March 2011 Update

Here we are facing March Madness right square in the face. We sit here on March 1 with the Kansas Jayhawks in first place after Kansas State knocked of the Texas Longhorns last night. Who would ever have though Kansas would be back in first place. Still, they have a lot of work to do with playing Texas A&M tomorrow night and to close out the season, Missouri on Saturday. Of course, KU beating Missouri would help out Kansas State a great deal.

So, here we are at the brink of the best sports month ever! If you enjoy college basketball, like me, you have been enjoying non-stop college basketball since October/November. Now, it gets even better with conference tournaments and NCAA tourney starting up too. This is one of my favorite times of the year ranking right up there with Thanksgiving.

So, it has been a few months since I last posted anything. What a broken record! I have been meaning to post and then before I know it the day (or the month) is over and nothing is posted. I had good hopes of keeping at least my blog, if not my web site, updated with current and "interesting" events from my life. That has not happened, so I am forced to do my updates in huge chunks of random thoughts all put together in a matter of a evening.

Football season last year was a interesting sport to follow. We had our Kansas City Chiefs who shocked everyone and ended up doing very well throughout the season. They even made it to the playoffs.... only to lose badly in their playoff game. We had the Washburn Ichabods who made it to a bowl game and kicked butt! Then, there was the Kansas Jayhawk football team who had a miserable season. Losing bad to the Kansas State Wildcats and other horrible loses. It was a fun football season and especially so for followers of the Washburn Ichabods. I love those tailgates!

Carrie and I had a good Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve with the Shirrons' and Christmas Day with the Havertys'. I helped to put on the program for the Havertys' Christmas where we took our karaoke machine. Everyone had a great time and it was good to see everyone. It was a odd Christmas... but something I do not feel like I should go into on a blog.

New Years Eve celebration was not a huge party for us either. We had our friends, Brenda and Javier, over to play games, watch movies, and of course drink some adult beverages. Greg and Kerrice came over later in the evening and we played games. It was a fun low key evening.

In early January, we learned that our friend, Ray Galloway, had passed away. Ray lived in Helena, AR and we made the trip to attend his funeral. What a great guy! I had known him for seven or eight years. He was a fun loving easy going guy who would bend over to do anything for his friends and family. I am so glad that we were able to make it down to be with his family in their time of need.

February was a complete blur. It seemed to have flown so fast that I cannot believe it is already March 1. Well, it is about my bedtime and I am ready to head to bed. This is one of those blogs where I have no idea if anyone reads this or not and I really do not care. I know that I like going back and reading posts as it brings back memories and I enjoy posting. I need to make it a priority (or set a reminder) to do it more often.

Until I post again, have a great day and a great month!

December Update and Preparing for 2011

Another Thanksgiving goes by and we make a step closer to the end of
2010. It is hard to believe that we will soon be into 2011. I recall
as a kid thinking that when I would see movies and they would talk about
2015 or 2020 that it seemed so far off it was not real. Well, those
years are fast approaching and they will be here before we know it. Crazy!

Kansas Football has ended, but we still have Washburn football to
attend. In fact, Washburn football made it to a bowl game and it is
tomorrow here in Topeka. We can hardly wait, but it is going to be nice
and cold. Hopefully the Ichabods are ready and it is a fun game to watch.

Kansas basketball is well underway. They played a too close for comfort
game last night against UCLA. It was close the entire way with KU down
a few times by two or three buckets. They fought back and ended up
winning by one point which was caused by a intentional miss at the foul
line by KU to keep UCLA from going back down the court to score. Good game!

Carrie and I are planning to have pizza night at our house on December
19. We told anyone who can make it to arrive shortly after 1 and we
would play games all afternoon until it was pizza time. Then, after
pizza, we would again play games. Yes, we both realize this was a week
before Christmas, but it seemed like a good time to do it at our house
and hopefully everyone will be able to do it. I am not sure what games
we will play, but I would imagine Trivial Pursuit or some other similar
game will be played.

