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Winterish Hodgepodge

Posted on November 30, 2011 by auburnchick

Yay!  It’s Wednesday!  Happy Dance time!

Why?

Cause it’s time for the Hodgepodge!

Play along by answering the questions on your own blog and then linking up with Joyce!

1.  Do you send Christmas cards?  If so, about how many will you send this year?  How do you display cards you receive?  Or don’t you?  (gasp!)

I sent Christmas cards for the first ten years of my marriage.  Then, several moves later, I stopped.  Postage got too expensive, and life got crazy.  I do display the cards I receive by placing them in various locations around my house.

2.  When do kids become adults?

I’ll think of my children as adults when they turn 21 and are providing for themselves.  Until then, I’m letting out the leash slowly…giving them more freedom and less accountability.  Still, they won’t be entirely free of me (nor I of them) until they are paying their own bills.

3.  Does your “beauty regimen” change with the seasons?

Nope.  I don’t go too heavy on the makeup…don’t wash it off at night (gasp) and don’t care.  It’s the same whatever the season.

4.  What’s something you like to eat that might cause other people to turn up their noses?

When I’m desperate for a snack, I will open a package of Ramen Noodles and eat the noodles uncooked and unflavored.  Sometimes, I’ll dip the dried noodles in mustard.

Please allow me to share a quick story about a “tasty” treat that Chicky used to indulge in.  When she was in elementary school, she went through a phase when she had to eat peanut butter/dijonnaise sandwiches.

I.  Kid.  You.  Not.

I was completely grossed out by it, but in Chicky’s words, I couldn’t say I didn’t like it until I tried it…a mother’s words coming back to haunt me.  Well, I tried it and found it N-A-S-T-Y.

That girl had some sick taste buds.

5.  Gloves or mittens?

Gloves.  Much warmer.

6.  What’s the longest queue you’ve ever been in?  Was it worth it?  Queue-line but doesn’t queue sound nicer?

Hmmm…living in Florida, I’d have to say that the longest line I’ve ever been in was at Disney World…specifically Blizzard Beach…waiting to do down Summit Plummet…

Was it worth it?

You betcha!  It was the scariest ride I’ve ever been on.

The only bad thing was that as I came down the slide, the water hit one of my legs at a weird angle and gave me the hugest and deepest bruise I’ve ever had.  Most of my calf was black and blue for a while, and I could barely walk during the rest of that trip.

Still, I can say that I went down that thing.

Oh, and so did the rest of the family.  What a great experience for all of us!

7.  Besides Christmas, what is one thing you are looking forward to in the month of December?

I am looking forward to spending two weeks off from school with Chicky and Rooster…sleeping in and simply “being.”

(Does it count that I slipped three things into one sentence?  LOL)

8.  My Random Thought

I am reading The Hunger Games to my students.  Yesterday, I showed them the following movie trailer.  I can’t wait to see the full-length movie, which comes out in March!

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: | 10 Comments »

Six Magic Words

Posted on November 27, 2011 by auburnchick

“Teach me how to do that.”

These are the words that hobbyists love to hear.

Super Sis uttered them after watching me knit on my latest Super Secret Project after Thanksgiving dinner.

Oh.

My.

Word.

I couldn’t run to my bedroom fast enough to retrieve a skein of yarn and needles.

I also grabbed THE book from which I learned how to knit…

She’d indicated that she’d like to make a cloth, which is why I pulled out the Peaches and Cream.

I grabbed a set of wooden needles and cast on the necessary stitches.  I didn’t want her to lose hope completely…casting on can be challenging for new knitters who don’t understand how stitches are constructed.

We then proceeded to have a little lesson.

I showed her the knit stitch first, let her watch me knit a few as I explained the process, and then had her give it a go.

She.

Did.

Well.

Actually, she was a natural, although holding the yarn and needles was a little awkward for her.

I assured her that we all feel that way at first.

After knitting one row, I taught her how to purl.

I figured this stitch would blow her mind…moving the yarn in front of the needles…basically doing the knit stitch backward.

She surprised me by saying that she actually LIKED the purl stitch better!

Who does that?

