WHO KNEW TODAY WOULD EVER COME!!!!

THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS DEFEATED VANDY!!!

THE WASHINGTON STATE COUGS DEAFEATED WASHINGTON IN DOUBLE OVERTIME FOR THE APPLE CUP!!!

THE MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS DEFEATED ARKANSAS!!!  (We were there, it was awesome...and cold).

TODAY IS A GREAT DAY FOR FOOTBALL!!!

(Thankfully, all the men in my life are happy!!  YAY!!)

Funny thing about a small town...

In today's paper, Starkville Daily News, the Lifestyles section was devoted to food, with the front page (and following page) all about "Krystal: it's not just square anymore."  Um....yes...I am serious.  The restaurant review column was titled, "Lots of new places to try out in town..." Followed by, "And Krystal is only the latest in a long list of new/newish places to try out in the Starkville/Oktibbeha County area."

I think Adam and I will be safe from the rush of Krystal-goers.

Mississippi State Football!

Go Dawgs!!! 

(Who knew either one of us would be saying that...EVER!)

Adam and I have been to a few of the MSU football games.  Recently we went to the UK game and had great seats!  

Here are pictures of our Jumbo Trons.  You can see the old one is a little wimpy compared to the massive new screen.  

Yes, everyone has cowbells...SEC opponent or not.  And, yes, we took ours to one of the non-SEC games, too.  We, apparently, are the only ones following the SEC rules of no artificial noisemakers.  The student section is always FULL of COWBELLS!!  

Halloween Pics!

I think I may have figured out how to get pictures on this thing...we'll see.  Adam and I dressed as Horatio Caine and Calleigh Duquesne from CSI: Miami.  

Adam just looked so perfect as Horatio, I had to put more than one pic!

Adam's Birthday Cake

Adam's Birthday

One week ago, today, was Adam's birthday!  

The day started off as usual, he went to work, came home for lunch, went back to work, then came home for the day in the early evening.  Except, this evening when he came home, I had a birthday cake and presents waiting for him!  The cake was yellow with chocolate frosting, reading "Adam 29."  Now, if you notice in the picture, the cake decoration is a bit, shall we say, elementary.  Well, apparently, when you buy the tube of decorative icing, you need to buy the decorative tips, too.  Whoops.  Oh, well, I was able to get the point across.  I also added six candles, one for every year we've been together.  (Yes, six...wow!)

Our neighbors above, were out and about in the yard, so we invited them in for some cake.  They sang Adam a wonderful rendition of "Happy Birthday."  

We had a nice dinner at a local fav, Harvey's.  Then enjoyed yummy cake the rest of the week!  Adam received a number of funny and thoughtful birthday cards and wishes from from friends and family.  Thank you.

P.S. I am having problems uploading pictures, so we'll see how this works out.  

Our Trip Back to Tennessee (10/17-19)

After Adam and I stopped off at the University of Alabama for one amazing night with Dr. Cornel West (see previous blog), we continued on down (or, up, rather) the road to Knoxville for our first time back since leaving for Mississippi in late July.  

We arrived to my parents' house around 2 or 3am and the plan was to quietly go on in the house without disturbing my parents and just wait until the morning to visit.  Well, as we were unpacking the car, Adam reached across the driver's seat to grab one last thing and accidentally bumped into the steering wheel causing the horn to sound!  This sent us into histerical laughing fits.  Things always seem funnier when you are supposed to be quiet.  It was reminiscent of trying to hold a giggle during class or trying not to laugh out loud at a slumber party when people were trying to sleep.  As you may have guessed, the brief honk woke my parents.  But, Dad was happy to greet us at the door and Mom was more than ready for a hug.  

The next morning (Friday), Mom and Dad stuck to their usual routine and started their day in the early morning.  Meanwhile, Adam was also up early to head over to UT campus to do some research and catch up with former colleagues and friends.  When I finally rolled out of bed with no schedule to follow, I felt pretty worthless.  However, this down time provided me with some much needed one-on-one tummy rubbing time with our cat, Panda.  In Starkville, there are a few neighborhood cats who roam around, but none who just walk up to you, weave around your ankles and drop to the ground ready for some attention.

Anyway, my day truned out to be somewhat productive.  I was able to do a little gardening for my parents, as well as, saw a fallen branch from the very far edge off the back yard and move it to the farthest most edge of the front yard for curbside pick-up.  That afternoon, I was able ot do my MUW mentoring correspondence work from the Starbucks down the street, too.

