GEEZ!!

Dang ya'll, I know I owe you a post or two. It's been a busy week, and I've got lots to blog about.

We co-hosted a great baby shower for our good friends Jon & Steph last weekend, and I haven't even had time to take a second glance at the pics to get them posted. The shower was great fun, and the gifts were awesome, so I'll catch ya'll up to that soon.

My fam is also coming to town tonight from the big city of Hickory, so I've been busy cleaning and grocery shopping to get ready for their arrival. I don't think they would be too excited to just munch on wheat thins and hummus which is about all I had in the refrig.

Michael and I are also getting ready for a little vacay to Mexico next week, so I totally need to be doing some laundry and packing some bags!

I promise promise promise to post tomorrow.

Saturday - The Good and The Bad

Let's get the bad out of the way first - What has happened to my Pirates? Another dismal performance on Saturday as we got it handed to us by a top-notch Houston team. I guess what Skip Holtz says is right... When you're up on top, everyone is gunning for you.

Boys - I need ya'll to pull it together and pull it together quick! Get your mental game on and let's rally! I want to head to Memphis on New Years for the Liberty Bowl! You can do it! ARRRGGHHH!

Heres the good! but kinda sad, but really good!

One of the coolest chicks I know is packing up her game and headin' out west - GO MELANIE!

Melanie and I worked together at Micromass Communications and from the day she started work there, it was never a dull moment! That girl is mad funny, super creative (she even came up with a pseudo-sorority for the lame-o account we all worked on) and one of the most amazing peeps I know.

Mel had a little "going away" party at the Blue Martini on Saturday night so everyone could get together to give her a proper farewell before she and "Pearl" (her SUV) hit the road this week for the drive to Denver.

Some of the posse from MMC - Karen, Melanie, Ashely, me and Emily

Melanie, I'm gonna miss you like crazy. All your funny stories, your crazy ringtones, your mad skillz at Flip Cup & Catch Phrase, and your sick love for Tarheel basketball. Get your ass out there and have a blast. I expect you to know some Denver Broncos by the time Michael and I come out there to visit this winter. Love you, sis!

HOLLER!!

Pirate Ship Runs Ashore - We'll be back out to sea soon!

Disappointed? You better believe it! Crushed? Yep, you've got it! Did I see it coming? I hate to say it, but I kinda did.


The NC State vs. ECU rivalry is HUGE. So huge, that it makes no difference that the Wolfpack is the worst team in the ACC this season, and it makes no difference that ECU was looking amazing the first three games of the season and had a chance to really make a big impact and get a chance at a BCS bowl game during the Holidays! This game is about heart, and the team that wants it most is the team that wins!


Bottom Line- The Wolfpack brought it on Saturday. They were ready for us and had something to prove. They looked great, and I hope that this win inspires them to do great things with the rest of their season.


I also hope that the Wolfpack win inspires the Pirates to get right back out there this Saturday against Houston and earn that place in the Top 25.


You better believe we'll be there, and I'll be wearing that purple like its my JOB!! Pinkney - you're still our man!

I'm not afraid to blog about the loss on Saturday

As embarrassed and disappointed as I am, I refuse to sweep our devastating loss to the Wolfpack under the rug. I will be blogging later today - so stay tuned!

Finally! New O2 Fitness Opens

After a much anticipated wait, the new O2 Fitness at I-540 and Falls of Neuse is complete!! It opened at 5:30 this morning, and was PACKED!

The facility is absolutely gorgeous. So much so, that I really wanted to stay longer and work out a little more... okay, that's a total lie, but it really is MAD GORGEOUS in there!

Check out this massive cardio space! Lisa and I told Denis they need to hang some prints on the wall or something. I'm sure he's taking our design advice to heart. I bet he got right on the phone and ordered something to go up there.

And here's another thing that I thought was so crafty. It's like a wall of inspiration right when you walk in. My favorite quote on there..."Love Doesn't Need Handles" BOOYAH!! That'll make you think twice before stopping at Dunkin Doughnuts on your way to work! HA!

So anyway, if you aren't a member of a gym, take some time to go check out O2. It really is the bomb.com, and they are offering all kinds of sign up specials right now. If you do sign up, ask for Denis and make sure I get the credit. I'm all about trying to refer some peeps so I can score a new gym bag, yo!!

WE SHUT THAT SHIZZ DOWN!!

Wow!!! What a weekend for college football! With the threat of Hurricane Hanna still bearing down on Eastern NC, we packed the ponchos and got ready to weather the storm of Pat White and the WVU Mountaineers Saturday at the ECU/ WVU game in Greenville.

Dag, ya'll - the Pirates look GOOD!!! I mean, we look #14 in the rankings GOOD!!

Allycen and Ashley, Mark and Ramsey came up from Wilmington to get the party started, and even though the tailgate fields didn't open until 3 hours prior to game time, we still got our pre-game on!

Ashley and Allycen, in all their WVU get-up.

