FALL FUN!!!

i LOVE FALL! aND EVER SINCE THE WEATHER BEGAN TO COOL OFF i'VE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO ADDING A BIT OF FALL COLOR TO OUR HOME. sO YESTERDAY cARTER AND i VISITED THE LOCAL uNITED gROCERY STORE FOR A FEW GROCERIES AND LOT OF PUMPKINS! iT ONLY TOOK 1 HOUR FOR ME TO PICK UP EVERY PUMPKIN, LOOK AT IT'S COLOR AND SHAPE AND DIG OUT THE LARGEST ONES FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE BOX. tODAY, WE TIED ON OUR APRONS AND ROLLED THE WHEEL BARROW AROUND TO THE PICK UP TRUCK... AND BEGAN TO UNLOAD. wE HAD SO MUCH FUN! cARTER ENJOYED RIDING IN THE WHEEL BARROW UNTIL SHE STOOD UP IN IT AND IT FELL OVER. bUT i'M HAPPY TO SAY SHE DIDN'T CRY LONG.


dURING THE SUMMER WE HAD OUR HOUSE REPAINTED THIS LOVELY SHADE OF GREEN OLIVE. i'M REALLY ENJOYING IT! tHE PUMPKINS ARE A GREAT TOUCH!!!tHANKS cARTER YOU ARE A GREAT LITTLE HELPER! mAYBE TOMORROW WE'LL CLIMB INTO THE ATTIC AND BRING DOWN DRIED GOURDS AND FALL LEAVES...hAPPY fALL!!!

WHAT A 'HOOT'!!!

wELL, FOLKS! tHIS POST WIL BE SHORT AND SWEET BECAUSE THINGS ARE A lITTLE OUT OF SORTS THIS WEEK..... tHE tALENTED AnD sTRONG cOOPER cOuGARS tRAVELED aLL THeY wAY uP tO tHE dAlLAS/fT. woRTH mETROpLEX TO pLAY ANOTHER tALENtED aND aTHLEtIC tEAM, tHE gARlAND hIGh oWLS! tHe cooGs dOmINaTeD THoSE sILLy BiRDS

THe eNTIRE gAME AND wERE lEADING aS WE STARTEd THe 4TH qUARTER! ....wITH the doom and gloom Of PenDinG dEFEAT, i'LL bE "DERnEd" iF tHOSE HOOt oWLS diDN'T TURN InTO sCReeCH oWL'S aND sWOOP dOWN AND sNATCH THaT VIcTORY rIgHT oUT oF oUr fUrRY pAWS... i cAN'T bEGIn TO EXplAIN hOW dIStATEfUL i T Was TO lOsE tWO weEKS iN a Row TO yellow AND black BiRDS! YUCKy, yuck! dOUBLE yUCk!!! Final score GHS 28 CHS 14 ( What can I say except, It's PRE- SEASON! And though Coach, prepares and fully intends to win

EVERY SINGLE GAME, the pre-season IS designed to help a team develop excellence. Therefore exposing flaws and weak spots is better done now, than later...spoken like a true coaches wife). So what the HOOT! We'll scratch our heads & lick our wounds and get ready to play some more birds this Saturday, the Lewisville Hebron Hawks, another 5AAAAA POWERHOUSE from the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex. Fortunately they will be traveling out west to play us at our "Home Sweet Home" Shotwell Stadium. Also fortunately, they are not 'black and gold'! ( I'm telling you, I can't handle that color combination another week!) OH! Did I mention that's it's HOMECOMING? This Saturday @ 2:00......it's always fun to win homecoming. Come on COUGARS find your groove! Get MAD &

Now! To end this post on a lighter note. My little, just turned 3, grandaughter Carter, is visiting. As you can IMAGINE.........she is an absolute delight!

...... and we are having non-stop fun....with the emphasis on NON-STOP! In fact, I'd forgotten how 'non-stop' a 3 year old is....after all it's been over 20 years since I had a three year old. (Pictured below from left to right, in 1985, Beth 4, Kim 2 and Clint >1)

and just for fun let's get a little closer look....

My, how time flies!
Anyway, back to Carter....she is a well loved little girl, that plays a starring role in her family. She's as bright as the sun, playful as a puppy, sweet as honey and wise beyond her years, for like she says most mornings when she wakes up, "It's a beautiful day"! ...and she's absolutely right.
Though how often do I forget?
That rain or shine, win or loose...we all have so much to be thankful for! May I never cease to be amazed by God's lavish beauty, goodness and grace...

Crosstown Rival

Welcome to a modern day,West Texas showdown!
Last Friday night was the 48th time that Abilene Cooper and Abilene High have lined up against each other. Out of 48 games Cooper has won 30, AHS 16, with 1 tie. Needless to say, in a town of approx. 100,000, this game has been a longtime rivalry. However the 2008 season brings major changes, for the 1st time, the two teams are no longer district opponents. Earlier this year Cooper was dropped to class 4-AAAA due to a lower enrollment, leaving Abilene High in 5-AAAAA classification. The short of it is, for the next two years when we play each other it will not be for championships, just city braggin' rights! Which any coach, athlete, fan will tell you is a REALLY BIG DEAL!!!

Currently AHS has the winning trend. The last 4 years the Eagles have defeated the Cougars but the '08 team hoped to change that trend and start a new style!

The 'line is drawn' early in the week and friendly, but feisty bantering begins! On and on it goes til game night and that's when things get REAL crazy! The parking lot's fill up fast. You'll find lots of people tailgating and visiting and a few brave boys doing this! ...and lot's of silly girls doing this!

As the sun goes down,

the stands fill up! Big crowd to the left....Big crowd to the right. Stand up, sit down, what a sight! Across the field, the AHS side was packed as well, but with ugly black and gold colors! As game time arrives, tension builds...the crowd roars.....The team gathers steam....storms the field....a force to be reckoned with! I LOVE THOSE COOGS! If I could only explain the They acknowledge their Maker. The warriors chant.....and the battle begins...First they've got the ball,Then we've got the ball....Then they've got the ball.......and we get the ball back!Then, we've got the ball...and....they go back forth ..... until it's half-time. The game is tied up! 13- 13.

The band plays, the drill team dances, and the coaches wives relax with friends. Then it's time to get back to business...cheering, that is! The fans cheered with all their hearts, and it helped, At the end of the 3rd quarter the game was still tied 13- 13! It was a great game. Very evenly matched The Cooper fans were confident that this just might be the year we'd break AHS's winning streak. But in the 4th quarter the eagles scored, 20-13. However, the cougars were not afraid and came back with a vengeance! And with 28 sec. left in the game the CC's had the ball on the 2 yard line and an opportunity to win. IT WAS VERY EXCITING!!! However, it was not to be and the eagles (dadgumit) won again. How disappointing! It was a bitter pill to swallow so we over to Cassi's to get something to drink and eat. ..but no amount of chili & cornbread, chocolate cake, lemon bars or sopapilla cake, could get rid of that bad taste. In fact, the more we talked about it, the madder we got! All I can say is this: It's been along week, and the Cooper Cougars are hungry for a win, and their so hungry their furious! So get ready, Garland Owls, we're coming to get you and we're seeing nothing but RED!