Our Year In 1000 Words Or Less....by: Matt

We got married in Athens on June 30, 2007. Two days later we honeymooned in Punta Cana and watched a bunch of shameless, hairy Europeans prance nude around the beach. Oh, and I lost my sunglasses in the Atlantic ocean. We said goodbye to friends and family, packed up the dog and drove to California in the Malibu (appropriate). I lost my sunglasses somewhere in the 110 degree heat of the Mojave Desert. I think I dropped them in that small lake on the horizon. We got on a plane on August 1st (Jersey almost didn't make it) and moved into a "2 bedroom apartment" that turned out to be just 2 bedrooms in someones basement. Liars! As revenge, Jersey pooped all over their lawn! We got half our money back. I started my job and found out that another guy from Philly, who grew up 15 minutes from me, just started as well. He also just got married. I guess we weren't as unique as we thought. We moved into a 2 bedroom/2 bathroom beach bungalow. Newlyweds Chris and Linda Strom visited. We hung out at Sandy Beach, Makapu'u Point, Bellows, Waimanalo and I stepped on my sunglasses coming back in from the surf. We visited the North Shore and witnessed waves with 40 foot faces. Elizabeth got a job at Kokohead Elementary (what a great name). They called her Auntie before they new her name (strange). Ansley and Michael came to visit. We discussed politics at 3 AM and the cops came by to say hello. We surfed (poorly). We visited the Big Island, got an asthma attack from inhaled volcanic sulfer, and found out that not all Hooters girls are built alike. The Kidds came to visit and we ate Thanksgiving dinner on the beach. We got laughed at by local surfer dudes for trying to go out in the North Shore surf with pink boogey boards. Christmas was spent alone, except when Hawaii 5-0 came by to tell us they loved our Christmas music, but our neighbors had sensitive ears. My Mom came and we saw KC and the Sunshine Band on New Years Eve. He looked aweful, but sounded fantastic. My Dad and Karen came and Dad demonstrated how to fall off a hammock in 1 mintue, how to open a coconut with a large kitchen knife in 45 minutes, and how to fall asleep on the beach next to a corona bottle. I lost my sunglasses somewhere between the parking deck and the hospital. We went to the Pro Bowl (please see previous disturbing blog entry). We hit a low point, got homesick. Our front screen door fell off it's hinges, ants were taking over our bathroom. My friend from California, Mike Brady came to visit. We made a corona commercial and antagonized people in the cold Philly weather with texted beach photos. We then visited Philly and were overwhelmed by the growth of our nephews and the new edition of our niece. When we got back, Rick and Kathryn came to visit. We caught a 17 lb Mahi, saw Jack Johnson and hacked up the course at Turtle Bay. We came home to Georgia, threw Elizabeth a surprise party (welcome to your 30s), missed home even more. We met the new editions (Quinn Clarkson, Johnathan Csontos). I lost my sunglasses somewhere on the Atlanta Highway listening to Love Shack. TK, Greg, and Aletta came to visit. We found out first hand the lives of parents with one year olds. Greg actually fell asleep on the hard tile in our living room, head resting comfortably on the wood table. God Bless them. We went to Maui for our 1 year anniversary. It was luxurious. We stayed at the Westin, drank Mojitos, sang My Life with the top down, drove the road to Hana (3 ours there, 3 hours back, tooth ache the entire time), snorkled at Molokini Crater, and lost my friggin' sunglasses in the Pacific. (Elizabeths' fault). We replaced our screen door. I gave a Grand Rounds presentation at Straub. Elizabeth took a job tutoring two home schooled girls. Apparently their Dad, Phineaus, didn't realize that cheap tutors in the Phillipines are NOT A GOOD THING! We saw Mamma Mia (horrible) and The Dark Knight (awesome). I am growing a beard. We miss everyone and grow more homesick by the day. We have already been discussing our move back to the East Coast, but we still have some things to take care of here. And I will never buy a pair of sunglasses again.

Facebook...or the devil?

