A little late AU post....

So, a couple of Saturdays back, we traveled down to the Plains to see our beloved Auburn Tigers for gameday!  And fortunately, we were happy to meet up with many of our extended family....cousins from all over the south, uniting forces in family ties, and against Clemson!! :)   

Lucky for you, I didn't take very many pictures during this game....because I was in a glass box during the game....and it doesn't fair well for photo opportunities.   However, I can tell you by looking at this photo, Clemson's #93 forgot to put his underpants or girdle or whatever you call it, on under his football pants.

 And whether behind glass or not,  I can also tell you that I can't help myself but take a picture of Cam...the man.

My brother, his wife and son were also in attendance for the AU-go big Blue-game as well. 

And since T-5 and I were holed up in a box (with air conditioning, cushy seats, private bathrooms, and a plethora of free food) we had Nana and Pappy keep watch of Elder Son and Middle Boy over in the cheap seats of the stadium.  

 

Let me just say, I don't think my ol' ticker can take many ballgames like the AU-Clemson, or the AU-South Carolina one from this past weekend.  But I am so proud of my TIGERS.....and there's no place like AUBURN! 

WAR EAGLE!

Oh, they're changing alright.....

the leaves...on the trees.

They went from green and ALIVE, to brown and DEAD.

But at least we are getting some fall type weather this week.

I love the crispness of the cool air, don't you? 

The Climb.

It really isn't about how fast you get there.  Nor is it always about what's waiting on the other side. 

Life is all about the climb. 

Especially for Middle Boy.

He's not the dare devil of our bunch to begin with, but when you also factor in the broken femur that resulted from a random accident on the last day of school in 4th grade....he may be a little more cautious than most.

Hey, if you fell down and broke your femur on the playground you might be a little more careful in life, too.

He's still my hero. Frog legs and all.

Yo-Yo.

This is a summer leftover post.  I'm finding many of them...you'll just have to suffer through it with me, maybe I'll get everything posted before the turn of 2011.

Our niece spent the night with us and one of her favorite activities was watching Elder Son perform his Yo-Yo tricks.  But of course, as with any inquisitive toddler mind----she wanted to try it out for herself as well.

I have no doubts she is a brilliant child, but it still may take a while to catch on to the idea behind a Yo-Yo!!  :)   However, Elder Son will be happy to keep teaching her.

Scripture Cards

I have heard from many of you, but I don't want to leave anyone out who may be interested. Don't forget to message me (text, facebook or email) to let me know if you would like to receive the H3 scripture verse cards in the mail every month. 

H3 folks...sorry to bother you, but...

I have misplaced my book that has all of the H3 folks and their addresses in it....along with various other vital information.  I am very sad. I even resorted to offering 5 WHOLE BUCKS to the first kid who found it over the weekend.....under a couch, behind a chair cushion, between the mattress, etc.  And either it's really lost, or they weren't impressed with the $5 reward money. 

Maybe I should up the ante.

First one to find it gets to live in a house, with a cook and a maid, and free laundry/taxi service.  Any takers?

At any rate, I need my book and it can't be found as of yet.  Believe it or not.....I have all your H3 cards to mail out (even the ones left from this summer when I took a break from things).   Some of you may not care to get the reminder verses in your mailbox at home, and that's fine too.  However, I know it's a hassle, but if you would still like to receive the H3 cards in the mail please, please, let me know. Or if you are new and wanting to join up with H3--super!  Text me, Facebook me, leave a comment here, shoot me an email, whatever....thanks!

It should be a great marriage, with such wonderful beginnings at AU.....

During the Auburn game this past weekend the sweetest thing occurred at halftime.  The ladies in navy suits and the guys in orange blazers are known as the War Eagle Girls and Plainsmen.  They were recognized on Jordan Hare field at halftime during the season opener.  

