We Bleed (and EAT!) Burnt Orange

In honor of the Red River Rivalry game (Texas vs. Oklahoma), Chris and I made Longhorn cakes! I found the cupcake and cake molds for the longhorn shape a few weeks ago and couldn't wait to see how they turned out. I was so worried about the cupcake horns breaking when I removed them from the mold, but it was all for not as they held their shape perfectly (as you can see below).

I decided to make them strawberry flavored since I couldn't use chocolate (for color purposes) and I don't like white cake. I then turned to food coloring (using the red and yellow) to give me the orange color I was seeking. I think, for my first attempt with these molds, these cakes turned out gr-r-r-reat! :)

Chris is the "Biggest Loser"!

I completely forgot to share the great news with everyone! Christopher is his department's "Biggest Loser"! He and his co-workers began their weight loss competition in June and it ended on September 24th.

The winner was the contestant that had the greatest percentage of weight lost out of the group. There were ten people competing for, not only the title of Biggest Loser, but also to win the prize money. Every person participating had to put $20 into the pot, so the winner received most of the buy-in (second and third place got a small portion of it, too).

Chris ended up losing a total of 22.5 pounds for a result of 12.7% in total weight loss percentage. He managed to beat out second place by .8%, to earn his cash prize and bragging rights. The money definitely came in handy as we were able to put it to good use at ACL. :)

Congratulations, babe! Awesome job!

PS- Chris only worked out a handful of times. He gave up drinking sodas and cut back on eating out for lunch, subbing Lean Cuisines instead. Yup, you read that correctly- that’s all it took for him to lose 22.5 lbs. Let me hear it, ladies- SIGH. ;)

Austin City Limits Mud, I Mean, Music Festival

ACL's Music Festival was held this past weekend at Zilker Park in Austin. In case you haven't heard of it, ACL is a three-day outdoor music festival where great bands and up-and-comers alike perform. Chris and I were one of the lucky few (thousand) people in attendance for the big event.

We arrived on Friday afternoon just in time to catch one of the bands we've been wanting to see for quite some time- Phoenix! Even though they didn't play Christopher's favorite song, he still had a great time as evidenced below:

Yup that's him on the big screen taking the photo of himself! :)

Chris and I have been to quite a few ACLs. This was the first year they've held the festival in October and it made ALLLLL the difference on Friday- it was sunny, mild, with a cool breeze (as opposed the the usual sweltering heat). I read that Austin spent $2 million on putting new grass so that festivalgoers (and other visitors to Zilker Park) would have a more enjoyable experience. Chris loved the grass so much, he decided to walk in it barefoot. :)

More photos from Friday:

Val and I at the Phoenix show

Chris at the John Legend Show

Chris and Michelle enjoying their beverages at the Kings of Leon show

Now Saturday was a different story. Chris, Ryan, Michelle and I arrived to ACL and it was cloudy, muggy and had rained a little before our arrival. After being there for about twenty minutes it started to rain...and it kept raining for a couple of hours.

Chris and his Jack Johnson album cover impersonation.

It wasn't what I would call a downpour, but it was a steady rain that led the beautiful grass beneath our feet to slowly become mud. Not what I would describe as the ideal situation for an outdoor concert, but we tried to make the best of it:

Ryan, Me and Michelle in a pose from our Tigerette days

(PS- we were watching Mos Def perfom at this time. He was pretty boring so we had to entertain ourselves.)

So, the condition of the ground got worse as the day went on and one of my favorite bands, Dave Matthews Band (DMB), wasn't performing until 8 PM. Our legs were throbbing, we were muddy and tired, but once DMB came on...it all went away. Dave had an awesome performance, reminding me why I love them so much. :)

Dave Matthews Band!

On Sunday, Ryan, Chris and I headed over to Hula Hut for lunch because it's not a real stop in Austin without a trip to my favorite restaurant. :)

Ryan and I leaving H.H.

After eating, Chris and I headed back to the festival. No rain, but the ground was MUCH worse. We watched the Arctic Monkeys (a band Chris was really excited to see), went to the tent to watch the Cowboys lose another game at the last second, and then The Dead Weather and Pearl Jam to end ACL.

Photos from Sunday:

View of part of the festival with the Austin skyline. Yup...all of the brown ground is mud.

While we were waiting for Pearl Jam to start.

The end of ACL '09! Time to head home...

A big thank you to our dear friend, Ryan, for allowing us to stay with her for the weekend! And another big thank you to Chris' mommy for taking care of Shamrock while we were away. :)

Longhorn Legend

Tonight Chris and I met Earl Campbell! In case you don't know about him or his legacy at The University of Texas at Austin, here's a brief history lesson:

Earl Campbell is one of the most notable running backs to ever play college football. In 1977, Campbell won the Heisman Trophy and led the nation in rushing with 1,744 yards. He also graduated from UT in 1977, the same year he was the number 1 draft pick by the Houston Oilers and was voted Rookie of the Year as well as Most Valuable Player. By the end of his professional football career he had amassed 9,407 yards rushing, 806 yards receiving, 74 total touchdowns, and 10,213 total yards. He ranks tenth on the all-time rushing yards in the NFL and has appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated six times.

