It's Fall Ya'll

IT'S FINALLY FALL YA'LL!!!

Top Ten Reasons I Love Fall:

1) The Decorations.

I know, to some, this may seem dumb, but I love any excuse to decorate. I already have my orange and yellow polka dot pumpkin hanging on the door, the yellow mums in the pot and a real pumpkin sitting out. Don't worry- We will be getting more pumpkins to carve, closer to Halloween!

2) Halloween

This is the most fun part of fall. Kendol and I are kind of obsessed with dressing up for halloween (who am I kidding... I love any excuse to dress up and be ridiculous) and it will be extra hard to outdo ourselves this year. You just about can't hardly beat our Dog and Beth the Bounty Hunter costumes or our Nascar Fan attire from this past year. We have our work cute out for us this year, kids!

3) Cowboy Boots

I finally get to pull my cowboy boots back out of the closet and wear them all the time... and by "all the time" I mean every single day. If you don't have any cowboy boots, you should definitely get some. And may I make a suggestion: Get the Old West Ones. They are the cutest "real" cowboy boots out there and they aren't expensive. I have them in the lighter color and now they make dark brown and I MUST have them! Soooo who's buying them for me??

4) Bonfires

You just can't beat sitting outside around a bonfire... that's all.

5) Great Weather

Fall Weather is just right. It's cold, but it's not freezing. I don't handle freezing very well.

6) The Fireplace

Sitting in front of the fireplace is one of my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE things to do.. hands down. It drives me nuts that we don't have a real wood burning fireplace with a hearth to sit on, but ours gets the job done, just fine!! That is my number 1 priority for our next house.. yes I'm serious... it is a MUST!

7) Hot Chocolate

Ok.. Ok.. Ok.. I admit that I drink hot chocolate year round, but now I just don't sound so dumb ordering it. Being that there's a Cups inside my office buildingm, I get them regularly bc I'm always cold. "Yes, I know it's 107 degrees outside, may I please get a medium Hot Chocolate with Caramel?"

8) Football

Of course I have to mention football. I am sure that you are all well aware that I am a huge football fan, so I won't elaborate. I talk about it enough on here.

Go Dawgs!

Geaux Saints!

9) Sweatshirts

If you know me at all, then you know that I am a huge sweatshirt fan. I will be wearing one pretty much every second I'm not at work or when I have to be dressed up.

10) Holiday Parties

One of the main reasons that I love fall is bc there is always something going on!! Whether it be a halloween party, thanksgiving get together, wedding... etc. There is always a party going on and I love that!!

BONUS

I love fall bc that means it's almost Christmas time, which just so happens to be my favorite time of the year. I actually saw my first Christmas related commercial over lunch. I love everything about Christmas... the  reason for the season, the decorating, the candles, the gifts, the family time, the get togethers, the food, the wrapping paper, the music... etc. It really is the most wonderful time of the year.

By the way: Is it too early to start listening to Christmas music?

Marathon Monday

9/21- 4.6 Miles
9/23- 2 Miles (as fast as I could go)
9/26- 7.3 Miles

This past week, I was hoping for an 8 mile run. Sadly, I report that I only made it 7.3 miles. But, I did increase my distance from last week and ran faster, so I'll take it!! I've been working on trying to get a little faster and it's working!!!! Last week, I ran 7 Miles in 1 hr and 15 minutes. This week, I ran 7.3 Miles in 1 hr and 13 minutes. So that's .3 more miles in 2 less minutes. I'll take that, as well!!
Also, during my two mile run, I set a new record on my ipod for my fastest mile, to date. I ran 9 min 43 second miles. I'm sure to most that's not that fast, but for me that's DAMN good. So i'm proud of myself :)

I can't wait to run today in this cool weather. It's so much easier.

Wee Bit About Me Wednesday

{one} what is your happiest childhood memory?

The Community, of course!!! O my gosh, I don't even know where to begin. I grew up in the best neighborhood. It was Ann-Hamilton, Elizabeth, Mallory, Leslie and I, plus about 10 other kids. We were all inseperable, NEVER went inside and referred to ourselves as "the community." We spent our days playing kickball, softball, baseball, hotbox, spotlight, tennis, basketball,swimming, riding bikes etc. Two of the most memorable days were the day Liz chipped her front tooth and the day of the "Jazzy Reindeer."