I watched her purl one row and took a look at her work.

It was pretty good.

On to the pattern, which is a basic checkerboard type…knits alternating with purls.

I wondered how she’d make the adjustment between the two stitches on the same row.

She did MARVELOUSLY!

However, by the second row of the pattern, I could see her furrowing her brow in concentration.

She needed to stop.  She was trying to remember how to execute the stitches along with how to count.

I took another look at her work…

It was actually quite good.  The stitches were even, and they were also loose enough on the needle that she’d be able to continue without using muscle power to get the right needle into the stitches.  New knitters are notorious for knitting way too tightly.

Throughout the process of watching her learn, I marveled at how quickly she was taking to the knitting.

I remembered, though, when we were young children and we “knit.”  Someone somewhere had showed us how to do the knit and purl stitches, but they never gave us patterns, so we just knit endlessly until we tired…never learning how to bind off.

I also just discovered another reason why Super Sis and I seem to be naturals at knitting.  My French cousin (who am I kidding…all of my cousins are French) posted on my FB wall that our grandmother used to knit all of the time.

I don’t remember.  In fact, I only recall visiting my grandmother twice.  She lived in Canada, and the trip was expensive.

So, it would appear that the talent for knitting runs in the family.

Look out Chicky.  One day, you may find yourself uttering the six magic words.

I’ll be waiting…needles and yarn in hand.

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: | 3 Comments »

Always Read Your Labels

Posted on November 26, 2011 by auburnchick

In yesterday’s post, I mentioned feeling a little ill during Thanksgiving preparations.

Well, here’s the story as to WHY I was sick.

For the last few weeks, I’ve suffered some aches and pains in my hips.  When I mentioned them on a Facebook update, one of my friends advised that I go to my health food store and purchase Celadrin and glucosamine synergy.

After Chicky and I finished shopping for her ring, we decided to go ahead and look at the supplements my friend had recommended.

The owner of the store has become a friend over the years.  His advice has always been sound.

He explained that the Celadrin would lubricate my joints, and that the glucosamine would reduce inflammation.

Still, I struggled with what to purchase.  Because I’d just purchased Chicky’s ring, I knew my bank account had been nearly depleted.

Chicky and I discussed my options.  I decided to purchase one bottle right away and return next week for the other bottle.

The store owner overheard us and told me to take the second bottle home and to return next week after I got paid to take care of the rest of my bill.

Such a nice guy and one of the benefits of living in Podunk, USA.

He instructed me to take three pills from each bottle…daily.

He also cautioned me to stay away from sugar, meat, and other things that make inflammation bad.  Chicky laughed and assured him that those things haven’t been part of my diet in quite some time.

Chicky and I went home, and I took my first dosage.

Then, I ate dinner with my family…spaghetti with vegan-friendly sauce.

It wasn’t an hour later, right when the Dancing With the Stars finale began, when I started feeling sick.

Oh, but it wasn’t just your average sick.

It was the kind in which you get up and run to the porcelain throne every fifteen minutes.

I tried to time my trips with the commercials.

This proved very difficult.

I was determined, however, to be tough so I wouldn’t miss THE MOMENT when the winner would be crowned.

He was…GO J.R.!

J.R. (no picture of Karina, though. I cannot stand her. Sorry.)

And I continued to suffer.

I finally called it a night around 11pm…three hours after my sickness had begun.

My stomach was hurting, and I was nauseous.

I woke up on Wednesday still in a bit of pain but otherwise okay.

I got up and looked at the bottles of pills…determined to get down to the bottom (no pun intended) of what had ailed me the night before.

And that is when I saw it…

The ingredients in the glucosamine pills…

Bovine heart…bovine liver…bovine kidneys…

The list went on and on.

Just about every animal part you can image was on that list.

And there I was…a vegan of nearly a year…wanting to throw up again.

I had ingested three of these animal-infused supplements.

What was especially ironic was that the store’s owner had TOLD me to stay away from meat, yet the product he sold me had animal stuff in it!

And I still owed money for the bottle…

$30 stupid dollars.

I decided to take the bottle back to the store and explain how sick I’d gotten.

I put the bottle in my purse.

