Just call her Tumblelina.....

Another meet....Another great night on the medal stand.

TB did really well at her competition receiving a silver medal and two bronze:

• 2nd on BEAM with her highest score ever, a 9.225
• 3rd on BARS
• 4th in ALL-AROUND

• These girls love gymnastics....and each other.

Rest in peace, Johnny Castle. (a.k.a Patrick Swayze)

Y'all. My early teen years were formed directly around the events happening at Kellerman's.

From the time of it's release in the summer of 1987 until I realized that I was never going to be a real dancer with Patrick Swayze (which may or may not have been realized much later in my life), I watched Dirty Dancing dozens of times.

And I played the soundtrack repeatedly in my Nissan, 4 door, stick shift, hoping to make it at least "sound" cool, since it didn't "look" too cool.

I still get weak in the knees if I hear one of these 3 top songs from my youth:

• I've Had The Time of My Life
• Hungry Eyes
• She's Like the Wind

I remember that summer, and subsequent ones watching it on videotape, honestly thinking that my life could turn out just like Jennifer Grey's.

• Patrick Swayze himself, or at the very least some good looking guy who could dance well, would scoop me off my feet from the dance floor, and firmly announce, "No one puts Baby in the corner".

And I would dress in my finest pale pink chiffon short dress, which would flow in the wind as I ran down the makeshift aisle to leap into the arms of my dancing dreamboat.

Man, oh, man....those were the days. I was 14. I felt pretty sure I knew exactly what my future plans held.....and they had been set in stone thanks to two box office hits in the summer of 1986 and 1987.

I was certain I had narrowed down my life choices to these two scenarios:

• A.) offering dance lessons by day at a posh resort, and doing the steamy salsa by night with my partner, Patrick Swayze

or

• B.) "cruising" around Fightertown USA, waiting for my boyfriend Pete "Maverick" Mitchell to pick me up on his motorcycle, while wearing his flight jacket and a white T-shirt, after a hard day as a TOP GUN pilot.

Even at 14, a girl had to have goals.

I'll leave you with the mention of two other songs that can still make my heart skip a beat and take me right back to summer nights in the late 80's...

• You've Lost that Lovin' Feeling
• Take My Breath Away

So....what songs do you love from your favorite movies during your teen years???? Did you swoon over any male actors on the big screen???

Please don't tell me I'm the only one who thought dancing a special with Johnny at the Shelldrake would be fun??? Or watching Maverick play volleyball with Goose. Shirtless.

What? You were never 14 once....and had a slight crush on Tom Cruise? Before he went all scientology on us? I bet he still looks good playing volleyball, shirtless.

It's another AU recap....complete with my own color commentary.

• If I were to take a poll, this guy may very well be named the cutest little Auburn man around.....even while sporting the Spurrier visor look. Oh, yeah, it was a HAD TO HAVE purchase of the day. If the concession stand runs every quarter don't require me to take out a loan one day soon, the merchandise at the underarmour tents on campus definitely will!!! We spent yet another lovely Saturday on the plains. Y'all....it's hard for me to even describe how much I love Auburn. The football games are only a mere part of it.....though it is a big part, seeing as that is where I met my husband, the fantastic father of my children.
  
  So it's no wonder I enjoy Saturdays in the fall so much. The weather this past weekend was perfect fall at it's best. Have I ever mentioned how much I love night games??? Oh, I do. They are the absolute best....cool, crisp evenings spent in the stadium, cheering on the tigers....now that's heaven on earth if you ask me.
  
  If you add in a win, that is.
  
  And that's exactly what we did this week!! Man, that was a great game. Of course I've already shown you my favorite photo in the post below. The flight of the eagle....seriously, it brought tears to my eyes when they released the blanket and the eagle took off flying with red, white and blue flowing along behind.
  
  However, here are a few more faves from Saturday in Auburn.
  
  No, he's not doing the Hokey Pokey.....That, my dear football fans is a WALK-ON who came up with a big play and a great catch for the Tigers on Saturday.
  
  Jay Wisner is his name.
  WALK-ON is his game.

Way to go....Jay. Here's to Walk-Ons everywhere.

I now break into this blog publication for a little cheer from the sideline squad:

Chris Todd, Chris Todd....he's our man, if he can't do it.....

