Fallin...

The weather in central Alabama is BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!

It never got above 75 degrees today! I can't believe it! It was freaking 90 on Saturday! And James Spann the Man says that it won't get above 90 again until NEXT SUMMER!!!!!

WHOOOOO HOOOOO!!!!!

I don't know if you've noticed, but I am a very pale person. Sunshine is not my friend. I sometimes look like this after too much sun:

This was Labor Day when Ben and I were just dating. I woke up with sun poisoning that next morning. I would rather have food poisoning. I was miserable for WEEKS after this sunburn.

Anyways...Fall is the perfect season for me, because it is so nice and cool outside. It is a pale person's heaven!

REASONS I LOVE FALL:

1. No mosquitoes! Bye bye icky bugs!

2. No sunscreen! I mean, my make-up still has sunscreen in it of course, but I don't have to really worry about slathering it on if I'm going to be outside for more than 10 minutes.

3. FOOTBALL SEASON. We've already covered that...ROLL TIDE!

4. The National Peanut Festival. Never missed one in my whole life! The rides, the exhibits, the entertainment, and the FOOD!!!!!

5. All things peanut in general, but mostly BOILED peanuts! There is just no better way to eat a peanut.

6. Fall decorations with leaves, scarecrows, pumpkins, and hay bales. I need a new fall wreath to go on my door!

7. The leaves are already starting to change colors! The drive to work includes 4.2 miles on a windy stretch of road that is lined in trees. It is gorgeous right now.

8. My birthday! October 27th! Mark it down! The big 2-4!

9. Scarves, boots, sweaters, tights, blazers, warm colors...all fashion that screams fall!

10. Turning on my fireplace...which is not really a fireplace at all! It's a heater with a fire digital projection. It is super sweet.

11. Chili and soups. Comfort foods.

12. Wearing my pajama pants, sweatshirts, and "sleepy" socks all the time and not getting crazy looks from my husband. Cold weather gives me an excuse to be comfortable and cozy.

13. Jumping in bed a few minutes early with my hubs to snuggle and share a mug of hot chocolate while we watch a movie.

14. Fall food smelling candles - the only time it is acceptable to have a candle that smells like warm apple pie or cinnamon streudel in my house.

15. "Boyfriend Weather" or I guess it's now "Husband Weather." You know, when you're walking to the car after a football game and it's super chilly, but it wasn't that cold when you got dressed for the game, so you're not quite dressed warm enough, so you have to walk right up next to your significant other and they put their arm around you while you walk and you fit right under the place where their arm meets the shoulder and it's so warm and cozy and you're so in love. You know. "Boyfriend Weather."

I love love LOVE fall. I can't believe it's finally here. But we all know in Alabama that we must enjoy it for the short time that it lasts, because it will be COLD soon and I will wish it was springtime.

I do not, however, really enjoy Halloween. It is my least favorite holiday of all the holidays. But I will be dressing Charlotte in a Halloween costume if I can find one that Ben and I can agree on. I'm pulling for the pig costume.

Random Fun Fact: As reported to royal.pingdom.com, at the end of 2009, there were 126 million blogs on the internet. Ridiculous!

Saturday in the...couch?

I love Saturdays.

We've done nothing today. I take that back. I've done nothing. Of merit, at least. Ben did get up and cut the grass, but didn't trim or blow the sidewalks off, so he halfway did something.

I, on the other hand, laid in bed with the dog til 11. ELEVEN!!!!!! I can't remember the last time that happened. I'm so glad Charlotte is finally old enough to let me sleep til 8, and then get in the bed with me and be lazy. Then, we went in the living room and got on the couch, where we took a nap until 2. The Bama game kicked off at 2:30. Ben dozed in the chair through a lot of that, until I started screaming at the TV.

Bama was playing AWFUL! I'm glad they finally turned it out and won. Whew. It was a nail biter.

With the last few minutes of the game, Ben was complaining that he was getting hungry, so I told him at 5, I would get up and start dinner. I started dinner at 6, really. The game was too interesting! I had to do a victory dance!

Tonight for dinner we had steak tacos with corn and black bean salsa! DELISH!

