We Will Always Cheer for Victory!

Rant for the day: I love Troy! I love football. I'm competitive, but I know winning isn't everything. It wasn't too long ago that Troy won 5 sunbelt championships in a row. The question was "where" not "if" we were going to a bowl game. Teams use to be scared of us. We used to joke that Troy was the team that would "almost beat" everybody.  In 2007, UGA was ranked #10 when they beat us 44-34, and Florida was ranked #4 and beat us 59-31. I was at the 2008 LSU game when we were winning 31-3 at the beginning of the 4th quarter. And the list goes on. They were losses, but we put up a good fight against huge SEC teams, which was awesome! 

We didn't have to beat these big schools for the games to be fun. It was fun simply showing up, cheering on our Trojans, singing our fight song with our amazing Sound of the South, believing we had a shot at winning, and watching the other fans sweat from nervousness. These were the "good ol days" of Trojan football. 

This season hasn't exactly been the best for Troy, but it definitely makes me appreciate our football team more. I'm not expecting an undefeated season, but I've been to 3 bowl games and want to go to more.  I'm not going to echo what everyone has already said. Changes obviously need to be made, but I wish they would be made voluntarily. 

With all of that being said, I love Troy, and Troy will always be my #1 Team. Troy became a part of my family before I did. Both of my parents, both of my brothers and sisters-in-law, and several of my aunts, uncles, and cousins went to Troy. Troy has given me so much, and I have so many happy memories of Troy, especially football season. I've been to the Swamp, Death Valley, the Superdome, and other places to cheer for Troy, and I want to continue the traditions. So I'm going to stay optimistic and look forward to Homecoming! Cheers to T-R-O-Y! We are with you all the way! 

Where Were You?

September 11, 2001: Where were you? Where were you when you realized it wasn't just another day? Where were you when you found out that America was not as invincible as you thought?

I was in Mrs. Carlisle’s 7th grade English class. After the first plane hit the World Trade Center, we went to the library to watch the news. I thought it was a horrible accident. The only logical explanation was a plane was flying too low and hit the building. As we stared at the screen watching the sky fill with smoke, we watched the second plane hit. At first, we thought they were showing a replay of the first plane's crash, but the commentators said differently. I was in complete disbelief. What were the chances of two planes flying too low and hitting two buildings that were side by side? My heart sank when the answer hit me. It wasn't an accident.

My eyes stayed glued to the TV the entire day trying to comprehend what they were seeing. My mom suddenly appeared in the library asking me if I remembered Jason's grandmother's name; she was trying to call her. Jason was a childhood friend that had lived a few blocks from my house, and though our families were really close, we hadn't seen them for a few years. Was she seriously asking me this right now? Didn't she have any idea what was happening? Of course, my mom knew. She also knew something I didn't. Jason was working in New York at the World Trade Center. After spending I don't know how much time praying, wondering, and holding my breath, there was nothing but pure joy and relief when we found out that he wasn't in the building when the planes hit.



A few years ago, I went to Ground Zero with my mom. The only way I know to describe it is unbelievably overwhelming. I ran my fingers over the names on the memorial, closed my eyes, and prayed. I prayed for those families and friends. I prayed a thank you for keeping Jason safe. I prayed a thank you for keeping my family safe. And I prayed a thank you for Mrs. Carlisle because I was in her classroom when it happened, and she was a large part of the reason why I majored in history. After we left the memorial, my mom wanted to stop at a cafe a few blocks away. We sat for a little while looking at our travel guide map trying to figure out our next destination, and then I noticed something that made me laugh. We were on Carlisle St.

"Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning?" was the song by Alan Jackson that summed up September 11th better than anything in my opinion because it captures the emotional experience from that day. "On that September day," I was scared. I was confused. I was heartbroken. I was angry. But surprisingly, there were other emotions I didn't expect. I was grateful. I was optimistic. I was hopeful. In this song, Alan Jackson also reminds us of the Giver of faith, hope, and love, and that the greatest gift that was ever given is love. This song basically says to enjoy the simple things, to help each other, to be grateful for another day, and not to wait for something like this to happen to "dust off that Bible at home." By the way, instead of watching I Love Lucy I watched M*A*S*H* reruns.

You remember where you were. If you actually made it through this longer-than-expected post, I want to know your answer. Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning That September Day?

