Alabama Football Weekend

Yesterday (September 30th) was Bo's 27th birthday!  (Yeah, he's gettin' a little old!)  To celebrate, my dad and step-mom bought the four of us tickets to the Alabama vs. Ole Miss (aka. The University of Mississippi) football game.  Since Bo is a pretty fanatic football fan - he is a third generation Cowboys fan - I have wanted to share the Alabama home game experience with him for several years.  As I have mentioned in previous posts, I grew up an Alabama fan and I like my fair share of football too - especially college football in the SEC.

It didn't hurt that Alabama is the most dominant team in all of college football right now either...talk about perfect timing!

On Friday we hit the road to Alabama.  It was a long nine hour drive, but we made it there safe and sound and in time for a full day of game-day fun on Saturday!  After swinging by his apartment to pick up my little brother (well, little as in younger, that is...at 6'5" he's not exactly little...), we headed over to the infamous Dreamland barbecue restaurant.

1958 was a big year for Tuscaloosa.  Not only was it the first year that Paul "Bear" Bryant started coaching at Alabama, but it was the year that John "Big Daddy" Bishop opened his first Dreamland Cafe.  Big Daddy was a brick mason for many years, and he longed for another way to support his family.  He had narrowed it down to opening either a mortuary or a restaurant and he got down on his knees and prayed for guidance.  Legend has it that God told him in a dream that night to build a cafe on the land next to his home and Big Daddy made that dream a reality. (Source)

And so a legend was born.

At first we were going to go to the original Dreamland location, but since the ONLY THINGS on their menu are ribs and bread, we decided that wouldn't exactly work for a vegan/vegetarian like me.  Instead, we drove over to a nearby location with a wider menu selection that includes sides and salads.

We started out with a sampler platter complete with spicy sausage, wings, fried, and chicken fingers.

Everyone but me ordered ribs.  

If the leftover bones were any indication, they were delicious!

I stuck with a baked potato and side salad (It came with cheese and sourcream - which I didn't know.  I took off as much as I could so that I could enjoy the taste of my potato slathered in homemade barbecue sauce!)

Hm...hmmm...good!

Everyone had a bite (or two) of homemade banana pudding.  

Man, this stuff is addictingly delicious!

I think I need to come up with an equally delicious - but much healthier - version of my own.

Next, we headed over to the Bear Bryant museum for a little history lesson.  For those of you that don't know, Bear Bryant was the winningest coach in Alabama football history with over 350 wins!  Needless to say, he is a L.E.G.E.N.D. in college football not only in the SEC, but all over the country.

Bear Bryan in his signature houndstooth hat.

Big Al - Alabama's mascot.

One of the many infamous plays in Alabama football's historical playbook (and against Tennessee to boot, which makes it all the better)!

One of Alabama's 14 (yes, that's FOURTEEN) national championship trophies!

One of the many paintings done in honor of Alabama football's greatest moments.  

Isn't this stunning?!  

The players literally look like they are moving on the canvas.

Amazing.

After we finished at the museum, we decided to walk around the quad for a bit.  The quad is a location on the Alabama campus where thousands of people gather to tailgate before the game.  Hundreds, if not thousands, of tents are set up; and tens of thousands of fans proudly parade around in their crimson and white.

It's a sight to behold.

Alabama all-american's memorialized forever.

Me and my (little) brother! :)

About two hours before the game, thousand of fans gather at the front of the stadium for the "Walk of Champions" (so named because statues of every coach that has won a national championship line the entrance to the stadium).  This is where the team enters the stadium prior to the game.

 Hundreds and thousands of fans waiting to greet the team!

Family photo with Dad, Forrest, me, Bo, and Deb.

Guess what showed up about ten minutes before the team?!

You guessed it - the rain.

Good thing Deb bought us all ponchos!

After being thoroughly drenched for about ten minutes, the team bus pulled up and the rain literally just STOPPED.  It was like the sky opened for the team...pretty cool.

By the way, the team ALWAYS dresses in suits on game day - even if it is an away game.  

They looked quite dapper, if I do say so myself.

Then it was FINALLY time to enter the stadium.  

In the hour or so before the game, fans were entertained by the band and several inspirational Alabama football videos.  Truth be told, the entertainment was so good that the 75 minutes before kick-off flew by - which was definitely a good thing because after an already 12+ hour day, I was starting to get a little tired.

Bo and I cheesin' right before kick-off!

The team entering the stadium while being flanked by the band.  

SUCH. A. POWERFUL. MOMENT.

(I might have gotten a little teary-eyed).

Dad and Deb smiling before the game!

A gorgeous panoramic view of the stadium.

It's H.U.G.E. and it was packed with over 102,000 fans!

My handsome birthday boy!

