I mentioned a while back that Melanie and I were going to speak at a women’s event in Charlotte, North Carolina, and we did just that this past weekend. I thought I’d never get my ducks in a row and be ready to leave town this past Friday, but somehow I did and made it to the airport with a little time to spare. The security line was unusually long, and I was a smidge worried about getting busted for carrying a gallon-sized plastic bag in my carry-on instead of a quart-sized one, but I made it through without incident and then enjoyed sitting all by myself (on one side of the exit row) all the way to the Charlotte. We were on a small, thirteen-row plane, and while I know that some people can’t stand a smaller plane, I enjoy the fire out of them because 1) you can gate-check a bag and 2) it doesn’t take forever to get off the plane. Sure, there aren’t any TVs in the headrests, and there’s no place to charge an iPad, but what a small plane lacks in terms of convenience it makes up for in efficiency. And that is fine by me.

After I landed I met the precious girls who planned the weekend (hi Sonia! hi Marti!), and Melanie arrived a couple of hours later. We’d never done anything like this particular event – we’d never gotten to tag-team with speaking – but oh my goodness, it was the most fun. I spoke Friday night, Mel spoke Saturday morning (and was awesome), and then after lunch we did sort of a live podcast-type thing with our favorite things and Q&A. We got to meet some of the sweetest women, and we had a blast all the way around.

I also think you’ll be proud to know that after everything was over Friday night, Melanie and I went back to my hotel room and ate Pretzel Crisps with French onion dip because KLASSY.

Once we finished up on Saturday, we headed to the airport, and we immediately sought out some very average Mexican food in the main concourse area. We sat down just in time for the Texas A&M / Auburn game, and I honestly don’t know what was more entertaining: watching the game or watching Melanie watch the game. We eventually had to leave so that we could go catch our flights, and when I landed in Birmingham, there was something like 30 seconds left in the 4th quarter of A&M/AU and some very! excited! texts from Melanie on my phone. I immediately checked to make sure that State had in fact defeated UT-Martin because YOU JUST NEVER KNOW, and by the time I got to my car in the parking garage (which, by the way, the parking garage at the B’ham airport is currently going through a renovation, and there is so much heavy plastic sheeting in that structure that it ever-so-slightly CREEPS ME OUT), I was fired up and ready for Alabama / LSU.

On the way home I got to listen to Eli Gold broadcast live from Death Valley, and between the full moon and the brisk air and the big-time game and the prospect of seeing my people, I was just FULL-O-LIFE-AND-WONDER. I turned off of the interstate thinking that there was absolutely nowhere on earth I’d rather be than Birmingham, Alabama, and I couldn’t wait to pick up some supper and get to the house and put on pajamas and settle in front of the TV to watch Les Miles eat some grass.

I pulled into our driveway just a few minutes after kick-off, and as soon as I got inside Hazel just lost her mind. It was like she had forgotten all about me but then realized OH, WAIT – YOU’VE BEEN GONE – and she jumped and licked and yelped and jumped and cried. She was so happy, in fact, that she tee-teed in the hallway, and I know that to be true because when I was walking down the hall to go change into pajamas, I slipped in said tee-tee and wasn’t at all sure what was happening until I found myself sprawled on top of the new rug that I bought for my foyer.

As it turns out, that rug is very cushiony.

But that rug, unfortunately, was not underneath my right ankle when I slipped.

Oh, y’all. I’m afraid that there isn’t a lick of grace or poise anywhere in me because it was evident pretty quickly that I’d put the hurt on my ankle. Some of you may remember that I took a weird step onto our friends’ porch a few years ago, and last night was that same level of pain except that this time (in The Great Tee-Tee Fall of Fall 2014, as I’m calling it) the pain and swelling are in a completely different place. My ankle is also way more burn-y, if that makes sense. I don’t have any idea if it’s sprained or broken or if I just jacked up some tendons and whatnot, but regardless we are headed to the doctor in the morning. I was hoping that if I just elevated and iced it and stayed off of it as best I could that it would be ALL BETTER today, but it still hurts a lot, and I have kind of a deep, nagging feeling that I may need a boot.

