The Grass Isn't Always Greener...

Everyone goes around saying "the grass is greener on the other side".



I am here to say that I have found this statement to be completely FALSE. If anything what appears to be greener from the outside is often filled with dark secrets, a good "face" and problems that cannot be seen at the surface.





For example, you see a cute couple that are so loving and perfect together that it makes most people sick to their stomach. What we do not see is that once that same "cute" couple is behind closed doors they yell and scream at each other. Everything one does gets on the other one's nerves and that perfect picture we see in public is thrown out the window. No one would possibly believe the way this couple's relationship really is unless they see it for themselves.




Or you leave what you think is a miserable job to go to this great new wonderful company. Until you get there and see what the staff and company is like once you make it past the smiling face "How can we help you" exterior. You find out that the employees hate being there, don't like their boss and have nothing good to say about the company.




I have been apart of my second example. I left a job that I thought was just terrible and no one appreciated what I did so I was going to go somewhere I would be appreciated for my hard work. After being there for a little bit the smiling faces went away and so did the positive attitude everyone seemed to exude. It is a scary work situation to be in. I found that once one person fell off the "Go Get Em" wagon the other employees fell off behind them at a rapid speed. Every day was miserable and the sun was never shining in their world.




Around this type of attitude it is easy to think that the grass is greener on the other side. But everyone, every organization or group has their problems. Some hide these problems better than others.




So just when you think I will go dip my toe in this other fountain... know all the details.

It can be a cold, dark land that you enter.

SEC Football

With the recent addition to the SEC I have to say it is becoming more apparent than ever that we are the best, toughest and most sought after conference in college football.





What I don't understand is why teams such as Mizzou want to join the conference. Maybe they should test the water first in order to see what it is they are signing themselves up for.




Texas A & M has already signed on the dotted line adding them to the conference. Are they up to the week in and week out beatings that they will take as a member of this conference? Only time will tell. If I had to guess I would say, NO.




I do have to give them praise for setting in place an agenda to expand their stadium. I understand that not all of the stadiums in the SEC are 80, 90 100+ thousand seat stadiums. But lets get real here... Are we really surprised by the teams without these stadiums? Not at all.




Unfortunately, if you look at the record of these teams they are the armpit of the SEC (for lack of a prettier way to say it). I mean Mississippi State uses cow bells to try and distract the opposing teams. Has it worked yet? Not really. Vanderbilt is our "smart" school. No one ever expects them to win anyway. And if they do beat your team... well just plan on the coach of your team being excused from his position within the next year or so. Then, we have our other Mississippi team, Ole Miss. They use to be the Rebels but because a few people were trying too hard to be politically correct they are now the mighty Rebel Black Bear. Really??? Black Bear. Isn't that cute. Then there's Kentucky... Their cheerleaders have won more championships than their football team. I think that about sums it up for the Wild Cats.




Not every "good" team in the SEC has a stand out year, but the "good" teams are always in the running to ruin another team's perfect season. If you are lucky enough to have a perfect season in this conference.




So... just a note to self moment for all the teams that are looking for a bid to the Southeastern Conference:

1. You will get what you ask for
2. Be ready to put your big boy pants on
3. Don't be surprised when your quarterback cries for his momma after being sacked a few times




We come to the field to win. PERIOD. We love nothing more than to beat the other teams in our own conference (as well as any other conference) and make them take that long walk off the field while we celebrate and put one more team away on our road the the SEC Championship and ultimately the BCS Championship. Because lets face it... It isn't be a championship game if a SEC team isn't involved.




Be ready. Because We Are.

Cake... Cake...Cake...

I have a little song for all of you.
It is called...
Cake... Cake... Cake...

It goes a little something like this:

CAKE... CAKE... CAKE...
CAKE IS GREAT!!!

Maybe I overstated that a little bit.
Probably less of a song and more of a motto.



I have come to realize the older I get and the less active I get
that the best things in life....
such as CAKE...
are the things that are the worst for us.

Why is this???
Shouldn't it be exactly the opposite?

Eat what you like and what makes you happy to BE HAPPY...
Yet... the things that are good for me I would not eat if I were paid.

Now, if I were paid to eat cake I would be in business. As it is I can tell the you difference (without seeing the cakes) between

Publix
Walmart
Edgars
Savages
and
Dreamcakes
icing.

I'm not sure if this is an actual accomplishment or not
but it sure does make me happy.

Life is all about finding happiness.


