Last week was one of those really fun, cuckoo weeks that no sane person would plan, so I guess it stands to reason that I’m the one who planned it because HEY! IT’S ME! WHO SOMETIMES STRUGGLES WITH THE SANITY! But between coming home from Memphis and then taking Martha back to Mississippi and then church stuff and soccer stuff and work stuff and “writing” stuff, I limped across Friday’s finish line and flopped into my chair and watched so much TV on the DVR Friday night that I should probably be ashamed only I’m not, I’M NOT AT ALL ASHAMED, IT BROUGHT ME UNTOLD VOLUMES OF JOY.
(SIDENOTE that I have to add right now or I’ll forget: tonight at church I remembered something that I’ve been meaning to link to for the last few weeks. For the last couple of months our pastor has been teaching from the book of James, and you can listen or watch online if you’re interested. It has been such a good series. Quite frankly my toes will never be the same.)
I have no idea where I was going before the sidenote. Wait a minute. Now I remember.
Saturday morning we had a soccer game, and you must believe me when I tell you that it was 45 degrees outside and not a single soul at the soccer field was happier about that than I was. I love (LOVE. LURVE. LOOOOOVE.) the first cold snap every year, and I’m always tempted to wear flip flops for the first couple of days of it just so my feet can get super cold and then I can have a small, private Happy Moment when I officially put away the flip flops and pull out the Uggs.
I know. I’m weird. WHY DO YOU LOOK SURPRISED?
After we got home from the soccer game we watched our beloved Bulldogs play MTSU (we won! we won!) on TV. Apparently MTSU’s football stadium is called “The Skillet,” and I cannot even tell you how that nickname intrigues me. Do they call it that because it’s the place where they “fry” their opponents in the manner of some crispy bacon? Because you have to know that I’m fully on board with any sort of bacon / football analogy. Are any of you MTSU fans? Can you explain? Does their stadium smell faintly of charred pork products? I need to know these things.
Anyway, the success of our rushing game against the Blue Raiders has prompted me to make a bold prediction: I think we’re going to beat Florida this Saturday. I really do. I feel it deep down in my bones. Of course, my “deep-down-bones” feelings are basically worthless, but I think we can do it, never you mind that guy named Tim Tebow and the fact that the Gators are the defending national champions. I just feel like I need to make my prediction known so that next weekend if Florida beats us 102-4 we can all meet here and then y’all can ridicule me publicly. It’ll be fun.
Also. I still haven’t written a post about my trip to Memphis last weekend, but condensing the weekend into a blog post is like trying to cram a king-sized comforter into a lunchbox. Or something like that. I’m not really that strong with similes.
But I will say this: I’ll be john brown (my Papaw Davis used to say that all the time) if, almost four years into this blog thing, the internet doesn’t continue to surprise me. I’ll be the first person to tell you that I think we need to be so careful that we don’t call this online world our “community” at the expense of plugging into our local churches and neighborhoods and investing in the lives of people we can see and touch and hear, but there is something so fun and energizing about having time to hang out with people who also love this little bloggy world. There were lots of blog friends in Memphis at Living Proof Live, and every once in awhile I’d look around and see three or four of them just TALKING LIKE CRAZY to one another, and it made me smile. A lot.
I think the internet may be here to stay, y’all. JUST LIKE THE EMAIL.
Martha had a great time in Memphis and SO enjoyed hearing Beth Moore teach. I didn’t know how she was going to respond to the whole event thing because, honestly, Martha hasn’t been in contemporary worship settings very often, and I know that our worship comfort zones are a little different. But she really did love the music, and on the way back to Mississippi last Monday she asked me if Travis had recorded any tapes that she could buy. I told her that I’d see what I could round up.
So all that to say: I’ll be working on that Memphis post. Just as soon as I finish catching up with the DVR. And staring lovingly at my comfy slippers because HEY, IT’S COLD AGAIN, I DON’T KNOW IF I MENTIONED THAT.
Hope y’all have a great Monday!
Ooh, my best friend goes to your church! Your pastor is awesome! He was here at getting ready to graduate right as we were arriving. LOVE his messages.
Blogging is such a small world, isn’t it? :)
Good luck to the Bulldogs, though it would be hard for me to cheer against Tebow!
I am totally on board with SOMEONE beating Florida already…it might as well be y’all! Especially since the Tigers couldn’t manage a few weeks ago.
BTW- Saturday morning I totally wore a long sleeve shirt, capri pants and some cute leopard print flip flops…I share your love of the “cold feet”. However, when donning that particular apparel to the after-hours clinic after 4 days of running fever just to be diagnosed with double ear infections, strep throat AND the flu; there might have been a better choice of footwear for me. Ahem.