The Only Men I Need

I've locked up my heart
And I've lost the key
I don't need a man 
To take care of me
I've run out of patience
And I don't have time
For stupid dating games
That's the bottom line

I'm done with guys
I've sworn off men
Not gonna let someone 
Hurt me again
All they do
Is leave me feeling bad
So the only men I need
Are Jesus and my Dad

Orlando got married
Lance Bass is gay
Superman broke my heart
Prince Charming lost his way
Kenny Chesney still won't come
To knock on my door
And I can't wait
For Tim Tebow anymore 

I'll be alright
When the next guy lets me down
'Cause my Dad and Jesus
Are always around

I'm done with guys
I've sworn off men
Not gonna let someone 
Hurt me again
All they do
Is leave me feeling bad
So the only men I need
Are Jesus and my Dad

You Can Have Your Cake and Eat It Too

Eggs are bad for you.  Eggs are good for you.  Gluten is bad.  Gluten is good.  Water is good for you.  Only purified water is good for you.  Tap water is pretty much the same.  No, tap water is not the same.  Chocolate is bad for you.  Dark chocolate is good for you.  Sugar is bad.  Sweet & Low is good.  Sweet & Low gives you cancer.  Splenda is good.  Splenda takes 4 days to digest.  Sugar isn’t as bad as Sweet & Low or Splenda.  Carbs are good.  Carbs are bad.  Protein is bad.  Protein is good.  Diet drinks are good.  Diet drinks make you crazy.  Germ-X kills all the bacteria so yay!  Germ-X kills all the good bacteria so boo!  Do you notice these repeating trends? 

Moral of the story: Everything in Moderation.  Too much of anything is a bad thing.  Yes, you should eat healthy so that you can live a long, healthy, active lifestyle, but there’s no sense in being miserable.  If I die in a car crash tomorrow, I want to die happy knowing I enjoyed that piece of chocolate birthday cake.  

*The above statements were my personal opinions written by me and for my personal enjoyment.  If you enjoyed it as well, that makes me happy.  If you did not enjoy it, or if you found it disagreeable, ignorant, or offensive, I apologize.  Let us agree to disagree and move on with our lives.  Life is too short to eat celery, and life is too short to argue over trivial things.  Have a nice day!

Trying to Get Even

"The only people we have to get even with 

are those who have helped us."

I'll be honest.  I am terrible at showing appreciation.  I am the world's worst person at sending thank you notes, and I often forget to show the proper amount of gratitude people deserve.  I get so excited about the act of kindness that I'm too busy saying words like "Shiny!" or "Yay! Pink!" that I forget to say the words "Thank You." 

While I've been working at Beachy Beach Real Estate for Karen Smith, someone who is simultaneously the most generous and the most grateful person I have ever met, I have changed my attitude of giving, receiving, and reciprocating.  Her life motto is "The only people we have to get even with are those who have helped us."  
  
It occurred to me recently that just because I may have missed the "proper etiquette" deadline for sending a thank you card, doesn't mean I should never send it.  While I do agree it's better to show appreciation immediately, I think the "better late than never" rule applies as well.  

There are friends that have showed me love, kindness, and support over the years that I will never be able to repay.  Among these friends are a few brothers (now alumni) of Alpha Tau Omega at Troy University.  They are friends that always go above and beyond, and they make up some of my happiest college memories.  They were always there even if that meant a midnight Red Bull run or a midnight movie premier.  

In 2010, when two of my ATO friends, Austin Bivins and Kyle Crabtree first started talking about walking from Troy, Alabama to Panama City Beach, only one word came to mind: "Crazy!".  The word that now comes to mind is "Respect".  Other than small donations, I have never gotten involved with Walk Hard as much as I've wanted.  This year, I wanted to start trying to "get even" with my ATO friends that have done so much for me.

Walk Hard is a six-day hike from Troy, Alabama to Panama City Beach raising support for The Wounded Warrior Project.  Standing in Pier Park as the Walk Hard team finished the 125 mile journey was nothing short of incredible.  It makes me wish I would've been there in previous years to support my friends and makes me regret letting my fear of PCB spring break traffic and craziness get the best of me.  In my attempt to "get even," I had the joy of welcoming my friends' littles, grandlittles, and great-grandlittles to the beautiful place I now call my home and share a little Beachy Beach love!

Panama City Beach Mayor Gayle Oberst was there to welcome the team at Pier Park declaring March 12, 2014 "Walk Hard Day."  Another special guest who was at both the send-off and the finish line was Billy Williams, a Desert Storm veteran.  While the final amount raised for 2014 has not been announced yet, the brothers of ATO presented The Wounded Warrior Project with a check for $16,200.  

