A Couple Of Things...

1. I led "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" at Samford's baseball game last night. And I sounded like a seven-year old, according student worker Nate. Which was my intention. Because who really tries to sing that song in a serious way. Yeah. That's what I thought.

However, it seemed to give the baseball team a boost because every single player came out of the dugout and looked up to the press box to see that it was in fact, "the Katie" that they thought it was. And then Ballard hit a home run. I don't want to take credit for it but I was in the bathroom for his first (career) home run earlier this year and then I sing and he hits another one out of the park. Go figure.

2. Has anyone else out there heard of the PS22 Chorus? Yes? No?

Check them out.



Also watch this video and this one.

These kids rock!

That is all for now.

Whirlwind Tour Down 20/59

People. I think I spent more time in my car in the past 48 hours than I did on land. It was all for great things though. Promise.

Sunday, I woke up 45 minutes later than I had planned and booked it to Jackson for my sweet Julie's wedding. And yes, I still got there with 22 minutes to spare, in one piece and without a speeding ticket. Folks, I've learned my lesson about the speeding. Seven tickets later. At least, I think that's the count.
Anyhoo.

Yes. You heard me right. Julie got married on a Sunday. And it was fantastic. It was at the Fairview Inn in Jackson and it was the most glorious outside wedding I've ever been to or had the privilege to be a part of. It was out on the patio where the gazebo was and the area was shaded just enough and the wind blew every so lightly that it was not hellaciously (I think I just made that word up) hot like we thought we would all be in our own little black dresses. Yes, you heard me again. No expensive bridesmaid dress to buy. Just told up all to go buy a black dress, gave us a few parameters, and sent us on our way.
I love low-maintenance friends!

Julie's dress was perfectly classic and fit her style and personality so well. Tall and slender with the classic birdcage veil to match.

It was a great ceremony and the Lord was definitely glorified through it. There's no doubt about that.

The best thing about it though, was that I got to see my friends! 

From left to right: Casey, Me, Jules and Hollye

Great food, great friends, great fun.

Although I somewhat got the day off, I still had to work on Sunday as well. My softball team was back in Birmingham playing their final conference game and my track team was at the conference championships so I had some major writing looming in the distance for me for the night.

FBC Jackson's choir, of which my mom is in, was recording a CD and DVD Sunday night so I decided to head on over and enjoy some great music all the while praising the Lord. And let me tell you, I did not regret that decision one bit. It was AMAZING! 

However, after I left the Julie and Marshall's reception, I stopped by the Walgreen's to change clothes because I didn't think about changing clothes at the reception. It just didn't cross my mind.

After I changed, I headed down the street to church and with computer in tow, I snuck up to the rafters and set up my own little personal work station. I wrote my softball story as it couldn't be put off any longer. Those folks needed to know about the big win. So I'd write a paragraph, stand and sing, and then write another paragraph and the stand and sing. 

And y'all, that was the most PERFECT place to watch that service. Because our sanctuary is so enormously massive, it's kind of fun to go sit at the very top and watch instead of sitting in our front section eighth row seats like usual. 

I saw people praising the Lord in ways I didn't know FBCJ knew how to praise the Lord. It was so neat. Plus, up there, you really do feel closer than the Lord. And you know what, I had no inhibitions about standing up and raising my hands and clapping like I do in my church here in Birmingham. It's a such a great worship experience. 

And I got finished with my work just in time to fully enjoy Derek singing "I'm Amazed." Y'all, that man just makes my want to cry every time he opens his mouth. 

So after leaving church, I went home and got back to business as usual, only saddened to find out that my track team didn't do as well as I had hoped. 

I got up Monday morning and headed back to Birmingham to get to work by noon only to turn around and leave at 2 p.m., just in time to start getting ready for the SAMSPY's. It's Samford's version of the ESPY's and it was the first edition. And it was fabulous. We handed out 23 awards and I couldn't have been more proud of all of our award winners. They were completely deserving. 

I wish there had been more though.

If I could've handed out my own awards, I would've. But nevertheless, there is next year. 

It was so exciting to see how much the student-athletes enjoyed it and how excited they are about next year even now. 

Here are few pics from the night.

Here are my precious, beautiful volleyball captains on the red carpet (or the step and repeat, as the professionals call it) after accepting their award for Most Outstanding Team (and y'all? They for real deserved it. 28-5. Regular-season division champs!)

This is what the awards looked like. They are really cool.

And then me and my girls - Jessica, Lauren and Hollie (Yay! Hollie is feeling better! She doesn't have the Swine Flu, only Walking Pneumonia!)

To see more photos from the inaugural SAMSPY's go here and here.

So, needless to say, I did not want to go back to work today for a WHOLE day. I have serious Spring Fever. And it's not just because the weather is rockin' my socks off right now and all I want to do is be outside. I'm am totally just...over...work right now. I really just don't care.

I know that sounds bad. But ya know what? It totally gets me through the day. Instead of stressing, I just say, "The heck with it," and do what I can do at the moment. 

I am so ready for May 12th. That is when softball is over with. For good. Hopefully. 

