Happy (early) Turkey Day!

Because I won't be blogging again until Monday: Happy Thanksgiving!

Although you should be so very appreciative for what you have every day, tomorrow is a great day to think of how blessed you are and be thankful.

I am so thankful for my family and I hate that Brian and I can't be in Oklahoma this week with them :(

However, my cousin has invited us over so we will still get to have a great dinner and be with family.

Hope everyone enjoys their break from work and gets to spend time with people that they love.

Much Love and many good eats!

Kels

Blah!

That's how I feel today! I wanted to stay in bed with my 3 cuddley pups and burrow under the covers and not come out until I wanted to.

Unfortunately, I had to go to work. I think last week's 3-day week spoiled me. I can't imagine how I'm going to feel working a whole week next week! I could definitely get used to only working 3 days - even though today doesn't much count because I don't think I've done one productive thing.

After work, though, I'm going to HEB to get stuff for our work Thanksgiving lunch tomorrow (the only reason I'm coming to work tomorrow!). I am making veggie bites and 7-layer dip, yum! Then Brian and I are eating out. Usually, we are so good about cooking at home and really prefer to eat something at home. But not this week, with left over Thanksgiving from last weekend and Thanksgiving on Thursday, I decided that I didn't want to actually put effort into cooking anything in between. So tonight we are going to eat out - Pluckers or Palm, I'm not sure.

Then, I'm probably going to cuddle in bed with the pups :) And read. And watch my tivo shows.

So, I thought today that I might venture out on Friday and check out the sales. I've never gone out on Black Friday before but I thought since I'm off and Brian has to work, why not shop?! Anyway, we'll see. I definitely won't be getting up early to do it but I may try it out. Whatya think? Are the sales worth it?

I really don't mind shopping by myself - almost prefer it - since you don't have to keep up with anyone. So I figure that if I don't go out in the early, wee hours of the morning, it shouldn't be too crowded and miserable?

I'll let you know - that may be a whole other blog post :)

Much Love!

I *heart* four-day weekends!

We were in Hachie last weekend for four days - and we enjoyed every minute. Beware: this post is full of pictures. And that is about all the post will be today.

Mom & Carol with the Janith's new twins. My mom's friend, Janith - at the age of 46, had twins 2 weeks ago. They are two happy and healthy babies and the cutest things ever! Their names are Taylor and Tyler. I'm in love :)

Me & Tyler

Janith & Jasper (the dog), Mom & Tyler, Carol & TaylorBrady & Ali at the Hachie game

Kevin, Carolyn & Kathleen at the game

Brian - poor thing forgot his sunglasses and it was hot and sunny!

Cindy & Ernie

Dad interviewing after the game

Dad with the trophy - he was trying to hand it off but I got a quick picture :)
one of the players 'loving' on the trophy

Kendall & mom - Carolyn and Kevin were supposed to be in the pic but walked away :)

Ali talking Kevin to death :) hahaWillie & Angie

Pat & Kathleen

Cindy & Brian

The "adult" table at Snuffer's after the game. We went to eat/drink with the old crew and had some awesome, much needed laughs. I love them! :)

The kids table :)

Kendall, Carolyn & Kevin

Me & Kendall

We had such a great time. While the game was stressful, it was still a blast (since we won) and then the 'after party' was even better. I will say again that I am extremely thankful for my coaching family. They are pretty amazing :)

Much love,

Kels

FINALLY - the 3rd round!

HACHIE WON!

Just wanted to update about the excitement! :)

We finally made it to the 3rd round of the play-offs, the first time since we've been in Waxahachie.

We will play the dreaded Highland Park next week.

I have to say, though, I enjoy these times more than anything because it brings us together.

Tonight, the fans were awesome.

Tonight, we got to spend hours with our coaching family...and that NEVER gets old.

I love those NDNS and I'm so proud of them.

I'll post more on Monday when I can download pictures.

