This Week

I can describe this week in two words....

EXTRODINARILY EXHAUSTING.

O.M.G. I've worked 12-14 hrs per day, which is fewer hours than my husband has worked each day, but this perfect-picture-of-domesticity isn't used to such labor (or hasn't been used to it since May) I'm still tired.

I thought this cartoon was sad but true.

Even with the sort-of-grim message from the cartoon, I love, love, love my job and I'm so excited about this year and the group of 111 students that I get to see each day. If I don't post every day, every other day, or every three days, promise not to hate. I'll do the best I can. I want to keep you updated on my kiddos and what they are doing, though, so expect to hear from me about that.

This week in Mrs. Kirkland's Language Arts class:
1. Laying down the law (I didn't phrase it that way, but let's face it, that's what I've been politely doing.)
2. Friday my kids will get a letter from me. They will be writing one in response. They'll also be learning about effective ways to brainstorm and how to get your thoughts organized before you begin writing.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Congrats Kendra and Zach!

Wooohoo! A few months ago, BK's good friend and co-worker, Zach, surprised his girlfriend Kendra at the airport with a "Will you marry me?" sign, and of course, she said yes. Over the past year, we have become really good friends with Kendra and Zach and have really enjoyed traveling with them, having cookouts, and in general, just spending time with them as a couple.

If you remember, in January of this year we took the best trip ever a very exciting trip out to Las Vegas and Phoenix for a little event called the BCS National Championship Game. We were lucky enough to have Kendra and Zach as traveling buds and Fogo de Chao dinner dates, among many other things (T-Will "concert", gambling buddies *jk mom*, and travel agents with BK was hospitalized). We had a blast with them and although the trip was awesome, it was so much better getting to share those memories with good friends.

Sometime in March, Kendra took a great job in Ohio Sate University's athletic dept. and moved to Columbus soon after, making their relationship a long-distance one. Can we sympathize with their situation? Oh. Yeah. We feel bad that they are having to do this long distance, but we know from experience that long distance relationships make you so much closer as a couple if you trust in God and His plan. They too, are praying and trusting that God's plan is greater than ours.

BK and I have been asked to be in their wedding, which is in Columbus, OH on June 9, 2012. We are so excited to be celebrating with them and so honored to call them our good friends! Congratulations Kendra and Zach! We love ya'll!

Vacation Recap 2011

BK and I just spent 12 days on vacation, and let me tell you how relaxing those 12 days were! WOW! We spent a week on the beautiful beaches of Ft. Walton Beach, FL. where the sand is bright white and most of the time, the water is clear. I honestly believe the Gulf Coast has the most beautiful beaches in our country, so if you've never been there, make a point to go- you won't regret it!

During that week we played volleyball, snorkeled, walked on the beach, and (most importantly to BK) ate a TON of fresh Gulf seafood. It was a great week spent with my parents, my Mamaw, my brothers, and one of their girlfriends and the other's best friend. I couldn't have asked for a better time with some of the people that I love the most.

After that week, we drove over to Mobile, AL. to spend the weekend with BK's family. We stayed with his Memaw, who is the epitome of a strong Southern lady. Whenever we stay with her, she always cooks every meal and this time was no exception. Traditional southern meals were a nice break from the week's worth of seafood we consumed the week before. It did nothing, however, for the diet and exercise regiment I had been working on over the past five months. Oh well...it's vacation, right?! While in Mobile, we also had the chance to an art show that BK's dad had entered a piece in. If you aren't aware, his dad is quite a talented painter and his pieces are amazing. For a wedding gift, he painted a beautiful watercolor print of a picture that we took the weekend we got engaged in Vail, CO in 2007. He's also given BK several Auburn prints that we will hang in the office of our next house. You should visit his website here. Although the most recent painting isn't on the website yet, he does have some very impressive prints.

On Monday of this past week we drove to Gulf Shores, AL. to spend a few days with our good friends J & E, who are getting married in December. Although we were only there a few days, we had a very laid back time, laying on the beach, playing in the ocean, riding go carts, and again, EATING: Tacky Jacks, Lulu's, Scoops, and the Oyster House. It was awesome.

Speaking of Lulu's, I had a truly "Southern" experience there at dinner and I'm already mulling over a fantastic blog for tomorrow...stay tuned.

P.S.....I go back to work one week from today. Boo-hiss!

God's gift to Atlanta...literally.

