7 Months Later

It appears that I have been slacking recently on my blogging so I thought I would give everyone a brief overview of my last seven months. As we move from the Thanksgiving season into the Christmas season I am in awe of the countless blessings in my life.

Family

The last 7 months have flown by as Autumn and I have watched Cooper grow from a helpless baby to a curious explorer who is walking all over the house and getting into anything and everything. As many of you know, Cooper was prescribed a helmet to correct a flat spot on the back of his head. He has worn it for almost 5 months now and it has definitely corrected the problem. It has been very amusing for Autumn and I to hear the various comments and questions that come when your infant child is wearing a helmet. Children, as always, say the darnedest things. Just last Sunday as we were leaving church a little boy asked his mother why Cooper was allowed to wear a skateboard helmet to church. When we took Cooper to Neyland Stadium for his first game, many Vol fans thought the helmet was just part of Cooper's gameday attire and many of them wanted to know where they could get one for their kids.

I know that I am somewhat of a fanatic when it comes to Tennessee Volunteers Football and it was one of the highlights of my year to get to take Cooper to his first game in Neyland Stadium. I know he probably won't remember that the Vols barely beat UAB in overtime but that will be a memory that I cherish for the rest of my life. I remember talking to my friend Chris about having kids and one of the things I looked forward to most was the opportunity to take Cooper into Neyland for the 1st time and watch his reaction to the sea of 100,000 orange clad fans erupt when the team runs through the Power T while the band plays Rocky Top. I still remember the first game I went to in Neyland with my Dad and I hope that Cooper and I have many great memories ahead. Cooper had a great time at the game and almost made it through the game before finally falling asleep in the 4th quarter. The noise and crowd did not bother him and the weather was perfect. A big thanks to Carrie for getting us tickets in the TN Terrace where we had an air conditioning concssions area and plenty of room to sit with Cooper.

In other family news, Autumn has started a new job as a manager with a different pharmaceutical company. I am so blessed to have a wife that can balance being a great mother, wonderful wife and work as hard as she does. She has to travel some during the week and I am grateful for her sacrifice for our family. She is the one who allows me to take the necessary time to build my law practice and I can't express how much she means to me and to our family.

We just celebrated Cooper's first birthday and I am already starting to wonder where we are going to put all of the toys he was given from his grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends. We had about 50 people come to his party and we are truly blessed to have such great families who live close to us and great friends in and around Franklin.

Cooper is so lucky to have both sets of grandparents close by as well his aunts Lauren and Leah, aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Rusty, and cousins Aubrey, Carter and Andrew. Aunt Kristen, Uncle Frank, cousins Megan and Madeline live in Mississippi but they visit frequently and Cooper loves the attention when they come to stay with us. Cooper was able to go help Grandma Jeter move into her new home and really loves his great grandma. We can't wait to take a trip to the Northeast so he can meet the rest of my mom's family.

We are truly blessed with a great family!

Friends

Autumn and I have a great group of friends and we enjoyed tailgating before UT games, going to dinner, or just getting together and hanging out with many of them this year. My long-time friend Josh finally tied the knot and married a wonderful girl. He is the last one of our group of friends to get married and I was honored to be his best man. Our good friends Chris and Carrie found out they are pregnant and will be adding a new Vol fan to their family next Summer. My college roomate Sal and his wife,Meher, had their first baby, Zaara, and they are doing well living in Washington D.C.

As usual, the Tennessee Wild Boyz put on several great tailgates this year and we had a great time enjoying the time with friends and watching the Vols fight through a tough season to earn a bowl berth. TWB Fan of The Year goes to my buddy Luke who flew up from Austin, TX to attend several home games this year. That man is dedicated!

It has been a gret year for the Jeter's and we are truly blessesd to have so many great family and friends in our lives. Merry Christmans and Happy New Year to each of you and your families. May God bless you in the new year!

I almost forgot, GO VOLS!