October, Blogtober...

So, I haven't been around these parts in a whole month. & My last post was a rant about my job, I think...

(By the way, the day after that post, I put in my 2 weeks notice. Officially unemployed again for 2 weeks (& a day) now.)

But anywho,...

Helene is co-hosting a month-long link up, basically, and all you have to do is blog everyday in October, they even give you blogging prompts. So, I'm going to try to participate.

And by try, I mean that I will probably skip a few days/prompts. I believe that a persons state of mind effects what they say (write) & some of the prompts will just have to be overlooked by me at this point in time. Because really, who wants to read too much Debbie Downer stuff as part of a link up?

Any way, if you'd like to link up, do it! Go here to see the blog prompts & join in. :-) 

*********

Now, I missed yesterdays prompt because..One Direction & 5 Seconds of Summer...& yes, that's a legitimate excuse. ;-) (& I didn't pre-type a post) But, because it is something that I like to think about pretty often, I'm going to cover it now along with today's topic...

Day 1

If I won the lottery, I would.....

First and foremost...

I would probably keep it on the DL & tell only a few people (our parents)...or maybe not even tell anyone. I almost think I would go into hiding until I could figure out how to go about it all. And even then, I still don't know who I would feel comfortable telling.

I would buy my husband & I a chunk of land & then we could proceed to start designing and building our dream home. (I think the key here, is being smart and buying something that you can afford year after year...talking about land & property taxes, etc...just because you can afford to pay for something up front doesn't mean there won't be any kind of payments in some way -not including monthly bills, that's a given-...so remember that.)

I used to say I would buy his dream car, my dream car and then a few practical/everyday vehicles (& truck and an SUV for us)...but I teeter with that. Because that would be at least 5 or 6 vehicles...at least.

I would help some family (both of ours) that need it & a friend or two. I might not be able to do anything major for anyone (of course it all depends on the amount of money I win), but if I could help relieve some stress in their lives to help them breathe easier, I probably would.

I would encourage my husband to not quit his job on a whim, but to take bit of a sabbatical so that we could enjoy some other things in life & so he can be refreshed. I may even still look for a part time job myself.

I would honestly probably plan a few trips for the two of us & a few family trips & also a few friend trips. Destinations? Maybe our trek across the UK & Ireland, a US road trip, Disney, Vegas....those are a few that come to mind. I also have a few surprise trips that I would love to take my husband on, but can't...I would definitely do those. He deserves it.

I would splurge on some concerts, and by splurge I mean backstage/meet&greet/front row type of things. There would be a concert fund made. 

I would put some in account for my niece and nephew & brother-in-law.

I would put some away for the future, "retirement" I suppose.

Then, I would put a chunk or two into savings & then research and find out ways to invest. 

I think that's it....there are a few other ideas that float around my mind sometimes but I'll keep those in my mind because I'm not one hundred percent sure about them. :-)

Day 2

Dream job as a child. Dream job now...

I had a few things I wanted to do as a kid.

I remember I wanted to be a lawyer at one point. The idea of being a firefighter popped into my head at one point (my uncle is a firefighter). But I can remember always playing school. Being a teacher was something that I used to want to do (& I'd be lying if I said that I didn't still think about it from time to time).

Photographer is also one that was planted and grew in me.

So, what would I like to do now?

Hmm.. it's hard to say sometimes, because sometimes when I think about it,...I just don't know.

 Being a photographer is still there. I would love to grow and learn even more about it & do soemthing with that. Not sure I would want to be a typical photographer though. (families, weddings, etc...) I wish I could do concert photography or sports photography. I don't know. I would honestly love to shadow a couple of photographers so I can watch them and pick their brains.

I also kind of wish I could do something to do with music. As in love with it as I am, I think..(i think) would love to have a job that involved music somehow....

& That's that. All I got for ya....

