Weekend Update: Hotty Toddy Edition

Oh, what a weekend... where do I even begin??? Several years ago, I was in the junior league.  I met some incredible people while I was a member and we became great friends. Most of the group has moved away, but we've all kept in touch.  We decided to go to Mississippi for a football game since Ashley's husband is coaching there.

And, oh my, was it fun...

me with Tiffani, Julie and Ashley

We all flew out Thursday morning.  I dropped the boys at school and then met Julie at my house and we headed to the airport.  Pretty sure we did not stop laughing the entire weekend-- just the way I like it!

Julie and I on the airplane-- she is a "silght" germaphobe.... ya think???  I did not stop ripping on her about this (I am SUCH a nice friend!!!) I was taking pictures of her on both flights and sending them to Tiffani and Ashley.  

T landed an hour or so before we did, so they had time to go be funny.  This is how they picked us up at the airport.  I was wetting my pants.

We drove to Ashley's house and promptly opened some bubbly to celebrate being together.  We got there around 5:30 and had dinner reservations at 8.  It was a perfect afternoon!

We ate at City Grocery, which is right on the square in Oxford.  It was AMAZING! I had the shrimp and grits and I am pretty sure it was worth every calorie...(yikes).

We talked and talked and drank and had such a nice dinner together.

After we finished eating, we headed upstairs to a really cool bar.  The chef at the restaurant is some major foodie in the south (apparently if I watch the food network EVER, I would know him....but I don't so.......), and we had to get a picture with him.  And then he became a chatty little Cathy! He had lots to talk about! ha!

We left City Grocery and went to another bar on the square...and so the night went.... we had SO MUCH FUN together!

Ashley knew everyone.  Literally, we could not walk 15 steps without someone else knowing her.  She happened to know the head of the security for the bars and he pretty much escorted us around and gave us a ride home.  He was incredibly nice.  I asked him if he was a student still and he smiled and informed me that he is 36 and had completed his masters degree several years ago.  Okay, den.  He looked so young to me!

We went to a bar named FUNKY'S, which, as I continued drinking, I called Musty's, because, well, why not...? They had a bar of "slushies" that were loaded with alcohol...I mean LOADED.  Ashley knew the owner (shocking) so he insisted we each have one.  So we did... and they were STRONG.  Holy moly.  

We headed home around 12:30 (we had all had a pretty early morning).  When we got there, Ashley and I decided we had to go swimming right that very minute.   We may or may not have jumped in.  We may or may not have been wearing bathing suits...or birthday suits.  I couldn't stop laughing.  Hysterical laughter. 

Friday morning we woke up and headed over to the football offices to meet Matt, Ashley's husband, who was going to give us a tour of the facilities and of the campus. 

 Above is the indoor practice field.  We walked through there and into the coaches meeting room.

This was printed on the wall in the hallway and I love it--- I said I wanted to have this on a wall in my playroom and everyone laughed and said #momofboys.  But I think it's great!

Eli Manning went to Ole Miss and I happen to think he is pretty great.  I had to give him a little smooch as we walked by. 

We went into the team meeting room-- it looks like the nicest movie theater you've ever seen.  We watched the season highlights from last year, which is set to awesome music, and basically used to get everyone really pumped up.  It worked.  We were ready to go! ahhahaha

They have a long hallway with players wearing NFL uniforms and under each one, they have the names of the players they have sent there.  Tiffani was a cheerleader for the Redskins so we had to get a picture of her with that uniform. 

We got to go through the locker room and I spotted some gloves.  I've always wanted to do this with my hands so I grabbed them and took a quick picture :)

 We went back out on to the practice field and took even more pictures.  Poor Matt was our tour guide and photographer!

We hopped in the team golf cart and he drove us through campus  They were getting The Grove set up for Saturday morning.  I had heard about the Grove before...but it was 10 times bigger, wilder, and more amazing than I was anticipating.  It is 10 acres of lawn where people set up the MOST elaborate tailgates you have ever seen.  The day before game day, there are thousands and thousands of trashcans set up. Tomorrow at this same time, you wouldn't believe what this scene looks like (pictures coming!).

We stopped at the Walk of Champions arch-- this is where the players are dropped off before the game and they walk through the crowd, down the path, to the stadium.  It is pure madness and chaos, but it is incredible (I am so sick of saying that-- apologies).  It really is unlike anything I have ever seen.  

