I'm an Indian Outlaw...

Well, not really.  I did find out a couple of weeks ago, however, that my Cherokee heritage is more significant than I once thought.  Ivey and I traveled to Cherokee (via Maggie Valley to pick up Dad) to spend some time with my Papaw Bill.  It had been way too long since I had seen him.  He wanted to take Dad and I around Cherokee to visit some of the graves of our ancestors.  We began the trip up from the museum at the grave of my great-great-great-great grandfather, Nimrod J. Smith.

Nimrod was quite the historical figure.  He's got to be the only member of our family with a Wikipedia page.  He was the fourth Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians.  He fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War.  His Indian name was Tsaladihi (this roughly translates to "Charlie-killer" and was a conversion of his middle name "Jarrett.")  He worked very hard to get his people recognized as a tribe under federal law by the U.S. government and is generally credited as being the main driving force behind this taking place.  In short, he was pretty much a badass, although the world really could have done without that jheri-curl mullet:

From there we drove up into Birdtown where I saw the fantastically amazing headstone of Johnny (Bubba) Rowland:

Not only did this thing have an engraving of a dump truck on it, but his nickname seems to have been Cue Ball.  I can't remember exactly how he was related to me, but, based on these two things alone, I wish I could have gotten to meet him.  We also ran across the gravesite of Beauford Roland:

Beauford was shot in the back after a poker game gone wrong.  Three different brothers were tried for the murder, but none were ever convicted.  Seeing as how Papaw Bill and I both love Texas Hold'em a lot more than we should, it seems that the Roland gambling gene didn't die with Beauford on that night in 1981. 

We saw what has to be one of the coolest trees in the world:

It was a fun day and I really enjoyed learning a little more about the family history.  It's not often that you get three generations of Roland's together.  I'm glad Ivey finally got to meet Papaw Bill and I'm glad that she was there to take some good pictures.  I'll have to make sure not to put as much time in between the next visits.

I DO

I'm engaged to the most wonderful woman that I have ever met.  It's been a crazy ride, no doubt,  but worth every up and down to get to this point.  I know this news has surprised friends and family alike, and for good reason.  We were not even dating at the time of the proposal.  I have been asked more than once if I am sure I know what I am doing.

I do.

While it may seem a little sudden (and it is), this is the culmination of four and a half years of two people figuring one another out.  Love, passion, and compatability were never a problem.  I have never met someone so much like me.  She's funny, she loves football, and she has a giant heart.  No, we seemed to have everything you need, but we could never quite get over the hump.  I have always been quite scared of commitment of any sort.  Try me.  Come up and say "Travis, what is your favorite _________?"  and watch the blood drain from my face.  I will immediately start prefacing my answer with things like "I haven't thought about this a lot lately" or "I'm sure I'm leaving something out" or (my personal favorite) "How about a top 5?" 

I have finally found something I can commit to, though.  Once the realization hit, it was really quite easy.  Without this lady, my life seems a little darker, not as much fun, and very bland.  With her it's exciting, hopeful, and full of possibilities.  Could I make it without her, and her without me?  Sure we could.  But why would you want to, when the best life you can have is together?  I'm convinced I have found my soul mate and I'm excited about our future together.  We are planning a beach wedding, the leading candidate being

Charleston, SC

We will certainly have more details to share in the coming weeks.  We are so looking forward to sharing that day with our friends and family.  Thanks to all of you for riding this roller coaster over the years.  We never would have made it here without you. 

THE IRON BOWL!!

I was in Chattanooga, Tennessee for the 78th rendition of the Iron Bowl. For those of you not in the know, the Iron Bowl is moniker for the annual football battle between the University of Alabama (Roll Tide!) and the University of Auburn (War Eagle!). I have never had much of an affiliation for this game other than just being a big fan of college football. It's a major rivalry game that ranks right up there with Army/Navy, Michigan/Ohio State, and the Tobacco Road basketball war that is Carolina/Duke. For the past four years, however, the Iron Bowl has taken more prominence in my life. My fiance' is a major Auburn fan, much to the chagrin of her mother and father who bleed Alabama crimson. We were visiting said mother in Chattanooga during this year's Iron Bowl, so we trekked down to the local Buffalo Wild Wings for beers, football, and fun. This year's game did not hold much promise, as Alabama came in undefeated and ranked #2 in the country, while Auburn was having an off year. With a rivalry like this, however, you never know what is going to happen. Everyone was all smiles and peace-loving before kickoff

but that would soon change. Auburn scored first on a 67 yard end around and then recovered an onside kick and took a surprise 14-0 lead. Shirley was starting to get nervous, and it showed:

She befriended a TENNESSEE fan (puke) who was adamant that I drop Michigan and pick up an SEC team so that Ivey doesn't have to marry "out of conference." If Alabama didn't score soon, I feared that she may end up like this:

Alabama did turn it around, however. Down 21-19 late in the fourth quarter, quarterback Greg McElroy put together a 79 yard touchdown march that will forever be known in Bear Bryant country as "The Drive." It ended with a touchdown pass to a senior running back (Roy Upchurch) that had never had a touchdown catch. When Rolando McClain batted down Auburn's hail mary in the end zone, Shirley could breathe easy again. At the end of the day, it felt like a win/win for everyone. Shirley gets her shot at the national title game, Ivey has to feel good about Auburn's prospects for next year, and I got to see a great college football game. With all due respect to Roll Tide! and War Eagle!, though, I do hope that one day Go Blue! will once again play in a game that means something.......

Tweaking on Catnip

-courtesy of Jennifer Ivey