Much Love,

Kels

AHHHHH!

That's how I feel today! I haven't blogged this week and I am so sorry to my 3 followers! :) haha

I have taken off work on Thursday and Friday so my three-day work week has been jam-packed!

Hachie won last week so we move on to the 2nd round of the play-offs vs. T-High. We play Saturday. Brian and I are so excited to be off for a 4-day weekend. We get to see family, Nonnie & Papa AND we are having an early Thanksgiving dinner at Brian's parents. We also get to see our coaching family members since LE plays on Friday! What an awesome weekend!

I hate that we cannot make it to Oklahoma for Thanksgiving. As much as I dread the drive every year, I will definitely miss being with family that I only get to see once a year.

Brian's birthday was good. He had to work so of course that wasn't cool but we had a birthday dinner earlier in the week (Pluckers - his fave!) and Saturday, he came home to a (delicious!) cookie cake and some gifts.

Other than that, it has just been work, work, work for both of us. We are both thankful to have this short break from work to enjoy family and some football! :)

I meant to post on Tuesday because one of the girls whose blog I read has a "List Tuesday" and this week was things you are thankful for. Obviously, it's that time of year to let people know what you are thankful for but I want to let you know that I realize daily that I am so blessed. I may not have it all but I have enough. So I will leave you with my Thankful List and I'm sure it will only have about half of the things that I am thankful for - there's not enough space or time to really make that list.

I am thankful for:

• my husband, who loves me unconditionally (and that's a hard task!)
• my parents - they did an amazing job raising me
• my amazing, smart & beautiful sister - she's my bestest friend too!
• my family - I love being with family, amongst cousins, grandparents, aunts & uncles. It's always a good time
• my in-laws - I am so very fortunate to have in-laws that love me as if I was their own daughter
• my job - I love it!
• my coaching family - it's always like old times when we get together. They are a huge part of my life
• my doggies - they always put a smile on my face!
• my health

That's all I have for today - I'm sure that if you gave me 24 hours, I could come up with a 5-page list. Bottom line is, I am a very blessed person and I recognize and appreciate it every day.

I promise to post soon with pictures from the Friday game. Good Luck Indians!!

Gone Country

Today, I've gone country :) I will have to preface this with the fact that the boots below WERE my sister's. She was getting rid of them so I took them. Today was the first day I've worn them. They are so comfortable AND I think everyone in my office has complimented them. One of my co-workers, though, only keeps singing "These boots are made for walkin" when I walk by - and now I can't get that song out of my head! :)

I also am wearing my new "Texas" earrings that I got last weekend at Wimberley Days. LOVE THEM!

I HATE that I am missing the very first Indian play-off game but I have mucho confidence that they will be ready to play! I will, however, be getting my HS play-off fix while working at the game tonight at Bobcat Stadium. We are hosting New Braunfels and Bastrop. I will be selling tickets but have requested the booth closest to the score board so I can go out and watch occasionally :)

Other than that, this weekend will be quite tame. Saturday is Brian's birthday - the big 2-8! :) He is working all weekend though so there won't be many festivities. I will get the usual cookie cake (because bad things happen if there is no cookie cake) but other than that, I will be spending the weekend catching up on tivo-ed shows and relaxing.

GO INDIANS!

GO BOBCATS!

Have a GREAT weekend - Much Love!

History in the Making

It was 5:15pm on Friday and I was still contemplating whether or not I reeeeally wanted to drive two hours to Waco to watch the Hachie game. At 5:25pm, I decide that, yes, I reeeally wanted to go. I needed to go. I missed my mom and my sister and my dad. I needed my HS football fix. I needed to see those Indians win. I just needed to be there. So, I committed 7 hours of my Friday night to high school football (4 hours driving and a 3 hour game). And it was well worth it. I got to be in my comfort zone. I got to see my real mom and my adopted moms. I got to see my sister and dad. It was just refreshing.

