The Hills are Alive....



http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20437218,00.html

Ohhhhhh man!!!! I can HARDLY wait!!

I believe firmly that 'The Sound of Music' was one of the greatest movies ever created and that the surgeon who messed up Julie Andrews' voice has a special place waiting for him in hell.

Please. For the love of all that is good, watch this episode of Oprah today. It will make you a better person. I guarantee it.



trick or treat. smell my feet.

I've never really understood that little rhyme and I'm pretty sure I got in trouble for saying it when I was little.

Tyson and I carved a pumpkin a couple of weekends ago when I was visiting him in Starkvegas. For the past few years, I've come up with the design and Tyson does all the work. I normally come up with something way too detailed to carve, but the T man always tries his best.

This year, I was a little more involved in the pumpkin to jack-o-lantern transformation.

Here's how it went all went down...

First, I cleaned the pumpkin out. Tyson couldn't really help with this part because he had a nasty burn on his hand. The pumpkin had been sitting outside for a couple of days, so the guts and goo were coooold!



Once our surface was prepared, I started producing several pages that looked like this. Just doodles and ideas.

This was our final design. Professional, huh?

I taped this to the pumpkin and poked little holes where the lines were.

Then Tyson got to work...

Do you see his little hurt hand? Poor thing...

The finished product!



Isn't he cute?

Unfortunately, Tyson said it fell in and turned into mush the next day. I'm glad I wasn't there.

Here are some pics from last year's pumpkin carving festivities...



Maybe we'll work on another one this weekend to make up for the loss of our poor little owl.

 

Everybody get your hands up for boda getta...

I said it's great to be an Auburn Tiger. I mean, really. It is. I'm going to go ahead and say that it is always great to be an Auburn Tiger, but it's especially great right now. I love me some Auburn and I'm so proud to be a member of the "Auburn Family." I know...cheesy-cheesy, but if you haven't experienced it-I can't expect you to understand. For the first time in my life, I am located in a place where there are more bammers than Auburn fans. And let me just tell you, I'm not being dramatic when I say it's a little bit of culture shock. I miss being on the plains. I am constantly ridiculed for my loyalty to the orange and blue, but don't you worry... I have not once waivered. When kids come in my room talking about "boo Auburn," I quickly remind them that we do not talk like that in my classroom. Unacceptable. The other day, I had a conversation with a poor, young 4th grade bammer that went something like this...

little bammer: "Ms. White, I have a joke for you."

me: "okay...go"

little bammer: "knock-knock"

me: "who's there?"

little bammer:  "boo"

me: "boo who?"

little bammer: "Boo Auburn"

me: "You know what <insert child's name>, that is the difference between an Auburn and an Alabama fan. An Auburn fan would never say something like that." 



I'm real excited that we're numero uno right now, but I must say that it also makes me very nervous. I think it's about time that our boys got some recognition, but I hope it doesn't give them (or us) the big head.
I love me some Cam Newton. The whole laptop thing is irrelevant to me. Even if he did steal it, I believe that people can change and I believe that he is the real deal. Have y'all read this article...http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=rivals-1139741?  I'm so proud of who he is on and off the field. Lord knows we need more role models like him for our little children of the future. I believe he stands for what Auburn is all about and I just really like that. G'on head, Cameron.

Because I'm missing the loveliest village and the game day atmosphere that it has to offer. I decided to have a little pep rally on my blog. Feel free to grab your shaker and join me.

Alright, Tiger fans...get your hands up for boda getta!

Are-you-ready? READY!

Count off...1-2-3

BODA GETA-BODA GETA

BODA GETA BAH

RAH, RAH, RAH

SIS BOOM BAH

WEGL, WEGL

WAR DAMN EAGLE

KICK EM IN THE

BUTT BIG BLUE

HEY!

Alright, Tiger fans...get your hands up for Track 'Em!

Are you ready? READY!

Count off...1-2-3

TRACK 'EM TIGERS

JUST LIKE BEAGLES!

GIVE 'EM HELL

YOU WAR DAMN EAGLES

HEY!

Alirght, Tiger fans...get your hands up for 2 BITS!

Are you ready? READY!

Count off...1-2-3

TWO BITS

FOUR BITS

SIX BITS

A DOLLAR!

ALL FOR AUBURN-

STAND UP AND HOLLER!

Glory, Glory to old Auburn-

glory, glory to old Auburn-

glory, glory to old Auburn-

A-U-B-U-R-N!!

War Eagle, fly down the field.
Ever to conquer, never to yield.
War Eagle, fearless and true.
Fight on, you orange and blue.
Go! Go! Go!
On to vict'ry, strike up the band.
Give 'em hell, give 'em hell;
Stand up and yell, Hey! War Eagle win for Auburn,
Power of Dixie Land!

On the rolling plains of Dixie
'Neath its sun-kissed sky,
Proudly stands our Alma Mater
Banners high.
To thy name we'll sing thy praise,
From hearts that love so true,
And pledge to thee our loyalty
The ages through.

We hail thee, Auburn, and we vow
To work for thy just fame,
And hold in memory as we do now
Thy cherished name.