Sunday, BK and I drove the hour and a half or so to Atlanta to check out Louie Giglio's Passion City Church. Let me give you some background on why we were so excited about this little trip.

Giglio is the founder of the Passion Movement, a conference that began in 1999 and has grown to a giant gathering of high school seniors and college students that will blow your mind. The conference was only in Atlanta until a few years ago, when Giglio decided to take the conference to the road, literally. Passion went to Boston, Denver, Chicago, Dallas, and then they went global. Over the course of a few months, Passion visited six continents and changed countless lives. During the conference, you're likely to hear speakers/pastors like Giglio, John Piper, and Frances Chan and hear music from the world's best praise and worship leaders like Chris Tomlin (who also leads worship at PCC), Christy Nockles, and Matt Redman. The conference is amazing, to say the least.

Back to PCC in Atlanta. Giglio is the pastor and Chris Tomlin is the worship leader. How awesome is that? When we were there yesterday, however, they had a special group lead worship and it was none other than Matt Redman. He's one of the greatest songwriters and worship leaders in the world and it was amazing to get to hear him roll out his new album, "10,000 Reasons". The album title comes from track 4 "10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)". I want to share the lyrics with you because they have been on my mind constantly since yesterday.

Bless the Lord O my soul, O my soul,
Worship His Holy name.
Sing like never before, O my soul,
I'll worship Your Holy name.
The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning.
It's time to sing Your song again.
Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me,
Let me be singing when the evening comes.

This is only a small snippet of the song that I think you should check out.

(I know that I'm spending a lot of time telling you what to do, but there's one more thing.) I think you should also go to Passion City's website and listen to Giglio's sermons for the summer. He's focusing on a chapter study of the Gospel of John and I highly recommend it.

Click HERE for the link to PCC's website and a way to download Giglio's sermons. Oh how I wish that Auburn had a Passion City Church!

Insomnia and the products thereof

I suffer from insomnia and find myself lying in bed next to a dead asleep human who wakes if I even think about moving solving all the world's problems and writing imaginary letters to different people. Weird, I know. However, a brain full of words never stops thinking. So last night while tossing and turning, I wrote a little letter to the one and only Nelle Harper Lee.

She's only written one novel, and as you may have noticed, I sort of like it. Everyone has some token or piece of memorabilia that they would almost kill for. If you ask my husband, he wants a signed Derek Jeter game bat (only valued at $3,500).

My "Derek Jeter bat" isn't something that most people would want, but it's something that I can't imagine being lucky enough to own. I would love to have a first edition signed copy of TKAM. I would put it in a special place in my house and look at it every day....literally.

The cost of this fine piece of literary history.....a mere $24,500. Take that, Derek Jeter. I still want it, but know that I'll be doing good just to get a signed copy at all, which brings me back to the letter.

See, I want to write to Ms. Lee and tell her, as I'm sure many others have done, about how she has changed my life, quite literally. Her novel has changed the way I interact with people, and how I teach the 100 or so students I encounter every day. Think about it, how amazing to know that because you have a gift for writing and because you chose to put your gift to use, a countless number of lives were changed or affected. Her novel brought the intolerant South's views into perspective in 1960. She forced people from the South to confront their own attitudes. It would be my dream to do the same in some way. Isn't that what every writer wants- to impact lives and change people?

I want to ask her so many questions about the creation of Mockingbird. I want to know if she modeled Scout after herself and if it's true that Capote was the inspiration for Dill's character. I want to get her take on how her upbringing in Monroeville inspired the setting. Who was the inspiration for Boo and did she have a Calpurnia in her life? I'd like to mail her a copy of Mockingbird in the hopes that she would sign and return it. My dream is to talk to her in person over a glass of sweet tea or lemonade, but the likelihood of her even answering a letter is like a shot at the moon.

Having said all this, I'll be posting my letter to Ms. Nelle Harper Lee in the future. Until then, I'm going to scour the Internet for her mailing address...yeah right. If any of  you have insight as to how to get in touch with her, pass it on.

I'm crazy, I know. Just let me dream :)

A Nation in Trouble

Look around you next time you're in a public place like a mall. What is it that you'll see? An overweight nation.

Msn.com released an article with some alarming statistics. "The report, released Thursday, also found that more than 30 percent of the people in 12 states are obese. Four years ago, only one state could make that claim." You can go here to read this very informative article.

