The Big Game

There's not been too many times in my lifetime where I have been SO shocked, SO surprised, and SO amazed, that it's reduced to me to tears.

Last week was one of those times.

There are three things in life that I'm passionate about. (Okay - actually - I'm passionate about a lot of things, but for the sake of this story, let's just focus on THESE particular three things. Just go with it.)

Those three things are:

#1. football

#2. University of Missouri (Go, Tigers!)

#3. Auburn University (Go, War Eagle!)

A week or so ago, after the Saturday football games had completed and Auburn University had shocked the nation when they beat Alabama on the final play of the game, and the moon was in the Seventh House, and Jupiter aligned with Mars…

…it dawned on me that my #1 favorite team, Missouri, would be playing my #2 favorite team, Auburn, in the SEC Championship football game in Atlanta. On December 7.

HOLY MOTHER OF PERFECT FOOTBALL TRIFECTA AND HOLY GRAIL, BATMAN!!!!!

Have you ever joked with your significant other about something so ridiculous, so insane, that you would never dream they'd take you serious? Kinda' like, "Hey, honey - let's go to Bora Bora tomorrow!" Or…"Hey, sweetie - let's sell everything we own and buy a yacht and cruise around the world?"

So…I joked with Hubby, "Hey, Hubby - wouldn't it be awesome to get tickets to that SEC game with Missouri and Auburn? In Atlanta?"

Imagine my shock…my surprise…my amazement…when he replied, "Yes, it would. It would be totally awesome. Why don't you get tickets for you and son?"

Of course I looked at him like he'd just sprouted two extra heads and fifty extra eyeballs.

"Are you CRAZY??!!" I said, adding, "Don't even JOKE with me about that."

He said, "I'm not joking. Do it. Merry Christmas!"

Well. I pretty much fainted. Then I freaked out. Then I fainted again. Remember all those videos that parents post on YouTube where kids are jumping up and down, screaming in ecstasy, because Santa Claus brought them the GIFT OF A LIFETIME??!!

Yeah. That was me.

After I recovered from the sheer shock, I went. And I took my son, who is as passionate about football as I am, even if he's not a Missouri or Auburn fan - gah. (He roots for Oklahoma…don't ask why, because I have NO idea. I agreed to take him after he pinky-swore that he would NOT wear Oklahoma crimson, which could be misconstrued as Alabama crimson (Crimson Tide, anyone??!) in which case we'd get totally killed by some irate Auburn fan. He, wisely, agreed to this.)

We had an awesome time…words can't describe how much fun we had. Here's a photo montage of what our weekend was like:


First, we caught a charter plane to Atlanta…180 passengers, decked out in black and gold, and passionate about Missouri




We stayed at the impressive Hyatt Regency in downtown Atlanta, who decked their halls especially for us...




Son and I spent Friday afternoon walking around downtown Atlanta, including making a trip to the Georgia Dome. See that guy in the bottom right corner in a red shirt? Little did we know...




…that he was a reporter for a news station out of Birmingham, AL - who caught up with son and I for a "man on the street" interview. If you want to see the entire interview, click HERE.




We then got gussied up for a cocktail party for Mizzou fans and alumni later Friday night...




Here, we noshed on some goodies, met some fellow passionate fans, and loaded up on some free Mizzou souvenirs...




After the party, we met up with a high school friend of mine, Allison, who coincidentally lives in Atlanta. We had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe, and would never have dreamed that we would be the ONLY Missouri fans in a sea of Auburn fans. They were chanting, screaming, and having a great time…which left us feeling a bit outnumbered! It was great, though, to see Allison again!




Saturday was Game Day! Here's some of the bling that we gathered…all of this would be worn/carried to the game!




After getting decked out with our bling, lucky scarf, pompoms, etc - it was time to leave for the tailgate party...