Before I could run to the store, I had to take Molly for her yearly shots.

As I was getting her into the car, I heard something hit the concrete driveway.

I looked down in horror and saw the bottle of pills…broken with most of the supplements scattered.

Great.

Now I was stuck with a bottle of poop-inducing, animal-infused supplements that I had yet to pay for.

Crap.

Pun intended.

I carefully picked through the pieces of glass and gathered up the pills, putting them back into what remained of the bottle…

I took Molly to her appointment, got her back home, and sucked in my breath.

I was about to go to the store.

Should I do it, I wondered?

I called Super Sis.  She’s a bit wimpy about such things and told me she’d probably just let it go, pay for the pills, and call it a lesson learned.

I’m cheap, though.

I went for it.

As I carried the bottle from the parking lot to the store, the owner was outside sweeping an area rug.

He said, “Whatcha got there?”

Oh, what a can of worms he opened with that simple question.

After explaining my dilemma, to which he laughed (we both did because it was quite comical), he grabbed the bottle from me and threw it away, telling me not to worry about it.

He also told me he would have to think about some other supplement that would meet my vegan needs.

I was happy, though.  I no longer owed $30 + tax for something I couldn’t and wouldn’t be taking.

It was an embarrassing lesson, though.

I’ll make sure I always read every word of the labels on the products I buy…even if I won’t always understand what I’m reading.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

Thankful for Nearly Grown Children

Posted on November 25, 2011 by auburnchick

Having nearly grown children can be such a blessing…especially around the holidays.

I enlisted Chicky and Rooster’s help to prepare the house for company.  They did a great job cleaning…nothing too intense, mind you.  I am AuburnChick, and I just don’t do deep-cleaning.

Next, it was time for the decorating.

Rooster checked out mentally at this point.

Chicky, however, completely took over.  I’d gotten a hold of something that had made me sick, so I wasn’t much use.

She did a fine job, even getting the table set for me…

Notice that green tablecloth?  I got it at Bed Bath and Beyond.  I could not fathom the thought of a red plaid cloth.  The one from last year had stayed on my table the entire six months that I went through my teaching certification program.  I’ll probably never do red plaid again.  😀

Chicky decorated nearly every room in the house, adding her own flair…

Chicky was a huge help in preparing Thanksgiving dinner.  She put together the Strawberry Bottom Cheesecake Pie that I usually make for the holiday.  She also helped with getting things put on the table and then cleaned up afterward.

I know that as parents, we dread our young children growing up, but I can honestly say that there’s nothing quite like interacting with your grown children on an adult level.

I’m so thankful for every moment I have with them.  One day, they’ll be off on their own, making new memories with their own little families.  Until then, I’ll put them to work and appreciate every tidbit of conversation exchanged in the process.

Filed under: children, This-n-That | Tagged: , , | 2 Comments »

Thankful for the Hodgepodge

Posted on November 23, 2011 by auburnchick

I’m so thankful that Joyce posted questions this week.  She totally could have taken the week off!  Thanks, as always, Joyce!

Now, on to the questions!

1.  Let’s start with something controversial…dressing or stuffing? What’s it called at your house and what’s included in your recipe…cornbread? oysters? sausage? chestnuts?

I was never a fan of either until I tried Coupon Queen’s dressing.  She uses her mom’s recipe, which calls for cornbread and other stuff…no meat though.

2.  Who do you sometimes compare yourself to?

I like to compare myself to the Yarn Harlot.

LOL

I’m kidding.

Though I’d like to think that I’m as good of a knitter and as funny as she is, I am not really that delusional.  I don’t make swatches (if you’re a knitter, you’ll understand what I’m talking about), and my kids tell me all the time that I’m not funny.

😀

3.  When were you last inside an airport?

I was last in an airport in July when we flew home from Seattle after cruising to Alaska.

4.  What is one side dish that absolutely must be included in a turkey dinner?

I think that green bean casserole is a must-have for Turkey Day.

