Pictures from the Alabama/Tennessee game in Tuscaloosa on 01/29/08

Pictures from the trip home.....finally!

If I Could Write A Letter

Any of you who listen to country music at all know where I'm going with this. For those of you who don't, there is this song that Brad Paisley sings, "If I could Write A Letter to Me". The gist of the song is a guy who is well out of high school (I always imagined him in his 30's) who talks about writing a letter to himself at 17.

Anyways, I heard this song about 50 times on my way back from Valdosta a couple of weeks ago (on my way back from my high school reunion/homecoming) and it really got me thinking. What would I tell myself at 17? Geez that was ten years ago. I decided that that was what my next blog would be about. Well, of course life happened and I'm a known terrible blogger. However, I was on my way home from Tuscaloosa (for a Tennessee ballgame, goodness knows there is no other reason to go there!) last night and the song came on again. It was late, I was driving and it got me thinking again. Dirt was asleep in the front seat, Louise and Leigh were asleep in the back and we all had just had SO much fun!

What would I write to myself at 17? That's when it hit me. There is no way that I could have ever, ever guessed that I would be where I am ten years from then. What would I change? I mean I saw all of my friends in Dasher, they are all living TOTALLY different lives than me. I mean, not even close. They are ALL married with children, working doing what most people would call "careers". As we have covered in earlier posts, I am NONE of those things. Last night I went to a ballgame, got home close to 2am, woke up to a text from a friend at 6:30, talked on the phone and texted until 10:30, went back to sleep and didn't get up until 5! Now I am sitting here watching American Idol with Leigh. Nothing like any of the days my friends have.

I would tell myself some things to watch out for though. I would tell myself to study harder, slow down, stop putting so much effort into guys/dating and put more effort into friendships. However, the most important things I would tell myself are really the only things I would tell myself to do differently. I would tell myself to stop being a jerk to my mom. To respect her more and appreciate her more. I would tell myself to call my Grandaddy and Grandma so much more and to make a much better effort to spend time with them.

Last night when I was listening to that song, thinking back to the past ten years, what would I change and I looked back at my sisters sleeping and that's when I decided. All of the bad and good choices that I have made in the past ten years have brought me here. Why would I dare go back and change anything. You might say I could have changed some things and my life would have turned out better. But, if you said that, I'd know that you don't know very much about my life. My life is so good. The next song that came on the radio was by Tim McGraw. The name of that song was "In My Next 30 Years" Hmmm....that will probably be the name of my post on July 18, 2008. Thank you to all of my friends and family that have made the first 'almost thirty' years of my life so, so very good!

Does everyone feel this way?

Does everyone feel the same way about their "home" as I do? I mean I feel like where I grew up is the best place on Earth. Not perfect, but pretty stinking close. And, definitely close when I was growing up there! I just need to know if everyone feels that way about their home or mine really is that much more superrior.

Ok, so this past week I was able to get a week off of work and go "home" to Dasher/Valdosta/Quitman, Ga for Christmas with the Walker side of the family, Homecoming, and my ten year high school reunion. Whew! I also got to a good deal of time with my family (NaNa and PaPa, GinGin and her family, KaKa and her family, plus all of the Walker/Jones were there Saturday and Sunday) and my oldest friends, including some I hadn't seen in almost a decade!

Mom and Dad came to Montgomery Friday night and while I was at work they all slept. They were up and ready when I got home and all 6 Walker/Jones caravaned in three cars from Montgomery to Dasher. We all met up with NaNa and PaPa and the Sloans (all five of them) at GinGin's house and had our family Christmas and ate lunch together. That night we all went to the GCS basketball game that night. Samantha was awesome and it was great to get to see everyone. Sunday we all went to church at Quitman and out to lunch together. Leigh and the Jones left Sunday and Walker and Kristen left Monday. Sunday after lunch we went back to GinGin's and had Jessica's 7th birthday party! I CAN'T believe she is seven years old!!! Monday night we went to another GCS ballgame and, again, Samantha was awesome. This time she fouled out. This is the only part of her game that she resembles her older cousin! She is really good!

On Tuesday Momma and Daddy left and, you guessed it, there was another GCS ballgame. This one I didn't make though because it was in Terrell. I have absolutely no idea how I kept up with that kind of schedule when I was in high school! Tuesday night I spent time with Meli, Kayden, and John at their house. Then I went over to Nicole's to spend the night with her, her 2 year old (and my kindred spirit) Ella, Rhett, who is 8 months, and her husband Tom. Quite an experience :) I spent the next three nights there and love them so much and had so much fun!

Wednesday I got to go visit with Bev and her grandkids, Abby, Amelia, and Anna (always a highlight of my trip!!!!) and then I went over to Quitman and had supper with what was left of the Sloan's and NaNa and PaPa before going to church. After that was just visiting with NaNa and PaPa and I got my new digital camera that night....yay! Thursday I got to go visit and eat with Audrey, Donald, and their daughter Amelia. Hopefully the next time I go down there will be another person to visit at their house!!! Please keep Audrey and their baby in your prayers until she is here and both are safe! Then I went over to Melissa's and played dress up with KK again. That little girl (and her Mom and Dad!) is truely one of the brightest spots of my life!

