Alabama vs. MS State

Ashley holding Collin


Sweet Bama friends

what are y'all doin??

we had a great time watchin' the game with our dear best buddies- the Shivers!

Bama Babies

game day opinions and such

I'm watchin' the Ole Miss Rebs stomp Auburn, and as you can probably guess I'm for ANY team that beats Auburn (although I do cheer for MSU cause I gotta keep my marriage together). It's halftime so I thought I would share a few thoughts. I'm also trying desperately hard NOT to fall asleep b/c we've got somewhere to be at 3, and I just don't do well wakin' up from naps when it's not on my time. In other words I gotta get my nap out or everybody's afternoon is going to be busted up.

AND I just wanted to say how thankful I am that DADDY/my MAN is HOME! We have missed him desperately- he was gone for a whole week to Illinois to stay at Buck Creek farms with our dear friends the McKays, Paynes, and Briggs for a FREE hunt and stay. That's just about unheard of to get to go on a dream hunt like that without shellin' out some serious cash- but God is blessin' my man. Truly, y'all.

So anyway, here are my thoughts about football.

1. Golden Flake still makes the best potato chips (if you're not from AL you may be scratchin' your head on that one :)

2. I really dislike women commentators on the field. They always sound kinda silly talkin' to the coaches (okay I'm not crazy about any commentator talking to the coaches as they go in for halftime- and it just always seems to be a girl!). Sorry, not very PC (just don't tell if you know one that I said that!)

3. I still think coaches should wear a coat and tie. I know, probably not very comfortable but that's what I grew up watching and I miss the tradition.

4. I do NOT think players should be allowed to have ANY HAIR hangin' out the back of their helmets. I'm old school like that.

5. If you're an SEC team playing let's say a Big Ten team the commentators are automatically prejudiced against you (especially if you're from AL).

6. And if you play in the SEC then you have a harder schedule than if your team plays for another conference, therefore I think this should be taken into consideration when the polls are done (meaning I can't figure out why we're not ranked # 1).

So that's it. Y'all enjoy Game Day! We're playing Arkansas State today at 2:00 (not televised- BOOO!).

And I'll be headed to Sweet Home Alabama next week to hang with my fam in T Town- I can't wait!! It's time for Cdawg to get his annual fall/AL attire pics done.... so I'll post those soon :)

So,

I'm not normally one who's talkin' a bunch of smack. I'm fanatical, but I'm ok with you being crazy about your team too. If you think your team's better, then I'm okay with that- I won't argue.
BUT, you gotta admit, that's one cute baby.
Yeah, my husband puts up with a LOT out of me :)

this pic was taken a year ago! look how much he's grown!

A Bama Boy and His Belle

Cdawg and Mere Mere watchin' the Tennessee/Alabama game Saturday night.

Gettin' a little sugar...

but in the end, Mere was more interested in Big Al. Oh those kids love each other. And then despise each other, and then LOVE each other again. Just like a brother and sister. Or maybe an arranged marriage, hmmmm.

What these pictures don't show is sweet little Benny Boo-Boo (Ben really, Ashley and I just can't stand a kid without a nickname :) who attended the game party in Alabama style as well. Erika (momma to Benny Boo-Boo and a teacher friend from Tuscaloosa) and her husband came down for the weekend. Hunter went with the boys to hunt, and Erika hung out with the girls. LOVE getting together with those girls! Ashley's got pictures on her camera of all the kids plus their mamas, so hopefully she'll send those soon so I can show you the AdOraBLneSS that is our kids.

The PRIDE of the CRIMSON TIDE

Okay, just for all you folks who aren't as crazy about AL football as I am- you know that we BEAT the stinkin' pants off of GA last weekend, right? Well, I just read a couple of articles from the Tuscaloosa News, and good ole Cecil Hurt was saying that we are likely to be named #2 in the nation, at the very least #3. AND that it's an extreme possibility we'll be National Champs this year. So maybe he's prejudiced, but we did play an exceptional game Saturday.
Y'all just don't know what that does for me- I'd rather Bama win than get a new pair of boots this fall (and that's saying a LOT). Back home, we just aren't used to losing (although I'll admit, we have kinda sucked the past few years).
BUT you might understand when you see our heritage-

TWELVE National Championships
25 Conference Championships
21 SEC Championships
LEADS the NCAA in undefeated, untied bowl game appearances
31 bowl game victories
LEADS the NCAA with EIGHT perfect seasons of perfect records
and we have a winning record against EVERY SEC team

we also have the 7th largest college stadium in the US

Yeah, I'm not proud or anything. Y'all want to hear all my useless trivia about Bear Bryant? Football is in my blood, y'all. I like it better than boots AND chocolate.

I promise once football season is over the obnoxiousness will end and I'll go back to posting all about the trials of potty training.
UNLESS we win a National Championship and then it's ON like Donkey Kong!!!

Updated to add: since this post was written we have officially been ranked #2 in the Nation. I just hope it doesn't go to our heads or somethin'

Did ya see the game??!!!

Ladies and (a very, very few) Gentlemen.....

I have to say that I just watched an AWESOME game.
My bama friends, really though, when we won last year (okay, actually the last few years) it was almost kind of like we won but by the skin of our teeth and looked REALLY ugly doing it.
This, was a beautiful game to say the least. No sacks. No interceptions. Very pretty 40 yard passes. I mean, we looked really, really GOOD y'all.
Did ya hear that ole St. Nick (that's my new name for him since we won, like it?) made the Forbes magazine cover? Apparently we are paying him $5 million- more than any other coach in college football to work his magic. They also mentioned like a boat, couple of phat cars, and you know he's got a serious house somewhere in Northriver.
Well, tonight I saw some magic. Some big time hope. I'm not going to say that this year is going to be the year, but really y'all, we looked FABULOUS against (#9!!) Clemson :)

Roooolllllllllllll Tiiiiiiiiide, Y'all!

