HY, DR !!!

Welp, the game didn't turn out the way Ole Miss fans would have liked but we still managed to have a good time Saturday night.  I was hoping the Rebs would put up at least a touch down.  Oh!  And did I mention that Coach Freeze tweeted some birthday wishes to me???  How cool is that??!!

The weather was gorgeous this weekend and we had all the windows open and my dining room looked great!  Cosmo and I had on some Rebel gear, KJ, however, was a little "confused" -- she had on an Ole Miss jersey but she wore an Alabama hairbow and an Alabama button.  One of our former Hoover neighbors came over and brought a delish cheesecake and The Godfather and his wife (they had never seen KJ!) brought some great cookies.  I made T's favorite chilli cheese dip and pulled pork sandwiches. 

I haven't talked to T but she texted a couple of times throughout the weekend.  They got to T-town Friday night and she was able to catch up with friends this weekend.  She texted an amazing panoramic pic from her seat in Bryant-Denny and she's already back in Oxford for Rush practice. 

 

And here's a couple pics of the kitchen area and the family room.  I forgot to take photos of the bedrooms yesterday and haven't made my bed yet today so that's just going to have to wait!  And the formal living room is now full of my Halloween and Thanksgiving boxes just waiting to be opened.  I'll probably do my fall decorating this week! 

 

Foyer

Breakfast Nook

Family Room from Kitchen

Breakfast Nook



Everytime . . .

Everytime I come back from visiting T @ Oxford, I thank God she is exactly where she's supposed to be.  She is having an absolute blast, she loves her classes, loves her roommate and has made tons of new friends.  That's what college is all about.  This should be the best time of her life! 

She had such a wonderful, amazing Rush week and is so excited and proud to be a Baby Panda!  It was a crazy, crazy day!  Lots of hugs, lots of tears of joy,   T was very funny about the whole process.  A couple of friends had told her not to tell me too much because although she would have moved on during the week, mom's have a hard time when a sorority drops a girl for whatever reason.  So, after the last day of Philanthropy she casually mentioned which houses were here favorite so far, which she wasn't crazy about, which she was on the fence about.  I wrote them on a scrap little piece of paper to kind of keep track and I found that piece of paper when I got home from Oxford Sunday night after Bid Day.  She had Pref'd her top 2 houses and the third house was from totally out of left field.  Things just have a way of working out and she got her first choice!  All of the 5 Hoover girls did well and got bids from great houses!  And Nat is a Frat Rat so they're all happy.  They will all have an awesome year! 

AOPi !!!

"Running of the PNM's" (thank goodness she wore a bright colored shirt!  She was easy to spot!)

"Baby Panda"

Rush !!!

Cancer Walk-A-Thon

After 3 days of Philanthropy and Skit last night, today is Pref Day at Ole Miss with Bid Day on Sunday.  I have to honestly say I had absolutely no idea what T-bone was getting into.  I had always heard horror stories about Ole Miss being super competitive, completely over the top, etc.  A friend of ours warned her "Rush is a bitch."  Recent national stories about Ole Miss Freshman attending Rush workshops didn't help my perception either. 

I am very, very happy to report that T has had an AMAZING week and is really looking forward to tonight and tomorrow.  She hasn't been stressed at all, she's having fun and, most importantly, is staying true to herself.  I thought she was going to have a hard time juggling classes, lax and rush but she handling it like the trooper she is.  She has been inundated with encouraging handwritten letters and notes of support from family and friends (my co-workers have gone above and beyond and have been showering her all week with love), she's received beautiful and thoughtful gifts and feels very blessed. 

Day 1 of Rush

They had water parties a couple of weeks ago.  T has several older friends in different sororities on campus so it was interesting for her to learn a little bit more about each of those sororities as well as the sororities she was not at all familiar with.  She loved a couple of houses, a couple of houses she just wasn't crazy about for some reason (as she put it, she just didn't get the "warm fuzzies").  And one of the houses she was very, very disappointed in.  She had NO connection with the girl who welcomed her into the house and said it was terribly awkward. 

Convocation

Fast forward to formal Rush.  T has always been involved in various charities (through dance team, pageants, dance studio and lacrosse) and was very excited to learn about the organizations each house supports.  On Thursday night the PNM's had to list their top 6 houses out of the 9 they had visited during Philanthropy.  T said it was very weird for her because a couple of the houses she really liked during water parties didn't really stand out during Philanthropy and vice versa . . . a couple of houses that she hadn't really considered welcomed her with open arms.

The funny thing is Bess the roomie has had a similar experience.  The houses she loved during water parties (which were the complete opposite of T's preference), didn't make the cut at the end of the week and she, too, flip-flopped on some houses. 

Early Friday morning came the dreaded knocks on the dorm room doors signifying if a girl has been dropped and won't be receiving a formal bid.  T was happy to learn that no one on her floor/wing of the dorm got a knock.  That afternoon the girls found out how many houses they had been invited to for Skit night with 6 houses being the maximum you could get invited to.  T was hoping/expecting to be invited to at least two skits.  She was shocked to learn that she had been invited to SIX.  She had a long, exciting night and called around midnight to give me the run-down.  She had SO much fun during Skit and really appreciated how much thought and effort each house put into their Skit.  She just loves the energy, the whole clapping, singing, upbeat vibe of this week. 

So today is Pref.  Supposed to be a little more serious than the rest of the week, she'll get to spend a little bit more one-on-one time at each of the houses.  I'm heading out there tonight but probably won't see her until we meet for Breakfast on Sunday.  I think it's going to be another long, but fun, night for T and we're both excited about Bid Day!

Roughing it

I was doing really great until this morning.  I had a little meltdown and think it's going to be the first of many this week.  Heard that one of T's friends is having a rough time during Rush and that upset me.  A lot.  I got very, very emotional and started crying.  It's starting to hit me. 

Little by little the kids are heading off to college.  The Troy girls are waiting for their bids as I type.  Last week the Auburn girls moved in and they are all anxiously awaiting Bid Day (Sunday?  Monday?).  This week the Alabama girls moved in and are all anxiously awaiting Rush.  Now the guys are starting to move in.  Some of T's friends moved in earlier this week, some are moving this weekend.  One of Coach's boy's came by the other night to say good-bye.  Thursday night T had a BBQ for the friends that are still here and some of the Mississippi State boys are moving in this weekend.  T has just been a roller coaster of emotions the last couple of weeks and said it just sucks to constantly be telling friends good-bye.  This is why I don't ever say "good-bye."  I always say, "See you soon."