Halloween Eve.....boogidie boo.

Good Morning!!! As I sit here at my desk finishing my 36oz cup of coffee (can you say caffeine dependent???)on the day before halloween I got to thinking. #1 tomorrow is Halloween and I have to work at a dagum dance for middle school kids...maybe a scary mask is in order. #2 It has been just touch longer than 9 months since we moved back to Sand Mountain. This time last year was when I decided that it was time to move on from GSU... I remember it like it was yesterday. I had applied for about 10 other jobs in a short amount of time. Then I saw the posting for the job here in Scottsboro over Thanksgiving break. Isn't it funny how God provides us with things we don't even know we want or need at the time but it seems so right later. I never imagined that I'd end up back "home" but it has been one of the more awesome things that has happened to us.

We closed on our house last Wednesday!!! Right now we're waiting on the previous owners to get outta there so we can get in there and do the renovations that we have planned. I'm not going to explain it you'll have to come see it, but what we're doing will drastically change the looks of this place.

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner. What an exciting time of year. It will be lots different this year because we're already at home. Maybe a little less stressful and hectic???

Yesterday, I tried a new sport that I had never really tried. I played racquetball for the first time ever. It's pretty fun. More fun than tennis and I enjoy tennis most of the time. One of my co-workers talked me into playing. It was a pretty good workout; I def. got in a good sweat.

So I guess I've seen a few of you since last Saturday and I'm sure the rest are wondering if I'm still alive after the myocardial infarction that was the UA v. Tennessee game last week. I am still here but man was that ever nuts. Just in case you don't remember exactly what happened I've added a picture for your viewing pleasure. Props to UT; they played a heck of a football game. But our play calling was appalling. RUN THE FOOTBALL!!! Thank you.



Soccer season is almost over and would've finished last night if not for all the rain we've got this week. I'm ready for my slow period.

Hope everyone has a good day and spooky halloween!
Caine

eeeeeeeewwwoooooohhhh That smell...

Greetings! I have to assume that most of you have at least heard about our unfortunate encounter with mother nature this week and I will soon enlighten you on the story I received (thank God I wasn't there) after I update you on other things going on in life.

We have almost reached one of many milestones as a married couple. We are very close to being first time homeowners (Please hold your applause till everyone's name has been called.) There have been some bumps along the road but I'm certain those things will work themselves out over the next couple of days. We will be doing quite a bit of renovation after we take possession of the house. We'll be doing some demo, new flooring and painting (we'll have plenty of brushes ;)). Hopefully this time next week I will be getting ready to go to our closing.

This past weekend we participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. We did so in memory and in celebration of our friends and family members who have fought the ugly disease. It wasn't the most beautiful day and the rain couldn't have felt any colder but it was nice to see how many people get involved with that thing. I'd also like to give props to Luke who finished the race at a blistering pace of 21 minutes. Melissa and I took our sweet time (there we a lot of people in the way. haha). I tried to do a little prep work during the week last week. On Thursday I ran about 2.5 miles and knew then that the race was going to be brutal. It was a good time and I hope to do it again in the future.

While in Birmingham we also got to see some old friends. We had dinner with Dan, my old roommate from college. We also got to see the Johnsons, Melissa's friend Elizabeth from grad school and her husband David. It was really good to spend time with folks we haven't seen in far too long.

So, it's time for what most of you have been waiting for. Keep in mind this is only an account of the story that I was told.
Melissa calls me in hysterics (on a Melissa hysterical scale of 1-10-ten being the most crazy-I rate this at a 7.2) She then began to tell me how it all played out. Nancy mentioned that she heard Diesel barking and stepped outside. Melissa looked out and saw Nancy start walking at a fast pace. She went outside and saw D carrying something black and white. Melissa immediately thought it was one of their cats and began to yell at him. Nancy then explained to her that cats don't smell that foul. Then Diesel tried to bring it to them "Look what I got!" Nancy enticed him to let the skunk go by offering chicken fingers. Then he rolled around on the ground for a while and was bleeding. They then loaded him into the car to take him to the vet. Diesel has a blood disease that doesn't allow wounds to clot properly so a minor scratch could turn into a huge problem. They got like a mile from their house and all the bleeding had stopped so they decided to return home.
Since that time Diesel has had a 3-4 baths. His face (most likely, the point of impact) still smells like skunk. We've let him back indoors now but he smelled putrid for a few days. I hope he's learned his lesson but who knows.

This is the point where I start talking about sports. If you don't care no need to read any further.

Happenings in non-college Football news.
-The US qualified for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa!!! Congrats.
-The Atlanta Dream (WNBA team I worked for in Atlanta) made the WNBA playoffs one year after having the worst season in league history. Coach Meadors was awarded WNBA Coach of the Year and Angel Mccoughtry was named rookie of the year.

2.5 weeks ago Tim Tebow got a pretty serious concussion while being tackled if you haven't heard. It's also a rumor that during that time away from football he found a solution to world hunger.

