XYZ...I'm done!

This alphabet game things was more work than I thought it would be. I'm a little bored with it and would like to get back to blogging about more important random things like my favorite foods and who got married this weekend.

So, I'm wrapping it up because saying...XYZ! I'm out!

W!!

Ok, so it's taken me way longer than I expected to get through the whole alphabet, but my life has been mad crazy and all I've wanted to do with my free time is eat, sleep or sit still. So, needless to say, I haven't really felt like blogging lately.

So, I guess my next letter is W, which should, no doubt, stand for Wheel of Fortune. I'm obsessed with this show. I'm way too good at it for my own good. I solved a bonus puzzle the other day with just two letters up there. I've also been know to do the same thing with the big puzzle. I don't know what it is; I just can see the letters up there or something.

I will be on that show one day. I've applied several times and am still waiting for the call. I think the crew was in Birmingham sometime recently but I missed the audition because nobody advertised it like they should have.

Oh, well I'll get my chance one day.

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...

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.

J

Jelly Bellies. 'Nough said.

Also, I have to said J is for Jesus too. Of course, Jesus is the reason I'm here at all but I just have to give a shout out because He has watched over my family during the past few weeks and walked before us in everything. His protection has been amazing and his grace and mercy and peace has been even better. Thank you God for holding the whole world in your hands and for controlling everything so I don't have to.

I is for IDOL!

American Idol! So I just finished watching the girls' competition and I thought that I would just weigh in on what my opinion is on the contestants so far this season.

My fav girls so far are...

Carly Smithson - Her talent is effortless. She has an amazing voice and doesn't try to be something she's not or doesn't try to go over the top to prove who she is. She's incredible! 'Nough said.

Brooke White - So cute! I love her! I have since her audition. Her talent is also effortless and there is just something about her that make you just love her. She's the good girl and doesn't mind letting people know that. I think she's humble and has her feet planted on firm ground. She reminds me alot of Sheryl Crow. I love Sheryl Crow -- minus the whole toilet paper thing.

I have several favorite guys and they are...

The Davids:

David Archuleta - He had talent and maturity beyond his years. His version of Imagine on Tuesday night was one of the best versions of that song I have ever heard. I love that song! He's only 17 and I think he will be in the finals, from what I've seen already.

David Cook - He's easy on the eyes. I have to admit that I didn't really take notice of him until this week. His performance Tuesday night rocked the house and it was one of the best of the night. Did I mention he's easy on the eyes?

David Hernandez - He's cute too and it's kind of the same story as David Cook. I didn't really take notice of him until this week. He has an amazing voice, very soulful. He rocked too!

Michael Johns - He's Australian. I just want him to stay so I can listen to him talk. He's got a good voice too. (His pic wouldn't upload...sad.)

Ok...now my not-so-favs:

Let's start with...

Danny Noriega - He's so annoying. I don't know what it is but he annoys me to know end. He can really sing but he's got too much attitude. He reminds me of someone who annoyed me the same way in high school.

Amanda Overmyer - Speaking of annoying...she's way over the top. I think she's got legit talent but tonight's performance was H-O-R-R-I-B-L-E. Bad. Bad. Bad. Really bad. It crossed the line with me and she's got to go. I'm officially annoyed.

Alaina Whitaker - I like her. I really do. But...she's too much of a Carrie Underwood look-a-like. Whenever she is on, I feel like I'm watching Season 4 again. She's legit though. She's got talent and she'll be making records after this. Country, no doubt. (Google didn't love her enough to have a decent picture.)

Back to Life

Well, hello blog readership of two. Katie is back in action. I've been away from my speedy internet and forced to use dial-up for the past six days due to my special trip to Jackson this weekend. The Walden family had a slight crisis to take care of that somewhat haulted life for a bit, but after many prayers, a lot of communication and some great professionals in the medical field, our world is spinning again and things seem to be calming down a bit.

So...I guess I need to pick the Alphabet Game back up. I hate that I broke the rules and didn't post for about six days but I think there's probably an exception in this case.

I think my next letter was "I", so I is for iPod (for lack of a better idea)....

I have an iPod Nano (1G I think, not nearly big enough for me) and I carry it everywhere I go. This was the greatest thing ever for me because of all the CDs I have, I only like to listen to certain ones. So, before the iPod, I would just make CDs of certain songs that I wanted to listen to so that on road trips I wouldn't have to keep changing CDs. It's been great for road trips as well because it drowns out yelling and snoring and crazy noises on buses. So here's to you Apple Computers, creator of the iPod, you've made my life complete. Except maybe I'd like an iPhone next...if I can manage not to drop it every 20 minutes.

G and H

Believe it or not, I had a hard time coming up with something for the letter "G". That's why I didn't post yesterday because I was at an absolute loss of what to post about. I mean I could've done the easy thing and posted about God but I've done that many times lately. What am I saying? You can never post enough about God.