5.  What Christmas song do you dread hearing?

Oh boy.  This is easy for me.  Feliz Navidad is the song I dread the most.  When we lived in South Florida (i.e. home to a large Spanish-speaking population), this song dominated the airwaves, and poor Rooster just could not take it.  As soon as he would hear this song start up, he would say, in his sweet little Mickey Mouse voice, “Oh no…not this song again.”  It’s a priceless memory, and now, I have to say that I agree with him.

6.  If someone approaches you and asks for money do you give it to them? Do you drop money ‘in a tin cup’ that belongs to a person on the street? Do you have a specific charity you support during the holiday season and/or year round?

I’ve never been approached for money by someone on the street.  I don’t think I would give someone money if he or she asked me for it in that way simply because I would wonder what the money was going to be spent on.  I have also never seen anyone with a tin on the street.  I can’t say that I support any particular charities at Christmas or during the year.  I give here and there as opportunities arise.

7.  Share a favorite Thanksgiving memory. If you live in a country that doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving share a favorite memory associated with food.

I think that one of my favorite Thanksgiving memories was when the Mr., Chicky, Rooster, and I were in San Diego a few years ago during Thanksgiving.  Though it was a little strange to be away from home during the holiday, it was also fun to be in a city we’d never visited before.

8.  My Random Thought

Chicky and I went shopping yesterday.

We were on a mission – to find her a sapphire ring.

Why?

Well, because four years ago, when Chicky was a junior in high school, I gave her a choice.  Select a class ring or wait and let me buy her another piece of jewelry that she would wear past her first year in college.

She opted to wait for the non-school-related jewelry.

Well, various circumstances prevented me from taking her shopping before now.  After being laid off, the money just wasn’t there.

But I never forgot, and I periodically told her that I still remembered my promise.

With my recent employment in the public school system (and a nice pay raise to go along with it), I found myself, though owing money to some other bills, remembering my promise and being able to afford that long-ago-promised jewelry.

So, today we went shopping.

After checking out several stores, she settled on this…

She really struggled with her decision over which ring to get.  Though I’m not posting pictures of the other rings, I liked the above one the best.

She sent the pictures to one of her good friends, and…lo and behold…her friend agreed with me.

Looks like I have good taste after all.

😉

I was going to put the ring on layaway…finish paying for it with my next paycheck, but when the guy rang us up, the ring wound up being on sale…for a really good price.

It’s now been paid for in full, and it’s being sent off to be sized.

In the meantime, Chicky will get to dream about it until she comes home for Christmas.

Here’s a close-up…

By the way, those are white sapphires around the blue one!  Sooooo pretty!!

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: | 6 Comments »

A Generous Blogger

Posted on November 21, 2011 by auburnchick

Have you ever visited Linda?

If not, you really should.

This gal writes many book reviews each week, and she frequently sponsors giveaways.

Well, a few weeks ago, I put my name in the hat for one such giveaway.  I didn’t win, but she sent me a message telling me that she had an extra copy of the book, and how she’d love to send it to me.

You see, I teach reading.  It’s my first year teaching this subject, and my classroom library is a little lacking, although my friend, Barb, managed to supply my meager bookshelves.  Should Barb decide to return to the classroom, I’ll be in dire straits again!

Anyhoo, Linda’s generous offer touched my heart, and within a few days, I had a new book!

Linda recently had another giveaway, and this time, I won!!  Woo Hoo!

After returning from Auburn, I found a large package on my doorstep.

Inside was the book I’d won…plus more items!

Oh my!  I am still smiling at her generosity!

I am so excited about being able to present these books to my students.  I’m going to keep one copy of the devotions on my shelf.  The other two copies will be given to an on-campus Christmas store that one of the teachers is overseeing this year.  Many of the students at my school cannot afford to purchase presents for their friends and family.  My school has a positive behavior program that rewards students who show good behavior with cards that they can save up to purchase various items.  I was very surprised when I learned that one of the sought-after items for the store was devotion books.

And here’s where the Lord worked His magic.

Linda didn’t know any of the above.

She simply sent the extra books.

The blessings of her generosity will multiply as several students will lay their hands upon these books.

As I posted yesterday, I have met some wonderful people through blogging.

Linda is one such person.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: | 1 Comment »

Happy 4th Blogiversary to Me!