Just as they were about to exit the field, one lone orange jacket stayed behind, lowered himself to one knee and popped the big question to his girl......right there on the 50 yard line in the center of the AU, among 87,000 of the Auburn family.  It was so sweet. I didn't realize what was happening soon enough to get a pic of him on his knee but here's what followed:

Congratulations to the happy couple and WAR EAGLE!!

I just took a bunch of extra medicine and went anyway!

No matter how sick I am, I never miss an opportunity to spend a day in Auburn, especially watching my beloved Tigers in their season opener!! 

And Baby Girl never misses an opportunity to put in a little gym practice....who knows, maybe an AU gymnastics coach caught a glimpse of her abilities at the tailgate! :)

We made it to the stadium and hadn't even sat down good before it was time to make a trip to the concessions.  But aren't these AU pretzels just the neatest thing??  And yum, too.

                                               

Then it was time....one of my favorite times of the year....I get giddy just thinking about it all over again.....time to watch the 2010 Tigers bust forth from the locker room and take the field!!

And next it was CAM time....oh, that Cam, what can I say, he was fun to watch--run, pass, scramble, you name it! 

You certainly can't miss him, at 6'5" he stands heads above most of the team....and I think he's going to prove to be a great choice as our QB.

And here is my new friend Cam, talking with our 3rd string QB, who happened to go in for a trick play of sorts, and he has an ARM on him as well....he chunked the ball downfield for a touchdown reception! 

I can't leave you without a pic of one of my favorite sideline coaches ever....Trooper Taylor.  However, I wouldn't trade places with him for anything....I'm not about to chest bump Lee Ziemba.

So, all in all, here's the summary:

Our defense needs some work, but I could watch Cameron Newton all day....in fact I think I will do just that every Saturday!

Yep, a day on the plains with all my favorite people---life is good....even with strep throat.

Updated to add:  Cam also received SEC Offensive Player of the Week (thanks for reminding me Michele)

I need your help with something.....

That's what the old preacher said when he called the kids to come down to the front pew for a little children's worship time.  It was a Sunday night service a couple of years ago, and my kids headed down right away, ever the volunteers.

What the preacher went on to show the kids has stuck in my mind ever since....and theirs.  I think of it every day...when I brush my teeth.  Here's his story paraphrased as best I can remember it.  I tried to include some pics I made to make it more visual for you....although it's not the same as seeing the shock and awe on the faces of the kids when the preacher did it at church that night.

He took out his bathroom kit and pulled out a toothbrush.

Then, after fumbling around trying to unscrew the toothpaste and get everything situated atop a napkin on his knee, he managed to ask one of my kids to volunteer to help squirt some toothpaste on his toothbrush.  Which they did, but before he closed up the toothpaste, he decided it needed just a tad bit more....

And so he would up with this mess.....and then asked the kids to help him.  Again....eager to be chosen to help, all three of my kids shot their hands up in the air.   They just wanted to help.....but they didn't know that he was going to ask them to do was impossible.   The chosen child hopped up from the front pew to offer his assistance (I'm sure he thought he would just be asked to clean up the mess). 

It was then the preacher said, "I need you to put the toothpaste back in the tube".  

With wide eyes and a look of disappointment on his face, my child shook his head and said, "I can't".

And immediately he spoke of our speech life, how it's a lot like this toothpaste.....once we've let our words come spewing forth from our mouth, there is no way to put them back in....we can't.

 "Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD: keep watch over the door of my lips."  ~~Psalm 141:3

Words are very powerful.  They can be very uplifting or extremely destructive. 

 As a mother, I take my job of family cheerleader very seriously.  Over the summer I read a devotion about family that said words are like seeds, whatever we "plant" or speak, will grow.  Do we want the critical, negative words to grow in our children, among our friends and family, our co-workers? I don't think anyone would say that they want that....but it's exactly what happens when we speak that way, our realm is soon surrounded by negativity.  The devotion went on to say we needed to look for the good in our children, husband, family.  I would add that is also true for our friends, co-workers, church members, etc.  We seek out what is good and speak it, becoming a cheerleader, because everyone needs a cheerleader. 

