It's that time of year

Yes, my friends. It is upon us once again - college football season.

While many wives bemoan this season and what it means for their TVs/Saturday nights/marriages, I am not among them. And while Dallin is pretty into football now, he wouldn't have said as much before we were married. Just sayin.

Anyways, I've been going to ASU football games for...a long time. Pretty much my whole life. And I love it. Seriously, the energy at a good game is just unbeatable.

While our season opener last week against UC Davis was great and all (a win is a win!), this week's game against Missouri was possibly one of the best home games I've ever been to. A huge, loud crowd, all decked out in black to celebrate the emergence of the Devils' new black uniforms. An important game against a ranked team. A decent chance at success without anything being guaranteed.

I tell you, it was intense. We made some stupid mistakes, got lucky a few times, and ended up in overtime. I hate overtime. It's too much for my little heart to handle. And I was sure we were done for. But oh my heck, we pulled it off. And I'm so, so glad. We just might have a good year this year.

And Maddy is quite the little Devils fan, too! She wasn't sure about the loudness of this black out game, but eventually got used to it and joined in with yells of "C'mon!" and "Go!" She also tried to make the little pitchfork sign with her hand (she failed miserably, but it was awesome to watch), and danced to the marching band music. It was a ton of fun.

Compare the crowds (game 1 to game 2):



Maddy enjoying the game:

Maddy and Mama at the black out (not shown: our black painted toenails)



Go Devils!




Well, here's to a new season! May it be better than the last...and the one before that.

And the world will be a better place

Is it just me, or does the world actually seem like a better place after the Devils' WIN over the Tucson team last night?

Block 1:





Block 2:




It pretty much makes you forget about how crappy the rest of the season has been.

Until next year.

"The One The Only The Truly Incomparable Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band!" - and Why I Hate Them

The Stanford Marching Band members do not wear uniforms.

It takes 5 minutes to introduce them (see post title).

They do not march.

They do not have very many members.

And, apparently, they do not think.

A little research (thanks, Wikipedia) has shown me that the band has given several questionable performances, including one at Notre Dame in which the band director dressed in a nun costume and conducted the band with a cross instead of a baton, and another at a game against BYU in which some female members dressed in wedding veils and the band director proposed to each one in turn, while the announcer referred to marriage as "the sacred bond that exists between a man and a woman...and a woman...and a woman...and a woman."

What the heck?! Who - exactly - thought that was funny?

Probably the same people that thought their halftime show last Saturday was funny.

I am not - in any way, shape or form - affiliated with those people.

The entire halftime show was one big long insult directed at a school - my school.

They poked fun at everything from the fact that ASU did not give President Obama an honorary degree (personally, I'm glad they didn't), to the fact that no astronauts have graduated from ASU, to ASU's graduation rate. And then they pointed out that everything ASU lacked, Stanford has had. Oh, and they mentioned that at least one good thing going for the school is the fact that they can afford beer.

Are you freaking kidding me?

Stanford is supposed to be one of the best schools in the country. I'm sure they are one of the best schools in the country. Reputations like theirs don't just spring out of nowhere.

I would never say that ASU is a better academic institution than Stanford. That's just not a viable claim.

But that does NOT give Stanford the right to point out what they think is wrong with our school and basically call it a school for morons, underachievers, and golfers (but not Tiger Woods).

I mean seriously - who does that?

What group - especially a group who is supposed to represent the entire school - would stoop to taunting, jeering, and degrading another school that is visiting for a football game?

If you think you're awesome, keep it to yourself. Otherwise, you're going to get another reputation - that of a stuck-up university that goes out of their way to point out any statistics that make them better than others.

Sure, you can tell me it was all fun and games - and hey, maybe it was. I can laugh at myself - really, I can. I can take jokes that are made in good nature - whether they are directed at me, my family, my lifestyle, whatever. And maybe no one at Stanford actually thinks this way about ASU, apart from whoever writes the ridiculous band shows.

But then why not crack down on whoever writes the ridiculous band shows? It really should be done, before this joke of a marching band completely embarrasses an otherwise entirely respectable university.

At least, that's my two cents. It had to be said.