Sidney has been interesting the past few weeks with sleeping what seems
like a lot more than usual. He sleeps in my leather chair in the living
room and does not hardly move the whole day. He gets up to eat, drink
water, and possibly poop, but not much more than that. He is so funny
and I love going home at lunch to see him. I always feel bad if I have
to miss going home and I do not get to see him.... especially if I did
not fill up his bowl before leaving in the morning. He lets us know
about it when we get home in the evening if he did not have enough food
to eat. Crazy cat, but we love him!

I heard through the grapevine that Jennifer and Tim had to put down
their dog, Lilly. That is so sad! Lilly had been having problems for a
few years and was completely blind. When I heard about it, I remembered
all of the feelings I had when my dog, Captain, was put down back in
1991. Wow, that was difficult! I still think back to Captain some days
and it makes me sad to think that he is no longer here. I remembered
being in grade school and sitting outside playing and Captain was part
of my "play". He was my friend and listened to everything I had to
say. Sad day when he left us! I know Lilly was a huge part of the T.S.
Haverty family too and so I wonder other than being sad of Lillys'
passing, what they miss. She was always a good dog and loved to be
petted. Farewell my friend, Lilly!

Christmas plans are still up in the air. I know Carrie and I are
planning on spending Christmas day at my parents as of today. It sounds
like we will spend the day after Christmas with the Shirrons'. Waiting
for confirmation on both counts hopefully later this weekend.

Well, that is a good update for now. I had not updated since October or
something. Crazy how times flies by, but I already went over that
earlier in this update.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!! If I do not talk to you before
then....

November Update...

It is hard to believe that yet another year is about to come to a end.
Here is already November 1. Thanksgiving is only weeks away and the end
of the year is right on the coat tails. Wow!

I managed to play a lot of golf this past Summer. I got in about
seventeen rounds and that does not include the other golf played in
scrambles. My elbow (or wrist) did not hurt as bad this year when
playing, but I still did have problems with my right wrist. It did not
cause me to not play this year, but it did hurt enough where it caused
soreness between holes. Oh well, I still had fun and hopefully improved
my game some from the year before.

Kansas football has not been fun to watch at all this year! Bad loses
on a number of instances, but probably the worst one so far was at home
against K-State. Ouch! That was painful to watch and we watched the
whole thing from the comfort of a friends house... I wish we would have
turned away and watched something else, but I just could not look away
from the message. It will be interesting to see if Turner Gil is around
next season or if he will be forced off of the campus. People are
already calling for his head and granted it is his first season and it
has been bad, but can you really force him out after only his first
season? Hmmmm....

Kansas basketball starts up tomorrow night in exhibition against
Washburn. It will be fun to be watching Kansas basketball again and
they are pre-season number seven. Kansas State basketball is pre-season
3. It is going to be a fun battle against all the Big 12 schools.

Other than those few things, there is not a lot happening. I am looking
forward to eating turkey and spending time with family.

Have a great November until next time!

Geez.... I am No Good!

Well, I am no good at keeping a blog. I try to make reminders for myself. I set it as my home page, but I always end up finding other things to do rather than post on my blog. For that, I am sorry!

Geez, the last time I posted anything was the last faculty/staff golf tourney for Washburn. Well, the Fall faculty/staff golf tourney is just around the corner and here I am posting again. I got a lot of rounds of golf in this Summer (16 recorded). I had some good rounds and the best score of my golf life with a 99 back in June. Obviously, still very inconsistent in that after that 99 in June, I went right back up to scoring right around 100 - 112. Pitiful!

While I am not very good at golf, I do have a lot of fun playing!

I was nominated for the Washburn Alumni Association Board of Directors earlier this year. I went to my first board meeting back in late July. The meeting was in Newton, KS and I even got some golf in that weekend too there in Newton. I think this is going to be a fun experience and definitely something to add to the old resume.

Football season is of course in full swing. The Washburn Ichabods are not doing very well this year after it was predicted pre season they would be contending at the top. They are struggling with a record of 1 - 3. Carrie and I went to the first game of the season out in Colorado where the Ichabods barely escaped (see story and blog from Carrie). We had a great time in Colorado, but the Ichabods did not look very good! Lots of interceptions and stupid mistakes. I said then that it was going to be a long season. Woh!