......Kodi Burns can!!

Seriously....they both played excellently. Chris Todd is doing a fab job as quarterback, and Kodi Burns is one of the most selfless players I've seen in a long while.

And boys and girls....what about that freshman running back....#23 McCaleb? He's looks to be only as tall as me....but he's a lot faster. I mean I haven't raced him in the 50 yard dash or anything, but he seems to be really quick on his feet, even with big burly football men barreling towards him for a tackle.

Come to think of it....I might run a quicker speed myself if I looked and saw those same guys coming at me.


"Hey little man....you did good. Nice touchdown. Now run on ahead and get us lineman some gatorade...you little freshman pipsqueak."

Now I'm breaking in with this (non) paid advertisement from a local sponsor:

What about this pic, there's a story behind it. A fellow blog friend, Michele, recently stated that her kiddos refer to Auburn's new head football coach, Gene Chizik as "Coach Cheez-it".

I just about fell out of section 7, early Saturday evening, when Aubie came around with this gear on.....

He's dressed as Coach Chizik...passing out "CHIZ-IKS"....throwing bags of "cheez-its" into the crowd!! TOO FUNNY!! LOVE IT! I know, I am easily amused. Hope you and the girls get a chuckle, Michele.

And finally...here's a public service announcement for all you Seniors out there:

• DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT wear your hat like shown below....sitting 4 inches atop his head of hair. Pull that baby on down, Gramps. I don't care what the local leader at the AARP does, it is not a fashion statement.
  
  
  

So there you go....hope you enjoyed another visit to Jordan Hare Stadium, home of the AUBURN tigers!! Please send concession money to the will-call booth. Put it under the code name "Cheez-it" fan. And don't forget to look for the guy in the big plastic blue cap on a row in front of you next Saturday!! Then spend the rest of the first half trying to see around his head.....

I know I'm boring y'all with football stuff.....but I love it. I don't always understand it....and T-5 makes fun of me, but I still love it. Just bear with me...even you Bama fans. Good Monday morning, y'all.

The flight of the eagle...it just doesn't get any better than this.

One of my favorite pictures from the weekend and I had to share it with you.

Sure it's an Auburn tradition---watching the eagle take flight from the upper deck ramp, cicle the stadium, and then land gracefully at center field...all the while, 85,000 of your closest Auburn family are yelling WARRRRRRRRRRR EAGLE!!

Saturday night, moments before kickoff began, Spirit (that's the Eagle's name), came out decked with red, white and blue streamers attached to him that looked gorgeous during flight. A really special touch of patriotism.

No matter who you root for in the SEC, or on any college football field, I think we could all agree on the beauty this beholds.....

I've been up to my knees in the "marsh" all week.

Okay, so maybe it wasn't actually me that was up to my knees in the Marshlands....it was that pink shirt loving son of mine. Why? Because we've been on a field trip to the Dauphin Island Sea Lab this week, that's why. Pretending to be marine biologists....and loving every squid filled minute of it.

And I was there to take photos, while alongside the marsh....not in it.

We've had a wonderful trip....but I am very tired, my vocabulary and sentence structure skills are escaping me, and I am in dire need of a nap...a long 8 hour overnight in my own bed, sort of nap.

However, I had to put out a few photos to show you a sprinkling of the fun we found while in our classes on the coast.

So without further adieu.....

The kids first class was a short lecture on Wetlands....and then a trip to the marsh for critter catching in the Gulf of Mexico using dip nets, their bare hands, and seine fishing (where you use the big net and drag it to shore and see what treasures from the sea you may behold).

And they caught a plethora of sea life right before my very eyes....through the lens of my camera, because these eyes weren't going into that muddy marsh to smell of brackish water for the remainder of the day.

A few pics of these cool creatures: (names (phylum, class or species) have been changed for anonymity)

• Mr. Flat Flounder

• Mrs. Crab-owitz

• Tomahawk John Doe

• I usually just call this guy..."supper"...when I'm dining at the coast.

• And this little guy....it seems he's a tad bit bi-polar....one minute he's a beautiful seashell......

• and the next....he's a slimy snail. (Fascinating story behind these snails....if I see you, I'll fill you in.)

• Truth be told....it was bucket loads of science filled awesomeness.

