Be Loud, Be Proud, Be Blue...Homecoming '11

We didn't get to do many tailgates this year, but for Homecoming we were blessed with the perfect weather for such an event!  It was sunny, not too cold, not too hot, and packed with Blue Raider fans!  We won't discuss the game or what happened in the stadium, but outside it was a ton of fun!  The only downside was the one hour of sleep we got because a kidney stone kept us in the ER all night, but we made it through!

My little family out to watch the parade... next year's Homecoming will be different.  A lot different!

Madelyn is growing! 

Future grandparents came out to spend the day as well...

I'm already working on my design for the Baby Raiders next year.  I'm going to need a small car battery, chicken wire, and a propeller.  Don't ask why, you'll see.

All hail the old King and Queen!

My favorite float, because it depicts the legend that if you kiss on the steps of the KOM, you'll be together forever.  I kissed Brooke on the steps.  So far, so good!

Brooke is trying hard to stay awake... one hour sleep catches up quick...

Good job Matt, way to control that golf cart!

Hey, it's my group of Lambda Sigma peops!  So proud!

And now for a whole lotta cool cars.....

I would have driven my Accord, but I didn't want to show up all those other cars....

Surprise!

Turning 30 has become synonymous with surprise parties around here... so Sam's was no different!  Dave came up with the awesome idea to recapture our youth and go skating at the Smyrna Skate Center.  He managed to balance two kids and multiple friends to actually catch his wife by surprise, too! 

As long as we are recapturing our youth, how about a Rainbow Brite birthday cake?  Don't mind if I do...



Yay, we did it!

Kelsen thinks the surprise is for her...

Sam thanks the man with the devious plan!

Still happy, even if she couldn't skate.  Something stupid about "falling might hurt the baby" or whatever.

Sophie is not amused by my camera...

Amanda tries to show Matthew how it is done.  He's not so sure.

If I don't move, I won't fall!

A deep conversation in the works... probably about anything by movies, it's never about that with these two.

The cake is on fire!!!!!

Awww, look how cute the Baughmans are, skating together when it's not even the "couple skate!"  Kudos to Dave to making his wife's birthday awesome!

The Outer Banks Vacation

So for vacation this year we tried two new things. First, we went with the Baughmans and their kids. Second, instead of Destin we went to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. With one exception (to be explained in a minute), it was a fantastic week away! Ready for round two! Oh wait, that won't be for a while...

Different sand, higher waves... not my normal beach, but how can you NOT like what you see here?

Our view from our tent set-up. Before the tent snapped in half. Apparently winds are higher on the Atlantic.

Kelsen in the giant hole that Dave dug her. We couldn't get her out until we introduced her to the water. Then we couldn't get her out of that.

Yup, the discovery of the waves spelt doom for all those who attempted to get her to go back to the tent.

I discovered a love for Kindles/Nooks for reading books on this trip. I highly suggest reading The Hunger Games! Great book!

Teaching Kelsen the finer points of surfing. "Okay, pop up. No, do less. No, do more. Eh, you'll get it. Let's go surfing!"

Sam braving some serious waves. They were not kind to her clothes.

Brooke in her cute little cover-up. Precious!

So the one thing that was annoying? The giant pipe running down the middle of a beach for a "nourishmen" project. Luckily the week before they were in front of our house and had moved down, but it was still pretty inconvenient... and ugly... and there ALL week. More on that later.

A view of our beach house.

Drunk on the beach.

I found me a blowfish!

A very attractive fish, no? This thing did NOT smell good.

We tried to help her build a sand castle. She wanted to build a sand mound.