So Proud Of My Brother

My 3rd trip to Alabama in 3 weeks was for my brother's college graduation. He graduated from the University of Alabama in the Computer Science College summa cum laude (however you spell it). I am so proud of you Jason!! You are awesome!
Not only did I get to see my brother accomplish all that, but I got to see my wonderful Tandi and Ashton! They came in from Louisiana and we all had a blast. I arrived in Birmingham at 12noon on Friday. I was sooo tired. My mom and I went to the house and napped. She had to go to work that night, and I just stayed at the house waiting for Tandi to arrive. The drive from Louisiana is supposed to only be 6 hours, but it took her 12 beacuse those Cajuns didn't know what to do when the snow started falling! When Tandi got there, we ended up going to Books-A-Million so she could e-mail some things and Ashton could play with the train. We met my mom at I-Hop for dinner around 10:30pm. Then it was bed time!
On Friday, we all slept in! Glorious...We all wanted to go out and see the new malls that we haven't been to before. Friday was a day of just hanging out. Friday night, I had dinner with one of my oldest friends, Morgan Isbell. Morgan and I have known each other since Kindergarten. We met at Logan's Steakhouse. We caught up on life and just had a really nice visit. I really miss her. I met my mom and Tandi at Starbucks for coffee. We hung out until late that night and then realized how early we had to get up the next morning.
Saturday, 5am came way to early. My brother's graduation began at 9am and it was 2 hours north of where my mom lives. We had breakfast at McDonalds on campus just before graduation began. 5 of my friends from high school actually ended up sitting right in front of us which was nice. We got to talk. I forgot how much I missed all those people. After graduation, we all met up with my brother to take pictures. Then we headed to eat lunch together.
I flew out on Sunday afternoon. I had a wonderful trip! I am actually posting this as I am washing clothes and packing for tomorrow's road trip with the Deaton's. I am riding with them to Alabama and spending 9 days there with my mom. Matt is driving up on Monday or Tuesday. We will be heading home on the 28th! Get ready for another blog after that!!

This is my buddy Ashton playing guitar hero...2 years old!

Matt and I Decorated For Christmas FINALLY

So we got home from Tampa on Sunday afternoon around 6:15ish. We went to Target to pick up something to cook for dinner, and also picked up a Christmas tree. It was time to decorate. When we got home, we went into cleaning mode!! After that the tree went up and all the other decorations too. We didn't do any decorating for Christmas last year because things were just to hectic, so I really had a good time with this. Even our kitties pitched in to help us!

Our little family: Gizmo, Matt, Toby, and I
Gizmo looks like he wants to eat the ornament, his tounge is hanging out!

Matt and his John Deere Ornament

Me and my Alabama Snowman Ornament

Kitchen counter decor

Ornaments from Corey and Cissie's wedding...Matt wanted one of each, thanks guys!

My Williams Sonoma snowman hot chocolate set

SEC Championship

My mom and I at Game Day
Peter and my mom bowing down to the "Bear"...greatest coach of ALL TIME

Yes, that is the Heisman Trophy...we touched it!!!

The SEC Championship match-up couldn't have been any better...Alabama vs. Florida. Talk about a house being divided. I am a devout Alabama fan and Matt, being from Florida, is a Gator fan. We knew this make for an interesting weekend. The talk in Florida was that the Crimson Tide shouldn't even show up for the game. We were a double-digit underdog, which ended up being true, but come on people, give the #1 ranked team a chance...after all, we beat Ole Miss and Florida didn't.
Matt and I flew up to Alabama on Friday night where my mom picked us up from the airport. We got to her house, talked, and called it an early night because we had to wake up so early the next morning. On Saturday morning, we woke up at 5am so we could leave the house by 6am. Another early Saturday morning for me. We got on the road, drove until Auburn, and then stopped at a McDonalds in Auburn...yes, we were all dressed (except Matt who sported orange and blue) in our BAMA gear. HaHa!!! We arrived in Atlanta around 10am and tried to figure out where to park. We found a parking lot by the stadium, paid $30 to park (they guaranteed police surveliance which we needed in Atlanta). After we all got our warm clothes on, we went into Fanfare. This had all kinds of games to play and interviews of famous football players from the SEC past and all kinds of other stuff. We walked around and then went outside to see GameDay with my favorite, Kirk Herbstreet. It was fun to see all the signs people made, some funny, and some were downright nasty.

