Great Weekend & EPIC win!

I had the nicest surprise this weekend!  I planned on seeing Sheldon on Friday night in Gainesville so we could meet for the Alabama-Florida football game.  I was so full of excitement all week long that by Thursday I could hardly stand to wait another day! That's why I was absolutely ecstatic when I got this text message....

He is good at surprises - he got me good last month in Birmingham when he arrived at my sister's house a day early and unbeknownst to me.  Isn't he the best?!

I got to spend all of Thursday afternoon just hanging out with him and then we ate dinner at his grandparent's house that night.  The next day, he helped me finish my pressure-washing project at my house.  We went out to dinner at my favorite restaurant and then met up with my best friend Justin and his wife Megan, who were going to Gainesville with us for the game.  We joined them at a little hole-in-the-wall bar for a couple of beers and good conversation.  It felt so so good having Sheldon in town for a couple of days :)

On Saturday, we got up, put our "game faces" on, and prepared for our first Alabama-Florida rivalry as a couple.  You see, Sheldon grew up a Gator fan and loves orange & blue as much as I love my crimson.  Megan and Justin are also a mix of fanhoods being as Justin was born and raised a Crimson Tide fan and then went on to attend FSU for school.  Megan is a diehard Florida fan and former Gator cheerleader.  The four of us walking around Gainesville and tailgate-hopping brought a lot of laughs and silly comments from onlookers to say the least.

Mom and Dad also came to the game and had a wonderful Bamafied tailgate. Momma knows how to fix it up right!!

I was glad that Sheldon got to meet Susan (one of my very best friends and a super Gator fan) when she stopped by to visit us at the tailgate. 

We also got to spend a lot of time with his aunt & uncle and cousins who are Gainesville residents and diehard Gators as well. I appreciate their hospitality and allowing a loud and proud Tide fan hang out with them. I love his cousin Carlie.  She and I have become great friends.

After a long day of snacking and enjoying gameday cocktails, it was time for the game.  Despite the quick touchdown the Gators scored on us in the opening seconds of the game, the Tide manhandled the Gators and blew them out for the third year in a row.  Being as I grew up in Florida and have to listen to their unique brand of arrogance all the time, there is a sweetness like no other in a victory over them.  (Sorry, Sheldon - don't take it personal.)  Our seats were great.  We might have had to pay a pretty penny for them but it was worth every cent.  The best part about it was that it was in the same section/row as his family's seats were and we bought ours on StubHub.com and they have had theirs for years and years - what are the odds?!

The final score was 38-10. I love that I have other similar pictures to this with similar scores ;)

We played the kind of football that is reminiscent of vintage old-school Alabama football.  The defense was physical, the play-calling was smart, and the running game was unbelievable. Florida went into the game leading the SEC in rushing with an average of 229 yards per game.  They came out with 15 total rushing yards.  Trent Richardson, Alabama's stud running back and Heisman hopeful, ran 181 yards alone.  Total domination.

It was a great weekend and one that I will never forget.  I am so glad I got to spend it with Sheldon. I am so grateful for him... I know he is the man that God put in my life for me - even if he is a Gator fan.  I guess I'll love him anyway ;)

How was your weekend?

Roll Tide!

peace & love

bjj

my trip to Tuscaloosa + another groovy way to help!

Hello blog-world, friends, family, and fellow prayer warriors! 


Let me especially thank that last group for the support you've sent to Alabama by praying for strength, comfort, and direction for the future.  I think it is safe to say after visiting the Heart of Dixie this past weekend that God has wrapped his arms around that state and is sending so many volunteers & servers to spread His love and I hope that love continues to bring peace and comfort to the many people who are still suffering, lost, heart-broken, and in disarray... as they will be for quite some time but with the spirit that is alive and well in that special place, I see GREAT things in store for the future of Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, and the entire state and it's beautiful, gracious people!  I am SO glad I went this weekend. 