Posted on November 20, 2011 by auburnchick

Ok…so I already posted once today, but for some reason, the date that I saw as I uploaded my post gave me pause.

It seemed familiar to me, so I checked back.

Four years ago today, I wrote my first post.  You can read it here.

It was pretty lame, if I say so myself.

At the time, I was in San Diego for a soccer tournament.

I was also very stressed because I was working my way through Troy University’s online degree program, and I had lots of papers to write.

I spent Thanksgiving day holed up in the hotel room writing those papers.

Why did I decide to create a blog in the middle of my chaos-of-a-life?

I don’t know.

I think I needed an outlet.

Poor Super Sis.

Her ears needed a break.

Oh, she never complained, but I know myself all too well.

I’m long-winded.

I think that people avoid me sometimes because I cannot seem to answer questions with simple answers.

So, my blog was born.

Here are some interesting stats:

Not counting this entry, I’ve written 1,250 posts.

I’ve received 3,560 comments.

DQ, a friend from KnittingHelp, was the first person (other than indiscriminate spammers) to comment, and I cannot tell you how thrilled I was to discover that someone was actually reading what I wrote!

Rebecca first commented in August 2008, and she and I quickly developed a bloggy friendship.  In fact, I think that her’s was the first blog I began reading and commenting on regularly.  It didn’t take me long to discover a soul sister in this amazing young woman, and I know that if we lived in the same city, we would be at each other’s houses all the time laughing it up or yelling at Dancing With the Stars and Big Brother.

Over the years, I’ve “met” quite a few other amazing bloggers.  Sometimes, I’ve connected with them through comments they’ve made on other blogs.  Other times, they’ve somehow found my blog, started commenting frequently, and the friendships grew.

April is one such friend.  She is such a woman of God.  What initially connected me to her was our shared experiences of our daughters’ sports-related college recruiting.  As I began reading her blog regularly, I sensed that this woman had a deep, deep love for her family.  And they love her back, unconditionally.  She’s an inspiration to me.

Mary is another friend I met.  Though she has three boys, our love for soccer and band quickly drew us together.  Plus, we’re both in the field of education.  I was fortunate to meet Mary when she made a special trip down to Podunk, USA.  She’s a hoot, let me tell you.  I love her sense of humor.  What a wonderful lady!

This four-year blogging journey has seen its ups and downs.

Ups include my graduation, finally, from college.  I’ve written about Chicky and Rooster’s high school days, Chicky’s soccer adventures, both high school and travel, and her college adventures.  You’ve read how Rooster’s foray into band converted me from a soccer mom to a band mom.  Childrearing has never left me wordless, and there are still plenty of stories brewing in my head.  😀

I’ve written about my new career…teaching…and the ups and downs that have gone along with that.

I’ve been very open about my love for God and appreciation for Jesus’s sacrifice for me.  Such writings have gotten me into hot water in my personal life, but so be it.

Four years might not seem like forever, but when I look back over my 1000+ posts, I realize that it really is a long time.

It sometimes amazes me to go back and read through what I’ve “penned.”

There have been so many changes in my life, both personally and professionally.

I’m so grateful that I’ve shared what I’ve shared, no matter what others may have thought along the way.

I have no regrets except that sometimes I still hold back.

There’s still a lot of stuff I keep bottled up.

Some of that will stay that way…some stories unwritten.

You can be assured, though, that plenty more will be forthcoming.

Thanks for traveling this journey with me.

People always ask me, “Why in the world would you blog?  Why would you want to put all of that stuff out there?”

Besides having this incredible need to pour out much of my soul somewhere, I also know that I, myself, have drawn comfort from others’ experiences.  I can be a solitary figure.  Just knowing that someone else has gone through something similar to me, though that person may not know it, inspires me to share my own thoughts, concerns, and sometimes just blah blah, for lack of a better term.

Quite honestly, though, I never started this blog for anyone other than myself.  The mere fact that others do read it and connect with it and, thus, me, is humbling and fascinating.

So, with all of that said (I did say that I’m long-winded), here’s to four years of blogging at 1am, crying over my keyboard often during those posts, and, quite simply, putting most of it “out there.”

