Little Things

I love the fact my boys and their friends love to hang out here in our home. I hope it always stays like this. I love being the designated "Kool Aid" house as my mom once put it. I don't mind feeding the wave of little boys coming in and out giving them popsicles and treats. It's true that I have no problem with stocking the cupboards with snacks and goodies that most mothers might consider rationing, but why not enjoy something tasty everyday to celebrate the little things in life.

The boys worked really hard at school, baseball and soccer all week, so what better way to celebrate the weekend than invite the gang over to play, eat and get way, way to wild. Thank heavens for basements. I am so glad we live in a little cul-de-sac where they can run around outside and have a childhood similar to my own. I didn't think that could be possible anymore with all the worry about child abductions. They love it here in Lexington and that is the best thing a mother could ask for.

The Wild Bunch: Trey, Ethan, Matt, Luke, Alec, Josh J., Josh P. and Sam. All we need are Luke B., Trevor, Boston and Keenan and we would have a complete set of best buds!

Feeding the masses. Thankfully they all seem to enjoy a nice big bowl of mac and cheese.

Glad the boys will have to clean up the basement after they all leave and not me. I'll designate myself as supervisor over the picking up.

I love these times of my life, having all my kids home, watching them grow and develop. What a rewarding thing it is to be a mom and have the added luxury of staying home with them. It's the best job in the world.

I loved the quote on my Mary Engelbreit calendar last week. It said, "Enjoy the small things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."

Celebrating the small, even the Friday afternoon party of cookies, root beer and mac and cheese with friends makes living each day a little sweeter.

An early morning sandwich...

I got up early with Rich to see him before he left for the hospital, another day on call. After I waved goodbye, I went upstairs hoping to sneak a few more minutes of shut eye before the crew awoke. I was not surprised to see Trey now in my bed asleep his body positioned across the mattress. I straightened him out and pushed him over to Rich's now vacant side.

I closed my eyes and soon felt something brush against my arm. It was Josh and he was hungry. I told him he could lie down in bed for five minutes and then I would go down and make breakfast. He was soon snuggled in.

I closed my eyes yet again and not a moment later I was shaken by Matt informing me that there was no room for him to squeeze in. I told Josh to push Trey over to the edge and then Matt could jump in between me and Josh.

At this point I was rethinking my idea of the bit of extra rest.

As Matt wiggled his way in, he matter of factly declared, "I am squished! I feel like I'm peanut butter!"

Yup, he was right. We were scrunched in tightly, just like peanut butter between the bread. Great for the memories, but not the best for a peaceful snooze!

Fall Ball

Trey had his first fall baseball game this afternoon. His spring team, the Orioles combined with two Cub players and the Yankee t-ball team's players that are old enough now to play Rookie league. I think they are calling themselves Reds because of their shirt color. Trey had a great game. He went 4-4 batting and scored once. He hit as well as any of the kids on either team. He also got his first opportunity to play infield. He played right field in the spring. Today he played a different position every inning. He started on third and made a great stop with the help of his left cleat. He then played left field and almost had a catch, but fielded the ball well and got it to second base in a flash. He then played short stop and ended the game playing first base where he caught a throw from an outfielder. I was really proud of him. Way to go Trey!

Soccer

The boys are playing YMCA fall soccer again this year. Trey began when he was only three, so this makes five straight years of Saturday soccer games through September and October. Soccer is a great sport for kids because it has few rules, they can run out all their energy and learn to work together as a team.


This is a unique year for us though, Trey, Josh and Matt are all on the same team for the first time ever. They fall into the 6-7 age category and Trey made the deadline by just two and a half weeks.


Their team is the Generals and they practice every Friday at 4:30 PM and have games on Saturday. Their coach is a lady from our ward. It should be a fun season being all together

Growing up fast!

After watching the girls, I know that children learn by example. They are slowly but surely turning into me. I hope they pick up only my good habits! I thought I'd document through photos what they have learned at the ripe old age of 17 and 1/2 months.

This is how we put the soap in and then close the little door. Kaitlyn is my best dishwasher helper.
We love to play the piano and are practicing our duet. Mommy loves that we can open the keyboard lid and climb on the bench all by ourselves. Lovely music all day long!

We have to wash off our hand prints off the windows and glass door every day! Windex is great stuff. Brynn mastered typing on the keyboard long ago, but recent discovered how to use the mouse. What a technologically advanced baby!

