Thanksgiving 2011

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We spent Thanksgiving in College Station with our every-other-year Aggie vs. t.u. game watching tradition.  I always get so excited on the drive down, and turning onto University drive practically gives me goosebumps every single time.  There is no other place on earth that feels like home more than Aggieland.  I'm seriously in love with everything about it.  We made it just in time for Yell, and the kids had a great time 'humping it'.  Grady really got into the FARMERS FIGHT!  I don't think I ever stopped smiling, even when my sappy eyes filled with their sappy tears when R.C. spoke, and the head yell leader choked up as he recited The Last Corps Trip.

It's always great fun to set up the tailgate and cook the entire feast out of the campers, and the kid had a great time with their cousins riding bikes, drawing on table cloths, listening to music, and just being together on such a Thankful holiday.  But, this year it was especially bitter sweet.  As of now, we just played the last Aggie vs. t.u. football game.  With us moving the the SEC, Texas has opted out of the rivalry game for the future.  I knew I would be sappy emotional about it, for no other reason than just the fun banter between the schools, but the gut-wrenching loss made it that much worse.  Grady and I dropped the ticket holders off at the game, made a round at the book store, and then took a stroll around campus.  I showed him a few of my favorite buildings, and we ended with a walk through the Quad.  Right now he's obsessed with the Corps.  As we walked past Kyle Field we heard the game begin and Grady asked if it was our turn to go to the game.  It wasn't-just not enough tickets to go around this time, but man, I never wanted to be at a football game more in my life.  He saw the other scalpers asking for tickets and thought he would try to "get two for him and his Mommy."  As we walked back to the trailer, Grady said he would be my date, but "he would drink milk, I could drink wine, and we'd save the beer for Daddy."  We bundled up, and settled in for the last rivalry game.  And, it had to be the most frustrating game I've ever watched in my entire life.  There's about a ten second delay from live action to satellite action, so I'd hear the yells from the field, and wait to see what happened.  If it was a big yell or a cannon, I knew the news was good, and if I was waiting for a big yell and didn't hear one, I knew the news was bad.  Every now and then I heard a smaller  yell and knew the t-sips had done well.  We looked good in the first half, but as typical for this season, lost it the 3rd quarter.  We pulled ahead for mere seconds in the 4th, but a few mishaps gave the t-sips the final say.  

I almost cried.

I wanted to win that game so badly.  I wanted the Ags to leave the Big 12 with something under their belt, and I hoped that with a win we could entice the Longhorns to keep the traditions and the rivalry going.  I know it was just a football game, and I've told myself that over and over.  I know I shouldn't get my feelings hurt over something so trivial, but I did.  It did hurt.  It hurt in person.  It hurt the tradition.  Heck, even the comments on Facebook stung a little too deeply, and were just a little too much for me to hear.  But, Gary woke up on Friday, walked outside and said, "The sun did come up after all."  So yes, the sun came up, and the world kept going, traditions and rivalry or not.  We are the Aggies, the Aggies are we, true to eachother as Aggies can be...

Despite the loss, we had a wonderful time with family.  The kids knew what they were thankful for:  their cousins, their Gran and PaPa, their Mommy and Daddy, and of course, the Aggies.  I'm thankful for all that and so much more.  God truly blessed us every one.

ssshhhh! Don't tell Todd!

Friday, I subbed in Tanner's classroom, and left my camera-my new fancy beautiful wonderful camera. At least, that's where I'd hoped I'd left it. I discovered it was missing Saturday morning on the way to Tanner's Tball game, retraced my steps, and remembered seeing it by his teacher's desk. I waited on pins and needles all weekend to check with his teacher that it was still indeed there. Thankfully it was. Whew!