Thanks for being a sounding board, and thanks for your words of encouragement.  It’s nice knowing I’m not alone.

THAT’s the heart of blogging!

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , | 5 Comments »

The Adventure – Orange and Blue Style

Posted on November 20, 2011 by auburnchick

Chicky came home late Thursday.

When I got home from work on Friday, the family began its latest adventure.

We were headed out of Dodge.

After Rooster committed to attending Auburn, the University told him that, as a future student, he was being given two tickets to the upcoming homecoming game.

We had not been to Auburn, as a family, in quite a long time, so we took this opportunity to do so.

However, true to Chickster tradition, we did not make the trip without experiencing a few challenges.

The first one was the actual drive to the Marriott in Opelika.

Now, on an ordinary afternoon, this would have been easy; however, we hit Opelika around 8pm, and it was dark.

Alabama country is not all lit up like big cities.

We followed the directions the Mr. had printed out, but we ran into quite the quandary when, after the second roundabout, we figured we were lost.

Imagine the following picture…in pitch-black dark…

It was like a cartoon, where the characters ask, comically, “Which way do we go, which way do we go?”

The Mr. decided to turn around and head back toward the main road, figuring we had missed a turn somewhere.

Chicky was starting to feel sick.  She doesn’t travel too well in the back seat.

The Mr. made a right turn, and we saw this, but remember that it was dark.  All we could really see was what appeared to be the hotel all lit up and all the way across a field…

If we’d had some kind of four-wheel drive vehicle, we might have gone off-roading.

Alas, we didn’t feel like having THAT great of an adventure, so we turned around again.

Ugh.

We went through a third roundabout before seeing the hotel.

Thank heavens.

After checking in, we were instructed to drive around to the other building.

However, we were having an ADVENTURE, so we didn’t just drive to the building.

Oh no.

The main building had its own roundabout, which we couldn’t figure out how to get out of…

Please remember that this was happening at night, and it was dark.

As we drove under the overhang a second time, a wealthy-looking couple standing outside of their very expensive vehicle STARED at us as we drove by.

Sigh.

Yes, we’re Rednecks who don’t leave home very often.  You can dress us up, but deep down, you can’t take the Redneck out of us.

heehee

We found our building, which had its own roundabout.

We had grown wise to the hotel’s tricks and opted to park in the lot BESIDE the drive-around.

Ha!

All of the driving was worth it as we entered our room and took stock of our lodgings.  I was especially impressed with the bathroom…

I know it may seem lame to take pictures of such things, but as a soccer mom, I’ve stayed in a LOT of hotels, so I really appreciate little things like tiled showers, marble counter tops, and amenities like the following…

Now, take a look at the next picture…

Oh, my Nike’s were going to look spiffy in the morning!  heehee

We were exhausted from the long day, so we settled into the uber-comfy bedding that Marriott hotels are known for (no, I’m not getting $$ for this little bit of a promotion…I just happen to love this hotel chain).

When we woke up the next morning, we were greeted to this view from the balcony we didn’t know we had the night before…

Is that not the prettiest sight?  I grew up in a small town in Alabama, but I’ve lived in Florida for over twenty years.  Sometimes, I forget how much I love the “real” country with its peaceful scenes…

We headed out and began loading the car.

That’s when the ADVENTURE took another interesting turn.

See, I must first explain that I do everything FAST.  I don’t know why, but I am always in a hurry.  I guess it’s because I always have so much to do!

The Mr. opened the back hatch to our SUV, and I quickly leaned to the left to deposit my overnight bag.

Well, unfortunately, the hatch wasn’t up all the way.  We think that the cold temperature made the mechanical contraption stick instead of allowing the door to fly up as quickly as it normally would.

My head met the corner of the door, and it was not a light tap.

The Mr. heard the impact.

Oh.

My.

Word.

Blinding pain…

Followed by fear and the expectation that I would soon be feeling and seeing blood run down into my eye.

Fortunately, this didn’t happen, but oh my gosh…the pain.

I took a look in the mirror, and I saw what looked like a spider bite…a small red dot.