Feeding and loving babies is what we do around here all day long (and occasionally all night too!).
We push our stroller and baby around and around just like Mom.

We even use our stroller to walk to the pool. We load the stroller up with all our gear, hang the swim toy bag over the handle and we're ready for an afternoon of fun! I love to wear my bracelet, carry my purse and gab on the phone. I am a skilled at multi-tasking!

Mom has taught us to enjoy the finer cuisine in life, like Fruity Pebbles. Delicious!

We are really good at using a grocery cart since we go shopping at Wal-mart at least three times a week!

This is how Mommy puts on her mascara. Love the cat eye look. And who mascara could double as hair dye.
Reading a good book before bed. Sometimes it's the only free moment to sneak in a few extra pages!
And we spend LOTS of time in the van, though we have the most fun when we escape the confines of our car seats and explore the elusive front seats! So many fun buttons to push!

I love you Kaitlyn and Brynn!

Celebrate!

Thank heavens it's Friday! That means a few days break from spelling tests, math homework, 20 minutes reading and 6:45 AM alarms. Well, at least the ones that plug in the wall, but the ones named Brynn and Kaitlyn run on their own power! Can't really control or predict them.

Too bad Rich is on call Saturday day and Sunday day. I guess that doesn't equal relaxation for him or loss of the dreaded early alarm clock this weekend, but at least we have tonight (after soccer practice). So what to do?

Josh had a the perfect idea last Sunday. Go to Graeter's to celebrate not only the weekend, but mainly to say a huge YA-HOO that Rich took the American Board of Radiology Physics Board Exam on Thursday. Studying for the test= months of torture and brain cramps! Having it finally over= new found excitement and freedom! What a relief!

We have been talking about and dreading this test since before he even decided to pursue radiology. It actually was one of the serious drawbacks of the field. Rich won't get the results for a month, but he felt good about it and that's enough for me to celebrate.

I can't wait to have my husband back and he can't wait to get his life back. After he got home he looked at me and said, "Oh my gosh it's September!" The summer was a complete blur for him. He went to the library every day on his week off in August to review. He only went to the pool twice. (Compared to my 100 times with swim team) He lugged around 100 pounds of books with him wherever he went. They were like our sixth child. And while he got bits and pieces of breaks, the need to study was ever present in his mind and the test was like a dark cloud looming over the sunshine of June, July and August.

Well, the sun finally broke through the muck and Rich is going to have to stop and enjoy it for awhile because he truly deserves it. Congrats Rich on taking the test. You worked, studying, sacrificed all free time, flew to Sacramento for the review course and endured months memorizing things I will never even begin to understand. I know you'll get good results soon. I'm so proud of you. You deserve a break, maybe Monday.... or Tuesday... or after residency when things slow down.... but I doubt they ever will. Love you!

P.S. Graeter's got a new fan tonight! I am on the countdown until they start selling Pumpkin Spice ice cream in a few weeks. It is my favorite ice cream and a perfect holiday indulgence.

Trey, Josh and Matt's Anthem

While driving in the car today I popped in a Jack Johnson CD my brother Greg made me years ago. As I flipped through tracks, I recognized one called Might Just Let It Go. I listened to it once and then hit repeat. The second time around I understood the lyrics in the chorus. I had found my boys' anthem. A song that represents their mother and their incessant questioning of her.


The line sings, "It seems to me that maybe
It pretty much always means no."


I was laughing out loud. Trey has repeated those words to me countless times. And he's almost always right. When I say maybe, it usually ends up being a no.

I actually like the entire chorus. I am sure the boys would agree with the ending of the verse. My saying 'maybe' just keeps their hopes up a tiny bit longer, until my 'no' crashes their dreams down.

"It seems to me that maybe
It pretty much always means no
So don't tell me, you might just let it go
Often times were lazy,
it seems to stand in my way
'Cuz no one, no,
not no one likes to be let down"

(Jack Johnson
Might Just Let It Go- Track 5
Brushfire Fairytales)


When they got in the van after school I played the song for them. They LOVED it. They laughed, danced and replayed the chorus twenty times. They said if they had an iPod, they would download it. They grinned wide when I told them we had it on CD. To them that was just as good.