If you want to read the entire transcript of the halftime show, click here.

But I wouldn't blame you if you just stayed far away.

Beautiful.

Dear Danny Sullivan and Chris McGaha,




Thank you.

It's September.

It's SEPTEMBER.

This scares me to death.

I am scared for the following three reasons:

(1) It's SEPTEMBER and my baby is due in NOVEMBER.

(2) It's my little sister's birthday today and she is no fewer than EIGHTEEN years old.

(3) ASU football starts on Saturday.

Let's take these backwards...it'll be kind of like a countdown thing. It'll be fun.

(3) ASU football starts on Saturday.

If you wonder why I am scared about this, wonder no longer, for I shall explain all.

First of all, an ASU football game can make or break a Saturday night. Last year, lots of Saturday nights were broken. Crushed, really. Shattered, if you want to be frank about it. No, it probably wasn't the worst season ASU football has ever seen...but it might have felt like it. And now, me and every other ASU fan in the world has absolutely no idea if this season is going to be any better. Sure, our lousy quarterback graduated...but now we're left with a starting quarterback with hardly any play time under his belt. Yeah, ASU football hasn't had two consecutive losing seasons since like the 40s...but that might just mean our time has come. We do still have some big guns in our possession (Williams, McGaha, even Weber)...but we have a few more that are simply unproven.

Needless to say, my realistic hopes are approaching on their tippy-toes. We should win on Saturday...it would be incredibly embarrassing if we didn't...but the rest of the season may just have a dark cloud of doom hovering over it. I guess we'll see.

2) It's my little sister's birthday today and she is no fewer than EIGHTEEN years old.

I'll tell you what...wow. See, since there are six kiddos in my family, I've always kind of mentally divided them between the elder three and the younger three. Jenna is the oldest of the younger three...and she's 18.

18 is adulthood.

She's an ADULT? Wha-wha-wha-what?

Also, freaking out about this kind of makes me feel like one of those old aunts who can't say anything about you other than how big you are and how she can't believe how much you've grown, blah blah blah. Does anyone actually have one of these aunts, by the way?

At the risk of becoming that, I'll stop now. I love you sis! Happy birthday!

Now go get back in your footie pajamas.

1) It's SEPTEMBER and my baby is due in NOVEMBER.

We're in the "BER" months, people. September and November seem a lot a lot a lot closer to each other than August and November. Tell me I'm not right.

Can we say...freak out?

Furthermore, I am approaching the 30 week mark. 30. Weeks.

Do you know how long it takes a baby to cook? 40. 40. Weeks.

30 is almost 40.

Everything after 30 is really almost 40.

You get beyond 30...and you have...numbers of weeks left with only 1 number in them. Like...9.

Yeah, my baby's due in like almost 9 weeks. Gulp.

I should learn how to be a mom. That might help.

I should also buy some things...like a crib and some diapers (AHHH! CLOTH OR DISPOSABLE?!?) and some more clothes and a breast pump (tmi? lol. sry.) and some blankets and some bath toys and some make-your-baby-brilliant movies and a stroller and a diaper bag and oh my gosh baby needs a name!

Ok but really, I'm not freaking out this much. I still have a shower coming (probably second weekend in October...let me know if you want an invite! They haven't gone out yet...), and I'm not exactly Miss Workaholic right now, so I've got plenty of time to peruse stores/the internet looking for smoking deals on the cutest slash very most necessary baby items.

But still...there's a lot to do.

P.S. about the names...I think we've got it narrowed down. Maybe I'll write a post in a few weeks about all possible options, and then let the blogosphere decide for me! Yeah...probably not. But I'd at least enjoy the validation - genuine or not - about my name choices.

Baby's kicking/rolling/punching up a storm. I've been feeling sickish and am hoping it's pregnancy related and not cold/flu related. Dallin finally felt him while he was being really active (Dallin's felt him before, but never while he was really on the move) and said "So that's what you have to deal with?" Yeah, that and then some, babe.

Finally, and just fyi, I love juice. I am about to finish my fourth carton of juice in like, a week. Mmm...it's so yummy!

Wake me up when September ends.