My next 30 years...

As I am quickly approaching the last 24 hours in my 20s, I figured it was time to write an obituary of sorts for a decade full of life, emotions and lessons learned - both the hard way and the not-so-hard way. So, sit back, read and enjoy a walk down memory lane of sorts.

It's hard to believe that this next chapter of my life is so quickly approaching. Some people...OK, most everyone...has been telling me not to sweat turning 30 - that these are gonna be the "best years of my life." (Heck, that's even a line in my new theme song - see title of blog entry above.) However, 30 just hasn't been easy for me to come to terms with just yet. Maybe it'll be OK on Wednesday, maybe it'll be OK a month from now. Or, as one of my many birthday cards suggests, maybe it'll be OK in five or six (maybe seven) years. Who knows?

I have to say that I think I'm having such a hard time moving forward because my 20s are ending on such a high note. I mean, the past 14 or so months have been incredible. To be honest with you, I can't remember a better stretch of my life than from around January 2011 to present day thanks to all the relationships I've strengthened, began and (unfortunately) ended in that time frame. Plus, any time you can say you witnessed your alma mater winning a national championship in person pretty much guarantees a great moment in your life, so why not start at that point?

The people that I have met since the cusp of my 20s have been nothing short of amazing blessings. You hear the old adage that you make your first real friends in high school and your friends for life in college is 100 percent true in my case. I've been lucky to hold onto a couple of great friendships from my adolescent years, but some of the strongest bonds I have with friends are the ones that I met during my time at Auburn. 

This past weekend, my mom and dad orchestrated a huge surprise for me at our tailgate for the Auburn-LSU game. I found out that my mom's master plan was to gather 30 birthday cards for me, which were hidden in my brand-Buicking-new Yeti cooler. (That's right - I got excited about getting a cooler. I am old.) Some of the best words were written about times over the last 10-plus years, which helped spur this blog entry. 

I am blessed beyond measure, and I can see God's impact on my life through allowing me to gather so many wonderful people in my life that I am honored to call friends. You can't pick family, but I wouldn't have picked another one if I were given a choice. Through thick and thin, my parents, sister, aunt and uncle have stuck by me through every trial and tribulation I have gone through in my life, and my 20s helped to shape and tighten the bond that I share with them all. 

Legally speaking, I added a brother to the mix on April 30, 2011, when my sister got hitched. I acquired several brothers in the past 10 years, but Robert is the only one that has no choice but to put up with me and my crazy antics the rest of our days. He's perfect for Jeanie. Jeanie and I had a hard time getting along when I was growing up, but my 20s saw a friendship form out of nowhere that we have both taken an interest in building and maintaining. People used to tell me that everything between us would be different when I went off to college, and that's about the time that it all started - giving credence to the so-called experts. I can't tell you how thankful I am for my 20s to give me that. 

My best friends have all come about during my 20s. Folks like Brad, Amber, Robert, Jennifer, Andrew, Katy, Melissa, Chad, Jamie, Aven, Sparkles, Walinda, Katie, Kevin, Amanda, Josh, Janel, Sam, Honey Bear, Fizzle...the list could go on and on. These folks have no reason to keep me around but they somehow manage to do that anyway. I take a lot of pride in my friendships, and it's easy to be a great friend when you have such a wonderful supporting cast that works with you. 

I'm ashamed it took me so long to learn some of life's hardest lessons. I'm ashamed that I screwed up in so many areas that could have led to so many great things. I'm ashamed that I had a hard time grasping the concept that God's abundance of miracles and blessings is limitless, but these things do have an expiration date if we fail to take them when He offers. While I'm ashamed of the length of time it took me to learn them, I have no qualms about how my life has turned out despite those things and am truly thankful to know how to recognize and act on these times when they present themselves in the future. 

I am going into my next 30 years with a new outlook on life - one that has God truly at the center of it all. I'm doing my best to keep from viewing life through a hierarchy and staying away from lists of importance as much as I can. I learned that, while there is absolutely nothing wrong with keeping God at the top of my list, it's much easier to view things as "God things" when you have Him at the center of your life. Along with that, it's a lot easier to accomplish goals when you make those goals "God things." 

Sunday, I finished a year-long plan to read the Bible in 365 days. I started on my 29th birthday with the goal of finishing before I turned 30. I'm not going to lie - I didn't retain as much as I thought I would, and some days I was reading with no intentions of retaining anything, but this helped develop a strong habit. Now that the habit is there, I am going to start diving into devotionals with the goal of learning much more about this great and wonderful book. I was able to stay on track with this through the help of friends' encouragement and making it an (obvious) "God thing." 

Monday, Sept. 24, will be the final day of my 20s. It will also mark 18 weeks of not drinking any caffeine. I also have had a more concerted effort to eat healthier and more "foods of the earth" - aiding to a goal of losing 50 pounds. With a job that requires much more travel and time away from home, this has been easier to stay on track with than I had first anticipated because the reason behind all of this is to be more glorifying to God with what I eat and drink, meaning that it's an obtainable goal because it's a "God thing." 

(Seeing a trend?) 

While most of the more drastic changes and goals being met have occurred in the past 21 months, I don't want to overlook the goals that I met during the earlier parts of my 20s either. I finished Auburn in four years and was able to graduate at the same ceremony with two of my best friends. I got to go to one game in every Southeastern Conference stadium with one of those two best friends in a single football season. I have been able to check items off my bucket list such as going to a baseball game at both Fenway Park and Wrigley Field. 

I have a ton of cool memories stemming from my days of working in the athletic departments at Auburn and Florida. I met legends like Emmitt Smith and Bo Jackson because of my job. I got to be on the field for some of the most exciting moments in Auburn football history, and I experienced some of the most jubilant (and somber) locker rooms following big wins and tough losses. Auburn went undefeated twice in my 20s, one time with us getting hosed by the Bowl Championship Series and the other ending in jubilation out in Glendale, Ariz. 

I finally got to own a Jeep. Then bought another one. Then traded it on a more sensible car a couple of months ago because, as we have already established, I'm old. I saw Jimmy Buffett three times in concert. I saw Sister Hazel 12 times. 

To all of you who have come into my life during the last decade, to all of you who were already there and stuck with me through those times also: I cannot thank you enough. I love my life largely because of the people in it, and I'm honored that I can look at each and every relationship I have with others as a positive. 