P.S. Leslie just had her second baby this morning!! Greer Howard Odom YAY!!!!

"The Day Elizabeth Chipped her Tooth"
O how dramatic this was. It was the Christmas that everyone got rollerblades and we all decided to test them out! We thought it would be a good idea to all hold on to a rope and rollerblade in a line sort of like a tug of war team (I'm not sure why??) ... and who do we put in the back to pull up the rear... None other than LIZ!! (Worst idea ever) Not only was she the smallest/youngest of us all, but she is also the most spastic. As we began to pick up some speed, Liz couldn't quite keep up and she face planted in the middle of the road, chipping half of her front tooth. At first, she was a good sport and  it didn't hurt that bad. Then we informed her that half of her front tooth was gone. You would have thought she was dying, the way she started screaming and crying. Needless to say, we never rollerbladed like this again.

"Jazzy Reindeer"
In 4th grade, all of the community member girls decided we were going to put on a Christmas show for those in the neighborhood. With Ann-Hamilton as our leader, we worked for months on finding the perfect Christmas tunes and perfecting her choreography. We went door to door with invitations to the main event, that took place in the Kalich's side yard. It was a big show complete with an intermission for cookies and coffee/hot chocolate. We each had on  warm up suits with a Christmas Iron-Ons outlined in puff paint, scrunchies and colored socks. And let's not forget that the neighborhood boys were in on this too. They did all of the decorating and "sound." We charged each attendee $5.00 and took all of the money we raised and bought presents for two angels off of the local angel tree. How cute were we!! And yes, we have this on tape and yes, it is HYSTERICAL


{two} what is your middle name?
Virginia


{three} what’s the habit you’re most proud of breaking?
Drinking about 5 cokes a day. I now have sprite every now and then, and a coke about twice a month. I'd say I'm doing pretty good.


{four} what do you order when you order chinese food?
Well, I've never actually ordered chinese bc it's usually a buffet, but I eat the fried rice, egg rolls, egg drop soup and wantons. My daddy and I used to have contests to see who could eat the most egg rolls!


{five} what’s the best bargain you’ve ever found at a garage sale or thrift store?
I don't know that I've ever bought anything at a garage sale.


{six} what’s the best costume you’ve ever worn?
I always had the best costumes bc my mom can make anything, but I'd say the cutest was maybe my "Amelia Bedelia" costume on book character day. I wish I had the picture to upload.


{seven} who’s your favorite game show host?
I guess Pat Sajak and Vanna White since Wheel of Fortune's the best game show.


{eight} what’s your favorite breakfast food?
Chocolate Gravy w/ biscuits and Sausage Balls. OMG I can't wait for Christmas morning!!!


{nine} what’s your least favorite word?
pus- as in a sore that's infected .... UGH GROSS


{ten} describe something that happened to you for which you have no explanation.
Why Kendol and I were in Starkville for 4 years with tons of the same friends, but never met until 2 weeks before graduation. I still don't know what he saw in me bc when we met I was barefoot and in vs sweat pants and an XXL "I Love Coors Light" t shirt that I caught at the bar one night haha! Classy, I know. Who knows!!! No explanation here.

Marathon Monday

I reached my goal of 7 Miles!!!! The rest of the week, I didn't run for distance, I was working on my speed. Must get a little faster.

9/12- 1.7 Miles
9/13- 7.03 Miles
9/15- 1.7 Miles
9/16-  3.00 Miles
9/19- 3.25 Miles

OVER HALF WAY THERE!!!!!! WOO HOOOO

New Goals:
1) Increase the distance on my long day each week instead of every other week
2) Run at least 4 times a week
3) Run no less than 4.5 Miles each run

Must kick it in gear!!
ONLY TEN MORE WEEKS!!

Wee Bit About Me

So I stole this little game from http://www.racheldillard.blogspot.com/ SORRY!!!! I have seen her do this before and I just love stuff like this, so I decided what the heck. I figured out that the blog below posts ten questions every Wednesday, so I will be giving my answers each week! (if I remember) YAY!!  {one} have you ever won a trophy? if yes, for what?
Yes, tons. But, I guess the most exciting one's to get were outstanding camper at Betty Aden Dance Camp bc you didn't know you were getting a trophy!