This college football season is turning out to be one of the more interesting in recent past. There are two teams, maybe three (We'll see this weekend how good Texas really is.)that are very strong, Alabama and Florida. I would be foolish to say that my allegiance to Alabama football plays no role in my observation of the two teams but this may be one of the most unbiased opinions that I've ever had. Alabama is a better team; Florida has better athletes. We'll see how that comes out in the wash. After the coming year's recruiting class arrives on campus that might not be the case. Hopefully we'll get to see a match up later on in the year.

On the Ole Miss game...
I hope it's the first and last time we try to force the ball to Julio every time we get into the redzone. The same tight ends that have been open all year long were open last weekend. Problem solved. That changes the score to 38-3. I'll accept one FG.

It's a beauti-fall day in the neighborhood.

Today, like the past few days is about as picture perfect as you can get. Here in Alabama we are enjoying days in the upper 60's and low 70's and night down into the 40's. Hello cheaper power bill! I read yesterday on that our friend Brittany, who lives in Ohio, had a freeze advisory this morning. I couldn't handle that kind of weather. I'm wearing a sweatshirt and shorts right now with the temp in the mid 70's.

Today, I should be on the nearest golf course but sometimes we have to work. I must say that I am blessed right now. Soccer season has begun and it is by far the most calm season to date for me at my new job. It's funny, most of you know that I worked at Georgia State over the past few years and that was really my first time to be exposed to soccer and even then I didn't truly embrace the sport. I found out enough about it to scream at the referees (my favorite past time) but I am by no means as adept at soccer as I would be at football or baseball. However, this is the funny part, with the exception of 2 coaches I know more about soccer than quite possibly every person in Scottsboro.

We finally found a house!!! Can you believe it! I will be living in the big METRO of Rainsville. We found a deal with a cute little house and a rather large spot of land for Diesel to roam. We're just waiting on the powers that be (The FNB) to get everything squared away. So, here's my call to you. Clear your schedule for...let's say...the second weekend in November plus or minus a weekend. I could use your back. :) If there's one thing I hate it's packing. I can handle the move but I don't have the patience to pack (good luck Liss). I'll give a little more info about the house. It's a small brick house on 1.5 acres on the Powell side of Rainsville. It's still a short drive to Scottsboro for me and it doesn't really affect Liss's trip.

Football is in full swing. WOOOOHOOOO and Roll Tide. Over the past 4 weeks of play I have really impressed with our offensive attack. While not always starting with the most gusto. We eventually impose our will (running the football) on our opponents. The thing that is most impressive to me is Greg McElroy. He is really good. "He ain't no JPW." has been my quote of the week. Not only is he smart; (unlike John Parker) he has a cannon. We'll see in a few weeks, when we play someone with a good defenseHokies. You make us look stronger every week.

Have a great weekend. Apparently I'm going to the fair.

Painfully slow week...

Good Thursday afternoon lunch hour!

Hope all is well with you and yours. We're doing well. Getting ready for another weekend and another wedding. (two weekends in a row) We're looking at a house in Rainsville this evening. Maybe we can finally get this thing done. It's got 1.5 acres, a lot room for D to run and a lot for me to mow. Gonna have to get a big green tractor, haha.

This week has went by at a snails pace. There has been a huge percentage of rain everyday and I have o hold my decision whether to cancel practice til the last minute. That's what I get payed the big bucks for. The only day it rains is the one that I wanna play golf??? What gives?

I am getting acquainted with this twitter thing. you can follow me at http://twitter.com/c_buff


Good Day,
Caine

It has been far too long

My apologies for the extreme layover in my attempts in enlightening you with the goings on of our lives.

Melissa is busy getting acquainted with her schools (NSM, Flat Rock, and Bryant) and apparently enjoying them pretty well.

I'm busy with a new season of youth sports. Tonight we begin youth soccer practice (sound exciting? If so let me know and I'll find something for you to do.) My soccer knowledge is not up to par with other sports like football, baseball, basketball, or just about any other. From my experiences at Georgia State do know enough to get by.

The swine flu is upon us. A child in Scottsboro died this past week of the Swine flu. A lot of people around here are not taking the news too well. I had a coach today pull his name out of the coaching list and the family isn't letting the child play either for fear that he'll catch the flu. That's a little overboard to me but hey, to each his own...

Melissa and I went to Alabama v. Virginia Tech game in Atlanta this past weekend (Thanks Rob!). Might i just say, Wow, What a game. Some things never get old!!! I love college football! A few notes on this past weekend from the UA v. Va Tech game and others throughout the country.

Thursday- Oregon v. Boise St. Terrible game but post game royal rumble was comical. Lagarret (Sp?) Blount got what he deserved being suspended for the rest of the season. The other guy, Howt, should've been suspended for their upcoming game.

The Alabama game wasn't full of surprises for me. Our Defense was solid and so was theirs. We ran the ball and so did they. We traded special teams mistakes. 2 things I didn't like. The "wildcat" was way too predictable with Mark Ingram at quarterback. If they intend to use it that much the person back there needs to be a little more elusive. #2 Kareem Jackson scares me!!! Things I loved: Our defense is seems more solid, JPW is gone, Mark Ingram runs extremely hard, and our offensive line is much better than I expected.

