The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

…and no, I’m not talking about Christmas.

There’s only about 2 weeks left until College Football Season starts! While I am quite ready to stay in orange and blue for the next 4 months to rep my Florida Gators, I’m ready to discuss something of equally importance (or not, depending on your POV): Fine College Quarterbacks!

I was having a discussion on twitter with my friend @krissygator discussing who we thought were the cutest BCS QB’s of recent memory (my memory: about 4 years lol). We detailed our Top 5, and I thought I would reveal them to you, my dear troopers. Just now that this morning I controversially changed the order of them and am prepared to catch some flack from it. But without further ado:

Courtesy of Gator Country

#5. Trey Burton. He’s just adorable. I wanna bake him cookies and pinch his cheeks. He’s so engaging which makes him that much more endearing. He constantly talks to his fans on twitter, and he loves him some Jesus! What’s not to like? I just hope he can take better command of my Gators this year. *crosses fingers*

#4: Matt Leinart. Being from USC, he’s got the classic All-American Boy look. And he looks like he could be Christian Bale’s less crazy younger brother. The only knocks against him? Well, he was part of that awful 2006 draft class (I mean really, if we knew then what we know now, him, Reggie Bush, & Vince Young would’ve been drafted completely different.), and he’s yet to pan out as an NFL quarterback. Not quite a bust, but awfully close.

#3: Colt McCoy. While I despise most things from Texas (and I especially despise Longhorns and their fans), I can’t ignore the “aww, shucks” cuteness of Colt McCoy. Although he looks like he could’ve played the role of Chad Linus, the shy guy in 2ge+her. Just sayin.

Courtesy of Jersey Chaser

#2: Tim Tebow. Yes, I put my beloved Timmy Terrific at number 2, after labeling him the hands down #1 last night. I had to step out of the hardcore Gator fan mentality and look at it objectively. Yes he is all sorts of handsome. He has the cuteness of Burton, the aww, shucks demeanor of McCoy, and the All-American-ness of Leinart.  And he’s easily the most buff of the quarterbacks mentioned. But he’s just missing a smidge of something, which is why my #1 is…

 

  

Courtesy of GQ Magazine

 

#1: Mark Sanchez. Believe me, it pains me to give any type of credit to USC, but I have to (which I’m sure will delight my friend Rasheda tremendously). USC hasn’t done much of anything right in a long time, but Mark is easily the best looking athlete to come from there. The biggest thing that placed him above Tim Tebow all boiled down to swag. While Tebow does have some swag, Sanchez’s is on a whole different level. He just makes it effortless. A sports journalist was detailing the recent crop of rookie QBs in the NFL and said, “If Sanchez, Tebow, McCoy, all these quarterbacks were about to go out for a night on the town, they’d all toss Sanchez the keys to the car, without question.” Sanchez has been described as the Alpha Male among the Alpha Males. That’s some serious pull. And that’s why he’s my number one pick. Besides, anyone who can go from All American guy to Saint Tropez jetsetting model, simply can’t go wrong.

Courtesy of GQ Magazine

 

Who’s your top 5?

 

The Best Day Ever

So call me SpongeBob because I just had the best day ever.

God’s love for me is quite unnerving. I do not and will not ever understand it. The past couple of weeks I’ve been wandering from God. I’ve been dealing with a lot of insecurity and it overtook my relationship with Him. I didn’t talk to Him, not because I didn’t want to. On the contrary, I did want to talk to God, and often. But I questioned why God would want to talk to me, and so the conversation never took place. I remember several days last week where God woke me up at 4:00, 4:30, 5:00 AM and I could feel Him pressing me as if saying, “Hey, I do want to talk to you! Let’s talk!” But I felt too ashamed, too lowly. So I would read the Bible, feel even lower, and go back to sleep. If I could make money on my ability to keep God at a distance, I would be set for life.

But yesterday, everything shifted so subtly, I feel like the trajectory of my life has been permanently changed.

Sometimes we can hear so much about the character of God that it renders us numb. How often do we hear and talk about God’s mercy, His lovingkindness, His grace? It is easy for us to hear it so much that it loses its impact. And when something loses its impact, we often miss the chance to experience it fully. This whole time I’ve been experiencing God’s grace, mercy, and unfailing love, but I’ve missed it because I’ve been more impacted by my insecurity than God’s security.  Even as I type this I am crying because I’m so overwhelmed by God’s love for me. Yesterday He sent confirmation after confirmation that He’s looking out for me. If God talked to me as candidly as I think He would, He would say to me very sardonically, “Hey Alexis, I don’t know if you know this, but I’m pretty brilliant. I’m not sayin, I’m just sayin. I see what you’re going through and I got you. So just relax.”

