AUBURN: An Evolutionary Experience...

If only I could remember my very first experience on the gameday plains of Auburn, Alabama; to be able to recall what it was like to see the tiger walk from my father's shoulders, or the flight of the eagle as my mother held me on her hip. My Auburn experience began long before I was able to walk, or talk for that matter. I am sure it could very easily be compared to my 3 year old niece, Ava's, first time to see Ariel at Disney World. Magical. Nonetheless, my memory of my first experiences on the plains began when I was in grade school. Those memories are filled with a group of childhood friends that came together at every home football game, because our parents' were all best friends. The grassy lawns of Auburn University's campus were our stompin' grounds every Saturday in the fall that the Tigers hosted an opposing team. Those Saturdays were filled with rituals like walking to the Haley Center multiple times a day to stock up on gameday shirts, face tattoos and any other orange and blue paraphernalia that we could get our hands on, riding the Lowder elevator all the way to the top floor, multiple times, to get a skyline view of all the gameday festivities, the Tiger Walk, and flag football on the Cary Hall lawn: the best tailgate spot around. We had the same seats every year, and at every home game, my best friend and I would sit in our seats with our Auburn University notepads, anxiously awaiting kickoff so that we could record every detail of the game into our notebooks that we bought at the Haley Center earlier that day. We stood surrounded by a sea of burnt orange and navy blue, just the two of us; such a small part of what we refer to as the Auburn family, but we felt larger than life. I had never been so proud to be a part of something. Little did I know that I had hardly scratched the surface of what it would feel like to be a part of the Auburn family...

My experiences on the gameday plains continued on throughout high school. I had made new friends, and one by one, I would introduce them to my Auburn experience and all the people that had been a part of it for so many years. It was something that I was proud of; my team and my gameday stompin' grounds. I would walk them through the crowded plains, show them the Auburn spirit on the faces of my fellow fans and teach them my gameday rituals. Some of them were fellow Auburn fans that had never had the gameday experience, and some were even Alabama fans. They always left in one of two ways; with a deeper appreciation for a team they already loved, or as a BAMA fan with orange and blue hair and an Auburn sweatshirt...it never failed, and I can even count for at least two people who never wore another BAMA t-shirt in their lives. True story.

I always knew that attending Auburn University was in my future, so when the time came to graduate high school, I wasted no time making my way there. I may not be able to remember my very first Auburn gameday experience, but forever etched in my memory is the day that The Loveliest Village on the Plains became more to me than just the place where I spent most of my Saturdays of Fall; it became my home. After a horrific parking experience that ended in stress-related tears and me giving a fellow Auburn student "the bird", I made my way to my very first class in none other than the Haley Center. I cannot put into words what it felt like to walk into that building as a student. In an instant, I went from loving Auburn to being Auburn. I got the same feeling when I walked into my first class at Cary Hall, another place that I knew well as a child. In the years that I spent at college, all that is Auburn became an important part of who I am. The times that I had there, and the friends that I made there are precious. I am a part of the Auburn family, the family that all those who share my love are also a part of. For me, that family also has a core that is made up of the people that shared in my Auburn experience and made it one to remember. Those memories live in the deepest part of my soul, and my soul shines in a different light now. When I stand amidst the sea of what is now mostly all orange in Jordan Hare Stadium, and the eagle takes its flight, I almost always shed a tear. I acquire a huge lump in my throat, and it usually doesn't subside until after the first snap. This rush of emotion is not about a football game, or whether or not we win or lose. It is about my Auburn experience and it's evolution. Standing in that stadium, I cannot help but to be overcome with emotion. It takes me back to tag football on the Cary Hall lawn and sunrises on the porch with friends that I now consider to be my family. There is nothing petty about that.

That experience will live on tonight as I watch the Tigers play the Bulldogs along with my parents and their friends, which possibly is what inspired this blog, as they are the ones who passed down their Auburn experience to me. I am forever grateful for that. Let the games begin...

