Monday, November 30, 2015
I am Auburn
I am Auburn.
I am the 30-year old couple coming back to campus for the first time with both little ones in tow. One wears her first blue and orange cheerleader outfit; the other wears #34 even though he is too young to understand why.
I am the 30-year old couple coming back to campus for the first time with both little ones in tow. One wears her first blue and orange cheerleader outfit; the other wears #34 even though he is too young to understand why.
I am the 50-year old man who hoped no one saw tears in his eyes when
the eagle circled the field. I was too choked even to say 'War Eagle'.
For a moment, I felt foolish and then I didn't care. God, I love this
place.
I am the 60 year old woman meeting her freshman granddaughter who is now the 3rd generation of AU students in our family. Despite my age, I'd strap it on Saturday and hit someone if it weren't for my gender and this blasted arthritis.
I am Auburn and I have always believed I was different. You can see it when you look up into the stands. My orange is not the same as Tennessee’s and my blue is not that of Florida. But the differences go much deeper than my colors. Read my creed. What other school has one? I genuinely believe in these things. To be a real Auburn man or woman speaks of character, not of geography. All are welcome to walk though my gates, not just the wealthy or the elite.
Georgia and Alabama may have their nations, but we have always been family. Make no mistake, we loathe defeat, but even in defeat, we would rather be an Auburn Tiger than anything else. We are family and you are the sons of Heisman, the sons of Jordan and Dye. You come from a long line of brothers whose names include Burkett, Sidle, Owens, Sullivan, Beasley, Jackson and Rocker. It is a great heritage.
So this Saturday, when the warm ups are over and the prayers and amen spoken, when you hear my thunder growing in the stands above you, when you stand in the tunnel and the smoke begins to form, listen for my voice when you run onto my field. Behind the frenzy of the shakers and deafening roar, I will tell you something in a whisper you may miss. I will be telling you that you are my sons and I am proud of you for the way you wear the burnt orange and navy blue. I am telling you that you are my sons and I love you.
Auburn is so much more than a city or a school or a team or a degree. It is something that, once you have experienced it, will live inside of you forever and become a part of what makes up who you are...
It is driving into town on a game day. You may have come from hundreds of miles away and as you get closer and closer to the city limits, you feel it rising inside of you. Other cars on the highway proudly display their orange and blue flags, magnets or car tags, and you honk and wave at them, because, for that one day, you are all on the same team.
It is the smell in the air and the ritualistic act of tailgating...catching up with old friends, making new ones, and invitations from perfect strangers to try their ribs or watch their satellite TV showing all of the day's important match-ups...of course, all being secondary to the one that will occur in the great cathedral of Jordan-Hare later that day.
It is the Tiger Walk...where you might just see 300 pound men overcome with emotion and weeping with pride because you have come there to cheer them on. As they walk by, you might exchange a glance with one or two of them and you can see it in their eyes...it is going to be their day.
It is the students...dressed in their best, because going to an Auburn game is like going to church for Auburn people....you show the same respect as you would if you were in God's house. Those students remind you of the days when you were walking in their shoes and Auburn was your home...but then you realize, in many ways, it is still and always will be HOME.
It is that lump that rises in your throat when the band plays the Alma Mater as the eagle is soaring over your head during pregame.
It is walking around on a "foreign" and sometimes hostile campus. You are easily identified (Auburn people always are) and the enemy jeers and shouts things at you to mask their feelings of intimidation. But just then, you happen upon a friend you have never met before. You know they are your friend by the colors they wear or the shaker in their hand. You exchange a "War Eagle" and a confident grin because he/she knows what you know.
It is when your heart leaps with every touchdown, field goal, sack, and interception...because those are our boys. And win or lose, they will always have our undying support. After all, it is those boys that you are really there for, and not a coach or a logo or a trustee or a president.
It is the complete and utter exhilaration of walking away victorious over a worthy opponent...that feeling of pride and accomplishment as if it were your own feet that had crossed the goal line scoring the last points yourself...that feeling of wanting to scream War Eagle" at the top of your lungs and hug complete strangers...and then there is the ultimate high of defeating your most hated foes from across the state.
No words can describe what this feels like, but you know because you have experienced it.
It is the sheer agony of defeat as the last minutes tick off the clock and you realize that all hope of a victory is gone. You feel like crying and maybe you do...then you hear the faint sounds of a cheer that grows louder and louder...."ITS GREAT TO BE AN AUBURN TIGER."
It is knowing that year after year, no matter how things change in our hectic lives, you can always come back to "the Loveliest Village on the Plains"...the place where you came from...your home. It will probably look a little different and there will be new names on the backs of the jerseys, but deep down, no matter what, it is still the same.You still love it as much as you always have because Auburn is as much a part of you as your arms, legs and the orange and blue blood that runs through your veins.
