Panthers' Game 2014

I may be a week late on this post, but better late than never, right?? Last year my dad's company offered up a block of tickets to a Panthers game and he reserved six for us. We had so much fun we knew we had to do it again! This year we figured we'd strap the princess into the Ergo and make a big day of it. Sniffles and yucky weather intervened so my mom volunteered to stay back with the babe. A warm house with a gas fireplace and baby snuggles? I'm thinking Gigi didn't have such a bad gig after all ;-)

We got to our favorite lot nice and early so we could get a good parking spot for corn hole, Washers, and some grubbin'. I should probably preface this with the information that when my dad does something, he doesn't do it halfway. Go big or go home, you know what I'm sayin'? This was no exception. 

Daddy manning the spread. He even had a tablecloth for the table. I told you-go big or go home.

So much has changed since last year's game and I love it! 

 Officially sisters!

After we had way too much fun tailgating we headed into the game. What made this game extra special was the fact that they were celebrating the different branches of the armed forces. Part of the way through the game they brought a member of the Army's family out onto the field and had a message from him on the big screens. If that wasn't sweet enough the cameras then panned to the tunnel and out came the serviceman! I'm getting chills just thinking about it. The tears just started pouring. 

 View of the field from our seats.

Unfortunately the Panthers couldn't quite pull it off (the theme of this season) and they lost to the Falcons. It was a great day none the less.

On a random side note, as I was looking through some of the pictures of the day I ran across this one:

And instantly flashed back to this the year before:

It appears my dear sister, Abby, has some pretty sweet dance moves she saves specifically for the Panthers. If that's the case I think we need to hit up more games;-)

Belated Panthers Post

Sometime over the summer my daddy texted to say his company was buying Panthers's tickets at a discounted rate if we wanted in. We checked our calendars and then began counting down until the big game. Finally, it was game day! Mama, Daddy, and Abby came in from Winston and Ashley and Harrison drove up from Charlotte so we could all carpool to the game. At the uber early hour of 9am we were off to pick up our Bojangles and tailgate! 

A Fall tailgate isn't complete without a pumpkin beer and Bojangles! And of course, the random photobomber that is Daddy.

Abby and Mama took the time to monogram all our cupcakes! They were sure to include Ashley's future monogram;-)

After a few hours of visiting and enjoying the tailgate (and the sweet pup some people brought to the parking lot!) we decided it was probably time to head in.

Abby gave all of downtown Charlotte a show with her sweet dance moves while we were trekking in.

The Panthers won and it was a great day all around! Hopefully Daddy's work makes this an annual tradition!

Liebster Award

I am honored to announce that my sweet friend, Dana at Let's Meet for Lunch, nominated me for a Liebster Award! This award is given to "up and coming" bloggers with less than 200 followers.

The rules:

1. Post 11 random things about yourself.

2. Answer the questions that the nominator asked of you

3. Create 11 questions for the people you nominate.

4. Choose 11 blogs you love (with less than 200 followers) and link them in your post.

5. No tag back (but please leave me a comment on this post with the URL to your Liebster post so I can learn more about you)!

11 Facts:

In the Fall, football is life.

I am a sucker for a Peppermint Mocha Latte and will allow myself to drink as many as I want over Christmas Break without even thinking about how bad they are for me!

Our puppy is the princess. . .

. . . but will only be for a few more months. Our first is due in April!

We don't have cable. We watch everything on Netflix or Hulu+.

I love buying people gifts!

North Carolina is the only state my hubby and I have ever lived in.

Date night is super important to us in our marriage.

 

I would eat a sweet potato every day for lunch if they were available. Side note-I did do this my freshman year of college when the dining hall had them!

 

I fuss and complain about my "rattletrap" car all the time, but deep down I still love Suzy Subaru.

 

I always have at least one thing of chap stick with me at any given time.

 

11 Questions to Answer:

1.  If you had a free Saturday, what would you do?
2. What's your favorite "go-to" thing to cook?
3. What's your favorite book of all time?
4. What would you do if you won the lottery tomorrow?
5. What's your dream career?
6. If you could give the 18 year old version of you advice, what would it be?
7. Of all your Pinterest boards, which is your favorite?
8. What's your favorite holiday tradition?
9. Are you a dog or cat person?
10. What's the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?
11. What is your favorite season?