I'll always think of that moment when I hear that song. I'll close my eyes and remember Trey sitting in the passenger seat, eyes closed his head rocking to the beat singing key words, Josh pushing the repeat button, begging to hear it again, while Matt laughed at pulsing base from the max volume the song was blasting on. Then I'll smile and hum the song for days.

The Jackson Clan

I got a nice treat in my e-mail inbox today. There was copy of the Jackson family photo, so I wanted to share it. We had it taken while we were in Utah in August. I was impressed that our little in the backyard and have a friend snap the shot turned out so well. Then figure in the SIX babies that we dealt with and the word 'miracle' might be an understatement! It was wonderful to be all together. It had been far too long. Love you all and look forward to the next time!

Go Brorioles?

Fall baseball is in full swing and Josh and Matt had their first game tonight. Some of the kids on their old team moved up to the next divison so they had to combine two teams to create our new fall one. There are players from the Braves and the Orioles. They haven't come up with a name. The best idea so far from the coaches has been the Brorioles. Huh. Hard to yell that tongue twister after a great catch. I think they should go with the idea one of the players came up with- The Bombers. Sounds easier on the lips to me.

Since fall ball it much more low key that spring ball, the kids can have a chance to play a variety of positions and line ups. What a treat for Matt since he was stuck in right field last season. Tonight he got to be an infielder for the first time and boy he did glow from pride. In the outfield he would stare at the bugs and dandilions and never got to touch a ball. He liked batting fine, but he didn't love practing at all. Who would when you are stuck fielding balls that never came your way and running bases. Well, tonight he was really one of the guys. He played 2nd base and man you couldn't have found a kid that stayed in ready position better when there was a batter at the plate. I was a bit nervous since this was all new to him, but when a player hit a solid line drive straight to him, he quickly stopped it with his glove and foot. It was a great play, even for a seasoned second baseman. Good Job Matt!

After the game he told me, "Mom, I was part of the action tonight. When you are in the outfield, you just watch the action go by. I love the action." And really who doesn't? It reminded me that we all need to feel included, needed and important. And that made last night's game Matt's best ever.

Josh and Matt both went 4-4 and each scored almost every time. Josh turned into A-Rod hitting every ball into the outfield and even got a triple. Way to go Josh! He played first base next to Matt at second. They they both played out field and the last inning Josh played third. They don't keep score, but I think we won the little Giants team.

This will keep us busy. Josh and Matt play every Tuesday and Thursday night for the next four weeks, while Trey's team plays on one weeknight and then on Saturday. We have soccer practice on Friday night and one game on Saturday. The only saving grace is that all three boys are on the same soccer team. We seem to always been stretching ourselves thin, but at least they are out running around, making new friends and the house stays clean while we are away!

Signs...

I was coming home this morning from dropping the boys off at school and was shocked when I saw a beautiful maple tree adorned in fall colors. It made me smile and think about the breathtaking views of the Utah Mountains I have enjoyed throughout my life. I miss seeing the wide range of yellow, orange, red and still green leaves on the mountain side.

If having football on TV, school in session, boys playing soccer, Halloween candy and costumes stocked in the stores and delicious crisp apples to eat aren't enough proof, here is one true, indisputable sign that fall is upon us. Take a moment to stop and enjoy its splendor.

I hope they call me on a mission....

Every time I sing the hymn Called to Serve it makes my heart swell. The first time I entered the MTC and sung that hymn with the Elders and Sisters I had chills and a tear in my eye. I had a new love and appreciation for the song and for their calling as a missionary- they are true messengers of Heavenly Father.

I know each and every missionary are doing the Lord's work. And while it is a sacrifice, I know their lives will be forever changed for the better. They will witness miracles, have the gift of tongues and discernment, be watched over by guardian angels and give people the hope and knowledge that can bring true happiness in this life, when they accept their message.

I am so proud that my little brother Kurt is now a full time missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has been called to serve in the Taiwan, Kaohsiung mission and entered the Missionary Training Center this afternoon.

Kurt has been like a big brother to my boys and they love him dearly. What an example he will be to my children for the next two years. It will be wonderful to share his life through letters and the boys are excited to write. We got his address tonight, so I think we'll pull out the paper tomorrow.

