A "Friendly" Weekend

Sometimes friends can come and go, but there a few who are truly special and you know they will always be there for you. I had a special visit on Saturday w/ one of those friends....my college roommate, Haylea. We lived at AU for 3 years together and have shared many fond memories. We are different in many ways, but that has always seemed to be our advantage as friends & roommates. Haylea is probably one the most LOYAL people I know and will always have your back. After college her career took her to Huntsville, where she still lives today. We both got married 3 mos. apart (both to wonderful guys- we're lucky girls) and she had her precious son, Graeme in November 2009. I'm hoping maybe her 2nd child and my 1st can be close to the same age. I need to hurry up don't I...haha.


Haylea married an Ole Miss boy and they were in MS visiting his family this weekend. We decided to meet up Saturday and had a wonderful time. We had a great lunch at Biaggi's and checked out all the new spring clothes at Maison Weiss that I can't afford (ha). I think in college we thought we'd live in the same city, but unfortunately it didn't work out. Maybe one day we will...I've realized after moving, that you never know where life may take you. I look forward to making a visit to Huntsville soon and hopefully she can spend a full weekend in Kosy soon. There is nothing better than knowing you have a friend that will be there for you ALWAYS. And although you may rarely see, but when you do see it seems as if time has stood still.

Thanks Haylea for your friendship!!

my wedding rehearsal - 11/16/2007

Haylea's baby shower- 8/2009....she doesn't even look pregnant. She's the girl that can drink regular cokes, eat Wendy's hamburgers every day in college and not gain a pound. I thought I could eat like that too and gained a quick 10 lbs...haha.

Haylea's big day- 9/18/2007

Couch to 5K

Life has been pretty uneventful lately. That is usually how the 1st of the year seems to always be. Our life was so busy with football season, holidays and then throw in an unexpected trip in January for the AU/Oregon BSC game; I'll admit it has been nice to slow down a bit. I LOVE staying busy and being on the go, but then can find it hard when there isn’t much to do. We have been in town the last few weekends and it has been wonderful- PEACEFUL & RELAXING- just what we needed. It has been nice to get back in the groove of things and spending time with friends we missed during the hectic holidays.

I’m writing all of this to tell you I had to find at least ONE thing to occupy my time….COUCH to 5K!!! I enjoy having a hobby or activity to keep me focused and occupied. In Montgomery it was tennis. Unfortunately, tennis doesn’t seem to be a big pastime here and I can’t make myself drive to Jackson or Starkville just to play in a league….I thought about it, but it is NOT worth the drive. So myself and a few other girls are training to do a 5K. Although I love activity, I’ve never been a runner and never wanted to be. It seems like everyone I know has ran a 5K, heck, even a 10K!! I guess the competiveness has come out in me b/c I decided if they can, so can I!!!!

I’m now ending week 4 of the 9 week program. So far…so good!! My goal is to do a 5K the weekend of March 19th. As of today, I can’t imagine doing it, but I know I will get there. Many of my friends that are runners have encouraged me and were once at the same spot that I’m in now. They said it is amazing how far you come in 9 weeks. The program seems to work for everyone I’ve talked to. I’m finding it a little addictive and I’m eager each week to see how far I can push myself. Not only do I feel better, but it is making want to eat better, and hopefully the weight loss will be an extra BONUS!

So I’m about to say it…..you can expect a blog post end of March that I have completed a 5K. I’m putting this in writing to make me do a 5K…I can’t go back on my word (ha). A big thanks to Whitney & Rachel for encouraging and running w/ me :) So for now, my tennis racquet has been traded in for running shoes!!

Try this program....you'll be surprised what you can do!!

http://coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

Taco Soup!!

There is nothing better than a good bowl of soup during these cold winter months. My Aunt Virginia shared this recipe with me recently and it turned out great!! This is super easy and is great with a little sour cream and cheddar cheese added (and of course tostitos). Bon Appetit'!!

Taco Soup

2 lbs. ground beef (Chuck or Round)
1 packet Dry Ranch Salad Dressing
1 packet Taco Seasoning
1 can Green Chilis
2 cans pinto beans, drained (I used only 1 can and it was plenty for my liking)
1 can corn, drained
1 can Rotelle Tomatos
2 cans Stewed or Diced Tomatos

Brown ground beef, drain fat. Add the Ranch packet and Taco packet to meat and mix well. Add remaining ingredients and enough water for desired consistency (depending on how thick you want your soup). Entire mixture may be added to crock pot and cooked on low for 3-4 hours OR entire mixture may be brought to a boil on stovetop, then lowered to low heat for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

We've become THOSE fans....

Yes, Jason and I took our picture with the National Championship trophy. Yes, we made fun of the Bama fans last year for doing the same thing. Before you begin to laugh or think we drove 3 hours to Bham just to get this picture made....there is a good story behind it.....see below...