With it being so long, I have not mentioned or discussed so many things that happened over the Summer. What a fast Summer it was! Wow! If it is like this now at 38, what is it going to be like when I am 70? The Summer months flew! Well, read about our other trip in Carries' blog.

Well, that is all for now. KU just lost badly to Baylor (55 - 7) in their opening Big 12 play. I think I am going to watch some television and see if I can get the television in our bedroom to work correctly after a new cable was pulled outside for it.

Faculty/Staff Golf Tourney Followup...

Well, the faculty/staff golf tourney finished up some two weeks ago or so. We had a great time! This time, however, we did not have any pictures or video. We had a lot of fun and I am already looking forward to next year (Fall). Of course, we drank a lot and then went to Henry T's afterwards to meet up. None of us won anything. I think we might have come in last (or close to it). We had a great time though.

I played really well for this tournament. Probably the best I have played ever in any of the faculty/staff tournaments. I hit one of my best shots on hole number four (par 3). However, horrible putting kept us out of any chance to win anything. We constantly two putted the entire day.

I am now in the midst of playing as much golf as I can get in each week. Currently, that is not a lot, but I do get out at least twice a week. I play Wednesday nights, for men's league, and then either Tuesday or Thursdays. I am also going to start playing either Saturday or Sundays trying to get in at least 18 holes on the weekends. I love the game and I am having a blast at it! I can see improvement in my game from just last years play. I consistently get to the green with a chance of a birdie or a par. However, putting needs to improve as it keeps me at bogey or double bogey. I recall hole three at Shawnee Country Club where it is a par 5. I made it to the green in three and had a chance for birdie. Instead, I ended up with bogey after a two putt. Crazy!

Well, it had been a while since my last post, so I figured I better throw something out here. Sorry there are not any pictures from the faculty/staff tournament. Maybe next time!

Faculty/Staff Golf Tourney

Today is the day for the faculty/staff golf tourney. The weather will hopefully hold up and I can hardly wait to get on the course! It rained most of the night, but now it appears it might clear off. We will have to wait and see what happens. We are to play rain or shine, so as long as the lightening stays away, it will be a good time.

I have only managed to play a few times so far this season. I am hoping to pick that up by a lot in the upcoming weeks. Get in some full rounds instead of just nine holes here and there. Hey, I take what I can get.

Anyway, everyone have a great weekend and I will post a update about the faculty/staff golf tourney hopefully next week... maybe some pictures and video too!

Easter Sunday and Other Ramblings

It has been a great weekend! Javier and I worked in the yard most of Saturday afternoon.... finally! I mowed and he did the leaves. He would move the leaves out to the middle of the lawn and while I mowed, I picked them up. It worked out great! We worked for about 4 or 5 hours through the afternoon. Meanwhile, Carrie was a bake'n fool!

She made all kinds of goodies. Cakes, two different types of cookies, and marshmallows. You heard me right, she made marshmallows. Woh! They are really good! All in preparation of Easter Sunday.

Before we get to Easter Sunday, I have to take a moment to talk about the Final Four games from Saturday. The first game, Butler vs Michigan State, well, as I have stated previously, I have not really given a thought to who the champion should win since Kansas got knocked out, but now that Butler beat MSU, I am pulling for Butler. The second game had Duke playing Western Virginia. A game I really did not care about, but if I had a choice of the winner, I would have taken West Virginia. Nope, Duke ended up winning, so it will be Butler vs. Duke. I went into the Final Four not caring who would win, but now it is Butler all the way! I do not want Duke to win a national championship. I am hoping for a huge Butler win and knock out the Duke Blue Devils. Go Butler!

Sunday has been great! We met Carries' parents at the club for brunch. Kerrice and Greg did not make it as Kerrice was not feeling well (food poisoning), but we all had a nice time. We missed seeing Kerrice and Greg. The food was really good! I called and I spoke to my parents who I thought was having everyone up for Easter. They ended up not hearing from anyone, so decided to simply do Easter "pizza night". If I would have known, I would have invited them to Topeka for brunch. Darn!