All that to say: I have spent all day today resting and icing and listening to Hazel snore. Bless her heart, she has pretty much stayed right beside me. I don’t think she has any idea that her overactive bladder was the cause of my fall, so please don’t tell her if you see her. I’m afraid that she’d just be wracked with guilt. I’ve probably overcompensated with her a little bit; I even gave her a special dog cookie that two girls in Charlotte (hey Meredith and Emma!) sent home with me.

So. I don’t necessarily think that this week is going to look like I thought it would. I was all geared up for a trip to Atlanta and IKEA tomorrow, but that’s not gonna happen. Fortunately I don’t have to work tomorrow or Tuesday, so that gives me a little more recovery time. And I think we all know that my Bulldogs have the biggest game ever this coming Saturday, so I’m hoping Coach Mullen won’t decide – especially in light of my tee-tee-related injury – to keep me on the bench. My team needs me, y’all – especially in Bryant Denny.

I promise that I smiled when I typed that.

BUT I’D SUIT UP IF THEY ASKED.

1. “Out of the Woods” by Taylor Swift may very well be the catchiest song I’ve ever heard.

2. I bought a new rug for our foyer this past weekend, and it pretty much makes me feel like we have a completely new house. I love when little things make a big difference.

3. It’s been a week since I upgraded, and I’m still not a fan of the Yosemite OS. NOT EVEN A LITTLE BIT.

4. Monday was chock full of what I like to call Mama Neurosis – overwhelmed with worry. Not a single bit of it was founded in anything resembling reality. So that was a good waste of all sorts of energy.

5. This print by GraceLaced was in my gift bag from Allume, and over the weekend I framed it and put it in my kitchen. It is just beautiful (the picture is terrible, but the print is beautiful).

6. Kari Kampakis is one of my new favorite people (we live in the same town), and if you are the mama of a girl – or the aunt or grandmother of a girl – her new book is such a great resource. It’s called 10 Ultimate Truths Girls Should Know, and it is full of wisdom that’s practical and grounded in scripture.

7. Here’s another new release for you: Kelly Minter’s What Love Is. It’s a new Bible study, and if you have never done one of Kelly’s Bible studies, now is the time to change that. She is a phenomenal Bible teacher, an engaging writer, and I CANNOT WAIT to go through this study. It is next on my list.

8. I don’t have any idea how long this will last, but as a lifelong Mississippi State fan, I don’t think it will ever stop being surreal.

9. Ever since the time changed, I keep thinking that it’s about 9:30 at night when it’s really about 6:15. My inner time predictor is way off-kilter.

10. I just took an unintended hour-long break from writing this post because my trackpad on my computer lost its mind and kept moving to the left across my screen and I couldn’t control my cursor. So there you have it: the nerdiest sentence I have ever written.

11. Priscilla Shirer interviewing Lisa Whelchel? Yes, please.

12. And speaking of Priscilla, here’s one more Bible study treasure.

Breathe Promo from Going Beyond on Vimeo.

13. Oatmeal with blueberries is my breakfast BFF right now.

14. Our polling place has quit using the pens that I love, and today I wanted to ask, “WHAT HAPPENED TO THE GOOD PENS?” I didn’t say anything, though, because Alex was with me and I didn’t really want to communicate to him that one of the things I enjoy most about voting is the particular brand of pen we typically have available. Well, and the fact that I want to exercise my right to participate in the selection of elected officials. Of course. Naturally. FOR SURE that is the bigger issue. Pens are way down the list. #3, at least.

15. I am really kidding about that last thing. Except that I LOVE THOSE PENS.

16. When I was at State for the A&M game, I went to my old sorority house for a post-game reception-type thingie. I made a point to find all the composites from my time there, and I believe my senior year combination of perm and bob will really bless you. I’ll call it a “pob.”

17. Alex just looked at the previous picture and said, “Mama? What’s up with your hair?” EXCELLENT QUESTION.

Hope y’all are having a great week!

We started off our weekend with some trick-or-treating, and you can imagine my delight when Dak Prescott showed up.

Obviously he looks a lot younger in this picture than he does on TV.

