Football - hoping for a new tradition

Friday after thanksgiving just means football.  Wether its watching it on TV or playing it.  So we decided to make a true game of it.  Mother nature TOTALLY agreed and delivered some AMAZING weather for the first year!

Sitting outside feeling ready to play!

We kept it simple and ordered Subs at Big Y - I wanted it more about enjoying folks and playing than about eating (we did just have Thanksgiving right??)

Kids in our neighborhood showed up to PLAY - cleats and all.  Thankful that mary brought over an second set of Flags as we NEEDED them.  30 plus folks to PLAY!

The boys aged 9-12 are HARD to catch!

Great action shot!

We even had spectators =)!

Can you believe the game ended in a tie??  We need them to all come back next year =)!

Thank you to all that came - what an awesome day!

Thanksgiving!

Big Turkey??  

Not the guys in the photo - but the one being cooked,  

In half!  

Way to out smart the possibly long cooking time.

One was grilled by Goomba and the other was roasted by Chris (both was brined the night before by Chris!)

 

Thursday morning started with a family Turkey Trot in Collinsville.  Loved it!  BEAUTIFUL weather.  It was especially cool to see all the college kids coming back home with their families - of course I have memories of coming back for Thanksgiving - but now I am excited at the thought of my kiddos coming back as they stretch their wings.  I do dream about their adventures!

Nick didn't train (outside of his TONS of football playing in the yard...)  He needed a bit of motivation along the way.

The 2 bikers I was with entertained folks along the way and were almost hard for me to keep up with!

Half way point sign!

Post race serve yourself Mimosa - This race will be a MUST do every year.  Last year they maybe had 100 folks - this year over 300!!  The registration fee was a donation check to the local food bank!

Back home and prepping for guests - making name tags for the table!

Is your half of Tom ready for Oven Entry??

And just like that we have a house full - I love the sounds of everyone's voices, the hugs, the activity. I often don't get folks 'together' enough for a photo - so i just relish the candids.

We have a huge table, yet had to expand a bit and these 2 are the perfect little solo couple.

See, chatty activity - love it!

Roomba looks to be sampling

Ready for dinner??  Thank you to Mary and Barbara for making the trek down and back in one day  - you truly made the day more about family and a wonderful addition!

Can we get everyone??

A little post dinner relaxation and tea (before we go for a walk to make room for dessert!)

Both of us are a bit sleepy here...

Love how wonderful Mary is with the kiddos!

Thank you all for such a family focused Thanksgiving!!  It was truly WONDERFUL.  Family really s something special.  We are so lucky my sister and her family were able to spend the night with us - the kids loved it and I loved seeing Inside out!  Kids surely make for a good excuse to curl up and watch a good movie =)!

Sweet babysitter

My neighbor asked me to watch her kiddos after school for a few hours - it was a BEAUTIFUL day out and of course they wanted to play outside - yeah right??

What do we need to do first?

Seriously - best helpers EVER!

The party and the experience.

Nick is turning 9 and LOVES football - well, he loves Tom Brady and the Patriots - so maybe our next Tom Brady is playing for the Black Knights of West Point.  

Maybe

 - Its the football experience, we were excited to take 4 of Nick's buddies to a West Point game.

We hopped in the car at 8 and popped in the Little Giants movie for the 2 hour drive - get them excited for the underdog.

We arrived at about 10:30 and although it was chilly out - these guys needed some time to run before we took them to the game.  Here the are trying to polish off a meatball sub before we head in.

Time to hike up to the game.  Can you see them making obstacles of the walk up to the stadium?

West Point is BEAUTIFUL.  I found myself just taking photos along the way.

Waiting in line at heighten security

We are in - shortly after kick off - so we missed the run on the fields with the French Flag as well as the March on by the Cadets - noted, next time that is something really cool to see.  But playing football previously for the kiddos was WAY more valuable at their age.

Game time.  Chris is sitting on a VERY different side of the field than he used to.

Loved spending the day with these kiddos - they are at an age where you really get to appreciate their personalities, their confidence in themselves, their manners, they are so stinking interesting.

A little photo of the beauty we get to capture from the stadium.

We may have missed kick off - yet were thankful to catch half time - Field size American flag. - 

The fans that took this photo for us said it should be our Christmas photo - They later asked me if all these boys were ours - wow!!  Nope - but I sure would take a few of them.

During Half time they let this eagle - Challenger - fly free.  She was named after the space shuttle and never to be released the to wild.  Truly beautiful.

And impossible for me to catch her truly in flight.

She is in this photo too - somewhere - but capturing the flag was great too.

There she is, made it all the way to her other trainer.

We made it through 3 quarters - not bad guys!  But they needed to be released.  Can you tell.  

It actually turned into a pretty good West Point game, but sadly they lost in the end.

We went back for some more football playing.  Chris orchestrated some great plays while I set up for hot chocolate and cookies (Nick isn't a cake fan!  Yeah!)  Nothing says birthday like singing with a cookie in hand!

We toured West Point on the way out seeing Chris's Sally Port, Trophy Point and many other aspects of life as a cadet.  So fortunate to be so close now.

The kiddos got to watch Sandlot on the way home and NO ONE fell asleep - amazing!  They were all asleep within moments of getting home I would imagine.

Chris and I truly enjoyed making this experience happen for the kiddos.  They really enjoyed being together in such a cool and different place.  Happy Birthday Nick!!  This one for the record books.

Veteran's Day

Today is Veteran's Day - A day that i remember and am thankful for ALL the Veterans in my life - My father and grandfather who's experience I learned about when I was young and possibly helped me to decide to give this whole Army thing a try - Now to the Amazing people I have met because of and through the military.  

most importantly this guy - here is my smile after 15 months of separation.

How about Commissioning at University of Michigan circa 1998 - I am surprised at how many of the names I actually remember - forever engrained.

Kosovo Circa 1999

Its the cool calls and connections you get on Veterans day too - Nicole was walking through U of M on her way to the Veteran's lunch at the Michigan Union - She sent me this photo of the CCRB track - the place of many early morning PT sessions and runs.  Oh the memories.

Oh the friends that are forever on my heart.

Today Chris and I put on our uniforms and represented the Armed Forces in Shane and Nick's classroom.  Loved the questions (the most popular was - what was the gas chamber like)  Loved meeting the other Veterans in our area as well.

Here is what I opted to post on FB

in 1993 I CHOSE to compete for the ROTC scholarship - my father had served, my grandfather had served. I didn't have a huge calling - but thought it would be a direction that could give me direction, plus the scholarship was a HUGE help to my out of state school desire at UofM. That one decision (like many) changed the entire course of my life. The folks that I have meant and loved through and because of the military of some of the most true, strong, resilient people I will ever know. I am thankful to call them friends, Dad, Husband and family - I wonder if one will be called son. 

If you have a child that has ever considered serving their country I would love to talk to them, share our experience. Yes, I often hated getting up early for PT or missions. Yes there were MANY times when I wanted a shower and didn't get one. Yes, my husband and I were separated for 15 LONG months during which I found one of my greatest life friend - Was I ever alone in any of it - never. Did I travel to amazing places (and some not so amazing) and serve a country and a mission bigger than myself - yes absolutely - If you served 1 year, 5 years, 20 years or a life time - you made that choice too and today your should be proud of that thought, that desire and that service. Today we thank you all who ever wore and will wear the uniform that serves our county.
‪#‎thankful‬