The greatest sacrifice of all

It was all about a man.
It was all about a cross.
It was all about the blood that was shed
so I would not be lost.
It was all about the love
that was bigger than a life.
It was all about a freedom that was given
through your sacrifice.
'Cause you would rather die
than to ever live without me.
-Jody McBrayer

I love these lyrics and, to me, they symbolize the very essence of Easter. The real reason for such a celebration. It's not about an oversized bunny who delivers baskets full of goodies. I'm not saying I don't enjoy such things. Believe me, I love to get an Easter basket and I'm not against carrying on that tradition, but I think it's important to remember the reason why we have such a holiday. It is all about a man- Jesus- who was crucified upon a cross. A man who chose to die for our sins rather than save his own life, which he could have done. After all, he was the Son of God and capable of such a thing. Instead, he made the ultimate sacrifice for all of us because He loved us so much. So this Easter, amid all the egg dyeing and hiding, and Easter basket goodies, please remember the reason for Easter, and the meaning behind the popular symbols we associate with this time of year.

Eggs, chicks & rabbits- new life and re-birth
Lilies- the purity of Jesus & the resurrection
Lamb- Jesus
Cross- Jesus' victory over death

Happy Easter!

What happened to the importance of education?

...Stepping up on my soapbox.....

South Carolina has a problem. Our legislators clearly do not value education in our state. Last year we received the 5th largest cut to education out of the 50 states. We are a state that continually ranks at the bottom in education. To pass along the largest budget cuts to the educational system in a state does not equate to valuing education. How will we ever progress economically if we don't give a damn about educating the people of our state?

Take for example the University of South Carolina, a state supported institution. Right now, our funding from the state is approximately 12% of our operations. 12%!! Tell me how that is still considered "state-supported"? Oh yes, I remember now- the state owns our land and buildings. Now, I know many other states are facing the same thing, as well. I am aware that this is a wide-spread problem. But for now, I'm just talking about SC. This year, the state is expected to cut funding by $20 million to USC. Next year, it will be the same or worse. That's $40 million gone over the course of 2 years, bringing our funding down to $70 million from the state of South Carolina by 2011. It is absurd.

There is no way to make up such a budget cut by raising tuition alone. You can't do that. If we did, students would be unable to afford a higher education in this state. Already it is a struggle for many families to send their children to college. Technical schools are bursting at the seams. College kids are taking the route of going to a local technical college and staying at home rather than going off to school in order to save money. These are sad times for education. And this is not just happening at USC. It's happening at Clemson, at Winthrop, at the College of Charleston, Coastal Carolina, the Citadel, Francis Marion, SC State, and Lander- all of our public universities (apologies if I left a school out). Each of these institutions is going to get the same percentage budget cut. Monetarily, we will get the largest, as we are a state supported institution. Scary times, indeed.

And so far, our dean has done a fabulous job of working with the budget so that she did not have to lay off anyone. Of course, positions have had to be moved around for people who have retired, vacated their positions, etc. because new hires were not feasible, but so far nobody has had to be laid off outright. I fear it will be coming this time around, though, because most of the magic tricks to make up the loss in money have been used. That really leaves a dean no choice. So, guess what? Unemployment will also go up in the state. Fabulous, just fabulous.

Can y'all tell I'm angry and disillusioned by our state representatives and senators? Thank goodness it's the weekend!

...Stepping off my soapbox.

Weekend Round-up (and an award!)

We had a great weekend! I took Friday off and got some errands and things done around the house. Took Abe to the park and he had a blast! It was a great day not to have to work!

Our friends, Brian and Megan, got married this weekend. Wedding One of 5 that we have to go to this Spring. We attended the rehearsal dinner on Friday night at Terra in West Columbia, and the wedding on Saturday at the Millstone at Adams Pond. The ceremony site was gorgeous and so was the weather! They could not have asked for a prettier day to get married.

Here are a few pictures from the day- Congratulations to Brian & Megan!

WEG & Me:

My friend, Bess and me:

The groom, Brian:

The bride, Megan:

On Sunday we just lazed around the house and recovered from the events. It was rainy outside, so we took full advantage of staying inside. I did go to the grocery store, but that was the extent of my ventures out of the house.

In other news, I received a blog award from Kelly over at Life in a Small Town. It's the beautiful blog award. Thank you so much, Kelly!

