Santa's Visit

Our first Christmas as a married couple was great! We covered both families by having breakfast with Pat's family and lunch with mine on Christmas day. Santa visited Einstein, George, and Gracie. They loved all their gifts!

Einie enjoying Nana and Papa's toy!

George chillin' in his new cat cube!

Gracie loving her new cardboard "couch"!

Merry Christmas!!

George and Einstein - Our Twins

In case you were wondering, they are fraternal twins...

#22, Heisman Winner

Congratulations to Mark Ingram for winning the University of Alabama's first-ever Heisman trophy. Ingram was genuinely surprised to win. He was overwhelmed, humble, and appreciative in his speech and thanked all those that have helped him. Thanks, Mark, for representing the tradition and excellence of Alabama football. You've made the 'Bama Nation very proud!

Keep 'Em Coming, SI

The deserving Crimson Tide is on this week's Sports Illustrated cover and highlights Colin Peek's catch for a touchdown. On the off chance there is an SI jinx, thank goodness Alabama doesn't play this Saturday...

P. S. Colin Peek was also the Red Lobster Scholar Athlete of the Game for the SEC Championship.

We're Going to Pasadena!!!

Hey Gators! We just beat the hell out of you! Rammer Jammer, Yellow Hammer! Give 'em hell, Alabama!

 

Groom's Cake

Pat and I went to a wedding on Saturday, and I just have to share a picture of the groom's cake. The reception had a winter theme. The cake was penguins in snow and ice! What a cute (and new) idea!!

I think penguins are particularly cute. (Yes, I made Pat take me to see The March of the Penguins!) These penguins also remind of the Muppet penguins, so that makes the cake even more precious!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mark Ingram on SI

Future Heisman winner and all-around cutie Mark Ingram will be on the cover of this week's Sports Illustrated...

Happy Birthday, Grant!

My precious nephew, Grant, turns 3 years old today!!

Has there ever been a cuter 3 year old?!?

Gracie's Calendar is Out!

Remember when Gracie competed to be in the 2010 Humane Society calendar? They are now available, and you can see Gracie's modeling debut! If you want to purchase one, know that the money is going to a great organization and is tax-deductible.

The 2010 Best Friends Calendar

Company Shirt Therapy

Before

After

Hmm...for some reason, I feel better. Don't worry; it won't go to waste. I'll use the scraps to clean my toilets. That feels appropriate.

KISS

Pat and I took a two-day trip to Nashville on Wednesday to see KISS in concert. Pat has seen them several times and told me how good they are. I like a good rock concert, and they were really good! It was high energy and fun. They are all Republicans, so it was funny when Paul Stanley said you were at the wrong concert if you wanted to hear about ending global warming and any love for the current president.





"I Wanna Rock and Roll" was really fun, because they released a ton of confetti. You could barely see the stage!

Cool shot of all members on the big screen...

Us before the show!

Happy Halloween!

National Cat Day

Today is National Cat Day, so I am celebrating the cats in my life! It serves to celebrate the unconditional and special love from cats and to help recognize the number of cats that need to be rescued every year.

George and Gracie are amazing companions and put a smile on my face everyday. They have distinct personalities and love attention! Life wouldn't be the same without them!

When I See an Opportunity, I Take It

Every day when I return home, I give George and Gracie several cat treats. I keep them in a glass jar on the counter. Today, I fed them the treats and then dropped the jar. It shattered into a thousand little pieces!

I was aggravated but had to laugh as they started eating every treat they could find. It was a kitty jackpot! George would pull a treat over to him with his paw. I guess that was less conspicuous. Pretty smart!

Softball (Games 2 and 3)

Luckily, the rain held off and we were able to play our rec league softball games two weeks in a row. Last Monday's game was freezing. My hands were like ice! We made a good effort but lost 6-7.

I've been sick since Friday, so last night's game was miserable. Every team has to have a certain number of women and men on a team. I had to play, because we were short on women. I enjoyed myself, but the sneezing-sniffling-coughing-aching-headaching-I need medicine condition I was in, didn't make it easy.