So, here's to my 20s - a very developmental time that shaped me into a guy ready to take his 30s by storm. Even if I get lost, my 20s taught me that, if I keep swimming, I'll reach the daylight eventually. Because that's what we do - we swim, swim, swim. 

An overview of the last 52 weeks

On July 1, 2011, I was attempting to sleep in a hotel room in Birmingham, Ala. It was about 9:45 p.m. CT. I got a phone call originating from a hotel room in Golden, Colo., from Jamie (aka Cosmo) and several other young ladies getting ready for a night out in Denver. 


"I just called to tell you that Katie has tinkle hands," was all I got on the other side of the call. 


"Tinkle Hands" was a term used in abundance throughout the weekend and the ensuing weeks and months thereafter. I still think back on that phone call with a huge grin on my face. 


The next morning, July 2, I woke up at 4:15 a.m. and got to the Birmingham airport to fly out to Denver, Colo., to spend a weekend with a bunch of folks that I hadn't met before. We had talked plenty and spent months planning this weekend, but it was still kind of surreal to know that the trip was really happening. My biggest fear was that the trio of girls designated to pick me up at DIA would, in fact, be there. 


My girls (Jamie, Janel and Melissa) were there and, despite some claims that I was "lost" upon arrival, we got my weekend started off on the right foot with a fun birthday gift exchange, a tie on my head and a terrific sign that stated "ThatGuy" for me to wear around Denver throughout the day. 



That weekend changed my life. We're not talking about kinda, sorta, maybe change. I'm describing a completely different mindset and walking away from a place that made you sad to leave and fully charged for a new and improved walk with Christ. 


The past 52 weeks have flown by. It's hard to believe that tomorrow is Janel's birthday and the trip happened a full calendar year ago. Heck, we even got an extra day in between thanks to 2012 being a leap year, but that didn't slow down how fast this year went. 


This group of Friends in Mile High Places mean the absolute world to me. I wouldn't trade any of them for anything. They offer encouragement, love, devotion and support to me no matter my mood or state of mind. There have been a handful of down moments in the last 12 months, but I generally have a smile on my face through just about anything thanks to knowing that my girls or Jacob (aka Honey Bear) or Brandon (aka Cuddle Cakes) or Chad (aka F3-fitty) or Sam (aka Samster) are just a text away. 


Our friendship is so strong because it is centered on Christ. God brought us all together through one of the strangest media and made sure that we found each other at the right moments. I cannot explain or describe how incredibly awesome He has been to all of us throughout the process of our group's bond strengthening. 


On that Sunday (July 3), we attended a service at Red Rocks Church - a sanctuary nestled in the heart of an old theme park (or Ghetto Disneyland as one of the pastors likes to call it). I was excited to go because I heard that the pastor loved to talk about bacon, and - let's be honest - who doesn't like to hear people talk about bacon? However, I could not prepare my heart enough for what happened throughout the course of that morning. 


We attended a sermon in the I Am Second series - Bethany Hamilton's, if you're so inclined to look it up on YouTube. By the time Chad finished up his talk, my spiritual batteries were more charged than they have been in years (if not ever). I was so caught off guard that I had a hard time putting into words (something that these folks didn't know was possible) how I felt. Just incredible how God moved within me and within us. 


That night after other activities had wrapped up, we went out to Janel's (aka Journey) house in Littleton to just hang out and play games. There were laughs during the game (Apples to Apples - or at least the Friends in Mile High Places version of this ageless classic card game), but the time afterwards on Janel's back porch was the most awesome moment of the trip to me. 


Remember with youth group trips how there was always that one time of devotion and bearing of souls that had you leaving the trip on a spiritual high? We're all adults, but it was one of those moments. I learned so much about these individuals just by sitting and listening that I had a new-found positive perspective on my life that had always been there yet never fully realized. 


Exactly 52 weeks after hearing the I Am Second sermon, I had a small part reinforced tonight at Origins - a church that I have zero doubt will become my church home here in Tupelo. "I don't know what true persecution feels like," was one of the pastor's hot spots tonight in his sermon. That night in Littleton, Colo., I realized I didn't know what true persecution feels like either. 


There were folks that had been ridiculed by others in their hometowns. There were folks that had been homeless. There were folks that suffered more loss in three months than I've had to deal with in nearly 30 years. There were folks who had a not-so-fine and dandy family life behind the scenes. Despite these travesties, every single one of them had a better outlook on their spiritual life and trusted God more than I did to bring them through anything and everything.


Something just didn't seem right about that to me. 


A lot of these feelings and emotions have been held inside for 365 days. I'm pretty open and honest with this group, and they may read this and realize a lot of this stuff for the very first times. Their examples, however, have helped kickstart this incredible journey (a beautiful journey, even) that I've been taking since getting back on the airplane to return to the dirty South. 


Katie (aka Tinkle Hands): You were a late addition to the trip, and she was my easily one of my favorites to come out. I know we're not supposed to have favorites in life, but dang it, she's one of mine. Tinkle Hands has a lot going on that I wish I could help more, but there is only one who can. I look at her and know that, no matter what, God is going to pull us through. Her smile and her incredible heart are just a couple of examples of God's love for us because (I think I speak for everyone when I say) we're better people because Tinkle Hands is in our life. Thanks, Katie, and I love you more than you could ever know. 


Cuddle Cakes, formerly known as J-Fizzle: you were the first to jump on board with this trip when the initial planning commenced. You offered to help split a hotel cost with me, and I'd be honored to call you a travel roommate any time. The talks we had in Sam's basement made me respect you so much - you have no idea. You have a special place in my heart, and I consider you one of my closest and dearest friends. You're my brother forever, and I hope you never, ever change. Love you buddy.


Honey Bear: I can't even begin to describe how much respect I have for you. From your job to your struggles that life has given you, you never compromise your belief and you never back down from your leadership qualities. I'm so glad that you're back on U.S. soil and we get a chance to talk much more often because of it. The Derby trip just reinforced what I know is a lifelong friendship, and I can't wait to hang out more this summer. Thanks for everything you do in your job and in your role as one of the best friends anyone could ever ask for. I love you, bro. 


