Fall in Florida

Okay, my Floridian friends...here's your chance to educate me. Fall is the only season I have yet to experience here in Florida. So what's it like here in the Fall, or am I lookin' at it? I'm LONGING for some good Fall weather, cool crisp breeze, maybe a little overcast, highs in the 70's, lows in the 60's kind of weather. Not too cold, not too hot, but just right. Will I get my Fall fantasy weather here in Florida? If you're a Floridian, please post a comment. Anyone can comment, without a password, just click on the "anonymous" circle and put your name at the bottom of your comment.

Because I'm so "fallsick" I've been cooking some of my favorite "fallish" recipes this weekend. These are SUPER easy, quick, little clean up involved, you know, the perfect kind for busy moms. And my kids ate EVERY bite of both of these dishes.


EASY CHICKEN N DUMPLINS (for people who don't like dumplins):
boneless, skinless chicken breast (I used 6 breast tenderloins for the 4 of us)
1 can chicken broth
2-3 pieces of celery
6 tortillas, cut into 1/4ths
a little onion, salt, and whatever seasonings you like

optional: I added some peas and carrots to Lexi and Ashton's bowl to give them that extra veggie serving. Cary and I ate it the good ol' southern way!

1. Defrost your chicken and boil it in about 6-8 cups of water. Add some onion (I use the minced onions in the seasoning jar b/c I hate cutting onions), cut up celery, a little salt, pepper, and whatever seasonings you like. I used about half a package of ranch dressing mix b/c it seasons just about ANYTHING!
2. Let chicken boil for about 20 minutes until cooked and cut into small to medium sized pieces then put back into the pot and add a can of chicken broth.
3. Add the tortillas and let it all simmer for about 20 minutes.
4. Eat and enjoy! This was enough for 3 adults and 2 small children. I like the texture of the tortillas rather than real dumplins. Dumplins kind of gross me out!

Serve with a side salad and a good bakery baked bread, cause you know, the dumplins aren't enough carbs by themselves. I put a small dish of balsamic vinegrette with herb seasonings on the table to dip our bread in...YUMMMMMMMY!


Muy Bien Taco Soup: One of my FAVORITES I make year round
1 lb of ground beef, cooked and drained
1 can of corn
1 can of kidney beans
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 package of ranch dressing mix
1 package of taco seasoning mix
About a cup of rice (uncooked)
A little water

top with:
sour cream, grated cheese, avacodos

1. Pour all ingredients into a pot and add about 2-4 cups of water, depending on how soupy you like you like your soup.
2. Simmer for about 30 minutes.
3. Serve with suggested toppings or alone. My family likes to dip our tortilla chips in the soup. It's kind of like REAL MEXICAN chili. They put corn, beans, and beef in their chili. This will make a big pot that feeds my family of 4 for 2-3 meals. So it's very economical. And it's muy bien!


Grocery Shopping Trick: Because we only have about $100/week to spend on groceries for our family of 4, and that includes diapers, it's a TOTAL MUST that I plan out the meals ahead of time so that I can buy ingredients that can be used for more than one meal. Here's an example. The bag of frozen chicken tenderloins and package of tortillas from the chicken N dumplins recipe was also used to make homemade fajitas earlier in the week. As was the sour cream, avacados, and grated cheese used in the taco soup toppings. By planning ahead, I'm able to use up those types of ingredients rather than the extras going to waste. And most of the time, the menu depends on what types of coupons I have. And here's another trick...we buy about 80% of our groceries at SAV A LOT! I do get my produce from a produce stand, and occassionally we have to do the dreaded Walmart run. I know they have Sav a lots in TX too b/c we used to shop at one there. That's how we make our $$$ last!

I'm like, so good, it's SCARY!

So...if you made any wagers with your husbands this weekend over college football using MY picks...CONGRATS! You probably won. I'm like, so good, it's scary. Cary went down...HARD! So he is serving as my slave for the next 30 minutes. Which works out great b/c everyone is having bowel movements...both kids, and the dog! YEA for Daddy! Was this like the wackiest weekend in college football ever??? Seven of the top 13 teams lost. I'm so giddy over Texas and Oklahoma losing I can hardly stand it! That puts the Ags tied for first in the Big 12 South Division with Okie State, who we play next weekend AT HOME! WHOOP! I think the only picks I didn't get right were Texas (and I'm glad I missed that one), Florida State over Bama, and Auburn over Florida. And those last two were really close games. But Cary and I both picked Texas and Bama so we both missed those two. And Cary is a huge Auburn fan (sorry Pham's), so he's a happy man this morning even though he got four other picks WRONG that I got right and he's "serving" me right this second. Also, let's see, on that Michigan State/Wisconsin game I think I said something like "upset alert" this one will be a close game and I wanted to pick Mich State but I picked Wisonsin. Now I don't think I could have called that one any closer even if I had a crystal ball. It was a 3 point game and Wisconsin won. And it went down to the wire. SCARY! And if you have no interest in college football whatsoever, this was like the most boring post EVER for you!

Most importantly...The Ags won 34-10...WHOOP! Gig'em...BTHO Okie State!

HELP!!!!!!!!!

911...please help me! I have to be somewhere at 3:15 E.T., 2:15 Texas time, which is about the time the fourth quarter of the Aggie game will be starting, or maybe half over. But it is CRUCIAL that I get updates!!!! CRUCIAL! I may go into cardiac arrest not knowing what's going on. My mom is at the game and her cell phone doesn't work in the stadium. Several other friends I normally call for updates when in this situation are out of town this weekend or won't be able to watch the game. SO...SOMEBODY CALL ME!!!!!!!!!!! I'm begging. My cell number is (407) 744-8574. The game is televised on the Versus network, which we actually have on our T.V. believe it or not. I'd never heard of it. But I looked it up online and found out that we do have it and it's FREE. Or if you don't have that channel, you can the score and listen live on www.aggieathletics.com for FREE. i'm just a tad bit worried about this game only because Baylor has a passing game, which our defense can't seem to stop, as noticed in the Miami game. So our offense will just have to keep up! Can anyone help me out? Please? I'll be your best friend forever!

On a sidenote, my mom called me a little while ago and held up her cell phone so I could hear the Aggie band march in with the Corps. I boohoooed like a newborn baby!

What's In a Name

I'm stealing this from Becky at "Dreaming of Pugs". I thought these were HILLARIOUS! Cary and I had fun doing this together. His answers are below mine.

HEATHER'S NAMES

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) - Doodle Ford
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)- Vanilla Oreo
3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) H Cub
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) - Maroon Dog
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) - Marie Walnut Creek
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) - Cub He
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink) - The Pink Soda
8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers) - Jesse Klaus
9. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ) - Yvonne Louis Gregory
10. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter) - Farmer Fayetville
11. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, favorite flower)- Easter Lily
12. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”) - Watermelon Shorty
13. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)- Muffin Palm
14. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”) - The techno sunshine tour

Cary's Names:

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) - Zop TL
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)- Vanilla Tollhouse
3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) - C Cub
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) - Green Cougar
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) - O'Grady Mobile
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) - Cub ca
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink) - The Blue Pib
8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers) - Ed Gomez Jr.
9. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ) - LeRoy Marie
10. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter) - Whitten Winchester
11. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, favorite flower)- Winter Orchid
12. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”) - Mango Panty
13. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)- Honey Comb Fir
14. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”) - The Scuba Storm Tour

Drumroll Please...The Moment You've All Been Waiting For...

I know you've been on the edge of your seats all week counting down the minutes till I make my weekend picks. And pigs fly!

