#Snowklahoma STATE!

Ya'll, apparently we have been transported to Antarctica or something. Oklahoma has turned into a frozen tundra and is covered in ice/sleet/snow. We don't deal with this kind of weather in Oklahoma very well, so Thursday the office closed early, Friday we were off, Saturday half the state about 60,000 of us went to Stillwater, and again today church was closed. Since it still isn't above freezing and roads are a hot frozen mess, school is out for my brothers and all the surrounding schools tomorrow as well.

A lot has happened since we went bear hunting, so let's get to it.

Pre-Snowklahoma, in addition to celebrating Thanksgiving, I (1) got a lap full of Tate snuggles, (2) had a blast on a date downtown with Matt and (3) took my brother to work with me!

#MyLifeAsAuntieShae: Being Tater Bug's Human Mattress 

We dressed fancier than normal and went for a yummy dinner followed by watching some great football! #SweetLife

Kale came to work with me and volunteered! He got to meet my pal Bernie, too!

Then Oklahoma turned into a frozen tundra.

The nice thing about this is I had plenty of time to decorate for Christmas! I have two trees in my room this year - thankfully it's big enough to handle both of them! 

Dad cut a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree for me! | Our Elf on the Shelf, Chester, likes to "watch over" us...
Christmas decorations aren't complete until Santa Shae is out! | My other tree has plenty of ORANGE on it!

Since it's been so cold, I've been getting plenty of Molly snuggles, and anytime I've ventured out, I've worn Uggs and fleece lined leggings to keep toasty. At night, I've been extra thankful for my heated mattress pad (seriously, get yourself one) in these sub-freezing temperatures!

 

Saturday was Bedlam, the day that divides families and friends like nothing else. We braved the weather with layers upon layers of warmth to watch our Cowboys lose in a heartbreaker. All I have to say about this game and people's actions: no matter what team you support, don't be so mean. I saw things I was disappointed in on BOTH sides. Don't take everything so personally that is said about "your team." Don't trip the other team's players. Don't flip off the crowd when you're shown on the jumbo-tron. Also, I am proud to live in the land of the free and the home of the BRAVE where we are all able to support whatever team we like and enjoy football games in 10 degree weather. 

Matt & me
Matt, me, Kaden, Momma, Daddy and Kale

Church was cancelled due to inclement weather and hazardous road conditions, and cabin fever began to set in (yes I was out yesterday, but otherwise, since Thursday at 3, I've been online shopping in my sweats). Dad talked me in to going to check cattle with him, Kale and Hunter, so I pulled on a jacket and joined them. 

Left: target practice at the farm
Top: Daddy visiting with our donkey, Bugs
Bottom: cattle across the frozen pond

And now, as I'm writing this, since my brothers and cousins are out of school tomorrow, two of my little cousins just walked in the door. Hunter and Uncle Shawn have hung out with us most of the afternoon, but they brought Julie back to hang out, too. Julie came in wearing a mustache and I said "I mustache you a question!" I got blank looks from mom, Uncle Shawn and Julie, while Hunter excitedly responded "But I'll save it for later!!" Goodness I love these two kiddos. What a great way to end a blessed couple of weeks. My heart is full and happy.

Oh! And since it's about time for Christmas cards share your bloopers on Instagram! Cassie came up with the idea of sharing those not-so-cute, awkward and unplanned moments that won't make the final card cute but are still absolutely hilarious (at least for the rest of us!). Use #ChristmasCardBloopers2013 when you share on Instagram!

PS - for overwhelming cuteness, watch this video. Thanks Kristen for sharing!! Happy Monday!

Linking up with Sami

Bear Hunting

I had a feeling it was going to be a good weekend. After getting to hang out with stop by a food drive Desmond Mason was signing autographs at last week, I was just feeling the orange power :)

My Cowboys were overcoming the Corso Curse bear hunting playing Baylor on Saturday, so we headed to Stillwater to watch in the appropriately cold temps! I had FIVE layers of shirts/jackets on, two layers of pants, ski socks, boots, gloves, a scarf, somewhat working hand warmers, two layers of head wraps and I was STILL COLD. Oklahoma turned into Antartica on Friday evening and it just kept getting colder, I think. I did have two blankets, and we sat on one...but since we started out the game on a good note and I wasn't wrapped in blanket #2, I couldn't use it. It's only weird if it doesn't work, and obviously, it worked, because my Pokes WON! Such a great game and worth every second of shivering.

College Gameday was in town so of course we had to get a picture!

We LOVE seeing you in ORANGE, Collin!! :) 

This is about the time I decided I need a warmer jacket before we go skiing!

