Today.....

would have been my Pawpaw's 79th birthday. Ralph Clinton Lindsey went to be with the Lord on September 6, 2001. He was such a sweet and generous man. They just don't make'em like that anymore.

My family misses him like crazy. It seems just like yesterday that he was here. Three of his favorite passions were his family, fishing and Alabama football.

Happy Birthday to such a wonderful Grandfather!



around the age of 13....



Some say he favored "Elvis". He was about 19 years old here.



A postcard he mailed to my Grandmother when he was in Chicago, dated August 7, 1950.



Mom, me, pawpaw and my brother at Easter



With the first great-granchildren - my niece (Kayte) and nephew (Clay).



Pawpaw and I the day of my high school senior prom.



 

Pawpaw and my son (Darren) the week after he was born, September 1999.



My Grandparents celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.





My Grandparents and their six children :-)



I love you! Roll Tide and Happy Fishing!

2010 In Review...

Due to errors, I'm reposting from Monday, January 10, 2011

In looking back at 2010, I definitely hit some rough patches along the way, but even during those rough times, I was overjoyed with the blessings the Lord has bestowed upon my family.

A few things that I was thankful for in 2010.....

1. Starting back to college in January - And boy has it been one heck of a ride! I'm finishing up some basics at a local community college and then plan to transfer to a 4-year university.



2. A brand new 2010 Honda Accord. We traded in our Trailblazer on May 14th and have certainly enjoyed our new ride. It has been quiet the gas saver! I'm praying for better luck with the Honda vs. the Chevy.

The Honda on Christmas Day

3. I got to see my fav, Tim McGraw, in concert - WAHOO! Here is a picture of him, just in case you don't know who he is. Last I checked, his newest single "Felt Good On My Lips" was at the top of the charts. :)



via Blingcheese.com



4. Two beach vacations in one year! And, I survived, once again, without breaking my foot. :-).

The Campbell - Thompson annual beach picture. Coach is not pictured as he was holding down the fort at the field house.

This was a Sea Turtle nest roped off near our hang out spot at the beach. There were several along the beach due to the oil spill.

This was our family picture from a quick weekend trip to Gulf Shores, Alabama. The beach was beautiful and free and clear of any oil.

JT was coaching up Darren during his first round of golf.

5. My Mom turned 60! We had a family luncheon for her at Logan's Roadhouse and she had an awesome turnout. I think she was very surprised. 

My brother (John), my Mom (Janice), and me at the luncheon.

6. Darren played tackle football for the first time. He was the starting center for the Panthers and his team made it to the first round of playoffs. I was excited that he had an awesome first year experience.

Darren blocking for the Panthers. He is the second from the right (green jersey).



7. For Darren's 11th birthday, we took a trip to see the Braves take on the Phillies. Their  8-7 win advanced them to the playoffs. This was also Bobby Cox last regular season home game that he coached - what an experience!

Darren and his pre-school friend Tanner ready to watch the Braves.



Bobby Cox congratulating his team after their victory.



Me and D hanging out at the REO Speedwagon concert after the Braves game.



D and Poppy enjoying some "man" time.

  8. McAdory made it to the 5A state semi-finals for the second consecutive year in a row!

Me and Coach at the football banquet back in December



9. In October, I was forced to hear some news that so many others in America have faced over the past two years, "we are eliminating your position". I was laid off from my job after being in the insurance industry for ten years. Now, I'm not really "thankful" this happened, however, I stand strong on the fact that "when one door closes, another opens". I feel sure that He will provide and get my family through, yet....another hardship. I am looking forward to bigger and better things in 2011 and leaving 2010 behind.

10. Well, well......the Auburn Tigers finished 2010 with an undefeated season. Needless to say, Coach was slightly excited. I'm looking for to the National Championship game tonight! And, I pulling for those SEC Auburn Tigers - after all, an Auburn education pays my mortgage. LOL!

11. Lastly, we ended the year with a White Christmas!! According to Bamawx.com, official records in Birmingham, which date back to the late 1800's, reveal that there has never been a true White Christmas (defined by 1" of snow on the ground on Christmas morning). It was pretty awesome!



My dad captured this quick shot in his front yard on Christmas day.

Wishing you all and safe and happy 2011!!! Let's go Tigers!!!!!

Happy Fall Y'all!

Update! Well, McAdory is holding on to their 5-1 record. They hit a little road block against Hueytown two weeks ago, but it was a great game! This week is a big, big, big game against Pleasant Grove and could very well determine the Region Champion!

D-Dog's Panther team is also holding their on with a 4-2 record. They played a tough game this past Monday but came back huge to win 20-16 over the Hornets.

And, Alabama......well, they are just plain AWESOME!

I have several posts coming just a little crazy busy these days, but stayed tuned......
In short, I'll leave you with a few things I love about the fall:

- The fallish colors - which makes for good photography. :)
- Jumping into some raked up, crunchy leaves.
- Fall festivals
- Haunted houses
- Turkey and dressing is right around the corner.
- Christmas shopping.
- The cool, crisp chill in the air.
- Wearing my favorite pair of Jeans and boots. (without a sundress Jessica)
- Building a fire in the wood-burning fireplace.
- Fall scented candles.
- Hot chocolate.
- Fall, limited edition, flavored coffee and creamer.
- Kick off time!
- Watching football games under a blanket.

