New Bible Study

I have been dying to get the new Beth Moore Bible Study in our bookstore... and since I didnt spend all of my Orlando Spending money I splurged today and got it... I have only done day one but I am soo excited to see how God will use this strong fearless woman to teach me how to be close with Him and intimate with Him so that I live in His boldness and confidence! If anyone is interested in doing it too with me and then we can talk about it together on a weekly basis let me know!!!

What a difference a year makes

I took a personality test

www.41q.com

Your personality type:
Enthusiastic, idealistic and creative. Able to do almost anything that interests them. Great people skills. Need to live life in accordance with their inner values. Excited by new ideas, but bored with details. Open-minded and flexible, with a broad range of interests and abilities.
Careers that could fit you include:
Actors, journalists, writers, musicians, painters, consultants, psychologists, psychiatrists, entrepreneurs, teachers, counselors, politicans, diplomats, television reporters, marketers, scientists, sales representatives, artists, clergy, public relations, social scientists, social workers.

20 Things I Love at Christmas

1. Decorating the tree with my husband. Right after our family left from the Thanksgiving extravaganza we went out and got our tree cam home and decorated it... it was our first tree... we hung new ornaments and ornaments from my childhood... It was soo much fun I was thinking about how many more year I will get to do this with Matt!!!


2. Christmas lights. If there was one thing I had to do in the midst of our very busy and very exciting basketball season it was to hang up Christmas lights.... Matt knows how much I love them and will randomly drive through neighborhoods helping me indulge in my love of finding the prettiest house dripping in lights at Christmas time.. sadly albanians arent too fond of hanging up lights yet he still amauzes me about every other night .... knew there was a reason why I love him soooo


3. Watching Christmas Movies. ELFFFFFFFFFF... Christmas Story... and there is always a new movie in the theaters dealing with Christmas I love them all!!!!!!!!!! We just went to see Four Christmases very very cute :)


4. Giving Gifts. I love thinking of gifts to give those that I care about and the anticipation of giving those things.... Matt nad I just went Christmas Shopping and I cant wait to give our gifts to those we love !!!


5. FAMILYYYYY... We leave Saturday to go home and see our family.. unfortunately we still have some family that lives out of state and some friends that seem like family that do too!!! If you are one of those we seriously wish we had a private jet and could make it to see all of you this holiday season.... Matt and I both cherish time spent with those we love!


6. Shopping... I am a sucker for deals and steals.... I am become a very frugal shopper and I love the after Christmas sales and extra percentages off... cant wiat for my mom and I to wake up early and beat all those other women to the good deals!!


7. Hot Chocolate. Matt and I began a RUTA tradition... Hot chocolate while you hang the ornaments on the christmas tree of course it is topped with tonsssss of marshmellows!! and I have continued that tradition to have hot chocolate on most nights leading up to Christmas... I jsut loooooveee hot chocolate especially at Christmas!!


8. Running to the mailbox everyday.I LOVE LOVE LOVE getting Christmas Cards in the mail.... we get to see cute pictures of friends and family close and far away.... each with a sweet note wishing us a very merry Christmas


9. Basketball Tournaments... ok this is new to my list as this is my first year as the coaches wife... but seriously I am very very excited!!! we have had no games all week so I have been highly anticipating seeing a game ....also we will hopefully play one of the two teams that beat us so far!! VERY VERY EXCITING!


10. Christmas morning. My favorite things about Christmas morning is waking up to see what unwrapped present santa left... even into my adult years Santa would come visit me leaving at least one or two unwrapped gifts!! Cant wait to see what he bring this year!!


11. Traffic... I know I know everyone hates the Christmas traffic but there is something about the holiday hustle and bustle that I LOVEEEEE!!! Maybe it excites me to see everyone shopping for other people !