Fitty: We didn't hang out nearly enough on this trip. Luckily, we have made up for it since. There is no better karaoke partner in crime out there, and he sure does know how to make the ladies swoon when belting out Tim McGraw lyrics. Don't ever leave home without your photo ID again, but I'm glad you did that one time because I think that trip together was the turning point in our friendship. The example of Christ's love and your ability to continuously do things the right way in all walks of your life are two of the things that mean the most to me. I also can't tell you how much growth I can see in you from 52 weeks ago to now. (Of course, I think we both know who to mostly thank for that.) I'm honored and privileged to call you my friend and my brother, and I cannot wait for you to get to the dirty South so we can hang out more. Love you, buddy. 


Samster: Your generosity, your ability to see the good in everyone and your unending supply of Godly advice set you apart from everyone else in my life. The fact that we have chilled out in your old basement twice and you never asked for a dime just reinforces everything I just said. I hate you're not in Denver any more, but I know that I have a friend no matter where either of us end up. I'm still your biggest fan and got nothing but love for you, brother. 


Matt (aka RockyMountainMatt): Your wealth of knowledge astounded me. You fit right into the group for the little bit that you were there, and I'm so honored you were a part of the final night and my favorite part of the weekend. I hate that we haven't talked very much, but I know that you're an incredible person and an incredible guy, and I wish you and Charlotte nothing but the best in the future. 


Melissa (aka Turbo): I wasn't lost upon arrival, for the record. Just because you couldn't find me right away doesn't mean it was my fault. I was very specific in my description of where I was, and you found me based on that description further reinforcing my point that I was not lost. 


With that out of the way, I love you and our friendship more than you will ever know. You came into my life at the exact right moment, and I couldn't be the person I am without my BP. You probably know me as well as anyone else in my life, and I cannot thank you enough for sticking by me through thick and thin. You're family now and you always will be as far as I'm concerned. You're a shining ray of God's love, and I hope you never ever change. 


(By the way, I've been thinking about what to write here for three weeks and I'm still tearing up getting to this part.) 


Journey: I'm so thankful to have been a part of your birthday last year. I have so much I could say, but the moment that touched me more than any other on the weekend was your admission that this was the first one you had away from your family. Knowing that I was getting to be a part of that, a momentous occasion no doubt, made every worry and every fear I had leading up to the trip fade away. Every morning, I thank God in my prayer that He put you in my life to challenge me and keep me on the road I'm traveling as well as encourage me when I need it most. 


Whatever kind of friend you need me to be, I hope you know that I will never back down from that role. I love you more than you know, and I hope this year's birthday tops last year's. 


Cosmo: Ah, my lovely chauffeur. Before the trip, you were by far my best friend in the group. We have had our ups and downs, but I still think you hold that distinction today. I'll never be able to really describe how much you mean to me. I know that there isn't anything I can't go to you and talk to you about, something that I will never take for granted. Please, never let the world change your smile and know that I'm here for you however you need me to be. I love you so, so much. 


If you talked to me a year ago, you'd find a generally happy guy that maybe had something that just seemed to be off. This trip fixed that. These people fixed that. 


My job is better. I'm reading my Bible daily, and I'm praying much more consistently than I ever have before. I enjoy the little things in life more than I ever did before the trip, and I do my absolute best to spend as much time outside looking up at the stars and the moon at night whenever the opportunities present themselves. 


My smile is from ear-to-ear most of the time. I like to say that I smile so loud, folks can hear it. I know that if I can't smile, I need to just keep swimming because I know there's light at the end of the tunnel. That light, more times than not, happens to come from these Friends in Mile High Places. 


Thank you all, one more time, for the best year of my life. I hope that the next 52 weeks are as rewarding for us as these last 52 weeks have been. 

Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes

Wow, it's been a long time. Probably too long. I hope I haven't lost all one of you faithful reader(s) out there.

My little sister is married. Auburn has won a national championship in football. Both my parents have had bouts with skin cancer, and we're halfway to a 100 percent cancer-free situation with both of them. Hopefully we'll know soon that mom's surgery today got rid of all the cancerous cells and they won't have to go in again.

That's just a brief synopsis of my 2011.

It's been an adventurous and surreal four-plus months. From a trip to Arizona that featured a day at the Grand Canyon and that lifelong dream of watching Auburn's players and coaches celebrating in possession of that coveted crystal football to last weekend's Rushing/Miller Royal Wedding, I haven't had a year filled with this much fanfare in such a compact period of time. It's been mostly fun and a little frustrating, but I'm not sure I'd trade it for anything.

My dad quit smoking. Tomorrow is five weeks without a single puff and over seven weeks since his last full cigarette. This is HUGE for him, and we couldn't be prouder as a family. It took a scare to get this to the point we're at now, but I'd rather live through a warning sign than the negative alternative.

Jeanie and Robert's wedding was a special day filled with so many family members and friends that I couldn't begin to list half the ones. They came from Alabama, Mississippi, Arizona, California, Washington state and Georgia. I may be leaving out some locations in there. I've been in 10 weddings now (I promise my math isn't off on this, Jennifer) and Jeanie was the calmest, coolest and most collected bride I've ever been around. Please don't take that as an insult to any other brides from the weddings I've been in...I was just blown away from the poise and lightheartedness my little sister displayed on her big day.

Mom lost a dog and gained another over the past few weeks. Not necessarily in that order. Today, she went in for a surgical procedure to remove a cancerous spot. A two-week time period with the stitches is the next biggest hurdle as the tenderness hardens and heals with time and God's grace. You should have seen how amazing she looked as the mother of the bride a week ago.

It's time for Mother's Day, Jeanie's birthday and some Jimmy Buffett at JazzFest. I spent tonight hanging out with old friends at their new house, the stepping stone into the next phase of their lives. Hopefully with them being half an hour closer, this will mean more hanging out from here on out. We've both vowed to make a better effort to do so.

I'm a little random, but that's just how 2011 has been for me. I'm sorry if it's hard to follow along. I haven't written a lot this year, and I need to get back in the habit of doing so. When CSM shut down in February, it felt like a rug was pulled out from under me and I've been doing my best to keep from free-falling without a floor below.

I got into a bad habit of feeling sorry for myself. I wanted to blame a lot of my negative outlook and attitude on other circumstances instead of taking a better outlook and viewpoint on things. Then, last week, as Jeanie got closer and closer to the biggest vows she'll ever take, something changed thanks to her. I can't put my finger on it. I don't know if I'll ever understand it. But, that something changed and I've been a lot better at finding the good in situations since.

