.

.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Road Trip and an Aggie Win...

Our family had been looking forward to the Texas ATM vs. Auburn game since the summer! So, we left Columbus early Saturday morning on a road trip to Auburn, AL so we could cheer on our Aggies and also spend some time with some good family friends.

Brian loves an early start to any road trip and this time we did not have a hard time getting the kids up and going. We also promised them they would be able to sleep most of the way down so essentially they were still going to get their 12 hours of sleep that they love on the weekend!


As you can tell, they took us up on that promise!

Our family is never without entertainment and as we got about 10 or 12 miles outside of Auburn we see two Aggies walking down I-85. Koby and I convince Brian maybe we should stop and offer them some help because after all, they are Aggies. So, we make our way back to them and Koby jumps out of the car only for us to hear him say,"Hey do ya'll need a ride to the game?".

Only Koby would have had the personality to do this! He brings them back to the van but come to find out there are five of them and let me assure you our van could not take on five more Aggies! They let us know they had called a tow truck and also had another friend on the way so we left them there. We never did see them at the game but through the message boards we were able to find out that they made it! And that is a complete story within our story from the weekend.

Onto Auburn we went! We were anxious to see our good friends who recently retired from the military and moved back home to Auburn. They were great hosts/tour guides as they took us all around the campus and town. Their family also showed great hospitality as we gathered at their Tailgate...

 
 
 

By the way, I have no idea if it is cold where you are but it is COLD here!! I was somewhat prepared for the game because we sat in a damp, cold game Friday night. It wasn't too bad in the afternoon but as the clouds came in the temperatures started to fall.

True to the sport they love, our boys found the Blue vs. Orange basketball game going on at Auburn so we all stopped by that to check out the Arena and enjoy some heat!


Basketball is not so popular at Auburn but they do have a new Arena and it was very impressive! With that kind of facility I am sure the basketball program is looking for some wins this year to build the program up.

 
And finally we headed into the stadium for the game! Now I love to be where I can see. You know, kind of up close to the action. That was not so much the case for this game. Also, can I tell you the higher up we went the colder it was and the more wind you felt!! And in case you are curious we were on the next to the last row in the upper deck...



This is Brian and I before the game and  then after we climbed up to our seats!


Please notice my boys with their camo hand warmers! We are nothing if we aren't country to our roots!! We sat with a great group of spirited Aggies and even as high up as we were we had a great view of Johnny Football running and throwing his way through the first half of the game!

I mentioned earlier that we went with some great friends! At the end of the first quarter he text Brian to come on down to their season ticket seats because so many Tiger fans were beginning to leave. We held out until halftime before we moved down to sit with them. I told Brian I kind of thought it was rude if we took over Auburn territory any sooner, but by halftime I didn't feel too bad because 1) I was getting really cold and their seats were going to put the wind at our back plus they were on the first deck and 2) their fans were literally flooding out of the stadium which honestly was kind of sad.

Overall, it was a great Aggie win and we were so excited to BTHO Auburn! The Auburn fan base were gracious people and very friendly to us and other Aggies around campus. We will look forward to going back to Auburn for future games.

Not only did we come home with a win but I also came home with some kind of cough and sinus stuff. This is not a good week for me to be slowed down by a sickness so ya'll will have to pray me through it! Our first basketball game is in just a few hours and our kids were so excited about that this morning!!! I'll be posting an update on those games for sure! Also, Brendan will be inducted into the National Honor Society this week and Brian will put on his stripe for promotion. And we are also counting down another big Aggie weekend as they head our way to play Mississippi State on Saturday.

Hope you are warm and well where you are and if you have loved ones or friends on the East Coast know I am praying for them and their safety through this storm!

Gig'em Aggies and get ready to BTHO Mississippi State!!!!!!

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Moving ahead...

Well things have been a bit crazy around here but honestly would you think anything else? When you have three teenagers, a dog, friends in and out, school teams and church functions things just might get a bit crazy!

Kamdyn has been battling a hurt left knee for about three weeks. It started not long after basketball got going and she was so brave initially. She would practice through the pain and then ice it when she got home. Basically she has lived on Motrin/Ibuprofen for the past few weeks and so the trainer thought since she had no improvement she should have an MRI. He wasn't sure if she tore her MCL or some other knee kind of words that I can't repeat here.