Friday night was fun.  I met Adam on campus (yes, he was there all day) and we went to the Lady Vol Volleyball match against Ole Miss.   The match was played in Thompson-Boling Arena.  Funny, but on my recruting trip to UT it was believed that UT volleyball would be playing in TBA during my UTVB career (my career was 96-99).  We started in Alumni Gym then upgraded to Stokely Athletic Center.  It's funny how things work out.

Well, the Lady Vols won in front of one of the largest crowds in UTVB history.  An exact attendance number was not given, but it was "Student Night" and there were over 700 students present.  It was amazing to see so many people supporting Lady Vol Volleyball!

Saturday night was the football game between UT and Mississippi State.  We had a nice time tailgating with my Mom and Dad and their G-10 friends.  Adam and I enjoyed walking around, running into a few UT friends, and watching the Vol Walk.  We actually saw a couple from our swing class (in Starkville!).  Miss State was well represented with fans sporting their Maroon.  

Our seats were great; located on the end by the aisle and across from the aisle was not just the MSU fan section, but the MSU band!  By the way, Adam and I wore our UT shirts, but I represented with my "Dawgs" hat.  We enjoyed sitting near the MSU section because we were able to hear all the fun chants and cheers throughout the game.  (Not to worry, though)...Our seats were in the UT section, so we belted out "Rocky Top" and our Alma Mater.

Reminder: When creating usernames & passwords...write them down!

Hi!  Wow.  It has been quite some time since I last typed.  Apparently, forgetting your password is not the only obstacle for logging on for blog entries, but you also need to remember other stuff like your login email address  and login name and other important details.  Not to worry, I have now written all that information down, so next time I won't be caught staring at the computer screen trying to recall which of my twenty-some email addresses, login names, and passwords I used to create this blog account.  Whew!

Adam and I have been doing well here in, surprisingly, chilly Mississippi.  We have tried to get out a little more into the community.  A few weekends ago we visited the Noxubee Refuge for a special day they had to encourage visitation and appreciation for the outdoors and the benefits of the refuge.  We petted a baby gator and later saw a huge gator floating in the nearby water (we were in the car and all the canoers were out of the water for the day, fortunately).  Adam and I learned how to throw tomahawks at a target.  That was awesome!  Adam and I both were able to hit the tree with the axes (tomahawks) sticking into the wood.  We also took a lovely stroll through one of the many nature trails of the Noxubee Refuge.  Someday we plan to further explore more of what the refuge has to offer. 

We have been taking group swing dance lessons once a week.  Those are always fun.  

Also, volleyball on Sunday afternoons and Tuesday nights has proven to be a very fun social atmosphere, as well as a great workout.  Our volleyball group is very culturally diverse.  We have athletes from China, Brasil, Tunisia, Puerto Rico, and other states, too.

Adam and I recently became involved with MSU's Borderless Hosts program.  We were introduced to an international student who we will get together for dinner and/or activities  with at least once a month.  His name is Kamal and he is an engineering student from Nepal.  He is a very intelligent and genuinely kind young man.  We are very happy to be part of what we think is a valuable program.

Last weekend, Adam and I drove to the University of Alabama (on our way to Knoxville) for a special event speaker Dr. Cornel West.  HE IS AWESOME!  (Author of "Race Matters" and "Hope On A Tightrope."  We arrived to the event about thirty minutes before he was scheduled to take the stage.  Already, people (of all ages and races) were lined up out the doors!  The line slowly moved us closer to entering the hall, and we made a move for the front of the theater.  Against all fire codes, people were sitting piled in the aisles on the lower level and the balcolny.  We actually were moved to the stage with about 100 people.  He addressed us as "Brothers and Sisters of all colors" and a few memorable quotes from that night (as well as I could hear and as quickly as I could write them down) were the following:

*"You cannot save the people if you do not serve the people.  You cannot lead the people if you do not love the people."

*(Paraphrased) "Humility, Humanity...What does it mean to be Human?...It is important to muster the courage to examine life through critical thinking.   Certain perceptions, predispositions, prejudice; you've got to give them up and turn them loose."

*(Paraphrased) "TRUTH, JUSTICE, DUTY, LOVE...Cultivation of yourself and the maturation of your soul...find your VOICE, not your echo.  Have pride in your OWN voice."

I am proud to say that Adam and I were a part of a magical evening of hope and love shared amongst many. 

Now that I remember all my login information, I will post sooner than later!  Take care! -la

Fun Times...

Well, after a few weekends of craziness, we took the weekend of Sept 26 & 27 to relax.  Basically, we did a little shopping and watched some football.  Adam got some handsome slacks and shirts to wear for class.  

