Turkey Day Weekend in Indiana

I'm sure you've already guessed by the title that we did not win our 3rd Round Playoff Game the week before last. Our kids played so hard, but we were clearly outmatched and lost 51-7.  Eric said that if we played that team again 10 times, they would probably win all 10 games.  As much as I hate to lose, I would rather lose like that 100 times than "lose" like we did in 2012.

Since we weren't playing football on Black Friday in Alabama, we packed up Beau (the trip would have been too much for Hawk and Peanut, and Beau would have done more damage at home) and headed up I-65 on Wednesday to my grandparents' house and my childhood hometown.

...and saw this along the way.....somewhere in Kentucky

By the time we arrived, my parents had been there about an hour and my brother had been there a couple of hours, and we had a nice little family reunion once my aunt and uncle and cousins from Chicago arrived that night. As much as the people enjoyed seeing each other, I think the pups enjoyed it even more!

It only took 10 minutes and 50 pictures to get this shot!

I can't remember the last time there were that many dogs at their house, but it sure was entertaining! They all got along really well and we basically had a giant dog park going all weekend. They'd romp and play inside until it got too rough and then we'd let them out where they'd resume.  They even took a dip in the pond in the 40 degree weather, multiple times.

Our Thanksgiving Day meal was fantastic! We had all of the classics with all of the fixins and we ate until we were absolutely stuffed.....and then we ate dessert. It was glorious!

Friday morning several of us ventured out to find some Black Friday deals. We were out so early we beat Chick-fil-a's opening, so we headed to a store to do a little shopping before we grabbed breakfast and headed to the mall. We really did find some great deals and most everyone out was in the holiday spirit!

These hats were probably the best Black Friday find EVER in the history of Black Fridays!

After shopping to our hearts' content we dragged our butts back to the house to relax, and stuff our faces....again!

Clockwise from top right: 1) Yard working; 2) My cousin in deep conversation with Beau ; 3) Mom and my other cousin cleaning the sun room roof 4) My cousin enjoying her coffee creamer....and I thought I loved the stuff!

Saturday was football day, and we managed to take in most of the important games....Ohio State/Michigan, Alabama/Auburn, Purdue/IU, etc., and we all began to part ways. We headed home early Sunday. As much as I hated to leave, I'm glad we went early so we missed most of the traffic and were only semi-zombie-like on Monday.

I always hate to see trips like this come to an end, they always remind me how blessed I am to be part of this wonderful, amazing family!

The grand kids with C & C! (We missed our NM cousins!)

The fam jam! (minus the NM fam)  

Side Note: Can you believe we got a picture with everyone smiling and all 3 dogs looking at the camera?!?  I didn't think that was possible!

I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!

How Bout Them Tigers!

....heard all over town this week....

Well we've made it to Round 3, the unofficial midway point of the playoffs. The last time a team from THS completed this feat was in 1999, last century! I actually know someone who was on the team....a hard-headed 10th grader who thought he was pretty bad @$$, but lucky for me he turned out pretty great!

Yes I am talking about Eric, and now - 17 years later - he is coaching this team in their 3rd Round Playoff Game. It's crazy to think that the seniors playing in the game Friday were just turning a year old the last time this happened. Side note: we're old!

This is only the 5th time the school has advanced this far in the playoffs, and they've gone on to the 4th round only 2 times.  It's been 25 years since that happened. Needless to say there's a lot of excitement in our little town....the stadium is going to ROCKING (or should I say ringing) Friday night!

Unfortunately, most of our band is going to be in Chicago performing at a parade, but they've called in reinforcements from none other than Eric's and my Alma mater Huntingdon College (ironically HC is playing their first round playoff game in Chicago this weekend, too, but I am guessing the band is not making the trip), and hiring a DJ to amp up the atmosphere!  I can't wait!

The game this past Friday could not have gone any better than if we'd planned it.  After a tight first half we started piling on the hits and the points and the other team just couldn't handle it.  We recovered 2 squib kicks from the exact same spot, scoring on both possessions, and 2 other times when we kicked off to them, they threw an interception on their first play from scrimmage.  It was just one of those nights, and we came away with a win 42-14.