The Tailgate Party was amazing! Food, drink, the marching band, cheerleaders, chancellor of Missouri - and 6,500 fans! It was a true sea of black and gold, and we spent some time watching the Missouri basketball team beat UCLA on some giant TV screens. We happened to meet up with some fans from our own little small town, and we had a great time pre-game….



A "selfie" at the tailgate party…




Soon, we were at the game…where we had the BEST SEATS EVER!!! We were on the 32-yard line, in the upper deck, in the first row! A birds-eye view of the action on the field…where we watched both bands come out to perform the National Anthem...




Soon, it was kick-off…and the game began. WHAT A GAME! We thought we came for a football game…ended up being at a track meet, where we saw 100-yard dashes up and down the field. Back and forth went the score - first, Missouri up…Go, Mizzou! Then Auburn was ahead…go, War Eagle! WHO WOULD PREVAIL??!! Such a nail-biter!!!!




When it was all done, Auburn won by a score of 59-42…certainly the highest scoring game I've ever witnessed in person! At the end of the game, the fireworks went off and the streamers fell…and although my #1 team lost, my #2 team won…so I was happy. And VERY PROUD of my Tigers!!! Both of them - hee hee!!!



#26 on my Bucket List (located on the right side of this page) can now be crossed off…and I came back to Kansas City one happy, happy girl.


The cost of the weekend:

Tickets to the SEC Championship Game: $200

Airfare/Motel costs for a weekend in Atlanta: $1,300

Spending it with my fellow-football-loving son: Priceless

Peace.

How I Coached an NFL Team

So…a Marine, a Chiefs player, and a Red Cross volunteer walk into a bar classroom…

And now you're waiting for the punch line, right?

Uh. There isn't one. Because - this really happened!!!

Okay…so here's the story. Of how I coached an NFL team. And gave orders to a Marine.

Yeah. That really happened. Squee.

Anyway.

The Red Cross collects Christmas cards every year to give to service men and women, as well as veterans, all over the world. There's like, millions of veterans and such, so we need like, millions of cards. We need help.


A picture I took this morning. I love this picture, by the way.


This morning, several local Marines, as well as some members of the Kansas City Chiefs Rookies Club, teamed up with us and we all headed to a local elementary school to sign cards with the students.

Upon arrival, we get a "pre-game" pep talk from our "general manager" in the locker room library:


Okay. It's really our Financial Development officer with the Red Cross…but 'GM' will suffice for the story….


We'd broken up into small groups, with each Red Cross volunteer taking a "team" of players and Marines to a classroom. We were to host it - or in my case, "coach" it. So I did.

Once it was "game-time", I took my team and walked into the stadium classroom to a resounding cheer from the crowd. No, really. When we walked in, the students immediately went into all, "GO, CHIEFS" shouting mode. And although I knew the cheers weren't really for me, I basked in them, anyway. I can vicariously be a Chiefs player, right? Or at least a Chiefs coach. Hee.

Soon…it was kick-off. I coached the kids, the players, and the teachers, telling them why our program is so important…as well as passing out cards for everyone to sign. Our strategy was crucial. We had a solid game-plan, but had a few trick plays up our sleeves, if needed. The scrimmage began:




It was kinda' my job to referee, as well…making sure no one was offsides, or committing any personal fouls, or holding, for heaven's sake. I hate holding. Gah. Can't have that, right? NO ONE GETS TO HOLD THEIR CARDS AND DO NOTHING!!!!






At half-time, I went to go check on another classroom, and to my chagrin, I found that they were scoring more points producing more cards - than my team was. I quickly ran back and huddled my group together, and gave a pep talk that would make Knute Rockne proud.

"Okay, guys - the 2nd-graders are making more cards than we are! And we're FOURTH-GRADERS!!! Are we going to let that happen?"

Fortunately, team spirit kicked in, and we had a last-minute rally, going in for the home stretch on writing cards.



At one point, I noticed my team getting fatigued. I saw that my Marine, Officer Lantz, was content just sitting on the bench. I quickly motioned for him to get on the field and start playing. He looked at the 4th-graders in terror; I think he would have been more comfortable on a battlefield, honestly, then in the trenches of 10-year-olds.

