Random musings about friends, fall, and football.

1. College football season is upon us again. Holla! It's my favorite time of year.

2. We've seen some slices of delightfully cool weather. Jeans weather. Sweatshirt weather. It reminds me of Pumpkin Spice Lattes, apple picking, and a host of other fall goodness.  And then today I was boiling in my long jeans. Come back, cold!

3. Life can change a lot in one year, can't it? We hung out with our friends, the LeComptes, on the first Michigan game of the year last year, on Labor Day weekend. I was 30 weeks pregnant, and DeeDee was 39. We were both wearing our husbands' shirts in this picture. DeeDee and Chris' twin boys were born the next day.


And then we saw them again this past Labor Day weekend, for the first football game. 3 kids later. And, DeeDee and I are wearing Michigan t-shirts of our own this time around. Gratefully.


I can't speak to what Noah (big kid in the background) is doing in this picture.


I watched all four kids solo for an hour or so. The LeComptes helpfully dressed Drew in blue for me. Will is in "maize", while Caroline is sporting a cheerleader outfit.  We start 'em young.


4. The rest of Labor Day weekend was spent on the West side of Michigan, with my family.  Caroline went on her first Big Whitefish Lake boat ride.


She was seriously harassed by the life jacket.

And really now... how cute are these kids?  Caroline with cousins Aiydan and Aiyannah.


Aiydan drove the boat with my dad.

And then Caroline felt the need to check out uncle Ben.

All in all, a great holiday weekend.

5. Michigan just had them one of the BEST COMEBACKS EVER against Notre Dame. My heart still races just to think of it. I don't know if I've ever felt such a range of emotions in a mere 72 seconds as I did in the last moments of the game.

6. Go blue and happy fall.

Shutterbug: Go Blue Style

As some of you may know, I've been drooling over a digital SLR camera for awhile now.

I love pictures.

I love color.

I love composition.

I love art. And creating it, in some form.

And I read a lot of blogs where fantastic photography is part of the mix.

So I read reviews. Polled friends. Asked a lot of questions. Talked to Josh about it. And then, Saturday morning, bit the bullet and picked one up.

I got this one:



I'm thinking of naming her Amy.

And let me just tell you -

I LOVE HER ALREADY.

I only have one lens - the one that came with my camera body. And yet I think this thing is completely fantastic. And I know neeeeext to nothing about how to use it - only what I've picked up from some photography blogs. I plan to read up in the coming months. But armed with only the most basic of ideas about shutter speed and aperture, I brought my new toy with me to the Michigan game on opening day.

I took so many shots that the lady sitting behind me asked me if I worked for a newspaper.  But practice makes perfect, right?

This camera really captured the vivid colors of the Big House.

The green grass. The blue flags. The maize student section. And all as sharp as a tack.

None of these pictures have been at all touched by Photoshop. No boosting the colors. No sharpening the edges. Not to say I won't go back to Photoshop sometime soon to tweak my SLR pics. But for now I'm just enjoying the SLR in its true, raw form.

And then I started playing with aperture. A dangerous addiction, to be sure.

You mean I can get that delicious blurry background without Photoshop? Amazing!

No, I don't have any idea who these people are. I sat alone for the first half since we couldn't get three tickets together, and enjoyed snapping pictures of strangers. They're sometimes more cooperative than people who know they're getting their picture taken. At least, they tend to look more natural.

And the icing on the cake? We won! Big.

M Go Blue indeed.

Well, Michigan Football is a Disappointment...

... but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy a college football game in beautiful fall weather.

Josh's parents flew in from Phoenix for the weekend and the four of us headed up to W. Lafayette on Saturday for the Michigan/Purdue game. The game was another debacle, but we managed to have fun anyway. I mean, 70 degrees on November 1st? Not too shabby.

A couple of observations from my Purdue game experience:
1. Bad rap music pumped into a college football game is a little ridiculous. So are scenes from Jaws and Jurassic Park when shown on the main scoreboard to emphasize particular plays.

