Something to crow about

All I have to say is...COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO! C.J.** who?!?

Gamecocks: 34

Tigers: 17

Way to go, Cocks!

**C.J. Spiller is Clemson's star running back who has been a Heisman contender this year. He had one kickoff return for a touchdown at the first kickoff (we had to re-kick after lining up offsides to begin with and that came back to haunt us), but besides that we shut him down. He only had nine carries for 18 yards.

Truly Thankful

In every thing, give thanks; for this is the will of God. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

As we have entered into the week of Thanksgiving, I would like to tell you a few things I am truly thankful for.

First and foremost, my family. My parents are my rock. They are always there for me, always encouraging, always loving. They have been with me every step of the way for 27 years, and I thank the Lord every day for blessing me with two good, Christian role models. I am also thankful for my other family members, especially my cousins. I know I can count on them for anything and I hope they feel the same way about me.

Second, my wonderful friends. It has been said that if you can say you have one or two real friendships then you are blessed. Well, I have way more than that. First there are my three friends that complete the fab four- Holly, Julie, and Carolyn. I know y'all have heard me talk about them, and I am so lucky to be a part of such a special friendship bond that we share. In addition, I am still very best friends with my childhood friend, Joy. She may be two hours away, but when we see each other, it's like no time has passed. We both grew up as only children, so we have always been more like sisters. Also, there's my friend Bess, and if not for her, I would not have survived college. From my sophomore year right up until she got married this past August, she was my roommate. I can honestly say that it was so easy to live with her, and we may have had 3 total fights the whole time we lived together- which was about 7 or 8 years.

Third, I thank God every day for WEG. He makes me laugh constantly, and always picks me up when I'm down. We are there for each other through everything that life throws at us, and I look forward to many more happy times with him.

Fourth, I am thankful for my health. I have no real health issues to complain about, and I hope this will continue. Maybe the Lord just knows how much I fear doctors ;-)

Fifth, I am thankful that in this economy, where so many have lost their jobs, I have a stable income (even if it is not a large salary), and I have no fear of losing my job. I know right now that is a major thing to be thankful for.

Finally, I am thankful to live in a country where I know I will not be persecuted for my beliefs. Where I am free to worship God, free to walk around without fear, free to express my beliefs despite the fact that I am a woman. I know that so many people in other areas of the world do not have these luxuries. So I am thankful to live in the United States of America. Regardless of the problems we have, there are things we could be dealing with that are FAR WORSE.

So for these things, I am truly thankful. I could go on and on about other things I am thankful for, but I'll leave you with the big six. I hope as you celebrate Thanksgiving this week, you will remember to thank God for the blessings in your life.

These are a few of my favorite things...

Christmas is in the air. It will be here in the blink of an eye. Not to forget Thanksgiving, because who doesn't love to eat all that yummy food? I know I do. So, I'm not sailing over it, forgetting that it's a week away- definitely not. However, I am going to do a post on my favorite things about Christmas. Here we go.

1. Putting up my Christmas tree and then enjoying it throughout December.

2. Collecting Christmas ornaments for said tree. I like ornaments that mean something, and I am working on my collection. Like I said, I'm still working, but I've got one from each year that WEG and I have been together, Clemson & Carolina ones for our house divided, fish to represent his favorite pasttime, ornaments from historical places in Elloree, a few from my childhood, and this year I finally found a chocolate lab one for Abe :-)

3. White chocolate peppermint mocha from Starbucks. I don't drink many of these- maybe one or two over the course of the month, but this is one of the 2 exceptions I make for my anti-hot drinks quirk.

4. The other exception- Williams Sonoma peppermint hot chocolate on Christmas morning while opening presents.

5. Stuffing stockings and also finding out what's in mine. WEG and I do stockings together (mine is a Gamecock stocking, his is Clemson) and I also do stockings at home with my parents.