After touring campus, we went back to the field and took some pictures on the field.  

Our sweet hosts for the weekend.... love!

 We let Matt go back to work and we headed over to William Faulkner's house.  He was an author I loved to hate in high school (ha), and Julie loved him, so we felt we needed to go by there... well, turns out, it was his BIRTHDAY! Who knew???

We didn't go in the house, but we took some pictures-- it was gorgeous.

We headed to lunch next; a yummy place that served margaritas and amazing food.  I totally over ate.  Oops

We headed to the square next and spent a ton of time running into the little shops and picking up some Ole Miss gear.  After we were done, we did a quick coffee run and then headed home. 

 

The coffee hit Ashley HARD and she was a basket full of jitters.  We decided we better take a walk to help her calm down (I kept offering wine....).  Loved this hill and the shadows.  

 We spent Friday night at the house, drinking wine, eating munchies and pretending to do some form of exercise.  Julie was doing yoga and I was not....

Saturday morning was GAME DAY! We started with mimosas with breakfast... obviously. 

After we got all ready, we headed over to Matt's office where a grad assistant gave us a golf cart ride to the Grove. 

This is from the same street we were on the previous day.  Tents upon tents.  We saw curtains and chandeliers and gorgeous flower arrangements.  There are loads of companies there who you can pay to get out there early to have your tent set up for you with your tables and chairs and then other companies who will cater your tailgate and they bring all the food right up to your tent.  It was unlike anything I've ever seen. 

We ended up tailgating over by the circle, which it to the side of the grove.  It was MUCH better for us to be over there.  We walked through the grove later in the day and it was WILD, shoulder to shoulder madness.  

We tailgated with some of Ashley's friends and they were adorable! We loved them!

This picture is a favorite of mine-- taken in the grove, in the middle of the craziness!

Walking into the grove- over on the right. 

At the game, Go Rebels!

So enjoyed watching the game with this one...

Phew! Longest post EVER!!!! It was the most fun weekend ever.  I loved getting to see these girls, who I just don't get to see very often! We missed Andrea, who was away at a wedding- but we decided that just meant we had to do it again!

ALuke, T, and JP: love you fools.



 

#carriedaway: week 36

Week 36:

 Day 247: after a loooooong car ride to the beach, he gets to stay up late to watch some football (as long as he's holding my hand, he can stay up as long as he wants)

 Day 248: he hasn't stopped smiling all day

 Day 249: much bigger than the bait I was trying to catch...

 Day 250: clinging to the last (ice) drops of summer

 Day 251: meeting the teachers deserves ice cream!

 Day 252: finally it's his turn to go to school! Pre-K, here he comes....!!!! (Hope you're ready, pony pals!)

 Day 253: here we go.....! Bring on the 2s!


 

Weekend Update

Monday felt like it came quickly! We had another fun weekend, and enjoyed not having any real big plans-- other than three soccer games on Saturday.  We were supposed to only have two games, but then another one was added for Cal's team, so we had games at 9, 10 and 11.  I taught popup in the morning, so I caught Andy's 10:00 game (second half) and Cal's third game. 

But first, Friday night...

Andy and I picked Cal up from school and we headed over to the club for another round of tennis for Cal.  When we got there and found out he was playing a little girl who is really, really good, we all kind of cringed.  

 But then Cal got playing and he played really well- like crazy well.  He kept up with her point for point.  It was tired at the very end, next point won the match,  It was Cal's serve... and he double faulted....!!!! UGH! It was such a close match with a bunch of people standing around watching and cheering.  He really wanted to win it, but he was also happy it wasn't a total blow out- haha.

After eating a quick dinner at the club, we headed to a high school football game! ECHHS was playing CHHS (my old high school vs. Eddie's old high school).  It was...weird...being back there! The boys loved it though and I am sure we will be going back to another game! We ran into Rachel and her boys there.  I was dying to get my hands on her new little guy, Kendall:

He is THE sweetest baby! You can read all about this little man on Rachel's blog.  God knew what he was doing giving this sweet boy to Rachel and Ed.  

Cal played football over on the grass the entire game.  I mean, non-stop running, tackling, playing.  He was filthy, exhausted, and over the moon happy.  He has been asking for a play date with Deuce (Kendall's brother, Rachel's other son) every single day since seeing him at the game.  Deuce might be equally obsessed with football... they are like a match made in heaven!

