Gobblins

Pun intended. We've got five of 'em here and, boy, can they eat! Anyway, here's some pics of their Turkey Day feast. I was going to do a post about how football broke up with me (and it was a bad break-up, too, none of this let's be friends bullshit), but then the Bills had to go and put up a decent showing today (oh, don't worry, we still lost, but at least we made it a fight). So now, I'm confused. Does football like me or not? Check yes or no. I think I'm going to lose in both of my fantasy leagues, so I'm leaning towards the "no" box.

Gobblins Being Forced to Make Stuffing

Believe it or not this is the best picture I could get of all 5 Gobblins

Yes, this was a child's plate

Let's dig in!

Oh, yeah, we also braved Black Friday* and made a side trip to Santa's lap

*Okay, so technically it was Black Saturday since I had to work on Friday to avoid losing per diem. Long story but basically if you take leave while staying at Oakwood you not only lose per diem for the day, you also have to pay the daily Oakwood rate (meaning I would be out around $200 for just one day of leave). Since I'm already going to be shelling out a small fortune just to go home for X-Mas, I just wasn't willing to do it for a day when I was here in town. On the plus side, FSI was completely empty and finding a computer was a breeze!

Oh to be Twelve Again

Has anyone in the history of the world ever uttered those words? I think the middle school years are best forgotten for most of us, and my poor C is in the very midst of them. We are struggling with school issues, truth issues, friend issues, attitude issues, and she's one of the good ones!! I think the biggest problem is that her keen intelligence far outweighs her complete lack of common sense. Unfortunately I don't think those two trajectories even out until sometime in your late-twenties to early-thirties. As I understand it, these issues are all par for the course for this age, so I am completely baffled as to how the human race has managed to survive all these years.

In the very good new column, C tried out for and made the volleyball team. This is club volleyball (meaning I get to pay for the privilege, lol). There were many girls who tried out, so when the coach called and said C was one of the solid nine to make the team (there will be 12 girls total on the team) she was very proud. We are very proud of her! Last year was tough because it was her 1st year playing, and volleyball is huge (!!) in FL, so she was on a very competitive team playing with girls who had a lot more experience than her. That meant we ended up investing a lot of time (1 1/2 hours driving 3x/week to practice, plus all-weekend tournaments every other weekend) just to watch her ride the bench for most of the season. I think learning to play at that level has really benefited her, and now she is one of the more experienced and knowledgeable players, so she'll really have a chance to shine this season. The international schools in Manila also offer volleyball, so this is something she'll be able to continue throughout the upheaval of moving again.

Happy Veteran's Day

Happy, happy day to all my friends and family who have served (even if it was only in Alabama ;) Having an all-volunteer force makes the sacrifices we are willing to make just that much more special. Much love and thanks to all of you!! To celebrate this special day, my kids made me a special breakfast:

The plate is divided into the five food groups: Crackers, Cheesy Crackers, Cheesy Poofs, Cookies, and Yogurt

The proud chef poses next to her creation:

And, yes, that is strawberry milk in the glass. Go ahead, be jealous ;) 

Oh, and for those who inquired, Delgado is home and doing fine. In fact he is up and walking around with no issues as all. The incision doesn't look anywhere near as bad as I thought it might, and he doesn't even seem to notice that he's missing a leg! He's moving around with much more ease, trying to chase after the cat, and moping because of the Elizabethan collar he's forced to wear while the stitches heal. He goes back in two weeks to have the sutures removed and, with any luck, once those come off we'll finally be able to have the normal family dog experience we've been wanting (long walks, dog park visits, etc.). 

Suck Day

We took Delgado in for his surgery today. Up 'til now I have been very pragmatic about the whole thing. After all there is nothing we can do now but move forward and do what is best for him. But I couldn't help getting a little choked up this morning as we dropped him off at the vet's. He has been very subdued for the last day or so, as if he knew something was up, and I felt so sad watching him trot off knowing that in a few hours he would be a very different dog. We got a call this afternoon that the surgery went very well, and Delgado is already recovering nicely. He'll stay at the vet's tonight for observation and then we can go pick him up tomorrow. I know everything is going to be fine and now he'll be able to move and grow like a normal dog instead of dragging around that useless limb, but I have still felt like crying all day. This day just sort of sucks.

It's Not You, It's Me

My streak of attending horrific football games where we not only lose but lose badly continues! I have been witness to the Bills losing to Arizona after they went 4-0 in 2008*, and losing to Miami after Miami had an 0-16 season, among other notable loser games. And now I can add our utter and depressing defeat to the despised NY Jets, in our own house none the less! After all the talk I've heard about what an awesome stadium the Ralph Wilson is (and it is), how rowdy and crazy the fans get, etc. it was such a let down to have the Jets just walk all over us and suck the life out of that stadium from the very first drive of the game. I was extra sad because we had the choice of attending this game or the one against the Pats in Week 3 (you remember, the one where we came from 2 touchdowns down to actually best the Pats for the 1st time in 8 seasons) and this one. I chose poorly :(

I'm beginning to think it's just me. I must be some sort of bad luck charm. Husband has also commented on this, that my presence seems to inspire teams to play poorly (I have this affect on the Sabres, as well). Am I doomed to never witness one of my teams win?? Well, here's some pics of happier times:

Look how cute and hopeful I appear in front of the Ralph

The game hasn't started yet, smiles still on our faces

Tailgating!!

*We started the season 4-0, then our ex-QB got sacked by the AZ defense who gave him a concussion and knocked him out of the game, then he ended up sucking after that and we finished the season something like 7-9.