Christmas in Bama

Well, I could not have picked a better day to fly out... The weather was downright miserable. The rain came down by the truckloads. I was only technically delayed 15 mins but we did not take off until an hour after the original departure time. The crowd at the airport was not bad and BWI did a good job of keeping the lines moving. Once we got up above the clouds it was smooth sailing and sunshine. Even the descent into ATL was good. The only turbulence was at the baggage claim. Somehow the airport lost our entire planes luggage. They kept telling us it was at the airport but they were trying to track down exactly where it was. They eventually found it and from the amount of water in/on my suitcase it led me to guess it sat out on the tarmat for quite some time. Nothing like having to put your clothes in the dryer when you get home. Which we were very lucky to make it home. The roads were so flooded I think we slid home. We got behind a fire truck with its lights on and going very slow. He was looking for a car that had slid off the road and landed in the woods. The police were trying to find the car but they got stuck in the mud. It was a mess. I wasn't home long before my allergies started acting up. They were bothering me in Huntsville last week but I figured it was from the cats or fragrances at the friends house we were staying at. But after being in Valley for hours I knew it had to be from something in the south that we do not have in MD. Even got a bad nose bleed from it on Monday. Had to go stock up on Benadryl to get me through the week. For moms birthday dad had to work. So mom and I drove to Auburn to do some shopping. I got a few Auburn shirts at Tiger Rags and J&M. They were blown out from all the Christmas shoppers. It was sad seeing an empty Toomers Corner. I can't wait for the University to fill it back in. When we got home I "strongly suggested" that Dad make some M&M cookies for me. What a great dad to work a full day then come home and slave in the kitchen making his only daughter's favorite Christmas treat. I have the recipe but they come out horribly wrong each time I attempt to make them. I guess practice will eventually make perfect. Christmas Eve was very nice. We did lunch at my dad's brothers house with his side of the family. It was loud with four little ones running around. The star toy, post-its! Who would have thought the accordion, slinky like papers found on a desk would have caused so much commotion. Christmas day was nice and relaxing. We hung out in our pj's all day until we had to get ready to go to my Mom's brother's house for dinner. This year I made my Grandmother's dressing for everyone. I think it was a success. I also got a new recipe from my Aunt Maria for "Crack potatoes" (seriously, that is what they are called. Google it.). I am going to make them for Doug on New Years Day. I also got to meet her puppy Copper. After a small piece of turkey we became best friends. I had so much fun playing with him as I was missing my little furry baby. It also made me want a new puppy really badly. The hunt for Auburn's sister is officially on. Even have a name for her thanks to my cousin Jordan. The day after Christmas we had a Lashley (Dad's Mom side of the family) reunion. It was great seeing my great Uncles and Aunts. We had one who could not make it (and was greatly missed!) but we had a good crowd. Of course, there was a lot of Auburn football talk! Seems like a lot of Alabama fans are pulling for the state of Alabama and the SEC to win again. See, SEC pride trumps the biggest rivalry in college football. The flight back was smooth. No lines at the airport, no delays, smooth flight, and had baggage when I got to BWI. :)The trip seemed to fly by and I really enjoyed being back home with the family. But it is nice being back home. It really feels like I have not been here and had a normal week in quite some time. Next week will not quite get back to normal but we are crossing our fingers for the next week. I will try to post pics from last week's trip soon. Our neighbor and good friend, Ryan, not only got Doug a Christmas gift, he also got me and Auburn something too. Even his parents (who we have never met) got us a Christmas gift! I am so thankful we have him as a friend. They always say you find out who people really are and who your true friends are when times are hard. Well, these are some damn good people and I am honored to call them my friends. And next year I am sending Ryan shopping with Doug for my presets. He did a great job and didn't even ask what I wanted. Impressive! This Christmas season was a crazy one but I am very thankful for the best job and husband in the world for giving me the time to spend with my family back home. I missed Doug and Auburn like crazy last week but was so grateful Doug and I got the time to spend with his family the week before that. Hopefully next year we will be able to enjoy the season more and all be together. Now, lets get ready for the new year! Bring it on 2014!

