...Mountain Mamas....Take Me Home....Country Road!

Sing it, John Denver! (Or in the case of TT's ipod, Taylor Hicks!)

This weekend was the annual reunion of my college roommates, lovingly called OOC Weekend, because we are still just soooo Out of Control these days....I wont tell you what time we started yawning!

These are eight of my favorite people in the world, they make me laugh til I cry. They pick me up when I'm down. They've gotten me through some pretty crappy times. They tolerate my inability to filter myself and love me for my many other imperfections. They make me feel pretty normal in these God awful skinny jeans, and tell me to change when I should. They're good for one-on-one convos, and in a group, we'll wear you out. That's why I love it. It's tough to keep up, we're exhausting, and infectious, and OUT OF CONTROL, and that's why each one of us, so different, some far away, are so perfect together. A perfect balance.

Speaking of balance.....did some call for a tripod? (No 61, I will post no such picture....the 8 of us now just took a mental shot. Love you and your balance.)

Now, no more mush. On to the good stuff. I'm a slow-poke poster, so for the two of you who dont go to these blogs already, you can see other recaps here and here.

This year's host was 61, and she chose a Destination OOC--a beautiful cabin named Solitude in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Georgia, so that's where we all met up Friday afternoon with car loads of firewood, vino, and way too much food!

Could these BE any more perfect?!?! And in Cardinal & Straw, no less! If we had only busted out our pledge class jerseys!

First up was warming up by the fire....which didnt last too terribly long. There was spinach dip calling our name. (Jess, that's really why we keep you around you know!)

And we definitely are going to keep TT around because of this! Check out our AUsome tshirts! Hopefully these are an annual event now! We flipped out when we saw the long sleeves and Patagonia logo! TT-you rock!

Anna Kate cooked up her Grandmother's special lasagna, and I ate one helping more than my tankini appreciated later.....because next up was the hot tub! I'm not exactly sure how long we spent out there, but my hands and feet definitely resembled dried fruit, and it was 19 degrees from the neck up!

So a little more chatting, and it was snug as a bug in a rug for us.....not literally. The bears stayed outside. We locked the doors to make sure of it. Because the pamphlet said they can open doors, but not unlock them. Go figure.

The next day, I made fire. No one gave me a badge though. I wish I could remember my Girl Scout leader's name. I also wish I had some Do-Si-Dos right now. Dang.

61 made her first smore all by herself (she and Rigsby also helped me make fire). We all decided we were handier than we though! We can carry wood, light fires, protect ourselves from bears and coyotes, and we even learned to tune out the gunshots from the neighbors after a while too! ha!

After smores and enjoying the perfect weather, it was back inside for what else...more snacks! By then Ginny's yummy breakfast pies had worn off and we needed more substance! And of course as my luck would have it, I pig out on corn dip, then the hot tub comes a calling. Thank goodness for a dance party afterwards!! This is the year we all turn 30, Lord help us, but it seems every time we get together that time has stood still. It's just us, but instead of the dance parties in the dorms or the McKee House, its in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Or instead of breakin' it down to the radio in the Bronc around the AU campus, it was in the Yukon to an OOC Mix CD on the way to Laredos for OOC 2008! Our "interventions" now are called the Circle of Friends, and all eight of us catch the others up on our lives, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Oh wait, I'm going mush again aren't I? Sorry, its been an emotional week. How about I leave you with some key phrases from the weekend. No explanations necessary (for the ones who need to know at least!)

The tripod

She's still in Knoxville?

Boo Yah!

Rabbit! Rabbit! Rabbit!

Party foul #1

Where's your "heat?"

Motorboat #1

Boo YAH!

I'm pregnant!!

Party Foul #2

BOO YAH!

Motorboat #2

Kick it 3rd gear!

Mountain Mamas!!

And of course, OOC baby!!

Until next year, when Blazer hosts, I will pout and look at pictures and wish I was back in the mountains roasting smores and drinking vino in the hottub, and missing you girls!