Oh, you.
Whew: whatta week. We played lost and found, had some ups and downs, and ran 'round and 'round (and 'round and 'round some more). It was the kind of week that left me desperately wanting to check into a spa, or perhaps a padded room, for some serious rest, reflection and recuperation.
Instead, today Trey and I went to, of all places, the State Fair, for a whole lot more of the aforementioned. The kiddos stayed home with Jill, our summer sitter, who'll probably wise up pretty soon and change her number so we can't contact her again. But today, she put on a brave face and watched the muppers for the better part of the afternoon while we grown-ups battled ungodly traffic and throngs of people, all reeking of corn dogs and beer, under a blazing October sun.
Why would we willingly do such a thing? To see the 101st match-up between the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners. This will stun my sweet husband when he reads it, but I have to confess: as much as I really, truly love Texas football, I wasn't completely convinced that this was the most romantic date idea. A quick mental calculation had me thinking that the fair market value for our tickets, plus the money we'd spend for babysitting, parking, etc., could probably fetch us a couple of nights in a beachfront hotel.
Well. The hotel may be swell, but we had a no-regrets heckuva time in the Cotton Bowl. I can't believe how great our seats were: we were 20 rows behind the band, the cannon and Bevo himself, with a gorgeous, up-close view of the gridiron action. Seated on the exact center point of the Texas half of the stadium, we could see the dividing line between the orange Texas faithful and the red Oklahoma fans. Spied the players jumping up and down before they ran through the tunnel onto the field. Felt the stadium shake as three fighter jets flew over us before kickoff. Heard the bands and the fans goad their opponents.
All the noise, all the emotion and all of the excitement: it's impossible to describe. To get just a sense of how thrilling it was, check out the DMN's multimedia presentation. (Turn up your speakers for the full effect.)
Adding to the fun: on a concession run, Trey ran into some friends from our Chicago Texas Exes days who were, coincidentally, sitting just a few rows behind us. (Hey, Kvapils! It was great to see you again!)
And, oh yeah: there was the game. A shaky first half, in which we quietly pined for Vince Young to magically materialize on the field and lead us to certain victory. Happily, this was followed by an amazing second half, in which the boys who were there somehow pulled it all together and just plain dominated. Yee-haw!
(Conciliatory shout-out to my Sooner friends: you might be amused to know that, although I did wear the obligatory burnt orange into the stadium, I left wearing red and white: a seriously sunburned forehead, beak and chest in sharp contrast to the two enormous white rings around my eyes where my sunglasses were perched. I am a vision of irresponsibility.)
Sunburned and weary but grinning ear to ear and holding hands all the way back to the car: now that's a great date. Thanks, sweetie.
Tomorrow: F5 time. Hope you all have happy, healthy weekends with the ones you love.
P.S. For a little while now, S and K have called C "Dahtah," which of course we find unbearably cute. This week, they've finally given each other names. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce: Bepper and Daydie.
Instead, today Trey and I went to, of all places, the State Fair, for a whole lot more of the aforementioned. The kiddos stayed home with Jill, our summer sitter, who'll probably wise up pretty soon and change her number so we can't contact her again. But today, she put on a brave face and watched the muppers for the better part of the afternoon while we grown-ups battled ungodly traffic and throngs of people, all reeking of corn dogs and beer, under a blazing October sun.
Why would we willingly do such a thing? To see the 101st match-up between the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners. This will stun my sweet husband when he reads it, but I have to confess: as much as I really, truly love Texas football, I wasn't completely convinced that this was the most romantic date idea. A quick mental calculation had me thinking that the fair market value for our tickets, plus the money we'd spend for babysitting, parking, etc., could probably fetch us a couple of nights in a beachfront hotel.
Well. The hotel may be swell, but we had a no-regrets heckuva time in the Cotton Bowl. I can't believe how great our seats were: we were 20 rows behind the band, the cannon and Bevo himself, with a gorgeous, up-close view of the gridiron action. Seated on the exact center point of the Texas half of the stadium, we could see the dividing line between the orange Texas faithful and the red Oklahoma fans. Spied the players jumping up and down before they ran through the tunnel onto the field. Felt the stadium shake as three fighter jets flew over us before kickoff. Heard the bands and the fans goad their opponents.
All the noise, all the emotion and all of the excitement: it's impossible to describe. To get just a sense of how thrilling it was, check out the DMN's multimedia presentation. (Turn up your speakers for the full effect.)
Adding to the fun: on a concession run, Trey ran into some friends from our Chicago Texas Exes days who were, coincidentally, sitting just a few rows behind us. (Hey, Kvapils! It was great to see you again!)
And, oh yeah: there was the game. A shaky first half, in which we quietly pined for Vince Young to magically materialize on the field and lead us to certain victory. Happily, this was followed by an amazing second half, in which the boys who were there somehow pulled it all together and just plain dominated. Yee-haw!
(Conciliatory shout-out to my Sooner friends: you might be amused to know that, although I did wear the obligatory burnt orange into the stadium, I left wearing red and white: a seriously sunburned forehead, beak and chest in sharp contrast to the two enormous white rings around my eyes where my sunglasses were perched. I am a vision of irresponsibility.)
Sunburned and weary but grinning ear to ear and holding hands all the way back to the car: now that's a great date. Thanks, sweetie.
Tomorrow: F5 time. Hope you all have happy, healthy weekends with the ones you love.
P.S. For a little while now, S and K have called C "Dahtah," which of course we find unbearably cute. This week, they've finally given each other names. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce: Bepper and Daydie.
posted by mrsf5 at 8:51 PM
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