Fun to Stay at the Y.M.C.A.

One of my favorite pictures (and memories) from the wedding, when "Rockin' Robin" of Rockin Robin's DJs broke out the costumes and we did everybody's favorite funky party song. The particpants were, from L-R (top) Scott Rushing, Michael Blaylock Jr., Jennifer Rushing, J Anderson; (bottom) Joe Caples, Steve Russell, Leah (duuuhhh), and Mike Blaylock, Sr. Yes, the father of the bride participated in the nonsense--ain't it great?! BTW, our photography was so excellently done by Dennis Zanone.

Wedded Bliss

Three years ago today, Leah and I finished a little over 5 1/2 years of dating and began our journey as husband and wife. What a fun, fun day it was. Heck, three years ago this morning, I was disclosing hotel information to Scott on the golf course at Galloway, no wait, sorry, The Links at Galloway, that would lead to a Silly String and shaving-cream covered Blazer the next morning over at the French Quarter Suites (heck, even Kristi claimed innocence when questioned!). Would the top secret info have been leaked anyway by a close family member of the groom? Who knows, but I did myself in on the 3rd or 4th green, I think.

I don't really have a ton of pictures posted of our honeymoon journeys, but there are a few over at the website. We departed Sunday morning for San Juan, to embark on a 7-day Southern Caribbean cruise via the Carnival Destiny, a 3-football field-long ship that treated us very, very well (Note to cruise-takers everywhere: Balcony cabins are "da bomb" and are worth every penny.) We visited the ports of St. Thomas, Martinique, Barbados (home to Malibu Rum), and Aruba. We ended up spending a lot of the week with 3 other couples that sat near us in the dining room at our designated hour--all of us married on the same day.

I might dig up a picture or two from the wedding archives, but for now, here is the "quiz" that Leah and I gave to our wedding party at the rehearsal dinner as a fun little activity. My best man, Scott, was the winner and won opening night tickets for the Grizzlies, which he probably promptly sold on eBay for a large profit. My cousin Steve couldn't pull out a victory, even though he was cheating and getting his wife to do the math on the tiebreaker. See how well you think you do....I'll give answers in a few days. So sharpen your #2 pencil and pull out a scan-tron sheet........You may begin.

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1. Eric and Leah credit their relationship as beginning on June 7, 1997. Where did they go on this day?
A. Dinner and a movie
B. Leah’s senior prom
C. A show at the Orpheum and a carriage ride afterwards
D. A company picnic

2. Which event is usually associated with the year Eric was born?
A. Martin Luther King’s assassination
B. America’s first man on the moon.
C. Watergate
D. The increased use of birth control

3. Leah learned how to play which instrument in junior high?
A. French horn
B. clarinet
C. tuba
D. musical spoons

4. Which of the following events did Eric’s birth throw off schedule?
A. Wedding of an aunt & uncle
B. Easter
C. Parents’ vacation to Hot Springs
D. Dad watching “Smokey and the Bandit”

5. Leah is a Biblical name. In the book of Genesis, what is Leah’s sister’s name? Rachael

6. Which comment was made to Eric by one of Leah’s friends at a Bolton football game?
A. “I hear you have a old Mustang—what a cool car.”
B. “You must be Eric—I hear you’re a great kisser.”
C. “It’s nice to finally meet you—Leah talks about you 24 - 7.”
D. “Now I know why Leah talks about you so much.”

7. Eric and Leah have seen a baseball game in all of the following ballparks EXCEPT
A. Cinergy Field (Cincinnati Reds)
B. Ballpark at Arlington (Texas Rangers)
C. Turner Field (Atlanta Braves)
D. Busch Stadium (St. Louis Cardinals)

8. Which of the following celebrity women, by virtue of birth year, is the same age as Leah?
A. Jennifer Love Hewitt
B. Ashley Olsen
C. Sarah Michelle Gellar
D. Chelsea Clinton

9. Which of the following jobs has Eric not had?
A. Walking vendor (i.e., “hawker”) at the Mid South Coliseum
B. Package handler at FedEx
C. Service bartender at Houston’s
D. General Manager of a hotel
E. Video clerk at Kroger