And, finally, it is the feeling you have right now as you read these lines....the anticipation inside of you because you know it's almost time....It's about to start all over again...but then it really never goes away, does it?
--
Robert L. Gillette, DVM, MSE
I am the 60 year old woman meeting her freshman granddaughter who is now the 3rd generation of AU students in our family. Despite my age, I'd strap it on Saturday and hit someone if it weren't for my gender and this blasted arthritis.
I am Auburn and I have always believed I was different. You can see it when you look up into the stands. My orange is not the same as Tennessee’s and my blue is not that of Florida. But the differences go much deeper than my colors. Read my creed. What other school has one? I genuinely believe in these things. To be a real Auburn man or woman speaks of character, not of geography. All are welcome to walk though my gates, not just the wealthy or the elite.
Georgia and Alabama may have their nations, but we have always been family. Make no mistake, we loathe defeat, but even in defeat, we would rather be an Auburn Tiger than anything else. We are family and you are the sons of Heisman, the sons of Jordan and Dye. You come from a long line of brothers whose names include Burkett, Sidle, Owens, Sullivan, Beasley, Jackson and Rocker. It is a great heritage.
So this Saturday, when the warm ups are over and the prayers and amen spoken, when you hear my thunder growing in the stands above you, when you stand in the tunnel and the smoke begins to form, listen for my voice when you run onto my field. Behind the frenzy of the shakers and deafening roar, I will tell you something in a whisper you may miss. I will be telling you that you are my sons and I am proud of you for the way you wear the burnt orange and navy blue. I am telling you that you are my sons and I love you.
Auburn is so much more than a city or a school or a team or a degree. It is something that, once you have experienced it, will live inside of you forever and become a part of what makes up who you are...
It is driving into town on a game day. You may have come from hundreds of miles away and as you get closer and closer to the city limits, you feel it rising inside of you. Other cars on the highway proudly display their orange and blue flags, magnets or car tags, and you honk and wave at them, because, for that one day, you are all on the same team.
It is the smell in the air and the ritualistic act of tailgating...catching up with old friends, making new ones, and invitations from perfect strangers to try their ribs or watch their satellite TV showing all of the day's important match-ups...of course, all being secondary to the one that will occur in the great cathedral of Jordan-Hare later that day.
It is the Tiger Walk...where you might just see 300 pound men overcome with emotion and weeping with pride because you have come there to cheer them on. As they walk by, you might exchange a glance with one or two of them and you can see it in their eyes...it is going to be their day.
It is the students...dressed in their best, because going to an Auburn game is like going to church for Auburn people....you show the same respect as you would if you were in God's house. Those students remind you of the days when you were walking in their shoes and Auburn was your home...but then you realize, in many ways, it is still and always will be HOME.
It is that lump that rises in your throat when the band plays the Alma Mater as the eagle is soaring over your head during pregame.
It is walking around on a "foreign" and sometimes hostile campus. You are easily identified (Auburn people always are) and the enemy jeers and shouts things at you to mask their feelings of intimidation. But just then, you happen upon a friend you have never met before. You know they are your friend by the colors they wear or the shaker in their hand. You exchange a "War Eagle" and a confident grin because he/she knows what you know.
It is when your heart leaps with every touchdown, field goal, sack, and interception...because those are our boys. And win or lose, they will always have our undying support. After all, it is those boys that you are really there for, and not a coach or a logo or a trustee or a president.
It is the complete and utter exhilaration of walking away victorious over a worthy opponent...that feeling of pride and accomplishment as if it were your own feet that had crossed the goal line scoring the last points yourself...that feeling of wanting to scream War Eagle" at the top of your lungs and hug complete strangers...and then there is the ultimate high of defeating your most hated foes from across the state.
No words can describe what this feels like, but you know because you have experienced it.
It is the sheer agony of defeat as the last minutes tick off the clock and you realize that all hope of a victory is gone. You feel like crying and maybe you do...then you hear the faint sounds of a cheer that grows louder and louder...."ITS GREAT TO BE AN AUBURN TIGER."
It is knowing that year after year, no matter how things change in our hectic lives, you can always come back to "the Loveliest Village on the Plains"...the place where you came from...your home. It will probably look a little different and there will be new names on the backs of the jerseys, but deep down, no matter what, it is still the same.You still love it as much as you always have because Auburn is as much a part of you as your arms, legs and the orange and blue blood that runs through your veins.
