Where should I start? Let's just go with last week! Last week, I was basically a world traveler...okay more like a Southeastern traveler. I enjoyed a fabulous week off from work with my family and G! We loaded up the car and headed down to the Redneck Riviera of Panama City Beach, Florida. I'm tell you all a little secret....go on a beach vacation after Labor Day. Rooms are cheaper, you don't have overcrowding on the beach, it isn't 12,000 degrees outside and my favorite part....little to no wait at restaurants! Of course there's the pesky hurricane season but life is all about taking risks every now and then right?
I had a new experience on vacation...celebrating my birthday at the beach! That's right folks, I turned the big 2-5 last Tuesday. September 11 is a tough birthday to have but my cousin posted a sweet message on my Facebook saying that "at least one good thing happened on this day in history!" So that's nice to give people something to smile about...I'm one year older :) My family treated me to a nice seafood supper and a visit to the outdoor mall where I found many pretty things!
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| Enjoying some birthday oysters at Shuck'ems |
After much preparation and anticipation, we jumped in the car and drove to Knoxville to enjoy a little football time in Tennessee. I'm going to preface this by stating that I really, really, really dislike the Florida Gators. I always have, always will. Couple that with riding high on the past two Tennessee wins and I was ready to rock and roll all over some Swampies. Rather than discuss the disgust and disappointment I am still feeling today...two days after the game has ended, I will discuss the following:
1. My gameday blazer/G's gameday britches
We just happened upon this perfect UT blazer while in Florida. We did have to undress a total of two manikans and track down many salesladies to get it but it's all mine! G's pants were a different story, we made a pit stop to Alumni Hall in Knoxville because he was determined to find some checkerboard pants.
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| Check us out! |
2. How excited I was to spend time with my long lost sorority sisters!
With a sold out ball game on our hands so many people made the journey to Rocky Top, or already lived there! I was thrilled to see my sisters who live in Knoxville as well as precious Megan who is living in Denver these days. Thanks so much to Rebekah and Jacob for keeping us up for the night (and for the donuts!) and to Cara and the entire Holden family for the tailgate fun!
3. That I am thankful for Will Moore and currently owe him a favor of some form or fashion.
Our original tickets fell through and we quickly had to rustle up some others. This was in the midst of the announcement that College Gameday would be broadcasting, live from Knoxville....and of course it was the Florida game...so tickets on Craigslist or any other site jumped to $150 for top level seats. No thanks. Enter Will. You might remember Will from my Tale of the Stoneware Jug. If not, see here. Will is my college pal, former neighbor and devoted Volunteer fan who just happened to catch wind that those scallywags from Florida returned a good bit of their ticket allotment which resulted in our ticket purchase. Thanks my friend.
4. Bid Day
Today I was lucky enough to help with Chi Omega's Bid Day celebration at Austin Peay. It has been seven years since I ran to my sisters in the APSU quad wagging my big purse behind me, and it has been four years since I welcomed the pledge class of 2008 with big hugs and smiles. I am thankful for the opportunity to give back as an alumnae officer and loved seeing the joy on the faces of Baby Hooties learning chants for their very first rally. As a side note, Pledge Class 2012 may possibly be the most coordinated pledge class I've seen in a while. It was especially sweet to see my Little Sister's biological little sister enjoying her very first Bid Day as a Chi Omega. Here's a picture of the Fabulous Family tree...missing a few branches who were there in spirit!