Christmas Card 2013

Christmas card 2013

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Alta Jenice Scott Nunley

Born November 11 1937
Died December 12 2013

http://rogersvillefh.com/?siteid=169&menuitem=2348&action=1&value=12&obituaries_action=2&obituaryid=154224

From Heather's Kitchen

Lately I have been really enjoying this new recipe I found on Kraft's website. It's called a Caesar Parmesan Pork Chop Pasta Skillet. It's really yummy, easy to make, and (if you buy light Caesar dressing and Parmesan cheese), not that unhealthy. Of course, I make it with the good, fattening stuff. :) The recipe calls for bone in pork chops and garlic, minced. I opt for bone out pork chops and garlic salt. I also apply multiple layers of Parmesan and Caesar dressing while cooking. Makes it yummier... and less healthy...

Hope you enjoy!



http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/caesar-pork-chops-pasta-123052.aspx

Just a few more favorites from the Iron Bowl...

Fireworks after Fireworks!

The best part about this picture, the handwritten notes fans left for him.
(For those not in the know, Auburn's head coach, Gus Malzhan, goes to Waffle House with his family after every home game. So after the Iron Bowl the employees made sure he had a table ready for him when he got there.)

Campus after fans celebrated the night away. This is getting framed :)

Kick Bama Kick

Still in shock of how we won last night but not in shock of us winning. I believed we could win and so did all my Auburn family. I am so proud to be an Auburn Tiger! From the bad, to the ugly, and back I BELIEVE in my Auburn family, my alma mater, and the spirit of Auburn. Going to Auburn was the best decision I ever made (besides Doug of course). I was born in a Crimson family but was Baptized in Orange and Blue. It was in my blood before I knew it was there. Winning brings tears to my eyes but seeing fans celebrate together is the real tearjerker. To see that love for a University shared by so many, that is what separates College football from NFL. And, what separates SEC from all other conferences.

I stuck to my superstitious acts this week. I watched from the couch in my house, had someone there to watch the "big plays" and tell me what happens, and I believed from the start that we could win. I kept screaming at the tv/players to play like they could win because me and thousands of others knew they could. I knew the second was coming back on the clock. I knew we were going into OT and silently wished I had made that drink during halftime... For the last play (the missed FG & 100+ yard return) I was in my bedroom, in the dark, with my ears covered, and prayers in my thoughts (as I superstitiously do for all big plays). I prayed to miss the field goal and go to OT unless they could block it and somehow figure out a way to score. I uncovered my ears and came back in the room when Doug & Ryan told me they missed the field goal and Auburn was trying to run it back. I, honest to God, never thought in a million years we would run it all the way back and win. Even after it was over I kept waiting for the refs to call it back, saying it wasn't legal or there was a flag. It took a few for it to sink in, We Won.... No OT needed, just another miracle on the plains.

I think we had a lot of people "upstairs" watching that game and helping us out. I asked one Bama fan in particular to not help her team out this year. I think she heard my prayer. Especially since I was asking for her to not help the balls Bama kicked go through the goal posts... :) She is a huge Bama fan so I know it was very hard for her not to help. But I think she wanted to see me happy and boy was I ever!

Doug's mom, his boss, and a few friends of mine were texting me to make sure I was ok. I was shaking (not sure from nerves, anger (from bad plays), or excitement), had that nauseous feeling in my tummy, and the feeling of dread (for OT) when there was 1 sec left on the clock. When there was no time left on the clock, I was.... well, shaking, nauseous, and excited. Ha! But it was mixed with overwhelming happiness.

Although there are thousands of videos and pictures on every website, newspaper, or tv, I wanted to post some of my favorites from yesterday. That way I can always look back at this post and remember the "Second Miracle on the Plains".

The day started with College Gameday live from Auburn. They all picked Bama to win but one. Great pick Charles Barkley!!

