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

Primary Yoga Series: Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)

First things first:  ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!!!!!

You might remember this post where I talked about the Crimson Tide's loss to LSU earlier this football season.  It was a bit of an emotional post for me, but in the end it was all about celebrating my heritage as a life-long Alabama football fan.  Well,  this past Monday evening, the Crimson Tide redeemed itself by beating LSU 21-0 in the BCS National Championship Game.  For the 14th time, the Alabama Crimson Tide is college football's national champion!  I am always proud to call myself an Alabama fan, but I was especially proud on Monday night. 

Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer, Give 'Em Hell Alabama!

Now back to our regularly scheduled yoga programming. :)

Uttanasana, Sanskrit for Standing Forward Bend, is a pose that you will encounter in almost any hatha yoga class.  In most cases, you will repeat Uttanasana a half a dozen times (or more) during your practice.  Although frequently viewed as a transition posture, the standing forward bend is an asana in and of itself.

Note:  Remember that, in the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali describes an asana as a "steady and comfortable posture," with the words 'steady' and 'comfortable' being of the utmost importance. 

Uttanasana may seem like a simple and relatively unimportance asana.  However, as noted by Yoga Journal, when practiced correctly, the standing forward bend has almost a dozen noted benefits, including:

• calming the brain;
• relieving stress and mild depression;
• stimulating the liver and kidneys;
• stretching the hamstrings, calves, and hips;
• strengthening the thighs and knees;
• improving digestion;
• relieving the symptoms of menopause;
• reducing fatigue and anxiety;
• relieving headache and insomnia; and
• providing therapeutic benefits for asthma, high blood pressure, infertility, osteoporosis, and sinusitis.

So how does one practice Uttanasana correctly?  Well, you're in luck(!) because in today's post we will be moving through the standing forward bend step-by-step, discussing proper alignment, and offering appropriate modifications.

• Step 1:  Begin in Tadasana, Mountain Pose. 
• Before continuing, check in with your body to ensure that your tailbone is lengthened, your spine is lifted tall and erect towards the ceiling, your shoulders are relaxed down the back towards your hips, and your lower abdomen is lifted. 

• Step 2:  On an inhalation, circle the arms out and overhead.
• The arms should be, and stay, in line with the ears.

• Step 3:  With a flat back, hinge at the hips and begin to fold forward. 
• Simultaneously, the thighs engage in an internal rotation by rotating in, back, and apart from one another.  This may seem strange at first, but the internal roation of the thighs allows the pelvis to tilt and the sitting bones to lift up towards the ceiling. 

• Step 4:  Contine folding foward with a flat back and internal thigh rotation. 
• Note that the arms are still in line with the ears!

• Step 5:  When you can no longer fold with a flat back, round the spine, release the palms to the floor in line with the feet, and shift the gaze to the navel.

• Modification 1:  If holding the arms alongside the ears places uncomfortable pressure on your low back, or if you feel as though you cannot maintain a flat back as your fold forward with the arms alongside the ears, you may release the arms out to the side in a "T" position during the standing forward bend.
• Note that my arms are extending directly out from my shoulders (i.e. not in front of or behind the shoulder joint).

• Modification 2.A:  If "Modification 1" is strenuous both on the lower back and the hamstrings, you may lengthen the arms alongside the ears (as in the traditional technique) and bend the knees.
• Note that the spine is fully extended and the pelvis is tilted. 

• Modification 2.B:  If "Modification 2.A" continues to be strenuous on the lower back, you may release the arms out to the side in a "T" position during the Uttanasana.

• In both "Modification 2.A" and "Modification 2.B", when you can no longer fold with a flat back, round the spine, release the palms to the floor in line with the feet, and shift the gaze to the navel.

• Common Misalignment 1:  Rounding the spine, and keeping an external rotation of the upper thighs (as opposed to an internal rotation that allows the pelvis to tilt and the sitting bones to lift up towards the ceiling). 

• Common Misalignment 2:  Failing to keep the arms in line with the ears while either descending into the posture or ascending out of the posture.
• Note that this misalignment may compromise the internal rotation of the thighs and may cause the spine to round.

• Ardha Uttanasana (Standing Half Forward Bend) Version 1:  From the full version of your Uttanasana, with an inhalation straighten your elbows and arch your torso away from your thighs, place your fingertips on your mat, create as much length between the pelvic region and the navel as possible, and continue to extend your heart center (where your sternum is located) away from the floor/mat.  