Well the wait is over! Here are our picks. Cary went in with me on these so I'll post both of our picks. (But keep in mind, I know WAY more about college football than him and when I saw some of his picks, I said, "Are you smoking crack?")

Tonight:
#5 West Virginia at #18 South Florida: We both pick South Florida. Cary's brother and sister in law both work at South Florida, so we've been followers of their program the last few years and they are pretty tough.

Tomorrow:
#21 Penn State at Illinois: Cary picks Penn State and I pick the fighing Illini (is that how you spell it???) Though unranked, I think just about anyone can beat Penn State. OVERRATED! I think the voters just feel sorry for Jo Pa so they give him a ranking at the beginning of every season since he's so highly respected. But they are usually unranked by mid-season. Isn't Florida's former coach, Ron Zook, the coach at Illinois now? I think! What is a Nittany Lion anyways, is that like a pansy puma? (That was Cary's joke y'all!)

Michigan at Northwestern: Cary says "GO BIG PURPLE!" He picks Northwestern. I pick Michigan. I think the Wolverines have finally found their game these last 2 weeks. I pick Michigan.

Duke at Miami: We both pick Miami. Dukey (Dookey...like poopee, get it, hey we're parents) should feel right at home in the toilet bowl, I mean the Orange Bowl. Sorry, my children's pastor husband came up with that one!

Notre Dame at Purdue: We both pick Purdue. They're 4-0 and are HOT right now.

Mississippi State at #16 South Carolina: I know the Dawgs pulled off that big win at Auburn, but I don't think they can pull it off twice this season. South Carolina will win this one.

Gaylor, I mean Baylor, at Texas A&M: Baylor is kind of the laughing stock of the Big 12 in football, but unfortunately we lost to Baylor 2 years ago and last year was too close for comfort. Which doesn't say much for my Aggies. But I think the 12th man will show up BIG tomorrow to inspire our Aggies to a victory. And I won't be there. And I'm still crying over that. Gig'Em Ags...BTHO Baylor! The Ags will win this one, and I hope they win big!

Iowa State at #25 Nebraska: Somewhat of a Big 12 North rivalry game. ISU always shows up when they play Nebraska. But Cary and I have seen Nebraska play this year and we think they have a good future with their new coach. Huskers Win!

#6 Cal at # 11 Oregon: The Hippies of Cal will have Duck Soup for dinner!

Kansas State at #7 Texas: For some reason, the last few years KState has always given Texas a scare, even the year they won the NC. Last year, they DID beat Texas. I think Texas has revenge on their minds and they will easily handle the wildcats at home.

Michigan State at #9 Wisconsin: Both teams are 4-0, but Wisconsin is on FIRE right now. This is a home game for them. I think it could be a very very close game and I almost want to pick Mich State, but Cary talked me out of it. We both pick Wisconsin. (But Wisconsin should be on upset alert!)

#13 Clemson at Georgia Tech: I pick Georgia Tech, Cary picks Clemson. Clemson is tough this year, but Georgia Tech is always that surprise team that can come out and shock ya!

#22 Alabama at Florida State: "Sweet home Alabama..." That's what Cary's singing right now as I'm typing. We both pick Bama on this one. Sorry Carrie!

East Carolina at Houston: This one's for Lorri...Go Cougs!

#1 USC at Washington: I pick USC, Cary picks Washington (I told y'all...he's crazy!)
There's no way USC loses this game. If they do, I will be eating humble pie.

Auburn at #4 Florida: I pick Florida, Cary picks Auburn! (See...CRAZY!) Auburn does having something to prove after losing to Miss State a few weeks ago. But I think Florida wins easily at home.

And there you have it...let the betting begin! After I win tomorrow, Cary will be my slave for 30 minutes. Get y'alls minds out of the gutter! This does not involve the bedroom. Well, actually it does. He'll be cleaning the toilet and shower in my bedroom! Heeheehee!

Another Blog Design Contest

Since I already LOVE my blog design, I'm actually entering on behalf of my friend, Jessica. She and her family are missionaries abroad. She REALLY wants to spruce up her blog, which is under my links as "gator missionaries". So if I win Jess, it's all yours! And if you'd like to enter on behalf of yourself or Jessica, you can click on the link below. Lindsay at Splat Designs also designed my blog template and I'm kind of biased but I think it's DARN cute!

Deeeepreshone!

"Why are you depressed, Heather?" you ask. Glad you asked! "Sob sob, sniffle sniffle, boohoohoohoo!" I'm beside myself today because there is another Aggie home game this weekend and I will not be there. My mom and my 86 year old grandmother will be there, but I won't. I will be able to watch it on t.v. until about the end of the 3rd quarter, then Cary and I have to be somewhere. Somewhere I don't really want to be, but I can't be specific on that just in case a certain someone reads my blog. So in the case that it's a close game, which most Aggie games usually are, I won't be able to listen on the radio or watch it on t.v. which is just COMPLETE TORTURE to me!



And that, my friends, is why I'm going through DEEEEPRESHONE! Not just depression. DEEEEPRESHONE! I'm going to go cry a river, no a lake, no an ocean into my pillow!

They Fight Over Brocolli???

Seriously. Would you think it? Today at lunch I fixed the girls some mac and cheese with steamed brocolli. There was an all out WAR over the brocolli. I couldn't believe my eyes. They were stuffing it in their mouths as fast as they could so the other one wouldn't eat more than them. Lexi kept saying with her mouth full, "Mommy, she's eating too much. I wanted that piece." And Ashton would yell with her mouth full, "No Lessi! Mine!" And the mac and cheese...untouched! At least until every last piece of brocolli in the house had been eaten and then they had to settle for mac and cheese. I know I don't have like a lot of mothering experience, but I'm pretty sure this isn't normal toddler behavior.

And now for an update on my little princess prisoner...she's been sleeping in Lexi's room for the past 3 nights and napping there as well. She's slept great all three nights in there. One thing I was worried about was that they might talk and play around rather than going to sleep at bedtime. But that hasn't been a problem at all. I usually sit nearby so I can hear them for a few minutes and they haven't made a peep. And I was also worried that she would get out of her bed too early in the mornings, which she can't do in the crib b/c she can't climb out. But that hasn't been a problem either. She and Lexi usually wake up at the same time and just lay in their beds and talk until one of us hears them and goes to get them. So all is well again! Everyone is sleeping. I guess they will share a room for now. Until they're, oh, about ages 11 and 13 and they can't stand each other!

"You know who I love Mommy?"

This is a conversation Lexi and I had in the car yesterday.

Music was playing on the radio, one of those sappy, mushy "Casting Crowns" songs that make you wish you had a box of Kleenex in your console.

Lexi: "You know who I love Mommy?"

Me: "Who's that baby?" (bracing myself for an answer like, Granny, Daddy, The Doodlebops, Elmo, her imaginary friend Kalli, you know anybody except for MOMMY.)

Lexi: "Jesus."

Me: (quickly trying to swallow the lump in my throat and hold back the tears) "Ahh, sweety, that's the best thing you could have ever said. Jesus loves you too, and that makes Him so happy to hear you say that."

Lexi: "So Jesus is happy now? Good, maybe it won't rain!"