2. Michigan's team is really, really awful, and we're shaping up to be the embarrassment Notre Dame was last year. We made Purdue's third string QB look good.

3. Angry, unintelligent, belligerent fans - even those that are cheering for the same team you are - sour the entire experience when you find yourself sitting in front of them.

4. The slow little train making its way across the field while the players ran out at the start of the game made me laugh. Has anyone seen this phenomenon?

5. The Boilermakers need to choose a mascot and stick with it. Is it a train? The world's largest drum? Or guy in a plastic costume known as "Purdue Pete?"

6. Getting to catch up with old college friends is a delight! I was putting ketchup on my overpriced hot dog when I heard my name being called. When I looked up, I saw Emily (who I call "Emting") and Ashleigh, who were good friends of mine at Michigan and people I rarely get to see. I sat with them during the 4th quarter and loved hearing about what they're up to - campus ministry, an upcoming wedding, plans for the future, and the like. It was wonderful to see them - what an unexpected blessing!

Goodbye Saturn

We knew it was only a matter of time.


Our gold 2000 Saturn SL2 lost its battle with... well... everything. It has struggled with transmission problems for somewhere around 5 years now. Last year it developed a wonderful habit of kicking in the anti-lock brakes any time slowed down to turn of for a stop light. And yes, the grinding/crunching noise kicked in, too. An attractive crack ran from one end of the windshield to the other. And then a couple of weeks ago the engine died.

While I can't say I was sad to kiss it goodbye, I'll reserve a mini SL2-shaped place in my heart for it and look back fondly on the time we spent in that car. We shared some good memories in that puppy.

The Saturn was Josh's college car - a gift from his grandparents. It was the car we sat in when Josh told me he didn't have feelings for me, but did like one of my friends. And it was the one we sat in the night we started dating (after he'd changed his mind about me!)

And the road trips we put it through... perhaps it is no wonder it died a premature death. We rock at road trips. Only a month or two into our relationship we drove the Saturn to New York City for an architecture project Josh had to do. I remember how thrilled we were when we discovered just how easily we could talk to each other - for like 12 hours straight. It also took us to Toronto, Chicago, Grand Rapids (lots of times), Boyne Mountain, Cleveland, Wisconsin, Traverse City, and even Phoenix and back a couple of times.

And since I totaled my Camry 2 weeks before our wedding, we shared the Saturn for the first six months of our life together.

We had great conversations, fun times with friends, and even a few fights in that car.

And now the Saturn phase of our life has ended. I don't mind moving forward without that car. It will actually be nice to have two normal, non-shady cars for the first time in our married life. Also, for the record, I don't like the look of a gold car. But looking back on the bank of memories from that car I thought it deserved the dignity of, well, a blog post.

Here's to you, little car.

Its Great - To Be - A Michigan Wolverine

Because stuff like this happens.

Wisconsin lead 19-0 at halftime. The Wolverines looked baaaaad the first half. We're talking lifeless. Negative passing yards, and only 21 yards total. Josh and I were there in the stands, watching every painful three-and-out and every stupid turnover.

AND THEN

They scored 27 straight, and only let Wisonsin score 6 more points after that. The stadium went from dead silent disgust to wild, crazy, and excited. It was incredible to behold. LOVE IT.

Biggest comeback in Michigan Stadium history. Second biggest of all time.

GO. BLUE.

Random Tangents

Okay, a couple of tangents.

First, I was looking at a picture in this post and realized that Josh still has that shirt.

No shirt from Steve and Barry's ever lasts that long. And yet that was my 19th birthday and I'm almost 25. It has GOT to be paper thin and fraying in several places. Perhaps we should replace it (for all of $6.97) when we're in Ann Arbor this weekend.

Second, props to the folks at Maize N Brew for their series of posts - 100 Reasons To Love Ann Arbor. Any of you blog-stalking Wolverines out there? Check it out.