Proud AU fans!!

The story begins on Sunday.....Since we live so close to Starkville we decided to go watch the AU/State bb game on Sunday afternoon. So of course we dressed in our orange and blue and headed up HWY 12. Unfortunatley AU got beat very badly, but we still had a nice time. We also needed to get our dog, who we had not seen in over a week. Jason's parents kept him Sat-Th and then my parents took over duties when they got home from the game. Since we both were off on Monday and already in Starkville, we decided to drive to BHAM after the game, stay with our friends Sunday night and meet my parents on Monday to get the dog and then head back to MS.


So as we are driving to Bham Sunday after the game, we call our friends and decided to meet at MOE's for dinner around 6:00 (the one by HWY 119/Greystone). I was joking with Jason since we were still in our AU attire that everyone is going to think that we are the PROUD AU fans that can't bare to quit wearing orange and blue since the big win. We decided who cares, I left my orange scarf on and we venture to Moe's to meet our friends.


As we're pulling in the parking lot we see this mass crowd of AU fans...I mean they were EVERYWHERE!! Which was a nice change since no one over here really cares that AU just won a national title. Well, come to find out the mass crowd is in line at ACADEMY SPORTS (beside MOE'S) b/c the National Championship Trophy is being shown from 6-8 and you can get a free picture made. We had a good laugh, met our friends for dinner and proceed to watch all the AU fans come into Moe's after getting their picture made.


Of course, I told Jason, "NO we are NOT standing in line", but as we are finishing dinner it is getting closer to 8 and the line was pretty short. We thought we might as well, it was FATE (haha) that we just happened to end up at the same place and not even know the trophy would be there. So, yes that is the story of how we ended up with that picture. What is even better is that we have AU MS license plates on our cars. So people that saw us drive off probably thought...what dedicated AU fans....they drove all the way from MS for this picture. So, now we can say we saw the trophy and have a picture to prove it!! I apologize to all BAMA fans for every making fun of you last year :)

**on a side note we had a lovely visit w/ Jason & Lesley and their girls and great lunch w/ Mom & Dad and made it backs safely to MS :)

BEST AU ROAD GAME EVER- PART 3- BACK TO VEGAS

After the big win on Monday night we headed back to Scottsdale. We had to get plenty of rest b/c our trip wasn’t over yet. We hit the road early on Tuesday morning back to Vegas. The drive was so scenic, we really didn’t mind driving the 4.5 hours again. Many AU people had our same idea b/c we saw many rental cars w/ their AU flags on our way back to Vegas. Our friends decided to spend Tuesday golfing in Phoenix and my parents flew out of Tuscon on Wednesday. We had a blast being with friends and family, but it was nice to spend a little alone time in Vegas.

We decided to splurge our last night in Vegas and stay at The Venetian…which was fabulous I must say!! We finished our trip w/ a little shopping, a wonderful dinner at Jasmine in the Bellagio, and took in a Cirque du Soleil show-KA (highly recommended!!). I originally wanted to see Cher, but decided Jason probably would not enjoy it too much (haha). We compromised and saw something we both would like; and I was highly pleased with KA!!

Our last night in Vegas was a perfect ending to a wonderful trip! Our 12:30 flight back to Memphis came too soon on Wednesday. We did not want to come home :( We feel very fortunate that we were able to see AU become National Champions in person. It is something I will never forget and a memory I will cherish forever. I’m already looking forward to next football season (even though Cam is going pro)!! Enjoy the pics below :)

War Eagle!!!

scenic view about 30 miles south of Vegas

This was pretty much our view for 4.5 hours....beautiful!!

The rooms at The Venetian were awesome!!

Resting after a long drive back to Vegas

The gondola ride at The Venetian...I haven't been to Italy yet, but I'll take this for now :)

The hallway b/w the lobby & casino...beautiful!!

ceiling in lobby

outside The Venetian....ready to go shopping!!

We had a wonderful meal at The Jasmine inside The Bellagio. The restaurant has a great view of the fountians in front of The Bellagio.

Vegas at night!!

Making our way back to the MGM Grand for our show- KA!! Thought this was a pretty view of The Bellagio.

We ended our Vegas trip by going to see KA. The set, acrobatics and costumes were amazing!! We would highly recommend this to anyone going to Vegas. It was a great way to end a wonderful vacation!!

BEST AU ROAD GAME EVER- PART 2- THE WIN!

We stayed in Scottsdale on Sunday and Monday nights with my family. My parents were gracious enough to get a 2 BR condo and treated us to 2 FREE nights- thanks Mom & Dad!! The only time I had ever been to AZ was for a connector flight in Phoenix, so I was looking forward to taking in the sites!! I absolutely loved Scottsdale. Everything was brand new, clean, shopping galore, every great restaurant you could imagine, etc.