He faked slept the whole way home... I was tempted to see if he would actually fall asleep, but the grin never left his mouth.  But both boys slept hard that night (not through the night, of course, because, well, duh! But they slept hard when they did sleep!)

 Saturday morning was gorgeous! It was HOT, but beautiful! I taught a Burn 1000 class and then ran over to the rainbow fields.  When I got to Andy's game, he was walking around the field, scratching his belly, looking at clouds.  Not real excited about much.  They did some field switches and he was playing some players who weren't quite as good as his first opponents and he gained some umph.  next thing we knew, he was dribbling the ball down the field and scoring...repeatedly! He scored 4 goals and it was about to be 5 when we made him pass the ball to a team mate (who insisted on taking the ball to the wrong goal-- it was hilarious!). 

Cal's team is pretty incredible to watch.  It is a different league than Andy's and there is much more of a competitive aspect.  Cal LOVES it! He scored 3 goals in the first game and had several assists in the second game.  It is so much fun to watch these games.  It is fun watching Andy's team, but every few minutes, someone is running off the field crying or they don't want to play or they don't like their jersey, etc etc etc.... Cal's team is there to play...and play hard. 

He is number 4 below....

After 3 games, we were all pretty worn out!

We spent the rest of Saturday cleaning house, catching up on laundry, watching football and bring down some fall decorations. 

Eddie left Sunday morning for a work trip. The boys had Sunday school so I attempted a picture on the front porch...

 The above picture isn't great of Andy.... he decided at that minute that he wanted a snack (even though he already had breakfast....) and when I told him he needed to take a picture first, below is what he did.  I was so mad, I yelled at him and told him to stand up and smile.... see above picture.. not great.  I am sure the neighbors could hear him (and me) yelling.  Keeping in real!

While the boys went to Sunday School, I went to Carolina Coffee Shop and sat with some hot tea and my book and ate some breakfast...in the peace and quiet.  It was quite possibly perfect!

We headed home after and changed into bike riding clothes for the boys.  We ran to the mall to pick up a dress I had taken in and the boys wanted to ride the escalator up and back down again.  Sure, why not?

The poor woman in front of them.... and yes, Cal is wearing a glove.  

We parked the car at the pool and I walked while the boys rode their bikes on the Oaks loop.  It was HOT out, but they did great! Andy has started doing tricks on his bike which he loves, but which terrify me.  

We came home and did some yard work and more cleaning and we got ready for the week! We also had a dinner date at Moes :)

Weekends seem to be flying by! Can NOT wait to fly out Thursday to go watch some good football with some great friends!!!! ALuke, JP and T: can't wait!!!!!



 

Life Lately

Holy Smokes, life lately is...BUSY! I ask myself (often) if we need to cut back on some things, and maybe we do.  But at this point in time, we have fallen into somewhat of a routine.  And it's working...for now.  Today is Sunday and I am planning the week ahead.

So I can look back in several years and remember what this time was like (when life was so much easier....ha!), here is a look at a typical week...

Every day during the week, both boys have school.  Andy is out at 1:00. We usually head home to walk the dogs and then around 3, we park the car in a nearby neighborhood and he rides his bike (I have learned to drop Cal's bike off close to school!) and then both boys ride bikes back to the car.  Waiting in the carpool line did not work for us. 

Mondays:
Cal soccer 5-6

Tuesdays: (CRAZY DAYS)
Carrie teach preschool
Andy tennis, while Andy is at tennis, I have been walking with Sally to Cal's school to pick him up and he rides his bike back to the club for his tennis clinic, which starts at 4 (Andy's ends at 4).  Andy rides his bike while Cal plays tennis and then gets ready for soccer.
Andy soccer 5-6
Carrie teach popup 7-8 (every other Tuesday).  

Wednesdays:
Cal soccer 5-6

Thurdays:
Carrie teach preschool
Both boys swim practice 3:45-4:30
Andy soccer 5-6

Fridays:
Cal tennis match

Saturday:
Soccer games

Sundays:
Sunday school
(I wanted Cal to do choir, but I think that was the last straw... so we are holding off this year!)


It sounds crazy, I guess, but I think it is good to be busy! It often feels like we are rushing from one activity to the next, but it's working for us for now!

