Go Hawks!

It's been a couple of years since I've been to an Iowa Hawkeye game so my friend Tim set it up and got us tickets to the IA/Michigan State game this last weekend. It was a cold 40°F when we got up at 6am to get parking next to the stadium, but the sun came out around 10 an warmed it up to a perfect-for-tailgating 70°F.
Although IA has had a disappointing season they still managed to pull 70,000+ fans! They did not disappoint!
They were looking pretty crappy in the first quarter, with a miserable -6 TOTAL yards of offense! There were a lot of people who picked up and left, when the halftime score was 17-3, expecting IA to get steamrolled. In the second half they got some great rushing from their running back, Albert Young, and ended up tying the score, then going ahead in the 4th quarter! Michigan State got some GREAT calls and they marched 70 yards in 90 seconds and tied the game with a field goal. In overtime they both scored on their first possession, then IA scored on their next and held MSU scoreless to go on to win! The place went NUTS! I lost my voice at the game too, but it was worth every scratchy word today!
People that leave games THAT early always confused me. Why would you leave when it's only 2 touchdowns?!? IA had them back on their first drives of the 2nd half, and all those people could do was listen on the radio since you can't come back in once you've left! We saw people do that at Brewer games A LOT this last year. They would leave in the 5th inning when the Brewers were down by 4 runs, then miss the dramatic finish! I think staying and watching some great games far outweighs the 20 minutes you saved getting out of the parking lot before anyone else. Oh well, their loss I guess!
Go Hawks!!!

Webcam Fun!

My Dad was having issues with his webcam and we were trying to figure it out. I thought the problem was on my end because I couldn't see his camera. Michelle was around so I asked if she could make a video call to test our connections. Well it worked. Bad news...Dad, I think you need a new webcam (or at least uninstall/reinstall yours). Good news...Michelle never fails to entertain...(click the pictures to see the larger versions)...

Michelle Talks To Our Dogs...Thoroughly Confusing Them (Noted By The Head Tilt)...
Michelle & Jackson Watched Our Dogs Eat One Another...


Michelle Plays With Jackson On Her Head, And Then Introduces His Toy Dog...I Apparently Got Excited Also...


Michelle Then Decides To Play With The Dog Herself...And Being Very Entertained...Me As Well...


Never A Dull Moment...Thanks Shell!!! :)

Flood Plain

Sally called this morning to see how we faired with the heavy rains. We got some serious rain here this last week! The worst was on Wednesday when it rained off and on; but after we got home from work, it started to pour!
For those who haven't been to the house, we have a creek running through our side yard. It's a very shallow creek with maybe 5 inches of water in it on average. The banks are really high though, probably 6 foot at the peak. I used to wonder why they had it banked so high...now I know. The last time it rained a decent amount we got about 3 foot of water flowing pretty quick through the creek, but this last Wednesday it rained MUCH harder.
About 7:00 I took the video below. You can hear how hard it's raining, and in another video (not shown) you can see the "sheets" of rain blowing across our yard. We sat down for dinner, 10 minutes later, we looked out the window and saw how much it had risen. My guess would be 5-6 foot deep. I've never seen a creek flood that fast! It really was quite a site. The time stamp on the first video was 7:01, and 7:11 on the second. I wish I would have just watched the creek for 10 minutes, instead of eating. It would have been really cool to see it rise that much, that fast.
Lucy wanted to play in it, but I really didn't feel like a water rescue that day... :)

Busy Bees!

Wow have the last 2 weeks FLOWN by!
We've been crazy busy with school (Mara much more than I). Mara had exams in Biochem, Osteopathic Theory & Methods (OTM), and Histology last week, not to mention her first standardized patient encounter, and an OTM practical. To top it off she had an Anatomy exam Monday, so that pretty much ate up every waking hour since her birthday! She also found time (somewhere/somehow) to stop into the lab and begin work-study with Dr. Singh.
I've had it easy compared to that! I've had tests in my Stats & Bio classes (which really were not that tough), and other than that I've been working. I feel really lazy when I compare my schedule to Mara's!
I have found time to golf with friends (Brian & Joe) & professors (Dr. Sexton & Dr. Fellows) and I have been playing racquetball with my bosses (Dr. Singh & Dr. Sargentini). We have a really nice country club here, so when anyone comes to visit, be sure to bring your clubs! We should be golfing well into December, something that wasn't possible in Wisconsin (except for last December!).
We hope to get out and hike this weekend (barring any bad weather). We were thinking of going down to Sugar Creek Conservatory or Long Branch State Park by Macon. I think some R & R for Mara would be a really good thing, especially with a really shitty November lurking just around the corner...The week off for Thanksgiving will be MUCH needed!

I hope Larry & Deb are enjoying their condo lifestyle! Sorry we couldn't be there to help, and sorry Shell couldn't pick up the slack... :D

Best family & friends ever...

Thank you to everyone who called/emailed/sent cards. I had a wonderful birthday, even with 2 quizzes! I had a full day of class, work study, a quick run, and dinner with Mike (mmm, mexican), and then a full evening of studying (a lot of biochemistry, and a little histology/anatomy).

(The picture above is from a get together with friends a few weeks ago. I just like it so thought I'd post it.)