Yesterday was a snow/ice day so my family spent it playing Phase 10 and online shopping. I'm always a little amazed when there is no blood shed over a game of Phase 10 - my family is competitive and intense. After most of the afternoon and evening, the game was settled and Kaden won. The most satisfying part? Mom lost! :)

These aren't spirit fingers....

...THESE are spirit fingers!!

My weekend started out DARK and early on Saturday morning - I say dark rather than bright because at 5:45 a.m. it's still dark outside! The AmPo cheerleaders had a clinic/competition in Stillwater so we had to leave super early to get there on time. They did SO GOOD learning new cheers, practicing stunts and performing their competition cheer. And no...they don't do spirit fingers like that above...

After the clinic, we all walked over to OSU's beautiful Student Union for lunch, stopping for pictures along the way, of course. Just before we got to the Union, we ran into President & Mrs. Hargis, OSU's President and First Lady on their orange golf cart. After we took the picture below, Mrs. Hargis asked to get a picture of all the girls in their matching "Spirit Squad" t-shirts. 

Matt met up with us at the Union and we headed to the game. You guys, I've been extraordinarily forgetful when it comes to our football tickets this season for some reason. One game they were left in the car all the way across campus so we walked back for them, one day I just flat out left them at home, and one day I left them at home but since my parents hadn't left yet they were able to bring them up when they came. Well, this week I was DETERMINED to remember the tickets. I put them in my backpack with all my Saturday things the night before. Matt shot me a text in the morning before he left making sure I had the tickets. I laughed then replied that of course I had them. 

After the clinic was over, we all ran to the car to get ready. At that time, I tore the tickets out of their booklet, then packed the booklets back into the envelope and stuck it in my bag. Apparently, I also put the tickets in the envelope and just thought I had put them in my purse, because as we were sitting at the Union, about to go to the game, I went to take them out of my purse to show Matt I hadn't forgotten them...and they weren't there. I may be losing my brains. I was not about to walk all the way back across campus for the tickets. Thankfully(?), we knew the drill - show my ID at Will Call and they'll just reprint the tickets. In case anyone was wondering, the envelope with the tickets now is residing with Matt and he is responsible for them now. 

Anyway, the game was practically over the second it started when Justin Gilbert returned the kickoff for a touchdown. I did enjoy OSU's salute to veterans during their halftime show, and of course, recognizing Heisman winner Barry Sanders was neat, too. Anyway, it was a day in Stillwater with my favorite guy, so really can I complain about a boring win? 

Also, I've discovered every single picture we take looks almost exactly the same. We'll work on that. 

After the game, we headed to Lucille's, a yummy restaurant in a little town outside of Stillwater. We thought the group of mom + cheerleaders + Ratcliff family was right behind us...WRONG. I've never got so many angry "you reserved a table of 15 and your party still isn't here" looks in my life. Thankfully the restaurant wasn't overly busy so I didn't feel too bad. 

Sunday at church, my brothers sang in the youth choir to start the service and I sang during the service. We then enjoyed a delicious lunch at my Grandma & Granddad's house...then I went home and put on the warmest clothes I could find and enjoyed the rest of a relaxing day snuggling with my Molly Bug! So thankful for such a blessed weekend! 

linking up with Sami!

Football Q&A with Lori Jo

Today's installment of Football Q&A features my best friend & the other half of my brain - my twin, Lori Jo. Lori is Baby Tate's mommy, Minco's cheer coach, and unfortunately an OU fan. We can't all be perfect. Just to spite her, and because crimson ugly colors aren't allowed on Sprinkles & Glitter, Lori's answers are in orange! My comments are in pink. 

Q1: When OU isn't playing, how do you decide who to cheer for?

I tend to watch anyone ranked higher. Rooting for upsets so OU can move up the rankings (given that OU pulls a win that week!) We all know how hard that is for them. 

Q2: If you played football, what position would you play? Why?

Cheerleader. Duh. (Cheerleading needs to be a recognized position as our amazing influence on crowd involvement can motivate a team to victory!) 

 Q3: What is the proper football game watching attire - a) at the game and b) at home?

A) comfortable shoes (crimson or cream) with an adorable team related shirt. Scarves, bags & team specific jewelry always a must! Don't forget your tickets!

B) team related shirt with OU sweatshirt blanket! (Beer in OU koozie!)

Q4: How do the first down lines appear on the field when you're watching the game on TV?

Invisible yellow line placed by magic football fairies. When you cross it golden glitter flies into the air. (#getonmylevel) I love this theory. 