I've been frustrated the past couple of weeks because I've been feeling a lot of frustration from others. I maybe didn't handle it all correctly, but I've tried my best to do so. I'm back to umpiring, and being out on those ball fields has been therapeutic. And hanging out with Ben last weekend and tonight has also been a big assist in my more positive outlook.

I'm not sure what the rest of 2011 will bring. I'm not sure how much more my life will change, but I'm gonna try my best to be on the look for more positive signs. God has really blessed me, my family and my friends. I've never doubted that. I'm just realizing it more clearly right now.

Pray that this trend continues.

The Iron Bowl Rewind - 28-27 Edition

The game drew the best ratings for a college football telecast this season. On Black Friday, the country drew its eyes to Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Can anything ever top this on the Plains? A 24-0 deficit that turns into a 28-27 triumph thanks to a 28-3 scoring advantage from the latter stages of the first half until the early moments of the fourth quarter stirred positive emotions throughout the northeast corner of Bryant-Denny and the upper deck that shared an endzone.

I wasn’t around for Punt, Bama, Punt and I was just a couple of months old when Bo leapt over the top to end UA’s nine-year dominance in the series. This made me just a 7-year-old who made more memories in our backyard than Keith Jackson calling the action on the afternoon Alabama finally played a game in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Jarrett Holmes’ field goal in 1997 had given AU it’s only one-point victory that I could remember and appreciate in the tradition-filled rivalry known as the Iron Bowl. The one thing that stuck with me from that night, though, was how incredibly lucky Auburn had been to be in position to get that field goal in the first place.

So, forgive me for considering this the greatest Iron Bowl in my life. The difference in feelings and emotions I had felt last November leaving Jordan-Hare Stadium to the elation that erupted (enough for me to lift my dad about six feet off the ground, give or take 12 inches) I experienced last Friday in Bryant-Denny Stadium is beyond adjectives. There’s just not enough out there. Superb comeback, err Camback - whatever you want to call it. I call it the greatest.

Don’t get me wrong: I felt bad for my friends that I knew had truly felt the Crimson Tide would win at the tailgate we attended prior to kickoff. There was class portrayed by everyone under the tents just off the parking lot adjacent to the Sheraton Hotel. “I just hope it’s a great game, one that is cleanly played on both sides” was the common theme.

When the money fluttered around Cam Newton, the anger began building in a lot of the orange and blue-clad faithful. After a school that is in the midst of a decade-long stint of NCAA probation trumpeted its commitment to “live compliance” with the NCAA rule book, I was about ready to run through a wall. And I hadn’t even heard “Son of a Preacher Man” and “Take the Money and Run” on the PA during the Tigers’ walk-through.

But, calmer heads prevailed and I remembered that those things did not embody the friends I had on the other side of the line. They weren’t the ones that signed off on the marketing and game day operations crew being able to play those songs. They weren’t the students sitting above the Auburn tunnel that were “clever” enough to rally the masses to toss those Monopoly “Cam dollars” at the Heisman Trophy front-runner.

No, those guys (Hal, Rob, Bobby, etc.) were gracious winners last year in Auburn. They were congratulatory non-winners (refuse to call them losers) in Tuscaloosa on Friday. They were superb tailgate hosts yet again and took part in friendly banter throughout the morning and never let anything get personal (no matter what any opposing fan may have said in passing).

So, to those guys, I appreciate everything yet again. I may not want Alabama to win it’s bowl game, but I want all of you to once again have a great time cheering your boys on in the stands. I want you to have plenty of good memories in Florida to ring in the new year. And if the Tide wins, I’ll feel good for you guys. Just like last January when you were “living the dream.”

But, I don’t forget my own perspective: 28-27. War Eagle. Ever to conquer, never to yield.

The Tailgate Plan to Win: The Arkansas State Edition

Oh yea, it's that time again.

A quick update: This year has been a strange one, as I noted back in July. For much of the past four or so weeks, I had been waiting on word from Fayetteville, Ark., as to whether or not I would be able to rejoin my old boss Zack Higbee at his new digs in the University of Arkansas Sports Information Department. I was a finalist for the second football contact at UofA, but I did not get the job. Don't worry, I'm not torn up at all about this. I'm very happy for the guy who did (Rookie), and it's someone I considered my Padawan learner back during my reign as an SID student worker and intern.

During that span, I had a hard time getting too excited about the season. Would I be in the stands with those I consider the closest friends and my family? Or, would I be in a suit and tie when I'd finally get to go to a game at Jordan-Hare Stadium in mid-October as a traveling member of Bobby Petrino's Razorback support personnel?

Now, I have gone no-holds-barred into planning our tailgates and am honored to return to my position as the tailgate leader as we enter year three at University Station RV Resort. Yet more aesthetically pleasing changes have been made to the camper, and I implore you tailgaters to thank All Auburn, All Orange, All Facebook, All Kirk when you get the chance. He put in a ton of sweat and tears throughout our trips to/from the Loveliest Village over the past six months to gear up for a home schedule-heavy 2010 season.

The Arkansas State weekend offers a bevy of positives: a long weekend made longer by all of us taking Friday off; a great opportunity to hang out with Robert and Andrew (although sadly without Jennifer and the girls); a 6 p.m. CST kickoff to allow a full day of tailgating to knock off the rust and fully re-enter gameday mode; as well as plenty of tales from Andy Shores as he approaches fatherhood for the first time.

Yep, there's a feeling in the air just like a Friday afternoon. I'm going to go there cause I want. ($1 to Better than Ezra)

Who is going to return kickoffs? Who is going to return punts? Which one of the three guys battling it out right now will earn first-team duties at right tackle? None of those questions are up to me to answer. Instead, I'm fully focused on tackling inquiries such as, "How can we alleviate some of the cooking duties from Super Rita?" or "Are we going to have enough ice this weekend to keep all the drinks cold and out of the fridge?"

The menu was finalized over this past weekend for the opening tailgate, and I can assure you that it will be up to standards with our other ventures. This year, we will get started with a burger bar due in part to Andrew's appearance. We will provide the hamburger meat and trimmings, but I will assign out other items such as buns (hamburger and hot dog) as well as chips and other side dishes.

