Monday Morning Review

 The Tar Heels took on the Woofies Saturday afternoon at home. We pretty much dominated the whole game and won 84-64. Harrison had 25 points and Henson had 16 points and 16 rebounds. I think they are both adorable.

Before the game, Daddy and I went to a Coaches Circle event - a champagne brunch in the newly-renovated Carmichael. It was so much fun! We sipped mimosas, ate yummy biscuits and oh yeah, talked to BUTCH!! We told him we were so grateful for such a great season and he said to give all the credit to the boys and the assistant coaches. At that point, I really wanted to express my love for a certain Taylor Jonathan and declare to Butch that I do, in fact, LOVE YOU TJ, but I refrained. We then got a tour of the locker rooms in Carmichael which are incredibly nice.

At halftime of the game, the football boys were honored for their Music City Bowl win. Teej wasn't there as he is playing in the NFLPA game on Saturday (along with Shaun Draughn and Ryan Taylor), but it was good to see some of the boys. After the football presentation, one of my clients had a halftime presentation which was also very exciting!

How was everyone's weekend? I'm feeling refreshed and revitalized after a great weekend and getting more and more settled in the new house. Have a great week y'all. It's supposed to be 69 degrees on Wednesday. I'm sort of giddly like a little girl about it.

Craving: Warm Weather

Happy Friday, sweet sweet readers! This has been A WEEK! Wine o'clock cannot come soon enough this evening. But I digress. I am craving warm weather. In a serious serious way. As you know, I moved last week into a beautiful house with one of my best friends Lauren. We have this ridiculously awesome sunroom that I'm pretty sure I'm going to live in when it gets warm. It keeps calling my name, "Lindsay, Lindsay, don't you want to sit out here and drink wine and eat cheese and crackers? Lindsay, Lindsay, don't you want to spend a lazy Saturday lounging on the loveseat out here, reading fashion magazines and eating Bon-Bons?" Why, yes I do sunroom, but these below freezing temps are not helping the situation. I also got a brand new grill for Christmas that we're dying to try out one weekend. We can't wait to play with our new cornhole board too! Ugh, winter, why must you torture me so?

On that note, I think I'm going skiing in a few weeks. Now, guys, the one time I went skiing in my life was sort of traumatic. I was about six years old and in a little skiing lesson for kids. My dad, meanwhile, was in a lesson for adults. All of the sudden out of nowhere my dad comes barreling through our kids lesson, unable to stop, and takes out a few kids on the way. I haven't been skiing since. But the boys invited me to tag along on their ski weekend in a few weeks in Blowing Rock. I don't know about the skiing, but the house has a hot tub and I'm a big fan of hot tubs.

Sidenote: Living with a roommate is awesome in many ways, but one unexpected benefit is I don't eat as much! I always used to cook goodies when I was bored and despite good intentions, ended up eating half of the batter along the way. Now I hang out with the roomie when I'm bored. While I may be pale in my bathingsuit in the hot tub, I will not be fat.

Craving: Hydrangeas

I am in love with hydrangeas. I want them all over my yard, in vases all over my house and when the day comes when I decide to get married, I want them all over the church. The fact that they come in Carolina blue, well, that is just perfection. So ready for warm weather so they are available (stay tuned for a warm weather post)!

(Wow I'm really not close to it this week) Monday Morning Review

Hey sweet readers! Here it is, Thursday (thank the good Lord in Heaven) and I am just writing the Monday Morning Review. It's sunny out today which makes my heart smile ridiculous amounts. It's still chilly, but it's been dreadfully rainy and gloomy so I'll take what I can get.

All stayed right with the world last week when we beat Clemson for the 55th time in a row in Chapel Hill. I, unfortunately, came down with a bout of the flu last week (get your flu shots, my friends - it.was.miserable) and did not go to the game. Between the flu, moving and a HUGE work meeting, things have been crazy. Today has been the first day I've gotten a chance to breathe and boy, does it feel lovely.

Last night, the bball boys hit the road to take on Miami. We started off incredibly slow and got ourselves in a big, ugly hole, but managed to come back and tie it up at halftime. The whole second half was close, but we ended up winning on by three on a clutch 3-point shot by Harrison. Thank you, Mr. Barnes! He has hit several clutch shots lately. You will not here an "overrated" chant anywhere near the lips of this girl.

Next up: State on Saturday following a champagne brunch at Carmichael. Count this girl in! 

Moving was successful. I am so blessed to have a set of awesome guy friends that helped me and did most of the grunt work while I was feeling less than stellar. I love y'all! It's nice to have someone to lounge around with and have a glass of wine with at the end of the work day.