Seeing the devastation was the most uncomfortable experience of my life. With our load of donations from Central Florida in tow, Dad drove and I squirmmed around in my seat in every effort to find a place of comfort as I looked at my 'second home' in a complete and utter, tragic mess.  There wasn't much Daddy and I could muster up to try to explain what we were feeling.  All we could keep saying is, "it's nothing like it is on the news, which is bad. But being here and seeing this is WAY worse."  We just kept saying that over and over... needless to say, we know devastation on a completely new and heart-touching level. 


That place -- that special place -- where I have spent the last 5.5 years of my life and where I called 'home' from August 14, 2005 - December 1, 2010 (straight thru without ever coming home for a summer or anything) was and is forever changed.

Here are the photos I snapped while we dropped off the donations & supplies!

Here's the view from my front porch that I last lived at in University Village...

the neighborhood across the street (Rosedale Community) and the neighborhood adjacent to my last apartment dwelling (Forrest Lake) were completely destroyed and where several residents and UA students lost their lives.  Words cannot express my sympathy.

This was a humbling experience and I can't even imagine what it was like in the immediate aftermath and days following the huge tornado outbreak crisis.  It was AWFUL, and I was there a week and a half later.

The state of Alabama still needs your prayers!!!

Like always, though, I was able to see beauty even in the most tragic and ruined of places.  There is a spirit, an emotion that is so present in that town, and I know now that it's not just championships on the grid-iron that fuel that town's fire... that place is not only moved by the grumble of Bear Bryant's voice but the grumble of mother nature's fury and the path it left behind -- each bringing inspiration to future, but marking it's major spot in history - and both bringing a town, a state, and people of every race, religion, and background together...

and if that's an all-around beautiful thing and what the true spirit of God's word is!!!  I can't wait to see what God has in store for the future there and everywhere.  Sometimes (and I know this first-hand), you have to lose the life and the things you knew in order to find the life and the things that awaits you... and when it is something like a fire, or a tornado, an earthquake, or another form of nature's fury, you can find trust that it was constructed by the man upstairs for a purpose.  Somedays it will be hard to see that because the destruction can overwhelm us, but rewards await he who is faithful. 

Trust me.

I want to send a VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU to everyone that helped me in my relief efforts by bringing supplies, food, clothes, money, neccessities, and etc. to me so that I was able to make use of my pre-planned trip to Alabama and turn it into a service opportunity.  It is comforting to know that I am amongst friends, family, and a community that is so willing to help out others that are complete strangers... and on a personal level, it means a lot that they know how special Tuscaloosa is to me.  It may not be where my roots are - I am back living there, now - but it is where my branches formed, where I sprung to life as a young woman, where I fell, stumbled, and got back up again and where I learned to embrace myself as Baily.  I am proud and gracious that the Lord made me a server because I was gung-ho on giving back to the place that helped shape me and to the people who gave to me when I was in a time of need and suffering.  I love you Tuscaloosians!! And fellow Central Floridians - thank you for helping me shower T-Town with that love!!! I'm lucky to have been "made" by the experiences I've gained in both places.  I couldn't ask for anything better!  Orlando to Tuscaloosa LOVE!

Thanks, Dad for your help that day and for the moral support you always are.

Except, I think this experience - seeing "ground zero" in our favorite little college town - was just as shocking and life-changing for him as it was for me.  I am glad to have a Dad who taught me how to care for others first!  He is the most unselfish man I know and my Mom is the most unselfish and giving woman I know so it's no wonder they were a perfect match :)

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Do you want to know how you can give to the relief efforts in Tuscaloosa in a REALLY nifty way?!?  CHECK. THIS. OUT.

This awesome blog is hosting a Blogger Baby Shower for the little tiny victims and their mothers in Tuscaloosa.  As a mother-to-be with a little sister who lives in Tuscaloosa (sound familiar!?!) she and other blogger-friends of hers are hosting this fantastic virtual party and I invite you!!!

Here's how it works:

Simply visit the baby registry that they have set up at Amazon.com.

CLICK HERE

Then, pick out what you'd like to donate! 

Amazon will automatically send and deliver the package to a church in Tuscaloosa who has volunteers that are assigning the supplies with the correct needs of each mother and baby.

