GOOOOOOOO TIGERS!!!!

So today was the day that Antonio and I got to go to the Memphis Tigers Basketball game against Gonzaga. I have been looking forward to it for a while I must admit, and the game was as great as I had expected! We went with my brother, Clif, and my bro in law, Cyp. They are picutred below....Clif is on the left, Cyp on the right.


I LOVE everything about watching the tigers. I love Coach Cal....
I love the pom squad and cheerleaders....(They just won some competitions.)
and I love to watch fan reactions.... Here is another picture of Clif, Cyp, and Antonio...

The Tigers led most of the game. I think there was one time that Gonzaga got up on us, but it was short lived. This is a picture of the score with one minute left in the game....

And the score at the end of the game... Thanks to some major fouling at the end from Gonzaga, the score changed a bit...

As I stated earlier, I love watching the Pom Squad dance. I would like to say I have those moves too, but that would be such a lie. I was a band dork, but it paid for my schooling so no student loans here!!! And no, I did not play the flute, I played trumpet. Anyway, this first video is of the

Pom Squad that the did that won them a FIRST place at Nationals....

Also, I LOVE watching Coach Cal. He is so animated and I just find him entertaining. He is the biggest cheerleader for the team when they do well, yet he is not scared to come down on them when they do stupid things. He yells at the refs which I find hilarious, he jumps, he kicks, he paces, I LOVE it. Here is a video that is less than 2 minutes that captures it all....

And finally, I love the fans....This video is from the beginning of the game. The student section has papers they hold up while the other team's lineup is being announced. After each player is named, they put down their paper and yell "YOU SUCK". How nice, right? And then when the lights go down, its TIGER TIME!!! That just sends chills all over my body.

If you don't share the love of the Memphis Tigers, well poo on you! just kidding....I have been a fan since 1999 when I started going to the University of Memphis and I am so excited for the team this year. #1 in the NATION and UNDEFEATED!!!

I must admit....I DO BLEED BLUE!!!

Still Here....

I just wanted to do a quick update. I am still around, but I haven't had much to blog about lately. We have had an incredibly busy week and it isn't slowing down any time soon. Also, the picture of me and Antonio at the top was taken a couple of weeks ago and I thought it was a pretty good picture of the two of us. Usually I am behind the camera taking pics of Tatum and Antonio, so I like this new picture.

I will be posting a blog on Saturday I am sure because Antonio and I are going to the Memphis game and I know I will be taking lots of pictures! We are SO EXCITED to see the NUMBER ONE team play!!!

Until I get time to blog again soon.....

Quick Video

I am heading out of town tomorrow for a few days for work, so I thought I would post a video of Tatum. This video explains why she is still not walking. Sorry that it is sideways, just turn your head 90 degrees.

The tent in the background was a Christmas present and yes our Christmas tree is still not in the attic. The little turtle toy she is pushing was a Christmas present from Tatum's grandmommy (my mom) and it is one of her favorite gifts she got. She also got a huge lion from her uncle Clif and aunt Jennifer that she loves too.

Antonio and I think that Tatum is just too smart to walk! What do you think? As you can see the wreck from last week didn't effect her playing at all.

Follow up to car accident....

Yesterday Antonio and I went to clean out the rest of the stuff out of my car and while we were there the man at the towing company was telling us how my accident sure gave him a scare. I asked why and he said that when the lady got to the hospital, she kept asking for her baby that was apparently with her. She kept on until they called the cops who called the towing company and asked them to go look in the car and make sure there wasn't a baby still in the car. He said it was the scariest thing. Can you imagine going to look in a car that you have towed for a baby that must be dead since you haven't heard any cries in 2 hours!?!

On top of that, I got a call today from the police officer that was on the scene of the accident on Wednesday. He was calling to see how Tatum and I were doing which I thought was very nice of him. I gave him some insurance info that he needed and then I told him I felt rude not asking how the other driver was doing because I knew she was hurt pretty bad. After a long silence, he said "Did you not hear??" To which I responded, "Um, no?" He then said, "The other driver was actually INTOXICATED."

