Mark Richt :]

Today I ate lunch with Mark Richt!!!!!!!! St. Mary's hosted a pep rally/picnic lunch for the staff out in the parking lot as part of their "employee appreciation" initiatives. The social workers all sat together after getting our very delicious, very Southern food. The tables seat 8...there are only 6 of us. All of a sudden, Mark Richt comes to the table and asks if he can sit with us!!! The president and vice president of the hospital also joined...they pulled up an extra chair. Better yet, I talked with him about the 2006 Sugar Bowl! It went something like this:

Co-worker #1 : Becky's a West Virginia fan.

uh-oh...i'm in trouble...

Mark Richt : Really? Have we ever played them?

is he being sarcastic? and light hearted?

Me : Yes...in the Sugar Bowl a couple years ago...

he has to be being sarcastic...

Mark Richt : I don't remember that game...

he's smiling and laughing over his great BIG failure!

Me : Yes...we definitely played you!

Mark Richt : I don't remember that at all...

okay...i'm ready to let it go...

Co-worker #2 : Becky...who won that game?

oh no! is this going too far?

Me : Wait...what was that?

why am i playing along and rubbing it it?

Co-worker #2 : When West Virginia played Georgia, who won?

okay...here goes! i hope that laugh is sincere!

Me : (quite triumphantly) That would be us! West Virginia!

i did it! i rubbed salt in one of his biggest failures of recent years!

Mark Richt : Hmmm...

and he laughed! it was a good, full, not half hearted laugh!

I love that I now have this great story that I can tell...at least in West Virginia. I'm not sure home much people in Georgia will appreciate it. I can honestly say that the man behind the glasses and under the middle part is a good, sincere, fun person. It was all followed up with seeing Uga, posing with Hairy Dawg, and watching cheerleaders and older nurses do the Cupid Shuffle together. How great was that lunch hour?