1.3.07

My brother sent me this picture this morning. This is the view from where he works.

What struck me is that THIS is new mercy. The Lord makes His mercy brand new everyday -- like the rising of the sun. The darkness has to flee. Almost indescribable.

On a totally different note, The University of Alabama finally has a head coach. Nick Saban is leaving Miami after he vehemently denied ever wanting to go there.

I got excited, then laughed at myself for getting excited over a football team. Then, I started thinking about my love of teams, and why I love them... and it's all about boys. I like teams because of different guys that I had crushes on. The only exception is Auburn. I know I have a few of you who are DIE-HARD Auburn fans, and that's fine, I still love you, but I loath and detest Auburn University with every fiber of my being. I have one picture from the time my youngest cousin was born (19 years ago), where I got to hold her and I'm wearing an Auburn sweatshirt. Somebody had given my brother and I similar sweatshirts for Christmas, and since K. was born Dec 15th,... that's why we are wearing them. So... in a completely un-religeous blog, here is why I have been interested in certain teams, and approximately what time frame.

Georgia Tech -- This is the oldest "fan-ship" that I can recall. His name was Chad Tidd, and he wore something Georgia Tech to school every day during 7th and 8th grade. And I mean EVERY DAY. Every undershirt that he owned was GT, and that's when I fell in love with Navy Blue. I was so infatuated with Chad! For the record, I do still keep tabs on him. He graduated from Clemson with a degree in Engineering, and lives in South Carolina, is very involved with his church, and is still unmarried. I'm not gonna lie -- I'm STILL holding out hope.

Alabama -- I've been an Alabama fan for a while. I worked with a redhead named Nick Benson (I had actually gone to Elementary school with him), and he was the most devoted UA fan I've ever met. It didn't matter what time of year, he always supported his team. I ran into him a few times before my sixteenth birthday, and then we worked together, then worked third shift together (just he and I), and kinda had a thing, but not really, because I was so naive that I thought he'd broken up with his girlfriend, when in reality, she was on vacation. She also was the one who broke into my car to leave me a note to leave her man alone. This is a very funny story for a later date. Another girl I worked with, Angel, was with me when I discovered the note. Aaahhh... young stupid love. Nick married a girl named Hillary and he' s a history teacher now. He's the Biggest reason I love Red Heads! Also, my brother bought me an Alabama license plate that I used until I wrecked that car. And I loved the color of my car because of the next guy. I'm still an Alabama fan because 1) my brother owes them $70K for his student loans, and 2) Bear Bryant, 3) My aforementioned disgust of Auburn, and 4) my love of crimson red. It's all about the blood of Jesus and the Crimson Tide.

Tennessee -- the Great love of Tennessee was because of a guy in high school named Patrick Doyle. He was in the saxophone section with me my freshman year, and then he was drum major my sophomore and junior years. (He graduated the year before me.) Patrick was a really interesting guy, and I had the BIGGEST crush on him. He wore dark teal Doc's and had a temper. He drove a light blue Jeep Cherokee (Bradley once rented a Jeep Cherokee b/c he knew I loved them; he just didn't know why, but it was b/c of Patrick). But, somebody (I think his Mom) bought him Tennessee Boxer shorts and T-shirts and being the devoted fan, refused to tuck in his shirts. During marching season, when he would direct, he shirts would come up a little bit and reveal the trim of his boxers. Go Vols. Coincidentally, this spurred my love for orange; I even had my class ring made with (brilliant orange) Padparascha sapphires instead of my very predictable blue birth stone.My very BF can attest to the fact that I became a Tennessee fan (and devoted for a long time) because of this crush. To my understanding, he's now a band director in Georgia, married a nice girl, and I would assume is doing well. Yay for Patrick.

Georgia -- I went to high school in Georgia and my parents still live there, but honestly I didn't really care about UGA until I started liking the last guy. It was totally an attention thing. There was a girl at Lee that was a big UGA fan, and I kind of envied her great passion for the team.

Other random sports facts related to me worth mentioning:

Auburn -- I already mentioned the sweatshirts. My dad is a huge Auburn fan. My step-mom graduated from Auburn, and she and my Dad have season tickets.

Florida -- I hate Florida as much as I hate Auburn. I had Florida because my step-brother Billy was obsessed with them. Plus, I'm not a big fan of Gators in general. They do get mad props for inventing Gatorade (the Original Lemon Lime is my all time favorite, followed by Watermelon All Stars). My friend Robert loves them, and has also been a good joke between us when any of the unnumerable teams I followed played them.

Ohio State -- I'm not really a fan, but I love buckeyes candy. My friend Mike makes the best Buckeye candy I've ever had. When the old gang ran around, I would root for OS because I loved Mike. I was indifferent to won the game between Florida & Ohio this year though.

Michigan -- My brother was obsessed with Michigan for a little while, so we all had the fever at my house when we were younger. (It was after my parents divorced but before I started high school. Circa 1989.)

Miami -- Only followed anything about the hurricanes because of my friend Brad. He had a bomber jacket that he almost wouldn't take off during football season. I should find a picture... very funny.

That highlights most of them. I root for Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia. Alabama over all. Tennessee over Georgia. Florida over Auburn. Not that any of you care, but I thought it was fun to share anyway.