Q5: Who is your favorite OU football player and why? Do you have a favorite OSU player, so you can be compared to other answering? :)

current OU football player is Roy Finch #22. He's a little guy who I think can run like the wind. I feel he doesn't get optimal playing time but when he is put into the game is gives 110%. Past players? Josh Heupel #14. One of the most intelligent QB's ever. Being that his dad is a football coach he knows the game inside & out. I also love that he stayed at the university as the QB coach. :) If I had to pick an OSU player it would be Cooper Bassett. Local small town kid. I have yet to hear anyone say a bad thing about on & off the field. Good choice! Go Cooper! 

Q6: What is your favorite part of being at an OU game?

Atmosphere. You are among your Sooner family! Aaaand tailgating! Can I get a BOOMER?? NO. No you cannot. ORANGE POWER!!! :) (PS my computer tried to change that B word to <word deleted due to profanity>. Be thankful I let it appear.)

Q7: Name 3 formations teams line up in on offense: 

Shotgun, wishbone (hello Switzer like invented it. Ok maybe just perfected it) annnnnnd let's go with punt. Haha

Q8: What are 5 possible penalties? 

face mask, offsides, pass interference, block in the back, horse collar

Q9: Who is the best current NFL QB? Why? 

Duh. Sam Bradford. Haha I do like Peyton Manning though.

Q10: What will OSU's final ranking be? OU's? Who will win the BCS?

I have no idea. It could be anyone. If I had to choose I'd say Alabama (Roll Tide!)

Any other info you want to add?

Idk. It was a long night. My brain hurts from being awesome at work...

Are you all surprised we're best friends given that she likes the other team so much? Yeah, me too, but like I said, we can't all be perfect! :) Hahaha, just kidding, Twin!!

And now, it's time to beat Lamar! GO POKES!

Football Q&A with Kaden & Kale

For round 2 of Football Q&A, I interviewed my younger brothers. They play basketball and show steers, and Kale plays baseball too. Kale's answers are in orange, Kaden's answers are in green. My comments are in pink.

Kale (left) is 12 and loves football, plays baseball & basketball, and shows steers. Kaden is 15, plays basketball & shows steers, and is the biggest goober I know. :) 

Q1: You're both OSU fans, right? (right!) Good, otherwise I would disown you both, and you've got birthdays coming up so you better be good :) When OSU isn't playing, how do you decide who to cheer for?
I just cheer for whoever's winning. 
I cheer for whoever has the flashiest uniforms.

Q2: If you played football, what position would you play? Why?
I would be...Cooper Bassett's position. Because I could tackle people and fight for the ball. (Good role model!).
The Prancing Panther. Yes, it's made up. Honey Badger ain't got nothin' on the Prancing Panther.

Q3: What is the proper football game watching attire - a) at the game and b) at home?
I'd wear somebody's jersey to the game and keep it on until I got home. I'd wear just regular old clothes if I was watching at home and cheer real loud...but not loud enough to make the doorbell ring (our doorbell goes off if it gets too loud in a room - basically any time we watch football or basektball). 
At a game you should wear an NHL hockey jersey with an NBA hat and basketball shoes, carrying a hockey stick and Adidas socks. And Under Armor underwear. If I'm at home is a pair of hoop shoes, some shorts, an the opponent's jersey. (Guys, I apologize for him... I'm not sure we're related.)

Q4: How do the first down lines appear on the field when you're watching the game on TV?
The people make it to where you can see the first down with computers and technology. 
Morgan Freeman hires magical elves to put them down every down. They don't get paid. They just do it because hearing Morgan Freeman's voice is enough pay. 

Q5: Who is your favorite OSU football player and why?
Kendall Hunter & Cooper Bassett. Cooper because I know him and he got my football signed for my birthday and Kendall Hunter because he is a running back. 
I like Marcus Smart. Cause he embodies defense so well. No wait, my favorite is KD. For the same reason. (At least he has played flag football on OSU's campus before, right?)

Q6: What is your favorite part of OSU games?
Seeing football being played and watching Bullet run out. 
When they dribble the ball and pass it to the first baseman for a home run KO.

Q7: Name 3 formations teams line up in for offense:
Normal, I think Hail Mary and 4 verticals. They're all on my Playstation game. 
The Kindling Mountain Lion, The Fierce Butterfly and the Ever-So-Ferocious Puppy. 

Q8: What are 5 possible penalties?
face mask, offsides, delay of game, holding and chop block
Not rocking that headband right, not having enough swerve (as he shakes his hips), those shoes do NOT go with that helmet, illegal signaling from the coach and not enough celebration. 