The Katinas confirmed this exact thought when during the middle of their set, they threw out this nugget:

“God didn’t call you to understand, He called you to trust.”

And with that perfect segue in place, let me describe the awesomeness of the concert last night. From start to finish, the concert was fantastic. Quimi started off the show and as she went into her set, I looked at my friend Kasey and said, “Am I listening to a Lauryn Hill song at church?” I knew from then that this show would not disappoint. Quimi’s Spanish breakdown brought back memories of Selena. She was just adorable. If I were not a broke college student, I would’ve bought her album on iTunes right on the spot. (Aside: Every church should have free wi-fi so that I may live tweet everything. The world would be a better place)

After Quimi was B. Reith and I was delirously giddy. Listening to Kasey harmonize to everything was fantastic. Another aside: In my row were my friends Liz, Rasheda, Kasey and Jamika. Out of the 5 of us, I am hands down the worst singer. What most don’t know is I could be a halfway decent alto if I actually tried. Listening to our row sing during the night was fantastic. We would simultaneously sing unison and then break down into 3 and 4-part harmonies. It made my heart happy. But I digress.

If you’ve followed this blog for any amount of time, you know how I feel about B. Reith. I’ve followed him since way back when and I’ve always admired him. The fact that he lived so close to me and I hadn’t met him until last night proves God’s love for me. Had we met sooner I would’ve been a total spaz, and God would’ve looked down upon me, raised an eyebrow and shook His head. But B. Reith couldn’t have been any more charming (and disarming for that matter), and after a few seconds, I felt like I was catching up with an old friend. That Kasey got to put her PR/Agent hat on and plant a seed for a future work was an extra bonus.

The Katinas came out and headlined the show. It was just incredible. I was an only child for 13 years, and my little brother is himself growing up as an only child in Jacksonville. Seeing the brothers on stage and watching the videos about their family, I felt such a yearning, like I had been missing out on something. It made me realize why I clutch onto so many relationships at my church and why I have a ton of Godbrothers and Godsisters. There is just something about family that is so fulfilling. And when Jesus Christ is in the middle of that family, it is infinitely better. Overall, it made me that much more grateful for my family in Christ. There are so many people searching for love, for acceptance, for safety, and I get to experience these things EVERY DAY through Christ and through His people. It’s indescribable.

Leaving that concert, it made me want to cherish my relationships with those close to me even more, and it challenged me to create new relationships, to provide love, provide acceptance, and provide safety for people who don’t know Jesus, and who are searching for Him in their own way.

So now today begins a new day, and a new outlook.  My One Word for 2011 has been progress, and I know that I’m achieving progress, slowly but ever so surely. I feel like I’ve finally turned a corner, and I’m no longer anxious about what’s around the corner. I hate feeling so weak in not knowing what’s ahead, but it’s when I’m weak that He’s brilliant. And I couldn’t be anymore grateful.

 

So yeah…

…this TOTALLY happened.

This capped off an incredible day where God simultaneously checked me and showed me how much He loves me. Did you know that God is like, crazy brilliant? I knew that too, but sometimes we just need to be reminded.

I’m so overcome with all these crazy emotions that I can’t sit still. But trust that tomorrow I will unveil the full story and process how God is doing crazy things in my life.

Just a thought to leave with you with for a bit: Isn’t it crazy how God can put Himself in impossible situations to prove how brilliant He is? Even crazier is how He allows us to be put into impossible situations just so we have no choice to sit back and watch Him work.

 

Whatcha Say Boo

I love me some Jon B. I STILL rotate Cool Relax. I like Robin Thicke, but he wishes he was that good. I’m just sayin…

It’s time for me to do my 2nd annual list of things as it’s officially 8 days until my birthday. So to kick off this adventure, I’m gonna purge some things. As the year draws to a close, everyone should re-evaluate themselves and the things and people around them. This allows you to prune and purge as necessary so that the new year can start off right. So with that being said, I’m gonna purge my boos. It is heartbreaking to do so, but it is necessary. I gotta let some of them go, if only to include some new boos for the new year. Here’s my new top 8:

Rajon Rondo

He’s tall, he’s super talented (I mean check out that RING!), and he’s got a sarcastic streak that I can wholly appreciate. Besides, he’s got family in Kentucky, and I’m not that far away! And I’ve been dying to go to Boston!