Here's how I made it:

SALSA:

1. Chop all your fresh vegetables. I used 1 tomato, 1 bell pepper (without the seeds), and 1/2 white onion.

2. Combine your fresh veggies with your not-so-fresh veggies: 1 can drained black beans, 2 cans green chiles (with juice), and 1 package frozen corn.

3. Add fresh cilantro and minced garlic to taste. Or to Ben's taste, rather.

For the steak, I used this:

Pampered Chef's grill pan. This is a kitchen life saver! For small grilling projects like the steak, or to do grilled chicken or fish, it's awesome! No need to break out the charcoal!

Anyways...

1. Heat some EVOO on your grill pan.

2. Defrost your steak. I used steak strips that are used for stir-fry. I didn't have to worry about cutting up any steak. Already done for me!

3. Rub a little mild taco seasoning on your steak strips.

4. Throw them on the grill pan until done!

Then, I warmed some flour tortillas in the microwave, washed some lettuce, and put together our steak tacos! They were yummy!

We kept sitting at the table, eating away, and talking about the tacos. We couldn't put our finger on what it was missing. Then Ben says, "These would be great with some cheese." Idiots. We forgot to put cheese on the tacos. And I even bought Mexican blend cheese specifically for the occasion.

Oh well. When you make these tacos, please use cheese.

Chewin' Up My Heart

Charlotte has a bad habit.

She likes to chew holes in her beds.

We're not sure why. It usually happens when we're asleep or she's spent a lot of time in her crate. I guess she's mad at us. She just chews a little hole in the bed, rips all the stuffing out, and throws it around her crate. Then, when we see it and say, "CHARLOTTE, WHAT DID YOU DO?!?!?!?" she just looks at us like, "What? Oh, I'm not supposed to do that?" We think maybe her bone or something gets trapped under the bed, and instead of being a smart doggie and going under the bed to get to it, she just goes through the bed to get to it.

We've gone through four beds.

I was smart last time and bought a flat cat bed that didn't have a lot of stuffing in it.

This time, I was not about to buy a new one. Dog beds are expensive! And she's just going to chew it up again. So I whip stitched that baby up! No hole there anymore!

She's really upset that it's laying on the floor in the living room. She doesn't deal well with change. She keeps sniffing it like she's never seen it before. Then she looks at me like, "What the crap, Mom? Why is my bed in here? I'm not sleeping in here!"

Precious baby. Love her. I can't get mad at her because she looks at me like this and I melt. How could you not love those ears?

I'm going to be a big softy when we have kids.

Random Thoughts: We are very lucky that Charlotte doesn't eat the stuffing out of the beds. It's very harmful for dogs to eat it and it can impact their intestines. Here's a bright idea: Don't put harmful stuff in dog beds? Just a thought.

Rich Girl

I am a cheapskate.

That's right. I'm a cheapskate. I don't spend money.

Ben and I are young and we don't make a lot of money. Whatever we make in salary goes to mortgage, car notes, power bill, cable bill, groceries, etc. Whatever little we have left over goes in our lovely little savings account that usually gets depleted whenever there is some big event that needs to be paid for, like a tire blows or Charlotte needs an emergency vet trip.

In other words, we make enough to live comfortably, but we don't have a lot extra.

I always get really ticked off at the "Splurge vs. Save" sections in fashion magazines like they are saving you a big bundle. They compare, say, two dresses. The splurge is a runway designer like Badgley Mischka for $400. The save is from Bloomingdale's for $120. I'm sorry. Our country is in a recession. I don't know who thinks $120 for a dress is a deal. $20 FOR A DRESS IS A DEAL. I need to write that column. I'll show them how to bargain shop and bottom feed for a good deal.

Things I am cheap about:

1. Clothes

I don't spend money on clothes. I never go shopping without an intent. When I do go shopping, I go places that are kind of ghetto, especially if it's for something trendy that I'm going to wear for just a season or two. Places I frequent are Rue21, Forever21 (I'm not sure what the 21 thing is about), Target, Walmart, and Maurice's. If I'm lucky, I can catch a good sale at New York and Company, Express, JCPenney, or outlet stores. I never buy anything at full retail price. At these really cheap places like Rue21, you can usually catch basic pieces, like the brown shrug I bought today for $7. SEVEN DOLLARS!!!!! I will wear the heck out of that. And for shoes? Nothing beats Rack Room. Accessories? Claire's and this great store in Hoover called Accessory City.

