Longhorn pride.

Much longer posts are forthcoming, but tonight, as we drive from Pasadena back to LA, I just have to say that I'm one proud Horn fan. I'm proud that my team showed so much heart when all seemed lost, and I'm proud that I never have to question my coach's integrity. And Colt? I'm so proud that he's a fellow believer.

http://tinyurl.com/yfe8r2n

Hook 'em!

Now the long off-season begins...

Sent from my iPhone

Happy New Year!

(Another catch-up post!)

One of our favorite family traditions is the New Year's Day lunch at Nana and Papa's.

Nana always cooks up an amazing feast that includes the requisite black-eyed peas.

It was delish! It was also special because the whole family (except for Cara and Jeff) could be together. Erumi was even able to join us!


After watching plenty of football, we pulled out Taboo and played a couple of rounds. Too much fun! We're so thankful to live so close to our family!

Ringing in 2010.

(Playing catch-up tonight!)

What better way to ring in a new year than playing, laughing and even singing with friends! While the kids spent the night with their friends, having a blast, we were having our own blast, grown-up style.

After a game of The Game of Things (during which, thankfully, no photos were taken), out came the karaoke machine. We divided into even and odd teams (according to birth date), and as luck would have it, the evens got nothing but easy songs. "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"? Really?!

The evens proved that volume covers up a lot of mistakes! (Not that I'm bitter.)

While bummed about our lame songs, we odds were quite entertained by the other team's efforts.


Too funny! As I said on Facebook, you know it was a good New Year's Eve when you're still giggling the next morning!

And Brett? He didn't sing much,
but he did get in some quality time with Baxter!

Many thanks to our hosts who provided the delicious meal and the perfect venue for New Year's Eve. That night was just what we needed at just the right time.

It's Groundhog Day again!

I know we're about a month away from Feb. 2, but I'm talking about my personal Groundhog Day.


It's hard to believe it's been four years since that incredible night when Vince Young and the Horns stunned USC to win the BSC national championship.

It's even harder to believe that in 48 hours, we should be back in California! This time around, I don't have nearly the confidence that I felt in '06. But no matter what happens with the game, I know we'll have a great time with our LA friends. We get to see them so rarely; when we do get to hang out with them, it's such a treat!

And one thing I know about football: You never know! If the Horns play up to their potential (and lay off the sideline passes JUST A BIT!), we may finally get to add another year after that comma:Previous Groundhog Day posts:
2007
2008
2009

Down, down, down.

So three of our four Christmas trees are down. The nutcrackers and Granny decorations are down. Our (ridiculously) simple front-door lighted garland is down.

And I am down.

There are people who love their homes' clean look once the Christmas stuff is gone. I am not one of those people. This year, because we're still so new to our house, the cleared-out look just makes our home seem empty. And my need to paint? More evident than ever!

So yeah, I'm a little on the melancholy side tonight. Surely that has nothing to do with going back to work in the morning, right?

(sigh)

An attitude adjustment is in order! After all, I'm only working three days this week, and then I'm off to LA for the big game! Tomorrow and Tuesday I'll be packing for the trip that we booked back in October. Yep, it's time to count my blessings, and although they're innumerable, I'll start by counting to three. Three days. I can handle THREE DAYS!

Back-blogging again.

You know I'm off work when I manage to make TEN posts in one day! Call me crazy, but I really wanted to get caught up before returning to work Monday. (Call me a procrastinator, too, because I really should've been finishing up some church stuff this afternoon! Oh, well. As Kenny Rogers would say, "We've got tonight.")

Brett misses new posts when I back-date them (and they show up below posts that have been up for a while), so here's the run-down:

Dec. 21: No business like dough business
Dec. 23: Decked halls
Dec. 23: Another pet?
Dec. 24: A different kind of Christmas Eve
Dec. 25: Christmas 2009
Dec. 25: White Christmas
Dec. 25: A walk in the park
Dec. 28: A day of celebration
Dec. 29: T&D&S
Dec. 30: Wii wish you a merry Christmas

Whew! Glad that's taken care of. Now I have just two more posts until I'm caught up...

