Razorbacks in Memphis

A couple of weeks ago my Razorback baseball team played the University of Memphis at Autozone Park. The weather was perfect, and Sarah and I were not going to miss an opportunity to spend the evening outside.

Sydney is the reason I knew about the game and it was really fun to have a chance to see and visit with her! Sarah got to experience the calling of the hogs and we ended up with a 7-3 victory that night! Woo Pig Sooie!

Sarah looks good in an Arkansas shirt! 

Kidd Had a Kid!

 Despite postponing my trip due to the excessive snow in Fayetteville, I finally got to meet

Jesse Baker Covington!

Jesse sleeps a lot, so I enjoyed an afternoon of holding him while he slept.

James and Allison are great parents it is precious to watch them take care of Jesse.

One of the most exciting parts of the weekend was seeing that Jesse has red hair! That means I can claim him just a little...

I really enjoyed some good sister time over the weekend as well - especially our matching Razorback color sweaters!

Arkansas Football

**UPDATE: By far the best part of my day Monday was when one of my students came into 3rd period and said, "Ms. Boyd, did you see the Arkansas game this weekend?" And we discussed the awesomeness of Ryan Mallet and my student's hopes that he'll be drafted to  his favorite NFL team next year. I'm just proud that he knew I was a Razorback fan!

Just one of many things I'm thankful for this year:


Although I'm more than a little jealous that both of my sisters will be in New Orleans the day of the Sugar Bowl.

September Already?!?

My life is packed these days, and I haven't even had Saturday classes in the last 6 weeks! That ends next Saturday, so I am going to try to recap some recent events in honor of my last free Saturday.

Back in August, I had the amazing opportunity to go to a Sugarland concert with Cofer, Sam, and Krista. I have never sweat so much, but it was completely worth it to see them live! We ran into Martha and I got two awesome videos:

MTR represent at MCHS!

Our dear friends, the Curriers, followed God's calling to California a few weeks ago. So we had a  party for them before they left:

(Photo by Amanda Hill)

Labor Day weekend I got to make a trip to Fayetteville.It was so fun to see Martha having a blast and loving a place I love so much! We tried out a new pizza place with Brian:

And we got to pet a dog just like Hershey! We miss our Hershey pup!

I had the privilege of going to the Arkansas v Tennessee Tech football game while I was in town.

There were two very special things about this game. 1. My MTR friend Brittany's boyfriend is #52 for TTU, so we got to sit on the second row of the TTU section to enjoy the game! 2. The Covingtons moved back from Bulgaria just four days before the game, so not only did I get to see them, but they came to the game with me and represented the Hogs in the TTU section!

Arkansas won 44-3 and even the Blue Man Group was calling the hogs!

And last weekend I made a quick day trip to see this dear friend:

We had a fun weekend of shopping and grading papers:) Yes, I recruit friends to grade papers. Let me know if you are interested in being on the paper grading team!

MTR Loves the Hogs

Travelling the South

I've had some time between working and moving in the last two weeks to relax and visit some friends. I have made trips to ARKANSAS:

And KENTUCKY:

-Lots of good fellowship and food with dear friends during my trips! 

Graduation Time!

This month was full of celebrations for Martha's graduation. A few weeks ago she graduated from Bridge Builders, a leadership and diversity program for Memphis area high school students. Although it was pouring down rain, they had one last blindfolded challenge that ended in receiving a very cool wooden trophy. 

Then we had the open house that I blogged about last week, where we showed some more cute pictures of Mar and celebrated the fact that she is going to be a HOG:).

Her graduation finally became official on Thursday night. Carolyn is back in town for a few weeks and our grandmother joined us to celebrate before and after the ceremony. We're so proud that Martha was recognized for being in the top 5% of her class, even if she was the last person!

She might be done with high school, but she does need some lessons in not ordering BBQ Sauce when wearing a white dress so you won't have to wear napkins like a dork!

Senior Walk

The University of Arkansas has an awesome tradition called Senior Walk. All the graduates names since the school was started are engraved in the sidewalk. I was so excited that my class was finished for my trip this week!

iPhone Laughs

Have I mentioned that I love my iPhone? One of many reasons is that I can capture some images of life as it happens. [Some of these photos have already been posted on Twitter, but they are worth sharing again.]

A few weeks ago I got to Skype with Kidd and James from Bulgaria. I even got serenaded with the banjo. What a treat!

Parent's Night Out: This particular night a few trouble makers thought it would be funny to clog one of the toilets in the men's restroom. I thought it was funny when they got to mop urine off of the bathroom floor.

I need some help with this one still... Straight from the streets of Memphis. Can someone please explain what BBQ & mildew have in common?

Snowflakes are falling on my head... Not dandruff. Please don't get confused!

Mom was all stocked up to visit my sister... Gotta love Panchos cheese dip!

Ashley mixing glazes at the pottery studio, just before she fell onto the floor. Beware chairs with wheels:)

You might be a redneck if you have beer can candles on your birthday cake. Available in Bartlett, TN.

Practical uses for High School biology: Choosing the correct bathroom at a restaurant. The sad part is this restaurant has closed recently. Hopefully not because customers were confused by the bathrooms!