Lexi Lou: I am so proud of you. God's love truly reflects through you. You're always singing your own praise songs to "Jesthus", making them up as you go along. Your songs are so precious to Him, I know. You seem to know even before we read the book to you which ones are about God, and those are the ones you want to sleep with, eat with, and carry around with you all day. I remember when MiMi and Dada G gave you the tiny little pink Bible and you were so proud of it. You carried it with you everywhere for at least a month. We've talked about having Jesus in our hearts before and the other day, you asked me, "Mommy, does Jesus eat?" I said, "Well, honey, I don't know. I mean He's God, so I guess He can eat if He wants to, but He doesn't need to eat." "I think He eats." "Okay, why's that?" "Because when I eat, the food goes down past my heart to get to my tummy. And since Jesus is in my heart, I guess He eats what I eat. I hope he likes apples. Mommy, do you think He likes apples?" "Yes, baby, I'm QUITE sure He likes apples."

I love you Lexi Lou!!! You are truly God's blessing to us. I can't wait to see what He has in store for your life. It is such a privilege to be your mommy!

Prison Escape

Someone has escaped from behind bars! And I think they're in my house!!!!

That prisoner is my 2 yr old, Ashton, and she has escaped from behind the cherry wood bars of HER CRIB! She was born with a sentence of total isolation behind bars for 12 hours a day and she served 2 and a half years of her three year sentence. But the day has come, as I knew it would. This prisoner has always had a lot of fight in her and finally, the prisoner has rebeled against the warden and won! The wardens surrendered just a few short hours ago. Oh, sweet Jesus, please keep the prisoner tamed and under control long enough for the wardens to get just a few hours of sleep.

We have always been so blessed to have two angels when it comes to bedtime. Both of our girls have always gone to sleep in their own beds very easily, without a fight. But ever since our return from Texas, just over a week ago, we have gone through HECK to get Ashton to sleep in her bed. It's been 8 nights of misery for everyone in the house! So tonight, we caved. Lexi has a toddler couch that folds out in her room, so we put some cozy sheets and blankets on it and that is where our sweet baby Ashton is sleeping tonight. Except that she's not a baby. She's two and a half and about 8 months older than Lexi was when she moved to a big girl bed. I guess we'll be bed shopping this weekend, either for a trundle to go with Lexi's bed or for some cool princess castle bunk bed or something else I thought I'd never in my life own! My girls are growing up! Fortunately, the prisoners do NOT outnumber the wardens as we have chosen to maintain a healthy one on one prisoner/warden ratio.

The prisoner will be allowed to make other sleeping arrangements on a probationary status and if she can successfully follow the curfew rules, she will be officially pardoned from her cell. But still under house arrest!

A Football Kind of Day & Ashton's Teacher

This has been the first Saturday in September that I've actually been home to watch college football. I've been in route to College Station the last 3 Saturdays to watch my Aggies. So today was kind of relaxing. We all watched ESPN College Gameday as a family this morning while eating our cereal, then Cary grilled out some fajitas and took the girls to the pool and the park while I cleaned house and took a nap. And tonight we've watched non-stop football. It's kind of nice to enjoy the games without the stress of watching or listening to my own team, which makes me nervous most games. I thought I was over the disappointment of the Miami game, but the score keeps flashing at the bottom of the screen on ESPN just bringing back the pain over and over again.

I went to a baby shower this afternoon and several of my Floridian friends asked me about my trip to Miami. When I told them about the culture shock I faced, they all validated my views by saying that Miami and the Orange Bowl has that reputation of being a place you don't really want to go. One of the girls, who went to Florida State, said that when her team played in Miami, they never went to those games because of that reason. I also got my A&M 12th Man magazine today and it had a little note about the substandard conditions of the Orange Bowl. You can read my post below about my experience in Miami.

Well, I spoke with Ashton's teacher yesterday about her behavior. If you're not sure what I'm talking about you can read the post further down about my "problem child." Incidentally some idiot posted a comment about me calling her the problem child and apparently he/she did not read the post because it's all about how she's NOT a problem child, but that her teacher has labeled her as that. But that's another story! So I explained to the teacher how she gets nothing but perfect comments about her behavior from the church nursery and other places she goes to and I asked if Ashton was targeting certain children or if this was occuring during certain activities. Okay, ya sittin' down for this one???? THERE ARE NO CONSEQUENCES! NONE! I was floored! She said she doesn't use time out because she doesn't feel they truly understand that at the age of 2, mind you some of those kids are almost 3, and I've been using time outs since my kids were 18 months. And THEY GET IT! Trust me. It works. So I very nicely said, "Of course she's hitting and pulling hair. She can get away with it here." I urged her to PLEASE start using time outs with her and getting down on her eye level, firmly explaining to her that her bahavior is unacceptable, then having her sit out for 2 minutes, and apologizing to the child she hit. She said she would try it with her. We'll see! Ashton is like most 2 yr olds, you give her an inch, she'll take a mile. You give her a boundary line and she will walk up to that line and stand on the edge of it and look at you and just smile! So she figured out real quick that she could go to this fun place called school and have her way with people and not get in trouble like she does at home. You've GOT to be kidding me. No consequences! Just "positive reinforcement". Really? And how's that workin' for ya?

A Day of Grieving

34-17...not such a bad score really. But that score does not really reflect how completely awful the game truly was. They played a better game. What more can I say? We ran out of time. (Aggies never lose.) Their offense wasn't that great. But neither is our defense. I've been saying that for the last 3 weeks. Our running game, ranked #5 in the country, was SHUT DOWN. And I wish I had that attitude of "Oh well, it's just a game." But it's NOT just a game to me. It's just not. And only if you have a really close emotional tie to a school or team could you possibly begin to understand that.

For now I'd like to focus on the reason why my head is still spinning from last night's game. I feel like I've been to hell and back. And it has NOTHING to do with the actual game, but rather my experience in Miami. I've heard so much about the "mystique" of the Orange Bowl. The only mystique I found there to be was whether or not I would make it out ALIVE! Let's see, how should I describe the Orange Bowl? The word "dump" comes to mind. I overheard a fellow Aggie call it a sh**hole. And while the language was offensive, I thought the statement to be a completely accurate assessment of the environment. I heard more gangster or "gangsta" rap, I guess I should call it, in one night than I've heard in my WHOLE LIFE and it wasn't coming from people's cars or bedroom windows. No, it was coming from the stadium sound system. For FOUR SOLID HOURS y'all. But then again, I guess that's what thugs listen to and well, that place was full of thugs. Which would explain why I feared for my life the entire night. Fortunately I was surrounded by about 5000 of my closest Aggie friends. The clean cut, well behaved, normal looking crowd. I kept my eyes on the field, praying for the safety of our players, that a Miami player wouldn't like pull out a switchblade after being tackled.

Miami is very much a "t-shirt school". Not many actually attend or graduate from there, but many buy their t-shirts and show up on game day. The student section was VERY SMALL, like the size of a high school game crowd. And there were only about 40,000 in attendance or about half the size of a normal Aggie game. No video jumbo-tron, just a teeny tiny LED screen that printed words in about 3 or 4 colors. I guess I'm spoiled to the largest high def screen in the country in Kyle Field. Where you can even see the blemishes on people's faces, the picture is so clear....only I would notice something like that. Oh, and the Miami team came out on the field through this blow up football helmet and there was a smoke machine, but it didn't blow smoke continuously. It blew like a puff at a time, which made it all the more funny to watch. And all I could think was THANK YOU GOD that we don't do cheesy things like that at Kyle Field.