"Get in there! I need you!" I implored.

"I can't, Coach," he said, beseechingly.

"Officer…think of the TEAM! You can't let your team down! We're a band of brothers!!!"

With that, he squared his shoulders and ran into the midst of the chaos…never hesitating after that to give it his all.



I was so proud.

The team rallied on. Oh, there were injuries - I'm sure I saw some hands and fingers cramping from writing in the cards - but my team was TOUGH and they didn't let a few muscle spasms stop them from winning the battle.

Although the 4th-graders tried to throw a delay of game on us, by preventing us from leaving, soon it was over…and the true winners were the veterans and active-duty soldiers who will be the recipients of these fabulous cards.

My players voted me MVP, and I told them that I was proud to share the trophy with all of them:





I'm just so grateful that they didn't douse me with a cold shower of Gatorade afterwards. Brrr.

Not to mention - it would ruin my hair. Gah.

Go, War Eagle!

My love affair with Auburn football began many, many years ago...but if you ask me why, I really, really don't have a good reason.

The best way I can explain it, is....

I once had a friend who once went to Auburn, and he was a huge football fan.

So was I. (Well...I still am. Even more so, if that's possible.)

Every Monday, my friend and I liked to play the Monday Morning Quarterback game, where we'd sit and discuss and analyze the past weekend's gridiron action, and I found myself following the Auburn Tigers so that I'd know what the heck he was talking about when he'd dissect their game.

Hey. There are certain guys that don't give us female football fans enough credit - and I wanted to be credible when I went into ESPN-analyst mode.

Before I knew it, I was not only an Auburn Tigers expert - but I was an Auburn Tigers FAN. Huh. Who knew?

So - although I will always hold the Missouri Tigers near and dear to my heart, I still root really, really hard for the Auburn Tigers.

Who just happens to have the Heisman Trophy winner this year playing as their quarterback - Cam Newton.

And who just happened to play in the college football national championship game last night.

Against the Oregon Ducks. (And really? Your mascot is a duck? Seriously? That always "quacks" me up when I hear that.)

And who just happened to win.

At the last minute.

Which made the game not only really, really exciting, and nail-biting, and heart-attack inducing - but also really, really freakin' AWESOME.

Go, War Eagle. Love you.

(And it is SO on my Bucket List to actually BE at an Auburn football game - IN Auburn. It will happen. One of these days.)

Peace.

Keeping the Faith

Yesterday was a classic test of my faith.

Yes, my faith was tested to the limit - but I held on, didn't give up, and prayed. I prayed hard.

Yesterday was the Iron Bowl.

If you know ANYTHING about college football, then you know that the famous Iron Bowl is the annual grudge match between Alabama and Auburn.

And I am a HUGE Auburn fan. Don't know why. Don't care to know why. I have no idea what made me start rooting for a team lodged in the boonies of a small town with the fun name of Opelika, Alabama. Say that five times really fast. Isn't it fun?!

Anyway, many years ago I began rooting for the Auburn Tigers, and began hating on Bama. Grrrr. Our worst rival.

Yesterday was THE game that I've waited all season for. The famous Iron Bowl - when my beloved War Eagle played the Crimson Tide. Auburn is ranked #2 in the nation right now. The Tide? #9.

This game is HUGE. I planned nothing else for yesterday other than to watch the game on national television.

This. Was. The. Game. THE GAME. This. Was my Super Bowl.

And Auburn was down 21-0 before I could even settle down on the sofa with my soda pop and chips.

Are you KIDDING me??!!!!!

This is NOT how this game was supposed to go!

My first instinct was to turn the game off. Who wants to watch a debacle?!

But, I held on. I kept the faith. I watched. I prayed. I cheered.

And Auburn pulled it off. They came down from an eventual 24-0 deficit, and won the game, 28-27.

Are you KIDDING me??!!!