I don’t know why MTSU’s stadium is called The Skillet, but I used to have to spend a day there once or twice a year for marching band contests. Back then, it only had two temperatures: “skillet-hot” and “so cold your lips stick to the trumpet mouthpiece.”
I do not have fond memories of my time in the band.
I was MTSU’s stadium this summer when the family and I watched the Drum Corpse International competition. Sadly the stadium did not smell of bacon.
I, too, am loving this cold weather.
Right there with you Sophie! Love this cold in the air.
I’ll be checking out your Pastors James message we appear to have a theme here.
Our Pastor Johnny’s been on the same book for weeks leading up to a message today of ‘Old-Fashioned Pure Religion’ this morning! It will truly warm your soul and tickle your toes! Worth a listen should you a have a minute – yeah right!:)
Much love and many blessings,
Tammy
Saw you “sangin'” in church today. Mighty fine stuff!
And that Mandi… she is somethin’, huh?
oh my Sophie, THIS is YOUR Pastor?? Whoa!! I was blessed to hear him at the SBC last June. He blew me away! So young but mature beyond his boyish looks and from such a heart of love! – I hope that came out right :)
I look so forward to listening to the entire series and sharing with all my family and friends!
(((hugs))) and many blessings,
tammy
I’m actually from the town where MTSU is. I don’t live there anymore, so let me do some research, and I’ll let you know. It was never called The Skillet when I was there. This is new, this is very new indeed. I agree with you, it’s certainly intriguing….
(I’ll get back to ya later when I find out….)
Good morning!
Yes, I love, or lurve the cold weather. It makes me all kinds of happy. I pulled out my Uggs and wore them all weekend. :)
Why they call it the Skillet is beyond me and I just moved from Murfreesboro and went to a game last year and I never heard them call the stadium that..but they do serve some good hot dogs all around the stadium.
I have to tell you that Beth’s post this weekend straight up reminded me of you and I told her that. It was all about bacon. lol
Martha looked darlin’ plus at the conference. I saw pictures but wished I had been there but darlin’ plus nonetheless. :))
Enjoy your shows and happy Monday to you!
Love,
Patty
I have a feeling you only love the colder weather because you know that it could warm up any day. Up here in the frozen north, we are on our 21st day of below-normal temps and I have to say I’m not looking forward to being cold for the next 8 months. Enjoy your 42 because you know it’s just for a day or two. My 42 means it’s only going to be 32 or 22 or 12 real soon. :(
Give up on the dream of beating Florida. You will get SO close and then the men in the striped shirts will steal your joy and leave you screaming, “WHY?!?!?”. Trust me, it’s better to get blown out than to lose by 3 pts….Woo Pig!
Lovin’ the cold snap here as well! Which reminds me that my oldest and newly married and soon to birth my first grandbaby daughter just bought a Snuggie knock-off and would like for us to all don a Snuggie or Snuggie knock-off when we attend our Church festival on Halloween night and/or go to the corn maize so that we can all look like some kind of Snuggie cult.
How’s that for a run-on sentence? I’m sorry. Those things just crack me slap up! I really want to post about it, poll folks about it. I don’t know, make a video.
Back on track . . .
Sophie, as much as I love LSU (I JUST wrote this in Melanie’s comments! At least I’m consistent. When I’m consistent, that is.). I’ve lived here in the Bayou State for (doing the math) 34ish of my 40 years.
HOW-EV-ER, I AMMMM from Pensacola. And I JUST LOVE ME SOME TEBOW! And I totally cheered and cheered when the Gators beat the Tigers. SHHHHHH! Dodging stones around here for remarks like that!
So I will tell you, I will certainly HAVE to cheer for the Gators, but if y’all should beat them, I will most assuredly be happy for you!
Now now….BooMama! Do not get carried away. The Gators will not be fried up in The Skillet! It’s just not gonna happen!
Tim Tebow not only has “the gift” of serious football talent….he has Jesus in his heart!
Heavenly combination, I tell ya!
Oh my word, the cold. I hate it. I need to live in Florida.
My alma mater was massacred by Michigan this past weekend – 63-6. It was a horrid experience.
I hope y’all can beat Florida :)
I love this cold weather! Only thing is it’s going to get back up into the 80’s here. UGH!!
“There were lots of blog friends in Memphis at Living Proof Live, and every once in awhile I’d look around and see three or four of them just TALKING LIKE CRAZY to one another, and it made me smile. A lot.”
Amen Sophie Amen!!!
I, too, think the Dawgs can beat Florida…I mean, we should know all their offensive schemes, right? MSU beat #4 (I think) UF at Scott Field my freshman year…magical! Hope we can pull another upset!