When asked why they are walking, these were a few of the answers: 

"I am walking for the sake of others.  I am blessed to have legs that allow me to walk, so why not use them to raise awareness for those who are not able?  We often take the small things for granted, and I believe Walk Hard is the perfect opportunity for me to realize how fortunate I am.  I am fortunate to be an American, to have been raised by such a loving family, and ultimately that Jesus Christ paid the penalty for me to be able to spend eternity in heaven with Him when I am so undeserving.  For I am blessed, so I want to be a blessing to others!  That is why I Walk Hard!" - Jake Thibodeaux

"Many of the older brothers encouraged me to become apart of something bigger than myself. I believe that by participating in WalkHard, I will have the opportunity to do that very thing. I am so excited that I have the opportunity to support the Wounded Warrior Project through walking. This is an organization that really hits home to me, having had a brother serve in the military and by having being raised in a military-based city. I know that this will definitely be a spring break that I never forget!" - Dash Merritt

So what do a bunch of guys want to do after walking 125 miles want to do?  Go to the beach and spend the remainder of spring break resting, recovering, and rejoicing!  Congrats to the Walk Hard Team and the brothers of Alpha Tau Omega!  And to all my ATO Alumni friends, Thank You!

You can still donate to The Wounded Warrior Project by going to www.walkhard.org  

Loving Life... Just Not Birthdays

 

Loving Life... Just Not birthdays

"Why do bad things always happen on my birthday?" I asked my mother through my tears on my 23rd birthday while we were standing in the emergency room.   My grandmother had suffered a stroke and looked nothing like herself.  I went back to see her with my older brother, Josh, but I couldn't handle it and ran out of her room back to the waiting area to my Momma's arms.  Obviously I was upset it happened at all, but I was so angry at the timing.  So I asked my mom why bad things happen on my birthday.  The worst part was that I was completely aware of how selfish my question was.  While it is my grandmother that suffered, I was focused on the inconvenient timing.  Sadly, this wasn't the first or the last time I asked my mom this same question.  

Don't get me wrong.  I am grateful for my 25 years of a wonderful life.  I think of a few special people that will never see a 25th birthday, and I feel selfish and honestly silly.  But I think I can celebrate 25 years of life without celebrating my actual birthday.  Anybody that knows me knows that I'm an optimist that always tries to find the bright side of things, but statistically speaking, that's hard to do.  So this year I decided if I skipped my birthday, nothing terrible could happen.

Since I was fifteen, bad things that are so far out of my control have happened on my birthday.  I lost a woman that I dearly loved and admired, and I was in the group of girls that sang at her funeral.  My Grandmother got into a habit of being in the hospital on my birthday, a broken hip one year and then a stroke another year.  I got my first and only (knock on wood) speeding ticket on my birthday after I got the phone call about my grandmother's stroke.  Last year, after the family birthday party, 14 out of 19 of us got sick with a virus that we were all convinced was going to kill us.  I even failed my driver's license test on my 16th birthday.  And the list goes on.

And I've had great birthday memories too!  Ben Maxwell threw me a surprise party at McDonalds complete with a princess crown and a happy meal because I was in "crisis mode" thinking turning 20 meant growing up.  He threw another surprise party that night at my apartment with my friends and a cookie cake (my favorite!).  My sweet little brother, Nathan, threw me an awesome surprise 21st birthday party and even made the precious cake decorated with pink, houndstooth, and a ladybug.  One year, I saw Hunter Hayes, Sara Evans, and Rascal Flatts then got to go to WinterJam the next day.  I got amazing Philip Phillips tickets last year.  On my 18th birthday, I not only got to see some of my favorites at WinterJam, but "Happy Birthday" was sung to me afterwards in the Waffle House by.... Jeremy Camp!!  How awesome is that?!?  I've definitely been blessed, and I can't deny that.

And it's for that very reason that I decided to skip my birthday this year.  I want to celebrate all the happy times in my 25 years, not one single day that in my mind, represents fear, sorrow, and pain.  Celebrating the life in my years instead of the years in my life.  (I think that's what the cliché says).  I don't know if this makes sense to anyone else, and I don't know if that's a way to celebrate a birthday, but after years of holding my breath, that seemed like a reasonable solution.

Instead, I decided to help give someon else a birthday present.  Last night at Winter Jam in Birmingham, I decided to sponsor a little 4 year-old girl named Ji-yun through Holt International.  She is a handicapped child from South Korea, and because I used to tutor Korean children, I wanted to sponsor someone from their country.  Since I've been so selfishly concerned on how my birthdays don't go according to how I want them, I wanted to help someone else.  And I'm hoping Ji-yun's picture on the refrigerator will help me to remember to always be grateful for everything I have, even unpleasant birthdays.

I was counting on everyone else's memories to be as terrible as mine, but my plan did not work.  So to everyone that remembered my birthday or fell for my little "April 31st" white lie, I want to tell you thank you!  I appreciate all the wishes, texts, phone calls, messages, etc.  And I have to give a special shout out to my Momma Joy!  Every year that something has happened, she has gone above and beyond to try to make my birthday extra special.  I am grateful for having each of you in my life, and I'm grateful for another trip around the sun.

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." - Gandalf