Alex and his buddies had a blast trick-or-treating, and by the time we got home Friday night, we were all pretty much GIDDY with the knowledge that we didn’t have one thing on our calendar for Saturday. I had the best time doing some stuff around the house Saturday morning and afternoon; I wasn’t even deterred by the fact that Hazel decided that November 1 was a fine time for her inaugural dip in the pond behind our house. She ran out of the garage when I was trying to get some groceries inside, and when she got to the back yard, it was like she saw that water for the first time and thought, “TODAY IS THE DAY.” Thankfully she didn’t swim for long; I said on Twitter that it was like she experienced four seconds of pure joy and then about ten minutes of WHOA NELLIE, THAT WAS COLD.

I know this is so boring, y’all. I do apologize. And I haven’t even gotten to the part about the football game yet.

So.

As long as I can remember, my go-to activity during a nerve-wracking ball game – whether it’s football, basketball, or baseball – has been vacuuming. My vacuum has gotten through many a difficult game time situation, most notably the Bulldogs’ road win against Florida in 2010, the 2009 SEC basketball tournament championship, and just about every single game of the 2013 College World Series.

I get that it’s sort of a random coping mechanism, but win or lose, my floors are clean.

Lately, though, I can’t vacuum during games because Hazel is convinced that the vacuum is a monster that is intent on destroying our family. I honestly thought about recording her reaction to the vacuum cleaner Saturday afternoon, but she goes so completely cuckoo that it almost seemed insensitive to document the crazy for the internet. The fear is deep, and the fear is consuming, and the fear may or may not convince her that she needs to attempt to grab the base of the vacuum with her teeth.

ALLEGEDLY.

I say all of that because Saturday night, when Mississippi State played Arkansas, I was as nervous as I’ve ever been before a game. I have no idea why. But I was SICK with nerves. Maybe it’s because I was on campus for the last two games and felt on some level like I was messing with the Bulldogs’ mojo. I knew it would be a tough game – the Arkansas game always is – and it’s still a little weird to me that we’re ranked #1 because in my personal opinion we are far more comfortable when we’re a middle-of-the-pack team and have the opportunity to surprise some folks. Now we’re just a big ole maroon target, and it’s a whole different mindset.

I just said all of that like I personally have sacrificed countless hours to prepare for the season and maybe even participated in two-a-days back in August.

I may be taking things a smidge too far in terms of feeling a personal connection to this year’s team.

Anyway.

We were down 10-7 at the half, and despite a deep, almost visceral need to vacuum, I couldn’t because of Hazel. I’d already vacuumed Saturday afternoon, and I just couldn’t make her confront The Oreck Monster for the second time in a day. I had already cleaned my countertops to the point that I may have unintentionally scrubbed away a solid quarter-inch of counter height, and I’d also thrown out all the old mail / school forms / random pieces of paper that seem to multiply in our mail basket / catch-all bowl on top of the oven.

So. In the 4th quarter, right about the time that Arkansas was driving the ball and the Bulldogs were setting up for a goal-line stand, I decided that I might as well touch up the paint on my kitchen cabinets. And for the rest of the game, that is precisely what I did. I had a little trouble convincing Hazel to stay away from the wet paint on the lower cabinets, but by and large the painting soothed my nerves and convinced me that I would in fact be able to make it through the game without the assistance of medical professionals or, at the very least, a small defibrillator.

I give all thanks to the Lord and also to Benjamin Moore’s Wythe Blue.

So when the ‘Dogs finally intercepted the Hogs’ final pass into the end zone, I put down my paint brush and celebrated like a madwoman right here in the corner of my kitchen. David came flying down the hall – he’d been watching in our room – and after we celebrated and shared our relief that FINALLY, THAT IS OVER, I had to put my hands on my knees like I’d been running a half-marathon and needed a breather.

This is where I live, people. Smack-dab in the middle of the intersection of Neurotic and Over-Invested.

It took me a couple of hours to calm down from all my cleaning and painting and cheering, but I was just as tickled as I could be when I woke up Sunday morning with the memory of the Bulldogs’ win and the added assurance that my kitchen cabinets were a little more spiffy than normal.

So basically what I’m saying is that there were wins all the way around.

Hope your weekend was a good one!

Here are a few things that I’m enjoying this week.

– Chris Tomlin’s latest CD – Love Ran Red – came out this past Tuesday, and I cannot stop listening to it.

It’s absolutely beautiful – so worshipful – and on some level it reminds me of the first time I heard his Arriving album and thought, My goodness – this Chris Tomlin fella is talented.