I am supposed to tell y'all 7 things about myself, so here goes.

ONE: I am an only child. Spoiled? Maybe a little bit, but I am not rotten, I promise!

TWO: Because I am the only child of a sports fanatic, I also love sports- especially baseball. My dad didn't have a son to drag along to the baseball field, so as soon as I was out of diapers he took me. I grew up in a dugout and probably have more knowledge of the game than half the males I know. I kept the books for my dad's games for years. The only rule I am still iffy on is a balk. I know what you can't do, but I am terrible at recognizing when it happens!

THREE: Even though I love sports, I am not very athletic. I tried my hand at basketball and volleyball in high school, but didn't stick with it long. Cheerleading was more my calling, even though my basketball coach said I had the best shot on the team. Problem was, I didn't have any ballhandling or defensive skills to go along with it! I am just getting into running, which I enjoy, but I don't see myself ever being a long-distance runner. I think 3 miles is my limit!

FOUR: I am named after my grandmothers. Emily is my dad's mother's name and my middle name was my mom's mother's maiden name. Did you get that?

FIVE: I have 3 degrees from the Univ. of South Carolina. Before you act impressed, let me explain. I have a B.S. and a Master's in Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management and a Master's of Retailing. Not exactly brain busters, but I enjoyed them. And the retail degree was an effort on my part to avoid having to get a real job when I finished with the others. It only took me a year because I had classes that overlapped from my first master's. I wish I could say it didn't cost me a fortune and I didn't have student loans to show for it, but sadly that is the reality.

SIX: I am addicted to food. I am hungry all the time. It's a running joke at our house that I am always the first one done with a clean plate, and I usually go back for seconds. It's a minor miracle that I do not weigh 400 pounds...seriously.

SEVEN: I hate high heels. I would live in flats for the rest of my life if there weren't occasions where I absoutely have to wear heels. I am especially glad it is spring, which means I can pull out my Jack Rogers and wear them nearly every day.

I am supposed to pass this along to 7 bloggers, but I can't choose, and I need to get back to work! Cop-out, I know ;-)

Oh, and I also have a ton of blogs to read in my Google Reader, so I'll be playing catch up. So, comments may be scarce!

Deoderant Fail

I have to be honest because blogs are all about honesty, right? I am not wearing deoderant today. Before you gasp in horror, let me explain. I had a major deoderant fail. I always use the Secret Clinical Strength in the unscented hypoallergenic. Well, on Saturday when I ran out of deoderant, we stopped at Bi-Lo on our way to Charleston and all they had in the clinical strength was the lightly scented. I didn't think this would be a problem and I needed deoderant, so I bought it. Well, 4 days of using it later, my underarms are itching and burning and have little bumps. I have very sensitive skin, and clearly it can't handle anything clinical strength unless it is hypoallergenic. Who knew?? Like I said, major deoderant fail. So, I just could not bring myself to put it on this morning. Let's face it, I don't sweat in my office- in fact, I have my little heater on because I'm cold. And, really, the way my underarms felt last night, I'd rather have a little smell than that much irritation. Sue me. I am going after work to get my correct deoderant. Until then, don't stand too close!

Erin Go Bragh!

I hope everyone is avoiding getting pinched today by wearing their green! Happy St. Patty's Day to you all! May the luck of the Irish be with you today and always. I'd like to think a little bit of that luck will follow me, especially because I'm truly Irish. Right down to my last name, which used to have an O' in front of it, but sadly no more. You see, my ancestors had to drop the O' if they hoped to even think about getting a job when they came to America. Aren't y'all glad we don't have to worry about that sort of thing anymore?

An Irish blessing:

May you always have walls for the winds,
A roof for the rain
Tea beside the fire
Laughter to cheer you
Those you love near you
And all your heart might desire!

Seems like it's always Monday!

How is it already Monday again? I have been so absent the past week- sorry about that, but life was just too busy there for a little while. First off, thank you to everyone who wished me happy birthday. I had a very good day, and got plenty of nice gifts!

Here are the highlights.

Boden Dress:

IHome portable speaker case- this will be GREAT for the beach!:

Pink Sorbet gift card- can't wait to purchase some Lilly goodness!:

Another Boden dress (on backorder):

I also got stemless wine glasses, Itunes, running gear, and various other small things. Thanks, y'all!