On Friday she had her MRI. I should tell you that was after she had spent Thursday night crying her eyes out that her season was ruined, she was not being a good team captain because she wasn't practicing and oh by the way her knee hurt SO BAD!! Can you say 14 years old girl drama? It's great!!!

Well, our prayers have been answered because there is no tear in any part of her knee and the doctor thought the best treatment plan for now was a shot in the knee. So yesterday, I took her to the doctor and she in fact got a shot in the knee after much protesting:


24 hours later she says she feels 100% better! She has to sit out this week from their first tournament, which caused additional stress and tears, but she will be good to go for their games starting next Monday!

Brendan went to College Night at our school earlier this week! Basically he went because he was going to get a free 100 in his English class if he signed in at every table and Brendan doesn't turn down anything that is free! He came home with lots of information from various colleges and he was talking ninety to nothing about where he could go and where he would not go and scholarships at each one. I pray that he follows the leading of the Holy Spirit into college and a career choice, but sometimes I also find myself telling the Holy Spirit what I have in mind for him. I'm learning to turn it over to God but I am still guilty of thinking mother knows best! That might not ever fully go away!!

Finally, tonight I found Koby doing something we don't see a whole lot of around here:


Yes this is Koby doing homework!! Physical Science homework to be exact. Now, I was willing to overlook the headphones in his ears because I was thrilled that he was doing this without me even saying, "Koby did you have homework?" It seems as though he has turned the proverbial corner and I can only tell you the praise goes to God. And, I am not finished praying him through yet!! Earlier in the school year Koby reminded me he was "a baller not a scholar", which is his way of saying all that matters is that little orange basketball not a science book or math book and for sure not a spelling book! I'm telling you, he keeps us going and I love him for it! But just maybe he is moving ahead into responsibility and independence or at least I can hope.

So, that's what we have been up to. We are moving ahead into basketball season as we play our final football game Friday night. Next week, we will play three basketball games in five days so I will be getting reacquainted with nachos and peanut M&Ms, my basketball season dinner.

Got to go, jack!! Duck Dynasty is getting started and I can't miss that!

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Because I love friends, food and football....

This weekend, my heart was in Texas. My body was here in Mississippi, but my heart was at home. Let me tell you why...

Not only was it Homecoming at my old high school but my mom had tickets to see Laura Bush in Tyler. I can't tell you how highly I think of our previous first lady!! She was both classy and stylish, in an old-school Texas sort of way. She seems to love some of the same things I do, like books, dogs and home (by home I mean anything Texas). Anyways, I would have loved to hear her speak in person.

So, I missed all the Homecoming festivities and Laura Bush and yes, I also missed the opportunity to see Texas ATM BTHO LSU in person. (I understand that is alot of capital letters for my SEC friends so I can tell you in person what it all means sometime)

Since ESPN decided to really own my Saturday by putting our game at 11:00, I promised our kids we would have a big pregame breakfast. Let me tell you that sometimes I feel like we run a bed and breakfast around here but I wouldn't have it any other way. Like most other meals, I wasn't sure who would stop by to eat so I knew to cook more than enough. Koby put together our pregame menu: "Crisp hash browns, bacon, biscuits and southwestern eggs". Yes, he appreciates food!! I added gravy to that list and Brendan added fried eggs. Kamdyn had two friends spending the night and the only added request there was chocolate milk, "the kind already made" to be exact.




So, here are the boys enjoying their food. Brendan woke up just in time to eat and get his game day clothes on!! Koby had been up for a while to be sure I was cooking everything to his standards. He likes to be in the middle of the kitchen action! And, even Rocky was excited about our pregame breakfast:


He really is a cute little dog!! And, he loves bacon and any other table food someone might drop give to him. Following breakfast Kamdyn and her friends got all dressed and proudly gave Rocky the attention he was looking for:


Then it was time for kick off! Our beloved Aggies came out strong and went to work putting points up early in the game. I had such high hopes that they would be able to keep that momentum through out the game. Our family did our part, as Brendan made sure to be wearing his game day clothes all the way down to the winning socks and underwear that has brought the Aggies luck the last few times! He was not going to have the loss be on him.



We were devastated that the Aggies came up short in the end, unable to pull out a victory over an overrated LSU team. Our young quarterback, while talented, lacks some experience. I think sometimes the best learned lessons come through defeat and I feel like this might have been the case for him this week. 