I am hoping we can get things to go our way again this coming week....the team we're playing is good, so we're going to have to play hard. That's the thing about this team this year though, they are a tough group of kids.  They have guts, and they're willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done.  It's been really fun to be a fan of the team this year because they've really given us something to cheer for!

...and to think we almost weren't a part of it.

This is the best I could get of the scoreboard....they cleared it as soon as the clock hit 0:00

GOOOOOO TIGERS!

On to Round 2!

Well we're on to Round 2 of the playoffs! We had a wild and crazy ride Friday night but we pulled through at the end to win 29-26! We started off the game really strong and had a 21-6 lead at halftime, but things went south from there.

The pre-game spirit line was on it!

We couldn't do anything on offense or defense during the 3rd quarter and by the end of it were hanging on to a 1 point lead 21-20 going into the 4th. They scored quickly early in the 4th and by the time the clock got down below 3 minutes I had started rehearsing my sympathetic-wife comments in my head for after the game.

However, a blocked punt that just happened to bounce right in front of one our kids proved to be all we needed, as he scooped up the ball and ran it back for a TD...and miraculously no one was called for a block in the back! We completed the 2 point conversion to go ahead 29-26 with 2:22 left in the 4th! An interception sealed the deal and we ran out the clock for the win!

Coach Cagle giving some last minute pointers to his D-linemen.

I can honestly say my nerves were shot by the end of this one.  I think I went through nearly every emotion I have in the last 3 minutes of the ball game.  We are headed just down the road for Round 2 against a former region foe who we've played a lot in the past several years.  So we'll have to see how this one plays out! You never know what might happen in the playoffs!

By the time we made back to the house we were elated but absolutely exhausted! Eric was on a hunting trip in South Dakota all last week and got back into town at 3:30 AM Friday morning so the first time I actually saw him was at the game that night. I am honestly not quite sure how he was still standing....it didn't last long.

Saturday was spent watching college football at various locations.  Eric headed over to a friend's house before the Auburn game to help him cook fish and shrimp and oysters for the game, and as much as I enjoy football, I had a few things to take care of around the house, so I got my stuff done, ran by Eric's grandma's house to show her how to use her new iPad, and stopped by some friends house to watch the rest of the Auburn game before we all loaded up Ethel and headed over to where Eric was.

Who is Ethel, you ask?  Well she is our friends' mom's conversion van.....like 90s mom van that you could fit all of your bedroom furniture in van, owned by most parents who had 3 or more children in that decade.  It even still had the TV and VCR in it.

She is a pretty sweet ride!

We figured why take 5 cars over to where we were going when all 7 of us could fit in the van. I knew Eric was over there so I could ride back home with him and we could get my car later. Needless to say we all spent 20 nostalgic minutes riding through town in the van, and probably gave people something to talk about when we stopped at the gas station and a bunch of 30 year olds came tumbling out.

After several hours of good food, music, and football Eric and I peaced out at halftime of the Alabama game. We made it home to watch the second half on the couch, although I dozed off and missed the entire 4th quarter, and woke up to find out they'd won when Eric woke me up to go to bed.

Sunday was full of church, laundry, household chores, and chili-making because the temperature dropped below 80, so I decided it was time for comfort food. I feel like this is where I should insert my obligatory daylight saving gripes......but I will spare you all of my reasons I think daylight savings is dumb, and just put out there that the dogs were up at 6:30 AM (like they usually are), however, due to the time change my clock read 5:30 AM....on a Sunday. Don't worry they managed to get caught up Sunday afternoon.....

Hello There Fall Weekend, Nice to See You Finally

What a difference 36 hours can make....When I wrote this post last Thursday we were in a must-win situation to make the playoffs with an upcoming game against our biggest rival.  By the end of the night Friday, we were sitting in 2nd place in our region getting ready to HOST our first round playoff game in 2 weeks.

Don't worry, we were all sitting there wondering exactly how all this happened, too.

First, one of the 2 teams we lost to during the season lost their 4th region game on Thursday night, which meant with only 2 region game left and only 2 region losses we were automatically in the playoffs. Second, we beat the P!$$ out of our rivals on Friday night 56-22, and third - the team we beat the week before beat the only other team that beat us in region play. I am not exactly sure how all of that works out because that meant the 2, 3, and 4 ranked teams all are 5-2 in the region, but I was told that because of how the tie-breakers work we get the 2 seed.....and I'm not going to argue because that means we don't travel first round.