Something else I'm spoiled to that was NOT at the Orange Bowl...GOOD FOOD! Cary and I didn't have time to go eat in Miami so we thought we'd just buy something at the stadium. At Kyle Field, you can get Papa John's pizza, On the Border fajitas, Wings from Wings N More, bar-b-que, and so much more. Their selection...hot dogs, peanuts, coke, water, and beer! That's it! No nachos, no burgers, no giant pretzels. And on the top section where we were, they didn't even sell hot dogs. Cary had to go back to the lower section to get us a hot dog. It was so pathetic. None of the sections were marked with their numbers so we kept having to go up to people in uniform to ask them what section we were in. NOTHING was marked. The announcer was a dead beat. Here's a quote, "Let me hear a SOOOOOEEEEEEEEEE" and I thought does he think they're playing Arkansas? Then he said, "Give me an A, give me another A, give me an E, give me an S. Now what does that spell?" And Cary and I just looked at each other like "I don't know, what DOES that spell?" And everyone wearing green and orange yelled out "GO CANES". We couldn't stop laughing. That place would not meet the standards of any other university I'm quite sure.

And OH THE PARKING....I can't believe I almost forgot this part. There was no parking. And the stadium is in like this Little Havana section of Miami. Probably not the safest of areas. But all of the residents were standing out in their yards holding up signs, "$30 parking". THIRTY BUCKS! I almost had a heart attack. And not only did you have to pay, but then you had to worry for the next 4 hours about whether or not your car and its contents would still be there when you got back. We found a townhome unit that charged $18, but they stacked the cars in, so once you were in, you couldn't get out till everyone behind you got out. So that's what we ended up doing and there were 6 cars behind us. And I got out of my car and about 1 foot away was the opened front door where a family was sitting in their living rooms watching T.V. BIZARRE! And then I passed by 4 more opened doors where other families were sitting in their living rooms as I walked to the street. When we got back to our car and we were standing there waiting for the other cars behind us to leave, the guy parked behind us offered Cary some marijuana. He was a Canes fan, let's just clarify. And while Cary was being offered marijuana, three men walked in front of my car and whipped it out and just started peeing up against the brick wall. Not three men at the same time, but separately. You get the idea.

It was total culture shock for me y'all. I'm so used to my Aggie bubble world where everyone is clean cut, normal, acts educated (mostly), where tradition is oozing from the hallowed ground, the fans are welcoming but high spirited, and the environment REEKS of class, comraderie, and professionalism. So even though the Ags ran out of time on the scoreboard, once again, I was reminded of how proud I am to be an Aggie.

Gig'Em...Beat the Hell Outta Baylor!

Headin' To Miami...

First of all, check out my tradition spotlight on the left in order to learn all about another Aggie tradition, Midnight Yell, because I know you want to know all things Aggie. So I'm going to watch my FOURTH Aggie game in FOUR weeks y'all...let's give it up for my Maroon Bleedin' Fightin' Texas Aggie self! And I'll pause there while you all WHOOP in my honor. And cause I know you're just dyin' to know what that whole "whoop" thing means, I'll explain. In Aggieland, we have like our own language of sorts, and traditions that only we understand. It's often been referred to as a "cult" by outsiders and that's okay. It kind of is my "other religion". The saying about Aggieland goes, "From the outside looking in, you can't understand it, and from the inside looking out, you can't explain it." But a "whoop" is a loud voice of approval. Only juniors and seniors and alumni are really supposed to whoop, or whoever an alumni gives "whooping privileges", which would be ALL OF YOU my bloggity friends. It's called our "wildcat" and after an Aggie yell or any time you want to show approval for something in Aggieland, you do your wildcat. Freshman raise their hands in the air and yell "A" for a really long time. Sophomores yell, "A-A-A-A-A" with a different hand motion that I can't really describe, juniors and seniors get to whoop with crisscrossed fingers pointing down or up respectively and a senior crosses their fingers so their Aggie ring shows. Okay, so now that you're thorougly confused or have just quit reading because LIKE YOU CARE...consider yourselves edjumacated on Aggie wildcatting.

Okay, so back to my theme here, I'm heading down to Miami for our Thursday night game on ESPN against the Canes. Look for Cary and I on t.v. 6:30 p.m. Central time. We are ranked #16 in the USA Today Coach's Poll and the Hurricanes are NOT ranked. However, with the total mediocrity with which we have been playing defense (even last week with a 40 point win...our defense STUNK y'all. They did!) I am fully expecting to be outscored at some point in the near future (cause Aggies never lose, but we sometimes do run out of time). So while I'm hoping to be 4-0 after tomorrow, I truly think this game will go to whichever team wants it badly enough. And I hope that's my Aggies! If the game comes down to which team can score the most points, we'll win. Our offense rocks. But if the game comes down to which defense can keep the other team from scoring, we're in trouble. My 86 year old grandmother could get through our defensive line.

So if we do get outscored, just know that I will be in mourning on Friday. Please don't comment on my blog with your sympathies, don't call me, don't email me, don't send me flowers. Just pray for my family as they deal with my mood.

And if you actually got through this whole bloggity nonsense of a post, congratulations...give yourselves a high five. Maybe you should get a life....but congratulations. Cause seriously I don't even want to read it.

But most importantly...BEAT THE EVERLOVIN HELL OUTTA MIAMI...WHOOP!

Help Feed the Animals

Y'all know what an animal lover I am! A house is not a home without them!!!! I love my fur babies. Here's your chance to help feed shelter animals. It's FREE! All you have to do is click on this link, then click on the big purple box. Sponsors donate food based on the number of people who visit this site. It's all a big advertising thing. So all you have to do is click and with each click, you are donating .6 bowls of food for the shelter.
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=3

Start Clickin'!

Night & Day

I have two children who are night and day different. Which makes like interesting. Today as I was watching Ashton organize her grapes by size while Lexi was getting out like a gazillion toys and tossing them on the floor I couldn't help but notice how different they really are. Those of you who know me well know that I'm a clean freak. I clean EVERY day. I vacuum every day. I can't stand mess or dirt. I'm a total perfectionist when it comes to cleanliness. And so obviously God felt He needed to give me a child who is the polar opposite??? Lexi, my creative genius, is so messy. She thrives on messiness. Ten minutes after she was in our freshly cleaned car, her little area was a total disaster with shoes thrown around, wet wipes on the floor, and all 5 toys tossed about from her backpack. She had gotten some raisins out of my bag and they were all over the place. TEN MINUTES Y'ALL! Disaster! Today I had straightened up the house before Daddy got home and everything was in its place. 30 minutes later, you couldn't see the floor in her room or our living room. Thank God she's so darn cute! And HIGHLY highly creative, which may explain the messiness. Ashton, on the other hand, is my little neat freak. She likes to organize things by size or color or just line them up in straight rows. She LOVES to help clean up. She can't stand to have food or anything sticky on her hands or face. When she's done eating, she likes to tidy up her eating area. She tries to help me unload the dishwasher and vacuum each day. She's very analytical, always has been. Loves to see how things work. So I have a creative, messy child and an analytical, neat freak! Lexi is the nurturer, Ashton loves to be nurtured. Since Lexi was old enough to sit up she has always had a baby in her arms. She is a mommy to everything. When her babies get taken away as a punishment, she finds a pencil or a paper cup to be her baby! Lately she's been breastfeeding her babies! Yes, breastfeeding! Ashton, on the other hand, always wants to be the baby. She wants to be held and cuddled all day. She's my pocket baby. She'd be happy to just be carried around in my pocket all day. She kind of likes babies, but she tortures them more so than nurturing them. Lexi whines at the slightest ounce of pain. Ashton is tough as nails. Because she's had to be. Her sister has been inflicting pain on her since birth. Lexi very physical as an infant. She did everything early. Crawled at 5 months, was pulling up at 7 months, was walking at 9 months. Ashton was totally content to just be carried around and cuddled till about 15 months. That's when she finally decided to do something with herself!