Now please explain to me this....

-WHO is intoxicated at 9:15 in the morning???
-WHO DRINKS and DRIVES??
-WHO DRINKS, DRIVES, and does a scratch off lottery ticket!?!?

I was SO MAD this morning when I heard this. I know I need to forgive this lady and I know Tatum and I weren't hurt, but it makes me mad that she could have killed us! I keep thinking over and over of all the stories you see in the news about wrecks that drunk drivers are involved. Usually the drunk driver walks away and the other driver is killed or seriously injured. I am thankful and blessed that this situation isn't what happened to me, but still, I am just MAD. Forgiveness will come in time, right?

Car Accident

This is going to be a very quick blog.

Yesterday, I woke up with a fever and not feeling well so I took a sick day from work. Last night wasn't much better and I woke up this morning still feeling bad, so I got Tatum ready for daycare. The plan was to take her to daycare and take off again today to get better and then I would hopefully be able to go back to work Thursday and Friday.

Well, on the way to taking Tatum to daycare this morning, I had a bit of a car wreck. This is what happened from what I can remember. I came around a curve to see a big black SUV (I am pretty sure it was a Chevy Tahoe) COMPLETELY in my lane, not far from me, and all I could think is..."This is NOT going to be good!!!" I tried to turn and so did the other driver. I remember seeing her just feet from me about to hit me head on....I blinked and then the next thing I remember is seeing the side of her car coming towards me....and then the hit and I came to a stop. I tried to open my door but it was jammed and so I turned and kicked it as hard as I could. It opened enough so that I could slide out. My main goal was to get Tatum out of her carseat to make sure she was okay. I got her out and checked her out and she seemed fine. My ONSTAR immediately reacted and came on to see if there was an accident because they got notice my airbag was deployed. They called for firetrucks, ambulances, and police in a matter of what seemed like seconds. I went to sit down on the curb to try and stop shaking. I called Antonio and he said he heard WRECK and QUINCE ROAD, so he headed my way. I called my manager and I am guessing he heard WRECK and QUINCE and I'M SCARED and he said he would be there in a minute. A few people stopped, but everyone immediately went to the other car because it flipped over on its side. Apparently the driver was bleeding very badly and couldn't get out. Her passanger got out and came over to me to make sure I was okay, but I didn't go check on her because I didn't want to cross traffic with Tatum and I didn't want to see her injuries because I heard they were bad.

Antonio came and he thought it was just a fender bender, but saw the other car first and got REALLY scared because it was on its side. My manager came before Antonio made it and he was so comforting and was only concerned about me and Tatum being okay. We cleaned out the important stuff in my car and Antonio took me and Tatum to the ER to get checked out. We are both fine. I just have 1st degree burns on my arm and hand from the airbag.

From what the passenger in the other car said he and the driver were NOT wearing their safety belts. On top of that, he said she was doing a scratch off lottery ticket WHILE driving!!!

I am just glad Tatum and I are okay and I know God was watching over me because it should have been MUCH worse for me. Even one of the Fire and Rescue guys said that my engine should have been pushed back and I should have been pinned in. He couldn't believe that I didn't have anything broken or fractured or anything else. I KNOW I was blessed to not be hurt and all, but I didn't want to hear his surprise at the time. lol....Anyway, here are some pictures that I took. I always have my camera with me, but for whatever reason, I didn't have it today. So, these pictures are taken with my phone.

I guess the funny side of this story is this...Since I have been sick, I haven't had a shower since Monday night. I just threw on some clothes to take Tatum to daycare. No deoderant, no bra, didn't brush my teeth, heck, I didn't even brush my hair I just put on a baseball hat. Well, I don't think I will ever walk out of the house like that again! I was so worried about going to the hospital. I know this is gross, but the plan was to take Tatum and come home and take a long shower without having to worry about what Tatum was getting into that she didn't need to.