I Want to Be French

 Goodness y'all, I'm silly. I don't know how I didn't put two and two together until now. I thought I had some weird fascination with the letter "B." I want a bakery and a bicycle with a basket and a butcher. And I really like boys and the movie "Breathless." While it is weird those things all start with a "B," I think I really want to be French! I want to start off my day with crossaints outside at the bakery down the street. I want to wear cute French clothes like striped shirts with a little scarf tied around my neck. I want to head to the butcher to get fresh meat to cook for dinner. I want to do all this in a bicycle with a basket. I want fruit, cheese, bread and wine in my basket. And boys, well, I just like them. How can I incorporate more of Paris into Raleigh? Suggestions welcome! Merci! :)

(Brief) Monday Morning Review

Last night the bball boys took on Georgia Tech in Atlanta. It was not pretty. The final was 78-58 and it was one of the sloppiest games I've ever seen. Hopefully we can come back strong against Clemson tomorrow night at home - after all, we do have to keep the streak in tact.

A Game of Extremes

I'm going to go ahead and post about last night's basketball game since we have another one this weekend and I don't want the Monday Morning Review to get too crowded. Last night the bball boys took on Va. Tech in our ACC home opener. The game started out horribly! The first few plays of the game were turnovers and we found ourselves in a 31-15 hole. Things looked hopeless. Dexter was all over the place, Harrison was forcing shots, Malcom Delaney couldn't miss - things were a mess.

We then made a run to bring us to within seven at the half. The second half was tight. Kendall came in and played awesome (even Little Larry Fan Club Prez over here has to admit it) and kept us in the game. Va. Tech only had eight scholarship players and I think it wore on them - four or five players ended up having cramps throughout the second half. We were down five with only a few minutes left when Mr. Barnes decided to redeem himself. He hit two three pointers and a fadeaway jumper to give us the lead. We ended up winning 64-61. The Dean Dome was electric! It was a late game on a school night, but the boys hung in there and took care of business so we stayed and harked. It wasn't pretty, but it counts. I'm so proud of the boys for hanging in there.

The ACC is crazy (bad) this year. Somehow BC and us are the only teams without an ACC lost, BC at 3-0 and us at 2-0. Duke lost to FSU two nights ago in a battle. I'm not sure how we're atop the ACC, but I'll take it. GO HEELS!

Finally: BOWL GAME!

Goodness, where to begin?

I flew out of RDU about 6 p.m. Wednesday evening. The airport and flight went perfectly. I arrived at the Gaylord to a glass of wine and my smiling family. Now let me start by saying the Gaylord Opryland is by far the biggest, craziest place I've ever been. It's constantly busy and slightly touristy, but absolutely breathtaking nonetheless. Here are a few pictures from in the hotel.

One of many pretty waterfalls at the Opryland Hotel.

We had a lovely dinner at a steakhouse in the hotel and went to bed to prepare for the long day ahead of us on Thursday. My brother and I woke up at 6 a.m. while everyone else was sleeping. We proceeded to do a bowl game dance and giggle like little girls. We are always giddy with football, especially giddy with bowl games and unrecognizably giddy with bowl games that aren't in Charlotte.

After a walk around the hotel with my incredible tour guide (if you are lost, you want my 9-year-old brother with you), we got ready and boarded the Rams Club Bus to head into Downtown Nashville. Here are some bus pictures:

After the bus ride, we arrived at Wild Horse Saloon for a Rams Club pre-party. We ate, drank and enjoyed the music of Chase Rice. Chase played football at Carolina when I was in school. He was a couple years younger than me, so I didn't know him, but I did have a class with him. This year he was runner-up on Survivor Nicaragua. He is trying to make it in country music and now lives in Nashville. I must admit, I've never watched Survivor until Chase was on it. I have a slight (okay, major) crush on him. So when the following picture was taken, I was pretty happy.

Chase and I!

After Wildhorse, we headed off to the game. I can't even begin to describe this game. It was a close game throughout. Carolina was down three with barely any time left. There was huge confusion about what unit was supposed to come on the field and the clock ran off. The refs said, "The game is over," Butch shook Dooley's hand and we prepared to go home with another bowl game loss.

BUT WAIT. "We've been buzzed from the box. The previous play is under review." It turns out TJ (sweet sweet TJ) spiked the ball with one second left on the clock. We got a penalty for having too many men on the field, but one second was put back on the clock. The field goal until took the field and Baby Connie (Casey Barth) hit a field goal. OVERTIME.

Tennessee won the toss and decided to go second. After a few plays, TJ scored a touchdown on the quarterback sneak. Casey hit the extra point. Tennessee's turn. Tennessee scored a touchdown on an awesome catch and hit the extra point. (Side note: Tennessee's quarterback is so annoying. He's a freshman and does rude gestures the entire game. Makes me even more grateful for Teej.) DOUBLE OVERTIME.