12. SURPIRSES!!! and I know someone who has a big surprise coming!


13. Holiday cooking.... I love being in the kitchen with my mom cooking for the holidays


14. florida weather.... I do love my fair share of snow but having never grown up with it I love the fact that we wear shorts on Christmas day... in fact one year I got a black fur coat and wore it on my new bike outside in shorts and barefooted.... I am a true florida girl


15. New family traditions..... now that I have a "new" family with Matt we can make so many new Ruta family traditions at Christmas time!!!


16. Christmas Trees... just love the smell of a good pine :)


17. Specail Coffees and Creamers.... there is just something about Gingerbread lattes...and peppermint mocha creamers that I just get so excited about!


18. Christmas Parties.... Who am I kidding I love any kind of party :)


19. Driving with Matt in a car just us two... some of our best memories have been the two of us trapped in the trailblazer for a car trip to florida or somewhere else fabulous


20. Orlando..... there is something in that town I love.... oh yeah family and friends... this move has made Matt and I realize nothing... and I mean nothing replaces a good friendship or the love from your family.. CANT WAIT TO SEE Y'ALL!!!!

Sherwood on ESPN

Hopefully the headline will be different this Saturday!!

http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/recruiting/tracker/player?page=onthetrail&recruitId=66426&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncb%2frecruiting%2ftracker%2fplayer%3fpage%3donthetrail%26recruitId%3d66426

two great articles

Four facts we learned
Herald prep writer Paul Dehner Jr. tells four things he learned during the past week of high school basketball.

Paul Dehner Jr. paul.dehner@albanyherald.com

Every Tuesday through the rest of the high school basketball season I will be bringing you five facts I learned over the course of the previous week covering games and talking to coaches and players.
While the preliminary portion of the prep season rolls into holiday tournament time, lessons have been easier to come across than a $5 footlong jingle.
So, here you go:
1) Nobody plays with more heart than Arabian Williams.
At every exit of the Westover High School gym on Friday, people flowed out into the hallways. The background disappeared and only eyes peeking over the top of hats could be seen.
What the sprawling crowd saw was Dougherty’s Williams give one of the most inspired single performances in the area’s recent history.
More than the 40 points he poured in during the overtime defeat, the special aspect of his show was where most of the points came from.
The 5-foot-6 guard repeatedly challenged Westover’s interior players and never flinched.
Whether coming down with an offensive putback for a score or flying out of control into the lane, he willed his team to overcome a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit.
To watch Williams high-five fans standing on the baseline after baskets and fly into the stands after loose basketballs showcased an intensity and desire rarely seen in the high school ranks.
2) The Americus-Sumter girls are on a short list of the Class AAAA state championship contenders.
Last season, the Lady Panthers broke through for their first playoff win since merging with a first round victory. The run ended in the next round against Wesleyan, which advanced all the way to the Final Four.
Judging by the early returns in Americus, this team won’t stop in the second round.
Evelyn Wright’s crew pulled off its biggest win of the season this past Tuesday at Kendrick. Nobody is saying this year’s Lady Cherokees are the same that went 33-0 and won the state title like last year, but they have members of that team back and even beat Lee County 88-30 earlier in the year, to which Lady Trojans coach Fran McPherson said, “they are for real.”
After Amercius-Sumter’s 59-51 win on Tuesday we know they are for real as well. The only other team to beat Kendrick this year was Hardaway, which is 6-0, has beat every other opponent by at least nine points and barely pulled out a 54-53 win.
Four different players can post big numbers for the Lady Panthers with Jayme Gilbert, Amanda Cross and Jasmine Solomon as the supporting cast for team leader Abril Peeples.
3) Driving to Crisp County is the quietly the toughest road trip on the Region 1-AAA schedule.
Just ask Westover and Monroe.
The two talented Albany teams drove up expecting an easy win against the Cougars, who have recently been more doormat than window dressing.
When dealing with teenagers, overconfidence can backfire, particularly on a bus ride that lasts anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour-and-a-half depending on the point of origin.
Westover coach Dallis Smith said he knew he could be in trouble on the ride up. Turns out he was when a tip-in with 11 seconds left by Crisp County buried the Patriots. Three days later, Monroe, still beaming off its first region victory in two years, learned it still has a way to go as Crisp decisively sent them back to Albany, 70-53.
While the championship may not run through Cordele this season, nobody in the hunt for it wants to run through there, either.
4) Sherwood Christian picked the wrong year to move down from Class AAA.
This is the year the Eagles could have beaten their crosstown rival Deerfield-Windsor. For years, Sherwood has taken the brunt of Deerfield’s blowouts and gone into halftime demoralized. That wouldn’t be the case this season, and that is not taking anything away from the Knights.
The additions of Dougherty transfer Cameron Williams and Dontonio Wingfield’s son, Dequan Green, among others, have turned Sherwood not only into respectability but the upper echelon of GISA Class AA.
Their only two losses have come to highly-touted Loganville Christian and defending state champion Brookwood by a combined seven points.
Deerfield has a talented team of its own, suffering its lone loss against Stratford Academy by one. But to watch this Sherwood team go against Deerfield would be an intriguing matchup for once. Too bad they are now not on each other’s schedule.
Scrimmage anyone?

