Friday, November 18, 2011

Win or Lose...

...we still booze.  For some reason, that saying will never get old to me.  Well, the Florida Gators have been on the receiving end of a lot of losses this season, but it's still great to be a Florida Gator.  We headed up to Charlotte this past weekend to stay with Dai and head down to Columbia on Saturday as the Gators took on the Gamecocks in a nooner.  Noon games mean the Bloody Mary was on tap at 10am.  It was a fun day, even though we lost... again.  :)




I really liked this rooster (I'm censoring this compared to what I wrote on facebook after some liquid courage).  Had he been a hen, I would have stolen her to start my chicken coop!  But, really, who brings a rooster to a bar???  I think I may have said to him, "You have a rooster?  In a bar?"  10pts to name that movie.  Jenn, you don't count.
Gator scarves from Dunlop McCandless.  They also have Auburn, Alabama (which is my favorite one behind the Gators, of course... it's so cute), LSU, Florida State and an assortment of nice cufflinks!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Thankful

A lot of people on Facebook are posting daily with the things they are thankful for through the month of November.  Well, I didn't jump on that bandwagon, but I find it is always a good exercise to stop thinking about the "bad"/what you don't like in your life/what you're missing/etc. and focus on all of the things you have been blessed by.  So, here goes my catch up through today...
  1. The grace, love, redemption, and providence of God and our Savior.
  2. My husband.  I truly look at him on a daily basis and thank God for him.
  3. My family (immediate and extended).  We aren't perfect, but we stick together!
  4. My girlfriends.  I have the BEST friends you could ask for.  Their support, love, encouragement and humor always astound me.  Just yesterday, Jenn sent me a text message that made me cry I was laughing so hard.  Man, I love her.
  5. The men and women who have and continue to serve our country, giving us the freedom we enjoy.
  6. Our jobs.  Even when Matt is working 12+ hour days and even though I am having a quarter-life crisis and don't really like my job that much, I am so thankful to be employed.
  7. The roof over our heads and the means to make it a home that we love (thanks to the talent of Capella Kincheloe - stay tuned).
  8. That not only do I never have to worry about going hungry, we are able to eat delicious and nutritious foods to sustain our bodies.
  9. Perspective.
  10. Faith and hope.
  11. My inlaws, who I can't wait to see next week!  It's been too long.  And, going to Mama Kath's means that I am going to be very fat and happy.  Yum.  :)
  12. My health and that of my family's.  We just had someone beat cancer and another scare it the eff away.  And, Davis' heart is looking really good.  Praise God!
  13. My doggies.  This Monday will mark a year since we adopted them.  Sometimes I want to drop kick them, but man I love them.
  14. That Maddie let me hold her like a baby last night... one big, hairy baby.  It was so cute... she just laid there and let me cradle her (belly up) in my lap and did not want to leave.
  15. Coffee.
  16. Being able to travel, even if it's just a quick weekend road trip to Charlotte.
Let's see what the rest of the month brings!  What are you thankful for today?

P.S.  I've seen this quote many times, but I love it.  "What if the only things you had today were what you thanked God for yesterday?"  Ponder that.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Proud Big Sister Alert

My little sister makes me proud all the time, whether it's making and selling her own line of jewelry (B. Envy), acing her dental hygiene classes or just being the nice girl that she is.  But, today I am proud of her for trying out and making the Jacksonville Sharks Dance Team!  As mentioned previously, she tried out totally last minute with almost no preparation but worked hard to learn all of the dances, got her flexibility back, figured out she could still tumble and made it!  I think this will be so fun for her and is a great way to stay in shape while doing something she'll enjoy!

My mom and her boyfriend's parents have already said they are buying season tickets!  Haha.  Matt and I will definitely head down for a game or two... one of my alltime favorite Gators, Chris Leak, is their new QB!  So, I have two reasons to support the team.

You can see her in the below video at 0:03, wearing a red sports bra w/ blonde curls blowing a kiss to the camera, then again at 0:43-0:47 doing her routine and then at the end, third from the left on the bottom row.  Ain't she cute?





And, here are the 2012 Shark Attack Dancers!  (Brandi is on the bottom row, third from the left - let's not discuss my jealousy of her body.  :)  Thanks.)



Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Vacay in photos

I wonder if we will have as many photos of our dogs once we have kids.  It's a bit ridiculous.  These pictures pretty much sum up what we did on our vacation... went to the beach, ate, relaxed, fished.  There's not much else to say.  It was amazing.









lazy day... spoiled girl.
 
these crabs were at least 20 feet away... love our camera



scallops + steak + crab cakes + baked potato + asparagus = well fed





gone fishin' - we caught at least 70 fish between 4 of us, kept 56 (mostly trout)... and did not take one picture of the fish... oops


family pic

the love of my life

two tennis balls = talent.  see also: typical, hoarder.



riding the wave to shore


my second favorite picture from our vacay

my most favoritest photo from vacay.  love those dogs.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Successful Weekend

Two shout outs.

First, to my friend Jamie Dragon for winning Miss Vermont USA on her 7th try!  Lucky #7!!!  Everything happens in perfect timing and this was just always meant to be.  She is an amazing person inside and out, and I am so so so so so glad she finally got to experience her winning moment.  Now on to Miss USA!!!!!!!!!  Woohoo!  (Side note:  I bawled like a baby at the first picture I got to see of her taking her victory walk.  I am a complete sap.  I met Jamie because the pageant messageboard I moderate, Pageant Central - www.voy.com/208387/, sponsored her as our Miss Pageant Central this year, providing her with a ton of amazing sponsors to make her dream come true... and it could not have happened to a better person.  She is GOLDEN and beautiful inside and out!)

Winning reaction!  So happy.

Love this.  One of the girls on the left (in the audience w/ her mouth open) was who nominated Jamie for Miss Pageant Central and she's a former Miss VT USA who I also know.

Right after crowning.

A little help from photoshop and voila, the state crown on her MPC headshot.  :)

Also, to my sister, Brandi, for making it to the finals of the Jacksonville Sharks dance team tryouts!  You can see her in this video at 0:52-0:56.  I also spied her in some of the group dance segments.  Brandi is not really a dancer, but she's as cute as can be and they are also looking for some girls with gymnastics ability, which you can see she has from the video.  Finals are Saturday, and I wish I could be there to cheer her on!  Go Brando!