V is for very exciting news!

Very exciting news abounds in Birmingham with Katie! I am officially a full-time employee of Samford University. (Well, effective July 1.) That's right folks. As of July 1, I will no longer be an intern scrounging for money and looking under random couch cushions for loose change. I was told last Thursday that my internship would become a full-time position, effective July 1. I will be the primary contact for all of the same sports, and maybe baseball. I will still be involved with all other sports as I have been before. I will be getting PAID finally. No more $800 a month. Finally, the Lord has answered my prayers. I've definitely learned what Proverbs 3:5-6 means and that being patience really does pay off.

I'm so excited to be staying in Birmingham. I absolutely love it and I've made some incredible friends and have found a great church.

Now, next on the list is to find a new place to live since my roommate and I were told that we had to be out of our Samford house by August 1.

Now onto another note...Mississippi State basketball. The Bulldogs should have won on Sunday. There is no way around it. Bad calls by the refs and Jamont "Butterfingers" Gordon cost us that game. All of the chips fell our way in the second half of that game -- we hit three-pointers and free throws and Memphis didn't. I don't care if Jamont Gordon had 21 points and nine rebounds. You CANNOT turnover the ball three times under your goal and win a basketball game. It is not going to work. You HAVE to protect the ball against teams like Memphis. Now, I do think that Memphis is overrated and not as good as people think but I do think they are a good team and definitely deserved to be a high seed. With that said, they will never be a national champion if they can't shoot free throws. Every team will pull the "Hack-a-Dorsey" with five minutes to go in every game until Memphis improves their free throw percentage. Plus, I do not like John Calipari. He doesn't treat his players well. He calls them names that I don't think even Bobby Knight would ever think of calling a player. And...he's a thug coach with a thug team.

I know I didn't include a picture in this post and I know that's kind of breaking the rules but I've broken more rules in this game and circumstances don't allow me to upload any pictures anyway.

U

"Upset" and "under the weather". Two phrases that could've not been more true of this weekend. And it all had to do with basketball. I know I'm going to break some rules of the "Alphabet Game" in this post, but hey, I've broken a lot before so why stop now.

Let's start with upset...

This refers to every single opponent Georgia has faced in the last four games. What a competitor Georgia became this weekend. They definitely deserved to win that championship, especially having to play two games in one day. That's tough, especially in a conference tournament and especially in a conference like the SEC.

This also refers to me on Saturday night when my Bulldogs completely tanked in the last two minutes of that game. First of all, if we had hit all the free throws that we missed, we would have won that game by at least eight. There is no excuse to be a team like we are and to have the players that we have and not hit free throws. No excuse. Free throws and defense win championships. Point. Blank. Period. That's it. Oh, and Charles Rhodes. When the game is on the line, keep your friggin' mouth shut. You ain't in Jackson anymore.

Under the weather....

Ok...every person in the Georgia Dome Friday night -- literally. I had two friends eating at a restaurant just down the street at the same time the tornado hit downtown ATL. They said that the wind was wicked crazy and stuff was flying everywhere. They had to move hotels because the windows in their hotel room imploded during the tornado. My friend Chris and I were watching the game and he noticed that the TV was getting fuzzy but I kept saying that it had nothing to do with the cable. Then play stopped, everyone was looking up, scaffolding was swaying and then my TV when to black. Chris called a friend that was there and got the whole story. And of course, I texted my Bethany (best friend) and had to make sure she was okay. She was there working in the suites with Colonnade Group.

T is for Trouble/Turner

T-R-O-U-B-L-E are Nick Turner's favorite letters. I know I'm a little late in releasing this news but I haven't been able to get on the blog for the past four days and I just had to use this for the letter "T".

Nick Turner does it again. But this time he does it big. No more passing counterfeit $100s for this kid. It's murder and drugs this time. He's been arrested and charged for murder.