We really wanted to see the pics for the day. Lee Corso put on the Elephant head and of course we all went nuts. It didn't help us in the end though. After GameDay, we went back into FanFare so we could watch the Alabama pep rally and see some interviews. We met Jay Barker (awesome Alabama quarterback from the past) and his wife Sara Evans (country singer), saw Tyrone Prothro (the catch), Chris Leak (Florida quarterback from the past), and other Alabama legends. It was then time to head into the stadium.
The Georgia Dome is absolutely beautiful! We found our seats and waited for kick off. While waiting, we noticed some commotion going on behind us towards where Matt and Pete were sitting. Come to find out, a man had died waiting for kick off. He had a heart attack and they couldn't get his heart to start back. Talk about putting a damper on the game. I am very proud of the way Alabama played. Our defense held Tim Tebow from getting a rushing touchdown which is very rare and we gave them a run for their money. In the 4th quarter, the boys just gave up. I hated how it ended, but had a blast. I am such a bad sport and it showed when we were walking back to the car. We will just say that I yelled at a guy and got him to shut up!! We all met back up at the car and headed home. Peter obviously had some anger in him because we were almost hit by a taxi and he rolled down his window and yelled at the guy. I think the bac driver was a little scared. On our way home, Peter got some bad news. Pastor John Powers, a very close friend of our pastor, died that afternoon. The mood in the car was very quiet! On Sunday, Matt and I woke up to go see my dad and sign some will and testament papers. No, dad is not dying, just wants to have things in order. After that, we went back to my mom's house, packed and had to get on the road to go to the airport. I was nervous that we were going to miss our flight because we got a late start, but because my mom sped up to make sure we got there, we were right on time! Thanks mom!
Another great weekend in Alabama. Thanks mom again for the plane tickets and the football tickets!! Best Christmas gift ever!!!

The End to a 6 Year Streak

This is Bryant Denny Stadium

My Thanksgiving weekend couldn't have gone any better, well except for the Orlando airport, but I will talk about that at the end.
My mom had tickets to the 2008 Iron Bowl (for those of you who don't know what that is, it is the Alabama vs. Auburn game). She didn't have anyone to go with her and since we were supposed to be in Florida for Thanksgiving this year, I wasn't sure I could go. I finally made a decision and she bought me a plane ticket to fly in on Black Friday. My flight left Fort Myers at 6:50am. Yes, it was a very early morning for me. I arrived in Birmingham at 11:40am to see my mom, Aunt Lisa, and cousin Caitlin waiting for me. I was so happy to be home! We stopped at a gas station to pick up a snack and then headed to my granny's house. My granny had her famous dressing ready for us to eat along with ham, green bean casserole, rolls, mac n cheese, and yummy dessert. She saved stuff for me from Thanksgiving so I could still celebrate with them. We hung out there all day, watched football, and chatted. After that, we went to my mom's house where my best friend Cristina came over to visit. It was cut short because we all had to get to bed so we could wake up early to drive up to Tuscaloosa for the game.
Saturday morning, we woke up at 5am..another early morning. We got on the road at about 6:15 and headed north for the game. When we got there, it was foggy and was misting. Kinda annoying, so my mom and I went to the Ferguson Center on Campus for breakfast and to watch ESPN Gameday to see who the picks were for the day. Around 11, we went over to the stadium so we could see "The Walk of Champions". This is where the coaches and players walk into the staduim. This is all I really wanted to see because I have never seen it before. I felt like a little kid all over again. My favorite part of that walk was seeing John Parker Wilson. He is Alabama's Quarterback and he is awesome. After the walk, we went to the Quad to get a quick lunch and then headed into the staduim. The atmosphere was awesome. Amazing game. My throat hurt so bad from all the screaming, but we got to celebrate it at the end. Alabama 36 Auburn 0. SHUTOUT!!!