But most of all I love "The Boys (my boys) of Fall" (the lyrics are posted at the bottom of my blog).

Happy Hump Day!

The Spread....

Last I checked, the spread on Saturday’s Alabama/Penn State game was 12 points, but Alabama ended 2-0 with a 24-3 win! Rolllllll Tide!

We celebrated with our rockin’ friends, the Higgs, or at least I did, Coach is a Tiger fan, ya know! Talk about “the spread”, check out this spread Miz Higg served up…….notice that almost every single dish is served in an Alabama serving piece......talk about Crimson KrAzY. :)

And, notice the potato salad on the right in the football-shaped bowl?? That is Miz. Higg's specialty and it's some count!

And there is always some kind of Alabama centerpiece decoration for dessert!

Mrs. King's contribution to the "spread" - YUM!

I took, an always crowd favorite, cajun boiled peanuts......

.....and a buffalo chicken dip served up with some Frito Scoops. There are several ways to serve up this dish, but this is my recipe – feel free to amend to your specs….

~ Buffalo Chicken Dip ~

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

• 2 (10 ounce) cans chunk chicken, drained

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

• 1 cup Ranch or Blue Cheese dressing

• 1/2 cup Texas Pete (or your favorite) wing sauce. Normally, I use ¾ cups to 1 cup sauce to taste, but I like my dip smokin’

• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

• 1 bag of Frito scoops

Mix all of the above, except for the cheese, in a bowl and pour into a casserole dish. Top with the cheese and bake 20-25 minutes….

always another tailgating fav.

The Jackets also covered their spread against the Cavaliers finishing with a 38-7 win, which included a 100 yard  pick 6........WAHOO!!! The Jackets are 3-0 and will travel to take on those Golden Gophers this Friday. Good luck Jackets! Both are quality teams.

Happy Monday!

Weekly Rewind

I know, I know you all were anxiously awaiting my 5th Quarter Scoreboard report and I let you down. LOL - just kidding. I had a busy, busy three day weekend! Three day weekend's are AWESOME!

So Friday, the Jackets traveled on over to Lawson field. The fans had to go through some metal detectors, which I think is totally ridiculous. I feel like if the place is THAT bad then there should not be football - did I just say "there should not be football???" Yes. I. Did. The Jackets pulled off the win 35-13....SWEET! Currently, the Jackets are ranked 2nd in the state in class 5a.

Saturday I had lots of errands (FUN) to run and Coach worked about 6-7 hours. Then we headed on over to our friends, the Higgs, house for a little football, kick-off action and watched the Tide bring in their first win of the season. This weekend's game against Penn State should be a goodie. James hooked up with another Auburn fan at the football party and they watched the Auburn game downstairs away from all of the Alabama action. Tonight, Auburn and Miss State tie up for, what is expected to be one heck of a game, and there is a 2.5 spread on this game and I'm excited about watching it. I'll be popping some lasagna in the oven for a quick dinner tonight. :)

On Sunday, I mostly cleaned house and did a little scrapbooking. My mom and step-dad ventured over for dinner. We had grilled catfish with fried okra, squash and hushpuppies. It was delicious! Later that night, D-Dog and I watched "The Last Song". It was a really good movie - grab your tissues, if you plan to watch it.

Monday was a quiet and lazy day and Coach worked, of course. Later that afternoon D-Dog headed to football practice and then we grilled BBQ pork chops with sausage, pasta, green beans and corn. YUM! We watched the Boise State and Virginia Tech game during dinner. It turned out to be a good game, but I was sure hoping the Hokies would pull the upset.

Tuesday - it was back to work - booooo - and D-Dog lost his first game, but I think he's recouped quickly.

Tomorrow is another exciting night of high school football. The Jackets will host the John Carroll Catholic High School Cavaliers. Stayed tuned....

Kick Off Time!

College football officially starts tonight - only two more days until the Tide Rolls and Tigers War - WAHOO!!!

D-Dog won his first football game on Tuesday night. He played a little offense and defense. Both McAdory and Pelham Youth are 1-0 - that's good, that's good, that's GOOOOOD!

McAdory travels to Woodlawn for week 2 and D-Dog travels to Thompson next Tuesday for his second game.


Let the pigskin passion begin!

Paul W. "Bear" Bryant once said.....

"There ought to be a special place in Heaven for Coaches' wives" and I know, without a doubt, that my friend Keri is looking down from Heaven today!.....even if she was a big Mississippi State fan. :)

On July 27th 2009, Keri (whose husband coaches with my husband) suffered a massive heart attack, at the age of 34. She was on a respirator for five weeks, had numerous surgeries and it was just a complete roller coaster ride, but the Lord was working miracles through her the entire time! She went home to be with our Lord and Savior on Monday, August 31st, 2009. Today is a sad day. She left behind a 5 year old and a 9 month old (at the time).

Below is the last picture that I took with Keri at the football banquet in 2008.  

Me, Kim (the head coach's wife aka Mrs. Gu), and Keri

"This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" - Psalm 118:24

So, even though my heart is heavy today, I AM REJOICING!

I ask for your prayers today for Keri's family and friends! Thank you!