The door had nearly broken the skin.

I’ll admit that I shed some quiet tears.

We drove on, looking for a place to buy headache medicine.

Meanwhile, the spot on my head began to swell, and by the time we got to Auburn’s campus, this is what it looked like…

Sigh.

I was not a happy girl.

Such is life.

It seems to go on.

After getting my meds, we began the Auburn tradition of shopping before the game.

We had gotten to town so early that we were able to scope out the stores before the crowds got too large.  Of course, we had to backtrack and revisit them after we had seen all that they had to offer.

Rooster bought an orange/blue plaid shirt and a tie.  Chicky got a sweatshirt, lanyard, and maybe something else.  I can’t remember.  The Mr. bought a hat and maybe something else?  My brain was fuzzy a good part of the day, so I honestly can’t remember!

I do know that I got the following shirt…

Yes, we spent oodles of money, but we had not been to Auburn in a while (I think I already mentioned this).  Getting updated stuff was a must!

As we walked around campus, I took pictures.  There have been a lot of changes since I was last there…lots of construction around the older buildings.

Samford Hall

The School of Engineering, where Rooster will spend a lot of time during his quest for a software engineering degree.

The Village - Student Housing and Eateries

Honors College Housing - Where Rooster hopes to live

Beautiful display in Auburn's coliseum

THE Trophy!

Oh my...take a moment to allow the words "National Champion" to seep into your soul. LOL

We did a lot of walking! Typical of me, I seemed to always trail behind the others...stopping frequently to snap photos. Love this one of my beloved three.

As game time drew near, we made our way to the stadium…

The following sign proudly sits atop of it…

We made our way to our seats.  The Mr. had traded the tickets Rooster had been given for better ones.  He did have to pay a few $$, but it was worth it to not be in the nosebleed section (i.e. the Upper Deck, which Super Sis’s family actually likes, but they’re weird and don’t tell them I said this).  As it wound up, the newer tickets were a few seats away from the ones the Mr. had purchased for Chicky and me.  God has a sense of humor, does He not?  🙂

I took more photos with my itsy bitsy camera…a camera that I love so much and takes pretty decent pictures despite its size.

Prior to the start of the game, Pat Sullivan, 1971 Heisman Trophy winner from Auburn, was honored.  I was touched by the football team’s show of respect…

Then, it was time for one of the neatest traditions in Auburn…the flyover by the mascot…the bald eagle…

The University’s eagles are trained to circle the stadium, after being released from the one of the highest locations in the stadium, and land in the center of the field…

Then, it was time for the band to come out and perform the pre-game show…

And then…finally…the team came out…

Aubie got into the act, riling up the students sitting in the section in front of him…

It didn’t take long for us to score…

I love the next picture…of the kicker doing his thing for the PAT.  I’ve seen that form before…having watched and photographed thousands of soccer kicks…

After every touchdown, the cheerleaders run across the end zone with huge flags…drumming up support for THE team…

Throughout the game, the eagle makes the rounds, posing for photographs…

The halftime show was a little different.  Because it was Homecoming, a queen had to be announced.  Another tradition is that the alumni band performs with the marching band…

After halftime, we watched as Auburn scored more touchdowns.  I love the next photo, which shows the ball coming out of our player’s hands…but only after he broke the plane, as the replay demonstrated…

We left the stadium with a victory under our belts.

It had been a great day, but it was time to head back to Podunk, USA and our furry babies.

We’re looking forward to more great adventures (goose egg free, I hope) next year after Rooster begins his journey toward Auburn alumni-hood.

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Chicky’s Coming Home!

Posted on November 17, 2011 by auburnchick

Dear Chicky,

I am so happy that you are on your way home for Thanksgiving.

I plan to fully enjoy your presence…

First, I think I’ll let you make a nice, long grocery list of all of the things we’ll need to prepare Thanksgiving dinner.

Then, I’ll let you do your favorite thing…GROCERY SHOP!  To make things even more fun, I’ll let you use Daddy’s bank card to pay for it.  😉

Next, you’ll get to spiffy up the house.  The floors haven’t been washed in…um…well, they haven’t been washed in a while (gulp).