Anyway, as I was sitting at my desk this morning it hit me. Gummi Bears. Haribo Gummi Bears to be exact. These are the best GB's ever made. Trust me. I have a friend who research it and did a project on it in college. It's a proven facts. I love GB's to start with but they are even better in TCBY yogart. Yummy! They get cold and then when they hit your tongue they start to melt and get chewy. Yum! Yum! So today, G is for gummi bears!

H is for Honduras. I've been back from my week trip to Honduras since mid-June but not a day goes by when I don't think about going back. I still keep in touch with one of the young girls that helped us everyday and translated for us. We keep in touch through Facebook, no less. Funny, huh? She is 12 years old and a stud Christian already. Her name is Ariana and she is awesome.

I had to post a picture of the Bandera de Hondura (Honduras Flag), though, because I can't see it or talk about it without thinking of my buddy, Julio, who taught me what the flag looked like, and with the help of Archie (our videographer), what the colors and stars meant. Julio was such a precious soul and I wish I could've brought him back with me. He was so patient with the language barrier and wanted to teach me a new Spanish word and learn a new English word everytime I turned around. He was such a picture of Jesus to me and I will never forget his sweet face.

F is for family...

Of course! And oh how much I miss them! I'm so excited about getting to go home this weekend and spend some quality time with the whole fam. I miss my sweet nephew like crazy and as always I miss hanging out with dad and talking my mom into buying things, talking sports with bro-in-law Ross and making my sister laugh.

E is for eating and exercising...

Something I need to a little less of and another thing I need to do a little more of -- in that order.

I eat way too much and I don't eat very healthy. With my job, by the time I get home, most of the time, it's late and I'm hungry but I don't feel like cooking so I just go by and get something -- most of the time from Sonic or Krystal's or Milo's, all three not so healthy.

I also have free access to a great gym and indoor pool at work but I often say that I've been at work all day and all I want to do is go home and rest. However, the inner tube around my belly isn't getting any smaller so I better suck it up and go to the gym if I want to look presentable in a swimsuit this year.

D is for DOG

My sweet Randi! I miss him so. At least I get to see him this weekend.

Poor pup! The holidays just took everything out of him.

C is for....

COOKIE CAKE!
I L-O-V-E cookie cake. Ask anyone. This is what I want for any celebration of anything in my life - birthday, anniversary, holiday, good week, bad week. It doesn't matter. Cookie cake always seals the deal. If you want to win points with me, go by me a cookie cake with just the right amount of icing and I will love you forever.

I don't really know why I like it so much but ever since I was little and my grandmother could no longer bake my birthday cakes, I've asked for cookie cake and sour worms for every single one of my birthdays. I could can for nothing else more. It makes me smile, just like the picture shows. I'm in heaven when I have cookie cake in my hands. So....

C is for COOKIE CAKE!

"B" is for ball...

Football, basketball, baseball, volleyball...I guess you get the point. Today's letter is about sports. I know I kind of cheated and didn't really use a picture of something but I should get some points for using a picture of the actual letter, right? I love sports and have decided to pretty much dedicate my life to it. I work in sports and plan to keep it that way for the rest of life, in whatever aspect God decides to take me.

I work in sports information right now so my whole day is consumed with anything to do with sports - from publishing stories on a website to conducting interviews to conversing with coaches about certain things to writing and laying out programs and media guides.

I don't know if this is exactly what I want to do with the rest of my life but it's a good start for now. I've recently felt God tugging me in a different direction towards sports ministry. I would love to eventually run my own sports ministry either independently or through a church. I just feel like I have way more to give than I'm giving now. However, a girl's got to get her feet on the ground before I can start running with it. I'm pretty excited about the direction God is taking me and the people and the opportunities that he has placed before me. I can't wait to see what God will do through me and with his plans for me. I just have to stay focused and determined.

Global Warming and ABCs

It's snowing in Birmingham...again. It was 70 degrees yesterday, it rained like the dickens at my house all last night and I wake up to snow this morning. Chalk another one up to crazy weather in the south. I'm sure this has something to do with global warming which seems to be the excuse for everything these days. 70 degrees one day, 20 the next. Global warming. The polar bears are going extinct. Global warming. I have a headache. Global warming. Jamie Lynn Spears is pregnant. Global war -- sorry, I was on a roll.

On another note, I decided to take part in the Alphabet that many of my fellow bloggers have been doing lately. Like LT, most of my pictures will probably be googled but I think that's what makes it more fun because you can blog about randomness.

So, let's start from the very beginning (A), because it's a very good place to start (that's a little The Sound of Music tribute, if you didn't catch it the first time):

"A" is for.....A-Team
I watched this show religiously when I was little. Yes, my parents let me watch this show. It wasn't all Sesame Street and Sunshine Factory for this kid. This show along with ALF and Miami Vice were some of my favs when I was little. I loved watching this show with my dad and we often practiced our Mr. T faces and voices around the house. Mr. T was the coolest (shout out to Laurette).

The theme song was probably the best part. I can remember dancing around the living room striking poses as the song played. This often happened when Miami Vice started as my dad, sister and I had a special move we would do when the flamingoes flashed across the screen.

So, today's letter is a tribute to the A-Team, one of the best shows ever made.