The students lined up early to get their seats and the University provided hundreds of orange pom-poms. 

Aubie had it right!

The game was great and ended with a bang! Saban insisted on 1 second being put back on the clock so they could try a field goal. 

The clock went to 0....

And they stormed the field!

They celebrated in song, 

They celebrated at the corner!

What a game! War Damn Eagle!!!

Turkey Day

This year it was just Doug and I on turkey day. Doug's parents are in Alabama with his grandparents. His grandmother had hip surgery and then a heart attack so she had to have emergency open heart surgery. She is slowly getting better but Doug's parents will be in Alabama for awhile. Doug is leaving Tuesday to go visit. He couldn't get off before and during Thanksgiving so he had to wait.

Since it was just Doug and I, we opted for turkey a la Boston Market.

It was very tasty! And easy cleanup! I did make chicken casserole with green bean and corn casserole for dinner so I did not get completely out of cooking. And my cousin has already signed me up for making dressing when I go home for Christmas. So excited to do some cooking with my Mommy.

Of course Doug was working his wacky retail schedule all week. You would think someone who was sleep deprived and overworked would come straight home and go to bed. Nope, not my husband. He is dedicated. Say hello to his new toy, purchased on Black Friday...



The picture really does not do the size justice. It's huge! 55" in our small living room, I feel like I am on the sidelines of the football games. Ha! Will definitely take some getting use to. But Doug is happy and I don't have to figure out what to get him for Christmas. :)

Hope you had a great Turkey Day! Ours was quite but spent with the person we love!

I lied...

So after I wrote the previous blog I looked at the pictures on my phone. I totally forgot about us going to play putt putt last weekend with Ryan and Sarah. We were suppose to go after lunch when it was nice and sunny but we ran errands/shopped and waited until it was cold, windy, overcast, and sprinkling. We had fun but I was very happy to get back in the car where there was heat!

It was game day so we had on our orange and blue!

Taking notes from the pro!

This picture sums up Sarah's game and score. :(

Not taking notes from Alabama Man...

Doug had the lowest score however he missed 3 or 4 holes due to a phone call. So the average he got on those holes does not accurately reflect what he may have done. So we disqualified him. Ryan was 1 below him but since he was the one who gave Doug the average on the missed holes, I disqualified him. I was 1 below Ryan so I WON!
(Good thing this is my blog and they can't argue my logic. :) )

Just words

I don't have any pictures to post for this blog. Just words to type. It's been awhile since I chatted with you and we haven't been doing much to take pictures of. Friday nights are dinner and drinks (low key) with Ryan and Sarah, Saturdays are maybe a little errand running but mostly football, and Sundays are lazy days. Auburn had to go and be good this year so now I can't miss any games. 

Side Note - I think I have talked before about my superstition when it comes to football. So far I have only not watched 1 Auburn game from my couch, the LSU game. (Thought it would be better to watch it at Ryan's on his gigantic TV.) And we all see how well that went. So, Saturdays during the game I am at my house on my couch with my TV. Like the Bud Light commercial says... It's only weird if it doesn't work.

We have started hibernating some with the cool weather we are having. This fall has been cool and beautiful. Last year Sandy took all our leaves. This year the colors have been so vibrant and the trees are full. Wish I had some pictures to share. These are not my pictures (not really sure where they were taken at) but this is the best I could find that could capture what I get to see everyday. 

The red's and yellow's are really that red and yellow. And yes, we have trees up here. 

Another reason we have stayed home more lately can be summed up in one word... Ghosts. For those of you who do not have husbands or family members that play video games, this is the new Call of Duty game that came out. Doug must play non stop in order to rank up to get cool shit to kill people with.... yeah... dork! So I watch football or go shopping. :)

Doug and Ryan just reserved a garage to share. For cars, nope. For man cave stuff, yep. I think they have turned into 5 year olds or watched Step Brothers one too many times. I would not be surprised if I walked in there to see bunk beds, a drum set, and seasons of cops. So far they have bought a buffer thing to wax the cars with. I was 100% fine with that purchase as my car needs a good waxing. :) I will have to post pics of them freezing their behinds off in the "Man Cave". Ha!

