AUBURN Family

We are an Auburn Family. No doubt about it. Moms, Dads, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephew - ALL of us are ALL IN.

I'd like to enter the following into evidence...

Oh, and if you need any insurance...

WAR EAGLE!!

Countdown

My friend's birthday was on Sunday, and for some reason over the years (and I've never told her this), it has signified the point in the Summer when I just can't take it anymore. The countdown is on!! AUBURN FOOTBALL will commence in 46 days!!!!

Let's review, shall we?

And, by the way, WE COMIN'...BACK!

WAR EAGLE!!!

Heavy Heart

I've been toiling over this blog post since last week. I don't really know how to put into words, the things that I want to say. I've been fairly lucky I suppose. I've never lost a parent, brother, sister, or best friend to cancer, but typing those words just now makes the superstitious side of me break out into a cold sweat as if I've just alerted the monster that there is a tiny little spot of humanity that he hasn't attacked...and it is tiny. My brother can't say the same thing. He lost his best friend just a few weeks ago. Dude can't say that either. His mom was taken from this earth 5 years before I met him, and it makes me furious that I will never know the woman that raised the man who means everything in this world to me. 

I know that what I'm feeling right now is certainly not unique, but since hearing the news last week that another shining light (I don't know how else to describe her) has been extinguished, I can't stop thinking about it.

My heart just aches for 

• Every child that has to grow up without the warm embrace of his mother or father.
• Every parent who won't see their child graduate from high school, get married, or have babies of their own.
• Every sister and brother who will live the rest of their lives feeling incomplete.
• Every husband who will have to learn way more than he ever wanted to about baby dolls, hair bows, make-up, and bras, because there is no one else to lean on as their little girls are growing up.
• Every wife who musters the strength to carry her family through the darkest days they will ever know.
• Every friend who wishes they had just one more day, just one more chance, to share a laugh and say I love you.

I wish I could have one more minute with each of these precious souls to tell them how their existence has impacted my life either directly or by impacting the life of someone so special to me that I thank God for them everyday even though we never met. But I suppose that's selfish, isn't it? Their suffering is over, and I'm thankful for that too.

Green thumb?

I've never been much of a gardener. My mom and my stepmother are both great at it and have, at various points in their tenure, had beautiful gardens as any self-respecting Southern Belle would have. I've always been an apartment/condo dweller, so now that I have a front AND back yard, I figure it is time to give this whole "playing in the dirt" thing a try.

Lucky for me, the previous owners of our house have given me a lot work with! The backyard is great and already has some beautiful things growing in it. Mind you, I had no idea what any of it was, so I took to asking anyone (neighbors, visitors, etc) within view of our yard, "What's that?...And that?...How 'bout that?" We had some friends over several weeks ago and to my delight she identified hostas, hydrangeas, and some double-knockout roses (that still had the little tag on them, so those were pretty easy). Great start, right?? 

There are a lot more plants in our backyard that I can't name just yet, but I've got a little fire in my belly for this whole effort and I've been excited to add my own touches to it. After discussing this with Dude, we decided it was time to try our hand at doing a little planting. Off to the big box store we went! In hindsight, we probably should've started at an actual nursery that could provide the necessary hand-holding for our rookie selves, but we opted for convenience. The whole "stick with what you know" philosophy came into play, which is difficult when what you know is VERY little. We decided we wanted:

• Something with flowers
• Something that would come back each year (that's what perrenial means! Who knew?? Well, you probably did, but I didn't.)
• Something that could withstand a mix of sun and shade
• Something that would be relatively low maintenance

Given these specifications, we came home with a Gardenia (in memory of our sweet Maddy), a Hosta, and 3 Shasta Daisy plants (the friendliest flower, don't you think?). I was so excited...and maybe a little intimidated. So intimidated, in fact, that the plants sat outside in their pots for a couple of days staring sadly up at me waiting for me to put them to bed. Not sure why digging holes in the dirt made me nervous, but it did. With the help of Dude, though, we nestled them into their rightful home which was front and center in the most visible spot of the backyard.

Dude watered our new little babies almost everyday. Unfortunately so did Foster. Our hosta and gardenia are still hanging in there, but sadly the daisies met their unfortunate demise due to over-peeing. At least, that's what I'm declaring as the cause of death.


Not to be defeated, back to the garden center I went! I brought home four more new babies, and this time we adopted 2 yellow cannas and 2 purple cornflowers. I have high hopes for these lil' fellas, so I will keep you posted on their progress!


I'd love any other suggestions you might have for a remedial gardener such as myself.

• What are your favorite things to plant in your yard or garden?
• How do you keep them alive?
• What tips and tricks do you have?

SPILL IT!