Traveling Thoughts and Sneak Peaks

I know. I know. I haven't blogged in way too long. In fact, I'm having blogging withdrawals. This may sound crazy, but I feel like I have SO many thoughts lately that it's hard to concentrate. I've recently started back in school, and I have to commute to Panama City three days a week and I LOVE IT. The commute that is... Alone in my car, riding with my thoughts and my music. It's therapeutic, and it's one of my favorite things to do. I've probably written 10 blogs in the last 2 weeks...in my head. Unfortunately, it's frowned upon to blog and drive or else I could have shared them all. Seriously, I really think that I have the skills to be able to do it. I am an avid texter, and it's not because I'm a wannabe "tween". It's because I despise actual phone conversations. Of course, now that I live 5 hours away from a lot of my favorite people, phone conversations are kind of a key factor to my correspondence. Anyways, my completely irrelevant point is that I am completely capable of blogging and driving, but for the sake of the judgemental society in which we live in -lol- and for the sake of the very small percentage of a chance that I could possibly cause an accident...I don't do it. Therefore, leaving my followers "The few, the proud", with nothing to read. However, this may be a blessing in disguise, because I'm not sure if the world is ready for the things that go through my mind when I'm alone in my car...no joke. I think I'll keep that thought process to myself for now. New blog to come soon though! There is something that I have been dying to blog about, but haven't found the time lately. Something along the lines of, "If you want to make a complete ass of yourself via facebook, go RIGHT ahead...it's your ass, not mine. But, do not 'vague-book' (urbandictionary.com) about me, because even though it makes me laugh and gives me something to make jokes out of, I do not like being associated with teenage drama. Thanks for the laugh though. Really."

I'll be seeing y'all again soon.

Compromise. Embrace it.

Compromise. It is one of the most necessary and determining acts in this life. It is the soul of the give and take relationship people have with  one another. We all make compromises every single day; sometimes without even realizing it. It can be one of the most difficult, yet most natural acts of our daily lives. Compromise is crucial to the flow of life. Without it, we would all be trapped in a dark and selfish world in which we refused to give selflessly to others for a common good; therefore, bereaving our lives of the light that shines from spiritual gifts offered by others. I believe it is safe to say that compromising with one another is a good thing. When we stand stubborn in our ways, we often miss the chance to let something or someone into our life that brings forth enrichment. We should always strive to be open to compromise.

However, lately I have been doing a lot of thinking about the relationship of compromise with ones self. Sometimes, we find ourselves in a situation in which, in order to remain stable, we have to compromise who we are. I say we have to, but I suppose I should say that we choose to. We have all been guilty of it at some point in our lives. It's amazing to me how easy it is for us humans to compromise ourselves and our values. After all, we spend our entire lives becoming who we are, through many trials and tribulations; we question ourselves, we travel along beaten and unbeaten paths trying to figure it out. We choose the things that we believe in, and we sometimes face adversity for being passionate and standing our ground, but in the end, it makes us who we are. Then, something or someone comes along, and suddenly we feel the need to compromise those beliefs and values in order to fit them into our lives. I've learned throughout my life, that the benefits from compromising who I am are very short-lived. Eventually, the real version catches up to the  compromised version of ourselves. Another life lesson learned...

I don't think that we ever stop learning about who we are. There are times when I feel like a walking contradiction. I can be grounded and spontaneous all in the same breath. So, it can be confusing. Is this me compromising myself, or is this just life teaching me something about myself that has always been there, but below the surface? Compromising ourselves can often lead to the feeling that we've lost our sense of dignity, but I think it can also lead to realizing that maybe we weren't compromising our self after all; we were going against our grain, and as a result, learning something new about our self. So, as long as our dignity is in tact and we feel good about ourselves...I say, embrace it. We all have different sides to ourselves, and sometimes it takes a new job, a new city or a complete stranger to bring that other side out. Live it....


It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. -e.e. cummings

I'll Settle for Life...