Pat had the game of his rec league career. The rest of us barely had to play. There's a rumor that scouts are coming to see him play next Monday!

We won 14-4!! Go Team Citadel!!

My First Day

I am working again! On Thursday, I accepted the position that I've been interviewing for the past two weeks. I am a Client Support Specialist with a financial planning company. That means I will get to plan events, direct their social media, and take care of clients. I'll learn more about my duties as time goes on.

I worked a half-day today to get started and to fill out paperwork. I'm happy to be working again! This feels like a great job and something I'll enjoy doing. I want to be excited about what I do. I have never had that!

Rec League Softball - Rained Out Again!

Back on September 29, I blogged about our rec league softball game. That has been our only game played so far!

Sept. 14 - RAIN
Sept. 21 - RAIN
Sept. 28 - Won 15-5
Oct. 5 - RAIN
Oct. 12 - RAIN

They keep tacking the missed games to the end of the season. Now, our final game is scheduled for Dec. 14! How miserable! The rain needs to stop!

Second Interview

I had a second interview with the company from last week. This time, I had to complete logic and personality tests. The personality test had 434 questions! My arm almost fell off. Each one was a statement that I had to answer true or false. Some were pretty funny. My favorite was "Sometimes I feel like breaking things." There were also a lot of questions about a citizen's ability to vote. Not sure what that was about...

If they don't find me clinically insane, I should still be eligible. :-D

By Thursday, I'll either get an offer or be told they need more deliberation time.

Wearing Pink

George has his pink out in full effect for Breast Cancer Awareness Month! Use the link on the left and make a donation!

Interview

I had my first interview with a financial planning company today. As far as I could tell, I think it went good. The interviewer was nice but hard to read. The staff is very small (3 people), but I like that idea. I have worked for a large corporation and know I would prefer working with a smaller company. That gives me a lot of room to grow! I'm staying hopeful, because I think I would be perfect for the job. I am supposed to get a call about a second interview next week. Fingers crossed!

Happy 65th Birthday, Dad!

Love you!!

Opry Goes Pink

On October 2, the Grand Ole Opry turned their trademark red barn pink to join the fight against breast cancer!

Kitty Krack (aka Catnip)

Rec League Softball - Game 1

Pat and I are playing in a softball league on Monday nights. Playing softball is totally unnatural to me. I only played one season of softball when I was 12. That is not much experience!! Pat has been giving me tips and rules of the game.

The times of the games change every week, and last night's game was at 9:30pm. Ouch! I was the catcher and got plowed into by a big guy in the first inning! He was sorry, but that was not a good way to start. The rest of the game went well with Pat pitching a great game. Everyone was pretty surprised by how well we did. I may have a bruised hip and giant knot on my shin, but we ended up winning 15-5!

Emmys Fashion

The Emmys were actually entertaining this year! Neil Patrick Harris is hilarious and is the best part of How I Met Your Mother. It's also comforting to see Doogie Howser still on TV. I wonder what happened to Vinnie?

I had a few favorites this year. My top two were Jenna Fischer (in Reem Acra) and Lindsey Price (in J. Mendel). Yes, Jenna chose the safe color of black, but it really worked. The dress fit her and the occasion. And, she's part of the cutest couple on TV - Jim and Pam.

My other favorites were Anna Torv, Alyson Hannigan, Jennifer Morrison, and Kara DioGuardi. Anna Torv is the lead in Fringe, one of the best written and inventive shows on TV. I liked the color and design of her gown. Do you think the dress is heavy?

In Marc Bouwer

I found Kara DioGuardi's Badgely Mischka gown refreshing. The gown is beautiful and doesn't garner attention for revealing too much. It's simple like Jennifer Morrison's dress. Calvin Klein is known for its beautiful simplicity, and Francisco Costa adds drama with an origami bow in the back.

In Vera Wang

Happy Birthday, Alissa and Drew!

