Kel and I at Gulf Shores, Alabama. It was 80 Degrees in October!!!
Since Mom and Dad were in town, I decided to take them into the Athletic center for a pic next to the Bryant-Denny Stadium aerial shot.

Me celebrating at the walk of champions. Roll Tide!!!!
Mom, Dad, and Kel got to the stadium for the Alabama-Kentucky game early to take pics and savor Alabama Gameday.

Lambert's Cafe in Foley, Alabama was the best place we have ever eaten. This cafe was southern hospitality at its finest. Fresh apple butter, throwed rolls, fried potatoes, and fried okra. No one left empty.

So college football is a week away with the Washington Huskies coming to Autzen to face the Ducks in the first game of the year. It was 2006 when Iain came to Eugene to visit Kelly and I and to partake in the Autzen experience.

The Ducks won 34-14 to make it 3 wins in a row against Washington (Oregon would go on to win again in 2007). Here I am doing my Heisman pose as Kelly tries to bring me down.

Iain and I on the Autzen field after a victorious day.

Since my summer internship in the Alabama Athetic department is coming to an end, I wanted to post some pics of some of the facilities. I will still be spending some time in the department, but it will be off an on for the next semester. The guys that I worked with were really down to earth and showed me how things are done. It was a good experience finally working in something that I really enjoy. Compared to previous jobs, this one was one I really looked forward to. Every morning I loved going into work. Even though I was just an intern, I gained some valuable experience. Also, I would like to publicly thank Kelly for being there for me through this whole transition to school this summer. You are the best!!!!!

Since I'm trying to pass time till college football season starts, I've decided to come up with a condensed bucket list related to sports (with Kelly being there for every minute as well). Here is my top 5 on the list:

1. Autzen Stadium- I would love to be able to get a skybox suite at Autzen for at least one game, and have a proper tailgate before hand.

2. Fenway Park- This is hallowed ground as far as major league baseball is concerned. Kelly and I have been to Yankee Stadium already for a Yankee-Red Sox game, so this time I would love to see the Yankees at Fenway.

3. Wrigley Field- This field was constructed in 1914 and would complete my short baseball bucket list. There is nothing like seeing the outfield ivy in person.

4. I'm going international on the next two. Rugby is a sport that is regarded internationally as the toughest around. Guys without gear go out and get injured, lose teeth etc all in the name of their country. There would be no better place on earth than New Zealand to see a rugby match. The All Blacks are the dynasty in Rugby. www.allblacks.com
5. The World Cup- As the world's biggest sport, I feel that I am broadening my horizons by adding this one. I've never played soccer or really been into it, but the world gets up for this tournament. It's held every 4 years, so it would be harder to complete this task. In 2010 it will be held in South Africa, and in 2014 it will be held in brazil.
Others that I considered:
6. Visit every SEC football venue for a game. In college football, there is nothing like SEC football. Cities shut down on fall saturdays in order to watch their team. I would love to see all 12 teams home venues.

7. Ducks in the National Championship (in Football, Basketball, or Baseball): If this event comes to be, it would move directly to the top spot on my list. Since it is not guaranteed I have put it here at #7. My sports viewing life would then really be complete.

8. Super Bowl: I've never been to an NFL game, but maybe I really don't know what I'm missing. A superbowl would be exciting even though I'm a college football guy.

9. World Series: I have to admit, I would almost rather watch the world series on tv. Since they are usually boring having a national league team competing, I would only go if it was a history making series (like if the Chicago Cubs have the opportunity to break the Curse of the Billygoat).

10. Oregon Football at LSU- I think it would be fun to see Oregon travel to LSU. I would hope that Oregon would win in a blowout because LSU fans are just plain retarded.

For the past week Kelly and I have been able to go to the rec center to play some racquetball and hit the pool. With it being in the 90's all the time, the pool has been a godsend.

Today Kelly and I set out in search of the perfect creamy cold beverage that would give the best replenishing refreshment. Since it has been constantly in the 90's here in Alabama a perfect beverage is highly in demand here at the Bama Batteen household. After we went to the pool , we decided to go to the smoothie king , and we weren't adequately refreshed. So we concocted The Tuscaloosa Tumbler, which is part ice, part publix brand cream soda, and part cream. It is do die for!!!Me enjoying the newly created, super refreshing beverage.

