Show Us Your Life ~ Team Traditions

I was born a Red Raider...Literally it's in my blood. haha! My mom graduated from Tech. Growing up we went to Lubbock fairly often to visit her former college roommates and we always visited the campus. So if I wasn't born with it, I was brainwashed...or so I like to tease my mom. The funny thing is my cousin Mandy and I always rooted for Tech with my mom, even when most of our family weren't Tech fans, and now they have all come over to our side...Well all but a few who remane nameless...Ahem!



Also, Tech will always hold a special place in my heart, because that is where my husband and I dated and fell in love...We had many of our engagement pictures taken on campus.



So here are my favorite traditions from my team and school. I included some of the school as well, because there are a few that make it stand out to me. (For those of you Tech Alum that read this I hope it is a sweet little trip down memorey lane!)

1. Tech Football Games - They are so crazy, particularly if you sit in the student section...It's definitely the best seat (or place to stand) in the house! I miss it dearly, however I still love going!



2. Rivalry with Texas and A&M...Most fans and alum of the formerly mentioned schools will not agree that there is a rivalry here, but they certainly get all riled up about trying to beat us each year, and very mad when they don't!



3. Masked Rider - What an awesome symbol, and I love to see him ride out each game leading our team on the field!




4. Raider Red - Another fantastic mascot! I got a picture with him at Carol of Lights one year and surprised my mom with it!



5. Texas Tech Architechture - Some might not agree witht his being a tradition, but if you have ever stepped foot on the campus or seen the football stadium you have to beg to differ... I love that they have maintained the integrity of the campus and so many of the buildings have a common Spanish architechural theme. It really unites them and looks so beautiful. I always used to tease my mom when I was in college because she wanted to go and walk or drive around campus. Last time we wvisited I apologized to her because I suddenly felt a little old when we drove by the front entrance, and I had this urge to take a walk down memory lane...Oh how times change! :-)





6. Will Rogers Statue - The back of the horse of this statue was measured to face exactly between UT and A&M...Love it! Another funny story about this statue...When we were freshmen my husband and his roommate tried to crawl up there in the middle of winter to get their picture and froze themselves trying to get up there...haha!



7. Lubbock, a college town - One of the first things I noticed when I visited Tech the fall before I went there was how much the town supports the school...There is red & black and double T's everywhere you go. The car dealerships even shut down on Saturdays during home games!

8. Wrapping the campus and Will Rogers- It was always fun to see the red and black streamers the Saddle Tramps (one of the spirit groups for you non Tehc people) all over campus the day before a home game!



9. Victory Bells - Whenever Tech wins the game at home or away, the victory bell in the top of the administration building rings for 30 minutes to celebrate the win.



10. Guns Up - Our saying and pride in Red Raiderland!


11. Homecoming - We have an awesome bonfire (no it doesn't compare to all other schools) but it is big and fun nonetheless) the night before the game. Also from the bonfire sight you can see one of the dorms has a tradition to turn on/off their lights so that when you look at the rooms fron outside it looks like a double T. And a fun parade the next morning too that I got to participate in during college.





12. Carol of Lights - This is not necessarily a team tradition, but it is definitely a school tradition, and I would feel awful to leave it out, as it is one of my favorite. The first Saturday during December everyone gathers in the quad and entrance to the school and all the light s are turned off so it is completely black except for one spotlight which focuses on giant wreath on the chemistry building where the choir sings beautiful Christmas hymns. Then the lights are turned off, and suddenly the entire quad and entrance are illuminated with Christmas lights! It is such a beautiful thing to see! So romantic...There is always a proposal or two and it is so fun to see little kids faces. Jason and I have shared so many amazing memories here, and I can't wait to take our kids someday!





The last one is a personal tradition my husband and I have that helps us to remember and cherish all of our Tech Traditions each holiday. We had always said that we wanted a Texas Tech Christmas tree. So the Christmas before we got married my husband bought the four official ornaments from Texas Tech for the years we went to school together there. We have continued to purchase the ornaments throughout the years, and have planned to go back and start from the first one someday. Each ornament bears a symbol of Tech such as the fight song, alma mater or a special building on campus...and we enjoy the hunt during our later football games to locate the official ornament for that year!



If that's not enought for you, here's a great link from the school that talks a little more about some great traditions around campus!

Tech Traditions

I am so excited to head to a few more games this year and keep these traditions alive!

Show Us Your Life ~ Favorite Desert Recipes

My husband has made both of these so I can't take the credit, but I can sure help eat it! haha! One is easy as pie...The other one is more work, but worth the wait!

Butterfinger Ice Cream Delight

We just made this to take to a game watching party! It is one of the most delicious, easy to make desserts I've ever had! My aunt even said it almost felt sinful to eat! I don't have a picture of this one but here are the steps:

1. Place ice cream sandwiches in a glass backing dish.
2. Cover with whip cream and smooth out.
3. Cover with Chocolate syrup.
4. Chop up a few Butterfinger candy bars into tiny bits. Sprinkle the Butterfinger bits across the top.
5. Let sit in the freezer for a few hours and then serve!