This was AWESOME. This is what football is all about.

Go, War Eagle. You did me proud.

(And our local high school team won the Missouri State Championship in football for Class 5a! Way to go, Titans! - A very good Friday for me!)

Peace.

Weekend in Review: The Lazy Edition

After the totally insane, what-the-hell-was-I-thinking, crazy-busy three days last weekend, I really, REALLY needed a quiet, peaceful weekend...the kind of weekend where you just vegetate and relax and be lazy and do nothing.

Well. Nothing, except watch football.

Duh. I may be tired, but I'm not dead. Geesh.

My plan was to be so lazy, that even my cats would look at me in disgust and wonder what I was good for. Yeah - THAT lazy.

So, Friday night was spent watching the original "Pirates of the Caribbean" on the Boob Tube. Family Movie Night, and all that. Having seen this movie approximately 1,293,572 times, I still love watching Captain Jack Sparrow, aka Johnny Depp, sashaying across my screen.

And, after completing the movie for the 1,293,573rd time, I still didn't understand half of it.

But that's okay. Cuz' if Johnny Depp is on the screen, I really don't need to follow the plot. I just follow his brown eyes. Ahem. All from the sanctuary of my sofa. And my cushions. And my sofa pillows. Bliss.

Saturday, I actually managed to muster up a tad bit of energy, and headed out to do a Red Cross safety exhibit for about three hours.

The exhibit was outside. The good news? It was like a spring day - temperatures were not too bad. The bad news? It was like a spring day - so the wind was blowing 100 mph, and my brochures and signage kept blowing halfway to Oklahoma. Nothing like chasing papers and brochures and signs over a parking lot all morning.

Running around in circles for three hours on a Saturday morning will take a bit out of ya', so when I got home that afternoon, I plopped (I love that word - "plopped." So descriptive.) in front of the Boob Tube again, only this time, it was tuned in to college football.

First on the agenda? My #1 SEC team, Auburn. I have been a Tigers fan for many, many years, which makes no sense, living in the midwest, as I do, so don't ask me to explain, because I really can't. As I said, it makes no sense.

Anywho, Auburn beat LSU. Check. One down.

That evening, my #1 Overall College team, Missouri, played the Sooners in front of a national audience. Two unbeaten teams - Missouri's homecoming - it had all the makings of a good game.

And it was.

My Missouri Tigers beat Oklahoma. Check. Two down.

Sunday was spent watching my beloved #1 NFL team, the Chiefs, take on Jacksonville.

My boys in read beat the Jaguars. Check.

A perfect Football Trifecta for the weekend.

Life is good.

My sofa was better.

And I out-lazied my cats.

Peace.

Weekend in Review: Cracking Watermelons

Oh, weekends...you come, you go, so fast, so sweet....

Friday night presented a huge dilemma for me...on one hand, we had season tickets to Starlight Theater to see "Beauty and the Beast." Call me a sentimental fool - but I love, love, love this musical...! I love Belle and Gaston and the Beast and Luminere and Mrs. Potts - need I go on?! However - it is an outdoor venue, and Friday night was, like, 115 degrees in the shade.

Friday night was also the FIRST pre-season game for the Kansas City Chiefs. Okay, call me a football fool,but I have been waiting for this night for MONTHS! I realize it's only pre-season - but it would be my first opportunity to see our new players, our new offensive coordinator, our new plays - on television, in the comfort of my air-conditioned home.

What to do, what to do? Beauty, or the Chiefs?

In the end, knowing that I don't tolerate heat very well, I sent Hubby and Daughter to see Beauty, while I stayed home to watch my football game.

In the end, I don't know who got the worst deal...Hubs and Daughter got drenched in a soaking, severe thunderstorm during the show - which ended up being called off 3/4 of the way through, due to the lightning and 60 mph winds...while I watched a horror show on TV, as the Chiefs lost to the Atlanta Falcons, 20-10. Grrrrr.