{two} what was your favorite subject in school?
Math, for sure! Only thing I was good at.


{three} what time do you get up in the morning?
7:10 and yes, I take Lakeland all the way to downtown. And yes, I have to be at work by 8. I am pretty swift. Sleep is much more important.


{four} if you could open your own business, what would it be?
A clothing store, baby store or a home decor store. I WILL open one of these one day. MARK MY WORD. I cannot function in a cubicle the rest of my life.


{five} if you could spend the evening with one rock star/band, who would it be?
I would have to say Justin Timberlake, first and foremost, bc I have been obsessed with him since Jr. High. (yes, I was/am an N'SYNCer and yes I have been to two JT concerts POST college... don't judge ha) But these days, I would most definitely want to hang out with Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert. I have a feeling, we would get into some trouble.  (not really rock stars... I prefer country)


{six} what sitcom character reminds you of you?
I have no idea.. You tell me!! I have been pondering on this for a while ha.


{seven} what are the 3 most important things to you?
Serious: Faith, Family and Friends
Silly: MS State/Saints Football, Training for the Half Marathon and my newest obsession Pretzel M&M's
 {eight} chips or popcorn?
Chips for sure! Original Lays and Ruffles, Ranch Doritos and Salt & Vinegar

{nine} have you ever ordered anything from an infomercial?
I can honestly say, I have not.

{ten} what is one thing that you are grateful for today?I am grateful for my health and just being alive and well! Far too often, we forget about the smallest things. Your life or just your health itself can be taken away in an instant.
This has hit me hard this week with the story of Spencer Perkins from Columbus, MS. He was in a hunting accident on Sunday and is in critical but stable condition at UMC, here in Jackson. (I have seen today that great things are happening!) I don't know Spencer personally, but I know of him, through my cousin Claire (who goes to Heritage with him) and through my sister, Eleanor. From all that I have heard and seen on facebook and twitter, this young man is loved like CRAZY!!! He has 1,000's of people from MS and all over the country rooting for him and praying constantly for him. It seems that the power of prayer is working MIRACLES for Spencer!!! So, please join all of the prayer warriors out there, and not only pray for Spencer, but also pray for his family and all of his friends.

FOR NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD. ~Luke 1:37
"God hears his people when they call to him for help, he rescues them in times of trouble" Psalms 34:17
"…THE PRAYER OF A RIGHTEOUS MAN IS POWERFUL AND EFFECTIVE" ~James 5:16

Marathon Monday

Haven't had time to run alot bc there seems to be 1,000 things going on, but I did make my goal of 6 miles again on Wednesday! Now on to 7 miles. I am going to try and do it tonight. AAAAAHHHHHHH I will be over half way there.

It's (ALWAYS) a Great Day to be a Bulldog!

"It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game."

This is the quote that came to mind last night (somewhere between sorority row and getting rear ended by drunk girl at the stop sign on old 25) when I was leaving Starkville after our heartbreaking loss to Auburn. SO CLOSE. Although, I don't completely agree with the quote bc of course everyone wants to win, we did play a very good game last night!! No we did not win, but we did hold our ground to a 3 point game against the #21 team in the nation and proved that we can compete.

I don't think anyone went into the game last night saying "we will definitely win tonight." I think everyone went into the game with lots of confidence in our team and coaches in a game against a SEC school for the first time in a while and that's why it seemed like a bit of a let down. But honestly, it wasn't a let down at all. Those boys did some pretty awesome things throughout the game, that in past years, we could have never pulled off. A surprise on-side kick that actually worked... blocked an Auburn field goal attempt... our defense left Cam Newton and the tigers (war eagles... whatever the hell they are ha) scoreless the whole second half. We forget about all of the great things we did, all because we lost. We just have to remember, we are in the process of re-building and trying to develop a winning team, not trying to win the freakin' national championship. We can't win them all, but we can learn from our mistakes and further perfect all of the great things that we can do!!