Clockwise from left: 1) Indulging in a fried Oreo at the game...totally worth it! 2) Coach Cagle doing what he loves best (other than fishing) 3) Final score....Tigers win big!

So now we are going to enjoy our off week (finally) and get an extra week to prepare for the game!  And by prepare I don't just mean the team.  I might have order 2 dozen purple cowbells to hand out to anyone who wants to be loud and obnoxious like our cheering section at the game.  Did I mention I can't wait for the game!?!

Eric was up bright and early the next morning to head to his fishing tournament....and by bright and early I really mean he woke up in the middle of the night to be there at 5AM, which meant the puppies wanted to wake up at 5:30AM like a normal weekday....not cool dogs, not cool.

They ended up doing really well in the tournament, coming in 2nd.....by .02 lbs.  Eric was happy they won 2nd, but unfortunately the dime-weight loss has only left him hungry for more.

That would be his

While he fished I enjoyed my morning at Trade Day. They have a fall festival of sorts in our little town where they block off a street and fill it with vendors and entertainment for the morning.  Our dancers were performing so I went to check things out. I only brought $20 cash and it's probably a good thing because I feel like I have to buy everything at those kinds of events!

Our Zombie Cloggers and soloist were great!

The pups and I vegged and enjoyed the beautiful fall weather (FINALLY!) all afternoon.  We finished off our evening cooking out with the neighbors, but excused ourselves early and were in bed by 9PM on Saturday night....because that's how we roll these days.  I'm not complaining one little bit!

Sunday we headed out to Eric's grandma's house for a bit and then he took his Dad fishing...because apparently he hadn't had enough of it already. When he got back the house Sunday night he asked me to help him clean fish....  I have helped him one other time about 10 years ago, but he politely asked me to stop because I was squishing the filets and I have not been asked since. So like the good little wifey that I am, I cut rib cages out of freshly skinned fish for an hour.  It wasn't so bad.  I had gloves and good company so I didn't mind too much.

I am pretty sure this earned me Wife-of-the-Year Status...

664.3 Miles

No that is not the number of miles I will be running in some crazy ultra marathon race....my knees would never hold up for that much running at one time. It is the number of miles we covered last weekend from Friday to Sunday.  That many miles in the car could have gotten us nearly to Dallas if we'd tried, but we covered that many miles without leaving the state.

Why would we subject ourselves to such craziness? Because we're crazy!?!  And we had a couple of VERY important events to attend! Including this precious little guy's birthday party!

Photo credit: My SIL....FYI - If you're ever trying to take a picture with a 2 year old who is contently playing with his new cars I highly suggest the Ambush-and-Tickle method shown above....works like a charm!

More on the birthday soon.....let me start back at the beginning with Friday night.

As I mentioned last week, we had a big game against a very talented opponent this past week that was a must-win if we wanted to make the playoffs this year.  We traveled 2 hours away to the game, the team we were playing was ranked 5th in the state, they are the 2-time defending state champions, AND it was their Senior Night. Ugh...Talk about a tough game.

I don't know what went on at practice during the week, but it worked like a charm and we completely dismantled them 26-13.  It was probably the most exciting game we've had this season so far! Everyone was on cloud 9 after the game! The guys even gave our head coach an ice bath after the game.

We can't rest yet, though.  We have another tough region game this week against our next-town-over rivals.  If we win, we're definitely in the playoffs, if not then we have to wait and see how things shape up once the dust settles.  We got beat over there last year, so we have to get over there and take care of business.

Top: Final Score....Tigers Win!  Bottom: L - Coach's ice bath...notice Eric in the front right. He made sure to get Coach in exactly the right spot for the guys to get him! R - The loudest, proudest cheering section THS has to offer!  We added megaphones to the mix on Friday and they were AWESOME! We listened to the game playback on Saturday morning and there was no mistaking our cowbells and cheers! 

We rolled into town around midnight after the game, and I think I finally got in bed around 1AM, but we were up bright and early to pick up Eric's grandma and head south for our nephew's birthday party!  Because we really didn't want to have our house torn apart while we were gone, Beau got to tag along, too. I am pretty sure Hawk and Peanut enjoyed the peaceful and quiet puppy-free house while we were gone.