BYU is good. No matter if Sam Bradford was injured they've gained my respect. Ohio St. is in trouble this week. A 2 pt. conversion from OT with Navy??? Watch out for USC. That FSU v. Miami game was as good as they've had in a while.

Until next time...

This week has been a long, slow week. I believe that I've been staring at the computer screen all week long. On Tuesday I was asked to determine what I thought my budget would be for next year. Hmmm...I've spent hours and hours looking at past season participation numbers, sporting goods catalogs, schedules and such. I'd almost forgot that this thing in my head works for something other than appeasing grumpy parents.

So, last weekend the weatherman completely whiffed on the forecast for Saturday. We actually did have a good amount of sunshine during the day to help alleviate that awful farmer's tan. Other than the pleasant surprise visit by the sun, the weekend went as expected. However Diesel did do some excavating while at mom and dad's. Apparently he didn't care for their flower bed and decided to dig two large holes in it. I was a tad bit upset with him after that, but how can you stay mad at someone who likes like this. I was very surprised at how well they all behaved together this weekend.

Melissa started her new job on Monday but the first official day of school isn't until this coming Monday (Pics still to follow). Yesterday she finally made it to her home school, North Sand Mountain. Which happens to be my old stomping grounds (C/O 2001) and also where my mom has taught for 20+ years. Right now she's being referred to as "Caine's wife" or "Marlene's daughter-in-law" but I'm pretty sure after she lives up to my legend (HAHA) she will make a place of her own there. I'm really proud for her to be there #1 because it gives her a great opportunity to learn more about how I grew up and #2 it lets people from the past see how well I've done for myself by marrying someone so caring and passionate about kids.


I'm still awaiting the arrival of Mr. Rosner this weekend. As mentioned before he and his girlfriend Tammy will be staying with us after part of the journey through the World's Longest Yard Sale. I've even contemplated driving over to Lookout Mountain on Saturday to see what its all about.

I'm also, anxiously awaiting my trip to Atlanta next weekend. I'm volunteering, for the second year in a row, at a BBQ & Bluegrass festival in Downtown Decatur. It's a good time and an excuse to visit friends in Atlanta. I might even take in a Braves game while I'm there.

Larry forwarded me this email earlier in the week and I laughed for a while. Those of you who've ever purchased and put together anything from IKEA should get a kick outta this.

IKEA HAS ANNOUNCED IT'S INTENTION TO TAKE OVER GM, AND TO SELL CARS.

Uh-oh.........


SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED

Until next week...

Roll Tide!

"The beginning is the most important part of the work." -Plato

FIRST POST ALERT!!!!! WARNING: READING THIS BLOG MAY ENDANGER WHAT INTELLIGENCE YOU MAY HAVE LEFT!!!

I created this blog to stay in touch with those of you who care what goes on with us. I hope to include fun stories and pictures of our many adventures as we try to make it.

This weekend Melissa and I will be house/dog sitting for my parents. I had hopes of lying by the pool and trying my best to rid myself of the awful farmer's tan I have attained. Unfortunately it looks like if I do sit poolside, I'll be getting wetter than I would if I actually swam a few laps. Figures... So, now I get to be couped up in the house with Diesel (our doberman, pictures to come), Cedes (pronounced Sadie, my parents' springer spaniel), and Bella (my parents' basset hound). To some it may sound fun and exciting but for the majority of the weekend I will be screaming at Diesel to "control his hormones" and continually getting on to Bella for antagonizing him.

Next week will be jam packed with exciting things especially the highly anticipated first day of school for Melissa(I will make her stand by the door while posing in her "first day" outfit).

Also, next weekend we have the privilege of hosting my friend and former co-worker Stephen (I worked with Stephen while I was at Georgia State. In fact, if you attended our wedding and saw a guy wearing a bow tie and checked shoes, that's him!) and his lady-friend Tammy as they embark on the journey that is "The World's Longest Yard Sale". 1) I am super excited to have Stephen visiting us for the first time since we moved to good ole' Rainsville. 2) I am very enthused to hear the very animated stories that will come from his trip.

In addition to having house guests next weekend we get to help Julie and Jordan with their move back to Rainsville. We're both glad to have them moving to Rainsville but if they bring home another cast iron tub for me to carry, I may not feel the same. HAHA!


On the subject of more important but slightly less interesting material: We are still looking for a house. I know, I know. It supposed to be fun and exciting to look for your first house but I'm just tired of it. There are a few houses that have interested us and we've actually made an offer on a house (decided it wasn't for us after the counter) but there's just not a ton of houses in Scottsboro.

In the near future, I also plan to start a sports blog to discuss my take on the sports world. I will attempt to cover as wide of an array of the sports world and its issues as I can. I'll even throw in some posts about recreational sports. I can promise that some sport subjects such as soccer/futbol/football proper, NASCAR, track and field, and women's college basketball will remain virtually uncovered by my blog. I can also assure you that a good portion of the things I will write about will deal with my obsession with all college football, my undying love for The University of Alabama athletics, and my views as a professional within the sports industry.

So, while I continue to ponder an awe inspiring, ingenious, and somewhat sarcastic blog name for my sports blog, prepare yourself to be blown away.

Until next time...You stay classy, San Diego.