Now that my marathon post is done, I think I will go sleep now. 

Another Reason Why I Love Seafood

I just saw this video on Hollywood Sucker's blog and I had to share it because it combines two of my favorite things -- shrimp and the little rats from Muppets Take Manhattan (one of my favorite movies. Of. All. Time.). If this doesn't make you laugh, check your pulse.

Overheard Lines

Today was a sad day. My nine-dollar sunglasses from NY&Co. broke and I had to throw them away. They were in no way fixable without a) my dad being here to fix them for me and b) without being able to visibly see that they had once been broke before.

So I went to Walmart after work to by some cheap-o's to get me by until I can find a more permanent replacement.

As I was browsing the sunglasses, trying to find a pair that didn't cover my whole face or that were at least dark enough that my retinas would still be in tact when I looked directly into the sunlight (because I also look directly in the sunlight), I overhead this conversation.

Redneck #1: Welp, I guess that don't have 'em.

Redneck #2: Have wut?

Redneck #1: Ankle bracelets!!!

Um, excuse me? Maybe because those went out of style in like 1996! Really people.

I'm finding more and more evidence that I in fact really do like in Alabamar. (That is not a typo.)

Blog-Linkity Goodness 4.22.09

Internet friends,

There's been way too much interweb-y goodness out in cyberspace today that I couldn't help but sharing with you people. So is tender and some is just funny but it's all good. Range Rover all wood.

Anyway, I'll cut the fat and get to the good stuff. Here goes...

1. You have to read this post by MckMama. The woman is a rock. And you know why? Because she's a true believer in the Most High God. In this post, she talks about the purpose of prayer. And why we pray if God never changes his mind. Prayer is not for God, although he loves when we come to him on other people's behalf and plead with him in our most desperate of times. Prayer is not just us going to God with a laundry list of prayer requests asking him to make them all better. Prayer is a building and maintaining a relationship with the One who made us.

Read it. It will do your heart good.

2. This guy at Stuff Christians Like is awesome. He put the Truth in words that are so funny but yet drive deep to the heart of what we deal with every day. Today's post really spoke to my heart. God doesn't NEED me at all. He loves me and I am so amazed to know that he just WANTS to use me for His glory so that I can see His glory. Amazing.

3. Rick Cleveland puts his two cents in about all the happenings this week in Mississippi Sports. And I have to say, I agree with it all.

4. And I've saved the best for last. Dave Barnes and Mocha Club. Two of my favorite things. This is awesome.

EARTHQUAKE!

Y'all, I survived my first earthquake this morning. According to the USGS, a 3.8 magnitude earthquake hit Bibb County (where Hollie is from. Everyone say, Hi Hollie. Get better soon!) at 5:30 this morning.

As we've already learned here, not a lot of things can wake me up. I mean my best friend's brother came and played his trumpet in my ear one morning and I still didn't wake up. Call me stubborn. I yam what I yam.

However, this morning, I was shake-shake-shaken awake and in my Tylenol Cough syrup induced, drunken-stupor, I woke up thinking, EARTHQUAKE! And then I thought, "Katie, you're in Alabama. Earthquakes don't happen. It was just probably Kelly leaving for work (because it IS 5 in the a.m.) and she just shut the front door too hard (because that happens, and the house shakes).

It lasted for about 45 seconds and considering that nothing was falling off the wall or onto my bed, I rolled over and went back to sleep for another hour and a half. Then when I woke up and turn on the news, the anchor said there had been an earthquake in Bibb County that could be felt up to 35 miles away!

So, there you have it folks. Earthquakes do happen in Alabama. There is a fault line in Bibb County. The Red Gap fault. And supposedly this is the second earthquake in a few months there.

I can just see it now. There's a volcano developing under Bibb County. Tommy Lee Jones and Ann Heche will make appearances and try to stop the lava from traveling to Tuscaloosa and destroying the University of Alabama (which in my opinion, as long as Hollie and Justin and a few other people I know aren't there, that would complete fine and incredibly satisfying). People will be clinging to the Bear Bryant statue in a feeble attempt to avoid getting caught in the lava flow.

Wow, I just really let me imaginatio run rampant there. Or I've just see the movie Volcano one too many times.

Waddaya Know?

So it seems that people actually read this thing. My sister asked me the other day why I haven't been posting a lot lately.

To be honest, there's been a lack of two things: a) time and b) material.

Work is beating me up right now and new friendships have caused the blog to be put on the back-burner because those two things have seriously taken up all of my time. Not to mention, the absence of a computer at home doesn't allow for much blogging in the off hours.

I hope to blog a bit this week because there have been things on my mind -- deep thoughts, you know -- but I goal is to get past this weekend and to next Tuesday right now.

What does this week hold for me, you ask?

I'll list for easy reading.

