If you have never seen a Texas high school football game, put it on your bucket list. Ok, maybe it won't measure up to a game for the World Cup, but it will be close.
Let me describe to you a few attributes to a Texas football game:
--Everybody comes. I mean everybody. In our little town of 35000, our home side fits 10,000. Games are always sold out. And people will go sit on the away side too. And on the hills around the outside of the stadium. And in the parking lot.
--They keep coming for years. They know the stats of all the teams in the district and most in the region. They talk about plays, players, coaches, games from years ago. (Even I do it! "Oh, we're playing such-and-such? Isn't that the team we lost to in 2001 when so-and-so scored a touchdown and the ref took it away for excessive celebration?" I'm still bitter about that game, by the way.) This is my parents' 2nd season without any kids going to high school, and they're not giving up their stadium seat season tickets for anything.
--Any high school that can afford it will have university-level astroturf, indoor practice fields, jumbotrons, you name it. And almost every school has a giant smoke-blowing inflateable football helmet, from which the players run onto the field at the beginning of the game and at halftime.
--Football players wear electronic wristbands. Before play resumes, the coach punches in the play he wants and sends it to the wristbands of the players. This ensures that the coaches and players of the opposing teams will have no way to guess what play is coming next.
--The half time shows are incredible. The saying around here is, "for your entertainment, football will be provided before and after the halftime show". Marching bands are 300-400 members strong, and each school performs a 15-minute extravaganza. I have seen bands put down their instruments and boogie to the drumline. I have seen them wave flags that stretch almost half the length of the football field. I have seen costume changes. I have seen band members shoot off fireworks at the end. (You think I'm kidding.) Plus, each school has a dance team that performs (thank you, thank you! I was a Lariette for the Cowboys) in addition to the cheerleaders and the spirit leaders (guys who throw gifts to the crowd, do push-ups in the end zone after every touchdown, and make a lot of noise in general).
Since we moved here, we've gotten to go to a few games. Brian finds them enjoyable. Jeffrey adores them. He loves the band, he loves to cheer (though he usually cheers for the wrong team, since he can see the people cheering on the other side of the stadium), and he loves the snacks Grandpa buys from the stands (ever had a Frito Pie? Another Texas football tradition). I'm ashamed to admit it, but I've left my camera home every time. Otherwise, right here you'd see a picture of a blue-eyed boy in a red Cowboy's hat, holding onto his stuffed horse (from my Uncle Bill, the world's greatest living expert on high school football, who told Jeffrey at his first game that every Cowboy needs a good horse), munching on a nacho with cheese and waving to the band.
As for me? It is now in my blood. Hail to thee, my alma mater...and Let's Go Cowboys!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Um...Just Kidding....
We are not buying a house.
And I am ecstatic.
After several hectic weeks of searching, Brian and I found exactly what we were looking for in a house. It was small, but plenty big enough for us; needed a few repairs, but nothing we couldn't handle; it had a new air conditioner (BIG deal in Texas), a nice kitchen, and--dream of dreams--a long, cozy window seat. It was in a decent neighborhood, with a little park, about 45 minutes away from Brian's work. And, the price was amazing, since it was a bank-owned foreclosure.
We put a bid on the house, and waited. And waited, and waited, and waited. Over 3 weeks. Meanwhile our agent--a real trooper, bless his heart--called us about every 48 hours to let us know our bid was accepted, only to call us back 5 minutes later to say sorry, it was actually someon'e else's bid that went through. At the time, I was pretty durn frustrated (why should the fact that the entire mortgage industry was crumbling and the financial world was in chaos affect ME?), but now I am soooo grateful. I felt a little uneasy when we put in the bid, but brushed it off as first-time-homebuyer jitters. The uneasiness continued to grow, though, and soon I couldn't sleep. The whole time I had been praying for guidance in this decision, and I guess I wasn't very good at recognizing it--I was waiting for a hit-me-over-the-head, "thou-SHALT-NOT-do-this" answer and assumed we were making the right decision if I wasn't hearing that. But, finally, after thinking everything through --again--and pouring out all my thoughts to Brian--for the millionth time--I decided to pray about getting an apartment instead. And almost instantly, all of my anxiety vanished and I felt incredibly peaceful and joyful. That was right around the time our bid was finally accepted. We had to cancel it (our poor agent) and went apartment-shopping two days later, and found our new home.
So--reasons why I love our new apartment:
1. Brian's work is 4 minutes and 37 seconds away. No 45 minute commute, no loooooong slooooow wait for my husband to finally walk in the door. Brian can now sleep later, come home earlier, and join me for lunch. Wahoo!
2. It's pretty! Cute little bay windows, nice countertops, brand new carpets, nice outdoor patio, a (tiny) separate utility room....I love it. Plus, we can paint walls or add wallpaper if we want. Wahoo again!