I have been really busy at work. Loving my job and working hard for the money. I finally ran into an Auburn co-worker. He is not usually in my building but was over working on a project for the past few weeks. I saw the Auburn tag and tire cover and hoped I would get to meet them. Even my co-workers were asking me if I saw the car or knew who drove it. One day, I happened to be talking about Auburn football when he walked by. There are a group of people trying to start a Maryland club. I want to go to a game watching party but, you know, the whole superstition thing keeps me at home. Maybe if they have an event in the off season... :)

So that is about it for the Nunley's. Maybe we will start living more exciting lives after the holiday season is over (Best Buy is the death of our time together during this time of the year). Until then, I will leave you with a precious picture of the cutest puppy in the whole wide world...

Another trip to the Renaissance Festival

Last weekend we went back to the Renaissance festival. It was the last weekend of the festival and it was packed! This time we brought along some friends to eat and drink the afternoon away. Of course we left in time to get home and watch my Auburn Tigers kick some Aggie behind! Yes, it was a great day!

Happy Birthday Sarah!

Friday night we celebrated Sarah's ?? Birthday! (A lady never tells the age of another lady :) ) We had hibachi for dinner and drinks for dessert!

Happy Birthday Sarah! Hope you had a great birthday weekend! And I still have your card in my purse... Oops!

Apple Pickin'

Growing up in the South, I am use to growing our own produce or going to a local farm to pick it myself. When I was little my Dad's parents always had a full garden that I got to help tend. We had a little bit of everything so when my grandmother cooked it was always fresh veggies and fruit. Between that garden and my Mom keeping fruit and veggies in the fridge instead of junk food, I have grown up to love the healthy options over the junk. Now don't get me wrong, I do go down that road every once in awhile but its not very often. I have a weakness for carbs and cheesecake.
Even my elementary school field trips were to you-pick-it farms. I remember going to ones that had fruit I did not eat at the time so I would pick for my grandparents and parents. This is one thing I would go back and tell my younger self, "Eat the damn fruit/veggies! They are freaking amazing!" To this day my Grandfather goes and picks peaches, strawberries, figs, and other fruits to jar or make something yummy (he has a big sweet tooth so it is usually a pie or ice cream).
So I guess this is one reason why I feel at home here in Maryland. They have Farmer's markets everywhere all summer/fall long and almost all of the local farms offer you-pick-it. There is even a whole website dedicated to providing the farm names and what is in season.
http://www.pickyourown.org/MD.htm
I have been dying to go since we moved up here (really wanted to hit up strawberry season) and we finally got the chance to go. It's apple season, which is my favorite, and pumpkin season so we loaded up and went to do a little pickin'. Our friends, Ryan and Sarah, came along with and we had a great time. It was 90 degrees outside, which was not fally at all, but we did not let that discourage our fun. The farm was having a fall festival with lots of activities for the kids. The best part, hayrides to the orchards and pumpkin patches for a $1 each!! The apples are amazing and so is the fudge, pie, and many other goodies we purchased at the market on the farm! I hope we get to go back soon!

Pictures from the AL/GA trip

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It's Fall Yall!

Last Saturday we kicked off Fall with a trip to the Renaissance Festival. The weather could not have been more perfect for a day outside. Unfortunately everyone else thought the same thing. They were packed! It took us an hour to get there with all the traffic. I wanted a funnel cake but the line was 30+ people deep. We plan on going again late October. Hopefully the crowd will be less because if it is not we will spend the entire day standing in line for food & beer. I mean, that is more than half the reason you go to these things. Turkey legs, funnel cakes, fried anything you can think of, and cheesecake on a stick (said like Jeff Dunham...)! Thank goodness you are walking the entire time or I would be in BIG trouble. :)

Ok, these three people were a balancing/juggling act. When they first walked out I was like, "Damn, she is cut! I want her abs!" The after they started performing I realized why. They were holding each other up and using every inch of muscle in their bodies. Maybe they can start a trend in the fitness market. I would take that class if my abs could look like hers!