So, remember when your mom or grandmother tells you not to leave your house without clean underwear on, to go ahead and add these to it...Don't leave home without deoderant, a bra, brush your teeth, and brush your hair!

Bitter Sweet First

Well I experienced a new first today.

My manager just had a conference call with our team and announced that he is no longer going to be our manager because he got a (well deserved) promotion. While I am excited and happy for him because our company can recognize how much he does and how great he is at what he does, I am not happy to lose him as my manager.

I tried for over a year to get into pharmaceutical sales. I went on a few interviews and would get to the last one and would be passed over because I didn't have previous experience in the industry. However, when I interviewed with Ben he was different. He saw potential in me and gave me my chance. I will ever be grateful for that chance.

Over the past 10 months of working under Ben, I have learned so much.

-I learned that ALL managers aren't bad and out to get you.
-I learned that having your manager ride with you all day long can be fun and at the end you can go home with a smile on your face.
-I learned that my manager can be my friend too.
-I learned that being honest about things with your manager doesn't mean that he will take that info and use it against you later.
-I have learned that I will ALWAYS learn something new when Ben rides with me.
-I have learned that "unless my name holds the title of manager, I don't get to be the judge of how I do in the field". I hear that alot when Ben is with me and we get back into the car and I tell him how HORRIBLE the call went and then he tells me that he thought it went good.
-I have learned that a manager can really care about what you want for your future career and not because if you are successful then he is successful, but because if you are happy, he is happy.
-I have learned that the thought I once had that 'I would NEVER find a manager that I liked and I thought that was normal' was completely wrong.
-I have learned that if you are passionate about what you do, you should always be successful.
-I have learned that keeping things simple and focussed on the patient will always get/keep the doctor's attention. This works in life too.
-I have learned that knowing WHAT motivates me will help me be better at what I do.
-I KNOW that tearing up when your manager announces that he is only going to be your manager for a few more weeks is not normal.

There is so much more I have learned, but I must get out the door, so that is it for now.

I know that my manager doesn't read my blogpage, I have never told him about it. However, I still want to say Thank You to Ben for giving me a chance and teaching me SO MUCH over the past 10 months. He will be so GREAT in his new role with the company, but I know the team and I will miss him very much as our manager!

It's 2008!!! Isn't it Great!?!?

Antonio and I brought in 2008 with best friends and had a great time! I will blog about that later...

I wanted to take time to post my New Year's Resolutions as I do every year, but first I wanted to look back at the resolutions I made last year and report which ones I did well on and which ones failed. So I copy a pasted these from my blog from last year...(in red and my updates in black)

1. By December 2007, I plan to have lost 30 pounds!! That's right, 30 pounds!!! Now, I don't have much more to lose to get back to my prepregnancy weight, but I want to lose more than that, so I am shooting for 2.5 pounds a month(VERY doable if I stay focused). I am going to get my lazy butt up(yes LAZY butt) and get on the treadmill that currently sits in my house with dust on it!! I am NOT going to join the gym because, well, I will never go! I always say I am going to eat better, but I am just going to be truthful this year...I will eat what I want and do more portion control. I know if I restrict things from my diet then I will just want to eat them more, so I will try to add more fruits and other healthy stuff in my diet, but if I want some chocolate cake one night, then I am going to have it!! My motivation? I went home to my parent's house this week and saw some pics of me from 3 years ago and BOY was I bummed out after seeing them!! I was SO skinny back then!! Everyone keeps telling me I was too skinny back then, but I don't really agree. I LIKED the way I looked, but to be sure I only want to lose 30 pounds instead of the 40 that would get me back down to where I was 3 years ago. I was in shape and skinny. That's what I want now. Is that too much to ask!?!?! LOL
Well, I did very well on this first one I think. I didn't lose 30 pounds, but I have lost 23 pounds to date. Throughout the year, I would do really well for a while and lose weight and then I would slack off and gain a few pounds back. Then I would get back on the banwagon and lose more and fall off and gain a few back. Anyway, it has been a roller coaster ride, but I am back on my motivated track right now, so we will see what happens from here.