We win the toss and elected to go second. Tennessee meanie-face quarterback Tyler Bray throws an INT right into the hands of fabulous senior Quan Sturdivant. Oh my goodness. Freaking out. Our turn. We run a couple of plays and then Casey comes in and nails the field goal. GAME OVER. CAROLINA WINS. I'm tearing up just talking about it. Those boys deserved that game and I couldn't have been happier. I don't have any pictures from the actual game, but I do have one from right after we won.

We weren't excited or anything.

It was an amazing game. We went back to the hotel and got to high-five all the players. It was all very surreal. We capped off the trip with New Years Eve at the beautiful Grove Park. Heavenly.

Beautiful.

Monday Morning Review

I forgot to update on last week's bball game, so this will be a two-for-one. Last Sunday, the bball boys took on St. Francis at the Dean Dome. It wasn't our toughest task and we won rather convincingly. My brother and I went and had the best time together. Shammond was also there with his sweet baby girl, which was very exciting to say the least.

Saturday we opened ACC play at UVA. It was a (too) close game, but we pulled it out to start the ACC season 1-0. 

Quinton Coples announced that he will forgo the NFL draft and stay in school for next season. My brother and I have begun the official countdown to Spring Football.

In other news, my brother scored in his hockey game yesterday. I'm a proud big sister.

Fashion Fix: Tay's Gorgeous Ballet -Inspired Dress

I haven't done a fashion post here in a while, but this one makes up for it. Check out Taylor Swift's stunning ballerina-like dress. I'm in love.

I've always had a bit of a girl-crush on Tay (except for a few months recently when I od'ed after three solid years of my friend R and I being obsessed - but then she came out with her new album. Girl-crush back on.)

Anyway, I'm in love with this dress. I want it. So badly. It's perfectly feminine and flirty while still being classic. And I've always wanted to be a dancer. I tried when I was younger, but a love for filet mignons and twice baked potatoes did not do wonders for my little belly in a leotard.

Do you think J. Mendel will send one to me?

TJ Could be Roy's Foxhole Buddy

Y'all already know how much I love TJ (Lucy's late night, cuddling, Alpine everything bagel with bacon-scallion cream cheese amounts) and y'all know Roy has grown on me (his whole I don't give a **** about North Carolina, bothered me at first, but I've since come to appreciate his loyalty to the team he's with). Well, Roy recently paid TJ a huge compliment and said TJ could be one of his foxhole buddies. In Roy's book, he refers to his closest group of friends that he can always count on as foxhole buddies. He says some pretty incredible things about Teej that left me in tears. Here are some quotes from Robbi Pickeral's N&O blog post:

"I'd take T.J. Yates …  as a foxhole buddy, because when it was chaos, that young man used his brain and he's tough enough to stand in there make  throws,’’ Williams said in the audio clip, which was provided by the school. “And I just love him to death.”

“[The bowl game] just justified one thing that I really believe – and I don’t know the young man hardly at all : T.J. Yates is one of my favorite student-athletes to ever play at the University of North Carolina. One of the things is, that last year I was really hurt, I was really disturbed, I was really disappointed with the thing where they show his picture in the Smith Center [on the video boards] and the crowd didn’t give him a great reception. That’s not the Carolina way. The Carolina way is you put your arm around our guys. If you want to boo, boo the [heck] out of those other guys, OK. But the Carolina way is to put your arms around our guys.

"And I love the fact that he went through so much adversity , and you know what he did? He just worked. … And [freshman quarterback] Bryn Renner, everybody is saying [at the beginning of the season], ‘Let’s get T.J. out of the way.’ I think Bryn Renner is going to be a big-time quarterback for us, I really believe that, but this kid [Yates] has put up with a lot of junk, put up with a lot of negative talk, put up with a lot of discontent and has taken a great deal of blame – somewhat like Larry Drew, which is not deserved. 

“One of the greatest plays that I have ever seen is him taking that snap and grounding the ball. Because do you know what that took? That took some intestinal fortitude to say, ‘Hey, I don’t know what the crap is going on’ – which if anybody says they did, they’re lying, because it looked bad, the whole bit, but there was confusion and there was chaos. But that youngster had enough sense to take the snap, ground the ball and give us a second. Now the referee and the guy upstairs had to review it , but how many times have you heard Coach [Dean] Smith use the word ‘savvy’? My gosh. When all things are in an uproar around you, someone’s got to have some savvy to make a play and that young man saved that bowl game.

“You might say it’s crazy for me to say that’s one of my favorite plays ever, but it was. He got the ball and snapped it, and the center had to snap it, too, so it’s a two-way street. But to ground the [football] there with one second left to save the game has given us so many more positive feelings about the bowl game and about the season. He broke some records, and all of the junk that young man had to put up with -- I’m going to write him a letter. It probably will mean something to him, it might not mean a great deal and that’s okay, but I just love the fact that he took all of the abuse and all he did was say, ‘OK, I’m just going to work at it.’

