Oh, football, how I miss you...

*check out more hilarity here*

My take on the Big Game

I know this will come as a shock to many of you, but I wore a burnt orange Texas shirt yesterday. Before you freak out, let me explain.

My Mom and Grandpa are both very fiesty UT fans, and somehow I managed to be a die-hard OU fan (even through the bad years). There were many OU/TX weekends endured, and most of those (while in the Turner household) were spent apart. This was best for both of us. However, in recent years both my Mom and I have begun to root for each other. This is rather unheard of when it comes to the OU/TX rivalry. Maybe it's because my hatred has been geared toward another team, or maybe it's because I've lived in Texas so long, or perhaps it's because I've garnered a great respect for Mack Brown and the way he coaches his team.

I don't own anything burnt orange. In fact, I don't think I have anything even close to that shade in my closet. But all of that changed on Wednesday evening. I guess the cashier could see my inner conflict, because she gave me 20% off of that burnt orange Texas shirt.

Last night I went to my coworker's house to watch the game, where the mood quickly took a nosedive when Colt got hurt. There were almost immediate mumblings and grumblings about many things on the UT side, and all I could think was how quickly they turn on their own. Now granted, I was an outsider. I may have looked like a UT fan, and I am in many respects, but at this point, I don't have the emotional attachment.

I constantly reminded the Debby Downers that yes, it sucks when you lose your starting QB early in the game (take it from someone who completely understands), but you have to move on. You can't wallow. Wallowing = losing. But wallow they did. And don't get me started on that shovel pass. Seriously? Knee the sucker and take it to the locker room.

The second half proved to be much better for the Horns, after what I'm sure was a emotional and heartfelt halftime peptalk from Mack. Gilbert even got the Horns within 3 points. I thought they just might pull out a spectacular come-from-behind miracle, but then Gilbert was blindsided deep in Texas territory and that sealed their fate. He did a phenomenal job, and I'm sure will be a fantastic QB next season.

Yes, had McCoy been in the game it may have had a different ending. But we'll never know. Give credit to Alabama, they managed the win (though they didn't do it with National Champion swagger). There should be no asterisk. No more what-ifs.

Let's put 2009 behind us, and hope that 2010 is bigger and better, especially for the Big 12.

Oh, and I wore my OU turtleneck underneath the Texas shirt. Boomer Sooner.

The Holidays...

I was robbed this year. Not literally, well, kind of. Let me splain...

The great OK/TX blizzard of 09 ruined my Christmas plans. I stayed in town on the 23rd to have dinner with some friends, and when I woke up on Christmas Eve there was a lovely blanket of snow covering the ground. It worked out perfectly for a photoshoot I had that morning, but it ruined any chances of being home for Christmas. In Abilene, we had lots of rain and then snow, but further north they had a few hours of sleet before the snow hit. So...Roxie and I spent the afternoon wrapping presents and watching Christmas movies on TV. It was my first Christmas sans family!

I was determined to get home, so I packed the car and left town just after lunch on Christmas Day. It was smooth sailing once I passed the Abilene city limits, the roads were clear and dry for the first 70 miles or so. But as I neared Olney, the roads got a little icier, and about 10 miles or so from Wichita Falls they were absolutely awful. It took me almost an hour to go 10 miles. Yeah. And I was even driving behind a truck that was scraping the roads, and it was still horrible. Now, granted, I do NOT drive a very weather-friendly vehicle. Hey, it's made for it's stunning good looks and speed, OK?

I got stuck twice, but luckily there were lots of people out on the roads and a few were kind enough to stop and help push me out of the ice and snow. I managed to make it to my Aunt's house, completely exhausted and stressed out. I was SO thankful to have a place to stop and get out of the craziness. The next morning Roxie and I took off for Oklahoma, and after a slow-going 20 miles or so, the roads cleared and all was well. I made it home Saturday afternoon, we had a fast and furious Christmas celebration, and I got back in the car and headed back to Abilene on the 27th.

Last week was spent packing and moving. My parents (God bless them) came down on Tuesday and were a tremendous help. I would not have been able to do it without them. Heck, they mostly did it all without me (I only had Friday off of work). If you look closely, I'm back there in the middle...I'm looking happy because we were nearing the end. I have WAY too much stuff.


I'm staying with a friend for now (while most of my stuff is in storage). I'm not sure where I'll be going next, which is exciting and scary at the same time. Do I stay in Abilene, do I move somewhere entirely new and different? The possibilities!

So a blizzard robbed me of Christmas, and packing/moving robbed me of New Year's. Fun, right?

New on ETSY!

Finally, 4 days before Christmas, I have uploaded new items to my etsy store! I've had these pieces finished for awhile now, but when it comes time to post them, I get nervous. I HATE those ads where the photos are just terrible, it makes me feel sorry for them (the items and the sellers).

I decided to suck it up and get it done though, all managed in about half an hour during my lunch break today.

So if you need a last minute gift (I can send via express/priority/overnight, etc), check out my etsy store!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/hturnerpottery

Here's a little preview:





I also have these little fun things (pins or hair barrettes), but I'm not sure if I want to list them or keep them all to myself...hmm.

29, flirty, and thriving

Doesn't quite have the same ring to it, but hey, I'm not 30 yet!

I had a good birthday week. I contemplated taking my actual birthday off of work (a company I used to work for gave us a paid holiday on our birthdays, awesome!) but decided that taking Friday was a much better plan. Went out for sushi with a few girlfriends on Thursday night and then trekked across the parking lot to the Mule to see Reckless Kelly. It was a great night (free drinks!), made even better by sleeping late the next morning.

My parents drove down on Friday and we spent the weekend looking at houses. I now have just over two weeks to figure out where the heck I'm moving to, and yes, the stress is starting to get to me. There are some very nice homes (from the outside, anyway) here, but many of the ones in my price range have some problems – like cracked foundations, wavy floors, or trashy neighbors. I've narrowed it down to two houses, and *should* be making an offer this week. So…I may need to crash on somebody's couch for a few weeks. If you have the need for a spare roommate for a bit, do let me know.

I am really looking forward to having my own home. No more roommate drama to deal with, free reign in designing each and every room, cleaning up after my own messes, and designing each and every room. Did I say that already? Cause yeah, that's what I'm really looking forward to the mostest (spellcheck just changed 'mostest' to 'moistest' – ha, not quite). Oh, and no more roommate drama. That too.

On a different note, I have a bit of Christmas shopping left to do. Usually I've already made my gift lists and know exactly who is getting what, but with the house hunting this year, I'm entering into present-crisis-mode. It's strange and unfamiliar territory, and I don't like it. Luckily I still have 9 days to figure it all out. 9 days.

9 times? 9 times…