6. Looking at Christmas decorations and trying to figure out how people are so crafty and creative!

7. Riding around my hometown looking for the blue, red, white & yellow ribbons on the houses that won the decorating contest- such a simple pleasure, I know.

8. Singing "Silent Night" at Christmas Eve service and holding up candles when "darkness flies, all is light" (one of the few times I enjoy Christmas music)

9. Hot dogs and chili on Christmas Eve. Well, really I should say I enjoy dipping chips in a bowl of the chili. Weird, maybe, but it's a cousin tradition.

10. Having a big breakfast on Christmas morning after opening gifts...mmm!

11. White chocolate covered mini ritz bits with peanut butter. My mom makes these only for Christmas and they are SO GOOD.

12. Exchanging presents with family, friends, and WEG. I love to watch people open the gifts I got them!

13. Our friends Christmas party. This year will be the third annual. We rotate houses between 4 couples, have a big dinner, open gifts (just the girls), drink a little bit (okay, a lot), and just have fun.

14. Lights Before Christmas at the Zoo. This will be my second year in a row going with my friends and their son. I love watching him look at the lights!

15. The Nativity Scene. Probably my favorite Christmas decoration. I really want one of my own, but all the nice ones are very expensive.

16. And saving the best for last- Remembering the reason for the season- Jesus's birth. Coupled with this is hearing the Christmas story. It never gets old.

What are some of your favorite Christmas things?

Friday Tidbits

Sorry this is so fragmented, but I just have a few random things going through my head.

** I am so glad it is the weekend- this week has been DRAGGING by because we are done with events for the semester. Talk about boring!

** We are going to the game vs. Florida tomorrow. It will be only my 2nd USC game this year that I have been to, and only the 1st where I have been able to tailgate. I picked a good one...we will probably get annihilated. I know, where's the faith in my team? Let's just say it flew right out the window with a squeak-by win against Vandy and losses to Tennessee and Arkansas.

** It will be 76 tomorrow at the game. Try and find something to wear in stores right now that is not only garnet, but also appropriate for wamer temperatures. Not having any luck so far! Everything is a sweater or turtleneck or something I will melt in.

** I really want highlights in my hair. Just subtle ones like the ones that appear in the summer from the sun. However, I don't want to pay for a salon visit, and the last time I had highlights, it seemed like every time I went I got lighter and lighter and lighter until I was a platinum blonde. Totally unnatural. Has anybody tried any at home highlights that would be good for light brown hair? If so, we need to discuss.

** I am halfway finished with Christmas shopping and I am so glad. It means I will not have to shop very much with the mad rush of the holiday season. It also means I will not have to endure Christmas music ad nauseam. Thankthegoodlord.

** Speaking of Christmas...I am itching to go buy a tree and put it up, but I'm holding out until after Thanksgiving. I just don't believe in putting up a tree prior to then...I'm not badmouthing you if yours is already up, but different strokes for different folks!

** The search for a garnet houndstooth coat was unsuccessful, but I appreciate all your help. Instead of houndstooth, a garnet jacket with a houndstooth scarf was purchased at the suggestion of Kristen- Thanks a bunch!

That's all for now. I hope every one has a great weekend!

Seeking fashion help!

I know one of you lovely ladies will be able to steer me in the right direction- perhaps an Arkansas or Alabama fan.

I am in search of a garnet (or some variation of this color) and white houndstooth coat. I swear I saw one on somebody's blog recently, but I can't find it anymore.

One of my friends is searching for one to wear to the Clemson-Carolina game in a few weeks, and so far has been unsuccessful in finding one. I scoured the internet, but was unsuccessful as well. I tried searching maroon, burgundy, garnet, and red, but came up with nothing.

So, if you know where to find one, please let me know!
Thanks, lovelies :-)

Turn the other cheek?

This post may get long so if you want to bow out now, I don't blame you, but it's something that has been weighing on my mind for a few weeks now and was made worse yesterday.