I took some pictures after the game since we were 10-0 District Champions and everyone was excited!:) It also has not escaped me that this is Coach Reese's last season coaching with my dad. Again, I don't know what either of them are going to do without the other. I know there won't be much change because the Reese's will still be around but it is just sad to see the end of an era :)

Anyway, on the way home from Waco, Darius Rucker's newer song was on and it made me think of these pictures and of the awesome time that I ALWAYS have with my coaching family. It is titled "History in the Making" and it is supposed to be a couple-ish song so I deleted the part about the first kiss :) but the lyrics to the chorus are pretty good.

"This could be one of those memories

We wanna hold to, cling to, the one we can't forget

What if this was that moment, that chance we're taking

History in the making"

Reeses and Reams

Willie and Angie

The crew

Family picture (minus Brian cause he had to work)

I was taking the picture - I know, that is a change :)

Best Buds

Reeses and Dad

The Rowdy Crowd

Ream Girls (mom was trying to talk)

Oh, and we won (I think I mentioned that) so we play our first round play-off game on Friday against Forney. Brian and I won't be there since he has to work and I am working the TxSt game. :( We better win so we can make it the following week!

Much Love!

High School Football

The smell of the grass/turf.

The smell of sweat, pride, hard work, anxiety.

The electricity that you can feel walking through a group of 16-18 year old boys warming up for a friday night football game.

The nervousness and butterflies that won't leave your stomach.

The clicking of the scoreboard clock counting down until kick-off.

The smell of popcorn at the concession stand.

The blinding brightness of the stadium lights.

This is what I love. High School Football.

It's really quite an obsession, I know. I went to my first game when I was 6 mos. old and still can't get enough.

There is something so true and pure about the love of the game at this level.

There is also something so awesome about the coaches that coach at this level.

There is something about the family that you gain when you are a coaches kid.

It's in my blood.

Sometimes it is easier to breathe on a cool Friday night at a football stadium with your coaching family surrounding you, yelling for your hometown team.

It's a part of me that I can't imagine living without.

I. Love. HS Football. (especially TEXAS HS Football!)

Good Luck to those Indians tonight. I'd like to see a 10-0 team tonight go into the playoffs strong!

Whiplash

I guess that's what I have. I was sooooorrrrre last night. It hit me while I was laid back in the recliner. My back hurt, my shoulders hurt and my neck hurts. It wasn't pain, just soreness. So I took some extra strength Tylenol and it really helped my back. Today it has just been my neck. It hurts for me to turn side to side.

Other than that, I got nothin. Wimberly Market Days this weekend - I'm excited. Hoping to get some Christmas shopping done.

Early signing day is next week, November 11th, so we've been busy around the office.

That's all I got, folks.

Much love!

A hellacious kind of day

It has been a horrible, ugly, no good, very bad day. (Did you ever read that book?)

Anyway, I got here today and spilled yogurt on my clothes, discovered that we made a mistake in something at work, had a vent session about something else at work, attended a very much needed work out at lunch, and then I got rear-ended on my trip to Sonic.

It has been a hump day that I wish I slept through. BUT, I try to keep in mind that there are people out there that have much bigger problems than I do and they would take spilled yogurt anyday.

It has still been a horrible, ugly, no good, very bad day BUT I'm gonna go home now to my doggies and relax for the evening.

I truly hope you have had a fabulous Wednesday though :)

Much love!