Unfortunately I have ignored our blog because I decided to move to the "darkside" and joined Facebook. I stayed away from it for years...laughing at my brother and his young 20 something friends who obsessed over it. Lately the Facebook buzz has made its way into my 30 something group of friends and one of my best friends urged me to join (yes, Reag, I will always hold you responsible for this). I joined under a fake name at first just to see how it worked...I quickly learned that you can't do much if the other people don't "accept" you, and whose going to accept "Jessica James" when they have no clue who that is? So I sucked it up and joined as ME...how novel. I found out that a lot of my other friends were already "profiled" which made me feel a little better. I easily recruited some friends. Now, some of these "friends" are people that I maybe knew of or was an acquaintance of in high school. It has been fun seeing them and reading about what they're up to, but is it necessary for me to spend 3 hours on Facebook looking at every picture they have posted and every comment that someone else has written on their "wall"?? I hadn't even thought of this person in 10 years...and now I'm obsessed with their daily life?? This can't be healthy!

Many people, not me of course, may join Facebook to spy on folks you've always wondered about...maybe your husband's last serious girlfriend before y'all met, maybe your freshman year crush...whatever, all hypothetical, BUT even this is hard. Because if you're spying on someone through Facebook the only info. you may be able to get is a 1inchx1inch photo...which leaves even more to be desired! If you really want the juicy stuff you have to ask them to be your friend and basically out yourself as a stalker.

Another "issue" I'm having is the fact that I'm now receiving friend requests on a daily basis from people that I don't know...or more likely, I don't remember. Of course, I feel guilty turning someone down, so I'm just accepting (maybe said husband's ex-girlfriend is now officially stalking me and I don't know!). I am currently having a love/hate relationship with Facebook...Frankly, the whole thing is ridiculous, but I'm a part of it now and I don't think there's any escaping it! I'm not sure if I would recommend that you join (YAY, more friends for me) or if I would tell you to stay the hell away...probably a combination of both. I will promise to pay more attention to our blog though, which is read by and written for people we miss and care about, unlike my Facebook profile which is being studied by someone that sat next to me in high school Biology and we haven't spoken since.

Other troubling facts about Facebook:
* MOM has triple the amount of "friends" than I do...and she didn't accept me as a friend for 8 long days after my initial request.
* My MOM is even on Facebook...okay, for the record, she's on it because she works with all 20 somethings who only communicate through the damn thing.
* At least 3 of my "friends" are kids that I taught in 1st grade in 2000...and one of them sent me a facebook message that read..."Ms. Kidd, plz dont tell my parents that I have a facebook page!"
* I was compelled to immediately join the Guiding Light fan club and the Addicted to the Hills Facebook group...I can't even believe I'm admitting that!

A Moment of Silence, Please

ATHENS, Ga. --- Private burial services for Uga VI, the mascot for University of Georgia athletic teams, were held Monday afternoon in Sanford Stadium. Uga VI died in his hometown of Savannah, Ga., on Friday from congestive heart failure. He was buried in a marble vault in the Southwest corner of Sanford Stadium with his five predecessors. Speaking at the services were UGA President Dr. Michael F. Adams and former Georgia team chaplain Claude McBride.The Georgia football teams compiled an 87-27 record during Uga VI's tenure, which officially began in 1999 with pre-game ceremonies prior to the South Carolina game. The Bulldogs captured both the 2002 and 2005 SEC Championships as Uga VI became the winningest of all Georgia mascots. Uga VI's record surpassed the previous best mark of 77-24-4 by Uga IV. All of Georgia's athletic teams enjoyed remarkable success during Uga VI's reign. All told, 19 of Georgia's 35 national championships were secured under Uga VI, and Bulldog athletic teams won 35 SEC Championships. In addition, Georgia recorded six top-10 finishes in the Director's Cup, the annual all-sports competition ranking the nation's top athletic programs. A successor to Uga VI will be announced by the Seilers and the Athletic Association at a later date; however, the Seilers have stated that the lineage is secure.

Matt broke this sad story to me while on our anniversary trip in Maui...dampened my mood for sure. A sad day for DAWGS...if the baseball team didn't break our hearts enough last week!!