A Year in the Life

So, this past weekend the entire fam went to Oxford to visit the grandparents & go to to the Auburn/Ole Miss football game.  It was nice to spend more than 10 minutes with Hop, and it's always nice to be spoiled by my in-laws.  Tickets, check.  Very warm clothes, check.  Tailgating, check, and as far as tailgating goes, The Grove is iconic...and...a little crowded...and...a little rowdy.  We passed about 7 different Elvis impersonators.  (hilarious)  Most tents are decorated to the hilt.  (love it)  The food is second to none.  (my pants are a little tighter today.)  It's funny because when the game starts, there are about as many people in the Grove watching the game on TV as there are in the game.  It's great! Our game plans were varied and interesting.  Hopson wanted to say in the Grove to watch the game on TV.  Hop, Harry & nephew Garner all went into the game & sat in the Auburn section.  We...

...and the agony of defeat. This is going to be my honest take on last night's Iron Bowl, and then, I'll be silent. The phrase above perfectly sums up the 2013 game.  All of you know where I stand, but just in case you don't, I bleed orange and blue.  3rd generation and all that with the 4th generation currently an AU freshman.  I try to not be a fan.  Fan is short for fanatic.  A fanatic is, according to Websters: fa·nat·ic     [ f uh - nat -ik ] noun 1. a   person   with   an   extreme   and   uncritical   enthusiasm   or   zeal I like to think of myself as, what an AU grad and former AU AD, David Housel said:  "an Auburn woman".  I don't just cheer for my team, I love them because they are a very small part of my school, my home, my Auburn.  But I digress...here's the honest take, for what it's worth. First of all, no one believed Auburn could pull out a win, except t...

My children are the best copycats.  I have always been able to tell if I'm being a good example of how I act based on my four kiddos.  Like it or not, children learn what they live. This Friday was the last game for our sweet football team.  We lost in the 3rd round of the playoffs.  We lost to our arch rival.  We were motivated, but just came up short, and you know what; it really stinks.  One thing I will say about our kids, both the ones on the field and off of it is that they are good sports.  When our kids cheer, they cheer for us, and not against the other team.  When our cheerleaders painted the bust-through, it was for our team, and not against the other team.  There are two places that unsportsmanlike behavior is stopped:  at home and with the head coach. Our head coach does not tolerate unsportsmanlike behavior.  Hopson & I don't tolerate it either.  I would rather lose a game than...

This is the play the mojo happened. Um, yeah.  I don't believe in mojo, but I'm sure not going to mess with it.  I have accidentally, totally unintentionally, mess with him, and you know what, we lost.  I don't mess with him if I can help it. Is this behavior extreme?  Yes.  Is it logical?  No.  But again, you don't mess with mojo.  He is fickle, and he is mean.  The first time I realized I had messed with mojo was week 5 of the football season.  My lucky Rebel pin fell off my jacket & I looked down at the game & it was missing.  You know what happened?  We lost.  (Harry found the pin the next morning when he stepped on it.  Whew!) Last Friday, big Hopson couldn't find his hat he'd been wearing the entire season & settled on another hat.  You know what happened?  We lost.  We don't mess with mojo. What I wear every game. Last night our quarterback's dad decided to mess wit...

I remember my momma & daddy saying that you appreciate things you earn more than things that are just given to you.  A lot of times it's the struggle that gives that thing worth.  It doesn't matter if this happens on the field of play or in the workplace.  The older I get the more this means.  (especially after Tuesday)  Tonight was the opening round of the playoffs for high school football.  Thankfully, we won our area so we had home field advantage.  There is always a lot of anticipation that comes during the playoffs.  If you lose, you're done.  Just like that the football season is over.  All the hard work, all the sweat, all the up/downs, all the sprints, over.  The finality of it all looms over you when you are a senior or have a senior.  Every parent wants their child to be on a state winning team.  Every parent knows their team, on any given Friday night, can win.  It all depends on which ...

Carpool, it's the most wonderful time of the day...not. It's just nuts, and I really think a lot of people lose their minds when they have pick-up their children at all the schools. I'm surprised no one has been killed or seriously maimed because of it. But, every once in a while, something really funny will happen that will make your day. Noting says 'have a happy day' like being butt dialed by your senior in high school. It's a free chance to stretch my vouyering muscles. I would love to tell you that I heard some great secrets of what guys do in the locker room, but I only heard garbled talking & a lot of laughing. Belly laughing...the kind that when you hear it you start to laugh too. I plan to ask Hop what they did today in the locker room, but until then, I'll just be happy with the laughter. I kept thinking that I would hear something like what you see in movies. I kept picturing the scene from 'Remember the Titians'  when they're ...

It Saturday.  I'm working on a lot of different things today.  I'm watching college football.  Life is good! On a normal day, 99% of all commercials on TV really bug me, but today I saw one that I can really identify with.  It's a little scary, and I hate having to look at myself so closely.  I don't like to admit it, but I can not tell a lie.  I am superstitious.  Here is the commercial that at first made me really laugh & then think...wait, I'm like this.  Not in a crazy bad way, but in a tiny little bit way.  Just in case you couldn't get enough of the superstitious commercials, here's another one . The superstition begins Thursday.  I'm the senior mom who gets food for the linebackers.  I pick up something different every week, and I have to have it to the school by 2:20.  Every position group has a mom that does this.  I love it.  I get the food & have a qu...