Sadly, I do this kind of thing all the time, and I'm afraid I'm using up all my good luck. My freshman year at A&M I left my keys (complete with ID/wallet attachment) on the 3rd Deck of Kyle Field. A fellow Aggie returned them to my dorm. I left those dang keys all over that campus-at least 3 other times, and either found them or had them returned to me. I left my new Dooney & Burke purse in class (also complete with key/ID/wallet attachment); another Aggie returned that to me. I've left my cell phone all over Texas, and have actually had my cell phone charger mailed to me. I leave my toothbrushes either at home (when I need them in hotel rooms) or in those hotel rooms (when I need them at home). I've also left bags of dirty clothes in said hotel rooms, and they'll mail those to you, just in case you find yourself in that predicament. I'm even worse when it comes to the kid's crap; it's a given that if I come to your house I will leave a sippy cup, matchbox car, or "raggie." Everyone has a stash of my stuff. I guess it's my way of making myself at home wherever I go.

What is my deal? Am I subconciously trying to live up to that blonde, Aggie persona? Surely not. For a self proclaimed super organized Type A person, this is a major character flaw, and like I said, I'm pretty sure I'm using up all my 9 lives of forgetfullness. or is it 7 lives? I forget. :)

April 21st

Aggies gathered together on June 26, 1883 to live over again their college days, the victories and defeats won and lost upon the drill field and classroom. Eventually the annual gathering evolved into a celebration of Texas Independence on San Jacinto Day – April 21st. Over time the tradition has changed, but its very essence has remained “If there is an A&M man in one hundred miles of you, you are expected to get together, eat a little, and live over the days you spent at the A&M College of Texas.” Muster is celebrated in more than four hundred places worldwide, with the largest ceremony on the Texas A&M campus in College Station. Aggie Muster as we know it today is credited to E. E. McQuillen ’20, who served as the Executive Secretary of The Association of Former Students. It is fitting that he was honored to serve as the first Campus Muster speaker.

Muster is a time to look to the past, present, and future…not only to grieve but to reflect and to celebrate the lives that connect us to one another. A gesture so simple in nature yet so lasting in spirit, Muster is the lasting impression every Aggie leaves with us; it reminds us of the greatness that lies within these walls, of the loyalty we possess, of the connection that binds us, and of the idea that every Aggie has a place of importance – whether they are present in flesh or spirit.

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Whoop! Red Raiders are being given the Business!

I have felt the sting of animosity from Red Raider supporters this past week after they asked me who I was going to be rooting for tonight in the big game. It is as if they expected me to say "oh, yes, Texas Tech of course who else". But keep this in mind...I am an Aggie. And whether some Aggies want to admit it or not, we have a (one sided these days I agree) rivalry with those boys from Lubbock. Not to mention, I take offense to anyone that wants to point the ass of a horse toward my beloved Aggieland! Just in case anyone cares, I support anyone playing Tech (except for those tea sips from Austin of course). Now for those that are saying, "but if OU wins, Texas may win the conference and you obviously hate them more". Now for the really petty side of my stance. I would never under any circumstances want Texas Tech to win a Conference Championship, much less a National Championship. Frankly, Raiders tend to have a high level of cockiness without these merits and I would rather not feed that animal. Too late for those longhorns!And now for the CYA...I do leave this animosity on the field as I have both Red Raiders and Longhorns in my circle of family and friends and I think highly of all of them no matter their college affiliation.

So I propose a toast to those boys from Oklahoma who are currently giving those pirates the business just like I told my sainted sister it would happen! Currently 42-7 Halftime...not even a fun game to watch really and I am stuck at home with the kids and annoying 2 people that apparently don't like me to hijack Daniella's blog.

Edit: 52-7 before I finished this blog! And yes, I get really bored when Daniella is not around if anyone was wondering.

Softly Call the Muster

Tonight we attended Aggie Muster in Decatur-one of the 300 ceremonies around the world. We took Madison and Tanner to the ceremony, and I have to admit, it wasn't terrible! I was a little nervous since it is a solemn ceremony, but when roll call began, both kids looked around and were marveling at everyone answering "here". We stood towards the end to sing The Spirit of Aggieland and sap that I am-I teared up when both kids sang it word for word. This tradition is one that ebraces what being an Aggie is all about. and I do love being an Aggie.

"From the outside looking in you don't understand it; from the inside looking out you can't describe it."