LOVE LOVE LOVE the cold weather. I spent 29 of my 32 years in New England and fall is my absolute favorite season. Living in the South now, I love when I can get a taste of the cold snap. Alas, chill is going away tomorrow when we climb back into the 70s…
Oh and as a dedicated Ohio State fan, I cannot in good conscience root for Florida. Just can’t.
BooMama, I love you and I say this with the deepest love, us Gators are going to whip you on Saturday. Gator bait you will be :) :)
I, too, rejoiced when I had to dig out the Uggs. I also wore a sweater that day. Just because I could. Oh, how I love Fall.
We have baked pumpkin cookies twice (they’re like puffy little pumpkin rolls that are done in 10 minutes!), my tart burner is spreading the scents of pumpkin pie throughout the house, and my Pumpkin People are sitting on a bench on my back porch.
However…
I have not been so happy as Saturday night when our Wildcats beat Auburn! OH MY WORD! The excitement in this house was unheard of. My in-laws were at the game and when they called to celebrate with my husband via cell phone, we could hear the awfullest bunch of screaming in the background that there ever was. So if y’all beat FL, I will smile and dance with you. Or something. Best of luck!
I will be thinking about you on Saturday night as I cheer on the Gators. We have never had an undefeated season and tend to lose to an SEC West team somewhere in the season. I have to admit after our showing against Arkansas I am a little on edge. I hope it’s a good game. It’s Great to be a FLORIDA GATOR!! =)
Hope you can find a way to get Martha a tape. Do they even make those anymore? :-)
Sophie,
I have to Amen what KrisPT wrote. We were so close but the refs apparently were born and raised in Florida. Even the commentators were shocked by two of the calls the refs made.
I am also loving the cold snap here in southern Arkansas.
After I made may way back to my seat Friday night after hugging your neck, I realized I did not get to meet Martha. Oh heck, what a shame. Maybe next time.
Teresa
BooMama, I checked with my buddy Greg, a die-hard Blue Raider Fan and a MTSU alumni…here’s his explanation about THE SKILLET!
“It is actually Floyd Stadium, but the upper deck on the East side is called the “skillet” because of sun and the Big Blue loves to get things cookin’. There is a sign on the upper deck that says welcome to the skillet!”
The upper deck that is shady is called the “Hayloft”. The Skillet name is often used because it is so funny! Saturday it should have been called the freezer because it was cold and so was Blue’s offense!”
Over here on the southeast coast I think we skipped straight over fall and right into early winter. What’s the difference in early winter and fall you ask? I don’t know really, but it’s SUPREMO cold and not at all comfy cozy in the mid afternoon like fall should be.
Anyhoots, I wear flip-flops pretty much year round because I can’t handle socks all that much and, quite honestly, I had a pair of “fugs” (get it, faux-uggs) last year and wore them WITHOUT socks and my feet produced so much sweat that it was startling.
So this year, I have 2 good pairs of rainbows that I plan on sporting all winter long, much to my mother’s dismay. And, if it snows, I’ll break out my snowboots and wear those, sans socks. Yes, I know. Totally redneck. My mother always said she wondered what I did with the money she gave me for etiquette school. I think I bought sweat glands with it.
I was at Memphis, but only got to meet one fellow blogger…JennyHope, because I rode with my church on the van and was a slave to their schedule. I will not make that mistake again. I did, however, see you and Big Mama while walking in Saturday with a church friend that does not blog. I said, “Do you see those two? They are SO famous. I am not kidding you. Famous. Big time.” She said, “Go say hi!” I said, “Oh no, I can’t.” Y’all looked busy. We were about 5 feet away from you so you may have heard me. I do regret not saying hi. But I will be attending the next LPL in the South that I can, and I will be sure to say hi.
I am the newest biggest fan of Travis Cottrell and downloaded many of his tapes as soon as I got home! :) He is a brilliant worship leader, is he not?
I did not intend to write a novel, so I will stop now.
Wait, one more thing, PLEASE beat the Gators. Do it for your dearly devoted Hog readers!!!!
Well….I have to admit, I have been DARING to dream that same dream about Saturday’s game! And…let’s reminisce a little, shall we?:
September 30, 2000: The Florida Gators came into Davis-Wade Stadium in Starkville, MS ranked 3rd in the nation. Unranked Mississippi State ran for 351 yards and had 517 total yards. A frustrated Steve Spurrier rotated three quarterbacks during the game. Mississippi State won the game 47-35, breaking Florida’s 72 game winning streak against unranked teams.
AND, who can forget October 23, 2004, when a top 20 Florida team came to MSU and lost 38-31. After this game, Coach Ron Zook was fired, but allowed to stay on until the end of the season. So,,,I’m just saying, anything’s possible, right?? GO DAWGS!