By doing this, we are able to help the hundreds of mothers who are in desperate need of these basic neccessities in order to care for their infant.  Knowing what it is like to be displaced, without a home, and amongst destruction after losing everything - I can only imagine what it would be like to have to care for and worry about the needs of an infant baby being met when it is so often a struggle just to get back on one's own two feet. Pray for these mothers and pray for these babies!!

Items start at just $8.99 at this super-cool e-baby shower, so there is something for every budget!

Plus, by purchasing something to donate, you are automatically entered to win some pretty cool prizes (like a $50 giftcard to HomeGoods by The Insprired Housewife and a $25 giftcard to At The Picket Fence)

Props to these ladies for hosting such a wonderful baby shower and service project!

May God shower them with many blessings!

Peace & Love

Baily

Tornado Outbreak Relief!!!

Dear Friends,

Please say a prayer for my "other home" - Tuscaloosa, Alabama.  Say a prayer for the entire state of Alabama and the Southeastern region that was drastically affected by the tornado outbreak on April 27, 2011.  That is a day that is forever sealed in my memory, and I often wonder what it would have been like to still live there and be a part of that. 

I wasn't... I moved back to central Florida this past December after my own drastic year of losing everything in a house-fire and a continued battle with depression and anxiety.  I witnessed so many days in Tuscaloosa that looked as if "the sky was going to fall out" and I witnessed the heightened sense of fright when severe weather was reported, but there's no way to describe what is happening in that place right now because few have ever experienced something like that.  It breaks my heart, and I am doing everything I can to help out despite me not living there.  For the past five and a half years, Tuscaloosa was my home and I wasn't done there.  I plan to go back, to finish school and to part in the way that I set out to. 

But then April 27th happened and that town will be forever changed.

The destruction is almost unbearable to look at and the numbers of those lost, missing, and without a home are too high to comprehend to be the result of mother nature.

The entire state is in a state of emergency in what an EMA official described  the damage and destruction as: "Katrina without the 3-day warning." 

My heart is breaking for so many, but I know that good can come in crisis.  My learning experiences throughout my personal journey this past year is a constant reminder and personal example of good coming from crisis and I know how much can happen when people unite for the good of humanity. 

I am driving a load of donations up to Alabama from Orlando and I'm encouraging anyone in the area to message me if you can make donations such as clothes and supplies that I can take up on Thursday afternoon.  For folks that are out of town, please donate $10 by texting REDCROSS to 90999.  If you'd like to donate more - so much is needed!!! - please visit www.givetuscaloosa.com.  

Thank you so much.... so many good people appreciate your help! 

Please be praying for my friends, and "home away from home" as so many are experiencing huge losses. 

I love you all! God will provide! 

(The path through Tuscaloosa. Just missing my old place.  Many of my friends homes were destroyed.)

(A main street in town. You're not supposed to be able to see those building through that neighborhood of homes, apartments, and trees.)

(Holt.  Remember when I taught my JumpStart pre-k class for student teaching that summer?  Holt Elementary School was where I taught.  It was also in the tornados path.)

Matthew 6:25-34

PEACE AND LOVE

and lots of hope for Alabama

Bai

These are needed if you are in the Orlando area and can contribute to my efforts: 

baby diapers

wipes

premade formula

clothes (underwear & socks, too!)

toiletries

pop-top non-perishable foods

canned foods

can openers

tarps

shoes

women's hygiene products

first-aid supplies

THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

weekend update

friday:
happy hour beers on 'the strip' at the houndstooth with clay
dinner at hooligans (the wonderful little ameri-mediterranean hole-in-the-wall)
1 beer (seriously) at innisfree, overrrr it, watched a movie at home instead

saturday:
GAMEDAY at the university of alabama
tailgating w/friends
yellow hammers at gallettes on 'the strip'
FREE PARKING (on oak avenue, of course)
a bama 'W' against mississippi state
a stadium dog + bbq nachos = best gameday meal in the freaking world

sunday:
rainy day
movie day
chinese food day (but not for piggie because her tummy is upset)