So now that you've been schooled on "The Tyler Rose", hopefully you can appreciate our excitement meeting him. :)

I stumbled upon the event when I was scrolling through the Dallas Texas Exes Chapter events a few weeks ago. I had no idea they were opening a UT Co-op here in Dallas! When I saw they were having a grand opening with a guest appearance from Mr. Campbell, I immediately told Chris and he quickly agreed we should attend.

The grand opening event included dinner at Blue Mesa and an autograph by Campbell on anything we purchased from the Co-op. Chris and I decided on a couple of UT pennants to have Campbell sign. The  plan is to have them framed and placed in our game room. Below are photos proving this story is true. ;)

Chris giddy about meeting Earl

Getting my pennant signed!

So excited! It's not everyday you meet a Texas Longhorn legend! :)

Sleep Over!

Chris had a business trip in Utah from Sunday through Wednesday night. Now, most of you know that I'm quite the paranoid, scaredy-cat under normal circumstances. Add me being alone in a new, oversized house and you've got a completely irrational chicken on your hands. Not good.

So Sunday I attempted my first night alone in our house. Needless to say, it did not go well. I think I slept a combined two hours. I kept hearing little noises here and there and then Shamrock would want to go outside just as I was finally falling asleep.

I was so worried I was going to have to deal with this for the next two nights on my own, when my friend, Patricia, came to the rescue. She offered to stay at my house with me! I didn't want to inconvenience her, but, at the same time, I really wanted the company. I told her she didn't have to come over, but she insisted she was fine with it, so I happily accepted her offer.

Thankfully, she spent Monday and Tuesday night with me and Shamrock. We ate, watched TV and chatted until bedtime. It reminded me of being in college when I used to do the same with my roommates. Fun times. :)

I can't tell you how grateful I am Patricia came out to McKinney to keep Shamrock and I company...and calm our fears about being alone. Thanks, Patty!!! :)

Patricia and I at the AMX Halloween Party last year

More Rooms, More Problems

So, I knew going into it that furnishing our house would be a daunting task. What I didn't know was

1. how much furniture actually costs
2. how many pieces are really needed to fill a room
3. how many different styles there are
4. how none of them are exactly what I'm looking for... :(

I've been driving Chris nuts with the decorating (or lack thereof) of our house. I can't seem to make up my mind about what to do in each of the rooms! I'm totally overwhelmed and not sure where to really begin. Poor Chris is ready to get moving and I'm dragging my feet because I'm so indecisive.

Christopher asked if we could please try and make some progress this past weekend and I begrudgingly agreed. So furniture shopping we went...

Surprisingly, we made a few decisions! We purchased a console table for our hallway and we selected our dining chairs and bedroom furniture. Now we're just waiting to see fabric samples for the chairs and then, once that's done, we'll place our order for both.

Even though we have SO much more to do, I feel like some of the weight has been lifted. My next move is to pick the fabric for the drapes and the paint color for our bedroom so we can have at least one room done. Wish us luck!

Silly Shamrock

Shamrock woke Chris up around 2:30 AM this morning with his "scared" whimper. I, of course, didn't hear it (I was sound asleep). When Chris started to move the blankets around, I finally woke up. He said he thought Shamrock was having a hard time finding his way out from under the covers, so he kept moving the sheets and duvet around. Keep in mind it's completely dark in our room, so we weren't exactly sure where he was located.

I finally found him and noticed something peculiar. I felt Shamrock, felt his little face and tiny body, but I couldn't tell which sheet he was trapped in. Granted, I was still in a fog from just waking up, but it took me a while to figure it out.

I couldn't believe it! He was IN the duvet! I thought I was dreaming because, in my mind, there was no way he could possibly be inside the cover. There's only one way to get in and it was buttoned shut and it's usually touching the ground at the foot of the bed. Shamrock is much too small to jump onto the bed from the floor and definitely unable to do so while being confined inside a blanket. I don't know how he accomplished this strange feat, but he did it!

Chris had to unbutton the duvet and dive in to rescue him. The ordeal was over...thank goodness. Shamrock was safe and happy to be out and able to run around the bed. He hopped all over the top of the duvet like a little billy goat for about five minutes solid. We played with him, gave him kisses and then we all went back to sleep. :)

Our reenactment of Shamrock in the sheets

 (although, we didn't put him back in the duvet...that would be mean)

Awwww. I never get tired of looking at that little face...even if it is a tad crusty right now. ;)