, because they have classes on Friday.
SOUTH: Teachers cancel Friday classes because they don't want to see the few hung over students that might actually make it to class.

Parking:
NORTH: An hour before game time, the University opens the campus for game parking.
SOUTH: RVs sporting their school flags begin arriving on Wednesday for the weekend festivities. The really faithful arrive on Tuesday.

Game Day:
NORTH: A few students party in the dorm and watch ESPN on TV.
SOUTH: Every student wakes up, has a beer for breakfast, and rushes over to where ESPN is
broadcasting "Game Day Live" to get on camera and wave to the idiots up north who wonder why "Game Day Live" is never Broadcast from their campus.

Tailgating:
NORTH: Raw meat on a grill, beer with lime in it, listening to local radio station with truck tailgate down.
SOUTH: 30-foot custom pig-shaped smoker fires up at dawn. Cooking accompanied by live performance by Dave Matthews Band, who come over during breaks and ask for a hit off
bottle of bourbon.

Getting to the Stadium:
NORTH: You ask "Where's the stadium?" When you find it, you walk right in.
SOUTH: When you're near it, you'll hear it. On game day it state's third largest city.

Concessions:
NORTH: Drinks served in a paper cup, filled to the top with soda.
SOUTH: Drinks served in a plastic cup, with the home team's mascot on it, filled less than half way with soda, to ensure enough room for bourbon.

When National Anthem is Played:
NORTH : Stands are less than half full, and less than half of them stand up.
SOUTH: 100,000 fans, all standing, sing along in perfect four-part harmony.

The Smell in the Air After the First Score :
NORTH: Nothing changes.
SOUTH: Fireworks, with a touch of bourbon.

Commentary (Male):
NORTH: "Nice play."
SOUTH: "Dammit, you slow sumbitch - tackle him and break his legs."

Commentary (Female):
NORTH: "My, this certainly is a violent sport."
SOUTH: "Dammit, you slow sumbitch - tackle him and break his legs."

Announcers:
NORTH: Neutral and paid.
SOUTH: Announcer harmonizes with the crowd in the fight song, with a tear in his eye because he is so proud of his team.

After the Game:
NORTH: The stadium is empty way before the game ends.
SOUTH: Another rack of ribs goes on the smoker, while somebody goes to the nearest package store for more bourbon, and planning begins for next week's game.

Nothing else in the universe comes even halfway close to the glories of Southern football!

Labor Day

We've had ourselves a nice little weekend so far. We spent Saturday being generally lazy, watching opening weekend of football (ahhh! It's FINALLY football season). War Eagle! My parents drove up from Franklin and we took them out to Joe B's, a former church turned restaurant. We got up early today to drive to Hillsboro, OH where my aunt and uncle have a "family reunion" every year. My family doesn't really do the whole official family reunion, but the close branches come over. There were 7 kids, 3 dogs, and a partridge in a pear tree. Definitely not dull! We got to meet the newest family member, born just 2 weeks before our wedding (needless to say that nuclear family did not make the trip down). We are now staying in Maysville for the evening to visit with Adam's family over the long weekend. He got to catch the tail end of the UK/Louisville game and was very happy with that outcome.
In other tidbits, we're keeping fairly busy. The school year started 3 weeks ago for me. This year is going much better than last. I'm at the same school, with the same group of kids, but my kid with special needs last year went to public school. I'm much more relaxed now! Adam stays busy with his work, training a temp and studying to get some licenses so he can advance. We're going here, there, and everywhere on the weekends. We're going to Seattle in 2 weeks for one of his groomsmen's wedding and then to Florence the next weekend to look at our wedding proofs!

Rant

8-5-08
Whoa! Look at me blog! I never have understood this fad of wearing gardening shoes. I remember the first time I encountered the fad one summer in Alabama. I was so confused as to why kids were wearing my neighbor's gardening shoes. A few years later one of my cousins was singing their praises because "they can stand up to foot sweat and can get in the water and still don't smell!" However, as with any trend, in order to keep up with past success, your have to evolve products. I don't think the "can get wet and won't smell" theory holds up to these. Doesn't fur go against the defining characteristics of crocs? I also enjoy that they're not stopping at furry ones! If these, these, or these, were REAL shoes, I may be interested, but probably not these. I especially enjoy the product description of one:

''Product Information:

• Crocs™ states these shoes should fit very loosely. The sides of your foot should not really touch the sides of the shoe. Your toes should never make contact with the front of the shoe. (Basically these shoes are supposed to be so big that you trip over them)
  
• Once you have centered your foot on the footbed: You should have about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch of space in front of your toes, behind your heel and when you lift the strap you should be able to comfortably get your finger between the strap and heel.
• 'Off Road' has a rugged design for your active lifestyle. (I was unaware that foam was appropriate for any "off road" activities)

*End Rant*

No Babies

Hey! A month later...not too shabby for me. This update will be short as I am eating ice cream! Adam came across this article which nicely outlines our reasons for waiting to have babies. We luckily have yet to be asked when, which is surprising considering his grandmother asked Ryan about every aspect of our wedding. The holidays will soon be upon us though! We've already decided the appropriate response: "We're waiting until we live somewhere that we an afford to have a DOG!

First Post

I guess it's about time a blog has some actual writing to it, after a week and a half of being newlyweds! We had an amazing honeymoon in St. Martin complete with a snorkel trip, AMAZING food, and of course some fabulous shopping. It was wonderful to get away from our laptops and cell phones and just bake in the sun. We almost emptied a bottle of sunscreen!
The wedding was absolutely perfect. A few glitches now and then, but even at the time, neither one of us stressed out. The sanctuary was beautiful and the reception was a blast. We had the perfect number of people attend and we hope everyone had a good time! One of our flower girls stole the show though between asking me how old I was in the middle of the rehearsal dinner and then enlightening me and my bridesmaids on where babies come from. Pictures here.
Adam has to return to work tomorrow :( and I still have a month to play housewife. Still searching for what I want to do in the fall. I've thought of several options and they all have their pros and cons. I just wish I actually had some interest from Fayette County. That's getting very frustrating and little demeaning, especially since I have much more confidence in myself. But I don't want to end on a sad note.
We are very excited about a long weekend. Adam gets off early Thursday and we're hoping to go to Lowes and buy a new grill...one that is not likely infested with bird poop, etc. so we can grill over the weekend. We're going to a Legends game for the actual holiday. Nothing celebrates freedom like funnel cake, fireworks, and baseball!