I could go on and on. Different as night and day. And that's what makes things so much fun!

My Problem Child

Does this look like the face of trouble, I ask you? Ashton had another bad day at school today. Her teacher said she was hitting and pulling hair...A LOT! She said that the boys in the class are pretty low key and that Ashton is the instegator. I have the problem child??? Me, the perfect mom, has a problem child? I'm kidding on that perfect mom thing. I mean, I'm good, but I'm not perfect. Okay, as a former teacher talking here, I don't want to have "THAT KID" and I don't want to be "THAT MOM" either. So I'm trying to decide what would be the best way to handle this situation. If others were saying the same thing, I wouldn't be so puzzled or surprised by this report, but she only gets GOOD reports at the church nursery (where she spends about 6 hours a week) and I've seen her interact with LOTS of other kids at the park, at indoor playgrounds, at play groups and at friends' houses and I've NEVER seen her be the bully, but rather very friendly and sociable. I even called two friends who have kept her for me recently, who also have little ones of their own for her to play with, and they also said she has never been any trouble. She always gets along with everyone just fine. So it really makes me wonder what is so different about this particular environment that brings out the aggression in her. I don't want to make excuses for her. I know the 2nd born tends to be a little tougher. She's had to fight for her rights all her little life! But even at home with sister, she's rarely the one that hits or pulls hair (at least not without a good reason!) Don't get me wrong, she can hold her own and she's defintely got a mind of her own, but the reports I'm getting seem so out of character to me. I'm going to talk to her on Wednesday when I go pick up Lexi from school. I want to give her a few more weeks and see if we can work together to fix this problem, but if that doesn't work I fear she may be kicked out of school or worse...a 2 yr old dropout!!! Oh and just in case you forgot...HER DADDY IS A CHILDREN'S PASTOR!

Game Day and Chest Pains

Don't panic...Not the kind of chest pains that deal with emergency rooms, I'll explain later. Ags win 54-14...WHOOP! Couldn't have asked for a better way to end my trip to Texas. I'll be heading back to Florida Sunday afternoon, so please pray for me as I am trapped on a big bird with a 4 yr old and a 2 yr old for 3 hours going through Granny detox! Should be pleasant. I must confess, although I am so fired up about seeing the love of my life (that would be Cary, not Texas A&M, although it's a close one) I'm not terribly excited about going back to reality. And it has nothing to do with anyone or anything in Florida. Our friends and church family treat us like gold. We couldn't ask to be surrounded by nicer people. But I am definitely suffering from "chest pains". My heart hurts over saying goodbye once again to all that is home to me. Texas is in my veins y'all! And God knows I bleed maroon! But I want to be obediant to God and I trust that He will provide comfort in my discomfort and I know He will continue to bless us for our obedience in serving Him. But I can't help and ask sometimes, "WHY GOD, WHY? Why can't we serve you IN TEXAS???" I know He has his reasons, which I just have to trust. At least He did send us to the entertainment capitol of the world right? And to the prettiest beaches in the country! My husband says, "God knew it would take Disneyworld to get you outta Texas!" And he's right.

Here are some pics from our day in Aggieland!

We met up with Aunt Alecia at Wings N More before the game and stuffed our bellies with the yummiest wings EVER!

We watched the band and the Corps march in!

The nationally famous FIGHTIN' TEXAS AGGIE BAND...WHOOP! We ALWAYS win at halftime!

These girls were already zapped and the game hadn't even started yet! This was sitting on the street corner waiting for march in.

Gig'Em Aggies...future fightin' Texas Aggie class of 2025...WHOOP!

Ashton can't do a Gig'Em sign, so she just raises her pointer...#1...that's okay Ash, close enough. Future Fightin Texas Aggie Class of 2027...WHOOP!

Ashton was too busy looking at the Aggie band which was right behind me marching down the street.

Their favorite part of Aggie games...eating yummies!

It's kind of dark, but that's a full Kyle Field behind me and the Aggie band marching at half time.

Gig'Em!

Watch for me and Cary on ESPN Thursday night. We're headed down to Miami to watch the Ags BEAT THE HELL OUTTA MIAMI!

Farmers Fight!

My Weekend Picks

I'm going on the record right now...Oklahoma will play for the national championship. It pains me to say. Oh well, at least it's a Big 12 team. They will most likely play LSU, perhaps USC. I hate OU, but I think they're the real deal, full package team this year. I know. I hate it. It's sickening. And God help the Aggies on Nov 3 when we travel to Norman to play them.

Okay now for my weekend picks. Please know, there is absolutely NO professional opinion taken into account when I am making these picks. I can't seem to find any college football talk on the radio that's clean enough for my kids to hear and all that is on my TV is Noggin or Disney, not ESPN! So my picks are usually based on how well I like the team mascot, the color of their uniforms, their coach, oh and their win/loss record but mostly I just rub my hands across my forehead until a true psychic prediction becomes clear as mud and there you have it. The cooky thing is that I still seem to be mostly accurate.

Missippissi, I mean Mississippi State at Auburn...I pick Auburn. But one of these days State fans, one of these days, your dawgs will be victorious. Not quite sure why ol' Sylvester still has a job. One of those days!

HEY JESS...are you ready? #22 Tennessee at #5 Florida...I think the first half will look like a good game. The vols will hang in there but I think Florida will take the lead in the 4th quarter and win this one.

#6 Texas (OVERRATED!) at Univ of Central Florida...I think my husband is going to this game??? Are you honey? The golden knights aren't a bad team but Texas will have an easy win. They seemed to have finally found their game in the 2nd half against TCU.

Notre Dame at Michigan...both teams 0-2, who knew? This one is like, flip a coin, they both stink! I'm only picking Michigan because I just don't think they could lose 3 in a row at home. Now the Irish have grown accustomed to losing in last decade. But this one is a total guess to me!

My sis in law will love me for this one...Southern Miss (GO EAGLES) at East Carolina...she's a southern Miss girl and I'm picking them to win this one! Those Carolina boys ain't no match for them big fried chicken eatin Southern Miss boys.

#16 Arkansas at Alabama...I'm picking Bama. Nick Saban is one of the BEST coaches in all of football and Bama is back. Besided the hogs only have like 1 player on the team, McFadden, and I think he's gonna get tired tomorrow!

Louisiana Monroe at #25 Texas A&M...BTHOLM! My Ags, God love em, have been nothing above mediocrity the last 2 weeks. This should no doubt be a win, but I want to see them HAMMER someone, not go to triple overtime. I want total domination. There's no reason we shouldn't be able to. We have tons of experienced talent. I hope to see some greatness tomorrow.

Texas State at Gaylor, I mean Baylor. Go Bears, I know you can do it! Get the win while you can cause Big 12 play starts in just a week or two.

#1 USC at #14 Nebraska...GO HUSKERS! I think USC will experience a loss this year and this could be the week. The huskers are much improved and this is a home game and everyone knows you don't mose with those crazy corn head people! I would love to see these farm boys kick some hippy bootie! (I think USC will win, but I'm sure gonna pull for Nebraska!)

Florida State at Colorado...GO BIG 12...I'm picking the Buffs. I don't know why. Probably a mistake, but I think they can do it. FS is nothing special these days.

And there you have it...my picks! That's pure genius right there now!

True Confession...I'm REALLY a Mexican!