Love & Stuff,
♥♥♥
Brandy

Rant

You know...I know there are bad days in every person's job. But isn't a job not supposed to make you feel good? Or be rewarding or at least satisfying to an extent? Or boost your confidence some? You know what's most satisfying for me. A check every week. You know what else my job has done. Made me question myself twice as much. Did I do that? Have I forgotten this? Did I call so&so back? And the worst past is I write down pretty much everything I do, but if something doesn't get written down I wrack my brain trying to remember.
And I'm only 3 months in. It's brought light a lot of weaknesses that I didn't think were weaknesses. Our maybe they aren't. Maybe it's the job/environment. Maybe I'm just not meant for this particular job. Which is fine. Except I don't want to feel like a failure. I'm THIS close to putting in a two week notice. I'm just doing too much. To be a receptionist that is. I mean if I'm not mistaken, receptionists answer phones/ take messages, handle appointments, scheduling, payments & filing. I do that and then some.
Excuse this post, I'm just ranting. I'm at work on my day off...again... that has been a common occurrence lately as well.

Glory, Glory.....it's Football Friday (link up)

Fanatics asked me about baseball memories, which turned into my post about baseball the other day. Well, in the spirit of Football season, they asked the same question about football. I took my baseball post back to my childhood, and while I have the same types of memories with football -my brother played football too- I figured I would switch it up this time and talk about my first (an so far, only) Georgia Bulldogs game...So, here's to thinking back to that day...
Alarm is buzzing! Rise and shine. It's game day! It's time to get ready and hop in the car for that short, but long, drive down to Athens.

Coming down 129, passing by the fields and pastures, as you pass the 10 Loop and continue onto Prince Avenue, the excitement begins to build.

Find a lot & pick a spot.

From there, as you emerge from your car, you observe the excitement of people around you. You sense the camaraderie of strangers gathered for the same reason. Maybe even smell the smell of hot dogs, burgers or maybe even ribs cooking over a grill. you hear the clinking of bottles, and everyone begins to celebrate. You see people mingling and playing games of cornhole. Ahh, tailgating.

It's time to make your way down the streets of downtown Athens. It's a nice walk, and a great small city to walk through. As you're making your trek, passing the shops, restaurants and bars you can tell it's undoubtedly game day. Passing the historic Georgia Theatre, you then make your way down Lumpkin Street, and then Broad Street. You'll soon come face to face with the iconic black iron arch. Pass under that arch and through the campus, reaching Sanford Drive.

Many people don the colors, red, black, and white, are also making there way to the same destination as you. The atmosphere is exciting. 

You're there,..

Sanford Stadium.

Ticket scanned, snacks and drinks purchased, it's time to make your way to your seats. 

It's amazing, once you take a step into the stands. The seats slowly start to fill. The field is freshly painted, the infamous hedges are trimmed. Teams are on the field stretching and warming up. 

Hairy Dog is on the sidelines. Uga is in his nice, cooled down, dog house. 

Almost time...

The field clears and the UGA Redcoats Marching Band starts to play...

the planes fly over, 

the banner is set up....

and the team bursts through, reemerging ready to play! 

Then, by the flip of a coin, just like that, it's time for kickoff. 

And this? This is what we've been waiting for.

The anticipation, the excitement, the nerves...

Football season has returned and it's game time!

Not everyone's journey to Sanford Stadium is the same but I can imagine the excitement is all the same. The Dawg Nation is a loyal fanbase. We love our football and we love our Dawgs. Seeing a game Between the Hedges is such a fun experience. If you get there in time & can get a good spot, you can see the Dawg Walk before the game. And on victorious days there is a long line for the bell, students and fans alike get to ring the bell. I have unfortunately only attended one game in person (that needs to change!) but it's a whole different experience being there in person. I haven't been able to experience the Dawg Walk, but I hope that is something I can do in the future. If you are a Georgia Bulldog fan, I definitely recommend you catch at game at Sanford Stadium, if you haven't before!

As football season is warming up, I am SOO ready to get back to watching the guys on the field, both college (and Pro). We wait around all year for it to return. And it's back, a few short weeks to kick off and I'm praying for a great season! Good luck to you and your team.

As for my team..

We say, GOOOOOO DAWGS! SIC 'EM! WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF!

U-G-A! U-G-A! U-G-A!