We had this at a family member's house and couldn't get over how amazing it tasted! Enjoy!

Cheesecake Balls


My husband watched some one make these on the Food Network when we were dating and then surprised me with them one Valentine's Day!

1. Bake a regular cheesecake following the instructions of your favorite cheesecake recipe. (The Serendipity cookbook has a great one!)
2. Once the cheesecake has set use a cookie or ice cream scoop to mold the cheesecake into a round ball shape.
3. Dip the cheesecake in chocolate (We've used both white, milk, and dark chocolate before, and then in your favorite topping...Nuts, Oreos, chocolate chips, etc.)
4. Place on a baking sheet, for ease of eating you can put a lollipop stick in the middle and place in the fridge to harden. (You can also wait for the first layer to harden a little and then drizzle another type of chocolate on top!)

Baby Shower Ideas ~ Kelly's Korner Show Us Your Life

Today on Kelly's Korner, Show Us Your Life, is Baby Shower Ideas! I threw a baby shower for one of my best friends Kacie last October and had so much fun!

We hung onesies and baby clothes/socks from the mantle. I also made letters for Rylee's name that they could use in the baby's nursrey afterwards. I bought the letters at Hobby Lobby and then decopauged them using scrapbook paper and painted them on the side.

My amazing husband made the cake!

I also made onesie cookie favors with Rylee's name and due date.

My cousin and I have made a few diaper cakes for friends in the past...This one turned out really cute I thought!

I also used a 4-d sonogram they had done as a picture for a guestbook, which people signed as they came in and dropped off their gifts.

Getting rid of the dinosaurs...Feedback wanted!

We went yesterday to look at new cell phones...I must admit our phones are OLD! The funny thing is that Jason and I both have the same phone in different colors and we got them before we started college...Yes that means our phones are 6 years old. I know it's ridiculous. But newly married and saving for a house is what we've been. Now we're in the house and excited to get rid of our dinosaur phones.

We are definitely sticking with Sprint, because so many of our family and friends are on it, and we've had fairly good service. Jason had a phone in mind that one of his coworker's had gotten. I didn't want anything too fancy, but after seeing it I think I might be hooked as well. I told him he can't be the only one with the cool phone cause then I'll be jealous later. And judging by our history with phones, who knows when we'll get new ones again. Haha! Anyways, I came home and read some reviews that make me leery of the phones I was interested in...Sooooo....

What phone do you have? Do you love it, hate it? What do you like or dislike about it? Would you recommend it? Feedback is greatly appreciated!!!

Here are the three I was looking at, but I'm open to other possibilities...

PalmPre... Sprint's latest version of the IPhone (This is the one Jason wants)...Can run multiple applications at once, but many reviews say battery power is not that good...Anyone have one of these?



Samsung Rant


LG Rumor 2

Show Us Your Life ~ Fav Vaca Spot!

So I am really excited about this week! We didn't really take a vacation this summer, because all our time and money went into our house! It is so nice to have it done and be able to relax in it though! However, we are hoping to plan a big trip this next summer and are looking for ideas...We want to go somewhere where we probably wouldn't take kids and somewhere that would not be a quick couple getaway later either. Our dream ideas are Hawaii and Europe. I've also seen some pictures of St. Lucia that look very appealing as well! What are your suggestions?

I kinda gave away my favorite vacation spot in the last Show Us Your Life Post but I'll put a little more detail in this one.

My favorite spot we went was Roatan Island in Honduras. The beach there was the most beautiful beach we went to! The sand was white and so soft under your feet! The water was turquoise and crystal clear when looking down. It was so beautiful to be surrounded by giant rocks on one side and the beach on the other. The ocean was so calm there, and it was so peaceful and relaxing to just hang out in the water and on the beach!

Show Us Your Life ~ Wedding Receptions and Honeymoons

This week on Show Us Your Life at Kelly's Korner is Wedding Receptions and Honeymoons! To participate or check out the rest go to http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/2009/08/show-us-your-life-wedding-receptions.html

We had so much fun at our wedding reception and were so glad to hear later that our friends and family did to celebrating with us! Our reception was at Diamond Oaks Country Club. They have a beautiful reception hall that looks out over the golf course and has an amazing chandelier!





We continued our color scheme of black, ivory/white, and various shades of pinks and deep reds. The table linens were black with white napkins and chair covers. One of my favorite things to find/plan were the table centerpieces. We had four different ones featuring different flower and candle arrangements, many with beautiful red glass.



1st Dance to "Time After Time" by Frank Sinatra

Centerpieces

The Cake Guys of Cedar Hill did our cakes and they were as beautiful as they were tasty! Jason's groom cake featured a Double T! We continued our monogram motif on the bride's cake as well as cookie favors which my cousins made for me through their former business, Love Bucket Cookies.