I don't know what my boys will call my parents home for the next two years since it's simply been Kurt and Rhett's house since they could talk. We will all miss his beautiful piano playing, his kind and gentle nature and his willingness to serve. How many other 19 year olds will sit and play in the loft with three little nephews for hours or talk about PS2 games with Trey over the phone too many times to count? Not many. That's Kurt. He always has had a very soft heart and kind spirit. Now he can share all these talents and attributes with the people of Taiwan.

Kurt, I love you and can't wait to see what the Lord has in store.

Tuesday Tell All- Passion for Paintings

This week's topic is any easy one. I LOVE paintings and have a wide variety on my walls. I love paintings that bring thought and emotion, ones that your children will remember and learn life lessons from. I started getting paintings from my parents for Christmas when I was in high school. It was fun back then to think that one day these works of art would adorn the walls in my future home. How nice it was to have beautiful paints when we were first married. Now I realize that one day, there will be no room on my walls because I will have aquired far more than I have space for.

My all time favorite painting is The Widow's Mite by James C. Christensen. My parents got the print when I was young and hangs in their den today. It is a simple painting of a the biblical story of the young woman who gives all she had to the Lord and her true sacrifice meant more to Heavenly Father than all the gold and riches the wealthy parted with because she gave all she had.

My parents knew of my love for their painting and they took me by complete surprise when Rich and I unwrapped our wedding presents. The large package from them held a Widow's Mite painting of my own. It brought me to tears. My painting hangs in our front room over the fireplace. I love seeing the woman in the painting each day and reflect upon her story and hope I am doing as she did.

My honorable mention painting one I deeply love as well. It too is by James C. Christensen and is called Once Upon a Time or The Storyteller. My parents got this print long ago and it hung over our family room fireplace for years. This painting was made for the Orem, Utah storytelling festival called Tales Beneath Timp. I wanted my own copy, but since they were sold out when I was in Jr. High, I settled for a poster version, but never had it framed. Three years ago, the painter re-released it in a new canvas format. I was dying to get one, but with our lack of income (Rich was a third year medical student) I knew it was far beyond what I could afford. My parents made me a deal. If I used this painting as my birthday and Christmas presents from them for the next three years, I could get a copy. I said yes in an instant. They shipped it from Utah in a custom made crate that had to weigh 150 pounds and stood 6 feet tall. The delivery service left it on our porch. What a surprise we got when we notice something outside from the window. Rich spent an hour unscrewing and pulling the wood apart to get the painting out. It now hangs in our family room over the couch. I love looking at the vivid colors and characters, but my favorite part is Mt. Timpanogos in the background. It reminds me of home each time I see it.

My all time favorite well known painter is Claude Monet. His paintings are simple, beautiful and peaceful. Whenever I am in a museum, I search out his works of art. I have seen his paintings Honolulu, Louisville, Boston, Chicago, New York, Washington D.C., Paris and London.

LABOR Day

Today is Labor Day. It is a holiday that represents all of our hard work and effort we perform on a daily basis. It gives weary and tired workers and school children a chance to stop and relax. Somehow Rich and I don't seem to be on the list of exhausted people that get a much needed break.

So, this afternoon I looked up the meaning of the word labor. It gave 4 listings:
1. Physical or mental exertion, especially when difficult or exhausting; work.
2.Something produced by work.
3. A specific task.
4. A particular form of work or method of working: manual labor.

I realized that this is the list that I am included in. The one for residents and moms and mentions the words exertion, difficult and exhausting. I think Rich and I are celebrating Labor Day by its true meaning.

Rich was on call last night and worked non stop from 8 PM until 9:45 AM. He had three trauma alerts, endless films to read and got the unlucky task re-dictating seven studies after the computer system crashed. Happy day to you!

I slept on a bare mattress covered by our bedspread after Brynn dumped out Kaitlyn's bottle in my bed just seconds before I was going to lay them down in their cribs. I was just too tired to make another bed. I consider Brynn a bottle outlaw!

This morning after feeding the kids and getting the girls bathed, but not quite diapered in time, I watched from across the room Kaitlyn poop on the carpet and then stepped in it as I freaked out getting to her. I got to spend the next 1/2 hour scouring the tub with Soft Scrub with bleach after cleaning the carpet with a can of Spot Shot and the Hoover Carpet Cleaner. I'll have diapers in hand after their next tub time.