 

11 Blogs:

1.  Fun, Love, and Football
2. Everything Changes
3. Just Sayin'
4. Sweet Like A Song
5. Mrs. In The Making
6. Established 2008
7. In the Queen City
8. Adventures of the Southern Wife
9. Pamela's Place
10. Life as Mrs.
11. A Sweet Simple Southern Life

 

 

 

 

Panthers Game

At the start of the year I created a 30 Before 30 List of tasks I wanted to complete before I turned 30. One of the items on the list was to attend a professional sporting event. You'd think this would be something we do regularly with two professional teams in town, but it's hard to justify when the teams don't have much to write home about. Just being honest here! Well, last Saturday evening our friend, Scott, called David and offered us two extra tickets to Panthers game against the Broncos. It was made even better when we confirmed our friends from Raleigh, Steve and Caroline, would be coming into town for the game.

Sunday morning we made our way downtown for a few hours of tailgating in the gorgeous North Carolina Fall weather. We munched on some Bojangles (a North Carolina MUST) and played cornhole while we readied ourselves for the game. It was great to catch up with Scott and Tiffany (and Scott's sweet mama who joined us as well!) and Steve and Caroline before the game.

A little before kick-off we headed down to Scott's awesome seats behind the Panthers' end zone. We had an incredible view of the field and game. The only thing that could have made the game better is if Cam Newton had decided not to be a big baby and actually play the game. The good news? We got to see Peyton Manning play!

Despite the pitiful loss it was an awesome game and we are grateful for such great times with great friends:-)

View from our seats

Greatest tailgating game invented.

A Wolfpack Win!

Happy Monday, folks! I don't know what the weather is like where you are, but it is dreadfully dreary here in North Cackalacki. Instead of dwelling on the details of yucky weather I'm going to reminiscence about our fabulous trip to Raleigh for a Wolfpack win!

We had grand intentions of rising bright and early on Saturday morning and accomplishing things around the house before we left for the game. I should put a large emphasis on "intentions" because our lazy bums slept in until 9:15! That is unheard of in the Mobley household, but was much needed after a long week that had both of us working late into the evening each day. When we finally did get out of bed we greeted the day with our usual Saturday breakfast of eggs and bacon before lounging around for a bit more.

When we finally did get our behinds in gear we set out for Raleighwood! It was a quick drive for me thanks to the nap I took between Winston-Salem and Mebane. I don't think David could say the same about the trip;-). We met his parents at their hotel and then we were off to tailgate! For those of you not familiar with football in the South, tailgating is half the experience. Getting out there hours early to sit, talk, drink, eat, play a few games, and just enjoy each other's company is what it's all about. We had quite the spread of food and were sure to pig out on ALL of it before entering the game for kickoff.

 Go Pack!

The Wolfpack dominated from the 6:00 kick-off until the bitter end! The final score was 31-7, with South Alabama scoring those 7 points at the end of the 4th Quarter when our second-string quarterback came in. It was a bit of a blow out, but fun for us fans! We ended up leaving halfway through the 4th Quarter thanks to a nasty headache coming on, but we were able to beat a lot of the traffic back. My sweet husband then loaded up on coffee and we hit the road again. As soon as he hit cruise control I was out like a light. Seems like I owe him quite a few turns at driving. . .

It was a great day had by all and we are excited to head back to Raleigh to cheer on the Wolfpack again!

Friday's Letters [09.07]

Happy Friday one and all!!

Dear County Fair, I am super excited to visit you this weekend. My only other fair experience has been the North Carolina State Fair, so my expectations of fair food and carnies are pretty high. 

Dear NC State football, Was last weekend a joke? I was so bored by the end of the HOUR LONG first quarter I could barely watch. Let's pick it up this week and show Connecticut who's boss.

Dear weekend, Thank you for arriving in such a timely manner. Want to talk to your fellow weekend friends about extending every weekend into a three-day weekend? I think the entire world would appreciate your sacrifice.