2. Technology

Ben and I both had Blackberries at one point. We were spending $200 a month on a cell phone bill. Why? So we could check our Facebook and play BrickBreaker. After a few months of that crap, we traded down to two free phones, splitting the lowest possible minutes plan, and no internet on the phones. We cut our phone bill in half! And we didn't die! This is one thing that Ben and I have to work with each other on. He LOVES Best Buy. We "need" a bigger tv for the living room and a flat screen for the bedroom (even though the one in our living room is 2 years old and the one in the bedroom words fine - has a VCR and DVD player in it! What a relic!). We "need" a Playstation 3 to replace our Playstation 2 (that we never play and doesn't do anything different). All those things are fine if you have cash-money to spend. Lord knows I want a Canon Rebel camera and an iPad, but it's just not gonna happen! If it ain't broke, don't fix it! And if you really "need" it, check Ebay first! And NEVER buy something as soon as it comes out. Wait for the next generation so they can work out the kinks or you can buy a "gently used" version.

3. Home Decor

Hello! Home Goods and TJ Maxx! My whole dang house was decorated from there, with a few spatterings of sale pieces from Pier 1 and this super awesome store in Brookwood Mall, Z Gallerie. Our furniture came from Roomstore and a discount furniture warehouse. We even made our headboard! Again, no full retail price!

4. Entertainment

Have you been to the movies lately? I cannot imagine what it is like to take an average family of four to the movies. Tickets at $8 dollars a piece, plus popcorn, drinks, candy...ridiculous. If you ever want to buy Ben and me a gift, we LOVE free movie tickets. Then we split a drink and popcorn. Bowling is always a cheap date, too. Netflix? GENIUS!!! $9 a month for unlimited movies that I could keep until I watch them and no late fees! Books? Amazon! I've bought books for $2 before!

5. Name Brand Food

If you've got a Publix near you, you must use Publix brand anything. It is fantastic. Their quality is usually equal, if not better, than name brand. Their cookies are AMAZING!!!!! I buy Publix cereal, pasta, milk, cheese, lunch meat, and so much more! Same thing goes for cosmetics. I buy all my makeup and shampoo at Wal-Mart. There is no MAC on this face. Maybe it's Maybelline!

Things I will ALWAYS splurge on:

1. Travel

I like to spend money on things Ben and I will enjoy and make memories from. We love to explore new places. Our favorite cities to visit are Nashville and New Orleans. We may only be able to steal away for a few days, but it is usually much needed. Our next trip we are planning is actually for next Christmas. We want to go to Colonial Williamsburg! Our trick? Book waaaaaaay in advance through a discount site like Expedia or hotels.com. Another trick is to book tour packages through the destination's tourism website. When we went to Nashville on our honeymoon, we were able to visit 4 Nashville sites for only $70! It was a great deal! We love live music, too, so we plan far in advance to attend a concert. Jason Aldean is next up on the list - Ben's favorite.

2. Work Clothes/Wardrobe Staples

There are some pieces of clothing that you just should spend money on. I always spend a little extra on good dress pants and skirts, suits, dresses, etc, that I can wear to work. These pieces will never go out of style. You can always pair an $200 pantsuit with a $10 blouse and look like $1,000,000. I always look to Express, Limited, and Banana Republic for these pieces, because, let's face it, I'm still not going to spend a bundle on those. $80 for a pair of pants is a LOT. But I've worn them for years! And to a multitude of occasions.

3. Name Brand Toilet Paper and Mattresses

There are some cases when you just can't skimp. Toilet paper is such the case. I can skimp on paper towels and paper napkins, but never on toilet paper. It must be Quilted Northern. Mattresses are the same. We were lucky to get a great (cheap) deal on a mattress, but I'm all about spending money on something that is going to keep you healthy and sane. You need sleep. You need a not-raw butt. There are other things you must buy name brand also - laundry and dishwasher detergents (the inactive ingredients are different), my makeup foundation (comes from my pageant makeup guy, Clay Spann - buy it once a year, FANTASTIC), dog food (Charlotte needs Science Diet), and razors (they just shave better - I don't know why).