Our DJ was awesome. We played a lot of classics and romantic songs during dinner and then a lot of great dance music and oldies and a little country. We had so much fun dancing the night away. Before we left all of our families and friends made a circle around us and we did the chicken dance and hokey pokey...That was one of the funniest memories we have!At the end of the night I was so sad to leave...It was so perfect I didn't want the moment to end. It was such a blessing to to have all of our family and friends there to celebrate our new life together! But...we were off to our honeymoon.

Jason planned our honeymoon. I knew we were going on a cruise through the Caribbean, but I didn't know what we were doing the 2nd week. When we got in the limo he told me that we were going to New York City and he had gotten tickets to Chorus Line and Cinderella American Ballet Theatre...I screamed and started crying...He knows me so well!

The first week was awesome...We went to Grand Cayman and snorkeled there and enjoyed cheese burgers in Margaritaville! We also went horseback riding in Honduras...It was supposed to be super romantic, but my horse hated Jason's and constantly tried to bite everyone...It was pretty traumatic, but the beach there was the most beautiful! We went cave tubing in Belize, again somewhat traumatic (we saw a giant spider right when we went into the dark of the cave) but floating the river afterwards was great! We spent our last day relaxing on the beach in Costa Maya Mexico. The food on the boat was amazing and we had an amazing couples massage as well!

Roatan Island, Honduras...Amazing Beach!

Cave Tubing in Belize!

We enjoyed so many amazing sunsets on our cruise from our balcony room and on deck!

In New York we toured all the sights and ate at some amazing places including Tavern on the Green and Serendipity! The last night we were there was July 4th so we got to watch the fireworks on the river...It was the perfect ending to the most amazing start to our new life together!

Carriage ride through Central Park!

Dinner at Tavern On the Green in the Crystal Room

Fireworks on the River in NYC!

Here's a schedule of Kelly's Korner future Show Us Your Life if you want to participate...

SCHEDULE
Friday, August 14 - Show us your favorite vacation spot

Friday, August 21- Show us baby shower ideas (ones you have had, hosted or been to)

Friday, August 28- Show us wedding shower ideas (ones you have had, hosted or been to)Friday, Sept 4 - Show us your favorite school pictures from when you were growing up

Friday, Sept 11 - Show us your favorite Go To dinner recipe (we can all get new ideas!)

Friday, Sept 18 - Show us your favorite Dessert recipe

Friday, Sept 25 - Show us your baby gear - what you recommend and what you wouldn't buy if you had to do it all over again

Friday, Oct 1 - Show us some of your favorite places/sights in your town (great way to see the world from your own home)

Friday, Oct 9 - Show us your PETS

Friday, Oct 16 - Show us your Halloween Costumes (past or present)

Show Us Your Life ~ Wedding Day

This week at Kelly's Korner Show Us Your Life is Show Us Your Wedding Party and Flowers...To Check out more beautiful wedding days visit http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/2009/07/show-us-your-life-wedding-party-and.html. This would be a fantastic resource for bride to bes to get amazing ideas!

We were married on June 23,2007 at Birdville Baptist Church. I had lots of fun doing lots of research and finding things I loved and figuring out how to copy them or make them myself.


We wanted to be married in a very traditional church but also one that was meaningful to us. We were married in my grandfather's church and his grandad performed our ceremony!




Our colors were black, ivory, and shades of red and pink. I wanted my bridesmaids to feel comfortable in their dresses and be able to wear them again, if they wanted, so I asked them to choose a black long satin gown from David's Bridal. I loved how each girl's style and personality came through in their dress!


We were honored to have our family, childhood friends, and college roommates stand by our side on our special day!


The flowers we used were varying shades of pink, reds, and whites in roses, peonies, hydrangeas, calla lillies and stephanotis. Each bridesmaid carried a different color bouquet of roses and the bouquets cascaded to a lighter shade as they each entered. I had some peonies in my bouquet and they have continued to be my favorite flower! I had our florist add calla lillies to my maid of honor's bouquet to make it stand out and be a little more special. The guy's boutonnieres coordinated with the girl they walked down and my husband's was an ivory calla lilly and stephanotis. We used hydrangeas to adorn the aisle pews.






We also featured our monogram on many parts of the wedding, including our unity candle, programs, and a runner we made for the church. I really wanted a runner, but they are incredibly expensive, so I ordered canvas from a fabric store and painted it with my maid of honor. We ordered silk rose petals and it turned out so beautiful!




I also made the programs with the help of my mom, cousin, and husband! I designed them on the computer, and we printed and put them together ourselves. One of my favorite things in them was a description of how we met and knew each of our wedding party to make it more personal for our guests!


We made a slide show of our pictures growing up and dating years...We used "There is None Like You" by Shane and Shane" "Say You Will" by Justin Cofield Band.


The bridesmaids entered to an organist playing Eidelweiss and I walked down the aisle with my dad to the Bridal Processional played on an organ as well. During the ceremony my husband's aunt and cousin sang, "Household of Faith," an older song by Steve Green and my cousin sang and played the piano to, "Acres of Hope," by Shane and Shane.


It was such a perfect day!