The Start of Fall is Here Along with Tailgating, Football, and Thinking Back to 12 Years Ago When We Brought Oliver Home

Wreath on Front Porch

Saturday marked the start of fall for 2023. Carrie made a new wreath for our front porch combining some older wreathes we had and it turned out great! Perfect wreath for the fall season. Beautiful weather to start the season which I hope sticks around as it is beautiful. We got ready to head to the tailgate for Washburn football.

As we were getting the car loaded and ready to head to the tailgate, the weather was a cool 72 degrees. It felt amazing! We ran to the store to get some snacks for the game and it felt warmer outside of the store, but it really was not bad for the tailgate or once the game started.

Selfie at Our Spot

We were a little late getting out to our spot as there was a line at Circle Coffee that went out the door. Good problem to have for Circle Coffee. Carrie got some coffee and a scone for us to share.  Parked in our spot and started enjoying the day. A nice cool breeze was blowing which kept it nice through most of the game and there was some cloud cover too. It was really nice! Caught up with friends, found out our friends, Burgs, were family of the year and would be honored. Chatted with Jeremy and Julie for a bit and Julie slipped in that they were family of the year. Too funny!

Washburn Cheer Team

Tuba Players Doing Their Thing

Whole Band Going Through TailGate

Washburn Team Enters Stadium

A fun time pre-game and the weather remained nice throughout until about the fourth quarter. Then the sun came out and it got a little warm. Plus the breeze stopped and we were not playing well. We lost the game 58 - 28. We were in the game the first half, but fell apart in the second half.  That puts us at 1 - 3 on the season. A lot of work to do. The first half we relied almost entirely on the rushing game. Second half, because we had to change, we changed over to the passing game but it was too late. There was not recovering.

Matt and John Watching Washburn

Our friend, Matt, stopped by and watched the game with us. Always good to see Matt and this was his first game to attend of the season. Chatted a little about the rushing vs passing game. Always good to catch up with Matt during football games. He lives close to Washburn, so he left about the start of the fourth quarter when it was really out of hand and no way we were going to come back to win let alone make it close.

We are away next week when we play University of Nebraska at Kearney and then we are back home on October 7 against Missouri Western State University. I will miss the next home game as I will be out of town. I thought I had checked and I would not miss, but realized yesterday as we were driving home from the game that I would miss the next home game. Seems to happen every year, but oh well.

Following getting home from the long day of tailgating and football, I slept for a while and did not leave the house. It takes it out of me to tailgate and cheer on a team. Plus, I had to get ready for Sunday football, so it was a quiet evening for us.

Oliver Joined our Family 9/24/2011

In non-football related news, 12 years ago to this day (September 24, 2011), we brought home a little fur ball that was full of energy and made us laugh. Twelves years later and Oliver is still making us laugh. I am so happy we made that trip to see dogs at the pet store. We came away with our bundle of joy that keeps us still laughing to this day.

I hope you have a great rest of your Sunday and a wonderful weekend. 

Anniversary weekend in Lawrence, KS celebrating 21 years of marrige with eating, drinking, and having fun in Lawrence

Free State Patio

Carrie and I are celebrating our 21 wedding anniversary on September 21. We decided to celebrate early by getting a room at the Eldridge in Lawrence, KS. We picked this weekend to celebrate based on KU football being away and Washburn playing at home on Saturday, September 23 this was the best selection for our celebration.

Selfie on Free State Patio

We stayed two nights coming in on Friday afternoon. We have had a wonderful time eating and drinking up and down Mass Street. Friday night we decided to play it by ear and see where the night took us. We started off a Free State Brewery where we sat on the patio where we could enjoy the true spirit of drinking beer on the patio. 

Bar at 715

Following our time on the patio, we made our way to 715 for a drink or a few drinks. We hung out at 715 for a while before we headed to The Mad Greek which has been a favorite of ours for years. 

Saturday morning we slept a little later than we were planning but we were out the door by 10 am. We went to 1900 Barker on Mass which is a coffee and breakfast spot. We out there for a while eating breakfast and enjoying coffee. It was a good spot and I would go back!

Art in the Park and Popcorn

Following breakfast, we walked to the park for Art in the Park where we wandered around and bought a lot of earrings (5 sets), so I think Carrie is set for a while. I tease, but happy she finds them at art shows. It was a good way to wish her a happy anniversary by finding earrings at Art in the Park.

As we were walking back to our hotel, we decided to stop into Louise's Bar Downtown where we stayed for a while watching Missouri beat Kansas State. Had a fun time at the bar and watching the people.

Picture from our Hotel Room

We had planned to have dinner Saturday night at 715 on their patio, but it was forecast to rain in the evening, so we decided to try a new spot for us. We went to Mass Street Fish House and Raw Bar. We enjoyed our time and had a good dinner. I would go back! I know it has been on Mass Street for a while, but it was the first time we had been there.

After dinner, we down to the Wine Dive for a drink or two and then over to Merchants Pub and Plate. We have eaten at both spots, so we just wanted to stop by for a drink and get ready for our reservations John Brown Underground. 

We had reservations at John Brown Underground for 10:45. Drinks were really good but I could not tell you their names. It was a fun spot and it did feel like I was in a speakeasy. We had great seats at the bar and they took good care of us.

Ramen Bowls for Lunch

Sunday morning we were moving a little slow and slept late. We at Ramen Bowls on Mass. Delicious and perfect for helping with a little bit of a hangover. 

We had a great time on our extended weekend in Lawrence. Oliver had a blast staying at my Mom's along with my sister Dina. We were all so tired when we got home that we all took naps and went to bed a little early.