3. It's got a lot of fun stuff--pool, tennis court, sand volleyball court, free movie rental area, picnic tables and barbecue areas, and a fitness center. Brian and I will finally learn whether or not we will use workout equipment if given access to it. Big day of discovery, people. And the absolute best part: right outside our front door is an adorable kid's playground. Literally, 40 feet from our front door! I am thrilled.
4. We won't be living in a parking lot. There's a lot of trees (well, for Texas) and sprawling green lawns.
5. The neighborhood is super, super safe. This was hugely important to us, so to find a place so crime-free was a big relief. I now know how to work all kinds of police data, crime maps, and sex offender locators, by the way.
6. It's in a really great community! Our town has the #1 high school football team in the nation (and don't think we didn't hear that about 80 times when we were looking at apartments there), a fun children's library, tons of nice parks and nature walks, good schools, lots of fun stores, and a whole lot of community pride.
7. Great ward. We've only been once and I already love it.
The best reason for me, though, is peace of mind--for some reason I feel like a huge burden has been lifted off my shoulders with this decision. I don't know why it was so important for us to get an apartment right now instead of a house, but I am glad I finally listened!
We're moving in on Saturday. More updates to come!
And I am ecstatic.
After several hectic weeks of searching, Brian and I found exactly what we were looking for in a house. It was small, but plenty big enough for us; needed a few repairs, but nothing we couldn't handle; it had a new air conditioner (BIG deal in Texas), a nice kitchen, and--dream of dreams--a long, cozy window seat. It was in a decent neighborhood, with a little park, about 45 minutes away from Brian's work. And, the price was amazing, since it was a bank-owned foreclosure.
We put a bid on the house, and waited. And waited, and waited, and waited. Over 3 weeks. Meanwhile our agent--a real trooper, bless his heart--called us about every 48 hours to let us know our bid was accepted, only to call us back 5 minutes later to say sorry, it was actually someon'e else's bid that went through. At the time, I was pretty durn frustrated (why should the fact that the entire mortgage industry was crumbling and the financial world was in chaos affect ME?), but now I am soooo grateful. I felt a little uneasy when we put in the bid, but brushed it off as first-time-homebuyer jitters. The uneasiness continued to grow, though, and soon I couldn't sleep. The whole time I had been praying for guidance in this decision, and I guess I wasn't very good at recognizing it--I was waiting for a hit-me-over-the-head, "thou-SHALT-NOT-do-this" answer and assumed we were making the right decision if I wasn't hearing that. But, finally, after thinking everything through --again--and pouring out all my thoughts to Brian--for the millionth time--I decided to pray about getting an apartment instead. And almost instantly, all of my anxiety vanished and I felt incredibly peaceful and joyful. That was right around the time our bid was finally accepted. We had to cancel it (our poor agent) and went apartment-shopping two days later, and found our new home.
So--reasons why I love our new apartment:
1. Brian's work is 4 minutes and 37 seconds away. No 45 minute commute, no loooooong slooooow wait for my husband to finally walk in the door. Brian can now sleep later, come home earlier, and join me for lunch. Wahoo!
2. It's pretty! Cute little bay windows, nice countertops, brand new carpets, nice outdoor patio, a (tiny) separate utility room....I love it. Plus, we can paint walls or add wallpaper if we want. Wahoo again!
3. It's got a lot of fun stuff--pool, tennis court, sand volleyball court, free movie rental area, picnic tables and barbecue areas, and a fitness center. Brian and I will finally learn whether or not we will use workout equipment if given access to it. Big day of discovery, people. And the absolute best part: right outside our front door is an adorable kid's playground. Literally, 40 feet from our front door! I am thrilled.
4. We won't be living in a parking lot. There's a lot of trees (well, for Texas) and sprawling green lawns.
5. The neighborhood is super, super safe. This was hugely important to us, so to find a place so crime-free was a big relief. I now know how to work all kinds of police data, crime maps, and sex offender locators, by the way.
6. It's in a really great community! Our town has the #1 high school football team in the nation (and don't think we didn't hear that about 80 times when we were looking at apartments there), a fun children's library, tons of nice parks and nature walks, good schools, lots of fun stores, and a whole lot of community pride.
7. Great ward. We've only been once and I already love it.
The best reason for me, though, is peace of mind--for some reason I feel like a huge burden has been lifted off my shoulders with this decision. I don't know why it was so important for us to get an apartment right now instead of a house, but I am glad I finally listened!
We're moving in on Saturday. More updates to come!
Monday, October 6, 2008
Just In Case You Didn't Know...
Confession: I have never been very good at keeping in touch with people, even when I love them dearly. (Hence the blog.) So, I'd better give in update on the general happenings of our family nowadays.
Location: we are in Texas! Brian got a job out here in this glorious state, and so we have moved. It all happened very fast--less than nine days after we accepted the job, we were rolling away from our beloved friends and family in Utah in a car loaded with baby food and birthday presents. Jeffrey's entire 1st birthday was spent in the carseat.