"Turner, 24, is alleged to have facilitated a drug deal that went bad and cost the life of Dermonde Broadus, according to J.T. Ware, a public information officer with the DeKalb police." (Clarion Ledger)

Turner signed with Mississippi State in 2002 and was a record-setting returner for the Bulldogs. His freshman season was cut short by injury and then he was suspended for the final five games by then coach Jackie Sherrill (surprising he actually suspended someone) for an arrest (linked to passing counterfeit bills at The Hunt Club). Turner received three years probation and rejoined the team for the 2003 season. He was then dismissed in February of 2004 by then new coach Sylvester Croom. He finished his career at Murray State.

Good going Nick "The Quick Counterfeit" Turner. You're a class act.

S is for Sisters

This post is all about my sister. I couldn't ask for a better sister. God has blessed me with the most talented, loving, Godly sister. There are no words that can describe her. She's beautiful, awesome, and gave birth to my favorite little man in the world.

I can remember when we were little I used to try to be like her and it basically never really ended. We both have our separate personalities and talents but we are also so much alike. Although we've definitely taken different roads in our lives, I still want to be like her in the sense that she is the most godly person and I want to be just like her. When she was a senior in high school, I was a freshman and she actually let me and my friends sit with her and her friends at lunch. I have to say...me and my friends definitely made that table cooler. Ha!]

What can I say? My sister is awesome!

Then...

Now...

My sister on Youtube...who'd a' ever thunk?

This is my sister and their ladies' ensemble at their church. My dad emailed it to me today and I just had to share it. They are so good. I'm guessing my brother-in-law had someone video it since he's sitting in his "minister's chair" up on stage. My sis is the one on the far left with the solo at the beginning. She's awesome! They're awesome! I'm so proud!

R

R is for Runway. Project Runway, that is! I absolutely love this show and I wish I had the abilities of the people are on this show. They are amazing! I can't wait for the finale tonight. I'm actually skipping choir practice at church so I can watch it. Well, that and Big Brother and American Idol while I keep tabs on the State game with Vandy (which should be televised since it's two top 25 teams but that's another post for another day).

My favorite is Christian, which is kind of weird because he annoyed me so much at the beginning with his uber-femininity and his use of the word "fierce". But he's definitely grown on me and his talent is undeniable! He's my pic to win.

Q is for Qdoba

This is the greatest place ever. If you like Mo's, you'll love The Q. It's even better. Everything is better. The chips, the queso, the burrito's. Everything. I wish we had these in Mississippi. Last year is was one of the fastest growing restaurant chains. If there is a Q where you live and you haven't tried it, drop everything you are doing and go now! You won't regret it!

Ella Minnow Pea

Time to play catch-up...

L is for the life that I would like to have back. I feel like the past month, much less the past two weeks, have flown by. There has been so much stuff going on in my life with my family and work, I haven't even had time to stop and think about it. I got a little overwhelmed last Wednesday when I got back to work from my long weekend at home and then again today a bit after a very long weekend of work. I'm so thankful though for what has gone on because not a single bit of it has gone without lessons learned, skills perfected or relationships strengthened.

M is for Mississippi State. I just had to honor my alma mater with this letter. As much as I love Birmingham, I do miss Starkville every now and then. I miss the atmosphere of game days, tailgating, The HUMP, and Dudy-Noble. There's just something about going to a big college with awesome athletics and a great atmosphere that just doesn't compare to a little college like Samford. Samford has it's good points but they are very few and far between. I get a little annoyed when I see so many students at Samford not taking pride in their school. They don't support their fellow classmates on the field and on the court and there are things on Samford's campus that are often more important that supporting their peers. Thank God that I chose to go to Mississippi State over Mississippi College because it was far enough from home and had the atmosphere it had.

N is for new things. New clothes, new shoes, new bags, new food, new friends, new family. I love it all. I like new things. It's always fun to go shopping and get new things and it's even more fun to make new friends. And I love love love my new addition to the family. My sweet Nephew William. Here is his cute little Christmas card.

O is for O'Charley's. My favorite restaurant. And that's all I have to say about that.

P is for parents because I have the best ones in the world. They have been through so much together, supporting each other the whole way. They have shown me what true love is and can't wait to have the same love. They have made me the person I am today and I credit them for introducing me to my Savior and teaching me how to love and serve him everyday. They have shown me what true sacrifice is and have taught me how to laugh and have fun. Thanks to you, Mom and Dad. You truly are my rock.