Because nothing says fall like apple pie I made one after our game. It helped heal the devastation we were feeling from our loss!! Koby had his piece with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream and Kamdyn ate the apples but left the crust. I enjoyed my slice warm with a cup of coffee as the kids gathered outside around their fire pit. Fall, food, friends and football....what a weekend!


Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Birthday Girl ...

Monday we celebrated Kamdyn's 14th birthday! So that means we let her choose where she wanted to go for dinner and then come home to eat a cookie cake:


Here are the kids after we filled up on two of our favorite things - wings and pizza! Of course, only Koby had room for a dum dum sucker on the way out. I can't help but think my Pappy would get the biggest kick out of seeing him with the stick hanging out of his mouth.


And here is the wonderful chocolate chip cookie cake (compliments of Walmart) that she wanted for her birthday cake!

As we sang her happy birthday I couldn't help but have flashbacks that carried me back over the past 14 years. I remembered Koby holding her in the hospital, Brendan sharing fruit loops with her when she was first learning to eat, her infatuation with Barney and Blues Clues, the way she wanted to be a pink power ranger for Halloween, the time we were asked to leave play group because she kept pinching the other kids. I remembered how I couldn't wait to play Barbies with her but she much preferred to play with the Barbie horse rather than the Barbies or the clothes. I remembered when we went to her first dance recital and when it was over she was so disappointed that she was not getting a trophy which totally ended her desire for ballet! I remembered that every birthday she begs for a cat or a horse or a dog - even on this very birthday!! I remembered when she begged to wear make up and when she asked us about having a boyfriend, when she shot her first deer and when she cried herself to sleep over loosing her first dog.

14 years go by in a flash! I can only imagine that time will continue to tick by at a quicker pace than I may be prepared for. Not long ago I looked at her while she helped me cook dinner and I thought to myself wow! who is this? I still see her as an 8 year old little girl!!

We have tip toed into the teen age years and so far so good!! Oh I pray much more now than I did when she was 4 and I recognize in the days ahead she won't always like me. But I know one thing for sure: the Lord certainly blessed Brian and I when He gave Kamdyn to us 14 years ago. We love you baby girl!!!



Sunday, October 14, 2012

Learning to be the Light...

We have enjoyed a busy but fun weekend! Thankfully we had a home game Friday night and although our team did not come out on top Brian and I enjoyed visiting with friends and watching the game. After a short work week thanks to Fall Break, I was ready for the weekend!! Something about having two days off makes the week seem that much longer.

We were thankful that we had all day Saturday to anticipate the Aggie game. Since kick off was at 8:00 p.m. we knew we would be able to get many of our normal Saturday activities done. Basically this means laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning and more laundry. Some of you can relate to these fun weekend necessities I am sure.

However, once a month our family volunteers at a ministry outreach project for our church in an area of town that many are not willing to serve. We have been doing this for almost two years now and I can not tell you the blessing it has been for our family. So, this weekend was our "Coleman Weekend".







It is very important to me that our children know how to give back to their community. The exposure they have gotten while working in this ministry has been invaluable to the way they see life and also to the way they understand that faith is more than church attendance or singing a few songs. I pray that they will learn to be the light to a lost world, to people who need to see the one true Light.  One of my favorite scriptures is Matthew 22:37-39, where Jesus says we are to love the Lord with all our heart, soul and mind and then to also love our neighbor. I can't think of anything I want my kids to know more than this!

An authentic faith is an active faith and I saw my parents live this out many times over growing up. If Brian and I can teach our children the same, I will think we have done something right as parents. I hope you will look within your own community to see how you might also be a light in a dark place. When we serve these kids once a month - hugging them, playing games with them, loving them - it nourishes my soul. You will find the same to be true for you!

I can't close this out without saying something about our Aggies!!! (You had to know it was coming!) I will confess to you that I didn't make it for the whole game, but Brian and Brendan were the ultimate Aggie fans. How I could have fallen asleep with the cheering and yelling going on in our living room I do not know. Here is a little bit of what was going on at our house before the game:


Brendan is trying to convert his girlfriend to maroon, although she comes from the purple and gold of LSU. Brian fried us up some really good hot wings and I made onion rings for our pregame meal!!! I hate that we could not have had you all over because it was some kind of good. Koby and Brian also did a pregame "saw - em - off" with Rocky and Rebel to bring luck to the team. It was a great Aggie family night! Thankfully, we came out with another win and we are moving up in the polls. Hopefully our coach is discussing the need for fewer penalties with the team this week because it will take everything we have this coming Saturday as we get ready to BTHO the LSU Tigers.