A little bit of backstory before I get to the title of the post. The preacher at the church I grew up in came to us when I was in 4th grade. Over the years, the church has had its ups and downs with him. In short, he didn't visit shut-ins, people at the hospital, elderly people in the church, etc. like he should have. Instead, he has always been more concerned with hunting, fishing, and whatever else he could find to do rather than what he was supposed to be doing as the leader of a church. He has also always been a little bit shady in some of his dealings- with cell phone companies, bailing his problem son out of trouble time and time again, etc. Things that you would think a preacher would be upright about.

Last year my dad was chairman of the deacons at the church. His term just ended 2 months ago, but while he was serving as chair, he realized a lot of things about the preacher that he probably already knew, but didn't see as much first hand prior to being the chair. For instance, my dad was the one who would visit those people the preacher didn't, and not that my dad minded, but he has a full time job and was still having to do it because the preacher did not. Dad also realized that the preacher was taking a lot of credit for starting programs within the church that he did not, in fact, start. Case in point- there is a program one Saturday a month where some of the church members cook meals and deliver them to shut-ins in the community. The preacher never even walked next door from his house to the church to see how things were going. And on Sunday nights when my parents and other church members were at the church teaching English as a second language to some of the Hispanic population, do you think the preacher participated or even came over to see how it was going? Nope.

So, long story short (although I have already made it long) he just wasn't doing what some people thought he should. His sermons did not cut it, either. Often I would go home and listen to him ramble for 30 minutes through a sermon that did not have a cohesive message. When I started attending a church here in Columbia, I realized how severely lacking the sermons at my home church really were in comparison. Because of these things, many of the church members in the past several months had gotten disillusioned and did not feel he could be the spiritual leader of the church anymore. This all started in my dad's last few months of being deacon chair, so they came to him to help do something. In no way, shape, or form would my dad ever do anything that he felt was not right and there was not a reason for doing. So when church members started going elsewhere to church and asking for a solution, my dad stepped in and tried to talk to the preacher about the concerns. Of course, the preacher did not see where he was doing anything wrong, and when asked to prayerfully consider stepping down, he did not feel "led" to do that.

In the meantime, dad's term ended as chairman, and two other men stepped in as co-chairs of the deacons. Meetings were held to discuss the problems, and the preacher was finally told that if he did not step down, then a petition could be signed by a majority of the congregation to have him removed. My dad was the one that had to tell him this, but prefaced it by saying he didn't want it to come to that. So, the preacher said he would step down, but only if he was compensated with a very large sum for doing so. The church members voted to do this in order to get rid of him and bring the church back to where it should be without all the dissension.

Now, here's the part of my post that goes along with the title. One of the preacher's daughters is my age. We have never been the best of friends growing up, and now I know exactly why. Apparently she has been putting things on her facebook and telling people all sorts of horrible things about my father. She has called him and other members of the deacon board the devil and has said terrible things. This has all gotten back to people in the church because of the people she has chosen to say these things to. She has told people that know my father and some of the other deacons, and they know the truth and the real character of my dad and the others. Dad did not want this whole thing to come to this, but it was necessary to not completely separate the church and drive long-term members away. The preacher was given an easy out and he chose not to pursue that route, instead causing the hullaballoo that we have now.

It makes me very angry to hear the nastiness that is spewing from the preacher's daughter's mouth about my dad and other moral, upright deacon board members. These are men I have known all my life. Men that I know are of good character with strong faith. Men that I'd stand behind any day in their decisions. Never in my life have I felt that way about the preacher. So, it is hard for me to just turn the other cheek like the Bible tells me to when I hear how she is spitting venom about these men. I know she is upset, but now she has made me upset. Shouldn't she have turned the other cheek first, even if she felt that her views and her father's side of the story was the correct one? Isn't that what her father preached? So, why am I supposed to turn the other cheek when she says horrible things about my father if the preacher's daughter can't even do it? If I happened to run into her, to tell you the truth, I'm not sure how I'd react. I'd probably feel compelled to call her out. Luckily, we don't live near each other and the only times I would see her anyway were at church, so I think I'll be able to take the moral high road even through my anger.

