45 Days

45 days. That is all that is standing in my way of complete happiness. It's when my warriors in maroon and various accents of orange and white, take up and challenge the Crimson Tide of Alabama, in what is going to be the biggest college football opener this season. To add sprinkles on top of this sundae of a situation, I will be there, in Atlanta (the "neutral" site) with my roommate and a few friends, basking in the glory of beer, burgers, painted faces and Hokie-Hi. I almost tingle with anticipation.

This brings me to a very important conversation that I held last night with one of my very dear friends, a new Hokie, and my boyfriend, a (gah) Wahoo. We were discussing the recent breach in privacy of my idol, Erin Andrews. What I mean by discussing is, I was telling them this story, assuming they knew exactly who Erin is (shes a gorgeous blonde who spends her time on a football field, what guy wouldn't want to watch her every move?). I was both shocked and appauled when they both looked at me, innocence and the lack of testosterone in their eyes, and asked me who she was. If for some terrible reason, you don't know who Erin is, please see above, this is after a Thursday night thrashing of the Terps in Blacksburg last fall.

I suppose I could excuse the wahoo, after all Erin only works big games, and considering UVa's record over the years, there has been no reason for her to be in Charlottesville. But a fellow Hokie? Now that is something that really hurt my heart. In fact, he will now be spending every Saturday, starting at 10 am (excluding Tech game weekends, of course) sitting on my couch and learning all about what predictions Corso, Herbstreet, and even Chris Fowler, make for the upcoming weekend. He will learn what predictions to trust, and what games are to be chosen to watch, rule of thumb being- whatever game has the most impact on Virginia Tech as a whole, to be followed by ACC games, and the occasional game of historic importance, like Georgia-Florida (although in general, I will be encouraging the distaste of all teams SEC, just on principal), or Army-Navy (which usually is a terrible game, but none the less, important to American history).

I am both disappointed and excited at their lack of College Football knowledge. Disappointed because they are two people I hold in high esteem, and I feel they should be much more well rounded in the sporting category, especially when it comes to something so completely embedded in American culture. Excited, because it just proves that I, a female, can be educator instead of the educatee when it comes to one of my greatest passions. Gender stereotyping... maybe? Regardless, I am just one example that goes to show, don't judge a book by it's cover (something we can all learn from Corey Smith... google it ;) ). Despite my outward semi "southern belle" exterior, lies the heart of a tried and true, down home, voice-losin', face paintin', cheer chantin', football enthusiast.

Can I make it through the next 45 days? We will just have to wait and see :)

Abbrevs and other such things

Abbrevs... that would be the abbreviation, for the word abbreviation. As of the past six months or so, the shortening of common words has become a staple in my vocabulary. This is not entirely because of my initiation into a sorority, however, my lovely Tri Delta's have definitely been an influence. The response of the use of such words has been a mixture. Some find certain abbrevs to be appropriate, while others just think that the notion of using shorthand throughout verbal communication to be proposterous. I personally, have several that I enjoy and use on a regular basis...
Negs-Negative
Obvi- Obvious
Reg(s)-Regular
Fo-For
Whatevs-Whatever
Sitch-Situation
Mabes-Maybe
Boyf- Boyfriend (Girlf may also be used in the same connotation)
Rents- Parents (although I must admit, it is common for me to just refer to my rents as Ed and Bev...)
Perf-Perfect
Fab-Fabulous
...I know there are more, but these are all I can think of that I use on the regs that aren't region related (such as Bburg for Blacksburg or Hpt for Hampton). One you will not see me using is the 80's classic... Totes. Terrrrribbbleee abbrev, thanks Valley Girl. I'd like to think of myself as a moderate abbrevs user, just throwing them in when ness (necessary)... but I am sure others will tell you different. Whatevs, mabes I just have so much to say that it's plausable for me to fit in as many words into one breath as possible, and abbrevs are a great way to do that, haha.

Few little things, non-abbrev related. Sarah... this one was for you :). And Happy Birthday Daddy! Mucho love for all things shortened... its entirely ness to use abbrevs in certain sitches, makes them much more perf, obvi ;)

THANK YOU SOLDIERS

I am a holiday girl. Meaning that I absolutely love any reason to get together with friends and family, and holidays are the perfect excuse. The Fourth of July, in particular, puts together several of my favorite things, friends, time out in the sun on the beach (and the boat today :)!), country music, red, white, and blue and most of all... firecracker popsicles. Ah... perfection. 

Ironically, when I turned on my tv this morning, a show called, "Wedding Day," caught my eye. I flipped to the channel and the reason for showing this particular episode was inherently evident. The premise of the show is two people who plan a wedding for a couple with their family and friends within a week. The couple this week just returned from Iraq, and without a doubt, are an absolutely gorgeous couple with hearts of gold. Instead of a wedding favor, they donated a large amount of money to a fund that supports soldiers who are wounded in duty. This couple is absolutely amazing, and I wish them all the best.

Even though none of my family members have military ties, growing up in the largest military area in the US has given me a particular soft spot for the soldiers and their families. Many of my close friends throughout elementary school, middle school and high school were in military families, and one of my good friends from high school is actually heading off to boot camp today (love you Christine, you are awesome!). As a bonus, I get to spend the day with a man I consider an additional father figure to the marvelous dad I have, and a man who donated much of his life to this country, my Big Papa.

While I will be enjoying the sun beams dancing on my skin and the delicious mixture of a red, white and blue popsicle, my thoughts and prayers will be with those soldiers and their families. THANK YOU for my freedom, it wouldn't be possible without your selfless acts.