I would try to give some clever educational material to go along with these pics.....but my brain, may or may not have been left on the beach with a few large jellyfish we buried yesterday evening, or back a few hundred miles down the road a couple of hours earlier, when the 6 children in my car trampled right over my last nerve.

Trampled. Right Over. My. Last. Nerve.

Never fear, I will regain conciousness some day....and I may even begin to like 5th graders again....some day. I have more pics, from more days, of some TOTALLY NEAT time spent at the Sea Lab......and soon, I'll post coherent thoughts that make you want to continue reading....but until then, I only have one bit of wisdom to impart to you......

• The weekend is almost here....so don't be crabby.

Because I am his Mama, and this is my blog....

I know last week I posted about my oldest son's first ever junior high football game. And in that post I firmly stated a promise that I would not bore you with my mediocre photos of football all season long. (Although to be honest, I do have some great shots of some of the varsity guys that I may show you sometime.) However, I did put in a small disclaimer that if I did happen to get a good shot of my boy doing something fantastic....I'd be putting it on our blog.

So, here's the deal....with a little background information before the big news.

I take pictures of various sporting events at our school for the local newspaper. (Think small. The paper comes out once weekly.) During football season, I'm usually on the sidelines the whole game trying my hardest to get some good shots. Some nights are easier than others....but it's always fun and I enjoy it tons. Now, on with the big news.....

Friday night rolls around this week. The team has been playing well, leading like 46-6 at the half. Therefore, when our boys took the field in the 3rd quarter, Coach began playing 2nd string folks....and 3rd string folks.....and 4th string folks.

I'm still clicking away, trying to get pics of these guys.

Then the 4th quarter arrives. Sometime during that time, a good guy friend of mine, also on the sideline, yells down a few yards to me.....

"Hey, Kimberly, your boy just took the field."

I think to myself, laughing on the inside....he's such a kidder. My boy can't possibly be going out there.....this is a VARSITY FOOTBALL GAME for crying out loud.

Then, LO AND BEHOLD.....I look through the camera lens again and this is what I see.

Look to the far left....that little 92-pounder is joining the huddle.

And he's not just out there running them a bottle of water or towel, he is lining up on the FIELD OF PLAY.

Oh, my Lord. Do you see that?

He's twelve, in the 7th grade, and he's lining up on the FIELD OF PLAY

....in a VARSITY GAME

....on a FRIDAY NIGHT

....in the SOUTH

....where FOOTBALL rules.

In fact, he was out there for several plays. Huddling up. Waiting for the play to be called in from the sideline. And then trotting over to his "x or y" or whatever position that is...lining up, pointing to the referee to show he was there, and holding his sweet hands up just like a REAL football player.

Y'all.....He. played. on. Friday. Night.

We won 60-6. No, he was never really invovled in a play....the action was all done by the older guys. But he was one of the 11 men on the field for our team. And this mama couldn't be more excited for him.....and he couldn't have smiled any bigger than he did once we were home....away from the "I am a football player, and I can't smile just yet" scene.

I couldn't even get a good picture of him on the game field during play because my heart was racing too fast. However, I love this last shot on my camera for the night.

After each game, win or lose, our boys shake hands, pray together at center field, and then come line up on our sideline facing the crowd and listen to the band play our school's Alma Mater.

Our younger son, Broken Leg Boy, ran onto the field to see his brother and stand behind him on the sideline after the game. It was a precious moment. So stinking sweet I wanted to kiss them both right there on the field.....however, how completely UNCOOL would that have been???

So, I refrained. But I will always cherish this pic and remember the heartfelt words Broken Leg Boy stated shortly thereafter....

W : "Mama, Rivers got to play in tonight's game....he lined up at wide receiver....did you see him?"

Me : "Yes, I sure did. Can you believe it? Pretty neat, huh? What do you think about that?"

W: "I thought he was gonna get killed."

There you have it. Another moment in the life of brothers posted on the blog. Another moment etched in this mama's memory....the first time my boy took the field, the VARSITY field, during a FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL game, as a player.

Just another lovely evening on the Plains....

We certainly didn't want to miss the opening game of the season, especially under our new Coach (who happens to be pictured in the post below this one, with my son and nephew at AU football camp this summer).