I am going out of town this Thursday so this upcoming week will be a bit crazy getting ready for that.  Hopefully I will get a few blog posts up in there too...!

Make it a great week!



 

LAST weekend update

I am SO behind in the blogging world! Last weekend was a big one, so I wanted to make sure to write about it!

Friday, Cal had a tennis match at the club.  He is doing a tournament for the next few weeks called the Davis Cup.  He loves it! He didn't win, but it was a really close match.  They play first to 13 wins, and I think he lost 12-13.  

The soccer league he is playing in now offers skills training on Fridays fro 5-6 included in his registration fee.  We decided to try it out and it was IMPRESSIVE! I was blown away with the skills they were teaching.  Cal had a blast and I am so glad he was able to go.  We will definitely be back again. 

Eddie was at the airport picking up CB with Andy-- Cal and I were meeting them for dinner and while we waited, he climbed on top of my car.  This is not daddy-approved...!

Saturday morning, Andy had his soccer game! The ducks were out and ready to play-- check out how many blondies they have... and this isn't even all of them! This picture is missing at least 3 or 4 other blonde boys.  

The other team didn't really show up....and by that, I mean they only had 4 players to go against our 15.  It was ugly, but Andy had fun and even scored a goal or 2.  

Andy's game was at 9 and Cal's was at 11.  In the new league, each kid takes a turn playing goalie.  

 I am just here to tell you, I am not made to be a soccer goalie's mom.  It is WAY too stressful! Cal, on the other hand, loved every minute of it. He looooves diving for the ball, rolling in the grass, and falling over.  He loved the gloves he got to wear ("they look like wide receiver gloves!") and he loved stopping the ball.  But, his momma was stressed.  And I shouldn't have been.  But I didn't like it. One bit.

After his time at goalie was up, he gave me a thumbs up.  He then spent time on offense and defense.  I think he learned a lot about soccer in this game.  We are really impressed with the new league and all that he has learned. 

My dad rode his bike to the game and Andy insisted on riding home with him.  I had Andy's bike in the back of my car (of course I did) so he hopped on and rode with dad.  I got this picture as we pulled up behind them.  It makes my heart happy to see them together.  

 We headed home and Andy was back on his bike (because, duh), but I had to take a game day picture to send to the family for Poppy's game...

I asked for a picture of them looking tough... 

Cal's birthday party was Sunday, so I spent some time Saturday making cupcakes and making this cake... it's a football.  I am not a cake decorator.  At all.  I won't quit my day job.  

Oh! I wore my new necklace on Saturday and I got SO many compliments on it!!!! Love it! You can find one here.  My friend Elizabeth owns that shop and there are sooo many adorable pieces! She just added some more and I am obsessed.  I want more.  I may have a problem. 

We scored some tickets to the blue zone for the Carolina game, so we donned our Carolina Blue and headed to campus!

It downpoured on us as we walked up to the tailgate.  We got soaked! I looked like a drown rat, but Cal thought it was hilarious and so much fun.  

Once we were inside and drying off, I swear, my hair was growing like Monica on that episode of Friends.  Oh well! It was such a fun game.  

 Cal spent most of the game sitting with grandma and grandpa in their seats.  He loves watching games with them!

Andy doesn't love the noise that comes with a football game.  He prefers to sit inside and watch out the window.  He is quite content to watch from behind the glass.  

Carrie was here all weekend and I did not take one picture with her...!! What the what??

Sunday morning, we took the boys to Sunday School.  I want to try HARD to get them there each week.  Of course, this won't always happen, but we are going to try hard.  They looked so handsome going this past weekend.  

While they were at Sunday school, CB and I ran to the store to get some balloons for the party and then we went back to get them.

We rushed home and changed clothes and then it was time for Cal's 6th birthday party!!! (post coming soon).

After Cal's party, the boys were invited to Brooks's birthday party, which was in the club house. Andy wasn't supposed to go, but one of the other boys got sick, so Andy got included.  He was thrilled!

 I took this picture of the group at the second bday doing the nay nay dance.  As I was taking this, it dawned on me that Cal wasn't in pic....whoops, he was in the bathroom and I totally forgot he went in there.  Mom fail. 

Lee was there and Andy was STOKED to spend even more time with him!

It was a fun and busy weekend.... life is crazy right now and I think I love it!