"Iron Bowl" eve

In just over 19 hours, Alabama and Auburn will kick off the 75th Iron Bowl.  I personally refer to this game as the Alabama-Auburn game simply because I associate the title "Iron Bowl" with the years that the game was played in Birmingham.  Once it was moved from Legion Field to the campuses, it ceased being the Iron Bowl.  It was called the Iron Bowl because at one time Birmingham was known for its iron and steel production.

Tomorrow's game will be at the beautiful Bryant-Denny Stadium, and John and I will be there along with 101,819+ other screaming, rowdy fans.  Since we've been lazy today, I've been reading message boards and seen all of the reasons Bama should win as well as the reasons Auburn should win.  I'll admit it...I'm nervous!  I want Bama to win.  Desperately.  I will also admit it...I hate Auburn.  HATE it.  Now, that does NOT mean that I hate the people who are associated with Auburn.  After all, both of our sons-in-law are Auburn grads, and I have many friends whom I cherish who are grads.  OK...so yeah, maybe I have a problem, but after the last couple of weeks, I have come to realize that I am not alone.

What has happened in the last couple of weeks?  Oh, just the NCAA snooping around in regards to the recruitment of one Cameron Newton, Auburn's QB (who has done an awesome job, BTW.  See, I can say something nice!)  In addition to the NCAA, the FBI has also started poking around looking at the involvement of potential illegal acts of several of the Board of Trustee members who are associated with gambling interests as well as a failed bank.  I have read numerous message board posts and newspaper articles and listened to numerous talking heads from various media outlets discussing this, and I just don't see how Auburn gets out of this without some penalty.  However, some of the Auburn fans who are posting on message boards can't even respond without saying "It's all a lie."  "Bammers have made all this up because we're doing so well this year."  "We haven't done anything wrong.  Besides, everybody else does it."  (Um, isn't that somewhat of a contradiction?)  THIS is why I hate Auburn.

Bama may lose tomorrow.  We have gotten burned more than once, but I have to believe that we will be ready for anything.  We haven't lost at home in the last 20 games.  We have a stadium that holds over 101,000 people, and I know the crowd will be into the game.  We have a coach who will make sure the players are focused and ready to take on the opponents.  We have players who want to prove that, even though we have lost two games this season, we are still a top-tier team.  Because of those things, I believe we will win.  IF we don't, we will know that we lost to a team that felt they had to participate in a pay-for-play scheme in order to win. 

I've got everything laid out and ready to go.  My crimson funnel neck sweater, my black/charcoal houndstooth peacoat, my black with crimson trim leather gloves, my red undies, and my houndstooth tights (which no one will be able to see unless they go to the potty with me, but still...)  We're leaving about 7 or so because we're meeting Susan and Tim at Baumhower's at 10:30 for wings.  Yeah, wings at 10:30, but if we don't go early, we'd never get in and out by game time.  :)  I seriously think I will have a hard time sleeping tonight.  This is like Christmas eve when I was a kid. 

I guess that's it for now.  I hope you have a GREAT day tomorrow, and

ROLL TIDE!!!!!!!!!!!

Thankful

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, so I wanted to take a minute to reflect on the things I am truly thankful for.

First of all, I have to mention that in addition to Thanksgiving, it is my mom's birthday, so I get to do a combined happy birthday/thankful for.  Mom is a truly beautiful person, both inside and out.  She is always thinking about other people and doing so much for those who are in need, whether it is physical, financial, emotional, or most importantly, spiritually.  She stays busy with her Tuesday morning Bible study, working/volunteering at the hospital, preparing meals for the local hospice...I could go on and on.  She has been such an inspiration to me, and I hope that when I grow up, I can be just like her.  :)  Happy birthday, Mom!  I love you!

Next, Dad's birthday is Saturday, so let me do the same for him.  Growing up, Dad wasn't the most affectionate person, but that goes back to his upbringing.  When you grow up in a family that doesn't express love, it's kind of hard to be all mushy.  There is no doubt in my mind at all that he loves me, though, and I know that at any time, all I would have to do is pick up the phone and he'd be there for me.  He provided a great home for us, and he set high expectations for us.  I know that much of my stubbornness comes from him, and I'm glad I have that streak in me.  :)  Happy birthday to you, too, Dad!  I love you!

I am so thankful for my wonderful husband and our beautiful children and grandson.  God knew what I needed to make my life complete.  Even though I thought I knew what I needed, He guided me to what I really needed.  I thank Him each and every day for John, Katy, Phillip, Sam, Jessi, and Lance.  These are the people who make my life complete.  I cannot wait for the day that He adds to our wonderful family!

God has also blessed me by giving me some of the best friends a person could ever dream of having.  It would be impossible for me to name them all because I know that I would leave someone out.  (That sounds sort of like an acceptance speech, doesn't it?)  I would feel horrible if I overlooked someone and caused hurt feelings.  So, let me just say that if you consider yourself my friend, I am extremely thankful for you, and I love you!

John and I both have good jobs, which is not something far too many people have in today's economy.  Not only do we have good jobs, but we both love our jobs and the people we work with.  I talk about how ready I am to retire, but honestly, I will miss my kids and my colleagues.  (I will NOT miss the grading though!  LOL)

We also have a beautiful home which is filled with love and laughter.  Our bellies have plenty (as anyone who sees us can tell...)  We have all of our needs met, and we can even have many of our wants fulfilled.

I know I could go on and on, but I think I'm about to call it a night.

I hope each of you has a wonderful Thanksgiving, one filled with laughter and love.

I'm still here!

