Hey Jenny, can you hear that? Sounds like football to me!
Only 10 more days until my beloved Vols take the field against UCLA!
There is nothing better than fall winds, football on tv, warm blankets, and plenty of Southern comfort food to make a girl feel in her element! I can't express how excited I am that football season is almost here. I've enjoyed the Olympics and I love basketball but I'll take football any day!
Bring it on!
Since everyone else is talking about it, I'm gonna mention it too. Brett Favre is going to the NY Jets!! Finally! The drama is over and he can get to work. I have really enjoyed watching Favre play over the years. I especially loved watching him last season. He seemed to be having so much fun. When he gave his retirement press conference, I wondered how he could walk away from football. As a former athlete, I know how hard it is to give it up after years of commitment. The drama was really getting on my nerves and I was longing for the day when I could turn ESPN on without hearing or seeing Favre's name. Thank goodness it's over and we can all get back to our normal routine.
I look forward to watching this all unfold. I like Favre as a person but the Jets, well, not so much:-o) I'll still be pulling for my Colts, Cowboys, and Titans. I do hope Favre shakes things up in New York and has success in whatever is left of his playing career.
When I was in high school, I had lots of lofty dreams. I was going to be a professional athlete, move to Chicago, and meet Michael Jordan. You see, I was a huge fan of the Chicago Bulls and MJ. At that point in my life the ultimate experience was meeting him. My plans were short lived though because I graduated and realized that I had to make some serious life decisions. One detail I had failed to factor into my Chicago plans was cash :-o)
Since those days, many, many years ago, I've grown and matured. I realize now that I didn't have a clue back then! What I did do after high school graduation was get a job and move away from home. I moved about an hour away and started living in the real world, rent payments and all! Eventually I went to a small college for a few years and then got married. I never dreamed I'd be where I am today.
Sometimes I look back on those days and laugh myself silly. What was I thinking? I still want to travel but the next time I plan a trip to the "Windy City", I think I'll put together a Chicago travel itinerary. I no longer care about meeting MJ but part of me would still love to see the United Center. This time around, I'll have to be sure to factor in the financial aspect of the trip!
What's your story? Please tell me I'm not the only one who had crazy ideas like this!
UT Lady Vols defeated LSU Lady Tigers last night!
This had to be one of the most exciting games I've seen in the ladies arena this year. Neither team played well and it was the lowest scoring game in Final Four history! The shooting stats for both teams was terrible but both sides kept it interesting. I was glued to the couch and was so nervous in the last 40 seconds of the game that I could barely stand it. When LSU scored with 7 seconds left, I thought it was all over for the Lady Vols. In true form, Candace Parker sprinted down court with the ball and tossed it off to Anosike, who missed a lay up. Thank goodness for Alexis Hornbuckle, who swooped in to get the rebound and threw it in for the easy 2. That gave us a 1 point lead with 0.7 seconds left. LSU threw a long inbound pass down court but it was intercepted by Hornbuckle as time expired.
I have to be honest here. With 7 seconds left and Candace Parker driving down the court, I wasn't looking. I had opened my computer in hopes of being distracted. I looked up about the time that Anosike missed the lay up and saw Hornbuckle flying through the air and tossing in the rebound. Hubby and I were elated! What an amazing finish to this game. I wished all of you loved NCAA basketball as much as me and Jenny!
Well, since I was way too busy watching the game last night, I failed to post movie reviews for the things we watched last week. In all honesty, we watched so much basketball that we didn't have time for many movies. We only saw two last week.
No Country For Old Men ~ This movie was so hyped and I think it even won or was nominated for a bunch of awards. I expected a lot and I enjoyed Tommy Lee Jones' character since I'm a fan. If I'm being totally honest though, I just didn't get this one. At all. The basic premise is this. A man is hunting and happens upon some dead bodies. It looks like a drug deal gone bad. He finds 2 million in cash and of course, takes it. What he doesn't know is that the "head" of the operation is looking for him and this man is a nut job. This character is the reason that I lock all my doors at home, even in the daytime. There's plenty of murder (which means lots of blood) and it's also peppered with language. It was just a really strange movie for me. I still have no idea why people have raved about it. My opinion is to skip it. And honestly, don't get sucked in from reading the synopsis. It sounds way better than this movie is.
The Mist ~ This one is a spin off of a Stephen King book and to some degree I enjoyed it. Hubby thought it was predictable and therefore didn't care for it. He also doesn't think King is a great writer so that's another reason he didn't care for it. As for me, I liked the basic story. It's hard for me to imagine mutated bugs that are ten stories high and I didn't really care about them. I think it could have been a good movie without the mutated "things" with something more believable as the problem. By the end of the movie, I have to agree with hubby. The ending was predictable but sad. In the movie, you see several people get killed by these "monsters" and there's language scattered throughout. It was really of no value and didn't leave any impression on me at all. I'm glad I've never spent time reading a Stephen King novel :-o)
There you have it. That's what we saw and hopefully next week's selections will be better. I've really been enjoying the Masterpiece Theater showings of the Jane Austen novels. Last night was the second part of Sense & Sensibility and it was pretty good. How about you? Have you watched anything good lately? Tell me about it. Come on, share the love!
