Underrated...

As stated earlier, I have not been as consistent a blogger this year. I don't know why--maybe I'm busier, or maybe I'm just really, really, boring. I have a feeling it's the latter.

I'm going to try to post at least weekly in hopes that I can get back in my writing groove, so I introduce to you my new "Underrated" posts.

I was talking to a friend of mine this weekend, and I told him that he was "one of my top five most underrated friends." Sounds extremely flattering, right? For whatever reason, he was pleased.
The hubby and I play the "underrated" game a lot. As a matter of fact, we played it on the way to the (absolute skull-busting) stomping of Michigan by MSU. It's a great way to pass a long, long, long, car drive. There's not a whole lot to it...Pick a subject, and name things that are underrated.

So...I give you my top five most underrated things about traveling.

1. Spending concentrated time with friends we don't see that often. So many of our good friends live in Memphis, the Delta, Tupelo, etc. It's so nice to share meals and log face time with people that you love. I just wish we could have hung out with more of our friends whom we didn't see.

2. Gas stations. Seriously. Anthony and use traveling as an excuse to further our enormous appetite for crappy junk food and sweets. Peanut M & Ms--check. Sour Patch Kids--check. Heath Bar--check. (Not all at once, but don't put it past us.)

3. Guilt-free snoozing. No 2 1/2 year-old present = no one to wake you up at the crack of dawn. Unless you're the grandparents keeping said grandchild, in which case you're probably up early anyway.

4. Big breakfasts.  We certainly don't cook big breakfasts on a daily basis--most days it's cereal or scrambled eggs with frozen waffles. 

5.  Coming home with a big win.  It certainly makes a long drive more tolerable.  And oh yeah, my new friend. 

P.S. He is HUGE.  There's no way he's just 6'4".

Day three of...

Getting up, passing my child off to my parents, going back to bed, getting back up, showering, putting on clean pj's, eating my mother's food, watching football, and re-reading Harry Potter for the umpteenth time.  In short, it's been a glorious Thanksgiving holiday.  GLORIOUS. If you're judging me for my laziness, it's just because you're jealous.

I hope that your holiday has been just as fabulous.

The schedule for this afternoon:

1. Sit on couch in pj's
2.  Finish my book.  Again.
3.  Play Words With Friends
4.  Watch football.
5.  Eat peas, pork tenderloin, okra, macaroni and cheese, and chocolate cake
6.  Pray that the bulldogs win.

Since I've been really slacking on my blogging, I'm cheating and posting a bunch of recent pics.  I pinky-swear I'll be better about posting this month.

I cheated on Halloween this year, too.  I figured that this year might be my last year to dictate what Sam wears for Halloween, so he wore last year's cute hamburger costume again.  I'm sure next year he'll want to be something with an ugly mask.  Blah. 

A rare family pic before a cocktail party.

At a pajama party with Santa. (Santa declined to wear his pj's.) Sam was more interested in the reindeer suspended from the ceiling than in having his picture taken with Santa.

Playing in some leaves at Grandy and Mimi's.  

Praying that his daddy is still in a good mood later tonight.  Go Dawgs!

All I Do Is Win...

 I never said that winning is pretty, though.  It certainly wasn't this past Saturday night. That "W"  was ugly.  However, 6 wins = bowl eligible no matter how unattractive and sloppy our team played.  Christmas came early for Anthony this year, and he has spent some time today researching and booking hotel rooms in possible bowl locations.  And yes, he realizes that we still have a nasty schedule remaining.  Let him have his fun. 




We were fortunate enough to have skybox tickets, and at one point I thought my husband was going to throw himself to the ground.  Seriously. My mother-in-law graciously took Sam home after halftime, and that's when Anthony went into "Losing Is Not Fun With Sherm" mode.  Anybody remember that guy?  He's not cool to be around. 

Family pic.  Sam was interested in 3 things:  The Jumbotron, the band, and his Papa's binoculars.  He thought he could change the channel on the Jumbotron by using the tv remote.  Good thing he can't because I don't think the student section would be happy with PBS on during the football game. 

Sam had NO NAP at all that day, but did surprisingly well. 