To settle, or to be content in a life or in a situation in which your happiness has not reached it's full potential; it's a tempting idea, and I can even understand why so many people do it. However, forgive me if I don't join the others on that bandwagon. I'm twenty-seven and single....by choice, not by chance. I have a wonderful family and an amazing group of friends; my life is complete. Yes, of course, I do look forward to the day that comes with the man I will spend the rest of my life with, and build a family with; however, I do not need that man to make my life complete.  I have had many an opportunity to settle, and you would think that the older I get, the more tempting it would be, but it's the exact opposite. Some may say that I get more and more picky with age, but I say that I get wiser and more in-tune with myself and what it is that I want out of this life. I have seen one too many people desperately try to turn Mr. Right Now into Mr. Right because they are "twenty-something" years old and that's just what you do when you're "twenty-something"....you get married. Well, not this girl. I will not mold someone into who I want them to be, and I do not need to change who I am for anyone else. I refuse to just be content.

Do I question decisions made in the past? Yes, all the time. Do I wonder if there has been one wrong decision that should have been made differently? Most definitely. However, do I question that I'm in exactly the right place in my life as of today? Absolutely not. Here and now is exactly where I am supposed to be. I have never been more sure of that. God has a plan for this world that we reside in, and the life that I live is a part of that plan. There are some days that I will pass a couple on the street, in a restaurant, or in the comfort of a friend's home,  that exudes love and happiness, and with my head slightly tilted and a simple grin on my face, I will drift off into a dream of the simplest day that I will spend with the love of my life; walking our dog, enjoying dinner at our favorite restaurant, or simply soaking up life from our lawn chairs. I would be lying if I said that I do not hope for that. However, I'm not waiting around for life to happen, because it is already happening. I live for today, and today, I am happy. I am 27 years old and single, and I am happy. Imagine that.

"When it comes to relationships, maybe we're all in glass houses, and shouldn't throw stones. Because you can never really know. Some people are settling down, some are settling and some people refuse to settle for anything less than butterflies." -Carrie, Sex and the City

ex-pe-ri-ence [ik-speer-ee-uhns]

-noun
1. something lived through
2. observation of events as they occur
3. knowledge gained from such things


"Experience is the name every one gives to their mistakes." Oscar Wilde 
Perhaps this is true. However, it is my belief, that a mistake only becomes experience when you learn from it. If you don't learn anything from mistakes made, then they remain just that, mistakes. Everyone makes them, but unfortunately, one does not always learn from them. Experience can be a very powerful thing, but only if you allow it. Learn from your mistakes and use that knowledge to better yourself as a person. Chances are, the mistakes that we all make, were made for a reason; to teach us a lesson that God intended for us to learn.

That is all that I have for today. I hope that everyone had a safe and fun holiday weekend!

Psalm 34:19
A righteous man may have many troubles; but the Lord delivers him from them all.

Prayers and New Adventures

Hello fellow bloggers! I guess without realizing it I have been on somewhat of a "blog break." There has been a lot going on in my world, which has resulted in my lack of blogging....I apologize to my many interested readers...ha!

I would like to start by saying that one of my very best friends' father is battling Melanoma and just found out that it has spread to his brain. He has been fighting, and continues to fight, a very hard battle. I have the utmost respect for his courage and ability to remain positive and strong for his family. He and his entire family need your prayers, as do I. I have a very heavy heart for my best friend and the battle that she is facing. I pray everyday for the strength and wisdom to be the kind of friend that she needs right now.

Also, I have decided to take on a couple of new projects in the near future.  Since moving to the beach, I have wanted to take Yolo Boarding lessons. I found a place that offers them, but they had been put on hold because of the situation with the oil spill. I am determined to find someone who will teach me. Not only does it look like fun, but it's a great workout as well. Also, as some of you probably already know,  the oil is starting to hit our beaches here. They haven't hit the beaches near my house off of 30A, but it has hit places nearby, which means it's not far away. I plan to volunteer in whatever way I can to help keep our beatiful beaches clean, and sea life safe. Wish me luck on my new adventures.