So go out and eat your Cake...


or whatever it is that you like!

Blondes vs Brunettes...

I have come to realize over the years that it might be true...



Brunettes are taken more seriously than....
Blondes!




Why is this??




The only reason I know this is because I have been a Blonde, Brunette, Redhead and many shades in between.

I always thought it was a myth until the day I decided to be a brunette after being a blonde for many, many years. Or maybe it was a psychological change for myself. I'm still not sure which one is the correct answer.


What I do know is...

People who met me for the first time as a brunette often asked me questions related to world topics and subjects that matter in the big scheme of things.

As a blonde, people often engaged in topics such as celebrities, pop culture news and information that did not matter on a larger scale.

I am still the same person with the same brain and knowledge of the world. Somehow as I brunette I have been taken more seriously though.



Do appearances/stereotypes really matter that much?



We never know the full potential of an individual till we give that person a chance to showcase what they know.

Life is like Monopoly...

The game of Monopoly is much like the game we call Life. There is the middle class, the upper class and the lower class.

At any point doing the game of Monopoly you can find yourself in any of these classifications. You might be the one that lands of Boardwalk and Park Place and you think you are set for the rest of the game.

You may be more of the "Average Joe" and you spend your money wisely. You have many properties but are always cautious not to spend too much and get yourself in trouble.

But you could also fall into the last category with Mr. Monopoly. Maybe you are a little too cautious and never take any risks, always buying the cheaper properties and in the end not having much of a reward.

You could possibly be a mixture of all three. You went out guns blazing only to have it backfire and cause you more grief than was necessary. Maybe you subscribe to the motto "slow and steady wins the race". You might not have the biggest and the best but with a little help the top dogs will bust.

I have found that we can see examples of these types of people all around us. Take Steve Jobs for example, he had a big dream and people thought that he could never compete with the monster corporation of Microsoft. Jobs took risks and rolled the dice to see if a big gamble would pay big dividends in the end. Jobs was one of the success stories. iEverything seems to be taking over phones, computers, laptops and tablets just to name a few.

Then there is the middle man. The person that just wants to provide a stable home for his/her family. Put a little money away each paycheck in case of emergencies or to possibly pay for a child's college education one day. They are happy to live life day-to-day not gambling too much on the odds that might be against them. This group tends to be cautious, budgets and tries to plan for the future.

The last group is sometimes too cautious. A prior experience could possibly make them this way. Maybe they were just dealt a bad had in life and no matter what they try to do it never seems to be enough to make it out of the hole they are in. This group would be the kindest of all three, giving the shirt off their back if it will help their fellow man. Never asking for anything in return and always greeting others with a smile.

Our great country is filled with people in every type of situation. Some were handed the good life and didn't know what to do with it. Others had a rough start and vowed to make life better for their children. And then some people are happy just the way that they are and find happiness in being themselves be that good, bad, rich, poor and anything else in between.

Laughter Makes the World a Better Place...

Have you ever had a bad day?


Have you ever wanted to close the door, sit in your closet and cry?


Have you ever thought how can this day possibly get any worse?


Have you ever decided to laugh about it?


Have you ever thought about how much better you feel when you laugh?


Have you ever looked back on something you didn't think was funny at the time and died laughing about it later?


Have you ever noticed how a sunny, beautiful day seems that much better when you add laughter to it?


Have you ever sat around with friends and laughed for no reason at all?


Have you ever watched a funny television show and laughed?



Of course you have!


We all have!



Laughter can make any situation better.


Laughter rarely makes something worse.


Laughter makes you smile when you don't want to or smile bigger than you were before.


Laughter heals the soul and mends broken hearts.


Laughter makes the world go round.

Finding Friends in Unexpected Places...

Have you ever had a moment when you needed someone to just listen without giving their input on a situation or to let you just get an emotion out?

I have found that when I just need to get something out or just have a good cry... the best place for me to go to is my sweet, spoiled puppy Libby.

She never talks back, gives me unwanted advice or judges me for any of the silly things that come out of my head. She always sits with me and is there.

Dogs really are Man's Best Friend.

Who else would go out with their master in the freezing cold and sure there waiting for the monent they are told to run, fetch or stay.

Dogs are loyal till the end and they always want to do anything to make their owners happy.

Too often we think of calling a friend or family member... and they often cloud our head with information or advice that we never asked for... instead the answer is right beside us. (Well for those of us that own dogs)

I can't say if it is the same for cats and their owners.... well, pretty much because my cat was psychotic and I was usually scared of it attacking me!

