My Gator Girl

I'm a little behind in getting this post updated. I had promised to share something about my Gator Girl last month with the launching of the Gator tree as it brought back so many funny memories of my daughter and her love of ALL things Gator football.

Meet Kristyn, or Miss Priss as she is affectionately known in our household. Not quite certain when the nick name took hold, but I think it may have been started by her youngest brother who had difficulty saying her name as a baby. He called her Hiss which somehow led to Priss. Comes to think of it, I think he still calls her Hiss. Thank goodness her nickname for her second to youngest brother is nothing more than a memory as I think he would have had a difficult time especially during middle school being known as Fluffy. Sorry...I digress.

The one thing I do remember is her obsession with Gator football took hold in elementary school. Openly encouraged and celebrated by her Kindergarten teacher, a former Gator Alumni. Being raised in the South, it is understood that college football ranks right up there with Religion. There are two questions you can almost guarantee in the meeting of a new person...what Church do you attend and what team do you root for and not necessarily in that order.

Although Priss no longer lives at home, her bedroom continues to serve as a shrine to the
Florida Gators. One trip to her room was all it took for me to gather up all the necessary items for the tree design being careful to not attach to the tree any of the sacred Gator Chi items needed for game day. (Gator Chi Items are those items that MUST be present at every game and MUST be placed in the exact same spot to satisfy the Gator Gods and assure a winning game) Yes, I know...we take this very seriously.

Some time in middle school Priss informed her father and I that she wanted to be the world's first college football coach. I for one could not have been prouder and encouraged her to go forth with her dreams. Sure, I realized the uphill battle she would have to climb. I worried how she would handle the locker room situation and warned that patting her players on the butt could open her up to a sexual harassment suit. Then there was the whole concern of how her hair would look after it was doused with a bucket of Gatorade...not to mention what that would do to her mascara...but had she wanted to go for it...I'm sure we could have worked out the logistics.

Once in high school she came busting through the front door as happy as someone who had just won the lottery. She excitedly told me she had made the high school Powder Puff football team. She spent the entire weekend drawing up football plays. After their first practice I went to pick her up from school and could tell immediately by the look on her face that things had not gone well. "How was practice, did your plays work?" "Plays MOM...PLAYS?" Then with total disgust she proceeded to tell me that the only thing they'd "practiced" was how they were going to wear their hair during the games. "These girls know nothing about football Mom, they only want to dress in short shorts and tie ribbons in their hair." Looking back, I remember with pride that she did look pretty cute and was without a doubt the most aggressive, determined player on the field.

Priss's knowledge of football is amazing. The girl can call the penalty before the Refs have had the opportunity to throw down their flags. She is well versed in plays and knows a tight end from a running back. She's a Guy's Girl when it comes to talking football and often blows men away because they don't expect it.

One of my all time favorite memories of her is the time she and I attended the SEC championship game a few years back. Her Dad had surprised us both with 2 tickets on the 50 yard line and about 16 rows up from the field. He booked us a hotel room in downtown so we wouldn't have to worry about driving home late and sent a limo to take us round trip to the game. While we were certainly no where near the only females in attendance, Kristyn became quite popular in our section. The man sitting next to her begged to adopt her as his own as he was completely taken back by her enthusiasm. Surrounded in a sea of gorgeous college Frat boys she only had eyes for one man and that was our QB Chris Leak. I swear to you he spent more time looking up in her direction than the direction of his coaches on the sideline looking for instructions on the next needed play as she was surely shouting them out there.

How appropriate that she would find the love of her life at the infamous World's Largest Cocktail party or in other words, the Georgia/Florida game that takes place every year in Jacksonville Florida. Proving that love is blind...at least blind to team colors, my daughter brought home a DAWG. His team lost the game, but he scored a win in his future bride. I'll be honest, I am a little concerned about this mixed marriage...especially where future grandchildren are concerned. Will he or she be raised a Gator or a Dawg? Only time will tell. Shhhh...don't tell anyone but I've pre-ordered tapes for the womb. Not Beethoven or Bach...The Gator Theme Song. Alls fear in love, war and football!

Miss Priss by the way is not very happy that the Gator tree is now but a memory. A GREAT memory for sure. Love you my Gator Girl!

TOUCH DOWN!!!

Happy September Everyone!

I don't know about you, but I for one am counting down the days until the start of the Fall season. This summer has been an exceptionally long and hot one. I couldn't help but chuckle to myself wondering who in their right mind would be decorating a Christmas tree while the temperature was 91 degrees, but I guess we long ago established the fact that I am not in my right mind for if I was, would I have a Christmas tree still standing in September? Worse was my recent confession that the tree was still adorned with Easter decorations well past their expiration date.
I want to thank my numerous friends who showed their support to me when I confessed to losing my interest in the year long Christmas tree experiment. I had come very close to just taking the tree down once and for all when I spied some Halloween tree decorations while visiting a Michael's store. The thought of a Halloween inspired tree brought new excitement to the stale experience, but I had felt as though I failed by not reaching every month of my commitment with a newly decorated tree. One friend offered the following words of advice...You can pick up where you left off as you've come to far to give up. With that gentle encouragement I recommitted myself to the task and vowed to have a new tree designed for September.
The next concern was the design itself. What type of tree would best represent the month of September? Well it didn't take me long to figure out what my favorite part of September is...it's the start of college football season and anyone who personally knows me, knows I live for college football. Not just any college...but the University of Florida GATOR football. A quick run to my nearest Hobby Lobby to find some orange colored ornaments and I was on my way. On my return home, I had a new found sense of urgency and excitement as I went to task finally removing the Easter decorations. OH and for those of you who have been keeping up with me through this journey...the Peeps held their own and looked just as fabulous today as they did when I strung them through the tree back in April. NO, I didn't eat any! Okay...I thought about it, after all I had been out and about shopping with no time to eat, but it was a very quick thought and I erased it while saying a tiny prayer for their sacrifice and then gave them a proper burial in a hefty bag.
I gathered up numerous Gator items many of which still remain in my daughter's vacant bedroom and went to work placing them through out the tree. I must admit as I strung the orange and blue lights I congratulated myself on my choice knowing that for the next two months the orange lights will remain on the tree saving me additional work with the future design plans. Stepping back to admire the tree I felt a sense of accomplishment. Yes, I missed a few months over the summer, but my friend was right...I'd come too far to not see it through and the time spent working on the tree was pure bliss. It not only renewed my excitement in the idea of being able to live with a Christmas tree on display for an entire year, but the excitement of welcoming another season of football.
It was just a few moments after cleaning up my mess that my youngest son came in from school and with one look at the tree he smiled and said Mom, that's epic! After sending a few photos to my daughter she phoned with total excitement over the tree and announced that it was the greatest tree I had ever designed and she wanted it to be our actual Christmas tree this year. I told her that I couldn't do that as I was already planning the Halloween design. Slightly defeated, she quickly rebounded with the idea that this year's annual holiday Christmas card photo would be done well ahead of schedule as it was her request that I take their photo in front of the Gator tree. WOW...this is already turning out better than I expected! A family first...children WANTING to have their holiday picture taken!
As I sit at my desk writing this I can see the tree in all its glory. All I can say is GO GATORS!
This brings a whole new meaning to the words all I want for Christmas is another SEC championship!
OH and speaking of my daughter...she probably won't appreciate it, but I have a story or two to share about my Gator Girl. : ) Stay tuned...