Bulldog Country

These past few days have been very eventful and filled to the brim with MSU!  This weekend was Super Bulldog Weekend - one of the best weekends in the Spring, if you ask me.  It's such a fun time to be on campus, watch some baseball, eat some crawfish, MSU ice cream, and finish the night with the Maroon and White spring football game.  Mom and Dad came to town to visit and attend the festivities.  We started the day Saturday with the one and only City Bagel, then headed out to Dudy Noble.  Unfortunately, we lost the baseball game, but the good news was that we would definitely win the spring football game.  :)  

One of the most unique experiences at MSU is left field lounge at Dudy Noble.  It is truly unique in college baseball, and has enabled the grounds to be named the "#1 place to watch college baseball" and among the "100 things you gotta do before you graduate" by Sports Illustrated.  In 2009 the Left Field Lounge was named "the country's best tailgaiting experience" (among all venues and sports) by ESPN Magazine.  (Sorry, random Roadrunner fact.)  But really, it is awesome.  Here is an example of one of the rigs out in left field lounge:

Just imagine all of the creative set ups parked along the back wall overlooking the outfield.

After the unfortunate loss and a sunburn, we took off to Davis Wade Stadium for the spring game.  For the one game of the whole year, we got to sit on the West side, which means NO SUN in your face!  It was fun to see what is in store for football season this fall with this guy leading the way.

I actually ran into him on Friday in the Union and snagged a photo:

Overall, it was a great weekend, which led to the start of the week hosting over 1,000 people on campus for Honors Orientation.  

This was my first Orientation session to work and I definitely got a taste of what the month of June will be like this summer.  Although it made for a long day, it was SO awesome to see families that I have met with and students that I have recruited show up on campus for Orientation. I love to see students fall in love with MSU!  One student in particular from Georgia gave me a big hug when she left and said how she is so ready to be here in August.  That makes everything so worth it!  To quote the famous YouTube video, "Is this real life???"  And I know I'm going to sound cheesy (as I already have) but it's weekends like Super Bulldog Weekend that get me even more pumped up about my job as an Admissions Counselor.  This is what I am recruiting students to be a part of - The Bulldog Family. I have the best job ever, hands down.   

On a side note, I seriously need this mug.  My life seems to be covered with dog hair right now.  Maggie is shedding her winter undercoat like CRAZY right now!  I sweep the house (wood floors) at least one time a day and it looks like I haven't swept in weeks each time.  Definitely ready for this time of major shedding to be over with!  

Spring Cleaning

The blog has undergone some spring cleaning on this beautiful spring day of thunderstorms. It pays to have a husband with skilz. Hope you like it!  Makes me feel so fresh and so clean clean.  If you like, share the love!

Mr. English

In need of a good spring music mix?  My husband has a knack for good music and making mixtapes.  He has revived an old blog and will be posting about music, mostly and whatever else comes to mind.  The mixtape he has featured now, "welcome, spring"is in honor of Laura O. Zumwalt who has been requesting one for a while.  Check it out!!  You can either stream it live or download it to your computer for later listening.

Also, in need of some quotes or good reads, check out his tumblr, here.

I am so blessed to have such a creative, smart, and HOTT husband.  :)  Love you, Jesse!

P.S.

How could I forget about Friday night???

Alex, Kelley, Jesse, and I met up with Casey and Laura in Tuscaloosa to see:

Band of Horses

and

The Avett Brothers

at

The Tuscaloosa Amphitheater

and it was AWESOME.  This was the first show at this venue and other than some sound issues at first, it was a GREAT show!  Band of Horses and The Avett Brothers are both so great and so entertaining.    I love these bands even more after seeing them live. If you EVER have the chance to see either of them, I highly recommend it!  

Also, people watching at concerts is also fun.  We were surrounded by: the couple very "in love" (or maybe just really into each other), the older couple that really sticks out (where it was very obvious the wife wanted to be there and the husband wanted to be anywhere else), the very annoying Alabama fans (but I mean, we were in Tuscaloosa, so that is to be expected), the two girls that new every word to every song who jumped the whole time (complete with mom next to them, who also knew all the words), and the couple who seemed to have just broken up (awkward).  

I have been listening to the Avett Brothers almost non stop since I got home.  I guess that's the sign of a good concert!  If you don't know who they or Band of Horses are, go get their albums NOW!  

You won't regret it.

College.

This weekend we had the chance to celebrate 75 years of Chi Omega at Mississippi State!  I am very proud to have been a Chi O in the Phi Delta chapter.  I was so blessed to be a part of a great pledge class and to have made some of the best friends I could have possibly made.  It was such a fun day!  Chi O was founded at MSU in 1936 and there was a member from the very first pledge class there today!  The next time we all get together like this will be at the 100th anniversary - and I will be almost 50. Wow.  