In the end, remember that when you need to chat the best friend you can ask for sometimes is the one that doesn't say anything at all.

A Little Thing That Drives Me Crazy Is...

Everyone has one...

No one's is the same...

What is mine?

What is yours?

Don't be shy... You can say it...

because it DRIVES YOU CRAZY!

Well, if you won't say it... I will say it.

People who walk in or out of the wrong door DRIVE ME CRAZY!

I never have fully understood the reasoning.

We drive on the right side of the road in the United State...

so why wouldn't we use the door on the right to enter and exit a building?

Instead of using the door on the right that is not being used

people will stand there and look at me like I am doing something wrong.

Hello... Ding Ding Ding...

Your door is on the RIGHT as well.

No not the left... the right.

That is unless...

You go to Walmart.

Bingo...

That's the problem!

WALMART

I'm not blaming them completely but ...

isn't it interesting that the Enter and Exit doors are always backwards.

Why? Why Walmart Why??

The Best Advice I Was Ever Given...

Everyone has their 2 cents to share for any situation, story or problem. Some of it is quite good while other advice could probably be forgotten.

This little nugget of insight has stuck with me for quite a while now though.

If You Can't Do Anything Else... Smile.

It Doesn't Hurt You and Doesn't Cost Anything.

The more and more I thought about it the more I realized it was true. It doesn't hurt me to give a friendly smile to someone I pass in a store or the person on the other side of the gasoline pump.

It could end up being the one thing that person needed.

A simple Smile could turn a bad day into an ok day or an ok day into a good day.

Not everything in the world has to be expensive and lavish. And to me...

The best things are usually the most inexpensive and the moments that last forever.

So...

The Best Advice I Can Give To You....

**SMILE**

The Moment I Realized I Was Wrong...

It's not an easy thought....

Really?? I... Me??? I am WRONG?

What's even harder than the thought of being wrong?

Admitting to being... WRONG!

No one wants to admit to being wrong.

But the person that can admit when they are wrong shows their true character.

Being able to "stand up" and point the blame at themselves instead of blaming others is rare.

What was my AH HAH moment you ask?

The moment I realized other people could see what I could not.

The realization that everyone EXCEPT me could see that the person I was holding so near to my heart was tearing me down instead of lifting me up.

I was so blinded by what I thought was love I could not understand what everyone else was talking about. They were all just "crazy" I told myself.

But.........

They were the ones that were right and after all the tears, arguments, heartbreak, sadness and anger I came to realize I was the one that was wrong.

They were not telling me these things to hurt me. They were telling me what they could see because they were the ones that truly LOVED me.

When we are blinded by our own feelings or thoughts it is often hard to see what anyone else could possibly be talking about. But listen with an open mind and heart before telling yourself...

I am Right and They are Wrong.

It's never easy to admit but often will make things much better if you do. It took me a loooooooonnnnnnggggggg time to admit but I did. And all those people that I thought were "crazy" for watching out for me and caring about me are the ones that still only want what is best for me.

Life through the eyes of LG.....

that's me!

Who is LG?

Daughter... Sister... Mother... Friend...

Student... Dreamer... Traveler...

Sports Fanatic... Athlete... Listener...

Worker Bee... Dog Lover... Taurus...

Smiling Southern Lady

I dont always know what I want to do or where I want to go but I do figure it out along the way. I am a free spirit and love to see where life takes me. Until, I decide there is something I want to accomplish and then nothing can stop me from meeting my goal.

Since returning to the University of Alabama I have learned that I can accomplish more than I ever thought I could. There are days when I do not always "get it" but through hard work and determination I have continued to succeed. My goal to become a college graduate and public relations professional become more of a reality with each day that passes. In December 2011 I will see this dream turn to reality.

Life experiences and the people we surround ourselves with make each day better than the last. They help us to grow and expand our mind to conquer new horizons. We learn each day what is important in our lives and what should be left behind. We come to understand the people, places or things that have a significant impact on our life are how these change us for better or for worse.

If life has taught me nothing else I have learned

1. Expect the unexpected

2. Everything happens for a reason.... sometimes it just takes a little longer to understand what that reason is

3. Never take your true friends for granted the relationship you have with them is precious

4. Say "I love you" to those that matter most

5. Smile ... it's the easiest thing to do and costs you nothing.