The confirmed guest list as of Aug. 24 is as follows:

Chris, Super Rita, AAAOAFAK, Robert "ThunderCat" Boully, Andrew Monroe, Andy Shores, Brad Gregg, Amber Gregg, Jarrod Gregg.

Come one, come all, but please let us know ahead of time that you plan to stop by. Of course, that seems like it's always understood this time of year.

WDE. I'm thoroughly looking forward to the first of many family reunions over the next four months.

(Assignments will be posted and e-mailed no later than Wednesday, Sept. 1. Please RSVP by then by either commenting here or e-mailing Chris at rushicw@gmail.com.)

A little home field advantage...

Play ball.

So far, 2010 has been one weird, strange adventure. Nothing seems to come easy, and there's been quite a bit of heartache along the way. A dear friend wrote on her blog to review the first six months of the year and try to gauge where we'll be six months from now. Well, here goes.

I write to you reader(s) from the sweet comforts of the camper down in Auburn. Today, I spent some time with old friends taking in a Major League Baseball game - something easy enough yet significant from what 2010 has brought me so far.

At times, and a lot of those recently, the frustration level has been heightened due to several measures that I don't care to go into on a public forum. But today, it was just about enjoying being outdoors in wonderful weather and watching baseball - baseball played by professionals, though not void of simple errors.

I had to say goodbye to one of my best friends and closest family members back in February. There are several moments where that phone call I received on Feb. 24 tugs at my heartstrings, but I've done pretty well to look at the positives - she's no longer in pain, and my mom can get on with getting herself better. We had an empty seat with us in the stands at the Ted today, but I know that it was filled with another baseball fan that will forever remain in my life. The one who used to watch the Cubs on WGN and Braves on TBS in the middle of the day during our summers together.

All the coaching and practicing my baseball teams have undergone for the past four months gets the biggest test of the season starting Thursday. We'll be shorthanded in areas, but we'll get what we need from others that are making their return to the lineup after vacations. Of course, these things mattered not as I watched Tommy Hanson mow down the Marlins through 6.2 solid innings before giving way to the surprisingly good Braves bullpen.

I cannot tell you for certain what I will be doing or where I will be six months from now when the calendar turns to 2011. I don't know who will leave and enter my life in that span, but I hope there's significantly more addition than subtraction. For one of the few times in my life, I have very few answers as to what the next day, week, month or year might bring. Until those answers come, I will keep plugging away at my routine and hope it doesn't run me into the ground. But, none of those concerns or thoughts crept through my mind today when we were singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh inning stretch.

The eighth and ninth innings were pretty much finished in order today. Neither team really threatened to put more runs on the board. I guess, perhaps, months July-December could do the same for me. There are plenty of football games, baseball games, trips here and there to make. Numerous phone calls, text messages, e-mails, chats and even blog posts to be exchanged with interested parties. Early mornings and late evenings posting articles onto CollegeSportsMatchups.com.

I'm going to try to make some double-switches and get a favorable righty-lefty matchup at the plate when the opportunities arise. I'll try to out-think and out-maneuver the opposing manager called life. It may take some roster changes, but I'll try to keep those at a minimum despite the looming trade deadline.

Before I get to doing those things, though, I'd like to go ahead and stretch a little longer and enjoy some peanuts and Cracker Jack. And root for the home team.

All that I'm after is a life full of laughter...

So far in 2010...

Auburn A-Day - April 17, 2010

Gatlinburg Trip - March 2010 - Brad, Josh, Amber and Your's Truly

Yes, the Clemson player's name is Kieboom.

Auburn NCAA Baseball Regional - June 2010

Atlanta Braves vs. Florida Marlins - July 3, 2010

San Diego Padres - Petco Park tour - April 29, 2010

San Diego Padres vs. Milwaukee Brewers - April 29, 2010

Sunset via U.S.S. Midway - San Diego, Calif. - April 28, 2010

Take me out to the ball game...

All right, for the fourth-straight summer, baseball has consumed my life and my time. I apologize for the delay in postings for all one of you that make up my faithful blog reader(s). There's not much to write at 12:30 a.m., but I will get you some pictures of the newest addition to my jersey collection.

My, where has the time flown...

First off, many apologies for the delay in this posting. I know people say this all the time, but there just hasn't been enough hours in the day lately to get everything I need to accomplished. Including writing on here and CollegeSportsMatchups.com. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks, enough time will open to bring you faithful reader(s) up to speed.

I wanted to say that San Diego was awesome. From a night out on the U.S.S. Midway to a 9-0 Padres victory over the Brewers, I had a great time in one of the most friendly environments I've ever visited. I'd love to go back, but I could never see myself living somewhere like that. When you're dropping $60 on a dinner for one, it's not exactly friendly on the wallet. (Thankfully, BancorpSouth paid for the week in full.)

Getting back to Birmingham proved to be a chore. I had an 11 a.m. flight out of San Diego with what was supposed to be a three-hour layover in Minneapolis. No offense to any Minnesotans that read this, but I hope it's a long time before I'm ever in that airport again. To no fault of the city, Delta had a plane issue that kept us grounded until 12:30 a.m. when we were finally allowed to get in the air.

Now, I was supposed to take off at 8 p.m. That first got moved to 8:30 p.m., but a gate change rectified the first delay and got us back on time. After a quick dinner at T.G.I.Fridays, I arrived at the gate and watched Arrested Development (thanks, AT&T Wireless card and Netflix Instant Queues) for the next couple of hours. When they announced we were delayed again to 8:30 p.m. thanks to maintenance work on the plane, I didn't think it was that big of a deal.

Then, 8:30 became 9:30 p.m. Still working on the plane. Soon, one old man that did not shut up from the time he sat down in the gate began trying to spread rumors of our flight being canceled. All I could think about at this point was getting back to the South for a certain appointment in Nashville that Saturday night.

Once 9:30 came and went, it was "We'll get you on the plane as soon as the paperwork is wrapped up. Please do not leave this gate while personnel is wrapping up their final inspections." No big deal, we'd be in the air by 10:30 p.m. at the latest. As the ticketing agent promised, we were on the plane at 10:15 p.m. and headed towards the runway.