I've gotta give another shout out to Fanatics for asking me to be park of this. Check out their site & all the goodies on there. I've seen plenty of shirts that I think are SO cute. Like these...

pair them with some jeans, or some black skinnies, or shorts -cause it's hot down here-, and I think it'd be a good practical game day outfit!

As far as my pro teams...(Falcons, Broncos, Bengals, Lions....and I'm gonna be watching a bit of the Dolphins this year too...-Oh, Knowshon, the things I do for you....-) Some of my favorites are....

I'm not going to include and Dolphin gear just yet...I'm probably only "bandwagon" status right now. Gotta ease into these relationships, ya know! ;-)

So, how about you?! Who are you cheering for? What colors are you wearing? Do you have any football stories or memories?! 

Go link up with my lovely friend, Erin, for FOOTBALL FRIDAY and talk football with the rest of us!

Lovins!

♥♥♥

Brandy

Pop-Up Grounders

When it comes to reminiscing about your childhood there can be a flood of wonderful memories. Sports are, or can be, one of them. Primarily baseball, football, gymnastics and NASCAR, in my home.
I feel like baseball is almost always a staple in a persons childhood in some way. I believe I have mentioned before that I would like to get more into baseball than I am. There really is just something about baseball.

Source

We watched it when I was younger. We are an Atlanta Braves family who had Braves memorabilia all over shelves in our living room. My favorite player was David Justice. And of course Chipper, and Maddux, etc. I wish I could remember watching it more, the 90's were a pretty amazing time for the Braves.
My brother played when he was a kid so, of course, I can't forget that many of my days were spent at the ball fields watching him play, or just walking around and playing on my own.
There are also the times spent tossing the ball around at home or playing with family.

Fanatics.com is an online retailer for everything sports. They have plenty of merchandise to choose from for several different sports; football, basketball, soccer, NASCAR, hockey, baseball, etc. Fanatics also likes to hear from, well, the fanatics! When I was asked about some of my favorite baseball memories I figured I would give it a go. So, today I figured I'd reminisce a little with you all.

As I mentioned, many a days were spent on the baseball fields in town. It was always so fun to me to get to there. I always remember walking around the fields. I even made a friend who was a few years older than me, her name was Nicole, who would walk around with me whenever she was there for her brothers games or practices. I remember the concession stand, the water fountains, even the bathrooms (I know, weird). My point is, it was such a familiar almost comforting, place for me. It was fun watching the guys play the game.
I so wish I had a picture of those fields. It's unfortunate that years ago they were leveled out and now there that is where a pool, the health department and the new courthouse are all located. I still get bothered by that. Because now? Now the fields are located back behind all of that. You can't see the fields when you drive by anymore. And to me, that's sad.
Fun fact: years ago when we were looking through my moms chest of pictures, while looking at some of my brothers team photos we realized that my brother and my husband were on the same teams a couple of times. That's so cool to me. 

Of course, having a sporty brother meant also getting to play those sports at home.
There are countless time of playing baseball in the yard. At home practice is important, too. Even if it is just for fun.
One thing we used to play a lot of is pop-up grounders. It's good for practice in catching pop-ups and grounders. I can remember one afternoon in particular, it was myself, my brother and a couple of my cousins, and we were playing pop-up grounders. It was a gloomy kind of day and was starting to drizzle a little bit when we had started to play. Then came the thunder, and even the lightning. But be played. And it was so fun. Rain, sweat, dirt, laughter and family bonding -or competition-. [Obviously it's probably not the greatest idea to be playing baseball in the storm but rest assured that our parents wouldn't let us be too reckless. ;-) ]

For whatever reason, I can remember that. Whether it be the family time, the time outside, playing in the rain, thunder, and lightning, for whatever the reason it sticks with me. And it all centered around getting out there and playing ball!

I think baseball will always have kind of a special place in my heart. It's my goal to go to at least one MLB game, to see the Braves, of course! And I'd honestly prefer to see it at The Ted! [pictured- not my photo]
I definitely don't want my baseball memories to end with the childhood ones. So, seriously, take me out to the ballgame, please?! :)

Source (this is such a great picture!)

What about you all? Do you have any baseball memories or stories?! 