After brunch, Carrie, Javier, and I all went driving around Topeka. We drove out to see Javier's house that he is currently renting and then we drove all over. Javier is looking for a new house, so we drove through various neighborhoods looking at what was for sale. We drove around for about an hour before heading home. Very relaxing... Now I am sitting outside on the front porch reading blogs and posting on my own blog. We are cooking out later and Brenda is coming over. What a great Easter Sunday!

I hope everyone had a fun and safe Easter! The NCAA title game is on tomorrow night and of course today marks the start of baseball season! Hopefully the Royals show up this year and kick some butt!

Until next time, have a great day!

Who Cares?

Well, Michigan State just beat Tennessee to advance to the Final Four. Do you care? I sure do not care! I really did not care which team won this game. If pressed on making a decision, I would have preferred Tennessee won. But really, it makes no difference to me. That side of the bracket has lost my interest.

Baylor gets set to play and all I can say is let's go Baylor Bears! Go Green! Step it up and knock off Duke. Duke is another team I do not care about in this tourney.

As for me, I had a lazy afternoon. Slept a little, watched basketball, read, and cleaned the bathroom. So, it was not a total waste of a Sunday. Getting ready to head to Lawrence for pizza night. Yum!

Go Bears!

What a Great Start to a Sunday Morning

The sun is shinning and we slept in late. What a great start to a Sunday! I am drinking coffee, flipping channels, and Carrie is making breakfast. Again, what a great start to a Sunday morning. I am looking for a fairly relaxing Sunday. I should be outside working on the yard, but I think it might be a little too wet after the rain we had this past week. I still have leaves to pick up from last Fall ... well, actually, the leaves stayed on one tree through the Fall and into the winter months. Then after we had a few snow falls, the leaves decided to fall on top of the snow. Making leave pick up messy! Great!

More basketball on today and I am hoping that Baylor pulls out a win for the Big 12. The other games on today, I really do not care about.

I just read the blog update from our friends in Texas (Galloway Miracles: A quick note on Beau). I definitely recommend following their blog regarding their two new twins born about a month ago. The Galloway additions to the family were born premature. They are fighters! My thoughts and prayers go out to the Galloway family as their little boys fight. The most recent note, discusses Beau's urinary tract infection. He is a fighter, so he will get through it. You just have to feel for him right now while he is going through the pain.

Well, we are watching a movie on HBO now, so I am going to sign off for now. Have a great Sunday!

Last Big 12 Team Left... Baylor

Kansas State lost leaving one last Big 12 team to make it to the Final Four. Baylor plays Sunday and it should be a good game. K-State lost to Butler today and it was a tough loss. Once again, there were Kansas fans cheering for Kansas State which still seems just right to me.

Kansas State started off sluggish in the game today against Butler. They were not hitting the jumpers or even the free throws to start the game. The picked things back up after the half, but then found themselves down again mid-way through the second half. The last minute and half of the game it appeared as though Kansas State did not want to play basketball. Throwing the ball away and not focusing on what needed to be accomplished. Tough loss for the Wild Cats and I was hoping for two Big 12 teams in the Final Four.

Having two teams in the Final Four would have noted the Big 12 as a force to be reckoned. A team from the North (Kansas State) and a team from the South (Baylor). The number overall seed of the tournament (Kansas)... granted, they loss to a higher seed in the second round... but there were a number of Big 12 teams in the tournament and two advanced far. I would have loved to have seen two teams in the Final Four from the Big 12 to show those commentators what we are all about. Basketball!

Well, now that Baylor is the only team left from the Big 12 left, if they lose, I will not really care what happens for the other remaining teams. I am not f a fan of Kentucky... I am not a fan of Western Virginia... Butler, well, good job on beating K-State, but I really do not care if they win the whole thing at this point.

It has been a fun and wild NCAA Tournament. Wow! Major upsets (i.e. Kansas Jayhawks), multiple over-time games with a few double OT games thrown in for good measure. I would not even think of changing the layout of the tourney because this is what makes this time of year great!