GO CARDS!

This is a big weekend in The Ville. No, it's not Derby. That's May. This is opening weekend of UofL Cards FOOTBALL season!!! woohoo!!! One of our favorite things to do is going to the very top row of section 212 and scream for 4 quarters. Now we don't always have something to cheer about (thank you Kragthorpe) but we can still yell and carry on with the best of them. Chris usually does the most yelling and his voice is usually raspy for 2-3 days. This year we are opening the season with the UK game. I think that's a great idea this year as we stunk it up so badly last year, the team is going to come out ready to get revenge. We have 40 hours until tailgating begins so I need to get busy with a plan for all day food!!!

Here's some pictures of the UofL games and tailgating from previous years!

Mark is loving the game!He's soooo cool with his CARD tat and sideways hat!
Mario catching a nap before the game!
Hard to see but that's Hunter Cantwell (QB and future Round 1 draft pick) with Matt and Mark! Ate dinner right next to him after the Syracuse game last year. According to Matt, I chose the same salad as Hunter's Dad. They were in a little bit of heaven right here.

Mark is showing his speed!
Matt's got his game face on! It's all biz! Love the hair!
Chilling before the game!
Aus is ready to kick off!

Marc, Susan, Terri and Chris @ WVU (That's an odd group of fans)! Do not send me hate mail - you set things on fire when you win???
Chris, Terri, Kathi and Al at the Gator Bowl in 2005

Chris, Terri, Kathi and Al at the Orange Bowl in 2006.
Celebrating the Orange Bowl Win!
This is where the National Championship picture could have been...

@#$#! Petrino!!!

All Over The World to Home

The US has many different climates, agriculture, landmarks, etc. and is a beautiful country. I don't have the need to see all the states but the ones I've visited are all very different and beautiful in their own way. Although, I was amazed that California interstates could be as boring as Indiana and Illinois.

But what amazes me more is how many different ethnicities there are in America. There are people, who don't believe this is a plus, and I don't understand that but I do understand that they have the right to feel that way.

I think about all the children I see adopted from different countries and can't get over it. It is fantastic that there are so many. Fortunately for our kids, this is the case. Someday people won't take note of a child who doesn't resemble the parents or siblings. Obviously, this doesn't bother Chris and I as we are fairly certain M will not resemble us LOL. We met a little boy adopted from the Ukraine this weekend who could not look more like his brother (completely different bio parents). It was scary how much the two kids looked alike. Meant to be. Matt cracked up when I told the Mom I didn't think our daughter would look a thing like her brothers. Blue eyed toe heads boys and my brown eyed girl. Currently, I am reading blogs by families who are adopting from Thailand, China and the Ukraine mentioned earlier. The programs are all incredibly different but the outcomes and emotions are the same. And I learned I need to work out - my upper body needs to be stronger or I'm going to be very sore! So I worked out and I am very sore...

In the meantime, I have sold the desk which took up most of Little M's room so my office is the couch again which I prefer anyway. I'm not sure I can completely empty her room out this early in the game but it made it feel closer by getting rid of the big desk. I'm leaning toward a white day bed with a trundle. This weekend Mark said, "I think I left my shoes in Mia's room." That was a little strange and real. Ironically, it rolled off his tongue like she would pop around the corner any minute. We are getting close enough to the big day that I sometimes wonder if she's already born. I try not to think about all that because it does make me sad to think what her biological mother is going through and whether M's getting the proper care and love that every child deserves. Of course, I tell myself she is. She is in a loving foster home.

A Minute Inside Terri's Mind

Chaos

Football is in 75 minutes so dinner is in 15
Spaghetti cooks in 10 - perfect
Today should be a 2 coffee day - sounds better than spaghetti
Pringles Stix pizza flavor are yummy
Need to go to Sams Club
Work is a mess. It will get better but this is why vacations are a bad idea.
The house needs to be cleaned NOW
I need to move the sprinkler
My neighbor's sprinkler system annoys me - I want one
I hope Melissa made it to Thailand and updates her blog
Better get to homework. Tomorrow is test day
Miss Cali crew
Miss vacation
Miss pools in the backyard
Miss VG walks
The pictures were worth the pain
UofL football starts next week
Hope we don't stink - We will
Sawatdee Khrap or Klap - sounds like clap not crap but it's spelled r - don't know. Very hard language to learn.

Best Wedding Dance Video

Chris and I received this a long time ago. I love it and it always makes me laugh out loud. Turn my music off at the bottom but make sure your speakers are on. I don't know these people but I'd love to thank them for making me laugh hundreds of times.

Mud, Football and Bleach

It rained buckets yesterday and Matt had practice. He had an absolute blast doing drills and tackling in the mud. His practice pants were white when he left for practice.

Here's the picture after practice.
Here's the picture after I washed them. What's my secret? Tide with Bleach, Clorox Bleach - Wash them 3 times in hot water and they're as good as new. I'll never use anything else.