Friday morning me, Nicole, Ella (2), Rhett (8 mos), Melissa, Kayden (2), Patience, Reagan (2), and Rowan (8 mos) all went shopping. Nope, I am not kidding! It was amazingly calm, considering! Then I went with GinGin to Jessi's school where we had her school birthday party! She is such a blessing, how anybody could look at her perfect face and not believe in God is beyond me. I see Him shining in her EVERYtime I look. Then me, Nicole, and the kids did a little more shopping and I started dreading the next day (when I had to leave). That night I went back to Quitman and stayed with NaNa and PaPa.

Saturday morning I went to visit one last time with Nicole's family, GinGin and Jessi and then went to my 10 year reunion get together. I really can't get into all of how wonderful it was at this moment but it was SO good to get to spend a little time with everyone. We're having our big reunion thing in May and I am so excited about it! Then we went to Homecoming and the ballgame. They did a very nice memorial to Adam (my classmate and friend who was murdered by a coward terrorist in Iraq in April of last year) before the national anthem and, to no one's surprise, I'm sure, I cried like a baby. I had to leave at half time of the boys game so I could make it back for work that night in the gump (boo,hiss ;). I nkow this was long but I left SO much out! My next post will hopefully be more feelings and less itinterary but I wanted to remember what all I did so I had to get it down before I started forgetting!

I hope everyone does feel this way about their "home", I can't imagine feeling any other way.

Hopefully this post will include pictures so Melissa will get off my back about how boring my blog is! ;^) Now if only I can figure it out........

New Year, New Blog

OK, OK this blog is less to update everyone and more as a record for myself of how I am feeling today. That's my disclaimer, feel free to stop reading and not hurt my feelings at all.

Honestly, 2007 sucked. It might have been better than 2005 and 2006 because it was minus the "public" factor (I didn't have people constantly knowing about the sucky things) but it sucked. Not that I'm complaining because it has definitely had it's good moments and I am intelligent enough to know that it could have been worse, but let's call a spade a spade.

In 2007 I disappointed myself more than I ever thought possible. In 2007 I mismanaged my money. In 2007 I worked way too much. In 2007 I had my heart broken. In 2007, I gained enough wait to move up a size. In 2007 the Vols lost to Florida AND Alabama, neither was even close. In 2007 I disappointed and hurt my family and was disappointed and hurt by some of them. In 2007 I had to get glasses. In 2007 I didn't go one single date. In 2007 I lost a friend to the war. In 2007 I watched my friend going through the agony of being pregnant and then losing the baby. In 2007 I lost touch with most of my friends.

It wouldn't take a lot of hard thinking to come up with a lot more. But, I think that I have hit the high (well, low) points. Now I need to come up with as many good things to salvage this blog.

In 2007 I grew up. (I really believe that this also could have gone under the earlier list but in the optomistic spirit that comes with New Year's Day, I am putting it under this one!). In 2007 I picked myself up...immediately, or as close to it as I believe is humanly possible. I had my heart broken (I know that most of you who know me very well at all probably inserted "again" here), probbaly worst than it ever has been before and I got up. I went to work, I stopped crying, I kept eating, and kept the gloominess off of my face, so I didn't have to share it with everyone. This is a big one for me. In 2007 I supported myself on my own and helped support my sister. In 2007 the Vols went to the SEC championship and, equally as wonderful, neither Alabama nor Florida did! In 2007 I added a new member to my family, I finally have a brother! In 2007 I didn't have one bad date or go one that I absolutely didn't want to go on (You are only snickering here because I haven't been on one at all if you have never experienced a truely bad date or gone on one that you REALLY didn't want to!). In 2007 I became even more patriotic and gained a whole new appreciation for the war on terror. In 2007 I realized that I know one of the strongest people in the world. In 2007 I learned that truely in the worst of times sometimes you really do see the best in people. In 2007 I was reminded that I know a lot of people think that it's true to their lives, but in mine it really is; I seriously have the best friends in the world. In 2007 I was reminded that there has never been a question about how wonderful my family is.

I hope that 2008 brings better, even great things. I hope that it brings a better attitude. I hope that it brings a closer walk with God. I hope that it brings a lot more time with friends and family. I hope it brings less time at work. I hope it brings a padded savings account. I hope it brings a crush (I know for sure that I'm in no way ready for a relationship, maybe not even a real date, however I love that feeling of just having a crush....not being able to get someone out of my mind, getting "butterflies" in my stomach, blushing! No one has made me feel any of those things in a long time and I would like to just reassure myself that I am still capable of those feelings!). I hope it brings healthier living (I'm not banking on it but I'm hoping!). I hope that I go to more concerts and more sporting events. I hope that I spend more time on the lake. I hope that I give more. I hope that I learn how not to have to be in control all of the time.

Now, if you are down to this paragraph....wow, with my ADD I have even lost intrest a little :) And, thank you. Not for reading my silly blog but for being someone who cares about me enough to read it all. You are one of the best things of my 2007 and, Lord willing, will be of my 2008. I hope that this is your best year yet!