Q9: Who is the best current NFL QB? Why?
I wanna say Peyton Manning or RG3 is pretty good too...
Cooper Bassett. Because he's got that...IT. He can do it. He can go the distance. 

Q10: What will OSU's final ranking be? Who will win the BCS?
Hopefully in the top 10, um, about 6 or 5. And Notre Dame or Alabama cause they've been the best lately. 
Final ranking will be... .99832 (so, first?). I think Prarie View A&M will win the BCS. 

Any other info you want to add, brothers?
Um, not really.
I'm Batman (well at least it's not Ben Affleck? I thought you were the Prancing Panther, though?).

Football Q&A with Matt

Since fall football season is officially here, I decided to ask a few of my favorite people some fun football related questions. Up first: Matt, my football-loving boyfriend who knows everything there is to know about the game (and I'm now exaggerating an ounce). For this one, I'll give my answers too. Matt's answers are in blue and mine are in pink.

Q1: We're both OSU fans, right? (right!) Good. When OSU isn't playing, how do you decide who to cheer for?
Whoever is playing OU. If OU isn't playing, I pick the opponent of the Big 12 team closest to OSU in rankings.
Texas. Or if OU is playing, I'll cheer for their opponent unless it's someone I don't like, like Les Miles. Mostly though, I just pick the best uniforms/colors. 

Q2: If you played college football, what position would you play? Why?
Fullback. Cause that's the position I know how to play.
The kicker, because I have great kicks. And Dan Bailey and Quinn Sharp played in the NFL right?

Q3: What is the proper football game watching attire - a) at the game and b) at home?
Shorts and a college t-shirt...for both. Athletic shoes to the game, flip flops at home. 
At the game, something like jeans, nice boots, nice shirt and jacket if it's cold. If it's warm, a dress. At home, if I'm at my house, sweats. Something orange regardless! 

Q4: How do the first down lines appear on the field when you're watching the game on TV?
Lawrence Taylor comes out and draws them every time. He's gotta make money somehow. (I think he's kidding.)
There are LEDs in the field that light up magically, right? Just kidding. The gremlins run across the field and draw them really quick. KIDDING AGAIN. It's the munchkins in the TV. 

Q5: Who is your favorite OSU football player and why?
Brad Girtman...apparently he's the only one good enough to get paid to play. (Weirdo. #iRideWithTheCowboys)
I think Barry Sanders is probably the best from what I understand. But Justin Blackmon made that really good catch at the Fiesta Bowl so I'm going to go with him.

Q6: What is your favorite part of OSU games?
Sitting by my girlfriend! Shae, delete that! As boring as it is, watching the game is the best part. 
The atmosphere! Nothing beats Boone Pickens Stadium!

Q7: Name 3 formations teams line up in for offense:
Pistol, wildcat and wishbone
Shotgun, pistol and the diamond. 

Q8: What are 5 possible penalties?
Holding, offsides, face mask, encroachment, false start.
Roughing the passer, block in the back, defensive pass interference, delay of game, illegal hands in the face

Q9: Who is the best current NFL QB? Why?
Peyton Manning. Enough said. 
I think Peyton Manning is good. Didn't he score like 7 TD's last week? I need him on my fantasy team in week 4. 

Q10: What will OSU's final ranking be? Who will win the BCS?
(makes duck face) Fifteen. Alabama.
I think we'll be like 7. And probably Alabama will win. Again. 

Bonus: Who's going to win your week 4 fantasy match up, and why? What does the loser have to do?
I will. Gronkowski. You have to watch 3 scary movies when I win. You said boy movies! Oh!! The ante's been upped! I'm surprised you caught that. Ehh okay boy movies is good enough. 
I'm winning it, even if I have to PAY someone. And WHEN I win, we are having a chick flick marathon day. 

Any other info you want to add, Matt?
I'm making a bold prediction. Les Miles will no longer be coaching at LSU with 3 years. That's just long enough for the NCAA to poke their heads around, investigate and nail LSU and Coach Miles. He'll find a job, it'll be at some podunk Western Kentucky, Idaho State or Popcorn U.

Labor Day Weekend...a little late

Yes, thank you, I do realize Labor Day weekend ended 3 days ago, but I've been a busy girl and I'm just now turning on my computer to do anything except work.work.work. #PGP, major.

My weekend happiness was centered around the success of the QB situation the Choo Choo Train the Walshing Machine the OSU defense. That's right, there's no way I was missing the first game!

Even though Molly didn't go to the game, she supported the Pokes from the comfort of her corner of the couch, wearing orange and white, of course.

