A Year in the Life

This year has been CraZY!  Kids moving in, kids moving out, jobs, volunteering & just life, in general, has made this year fly.  We did take some time out this Christmas to go visit my brother & his family in Tampa.  Every time we go down there I have to remind myself that if Cotton wants to engage in high-risk behavior I will go & have fun & think about potential consequences later.  Cotton has a history of having us do dangerous activities. What are some of those you might ask?  Well, I'm glad you did.  Canoeing with alligators, hang-gliding, trapeze lessons, and paddleboarding (potentially with sharks).  The main thing missing from this list is skydiving.  We knew there was a high probability Cotton would book us all tandem jumps for Christmas.  I accepted it, because what am I supposed to do, let my kids go & me not?  I don't think so.  In the car, we were all in agreement Cotton was going to tell us w...

Rules are absolute, except when they are meant to  should be bent, broken or changed.  I grow weary of hearing people in authority say they can't change a rule.  It's not that they can't change it, it's they choose not to. Here's a perfect example .  The gist of the linked article talks about a young man from Iowa, who won a cross country race, but then went back to help another young man that was "turning white and holding his chest 20 meters away from the finish line".  Did the Iowa High School Athletic Association laud this young man for going back to help someone that could have been having a serious health issue?  Did they hold him up as someone to emulate?  No, they didn't.  They stripped him of his first place finish.  The finish he EARNED.  No one helped him across the finish line, he helped someone else after many runners ran past & didn't even offer to find help. The IHSAA could have ruled to allow this young man t...

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...

Good gravy the rumors have been flying around this city faster than a forest fire.  I should know because I heard someone ask me if I had heard what was going on.  First of all, yes I know what the rumor is & second, no it's not true.  I know you wondering what this is all about.  I'm going to give you a few minutes to... ...think... ...a little more... ...you know what it is... ...it's the one thing that can make the most rational person totally crazy... ...think a little more... ...it's little league sports. Here's my take on little league sports, of any kind, both girls and boys. Little league sports are to teach basic knowledge of the game.  In football it's blocking & tackling; baseball/softball it's hitting & fielding; basketball it's dribbling & shooting;  lacrosse it's throwing, catching & shooting.  Your football player learns that a 42 draw is the tailback (or fullback) going through the hole on the right si...

Every time & I mean every time we go visit my brother in Tampa we engage in high risk behaviors.  He for sure wants us to step out of our comfort zone.  I'm boring and safe.  If you don't believe me, just ask my children.  But, when I'm with my brother, risks abound.  :) In the past, we have: Canoed with alligators.  I was scared to death especially when one swam under our canoe & bumped the boat.  I may or may not have squealed like a little girl.  It was scary.  Um, have you seen me?  I would be a tasty snack.  I think of a juicy steak that is marbleized in all the right places.  :/    Had trapeze lessons.  Swinging on a trapeze is a lot harder than it looks.  Arms and core are used a bunch.  The trapeze artists (and they are artists) make it look so easy.  They are incredibly strong, very nice and have to wear incredibly tight belts.  I mean, they squeeze the air out of you, b...

...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...

Hello everyone out there in cyberspace.  Long time no see...or hear...or write...or whatever it is.  We've had a great summer, it flew!  We successfully moved Hop to college; Harry is happy he's the oldest in the house.  :)  Elizabeth & Henry are doing great as well & Honey Daddy & I are wondering when we started getting so old.  I have to say, age agrees with him.  He looks sexy wise with that smattering of grey hair.  Very 007.  That's the update on the fam, just in case you wanted to know. If you need to go nutshell, here you go! Some things have been happening around here & I just wanted to share a picture or two with you I saw on Facebook or Pinterest (I can't remember which) about perspective and youth sports.  You can put any sport you want to into the 'needs perspective' category:  football, baseball, basketball, lacrosse, golf, volleyball, dancing (have you seen Dance Moms???) or even tiddly winks. ...

Have guns, will hunt... Our family is a bunch of Jesus loving, gun toting, football watching people.  We love to hunt animals and we eat what we kill.  We believe in loving our fellow man.  We believe in personal responsibility for your actions.  We believe in absolute truth; that the Bible is the inspired Word of God; and that the United States of America is the greatest country in the world. If you don't agree with me, that's your problem.  And, it's my blog, so if you don't like any of those things then I would like to invite you to quit reading.  I say this all in the most life giving way of course.  :) Because we believe in all these things, when our niece Claire, who lives in Alexandria, VA wanted to come down to God's country to hunt, of course we said a resounding YES!  Any chance we can share southern hospitality with kin (which is family for those of you not from the south) is a good day. Claire & Hopson in the shooting ...

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...

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...

...is something everyone should experience. If you've never been to Oxford, Mississippi to tailgate in the Grove, you should.  There is nothing like it in the world.  The grove is beautiful.  Really the whole campus and town are beautiful.    The Ole Miss fans know how to tailgate.  There is enough food to feed an army, and there is an army around.  People will stop by each other's tents to visit and of course eat and maybe grab a drink.  They call it 'Southern Hospitality' for a reason.  Duh...  You will see the good silver out in some tents, and in others you won't.  They are all decorated in some form or fashion though.  It just wouldn't be southern if it wasn't made to look pretty.  They bring their big screen TVs so they can watch other games, because tailgating in the Grove is an all-day affair.  People in the south dress-up for football games.  If we wear shorts, they will not be Nike worko...

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...

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...

This week my in-laws watched Hopson's & my niece and nephew, Claire & Briscoe, while Hopson's brother and his wife went to the Republican National Convention.  Claire & Briscoe are from Virginia.  Now, I know a lot of people think Virginia is a southern state, because they sided with the south in the war of northern aggression, (hehe ;) aka The Civil War)  but when you listen to their accents, they don't sound southern.  Maybe they sound so northern because we live in the deep south, but I don't think anyone would mistake one of my kiddos as being from Virginia, and I know no one would mistake C or B as being from Alabama.  I think they had a little bit of a culture shock.  Something very important happens tonight:  high school football begins.  And you know what's almost better?  My favorite college team plays tomorrow:  War Eagle to all in the Auburn Family! Football is not big in the school Claire atten...

Henry & some of his friends Every Saturday there are many 5Ks/ fun runs all over the country, and thousands of people who run in them.  Elizabeth, Henry & I participated in one today.  It was a lot of fun.  We saw tons of friends and had a great time supporting our city. But...you knew there was a but coming...I really don't like to run.  As a matter of fact, I can't stand it.  I've tried to like it; I really have. But in reality, I just don't.  I don't get that runner's high.  I just really hate life when I'm running.  Now, if you want me to do Zumba for several hours, or go on an elliptical rider, or walk a really long way with my friend Ashley, OK, I'd be happy to.  My endorphins get kicked in & I could go, and have gone for hours.  :)  In my world, running bad, everything else good.  If you see me running, for almost any reason, please, for the love of all that's good, call the police. ...

Well, the summer Olympics are officially over.  Now we have to wait another four years for them to come around.  I have to say it was a great Olympics.  The US has the most medals overall and we lead in every category!  Love it!!  Go Team USA! I'm going to spin this, so get ready!  In the US, our athletic system is set-up that if a person is interested in a sport, they can, if they want, choose to pursue said sport to the level they want.  If they want to drop out at any point, ok, no problem.  We not only love the athletes that medal, but all our athletes, and especially the ones who overcome great obstacles to even go to the Olympics.  For example, there was a 37 year old American who ran the men's marathon.  You know where he placed?  4th.  He placed 4th & he's 37!  He was running against guys who were 7-15 years younger.  Now, I'm not going to lie, I wish he had won ...