I'M A TOOTER

 

Here come the Tubas!

 

I said in an excited voice as we sat waiting on the Alabama - Virginia Tech game to begin.

 

John turned and looked at me with a look that said it all.........

 

He will never understand how excited I get over a band!

 

a little background

 

John and I were high school sweethearts. He played football and I was in the band.

Two organizations that were total opposites!

 

He would say...I am a ball player and you are a tooter!

 

Over our years of marriage John has very graciously accepted my love of a band. He has followed me all over the Alabama campus and all over campuses in other states as I follow the

Million Dollar Band.

 

I can still remember how it felt when the Minor High School Band snapped to

attention as the drums began the cadence that would lead us into

the stands. You could hear the Minor fans roar as they heard the cow bells that the drums included in their cadence. I remember the feeling as we marched down the paved road and made the turn heading toward the football field......we had to stay in line, eyes ahead and keep our mind on just how high your knee went as we marched but you could still see the crowd going wild. Wow....I

would love to do that one more time!

 

So, you see, I get excited when I see the tubas begin to move out of the stands at

Alabama games, I get excited when the band plays on the steps of the Quad and I absolutely love to

follow them as they march into Bryant Denny Stadium and then rush to get in where I can stand and listen to them as they turn toward the stands and play "The Alabama Fight Song"!

 

John will never understand it but he loves me and sweetly indulges me because

 

I WILL ALWAYS BE A TOOTER!

 



Our Labor Day Weekend

 

 

Alabama vs Virginia Tech

 

When I decided that I wanted to go to this game...... all the Alabama tickets had been sold out. Luckily, Brady was looking online

back around April and discovered that Virginia Tech had not sold all their tickets and we were able to order tickets from them.

I was not worried about sitting with a group of Virginia Tech fans. Years ago, John and I went to Nashville to a Music City Bowl where Alabama happened to play Virginia Tech......remember that one....I'll never forget it....not only did we get out butts beat but it rained chunks of ice for half the ball game and.....the country singer that sang The National Anthem butchered it so bad that the whole stadium resang it when he was finished.

 

John and I took a bus from the Opryland Hotel to the game. We only discovered we could do this as John was asking for help in where to park. So......we took the bus......us and a bus load of Virginia Tech fans. Wow......were they nice folks. We got really tickled when they asked why we didn't have warmer University of Alabama clothes.....we told them we didn't usually need them!

 

I never....never leave an Alabama game until it is over. So, John and I sat in the sleeting rain watching the clock tick down. As we boarded the bus to go back to the Opryland Hotel the Virginia Tech fans were gracious and not mad at us because they had all sat on the bus since half time waiting on us......I mean....they were winning and it was sleeting and freezing.

 

Soooo......I was kind of looking forward to sitting with them. Hoping at the end of the game I would be able to be a gracious winner to them.

 

Nope........it didn't happen.....this Virginia Tech section had only two fans sitting in it. They did have

a good size group of fans but not in our section.

 

Anyway, we enjoyed the game......but we've got a lot of work to do!

 

ROLL TIDE.....anyway

 

The Chick Fil A Band....too funny

Really got tired of hearing.....Who is going to wear "The Old Leather Helmet?"

 

We stayed in a great spot. Our hotel was within walking distance of the Marta.

We rode it over to the game with no trouble.

But......oh my, this claustrophobic woman wasn't about to get in the middle of this

surge of people trying to get on the Marta to get back to their hotels. I was looking down at all the people and a policeman

walked up beside me, looked down, and informed me that in all his years of working

for Marta he had never seen that many people trying to get on a train!

We waited and waited and finally, I felt like it was okay.......wrong.

But I made it......a major accomplishment for me!



 

 

Cataloochee Valley

 

This time last year I was packing our bags for our Yellowstone trip to experience

the elk rut. John and I were talking and wishing we were going back when it dawned on us that we had Monday free.....so, we decided to leave from Atlanta, early Sunday morning, head to Helen, and then head over to Cataloochee Valley to be there around sunset in hopes of seeing the elk and hearing them bugle.

 

We had always heard of Helen, Georgia but had never been there.