John Parker Wilson, #14
Inside the stadium before kickoff
Me and My mom celebrating the win over Auburn
My mom, brother, and I after the game

On Sunday, my flight left Birmingham at 12:30. It was delayed about half an hour. I had a connecting flight in Orlando that was supposed to take off at 6:40. I got to the aiport to find out that it had been delayed until 7:15. I was not a happy camper, but I got some lunch and relaxed. I ended up not leaving the Orlando airport until 8:45pm. I was there for 5 and a half hours.
I had an awesome trip. This weekend, I am going to ATL for the SEC Championship. You can expect a nice blog from that. ROLL TIDE!!

New Kitchen...FINALLY!

Finally, Matt and I got our new kitchen cabinets. I absolutely love them. It is way more fun to cook when I have counter space and a dishwasher. Check out the pictures!

New Addition, well added 5 weeks ago!

On Sunday, October 5th, Matt and I were singing both services at church so we got there early for sound check. When we got there, some of the kids were acting all crazy and anxious, so I went outside to see what was going on. In the bushes in front of the church, there were 3 tiny kittens and 2 bigger cats. I was freaking out because they were so tiny and there wasn't a mommy cat around. Because we had to do a sound check, we decided to take them into Pastor Jeremiah's office and leave them in the bathroom during service.
When we went to check on them, I fell in love with one in particular. He looked like he had an eye infection, so one of his eyes was practically shut. He was like the runt of the litter. Matt told me that I was not allowed to have another cat, so of course I was upset. Luis and Cherith took one, Jeremiah and Sarah took one, and the only one left was the one that I fell in love with. We all went and had lunch together, and Matt still wouldn't budge. After lunch, everyone was going to pick up their kitten and take them home. Matt still said no. When we got to the red light by the church, he asked me one more time. I told him that I would love to have it, but I would let him make the choice (I was trying to be a submissive wife). He turned into the church and I got so excited.
We brought him home that day. We named him Gizmo. He is so precious and we absolutely love him. We kept cleaning out his eye and now he is perfectly fine!

Here he his when we got him home...tiny

Look how little his head is compared to the canned food.

This is him a few days ago...he's growing a little each day!

Weekend of Family Football

Last weekend, Matt and I went to visit Corey and Cissie in Ohio. We flew in on Thursday night at 10pm. Got to their apartment and stayed up for a while talking.
On Friday, Cissie showed Matt and I around the town while Corey practied. We went to the ProShop to get some Bengals gear for Sunday's game. We ate lunch at Panera Bread and then Cissie took us to a nice little park. I was so excited to see trees turing colors, rather than boring palm trees. We were embracing the cool weather. We all met up with Corey and headed to the pumpkin patch. Matt and Corey were bummed after they realized we were not going to actually be cutting the pumpkins from the ground. The pumpkin patch was actually a little Fall Festival, so there were all kinds of fun fall things to look at. We picked out our pumpkins and went on our merry little way. After that, we headed to the mall because Matt and I wanted to make Corey and Cissie our pumpkin bread from William's Sonoma. While at the mall, Cissie and I were on a hunt for jackets. I found my houndstooth jacket for the Alabama vs. Auburn game that I will be heading to in November. I was so happy. While at the mall, Corey and Cissie bought Dancing with the Stars for the Wii (best game ever...). We decided to get Chick Fil A and take it home so we could start carving our pumpkins and Dance with the Stars.
At first, Cissie and I were more excited to carve the pumpkins than the boys, but that changed after Corey brought out the power tools. That got them pumped up!! Of course, we had to clean all the junk out of the inside. We even cooked the pumpkin seeds, very yummy by the way. Then came the stencils, and I think Cissie and I were done at that point. We sat on the couch and watched while they carved their hearts out. Then came the funniest part of the night...Matt and Corey dancing on the Wii. Priceless!!!