Lovins!
Xoxo♥ 
Brandy 

*Go "Like" Fanatics on Facebook! You may even see some deals posted on there... (for example, the $10 of orders over $75 + Free shipping). 
Follow them on Twitter.

**OH....& you should head over to get your baseball hats & other gear from Fanatics!They have a great selection. I love this hat.

They have a little something for everyone in the family, even our beloved pets!

Knock, Knock...

Hello?
Who's there?

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Talk about being M.I.A.!
I've only peppered posts one here since about May.
Other than that, I've been about 98% absent from the blog world & on one hand, I'm okay with it, but...on the other...I realllly miss it!

Let me see if I can update you on a bit of my summer in one post...

June:
-Doug & I celebrated his birthday & our 11yr/3yr anniversary.
-We also vacationed with my parents & nephew to Chattanooga. So fun. We did the typical Chatt. visit, Lookout Mountain (Ruby Falls, Rock City and the Incline Railway) and the Tennessee Aquarium. We haven't been there since my brother and I were kids & Doug hasn't been there since he was a kid either. I'm glad I was there for my nephew's first trip there. Lots fun and walking. I got to take a picture by a Bald Eagle, and pet an owl. My Dad got to have a vulture land on his arm-I have a video of that happening, that I have yet you upload. But still, I mean, that's a pretty bad-a trip. ;-) haha...

Ruby Falls

Point Park, Lookout Mountain, Chattanooga, TN

 

My Love & Me

Lovers Leap

One-winged Bald Eagle, Rock City, Chattanooga, TN

Tennessee Aquarium, Chattanooga, TN

July
-Celebrated the Fourth low-key again. Just the hubs, mother- & brother-in-law.
-I scared the crap outta myself when I had what I thought was a mole that had doubled or tripled in size. Turned out to be an aggravated capillary, or something along those lines (I think it's basically a blood blister). Regardless, it was able to be burnt off. Thank goodness.
-Celebrated my birthday. The hubbers bought me Beauty and the Beast & even curled up in the bed and watched it with me. ♥
-Hubs, myself, my ma-in-law & C. went to see Def Leppard and Kiss...aaaand the drunk shenanigans of Sissy made it quite an interesting night...to say they least. I felt bad..a little...but I still had a blast. Love me some Def Leppard (was my 3rd time seeing them), I'm ready for Def Lep. 4.0. Oh, and KISS? If you've never been to a KISS show, go! They are great!
-Ended out the month by attending my Dad's work picnic with the family & it was a good time. Got to check out a new (to me) park in Athens. It's called Athens Memorial Park. It was fun playing on the playground with my nephew and niece and her mom. Also fun seeing the ducks, geese, turtles and fish. This park also has a small walk through Zoo. Bears, gator, deer, turkey, reptiles, etc..

Birthday Dinner

"Super Moon" on July 12th

Joe Elliott, Def Leppard, Atlanta 7-18-14

Def Leppard, Atlanta 7-18-14

KISS, Atlanta 7-18-14

Gene Simmons, KISS, Atlanta 7-18-14

August
-Started off bittersweet. I helped throw a bridal shower for my husbands cousin. For as hectic as it was for his mom and myself to make sure we had everything, I think it was success. We thankfully had plenty of help in other areas, such as food. His family is pretty amazing at coming together and pitching in when it comes to these kinds of things.
-And then 2 days later, on August 4th, our family was hit hard with a decision I had hoped we'd never have to make. We had to put our beloved cat to sleep. He was out oldest. We've had him for the longest (ever since he was able to be given away as a kitten). He was about 16 or 17. His health had been declining quite a bit in the past 6 months and in the last couple of weeks it was even worse. One of the hardest days for us, that's for sure. My parents brought him home and we laid him to rest. And I miss him so much. He's been gone for 2 weeks and a day now and I still find myself wanting to check for him at night to see if he's ready to come in. We lost a member of our family. It's so sad and it's definitely different around here. It's hard.
-I am completely devastated by the extremely unexpected suicide of Robin Williams. So terrible.
-Doug & I had a date night this past weekend and decided to go see a movie. We chose to support one of our favorite comedian, Jon Reep, in his newest movie- Into The Storm. Um, in case you have not watched this but are interested I won't say too much. But, I will say, I have always been terrified of tornadoes, always. This movie, to me, was SO intense. I'm, pretty sure I trembled most of the time. I can't even handle the thought of a severe thunderstorm right now. But, that being said, I did think it was a good movie. I would recommend it.
-My brother got a coondog. Well we currently have 2 but he's holding one for a friend of the family for now. You can see their cuteness on my IG. I'm in love.
-I went back to the doctor. Anyone who's been around these part may know what I'm referring to. Cross your fingers for Doug & I. :-)