4. Lunch

Ben and I only see each other at lunch for an hour a day. It's much easier for him to come get me from work and us go grab something than for me to drive all the way home, spend 20 minutes, and then drive all the way back. If he comes to get me, then we get to spend the whole hour together! :) But we usually don't go expensive places. The most expensive it gets is Moe's on Fridays. Yes, that's every Friday. They know us by name and when I get to the line, they call for "NACHOLITOS!!!!" before I even order. It's awesome.

This is how I'm cheap. I am not a rich girl by any means, but it keeps me from being stressed about money all the time. I do like to spend a little on myself every once in a while. I bought myself a dress today...for $12. I was pretty proud of myself, so I bought a necklace to match...for $7. LOVE.

Random Fun Tip: If you're shopping online, google "promo code for..." whatever you're ordering. I ordered Ben's Lakers jersey from Dick's Sporting Goods, so I googled "promo code for Dick's Sporting Goods" and got a coupon for 15% off my online order! It doesn't always work, but it's worth a shot!

I want my MTV

Fall TV is starting! WHAT!!!

I love tv shows. With a husband who works night shift, there's not much for me to do while I'm at home with the dog except live vicariously through fictional characters' lives. So, these are the shows I'm excited about starting up again!

1. Gossip Girl

I know it's already started, but I love me some Gossip Girl. The drama, the love lives, the clothes...Chace Crawford...what's not to love? I was worried about Chuck Bass after the season finale at the end of spring. Glad he's ok. And Blair makes me laugh.

2. GLEE!

Glee is what I wish life was really like. The misfits of life get to broadcast their oddities to the sounds of showtunes and remixes of 80s and 90s hits. Mercedes, Kurt, Rachel, Puck, Santana, and of course, Finn. Love, love, love.

3. Grey's Anatomy

When we left Grey's Anatomy last season, I was sobbing on the couch in hysterics because it was a two hour season finale of pure terror and raw emotion. I was dying thinking Derek was dying. It's amazing how attached we get to fake people.

4. Law and Order: SVU

I love Elliot and Olivia. This is one of those shows that is different every week and if you miss a week, it's ok because it's not a continuation of a story line. And they usually make me cry. Watch the episode where Olivia is trying to find the little girl over the phone. Ridiculous. Tears everywhere.

5. Real Housewives of Atlanta/Beverly Hills

I've never met a Real Housewives season I didn't like. DRAMA!

6. Community

Thank heavens for Joel McHale and Chevy Chase. Hours of entertainment.

What are you watching this season?

All I Do Is Win, Win Win...

Well, I did it.

I spent an entire day in Auburn and I didn't die. I only managed to leak that I was a Bama fan to a few people. According to Ben, I did not embarrass him! I even cheered for Auburn!

But, I could not physically bring myself to say those dreaded words..."War Eagle."

I just couldn't do it.

It just felt wrong. I could clap along to the fight song. I could spell out "A-U-B-U-R-N" during "Glory to Ole Auburn." I could even yell, "Let's go, Auburn!" or "Come on, defense!" because believe me, their defense needed a lot of encouragement, even from a little ole Bama fan like me.

But "War Eagle" just couldn't happen.

There was this precious little boy sitting next to us. (His mom was on the flag line at Auburn, Rebecca, and knew you!) I made friends with him because I love to make friends with little kids. I told him I was a Bama fan, to which he told me, "Boooooo!" Right before the nail-biting overtime, he came over to me and said,

"Are you still a Bama fan?"

I said, "Yeh, in my heart, I'm a Bama fan, but today, I'm cheering for Auburn. Is that okay?"

"Yeh, I guess."

"But you want me to be an Auburn fan forever?"

"YEH!"

At the end of the game, when Auburn finally won due to Clemson's long snapper's stupidity, I leaned over and gave him a high-five. He gave me a "War Eagle."

Spending the day in Auburn is just different than spending the day in Tuscaloosa. It's hard to explain. Auburn fans would say the same if they went to an Alabama game. My heart just wasn't in it. I can understand why Ben is an Auburn fan. The traditions are cool. The eagle flies before the game. You really do get a sense of family when you are in Jordan-Hare.

But it's just not the same as Alabama.