Cissie and I in the ProShop!! Go Bengals!!! Matt and I in the Park...look at the pretty colors!Cissie and I with the scarecrows...before the staff made fun of us!Cissie and Matt making the pumpkin breadThis is Me and Matt's pumpkinMatt and Corey dancing to "Independent Women"
Saturday, Matt and I drove to Columbus to watch his brother Daniel play. The whole clan was there. The in-laws showed us around the campus which was absoutely beautiful! The game started and it was an exciting one. It was homecoming which made the atmosphere even more fun. Daniel was named the Player of the Week with 5 solo tackles, 9 assists, a forced and recovered fumble!! Way to go Danny!!! After the game, which was nice and cold, we all had dinner together. I got to see the end of the BAMA game (thanks for the update Cis) which made me very happy. After dinner, Matt and I drove back to Cincinatti. The family after Daniel's game!
Sunday morning, we woke up to get ready to go to Corey's game. Unfortunately, the Bengals lost again, but we had a great time. It was my first Pro game, so I was excited to be there. After the game, we all had dinner at Longhorn. Dinner with the Lynch crew is always fun. Then it was time to head back to the apartment where we got to watch Daniel, Jared, Donna, Kevin, and Nathaniel dance on the Wii. Once again, Priceless! Everyone said good night, and off to bed it was.Matt and I at the Bengal's GameMatt and I in the stadium after the game
Monday, Cissie took us around town again to show us parts we didn't get to see. Our plane didn't leave until 7pm, so we had the whole day to spend with her. We had lunch at an amazing little restaraunt and then walked around the cute little area of town with all kinds of little shops. We went to another park which was as pretty, if not prettier than the other one she took us to. After all that, we went to the stadium to meet up with Corey for the Couples Bible Study that they have on Monday afternoons. That was a blast. Nice little group they have there. A dream came true...I met Simeon Castille (Alabama Football Royalty for those of you who don't know...of course, I am a little obsessed with Bama, so maybe it was just me who got that excited) and his beautiful wife, Haley. After that, we headed to the airport and had to go home.

Me and Simeon Castille at Bible Study!
It was a great weekend to get away. It was also really good to spend some time with Corey and Cissie. Love you guys!!!

Sick, Sick, Sick

I am officially tired of having this cold...I think our worship team has been passing it around for about the past 2 months. I have gotten it twice already and this makes time number 3. I am sitting at work watching the clock slowly move...only 35 more minutes. It seems like a lifetime away. I have used a whole box of tissues and I am on the second box of the day. My eyes are so bloodshot that they hurt. The worst part about it is I have plans to go out tonight with some girls. I can't cancel because the whole reason we are going is to hang out with a buddy who has been gone to college for a couple of months. She is home until Sunday, but tonight is the only time I will get to spend any time with her. I am going to go home, take a nap, shower and hopefully feel good enough to go to Carabbas. Besides, who wants to miss out on a yummy dinner like that. Matt has a softball game tonight!! I will be there after my dinner...thank God it is Friday!!! Football tomorrow and PRAISE JESUS on Sunday! Gotta love it!

Happy Birthday Jeanne

Happy Birthday to my boss, Jeanne. My co-worker, Jen, and I decided we wanted to plan a surprise party for our wonderful boss. Jeanne is always doing things for others, and we figured it was time that she had something done for her. The planning began about 3 weeks ago...by the way, Evite.com is the best website ever to keep things a secret, or to use invitations for anything at all. We invited all of the committees and board members of the Christian Chamber.
Today, she had a meeting scheduled at 11am and everyone was showing up around 12 to the meeting room downstairs in our office. We pulled her out of the meeting and told her we wanted to take her to lunch. We got her downstairs, and when the elevator opened, about 40 of her closest friends were standing there singing "Happy Birthday"!!! It was a perfect surprise. A special thanks to Lea McQuinn for making another fabulous cake!! Jeanne, you are wonderful! We love you and appreciate all that you do!!