And, finally, it is the feeling you have right now as you read these lines....the anticipation inside of you because you know it's almost time....It's about to start all over again...but then it really never goes away, does it?
--
Robert L. Gillette, DVM, MSE
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Saturday, November 28, 2015
Si has decided that nap time is more important than the Iron Bowl... 🏉😴 #wareagleforever #sweetdreams #toddlersi #naptime
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Vote for Demarcus!!! 💜💛
With Janie :-)
Monday, November 23, 2015
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Saturday, November 21, 2015
Monday, November 16, 2015
Our house sounds like a Toys-R-Us when someone pushes the buttons on the noisy toys all at once... #pleasestopSi #soveryloud #pleasenomoreloudtoys #santathatmeansyou #1stworldroblems 📦🎅🎁🙉
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
messy
I know that the old saying goes "you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar." But I am leaning towards a different saying...
You can paint a turd, but it's still a turd.
You can paint a turd, but it's still a turd.
Saturday, November 7, 2015
Emmie's Gymnastics Birthday Party! 😍🎂🎉📦🎈
Friday, November 6, 2015
Finally in Dothan!! 🚘🏨
Thursday, November 5, 2015
5 negative things about social media
5 problems with social media.
Anonymity. People have found it to be easier to interact with someone online because they can hide behind a computer screen. It is much easier to text or email someone hurtful things than it is to say them face to face.
Time consuming. With all of the social networking apps available now, many find it hard to connect to real life for fear they are missing out on something online. Online is not real life.
Mistakes are permanent. Before social media if someone had an argument it would be mostly forgotten in a few weeks. Now there is proof of the argument and there will always be proof. The Internet doesn't forget.
Interactive social skills in decline. Children are being raised with a smart phone and/or tablet as their main connection to their friends. They will meet up online to play role playing games and not even see their opponents. Children also don't learn how to properly address most situations, and instead of trying to talk to people they will bury their heads in their phone.
Social media is taking over our self worth. Likes on images on Instagram and Facebook, the number of snap chats we get in a day, is now directly linked to how a person values themselves.
Christmastime is coming!!
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Day 4: I am thankful for Carly & Cookie
I cannot imagine the past 8 years without Carly and Cookie. They have helped me through my divorce, rasing Janie, getting engaged and with my wedding. A nurse and a lawyer. I guess I'm covered for most anything!
from 2012
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Day 3: I am thankful for Allison
I am blessed to be able to call Allison my friend. I have known her since we were in Brownie Girl Scouts in elementary school and now that we both live in the same town and we have children close to the same age, I have thoroughly enjoyed having her around. She has been through some very tough times very recently and she has proven to me, once again, that she is an undeniably strong woman.
I am still immensely thankful for Carly, but now that she lives so far away I am not able to have as much interaction with her. I decided that Allison deserves her own picture :)
Monday, November 2, 2015
Day 2: I am thankful for Si!
This one has definitely changed. I can't put my school above my child! Although, you should know, the reason I list Jason on Day 12 is that it is our anniversary ;)
Si has brought more joy to my life than I could have ever possibly imagined. He is the absolute love of my life! The first time I heard a mother say that about her son I honestly thought she was a bit crazy, but now I completely understand what she meant. A messy face and chubby hands. A giggle that will change any
mood for the better. The most awesome toddler hair known to man. A smile that
infects everyone around him. This child amazes me every day. Just as his sister
did when she was this age. My mom told me that he is supposed to know how to
use 50 words. I think he probably has 250 down. The things that he can do with those
little hands and chubby fingers absolutely astound me.
If I knew that God would bless me with another child like Si, I would have another or even 2 or 3 more. But I'm not one to tempt fate ;)
Here is my image from 2012. I'm sure I will list one later, but definitely not as Day 2 :)
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Day 1: I am thankful for my daughter
I recently pulled up a sequence of pictures I did for the 30 Days of Being Thankful challenge. It is going to be interesting to see how things have changed since 2012.
This one hasn't changed.
People say that she looks just like me. I have yet to find
another child that can stare me down like she can. She has made my life
far more full than I could have ever imagined. I always wanted a
daughter. I am amazed that I can look at her and see the person
she is changing into. She has my grandfather's crystal blue
eyes. I never imagined having a blue eyed child. Never. She hugs me
every time I walk into a room. Every. Single. Time. I would rather hear her say "mommy" than anyone say "Leigh" anytime. I hope she'll remember me rocking her to sleep, as I remember my mom rocking me to sleep. If I did not have her, I would not fully understand how precious children
are. She makes me a better teacher. She makes me a better person. She
makes me WANT to be a better person. I look forward to seeing her every time I am away from her. She makes every day an adventure. She loves me.
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