Sisters

This weekend I have the pleasure of spending time with both of my sisters in the same place and at the same time. Modern day miracle if you ask me. Sadly enough, this is a very rare occurrence so when the opportunity arises it truly is something special. Jennifer and her husband flew in from Florida yesterday afternoon. Jane and her boyfriend drove in late last nite. The six of us are having a wonderful time together and making memories for a lifetime.

In trying to articulate the special bond that sisters share I thought I would include a few sisterly quotes. These pull at my heart strings and help to explain the rock solid and and ever complicated relationship called sisters. Love you girls!!!

"She is your mirror, shining back at you with a world of possibilities. She is your witness, who sees you at your worst and best, and loves you anyway. She is your partner in crime, your midnight companion, someone who knows when you are smiling, even in the dark. She is your teacher, your defense attorney, your personal press agent, even your shrink. Some days, she's the reason you wish you were an only child." ~Barbara Alpert

"You keep your past by having sisters. As you get older, they're the only ones who don't get bored if you talk about your memories." ~Deborah Moggach

"Sisters are blossoms in the garden of life." ~Author Unknown

"A sister shares childhood memories and grown-up dreams." ~Author Unknown

"A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life." ~Isadora James

Family Weekend at WKU

Jane on her campus of Western Kentucky University


Jane, Grammy, Uncle Steve, Mom and Dad at the campus cafeteria


Dad and Me at the campus cafeteria


Grammy taking a break from climbing "the hill"


Jane and I at the football tailgate

This past weekend was Parents Weekend at WKU (Family Weekend in our case). My Dad came in town especially for this annual event. My Mom and Dad, Grammy, Uncle Steve and me all hit the road Bowling Green bound early Saturday morning. Although only a short road trip from Louisville the drive there was alot of fun! There's just something about going out of town and leaving all of your work and worries behind. We arrived in Bowling Green just as Jane was rolling out of bed (she's on that college schedule, ya know?). We headed to the cafeteria for brunch and then off to a self guided tour of the campus. We climbed the "hill" and now I understand why everyone wants to avoid taking classes at the top! It really is a steep one and can you imagine climbing it in extreme temperatures? No thank you. After the tour we headed to the tailgating party just outside the new and improved stadium. We found ourselves eating again and enjoying the festive atmosphere.

At this point in the day we were all ready for a change in scenery however nobody quite knew what to suggest we do. Well, I threw a couple suggestions out there but didn't have any takers. At the top of my list was a sports bar and the FSU game. That didn't happen. Instead, the guys headed to the hotel and the girls headed to Zappos. That could have been dangerous but believe it or not we made it out of there in under $20.00. Could that be right?

Everyone stayed the nite in Bowling Green except for me. I had to get home because James and I were heading out to the Ryder Cup the next day. That was awesome by the way. I wish I had some pictures to share but as you probably know there were no cameras allowed. We had tickets in the Samuel Ryder Club just overlooking the 9th hole fairway. I didn't know what to expect as I'm not a huge golf fan. Honestly, I was less than enthusiastic about spending a very precious day off on the golf course but James helped convince me that this wasn't just any day on the golf course. I am so happy that I went. It was a once in a lifetime experience and something that I will never forget. Perfect locale, perfect weather, perfect tent, perfect company, perfect victory = AMAZING DAY. What an awesome thing for the Americans and for the city of Louisville. The not so amazing part was the nextday.... I think you catch my drift and many of you were probably in my same boat.

IKE

Well, it could be worse. Much worse. We've all seen the images of IKE's rage on the news. It's hard to believe after hitting the golf coast and travelling so far inland the winds were as gusty as they were. We've heard reports of 75 mph. Many parts of Louisville are without power and dealing with downed trees. Luckily, we fared the storm pretty well and only have the latter to deal with. Above are pictures of our backyard. Two big trees apparently weren't strong enough to withstand the winds. We did lose power for several hours but fortunately its' been restored. There's never a good time for something like this but certainly not when your city is about to be on the World's Stage i.e. Ryder Cup. City officials are working hard to clean up and put the storm behind us. Practice rounds begin tomorrow. With that in mind and as mentioned above it could be worse. We're praying for all the victims of the direct hit from IKE and their speedy recovery.

UofL - UK Season Opener (gone bad...)

Well, we all know the outcome of this one. Some of you readers may be happy and others not so much. Unfortunately, I am on the latter side of things. Regardless of the outcome of the game we had a ton of FUN and the tailgating continues to outdo itself year after year after year... That's the important part anyway, right? HA!

Each year we partake in "Crazy Ray's" tailgating party. Crazy Ray's is just that: CRAZY. This tailgate has to rank in the top 5 tailgates of all time. Think of this: a place of business kind enough to allow us use of the facility, VIP parking just a block from the stadium, indoor plumbing, HUGE smoker used to grill a variety of delicious foods each week, side dishes and desserts galore, live music with an awesome sound system, etc. etc. Have I painted a good picture? It's really a fantastic time. Here's a picture of the man behind the madness...

It's hard to believe that college football is upon us. Where has the summer gone? As exciting as it is I find it equally sad. It's a blessing that the spirit of college football is a nice distraction from the change in seasons. James and I love to get up on a Saturday morning and tune in to "College Game Day." We have a little friendly competition in our household: UofL vs. the almighty SEMINOLES (James won't appreciate the "almighty" part of that or the all caps.... = ) ). I think that's a difference in opinion we just agree to disagree on.

Anyway, good luck to everyone and your team this year (unless your Alex or otherwise a Florida Gator fan....just kidding...sorta). May the best team win!

Jane came up from Bowling Green for the game!

James and I at the tailgate--GO CARDS!

James, Jesse, Christy and Mike

View of the tailgate

Papa John's Cardinal Stadium