But really, who am I kidding, it doesn't have to be the season opener, or a new coach, or even football season for that matter.....if somebody says "road trip to Auburn"......I'm all over it! You can count me in.....so be careful about mentioning it around me....otherwise I'll be calling shotgun! :)

Back to the day at hand....we had a blast, as usual. And I only almost had a heart attack once.

It happened in the 3rd quarter when one kid returned from the concession stand to say the other kid needed 4 more dollars (after being given a $20).....I thought right then and there we might have to pawn the car title just to get a pretzel and coke. :)

However, we were able to feed everyone a snack, remain hydrated with fluids, and even return home with the same 3 kids we left with....plus, our TIGERS pulled out a big victory, after a shaky first half, I even managed to get a few pics from the game play to share with you, and we were able to see LOTS of family and friends at the game!!

I'd call that a GREAT day on the Plains, in God's Country.

• Here's a sideline shot for you:

How cool are you when the trainers come and don't hand you a bottle of water, but squirt it in your mouth for you???

And from time to time during the season, because I think I'm close enough to hear them, I try to give you a little listen inside the conversations of the sidelines....

• "Hey, Chris Todd, what were you saying to me?"

• "Man, I just think if you were to get a little trimmed off the top, you'd be faster. That's all, I'm sayin'....your hair may be holding you back, weighing you down...."

(Also, if you are a fan of the morning radio show, Rick and Bubba, based out of Birmingham--- please notice in the photo above....I think #63 sitting on the bench is Rick's son)

How about #44, Ben Tate? That boy can run.

See Ben. See Ben run. Run Ben Run.

And how much fun is it to run into friends and family? The love of Auburn brings lots of smiles....

with sweet Caroline...

two cousins who share the same name.....(isn't he just the cutest? and he was celebrating his 19th birthday! Happy Birthday--War Eagle!--we love you!)

And another cousin, Jenn....who also blogs. She's a real sweetheart, wish our visit wasn't so short, but glad to get a quick hug before kick-off.

Yep....it was a TIGER-RIFIC day in Auburn.

I believe in Auburn and I love it!

And seeing these sweet moments, where my kids are enjoying the AUBURN experience, make me love AU even more.

WAR EAGLE!!

SEC football is where it's at!!

The excitement has been building. The feel of fall is in the air. And I for one, cannot wait for collegiate football to begin. My favorite sport, hands down. Sure, I enjoy a great Friday Night high school game, but I love those tailgating days on the Plains of Auburn.

And to be quite honest, I love watching just about any college game on TV on Saturdays as well. Nothing beats having friends and family over to share some good food and see the latest & greatest the SEC and even those other regions have to offer.


Now, for your viewing pleasure, I offer you two photos of some "up and comers", "rising athletes", "ones to keep your eye on in the next few years"....who knows, you may or may not see them playing on Saturday someday.

Although maybe not for the Auburn Tigers.

But they do play A LOT of football, and usually on Saturdays, right out in the backyard!!


My oldest son and my nephew attended Auburn's Football Camp again this summer. They had a grand time, even under the new Coach.

In honor of the upcoming kick-off weekend, I thought I'd offer up this little toast to college football, primarily the SEC. I know we can't all agree on a favorite team, although I'd seriously like to see everyone wear the orange and blue color scheme!! That's just not how this world was made, and really, would it be fun if we all LOVED the same team???

However, I do think, for the most part, any readers I have would all agree the SEC is best!!

Happy Tailgating!!!

Because we all know watching football is great, but it's even better with a good dip!!

BooMama is hosting a "diptacular" event just in time for college football's kick-off weekend.

I've put 3 of our favorites over on the recipe blog....HERE.

• Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball (sweet with animal crackers)
• Hot Reuben Dip (savory and so good)
• Buffalo Chicken Dip (spicy, served best with Fritos!)

Please don't forget to serve up some yummy Best Ever Apple Dip as well. Great for fall or anytime of the year.

Sadly, I don't have photos of them on the recipe blog yet....but give me a few Saturdays preparing them for watching some SEC football and I will!!!

I was a cheerleader....we didn't have to know about lining up at X or Y, we just had to know if our team was playing defense or offense.

But now, I have a little athlete on the field. I guess I should start paying attention a little better than I did while on the Rah-Rah Squad.

