It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Ryne and I decorated our Christmas tree tonight and it looks beautiful! Over his lunch break we went looking for our tree since it was supposed to start snowing later in the afternoon. The first place we went had lots of trees but some of them were spray painted. We were sure if this was done to make the trees look more green or if was something to help preserve the trees. At any rate we decided to check out a few other places. The next place we went to had the most beautiful trees but they were so pricy!! In the end we found our Charlie Brown tree and paid a reasonable price for it!

Putting up our tree was not as simple or easy as we thought it might be! After a fresh cut on the tree, the trunk was now too short and the tree would not stand up in the stand. Poor Ryne had to go back out into the cold and snow and keep sawing off branches. In the end we were able to get the tree in the stand (although our tree now had an interesting shape to it and a rather big hole in the back!). Despite our tree's new look, we both felt that this made our tree even more Charlie Brown like!! We got the tree decorated in no time and we were able to sit back and enjoy it on the couch with a glass of wine. Decorating our tree is one of my favorite memories with Ryne!

Viva la Deadwood!!

Last night Ryne and I met up with Schmidty and Jen and headed up to Deadwood, SD. Earlier in the day Ryne and I went out to eat with his parents at the Alpine House in Hill City. This is a German restaurant and the food was soooo good!! While we were there, we ran into his Grandma Charlotte and his cousin Danielle. Turns out the Alpine House was the place to be!

After running errands with Ryne's parents we met up with Jen and Schmidty. We piled into the Explorer and made the journey up to Deadwood. It had been snowing but thankfully the roads were clear. When we got up there we grabbed a bite to eat and some drinks at Kevin Costner's casino, the Midnight Star. From there we went casino hopping and enjoyed the people watching. Schmidty was the only one who gambled... the rest of us drank and had a great time. The one bar/casino we were at (I think the Bodega) was playing the most random music. Think of old school songs from junior high school dances!! It was quite the night!! We all had a great time and made it back to Custer in one piece!

Some Things Never Change

Well, I finally made it to the Black Hills!! Turns out there was a snow storm in Minneapolis which caused several delays. My flight from Raleigh would have gotten into Minneapolis early but we ended up having to circle for over 45 mins due to the fact that one of the runways was closed due to snow. I finally landed and then met up with Schmidty and Jen at the bar. They flew in from CT and the three of us were on the same flight to Rapid. We enjoyed a few beers at the bar and then got ready to board our flight... which of course got delayed!! Once we were finally on board we sat there. And sat there! I am not sure why we sat there so long but we did! We then had to get de-iced which took a LONG time, especially since we had to drive all around the airport. We finally arrived in Rapid just before midnight! Poor Ryne had been waiting there for hours!! After getting my bag we headed off to his parents. We were both hungry so we decided to stop and get a bite to eat. Turns out NOTHING was open in Rapid.. not even McDonald's! We were both so surprised. We finally got to his parents's and grabbed a bit to eat before we headed to bed. I was so tired and ready to just crash by the time I crawled into bed.

Off I Go... Again :D!

I am heading off to see Ryne today and I am so excited!! I will be out in Nebraska/South Dakota for 10 days. I cannot wait to got on the plane and and get away for a few days. The semester is nearly over so I will be bringing out my grading to do with me while I am there.

Ryne and I will also put up our Christmas tree and celebrate an early Christmas together. I am really looking forward to picking out and decorating our tree!! And I cannot wait to give Ryne his present!! I am so excited!!

Now, let's just hope my flight gets there...on time... and with my luggage!!

My Poor, Poor Hurricanes

While it has been a good week for my Tigers, it has been anything but that for my Hurricanes. It's been an up and down few weeks for the Canes with wins becoming fewer and farther between. Much like last season, injuries have plagued the team with many of our key players being sidelined with injuries. At times the Canes seemed to lack the intensity and desire to win. At other times they gave it their all yet still managed to come up short. Today the team announced the firing of Peter Lavioulette. I was somewhat surprised but I guess I shouldn't have been. His job was on the line at the end of last season after failing to make the playoffs for the past two seasons. But despite that, he did lead the Canes to the Stanely Cup in 2006 and is the winningest American born coach in the NHL. Lavioulette was with the Canes for a little over five years. What is interesting is that Lavioulette is being replaced by the coach who he replaced! Paul Maurice will once again be behind the bench for the Canes. In fact, Maurice even coached the team when they were still the Whalers back in Hartford!! I am not sure if this will make a huge difference with how the team has been playing but we shall see. There is a game tomorrow so it will be interesting to see how the team and fans respond. At any rate, welcome back to Carolina, Maurice.

Gator Bowl

Jacksonville, here we come!! Clemson accepted an invitation to play in the 2009 Gator Bowl!! It was not that long ago when the thought of going to a bowl game was a long shot... let alone even possible. But thanks to Dabo and the strong finish, Clemson showed the nation what they are they are capable of. Their opponent has not yet but named but the rumor is is that they could be squaring off against Nebraska!! I think this would be perfect given that Ryne is from NE and most of his friends and family are die heard Husker fans. I would love to show them what real college football is all about!!! Go Tigers!!!

Dabo Swinney

Clemson announced today that Dabo will become the head coach at Clemson. I am excited that Dabo was given this opportunity and I am looking forward to seeing what he can do with the team. He did a great job turning the team around after the rough start and managed to return hope and pride among fans. And of course it didn't hurt that he beat USC!! Go Tigers!!