We also had a little fun during the week, too.  Of course, Adam worked very hard all day and most evenings.  Tuesday night was fun...we went to the Starkville Sports Complex (lots of fields!) to watch our upstairs neighbors play soccer.   M is five and T is seven.  Let me start off by saying that when I asked their mom (who is actually one of my closest friends here in Starkville) about what field they would be playing on she said to look for the coach yelling at the kids, (her husband is the coach).  So, with that detailed piece of advice, I was under the impression that there were only a few fields.  Well, when Adam and I parked in the endless parkinglot full of SUVs and minivans, we were a little taken aback to find there were at the very least over 20 fields of kids running around and, of course, all coaches and parents yelling.  

Fortnately, we found both fields (both games were going on at the same time) within ten minutes of arriving at the soccer mecca.  T (the seven year old) is a great athlete and his team worked well together passing the soccer ball to one another and scoring many times.  M's game was so fun to watch.  There were two teams, each with four boys ages five and under, and a coach on the minature soccer field.  The little guys were too cute, with their soccer shorts meeting their shin guards, leaving no visibility of the knees.  The gaggle of kids running after the ball was often interupted by exciting distractions, like leaves, someone's shoe falling off requiring the coach to quickly come to the rescue and put it back on, someone finding how fun it was to pull their shirt up over their head and run around not being able to see, the necessity to run over to the families and friends standing on the sidelines to give hugs and high-fives (M came over to us a few times, and it was the cutest thing), etc.  The best was when someone would shoot at the goal and the ball would roll down this little hill, then ALL the boys would want to go after the ball, not running to the ball but rolling down the hill to get the ball, then tackle each other and hunt for leaves all before returning to the soccer pitch.  It was awesome.  We had the best time laughing with the kids and families on the sidelines.

Wednesday was Swing Dancing!  Adam and I had a great time.  We were sweating after dancing all night.

Thursday I was able to play sand volleyball (doubles) with a few buddies of mine and that was a great time, even with the massive amount of bugs!!   Friday night we went to MSU Women's Volleyball, and that was great, too.  State did not beat South Carolina, but just being there watching volleyball is always a good time.

Here's what we've been up to...

I realize that it has been quite a long time since my last post.  So, here is what we've been doing...

We drove straight toward Hurricane IKE (not Gustov) when we headed to Waco, Texas for the WSU versus Baylor football game (Go Cougs!) and to meet Kyle's girlfriend (who is super nice).  The plan was to drive on Friday and meet up with Adam's WSU buddies then to attend the game on Saturday.  But, with IKE, the football game was moved to Friday night.  So, we headed to Waco early on Friday morning, drove all day, and made it to the parking lot at Baylor's football stadium just in time to find our friends and make it for the start of the game. The weather was calm, a little sweaty, but pleasant.  

Saturday we drove to Austin, Texas to stay with Kyle, who's brother and sister-in-law were also in town, and hang out more with Burns and Adam's other buds.  It was going to be so cool...we were going to be intown for a Univ. of Texas football game- but, it was rescheduled due to the threat of Gustov.  The weather could not have been more perfect on Saturday- sunny, breezy, and pleasant.  We walked around downtown Austin and ate in sports bars and watched football.  That night, we watched college football projected on a huge outdoor, lounging on a bar's rooftop, surrounded by live music.  The weather was awesome, breezy and just perfect.  

Sunday, we woke up and the boys (Kyle, Burns, and Adam) were playing Wii and having too much fun.  From Austin, we drove to Jackson, Mississippi for the PGA Viking Classic.

A few of Adam's students worked the Viking Classic PGA golf tournament.  We were there Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.  Came home on Wednesday; I subbed and Adam got organized and ready to head back out to Jackson.  Also, my Dad drove a huge moving truck with furniture from Grandmommy's house to Starkville.  So, Wednesday we unloaded the truck then returned it and spent the rest of the evening hanging out with Dad.  Thursday, Dad and I visited while Adam was working, then that afternoon, Adam and I hit the road back to Jackson for the remainder of the golf tournament.  We were there Thursday through Sunday.  

We were volunteers for the Tournament Office and Adam and I worked right along side of his students.  Adam set a great example of hard work and leadership for his students.  Alan, (Adam's coworker) and his wife were also there in Jackson, so we all worked hard doing random tasks anywhere from taking lunches out to the volunteers on the golf course, boxing the lunches, picking up trash, shop vaccing the flooded tent, and eating lots of food.  Nicole (Alan's wife) and I even attended a Viking food/chef cooking demonstration.  All of us were able to attend a golf demo for kids where this golfer hit a golfball through a watermelon, drove one 300 yards using a putter, and hit the middle ball out of a 12-pack of golfballs.  He was pretty fun to watch.  Fortunately, our hotel room and meals were comped!  