We had a great dinner w/ my parents on Sunday night and called it an early tonight to prepare for the game (ha). Some of my college friends made it to Charles Barkley’s party at THE W HOTEL on Sunday night and I heard it was tons of fun. I’m afraid I’m getting old b/c all I wanted to do after dinner was go to sleep….I hate I missed them on Sunday :(

Monday we were up bright and early to head to the game. Words can’t describe how excited we all were. It was fun to see so many people we knew- old friends from college, people from our hometowns, etc. Of course cell phone service was terrible- could not make calls or texts- so we missed many of the people we wanted to see :( Most of the places were so packed (the restaurants/bars & the tailgate party we had tickets for)…we primarily just walked around and ran into lots of people we knew. Everyone seemed so ready to get in the stadium…we got in line at 4:30 (for a 6:30 kick off) and I’m glad we did b/c it took us an hour to get in!!!

We were glad to be settled in our seats and got ready to watch the game we had all been waiting for!!! The game was well worth the wait. I was so ecstatic to witness AU take home the National Championship. War Eagle!! Enjoy the pics below from gameday :)

We just happened to run into Jason & Hunter Hutchison and Hunter took this pic for us...Thanks Hunter!!

Mom & me :) My dad was out rounding up programs for everyone (including us and friends back home...I think he had to buy around 10??)

The stadium!!

This was the crowd trying to get in the stadium at 4:30. I think we picked the wrong gate, b/c my parents had no trouble getting in.

Can you pick Jason and me out?? My dad took this pic from their seats.

Mom & Dad...I actually stole this pic from dad's fb pictures. I'm disppointed we didn't get a pic of all 4 of us, but it was just at hectic/crazy day!!

players getting ready....we were all sooooo nervous, I can't imagine how the players felt??

Happy to finally be here!!

more happiness :)

players taking the field

Bo Jackson was honorary team captain....he has been a great support for the Tigers this season!!

Please check out the woman's hat in the center of the picture. It is amazing what college football makes people do!!

closer view of the hat above (haha)

I'm not sure why these pics are off center now, but I don't feel like changing them. This other guy in front of us wore this helmet the ENTIRE game. He even drank a beer and coke through it...pretty impressive (haha) Jason and I just found it funny that he packed that helmet and took it on an airplane with him.














The celebration begins.....WAR EAGLE!!!!!!!!!!!!

22-19!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Coach Chizik accepting the trophy

pics are centered now?? Darvin Adams leading the band after the big win!!

celebrating with The Spaeths....they were only a few rows behind us

#1 finally!!!!!!!!!! What a season!!!!

We saw A LOT of this b/w Phoenix and Vegas

WAR EAGLE!!!!!!!!!!!!! CAN'T WAIT UNTIL NEXT FOOTBALL SEASON!!

Best AU Road Game Ever- part 1

For my non-AU friends reading this, Auburn’s theme this football season was AUBURN FAMILY- ALL IN. The AU family came together once again to pull on our AU Tigers in Glendale. Auburn & Oregon were both allotted only 17,000 tickets each, but there were at least 50,000-60,000 AU fans that made the trip. It was AMAZING to say the least. I would say the AU to Oregon fan ratio was 70/30 orange, with hints of obnoxious green and yellow here and there. We decided if we were traveling this far for a game, we might as well make it an ALL OUT vacation. So…here is part one- VEGAS!!!

Our flight left early Saturday morning from Memphis. I was amazed at the # of AU fans in the Memphis aiport…I can’t imagine what the airports were like in ATL, BHM, & MGM?? It was a beautiful day and I’m very thankful we beat the ice/snow storm that came on Sunday. We met up with our friends from Montgomery, Robby & Mary Frances Spaeth in Vegas and had a grand time!! We stayed at the MGM Grand on Sat. night and made the 4.5 hour drive to Phoenix on Sunday….that drive was absolutely GORGEOUS by the way. Here are some highlights of the 1st part of the trip.....

New York New York

view of the lower strip

MGM Grand

MGM Grand again

We met this crazy Oregon fan when we first got to Vegas. I was pretty impressed with his homemade duck mask :)

We had a wonderful dinner at Emeril's Delmonico in The Venetian. The food was fabulous!!

Leaving Delmonico stuffed and happy!!

The Bellagio...so pretty at night

We went to see the JABB AWOC KEEZ...does anyone remember them from winnning America's Best Dance Troop?? We were all pretty impressed with their show!!

pre-show

On our way to Phoenix we stopped at The Hoover Dam- AMAZING!!

Jason and I both forgot our sunglasses....we will probably be squinting in lots of pics

Tons of AU fans were at the Hoover Dam as well

I never realized it, but the Hoover Dam is on the AZ/NV state line