Hear the student voices swelling,
Echoes strong and clear,
Adding laurels to thy fame
Enshrined so dear.

From the hollowed walls we'll part,
And bid thee sad adieu;
Thy sacred trust we'll bear with us
The ages through.

We hail thee, Auburn, and we vow
To work for thy just fame,
And hold in memory as we do now
Thy cherished name.

<'scuse me...I need to take a break and get a tissue. that one gets me every time. lawd.>

I believe that this is a practical world and that I can count only on what I earn. Therefore, I believe in work, hard work.

I believe in education, which gives me the knowledge to work wisely and trains my mind and my hands to work skillfully.

I believe in honesty and truthfulness, without which I cannot win the respect and confidence of my fellow men.

I believe in a sound mind, in a sound body and a spirit that is not afraid, and in clean sports that develop these qualities.

I believe in obedience to law because it protects the rights of all.

I believe in the human touch, which cultivates sympathy with my fellow men and mutual helpfulness and brings happiness for all.

I believe in my Country, because it is a land of freedom and because it is my own home, and that I can best serve that country by "doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with my God."

And because Auburn men and women believe in these things, I believe in Auburn and love it.
-George Petrie (1945)

<I'm sorry...is there anything more beautifully written? Thank you. I didn't think so either.>

What is Auburn?

Far be it from me to try to answer that question,

There are as many definitions of Auburn

as there are for Auburn men and women.

It would be safe to say, however, that Auburn is

much more than a football game.

It is much more than winning and losing.

It is a spirit. It is an attitude.

It is a way of looking at life and at one another.

It is, almost, a way of living.

Unless you have experienced it,

you will never know what it is;

you will never understand it.

Once you have experienced it, you will never be the same.

A part of you will , forevermore, be an

Auburn man or and Auburn woman.

-David Housel











wait for it...wait for it...

The 3.2 people that read this thing are already aware of this news, but just humor me. okay? thanks.

A couple of Saturdays ago (September 25th at 5:30, to be exact)  Tyson asked me to be his wife. That's right. After 7 years of me driving him crazy, he asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. What?!? I'm sorry, but that's a huge deal and I still don't think it has really hit me yet. Sometimes I feel like we're already married since we've been together for so long, but this is a whole different ball game and I can't wait to play! (you liked that one-didn't you?)

I've known for a long time that Tyson was the man I wanted to marry. And in one way or another, we both knew that we would end up together...forever. But it is still crazy to think that it is official and that we are ENGAGED. As in, I have a diamond on my left hand ring finger. As in, I'm going to have a husband and we're going to live in the same house and our laundry will be put in the same washing machine. As in, we're going to have the same bank account and go grocery shopping together. Seriously? Is this really happening?

Needless to say, I am super excited and maybe just a little bit still in shock. I walk around like nothing is different about me, but I'm a fiancé. I'm getting married. Sometimes that's really hard for me to wrap my head around.

So here is how the whole "day of engagement" went from my point of view. This might take a while, so you might want to grab a snack and brace yourself...

Let me give you some background before I start. I am pretty much impossible to surprise. This is not a quality that I am proud of. I am nosy and sneaky and I over analyze things until I figure them out. I can count on one hand the times that I've been surprised in my life. With that being said, Tyson is not a very good surpriser. He gets really excited about things and can't keep them a secret. As much as I had dreamed about my proposal being completely out of the blue, I was convinced that I would know about it. I had NO IDEA this was coming. I mean, I was hoping that it would happen eventually, but I certainly wasn't expecting anything this particular weekend. Tyson worked so hard to make it a perfect and complete surprise for me!

The Friday night before Tyson proposed, we met some friends Birmingham to go hear my Aunt Rachel's band play. Unbeknownst to me, Tyson had also come to Birmingham to pick up my ring. We had a great time listening to Flying Jenny and hanging out with my family and Stanley and Charity. Our plan for Saturday was to drive down to Magnolia Springs, AL to pick up a canoe that Tyson found for a really good deal. I was thinking it was kind of crazy to drive all that way for a canoe, but Tyson has really been wanting one, so I decided to go along for the ride. We woke up on Saturday morning, ate breakfast at Tip Top Grill with Stanley and Charity, hung out a little bit at 'lover's leap.'

At this point, these two boys knew exactly was going down in a few hours. Sneaky, sneaky.

 After that, we went to go eat with one of my bestest girls, Meghan. Newk's, where we ate lunch, was RIGHT BESIDE the store Tyson got my ring from. We even had a whole conversation about a man who was outside the store looking at a ring in natural light with a policeman. Tyson even said something like, "do you want to go in there and pick out a ring?" He knew how opposed I was to picking out my own engagement ring, so he was pretty confident that I wouldn't say "yes." But what if I had....oh man!! Anyway, we had a great lunch with Meghan. When Tyson went to the restroom, she came out and asked me, "when are you two getting engaged?" I gave her the whole speal about how I'm not stressing about it and that I know it will all happen when it's supposed to-in God's perfect timing.

Just for the record, I hadn't taken a shower...