Now, those of you who know me well know that I can sometimes have a smart mouth when it comes to being around bammers - especially ones that don't have the knowledge radiating through their appearance and actions that they've ever stepped foot inside a college classroom, much less graduated from their beloved universitah. As we were getting into our seats on the plane, one such gentleman sitting behind me said, "It's that there Auburn fan's fault we's having to wait to get out of here. I'll tell you what, at bammer, we don't have silly things like plane maintenance issues."

(No, I'm not exaggerating.)

Then, some of his buddies had obviously been wanting to say something about my Auburn attire all night at the gate and chimed in, "Yea, we should get him off this plane so we can get out of here. He can worry about them Tigers up here." Due to close quarters, I just turned politely and smiled then said, "Hey, you guys got your crystal football. Does it really have to be an Auburn grad's fault that we're still stuck in Minnesota?"

(I emphasized "grad" in that statement, by the way.)

We got to the runway when the plane stopped and the propellers turned off. I thought about how odd this behavior was and then got freaked out when they OPENED THE DOOR AND TOOK SOMETHING UNIDENTIFIED FROM MAINTENANCE. You can't even use your cell phone at this point in the flying process and they've opened the door? I began wondering just how easy it would be to change my flight the next day direct to Nashville.

We were instructed to deplane back at the gate because maintenance did not fix whatever issue they were having before, and we would be notified of any and all further instructions inside the airport. I'm continuously talking to my parents, who were in the process of dropping Jeanie off in Birmingham so she could go to Nashville with Brad, Amber and I the next day.

A funny thing happened, though, at this point: the "amusing" bammer thought aloud how this "always happens to (him) when he's trying to get home from somewhere. (He) ain't never had an easy trip back to Sylacauga since (he) started flying years back." The rest of the plane, including his bammer buddies, turned on him at this point, allowing me only to say, "See, it's not my fault. Blame this guy."

And blame that guy they did. I even had one couple come up and apologize to me in the sitting area while we waited for a new plane. I'd just really like to thank Delta at this point for the additional sky miles they credited my account with for all the hassle of this ordeal.

I was nervous about getting back on that particular plane, but I also did not want to stay at some low-rent hotel when I had a nice room waiting for me in Birmingham if we could ever get there. We took off at 12:30 a.m. and touched down around 2:45 a.m. I got to the Hyatt Place on 150 around 3:30 a.m. and got some more sleep.

Jeanie and I got going around 9:30 a.m. Saturday and headed to Sylvania to meet up with Brad and Amber. We were to head to Nashville to see Jimmy Buffett that evening. It was the highlight of my entire week out of the office. Now, the date for this concert was May 1. If you pay attention to current events, you'd know that this was the day of the 500-year flood that is still plaguing the Music City today.

We left anyway, more afraid of tornadoes and stormy activity than the fear of flooding. On the road, we got texts describing the hysteria the rain was causing in the Nashville area, and we started to get just a bit hesitant about attending the concert.

We stopped off in Manchester, Tenn., and this lovely town has one of two Coconut Cafe's in existence. So, thinking this was like a Jimmy Buffett-themed restaurant, we stopped off for some pre-concert grub and weather tracking. What we found on the Weather Channel and through other meteorologists out there amongst our friends was nothing but bad news.

After waiting things out a few more minutes, we made the smart adult decision and turned back for Sylvania. If we had gone a few more miles up I-24 from that point, we'd have been caught in the water and possibly worse - this is where the mobile home was floating along the road.

So the concert did not happen, but we all got back to our desired locations in one piece and without any damage to any vehicles or bodies. Had we still been in college, I'm pretty sure we'd have kept going but you gotta grow up sometimes...and that's a little sad in a way.

I'll have more stories later when this audit is over. If any of you out there work for the FDIC, please know that we can't be friends right now. Maybe later when the dust has settled, but you have really thrown a wrench into the lives of a lot of people I know here lately and I'm not a big fan at the moment.

Have a good one folks, and we'll talk more soon. As always, War Eagle.

Chris

Live from San Diego...a few Trooper photos

Since I'm missing the little guy so much, I figured I'd put up some pictures for the time being.

By the way, San Diego is awesome. From my hotel room king sized bed, I can see Petco Park, most of the skyline, the marina and the Pacific Ocean. When the fog lifts, it's going to be a superb view. Lunch at Pier Cafe today and dinner tonight with Sarah Suitor.

The Tailgate Plan to Win: A-Day 2010

Ah, spring football. Two things that I love but never seemed to mix very well when I was a student at Auburn. I hated working spring practices and even worse, the A-Day game.

One of my favorite memories, though, was the 2004 A-Day game when pretty much every full-time staffer had schedule conflicts, so the work crew ended up being pretty much Meredith and a bunch of students. Sometime in the first quarter, I got a call on the radio that I would need to stick with Tuberville since Meredith was going home early. Josh and Kim would handle things in the press box, then Josh and I would be in charge of the locker room post-game.

I remember that 31 players were requested for interviews that day. Josh, Matt Jernigan and I got 30 of those 31 in the interview room. I kept knocking guys’ names off the list, but there was one that was missing. That guy was A.T. Williams, someone who never turned down an interview. Matt had missed him in the locker room and refused to go track him down outside. Josh got him back in the room, and we got nothing but praise handed down to us from the writers in the room.

It was a good day.

This Saturday, I get to go back to A-Day with a different perspective and look forward to getting to Auburn and just hanging out with some friends and (hopefully) get a picture with Tracy Rocker, Trooper and Luper. We’ll see, though.

So, this is a fun tailgate plan to write. The guest list isn’t all that long, but it should be filled with great folks. Possible attendees are Trey Eiland and his daughter, Bryan Bowen and his crew and a few other assorted folks from my dad’s group. Brad and Amber Gregg will be there with us every step of the way. I fully expect Andy Shores and Michelle to hang out with us also.

The plan right now is for Super Rita and me to go down to Auburn on Thursday night. It will be a late arrival, so Friday may be a little slow to get started. We have a few new additions to the camper to show off, so that should be a lot of fun. All Auburn, All Orange, All Facebook, All Kirk will get into town Friday night.

It’s going to be low-key and casual. Hopefully, the weather sticks around for awhile too. It’s been absolutely wonderful here the past six days.