The last few weeks have been..., yeah, they've been.  Busy, tiring, slightly stressful.  But that's normal for this time of year.  I've been neck deep in research (final papers are due Monday), and it's nearly the holidays.  Am I ready?  In a word...no. 

One of my friends from work posted pictures of her CHRISTMAS trees on Facebook the other day.  I posted a comment saying that I hated her because I wasn't even ready for Halloween.  THAT'S how behind I feel.  Not one Christmas gift has even been thought about, much less bought.  Decorating?  Haven't given it a thought.  Heck, it just dawned on me earlier this week that NEXT week is Thanksgiving!  Where has this year gone???

For years John would hunt Thanksgiving weekend, so we would come home from Hartselle on Thursday night or Friday morning.  I would decorate everything except for putting up the tree.  We would go, usually on Sunday afternoon, to cut our tree, and then I would decorate it Sunday evening/Monday.  After he stopped hunting, we would usually stay in Hartselle for the entire weekend, and that's when my decorating began to not happen until mid-December.  Since we're not doing a Hartselle Thanksgiving this year, maybe I can get some decorating done next weekend.

This will be the first year in almost forever that we haven't gone to Hartselle for Thanksgiving.  We, as a family, decided to do only one holiday celebration this year halfway between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  The holidays are so, so busy (and they just seem to get busier every year) that we decided to try this to alleviate some of the stress.  Honestly, I'm glad we're doing it this way because it will cut down on the traveling John and I will do.  For months, we've been on the road most every weekend, either to the lake or to his mom's, and I think I will enjoy a couple of days of just hanging around the house.  And even then, we'll still be on the road the day after Thanksgiving because that's when the Alabama-Auburn game is.  BUT we will be home all day Saturday and after church on Sunday.  Even I hope to decorate, I also plan on getting a good start on grading research papers.  (Any volunteers?  No??  Gee, I don't understand why...)

Guess that's it for now.  I'm gonna pop over to tidefans to see what the latest news on the sCam Newton saga is.  You've heard that truth is stranger than fiction?  Well, this is certainly one of those cases.  It is going to be interesting to see how this eventually all plays out.

Have a GREAT day!  I know I will...taking a half day tomorrow so we can go to the Bama-Ga. State game tomorrow night, and then taking Friday off to recover from a late night.  :)

All settled in

John just talked to Connie.  Billie's transfer to the nursing home went well.  Thank you, God!  She said the ambulance crew were friends of Luke's, and they had her laughing.  She's been told she's going for rehab in order to build up her strength, and with her memory having gotten so bad, she won't remember if she's been there for a day or a month.  For now, she is in the Alzheimer's unit, but Connie said that she would probably be moved into the other part once she's had time to adjust.  Connie said that the lady who is her roommate right now is basically just lying there.  That isn't what Billie needs.  She needs to have people she can talk to and "visit" with.  I would think there are some in the Alzheimer's unit who are communicative, so maybe she can meet some of them.

Today was the twelve year anniversary of Grannie's death.  I still remember that phone call just like it happened this morning.  And the hurt is still just as deep.  Fortunately, it doesn't hurt every day.  Most memories now make me smile. 

I enjoyed my day off. Slept late (8ish...yeah, that's late to me now), had coffee while I read the paper and did the crossword puzzle, put the shoes that my closet had projectile vomited last week back into my closet, got a pedi, bought paint samples for the bathroom, and got my hair done.  I kept the same color, but I went with a shorter cut.  It isn't exactly like the picture I took in, but maybe I'll be able to make it do what I want. 
Going to work tomorrow will be hard after being off today.

Today is Veteran's Day.  I am so proud to be the daughter, granddaughter, niece, cousin, daughter-in-law, sister-in-law, aunt, and friend of veterans of the various wars/conflicts.  (I hope I didn't leave out any connections!)  I know that it is a great sacrifice to leave behind family and friends in order to carry out your commitment to our country, and it has to be extremely difficult to say those good-byes knowing that there is a chance you won't see your loved ones again.  For every man and woman who has served, I thank you.  I appreciate all that you have done for America.

Have a GREAT day!

The day has finally arrived

I had a voice mail from my sister-in-law Connie today.  Tomorrow is "the" day.  The day we've all known was coming.  The day we've dreaded so badly.  The day John's mom begins her journey to the nursing home.

Connie has told her she has a doctor's appointment tomorrow, but she, Danny, and Linda will be taking her to the hospital for a 10-12 day stay in the geriatric psych ward, and then she will go from there to the nursing home.  This is the easiest way to get her to the nursing home, and Connie said once that it is the best way to go to avoid more out-of-pocket expenses.  Unless I misunderstood, having her go to the hospital and then to the nursing home under "doctor's orders" cost less than what it would cost if the family were to place her into a home.

We all know that this is what is best for Billie, but it doesn't make it easier.  She doesn't always eat like she should or take her meds on a "schedule" like she should.  (She takes her meds, but I know that on the weekends we're there, it might be noon before we remember to give them to her.)  And if you read my post from the last time we were there, you know she doesn't shower like she should.  Trying to get her to do anything other than sit and stare at the four walls is next to impossible.

I knew the plan was for her to go to the hospital first, but when Connie said she would be in the geriatric psych ward first, it felt like I'd been kicked in the stomach.  (I've had that feeling two too many times in the last week.)  When I think "psych ward," I think "psycho" and she isn't psycho.  In a way, it helps me to know that Karen has had to go through this with her mom because I know her mom isn't psycho.

For years, Billie has said that she hoped she died before she ever got to the point of having to go to a nursing home.  Of course, her memories of nursing homes are what they were 30 or 40 years ago, and while not home, they are certainly much, much better than they were then!

The next few days and weeks will be difficult!