A Sad Day

Something has just happened that puts all of life in perspective. Skip Prosser, beloved basketball coach and member of the Wake Forest family, has died suddenly after collapsing while he was jogging. It has only been less than twenty minutes since I found out but I feel like I've been hit by a mac truck.

He was a truly amazing person. After he first came to Wake and we all realized how incredible Wake basketball was going to become, I happened to bump into him on the quad on the way to the post office. Like a giddy little girl I said "Hi Coach!" and he waved at me and gave me the biggest most sincere ear to ear grin. Ever since then I just knew that he was a rare find in college athletics...someone who is genuine and cares about other people above all, but who manages to win and win big! He was someone we all trusted, admired, and respected and he was as loyal to his fans as we were to him. He will truly be missed.

So as I sit here and cry silently in my office at UGA, a place where nobody around me seems to understand how devastating this is (and wouldn't unless we were talking about Mark Richt) a lot is sinking in.

Life comes at you so fast and there just isn't time to sweat the small stuff. So we don't have a place to live in San Antonio yet, so we haven't sold our loft yet, so I don't have a job yet...who cares. I have my health, my family, and I'm grateful for everything that I have in this moment.

We love you Skip - may God be with your family...

Fun Pics!

So, no update on the real estate front yet, but in the meantime...here are a few pics from my recent trip to Connecticut to visit my fabulous cousin/best friend/sister I never had...Starley! :)



All serious and happy...
We were going to go to a real wine tasting...but then we figured the wine tasting offered by the sales rep in the liquor store would suffice. We bought a couple bottles. One good glass of red wine will certainly loosen you up!

Killing time on the pier...looking out over Long Island Sound...

Driving to the beach, and jamming out to something (knowing us it was prob. Justin Timberlake or Def Leopard). Ahhh, let the good times roll...

A photo pose gone terribly wrong...

That's better...


The end...

Packing ain't easy...

No, I'm not posting the crazy story yet, because things are up in the air and I don't want to jinx anything. However, one thing that is not up in the air is our moving date. We leave Athens at 7:00 a.m. on Monday, August 6th. Now, because the loft is still on the market and prospective buyers can come through at any time, I can't really start packing yet because I can't have boxes laying around everywhere yet. Sooooo, for one week before we leave, Jarrod and I will be packing like crazy.

The problem is, packing is hard and sad and just generally un-fun. I've started packing up my office and I feel like it will never get done. And that is just my office!

And then there is the other problem....Muggsy. He hates packing. He knows what packing means. He won't understand why we are packing everything we own, but rest assured he will be very upset.

This is what happens when I even try to pack a suitcase:


Notice that he has positioned himself *inside* the open suitcase. What you can't tell from the photograph is that every time I put something in, he takes it out as soon as I turn around. No, I'm not kidding.

Packing is going to be very difficult in the Atchison household!

No more cockroach...

Alright, so I still can't tell the story yet, but I can follow up on yesterday's teaser...

Muggsy and I went on a roach hunt last night. Muggsy found it, I squished it, it is dead...RIP cockroach.

Coming soon...

I haven't posted for a few days, but it is only because I'm waiting until the right moment. There are things in the works. Whether they work out well or not remains to be seen...but whenever we have our answer I will write you a very entertaining story. Just be patient for a little bit longer!

One teaser:

If I find the cockroach responsible for the most inconvenient home invasion of all time...I will squish that sorry little sucker until it dies a horrible death!!!

The Atchison Family's Top Tens

It has been a gloomy couple of weeks around here as we've realized that our loft probably won't sell anytime soon and the financial woes keep adding up as I don't have a job lined up yet. Ugh. Nevertheless...we're determined to keep our chins up and focus on the positives. So folks, I present to you some top ten lists! I didn't ask Muggsy to submit a top ten, but I'll give you what I think would be his "top fives":

Top Ten Things We Will Miss Most About Athens:

Jarrod's List:

10. Tailgating outside Phi Kappa Hall on UGA game days
9. Enjoying the outside patio at Allgood
8. Having a lazy lunch downtown at the Gyrowrap
7. Happy hours with the department
6. The annual halloween party
5. Going on walks along the river in the botanical gardens
4. Late night stops at Achim's K-Bob
3. Traveling with UGA debate
2. Living in a loft at Whitehall Mill
1. The people - specifically, good friends!

Becca's List:

10. Working only 2 buildings from Jarrod and being able to go to lunch together
9. Being able to make weekend trips to Wake
8. Stopping at the shoe store downtown during lunch to buy myself a fantastic pair of shoes
7. My little cozy office and the squirrel that lives in the tree outside my window
6. The food (Bischero, Last Resort, K-Bob, DePalma's, Fresh Air BBQ, etc.)
5. The fall season - leaves turning colors/football game days/breezy cool weather (but not cold!)
4. Grilling out with friends at our loft
3. Holiday parties at Whitehall Mill
2. My job
1. Our friends

Muggsy's List:

5. Watching people come and go from my perch in the window
4. Visiting my Uncle Drew/Aunt Kristen's house (and running up and down the stairs!)
3. Running circles around the kitchen island
2. Going for walks along the river
1. Finding new and difficult places to pee around Whitehall Mill


Top Ten Things We are Most Looking Forward to about San Antonio:

Jarrod's List:

10. Hanging out at La Tuna
9. Having a reason to be a Spurs fan besides the Tim Duncan/Wake Forest connection
8. Floating the Guadalupe River
7. Live music at Floore's Country Store and Gruene Hall
6. Breakfast tacos at the Taco Taco Cafe
5. Excellent BBQ
4. Getting to hang out with new department colleagues
3. Finally being an assistant professor
2. Starting a new debate program from scratch
1. Hosting family and friends in our new city

Becca's List:

10. Free gym memberships
9. Fantastic shopping
8. Closer proximity to an airport
7. Being able to have/attend crawfish boils
6. A good pro-basketball team to get excited about
5. Hosting current and future friends
4. BBQ brisket
3. A chance to see lots of good live music
2. Testing each and every Mexican restaurant (there are hundreds!) (#10 will come in handy!)
1.5. Breakfast tacos at the Taco Taco Cafe
1. Being so close to family

Muggsy's List:

5. Freedom to run around in backyard without a leash
4. Sniffing out the new neighborhood
3. Less frequent boarding
2. Finding new and difficult places to pee
1. Being close to my grandparents and uncles

Fortune Cookies are Stupid

Needless to say, you have probably guessed from the title of this post that there has been no "pleasant surprise" as my fortune cookie promised a few weeks ago. In fact, there have been several unpleasant surprises.

First, the potential buyer grad student person backed out. Then, the other potential buyer who was just SOOOO interested in our place decided to rent instead. And then, I found out that I lost a job that I wanted to another candidate who is already in San Antonio. Now, none of this is unreasonable...but it definitely isn't good news either.

I'm shunning fortune cookies. They're not good for the mind, body or soul!