I've Been Shot

Every year, I debate getting the flu shot. Through high school, I always tried to claim that me getting sick every winter was not the flu. In undergrad, I started to get it but was often very late in the season. Last year, I got really sick in February. Now, I work at a hospital, and get it for free! Flu shots started on Monday and already nearly 600 St. Mary's employees have been vaccinated! CrAzY!!! I got mine today (I don't work til Wednesdays), so hopefully there will be no flu for me this year! And, now I have an excuse for a lazy evening tonight! :]

m&m's

So, today my four youngest siblings were working on making a haunted gingerbread house. While cutting m&m's in half, Matt (age 12) says, "Hey Jess...we should work in a m&m factory together someday." Chaz (age 14) then responds, "No...because you would spend all your time eating the 'deffective' ones with W's on them!" After some laughter, Jess (age 16) asks Tanner (age 9) if he actually understands why they were laughing. "Yes!" he responds, "because if they had W's they'd be wimenems instead of eminems! You would never guess he's the best speller in his class...

Football...Southern Style!

So, for all my West Virginia friends, I have to preface this blog with an apology! Don't worry, I still bleed Gold & Blue...I'm just also learning to enjoy UGA football, too! So, here goes...

This past weekend was the football gameday to end all football gamedays. My roommate and I planned a tailgate with our friend Natalie for the UGA - Tennessee game on Saturday. We had so much food, friends, and laughter to get us ready for some action in Sanford Stadium. This was one major part of what made it such a special game.

Practically since the day Devin and I met, he has been begging me to be fit in with the SEC girls and wear a dress to a game. I realized this was going to be my last chance because any other games would be too cold. So, Devin took me on a date to the Mall of Georgia last week where he helped me find a dress I love! (He was actually the one to pull it off the rack!)

To end it all, we ended up sitting with two other couples in some decent end zone seats. We had lots of fun. The game was intense at a couple points, but we pulled off a respectable win and had fun laughing and talking all throughout.

I wouldn't feel right if I didn't end this post by saying "Go Dawgs!"

Faith Factor

For those of you who weren't there tonight, we had quite a fun time at FHE! I promised I'd make some of these pictures available, so here are some of the best recaps of the night. (I'm osrry I don't have ones of everyone, there were 60 some pictures on my camera alone!)

Here they are trying to sing "Called to Serve" with bubble gum in their mouth...

Barbara and Jamie are looking for the green gummy worm...

Nate just bravely downed a can of "Green Pea, Corn, & Rice" baby food...

They are trying to identify foods by smell, touch, or taste...

This is a battle to eat a bunch of saltines and then whistle "Jingle Bells" first...

Towards the end the competition got a little fierce...

And, Matt won the overall prize for his team by eating his whipped cream pie first!

Autumn

I love autumn. I love being able to call it autumn and not fall, too. It's such a fun word. Today was absolutely beautiful, too. We had a social workers' lunch that was at a fun, outside cafe today. Then, I got to do a very social worker-ish thing by recognizing a non-medical need in a client (getting out of a hospital bed after nearly a month inside) and meeting it by taking a trip outside to sit in the beautiful sunshine and soak up some Vitamin D. Both my client, the other Intern, and myself came inside much improved in our attitudes and outlook. This wonderful weather today reminded me of one of my other favorite autumns visiting one of my favorite places...that's why I've included this picture...

Going Bananas

What happens when you add an extra banana to your banana bread?

After adding the banana, I couldn't remember what temperature to bake it on. Then, it decided to start to overflow, burn on the outside, and stay uncooked in the middle. When I tried to remove it from the pan, only the inside wanted to come out. Needless to say, that was a bit of a disaster. But the inside that fell out still tasted good!

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?