If you are coming, let me know by sending an e-mail (rushicw@gmail.com). I’ll have assignments later this week. Right now, the plan is to fry up some wings and thighs in our new propane cooker for post-game. Pre-game will be light with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m. Those of you not being able to join us in Auburn, you can catch the action on ESPNU with Mike Belotti handling his first ESPN assignment.

It’s time to Do What We Do at our tailgate and get 2010 started right. I’m glad its back, folks. Have a good one.

Til next time, War Eagle.

Chris

New AU football site

I'm not sure who designed this site, but they did a fantastic job. Auburn has been needing something like this for quite some time, and I dare say it blows sites like UrbanMeyer.com out of the water.

http://www.auburnwareagle.com

Make sure not to skip the intro and watch the Auburn Creed. You will not be sorry.

A long December...(and January and February)

"One Day at a Time"

Soon the sun will shine again

Soon things will be fine

Until it does, trust God above

And take one day at a time

- Judith Bulock Morse

This afternoon, I have been trying to clean up a little bit on my desk after a couple of months that have been an absolute whirlwind. Amongst the clutter here in the office, I found a couple of unused/unopened Christmas presents. Normally, this wouldn't be that big of a deal - what with it just being a picture frame, notepad and framed poem. Except the poem came from my grandmother.

You know the drill - sometimes you don't always get a present that is exactly what you want, but you thank the giver for their efforts and thoughts anyway. Over the last few years, my grandmother's Christmas presents have ranged from ties that I never wear to stuffed animals to framed poems that really don't mean very much to me at the time. I thanked her for every one of these gifts, though, because I know how hard it was for her to a.) buy me something and b.) find something perfect for me that didn't have an AU markings on it at all.

Back to today...I decided to look at this frame one more time to try to come up with somewhere to put it. After all, this was the last Christmas gift she gave me, and it's something that will always hold a special place in my heart. When I read it, a funny thing happened - I broke down.

She could always tell me when and where she saw the gift throughout the year that made her think, "This is what I'm going to give Chris." No ifs, ands or buts. However, when I said thank you to her on Dec. 25 for this, she confessed she couldn't remember what she got me. "I bought it a long time ago," she explained.

Well before the stroke, I believe she knew her time with all of us was running down. After three months of fighting, defying the odds, Emma Jean McKinney (all semblances of a grandparent Jeanie or I ever knew biologically) joined her place amongst the angels on Wednesday, Feb. 24. I had prepared myself for the phone call for three months. I wasn't ready, though, not by a long shot.

When dad told me, I became numb. I was panicked because I knew I needed to get to my mom. My boss was in a meeting. Everyone and their mothers around me in the office were on phone calls. I had just unpacked my funeral clothes after Jeanie said she was doing so well the weekend before. It wasn't supposed to be Feb. 24, but I was numb because I knew she was better finally. Just numb.

Phone calls, texts, e-mails - they all came pouring in. It was touching hearing from everyone, and the distances some folks traveled were minuscule compared to the leaps and bounds they brought up my spirits. I'll never forget any of that, and I'd be there for them in a second should the roles be reversed.

It has taken some time, but I'm slowly coming back around to my old self. I'm so very proud of my grandmother for everything she accomplished, and I am just happy she can spend Billie's birthday with her in heaven. The last six years since Billie's death took their toll, and she will never have to spend a day without her or my grandfather for the rest of eternity. That's a truly awesome peace of mind.

When I was writing the obituary (which is one of the most difficult things I have ever written), I didn't break down. I suffered from writer's block like you wouldn't believe because I guess I didn't want to fully process what is going on. I don't know if it was because I felt like I needed to be strong for my mom or my aunt or for others, but I couldn't force myself to crumble even when I've been here by myself.

Little did I know it would just take the words "One day at a time."

This is just a small step in the road to normalcy, but I can feel again. Birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas - they're all going to be difficult in a way. The last week of February will carry with it a black cloud for a little bit. I miss her terribly, but I didn't leave anything unsaid. The peace from that is unbelievable.

Randy, my uncle, said it best once all the hooplah from the funeral died down and it was just us going to get some food for just our family. "We're not the only ones to go through this, and we'll get through it all together." Pretty philosophical coming from a Bama fan, if you ask me. I had dinner with a friend the other night, and I couldn't seem to stop talking about all the good times I had with my grandmother and Billie. No one will ever take that from me, and there were even good memories to come from the last three months.

She brought us all together, and as we have learned the last 19 days, she kept us all together despite all distances and absences. I wish I had more time to talk to her on the phone or just sit with her in the living room watching TV, but I am OK knowing she knew I loved her and that she loved me. Dearly.

When we pieced all the thoughts together and stories from the day of the stroke in November, it was quite clear to me that she knew where she needed to be to move on. She knew when she needed to do this. And she knew that, through all suffering and agony she may have been fighting internally, we needed her smile, her charm and her love to make this time easier.

And, by giving me this silly framed poem, she knew what I needed from her to get on with the process of grieving. I'm not sure where I will put it, but I will never get rid of it.

I love you, grandma, and I think about you all the time. While I'm going to miss you, I do know we'll get to the point that I never have to spend a day without you again just like you don't have to without those you lost that were so dear to you. Try to let Bertha Jo in the door when she gets there too, but it's OK if you give her one of your sly smiles and make her sweat a little bit. I won't hold it against you. Enjoy all your crowns and the jewelry to coincide with them for the rest of time.

A little taste before a real update...

Before I give a full and more appropriate update, I thought I'd give you guys something that hit the cutting room floor at CollegeSportsMatchups.com. Hope you enjoy.

A change of heart rocks college football again

Commentary by Chris Rushing

So much for bigger things than a silly football game, huh?

I had a heart scare back in May that caught me completely off guard. After spending a morning in an ambulance and emergency room bed, I knew that even simple things are nothing to mess with when it comes to your ticker. Apparently, with the decision that Urban Meyer made Friday night when talking to his family, he didn’t think that it was such a good thing to mess with either.

Which makes today’s news even more bizarre to me.

Sure, there were reports last night that he had turned down a leave of absence from Jeremy Foley. That would make sense, after all, to sit out a little while and come back when he was ready. No need for the University of Florida to get into the coaching carousel if at all possible to stay out. Foley had his man in Gainesville five years ago, and if this was a way to keep him on board, then sobeit.