In other news, we just finished up our busiest 2 days at work. We had our board meetings on Thursday and Friday, a dinner on Thursday evening, and our Alumni Awards on Friday evening. It was go, go, go and didn't lighten up for the weekend. On Saturday I got up at 6 and went and ran my first 5k. I finished in 34:55. Not great, but I'll take it for my first race! Halfway through I got a terrible pain in my side and had to stop and stretch it out, so I lost a little time there. However, if I hadn't stretched it out, I wouldn't have been able to keep going.

Here's a picture after we all finished:

Then after the race, we headed to Charleston for a stock the bar wedding shower we were throwing....stayed up way too late....and headed back to Columbia on Sunday for my friend Julie's birthday dinner. So, a very busy weekend, but a lot of fun. I am exhausted today, though, and feel like I have so much housework that needs to be done!

How was everyone else's weekend? I hope y'all did something fun!

Happy Monday!

Another year older...

.....another year wiser? Well, I don't know about that. I'd like to say I am. But, in any case, I am definitely another year older today. 28! GASP! 10 years ago today I was officially an "adult," and while I definitely do not want to go back to high school, I'm not sure I want to be in my late 20's either. Mid 20's was okay, but late 20's? I'm not so sure!

My mom asked me yesterday if I was excited for my birthday and I told her that I guessed I was, but not especially exicted to be getting closer to 30. Of course, she said "What if you were getting close to 65?" My response to her was that at least she was getting closer to senior citizens discounts and social security. We got a good laugh out of that.

Anyway, happy birthday to me! At least getting older is better than the alternative.

Just another manic Monday.

So, the Gamecocks were only successful in winning one of the three games...boo! But, otherwise, it was a fabulous weekend!

On Saturday, WEG and I went up to Greenville to the Drive stadium to watch the game, and it was a lot of fun. The city of Greenville and the Greenville Drive really went all out for this game. There were banners on the lightpoles in downtown advertising the game, a band outside the stadium, tables with purple and orange and garnet and black table cloths, the outfield wall was painted with each of our logos, and the atmosphere was just great. They really did it right, and I hope we'll get to go back last year. And, the Gamecocks did win this one, so it was a great time all the way around!

That night, we went to Thirsty Fellow with friends to celebrate my birthday. We had a good time- the food was yummy and the company even better! Afterwards we headed over to The Sly Fox to hang out for a bit longer before heading home.

On Sunday we went to lunch with my parents and then to the baseball game. Let me tell you, it was not a good one. Clemson hit 2 grand slams on their way to beating us 19 to 6. Yikes! The game lasted forever and we had the most obnoxious fan ever behind us. Obviously the players he knew were Whit Merrifield and Jackie Bradley, Jr. because he yelled at them constantly. That and he yelled that Clemson was cheating pretty much the whole time. At one point he yelled "Clemson is cheating. Whit Merrifield, you better do something about it." I'm not sure what he thought Whit was going to go, but oh gosh, he was quite the entertainment!!

So, the weekend was fun, but now the craziness of this week gets started. It's the busiest week of the year at work with our board coming in for meetings on Thursday and Friday, a board dinner on Thursday night, and our Alumni Awards dinner on Friday night. In addition, we're having dinner with my parents on Tuesday night for my birthday, I've got to run the race course at least once (hopefully on Wednesday) for the 5k on Saturday, and then it's race day, as well as a shower in Charleston on Saturday night, and celebration of Julie's birthday on Sunday!

Let's get it started!

Sunny Day Sweepin' the Clouds Away

I am so excited for this weekend! It promises to be a fun one with plans that include WEG, my best friends, and my family all rolled into one. And, it's supposed to be beautiful weather....our first real taste of SPRING!

Tomorrow, WEG and I are off to Greenville to watch our favorite teams clash on the diamond at Fluor Field. That's right, it's Clemson-Carolina baseball series time, y'all. He'll be wearing his orange and I'll be in my garnet and one of us may not like the other after it's all said and done ;-) Only kidding, but seriously, my Gamecocks better win because I take baseball a lot harder than some other sports! Luckily, our tickets are in the Gamecock section, so he'll be surrounded by a sea of garnet and black.

After the game, we're booking it back to Columbia to get ready and go to dinner with friends at one of our new favorite places, Thirsty Fellow. We're becoming quite the regulars there- especially our friends Chris and Carolyn- I hope you aren't getting sick of it yet Clarks!

