hello~hola~ciao

Well nothing new to report really. Same ol, same ol. It is cold here in Iowa, and we have had some snow, but no major amounts.

We continue to have furnace problems, we think it is a problematic thermostat. Just last night I turned the heat down and the furnace kicked in. However when I had turned it up to 70, 3 minutes before it did nothing. It was down to 58 degrees inside last night and about 15-20 degrees outside. I got it restarted and never touched the thing and it has been too hot in there ever since at 68 degrees. Can you say ca-ching. (taking donations :))

In other news I have started a physical therapy routine for my injured leg. Remember back in the day when I started my short running career, but it was sidelined due to severe shin splints and possible stress fracture. Well in 6 months of no running it never healed. So now I am getting it all well, so i can run again. I got races to run and beer to drink! (steve's Tap 5k, APril 24th) SO with the newest x-ray there is no fracture of the bone, but there is thickening of the bone, which they say is due to stress in the area. There is a muscle that runs done the calf and inside leg and hooks to the arch of the foot that is the problem. To support the muscle the bone was taking on some of that stress. SO I am now working on strengthening that muscle and tendons and whatever else is in there with physical therapy. I have had an ultra sound treatment and this electrical/steroid patch treatment, woohoo, fun times!!! Here's to hoping to run again.

Josh continues to be busy with Hawkeye sports and high school officiating. I continue to attend hawkeye sports.

Well that is all really, have a nice winter!

Video Time

Here is my video of the Hawkeye Marching Band playing before the orange bowl. The sound isn't that great, but hey it's the hawkeyes!

Finally a win

I asked Amb if she wanted to join me at the Basketball game on the 16th, she said yes so I hauled her butt up to see the team play Penn State.

We had a great time, she brought along some halftime entertainment.

The game was beginning to wind down, it was getting close, we were biting our nails, pulling out our hair, we couldn't watch. The hawks had yet to win a big 10 game.






Then by some miracle, I think it was Amber's attendance, the hawks won!! SO Amb is going to have to drive up from D-port every game to watch. She has some long nights ahead of her.

ho hum

So now that we are back in Iowa we are enjoying the winter sports season. Maybe enjoy is an overstatement. The men's bball team has yet to win a game in the big ten. The men are very frustrating to watch to say the least. The women's team is down to 8 healthy players, which many are young. The wrestling team continues to dominate, but I have no interest in wrestling. I do have interest in the ice cream cones that are served in Carver Hawkeye Arena.

There was one highlight this bball season, the dog races!



Until something more exciting comes along, you may not hear anything on the blog for a while.

Relaxin to the Maxin

After the wonderful win in the Orange Bowl we had a day of nothing to do. WE started out at the over priced, yet delicious breakfast buffet. Then continued with lounging poolside all day. We did a total of absolutley nothing and it was great. WE might have take a stroll along the beach. IT was cool for FLorida, maybe about high 50's for the day.

The orange bowl was the coldest in history, 49 at kickoff and as floridians call it the "feels like" temperature was 37. I think the feels like temp at home was a tropical minus 8. Floridians have thin skin when it comes to the cold.

We concluded our lazy day by eating at Billy's crab house. It was a mile from the hotel. They had every kind of seafood imaginable. Stone crab was their specialty. I ended up ordering some cocnut shrimp and finished the evening with key lie pie. It was sooo good!

We had to leave early on Thrusday to catch our flight back home. We did however talk the driver into stopping at a Dunkin Donuts for some delicious fresh brewed coffee.

We got to the airport, security was no problem. WE did however discover that there was a dunkin donuts in the terminal. Oh well! When we got to our connecting flight in Atlanta the weather was changing. We weren't sure if we could make it back. It was blowing snow back home and it had started to snow in Atlanta. When Atlanta gets lots of snow they shut down, they don't have a snow plow.

Luckily we got out of ATL in time and landed safely back in Moline. However the blowing snow across the runway was not a pleasant sight. AS always I am so happy to be back on the ground, I hate flying!!!

Due to the bad weather we crashed at Amber's house. We did make a trip to the Filling Station to fill our bellies. It was another good trip. However we are stuck in Iowa for a while now, no more warm vacations for us. We are suffering through with everyone else.

Get your game face on!

January 5th, 2010. Game Day!

The game is not until 8pm. We have all day to lounge around. However the warm florida sun is only a mere 60 some degrees. It feels nice out of the wind, but pants and a jacket are required. We manage to find some fresh squeezed orange juice, nothing like Florida Orange juice, that crap in the stores, is crap!

Lunch rolls around and we eat oceanside at the hotel restuarant. We then get this crazy idea to jump in the ocean, we are here right. So we go get our suits on and come back down to the beach. We make a flying run to the water, SPLASH!! BRRRRRRR!!!! Josh lasts in the water for about 20 seconds. I am fine it is warmer in the water. I finally get out and we go hit the hot tub.

