Sounds LIke Now

Card Party with Chips

Our neighborhood card tournament is coming up and I’m about to bring the pain, as well as some of the best barbecue in town. A few buddies and I started this tradition a few years back in my garage. We were sitting around the table playing cards and having a good time when one of my new neighbors came by to introduce themselves. The wife wasn’t too crazy about it but man did her husband’s eyes light up when he saw what we had going on. So we invited him in and had a great time getting to know him, and take most of his chips, when he mentioned that he has other buddies that lived close to us who would love to play.




We haven’t looked back since. Now we’ve got upwards of 40 people in my back yard each year. Snacks, drinks, and all kinds of trash talk between games. It’s a blast. We’ve got four tents and tables for each group and after a few rounds, we’ll up the ante and eliminate players. It’s a really fun experience and I’ve come to know a lot more people in my neighborhood which is always a plus.

Ducky Wucky

Duck hunting season is finally underway and I have got my game plan down to the T. There’s something about being in the outdoors, huddled under my canopy, with my gear and a big thermos filled with hot coffee. It’s hard to put it into words but that is probably the most relaxing place in my life. I’ve always joked with my wife that it’s the only form of meditation that requires a gun and that is the main reason as to why I hunt.

A few buddies of mine like going in groups and have their duck blinds that could cover a small football field which I do not mind but doesn’t really suit my style. I have always felt that taking in your surroundings and keeping your eyes wide open, without making all the rustle of chip bags and gnawing on jerky, is the real way to go.

Festival Fix Up

Being an EMT has always been an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s one of those things where you go into each day without knowing what you’re going to be coming up against but you know that you’re there to help those in need. We’ve been doing the concert festival circuit for about 4 years now and I’ve got to tell you, you’ll see some of the craziest things out there from sun up to sun down and back up again.

I think the most surprising thing about it is how many people can push themselves until they are completely dehydrated. We want to make sure that you’re having a great time but a bottle of water now is going to keep you from hitting the dirt and then having us transfer you back to the emergency tent. I’ve gone through more saline bags in one weekend then I’ve gone through Band-Aids in a month.

Dream Home

Last year I went through recruitment and was lucky enough (I.E. Prepared enough) to receive and accept a bid to my dream house and I feel like in a large part I have some of the advice from my new sisters here to thank for that. I came from a very rural area ( less that 10 percent of my graduating class went to college or a vocational school) and a non-Greek family , however through a lot of preparation

I became a member of my wonderful sisterhood and a top tier sorority at that ( tiers aren’t everything though). It was beautiful getting to see the house for the first time after getting to campus and it was incredibly easy to make friends. They had their recruitment tables and tents right out front and everybody was incredibly inviting and asking questions. I couldn’t be happier with where I’m at!

Paintball War Games

Paintball is probably one of the best sports on Earth. The adrenaline rush that you get from watching paint explode around you while getting ready to return back has got to be on the top of my list. I haven’t been to any tournaments yet but my friends and I are forming a team to compete whether near the end of this year of at the beginning of the next season.

We’ve been talking to a couple of the veterans and learned that they train almost every other day. Even a few of them are sponsored for this and get all kinds of gear and paint for every game they play. I can’t wait to get into a tourney and show them what I’m made of. Who knows, maybe I’ll get my own gear and tent with logos all over it and get to play this game every day.