We are back at my mom's house in Seguin, which is half way between Austin and San Antonio, about 45 min from each city. And today the thought hit me, being in the Alamo city...I think I could be Mexican. I could eat Mexican food every freakin day and never get tired of it. I love me a good siesta! And I got CURVES baby and I like my curves and my man likes my curves. And everyone knows in Mexico, all the pretty women are very curvy. I also clean a mean house and I work for VERY VERY little pay. Oh and I like silver and turquoise jewelry! So you see, I'm a perfect Mexican! So today we went into San Antonio to eat at the BEST Mexican food EVER! I was watching the Travel channel a few weeks ago and Mi Tierra was on there for their awesome food and bakery. I had been there before but forgot how good it was. I was ready to jump a plane right that second to get me some good TexMex. So that's where we ate today. Honey bun...I'm bringing you home the best pralines in the land according to the Travel Channel. (They are mighty tasty...I'm eating one right this second.) We got a mariachi serenade and everything. I couldn't understand the whole song, but I picked up on the cockroach drinking Coca Cola! My kind of roach! Then we headed over to the Alamo for a few pics. Now to some Texans, the Alamo is just an icon, but I taught Texas History for 4 years so it's always so neat to be there where Texas history was made. (Although it was an ugly battle true Texans would like to forget! We actually didn't win the battle of the Alamo!) Here are the pics from today...

The girls had a hard time deciding what type of cookie they wanted at Mi Tierra's bakery. It's HUGE!

Remember the Alamo!

BFF... Part 2

Lexi and Molly...BFF!

Pardon me while I get out my kleenex. You might want to also! (Especially you, Audra!) Earlier in the week, I posted about Lorrri, my BFF. Well, here's a second generation BFF story. We met Caleb and Audra at a company event in May '04. Caleb and Cary worked together. Audra and I talked for a long time that night and found out we had so much in common. We were both stay at home moms of 1 yr olds, just 2 months apart in age. And we both went to the same church. A few weeks later, we were all on a company trip to Las Vegas and we spent lots of time hanging out since we were the only 2 couples behaving properly! After the Vegas trip, we started spending LOTS and LOTS of time together since our husbands both worked the same bizarre schedules with the same days off. We were single moms together! And our girls, Lexi and Molly, became instant friends. A few months later, Audra had her second baby, Katie, and a few months after that, I had Ashton. And who brought me a chocolate milk shake while I was in labor and helped me get my eye makeup on just in time to push that baby out? That would be Audra! You gotta have on your makeup for those post delivery pictures, you know! And I've since quit keeping up with Audra's baby making because she's now pregnant with #4! (Molly is the oldest at age 4, so send some prayers her way y'all! God love her!) Long story short...Audra and I became inseperable, which meant our children were also inseperable. Their family is our family and vice versa! Which has made this move to Florida all the more difficult for me. I prayed for this type of friend to come along in my life for so long and then when she did, God moved us 1000 miles away! One thing that has been so hard is hearing Lexi say things like, "Mommy, I want to see Molly" or "Mommy, can we go to Texas and see Molly?" It just rips my heart out! Molly is truly Lexi's best friend! And at the age of 4, you'd think they might forget each other or the time apart would put a damper on their friendship. But not so! Lexi was chompin' at the bit all the way up I35 on Monday saying, "Mommy, drive faster. I want to see Molly!" And they spent a lot of time together this week and just immediately picked up right where they left off. Yesterday, when they had to say goodbye, there were tears on both ends. Lexi cried and cried as we left the parking lot. Which made me cry and cry. And I think I cried all night till I finally fell asleep! My eyes have been puffy all day. Saying goodbye just sucks. I hate it! Lexi and Molly, your mommies are committed to seeing to it that you never have to say goodbye for too long in between visits sweet girls! Best friends forever!!! (and on a sidenote... even though her parents both went to Texas Tech and Audra ended up with a degree from TCU, we do our share of Aggie brainwashing when the kids are in our care. So we do pray that maybe one day the girls can all room together at A&M!)

Hey Daddy...Here's Your Girls

Daddy has requested that I post pics of his children because it's been so long he can't remember what they look like. SO...these were all taken this week with our friends in Dallas.

Daddy, she's calling you!

Ella, Katie, Molly, Ansley & Lexi hangin' out! This is 3 families of children. Out of 7 kids, only 1 BOY! Poor fella. He's not in the picture.

The three amigos...Ansley, Molly & Lexi

Princess Emma and Princess Lexi

Princess Snow White prefers her magical sunglasses upside down. It gives her upside down vision!

Lexi and baby Parker

Lexi, Ashton & Payton

The NEW Texas Pledge???

Okay, so don't know if you've heard but the state of Texas has officially added a line to their state pledge. Where some are trying to take God out of their pledges, leave it to the lone star state to rock the boat under the leadership of the AGGIE governor, I might add...GO TEXAS and GO GOVERNOR PERRY!!!! So here is the NEW Texas pledge. I've put the new added line in red. YEA!

"Honor the Texas flag; I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state under God, one and indivisible."

Havin' Fun in the Big D

I've been in Dallas/Fort Worth since Monday. We've seen lots of friends! It took me over 2 hours to find a hotel on Monday night. Everything was BOOKED! So we ended up in Lewisville of all places! Not really where I wanted to stay, but it's a brand new hotel so it's okay. Although the A/C didn't work the first night and the next morning there was big puddle on the carpet near the window. I later noticed the ceiling was about to cave in! SO...needless to say, we changed rooms. My new room is great except that I have to do a body slam against the door to get it to open! Why is there always drama in my world? This is a major hotel chain. It's brand new. I don't get it. Oh well, comfy beds and we just have one more night. I think we can do it! When I get back to mom's I will post pictures. My husband is begging me to post pics of the girls so he can remember what his children look like. It's been a while!

More details and pics to come...

BFF

On Friday, I had the awesome privilege of spending the afternoon with my friend Lorri in Houston. Lorri is such a special person in my life. We've been friends for 33 years!!! Lorri and I grew up next door to each other. We lived a few feet apart for over 20 years. As kids, we played EVERY DAY for hours upon hours. We slumbered at each other's houses. We talked on the phone. We dressed each other up, spoke our own language, talked through the fence, waved at each other through the windows, and were basically inseperable. Everyone should have that kind of friend in their life! My little Lexi had that kind of friend in Molly until mean Daddy took us out of Texas! Just kidding! The only way our friendship could have possibly been any stronger is if she would have joined me at the most awesome university in the universe! But she took a different path that led her astray. Heeheee. Kidding. Lorri is a proud COUGAR from the University of Houston, home of the Phi Slamma Jamma and if you have no clue what that is, you've probably never spent much time in Houston! Anyways, a few years ago I was devestated to find out that my BFF, Lorri, had been diagnosed with Lymphoma, a very serious diagnosis. She had just gotten married and had her whole life ahead of her. I was so sad, it might as well have been my own diagnosis. Not a day went by that I didn't pray for a miraculous healing to take place. I added her to every prayer list imaginable. She went through chemo and radiation and I couldn't imagine how it must have been to take on something like that, especially at such a young age. But today, by the mighty healing hand of God, Lorri is CANCER FREE, thank you sweet Jesus! Because of all that she went through with her cancer, she is not able to have children. But God is so good. He has blessed Lorri and Anthony with a precious baby boy, although carried in another's womb, this baby was stitched in their hearts from conception. They received a call from their adoption agency just a few short weeks ago. There had been a baby boy born right there in Houston, that was in need of some loving parents. They are now his foster parents, and the adoption is pending. May God's hand be in every step of this adoption process Lorri and Anthony, just as His hand has so lovingly been on you to this point. Lorri's faith has been strengthened so much during her battle with cancer, she has no doubt that He will finish out the adoption process for them quickly and easily. Recently, Lorri's dad was also diagnosed with Lymphoma and he is also cancer free this very day!