Happy 2010.

As we begin this new year, I'm lacking my usual sense of revitalization and renewal. I'm also not feeling up to my typical "year-in-review" reminiscences.

It's hard to see past last week to assess the year as a whole. It's also difficult to muster up optimism when we're still so, so sad about losing our friend.

Instead of trying to force that "fresh start" feeling, I'm going to give myself a break. I'm going to be satisfied with clinging to my Father. I don't have a clue where this year will take us, but I'm praying for confidence, to know that my God will carry us through. I'm praying that I can trust in the "blessed assurance" that Tim so loved to sing about.

For too long I've had my hands tightly gripping the wheel, trying to drive my life to work out "just so." It's time for me to breathe, to give up the wheel, to have faith.

Paul Simon's song (that gives this blog its title this season) is a depressing lyric about missing the mark. But I'm seeing the whole "slip slidin'" concept more as an analogy for life. The sooner I realize I'm not in control, the better off I'll be. And with God's help, we'll skate through these dark days--and bright ones, too--and find ourselves closer to Him and closer to each other.

May God bless you this year and every year.

Sent from my iPhone

Wii wish you a merry Christmas.

Another of our Christmas traditions is to get together with our friend Dede and exchange gifts.

After lunch at Cheddar's, we came back to our house so the kids could play Wii and we could have a little more Christmas fun.

Dede and Cole gave Ryan a Beatles throw and Katie a Texas frame.

I got a gift card for a store that sells college merchandise—wonder which school's stuff I'll buy?—and Brett got a KISS throw. It was funny because just yesterday Brett was wearing a Destroyer shirt!

We gave Terry a bunch of Mason jars, but that's really a selfish gift since we know he'll eventually fill them with his amazing hot sauce.
We gave Dede and picture frame and an iTunes card (since she just got an iPhone), but her real present is still on its way from Walgreens. (Dangit, Walgreens! WOULD YOU JUST SEND ME MY ORDER?!)
And Cole? Cole got a Lego Batman game for the Wii.

We think he likes it!

T & D & S.

Nothing says "holiday" better than Tea and Donuts! We love this little shop and even have a nickname for it: T&D.
On Tuesday I took the kids there for breakfast, and we also ran some errands. It felt good to be out and about on a weekday!

We made a point to get on home before too late, though, because yet another snow storm was on its way. We didn't get nearly as much snow this time around and the roads never got bad, but really? Snow on THREE different days? In DECEMBER?! Wow!

In loving memory...

A day of celebration.

It was such an honor to be in the A/V booth for Tim's funeral. Since he was one of the "boothies," we'd spent many hours together in that booth. It was tough to be there, sitting right where he'd worked just eight days earlier, but it was therapeutic, too. It felt good to be able to do something—anything!—to help out.

And what can I say about the service? It was wonderful! The family center was filled, so extra chairs were brought out. Those who couldn't find a seat stood up along the walls. I later found out that there were people watching on monitors in the Great Hall, too. Those who spoke did a phenomenal job describing our Tim. We cried, sure, but we also laughed at the "Tim stories" and sang some "Tim songs." It was truly a celebration of his life. (For a better description of the service, check out Jenna's blog.)

After the funeral I was blessed to eat lunch with some friends before heading to Alvarado for the burial.




The service and burial were both awesome tributes to our friend, but it's still so strange to think he's gone! Thank God we know where he is!

Speaking of tributes, there are many, many more on Tim's honor page on Facebook. My fellow bloggers have also posted their own tributes, too, so be sure to read what Jenna and Tami had to say about this incredible person. Apparently I have yet to run out of tears to shed, but thankfully, we haven't run out of words, either.

Please keep praying for Amy, Samantha and all of Tim's family and friends.

And Tim: See you later!