Every Friday night the fam can be found at the football field.  With having a child on the team, it would take a team of wild horses to drag us away.  Plus, big Hopson is the head of the varsity chain gang, so every home game he is on the sidelines working.  Away games are tough from him, he hates just sitting there.  It's really funny.  I just take pictures...I've been averaging about 200 a game.  Document, document, document. Hop recovered a fumble on this play One night a friend from high school sent me a face book message asking:  "Hey Betty Crocker, what's going on in the high school football game."  At first I was a little perturbed.  I mean, I know I'm a mom.  I like to cook, but calling me Betty Crocker was taking it a bit over the line.  Then I had a dose of reality & realized I am BC.  So, I've decided to own it, and when I do my game face book reporting, I sign in and out as Betty Crocker.  It's kinda...

I love the atmosphere that surrounds a high school football game.  Yes it is about the game, but there are so many colorful things that go on as well.  Most of the kids who are on the football team; in the band; those who are on the dance line, majorettes, cheerleaders, and mascots will not do these things when they go to college.  They do them now to be involved in their school, and more importantly for the love of the activity itself.  It's hard for them to imagine a time when they won't be doing them anymore, but it's approaching faster than they realize. I hope all of them are holding onto these days and loving every second.  They all want to go to college.  The kids in college want to graduate and get into the real world.  Everyone in the real world would every once in a while like to go back.  Or at least I would love to go back for a bit.  I had a great time in high school and college, and want the same for my child...

I have the privilege to be a guest blogger for my sorority's alumnae website.  I enjoy doing it & enjoy reading what everyone else posts about.  As you can guess, I post about family & parenting.  I know you're shocked. Anyway, last month they needed someone willing to do two postings, and I had a great topic:  the south & football, two things I know a little about. I'm sending you over to the site so if you want you can read the postings.  I hope they make you laugh.  I had fun writing them! Here is the link for the first posting, and here's the second link .  Let me know what you think.  The posting I did for October made me giggle, so when it's up I'll let you know. Celebrating Life! ~ashley

What?  Who's lighting candles, and why in the world are you lighting them Fabio?  There are things my kids show me on YouTube that just scare me.  Most of the time I don't know how they find them, they just do.  They're teenagers, what do you expect.  On a side note, this is why you have to know what you're children are watching and listening to.  In this case, I know where Hop saw this YouTube video.  I want to thank Mrs. Brock, Hop & Harry's eighth grade English teacher.  She showed them crazy stuff & they haven't forgotten any of it. Mrs. Brock showed them some crazy Fabio video of a song he recorded and made a video for.  Ew!  Fabio does nothing for me.  I don't like muscles that are that big & hair that is longer than mine.  I do think Ryan Lochte is gorgeous...sorry, rabbit trail. Look, someone lit some candles! Hop decided that it would be funny to line up a ton of candles to spell out HC,...

Harry & his friends forking Haley's yard The Harry Edition... I love homecoming.  It's just a fun time of year.  The anticipation of finding out who the boys are going to be asking is a fun part of it for me.  I will try to get them to tell me as soon as they figure out who they want to ask, but mostly they don't tell me.  And yes, I am a mom that makes my children go even if they are being wishy washy about it.  They have always had fun, and sometimes it's not just about them.  There are a lot of girls out there who want to go and never get asked.  I know when Elizabeth is in high school I'm going to want her to have a date.  There was a rumor going around our high school that 'freshman don't go to homecoming' that I heard for the first time when Hop was a freshman.  Because I'm an alumni of the school, I informed him that was a lie & he better find a date because he was going.  Why parents would listen to rumors is b...

This is a short posting.  And I'm not really blogging about it, so really this is just a figment of your imagination.  I'm so glad I have crazy kids.  They do and say weird stuff & it just makes me happy.  It shows they have some charisma, and that they can laugh at themselves.  They all learned this fairly quickly because if they do something quirky in this house, we will laugh at you.  Every once in a while they would start to get upset & we would reign them in & point out how hilarious the situation is.  I have to say it helped. In Friday's pep rally a certain child in this family dressed up.  This child was absolutely hilarious.  This child went around all day yelling 'roll tide' at friends and teachers.  We are not Alabama fans, so you can imagine how he said it.  (if you need a hint, think of the most redneck fan you know & multiply it by about 10.)  Yes, I am so proud.  He's a zany kid,...

Tyler, Will, Will, Hop, Dave, & Kalvin Hannah, Abbey, Lauren & Alex As I have mentioned about 100 times, football season has begun...finally!  But, I didn't really talk about the football game Friday.  Of course the goal for all teams is to make it to state, but I know I haven't wanted it this badly since my brother, Cotton, was a senior.  Every parent of a senior wants their child to win state.  To have the feeling of knowing you're the best, and there is no one better. Cheerleaders & The Go REBELS guys Friday the Rebels began the road to state finals with a 'W'.  The first of the fifteen.  We played a great rival, the Homewood Patriots.  (I found out the Homewood band is going to be playing the presidential inaguration in January.  Congrats to the Patriot band!  Wow!!!)  Tyler, Will, Will, Hop, David & Kalvin It's so fun to be a part of each game: the students who come out and support the te...