Sherwood boys nearly upend one of state’s top teams
Sherwood’s boys battle back from a double-digit deficit against Loganville Christian only to fall short.
DANNY ALLER danny.aller@albanyherald.com

Sherwood fought back from a double-digit second-half deficit to tie its game up against state power Loganville Christian on Saturday.
And in one shot by Loganville’s Andre Jones at the buzzer, all the hard work came undone.
“(Andre Jones) scored 14 points in the game,” said Sherwood coach Matt Ruta, whose team fell, 71-68, with Jones’ 3-pointer being the difference. “I wish he scored 11.”
Sherwood faced a big test against Loganville star and Georgia signee Daniel Miller, who ledhis team with 25 points. The 6-foot-11 tower was guarded all afternoon by SCA star Cameron Wolliams — who is 6-3 — but managed to notch a game-high 27 points in the Eagles’ loss.
Freshman Dequan Green dropped in 15 and Wesley Pittman added 12 for SCA.
Afterward, Ruta was asked if Saturday was a moral victory of sorts.
“Not really. I want to win games like those,” he said. “The way we fought back, down by nine going into the fourth quarter, we were right there.”
Sherwood likely will meet Loganville in the title game of next week in their Christmas Tournament.

sooo proud

WATCH THIS VIDEO ABOUT MATT AND HIS TEAM

FINALLY...

I finally made our homemade garland and decorated our porch....

GEORGIA ICESICLES

on our trip to North Georgia this weekend there were icesicles haning froma roof.... ohhh how I wish it would snow here..... it would make all this coldness worthwhile....

Surpise date night...

I have planned a surprise date night for Matt andI tonight!! I am sooo super EXCITED!! Pictures to come ... He doesnt know what we are doing ... here is a hint for you though can you guess what we are doing?!?!

5-1

Last night we played WESTWOOD in Camilla..... about an hour from Albany.... I rode there with one of our families ( the Pittmans) and had a great time riding with them... we even got caught in the Camilla Christmad Parade ... so Bruce flashed his lights and we all waved out the window... hahah jk... but we did get behind some of the floats on a side road....

Some of our guys got in foul trouble last night..... we were only up ten going into the half... we scored 30 point in the 4th quarter and Matt pulled the starters with 3 minutes to go.... Cameron Williams scored 32 points he tied the school record for most points in a game.... too bad he got pulled early... GREAT NIGHT!!!!

Sherwood 85 Westwood 56

NEW ARTICLE!!!!

Two more wins!

article : http://www.mysouthwestga.com/sports/sports_story.aspx?id=231970

video about all high school basketball we are the Third report:http://www.walb.com/global/story.asp?s=9471539

Two games this weekend...and Two WINS this weekend!!!