*another amazing weekend.... so glad i got to hang out with the boyfriend, and it was extra nice to get to hang out with kathleen (the best friend with a great family) and have her get to know clay as well. I think he's definitely been approved ;)

peace and love

baily



greengreengreengreengreen

So apparently, today, my favorite color has been green.  In class, I grabbed the green construction paper when told to pick one from the pile.  I've never been "cHoOsY" when we are told to do something like that - I'm 23 years old for cryin' out loud!  But today... Green. Green this, green that.  I even had a very "go green" lunch consisting of a turkey and portobella panini and a side of soup consisting of spinach, pinto beans, and chicken.  It was abso-freaking-lutely delicious, to say the least, but my point here is - I'm on this green kick and it's starting to freak me out.

I'm a mustard yellow girl... a bright yellow girl... burnt orange, perhaps.  And a Carolina blue girl... what is with me and green lately.  I'm wearing it, I'm trying to live the lifestyle so that I don't feel guilty about the horrible condition of the earth later on as it only continues to worsen, and dang it if I'm not repainting my turquoise art projects into a similar to this font-shade of gReeN... bogus if you ask me.

Anywho... I remember this green Gap sweater that I had and LOVED to wear during weather like this.  Mom - Dad ... you two HAVE GOT TO KNOW what sweater I'm talking about... as we did our tour de 'the South' this Christmas (when we were the Griswald's, remember?) I think I slept, roadtripped all day, slept again, wore out to dinner, and never washed this green sweater from like the second Mom drove me home from Christmas Exams until I pulled out of the driveway on January 10th a damn National Champion.  Anywho - this shade of green reminds me of that Gap sweater... as did the construction paper lesson in class today... as does my really hilarious personal recollection of all the fun we had as the Griswalds.... hahahahahahaha.

Still laughing.

Well, I am going to try to pick up on ALL that I have missed... but I am being a busy little bee today with lots of different projects - hmmm... wonder what that is... ADHD maybe???

But bare with me, I'm playing catch-up.... and I'm not even really sure where to begin... there's really nothing crazy I must inform you of since the last time I posted (which was just as randomly thrown together as this one I DO realize)...

But in case you didn't hear...

Alabama kicked Florida's you-know-what... 31-6.
And last time they came to Bryant-Denny it was TWO stadium expansions less than it was Saturday night, which would make the crowd some odd 83,000 in 2005, and the scoare was 31-3.
But this Saturday night I was sitting with my Gator-hater Momma in the second expansion at Bryant-Denny since 2005, and I was part of the some od 101,000 ecstatic and passionate Alabama fans....(some very hyper - aka the girl beside us who snuck a RedBull behind her brother's back before the game)!!!!  No wait, !!!!!*!***!*!*!!!!!!!!!!!!***!*!*!*!*!**!*!*!!!!!!!!! (that's more like homegirl)

62-9. (that's a lotta touchdowns to a small amount of field goals)

Roll Tide

Peace&Love

Baily

i love to hear that roll tide roll...

Everyone should be pretty, or very, aware that I love my Alabama football.  It isn't something that I grew up knowing at an early age but it is something that chronicles a new love and respect that I have for the sport.

When I started out blogging, it was on a different site that was created by me to extend my sports column which ran for two years in my high school's newspaper publication.  It was devoted to my devotion to sports.  And my devotion to sports is an undying thing. I was born in the Tar Heel state, where the shine of the hardwood is a beautiful thing and the squeaking of rubber-souls is almost as sweet of a sound as swoosh.  My devotion to sports was born in basketball but has developed into a passionate, burning love for the game of football.  It was not too long after moving to Alabama that I realized how infatuated with tradition-rich football I was! 

That's why today was a good day.  I sat on a couch with one of my best friends, Emily McGee, and spectated ALL day long.  We were spectators of a game that we both have a strong connection with.  That's because we both went to a school that lives and breathes and will die for all things football.  We have lived in a city that comes to life in the Fall and goes into hibernation during the Spring, when our town's people are glued to BamaOnline and Rivals.com hoping to get a glimpse of what to expect from this town's one true love: the Crimson Tide. 