The fun didn't stop there. They emptied out the cupboard of pots and pans, got a hold of the wipes and yanked them out by the dozens, dumped out the toy baskets and spread items across the entire main floor. I just couldn't keep up.

Then they got hungry. I think the girls must be related to mice or ants since they can smell or find food anywhere in the house.

They found the Pringles and took them downstairs to the basement to enjoy in secret.

They gobbled up Fruity Pebbles by the handful in the kitchen and then by the front door.

And the lure of the silver Pop Tart wrapper was just too hard to ignore.

But with faces and smiles like these, who can be angry. I'll just have to wrestle, tickle and love them until they have tears of joy and then hand them a rag and we can mop together. Thank heavens for vacuums and nap time!

work, Work, WORK!

We all know that keeping a house clean is a never ending cycle. I guess you could say that part of my life is predictable. Every day I will clean the kitchen a minimum of four times a day. Takes the guess work out. That's probably why I like fast food so much. I just toss out the spilled french fries off the van floor and call it good. Even then the task of cleaning is daunting.

Every night before you crawl into bed, you have to make sure the kitchen is sparkling (well at least there are no dirty dishes in the sink and no crushed cereal on the floor.) Just minutes after the boys wake up, chaos reigns supreme once again. And your back to where you started only 10 hours before. It's like I pushed the repeat button when the boys head out the door for school. Clean, clean, clean.

You even might dare to think you could somehow get a slight cleaning reprieve on fast Sunday. Unless you are me and give your little girls watermelon and they miraculously drip/fling sweet, sticky juice all over the counters and floor even though they are strapped tightly in their high chairs. I am in awe and often overwhelmed at the messes my little brood can make in an instant.
But tonight I get a bit of unexpected help. As I got down on all fours to mop up the floor with my rags I got two to of the cutest helpers ever.


Kaitlyn grabbed a rag and went to work.

Brynn soon followed.

She had some serious skills using two rags at once!

I was impressed. It looks like they might be able to teach me a thing or two about mopping.

The funniest part was when Brynn was done. She went to the drawer, pulled out two clean rags to use as a blanket, grabbed her bottle off the table and she was ready to turn in for the night.

Thanks for the help girls and for the laughs!

Fall means Football!

Happy September 1st to all! I can hardly believe it when I turned the calendar to a new month this morning. Where is 2007 going? Fast I guess. I love all that fall brings. I love to see the change in the slant of the sunlight and feel the slight cool in the air. It's time to be back in school, bake pumpkin bread and make soup. I think about all the fun warm weather clothes I can soon pull out and wear. I can put up the beautiful fall wreath on the front door. And the best part is that in just one short month decorate for Halloween, my ULTIMATE favorite fall event. The celebration of Halloween begins promptly on October 1st in our house. I can't wait to get out the new Eddie Walker items I got on EBay last November. I'm so excited.

But to Rich and many other men and women around the world the beginning of fall means football. And today marks the start of a new season for many excited and often devoted college football fans.

Rich was getting dressed this morning and I noticed he had a Stanford red color shirt on. I asked him if he was pulling a "Tiger." He said of course. He had to wear his beloved Cardinal to support his team as they were playing tonight. So funny. I have to admit that I loved hearing Lee Corso's voice on the TV today. He's a hoot to see which mascot head he pulls out and puts on each week.
I should have known Rich would be dressed for the big game since just last night I heard a ticking sound coming from the computer and found Rich watching the Stanford football preview video online. We watched it and he told me it even had a new Dollies shot. (They are the Stanford dancers- all 5 of them) I laughed. They really aren't that good, but I guarantee their ACT scores are far higher than mine.

On my first visit to Stanford Rich and I attended a football game. We sat next to Mark Harris and his wife Sarah and some of Rich's basketball teammates. It was so much fun to watch Josh Madsen and Greg Clark play. Josh, Greg and Mark had all played football at Stanford. All three had been Rich's roommates at some point. And all are considered his some of his best friends. What a great group of guys and what a support they were to Rich during his time on the Farm.

The game was sunny and warm and I felt happy to be there with Rich, finally getting to experience this part of his life. It was hard to make a 100,000 seat stadium look full, but the game was exciting. I remember Stanford shooting the cannon after a touchdown, seeing the insane band perform for the first time, watching the Tree run crazily around and loved the huge 2 story flag they ran up and down the field.

