Expectations vs. Intentions

 If you gagged when you read the title of this blog post, you are not alone!

I thought I would try out a yoga class at the Rec Center at South. I started off on the WRONG foot because I was too cheap to buy a yoga mat and instead brought a big towel. The yoga hippies all gave me the stink eye. 

For the first ten minutes of the class, the yoga instructor (who is BARELY 20 years old) lectured us on how the focus of this session would be on Expectations vs. Intentions. She went on to say how "so often in our lives we set grandiose expectations for ourselves that only result in failure. Instead, we should INTEND to do things, and in that, we shall never fail."

I was sitting on my towel with the most disturbed look on my face, because that is one of the dumbest things I have ever heard in my life. 

So then we started actually doing yoga, and to my horror, the instructor walked around the entire time adjusting our positions if we didn't look right.

(pose we did in class)

 Fun fact about Trish, her feet are DISGUSTING. 

I did NOT want that girl coming near me and seeing my rotting feet. Lucky for me, my feet, and my big towel, she never came near us. My friend Alison and I giggled through the entire session, and laughed out loud when the instructor said these gems:

"Feel lengthy in the sides of your body." (not sure how to do this....)

"Let your left arm be your pillow and your right arm be your blanket." (WWWWHHHHAT?)

"Because we are on the same journey today, we are one. Namaste." (Did we get married?)

"INTEND to take this pose to the advanced position." (by all means, DO NOT HAVE EXPECTATIONS)

Ok enough about that. In other news, last weekend was full to the brim. Earlier in the week, Caleb had an interview in Jackson and he liked it. 

From the looks of this picture, Jackson looks awesome. We shall see.

Then I took off work on Thursday and Friday to go with him to his interview in Lexington, KY. It snowed the entire time we were there, and it was beautiful! I LOVED Lexington. I did NOT love how far it is from everybody. Blerg, it was the longest drive of my life. And even though the snow was beautiful, I generally hate snow, so in the end snow is not a plus for me. 

 This is a picture of downtown Lexington. UK's campus isn't too far away. I could tell there was a lot of fun stuff to do, and even though it was snowing, people were still out and about. A+ for Lexington. 

After his interview, Caleb drove me to Memphis to visit with some friends. I miss these girls so much. I didn't take any pictures while I was there, but here's one of my favorite pictures from our cruise, Senior year.

 My goodness, we always have so much fun.

To wrap things up, Caleb has one more interview, then he is finished with the process. He will turn in his rank list, then we will sit tight until March 15 (the ides of March!). Until then, I am teaching those little goobers at school and he is doing a surgery rotation. Fun, fun!

The Interview Trail Mosies Onward

 We had just gotten back settled after Christmas and New Year's when Caleb left for two more interviews. He drove up to Chattanooga, TN to interview at their surgery program. I would not mind living on the river and still having that mountain backdrop! Let's move now!

 Two days after Chatty he flew to Hershey, Pennsylvania to their Penn State residency program. I hear the entire town smells like chocolate pretty much all the time. Why haven't we lived there before now? As one who has just now finished off the last of a huge bag of peanut m&m's that were just opened yesterday, I think it's a safe bet that I would LOVE to live in a chocolate city. 

I have actually started researching houses on the market, and I have found my dream home! Take a look for yourself!

Feel free to visit me anytime in my home made entirely from chocolate!

Match Day is March 15!!!!!!!

Ringing in the New Year

 Heather secured a babysitter/photographer so we could all hang out on New Year's Eve. I really wanted cheesy prom poses, and I guess this is how they posed at Austin HS and Gulfport High back in the day because what on earth are these boys doing? Starkville Academy would never tolerate such.

 Here we are at the Veranda. Caleb ordered the best thing ever. If you are planning a trip to the Veranda, go ahead and order the Barbecue Chipotle Shrimp. My mouth is watering as I type this! Oh my, it was so delicious! If more than about 8 people read this, maybe I can talk to Veranda into paying me for that bit of advertising- ha!

 I think when I reach 30, I'm going to refuse to be in pictures next to Heather because she is only getting prettier and I do have a huge ego to protect.

I had a pretty good 2011. I was able to go to London and Ecuador all before February! (Note: flying from London to Ecuador takes 23 hours and is not advised). Caleb and I have been able to go to some friend's weddings, we got to go to Ecuador together this summer, he received many interviews for residencies, and all in all the year has been great!