We left only to pick up a few things from the grocery store and to pick up a take-out order to keep us fed during this football packed Saturday.  Today there were no frills; just a couple of twenty-something year old girls who looked a lot like 45-year old beer-gutted men today with a Bud Light in our hands and our asses imprinted on the couch.  It just humors me that even when the Crimson Tide play in an entirely different state, the team's faithful still let college football be what our world revolves around.  And with the end result being a W, I can't seem to find a better way to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon.  Well, an afternoon in the crazy student section at Bryant-Denny Stadium would be nice, but I've got that to look forward to next week.

But I love the days like today when I am reminded just how passionate and on-fire I am for the crimson-clad boys.  The game against Arkansas in Fayetteville was a high-intensity, edge of your seat type game and I think it would have made for a less successful day if I were standing on the metal bleachers in Bryant-Denny.  Not that I would have any less faith in my schoolmates to secure the 28th straight regular-season win, but the anxiety and near-fatal panic attacks I suffered in the comfort of my own home would have not mixed well with the whiskey-lit and rip roarin' drunk fans that pack themselves in like sardines to every home game.  The back and forth lead, the gloom of doubt, and the hard-to-understand play-calling were all handled much calmer than if I were in my home-game element.  I laugh when I think of the close calls I've witnessed in person. 

Plus, I got to watch more football and keep my ass permanently imprinted on the couch.  The love isn't just for Alabama when the quad is covered in crimson and the speakers jam out 'Sweet Home Alabama.' 

The love for football runs deep here in the Deep South and the faith that I have in the Crimson Tide continues to grow.  Even on the Saturdays that I shake no shaker, I drink no Yellow Hammer, and I scarf down no 'Denny Dogs.'  Maybe that's why I love this program so much. 

And, then again, maybe it's because we are the number one team in the nation.  Or because we are SO good, even when we play REALLY bad.  Whatever it is, it's earned my lifetime commitment as a Bama fan.  Now who's with me?!?!

peace and love

ROLL TIDE

baily 

football love, tils that wonderful time of year

Click here and read this post from CapstoneReport.com

I was going to blog about Saban's encouragement to my student body to N O T "boo" Penn State, but I read this and this is perfectly put.  Absolutely, 100% correct-o! 

I dig it, so click the link and read.

* I must make it known, however, that I do N O T oppose the idea of a little RAMMER JAMMER jig at the end of the game.  I get it, whatever Steve Sloan, we won't do it at the beginning of the game but no way I'm keeping my mouth shut if I am going to beat Jo-Pa's butt in a modern-day version of a completely tradition-soaked and honor-drenched game of football!  I don't care how old the man is. A rivalry so polished with excellence and perfectness?  Hell no.

I think the Bear would want us to sing it louder than ever.  Which, I guess it will be - with the stadium expansion and such emotion going into a game so decorated by the national media and entertained by so many Gameday commercials starring Saban.  Who knows how many the expansion has allowed for the Million Dollar Band and it's fleet.  It's about the dang Trillion Dollar thing.

But cheers to being recognized as a class-act university, and hopefully we can be true to that tomorrow! I'm really not ready to experience a Tuscaloosa loss.  I haven't lost a football game in Tuscaloosa in a really really really really really long time.  I'm hoping we can keep that glorious no. 1 beside our name for a little longer... or much longer.  I'll take the latter!

pandl
b

this just in

i literally just shrieked and squealed with such excitement that millie's pissed off at me now for waking her up from her nap beauty-sleep. 

she is now lounging on the couch and watching 'harry potter' with E (the roomie). 

well, this is the first i've known about the pig loving magic & whimsy & wizards so much

I only buy her pig and elephant toys

Oh ya, speaking of elephants!