The Tide Is Coming!!!

Yeessss. It is 11pm and I cannot sleep. I've watched the Olympics. I've stalked everybody's blog I can think of and even made a new blog friend. Dontcha love when that happens? I just feel all popular when I add someone new to my blog list :)

But I've really just been laying in bed thinking about lots of things.... but especially about one thing:
ALABAMA FOOTBALL

I can bet you most of Tuscaloosa, AL and basically most of our state feels the same way, we'll all be on pins and needles to see how old Nick and John Parker will do.
Little piece of trivia that makes me feel important~ I babysat for John Parker's first cousins :)

Just to give you a small taste of our football obsession back home: (Not written in any sort of order)

1) If you live in my hometown, you can bet that the mall, grocery store, etc. will be empty on game day. The next day when you go to church on Sunday the sermon will include some sort of analogy about God that relates to a play made yesterday on the grid iron. I know, it sounds kind of sacrilegious, but it's the gosh honest truth.

2) Fall weddings, vacations, and certainly any other events are planned around game time. The one and only wedding I have ever attended during game time had two huge big screen tv's at the reception... and the bride was pretty hurt that we did not care to watch her cut the cake or throw the bouquet (Danielle Bryant, you'll remember the one :)

3) Your hairdresser, mechanic, doctor, grocery checker, plus just plain ole random people on the street will all discuss the game with you and how crappy/awesome the coach/referee/player did.... and you will feel compelled to hold up the line at the grocery store to continue the conversation.

4) We know the names of not only all the players but of course the coaches and their wives, children, and their addresses so we can roll their yards when they screw up. Not that I ever participated in such a thing. Although I did roll the trees that line The Strip when we beat Auburn in '99. I was wearing my favorite leather clogs and the random drunk guys who were helping us kept calling me the "Swiss Miss Chocolate Girl".

5) I have a dear friend who's husband was the defensive coordinator for AL and MSU (see if you can guess who that is) and she says that never, in all his years of coaching, has he ever seen or heard of more obsessed fans than the ones in Tuscaloosa. She said we're the best team to play for when we're winning, however.

6) Teachers will decorate their classes after we beat Auburn. Every child will wear some sort of paraphernalia showing support for their team the Friday before game day- either AL or AU. You must choose and support one of the two teams, you can't be for anyone else if you live in AL. It's like a law or something.

7) An Alabama girl at the game will look pretty to support her team- how many Saturdays did I agonize over what to wear? We're definitely not throw on a t-shirt and shorts and go to the ballgame folks. It's kind of an occasion for us. Older men usually wear button downs with crimson ties and their wives will be wearing a fabulous pantsuit accentuated with some sort of elephant jewelry.
HOWEVER, we are not only pretty- we are just as quick to call "off-sides" or "holding"- on the other team of course. I think somewhere the rules of football are part of our curriculum at school.

8) I can truly say that when I was 6 I thought no one in the whole US of A was more powerful and important than Bear Bryant... not even the President.

9) My whole life there's kind of been two seasons- football, and not-football. Well, until I married a hunter that is.

10) If you live in Tuscaloosa there is a law that says you must have some sort of AL decal on your car. If you have anything supporting another team, the law will look the other way if your car gets egged.

11) The walk to the stadium on game day is an event in itself. Because everyone comes to the games, you will see folks that you haven't seen in years. It's like a big AL homecoming... we're all there.

12) There's a feeling, an energy, an excitement that surrounds my hometown when it comes close to game day. I can't explain it, other than I miss being at home terribly when football season starts back. Around July I start to get all excited and sad at the same time, cause I know I'm gonna miss it.

13) We are fair weather fans- and we don't really care that people know it. We just really expect them to win, and we don't mind spending tons of money and energy for them to do so. We hate our coaches when we lose, fuss about our players, and our team is only truly loved if they beat Auburn (really the only game that counts other than Tennessee and now LSU).... but if you go to a ballgame there will not be a dry Alabama fan eye when the million dollar band starts up. Can you say Rammer Jammer?

(Bama friends) Y'all remember that clip of Bear Bryant/Gene Stallings that they used to show before each game? They did it for the first AL vs. AU game at Bryant Denney (freezing, raining? ring a bell?) Oh, that makes me cry every time!!!

So, there ya have it. I still can't sleep. I'm going to look online and see if I can find that Bear Bryant clip just to watch it over and over along with all my other Bama fan friends.
We play Clemson in 10 days... may just have to take Cdawg to my mama's for that weekend cause I can't stand it!

AL vs. MSU game

Here's Brad, Ashley, Keith, and me at the game on Saturday. Okay, I admit it, we looked pretty terrible (ha, I just read back over this and I mean alabama, not us in the picture!). I will say that MSU's defense did an awesome job at keeping us pushed back. Poor John Parker didn't have a chance.
I am proud for State though, I guess Keith has rubbed off on me a little. I heard Croom say after the game that you'd have to be dumb not to take State seriously, and how this was a serious point of pride for them. Well, I guess that means beating Bama is a pretty big accomplishment.

My prediction for the AL vs. MSU game......

ALABAMA!!!!!!
But, since I so shamed Keith with this picture, I promise to post a picture of Caleb in his MSU clothes if they win. I know, all of my bama friends think I'm a total traitor, but I gotta keep my marriage together :) HA!