Citizens @ Citizens ... score -65 -58

Calvary @ Home 81-42

SANTA CAME TO ALBANY!!!

We had a Secretary Party Friday... It was soooo wonderful.... the hostess made a yummmmmmmmyyy cheescake chocolate cake yumm-o and we had an ornament exchange!!! to top it all off we had a visit from SANTA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAOOOOOOOOOOOO

new video

Fox reports about Sherwood's first loss
http://www.mysouthwestga.com/sports/video.aspx?id=230133

running with the reindeer

This weekend matt and I are running a 5k put on by the hospital!!! I am soo excited!!!

bye bye pumpkin pie

and turkey, gravy,stuffing,cranberrysauce, mashed potatoes, and other yummy sides from thanksgiving.... I trashed it all this morning.... it was sad throwing out the yummy leftovers but we had our fairshare of the yummy food and it was time to say goodbye..... i do hate wasting food and not giving it away to someone in need but i have to stand by my three day meat policy.... :)

did anyone else purge from the weekend yet???

Search for our FIRST tree

The search for the perfect FIRST Christmas tree... this will be our one and only FIRST Christmas tree.... there will never be another... I grew up cutting down our Christmas tree in FLORIDA.... it was soo ofun so I thought Matt and I should cut down our first Christmas tree... I had this fanasty of it being sooo wonderful... a freshly cut tree for our very first Christmas together.... So we drove toward Sasser GA to BUSY ELVES.... it should be called lazy elves who grow ugly trees.....

this picture was taken just before we left I look a little sad because all of my dreams were crushed when we saw the ugly trees....

can you see the ugly bush that is shaped into a Christmas tree... I even wore my lumberjack shirt to complete the fantasy...

We had to leave before Matt slit his throat over the ugly trees.....

On to HOME DEPOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!

Matt picked up about ten billions trees for us to examine....

WE FOUND A WINNNNERRR!!!

The perfect tree!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bag it up and tie it on the roof baby we're takin it home!!!

Matt loved the tree sooo much

Kiss kiss

the happy couple!!!

Just with lights

matts new ornament

hanging the ornaments

we watched elf while we worked like good little elves bringing the Christmas cheer to our home

Matt draped in the extra lights

FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MERRRRRRYYYY CHRISTMAS

FROM OUR HOME TO YOURS!!!

HOPE YOU ARE ENJOYING YOUR TREE AS MUCH AS WE ARE!!!

COME OVER AND SEE OUR PERFECT FIRST TREE!!

Girls DAY

After spenidng our morning with the govenor we had a girls day out!!! we went to some cute patutie boutiques and lunch and mayberrys diner an albany landmark... its a lunch place only open 11-2 and it is decorated around the andy griffith show!!! sooo fun .... we all got fried ocra yummmoooooo

TEAM HUCK

Saturday morning of thanksgiving weekend we woke up at 645 and went to BOOKS A MILLION... why you ask?!?! MIKE HUCKABEEEEEE was coming to ALBANY GA!!!! we had all bought books the day before during black friday shopping and we got there first in line to get a ticket to see the arkansas govenor.....It was such a fun fun experience... we first got there and saw no one else so we got coffee at mcdonalds and then went and waited in line... after we got tickets 1,2,3, and 4 we picked up matt at the house and then all went and ate the free hotel breakfast..... yummmmooo hot fresh waffles.... after breakfast we went back to books amillion to wait once again it was all worth it!! we were the very first people to see him it was sooo great and we got to tour his bus!!! whoo whooo!!!
This was carrie underwoods bus and this is were the filmed the DS comercail she is in!!!

He loves the office I knew exactly why I loved him!!

Ma wanted to steal Mike Huckabee's ride!!!

MOM WAS SOOOO EXCITED

First sighting!!!

the cool shirts

his books

the line was sooooooooooo long!!!

soooo excited to meet huckabee!!!