I would love to find a sport that Jeff and I could enjoy together. In the past, I was a long distance runner and he sure isn't into that. We've talked about golf and I think it would be a wonderful sport for us to enjoy together. He always talks about how expensive it is but I wonder, if I were to buy him some fancy golf shoes, would that change his mind?
I've never played in my life. The closest I've come is miniature golf. I'm not great at that but with some practice, I think I could master it. I have to admit that golf bores me a little when I watch it on television so I'm not sure how I would like playing it. I guess I could always do some doughnuts with the golf cart if things get a little too quiet.
How about you? What sport do you and your hubby enjoy together?
What a spectacular Super Bowl! I am still stunned. Oh, I'm happy, but stunned. I'm stunned by what a hard-fought match up this turned out to be. I'm thrilled that Eli and company got the win.
We're hard core football fans and I was a little deflated when my Colts lost. They're my first love you see. Then my Cowboys got ousted but it didn't hurt as bad because they were beaten by the Packers. Gotta love Brett Farve. He is my favorite QB to watch. He just has a love of the game that inspires a person. You know he is having fun when he plays football. When the Packers were beaten by the Giants, I was a little sad. I've always liked the Giants but I really wanted this to be Farve's year. I have to admit, when the Giants beat the Packers and I knew they were going to the Super Bowl, I didn't give them a chance. I wanted them to have one but I thought they'd get their socks blown off. Looking back on it now, I'm not sure why I thought that. During regular season, the Giants gave the Pats one of their toughest games. Silly me! Seems that no one else was giving the Giants a chance yesterday either. I think out of all the coaches/players/commentators picks I saw, only Mike Ditka picked the Giants. Way to go coach! I'm thrilled for the Manning family, for Eli, for the Giants organization, but mostly for Michael Strahan. He's such a charismatic, funny guy and I'm glad to see him get a win after 15 seasons. I was shocked to find out that he has played his entire career with the Giants! That's pretty cool.
I'm sad that it's over until fall. We will keep ourselves busy with our UT basketball teams for now. Come summer, we'll be counting down the days until football season starts. I already can't wait! Hey Stacy, if Romo keeps it up with this Jessica Simpson thing, I'm hanging up that old #9! LOL!
Our beloved Vols played a wonderful defensive game but it wasn't enough to make up for Erik Ainge's bad throws toward the end of the game. We had looked forward to this game all week and were hoping our team could hang with LSU and win the SEC championship.
We started our Saturday by putting some pork in the smoker. We invited hubby's family to come over and watch the game with us and I spent the morning throwing together our meal. We waited patiently for 4pm to roll around. As we watched the first half of the game, we were surprised and hopeful. Our Vols were really playing physical and looking good. Things were going well until the fourth quarter, when our QB threw an interception that was run back for a touchdown. We thought we might be able to recover, until he threw another interception shortly after, which sealed the deal for LSU.
I have to say that it is really, really hard to be a sports fan and watch your team lose. I think Tennessee fans are so ready for an SEC/National championship team. It didn't happen this year. Maybe next year.....
Tonight, we're going to try and cheer ourselves up by taking my FIL to Knoxville to watch the Lady Vols play North Carolina. This is a yearly tradition for myself, hubby, my FIL, and our oldest daughter. Both our mens and womens basketball teams are ranked high and doing well. Let's hope the Lady Vols can keep it together tonight and beat NC. I don't think I could take another loss so soon :-o)
I know I probably drive some of you nuts with my football speak. I just love it and get so excited about it. Who wouldn't love SEC football? I mean, did any of you watch my Vols play Kentucky on Saturday? What. A. Game. That's all I can say. It was amazing. It took four overtimes for us to prevail! Our team blew a 17 point halftime lead and by the fourth quarter, I was writing them off. Who blows a lead that big? Somehow we managed to get back into it and I had to sit through all of those overtimes biting my nails. My stomach was hurting and I covered my eyes sometimes. I just knew we were going to get beat. Then big Dan Williams blocks the game winning field goal and our hopes were alive again! It was awesome! If you didn't see it, you missed a great one. It was almost as good as that LSU/Arkansas game last week. The Vols will head to Atlanta this week to take on LSU in the SEC Championship game. LSU is a great team and I hope we can hang with them. I'd love to see another nail biter. I wish I had tickets to that game. That would pretty much make my week!
I hope all you football fans enjoyed your week. I had a good week since my Colts and Cowboys won on Thanksgiving Day. The Vols game topped it all off. This week promises to be just as exciting with our Vols playing for a championship and Dallas playing the Packers this week. The Packers are playing great and you gotta love Brett Favre. He's just a swell guy and looks like he's having so much fun playing the game. I usually pull for them but since they are playing Dallas this week, I'll be cheering for T.O. to put a hurtin' on Green Bay. Hey, you don't have to like him but you do have to applaud his talent.