– One of the sponsors at Allume was Mary & Martha. They actually provided breakfast for us last Friday morning, and I remember thinking that the containers they used for oatmeal and fruit were especially cute. Well, earlier tonight I was looking around their website, and I discovered that in addition to all of their tableware stuff, they have great-looking paper goods that are so perfect for taking meals and treats and whatnots to neighbors and friends. I cannot figure out how to link to anything on their website (because I need to pick a consultant, apparently), but I can show you what I saw in the catalog. And then you can go find it if you are so inclined, because DARLIN’ PLUS.

– This post of Melanie’s made me laugh so hard.

– Annie wrote a guest post over at She Reads Truth today, and it is great food for thought. I know that I’ve linked to She Reads Truth before, and just in case I wasn’t perfectly clear before, let me say this now: I LOVE WHAT THEY ARE DOING. I love their intention, I love their perspective, I love their graphics, I love THE WHOLE THING.

– So y’all know that one of my ongoing goals in life is to look as much like Maude as possible. I’m a fan of wide-legged pants, long cardigans, flow-y t-shirts, etc. and so on and so forth. Well, when I went to Louisiana back in the spring, my friend Tracey wore this super-soft cardigan that looked to be made of clouds. And possibly angel wings. And I was all, “WHERE, WHERE DO I FIND SUCH A THING?”

As it turns out: Nordstrom.

I bought one earlier this summer when they were on sale, and then I hung it in my closet and wondered if it would become a deeply meaningful part of my life once the weather cooled off.

The short answer is Yes. Yes, it has.

It can work as a robe or a sweater or a cover-up or whatever you need it to be. It is the softest item of clothing I have ever owned and I plan to spend many more falls and winters enjoying all the warmth and comfort it offers.

So, given all of that, I just wanted to pass along the info. They’re not on sale right now, so I’d probably wait it out a bit since I am stubborn, but it comes in regular sizes and plus sizes and it might just change your whole life.

I mean, what’s not to love about wearing a cloud?

Hope y’all are having a great week!

Well, I have spent a good portion of this afternoon / tonight trying to figure out how to navigate my very own computer. I upgraded to Yosemite (I think the previous OS was Mavericks, maybe?), and everything looks different and my Safari browser is totally rearranged and all my text messages keep popping up on my computer screen. I keep wondering if CTRL+ALT+DELETE will fix all my problems, but then I remember that Macs don’t have that feature and end up asking David to please come help me.

Don’t worry, though. In two days I’ll be the Official Biggest Fan of Yosemite and I’ll be raving about how “clean” everything looks.

This is my technology pattern. Initial resistance, then full-fledged approval.

Anyway.

I got home from South Carolina late yesterday morning, and after my fellas picked me up from the airport, we immediately went to Chuy’s. It was glorious. I was away from home longer than I normally am, and I was so happy to see my people. I was also happy to see Hazel, and she seemed to reciprocate my enthusiasm considering that she tee-tee’d all over the driveway when she saw me.

Thankfully I cannot say the same.

At least not on this particular occasion.

The trip to South Carolina was awesome, by the way. I had the best time and got such a kick out of getting to see / visit / hug people that I love from afar every single day. I also got to spend some time with the people I work with on book stuff, and that was a rare and delightful treat. Friday night I was as nervous as I’ve ever been about speaking (my talk was Saturday afternoon), but by mid-Saturday morning I felt so much better. And then after it was all over, I got to watch the State & Kentucky play football. I had a hard time finding an optimal viewing situation for the game (big TVs in the hotel lobby were muted, and the TV in my room seemed dim to the point that I found myself squinting). I finally relied on Twitter and my ESPN app for all game-related info, and I was a JUMPY MESS by the time that game was over. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win, and I’LL TAKE IT. ALL DAY LONG.

Annie, Emily, and I spent some time trying to find a place to watch the LSU / Ole Miss game when the State game was finally over, and do you know what amounts to a daunting task in Greenville, South Carolina on a Saturday night during football season? Finding a restaurant that is willing to play an out-of-state team’s game on one of its TVs. South Carolina and Clemson were both playing Saturday night, and we quickly learned that no one in Greenville was interested in whatever was happening in Baton Rouge. Annie finally convinced one of the waiters in Sticky Fingers (I had no idea that the BBQ sauce I see in Publix came from a restaurant chain) to turn one of the TVs to the Tigers / Rebels, but we had to wait for some people at a nearby table to leave because they were watching the South Carolina game and therefore had dibs on the TV.