The front seat riders really enjoyed themselves.....the backseat left a bit to be desired. I learned that when Beau actually sits still, he prefers to sit ON me during road trips as opposed to his own seat.  

We made it down just in time for the dump truck/construction birthday party extravaganza! I think our nephew now owns nearly every matchbox car, train set, and dinosaur in existence! The birthday boy seemed to thoroughly enjoy himself, despite being bombarded with relative overload as soon as he woke up from his nap.  I am pretty sure I would have run and hid with all of those people there, but he handled it like a champ, and opted to use various relatives to help him open toys and play games.

Top: the Party Crew. Bottom: R and Center - The birthday boy playing with his toys and literally tearing up his cake (which my SIL made and it was soooo good)! L- My SIL and I.

We partied hard for several hours (as hard as you can party at a 2 year old's birthday party), and decided to head on at halftime of the UT/Bama game.....no I don't want to talk about it.

We packed up and headed back up north to Eric's Mom's new house to spend the night.  She and her hubby just moved into a beautiful new home on a lake AND a golf course.  The view out their back door is the 18th fairway and the lake behind it, and you can sit on the bed swing on their ginormous screened-in back porch to enjoy it.  The house is seriously gorgeous, too, but that view.  I spent a ridiculous amount of time lounging on the bed swing....I might have drifted off to sleep once or twice on it, too.

L - Beau's and my view on our walk through their "neighborhood." R Top - Beau and their puppy Penny thought the bed swing was a UFC ring.  R Bottom - Their back door that opens on to their screened in porch....the whole back wall is windows....might be tough the clean but the view is worth it. 

The next morning Eric played a quick 9 holes of gold with his Mom's hubby and then we were back in the car and headed home so Eric could get to his football film meeting that afternoon.

So yeah....665 miles in 48 hours....it was absolutely nuts, but 100% worth it and we had a blast!  

....but we have no plans to do it again any time soon! 

 .....At least until the next birthday party when Eric gets to play on one of these!

Pretty Princess Purple

When we purchased our house 6.5 years ago every wall was drab boring shade of egg shell.  I don't know if the previous owner painted it all neutral colors so it might sell faster or perhaps they just liked boring walls.  I don't know but it's not my style.  The only thing we actually did to the house in the 2 days between closing and moving (which we did in 1.5 days and is a whole other story that involves having to stay in our new house because a certain boy who I live with got the water shut off at our old place, but I've clearly moved on, right?) was paint the living room and our bedroom because I had to have some color on the walls.  Since then we have painted the hall area, the kitchen, and the laundry room.

The two rooms I have wanted to paint for quite a while now are the bathrooms.  They were both definitively seashell-themed, due to the seashell borders that adorned both bathrooms.  I wasn't crazy about it but someone gave us some seashell bath towels for a wedding gift and I had a random collection of seashells laying around so I went with it.  It's just the bathroom after all, right?

The only thing keeping me from taping everything up and painting were those darn borders.  I dreaded having to pull them down, so I just left didn't bother with them.

About a month ago Eric randomly brought up painting the bathrooms so I jumped at the chance to change things up and bombarded him with Pinterest images of color schemes for the guest bathroom.  I have been wanting to paint it a dusty purple color with copper and white accents for the last few years, so I was pumped for the chance to make my vision a reality! Finally.....NO MORE SEASHELLS!

This is the picture we settled on.  I actually wanted the bathroom to be a plum color but he talked me out of it since the bathroom is somewhat small and he was afraid to paint it such a dark color.

It's light, it's bright, it's airy, and I could totally visualize our new guest bathroom oasis!  

And then I came home the next day and saw this.......

Now before you tell me it doesn't look all that different that the picture above, trust me it does.  The color is quite vibrant in real life.  It has almost a pinky undertone to it so it assaults your eyes every time you go in there.

Eric assured me that he took the picture above to the paint store and had them match it, but I am not so sure.  Purple if a very tricky color and if you aren't careful, your dusty purple all of a sudden becomes a pretty princess purple.  Purple's tricky nature is the precise reason I did not have a plum/silver/black wedding....one wrong step in choosing colors and my bridesmaids could have ended up looking like purple people eaters, and I wasn't willing to do that to them.

You tell me....does this look like the same color when they're next to each other?

Me thinks no....they are most definitely not the same.  

