CRIMINALS LOOSE IN 'STARKVEGAS (AP)

"Starkville residents raising reward for return of stolen mannequin"

STARKVILLE — Starkville Police are looking for a kidnapped polka dot-dressed mannequin that was taken from the front porch of a residence on Thursday.

Carole McReynolds Davis bought the mannequin a few weeks ago and would dress it with clothing from her own closet. The mannequin, known as Dottie, was placed on the front porch of her home.

“She brought many smiles and honks,” Davis said.

Police said no lead has surfaced on Dottie’s disappearance, but she was believed to have been stolen some time between 6 and 7 a.m. Thursday, when Davis was out biking. Nothing else was taken.

“And I just want her returned. I won’t even press charges,” Davis said.

Local real estate firm ERA Town & Campus Realty is leading a drive to raise a reward for Dottie’s safe return.

“We want to see Dottie returned. She was such a nice addition to Carole’s porch. We all loved her,” said ERA owner Debbie Nettles.

FRIDAY BLURBS (Robert Chapman)

Tomorrow, the troublesome trio (My dad, me and Phillip) will be heading to Madison to watch the Viking Classic. This will be the first pro golf tournament I've been to, so I'm expecting a good time. I'll post pictures from our fun day of watching golfers who would whip the mess out of us. Have a great weekend!

EARLY RISER

For 21 years, I lived the life of a carefree bachelor-child who found interesting things to do, do them, and then enjoy either procrastinating or just blowing something off.

Recently, since I dove into the marriage pool and have entered the 22nd year (and soon the 23rd year) of my life, I've been such a morning person. I got to work early today because I was ready to go pretty early this morning, and instead of getting something started at home that I couldn't get finished on time, I came to work to get some stuff done up here.

I wake up at 6:15, shower, feed the dog, take her out, and then wake Meg up and get dressed. I get to work around 8, and work all day long!

Just kind of funny how I wake up around the time I used to go to bed.

FRIDAY BLURBS (Robert Chapman)

This weekend holds a lot for all of us to do. From football games at our local high schools to watching my alma mater get smacked up on by the defending national champions, to hoping that Michigan will lose, yet again, the weekend should be fun.

The weather should be pleasant for us, but there are good chances that sprinkles and spotty showers will occur. If you're going to the Clinton game or any high school game tonight, it might not be a bad idea to take a rain coat.

On the family front:
- Phillip is coming in home this weekend, which is a good thing. He's been up in Booneville working his tail off at baseball practice. His team, the Northeast Mississippi Community College Tigers (can't wait 'til he gets to a team with a much shorter name) won their first game last week. Phillip went 2 for 4, hitting in 2 RBIs as well as smacking a double that one-hopped the fence. Nice job, PC!

- Saturday is Sarah Kackley's birthday party. She turns 27 (no, more like 4). From my sources there (Jason, her dad) they're going to have those moonjump games and have way too much fun. I predict great presents and a sleepy birthday girl when it is all over.

- Matthew McGuire, my 14 year old brother-in-law and Megan's brother, hurt his back at football practice. He has a promising career in football and Wednesday he started to have muscle spasms in his back. Pray for him to get well soon so he can go back to man-handling defensive linemen.


- My parents are doing well, and so are my in-laws. My grandmother is down at her sisters house in Smith county for a week, which is good for her b/c she gets to spend some time with her sister.

Updates:
- Our puppy still looks like a chubby little baby pig, and she is getting so big. We upgraded her (per her vet's request) to dog food instead of puppy food. He said that he puppy food has too much fat in it. Bulldogs have a history for hip problems and too much fat on puppy bones can encourage that. We got "weight control" from Iams and the dog on the front of it is a bulldog. How appropriate.

- Tonight is the first Clinton High School home game I have gotten to go to in nearly four years. It's at the new stadium at the high school. Last week was the opening game at the new stadium, but tonight is my own little celebration b/c it's my first game there.

Have a great weekend, and I'll update later!

OBSESSED (Robert Chapman)

Okay, so we don't have a baby, but we do have a fat lil' puppy! She trips us out because she thinks she is such a posh little thing. Here are two pictures of what we put up with at our house.

She loves to watch TV and loves to watch us dilly-dally on the computer. In fact, her favorite thing to do is look at pictures of herself on the computer. God knows we have enough of her on the web, but she loves looking at herself. Vain little thing!

This is her duck. She can't go hunting b/c she's not a hunting dog, but she does have a duck. She likes her duck and thinks it's something really nice, so she decided to display it with Meg's fine china. (No joke, she put that there herself)

A BREEZE OF EASE (Robert Chapman)

Just walked down the street to Steve's Downtown Deli (by the way, best BLTs in the world) to get a cup of sweet tea, and dear Lord it was so nice outside. I thought to myself, there are a few things I would rather be doing.

Things like:
- Being back in Oxford and "going to" (or rather skipping) class.
- Going home and stealing my wife from her work and hanging out with her all day
- Going home and playing with my puppy
- Watching Phillip throw someone out at 2nd
- Playing 18 holes and shooting a 3 under . . . under 100

With the temp outside around 88, what would you rather be doing? Would you rather be putting a bumper sticker on your car that said "I'd rather be driving a Titleist" or actually driving that Titleist?

JACKSON, MS

Current Conditions

Hour-by-Hour Forecasts »

82°F Sunny

Real Feel: 85°F (29°C) Relative Humidity: 50% Barometer: 30.15"Hg (F)

Wind: SE at 12 mph (19 kph) Visibility: 10 miles (16 km) Sunrise: 6:47am Sunset: 7:02pm

PREDICT THIS! (Robert Chapman)

I love how no matter where you're at in life, there are unavoidable signs that nothing is certain, that nothing is a given, and that nothing is predictable.