Boy, turning the other cheek is tough!

Am I the only one...

...who does not like Christmas music? I cringe at the thought of Christmas music playing in stores and on the radio 24/7. I can handle a song here or there, but I just do not like Christmas music as a whole. I really can't tell you why not. I haven't had a bad experience with it or anything. I did work in a retail store at one time and was forced to listen to it over and over and over throughout the holidays, but I disliked it before then, so that wouldn't be the cause of my disdain.

Now, don't get me wrong...I love Christmas and most everything that goes along with it. I can't wait to go get a tree and decorate it, hang our stockings (Clemson for WEG and Carolina for me), and make the house more festive, but I just don't need Christmas music playing in the background while I am doing all this.

Does anybody else feel the same way or am I the only anti-Christmas music person in blogland? Go ahead and call me out as a bah humbug- I know I'm asking for it!

A glimpse into me

I am at a loss for something to blog about. There's nothing majorly exciting going on in my life (except the fact that I have run 4 days in a row now, and today will make 5, and that is a major accomplishment!). I don't have any great product reviews. I don't have anything to rant about (shocker, huh?) So, I thought I would tell you some things about me that you may not know.

1. I hate dust. It makes me gag, especially when it gets caught on the end of the broom. ugh.

2. I have road rage. Okay, if you know me, then you knew this already. WEG will not let me drive anywhere as he can't tolerate my yelling at other cars. I can't help it that other people are morons when they drive!

3. I dislike hunks of fruit in my food. I don't like ice cream or yogurt with hunks of fruit in it. Don't do fruit milkshakes or smoothies that have pieces of fruit in them. Don't get me wrong, I love fruit, just don't like it in small pieces mixed in my food.

4. I would like to live out in the country on several acres with no immediate neighbors. City life just isn't my thing. I would not mind commuting to work if I could live in the country, and definitely south of my current location. Upstate SC is just not for me. Oh, and I definitely want to be in SC.

5. I'm not sure if I ever want to have a child. At this point, I am scared to death of the thought. I have been told that my biological clock will start ticking one day, but I'm skeptical.

6. I am a plant killer. I don't try to be, but inevitably I forget to water it or something and it dies. The mum I had on my porch several weeks ago when I showed you my new wreaths is now half dead. It was halfway dead within a week of getting it....no bueno.

7. I listen to the Christian radio station pretty much 24-7 except for in the mornings while I am getting ready and then it's country. I love the contemporary Christian songs and know basically all the words to all the songs.

8. I am an only child, and to my knowledge, never wanted a brother or sister. Could it be that I was spoiled? Probably so.

9. I am often obsessive about lists and being organized. I am going to Clemson this weekend with WEG and currently have 3 lists going- one for the grocery store, one of things to pack, and one is a to-do list.

10. I love the Gamecocks and always will, but this year I have not been a good fan. I have not tailgated one.single.time. And I have only been to one game, and that is one I had to go to for work. Maybe it's the thought of how expensive it is to go tailgate and watch a game, or maybe it's the thought of our season ending like it always does- disastrously. Call me fair-weather, go ahead.

11. I haven't had a soft drink in 3 weeks. In fact, I have not had anything other than water, milk, wine, and a handful of beers. If you know how addicted I was to coke (the drink, not the drug) at one time, you'd find this amazing. Clearly I have kicked the caffeine addiction- woohoo.

12. My parents are my role models. They have always made sure I was taught good morals and Christian beliefs and they are great examples of strong Christian people. Everytime the church doors open they are there- not just for Sunday school and Church, but also for mission trips, bible studies, feeding shut-ins in the community, and teaching ESL.

That's enough little-known facts for now!
Hope you're having a great Wednesday :-) Halfway to the weekend!