We made it back to Starkville and it's back to the grind.  Adam has been working hard with schol and I have been trying to get things back in order around the house (after being away for so many days.)  

Tonight we did something so fun!  We went swing dancing!  A friend/volleyball buddy of ours, Scott, is the swing dance instructor.  We had a fun evening of dancing and being together.  Now, Adam is hard at work on his computer getting ready for class in the early morning, and I am...well, you know what I'm doing, I'm writing a little somethingon this blog...finally.

When it rains it pours!

Wow!  I go from being, you know, somewhat busy, but able to take my time and do things around the house to FULL SPEED, leave the house at 6:45am and finally sit down for dinner after 8:00pm.  And, things are not slowing down for tomorrow, which is ok.

Friday: 

*Women's Club Meeting/Coffee at the President's House.  Super fun and I met so many nice and interesting women within the university community, (retired professors, accounts, coaches, boosters, faculty wives, etc.)  Everyone was so nice and friendly.  

*After the meeting, (by the way, I signed up for the knitting & cross stitching club, I know, unexpected, huh.)  Then, my neighbor/friend decided to have a porch party/tailgate before the football game on Saturday.  I typed up a flyer and we visited every house on our little street.  Then, the cleaning began...hosing, sweeping, and de-bugging the front porch, and other things to get the house looking good for first impressions with the neighbors.  

Saturday:

*Chili cooking, final cleaning, and getting ready for the party.  We had a great turn out and everyone had a fun time.  We grilled hot dogs and had kids everywhere!  It was so fun.

*The football game was great.   Tailgating here is different than at home.  There is one HUGE grassy area with a bazillion tents, and then there are about umpteen other big grassy areas with tailgate tent cities, too.  

*Post game we made it back to the house to eat the leftovers from the pre game party! Yum!

Sunday:

*Adam was working on transcribing an interview (for research) using his voice recognition/it types what you say program.  So, I listened to him quote word for word an interview with the following statement made more than once: "Like, you know, and stuff."  Helpful interviewee.  Just kidding.  I actually enjoyed listening to him work.  It helps me to understand his research. 

*We played indoor volleyball with our Sunday Volleyball group.  We are culturally diverse.  We have players (graduate students, faculty, and staff) from China, Tunisa, India, Brazil, and Alabama.  

*Sunday evening, I spent getting ready for Monday...my BIG DAY!

Monday:

*My first substitute teaching job!!!  I enjoyed being with the students.  I didn't realize how much I missed the teaching/kid scene.  Of course, there were moments where I questioned my desire to even be in the same room with someone under the age of 18.  But, mostly, I enjoyed my day as a sub.  

*Then, I worked out with a bunch of college studs and cute girls at the student rec center.  Mostly, I kept to my workout weaving throughout the many conversations and poorly executed work out techniques.  

*I rode my bike to and from the rec center, and it is AWESOME!! I love my bike!  I did almost fall off a curb, when I tried to sneak a peek to see if my shirt was caught awkardly, possibly exposing a bit of my belly,  as I was bent over and when I looked up my wheel was halfway off the drop.  But, I save it and looked totally cool doing it, (I'm sure. I'm just asuming).   

Well, I need to get to work!  Because... the school wants me back for tomorrow to sub again!  Yay! 

Adventures to the Mailbox...this time with some words.

On campus, everyone has a PO Box.  The Post Office will not deliver any mail to a particular address, other than that listed as a PO Box at the Campus Post Office in the old YMCA Building next to the Student Union.  Yes, this is a bit annoying, but as you look down our street, mailboxes are nowhere to be seen.  And, adding a stopping and slowly moving mail truck to the campus traffic with the cell phone talking and easily distracted pedestrians, fearless (and sometimes cell phone talking) bike riders, and generally crazy colleg drivers, it would be a bit too much.

I enjoy going to our PO box because I can get out and walk around campus for a minute or two.  Before the semester began, Adam and I would jog down to the Drill Field then to the Post Office and pick up the mail.  Now that classes are in session, Adam no longer gets to go to the mailbox with me.  It is a bit of a bummer we don't go together, just because I enjoy doing any little thing I can when it's with Adam; but, now that I go without him, it saves him the time.

Believe it or not, I have had a few funny things happen to me on the way to the mailbox...