Because of my feelings about the color, I have made ZERO efforts to decorate this bad boy.  The towels that came out of there went right back in, and will stay there until the next time Eric goes out of town and I am home alone for the weekend.  The borders are gone so it won't take near the effort it would have to repaint the walls.  I think he thinks I am kidding about it, but I am most certainly NOT.
So the moral of the story is to always always always go with boys to pick out paint colors so that your beautiful dusty purple bathroom does not end up pretty princess purple.  For the record, I finally got Eric to admit he was not wild about the color either, but he doesn't care hate it enough to repaint it....and this time I have actual paint samples.....

Football Update: THS Senior Night and Homecoming at Huntgindon

You didn't think I'd make it through and entire football season without a post, did you really? But seriously, things have been crazy super busy (in a good way!) around here lately.  I had not one but two grants get funded at work (yay!), plus dance has started back up, and I had forgotten how much energy puppies have [so so so much energy to burn off every day!], so unfortunately this little blog has taken a back seat for a bit. However, I am here today so let's get to it!

Football is still going strong for us.  We started off the season 4-0, but hit a giant bump in the road on week 5 after a rough game and some injuries and have since gone 1-3.  We have a must-win game this weekend against a very good team to get into the playoffs, so be thinking happy purple and gold thoughts for us on Friday please!

Senior Night was this past week....yes already...and with it came all of the Senior Night activities.  Eric escorted one of his D-Linemen onto the field again this year, which is quite an honor.  Each student gets to pick a teacher or coach who has meant a lot to them over their high school career, so it's pretty special.  Eric coached this particular kid to a couple of state appearances/championships in wrestling in addition to football.

R to L: 1) Escorting his D-Lineman (64) on the field to his family.  2) Coach Cagle doing his thing...he's the little white dot in the middle of the clump of purple and gold. 3) The team came back out of the locker room to watch the band perform their halftime show after the game.  It has been a great show this year, complete with majorettes juggling batons (I am still super impressed at this) and the entire band dancing through part of the show.  

As much as I would have loved to stick around for the reception for the seniors and their families after the game, we packed up and headed home because we had some friends from college heading to our house to stay with us for the weekend because it was Homecoming at Huntingdon! It's only one of my most favorite weekends of the year!

This one was a little out of the ordinary for us, but we had a blast!  Why was it out of the ordinary?  Well because Eric was skipping out on the game this year for a fishing tournament. He finished a respectable 4th place in the tournament, and made it to Montgomery shortly after the game ended to hang out with everyone.

I on the other hand had no desire to miss out on any of it.  One of my teammates was being inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame, so I walked the pups, whipped up a quick breakfast for out guests, got ready, and told our friends I'd meet them at the game.  Host of the year right here.

I made it to the ceremony with about a minute to spare and got to see her accept her award!  She's the second women's basketball player to receive this honor in the NCAA era (which started my freshman year in 2003).

Some of the oldies (front row) with the current team after L-Bo's induction ceremony.

After the ceremony we headed over to one of our favorite Mexican restaurants from our college days and met up with a few more of my old teammates. There were several girls there this year who I had not seen since our wedding so seeing them all after 6 years was awesome!

Parts of my Lady Hawk Family.  I'd like to point out that in the picture on the left I am the Senior....all of these girls graduated after I did.  In the picture on the right I am the freshman....these girls made me want to be a part of their family and taught me so much over the years! 

We made it back to the school just before kickoff and I headed over to the football tents to mingle with all of those friends who I see once a year at the game...and answer the question, "Where's Cagle [Eric]?" about 4,000 times. Needless to say not a single person was shocked when I said he was fishing, and were glad when I assured them he'd be there later.

The wives (and some future Hawks). I feel like these girls are as much a part of my HC family as anyone even through most of them didn't go to school there.  

Huntingdon won big 48-27 and we all headed back to the one couple who still lives near the school's house to watch the end of the UT/Texas A&M game (ugh) and the Alabama/Arkansas game.  To be honest there was not a ton of game-watching going on.  There was significantly more telling old stories and laughing and just soaking up the moment with people that I miss like crazy all year long and am so thankful that I get to call my friends.