Bridal Shower

Patches, aka Mr. Kitty & Me in May 2013. Gosh I just miss him..so much!

I'm still working, only 2 days a week now.  I still have my days but, overall it's going well & I'm getting great experience and that's what keep telling myself. Other than that I've been kind of keeping to myself. My favorite time of year is rolling around. I feel like there's already so much planned. It's a bit tiring to think about, but also exciting. I also have a baby shower to plan -for my cousin, I'm not prego-, then of course the holidays and then my mother in law have a 2nd bridal shower to start planning for. There are several birthdays.. I already have 3 concert for sure planned. And then throw in the holidays & FOOTBALL SEASON (WOOOO!!!). Yea,...the rest of the year is most definitely kind of busy! ;-)

Well, I know I haven't commented on pretty much anyone's blogs lately. I do miss you all and I do plan on catching up a little on reading.

Lovins & stuff!
♥♥♥
Brandy

Worrying gets you nowhere...

But really....
Yet I'm such a worrywart. I always have been.
Bad.
There have been a couple of things that I push aside so I don't contantly think/worry/dwell on them. (for example, our TTC situation). And then there are the "pop-up" or unexpected things that make you worry.
Right now? Well, right now I'm worried about a little bit of all of it.
There's just a lot at once right now.
The baby thing, then something unexpected (which is also health related & at the moment has me worried the most), on top of everything that I need to do or help do this month (showers & birthday parties to plan), plus some changes comin', not enough time for things.
My brain hurts...or maybe that's just a headache...wait..that's the same thing.
See? It's mush.

My unexpected issue isn't anything I want to talk about at the moment. It could be nothing, or it could be a bigger issue. I'd rather just wait and see what is said about it first.
In the mean time, if you're a praying type of person, please kind of say a little one for me. Or if you're not, send me good vibes. I try not to ask for prayers for myself too often, but right now my anxiety is sky rocketing & I'm just not able to clear my mind of all of the worries.

 

Even though I know that worrying does nothing for me, I still sit here on the verge of tears feeling confused and scared. 

It really sucks. I shouldn't feel like this.
This is my birthday month, hell, this is my birthday week...I'm supposed to be in a better mood. I'm really hoping that by the time this is posted in the morning, that I can be in a better frame of mind.

Sorry that my first post in FOR-EV-ER is like this.
I'm just trying to clear my mind a little bit.

Why did I ever stop?

As I've mentioned before...Doug & I live at home, in my parents basement. It's basically a 2 br/1ba apt...that's unfinished. But that's not really important. That 2nd bedroom is SUPPOSED to be a spare bedroom for any company and my scrapbook/craft room.
But, you see, I'm a bit of a pack rat. Want to know what is actually in that room?
My childhood...and my teenage years. And even some adult/current things.
I have trouble with parting with stuff. Some things are understandable (to me) to keep. Other things may be a little silly.
Like, I have one tote with nothing but school binders...as in school work. I think it's mainly HS with some Middle school. I have another tote full of school books/binder etc from Elem. also in that tote is all of my WWF (WWE) magazines. I have a John Deere touch lamp that I got for Christmas about 9 or so years ago maybe...it's still in the box that my mom put it in to wrap it. I never got it out... Oh and key chains... and my stuffed animals! Letters, letters and letters! I mean, you're catching my drift right? If I listed everything you'd think I was either still wanting to be 10-15 years old, or that I was crazy...or both.
Sometimes a mood strikes where I'm just kind of like "throw this shit away" those are the days I go throw that room so that I know I'm a little more likely to throw away things...like the necklace made out of masking tape...I was rummaging through my spare room the other day and trying to condense and get rid of a few things.
I was putting all of my binders from school in one collective totes to make a little more room, but of course you can't do that without looking through them, right? No! So of course I stood there and look through them and let nostalgia slap me in the damn face.
From the letters, and the back & forths, to the poems, to the lyrics. And of course whatever pictures donned the front covers. I laughed at all of the different guys names in the "I love ____" that all girls inevitably write/doodle/draw everywhere.
And then of course there was my non-school binder, I don't even know what you'd call it, just a notebook I suppose. It's just one of those that had no purpose. But inside were a few doodles, the "i hate myself" or "I hate everything" sentiments. Fuck this & fuck that hooblah, you know. Teen (pre-teen) angst and whatnot. But I love looking back at my doodles. I even had a pen stash. I mean, I had...no, have a problem, I'll show the one from then & my current one... you've heard those people who say that they love buying pens/markers etc.? Yea, I'm one of those to the extreme.