 (roll tide roll)

 i got a text message from a very excited boyfriend of mine (bama born/bama grad), telling me to read what he wrote to justin core (bama born/florida state grad) on his facebook wall.

i love how he (my bama boy) knew this would make my day

Chace Spears   Mr. Core, I was just listening to the Finebaum radio show and Tim Brando just gave his preseason prediction for the National Championship... Bama vs. FSU. I'd welcome the opportunity to get the Seminole's back for Bama's embarassing showing a few years ago in Jacksonville. Thought this would give you a glimmer of hope. Hope you and Megan are doing well!" 2 hours ago via facebook for iPhone 

you probably hate tim brando

right now, if:

• 
  
  you are a fan of boise state

people like tim brando are still not taking you seriously

and please don't damper another football season for me by whining continuously about the BCS for 14-weeks .

(Damn, you give a dog a bone, I reckon'...)

You just left the WAC for the Mountain-West and...

you have the smurf's turf,  an idahoschedule,

and absolutely NO football tradition w h a t s o e v e r.

sorry, dudes

or

• 
  
  you are a florida gator

because y'all absolutely can't stand for the tide or the noles to ever be good

because not only is your dynasty fading, but bama is back to being college football king and your neighbors in tallahassee are about to run that state once they get it all assembled...

you've dominated the sec, until B A M A stole it back (22 sec titles/and counting)

you dominated the S u N s H i N e  S t A t E until bobby finally stopped trying

but now jimbo fisher is running the show and it looks kinda familiar to you i bet.

it oughtta  since y'all turned things around like wham-bam-thankya-ma'am when Urbs got to town.

and you oughta know how fast nick saban and a.l.a.b.a.m.a snuck up on your butt & rained all over your overly-annoying tebow parade that NeveR would GO AWAY

now that he's gone and it's not sacrilegeous to say negative things about timmy-t anymore:

YOU DO ADMIT THAT THE SPECTACLE YOU ALL MADE OF HIM WAS ENTIRELY TOO MUCH, RIGHT?

i don't know how i ever made it the first 17 years of my life

without being a die-hard footballfan

but the second i said my first

 'roll tide'

i could feel it was a

code word

for this very special something of a college-place...

just hearing people talk about football in the fall makes me pumped up

 and to know that i have gotten to experience a lot of super cool things

that others have not is the

 best

part about this town

this place called titletown

peaceandlove

bai 

update!

Ok, I'm very aware that I have not done my "Fill In The Blank Thursday" nor my "Wildflower's Weekly Recap" but it is because my last sesh of school just started and I've got one mean game face on.
Seriously.
Want to know a random something? Today in my 'Individal/Family Resource Management and Societal Sexuality' lecture I had to be introduced by my friend who sat next to me.
Her name was Wanda, she had an 11 year-old daughter who is currently on vacation in Florida and she enjoys music in her spare time. She is a 2 year vegetarian and her favorite food is Mexican but now she says it has to be veggie burgers." Guess how she introduced me?
"This is Baily. She's originally from the mountains of North Carolina, she spent the majority of her growing up years in Orlando, Florida. She used to be a runner and enjoys hiking and collecting vinyl records. Oh! And one thing she mentioned that I thought was cool about her is that she is a "blogger". She likes creative writing and uses a blog as her outlet, that's cool huh? Her favorite food is a hot dog! BUT! It has to have slaw and chili on it. She likes music, and as you can see, she has an eclectic style of funky jewelry and bracelets. She's a Early Childhood and Family Studies major and she has one sister but she says she has one brother because she considers her brother-in-law a close family member."
My response, "yes, I totally bought into the whole blogging thing and most days you can expect me to zone in on my "blog world" for a couple of hours at a time."
All we had to say was where our partner was from, what his/her major was, a hobby of theirs, and their favorite food. What Wanda said made me smile. I felt appreciated for my uniqueness.
But old Mr. Stinnet, well he's a white-headed man that wears black medical tennis shoes, he wanted to talk about my vinyl records. He knew about the fire. He wanted to know if I lost any of my vinyl records in the fire. Then I had to name off some of the ones I had. He thought it was particularly cool that my Dad saved the ones from the 1970's and 1980's that I have. His final thought, with his hand on his chin, "Man oh man, I wish I'd a done that. I didn't know vinyl was back on the scene."
Then he jumped up and said Well Baily! The hippies had a lot to do with this sexual revolution in society that we're going to talk about. The counter-culture!!"
Oh, the hippie thing, the vinyl thing, the blog thing, it can get a conversation going anywhere, I swear!!!
It reminds me of one of Janis Joplin's quote, "I may just be the first pin-up hippie girl."
There is a rather random group of people in that lecture, both undergrad and graduate students, from all different majors and definitely all different backgrounds. It makes for lots of interesting discussion.
And 6 pages of notes. 6 PAGES OF NOTES?!?!?! Are you kidding me?!
One of my biggest regrets in college will be that I never was the ghost writer "note-taker" for the local business U-Notes and the student service University Notes. The note-taker takes the notes, gets paid for it, and the notes serve as the aid for students who are registered under the Students with Disabilities Act. In accordance with many of the services geared toward the students with attention-deficit disabilities (just as I am), these students have permission to have notes taken for them, hence the aforementioned career as a ghost writing note-taker. It sounds silly, since I am in fact an incredible note-taker, but also very much hyper and very much deficit in the area of attention! BUT 6 PAGES????
That means there's more to study. In this case, the term 'the more the merrier' makes me want to vomit.
I'll get back on track in the blog world soon! I hope everyone has an amazing weekend.
I think somebody just pulled into my driveway that is about to make my Friday a little bit better when he comes in with either a.)his pearly white grin or b.)something smart-ass and completely funny that knocks me down laughing. It's a win-win, with this guy!