• Ardha Uttanasana Version 2:  From the full version of your Uttanasana, with an inhalation straighten your elbows and arch your torso away from your thighs, place your fingertips on your shins, create as much length between the pelvic region and the navel as possible, and continue to extend your heart center away from the floor/mat. 
• This version is partcularly applicable to those students who have tight hamstrings.

• Ardha Uttanasana Version 3:  From the full version of your Uttanasana, with an inhalation bend your knees, straighten your elbows and arch your torso away from your thighs, place your fingertips on your shins, create as much length between the pelvic region and the navel as possible, and continue to extend your heart center away from the floor/mat. 
• This version is partcularly applicable to those students who have tight hamstrings and lower back issues.

Question of the Day:

Do you catch yourself slumping your shoulders and rounding your spine while seated or standing?!  If so, practice a slow and purposeful Uttanasana and/or Ardha Uttanasana a half a dozen times a day!  It will help. :)

Blessings,

Ally and Bo

Tacky Christmas Outfit Party

As most of you know, my husband is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy (USNA). After Navy beat Army for the TENTH year in a row yesterday afternoon (!), Bo and I were ready to party!  After all, a decade of dominance is nothing to go uncelebrated.  Lucky for us, close friends of ours were hosting a "Tacky Christmas Outfit" party!

On Thursday afternoon, after raiding our own closets and coming up with nothing, Bo and I realized that we would have to go scavenging for suitable "tacky Christmas outfits" for this sure-to-be-fancy-soiree.  First we tried the Goodwill...and found nothing.  Then we decided to visit the next tackiest place we could think of...Wal-mart!  And whaddya know?!  We found an abundance of choices. 

Ultimately I chose a men's 3X t-shirt, and styled it up in my own unique way...

Bo, on the other hand, went a little on the drag queen side of things choosing a woman's 2X nightgown topped with a Santa hat.  His military boots topped off the look...

Yeah...that's my handsome hubby right there... :)

Our wonderful hosts, the Erwin's, planned the perfect holiday party for the dozen (or so) of us that were there!

There were holiday treats:

Tasty libations (courtesy of our in-house bartender, Mrs. Lee!):

and kits for a gingerbread house contest later in the evening! (Much more of that to come a little later in this post.)

Bo and I had so much fun!  Can you tell?! hehehe...

Little Everett had a great time too! He's such a party animal. :)

The highlight of the party was the Couple's Gingerbread House-Building Contest (and yes, that is the event's official name!).  Each couple had between 40-45 minutes to build their masterpiece, and this competition was no joke!  Each couple claimed their working space, formulated a plan, and got to work.  45 minutes later, there was...

...ONE huge mess...

...and five gingerbread houses!  Here's what everyone came up with:

• House #1: "Let it Snow!" by Mr. and Mrs. Lee

• House #2: "Ollie the Hedgehog's House" by Mr. and Mrs. Erwin

• House #3: "Candy Cottage" by Mr. and Mrs. Behne

• House #4: "House of Gingermen Wrestling" by Mr. and Mrs. Baker

• House #5: "Memories of the 9th Ward" by Mr. and Mrs. I-Don't-Know-Their-Last-Name (and don't want to put their first names on the blog)

The tough decision came after we had all finished our houses.  We knew that none of us could be impartial in choosing the contest winner.  So...what to do?!

Why, enlist a hedgehog of course!!!

Really. 

I'm 100% serious.

Mr. and Mrs. Erwin have a pet hedgehog names Ollie.  We figured that Ollie might be willing to help us out in our time of need.  So, we put her on the judging table, and let her get to work!

At first it seemed like she might have been partial to the "House of Gingermen Wrestling."

But in the end it was meant to be because she chose "Ollie the Hedgehog's House!"  Just look at her all snuggled into her new, humble abode!

I promise you...she just walked right in!

Bo and I had such a blast at the party!  It was filled with yummy food, drinks, friends, laughter, and a hedgehog!  What more could we have possibly asked for this Christmas season?! :)

It's just a couple days until I can say "12 days 'til Christmas"!

Question of the Day:

Have you been to any Christmas parties this year?  If so, I would love to hear more about them!

Blessings,
Ally and Bo