After the game I met Josh's wife Tiffany the first time. She was living in Canada at the time performing in Showboat. Who would have thought eleven years later we would have shared over a decade of great times together. From graduation, medical school, Halloween at the zoo, Huber Farm, Thanksgiving and lots of babies, we've been together for so long and shared so much. I can hardly believe they'll be headed back to Fresno in the spring. There will be a hole in our hearts when they leave this great state of Kentucky.

A few months later I also got to attend the Stanford VS Cal football game in Berkley. What a beautiful view of the Bay area from that field. Stanford won the coveted Axe and I was glad we didn't get injured by some crazed, drunk Cal fan since we were in the Stanford section. Go Card!

My fondest memory of a Stanford football game was when BYU and Stanford played in Provo, Utah in 2003. It was the battle of a lifetime, both colleges we had attended. We had just flown in that morning from Louisville. The first person I saw when I exited my car at Cougar Stadium was a tall fellow. I recognized him instantly, it was Mark Madsen. We got to spend time with many friends we hadn't seen in years. Fellow Stanford alums Jarron Collins, John and Gale Bunnell, Mark Harris, Greg Clark, Josh Madsen, J.B.Taylor were all there. Tiffany Madsen was there in her BYU blue and so were Marcie and Jim Alcorn. The lines were drawn and this girl hailing from Salem, Utah and Rich the good old boy would grew up under the shadow of the Y let everyone know where our loyalties lie. We proudly sported new Stanford gear I bought online. We were dressed and ready for a win.

We had amazing tickets around the tenth row on the far southwest side. The game was hyped up and my stomach had butterflies. The game was tense and Rich went and stood on the sidelines at half time. Stanford just had to win and along came a last minute miracle and they pulled off a victory by the final score of 18 to 14. I was by Rich's side on the sidelines for the last part of the game and to be on the field with the team when they won, it was magical.

Even with all those great memories, when I think of football, I don't think of any college team really. I think of the hours and hours I spent cheering the SF Dons team during my days in high school. Those were the days. There was excitement in the air, intense rivalries and boy did I love it when we won (which sadly wasn't often). We were there through sun, rain, sleet and snow. I loved cheering at football games. I have some of my best high school memories there.

Next I think of my brother Brad playing football. I nearly got in a fight with an opposing teams fan during one of his sophomore games. I was married at the time! I guess some people think you should not cheer loud at a sophomore games. I think of the game Brad played at Pleasant Grove. Rich and I pulled up and saw an ambulance on the field and I instantly knew it was Brad. I was right. He was playing QB and got tackled and broke his ankle. Rich's dad performed surgery that night. I then think two years later coming to watch him play as a senior with a brand new Trey tucked inside a Baby Bjorn. It felt like below zero, but he was safe under a coat and blanket. I love the photo I have of Brad, Brad Hales, and me holding Trey on senior night. Those are great memories.

While I was actually a college student I didn't go to that many football games. I went to BYU-Hawaii my freshman year and they don't have a team. The closest thing I got to a football game that year was shopping the huge swap meet held at Aloha Stadium parking lot in Honolulu. I did not go to one BYU football game while I was in college and single that I can remember. I never owned student tickets but when I was married we went a few times and used Rich's parents tickets.

But my favorite BYU game was on September 25, 1999 and I didn't even go to the game. I had a baby shower that afternoon at the Jackson's home, and after some of Rich's family walked down to the game (BYU vs. Virginia, Virginia won). Rich and I stayed to take pictures of Danny and Michael in their suits before they left for the Homecoming dance at Timpview High School. The game was on TV and we watched bits and pieces. During the game I went into labor with Trey and we found ourselves stuck in the game traffic driving to the hospital when we literally lived three blocks from both the stadium and the hospital (UVRMC). That was a night to remember. It was fitting since my mom went into labor with me the night she attended a BYU basketball game. Trey arrived just hours later at 2:02 AM and I'd bet money that the stadium lights were still on!

Obviously, Rich and I both grew up going to BYU football games. I loved standing for the fight song, watching the cheerleaders and still have blue and white pom poms they passed out one game when I was a child. It was a fun family outing. I'm sure when we head back home to Utah in a few years, I will once again cheer for the Cougars of BYU, while Rich hopes they lose. We'll just have to fly back to Palo Alto to root for the Cardinal from time to time.

Happy fall and football to all!