Peace&Love

Baily

oh p.s. my mom and dad sent me a new digi-cam.

you know what the best friggin part is? it does panoramic pics.

you know what that means... my picture taking could get kinda crazy.

graduation.. are we there yet?

So here I sit on my last day at the hotel. I was supposed to get out of here yesterday, but my stay was extended so that I wouldn't have to "move" before finals were over. My last final is tonight, and that's the only thing that makes me glad I am not graduating tomorrow morning. The girls' in my "Concepts" class that are walking tomorrow are p.o.'ed that we have a late afternoon (5:00pm) exam time for our last class of our major. The girls don't even get to go to dinner with their families on graduation-Eve. Hopefully when I walk in August, this won't be the same for me.

I went downstairs for my Continental breakfast and coffee. It kinda made me sad seeing everyone with  their families, running around doing pre-graduation things. I know that my day is just around the corner... but I couldn't help but fight back a little quench in my throat. I so badly want to be done here.

The semester is coming to a close and I see the past 5 years stretched behind me like a long piece of interstate. I'm just glad I'm almost to my "exit" and I can take a different road to a different somewhere. Who knows where that's going to be though! I can't stand the thought of not knowing where my life is headed. But, I gotta stay on track and finish up my duties here. I just can't wait until my parents, grandparents, and aunt and uncle, are the ones downstairs joining me for pre-grad breakfast. It can't come soon enough!

Congrats to all my grad friends! I am proud of you :)

Peace&LOVE
BAI

Day Six - whatever tickles my fancy

Since the 30 Day Blog Challenge is allowing me to write about whatever tickles my fancy, I reckon I will share some photos from the University of Alabama arboretum yesterday.  The weather in Tuscaloosa has been top-notch lately and I have definitely gotten my share of sun-bathing in when I'm not at the library or in class.  I always feel guilty when I get to enjoy the outdoors by the pool and on my walks to and from class while Millie has to stay in her crate in my tiny little cramped up bedroom.  So, yesterday she and I went to the university's arboretum which is only about 2.5 miles from campus.  It's actually really close to where I dwelled in my old 2-bedroom apartment with Jenna during our sophomore and junior year.  Too bad I didn't have the wrinkly headed smushy face back then or I would have taken advantage of the beautiful arboretum a lot more.  However, we sneak over there quite a bit now and it has become one of our most favorite places.

Not to mention that we totally got in trouble by the "park ranger" at Snow Hinton Park about a week ago for not being a leash.  We were rockin' the frisbee when the old geezer came up to me and told me to put her on a leash because some of his other old geezer "park rangers" (note the quote and unquote) woul give us a $400 ticket.  I love her and all, but I got that leash on her faster than I ever have.  You're cute and all Millie, but you yourself didn't even cost that much. Big Butch lets us get away with some things, but not some $400 nonsense ticket.