The barbershop quartet rocked karaoke at Lou's Pizza two weeks ago... We all need to practice for next time our Community Groups go.

And, I have some exciting [but not completely confirmed] news:

Martha is going to be a Razorback! Thats right, two Hogs in the family!

Oh What a Night! Late December Back in 2009

Danielle and Sam hosted a great laid-back New Year's get together. It wouldn't have been complete without The Office Clue: Who Killed Toby? or pomegranate champagne for toasts at midnight.
The only thing missing was a central time zone countdown. Thankfully, I was wearing my watch to count down:)

On New Year's Day, Callie, Robert, and I headed downtown for the Liberty Bowl Parade. Callie and I did not have tickets, so we were on the lookout when we went downtown for the parade. Thankfully, the Razorback Ticket Office had some random tickets for sale when we went to pick up Robert's tickets, so we enjoyed the afternoon without worrying about getting tickets.

It felt good to call the Hogs and sing the fight song on Beale Street. We followed the parade with some good ole Memphis ribs on Beale Street.

_

Callie and I got to the game early because we found Free parking quickly. It didn't take long to understand why our seats were still for sale:

But we shifted a little, so we could see more of the field.That game was the coldest I have ever been. I heard the wind chill was 15 degrees. My mom had stocked us up with hand and foot warmers, so we survived and stayed through Overtime. [I even put a hand warmer in my hog nose.] And the Hogs pulled out a win. It was ugly, but it was a win.

Woo Pig Sooie!

2009 in Review

I was looking through photos from this year for a collage on Facebook, and I really enjoyed remembering all my adventures, so I'm sharing them here in a little more detail.

New Year's 2009: New Orleans

This time last year, I was on a mission trip to New Orleans. December is a great time for mission trips because the reason for the season is so real for me when I'm serving directly. We did it right by going over New Year's. We even got to see Blues Traveler for free on New Year's Day!

New Orleans Mission Trip #5

Last December I actually spent two weeks in New Orleans rebuilding. This photo represents the other extreme of mission trips: safety gear.

January: Northwest Arkansas Ice Storm

The ice storm was historic. Days of classes canceled:4. Days without power in our apartment:7. We went to the movies just to have a warm place to be for a few hours one afternoon, and then we just left town.

February: Valentine's Day Basketball Game

Amy and I were the most excited to wear shirts with our "boyfriend's" names on them. We made sure we got to sit on the front row, and saw the team pointing at us multiple times.

May: Graduation

After 5 years of Architecture School, these are the only girls left in a graduating class of about 30. It is such a relief to be finished with that accomplishment. I still don't think it has really sunk in.

May: Train and Sister Hazel Concert

Martha was my date to the Botanical Gardens for a Sister Hazel and Train concert this summer. It was a life experience to see a live performance of "Meet Virginia."

June: 2 Weddings

Neither of these friends got married, but two girls who were in the Bible Study I led for 3 years got married in June. Thankfully not the same weekend, but reasons for me to go back to Arkansas and visit!

July: Family in town

My cousin Christy and I have seen each other a bunch this year. There is more to come for 2010 because she is getting married in April and I will be accompanying my grandmother to her wedding.

July: Adventures in Arkansas and Sending Off Kidd

Frase, Kidd, and I made a little Road Trip to Eureka Springs before Kidd moved to Bulgaria this fall. We are enjoying Rocky Road treats in this photo, which I have learned to make this fall. Maybe I'll make some to send to them as a memory of this trip.

July: Road Trip to Brett(&Ashley's) house in Bartlett

One thing that I am so thankful for in moving back home is that I still have all these wonderful high school friends who I see regularly. This particular get-together included a few fun rounds of American Idol Karaoke.

October: Florida Trip

October brought a fun trip to Florida to see my sister's school and her play softball, and also go to the Florida and Arkansas game at the Swamp. More about that trip in this post.

October: Castle Creation

This photo represents two things. 1. An opportunity to fuel my creative side and make the castle. 2. The awesome opportunity I have to be around for all the excitement of Martha's Senior year.

November: Martha's official visit to Fayetteville

This picture is evidence that I had some fun of my own while accompanying Martha to visit the University of Arkansas. It was fun to visit Fayetteville without school hanging over my head and get to hang out with everyone is still there. Martha has not made an official decision, but my money is on her going to Arkansas!

November: Neighborhood Christian Center Chicken Strut

My parents were such good sports to go with me to walk the 5K Chicken Strut and then pose with the chicken. I am glad to have the opportunity to spend some more time with them since I moved back home too.

Since July: Neighborhood Church

It has been such a blessing that God has led me to Neighborhood Church this year. I have been amazed with all that he has done this year and I'm excited for what God has in store for 2010.

December: Family Christmas Traditions

Our Christmas cards are just on of our wonderful traditions. We re-vamped another tradition this year: my sisters and I used to sleep in the same bed on Christmas Eve and Easter Eve, but our double beds just haven't cut it in a long time for three of us, so this year we rushed to my parents king size bed when we got home from the 11:00 Christmas Eve Service.

Happy New Year!