The dust bunnies have also set up house, so they might fight you a bit as you clean up.

Another thing I’ll need help with is dying my roots.  See, Rooster hasn’t exactly accommodated my requests to color my hair.  It will be nice to have your assistance with this monthly chore.

After you’ve finished with the above things, we’ll be all ready for the fun stuff…

DECORATING!!

I know you can’t wait to dig out the boxes from the closet, get everything out, find temporary homes for the stuff that’s currently in the house, and make this place all holiday-ish-feeling.

Yeah.

It’s going to be a fun week.

I can’t wait to get started!

Love,

Mama

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Wednesday Hodgepodge – Volume 53

Posted on November 16, 2011 by auburnchick

It’s time for the Hodgepodge!  After a year of participating in this meme, we should have this down pat, so I’ll skip the how-to’s and jump right in!

1.  What song reminds you of a specific time in your life, and what is it about that song that makes you remember?

My senior class’s song, Here I Go Again, by Whitesnake makes me think of that pivotal time between adolescence and adulthood.  I like how the song talks about walking alone.  So often, I felt alone growing up.  I was, in fact often on my own, being shy, uncomfortable in my own skin, and ungraceful in word and deed.  Even as a socially-awkward adult, I’ve often felt alone…following my dreams yet feeling kind of on my own at the same time.

I love this song so much that when I made the soccer video during Chicky’s senior year, I included this song in the Senior montage.  Sneaky?  Yep.  😀

2.  What’s something you’ve given up on?

I’ve given up on having a balanced life.  No matter what I’ve done in my life, I’ve always been an all-or-nothing kind of gal.  I jump into things with both feet, but I have a very hard time afterward with balancing the rest of my life.  This could be due to my overachiever tendencies.  I want to excel in whatever I take on.  Unfortunately, other areas of my life suffer…housekeeping, etc.  I’m tired of beating myself up over this though.  All I can do is recognize this bent I seem to have, do my best to see the bigger picture, but then not feel guilty about it and just keep on keeping on.

3.  What’s something you’ll never give up on?

I will never give up on working hard to have a good relationship with my children.  Though they may, at times, push me away, I’ll never give in to the temptation to throw up my hands in disgust.  I’ll love them unconditionally and be here every time they return to the nest.

4.  If you had to cook something from scratch in the next hour, what would it be?

Surely you jest?!  I really loathe cooking.  Seriously.  The only thing I really remotely enjoy making is black bean soup.  Even making that, though, seems like too much effort.

I’m going to say that if I had to make anything from scratch, it would be a knitted project.  Give me a spanking new skein of yarn, a crisp pattern, and I’m good to go!

Hey, Joyce didn’t say it had to be food!  After all, you can “cook” up anything!  😉

5.  Have you started Christmas shopping?  Decorating?  Listening to Christmas music?

I’m finding these questions quite hysterical.  I don’t Christmas shop.  At least not until the very last minute, but by then, the Mr. has usually purchased almost everything.  I just get little things.  Decorating?  Nope.  I’m going to have the kids do that for me next week when Chicky is home.  As far as Christmas music, I think it should be against the law for radio stations to play it until the day after Thanksgiving.  What is up with that?  Oh, I tried to let my students listen to it yesterday while they were working on a project, but we couldn’t stand it!  It’s still too early.

6.  What do you know about your parent’s wedding?

Not much except that it ended up in divorce.  I think they might have eloped.  Either way, it was fairly short-lived and did not end well.

7.  I can’t believe I have not figured out a way to make a million dollars so I can sit on my rear all day, knit, and eat bon bons.

8.  My Random Thought

Favorite student comments of late:

“Mrs. AuburnChick, you act like this is a business.”  [My unspoken response:  “I’m in the business of education.”]

“Mrs. AuburnChick, your class is one of my favorites…because we do something different every day.”

“Mrs. AuburnChick, you can’t be sassy.  You aren’t wearing your heels today.”  [I was wearing my new shoes though.]

“Mrs. AuburnChick, are you OCD?  I’d really like to see you explode if everything wasn’t organized.” [If only he knew.]

😀

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