Well, let me introduce you:

#26 in your program, but #1 in your heart......

And this, boys and girls, is his FIRST ever play on the field of football. His first ever play of his career.....assuming he survives and intends to continue playing this sport for the next 6 years. :)

So, when he's 18, or 28, or 42 or 65 and he wants to dive in to telling all his grandchildren about back in the "good old days when I played football".....well, I have a pic to start him off directly from the beginning.

Of course, he may not care to show off these FIRST EVER HOT OFF THE PRESS photos.....as they don't show much action, on the part of him. But never fear...he's learning. And before long, who knows, scouts may be knocking on the door of the old blog wanting to talk to his agent.

Until then....his mama will just keep snapping away. She has no clue what he's doing, but enjoys immensely the smile he gets when he talks about playing. And because the love of football is in our whole family...we just get a kick out of seeing him take the field. Even for 4 plays.

Even when he's the little 92 pounder in the center of a photo checking out the pile of players before him:

And here's a good shot of my little man with his best friend, J. Seriously....they became buds in Kindergarten.....should they really be on a High School football field or shouldn't they still be just taking a break on a napmat after signing the ABC song?

OK. So, maybe every week I won't bore you with a bunch of nonsense photos of football, that I have not the knowledge to tell you if the guys are playing wheel linebacker or wide receiver. But you better bet, if I do get a good shot of that sweet boy of mine, I will post it. And I'll promptly call his Dad or the coach and ask them to explain what he's doing so that I can tell you all! :)

• However, these next photos, I do not need any help with explaining.
  
  She's training to be a future cheerleader.

She has no idea what lining up in X or Y means.

And I am fairly certain she never will.

However, I'll make sure she understands when we have the ball, that means it's time to do...

• "T-D we want a TOUCH-DOWN"

Congrats to the Junior High team for their win earlier this week!

Victorious....not a bad way to start off.

A wise man once said......

"He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. " ~~ Micah 6:8

• And now you are saying....What?
• Where'd you find that verse?
• What does it have to do with anything?
• Why is it relevant in your life?
• Who in the world even reads the book of Micah??? :)

My Grandfather stood one night and recited that verse at his church.
I've been thinking about it a lot the last few months.
It's not one you hear a lot, not one that's analyzed and spoken in Sunday sermons very often.

But it's stuck with me....because of PawPaw.
I miss him. He was such a loving, good-hearted man. He was an inspiring Christian to many, myself included. Sure he had his flaws....but I ask you, who doesn't?

My point exactly.

I love to memorize scriptures, although I haven't MADE time to do it recently. I dug this one out because I want to get back on track. Care to join me? Scriptures are at the very essence of our daily time with the Lord....for me, they always speak directly to something right at that moment in my life. I continue to be amazed at how the Lord knows exactly when, where and what I need to hear, through the good, bad and ugly.

And believe me, HE's had his work cut out on me several times through the ugly spots.

I miss my grandfather. I see a TON of him in my Dad....especially when he's talking to TB. My PawPaw would have adored her, made her feel as though everything she said or did was the best in the world.....just as he did me. He was an outstanding Grandparent. He was the best PawPaw, ever.

Apparently he did a lot of reading in Micah....he wasn't scared to look at those books tucked away deep in the Old Testament and learn from them.

I want to be more like him.

But most importantly, I want to be more like HIM. Growing in HIM daily. Listening to the words written in Micah.....

......Acting Justly, Loving Kindness, and Walking humbly with HIM more.

Because that's really what was most important in my PawPaw's heart....making sure we saw more of HIM and less of him. And for that little lesson, I am forever grateful.

WARNING: cute baby pics ahead!!!

I can't help myself when AK is around, I just have to take her picture. They change so much when they are little. And they have just the best little expressions.



Hey. I tried to warn you. But, no, you just had to look anyway.
You can't resist.
Neither can I.
I could look at them all day long.

Just look at these Cutie Patooties!

And in this last one, AK is deep in thought.....contemplating very meaningful, insightful, highly intelligent topics, such as....

• "why won't they let me play volleyball with them?".....
• "why do my mama & Aunt KK laugh so hard every time they miss the ball?"....
• "why are they so out of breath?"....
• "when is somebody gonna feed me?"....
• "where's Uncle Temple with that sundrop?"