On Saturday, we were shocked, SHOCKED, when our doorbell rang and it was Hub's sister and her hubby....we have not seen them in a year, although they live a mere 20 miles away. They are very nice - but they aren't social creatures - and it was fantastic to see them. And thank goodness the house was clean - because, of course, they wanted a complete tour of the new house.

Saturday evening was date night for Hubs and I. We have season tickets to the American Heartland Theater, which is INDOORS and air-conditioned, thank goodness....The show we saw was the Tony-winning, "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee."



This show rocked. It rocked. We laughed so hard at times, we were crying...we couldn't catch our breath between jokes! Hubs said later, "I'd go back again next week to see that show." Which means a lot. Cuz' he doesn't often say that, let me tell you.

Anywho, if you EVER get a chance to see this show, DO IT! You will not be disappointed!

On Sunday, we had a family party for Hub's side of the family - a birthday party for Daughter, and a going-away party for our son-in-law, who left today for Army boot camp for 5 months.

The party was at our house, so I went to the grocery store to buy stuff for tacos, as well as pick up the cake and drinks. Hubs was dying to have watermelon at the party, so for $3.99, I got a 55-pound watermelon. You think I'm exaggerating on that - but I swear, it weighed 55 pounds.

While in the parking lot, I was lifting the watermelon from the grocery cart to put it into my trunk, when the unthinkable happened.

That huge sucker rolled right out of my arms and hit the concrete. THUNK!

Crack.

Oops.

Damn.

It wasn't TOO bad - just a crack right down the middle - so I picked it up, stuck it in my trunk, and drove hurridly home - knowing that watermelon juice was now soaking my back seat. Ew.

We had a great party last night - tacos, chocolate cake, peach cobbler (that I made - BY HAND, mind you!), ice cream, and, of course - watermelon.


Yum...it's supposed to be a beach, but I think HyVee dropped the ball on this one...which is better than dropping a watermelon!

And the best part of last night? Our daughter #2, along with her Hubs, showed up with the mixins' for chocolate martinis...and I learned how to make them - all by myself!!!!

Okay, that may not sound like much, but take a look at that Bucket/Life list on the side of my blog...See #5? Make a martini without a recipe!

I DID IT! I DID IT! And they were SOOOOOO awesome!

At one point, I added some Caramel ice-cream topping to the chocolate martini, and christened it the "Snickers" martini. Hey - not only can I make them without a recipe, I'm inventing new drinks!!!

How cool is that?!

Okay, it's not that big of a deal. But it was still exciting for me....

...And it sure was a whole lot better than watching the Chiefs implode on Friday night. Next time I watch football, I'm going to have a whole buffet of martinis in front of me.

I'll need them - if they continue to play like they did Friday night.

Peace.

Weekend in Review: Mexican Mania!

Fighting crowds...celebrating birthdays...learning to kayak...boating on the lake...eating root beer floats...

THIS was our weekend! CRAZY!

On Friday, I grabbed the two youngest kids and headed to our local mall. Missouri offers a "No Sales Tax" weekend every year on school supplies, clothing & computers - and almost an almost 10% savings is a good enough incentive for me to fight the crowds. And crowded it was - we hit four stores before noon on Friday, and it was a ZOO!

Okay - it wasn't quite THIS bad - but it was close!

However, I had saved coupons for several weeks...and those, combined with reward $$$ I had received, meant I got some good deals!

For instance, take Famous Footwear...I had $25 in FREE reward money to use. My daughter found a great Messenger Bag for $24.99 - so we got it for FREE! Because there was NO TAX! Woot!

Friday evening, Hubby and I took our oldest son and his girlfriend out to dinner. He had graciously watched our house while we were in Florida, so we treated him to some BBQ ribs. Yum!

Saturday morning was when Hubby threw the lifejacket at me and dared me to kayak. So, you know what I did that morning...!

