I know, I know....my blog stalkers are waiting and checking for Cupcake's First Christmas photo review. However, I couldn't wait for those pictures to be cropped and ready to comment on this. Today Texas Tech, my Alma mater, has made a mistake of HUGE proportions. Due to some allegations of mistreatment of one player, they have fired our head football coach, Mike Leach. I could not be more upset and disappointed at their hasty decision. I personally interacted with Coach Leach during my time at Texas Tech while serving on the University Presidents Select Council. Did he drink a little? Yes. Did he say things that are fairly off the cuff? Yes. Did he coach football in some unconventional ways? Yes. Would he hurt or mistreat a player...or anyone for that matter. NO. He might have been harsh or firm in ways that spoiled rotten rich kids may not be used to but he was not abusive. I'm sure of it.
Of course people are going to jump on opposing sides and bring out extreme circumstances in the next few days or even weeks. Of course Leach is human so he's got his "stuff" but we all do. I'm just super sad that Texas Tech had to act so hastily and fire someone who has done so many great things for our University. He was a coach to be admired....someone who wasn't afraid to try things out of the box...and someone who didn't care what others thought of him. I can't imagine that our football program will look as good as it has under Leach for a long, long time. And even if it does....I'm forever sad that Mike never got his National Championship while wearing the Double T. I don't know that I even care about Texas Tech football anymore. It's a sad day for this Red Raider.
Mike, you did well. I hope that you're able to keep your "I-don't-care-what-anyone-thinks" confidence in light of the media mess surrounding you. And, if it counts for anything, I've got my pirate patch on and I still think you are a brilliant and wonderful football coach. Ahoy Mate....and best of luck to you.
I've been sooooo excited about getting Chloe to Santa for her 1st Christmas Santa picture. Chris and I have several ideas of Christmas traditions we'd like to have in our family but most of them will be more special once our kids are a bit older and when we celebrate Christmas in our own home. So I wanted to be sure we had a few that we could also do on the years we traveled. Of course picture with Santa was on the top of my list.
We tried multiple times to hit the mall Santa. My Grandpa loved the mall at Christmas time so it seemed the natural place to start the tradition. However, several failed attempts (line too long, Santa going on break, forgot the camera) we finally realized that even if we successfully made it to the front of the line, we'd have to pay $20 to take pictures. We decided it wasn't worth it since we didn't even know if our Cupcake would like the jolly old soul. I was so disappointed. Between not having our Christmas pictures made for the Christmas cards and not getting to see Santa I was beginning to loose Christmas cheer.
Then Chris got smart and looked online for free Santas and found out that there'd be a Santa visit at our farmers market. Since it was "free" I told myself he'd probably be in cheap velour, Walmart's own brand of cowboy boots, and would probably have the cheap fake white beards. I decided if he was even a step up from the Walmart vision I was imagining then I could be excited and Christmas cheer would be alive again :) ha. But, if he was just a Walmart Santa....at least we'd have our Santa picture. So we packed up and headed out to the farmers market to meet our friends, James, Kristi, and Joshua...and of course Jolly Old St. Nick.
What a surprise he was....He was from Australia and great with the kids....of course, since he's Santa, right?! Needless to say I was THRILLED. In fact, it'll be hard to top these Santa pictures, ever.
Have I mentioned our Christmas cards are late, late, late? They're still coming but it will be January. I'm signing off until probably after the New Year. I've been so anxious for Chloe 1st Christmas that I'm leaving the internet aside for the next week or so in order to fully experience it with our cupcake! So Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!
My heart is heavy today as I've received news that my Grand-Uncle Don has passed away. He was one of seven brothers: Ernest, Edward, Owen, Donald, Charlie, George (my grandpa), and William. Today, the majority has shifted as now there are less living brothers than deceased and I feel a little as though another piece of our history is lost.
My Uncle Don was 86 years old and was married to his love, my sweet and kind Aunt Marion, for 67 years. He served in the army and worked multiple jobs at the same time in his younger days to support his family. His jobs were very physically intense...not the go to work and sit at a desk type jobs. He pushed heavy coal buckets at the gas company and was a meticulous landscaper. He was a Brother, Husband, Brother -in-law, Father, Grandfather, Great Grandfather, Uncle, Grand-Uncle, and friend to many, I'm sure. He loved sports especially baseball and football. My Grandma just told me this morning that their father bought a house and the lot next door so that the brothers would have plenty of room to play outside without being in the street. It was there that they all played sports together. He endured great joys in his life not the least of which include being a father to three (twin boys and a girl) seeing his own family multiply to generations even making him a Great-Grandfather. He also endured sorrow, loosing his daughter, Louis, and three brothers before him. He's lived in many different places and seen so much of the world including war, depression, and the sorts of economic struggle that our generation really can't comprehend. He was committed, determined, and in the most loving of ways even called stubborn from time to time.
I'm just a Grand-niece in a huge family tree but to me Uncle Don was dear. He made time for me. He always made time for family. Really, that is the legacy the 7 brothers have and will leave for the younger generations...FAMILY IS IMPORTANT. I remember at a young age being in the pool with the Grand-Uncles at someone's wedding. They were so much fun throwing my brother and I around. A few years ago he and Aunt Marion made a very long trip from New York to attend my wedding. They even danced and won a little contest for who had been married the longest. Also, he would hand write me letters several times a year in perfect penmanship (a result of Catholic school but still impressive for a man in his 80's). The most notable of these letters came to me after my own Grandpa, his brother passed away. I still have it tucked in my bible as it offered such comfort to me in my own time of mourning. He was relating my sadness to his own loss, his only daughter. In his words from the note (dated 6/20/2000) he says "The Pastor there in Fairport, N.Y. said to me that time would make her death more bearable. It did but 17 years this 7-25 and I still shed tears. You too will be able to just remember the good times you had with your grandpa and smile at them. This is what he would want."
