Catching up From Dallas

The most obvious result from our wonderful trip to Arlington, TX, for the Cotton Bowl was a hit to our monthly budget. We anticipated most of that, and have to make a few adjustments this month to catch up and get even again. One of the major adjustments is our eating-out schedule which took the biggest hit since we ate out almost all the time. We don't usually eat out that much at home, but we do allow for some of that pleasure. Gas took a hit - a small one as the new Ford Escape got almost 30 mpg for the trip and the total gas charges were about $150. Compare that to over $800 for airfare, car rental and parking if we flew. Patty and Mark helped us tremendously with expenses and we are so appreciative of that. We will get caught up soon - hopefully.

Everybody has heard by now that the WMU coach - P J Fleck - is moving on to coach the Minnesota Gophers in the Big10. I guess we can say that Austin was extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to be part of his total success at WMU. It is great timing for Austin as his college football career is now over and he will complete his education within the next year and move on. Best of luck to coach Fleck.

We didn't do much more than our normal work yesterday - Josie at the shop and me on the computer and around the RV. We did grab a shot of the nice sunset while grilling our dinner last night to end the day:

Setting up for the New Year

With each new year, we set up new charts to track our finances, our health and weight progress and our personal goals. While setting up new files for the new year, we also have to organize the old files from the previous year for easy reference. Everything has to be organized in order to simplify the tax year. So, a big part of the organizing also means deciding what goes to our storage unit and what stays here in the RV. I'm going to try to make everything easier for this year.

Our taxes will begin as soon as we get the W-2's and 1099's for last year. I expect to have them done by early February. That assumes that the documents all arrive on schedule. This year, we have the rental of our home to deal with, so that will result in some new paperwork that we have never dealt with before. I hope the new forms will mean more refund for us.

I'll try not to make everything boring for the next couple weeks. There are some places we want to visit, so it shouldn't be too bad...

Safely Home in Phoenix

Our travel day yesterday from Las Cruces, NM, to North Phoenix was a fairly short trip (420 miles) and took us around 6 hours. That includes a stop for lunch at a Dairy Queen near Tucson at one of our gas stops. This is the final shot from our trip and the final milestone as we entered Arizona:

We wish we would have taken another day for Josie to get some rest before heading back to work. She is back to work today at 9 AM and works today and tomorrow before getting two days off this weekend.

We didn't miss too much while gone except our neighbor said there were some heavy rains during the week. We picked up our mail and now are ready to get back into our usual routine.

The objectives now are to get ready for the tax season (ugh), the Spring Training season and our return to Jackson in May. There are opportunities that we are considering for next Fall that would keep us away from this area - at least for awhile. We'll keep everybody updated on those developments as they occur...

Staying in Las Cruces, NM

It was kind of a "downer" yesterday morning as we said our goodbyes to everybody. The football season is officially over, and we will not be seeing many of the friends we made this year for who knows how long, if ever again. Patty, Mark and the boys left the hotel early for their 10 AM flight and we pulled out at around 8:30. That was a late start for us as we wanted to have breakfast with Patty and her family and we had lots of packing left to do.

Everybody had a fabulous time in spite of the loss. The game results were very respectable and we could/should have won the game. The team should feel very proud of their accomplishments this year.

With the late start, we didn't arrive at our destination at the La Quinta hotel in Las Cruces, NM, until almost 6 PM local time. The only sign that is appropriate for the day is below:

We enter Arizona this AM and that sign will do it for the final leg of the trip. It's boo-hoo for the next several days as we unwind from this fabulous experience...

Surprise Outcome

We had an absolutely terrific time at the game yesterday. Following breakfast, we all traveled in cabs to the area in the stadium parking lot where the Tailgating festivities were being held:

Everybody was then "ready" to move on into the stadium and grab our seats:

The seats were not where we expected them, but they were very good seats that would have cost $150 each if we purchased them:

I'm sure that the folks that assigned the "free to the players" tickets didn't want to give away the most expensive seats.

The game was great, as expected, except that Wisconsin won the game (24-16) - which was not expected. Here are some shots of Austin on the field - again, we were not real close, so he looks like he is farther away:

The surprise outcome of the game was the fact the Most Valuable Player in the game was Austin's best friend - tight end Troy Fumagalli. He absolutely was the difference between Wisconsin winning or losing. He made several key catches and kept drives alive that would have resulted in WMU getting the ball. We got behind, 14-0, in the first quarter and actually outplayed Wisconsin the rest of the game in quarters 2 through 4, by a score of 16-10. Below are a couple shots of Troy - the first one with Austin following the game:

and this one where he is receiving his MVP award:

What a fabulous trip and game to boot! It is a once in a lifetime experience that we will never forget.

We are heading out this morning and will stay in Las Cruces, NM, tonight, and arrive home tomorrow afternoon sometime.

Happy New Year

We were up early following the late night New Year's Eve. The Cotton Bowl Breakfast at the stadium started at 8 AM, so we had to rush to get ready:

It was a very nice affair and one in which both teams were offered the benefit of the breakfast. The Wisconsin fans were at the opposite side of the stadium, enjoying the same menu and benefits that we had. Following the breakfast, all of us proceeded to the stadium field area - WMU on one side, and Wisconsin on the other - where we all watched a film of the "road to the Cotton Bowl" on the super large screen TV  inside the stadium:

We just kind of hung out most of the day while some of the others in our party went to various other locations in the area. We were happy to get some rest and enjoyed watching some games on the TV in the room.

Our dinner last night was the Humperdinks Restaurant - actually, sports bar - and was very good:

It's finally game day... We are heading down for breakfast and then will go to the Tailgating Party at the stadium:

GO BRONCOS !!!

New Years Eve

It was a long day for us at the Cotton Bowl pre-game festivities. We had our morning buffet breakfast in the hotel lobby and then split into groups to drive to the Fort Worth Stockyards. That is a definite "must see and do" if you ever visit this area. It is an attraction that is world class and a place where you could easily spend a whole day and lots of money. The pictures below will attest to the great time we had. There were many photos taken and I couldn't post most of them, but these are representative of the great time had by all.

Starting with our arrival at around 10 AM when we walked a short distance from our parking area to the end of the street where it all begins:

It is an area that is about 5 square blocks of old western stores, restaurants, rides and you name it. We took some shots of the family, including these on the bulls and just standing around with some of the cowboys that keep things moving:

 :

and, speaking of moving - the herding of the bulls which occurs on the main street twice a day:

We even got a group shot of all of the folks, here for the game - that came on this visit from our hotel:

and another shot of the group while eating Bar B Q at the Risky's Barbecue:

We also have this shot of us while at the Barbecue:

All of these people are family of other players on the team that became really close friends through the Tail-Gating parties before each of the games. It was a terrific time!

Last evening we drove to the Gaylord Texan where Austin and the WMU football team is staying. You talk about class! This is a place that almost defies description. The amenities, beauty and overall facilities are among the best in the country. The entire WMU team gets to share the reward for their outstanding accomplishments this year. Of course, it was also Austin's birthday celebration after we ate dinner at the Sports Bar within the hotel. We spent a fantastic evening with Austin over dinner and after dinner, meeting many of his other teammates. These photos are among the best we took throughout the evening. Starting with Austin - the guest of honor:

and a picture of his cake that we brought for the occasion:

It will definitely be a night to remember.

Oh, and here are a few shots of the inside of this place and of the grounds at the outside entrance:

Josie and I (and the boys) took a cab back to our hotel after Austin had to check back into his room, while Patty and Mark stayed to bring in the new year. We brought in the new year in our room and went to bed shortly thereafter. What a tremendous day!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR everybody !!!