Today is Alissa and Drew's birthday. Drew is already a year old!

Happy birthday, Alissa!

Congratulations on taking your first steps! Happy birthday, little man!

We're on The Knot!

Our wedding is part of "My Real Wedding: A Gallery for Brides" on TheKnot.com.

Southern Glamour

Leave your comments and rate our wedding!

So Amazing...

The National Geographic Channel has a series named "In the Womb." It documents the gestation period and birth of people and animals. It is FASCINATING. They have 4-D ultrasound images and computer graphics showing how the fetus develops. I learned so much watching the cats version. Even George and Gracie were enthralled...

-- Cats have morning sickness, too.
-- A cat's hearing is so strong that it can detect the footsteps of a mouse at 30 feet away.
-- At 52 days of development, they "breathe," hiccup, and wipe their paws across their mouths to imitate cleaning.
-- Lions can't purr and cats can't roar.
-- Kittens can't hear for 12 days after birth.
-- Kittens' eyes are enormous in relation to the size of their heads. It would be like humans having eyes the size of tennis balls.

A Few Good (Sales)Men

Pat has been playing in a basketball rec league with his co-workers and clients. Last night was their tournament game. They went 0-10 for the season and were dubbed the "worst team I've ever seen" by the scorekeeper. The final game mercifully ended at 47-70. BTW, there are two leagues, and last night's opponent was the worst team in the other league. But I digress...

They may be able to outsell every other radio station but can't outscore any of the other teams. Oh well, no one's perfect...but rec league b-ball doesn't pay the bills...

Pat is #23

Visit YouTube for a video made after the first few games...

WJOX B-ball

Resumes and Frustration

As most people who read my blog know, I have been looking for a job since June. I "resigned" from my previous employer. I put that word in quotes, because I was basically hung out to dry. My former boss never gave a reason (and didn't have to) for firing me. It was a difficult experience, especially since I had been with the company for almost five years and had outstanding performance reviews. It's hard not to feel like a failure, because you leave college thinking you'll conquer the world and be very successful before you turn 30. (At least, I did.)

I have been applying for jobs and had two interviews since June. The current job market is flooded with applicants. The worst part is having to apply to jobs and not be able to follow-up. Many postings say "no phone calls" or only give a fax number. How do you ever become more than a piece of paper or a Word file?

You Might Be a Redneck If...

...you send Grandma a picture of her shirtless grandsons all bearing a "Granny" tattoo.

Pat and I found this photo while passing by the Target portrait studio. There are no words...

Somebody Move the Mouse

On the way back from the beach, we made a pit stop in Atmore, Alabama. We drove by the new Wind Creek casino. The building looks nice, but someone was asleep that morning. On their big sign in front, their screensaver was on! Shouldn't it be someone's job to notice those kind of things?

George and Gracie's Vacation

George and Gracie also went on vacation to my parent's house. They did great and adjusted to their temporary home. It was nice to be able to check on them whenever I wanted. I also knew that their grandparents would be spoiling them. Surprisingly, Gracie didn't mind her new digs. George was tolerant but likes his own house.

"Mommy, can we go home already?"

Annual Gulf Shores Trip

Pat and I spent last week in Gulf Shores. We had a great time on our annual trip. We go with Pat's family and their family friends. The weather was beautiful with the occassional summertime rain.

To Grandmother's House We Go

Mom and Dad agreed to take care of George and Gracie while I'm gone during my upcoming trip to the beach. I had reservations at the vet but decided to try this alternative. I thought they might like it better, since they hate going to the vet's office.

We went to my parent's house this past weekend for a test run. They took some time checking out everything and getting adjusted to their temporary surroundings.

Eventually they were comfortable...

...and getting into the cabinets!

They did so well that I feel totally comfortable leaving them for a week. I was so proud of them! They were really brave and easy-going. Cats are generally low-maintenance, and George and Gracie are amazing cats. I know they'll enjoy the freedom of being with their Nana and Papa instead of in a cage at the vet!