Once the heat hit that afternoon, we all retreated inside the house, where I spent some time with the kids watching mindless TV...(We DVR a lot of shows during the week when we're out and about and catch up on the weekend.) We watched Jersey Shore (don't hate us), Shark Week, and some Teen Mom. Epic television, huh?!


That evening, we headed over to my brother's house for a HUGE birthday blast - we had FOUR birthdays to celebrate! A delicious Mexican dinner, mucho wine coolers, and mucho fun...

Sunday, I hit the lake with my kayak again...by myself, this time...it was just me and the buzzards that like to hang out at the lake. They were looking at me like I was breakfast or something...kinda' creepy and cool, all at the same time.

I came in and spent some time making some Mexican chili for lunch - I mixed it up and put it in the crockpot so it could simmer and get good and spicy...and when it came time for lunch, it was perfect. Who cares that it was 110 degrees outside? It's never too hot to have Mexican chili!

Sunday afternoon, we hopped onto the boat and took it out for a spin...then dropped anchor and jumped in the lake for some swimming. The water felt sooooooo good...especially after eating Mexican chili. I'm just sayin'....


After that, we took the kids up to La Fuente for a great Mexican dinner...can you tell we like Mexican in this house?! In my world, you can never have too much Mexican. Seriously.

And last night, I spent 2 hours knocking out some of my upcoming Girl Scout curriculum. Being the leader of my troop requires some work on my part - I like to get the meetings all planned out in advance for the year, and I managed to do that last night. I have some tweaking to do - but I think I'm almost ready for the school year. Bring it on!

I managed to do that while sneaking in some pre-season football on TV...Dallas vs Cincinnati - which means that football is back for awhile and I am one happy girl!

While I was working on the meetings, Hubby surprised me with a delicious root beer float from Sonic. Why, yes. I think I will. Thank you. Now I'm even a happier girl!

And THAT? Was our weekend. Whew. I need a break! But first - I'm heading to Chipotle for lunch today with a girlfriend. Yes. More Mexican.

Peace.

A Belikin-Flavored Super Bowl

Sunday morning: two different churches with amazing worship services and beautiful children...

Sunday afternoon: one set of Indiana-Jones inspired Mayan ruins and beautiful Belizan beaches...




Sunday evening: drinking Belikin beer & Coke in an open-air bar on the coast of Belize, with the waves crashing on one side and the Super Bowl on a projector TV on the other - watching the Saints come from behind to win.... At the bar during the game....

The game on the projector TV....

Add in absolutely perfect weather (sunny, warm, with a little ocean breeze) along with 13 amazing friends....

Does life get any better than this?

I don't think so.

Peace.

I Totally Screwed Up

As much as I love to travel, and as much as I love to go on mission trips, AND - as much as I love to escape the frozen, snowy, icy tundra of the midwest and head south this time of year -

I made a horrible, horrible, HUGE boo-boo when I signed on for this trip to Belize.

A mistake of epic proportions that can't be undone - that can't be fixed - and will forever live now, in my memory, as the year of the "What the hell was she thinking???!!!???!!" moment.

I know, I know - you all thought I was perfect. It's understandable. Most people do. I even get caught up in that belief every now and then - and then I am shamefully brought down to earth with a shattering thud when I realize I SCREWED UP. Big time.

"What is it?" you ask, in breathless wonder...."What can be so horrible about this trip? What did you screw up?"

Well, I'll tell you, Dear Readers. I hope you're sitting down. And aren't prone to heart attacks or anything. Because when you read this, the shock of it may send you into an immediate faint/coma - or to the nearest cardiac unit to get revived.

Are you ready?

Sure?

Okay....here goes....

....taking deep breath.....

I am going to miss the Super Bowl on Sunday.

Oh. My. God.

Seriously.

You're looking at one of the BIGGEST, most FANATICAL football fans in the country - who lives and dies for Sundays during football season -

- and I will be in a Belizan jungle on Sunday.

Oh. My. God.

I can set the DVR to record it - but...deep sigh....it's just not the same.

Sigh.

Peace.