Cristiano Ronaldo

I love, love, LOVE me some Cristiano Ronaldo. He’s not the best footballer out there today, but he’s certainly one of the finest. And have you seen his exercise regimen? Only God could create something so great!

Oh Daniel Henney. His suits have been so impeccable during my new favorite drama 도망자 Plan.B and he just always looks great! (Except for when he has long hair…I need him to stay away from that!) What makes him even better is that my Korean doesn’t have to be on point for him because it’s his second language too! So I can come kick it in Korea with him and can speak only English if I wanted to? I’m down.

B. Reith

Last but not least my main boo, the main holdover from boo’s time past is my love B.Reith. I can’t let him go especially considering how close he is to me, and how perfect he is for me! I’m gonna go see him in March at a Nashville Predators game and it’s gonna be fantastic. Brian will always have a special place in my heart ha!

I know this is only 4, but it seems like an appropriate place to stop. I had a ton of boos earlier this year and it didn’t work out for the majority of them (Derek Jeter and Cortland Finnegan getting married…wack!) so I’ll keep the list small…for now.

 

Music Video: B.Reith – “The Comeback Kid”

And now for something completely different.

My husband in my head (one of many anyway) B.Reith has finally dropped the new single “The Comeback Kid.” The song has a triumphant Rocky-esque quality to it, which is in fact mentioned in the song. The video takes place with Brian dropping his lines in a Boxing ring and at a press conference. the lyrics are very motivational, and his wordplay is always very clever. Best lines in the song:

Couldn’t find a hot beat so I made my own
Couldn’t find a hot street so we paved a road

Near the last time the chorus runs a crowd bum rushes the ring to kick it with Brian, and I noticed how the black girl was slick enough to slide in there first like she had an agenda. I ain’t mad at you girl! B. Reith just does somethin to the sistas lol..

With that being said, it’s a great video, and overall a great track to add to your workout playlist.

 

I Do

So after working on my paper last night I decided to stay up late and watch Ninja Assassin. My cousin told me about it forever and ever because of Rain, but I heard it was wack so I was hesitant to see it. But OMG am I glad that I did! How could I pass up seeing this for 90 minutes:

Not only did he look fantastic doing all that ninja stuff, but his english has improved TREMENDOUSLY. He’s really working hard to make it here in the States. Now if he can start working on an album that would be fantastic because his voice is amazing. I think he might have kicked Dongwan off my list. Today is my Sabbath and i just might watch Ninja Assassin again. The plot was a little ridiculous, but it wasn’t trying to win an Oscar or anything so I’m not mad about it. And he could’ve hooked up with the black girl, but he didn’t out of respect. Yeah… just wait til I get to Korea!

 

Wedding March

My good friend is getting married today, and I just had to listen to Shinhwa’s Wedding March. I put the over/under on me crying at 20.5 kleenexes

Random Relationship-based Musings on this joyous day:

1. I really don’t know  how I’m going to act at this wedding. There has only been one occaision where I haven’t cried at the wedding, and that’s because I didn’t know anyone there and I was one of only two black people attending the wedding. The other? My dad who was a groomsman. Yeah…

The last time I went to a wedding was about 2 or 3 years ago when I was a bridesmaid and in the midst of my longest/most intense relationship ever. At every wedding I simultaneously reflect and plan. At that last wedding I was reflecting on how I was in (at the time) a great relationship and how I couldn’t wait to marry my boyfriend/sorta-kinda-maybe fiance. Now that it hasn’t worked out, I couldn’t be ever  more grateful. This time around I’m sure I will reflect on that period and fight with all my might to leave the wound alone now that it’s nearly healed. But I’ll also look forward and take time to pray for my future husband.

2. Even though I have no idea when I’ll get married (or who I’ll get married to), it is never too early to start praying for my husband. Every now and then I pray that God is guarding his heart from some foolishness, and that he will be patient with the process as God develops him and builds character in him. God knows how impatient I am with this process, so there’s no telling how he’s feeling. There’s something reassuring to that thought.

3. Every so often, I think about what I want my husband to look like. And it changes ever so often. I prayed that my husband fit some archetype of the following people:

A) Adrien Brody: Unconventional, with a little bit of mystery, chameleon-like and can adapt to anything. And spontaneous. I still envy Halle Berry to this day. I’m not sayin, I’m just sayin.

