Game 4: JMU vs. W&M

Game 4 versus William & Mary took place on October 13, 2012. I, as usual, worked late on Friday afternoon, so I opted to drive up to Harrisonburg on Saturday morning. Since Patti would not be attending the game due to her boyfriend's ill-placed birthday weekend (How dare he have his birthday the Monday after a game day weekend?!), I would be making the trek to the 'Burg alone.

I started my Saturday at 8:30 a.m. and I was exhausted, having gone to dinner late with two girls from work. So my goal was to get ready, make it out of the house early and make a stop at the Green Valley Book Fair on the way to the game. Don't you worry, I accomplished all those goals! :)

The Outfit

Tank top, Old Navy, < $6
 Scarf, Old Navy, $10.99
Shirt, Gap Outlet, $10
Jeans, Levi's, Marshalls, $19.99
Boots, not pictured, Target $34.99

The Tailgate

After I finally made it to JMU, after going to the book fair and the Outpost (to get my game day button), I finally parked and headed to campus. Actually, more like rushed to campus. Until I found out that Patti's family was not at JMU yet. (Yes, I hang out with my best friend's family when she is not there because they love me.) So I headed to P-Lot for a good time with the P-Lot crew. 

Then when Patti's family got there, I headed to the other end of P-Lot. This weekend was extra special because Patti's cousin, Stephanie was attending the game. Stephanie goes to the enemy school Appalachian State so I don't see her nearly enough! I also finally got to her boyfriend, Ben. (Seriously must find me a Ben - both Patti and Steph have one.)

Steph&Tiff

Anyway, we were way into our tailgating so we actually missed the first quarter of the game. Good thing too, because it was the worst quarter of the game and the game only got better from there.

When I finally got to the game, I was greeted by my game watching company: Tyler, Steve, Matt and Tony! I hadn't seen Tony since Homecoming last year so of course pictures were in order. 

Me & Tony

The Game

So because of my prolonged tailgating, I missed Justin Thorpe's interception. At one point, we were down 14-0. But then began the most exciting game ever! With seconds left in the fourth quarter, the game was tied 17-17 and W&M had the opportunity to seize the game. Half of the student starts to leave and I am saying to Matt, "Where are they going? This is going into overtime!" 

The student section started chanting something that I could not understand and then JMU called a timeout to ice the kicker. It was after that timeout that I deciphered what the student section was chanting.

Billy Cundiff. Billy Cundiff. He missed that field goal and as I predicted, this game was going into overtime.

So in case you don't know the rules of college football overtime. Each team gets the ball on the 25 and gets a chance to score. We won the coin toss and elected to defer. Our defense worked hard and only allowed William & Mary to score three points. Then we got the ball on the same 25 yard line and we only could get a field goal. 

With the game tied again at 20-20, it was time for double overtime. We went down to the 25 on the side of the field. This time we had the ball first and we scored a touchdown! Then W&M got the ball and they also score, though a illegal touching penalty was called and we all thought hoped that their touchdown wouldn't count; however it did. 

Then they decided that they were going to go for a two point conversion to win the game...and they didn't get it. It took me a minute to realize that we won the game but after I did, there was lots of jumping and screaming!

Another game that kept my heart racing! JMU plays Richmond @ Richmond and I'm hoping for another win!

Knee Deep in the Water Somewhere

My Facebook newsfeed has been filled with stories of people shipping off to the beach for weekend trips; this weekend I finally got to head to the water, but not to the overrated beach and all the traffic that trip would entail.


Instead, I was lake bound.

I'm usually not one for doing things alone but one thing I like to do alone is drive myself places. I have total jam sessions that I would not want to subject anyone's ears to, unless I hated them.


This road trip had its own significant problems. The AC in my car is broken. It takes me about an hour and a half to get to the lake and to my Cake. After reading fellow blogger Gretchen's horror stories about her own broken AC, I prepared to stay well hydrated on this drive.

They were both empty at the completion of my road  trip.

Anyway back to the beginning. Patti was having her boyfriend and his two littlest siblings stay at her house this weekend. She invited me to come up as well. We recently found out that Ben got this super cool new job so that was our first order of business: to celebrate!

When I finally got there on Friday, after driving during the hottest part of the day, we headed up to Massaponax to do some shopping. We went into a few stores, with the idea that we would return to them if we didn't find what we were looking for in Target. That was our first mistake. 