At the Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony that morning Coach Turk (the AD and head football coach) said something to the current student athletes in the audience that really stuck a chord with me.  He said that once it's all said and done and your career is just a memory, you may remember bits and pieces of the games, but the times that will stick out in your mind are the times in between the games: the 5AM practices, the road trips, the tough times you went through with the help of your teammates, the dinners in the dining hall, and just random nights in the dorms.  He said that those things that you will really cherish and when you come back years later and see your old teammates, those are the times you'll recall and laugh about. I found myself nodding along and knowing that the girls currently on the team who were all sitting behind me at the ceremony had no idea how special what they are a part of right now will become in their lives, and how lucky I am to have a family of Lady Hawks that I can always lean on.

The Post in Which I Put my Foot in my Mouth

Four days....thats how long it took for my husband to make a liar out of me and decide to go back to help coach football again this year after I posted about his coaching "retirement" last week. Despite him pulling a Jay Leno, I can't be mad at him.  I could tell he missed it, like missed it a lot. The reason he stepped down was because he has several things planned/going on this fall that will keep him from being able to be at every practice and game, so the desire is still there (unlike it was for me when I hung up my whistle), he just didn't want to let the kids down by not be being there.

Here's the conversation that took place when he told me:

I walk in the door from work Monday night and am playing with the puppies pulling the dogs off of me. 
   Eric: I have to tell you something.
   Me: Oh? wondering what the heck is he getting himself into now?!?
   Eric: I've decided to go back out to coach football again this year.
   Me: I knew it! I knew you couldn't stay away from it! Wait are you kidding me?
   Eric: No, I really am, but it's going to be just 3-4 days a week.
   Me: So you're going to be at practice every day Monday-Thursday like normal, and then just skip the
       games on Friday nights?
   Eric: No, I'll be at the games, just not down on the field.
   Me: So you'll be sitting with me?
   Eric: No I'll be up in the press box...that way I can coach but not get the kids used to me calling plays and
       being on the field because I won't be at away games.
   Me: Yeah right....I'll believe it when you're sitting here with me on an away game Friday night.

So yeah, we're back in the coaching game. To be honest I'm not mad about it. I was actually kinda bummed I wouldn't get to sit in the stands with the rest of the coaches wives this year, plus Friday nights just wouldn't feel right if we didn't spend them at the field. So if you need me this fall, you know where to find me....donning my purple and gold and cheering on the Tigers once again!

via

Life Update: 6 Years, a Stuck Boat, Football, and Rio

Since things have been rather sporadic around here lately, I've decided that a life dump post is most appropriate to catch you up on what's been going on around these parts lately. July ended up bring a crazy busy month for us and all of a sudden it's August and kids are going back to school and I am wondering where is summer going, it just started?!? But the heat can take a hike because I've been over it since it started. So here's what life has looked like around here lately....

+ We celebrated our 6th Anniversary this past weekend with a lazy Sunday afternoon, and capped it off with an amazingly delicious dinner at Firebirds.  If you have one near you, go, and when you're there order the Blue Cheese Filet. You won't regret it, I promise. It was one of the best steaks I've had!

6 Years with this guy has been 6 years well spent!

+ Part of the reason we chose to take it easy on Sunday was because of the shenanigans that occurred on Saturday. We opted to spend the day at the river (as we have most recent weekends since it's been so hot). Unlike most of the previous weekends we actually had a rainstorm! But this was not your typical summer one-and-done shower.  This was a drencher that settled right on top of us and dumped buckets of rain for more than an hour. Unfortunately we were quite a way down the river and it was raining so hard that Eric could not see the currents in the water (the river is extremely shallow so you have to be able to see where the water runs), which meant that we either had to sit tight or slowly make our way up river. We did a little of both...and thanked the good Lord that the boat had a canopy top that kept us at least a little dry. After about an hour we were almost back at the boat ramp and Eric decided he had to "show what his boat could do" by running behind an island (which in his defense he had done a couple of days prior with no trouble). Unfortunately for us the water was about 6 inches lower on Saturday and instead of running through the shallow water, we got stuck...in the mud. The five of us managed to push the boat back around so that it was in the channel of water, but the boat was so heavy that we could not push it the 20 yards it needed to go so that the water was deep enough to float. As much as I know it hurt Eric's ego, he had to call some buddies to come help push us out. Thankfully, they rounded up a crew and after a couple of hours of being beached the boat was free and we were headed home.