Hope your week is a good one!! We will be celebrating a special birthday this week with Kamdyn so I'll be posting about it for sure...

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Why I love TV....


It is no secret that our family has been anticipating the start of the new Duck Dynasty season so here was our TV at 9:03 last night! I had looked forward to this all day!! If you have not seen this show, please set your tivo or dvr or watch it the old fashioned way on A&E on Wednesday nights. I pretty much have no words to tell you how good it is.

Here are 10 reasons I love this show:

10. It's just funny to see so many people with a beard. Kind of a weird funny but still funny.
9. I am always amazed people sit in a shop and really make those duck calls.
8. Our family can watch it all together and we all laugh!! There is something about laughing with your family that just seems special.
7. Phil and Mrs. Kay live in a trailer house, where alligators visit and she cooks in a big black pot outside. (Yes, I know this does seem a bit redneck but they are not ashamed of it)
6. It shows me that it is normal that my boys like to aggravate and provoke one another and always feel the need to one-up one another.
5. They live out their faith, always closing in prayer at the end of each show.
4. I know met Korie (see my previous post where I met her AND had my picture made with her)
3. It is just plain old funny!
2. The show makes me "happy, happy, happy"!!

And the number 1 reason I love this show:

Like I said, there are just no words....

As a total side note, I also set my tivo to record the show "Nashville" last night. I haven't had a chance to watch it yet but I am curious to see if it will be any good. It's on my list of things to do this weekend. Has anyone seen this show yet? Leave me a comment and tell me what good shows you are watching!!

Monday, October 8, 2012

Aggie Love and Fall Break...

I am writing this post in the slap dab middle of our Fall Break basically because I know all of you are curious as to what is going on in our world!! Well, maybe that isn't exactly why but I was eager to fill you in on what we have been up to.

I posted a picture of Brendan and Brian heading off to the ATM vs. Ole Miss football game in the previous post. WOW is all I have to say about the game! If you missed it, you missed a great college football game. A big WHOOP to the Ags for winning another SEC game and for making their way into the Top 25! But, as exciting as all of this is, Brian and Brendan were most excited about meeting some of the team after the game....



And of course where there are pictures there is a good story!!! Apparently Brendan has become twitter friends with one of the Aggie running backs. (and can I say who knew that could happen!!)

So following the big win Brendan tweeted about the game and the guy immediately tweeted him back inviting him to meet at the bus where the team was loading up. Brian and Brendan headed to the bus and had the opportunity to meet several of the players and their families and it made the trip to Oxford even more special to them. I am thankful these young men above took the time to meet their fans and take pictures! On Saturday night our team showed the true spirit of Aggieland by persevering until the end and then taking the time to meet the faithful fans. Gig'em Aggies!!!!!

I also mentioned the cooler weather we were enjoying in my previous post and it has been wonderful! After church last night our family gathered in the backyard for one of our favorite things:

 
 A fire and Smores!!! Our kids love to do this and the weather was perfect to enjoy the fire! As usual, we had more than just our three here and so there was a big dent made in the smores. Brian came in from the backyard this morning telling me he found evidence of a marshmallow war and that he had texted Koby to see who won. Yes, our house is a barrel of fun!
 
I also wanted to share a soup recipe with ya'll. Brian loves this soup! It isn't his very favorite but it is up in the top 3 I think. It is super easy to make! Here are the ingredients:
 
 

You need 2 cans of chicken broth, 1 can of cream of chicken, 1 can of rotel, 1 can of chicken, 1 package of taco seasoning and 1 pound of Velveeta. Let me stop here and say I realize Velveeta has skyrocketed in price but it is worth it for this soup!! Anyways, just pour all the cans in your big cooking pot and add the taco seasoning. When the mixture comes to a boil, add in the Velveeta in chunks. After the Velveeta melts, it is ready to eat. See, I told you it was EASY!!
 
Brian likes to eat his soup over Fritos with some sour cream. I like to eat mine over Multigrain Tostito Scoops with some sour cream. I also think it would be good if you wanted to add some corn or even some beans to it. Also, we usually add another can of chicken. One is just not enough for us!
 
Well, the drier has stopped and the mop is calling my name so this is all I have time to share right now. I haven't told the kids yet but tomorrow we will be heading out to the Pumpkin Patch, one of my favorite fall things to do! I'll be posting about it...don't worry.
 