That's all I have time for today, but I will be blogging again very soon. Before I go, I would like to give a birthday shoutout to the little boy that I keep everyday, Ezra. Today is his 2 year old birthday. I am very thankful that I found such a special family to work for. HAPPY BIRTHDAY EZRA!!

"Sometimes opportunity knocks at a inopportune time. In my opinion, these are the opportunities most worth seizing." Kat original :)

The Bread to my Shit Sandwich

"Life is a shit sandwich, but if you have enough bread, you don't taste the shit."  Jonathan Winters


Not only am I sharing this quote with my fellow bloggers because of it's comical value, but also because, when I read it, it made me think about my own personal "shit sandwich," and all of the wonderful people who are my "bread." I have amazing people in my life. I know that everyone says that, but I honestly do. I have the kind of parents that, in a world where it is so hard to do so, have given me the best example of what life and marriage could and should be like. They have taught me the true meaning of love between two people, in all of it's "unperfectness." Their love gives me faith in finding my own.

I have the sister of all sisters. The kind of sister that gives and gives and never stops, even when I may not deserve it-or anyone else for that matter. She has the sweetest soul of anyone that I know. She is the only person that I know that can be so sweet and so strong all at the same time. I like to believe that some of that rubbed off on me, but not nearly as much. She has given me the two greatest gifts that I have received in this lifetime, being my two amazingly beautiful nieces. On my darkest day, just seeing their sweet faces can make it shine at it's brightest. For my sister, I am forever grateful.

I come from a very small family. Some people have great big families full of many many loved ones. I have a family of fewer people, but it's filled with just as much love as all of those great big ones. They are all I need. I grew up with wonderful grandparents on each side of my family, who, in completely different ways, taught me so many valuable lessons in love, and how, when it's in it's truest form, it can endure anything. I have two very sweet aunts, two uncles that would have my back and you on yours if you were to think about messing with me, 3 great cousins (add one 2nd cousin, Ethan), and some pretty good great aunts/uncles as well. Life is good in the life of the Jones/Morrison family :)

And the last, but definitely not least, honorable mention in my "shit sandwich" blog would be my amazing friends. Those people that come along, one by one, on life's journey. They are the loves of my life. They come from all different walks of my life. From childhood friends, to high school, to college and thereafter. They all serve a different purpose in my life, and I in theirs. As a whole, they are, no doubt, the glue that holds my life together. In my opinion, no words can express, nor can a high enough value be placed, on the sanctity of friendship. In the words of "Big" from Sex and the City to Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha, speaking of Carrie..."You girls are the loves of her life. Any guy is just lucky to come in fourth place." Amen to that.

So, with all of this being said...I would like to dedicate this blog to all of the people, who most definitely know who they are, that make up the "bread" to my "shit sandwich." In a crazy world that is often full of doubt, you all have remained constant and undoubted. My "shit sandwich" just wouldn't be the same if I lost a single one of you.

Ocean Breeze and Summer Reads...

Let's see, it was a pretty successful weekend. Not only did I eat a tasty steak at Outback on Saturday night; I also ate the floor at Outback on Saturday night. Yep, you heard me....I took quite a tumble in front of about 7 tables full of people on my way to the restroom. I literally slipped on a pile of ketchup....this type of thing ONLY happens to me, and I'm still not convinced that it wasn't a setup.

To make up for the mortifying fall, I proceeded to walk to Barnes and Noble after dinner and buy 4 new books. I am currently reading A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines. I'm not very far into it, but it has definitely already made up for the fall...I have a serious knack for picking out a good book.

I spent the first half of my Sunday at the pool with my new book, and also apparently with a pool full of non-bachelors attending the Bachelor party of the guy who was obviously the very last to take the plunge. I'll be surprised if he goes through with it considering all the poor guy's friends did the whole time was dis on their wives/marriages. One guy's wife sucked at cooking. Another guy's wife thought she was a really good cook, but little did she know.... One of the wives gained 20 pounds within a month of the wedding date. I mean, the list goes on and on. Somehow I still managed to stay enthralled in my new book... Oh , and they also referred to a "cooler" as an "ice chest." It was quite entertaining.