When we got to Target, it started storming. Badly. The lights were flickering. After we were in Target for a good 20 minutes, the storm knocked the power out. Luckily Target had generators so there were a couple of working lights, the doors worked, and after awhile, they got the registers working. It was definitely an interesting experience. 

However, the storm had knocked the lights out everywhere else in Massaponax. Our shopping trip there was cut short. We headed back towards Patti's to stop at Food Lion. While we were in that shopping center, we saw Anthony from afar. 

Backtrack: Sophomore year, when I first met Patti, we used to talk to Anthony on the phone all the time in our dorm. But I never ever met him in person. 

After Food Lion, we headed back to Patti's and awaited the arrival of Ben, Hannah, and Jake!  When we got home, Daniel, Evan, and Anthony were there. We ordered pizza, that arrived exactly as Ben, Hannah, and Jake got there. 

Our Friday night activities included pizza eating, Apples to Apples, ice cream cake celebration and watching Captain America. 

Saturday was  lake day! We woke up and made two batches of pancakes! The kids were so excited about getting in the water. To be honest, as long as I've been going to Patti's I'd never been in the water with the exception of one boat ride last June. 

Ben canoed us all over to Little Beach (making two trips each way) where we splashed around in the water some and played Frisbee. We then headed back to Patti's deck where we stayed for a bit. Then we decided we wanted to go bowling.


The last time I went bowling (during Fantasy Football weekend) was with Ben, Patti, Hannah, and Jake and I did awful that time. I had every intention of redeeming myself, which I think I did. The real story of the afternoon was Patti, who bowled 6 strikes (two turkeys) and a spare all in one game, finishing with a score of 193. In my defense, I did start my second game with two strikes!

Blurry photo! But Patti's score is the second line and mine is the bottom line!

We headed to Walmart for ingredients for kiddie cocktails and to pick up a RedBox movie. When we got back to Patti's, we played two games of Apples to Apples with Daniel, Anthony, and his brother Dom. Then we all had dinner, which was crazy awesome because Patti's mom extended the table and every seat was filled!


Then Steph and her parents came over! I just about tackled Steph when I saw her because I hadn't seen her since December! She's about to head to Maine for a bit and she promised to bring me some popcorn. Yum! I went on a night boatride with her and the rest of the adults, while Patti, Ben, Hannah, and Jake watched Red Tails. 


On Sunday, we woke up early and headed to Mass. Then we visited The Virginia Bazaar. When we got back, Patti's parents had hamburgers and hotdogs cooking on the grill! After lunch, we went for a boat ride and then went swimming in the lake. After we all showered, we sat around as our weekend came to a close. After staying for dinner, I headed southwards, road tripping home. This time in much cooler temperatures. 


Where's your favorite place to put your feet in the water?

Top 11 of 2011

I would say that it seemed like it was just yesterday that we were ringing in 2011, but in reality it seems like it was a long time ago!


I decided to make a couple of lists to commemorate 2011.

Top 11 Books I Read During 2011 (in no particular order)

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - Read it now if you haven't already.
2. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
3. Mockingjay by Suzanna Collins
4. Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe - One of the best classic novels I've ever read
5. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
6. Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
7. Something Blue by Emily Giffin
8. Hoda: How I Survived War Zones, Bad Hair, Cancer, and Kathie Lee by Hoda Kotb
9. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
10. Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow
11. P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

Top 11 Roadtrips of 2011 (in no particular order)

1. Maine (July) - By far this was the best roadtrip ever! I am so grateful to Patti and her family for taking me. I got to spend a week with one of my most favorite families that treat me as if I am their own!
2. Harrisonburg (April) - I had the opportunity to meet one of my tumblr friends and tour the new performing arts center. I gotto attend two of Beau's baseball games and hang out with some of my absolute favorite JMU/Harrisonburg loves.
3. Charlotte (April/May) - Though I was down there for a job interview, I got to spend time with my old roomie, my birthday twin, and my boys! And I actually got to stay in the city this time and see more of Charlotte.
4. Arlington (January) - I brought in the new year with my roomies and got to go to Tyson's, which reminds me - I need to go back there.
5. Harrisonburg (August) - I always love going to Harrisonburg for fantasy football weekend. On this particular weekend, I got to catch up with one of my MCCs, go to the book fair, and go dance like a crazy fool at The Blue Nile, which was the absolute highlight of my weekend!
6. Norfolk (May) - I traveled down to Old Dominion University, a place I always feel at home, to celebrate my little cousin's graduation! A good time as always!
7. Arlington (August) - It was my first time in Northern Virginia during the warm months in years! I had a blast walking around D.C. in the heat and visiting museums and monuments!
8. Arlington (September) - I went to D.C. for some job interviews and it was the first time I rode the metro by myself and I did it correctly!
9. Harrisonburg (October) - Homecoming 2011 was amazing! I got to surprise my favorites! And watching the game with Jim in the brand new stadium was AMAZING!
10. Arlington (February) - This trip happened so long ago that I can't remember what I did. But I do remember not having to spend Valentine's weekend alone and I got to see my Bea! I think I also went to Potomac Mills and IKEA for the first time ever!
11. Blacksburg (August) - Moving my sister into college was fun because it brought back memories of my 4 wonderful years at JMU! And I got to spend time with my Little Duke turned Hokie, Tori. 