We decided we would just ride through since it was on the way to Maggie Valley and see if we wanted to come back some other time. As we were approaching the city limits of Helen we saw a sign for the Cabbage Patch Hospital. I told john that I knew it was somewhere around here but did not realize that it was that close to Helen. He whipped our car around and headed that way.

 

I have two shelves of dolls that were born at this hospital. Ha Ha......Courtney loved her Cabbage Patch dolls
and she is still very picky about them!

Helen, Georgia

We ate at this restaurant in Maggie Valley....ummmm good!

After, we checked into our hotel in Maggie Valley we headed to Cataloochee Valley.
It is a slow go....to get into the valley and then in most places it is a one car lane. So,
when we got to a field that we thought we might see some elk.....we found a spot where we could back the car in and wait. That's when a little car comes in handy. As I was getting out
of the car I looked up and there was two babies....running and playing....so cute!

We sat and watched the babies and the mamas and I told John I was going to walk down the road and take pics.......
like this one..... when what did I walk up on.....all by myself

this big boy



Bugling.....if you haven't heard a elk bugle....you need too!

We always stop and eat breakfast at this little store when we are in Maggie Valley.
We love it



COUSIN CAMP #2

 

 

GIRLS

 

 

We had the girls Cousin camp this past weekend.

      I loved it.......that may be because I am a GIRL! granted....a old one but we                                     still love the same things.

 

I picked up Emma and Abby Thursday afternoon and

we headed to Oak Mountain to spend the night with Lily.

 

I wish I could have captured the look on Lily's face when she saw Emma and Abby
walk through the door. This little girl loves her cousins. She was so excited that she was just silly.
She sat down on the fireplace hearth and patted and told Emma and Abby....'mon.

It was already past Lily's bedtime when we got there. After running around the house chasing each
other for about 30 minutes....Lily went down without a peep.

After Lily was asleep...I loaded up  the girls and we went to Brewster's and got
some ice cream.
Our late night Cousin Camp treat! Shh.....don't tell Lily!

ZOO

Friday morning we did the Lily part of Cousin Camp....the Zoo.
Really, everybody in our family loves the Zoo.
Sorry for all the pics but they were just too cute not to post.

 



 

Lily was a little scared of the birds but Emma and Abby loved feeding them. we had to go back and buy
more food

 

 

 

Riding the train

 

Emma and Abby loved the DINO adventure but Lily wasn't too sure about it!

the girls loved the butterflies.....I just had to watch Lily and
keep her from stomping on them!

 

PEDI

 

After the Zoo we went to a nail shop and got the girls

a pedicure for back to school

 

 

We headed to Ross Bridge to check in and cool off.

the girls wanted to eat Mexican so we met Courtney at

Cocina Superior

at Brookwood Village.

After supper

Courtney took Lily home. She was so sad.....she kept motioning to

Emma and Abby saying.....'mon

I think Emma and Abby were sad she left, also. I told them

maybe she would be old enough to stay with us next year!

But........

they didn't seem to miss her as much after they got

to go night swimming at the Ross Bridge pool. I love

watching my girls have a good time. The pool wasn't crowded

and was all kids. They quickly made friends on the pool slide and swam

for about an hour and a half.

 

 

 The girls and I headed up to the room, got showers and

laid in bed and watched tv. Abby and I decided we were thirsty......

this was when I really missed John......he always takes care of me. We were already in our PJ's

and when we walked to the machines , right down the hall, it wouldn't take our dollars.

So, we got ice and had water!!!

Later, during the night when my Mexican dinner woke me up I

was really missing John. He would have gotten me an alka seltzer!

 

MORNING

We ordered room service as our last

Cousin Camp fun thing

 

 

 

Ummmm......this was sooo good....Shrimp and grits with asparagus and tomato gravy

 

After breakfast we got dressed checked out and headed home.

and guess what

haven't had this happen in years

a lesson in humility

sitting on the side of the road watching everybody drive by

I RAN OUT OF GAS

Luckily

we were just a few miles from home

Brady came and rescued us!

 

I declare Cousin Camp a success

Already thinking of things to do next year

 

If you have suggestions I would love to hear them!