I mean, I totally get it. We were in South Carolina, and South Carolina people are going to want to watch South Carolina teams. I just think of the LSU / Ole Miss game as my favorite non-State game of the year – I ADORE IT – but apparently it isn’t as big a priority for the folks north of the Gulf states. Lesson learned.

Regardless, however, of my televised football woes, Allume was awesome. I came home feeling energized and inspired and all sorts of good things. And after I got home and put on pajamas and started a load of clothes and caught up on reading all of my football news, I finally watched the State game in its entirety (my people had very lovingly recorded the game on the DVR). I talked back to the TV just like I was watching it live (let’s not discuss how strange this was considering that I already knew what the final score would be), and after about the fifth time that I commented on a pass or a catch or a tackle, Alex laughed and said, “Mama, don’t yell at the TV. Ghosts of the past can’t hear you.”

I got tickled when he said it. But the more I think about it, the more I’ve decided that he laid out a pretty good truth. You know?

So that’s about all that’s going on here. Tonight was Alex’s last football practice, and tomorrow is the last game, so we are soaking up some 5th grade football memories around here. It’s been such a blast. Totally different than what we expected in so many ways – and such a blast.

All righty. I believe I have rambled sufficiently. I need to go to bed, and I was hoping to find a point, but maybe next time.

POINTS ARE GOOD.

I WILL BE LOOKING FOR ONE.

The end.

Last night I flew into Greenville, South Carolina. I am here for Allume, and the extroverted side of my personality is already in overdrive. This morning I got to have breakfast with a friend who lives in Oregon, and then later we met another friend for coffee, and then I was walking back to my room and ran into Annie, who is only two doors down from me. I am already on happy relational overload, which means that I will continue to talk my head off for the next several hours before my inner introvert insists on returning to my hotel room and watching two or nine episodes of The Good Wife while sitting in utter silence.

I will continue this pattern for the next three days.

I realized sometime yesterday afternoon that I’ve never been to South Carolina. I mean, maybe we drove through it at some point when I was a little girl, but I know that I’ve never stayed here, never visited any of the sights, never taken in any of the scenery as an adult. I’m not sure why, exactly, because good grief it’s pretty here. I got to walk through just a tiny part of downtown Greenville this morning, and have mercy at the charming. It’s so pretty that it almost feels like a movie set – like you’re walking down a street that someone designed to be Main Street, USA – but it is delightfully real. I’m hoping to see a little bit more of it this weekend.

Other than that, there’s not a whole lot going on with us. I tried to lay low Tuesday and take my medicine and pack my suitcase and run through my talk (I’m speaking Saturday afternoon and surely would appreciate your prayers), and then yesterday was CUCKOO INSANE-O-RAMA. I’ve decided that it’s impossible to get out of town late in the afternoon without needing to run sixteen errands and subsequently peel out of at least nine parking lots. But I finally finished packing and made it to the airport and now I am here. As I may have mentioned earlier.

So now it is after 10 and I am back in the room and it was such a good day. Lots of sweet people and good friends and fun conversation. I loved getting to hear the worship and teaching tonight, and I’m happy that my people seem to be having a delightful time at home. David sent me a picture of the spaghetti he cooked for him and Alex (Hazel does not get to eat Italian food), and I am mighty grateful for the way he doesn’t miss a step when I’m out of town. He even put pepperoni on their garlic toast, and I have never thought to do that even once in my life. So I guess what I’m saying is that my culinary skills may be a bit of a let-down when I finally get back home.

Anyway. I’m gonna get some sleep and wake up early tomorrow because Shauna Niequist is speaking and I am really looking forward to listening. It looks like tomorrow will be a full, busy day, but it is so fun to be in a place with so many other writer-y/blogger-y people.

The fact that I’m also making some progress on The Good Wife is just gravy, really.

Hope y’all have a great weekend!

(Sorry that this is so boring.)

(I just felt compelled to check in since I haven’t been around since Monday.)

(And since I’ve never really felt obligated to make a point before, WHY START NOW?)