A Salute To Veterans

In honor of Veteran's Day, I wanted to post a salute and a heartfelt thank you to all of our brave veterans. Near and dear to my heart is one specific veteran who left the University of Texas one semester short of an Engineering degree to defend our country in the Vietnam War as a member of the United States Marine Corps. You wouldn't know he is really that tough by looking at him with those little kittens a few posts down the page, but the person I am speaking of is my father-in-law. Thank you, Wes.

Football season comes to an end

Our season officially ended last night with a 20-21 loss to Texas City. The coaches made the decision at the end of the game to go for a win by trying for a 2-point conversion, and we were not successful. They had nothing to lose, and I think going for it was a fitting way to end the year for the Mustangs.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to be at the game last night, but Jamie said the kids played very hard. I am a bit sad to see the season come to an end. I'm going to miss it. It will be nice to reclaim our weekends, though.

Farewell to our 43 seniors...we will miss you! Thanks for a great year. It's funny how you become attached to watching certain kids play. This is Jamie's first full class at Friendswood to graduate, so I know he had a special attachment to them as well.

Congratulations to Will Ebner, Cameron Kaufhold, and Blake Sargent who have signed with UH and will play for the Cougars next year.

Thinking about a haircut

I am thinking about cutting my hair. I really don't want to, but here is the reason why...

I have been working to grow my hair out for well over a year now (basically for 2 years). Here is a picture of me back when Jamie and I first met:

We actually met a few months after this was taken, but it's the closest thing I have to that time. I was all dressed up for a Christmas party.

Anyway, I digress! Here is a picture now (again a few months old, but you get the idea):

The thing that I don't like about my hair now is that there are some long layers, and it's causing the bottom layer to look really thin. I don't have particularly thick hair to begin with, and with these layers mixed in, it just looks even thinner. I would really prefer to have my hair all one length with the possibility of some long, side swept bangs.

So, I am considering cutting a few inches from the bottom to allow the layers to catch up with the longest part of my hair. I hate to give up the length that I've been growing for so long now, but I don't know of any other way to fix this issue.

Any thoughts, opinions, ideas? Should I just leave it alone?? Cut it?? Does it look like crap?? Honesty is much appreciated!

We are such nerds!!!

My dad, Jamie, and I really wanted to see the playoff volleyball game tonight, but it was being played in Kingwood. With my long drive home there was just no way we could turn around and drive all the way back out to Kingwood tonight - plus we didn't want to keep Elise out that late on a school night.

My dad read that the game was being broadcast on the radio tonight, so we ordered pizza and listened to the game! The Lady Mustangs won easily in 3 games. The scores were 25-18, 25-19, and 25-12. They should play again on Saturday and will be playing the winner of the Santa Fe/Brenham game. We are definitely planning to go to the game on Saturday.

Our Season Ends Prematurely

I am disappointed to say that our football team will not be going to the playoffs this year. We got quite a shocker on Friday when Dickinson beat La Marque. There had been some controversy going on earlier last week surrounding an "ineligible" player that Dickinson had utilized in every single game of the season. Teams are not permitted to play kids that are participating in more than one athletic class per semester. Dickinson's kicker (who is also a soccer player) has been enrolled in a football class as well as a soccer class for the entire school year so far. This all came to light early last week, and Dickinson turned themselves in to UIL. The district held a meeting on Friday and voted unanimously to sanction Dicksinson with a public reprimand and one-year probation and NOT force them to forfeit all of the games played by the "ineligible" player.

You notice that I have ineligible in quotes above. Apparently UIL has determined that although it is a violation to play a kid who is enrolled in more than one athletic class, it is not an issue that would render that player ineligible. That really surprises me, because if the kid is not ineligible, then what is he??? This was our argument; however, we were unsuccessful in proving our case.

Apparently Dickinson was so energized over this ruling on Friday morning that they went out Friday night and used that momentum to their advantage and were able to defeat La Marque very soundly. I believe they won by more than 20 points...really shocking.

That sealed our fate. There is no combination of wins and losses that could occur next Friday that would get us into the playoffs. Our team will be playing for pride alone next Friday in Texas City. Jamie is very disappointed, and I am also. It is not very often that a team has a record of 8-2 (assuming we are able to win next week) and does not make the playoffs. I am really sorry to see it happen to our team this year.

Jamie is at the school right now planning practices for next week. To look on the bright side, this will be the last working weekend of the year (with the exception of 3 baseball tournaments in the spring). It will be really nice to have Jamie home more often, especially around the holidays. I know that he's tired and will enjoy the break. We will have an adjustment period, though. I'm sure everyone can relate...when you've been so busy for so long and gotten into a steady routine - all of a sudden when it's over it is hard to figure out what to do with all the extra time for a while. I used to go through this same "let down" at the end of each volleyball season, so I really can understand Jamie and how he feels. That is part of what makes us such a great match - we've lived such similar lives in a lot of ways. We understand one another without explanations. I know it will feel strange to me to have Friday nights free again. I will miss the games, because I really do love our football Friday nights.

Now we look to baseball season which will begin at the end of January.

Jamie will begin his accelerated master's degree program in about 2 weeks. I have a feeling that will keep him busy in the absence of a sport in season.

I also have to get in one quick plug for my alma mater's volleyball team. I went to see their playoff match last Friday night vs. Dickinson where the Mustangs were victorious and advanced to the next round. I love watching my old team play. They make me very proud, because they are just great and incredibly talented. I hope to catch a few more games and maybe even make a trip to the state tournament to cheer them on! Go Lady Mustangs!!

Cat Woman

You know how people joke around about the scary old people at the end of the block with 20 cats?? Well, I've been teasing my in-laws about becoming those people! This all began a few months ago when they took in a stray female cat. Well, apparently she was pregnant at the time and they didn't realize it. Okay, that was fine - she had a litter of kittens. But the problem multiplied (literally) when she continued to get pregnant and deliver more kittens...who also started getting pregnant! They now have probably over 20 cats in a matter of months. It's crazy! They have been trying to find homes for all the cats, but it is so very out of hand now that it is nearly hopeless. My father-in-law is now on a first name basis with the vet who has been fixing all the cats for them. They have one last litter now, and these will be neutered in the next few weeks, which should finally put a stop to the vicious cycle.

My father-in-law wanted to take me out to a belated birthday dinner tonight, so we went to Guadalajara and had a great time and great conversation. After dinner we hung out at their house and played with the kittens for a while. What a bunch of cuties. I was tempted for a brief moment to bring a few home.