Poor kid....He didn't seem to mind, though, especially when he got his first ice cream cone! We've been staying with my wonderful and patient parents while we house-hunt. We've put a bid on a house and are waiting to hear back. Hopefully I'll have more updates on that front!
Poor kid....He didn't seem to mind, though, especially when he got his first ice cream cone! We've been staying with my wonderful and patient parents while we house-hunt. We've put a bid on a house and are waiting to hear back. Hopefully I'll have more updates on that front!Brian's Job: Brian's working for a company that executes the fan loyalty programs for NFL and NCAA football teams. Translation: they run the websites, stores, kiosks, restaurants, and merchandise in general for teams like the NY Giants. Pretty exciting, huh? It would be even more exciting if we knew anything about the NFL...but sadly, we just don't. I figured out last week what a linebacker is supposed to do. Anyways, Brian is a pro at search engine optimization (when you type in a word on a search engine, he makes his website to come up higher in the search listings for less money). They didn't have anyone at this company who could do that for the websites they run, so they hired Brian to basically start that division of the company. Woo-hoo! Brian has pretty long hours, but he is doing a great job there.
Steph's Job: I get to stay at home with Jeffrey! Yeah!!!!!! I got to teach 2nd grade for a year in Utah, but once Jeffrey's was born I became his stay-at-home-buddy: the best job I've ever had. We have lots of fun together, and even the "worst" moments become my favorite memories (like when Jeffrey overturned a full gallon of paint on my parents' carpet a couple weeks ago. Holy holy cow. I probably need a couple more months before that can actually be a favorite memory).
Other Job: Brian and I sell dollhouse furniture! It's kind of a fun side job for us, and we're both learning a lot about how to run a business. (I'm so glad Brian's the CEO and not me!) If you want to check it out, it's http://www.dollhousecity.com/. By the way, Brian sold his half of his boardgame business to his partner, which now has 2 stores in Utah in addition to the website! Brian keeps in pretty close touch with him though, to get the latest scoop on fun new games.
The Scoop on Jeffrey: Jeffrey is now an extremely energetic and curious 1-year-old. He walks and is trying to learn to run, says "hi" (but no mama or dada), gives high fives and kisses, waves at everybody, and climbs stairs as frequently as he can. He has big blue eyes that must come from Grandma which he already uses as a weapon against mommny. He's definitely not into books, despite my best efforts--he's not interested in sitting still that long--and he's not into cuddling, but he loves figuring out how to make me laugh. And he L-O-V-E loves my family's dog Misty--he takes her on walks, follows her around the house, and tries to examine her dogfood if mommy's back is turned. Another love: soap. He just figured out how to wash his hands and he can't get enough of it.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Ta-Da!
Dear family and friends,
This blog is a long time in coming! I have always wanted to be better at keeping touch with everybody, share more pictures, and be better about journaling. So, what could be more perfect than a blog, right? But I resisted for months. Why?
The last time Brian asked me this, I went into a long discourse about how I should be more personal, having a blog would make me even worse at keeping in touch with everyone one-on-one, I would get so ego-centric about having my own soapbox that I would waste away hours at the computer when I could be doing other things, and plus, I didn't want to live my life in the general eye of the public.
Brian was almost rolling on the floor. "And just who, Steph, is this 'public' clamoring for your blog?"
"People," I defended. But resistance was weakening.
Then, I saw how fun it was to read the blogs of some of my family and friends. I loved seeing pictures, getting recipes, giggling at cute stories, getting politically fired up, and reading stories of faith. I wanted in. Further weakening of resistance ensued.
A few days ago, I was watching my son Jeffrey decorate his hair with the noodles he should have been eating when I realized, he is just too gosh-darn cute not to share.
So, dear public, here we are! We'd like to thank all the little people. Oh, and Mr. DeMille, Jeffrey's ready for his close-up.
This blog is a long time in coming! I have always wanted to be better at keeping touch with everybody, share more pictures, and be better about journaling. So, what could be more perfect than a blog, right? But I resisted for months. Why?
The last time Brian asked me this, I went into a long discourse about how I should be more personal, having a blog would make me even worse at keeping in touch with everyone one-on-one, I would get so ego-centric about having my own soapbox that I would waste away hours at the computer when I could be doing other things, and plus, I didn't want to live my life in the general eye of the public.
Brian was almost rolling on the floor. "And just who, Steph, is this 'public' clamoring for your blog?"
"People," I defended. But resistance was weakening.
Then, I saw how fun it was to read the blogs of some of my family and friends. I loved seeing pictures, getting recipes, giggling at cute stories, getting politically fired up, and reading stories of faith. I wanted in. Further weakening of resistance ensued.
A few days ago, I was watching my son Jeffrey decorate his hair with the noodles he should have been eating when I realized, he is just too gosh-darn cute not to share.
So, dear public, here we are! We'd like to thank all the little people. Oh, and Mr. DeMille, Jeffrey's ready for his close-up.
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