B) Rodrigo Santoro: Smoldering good looks; Hispanic and can speak at least 3 languages; Quiet leading man; Always keeps you guessing. See also: Gael Garcia Bernal (Side note: And have you seen Love Actually? He’s the only reason I watch that movie every Christmas. Well him, and Hugh Grant dancing.)

C) Tyrese: A little hood but someone you can still take home to mom and laugh as he charms her to death; Lives on the borderline between dangerous and reckless. (In my defense, I had this archetype years ago when I didn’t know any better.)

D) Kim Dongwan: Korean; have a great body; can sing. That was about it. Also, this archetype was in 1999-2000.

E) B.Reith: My current (among many) boos! Symbolizes the current archetype: handsome, but not enough to spend more time in the mirror than me; sense of humor; really REALLY loves God. Baby Dwight Howard arms optional

Looking at these archetypes I see how crazy I am and I thank God that He doesn’t leave me to my own devices. Jesus has been more than a fence. He’s been my lookout and on some occasions He’s been my straight-jacket. I’m no longer overly concerned with the details, because I know God has already worked out. I talk to Him all the time about the timing, but I can live with it.

4. If there was a singleness scale where one extreme was bitter and the other extreme was defiantly proud, I can say I’m finally in the happy medium. I used to be so depressed about being single. Then I learned that there’s nothing lonelier than being in a relationship with a person that doesn’t want you. There were times where I were so proud of being single that I thought I didn’t need anyone, even God. But He knocked that chip off my shoulder really fast. Now, I’m in a really good place. While I desire companionship, I don’t crave it, don’t obsess over it. When it happens it’ll happen. Until then, I’m enjoying me and enjoying the process (more or less) of getting me together.

So now I will leave to get my stuff together and prepare to celebrate this wonderful day. And as I watch the wedding I will look back and reflect, then I will look forward to what’s ahead. Then I will come back to the present and enjoy this time for the gift it is.

 

For the Love of the Game

Dear Pillar: Thank you for giving me an amazing song to workout to. And thanks for the unintended co-sign on my sports fanaticism.

So, after much debate and discussion, my boo Tim Tebow is a Denver Bronco. Someone photoshopped what the potential jersey could look like:

Trading the orange and blue of Florida for the orange of blue of Denver as Woody Paige would say. I can totally say that I didn’t see this coming. When talking to my dad yesterday, I said I would love it if Minnesota drafted him and he started throwin to Percy Harvin next year. But now that I think about this, I think this has the potential to be great. As I am already in love with the Nuggets (Carmelo, K-Mart, Birdman! My soul says yes, but I digress…), so this provides a greater incentive to visit Denver. NFLShop.com already has pre-orders going for a replica jersey and I will indeed start saving my money to get one before the season starts.  Oh, and they play the Titans at LP Field in Week 4. Hmm… which boo do I cheer for, Tebow or Finnegan? To be fair, Tebow will probably not be playing so I need to cheer Cortland on. We’ll see which jersey i have first, then we’ll go from there.

Can’t wait til football season!

 

My Soul Says Yes

Nothing better to see on a Monday  morning than this beautiful face.  Happy Monday indeed!

 

Oh Happy Day

yeah…Happy Friday to Alexis indeed. Can something be wrong and right at the same time? If so, I’ve just found the perfect example.

So I was catching up on news related to the Senior Bowl (of course I gotta keep tabs on my boo Tim Tebow. I wasn’t doing a good job or else I would’ve known beforehand that he was in Nashville for 2 weeks, but I digress…) when I came across this video of Riley Cooper. I’m pretty sure my heart stopped for a couple of seconds.

As a Gators fan, I knew a ton on Riley Cooper, especially with him being my boo’s roommate. He’s a great wideout and he’s got some physicality that is rarely seen at that position (and blocking skills…great! T.O. could take a page from his playbook. Just sayin…). And he was okay looking. Whenever I would see him with his helmet off I would always mention that he needs to grow his hair out.

But back to the video. I see Riley Cooper and become all sorts of happy. He finally grew his hair out and he looks AMAZING!! And then he started to talk…and I was done. When he answered a question and said, “Naw…I’m just doin me.” I did a happy dance. No one should be this fine and that talented and not in my vicinity.  But then again, God definitely knows what He’s doing. Jesus be a fence indeed! Check the video and see for yourself.

I love being a sports fan. Happy Friday troopers.