There's something about Bryant-Denny that just gets you going. The years and years of football excellence that have worn the crimson and white. Knowing that Bama has and always will be a respected football powerhouse. Seeing the now 13 National Championships recognized in the stadium. The pre-game videos with Bear's voice saying "I ain't never been nothing but a winner." The Million Dollar Band. Denny Chimes. The Coaches Statues. Everywhere you look, there's crimson and white and the most recent throwback to the houndstooth. The old tradition of the Bear and the new direction of Saban. Respecting the past and recognizing the future. Knowing that good things aren't ending any time soon.

Nothing like it.

So I may have been here Saturday night, but my heart was still crimson.

ROLL TIDE ROLL!

Random Game Fact: Clemson has the most classless fans I have ever experienced. I guess in the ACC it's different, but in the SEC, when the other team is performing rituals and traditions, you sit down and shut up. Then it's your turn to do yours, and louder. They were obnoxious. They rank up there with LSU.

War Buzzard

Well, I have given in.

Tomorrow, I will be in Jordan-Hare stadium surrounded by people cheering for Tigers.

Is my heart prepared for this? I'm not so sure. I've been to an Auburn game before when I was heavily in like with another Auburn boy. It was quite the experience.

Nothing like a day in Bryant-Denny though...

We're waking up early tomorrow to drive down to the Cow Town in the morning. My awesome boss will dog sit our sweet Charlotte for the day while we in in the Burn. We're planning on running into tons of people we know while we walk around campus, trying to catch a glimpse of the ESPN Gameday folks, and going to Tiger Walk before the game starts tomorrow night.

Ben is stoked. He's wearing his orange pants tomorrow.

I'm wearing a shirt he got me for Christmas for last year that says, "I only kiss Auburn fans." So, even though it's orange, it LOOKS like I'm an Auburn fan, but doesn't SAY I'm an Auburn fan. Just says that I'm married to one.

My aunt told me I should wear my own colors to the game. I told her I didn't want to get beaten up. I'll just try to blend in. And if I want to cheer for the Tigers, no one will know which Tigers I'm cheering for. Both teams are Tigers tomorrow.

I embarrassed Ben in Auburn once. Before we were married, we went to down to Auburn for the Alabama-Auburn game to hang out with his buddies for the weekend. We didn't have tickets to the game (because we didn't have a cool couple hundred bucks to drop on them) so we went to Mellow Mushroom to watch the game and eat pizza. I was one of three Bama fans in the entire restaurant, and it was PACKED full of people who didn't have tickets to the game. Did I care? Heck no! I cheered LOUD! I also made friends with the other two Bama fans. Ben was so embarrassed that his girl was screaming for her team louder than anyone else in the restaurant and totally drawing attention to our table.

I tend to do that. (That's a picture from that night.)

I fully intend not to embarrass my husband tomorrow. I will be a good wife who (somewhat) keeps her mouth shut and the trash talking to a minimum. But I'm not making promises if they announce the Bama game score during the Auburn game.

ROLL TIDE ROLL!

Down in New Orleans

OMG.

Cajun pasta night!

So so so so so so so good. And I made it up all by myself! No recipe at all!

I guess I've watched enough Top Chef to be able to put together a simple meal.

How to make my Cajun Pasta:

1. Boiled my pasta until al dente.

2. Cooked six andouille sausage links in a sauce pan for about 10 minutes until they were plump.

3. Sauteed 1/2 pound of white shrimp in olive oil (or EVOO, like my girl Racheal Ray says) and dusted it with Tony Cachere's Creole seasoning. (If you don't know what that is, it's amazing stuff that tastes good on everything: seafood, meat, french fries...it's the ultimate salty creole seasoning.)

4. Dumped a jar of Newman's Own Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo sauce in a sauce pan on low so that it warmed through. (Hey, I didn't go to culinary school. I don't make sauce.)

5. Sliced up 3 of the sausage links (saved the other 3 for Charlotte) and dumped the sausage and the shrimp in the alfredo sauce and mixed it all together.

6. Poured the sauce over the pasta.

DELICIOUS.