Saturday, October 6, 2012

Hello to Fall....

We are ending our week with lots of football and finally cooler weather! By cooler I mean really kind of cold. In fact, earlier today we were scurrying around for jackets! Yes, hello to fall and thank you for coming to our rescue.

Brian and Brendan headed out about lunch today to make the road trip to Oxford, Mississippi where the Aggies were taking on Ole Miss. They were very excited about the trip and the game and also a bit concerned about the weather. Here is some of what they decided to go with:



They were digging out long sleeves and pull overs and even debated how many under layers they would need. You will also be proud to know Brian had prepared for the game over a week ago by purchasing maroon ponchos at Academy!!! I am telling you, they were ready for this game. Thankfully some friends of ours had some extra season tickets so we were very excited Brian and Brendan had the opportunity to go see the Aggies for the first team this season live (and up close by the way b/c our friends believe why go if you can't sit in a good seat!)

Today I took Kamdyn to a special celebration and fundraising event in memory of her friend Abby. A little over three years ago Brian and I had to give Kamdyn some very difficult and tragic news. Brian held her while I looked her in the face and told her one of her best friends had gone to heaven to be with Jesus. Abby was the sweetest little girl, with a soft country voice and big heart for animals. Kamdyn and Abby both love horses and dogs and so that was their common bond. Today, Kamdyn was so excited to go to this special fundraiser for Abby Acres, a camp that is being built in Abby's honor by her family. We had no doubt there would be horses there and Kamdyn wasted little time in finding one to ride.


We had a great time visiting with Abby's family and there has been a good deal of progress on the camp. Her mother said it was hard to see Kamdyn looking so grown up and how she still sees Abby as 11, not a teenager. I can't imagine what that must feel like and I got a little teary-eyed as I looked at her watching our daughter ride a horse.

When I was talking with her I was reminded we are not promised tomorrow. James 4:14 says, "what is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." What a challenge for me today that I live in such a way that each day counts for Christ. Even more, what a reminder for me today that our children are a gift from God and our job is to raise them in such a way that they live each day in a way that counts for Christ.

So, we are enjoying a great weekend as we head into our Fall Break! We are out of school Monday and Tuesday and with the cooler weather in the air I am hoping to get some "fall cleaning" done. I am also hoping to cook!! We have been on the go so much that my oven/stove has gotten very little use. Tonight I made taco soup so I am off to a good start. Happy fall to you and I hope wherever you are that you are also experiencing a little cooler weather and maybe even a fall break....

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

All Good Things Must End....

Ya'll know last week I mentioned something about two final soccer games and then Kamdyn would be hanging up the cleats and moving on to basketball? Well, of all things her team made the playoffs after an overtime win in a double header last week and loss from another team in our district.


SO, today we loaded up our cars with 17 soccer girls and headed out for a road trip!!

 
This was the party in my car on the way to the game!! These girls crack me up...
 
 

We only had to drive about 90 miles for the game and the girls were totally impressed that they got a police escort all the way to the county line. In fact, Kamdyn had to take a picture of it!

 

She could not wait to get home and tell the boys all about it. This in turn caused much "discussion" about why the girls soccer team got that escort when the boys went all the way to the state tournament last year for basketball and didn't get one. The boys decided people don't love them or their sports as much as girls and their sports to which I responded they were absolutely right!!

I'll be honest....I don't really love soccer. I don't understand it for one thing and the rules are just too much for me. But most of all, soccer season for our girls is HOT and HUMID because usually their games are afternoon games in August and September which = HOT and HUMID in Mississippi. However, I was so thankful today because it was a beautiful day for soccer! When they kicked off it was 68 degrees (and super muddy because we have had two days of rain).

We have four seniors on the team so I wanted to take one group picture before the game started just in case it was truly the last time they would put on their soccer uniform.



After all the excitement of a road trip and playing in the first round of the playoffs, our girls came up short in the end and got beat. Indeed, all good things come to an end! These girls have been lots of fun and put in much sweat and hard work for a season they can be proud of.

Tonight when we got home Kamdyn threw her cleats away! Can I just tell you there is NO smell like the smell of stinky shin guards and soccer cleats combined with the sweat and mud of a long season! Football pads or practice clothes do not hold a candle to the smell of what our daughter had in her gym bag. I'm thinking the bag might need to be tossed as well!!

So, soccer is officially over and we move ahead to basketball. And the carousel of life continues to spin in our home....