Top 11 Moments of 2011 (In no particular order)

1. My little sister being crowned Miss DHS in March.
2. My little sister graduating as valedictorian of her high school class.
3. My cousin graduating from Old Dominion University.
4. Watching my JMU Dukes beat those Richmond Spiders as my first game in new stadium for Homecoming 2011.
5. Watching the Dinwiddie Girls Cross Country team become regular season district champs and win the district championship. And I was there every step of the way!
6. The birth of my niece, Raina...but maybe not the part where I was actually in the room for it.
7. Being invited to vacation in Maine with Patti and her family! I swear the whole week before I went I was so excited, I'd just say Maine and smile like a goober because I could not wait!
8. The Earthquake of 2011
9. Seeing Wicked at the Landmark Theater
10. Having two articles and photos published in The Progress-Index
11. That moment when they announced that there was actually was going to be football this year, which led to me drafting not one, but two fantasy football teams!

Portland and Lighthouses

Twice during our stay at Great Diamond Island, not counting the day we arrived and the day we left, we took the ferry back into Portland for some sightseeing and some souvenir shopping.

The first day we went in Tuesday was just to souvenir shop and relieve our cabin fever a bit! I was excited about getting to see the city of Portland. And I can't even begin to describe it to you. It's like no other city I've visited. With its cobblestone sidewalks and funky little shops, it's definitely a city you should explore.

Actually taken on Thursday, I think

Above is a photo of the outside of one of the Mexicali Blues, where Stephanie and I bought cute headbands. And on Thursday, Patti went back and bought a cute skirt from there. It's a cute little hippie store, which surprisingly they had a bunch of shops similar to this in Portland.

On Tuesday, we had lunch at Dry Dock, which was delicious minus the fact that my BLT burger was a little bit burnt! Anyway, Stephanie was a good sport and let me take an absurd amount of photos of her clam chowder, which smelled delicious!

After lunch we continued to souvenir shop and then took the 3:15 back to Great Diamond Island.

On Thursday, we planned to go see the lighthouses. But we had to wait for Daniel and his dad to get back from lobster hauling! So Stephanie, Patti, and I had some time to kill in Portland. This is when we went back to the popcorn store and hit up Starbucks (the new coconut creme frapp is awesome!)

Then we headed over to the Lobster Shack at Two Lights State Park, where we ate lunch.

Here is one of the two lights.

After we learned that you can't actually get up to either of the two lights because they are private property, we headed to Fort Williams where we saw some old mansions and forts and eventually, Portland Head Lighthouse.

Goddard Mansion

Portland Head Lighthouse

Have you ever been to Portland, ME? If so, what are some of your favorite places and sights?

My Maine Obsession: It's Poppin', it's poppin'...

On Tuesday, we all went into Portland (more about the city of Portland later) and I found my new obsession.

We were walking up Exchange St. when we walked by this store that had the word POPCORN written on the window. But what was more interesting was the popcorn in the window; it didn't look like normal popcorn. Some of it was blue and some of it was multicolored.

Needless to say, our curosity was piqued. We decided to go in. And boy am I glad we did.

So you know how you walk into an ice cream shop and there are all these flavors to choose from? Imagine that with popcorn! That's what Coastal Maine Popcorn Company did.

They have two types of flavors: sweets and savories. The first day we went in there (yes, we visited more than once), we were a bit overwhelmed! Stephanie ended up getting Key Lime Pie and it was delicious!

As Patti and I were mooching off of her popcorn later that night, we started doing our research on the computer. We started out of Facebook because we told the lady at the store that we'd "like" them. Facebook led us to their website and it was then we knew we had to make a second trip. I mean, my mouth was watering for popcorn and that only happens when I think about Buffalo Wild Wings.

