Tailgates, Wedding Mints, Fun Runs, and Small Town Parades

They may call it Labor Day Weekend, but it was more like a Labor-less Day Weekend on Easy Street. 

We tailgated and watched the U team win on Saturday.  The tailgate menu:  pulled pork sandwiches, chips and salsa, veggie and fruit plates, and pretzel M&M's.  We didn't need the grill which made it even better. 

Since it was mid 80's, even the temperatures weren't too bad.  Some of us could have used a bit more sunscreen.  OK.  So I'm the only one who used enough sunscreen.  K and L now sport interesting tan lines, thanks to the face tattoos.  *sigh*

But they looked really cute, so I guess it was worth it.  Can you tell they love their Dad?!!

Which one is the 53 year old who is concerned about the sun and wrinkles?  Oh, that would be the one in the hat!  Cute isn't exactly a priority for her these days.

Both girls got up early on Sunday morning to make the mints for the wedding reception.  Four hours later, we had about 800+ mints.  You are supposed to make two mints per person, but K loves them so much she decided on four mints per person.  L and I were fairly wiped out, but they are done!

The mint recipe:  4 oz. cream cheese, 3 cups of powdered sugar, 1/4 tsp. of flavoring, and a few drops of food color.  You hand mix those: as in knead them with your hands. Then you roll small balls, cover the balls in granulated sugar, and press them into molds. You pop them out onto wax paper, let them set up for awhile, and then freeze them.

We made pink (of course), cream, and green.  Some were flavored with peppermint extract, while the rest are almond flavored.  One more thing to check off the to-do list. 

On Monday, the Mr. and I got up early and left for his hometown Fun Run.  The wind was blowing about 60 mph.  (That is a bit of an exaggeration, but it was windy!)  The course is flat and just an out-and-back run.  The trouble is I had to run straight into that headwind for the first mile. 

Thankfully, that same wind pushed me back to the finish line.  My time was a bit better than the last time I ran this race, but it was still S-L-O-W!!  In spite of that, I took 2nd in my age group.  Yeah, I'm thinking the same thing you are.  There had to be only two of us in my age group!  Proudest moment:  I beat all the walkers and a few other runners!  Ta-da!!

We hurried back to Tiny Town and had missed the frog races.  Darn it!  We did have a chance to see a lot of former students and then watched the traditional parade.

Some of our favorite parade watchers were the kids of former students.  When the candy started flying, one of these twins was yelling "Trick or Treat."  Absolutely adorable.

The candy and the cute kids were in abundance! 

Sometimes we need weekends like these:  fun, family, and hometowns.  Throw in the nice weather, and it doesn't get much better!

Last Home Game

Yesterday was the last home game for the U team, and it wasn't pretty! I think all their energyand even the crowd's excitement were used up after last week. It's a good thing we were surrounded by a lot of cute kids. Watching them is quite entertaining.

U stadium is set up so that seats in the north end zone have port-a-potties. I'm a fan of U team, but not that big of a fan. At least once a game, I make the hike up the west side stairs to the restrooms and main concourse of the stadium. The stairs give a heck of a work out, and I get a real restroom with water and everything!

Yesterday's trip was worth the hike. Right at the "gasping for air" part of the hike, my former student Courtney grabbed me. She is LC's mom--and the other half of one of my favorite blogging duos of all time! AND...I got to hold LC and kiss those sweet cheeks. (What a tiny little thing!!) I got to hug LC's mama, too. I am guessing it has been about ten+ years since I've seen her. I've been so happy to catch up with Courtney in blog land-- and reading about LC is one of the happiest moments of every day. Now I need to convince LC's mama to do what I always thought she would: write a book! I think she has the perfect subject in her arms every day.

-

Even bad days at a U game can be wonderful!

Yep!

Blessings: Daughters, U Football win over Rival Team, Sunshine and Sunglasses...

some days are just about perfect!

Let the Games Begin

We have season tickets to U season football. Tailgating, big marching bands, and exciting games (sometimes)--what is not to love? The Mr., old football coach that he is, loves football in any form. His daughters must have inherited that gene.

Me? I love people watching. The two love birds above were in that position most of the game. They didn't leave the rail. I finally thought if they were willing to make such a show of their love by blocking the game and the half-time show, I might as well snap a shot or two.

I never did figure out how old they were. My guess is they were a couple of high school kids able to sneak away from parents for the afternoon. But talk about exhibitionists! No hiding in a corner for them. They put on a show for the entire end zone.

And I'm off to do some more people watching today. Oh yeah, and I hope the U team wins!

Football Saturdays

This was a beautiful Saturday in U town stadium. The fans cheered the U team to a victory. There were lots of people on hand to enjoy the sunny weather and root for the home team.

Of course, K & L were two of my favorite fans. (And both of them were sporting pink noses by the end of the game.)

As if the huge crowd wasn't enough, it was Band Day. This was the half-time show. All those high school bands crowded onto the field to play some patriotic numbers. Their traditional closing number is a rendition of the "1812 Overture," complete with cannon fire.

Along with being Band Day, it was Military Appreciation Day. Besides a couple of tanks, there was a lot of camouflage in the stands, and they supplied the half-time cannon fire. Of course, my favorite part of the day-- the tailgating before the game.

CT grilled kabobs with elk meat and bacon wrapped dove and jalapenos. (L brought her own hot dogs. She isn't much for nontraditional meat!) I'll let CT do the cooking at the tailgate any time! He is a good cook, and I've tried a couple of delicious things I've never eaten before.

There is always a lot to eat, but the best part of tailgating is the atmosphere. There are washer toss games, wanna be quarterbacks practicing their spirals, and radios blaring the pregame show. Today, a little girl at the next tailgate over was celebrating her 8th birthday. She and a friend stopped by to snitch a few candy corn and tell us about her love of horses. The tailgate fans are always friendly.

Give me an awning for shade, a comfy lawn chair, and time with the family. There is only one down side to tailgate Saturdays:

Port-a-pottys!! (Give me a regular restroom any day!) Thankfully, early in the day they are still in good shape. And I'm always grateful for the hand sanitizer dispensers! And that is a Football Saturday in my books. (The Mr. will notice that there are no pictures of the team or the game. Oh yeah, there was a game?? I guess I'll get pictures of his favorite part of the day next time!)