On March 15 we'll find out where he matched for residency, and then Caleb will graduate from Med School on May 12. 2012 has a lot in store and we're so excited. Bring it on!

Cakeballs and Music City Bowl

 We stayed with Caleb's family in Kentucky for a few days before heading to Nashville for the Music City Bowl.We love our Bowling Green Family! Late at night, we got a hankering for cakeballs and they tasted great but do not look like the kind behind the counter at Starbucks, for sure. Our white chocolate went crazy and we ended up plopping it on top of each cakeball with a spoon. 

 When driving from Bowling Green to Nashville, we pulled into a gas station to see this glorious sight!:

 Caleb was certain Dan was literally on one of the buses at that very moment. I know Dan was not. The same man that drives Dan to and from Bowl Games once drove the Starkville Academy bus to and from football games. We made it from Starkville to Jackson Prep in an hour and thirty minutes one time, and that was before the highway was 4-laned. In case you're wondering, he was driving TOO FAST.

On to the bowl game. Want to know how the game ball made its way into the stadium???? By a para-trooper. Mind blown. The announcer said the soldier would navigate his chute just so, and land exactly on the 50-yeard line, AND HE DID. How is that even possible?

 I proudly sported my new thick-knit cowl to the game. For the record, I did not know that Wake Forest's colors are gold!!!! I looked like one of their fans!!! Horrors!

The Day After

  Dad has been tinkering with a good shrimp and grits recipe for a while, and he perfected it for a day after Christmas brunch. Shrimp for breakfast? Yes, please. 

I've always been ok with seafood early in the morning, though. One time, I ate leftover stuffed shrimp before going to work at 5:30 in the morning. 

Now that I type it, it sounds really gross.

 I think my mom has the best Christmas tree in the state, NAY, the country. I don't think she has ever thrown away an ornament anyone has ever given to her. I like that most ornaments have a story, too.

Our tree is getting there! Our first Christmas, we had about 5 total ornaments, so I strung string around the napkin ring from Boo Boo's bridal shower and it still hangs on our tree today. Hehehehehehe.

 Ok, so for Christmas, Molly and I both got machines that are going to rachet up our crafting abilities by a million percent. I was given a Cameo Silhouette and she was given an embroidery sewing machine. Look out world!!!! We crafted a ton, and she made this picture frame decoration after being inspired by a craft I did once.... SYKE! She found it on Pinterest, where even foreign dictators are trolling for ideas. 

It's burlap with a Bible verse and scrapbook paper leaf- things. Crafting high-five!

 Our unofficial crafting room. We were modge-podging anything and everything. Mainly our fingers by accident.

 We gave my Dad a donut cutter and we really enjoyed frying up some homeade donuts. That's what the rest of the pictures are. Should Shipley's be concerned with us becoming competitors? Probably.

 What did we do for the next two days? Watch 36 episodes of Community on dvd and smile as all that donut fat settled into our arteries. Love it.

Christmas Eve and Day at the Hoppers

 Nothing like a Christmas post two weeks later, but I started the Hunger Games trilogy and have hibernated, books in hand the past few days. They are so good I can't even stand it! Team Gale or Team Peeta???? AAAAGGGGHHHH!!!!!??????? These books torment me. Ironically, I also just finished reading Tina Fey's "Bossy Pants" so I have gone from one extreme to the other. 

Anyway, here are some pics from what some might call one of the best Hopper Christmas's of all time....

Here we all are Christmas Eve, just little elves, mixing tiny delights for Santa. My Dad and Husband compare this ritual to chinese water torture, but they still participate, year after year. 

 Cue Christmas Day. Molly knitted McRae a hat/beard combo. It is awesome, obviously. 

 Here are all the girls, bracing for the yearly Silly String Games. It's pretty much the same as the Hunger Games, except not at all.

 Although, the silly string battle does go down pretty much the same way every year.... McRae somehow gets his filthy paws on TWO cans, and then thinks he's Rambo and double fists that junk right into your eyeballs. Then me and Molly usually scream at him. Then we all band together to attack Mom with the video camera. And that pretty much sums it up.

 Other Hoppers came from afar.... and we had a huge meal cooked primarily by Molly (and we all survived- HA! Just kidding, she's a great little cook).

It was such a great day. When everything calmed down, we put in Criminal Minds season 4 and proceeded to terrorize ourselves for 8 hours. Nothing says Christmas Day like watching serial killers for hours on end.