A HUGE thank you goes out to Dad and Deb for providing us with this memorable weekend.  

We will NEVER forget it!

Question of the Day:

What are your thoughts on football?  Do you like it?  Do you think it is overrated?  Did you grow up with it? Do you enjoy attending a good game?  Is there a team you root for?  

Whatever your thoughts about football are, I would LOVE to hear about them in the "Comment" section below!

Blessings,
Ally and Bo

10-Year High School Reunion

On a day in late May, 2002 I walked across the stage of the Alabama Theater and received my high school diploma from the Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA).  ASFA isn't your typical high school by any stretch of the imagination.  I mean, just look at its mission statement:

The mission of the Alabama School of Fine Arts, a diverse community of explorers, is to nurture impassioned students by guiding and inspiring them to discover and fulfill their individual creative abilities in an atmosphere distinguished by the fusion of fact and feeling, risk and reward, art and science, school and society.

Before I go on, I think that it's important that I give you a little background regarding ASFA.  

So here's a quick snapshot of the high school I called home:

You might be surprised to learn that ASFA is a partially residential public school (i.e. that means some students from out of state or the extremities of Alabama live there during the school year) serving grades 7-12 and is authorized and funded by the Alabama Legislature.  Tuition is free for Alabama residents (there is a small tuition fee for out-of-state students, of which ASFA has a few each year).  Much like a college or university, ASFA is divided into six specialty departments, including:

• Creative Writing;
• Dance;
• Mathematics and Science;
• Music;
• Theatre; and
• Visual Arts.

In addition to their specialty courses, all students take core academic classes necessary to earn an Alabama high school diploma.  The school day typically begins at 7:55AM and ends around 4:45PM (or later).  As a Dance major, during performance seasons (which occurred 3-4 times a year) I would regularly have rehearsals until 7:00PM.  Combine rehearsals with the academic expectations of the school and it wasn't uncommon for me to be up past midnight completing all of my assignments.

In many ways ASFA was a lot tougher than your typical high school experience.  The academic classes were more rigorous (especially if you took Advanced Placement classes like me), the specialty departments had high expectations, and the hours were even longer than your typical workday.  But in other - perhaps more important - ways, ASFA was a high school haven.  For instance, the ASFA website states:

Although studios,the school's atmosphere is in no way stiff or severe.  Faculty, staff, and students value freedom from within the bounds of mutually respectful relationships and behavior, subject to rule discussed in the Student Handbook and Residential Life supplement.

In reality, what this little paragraph means is that I went to high school with friends who had rainbow colored hair.  Moreover, a lot of my friends had piercings and wore Gothic makeup.  The term "dress code" didn't really mean much at ASFA...I mean, short of walking into first period with a bikini on, we could all pretty much wear whatever we wanted to.  Outside of these visual qualities, ASFA gave (and still gives) each of its students the space to explore who they are, and who they are going to be, within the safety of its walls.

A performance by the ASFA Dance Department.

It's for all of these reasons and more that for me personally, and I know for many of my high school friends, ASFA was my very own high school utopia...which is more than I can say for many people's high school experience.

Needless to say, I felt very strongly about making it to my 10-year reunion.  Who knows where we'll be ten more years from now?!  I can honestly say that over the past ten years I had only seen ONE PERSON from my graduating class.  I was a little nervous.  As Bo and I drove up to the bar I thought to myself:

"The last time I saw most of these people they were my closest and best friends."

"Is it going to be weird to see them now?"

"Are we the same people, or has ten years changed us so much that we no longer have anything in common?"

"How much power does a shared high school have over college, first jobs, marriage, kids, etc.?"

But, unsurprisingly, I had nothing to worry about.  

Within five minutes everyone was chatting, laughing, and making jokes just like old times! 

Casey, Johanna, and I were close friends during high school.  Now, both Casey and Johanna are mommies, in addition to working in college admissions (Casey) and being a massage therapist (Johanna)!

Sidenote: Case and Johanna are the ONLY TWO PEOPLE from my graduating class of 63 to have children, and even their children are only 2 and less than 1 years old respectively.  I feel like this statistic is much higher at most high school reunions.  I guess that just goes to show you that ASFA graduates' goal-oriented nature dies hard!  I think that children are right around the corner for a number of us, but all of us seemed to wait quite a while before entering that stage of our lives.  

I think we were all pleasantly surprised by the awesome turnout at the reunion!  Personally, I expected around 25 people to show; but in the end it was closer to 35-40...not bad for a class of 63 to begin with!

Not great lighting, but what can you expect from a rooftop bar?!

Maybe it's just me, but I don't think we look 28...

