Speech Time Again

CP went to his first tournament of the season this weekend. At 4:30 AM, we received notice that the debate event had been cancelled due to weather. We waited for word about the speech event, but it never came, so we went to school and loaded CP on the bus to Omaha at 6:30. During the day, we received 3-4" of fluffy snow. Just enough to cover everything. 

DONE!

Save the date for UNL's graduate commencement: Friday December 19, 2014. I finished my last class a couple weeks ago (!!!) and am now trying to get back into my life.

Go Big Red!

JP & I went to the Purdue game this weekend. It was a nice day (45°) but there was a bit of a 20 mph breeze that kept it feeling cool. The Army Golden Knights parachute team flew in. They dropped from a few thousand feet two miles south of the stadium and did a freefall to a few hundred feet. The lowest guy was barely visible above the rim of the stadium - we thought for sure that there was no way he'd be able to make it to the stadium, much less clear the bleachers. The winds aloft must have been blowing pretty good, because he made it with no problem.

We were invited by the dean of engineering at UNL. We had a great lunch at the Chancellor's pre-game party in the Lied Center. It's not your normal beer-soaked tailgate party. We thought we had pretty good seats in the 10th row at the 40-yard line, but our neighbor's daughter texted us and said she was on the 50, just 6 rows behind us. 

Despite fumbles and interceptions, the Huskers were able to pull off a win.

Fall Decor

While CP and I were in Utah, JP decorated the front porch for Halloween.

CP's 1st Road Trip

We left G&G's early in the morning and headed north to SLC. We spent the night at R&J's new house up on the mountain. 

The next day we headed east and crossed Wyoming and Nebraska. The speed limit is 80, and the constant up and down was a challenge for CP to maintain a constant speed. We went slow up the hills and fast down the back sides. 

We skirted a snowstorm that was pounding the Medicine Bow mountains west of Laramie. It was a sticky wet snow that stuck to every pine needle and branch. We were able to make it home by 9:30 PM. Not bad for an 890 mile first road trip.

Desert Rocks

We had a picnic lunch out in the desert by a butte that has some cool petroglyphs.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day. Sunshine, warmth from the sun, coolness in the shade, and every now and then, a vintage jet cruising overhead.

CP's New Car

CP and I flew out to southern Utah to pick up his new car from G&G. When we arrived at the new St. George airport, there was a warbirds fly-in going on. CP got to sit in the cockpit of a MIG-15. I think this was the highlight of his trip - he tells all of his friends about it.

After the airport, we headed out to the desert to work on the concept of a clutch pedal and driving stick. The truck is a lot easier to drive than my Subaru.

For dinner, we were treated to CP's dream restaurant: an all you can eat sushi buffet. After that, we climbed up on the big rock overlooking the valley and caught the sunset.

CP gets his height from his grampa.

Pool Shark

The girls next door invited us out for an evening at one of their favorite watering holes. The boys at pizza & wings and then played pool against our neighbor the pool shark.

JPs Snow Tires

All wheel drive is great in the snow only if your tires aren't slippery. This year we got some sticky rubber for JP's ride. GP loves to help out with car maintenance.

Fall Colors

Our yard really took off this fall with its colors.

The rose bushes just keep going on and on.

Basement Season

Our ex-neighbors finally completed the basement of their new house. The ginormous 80" TV is up and showing football games, the arcade machine is glowing, the poker table is separating fools from their chips, and the kegerator is pouring two flavors of cold beer. Between their place and ours, we should be able to ride out the coming winter in style.

CP's Sweet 16

CP turned 16 this year! It's hard to believe that he has grown up so much so quickly. We treated ourselves to dinner at a new sushi restaurant in the Haymarket: Blue. CP LOVES sushi and was excited to try some new types.

Honors

CP took part in the honors ceremony at his school. It was at 2:00 in the afternoon. I never expected that so many other parents would do the same thing. We filled one full side of the gym bleachers. Hopefully this will be a regular event for our boys.

GP's B-Day

GP had a bunch of friends over for his birthday. We got 50 wings from BWW, and they ate them all without slowing. It's amazing how much teen boys can eat.

For our family celebration, we went to GP's favorite restaurant, The Olive Garden. He's a pasta boy.