Well, this past week I interviewed for a Bryant-Denny Stadium Skybox position and was able to get my interviewer to take a couple of pics for me. The skyboxes were unreal. Any luxurious amenity that you can think of was there. Temperature controls, high-def tvs, kitchen, bathroom, bar, custom catering, leather seating, and remote controlled removable glass is what its all about. It will be a fun experience for 6 days in the fall!!

So we left slc on Tuesday morning and started out on our cross country adventure. I knew that I would need this red line energy drink eventually, so I cherished it with all my heart until it was needed (in Mississippi).

I don't know if anyone driving through Colorado or Kansas would have the sudden urge to pet baby pigs or see a 5 legged steer, but if you do, its good to know that the service is out there.
In Denver, we went out to a Rockies game at Coors field. It is touted that Coors field has the best food in baseball and I can attest to that. We had a chipotle chicken BLT sandwich and a smoked sirloin burger. It was devine!!!!


In Kansas, we stayed with John and Amanda (and Taylor and Emily). We had some amazing cookies and got some much needed rest. Thanks again for everything guys!!!

We were up at 5:30am to get an early start on the day and Kelly was treated with a visit by Emily.
In Kansas and Oklahoma we went through a few turnpikes and I realized that I didn't have exact change, so we got $20 bucks worth!! Yea!!!We were driving through Arkansas and found Alma. A small southern town founded by a legendary indian judge.


We headed through Arkansas and passed over the Mississippi river into Memphis. I made a few wrong turns on the freeway, so we spent an extra hour there. I was impressed by how beautiful it was.
We headed out of Memphis and through Mississippi and into Alabama on highway 78. We turned off the freeway and took a backway into Tuscaloosa and it was a tough one. It was 62 miles of country road and since we were wiped out it made it tougher, but we made it there safely.

So my 2 brother-in-laws (Ryan, Scott) and I went golfing to test both our manhood and our pride. Despite not having played in over 12 years, I felt that I manned up and did well shooting a 40-over par. Even though Ryan was the resident pro in our group, I think Scott and I really held up our own playing on the executive 9 course at Sawgrass. In the end its not about how well you golf, its how well you look while golfing.

Me prior to my triple-bogey chip shot.
Ryan monitoring our efforts
Scott striking a pose.

Since Kelly and I are moving to Alabama soon, I decided to spend 2 weeks back home in Oregon to spend time with family while I still could (at least for the next 3 years). It was alot of fun. Everyday was jam packed with things to do. Since I was able to do many things, I will number them for convenience.

1. Dad and I went to Bend, Oregon to do some work (sorry no pics), but believe me Bend is beautiful. (http://www.arcatapet.net/travel/images/bend/P7130585.jpg)

2. Mom and I went to Seattle to visit Aunt Deedee (in Edmonds, Washington) and her family as well as Justin Winters (Kent, Washington) and his family. While we were there we went to a Seattle Mariner game at Safeco field as well as a UCLA-Washington college baseball game.


UCLA-Washington game. Notice the guy in the lower left hand corner reading. I guess people there would rather read than watch a washington ball game. Way to go Huskies.3. We went to Medford to visit Uncle Mike and Aunt Mazie. Aunt Mazie told us a story about Uncle Mike's Italian heritage. His family left Italy to move to Port Townsend, Washington. While Uncle Mike was little his dad took him to a globetrotters basketball show. Uncle Mike screamed soo loud because it was the first time that he saw a black guy. I'm going to miss those two.

4. When the family and I headed down to Medford, Oregon to visit, we stopped in Eugene for a stop at the sacred stadium that is Autzen.

5. My Sister Corinne and I at headed out to Seaside, Oregon to visit Uncle Denny, eat some BBQ at Riverside BBQ, and see the coast.Uncle Denny's surf shop (www.seasidesurfshop.com)
Riverside BBQ in Seaside.

It's almost that time of year when that sweet smoke fills the air. I can't wait to go down south and continue to improve my grilling skills by learning from the best. In Eugene there was only 3 bbq restaurants, while Tuscaloosa (a town half of Eugene's size) has over 30! I can't wait!

Kelly and I went to Vegas with Kelly's sister Kristy and her husband Ryan. We decided to visit this exotic car museum inside Caesars Palace hotel. I found these twin low-rider bikes there were standing next to a Ferrari. So I decided to try it out and get a picture. They weren't standing for very long.