I used to doodle and draw all the time. Nothing really major, in my opinion, musicians logos/symbols/names, pot leaves, and then of course bubble letters. I used to draw up things for people to put in the front of their binders with their names. I wasn't THAT fantastic but, I was pretty good. Especially to be 11/12/13/14. But I feel like it faded away. I mean, I've never FULLY stopped doodling. But I mean I used to doodle allll the time! I miss that. I miss that small window of creative outlet.  I wish I could find some of my better things but, alas, this is all I could find right now.

Oh and then the poems/quotes/lyrics and such. I have a notebook full of lyrics of some favorite songs..I quit typing those forever ago. Idk why.
I used to also write lyrics, quotes, and poems that I found and loved. Whether they were fun, or meaningful. In those notebooks and binders I'm talking about up there, I would write them in there, or just on loose paper. On my binders, in my agenda books, I'd write 'em wherever.

But, I would also write my own. Poems that is. My friend Briana wrote me a poem. It was 9th grade and I liked Doug at the time, she wrote this poem about that, in exchange, I wrote her one about the guy she liked at the time. I still have that poem she wrote me and I'll keep it forever. I think I still have a copy of the one I wrote her too.
I have the beginnings of several other poems. I found one I had started about abortion (why I was writing about abortion at 13 or 14, I have no clue.) And then I found another one that's also not finished. But I read it & it struck me. And immediately I was like "Did I really write this?!" I loved what I read. I'm probably going to google a few of the lines to makes sure it's not one that I had found years ago and liked it so much that I wrote it down. But, I really feel like it's mine. I had one of those feelings when I read it. Like a connection. It just put an automatic smile on my face. It also made me sad. I mean, if it is mine, and I thought it was that good -at least for a teenager- then why in the world did I ever stop writing?! I've been wanting to try my hand at songwriting for a while, I've even mentioned it on the blog, it's even on my 30 before 30 list. So, I'm just wondering why I suppressed it? If I used to write and did fairly okay, then why the hell didn't I keep doing it so I could mature it? I don't know. But lately I've been jotting down most of my ideas. I've even resorted to using my phone when needed.

And shit, scrapbooking. Scrap booking started for me in middle school I think. Lil photographer me. Or paparazzo. ;-) Of course the older I got, the more "serious" I got. And now I have like 2 or 3 unfinished scrap books, and a few that haven't even been started. But supplies? I have HEAPS. I have a full tote, a box full, my cricut and a bag of cartridges and then of course back to my pen/marker stash. The main reason I stopped that is lack of room, that much I can say. I need a central station for that. Lugging all of that around from room to room just to do maybe one page in however many hours you decide to spend on it is a bit much. But, I miss it..it's something that I want back in my life, even though it never really left.

Basically, creative ole me has been held back for too long. For absolutely no reason. I really want to start letting this shit out again!


And in the spirit of this post.

 My latest doodles I busted out while planning a Disney scavenger hunt.
:-)

Is there anything that you used to love doing that you stopped or don't do much of anymore??
If so, what?

& I say, start it back! :-)

Lovinssss!
♥♥♥
Brandy