Words can not say enough...

OHHHHHH YEEEAAAAH!

Big 10 & Big 12 Kick-off!!

Anyone ready for BASKETBALL! Enough said! Let the hoops begin!

TAKE THAT, Nebraska!

Revenge is SO DAMN sweet compared to last year's rivalry game. I am SO happy that they BLEW them away - 65 to 51. What an awesome game!

It's TOO damn cold out!!

In fact, it did not reach ABOVE zero today. NADA!! It was really damn cold. All I could think about while I was in the car was thought of somewhere warm....like the tropics or Hawaii. Ahhhhhh. (Daydreaming over...reality BITES!)

Well, this morning I decided to get up early and drive over the TNT Kick-off party to support the new and returning TNT people getting ready for the Spring/Summer season events. While I was there, I saw Mike, who's the new assistant coach for the Triathon team getting ready for the Lifetime Fitness Tri in July, and said "Hello!" I think I might shocked when I called him by his blogger nickname, but it was good thing I wore my Firefly sweatshirt today under my TNT stuff. I also saw old running coaches, a few former teammate and fellow alumni, and a few more people that I knew there. It was very fun and inspirating to attend another Kick-off event. It has only been 3 weeks since the half-marathon. I had to hold back my tears when I watched the father of one of the honorees speak. She's only 4 years old now so it really hit me hard because she's my youngest daughter's age. After all of the speeches, I left because I only came for support and not signed up for an event. I headed to the grocery store to stock up on food. I really HATE shopping during the day especially on a Saturday. I prefer the night after 11:00 PM at the grocery store. SO quiet and you can actually walk through the aisle without ramming into people.

After I headed home, I sat out at home for about an hour or so before getting ready for work..and staying warm. This is one of those days where I am SO happy to be working at a fixed desk in the Minneapolis campus vs. in the St. Paul and running around building to building in the cold. Ahhhhhhh! How relaxing! But I have piled the list of people who I really feel sorry for in this AWFUL cold weather.

1. Mailman (especially the ones that walk through routes in the cities)
2. Firemen (I have vivid memories of my dad coming home after fire calls in this type of cold. Brrrrr!)
3. Police Officers (If you get caught speeding or under the influence today in this cold and they have to get out of their warm car, YOU WILL GET A TICKET! It's an unwritten LEO rule. Do not pass go and THEY will collect $200. Trust me! Sorry!)
4. Utility workers
5. Security Officers (especially if they have go hourly exterior patrols. Brrrrrr!)
6. Doormen at fancy hotel or nice condos (Please tip him for braving the weather!)
7. Highway Helper People (They are really doing a service to help you out when you are stranded.)
8. Tow Truck Guys (Having to jumpstart all of those cars in this cold. I do not envy them one bit!)
9. EMS driver and Paramedics (They have to drive this, go in and out of buildings to help people...that's enough!)

On a happy note, I am SO thrilled that my Colorado Buffs WON today against a high ranked team, Oklahoma State, by 12 POINTS. We were up by 33 at the half, but cut the lead a little bit. It was a nailbiter at the end, but WE WON! There is hope in the world. I hope this lasts! Air Force Falcons also SLAMMED Wyoming today by 45 points. It's a good sports day in Colorado. But PLEASE do NOT ask about the Avs...trust me! **sigh**

Tommorow's the BIG GAME. Still do not know what I am doing yet. Will wait and see.

I am going to be eating ALOT of crow today...

...after my Buffs LOST to the Kansas Jayhawks. The loss was not too bad, but still bad enough. I guess that teaches me a lesson to keep my mouth shut about other teams....until AFTER the games. In fact, this weekend is a huge weekend of rivalries. Tommorow will be my third and final games during the month of January to seal the deal with my friend, Chris, and his Red Wings. Hopefully he will nice, if I lose, and not have to run in the snow especially with my knee right now. But I am hoping to win anyway. We can not get together tommorow afternoon anyway because he works at a VERY nice hotel as the general manager and has VIP's checking in (the Phoenix Suns to be exact), which he needs to be tending to. It is very understandable, but he's aware that he still have a bet to tend to as well. He's a very busy guy at times, but loves hockey season because of these awesome bets. Right now, I am still taking it easy. It is getting easier to sit still because of the colder weather, which is NOT fun for running in. I just hope that this cold snap ends before my next trip to Chicago in two weeks. I do not want to be walking in the cold and prefer something a little bit more warmer. I also hope that the knee gets better so I can be able to do that as well. That's all for now.

Blogger friends, I thought with the holidays underway I would be fine. Ah.....I was wrong. SO WRONG! I went to the mall tonight with my husband to get some candle holders at Michael's. He wanted to go walk around the mall for a little bit to walk off his dinner. Well, I purchased some Bavarian pecans because I could smell the scent of cinnamon in the air. As I was purchasing a small of the pecans, I heard a sound from a piano in the background. My husband was sitting on a bench near the piano. Then we started walking to a booth near the piano and the need to go home increased. My husband started talking to me, pointing out that the piano players playing "The Wind Beneath My Wings" and then asked what's wrong With tears in my eyes, I told him I wanted to leave NOW. He then asked me why I was crying. Then he thought it was due to the holiday and the pain of my dad's passing especially with his birthday's on Monday. He would have been 55 on Monday. Silently, I knew it was more than just that. Yes, I do miss my dad and the fact that he has been gone over 1 1/2 years. It is combination of this pain and the current dilemma with my husband and add the holidays - WHAM! Turn on the water faucets - full blast! I keep reading about Mouse's struggle with her mother's passing with the upcoming holidays and I thought it would easier for me. Ah....no! So far, It has not. I feel like a vase with a large crack trying to hold myself together until the next therapy session on Monday. I am trying to stay strong, but feel the crack getting deeper and deeper right now. I am hoping to find the proper glue to hold myself together and fix the crack. Well, we started walking away from the music and toward the other side of the mall. When we came across the pet store, we looked at the cats and dogs. I came across these cute male pugs. After we left the mall, we had dinner at Applebees and then headed for home. Before this episode, I woke up this morning and headed to the gym for 60 minutes on the eliptical machine. It felt good to be on there. I iced my ankle afterwards. After getting something to eat, I sat near my computer to watch the Colorado Buffalos and (damn) Nebraska Cornhuskers. Things were going well until the 2nd half the game and then it went downhill from there. They ended up losing anyway. Oh well. Tommorow's another day of cross-training and back to work for ONE DAY. Then my usual weekend starts. Today's work-out 60 minutes - Eliptical machine 6.04 miles 710 calories 9:56/mile - WOW!