 His nap the day after the game?  4 1/2 hours.  He was spent. 

He had a ball...

 I know...I'm really, really, behind.  I'm trying to rectify this problem, so please excuse my backlog of pictures. 

At the Georgia game this year, I was fortunate enough to have my entire family in town, which NEVER happens anymore.  Both brothers were in attendance, and the Bulldogs were able to pull off a much needed win against, well, the other bulldogs.  I was just glad the guys in maroon won.  It was also Bulldog Bash that weekend, so while we sweltered in the sun, Sam enjoyed himself quite thoroughly. 

Apparently it's way more fun to throw the balls out of the ball pit while telling everyone within hearing distance what color they are. 

"Red, blue, anutta blue, yellow, geen, anutta yellow, geen, arnij..."  (Obviously this is Samspeak.  I try my best to stay away from heinous spelling errors, but I'm only human.)

He could have done this for hours.  I, however, could not.  Did I mention how hot it was?

To get him out of the ballpit, I convinced him to get his face painted.  He wasn't so sure about it at first, but then he warmed up to the idea. 

Post-game.  One of the very few adult pictures I have of my brothers (and my dad.) My mom had taken one for the team and had left much earlier with a very hot and tired Sam.  I realize I look disgusting here, but have I mentioned how blooming hot is was that day?

Do we look alike? Most people think so.  Does Sam look like me?  Most people don't think so.

Gameday Eve Schedule...

1.  Arrive at practice facility in my shiny ride.  Check out my rims--8 1/2 inches. 

2.  Sign some autographs.  Go over my playbook one last time with the coaches.  Looks like I need to be on my best behavior tomorrow.  I don't want any penalty flags thrown, and I certainly don't want to burn all of my timeouts. 

3.  Pre-game meal.  Nothing gets me ready for gameday like PB&J with juice. 

4.  Watch some game film. 

5.  Take one last nap---with my pom pom. (and my books, xylophone, blocks, and George sheets.) 

We're ready.

Can I Get An Amen...

I'm pretty sure I complain about this every year.  Does anybody else have the trouble that I do finding something appropriate to wear to the first football game of the year?  It is such a pain, and it stresses me out every time.

For those of you who live in cool weather climates, this isn't a problem.  For the residents of the Dirty South, it's a massive issue.  I don't know about you, but I hate buying super summery stuff this late in the fall, especially when Labor Day is this weekend.  On top of that, all stores are pushing their fall/winter merchandise, which I won't be able to wear until at least October because of the heat. 

My criteria for football wear:

1.  In the heat I prefer a dress--nothing binding, lots of breathing room.

2.  Something that doesn't require "special" undergarments.  Who wants to deal with that all day?

3.  An outfit that isn't too short, but not too long.  I'm not that tall.

4.  Something that I can wear with fairly comfortable shoes, but I'm willing to sacrifice some comfort for  some cuteness.

5.  And the kicker for this week--they've asked MSU fans to wear white.  Since I'm chasing Sam at the tailgate, I can't even go into the game, but I'd like to at least try to be in the spirit.  I'm hoping cream will count, because it's all I've got.

Next week they're asking for people to wear maroon, which is a whole 'nother bag of tricks.  I wish other schools knew how good they have it when trying to buy something cute in their respective colors. 

Blue? Easy.  Red? Beyond easy.  Purple? Not quite as easy, but doable.

Maroon?  Wow.  Just wow.  I usually end up in something magenta and call it a day.

If anyone out there has some secret football-wear store, fess up.  And don't tell me to wear a jersey with jeans.  Homegirl doesn't do that. 

Hail State!

Lord, how I want to be in that number...

I know it's been a few days, but the euphoria hasn't quite died down. Sunday night was spent with friends celebrating a long-awaited win. Post game celebrations included champagne, tequila shots, (I passed) and dancing on a legendary coffee table.

Good times.

"Who Dat!"

Your mama's going to bring you uptown...

I must say, Anthony and I are really fortunate when it comes to having friends. We've got a great group here in the capital city, and they definitely know how to have a good time. Yesterday we loaded up the car with plenty of tailgating food and headed to a friend's house to watch our MSU bulldogs and the New Orleans Saints. Separate games, of course.