On Thursday before we went to see the lighthouses (again, more about that later; patience young grasshoppers), Stephanie, Patti, and I walked around Portland until the popcorn store was finally open at 11 a.m.

When it finally opened, we went in and sampled I don't even know how many flavors. The good thing is that between the 3 of us I think we walked out with 7 bags!

One of our samples

I bought Toasted Coconut for myself and Marshmallow and Cotton Candy for my sisters. I know Patti also got Cotton Candy and Hot Wings&Bleu Cheese for Ben. Stephanie also got Hot Wings&Bleu Cheese and Salt&Vinegar.

Stephanie and Patti in front of Coastal Maine Popcorn Company.

Anyways  Coastal Maine Popcorn Company has two stores, one in Portland and one in Boothbay Harbor. Also you can order online and have it shipped to your house! Please check out their website here and if you're ever in Maine, go by and sample some popcorn! You won't be sorry!

Bingo

The day we got to Maine (Thursday) we checked the newspapers and the fliers down at the dock to see what was going on that week. There was gonna be Tai Chi on Saturday morning that we eventually decided to pass on, since A) We had to be at the dock at 9:00 a.m. and B) I don't know if any of us were really serious about doing Tai Chi anyway!

But what did catch our eye (or eyes), you ask?  The Adult Bingo, that was taking place on Saturday night. The sign said $1 dollar per game, bring small bills. And that we did.

And we brought our game faces!

We showed up at the hall right before the event was supposed to start (I think it was 7 or 8, I can't remember now). Anyway, right as we showed up so did another group of about 7 or 8 ladies showed up to face Patti, her parents, Daniel, Stephanie, and I in Bingo.

Or I should say speed bingo. First of all, it was a dollar per 3 square sheet (above; notice my card had to have a 23 on it!) per game. So if you paid $1 you had 3 different bingo squares to get bingo on. And the lady called out the numbers so fast! So imagine if you played 3 3-square sheets. You had 9 bingo squares to look at!

The winnings was all the money from that round! And I was determined to win. Which I finally did. Got me a good $18 dollars or so. Patti's dad won like 3 or 4 times but I think he spent most of his winnings paying for us to play (Thanks!). Also a couple of the ladies in the other group won several times too.

All in all, we had so much fun and I've never played bingo so competively before. I might need to start!

Come sail away!

On Saturday (after waving goodbye to Aunt Patti and Uncle Glenn), Jason invited Stephanie, Patti, and I to go sailing with him. Stephanie had gone sailing with Jason on Thursday as soon as Patti and I got to the island and she'd been singing his praises since then (after all, he did go to Cornell).

We headed down to the dock ready for our sailing adventure. Patti and I watched (and laughed) as Stephanie attempted to row the boat to pick us up from the dock. We finally got on the sailboat and that's when we learned that Jason was just learning to sail, haha! And that we had picked one of the windiest days to go sailing!

The sail!

Everything started out lovely! Jason taught us some sailing vocabulary; ropes on a sailboat are called lines, etc. We were making our way through the bay. Patti was learning how to do something with the lines; I forget what it was called.

All I know is that at some point the wind picked up and we were keeling over. Yes, that's really what it's called when the boat starts tipping; which unlike the term, is not funny at all! All I know is that Patti and Stephanie were sitting across from me and at one point, I was looking up at them!

Steph, before we keeled over or else she wouldn't look that happy!

Anyway, Jason got everything under control (he's awesome under pressure btw) and we put the motor on (thank God for that motor) and we kinda rode the waves for a bit (the waves were scary too). Patti and I both got to try our hand at steering. I was awful at it. I have trouble with left and right anyways and you have to go opposite of the way you wanna go when you steer. It was wicked confusing (like I threw that wicked in there, huh?).

Patti, looking like she knows exactly what she's doing!

Me, not so much

After all, we went back and boy were we glad to be on solid ground! It was definitely an enjoyable, adventurous time! It wasn't that scary, looking back! Thanks Jason for taking us out! =]

When in Maine, do as the Maine-iacs do...

Not only did I want to experience the whole being in a new state thing, I also wanted to experience some new things!

My first chance came on the night of our first full day here, Friday. We were graciously invited to the Weber's for lobster, or in Maine, lobstah!

Now I don't know if you've figured it out, but we don't have much lobster in Dinwiddie. I mean, you can probably buy it at Wal-mart (that's not in Dinwiddie) but it's most definitely not the same I am sure.