After our dip in the hot tub we go back to the room to get ready for the game. The only thing we are missing is our warm clothes. I threw in my gloves and josh threw in his stocking hat and gloves. At the last minute I threw in a fleece blanket, you never know if you would need something like that, better to have them.

We are ready for the game! WE go sit in the hotel bar and wait on the people we are riding to the game with. In the bar some lady asks us " Why are you staying at this hotel?" I am thinking, is there only one hotel for Tech fans, and we can't stay here? Hawkeye fans wont all fit in one hotel. Also we can't afford the Hawkeye team hotel. We respond with the fact we didn't know this was the Tech team hotel. Oh well, hawkeye fans were all around S. Florida.

Of the Tech players we did see, they didn't look too big or intimidating.

Anyway we meet with our peeps and need to take 2 cabs of 5 people to the game. It is a short 5 miles away or so, but the traffic has picked up, so it is about a half hour ride, not bad.

We get to the stadium, hopeing to meet up with some other fans, but they are all on the move we only get to meet up with one. We had to also get our tickets. We also ran across the marching band (i have video, sometime I will load) Then it is time to go in the stadium.


I like to go early and watch all the people and pre-game hoopla. We also got our supper. Chicken strip baskets and Landshark Lager, on tap! Dinner of Champions!


We go to our seats, front row of the upper deck on the corner, near the endzone. Not bad seats, but they could be better. There is a slight breeze and it is cool!

The stadium fills up, it appears as if it is 3/4 hawk fans. This game is not a sell-out but close. A Tuesday evening game, when school is in session cuts down attendance. Then the bands had there turns at performing. It is time for the national anthem. First though america the beautiful is played by the saxophone player from the E street band. Then it is time for the National Anthem. I don't recall the singers name, but she was AWESOME!! Best I have heard in person.






It was time for the teams to take the field. the Hawks were first. They played the Back in Black video montage, kind of like back at Kinnick, the hawk fans lit up! This was going to be awesome. The hawks ran out behind the flags, entered the stadium as a team, hand in hand. Then Tech took the field, with their car and party type jumping around. BLeck!


It was time for the coin toss, we lost, but Tech deferred and we will get the ball first. Then the rest is history...or something like that. The hawks took an early lead, and never trailed. At half time they had 14 points, the basketball team at half had 15 points that evening. Anyway the hawks go on to make great plays, stop Techs triple option offense and win the game 24-14.




Oh how can I forget, there was halftime too. Kool and the gang performed, they were good. There were also dancers from high schools. Fireworks also went off. I think I might have shaken my booty!

The gatorade was dumped! Then stage was rolled out for the trophy presentation. However before the team took the stage they came over to the fans and gave high fives to the front row. I love the hawks!



It was time for the trophy presentation. At some point the video people thought it would be wise to show the Tech press conference on the big video screens, boo! Back to the ceremony. Adrian Clayborn was named MVP, Ricky Stanzi made a witty quote about America #1. Then the hawks come back to the fans, throw them oranges and sing the fight song (at turbo speed) IT's great to be a hawkeye. Suddenly it was not as cold.




As we departed, the band played in heaven there is no beer down the spiral exit ramp.

We met up with the people we came with in the club section, and found a bar. Had a cold one, and needed to go back to the hotel.

Traveling to the Orange Bowl

There was ust one game left in the 2009 football season and that was the Fedex Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida at Landshark Stadium. Josh and I were able to make the trip. Usually Josh stays behind during the bowl season to run the events at Carver.

We departed January 4th late in the afternoon. The weather was good for flying. We flew through Atlanta from Moline. When we got to Atlanta Josh got a text from the people we were meeting there, we were staying at the Geaorgia Tech Team Hotel. The people we were meeting were at the hotel and they were giving the players a hard time.

We had another smooth flight into Ft Lauderdale. We arrived just before 11pm Eastern time. Then came the wait for the bags, it took almost an hour for our bags to get in. Yikes! We had a driver waiting on us too. When we finally got our bags and went to find our ride, the pickup area was nuts! Hawkeyes every where, people looking for their rides and taxis pissed off!

We got to the hotel after 12:30, we stayed at the Westin Diplomat in Hollywood. There was only one place open for supper, yes it was after midnight and we needed supper. The restuarant open was part of the hotel, it was a sports bar type. We come to find out there are not any other restuarants within a mile of the place. WE both got burgers and fries. The bar was full of Hawkeye fans. Drunk hawkeye fans! Some guy came up and asked to have some fries, I said sure, didn't want to cause a commotion, so he grabbed some fries and proceeded to dip them in my lettuce and onions, thinking they were ketchup. He decided to eat the onions with his fries. It was time to call it a night, so we went to the room and passed out.

I'm in Miami, Kirk!

In an effort to keep this updated, so i don't have to waste a bunch of time trying to catch up, I will post about our trip to watch the Hawkeyes at the Orange Bowl at Landshark Stadium in Miami.

First I think you should check out this song, this song is originally titled "I'm in Miami, Bitch!" It was redone and it is very catcy, you may even find yourself singing this in the shower

GO HAWKS!!!