Did I mention that it is also basketball season? The Lady Vols are ranked #1 and we'll be taking my FIL to watch them play North Carolina this Sunday night. We take him every year for his birthday and I am so glad we started this tradition! Our oldest daughter has started going with us too so it's a fun trip. The Vols mens basketball team is ranked #7 and we are hopeful for their season. We'll take FIL to watch them play in February. While many are out shopping and enjoying their December that way, you'll find me wherever the sports are! That's how we roll in this house! LOL!
I'm going to leave you with a question. Concerning the NFL, how do you feel about excessive celebration penalties? Last night, I was watching the Bengals play and Chad Johnson (Ocho Cinco) did his normal excessive celebration thing. He ran up to a camera and started pretending to film. Harmless. Of course he was flagged for it and his team was penalized. I understand how this could hurt the team if it were a close game but my question is really whether or not players should be flagged for excessive celebration in the first place. I'm remembering how psyched I was while playing a great basketball game or winning a track or cross country meet. You get pretty excited. I can even understand if the players were taunting each other but this is rarely the case in the NFL. Usually it's just a player scoring and then doing an end zone dance or some other little funny. What do you think? Should players be flagged for excessive celebration for end zone dances and other things like that?
When I was a kid, I was fortunate enough to go to several professional baseball games. I remember seeing the Braves play and seeing the Reds play. It was always a lot of fun. I haven't been to a game since then but I hope we can take the girls to a game in the future. I think it would be really neat to go to spring training. I can't think of anything more interesting than getting a sneak peek of a team before the season begins.
I was very impressed watching the World Series this year. I was excited to find out that you can purchase Spring Training Tickets for the Red Sox . I'd love to see how the world champs prepare for the upcoming season. I am certain that I would learn a lot about the players and how they prepare themselves to play their individual positions. Just imagine me sitting in the stands while the Sox take batting practice. Ramirez steps up to the plate and blasts one out into the stands. Of course I'd be prepared. I'd have my glove ready to catch that ball! I would have to come home and tell all of my friends what an awesome experience it was. Then maybe I would sell the ball on Ebay for a small fortune. No way! I would have it encased so that I could set it on top of our bookshelf and it would be a constant reminder of how awesome the game of baseball is.
While we were in Atlanta, I had the urge to go to a baseball game. Since the Braves didn't do so well this year, that wasn't possible. I would however, love to have world series tickets. This year, the Rockies are playing the Red Sox and it's sure to be an awesome game. From the way the Rockies have been playing, I think I'll side with them. Since I don't have tickets, I'll just have to watch it on t.v. The first game is tonight at 8pm. I can't wait! We're gonna fire up the grill and have us some hotdogs so we feel like we're in the stadium!
I think everyone who reads here knows how much I love football. There are a few of you who share this love with me. So I have to ask, Stacy, did you see the Dallas game on Monday night? Oh man what a game! And to think that in the third quarter, I let myself go to sleep because Romo was looking pretty bad. Thank goodness the hubster made sure I was awake to see the end. Twenty seconds left in the game and it looked as though Dallas was going down. Twenty seconds in football time is an eternity! Dallas pulled it out by a field goal but not before Buffalo's coach pulled that "right before the snap time out" trick. Can I just say how lame I think that is!!!!! I know, I know...it's strategy. I just don't like it.
Hubby posed an interesting question to me the other night. First, let me say that I really love two NFL teams. The Colts and the Cowboys are my teams. I like a string of others but these two are my favs. I have loved football for as long as I can remember. I don't even know when it began. I think I was born loving it. Anyway, back to hubby's question. He asked me who I'd pull for if Dallas and Indy went to the Super Bowl. Now, I love me some Peyton Manning. I think he is the smartest quarterback ever to play the game. He's all about business when he's playing. It's not "just a game" to him. It's his job. Every spare minute he has on the sidelines, he's studying or talking to his receivers. That's why it shocked me when I heard my answer to hubby. Hands down, I'd pull for Dallas. Can you believe it? Peyton is a UT alumnus. How could I do that to him? Well, I guess it's because I'm loyal to my hometown boys. Jason Witten is from Elizabethton. We used to live in Elizabethton pretty close to the high school where Jay played ball. Every Friday night, we could stand outside on our porch and hear the games. We live about fifteen minutes from there now but we are constanty driving over there. So, part of me feels like I still live there. Then there's Julius Jones. I grew up two miles from his hometown (our schools were rivals) and I ran track with a few of his cousins. You see my logic here. Two hometown boys trumps one UT alumni. Ahhhh, the torture of loving two teams!
On to the next order of business. Jenny is also a football fan and we talk about it often. This leads to a little dilemna. Our teams play each other this weekend (college football). My UT Vols vs. Jenny's MSU Bulldogs. I think our teams have about the same record so it should be an interesting game. One of us has to lose though so Jenny, I'm sorry for your team! LOL! I wish you lived closer so I coud invite you over to watch the game and for some chili and cornbread afterwards....to cheer you up from the loss, of course.
How about you? Do you watch football? What team do you like? If you answered Dallas or Indy or even the TN Titans, hold your hand up in the air. Did you feel that? I just gave you a virtual high-five!