Look what I found on our table!

For Mary:

Real Chi Omega sisters.

Love this face!

Just a group of roommates from Junior year living in the house. 

Meet Laura Cooper Tennant.  Laura was my roommate 3 years in college and my maid of honor in my wedding.  I have lived in some majorly small places with this girl (including the Chi O house).  College would not have been the same without her sweet, solid friendship.  Love you, sweet Laura.

After the anniversary banquet, Jesse and I met up with some of our other friends from college for a wedding shower for John and Jay Windham and their brides to be.  It was great to catch up and eat some dang good catfish!  It's so good to be around this group of guys.  It just seems so right when everyone is back together again.  

The night ended back at 325 just hanging out and enjoying good conversation.  We are SO BLESSED to have such great friends from college.  We are so thankful for all of our friends and for what they each mean to us.  You have all played a role in making Jesse and I who we are individually, as well as who we are as a married couple.  Thank you for your friendship and love over the years.  

We love you!

-Jesse and AC

Wednesday Word

Just wanted to share this message with the blogger world. I got this in an email devotion the other morning.  I had to read through the "When I am free from...." section a couple of times for it to really sink in.   

Happy Wednesday!

 

"You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather,
serve one another humbly in love."
Galatians 5:13 (NIV)

Do you ever suffer from Me Syndrome? You know, that time of the day or the month when you feel that now is the time for me? I sure do; often in fact. If it doesn’t help or benefit me, I don’t want to do it! I guess that is why Galatians 5:13 jumped off the page when I read it recently.

“You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.” (NIV)

Ouch! That really hurt! Freedom is given so I can serve. Okay, Lord, so where do you want to free me so I can serve?

Here is the short list of what was downloaded to my heart in a mere two minutes of journaling my response to that question:

When I am free from ambition, I am free to serve with a joyful heart.
When I am free from selfishness, I am free from irritation.
When I am free from jealousy, I am free to rejoice in the good of another.
When I am free from judgment, I am free to pray from a pure heart.
When I am free from expectation, I am free to enjoy whatever comes.
When I am freed from controlling others, I am free to see the miraculous.
When I am truly free, I will see the Kingdom of God in my life.

That is what I want to see –the Kingdom of God come in my life. What is that going to take? It's going to take tearing free from my own selfish thoughts and feelings. It's going to take looking at things from God's perspective. It's going to take God's help. In order to be free, I have to be free of me.

Spring has Sprung!

I do NOT want this weekend to end!  It has been incredible - the weather, the food, the projects... all of it. Thursday night Jesse and I grilled these AMAZING kabobs - we might start getting "kabobed out", but they are such an easy, delicious way to grill.

Friday night, Jesse and I went out for our 3rd Friday night in a row.  Must be our new date night?  We went bike shopping... looking at a Trek Skye S for me.  Anyone know anything about this bike?  Jesse has had a Trek for about 4 years now and has had no problems with it at all and still loves it.  We want to start riding together - especially in this beautiful weather!  Speaking of beautiful weather, we did some "window shopping" at Lowes garden center and then ended up at Bin 612 for dinner and it was great!  We both got a house salad (simple but deelish) and split a pizza.   For real.... one of my favorite places in Stark.  I just LOVE sitting on the patio area, watching people walk by, and enjoying good food with my love. Doesn't get much better than that, folks.  

Chirping birds and sunshine woke us up Saturday morning.  We made fresh smoothies and omelettes, then made our way to the Co-Op and then back to Lowes.  The rest of the day was dedicated to being outdoors!  I had some projects for myself - window boxes and hanging baskets for the front porch:

I just love pretty flowers.  Excited for the flowers in the hanging basket to grow, bloom, and start trailing over the sides.  This definitely freshened up the front of our house! We have some more flowering projects planned for the yard and I can't wait for all the blooms this summer.  Flowers in a vase are a great surprise, but I love a yard FULL.  The veggies in the back are growing each day.  It's really fun to watch things grow from seed!  

We had some friends over Saturday night for Dennis's birthday.  Turkey burgers, grilled corn, sweet potato fries and a salad. Followed by homemade chocolate chip cookies. Yum.  

Today has been very relaxing.  Breakfast at Shipleys and then I finished an ongoing project - The English Family Cookbook, complete with photos from all of the kitchens we have cooked in since we got married.  I don't want this weekend to end.  Church tonight, then on to finishing up some homework and then getting the week started tomorrow.  We're headed to the beach this coming weeked for the wedding of Christin Davis and Brandon Taylor!