THIS IS ALABAMA FOOTBALL

The Crimson Tide jumped to No. 2 in the Associated Press ranking on the strength of a dominating 41-30 victory over Georgia on national television on Saturday night. The No. 2 ranking represents the highest ranking for Alabama since 1993, when the Crimson Tide opened the season at No. 2 and stayed there for seven weeks before a 17-17 tie with Tennessee in Bir­mingham dropped the Tide to No. 4 (Montgomery Advertiser)
So this has been an awesome football for BAMA fans. Even though I am so far away from all of the excitement, I am a true Alabama fan and watch every single game that is on TV. I am so proud of our team. They have had such a hard time these past few years, and we are finally becoming the team we used to be known for. ROLL TIDE!!! These are my BAMA cupcakes for GAMEDAY!

Siesta Key

I am starting to blog all of my latest happenings...this will be the first of about 4 I think.

On September 12-13, Matt and I went to Siesta Key with his mom and dad, and our Gilliam friends from church. The surf was really good, so the boys wanted to go up. I just wanted to tan. We got there around 7pm on Friday and Matt went straight to surf! Afterwards, we all had dinner at a pizza place right across from our hotel.
On Saturday, we surfed all day long. I was having a really hard time getting up at first because the waves were coming one after the other. I was getting beat up. I decided I would take a break, and go hang by the pool. That is always relaxing.
At the end of the day, I decided to give surfing another chance. I got up on my knees several times. I was so happy about that, I didn't even care if I ever got on my feet. After slamming my head into the rocky bottom, sunburn, getting hit in the forehead by my surfboard, and having millions of no-see-um bites, I had a great time. Siesta Key is a favorite place for Matt and I. It is only about an hour away and right on the beach.

Matt & I Have Already Been Married for a YEAR!!!

On Monday, September 8th, Matt and I celbrated our 1 year wedding anniversary. I can't believe that the time has gone by so fast. We have made so many memories, made lots of mistakes, and learned so many new things together. Matt is such an amazing man and I fall more and more in love with him everyday.
I got off of work at 5 and was rushing to get home and take a shower because Matt told me we had to leave the house at 6:30. When I walked in the front door, the lights were low and he had music playing on his computer, our wedding cake's top surrounded by roses, 2 cards, and a long stem rose laying over our wedding album sitting on the kitchen table. There were 12 roses around the cake and they represented how many months we had been married. The long stemmed rose represented the next year to come. He gave me one really goofy card and then one really sweet card. I hurried to get in the shower. I was finally ready at 6:25 and he was anxious to give me my gift. He pulled a mahogany box out of his back pocket and I knew exactly where that box came from...Dunkin's Diamonds. When I opened it up, there was a diamond pendant inside it. The significance behind this is as follows. When I went home in October of 2007 to visit my mom, the diamond in my engagement ring fell out. We had only been married for a month. We couldn't find it, so I had to come back to Florida missing a diamond. My mom found it 2 weeks later and gave it back to me. Thank God our insurance covered my ring, so I already had the diamond replaced, so now I had 2 diamonds. I really wanted my original diamond. He had my 1st diamond put into a pendant to match my engagement ring. When I get a really good picture of it, I will post it.
Anyways, back to our anniversary. He took me to Tokyo Bay in Bonita Springs which is my favorite place EVER!!! It is a Japanese Steakhouse.
We had a table in a quiet corner all to ourselves. We ordered some edamames, which were the best I have ever had. I even ate a little bit of sushi...still not too big of a fan. Our meal was the BOMB!!!

I ordered the Steak and Shrimp combo from the grill and Matt ordered the
Steak and the
Chicken combo.






We were stuffed by the time we left. After dinner, we headed back home and cut our cake. It was still as good as it was on our wedding day!! Great Job Aunt Lea. After that...well, you know! Then we watched The Hills and called it a night. It was such a wonderful night. We are usually so busy that it is hard to find time to just be together. I love you Matty with all my heart. I can't wait for many more years with you baby!!!