I have to look at it this way.. We were not meant to win that game bc believe me I did enough praying for everyone in the stadium!!! For some reason, unknown to us, God did not intend for us to win that game.  We don't always understand God's plan, but I do KNOW that God has BIG plans for Dan Mullen and the Mississippi State Bulldogs! 

"Thanks bulldog fans and students for doing your job in the stadium. We WILL come through for you" tweeted Dan Mullen this morning. Dan you're STILL the Man!! Don't you worry, we are all behind you and the Bulldog team 100%!!! Now let's get some revenge on those Tigers down in Louisiana next weekend!!

and last but not least... win, lose or draw

"IT'S (ALWAYS) A GREAT DAY TO BE A BULLDOG"

OOOOOOO and GEAUX SAINTS!!!!!!!!

Momma and Daddy came to the game!!! YAY

Kalley, Brister, Rob, Havis, Kendol and Myself at the Tailgate

YAY KATE!!!!

At the end of the day this will make anyone smile. Matching Mother/Daughter hair ribbons and a SCRUNCHY!!!

Good Ole' Fashion Bulldog Beatdown

"Based on Saturday's weather forecast, it's safe to say God is a college football fan" tweeted MS State Athletic Director Scott Stricklin last Wednesday.

This past Friday, Kendol and I packed up and headed to Starkville for the first football game of the year!! We arrived in the Junction Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m. for a 6:00 p.m. game. Yes, 9:30 a.m., you read that correctly!! And yes, the weather was absolutely perfect. We could not have asked for a better opening game experience! Thousands tailgating, cowbells ringing like crazy, great food, great friends, pretty much everyone participated in the white out and there was a sold out crowd for the 4th game in a row at Davis Wade Stadium!!!  

Not only did we beat the Memphis Tigers, we gave them a BIG OLE BULLDOG BEATDOWN. The final score ended up being 49-7. It would have been awesome to shut them out, but since "The School Up North" lost, I guess that makes up for it! (it's all in rivalry fun Ole Miss folks, don't get your panties in a bunch. You will be excited if/when we lose too. Yes I said "if we lose" ha ha... I have high hopes/expectations for the season) Also, I must say Congratulations to Tyler Russell being named SEC Freshman of the week. What an impressive game he played in his debut!!  Russell was SEC Freshman of the week... Cam Newton of Auburn was SEC Offensive player of the week... Should make for a great game on Thursday. But, let's not forget Relf, he played a pretty awesome game himself!! Much improved.

Scott Stricklin also said "Our fans are engaged at an unbelievable level right now," which is so true!! Mississippi State, in my opinion, has always had the most loyal, faithful fans. We have been through some pretty terrbile seasons over the years and none of our fans have given up on our team yet, making this a very exciting time at MSU! Things are finally looking up. The atmosphere this past Saturday was unreal and I believe it will be even more exciting on Thursday bc it's a much bigger game. No I am not going into the Thursday's game expecting we will beat Auburn by any means, but yes I know we can do it if we play like we did on Saturday! With Mullen as our coach, I'm beginning to think anything is possible. He has brought our team a VERY long way and has turned our football program all the way around!! I've read that MS State played better on Saturday than we have in 10 years. I'm hoping that the team will play that hard and with that much enthusiasm throughout the whole season.

After Saturday's game I agree with Stricklin. God is most definitely a college football fan!  Gosh, I hope we beat Auburn at home! How awesome would that be!!

"For with God anything is possible" Luke 1:37

My view of Davis Wade Stadium at 9:30 a.m on gameday

Kendol and I

First Tailgaters watching some early morning football on tv!!

The first few tailgaters of the day at the tent!!

Tailgate Sign

PERFECTION!

Loved this t-shirt in front of us!

Celebrating during the game!

MAROON!! WHITE!!

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT

MISSISSIPPI STATE

WWWOOOOOOOO

YA DAMN RIGHT!!!

See ya Thursday Starkville!! Let's sell out another game and put another Bulldog beatdown on some more Tigers!!

Marathon Monday- A Day Late

I made it to 6 Miles!!! WOO HOO Another super busy week, so I haven't been able to run as often as I need to be, but I did make my goal!

8/30- 6 Miles
9/1- 3 Miles
9/6- 3 Miles

If you would like to donate to St. Jude, you can donate here. www.mystjudeheroes.org/calliepc