2. I would like to make a goal of running a half marathon this year, but once again, that seems a little crazy for me since I have NEVER been a runner in my life, so instead, I just want to be able to run a mile without stopping. I have NEVER been able to do this(don't laugh). I grew up playing sports and I am sure I ran a mile playing in basketball games, but running on the treadmill or outside on the sidewalk is just not the same. I think it is more of a mental thing that keeps me from being able to do this, but I am going to do it this year!!
On this one, well I failed. I haven't been running. I walk on the treadmill, but not run. I still want to be able to start running, but I haven't done it to this point. Half marathon....HAHAHA!

3. My sister and I have thrown around the idea of participating in some 5k Run/Walks in town, so I am going to officially put that on here so MAYBE we will do them. She is MUCH more likely to do them, but I need to not make excuses and get out there with her!
This one didn't happen either.(because of me not her). Maybe in 2008, right?

4. I need to learn to balance life between working/being a mom/being a wife/etc. I don't want any part of my life to lack. I hope to give 100% in all areas of my life, I just need to figure out how to balance it all! (Any suggestions on how to accomplish this are welcome!!)
I think this has been a big successful resolution. I left my old HORRIBLE job and got hired with a new company that I just LOVE!!! My new company and manager stress how important family is and understand the importance of having a balance between work and family. I owe lots of credit to Antonio for helping out so much around the house and with Tatum especially.

5. Like any other girl out there, I like to shop. However, instead of shopping for me these days, I LOVE to shop for Tatum now!! SO, my goal is to get a budget, and more importantly, STICK TO IT!!! If Antonio, Tatum, or I NEED something then get it, but don't overdo it!
I think I did well on this one too. I did shop and did buy some things that were not NEEDED, but I didn't spend anything we couldn't afford to spend.

6. Figure out a new hobby and find time to do it. I am not sure what this is going to be(maybe it will be working out or scrapbooking or something else), but find something that I enjoy and more importantly, find time to do it!
Well, I did the scrapbooking once and I did enjoy it, but I just felt like it took a little too much prep work to get everything together to actually DO the activity. Plus, once you get everything out it is hard to stop and come back later.(at least for me anyway cause I don't have anywhere to leave everything spread out.) So, I did start playing Bunco with some close friends once a month. I LOVE it and it is easy, I just have to show up. I will definitely continue that hobby of mine.

7. Evaluate how I am doing on my New Years Resolutions maybe every 3 months or so. If changes need to be made, then make them. If adds need to be made, then do that too!
I did MENTALLY evaluate these, but did not post a blog about it.

So that's it for last year. I don't think I did too bad. Now on to this year.

1. Last year I focused on losing weight, but now I want to get fit. I plan to start being more disciplined in my exercise routine. Antonio is pushing me to get a family membership to a gym, but I am still not sold on the idea because I don't think I will use it. I am encouraging him to join on his own for now and let me continue to just do my thing at home. If I can't get my lazy butt out of bed to work out here, how the heck does he think I am going to get to the gym?!? Anyway, I am thinking that getting more fit will result in losing a few more LBS too.

2. Get my house ORGANIZED! I have decided in the last 2 weeks to do some major rearranging in the house. I want to do away with our guest bedroom because we never use it and move our treadmill, desk, tv from the living room, and some other things in there to turn it into an office/workout room. That would clear up room in our living room for some other things.

3. I would like for Antonio and me to spend more one on one time together. So, I would like for he and I to have a date night 1-2 times a month. I know that sounds like an easy one, but it is complicated when you throw kids in the mix. We always talk about getting a babysitter and going out, but then we talk about how much money that one night will cost us with the cost of the babysitter, dinner, movie, or whatever we do and we usually just decide to rent a movie from the tv and stay in. However, I think having the one on one time is important and I love it when we get out for a bit.

I am sure I have other ones, but I am drawing a blank right now. I will add to this later if I think of others.

Those are my resolutions for 2008, what are yours!??!