On Sunday, it's Game 3 of the Tigers v. Gamecocks baseball series. Hopefully we'll be going for the sweep, or at the very worst it will be the rubber match of the series. And it's at Carolina Stadium, so we'll again be out at the ol' ballfield watching. It's supposed to be a beautiful day with highs in the 60's and sunny. Perfect baseball weather! And my parents will be coming to the game with us, so once again, WEG will be surrounded by Gamecocks!

Lots of fun plans this weekend, as you can see, and really the last weekend we have before the madness of wedding season begins! Have I mentioned that we have 5 weddings to go to between now and the end of May? March 20, April 17, April 24, May 15, and May 21. Couple that with my 5k race next weekend as well as a stock the bar party we're throwing, WEG having a bachelor party March 26-28, a bridal shower for me to go to on March 28, and a bachelorette party on May 8th, and it's going to be busy. Throw in Easter, supper club with WEG's parents and their friends and children on April 10, and Carrie Underwood on May 1 for me and it is going to be sheer madness. Just typing that made me tired. Before we can blink it will be summer!!

Happy weekend, friends!

So happy to see you, March.

I am so glad that March is here! After December and the Christmas holidays, it's sometimes a struggle for me to get through January and February. Seems I am always looking forward to March. Why is that? Well, here's a list of reasons.

1. My birthday. Okay, I know, that's a self-centered reason, but who doesn't love a birthday? A day that's all about celebrating you? I certainly don't like this being another year older thing, but the pain is lessened by the time I get to spend with friends and family. Birthdays, to me, are special and I enjoy mine each March.

2. Spring is in the air. Well, not today, but March generally brings Spring. Warmer temperatures, budding flowers, greener grass, flowering trees. Spring clothes start to be worn. Brighter colors abound.

3. The daffodils bloom. Daffodils are my favorite flower, and in SC, they grow wild on the side of country roads. I love to drive home to Elloree and see daffodils along the side of the road. It just makes me a happier person.

4. College baseball gets into full swing. Y'all know my love of Carolina baseball (yes, I still love 'em even after losing a series to ECU this weekend), and March brings the first full month of baseball, as well as the start of SEC play. When the temperatures warm up at the end of March, there is nothing better than catching a game at Carolina Stadium.

5. The days are longer. Daylight savings time begins in mid-March and the days stretch out longer, leaving more time to get outside after work. I don't feel like I am rushing to get home and changed to get a run in or out in the yard to do something. I can take my time and still have daylight. What a wonderful thing!

What are some of your favorite things about March?

The Finale...no, not The Bachelor one.

And now, the moment you have all been waiting for. My answers to the rest of the questions. Wait...that wasn't what you have all been waiting for? Shame on you.

Amelia asked: Letterman or Leno?
Neither, honestly. I never watch those kinds of shows because I'm never up that late. But, if I had to choose it would be Letterman, simply because of the whole Conan O'Brien/Leno deal. I think Conan got the raw end of the deal and dislike Jay Big Chin Leno on that reason alone.

Amelia also asked: Who is your imaginary celeb BFF Julia or Reese?
Ooohhh...this one is hard because I love them both! However, I'd have to go with Reese, mainly because of her role in Sweet Home Alabama, which has to be my most favorite movie ever.

KLL asked: Do you know any famous people?
No, not really. I do know a former major leaguer who played for the Brewers and the Astros- Bill Spiers. His wife is from my little hometown and he is from a neighboring small town and my mom teaches their oldest daughter. So, I guess he's not really THAT famous, but at one time he was called the greatest utility player of all time, so that's as close as it gets for me.

Julz asked: If you were given an all expenses paid trip anywhere in the world, where would it be and what would you do?
This one is easy. I'd go to Australia. I have wanted to go there forever, but it would have to be when I had at least two weeks to enjoy it. I'd love to expore the Australian Outback, the Great Barrier Reef, and everything else that Australia has to offer. WEG would like to fish in the waters off the coast of Australia and catch a black marlin. He might would let me tag along. ;-)

Jane asked: If you had barely any free time at all and wanted to meet some fun new people, where would you go and what would you do?
I am not terribly outgoing until I warm up to the group, so it would be hard for me to just go out and try to make new friends. However, I think a Sunday school class at church would be a good place to meet some fun, Christian people. Otherwise, I'd probably join a young professionals group in the city and attend their meetings and events.