I know there have been times I have spoken a harsh word to my husband or children....when if I had only corrected with more of a cheerleader spirit....giving them more positive comments to go along with the negative one.  The devotion had a great acrostic to the word THINK that I thought I'd share and close with...

THINK before you speak:

T      = is it True

H     = is it Helpful

 I      = is it Inspiring

N     = is it Necessary

K     = is it Kind

I had good intentions to have a post up today.

But you know what they say about good intentions....especially when sickness gets in the way. 

Yes, it is time for the monthly H3 verse posting, and I have a post coming, with pictures even.  However, I wasn't finished with my thoughts on writing it yet so I couldn't schedule it to be posted ahead of time. 

Then the sickness set in....the dreaded strep throat.  I wondered why I almost passed out yesterday while painting paws at the football stadium....I mean I know I'm elderly and the heat can sneak up on old folks, but this was ridiculous.

With a big weekend planned, I knew I needed to get this in check soon, so off to the doc I went last night.  Strep positive.  BIG extended release penicillin shot soon followed.  Dang, that medicine is thick, it stings, and is more painful than I remembered. I feel really sorry for my kids now....as I've always dismissed the largeness of the needle and the thickness of the liquid inside with a quick, "suck it up, you'll feel much better after you get this shot, it's just ONE shot".

I did manage to mumble to myself to suck it up as the nurse was "prepping" the area and counting to 3.   It still hurt and I immediately wanted to send for the driver to get me and take me home....and then I realized I was the driver. Suck it up.

So, anyway, thanks to the shot I am feeling some better, amazingly, my throat isn't what hurts the most, it's the congestion clogging up my head, I can't breathe.  And your brain needs oxygen.  So, I felt it best not to try to write a post when my brain still feels a little woozie from all the fever, congestion, and exhaustion of recent sleepless nights.  I promise it will be up, but it may be a few days....unless you want some really incoherent thoughts....I mean, more than usual. :)

Right now I can't decide which hurts worst, my chest, my throat, my head, my back or my booty.

And they didn't even give me a cute, colorful, cartoon character-laden band-aid. 

Maybe they can all get together and make a new girl band.

Riding in the car last week, Baby Girl talked and I listened. 

For several miles, and numerous songs, she had a lengthy dissertation on the matter at hand: 

• whether she sounded more like Taylor Swift or Carrie Underwood when she sang.

That's why I mostly just listened.

And let her talk it out.

Better for her to come up with her own conclusions on this one. 

However, I'm guessing that since neither I, nor her, can carry a tune in a bucket or a wheelbarrow for that matter, she probably most likely doesn't sound like either lady of the country/pop stage. 


But she sure is just as pretty as they are.

Alan Jackson wrote a song about it.....

.......Way down yonder on the Chattahoochie......and we decided to see for ourselves what Alan knew that we didn't. 

So, off we went for a week to the Mtns. of North Georgia, for an adventure in a lakehouse on the Chattahoochie River.

With these fine girls and their parents.

The lakehouse we rented had it's own canvas covered tubes that allowed us to take a 2.5 hour relaxing float down the Chattahoochie, every day.  Some would fish as they traveled the river, others would race down the rapids with the greatest of ease, and some of us just kicked back and enjoyed the calmness of nature.  No bustling tourists, no crowded areas, nothing to bother you but a small mouth bass, tree trunk debris at the edge of a rapid, or a few extra large rocks that hurt when your feet pound into them.  

The neighbors even had a rope swing the kids utilized.  See how great I am with the camera?  Notice how lovely the leaves of that scrub tree are in focus and my child is blurry. Yes, I know, I'm working on it. :)

As for the adults....well, we spent every night at the table with this game. Love it!

Fun was had by all....in fact, we are already looking into a repeat next year.   Alan was right, it was hot, but the water was just chilly enough to bring a perfect balance to the summer heat!