10. Which of the following jobs has Leah not held?
A. hotel reservations representative
B. pharmacy tech
C. tanning salon rep
D. loan clerk

11. Eric and Leah have done all of the following while they were dating, EXCEPT
A. Toured a timeshare property in New Orleans
B. Met the country band “SheDaisy” at a concert in Tunica
C. Received a parking ticket in Dallas
D. Competed in the showmanship contest at the Memphis is May BBQ Fest

12. Eric spent most of his elementary school years in a well-known private school. Name it. Briarcrest

13. All of the following entertainment events happened the year that Leah was born EXCEPT:
A. "Eight is Enough" premiered on ABC-TV
B. “Dukes of Hazzard” premiered on CBS
C. 204th and final episode of “All in the Family”
D. "My Sharonna" by the Knack hits #1 (stays for 42 days)

14. What is the mascot of the SEC school that Eric attended after high school? Commodores (Vanderbilt)

15. Which state have Leah and Eric not been to together while they were dating?
A. Ohio
B. Louisiana
C. Texas
D. Florida

Titanic Sinking

Wow.....These are tough times, indeed. I guess these are the times when being a fan is really tested--Are you genuine or a bandwagon rider? Fair-weather or all-weather? It's easy to be a fan and fly your flag and wear your jersey when your team is sitting atop its division/conferenence/etc. But how about when your team loses to the proverbial losers? The bad news bears of football. The Arizona freaking Cardinals. Wow. I think the Titans are already in a point in the season where winning any more games just hurts their draft pick. Ugh.

I really don't blame injuries. I blame poor play, carelessness, and lack of focus. Dropped passes. Poor concentration. Bad fundamentals, like dropping the ball. Sure, the Titans are the youngest team in the NFL, but have been competitive in at least some of their losses. We were in it against the Rams and Bengals, and last night we were down 3 measley points with like 7 minutes to go in the game.

Of course, you have Mr. "I'm Virtually Skipping Training Camp b/c I'm an Underpaid Holdout Rookie (that hasn't played a down)" Pac-Man Jones. He's been burned on more routes than I care to count. Ran the wrong route. Gotten beat on touchdowns more than once. Been called for several crucial penalties. You've got a running back (that we just got on a trade) that's suspended for drugs. The other fumble-prone one got hurt yesterday. A mis-timed passed route here, a dropped ball there, another penalty here.......and you have yourself a 2-5 record and still have to play one division opponent twice and the other two, once.

A friend of mine often says, "Stats are for losers," and I think I'm about to illustrate his point. The stats of the Titans vs their opponents in the last two games is very disheartening. Seems we almost matched, or beat, Cincinnati and Arizona, but all we got was 2 bit fat L's. Cause we all the know the scoreboard is what matters the most.

Titans vs Bengals
Total Yds - Them 387, Us 377
1st Downs - Them 24, Us 21
Yds/Pass - Them 8.1, Us 6.3
Yds/Rush - Them 4.3, Us 4.9
Time of Poss - Them 29:04, Us 30:56
Oh yeah, turnovers - Them ZERO, Us THREE

Titans vs Cardinals
Total Yds - Them 173, Us 348
1st Downs - Them 9, Us 16
Yds/Pass - Them 4.2, Us 5.7
Yds/Rush - Them 2.5, Us 3.2
Time of Poss - Them 26:30, Us 33:30
Oh yeah, turnovers - Them ONE, Us THREE

Wow, that's encouraging, huh? Against Arizona, we doubled up their offensive production, held the ball for half a quarter longer, scored almost twice as many first downs, and lost the game by 10. Let's see, our game on 12/11 game is against Houston, who currently bests our pathetic record by holding a 0-6 record. Maybe that game should be called the Basement Bowl. There is one silver lining to this, however--I'm on the waiting list for season tickets, and if enough fair-weather fans call it quits, then that means I get an opportunity to be a season-ticket holder for arguably the toughest ticket in the Music City.

Oh well, there's always baseball season. Wait, never mind. I'm a Cubs fan.