Monday - Jam packed full of work and interviews with senior softball players.
Tuesday - The same thing as Monday, with a possible trip to Auburn to see Samford baseball play.
Wednesday - Start to get things together for the weekend softball and Senior Day. I must be on my toes this week because I won't even be there Sunday for the final home game/Senior Day.
Thursday- Same as Wednesday with a little bible study added to the end of the day. At my house no less.
Friday - Baseball. Crawfish. Madness.
Saturday - Softball doubleheader. Track conference championships. Make sure all my i's are dotted and t's are crossed for Sunday.
Sunday - Wake up at the butt-crack of dawn and head to Jackson for Julie's Wedding. Finish Julie's wedding and hopefully go to FBCJ for a choir concert and somehow write a softball recap and a track recap somewhere inbetween.
Monday - Get up at the butt-crack of dawn again and drive back to Birmingham for work and get ready for the SAMPSYS (Samford version of the ESPY's).
Tuesday - Pass out.

I hope everyone has a great Monday. April 20th is not my favorite day of the year.

The Sky Is Falling...Oh Wait, That's Dollar Bills

This is what happened after my Samford baseball boys beat Alabama last night in extra innings, 14-13! We did a promotion to get fans there; we dropped #1000 cash from a helicopter after the game was over. This is what it looked like.

(Look closely. You may see me holding back a few football players with my evil stare. They cower in fear at that stare. It didn't so much work for the drunken frat boys, but those football players, they fear the 5'3" passive-aggressive monster that is "Assistant Sports Information Director Katie". They know that I hold their future in their hands. Stats and all.)

Talking Donkeys

If you think the Old Testament is boring and just full of irrelevant facts, just go with me here.

I've never seen my pastor almost pass out from laughing so hard until this Sunday. We were studying Hebrews 1: 1-4 and one of the points was how God uses many different avenues to speak to his people. Today, he mostly uses Christ and the body of Christ. Back in the day, he used burning bushes and talking donkeys.

Then he took us to Numbers 22:21-31 which says:

²¹ Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab. ²² But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the LORD stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. ²³ When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat her to get her back on the road.

²⁴ Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path between two vineyards, with walls on both sides. ²⁵ When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam's foot against it. So he beat her again.

²⁶ Then the angel of the LORD moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. ²⁷ When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat her with his staff. ²⁸ Then the LORD opened the donkey's mouth, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?"

²⁹ Balaam answered the donkey, "You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now."

³⁰ The donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?"
"No," he said.

³¹ Then the LORD opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.

If you didn't find the hilarity in that, please click here and see how my pastor interprets it.

Let it load and then go about one-fifth through the video. He starts talking about Numbers. And then he loses it.

Great stuff.

Waking The Dead

Y'all, waking up for me in the morning is getting worse and worse by the day.

I remember when I was younger, my mom would spend countless minutes trying to get me to wake up in the morning. When she finally found something to threaten me with ("No Gameboy for a week if you don't get out of bed right now, Missy!"), I'd drag my hiney out of the bed and go eat breakfast.

BUT, as soon as I was done eating I would go curl up on the floor in my room, or on my completely made up bed, and "nap" for about 10-15 more minutes.

And I would always get in trouble for it.

I wouldn't really say that I was a trouble-maker by any means, except for my relentless hatred of getting up in the morning.

People keep telling me that I will grow out of it. Someone once told me that once you hit 25, you will never sleep past 7 or 8 a.m. no matter what time you go to sleep the night before.

Well, folks, I'm 25. And, no kidding, I could sleep for 12 hours straight, no matter what time I went to sleep the night before.

Lately, it seems as though my body has decided to revolt against me and go into a comatose state at night, causing me to snooze for an hour and half every morning, all the while cursing myself when I wake up two hours later than I had planned.

I use two (count 'em, two) alarm clocks. They are both set for an hour before I am supposed to wake up. Yet, I snooze. I snooze for TWO HOURS!

(At this point, I want to apologize to anyone who has ever had to share a room, wall, apartment or house with me because I know and have always known how annoying this is. It is a disease. I need help.)

It's like an outer-body experience. I know that I'm doing it, yet I don't.

I feel kind of like the Apostle Paul right now. "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do."

And I do. I hate this thing about me, but no matter how hard I try, and how hard a pray, and whatever, my body refuses to wake up earlier than 8 a.m. It's ludicrous.

Ludacris. He's actually appeared in some of my dreams.

Oh, Hollie says "Hi."

Everyone together, "Hi Hollie."

Things I've Thought In the Last Five Minutes

I really need a window in my office.

Lunch was good today.

I drank way too much sweet tea at lunch.

There were a few moments at lunch when I thought I was going to spew my drink onto the table because of funny things. I'm glad I was able to retain my dignity.

141 points is a lot of points.

I can't believe he said "Girls are satan."

Must've been a rough break-up.

I really need a window in my office.

Someone please tell me why the baseball team is practicing when there's a yellowish tint outside that only leads to thunderstorms and tornadoes.

Oh, hello Mr. Tornado.

I really need a window in my office.

Why is it taking so much motivation to write just ONE paragraph?

Going to lunch a 11 a.m. only makes the day seem longer.

I wonder if I could teach a class in Samford's new Sports Admin major.

What the heck is going on next door?

Um, Vaughan? Are you still alive?

I really, really need a window in my office.

The TV just ain't cutting it today.

Peanut.

Pe-nit.

Peanuuuut, peanut butter, jelly.