Dear body, You need to step up your game. This being absolutely exhausted all the time stuff has got to go! We're almost two full weeks into the swing of things, pick it up!

Thankful Thursday-For You

And I wonder, would I give my life
Could I make that sacrifice
If it came down to it
Could I take the bullet, I would
Yes I would, for you

-Keith Urban

I have much to be thankful for this week, as I do every week. Here is a list of all I am thanking God for today!

football season

It's backkkkkkkkk!

my hubby
His patience and support in the first few weeks of school have been absolutely incredible. I am so thankful for him!


my students
Their senses of humor and positive outlooks on life remind me not to take things so seriously.

co-workers
If it were not for these fabulous people my life would be a heck of a lot crazier! I'm so thankful for their support and realistic attitudes about life.

4 day work weeks
I think we can all get on board with this one! 

What are you thankful for this week?? 

Friday's Letters [08.31]

Happy Friday, folks!

Dear first week of school, You have been exhausting, but fulfilling. I am so excited to see what this school year and the students will bring!

Dear NC State, Tonight is the night. The big game all of us fans have been waiting eight months for. Please do not disappoint! The hubby and I are sad to miss seeing the game live, but there is no way we would make it to Atlanta in time for kick-off. We'll be cheering y'all on from the comfort of our couch. GO PACK!

Dear readers, I apologize for my horrible attention to this blog this past week. Things have been absolutely cray-cray in the Mobley house. I promise to do a much better job starting now! Oh, and be on the lookout for a giveaway coming soon:-)

Dear family and friends, Thank you so much for all the birthday love! It's hard to stop smiling when every time I turn around someone else is wishing me a happy birthday. Talked about being blessed! Thank you again for all the love.

Dear fall, Okay, I'm ready for you now. I fought long and hard to keep summer around but with the start of school I realized it was a lost cause. Bring on the cooler temps and pumpkin-flavored everything!

Friday's Letters [07.13]

Happy Friday! It's another wonderful day to link up with Adventures of Newlyweds

Dear beach, It's so nice to see you again. Did you miss me? I sure missed you.

Dear foot, You are so close to being healed, how about you go ahead and finish up? I'd really like to wear some of the cute shoes from the collection I've been amassing for years. You are making that quite difficult right now.

Dear country music, How do you always seem to know exactly what I'm thinking?? It's getting kind of spooky actually. Keep up the good work.

Dear football season, Oh, how we miss you! Just the knowledge of season tickets to NC State games is enough to have me counting down the days until your arrival.  My brand new red shorts are ready to go, you just need to do your part and get here. Appreciate it.

Dear Gap Outlet, Please stop having such rock star sales. My "fun money" account can only take so many hits. I mean 40% off clearance prices? You're killing me, Smalls.

Dear Friday the 13th, Last time you came to hang out with us we were in the middle of the school year and I was convinced you were going to make the children crazy. You managed to hold off on that. Thanks. Think you could keep the crazy travelers on the road from doing the same? My hubby would greatly appreciate it!

Boo's Big Weekend Part 2

I'm back with more details from Boo's Big Weekend! Sidenote: In case you were wondering who exacly "Boo" was, he is my (not so little anymore) brother. Boo has been his nickname since he was a kid. He won't admit but he loves it;-)

Saturday morning we were up and at 'em early again to head to the university graduation. Davido and I skipped this one when we graduated mainly because we just didn't see the point. We thought our departmental graduation would be more important. Due to the awesomeness of TJ, and the fact that is now a commissioned officer in the USMC, he was being honored at the ceremony. Of course we were going to go if he was being honored! The newly commissioned officers from all four branches were asked to stand at the beginning of the ceremony and the audience gave them a standing ovation. How neat is that?!? We were all so excited to see them recognized!

The ceremony dragged on after that. Since NCSU is such a large school they don't call the name of every undergraduate or masters student (thank heavens! The processional alone took over an hour), but they do call the names of those who received their doctorate. Rightfully so too. Those guys and gals worked their booties off!

Gotta keep that hat straight!

Hey, Ma! I'm on TV!