Football, Halloween and Good-byes

It's been awhile, I know but do I need to tell you AGAIN how busy it's been at work and how when I get home, I don't even think about blogging. I plop my butt on the couch and watch some tv, usually after I make dinner and walk Simba :)

I haven't updated lately and therefore, I have missed my shout-outs to the Indians and Bobcats. They both won last weekend. The Bobcats pulled off an unexpected win against SFA with a great homecoming crowd and the Indians scrapped by with a 21-14 win over Corsicana. We finish up this week with Waco Midway and then it's the playoffs. I have my fingers crossed that we go further than the first or second round. It would just be the cherry on top of this season :)

However, I do have a short vent on the topic of our 9-0 Indians. To quote my sister, if 9-0 isn't good enough for you, go find another bandwagon. I don't understand Hachie fans. I know there are always going to be those that can never be pleased but for the 10 years that we have been at Waxahachie, the fans have never rallied around our team and really showed support. They sit in the stands like bumps on a log until the coach makes a call they don't agree with. That is the ONLY time you will find our Hachie fans up off their butts. It is ever so frustrating to watch as we are screaming and yelling to support our team, NO MATTER WHAT! Even if the quarterback fumbles the ball, even if a player misses a huge block, even if that kicker misses a field goal...you will ALWAYS find us cheering and supporting those Indians. Can't say the same for the fans. And yes, I will add that it is fine if they want to disagree with a call that is made by the coaches...I disagree sometimes too. But I can guarantee that those coaches can't hear those fans cussing at them all the way on the field but you know who can hear it? The wives and kids...they don't need to know that you think their dad/husband is a stupid son-of-a-bitch. That is what Quarterback Club meetings are for - every Monday night. I promise my dad will sit and listen to you talk about what a horrible coach he is because that's the kind of guy that he is. But I won't tolerate it. Just know that - those coaches wives and kids will fight back. And I would hope that your wife or kid would fight back for you too if someone was calling you names. whew - that "short" vent turned into something larger :) I just had to get it off my chest, which is what is great about a blog - it's mine and I can ramble all I want!

On another topic: Halloween! As said in a previous post, I really don't like Halloween. However, the night before Halloween, Brian and I watched Saw IV. It was nasty and scary but I really liked it...the Saw movies are, I think, the only scary movies that I like. On Halloween, we went trick-or-treating with my cousin and her kids. We had a caravan going around the block! We had 6 adults, 4 kids, two strollers and a cooler of beer :) It was fun - the kids were cute. They kept yelling "trick-or-treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat". Too funny! And it was great to hang out with the kids. We haven't been over there in a few months - I've been such a bad cousin! However, I have to tell you, hanging out with 4 kids on Halloween (or anytime for that matter) is the best birth control ever :) It feeds us our baby craving and we get to play house for a little bit. Then, we get to go home and sleep in :) haha

My last topic of the three in my title is good-byes. A friend from work, who now reads my blog (Hi Debra!) took a job at Northern Illinois. I am so extremely happy for her. It is a change that I think she needed to refocus and just have some change in the work area. I think it is an awesome adventure that will give her new experience and new relationships. HOWEVER, I'm still a very sad person because I had to say good-bye to a great friend. Of course, we will still keep in touch but she won't be just down the hall anymore. She has been someone that I can vent about things to and get marital advice from :) It has been awesome working with her and she will be awesome at her new job...but I'm still sad :(

That's all for my forever long post - but I had to get in, like, 6 days worth of stuff! Oh, and p.s., one of my friends from UNT and fellow blogger, Erin, is pregnant! (Hi Erin!). I'm excited for them but also excited because she is doing a baby blog and I love baby blogs :) It's so fun to read about the experiences and changes that happen when a baby comes along. I know one day that will be me (you know I will be blogging about it) and it is just so fun!

Oh, one more thing, I made Kelly's quick chicken pot pie last night - DELICIOUS! I will put the receipe below but you can also click here for the recipe and others and try it out. I loved it.

Until next time - Much Love!

Ingredients
2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup
1 cup chicken broth
Salt and pepper, optional
1 1/2 cups instant biscuit mix
1 cup milk
1 stick melted butter

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a greased 2-quart casserole, layer the chicken, carrots, and peas. Mix the soup, chicken broth, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Pour over the layers. Stir together the biscuit mix and milk, and pour this over the casserole. Drizzle butter over the topping. Bake until the topping is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.