As a pleasant surprise, I spent the second half of my Sunday out on "Plan Bee" (the name of a friend of ours' boat) at Crab Island. Ohhhh Crab Island. If you think you've heard of it, but don't remember if you've been there before, then you definitely haven't been there. A friend of mine made the comment that, "It's like Talladega on the water, replacing the race cars with boats, minus the race." This is so true. It's always a good time though. It was just a small taste compared to what is in store this coming weekend....

Speaking of this weekend...I will spend this entire week preparing for it. It's gonna be a doozy. Lots of friends coming in town, off work Friday and Saturday. If you need me, I'll either be posted up beachside or boatside.....

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time."  John Lubbock

A Saturday in Tune...

Hola!

Have I mentioned how glad I am to be back in the world of blogging? I'm pretty happy about it.

So, I'm working today at the gallery in Seaside. Considering the summer season has not quite peaked yet, days are a little slow here at times. I sit at my desk with my smart water, my blackberry, and the infamous MAC computer that I have fallen madly in love with. I immediately turn on Pandora radio and my day begins. A day full of amazing music can do wonders for the soul. I have always been a lover of music, and as most of my friends would agree, my taste in music has always been slightly off of the beaten path. Where most people see sadness in a particular song, I see beauty. Where some people see "weirdness" in a certain song, I see "uniqueness." On any given bad day, I can find all the comfort I need in a long drive and a good playlist. It's an amazing thing. I feel sorry for people who listen to music, but never truely hear it. Music can surface thoughts and emotions that you never knew existed. It can take you back to moments passed. It can literally cleanse the impurities of your soul if you let it. Music keeps me in tune with myself. I live for days like today.....

"If music be the food of love; play on." -William Shakespeare

Re-vamped. Re-energized. Really happy. And, most importantly, Re-located.

Well guys, I'm back! I apologize to my 2 followers for disappearing for so long. I know how hard that must have been for ALL of you. I will take this opportune time to update you ALL on where the hell I've been for the last, err, I don't know exactly how long...

-Well let me start by saying that the boyfriend that is spoken of in the previous blogs, well, how should I say this? Ummm...he did not make the cut. Much to everyone's surprise...considering no one ever has. I wish the best for him...some things just aren't meant to work out. That's all we'll say about that.

-Now that I got that out of the way, I can talk about how awesome my life is right now. I have recently made a HUGE change in my life, and moved to the fabulous city of Destin...or Santa Rosa Beach, if I wanna sound snobby. I mean, as if the city itself isn't enough brighten any one's life, I have the added plus of getting to see my sister and beautiful nieces EVERY. SINGLE. DAY! I know, right? It's amazing. Much to my sister's disbelief, I love nothing more than waking up every morning to their screaming voices insisting that I wake up RIGHT THEN! I don't even mind them trampling me in my own bed, letting me know that they mean business. I wouldn't trade it for the world....well, at least not until I find my own place. haha It's a wonderful life I am living here, and it has been a very enlightening experience...one in which I'm sure I will blog about in the days to come. Basically, I found a job as a nanny for a wonderful family that resides in Grayton/Blue Mountain Beach. The husband, Lee Crum, is a pretty nationally known photographer. They own a photography gallery in Seaside, The Gallery of Photographs, where I also work as a gallery assistant. Life. is. Good.

-Since living here in the Sunshine State, I have enrolled myself in "Destin Bootcamp." Yep, that's what I said. Crazy enough, I LOVE IT!! I feel better than I ever have before. It is a series of very intense, circuit-training type workout sessions with a personal trainer. We do most of our workouts on the beach, oddly enough, considering I'm slightly OCD about getting "sandy." I actually think it is slowly curing my obsessive-compulsiveness on this issue. Pretty soon I'll be kickin' ass and takin' names. Not hardly, but at least I know I could if need be....

I am going to go ahead and welcome myself back to the world of blogging. I have missed it, and I have a lot to say these days. More to come soon....

"Open your heart - open it wide; there is someone standing outside." -Mary Engelbreit