Sanjay, Brian, Johanna, Casey, and I were all very close in high school.  There was never anything romantic between any of us, but we used to stay over an one another's houses over the weekend and talk into the wee hours of the night about our fears of mediocrity and failure (go figure!).  Now we are cardiologists, high-profile bankers, massage therapists, university administrators, parents, and yoga teachers!  It sounds like some sort of made up statistic, but between the five of us we have approximately nine higher education degrees.

If you ask me, that means ASFA did its job, and did it da*n well!

Now either married, or in long-term relationships, our lives will continue to move in opposing directions.  But I'm not sure that really matters, because in the end we will always have a shared history.

Thanks, ASFA.

Next time - a potato salad recipe perfect for your upcoming July 4th celebration!


Question of the Day:


Did you go to your 10-year high school reunion?!  If so, tell me all about your experience in the "Comments" section below!

Blessings,
Ally and Bo

Home and Blackberry Jam

As I mentioned in my last post, Bo and I visited my old stomping grounds in Alabama this past weekend.  Since Bo had to work on Friday, we ended up arriving relatively late to my mom's house that evening.  A little worse for wear from our 8+ hour drive (OK - confession time - the reality is that I just sat in the passenger's side seat while Bo drove the whole way, but hey - that can be draining too!  Give me a break!), we arrived tired and starving!

When I walked into my old room to set down my suitcase, whaddya know but my mom had already made the room feel like "home."  Freshly cut from her front garden, my mom decorated the room with my all-time-favorite flower, blue hydrangeas.  I don't know what it is about these flowers, but I simply adore them.  From their plushness, to their indigo hue, I just can't get enough.  Needless to say, right away I was able to relax and enjoy being "home sweet home."

Mom also had a whole dinner ready and waiting for us to devour!  

We ate:

• butter beans (fresh from her garden);
• sauteed crooked neck squash (fresh from the garden) and onions;
• steamed Spanish rice;
• homemade white cornbread; and
• roasted chicken (for the meat-eaters).

Hm...mmmm...all that garden fresh food does a tummy good!

The next morning my mom told me that she had a whole bucket full of freshly picked, local blackberries ready and waiting to be turned into jam!

She wasn't kidding either...just LOOK!

I was in charge of mushing (and yes, that is an official term) the blackberries!

I think I did a good job...don't you?!

I was NOT aware that this picture was taken...apparently Bo found the camera and sneaked one past me!

Jam-making is 100% worth it, but it does sort of make a mess.

(Note: I could have used the flash in this picture, but honestly I kind of like the sepia tone that it had without it.  It looks sort of rustic to me...the way jam-making activities should look.  What do you think?)

Dishes.

I was surprised to learn that jam-making doesn't really take that much time, effort, or ingredients.  In fact, other than the blackberries, I think that the only other things we added were lemon juice, all-fruit pectin, and a small amount of sugar.  Not bad at all...and definitely cheaper than buying jam at the store!

We ended up making ten small jars of jam, enough to give away half to friends and family and still have a couple of jars each for ourselves ("ourselves" meaning my mom and I).  In fact, I ended up giving a jar to my dad for Father's Day.  Other than peaches, blackberries are his favorite fruit, so it worked out perfectly!

Side-note: There is something incredibly powerful and meaningful about cooking from scratch, in the kitchen, with your mother.  We - meaning the vast majority of my generation living in the United States - don't do things like this.  Instead, we buy jam/jelly in the condiment aisle of our local Piggly Wiggly, Publix, or Whole Foods.  Most of us, including me until this past Saturday, don't even know HOW to make jam/jelly (or for that matter, many of the other foods that we eat on a regular basis).  For me, returning to the cooking heritage that gave us these ingredients was a really moving thing.  In the future, I want to do more things like this. In fact, I WILL learn to:

• garden;
• dehydrate; and
• can

just to name a few.  Until then, Bo and I should probably work on buying a house.  After all, we will need some land to grow all that food on. ;)

Later that day my Mom and Step-dad hosted a Bar-B-Que lunch in honor of Father's Day.  My biological brother and both step-brothers were able to make it.  So, with all four of the kids together (which is a rare event), we spent the weekend sipping on sweet tea, eating hot dogs and hamburgers (or an amazing salad for me!), and relaxing on the porch.

Mom and I snapped a few pictures together.  

Isn't she lovely?! 

(Which, by the way, reminds me of a "My Fair Lady" song...but I digress...)

Handsome hubby.

Happy couple.

And yes, I know that I already mentioned this at the beginning of the post; but seriously, aren't these hydrangeas G.O.R.G.E.O.U.S.?! 

Next up - all about my 10-year high school reunion! WHO-HOOO!

Question of the Day:


What is the coolest thing (in your opinion) that you have ever made from scratch?!

Blessings,
Ally and Bo