Christmas Cards...the process

If you send Christmas cards (as I am sure most of you do...with the exception of my mother...she never has and more than likely never will, BUT if you sent her one last year or the year before that or the year before that she still has it in her kitchen and looks at them often).  Back to my original statement...if you send Christmas cards you know that is it a p-r-o-c-e-s-s.  Picking outfits, having the pictures made, selecting a picture, designing the card, ordering the cards, addressing them, stuffing/stamping, and finally getting those suckers in the mail before December 25th.  In one word...exhausting.

In years past I have really dreaded this entire process and inevitably stressed myself out trying to get it done, but not this year.  No, this year I was determined to enjoy sending Christmas cards, and I am here to tell you that I succeeded!  I found great pleasure in my Christmas card experience this year, and I am here to share my secrets with you. (Actually most all of you probably figured this out a long time ago, but as usual I am the last one to jump on the band wagon.)  But here it goes:

1.  Start Early - I started designing my card in early October, had the pictures taken in late October, ordered them on Halloween, and addressed, stamped and stuffed in November. Done before Thanksgiving!

2.  Design Your Own Cards -  I know this wont work for everyone, but if you are semi proficient in Publisher or Photo Shop I highly recommend this approach.  I shopped all of my favorite Christmas card sites, grabbed ideas and designed my own.  This way I was able to have them printed for much less and in turn was able to order more so I wasn't having to cut down my list like I usually do.  I used printrunner.com and was very pleased with the result.

3. Let a friend take your picture.  Don't get me wrong I LOVE professional pictures.  We have a photographer that we have used several times, and it is such a treat when we have the opportunity to have her take pictures for us.  However it does add a stressful element.  I mean if you are paying 100's of dollars you really want those pictures to be great.  So you stress much more about clothes, the weather and in our case the attitude and temperament of your toddler!  Maybe it's just the stage we are in right now, but having a friend meet us a a park one afternoon was absolutely perfect. Thank you again Emily!!!!

As I said before...I'm sure the rest of you have this figured out, but this worked for me and allowed me to truly take joy in sending them.  I even had time to write a personal note on each one...something I have wanted to do for years!

Thankful that these have been mailed, and that I get to savor spending time with family, shopping, wrapping, decorating, and running to the mailbox every afternoon to see what Christmas cards have come!

On A Mission

To find these....

I never knew these existed until last night my sister-in-law was telling me she snagged a bag a Target.  So I'm off to Target to get myself a bag and probably $95 worth of other stuff that I don't need.  Does anyone else have a hard time getting out of Target without spending $100?

Ho Ho Ho

Graham can't say Santa, but every time he sees Santa he says, "Ho Ho Ho."  It's pretty cute.  Yesterday we bit the bullet and decided to go see Santa.  I really had no idea how he would react.  He's not scared of characters, but he WILL NOT sit still and look at a camera ....well until yesterday!  He sat right in Santa's lap, looked at the camera, and smiled.  I'm sure the lady dressed as an elf dancing behind the camera had nothing to do with it.

Thoughts on the 2013 Iron Bowl

• I turned down my mother-in-law's last minute and very generous offer to attend this game. I jokingly (but not really) said that my blood pressure could not withstand that atmosphere. I now know that had I attended the game, I surely would have succumbed to cardiac arrest. 

• I was very impressed with the support and tenacity that was exhibited by The Auburn Family. From a former player's pep talk to the glorious booing of Paul Finebaum during his appearance on ESPN's College GameDay to the unimaginable crowd seen at Tiger Walk, Auburn fans were out in force before, during and after the game. 

Courtesy - Bleacher Report

• I am so, so glad that AJ McCarron's 99-yard touchdown pass isn't the most memorable play from this game.

• I need to give credit to Rod Bramblett. Within a three week span, he perfectly described two miraculous, game-ending plays as they happened. I owe Rod an apology for being so critical of him in an earlier post. Rod is a hard working man. This is the time of year in which Rod's duties for football and basketball overlap. Plus, he is frequently called on to lend his talents to activities such as Tim Hudson’s celebrity home run derby, which was held on Iron Bowl weekend. I should not fail to mention that Stan White's “OH MY GOSH” was the absolute best part of Rod's Kick Six call. I would love to have Stan's jubilant cry as my ringtone - someone please make this happen. You know you want to watch it again: 

• I cannot believe the number of fan reaction videos that have emerged after the Iron Bowl. I have so many questions and thoughts about this phenomenon. 

