Still love my Alabama Crimson Tide!

The anticipation surrounding this year's LSU vs. Alabama football game was felt as far north as New York, prompting many of the Mercury Bar regulars to pack their bags and head to T-town for the big weekend. The little 60-seat Delta commuter plane I flew from La Guardia Airport to Birmingham Friday afternoon had quite a few Alabama fans on board. We all greeted each other with "roll tide" and chatted about the number of fans we'd heard predicted to be on campus for the game. It made for such a festive trip home (and a good diversion from the screaming devil kid in the back of the plane!) to look around at the other Alabama faithful who shared the same excitement to watch our Alabama Crimson Tide play!

My roll tide enthusiasm took a hit when we landed in Birmingham. The airport was crawling with gawdy purple and gold fans arrogantly strutting around baggage claim. "Come on, Daddy. We better get out of here before I hit somebody!" Spoken like a true Southern girl, huh?!

Leaving Birmingham for Tuscaloosa Saturday morning at the insanely early hour of 6:30 wasn't so, so bad since we knew a fun day on campus awaited us. Daddy got his elaborate tailgate set up, we walked through the Quad, we ate breakfast at the Ferg and crawfish etouffee at the business school, saw friends, saw the Crimsonettes, even squeezed in a little nap! The day was going great so far!



I don't know what was more exciting - the flyover or seeing Saban and the team emerging from the locker room!

The Million Dollar Band, the football players, the cheering fans!! I love it!


Fortunately, Alabama fans had lots to cheer about! I even high-fived the air a few times! Ha ha!

HIGH FIVE!!!! I love this picture!

A sea of shakers in the student section - one of my favorite things to see.

Enjoying the game with sweet Jackie - when we tire of watching the game, we just pick our favorites in the stands! :)

A special visit from Miss Crystal at the tailgate!

Although we lost in the final seconds, I still love my Alabama Crimson Tide! It brings together all the people, places and things I love...from New York to Alabama!

Surprise!

My freshman year in college I surprised my mother with a visit on her birthday, and she's never forgotten it! A friend drove me from Tuscaloosa to Mama's office (no car for me that year...or the next year, but that issue is neither here nor there for this story!). When Mama turned around and saw me standing there, she was so surprised that she started crying and hugging me, and I'm sure there were some, "The Lord! What are you doing here?!"'s shouted from our girl from Tennessee!

My surprise visit only lasted for a few minutes, but every year since then Mama has made a mention of "the time Rebecca surprised me on my birthday". As her October 22nd birthday approached this year, she and I both teased each other with mock sincerity: Mama would say things like, "I can't wait until you surprise me from New York for my birthday!" and I even went as far as to have her check the front door on her birthday, to see if "her Beta" was standing there! Now before you accuse me of being mean and heartless, I did all this teasing with a clear conscience, knowing I would be home to surprise her...just two weeks later!



Hiding behind the bushes while I wait on Daddy to come up the walk to video the surprise!


"What are you doing here?!" Tears. Hands to face. Mama reacting just how Ansley predicted she would!


For the rest of the afternoon, Mama followed me around, made me eat food, and called her friends to say, "Guess who came home?!" During her frenzy she uttered my favorite new Mama quote, "Lordy mercy, I need to take a pill!" Ha ha ha! Mama, you are so cute!

Tricked by the Treaters

Halloween in New York is a bit confusing. I've become accustomed to puzzling outfits and odd looking characters on the street every day of the year, so you can imagine I did double takes while walking to work Halloween morning as I passed a 1970's-ish flight attendant and a bondafide cowboy. Were they in costume or wearing regular clothes??

But even more interesting than the outlandish costumes I saw during the day and on Halloween night were the decorations at several upper east side homes. The frightening displays gave me several small heart attacks when I was out walking by myself after dark a week or so before Halloween!!

Heart attack #1: viewed first from the back, I thought I was about to be pounced on!

Making good use of the wrought iron fences...

Awful creatures hanging from windows and seriously scary zombies!

For real?! Is Sponge Bob supposed to make it okay that the devil is preparing to spear my heart?!

"Welcome home, dearie."

A few days in another world

Truly another world. Narrow cobblestone streets, four hundred year old buildings slanted with age, windmills twirling in the distance, autumn leaves coloring the streetscapes, dreamy yellow lights illuminating canals and bridges, bikes, bikes bikes everywhere! Eating a bratwurst about 30 minutes outside of Germany at a Dutch rock in roll concert; riding my bike over a canal at midnight, hearing only the swooshing sound of the tires and feeling the wind in my face; chimes from the Westerkerk church bells lingering in the air; dancing to techno music in a popular Amsterdam club - the whole experience seemed like a dream to me.

I was lucky enough to have the time and opportunity to visit a friend in Amsterdam for five days in October. A feeling more lasting than my own memories of being there is the feeling of satisfaction knowing my friend is in the perfect place meant for him. Very seldom do I see someone who is exactly where they are supposed to be, living a life they fit seamlessly into. Feels like a dream...looks like a movie...but it's real life!


My favorite picture from Amsterdam.


Our bikes chained up by a canal.


The bike deck by Centraal Station - endless bikes as far as the eye can see!!



I only fell off the bike a few times!! (It's petrifying to pass by cars on the narrow streets!)


Try to imagine the lights of the canal without the blur - so beautiful!

"In De Waag" a wonderful Dutch restaurant in an old weigh station. Interior is lit only by candlelight. We enjoyed yummy mustard soup!

At the University of Leiden where Damion is in law school, about 30 minutes outside of Amsterdam.



Streets and rooftops in Leiden.




Damion and me in Leiden - I'm just a little jealous he sees windmills, boats and canals on the way to class everyday!




The Riksmuseum in Amsterdam.

Two really pretty houses across the canal from the Riksmuseum.


By the end of the trip, I was a pro at biking around Amsterdam!

Brotherly Love

Spent a glorious fall day in the city of brotherly love with a "sister" I love!

This is the ugliest part of the day - I took the bus from New York to Philly (2 hour ride). We walked all around the historic section (purple and red parts of the map).


View of the buildings in Center City - pointy buildings on left are Liberty 1 and Liberty 2.


Most of the sidewalks were cobblestone, and all the streets were so, so pretty!

Two pretty churches. The weather was sunny and in the 70s with a little breeze - couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day!


An authentic Philly Cheese Steak! The line not only wrapped around the building, but it wrapped around twice inside too! And I ate. every. bite. :)


I love autumn!!


Perfection

Liberty Bell was not what I expected...seemed fake.

Jan and me at Carpenter's Hall.

Betsy Ross's house - closed at 5 PM so we didn't get to see inside!

City Hall - wow, a bit scary! And Liberty 1 - or the Empire State Building according to Mama circa 1970!!