It was so quick and easy. Made enough for 2, so Ben will have plenty for dinner tomorrow night! The roasted red pepper sauce was a great touch, too. Thank heavens for Paul Newman. Not only was he gorgeous, he started a company that uses whole ingredients and a portion of every sale goes to charity!

Now, this was not too terribly spicy. Ben and I don't like too terribly spicy foods. I'm sure this recipe could be tweaked to add a little more spice. I thought it was just spicy enough.

But it did take me back here...

New Orleans. One of my favorite places in the world.

Ben and I were able to take a few days to visit New Orleans back in June. I had never been able to go there before. It is an awesome city full of culture and flavor (and drunks). We had so much fun wandering the streets and ducking into small shops. And then the food...

I'm going to die just thinking about it.

Random fun fact: Did you know that in the famous landscape shots of Tara in Gone With The Wind, the front door is actually off center? Tara is always shown at an angle, and the director thought it looked funny with the door in the traditional place, so he had it moved right of center to be seen between columns. If you saw it straight on, the door would be behind columns.

And the movie is NOTHING like the book. If you haven't read it, I highly suggest it. Brilliant.

Food, Glorious Food

I ate too much this weekend.

Seriously.

We went to Jackson this past weekend to visit Ben's family. We ate chicken spaghetti, M&Ms, peanuts, sausage, steak, stuffed potatoes, cupcakes, Mexican, and Sonic. All in one weekend. It was delicious.

My poor tummy.

So, I needed to go to Publix (heaven!) today because we had n-o-t-h-i-n-g to eat in our house. I thought all day about what needed to be bought and I just couldn't bear the thought of any more junk going in my stomach.

Katie and Ben will no longer be eating junk. We will be eating fresh and healthy.

Since Ben and I are on opposite schedules, a typical week of dinners for us includes Lean Cuisines, Compleats, Lunchables, PB&Js, cereal, mac & cheese, and Dijourno pizza. We tend to eat fast food every day for lunch because that's the only time we see each other and we stretch lunch time by going somewhere, rather than me driving home.

So much sodium and preservatives in the prepackaged stuff. And $$$$$$$$$.

Don't get me wrong. I love some blue box mac & cheese. There are some nights when all I want is cereal. But my poor husband is suffering. And I look like a single mom with 4 kids when I go through the grocery line with all my single serving lunch box food.

Back to today:

I read up on some recipes and will be cooking at least 3 times a week with fresh ingredients. I will be making enough for Ben to take to work for dinner. I'm not so good at following directions, so I'm making my own recipes up as I go. I am not the world's greatest cook, so I will be using some prepared ingredients, but most vegetables and meats will be fresh.

On this week's menu:

Panko crusted pan-fried tilapia

Chicken fajita tacos with black bean and corn salsa

Cajun pasta with shrimp and andouille sausage

I will keep you posted on how I do. If it tastes awful, I will eat PB&J. I did buy fresh bread.

Random Fact About Charlotte: Charlotte does not play well with others. She tries to be big and bad with dogs bigger than her, but is terrified of smaller dogs and tucks her tail. Solidifies the fact that we will never get a second dog!

The Lion Sleeps Tonight

By now, you've been introduced to my awesome hubby, Ben.

And I've told you just how funny he is, but really have neglected to tell you anything funny that he's done. This morning, I was reminded of one my favorite funny "Ben" things.

He talks in his sleep.

Poor thing. He works nightshift, so, when he's out, he's out. He usually does the really funny stuff when he's in the really deep cycle of sleep and never remembers anything he says or does. It's fun to remind him the next day.

This morning, after he tried to hold me down (I wasn't resisting much), I said, "Ok Boosef, I'm getting up now!" He replies, "Potatoes." POTATOES?!?!? Ummmm...

I learned a long time ago to play along. He keeps talking if you do.

I asked, "What kind of potatoes?"

"Mashed."

"With butter?"

"Uh-huh."

"And salt?"

"NO!"

(He never eats salt on anything.)

These have been said out of nowhere and we're both asleep.

"The guy...in the parking lot...selling tshirts..."

"CINNAMON ROLLS!!!!!"

"Andrew! Get the skids! Put 'em at #42!"

(This is a reference to work. There is no one named Andrew at work.)