But Meyer did something that Ron Zook had failed to maintain when he took over for Steve Spurrier in 2002. Meyer made it cool to be a Gator again, and he made this job into the best in college football. Foley could have his pick of anyone out there, and I’m not sure anyone was better suited than Meyer, but he could get awfully close on his choice.

Foley is a winner, through and through. He hates, nay, despises losing. NCAA tournament berths aren’t enough for the guy, but you win a couple of national titles, and you gain job security that allows you to make a second-thought on your decision to leave him in the first place.

See: Billy Donovan.

Donovan and Meyer are great friends, which makes the run that UF had from 2006-07 so special in holding both the men’s basketball and football national championships at once. There isn’t a power struggle between neither the two most prominent UF head coaches nor their respective programs.

However, if Meyer thinks he will be able to just step back in 2011 (or sooner) and regain his momentum built over the last five years, he needs to look closely at the last three for Donovan since his brief exit to the NBA.

The Gators haven’t reached the NCAA tournament since the exits of the fab four sophomore/juniors that earned back-to-back Siemens trophies, and Donovan has had difficulties maintaining the success level acquired during his first 11 years at UF. All those 20-win and NCAA tourney seasons are a distant memory, and the latest three-game losing skid for the Gators may show signs of a fourth-straight mediocre season.

I believe the reports coming from various UF assistant coaches that Meyer knew he made a mistake when walking the practice fields Sunday morning for perhaps the final time as the top man in Gator Nation. I’m sure that the regret was overwhelming, and I don’t blame Foley for allowing Meyer to take him up on the leave of absence offer.

All that being said, by promoting Steve Addazio to interim head coach, Foley and Co. are essentially writing off 2010, and that’s not like Foley at all. That’s not the Gator way. To me, that’s the most confusing aspect of this entire saga.

We’ll keep you posted on any more developments in this strange case. Hopefully, your hearts (and mine) can take it.

A quick update...

What a month...That's about all I can really say at this point.

Somehow, with all the chaos that ensued the last weekend of regular season play in the SEC, we ended up with an Outback Bowl berth when all hope for a decent bowl bid seemed lost. I left Jordan-Hare Stadium on Friday, Nov. 27, feeling certain of a Chick-fil-A Bowl appearance barring upset city that Saturday.

Then, State beat Ole Miss. South Carolina waxed Clemson. Tennessee upended Kentucky in overtime. The final nail in the proverbial coffin seemed to come from Georgia's unforeseen triumph over ACC Champion Georgia Tech to put the finishing touches on a terrible day of football for AU fans.

Fast forward to today...We have our plans booked for the Outback Bowl, and I'm looking forward to a New Year's celebration in Ray-Jay and sunny Tampa. You know, I've always said Tampa is a big, big Auburn town. It's always been good to the Tigers, and it will be nice to give something back.

As for the Iron Bowl, the better team won (as I have stated happens 9.9 times out of 10 in our rivalry), but the better team on the field did not. We had plenty of chances, but the fact of the matter was there was not a single sustained drive that resulted in points all afternoon. There were plenty of reasons to feel optimistic, but as I wrote for CSM, that was perhaps the most devastated I've felt leaving JHS. Now, those guys are playing in Pasadena and...well, I fully believe our 2004 team would wax this team of their's.

Neither here nor there, I know.

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas. We have had some family upheaval over the course of the past three weeks, but we are doing what we have to do. Please keep my mom and my grandmother in your prayers as both are straining themselves to their max limits. It won't be an easy road to full recovery for my grandmother, but I am confident she will make it there. I just hope it doesn't take everything out of my mom in the process.

2009 has been a pretty good year, and it went by incredibly fast. There were a lot of high points (Vegas, Jimmy Buffett, Jeanie's graduating college, a couple of fun weddings, an incredible opportunity in the CollegeSportsMatchups.com job), and some low points, but I will always look back on this year fondly. I don't know why, but I feel much more grown up than a year ago. Funny how that happens, huh?

I'm hoping to put up a wish list for 2010 sometime in the next couple of days on the website, but here are some items that I won't be able to put in the column for objectivity reasons:

1.) Lache Seastrunk and/or Marcus Lattimore signing up on Feb. 3 to wear orange and blue on the Plains. (Those who have listened to me throughout the summer and the season know that I fully expect our coaches to pull off all three running backs. It's gonna happen, but if it doesn't and we "only" get two of the three, it's still an amazing haul.)

2.) Hook 'em Horns. (I know some good folks that are enjoying the heck out of this season, and some of those are going to Pasadena. Good for them, they had a hell of a team. However, Hook 'em because I still despise the University of Alabama, always will.)

3.) Keeping all our current commitments and adding the following: Byran Jones, Jeffrey Whittaker, Ryan White, Cory Lemonier, Eric Mack, and one/two of the RBs (most likely Lattimore). If Coach Hal can go ahead and book his hotel for Glendale next year, why can't I feel like all these cats are a realistic possibility for our staff? (You gotta believe, right, Coach?)

4.) Coach Hal has to cancel his Glendale reservation in early September next fall.

5.) Coach Hal has to cancel his Atlanta reservation in mid-October next fall.

6.) Coach Hal transfers both reservations over to my name by Halloween.

7.) Darvin Adams gains All-SEC first-team status after getting robbed this season.

8.) More improvements from our tailgate.

9.) More folks to cook at our tailgate.

10.) We feel very comfortable leaving Ray-Jay Jan. 1 about the performance that afternoon and the future on both offense and defense for Auburn.

11.) I will finally accept the notion that Gene Chizik may not have been as terrible of a hire as I once thought.

12.) Trooper Taylor keeps doing what he does (on and off the field in the living rooms with the recruits).

Merry Christmas again, folks. Happy New Year and War Eagle. Catch ya in 2010.

***NOTE***

Outback Bowl plans are as follows:

Dec. 30: Arrive in Auburn, stay at camper

Dec. 31: Arrive in Gainesville, stay at Hineszy's, dinner at Ballyhoo's

Jan. 1: Leave Gainesville by 6 a.m. EST; arrive at Raymond James by 9 a.m. EST; Outback Bowl; drive back to Gainesville or Auburn

Jan. 2: PapaJohns.com Bowl (tentative)

If you are going to the game and want to meet up in Tampa at some point on game day, please hit me up. (rushicw@gmail.com)