I won't act as if I'm some lifelong Saints fan, but my grandfather always pulled for them--he was a sucker for underdogs--and Anthony has always liked them. I think my allegiance truly started post-Katrina. How could you not pull for a team whose hometown needed hope and revitalization as much as New Orleans did? Watching them come out of the tunnel for that first game back was something else, and I was sold. We've been pretty darn loyal ever since. Our posse went down for the Saints vs. Giants game earlier this year, and we had a blast. Anyway, we gathered our small version of the Who Dat Nation, ate lots of food, and pulled the black-and-gold through.

Once the win was clinched, we celebrated. And what better way to celebrate than pushing furniture out of the way and making a dance floor? This is usually our favorite way to spend a weekend night, and it makes me feel like I'm working off some of the calories I've inhaled during the day...a win-win situation. Last night's dance party was kicked off with a selection of some good, old-school country tunes. Good God, I'd forgotten how much I love Reba. When "Fancy" came on, I think every girl there knew the words. The song is pure poetry, I'm telling you. The lady knows how to tell a good white-trash story. Throw in some Brooks and Dunn and Kenny Chesney, and the night was golden.

"And that's the night the lights went out in Georgia."

This weekend...

I went to the fair for the first time since I was 17. There is a reason for this; the fair kind of gives me the creeps. I guess it's not the fair itself...or even the people who run it. I'm mainly wigged out by the humanity that pays to get into the fair. (Yes, I know that includes me.) I was greatly reminded of why Mississippi is one of the fattest states in the nation. This fact did not stop Anthony from eating a chicken-on-a-stick...

a fried snickers...

and a fried twinkie.

I tasted the twinkie, and it was worth the heart attack it will cause later.

Sam couldn't do a whole lot, but he loved checking out the lights.

Saturday Anthony and I headed to New Orleans for a night out and the Saints game. We had a great time, and the game was fabulous. What wasn't fabulous was having obnoxious Giants fans sitting right behind us. I'm pretty sure I heard some of the most colorful language of my life. And that's saying something. I don't have pictures yet, which is probably a good thing since it was a trip to New Orleans.

On a completely different subject, today was pajama day at Sam's "school." He was pretty pleased to be in his sleeping duds. I, of course, thought he looked ridiculously cute.

4 1/2 paw print performance...

Yesterday we packed up early and headed to Starkville to kick off football season in Vegas. All in all, I'd give Sam 4 1/2 paw prints out of 5...stellar performance on his part. (I had to subtract 1/2 a print because he almost got his head stuck in a rolling cooler. Don't ask.) He was especially good considering the heat we endured at the beginning of the day and the rain that poured down on us in the afternoon. We stayed fairly dry under our tent, and he managed to keep out of the mud, which is a small miracle in itself.

I'm trying to decide if Sam will be the MSU fanatic that his dad is. The jury is still out. He was not a big fan of the walkthrough--that's for sure. In his defense, a missed nap combined with thousands of cowbells does not equal happiness.

Pre-walkthrough...getting tired, but hanging in there.

During the walkthrough. Notice the lovely river of snot trickling down his face. He was not a fan of the noise. It was sad.

Post-walkthrough. MUCH happier.

You can't really see his shorts that well, but they're super-cute maroon gingham with "MSU" monogrammed on the leg. I love them.

Despite the small monkey wrench the weather threw in our day, we had a good time. It was a long day for all of us, and we're looking forward to doing a whole lot of nothing today.

You know it's football season when...

In case you live under a rock, this week marks the official start to the collegiate football season. Long live the pigskin!

I have been more than aware that football begins this week, but it really hit home when I borrowed the husband's car tonight. I cranked it up, began to back out, and...heard the LSU fight song.

Why?

Because he has a cd of all the SEC school fight songs, (except for the university in northeast Mississippi) and was apparently leading a private pep-rally on his way home from work.

Did I eject the cd?

Nope. I do dig a little bit of "Hail State," "Rocky Top," and "Tiger Rag."