Michael and Ash debate the goodness of Crown vs. a cold beer on a hot Saturday.


I know I've talked about how BRUTAL the WVU fans are, they're not very polite to visiting teams that come to Morgantown, and you're lucky to escape that place with your life, not to mention your furniture (they like to burn things, ya see...) Well, the Pirate Nation was much more receptive to the WVU fans and we were glad to see they braved the weather to come out to watch the Pirates shut down their Heisman hopeful.

Terry Holland asked that Pirate fans be receptive and open their tailgates to Mountaineer peeps and not ask them to "Walk the Plank". Okay, whatever... you know the Martin's always have an open door policy, and here's two of the greatest Mountain Men I've ever met! They were super cool, and tailgated with us before and after the game. (PS - He's been growing that beard for about 6 years - I asked him.)

Okay, so everyone knew the game was on ESPN, right? Well, did ya'll know ESPN travels by pimped out bus?? Oh, they sure do...

And if you ask nicely enough, the bus driver will let you get on said bus and will take your picture on the pimped out leather sofa.

Then, he will ask you nicely to get off the pimped out bus with the pimped out leather sofa before he calls "SECURITY!"

Okay- so the game was a blast and the Pirates beat down the Mountaineers - final score 24 - 3.

Downtown Greenville - the afterparty!!! WHOOT WHOOT!!

Ash & Allycen, ya'll kick a$$, and we love ya'll to pieces! Had a blast with ya'll and can't wait to do it again.

Michael and I will be taking a much deserved weekend off from football this weekend. ECU takes on Tulane Saturday in New Orleans. I'll be watching on TV, but chilling from the big city of HKY. Shoo, I'm glad. The last two weekends have done this old lady in! This girl needs some rest!

GO PIRATES!!!! ARRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!

Good Lord, ya'll! So sorry for the delay in posting! It's been a long week recovering from the Pirates victory over the Hokies last weekend!

We've made it a tradition to celebrate the start of college football with a road trip with the Bentleys to watch the ECU/VT matchup! This is turning out to be a GREAT rivalry for ECU and Virginia Tech - the fans are all super excited and it's probably the best show of good sportsmanship that you'll see all season. I've never been to another game where the fans are so nice to one another and all the heckling and hollering is in such good nature! (I'm sure this won't be the case this weekend when the WV Mountaineers bring the redneck to GREENVILLE)

Last year, the game was played in Blacksburg, VA, and this year it moved to a neutral site - Bank of America stadium in Charlotte! It was a packed house and weather couldn't have been nicer!!

We met up with Lisa's dad and uncle, our friend Dave, my brother and his friend Jeremy, and some of Lisa's friends from VT, and Stephen's friend Jesse. Awesome tailgate, but shooooo - all that Orange and Maroon made me nervous!! Here's something cool though - the VT fans have this tradition of a drinking game to that ACDC song "Thunder" - okay, so try this at your next tailgate, house party, or wedding reception. Play the song as loud as possible, (preferably out of the speaker box set up in the back of a big truck) and each time the word "Thunder" is said, you take a drink. No shizz, it'll get you through 2 beers in one song! I LOVE THAT! I think it's my new favorite drinking game!

Here's Lisa & her Dad & Uncle

My brother giving his "Coaches Corner" Synopsis to anyone who would listen Toasting with "Hokie D" Tonya & Michael - look for this shot on our Christmas card this year.


"Tonya in the middle, where she at? In the middle"


Jeffery & Tonya posing for Vickie's new desk portrait of her "babies" - You know what they say about taking the kids out of Burke County, but you can't take the Burke County out of the kids. Stephen and Jesse before the madness starts - trust me, it starts to get really, really ugly once the game starts and the mini bottles make a guest appearance! It's all fun and games with the canned beer right now.
Okay- so tailgating over - the game starts and it was AWESOME!!!
Here's Baby and T-Dawg getting greasy at HALFTIME! I love that you can get a box of Bojangles Chicken at halftime! (Our trainer would love that too... that we're not only consuming hundreds of empty calories in beer, but also noshing on fried chicken - AHHHH YEAH!)




There was so much excitement in that stadium, and everyone was on their feet. The Pirates looked awesome, and the final score was 27-22!!


And even though the troops are starting to look like this, we know it's time to rally.




So, after the game, we headed back to the hotel to freshen up and take it back out downtown - cause yeah, that's how we roll...

The Bentley's and a Bucket o' Beer!Not sure how the night goes from here.....

To here???


What a GREAT weekend! Thanks to the Bentley's for getting our 2nd annual "Kick-Ass Kick-Off" started right! We love ya'll and can't wait for next year!
We're heading to Greenville tomorrow morning to meet up with Ally & Ash, Bill and Allyson and get right up in the middle of Hurricane Hanna! The Pirates take on the Mountaineers at 4:30 and it's another sell-out ballgame. Come on, Pirates.... let's pull out another W!!!