It's not just basketball....It's KY basketball!

Growing up in Paducah, KY, I always thought that people all over the nation shared a passion for college basketball. It wasn't until I left the Bluegrass State and headed to the Dirty South that I found out that the passion that people felt in KY was one in a million. It is like no other. As a little girl, I remember my dad getting so worked up watching the games on the TV and how excited everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) would get when March finally arrived. They are truly a dynasty. And until you've been to a true blue game, you will never understand. It is something that can't be explained...only experienced.

Tonight, my boys became the first team in NCAA history to reach 2,000 wins. I have never been so proud to Bleed Blue!

20s Farewell Tour First Stop: Vegas

About 3 months ago my older sister, Kellie (or Dr. Woodling as our mom likes to call her) called me up and asked me if I would go to Vegas to see Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds, her gift to me for hitting the big 2-9. Pretty much, a great big Hell yeah was in order. I mean, why would I say no.....

So this past weekend, off we went. It was an adventure from the moment I got to the Lafayette airport. First of all we were suppose to leave at 6:25 am. Well, at 6:15 no one had showed up to the counter to tell us to board our plane. Next, some crazy lady who was on the flight, took it upon herself to pick up the phone at the ticket counter and call someone to tell them we needed to get on our plane. When we finally go onto the plane, guess who was in my seat, the crazy lady. Next, the flight attendant proceeded to tell us all to be quiet, that she wouldn't talk over us, and that if we missed our connections it wasn't her fault.....nice. Well, after running through the airport, I finally made my connection.

Vegas was awesome, and Dave was sensational as usual. There is just something about his music that mesmerizes me. He even played few of my favorites such as Two Step, Loving Wings, and You and Me. However, Dave was high as a kite, but put on a terrific show none the less. And Tim Reynolds was a genius......listening to the two of them play is almost like being on a natural high.

While I was there, I realized that being "almost 30" really isn't that bad. And everywhere I went to drink, I was carded and told I didn't look old enough to drink. I was thinkin', I'm on the edge of 30 buddy.....

Anyway, many thanks to my sister and I can't wait to see what my next adventure will be.....

Thank You Santa!

If she knew what she wants.....

Here's to one more trip around the sun..........

Hard to believe. Today is the day. Today is my 29th birthday.....I'm officially kicking off my 20s farewell tour. Hard to believe if I do say so myself. Although I'm not exactly where I though I would be in my late 20s as I approach 30....I suppose that I'm right where I'm ment to be.

I can't help but reflect on the past 29 years....the things that those many trips around the sun have given me. They have given me things both good and bad....lessons learned....and memories made. I hope that the next 29 trips around the sun are just as wonderful!

The Pursuit of Happiness

Living Out Loud

Today is a special day. Today is Erin Krielow Lahr's 30th birthday. Although she is celebrating from a better place, I believe that she still celebrates. She celebrates by watching over her mother and giving her strength. She celebrates by watching over her brother and his family. She celebrates by giving me the courage to live out loud.

Although I never met her in person, I feel like I have know Erin for a lifetime. She is one of those people who was never afraid to live out loud. She was a proud member of the LSU band and wasn't afraid to to be a go getter in what many consider to be a "man's career". She set goals for herself ad went after them without a second though. She loved life and lived it to the fullest. Physically, she is no longer with us, but she is still with us in her spirit everyday.

Erin would not have been afraid to hit 30. She would embrace it with open arms and simply view it as a new adventure in life.

Bless you Erin for inspiring me to "Live Out Loud" as I approach 30.

ERIN KRIELOW LAHR MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND
LSU Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Attn. Ms. Trisha Sims
3418 Patrick Taylor Hall
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Checks to LSU Foundation
Memo:Erin Krielow Lahr Memorial Scholarship

The Single Girl's Refrigerator

When your single and living life to the fullest, one of the things that is often over looked is a properly stocked refrigerator. Many times, the single girl's refrigerator is stocked with purely the essentials: Lean Cuisine, skim milk, ranch dressing, diet coke, and light beer. The need for much more really doesn't exist. For myself, there is no reason to stock a fridge...I mean, who I am cooking for. No kids, no man in the house. If I'm cooking it's basically for my waistline, which is one thing that I'm not looking to expand on a the moment. Also, one of the perks of the single girl's refrigerator is the left overs others share with you. So many times, people call and invite me over to eat and fix me a plate to go. And so many other times, people just bring me an 'extra plate' that they just happened to have from the night before. To be honest, sometimes I feel like people are having pity on me for being single and no one to cook for....but I won't lie....I enjoy the meals.

When We Were Pub Rats

One of the greatest memories from my 20s is the McKinley St Pub. God how I miss that place. And if those walls could talk, they would be silent from the shock. When I was younger, I thought downtown was where the old people went. Besides that, I was underage and at the time, anyone who was anyone (or at least that's what I thought) went to the Pub on the Strip. It was the place that I would go to find out where the after party was and to wear outfits I payed entirely too much for. It was during those years, that the Pub Ruled the World. Sadly though, I grew up one day and became the one of the old people at the bar. But, oh, what I wouldn't give for one more night at the Pub. One more night of Drinkin' On Lincoln, taking a big swig out of the community Alabama Slammer bottle, and booty dance on the dance floor to "Bling Bling" and "Back that Ass Up", without an ounce of shame. It seems like only yesterday, that me and my girls would gather around the table at Chick-Fil-A and talk about the Pub from the night before, and how great it was going to be on the weekend. I even get a bit nostalgic for a "No" stamp on my hand. I know it seems cliche, but those memories from the Pub, are nights I can't remember with friends I'll never forget. Next time I'm out, I think I'll drink a draft Natty for all my old Pub Rats....

20s: The definition of my life....

I recently began to realize, that after next month, I will have less than a year of my 20s left and it all seems so surreal. It has inspired my to embark on my 20s Farewell Tour (I can not take credit for this title....my dear friend Candice came up with it and I must give her some mad props for it: WOOF!). When I was younger, my 20s seemed like they were a lifetime away....and now I've gone through them faster than a starving dog would go through a can of Alpo. I just find it so hard to believe.....in a little over a year I will hit the Dirty Thirty. While realizing that my 30s are quickly approaching, I look forward to them with delight, but have done a lot of reflection on the things that my 20s brought to me. I have learned so much and done so much that I can hardly take it all in. In this decade of my life I have learned how to be independent and that sometimes you just don't feel like you want to drive anywhere. I have learned that boys are still gross, but there are still a few good men. I have learned who my friends are and are not, and that drama just isn't worth the energy that it requires from you. I plan soak it all in over the next year, reflect on the good times, and look forward to the ones that are even better.