Today, I am shedding tears but I am confident that Uncle Don too would want me and our family to remember the good times and smile at them. And I will...we all will. How could we not? Donald Phillip McNally lived a life to be admired. Rest in Peace Uncle Don and tell my Grandpa I love him still and on the sound advice of a wise man I also loved, I remember the good times, and smile at them.
(click pictures for larger view)
First picture: The 7 brothers (l to r) Bill, George (my grandpa) Charlie, Don, Ed, Owen, Ernie Second picture: The 7 brothers Third picture: Uncle Don, so handsome Fourth picture: Christmas with his family. So sweet Fifth and sixth picture: My wedding, winning the anniversary dance for 64 years(at that time) of marriage.
My Brudder and sister may kill me for posting this but I figured maybe some of you needed a good laugh as much as I did today....My nephew had his picture taken at Sunday school so he could "make" a Christmas ornament. Judging from the look on his face, this kid is terrified of Sunday school.....
Not to be outdone...here's our cupcake. Who, unlike her cousin, is terrified of nothing. If this is what 9 months is like, I can only dread what the 2's will bring for me:
For those eagerly awaiting our Christmas card (you are eager, right?!) it's going to be on Crack timing this year....like picture January and if it comes before you can be pleasantly surprised. Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good night!
I'm behind on my posting and probably will be for the next month. Sorry. If it makes you feel better, dear blog stalkers, I'm behind on everything right now. No Christmas cards, haven't watched Elf with the hubs, don't have any decorations up other than the tree, haven't made a single Christmas cookie (I can hear Martha Stewar...err...my Mother's gasp from here), and we've passed the online shopping deadline for gifts and we aren't done which means I'll be battling the holiday madness with an active 9 month old. Joy.SO, to be short and sweet, our cupcake has passed another month. She's still a peanut at only 16.5 pounds landing her squarely in the 12%. I love love love this age. She is sooooo into me right now that I can make her laugh, squeal, jump, dance, or kiss me with just little looks that we know as our own language. I'm behind on things because honestly, I'm playing all day long. This stage is going so fast and I want to soak up every moment of it. When Chris asked if I wanted to hire a babysitter to come hang out with Chloe during the day so I could get some of my list done I about fainted. I can't imagine paying someone to do a job I want to do all day long and don't even consider a job. So the to do list gets longer with only the "must do today" things getting done. I figure I have the rest of my life to have a clean house, perfect holiday cards, and all that silly stuff. For now, I'm soaking it up. Here's her monthly bear picture....and I'll try my best to get some more posts up soon but be warned that we'll be slim until 2010. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=71362&id=710737489&l=17e40bf129
Chloe loved her playtime with Joshua. They were both pulling up on anything stable or even not so stable....including each other. Then we took them for sometime in the swings and a little bouncy car at the playground. I just love watching them grow up together. I can't believe how fast our little babies are growing up. I feel like it was just yesterday that Kristi and I were newlyweds and reading books together about being good wives. Wow!
Whew!!! Thanksgiving was one, quick, whirlwind. Here are a few highlights:
1. Paxton, Paxton, Paxton! Uncle Awesome and I LOVE him big time. We both got a little sick and didn't get to hold him near enough. We'll be making another trip soon. He is precious, sweet, and perfect.
2. Like Mother, Like Daughter. My Mom saved my strawberry shortcake rocking chair. I almost cried when our cupcake fit right in and loved rocking in my old chair.
3. My parents had a mouse get into, make a home, and temporarily live in their attic last Christmas. Chris and I heard him scratching in the ceiling while we were there last time. So, imagine their extreme disappointment when in the middle of Thanksgiving dinner I came running down the stairs yelling MOOOOMMM!!! THERE'S AN ANIMAL IN THE HOUSE. I wish I had the picture of everyone's faces. (Let the blog-record state this was Chris's idea). Lucky for them this was the animal we were bringing down:
4. Matching PJ's. So cute. Enough said.
5. Walmart. 4:45 am. With my Mom. This is a blog post in itself. Maybe one day soon. Lucky for you we don't have pictures of it.
Chloe's got a cold, our house is a wreck, our fridge is empty, and our tree is still in the attic. Needless to say the blog's going in the backseat for a few days. Hang in there, we'll be back.
I know, I know....my blog stalkers are waiting and checking for Cupcake's First Christmas photo review. However, I couldn't wait for those pictures to be cropped and ready to comment on this. Today Texas Tech, my Alma mater, has made a mistake of HUGE proportions. Due to some allegations of mistreatment of one player, they have fired our head football coach, Mike Leach. I could not be more upset and disappointed at their hasty decision. I personally interacted with Coach Leach during my time at Texas Tech while serving on the University Presidents Select Council. Did he drink a little? Yes. Did he say things that are fairly off the cuff? Yes. Did he coach football in some unconventional ways? Yes. Would he hurt or mistreat a player...or anyone for that matter. NO. He might have been harsh or firm in ways that spoiled rotten rich kids may not be used to but he was not abusive. I'm sure of it. 