Matt rented a car for us to drive down to Houston, so after picking up the car (and one for my parents to drive, but more on that later)  bright & early Friday morning, we started south! Of course, we didn't even make it to WinStar the Texas border before I had to stop to get a drink, and it wasn't too long after that time that I started side eye-ing Matt needing a bathroom break. But, we finally made it across the Texas border and stopped at the most delicious place on earth - Chickfila - for lunch. Because clearly there were no other options in Texas like in-and-out burger.

Obligatory "drive friendly, the Texas way" sign pic.

After finally making it to Houston (I slept a lot of the way so really I shouldn't complain), we went to the Galleria and again ate a place we could get in OKC - Raisin' Caines. In  my defense, I hadn't ever tried it and the other option was Chili's. The sauce was amazing, though. 

My family finally got to H-town around 3:00 a.m. They had to go to work/school (ha!) and then stopped outside of Dallas to pick up my mom's new car! We sold my jeep a few weeks ago, she gave me her jeep (upgrade!) and she got a giant Ford Expedition. It's super nice. Anyway, their 3 am arrival meant they woke me up from a nice sleep so I could let them into the hotel. Sorry to anyone who might have caught me dragging through the lobby in my sweats looking like a rag doll. 

On Saturday, we woke up bright and early to get burgers at Lankford Grocery, recommended by my high school ag teacher. Mom got a burger that was so hot I thought she was going to cry, Kaden got one with mac & cheese on it, Cindy got one with Fritos on it, and mine was just so big that I barely ate half. Everyone else got chicken or hot dogs. 

Lankford Grocery was featured on Diners, Drive Ins & Dives! We knew it had to be good.

My brothers dressed alike. How cute.

We met a group of Miss St. fans at lunch, and one of them brought over his cow bell from college. Clearly, I had to take a Pistols Firing pic with it!

The first Mississippi State fans we ran into were still sober at noon on gameday. I didn't know the SEC allowed that. :)

As we were leaving lunch, we realized dad had officially broken in mom's less-than-24-hours-old car. He parked on the wrong side of the street/going the wrong direction, and got a ticket.

We finally got to the game and headed up to our seats, but were stopped before making it all the way up the escalators...they needed to fill seats on the first level, and we were upgraded! Now we must pause for picture overload from the OSU game...

Matt & I had our pistols firing | Cheering on the Cowboys with Daddy
Spark + Cowboy Football = AdvoCare Texas Kickoff Classic | The view from our upgraded seats!

Sheriff Gundy after the win | I got to see Caylee & Maureen!
After the game with mom | Dad needed some Spark

After the game we ate at Pappadeaux and headed back to the hotel. On Sunday, we went back to the Galleria before heading home. I got a cute pink owl phone case, which of course I haven't taken a picture of yet. #BloggerFail Just think Jess's Bunny Case (from New Girl), and imagine it being a pink owl. That's what it looks like. After shopping a while, we headed back home.

Yay for a fun weekend! Boo for a long drive home! | What a beautiful sunset to come home to!

Bonus Weekend Day Monday was filled with family and fun - the Kennedy side of the family came over for lunch, swimming and horse riding, then we went over to Aunt Kandi's for dinner. 

Such a great weekend. So much fun, so much family, so much ORANGE. I just love fall. 

PS - my weirdo cousin Mag will soon be blogging over at Chasing Squirrels. Follow her and love her. 

Thank Goodness for an Assistant Coach!

Remember that time I talked about my fantasy football draft? And then I gave a mini update saying they weren't doing very good? And then I posted one more update saying I was doing very terrible and never spoke of my team again?

Well, I'm going to update one more time because even though I was in 8th place going into the last night of the season, I somehow managed to save myself and not lose I gained an assistant coach, aka my boyfriend Matt, halfway through the season who saved the day and helped me move up two spots!

While I might not have drafted well, I have no regrets of drafting #Weeden2Blackmon even if they didn't get to stay on my roster long after my Assistant Coach started helping - something about they weren't scoring and keeping them in my starting lineup was causing me to lose.

In the end, my team didn't look much like the one I drafted to start off with, but I did get 125.32 points in the final game...quite a change from the 64.02 I started the season off with. I've already told Matt I plan to do much better next year, especially now that I know about things like the waiver wire (yeah, he taught me about that somewhere around week 9, and my points went up drastically).

Brandon & Justin, you're still my favorite fantasy picks, even if you were a slight mistake. Just be understanding if I don't pick you next year, please. Matt told me it isn't allowed.

PS: Congrats to my Matt on winning your league :) {sorry I cropped your face out.}

Only 221 days until college football, aka my favorite. Go Pokes!