One morning, I locked myself out of the house. I banged on the door in the garage. I knew he couldn't hear me there. If a train ACTUALLY hit the house, he wouldn't hear it. I ran around to the front door and held my finger on the doorbell. Nothing. Ran around to the backdoor, which happens to be right by our bedroom. I started banging on the door, yelling, "BEN! LET ME IN!!!!!!!"

I could hear him in the bed yelling, "KATIE! LEAVE ME ALONE!" He thought I was in the house, nagging him to get out of bed. This went on for five minutes.

"BEN! OPEN THE DOOR!"

"KATIE! SHUT UP!"

Finally, he swung open the door with this really crazy look on his face. I know this look. He's still asleep.

"What's going on? Are you ok?"

"Ben, I'm fine. I locked myself out."

"Well, how did you get in?"

"You just let me in, dummy!"

My favorite of all time Ben story is the Christmas caroling.

Now, I get REALLY excited about Christmas, but I totally believe that Christmas should not be celebrated until Thanksgiving is complete. But you bet your butt that on Black Friday, I will be in full Christmas spirit! I usually begin answering the phone by singing Christmas carols.

I think that's what he was doing this one night.

We were sleeping and I hear Ben say...

"Hello?...JOOOOOOOOY TO THE WORLD!!!!!!!"

There was no playing along this night. I busted out laughing. He was still kind of asleep and he said, "What? I'm just excited about Christmas!"

Random Fun Fact: According to Wikipedia, "somniloquy" or sleep talking, only occurs in 4% of adults. Funny. I've been told that Ben's dad and his little brother sleep talk.

Monday, Monday

Today is Monday. Labor Day at that. Fantabulous day. My house became sparkly clean and then our Sunday School buddies came over tonight for pizza and to watch the Virginia Tech/Boise State game. So much fun! Love our Sunday School class.

I had to work this weekend, so Ben and I just lazed around the house on Saturday and Sunday night. It was so nice to just be with each other. And I totally passed out on the couch at like, 8:30 both nights. There was no keeping me up.

I don't really have a lot of fun stuff to say tonight, so I'll leave you with this precious picture of my Charlotte. I let her out of her crate on Friday when I got home. She bounded out into the living room right onto the couch, where Ben's Auburn hat was waiting. She grabbed it and took off, and if I had let her keep chewing, she would have destroyed it.

I knew it.

She's a Bama Fan.

Random Fact About Me: I do not think Boise State deserves a National Championship bid. They have no strength of season. Leave it to the big dogs, Broncos!

Boys of Fall

In the south, especially in Alabama, we do not have spring, summer, autumn, and winter. We have freeze your butt off, sweat your butt off, and football season.

That's right. Football season.

Now if you happen to land on my page and you're from somewhere like, oh, Idaho, you are not going to get this post whatsoever. You are going to think I am a maniac.

I do not care.

Football season has begun.

If you can't tell by now, football season is my absolute favorite season of the year. I was a cheerleader all through my life, including high school. (This is me and Abby, one of my very best and oldest friends, our senior year cheering for the Raiders!)

I was brainwashed by my mother at an early age to be an Alabama Crimson Tide fan, much to my father's dismay, who was a Florida Gator fan. He succeeded in brainwashing my brother.

Auburn is a dirty word. So is Tennessee.

I don't know if you know this, but Alabama won the National Championship last year. Again.

Roll Tide.

Now, I happened to marry a boy who made a very bad decision as he grew up. He was raised by an Crimson Tide mother and step-father, (his dad is an Ole Miss fan and his step-mom is a Mississippi State alum...don't even get me started on his messed up genes) and he was on the right side up until his friends got a hold of him around senior year.

Then he converted to the dark side. That's right. Auburn.

It's his only fault. I think I can live with it.

You might wonder, is this a girl who just likes football? Does she just like to go to games and be in the crowd, but doesn't really know what's going on?

The answer is no. I am a fan. I love football. I know things. Stats, even. Pretty impressive for a girl, eh?

So, football season has officially started. South Carolina played last night. Bama and Auburn kick off tomorrow. We are having a Sunday School party Monday night for the VA Tech/Boise State game at our house. I'm actually sitting outside in my backyard right now and I can hear the high school football game announcer from a few miles away. I am pumped.

And, oh yeh, ROLL TIDE!!!!!