So happy to spend our 21 anniversary in Lawrence and to spend it on Mass Street with the love of my life. Happy anniversary, Carrie! I cannot wait to see what we do next year.

Tough Thursday Night for Washburn and Chiefs Plus First Home Soccer Game and Other Ramblings...

Tailgating Spot

Officially it feels like fall with the start of home football games at Washburn University. Thursday night started the home schedule for Washburn and it was a beautiful night. It also happened to be the first game of the season for the Kansas City Chiefs. We had a new spot to park our car, so Carrie took a picture of me in front of our car in our new spot. Much better location as it is directly in front of where we tailgate which will be nice for unloading, packing up, and having the car right there if needed.

Washburn football started the week prior on the road at Pitt State losing 34 - 7. Granted, Pitt State is ranked #4 so it was a tough game. We then played our first home game of the season against Missouri Southern and while it was close, we lost the game 30 - 23. We had a chance to win the game going down to the wire, but turned it over and it was all over.

Washburn Stadium

The weather was perfect for the first game of the season. It was good to catch up with friends who were tailgating and had not seen since the last game of the season last year. The tailgate started at 4 pm although Carrie and I both worked until 5 and got out there about 5:15 or so. Could not have asked for a better evening for tailgating and football.

Washburn is now 0 - 2 to start the season and we are on the road for our next game. We need to get a W on the road to get our first win of the season and put us back on track.

Beautiful Skies Did Not Help Chiefs

The same night Washburn was playing, the Kansas City Chiefs were playing. Kickoff for the Chiefs was a little later, so I was able to watch the end of the game after we got home. We were without Travis Kelce for the Chiefs game and it showed with KC losing 21 - 20 and starting the season 0 - 1. The last time the Kansas City Chiefs started 0 - 1 was in 2014 when we lost our season opener to the Tennessee Titans 26 - 10. We have only started the season 0 - 2 once in our history (1977) and I am hoping we do not repeat that this year. I have faith we will bounce back and get the next win. The rumor is that Kelce will return for week two, but we are a week out, so probably a little early, but feeling confident.

After two loses for my teams Thursday night, we went to the Washburn Women's Soccer game on Friday night. We had a good crowd for the home opener for Women's Soccer and we won 4 - 0. I am hoping to make it to more soccer games this year as we only went to one last year and it was toward the end of the season. The same night Washburn Volleyball played too which we also plan to get to some games this season.

I would be remiss not to mention that Kansas Football won Friday night. I was unable to watch most of the game, but I was tracking on my phone. Good start for KU and it is going to be fun to see how the rest of their season progresses.

Today is Sunday and although Chiefs played Thursday, I am looking forward to watching games throughout the day. I have had YouTube TV for a few years now and now that YouTube TV owns the rights to Sunday Ticket, I bought the package so I can watch all of the NFL games. Much to the dismay of Carrie, I will be able to watch football all day long. 

Enjoy your Sunday and have a great week! Until next time, happy sport watching...

Labor Day Weekend, Football Games Have Started, Oliver Enjoying the Sun, and Trying to Find Another Camping Date

Although classes started a few weeks ago, Labor Day weekend always seem to signal the end of summer. We will see the temperatures continue to drop which is a welcome change from the 100 degree weather we have experienced over the summer. The weather really has not been that bad over the summer though with rather mild temperatures and only a couple of weeks where we broke 100 degrees. Still, as we look to summer coming to an end, football is starting from college teams to the NFL starting this next week.

I participated in two fantasy drafts the past two weeks for my two fantasy teams that I play each year. It is a good time and makes it fun to follow the games having players I need/want to play well so that my fantasy team does well. Sometimes this can be difficult if I have draft a player on a team I do not like, or follow, but I need to have the player do well so my team does well.

As the days continue to get shorter, football is starting, and it seems more events are packed into the weekends, I am wondering when Carrie and I will be able to go camping again. We have only been twice this year and I am hopeful we can fit in at least one more time to go camping before it gets cold. I know we do not want to go late in the season as we did last year going at the end of October and camping in 32 degree weather. While it was fun during the day, the nights were cold and I am not sure we would do it again with it that cold.

Going back to football, if you are looking to get involved with NFL games, I enjoy doing Pig Skin Pick'em which I have been doing for a few years now. Again, it makes it fun to follow the games and try to pick the winners each week. It is free and easy to participate. Go to the Pig Skin Pick'em site and the password to join is "haverty". Feel free to share with others and see if you can beat me in picking the winners each week. Make sure to go back each week to make your picks!

Join Pig Skin Pick'em with password of "haverty" to make NFL picks each week.

I am writing this on Sunday afternoon while watching the Royals play. I know tomorrow we will be grilling to enjoy the holiday. We went to the store on Saturday to pick up groceries for the week. We picked up chicken breasts to grill one night and then we also picked up Scallops to do on the grill along with some shrimp to do one night on the grill. I am excited to try Scallops although we are not sure if we are doing those Monday or not. We might do the chicken, but it will be a decision tomorrow, but I am researching recipes for doing Scallops on the Big Green Egg. I cannot wait!

As the warm days come to an end, I know one little dog who will miss being able to go outside and sit in the hot sun. The picture to the right was of Oliver in our back yard from a few weeks ago when the temperatures here in Topeka were above 100 degrees for a week straight. He loved it and would sit out in the yard directly in the sun. I would have to call him to get him to come inside and even then he really did not want to leave the sun to come inside. We are guessing that he is cold when he is in the house because of the air conditioning. So, he will be sad to see the days get colder and eventually snow on the ground and he will be shivering on our couch while we try to keep him warm. Poor guy!

I hope you have a great rest of your Labor Day weekend and a great week!