I just love Martha stories. A tape by Travis? The best ever:-)
I’m going to be in AB next week visiting Joli, yo. We should lunch it up or something…
I lived in Murfreesboro for 14 years, and I graduated from MTSU 9 years ago, along with your beloved Dave Barnes. Anyways as far as why they call it the skillet, I do not know. It is a new thing. I can tell you that it does get insanely hot in there during the summer. Plus a little fact for you. While I was going to school there, football was not a favorite sport and yet they decided to build this big stadium. Still no one went to the games. So teachers gave extra credit to students that went to the game.
I do have a friend that is a die hard MTSU fan and I am waiting for him to get back with me on the skillet thing. I am sure he knows why.
My Papaw also uses the phrase “john brown”. I love that. Southern papaws are the best!
Oooh!
I keep forgetting to tell you that I did go to the dermatologist and had my suspicious mole investigated. I’ll be john brown if he didn’t scare the cotton pickin’ john brown out of me when he saw it.
It wasn’t your casual, “hmm, yes that does suspicious, so I think I’ll remove it and see what we come up with, but don’t you worry your pretty little head about it. I’m sure it’s fine.
Instead, it was “oh, JOHN BROWN, that thing needs to come off right away! Nurse! Go get me all your sharp tools and heavy anethetics and call the lab to warn them of the highly suspicious mole sample coming their way! STAT! And what took you so long to come in, young lady?”
THANKFULLY, it was an imposter mole, posing as a mean ol’ malignant, dangerous mole, which is why the doctor jumped into action when he saw it.
Whew! Close one! Thanks for you public health awareness post to get me to the doctor!
Oh, Boomama, Me TOO with the cool weather! I’ve always said I want to retire north so I can enjoy cool and cold weather for more than 6 weeks. And may the Dawgs truly pull off the upset. I would think they had a chance if Arkansas hadn’t scared the teeth out of the Gators this past week. I’m afraid they’ll be gunning for us now. Next time you come up Corridor X from Memphis to B’ham, get off at exit 11 and go 22 miles south and I’ll cook you some fayncie cheese dip!
Your musings on pork reminded me that I’ve been meaning to tell you about my 4-year-old nephew who, inspired by King Midas, recently prayed, “Dear God, please make everything I touch turn into bacon.” Let me hear you say, “Amen!”
First of all – if you beat the Gators, Bama will go to the top of the BCS – which we deserve!!! Please see what you can do about that.
Second – We had 3 soccer games in LP this weekend and I just LOVED every cold second of it. I am a Vermont girl and since I missed out on foliage there (again) I think this cold snap was well deserved. It is finally acceptable to order a Pumpkin Spice Latte @ Starbucks.
I liked many, many, many things about this post.
Martha wanting a tape made me spit out my Diet Coke when I laughed. It wasn’t pretty but gosh that’s funny.
New reader delurking – my Granny says I’ll Be John Brown! She also says that she is starving like Marvin and his little brother. Among others. Enjoying reading along. Lovely little place you have here :)
BooMama
I am going to take your deep down in your bones feeling and pick the Dawgs as my stupid underdog pick this week! My husband said he had the same feeling as well since Florida has not won in Starkville since 1985!! Go DAWGS!!!
i love love loooove the cold. Especially the first round of real good cold weather.
Most people think I’m crazy. I just don’t understand!
I’m glad we’re stuck in the same situation here.
Hey you Cute Girl!
I just loove that first cold snap too!
I am 57. When I first started going through this “change thang”, I was so excited about a cool weekend, I told my family I was going to lay in the front yard neked.
I forgot to tell them I was kidding!
They watched me extra close-I couldn’t figure out why.
I’m just sayin—-
None of the current Florida players had been born the last time the Gators won at Mississippi State (a 36-22 win in 1985).
In 1992, 13th-rated UF lost 30-6 to No. 24 Mississippi State in Starkville.
In 2000, the 3rd ranked Gators fell 47-35 to unranked MSU.
In 2004, the unranked Bulldogs beat No. 19 Florida 38-31 and Ron Zook was fired soon after.
Well. I guess it goes without saying that I would cheer anyone, including john brown and/or a yellow dog, who would beat Fl. I know we’re not supposed to go ’round hatin’, but it’s hatin’ on the gators at my house….:)
And I’ve just become a MTSU fan since my nephew — yikes, make that grand-nephew– is a freshman and lovin’ it. Geez Louise, I’m ancient.
And after admitting to hatin’ on those gators, I will check out link to the sermons. The Book of James has become my favorite book in the Bible. Following a suggestion from another blogger, I read and reread James. I had never thought/considered that it would help me to read it over and over over *17 times (it was suggested to read a book from the Bible 20 times. I did read different versions/translations.). And I KNEW that repetition works for teaching, so why hadn’t I ever thought of doing that with the Bible? Thanks for the link.
I do not like 42 degrees at all! Add another 40 degrees for me to be happy!