30%....wow. Just to make this a reality, 30 of 100 people are obese. Not overweight, but obese.
The article also lists the states by percentages of obese adults. This doesn't include overweight adults, just obese.

Even more alarming is this statement, "Twenty years ago, "there wasn't a single state that had an obesity rate above 15 percent, and now every state is above that," said Jeff Levi, executive director of Trust for America's Health, which compiled the report."

Want to know where Alabama ranks? 2nd...and that's not a place where you want to be at the top of the list. In our great state, 32.3% of adults are obese. Only Mississippi has a higher percentage.



What is the significance of those two quotes you might ask? That means that in my lifetime, our country has gotten itself in a serious problem. Many people, women especially, see obesity as something that just affects their looks. However, there's so much more at stake than the way that you look.

Obesity poses so many health issues including heart problems, diabetes, and an increased risk of bone and joint problems. You should be wary because it is so dangerous to allow yourself to be at an increased risk of such major problems. I honestly believe that obesity is a large contributing factor in why health care costs in our country are at an all time high.

I'm not saying that everyone should be tiny, but I think that being aware of what you are eating and drinking, along with getting some form of regular exercise is part of being a responsible person. You are not only helping yourself become healthier in both mind and body, but you are helping to take care of your family by increasing your chances of living a longer, healthier life.

I do not write this blog to point fingers, make anyone uncomfortable, or to cast blame. However, I know that my body type is such that if I did nothing in the realm of exercise and nutrition, I will be a contributor to these obesity statistics.

Having said all this, I encourage you, reader, to be aware of what sorts of foods you are consuming and highly consider beginning some exercise regiment, even if it is walking or jogging for a short period of time. BK and I are about 40 days into P90X, an extreme exercise program. Along with this, we have changed our diet to be a much healthier and well-rounded. Now this doesn't mean that we eat healthy all the time- we still splurge on occasion, but overall we cook at home and our meals are pretty healthy.

I don't know a whole lot, but if you would like to talk about what nutrition options we have been doing and how you can make some changes in a short period of time, please email me. I hope you will consider these statistics and make whatever changes are necessary in your own life to be a healthier you.

This has nothing to do with your waist size, it's about being healthy and happy. As the workout guy on P90X says, "Do your best and forget the rest."

Goin' to The Big House

Although we're huge Auburn fans because we've spent roughly $150,000 on our educations combined, the hubs has always loved the University of Michigan football team. I think he started liking them as a kid because he liked their colors on tv. His love hasn't stopped and he's always wanted to go to their stadium, The Big House, in Ann Arbor to see a game.

There's been a few problems in getting there:
1. He's on the grounds crew at AU and everyone pitches in and gets the football field ready every Saturday that there is a home game.
2. It's REALLY expensive to get tickets to a UM game because they sell out regularly.
3. It's silly to spend so much money on a weekend when we have to pay for flights, hotel, tickets, etc.

Welp, we've found solutions to all of these problems and on this year for his birthday (sort of), we're going to Michigan to see his team!

When BK did his internship with the Red Sox in 2006, he made a friend (also an intern) named Jason Demink. Fast forward five years and BK works for Auburn baseball, and Demink works for Michigan baseball/softball.  Demink offered us tickets for this year's Michigan vs. Notre Dame game, which will also be the first night game in Michigan history. Our gracious friends have also offered us a place to stay for the weekend, which is awesome! Knowing that this opportunity may not come around again, BK will be taking off work the weekend of the AU vs MSU game Sept. 10....oh well!

When I found out that we were going, I started stalking airline tickets because I love to plan trips because in order to get the best deal, you've got to be diligent about watching prices. For whatever reason, prices on sites like Expedia are usually the lowest Tuesday or Thursday nights at about 10pm. However, sometimes if you watch on these days early in the day, you might get lucky. I did.

Atlanta is the closest airport to us- only about an hour and fifteen minutes. Luckily, the cost of tickets from Atlanta is much lower than tickets from Birmingham. I stalked the tickets for a few months because the prices from Atlanta to Detroit had been around $300 a ticket. Through my diligence, I was able to snag the same tickets for $179 each! I'm telling ya people, don't buy airline tickets without stalking them for at least a month or more first. We wouldn't go on most of the trips we go on if we bought tickets at full price or didn't get deals on hotels.

Happy very early birthday, BK, and Go Blue!