Updates: Josh claims that his current light blue Michigan shirt is a newer one. I have my doubts.

Also, Jamie tells me she actually took that picture at California Pizza Kitchen that day in September 2002! It totally seems like another lifetime.

College Football - Coming Soon!

We're getting totally and completely excited for this to start up again:

We even watched the famed 1997 game against Ohio State yesterday, just because we were in the mood. I just added http://www.mgoblog.com/ to my reader.

Less than two weeks, people. College football. Just around the corner.

It makes me do a little dance in my computer chair. Is anyone else out there excited? At all?

*******

Update: After Julie's comment to this point, I desperately need to share the story of "amazing" jello.

A couple of years ago Josh and I decided to have people over to watch one of Michigan's big games. I told my friends Julie and Kara that I'd make U of Michigan-themed cookies and "maize and blue" jello for the big event.

Which then promted this question from the two of them (who do live in the state of Michigan, albiet under a rock):

Amazing Blue jello? What makes it so amazing?

You know, maize and blue? The team's colors?

And with that, I hope you enjoy the "amazing green" (for Sparty of course) jello, Jules.

College Days

For work this week I've been instructed to hang out at bookstores (I know, a tough life) and yesterday I spent some time in the bookstore at the IU Memorial Union. I then hiked across campus to check out another bookstore, and that walk (in the rainy nasty cold) REALLY brought me back to my own college days. The Big Ten campus. The hoards of undergrads everywhere. The long walks to class. The backpacks, UGG boots, and North Face coats. Students haven't changed much since I was at school!

Since then I've been thinking about things I miss and don't miss about college. And while I'm on the subject, include some pictures from those days.

MISS
-Christmas break and summer vacation!

-Having available time during the day - for a trip to the grocery store, to take a nap, to watch tv with roommates, etc

-Michigan football every fall

-Let me go back to NAPS during the day

-Dorm dinners (not the food - see below) but the big group of people sharing meals each evening

-Not really having bills to pay. Not many, anyway.

-My roomies! I love living with Josh, but I had a blast living with 7 other girls in a big old house - well, most of the time. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade it for married life for anything! I just miss seeing my friends everyday.

-Being super involved in Campus ministry. I grew SO much as a person and especially in my faith through my involvement with Campus Crusade for Christ. I even spent amazing summers in Virginia Beach and Istanbul, Turkey with them.

-Rolling out of bed, throwing on a sweatshirt and flip-flops, and heading to class. No need to get any more ready than that!

DON'T MISS

-Walking to class in the cold, the rain, the snow, and anything in between.

-Studying and writing papers - yuck. Especially on weekends.

-Being broke. All the time. $150 in a checking account (and no savings to speak of) was a good week.

-Petty arguments with roommates...

-Not being able to find parking near my house

-Cafeteria food when I lived in the dorms (except for taco night!)

-Some rough times with certain boys I was interested in

-The draftyness of the big old house we lived in.

Can anyone relate? What do you think of when you think back on your college days?

Summer Destination: West Michigan?

Just as we had suspected, this past week was crazy, stressful, and difficult for Josh. He had somewhere around 7 interviews for 6 companies, and it was a roller coaster of ups, downs, call backs, offers, and rejections.

We have been thinking about and praying through this Psalm all week, remembering that we have a God keeps and watches over us. It hasn't been easy, but overall I'm so proud of him for keeping a good attitude.

And Thursday evening he got some terrific news! One of the companies he was interested in called him with the promise of an offer for a summer internship! He is SUPER excited about this opportunity and quite relieved to have something in place. We'll find more details next week, but we DO know that we may well be in a little town on Lake Michigan for the summer! And that he'll probably be doing marketing for certain home appliances... very exciting. He has a couple more interviews lined up, so we don't know for sure... but it is great to have at least one exciting offer.

Thank you Lord for your continued provision and direction!