Football fans, Michigan is 1-2, Notre Dame is 0-3, State beat Auburn, Auburn lost to Southern Florida, and Ole Miss is 1-2 (well, some things never change). Everyone expected Michigan to be on top, Notre Dame to bounce back from losing Brady "I'll cry if I don't get my way" Quinn, State to suck, Auburn to be annoyingly victorious, and Ole Miss to still not win (like I said, some things never change).

We're entering the autumn season, where finally the temperature is 92 degrees. No one expected the summer to be so freakin' hot! and no one could've predicted that we would have gone through TWO droughts in one summer. Two droughts in three months, just amazing.

No one could have predicted the Virgina Tech massacre, nor Katrina two years ago. No one could have thought that the war in Iraq would still be going on, six years later.

Things change, we age, the world spins round, and life goes on. But we have things that stay the same, too. We have the same smell of flowers that remind us of things, we have the same smell of sunblock that reminds of of other things. We have love that grows, that weakens, that leaves us flat, but that saves us from despair.

Just thought I'd reflect. Care to reflect with me? Send me some reflections, some memories, some jokes, some insights, a story, or just an email saying hello.

(The picture above is of Me and Megan at Ashlea's birthday party. On Monday night, September 17, 2007)

GATORS WIN! (Robert Chapman)

Well, we're back from Gainesville, and we came back with a win (well, if you're a Gator fan). Here are some pictures from our AMAZING trip! GO GATORS!!

Here we are heading through the tunnel, going onto the field.

That's right, "THIS IS THE SWAMP!"

Need I say more?

Did I mention we got to go into the locker rooms?

We got to see Tim Tebow's locker -
and Matthew touched his helmet (they're like brothers now)

National Champions!!!

Standing in front of the stadium. One day, Matt will walk by us with the rest of the Gators!

Me and my beautiful wife and Albert!!

Coach Urban Meyer!

Tim Tebow, QB, stud

It was so hot! We waited in the shade for our gate to open.

Warm ups! and the south endzone.

We sat in the Tennessee section - they hated us - we won!

Domination!

GATORS WIN!

Final: Florida 59 Tennessee 20

Our Gator family! We bought Maggie Belle a Gators collar. It was an 11 hour drive, and we just got home and went outside to play with our puppy (and I watered the bushes).
Great weekend! GO GATORS!

TAKES A LICKIN' AND KEEPS ON BLOGGIN' (Robert)

To save everyone's worries, I have not been smeared from the earth, never to write again. Instead, I've been very busy at work, with life, and trying to get this marriage thing under control.

So, what's happened since the last post?
Football has started, both NCAA and NFL. Both started off wonderfully with Michigan standing right now at 0-2 (woohoo) and Ole Miss actually winning one so far. Also, Auburn lost to the University of South Florida, which means the bowl season this year is going to be interesting.

Florida has rocked the worlds of two no-name teams, but will face some true competition this Saturday as they face-off with the Vols from Tennessee. In fact, watch the game on CBS and see if you can find Megan and me b/c we will be in the swamp cheering on the Gators!

The NFL started off with the Saints losing to my Colts, but the Saints should have a great year this year with Deuce and Reggie in the backfield and Drew firing strikes to the endzone. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Buffalo Bills' Kevin Everett who had a helmet-to-helmet collision causing him to have a possible spinal injury that could lead to his no longer being here.

It is September 11, 2007, which is the 6th anniversary of the attack in New York. I remember where I was when that happened. Do you? Hold a moment of silence to remember the families that don't have a complete family anymore. Thank God for the blessings you have, and remember that tomorrow is not promised to us.

Phillip is up in Booneville enjoying getting his tail worked out by running and catching bullpens. He is excited about playing in a couple of weeks with an extremely talented team. It's kind of weird not having him around, but I know he's growing up and is doing what God wants him to do - play some baseball!

Megan and I bought a puppy. Yesterday, she went to the vet and had a great check up. Our puppy's long name is "Mississippi's Magnolia Belle" but we call her Maggie Belle. She is a white bulldog (not a brown one like MSU, a white one like Georgia) and is a bundle of energy. At the vet's office, he told Meg that she will probably get to 30 or 35 pounds. Normally, bulldogs are around 60 or 70 - thus meaning that we will have a "miniature bulldog." Wow, how in the world does that happen. Anyway, here are some pictures of her. Have a great day, and I'll try to keep up with the Blog a little better!

This is normally all we see of her. She likes to go outside and then watch us from the door.

Puppy in a basket (yeah, this didn't last long)

She found a Nilla Wafer

Maggie Belle chasing Lindsay's Shih Tzu, Ella (well, more like pouncing on Ella)

Maggie Belle has no fear. She terrifies Ashlea's dog, Sadie (just wait)

. . . and then she chases her and tortures her.

She wants to be a cutie pie so bad.

Playing with Ella, until Ella took away all the toys.

So, Maggie Belle went and pouted in the corner (such a girl)


Meg put her in a pumpkin wheel barrow for a fall picture - obviously, not too happy about it.

Every night, this is how she falls asleep. She crawls up on my lap and lays down on my legs.

Lindsay gave her this collar - to help with her identity crisis (a bulldog with an Ole Miss collar)

Maggie Belle chewing on Meg's phone.

And then acting as if she didn't do a thing - "Hey, I didn't do it!"