One of the more exciting parts of the three and a half hour long event (thank goodness for smartphones and iPads!) was getting to hear Phillip Rivers speak. P. Riv as I like to call my bud (no we have never actually met but I am quite certain we would get along very well if we ever did. . .) gave the commencement speech since he was a 2003 graduate of NCSU. It was a neat speech all about faith, family, and football-three of my most favorite things.

P. Riv!

Immediately following we skedaddled on back to campus for the departmental graduation. The emcee was a gregarious old professor who finished the ceremony with an experiment. I was quickly reminded with all the big words and equations why I did not do so well in Chem 101. . . One of the neatest parts of the ceremony was when they asked all the graduates to take a flower to the person in the audience who supported them the most in their tenure at NCSU. TJ chose the Momma and had her in tears.

 Momma and her Boo-man

I also can't forget to share that just prior to the ceremony Momma had a bit of a snafu. She thought we were going upstairs for the ceremony so when my dad went through a door she followed him without thinking. Well, she followed him right into the men's restroom. I was laughing so hard I almost wet my pants while waiting for the women's restroom.

Looking sheepish just after the event

Day 3 of the festivities continues tomorrow!

 

Giggles

A day without laughter is a day wasted.

-Charlie Chaplin

Who doesn't love laughing?? Show me someone who claims that don't enjoy laughing and I'll show you a liar. Everyone enjoys a good giggle now and then. One of my favorite qualities about my husband is his child-like outlook on things that always brings on a good laugh. That ability to find the humor in all situations in especially important when things get stressful, like life right now.

It's that time of year again for teachers. The "long haul". There are almost no days off until Spring Break which makes for very tired, overwhelmed teachers and students. We're also rapidly approaching our End of Grade tests. So, for those of you not in education just take my word for it when I say things are a bit cray-cray. Which is why it is essential to find the laughter in all situations. A few things that have me laughing right now. . .

David playing Monopoly on the iPad

Daisy snuggling up in bed with us like she is a real person

The Target ad for the release of "Breaking Dawn" on DVD. I mean I love the Twilight series as much as the next girl, but a formal invitation to purchase the DVD?? Give me a break.

An overheard comment that Valentine's Day had barfed all over Target.

The way David purposely says things wrong. It may be silly but it cracks me up every time!

Some people's intense superstitions for their teams about the Super Bowl this evening.

"Pinterest, You Are Drunk"  

A sampling. . .

Found with the caption-"never lose focus again". Definitely need this in my life to fight those bouts with ADD. Not!

You mean you don't make a face out of your cracker dip??

 Why choose one sandwich when you can have them all!

What has you giggling today??

Top 10 Reasons...I'm Ready For Fall

Now, I realize I fussed to no end about the cold weather, but I'm over the heat. Good heavens, I am over the heat! Don't get me wrong, I'm not ready for winter but I am ready for a change. Here is a list of reasons I am ready for fall:

10. Jeans and boots! I love getting out my comfiest pair of jeans and boots.

9. Leaves. There is not much better than crunching the leaves on a long walk.

8. North Carolina State Fair. Who doesn't love a good pig-out sesh while watching the tractor races? Some of my personal faves are: fried oreos, turkey legs, fried cheescake, funnel cakes-yum!

7. Turkey Day! Family, friends, food, and football? There's not much better than that list!

6. Cooler weather. I'm ready for a quick cool down without the arctic. I would adore the opportunity to not sweat the moment I step outside.

5. Carolina Renaissance Festival. This is one of my favorite parts of fall. Picture the State Fair during the 16th Century. All sorts of cuckoos come out dressed in their royal garb with their English accents ready for a good time. If you're near Charlotte October-November, make it a point to go!

4. School.  I know this sounds crazy, but I kinda miss it. I miss the routine. I miss the kids. I miss my coworkers. I'm ready to get back in the swing of things!

3. Yard work with the hubby. This will probably wear off pretty quickly, but I'm excited to spend Saturdays working outside with my love.

2. New things at church. We're kick starting the kid's ministry AND the Community Group's ministry-whoot whoot! I'm excited to see where God takes Hope Church!

1. Football!! I am so ready to spend Friday evenings, Saturdays, and Sunday afternoons watching the boys run around after that pigskin.

What are you looking forward to this fall??