I am Happy!

So Friday we returned from our trip to Huntsville, Valley, and Augusta (pictures coming soon). We enjoyed the trip and time spent with family but we learned a really big lesson. Our home is now Maryland. As I sit here by the open window in my living room, with NFL football on, there is a cool breeze coming through and a smile on my face. 3 years ago, when we first considered moving up here, I would never have believed you if you told me we would absolutely love it up here. But we do. I love the south and will always be a southern girl but Maryland has been a great fit for us. I had a pro/con list that leaned towards con but living here for over two years has really changed my mind. I just didn't realize it until our trip. Yeah, it was hard at first being in a new place far away from all our family and friends. Then with Doug working the yucky retail hours I was home by myself a lot. But now his schedule gets him home every day by 3 and he has every Friday and Saturday off so we see each other more than ever. Our first trip home last year, I was sad. I still had a soft place for our home, our old hang outs, and the area in general. This time, I did not. Walking through our house, I remembered the good times we had there but realized we had outgrown it. We are in a different place in our lives now. I wondered what we would be like if we would have stayed there. I knew we would not have been happy and we were exactly where we are suppose to be. It's hard to describe the feeling and when I told people we would probably not move back anytime soon they did not understand. It's hard to put in words what it feels like to be home. Here, we feel we are home.

The reasons we love Maryland are endless but in short it is because the area offers so much to do, we both have jobs we like and get paid more than any previous job, we have made great friends, the weather is so nice, and we have a nice, quite life here together. There will always be things I miss about the south (the food, Auburn and SEC country, and the beaches) but we have adapted and have come to appreciate things like crabs, NFL, and the bay. I know we are in an apartment and don't own a big house but I LOVE our apartment. It is a perfect size for us, close to friends and Doug's parents, in a great neighborhood that is safe, and close to our jobs. The active community has helped me focus more on my health and has me working out more than ever before. Everyone, for the most part, in nice and we have had no bad experiences. Doug and I are always moving forward, wanting the best that life has to offer. We work hard and are willing to make sacrifices to achieve our goals. Being here has helped us get closer to those goals and become happier than we have ever been.

I have raved about my job in the past and nothing has changed. Yes, we all have our bad days. There are things we don't agree with or people we don't see eye to eye with. But I would take what I have now over my old job in a heart beat. I really think my last job was something I had to go through to appreciate every job I have after that. I can't wait to go into work everyday. I find my job rewarding and challenging. I also feel appreciated and rewarded for the hard work I do. I feel successful and on path for my career goals.

Auburn's allergies have not really gotten any better but I really think she loves it up here. She goes on walks with me a lot, she has made many friends and sees them often, and has really calmed down since we have been up here. She was excited to see her friends last week but she was thrilled to be back home. I also believe that us liking it up here so much has helped her adjust and love it up here as well. Her quirks may make it seem like she is spoiled or "special" but in reality, we all are a little quirky. Some things she can't help, like her allergies and all the special food she has to have, and others are her preferences, like watching TV on the couch with her pillow and blanket, but we don't judge her for them. We love her more for them.

Doug and I are homebodies and we spend a lot of time together but we would not have it any other way. We enjoy our quite time together and our fun nights out with friends. I feel we are the same as we were in GA but maybe more appreciative of the time we have together thanks to the almost two years of working weekends and getting off late. We are each other's best friends and we support each other in everything we do. We have fun everyday. We laugh, we argue, we aggravate the mess out of each other. :) But it's fun and has been the best 10 years of my life. I thank him for everything he has done for me and for being there for me no matter what. He has made me happy. Auburn has made me happy. And Maryland has made me happy.

A Friday Night Tradition

I think we may be starting a new Friday tradition!
(please note these pics are a week old)

Yahtzee!