Back to School...Already?

Hard to believe summer has flown by. If I wasn't so occupied with life, I'd have time to be sad. It will hit me in a week. Anyway, we're all exhausted so I served Doritos and Diet Mountain Dew for breakfast today. LOL I would have thought that was the coolest when I was a kid! But I figured it was better to jack them up with a little caffeine rather than send them to school asleep. Go ahead and talk about me. It was only a half day of school. They survived and Day One - they "really like their teachers!"

Olympics Hangover - We are so tired I'm not sure we'll ever get it together. We are banning Olympics tonight. That will change if Michael Phelps is going for a medal though. At the beginning of the Olympics, I made a conscious decision not to watch it all or even most of it - only watching women's gymnastics. UGH - but how can I not get wrapped up in it? How about that men's swimming relay where we made the French eat crowe? Can you even believe Michael Phelps? I bet his Mom gave him Mt. Dew for breakfast too. The Men's Gymnastics, complete with 2 alternates standing no chance and getting the Bronze? These kids practicing their entire lives for a ten second vault or those little China girls whose parents sent them away at the age of 3 to be an Olympic star because "it would be good for the family". Thank goodness the US isn't like that. China is a bit of a different world that I don't understand. Can you imagine - you only get to have one child and at age 3, you ship her off to Gymnastics Boot Camp in hopes of becoming one in a million? Anyway, I digress - going to get some sleep tonight.

6 Months Since Application

6 months have flown by. I have made one purchase for Little M - a Gymboree blanket. I think these are the greatest blankets ever and was very excited to find this one. I have been debating the bed issue - crib, toddler, day bed, trundle, twin, queen. No decisions as of yet but we have more than enough time as we won't even know her age for another 10-12 months.

I think I know Lesson 1 Pimsleurs Thai well enough to try Lesson 2. At this rate, I should be able to hire a translator by the time we travel! I can say "Excuse me, do you understand English?" I probably won't understand the person's response if they respond in Thai unless I learn "Slow Down". I can also say "I understand Thai a little" but why would I want to say that because I don't! LOL

California Day 15

Window problems - Packed and ready to go back to SF for our red-eye flight - we headed out for breakfast this morning. Matt, Mark, Lori and Dan were in Dan's Jeep. Chris and I decided to put the top down on the convertible one more time before it got too hot. I heard this loud POP! and knew that was not good. We put the top back up a bit to find the back window broken. We didn't really like this car anyway. We looked at each other in disbelief, said a few explicits and started cleaning up the mess. Turns out - Matt put the backpack in the storage behind the seats which caused the pop. He felt really bad. The funny thing was Chris thought I did it and I thought Chris did it for about an hour. We were both thinking Thank Goodness I didn't cause this. Then Matt came home and said he did it. We were both laughing at the situation.

So off to Budget to get a different car. Chris pulls out of Budget in the new rental car right into on-coming traffic. It was close enough for us to yell OH and not close enough for impact. Then we laughed half-way home about almost wrecking the car we had for 10 seconds. Then we laughed at the fact that we were laughing about broken windows and close calls deciding that if you spend 2 weeks in California without working, you really do become carefree and relaxed.

We wished we could have gotten a different flight pattern but unfortunately, prices were just too high so we were forced to take our return flight out of San Francisco. The drive up there gave us a chance to see more of California. Did you know they have a significant amount of cows there? And they make fun of us... Pictures don't do justice but there were acres and acres of wall-to-wall cows. We don't have that in KY.

Flight was uneventful - Mark slept from before takeoff to after landing, we woke him to get luggage where he immediately fell asleep in a chair waiting for it, woke him to walk to the car where he immediately fell asleep while waiting for it, put him in the car where he immediately fell asleep until we got home, carried him inside where he (you guessed it) immediately fell asleep for another 4 hours. I guess he'll do fine on the Thailand trip. Matt on the other hand became a little loopy - he slept most of the flight even though he says he didn't, asked me if I just wanted to hit Mark for being able to sleep everywhere while we were in baggage claim and again, while waiting for the car. Matt then slept all the way home and once we got home. The guy next to Chris kept leaning over using Chris as a pillow which I thought was hilarious. Chris not so much. I hope Mommy gear kicks in for me or the Thailand trip is going to be very rough. I could not have driven home from the airport without killing us. Kudos to Chris for being able to stay awake. My bed never felt so good.

Matt contemplating what he's going to do to Mark - hurry up luggage!
Mark sleeping on a cement bench and Matt pretending to sleep.

California Day 14

Too bad they didn't wear their UofL hats!

Eat-fest day - We started out with Starbucks and donuts and then drove to LA. My nephew Austin attends UCLA and lives in LA. We spent the day with him, hitting all his favorite hot spots. The sushi was fabulous and he had us try several things we wouldn't have been brave enough to do on our own. Diddy Riese, the cookie/ice cream dive with the very long line, was excellent. If we had not been stuffed from eating all day, I'm certain we would have had 2nds or taken cookies to go.