• When did so many people begin having enough foresight to capture their reactions to live events? I'm blown away by this notion. 

• The many, many reaction videos that I have watched have allowed me to arrive at this conclusion about fans that did not attend the game: Most Auburn fans watched the game in the comfort of their homes and most Alabama fans watched the game at their favorite restaurant, bar or…shopping mall. 

• From the numerous reaction videos I watched, I also deduced that there were far too many "mixed" viewing parties enjoying this year's Iron Bowl. I was really shocked to see how frequently this occurred. Gathering Auburn and Alabama fans in the same confines to watch this game on TV is never a good idea. Then again, it seems that it's even more dangerous for Alabama fans to watch the game with other Alabama fans. 

• Lastly, I was disappointed with some of the reaction videos produced by Auburn fans that were clearly staged and in no way recorded "in the moment". I'm looking at you, Auburn pool guy. 

• Was this the best Iron Bowl ever? Was this the best college football game ever? Was this the best sporting event ever? Many in the national media are lending their opinions to these questions and the answer seems to be "YES" to all three! From Brian Williams to Barbara Walters, the Tigers are getting lots of love for the incredible ending to this game. 

• The overhead shot that showed every inch of Pat Dye Field covered by the celebrating crowd was a truly amazing scene. 

Courtesy - ESPN

• Someone's cremated remains were dumped onto Pat Dye Field during the post-game celebration. Let that sink in for a moment. Whoever was responsible for this act had planned on getting onto that field one way or the other. That's bold. True story: a few seasons ago, I stopped at the Chevron on the corner of Glenn and College as I made my way to Jordan-Hare stadium. I purchased one of those slender sleeves of sunflower seeds to enjoy during the game. One of the security personnel that screens fans as they enter the stadium detected the seeds on my person and instructed me to throw them away. How someone managed to bring cremated human remains into that stadium is beyond me! 

• Auburn Athletic Director Jay Jacobs kissed Gus Malzahn mere seconds after the game ended. Jay's hot seat has significantly cooled thanks to Gus's success and will remain at that temperature until basketball season is in full swing. Watch for the kiss near the end of this clip.

• Remember Ricardo! Let's not forget about Ricardo Louis and his amazing, game-winning catch against Georgia! Ask yourself this question: Would the Kick Six play more or less exciting had the Prayer at Jordan-Hare not occurred in the previous game? I say less. You see, Ricardo's catch whetted our appetite for miracles. 

• I honestly did not think that Alabama’s backup kicker Adam Griffith would make the 57-yard field goal to win the game. I was fully preparing for overtime. I didn't think Chris Davis would make it very far out of the endzone. I was sure that the refs would say that Chris stepped out of bounds on the Auburn sideline. 

• Let's not overlook Mizzou. The SEC Championship game against Missouri will certainly be yet another difficult challenge. I'm guilty of relishing Auburn's Iron Bowl victory without even giving Mizzou the first thought - and the game is only a few days away. 

• One more video - and this one is unedited, real-time footage of the Kick Six play as seen from the Alabama sideline. What's spectacular about this video is all that you see once the play is over. Auburn's Ryan Smith (#24) confidently flexes in front of a stunned Alabama team. Nick Saban silently exits the field with no one around him except two Alabama State Troopers. The Alabama cheerleaders stand motionless on the sidelines. A speechless (!!!) Scott Cochran turns back towards the field just before entering the visitor’s tunnel as if he expects the refs to negate the Kick Six play and call the teams back out. Stud Freshmen OJ Howard (Alabama - TE) and Carl Lawson (Auburn - DE) embrace on the field as do fellow Freshmen Jeremy Johnson (Auburn - QB) and Reuben Foster (Alabama - LB), who now sports a large afro along with his Auburn tattoo. Oh, and there's Bo Jackson on the field too! Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the best video associated with the 2013 Iron Bowl:

• The 2013 Iron Bowl was a rollercoaster of a game and featured the absolute worst way a two-time defending national champion could lose to their rivals. What happened on the field on November 30th, 2013, is enough to qualify this game as one of the classics. All of the craziness that happened after the game only added to its legacy.