Once I was walking on the sidewalk of the Drill Field, (enclosed grassy field, surrounded by gorgeous brick "Southern" style buildings).  this man on a bicycle peddled by me with a huge smile on his face.  Then, a few seconds later, I heard bicycle breaks squeal and shriek, then someone yelling, "INDIANA! INDIANA! INDIANA!"  Um, I know, weird and silly, right.  So, I turned around to see what was giong on and the guy on the bike, struggling to stay on the bike was turning it around and peddling frantically back to me, yelling Indiana and looking right at me.  So, he pulls up to me, and says excitedly, "You're from Indiana, right? We met yesterday, remember?"  Honestly, i was a little relieved that I really did NOT know this crazy person.  But, I introduced myself, so I guess now I do know him.  So, he thought I was someone else, and I wasn't; no big deal, just an average day on the way to the mailbox.  

Our friends/neighbors have two elementary school age boys.  Naturally, for them, going to the Post Office is nothing short of AWESOME.  I was lucky enough one day to accompany the kids and their mom on such an adventure.  We rode our bikes along the "secret" walkways under the trees, dodging students and faculty, weaving with the sidewalk as it ziged and zaged, going under stairs, even thought their mom specifically said for them not to, and about two seconds after which they did in deed go under the stairs.  And, on our way through the Drill Field, we saw IT!  And by "IT" I mean the big one!  WE SAW AN INFLATABLE BOUNCY HOUSE!!  So, after the fastest trip to the mailbox and back to the Bouncy House, leaving their bikes in the middle of the sidewalk and a trail of helmets and shoes, they were bouncing in no time.  The bounce castle was supervised by college students who were preparing to host a family type get together for the Business Department or something.  Those students were waiting for an excuse to get in there and jump, so when the boys got in, and their mom and I asked if we could jump, the college kids jumped in on the fun, too.  So, we jumped and jumped until the kids involved with the family event and who the bouncy house was actually for, arrived.  I left that little bounce house with a busted ponytail holder (from my major bouncing, I guess), a sweat soaked shirt, and exhausted muscles.  And, my little neighbor guys were able to bounce with the other kids for another ten minutes or so.  It was an awesome trip to the mailbox, for sure!

Adventures to the Mailbox

Let the misspelled, seemingly unimportant, overly detailed updates begin!

Now for the updates...(well, my "update" may be a little off, Adam is programming his voice recognizing dictation computer program and he is reading some obscure script about electricity and the song, "Wooly Bully."  As you may have guessed, I am a bit distracted.  he does have a great voice, though).

Adam has been hard at work since we made it to campus in late July.  He is  a hard worker in general, but starting a new career often requires extra office time, both at work and at home; and he is definitely putting in his time.  As for me, I have taken on a new role in our relationship and for me personally.  I am a proud "Home Supporter."  Initally, being at home during the day unpacking boxes, organizing our stuff, doing laundry, washing newly unpacked dishes, scrubing floor boards, vacumming ceiling corners, and other Cinderella-esque chores had me out and about on the job search hard core.  But, as time progressed and the job offers did not flood in, I realized (after talking with my leading ladies, Mom, Mary Ann, Grandmommy, and Nonee), that I would be good at whatever I put my whole heart into.  And, it just so happend to be that I wanted to put my whole heart into being a good home support system for Adam.  

He was getting up and heading to his office only to come home late and head into our home office.  Just because I am now a doctor's wife, doesn't mean I can sit around and expect to be a deep south diva.  So, I started waking up with Adam and getting to work myself.  Now, I get up and do laundry, wash dishes, vacuum the house, garden, get the mail, take out the trash, go to the bank, work out, cross-stitch (yes, you read that correctly), read (yes, you also read that correctly) and take care of other matters, EVEN COOK!  I feel so proud when Adam comes home in his suit and tennis shoes (he walks to work) and I have worked hard to provide him with a clean house and a warm meal and a happy wifey for him to come home to.  

I know what you may be thinking...and, YES, it is still me, just a different, newly repurposed me.  And, I like it.

It's Cyber-Time in Tennessee! (um...er...Mississippi!)

So, here goes...my first blog!

I hope to use this blog to share happenings and pictures of our new life and experiences, deep down South.  I have found that reading other blogs helps me to feel closer to my far away friends.  Now, hopefully, you will feel closer to us (only without the sweating, because there is a lot of sweating that goes on down here in Mississippi, by the way).

I hope you enjoy, and at least feel a little bit closer, reading my/our blog.  Please know that we often think about you, and now you can read about us!

love and hugs, la and adam