UCLA's campus is so beautiful. Matt met the football coach Rick Neuheisel, who talked with him a few minutes, gave him an autograph (To Matt, a future All-American) and Mr. Paparazzi didn't score a picture of the two of them. Coach Neuheisal gave him the autograph on the condition Matt come play for him in 10 years. I told Matt next time he has that offer from a school like UCLA, he needs to tell the coach he's ready to sign. I won't be able to afford that tuition unless my numbers come in.

We didn't spot any stars but we did spot some crazies - I mean it is LA, right? - the best, or maybe worst, was the guy at Aus' pool wearing the speedo with worn-out elastic (ugh - I didn't look away soon enough) and neon tanning bed goggles. Oh my - that was so awful. Thankfully, no picture of that either except the permanently damaged portion of my brain.

We ended the day with more Asian food which was great! Now we are going to explode!

California Day 13

I could not hold out any longer on shopping at Victoria Gardens. It is so pretty and the stores are so cool. My new favorite is West Elm - kind of a Crate and Barrel meets Pottery Barn but more modern look kind of place. Check it out online - http://www.westelm.com/

Lori and I spent the morning there and then we picked the boys up for one last In-and-Out burger. I think it's so odd that I love these burgers and really don't like burgers. My taste buds will miss that but my wasteline won't.

Chris and I drove around most of the afternoon dreaming of California living while the boys got their video game fix with Nick.

California Day 12

There's something about Downtown Disney. It's not the great dining or the cool shopping - it's more the atmosphere. We spent half the day here hanging out with Stephen and Jenn. The boys bought magic tricks and threw their hats down for their own street show. I told them I thought it would have worked in San Francisco.

We ran into beauty pageant contestants in their evening gowns. All the girls were ooh-ing and aah-ing over the real life "princesses". The contestants were very sweet to them, posing for pictures and giving autographs. We all laughed that in 2 years that will be us standing in line for fake princess autographs.

They talked Jenn into eating sweet and sour candy over and over to see her funny faces.

California Day 11

I think it's Tuesday - we are losing track and have to keep thinking about the date and the day. That is a great feeling.

Today Chris and I went house shopping - well not really - there are some new construction homes a block north of Lori and Dan so we walked through the models. They are so pretty. The bad news or good news, depending on how you look at it, is we can't afford them.

While we were out, we came across the intersection of Church and Hellman. I got a kick out of this so I had to take a picture.

We had a cookout complete with smores tonight. Mark even gave chef Dan the thumbs up.

California Day 10

Forgot to mention that I love In and Out Burgers - OMG - they are the best burgers and I hate burgers. We hit a great Yogurt place at Victorian Gardens or VG if you are cool - think it's called Pink Berry. It was very good. Also between Chad, Lori and Nick's iPhone - it's only a matter of time before Chris and I go buy one. They are so cool!
Just chilling mostly - how could we resist with this backyard?

California Day 9

Added pics from the last few days - oh how I love wireless internet.

What do you get when you mix Mark and floor to ceiling mirrors?

You're So Vain
I bet you think this blog is about you
You're So Vain
I bet you think this blog is about you Baby!





Matt and Mark can now check out the babes with their new sunglasses - thanks Uncle Steve and Stephen for teaching them 11:00, 1:00, 3:00 and not to turn all the way around to 6:00!

California Day 8

We had a barbecue today. All my cousins, a couple of friends and my Uncle Herb came over. It was great to see them all and catch up. We get to do this about every 2-3 years so it's a big deal to me as we just love all these people and have so much fun laughing with them.

This time I was able to spend more time with each of them as the kids were a little older.

No one was tossed into the pool!

Here's the pics - 4 of my favorite men!


You said what about my butt???
Aunt Cathie and Chadie

Jerry and Holly

No matter when we come - we celebrate Uncle Herbie and Stephen's Birthdays - I guess they don't celebrate them if we don't show up??

Jenn's cupcakes rocked but she also taught us the cupcake sandwich method - tear off the bottom and smush the icing. YUM

California Day 7

I'm so happy we are staying 2 weeks. Otherwise, we'd be very sad today.

We spent the day tooling around Seal Beach with my cousin Stephen and Jenn who we always have a blast with. Ate at Islands which was fabulous. We walked the Pier but the boys opted for swimming in the pool vs. the ocean so we headed back "home". They had a ball swimming insisting everyone else swim too. Uncle Steve took care of that - he threw just about everyone in the pool including me. Chris opted to jump in. The boys thought this was so funny. Of course, we've all been around enough to know this is typical and you don't go outside if you aren't willing to risk being tossed.

Boomers was a hit with the boys - nothing like playing miniature golf in the dark. Half their light bulbs were out.