Lorri, I love you, my soul sista! BFF! And I thank God for bringing us together 33 years ago!!!! I'm so happy for you. You deserve nothing but the best!!!!

Triple Overtime??? Seriously???

What a whirlwind of a weekend. A wonderful weekend. Topped off by an Aggie victory. An ugly, embarrassing, triple overtime victory, but a win is a win. Thursday evening, I got to have dinner with my friends Carol and Darrell in San Antonio and their two beautiful girls. My girls had a blast playing with their girls outside of Jason's Deli (one of my FAVORITE places to eat in TX). Yesterday, I loaded up the car and went to the big H-TOWN, Houston. My old stompin grounds. I grew up there and actually lived 24 years of my life in the Houston area, so that is truly home to me. It was fun to see the house I grew up in. The town, Pearland, which was about 25,000 in population when I moved away is now over 85,000 in population. CRAZY! I went to see my friend Lorri and her new baby boy. SO SWEET! I'm so happy for her. Then I went to my cousin's house to spend the night and saw more family I haven't seen in a long while and that was AWESOME! It had been way too long. I miss them terribly! Then I got up early this morning and drove to College Station for the game. The very LONG, hot, steamy game that we almost GAVE AWAY! At halftime we were up 19-0 and it was looking like not much of a competition. Then I can't really explain what happened, oh wait, I know...Mike Goodson left, Mike Goodson right, Mike Goodson left, and just cause you thought we couldn't possibly hand off to the same player 4 times in a row...MIKE GOODSON UP THE MIDDLE. Now I love Mike Goodson. He's a heck of a player, Heisman potential and only a soph. But...HEY FRAN, I THINK THEY FIGURED OUT YOUR PLAY BOOK! We should have a plethora of options on offense. We have the top tight end in the country. We have a haus named JTrain who could run through a brick wall. We have 3 excellent receivers. And a quarterback who can run, slide, flip, and singlehandedly catch rattlesnakes with his bare hands while killing coyetes with his bow and arrow. The kid is tough as nails. COME ON FRAN! But when the cool breeze started blowing and the rainbow spread across Kyle Field, I knew we were going to win. I'm really not kidding. There really was a rainbow just as overtime was starting. So I had peace. It was a sign! I knew we would be victorious. BUT GEEZ...FRESNO STATE...triple overtime...reallly???

Hey...how'bout those picks huh? Other than TX, I think I got them all right, didn't I??? Not too shabby for a chick who hadn't watched or listened to a lick of sports news all week!

I'm Angry!

Top 10 Reasons I'm Angry

by: Cary Cubitt

1. No one has responded to the amazing top ten list I worked so hard on in celebration of our 100th entry. Heather's latest has already gotten 3 responses, but mine, noooo. Notta!
2. I'm just too angry to come up with the remaining 9!
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10. Just kidd'n ya'll!

Love Ya,

Cary

Weekend Picks

If you haven't had a chance yet, PLEASE read the sweet and hillarious post my husband made below this one in honor of my 100th entry. Thanks honey bun...I miss you tons and sweet Jesus I love ya to pieces!!!!! XXXXXXOOOOOO

I'm leaving in the morning for Houston, so I had to get my weekly picks posted. I've heard from several of you that the sudden interest in college football as a result of my blog is making your husbands, shall we say, very excited if you know what I mean. Glad I can help! Saving one marriage at a time through the use of college sports. God works in mysterious ways, what can I say! Also, on the left sidebar of my blog, you will notice a NEW FEATURE in the place of the countdown clock...the tradition spotlight! I will change it out every week with a new A&M tradition. Cause you know if something happens more than once in Aggieland, we call it a tradition. I'm kidding. But we have LOTS of traditions. So read up...there will be a test and a PRIZE. So you'd better study. You think I'm kidding? And now...THE PICKS!!!! Made for the 2nd week in a row without the use of what those loser sportscasters have to say. I'm just going on total intuition here. You know, cause I'm kind of psycho like that some times.

Miami FL at Oklahoma...the Okies will smokie the hurricanes. GO BIG 12! (Even though I DESPISE Oklahoma!)

#16 Nebraska at Wake Forest... The huskers gonna take those demons behind the wood shed. Didn't WF win the ACC last year? Not sure what is going on there. But GO BIG RED! and the Big 12 will shine!

Alabama at Vanderbilt...SWEET HOME ALABAMA baby! The tide gonna roll all over Vandy.

Boise State at Washington...don't know why I care. But I do like Ty Willingham, Washington's coach and I think this could be their break out year. Even though no one else is talking about them. And besides Boise State plays on that annoying blue field.

Fresno State at A&M..DUH...Beat the Hell Outta Fresno State!

South Carolina at Georgia...South Carolina's gonna give em heck, but the dawgs will win. Sorry Bennett.

Notre Dame at Penn State...I think Penn's overrated. But then again, the Irish STANK last week. So I guess I'm going with Jo Pa's Nittany Lions. Whatever a Nittany Lion is. Why don't they just call it a Lion?

#19 TCU at #7 (overrated) Texas...The horns are goin down in what will probably be the best matchup of the weekend. Did anyone else see that Texas almost couldn't beat ARKANSAS STATE last weekend? Seriously! I don't get it. THE AGGIES defeated Texas at the end of the season, as did someone else (KState or someone mediocre) and they still start the season in the top 10???? Whatever.

#9 Virginia Tech at #2 LSU...HATE HATE HATE the purple and gold cajuns, whatever they are. Oh yeah, Tigers. Grrrrrrr... Love VA TECH but I think LSU will win.

And that's that! I'm off to Houston in the moring and from there to College Station. So I won't be back at my mom's till late Saturday night. May the Lord bless your homes with more college football than you can stand this weekend! And may you kick your husband's tails with your picks!

100th Entry!!!

Top 10 Reasons I want my family back...

by: Cary Cubitt

1. Pillows can't hug back.
2. I don't want my life to be a novel that I read on our family website. I want it to be a movie where I am the Super Hero riding off into the sunset with my beautiful wife... We'll come back for the kids, I promise.
3. Candice can't make chicken soup, but she tries her best to make me feel better with wet licks to the face, and her breath strangely smells like chicken soup. (In case anyone doesn't know... Candice is our dog, not our housekeeper.)
4. It's too quiet here!
5. I have actually gotten my fill of FBI Files and Deep See Detectives and am looking forward to finding some Blues Clues with my girls.
6. The usual Estrogen to Testosterone ratio of 2 to 1 has reversed and its just not healthy. Baloo and I lie around on the couch scratching ourselves and watching Crocodile Hunter, dreaming of what it would be like, while Candice rolls her eyes at us, thinking, that's a bunch of Croc! (Baloo is our cat.)
7. Playing in the sand with other peoples' children just doesn't go over with the locals. Lighten up people!
8. Ahh, I miss the smell of fresh poop in the morning!
9. After shedding about 9 pounds from a stomach virus, I'm looking pretty trim and buff, and want to do a little muscle dance for my wife. I don't mean little muscles I mean little dance, well you know what I mean, I mean nothings little just the dance. Aughhh! Forget it! No Dance!?%$*

10. Although Candice beating her tail on the couch and Baloo clawing the rug make me feel very welcomed and loved when I get home, there is just nothing like coming home to the most beautiful loving wife in the world and the two most adorable rug rats. I Love Y'all soooo much!