 After we left Newk's, we hit the road towards Millbrook so I could drop my car off and we could drive down to Magnolia Springs so he could purchase this illeged canoe. I was going to change clothes and put my overnight bag in my apartment, but Tyson convinced me to just put the bag in his truck so I would have everything I needed. So, we were off on our little road trip. I slept...a lot (typical) while Tyson drove and took care of the details He later told me that he was thankful that I slept for so long because it meant he talked less, which meant he was less likely to spill the beans :) When we finally made it close to our destination, Tyson called "Mr. Anderson" so he could meet him to pick up the canoe. He had this whole conversation with this man that was actually Tyson's brother, Jaron. When he got off the phone, Tyson told me that "Mr. Anderson" wouldn't be at his house for a while, so we had some time to kill. I proceeded to go off about this Mr. Anderson character. What kind of person would tell you to wait another couple of hours after he knew you drove such a long way? In the words of one of my heroes, Bon Qui Qui....rude. We just so happened to be just a few minutes from the beach, so Tyson suggested we take a walk until it was time to go pick up the canoe. Because the beach is one of my most favorite places in the world, there was no argument from me. Before long, we were out of Tyson's truck and on the beach. We walked and talked...no big deal. We saw some jellies, sea gulls, and crabs, and we even had a little foot race that was too close to even announce the winner :)

Still, no idea...


Tyson's brother was hiding (I have no clue where. I guess in some sand dunes) taking pictures. So this was us beginng our little walk down the beach. I'm still clueless at this point.

This was on our way back from our walk. Getting closer to the proposal sight :)

On our way back, I became enthralled with a little baby sea gull who was going back and forth when the waves would come in and go out. Because I was so focused on this thing, I didn't notice THIS until I was right up on it...

That's right. This man cut out letters and glued pictures of us on them.

While I was looking at the pictures and beginning to realize what was going on, Tyson was doing THIS behind me...

So, pretty much after this, he asked me to marry him. I said some form of "yes" and for some reason, said "holy cow" for about 5 minutes straight.

looking at the t-man's masterpiece

Probably saying, "holy cow...how did you do this?"

I think he was trying to explain everything to me. I was still in shock.

 looking at all the pictures...7 years worth!

CRAZY!

the bling...

So, let's review...

I got engaged.

on the beach.

to a pretty sweet, thoughtful, and wonderful dude. 

who is now my fiance 

and we're getting married.

on june 11th.

that's 236 days from now.

Happy Birthday Jordy!!

Today, we celebrate the birth of my sweet, sweet friend, Jordy McKnight. Her real name is Jordan, but she's been Jordy to me and my crew for as long as I can remember.

One of the first things I remember about Jordy happened during a 'get to know you' game at a pledge retreat. When asked to share one thing about herself she said, "my name is Jordan McKnight and I will marry John Mayer one day." I thought "aww...haha. she's cute," but I later found out that she really wasn't trying to be funny.

Jordy is funny....and cute... and creative....and just pretty much one of the coolest people I know. To see for yourself, check out her blog at http://www.jordaneliza.blogspot.com/

So, I wish we could all be together to celebrate Jordy's birthday like the good ol' days, but this will have to do for now...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JORDY!!!!!!

I hope you have a fabulous day!

P.S. props to the t-man for getting pictures of Jordy from facebook and emailing them to me. I really have to get my computer/internet situation settled.

The Crew's First Shower...

I  can't believe I haven't introduced my "crew" yet on this thing, but I guess this can serve as an informal introduction. A detailed, more formal introduction will come at a later date. The "crew" is a group of my best college friends who happened to meet through chi o. Almost as soon as Jenny got engaged, I knew we all had to do something together to help her celebrate! It took the whole summer to find a convenient time for everybody, but we finally made it happen! It had been waaaaay too long since we've all been together and this was such a sweet occasion to celebrate! e met at my APT in Millbrook, ate some yummy food and ballin publix cake, oohed and ahhed over Jenny's ring, flipped through wedding magazines, watched 'My Best Friend's Wedding', and had our own little candlelight-something we had talked about doing for years.

Here are some pictures from the "Crew's" first shower...

the invitation.

This is a horrible picture, but if you look closely, you can see how I strung wedding pictures above my couch

I used pictures from wedding magazines to decorate my little table...

A little collage of the "crew" over the years

Jenny's miniature wedding cake. This is the first one I've ever had from Publix and I am now an official fan of the Publix bakery!

Looking at wedding magazines...

Candlelight...hand made by Cathy Foster.

Jenny telling her engagement story...even though we had all heard it before :)

I love this picture of my Boo Boo. It's so her.

Jordy listening to Jenny's sweet story...

Liserr listening...this one screamed when Jenny blew her candle out. I mean, we were here to celebrate Jenny's engagement. We knew who was going to blow it out. She was just so excited! Just one reason why we love our Lisa.

Cathy listening...

Meghan listening...

So, there you go. It seems like just yesterday we were all piled on the bed during Spring Break, telling sappy boy stories. Now, we're listening to one of our very own tell her engagement story. My how time flies...