We got to the arboretum yesterday after we passed a bank's sign that informed us it was 87 degrees outside. And SUNNY! We filled up our Camelback with water, Benadryl, Neo-To-Go (neosporin travel size), bug spray, and bandaids. Whoever said I wasn't domesticated or had the motherly instinct in me was wrong. With this allergy-prone mess of a dog - you can't go anywhere without the first aid kit.  And we all know her mom isn't the most graceful or coordinated thing when it comes to uneven ground.  So let's not kid ourselves.

My favorite part about the arboretum is that there are grassy paved rolling hills throughout the entire thing.  The UA cross-country teams train on the grassy trails and they even hold the SEC championship meet out here every few years.  It's beautiful!  And of course, the little runner in me just couldn't wait to lace up my shoes and go for a jog.  I actually surprised myself though... I took Millie off of her leash, tucked it in the hiking pack on my back, and she ran alongside me for a good 2 miles or so.  I joked to my Dad that I ran at a solid "race pace."  If you've got any sort of XC swag then you know what "race pace" is.  Haha, I kid.  But seriously, though, I ran good. It felt amazing!

After that, we sat in the shade, rested, and drank out of the water bottle backpack (for real, whoever invented this - amen, brother) and I squirted us down with bug spray.  I'm not going to lie, it's inevitable that I bust ass at least once on a trail run... so I spritzed myself with the Neo-To-Go (also a cool concept, amen to that inventor brotherman, too). 

As we meandered around the trails taking pictures, picking dandelions, and chasing birds through the wide open area, I saw a group of people and their dogs gathering around the lake at the bottom of the hill.  Millie lead the way down the steep hill while I was saying "eaaaasy does it" and almost expecting to bust again.  We made it to the bottom of the hill safely and Millie acted like a complete scaredy cat around the other dogs.  There were two other boxers there (one really pretty one and one really janky looking one) and a bunch of labs and mutts.  They all shook my hand and asked what my dog's name was, how old is she, yadda yadda.. you know, the typical "dog people" talk.  If you know me, you know I don't catch on very quickly but I did catch on to the fact that this was a little dog group that met on Wednesdays.  I just sorta showed up and crashed the party I guess, but "dog people" are good people and good people are welcoming, so we were welcomed generously.  I sort of felt like all the big labs and mutts splashing through the lake water were the "in crowd" and my tiny, almost miniature looking, boxer was the new kid that everyone was looking at.  Seriously, I had deja vu of a scene from a high school movie or something.  Millie's a complete socialite with other people but the second she gets around a big group of dogs that are unfamiliar to her, she acts like a pansy.  I don't get it.. I just know I felt a bit awk since I 1.) crashed the dog group party 2.) had a 1 year old boxer half the size of the 8 month old janky boxer and 3.) had her hiding in between my legs and licking the bug spray off of my calves.  I just let it be awkward because every time I considered heading back up to the trail I saw how steep the hill was.  Let me be honest for a second, I know I told you I ran sooo good and it felt soooo great and whatnot, but that was the runner's high speaking.  I was hurting pretty bad by the time we went dog party crashing.  No wonder why you're supposed to stretch before and after a run.  I did neither... go figure.

Hopefully this Alabama weather will hold out for a glorious spring which means lots of exercise, sun, and being a scavenger with Millie. Just as long as I remember the infamous first aid kit! Oh, and about my motherly intinct... I do have one, sorta? I might not be the best diaper changer on the block (my classmates are humored by me when I teach the toddler class) but I do know how to pack a fine and dandy emergency kit! But just because she does her business in the woods doesn't mean my little girl comes without the disadvantages.  Say? The dead rat/road kill she drug into the living room like it was her most prized possession the other night.  But that's a story for another day! Plus, my blog challenge says to write about something that tickles my fancy and her little "hunting" kick she's on right now definitely doesn't tickle my fancy. 

Peace&LOVE

bjj