Let's give it up for my wife in celebration of her...our 100th blog entry! Doesn't she do such a great job? I am so thankful that she cares enough to do something like this. It's going to mean a lot the the kids someday. I love you honey and I am so proud of you. COME BACK SOON!

Wish I Had Something Exciting to Write About...

but I don't! I got nothin' people! You'd think I'd be livin it up in the Lone Star State. Partyin' till the cows come home. But my mom's been working from home this week from 1-10 p.m. and she uses all three computers, so I can't get online during that time. She's on a conference call that whole time training people in God knows where, so I can't talk on the phone! And it has to be silent on her side of the house b/c the sound of wild indians singin a war dance in the background would not be professional. So I have to keep the natives entertained on the other side of the house. So you see, not really an exciting trip thus far. But her job pays for me to come here and buys all my childrens' clothing, so can I really compain? I was supposed to go to Dallas this week, but my stomach bug put a dent in those plans. I'm STILL recovering! Today was my first day to NOT sit on my holy throne but I only ate a half a bowl of soup. So I haven't even gotten to enjoy that yummy Texas cuisine I was longing for! But hopefully everything will be on the up and up after today. Tomorrow I am meeting a dear friend of mine in San Antonio for dinner. So that will be fun and I can't wait to see her! Friday, I'm heading to Houston to visit friends and family that I haven't seen in like 6 years so that will be exciting, I'm going to the Aggie game on Saturday, and then heading to Dallas next week to visit lots of friends and play and eat and get caught up. Can't wait!!! Then there will be one more Aggie game that following Saturday then I head back to FL on that Sunday. That's my trip in a nutshell. I am, however, enjoying my mom's very cozy and clean house with hot baths GALORE just so you don't think my trip is totally sucking!

Please pray for Cary. He's had this virus since FRIDAY and it hit him WAY harder than it hit me. He's been at work the last 2 days, but he's still running fever and can't keep anything in him. I think I finally convinced him to go to the doctor tomorrow. Not that they can do anything about a virus. But I want to make sure he's not dehydrated. He hates water and won't drink it. He drinks sodas and juice instead and that sugar is not helping things I'm sure. SO..any of our friends reading this in Florida, if anyone just might be having oh I don't know, homemade chicken and rice or jello or something kind of bland for dinner the next few days, can you please feed my husband? I'd be so greatful! He's had a half a bowl of spaghettio's, a half a manwhich, and some KFC mashed potatoes. That's all he's had since Friday. Just keep him in your prayers. He's trying to get back to normal and he's SO sick and tired of being sick and tired, but this virus just won't leave him alone. And please pray that my girls don't get it. That would pretty much destroy the rest of the trip. I've been germ xing and washing hands like crazy and I stayed in my room all day Sunday and Monday trying not to expose them.

Well, that was a lot considering "I had nothing exciting to write about..."

The PERFECT Backpacks

I now present to you...

THE PERFECT TODDLER BACKPACKS

Seriously...have you ever seen anything so cute? Even rainproof. They're the shiny vinyl material. With wheels! After making my purchase I skipped all the way to the car! AHHHHH....I can now SLEEP!

Our Weekend in Texas

I'm starting to feel a tiny bit better. Still got a little hitch in my get along, but I'm gettin' along nonetheless. If you have no clue what I'm talking about, read the post below this one. BAD stomach virus. And I was just saying last week how it's been like 4 years since I've had a stomach virus. Should've known! Cary has it too. Poor thing. He's SO sick. He's had it since Friday. But I had some homemade chicken/rice soup for lunch, two whole bowls! It was the first thing I'd had to eat since my wings on Saturday. And I just had a bowl of strawberry shortcake about an hour ago and I've been paying for it ever since. But it was worth it. And I may have to have another before bed time. I just finished watching the Texas Tech game, Aggie rejects. heehee. Sorry Audra and Amy. When I was in HS, we all had plans to go to A&M and the deal was whoever didn't get into A&M would go to Tech. Thus, the Aggie rejects.

But now a recap of our weekend. On Saturday early afternoon, we got all decked out in our 12th man gear and headed to the Holy Land. It was an emotional experience for me. I was holding back tears the whole way. I never in a million years thought I'd ever live more than a half day's drive from College Station. From New Braunfels to College Station, we have to take lots of back roads and we passed by this little mom and pop gas station/convenience store in the middle of nowhere. And the parking lot was FULL of like 30 men on horseback. Cowboy looking men. Like a trail drive. Mom and I just laughed. I said, "There's a blog picture" but I didn't turn around to take a pic. I was on a mission y'all! Wild horses couldn't keep me away from Aggie football...LITERALLY!

We got to town and had our wings then headed to the stadium. Mom and I have been doin' this whole season ticket thing long enough to know all the tricks. Others pay $10-20 for parking or park at the mall and ride the bus, but we know of the perfect student lot close to the stadium and if you're patient, you will always find a spot. And they don't ticket on game day. It's like a total free for all. So we parked and headed for the game. I choked back tears through all the pre-game stuff, especially the singing of "Texas, Our Texas". By the way, do people in other states even know their state songs by heart or do they have their own pledge? I don't know! Just curious. Cary says the Alabama state song is "Sweet Home Alabama" but know he's kidding. At least I hope he's kidding.

The game was less than perfection, as the Ag's defense struggled and allowed a WHOLE 7 points. No, really, they did struggle. The score could have been worse. The stadium was PACKED. I've never seen it so packed for a first game, an out of conference game too. I bet there were maybe 82,000??? Not a sell out, but it was crowded. The girls were SO good at the game. Lexi had a blast. She yelled, she sang, she swayed, she clapped, she danced. She loved it. Ashton was kind of freaked out, but very well behaved.

On the way home, my tummy started hurting. And then I was up all night with the BIG D! And was laid up all day yesterday with more BIG D! So I watched Paula Deen. Cause what can make a tummy virus feel better than a cooking show? I love Paula Deen. She says, "And I use a whole stick 'a butter...cause I can." LOVE HER! Amen Sista!

And now I must go watch me some MORE football. Florida State Criminals, I mean Seminoles vs Clemson. I know I picked Clemson the other day, but I don't know. This one's a tough call. I think it could go either way.

SICKNESS!

I've been super sick for the last 36 hours. Lucky me. Stomach virus. My cell phone has been ringing every hour and I have 30 something emails in my inbox and I PROMISE I WILL get back to all of you. But I'm not myself right now. So I'm going back to my home on the couch. Or the potty. Thank you LORD, He did let me enjoy my AGGIES before getting sick. I started getting sick on the way home Saturday night. And we won, 38-7, not a pretty win, but a win! I'm still ticked that we let them score 7.

For my friends in the Big D, my plans are still up in the air. If I'm well by tomorrow and my kids don't get sick, I'll come tomorrow, but otherwise I might have to wait till next week. I'll let y'all know.

It's Game Day!!!!!!!!!

The wait is over. Today's the day I've been waiting for! I got up at about 8:30 and had a yummy breakfast my mom made for me. Homemade breakfast tacos. Because only in TX can you go to the local grocery store deli and get FRESH tortillas made in the store. Oh they were so good.

Now I'm watching my favorite college football show on ESPN..College Gameday. I'm about to get my shower and put on my 12th Man Jersey and head to the Holy Land for some Fightin' Texas Aggie Football! Oh and some yummy wings! Gig'Em Ags! Beat the hell outta Montana State!