“From the LSU game on, that kid, in my opinion, should have been the first-team all-conference quarterback. I think he played better than anybody else and put us in position to make something [happen]....  It’s not just the savvy that he played with, but the toughness.

“…The greatest compliment I can give somebody is that I would take you as a foxhole buddy. I'd take T.J. Yates …  as a foxhole buddy, because when it was chaos, that young man used his brain and he's tough enough to stand in there make  throws. And I just love him to death.”

New Years Goals :)

Let me start by saying Nashville, the bowl game and New Years at the Grove Park were all amazing. Rum-and-dc, sunny spot on a cold day, dinner of only wine and cheese, skinny day - amazing. But to write a post now without including all the pictures I've yet to upload would be doing the incredible trip an enormous injustice. So, my friends, you will have to wait. But let me tell you, it's worth the wait.

Okay, okay. Here's a preview: 

:) More to come soon. In the meantime, I'd like to share some New Years Goals. Now, I'm not trying to go against the grain by not using the word "Resolutions." But most New Years Resolutions are solid, measurable things (lose X lbs, sleep X hours a night, etc) while mine are a little less tangible so I'm using the word "goals."

1. Live in truth. It's not like I'm a liar. But over the last year I caught myself in a couple little white lies. At the time, I thought I was sparing others feelings, or making a situation less awkward, or being generally harmless, but now I know I was really rationalizing. I want to live in complete truth.

2. Be grateful. Y'all know this is a constant goal of mine. I always make an effort to count my blessings and focus on the positive. This year I am making more time to spend in fellowship so that I may walk closer with God and grow in my relationship with Him. (Dedicating more time to Him these past few days has already made my load feel tons lighter and made my heart feel more open)

3. Don't judge. My least favorite part of me is the judgmental part of me. And it's a weird part. It's not judgmental against different races or classes, it's judgmental against personalities. If someone and I do not automatically click, I write them off immediately. Now, in my mind it's not always their fault. In fact, most of the time, it's my fault which leads me to goal #4.

4. Be confident. This is my toughest task. I am my hardest critic. And I'm naturally an introvert - not a scary, creepy introvert (no offense), but an 'it's hard for me to speak up with my ideas in a group' introvert. Somehow I always feel like my idea won't be good enough. And I'm horrible at public speaking. Horrible. I get the red splotchies like I do when I have the first sip of a glass of wine. This year I'm trying to do things that scare me. I'm trying to speak up before I have a chance to analyze the situation 50 million times, I'm trying to put myself in positions to be heard and seen. This is an ongoing struggle for me. Sometimes it helps to get outside of myself and say, "Hey. You are a kind person. You have a great job that you love. You are pretty enough. You have wonderful friends and family that love you. You are okay. Don't be so small and scared." I never realized it until I wrote that, but "feeling small" is the best way I can describe it. I remember my last year at UNC, I felt larger than life. I was confident in school, I knew the town I lived in inside and out, I went out all the time and smiled and laughed and lived life. I never thought I'd feel small in the city I was born and raised in, but Raleigh has really grown. And as I begin my career, I'm back on the bottom. I need to work on getting back to that confident place. (Part of this goal may involve putting this blog "out there" a bit.)

5. Be social.  I have so many awesome friends. And I'm at this great place where I'm meeting some really cool new ones too. But most of the time, when friends call, I ignore the call. Most Friday nights I'd rather be on my couch with a bottle of wine by myself than out with people. I vow to change this. There will be plenty of times for Fridays with wine on the couch when I have kids and they go to bed. I'm 24 and I need to start acting like it a little more. I think moving into a house with one of my best friends in two weeks will help the process, too.

6. Be open. I've been through a few things in my life that have made me guarded. It's funny because most would not describe me as guarded. I'm extremely caring and my heart tends to beat out my head every time. But, internally, there's a lot going on. This year I'm vowing to not let all the past "mess" get in the way. I will be open. I will start a clean slate with everyone I know. One of my favorite sayings applies here, "If you agree to bury the hatchet, don't leave the handle sticking out." I also vow not to turn down opportunities because I'm afraid nothing could beat what I've already had. If it doesn't, no harm done; if it does, well I would have missed out if I hadn't. :)

7. Stop overanlayzing. Pretty self-explanatory, but much needed.

This sums up how I want to live 2011:

All I want from you is to trust me with what little you can,
and grow in loving people around you with the same love I share with you.
It's not your job to change them, or to convince them.
You are free to love without an agenda.
The Shack

Happy New Year loves!