Here is one of the several trays of LOBSTAH shared between the 3 families invited to this shindig!

 

Lawrence, my lobstah of choice!

I did manage to poke myself while trying to crack open my lobstah. Lucky me got a hard shelled one. =[ But for those of you who haven't tried lobstah, it was pretty good! The tail tasted like shrimp! I must say I wasn't much for dipping my lobstah in the buttah!

Me, trying to figure this lobstah thing out. Look at Patti, she 's a  pro!

Me and all the leftover lobstah! 

Are you a fan of the lobstah? What's the newest food you've tried lately? Did you like it?

Charting New Territory

Until I went to college in August 2006, I had never lived more than 25 miles from the hospital where I was born in Petersburg, Virginia. As a child, I had been on various vacations and field trips that had taken me to Maryland (Baltimore), Washington, D.C., North Carolina (The Outer Banks) and in high school, finally, South Carolina (Myrtle Beach).

Luckily JMU made me world a little bigger. Not only was I living 3 hours away from my hometown, I was presented with opportunity to add more states to my list of states visited and driven through, as you see here.

July 2010 put Georgia and Florida on the list of states I visited!

And now I am proud to say, my map has gotten a little more colorful! A little more than a week ago, my roomie/JMU partner in crime, Patti asked if I would like to go on vacation with her family -- to Maine.

I graciously accepted. So on Wednesday afternoon, I headed to Lake Caroline to spend the day/night with Patti since we'd be leaving at 4 AM. (It takes 12 hours to drive to Maine.)

And so began this SoVa girl's journey towards the North. We went through Maryland, Delaware, and then New Jersey. We stopped at a rest stop in New Jersey so now I know for sure I've stepped in NJ. Also I got to experience for the first time, the whole it's-illegal-to-pump-your-own-gas-in-NJ thing. Below is a photo I snapped on my BlackBerry of Joe. the gas station attendant, pumping our gas for us!

Thanks, Joe!

After NJ, we drove through New York. At one point when we crossed a bridge, you could see the NYC skyline through the fog (oh how I can't wait to be there again!). Then after New York, I got my first opportunity to drive through and stop in Connecticut! We drove through Hartford, which made me think of Gilmore Girls, of course. 

Then came Massachusetts, New Hampshire (which I almost slept completely through) and finally, Maine! 

Here is the photo of the ferry boat we got on to get to Great Diamond Island!

Well that's the story of my journey to Great Diamond Island! More about my adventures here later!

I love a good road trip that ends in Cake...

This past weekend, I traveled north on 95 (from one end of the area code 804 to the other) to spend some time with one of my favorite roommates, Patti (or Cake as I call her), her boyfriend, Ben, and her wonderful family that I adore (because they treat me like I'm one of their own; let's be honest, I am!).

The plan was for me to go to Stephanie's graduation party, which was on Saturday; but since I hadn't seen Patti since October (WHAT?!), we decided to make a weekend of it.

It hadn't really felt like I hadn't seen Cake in so long because I talk to her all the time! But I'm not used to not seeing her!

Long story short, we lived in the same suite sophomore year; she lived in the apartment across from me junior year; and senior year we lived in the same apartment (though Patti graduated a semester before me).

When I got to her house after Dylan's graduation, I had every intention of going to bed immediately. Instead, I was up for another two hours catching up with Ben and Patti and looking up random stuff on UrbanDictionary, a very dangerous thing to do.

Saturday, we woke up and all got ready. Then we watched movies, looked through pictures, and played arts and crafts! Then halfway through the day, we headed off to Aunt Hilary and Uncle Jim's for Steph's party.

When I met Patti sophomore year, I had the pleasure of meeting Patti's family! And I absolutely love them! They are always so nice to me; it's always a great time seeing them! I hadn't seen a lot of them for awhile so it was good to catch up. And I got to meet Aunt Hilary, Uncle Jim, Meghan, Jake, and Aidan for the first time.

We ate, played games, and spent time together celebrating Stephanie's high school graduation and her acceptance to Appalachian State (which was very hard for me...but the JMU vs App State thing is definitely another story)!



Stephanie, our new high school graduate and her brother, Jim!



Jim & I



(Patti's dad has the good picture of Stephanie and I).


On Sunday, we woke up and ate breakfast, got ready, and took pictures on Patti's dock! Then Patti took Ben and I out on the boat for awhile. And then I sadly said goodbye and raced home for my little sister's baccalaureate ceremony.

Patti & I!

Patti, Ben and I on Lake Caroline.