 Thank goodness for good friends!  Although I am pretty sure most of them came just to see us stuck!

There's a silver lining to every situation though, right?  Ours were #1) that the rain had stopped just before we got stuck and #2) this amazing triple rainbow! Two in the sky plus a reflection in the water!   It was gorgeous!

+ Saturday night we are hosting the 4th Annual Football Coaches Kick-Off Cook-Off. This is going to be a bit different as Eric has officially crossed over in to "former football coach" status. I know he'd been saying all along, and I know he passed on summer practice, but it was finally real to me a couple of weeks ago when I met the new defensive line coach...aka Eric's replacement. Both of us have made the comment how different it has been having him home in the evenings, but as anyone who knows him would tell you he certainly isn't just sitting around.  He's been busier than ever!  Even though he is not part of the staff in an official capacity, I am glad we could still get together with everyone this weekend.  I'm going to miss all of the time I spend with the wives, too! Luckily, we're good friends with all of them so I know we just won't see anyone anymore, we will just have more time to do other things.


+ Tonight is the Opening Ceremony of the 2016 Olymnpics in Rio de Janeiro Brazil!  As a self-proclaimed Olympics Super Fan I am sooooo excited about it! I forsee A LOT of telelvision watching in my near future and a lot of cheering on Team USA!

via

Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts....a kids worst nightmare, but a foodie's tiny morsel of deliciousness....when cooked right.  I grew up hating them, but it turns out that steaming them, cutting them open, and jamming a pat of butter between them like an ice cream sandwich is not the way to do sprouts. Now this isn't to say that I would have eaten then any other way as a child either, but I know I would not repeat that knowing how delicious they can be.

I have tried a couple of roasted and sauteed Brussels sprouts (yes it's capitalized because they're named after the city) and have been pleasantly surprised.  So when Mom and I were visiting my brother a couple of weekends ago in Wisconsin and he took us to brunch at a local joint called Houdini's and I spotted them on the menu I had to give them a try.

They were amazing! And because I can't just eat a good side dish and be done with it, I decided to recreate it.

*based on the Brussels sprouts appetizer from Houdini's Escape Gastropub

What You Need

6 slices thick cut bacon, crumbled

1lb Brussels Sprouts, quartered or halved

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup 100% pure maple syrup

1/2 cup Buffalo Sauce (I used Moore's)

2 Tbsp butter

1 tsp brown sugar

1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

How to Make It

1) Cook bacon in a skillet. I chopped my bacon into thirds and cooked it all at once, so they'd all fit in the skillet. When bacon is crispy, remove from pan, but leave the drippings.

2) Saute Brussels sprouts in bacon dripping over medium high heat, adding just a pinch of salt and pepper. When sprouts are tender and begin to char, they are ready. This takes 10-12 minutes.

3) While the bacon and sprouts are cooking, prepare the sauce: Combine maple syrup, buffalo sauce, butter, and brown sugar in a small saucepan, and heat to a boil, stirring frequently. Once the mixture begins to boil, turn the heat down to medium low and simmer 3-4 minutes. I let mine sit on the stove on very low heat until it was time to mix it all together.

4) Once your sauce, sprouts, and bacon are ready, you can assemble the dish. Place the Brussels sprouts in a serving dish. Pour sauce over the sprouts and mix until they're completely coated. Top with bacon and Gorgonzola cheese and serve immediately.

For anyone who is wary of the spiciness, it's not spicy at all.  The maple syrup and butter balance out what little heat the buffalo sauce provides and you're left with delicious and very complementary flavors!

I'd love to be able to say that I nailed this recipe on my first try but as you can see, that was not the case. I was not thinking about it when I was purchasing my ingredients, and bought a bottle of hot sauce, NOT buffalo sauce. As they tell you in elementary school, some things are alike, but they are most certainly the same. Buffalo sauce and hot sauce are prime examples.  Let's just say that my first attempt was way too spicy for Eric to even try.  Luckily I had the presence of mind to not pour it on the Brussels sprouts immediately, and thank goodness there is a Walmart 2 minutes from our house! It was $12 well spent to get some buffalo sauce and another bottle of maple syrup (because I used the entire 1st bottle trying to de-spicy the hot sauce concoction). Live and learn....

...and laugh at yourself on Snapchat!