The Blind Side.....Again

Today Melissa and I went with a friend to see the movie, The Blind Side, again. So stinkin' good! I also, read the book - for the 2nd time as well - last week.

So very good.

If you need a good book to read - get it - it's worth the money. If you need a good movie to watch - get it -it's worth the money.

Good stuff.

The Magnolia Bowl

This Sunday I woke up early on this side of the world to watch my favorite football team play one of our most heated rivals. Even missed church. When I attended Ole Miss, the game against LSU was not titled, but now it's called the Magnolia Bowl. "Back in the day" it was always played Halloween weekend. But years go by and times change.

But the essence of a crazy game, apparently, never does. I remember us winning the last few minutes....or losing in the last minutes. Maybe instead of calling it the Magnolia Bowl is should have been called "Crazy Bowl" or "It's Not Over Until it's Really Over." It never seems to matter what the polls say - or bookies - and it's a toss up. I don't think I can say how happy I am that today the toss-up ended up in our favorite. As in many times in the past, the winner wasn't obvious until the last second...or in the case of today the few seconds after the time clock stopped.

Who would have ever thought LSU couldn't get a kicking team on the field fast enough?

What ever reason, I'll take the win.

In the last few seconds of the game I was on the phone with my mother -both of us yelling. I'm sure if my kids ever thought I was crazy, any doubt they have is now gone.

I've posted before of growing up Ole Miss. At still, Autumn is the season I miss home the most. I still wish I could give my kids the opportunity to experience an Ole Miss game in person - not just their crazy mother yelling at a TV. (Yes, Drew is usually there watching the game as well...he's just not a vocal as I am.) I wish they could fall in love with the game, the campus...the atmosphere as I did.

But I don't miss the heated rivalries turning ugly...where heated words turns to hatred. Fun-loving teasing turns into dead-serious verbal and at times physical attacks. That....I'm glad they don't know anything about.

And yet at the same time, I'm glad they are growing up military. Sacrifice for something bigger than you are and giving all your is still very much alive. Drew is so close to retirement we can taste it on some days, but we both know there'll be times when we'll miss this life.

We are planning a trip to that small beloved Mississippi town the next fall we are living in the States. Let's just make sure it's a game that Ole Miss will win....without giving every fan in attendance and watching TV a heart attack.

Busy Week

This can't be too long because I need to get the kids up and ready for school....it's amazing how fast the morning comes some days.

I have worked three days this week - all in first grade. Today the first grade class I'm in has an aide all morning - nice! I've already been told that she'll do most of the actually teaching since she knows the order and way of the class. Fine by me. Less stress.

William's soccer game on Tuesday was another not-so-good game. The refs were bad. Really bad. As in one looked like she was texting on the field during the game. True all the action was at the other end of the field, but still - hello! You're suppose to be working! And the other one didn't make calls against the other team. Like one of our guys receiving a head-lock...but the boy said he "didn't' mean to do it."

Hmmmm....so that makes it okay? New rule to me.

And when one of our players was kicked in the ....well...let's just say he'll wear a cup from now on, that didn't get called either - our parents and coach were none too happy. When you have a player laying down on the field, you really should STOP THE GAME!

Oh, and what got me - they never moved. As in they never really followed the ball and the play, but just stayed in their own little space. Like they didn't want to exert any energy.

After our coach yelled at the refs, the refs ended up calling the game making us forfeit. Great. Just great. I guess now you can't yell at the refs. And no, he wasn't even cussing or threatening them.

ANYWAY! We play again today and rumor has it, it's the same set of refs. Maybe we should ask for their cells phones to be left in their cars before the game starts.....

Okay, this is longer than I thought it would....but now I really need to start my day. Of course, I'm really regretting agreeing to work today....my Rebels are on TV beginning at 9:30 am. Well, at least, I know where I'll spend my lunch time!

Little Known Fact

This article may be a little known fact about my beloved Ole Miss for those of you who have never been there, but for us who have - we know all about it. My first apartment was just down the street from this farm. And yeah - they are dead serious about the arm guards in the towers!

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/05/18/government.marijuana.garden/index.html

Ode to Ole Miss

It's funny that on the day Polly sent me this link: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?page=sec/olemiss

I told an Ole Miss tailgating story.

For some of you reading this article, it will bring back memories of your Ole Miss tailgating...some as recently as last weekend. But for others of you, you will think its a little on the over-the-top and bizarre side of life. But let me assure you, you're right. But that's the beauty of it all. And it's fun. And there's lots of good food...really good food. Oh, yeah...there's a football game you can watch, too.

My parents tell me that my first Ole Miss game was win I was 18 months. (I'm sad to say that my last Old Miss game was nine years ago. Blame that on this military life.) Going to games is just what we did every fall growing up. And the rest of my family still goes when they can. I remember being checked out of school early on Fridays so we could get an early start to the weekends.

I remember one Friday being checked out early and Mom and I were walking down the hallway we were meet by a teacher. She asked if I was being check out b/c I was sick. I promptly and loudly said, "No, we're going to an Ole Miss game!!" Mom tried to get me to be quiet - she knew the teacher probably didn't think that was good reason to leave school early!

Going to the games also meant seeing family. I remember a lot of games begging my parents to let me stay with Aunt Linda or Mamaw Purvis or Momma Lee. Yes, there was a period in my life where I would do just about anything not to go. I'm sure my parents were glad to get rid of me on those times, too. Of course, my brother Ricky won't miss a game for anything! But the time I was a teenager I was more into going...of course, that may because I had a new dress to wear...

I remember going to a lot of away games as well. If the game was in Dallas, New Orleans, or Memphis, or anywhere close by, we would try to go. We probably made it to at least half the away games back then. I remember going to one away game in Knoxville. It was so cold! I remember Mom putting about three pairs of tights, two or three pairs of pants on me. (I'm sure I totally annoyed my mom by asking for the bathroom as soon as she finished dressing me!)

So many memories! Of course, there are all those games when I attended Ole Miss...and the parties after all the parents went home...but that's another blog.

Here's memory that the moms probably didn't know: As the family knows Drew was trainer for the football team for three years. It was during that third season that he decided that something in his life had to go. One night he and I went to the head-trainer's,Leroy's, house, . Drew explained that he was quiting due to the amount of responsibilities of AF ROTC, upper-level accounting classes he had, he just didn't have time to do it all anymore. He wanted his free time to be spent with me and not at the field house. Leroy seem to understand. After all, ROTC and accounting were going to be his future. Before we left Leroy's wife, Barbara, said, "When you called to say that you were coming by to talk we thought you were going to tell us you two eloped and were married."

uh...no...NO!!

Of course, after the stress we put our moms through getting married at Christmas time, they probably wished we had!!

I'm probably the most home-sick during the fall, missing the games and visiting with the family. I also miss my children not having this experience of being apart of all of this. But still, I love this nomadic military life God has called us to - so many places, people and experiences has been wonderful - a truly great adventure.

But still....Hotty Toddy to everyone!

Go Rebs!